BaByliss Perfect Curl review - and our first YouTube video!

It was immediate intrigue when we saw the promo video for the BaByliss Perfect Curl a couple of months ago.  A styler that sucked up your hair somehow and then released it into a perfect curl?  We had to have it and after weeks of Joanne tormenting every hair stockist in Dublin, she finally found it in Sally's in town.  And this is what the object of our obsession looks like.

This is something quite revolutionary and they needed something big to follow up the BaByliss Big Hair!  Lads, this is a game changer.  Let's take a closer look shall we?

In a nutshell, you hold a section of hair across the barrel in the circular part of the styler and clamp it shut.  The hair is sucked up into the little chamber and held there for either 8, 10 or 12 seconds, depending on what time you've chosen.  Your hair is heated from all sides and released in a lovely curl altogether.  

The smaller the section of hair you use, the more defined the curl and increasing the time and temperature allows for a tighter curl.  There are three settings on the side that allow you to decide what kind of curl you want.  

RLA means all the curls will go to the right (R), left (L) or alternate (A).  There's a timing setting that holds the hair in place for 12, 10 or 8 seconds.  The lower the length of time, the looser the curl.  Finally, there's a heat setting that has three different temperatures.

Joanne is new to the world of curling one's hair and while most of us might use hair ties or clips to section off our hair, she uses something slightly different!  In the photo below, I've got all my curls going to the right and Joanne used the alternate setting meaning some go to the left and some to the right.  Having all the curls going in one direction gives a really soft, wavy, bouncy curl and having the curls going in different directions gives a full, sexy hairdo!

Now, one of the main concerns that we had and so does everyone else it seems, is will it get caught and tangled in my hair?  And the answer is that it's possible your hair might get caught but it has a security feature that stops the hair from being sucked up any more and releases it, so no worries at all.  You'll see in the video what happens when Joanne gets her hair caught.  The trick is to not put too much hair in.  I did mine over the weekend and it didn't get caught once, so take your time and all should be ok.

Are these not Perfect Curls?!

Pros:

• Really easy to use.
• No need for a glove as you've no direct contact with the heat.
• No risk of burning your face or arm with it as the heated element is protected.
• You can do different types of curls with it depending on what direction, length of time and heat you decide to use.
• You don't need to worry about whether you've been holding your hair against the heat for long enough or for too long as it times it for you and beeps when it's finished.

Cons:

• The price.  Our one was €189.99 and I've seen it as high as €220 online.  But have a think about this. How many curling wands, tongs, heated rollers and the likes do you have at home.  Do you use them all?  Or are they gathering dust?  You'll definitely use this more than those!

And now for the embarrassing bit, our video!  You can either click here to go to our YouTube channel to watch the video and subscribe to our channel or watch it here.  You should totally subscribe to us because we've got lots of ideas for videos and you wouldn't want to miss out on them now would you?!

Will you be trying the Perfect Curl or should I set up a business on the side to have people come visit me and I can curl their hair?

It gets the ultimate two thumbs up from Lovely Girlie Bits and now I have to start saving for my own one!

The pit of my week and the peak of my week - week 19

How gorgeous is it out today folks!  Well, in Dublin anyway, and we know what that means?  Yes, tomorrow will see buses and trains full of sunburned people.  Watch and see!

Anyways, another week over and what a week it was...

The pit of my week is work related again.  It was even busier this week than last week but thankfully my boss is back tomorrow, so I'll only have to contend with my own work again.  I have a massive pile of post its and notes to get through but that's next week's work!  So because of the craziness of work this week, I spent each evening like a zombie and waited to go to bed each night.  However, despite that, I couldn't sleep for two nights and spent hours awake with my mind racing, which didn't help matters the following day!  But it's over now and I'll be playing catch up next week, so that'll keep me busy.

The peak of my week was finally figuring out how to edit our first YouTube video which will be up tomorrow (hopefully)!  My camera recorded it in .mov format which made each clip huge and wouldn't play properly on my ancient laptop.  So I transferred everything over to my iPad which has iMovie on it.  I spent Friday night editing it and after being really happy with it, realised it wouldn't let me save the end product because there wasn't enough space on the iPad.  So annoyingggggg!  So I ended up transferring each clip over and editing them separately before joining them together.  And I'm pretty happy with the results.  I'm nervous putting it up tomorrow but sure it's only a bit of craic and I realised that I loved editing everything.  So if we keep doing videos, then next on my wishlist is a Macbook so I can edit properly and quickly.

How was your week?  Right, time for me to get out in that sun!

International giveaway! Ciate sequins manicure kit!

