My Top Nude Nail Polish for Under £5!

Hi guys! Sorry for not posting in a while, I have just moved house and on the process I lost my DSLR camera .. so I have been spending my days non-stop crying  (only kidding) but I am very upset because I can't afford to buy a new camera so I am having to use my iPhone at the moment. I have been wanting to write this post for a while as I found the most perfect nude nail polish and just HAD to share.

Firstly, who doesn't love a good nude nail colour that will look ever so chic and match any outfit ? I would describe the perfect nude as one in which flatters your skin tone. To be fair, my skin tone changes depending on the season so it can be hard finding the perfect nude for my brown complexion. But for this winter period I think I have definitely found a winner! It's the Collection (formally Collection 2000) gel nail polish in Almost Nude (below) which I got from Superdrug for £3.19. 

There were a few other close contestants which are also such a bargain including the 2 True Nail colour in Shade 11 £1.99, & Collection Work the Colour £1.99 Collection in Stormy Grey £3.19 (from left to right)

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#ARWOMAN | Kumbear Xo

AtterleyRoad's #ARWOMAN is a campaign that commemorate's inspirational women which is a wonderful idea and something that I am more than happy to be asked to participate in. So when I first thought, who inspires me? I immediately thought of women inspirational to my life and my career in the fashion and I thought of fashion icons such as Aubrey Hepburn, Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood. But I have to say.. I probably sound like the majority of the female population right now (cringe) and it feels strange for me to admit to but Beyonce is someone in who is inspirational to me - not because of her looks, her fashion or her lifestyle but just because of her raw musical talent and her sense of empowerment as a performer, I find it admiring. I first seen her live in 2013 at the Chime For Change (which Beyonce is a founder of) concert which is global campaign to convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world, many of the stories presented on stage that day were truly heartbreaking and brought to light how grateful for the life that I have. Beyonce's live performances are definitely what I turn to when I feel like am run down and having a bad day because they always pick me on my feet and put me in a buoyant mood. My favourite performances from Beyonce are definitely Run the World, I Was Here (below), Scared of Lonely, I Care and Resentment.

Her amazing talent and humility make her a woman to inspire to be like and I feel that she definitely worthy of the #ARWOMAN hashtag. She once said: 'I think a beautiful woman is someone who is confident but not competitive with other women - someone who is warm to everyone. Because my mother told me ever since I can remember that beauty is from within, that looks will fade, I have always been aware that you have to have something deeper to be really beautiful.' 

So, WHO is your inspiration? Join the conversation, nominate your inspirational women by tagging a picture of her instagram and don't forget to tag #ARWOMAN 

Much Love,

Redken Curvaceous Cream Shampoo and Conditioner

I recently received a sample from Hairtrade from the Redken Curvaceous Collection which is specialised for curly hair. I have never tried any of the Redken brand products before so it was a first for me, but I have always heard great things. To be honest, I never usually believe mainstream brands when they claim to be specifically made for curly hair because to say you have 'curly' hair is a very vague term. As curls can range from coils, spirals, kinks, waves to zig zag curls if you get what I mean. Having plenty of experience buying different high-street hair brands who formulate the idea that their product will work for curly hair when in fact they aren't great for my exact hair texture or hair type which I would describe as kinky-coily (Type 3C for all those naturals out there). Also, my hair is very deceiving as I have a lot of it so it looks coarse and thick but actually my hair is very thin and prone to dryness/frizz especially in winter so moisture is essential for me. My hair also shrinks a lot! So when it comes to picking a shampoo & conditioner combo I really need to be sure it will work for my hair type. 

So, firstly the Redken Curvaceous Cream Shampoo* I really liked the how it was creamy (sort of like a yoghurt consistency) and had a low lather due to it being sulphate free, I do love a good gentle shampoo. It wasn't drying at all, and it was very light and I think this is because of the moringa oil to help with moisture. It had a faint smell which was pleasant. I don't really know how I would describe the smell I suppose it had a fresh scent to it but nothing strong enough to linger in your hair after washing. This definitely helped to define my curls and reduce the level of frizz and as I recently dyed the ends of my hair blonde the UV filter in this shampoo is an extra bonus to protect the dye from fading!

As for the Redken Curvaceous Conditioner* I really like this conditioner as it was really good at helping me de-tangling my hair which usually takes ages but after lathering this on it only took around 10-15 minutes and it normally takes me a good half an hour to section my hair and de-tangle section by section. After conditioning I let my hair dry naturally and it actually made such a difference as my hair didn't shrink up as much and my curls were pretty much frizz free after using some of my beloved Shea Moisture coconut and hibiscus curl & style milk (one of my absolute favourite products read my review here.) So overall, I was pretty satisfied I would give this product 8/10! 

If you are looking to buy these products Hairtrade gave me an exclusive discount code for my lovely blog readers! So if you would like to receive 5% off the +Hairtrade website just use the code HTGPN at the checkout.. P.S I would recommend the 1000L bottle of these products as they are currently on sale and will last for ages! 

