REVIEW | the body shop hemp hand protector

hey everyone!

today i'm reviewing the body shop's hemp hand protector, which was featured in my body shop haul - my first ever post!

firstly i would just like to say how much I love the packaging. i love how you can actually see how much you're using. the only thing is the lid - it does fall off in your bag which is a bit of a pain! but overall i really like it.

now to the product itself. the consistancy, as i tried to capture, is almost like a clay face mask. its very thick and when i first squeezed some out i was a bit skeptical as i'm not a fan of thick hand creams because they take so long to sink into the skin. i think the fact that it sinks into the skin so quickly combined with its consistancy makes it quite a unique because its rare to have something so thick and heavy sink in to the skin so quickly.

however i was really surprised when i actually applied it. it really does sink in so quickly and leaves your hands feeling SO soft, without leaving a horrible residue.

its very intensive, and it really works deep down into your skin, as opposed to coating your hands in a moisturising film and giving the illusion that its really working deep down to pamper your dry skin.

the only thing i don't really like about this product is the smell. it reminds me of tree bark, which isn't something I want my hands to smell like. I think its quite a love/hate kind of smell, but the quality of the product cancels out the smell completely!

what is your favourite hand cream? :)

thanks for reading!

maddie

xo

 

SHOPPING | tops

Hey everyone!

Yesterday I went to Brighton for the day with my friends and brought quite a few things!

I'm going to Sixth Form next month and there are no uniform rules which will definitely take some getting used to!

I knew I needed to get some skinny jeans because they're simple and easy to style and perfect for sixth form, and i got some in the zara sale the other week (£40 reduced to £15 - bargain!) and then i realised, because i never wear anything but dresses, i didn't have any tops to wear with the jeans... so i splurged yesterday and got quite a few!

i also got a bottle green zip up hoodie from primark (£12) and a black skater skirt from miss selfridge (£14) but i found these really hard to photograph and its not like you have to see them to know what i'm talking about! 

1. Tie-Dye Skull Top - TopShop, £22

this has quite a slightly boxy shape which i like - i think its because the sleeves are quite oversized. i love tie-dye tshirts and i like skull tshirts but i think they're a bit over done at the moment, whereas this blends the two together and the skull itself isn't so in your face.

i brought it in TopShop, but its actually by a brand called 'workshop,' which is a brand i haven't heard of before - i may have to check them out!

2&3. White Speckly Top - TopShop, £14

they have quite a few different colours of this top but i liked this one because the speckles stand out, whereas on the others the speckles are the same colour as the top itself.

TopShop are coming out with a sort of 'basics' range from what i can see which is a bit cheaper than the rest of their things, for example these tops and the fit and flare dresses. it's not a seperate range but the items are basic and relatively cheaper!

this top is very baggy, but not too baggy, and longer at the back which makes it ideal for wearing with leggings aswell as tucking into skirts, wearing with jeans and wearing over dresses - a simple but versatile piece!

4. Primark Men's Beatles Top, £3 & Primark Men's Jimi Hendrix Top, £8

More tops! I'm prefering the men's section of Primark to the women's - especially for basics like tshirts!

I LOVE the beatles and on the label it says £8 which I was willing to pay, but when I got it to the till it was £3 which I was very happy about!

I love the colour of the Jimi Hendrix top aswell as the design. I got this one in a large and its lovely and baggy and will be perfect for tucking into my skater skirt!

Sometimes tshirts from the highstreet with music, films or celebrities on can look quite cheap and tacky i find, but I think the Beatles one looks quite vintage and I just love the Jimi Hendrix one - and they're cheaper than other ones from other shops too!

However, because they are mens, they obviously shaped for mens which if I wore with just jeans wouldn't be very flattering on my body shape - I have big hips and thighs so that would just exaggerate this! when I tried these on I tried them on with my skater skirt and they look awesome because they still flatter my shape which I love! :)

5. Zara 'Worrying' Sweater - £9.99

I got this beauty in the sale - it was down from £25.99! i love it because its quite baggy but not too oversized which I like! It says 'Worrying Solves Nothing, Believe In You' which is such a lovely saying on a lovely sweater!

Sometimes I find sweaters can be quite tight around the neck but this is more crew neck which i prefer.

Its also very versatile - i could wear it with jeans, skirts, and over dresses!

thanks reading!

maddie

xo



MAC LIPSTICK DUPE | Modesty

MAC Modesty lipstick swatched with No7 romantic swatched underneath it

Modesty lipstick by MAC was my first ever purchase from MAC. i got it at around christmas time at the soho store - i felt rather swanky!

what i love about modesty is that its a very neutral colour - it isn't nude, and its definitely a 'your lips but better' kind of colour. its also a cremesheen finish, which makes it very moisturising and hydrating on the lips.

a few months later, when the boots no7 vouchers came out i was mooching around the no7 stand and picked up a moisture drench lipstick in 'romantic' from no7, without realising how similar it was to MAC's modesty.

they both have a moisturising finish, which has a slight sheen to it from the thickness of it, and they both are that neutral colour which is so easy to wear and will suit any skin tone.

there are obviously a few differences however. when swatched, you can see that romantic is slightly browner, where modesty swatches more pink. i find that i can wear modesty thicker on the lips than romantic, because the pink tone is more flattering on my skin tone, whereas romantic makes me look kind of ill if i wear it heavily! so i have to dab it on.

do you have any other MAC lipstick dupes?

thanks for reading!

maddie

xo

FAVOURITES | July

Hey everyone!

