Caseflex Bluetooth Keyboard

I love blogging but anything to help me out writing posts is a winner. Earlier this year I purchased the new iPad, originally not for blogging, but after some thought I kept thinking it would be great for doing just that. I'd been searching for a keyboard for my iPad for quite some time, having absolutely no idea what I was looking for, this did take some time. But I finally settled with this one from Amazon from a brand called Caseflex.

It's a really slim and lightweight design which I love, it means when you need to carry it around it's basically no weight added. The iPad is pretty light too therefore makes it a lot lighter to carry these two items than a laptop. This keyboard has everything a normal keyboard has and I really like the white and silver design. One slight annoyance is that it uses batteries therefore could be unpredictable when they run out. Although it does have a battery light so you do get some notice it just could be that they run out when you're away. Therefore don't forget to pack batteries if you're thinking of taking something like this away with you.

This keyboard easily links up to your iPad using Bluetooth and honestly takes less than a minute. You simply go to Bluetooth on your iPad, turn the keyboard on, they link up and voila you can instantly start using the keyboard. This keyboard doesn't only link up to iPad's but you can also link them to windows and other apple devices all through Bluetooth. Therefore this is such a great item for many different products and it really helps me when writing blog posts. I find that if I cannot be bothered to get my laptop out then I know my iPad is already out and ready to use. This makes the whole process a bit faster. The only thing is I cannot add my blog photos to my posts through my iPad so what I tend to do is make a new post, add the pictures and then whenever I want to actually write the posts I can just get my iPad out and do so, with the pictures already there.

Overall I'm really impressed with this keyboard and have been using it rather a lot since purchasing it recently. If you're like me then I would definitely check them out and invest in one. It honestly does help with time and effort when I'm being lazy. You can purchase this exact keyboard here from Amazon for only £12.89. Let me know if you use this method to write your posts and your thoughts :-)

Time For A Break

Image sourced from Pinterest

 

It's that time of year again, uni is done and dusted for another year at least. It's been a long time coming although the last couple of months moved very fast. It was a hard second year at university and although I cannot say I enjoyed the work load aspect, it's the friends I've made who got me through. I can only anticipate what next year is going to bring but the thought that it will be my very last year of studying, although scary, is very exciting. It feels weird to know that next year I will be fully qualified and finished studying university forever.

 

Although over the summer I will be very busy with work, I'm actually looking forward to it. Not putting anything into university work therefore putting everything into my job. It feels great to be able to do that and just simply having a break from crazy essay writing. I know next year at university is going to be twice as busy as the past two years were and the thought of that is pretty nerve-racking. Hopefully in some way I can start preparing myself slightly earlier... somehow... maybe!

 

The thought of having to write a 10,000 word dissertation is crazy. Thinking about what to write for all those words terrifies me if I'm honest. I have an idea about what area I want to write about but nothing set in stone yet so that may be the one thing I think about over my time off from university. If you have ever written a dissertation, and are reading this, then any tips are welcome this way.

 

Anyway this was just a short post to talk about my current lifestyle, university and being free for summer which I'm sure many of you are in the same situation. Yay, go us! I am looking forward to the next couple of months, uni work free and can only put my all back into uni work come September. If any of you have any tips about third year at university then they would be very much appreciated. I mean just the word dissertation freaks me out enough as I've said!





Asos Beauty Haul

I know I said I haven't done a haul in a while in my previous haul and look here, it's another one! Recently Asos had some offers on all of their beauty items so of course I headed on over to their website and of course placed an order.

If you follow me on Twitter (@natalieellis23) then you'll know I've been after a new primer and just hadn't really found any that sounded like they suited me in the drug store other than this offering from Bourjois. But spending £11 seemed a lot for the high street so when I found it on Asos for just over £7 I did not hesitate. I was humming and harring between the luminous and matte version as I have both oily and dry skin but in the end I opted for the matte version. Simply because my oily t zone is the first thing throughout the day to come out and I really hate that. I just hope this works well with my dry skin also, I'm hoping it will with a good moisturise and my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation.

On that Rimmel foundation note I then picked up this BB Cream Radiance from Rimmel. This was something I had never seen on the high street before whether that's because it's new or I just haven't noticed it yet I'm not sure. But it immediately reminded me of my favourite Wake Me Up Foundation and I thought this would be a great alternative for the summer months when I want something even lighter. This product claims a lot so I'm looking forward to giving it a go.

