A Mini Mavala Haul with Swatches

A: My lovely aunt bought me these little beauties at the weekend and I’ve been so excited to share them with you. As you can probably guess, I love a green nail varnish (it’s actually a bit of an obsession), and these two are perfect for me. 

Mavala isn’t a brand I’ve actually heard of before, my aunt couldn’t believe it when I told her! But after some research, the brand is pretty impressive and are obviously proud to be leading natural nail care. Click here to find out more! Now, onto the products!

Black Night 107

This is a beautiful two tone polish; high shine black with an emerald green shimmer. It wasn’t easy to get a photo showing the shimmer, but hopefully you get the idea! The polish itself has amazing coverage – this is just one coat! It also has a ‘volume effect’, which I wasn’t sure I understood but it has made my nails really smooth, a lot smoother than other varnishes do. I love dark polishes, and it’s not easy to find a black with green so this is a perfect addition to my collection!

Emerald Gold 350

This is another two tone polish, green and gold. I’ve never had a polish that has such a dramatic two tone as this though, in some lights it’s definitely gold, but in others it’s 100% green! It isn’t as high coverage as black night, but it paints on beautifully if you do two thin layers.  This one is a little more suited to this time of year, and I think it will be one of my staple summer to autumn polishes. I’m pretty sure it’ll be great at Christmas too with some gold glitter!

Both of these are from the Mini Polish collection at Mavala, which are available from Boots (click here to see the whole range – there’s an insane amount of colours to choose from!).

Have you tried anything from this brand before? #twolittleowls 

Holiday Essentials Part Two

A: if you’ve read the first part of this, you’ll know I’ve been packing for my holidays and today I thought I’d share with you my make up essentials. I’m actually going camping for a week so I won’t be bothering with too much make up (no false eyelashes or high maintenance lipsticks anyway), so here’s what I’m taking!

So this my make up bag and mirror. The bag is from Primark and I’ve had the mirror years. I’m not sure why but I use this everyday without fail, and I bought it on Jim and I’s first camping trip together 7 years ago! I love this bag too because it’s clear so I can see everything in it but also is extra roomy.

My base; this is the base I use everyday. The Bodyshop’s Instablur keeps my make up in place all day, and because I’m inbetween colours at the moment (only partly freckle so can’t go full on summer make up), I’m mixing my BB creams from Model Co and Rimmel.

This pallette is perfect for going away, it has everything I need! Chloe actually bought me this for Chirstmas and I love it. It’s the Khroma pallette by Kourtney Kardashian (or the ginger people pallette as Chloe calls it). The top is full of eyeshadows which are perfect for me, and the blush, highlight and bronzer are so pretty to use.

For powder, you can’t go wrong with a Rimmel, and my old faithful Bare Minerals for any bad skin days! And I’ve packed my Metallic Bronze Blush from Primark but I’m hoping its going to be sunny so I won’t need to much!

I’ve also packed my favourite mascara – False Lash Effect from Primark and my new liquid liner from W7, which hasn’t even been opened yet but was a bargain for £1.99 so I’ll give this a test run whilst I’m away. Brow Drama is also always in my make up bag, and my favourite dark lipstick from ELF which is a super long lasting dark nude.

Lastly, my three go to brushes – an Avon liner brush, a bellepierre blender and my Bare Minerals face brush. I also packed my favourite nude Kiko lipstick, and a Nivea lip balm.

We have reviewed quite a lot of these products between us, so click the links to see our thoughts!

What’re your holiday make up essentials? #twolittleowls

Holiday Essentials Part One

A: I’ve been busy packing my things for a trip that my boyfriend and I are taking and I thought I’d share with you my essentials. We have an old Volkswagen camper van (called Jeremy) and although I love him dearly, he doesn’t provide us with a lot of space – so I really have to pack methodically. I’ve split them into two – my everyday essentials and my make up essentials, so here are my everyday must haves for a camping trip!

So firstly, dry shampoo is an obvious one. I have a lot of hair which is far too much hassle to wash everyday – even when I’m not camping! So as long as I have a can of this, I know I’ll be good for a few days.

Hairspray is another hair essential for me. On those days where it’s getting close to needing a wash, I can plait it or put it up and hairspray always gives me lots of fullness and body to help disguise three day old hair. I haven’t tried this particular one before, to be honest I bought it because it was a nice medium sized can. I didn’t want one of the massive cans, but the tiny ones will probably be good for one use for my hair! But I’ll be reporting back on this TRESemme one as soon as possible!

