A Miners Disappointment

 

When Miners' latest lip glosses dropped through my letterbox yesterday morning, I was looking forward to trying them out.

The brand's products have been so good lately that I had high hopes from the off. 

What Miners say: 

"After the sucess of best-selling Crystal Crush Light Reflecting Lipgloss at Miners HQ, we have been busy creating an edgier, party inspired sister gloss - Crystal Crush After Dark."

What I think:

Well, what a disappointment. The glosses, available in the shades Glass Slipper, Moonshine, Midnight Hour, Cosmic Kiss, Champagne Shimmer and Twilight - had little (if no) pigmentation and stayed on the lips for all of about 2 minutes. Such a shame, as I've said it plenty of times before and I'll say it again...the brand's fashion matte lipsticks are fantastic, as are the new matte lip glosses.

At £3.99 each, these aren't badly priced and are great if you're looking for a very sheer shine or a slight sparkle to the lips. But even the darkest shade (Cosmic Kiss) offered very little pigmentation.

Have you had chance to look at Miners' Fashion Matte lipsticks or any of the brand's other offerings?

FTC Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for review consideration. I am not affiliated with the brand, neither have I been paid to write this post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, as always.

Love Freebies?

This month's Glamour features a free mini Nails Inc polish. I'm not sure if there's different shades available, but I got this beautiful beige/brown (Basil Street), a slight departure from the usual pink and peach I tend to opt for.

I'm not a Twilight fan, but how stunning does Kristen Stewart look on the cover?

Have you picked up Glamour yet? And are there any other great magazine freebies I should know about?

You Overdid it, Doll

Going to a Hallowe'en shindig? Need a quick and easy outfit idea that's also cheap as chips?

Buy yourself a ginger wig and raid your make-up bag for the gaudiest colours you own. 

And behold....

After being invited to a Hallowe'en party at super short notice this time last year, I dashed to the fancy dress shop and purchased this sexy wig (which I plaited) to transform myself into a spooky rag doll.

Next, I popped to the haberdashery for a length of yellow ribbon for my plaits.

I dug out my cutest dress, a pair of white tights and some Mary Jane shoes. 

But the best bit was undoubtedly going wild with the contents of my make-up bag, using an electric blue Avon eye liner all over the lid as eyeshadow, a shocking pink lipstick as blush and some obligatory eye pencil 'stitches' around my mouth.

Not bad for a last minute attempt, eh?

What are you doing for Hallowe'en? Got your fancy dress outfit at the ready?

Drawn Up Your Christmas Wishlist?

EDIT: Please note, the competition is to win one of two sets of Real Touch Nails, not the sets pictured. The photos of the sets are just to give you an idea of what's available from Cosmo this Christmas. Take a look at the nail bar set - which includes the Real Touch Nails prize.

I'm hopeless when it comes to deciding what I want for Christmas. As a kid it was easy; you just scrawled through the Argos catalogue, circled everything you liked and handed it over to your 'rents. Did anyone else do this? Granted, I never got everything I'd circled - which was usually the entire toys' section!

Fast forward 20 years and I never know what I want - it becomes harder to draw up a list when you've got the moulah to go and buy it for yourself, doesn't it?

But if you haven't yet given your parents/sister/other half (assuming any fellas are reading...) any ideas yet, I may have just the thing - these cute Cosmomopolitan cosmetic sets.

Cosmo Brush Set & Travel Wallet - £10

The set includes a powder brush, lip brush, brow and lash groomer, eye shadow applicator, eye shadow blender brush and a handy leather-look wallet to keep them all in!

Love all things nails? The Cosmo Nail Bar features two nail files, a nail buffer, 30 nail art tips, two false nail sets and two nail glues - and costs just £12. Great when you consider that the false nail sets alone are worth about £6 each.

And now for a closer look...

Cosmo's Real Touch Nails can be bought separately for £5.95 - £6.50, available from Superdrug, Tesco and Feel Unique.

I've had chance to have a little play around with these and while they aren't th
e most luxurious gift sets in the world, they're certainly worth a look. Cheap, cheerful and ideal if you're stuck for Secret Santa ideas.

WIN!

I've teamed up with the PR people behind Cosmopolitan to offer two ALTH subscribers the chance to win a set of Real Touch Nails (not pictured)

Simply subscribe to my blog (if you haven't already) and leave me a comment below.

I'll select two winners at random on Wednesday, November 3rd - good luck everyone!

Move Over, Vaseline Rosy Lips...

