L'Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Clay Re-Balancing Shampoo & Conditioner Review

L'Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Clay Re-Balancing Shampoo & Conditioner Review

Thursday 28 April 2016

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When L'Oréal released their Extraordinary Clay Re-Balancing range I was intrigued. A hair care system designed to combat greasy roots whilst conditioning, instead of stripping, dry ends... what is this magic? The range is made up of a shampoo, conditioner, a pre-shampoo hair mask and a dry shampoo. I only picked up the shampoo & conditioner, because Superdrug had sold out of the mask and dry shampoo, but I can't wait to try them out.

The range is formulated with three different types of clay to revitalise and balance the hair. White clay to cleanse the roots of any grease, blue clay to condition dry ends and green clay to hydrate and invigorate. After using the shampoo and conditioner for the past couple of weeks I'm really impressed. My hair feels really clean and so soft, my roots are grease-free and my ends are no longer dry and battered, but hydrated and smooth. Plus that squeaky clean feeling lasts really well, letting me go an extra day between hair washes.

On a more superficial note the packaging, whilst standard for L'Oréal, is pretty gorgeous. I think I'm naturally drawn to it due to the dreamy turquoise hue, which looks nice in my shower AND is my favourite colour. Overall I'm a big fan and will definitely be picking up the pre-shampoo mask and the dry shampoo asap to see if they perform as well.

The range is available online at Boots.com or in store and is currently on offer for 3 for £10.

Have you tried L'Oréal's Extraordinary Clay Re-Balancing range yet? What did you think? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

Another Massive Avon Haul

Another Massive Avon Haul

Tuesday 26 April 2016

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L-R: Fast Time Teal, Turquoise Pop, Sea Breeze, Parfait Pink, Roses are Red

L - R: Adoring Love, Splendidly Fuchsia & Ravishing Rose

To be honest with you I can see these posts becoming a regular thing, well I've already made another order so...  Stop spending! Bad Lauren! For me, in my limited experience, Avon has 3 stand out products: the Moroccan Argan Oil Leave-in Treatment, the Gel Finish Nail Enamels and the Perfectly Matte Lipsticks. So when the catalogue came through my door another order was inevitable. Although I must admit I did get a bit carried away, even by my spendy standards. Really the only good thing that comes out of it, apart from all the make up, is the haul post I get to share with you lovely people. So let's get to it.

Avon Moroccan Argan Oil Leave-in Treatment  £3.30 for 30ml

I have yelled my undying love for Avon's Argan Oil Leave-in Treatment from all the rooftops, because it's awesome. I use it for absolutely everything. I use it after just washing my hair as a leave in conditioner. I use it to tame my hair on particularly frizzy days. I use it as a hair mask the night before I wash my hair. Seriously it is bottled magic. It is so nourishing, giving my dry, bedraggled ends the moisture boost they desperately need and leaves my hair shiny, soft and frizz free (mostly). It's also impossible to use too much, it leaves no residue in the hair and never makes my hair look greasy or crispy as so many serums are won't to do. I. LOVE. IT!

Avon Gel Finish Nail Enamels £7.00

I am a BIG fan of these nail polishes, after my first order it was pretty much love at first paint and I've since added a ton more to my collection. The formula is so good. I mean seriously good. It lasts such a long time, is opaque within 1-2 coats and has a beautiful, shiny gel finish. I'm pretty much obsessed.

Avon Perfectly Matte Lipstick - £ 5.00 (on offer, usually £8.00)

With the rather bold claim that they are 'more Matte than Mac' I couldn't resist picking up Avon's Perfectly Matte Lipsticks. The formula is very matte - I haven't done a direct comparison with Mac yet but it's definitely in the pipeline - but also quite creamy, which means it does have quite a lot of slip to it and doesn't have the longevity that I would usually expect from a matte lipstick, it's also quite drying on the lips (nothing that a slick of lip balm before applying can't fix.) That being said they are really nice lipsticks and the colours I picked up are beautiful.

Like I said last time I've been really impressed by the things I've tried. To be honest I didn't really think Avon was even a contender in the beauty market anymore, I was definitely wrong. Anyway if you feel like shopping Avon the old school way and want to pick up a catalogue (and are in the Stevenage area) then definitely get in touch with  Carly, my avon lady, she is an angel!  You can find her on instagram &  facebook, her online store here, or give her a ring on 07584901032.

