Guess who's back!

That's right, I'm back. I know it's been a long while, it's no excuse but I've been trying to get blinkered barbie , my other blog, on it's feet and accidentally ended up neglecting Smekah. Here's my promise though, you'll be seeing a lot more of me over here (hopefully three posts ish a week, eek).

I can't wait to get writing back on here, I hope everyone's good!

S xo.

My Autumn/Winter Essentials So Far - B xo

So I’ve seen LOADS of people posting their Autumn/Winter Favourites/Essentials already this year, and every time I see one, I think to myself; wow. It’s only just really started to get yucky weather wise (In the UK anyway). So while I have a few bits that I would class as Autumn/Winter Essentials, I want to make it clear to everyone that these may change, or get added to, as Winter goes on! Okay, here we go.

We’ll go to skincare for my first product. It is, of course, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. You all know by now that I am head over heels in love with this product. Since I started using it a few months ago, I have not strayed from the path, I have been completely faithful. I haven’t even been tempted to stray. This is probably my favourite skincare discovery ever. I started using it in the summer and I’ll be honest, I did wonder if it would work as well for me in the colder months, as skin needs change depending on the weather. I had nothing to be worried about. I’ve used this constantly and had no problems whatsoever. Far from it, my skin has improved dramatically compared to before Liz Earle waltzed into my life. It removes every scrap of makeup with minimal effort and leaves my skin feeling quite frankly, luscious. At £13.25 for a 100ml bottle (more than I think I have ever paid for a skincare product, constantly at least) at first glance this may seem a bit expensive (to those of us that rely heavily on high street products). However, once you have tried this product, you will realise that you have got yourself an absolute bargain. You can’t afford NOT to buy it!

My next Autumn/Winter Essential is also of the skin care theme. It is… Astral Moisturiser! I am a bit of a moisturiser whore, I don’t mind admitting. I flit from product to product, never really finding anything that really floats my boat and just plodding along with products I deem average at best. When I ran out of my little Liz Earle moisturiser (which was really nice, just not for me), I was at a loss as for where to head next in my ever long moisturiser quest. Then one day when I went into Superdrug for a browse, I spotted this on display at the front of the shop. I recognised it immediately as a product that my aunty used to use. It was her holy grail of skincare, and I remember seeing it in her bathroom from when I was a tiny toddler to when she died. And as if that wasn’t enough of a sign, it was on offer. I think I paid £3.50 for a 500ml tub (or something along those lines). I LOVE this moisturiser. And I really never thought I would say that, but it is fantastic. My skin gets dehydrated quite quickly, but once moisture has been restored, it’s okay. This means that I normally struggle to find a moisturiser that deals with both skin situations. This does it, no problem. It goes on smoothly, sinks in to the skin beautifully and has left my skin feeling soft and radiant. I’m VERY impressed. And as it is getting colder here in the UK my skin needs a bit more help. I don’t imagine I will be leaving this behind any time soon.

Moving on from skincare to hair, another thing I would be lost without this winter, is Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo. Again, this tends to be a little bit more pricey than the kind of shampoo that I used to buy but after using it religiously for a few months now (I’m getting much better at this sticking with products thing), I can totally see why. I tend to try and wait until I see this on offer to buy it, but regardless, it is definitely worth the price tag. No matter what I do to my hair, it is always dry. Before I started using Aussie, it would often be so dry that I had to condition for about 10 minutes before I could even dream of getting a brush through it. I have no more of that. The condition of my hair has really improved since I’ve stuck to this shampoo, and it smells gorgeous too!

My next product, is a fairly recent discovery. However, it’s one of those things that everyone has been raving about for ages and I’m just late to the party. It is, of course, the Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters. There has been SO much hype around these, I thought, I just can’t hold out any longer. These are around the £7 mark, depending on where you buy them and whether they’re included in some sort of offer. A little pricey for what seems at first glance to be basically a lip balm. Or so I thought. I was wrong. At first, I didn’t really get this product. Now that I do, I absolutely love it. The formulation of these are quite unique. They apply like a balm, but have the pigmentation of a lipstick. I find these to be uber hydrating and lovely, they make my lips feel gorgeous. The shade range is VERY impressive, although a lot of high street shops don’t stock them all. The staying power isn’t great, but as this isn’t actually a lipstick, I’m fine with that. The only negative comment I have about these is the packaging. I don’t like it. It seems cheap and impractical and just, not to my taste at all. Apart from that, I think these are brilliant. Definitely worth the hype and I hope to be expanding my collection sometime soon.

