Ultimate Summer Products

Hey Everyone,

Today I have some favourite products to share with you - all the things that make me feel extra special in the summer.





A key part of summery products for me is scent, I love things that remind me of holidays and summer nights! Look out for lots more 'favourite' posts coming soon.

I hope you enjoy.

First Impressions: Carmen Salon Glamour Curls - Demo + Review

Hey Everyone! Today I have a video to share with you featuring the Carmen by Samantha Salon Glamour Curls styling tool.

This device I personally think is a great alternative to the expensive Babyliss Curl Secret hair styler and it does essentially the same thing, but with a few slight tweaks to the design which I presume is due to copyright.

If you are interested in purchasing a device like this then I give you my thoughts on this option, and if you own it already I give detailed instructions and a demonstration on how to use it as it can be a little confusing at first! (Plus the instructions provided with the tool are TERRIBLE)

I hope you enjoy.

SLEEK Matte Me Lip Cream Swatches and Review - 10 SHADES - *6 NEW SHADES*

Hey guys! Sorry this post is a little late and also sorry for my absence recently, the short story is I have been having computer troubles and busy working at the same time, so I had about a months break from blogging but I'm back now!

Anyway, today's video is a swatch video and review of the new Matte Me Lip Creams from Sleek.

Not only is it featuring all of the new six shades, but also four of the old ones, so you can see if you want to pick any of those up too, or see the difference in colours etc. plus I throw in my two cents on how the new creams compare to the older ones and where I think these liquid lipsticks fall on the grand scale of liquid lipsticks.

I hope this is helpful and you enjoy!

First Impressions: UD Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Skin Perfector

Hey Everyone, Today's post is a video featuring my first impresssions on the new Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Skin Perfector (what a mouthful!). In this video I not only speak about what I think of the new foundation/tinted moisturiser hybrid but also decide what works better: brush or blender?

I hope you enjoy it.



On a side note: I wanted to apologise for the lack of written content on my blog lately! I realise it has been heavily video based lately and so I'm going to be trying to balance things out a bit more. Thanks for you patience.

Nailtiques Formula 2 Protein Treatment - Update Part 2

Hey Everyone, finally the second part of my nailtiques treatment update is here! After initial reservations in part 1, check out what I now think of the product after further use.

Here's a link to part 1 if you haven't caught that yet:
http://sleepybeautyblogger.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/nailtiques-formula-2-protein-treatment.html

Thanks for watching, and I hope you enjoy.

Benefit New Launches 2016!

Hey everyone! I'm really excited to be sharing this huge Benefit haul with you today! I wanted all of their new releases SO BAD and I managed to shop around and find deals good enough for me to justify buying almost the entire collection.

My plan is to hopefully share a first impressions video with you all over the next couple of days, but for now I just wanted to share some photos for those of you looking around online trying to figure out if you need these products in your life. One thing is for sure - they sure are pretty!

First up is this cute little Hoola set! Now I realise Hoola is not a new product and I have to admit I have never used it before even though everyone raves about it! However, Benefit have just released this special set where you get a min Porefessional Primer and Watt's Up! highlighter for the same price as the bronzer on it's own which is £23.50.

The first of the new range is Dew The Hoola a liquid matte bronzer with a pump, a liquid version of their Hoola powder. This is actually a sample that I got in my Birchbox this month, the full size bottle if you haven't seen it already is beautiful! I'm both excited and nervous to try this as liquid bronzers are really not my thing and I am so fair! Full size £22.50

I hate it when people say 'this is everything' but honestly... this Hoola Bronzing and Contouring Brush  is so gorgeous! It's incredibly soft but also dense and the design is stunning. It's feels wonderfully weighted in the hand. £17.50

One of the products I was most excited about, the Hoola Zero Tanlines body bronzer. This is a 12 hour self tan without the horrible smell and with this great applicator in the lid to avoid streaks. £19.50

My final product to share with you is this new matte liquid highlighter from the Dandelion range Shy Beam. I think this will work beautifully with the other products from the Hoola range even though they weren't strictly from the same set of products although I'm a little unsure about that nail-polish-style application. £19.50

Couldn't forget the free bag!

If you are interested in seeing this products in action please check out my next first impressions video which will be shared a couple of days after this! Let me know if you are tempted by any of the pretty new releases from Benefit.

Battle of the Lip Balms: The Quest for the Ultimate Balm

Today's a big one! I've actually been planning on writing this post for probably over a year. For real. But what possessed me to finally put fingers to keyboard for this post was that I think I have actually found it - a new holy grail lip balm.

Perhaps you have been through a similar hardship in your life. I had been addicted (and I'm sure many of you out there will know I mean that literally - once you start on balm there is often no going back) to my holy grail lip balm since my mid-teens. My mum used to just fill up my Christmas stocking with this lip balm in the hope it would last me through until the following Christmas. But after a few empty shelves and cold sweats in the night, I finally had to admit the fact that one day, it was gone. After years of addiction, my favourite balm had been discontinued in the UK and so began the search for a new holy grail balm.

It has truly taken me years to find another one that I am happy with. And if you want the low-down, keep reading.

