loreal paris studio line hot and smooth cream

If you follow me on instagram then you know I have a lot of hair! It's quite thick and is natural curly and frizzy and as I have no intention of getting it cut short I'm always trying products to help keep my hair healthy. I want to be able to keep it long so I'm still trying to find the products that will stop it from drying out and keep me from getting split ends on ends! After only recently just getting my first hair dryer at the age of 19, I've never really seen the need for one before and I've still go to master the art of drying my hair without it being too big! It means I'll probably start using a lot more heat on my hair more regularly I wanted to make sure I was using a good heat protector.

The one I'm currently using is the Loreal Studio Line Hot and Smooth Cream,which promises a 3 day straight with a frizz free and polished finish. This is a pretty affordable product at only a couple of pounds and you get 200ml of product. It's in an easy open top bottle and so it's easy to get a little bit of of the cream out. I find this works best for me to apply a little bit in my fingers, rub then together and then rub it through the lengths of my damp long hair, before I use a hair dryer. It's just got normal non chemically but hair product smell and doesn't leave your hands feeling sticky or oily and so it is a lovely product to use. This product definitely protects my hair and after blow drying my hair it feels smooth and healthy and not dry at all! It probably also would help tame your hair for three days, by the second day my hair isn't perfectly straight any more but still feels healthy.

For me this works best when I used it with a hair dryer and on damp hair, however it says on the bottle you can straighten your hair straight after. However just to be on the safe side I'd definitely use a little bit of heat protection on dry hair, and I'm still searching for the perfect heat protection to use on dry hair, so any recommendations would be welcome.

clean and clear morning energy skin energising daily facial scrub

I have a pretty simple skin care routine, but to be honest it's because I can't afford to have a load of creams or anything. Though luckily, I don't have the worst skin in the world (I've jinxed it now, que breakout for lucy) but I do like to use a scrub or wash in the morning to wake me up and get rid of the morning crouchyness.

At the moment I'm using the clean and clear morning energy skin energising daily facial scrub, I brought this because it was a reasonable price and I've used clean and clear skin products before and know they work with my skin and aren't too harsh at all. This one contains little orange "bursting beads". I'm really enjoying using this because it is helping my skin but at the same time being gentle and refreshing and awaking my skin in the morning. I prefer this to the clean and clear daily wash as the microbeads feel more refreshing and just make my skin look a little more happy, though I would happily use both again. The packaging is simple and easy to get just a little bit of product out the bottle is slightly transparent so you are able to see how much product you have left which is pretty handy.

You just apply this to after you've wet your face and if you wanted to you could use it morning and evening if you wanted to, it's an affordable skin care product that I would definitely recommend and would consider repurchasing again in the future.

palmer's cocoa butter formula natural bronze body lotion

I've got freshers approaching which means lots of nights out are coming up, and though I'm not one for actually fake tanning so I look like I've been on holiday I do enjoy using a gradual fake tan just so I don't look too pale! The one which I'm currently using is the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Natural Bronze Body Lotion, which I showed you that I brought in my trip to Birmingham. Ever since I'd heard about this I'd been eager to try it as I find Palmer's products work perfectly with my skin and leave it so soft and doesn't try it all at all.

You get a standard 250ml of product but the pump at the top of this makes it easy to apply and means you don't land up getting greasy covered hands everywhere. Saying that the lotion itself doesn't feel greasy on the skin and soaks in instantly and also the cocoa butter formula means that it smells lovely on the skin. The biscuity fake tan smell definitely doesn't exist here! On the bottle it says it builds and maintains a natural looking tan and is suitable for all skin tones, and suggests using every day. Though I agree it does look natural (but make sure you wash your hands after) and is perfect for my skin tone (I can't speak for anyone else) I don't think you'd need to use this every day at all, maybe twice a week maybe three times but no more than that! If you used too much of it you'd definitely be pushing the natural aspect of this!

