Review: Cloud Nine Original Straightening Iron

Hi everyone,

I have recently treated myself to a brand new pair of hair straighteners, as the pair which I had before were around fourteen years old. So, I thought it was time to get a new pair.

I decided to purchase the Cloud 9 Original Straightening Iron, as it was the one that appealed to me the most. It's also really easy to use and you can adjust the temperature at a click of a switch.

I love how easily it glides through my hair with no tugging or pulling, and it also leaves my hair with a smooth and glossy finish.

In The Box

- Cloud 9 Original Iron

- Protective heat guard

- Luxury heat resistant carry case

Claims

- Mineral infused plates glides smoothly through the hair. Leaving beautifully conditioned and highly polished locks

- Innovative temperature control from a hair friendly 100 degrees through to a hot 200 degrees

- Floating & super smooth plates and curved body will allow you to straighten, curl, flick and wave without dragging or catching your hair

I'm really impressed on how straight it leaves my hair. But also it actually stays straight right up until I wash my hair, which I wasn't expecting. Also, the heat resistant carry case is a lovely bonus because while your sectioning and sorting out your hair to straighten it, you can just place the straighteners in the case until your ready to straighten, and they'll be safe while they on. Another additional safety feature is that if the straighteners are accidentally left on it will knock itself off after 30 minutes.

Please make sure that you use them safely, because they are an electrical product; and remember to turn them off when not in use. Once you have finished using them, leave them to cool down before you put them away.

Calligraphy Haul

Hi everyone,

I thought I would try out calligraphy as a new hobby, but to do that I needed to invest in some calligraphy supplies.

Nib + Ink By Chiara Perano
This is a book all to do with modern calligraphy, which at the moment seems to be everywhere. Its starts off simple by getting you to do swirls and using different strokes, and then it starts slowly building you up to do your alphabet and joining letters together. It also gives you ideas for what you can use modern calligraphy for, and also the supplies which will help you along your journey into learning how to do modern calligraphy. 
ISBN: 978-0-75355-728-0

For my calligraphy supplies I went to a website called Penman Direct (www.penmandirect.co.uk), which is a really easy to use and full of advice along the way.

Inks

I decided to purchase both a blue and a black ink. For my calligraphy practice I'm using the black ink, and once I get more into doing calligraphy I will start to use the blue ink.

Black ink - Calli Ink in Jet Black India

Blue Ink - Peliken 4001 Ink in Royal Blue

Nibs

I purchased a selection of both nibs to do Italic/ Manuscript Calligraphy, and also nibs to do modern calligraphy.

HIRO Leonardt Rond in 4, 4.5, & 5

The HIRO Leonadrt Rond calligraphy nibs are to do Italic/ Manuscript calligraphy. I decided to get one of each of the medium sizes which are in 4, 4.5, & 5. Each of the different sizes gives a different size thickness of strokes.

Manuscript Italic in Broad, Medium & Fine

The Manuscript Italic nibs are also Manuscript calligraphy nibs. Again, I purchased them in different sizes. I purchased one broad nib, two medium nibs, and two fine nibs.

Tachikawa G Modern Calligraphy Nibs

The Modern Calligraphy nibs I chose where the Tachikawa G nibs as these where the nicest of the modern calligraphy nibs, and also the most durable. I actually purchased four of these in all.

I purchased No. 2 plain painted wooden penholders, which hold the nibs. I got two in red, and two in blue. The red have a narrow nib holder, and the blue are slightly more broad in width.

I also purchased two Leonardt nib tins, just to protect the nibs when they are not in use. I have one tin for Italic/ Manuscript nibs, and a tin for modern calligraphy nibs.

Product Empties - October 2016

Hi everyone,

Its product empties time again. In this post they will be a mixture of old/ new products, as well as a couple of disappointing products.

Garnier Original Micellar Water

I was pleasantly surprised on how much this actually resembles the famous Bioderma micellar water, only this one is more budget friendly. I've got another bottle of this currently on the go, as well as having another two as back ups for when I run out.

Body Shop Absinth Purifying Hand Wash

This is my favourite hand wash from the Body Shop, and I have gone through a couple of these in the past. I have one more as a back up, and I would repurchase again in the future.

B&BW Beautiful Day Deep Cleansing Hand Soap

I love the deep cleansing hand soaps from Bath & Body Works, as they do an excellent job at exfoliating the hands while washing them. I have quite a few of these in back stock in a variety of different scents, but I have one more in 'Beautiful Day'. I will repurchase these again in the future.

Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter

I've been through a few of the Body Shop's body butters, and I do really like them. But I'm in the mood for a change, so once I've used up the last Body Shop body butter and a few other body butters/ body lotions then I'm changing to something else. The satsuma body butter is nice, but I actually prefer the satsuma shower gel rather than the body butter. I would consider buying it again in the future.