It's the end of july which means July favourites! but also it means its august which means the dreaded results day.... argh!

i love yankee candles, and the vanilla cupcake yankee candle could be my favourite scent that i've had. i prefer the medium sized jars because i find i get bored of the scent if i get a large one... i've only just finished one i got in the christmas sale at clintons and even then my mum had to finish it for me! but i love this scent.. it reminds me of baking and yuminess :)

the garnier summer body is a bit of a god send for pasty-legged gals like myself. i love this because i don't like having to wait for gradual tans to sink in, but this sinks in so quickly and smells divine - on the bottle it says it smells like apricots but i think it just smells generally fruity! the tan itself devolops within about 3 days i found, and i only apply it in the mornings so its great to see an almost instant result!

carmex is hands down the best lip balm i've tried. i don't get on with vaseline unless i have carmex on underneath it, because i find it just softens the lips instead of actually working deep down to nourish the lips. i have very dry lips and this works amazing for me! i like the fact that it tingles because it makes me feel like its working!

everyone loves the collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer, but i couldn't resist putting it in my favourites! it conceals EVERYTHING - i use it on spots, blackheads, redness, under eyes - you name it! i've even stopped wearing foundation or tinted moisturiser and i just use this and powder, which works so well for me!

i don't know if you can get the prestige highlighting powder anymore because i haven't seen the stands in boots for quite a while, but i love this. i favour it over benefit high beam - i find high beam looks quite un-natural on me, whereas this is the perfect shade. its quite a gold tonned highlighter, whereas high beam is more silver (please excuse my lack of makeup vocabulary!) i also like the fact that its a powder because i find it easier to apply.

i brought some converse last week and i absolutely love them. i was in fact a converse virgin before i brought these, but as i start sixth form in September i needed a pair of caual shoes i could wear with jeans. i only own chelsea boots and pumps so i thought it was about time i invest! my friends told me they are really comfy and they aren't wrong - they're like walking on air! they're so easy to wear aswell, i want more colours!

my obsession of the month - instagram. i love stalking other people's pictures and uploading my own. its such a great app! comment with your instagram usernames below - mine is 'maddiesinstagram' - inventive, i know ;D

thanks for reading!

maddie

xo

SHOPPING | the body shop

hey everyone!

a glorious little voucher code popped up in my mum's emails for 50% off body shop orders, and the UPS man delivered it today! yay! i saw him pulling up outside my house as i was halfway up the road walking my dog, so i had to walk fast but casually. smooth.

i can't say i've ever tried a wide variety of body shop products, only the body butters and the shower products, but i want to dabble in body shop products a bit more, and this was definitely the perfect opportunity to do this!

the banana shampoo and conditioner smell absoloutely divine. as i say this order only arrived today so i can only go on first impressions. but i must say i never knew i loved the scent of banana so much! i certainly hope the scent lingers! i'll keep you guys updated on the shampoo and conditioner, i want it to be good because of the smell!

i brought the sweet lemon shower gel for my dad as he loves a bit of citrus, but i couldn't resist the pink grapefruit shower gel for moi! it smells so summery and and fruity - its the kind of fruity frangrence that makes me feel thirsty. is that weird? and i may have to steal my dad's sweet lemon shower gel because it does smell rather delish!

the hemp hand protector is one of the only products i have tried, and i must say - this could be my new favourite hand cream. it could even beat soap and glory's hand food *OMG.* i'd heard so much about this so it was number one on my list! i will definitely do a more in-depth post on this, so i won't say too much but it's extremely moisturising but sinks in so quickly! perfect!

next is the spa wisdom argan oil and orange blossom body souffle. i remember this being the last thing i added to my basket, and i only really added it so it would bring me to the amount to get free postage. i'm not struck on this, i think its the smell. its very floral and i'm not a lover of strong floral scents. i'm also unsure on the consistency, however i will continue to use this and we'll see if it grows on me!

i knew i had to try the tea tree face mask because i've heard so much about it! it claims to 'instantly cool and lift away impurities,' and from what i've heard about it, it does just that. my skin has been quite naughty recently so here's hoping that this will knock it into shape!

i love the body scrubs from the body shop, so i decided to try the shea body scrub. it doesn't smell of much i don't think, i don't love it and i don't hate it but it doesn't really bother me! also, i was expecting it to be a creamy scrub, but its gel based so i imagine it will be quite oily on the skin, but as long as it doesn't leave a residue that's fine by me!

i will definitely do some reviews of these products.

as i say, i'm trying to get into the body shop more so if you have any recommendations please leave them below!

if you have any requests feel free to let me know :)

thanks for reading!

maddie

xo