MUA Out There Plumping Lipgloss

As these glosses were on offer I decided to get six out of the 8 shades available, I picked a good mix of bluey and reddy pinks and am pretty pleased with all the colours and how they translate to the lips.

These glosses are a lot more pigmented than most, especially for a cheaper gloss but the shine does last longer than the colour which starts to disappear after around 2-3 hours. They aren't sticky which is brilliant because that's one of the things I hate about glosses but because they're quite thick theres still the risk of getting your hair stuck to your lips which is a bit of a pain!

Each colour contains MUA's 'Maxi Lip' plumping agents (from the ingredients I'm guessing maybe Vanillyl Butyl Ether and cinnamon) and I was pretty sceptical about whether it would do anything to the size of my lips as I have ELF's plumping gloss which doesn't do much and it's only the bee venom glosses which do make me swell up. I was really pleasantly surprised though as after having the gloss on for a few minutes my lips start to tingle, feel hot and definitely plump up around the edges. The feeling is like the heat you get on your lips from eating something spicy. Another good thing about these glosses is that while they plump they don't dry out my lips like a lot of lip products seem to do, although as you can see from the photos below the lighter colours do accentuate the fine lines a little.

Really the only bad thing I have to say about these glosses is the smell, its not horrible but makes me think of a mixture of plastic and cocoa powder which isn't that appetising, and a bit of mint or really any smell wouldn't have gone amiss.

Left to Right- Nude / Candy Pink / Peach Shimmer / Shocking Pink / Pink Sugar / Sienna

As you can probably tell I'm loving these glosses at the moment, if you're more of a pinky than reddy person like me I think you'll definitely appreciate the choice of shades. I went a little out of my comfort zone when picking Sienna as it looks very orange in the tube but on the lips is a bit more toned down and I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of wear out of it. The MUA Out There Plumping Lipgloss is available for £2 from MUA online or Superdrug.

Do you have any of these glosses? Which colour is your favourite?

Haul- MUA / Mac / Cosmo / Laurens Way

I've been a bit naughty and let loose with my bank card in the last few days so am fully expecting another call from the bank to give me a ticking off about not moving money round enough again, but nevermind! This time I wont care so much because I have some lovely goodies to show for it that I cant wait to try out, its only 9 days into the month and I've already bought most of my wishlist.. whoops!

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Deep / Lauren's Way Darker than Dark Bronzing Lotion / Olay Everyday Sunshine in Deep / Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge / MUA Undressed Palette & Undress Me Too / MUA Undress Your Skin Powder Highlighter / MUA E3 Blending Brush & F2 Stippling Brush / Mua Matte Perfect Primer / MUA Extreme Felt Liner in Black / MUA Power Pouts in Irreplaceable & Heart Broken / MUA Out There Plumping Gloss in Nude, Sienna, Peach Shimmer, Pink Sugar, Shocking Pink & Candy Pink /

I suppose this is more of an MUA haul than anything else (lots of things on sale!) but I did get a few little bits from other brands, the Mac MSF I'm excited to try out as a bronzer/contour colour and Lauren's Way is one of my favourite tans so I'm so pleased to use this again. There was a bit of postal drama as one of the packets split and postman was picking Power Pouts out of his post bag. A couple of bits had gone missing but I managed to pick them up from Superdrug so hopefully can get a refund, do you think the post men are all down the sorting office smothered in matte primer and plumping gloss??!

I had a no make up day today as my tan was developing so did some hand swatches but haven't tried out all of the goodies yet- I have tried the Out There glosses and love all the colours especially Nude and Sienna (the orange on the left), they also have quite a big plumping action on me and I could feel it in my lips more than I expected but I think that's a big plus especially as they were only £1 each (hence why I bought 6!).
The colours of the Power Pouts are also lovely although I didn't have them on for long, and I tried the highlighter just in the corners of my eyes to avoid disturbing my fake tan and it gave such a gorgeous glow I think it might look great on the lids as well as cheeks!
The two brushes are super soft and I'm looking forward to using them although I was a bit disappointed that the Stippling brush's handle was so long as I wanted a smallish one to put in my make up bag (another reason to get a new make up bag!), Ive also washed the Blend Perfection Sponge ready for trying out when I get my face on tomorrow.

