Instagram in July

Let's gets straight into this, so I can admit that as you may have noticed, I've been lacking in the blog post department, but have still been hittin' up that Instagram! I thought I'd do a more detailed version, so you can have a nosey at what I've been up to the past weeks and what new products have graced my life!

29th June: NON-LIQUID HAND LUGGAGE &

3rd July: IRELAND WATERFALL

At the beginning of July, I headed to Northern Ireland for a lovely long weekend, seeing new sights like the Waterfoot waterfalls, I didn’t want to leave. This short trip meant only taking on hand luggage, i.e. swishing my clothes into one rucksack. Thank goodness for Lush for making my life easier though! Solid alternatives made life at security easier, although they were confused over my powered deodorant! As you can see I packed Brazilliant shampoo bar, Big conditioner bar, Fresh Farmacy facial soap, Outback Mate soap, my old pack of Ultrablast toothy tabs and Karma solid perfume!

6th July: LAST XMAS LUSH &

13th July: LUSH READING

Lush galore! It may be mid summer, but I’ve finally used up all of my Christmas products, (except for the soap, because I own too many). I enjoyed my Yog Nog in the dark with tealights, so I couldn’t see how neon it looks in the bath, with my frozen Snowman shower jelly that I may have forgot about in the freezer!
To celebrate having more bathroom space, I headed to my local store and picked up Seanik shampoo more and The Comforter bubble bar, and grabbed a magazine so I can look at the products more in depth.

14th July: STEAM POWERED

Nowadays I hardly straighten my hair, but when moving back to my parents house I discovered my first ever hair straighters that you filled with water and pretty much steamed your hair. So straighteners have come a long way, and I am thankful for that!

16th July: Dr Hauscka LOVE

 Now I've known about Dr Hauscka for a while now, and have tried samples in the past. However, thanks to word of mouth my Mum actually reintroduced me! I use the Rose Day Cream every morning, and is quite thick but very hydrating! Then I also use the cleansing milk and toner now as part of my morning routine. My skin seems to love this stuff, and I'm sure it would be looking better if I hadn't of got sunburnt this summer. Oops.

16th July: Next SALE

I didn't plan on going or buying anything from the Next sale, but my parents met me after work and we ended up finding a few bargains, such as a stripy dress. My favourite deal was this like-leather rucksack which is so pretty and I love the colour and size of the bag. 

Then I appear to drop off the earth as I work daily and then go camping for a week in Stafford! Somehow July flew by and I never had the chance to sit down and write blog posts, til now. Phew.

Tash xo

Care for Down There: Legs

Everyday: Makeup Bases

Everyday: Makeup Routine

What I Got For My Birthday 2015

I’m sure you’ve all seen the hundreds of What I got for Christmas blog posts, because I sure have. However like few, I celebrate my birthday 6 days after Christmas, which means it isn’t until the new year that I can round up all my presents to truly appreciate what I now own in my life.

So now I have decided to show you a glimpse of some beauty products that I received for either Christmas or Birthday! Enjoy!

Currently, my bedroom lacks both good lighting and a good mirror. Both of which are vital to getting ready daily and successfully at that. I am so happy to have received Carmen’s Light Up Desk Mirror, that runs on batteries, so is super handy and is perfect to give good lighting for a decent winter makeup routine. (I received this from the wonderful Rach, whom you can find online here and here.)

After the poor death of my The Wet Brush, I was eager to try a new version, for comparison. Superdrug’s Detangling Brush seems to be a cheaper dupe for the Tangle Teaser. And boy it is good!
With the size fitting comfortably in my hand, I find myself constantly wanting to brush my hair. However, I fear how successful it’ll be on a day that I want to keep my wavy hair on point without brushing them out.  

Personally, I like mascaras that give length. After recently disliking my current mascaras, I subtly asked for recommendations. This resulted in two mascaras for my birthday, that I know I’ll already love. Rimmel Extra 3D Lash has a small plastic brush etc. Maybelline Lashionista claims to give endless length (unrealistic but hey). As soon as I opened this I saw that medium bristled brush also had fibres on it, of which is known to create length. Perhaps a more evening mascara, for that fake lash effect?!

