Dull, lifeless hair? Meet Aussome Volume Shampoo

For the last few months my hair has been in pretty bad condition. My hair has never been thick, but it's been seriously limp and lifeless. It's also been susceptible to breakage. So I've been searching for products to bring it back to life. Aussie is a brand I have liked over the years but stopped using recently. Not so much due to bad products but more so due to rubbish packaging.

I've always liked '3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor' for when my hair needs a bit of TLC. However the last bottle I bought leaked all over my shower after just one use. For those who know the bottle, it sits upside down unlike others. Needless to say my heart broke a little when I realised this bottle was faulty and had leaked everywhere :( . My other issue was with their heat defence spray 'Take The Heat'. Unfortunately after a few uses the nozzle on the bottle stopped working and I had to transfer the remaining liquid to a new bottle. And so I had given up.... until now!

I picked up the Aussome Volume Shampoo and Conditioner in my local Janet Dillon pharmacy as they were on offer. I've been using them both for a couple of weeks now. The claim is that the unique formula with extract of Australian hops gives your hair body from roots to tip.

I have to say I'm massively impressed. Firstly the scent of them is beautiful! It's like a wave of bubblegum washing over you (that classic Aussie smell), without being too overwhelming. Also even after drying, your hair still smells just as fresh and lasts for hours. This is a big plus for me as I haven't found this with many products. Although my hair didn't feel too nice after the being washed, once it was dry I was amazed. My hair felt so soft and lightweight. It also gave my hair a fair amount of body and took away most of the frizz. I honestly can't remember the last time a shampoo/conditioner made my hair feel so healthy.

I imagine I'll get a lot of use out of these bottles as a little goes a long way. Even with a small amount of shampoo you get an amazing lather. As I only paid €4 for each, to me this is fantastic value for money. I can't really fault these, so as long as my hair continues to feel this healthy and full, it will definitely be part of my haircare routine! I'd advise anyone who's hair has lost it's umph to give this a shot! Aussie are available in all leading supermarkets and pharmacies.

Til next time,
Toodles,

My top 6 (affordable) eye brushes!

When it comes to makeup products, I think my biggest weakness has to be brushes. I want them all! They're the one thing I'll be keeping an eye out for at the Irish Beauty Show on Sunday. I don't think I'll ever have enough :)

It was so hard to whittle this post down to just 6 brushes. (It was meant to be 5 but they're all just too good!) These are the brushes I reach for most. I can do a full eye look with just these alone. So lets dive right in!

First up I chose a lovely little shader brush from Sigma brushes. This is the E55. It's perfect for applying your base shadow to your lid. The hairs are quiet dense, so I don't find as much fallout with product as I do with other similar brushes. I've also had this for a few years, and after many washes it's never lost it's shape or many hairs. To me it's a classic brush that should be in everyones kit!

Next we have the Patricia from Nima brush. I nabbed this at last years beauty show and it's been a staple ever since. I use this for crease colours. It fits in the crease of my eye perfectly, and it's hairs are so soft it makes blending that much easier. All you need is a very light touch to get this brush to do it's job. Another part I really like about this (and the other brushes in the range) is the handle. It's a pretty matte duck egg blue, and feels lovely in your hand! Nice colourful addition to any kit.

One of my absolute favourite brushes ever next, the E10 from Blank Canvas Cosmetics. I think I own 3 of these in case anything were to happen to one and I couldn't replace it! This is my go to brush for a strong eye look. I'll use this for blending under the eye, to give a lovely soft smoked out effect. It's one of the softest brushes I own. I also love that even after using a black shadow, this little beaut washes up like new again! Couldn't be without this brush to be honest :)

Gel liner is a must for me for night time makeup. And finding a good brush for this has been a struggle of mine. However my favourite so far has definitely been the Synthetic Detail Liner brush from Royal & Langnickel. It's from their Silk Pro range, yet is still so affordable. I own a few of these as liner brushes don't last forever, but I've had very little hair loss out of this considering how much it has been used! It looks a little splayed in the picture after being washed, but once you place it in your liner the hairs come back together. A brush line that definitely deserve more attention.

