A product I never thought I'd love...

If I were to say 'Sudocrem' to you, what is the first thing that pops into your head? I'm no mind reader, but I doubt it's 'must-have beauty product'. I've always associated Sudocrem with babies, and in my house it's known as 'bum cream' (lovely!). Never did I think that I would be loving it years later.

Sudocrem is an antiseptic healing cream, normally used for nappy rash (hence the 'bum cream'), eczema and bed sores. A few weeks ago, I developed a slight rash around my mouth due to being run down and the cold weather. My mum suggested using Sudocrem which has cleared it up. After using it, I read the smaller writing on the tub and noticed it can also be used for 'acne'. Now, I wouldn't say I have acne,but, like most of you, I have (very) occasional breakouts. I decided to apply a thin layer of Sudocrem to my whole face rather than just my mouth, and the next morning I was amazed. After just one night, the red blemishes that were beginning to appear had completely disappeared!

Since then, I have been doing this every night, and I cannot believe that such a simple product is making such a transformation. The spots that I had on my face before, have not yet gone, but no new ones have appeared.

I'm not sure this product may not work for everybody, but I strongly suggest giving it a try. I was worried that it would add too much moisture to my already oily skin, but it doesn't, so if you have oily skin too, don't be afraid to give it a go.

I'm sure if you raid your bathroom cabinets you will find a tub somewhere, but if not you can get it from any supermarket or places like Boots and Superdrug. Prices range dependsing on tub size, but they are cheap and last for so long!

Have you found other uses for any products?

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Barry M Metallic Liquid Eyeliner Review

A while back, I was reading a magazine (cannot remember which one) and they mentioned that green eyeliner was perfect for blue eyes. The image they had used a MAC liquid eyeliner, and as it was a little out of my budget range, I decided to find a cheaper alternative.

I decided to buy Barry M as I think their nail polishes are the best ever. I decided to choose shade Green instead of the Mermaid Green liquid eyeliner as I thought it would be a lot nicer.

I must admit, I didn't really like the application. I had to do a few strokes to get even the slightest colour and I still couldn't really see it. I'm assuming it's because I always wear black eyeliner so changing to green was a bit of a shock.

It does last all day, but the colour just wasn't for me. It's too light, I think I need a darker green. For £4.79, it's a good deal. I'm tempted to purchase the Mermaid Green, let me know if you've tried it!

What green eyeliner would you recommend for blue eyes?

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Lush Review: Tisty Totsy

As you all know, I am currently participating in Frugal February. Whilst out last Saturday, my lovely, lovely boyfriend decided to purchase a little present for me in order to end my cravings for needing to buy something. He chose Tisty Tosty himself, and I must say, he made an amazing choice, as it has actually become one of my most favourite Lush products to date. I also admit I had never even heard of or seen this product before he purchased it.

It is simply a heart shaped bath ballistic that is rose scented. It looks very plain, and in fact it is. The bath water didn't change at all, but I was lovlingly surrounded by rose bud flowers. I do wish there were more of them though!

The rose scent was perfect. It surrounded the whole bathroom, and 3 hours later, I can still smell it on my skin. With most bath products, you get used to the smell and therefore don't notice it after a while, but with this it wasn't the case. It was a perfect, relaxing, and romantic scent. I think it's ideal for those of you who aren't a big fan of the bright, bubbly overpowering bath ballistics available and prefer a simple, relaxing, scented bath instead.

Titsy Totsy is actually part of their Valentine's selection, but there are still so many left. It costs either £3.10 or £3.15 (can't remember and can't find it online). It is perfect for Valentine's Day but that's gone now, so just buy it to treat yourself, or you and your partner. :)

The boyfriend did good! :)

I've also heard that Sex Bomb is very similiar to this. I haven't tried it myself so don't take my word for it, but I think that's next on my list to purchase. :)

Update: It is actually not a Valentine's special and is available here - I'm so happy!

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Batiste Cherry - It's Here!

Most of you may have read the exciting tweets from Batiste not too long ago, letting us know of their exciting new Batiste Cherry* dry shampoo that is their newest addition.

I must admit, as a huge fan of Batiste, I have never been more excited for one. I love fruity scents and cherry just sounded perfect.

The packaging is actually beautiful and looks so pretty on my shelf. I know some people don't really care about packaging and are more focused on the product, but for me, packaging needs to be good.

The scent itself is actually nowhere near as strong as I thought it would be. I was expecting a head full of cherries but it's actually not. It's sort of a perfect amount - not too strong that people think you've hidden a bag full of cherries in your barnet, but strong enough so you can actually smell it.

Batiste is available in Boots and many other stores, and cost just £2.99.

What's your favourite Batiste? Will you be trying Cherry?

* - product was sent to me for review

Meet February's Sponsors!

