My DIY Pamper Night: Hair Mask

Hello ladies,

In the last few days I've noticed that my hair looks extremely dry - especially my split ends. I think it has something to do with the fact that I dyed my hair a shade lighter, paired with the fact that I can't put the heat tools down! I know, it's my own fault right? Lol. 

Anyways, I mentioned it on twitter and ask for some home remedies and the lovely Katie mentioned putting Olive oil on the hair and letting it sit for a while... this got me thinking and I wanted to go a step further so off to Google I went! After reading through what seemed like hundreds of different hair mask recipes I sort of took aspects from a few of them and made a little hair mask. Total experiment - didn't think it was going to work as well as it did!

It's so simple and cheap to make! And I bet most of you have all of these ingredients knocking around in your kitchens.

- Place the banana into a bowl, and mash with a fork. Don't worrying about making it completley lump free, just make sure it's not too lumpy. Remember the larger the pieces of banana, the harder it will be to wash out!

- Now crack the egg into the mixture, we want both the yolk and the egg white. Then mix thoroughly.

- Add 2 tablespoons of Honey and 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil, stir well.

- I put some clingfilm over the top and popped it into the fridge ready for when I used it later that night. It's fine to keep it in fridge for a few hours but I wouldn't recommend keeping it for any longer because obviously, the banana is perishable and would go all horrible and brown!

I applied this to dry hair whilst standing in the bath... and thank god I did. It is quite messy and I still managed to get some on the floor - although the dog did start lapping it up, so apparently it taste nice as well! Lol. Surprisingly, it does smell quite nice... banana's would you believe ;) Make sure you wear a towel around your shoulders unless you want banana chunks down your clothes! Here's what it looks like applied, I wrapped it up on top of my head in some clingfilm. Possibly the most unflattering photo's...

You can leave this in your hair anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours! I left it on for around 2 hours just because I wanted it to work it's magic to the full! I rinsed it out in the shower with shampoo twice, this was enough to was it out for me... I took a brush with me to aid the de-bananaring process, haha.

As soon as my hair started to dry I could feel how much smoother and softer it was, and it was a lot more manageable! I thought it might have been extra fluffy but it seemed to tame my frizz and well as making it look quite shiny! Complete success! I think I'll be doing this more regularly and experiment with different ingredients - next time I think I'll use Avocado and a bit more Olive Oil.

Have you ever made a home-made hair mask? Send me the recipe!
NATALIESLOVEx

Month's Most Wanted

Hey guys :)

It's coming to the end of June now - which means another edition of Month's Most Wanted! In all honesty, I found this month quite difficult to decide what I've been lusting over... I've put myself on a month long make-up spending ban so there aren't really any make up items in this months. I am desperately trying to save money at the moment, and it should get a little bit easier when I start work soon. But I also wanted to put myself on a ban because 1) I have far too much make up that doesn't get enough love already and 2) I simply want to see if I can do it! Haha. Wish me luck!

LUSH Fresh Farmacy: I'm on a bit of a search for some new skincare and it occured to me a few days ago that I've never really tried any LUSH skin care items (apart from Grease Lightning) and I've heard really great things about it. You can see what it claims here on their website and it all looks promising! It's pretty affordable too if it lasts for a long time :)

[£4.35, 100g]

Pandora Leather Double Wrap Bracelet: I love the idea of having a charm bracelet and being able to add bits and pieces onto it... but the usual Pandora bracelets don't really appeal to me... they're a little too fancy for little old me lol. I do however love the double wrap leather bracelets - they're much more casual. I can't decide between the black or the white! I would probably just have a one or two charms to keep it really simplistic.

[£45.00]

Essie Van D'Go: This colour is beautiful, I've seen it on Youtube/Blogger for yonks and I've always yearned for it. But now the sun is out I want it even more! It is just the perfect summer colour. I would be interested if someone could tell me how similar Barry M Peach Melba is?