In the shade Bare Light, Revlon Photoready Face Illuminator is a liquid lightly golden highlighter! It’s so pretty and effective, that I do have to be careful not to get carried away with it on my face. It’s quite a bit darker than the pink-toned Benefit highlight, yet still works on my pale skin, foundation or not!

In the past, I’ve used M&S skincare, as it is cruelty-free (Leaping Bunny approved). With thanks to my skin clearing up, I can now use Marks & Spencer Limited Collection Eyeshadow Palette and eyeshadows freely, and this is the perfect way to start. A variety of matte and shimmer coloured eyeshadows, as you can see, are a perfect beginner and even travel-friendly palette! 

Estee Lalonde Nail Art Kit. A nail art pen for dotting and lines, and three beautiful shades of nail polish. I both adore Estee and The Body Shop; with these being my first nail polish from there, it has a good formula and brush for application. Oh and I’m wearing the blue shade right now #beaut!

This Nail Kit, of which I'm brand clueless,  legit has everything you’d need to maintain your nails! Personally, my nails grow quickly, and losing my clippers can be guaranteed. So I also love the packaging, as I know I’ll try my hardest to keep them all in place and not lose them!

I’m beyond happy with all the wonderful gifts that I received. Plus, it’s crazy to know that I got many non-beauty gifts too! What good products did you receive over the Christmas period? 

- Tash.

5 Cruelty-Free Morning Essentials

  Five of my cruelty free skin care and makeup essential products that are a part of my morning:

Lush's 9 to 5 Cleanser, which is their vegan cleansing alternative, is a light cleansing milk. Despite its thin consistency, it's amazing at removing dirt and makeup (including mascara) that you don't realise is on your face. This cleanser seems to be a winner, as it only requires cotton pads to apply and remove, meaning it takes next to no time!

October Haul

I went shopping on a few occasions with no intentions of what to buy, but after discovering a new shop and using my loyalty points, I've ended up with some bits to haul and share. 

After clearing out some of my nail polishes that had gone bad, when I saw W7 was being sold for £1.99, I knew I had to pick up a few, and I'm surprised at myself not not picking up even more! W7 is cruelty-free, hight street available and cheap!
I chose the colours Midnight Debris (glitter), Skinny (the nude colour which doesn't even seem to exist on W7 website) and Mauve (purplely blue). 

Skin Sincere Natural Skin Care Range

After discovering this brand at the recent West Midlands Blogger Meet, I was intrigued and excited to get my hands on free samples of their skin care range, like a kid at Christmas!

All Skin Sincere products are natural, organic and paraben-free, and the plus of being cruelty free and manufactured in the UK. Are there even any negative points about this brand?!

 With products suggested for all skin types, they also offer a specific Aloe Vera range that is aimed towards those with sensitive and dry skin.

Due to looking for a new facial cleanser, I eagerly picked up the cleansers to try that evening. The Clarifying Cleanser and Aloe Vera Cleanser like all their other products is made from recycled plastic with minimal packaging, but still with a convenient and

Dr. Hauschka Skin Care

Last Thursday I was invited to the shop BeYOUtiful in Sandbach, where they held a wonderful event with a guest speaker from Dr. Hauschka to talk about skincare and their product line.

The evening begun with a bit of history about how Dr. Rudolf Hauschka valued natural ingredients that are certified organicly obtained from bio-dynamic farm based in Germany; policies which they still stand by now. A cruelty-free, vegan friendly brand that is natrue approved, majorly caught my attention!

A selection of their products were then demonstrated on each of us, from their cleansing milks, to their moisturisers. I left the event with a goody bag from them and a few mini products that were suggested for me to trial.

Melissa Day Cream

Recommended due to my combination and sensitive skin, Melissa Day Cream first off smells like lemon sherbert which got my attention. This cream helps hydrate my patchy areas as well as controlling shine. With ingregients of melissa, dasiy, witch hazel and anthyllis, they all help to soothe and help balance my skin. So far, so good using the mini version of this product, but I'll continue using it daily until I've run out.

Doll White: Teeth Whitening Strips

After implementing Oral B's whitening toothpaste into my daily routine and seeing a difference, I wanted to try to even greater improve the shade of my teeth, by adding an extra step to my routine. 

Doll White* offer whitening strips in weekly packs which contain a teeth whitening gel pre-laid on strips.

