Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Range

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo - £13.95*

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Conditioner - £14.95*

A few weeks ago I headed along to a Paul Mitchell event in Glasgow's beautiful Blytheswood Square Hotel and found these in my goody bag upon leaving - along with a few other bits and pieces that will no doubt be popping up here as soon as I've got a good feel for them to review.

Those products are from the Tea Tree range and when I first noticed them I was a bit scared that they'd strip my coloured hair, but when I noticed they were marked as 'colour safe' I took a deep breath and decided to give them a go - since my hair is due a dye soon anyway it wasn't going to be the end of the world. As it turns out they didn't strip the colour at all and they are actually totally colour safe.

The reason I thought they'd be stripping is that they're really pretty close to a clarifying shampoo - not quite as much as my favourite detox shampoo which I'll post about soon (though those of you who have been following my main blog Rose Keats might already have worked it out!) - but definitely a great couple to reach for for a good deep clean to get rid of product build up and not leave any deposit. Neither product leaves your hair that squeaky clean almost dry feeling (hopefully you guys will know what I mean!) - even using the shampoo on it's own there was still a healthy dose of moisture left in my hair without it feeling heavy and with the conditioner used in conjunction these give my hair a good clean but still leaving it feeling perfectly nourished. Even my fine hair feels like it's as light as air after using both of these!

I find for my dry hair I could use these for every wash as long as I was using a good hair treatment to inject the nourishment it needs at least once a week, but instead I've been using them once a week to keep my hair happily clean and swapping them out for other products for my other washes - I usually wash it around three times a week.

Overall I'd definitely recommend these to a lot of people - they're gentle enough for coloured hair, nourishing enough for dry hair and light enough for oily or fine hair, so if your hair fits the bill check these out, though remember this range is only available at Paul Mitchell salons or on their website, you can't get these guys in Boots yet sadly!

The Balm Mary Lou Luminizer

The Balm Mary Lou Manizer - £16.00

The Balm's Mary Lou Manizer is a product that has been circulating as cult for an awful long time but I kept forgetting to try it - since I can't walk into a shop and pick up bits from The Balm it's just all the effort of remembering to order stuff online - but I finally did remember and slipped it into an ASOS basket - bonus of student discount there too!

I was a little bit apprehensive when I saw just how glittery this stuff looks in pan, not to mention the fact it looked a bit American Tan as well, but none of that transfers to the face.

What does transfer is a beautiful glow, one that catches the light and looks incredibly pretty but it doesn't give the Edward Cullen effect, it gives that 'I'm really healthy, sleep eight hours a night and drink tonnes of water' look. 

You can build it up though, I have it on the inner corner of my eyes in this photo as well as on my cheekbones and I've built it up to give a more distinct colour - more than you'd really want on the cheeks - but it's still not overboard.

The glow lasts all day too, you look just as healthy at the end of the day as at the beginning, which is always a good thing and at £16 I feel that the price point is really fair, nowhere near as high as some of the other highlighters out there but one I'm more than happy to pay for a product that delivers the way this does, not to mention that comes in such incredible packaging!

Smashbox Cherry Smoke Eyeshadow Palette

Smashbox Cherry Smoke Eyeshadow Palette - £32.00

I'm in love... with an eyeshadow palette. 

When I took a fancy for MAC's Cranberry eyeshadow to be told it was sold out in my local store the obvious thing would have been to go home and just order it online. But me being me I didn't want to do that, or wait, I wanted something that very day that would fulfil my red toned cravings, so when I spied the Smashbox Cherry Smoke Eyeshadow Palette in Boots I jumped on it.

In the first look I've created I wanted to really emphasise the red tones, so I've layered the matte red-brown with the sparkly one lightly over the top - though it can be layered and packed on for really impressive sparkly impact. I took it slightly under the eye too and you can see the difference in the shades - the matte one is on the outer part of my under eye and the sparkly one is on the inner half of my under eye. To combat putting the red so near my eyes I used my Rimmel nude eyeliner.