I'm really pleased with my purchases and looking forward to trying them all out and writing some reviews, I still have a few bits from my last trip to Asda to write about so I'd better get typing!

Let me know if you have any of these products and what you think about them, or if youre planning a little haul yourself?

George Cheeky Tint in Pink Blossom

While perusing the aisles of Asda a couple of weeks ago there were a few things from George's make up range that caught my eye, one of which was their Cheeky Tint! (their exclamation mark not mine!) in no.2 Pink Blossom. This is a cheek and lip tint that comes in two shades, I chose the lightest of the two as I have a small bottle of Benefit's Benetint and the strong red colour doesn't suit me too well so wanted something a bit pinker.

The Cheeky Tint comes in a nail varnish style pink bottle (very shiny! I had a bit of trouble taking photos of it just in daylight) with a soft brush, the brush is nice on the cheeks but for the lips its a bit too soft to get a defined line at the edges so I use a lip brush to apply.
This tint is quite a lot lighter than Benefit's Benetint and has a colour and consistency a little closer to Posietint- a blue undertoned pink half way between a liquid and a cream. The forumulas are quite similar in the fact that if you buff at it too much then it just disappears and the Cheeky Tint is more sheer so needs two or three layers to get a good depth of colour. It blends out easily with fingers but Ive been dabbing on two or three dots at a time with the brush and then blending with my Real Techniques Kabuki.

Apart from the softness of the brush on the lips, I found there were a couple of other downsides to the product- I get a strange tingling on the lips as it dries which isn't uncomfortable but was a bit expected, it also takes quite a while to dry which can be annoying but at least doesn't dry my lips out when it's on. I found that as it's a tint rather than stain it does tend to fade after meals and throughout the day, my lips still look pink rather than red but it does need topping up for brightness.

Despite the downsides I think this tint looks really natural on the cheeks and lips, it gives a nice wash of colour that can also be built up but has that rosiness on the cheeks that makes you look like you have a bit of a glow. I think it looks a lot more natural than a powder as it blends with the texture of your foundation to look more like skin rather than just sitting on top.

George also do a Cheeky Tint in the colour Rose which is a bit darker and redder, and while at Asda I also picked up a cream highlighter and a blush stick from the range so will be writing out a couple of reviews for them soon.

George Cheeky Tint applied to lips with a lip brush and blended out on cheeks with a Real Techniques Kabuki. Taken with Iphone 4s, natural light.

The George Pink Blossom Cheeky Tint is available for £3.50 at Asda so if you're looking for an affordable alternative to the £24.50 Posietint then I think this is a great contender (you can also get it sent with your shopping if you do it online which is a little plus!).

April Wishlist

This month I've decided to actually make a realistic wishlist! While my previous lists haven't been full of mental Tom Ford/SUQQU/Sisley high end items they just werent really realistic for me, so this month Ive created a list with items that I actually have a chance of owning within the month!

1. Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge- Ive been in two minds about blending sponges but have recently decided that I really would like one in my life and this is meant to be just as good as the Beauty Blender but for quite a few pounds less! My face isnt really particularly small but I do find brushes can be a little larger than Id like on my cheeks so the pointed end of the sponge seems perfect, and the fact that you can use all sides would make it a great multitasker.

2. Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Deep- I've been through a few bronzers recently and despite washing my brush after each use I still seem to get very blemishy along my contour lines. My usual Mac MSF in Light Medium isnt my favourite powder at the moment but the forumula has never given me any trouble so I thought Id try a darker MSF as a bronzer in the hope of not causing my skin more grief.

