Christmas Vibes

I'm back at my family home in good ol' Yorkshire but as I type this, the
sun is beaming into my room and thanks to the central heating, it is
feeling rather tropical in here right now! Not very Christmassy, right?!
But I do have a few little things that have helped me get in to the
Christmas spirit!

I got this seasonal edition Candy Cane Lane from Yankee Candle last week
and I've seen it on a lot of blogs already so I'm glad to have my hands
on a small jar! It has a sweet, peppermint scent just like a real candy
cane.

This adorable little cake pop came through the post from Babushka
Communications, an agency I have had the pleasure of working with for a
couple of years now! I rely on them for all the latest news on
eco-friendly, cruelty free, organic, natural, hollistic beauty products!
The team at Babushka Comms have introduced me to some amazing brands in
the last two years, a lot of which have now become staples in my
skincare routine such as the face oil by Antonia Burrell, the most amazing eye treatment from Healgel, a whole bunch of REN skincare and Balance Me face mask.

I've been eyeing up the Dorothy Bubble Bar from LUSH for for ages and I
don't know why I didn't buy it earlier! But The Wizard Of Oz is always
on TV at this time of year, and we watch it every time it's on. It was
only right that I picked up the Dorothy Bubble Bar to use during my
festive break! It would have been perfect if the bubble bar was yellow
(in reference to "they yellow brick road") but the vibrant blue is just
as great!

I bought these back in early November and I couldn't wait to wear them
as soon as it turned December! You can see what else I bought in my Primark A/W haul here.
I have to admit, the leggings do keep me warm but they're not the most
comfortable things to wear all day long. I have bought them 2 sizes up
but they're still too tight! But how can I resist them! They look
awesome!

Every now and then, an email lands my inbox asking if they can send the
pets something. TK Maxx sent this cute cat stocking and I've been
filling them up with treats for Oscar! ....I've even written him a card
aswell..... Just to say, y'know, Merry Christmas and all that, boy!

There has been loads and loads of social media campaigns this Christmas
and brands have been really generous in giving gifts away. I know that
M&S had a great campaign with #FollowTheFairies, that one has stood out for me. I don't tend to get involved (apart from The Body Shop one)
but one day, I tweeted that I had yet to start my Christmas shopping. I
just tweeted it and I didn't tag anyone but I got a reply from Tesco
asking me to send them my Christmas list! I can see from Twitter that
their #MakeChristmas
campaign has been really successful too. As excited as I was to even be
noticed, I replied and said it was very generous but I couldn't
possibly be so cheeky. Instead, I told them my family would be truly
happy with a couple of festive food (what Tesco does best!) like mince
pies and a box of chocolates. A few days later, this huge, amazing
hamper arrived! It has been in my flat for 2 weeks and I couldn't resist
helping myself to the chocolates and crisps. But I've gone out and
bought more food and drink to fill the hamper up to the brim. The hamper
is now sitting under the tree now and the whole family will be sharing
the treats on Christmas Day. 

What have you been up to in the build up to Christmas? Are you excited for THE BIG DAY?

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Beauty Tips: How To Get Rid Of Spots

It's probably a given that we all want a quick spot-zapping miracle,
right?! I don't know about you but why is it that when you have an
important date, a big spot will appear a few days before? Whether it's a
job interview, a photo shoot, a work meeting or even a date... you can
guarantee that if it's important or a big deal, a big spot will come of
my face to greet you on the day too!


Perhaps the spot breakout is due to nerves or stress and I have
previously tried home remedies but they are so hit and miss. I've tried
dabbing toothpaste over the blemish and leaving it over night, that's a
fairly popular tip but it doesn't work for me. My mum had an Aloe Vera
plant and it is good for lots of things including spots. It works well
to soothe the area but I have a terrible phobia of pot plants so can't
keep it in the apartment. I've also used various products such as
WitchHazel but they've had very little effect. Here I have two effective
blemish removers which works quick and fast!