Have you guys got any products you'd be totally lost without in the Autumn(Fall)/Winter Months? Let us know in the comments below :)

B xo

Back In Business

Hola bambinos! I know Smekah has been off the radar for the last month or so, hence I just thought I'd do a quick little post to update you on the blog/me/sam/wdf situation. (I've written, deleted and rewritten this about a million times this week so bare with me. If there's anything I haven't covered, feel free to get in touch).

Basically, Smekah is back in business. I know I know, I can hear you all jumping for joy as you read this. After a kind of hiatus, it's all kicking off again here. As you know, Sam is now posting from Blinkered Barbie, however all of us here at Smekah hold a special place in her heart (ew, sickly sweet alert) and she has decided she's going to carry on posting here as well, probably around 3 times a week. I am going to step up my posting - it's going to be everything from reviews on beauty products, ootd's/lookbooks, lifestyle posts, reciepes, all manner of random things, so beware! If ever there is a lull and I've slipped back into my old habbits of not posting like I should, please hassle me into it. Peer pressure is most effective.

So I'm sorry that we haven't been around, but we're back now yaaay. We hope that you're all okay! 

Love,

B xxo

Pure Poison Elixir - Search

Hi guys.

This is just a quick post, to see if any of you can help me out. I’m on a desperate search to find Pure Poison Elixir by Dior, and I cannot find it anywhere. If anyone has any ideas on where I can get hold of this, please get in touch!

B xxo

Our First Ever Vlog!

In the future we plan to do some videos about our monthly favourites, what's going on in our lives and just general vloggy stuff, however we decided that for our first video we would let you see a little bit of what we are like when we're together and so here is our first ever vlog, all about;

How Smekah Met!

Although we are aware this isn't the most professional video, we hope it gives you the tiniest insight into who is behind the blog, so give us a thumbs up, leave us a comment telling us we're idiots, whatever.

Keep an eye out for future videos, give us a subscribe if you're feeling kind!

Sammy xo (and Bek)

A little update !

So some of you may have heard that tomorrow me and Bek plan on recording our first ever vlog (I don't know whether the nausea is due to excitement or nerves...) so that's the first exciting piece of news for this weekend.

Some more (perhaps slightly less exciting news) is that this week we will have a fair few reviews going up about everything from Nars (blusher, powder and foundation) to Soap and Glory (have any of you ever tried Sit Tight? SO WEIRD.)

Last but not least, I know normally this would be the weekend that I posted my monthly favourites but granted everything goes well with our vlog tomorrow, I'm actually hoping to do my monthly favourites as a video later on in the week, eek.

Just a few little things so keep your eyes peeled :)

Sammy xo

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

So we got nominated for an award, which makes us very happy girlies !

Big thanks to Kammi who nominated us for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award :

 The rules for this award are very simple: Display the logo on your blog and link back to the lovely person who nominated you/your blog, you then share 7 facts about yourself, nominate 10 other blogs you enjoy reading, and then inform them you have nominated them! Simple as that! 

So 7 facts…

1: Last year I had a dye disaster with my naturally blonde hair and had to dye it black for a year

2: I keep my diary key tied around my ankle

3: I don't really watch TV shows, but when I do I watch every season available in a matter of weeks

4: I have an older brother

5: In the last two years I've lost nearly 4 stone

6: I work as a waitress

7: I have a tattoo hardly anyone knows about (so keep it schtum) 

The bloggers and blogs I'm nominating ; (Some of these blogs may have been nominated before) 

Karen (Liverpool lashes)

A genuinely lovely, down to earth person with a sweet, informative blog (also, her nail tutorials on her youtube channel are amazing)

Ellie (uniquelovestyle)

One of my favourite blog layouts at the minute, a nice mixture of just everything pretty.

