Boots Botanics Hydrating Day Cream Review

I have not posted a skincare review in so long but this needs to be shared with you all ASAP. The last year or so I have personally chose to use organic products or anything form The BodyShop. I wanted to take my skincare routine back to basics and just start over. I was using way too many acne products and my skin wasn't even that oily in reality, so I was just drying my skin out over and over again. I know my skin well now, it's taken me a long time but I know what products I need to maintain healthy skin and a creamy moisturiser is the way forward. The Boots Botanics Hydrating Day Cream works so well and does what it says on the tub.

7 Things That Must be Present in Every Woman's Handbag - Guest Post

Rachel Stinson has always had a knack for writing, food, fashion, and places. Blogging has combined all four for her with an added bonus of enthusiastic audiences. She expertly analyzes real estates, restaurants and online fashion stores with respect to pricing and people involved and can express her opinions in an unhesitant, engaging manner for all matters.

Trust me on this; if you do not have this sort of items in your bag, then you aren't ready to head out the door. Women should always be ready for anyone, anything at all times. Here are 7 things that must be present in every woman's handbag:

My Go To Hair Care // L'Oreal Paris Elvive

This range has changed my life. Slight exaggeration? I think not. I've never been big on hair care, in fact, I put off hair cuts for months, even years. Bad, isn't it? A few months ago I had the best haircut of my life and since then, I keep going back for that regular trim. I can't believe how much easier my hair is to manage after a cut at the local hair salon. Why did I suffer with Hagrid-esque hair for so long?! My hair type is dry, frizzy, curly and overall plain wild. I once saw Amelia Liana talking about this online test you could do on the L'Oreal Paris website to find out what range would be best for your hair. So, I took the test and it resulted in the Elvive Extraordinary Oil range. Since then, I haven't looked back.

Christmas Gift Guide For Her

Gift guide... More like my wishlist!! I love every single item in this post! If you are like me, or if you know anyone who loves makeup and all things beauty then you may want to look into these lovelies! Sometimes it's difficult to pick a present for that special someone, and if you are looking for something for you partner, they'd love nothing more than one of these gifts... Trust me!

Christmas Gifts for her by hmmorgan52 featuring Kusmi Tea

Sensational Lashes

Since using Benefit's Rollerlash, I just can't find myself falling for any other mascara. It just did such nice things to my eyelashes, but I don't want to spend just under £20 on mascara every time I run out... The last few months I've tried endless tubes of alternative mascaras and today, I thought I'd share with you an amazing hit and one complete and utter miss.

The products I'm comparing today are Maybelline's Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara (£7.99) and Rimmel London's Supercurler Mascara (£6.99).

The Nude Lip

Thanks to Kylie Jenner, every girl wants that perfect nude lip. Unfortunately, I can't run out and buy the exact lipstick she wears right now, so, I came up with my own take on the brown nude shade, she loves to wear. I'm kind of on a mission to not buy any more makeup unless I absolutely 100% need that product. So, I turned to my lipstick collection. As a teenager, for some reason I bought ALL the pink and fuchsia shades... Why?! I have no idea!

First of all, when I thought about trying a nude lip, I went for a pinky nude... But, it just washed me out. I literally looked ill. I've now taken on the browny-nudey lip trend and this is what it looks like. I like it. It makes me feel v. sophisticated and v. Kardashian/Jenner. I used Rimmel 1000 Kisses in 700 Nothing But Nude  to almost line the lips and then used Maybelline Nude Lipstick in 742 Luminous Beige on top to add the brown shade.

I think this has worked really well. What are your opinions on the brown/nude lip trend?

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Makeup Bag Staples

Recently, I've been getting deep and personal with you all with meaningful lifestyle posts (which I love doing by the way) but, I think it's about time I update you with what I LOVE to use on my face. That's correct, I'm letting you all know about what are my must have staples to carry in my makeup bag. I am not the best at makeup, but I have such an addiction to beauty products. That Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette is 100% next on my list... Next payday maybe? Seriously, I should stop the spending when it comes to lipsticks, nail varnish and of course, my beloved concealer obsession... Yikes!

Do you know the question - what makeup products would you take to a desert island with you? Well these are mine, there are several... Don't judge me!

Benefit's Roller Lash Mascara

I gave into the hype. Now, I don't usually fall for these but the constant advertising of this product along with all the positive blog reviews I've seen of this mascara made me succum to actually giving Benefit my bank card details and buying this, "super curling and lifting," mascara. Another reason why I bought this mascara is because it's my birthday and I can treat myself, OKAY?! 