[£8.50]

Dorothy Perkins Cut-Out Pumps: I'm in need of some new, decent flats to take me through the summer. Usually I just buy them from Primark but i must be heavy footed or something because I ruin them in a couple of weeks! I think these ones are so sweet and I love the Apricot and the White and I'm tempted to buy both - either one of them would go with absolutely everything and would look amazing with a tan! plus I could show off my pretty Essie Van D'GO on my toesies ;)

[£20.00 each]

So that's my Month's Most Wanted for June! Have you got any of these items - would you recommend them? What have you been lusting after?

NATALIESLOVEx

My week in photographs

Hello lovelies,

I apologise for spamming your Dashboards with two blog sales recently, been a busy couple of weeks and I haven't really had much time to blog - nor the inspiration. But I'm back with a week in photos post! I adore doing/reading these posts. I love sharing my life with you guys and it gives me an excuse for taking pictures of everything!

I guess the major event of the week is that I left the 6th Form!! I had my last exam on Wednesday so I have no reason to go back - until possibly September if I need to retake a few exams. My main struggle at 6th Form was Biology, but it was my favourite subject. I could not have asked for better people or a better teacher. He was honestly the best of the best, could not have got where I am without him. Was really emotional saying goodbye actually (I'm renowned for being the crybaby), but we had a Champagne picnic outside which was amazeee <3

Me and the boy went to see Green Lantern... I was a little bit skeptical, but Ryan Reynolds is the star of the show and he is perfect so I agreed to go along and see it. Dean absolutely loved it, said it's his favourite film of the year so far. I liked it (not as much as Ryans abs), but I found that it took ages to get warmed up, then when it started to get good... it ended really suddenly? I don't really know how to feel about it haha, I'm no film critic! But I'd recommend going to see it though, some people love it some people hate it but it's worth it if you end up loving it.

We took a little trip to the Marina, which I've mentioned here before - one of our favourite places! The weather was beautiful... but on the way back torrential rain started to fall from the sky! Just shows how quickly the weather can change in the UK! Me and Dean have vowed that one day we will live at the Marina, it's about the only thing we agree on for the future, lol.

Finally ordered the Alexander Wang Rocco knockoff that I've been wanting for absolutely ages. It cost me £29.99 from this Ebay seller. I love it so much! It has so much space inside which I wasn't expecting, have been using it every day since I got it and it goes with anything I may be wearing.

I arrived at my Mum and Stepdad's house on Friday night because she's going on holiday for a week and needs someone to look after the dog, cats and house. That was my cue, lol! I'm hoping I'm going to be getting a lot done this week in terms of blogging. But also sunbathing and walks a long the beach!

So that's pretty much my week wrapped up :) Hope you've all enjoyed your week!
NATALIESLOVEx

Review: Nivea Soft moisturising cream

Hey everyone :)

My exams are all over now so I have plenty of time on my hands... I'm also dog/house sitting for my Mum whilst she's on holiday this week. So I thought I would use my time productively and make a start on all of the reviews I've been wanting to write for a while. I thought I'd start with my absolute favourite product of the moment - Nivea's Soft Face, Body, Hands moisturising cream.

It's quite strange of me to be raving about a moisturiser, I have oily skin and moisturiser is my least favourite part of my skincare regime. It's probably just because I've never found a moisturiser that's really impressed me, but this one has :) It has Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E which of course, is supposed to do wonders for the skin.

You can use this on your face, hands and body. I do use this as my morning and night face moisturiser but I have been finding myself throwing this in my handbag on a daily basis. It's great on the hands and keeps my cuticles in check! And with Summer coming around (sort of) I use this on my shins when I'm wearing shorts because that's the only part of my body that gets really dry.

The first thing I noticed about this moisturiser was the smell, which I personally adore - it's been a little bit addictive for me! I can see some people being put off by the smell though because it is quite strong. The only way I can describe the smell is quite soapy, it smells very, very similar to Johnson's Baby Shampoo! But it doesn't sting near your eyes or anything like that so I don't think you should let it deter you.

The cream itself is quite thick but once on the face it sinks in really quickly and feels very light, which reassured me with my oily skin, and it left no residue. I love this as a base for make up, it leaves a smooth surface which really helps make up application.