Hi everyone. As you all know, those lovely badges to the right are all people who have lovingly sponsored my blog for the month, and as a thank you, this post is to let you know a little about them. It's quite a wide range of sponsors this month, so I think you'll all find something you like.

Buy Swagger is an online boutique selling kawaii and cute Asian-style clothes. We have a small range of cute and practical casual wear from basic skirts to sequin skull tops; we even sell a variety of wire headbands in a range of patterns, colours and lengths! For more information follow us at www.twitter.com/buyswagger or www.buyswagger.blogspot.com. FREE UK DELIVERY on all UK orders and FREE INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY on all international orders over £50, shop online now at www.buyswagger.com

We’re an independent boutique selling a varied collection of unique, fun, cute, quirky and on trend pieces of fashion jewellery. All our pieces are sourced and handpicked personally by myself, my aim is to offer a range of accessories to help you stand out in a crowd.
We see ourselves as an alternative to the high street as we don’t stock massive amounts of each item so you’re much more likely to find something you haven’t come across before. Click here to visit out website.

 We know life can get really busy at times, and that you may not be able to make it down to the shops for your spot of retail therapy. But if you have an iphone or ipad 2, you’ve got to just simply check out the Smart Dresser Virtual fitting Room application. Smart Dresser makes it easy to see how you will look in a range of dresses and outfits. We’re sure you’ll find your next must have dress in the regularly updated library of outfits, Easy and fun, it’s a must have for any fashionista and quite possibly the future of fashion retailing. (Click throught to the app store to download it!) Link here.

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I'm now looking for sponsors for March. If you are interested, e-mail me at jesswd18@hotmail.com or tweet me at @ditzyglamour. I'll answer any questions you have. :)

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Project Perfect

A few days ago I read Amy's post on 'Project Perfect' where she wanted to inspire as many people as she could do stop focusing on the negative things about their looks, and focus on the positive. At first, I thought 'She is so pretty, and must have so much confidence to do such a post' but today I decided I should do it too.

I, like many of you, could list a million things I don't like about myself, and I always struggle to think of good things. I can't seem to take compliments, and always brush them off with a comment like 'No, I don't think so' when really I should say thank you and be proud.

It's too common for girls, women and even men nowaways to be pressured by the media into looking a certain way. In reality, we all have 'problem areas' and we're all different, but that's what makes us all beautiful, and that's what we need to celebrate. I also believe that bloggers, especially the 'bigger' bloggers tend to be idolised, and I think it would be perfect to show people who follow them, that they aren't 'perfect' and that they don't like things about themselves too.

The idea of Amy's Project Perfect is to:

1. Post a photo that you like of yourself and say in a couple of sentences why you like it.

2. State some things that you DON'T like yourself but say why others may love to be like that.

3. State 3 things that you DO like about yourself.

Here I go..

I like this photo because of my hair mostly. I have been growing it ever since it got cut really short just before my 18th birthday and it's finally reaching a length that I like. I also love the colour of it, and it's also the photo itself that makes me happy as it brings back happy memories. :)

 

Three things I don't like about myself that I've turned into positives:

 

- I don't like my skin. I don't get bad spots like I used to, but I still get them. Plus, I have lots of scars from when I used to pick spots (don't do it girls!). I don't really know how to turn it into a positive, but I know there are people with more skin problems than me, and I should really count myself lucky.

 

- I'm 5ft 8 and I really don't like it. I feel like I stand out too much, and I never wear heels as I just feel like a giraffe. However, again, I know that height is something that many girls wish they had, and it's something I can't change so I best get used to it.

 

- As much as I like my hair when I've styled it., it's actually naturally curly. And, I mean very curly! I haven't worn it naturally since I was about 14, but people would love curly hair. I think it's a case of everyone wanting what they can't have - although thanks to ghd's I can get the straight hair I want!

 

3 things I do like about myself:

 

- I love my eyes. They are a really bright blue, and my eyelashes are naturally very long and dark.

 

- I like my figure, as I can eat whatever I like and not put on any weight. I am size 10 (sometimes a 12 because of my bum, haha) and I love it. Luckily, weight has never been an issue for me.

 

- This is a bit of a weird one, and I'll admit I asked Aiden for help as I couldn't think of a third, but it's my scar. You can't really see it in the photo, but I have a scar towards the right of my nose, almost near my cheekbone. I had a cyst there as a child, and after it was removed I was left with a scar. Funnily enough, it has never bothered me, and I don't think anyone ever notices it. I even forget I have it sometimes, but I love it as it sort of defines who I am. Scars always tell a story, right?

 

So there we have it. Please, please, please get involved in this. It's promoting such a good idea, and I'd love to read yours, so leave links below! Also, let Amy know and she will put your link on her Project Perfect page!

