Tuesday 29 April 2014

REVIEW: Collection Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Creams

I tend to lean towards matte lipsticks over ones with a glossy finish. I find that the added shine can make my lips actually look thinner. However, the problem with some matte lipsticks is they dry the lips out so when I saw these lip creams from Collection that promise a matte finish but with extra moisture, I was quite intrigued and picked up a couple to try out...

Fairy Cake (Top) & Cotton Candy (Bottom)

Firstly, the colours. I chose 'Cotton Candy' which is a really nice mauve toned dark pink; its not a baby pink by any means.  I also went for 'Fairy Cake' which is more of a coral toned pink. I didn't really like the look of the other colours if I'm honest and other than the two I bought, I thought the colour range was a tad limited. The pigmentation is very high which is a plus for me. 

Secondly, the smell. Oh my god! They're perfectly named because they smell delicious. Imagine sweeties mixed with vanilla... YUM! 

Thirdly, the texture. These lip creams apply very softly and beautifully to the lips and feel quite, erm, creamy. However, once they set, you can really feel and see the matte finish they have. If you suffer from chapped lips (as I do), pop a little bit of lip balm underneath. This will stop your lips feeling bitty and chalky when the creams dry. 

Without flash
With flash

And finally, the price and packaging. These retail for £2.99 each which I think is a bargain if these are the type of products you like and you wear these colours a lot! I do like the packaging, its very compact, fitting into your make-up bag quite nicely and the doe-foot applicator is also nice.

So, how would I rate these? 

I'd give them a 4 out of 5. I love the pigmentation of the colours, packaging and of course the smell. They do however smudge a little bit which can put some people off. 

However for £2.99 each, I don't think you can go far wrong with these. 

Have you tried these lip creams from Collection? What did you think?

Collection Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Creams are available for purchase from Superdrug here or from Boots here

Thank you for reading!





Saturday 5 April 2014

Courtyard Salon and Spa | Review

As I live away from home and my same hairdresser for the last 4 years, I can get a little anxious when faced with split ends and the idea of someone else cutting my hair that I've spent so much time growing. However, it got to the point where my ends were so damaged that I couldn't put it off any longer. 

This is when I noticed along the chalkboard outside of the Courtyard Salon and Spa in Twickenham, offering a £10 model hair cut. I decided to bite the bullet and book an appointment. I figured, "Well I only want a trim, so how bad can it be?". 

I'm so glad that I did book an appointment because the whole experience at the Courtyard was amazing. No exaggeration. 

I'll start from the beginning (naturally). When I walked in, I was warmly greeted by Ebony; an extremely friendly receptionist who showed me to my chair and bought me a complimentary drink and a biscuit. Now, this may not be much of a big deal to some of you but I found this little gesture really great. It's the small things that get me, clearly. 

Whilst waiting for my hairdresser Lauren, I perused my surroundings which I must admit are beautifully decorated. The salon has a great earthy feel with it's exposed brick walls but yet still modern with its ornate chandeliers. The whole place just felt cosy and warm; very comforting. 

Once I met Lauren, she consulted me on my hair; its history, its condition and what products I use. She was extremely insightful about what kind of products I should and shouldn't be using. She understood completely what I wanted from my haircut, making sure she asked all appropriate questions before going ahead.

This is where the experience starts. I was given 2 oils to try which would be used for a very relaxing head massage. A head massage?! Good heavens, I felt like I was in a lap of luxury, nothing I'd had experienced before. I was then taken over to the basins to have my hair washed whilst relaxing even further in a massage chair. The luxury carries on with its winning streak. Whilst Lauren was washing my hair, we chatted about everything from my upcoming 21st birthday party to Tom Hardy. Usual girl talk :)

There's not much to say for this bit as Lauren just snipped away at my hair, cutting off all the frazzled ends, putting my layers back in and tidying up my fringe. What I will say is that whilst she was blow drying my hair, Ebony came and gave me a lovely and relaxing hand massage with some gorgeous smelling products... Heaven!

As I was leaving, Lauren very kindly gave me 4 half price vouchers for me and my friends!

I'd like to emphasise the word experience because that is what it was completely. The Courtyard Salon and Spa turn your usual 6 weekly haircut into a relaxing experience where you can have a chat and at the end of it all, walk out with gorgeous, healthy hair. 

Although I don't have any pictures of the finished hair cut (silly Paris!), I have got some pictures of my hair after I had washed and styled it myself. I think this is important because its too often the case that you have this amazing haircut that swooshes beautifully, then when you try and recreate it yourself it just doesn't cut the mustard.

My hair styled myself. I think this was a week after the cut.
I hope you enjoyed reading this review of the Courtyard Salon and Spa (and like my new haircut too!)

Thank you for reading!

Paris x