Service that made me smile: Lookfantastic.com

On Monday i ordered the Real techniques miracle complexion sponge, I have wanted this for some time and when i saw a post on missbudgetbeauty.co.uk of an offer with topcashback and lookfantastic.com that if you are a new member at Top cash back you can get the Real techniques miracle complexion sponge free I couldn't pass on the chance to get it. How it works is you buy it and then you get your money back 7 days later I'm not sure on all the exact details but check out Miss budget beauty's blog post if you are interested.

Anyway i was only going to do a review once i had used it but i was so impressed with the service i had to do a blog post about it!

I ordered it on the Monday and was expecting to pay postage as usually with these types of deals you still have to pay postage but i was pleasantly surprised  that the postage was free. I was also Expecting my delivery to take at least a week to arrive but again i was pleasantly surprised when it turned up 3 days later.

When i received it i couldn't work out what i had ordered as the box wasn't labelled with a company that i knew i had ordered anything from recently and it was way to heavy to be a light makeup sponge, but once i opened it i discovered it was and what was making it extra heavy was a bottle of Liptons lemon ice tea. I was so excited (yes i know i need to get out more) but i don't think it was the fact it was the ice tea that made be happy but the fact i had ordered something which i was getting the money back for and i got an extra little something too! I think especially these days when you don't get something for nothing, I was really impressed with the service and will 100% be using Lookfantastic.com again for any online beauty buys.

Have you had any experience with Lookfantastic.com if so i would love to know how you felt about the service let me know in the comments, Also my review for the Real techniques miracle complexion sponge will be up next week.

Thanks for reading 

Hannah

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My Spring Fashion&Beauty picks

Hello, As its my favourite season i thought i would share some of my beauty and fashion favourites that i have been loving this spring!

Beauty

First is this Sally Hansen nail polish in 409 Good to Grape.

I love bright colours for spring and this purple is beautiful and looks stunning on. I picked it up from my local Poundland for of course £1! an absolute steal!

You can get yours Here

Second on my list is the Maybeline color sensational popstick in the shade 020 Tropical pink

I'm a a bit late on the band wagon about these lipsticks and after trying this i cant believe i was, I got this from fragrance direct and i am in love with it, It's the only lipstick I've been wearing its subtle yet bright and is a gorgeous neon pink colour perfect for a pop of colour in your spring time look.

You can get yours here 

Another nail polish i have been loving this season is OPI Liquid sand in make him mine.

I bought this not realising that it is textured but it hasn't made me love it any less It's so glittery and pink and what girl doesn't want glittery pink nails to shimmer in the spring time sun.

You can get yours here

A face product I'm using alot of this spring is this Rimmel wake me up radiance shimmer touch in 002 radiant rose.

I use this as a cream blush and its beautiful it gives me a flushed dewy look which is natural and light i always want something more natural looking this time of year for a fresh skin look, And this does exactly that.

You can get yours here

Fashion

The first Fashion favourite is this mint top from Florence&Fred at Tesco.

 I think it was £8 and is perfect to dress up or down I've just been wearing it with a pastel pink jacket and jeans and then adding a statement necklace, but as its such a simple classic top it will go with pretty much anything.

Next are a pair of nude strappy shoes I got from new look.

 I love them because again they go with anything dressed up or down i especially like pairing them with some Statement trousers for a casual sophisticated look.

Last of my spring favourites are these bracelets from primark.

They were only a couple of pound and are perfect for the finishing touches of any spring outfit.

I hope you enjoyed reading what my spring picks were leave me a comment  and let me know what you are loving this season.

Thanks for reading

Hannah

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Thumbs down: 5 beauty products i wasn't impressed with.

Its not very often i am disappointed with something that I've bought usually if i don't like it to begin with after a couple of uses my opinion changes and I'm happy but sadly these 5 products have really not impressed me at all. I have given every single one them the benefit of the doubt and persevered with it for a while but i still cant say I'm a fan! 

And here's why.

