Pamper Night In | The Essentials

Hello Girls! Hope you're all well. I keep seeing photo's on my Instagram (@misskendalwestonx) of other beauty bloggers pamper essentials, neatly stacked next to their bath tubs waiting to be used. I thought I may aswell turn my own into a blog post, as I religiously have a 'pamper night' on Fridays as I prepare for the weekend ahead. I think it's so important to take time out for yourself and just relax after a long week because otherwise there's no time to appreciate the little things. I apologise in advance for such a lengthy post! I always start with a really hot bubble bath and can sit there for up to 2 hours. It really is bliss, spending half of my time in there pampering myself beyond belief, and the other half dozing off.

I start off by pouring a rather generous amount of Soap & Glory's 'Calm One, Calm All' bubble bath into my bath water, and also, if I'm feeling particularly run down, I'll also chuck a Lush bath bomb in also. My favourite is 'Sex Bomb'; it contains sage, jasmine and ylang ylang which as you can imagine, leaves my bathroom smelling amazing, not to mention leaves the water a beautiful shade of pink too. A pamper night for me isn't complete if I don't have one of my Yankee Candles burming either! Cinnamon and Vanilla Cupcake are my all time favourites! I use my Soap & Glory 'Whipped Clean' shower butter to wash with and just sit there letting the bubble bath and bath bomb work wonders on my skin. I also like to pamper my hair every week by giving it a treat of a hair mask or ultra moisturising conditioner. I start by doing the usual routine I use which is using Aussie's 'Miracle Moist' as a shampoo, followed by my trusty Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment, then followed by Aussie's Miracle Moist conditioner. If you haven't tried this line from Aussie, I seriously can't recommend them highly enough. They works absolute wonders on dry and damaged hair and they smell like bubblegum which is such a nice touch. I'm also a massive fan of the 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor but if I sat and typed my love for it, we really would be here all day. Although I hate the fake tanning process with a real passion, I don't find it a drag to exfoliate as I'm so in love with my Soap & Glory 'Sugar Crush' body scrub. I must admit I'm not that much of a fan of the scent - don't get me wrong, I do like it but it's a bit too limey for me! That's not to say it doesn't leave my skin feeling silky soft after I use it! I then slather The Body Shop's 'Almond Body Butter' or Soap & Glory's 'The Righteous Butter' over my skin which is probably the reason I can't stop sniffing my skin after a pamper evening! Both of them smell absolutely amazing and are ultra moisturising. So moisturising in fact that I can still feel it on my skin the morning after. Nothing beats that feeling you have when you jump out of the bath into fresh cosy pyjamas! It really is amazing. Once I get out of my bubble bath, I blow dry my hair and put my SleepRollers in to achieve extra volume in my hair.

I also make sure I take the time out to pamper my skin a little. I'm quite lucky in the fact that I had relatively good skin, but I still like to do the whole shabang (if you know what I mean). I start by cleansing my face as normal using Soap & Glory's 'Peaches and Clean' - those who have tried and tested this will know just how amazing it really is. It's come to be one of my favourites ever, and melts away dirt and make up with ease, not to mention it also has the most gorgeous scent ever. I then somtimes use my Remington face steamer and sit and steam my face for a good ten or twenty minutes. I love how fresh my face feels after I use it, and it brings all impurities to the surface of the skin. Then, I use Soap & Glory's (yes, another Soap and Glory product!) 'Greatest Scrub Of All' as an exfoliator, which is a relatively new purchase. I really like it as it isn't too gritty and has a really clever formula where the micro beads in the cream pop open when you apply it to the heat of your skin. I really feel it work into my pores and it leaves me with a nice fresh layer of skin. That sounds really awful! After that I then use a face mask. I have a few favourites, but at the moment I'm bouncing between Lush's 'Cupcake' and the 'Mask of Magnaminty'. Both do absolute wonders for my skin and they're such a pleasure to use knowing that all of the ingredients are natural. I then go ahead and tweeze any stray eyebrow hairs and paint my nails whichever colour I fancy. And if that already isn't enough I slather on Soap & Glory's 'Heel Genius' over my toes and pull on a pair of thick cotton socks to help it soak in.