The Dove Summer Glow lotion is a new one for me, and I bought it on a bit of a whim. I’m incredibly pale, my legs in particular. So I thought id give this a go to try and disguise my whiteness because if the weather is remotely warm I will have to brave getting my legs out – and I hoping this will help!

The Wash & Go 2 in 1 Shampoo and Confitioner is a bit of a cheat but to be totally honest with you I love this product. My hair really doesn’t need a lot of conditioning and I won’t have the luxury of hair dryers or straighteners so I went for this shampoo. It does exactly what it says on the label with no faffing or unnecessary extras – which is so much better for my hair than shampoos and conditioners with argan oils or additives or serums.  

Lastly, the good old Garnier Micellar Water. One of my favourite products and it’s super hassle free to use – exactly what you need whilst camping. 

For deodorant, I’m taking one I can rely on; Mitchums Advanced Roll On. We are going to be doing a lot of cycling and fingers crossed it’s going to be warm so I definitely need a good deodorant!

The Lush Sea Spray is always a holiday essential for me, where I’m camping in the UK or jetting of to somewhere warm and sunny. It gives my hair a lovely beachy look, and it smells amazing too!

Ultrabland is always in my going away bag too. It’s the best thing for removing the make up and dirt off your face, plus it calms my skin if I have any crazy breakouts.

Make up wipes should never be used I know! But when you’re a bit tipsy from wine and all you want to do is crawl into your sleeping bag – surely a make up wipe is better than not removing your make up at all?! For emergencies only!

And lastly, this super handy toothbrush holder to keep away any bacteria. Obviously I’ll be packing my toothbrush and toothpaste too – but I will definitely need to use them before I leave at the weekend!

What’re your holiday essentials? Would love to know, whether it’s for camping, backpacking or a relaxing beach get away! #twolittleowls

Chloes June 2015 Empties!

C: I am writing this post in advance, as this month is super exciting as I AM FINALLY MOVING HOUSE. Now due to moving house I cannot justify packing a box of empties… and I have also been using up as many half used products as I can. So here is my early written June empties!

Cetraben Emollient Cream – an essential for any eczema sufferers! I spoke about this badboy here if you are interested in eczema skincare, but for me this is a bathroom essential! I don’t have to use it all the time now I have my eczema under control, but I use it up to four times a day when I have a flare up and its AMAZING. It literally gets rid of dry eczema in a couple of days. True love.

Repurchase? Always.

Soap & Glory Hand Food – one of my favouritest hand creams! I love the smell of this, it doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin and it gets rid of dry skin super easily. I have recommended this to several friends who had really dry hands and they now love it too! (side note: don’t leave out in the sun – it doesn’t like it).

Repurchase? I got 3 for Christmas… but once they are used up I will indeed be repurchasing!

Carolina Herrera 212 Sexy Perfume – not keen on the name of this… or the bottle as you cant stand it up, but love the scent! I stole this from my mother, who I am sure has noticed by now but not bothered telling me to return it (her bathroom is just a free shop). The scent lasts all day and is quite sweet, which is perfect for me as I am a child and like to smell like candyfloss.

Repurchase? I never buy myself perfume… I’m not sure why. But if I did I would happily repurchase this little gem.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser – both Annie and I reviewed this here if you fancy a look, so I won’t bang on about it! But basically… love this. Great cleanser for sensitive skin.

Repurchase? Hella yeah.

Avon Super Extend Mascara – I got this free with another Avon purchase, so decided to give it a go rather than repurchase my Benefit They’re Real straight away… which I regret! Now I know this is meant to extend lashes, which it does do… but it also offers zero volume. So I just get strange spider legs lashes that I don’t enjoy. It also seems to have disappeared off my lashes by later in the afternoon, and ran out super quickly. So basically… soz Avon as usually I love you, but this mascara is not the one for me!

Repurchase? No!

So there we have another month of mostly positive empties, and another successful month of using up my stash! I haven’t been spending my pennies either, so I will basically have no stash soon! Shock Horror! Anyway… let me know if you have tried any of these products, and if you agree with my mini reviews! #twolittleowls

June 2015 Birchbox: Step Outside with French Sole

C: after seeing lots of advertisements from Birchbox, promising an amazing box with lots of make up samples, I decided to order Junes box. We also got to pick the patterned box and shoe bag this month which was a nice concept, and I enjoyed the floral print so decided to go for it…

As you can see the box itself is lovely, and I will be keeping it for storing bits and bobs in on my dressing table. However personally I never used shoe bags so the additional extra, whilst pretty is pretty pointless to me!

