Beth Sugarblur

I put mayonnaise in my hair!

It may be a well known fact to many of you that oils are particularly helpful when improving the quality of your hair. You may also be aware of the benefits of using mayonnaise, but I have to admit this is a fairly new hack I've adopted and I love it. Apparently the oils and egg in the Mayo are the good stuff.

Having naturally curly hair, I have a typically dry and frizz prone barnet. I've tried and tested endless shampoos, conditioners, treatments and styling products that claim to tame frizz, enhance moisture and add shine. Whilst I have found several break through products that do work well for me on a daily basis, I've found a household condiment proves to be more effective than all of these products put together.

My first reaction to using mayonnaise on my hair was "ew". Mayo is for crispy chips not my frazzled split ends. As I squirted the creamy white stuff onto my hand and poised it over my wet hair it grossed me out even more. Am I really putting mayonnaise in my hair? I held my breath (to block the smell) and pretended it was a £49.99 conditioning treatment Kim Kardashian swears by as I rubbed it into the lengths of my hair. Hurrrlllll.

I then wrapped my hair in a plastic bag to block the smell. No, apparently this is good for any conditioning treatment to really make it get to work. And the smell wasn't that bad, I don't think Mayo has a particularly strong smell anyway. I waited for 15-30 minutes, not sure how long exactly, I got distracted watching Queen's tennis.

When rinsing out I used my favourite sulphate free gentle shampoo to wash out all of that eggy condiment. I recommend using a shampoo without sulphates as it won't dry out your hair, undoing all that hard work of the Mayo, which regular shamps tend to do. To finish, I added a dash of leave in conditioner and continued with my regular routine (usually a bit of mousse, curl cream and then plait into two braids). You can read my curly hair routine here.

Does Mayo do any good?

YES. YES. YES. I can't rave about how good (nearly said "this product") mayonnaise is for my hair! I took the braids out the next morning and nearly blinded myself my hair was so shiny. The pictures do not do it justice, it was so soft too. I won't use this all the time as I don't want my hair to get used to it and become ineffective. But I will certainly be putting less Mayo on my chips and saving it to treat my hair!

Be brave, hold your nose and go slap some Mayo on your hair.

(Or try these if you really don't fancy raiding the kitchen cupboard)

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, by Beth

In bbloggers, bean burst

Improving my dry, pore ridden, spot prone skin with Bean Burst Coffee Scrub

The issue

I've always had really bad skin on my chest area, usually manifesting itself as being very dry, rough, raised pores and prone to break outs. I like to use tanning products in the summer months and I always dread putting it on my skin as the dryness makes it go super patchy looks almost cracked as it clogs my already clogged pores and dry skin. I do often feel self conscious about this area of my skin and like to choose high neck clothing to cover it up. Which actually makes it worse in the long run. To note, I've never come across anyone with the same skin problem as me and I've never spoke about it before.

I've tried almost every product to try sort it out, from creams and lotions to Sudocrem, pore cleansers, spot treatments and blemish gels. I should probably take a visit to the doctor/dermatologist to see if they could give me stronger creams or something to help but it is just finding the time!

Whilst giving the area a good scrub with a poofy bath scrunchy thingy.. (yeah I don't know the name...) and some exfoliating scrub, followed by loading on the cleanser and creams does make the area feel smoother, it does make my skin very irritated and inflamed and barely lasts a couple hours. This proves an issue when applying fake tan as it would require a heck of a lot of time to maintain this smoothness to allow the tan to sit well. Everyone knows, scrubbing removes the tan and then my chest would look different from my shoulders and arms - meaning I'd basically have to re-do my whole body with tan everyday and just.. no, it's far too much faff.

