Naked Brunette Radiance Shampoo & Conditioner

Although I don't have brunette hair, I do have dark auburn hair that I like to keep looking rich and radiant; two aspects most darker haired girls strive for. Not many brands cater for us redheads, so between products catered for brunettes and products catered for blondes, I'm going to choose the former! I've used a Naked conditioner before, which I really liked, but don't recall ever using one of their shampoos. I was intrigued to see how it compared to my usual ones (which are not 97% natural). I've been using the Naked Brunette Radiance Shampoo* & Conditioner* (£3.99/normally £4.19 in Boots, but they're currently on offer for £2.79!) for a couple of weeks now, and here are my thoughts: They both have a slight herbal scent, which I don't normally like, but this is pleasant. The shampoo cleanses my hair well, but I've found that it can be drying if I don't follow up with the conditioner. It also doesn't perform any better than my regular shampoo, which is less expensive, so I wouldn't rush out to buy it. The conditioner, however, is amazing, and I'll definitely be buying a few tubes while it's on offer. It leaves my hair feeling so soft! It performs much better than my regular conditioner, and is more like an intensive treatment, so I wouldn't mind paying more for it. I don't think my hair is looking any more radiant or shiny than it did before, though. Being the colour my hair is, it naturally reflects a lot of light anyway. Saying that, it hasn't hindered the radiance or shine.

The shampoo is okay, but it's the conditioner I'd recommend you try. Have you tried any products from the Naked hair range before?

*PR samples

Triple Chocolate Cookies

My Raspberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cranberry and Raisin Oatmeal Cookies both had fruit in, and were nice alternatives to my usual Chocolate Chip Cookie Slabs. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and it drew me back. Back to the chocolate chips, and back even further. Let me introduce you to these Triple Chocolate Cookies. They are chocolate cookies with milk and white chocolate chips. I was going to add some chocolate chunks in there, too, but thought these were going to be chocolately enough!

With this recipe, I managed to make 33 cookies. I read recipes with double the ingredients saying they'd make from 14-24! Mine aren't particularly small, either. You wouldn't want them too big, though, because they are sweet.

You'll need:

• 200g brown sugar
• 125g butter
• 1 egg
• 175g self raising flour
• 40g cocoa powder 
• 1tsp baking powder
• 100g milk chocolate chips
• 100g white chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC.

2. Line your baking trays with baking paper.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar.

4. Combine the egg.

5. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. The baking powder makes the cookies fluffier, so if you'd prefer chewier ones, leave it out. I've made them both ways and love them equally!

6. Add in the chocolate chips, but make sure to leave some of the white ones.

7. Spoon walnut sized balls onto your baking trays, making sure you leave a couple of inches between each one.

8. Add the remaining white chocolate chips to the tops of each one. I also added some sprinkles and 'chocolate bean' decorations to some.

9. Bake in the oven for around 12 minutes, but make sure to check on them every few minutes.

10. Finally, take out the oven, leave to harden for a few minutes, and then transfer to wire cooling racks.

As you can probably tell, I love cookies. I much prefer them to cupcakes because they're not as filling, and they keep for a lot longer. I want to try making different flavours next, such as chocolate orange or walnut ones. Are you a fan of these sweet treats? If so, what's your favourite type?

Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish in 570 Vintage (99p at Fragrance Direct)

This is one of the nail polishes from my most recent Fragrance Direct order (haul post here), and my favourite! Vintage is a deep, berry shade, and varies between shades of red and purple, depending on the light. Two coats were needed, and I had no problems with the formula. These kinds of shades are known to stain more than others, though, so cleaning up was more difficult than usual. Surprisingly, I have nothing like this in my collection. The closest shade I have is Barry M's Raspberry, but this is more purple toned than that. For 99p (from here), I'm pretty pleased!

Have you bought any nail polishes from Fragrance Direct recently? Do you like these kinds of shades? I think they're perfect for autumn/winter.

Nail Polish Haul!

