PolarWhitePro Teeth Whitening

Hi guys! So for today's post I thought I would tell you about a teeth whitening product I have been trying out recently

Source: PolarWhitePro website

I had heard of PolarWhitePro Teeth Whitening Glaze and what caught my attention was the fact that you only needed to use it for a week in order to get results.  Then I came across it in my local pharmacy and I just had to pick it up!  I have very sensitive teeth and I found in the past that a lot of whitening products increase this sensitivity which is rather unpleasant.  Even so, I still thought I would give this a go and see how I got on!

These are the instructions for use:

1. Brush teeth & wipe dry. Rotate pen at base to dispense gel;
2. Hold a wide smile, keeping lips away from teeth during treatment;
3. Apply a thin layer of gel to all teeth, ensuring coverage to entire tooth;
4. Gel activates immediately on contact with teeth, you will notice slight foaming as it actively dissolves discolorations
5. Allow 60 seconds to try. Do not rinse, gel remains active, slowly dissolving surface stains on teeth
6. Refrain from eating or drinking for 30 minutes after application.

Although it is recommended to use this 2 to 3 times per day for a week, I only used it once a day, in the evenings (because I didn't have time in the mornings).  After a week of use, I definitely saw results where my teeth are about 2 shades whiter, and best of all I had no sensitivity whatsoever while using it! As far as teeth whitening goes, this is the best I have ever used.  The only drawback I can think of is I wouldn't be a fan of the taste it has, which I found a bit tacky, but that is down to personal preference!  I am going to go back and try to use it the recommended number of times per day again soon, but I'm just giving my teeth a couple of weeks break before I do!

It is available to buy from their website here at a cost of €24.95 with free shipping to Ireland and Northern Ireland, but I only paid €20 for it in my local pharmacy so have a look around!

New Lip Purchases

Today I have 2 little bargains of lip products I picked up recently to show you!  First up is a gorgeous lipstick from MUA, one of their newer shades, Number 14 - Bare:

And a couple of swatches in different lights to show you the various tones to this colour:

This is a gorgeous nude shade, kind of a pink/beige colour with a hint of peach.  This is my second MUA lipstick and they really are excellent quality, especially for the price you pay.  They are lovely and moisturising while still being fairly pigmented, and although the staying power wouldn't be up there with the likes of MAC, that's certainly no big complaint when you are only paying £1/€1.35 for a lipstick!

Next I got one of the Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip Creams in Powder Puff:

I'm not a big fan of lip glosses, I just can't bear the stickiness of them, but these creams are a nice alternative.  Again, they are really moisturising and quite pigmented and this is a similar shade to the MUA lipstick.  Here's some swatches of it alone and over the MUA lipstick:

Left, Cream Puff in Bare on its own; Right, over MUA Lipstick Shade 14

Thanks for reading guys!

I'm Back....

Hey guys,

I just wanted to write a quick post to say sorry for my long absence from the blogging world, and I'm back now.  I had really important interviews and exams to study for but it's all over and done with now and I have lots to blog about! Also want to say a big thank you for following and reading my blog!

:-) xx

NOTD OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

Hi Guys!

Another OPI NOTD today! This is one of my favourite polishes from OPI, as I am a big fan of darker coloured nails.  This is a very dark, inky aubergine colour which looks practically black on the nails but when the light hits it you can see the reddish-purple tones through it.  The photos with the flash show this best.

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With Flash

Close up with Flash

 As usual with OPI, this wears excellently.  The application of this is also brilliant - it's almost opaque with 1 coat but I always put on 2 coats anyway! Love it! :-)

GOSH Bargains

Hi Guys!

I was in my local pharmacy the other day and found a few good bargains in a little sale basket there, so I thought I would share!

First up, I finally got my hands on a bottle of Gosh Holographic Nail Polish.  I have been keeping an eye out for ages for a stray bottle of this but could never get one until now!  I can't wait to try it out and I'll pop up a little nail of the day when I do!

I also got a lipliner pencil and an eyeliner pencil:

The eyeliner is in Copper Girl and the lipliner is in the shade Nougat Crisp.  Now I have been after Nougat Crisp for a while as the Irish YouTuber LittleKiva always uses it (check out her channel here), and I thought it looked like a good neutral shade.  Coppergirl is a gorgeous metallic coppery brown which is a really good colour with my blue eyes, and the consistency of this is so soft and velvety. Swatch time:

Top is Copper Girl, middle is Nougat Crisp heavily swatched and bottom is a normal thin line of Nougat Crisp.