Something that I swear by for it's zapping power is Burt's Bees 100% natural Herbal Blemish Stick.
For £10.99, this is well worth it! It's a miracle worker! Whenever I
feel a spot appearing, I will apply some of this on and it will stop the
blemish from getting any bigger. It works in to the skin and start
banishing blemishes. I've been using this product for a long time now,
and have always repurchased when it's empty. It contains ten natural
ingredients like tea tree oil and willowbark which are known for
antiseptic and antibacterial qualities, reducing redness and effectively
clear the blemish. The scent of this is really strong and I think it
might bug some people, especially if you have a strong sense of smell,
but it disappears after ten minutes or so. The smell is worth putting up
with because it is such a good product, it is 100% natural and it's so
good for getting rid of spots. The only thing I dislike about this is
the roller applicator. After a while, you'll start see tiny little bits
floating inside the bottle, which I assume is skin or something?! Really
gross, I know! 

I probably wouldn't recommend this to
anyone with sensitive skin - but fret not! The next product I want to
show you is definitely suitable for sensitive skin.

AMIE is a great brand to try for teens or if you have skin that's easily irritated by rich skincare products. This ALL CLEAR Instant Action Spot Clearing Gel* is £4.95.
Just like Burt's Bees, this gel contains willowbark. The formula also
contains eucalyptus and peppermint oil which are natural cleansers that
prevents spots from forming. This feels gentler than the Burt's Bees
Blemish Stick, the smell is certainly better - but it isn't as fast
acting. Both products are great, it just depends on whether you have
sensitive skin or not. If you do, I would definitely opt for Amie ALL
CLEAR gel. I like to use the Burt's Bees at night time for really bad
blemishes and then the AMIE one for soothing smaller pimples.

I've been using this gel on my forehead, where it is prone to tiny
pimples. I only use a little bit and have already seen a change. I like
having this in my handbag because it is gentle enough to use whenever
you like and the smell isn't strong enough to offend anyone!

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Beauty diet and Weight loss: The ONE thing you need to slim

Lose weight forever as fast or as gradually as you want
with the Ultra Beauty detox diet plan - and get
glowing, healthy and slim

Have you made resolutions to detox, diet and shift that extra weight? To slim down and fit into old clothes, to lose that Christmas weight, or just to look stunning at an important event that’s coming up soon?

At Ultra Beauty we want you to be healthy, glowing and happy, whatever your natural weight is, and if you follow The Diet then you should experience weight loss as you get healthier and more beautiful. Radiant health is what you should be aiming for, and what will make the biggest difference to your beauty – not just being thin. 

Quick note - please follow me on Twitter +Ultra Skin Beauty ! I would love to get more followers! 

But sometimes, you simply want to lose weight. You need to shift half a stone of fat to kick start your health regime and that is priority number one.

There are LOADS of diets on the market, and in the past I’ve been really confused by which ones work, and in the process have only put on more weight.  I tried eating only protein, or low fat, or no food after 5pm – trust me, and millions of other dieters - they don’t work!  

But there is really only one ‘diet’, or eating principle, that gets serious results.  And once you follow it, you will see serious weight loss, and never look back. 

It’s called Calorie Counting.  

Yep, good old fashioned energy in versus energy out.  What you eat must be less that what you are using up, when accurately measured by adding the number of calories in your food.  If you ask a member of the medical profession, he or she will tell you that this is categorically the only way that you will shift fat and reach your optimum body goal. When it comes to weight, a calorie is a calorie, whether it comes from Coke or carrots.  

Obviously it’s in your best interests to eat mainly foods that are wholesome and nutritious, as they will give you energy and keep your appetite in check. But you still need to count the calories that your healthy meals are giving you if you want to lose weight.  Case in point – avocados are extremely nutritious, packed with skin-friendly vitamins and anti-ageing antioxidants, and Ultra Beautiful fans should certainly include them in diet, regularly. But watch the portion size, as a large avo contains 400 calories - a third of your daily allowance if you’re on 1,200 calories per day.  Enjoy these healthy foods, but just be aware of how much energy they are giving you!

