Christmas Gift Ideas With Leighton Denny The Best Sellers Gift Set

I have another Christmas gift idea for you today, and today it is a gift set from Leighton Denny, the The Best Sellers Gift Set £16.00 which is part of their Colour Soiree Collection and contains 4 nail polishes. 

I am going to share with you the polishes in the set and tell you a bit about them and then I have some swatches for you, so you can see exactly how the polishes look. 

Leighton Denny polishes are known as "5 free" polishes, meaning they do not contain Tosylamide Formaldehyde resin, Camphor, DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde, the formula of the polishes is a formula that Leighton Denny have been using since 2005, which is high gloss, chip resistant and self levelling. If possible I always try and buy nail polishes that are 5 free, some are 3 free and some 7 free, but these "free" from polishes are the best for our nails and for us. I am going to write a post all about the free from polishes as it is something I am asked about a lot whenever I mention it.

Each of the polishes in the gift set are 5ml so these are smaller in size than a regular Leighton Denny polish which are 12ml, but a regular 12ml polish is priced at £12.00 so 4 full sized polishes would be £48.00 and this set has 4 5ml sized polishes for £16.00 so it is excellent value for money and the shades are beautiful and not only perfect for Christmas, but can be worn all year round. 

The Polishes

Crushed Grape

Crushed Grape is a beautiful rich, as the name says Grape shade, which is perfect for this time of year, I love it and it is even more beautiful on the nails than in the bottle.   

Butterfly Wings

Butterfly Wings is such a pretty shade, it is a very pale pink with a subtle blue/lilac pearlescent shimmer to it. It is gorgeous, I didn't think it would show up well on my nails before I tried it, but it does and it looks lovely.  

Twinkle Twinkle

Twinkle Twinkle is a gorgeous silver glittery polish that can be worn as a top coat over the polishes in this set or over any polish, or it can be worn alone giving you some serious sparkly nails. 

Double Up

Double Up is a 2 in 1, base and top coat, I like 2 in 1 products, they are much easier to store, being a nail polish addict, I have quite a large collection of polishes, so anything that saves me room is a bonus. 

All 4 polishes in the set can be worn alone as a single shade or by using different combinations of the shades, Double Up I have used as a base and top coat but have also worn it alone as a clear polish and with Twinkle Twinkle to add a little sparkle. 

Crushed Grape looks stunning with either Twinkle Twinkle worn over it for a sparkly finish or with Butterfly Wings worn over it which transforms it into a beautiful shade and like nothing else I own. And Butterfly Wings looks super pretty with Twinkle Twinkle worn over it, and add in the Double Up worn as a top coat to give an extra glossy finish. 

Swatches

These are the polishes on their own, two coats of each polish. 

These are the polishes when used with each other to create alternative looks.

I am really impressed with this gift set, I think it's brilliant value for money with each polish working out at £4.00 each, and you can create 6 different nail looks too, it is a really lovely set and one I would be happy to see under my tree. 

If you would like to pick the Leighton Denny, The Best Sellers gift set up for someone you love this year, or as a treat for yourself, you can find it on the Feel Unique website here. 

Which is your favourite shade out of the set? Let me know in the comments below. 

Revlon Pro Collection One Step Hair Dryer And Volumiser

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I have difficulty with drying/styling my hair due to health problems and that my daughters and mainly my partner dry and style my hair for me. Usually this involves Simon trying but failing miserably to use a brush and the hairdryer whilst trying to give me some sort of style and we decided a few months ago, his signature look is "the lion" because that's what I look like most of the time when he's dried my hair.

Recently I was asked if I would like to try the Revlon Pro Collection One Step Hair Dryer And Volumiser and I was thrilled and although he won't admit it, so was Simon, he did actually say "is this for me" when I showed him. Since receiving the styler, both Simon and the girls have used it on my hair and the girls have tried it too. Today I am going to share my thoughts on the styler with you, but I also have a giveaway for you too, but first of all I'll let you know my thoughts on the styler and how I, well we got on with it and then I'll let you know how you could win one (or maybe more) of these too.