My relationship with buying makeup is unhealthy but I am way more a high street makeup kinda gal. Sometimes I do splurge on little treats now and then, for example the Urban Decay Naked Palette and the Illamasqua Multi Facet Palette (review coming soon), but mostly, I love brands like Revlon, L'oreal and even Natural Collection (I swear by their pressed powder). I once bought the Benefit They're Real Mascara and I really enjoyed using it. I just can't justify spending £20 on a mascara... Especially with my minimum wage pay. As it's my birthday and I have been eyeing up this mascara for so long, plus I had a 15% off code for feelunique, I just took to the website and gave them my money. Yolo??

January Favourites

January is finally over and done with. Phew. I hate the month of January and I always seem to suffer with January blues. However, it's a new year and a fresh start for Hannah Notes, so I thought I'd kickstart this month's posts with a January Favourites (the month of January not being included).

Seventeen Va Va Voom Mascara // Makeup Monday

Do you ever feel like trying out a new mascara? Mascara is the one makeup product I always purchase differently! I rarely buy high end mascaras as the product doesn't last that long and you're supposed to change your mascara quite regularly... (I don't... Guilty). One of my most favourite mascaras is from the brand Seventeen at Boots, so, I went to that section and picked one up. It promised a, 'false lash effect with staying power.' Sounds good to me, I thought. I bought the waterproof version as I was going on holiday the week after so I could take it with me and wear it in the warm weather.

I have been wearing this mascara for the past two months and I am not disappointed. When I first applied this product, I was shocked by how much volume it gave me. When I saw my friends, they all thought I had a pair of false eyelashes on. That's how good this is. I'd compare the effect it gives to the Benefit They're Real Mascara. It's an absolute bargain at only £6.29. It is worth every penny!


The brush is made out of tapered bristles and let me warn you, it's quite chunky. Hence where the volume comes from. If you have small eyelashes, I'd give this product a miss as it could get extremely messy. Especially, at the first couple of uses as the formula is quite wet to begin with. However, if you have medium to long lashes, go out and grab this gem of a product!!

The mascara comes in three versions, that I'm aware of, black, brown and waterproof black. It is sold in Boots and you can buy it by clicking here.

What's your current favourite mascara? Let me know in the comments below.

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Hannah x

The Comforter by Lush

As the sun sets, and the colder months begin to make their way into our lives, we need to take care of ourselves. I'm not talking about vitamins and healthy eating here, I'm talking baths with bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles. Ever since I was a young girl, I have always found bubble baths so relaxing. There's something special about dipping your first toe in to check the temperature and then completely submerging yourself in the tub. On a cold, wet and windy day, there's nothing more I look forward to than coming home and running a bath. Add in a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and maybe a few candles lit, and I am in heaven. Baths are one of my favourite things about Autumn/Winter.

When it comes to bath products, I always used to get a load over Christmas and then use them throughout the year. I never treated myself and went out to buy a nice bubble bath or anything. This was until quite recently where I was walking through the streets of Swansea and smelt that smell... You know the one.... That Lush smell. It was a cold day and the smell enticed me into the shop. Since then, I've never looked back.

I always make sure I have at least one Lush product at the house, just in case I need a bit of bath TLC. I seem to always repurchase the same product, and I don't care. I love it. It's appealing to the eye and smells so luxurious. It's also pink, which is always a plus right?! It is of course, The Comforter (buy here). As soon as you smell this beauty, you'll immediately want to buy it. Packed with a blackcurrant fragrance which results in pink bath water, what more could you want? I really do think this bubble bar is the one.

What are your favourite Lush products? 

Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! 

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Hannah x

Makeup Monday // Barry M Nail Paint

There once was a time where I used to never go out without my nails painted. I'd switch up the colours from black, neon pink and nude... Sometimes I'd even experiment with nail art. I once did strawberry nails and also an aztec design. Then I got a job and things changed. *Sigh* Nail polish can instantly turn my mood around it instantly makes you look more eye-catching and unique. If it's a special occasion I will 100% have my favourite nail colour on, and of course, I'd be workin' it. Today, I'm reviewing the Barry M Nail Paints which are available to buy in Superdrug stores. They come in a range of colours and there is seriously a colour for everyone. The colours I own are 290 Spring Green and 303 Bright Purple. I love these colours as they're so in-your-face and loud.