Rebecca (Ohkalukalay)

A lovely blogger who always seems to be doing something different (in a good way, to clarify) and always seems to be just ahead of a trend.

Cat (Cheshire Cat)

A really lovely, clean blog with gorgeously crisp photographs.

Katie (Katie's world of beauty)

A blog that reviews ready available products, things I can genuinely see myself buying (and seriously, check out her latest green tea post because I guarantee she can make you a convert)

Allie (Allie's Beauty Blog)

Concise, to-the-point reviews. Her photo's have a lovely old timey tinge to them, too, which really sets them apart.

Mehj (Beauty Brownies)

A really personalised blog with a friendly tone. Getting opinions from this blog makes you feel like you're chatting to a friend.

Helen (Treasure Every Moment)
A blog that gives you a peek into every day life, as well as some lovely little diy crafty things, all done with an amazingly positive view.

Hannah (Cosmetic Crave)

A blog that makes me feel like I'm getting really honest reviews, plain and simple.

Vanessa (Circle of Chaos)

A lovely , well put together blog. Also, Vanessa was our first ever follower, so for us she was definitely very inspiring ! 

Thanks, Kammi, for nominating us and thanks to all the blogs above for inspiring us!

Sammy xo

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Cleanser

My love for Nip + Fab knows pretty much no bounds, I went shopping to buy their Sheer Make Up Fix (has this been discontinued, does anyone know? I can't seem to find it anywhere...) and came away with this cleanser, something I didn't particularly need in any way at all. Having said that, I've fallen in love with this Glycolic Fix Cleanser.

This is definitely an in shower cleanser as opposed to a removing make-up cleanser. It's a cloudy gel that smells like grapefruit (absolutely lush) and foams up literally the minute that it hits water. I've swapped my OXY for this, and in terms of having major breakouts (touch wood) this seems to be keeping them at bay just as much as the OXY was, only it's much softer feeling on my skin. According to Nip + Fab this cleanser contains glycolic acid to exfoliate and retexture, apple amino acid to cleanse and purify and olive oil to hydrate and smooth. I literally have no idea if all that is true, but it does definitely leave my skin feeling smoother, cleaner and just as exfoliated as if I had used a much more gritty product.

This isn't the cheapest face wash in the world, I bought it from Sainsbury's for £7.99 (/150ml) but I'd definitely say it's a nice smelling, softer feeling alternative to much harsher spot reducing products on the market and, for me at least, it seems to give a similar effect.

Have you used glycolic fix? What products do you use to prevent breakouts?

Sammy xo

Bourjois Cream Blush

I know, I know, like you haven't seen enough of these reviews already. I'm sorry, but I feel like after trying it I have to review Bourjois Cream Blush.

It's no secret that I'm often dubious about cult products, but this is one I feel like I'm right to be dubious about. I have this blush in 002 which is called "Healthy Glow". The packaging for this is adorable, it's in a little round pink pot (each shade is in a different coloured compact) which open to reveal a tiny mirror and the blush itself. This is a really odd texture, I'm not sure that I would have used the word "cream" I'd say it was actually almost balm like in it's texture, but that's all technicalities. 

This isn't a colour I'd normally go for, it's a lot more coral looking that the usual flush of pink that I choose, but regardless I was willing to give it a go. Applied without blending, the colour is amazing (the swatch to the right above), a rosy coral colour that's exactly how it's described, a healthy glow. However, when it's blended in (the left swatch) it's literally barely noticeable on my skin, and to get the healthy glow look it takes a lot of building up.

This blush isn't one I'd ever repurchase, I'm not a huge fan of the colour once it's blended or of the texture. For a similar colour, I'd definitely stick with The Balm's Instain in "Swiss Dot".

Have you used Bourjois cream blush? What did you think? Any nice alternatives?

Sammy xo.

Soap and Glory Archery

Behold; I'm about to talk about a skincare brand who have done beauty, and done it well. That's right, I'm about to delve into the make-up range presented to us by Soap and Glory.

Although I own a couple of different pieces of make-up from their brand, today I'm going to talk about their Archery brow tint and precision pencil. Before this I used Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil which I liked but was far too dark for my newly lightened hair. Colour choice is one of the reasons that I picked Archery, they do a colour really close to my (artificially) light blonde hair called "Love is Blonde". This is a product that isn't actually similar to any other on the market that I'm aware of, one end is an almost paintbrush looking eyebrow tint and the other is a slightly darker pencil tip.