Next I picked up the new Barry M Sunset Daylight Curing nail varnishes. I've seen many reviews of these recently on many blogs and I thought the concept was very interesting. I'm not normally one to go and get my nails done so anything can achieve that look at home is always a winner for me. I picked up this peachy pink shade and the top coat which I'm super excited to try out and see if it actually works. I also then found this Hawaiian sun lotion in my little package which was a nice little freebie to receive. I'm heading on a couple of summer holidays so feel this little travel size will come in super handy.

That's everything I picked up from Asos and I'm really pleased and excited to try all of these things out. Let me know if you've tried anything that I picked up and your thoughts on them :-)

Tips & Tricks #5

Firstly I have to apologise for the (very) old pot of Sudocrem I own, I think it's about time I invested in a new one but for now we will put that to one side and move on. Anyway another tip/trick for you today which is another one for you blemish prone skin people alike to me. I apologise if you don't have spot prone skin but I feel everyone gets spots at some point so hopefully these tips and tricks help you in some way at some point!

Anyway if you've never heard of Sudocrem then (well I'm sure you have) but if not then you've been hiding for some time. Yes it's mainly advertised for babies and nappy rashes but it has many other benefits as well which just aren't that hyped up. In very small writing on the front of the tub it does state that it helps acne and that's what I'm going to be talking about.

Now you know those very large, very red and very painful spots you get... well that's where this product comes in. I find this product helps those particular spots very, very well. I'm not saying it doesn't help other spots as well, I just find that it definitely helps those ones the most on me anyway. But everyone is different so you'll have to give this product a go on all types of spots and see what works best for you.

The best way to apply this product is at night, just before you go to sleep. The main key to this product is to not rub it into the spot fully. It works best if you apply it directly to the spot(s) and not too thin or too thick. Then just leave it, do not rub it in to the spot, just simply blob some onto the affected area and leave it. Yes you may look funny, hence why you apply it last thing at night, due to potentially having many white blobs all over your face.

Then when you wake up in the morning the Sudocrem will have absorbed into the spot. Firstly this leaves the spot(s) less red and less visible. Mainly this means less painful which is so much better, I mean when a spot is painful it can be really painful. But the fact that it's much less visible and red means that it's much easier to cover up for whatever you may be doing that day. The Sudocrem also leaves the spot hydrated which is such a great plus. Spots can get very dry with all of the spot treatments you have to apply so it's nice to be able to apply something to them which can actually help hydrate them slightly.

Overall this is a great go to product when it comes to those particular type of spots and the tub honestly lasts ages. You can purchase different sized pots too and it's really affordable so if you want to give this product a go then it's definitely worth it and won't break the bank. This is just one of those products which is great to have in your skin care stash as it is an all rounder product. It's also such an easy product to use, just quickly applying before you go to sleep, so definitely doesn't waste any time! I hope you're enjoying the long bank holiday weekend :-)

Rimmel Exaggerate Undercover Shadow Primer

I must admit I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to eye shadow. Don't get me wrong I love them for occasions and what not but for everyday I cannot be bothered. My eyelids are lucky if they get any of the stuff even at weekends, unless I'm heading out. But with the job I work in, there is no getting glam for it. However I wanted to start getting a bit more in the know with application and everything so I went out and purchased an eye shadow primer.

I didn't want to buy anything expensive so I went for Rimmel's offering called the 'Exaggerate Undercover Shadow Primer'. It comes in this tube, basically like a concealer, with an easy applicator. It's a nice consistency and not too thick which I'm guessing would just feel awful on your eyelid. This one glides over the eyelid effortlessly. It takes barely any rubbing/patting in which I like. This is basically a no fuss eye shadow primer due to the bare minimum effort you have to put in. After I've applied this I tend to leave it for a few minutes, I normally do some other make up whilst I'm waiting, and then go ahead and apply eye shadow.

I've been mainly using this with my Urban Decay Naked on the Run palette and it works super well with that. The eye shadows just glide on so easily over top of the primer, you basically cannot tell you've even applied it. Once I've finished applying eye shadow, this can take me some time, I'm all set to go. My eye shadow doesn't in anyway look cakey, uneven or patchy; it simply just looks pretty normal. This primer helps my eye shadow to stay in place so much longer than it does without it. My eye lids can sometimes get rather oily and I find when I didn't use this only cream eye shadows would work. I find this primer also helps with creasing as that's something else I would tend to have happen to my eye shadow half way through the night. I don't get that when I use this primer for at least double the amount of time if I wasn't to use it.