Introducing Bean Burst Coffee Srub

I've been using Bean Burst's coffee scrub in the Grapefruit Blend for about 3-4 weeks, and I have noticed a significant difference. I do like to ensure my reviews are 100% honest, so I'll point out that the product did not reduce the look of the pores. Basically, you can not really see them, they are skin coloured, unless in a certain light, so I do remind myself of this when feeling a little unconfident about my skin because chances are no one will actually see the problem! However, it is such a great scrub! As another side note, I have altered my whole routine so collectively several products are helping with the skin issue, which I will talk about shortly. The scrub is made of coffee and all natural ingredients and several nourishing oils. Oil. I have found out that this is the key ingredient I need to help with my skin problem. The skin is extremely dry and I can't think of anything more moisturising than essential oils, so I think this is why the coffee scrub works better than other scrubs I've tried in the past. The scub is also useful for reducing to appearence of scars and other skin imprefections, so do give it a go

The routine

So, I want an even, soft bronze glow. I hope in the shower with my Bean Burst scrub and using a gentle exfoliating glove I gently buff the coffee granules over my skin in small circular motions. The reason for using the glove not only adds extra exfoliation but also protects my hand from being scrubbed within an inch of its life. You'd probably want to do this if you are applying the scrub to your whole body as by the time you're done, I found, the skin on my hands had began to very slightly peel. The skin on my palms is quite delicate so I don't like to over do it there, I'm happy to just use some hand cream. Anyway, once I'm all buffed and smooth, I rinse all of the coffee off very thoroughly. The weeny little coffee granules can get in every bloody nook and cranny...(!!) so you do need to make sure you get it all off! After one application my skin feels literally soooo soft and not only soft but moisturised too due to the heavenly oils in the scrub, which is a feeling I don't tend to get from other products I've tried.

Whilst still in the shower, I like to apply an antibacterial scrub or soap to eliminate any spot causing bacteria that may be left behind. I use Clearasil's Rapid Action Scrub, other Clearasil products or Clean & Clear's facial scrubs and wash off treatments as these brands are great for controlling spots and tend to be fairly gentle.

Once dry, my chest feels noticeably smoother, less irritated and feeling a lot fresher. I actually only need to apply the coffee scrub once a week because it is so effective and by using the following products to maintain the effects.

Secondly, I've turned to Bio Oil to inject some more of those glorious oils into my skin and use a spot-on spot treatment from Clean & Clear to clear up any present spots. This is really effective at drying out and reducing the size and redness of the spot in just a few hours.

When I'm ready for fake tan - usually the evening or day after to allow the Bio Oil to do its work, I turn to Bondi Sand's Liquid Gold Dry Oil. This is the best fake tan I have ever tried, and I've tried Fake Bake, St. Tropez, Cocobrown - the lot! I will be doing a full review of this product soon so keep an eye out. I was drawn to it because of my new found love for oils, so an oil based fake tan seemed completely perfect! You'll have to wait for the full review, but I get no clinging to dry patches, an even coverage and a long lasting glow. I like to add a moisturiser to my chest before and after the application to ensure it is even but it always is and is working super well. It even contributes to eliminating the dryness by being an oil.

The verdict

I believe, whether you have got problem skin like me or not, the basis of a good fake tan starts with a good base. The first picture above was taken before I used Bean Burst for the first time and the second was taken a few days ago having used my new routine for about 3-4 weeks. The second photo you can see my skin is much clearer, less spots and I felt it was in much better condition to apply fake tan onto. Remember, this was the effect after using this routine for the first time too, so it is really effective immediately and preventing nasty spots. It is not perfect but it is vast improvement to me and I am personally much happier about my skin. I really love and recommend Bean Burst's Coffee Scrub for a revolutionary way to buff and moisturise your body. Whilst I wouldn't get oil based products anywhere near my face as it is very combination, I feel I have found a breakthrough ingredient to assist with the dryness on my chest. This is definitely down to the kind people behind Bean Burst who introduced me to the coffee scrub and got me hooked on essential oils!

