2011 Favourites

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Mine was amazing, I managed to see lots of people in two days as I was working Boxing Day and I got spoilt rotten! I'm going to do a post of some Christmas presents and a sales shopping haul (I didn't get much but I love what I did get). I've haven't done the posts yet as I haven't had any time to take photo's so for today I'll blog about my 2011 favourites (photos were taken a while back! #prepared). I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone, and what a year it's been!

Batiste Dry Shampoo.

I'm not sure if I first tried them this year or last, but they have certainly become a best friend of mine. As it takes me 2-3 hours to wash and blowdry my hair, I tend to avoid it until necessary (I'm smelly, I know). Batiste is amazing as it just helps me to look less like a tramp in the between wash days. I own a variety, including a mini version for my bag. Click the links to read reviews: Wild, XXL, and Floral & Flirty Blush.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid

MAC had never been a part of my life before blogging, and I am super pleased with how good this foundation is. It applies easily and lasts all day, even through a 9 hour work shift or a workout at the gym.

Topshop Lipstick in Pillow Talk

I reviewed this here, and if you read the post you'll know it is the perfect shade for me. It's currently my favourite but I've got a MAC lipstick wishlist (and I KNOW Mac Snob is under my Christmas tree right now) so you never know if it will move down in the ranks soon.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Ah, my trustworthy eyeshadow palette. It contains every colour I need, and I've had so much fun just playing around with it and trying new things. I've also heard there's a Naked Palette 2 coming soon? Exciting stuff, although I don't think I need it if I already have this.

Tresemme Smooth Memory Straightening Spray

I purchased this simply to boost up my Boots bill to £40 so I could get a discount and I'm so glad I did. This works so well on my hair and keeps it super straight for longer. I love it, and I prefer it to the John Frieda 3 Day Straight which is also great, but to me it's not as good. See my review here.

What are your 2011 Favourites?

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YSL Lipstick Review

As you may have read before, I won Siobhan's giveaway and received a whole bunch of lovely prizes (click here to read the post). The thing I was most excited about was the lipstick. I have never purchased a YSL lipstick before, as I never have that much money to spare! So I was very happy to win one.

The shade I won is called 1 Nude Beige and is such a gorgeous baby pink/nude colour. It is very creamy and highly pigmented. The thing I love the most is the fruity scent - it smells amazing! Also, how can you resist the gorgeous packaging?

So is it worth the £22 price tag? As it doesn't last all day, not really. But it is such a gorgeous colour with lovely packaging, it's quite hard to resist buying another. Want to check out the other colours available? Click here.

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Open University: My Journey #2

I've been studying at the OU for just over a month now and I thought I'd do another update as so many of you wanted to read more. I hope I've inspired a few of you to get involved, and if you have any extra questions then feel free to comment or e-mail/tweet me.

A lot has happened in the past month. I went to my first 'day school' where I got to meet my tutor and some of the other students. Everyone was very friendly although many were older (only one was the same age as me) but I felt comfortable and I learned so much just by having a few discussions.

I've also handed in and received back my first assignment. I got 79% which I'm extremely happy with as I was worried that I wouldn't even pass (a pass is 40%). I know everyone says things like that but I genuinely thought I would as I didn't know how it would be marked but now I feel a bit confident for the next assignments. I'm starting the next one this weekend.

With Christmas coming, work, and the enjoyment of driving everywhere, I've found it a little difficult to keep up. I'm not miles behind, in fact I'm where I should be, but with Christmas coming, I would prefer to have got a lot more done.

photo: weheartit.com

PS. There  are still advertising spots available on my blog for January 2011. It will only cost £2, and I will also do a blog post on whoever is being advertised. You'll be placed high up on the right sidebar too. E-mail me at jesswd18@hotmail.com if you want to know more or want to definitely advertise!

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Soap and Glory Heel Genius Review

Working as a sales assistant does no good for your feet at all. So for me, there's nothing better than coming home from work, having a long bath, followed my treating my feet. I currently use Soap and Glory Heel Genius, and me and my feet love it.

Soap and Glory has always been a favourite of mine, ever since I got their bubble bath years ago. I love the fact that most of their products have that significant 'Soap and Glory' smell and I adore their packaging. I think almost every girl has one of their products in their top 10 all time favourites.