Overall I'm really glad I invested in an eye shadow primer as it really has helped keep my eye shadow in tact, when I do wear it, for much longer than without. I love this offering from Rimmel as it's really affordable and does the job well. Although this is the only one I've ever used so I can't really give any comparison views. If you're like me and haven't used a primer, until this one, then I would definitely recommend this! You can buy it here from Boots. I hope you all enjoy your long weekend :-)

My week in pictures #14

This is another post that I feel like I haven't done in a little while but I do like to collect up some pretty Instagram pictures before doing one of these. So hopefully I have achieved that. It's been a week full of baking, birthdays and (something else beginning with B....) bridesmaids? On the topic of bridesmaids, Lindsey Kelk's new book is out which makes me super excited! If you've never read anything by her before then you definitely should, especially her 'I Heart' series, they're amazing. I'm going to be doing a review in the near future all about those. So I'm hoping that her new one lives up to those which I'm pretty darn sure it will.

I baked chocolate chip muesli cookies which was the first time I had ever attempted the recipe and it actually worked! Normally whenever I do a recipe for the first time it doesn't work out right but this one did. They were super scrummy and went within a few days! I'll definitely be making those again very soon and again may even put the recipe up on my blog.

I purchased a few things from Amazon, one being the Lindsey Kelk book and another being an iPad keyboard. I wanted to be able to type some blog posts up on my iPad instead of having to get my laptop out every time. I've used this a few times now and I really like it. It connects via Bluetooth so there's no leads involved and it works great! I did more shopping on New Look and purchased these beautiful black heels! I honestly love them so much! They're not too high which is one of the main things I look for when buying heeled shoes as I'm pretty tall anyway. I have a few nights out planned over the next month or so and am planning to wear these on all occasions. They're black they go with everything and are super comfy!

It was my eldest nieces sixth birthday, actually now a while back and not the niece pictured above. But we were at that occasion and at Zak's which if you don't know is an amazing American diner restaurant which serves amazing food! Definitely recommend going there if you haven't before and you aren't on a diet.

It's been a busy week and a bit and will continue to be busy now throughout! I'm looking forward to the bank holiday weekend for an extra day off of work and will hopefully get some plans in place! Maybe another occasion that I can wear my new heels at.. can you tell I'm excited to wear those by the way? I hope you've all had a lovely week or so :-)

Direct Cosmetics Haul

It feels like I haven't done a haul in such a long time this seemed like the perfect time to fit one in and show you guys what I've gathered recently. I was recently contacted by Direct Cosmetics who are an online cosmetics company selling top brands at discounted prices. They sent me these few bits in the post to try out and give a whirl. I was super excited to first be contacted and then to try out the products I had chosen.

Firstly it was no surprise that I picked up L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes, this is one of my all time favourite mascaras which I actually featured in my top 3 mascaras which you can read here. This is such a great mascara and I literally love everything about it. I'm glad to have it back in my make up stash again as it had been missing for quite some time now. Even though I absolutely love this mascara, I still go hunting for other newbies that have come out onto the high street. This one separates, volumises and thickens all in one go, it really is an amazing mascara. Definitely worth trying out if you haven't before.

Next was a new product that I'd never heard of or seen before but recently my hair has been pretty dry on the ends so I've been looking for new products to help that. This conditioning balm from Matrix sounded right up my street. It's a super quick and easy conditioning balm which you can use in the shower as you don't have to stand there for a few minutes waiting for it to work it's magic. It leaves my hair feeling super duper soft. I love that this is a small tube which would be perfecting for travelling.

Next is a Nicole by OPI nail varnish in the shade 'Pink Seriously'. This stood out to me on the Direct Cosmetics website due to the brightness of the pink shade. I thought this would be perfect for Spring/Summer and I believe I don't have anything like this is my current nail varnish collection. I've previously tried these OPI nail varnishes and I love the formula of them. They glide on effortlessly and the lasting power is great. I cannot wait to wear this shade when the weather starts to get a little bit warmer here in the UK.

Finally I picked up this Elizabeth Arden Lift and Firm Night Cream firstly because at the minute I actually don't have a night cream which is slightly naughty. Secondly because I'm a big fan of the Elizabeth Arden skin care range which I've tried a few products from before. This is a decent sized tub and I love the gold packaging. The cream itself is a thick consistency which sinks into the skin beautifully and preps my skin overnight. I love this night cream, I've been using it every night since it arrived at my door step. It works wonders on my dry patches but also works really well with my oily t zone too.