To help me relax even more, I'll spend the rest of my evening watching a few chick flicks or catching up on soaps, tucked up in bed (yes, on a Friday night) with a big mug of hot chocolate. My favourite chick flicks to watch, not that it's particularly beauty related, are Pretty Woman, Sex and the City, the boxset of Absolutely Fabulous and Bridget Jones. If I'm feeling brave I'll watch the Scream films back to back or some other horror film which will keep me up all night. As many of you know I'm currently on a diet and am fast approaching loosing my first stone already. I make sure that I allow myself one treat meal a week, and this is usually eaten on a Friday or Saturday night. This is the perfect way to round off my pamper night in! Once again, I'm sorry for such a lenghty post. But I would love to see what everyone else does or uses during their pamper sessions!

November Favourites

Hello Ladies! Can you believe Christmas is nearly upon us?! This year for me has gone way too fast. It feels like only yesterday I was counting down to 2012. It's now December which means only one thing. The stress begins - Christmas shopping, planning, outfits to buy... the list is endless. As is tradition I have a few products I've been using this month (a few days late) which are a combination of new and old favourites which I thought I'd share with you all. 

YSL Thick Volume Curls Mascara - I am a little guilty of wearing false eyelashes on a daily basis. Who has the time to whip out the mascara in the morning when you'd much rather be in bed? But I've rediscovered my love for this mascara. It separates my lashes and gives them a false lash look in a flash. I may do a more in depth review sometime soon.

Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream - Who doesn't know about the beauty secret that is loved by the likes of Cheryl Cole and Kelly Brook that is all-hail Sudocrem? When I've had a few spots (damn you cold weather) this stuff has cleared them up so quickly. I absolutely swear by the stuff and it's so cheap and easy to get hold of.

St Tropez Gradual Tan Body Moisturiser - Gone are the days of sitting in the garden topping up your tan during Summer. I'm not as much of a faux tan fiend as I used to be, but this stuff gives me a nice subtle tan while moisturising beyond belief. Time for me to put that fake tan mitt away for a while. 

SleepRollers Bun Ring - Bun rings and hairpieces are my absolute life saviour. I have countless bun rings in different sizes but for me, the bigger the better. I find this to be one of those products I can't simply be without. It's so quick and easy to use, and you don't need to use heat in order to use it. Winning.

MUA Undressed Palette - Up until the past two weeks I was using my Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes Palette for an everyday eye. I was clearing out my draws when I found this beauty! I love every single shade in this palette and it's an absolute essential for any beauty junkie. Read my full review here

YSL Rouge Pure Shine Lipstick - I have a naughty habit and lipsticks are definitely my guilty pleasure. I have an insane amount. I absolutely love this stuff. It doesn't budge, it's hydrating, the colour is gorgeous and it lasts a hell of a long time. Although it's a little pricey, I've put a few shades on my Christmas list. One can dream.

What have been your favourite products this month?

Sleep Rollers - Goodbye Sleepless Nights, Hello Great Hair

Hi Girls! So this post is way overdue, as I've been using the infamous Sleep Rollers for quite some time now. If like me you are a massive fan of big bouncy Cheryl Cole-esque hair which looks fresh from the salon then these answer all of your problems, and wait for the best bit; while you sleep! I first saw and heard about the Sleep In Rollers when I was watching Desperate Scousewives on E4 just before Christmas. I had a huge hair crush on Amanda Harrington and Debbie O'Toole who's hair was just to die for. It had length, volume and the perfect amount of bounce which were achieved using just basic velcro rollers. I'd also seen so many celebrities rocking the same type of rollers including Amy Childs, Tamara Ecclestone (who I have a big girl crush on) and Alex Curran. I took to Twitter to ask around about which brand they all used and it turned out they used Sleep Rollers, a company based in Liverpool which sell the ultimate range of hair accessories. They stock absolutely massive bun rings (I think around 10cm wide which is amazing), bun plaits, rollers, and they've just bought out rollers which have glitter inside the actual roller. I am in hair heaven! I'll be reviewing these quite thoroughly as I don't find that many people do so get comfy!