Aesop Camomile Concentrate Anti-Blemish Masque

This mask is fabulous at pulling out all of the impurities from the skin.I only used this once a week, only on my T-zone, and this tiny pot lasted me just over a year because you don't use that much product. I would consider buying this again, but at the moment I have a number of purifying face masks to get through.

L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel (Sample)

I got this as part of a free gift, and I just wanted to use it up. It's an okay shower gel, but its nothing special and that makes it overpriced for what it is. I do have a one in a slightly larger size that I want to use up, but I don't think I would buy one full price unless its their lavender shower gel.

B&BW Pocketbacs in Island Margarita & Beautiful Day

I love the pocketbacs from Bath & Body Works, and I have gone through quite a few in the past. The Island Margarita pocketbac is lovely as it smells like a cocktail, and the Beautiful Day pocketbac smells like apples. I have at least another three in Island Margarita in my back ups, but I think thats the last of the Beautiful Day pocketbacs.

Nuxe Reve de Miel Cleansing Gel (Duluxe Sample)

I think I went through this in two weeks because I had to use quite a bit of product to really cleanse my face. It has a lovely honey fragrance, and it also has the texture of honey which I found a little strange at first. But I wasn't overly impressed with this cleanser has a whole, so I won't be purchasing it in the near future.

Malin & Goetz Clarifying Clay Mask (Duluxe Sample)

This was a lovely gentle clarifying mask, so it might be ideal if you have acne prone sensitive skin. It was also very effective, even though I did only use it in my T-zone. I would consider buying this in the future.

Baylis & Harding Steam Cream Wash

This was an okay shower gel to use, and it had a lovely oriential scent to it. I might consider purchasing this again in the future, but at the moment I have quite a lot of shower gel to work through.

Impulse Very Pink Body Fragrance

I kept this in my locker at work and I just used it to freshen up whenever I needed it. I'm on my last one of these, but I would consider purchasing these again in the future.

L'Occitane Pivoine Sublime Perfecting Cream (Duluxe Sample)

This was a lovely moisturiser to use as part of my morning skincare routine, and it also had a gorgeous floral fragrance. I would consider purchasing this again in the future.

Lancome Energie de Vie Liquid Moisturiser (Sample)

Don't be fooled by the small sample size, as I got around a months worth of use out of each of these moisturiser samples because you don't actually need that much product. I was pleasantly surprised at how much it hydrated my skin during the day. I'm not sure if I would purchase a full size, even though my skin did respnd well to them.

Lancome Genefique Serum (Sample)

I used this as part of my night time cleansing routine once I had finished my Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, and I think my skin responded slightly better to this than to the Advanced Night Repair. Again, I'm not too sure whether or not I would purchase a full size at the moment as I think I've a serum that I like.

Alberto Balsam Coconut & Lychee Shampoo & Conditioner

I was in a pinch when I brought these, so I thought I would give these a whirl. But once I got about half way through the bottle something had changed, not too sure what it was but my hair didn't agree with it, so I decided to stop using them. So I won't be repurchasing these again.

Alberto Balsam Tea Tree Tingle Clarifying Shampoo

I had the same problem with this as I had with the coconut & lychee shampoo and conditioner, and thats because my hair just stopped responding too it. I have been through a full bottle of this in the past, but with this I think I got about two thirds way down the bottle before I had to stop using it. I'm not too sure what caused the problem with my hair, but because of that I'm unable to buy it again.

Elemis British Botanical Shower Cream (Sample)

I think I used this once as a shower gel and I wasn't keen. So instead I used it as a shaving cream and it worked okay for that. But I won't be purchasing a full size in the future.

Its been a mixed bag of empties this month overall, and I've sampled quite a few new products in the process of using things up.

Review: Garnier Express 2 in 1 Eye Make-Up Remover

Hi everyone,

I've been using the Garnier Express 2 in 1 Eye Make-Up Remover for quite a bit now, and I thought I would give you my thoughts on it.

The Garnier Express 2 in 1 Eye Make-Up Remover is a fantastic eye make up remover, not only because its gentle, but also because it doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes. It also has the added benefit of protecting the eyelashes, and this is because it contains Arginine.

This is also a bi-phase eye make up remover, which means that you have to shake it up to combine both phases to make the product effective. Once the eye make up remover has been combined, just place some of it on a cotton pad and then place on the eye for around 10-15 seconds, and then just gently wipe away. This should get all of your make up off.

I was amazed at how gentle and effective this product was, because I was very cautious about using an eye make up remover in the past because of how sensitive my eyes are.