Have you ever tried any of the Redken products? Comment below :)

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Glasses Direct Review!

I have been meaning to buy myself a pair of prescription glasses since I lost mine over a year ago! It just seemed like there was so much choice and I didn't know what style/colour/size I wanted so I just avoided buying any at all! But I came across an amazing deal on Groupon which was two pairs of glasses from Glasses Direct for £19 and I thought why the h*ll not? I then went onto the website and still couldn't decide. But I noticed that Glasses Direct actually offer a 7 day trial period to try on different frames to help you decide on the perfect pair of specs and you can do this more than once until you've came to a decision - which helps people like me a lot! So Basically, I have ordered my 4 pairs and I don't know which ones to buy because I love them all!

So I have made a little collage wearing the 4 pairs I took out on the trial for my beautiful blog readers to help me decide.

1. London Retro Bakerloo | Horn

2. Scout Nation | Matte Tortoise

3. Religion 29 | Dark Tortoise

4. London Retro Highgate | Purple/Tortoise

So 1,2,3 or 4? Comment Below!!

Much Love,

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Origins Review | Zero Oil Moisturiser & Spot Remover Pads

Hey guys, I just wanted to share a quick review with you all about the Origins products. I recently purchased the Origins 'Zero Oil' moisturiser & the Origins spot remover blemish treatment pads. I was seriously excited to try this brand as they are known to use natural ingredients, as their slogan is "powered by nature" and I love this concept. I have more frequently being trying out natural products on my skin and hair (Kiehls & Aveda are favourites) as I feel that the chemicals in many brands in the long-term CAN NOT be good for you in the long run especially when they enter through your skin and into your bloodstream. Origins is definite;y more expensive than my usual skincare stuff (this duo cost  £48) but I had wanted to try them for so long I thought I would splurge and give it a go!

Oh my was I disappointed. I feel sorry to admit this. But I used the cleansing wipes during the day and they felt so lovely and refreshing and even gave me that lovely tingly feeling which made my skin feel fresh. And then, I applied the moisturiser at night which was a thin consistency yet very lightweight and also oil-free which I thought would be amazing for my oily t-zone. I was generally happy with the quality of the products. 

Until I woke up the next day. My skin was clearly aggravated by the ingredients in these products, I think it was the mint.. but I am not entirely 100% sure but I have NEVER had an allergic reaction to anything in my life! So I don't consider my skin to be sensitive. I had tiny pimples all over my face which were really irritating and looked freaking awful up close and I couldn't even put make-up on for an entire week. I actually looked this up on-line and it turns out I had an allergic reaction and apparently it is called 'contact dermatitis' it was just ew, disgusting.

Then as the pimples started to clear my skin became extremely dry to a point where it sore to touch and it was inflamed and stingy. So solve this problem I had to stick to the 'Simple' face wash which is extremely gentle and then I had to invest more into buying the Elizabeth Arden intensive moisturiser & nighttime miracle moisturiser (read my review here) to relive some of the dryness as I just couldn't cope with it. I seriously couldn't even smile without my face feeling like it was going crack. In the end ended up costing me a fortune - yes I am a poor student this is a fortune to me. I am now scared to touch any of the other Origin products now, which is a shame because expected so much more from their brand. But for the money I spent on these two products I would not recommend them to anyone. 

I would really be interested to hear if anyone has had similar experiences with Origin products, please comment below and let me know because if it has clearly been affecting a lot of people they should not be selling this in store! 

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Working at London Fashion Week

 Hi guys! 

I've not posted for a while so my sincere apologies to all of my wonderful followers - I also hope you like my new website (www.kumbearxo.com). I have been really busy travelling back and forth from Glasgow to London because I managed to get myself a wonderful paid position working front of house and backstage at London Fashion Week and London Fashion Weekend and I just started back uni this week and its my final year (honours project 10k word count, WHAT?) so times are stressful. BUT I thought I had to share my experience working at LFW (yes it wasss amazing). I worked with the most wonderful production team so my job first and foremost was to support their production and help to allow everything to run smoothly! 

I must admit the hours were deadly, I actually worked 13 hours one day! But the fact that I was able to watch all the shows and assist the front row was a great opportunity. Working backstage at London Fashion Weekend was also very productive as I got introduced to all of the key trends - Jungle Fever, Candy Crush, Fairy Tale Ending, One and Only and I got a close up look at all of the designer garments and sometimes even worked alongside the designers and their personal team of stylists. I cheekily also asked for some make up advice from the pro team of make up artists who were all really friendly! I also, LOVE London so to work there for a week was a real eye-opener of where I would like to work after I graduate next year. 

So, here is a little peak of some of the shows and behind the scenes!

 

 

 

The 'street walkers' at Somerset House. 

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Highstreet Wishlist | September 2014

1. Missguided | 2. Topshop | 3. Topshop | 4. Pretty Little Thing | 5. ALDO  | 6. Mango | 7. River Island | 8 New Look | 9. Mango

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