The Minimum Wage Dress

SheLikes.com offer clothing at cheap prices and aim particularly at younger women and teens who want to look stylish but don't have the funds. The Nathalia dress pictured above costs a mere £3.68 and has been nicknamed the Minimum Wage Dress - £3.68 reflects the minimum wage of under 18s in the UK. Delivery is cheap also at just £2.95 for standard delivery and free delivery on orders over £40.

Where do you shop for cheap clothing?

How To Save Money On High End Makeup

In this video Wayne Goss lists 5 ways to help save money on high end brands

And here are a few more ways to save money on high end cosmetics:

• Look for reviews - there is no point buying something if it is not suited to you. A quick google may be all it takes to save £30
• Smaller sizes - again, if you aren't sure a product is going to suit you get a smaller size. Many brands have 'try-me-kits' like Benefit, Liz Earle and Clinique which generally cost under £20
• Try dupes - sometimes there are perfectly good products from cheaper brands at a much lower price
• Work benefits - although this will be very specific it can be quite useful. There is money to be saved with things like the Health Services Discount, the Forces Discount or even union discounts from NUS and NUS Extra
• Gifts - ask for products as gifts 

What are your tips to save money on high end cosmetics?

Urban Outfitters Sunglasses Rip Off

Can you tell the difference between these sunglasses? 

The pair on the left are from eBay and come to a total of £5.98 while the pair on the right will cost you £13.99 from Urban Outfitters online.

They are essentially the same, same colour and shaped flowers in exactly the same position on the frame. The worst thing is that the Urban Outfitters glasses were originally £18, and because they are an online exclusive you have to pay the £3.99 postage - and I'm sure some people will have bought them.

Personally I prefer the eBay ones because there are a few frame shades to choose from, my personal favourite are the tortoise shell frames.

The moral of the story is to shop around before you buy!

LP Skin Therapy Samples

Linda Popadopoulos is an idol of mine, she is a famous psychologist who has appeared on many TV shows talking about mental illness and has even completed reports for the government regarding the psychological effects of media on children. For years the link between emotions and skin conditions has been widely documented. She has now launched her own skin care range to combat stress related skin conditions - click on the picture above to receive three free samples.

 I've chosen the day cream and the eye products, what have you chosen?

Cheap Hair Dye Trick

Colouring hair at home is much cheaper than going to a salon but with home hair dye kits ranging from £4 to £11 it can still be an expensive business.

My natural hair colour is bright blonde so I have to re-dye my roots frequently so I don't look like I'm going bald or greying.  For the past few years I've been spending around £6 a month to keep on top of my hair colour. This might seem small but the accumulation over 3 years is over £200 - to me this seems ridiculous when I know this is purely cosmetic and there are better places my money could be spent.

The other thing that wound me up was the amount of waste I'd have left after touching up my roots. Although   there are root touch up kits available which contain less product for less money, they often don't come in the exact shade I need so I'd still end up with odd looking roots. I'd always feel inclined to use up as much of the dye as I could but I later found out from my hair dresser that this was in fact damaging to my hair and causing split ends. After some thought, some googling and a little experiment I came up with an idea for re-using hair dye which has halved my hair dye consumption and ultimately will save me money.

To complete this method the only thing you will need in addition to your box dye is a seal-able plastic container like the kind you would get from a take-away. To make life a little easier you could use a paint brush but this is optional.

When you normally dye your hair you combine two liquids, mix them together and then apply to the hair. The only different thing I do is combine the two liquids in a separate container but only use half of what is supplied. So I'm only using half the amount of product and keeping what I haven't used by securely sealing them ready for another use. Once my smaller amount of product is in the container I tightly seal the lid and give it a good shake. I then apply the mixture to my roots either using my fingertips or a paint brush. 

Step by step instructions

1. Open developer
2. Pour half of developer into the take-away container
3. Tightly close lid on developer bottle
4. Open dye
5. Pour half of the dye into the take-away container
6. Tightly close lid on dye bottle
7. Close the take-away container lid tightly
8. Shake it like a polaroid picture 
9. Take lid off
10. Use as soon as possible
11. Clean gloves and take-away container once finished ready for another use

This method is so simple and companies are cottoning on. L'Oreal recently released Mousse Absolue which applies this principle but in a more convenient container. Although it is slightly more convenient I don't think it warrants the £10.99 price tag when you could do exactly the same thing at home, using your usual hair dye, with something that most people would throw away. As long as you ensure the bottles are tightly sealed the products inside will remain stable, when I reopened mine after 6 weeks storage they were absolutely fine and worked perfectly on my hair.

I hope this has helped. Let me know if you use this method in the comments :)

Disclaimer: Please for the love of God, DON'T STORE MIXED HAIR DYE - it will react and explode. This is why home dyes come with separate bottles for the dye and the developer. 

Cut Out and Keep: Scrabble Coasters

An excellent project I found on Cut Out and Keep that only needs scrabble pieces and glue. This would make a great house warming gift. Could give these along with these lovely glasses!

Review: Higher or Lower? Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish or Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser?

Today I will be comparing the cult Liz Earle cleanser to a similar but much cheaper product from Superdrug. Both are creamy cleansers which are supposed to be used in conjunction with a warm muslin cloth, although similar in that respect they both come from different price points. Which will win, will it be the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish or Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser?

The Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser starter kit retails at £14.75, it includes two muslin cloths and 100ml of product in a pump bottle. The Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser retails at £5.99 for 150mls and a muslin cloth. You get a lot more product for your money with the Superdrug cleanser in comparison to the Liz Earle but the Superdrug cleanser is on offer regularly. I've only ever purchased this product while it has been on offer, so in terms of price the Superdrug cleanser is the best value for volume of product.

