Montibel.lo Gold Oil Essence - The Amber & Argan Oil

Ok, here are the facts. I don't think my hair has felt this good, ever. I have ombre hair (DIY I should add) and am in desperate need of a haircut. The ends are getting quite dry, and it's all just a little dire. However, after using this, I'm actually considering putting the haircut off as it has completely sorted my ombre ends. Granted I've been applying this to my hair every day since I received it in my August Birchbox, and I can't see going a day without applying it in the future. Completely hydrates my ends and makes them feel so, so soft.

I had read up about the wonders of Argan Oil before but this is the first time I've actually tried it. I'm not sure what the benefits of Amber oil is however I'm sold. I've been putting the smallest amount on my hands, rubbing my palms together then rubbing it through my hair so that the oil covers the hairs, but not so much that it makes them oily.

At a RRP of £22.50 for a fullsize bottle it's not the most purse friendly option out there - however with this product a little really, really goes a long way.

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Song of the Day #2: Conor Maynard 'R U Crazy'

Conor Maynard always produces really catchy songs. The first cut from his sophomore album is delivered in the form of 'R U Crazy', a track written and produced by Labrinth.

Big fan of Conor, really lovely down to earth guy and this track is fantastic. Especially love the first 31 seconds of the video where he does the chorus of the song in a jazz/swing style. Love it. Track is out on 6th October.

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Faves #2: Rimmel Glam Eyes Professional Liquid Liner

Up until very recently, a liquid eyeliner was an absolute staple in my day-to-day look. I'm not sure how I really got into that habit, but I definitely felt under-dressed if I didn't have my standard winged eyes. Over the summer however, I've gone to being slightly more natural, relying on mascara and eye shadow rather than using liquid eyeliner daily and just keeping that for evening wear or when I'm going out.

However, my favourite liquid eyeliner is Rimmel's Glam Eyes in 'Black Glamour'. When I say it's my favourite... I think that's a slight understatement. I recently bought a new dressing table so when I was decanting my make up into the drawers, I realised I had not one, not two, but ELEVEN of these in my drawer. Needless to say I swiftly got rid of the ones that had dried out, but I still have 8 of these bad boys in my dresser.

I recon the reason I have so many is probably down to the fact I knew I used them everyday, so when Rimmel/Superdrug/Boots would have the '3-for-2' offer, this would be my go to item (RRP £5.29).

This eyeliner does the job perfectly, not too much liquid on the brush, goes on smoothly and a bottle really goes a long way.

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Poundland Haul - August 2013

Ridiculously amazing Poundland haul! I had been on lots of beauty bloggers pages recently, seeing that Poundland in the UK is currently stocking O.P.I Shatter Nail Lacquers amongst other gems. Wanting to get in on a piece of this action, I headed down to my local store to see what I could find - and came back with all of this!

First up, the O.P.I Nail Lacquers. Having wanted to try O.P.I for ages but not being able to justify the cost, getting these were an amazing find. I used the silver over the Rimmel shocked colour below and it looks beautiful.

O.P.I Shatter Nail Lacquer - Silver - RRP £11

O.P.I Shatter Nail Lacquer - Gold - RRP £11

O.P.I Shatter Nail Lacquer - Super Bass - RRP £11

O.P.I Shatter Nail Lacquer - Shatter The Scales - RRP £11

Couldn't find the RRP of the SinfulColors on a UK store, however found it on an American website for $5.51. Therefore I'm estimating that the UK RRP would be around the £3.50 mark. 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Ivory Coat - RRP £6.99

SinfulColors Professional - Gorgeous - ~RRP £3.50

Rimmel London Lycra Pro Proffessional Finish - Camoflague Chic - RRP £4.49

Rimmel London 60 Seconds - Shocker - RRP £3.69

I hadn't come across these Calvin Klein sheer creme eyeshadows before, however after all the hype and praise of Maybellines Colour tattoos I decided to get a couple of these.

Calvin Klein Temping Glimmer Sheer Creme Eyeshadow - Sheer Nectar - RRP £15.50

Calvin Klein Temping Glimmer Sheer Creme Eyeshadow - Vintage Metal - RRP £15.50

Calvin Klein Temping Glimmer Sheer Creme Eyeshadow - Retro Silver - RRP £15.50

Couldn't find these on a normal high street store site however Fragrance Direct lists their RRP as £15.50 each (!!). They sell them from there for £1.99 a pop, so still a saving of £1 per item.

These were one of my favourite finds. I found both Fancy Topaz and Posh Peacock on Boots' website so these two are currently available. I believe Nigh Jewel is a shade from last Autumns collection (?) so in my eyes, great for the coming months! I wouldn't normally buy monos (I'm more of a palette girl) however couldn't resist these. 