What are your favourite Avon products? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

L'Oréal Paris Infallible Sculpt Contouring Base & Contouring Palette Review

L'Oréal Paris Infallible Sculpt Contouring Base & Contouring Palette Review

Thursday 21 April 2016

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L'Oréal has gone and done it, and released the cream contour kit that the drug store/high street desperately needed, and a ton of other contour related products, pipping every other affordable brand to the post. I'm talking about L'Oréal's new Infallible Sculpt Range. The new range is made up of 5 products including a mascara, a nifty double ended contouring brush, Infallible Sculpt Blushes, the Infallible Sculpt Contouring Base, and, the clear star of the show, the Infallible Sculpt Contouring Palette. All are designed to ensure that your contour is on point, with the added bonus of being really affordable and, knowing L'Oréal, really good quality.  So let's talk about the two products I actually picked up shall we? 

L'Oréal Paris Infallible Sculpt Contouring Base in Light - £8.99 from boots

As a rule L'Oréal foundations are some of the best on the high street, but personally this base is not for me. The problem is coverage,  it's incredibly light and I need more of a medium to full base due to my crappy, hormonal skin. Sadly L'Oréal's Infallible Sculpt Contouring Base just doesn't deliver. Another niggle I have is the shade, which despite being the lightest colour available, is quite dark.  It does have a nice finish, kinda glowy but natural and it contains new 'grip technology' designed specifically so that your contour will stick to your face like glue, which actually works and is definitely a good thing. It does have its good points but I'm not really a fan. 

L'Oréal Paris Infallible Sculpt Contouring in Light/Medium - £9.99 from boots

Now on to the true star of the show: the Contouring Palette. Contouring products on the high street are few and far between - off the top of my head I can think of maybe 4 or 5 drugstore/high street contouring kits, and all of them powders - so when L'Oréal added this cream to powder offering into the mix the online beauty community let out a collective cheer, or at the very least I did. Simply put it's amazing. The formula, as I've already mentioned is cream to powder, and has the longevity of a powder with the natural finish of a cream. The contour kit is available in two shades: Light/Medium and Medium/Dark. I opted for the lighter of the two as I'm a pale lassy, and I like it a lot. It's one of the darkest contouring products I've used, and before blending, can look quite scary on my pasty skin. But once blended it looks so natural. I've been applying it with the Real Technique's Contour Brush, in a 3 shape from my temple, to my non-existent cheek bones and under the jaw line. before blending it out with a beauty blender. It's amazing. Like, seriously. 

Have you tried L'Oréal's new Infallible Sculpt range? Thoughts? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

25 Thoughts I Had in the First 25 Minutes of Being 25

25 Thoughts I Had in the First 25 Minutes of Being 25

Wednesday 20 April 2016

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It is 13 minutes past midnight on the 19th April and I am now officially 25. And I'll be honest I'm freaking out. So I thought instead of internalising it all until it becomes an all consuming ball of worry I would just put all my worries and crazy out there for the world to see. Enjoy!

1. This is not how I pictured 25!

2. F**K!

3. Nope, still not a grown up.

4. I should go to sleep.

5. Oh God!

6. It is literally all down hill from here, and it hasn't even gotten good yet.

7. What am I doing?

8. What have I got?

9. Can I open presents yet?

10. I want to see School of Rock the musical.

11. I've still got time to figure things out.

12. I AM RUNNING OUT OF TIME! I'M PRACTICALLY DEAD!

13. No work tomorrow! Yay!

14. What do I want to do with my life?

15. (Continuing from previous thought) Don't think about it!

16. I should get off the internet and go to sleep.

17. Stop freaking out.

18. What have I eaten today? Oh that's right EVERYTHING!

19. Do I want a cup of tea? But the kettle's all the way downstairs.

20. What have I achieved that I wanted to?

21. I thought I would have moved out and have a boyfriend by now. NOPE.

22. Well if I'm a mess then I'm going to be the hottest one there is.

23. Seriously, I think way too much for my liking.

24. IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

25. Go to sleep you neurotic mess. Love you.

How have you guys handled getting older? Am I the only neurotic mess? Or do none of us know what we're doing? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

*Disclaimer* The featured image was uses for entertainment purposes only, I do not own it. Image Via

10 Things Curly Haired Girls are Sick of Hearing

10 Things Curly Haired Girls are Sick of Hearing

Sunday 17 April 2016

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As you guys know I have long, impossible to tame, naturally curly hair that I love/hate. if you too have very curly hair, that you don't straighten, then you'll know that people can find it quite surprising. Some people can be a little bit in awe of it, some can be just plain rude. I'm not sure why. A lot of the time it is well meaning but still... here are the 10 things that I, and probably every other curly haired person, is sick of hearing.