I don't know why these were in a bargain basket, maybe they have been discontinued (I know Holographic is), but I saw both liners in another shop today at full price so I'm not sure what it's all about! Anyway, they all cost me £2 each so quite the bargain! Let me know if any of you see any GOSH items on sale like this anywhere near you!

Fake Bake Spray Tan

For todays post, I want to tell you all about my favourite spray tan ever!

Now I have tried plenty of fake tan brands in the past, and if I'm doing my own fake tan at home I currently tend to use Xen Tan, which I love (I will do a review in a future post).  If I am getting a spray tan done though I always go for Fake Bake because it suits me so well and never lets me down!  Last weekend, I had a spray tan done and I thought I would share the results with you.

This tan is quite moist on the skin for about 3 to 5 mins after application but at that stage it is dry enough to get dressed again and after about half an hour it is totally dry.  The guide colour is quite dark but not at all 'dirty' looking like some brands can be and to be honest you can go about your daily business without looking ridiculous! The next morning I showered off the guide colour et voila I was left with a gorgeous olive coloured tan - no streaks or patchiness in sight!  I thought I would show you the results on my arm and leg:

 

I've tried a few other brands of spray tans but none have the same end result as this.  It also fades really well and I think I might try the lotion for home application soon to how I get on with it!

Collective Beauty Haul

Hi Guys!

I have purchased a few beauty related items over the last few weeks so I thought I would show you them all together in a collective haul.  I'm just going to list them with prices and where I bought them in today's post, and I will follow up with reviews once I've used them for a little while!

Left to right, I bought:

Real Techniques stippling brush £11.99 and Eco Tools eyeshadow brush which was around £7, both from Boots.  First impressions of both of these brushes is good - they are very soft and dense and I can't wait to use them!

OPI Muppets Collection mini set of 4 polishes from the collection. I got this from Sallys and it cost me around £10.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in 3W1 Tawny.  I love the finish and lasting power of Double Wear.  I have this in 3N1 Ivory Beige but it was too pink for me so I got it in Tawny as it is the warmer toned colour of the same intensity and it seems to be a far better match for me so far! This was £26.50 in Debenhams.

I also bought myself a new bottle of my favourite perfume, Armani Code, from The Perfume Shop.  I want to take a little time to tell you about the offer the Perfume Shop have on at the moment.  They have this thing called a Viva Box, which includes samples of 7 different popular fragrances and a little perfume atomiser:

Also in the box is a voucher which you can then exchange for a full size bottle of any of the sampled fragrances.  The box costs £34.99 and considering that you are getting a full-sized bottle of perfume plus 6 other samples and an atomiser bottle, this is great value!  Especially since Armani Code is normally £39.99 for this size of a bottle.  I'm pretty sure they have a couple of different boxes too, with different samples in each one.

Finally in the far right of the top picture, I got a new tube of Lancome Hypnose mascara.  This is my favourite mascara at the moment and I have bought it 3 or 4 times before so it is a long time favourite as well. I'm a bit of a mascara junkie and buy too many of them but this is the only one I have repurchased so many times!

Primark Eye Make Up Remover Pads

Today I thought I would write a post on these Primark fragrance free eye make-up remover pads that I picked up last week.

I was wandering through Penneys/Primark when I spotted these and decided to try them out seeing that they were only €1.50 for a twin pack.  Well I'm sorry to say I should have kept my €1.50 in my pocket.  I've tried them out on a few different occasions now and while they are OK at removing eyeshadow, after that their capabilities end.  All they seem to do is smear eyeliner and mascara (and not even waterproof eyeliner or mascara at that) around my face with not a chance of actually removing it.  They also get quite fluffy with lint coming off them and sticking to my eyelashes.

There are 1 or 2 positive things to say about them though - they are really moist and they are not at all irritating or drying on the eyes, so I guess you could use them for something like freshening up your eyes in the morning.

Overall though, not a good buy.  I have heard positive things about Primark's larger makeup remover wipes for the face but I haven't tried them yet myself - have any of you got any opinions on them?

NOTD OPI Nicki Minaj Collection

Hey guys

Today I thought I would show you a little Nail of the Day with one of the offerings from OPI's Nicki Minaj Collection.  This is Pink Friday:

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With Flash

This is a lovely creamy bubblegum pink.  The first coat went on a bit streaky, which I find to be quite common with the lighter OPI colours.  However, a second coat sorts this problem out.  It dries fairly quickly and wears well - I had it on for three days with no sign of a chip which is good for me!