I love keeping track of numbers in terms of the blog, be it unique views a month, blog followers, those subscribed by email and page views.  Each time I hit a benchmark, I'm a happy blogger.  On January 1st this year, we hit a million views and four and a half months later, we hit another half a million.  We're bloody delighted and proud of ourselves and thankful for every reader, follower and commenter that we have.

So as a little token of our appreciation, we have a Ciate Sequined Manicure set up for grabs!  So if you want to have glittery, sequined nails, then enter the giveaway quick smart.

The giveaway is open internationally and closes on June 3rd at the end of our bank holiday weekend.  Enter your details in the widget below and good luck!  The only stipulation is that you're a GFC follower of the blog so if you're not, get over to the Follower section on the right of the blog and sign up!

Thank you for your continued support!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Fresh Shower Gels from Roger & Gallet

As a beauty junkie, I always have lots of products on the go.  My bathroom is full of half used shampoos, conditioners and hair treatments and that's the way I like it.  I genuinely don't remember the last time I had one shower gel on the go.  I mean, doesn't one need a morning time scent, an evening time scent and one for special occasions?  No?  Just me?  Well, at this very moment, I've three shower products on the go.  One is the Fleur de Figuier shower cream that I talked about here.  The other two are just as special and also from Roger & Gallet.

Say hi to the newly reformulated and repackaged family of shower gels!

Paraben and sulfate free, these creams and gels have glycerine to soften the skin along with aloe vera and shea butters to moisturise, leaving you with pampered skin that smells amazing.  Also, I love the new packaging so much!  It's sleek, chic and other words that rhyme with that.  I have them standing proudly on the side of my bath and they look very posh against my white tiles.

You know I am obsessed with the Ginger range right?  Ob.  Sessed.  I brought the old shower gel and body lotion with us to New York and now when I smell them, I feel like I'm back there.  Well, a couple of months ago, a little birdie called P-Dawg sent me a sneak peek of the new Ginger shower gel and that day was a good day my friends.  I put a little bit on the back of my hand driving home from the post office and was that weirdo you see smelling her hand in the car.  On her own.  Probably with her eyes closed at the traffic lights. The new Ginger shower gel smells warmer than the original, which was super soapy and clean and works even better with the accompanying Ginger spray.  I've been using them together a lot since getting the gel.

This week I was sent a new scent.  It was instant love.  Instant!  Now, in fairness, it took me ages to figure out what it was called.  Was it called Vivifiant?  Reviving?  No, it took reading the press release to see it's called Jean Marie-Farina.  Never heard of it but I think me and Jean Marie-Farina are going to be pals for a long time.  I mean, he's already seen me in my nudies.

This is a fresh, uplifting scent that has notes of citrus thanks to lemon and my favourites, bergamot and neroli.    It's a scent that's meant to make you feel like you're in an Italian garden and I used it for the first time after cutting the grass out the back, so I pretended I'd just come in from my beautiful Italian garden and believe this will help make that chore a bit easier to carry out.

The shower gels are €9 and if you want something that makes your skin soft and smell amazing while looking good on the side of your bath, then you need to check these out.  They're a great way of starting off with Roger & Gallet if you're new to the brand and I'm sorry but you're going to develop a love affair with it.  But you'll smell gorgeous so it's totally worth it!

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm review

Dear Neal's Yard Remedies,
Thanks for coming to Ireland.
I think we're going to be friends for a very long time.
All my love,
Karen

Yes, Neal's Yard Remedies has been around since 1981 and has finally come to Ireland.  Famous for it's blue packaging which gives a ye olde worlde apothecary feel, they pride themselves on being less synthetic and more natural  While there are only a few stockists here in Ireland at the moment, get ready for an influx of new consultants that you can buy from.  For the past couple of weeks I've been playing around with some products I was given at the launch and when I say playing around with, I mean falling in love with.

Let me tell you about the Wild Rose Beauty Balm.

You know I love a multifunctional product and this one can be used as a cleanser, an exfoliant or as a nourishing balm.  The main ingredient is rose hip seed oil which being an antioxidant, helps repair, firm and smooth the skin.  I need all of those things to happen to my face thanks very much. 

The Wild Rose Beauty Balm smells gorgeous.  Very herbal and you know it's packed full of organic ingredients to help make your skin look and feel fabulous.  If I'm using it as a cleanser, I apply a small amount of the balm to my face and watch it soften into an oil.  You know I love my oils!  It breaks down my make up and is gentle enough to use on my eyes.  I rinse off the muslin cloth and get busy removing my makeup and am left with clean, soft skin.  It feels like my skin takes up some of the product because I don't feel it necessary to apply moisturiser afterwards, that's how gorgeous my skin feels after cleansing with it.