The second time for BCC on this blog, I'm talking about the 006 blending brush. So when you're eye look is completely done, this is the brush you'll run over the top to get that final soft edge we all love. I have a few different versions of these, but this is my favourite as its more flat topped rather than round topped. I feel this gives me a softer finish overall. I also like the size of it. Makes finishing your look much quicker if you're short of time! (Upon review I'm not entirely sure if this brush is still available to buy on the site, but they have various styles which are very similar indeed :) )

And finally...not technically an eye brush, I have this angled brush from AYU brushes. I've been obsessed with eyebrows for a long time, especially getting the shape of my own sorted. Most angled brushes are too soft, or it's impossible to get a fine tip at the end of your brow. However, this is the holy grail of them all! I don't think I could ever use a different one. The hairs are strong but not so much that they drag your brow. And it is still super thin, yet packed full of brush hairs. Again, everyone needs this brush in their lives!!

Wow I said brush a lot of times! Anyway...if you'd like to pick up any of these brushes for yourself, here's where you can do so :)

http://www.blankcanvascosmetics.com/

http://www.ayumakeup.ie/

http://www.nimabrush.com/

http://www.cloud10beauty.com/brands/sigma-beauty.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjwqNiwBRDnq93MioaqtKQBEiQAb7Ezn3-RBxqgS4_jubw41GncB9XE3kmiROBdSAMob7C_J1waAg6F8P8HAQ

http://beautyuk.royalbrush.com/

Till next time,

Toodles,

W7 Palette review

I confess.... I'm an eyeshadowaholic... Wow feels better getting that off my chest! And with that revelation comes my latest purchase. W7 is an affordable brand that's getting more hype as of late. They have a range of makeup, including palettes (that resemble a certain higher end brand!) I decide to purchase two of these, 'In the Buff' and 'In the Night'. At €10 a palette they thankfully won't break the bank!

I've filmed a video on my thoughts of these products which I will link below, but I thought swatches and close up shots were best kept on the blog! First up, 'In the Night':

This is definitely more of an evening palette (surprise surprise) which I feel would be slightly more suited to someone with green eyes. The colours are all named on the back which is a nice touch, featuring titles such as 'Wonderland' and 'Top Hat'. Below are swatches on my arm which unfortunately no matter what I did, kept being washed out by the flash! 

Next up is 'In the Buff':

This is probably my favourite of the two as I love golds and bronzes. I do feel these colours would make blue eyes really pop. Again they all have names, such as 'Chocolate' 'Topaz' and 'Silk'.

I will definitely get use out of both palettes as they are very versatile. As for pigment and staying power, they aren't quite as strong as others, but for the price I really do think they're wonderful. I also am quite impressed at how sturdy the packaging is.  I would definitely suggest picking up one to try out yourself.

Til next time,

Toodles,

Check out the accompanying video at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUrXXVrIZs4&feature=youtu.be

Dealz 'Makeup Gallery' range: Lipstick

Dealz may actually be the best shop to ever come to my town. Screw Euro 2, Dealz is the place to be. Whether its sweets, mugs, decor for your home, or a connection for your phone, they probably have it, at the very modest price of €1.49. So imagine my excitement when my friend told me they had released their very own makeup range! I scurried off asap to my local (luckily only about 2 mins from my home) to have a gander. Sure enough there was a full range of lipsticks, glosses and foundations to name but a few. I decided to only pick up two things as I wasn't sure what to expect from such an unbelievably affordable range. Two lippies to add to my expanding collection....

I've been fairly obsessed with dark colours lately. I figured if their darkest colours where pigmented, I might be on to something good here. I choose a dark plum called 'Black Cherry' and a deep red, aptly named 'Deep Red'! Straight away I had an issue with the packaging. I find with a lot of cheaper lippie brands (NYC, Wet n Wild) that the lipstick bullet is always protruding out, meaning when you're closing the lid it's very easy to dent your lipstick. But at €1.49, I can handle it!

Firstly, they passed the 'sniff' test. Yes, I firstly smell every lipstick before I try as I can't stand that cheap waxy smell. These have no scent at all. Wonderful! The colours are just as rich as shown in the picture. I was surprised and impressed with the pigment. They also glide on nicely. They claim to be a 'moisture lipstick' and I'm inclined to agree.

The flash is slightly washing out the colours here. When I applied them to my lips I used a lip pencil underneath first (as I always do). And I'm pleased to report that even after a few hours the product hadn't budged. After eating and drinking, it faded to a degree but didn't leave that ugly line around my lips like a lot of dark colours tend to do. I'm incredibly impressed with these and cannot wait to pick up more! (My local shop has very little in at the moment so obviously I'm not the only fan!) I did however pick up two of their nail varnishs today after hearing wonderful things so expect another review soon! Two thumbs up Dealz :)

Till next time, 

Toodles,