My Review 

The Revlon Pro Collection One Step Hair Dryer And Volumiser is a 2 in 1 product which has the power of a hair dryer and the volume of a styler in one. The styler has an oval design to detangle whilst drying and give extra lift at the roots and smooth the hair in one step. Boosted by Ionic Technology, the styler instantly transfers air flow, reducing the time it takes to dry and style the hair. 

I was surprised at how light weight the styler is when I first held it, I imaged it to be heavier but it isn't at all, making it easy to use and my daughter said especially when drying the back of the hair. The brush has detangling bristles which help the hair dry and style in half the time and leaving the hair looking smooth and less drying/styling time means less damage to your hair, ceramic coating protects the hair from over styling and even heat distribution that penetrates the hair quickly from the inside out, meaning less damage and enhanced shine. 

There are two heat settings plus a cool shot, and an over heating cut off, the dryer is equipped with a thermostat that will power off should the heat of the dryer exceed the optimum drying level, due to partially blocked air inlet or outlet settings. If the dryer does stop, it is simple to resolve, by turning off the dryer and allowing it to cool down, and once cooled down the thermostat will re set. 

The dryer also comes with a swivel cord meaning no getting tangled up and it also comes with a 4 year guarantee which I think is brilliant.

The dryer is so easy to use, Simon and the girls have used it most times when drying my hair since I received it and the girls have used it on their hair too. When Simon or the girls are drying my hair with the dryer, they towel dry my hair and then brush it through, apply some heat protectant and then section my hair off. This is the method they always use when drying my hair, but usually they will have a brush in one hand and the hair dryer in the other, and then they will straighten my hair and again have the straighteners in one hand and the brush in the other, which usually means burnt fingers for Simon. 

Once my hair is sectioned off they use the dryer to dry and style my hair, Simon and the girls have all said how much easier it is just using the one appliance and I love it because my hair looks so much nicer when it is dried with the Revlon dryer. 

The brush barrel doesn't spin on the dryer and it is so much better than the dryers like this that do have a spinning brush barrel, Alicia has one with a brush barrel that spins and it is terrible, my hair gets caught up in it, so she hast used it on me since trying it out. That doesn't happen with the Revlon dryer, and my hair dries really quickly too, and the best thing of all is that it is so much easier for Simon and the girls (especially Simon) to use.

My hair looks lovely once it is fully dry and there is no need for the straighteners, and because of the oval shape of the brush and the tip of the brush, they brush can get right to my roots meaning my hair looks lovely and full, and my hair looks and feels like I have had my hair blow dried at a salon. Alicia has shorter hair than me and she loves the dryer too, she creates a lovely full, bouncy blow dry and she loves how fast her hair dries and the fact she can do it all one handed too. 

The Revlon One Step Hair Dryer And Volumiser is a fantastic product and one I highly recommend, and it would make an ideal Christmas gift or gift for you if you want to be able to blow dry your hair and have a salon look at home, it is perfect as a "to me from me" gift too. It is also brilliant for anyone who struggles to hold both a hair dryer and a brush due to health problems or disabilities or someone who needs another person to dry their hair. 

The dryer is priced at £59.99 and is available to buy from Boots and Amazon. 

The Giveaway - NOW CLOSED

Congratulations to Danielle, Sam & Siobhan who won. 

Now to the exciting part, as I said I have a giveaway of the Revlon Pro Collection One Step Hair Dryer And Volumiser for you, but I don't just have one of the dryers to give away, nope, I have THREE dryers to give away, yes three! 

Entering is simple, all you have to do, is fill in the Rafflecopter form below, the giveaway is international too, meaning it is world wide and wherever you live in the world, you can enter. 

Please read the Rafflecopter form carefully and also the terms and conditions too. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions

✿ All of the mandatory steps must be completed on the Rafflecopter widget. 

✿ This giveaway is open internationally and will run for 2 weeks, the prizes have been provided by Revlon and cannot be substituted or exchanged. Revlon will be posting the prize to the winners and I cannot be held responsible for items lost or damaged in the post or any customs charges/fees imposed.