Rimmel London Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow - 171 Fancy Topaz - RRP £4.49

Rimmel London Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow - 500 Posh Peacock - RRP £4.49

Rimmel London Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow - 300 Night Jewel - RRP £4.49

Astonishingly, the total cost was £15 ($23.32 US, €17.46 EUR). RRP brings it to a total of £122.64, so I saved a massive £107.64! If you live in the UK, definitely head down to your local Poundland and have a look through their beauty section!

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Song Of The Day #1: Don Broco 'You Wanna Know'

For my first 'Song of the Day' we take a look at the brand new video for Don Broco's single 'You Wanna Know'. Loved these lads from Bedford for years and this song really takes them up a notch. Can't wait to see what the future holds for them.

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Latest In Beauty, Editor's Picks - August 2013

Latest In Beauty ~ Editor's Picks Review ~ August 2013 ~ £12.95 (including postage)

I believe I was pretty quick off the mark with this box - when I was looking around at which beauty box to subscribe to, I came across LatestInBeauty. Initially intrigued at how they differed to other beauty boxes such as Glossy, Birch and Beauteco, I was routing around their website and came across their 'LIB Collections'. I clicked on their amazing box which was a joint venture with Glamour, however was far, far too late to secure this box. I'm not sure why I hadn't discovered it sooner especially as I'm an avid Glamour reader. However, after the disappointment of missing out, I came across this Editor's Picks box. Wondering how it was still available, I ordered it immediately on Thursday and as the weekend hit I received an email in my inbox announcing the box to LIB's subscribers. I checked again this past Sunday (18/08) evening and it was already Out Of Stock. Good things don't stick around for long! However, it doesn't say sold out, so I believe more stock will become available.

It arrived first thing this morning, having been shipped by Royal Mail to my office address. Opening the box, I came across the wonderful products and pink shredded tissue paper for padding. The box lacks a crib sheet explaining what product is/full size price/how to use them which you get in many other beauty boxes, however this is no issue as their website explains most things. 

First impressions; I was excited and keen to try some products I hadn't come across before. I currently use Benefit's AMAZING 'they're real!' mascara since getting it free with an edition of (who else) Glamour a few months ago, however hadn't been able to justify to myself buying a full size bottle. Numerous times I had gone to the beauty counter in John Lewis and ALMOST parted with the cash but I kept reminding myself of all the lonely mascara's that I have at home from Boots/Superdrug that I really should use instead. When I saw that this box included a 3g bottle (perfect travel size) I knew I had to get it. That product alone justified this box for me, and anything else was a bonus.

Another product I'm excited to receive is the 'Nspa Melting Cleansing Gel' - advertised as being a 30ml sample, I was pleasantly surprised to find a 125ml bottle in the box. After some googling it looks like this product can be picked up for £4 in Asda which is fantastic, so I'm looking forward to trying this to see if I fall in love with it.

Mavala Rouge Rubis Nail Varnish I tried as soon as I opened the box at home. I have an important meeting tomorrow so thought this colour would work well with my 'smart' business attire. I painted a base on my nails (Rimmel 5-in-1 Nail treat) then two coats of the rouge. After about 5 minutes I thought I would be safe to get in with my tasks, however my nails STILL weren't dry. Completely smudged one of the nails, and because of the glitter in them the texture is very rough. Not the biggest fan of this nail varnish and won't be repurchasing, however will use the rest of the bottle when i have more time to enjoy a manicure!

Although I haven't tried it yet,  was quite dissapointed with the Mirenesse Lip Lift Moisture Shine - looking at the bottle it looks really luxe, however the bottle is actually really low quality plastic. It's a shame, as as shallow as it is it's made me less excited to try this product.

Opinions of the other samples within this box I'll write on here if particularly thrilled/disheartened, but this box is fantastic value for money and I would definitely recommend it if you're lucky enough to get your hands on it!

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Faves #1: Rimmel London's Apocalips Lip Lacquer

I think it's safe to say that I am a Rimmel Apocalips obsessive. There's an absolute ton of reviews of this product online so this won't be a review, just my opinion on the product. I received my first couple from my best friend who luckily works for a (well known) high-street drugstore for my birthday. I immediately fell in love.

These lip laquers have been praised the blogosphere over because of their pigmentation and how long they last, however many are dissapointed in the colour range that Rimmel brought out. I however, am really taken by all of the colours in this range. Probably to quite some dismay as it's not the 'proper' way to do it, but if I fancy wearing a certain colour but it's maybe too bright, I'll either put on a different lipstick first then say, put the nude on top, or I'll use two different shades at ones or simply, for example in the case of 'Big Bang', wear it for a bit then take some off with a tissue to make it a subtle hint.

However, overall I LOVE this range and can't wait to see what else Rimmel have up their sleeves.

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