Despite the name of it the Cherry Smoke Palette will create way more than the red toned looks the name suggests, which is what I've tried to show in look 2. I used the silvery shade in the top right of the palette all over the lid and under the eye, then used the bottom left shade on the outer edges of the eye.

The palette is incredibly versatile - the lighter shades could create the ultimate day look, maybe with some of the matte red-brown or the mid-grey in the crease, there's your main cherry smoke look which you could create as I've done in look 1 or make more dramatic wight he black shade blended in, or the right hand side of the palette could create a gorgeous traditional dark smokey eye. 

The shades are all highly pigmented and they all blend beautifully. I'd dabbled with Smashbox primers before (who hasn't?!) but this is my first dalliance with their eyeshadows - safe to say more would be welcome in my collection!

Brooke Shields x MAC

MAC X Brooke Shields Eyeshadow Palette - £70.00

MAC X Brooke Shields Cream Colour Base -  £18.00 

On Saturday I made a fairly expensive impulse purchase - naughty naughty! Though aren't they always the best?

I've never identified myself as a particular Brooke Shields fan (I think my experience of her is pretty much a reference made to her in The Princess Diaries and when she turned up as Chuck Bass's Ed Westwick's mother in Chalet Girl) and although I like MAC I don't actively follow their collection released (mainly because there are so many every five minutes now) so I didn't even know about this collection when I wandered in to waste some time waiting on the train the train on Saturday. Needless to say I left with a few pieces.

The first, which I'm most excited about is this 15 shade eye shadow palette (shades are Pretty, Soft Brown, Expensive Pink, Clove, Satin Taupe, Canter, Luscious, Antiqued, Psyche, Carbon, Shroom, Persuade, Plummed, Lofty and Pepper).

Individually these shadows retail at £10.00 for the palette filling versions or £13 for the individual pots, so to fill a palette of 15 alone would usually cost £150 plus the £14 for the palette and £2.50 for the insert - bringing you to a cost of £166.50. This palette retails at £70. Of course it means the colours are pre picked for you, but still - a massive saving and as long as you like the colours then I don't personally have any issue with them begin pre picked at all.

It's sold out online but I picked it up in store on Saturday so I imagine there will be available palettes dotted around most stores. All MAC shadows are brilliant quality, I've never had a dud yet so I'm not foreseeing any problems with this palette and if you're looking to expand your eyeshadow collection this palette is full of wearable shades that can still make an impact and give you freedom to get creative without being OTT.

The second bit I picked up was the cream colour base which retails at £18.00. I was more attracted to the darker colour in the palette, I find red based colours can often give the most naturally blushed look, especially in winter, but the pink is also a lovely colour. Both can be applied with fingers but I have a feeling the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is going to be the ideal partner for these.

They're both well pigmented but you can definitely dab them lightly on or build them up for your preferred finish - I used my fingers yesterday to go from light though to a more intense colour coverage and these sit beautifully on top of foundation and don't disappear after a few hours wear, though the colour does fade slightly but not completely as with other cream products. I was able to go back in as well and top the colour up even after having applied powder and the product still blended in really easily with my fingers and no fuss.


Overall unless you're a massive Brooke Shields fan I think these releases are to be considered based on how much use you'd get out of the products, but for me I'll get a tonne of use from them and they've been great choices. I think the fact Brooke Shields is, arguably, less of an icon in the UK than in the US means I've bought these because of the products and not the face of the line, which I really like and which makes me confident that I've bought them for the right reasons - something which, in an over saturated and over marketed world like the beauty world, is something to celebrate!

Rimmel Pre Tan Exfoliator & BB Sunshimmer

Rimmel Pre Tan Exfoliator - £6.99

Rimmel BB Sun Shimmer Instant Tan - £6.99

I'm not a massive fan of fake tan but every so often, usually when I'm getting a few limbs more out on show than they usually are, I will reach for it. The problem is I use it so little that there's absolutely no point in investing in the St Tropez I used to, since it was always out of date before I was even as much as a third of the way through the bottle. 

