Beat The Winter Lip Blues

I don't know about you but the winter plays serious havoc with my lips.

Dry, sore, flaky - pretty much a gross look for any lady right?!
 With the wind and cold outside and the heating inside my lips tend to become a real pain in the butt and I do everything in my power to avoid that dreading 'trip-lip' ..... you know... when your lips get all sore and red, like so red above them that it looks like another lip. I mean I haven't had that since I was a child but it's a fear of mine!

This little duo have been a god send and won't be leaving my side until spring is here!

First the Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub, which I have mentioned many a time here on A Yellow Brick Blog. This is the perfect product for keeping my lips healthy, soft and flake free.
The yummy smelling (and tasting) sugar scrub is easy to use, I just pop a bit on my fingers and rub it in circles across my lips or rub my lips together to help get rid of all that nasty dead skin. This creates the perfect base for all my lippys!

Next - to battle those sore lips. The new Blistex Intensive Moisturiser in Cherry*.
Blistex are one of my go-to brands when it comes to lip therapy products and this new addition to their collection is actually the best I've tried from them.
The new cherry flavoured intensive balm brings a bit of fun to the otherwise simple looking original. The smooth clear gel balm isn't sticky at all, it soaks into the lips with ease leaving them soft and seriously hydrarting for hours on end - all with a lovely cherry scent. (It reminds me of cherry drops/cherryade and takes me straight back to being 12 years old!)

What are you favourite lip products at the moment?

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Zoella Beauty Kissy Missy Lip Balm & YouTuber Success Talk

When Zoe Sugg announced another collection being added to her 'Zoella Beauty' range I was all ears!
 I had bought a couple of bits from the first collection and really enjoyed them and hearing that this range was 'tutti frutti' made me definitely open to trying it out as it sounded right up my street (I'm all about scents, especially when they are sweet!).

After I had watch Zoe's video on her new releases I decided that the lip balm 'Kissy Missy' had my name all over it!

 I'm a big lip product person.... it's kind of embarrassing how many I own when I only have one mouth.... but this little pot looked lovely and I like having tinted lip balms in the summer - lipsticks melting is just heartbreaking.

The pot is small - obviously - a little larger than a carmex pot and is a plain, clear plastic apart from the lid which has the name and branding.

 The scent is nice, I've been trying to figure out what it smell similar too and for the life of me I can't work it out.... I'm rubbish I know!

Now the colour. I'm so impressed with the colour! I thought maybe, for the cheap price of £3, this might be really sheer and a bit like a nivea lipbalm or rose vaseline, but I was wrong. 

This is a bright bublegum fuchsia shade and is really buildable, although it doesn't take alot to give yourself fun kissy wissy lips!

I've been using this after my lush bubblegum scrub and my lips have felt so soft and smooth with a cute pop of colour!

For the price this is great, a handbag must for me this summer!

Now.....while I'm on the subject quick I just wanted to chat about Youtubers and their many deals and partnerships that seem to be happening weekly.
To be honest that I'm kind of getting fed up of people moaning about Youtubers having these opportunities - if it was you, you would leap at the chance (I know I would) - I really don't see the problem in these ranges and internet personalities making money on merch/own brands.

Don't want it - don't buy it, but whats the point of saying these people 'don't deserve it' or 'they just want the money' it is their job at the end of the day of course they are going to try and make money. 
The internet is so fickle and people, including Zoe, don't know when their time will be up - I don't blame them for taking everything they can while the chances are there.
 This blog and doing a few youtube videos here and there takes up so much of my time and I put alot of effort into it so I can imagine how much work people like Zoe have to put into everything they are achieving! My thoughts - You go girl! 
You may not agree with how I feel about it but that's life, we all have our different thoughts, it's kind of how to world works my loves!

Love you guys, thank you again for visiting A Yellow Brick Blog whether you are re-visiting or here for the first time - you rock! xoxo

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Spring Lip Favourites

I've spotted sunshine! Yes it's official this past week or so we have had some lovely days here in the south of England, full of sunshine and summer breezes! 

So I think it's time to say goodbye to some of those dark sultry lip shades we have been wearing through Winter and say hello to some fun, bright lip colours for Spring!

I've narrowed it down (believe me it was hard) to my favourite 8 lip products/colours for Spring for you all!