 

Source: Google

I done my research before I bought these little beauties as I wanted to see what other girls just like me thought about them. It turned out that these (obviously by the name, duh) that they were rollers which done their job while you slept. What an amazing idea! I remember the days I used to be a slave to hard velcro rollers and sleep in them, wondering why I had a sore head and neck the morning after. Sleep Rollers are designed with a small sponge in the centre of the velcro roller, which flatten as you head is on the pillow. They are designed to be comfortable and stay in place all night. I was slightly apprehensive about this but make my order and waited eagerly for them to arrive. I paid £16.50 and bought them from the online retailer (buy them here). I believe they were on offer at the time I purchased them so I'm not quite sure of the price now, I think they're roughly £20.00.  While I was on the site I also made a cheeky purchase of the XL bun ring and a bun plait too (ooh ow naughty of me). I received my rollers in 4 days which was pretty standard for any type of delivery. 

The packaging is so sweet and pretty, everything is pink which is massive bonus if you are a girly girl like myself. It came in a medium sized pink drawstring bag which is made of quite sturdy material and has rose detailing around the top of the bag. They are the original sleep rollers as so many companies have copped onto the idea of them (cough cough Lauren Goodger I'm looking at you!) and so have the company logo on the bag with the usual "Goodbye Sleepless Nights Hello Great Hair!!!" slogan slapped across the front. I opened the bag and squealed with delight. The rollers are the brightest pink colour ever and I just love that you can still look great even when you have them in. 2 packs were inside each containing 10 rollers each (you do the maths) which would be enough to cover my whole head. If you have extra long or thick hair, you may need to invest in an extra pack of 10, they sell them on the website for £8.99 and it saves so much hassle trying to squeeze just 20 into your hair. 

When it came to about 8pm I decided to start my venture into the world of Sleep Rollers. I had a programme to watch at 9 so I'd have enough time to get the hang of things. So I washed and blow dried my hair as normal (read my review on my shampoo and conditioner here) and opened my packets of rollers with my kirby grips at the ready. As I'm quite experienced in the hair roller field I found them so easy to put in. I would suggest that practice definitely makes perfect as they take a while to get the hang of. I secured them with kirby grips in places I needed to. I quite like the natural body look so I left a few out, my hair was still warm from the blow dry which meant the rollers would set more nicely. After putting my head of rollers in which took no more than 15 minutes, I settled in to bed to watch my programme and was a bit apprehensive to sleep on them.

Bedtime came around so I pulled my duvet over and tried to get comfortable. As I'm always honest when I review a product, I will tell you that these still aren't ultra comfortable. I did find them quite annoying after moving my head position roughly 20 times, but settled down on my side in the end. I didn't have a bad sleep like some people claim they do and woke up i the morning, granted the tops of my ears were a little sore. I was so surprised that they'd stayed in place all night and hadn't moved at all. I started taking them out individually although they were a little tangled and I absolutely loved the effect it had on my hair. It was big, bouncy and rather than a defined curl which I think can only be achieved with a wand or tong, there was a nice wave to it. I don't have a photograph to show the effect that first morning as I was very late for work but the one below shows them after I'd used them for about a month (sorry for the awful picture quality) and got to know them quite well. I think it looks glam, classy and so natural. You don't always need heat to make your hair look great which to me is a huge added bonus. Some girls with shorter hair may not like these as there is no length to it without the use of clip in hair extensions. Instead of putting them into my actual hair I sometimes roll my extensions flat on a table, spray them with hairspray and leave the to set overnight. Providing the extension is of good quality and have been shampooed and conditioned, the effect as just the same as what is achieved on the natural hair. You then simply unroll the extensions and clip them in.