3. Lauren's Way Bronzing Lotion in Darker than Dark- This is one of my all time favourites and Im not too sure why I havent written a post on it yet. It gives a lovely deep colour and doesnt wear off too unevenly to leave me looking like some sort of scaly lizard as some do!

4. Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner Pencils in Black & Flash- You can never have too many black eyeliners and my favourite of the moment has gone a bit hard and waxy on me so Im looking for another. These are meant to stay put even in the waterline which is perfect as I tend to go for waterproof pencils for their staying ability. Im also after a nice long wearing flesh coloured pencil for my waterline so am looking to see how the Flash colour performs (I wonder if thats a mispelling of 'Flesh' that caught on).

5. MUA Matte Perfect Primer- I took a look at the MUA website the other day and have gone a bit lust mad for all their products! This primer is meant to be very similar to Benefit's Porefessional with its silicone texture and skin tone colour. Im really looking for something for the centre of my face- across my nose and the middle of my cheeks, as my foundation always sinks into my pores quickly and needs reblending much more often than it should.

6 & 9. Barry M Dazzle Dust in Bronze and Gold Iridescent- Ive got a Dazzle Dust pot in Tan which is a nice pinky colour but not one I wear very often so more of a brown colour would be perfect. Im also looking for something shiny for my inner eye corners thats a bit less pink than what Im using at the moment so the Gold Iridescent would hopefully be the perfect thing.

7 & 8. MUA E3 Blending Brush and F2 Stippling Brush- Its always handy to have another blending brush when putting eyeshadow on and this little cheapy is meant to be pretty good, Im also looking for a smaller stippling brush for blush and to fit in my make up bag so hopefully this will do the job.

9. MUA Highlighting Powder- I can't say it wasnt partly the gorgeous pattern of the pressed powder that drew me to this product but Ive hit my pan on my Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow and feel like I want to try a powder as a bit of a change.

10. MUA Power Pout in Irreplaceable- It seems like lots of brands are bringing out Cilinique Chubby Stick style lip products at the moment, but for £3 I cant really sniff at MUA's offering- reviewed as just the right miz of lipstick and balm, the Power Pouts sound like just my kind of product as my Revlon Strawberry Shortcake lip butter is coming to the end and I love a pinky lip.

11. MUA Undress Me Too Palette- Im really town between this palette, the Undress Me palette and the Heaven and Earth Palette. They all have a good mixture of shimmery and matte neutral tones similar to UD's Naked and Naked 2 and are pretty pigmented which is great for the price and I find some of the cheaper shimmery eyeshadows tend to look a bit samey as they dont have much colour.

12. MUA Out There Plumping Lip Gloss in bascially every colour (told you Id gone MUA mad!)- My friend has a few of these and they look so gorgous, not so big on the plumping but very pigmented and not sticky which is one of my biggest hates in lipglosses. At the moment theyre on offer for £1, so seeing as theyre half price I can have twice as many right?

Whats on your April wishlist?

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation & Stay Matte Powder

While at the supermarket the other day I had a quick look at the make up stands and decided to get a few things Ive wanted to try for a while. I picked up the Wake Me Up foundation in 100 Ivory and 200 Soft Beige, Stay Matte powder in 001 Transparent, Sun Shimmer Bronzing powder in Medium Matte, and also repurchased the Stay Matte Concealer and Match Perfection 2-in-1 Concealer, both in 030 Classic Beige.

The Wake Me Up Foundation (£8.99) is very widely reviewed and even those who love high end foundations really rate this as one of their favourites. I was a bit disappointed with the shades range as there was only 3 colours in both the shops I looked in and I tend to be inbetween shades especially when my face is tanned. As you can see from the photo, there is a massive difference between 100 and 200, and I do have to mix them because on their own they're completely out for my face!