1. MAC matte ruby woo.

I really wanted to love this lipstick i wanted it so badly and when i finally convince myself to buy it (because you know its not like any other red i have.. its matte!) i couldn't wait to wear it as my favourite go to red. But i was very disappointed with it the first time i even wore it The colour for me is perfect it is a blue toned red and looks great on my skin tone and also makes my teeth look whiter but sadly that is as far as my love for it goes, It is the matte version of ruby woo and i think these are clay based lipsticks to give it that real matte look but for me it is just makes it terrible to apply even when applying it with a lip brush it still just dragged on my lips and didn't glide on smoothly. I also found that it bleeds so easily and at first i thought it was because i needed to line my lips with a lip liner first but applying a lip liner didn't change it one bit it still looked smudged around the edges of my lips and not that clean sharp edge that you want from a bright red lipstick, I did expect the feel of it on my lips to be dry but this is even worse than i expected it just feels tight and when i pressed my lips together it almost felt like...well the only way to describe it is like my lips were peeling. I really tried and wanted to love it but sadly its just sat in my draw left for a time when i want that "just snogged my boyfriends face off wearing red lipstick" look.

2. Nivea Daily essentials extra gentle eye make up remover.

I don't really have a lot to say about this eye makeup remover because it didn't really do a lot , It is a very watery eye makeup remover which for me i don't like because its hard to use especially near your eyes i found it just ran all over my face and i would always get it in my eyes as it would seep though when my eyes were shut. As for removing eye makeup it didn't do anything i was still left with lashes full of mascara and it would just smear any eyeshadow or liner i had on around and not actually remove it, I always had to go over my eyes with my cleanser to remove what ever i had on them. 

3. Barry M aquarium collection nail paint in Arabian.

When i saw this in the shop i loved it and had to have to have it! It looked beautiful and i am a fan of Barry M nail polishes so i had no reason to doubt why i would love it, I got home put it on my nails and was very very unimpressed. The colour on is nothing like what it looks like in the bottle, When you turn the bottle the colour is a beautiful green and when the light hits it it reflects a gorgeous blue colour. But when its on it just looks like a regular shimmery green and you don't get the blue when you move your fingers like it is in the bottle, If i saw the colour it comes out on your nails in a bottle on the shelf i would not have looked twice at it because its not even a nice green once its on your nails. I don't think I've ever been so disappointed in a nail polish before, I was so excited to get it on my nails but as soon as it was on i could get it off quick enough.

4. Right Guard total Defence 5.

When it comes to deodorant i tend to find one that works and stick with it, For me deodorant is not something you want try out different ones because its a new type or a different smell its there to to a job and if it does it leave it. Unfortunately when doing my shopping last week the trusted one i always buy wasn't available so i went with the closest thing i could find (same brand and similar hour protection). I have never used anything like it i had to re read the can to just double check it was a deodorant and not just a body spray with no-antiperspirant because an hour after getting out of the bath and spraying it i felt like i needed to wash again, my under arms felt sticky and very sweaty. On the can it says it fights perspiration, prevents odour, long-lasting freshness, instant response formula and triple stain protection. But for me the only thing out of those it does is stain protection but personally i would rather have a white mark on my black top than walk around smelling of sweat! this is going straight in the bin.

5. Korres wild rose foundation in WRF2

Like most of the other products I've mentioned i thought this foundation was going to be great for me as on the box it says its everything i look for in a foundation, It claims it is a long-lasting foundation with a flawless, radiant finish, smooth to apply and easy to blend. I found it completely different though it wasn't easy to blend at all i found it dried on the skin very quickly so if i haven't super quickly blended it in i was left with darker patches on my face which meant my skin looked very uneven and unnatural. Coverage wise it was fine it covered any blemishes or imperfections i wanted to hide but that's no good when your skin looks patchy and cakey. I did find if i mixed it with a little moisturiser it was easier to apply and looked less uneven but then the coverage wasn't what i wanted and if i wanted a light coverage tinted moisturiser i would of just bought one instead.

If you have tried any of these product and have had a different experience with them i would love to know as it is always nice to hear that they have worked and were great for someone.

Thanks for reading

Hannah

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My Hair care routine

As I posted my skin care routine yesterday I though I would also run though my hair care routine too, Its not amazingly special as when it comes to hair I'm not as enthusiastic as I am beauty so I just do the minimum to keep my hair looking healthy.