Now, if I feel I need a little somethin' somethin' on my skin or want to treat myself, I apply the smallest amount to my face right before bed.  My skin soaks it up immediately and becomes even more soft, plumped and positively nourished.  In the words of Nicole Scherzinger, it is sha-mazing.  I'm obsessed with it.  Over the weekends I don't wear make up unless I'm heading out, so I've taken to applying it over my serum in the morning and honestly, it's one of the best skincare products I've ever tried.

It'll set you back €48.40, but here comes the justification process.  If you're someone who's into organic skincare, you can't get much more organic than this.  If you like multifunctional products, this is fantastic.  A little goes a long way, so it'll last you ages.  And finally, your skin will thank you for using this.  I'll definitely be purchasing this myself when I run out and have a list as long as my arm of things I need to try next.

Sha-maz-ing.

You can find a list of stockists here or find a consultant here.

Vintage Bourjois blush offer!

Over the weekend, I went into Boots on official bloggy business (to look for stuff for an upcoming series of posts) and found myself at the Bourjois stand which is a very common occurrence as they're one of my favourite brands ever.  I've pretty much tried everything they have to offer and yet I still feel the need to visit the stand regularly.  And this time my weird stalking worked!

Bourjois had emailed me last week with an offer that wasn't supposed to be in Boots stores until next month but there it was in all it's glory on Saturday.  If you spend €15 in Bourjois products, you get a free limited edition vintage blush worth €9.99.  I was intrigued and had a look at the testers.  One swatch of Shade 34, Rose d'Or and I was smitten.  

How cute is the packaging!  This great offer is to celebrate Bourjois' 150th birthday month and the blush is available in three shades.  Rose d'Or is a gorgeous pink blush with gold shimmer running through it and has summer written all over it.  I'll be using it in an upcoming post, so keep your eyes open for that.

Now, to get this, I needed to spend €15 and to be honest, I had the Healthy Mix concealer on my list, so snapped that up at €9.99.  But what else did I need?  And then it hit me.  I'd never tried the famous Bronzing Powder, so thought it was high time I did and that was €8.99, I think.  You know the score by now, receipt thrown out.  

But the best part of the whole thing was I was able to use up my Boots points, so it cost me nada!  That totally doesn't count as spending, right?

The offer is while stocks last, so get thee to thine local Bourjois counter, help them celebrate their birthday and happy shopping!

Vichy Normaderm Hyaluspot - bye bye spots!

I work in a hospital and am always aware of the number of cooties floating around.  I go through lots of cleansing foams on my hands trying to keep whatever happens to be rife in the hospital away.  If patients ask to use my phone, I've a supply of alcohol wipes to clean it after them, but still, I bet if I ran one of those CSI UV lights over my desk, I'd collapse at the amount of germs and bacteria lurking everywhere!  I won't go into numbers, but when you go into work tomorrow, clean your phone and your keyboard.  And when you've finished reading this post, give your mobile an aul clean while you're at it.

Now, I'm very lucky in regards to my skin and blemishes.  Since I've stopped using make up wipes, my skin has transformed and is pretty much clear most of the time.  I still get the odd blemish around that time of the month, but on the whole, things are ok in the spot-ular department.  Thank God, because when I do get a spot, I can't leave it alone.  I keep at it and at it until it becomes more red and inflamed and I've been left with scarring because of this bad habit.

Vichy have brought out a new product to help us sort out our spots quick smart, as in within two hours of application.  Normaderm Hyaluspot contains Salicylic Acid 1.5% and LHA 0.5% which dries out and purifies the blemish from within.  What makes this spot treatment different is that it contains Hyaluronic Acid 1% which helps keep moisture in that area while the spot is being dried out and disappearing.

Packaging wise, it's nice and hygienic with a metal applicator which helps cool down the blemish.  The treatment itself is light in consistency and disappears into the skin, allowing you to apply your make up if need be.

Clinical tests reveal that after 2 hours, the spot stops developing and the bacteria that caused the dreaded pimple is gone.  This is good.  Nobody wants to be growing a second head on their chin.  After 24 hours, there's a visible reduction in the inflammation of the skin and after 48 hours, the spot is gone leaving no marks or scars.

Now, as Bonnie Tyler said "I need a hero", and I would like to introduce you to my very own hero.  Yes, he's talking to me, but I'm going to share him with you all because I'm very good like that.  I don't know his name but I see a very long future with him...  He is a grand man.  He knows my name and speaks French and is available whenever I get a pimple.... Get in!

I'm going to make you a promise folks.  Next time I get a pimple, I'll do a day by day test of this.  But if you've tried it yourself, let me know how you got on!

Vichy Normaderm Hyaluspot is available in shops now at a very bargainous €10