The first thing I noticed when I used the foundation was the overwhelming smell, I wondered why no one had mentioned this in their reviews, but after the second use it dissipated quite well and its now very bearable. I really like this foundation and its been the only Ive used since buying it, its more matte than my usual Healthy Mix and Healthy Mix Serum but that's what I was looking for as I'm battling a bit of shine at the moment. It does have little shimmer particles in which I wasn't expecting but its not too much, and does make my skin look awake without being too shiny. I'm quite pleased with the coverage as well even though I have to build it up in a couple of areas, it doesn't get too thick or cakey which I love.
My only gripe is that this, like the other Rimmel foundations that Ive tried, does oxidise a bit on my skin and occasionally needs reblending, but its not a massive issue so hasn't put my off the Wake Me Up.

I bought the Stay Matte Powder (£3.99) as my Mac MSF in Light Medium just wasn't cutting it anymore, but I'm still quite undecided on the this powder. It does keep me quite matte but only keeps my make up in place for a little while and when I wear it I feel like my face looks a bit flat. I bought the shade 001 transparent as powder colours can often be a bit off for my skin and it's the shade that the lovely Tanya Burr uses (and she always looks great!). I was expecting this powder to be a lot better than my MSF and unfortunately so far am a little disappointed but am sticking with it in the hope that I might change my mind.

The Sun Shimmer Bronzing Compact in Medium Matte (£4.49) that you can see in the photo above is a lovely deep colour but Ive been having trouble with bronzers breaking me out recently and unfortunately this one was no exception. Ive been through 2 or 3 by different brands over the last few months so I think its just my skin but would recommend it if you don't have a sensitivity like me as it took barely any effort to get a great depth of colour and blended out nicely.

While at the Rimmel stand I also had a look for the Wake Me Up concealer (as if 2 Rimmel concealers wasn't enough!) but unfortunately they didn't have it. They did though have the Wake Me Up Shimmer Touch in Shimmering Sand and Radiance Rose. I haven't heard much about these and on my hand couldnt really decide what I thought, so if you have any reviews I'd love to take a look!

Do or DIY: Magnetic Palette, Depotting & How to Fix Broken Powders

Buying an empty magnetic can cost you quite a bit, they range from about £15 up past £20, and none of the ones I've seen are as big as I would've liked them to be.
Fancying a bit of DIY and not having very much money, I decided to make a couple of my own magnetic palettes to hold single shadows and shadows from small palettes.

The end result is on the outside quite similar to the original mac magnetic palettes, that signature rubberised plastic, hard opaque exterior and tightly snapping clasp. The similarities end on the inside though as my palette can hold all manner of pan shapes and sizes so I can see all my single/small shadows in one place and use them more often without having to find them first!

And the best bit? This palette cost less than £9 to make, with enough materials left to make a hand bag travel size palette as well. Click below to find out how to make your own magnetic palette.

I'm going to start off with how to make a magnetic palette, then move on to the depotting so you have something to put in it!

For the Palette:
-An empty palette, or one with the inner bits to hold the pans taken out. I bought one very similar to this one from Ebay.
-A self adhesive magnetic sheet. These need to have a reasonably strong magnetic pull, I bought this one in size A4 which was plenty for my palette and to use on the bottom of pans. (Self adhesive is not essential, it just means you'll be able to stick the magnets quickly & easily to the pans).
-Some WD40
-A Pencil and Scissors
-Glue (PVA is fine)

1. First you need to remove anything that's already there to hold the pans inside your palette. The palette I bought had a flimsy plastic interior that took a bit of prying and leverage to get off the base.
2. Next you need to remove any glue that's left on the bottom of your palette, this is what the WD40 is for- it takes a bit of rubbing (use an old cloth or sponge) but makes it really easy to get the glue off.
3. Then you need to measure round your palette onto the magnetic sheet. Make sure to measure accurately and remember to mark out any clasps etc that may change the shape of the inside of your palette. Mark this onto the magnetic sheet and then cut out, its always better to go a little bigger and cut bits off instead of going too small in the beginning.
4. Check you've got the size and shape right by placing the sheet into the palette, it should be a tight fit to avoid powder from slipping down cracks and being impossible to clean out. Then cover the inside base of the palette with glue, right up to the edges. We're using glue and the sheet's self adhesive to make sure it really sticks- there would be nothing worse than the sheet coming loose and all your powders smashing.
5. Finally, remove the backing to the magnetic sheet and place over the glue, making sure to press down firmly.