Spring for me is about cute, fun colours, florals & generally pretty girly things. It's the time where fashion starts to change and it isn't such a crime to wear bright and pastels shades daily and I love it!

So here are my top picks for Spring lip products!

Yes, it's plain to see here that I have a major love for pink lip colours - the amount I own is ridiculous but these are the few I've picked out for a perfect Spring time look!

1. Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Lips - 5 Capella

A total newbie in my lip collection - you may have seen my post on this new collection from Barry M last week. This is just such an easy colour to wear, perfect for everyday and the hi shine it gives is gorgeous!

2. Barry M Lipgloss - 5 Bubblegum

If you've read my blog since it started properly last May you will know how much love I have for these lipglosses! I have worn these constantly for years - not only is this Bubblegum a gorgeous colour (who doesn't love Barbie pink) but it smells like bubblegum too, so yummy! If you are after a new cheap, good quality lip gloss - I highly recommend you try this beauty!

3. Rimmel Apocalips - 102 Nova

Apocalips are a fab collection. Last summer I lived for these. I love this shade, it is my most worn of the collection. Such amazing pigmentation and they stay for ages!

4. Seventeen Stay Pout - Delinquent

Delinquent is a fab fuchsia colour which only needs one swipe to create a flawless look. Perfect to wear both in the day and on a night out, this is a great lipstick and for under £5 I have no complaints. 

5. Mac Lipstick - Impassioned

Obviously a mac lipstick had to be in this post. Impassioned is a bright pink, creamy lipstick which is one of my favourites from my mac lipsticks! Here's my post all about it - here.

6. The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick - Rush Of Pink

A lovely moisturising lipstick, with a slight purple tint this is gorgeous. Slightly sheerer than the rest but keeps the lips hydrated and smooth.

7. L'oreal Colour Riche Lipstick - 371

A peachy pink colour for L'oreal I love that this is a slightly different shade than the rest. Ill definitely be wearing this alot this Spring/Summer - I definitely want some clothes to match it too - cute! 

8. Rimmel Matte Kate Moss - 110

Kate Moss lipsticks are my favs, for the price they are incredible an have such a good range of shades! This is a super bright orangey colour which really lasts. Can't wait to rock this with a tan!

What are the lippies you've been reaching for now the sun has appeared?

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Kirstie's Beauty Buys Of The Week

So Monday hit this week and I was overwhelmed with the Monday morning blues ("boooo you whore"). Best thing for that you ask? A spot of shopping, duh!
 Retail Therapy makes me VERY happy (don't act like I'm the only one) and I've had my eye on these bits for a while now and I thought today was the perfect time to splash out and purchase them! (Also included is some basic necessities which I was in desperate need of!)

So I hit TWO shops, crazy I know, (.... I live on a small town and I was on my lunch hour alright!) Boots & Liz Earle and actually ended up spending alot less than I thought I would (got to love promotional deals!)

First up Liz Earle...

I went into the Liz Earle store for one reason and one reason only - I had run out of cleanse and polish and was on the verge of a breakdown without it!

 The thought now of taking my make-up off with anything else sets me on edge! I think I wear quite a bit of make-up (especially layers of mascara) and I haven't found anything else that gets off 100% of it and leaves me feeling fresh as a daisy!

I seriously love it and would recommended it to anyone! I needed some new muslin cloths aswell so I went for the "starter pack" which actually works out cheaper than buying the polish and cloths separately (little tip for you there!) 

As Liz Earle are lovely people I got to choose a free miniature aswell to go with my purchase and guess what I chose .... Yup - cleanse and polish! (you can never have too much of a good thing!) and at least it will keep me going for a bit longer!

Now onto Boots - this includes things I have been looking at for a while to buy and some basic necessities that I had run out of ......

First up, some Lee Stafford hair products! I am obsessed with Lee Stafford products and have been using the hair growth shampoo and conditioner along with the hair growth treatment religiously for months and months and have loved the affect they have all had on my hair! 

Saying this, recently I've noticed my hair isn't as blonde as I would like (I'm blaming lack of sunshine) so these two products look like the perfect choice for me! These products are for getting rid of brassy and orangey tones from blonde hair which is exactly what I want!

I'm sure you've all heard of the "silver shampoo" that everyone uses to get their hair a whiter blonde, well this stuff more or less seems like the same thing.... Just a nicer brand/name/scent!