PRODUCT

The nail polish is thick and only really needs one coat. It does take a while to dry so don't think about doing anything with your hands while the nail polish is still wet. I really wish Barry M released a quick drying nail product... Hint hint. There are many colours, as I've previously said, and they range from deep berry colours to neon, matte, glittery, the lot! 

PACKAGING

The packaging of these nail paints is shown in the above picture. I really like the matte black top and the font of the writing. It really gives the product the 'Barry M' feel. The packaging isn't over the top and you do get what you pay for without it looking overly cheap and tacky.

PRICE

The price of these nail paints is £2.99. For matte shades or limited edition shades, the price is usually £1 more. I think this is a fair pricing as they are really pigmented and glide on easily. You get what you pay for, but these are better than nail polishes from Maybelline and Rimmel, in my experience.

Thanks for reading my review and I hope you enjoyed this post!

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Hannah x

Makeup Dreaming

Benefit Push Up Liner / Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette / Chanel Lip Gloss / DIOR Diorskin Nude Shimmer / Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer

Hello everyone! I'm back from my holiday!  It was amazing! Sun, sea and cocktails 2-4-1 every hour of the day... What more could you want? I thought my first blog post after a week away would be all about the high end beauty products I've been crushing on. 

The Benefit Push Up Liner looks so easy to apply and the effect is flawless... As Beyoncé would say! Next up on my list is the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. Who hasn't been crushing on this? It's full of rosey sparkly nudes. I love nude eyeshadow a!! Then we have this Chanel Lip Gloss which is super long lasting... Could you ask for more? Then I found this Dior gem! A shimmery highlighting blush! It looks like it would suit my skin tone perfectly! The last product on my makeup wish list is the Estée Lauder Double Wear Concealer. I am a massive concealer lover and I've heard so much about the Double Wear foundation, this must be good!! 

Hopefully soon I'll treat myself! My usual post regime will restart next week as I'm still recovering from my week long hangover! I would 100% recommend Sunny Beach for a Twenties holiday, it's so cheap over there! 

Thanks for reading! 

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Hannah x

Makeup Monday // L'oreal BB Cream

Hello you beautiful lot! Just letting you all know I'm on holiday (finally!!) So posts are scheduled for today, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday as normal. However, I won't be able to read comments, comment or talk to you all for a whole week!! I know it sounds so bad. I will miss blogging, but a break is always good! Hopefully my scheduling will go to plan, if there are any issues with the posts, I apologise deeply and will deal with any errors when I get back next Monday! Thank you for reading and let's get on to this makeup review!! 

It's July tomorrow which means Summer and Summer = light makeup bases. Am I right ladies? Last Summer I thought I'd try a BB Cream so I picked this one up from L'oreal. This was the lightest shade available so I thought there would be no problem...

Product:

Okay so the product itself comes out of the tube a white colour. It has these smart pigment capsules which blend to your skin colour....... Apparently. I tried it and it didn't work out too good. It was way too dark for my skin tone, which was disappointing as this was the lightest shade available. If you look at the pictures below you can see the colour difference on my hand. The product clinged to my dry patches and overall I just did not like the BB Cream.

Packaging:

The packaging is sleek and I love the metallic purple on the white tube. It really stood out to me in the store. However the fact that this is a squeezy tube means that you won't be able to get all of the product out of it. A quick tip would be once you've squeezed what you think is the whole of the tube out, cut across the tube and scrape out the rest of the product into a separate container for the next use. 

Price:

The price of this BB cream is £9.99. I just don't think it's worth it. It's not a great BB cream and you can find way better for a similar price.

You can buy this BB Cream from Boots by clicking here.

Thanks for reading! 

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Hannah x

Mini Is Better // Holiday Help

As you all know, I'm going on holiday soon... In fact I'm jetting off tomorrow for sun, sea and cocktails!! I am so excited. So in preparation for this week away, I went to Superdrug and bought minis. I love minis. Mini things are cute and lovely and small and fun... Just me? Okay I apologise for this obsession. I just love anything mini okay?! As I am so excited by travel size products I thought I'd write you all a cheeky extra post this week! How lush am I right?

Superdrug have an offer right now where they are selling 3 travel size products for £3. They're good brands too! I bought my essentials and didn't buy any face washes or cleansers as I will be taking full size products just in case I break out on holiday, which I really don't want. So here are the six products I bought in mini, cute form.