In case you're wondering, here's a stock photo of the entire collection:

I also had planned to pick up 'Metallic for Life' which is a black with silver glitter but when I saw it in the flesh I wasn't so sure as it was more silver looking than black and just didn't match up to what I thought it was.  I'm not usually one for shatter polishes but the Super Bass Shatter actually looks gorgeous and I may just purchase it next!

My Current Hair Favourites

Hi Guys!

I hope you're all doing good!  Today I thought I would show you my current haircare favourites!  These are the products I use each time I wash and style my hair.

L-R Revlon Equave, L'Oreal Mythic Oil, Bed Head Headrush

My hair is quite long, is naturally wavy and prone to a bit of friziness but also prone to greasiness in the roots.  My hairdresser always tells me my hair is in great condition so I must be doing something right!

After washing my hair and when it's still wet, I spray some of Revlon's Equave 2 Phase Leave-In Conditioner through my hair.  This makes it so much easier to comb out and it doesn't weigh down my hair or make it greasy at all.

The second product I use is L'Oreal Mythic Oil.  There are quite a few hair oils on the market at the moment, I have used and quite liked the VO5 Miracle Concentrate before.  However, this is in a different league!  One pump is enough to do the lengths and ends of my hair and it just leaves my hair so soft and shiny, from first use the results are noticeable.  I haven't tried any other 'high-end' hair oils like the Moroccan Oil or Macademia Oil, but I can't imagine they would be much better than this!

Finally, if I am heat styling my hair (straighteners or curling irons) I use TIGI Bed Head Head Rush Shine Spray.  A hairdresser friend of mine told me that even though this is marketed as a shine spray, it makes a great heat protectant.  You do need to use this fairly sparingly as too much of it will make the hair look greasy.  It is good for giving hair a shine boost and it is an excellent heat protector.  I actually haven't used any other heat protection product for years now and my hair has very little heat damage considering that it is quite long!

I use lots of other different products depending on what kind of style I'm going for with my hair, but these three are my staple products which I have repurchased many times and I can't recommend them enough!  They are all available at Sallys or from Hairdressing Salons.

MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder

A few months ago I decided I wanted to try out the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (MSF) Natural.  So off I went to the MAC counter where the MUA convinced me to try out the Studio Careblend Pressed Powder instead.

The information from MAC on this product is:

"Formulated to provide a smooth, virtually invisible, fresh-looking finish, this soft, cream-like powder is carefully blended to provide the skin with extra care, nourishment and comfort"

I am around NC35 in MAC foundations and I told the MUA that I did not want the powder to add colour, just to set my make up.  She suggested that I get the shade Medium.  This is bordering on being too light for me but it's hardly noticeable.  This powder really does have a beautifully silky feel to it and it gives my make up a lovely soft finish without being in any way powdery or cakey looking.  I'm not one for touching up my makeup too often when I'm at work but I've given this a few good 12 hour tests through long work days and I am highly impressed with how it sets my makeup and keeps it in place for longer, without mattifying my skin too much.

I'd like to try out MSF Natural for comparison but I certainly cannot fault this powder.  Have any of you tried this or MSF Natural before?

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment

Today I want to tell you about a hair treatment which I have been using for a few months now.  It is the Lee Stafford Treatment for Hair that Never Grows Past a Certain Length (quite a mouthful!).  I have quite long hair but I did not start using this treatment because I needed to grow my hair as such.  The full benefits that this treatment claims to have are:

• Vital hair and scalp complex helps to reduce hair loss
• Improves follicle health which in turn increases the ability of the hair to anchor to the scalp
• Soothing formulation reduces irritation and moisturises the scalp
• Addresses hair and scalp ageing at a cellular level
• Improvement in tensile strength to give body and texture by penetrating the hair reaching the inner cortex
• Improves volume and feel of the hair

My problem was that every time I washed my hair, and when I combed through my hair after washing, I found that I had a fair bit of hair fall out.  I know a certain amount is normal but this was still worrying me.

The directions for use are to use the treatment between shampoo and conditioner.  You massage an egg sized amount into the hair from roots to ends, leave on for 5 minutes and rinse off.  Use every wash until hair improves and use once a week thereafter.  Lee Stafford suggest using the Hair Growth shampoo and conditioner from the range as well but I can't get my hands on this so I just use it with my regular products.

