Since I went back to being all blonde again my hair has felt limp, lifeless and very dry. When bleach, toners and hot styling tools are combined this definitely doesn't do my hair any favours, however I was recommended by a Hairdresser to try the Redken range to revitalise my dry hair. Online the range of Redken products is very extensive and as I wasn't recommended a specific line from Redken I guessed on which product would suit my hair the best. I ended up ordering the Extreme range from feelunique to try out as it claims to 'Fortify distressed hair' which sounded like a pretty perfect fit for my hairs current condition.
I have been using the Redken Extreme Shampoo and Conditioner since August, I never continuously use a shampoo or conditioner, I like to keep changing it around as my hair can tend to get used to a product very easily and ends up becoming greasy from the build up of product, so I find that switching my haircare routine regularly prevents this from happening. These little bottles have lasted me more than five months now and a little goes a long way.
I enjoy the smell of the shampoo, it reminds me of Calpol (a popular UK medicine), which as a child I used to quite enjoy, a little too much as I managed to get my hands on a full bottle once and drank the lot (casualty free) so the smell to me is quite pleasant, sweet but not sickly smelling.
Do I see dramatic improvements in my hair? No probably not, after using the Extreme range my hair feels clean, cleansed and soft but not that real silky soft feeling I get from using my L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oils Shampoo and Conditioner, that stuff makes my hair feel so nice and silky. My dry ends don't seem to of made any improvement from using the Redken Extreme shampoo and conditioner so although I like this duo I don't think I will repurchase from this particular range however I would like to explore Redken products further, maybe another range will be better suited to my hair condition.

Find Redken online at feel unique.
Which range from Redken do you recommend?

Brands I Want To Try In 2016 | KMC Beauty

by Kelly, January 20, 2016

I couldn't tell you how many times I have filled my basket full of products online that I am dying to try but then ask myself "do I really need them?" and end up exiting out of the page. In 2016 there are definitely a few different brands I want to try out when I am ready for a splurge.

I only ever purchased one palette from Too Faced in early 2015 and it was their 'Joy To The Girls' palette that I got on sale from ASOS. I am really intrigued about their Melted Lipstick's but in particular the newly released Chocolate range. As I have a new found love for brown lipsticks after trying Colourpop 'Chilly Chili' I am very keen to get my hands on these to see if I love them as much.


In 2015 the hype about Dose Of Colors was everywhere and I was well and truly convinced that I needed their liquid lipsticks in my life, as I still am now. In the Winter when they launched their 'Dare To Dazzle Trio' I thought the idea of a metallic liquid matte lipstick was absolutely genius and I think we will be seeing a lot more companies releasing metallic lipsticks this year as a result of this. These liquid lipsticks are definitely on the more pricey side at $18 each but they are a lot more accessible to us make-up lovers in the UK as they do ship here! Some of the Dose Of Colors range is available on Beauty Bay (here) but they do not stock a wide range of shades.

I think the rise of Kat Von D is going to keep going this year, it seemed that every release she made in 2015 was success after success, starting with her Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in 'Lolita' being the most sought after lipstick in the beauty community and always being sold out, followed by the 'Shade + Light' Contour Palette and finishing off the year with her 'Metal Crush' eyeshadows. I want them all. I will say the only thing that made me hesitant about purchasing the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in 'Lolita' last year was the fact that some people said that the colour seemed to vary between batches so I thought i'd wait it out, let them sort any production issues they have and purchase her products when the hype has settled and stock is back to normal.

I have wanted to try Tarte for a longtime now but it's just one of those brands i've never got round to actually purchasing. I hear great things about their Tartlette palette's and I am really keen to try their new Tarteist Lip Paint's too as they have a wide range of colours.

Last on my hit list this year is Becca, in particular their Shimmering Skin Perfectors and Mineral Blushes. I held off on purchasing 'Champagne Pop' last year because I knew there was no way Becca could not make that shade a permanent item when people went that crazy over it! Low and behold it has been announced that 'Champagne Pop' and 'Pearl' are now both permanent items.

Which brands do you want to try in 2016? Let me know!


With over 3300 views my ColourPop Lippie Stix post is still the top read post on my blog, so when I planned on doing a post on the newer Ultra Matte Lips I knew I had to live up to the standard of the previous post and that includes lip swatches. I know for some bloggers lip swatches are the norm and they do them all the time but I tend to work with natural light so finding the right day to take photos and get the lip colours to look as true to life as possible is difficult. I received my Ultra Matte Lips back in November of last year so this post has definitely been a long time coming! I picked up the shades Bad Habit, Chilly Chili, More Better, Avenue and LAX.



So I wanted to call this a 'Mini Review' because I haven't tried all five shades to their full extent however I have tried some of them. 
The first shade I ever wore was 'Avenue' I wore it for my Christmas works meal and it was hands down the worst mistake I could of made, it wore off before I even sat down to start my meal so I had only been wearing it about an hour, but it sort of flaked off instead of actually fading off which would of been a lot less noticeable. My lips just look blatantly patchy and if you try to fix the patchiness by adding more lipstick you can see the different layers on your lips from where the old lipstick was and the new lipstick is, from this experience I would not recommend 'Avenue'.
My absolute favourite shade out of the five that I picked up is 'Chilly Chili' I never thought I would see myself liking a brown colour so much but it's really flattering, I am pale to begin with but this doesn't wash me out or make me look ill and I don't know if it's because it is from ColourPop's newer range of Ultra Matte Lips but the formula is miles better than Avenue.