I came across the original Rimmel Sunshimmer in 'Fair Matte' a few years ago and it seemed to be the answer to my problems - it applied perfectly evenly when used with my tanning mitt and was the ideal colour to just give me some glow without adding masses of colour. Unfortunately the 'Fair' shade seems to have been discontinued and the lightest shade I can now buy is 'Light', which is darker than 'Fair' was. In the regular sun shimmer though 'Light' is a shade I can just about get away with, when used with a light hand... 

When this summer rolled around I decided to try the new Rimmel Sunshimmer Instant Tan + BB Cream and, long story short, I really wish I hadn't bothered. Maybe it's because of the BB Cream providing more coverage but 'Light' in this range is nowhere near light, you can compare it to my non tanned leg for guidance on just how ridiculously dark this product is - and that's one coat.

In terms of application I used my Hei-She tanning mitt as I'd use with any tanning product and it applied evenly - it's definitely a thicker consistency than the usual Sun Shimmer but I expected that with a BB version. It showed its full colour straight away as the other Sun Shimmer instant products have done, but other than the much darker colour I didn't really notice any BB properties to it, though maybe if I had a bruise or something on my leg I might have been in a better position to judge, I've never actually bothered putting it back on after this first go to see!

I had to properly rub at it in the shower to come off so it's not a case of apply water and rinse of - thankfully for those of us who live in the UK and will be pelted with rain as soon as we get out of a taxi on our way out - but it is definitely a wash off, one use and you're done product.

Overall it's not a bad product but the colour is way, way too dark for me, despite it being the lightest offering in the range. If you're looking for something quick on a night out and you're darker skinned than me you'll probably carry this off well and it's a great option for a one stop instant solution for last minute nights out when you've been cuddling under blankets with the central heating cranked up met days this Autumn. If you're at the paler end of the spectrum this is definitely one to give a miss.


As for the prey an exfoliator it's a good product for a reasonably price point, if you're looking for an exfoliator. For some reason I presumed the 'pre tan' but meant it was a new type of exfoliator that maybe wasn't so oil based that you could use in the shower before slapping on the tan, but it's not. Which is my own fault for chucking the bottle into my basket without reading anything. When you assume you make an ass out of u and me and all that. It's a traditional exfoliator with an oily consistency and which is quite gritty and greta at exfoliating the body, but you do still need to use it 24 hours in advance of tanning. For anyone on the hunt for a body exfoliator at a good price point then I definitely recommend it, and I love that it comes in a tube and not a tub (see my empties video here for a rant about tubes vs tubs!) but it's not anything new or any wonderful alternative to any other exfoliators on the market (or already sitting in your cupboards!)

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara Review

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara | $20.00 Sephora | £19.50 QVC

Last Saturday I talked about the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara and this Saturday it's the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. Who knew I was such a mascara fiend?!

Mascara isn't something that massively excites me all that often - I got this little small size in a set of Tarte products that I bought when I was in Florida at Christmas and I definitely wouldn't have made the effort to pick it up on its own, but once I finish up a few of my mascaras that I'm currently trying to get rid of, I'll definitely be replacing this - though the fact the Sephora price is so much cheaper thanks to the conversion makes me think I'll use it as an excuse to place my first Sephora order to be shipped to the UK (along with some more of the amazing brushes I fell in love with when I was over last time!)

Whilst the L'Oreal mascara gives defined individual lashes with a lot of length this one brings volume to the table as well, without compromising on the length. According to the Sephora website this claims to volumize your lashed by 424%, I don't know if I'd go that far but it definitely adds it by the bucketload. It also claims to condition lashes, but I'm trying to use up a few mascaras at the moment so I'm switching between them and can't comment on the long term effects of that. I'm fairly lucky in that my eyelashes are already fairly curly so I also can't massively comment on the curl power of this bad boy, but if it delivers the way the lengthening and volumizing promises do then you won't be disappointed.