So what's the verdict?  I love this! I am so glad I found it.  Has it completely stopped my hair from coming out? No. But it has dramatically reduced the amount of my hair which comes out when I wash and comb it.  It took about 3 or 4 weeks of use for me to start seeing the benefits.  The treatment leaves my hair feeling so soft and in great condition.  I would be prone to greasiness in my roots but this does not make my hair in any way greasy.  I have stocked up on this when it was on offer in Boots (it is often on a 3 for 2 or simillar offer) and I can't see myself stopping using it any time soon!  I would also say that my hair has grown a lot more since I started using this than it would have before.  As well as all that, both the packaging and the scent are gorgeous too...I really have nothing bad to say about it!

Lush Haul!

Hey guys!

In my last haul post I mentioned that I also paid a visit to Lush so I thought I would do a quick little post to show you what I got!

First up, in the top left corner I got the Comforter Bubble Bar.  I actually got 2 of these because I love them so much! This has a sweet berry scent and turns the bath water a gorgeous pinky purple colour.  Without a doubt my favourite Lush product at the moment and even better, you can get 3 or 4 uses out of each one as they are so big!

Moving clockwise, in the top right corner is the Creamy Candy bubble bar, another sweet smelling bubble bar not unlike the Snow Fairy shower gel if you are familiar with that!

Bottom right is the Twilight Bath Ballistic. This has a sweet but also comforting scent, with a hint of lavender.  This changes colour in the bath and I find my skin feels really soft and moisturised after using it.

I also got the Pop in the Bath Bubble Bar (bottom left).  I have never tried this before but it has a nice light citrus and kind of minty smell so I'm looking forward to trying it!

Finally, I got some of the Rock Star soap to try out.  I have never tried a Lush soap before so I am interested to see what it is like.  This has exactly the same scent as Snow Fairy.

I hope you enjoyed my little haul...Thanks for reading! :) x

Haul!

I was in Dublin yesterday on a flying visit...I had an hour or so to kill while I was waiting for my friend to finish in a meeting so I had a little look around a few shops!

The first couple of bits I got were in Forever 21.  Dublin has a massive Forever 21 store and I could have done with longer in there! The clothes are gorgeous and so affordable, but I only picked up a few things.

The only item of clothing I got was this blouse.  It's got a dipped hemline where it's longer at the back than at the front but what I love about this top is that it's still quite long at the front, as I find a lot of dipped hemline tops too short at the front.  There is gorgeous lace detailing at the top which makes it easy to dress up or down.  It cost €15.75/£12.75.  Next I got some jewellery:

I had been on the lookout for some nice black earrings and there is such a great selection of jewellery in Forever 21, I ended up finding plenty! I got three sets of earrings.  The first set on the left, with a pair of plain black studs and a pair of silvery-grey studs, were €1.60/£1.50.  The middle set has 3 pairs - small black flowers, clear studs and a pair of black fabric flower earrings. This set was €3.90/£3.15.  Lastly I got these black glittery star earrings on the right and they were also €3.90/£3.15.

Next I went into a store called Stradivarius (check out the website here).  It is a Spanish store, and it's quite similar to Bershka which is one of my favourite shops!  I got 2 shirts here:

The first one I got was this denim button up shirt.  I love this style of shirt and there have been many styles of them in various shops, but this was the first one that was just the style I was looking for as it is the perfect length for me (I'm 5' 8" and  I often find it hard to get tops that are long enough)! This was €19.95.

The second shirt I got is the same colour but it is cotton and it buttons down about half way.  This is just about long enough to wear with leggings for casual wear but I really got this as it is perfect for me to wear to work.  This was around €25.

I also got some stuff from Lush and there will be a separate post up about that soon.  Hope you're all well! :) x

Battle of the Liquid Liners

Almost every day I wear black liquid eyeliner, so I thought I would do a comparison of the 3 liquid liners which I have on the go at the moment! They are Rimmel's Glam'Eyes Professional Liquid Liner, Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Eyeliner, and GOSH Extreme Art Eye Liner Extremely Waterproof.

L-R Rimmel, Collection 2000, GOSH

L-R Rimmel, Collection 2000, GOSH

The Rimmel liner has been my everyday choice of liquid liner literally for a few years now and I have repurchased it time and time again.  It is probably the least resistant to water and wear of the whole lot of them but I find it is great for everyday use as the thin brush is my favourite kind to work with and the formula is nice as well, with a good consistency that dries to what I would describe as a satin finish - not too shiny but not matte either.  It's also a doddle to remove at the end of the day.