Coffee Scrub Grapefruit Blend c/o Bean Burst UK - £15

Also try

Coffee Scrub Sweet Orange - £15

Coffee Scrub Peppermint - £15

All Three - £28

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, by Beth

In crystal, fashion

Introducing Lily & Rose Luxury Jewellery

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, by Beth

In bblogger, beauty

Nip+Fab Haul and Review

I adore Nip+Fab products! They are literally the best skin care brand I have discovered and I'm never disappointed when I try something new. I have five products in total, this little post will explain what each of them do, my thoughts and why I love them. This post is in no way sponsored by Nip+Fab but I urge anyone after a new affordable skincare regime to try out some of these!

Dragon's Blood Fix Plumping Serum

Starting with the best! This product is my absolute favourite. I like to put it on at night as it gives my skin an intense hydration over night as well as a legit plumping sensation. In the morning, my skin feels a lot tighter as well as smooth and moisturised. When applying make up in the morning, I find my make up goes on a lot nicer. Secondly, it smells so god damn nice!! I don't like to use it every night as it is so effective, I'd hate for it to become ineffective. So I usually apply it when my skin is feeling a bit rough and in need of some TLC, or if I have something going on the next day that requires my make up to sit well for a long period of time. It may also be a little pricey to be using every day so, this is another reason for using it sparingly.

Bottom line: This little baby is a delight.

Dragon's Blood Fix Plumping Mask

And repeat. This product is baso the same as the serum, in mask form. It is a great alternative when my skin needs extra fixing or if I'm running low on the serum. I don't use this very often at all, but it is a super good intense mask to turn to when my skin is in desperate need. Again, I don't want this product to get too used to my skin and become ineffective.

Yoga Blend Body Lotion

Another one I'm super loving is this lotion! Definitely my favourite body lotion of all time. It smells subtly like lavender so it is very relaxing and I like to apply it just before bed. The bottle is really big so I do use this one every night and it seems to be lasting me ages! It is probably my favourite mainly because of the gorgeous scent and the fact it doesn't make my skin feel sticky, or like it has something on it. The product is extremely light wait, rubs in really easy and absorbs fast.

Yoga Blend Body Scrub

This one is just a really nice body scrub! And has been lasting me ages because I have a lot of body scrubs that I like to alternate between depending on what my skin needs. I don't like to use a scrub on my face unless it is specifically for the face as I feel some body scrubs can be a little too rough for my face.

Gltcolic Fix Cleanser

I know I've already said the Dragon's Blood is my fave, but this one is probably equalling it! I adore this one. The smell. Oh my. Grapefruit loooveee! So delicious. A little of this really does go a long way. It foams up nicely on my face and leaves it feeling sensationally soft and smelling absolutely delicious! Recently I haven't been taking great care of myself, my skin included, due to the volume of university work I've had, so I hadn;t used this in a while. I seemed to have got a lot of spots during this time. I could have been due to the stress, but I don't normally get that amount of spots, usually just the odd one pop up now and again, so it was kind of strange after discontinuing this product that a lot popped up at once. Since returning to my routine, my skin has got significantly better and I put that partially down to Nip+Fab. There isn't anything more to say about this product really. If you get any, get this one, it's a dream.

Glycolic Fix Night Pads

Pointless feature alert! I haven't actually tried this one yet, hence why it is still in its packaging in the picture. Basically, I'm saving this one for my holiday to America I bought it for this specifically because I think it would minimise the amount of heavy liquid toiletries I'd have to take. It is basically my boo Fix Cleanser and an exfoliator in one easy to apply pad. So no need to bring multiple products and no need to rinse the product off my face. It is going to be a really easy, fast skin care routine for my holiday. If anyone has tried this product, please let me know your thoughts in the comments! I will also update this section as and when I have actually used the pads!

So there is my mini review of my beloved Nip+Fab products! In addition, I am loving the packaging so it really doesn't bother me if I have to leave them out on display or anything. They all smell delicious, all do exactly what they say on the bottle and work wonders for me! I only write about things that genuinely work, sponsored or not!!