So what's so good about them? They are made for sleeping in, so there isn't too much discomfort which hard rollers supply you with (how nice of them). They moulded nicely into the shape of my hair as I slept without taking the effect of the bounce away too as they don't have metal or plastic in them. This means heat can be applied for the rollers to take full effect, depending on the type of look you're after. They stay secure all night and don't roll out overnight. This may be down to the amount of velcro on the actual roller and the kirby grips but I find they don't budge whatsoever. They're cheap for the amount of hair tool you receive and last a lifetime. After using mine so often the quality hasn't dropped and none have been broken or damaged. The bag which comes with the rollers is so compact and ideal for slipping into your suitcase, I've taken mine on some weekends away and the drawstring bag is ideal. As they flatten there's peace of mind knowing that's exactly what they are designed to do. Last but not least, the finished result. I absolutely love the effect Sleep Rollers have on my hair. They leave a gorgeous Victoria's Secret-esque style on my hair. I don't want to blow my own trumpet but they really do make my hair look salon fresh every morning. It gave my normally straight hair volume, body and wave without using heat. 

Do you use sleep in rollers? Or do you have another type you use?

July Favourites

So, it's that time of month where all beauty bloggers reveal their favourite finds from throughout the month. I admit that July has been a great month for me in terms of finding lovely products which I've been in turn obsessing over, and I'd love to share them all with you. This is my first monthly favourites post and it's a little picture heavy so I apologise in advance.

Sleep Rollers - You must have been hiding under a rock if you haven't heard of these little beauties. I bought them a few months back and ever since then I've worn them at every given opportunity as I love them so much. I'm planning to do a full review of these, as I know rollers and especially Sleep Rollers are a hair product that people are very apprehensive about. But they're great for me, and I've been using them all month to achieve big bouncy hair. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo for Dark Brown Hair - Sometimes you just can't be bothered to wash your locks, and have to sit through blow drying your hair with the annoying prospect of being unable to style your hair on the day it has been washed. I've been loving the dry shampoo from Batiste which adds a tone of dark brown to your hair, which is great if your roots begin to come through. (I'm slightly guilty of this now, my natural hair is blonde so it looks disgustingly grey against my dark brown hair. Eek!)

St Tropez Gradual Tan Moisturiser - In recently raved about the infamous Dove Summer Glow Body Moisturiser, but I've found an even better replacement. Sure, it may be a little on the pricey side, but for a gradual tanning product which delivers nicer, longer lasting results I can just about justify it. I am loving this stuff, and plan to write a full review on it soon.

ReBorn at New Look Cross and Pearl Necklace - If you read my blog you'll know that I recently bought this necklace for a bargain of only £6.00 at New Look in Westfield, London. Since then, I've been wearing it with pretty much everything. I love that it's so versatile and doesn't catch in my long hair either which is a huge added bonus. Read my full review on it here. 

Benefit Get Bent Mascara - I love Benefit make up, and I've never been disappointed when purchasing something. I love the packaging of this mascara and it looks lovely in my make-up bag when I could never usually find my mascara buried under everything. It gives my lashes great volume and the brush is angled which makes for great application.

Nails Inc in Love Potion - I'm a complete sucker for pale barbie pink nail polishes as I find that they really bring out a tan. Nails Inc have a great selection of colours, and this ticks all the right boxes. It's chip resistant, long lasting and very pigmented. I only need to apply one coat and I'm good to go.

MAC Lusture Lipstick in Jubilee - As I've mentioned in previous posts, I absolutely adore pale pink and nude lipsticks. Having accumulated quite the collection on lipsticks, I've been using MAC's Lusture lipstick which gives a lovely glossy finish and long lasting colour. 

Rescue Oil - It's almost time to put on my bikini and get tanning when I jet off on holiday in a few weeks time. EEEK! I've been doing some body prep and begun using Rescue Oil which contains the same ingredients as Bio Oil but is a fraction of the price. I'm planning to do a full review of this sometime soon so I can tell you just how amazing this stuff is!

Soap and Glory Flake Away - I adore Soap and Glory! The packaging, the smell, the price and of course the product. Flake Away is great as an exfoliator to prepare your skin for tanning, and it makes it unbelievably soft. It makes e that little less frightened to get my legs out when the sun shines.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub - I am so addicted to this stuff, and find myself reaching for it at every given moment before I put my make-up on. I recently done a review on it here so take a read and see why I love it so much.

What were your favourite products from this month?


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