Every other day I applied these strips to my top and bottom

The Craze of Hair Chalks

As summer approached, in combination with the popularity of coloured dyed hair, the use of hair chalks swiftly arrived!

This craze became very popular especially with festivals around the corner, as it is a fast and non-permanent way to make your hair looks in style and colourful! 

I purchased some pastel hair chalk to try out to easily add colour to my hair for the summer! These can be found for cheap on the internet. 

Upon first impressions, I used these colours on my wet hair, and

Nail Care Routine

After being inspired by The Nail & Beauty Files' nail care routine blog post last week, I decided to pick up a few purchases on my next shopping trip so that I could get myself into a routine of looking after my nails.

Upon the beginning of my nail care journey, I picked up a twin pack of nail buffer blocks in Primark, costing only £1! There are 4 sides to use. 
1. File down the edges of each of my nails.
2. Buff gently the top of each nail which removes most rough areas and ridges.
3 & 4. Polish & Shine helps to smooth the nail and give it a shine finish.

After using each side of the block my nails feel so smooth, so I highly doubt there is much of a difference between more expensive blocks except for how long they will last.

I follow on my by using my strawberry hand cream from The Body Shop, rubbing this all over my hands and focus on massaging it on and around my nails to help hydrate my cuticles and skin that surrounds my nails.
I can't emphasize enough how much of a difference this have made since I started using it regularly, especially due to how amazing it smells!

To help keep my nails strong and looking healthy I'll apply my base coat nail polish after the cream has sunk in. Whether alone or underneath a coloured nail polish, this create a naturally light pink tint to my nails as well as filling in any other naturally nail ridges I still have.

Of course my nail care routine is no where near complete, as I plan to get a cuticle oil/ cream of sorts to help maintain them, and a better nail file to use on the edges rather than relying on the buffer blocks. I'll be sure to report back when I invest more into my routine.

I'm so glad that I finally got around to purchasing products to use in my nail care routine, because it means that I now stick to using them all, and recommend you sort one out if you haven't already, you won't regret dedicating a little time to do it.

Do you have a nail care routine? What other products do you use to look after them?

- Tash.

NimbleWhaleBlog Giveaway! - CLOSED

I am giving away a bundle of goodies to one lucky winner that have a total RRP of £40. These include a mixture of typical items that I associate myself with and you would likely see me blog about. Hopefully, there’ll be something in there that you’ll like too.

Here are the bundle of goodies that one lucky winner will receive the entirety of:

5 Colour Uniball Jetstream Retractable Rollerball Pen

1 LUSH The Experimenter Bath Bomb

1 The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask

MULK Bundle*;
1 A5 Geometric Eco Notebook, 

1 A6 Geometric Eco Notebooks &
1 Geometric Card

Crazy Kitten Creations Bundle*;

1 Sparkle Crystal Necklace

1 Antique Dragonfly Necklace

I absolutely adore all of the above products, such as the various necklaces that I was sent from Crazy Kitten Creations, not to mention the amazing notebooks offered from MULK, which I'm quite jealous I don't get to keep, and can be used with the pastel Uniball pens! Then finally I hope the winner can truly enjoy the explosion of the Experimenter whilst using their facial mask from The Body Shop.

Enter on the Rafflecopter Giveaway below!

Terms & Conditions

Due to postage costs, this giveaway is only open to residents of the UK.

Follow all the rules in the Rafflecopter widget.

If you’re under 16, get a permission from a parent.

The giveaway opens at 12pm today (10^th July) and runs until 11:59pm on the 31^st July.

A winner will be chosen and contacted within 24 hours.

The winner will have two days to respond or a new winner may be chosen.
Please note that there is an error with the number update of entries, and thus is higher than Rafflecopter states.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone,
and feel free to check out the online stores of the products that are included in the giveaway, such as MULK and Crazy Kitten Creations!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Kirsty Whiston on winning the giveaway!

- Tash.

Magnitone Lucid Cleansing Brush

After participating in #BHTWITTERPARTY, I was given the opportunity to review a Magnitone Lucid Facial Brush*. This brand offers cleansing brushes that produce deep-pore purification and gently exfoliation for the face, producing softer, clearer and brighter skin in just 7 days.