The tint is to be used first. I draw around the shape of my eyebrows using the precision tip that it offers, then fill them in as a base. This gives precise shape and an all over colour, so far so good.

Then step two is the pencil. This is to fill in spaces and build up the colour to the level that you need it at. After both steps my eyebrows are neat, fairly precisely shaped and still a natural colour that is fairly close to my own.

I do think that for an eyebrow pencil this is quite expensive (£10 just seems a little steep for what it is) and I have to say, if I still had my dark hair I think I'd still favour my rimmel pencil over archery, but for those of you out there with lighter hair using pencils too dark because that's the lightest pencil you can find, I highly recommend swapping over to Archery for a much neater, much more natural look.

Have you ever tried Archery? What eyebrow pencils have worked for you in the past?

Sammy xo

Figs & Rouge Cherry Blossom

Anyone who read our June Glossybox post will know that I tried Figs and Rouge lip balm in Coco-Rose and I just... despised it. I love the packaging, I loved the colour and the shimmer and the way it made my lips taste but I could not get over the taste which was just like biting into paracetamol and it literally made me heave.

However, I wanted to love the company and so I found myself ordering the Cherry Blossom version of the lip balm. I thought all that needed to be sorted was the taste, so logically the Cherry Blossom would have everything I loved about Coco Rose only with a nice taste, but I was a little disappointed. The taste is ten million times better and tastes for all the world like red powerade, but there is no sheen to the lip tint, one of the things I loved about Coco Rose. The packaging is sweet, but not as retro as Coco Rose and the texture is a lot more like jelly, making it much harder to apply especially using the tube straight onto the lip.

I will be trying the Mocha Orange version, because I really want to find one of these products that I love everything about, but I can't help feeling like between these two I have to pick between the look and ease of use of the products and the taste, because neither product has all three aspects, at least not in my opinion.

I love this company, but none of their lip tints so far have captured my heart quite like I wished they would. Watch this space, I'll review the mocha orange version as soon as I get the chance to try it.

Sammy xo

Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturiser

I'm a moisturiser junkie, no doubt about it. I tend to buy any that are on offer, and that means that I usually have drawers and drawers full of bottles I've used literally once. Having said that, I couldn't just walk past when I saw Vaseline Spray & Go (£4.99/190ml and only available in Boots for the time being.) There are three different types Essential Moisture, Cocoa Radiant and Aloe Fresh. I tried Aloe Fresh and Cocoa Radiant but I wasn't keen on the smell of Aloe Fresh, so I settled for Cocoa Radiant instead.

I quite like the can, the whole design and idea makes it seems much more extravagant than the original moisturiser designs (which are still available). I wasn't entirely keen on the whole idea of the product though, I was worried getting the right amount of product would be difficult and it would either leave parts of me unmoisturised or it would be greasy and much too thick. I needn't have worried though, the spray distributes fairly evenly and goes on quite thin and watery (see the above right picture) and can literally be rubbed in straight away to leave no grease or residue (bottom right picture). It definitely lives up to the idea of spray and go, because although I can still feel it on my skin, it just feels soft and not "sticky" like other moisturisers (even the bottle version of this moisturiser, in fact.)

All in all, this is a call between whether you'd rather have ease or more money in your pocket. In my mind, there's absolutely no doubt that this is a more convenient product, after your shower you can spray and put your pyjamas straight on, in fact you could even do it before leaving to go out without worrying about your skin uncomfortably sticking to the residue, however it is more expensive than the traditional bottle version (which is £2.99/200ml), however I'm more than willing to spend that extra £2 just for the convenience.

Sammy xo

OXY

Ok, I'll say it; I'm a spotty teenager. Not so much now that I've started taking better care of my skin, and making sure I actually take all my make up off at night, but I still have more breakouts than I care to admit to. A few weeks ago, I felt like literally nothing was helping to get my skin clear, and so I emailed OXY asking if they had any samples I might be able to try to see if they'd help me get celebrity skin (or, I'd settle for just non-spotty). They very kindly sent me back some of their products, much to my delight.