Original Source Lemon and Tea Tree Shower Gel / Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo / Aussie Miracle Moist Conditioner

Sensodyne Total Care Toothpaste / Listerine Stay White Mouthwash  / Gillette Satin Care Radiant Apricot Shaving Gel

All of these six products came to £6. I've never tried any Aussie products so I'm excited to give that conditioner a whirl! All the other products I've tried before and I know they work well for me. Writing this post has got me super duper excited to go now. I just want to be there. I will be there tomorrow around 9pm. I can't wait. Hope you all have a great week!

Thanks for reading! 

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Hannah x

Makeup Review Monday // Collection Bronzer

Due to the sunshine I'm feeling like a bronzed goddess. I decided to look through my bronzer collection and came across this product from Collection, so I thought it would be perfect for a Makeup Review Monday's post here at Hannah Notes. 

If you're like me, in the Summer I love to tan. Makes me feel so happy and healthy. However, due to my extremely pale and red skin, my face doesn't seem to change colour. It stays pink and my nose goes red. Attractive. I discovered bronzers when I was sixteen/seventeen and I bought this shimmery one last year. Most of the bronzers I own are matte, so I thought one with shimmer would be ideal as I have dry skin, so it will make me look more dewy and healthy. 

PRODUCT

The product is very shimmery, almost glittery... Which scares me. The top layer of the product is basically full on glitter. The bronzer is very pigmented and very orange. Too dark for my skintone sadly. However, as I don't like to use this product on my face, I thought about using it on my body. The glitter in the product acts as a highlighter. So I take a sweeping of this product down the middle of my legs to make them look longer and also dab a little on my collar bones. If I'm a bit tanned, it does work well on a night out. 

PACKAGING

The packaging is good in my eyes. You get a lot of product (19g) so this will last you a lifetime. The packaging has recently changed but it's still the same bronzer! It's great for the amount you get and the price you pay.

PRICE

£4.19 for a 19g product is amazing when compared to spending £27 on an 8g product, Nars Laguna Bronzer for example. Obviously the product isn't amazing, but it works well for your body. If you have a darker skintone it will look lovely too!

Thanks for reading! 

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Hannah x

A Lazy Girl's Hair Care Routine

Hair for me, is a huge chore. If I could afford to pay someone to do my hair for me everyday, I would. I hate doing it, I hate the effort it takes to look good and I had the process of drying it! Urgh... However, as I am a 'beauty blogger' I thought I'd take some time out from hating on my hair to write a post dedicated to it. Some of you may be very excited to read this, but others may not... I thought it was suitable for this blog as I've previously done a skincare routine post. 

Shower Products

Head & Shoulders shampoo is a must for my dry scalp. Why dandruff, why?! I also started using this conditioner from Lidl and wow, it is amazing. Makes my hair silky soft and you only need a small amount to coat your hair with. I would recommend this to anyone with dry and damaged hair.

Out Of Shower Products

This is the Lazy Girl's Hair Care Routine, so usually I'd just leave it dry by itself, no product or hairdryer necessary. On days where I actually need to do it I use this Anti Frizz Serum from Superdrug and put it into the ends of my hair and blow dry. I only ever straighten or curl my hair for interviews, date nights or going out so I only use hairspray then too. My favourite is this one by Pantene, number four! This paddle brush is essential for long haired girls like me. I picked it up from Avon.

That's it. Short and sweet. Ooozing laziness for all my hair lazy ladies out there! Wow that's a mouthful, hair lazy ladies, hair lazy ladies. Definitely pick up the Cien conditioner from Lidl next time you're in there, it's mega cheap too!! Don't use a massive blob though as it's uber nourishing and if you use too much your hair will look disgusting haha! You won't be disappointed if you use a little bit!

Thanks for reading! 

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Hannah x

Makeup Review Monday // Urban Decay Primer Potion

Can you believe it's the third week of June already?! It's going by so quickly!! I still feel like it's April the latest. I've been nineteen for three months now... What the!? Anyway, enough of worrying about how fast time is going by and onto today's post. It's all about the Urban Decay Primer Potion.

I had never tried any eye primer before using this little gem. What was I doing with my life?! If you don't use an eye primer I highly suggest getting a sample from somewhere and trying it immediately. Oh my gosh. The difference and eye primer makes is seriously amazing. This eye primer lasted me around seven to nine months and it's only the travel size. Definitely worth the money. 100%.