Overall, so far this has been my favourite fake tan, it smells and looks lovely and I haven't had any complete disasters and streaky legs yet with this!

my summer favourites

It's hard to admit it, but I think it's now safe to say summer's nearly over. Summer 2014 has been amazing and it marks a big change in my life as I move out later this month. Though this season there has been a few products that I've discovered this year and loved using, especially in the warmer weather.

Cream and Gel Eyeshadows

If you've read my blog, then you might have noticed my collection of these eye shadows has slowly built up. So now I have one Bourjois (in or desir) and two Maybelline ones (pink gold and on and on bronze). I love these as for a day to day wear they're so easy you can just apply a little bit too your lid using your finger and then your eye look for the day is completely sorted.

Natural World Moroccan Argan Oil

This is the first one I've tried, and I wrote about it here. For warmer days , I love this and it nourishes and moisturises my hair and makes it feel so much more healthier and helps stop the sun and the warmer days drying it out.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

There's already been loads written about this on the internet but I've only just discovered it. It's such a lovely light foundation and you only need a little bit to cover your whole face. It doesn't have a matte finish and by no means does it leave your face looking shiny but leaves it with a healthy glow. (There is a difference!) I've recently been wearing this for nights out instead of my Maybelline stay matte mousse which is a quite a big deal.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

Batiste is by far my favourite dry shampoo and I've used so much of  it this summer. Firslty, I relied (far too much on it) at the beginning of the summer when I went to a small festival and that's the longest I want to go without washing my hair for a long time! Though appearance wise it looked no where near as greasy as I thought it was going to look and that's all thanks to this. Then I've recently started using dry shampoo more after I've finished straightening or curling my hair just too just to add a little bit of volume. The only slightly, not really that negative point I'll say about this is you have to make sure you've rubbed it in otherwise your hair can look slightly grey. 

The Naked 3 Palette

I know I've already mentioned eyeshadows, but this is basically the only eyeshdaow pallete I own and I use it so much. These eyeshadows are all so pigmented and the perfect colours, they blend so easily together and can be used to create both day and night looks. Over the summer, this has got so much love, but I know this isn't just a summer favourite it's an actual favourite.

sesame vegetable noodles

There's not long now until I become an actual university student, which even though I've had ages to think about it still seems so scary and I feel like there's so much more I need to sort out and prepare myself for the big change! Anyway that means I'll probably do a few posts about the big change and such as decorating my room, as I'm not going to lie I've taken that part quite seriously, especially choosing the duvet sets!

Even though I love cooking and baking I'm still experimenting with different recipes and trying not to rely off doughnuts and takeaways and trying to be healthy, so today I thought I'd share with you this meal I put together today. I'd say it's a cheaper and healthier alternative to a chinese takeaway (but this doesn't mean I won't be having take away)

Ingredients (for 1 serving, and only rough so change them as you want and use different vegetables)

1 nest of dried egg noodles

1/2 an onion, finely chopped

1/2 a garlic glove, finely chopped

3 mushrooms chopped

1/3 of pepper, chopped

For the Dressing

1 tablespoon of sunflower oil

1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil

1/2 a garlic clove, crushed

nearly a teaspoon of smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Firstly, I'd recommend you put all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and mix together until smooth, it will take a while with the peanut butter but keep going and it will eventually get there. 

Heat a small pan a boiling water for the noddles and frying pan for the vegetables. Once the water is nearly boiling, add the onions and garlic to the frying pan which should be on a medium heat to soften. Add the noddles to the water and heat according to the instructions on the back of the packet, and add the rest of the vegetables to the frying pan and heat for 5 minutes. Stir each occasionally to make sure they don't stick.

Once the noddles are cooked drain them, and then mix them with the dressing in the pan in order to keep them warm. Then add the vegetables in and mix well and then tip it into a bowl and eat straight away whilst it's hot!

I know this isn't the most exciting meal in the world, but for a student meal I think it's pretty creative, if anyone has an advice about starting university I'd appreciate it :)!