Let's start with the Clear Pore Exfoliant. This is great, and like I've said before, I absolutely love a gritty exfoliator and this is definitely one. It comes out quite liquid-ey with a sand like texture, it's rough on the skin but it does really clear away any dead skin. It's too rough to use every day, but I've been using it every other day which seems to be working for me. I've then been following this with the Fresh Skin Wash. This is much more if a gel formula than the Clear Pore Exfoliant, but it does also have exfoliating beads in. This is soft enough to use every day, and it almost buffs my skin to a soft shiny level. Finally, the Deep Calm Balm, a moisturiser that again includes exfoliating beads.

Essentially, I've been swapping between a three step routine and a two step routine every other day (the exfoliant definitely isn't gentle enough to use every day) and it really seems to be having a positive effect. Whereas I've had some issues with clean and clear and clearasil in the past (I literally felt like I'd had a chemical peel with some of the products from the former), OXY's range is gentle enough that you can use at least one of the products every day, but effective enough that (touch wood) it actually does seem to be keeping breakouts at bay. Although there are 2 other products in the range (The Emergency Spot Treatment Gel and the Clearlight -Light Device) I would say just buy the three mentioned above if you're unsure, they work perfectly together and at £5.99 a piece you definitely aren't breaking the bank.

My one criticism would be I've been using the Calm Balm much more than the exfoliant, and so it irks me a little that the Calm Balm is in a smaller bottle. Admittedly though, I do probably use less of the balm each time so it evens out quite nicely. 

If you're looking for a spot treatment I can't recommend OXY enough, I'd even say buy it and use it as a daily routine, I've never had skin so soft and shiny. Plus, it's "natural skin science", which is never a bad thing.

Sammy xo

P.S. Although I received these products free as samples from OXY they were not in return for a review, the opinions above are mine and mine alone and were in no way influence by OXY, swear down.

Lush Volcano Foot Mask

Lush is one of those shops I seem to go in not looking for anything in particular and yet I still come out with at least £10's worth of products the staff convinced me that I couldn't live without. To clarify, their Volcano Foot Mask was one of these products. I love face masks, and so the idea of a foot mask intrigued me and the staff member helping me pick which foot product was best for me couldn't give it high enough praise (really, it was like she was being paid for it or something...). In the end, my curiosity won out and I ended up walking out of the shop with a pot that I had convinced myself that I simply needed in my life. In my defence it was only £5.75 (for 125ml) and I have paid more for worse products in lush in the past.

 

Amongst an array of natural ingredients the foot mask boasts pumice, papaya, china clay, tomatoes and potatoes. It's gritty to the touch (presumably the pumice) and when applying I found there to be tiny pieces of red peel (presumably the tomato). It's quite thick in texture, easily thick enough to cover the tattoo on my foot to the point that you can't see it with just one layer. The packaging says to cover your entire foot and then wrap it in plastic, the girl in the shop told me sandwich bags are enough to keep it from drying out so that's what I used. Granted, I looked stupid for the ten minutes I left it on, but it gave me a hell of a lot of amusing snapchats to send to people.

The sensation of the foot mask is something I can only compare to eating a mint and then breathing in winter air, that tingly, cold type of feeling. I used a pumice stone on my feet first and the gritty texture of the mask really got rid of all of the dead skin, so when I washed it off my feet were smooth, and stayed tingly for a good half hour afterwards.

Overall, this probably is something I could have lived without, but it's really nice to use and I love the feeling of it, both during and after use. It's a nice luxury to have there after a hard day at work, especially if (like mine) your work involves you being on your feet and running up and down stairs all day, and knowing all Lush products are animal testing free is nice for your conscience. I'd definitely say buy this, even if it's just to amuse your friends with photos of you with grey feet tucked neatly into sandwich bags. 

Sammy xo.