Exercise burns calories, and will help with weight loss

What about fat?  Fat in itself isn’t bad, except for the calories it contains. I am an avid salad dressing-dodger, and that’s not because olive oil is bad, but because I’d rather eat the 200 calories in something more substantial, like nuts or oily fish. Fat is important in the diet as it keeps you feeling full until the next meal, so don’t be tempted to shun it altogether.

Anyone who says ‘Oh, I want to diet but I hate counting calories’ simply hates seeing the number of calories in a cup of dried fruit, and how long it would take to burn it off. (440 calories, and 30 mins of running, for an average man. Yikes.) Check out this excellent article on snacks that that way too long to burn off. 

A small cappuccino takes 30 minutes of running to burn off

So what is the one thing that you need to achieve this?  

A calorie counting app that you use every day. 
These brilliant inventions make it easy to track what you eat, and tell you how much you have left for the rest of the day, making it easy to plan meals.  They track not only calories, but vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, so you can see if your diet is lacking anywhere.

MyFitnessPal logs your meals, and
shows you how your diet adds up in terms
of vitamins and minerals - showing if
you're missing out on anything

My total favourite which I swear by is MyFitnessPal which organizes your diet, telling how much you should be eating for your height, your weight-loss goal, and how soon you want to reach it.  For example, if you want to lose a stone in a short amount of time, it’ll give you a small number of calories you can eat each day to achieve this goal quickly. The app seems to know the stats of every single food in the world, from sweet potato falafels to bacon cheeseburgers. 

The word 'calorie' comes from the Latin for 'heat',
and represents a unit of energy. Your body uses up loads
of calories in cold weather, simply staying warm!

You can also log any exercise you do, to ‘buy’ yourself more in your allowance.  There is no way I could accurately calculate the energy in foods without it, let alone remember it all day!  You can also record your progress, and consult the online community to ask questions and chat dieting tips.  

Portion control is key...

I got a few surprises when I started using the app, because food I thought was diet-friendly, like humous, was frighteningly high in calories, and reminded me of the small serving size that you’re meant to eat. It's worth looking at the portions you serve in general as seemingly healthy food can still pack a punch when you pile it onto your plate.

This amazing meal in a Japanese monastery had incredible
dishes in tiny portions

 

I think apps work so well because your phone is always at hand, so you can so easily tap in what you’re thinking of eating to find out how it fits with your diet; and if you record absolutely everything honestly, you will find that you lose kilos alarmingly fast. It sounds obsessive to log your food, but it really takes the guesswork out of what you should be eating and keeps it simple – which can only be a good thing.  At the end of each day, the app helpfully tells you how much you’ll weigh next week if you keep up the good work, which is very encouraging, and reminds you why you declined the cheesecake at dinner. 

Dieting with friends means you'll get their
support and can share tips and recipes

You don’t have to use MyFitnessPal, and here are two links to the best iPhone and Android diet apps. Loads are free which makes it even easier to give one a go.

I’ll be posting more tips on losing weight and dieting, but in the meantime, if you have any burning questions or things you want addressed, please email me!

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Beauty Review | Tarte Cosmetics

                                                                              Aloha Sprinklerinos,

If there is one brand that has had heaps of hype this year it’s Tarte Cosmetics and I’m not going to lie when I say I was firmly perched on that bandwagon. I’ve been itching to get my hands on some of their products and now they’ve launched a select amount in the UK it seemed the perfect time to share them with you lovely lot. 

Tarte were lovely enough to send me a nice little parcel, but the products I’m most excited to try (and that are available for us here in the UK, too) are…
Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush
It’s been one of their most talked about products and from simply opening the packaging I can see why. With highly pigmented shades, packaging to match the colour that’s inside (good thinking, guys!) and a beautifully sized compact mirror they’ve already got me sold. 

Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara
With a cheeky hint from the title, this mascara promises to provide four lash benefits – curling, lengthening, volumising and conditioning. It’s safe to say that it’s going to be the one to reach for on an evening out, when you want to achieve a dramatic, dark eye. It’s also Dermatologist proven to increase volume in the lashes, which is a bit swishy if you ask me.  Amazonian Clay Volumizing Brow & Hair Powder
Available in a variety of shades, halleluiah! Not only is this little beauty packing a punch with some gorgeous packaging it, like the mascara, gives volumised, fuller brows – perfect for those Cara Delevingne inspired looks. 