✿ Three winners will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter and the lucky winners will win a Revlon Pr Collection If you are under 18 you must seek parental permission before entering this giveaway as I will need your home address for posting.

✿ There is no purchase necessary to enter this giveaway.

✿ ALL entries will be checked and verified, with any incomplete, false or duplicate entries being removed from the giveaway entirely.

✿ The winners will be notified by the email address given and will have 48 hours to respond. If the winners do not respond within 48 hours, alternative winners will be selected via Rafflecopter’s randomiser.

✿ This is NOT a sponsored giveaway.

Good Luck everyone and thank you in advance for taking part.

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Easy Low Maintenance Hair With Lee Stafford

I am a big fan of Lee Stafford hair products, I have used the Bleach Blondes Shampoo for a long time and always re purchase it and more recently I have fallen in love with the CoCo LoCo Hair Oil, so when some new Lee Stafford products came through my door, I was super happy and couldn't wait to use them. 

The products I received were the Lee Stafford CoCo LoCo Mini Shampoo and Conditioner which are new additions to the CoCo LoCo collection, and the Air Dry Foam and Air Dry Cream Lite. I have been using them all for the last few weeks now so wanted to let you know how I got on with them. 

The Lee Stafford CoCo LoCo Mini's 

Lee Stafford CoCo LoCo Shampoo Mini 50ml £1.99

"Lee Stafford Coco Loco Shampoo contains coconut oil, a natural nutrient which provides the essential proteins required for nourishing and repairing damaged hair.  If it’s sleek, smooth, shiny hair you’re after then look no further. This moisturising shampoo with coconut oil does exactly that!"

The Lee Stafford CoCo LoCo shampoo claims to be moisturising, smoothing, cleansing and shine enhancing, it smells amazing, it has a really nice coconut scent that isn't a synthetic scent, it is a lovely scent that leaves my hair smelling wonderful. The shampoo has a flip top lid and squeezes out easily from the bottle, it lathers up and then rinses out well and my hair is left feeling lovely and clean. I totally agree with the claims, my hair looks really shiny and healthy, it feels soft and smooth and moisturised and very clean, I really like the shampoo and have bought the full size since using all the mini up. 

Lee Stafford CoCo LoCo Conditioner Mini 50ml £1.99

"Lee Stafford Coco Loco Conditioner contains coconut oil, a natural nutrient which provides the essential proteins required for nourishing and repairing damaged hair.  If it’s sleek, smooth, shiny hair you’re after then look no further. This moisturising conditioner with coconut oil does exactly that!"

Like the shampoo, the conditioner smells lovely. It has all the same claims as the shampoo but also claims to be strengthening, it has the same flip top lid as the shampoo and is easy to squeeze out of the bottle. I am not someone who usually uses conditioner as I have very oily hair and depending on what shampoo I use, my hair needs washing daily, that doesn't mean I have it washed daily, it just needs washing daily (hoorah for dry shampoo). After using the shampoo, I have a small amount of the conditioner applied to the mid lengths and ends of my hair and then it is rinsed out. I find my hair is a lot easier to brush through after using the shampoo and conditioner as it usually requires a lot of detangling spray but after using the CoCo LoCo shampoo and conditioner, my hair is a lot easier to brush through when it's wet. 

I really like both the shampoo and conditioner and have re purchased both, my hair feels lovely and soft and looks shiny and healthy and despite me always using the conditioner with the shampoo, my hair doesn't look oily the day after, which is another huge bonus for me. My eldest daughter has dry hair through having it bleached and she really likes this range too, she leaves the conditioner on a while and uses the hair oil too and she is very impressed with the way her hair looks and feels. I will definitely keep re purchasing the shampoo and conditioner and the oil, and will be looking at the other products in the CoCo LoCo range too. 