Lipcote

First of all I feel like I should say, I tend to favour lip stain over lipstick mostly because I am horrendously lazy and I really hate the idea of constantly reapplying to maintain a decent coverage. This is primarily the reason I'm so obsessed with lipstick sealer, and so when I came across lipcote for £1.19 I couldn't resist (It's normally £3.99)

 

I've also managed to pick up a couple (more like 5. Or 7.) of lipsticks lately, and so I couldn't have bought lipcote at a better time. First things first, the tube. It's fairly nice, if a little cheap looking with a plastic gold cap and the name blazoned across the front. I don't hate the packaging, but the product inside is a weird cloudy colour instead of being crystal clear, and I think I'd like the whole idea of lipcote better if I couldn't actually see that (it's just a bit... dirty looking). You get 7ml for £3.99, and in fairness I don't think that's a bad price seeing as you can seal both lips using just the amount on one "dip". I have to say this though; it smells and tastes like nail varnish remover. I know that looking back through my posts I come across as a little anal about smells and tastes but if it's something I'm putting on my face, or more specifically my lips, I want it to taste like something I could eat. The nail varnish remover taste is disgusting but it does wear off pretty much as soon as the product has dried, so small mercies. Whilst drying, the product suggests you don't press your lips together, so you can look a bit weird and your lips feel sticky but it dries after about 10 seconds, so it's worth dealing with; especially if it will stop me having to reapply lipstick in some skanky club toilets in Liverpool city centre at three in the morning.

 Does it work? Well this entirely depends on whether or not you plan to eat whilst you're wearing it. It works in the sense that if I rub my lips it takes much more to remove my lipstick (although it's still pretty easily removable) and it doesn't really leave a lipstick mark on the side of my glass, but if you eat? Everything goes rapidly downhill. I found after eating my lipstick kind of... clumps, and flakes off in tiny pieces. It looks even worse wearing off than if I hadn't worn anything over the top of my lipstick in the first place. I think this is a really helpful make-up tool to have, especially if you plan on going out only to drink (it also stops lipsticks coming uncapped in your bag and smooshing itself all over your phone and purse), but if you're eating, best just to back away and stick with a lip stain. If you do use it and go eating, expect to be reapplying lipcote just as much as you usually reapply lipstick. 

 Sammy xo

STEAMCREAM

I hadn't heard much about STEAMCREAM until I stumbled upon it completely by chance, but when I started researching it seemed that literally no one had anything bad to say about it and it was seemingly barging lesser products out of it's way to claim it's rightful place as a cult body, face and hand product. I'll be the first to admit, the idea of cult products makes me suspicious; I just find it really strange that so many people can all agree so wholeheartedly on one product (just for it to fall out of favour to a completely different, but remarkably similar, one a few months later). Still, I dubiously sent them an email asking a few questions and to see if I would be able to get a sample, and they happily sent me a tin. 

First of all, we need to talk packaging. I hate to be so obviously fickle, but packaging  can make or break a product for me. This is one thing absolutely nobody can fault STEAMCREAM on. They sent me "Freedom And Discipline" (an ode to the cream's British beginnings) which you can see below, but there are literally tons to choose from, depicting everything from star signs to clowns. However, here comes the first hi-we're-not-your-usual-company sign. The product in the tins is exactly the same, and it's the only product that they sell. That's right, one product in (at the time of writing) 61 different tins. At first, this struck me as strange, but the more I think about it the more it actually seems really clever, it's reminiscent of obsessive pokemon card collecting in primary school, and it makes me want to snap up each type and put them on display.

The second thing I feel like I should talk about is the company ethics. I know this makes me sound somewhat uncaring, but I don't tend to go out of my way to buy vegan products (I know a fair amount of people are becoming this way inclined) however, it does make me really happy to see I have stumbled across a product that is approved by the vegan society. Reading into the company ethics though, it gets more important, they're valiantly against animal testing, so much so that they won't buy off companies that partake in animal testing, even if the ingredients they would be buying off them aren't actually tested on animals. Fairly impressive, I think you'll agree.