Lastly, the Amazonian Butter Lipstick
Containing ingredients such as vitamin A and emollient butters (like cocoa butter) they’re super hydrating, ultra moisturising lipsticks with bold, pigmented application. They have a trio pack available on QVC at the moment that includes Coral Blossom - a golden coral shade, Tulip - a soft rose shade and Creamy Rose.  I'm really excited to give this brand a whirl! What do you think?
Do you have any Tarte items on your Christmas wishlist?

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HJ Manicure

Before I went on holiday I was sent some gorgeous samples of the '5 Free' natural nail polish brand HJ Manicure.
I'd never heard of the brand before but I love discovering new brands
and after checking out the website I was very eager to give them a try!

I chose two colours, Tropical Sunset* (from the Holiday Collection) and Thunder Storm* (from the HJ Signature collection). Today I want to focus on the heavenly shade Thunder Storm!

Thunder Storm is a sultry, dusky grey toned lilac and I fell in love
with the colour straight from the website. If I could only choose one
colour, it would be this. It is soo soft and gentle looking, dusky
without looking bland and dull. Just beautiful!

I have to be honest when I first applied the polish I thought the
formula was very runny and worried that combined with my terrible nail
painting skills it would be thin and streaky. But no, you soon realise
that the formula is thin but this actually means that is seems to settle
perfectly on the nail with literally no streaking at all! I think the
long narrow brush really helps with precision too. The fluidity of the
polish certainly doesn't compromise the cover either, one coat is
perfectly opaque and as I said no streaks and completely patch free.
Being so fluid makes it mega easy to apply and fast too.

Talking of fast, this polish dries really well and speedily without
getting sticky and tacky which for a cultz like me is a bonus (no more
finger prints on my nails!) Like I said you can happily get by with one
coat but two coats really gives it that extra summin' summon'. The
finish is smooth and has a beautiful gloss and shine to it that really
helps enhance the colour!

As for durability, well i tested these polishes on holiday and at home
and with a top coat they stood the test of Sun, Sand, Sea, Swimming
(chlorine and salt), Showers and the nibblings of a teething 8 month
old. They lasted through multiple hair washes and washing up and wear
and tare started shooing on the tips at about day 3 and proper chipping
after about day 5! I think that's pretty good going for a natural nail
polish brand.

Of course these nail polishes are toxic free. Free from all the top nail
polish nasties including Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toulene, DBP
(Di-butyl phthalate) and Camphor. They are also free from Animal
Derivatives and so are Vegan and also cruelty free!

Polishes are £9.50 (15ml) and available online at HJ Manicure

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Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: LoveLula Beauty Box - November

Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: LoveLula Beauty Box - November: This months beauty box was a lovely one. Nothing too exciting or extravagant, but a good solid selection of classics I think. ...

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Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: NEWS// Lavera Hair Care

Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: NEWS// Lavera Hair Care: A few examples of the products available Hooray after things being a little quiet on the natural beauty and skincare news front, ...

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Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: The Wooden Comb

Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: The Wooden Comb: Just a casual little nod to this unimposing and often over looked little tool! The wooden comb. Wooden combs have so many benefi...

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Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: Natural Wish List

Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: Natural Wish List: Well it's been a long long time since i've done a wish list and that's not because i've been buying things either, i ...

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Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: Empties Video

Naturally Diddy ~ UK Natural Beauty Blog: Beauty Reviews and Tips: Empties Video: Hey everyone, I know it's been a pretty long time since I've uploaded a video right? Well i finally got one up and so if you wan...

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Lovelula July Beauty Box

It's nearing the end of the month and
I suddenly realise I haven't blogged about this box yet. Tell me
something new! I completely forgot to blog about June's box, but then
again it didn't really grab me as a must share box so hey, there you go.

This July box though is nice nice nice!