 

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Collection 2000 Pump Up The Volume Mascara Review

I will try any mascara in the world. It is my most favourite beauty product, and also the one make up item I would take with me to a desert island. Everytime I see a mascara that sounds like my cup of tea, I tend to buy it. When it's on a deal, it's almost impossible for me to walk away (although I'll have to this month!) I bought Collection 2000's Pump Up The Volume Loud Lash Mascara for just £3.99. It is normally £4.99 which is still very cheap for a mascara.

As it was quite cheap, I honestly didn't have high expectations. The wand itself was a disappointment. As you can see, it is angled, which is my favourite, but it is also very big. Therefore, I found it really difficult to apply, especially towards the inner eye. There is no way you can do your bottom lashes with it either.

Having said that, it did add great volume and thickness to my lashes, which surprised me. It added more volume than a lot of other more expensive brushes I've tried in the past. If the brush was smaller, this would almost be perfect.

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Models Own Powder Duo Bronzer Review

I picked this up in Boots last week as I was on the lookout for a bronzer and this was reduced. I've always been a huge fan of Models Own polishes, but never really got on with their make up. I took the risk and purchased 'Natural Bronze' which is the lighter of the two shades available. The other is called Sun Goddess.

I love simple packaging, and so this is a beauty to me. My only worry is that the writing will wear off. That seems to happen with all of my products and I never get why!

The bronzer consists of two shades. One is slightly darker and can be used for conturing and the lighter shade for highlighting. I simply used a face brush across both colours and applied to my cheeks.

I also applied the darker shade to places where the 'sun hits'. I hate saying that as it sounds weird and a lot of people don't get it and say "but the sun hits all of your face?". You basically apply to the top of your forehead, nose and chin. It will leave you with a gorgeous healthy glow.

I love this bronzer. It is perfect for a natural day time look and you can build it up if you want to. It costs just £8, but I think it might be still on sale for £5.

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HelloCotton

This is just a quick post really, as I realised I haven't mentioned it before. You may have noticed a small button appear in my sidebar mentioning HelloCotton. That is because you can now use HelloCotton to follow my blog. A few weeks ago, I had never even heard of it, but I decided to join anyway. I wasn't expecting much, I just thought that it would be a bit like Bloglovin - just another way people can read my blog.

I was completely overwhelmed. As soon as I joined, I got a lovely message on there, plus a big welcome on their Twitter page. They constantly tweet about bloggers, and my name has been mentioned already on more than one occasion. They also encourage people to visit their site to read your posts. They also regularly update their 'top blogs' in each category and again I've been there more than once too. I must admit, I freaked out when my pageviews increased by a huge amount, but it's all thank to them.

The best thing for me though is finding other blogs. HelloCotton is has such a simple yet lovely layout, and I've found blogs that I never even knew existed. Apart from beauty blogs, I've found lots of cooking and craft blogs that have given me so much inspiration.

I know it sounds like I'm a suck up, and I'm not writing it because HelloCotton told me too - they don't even know I'm writing it! I'm only writing about it in the same way I would write about a product - if I love it, I will share my opinion on it.

It's also ideal for any blogs that aren't on Blogger, as GFC will be going soon, so this is an ideal way for your followers to still be able to read your blog.

It's so easy to sign up, and I'll be sure to follow you on there if you do. :)


                                                                                                       Find ditzyglamour on Hellocotton
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ELF Haul

I rarely buy make up online, but I make an exception for ELF. I think they are an amazing brand that offer cheap products. I just wish they were available in stores too as I find it so difficult to work out what products I want. I purchased a lipstick that was nowhere near the shade it was online (see post here) so from now on I only buy products where colour isn't necessarily important. Over the weekend, they had free delivery plus a mystery bag with every order over £10. I took this as my opportunity to make an order.

Corrective Concealer £3.50 - Link

I've seen many reviews on products like this, but I never quite got it. I mean, who wants to put blue, green yellow and pink on their face? After reading the description, I decided to take a risk and buy it. After playing around with it, I see why it's so popular. Each colour neutralizes a skin problem, (yellow: dark circles and bruises, blue: orange tan lines, green: pink skin such as spots and scars, pink: brighter eyes). The amazing thing is, it works! I used the green on my cheeks as they get really red, and it reduced it so much. After applying foundation, I couldn't notice it at all. My eyes also look much more bright and radiant, which is normally a struggle. This is a perfect base for anyone. My only little problem is I don't like the brush is comes with, but it's easy to use another.

Translucent Matifying Powder £3.50 - Link

I chose this because it works with every skin tone to set your make up. I carry this in my bag to use for touch ups during the day, and I love how it gets rid of the shine that sometimes appears. It also leaves my skin feeling lovely and soft.