Now, onto the cream. The company calls the making of the cream a "recipe" as opposed to a "formula" and I quite like that, it suggests if you were that way inclined you might be able to recreate it at home (ok, maybe not...) The cream boasts an impressive array of natural materials such as orange flower water, oatmeal and vegetable glycerine, as well as almond oil and cocoa butter (all fresh and traceable ingredients). The cream itself is almost watery in how thin it is, which confused me a little at first, but when you start using it, it quickly becomes clear that this helps it soak in quickly and it leaves next to no grease lingering on the skin (yay, no fingerprints left on my phone screen!) It's nourishing, relaxing and (seeing as you have to use almost none of it at a time because of it's consistency) I'd imagine, really long lasting. Plus the tins are recyclable (or you can fill them with earrings and bobby pins after use like I plan on doing). The one bad thing I feel like I should mention about the product is the smell, which kind of smells like sudocrem with a hint of lavender, however after a few days solid use I've even come to like that (I had a rough day yesterday, and you can't imagine how soothing the smell of lavender can be!)

All in all, I really didn't expect to like STEAMCREAM, but I think I'll definitely be paying the £12.95 to replace my tin (with a different design though, right now I'm loving jam jar) when it eventually runs out. For those of you new to the product, or just needing to replace your own the website currently has a few different sets- The Ibiza Collection, The Escapes Collection, The Tropical Collection and The British Collection- where you can actually nab two pots for £18, which is a bargain if I ever heard one. This is a cream I imagine I'll be an avid user of for the foreseeable future, I genuinely haven't been able to get enough.

Sammy xo

p.s. If you don't already follow us, you now can do on bloglovin'

p.p.s. This product was received in view of me trying it and giving it a review, this in no way affects my opinion of the product and all opinions expressed in this piece are mine and are not influenced in any way by the STEAMCREAM company. Just in case you were wondering.

Nextgen Nails

 Anyone who follows our instagram (if you don't , shameless plug, follow us here) will know that about a fortnight ago I got Nextgen nails done. I'm normally an acrylics type of girl, because I love the cheap shop where you can get them done in Liverpool and also because ... Ok, I'll just admit it, I love having prinny nails. Girly nails just make you feel better, take it from me.

This time, though, a friend convinced me I should go nextgen instead , a kind of gel (not unlike Shellac) that covers your nail, whilst infusing it with nutrients that help it grow. I'll admit, I was dubious but I agreed and settled for white tips and a baby pink polish (essentially forming a high end acrylic but, you know... without the acrylic). Now I've had my nails done many a time so I don't normally pay attention , but this was very different and kind of fascinating. First, she added a plastic white tip, clipped it to size, buffed and filed my nails; so far, so normal. Now came the strange bit, out came a tiny pot of baby pink powder, my nail was covered in a mystery liquid dipped in the powder and the excess was shaken off. More mystery liquid, more powder, then one more time, then more buffing, and a topcoat. Not what I was expecting , but ... Well I was impressed, to begin with. (The picture above is taken on my iphone right after I got them done, to show how gel like they actually looked.)

 The result was glossy and did actually look like a thick gel, but was tough to the touch. It was even, of the colour I'd picked the tips were quite obvious in a way that they never are with acrylics, but that was mainly due to the colour I'd picked. The novelty ran off pretty quickly though, along with the sheen off the top , which seemed to flake off in patches after a few days. Although the edges Didn't chip like my acrylics have done in the past, they just looked a bit ... Tatty from about a week in , and I didn't lose them long after (I can get closer to a month out of acrylics, even when I'm in work.)

 All in all , although they were a poorer quality than acrylics , when they came off my nails actually were longer, and they weren't brittle and broken like they usually are post acrylics. Next time I might hang up my princess nails addiction and try getting nextgen powdered straight onto my nails (but I really doubt I'll be getting rid of my acrylics forever!!)

 Nextgen and tips isn't something I'd reccomend over acrylic nails, but in terms of vs shellac I'd say go for the nextgen, when it comes off your nails will be better than ever (results may vary...)   

Sammy xo

pssst, did you know that now you can follow us using bloglovin'?