 I trust Lee Stafford (and would buy his products over any on the market) so I don't mind paying the extra for his products! (also Boots have a buy one get one half price deal on at the moment so it worked out perfectly!) 

I'll be using these once a week from now on and I'll keep you updated with the results! Have any of you tired these?

Next I've got some of the boring basics that us beauty lovers can't live without! 

Number one - cotton buds! I can't tell you how many of these I get through, mainly on dodgey bits of mascara on my face and fixing my eyebrows after I've penciled and powdered them! They are so so handy for so many things! I buy the "baby" ones as I think they are more or less exactly the same as any other normal cotton buds BUT half the price - why pay more? Secondly I got some cotton pads. But no, not just any old cotton pads  I buy the 'Cotton Wool Double Faced Oval Pads' (posh right?.... no? okay...)! I love these as they are super thick and perfect for using For both my Liz Earle Skin Tonic morning and night and for nail varnish removers!

Lastly - some No7 face wipes! Now I'm not a big facewipe user (anymore) but it never hurts to have them around!

 I thought they would also be handy for giving my make-up brushes a quick spruce up when needed when I don't have enough time to full on clean them)! At the moment Boots are giving out No7 vouchers everytime you spend £4 or more so I used my voucher to get these and because you receive £5 off skincare with it it made these JUST £2! (originally £7 .... duh!) What a barry bargain!

People with straight white teeth are probably the people I envy most in the world! 
If I could have one thing perfect about myself it would be my teeth! I love trying out new whitening products but because I can get quite sensitive teeth I don't like to use to really harsh abrasive stuff (also I'm a massive wimp!). 
So a few weeks ago on twitter I asked everyone for their advice! 'A good whitening toothpaste which will is not harmful, super abradive or that will make my teeth sensitive.' (see I'm not even asking for alot....). Most people agreed with me and said most of the good ones are strong and can leave your teeth quite sensitive but a couple of people (including a friend who is a dental nurse) recommended this - Sensodyne's Pro Namel Gentle Whitening. This is also apparently the only whitening toothpaste recommended by dentists so I thought I would give it a go and hopefully I'll notice a change soon!

If you are anything like me then you never leave home without this stuff.

 Anti-bacterial hand gel has become a staple in my handbag wherever I may be going!

 This, along with the bath and body works products, has got to be my favourite anti-bac (it's from Soap & Glory so of course I'm going to like it!)

It smells amazing and reminds me of the first half of my travelling  in the USA as this was in my bag constantly! I love the scent and like paying a bit extra for a nicer smelling/looking gel.

Finally were onto the last two products and my favourites! 

You've seen me rave about Barry M lipglosses before on here and this one has got to be my favourite. 

I've lost count with how many I've bought over the years and being that my current tube is more or less empty I decided it was time for a new replacement! (Boots have also got make-up on the buy one get one half price offer so again, this worked out perfectly!) 

Not only is it an amazing bright pink colour but it also smells like Bubblegum! I love it so much, there's nothing worse than a lip product with a horrible smell and Barry M have got the scent just perfect on this AND the formula is amazing too smooth and pigmented.

Along with this I purchased the Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang. 

Now I've you've read my blog for a little while you know that I have been after a good thick pigmented red lipgloss for a long long time.

Not so long ago I had the Barry M red lipgloss which, like all their others, was amazing but it was limited edition so when it was gone - it was really gone! After not being able to find one which compared I was extremely excited when I bought the Apocalips in the colour Nova (a gorgeous dusty pink) a couple of weeks ago! 

This formula is amazing and I can see why everyone has been raving about them! As soon as I used Nova for the time I knew I was in love and realised I must have completely overlooked the red shade on the stand (schoolboy error!)

After asking the beautiful people on twitter I found out there was a red shade and everyone seemed to have the same opinion - it was the one!

 So happy I finally have a lovely red lipgloss that I don't have to pair with a lipstick -sometimes I just find it so much easier to keep re-applying a nice lipgloss throughout the day/evening rather than faffing around with a lipstick - the colour is so so great and I can't praise Rimmel enough for the Apocalips range.

Anyway that is just the few things I bought on Monday! I hope you have all had a lovely start to the week! Let me know in the comments below what you have been upto and what you have planned for the week along with your thoughts on this post :-) 

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