It doesn't make me any more oily than usual, in fact it probably has the opposite effect because my skin is so hydrated and doesn't feel as though it has to produce any extra oils. It would definitely work for dry skin as well, because as I mentioned... my shins are very dry and it stops them from getting horrible and flaky (nice I know).

What makes this a true godsend is the price, I can't actually find it on the Boots website but I'm pretty sure that I remember it being under £3! I've finally found a moisturiser that I look forward to using :)

NATALIESLOVEx

Face Of The Night

Hello loves,

I went out last night and I thought I'd share the make up that I wore with you. It's probably a bit 'samey' I often tend to opt for bronze/gold/browns but I think it's because I think that's what works best on me. I'm going to try and do a colourful face of the night/day soon and she if I can actually walk out of the house feeling confident with it! I have no problem with a bold lip, but there's something about bright colours on my eyes that scares me a little lol, any tips? Anyway, that was a bit of a ramble...

All eyeshadows from Urban Decay...

Nylon all over lid

Half Baked in crease

Perversion blended into outer v

Midnight Cowboy Rides Again on inner corner

YDK under the lower lashline

Collection 2000 Fast Stroke liquid eyeliner

Collection 2000 Big Fake Lashes mascara 

Sorry I couldn't really get an decent pictures, which sucks! And I apologise for my spidery, clumpy and flaky lashes. I actaully only wore mascara during the day so I did my eyeshadow before I went out then curled and coated my lashes with some mascara - doesn't photograph well! Lol. This was the overall look...

NYX Concealer in a Jar

Rimmel 25hr Lasting Finish foundation

NYC Smooth Skin bronzer in Sunny

NYX Cream Blusher in Natural

Benefit High Beam on brow + cheek bones

MAC The Faerie Glen lipstik

Rimmel Spotlight Beige lipstick

I paired the look with very big, curly hair. Which surprising is my natural hair, just left to dry! I don't think I've ever been on a 'night out' and worn my hair natural before... but I was thinking of doing the 4 week heat free challenge a la Charlotte so I thought I would try and desensitise myself first, lol!

What is your go-to night out make up?

NATALIESLOVEXf

Small NYX Cosmetics Haul

Hello lovelies,

I placed an order on Cherry Culture a little while ago, which is where I get my NYX products from. Be aware though that delivery is a slight bit more expensive because it's an American website, but it's justified because NYX make up is so afforable! My parcel was delivered in about 8-10 days, which is amazing considering the problem I had with H&M -_- lol. So here's what I got...

Concealer in a Jar 'Light' - $4.25/£2.59

My favourite concealer ever is probably MAC's Studio Finish, it has amazing coverage and is really creamy. Dulce Candy always uses this concealer and raves about it, recommending it over MAC. And seeing as though it's a very small fraction of the price compared to MAC Studio Finish I thought I may as well give it a try! Review to come probably :)

Cream Blusher 'Boho Chic (L)' and 'Natural (R)', $4.75/£2.89 each

No your eyes are not deceiving you... in the pan both of these blushes look very similar. However, on the skin you can see that 'Natural' has much more peachy/coral tones. I've been wanting to try cream blushers for a while... but as I have oily skin I didn't want to take the plunge and get the MAC/NARS one I had been eyeing up so I thought these would be a great start. They look like they would make gorgeous lip colours too!

Round lipstick 'Eros (L)' and 'Hero (R)', $1.99/£1.21 each

I was so excited about these lipsticks, and they haven't disappointed. These are without a doubt the 2 most pigmented as well as creamy lipsticks, I have ever swatched or tried. And look at the gorgeous colours! Eros is a vibrant, pillar box red and Hero is a deep cherry red. Cannot wait to wear these and give you some lip swatches! And an amazing lipstick like this for the equivalent of £1.21? Amazing.

My order came to $17.83 with $11.38 shipping, coming to a grand total of $29.11 which in pounds is £17.76, which I think is a really reasonable amount for the high quality products you get and shipping from the US! This is my second order with Cherry Culture and it definitely won't be my last. I just wish NYX was more available in the UK, they seem to have some gems.