The Lee Stafford Air Dry Range

Lee Stafford Air (Or Blast) Dry Foam 150ml £7.99

"Fuss free styling for girls on the go. Perfect for all hair types, this lightweight, non crispy foam adds volume, reduces frizz & enhances natural texture for a flawless finish without any hassle" 

Lee Stafford Air (Or Blow Dry) Cream Lite 100ml £7.99

"A light cream formula to enhance your natural hair so you can simply wash it and leave it. It also doubles up as a blow dry lotion as it contains heat protection to shield hair from the damaging effects of heating styling tools"

The Lee Stafford Air Dry range is a range of two products designed so you can style your hair with minimum effort, sound good? Of course it does. I have always had to have my hair dried with a hair dryer because leaving it to dry means even oilier hair for me, so when I received the Air Dry products I did think I was going to be rocking the grease ball look after using them, but they sounded so good, perhaps too good to be true, that I thought I would give them a try. 

The first one of the two Air Dry products I tried was the Air Dry Foam, the instructions are to apply the foam to the hair, scrunch the hair and either blast with the hairdryer or leave to dry. The foam claims to reduce frizz, add volume and give a natural texture to the hair for a flawless finish without any hassle. 

My hair is very thin and straight, it is bordering on poker straight but I do have it straightened sometimes if I want my hair to look a little more polished and sleek. I'll be honest, I didn't expect much at all from the foam, other than greasy hair. Once my hair was washed, towel dried and brushed through, Simon applied the mousse to my hair and rubbed it in with his finger tips, I then tipped my head upside down and scrunched the ends of my hair with my hands before putting my head the right way round and leaving it to dry. I didn't touch my hair at all from scrunching it with the product in, to it being dry. About a week after, I tried the Air Dry Cream and used it in exactly the same way as the foam so I could compare and see which I liked best. 

Results 

Lee Stafford Air (Or Blast) Dry Foam

Please excuse my no makeup face, this is my hair when I used the Air Dry Foam for the first time and when it was completely dry. I was totally shocked to have a beachy waves style to my hair that should I try to achieve with any kind of hair tool,  just wouldn't happen. My hair is completely straight and usually if I leave it to dry, I am left with a lank, oily mess but I was pleasantly surprised to have what I would call a beachy waves style.

Lee Stafford Air (Or Blow Dry) Cream Lite 

In the photograph above, I had used the Air Cream for the first time, again I was left with a kind of textured beachy waves style that took absolutely no effort at all. My hair stayed exactly as it is in these photographs all day and was still wavy the next day, my hair wasn't oily the next day as I thought it might be. My hair felt soft and didn't feel full of product and it smelled lovely. 

Both the foam and the cream have the Lee Stafford signature scent, neither left any residue in my hair, and neither left my hair feeling crispy or sticky. Both were easy to use and only took a couple of minutes from towel drying to having my hair brushed through to applying the product and being done, my hair seemed to dry a lot quicker than normal too. 

I have also used the Air Dry Cream as a blow dry cream a few times and the Air Dry Foam before having my hair blasted with the hair dryer too, so I could try the products out in every way they are intended. When I use the cream as a blow dry cream, my hair looks and feels lovely and smooth and when it is straightened it seems to keep the style so much better than normal without my layers kinking outwards. When I use the foam before having my hair blasted with the hairdryer, my hair dries so fast and has a textured tousled appearance, like I have really tried to achieve the style, but haven't at all. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS 

Overall I am seriously impressed with all 4 products, I adore the shampoo and conditioner and the fact I have already repurchased speaks for itself. They smell incredible and leave my hair looking and feeling lovely, without leaving it oily. I have oily roots and normal ends but my daughter has dry hair and she loves both the shampoo and conditioner too, which shows these products are suitable for all hair types, they smell amazing, leave my hair looking shiny and feeling wonderful and I can't recommend them enough. 

The Lee Stafford Air Dry products really are a game changer, that might sound odd but as someone who is unable to style my own hair, these two products are incredible. I am unable to style my own hair with a hairdryer or any kind of tool, so to be able to create a style without any effort is amazing for me. 

When I posted one of the above photographs on my Instagram account, so many people commented on my hair saying they loved it and others said they preferred it to when I wear it straight, and all my family and friends complimented me on my hair too the first time I used the foam. 