 

To wash my hair I use Herbal essence beautiful ends shampoo and conditioner it helps protect split ends which is something my hair has plenty of as I blow dry it a and use hot tools on it all the time, If I've used a lot of hair spray in my hair I use the shampoo twice to give it a real deep clean. It leaves my hair feeling soft and smelling so nice, I've used so many shampoos and conditioner that leave my hair feeling sticky and like I've just applied a load of product to my hair instead of washing it! It lathers up so much which again is something I really want from a shampoo because it really feels like it's doing its job. With the conditioner  I use it only on the mid lengths of my hair and comb it though with a detangling comb to just get rid of and knots and it also makes it easier to brush though when I'm blow drying it.

 

           

Twice a month I also use Pantene pro-v nature fusion intensive restoring hair mask, It is a thick conditioner that nourishes and strengthens hair, I shampoo and condition like normal and then spread a good amount of this in my hair mainly focusing on the ends I leave it in for 10 minutes and then rinse in out. I always give my hair an extra rinse with cold water to just make sure all the product is out, as if there is a even a small amount left in your hair once its dry it makes it looks greasy and it also feels slightly sticky and smooth and silky. This mask is great as my hair is very dry and coarse so this leaves it feeling soft and like I've just walked out of a salon.

Once my hair is washed and slightly towel dried I use the Pantene pro-v nature fusion strengthening serum this serum is for fine/weak hair, My hair is not necessarily fine but it is very weak so I use this for extra protection from the heat damage it incurs though the constant curling! It leaves my hair silky soft and ready to style.

Once styled I use Toni&Guy shine gloss serum I got this in a Birch box or a Glossy box I cant remember which exact one but I never used it until recently and I'm so impressed with it. You use 1-2 pumps rub it into your fingers and then work it into the mid lengths of your hair I also use what I have left on my hands to tame any frizz on the roots, It works so well and doesn't leave my hair feeling greasy like many other shine serums I've used. It does it exactly what it says on the tin, controls frizz with lightweight shine and alignment.

         

That's how I keep my locks looking healthy and frizz free!

Thanks for reading

Hannah

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My skin care routine

I have never really had a regimented skin care routine until I started studying beauty therapy at college I then had a sudden realisation that I have one year until my skin is classed as mature skin (yes crazy I know I don't look a day over 17! Phaha!) so I thought I need to get a routine set up to hopefully keep my skin looking young fresh and as blemish free as possible. I always cleansed and maybe moisturised the odd time but as long as my face was clean I though right that will do. But I now have a strict routine in place and if I'm to tired one night and I just jump in bed and then realise I haven't cleaned my face guilt gets the better of me and I'm up wizzing away with my Clarisonic knowing I'm going to wake up with fresh skin, which I think is the best feeling ever!

 

The products I use are not lavish expensive creams and potions just products that I've tried and found give me the results that I want for my skin. Another great skin care tip I've learnt from college is how important it is to exfoliate and use a mask so every 2 weeks I give myself a mini facial with an exfoliator and mask which before I wasn't doing I was just using them here and there and not making them a vital part of my skin care regime.

So first of all to remove my makeup and the main bulk of dirt on my face I use the Simple foaming cleanser, it is a liquid cleanser that when you pump out of the bottle turns in to a foam, you only need 2 pumps for your whole face and I just rub this in to my skin to remove the makeup and on my eye area to remove any eye makeup as this works really well on removing eye make up, I then rinse it off with water. I am really in love with this cleanser it is the first foam cleanser I have used, I have heard so many good things about foam cleansers so when I was in need of a new cleanser I thought I would just give one a try and personally I don't think I will go back to using cream cleansers like I was before as they clog my skin and don't leave it feeling clean it just always felt greasy which for me is not great as I have an oily T-zone so It wasn't helping my problem I was making it worse. Where as this cleanser really makes my skin feel clean and fresh it removes and my eye makeup with just one use and doesn't leave my skin feeling dry and tight after.

 

After I have removed the bulk of my makeup I then use my Clarisonic with refreshing gel cleanser to give my skin an extra deep cleanse to remove any make up or dirt the foam cleanser may have missed. I have a review here on the Clarisonic Mia 2 and how I use it. I was using my Clarisonic twice a day like it recommends but I have cut down to once a day just in the evenings as I have been suffering from really bad breakouts around my chin area and I don't know why but I felt using it morning and night was causing it, so I stopped using it in the mornings and I haven't had any since. I'm not sure why it would have caused it but I think maybe I was over cleaning my skin leaving it raw and my pores open causing them to get clogged. I don't know if it was main reason but I'm going to leave it a while and then slowly introduce it again in the morning to just see if the same thing happens again. Once I have cleansed I then pat dry my face with a clean towel.

