Top Beauty Hacks That Every Girl Needs To AVOID

It has been ages since I last posted a hacks post, I posted a top ten beauty hacks post which you can view here and this time I have some top tips that needs to be avoided, I had to share these! Hopefully you'll be more aware of what's a good hack and what needs to be forgotten!

1. Using Coconut oil as a face moisturiser.

It is perfectly fine to use this in the hair or on the body but on the face? NO! You will end up with clogged pores and potentially have some breakouts so steer clear of this!

2. Exfoliating your face with sugar, salt or baking soda.

These are very harsh on the face, stick to only facial scrubs that can be bought in store, I repeat do not try to make a DIY facial scrub, better to be safe than sorry because these ingredients are just too harsh for the face.

3. Using toothpaste on spots.

I used to do this when I was a teen but apparently it doesn't work and could make the spot more red and irritated. Yes it can dry the spot out due to the baking soda and peroxide but again, something just not for the face.

4. Using lemon juice to lighten the skin.
Another ingredient found in DIY facials, seriously this is very harmful to the skin. It can actually cause your skin to burn due to the acid in the lemon. Lemon juice also contains a chemical called psoralen which makes your skin extremely reactive to light for a full day after you've used it on your face!

5. Using hairspray to set your make-up... Yes I couldn't believe it either!
Apparently this beauty hack can be found on youtube?! Hairspray should just be used on hair and nothing else. This is really harmful to the skin, regardless. It causes nothing but damage to your health and skin, Hairspray contains a high amount of alcohol so if used on the face, it will dehydrate the skin intensely and also cause redness to the skin and block your pores too. Inhaling the fumes is also really bad, these are very toxic so something to really stay away from.

6. Using egg whites to tighten the skin.

Ahh! Another one of those popular DIY face masks that you can easily find on the internet. There is a huge risk of salmonella! You could accidentally ingest some of the egg white, it's a risk and trust me it's not worth it. Since it's so gloopy, you could also spill this and bacteria would spread so basically just stick to making omelettes instead!

Which beauty hack are you guilty of doing? Mine's number 4... Yikes!

Asda Pabs The Pug Gift Cake Review

I have a huge sweet tooth and I am always on the lookout for the cutest cakes, biscuits and any other sweet treats. I thought that I should start reviewing this here as a kind of switch up between mostly beauty posts. Hopefully these reviews will help you to decide what sweet treat to go for and none of these posts from this series is sponsored, it's just that I genuinely want to review them and of course I paid for these too! So now on to the review!

A p p e a r a n c e:

Ok so this may be the cutest ever gift cake you will ever see! The cake comes in a pretty pastel blue box. The fondant pieces used really makes this look like the sweetest pug ever! The fondant colours are spot on and this would definitely catch your eye in the cake aisle. Though gift cakes are supposed to be small, for the price, this seems a bit on the smaller side of things. This costed £4 and is said to have six servings but if you have a sweet tooth like myself, it would more likely be four servings ^^ haha!

T a s t e:

I really liked this cake. It really reminded me of the same taste as those fondant birthday cakes you would find at kid's parties and I'm not complaining. The fondant is also chocolate flavoured which I wasn't expecting. I thought that the fondant was only coloured and have no flavour so that was a nice touch. The sponge is soft and you can definitely taste the vanilla, there is also the right amount of jam and buttercream. Surprisingly it's not too sweet either which is great! One slice is definitely not enough ^^ 

Q u a l i t y:

Overall this is a pretty good cake, from the decorations to the taste of the sponge and fondant. It will look great at any party or as a gift. I think this is one gift cake you need to buy and try. A really flavourful cake that's super cute and is something I would definitely buy again. My overall rating 9/10, 9 because of the size but otherwise it was a fabulous cake!

Have you tried this gift cake? Check it out here - link

Essence The Gel Nail Polish in '55 Be Awesome Tonight!'

I LOVE ESSENCE. Fact. Essence Cosmetics have such good quality products with amazing colour pay off and long lasting results and this time I wanted to review a nail polish. Boy! Does this small bottle mean business!

Essence has a huge range of the gel nail polish colours and each with great pigmentation, long wearing ability and with a very purse friendly price. £1.60 a pop, there's not much to dislike. This particular polish is my absolute favourite, if you know me well you know how much I love pink!

Product description:

Essence The Gel Nail Polish - the next generation of essence nail polishes is here! The special nail polish formula provides nails with an incredibly long-lasting manicure and an amazing gel shine. The innovative colour technology offers intensive colour and perfect coverage, giving you an incredible finish. You'll find plenty of brand spanking new colours in the range for spring.

Essence have reformulated their nail polishes to bring an affordable range that gives you gel nails in the comfort of your own home, with the use of their base and top coat you will be able to achieve gel nails without the use of a UV lamp, impressive right?!

The packaging is quite cute, the colour coordinated caps to the super wide brush to allow careful and really neat application in a stroke means it's already a winner for me!

55 Be Awesome Tonight! is a beautiful milky bubblegum pink colour which is definitely one shade I would recommend out of the whole collection, The colour was fully opaque after just two coats and has such a brilliant shine. I applied this colour without the use of a base and top coat and even without I was able to get a great wear before the first ever chip and believe me it wasn't until after a fair amount of days which was amazing!