The Collection 2000 liner is also great for every day or for more dramatic looks as the applicator gives a thicker line.  I wouldn't be a fan of the 'marker tip' type applicators but of all of them I have tried this is the easiest I found to work with.  Again, not the best wearing liner in the world and it has a thinner consistency than the Rimmel liner so it isn't quite as pigmented.  This liner is the only one out of the three that dries to a completely matte finish.

Finally GOSH's offering. I have a love/hate relationship with this liner! I reserve use of it for nights out or days when I really need my make up to last! The applicator brush is a nice thin brush, similar to the Rimmel liner, but oh my the formula! The consistency of this liner can only be described as gloopy.  When you pull the brush out of the tube sometimes a string of the liner hangs from it.  This means that although the applicator brush is thin, it can be difficult to be precise with it.  It also takes this liner a full 5 minutes to dry (yes, I timed it!) and it dries to an almost glossy finish.  But when this baby is dry, there is no budging it.  After I had done the 3 swatches above, I washed my hands with soap and water and this did not budge.  So I went back and really scrubbed at it, and this is what I was left with:

Impressive, right?  Although this makes it a pain to remove.  A good oil-based waterproof eye make up remover will take this off without too much effort.  The first time I tried this I thought maybe mine had gone bad or something as it's so gloopy but my sister has this in 3 other colours and they are all the same.

Overall, each of these liners has their good and bad points.  If I had to drop one from my collection it would be the Collection 2000 one, simply because I'm neither a fan of completely matte finishes nor the marker tip applicators.  However, this is down to personal taste!  I feel the Rimmel liner is good for daytime use and the GOSH one is probably unbeatable when it comes to getting a liner that is not going to budge until bedtime!

Have any of you got any suggestions of other liners I could try out (high end or drugstore)?

Benefit Hoola Dupe?

It's likely that most make-up fanatics either own or have heard plenty about Benefit's Hoola bronzer, and rightly so! It is a gorgeous bronzer, with its completely matte finish making it ideal for contouring or giving a natural bronzed look.  However, at £23.50/€34 it isn't the most affordable of products.  Enter W7 Honolulu bronzer which costs around £3/€5 - quite the price difference!

On the outside, the packaging is very similar, both housed in sturdy boxes...but what about the most important thing - the product itself!

L-R Honolulu, Hoola

And a swatch on the skin:

Honolulu on the Left, Hoola on the Right

Pretty sinilar right?  W7 Honolulu also has a matte finish, and both products are equally pigmented and easy to blend.  I would say - and I think you can see from the pictures - that Honolulu is a shade darker than Hoola, making it ideal for the summer time, when I have a tan and Hoola is almost too light for my skin.  Although Honolulu would be fine on fairer skins if used with a light hand, Hoola would definitely be better for those of you who are paler.  The major difference in quality that I have found between the 2 is that Hoola lasts longer on the skin while Honolulu tends to wear off quicker.  You also get 11g in Benefit's Hoola while there is only 6g in W7 Honolulu - so it is worth bearing in mind that you are getting almost double the amount in Hoola.

If Hoola is on your wishlist but you just can't bring yourself to shell out the money for it, then Honolulu is definitely the best dupe I have seen for it.  Whether you would need both probably really only depends on your complexion but I know that for me, there is place for both of these bronzers in my make-up bag!

OPI Nail Envy Original

Hey Guys!
First of all, welcome to my blog and thank you for reading!

For my first post I am going to review a nail care product.  The product in question is OPI Nail Envy Original.  Nail Envy comes in a few variations, e.g. for thin nails but I decided to try out the original version.  My nails are very hard and as such, they are brittle meaning they snap and break easily.  They also tend to break in layers and peel too.  I have tried numerous nail growth treatments in the past with varying levels of success - most of them not worth bothering about, but finally I have found something which seems to be doing the trick!




Stock Image


The way Nail Envy works is you put 2 coats over bare nails and layer another coat on every other day.  When a week has passed you remove all of the polish and start again and continue to use until the condition of your nails has improved.

I have been using this for 2 weeks now and I can definitely see the results already.  My nails have no signs of breaks or splits at the sides which were always a problem for me.  They have also grown a lot more in the past 2 weeks than they would have previously.  The only downside to this product is the price.  It is available in Boots and Sallys and it retails for around £18 which is steep, but I have often paid out up to £10 on treatments before which were no good so I personally think it is well worth the money.

Overall I'm very impressed and will definitely continue using this product!