I love Vaseline's tinted Rosy Lips lip balm, but as soon as I heard word about a brand new product from Vaseline, my old faithful was rapidly relegated to the bottom of my make-up bag.

Yep, the folk behind Vaseline have pulled it out of the bag and put two of my favourite things together - lip balm and creme brulee.

So, as you can imagine, I was gutted when I gleefully skipped to the supermarket on my lunch hour today to pick up the latest addition to the lip balm line up - the limited edition Creme Brulee lip balm - only to find that they didn't have it.

Why? Well, I really should read my emails more carefully - as this little gem is available exclusively at Selfridges. I suppose I'll have to wait until I can get along to the store. Sob.

Has anyone else tried this? Is it as good as it sounds?

What's your lip balm of choice? 

Made Plans for Hallowe'en?

Okay, so technically it's not actually on Hallowe'en night (or day, for that matter), but head down to your nearest LUSH shop this Saturday (October 29) for some spooky celebrations.

As well as some brand new limited edition bath time treats and gift ideas, LUSH will be putting on some drinks, nibbles and vegan skull cupcakes. Sounds interesting...

There'll also be a chance to enjoy a complimentary hand massage and skin care consultation.

How cute is this Skullduggery bath bomb?

What are your plans for Hallowe'en? I've been getting into the spirit of things (spirit, see what I did there) here on my blog with my brand spanking new spooktastic banner. No, I don't usually sport a green face and witch's hat - it's all thanks to ALTH's resident banner designer, Mel (otherwise known as my work colleague).

On Hallowe'en night itself I've had to turn down a house party invitation as I'm off to see Katy Perry in Manchester. Who knows, I may even partake in a spot of Hallowe'en fancy dress. Well, you've got to get into the spirit (there I go again...), haven't you?!

A Tesco Treat

Since joining Twitter a couple of years ago, I've been quite lucky on the competition front. First I won a year's supply of pies, courtesy of Hollands, before going on to bag a limited edition David Bowie CD and t-shirt set from EMI! My chap (@dazzler1983 on Twitter) also won a prize in the very same EMI weekly competition - a George Harrison vinyl box set. Get in!

And then, just when I thought my luck was running out (and after not winning anything for at least a year), I entered a mini retweet competition run by Tesco Beauty - and these little beauties turned up in the post.

It made my day to receive this little treat from Tesco's Barbara Daly Cosmetics, a brand I'd not tried before. I received a dark nude/brown lipstick and this stunning purple nail polish, accompanied with this sweet note...

Lovely stuff!

Have you tried anything by Barbra Daly? And have you bagged any competition prizes recently?

Ms Crilly Was Right; Miners' New Matte Lip Paints are Worth a Look!

Earlier in the week I received a collection of lip paints from Miners' new matte range. I have to say, they went straight into my kitchen drawer until I found time to have a proper look at them.

But Ruth Crilly over at A Model Recommends piqued my interest in the product when I read this post.

So out came the lip paints, as I gleefully tried them all on for the next five minutes.

Pigmentation-wise, these are great. But I'm not at all surprised, having been equally as impressed with the pigmentation and staying power of Miners' fashion matte lipsticks in an old blog post.

You don't get those awful white tell tale matte lipstick lines around your lips with these, either. They dry fast and stay put. I have to say I'm not overly keen on the matte look, so I've been applying a clear gloss or lip balm over the top.

Though there's only six colours, the shade range is pretty good - with a nude, pale pink, shocking pink, coral pink, dark pink and cherry red.

But the really great thing about these lip paints is the price - at just £3.99 each.

Ruth's only complaint about the product was its sickly sweet scent, but I have to say I'm a fan.

Have you tried anything from Miners?

Don't forget to see what Ruth thought of the product here.

Got a Hair Question? Put it to the Experts at John Frieda!

The team behind John Frieda is working on a series of tutorial videos for the autumn/winter season - and they want you to get involved!

The John Frieda Facebook page will feature videos comprising tips and hints from John Frieda stylists.

Do you struggle to get natural looking curls that last? Chose which styling technique you’d like and experts from John Frieda will show you how to perfect the look.

You can also submit your hair questions for John Frieda's stylists to answer. Hop on over to Facebook to have a look. I know I'd like some tips on how to get better coverage when I'm dying my hair from home!

Project Facepack: Round One!

Eagle eyed ALTH readers will have read my recent post about a brand new skin care feature on my blog; one in which I test face packs (both high street and high end) on the quest for better skin.

So, without further ado...under the spotlight for the very first PF is....