The Liz Earle starter kit comes with a small waterproof bag so you can store your wet muslin cloth inside it while travelling. I always had to take a nappy bag to carry my wet Superdrug cloth if I was travelling otherwise everything would get soaked and the cloth would get grubby. I like that the starter kit comes with two good quality cloths because they do need washing regularly, Liz Earle advises to wash them every three uses. After about two weeks use and several times through the washing machine the Superdrug cloth starts to look a little worse for wear. I've been using my Superdrug cloth for nearly 3 months now and it is looking very dog eared as you can see from the picture above. Both cloths are quite soft but effective but I do prefer the Liz Earle cloths because they are of a higher quality and look less shabby after multiple uses.

I think the pump bottle makes the Liz Earle product better to travel with but also much easier to use because you can control the amount you use. When the Superdrug cleanser is nearing it's end it is difficult to squeeze the right amount out. I use just less than a pump of Liz Earle and about the same amount of product of the Superdrug one. Generally the Superdrug cleanser lasts me just under 4 months if using both morning and night. I imagine the Liz Earle will last me a little less because there is 50ml less product.

In terms of texture the Liz Earle is much more oilier in comparison to the Superdrug product which is creamy. The Liz Earle is also thicker and more dense than the Superdrug cleanser but I do find the Liz Earle  easier to rub into my skin. On the picture above you can see a little bit more shine from the the Liz Earle where it has been rubbed in. This is down to the high amount of essential oils in the product. Liz Earle contains rosemary and eucalyptus oils which combine to have a quite pungent smell that I personally like. The Superdrug cleanser just smells like a general chemical cream smell, it isn't a bad smell by any means but it doesn't smell as nice as the Liz Earle.

When I'm using both products I like to take my eye make up off first using a separate cleanser (there will be a review coming up) just so I don't make my cloths too dirty. Although you can use both cleansers as eye make up removers I find that the Superdrug cleanser is much better at this, the Liz Earle product left me with some mascara residue. Both are effective at removing foundation and general grime without making the skin feel tight which is excellent for people with dry skin. Neither product has broken me out and they seem to have the same effect on my skin.

It is really difficult to decide which product I like more because they both have their bonuses. If the Superdrug cleanser smelled better, came in a pump bottle with high quality cleaning cloths and a waterproof bag for £5.99 then it'd be a clear winner, but sadly it doesn't. I think it is worth paying the extra money to get all of these things from Liz Earle if you can afford it, but if you can't then I think the Superdrug cleanser would be a suitable substitute especially because it doesn't do anything different to my skin. If the Liz Earle cleanser was more expensive then I don't think it would be worth the money even with all the extras. The Liz Earle will remain as my travel cleanser as it is more transportable than the Superdrug product and I will use the Liz Earle cloths with the Superdrug cleanser.

The Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser is available in store and on Superdrug.com
The Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is available in department stores and on LizEarle.com

If you are on a tight budget go for Superdrug but if you want the little extras that come with Liz Earle then it is worth spending the money.

Clothes Haul

I thought I'd post about my recent clothing purchases, it's all come from various places so I'll explain as I go along.

Red skater skirt, burnt orange top, navy cardigan, black bandeau, grey jumper, floral dress, black skater skirt, navy peter pan collar top and a black pussy bow blouse. 

This dress I picked up from Tkmaxx. It was £13.50 reduced from £20, so a nice little saving there. I'd seen a few dresses of this style on Instagram (my username is Hazulmae) and I really wanted to get one. When I saw it I prayed that I'd be able to fit into it because it was the last one and luckily it did. I bought the bandeau to wear underneath.

Both these skirts were purchased from eBay and were around £5 each including postage and packaging. I'd been looking for some skater skirts on the high street but was disappointed by what I'd found. Primark did some but the material was thin and didn't hang well when worn but these are perfect. 

 The navy peter pan collar top was originally from Primark but I bought it on eBay for £4. I've worn it with the red skater skirt and it looks very cutesy. The sheer black pussy bow top was also from Primark and it was only £6. I've worn this with the black skater skirt for a feminine look but I think it looks great with grey skinny jeans and studded sandals for relaxed glamour.

This sheer top was originally from Select but I got it from eBay for an absolute steal at £3.50! I've paired this with the black skater skirt and put a black top underneath it.

I bought this navy cardigan from a charity shop for £3.50 but was originally from Marks and Spencers. Because of the round neckline it could be used for a 1950s inspired look if teamed with the right items. To style this I might wear a striped top underneath and a the red skater skirt. 

This Illustrated People jumper which originally came from Topshop was worth £45 but I got it from eBay for £5.20. I love rockabilly and tattoo designs so the anchor motif on this is right up my street. Although the material is quite thin, it is good for layering and has a very relaxed but flattering shape.

What have you guys been buying recently? Let me know in the comments.

I am a Weapon of Massive Consumption: Pimp Your Glasswear

A fantastic DIY idea from Ale which uses things that you have in your home. I've seen this done with glass paints before but I think using nail polish is a much easier and cheaper way to do this, plus you can use polishes with different effects to change the look (glitter is always a winner).

These would make a great gift especially as a house warming present or for someone who particularly likes home wears. You could do a jug as well to match the set. I estimate that this would cost under £5 if you bought everything from scratch.

Have you tried this craft? You can instagram me your photos at Hazulmae or tweet them at @hazey_mae and let Ale know on Facebook