I have used the foam and cream several times now and my eldest daughter also uses them and loves them too. I don't have a preference over the two, they're both easy to use and leave me with hair that looks like I have tried when I haven't done a thing. I will definitely be repurchasing when my products run out but I only use a small amount so still have a good amount left. I can't choose between the two in terms of which I prefer, the cream is great as it doubles as a blow dry cream and heat protector but the foam doubles as a kind of texturising mousse, so both are brilliant in their own way and I will be repurchasing both. 

Lee Stafford products really are incredible and have so many brilliant items in their ranges, and have fast become my favourite hair care range, everything I have tried, I have loved and either re purchased or will be re purchasing which is very unusual for me in terms of hair care. The shampoos and conditioners I love, and love that I can get mini's too, I love mini beauty products and the Air Dry range is just amazing, easy low maintenance hair care that looks like I've made maximum effort, what's not to love? 

You can find the Lee Stafford CoCo LoCo Mini's here and the Lee Stafford Air Dry products here.

Have you tried the CoCo LoCo Mini's or the Air Dry Foam or Cream? Let me know in the comments below and let me know if you prefer my hair when I'd used the foam or the cream. 

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New Makeup Brushes - Blank Canvas Cosmetics

I don't know about you, but I love using a new makeup brush for the first time, there is always the part of me that thinks "oh no I'm going to get it dirty now" but the excitement in me always takes over. Recently I was kindly sent some Blank Canvas makeup brushes to try, I have only ever tried one Blank Canvas brush before, the F01 Quick Brush and I absolutely loved it, so I had high hopes for the new brushes I received. 

The brushes I received are the - 

*Blank Canvas F02 Double Ended Foundation & Concealer Brush £10.00

*Blank Canvas F19 Tapered Concealer & Contour Brush £6.50

*Blank Canvas F15 Small Tapered Red Bristles Brush £13.12

*Blank Canvas F08 Rounded Dome Multi Purpose Brush £13.12

ABOUT BLANK CANVAS

Blank Canvas Cosmetics is an award winning cosmetics and brush brand. Founded by Una Tynan in 2011 during an economic downturn, they have gone from strength to strength in the past 5 years. We see the face as a “Blank Canvas” with endless possibilities.  The founder, Una Tynan was inspired by the concept that you can be as creative as you want with the face using the right tools and makeup. She combined her 3 great loves of Art, Make Up Artistry and Business to launch Blank Canvas Cosmetics. “My vision was to create an affordable beauty brand without compromising on quality”

The motto of Blank Canvas is to strive to develop and produce superior quality products at an affordable price. They pledge to continue to create beauty innovations that their loyal customers will love and will become part of their daily beauty routine.

Three out of four of the brushes I received are vegan friendly, with the one exception of the four being the F15 Small Tapered Red Bristles Brush.  

THE BRUSHES

Blank Canvas F02 Double Ended Foundation & Concealer Brush £10.00

The packaging of the Blank Canvas brushes is fairly simple, the boxes are plastic with some information on the brush on the front and something I particularly like is that on the back of the boxes of all Blank Canvas brushes it explains how best to use the brush and how to wash it. 

The F02 doubled ended brush has a black glossy handle with the Blank Canvas name and brush number on it, all Blank Canvas brushes have their number on them which I find really handy. The brush has silver ferrules at both ends with synthetic bristles meaning the brush is suitable for vegans.

I hadn't used a flat foundation brush to apply my base for a long time so the first time I used it, it felt a little strange but I soon got used to it and I actually really liked the way my foundation applied with the brush, the brush is easy to use and applies my foundation really well without leaving any streaks or brush marks on my skin and giving a lovely finish. 

The concealer end of the brush is not only brilliant for applying my concealer, I also apply my corrector with it. I use the brush to apply my corrector and concealer under my eyes and then to apply concealer wherever I need it on the rest of my face. The F02 is a great brush and being double ended is really handy and will be great for travelling, my daughter is a MUA and she loves double ended brushes as they save her so much space in her kit and even though I am not an MUA, the brush is still great for saving space in my collection. 