What other NYX products do you recommend?

NATALIESLOVEx

My week in photographs

Hello lovelies,

Sorry I've been slacking a bit on the blog front... you'll have to bear with me. I'm sure you're all aware that it's exam season so I've been pretty busy and I was sort of having a slight downer' this week, which is totally unlike my usually happy-go-lucky self. If I haven't blogged in a while you can also go follow my Twitter, I've got into tweeting a bit more and I love interacting properly with you guys, so follow me @ntlieread :) If you want to, of course lol.

I apologise now if you don't like slow worms, lol, I had to rescue this poor guy from the evil grips of my cats jaws! I walked into the kitchen and was pretty terrified when I saw what looked like a snake travelling across the kitchen floor, a google search later I realised it was only a slow worm (of course it was, I'm in England) and I had to dual with my cat to save the poor little thing. I managed to release him, pretty unharmed and I hope he survived! Peanut was a house cat when we first got her, but her hunter instinct seems to have come out :/ That was my good deed for the day!

My boyfriend came back from his two week holiday on Tuesday and it was really nice to see him again. He said he'd planned on getting me this perfume on the plane from Duty Free but was exhausted and slept the whole way! So instead he sneaked it to the till in Boots and surprised me on a shopping trip. I love this perfume, I can't describe it - it's just lovely, fruity and fresh! I actually mentioned it here in my February's most wanted, so I've finally got round to owning it! The next perfumes on my wishlist are not actually 'proper perfumes'. I'm after Zara White and Zara Black peony.

I took advantage of a few of the Magazine freebies at the moment, I was a girl on a mission searching for Glamour magazine which are giving away travel sizes of Highbeam, Benetint and Posietint. I of course, picked up all three and looked slightly mad buying Glamour magazine x3. I've wanted to try Highbeam for ages so I hope it doesn't disappoint! I also picked up Red who are giving away a small sized Jemma Kid lipgloss, I picked up 'Petal' which is a neutral pink. But they also have a Red and an Orange/Coral colour :)

As I mentioned earlier... its exam period. I have three in the upcoming week, which I'm slightly panicking about! Biology is on Monday which hugely consists of Genetics and Gene Technology, something which I struggle with. Red Bull has been getting me by most days lol. I literally used to be addicted to Red Bull - that's no joke either. I used to drink 5 cans a day at least. They say an alcoholic can never have another drink... this may be a slippery slope ;) I joke, I joke... just to get me through the hardcore revision!

I hope every one's weeks have been good, the weather is so crappy today which gives me no excuse not to revise. I think I'll throw my trackies on now, revise for a while then I'll be watching Definitely, Maybe tonight because I love Ryan Reynolds... what were you thinking Scarlett Jo???

NATALIESLOVEx

Review: Body Shop Cucumber skincare

Hello everyone :)

A while ago now I ordered some bits and pieces from The Body Shop and showed them in this post here. A few people mentioned in the comments that reviews may be helpful :) I've been using both skincare items - the Cucumber Cleansing Milk and Cucumber Freshening Water both day and night since then. It's been roughly a month so I think enough time has elapsed to tell you what I think of the two products.

Cucumber Cleansing Milk, £4.00

To start off with, this strangely doesn't smell like cucumber; just a very fresh and un-offending scent. It has the same consistency as most cleansing milks - quite liquidy but creamy at the same time. It's super gentle and can be used around the eye area with no problem. What I really noticed about this cleanser was how moisturising it is. Once you've washed the milk from your face, your skin feels really hydrated. It doesn't leave a greasy residue behind, but a nice moisturising layer (which sinks in very quickly). This worried me a little bit, as I have oily skin. But I didn't find this made me any more oily than usual and it could've even stopped me from getting so oily because my skin didn't need to produce any! 