Now you have your palette made, you need something to put in it! You ll find lots of pan depotting guides on youtube etc but this is the method I used, and some little tricks that worked for me. You might find that once you've depotted them some pans are already magnetic which is great and will save time on the last step of the palette, the ones of mine that turned out to be magnetic were by Rimmel, Borjouis and Loreal.

This is a shadow I made by crushing light coloured bronzing pearls and pressing into an empty depotted pan, as detailed below. 

A Quick Guide to Depotting:
You'll need
- Hair Straighteners, mine are pretty old, any will do
- A small square of Tin Foil just to protect the straightener
- A pair of Tweezers and a Needle or Thick pin
- A pair of Scissors

1. First gather all the shadows, blushers, bronzers etc you want to depot and take the inner pan holder out of the outer palette. Its not the end of the world if it wont come out but it will make depotting a lot quicker.
2. Next turn your straighteners so one of the plates is facing upwards and place the tin foil on the plate. Once the straighteners have reached temperature, place a powder you want to depot onto the plate, pan holder against the tin foil. If your pan holder is holding more than one shadow then depot in sections according to how much you can fit on your straightener plate.
3. Be patient, it might take quite a while for the straightener to melt the glue holding the pot down, and you might find the plastic melts before the glue does (this is what the tin foil is for). Don't be alarmed if it starts to smell, this is just the plastic.
4. After 5-6 minutes test your pan- hold the plastic pan holder by the edges as it will be hot and use the tweezers to get down a gap between the pan and holder, and try to pull the pan out. You might find that some come out really easily and others take a lot of work even when they've been on the straighteners for a long time. Be careful with this step as you don't want to break your shadow! If you cant find a gap that will fit your tweezers down or you're having difficulty prising the pan out, use the needle (This worked best for me, and prevented the pans bending too much). 
5. Once you get the pan out remember that its metal and very hot!! use your tweezers, or if its too big use the scissors, to place it onto a surface out the way. Use a tissue or toilet paper to prevent the melted glue sticking.
6. Once the pan has cooled enough to hold, use the tweezers to pick off as much glue as you can from the bottom of the pan. This will help it to sit flat in the palette.

Help Ive Broken a Powder!

You might find that your pan flicks out suddenly and your powder shatters, or the metal of your pan might bend as you're removing it and half the powder breaks. You don't have to throw these away or lose half your powder:

-Crush up all the powder in the pan (trust me) until there are no lumps.
-Mix in a few drops of surgical alcohol (Ive used absinthe in a pinch but drinking alcohol doesn't evaporate as quickly and leaves an odd smell).
-Mix until all the powder is incorporated then find an object a bit smaller than your pan, cover with a folded tissue and press down hard. Keep moving the tissue to soak up as much of the liquid as you can make sure every part of the pan has been pressed down firmly.
-Then leave to dry and your powder will be good as new!

You can buy various sized magnetics to put on the bottom of your newly depotted pans but I think using the magnetic sheet is fine as it holds well and you can cut it to size.
Cut it down and place on the bottom of your pans along with a sticker telling you whats in the pan- brand, colour, and the palette it came from.
Most magnetic sheets are polarised in thin lines so you might need to spin the pan to get it to hold, but once you get it the right way round it'll snap into place and be held well. Ive taken my palette around in my handbag (which I like to chuck about) and have had no casualties so far.