Today I will compare 7 lip balms for you in the hope I can point a few of you who are struggling along the same quest to an answer.


1. Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm (with shea butter and jojoba oil) £1.65

To me, this is a pretty staple lip balm, and one that I'd be willing to bet most of you have tried already if you don't have one laying around the house somewhere. It's the kind of product I would pick up at the airport when I've forgotten to pack the lip balm I actually wanted. 

Pros: It's cheap and as far as I am aware, it's ingredients are genuinely moisturising for your lips and not the sort that will dry them out dramatically in the long run while giving temporary relief which can often be the case with this sort of price range.

Cons: It has a funny, chemically smell which I don't like and the formula feels kind of dry to me. Don't get me wrong, it's not drying because it's a moisturiser, but comparatively, this balm feels very thick and dry on the lips as opposed to more oily formulas. I also have to re apply this extremely frequently.

2. Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm with honey £9.50

Heading to the other end of the price scale, is this potted formula by Nuxe. In general I prefer sticks of balm as they are so much more convenient but I love this one. It has a similar consistency to Vaseline but none of the drying ingredients in Vaseline.

Pros: Very hydrating and doesn't have to be re applied for HOURS. Great to hydrate your lips overnight, just put some on before you turn out the light. Pleasant smell from the honey ingredient. Long lasting in every sense.

Cons: The pot isn't so easy to carry around and it's messy to apply and perhaps even a little unhygienic. The formula gets quite hard in cold temperatures. Pricey.

3. Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Stick with honey £5.50

This stick version of the Reve de Miel balm is much more convenient than the pot and feels nice on the lips. While it's almost half the price of the pot version, it's worth noting that while you get 15g of product in the pot you only get 4g in the stick, so you aren't getting more for your money with this in reality.

Pros: More convenient packaging and a nice to apply formula. Cheaper than the pot (but you get a lot less product).

Cons: Not long lasting at all. I find myself re applying this very frequently unlike the pot version. Also I found myself getting through the stick itself very quickly.

4. Caudalie Lip Conditioner £5.50

The same price as the Nuxe stick, this lip balm also has a similar formular. It feels just as nice to apply but lasts longer than the Nuxe stick.

Pros: Convenient stick packaging, long(ish) lasting, nice to apply formula and feels nice on the lips.

Cons: It has that typical lip balm scent and is a little on the pricey side for the amount of product.

5. Arrow Boost Colour Enhancing Lip Balm £11.00

I have to admit, I'm still unsure about this one. Unlike the other products mentioned, this one is tinted so it's nice for adding a little bit of colour to the lips especially on a busy day.

Pros: Nice, convenient packaging, tinted (if that's what you're after), lovely minty smell!

Cons: Very pricey at £11 for 4g of product, and I'm not sure how hydrating all that minty perfume can be for your lips.

6. Agent Provocateur Titillation Lip Balm (and Nipple balm set) £23.00

Please excuse the wear of this product first of all! I've had it a while. This lip balm is part of the 'Titillation' set from Agent Provocateur and as far as I am aware isn't available separately however I wanted to throw it in here. This is a tinted balm and has that slightly stingy feeling on your lips that some lip products do. It has a Vaseline-like texture. It comes in a set with an identical pot of 'nipple balm' and the price varies greatly so shop around. The price I included here was just the most expensive price I came across. I like this one.

Pros: A nice tinted balm, long(ish) lasting, cute packaging with a mirror inside (insert shocked face), lovely smell and that 'lip plumping' tingle.

Cons: Part of a set, packaging is a little inconvenient, pricey.

7. Lanolips Golden Ointment £17.99

We made it! Through the battle to the holy grail. While this product seems on the expensive side, and sure it's a large payout, it actually works out as one of the cheapest as you get 50g of product in this large tube for £17.99. Also, it's not solely a lip balm but intended to nourish severely dry skin of all kinds. I put this on the back of my boyfriends dry knuckles in the winter months. 

Pros: Value for money in terms of amount of product for the price, smells lovely (thanks to the manuka honey), lasts for AGES (the most long lasting of all of these), more convenient packaging than a pot and a nice formula. A little goes a long way, for a long time.

Cons: A high payout when you buy it although it will last a long time, and you have to use your fingers to apply.

So here's my final ranking of these 7 lip products from favourite to least favourite:

1. Lanolips Golden Ointment  £17.99  50g

2. Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm with honey  £9.50  15g

3.  Caudalie Lip Conditioner  £5.50  4g

4. Agent Provocateur Titillation Lip Balm (and Nipple balm set)  £23.00  10g + 10ml

5.  Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Stick with honey  £5.50  4g

6. Arrow Boost Colour Enhancing Lip Balm  £11.00  4g

7.  Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm (with shea butter and jojoba oil) £1.65

Thank you if you made it this far!

I also want to note that I like all of these lip balms mentioned in this post. The idea of this was to help you find one that you like, there are none featured here that I would say don't try. I have tried plenty of others that I didn't like, but this is all about ones that I do. So I hope if you are searching for 'the one', that this post gave you some ideas of what might work for you.

I hope you enjoyed this, and please, please let me know if you have your own holy grail balm - I'm eager for suggestions!