As a huge Essence fan, I really do commend the brand for bring out such a fabulous range of colours for such an impressive line of nail polishes. Like other Essence products, the quality is just like a high end product but without the huge price tag. If you have not tried a polish from Essence then you seriously need to!

Check it out here - link //£1.60 available at Wilko.

The Lazy Girl's Guide To Baking Brownies

Lately I have been craving brownies like crazy but since I do like 101 things at the same time, I do not have the energy to whip up some fresh homemade brownies so that's why I turned towards the Betty Crocker range.
I remember using the Betty Crocker range in my early teen years and I still enjoy baking and using the kits today. There is a new range now called 'Delights' and within the range I spotted the salted caramel brownie kit *drools* I knew I had to try this one and who knew that the brownies would turn out so indulgent, decadent and melt-in-the-mouth goodness... I know I'll be sticking to this kit and after trying out so many other brownie making kits this one definitely won in terms of taste and quality.

Ingredients:
1 Medium-Sized Egg
4 tbsp Water
Oil or 42g Salted Butter (I opted for salted butter)
2 Pinches of Sea salt

Method:
Fire up your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan assisted ovens) / Gas Mark 4.
Only 3 steps to the perfect brownies...
1 Mix egg, water, oil (or melted salted butter) and brownie mix together with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Then mix the caramel sauce with 2 pinches of salt in a separate bowl and heat for 30 seconds in the microwave.
2 Grease and line with baking paper the base of a 20cm square cake tin. Spread half of the batter into the tin. Drizzle and spread out the caramel sauce on the brownie batter. Cover with the rest of the brownie batter.
3 Bake for 22-25 mins or until sticky crumbs cling to a knife inserted into the centre. Allow to cool before enjoying a slice or three of this delicious brownie.

These were the most easiest brownies I have ever made and what made me love these was the taste. I was truly amazed at how rich and 'homemade' they tasted. I wouldn't even think to use another kit!

Pick up a kit at your local supermarket for only £2.85!

Have you tried this kit?

Lust List #2 Too Faced Cosmetics

After countless hours of reading make-up reviews and scrolling through endless pretty Too Faced make-up photos on Instagram & Pinterest, I have come to a conclusion that it's time to try this brand. The products looks so instagram-worthy and not to mention how pretty the pink packaging is. So here are the top five products that I want to own one day soon.

T H E   F A C E: 

There are a total of three products that I really want to get my paws on, I think if I used all three together I could achieve the most flawless and shimmerin' base ever!

Diamond Highlighter (£28) is like ultimate highlighter goals! I heart the packaging and since I love trying out different highlighters and wear them daily, this would make the obvious next purchase.

Heart eyes for the Love Flush Blusher (£26) This reminds me so much of the 90s Polly Pocket packaging, it's so cute! Pink blushers are a favourite of mine and I have heard so much about this, think it's time to try it out.

To have an overall fantastic make-up look, you need a great base, that's why I need the Hangover Primer (£32) in my life. This promises to hydrate, smooth and brighten the skin. What more could you want?

T H E   E Y E S:

Volumised lashes are my favourite look so I decided to add the Size Queen Mascara (£18.90) to my wishlist, I have heard alot about the infamous 'better than sex' mascara but I'm looking for lashes that are larger than life! This mascara also has conditioning fibres and it stretches the lashes so that it can reach it's optimum length.

Cat flicks are so cute to wear and the Sketch Marker (£20) would help me to achieve feline flicks in moments, the sketch markers are inspired by Japanese calligraphy pens and also come in a huge array of cute colours too! I swatched the black one and it's insanely pigmented and really long lasting too!

What is your favourite product from Too Faced? Comment below!

Essence Get Your Glitter On Loose Glitters and Pigments Review

Get festival ready with Essence Cosmetics! Oh boy! What a lovely new launch that is really upto date and on trend! Essence have released a line of fifteen, yes fifteen! Loose glitter pigments along with a special glitter glue primer and a glitter/pigment applicator. These cute little pots cost only £3* each (7g) and there are so many fabulous choices to choose from so you can really get your glitter on!

"Coarse glitter flakes, colourful confetti or fine glitter dust - the various glitter pigments offer everything for a breathtakingly individual look. worn individually, they create an insane wow-look, combined with other glitter colours or shapes they become a statement. Whether for face or body, the 15 loose pigments & glitters make everyone shine - true to the motto: get your glitter on!"

I was lovingly sent two from the entire collection and believe me I really would of only picked these two since they are so versatile and they both would go easily with any look. Holo White Out 07 is a beautiful holographic white shimmer which has a stunning green shine when seen in a different angle and Star Child 01 is a cute little pot of silver sparkly stars!

This handy little tube is the perfect base for adhering your glitter and sparkles. This lightweight glitter primer has a lovely pearlescent finish which shines pink in the light. It has a dewy finish and manages to hold onto the glitter/shimmer/sequins very well. I like that the primer is not colourless because the pearl/shine effect actually adds to the shimmer/sequins and goes very well together. This primer is also suitable for both the face and body! £2.80* (10ml)

I think this is a lovely launch from Essence Cosmetics! Easy to use and very affordable so anyone can have a chance to play around and get creative this summer. My personal favourite product is the Glitter Primer, simply because of that gorgeous pink sheen!

What do you think of Essence's loose glitters/pigments and primer?

*These products were gifted to me for reviewing purposes ^^