1. Is that your real hair? Yes, yes it is.

2. Can I boing one of your curls? No, please don't touch me (before doing it anyway, regardless of my answer and making my hair frizzy in the process) 

3. I would love to have curly hair. In my experience you definitely wouldn't, but thank you.

4. I thought it was a perm! It is 2016! Perms are not a thing anymore!

5. Why don't you ever straighten it? It takes a long ass time and I have stuff to do.

6. No, really, is that your real hair?  Again YES! Who would lie about that?

7. It must be so long when its straight! It is, yeah. 

8. If I had your hair I'd just straighten it all the time. Okay then... thanks for sharing. 

9. How do you get your hair to look like that? I wash it and then it just happens. 

And possibly the most annoying...

10. You look so much better with straight hair. You look better walking away from me. The worst thing is people legitimately think saying this is a compliment. It is NOT a compliment. 

Am the only one who gets this? Or are people generally quite obnoxious when it comes to curly hair? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

*Disclaimer* The featured image was uses for entertainment purposes only, I do not own it. Image Via

Look Good Feel Better The Makeover Brush Set

Look Good Feel Better The Makeover Brush Set

Tuesday 12 April 2016

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I can't be the only one who would rather  buy all new brushes than actually wash my brushes?! It is a long, arduous and utterly boring task that needs to be done. So to put it off, for another week at least,  I thought I'd get some more. You can never have too many make up brushes can you?

Look Good Feel Better is a charity that supports women and teenagers dealing with the physical impact of cancer, helping them to look good and feel better.  After hearing good things about their make up brushes I decided to try out The Makeover Brush Set. The set contains a finishing brush, a powder brush, a blending brush and a detail brush. Each brush is made of synthetic taklon bristles that are precision cut for a professional finish. The bristles are also cruelty free, hypo-allergenic, suitable for sensitive skin and are so soft it feels like you're applying your make up with a small, fuzzy kitten... not that I do that. It costs £24.99 for the set, with 12% of each purchase going directly to the charity.

The brushes themselves feel so luxurious, they are densely packed and have a long, elegant wooden handle that makes them feel super fancy. All the brushes are really good but my favourite is the finishing brush, which is really similar to the RT stippling brush and buffs foundation into the skin effortlessly, leaving a flawless finish in it's wake. I've been using the powder brush for blusher and bronzer as it doesn't pick up too much product so you can't over do it and it blends really nicely, leaving a really nice natural flush to the cheeks. The blending brush is exactly that, a really good blending brush, smoking out eyeshadow like it ain't no thing. My second favourite in the set is the detail brush, it's a little bit of a multi-tasker. It's excellent for applying eyeshadow in the inner corner and under the eye, but I also think it would work really well with concealer. Overall I really like the set. I think the brushes amazing and I really recommend picking them up. I know I'll definitely be adding some more to my collection. If you want brushes that are excellent quality, affordable and donate to a good cause these are the brushes for you.

You can out find more about the work Look Good Feel Better does here and can pick up the brushes here

Have you tried any LGFB brushes? What did you think? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

Primark PS Make Up Haul

Primark PS Make Up Haul

Sunday 10 April 2016

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Primark's PS Make Up Line is kinda awesome. It is surprisingly good quality, especially when considering how ridiculously cheap it is. Honestly I haven't tried much, but what I have tried I've really liked.  So when I was in there last week and saw all the make up I hadn't tried yet, well a haul was almost inevitable.

PS... Foundation Stick in Ivory - £2.00

This is the first thing I picked up, after hearing Becky from Talk Becky Talk rave about it ages ago on youtube, I figured it was definitely worth trying it out. I really like it. It has a really thick and creamy consistency. As a foundation it's too heavy on the skin, but as a concealer it is awesome. It gives excellent coverage, has a good wear time to it and blends nicely. It's a really good concealer.

PS... Liquid Foundation in Porcelain & Ivory - £2.50 each

I was really feeling bases, can you tell? So far this is the product that I've been least impressed with and I'll tell you why. The shade range is quite limited, although this is to be expected for such a cheap brand.  I'm quite pale so I chose the two lightest shades and neither of them work for me. Porcelain is very light and Ivory is quite dark for a lighter shade. I think if I mixed them together they might work better,  but to be honest I've found them to a bit of a meh product overall. The foundation promises a semi-matte finish and a medium coverage but I didn't get that. It feels quite greasy on the skin when you apply it and the coverage isn't there, it also oxidises really badly and can look quite orange-y, which is not a good look for anyone. I'm really not a fan. But I only lost a fiver so it's fine.

PS... Eyeliner - £1.00

I wasn't sure about this eyeliner,  normally I don't like to use really cheap eyeliner because I've had bad experiences in the past where I've got eye infections or sore eyes. But I decided to risk it for a chocolate biscuit and give it a try, and it isn't bad. It's not the best liquid liner I've ever come across but it's okay. It has a very fine brush nib and the formula is alright. It seems quite watery at first, but the colour can be built up and once it dries down it is locked in place. It was definitely worth the risking it.