I chose the Aqua Green Magnitone Lucid brush, which comes with a wireless travel charger, and with a charger of two weeks is portable and easy to use on the go.

Upon first use, I found using the cleansing brush comfy to hold and easy to understand. Two modes, deep clean or sensitive, I chose sensitive due to my dry and sensitive facial skin, and the 1 minute auto-stop function, with 20 second facial timers made it easy to stay focused and not overwork your face.

I chose to use this both in the morning with my The Body Shop Aloe Facial Wash, and in the evening with my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Cleanser, or alternatively in the shower due to it being 100% waterproof! I did prefer using this in the shower as it meant that if I put too much cleanser on the brush if it did go everywhere, including my hair, at least I could easily wash it out.

The result of using this for the past week has meant that my skin is smoother, by removing the dead skin cells thanks to the 10,000 pulsations per minute, and made my skin feel brighter and softer!

The convenience of this product, as well as the high quality and success of this product makes its price of £69.99, well worthwhile, especially if you use it regularly. Not to mention that it also comes with a travel adaptor for you to use if you are going away for longer than the two weeks the battery will last.

There are four colours to choose from (Plush Pink, Aqua Green, Dazzling Blue and Sunshine Yellow), as well as other accessorises that can be purchased from www.magnitone.co.uk

A fantastic cleansing product, that has helped revolutionised my morning routine, and dramatically improving how my skin looks. Perhaps in the future I may look into the other brushes they offer to see if there is a more beneficial one for me to use in combination with my cleansers!

Did I mention that you can get 20% off your order of a Magnitone Lucid Cleansing Brush until 31st July, costing you only £56 by using the discount code BLOVE20 and clicking here!

- Tash.

Timeless Truth Facial Mask

Recently I received one facial mask from Timeless Truth*, out of the many types they offer. This brand focuses on providing the latest advances in bio-technology for amazing anti-ageing results.

I chose the Luxury Elastic- Miracle Rejuvenation Mask, which states that it aims to brighten, rejuvenate and refine, by evening skin tone and diminishing the appearance of age spots and wrinkles.

Personally, I found using this mask a great experience as the elastic cotton mask was super flexible by hooking on to my ears, and slits to enable contact to your face in all places, and even my under chin area as well as my entire face. This unique fitting mask is the best mask in terms of not causing a mess when applying the mask when compared to peel-off and mud masks, plus didn't fall off whilst I was walking about.

The result of it made my skin feel fresh, tighter, and brighter!

However, they state that this product can be used multiple times due to the generous amount of serum that is included in the packaging, which subsides the costly price for this face mask of £6.50.

There are also other types of facial masks that Timeless Truth offer with fab benefits, which use cloth masks including non-woven fabric, bio-cellulose and silk fibre. These can be found at www.thebeautymask.co.uk.

This was a good luxury face mask to use, however if I was to purchase, I would ensure I had put more thought into my choice to ensure I found the perfect mask to suit my skin type!

Also, they suggested to put the mask in the fridge previously, for a refreshing experience, of which I will be certain to do with all my masks in the future, especially during summer.

- Tash.

Spring Pastel Nail Polishes

Pastel colours are fabulous to wear all year around, but look even cuter in spring time! I've started wearing pastels a lot more on their own as well as adding nail art on top of these pastel nail polish colours. 

 (Right to left)

Barry M: Blueberry Icecream (buy here)

Models Own: Concrete Mixer (buy here)

Models Own: Lilac Dream (buy here)

Models Own: Jade Stone (buy here)

Nails Inc London: Notting Hill Carnival(buy here)

Nails Inc London: Upper Cheyne Row(buy here)

These pastel colours are great to be worn alone or in combination with each other, or even with nail art on top!

What are your spring nail polish favourites?

- Tash.

Birchbox Review- May 2015

May 2015's Birchbox is themed around 'Free Your Mind' encouraging you to be creative and even to colour in your own box. 

For £10 (+ P&P) you can receive and try out 5 chosen samples that you receive in your monthly subscription box. Also this month I was guaranteed a free full size nail art pen from Wah London! The products that received are...

Colouring Pencils! 

'Another little something extra'. Birchbox kindly included some colouring pencils to use to help get creative and personalise the design of the box. I plan to colour mine in soon, so follow my instagram to soon see my finished box!

