LQ Liquid Health Review - Is It Worth It?

It has taken me a LONG time to realise that for good skin it means looking at what I put in my body as well as products used on my body. Even though I've upped my water intake, I still eat lots rubbish. When its the time of the month, I find myself desperate for everything sweet or fried - which I know is bad but it tastes so delicious. I was very kindly invited to give LQ Liquid Health’s Skin, Hair & Nails liquid supplements a try. After hearing the benefits and reading about other peoples take on the product, it was very easy for me to say yes. The main ingredient is collagen which is the most  naturally occurring protein in our bodies.  Drinking liquid collagen is like drinking liquid gold as it  can have benefits not just for your skin, but also for your nails and hair. 

Sephora Paris Haul

Back in December, really close to Christmas I had the best trip ever to Disneyland Paris. Myself and Nicole wondered off to the city for a little long weekend away to celebrate the amazing year we had. Round the corner from the hotel was a shopping mall and hidden inside was of course a Sephora! We couldn't help ourselves when we went the first time... we ended up going in again. In hindsight, I didn't actually pick up as much as I thought I did for myself as most of the things ended up being Christmas presents for friends. However, the things I did pick up have been sat waiting to be blogged about! There wasn't the biggest selection of brands there but lots of pretty things nonetheless. 

                                           

Löwengrip Review

Löwengrip is a brand that was started by Isabella Löwengrip. A beauty venture that in just a couple of years has become one of the leading brands in the Nordics. The brand offers amazing quality products that are suitable for even the most sensitive skin and scalp. Löwengrip creates its own  recipes, which are formulated together with real people, through a process of detailed social media communication and feedback. I've been using two products from the brand for about month now and I am in love. 

The Cure Hair Mask // £22*

Using a hair mask in my hair routine, was never something that I thought I would need. However, this particular one has made a big difference to the health of my hair. The main ingredients are shea butter, which is very nourishing and bamboo extract to help repair, regenerate and protect damaged hair. A weird but wonderful ingredient also inside is sunflower oil, which retains moisture in the hair while argan oil and apple seed oil provide suppleness and shine. All of these together give you tangle free, soft and healthy looking hair. 

I tested this in a really odd way. The first week, I used it three times - at the same time as shampooing my hair. The mask is to be used after shampoo and before conditioner. My hair felt soft, silky and no need for conditioner. Then the second and third time, I used the hair mask on Sunday and this time used a real good handful. I found that this gave my hair a boost and I didn't have to wash it for the next week! I didn't believe this, so the next week the mask wasn't included in my routine - and I ended up washing it twice again that week. The following week, I used the mask again and didn't wash my hair for the week. Can you spot the pattern? 

Its amazing that just one product has changed my whole hair! 

Body Balm £17*

I am such a moisturiser hoarder, from face to body - I need them all. Sometimes, I think that I have way more than I need but never mind. This balm gives the skin nourishment. It is enriched with MICRO PROSkin, which is a strong blend of prebiotics and probiotics - which smoothes the texture of the skin. It also gives the skin a slight glow, nothing too in your face but a little shimmer. This would be lovely to wear and layer up in the winter. I love applying this on my legs, to make them look less boring and dull.  It also smells incredible, with notes of honey and musk, your skin just lifts with this gorgeous scent. 

I have been super impressed by both of these Löwengrip products, they do the job, look gorgeous on my shelf with the rose gold packaging and smell so good. 

                                                                                     

*pr samples

                                                                                           

Bedtime Rituals

A few weeks ago, the most random parcel arrived at my doorstep. It was from REN Skincare in the US. I was so confused, as I haven't given them my address. Then I got a sense of excitement because REN are one brand, I have always wanted to try. Soon after, I got confused again. As you can tell, I am still a bit all over the place - but I wanted to say thank you - if you're reading this and sent me this parcel because my sleeping pattern and bedtime routine has never been better. Since, going back after half term my body has managed to get itself into a routine and doing little things before going to bed has made the biggest difference to my quality of sleep. 