Firstly John Masters as a brand is always extremely welcome in a box and
secondly blessedly isn't the blood orange body wash/body lotion duo
that i now seem to have a dozen of from different sources! This mini set
is Lavender and Rosemary Shampoo and Citrus and Neroli Detangler.
Now I'm not such a fan of lavender, but barely detect it from a sniff
test, so this should be great to give a go. The detangler  is something
I'm interested in trying as i haven't been conditioning my hair at all
for the past few months and I'm considering starting it up again. My
hair is just so temperamental, you never know!

Next is the Nourish Golden Glow Illuminating Face Shimmer. I've
got this as a sample before and talked about it then so wont go much
into it, but I have the body version and love it, so have high hopes for
this one!

Then we have Mychelle Fabulous Eye Cream, which sounds really
interesting, I went through a phase of being obsessed with using eye
creams, and now I've hit the quarter of a century milestone in my life
(how the eeffff did that happen?!) I think it's about time I started
giving eye creams the attention they deserve again!

And lastly, but by no means least the cowshed selection! Usually I have
to admit I don't like getting sachets all that much, i feel like often
there's not enough to really try the product. But when you get a whole
fan selection of beautiful Cowshed sachets, well you can't really
complain!

Included are bath and shower gels (in no particular order): Grumpy Cow (Uplifting), Gorgeous Cow (blissful) and Knackered Cow (Relaxing)

And Body lotions included: Moody Cow (Balancing), Wild Cow (Invigorating), Lazy Cow (Soothing) and Horny Cow (Seductive) - oh I say!

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BareMinerals Beauty Surprise Collection!

A few weeks ago I was just casually minding my own business when an
email popped into my inbox that made me squee with excitement and
literally drop everything and whip out my credit card. Aaah i'm so
easily enticed. Anyway this email was from bareMinerals, my holy grail
of healthy clean make up and they were announcing an exciting surprise
purchase. 

Basically you pay £30 i think it was and will be sent a secret and
surprise selection of 7 goodies from their entire collection! Aaah the
possibilities were endless! What would i get?! The total worth was
something like £75 so I literally could not physically stop myself from
getting this.

Oh I am glad i did. I'll be honest, it was a total risk. I'm not by any
means an adventurous make up wearer. Colours are not thing and i just
don't have the skill or look to pull them off and their are plenty of
colours in the collection that i would be too shy to try. So as I say it
was a risk.

But if is all about risks eh?! So without further a do this is what my 7 surprise goodies were. 

[?] Mineral Eye Shadow - Citrus Twist [?]

A warm shimmery pinky honey coral colour. This is to die for! so
beautiful, i reckon it would also look nice as a blush! This i can see
becoming my staple go-to eye colour.

[!] Mineral Eye Shadow - Twilight [!]

This is a rich deep shimmery dark grey-blackish tone with a hint of
midnight navy. It's not solid black so will be ideal for a smokey eye
and a dramatic night time look.

[?] Mineral Eye Shadow - Black Emerald [?]

Oh my, oh my. This colour is like emerald dust! Green is may fave
colour and this shade, a blend of black and emerald is probably the only
bold colour i will willingly try. I could shimmer this all day in the
light, it just looks so beautiful. This will make me push my boundaries a
little and not be so scared!

[!] Natural Lipgloss - 7 Layer Cake [!]

Hmm, well to be honest i'm not a massive lipgloss girl, despite this
it is a pretty pretty pink that I reckon I might just give a try. You
never know. This has to be my least liked product of all the surprises.

[?] Flawless Definition Mascara [?]

What a win. I've never tried their Mascara before and we are all on
the hunt for the perfect natural mascara. Lets see how this one does!

[!] Round The Clock Waterproof Eyeliner - Black (8pm) [!]

Groovey, can't beat an eyeliner and waterproof to boot, perfect for this winter with all our british rain.

[?] All Over Face Colour - Glee Radiance [?]

YYeaah! Fabulous, I'm a huge fan of bareMinerals face products,
whether its foundation, setting powder, veil, blush, warmth etc, i love
them all. I've already used this and i think it is bloody marvey! Subtle
colour with a hint of shimmer for a natural glow without any heavy
glitter - perfick!

I'd say I got a pretty fantastic bunch of surprise products this time,
i'd definitely buy one again. Would you give one of these surprise
bundles from bareMinerals a go?