Overall I'm impressed with all of these products I received from Direct Cosmetics and they arrived super fast in the post. I cannot wait to carry on using these products and incorporating them into my skin, beauty and hair care routines. You can buy any of these items mentioned, and many more, over on the Direct Cosmetics website here: http://www.directcosmetics.com/. I hope you enjoyed this haul and are looking forward to the bank holiday weekend :-)

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder

Recently due to starting to have dry patches on my skin as well as oily patches I've had to try and cater for both skin types. Which I can tell you is a bloody hard job to do in actual fact! To be honest I really have been struggling with my skin care and make up since having drier combination skin. Powder is that make up item that is aimed at oily skin types mainly but also for the dry skin types in order to keep make up in place. Having both of these skin types I therefore need a powder that does both of these jobs but also works on my dry patches.

I came across this offering from Bourjois a little while back now and it was actually another Amelia Liana inspired purchase (I seem to be having a lot of those lately). She raved about it in a couple of YouTube videos so I thought hey, I might as well give it a go. I must admit after purchasing this it sat in my make up drawer for quite some time until I actually pulled it out. This is mainly because I'm one of those girls who likes to finish up what they're using before using the new one. Which can actually be frustrating because I really want to use the new one but I tell myself I must finish the old one first. Anyway I was a good girl and did just that. After finally getting it out of my make up drawer I was excited to try it out finally.

The packaging is a cute little compact which would be perfect for in a hand bag as it also has a decent sized mirror inside. This powder is also from their healthy balance range which I actually love the healthy balance serum foundation (another reason why I thought this would be a great purchase). When I first used this I absolutely loved how it felt on my skin. It honestly felt like I hadn't applied any powder as it feels so light weight. It glides over my skin really nicely with a big powder brush. To begin with I just applied this to my oily patches to see if I could see a difference and I definitely noticed one. The shine to my oily patches instantly disappeared and didn't make my skin look cakey. I then applied very lightly to my dry patches, I didn't bother putting any more product onto my brush, and again it went on very easily. I was surprised with how this looked on my dry patches as if I'm honest I didn't have high hopes simply because not much has worked for me recently. So after application and looking in the mirror I was pleasently surprised and it didn't look bad.

I'll be honest you could tell that I had put powder on my dry patches as it did ever so slightly cling to them but these were the best results with any powder I had had recently. And I really had been shopping my stash and trying different things, none of which worked. So I was really impressed with this powder. The lasting power was alsoo really impressive and lastss a lot longer than any other powder I've tried. Obviously I don't need to touch up my dry patches at all throughout the day but my oily patches lasteed really well. I would say around a good 5-6 hours roughly before my oily t zone starts looking slightly shiney. I find this an impressive amount of time for me to go without having to touch up my make up, hence why I was very impressed.

Overall I have really been enjoying using this powder and have done so every day since the first time I started using it. It's not 100% perfect for my dry patches but as I mentioned, it's so much better than any others I have tried recently. I must also add, alike to the foundation in this range, the powder also has a lovely fruity, subtle scent to it which I actually really like. I will definitely continue to use this powder up and will enjoy doing so. If you have any recommendations of other powders you think I should try then leave them in the comments below! :-)

Tips & Tricks #4

Coconut oil was a raved about product about a year or so ago within the blogging community. To begin with I didn't know what all the fuss was about but when browsing in Superdrug a while back I noticed this in the hair care section. It was relatively cheap so I thought what the hell, I'm going to give it a whirl and see what all the fuss is about.

When I first opened this I was like what on earth have I brought? It's a hard block not an oil! Little did I know hey. I instantly started using this product and fell in love with it. I apply this to towel dried hair after washing it. It can be quite tricky to get product out of the tub, especially when it's cold, but once you've got a small amount out I simply rub it between my hands and it turns into an oil. You honestly need the smallest amount as the oil can work up your hair and leave it feeling greasy.

The next morning the ends of my hair feel super duper smooth it's crazy. I do have very dry ends and this works wonders on those. I also have very tangled hair and this product really helps with that as well. If you have the same kind of hair as me then this product will be a saviour to you. It's the most simplest hair care item as you literally put it onto the ends of your hair and then leave it in to work it's magic. I also believe you could apply this to dry hair to tame the ends of your hair if you feel it is needed.