As well as being seduced by the price (I paid about £3.49 in Sainbury's of this Good Things Five Minute Facial Mask, the fact that its free from parabens and that it's been a favourite of quite a few bloggers were also deal breakers when I popped out to buy my very first PF subject.

The blurb: 

            "GOOD THINGS SKINCARE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY AWARD-WINNING BEAUTY WRITER ALICE HART-DAVIS USING HER YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY, THE GOOD THINGS RANGE USES SUPERFRUIT BEAUTY BOOSTER IN GENTLE, SUPER-EFFECTIVE FORMULATIONS AND IS SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SKIN."

What did I think?

Call me childish, but I half expected the colour of the product itself to be a nice pale pink or purple (owing to the pretty packaging) but was surprised to find it was a grim, Hallowe'en-y green.

That said, the mask itself was lovely. Easy to apply and it really did dry in 5 minutes. Its avocado and goji berry scent was not too overpowering and the face pack seemed to glide on the skin.

After five minutes was up, the product was easily washed off with cleanser and luke warm water (unusual for those products that have a clay-like texture on your skin).

I've used this a couple of times now. The first time I suffered a mild break out a few days later, but dismissed this as hormonal, as after using it a second time my skin remained clear and soft.

Which face pack should I try next? Do leave your recommendations in the comments below. Have you tried this face pack - and what did you think?

Battle of the Body Butters!

Got dry skin? Hands up who neglects their legs and arms while the cooler autumn/winter weather sees us wrap up in trousers and chunky knits. Do you skip shaving your legs because you're wearing tights? 

Who doesn't?

Despite slathering our faces with all manner of lotions and potions (who owns a day AND night cream?), decent body care tends to fall by the wayside.

In fact, my body care routine ends at soap and shower gel - and I bet I'm not the only one.

Just lately I've decided to make more of an effort, delving deep into my stash of toiletries and saying hello to all manner of moisturising treats; body lotions, body butters and rich souffles.

The problem is I have quite a pile to work through. You know how it is; you get a body butter with every gift set at Christmas and before you know it, you have enough to open a small shop.

So I've been testing body creams, for no other reason than I realise I should take better care of my skin.

Here's what I thought:

 

First up; Burt's Bees Fragrance Free Shea Butter & Vitamin E Body Lotion

While I appreciate fragrance-free lotions and potions are ideal for sensitive skin, I much prefer something with a scent to it - even a light one. That said, this ultra-moisturising lotion went on smoothly and was non greasy. 

 Natural Collection Passionfruit Mini Shimmer Lotion - this smells amazing! And if it wasn't for the mass amount of chunky glitter in this product, I'd be stocking up on this little lovely.

I remember Natural Collection from my teens; I used to spray their cheap and cheerful body sprays like they were going out of fashion. 

And while this product is a little on the sticky side, its fragrance more than makes up for it. A perfect size for your travel bag, too.

I'm a huge fan of Botanics by Boots. Simple and gentle, its products contain a whole host of natural ingredients and don't break the bank. So when I received this mammoth-sized body butter for my birthday as part of a set, I figured it was about time to start looking after my skin.

In terms of scent, this is light and very 'clean' smelling - almost a little medicinal, which I like in a product. 

Containing honey and grapeseed oil, this is moisturising without being too greasy. Well worth a look if you haven't yet tried Botanics.

Finally....

I picked up this Triple Moisture Black Amethyst Body Cream in Bath & Body Works on a recent holiday to the US. The shop was doing a labour day weekend (Bank Holiday Weekend, for us Brits) special - 3 products from the B&BW signature line for the price of two.

I went for my favourite -  Sweet Pea hand cream -  a Sweet Pea shower gel and this. It's not like me to chuck a body butter in my basket, but I'm so glad I did.

This combines everything I love in a product; great scent, non greasy and cheap as chips! 

What body butter do you use? Or do you tend not to bother?

FTC Disclaimer: The Burt's Bees product was sent to me for review condideration. All other products were paid for with my own moulah. As ever, all opinions are my own and 100% honest and I have not been paid to write this post, nor am I affiliated with any of the brands above.

Started Your Christmas Shopping?

Cute, kitsch Alice Wonderland-inspired trinkets and treasures seem to be in high demand since the Tim Burton film release. And if you haven't started your Christmas shopping, you might want to check out this handmade jewellery line by a friend of mine, Lucy.

Perfect as stocking fillers, these bracelets, necklaces, rings and antique-esque watches by Lucy Lockets make great little gifts.

Hop on over and take a look at Lucy's Facebook page - I'm sure she'd be thrilled. From what I can gather from comments on her page, the jewellery is going down a treat with customers.