New In From Yes To

                      Yes To are quickly becoming my favourite budget friendly skincare brand. The coconuts range has transformed my oily skin and calmed it down a whole lot, and the sheet masks from them are out of this world. This time round, I have two rather interesting and unusual products from them that have just launched.                                           

Psychological Effects of Hair Loss and How to Overcome It

I am very excited to bring you this guest post today, sometimes I think the world becomes silent when issues are spoken. Hair loss is a major issue in both women and men. No one likes to lose their hair as it affects their appearance and makes them look older. Preventing hair loss is extremely difficult because there is no definite cause of the issue. However, sometimes hair loss can be controlled through a variety of treatments. 

Pink Cloud Collagen Beauty Drink

What we apply on our skin is important but the things we put inside our body is just as important, over the past month I have been trying out the Pink Cloud 3 in 1 Beauty Collagen Drink. Sounds scary and the claims might seem too good to be true but after testing it out... here are my thoughts

Transitional Haircare Tips

The other day we turned the heating on, the heating! After months of not having it on, not needing to wear long sleeves it seems that everything is back to normal in the UK and the cold weather is back again. With that it means it is time to review and change up everyday habits, from makeup and skincare and hair. For me, my hair is something that I always put to one side but this year that is going to change. During the summer, I really started to look after it. By using less hear, introducing hair oil and masks to protect it from damage and the sun. These are a few tips to help transition your haircare into the colder months...

Dermalogica Clear Start

I seem to be finding that my love for skincare is taking over makeup, it excites me so much more when I buy a new cleanser or use a face oil at night. Sounds really sad when I say it back to myself, but I am sure that fellow beauty lovers (may) agree with me. The feeling of using something new for the first time and seeing it make a difference or go horribly wrong on the skin is the best thing ever. My skin is combination to oily and breakout prone, the tiniest amount of a product my skin doesn't like will make it explode. The Dermalogica Clear Start range is a targeted system to help those of us who suffer from breakouts. It is mainly for young teens who are just starting out with skincare, as there is a capsule collection of nine products but can be used by anyone. 

I Graduated, Now What?

If you don't follow me on social media (if you, I really apologise for repeating myself) then you might not know that last week I actually graduated from univeristy! It has been a tough three years, there is so much that I would love to go back and change but now its time to focus on the future and what is going to happen next. This blog has been through my entire univeristy life, from when I first got accepted, freshers week which was different to your typical fresher, finishing first year, then completing second year  and now graduation.

Its crazy when you look back at these posts and think about how much has changed in the space of three years.  

Currently Loving #4

I love reading and watching monthly favourites but always find it hard to do them myself because I am always using the same products! These past two months I have finally been forcing myself to use products that are tucked away and try new things. With the sun making so much more of an appearance too, its been important to use products that keep my skin refreshed and not oily. 

                                     

Travel Essentials I Always Forget About

Whenever I go away, whether its a weekend away of a holiday there are always products that I forget. ALWAYS. These are the products, I end up buying at duty free, when in my chose destination or leave the house thinking 'I am sure there is something I have forgotten...'. They might not seem the most useful or necessary essentials to carry around but they are very multipurpose.

Small Handbag Essentials

I'm a person that loves a big handbag, I love throwing things in without having to be limited to space and find it so much easier to just have a bag that will allow me to fit everything in from lunch, shopping and the thousands of lipsticks that I like to hoard. It was however, getting a bit ridiculous and I was finding myself dragging it along at times because it was so heavy and filled with rubbish. On a shopping trip a couple of weeks ago, I decided to splurge on a smaller handbag. Well I had a voucher so it just seemed like the perfect excuse!

Celebrate in Style with Elvi

This might just be the most exciting weekend of the year so far. Its the ROYAL WEDDING. I am someone that loves and I mean loves the royal family and the wedding has got me super excited. I am working through the wedding but will be live streaming it on my phone no matter what people say. This post is in collaboration with Elvi, who have kitted me out with some amazing goodies to celebrate the wedding in style. 

Why You Should Start Using Argan Oil

As the sunshine makes more of an appereance here in the UK, my hair starts to loose a bit of life. It was time to turn things around and make it not only look healthy but also feel better. Argan Oil might just be the holy grail hair product for everyone and after reading this post, I hope you're inspired to try it out because let me tell you, it isn't called liquid gold for the hair for no reason. 