This mascara feels so light on the lashes, no matter how much I build it up it never gets dry or flakey or crumbly, it feels like there's nothing on my lashes, and it never smudges. I'm not a massive fan of the snakeskin purple packaging, but it's what's inside that counts and what's inside delivers, so I'll forgive the tacky snakeskin print.

All round, discounting packaging, this baby is a 10/10!

The Round Up... Clay Masks

Best For... A Truly Deep Cleanse
Origins Clear Improvements - £23.00

When my skin is feeling particularly grotty - disgusting word but it's the only one that really sums up how congested and vile my skin feels sometimes - this is the one I reach for. You only need a tiny amount of this (this tube has lasted me the best part of two years - I have a second tube of this which I got in a set last Christmas that I still have never cracked open as this one is still going strong, so the price is really ridiculously reasonable!) as clay can absorb an incredible amount, I was told just how many times its own weight it can hold but I can't remember the exact figures!

The point is you need a really thin layer of this - no slather it on and waste a tonne of product here. This is the harshest of the three on the skin so I only apply it exactly where I need it, usually round my nose and chin otherwise it could end up drying out skin if it's not really required. Having said that when you put it on skin where it is needed the results are unparalleled, it's like a vacuum for anything that could be clogging up your skin and leaving you with clear pores and no oil build up. Dry skinned girls may want to avoid but for anyone with combination or oily skin this is definitely a must have.          

My only advice would be to make sure you moisturise well - even maybe use a moisture boosting mask or serum - as as well as sucking out all the oil and grime clogging you up, it can also strip even the oiliest skin of moisture, so make sure to replace it!



Best For... A Gentle, Non Drying Cleanse
REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask - £18.00

Of the three this is the one I like the least, it does it's job, but just not any better than the Una Brennan version. It's much more gentle than the Origins one and can be slathered all over - though I find my eyes sting if I take it too high up on my nose or cheeks, which doesn't happen with either of the other two options. Once it's slathered on though it definitely does what it is supposed to and removes the clogging dirt and oil without stripping the skin, so worth having if you're a REN loyalist or there's a 'buy two products and get x free' - which there currently is on Feel Unqiue, where I've linked up to. If you're reading this later and that offer is finished M&S are always running offers on their beauty hall - offers well worth keeping an eye on. Overall there's nothing massively wrong with this product or anything for me to put you off buying it, but I just think the Una Brennan one does a really similar job and is half the price.

With mentioning- you get 50ml of this product for £18, whereas you get 100ml of the Origins Clear Improvements for £23 or 125ml of the Una Brennan for £8.99, so it's half the size of the Origins and less than half the size of the Una Brennan.



Best For... A Gentle, Non Drying Cleanse On A Budget
Una Brennan Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask - £8.99

The packaging and name of this product seems to have changed since I picked it up - to the Salicylic Acid Anti Blemish Clay Mask, but I think it's pretty much the same product.

This does a really similar job to the REN version, it will clean out your skin without drying it - funnily enough I tried the cleanser from the Una Brennan Tea Flower range i.e. the deep cleaning range, and it dried my skin out horribly - I definitely don't have this problem with this mask. When I was commuting to Edinburgh over the summer for the Fringe Festival there was just something about being on a train for the best part of four hours a day (not to mention the 'grab it and go' nature of my diet - I was leaving the house at seven and arriving home at nine, every meal I ate was some form of fast food or, at best, an M&S sandwich) that left my skin feeling pretty congested. I slapped this mask on almost every second night to no adverse reactions and it definitely helped to prevent any of the grime I could feel living on my skin turning in to anything on the surface.

This only needs to be on the skin for five minutes to do it's job so it's also a great one if you're rushed for time and don't want to be sitting around for ages waiting on it drying it etc.




All in all, the Una Brennan is a great high street cleansing mask that I reach for quite a lot and will repurchase, but for a truly deep cleanse Origins is the only one to cut it. As for the REN? I'll use it up, it's not a bad product, but I won't bother replacing it once it's gone.