Every once in a while, my sister and I seem to find a load of nail polishes we like the look of on Fragrance Direct, and because they're so affordable, we buy them! This is our most recent order, with the most expensive polish being just £1.49. First up, we have the Rimmel Lycra Pro Nail Polishes in 312 Ultra Violet and 420 Aqua Cool, which were 99p each. I love the brushes of the Rimmel polishes! These two are my sister's, but I'll definitely be adding some to my next order. Then we have Sally Hansen's 848 Sgt Preppy and 843 Palm Treat, and these were £1.49 each. I also love the brushes of these. I then bought L'Oreal's 507 Riviera Lavender and 506 Exotic Grenade, which were £1.30 each. These are only 5ml, but I never finish a bottle of polish anyway, so don't mind. I wouldn't pay the full price of £4.99 for them, though! I also chose Revlon's 920 Make Mine Mango, 210 Jelly (Top Speed), and 570 Vintage (Top Speed), which were 99p each. These are the ones I like the most out of our haul! I love oranges/corals, so had to get Make Mine Mango. Jelly was another must have because I love deep, red toned pinks. Although it's called Jelly, it's not a jelly formula. Then we have Vintage, which is a berry shade, and perfect for this time of year.

Have you bought anything from Fragrance Direct recently? They're supposed to be getting some more Essie shades in this week, so I'll no doubt be placing another order!

Nail Supplies Haul

I was in need of nail supplies the other week, so went straight to eBay to stock up! 

The 4 in 1 nail buffer blocks were £1.76 for both, and can be found here. The more you buy, the more you save; you can buy 10 for £5.99, or even 50 for £25!

The nail wheels were £2.75 for 10, and can be found here. I've never had nail wheels before, but thought I'd buy some to compare shades in posts for you guys and practise nail art on. 

Lastly, and most importantly, we have the brushes. The first pack was £2.38 from here, the second pack was £2.49 from here, and the third pack was £1.95 from here. Nail art brushes are a crucial part of my routine because I use them to clean up the edges of my nails after painting them. I simply dip them in nail polish remover and go around the edges with a steady hand. I've bought the first pack before, but can only use a few of the brushes because the rest are too long (it's best to have short ones so you have more control). I bought the second pack on a whim, hoping that they'd do the job well (even though they're not flat like the brushes I'm used to). I used one the other week and was pleased to find that they work just fine! I haven't used the third pack yet, but they're short and flat, so should be fine as well!

What nail products are part of your routine? I also use the Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover and Superdrug Emery Boards, but that's about it! I don't use any cuticle oils or hand creams, even though I probably should. I also don't use base or top coats, and while this works for me, I wouldn't recommend it for everyone!

Cranberry & Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

I'm not one to choose fruit over chocolate chips when it comes to cookies, but decided to try something different the other day, and I'm glad I did! My family and I have been enjoying these over the last few days, and I'll definitely be baking them again.

What you'll need to make around 30 cookies:

125g butter, softened

125g light brown sugar

100g caster sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2tsp of vanilla paste)

225g self-raising flour

1/2tsp salt

100g raisins

60g cranberries

40g oats

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC.

2. Line your baking trays with baking paper.

3. Cream together the butter and sugars.

4. Combine the egg and vanilla.

5. Sift in the flour and salt, and then fold.

6. Add in the oats, raisins, and cranberries. I only used 40g of oats because it was my first time adding them to a cookie mix, but next time I'll probably add more. You can also add more cranberries, but I wanted some left over to eat on their own! 

7. Spoon walnut sized balls onto your baking trays, making sure you leave a good couple inches between each one.

8. I then added a couple of cranberries to the tops just to make sure each one had some.

9. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, but make sure you check them every few minutes or so.

10. Finally, take out the oven, leave to harden for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

These remind me of rock cakes; a childhood favourite! They taste delicious, and are a healthier alternative to the classic chocolate chip.

Barry M Matte Vanilla

I've worn neon nail polishes that dry to a satin finish before, but Barry M's Matte Vanilla is my first 'proper' matte. I'm surprised at how much I like the matte effect, actually, because I hate every other texture that's not shiny or glitter! Fluff and sand are the ones I really can't stand. I think Vanilla is a great nude for my skin tone. I'd describe it as a muted nude that looks grey in certain lights, and it even has some lilac tones in there at times. I'd heard a few people say that the first coat kind of separates and looks oily, but a second evens everything out. I didn't experience this at all, and could have left a few nails with just one coat on. I ended up applying two on all of them so they looked the same shade, though. It dried very quickly, and was one of the easiest polishes I've applied recently. Matte polishes are known to accentuate any flaws you have on your nails, so I gave them a good buff beforehand, and that seemed to do the job.

I'm surprised at how much I like this polish, and want to get Crush and Espresso next! What do you think? Are you a fan of matte nails? If not, you can always apply a topcoat over them!