Pantene 3 Minute Miracle

I've said this time and time again that my hair is just something that I do not care for very much, I have always stuck to basic products that do the job and that’s pretty much it. With my graduation fast approaching, I have started to take more care of my hair because I want it to look shiny and grow enough to have an elegant looking hairstyle. 

Currently Loving #3

As another month passes by (quickly as always) it is time to share products that I have been asboutely loving and using non stop. Some this month are basic tools, the items that I just can't live without on a daily basis, I feel like these are sometimes hidden away and not loved enough. March has disappeared infront of my eyes and I am hoping that I give April every love and attention it deserves before life gets busy again.               

Skincare Diaries: Dr Roebucks

If you didn't already know, I am slightly addicted to skincare. It takes me a while to test things out as I have to make sure that my skin doesn't break out, actually benefiting from it and then using it within my routine. I have been slowly adding some bits from Dr Roebuck's into my routine to see how they are and have to say that they didn't disappoint. I've been using some in the morning, some at night and then just mixing them up into my everyday routine.                                     

GRWM: Glam

One of the many videos I love to watch online are GRWM (better known as get ready with me's) so today I thought I would do that but in a blog post format. Here's hoping it kind of makes sense. This is the makeup/hair look that I wore a couple of weeks back to my very early birthday (6 months) meal with my bestie who works abroad. I loved how the final look turned out!                                      

I have been obsessed with the Becca Backlight Primer, it gives my skin such a glow but without it looking oily and messy. When paired with Double Wear, which is a very matte foundation it makes my skin look semi-glowy and semi-matte which is honestly a match made in heaven for me. This duo lasts for a good 7/8 hours which is just incredible. For concealer I am still very much in love with the MUR concealer, in fact it is nearly finished - which has amazed me but the coverage, formula and colour is just perfect. At this point my face was looking very flat, so I added some bronzer to give me more of a face shape that was defined and slim looking.

I am so indecisive when it comes to eye makeup but my go to is always gold and nothing else. So, I ended up taking the top row of shades from this GWA palette and blending them together to make my crease/lid. Then taking the tiniest bit of the Primark pigment I applied this to really enhance the gold however this is more of a yellow toned gold rather than true gold so I had to really blend and fix it to suit me more. These retail for £5 as a set of 3 and are such a good investment! 

As it was the evening and such a special occasion I decided to add a pair of fluttery lashes, these are the Radiance ones from Esqido ($29). They have just the right amount of volume and length to make my eyes not only look wider but bigger underneath my glasses and they fit like a glove so I didn't experience any discomfort. This glue is also LIFE CHANGING, I think I have found my favourite lash glue ever ever, the fact that its in a tube with an applicator makes it so much easier to apply and control. It dries very quickly and clear which helps with hiding it on your own lashes. These have a very thick band, which I didn't think I would like at first but it looks ok once mixed in with mascara. I adore how these look and my eye makeup looked stunning, I added a extra bit of glitter eyeliner to make the look even more amazing. 

For hair, I went with the very sleek and straight look, in the morning I washed it using the Shea Moisture Smooth and Tame duo* (now available at Superdrug for £10.99 each). These are made using the super nourishing ingredient that is Argan Oil and the addition of Almond milk which helps to make the hair even softer. These smell amazing and I really did find that my hair was tamed and detangled after using it. The shampoo took a little while to lather up but nothing a bit more singing in the shower can't fix. I noticed that my hair wasn't as wavy/flicky out after using this and it meant that I just needed to blow dry with a brush to get it looking sleek and smooth. 

What are your favourite products to get glam with? 

                                                                                             

Styling Medium Length Hair

My hair is at its best at the moment, healthy, mid length and very easy to manage. I have straight hair, to the point where I can dry it upside down and it will still be straight. It is also very thick, so I have to go to the hairdressers every so often to get it thinned out, I usually have some layers put it in to help balance the weight out but find myself then hating layers when I want to do something with my hair - there is no winning. I am doing my hardest to grow it out for my graduation later on this year, which means keeping on top of the looking after it. I have also started actually styling it in different ways recently rather than just keeping it straight and these are the products I have been loving to use.