 

I then use the Simple hydrating light moisturiser applying it all over my face and down my neck, This moisturiser is lovely as it soaks into skin and doesn't feel heavy or oily which again is something I look for in my skin care products as I hate my skin feeling greasy or full of product. Then to finish I use my Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream lip protectant stick which I LOVE! It keeps my lips soft and free from dry skin and is the perfect finish to my skin care.

For my mini facial that I give myself every 2 weeks I use a T-zone blackhead clearing scrub with Manuka honey and Tea tree so it smells lovely and the grains in it are not to rough so it doesn't feel like it scratches the skin. After I have cleansed with my Simple foam cleanser and then my Clarisonic I apply the scrub all over my face and then massage it in using small circular motions paying a lot of attention to my chin and nose area where I suffer most with black heads and clogged pores, once it feels like all the grains have dissolved I rinse with cold water. I do this mini facial whilst I'm in the bath as its easier to rinse the products off and its my way of relaxing while the mask is on I just lay back and read my favourite blogs and watch my favourite beauty youtubers.

                                                                                      
      

After I have rinsed off the scrub I use a deep cleansing mud mask with natural mineral benefits of dead sea mud. I put this all over my face except my lip and my eye area I leave it for fifteen minutes so it hardens and then rinse it off with warm water. My skin feels smooth, soft and rejuvenated it instantly helps any spots I have and gives me an instant clearer complexion. I then pat my face dry with a clean towel and then like my every day routine I apply the Simple hydrating moisturiser and Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream lip protectant.

Thanks for reading

Hannah

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Catch up: Daily life took over

Hi! finally I'm back after what feels like a lifetime. Reason for my absence my laptop again if you follow me on Instagram you will have seen I went to write a makeup post and my laptop had just broken it wouldn't turn on so I just popped it under my bed thinking I'll get it fixed (not trying to persevere and sort it out as my Patience with technology is not the best). And as you can see from my lack of posts I never did get round to taking it in to be fixed, daily life took over and as I only use the lap top for blogging and my phone or Ipad mainly for anything else the blogging head went straight out the window. But for the past few weeks I've been really wanting to get back in my blogging zone so I reluctantly decided to pull it out from under the bed and see if it would turn on for me and hey presto it did! so I'm putting it down to it having a bad day as its not the best piece of kit I have, It has a piece of garden wire holding it together so give the old beast her dues, she really does need to be replaced but I'm to busy wasting money on things I don't need! Haha!

 

So what has been happening well I'm basically nearly finished at college I have about 6 pre/final observations to do then I will be qualified in July which I'm so excited about!

Me and Ethan are off to Disneyland Paris in June and I'm mega excited, It's like I'm a kid again getting all giddy every time I see anything Minnie mouse and thinking oh I'll buy that to wear/take to Disneyland so expect some Disney posts.

I am also doing a UV gel nail course next month which I really cant wait to do so I've been glued to watching gel nail tutorials on YouTube there are some fantastic channels with amazing talented ladies on doing fabulous designs my favourite is NovaNailsInc I love watching her videos you should check them out if you are a bit of a nail geek like me.

 

AHH it feels good to be back and hopefully it will be for good if my laptop decides to play nice, now to get all my ideas for posts that have been building up in my note book up! 

 

Thanks for reading

Hannah

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My week in pictures

As it was the school holidays this last week and I haven't been a college and Ethan has been off nursery I have had a pretty fun filled week so here is my week in pictures

 

Monday morning snuggles with scrappy!

 

 

Tuesday James surprised me with a new mirror for my dresser

 

 

 

Wednesday morning pancakes!

 

 

Someone enjoyed their pancakes with syrup or should I say syrup with pancakes

 

 

Ethan out on a nature walk looking for birds with his binoculars

 

 

Scrappy and Ethan found something interesting...some mud!

 

 

 

Thursday yummy carrot cake baking

 

 

Friday face painting I turned Ethan into the joker

 

 

Ethan done my makeup to look like poison ivy I think he done a good job... bless him!

 

 

 

Saturday outdoor fun at High lodge

 

 

 

 

Ethan, James, Granddad and Scrappy after the magical musical forest walk

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday football fun Ethan went to his first football match Tottenham vs Norwich

 

Precious memories!