This costs just £5.50 and is available at Boots. :) Also, just a little heads up to you all. You know Boots do a weekly deal, well starting from tomorrow is the Soap and Glory Big Splendour is reduced from £60 to just £25! I won't be getting one myself as I'm still using last year's that Aiden got for me. But, it is an amazing deal and totally worth it.

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Denman Brushes

If I think back, I cannot remember the last time I purchased a new hairbrush, so I have no clue how old mine is! I was offered to try two Denman hair brushes and at first I was a little nervous as I thought, "How is it even possible to review a hair brush?" However, when I saw the collection, I couldn't resist trying the Large Hot Curling Brush and the Large Head Hugger Brush. I purchased the large as they were recommended for my hair length. In order to give the best review, I have outlined the positives and negatives, and what is good for my hair, might be bad for yours.

Hot Curling Brush - £11.22

 The website says: "The Thermoceramic Hot Curl brushes feature flexible nylon bristles that provide optimum grip and control when straightening the hair or adding curl. The vented barrel allows warm air to circulate freely for high-speed blowdrying. The brush also features a riveted handle for extra strength and durability."

Positives:
- It left my hair looking shiny and feeling smooth.
- The soft bristles didn't hurt my head at all (most brushes do).

Negatives:
- I found it didn't really speed up the blowdrying process
- The nylon bristles just made my hair frizzy.

Overall opinion:
I enjoyed trying it out, but honestly I don't think I will ever find a brush with nylon bristles that works well with my hair. 5/10

Head Hugger Brush £8.87

The website says: "Denmans' Head Hugger brushes feature ceramic-coated barrels to retain heat, enabling damage-free styling. The hourglass shaped barrel 'hugs' the contour of the head providing extra volume and root-lift. Featuring crimped bristle that is gentle on the scalp and provides enhanced grip and control. The brushes are finished off with a Luxury, velvet-touch handle that gives added comfort and control during use."

Positives:
- When using it, it held onto my hair really well.
- The shape made it really easy to use.
- It gave my hair some extra volume, especially at the roots.

Negatives:
- Towards the end, it began to hurt my scalp a lot.

Overall opinion:
Love this brush! It did everything it said it would except the soft bit, but my head is a bit sensitive so I'm not going to complain. 9/10

The brushes are available on the Denman website (links to the actual brushes are above). Take a look at their other products too, they have a wide range to suit every need.

Have you tried Denman brushes before?

Coral Lips

When it comes to lipstick I prefer pink and the brighter the better. However, there is one lipstick that I also love, and it's Cool Coral by ELF. It's one of my bargain lipsticks that cost just £3.50.

As you can see it is quite a natural looking lipstick with a very slight shimmer (you can't really see it in the photo).

The only downside is it looks nothing like it does on the website. (see Cool Coral). So although I'm still on the lookout for a coral lipstick, I'm very happy with everything else.

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Tresemme Smooth Memory Straightening Spray

I accidently posted this the other day by accident and quickly took it off, but here it is again. :)

Tresemme Smooth Memory Straightening Spray is designed to train your hair to become straighter, smoother and less frizzy over time using smooth memory technology. It also claims to minimise heat damage. This sounded to me like the ideal product as my hair was not straight, not smooth, and certainly frizzy.

I purchased this during my lunch break at work, and it was because I had to buy something to round up the price and get a discount. It wasn't until the first time I used it that I realised how much it would help my hair.

My first thought was that it smelt amazing - like a hair salon in a bottle. I sprayed it vigourously over my hair, and then blow dried and straightened as normal. I've noticed that every time I do my hair, it takes a lot less time than it used to, and it straightens a lot more easily. I used to have to work on the same bit of hair 3 or 4 times but now it's just once, maybe twice.

In the days after I'd used it, I couldn't believe how straight my hair was! Normally, the morning after I have to go over it again, but I don't anymore. I can even tie my hair up and then take it out and not need to worry about the awful bump I used to get in my hair.

I cannot stress how great this product is. And the best is yet to come - I've been using it for over a month and a half and I've been spraying it a lot. However when I looked to see how much was left, I promise it's no less than 95% full.

This spray costs just £4.99. I'm sorry if I seem a little too over excited in this post, but when I love a product, I get too happy. And sometimes squeal. :)

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