Monthly Favorites (June)

Hola guyssss! Just a quick note before this post to apologize for it's lateness! Muchos technical difficulties have presented themselves over the past few days - damn electronics. So yeah, sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy this now it's finally here. B xxo

QUICK FIX BRIGHTENING PEEL FACE MASK

So the first thing I want to say about this product is that it was an absolute bargain. I'm pretty sure it was about £1.49 and it was definitely a £1.49 well spent. It says that you get 10 applications in the tube, which I think is pretty good. I've used it 4 times so far and it still feels like there's a lot left in it. I absolutely love doing face masks, and I'm always looking for new ones. I bought this primarily because of the claim that it would brighten my skin (and the price, of course). The packaging claims that this product helps with uneven skin tone, which is a big issue for me. Anything that can help, will automatically have my approval. I must say I was skeptical because it was such a bargain, but after just 4 applications I have noticed a difference to my skin. I'm so impressed with the speed at which this product has taken affect. It smells amazing (papaya, mmm) and I love that it peels off after just 15 minutes. Big thumbs up from me!

SANCTUARY SPA ESSENTIALS BODY SCRUB

I should stop and tell you now that I am probably one of the biggest ever fans of Sanctuary products. I just absolutely love them. I must say that I don't actually buy them very often, but that's just because they last forever, and I often get gifted them at Christmas or birthdays. The thing I wouldn't be without at the moment, is the body scrub. I have this in full sized and miniature and it is just amazing. It leaves your skin feeling fresh and exfoliated but it isn't so harsh that you can't use it daily. It also smells beautiful. I just love love love everything about it!

LANCOME TEINT IDOLE ULTRA 24 HOUR WEAR FOUNDATION

I don't want to say too much about this foundation here because I do have a full review of it coming up, but I recently purchased it (my first high end foundation in a long time) and I could not love this more. It's just amazing. The claim that it lasts 24 hours is pretty accurate, yet it doesn't feel heavy on the skin which is just amazing. It leaves me with such a flawless finish. It just slides on with such a beautiful effect and the lady at the Lancome counter colour matched me so this does look pretty perfect on. I'm so happy with it!

LIPTON PEACH ICED TEA

Last but by no means least is my most random favourite of the month. I adore this drink. It's one of those things that I go through faces of drinking nothing but, and then kind of forgetting about for a while. This month I have discovered it again and it is just the perfect refreshing summer beverage. Yummy.

Follow us on Bloglovin'!

Yep, that's right; we're really pleased to let you know you can now follow us using bloglovin'.

(sorry we're a bit late to the party.)

- S & B xo.

Homemade Sugar Scrub

In the spirit of blogging , I've found myself following the crowd and spent one afternoon early in the week making ... This .

Looks so gross, right? I know. But hear me out on this one. This is my very own homemade sugar scrub, and I was shocked by how easy it was to make . I'm not normally very thrifty, so homemade sugar scrub is probably something I would have just scrolled past if I was at home, but instead I'm in the middle of rural Spain, and exfoliator (or a decent exfoliator in any case) is nigh on impossible to find. So, in the spirit of getting a non streaky fake tan, I set about finding a recipe that used components I'd be able to find in a village that doesn't even sell make-up. After reading through a couple of online recipes, I found out the basic components were just olive oil and brown sugar. Ok, that I could do. So, I set about making it, with the help of some diluted lemon juice (to help counteract the smell of the brown sugar which is, well... Rank.)

I won't lie it wasn't successful , I mean sure it worked , but the smell made me want to retch, and I'd added way too much oil, I found myself having to drain it every time I went to use it.

Ok, time for round two. This time I used about equal parts of white and brown sugar (probably more white , I ran out of brown not so far in, but it was pretty close to half and half), the addition of the white sugar took the edge off the horrible smell. To this I added enough lemon juice  to cover the sugar and about 5 capfuls of olive oil. When this soaked in, about a quarter of the sugar had dissolved away so I mixed in more sugar and added a tiny bit of water and a few more capfuls of oil (if you feel like you've added too much water it's pretty easy to drain off) and I ended up with the picture above.

Ok it looked gross but so does a streaky tan, so I gave it a fair go. I have to say , it works. I'm keen on quite a rough exfoliator and this is one, more so than a shop bought one. It really works, so much so I'm considering swapping it out for my regular soap and glory flake away when I get home.

If I made it at home in England, I'd probably use all white sugar, add some food colouring and maybe a mint or vanilla essence to achieve a nice smell, but even my gross looking, dubious smelling one does the job so well, it's worth putting up with .

Have you ever made any DIY cosmetics or skincare? If not , why not give it a try?

Sammy xo