When swatching all five shades dry to a completely matte finish and don't feel uncomfortable on the lips. You can probably tell from my swatch of 'LAX' that I had a little bit of trouble with that shade, I couldn't seem to prevent it from becoming patchy on the lips even though I completely removed it and re-applied. Also it almost looks like I have a liner around the outer edges that is more pink than the 'LAX' shade, it is not liner, this is how it bled on my lips. I did not use liner with any of the five shades I swatched however I would recommend to use a liner if you use these Ultra Matte Lip's.

All in all I am happy with 3/5 of the shades I got. I wish I had never purchased 'Avenue' and 'LAX' and tried some other shades instead, maybe some lighter shades but as I bought these in Winter I was feeling the more dark vampy colours at the time. Another tip I learnt before applying any of these Matte Lips was to exfoliate your lips, I did this by using my Bubblegum Lip Scrub by Lush.

If your wondering how I got my ColourPop order in the UK I do have an entire blogpost on it here. I do use a shipping company called Shipitto however as of 2016 their fees for using their service have changed so please be aware of this before placing an order through them. The Ultra Matte Lips are widely available on eBay and Amazon but they are more expensive.

View the ColourPop range here.


I haven't written a blog post since November, I am annoyed that I haven't found the time to put a post up sooner than this but with the New Year in full swing and the resolutions in full effect I am back to aiming for consistent content. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen in December I posted a picture of my Mum's Look Fantastic Beauty Box, I liked hers so much that I subscribed to their Beauty Boxes so I could have one for myself and this month is the January Detox Edition.
I am looking forward to trying out all these new goodies from brands I have never tried before.


Kebelo Shampoo & Conditioner
When it comes to haircare I am always switching up my shampoo and conditioner, I am keen to try out the Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo and Conditioner. The Shampoo is said to detoxify and gently exfoliate the hair leaving it soft, smooth and purified and it also doubles up as a body wash, while the Conditioner claims to provide nourishment and hydration helping to keep hair looking healthy and glossy all day, key ingredients being Amaranth, Chamomile and Quinoa Seed.
Between bleach, toners and hot styling tools my hair gets a pretty hard time so hopefully this combo can give it back some life.
Shampoo here.
Conditioner here.


Bellápierre Shimmer Shadow
This is the only make-up related product in this month's Beauty Box which I am fine with, said to be a Shimmer Powder to provide long-lasting, vibrant colour that does not smear, crease or fade. This product is 100% hypoallergenic and suitable for any skin type. When swatching it feels like a less intense pigment, provides good pigmentation and was smooth against the skin, no abrasive chunky glitters just a shimmer as stated. You cannot go wrong with a warm bronzy shade I have the shade 'Earth' and although it says you can use this as a highlighter too I don't think that the colour is right against my pale skin as a highlighter but on the lids I think it will work well.
The Bellápierre Shimmer Shadow's retail at £9.74 each (while offers last) however the shade 'Earth' is not available singly on the LookFantastic website only in a set of 9 which retails at £59.99! It is available singly on their own website (here) but they retail at £12.99, they have 56 different shades to choose from.
If you are looking to try out some loose pigment shadows I would recommend the Makeup Geek Loose Pigment's (here) they are amazing quality and retail at £7.25 each.


Lancer The Method: Polish
This product is said to be a "gentle skin resurfacing treatment" which I think is a fancy way of saying it's an exfoliator. Claims to infuse the skin with oxygen and remove dull and dead surface cells for fresher, younger looking skin. I tried out this product after cleansing, this is not what I class as a "gentle exfoliator" it's extremely abrasive, which I love, I don't have sensitive skin and when it comes to exfoliators the more abrasive the better but if you have sensitive skin this product might not be for you. My skin did feel incredibly soft after use and I will continue to use this Polish until it runs out.
It's a pretty genorous sample size with 14g of product however I can't see myself forking out £76.00 a tube which is the LookFantastic offer price, the actual RRP is £113.50!
Find it here.


Darphin Azahar Cleansing Micellar Water
Another product always in rotation in my skincare drawer are Micellar Water's, they are super handy for removing any excess make-up that you didn't get when deep cleansing and even more handy if like me you swatch lipsticks or eyeshadows on your wrists, I like to use them to remove my swatches. Said to gently remove make-up and impurities without irritating the skin leaving it soft, I know I will get plenty of use from the little bottle.
Find the full-size here.


Nuxe Nuxellence Detox
At the grand old age of 23 it's never too early to fight the battle of ageing, this is a night time treatment said to boost skin purification and cell renewal and on waking up Nuxe claim that your skin features will appear rested as if you slept for an extra 2 hours making your skin appear more radiant and rejuvenated. I am trying this almost immediately, my under eyes tell me everyday that I need more sleep.
Find here.

LookFantastic offer a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription plan, I chose the 6 month plan at £12.50 per box.
Find the Beauty Box subscription here.


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