Eye Brightener £3.50 - Link

Oh, I do love a product that brightens the eyes! I tend to try anything that will make my eyes look brighter, and this is also my first ever mineral product. It took so long for me to open it at first, as the sticker was practically glued on, but I must admit I enjoyed my first use of mineral make up. It was really soft, easy to apply, and blended really well. I noticed immediately the transformation. My eyes were much brighter, and it didn't look like I had any make up on at all, which I love.

Gem Tools Travel Mirror* £2.50 - Link

I can't exactly review a mirror, but I love the packaging, and it's cheap!

Nail Polishes in Glitter Glam* and Metal Madness* £1.50 each - Link

These colours are both gorgeous! They both have a shimmer to them, but Glitter Glam is definitely my favourite.

Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in Gun Metal* £1.00 - Link

I was shocked when I realised the price of this, and even though I got this for free, I will definitely be buying more as they are so good! It provides a strong solid line, and it smudges easily so you could use it for all looks. The only downside is that it looks lighter on the website than it actually is. Plus it comes with a sharperner on the lid, which is ideal.

What are your favourite ELF products?

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* - Items were free with £10 purchase

January Favourites

I haven't done a monthly favourites post in a while, simply because I kept on using the same products. However, this month I've discovered some new products that I love, and also found some old favourites! It's mostly make up this month too, so a little different to previous. :)

The Murad Cleanser is something I received in GlossyBox a while ago, and then I put it in my Unwanted Beauty Box. Since using it, I have actually fallen in love. It has left my skin looking extremely clear, and I feel like it has made such a big difference.

The Barry M lipgloss came with the Impulse (I think it's still available in Superdrug?) I only really purchased it because I believed it was a good deal, but it is such a gorgeous colour, and it is my most favourite scented lipgloss ever.

MAC Snob* is my first ever MAC lipstick which I got for Christmas. It doesn't photograph very well, so the actual colour is different to how it looks here. However, I love it as it's very pink but still suitable for daytime (if I'm feeling a little adventurous).

MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder is the latest addition to my MAC collection. I was thinking of doing a full review on this, would that be interesting? I think it is honestly going to be my holy grail product. I asked the assistant at MAC to help me, and her recommendation was perfect.

Barbara Daly High Impact Mascara* has made it onto the list. Supermarkets have never been the 'go-to' place for make up but I think my opinion on this may change. Barbara Daly has a range for Tesco, and I got sent this after completing a survery. I love volumising mascaras and this is perfect. And it is so easy to apply, not like some mascaras which have huge brush wands etc.

What are your January Favourites? And which of these products do you want to see individual reviews of?

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*MAC Snob: Christmas present

*Barbara Daly Mascara: Completed survey and received for free

Aims For February

I cannot believe it is February already. Although, January seemed to go extremely slowly, it has also gone fast. (I'm not even making sense, am I?). As most of you may know, I decided to do monthly resolutions this year, and looking at my January Aims post, I did alright. I'm actually quite proud of what I've acheieved this month.

My aims for January were:

Tell friends and family about Ditzy Glamour.
I did this right at the beginning of January, as I was so scared, I thought that people would think it's so weird. I mentioned it on Facebook and got such an amazing response (hi if any of you are reading this!) and although not many people told me they read it, my page views increased by like 150 that day. I also created a Facebook page to make it easier for people to follow that way, please 'like' it!

No takeaways.
I was so looking forward to this, and dreading it at the same time. As I work two doors down from a McDonalds, I was getting food from there up to 2 or 3 times a week. Not only was it making me ill, I was wasting a ridiculous amount of money. And that's not even including weekends! So Aiden and I made a joint decision to not get any takeaways and it's been great. We've also ended up going out for meals a lot more, which is spending money but a lot more enjoyable.

Start going to car boot sales.
I must admit I failed on this one. I didn't go to any, but looking back, what was I thinking? It's January. It's cold. I think I was a little too optimistic on this one. On a plus note, I have got boxes and bags all packed up ready to go when I decide it's warm enough.

Take lots of photos.
I've been doing quite well on this one, I haven't taken as many as I wanted to (I kind of forgot for the first two weeks) but here's a few that I've taken this month:

Onto my aims for February:

Complete Frugal February
I really wanted to do this last year, but didn't, so this year it's a must as I really need to save. See yesterday's post for more information.

Take more photos
I know this was January's aim too, but I really need lots of photos, and I want to take a lot more. (If I don't make it an aim I won't do it!)

Relax more
Recently, I have noticed that there is always something to do. Whether it's working, doing uni work, blogging, or sorting things out, there's always something. Because of this, I never just stop. Last weekend, Aiden and I had a night in watching films and I loved it. There was no phone, no laptop, just relaxing, and I've realised I need to do that more. So my aim is to watch more films and read more books with no distractions. That includes no taking my blackberry into the bath. I. Must. Switch. Off.

What are your aims for February?

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