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Origins GinZing Mascara

Origins GinZing Mascara £17

I purchased this Origins GinZing mascara after reading some great
reviews about it. I love Origins as a brand and think that their
products are amazing, but i was hesitant to splash out on the makeup.

This GinZing mascara is formulated without parabens, phthalates, mineral
oils, petroleum, paraffin or a number of other noted scary 'chemicals'.
It has no synthetic fragrances or animal ingredients. Mascaras with
great formulas like this are hard to come by and often very pricey and
while this Origins mascara is up there with the most expensive mascaras
i've ever bought, i can fully say it's 100% worth it.

For once i'm finding a product is actually living up to it's hype. Thank goodness for that! 

I have naturally quite long, full and thick lashes, they are also fairly
curly. Not to blow my own trumpet but i think they are one of my best
features and i often get a lot of comments on them (some people even
think i have extensions - don't). So for me i like to show them off to
their best, and mascaras are so key in doing so and therefore are quite
important to me.

I usually wear a thick bold wing on my eyes which makes my eyes look
bigger but can detract from my lashes, but as they are so long i usually
am able to get the balance to get the big eyed long lash effect i like.
For this review i though it would be much better for you to see a clear
true result of the mascara without the effect of the wings (in honestly
not wear my wings makes me feel weird and pretty naked, the things i do
for blogging!) i also kept my eye shadow totally neutral for the same
reason. So excuse the crazy eyebrows because i'm lacking the rest of my
makeup to balance them out! 

This mascara is fabulous not only for it's healthy clean formula but
also because it makes (in my humble opinion) my lashes look mega! Super
long, extra black, bold and lovely and thick! It seriously gives my long
lashes massive VaVaVOOM! 

The formula doesn't clump or look gloopy and is incredibly buildable.
One coat gives a bold but natural effect and two coats - which i'm
wearing in the photos- make them look really Pow, without being
spiderleggy or clumpy. Three coats (oh yes i love my 3 coats!) creates a
fluttering dollylash look, perfect for a bold eye and a great night out
look. I would say the colour is a good true black that doesn't fade or
look ashy grey.

As for the curl, as i said my lashes naturally curl right up on their
own and pretty much touch my eyelid (this sounds great, but its a
serious con when trying to wear sunglasses or use microscopes -science
class was always a nightmare) and most mascaras have little or no effect
on boosting curl, or the really bold ones can sometimes weigh them down
a bit. Origins GinZing doesn't weigh my curls down at all and helps
enhance the look of the curl very nicely and give them a bit of a lift,
just like they claim! I don't and haven't used eyelash curlers here (or
ever! - they freak me out!) Application is easy and smooth and as i said
before isn't at all clumpy or gloomy.

The brush is pretty big but after first thinking it was a bit scary I
found it actually very easy to work with and it coated my lashes evenly
with little tugging and i was able to apply the mascara from root to tip
as well as still being able to reach the little lashes in the tricky
corner of my eye and even my bottom lashes. I was worried with my bottom
lashes it would be too big and leave a mess under my eye but it didn't
even with my bad application skills. The formula also lasts all day on
both my top and bottom lashes and as I discovered the other day is quite
resistant to smudging and accidental eye rubbing! And so far it holds
up in the rain pretty good too!

They only product on my lashes is two coats of Origins GinZing Mascara. No extensions, fillers,  falseies or curlers have been used. 

Also worth a note too- here i am also wearing the Origins Quick Hide
Concealer, which is also great but i shall save that for another post!

Have you tried any Origins Make up - what do you think of it?

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Naturtint Hair Dye

Nature's Dream - Naturtint Permanent Hair Colorant - £9.99*

I have been dying my locks for a good few years now and i'd never really
thought about the repercussions that it has on my hair. I have oodles
of long thick hair that can pretty much take a beating without really
suffering too much. Then when i started to cut out chemicals like SLS
and parabens i realised i should probably do the same when dying my
hair. As it turned out my favourite colour got discontinued and i
thought i may as well just take a break from dying it. Six odd months
later and my roots were down by my ears and people were starting to get
fed up of me moaning about them!