I hope you found this quick guide interesting, I'm so pleased with my palette. I have a little empty ELF palette left over that didn't melt badly which will be perfect to make into a tiny handbag palette and useful as most of my favourite shadows are now magnetic!

Maybelline 24 hr Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze

I'd seen the Color Tattoos floating around on other blogs and so the other day decided to pick one up to see what I thought, I chose the colour On and On Bronze.
(the berries seemed pretty fitting for the weather recently, even though its nearly April!)

Im usually not a bit fan of cream eyeshadows- I have oily uneven lids that need a good layer of foundation to even out and then a base powder to stop my eyeshadows moving or creasing so I was interested to see whether this little pot of shimmery brown would live up to its 24 hour no creasing hype. Im very pleased to say that it does, even just on top of foundation it's going no where and there hasnt been a crease in sight!

The colour is a bronzey brown with silver shimmer that can be used sheer or built up to be more intense. Its quite a bit more frosty in person than in photos which I wasnt expecting and I tend to go for wamer colours with a gold instead of silver shimmer, but I do like the colour and have got a lot of wear out of it so far.

It blends easily even with my finger and doesnt set too fast so can be reblended if need be or shadow can be applied before it dries so help it stick better. I wear this colour alone during the day and at night layer it with wamer and darker colours for a bit of definition. This gel-cream eyeshadow usually lasts all day or night on me, I have slept in it and while it didnt look quite the same as before I went to bed, it was still there in the morning which is quite impressive.

These shadows are available for £4.99 and come in a good shade range however I tend to stick to neutrals and pinks so while the brighter colours do appeal to me, Id rather look at them in the pot than put them on my eyes. Two shades Ive fallen in love with (Too Cool and Pomegranate Punk) are only available in the States which is a bit of a disappointment, but I think my next purchase will definitely be the slightly warmer Eternal Gold.

Dont laugh at my posey face! 24 hr Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze shaded with St Moriz Bronzing Powder and shimmery black from Bourjois Effets Lumiere Trio in Les Argents (close up taken before blending). Photos taken on Iphone 4s with flash.

Review: Nailgenie Kwik Wipes

Not long ago I was given a tub of Nailgenie Kwik Wipes, acetone free nail polish remover pads that claim to also naturally condition the nails. The polish remover on these pads is made from Organic Methyl Esters which gives the pads an oily feel and a slightly plastic-y smell which is in my opinion much nicer than the acetone smell of normal polish removers.

On first use I rubbed the pad on my nail as I would with normal acetone and wasnt impressed at how difficult it was to get my polish off and how long it took, but after changing technique I found these wipes are actually much quicker and more effective than my usual polish remover (Cutex). The trick is to swipe the pad once on each nail of one hand, then do the same with the other hand and by the time you come back to your first nail (about 10 seconds later) the oil will have started to break down the polish and you can rub it off quickly and easily, using one pad for all 10 nails. Im not sure what it is about leaving the oil on the nail for a few seconds that helps the process, but after that theres definitely not as much rubbing as with my usual Cutex, and not as much wastage of cotton wool as the polish rubs right off onto the pad.

After use my fingers definitely need a quick wash, not because they smell horrible but because the oils in the product make my fingers feel a bit greasy. After washing my nails dont look flaky and my cuticles are moisturised due to the natural blended oils included in the product to condition the nail.

The Kiwk Wipes are made by KK Toiletries who also make a resealable pack of self tan wipes which contain the highest allowed concentration of DHA. I cant remember the last time I used self tan without a guide colour but it would be interesting to try these if I can find anywhere near me that sells them!

The Kwik Wipes come in tubs of 40 and can be found at Truly Fair Cosmetics for £2.50 or Ebay for £3.69, its also worth checking your local chemist as they may stock them there.

What do you usually use to remove your nail polish?

