Tuesday 27 May 2014

Review: Superdrug Aloe Vera Mud Mask

I often browse Superdrug and Boots for products I haven't seen before and being a first timer for mask I though I would dip my feet in with something that wouldn't break the bank. Coming in at £2.59 this little tube of product certainly won't. It claims to be a de-stressing mask which will "help calm the skin and replenish moisture" as well as cleansing and purifying pores.

The first thing that caught my eye was the packaging. It was sleek and had a great vintage feel to it which made it seem like it wasn't an own brand product. The tube is small, more like the size of a hand cream, but I have used it for a couple of weeks, twice a week, and it has a couple more uses in it!


Applying it is easy, although I don't think I will ever get over the colours of some face masks. I felt like Shrek before the mask had dried and the colour had muted! Leaving it for 15 minutes made my skin slightly agitated so on reflection I think 10-12 would be more appropriate but once removed there was little redness which probably came from the removal rather than the product itself.

With warm water and a flannel the mask came off easily, minus the bits that I had magically got caught in my eyebrows (urghhh...!).

Having never tried other masks, apart from the 99p sachets when I was younger (throwback anyone?), I can't give a decent comparison however there are more in the range which I might delve into when I get the chance. The de-stressing claims are weak, although if you were to use this on a pamper evening the process is not exactly stressful, however I would say that my face seemed less dry after using it - something I have a problem with on occasion.

If you are in the market for a cheap but good quality mask I would really recommend this, however I would assume that there are many more that work better if you are willing to pay a bit more!


Tuesday 20 May 2014

Mid Month Montage: Revision

With the exam period of the year in full flow, mine included, I thought it would be apt to focus my Mid Month Montage on the topic. Being in my first year of Uni I have a fair few years of revision experience under my belt, with some good experiences and a handful of bad ones! 

The last few days have been amazing, and I would totally recommend getting outside and revising whenever you can. It makes you feel so much better! And take breaks... your body needs them, staying focussed on revision all day every day is not helpful at all - I always try to do different things than usual during my breaks: walks, cycles, finding new little cafes to garb a bite to eat!

(excuse the iPhone photos, I left my camera charger at home! Bad Blogger!!)

- Being in Cardiff I have the beautiful Bute Park to spend sunny days in. It's amazing how relaxing it is and how much more work I get done than when I'm in the Library! I have previous post with more pictures if you want to have a look!

- One tip I would give is that getting out of your house is great and don't be scared to go to the library!. I have been revising in the library and it's great. I do have an unfortunately small desk in my room which means I have even more incentive to be here! The librarians are great too :)

- I really recommend doing something new! I gave myself a break on Sunday and wondered over to the Riverside Market near the Stadium in Cardiff. I have never been before but have been aware of it for ages. It was great.. and there were many little stalls selling things from goats milk ice cream to Indian Takeaway! It was a great relaxing break and I left with a lovely chocolate croissant!

- This blog post seems to be very food themed but hey, everyone eats! ha. Cardiff Uni have been giving out free drinks/ice lollies as part of their #revisionaid scheme. On Friday we have a petting zoo appearing outside the library! I can not wait 

- Finally, as I said above try to venture out of the norm and even if you are alone go and try new cafe's or places to eat. I found myself in BB's Coffee and Muffins, not eating a muffin but trying their paninis. It was pretty good and even though I was alone I passed the time by people watching!

These aren't really tips, more a list of things I like to do when revision becomes a priority, but I hope they have been an inspiration!
To all of you that have exams coming up I wish you good luck! I can't wait for it to be over in 2 weeks time! 


Tuesday 13 May 2014

Mini May Haul...

(Right from Top: Natural Collection in Crimson & Pink Mallow, NYX in Bloody Mary)
(Middle from Top: Daniel Sandler Creme Blush in Soft Peach, Benefit Porefessional, Sleek Matte Blush in Suede)
(Left from Right: Illamasqua in Boost, Natural Collection in Caramel Shortcake)

I thought I would share a few of the products I have added to my collection recently. I am an avid stalker of #blogsale and get overly excited when I see a new UK based one appear with some interesting but cheap products that I otherwise can't afford. Last week I spotted one which got me rather interested. I managed to pick up a Sleek Blush in Suede, Daniel Sandler Creme Blush in Soft Peach and a NYX Matte Lipstick in Bloody Mary all for £9.50 inc postage. I also got the Illamasqua Lipgloss in Boost for free! I really would recommend having look at blog sales because it is amazing what you can pick up!

On my way to Cardiff I had a rather lengthy wait at Victoria Coahc Station so helped myself to a cheeky magazine. I am not one for having a favourite so I usually pick a magazine depending on what freebies I will be getting! (Bad I know!!) I managed to pick up a sample size Porefessional by Benefit. I have tried this out and it is great.. although I am unsure whether to get a full sized ones. Have any of you tried it? What do you think?

Finally I picked up a trio of Natural Collection products after hearing a few good things about them. I went slightly lip crazy and picked out 1 lipgloss in Caramel Shortcake. This is a me but better colour really and not anything amazing. It applies nicely but definitely doesn't hang around! I then chose two lipstick in Pink Mallow and Crimson. These are incredibly disappointing in regards of packaging. They have not been used much at all and have already started to wobble around in the packaging! I nearly lost Pink Mallow the other day as I pushed it up! The colours itself are really good for such a small price and last relatively long.

I hope you enjoyed my haul. What have you picked up recently?


Wednesday 7 May 2014

A little chatter...

I am currently sat on a megabus (gold... I'll have you know!!) on my way back to Cardiff after spending a whole month at home for Easter. If any of you have ever experienced the delights of travelling with many other strangers along a motorway for three hours I'm sure you know what I am going through. 

Since I do not have internet capabilities or any of my photos I decided a nice chatty post would fit quite nicely, maybe with some hints of what to expect over the summer.

I am mid revision for my first year exams (I know, "why are you revising", "you're a first year you shouldn't be in the library" etc etc. But I might as well try and do well!!) which is why I have missed a few weeks of posting (sorry). However, as a form of procrastination I have been thinking about what my plans are for my blog. I hope that once I have finished exams I can up my weekly post count to at least 2, if not a sneaky 3 when I feel like it! I also want to improve my photography skills so look out for photo filled posts of what I have been up to!

Other than that I have a limited supply of post ideas but any suggestions would be great! Being a student I really should be focussing on budget post etc so nothing too extravagant!!

I hope all of you have had a great Easter and if you have exams coming up that they go ok!

Thank you for the support .. I have really loved watching my blog grow and seeing people commenting on my posts. If any of you have your own blogs feel free to leave your links below... I would love to give them a read!

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