Make It Monday: DIY Spa Treatments

We all like a pamper every now and again. As nice as it is though it is a treat that my budget will not stretch to on a regular basis. 

I was looking online as i had forgotten the amount of sugar i needed for a sugar face scrub and come across this infographic from Pretty Crafty Things. I am tempted to try the anti redness mix as i have noticed my cheeks are getting redder than i would like them too. 

Enjoy the pampering ladies and gents :)

#SMPXmasCountdown: Day 37 - Grab a bargain beauty advent calendar for just £5

My eldest is 13 now and says she is too old for the standard chocolate advent calendar. She is too old for the toys i put in homemade ones so i went about sourcing out little nail polishes instead. Then i spotted this on Wilko's while i was browsing for cheap make up. 

Frugal Friday: Homemade natural facial hair remover

As you may be aware by now i am one to try anything at least once. You wont know if something will work out cheaper or more efficient unless you step out of the box and try something else. This is a tip which is close to my heart, and i imagine many women too. I have a hormone imbalance and suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome, i end up with a lot of fluff around my face which causes me a great deal of embarrassment. I usually wax but over time it works out a lot, i'd much rather use something i already have in the house. Feeling slightly fed up the other day i started googling about hair removal and this video was among the results. This video is aimed at women... sorry guys.

Heres the video to show you how to do it :) 

        

#SMPChristmas Competition Day 8

One of the main gifts people buy me is smellies. I am hard to buy for, i know what i like and stick with the same brands or items when i find i like them. Clothes are a no no as i am very fussy and jewelry is out of the question as it has to be simple, the right chain length or only silver. I appreciate everything that i am given and love trying new brands or products but if i am buying for myself i will never venture much past the usual ranges.

New hair, new me! Chill* Review.

Im a big fan of colouring my hair, its a big part of who i am. The wackier the better, the messier the better and the bigger the better, yes I like big hair... i mean BIG, fluffy bouncy hair!. I just feel naked without a couple of colours on the top of my head and tend to dye my hair a rainbow of colours as many times of the year as i can to show off my fab personality and just generally be different. Who wants to be exactly like everyone else? When i was ill losing my hair was a bigger blow to me than loosing my boob. It of course grew back but those 18 months were horrible and only made better by the fact i could wear whatever wig i fancied. A new me every day of the week. Poor Gareth couldn't keep up :)

Sexy mother pucker - lip gloss review

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a huge fan of soap and glory products. In January I cleared out my very minimal make up bag and discovered my 11 year old had sneaked many of my lip glosses and trashed them! Needless to say I wasn't impressed! Cosmetics are a very rare treat for me, something i usually only get on my birthday or Christmas. I had a little bit of money left on a boots voucher so set out to look for a replacement lip gloss. I settled on soap and glory's sexy mother pucker in Pink Apricot.

Naked Volume Review

I'm fussy when it comes to what i use on my hair. Since finishing treatment my hair grew back darker in colour and alot thinner. This particular haircare range pretty much sums up how terrible my hair is :D Its designed specifically for people who have limp, fine hair and claims to plump up my hair volume and leave my hair silky smooth and soft, using natural ingredients which is always a bonus. I'm always sceptical when trying new haircare but reading some fab reviews, this was defiantly worth the try.

The packaging is simple and contains alot of essential information about the products. I love the packaging personally as im not one for lots of fancy stuff. I like products which are clear and too the point. The shampoo is thick in consistency with a slight scent and lathers really well. After the first wash, i didnt really notice any major difference but when i washed my hair 2 days later i noticed my hair felt a little bouncy. I washed it once more 2 days later and it definitely had more volume. It does say on the back if needed use a second time and it lathers up better. That was abit of a mistake for me... bubbles everywhere! I would advise doing that if you have much longer or more hair than i do tbh but it did make the volume more noticeable.
It done nothing for my split ends (which i didnt expect it to in all honesty) and my hair felt slightly drier than when i use my usual aussie brand. I would recommend teaming this with a conditioner to keep your hair feeling silky and moisturized.

I was also tried the conditioner as i had that also. I tried 3 different experiments to see what suited me best while trialling this,

• With both the naked set shampoo and naked conditioner
• using the naked shampoo shampoo on its own with my usual brand
• Using my normal aussie shampoo with naked conditioner. 

Firstly the conditioner. Like the shampoo it has a slight scent to it. I can not describe the smell its almost like cinnamon but not as sickly. Its a thick consistency as you would expect conditioner to be and i found i could work it into my hair easily, feeling like the small amount i used was enough to cover all my hair. 

Using both the naked shampoo and conditioner together- after 2 uses i did notice a difference. My hair was not as limp and i felt like i did not need to do much to it to give me the volume i usually have after ages styling. My hair did feel silky and very clean.

Using just the naked shampoo with my usual aussie brand i did not really notice much difference. My usual conditioner leaves my hair soft and feeling clean but i do not usually have the bounce in my hair.

Using my normal brand of shampoo with naked conditioner. I honestly did not notice any difference.

I think using both the shampoo and conditioner together is a good idea and i would definitely purchase both again if my usual brand was not on offer. I usually colour my hair but as its currently not coloured i can not comment on how it acts with dyed hair. I would imagine its nourishing and has the same effect. Id be tempted to save myself some pennies and just buy the shampoo as my usual brand done the same job. If you have alot of hair or much longer hair you may notice you need to use more. I have shoulder length, flat, very thin hair and this worked perfectly for me.

These can be purchased from boots at £4.19 for a 250ml bottle or direct from the naked website alongside its other products for £3.98 for a 250ml bottle

Burt's Bees Blueberry and Dark Chocolate Lip Balm Review

I suffer from the worst chapped lips in the winter and go through a ridiculous amount of chap sticks and lip balms. 

I prefer as much as possible to use natural products because i have very sensitive skin. I've been a fan of Burt's Bees for quite some time, after receiving one of their honey collection gift sets last year. The Body scrub in particular was amazing. I was very impressed and haven't looked back since. So i was pretty excited to find that that instead of the lip balm tubes i had been using they also sold little chap sticks. Handier for carrying around in my pocket as i do not always use a handbag and easier to apply when i have my hands full or in a rush.  

Burt's Bees pride themselves in using natural ingredients that work. All of their products are simple packaged and labelled clearly. The website is well laid out and all ingredients are clearly marked when you click on the items too. They also make a point of mentioning that their products are all made from sustainable sources.

 I was lucky enough to win this last year and have only started to use it in the last week because the weather has played havoc with my face! I figured now would be a perfect time to stick up my first product review.