This is also a great cleanser to use when travelling - but you would need to dispense it into a smaller container. The reason I say this is because it is just as effective without water. I've used this a number of times after removing my make up just by massaging it onto my face and then wiping it off with a cotton pad. Overall, this cleanser leaves your skin feeling very soft, clean and hydrated. If you have dry/sensitive skin I really urge you to try this. If you have normal/oily skin it would also work for you, I just feel as though those with dry skin would benefit the most.

Freshening Water, £4.00

This smells a little bit more like cucumber, but again, nothing like I'd imagined. I used this as a toner after cleansing with the Cucumber Cleansing Milk, by pouring it onto a cotton pad and sweeping all over the face. It does what it says on the tin - makes your skin feel very fresh! The cleanser is pretty good at removing all traces of dirt but if there is still some stubborn foundation this will get it off.

This didn't do anything amazing to my skin, and I don't think it's anything to write home about. This is a good product, very gentle and keeps the skin soft and clean... but I just don't think it's special. I would definitely recommend the cleanser over this but it does work well as a step after cleansing with the milk.

Okay so they were my thoughts :) I hope it's been useful to some of you. Let me know what you think about these products if you've tried them out!
NATALIESLOVEx

My week in photographs

Hello lovelies,

I hope you're all well and that you've all had great weeks. This week, for me has actually been really good :) My boyfriend will be back from his 2 week holiday next week (Tuesday) so I'm hoping that next week will be fab as well. I'm trying not to let exams get to me or stress me out too much - you can only do what you can do and it's not worth getting so stressed out about, what will be will be!

On Thursday, I got a call back from Next about my interview - and I got the job! Wahey, finally someone who will employ me haha. Near me they're currently building a new Next which will the the 3rd largest in the country with a whopping 925 staff! It's not ready yet so I don't start until August, but I will be working in the Homeware department :) Really excited! I celebrated with a nice cold pint (I'm clearly no lady) of Bulmers cider then went out for a meal with the family.

I stayed at my Mum's with her and my Stepdad this weekend, they were worried I would be lonely without my boyfriend, mega lol! This is their, my doggy, which I don't get to see a lot anymore now I live with my Dad. Her name is Dolly and she's the loveliest German Shepherd, if not a little bit hyper. Spent a lot of the time chilling in the garden playing Frisbee with her!

From Thursday-Saturday the weather was gorgeous in the UK, so this was my revision set up haha. It was beautiful and there was not even one cloud in the sky! Shame the can't be said for today... the rain is pelting down and the sky is grey :( At least I made the most of it when it was around lol.

This week I've been thinking that i really want another tattoo... I'm not going to rush into it thought because obviously, I'll have it for life. I know that tattoos aren't everyone's cup of tea but I love them and I think they're beautiful. I've been gathering inspiration pictures and I really like the idea of having a flower tattoo, similar to these on the back of my neck. Again, I'm going to leave it for a few months to make my decision. I'd also really like a script style tattoo just below my breast bone/on my rib cage.

So that has been my week! How has yours been and what have you been up to?

NATALIESLOVEx

My Online H&M Haul + Experience

Hello my loves,

I recently (well, no so recently as it turns out) ordered a few bits and piece online with H&M. If you didn't know, the H&M online store hasn't been up and running all that long... I ordered with caution because I'd heard some bad things about the service prior to putting in my order, anyway before I go on to my experience I'll show you what I got :)

Powder Patterned Playsuit, £12.99 £7.99

This playsuit featured in my most recent Months Most Wanted, so I was estatic when it went on sale on the website, I actually added this to my order a few days before it actually arrived. Love this! It's such a soft fabric, I had an idea that it was going to be slightly scratchy, idk why?!

White Basic V Neck T-Shirt, £4.99

I always need white v neck t-shirts, they really come in handy and I love the fit and quality of the H&M ones. They are perfect for summer because they're so light. Bit of a boring purchase!

Black Playsuit, £19.99

I think that has recently gone on sale for £10.99 or something like that... so go and grab yourselves a bargain! I adore this playsuit, the fabric is gorgeous... kind of silky and it fits like a dream, so flattering. This is a really food versatile summer piece, paired with some bright heels or wedges and some jewelery and it's good for night time, but with some relaxed gladiators you have a casual daytime piece as well. I'm obsessed with exposed zips, so love the back!