PS... Nail Polish Twist Pot - £1.00

I've been a fan of the Twist Pots for a long time, I know it's a much cheaper dupe of Boujois' Magic Nail Polish Remover, I just think they're super handy because it takes all the mess out of taking your nail polish off. The one thing I will say about these is that the sponge inside gets worn out quite quickly and the remover itself has a really strong smell, but I still think that they're amazing, and so handy.

Have you tried any of Primark's make up line?  Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

L'Oréal True Match Foundation: Then & Now

L'Oréal True Match Foundation: Then & Now

Tuesday 5 April 2016

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L'Oréal's True Match Foundation in Rose Ivory - £9.99 for 30 ml from boots

L'Oréal's True Match Foundation is a firm favourite of mine, one could even say it is my favourite foundation. In fact I have said that... many times. So when they reformulated it last year I was a bit put out, my thinking was if it ain't broke don't fix it, and I was reluctant to try the new one. But with my last bottle of the original formula running low I figured it was time to bite the bullet and try out the new formula.

L'Oréal's True Match is a classic! It's long lasting with a medium but buildable coverage. It mimics the skin leaving a really fresh and glowy, but most importantly, flawless and natural finish. It's a good great skin day in a bottle. The original formulation was so good that L'Oréal didn't feel the need to change it in 10 YEARS! As in an actual decade! So why the sudden change of heart and formula? And more importantly what's changed?

To answer the first question I don't know why the change of heart. Maybe the market's changed. Maybe L'Oréal felt like shaking it up a bit. Who can say? But what I can tell you is that I LOVE the new formula. It's not as long lasting or as covering as the original but there's really not a lot in it. It's lighter on the skin due to the addition of oil, which has seriously improved the level of moisture, making it so comfortable to wear. It has the same finish, natural, glowy and gorgeous, and new pigments, or shade enhancers, have been added to create a perfect match for both tone and texture. The formula is a little bit more liquid than the original, and, as I've said, is less covering but it makes for the perfect everyday base.  The original formula was my go to for an evening look (and still is)  due to it's lasting power and general awesomeness, whereas I am more inclined to rock the new one during the day due to it's lighter feel and flawless finish. It's a really lovely foundation.

I'm still a HUGE fan of the original True Match, but I have to I am really loving the new version.

Have you tried the new True Match? Thoughts? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx

FEARLESS: Falling at the First Hurdle and Trying Again

FEARLESS: Falling at the First Hurdle and Trying Again

Sunday 3 April 2016

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meme via

So let's get it over with, I failed. Spectacularly. I could sit here and list a million excuses, including not owning an adequate sports bra, but the truth is I think I may have started a bit big. I hate going to the gym. Not because I hate exercise, well not just that, it's more that  I feel that it would be irresponsible of me to leave my pyjamas and netflix unattended. They would miss me too much.

All jokes aside I really struggled. I wanted to go, and went to go, so many times but I just couldn't bring myself too. I felt too self-conscious, too embarrassed and let my fear, of something so small and insignificant, get the better of me.  Even though I knew it would be just as embarrassing to tell you guys that I failed at the first attempt, I felt more comfortable doing that then watching myself get out of breath, red faced and sweaty in a room full of mirrors and also other people, that's nightmare territory.

I'm sorry to report back that for the past two months I have not been fearless, I have been fearful and I'm really annoyed at myself for it. But I can't change it, all I can do is try again. Or in the words of Laura Michelle Kelly/Gary Barlow & Eliot Kennedy: All that matters now is where I go from here. So I will be trying again, and hitting the gym. Even though it's full of mirrors and other people. This time though I will be going with my friend so it should be much less intimidating.

This brings me to the second challenge... Learning to Drive

I know what your thinking if I'm too much of a chicken to go to the gym by myself, how on earth am I going to learn to drive? And the answer is I don't know, I am really scared of learning to drive. I'm terrified I'm going to end up killing myself or someone else. I have virtually no power of observation and absolutely no spatial awareness and I am clumsy, incredibly so. I walk into things a lot, it's worrying how much.  I say the words 'ARGH I NEED TO LEARN TO DRIVE!!!'to myself at least once everyday, but in reality I am terrified of getting behind the wheel, even though I've had lessons before. It is some seriously scary stuff. But I need to get over it and just do it. Being able to drive and having a car would make my life so much easier, it really would.

I'll keep you posted. Hopefully in two months time I'll be a regular gym going learner driver. Wish me luck!

Let's be fearless together, let me know what you're scared of by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx