Liquid Gold

Today I want to talk about the Alpha H Liquid Gold. But I apologise in advance if this post sounds or appears different - I'm very poorly and writing this from my sick bed, via the blogger app that I just downloaded on to my iphone. 

So, Liquid Gold has been a much hyped beauty product for years now. I got mine last year some time after hearing lots of stories about how it brings a new life to your skin or something cheesy like that (which of course I fell for). I bought mine from Cult Beauty I believe although don't hold me to that because I can't be sure! 

I used it how it says on the bottle: 'For an intensive treatment leave on overnight and do not apply serum or moisturiser'. For some reason unknown to myself, I didn't even consider using a moisturiser after applying it, despite knowing that I have dehydrated skin. I simply thought that because its one of those products that act as an exfoliator, surely it would get rid of my dry skin?! But oh, no. 

I used it once and didnt see a lot of difference, but after using it a few times (every other night) I started thinking 'this stuff really isnt making my skin any better'. So I stopped using it for a bit. And then I went back to it, the faithful gal that I am, and had another attempt. But this time it made my skin worse almost instantly! It was flaky so my foundation went on terribly, and it was slightly red and sensitive which is also never a good sign! So once again it went back on to my shelf to be neglected, for quite a while! 

Not long ago though, I looked up at my shelf and gazed fondly at the slightly ugly bottle (I have the old version, I think the new one has had a slight makover the lucky thing) and I thought to myself; why not use it with my Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum?! So I did. And what a magical pair they make! 

The Liquid Gold exfoliates my skin whilst the serum keeps it hydrated and does its magic on my crappy acne-scarred skin. The result is happy, glowing, smooth skin in the morning. And a happy Imy too of course. During the winter I would probably use a moisturiser or even an oil after applying the Liquid Gold as my skin is a lot worse around the cold months. But this has shown me that my skin is more sensitive than I thought, and that just because the bottle says 'for an intensive treatment' doesnt mean I have to do it. The Liquid Gold is a fantastic product (when used properly), and I would highly reccommend it to anyone who wants to avoid harsh, abrasive exfoliators and wants to brighten up their skin a little! I wouldn't say its a holy grail product for me, but it's definitely one I'm glad I bought. At £30 though, I wouldn't be able to re-purchase this on my student budget. Thankfully I only use it every now and then so I reckon it will last me a nice long time! 

Truly Shocking!

So I've made it sound like I'm about to rant about a crap product that I've found recently, but oh no! I do love ranting about bad products, but in this instance I did that on purpose... to entice you. Did I entice you? You bet I did! Well I've actually got a lipstick, it's by Maybelline, it's from their ColorSensational line, and the colour is 'Shocking Coral' - get it now? Clever, am I not? ;)

Don't answer that.

Now, I bought this lipstick yesterday from Superdrug (I can't believe I went to Superdrug... I totally cheated on Boots I feel like such a terrible person but it's, like, 30 meters closer than Boots is and I was feeling lazy yesterday, ok?). You can find out why I bought it in my post from yesterday which I shall link right here! I also tried it out yesterday and made a few comments on it but I thought I'd go into a little more detail today now that I've tried it out some more. So long story short - I love it. I was actually a little scared of the colour on my lips because it is definitely a shockingly bright colour (or at least one of the most shockingly bright lipsticks that I've willingly spent money on for something other than a neon/rave party... oh how dated the word 'rave' sounds nowadays... I've gone off on a serious tangent, I do apologise).

This is how it looks in the stick:

(I'd actually say the real thing looks slightly less hot pink than that, although it definitely does have an element of hot pinkness to it)

I absolutely loved it when I looked at it in the shop, and I probably stood by the Maybelline counter for approximately 20 seconds (ages, I know) arguing with myself over whether I should spend £7 on a crazily bright lipstick colour that before now I would not have gone near for fear of looking stupid. Fun fact: I'm usually very very safe with my makeup choices - nude, nude, nude I love ma nude! I'm also on a student budget which means £7 on one item is seriously crazy, let alone it being one that I'm nervous about trying! Anyway, I obviously bit the bullet and bought the buggar. I'm glad I did because I think it will be brilliant in the summer! It goes on matte and kind of stays matte but not totally matte if that makes any sense at all. If I apply it with my finger, blot and then apply another layer over the top I will have bright lips all day which is great cause I hate reapplying - I think there's nothing worse that having to keep checking yourself out in a mirror every half hour. I like to apply in the morning and not have to worry about my makeup until I need to take it off again to go to bed. Especially if I use this in the summer, I need ma sh*t to last. So this lippy is ideal!