Pack Of Three Earrings, £3.99

Again, these have since gone on sale for £1.99... isn't it so annoying when that happens? Just 2 pairs of really simple studs and then a pair of feather earrings which are everywhere at the moment. They also had a pack with some brown feather earrings but I opted for white because you wouldn't be able to see brown with my hair.

Now onto my 'online experience'. Don't get me wrong, I love H&M it's always one of my go-to shops and I love everything I received... but they have some serious issues with their delivery and service in terms of the website. I placed my order on the 29th March, yes that was a long time ago! On the website they give you an estimated date of delivery, and it was originally 3-10 May... then it kept on moving further and further a way and delivery date estimated ended up at 9-10 June. I personally think this is terrible? Maybe it's just me, but bearing in mind you're paying £3.90 you don't expect delivery to take 2 months.

I sent them an e-mail and they told me it was because items I had order kept going out of stock... I also had a problem with this, why did they not order enough to compensate for online deliveries? Anyways rant over and my items came on the 3rd of June. Still disappointed with the delivery and I don't know how such a big company could get it so wrong. I know I'm not the only one because a lot of people have been telling me the same thing in comments or via Twitter. Anyway, my things are here now so I seem to have forgiven them! Haha.

What's your H&M online experience?

NATALIESLOVEx

Haul with a slight difference

Hey girls,

So yep I've been hauling again! But this time it's guilt free, because the 'difference' that the title refers to is that I went charity shopping. When I was little, my mum would always drag me around charity shop after charity shop and all I remember is me hating it! However, I've seen a few hauls on Youtube and the likes recently, with people getting amazing deals so I called my mumma yesterday night and I said 'Mum. Teach me how to charity shop!' and this morning we went on a bit of a mission, diving into the rails of charity shops. I'm pretty impressed, I picked up some good things...

Beige Blazer, £1.99
Found this little blazer, it was originally £4.50 but was knocked down to £1.99. Honestly, how amazing is that? I couldn't believe it haha. It's by a brand called 'Jigsaw' which rings a bell, but I'm not sure...

Navy Blazer, £1.99

Another bargain blazer, £1.99 knocked down from £4.99! I've been looking for a navy blazer for what feels like ages. This one is very over sized, but I kind of like that - I just roll up the sleeves to make it look a little better. It also has shoulder pads, but not so over-the-top 80s style lol, gives a really ncie silhouette. From the brand Amaranto.

Black Blazer, £3.75

Again, I've been looking for a nice structured black blazer because it's a staple and I ended up finding this one from New Look! A little pricier than the others, but still a steal without a doubt! Looks like I had Blazer fever haha!

Sleeveless Shirt, £2.50

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is this shirt (but in Navy) from Topshop, yes... Topshop! Super chuffed with this find ;) I've wanted a shirt like this for a while, it would've been perfect had it of been a rust colour but I can't complain! This usually retails for £18 and I got it for £2.50!

Black and Grey Striped Cardigan, £2

Saw this cardigan and I thought it was quite cute, it's kind of 'boyfriend' style, although it is actually an aged 14 cardigan from H&M Young! Good for lazy days :)

Golfing Style Cardigan, £2

Okay, don't judge me guys! I love golf/Pringle styled... anything really. Maybe it's to do with the fact that my dad's a mad keen golfer? Yep, that's the excuse I'm sticking to lol. It's a mens cardigan from Cedarwood State AKA male department of Primark :)

Sorry for all the horrible, horrible 'poses' if you can even call them that, in these photo's. Now you all know why outfit posts are rare! Lol. I just thought that the Blazers especially didn't photograph well so I thought I'd put them on for you all :) I've overcome my fear of Charity Shops!! Haha, take and friend and have fun with it :) You can get some amazing deals. Although, I guess you probably have to get them on the right day...

Are you a fan of Charity shops?

NATALIESLOVEx