In an epic turn of perfect timing I was contacted to try out a lovely natural hair dye brand called Naturtint from Natures Dream that promised to give amazing full coverage with a natural clean formula. You can imagine i jumped at the chance!

I chose the permanent hair colour range and using their extensive colour guide took my pick from an amazingly wide and beautiful range of colours and tones
and settled on the beautiful Light Golden Chestnut (5G). What is even
better is you can actually mix the colours together to create your
perfect shade, a guide for this is also provided!

The formula is free from an amazing list of chemical nasties. No:
Ammonia, Resorcinol, Parabens, Silicones, Paraffin, Mineral Oil, Heavy
Metals, SLS, Formaldehyde derivatives or artificial fragrances. WOW!
Plus it is enriched with Sunflower extract and other amazing natural
nutrients and oils (all organically certified too!)

I enlisted the help of my ma and off we went to eradicate those bad boy
roots. There are several methods for different types of dye jobs, but
mine was a simple dye all-in-one-go job. So, just like other brands you
simply mix two solutions, give it a few a hefty shakes and away you go!

Firstly to mention is the scent, while it isn't the most prettiest of
smells it is by no means unpleasant and I actually quite liked it as it
smelt 'earthy' and 'raw'- an odd way to describe it but you know.
Blissfully due to the ammonia free formula there was zero acidic tart
eye watering smell that you get from typical brands of hair dye and it
seriously made the whole experience immensely better, not once did i
think -gee i need to crack a window! 

Next point to mention about this is the wonderful SLS free formula. SLS
is a foaming agent and often dries out the skin and can often cause
irritation. With Naturtint i noticed pretty quickly that my scalp wasn't
and didn't sting or itch during the whole process which again was such a
blessing and a bonus. Seeing as my ma was the one pasting the solution
onto my locks (and having been dying her hair for a good 30 odd years, a
bit of an expert) I asked her how it differed from using a traditional
dye kit. She said she was impressed because as it didn't foam up it was a
whole lot less messy and splashy than other brands and therefore much
easier for her to control. This meant that A) my nice white bathroom
stayed white and B) my ears and neck remained mostly unsmeared, while my
hair got the full amount of coverage. Also when it came to cleaning
what bit of me had caught a bit of dye, it washed off my skin really
easily and didn't require an of the usual vigorous scrubbing with a
rough wet flannel or makeup remover!

So once we had slapped two boxes worth (i have A LOT of  hair, but two
was plenty) of dye on I left it to process for 30 mins then washed out
with the lovely shampoo provided and then conditioned with the amazing
colour fix conditioner! This conditioner is heavenly, my hair was smooth
smooth smooth! It smelt wonderful and there was enough in one tube for
several washes even with my heap of hair.

So the final result? Well I am 100% loving it, my hair has full deep
gorgeous glossy coverage, no patches, no dryness and no lingering smell.
The colour is rich and intense and absolutely beautiful. I have had so
many compliments on my new colour and even after a few washes it remains
rich and glossy and soft. I has lightened ever so slightly after 3 or
so washes but nothing drastic and in actual fact the washes helped bring
out even more shades and tones to the hair colour. It's amazingly
natural and multi-tonal. 

I literally cannot fault this hair dye in any way. I will definitely be
purchasing this for myself when i need to re-dye it, it is a bit pricey
at £9.99 a box, but for healthy hair that has such incredible natural
colour it's seriously worth it! I actually enjoyed dying my hair, which
is really something! 

All photos taken two weeks after dyeing and after 3-4 washes

The only slight issue i would mention is that the colour that is shown
on the box is pretty different to the colour chart on the website and
very different from your actual result colour. I chose my colour online
and my hair has turned out just how i expected and looks like the colour
shown online but my box looked really different and at first i was a
bit worried, but it turned out perfect. So just a note, judge by the
online colour chart, not the box. 

The mothers final verdict? 'I think it's superb!' High praise indeed from the queen of hair dying!

Naturtint range also includes Nutrideep Multiplier (conditioner), Nutrideep Shampoo and Reflex non-permanent colour.

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