Penhaligon’s Iris Prima Perfume – this actually smells rather nice… but considering its £85 a bottle, I won’t be buying it! I also don’t really like getting perfume samples in a beauty box as you can pick them up for free basically anywhere!

Cowshed Body Lotion in Gorgeous Cow – this was one of the products I was hoping to get after seeing other peoples boxes, as I love rose/floral scented products and I haven’t tried many items from Cowshed. It is also a generously sized sample and I can’t wait to get using it!

STY London Temporary Tattoos – I am not sure where to start with this one. I genuinely don’t understand why anyone would want these. I know they are currently fashionable, but I have real tattoos so I very much doubt I will ever use these!

Premae Mild Dermabrasion Face & Body Scrub – another product I wasn’t particularly excited to see. I find any scrub thats apparently suitable for face and body suspicious. The skin on our face is very different to the skin on the rest of our bodies, so I don’t understand how it will work. I will however, be giving this a go and will review it for you all I am sure!

Hip Ultra Shine Shampoo – I don’t really like receiving shampoo samples without the matching conditioner, as I don’t feel like you get a true feel for the products effectiveness. But atleast I will actually get some use out of this product and can use it!

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Poppy – as the only make up sample in the whole box, I found this very disapointing. Although it is a product/brand I haven’t used before and therefore am interested in trying, this sample is absolutely tiny! So tiny it was underneath the shoe bag and I didn’t actually notice it was in there! I also cannot open it… hopefully one day I will manage to do so and I will review it for you!

So overall, a pretty disappointing Birchbox experience considering it was my first resubscription in over 6 months! What did you guys think to the box? I have already cancelled my subscription for next month, I will wait and see what other peoples boxes are like before I consider ordering one! #twolittleowls

Review: No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser

C: I mentioned in my previous post about No7 nail polishes (which you can see here) how much I adore the brand and think they are super underrated. So after the popularity of that post, I wanted to introduce you all to another No7 product that I really and truly love – their hot cloth cleanser. Now these posts are not sponsored, I honestly recommend them and really enjoy using these products.

 

 

 This hot cloth cleanser is available from Boots for £9.95, which I think is pretty good value for money for 200ml of product when compared to some of the more expensive options out there. So what does the product aim to do? Boots says:

“Enjoy the luxury of a spa facial in your own home. The combination of this rich indulgent cleanser and the gentle exfoliating muslin cloth removes dead skin cells and daily grime whilst stimulating circulation, leaving your skin deeply clean, soft and radiant”

All you have to do to use is gently massage a pump of the beautifully thick formula into dry skin in upward circular motions. You then soak the muslin cloth (which is provided, and is very good quality) in as hotter water as you can manage (don’t be silly about it… I’m a wuss so I can’t go too hot!), wring out the cloth and place over your face to open up your pores. It feels so amazing and relaxing, particularly on a winters evening when your skin is in need of some pampering! You then lightly polish off the cleanser and splash your face with cool water to ensure the product has been properly removed and to close up your pores.

It really is a pleasure to use, and 100% gives you the at home spa experience. L even lets me use it on him sometimes because it feels so lovely! Afterwards you are left with soft skin that feels super clean and lovely. It has never irritated my sensitive skin and is really good at clearing out your pores and removing any last trace of make up!

Have any of you guys tried this hot cloth cleanser? I have tried so many and this really and truly is still my favourite! #twolittleowls

IKEA Haul!

A & C: We took an impromptu trip too IKEA this week, because Chloe is about to move into her newly renovated home, and Annie can’t say no to homeware. So here’s what Annie bought, Chloe will be showing you her purchases in her New Home post!

A: 

     

So firstly, I should make you all aware that I have a bit of a problem when it comes to glassware and candles. I’m obsessed. I think there’s actually something wrong with me. And the glassware and IKEA is so cheap that I had to get some, but I did well and limited myself! I bought two new wine glasses, these are a great size (massive!) and were only £1 each. And the cocktail glass was £1.25 so I obviously had to buy that. The carafe with the cork stopper was the best bargain though, it was £1! A whole £1! It’s lovely quality glass too, and will be perfect for summer barbecues. The green bottle is one of my favourites, I actually bought this as part of my wedding prep for a vase for the tables, along with the milk bottle – both £1.25 each. I love the little glass bowl too, I’m going to keep it on my bedside cabinet for my rings and earrings – another bargain for £1! And the candles are so pretty, and are rose scented. These were £3 for the set.