NUDE: ProGenius Omega Treatment Oil (buy here) 

This sample is in a small purple pump bottle, a few drops of this nourishing oil and best applied after cleansing at night, to allow it to absorb into my skin, feeling it soft and healthy. This will certainly be a part of my night time routine, occasionally replacing my moisturiser.

STILA: Lip Glaze (buy here)

As soon as I saw the light peach shade for this lip gloss, I was excited to try it out. I don't usually wear lip gloss, however this lip glaze in the colour Glow will certainly add to any summer time makeup routine, plus the convenience of the click-pen packaging which I prefer. Let's not forget about that it's packed with vitamins A, C and E to keep lips hydrated and looks lovely!

LIZ EARLE BEAUTY CO: Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (buy here)
Naturally I've heard about this product so many times, but the big name and price tag put me off ever trying it. This hot cloth cleanser which is suitable for all skin types is great to gently remove my makeup, especially mascara, even though I do look like a panda during the cleansing process. A great product that if I could justify buying, may hop in to my basket on day. 
Oh and this came with a muslin cloth, so I'l practically half way there to repurchasing. Plus this muslin cloth will be great for when I use my cleansing balms too!

WAH LONDON: Nail Art Pen(buy here)

A free full sized nail art pen! Why thank you Birchbox!
I chose to receive a nail art pen, of which I received in blue (shade 08), and I love it. It was a colourful addition to my nails, and has given me that push towards creating more nail art designs in the near future, so keep an eye out.

PARLOR:Moisturing Sea Salt Spray (buy here) 

With scents of ripe peaches and freshly cut grass, this seal salt spray in a bottle as well as its scent adds texture to your hair. This product is encouraging me to focus on my hair more, as well as ensure that my hairstyles such as buns stay sturdy.

JELLY PONG PONG: Bronzer Duo (buy here)
My Caribbean Sun bronzer duo is in the shade martinique, half a tan powder for contour, and a rosy pink blush, a perfect combination palette for the cheeks, particularly those whom have pale skin.  A fab compact duo infused with argan and mango butter for a moisturising contouring choice. 

NUMBER 4: Reconstructing Masque (buy here) 

As a fellow fan on hair masques, this wonderfully moisturing product makes your hair feel fresh, strong and shiny. I love that this was an extra beauty bonus in my box, however wish that it was not in a sachet, so I didn't feel I had to use it all at once.

Considering this is my first ever Birchbox, overall I am very happy and content with my samples, and may even consider purchasing larger sizes, and look forward to future boxes!

- Tash.

Love Me Beauty Box Unboxing

Like most, I love receiving post, and so when I was greeted by the arrival of my first beauty box from Love Me Beauty, I was very excited to open and try out my new goodies as soon as possible!

Love Me Beauty allows you to hand-pick the contents of your beauty box, allowing you to sample full or travel sizes products that you actually want, for £10 a month. The products that I chose are as follows...

MONU Hydrating Moisturiser SPF15 30 ML (buy here) 
A handy moisturiser that is fragrant and hydrating for those spring days. Despite the inconvenience of the packaging, it is a great piece to try out to have in a make up bag, especially as it contains SPF15. You don't even have to think about suncream on those rare sunny days.

Organic Surge Deep Cleansing Face Mask (buy here)

A clear nourishing face mask that smells of rosemary and lemon essential oils. Wonderful to use to sooth your skin, especially for those with sensitive skin, leaving it soft, clear and deeply cleansed.

Nails Inc. Nail Polish in 'Upper Cheyne Row' (unavailable)
I've been dying for a light pink nail polish, so when I saw this available I had to get it.
A pastel pink that looks well against my fair skin and even lasted.

Nails Inc. Nail Polish in 'Howick Place' (unavailable) 
A grey nail polish, which considering all the above I got, I was happy to be able to receive two great nail polish colours that apply well from a great brand. Fab for a go-to nail polish.

CAILYN Cosmetics Dizzolv'it Makeup Cleansing Balm- (buy here) 
A balm that turns into oil! Crazy, but was impressed as this is the first one I have tried and would happily continue to use this or similar alternatives to conveniently and efficiently remove all my makeup, AND leave my face super soft!

Which of these products would you have chosen to purchase?

- Tash.