The F02 brush washes and dries well whether it be a spot clean with some IPA or a deep clean with my solid brush cleanser. 

Blank Canvas F19 Tapered Concealer & Contour Brush £6.50

As with the F02 brush, the F19 Tapered Concealer & Contour Brush the packaging is a clear plastic box with the same information front and back. The F19 is suitable for applying contour, highlight and concealer but as with all my makeup brushes, I use them for a variety of different purposes as well as those intended. 

The F19 has a rose gold ferrule and synthetic bristles, the glossy black handle has the standard brush number and writing, the ferrule also has Blank Canvas embossed onto it. As with all Blank Canvas brushes the F19 is excellent quality, it washes and dries well and hasn't shed at all. 

I use the F19 for applying my contour and highlight and it works really well with both cream and powder products. I have also used the F19 for blending out my under eye concealer and corrector, and out of all the purposes I have used it for, my favourite is definitely applying my corrector and concealer to my under eye area and then applying my contour and highlight, it is fabulous because of it's shape I can be precise with my application making it excellent for applying my contour and highlight with ease. 

Blank Canvas F15 Small Tapered Red Bristles Brush £13.12

Blank Canvas recommends that the F15 red bristle brush is used for sculpting, contouring, blending and highlighting the face. It is made from high grade natural goat hair and is also available with black bristles but if you prefer to use a synthetic brush, the Blank Canvas F40 Small Contour Brush £12.50 is a similar brush but is cruelty free.

Like other Blank Canvas brushes the packaging is the same as is the writing on the handle of the brush. The F15 brush has a glossy black brush handle and a silver ferrule. The brush washes and dries well and the red colour of the bristles doesn't run when the brush is washed.  

The F15 brush is completely different to the other brushes in my makeup brush collection having red bristles, but having red bristles, the brush is easy to find when looking through my collection. The F15 I find works best with powder products and is a great brush for applying with blush, contour, highlight and also using to powder smaller areas of my face. 

Blank Canvas F08 Rounded Dome Buffing Brush £13.12

The F08 Rounded Dome Brush in pink metallic finish is suitable for using with several products, foundation, concealer, blush, contour and highlight and works well with powder, cream, gel and mousse products. 

The F08 Rounded Dome Buffing Brush in metallic pink finish has to be my favourite of the four Blank Canvas brushes, which if you know me well, won't be much of a surprise. I love pink and the pale metallic pink of the F08 is stunning, it is also available in 4 other colours plus a standard black brush. It has synthetic bristles and washes and dries perfectly, it cleans well with IPA for spot cleaning between products too.

I have used the F08 brush to apply several products including, foundation, concealer, highlight, blush and contour. It is brilliant for both applying product and blending it into the skin. My foundation is flawless when I use this brush and I love it for applying my cream blush, having dry skin cream blush is something I use a lot and this brush is fabulous for applying and blending it out.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I am really pleased and impressed with all four brushes, I have my favourites and most used but I have used all four and been reaching for all four on a regular basis. All four brushes wash really well when I deep clean them and they dry well and haven't lost their shape, they are also great when I use my IPA to spot clean them between shades/products. I haven't experienced any shedding from any of the brushes and they all look and feel exactly as they did when I first got them.

I have five Blank Canvas brushes in my collection now, including the F01 I previously reviewed on my blog, and they are all great brushes. The quality of Blank Canvas brushes is brilliant and they have an affordable price tag too, there are also brush sets available should you prefer a set rather than individual brushes and they also sell brush cleaner and brush holders, plus cosmetics all of which are reasonably priced. 

My favourite of the four brushes is definitely the F08 metallic pink domed brush, not only because it is pink but because it is a fabulous brush and I use it for applying a variety of products, but all four brushes are excellent and I would recommend you check out Blank Canvas brushes if you haven't already done so. 

You can find Blank Canvas products on their website or they are sold on the Beauty Bay website also. 

Have you tried any Blank Canvas makeup brushes? Do you have any in your brush collection? And which is your favourite of the four I received? Let me know in the comments section below.

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