Reasonably priced and packaged in cute gift pouches, the gifts can be shipped anywhere in the UK - just contact Lucy via Facebook if you're interested in any particular piece. Thanks for looking

Love Lauren and Lucy x x x

FTC Disclaimer: I have not been paid to write this post; I'm just promoting a friend's site as a favour. All opnions are my own and 100% honest, as always.

Who's Won Lauren Luke's Book?

Pic credit: We Heart It


A big thank you to everyone who entered my competition to win Lauren Luke's (aka YouTube's Panacea81) book.

I popped all the names into a hat and my colleague, Mel selected the winner. Drum roll please...


Congratulations, Jude!

Please email me at laurenholden6@gmail.com and I'll make sure the book gets to you asap.

Coming up on ALTH very soon....the first instalment of Project Facebook and some delightful Burt's Bees Christmas treats!

Introducing...Project Facepack!

I love skin care - and one of the items I spend the most on is undoubtedly face packs. So I'd like to introduce you to a brand new ALTH feature - starting soon on the blog. 'Project Facepack' will see me embark on an exciting beauty challenge, testing face masks and packs to their limit. On the quest for better skin, I'll try 'high end' luxury products, budget brands and everything in between; reporting my findings back to you in a weekly feature.

Keep your eyes peeled!

Do you love face masks? What skin care item do you splurge on? 

A big thanks to my colleague, Mel who created the Project Facepack banner : )

Twilight Fans: This One's for You....

I've got to be honest here; I've not been swept away by Twilight (yet). True, Taylor Lautner's a bit of a hunk; Robert Pattinson's not bad either, but the plot has done nothing for me.

ALTH subscribers may disagree, I'm sure - which is why I thought you'd be pleased to discover that the tools (PRO Beauty Tools) used to create the female actresses' hair dos on set are now on sale.

Including the Sparkle Ceramic Ionic Dryer (pictured), the Sparkle Ceramic Styling Iron, the Sparkle Ceramic Detailer and the Sparkle Ceramic Styler, the limited edition styling gadgets are 'aimed at creating the latest looks of the movies' character' and are very much inspired by the latest Twilight saga.

And just so you really know these are inspired by Twilight, the products feature 'luxurious midnight purple casing with a spellbinding shimmering finish.'

Who'd dash out and get these? And who's already got them on their Christmas list?

You've Seen Her On YouTube - Now WIN Her Book!

As a beauty blogger or fellow beauty fan, no doubt you're also a huge fan of Lauren Luke (aka Panacea81) and her fantastic YouTube videos.

Lauren's book, 'Look Like a Star' features all her favourite make-up looks, hints, tips, tricks and more - and I'm giving one lucky ALTH reader the chance to win a copy.

All you need to do is subscribe to my blog and comment below.

The giveaway will end this Friday (October 14) at noon. Good luck everyone!

This Week I've Been....

Using...

...a host of brand new products, courtesy of Burt's Bees and Sleek.

Usually, my daily moisturiser is this cheap, cheerful but equally effective one from Clean and Clear. But when this fancy schmancy one (pictured below) dropped through my letterbox from the Burt's Bees PR team, I was intrigued.

A night cream, this moisturiser for sensitive skin is fragrance-free and full of lovely ingredients. I'm looking forward to giving it a proper go.

I've replaced my Bourjois Rose d'or blusher (stunning colour by the way) for this slightly scary looking one by Sleek in the shade 'Pixie Pink'. Don't be put off by the colour in the pan; when used with a light hand this gives a lovely rosy pink flush to the cheeks. Tres impressed.

And finally...after ditching the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing for my oily/dry combination skin), I've since moved onto this cleanser by the brand Eve Taylor.

I stumbled across the brand after having a facial recently - and its super gentle cleanser has quickly become a staple skin care product for me. It's made my skin silky soft and so far I've not had to endure any nasty break outs. It also produces little lather when wet, which I believe is a sign that few harsh chemicals have gone into it? I thoroughly recommend it if you're looking for a new cleanser.

Listening to....

CSS! The band is due to play my hometown of Lancaster at the city's library (yep, a library - you did read that right) and I'm ridiculously excited. They play the evening before we go to see The Drums in Manchester on their UK tour. Two bands well worth checking out, if you haven't already.



Also worth a listen this week: Kate Jackson's (formerly of the band The Long Blondes) new solo stuff (currently available to download online for free). Go and have a look if you get a minute.

Watching...