My Favourite Natural Beauty DIYs

There's something really satisfying about making a DIY recipe and seeing results afterwards. Ive always been a fan of homemade face masks but since becoming allergic to normal shampoo about 6 months ago Ive been trying out a lot of beauty recipes in a bit of an effort to reduce the amount of chemicals and nasties I put on my skin. Below are my favourites, some found from research and some reinvented by me. I'm no skin expert/pharmacist though so if you have a concern about using an ingredient then I'd advise just to skip that DIY!

Calming, Smoothing and Brightening Mask
Mix 2 tbsp Natural Oats with 4 tbsp water and microwave for approx 30 seconds until the oats become soft and soak up the water, add 1 tsp Honey, one mashed Banana and a couple of drops of Glycerine (available in the cake decorating section of the supermarket or from a chemist). Optionally you can also add a few drops of Tea Tree Oil to calm any blemishes.
I also like to add in 2 tsp of Engevita flakes. These are used as a condiment to add a savoury mushroomy flavour to food but are full of vitamins, minerals and micronutrients including high levels of Vitamin B which is brilliant for the skin! (Freederm acne gel is made from a form of Vitamin B).
Smear on your face, I would lean over a sink as the mixture is a bit lumpy, and wait for about 20 minutes or so until it dries (avoid mirrors so you don't give yourself a fright) then rinse off. Your skin will feel soft, glowy and toned without being tight.

After Makeup Spray
Mix a few drops of Glycerine with bottled water in a spray bottle to make a spray that takes away the powdery look of face powder, and can be used before make up to moisturise the skin (I haven't tried the second as my skin needs mattifying more than moisturising).

Mattifying Primer
For oily skin Milk of Magnesia (available from a chemist, I use Magnesium Oxide and water which is the same) will mattify the skin and keep it oil free under foundation. The mixture, especially if you're using magnesium oxide, will need to be shaken well as it separates when left to stand. Don't worry if you look a bit ghostly before your foundation goes on but If I apply too much I remove the excess with a powder brush.

Clarifying Shampoo
Use Bicarbonate of Soda to wash away hair product build up. Mix approx 3 tsp with your usual shampoo for a clarifying effect. Ive used this DIY a lot since becoming allergic to shampoo, I haven't yet found out the exact ingredient I'm allergic to so have stuck with a basic one that leaves my hair a bit dull. I flip my head over and make sure to get right in at the roots!

Sheer Coconut Lipgloss
Mix a powder blush or eyeshadow you're not likely to wear (I use bright pink eyeshadows) with Coconut Oil to create a sheer shiny gloss with moisturising properties and a coconut taste. I don't measure each out so its easier to start with a little of the oil and powder and keep adding more of each until you have the amount and consistency you like. The oil is solid at room temperature so the gloss can be kept in a pot or tin like lip balm but quickly melts to a moisturising shine in contact with body temperature. The oil stays glossy on the lips but once it has soaked in still leaves a light wash of colour that wont sink into cracks.
The gloss in the bottom right picture above was made with a light pink eyeshadow that had a touch of shimmer, it was a cheapy but works really well as a coconut gloss!

Quick Tooth Whitening
Use Bicarbonate of Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) to brush teeth for instant whitening. Dip toothbrush in the powder, add a little toothpaste and brush, you'll see the results straight afterwards! This is an abrasive way to whiten the teeth so shouldn't be used often and not at all if you have sore or sensitive gums.

Body and Self Tanning Oil
Make a DIY body oil by mixing virgin Coconut Oil with 1/4 virgin Olive Oil and a drop or two of your favourite essential oil. The olive oil stops the coconut oil from solidifying at room temperature and the coconut oil is easily absorbed to leave skin silky smooth.
This mixture is great for legs and dry areas like elbows, also works really well as a barrier on ankles, knees and elbows when self tanning to avoid the product clinging and becoming too dark. My right elbow for some reason turns very dark when I use tanning products but this oil works as the perfect barrier, the trick is to not rub it in completely.


Id love to know your favourite DIY beauty recipes, please tell me in the comments!