This is such an all round product and such a simple tip to add to your hair care routine. This tub has honestly lasted me so long already and I'm only half way through. It's such a like investment product as it's cheap and still lasts such a long time. If you've never tried coconut oil on your hair before then I would definitely try it out as it will really help the condition of your hair. Let me know if you've tried coconut oil on your hair and your thoughts :-)

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer

Is it just me or is a primer the hardest thing to find on the high street? I struggle so much and there just isn't really much on offer that grabs my attention. Saying that, after hearing Amelia Liana rave about this primer in a couple of her YouTube videos I thought I would give this one a go. I've tried many primers and enjoy using them daily to (hopefully) control my oilier patches on my skin. Before I get started on the actual review I'm mighty confused as to why this has a shade of 002 as I couldn't see any other shade on offer? Plus it's a white consistency with no colour, confused.com.

This primer from Rimmel claims a lot, five things to be exact. It claims to smooth, resurface, brighten, mattify and protect your face all from this product. I think products that claim a lot on the packaging in big writing is a pretty brave thing to do. I personally don't feel as if this product does do all of those five things to my face unfortunately. It definitely smoothes my skin out and preps it for my foundation I'm then about to apply. And yes I agree that it resurfaces my skin, again prepping it for foundation. Both of these points make it nice and easy to apply my foundation. Brightens and mattifies? I'm really not sure I agree with either of those claims. This product leaves my skin with a sheen/satin finish therefore not matte and I find that it doesn't do anything in terms of brightening my complexion.

The texture of this primer is actually rather nice, it's quite a thick consistency but it doesn't take long to soothe into the skin. It kind of feels like you're applying another moisturiser before your foundation. However saying that I do find this isn't the greatest primer for my dry/dehydrated skin. I do find some of my foundations, not all of them, cling to this primer and leave my dry areas basically looking pants. Now I don't know whether that's a criticism of the primer or the foundation I'm using if I'm honest. But I can say there are days when wearing this primer it works great with the foundation and other days the foundations that don't work with this primer work well on my skin. So it's a confusing one to be honest.

Overall this is an ok primer but I don't think I will be repurchasing it again although I do love the consistency of it. There just seems to be too many negatives surrounding this product and I think I may have to look at slightly more luxury products to find a decent primer. Let me know what your favourite primers are as this one is nearly all gone and I need to invest in a new one!

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I've tried many micellar cleansing waters over the past few months now and to be fair they all seem to do the job pretty well. But it doesn't go without saying there have been ones that I've enjoyed using more than others. This one from Garnier has been pretty hyped up in the blogging world and since my last one recently ran out I thought it would be the perfect time to try it.

I picked this one up from Boots when I last went browsing and was pleasently surprised when it was on offer (I believe it had like 1/3 off or something) which made it a little bit cheaper. Also there were not many left on the shelf, I may have even taken the last one, so it goes to show how popular it is even more so when it's on offer! I was also surprised at the size of the bottle you get, there's so much product in there so it's definitely worth the price you pay. I honestly think this is going to last me absolutely ages!

Now I've been using this product for the past few weeks and must say how much I've enjoyed using it. It glides over my face smoothly and also leaves my skin feeling smooth afterwards. I have very dry patches but also oily skin and I find this product works really well with both of those skin types. Normally I will use an actual cleanser to take the majority of my make up off and then to ensure I've got it all I will then use this product to get the rest off. It's amazing how much make up this product finds left on your skin. Sometimes there will be none but other days, clearly when I'm half asleep whilst cleansing, I'll find small patches that I've missed. Trust me that's very satisfying and just leaves my skin feeling super duper clean. I know after using this product that there will be no make up left on my face and that I can continue with the rest of my skin care routine. I will also use this product in the morning, just a quick swipe over to get rid of anything nasty that may have appeared during the night.

Overall I am super impressed with this micellar cleansing water and it is definitely up there with the best of them! Let me know if you have tried this product and what your favourite micellar cleansing waters are :-)

The Library of Fragrance: Thunderstorm & Baby Powder

I'm so glad it's the weekend, my word it's been a short week but going back after having a week off just seems to be super hard. But hey, it's over and I have a weekend with nothing planned to relax (and finish uni work). Anyway I got sent these lovely fragrances from The Library of Fragrance recently to test out. The Library of Fragrance is a brand which makes the craziest scents into perfumes which is amazing. I mean Thunderstorm and Baby Powder colognes? It's so crazy which makes it so great.

These sample tubes are the perfect hand bag size and they have a spray which is great. I hate those perfumes that just have a hole at the top and you end up spilling it everywhere, annoying. The baby powder scent is pretty obvious and honestly it smells exactly like the real thing. To be fair I love the smell although very different. It's a great alternative. Thunderstorm on the other hand is a very strange scent. I mean who knows what a thunderstorm actually smells like? Well, clearly The Library of Fragrance do. I'm not sure I'm that keen on the smell of this one. I'm rubbish at describing but it basically smells like rain after it has stopped, if that makes any sense.

I know it seems odd to wear these as perfume but they are also great as room sprays. The baby powder one is definitely my favourite of the two. I've also previously tried the Fresh Coconut scent from The Library of Fragrance which you can read my review here. I would definitely check out all of the other scents they have to offer as there honestly are so many that you will definitely find one to suit you. Let me know if you've tried any scent from The Library of Fragrance :-)

Tips & Tricks #3

I'm really enjoying writing these tips & tricks posts, and you guys seem to be, so I really hope you are as much as I am! They are just simple little things that I have learnt myself or advice given to me from people I know and I enjoy sharing them with you. I also hope they are in some way helping you guys as well as they have definitely helped me in some way throughout time.

I can't even begin to tell you how long I've been using clear mascara simply because I have no idea myself. But it has been a mighty long time and now I wouldn't go a day without using it now. Now I'm not sure if clear mascara has any benefits when using it by itself but I very rarely do that unless I'm going out but cannot be bothered to put normal mascara on. I will just add that it's very rare these days to find a clear mascara on the high street. I came across this one a couple of weeks ago in Superdrug from MUA for £1 and it works just as well as any other. So it doesn't matter what make up brand you go for as I find them all to work the same as one another.

My simple routine just involves an extra step which is where this beauty comes in. I simply just apply this mascara before my normal black mascara, yes it's that easy. There are many reasons why I do this which I will tell you now. Firstly I find that it helps my mascara stick and hold onto my eyelashes much easier but also for longer. I think this is a great tip if you sometimes suffer from your mascara dropping down under your eyes because most of the time I find this helps me. Sometimes it can be the black mascara that you are using but most of the time this helps a lot. Another reason is that I find it keeps my black mascara working for longer. So when it starts to become slightly dry and as if you want to throw it away, because you're still using a clear mascara which still has life left in it, then it prolongs the life of your mascara. Finally it enhances your black mascara as well, I find depending on the mascara but it definitely helps with lengthening and thickening my lashes.

Overall this is now dead set into my make up routine and will continue to stay there. If you've never tried a clear mascara before then I would definitely recommend doing so, especially as this one I've been using recently is only £1, you really can't go wrong with it! Let me know if you've tried this tip before :-)

L'Oreal Ever Strong Nourishing Intense Mask

This is a relatively new purchase for me and normally I wouldn't do a review so quickly but I've definitely used this enough times to tell you guys all about it. So I was browsing in Boots for a hair mask as ever since I last got my hair dyed it had just felt horrible and dry. Therefore I needed something to help with that and I also wanted something that does the job pretty quick. I'm really not a fan of those hair masks which you have to shampoo your hair, then put the mask in, then leave it for 20 minutes and then rinse it off. That's probably what I need but it's way too much effort for my liking.

I came across this one in Boots, last one on the shelf and it was on offer, bonus! I'd never heard of it before but everything it claimed sounded what I needed. It's a nourishing intense mask which contains no sulphates and respects and reinforces the hair. It also works between 3-5 minutes which is incredible and just what I wanted. I mentioned this was on offer, I think it had like 1/3 off, and it was only just over £3, bargain. Basically this mask could do me no wrong, so far.

I think the same night I purchased this product I then went and used it, can you tell I was excited. I had my bath and used this mask, came out, dried my hair and was pretty impressed. Not only does this mask smell nice by the way, always a plus point, it left my hair feeling so soft and as if all my dry ends had disappeared. It amazes me how well products like this one work in such a short space of time. I've used this mask multiple times since and the results haven't changed. It leaves my hair feeling nourished and non brittle. I also find it hard sometimes to detangle my hair, due to it's thickness, but I really think this product helps that aspect too.

Overall I'm really pleased with this hair mask and how effective it is in such a short amount of time. It means I can have a nice, relaxing bath and not have to worry about faffing with the long wait of a hair mask. I look forward to using this product and will definitely be checking out the other hair care products from this range. Let me know if you've tried anything :-)

My week in pictures #13

This week has passed by so quickly honestly! I've had the week off work, as holiday, in order to finish my uni work. I did pretty well I think, I had 3 and now I've only got half of one left to do. Tomorrow is seeming like a good time to finish but I am good at procrastinating so we shall see. I couldn't have completely dedicated myself to my uni work for literally the whole week, I think I would have gone insane. But I'm pleased with how I've done and although it is the hardest one to finish, it is my last one of the year woo hoo!

Also as a nice present from myself to myself, for having the week off work, I went and got tonsillitis :-( Damn infection! It's horrible and I'm still on disgusting antibiotics. But hey ho, I'm over the worst part of it now, I just hate having to continue the antibiotics even though I feel better. I know it's all for the best and everything, but seriously?

I have also been doing a lot more decorating to my room! It's now completely painted thank god, I think that's the worst part. Putting it together I'm sure is supposed to be a load of fun but right now I can't say I'm enjoying that either. I've got boxes and bits everywhere that I cannot put back in place until my new wardrobe has found it's way into my bedroom and I've located a new desk. So I have a new wardrobe, which I have now painted, and it is ready to come up into my bedroom. One slight downside, I need muscular men in order to do so. It's a very large and very heavy wardrobe, which is great, but it's definitely going to be a mission to get up the stairs and I cannot say that I will be helpful in the slightest with that job. All in all my room is getting there just very slowly. Hence all the instagrams (above) of all little bits and bobs I've been buying for my room.

I also don't believe I have ever shared a picture of my (not so new) car! It's my baby and I love it so so much! I've had it rather a while now, since the beginning of March, so just thought I would share a picture of it with you guys if you're interested. I went for the BEST cheese scone with my friend this week which was so lovely to catch up over scrummy food. And I purchased the most amazing sunglasses, I mean look at them! They're so darn funky, I just hope I can pull them off. My two year old nephew seemed to think I could so we shall see.

So yes my week has been up and down and I'm back to work on Tuesday which strangely I am looking forward too. But don't quote me on that when I'm actually back at work! Ha ha. I now have to wait until August for another week off work but this time I'll be jet setting (if you can call it that) to the South of France, hopefully for some sun! I hope you've all had a lovely week :-)

Avon Makeup Setting Spray

Back to a normal beauty review today after what actually seems like a really long time, although I know it's not really. I've got lots of beauty bits to review for you guys but sometimes it is nice to have a little break from them. It means I can talk to you about other topics which I normally wouldn't get the chance when always talking about beauty products. But yes, it is nice to get back on it.

Avon is a great brand for make up and I find they are always bringing out new and exciting products onto the market. I know a make up setting spray isn't anything new but when I purchased it, quite a while back now, it was a relatively new concept to me. My first ever setting spray was the Urban Decay De-Slick make up setting spray (long name and you can find that review here). I really enjoyed using this product and after it was finished I was flicking through the Avon catalogue and came across this one. It was super cheap and sounded great so I went for it.

I don't wear a setting spray every single day and tend to just use this one for a night out or if I know I'm going to be out of the house for a long time without having the time to top up my make up. It's a pretty fool proof beauty item. When I've finished all of my make up I simply spray this product a few times all over my face and allow to dry. I do find this one to be a lot more wet compared to the Urban Decay one. I think the spray on this one simply gives off too much product in one spray and you can sometimes end up with large water drops on your face, which is just rather annoying. But once this product has dried it doesn't feel heavy or as if you've sprayed anything on your face. I have read that some setting sprays can leave your face feeling stiff as such, but luckily you don't get that from this one.

I think this product does help with keeping my make up in place for longer. It definitely keeps my shine at bay for a lot longer than it would normally if I wasn't to use this, so that's a definite thumbs up from me. Yes it does help lengthen my make up but nothing dramatic. I do feel as if the Urban Decay one was better at keeping my make up in place for longer compared to this one from Avon.

Overall this is a great and cheaper alternative to the Urban Decay offering. It does have some great benefits but if you can overcome the flaws then it will definitely work for you. This is also a really decent sized product for the price you pay which is great. Let me know if you've tried a setting spray and what your favourite one is :-)