That 1930s classic, Top Hat - played out on stage at Manchester's The Lowry last week. Me and my Mum bobbed along to the show (starring Strictly Come Dancing's Tom Chamberlain and former Hollyoaks' actress Summer Strallen) on Thursday - and absolutely loved every minute of it.

Based on the film of the same name (featuring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers), the show was captivating from start to finish. Featuring tap dancing, great comedy and some top notch acting; (seriously, you wouldn't believe an actress so good came out of Hollyoaks!) it was no wonder the show attracted a sell-out crowd.

Enjoying a three-week run, the show has now finished; but make sure you have a look at this YouTube clip below. I challenge you to watch it without tapping your toes ; )


Anyone who's in Manchester should definitely check out the Lowry's website to see what's coming up. I've got my eye on its Christmas production of Scrooge!

Looking forward to....
...a visit from some old university chums in a couple of weeks' time. As a result of their impending arrival, I'm madly trying to get my flat organised so it's looking suitably spic and span. I have a job on my hands...

What have you been up to this week?

FTC Disclaimer: All opinions are 100% honest and my own, as always. I was sent the Burt's Bees moisturiser for review consideration, but all other products have been bought with my own moulah.

Pick 'n' NYX!

Okay, so the post title doesn't have quite the same ring to it if you don't pronounce NYX as in 'Nicks', rather than NYX, but hey ho.

Being a NYX newbie, I was chuffed to bits when a friend of mine (who runs bargain beauty site Beauty Fragrances) sent me a tidy stash of the US brand's products to try.

Amongst the loot was a clear mascara, a Cheryl Cole-esque shocking pink lip liner, a couple of nude lippies, a pink lip gloss and some chubby eye pencils.

The brand has only recently (within the last year or so) become available to buy in shops here in the UK, having been solely sold online previously.

But customers looking to save on NYX's RRP prices, can be sure of a cheap do over at Beauty Fragrances, with cut price products on offer.

The lipsticks were easily the standout product for me. I've never been able to pull off a nude shade, but I was seriously impressed with the colour pay off and how long lasting the famous NYX round lipsticks were. I have the shades 'Circe' (seen on the left in the photo) and 'Pumpkin Pie'.

A true 'concealer lips esque nude', a Beauty Fragrances spokesperson tells me this lipstick has literally been selling like hot cakes, as is a similar neutral lipstick by Barry M.

For me at least, the shade on the right is much more wearable - a peachy pink nude.

These NYX chubby eye pencils looked great, once I'd mastered the application. I found they worked best used as a shadow applied over primer or another powder shadow. I used 'Milk', the white shade for brightening my eyes by applying in the inner corners, but as yet I haven't been brave enough to sport the black stick. This has been reserved for Hallowe'en, when I'll really go all out on the eye make-up.

Elsewhere, the pigmentation of these is great. However, their creamy texture means they don't last as long as they might.

The clear mascara was by far my least favourite of the bunch. Ideal if you want to separate the lashes, but aside from this it didn't do much else. I suspect I'll whip the lip liner out the next time I wear my shocking pink Miners lipstick (mentioned in this post) and the lip gloss, though not a colour I'd normally opt for, was surprisingly pigmented and velvety soft on application.

Have you tried NYX products? What are your thoughts?

FTC Disclaimer: I was sent these products from a friend for myself, not for review consideration. However, noting NYX's appeal I realised a post would benefit some of those who've not yet tried any of its products. All opnions are 100% honest and my own, as always.

Miners Nail It with its Autumn/Winter Polishes!

Miners Cosmetics (anyone remember getting the products free with their Mizz magazine many moons ago?) has unveiled its brand spanking new range of polishes for autumn/winter.

Introducing beautiful deep, dark tones to our collections, this fashion-forward array of city inspired shades start from only £2.99 each.

 From left to right: Fairytale of New York, London's Calling, Bangkok Blues, Plum and Weekend in Paris

I'm not a big nail polish wearer myself. I occasionally treat myself to a pedicure before a holiday, but that's about it. So these new polishes - lovely though they are - have been donated to Helen and Mel, a couple of make-up mad work colleagues.

They've been busy testing out the shades - Bangkok Blues, London's Calling, Fairytale of New York, Weekend in Paris and Plum - and this is what they thought:

Mel said: "I thought the polishes were great value for money and I was very impressed with the application and coverage"

Helen said: "It did take me two coats to get the right coverage, but I love the colours - especially the dark grey one."

To purchase these polishes, head to Miners' new-look website.
FTC Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Miners, neither have I been paid to do this review. The products were sent to me for review consideration only, and all opinions are 100% honest and my own - well,  my colleagues'.