For Valentines me and James decided not to get each other gifts but make something instead so we have something special to look back on. James suggested a scrap book which I thought was a fantastic idea, So last Saturday and Sunday we sat down together all weekend and scrapbooked!

We used an old photo album we had that hadn't been used and went to Pound land to get lots of odd crafty bits they had packs of lots of different scrap pieces of paper and they were also full of other little craft bits and bobs. So if you are going to do something similar and have a Pound land near you I would recommend these craft packs they were great and obviously only a pound each! We brought two of them and a pack of coloured pens so all together the whole project cost us £3 again another reason I was so please with outcome.

We collected any pictures we had lying around the house and all the special bits and keepsakes we had kept over the last 3 years of being together and sat down and started gluing and sticking all the special memories in the album, I also added little quotes and lyrics to songs that are special to us also little names and phases we have made up since being together. Ok it may be a little mushy and cheesy but I think it is a fantastic thing to do especially because we can always look back and remember things we've done and little sayings we have shared in the past and when Ethan is older he can look back at memories we shared together of when he was to young to remember.

A few pictures of inside

I am definitely going to carry on with the scrap book in the future and always keep it up to date as their are so many pages left and I still have tonnes of things to add to it from the last 3 years too and when this one is full add another book to the collection.

I love it and think if we did something like this every Valentines instead of expensive gifts that have no meaning and are forgotten about years later we would have a library of memories to always look back at and share with our children in the future!

Thanks for reading

Hannah

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Foody Fridays: Carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing

I wanted to bake something different this week that I like but have never even thought about attempting and I decided to go with a carrot cake I was going to make a whole cake but as I'm the only one in my house that eats it and me and Ethan had already made cupcakes on Wednesday so we have a tray full of sprinkle filled butterfly buns to get through! I decided to opt for cupcakes instead as I could make less so they wouldn't get wasted and I could give some away. I used enough ingredients for 12 cupcakes but will put the ingredients down below for 24 and if you want to make less just half the measurements.

Ingredients you will need
125g Flour
1tsp Ground cinnamon
200g Caster sugar
175g vegetable oil
175g Carrots
120g Chopped walnuts
24 Whole walnuts
115g Cream cheese
55g Butter
225g Icing sugar
1tsp Vanilla extract

Utensils you will need
Bowls
Whisk
Spoons
Piping bag
24 Cupcake cases
Cupcake tin
Grater

Oven on 180c and 15-20 minutes to cook.

To start off I put the cupcake cases in my tin ready for when the batter was ready. and pre-heated the oven to 180c.

 In a large mixing bowl I added the flour, sugar and cinnamon and gave it a little stir with a spoon until it was all combined.

Then once the dry ingredients were combined I added the oil and eggs and then whisking it on a medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

Next taking the carrots I finely grated them and then added them to the whisked batter along with the chopped walnuts and whisked again on a high speed for 3 minutes or until all the ingredients were all combined.

Once the batter was made I spooned a table spoon of mixture into each case and put in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.

 

Whilst my cupcakes were cooking I made the cream cheese icing. I creamed the butter and the cream cheese together with a whisk on a low speed and then poured in the icing sugar and the teaspoon of vanilla extract and whisked on a medium speed for a further 2 minutes.

 

 

Once my cakes were cooked I took them out of the oven and put them on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, I made sure they were completely cool so the icing didn't melt and run when applied. 

I prepared my piping bag by popping it in a glass and folding over the top so it was stable to pour the icing into, Once the icing was in the piping bag I twisted the top so the icing wouldn't squeeze out of the top then piped the icing on top of the cooled cupcakes and decorated with a whole walnut on each cake.

And the cakes were ready to eat straight away!
 

 
I was so happy with these cupcakes, I wasn't to sure how they were going to taste but I was pleasantly surprised as they were lovely and I will definitely be making more carrot cake creations in the future and the cream cheese icing is my new favourite icing it was delicious and went really well with the carrot cake!

I hope you have fun making these yummy carrot cake cupcakes if you decide to give it a go I would love to see your creations so tweet me @hannahnicolab or Instagram me a picture using #hannahnhearts

Also if you have any requests for next weeks Foody Friday leave me a comment and let me know.

Thanks for reading
Hannah
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