PRODUCT

The product itself is a nude liquid which when smudged onto the eyes feels velvety soft. Applying this nude primer onto my lid and then applying any colour, be it nude, black or bright, makes the eyeshadow stand out and look much more true to colour. The fact that the primer is velvety makes shadows super easy to blend and you can really create the perfect smokey eye with this product. I mean PERFECT.

PACKAGING 

Like all Urban Decay products the packaging is cute. A purple container in the shape of a mystical potion bottle... It is the Primer 'Potion.' I love the font on the bottle I love the shape of the applicator. I just love it. This product will change your eyeshadow experience, trust me.

PRICE

When it comes to price, it's not the most affordable makeup item ever, and some people would argue eyeshadow primers don't work. But, I would actually repurchase this. The only reason I haven't yet is because I'm trying a Revlon eyeshadow primer right now. This Urban Decay Primer Potion currently retails at Debenhams for £8 (travel size) and £16 (full size). Not too expensive considering it's a high end product, I suppose.

If you haven't tried this product or any eye primer, in fact, I am begging you to try one just once and see the difference an eye primer can make to your eye makeup. Serious loving for this.

Thanks for reading! 

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Hannah x

Skincare and Holiday Haul

So I took a trip to Asda the other day to pick up new underwear for my holiday but I also found a few bits and bobs that took my fancy. If you don't know what Asda is, it's basically Walmart. If you don't know what Walmart is, it's a supermarket.

I love the underwear at George @ Asda, it's really good quality and true to size. I picked up a t-shirt bra for just £4 and it's way better quality than the cheap ones from Primark. I also picked up three pairs of knickers, as they were on offer 3 for £6. They're so comfy. If you're on a budget, check out Asda for underwear girls!

I then picked up a pair of plain white flip flops for laying around by the pool on holiday, for just £2. I picked up a pair last year from Primark and they were so comfy in the warm weather, so hopefully these are on parr with the Primark flip flops.

I also picked up a snake print dress for £12. Yes. £12! They had another really cute dress there for £8 with zebras all over it. I was tempted to but I settled for the snake print. This dress is perfect for on holiday as it's a thin material meaning that it will be cool in the warm weather. The back is also longer than the front which means no bums will be flashing anywhere haha!

I had a gander at the swimwear and wasn't going to buy anything. But then, I saw a bandeau bikini for £6. I had to pick it up. I live for bandeau bikinis, they're perfect for tanning in! No strap lines please!! How gorgeous is this lime green colour though??

I then popped to Boots and picked up some new moisturiser. I was looking for something tailored for dry skin and came across these Nivea beauts. I bought the day and night cream as my skin is getting quite crap lately and I'm on a mission to get it looking good for when I'm on holiday! So far, I'm loving the combination of the both! I also repurchased the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water as it is brilliant.

When I came home, my Avon delivery had arrived with my suncare bits. I have an SPF 50 sun cream, an aftersun spray and an SPF 30 lip balm which I can also use on my cheeks and nose. My skin is so fair and burns so easy. Must protect this!!

Hope you enjoyed my haul! Random last minute bits for my holiday woohoo!

Thanks for reading!

Hannah x

My Summer Scent

Last year I was on my way home from Spain and I spotted Red Jeans in the airport and I had to pick it up. This purchase was completely influenced by Barbara from The Persian Babe on YouTube. I have watched her for so long and ages ago she mentioned this perfume so I had to try it out. I have never had so many compliments whilst wearing this perfume. Friends, family, work colleagues, everyone asks what I'm wearing. I've even been described as 'the girl that smells like a worldie.' Charming!

The packaging is so cute. It comes in this tin which I like to keep as it looks nice in my bedroom! It would also be goo to keep makeup brushes or eyeliners inside once the perfume is empty! It then comes in a glass bottle with a pink liquid insides with a red lid. It looks so nice! 

Now I wouldn't know where to begin when describing the scent so I'm just going to take a quote from Boots:

'Top note: Peach, blackcurrent apricot, freesia

Heart: Violet, rose, lily of the valley

Base: sandalwood, vanilla, musk'

It literally smells divine. Perfect mix of florals and sweets. Buy here!

This is my second bottle of Red Jeans and it's officially my signature scent of summer. Brings back such lovely memories of my first summer holiday!

If you get a chance definitely smell this perfume as it's gorgeous and doesn't break the bank at under £15!

Thanks for reading!

Hannah x