  

These are a little more boring if you don’t have a home – but I even love buying mundane stuff like this!  A few kitchen essentials, and an octopus sock drier (not sure what it’s actually called but it’s got an octopus face and helps dry socks on a washing line…). I won’t bore you to tears about the prices of these, but they were all super cheap.

 

One of my favourite purchases was this – which is a pole you screw to the wall and then thread the hooks on and use it for storage. Again, I’m not sure what this actual name of this is but it’s super practical and you can even by these little pots to hang on it. I’m going to pot herbs in mine, but they can be used for pretty much anything – cutlery, flowers, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste – anything you like! The pole was £6.50, the small hooks £3, the large £6 and the pots £5. 

  

I also got some new bedding (another obsession) which I LOVE. This was £30 for a king size set, including four pillowcases. I’ve had my eye on these for ages now and I’m so pleased that I’ve finally got it! It’s such lovely quality too! Some pretty napkins, which you can never go wrong with for £1, some gorgeous floral fabic for £5 a metre (another bargain!), and these adorable cat rattles for Chloe’s bump. I couldn’t resist these, mainly because one is ginger like me and one is grey like Bill and Ted! Cannot wait to give these to baby! I don’t remember how much these were because I was far too excited about how cute that are.

  

The last thing I got is this false floral wreath. This is so pretty, and I bought it as inspo for my wedding next year. Plus it was £1.50 and too pretty to leave behind.

Have you got any favourites from IKEA? #twolittleowls

Minimal Make Up for camping; a four product FOTD!

A: I went camping this weekend, and thankfully I was going through a couple of good skin days so I didn’t feel the need to faff about with too much make up so I thought I’d take some photos and show you the finished look! 

  

For the base, I used Instablur from The Body Shop – which is amazing for blurring pores and providing a long lasting base. I then used Rimmel’s Radiance BB cream in very light which I reviewed here if you fancy knowing more about it. After a quick coat of mascara and using some matte brown shadow in my brows and setting them with my Brow Drama I had a finished look. My hair looked only a little crazy because I had plaited it the night before so it had lots of volume and just needed a good brush through in the morning. I was really happy with this look, it didn’t need any upkeep during the day but still lasted.

What are your minimal make up tips? #twolittleowls

Chloe’s Top Picks: Spring Nail Polishes

C: apparently it is Spring now… although looking outside I beg to differ. But with the change of season we often feel the need to update our beauty closet as well as our fashion choices – something which can be pretty expensive to do if on a limited budget! However, one of the easiest and cheapest way to update a beauty routine ready for Spring is with some bargain nail polishes. So I have picked my favourite Spring polishes that are super good value for your pennies!

George by Asda Polish in Cool Lilac and Fuzzy Peach – lilac and a pastel peach are the must have colours this Spring and these beauties from George are only 2 for £3! Perfect for sneaking into the food shopping trolley – no one will notice I’m sure! I reviewed these here and they really are incredible value for money and such beautiful colours.

Models Own nail polish in Duck – I love these speckled egg nail polishes! They really are perfect for Spring as the range is based on different eggs! These beauties are just £4.99 and available here.

Models Own Hyper Gel Polish in Turquoise Gloss – another bargain at £4.99 (available here) these super shiny gel effect nail polishes are easy to use and provide such a professional looking finish. I love this Turquoise/Mint Green colour, perfect for festival inspired manis!

Topshop Nail Polish in Solar – sadly this beauty is no longer available but there is a similar shade called Alchemy here for £6. I love gold nails all year round to be quite honest, but once again this is perfect for festival inspired nails and is the perfect investment if you can wear it any season!

What are you favourite Spring nail colours? Have I missed off any essentials? #twolittleowls

Our Beauty Giveaway Competition Winner!

C: First of all thank you so much for entering our giveaway (which you can see here!). We had so many entries, and big love to all of those new followers!

So what does this delightful screenshot show other than the fact I need to charge my phone/have been playing on candy crush too much today? THE WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED! So congrats to Laura who has been contacted via twitter!

We hope you all enjoyed taking part, it is so nice to be able to give something back to you guys! Annie is going to host you a little competition soon too, maybe a celebratory Chloe-has-popped-out-a-baby-comp?! Who knows! Anyway, congrats again! #twolittleowls