This is what it looks like on, although excuse the terrible webcam quality. I do have a very good camera (a Canon 50D to be exact) but I am the worst at taking selfies on that beastie thing and I left my tripod at home which is a 3 to 4 hour train journey away - killer!

- Please excuse the background which is my messy bed and some fruit in a Tesco bag... -

I dont know if this product is a dupe for anything because, frankly, I've never looked at other bright lipsticks before. Apart from reds of course. If you have this or one from the ColorSensational line (personally, I think Maybelline should change the spelling of colour in that name to the english spelling. I mean, I bought it in England did I not?! Just..... rude) or if you have any recommendations for bright lippies then leave me a comment!

A discovery...

So I've recently been obsessed with a new website called neverunderdressed.com (so new it literally launched the other day). It covers everything I love (fashion & beauty) and somehow has a really cool personality which makes me love it even more.

Anyway! What I wanted to talk about was their amazing Lipstick Index. I didn't really bother looking at this feature until today, and I'm so annoyed that I didn't! It's such a great idea, but it's an idea I never in a million years would have thought of. I didn't even realise I wanted it until they did it. It might not be something that everyone else goes crazy over like I am, but I just think its fantastic. You basically pick your skin tone (or whichever one you want), there's a choice of 5. And then it shows you a range of 'the seasons stand out lip shades' on a model with your skin tone!

I mean, it's kind of a bittersweet idea because although I love it and it's awesome, it makes me want to buy all the lipsticks that are featured in my skin tone! I mean, I already did buy one... naughty hey. I bought the Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Shocking Coral. I have literally just tried it out, and my initial reaction was: I need a tan. But then I reapplied it with my finger and I think its great. I've now put on M.A.C Hue and then placed Shocking Coral just on to the insides of my lips so it kind of looks two-toned. I don't know if that explanation makes any sense whatsoever, so here's the picture I used as inspiration:

If only I had lips as great as that to do the effect with... *sigh*

I think this lippy will be brilliant for the summer when I fancy a pop of colour. I can't wait to use it on holiday! Anyway, enough rambling... check out the website, check out The Lipstick Index... Let me know if you love it as much as I do!

A drastic move!

Ok, maybe the title of this post was a slight over-exaggeration...

I'm making the move to blogger.com from wordpress.com which is where, up until now, I have been posting my musings on all things beauty related. I feel like blogger has so many more users to connect with and far more possibilities than wordpress does and that's why I can't wait to get started here.

A bit about me?

I'm a Fashion Communication and Promotion student at Nottingham Trent Uni, but my home is a farm in Somerset. I think I have the best of both worlds in that sense; living in the city during term time but escaping to the country ('scuse the terrible cliche, I couldn't help myself) when I'm not at uni.

I always knew I'd go into the fashion industry, but during the majority of my teenage years I thought that that would be through my photography. As I've gotten older I've moved away from fashion photography a lot, although it is still a hobby of mine and I am really proud of what I achieved with it. Nowadays, although I'm obviously really into fashion and the industry surrounding it, my undying love has to go to the beauty industry. Which technically comes under the rather large umbrella that is the fashion industry, so it's ok - I'm on the right uni course!

I love writing (especially about things I love) but I don't think I'm a very good writer. I admire those who are so articulate that you can hear their personality and their passion through their writing. I can only hope to achieve that, but I hope you enjoy my blog nonetheless!

What to expect...

Being a student, I don't regularly buy high end or luxury beauty products, but I really enjoy keeping an eye out for fantastic products from drugstores like Boots. I'll start off by posting two of my most recent posts from my previous blog, but from then on I'll post new.

Ok I'm done rambling now.