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September 26, 2013

eos lip balm review + giveaway


I've heard lots of great things about these lip balms for a long time now and was so pleased when the lovely people at biggreeensmile.com sent over a bunch of different flavours. I decided to keep one to review and give the other two away to a couple of you, I'm sure most of you will be in need of a great lip balm now Winter is on it's way. I have both the Lemon Drop and Blueberry Acai versions up for grabs and will be choosing a winner for each so there are more chances of winning.

EOS HONEYSUCKLE LIP BALM - £4.99: The packaging of the lip balms is absolutely genius, they kind of remind me of a mini plastic egg with a lip balm centre. Not only do they look great on the outside but with the lip balm being formed in a sphere shape it makes application so quick and easy as it glides on to the shape of your lips. The balm itself feels luxurious and works really well at softening the lips, it also lasts a while once it's on too. The flavour is sweet yet subtle and the best part is the balms are made from 100% natural ingredients.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

September 24, 2013

the chop


At some point last week I decided that I'd had enough of my unmanageable long hair and went for the chop and had around 3-4 inches cut off. It feels a million times healthier as the ends of my hair were starting to get really damaged, I did feel a bit precious about my long hair but I'm not too sad to have waved it goodbye. I really like how it now looks like a messy grown out bob and is so easy to style in a morning compared to having to use all sorts of oils and masques to make it look less damaged, let me know what you all think of the new hairdo!

September 22, 2013

pastel nails for autumn

MODELS OWN CONCRETE MIXER | APPLE PIE |  UTOPIA | PEACH SHERBERT | BETH'S BLUE

This nail look is perfect for the transition between Summer and Autumn, I decided to add a greige colour to the mix to tone down the colourful shades and to give an unusual edge. Had it been Spring I would have used a pale yellow shade instead of the grey but I think this look works much better with Autumnal shades of clothing.

September 21, 2013

pampering skincare products for an overnight stay

One of my favourite things about staying over at a lovely hotel is having a pamper session in the evening as I'm getting ready for the evening. A couple of days ago I stayed at the beautiful Kesgrave Hall for a night and took along my favourite skincare products to give my skin a treat, and then I jumped into the best bubble bath I've ever been in. I've included links below to the full reviews of everything I've already featured and will be reviewing the other products in full shortly!




What are your favourite pampering skincare products to take on an overnight stay?

September 20, 2013

daniel wellington watch giveaway

Just a quick post for those of you who didn't already know that I'm giving away a Daniel Wellington watch (worth £149!) on my lifestyle blog at the moment. Click here to head over to the giveaway page, but before you go have a quick look at my Twitter giveaway to win a Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm too.

September 19, 2013

le soft perfume in lucky bay


Although I'm a self confessed perfume addict I've only ever tried spray on versions and have just recently discovered solid perfume. I've been trying out this perfume stick by Le Soft Perfume in the scent 'Lucky Bay', it's a beautifully fresh and uplifting fragrance and lasts much longer on the skin than I ever expected. It has all the power of a normal atomiser perfume, if not more, and the sleek compact packaging means that you can reapply throughout the day without carrying around a clunky bottle. The price may seem a little steep at first but bear in mind that it will last a very long time due to the fact the perfume is in such a concentrated form, I'm definitely going to be checking out more versions of these.

"With a nourishing Monoi Butter base, Le Soft Perfume in ‘Lucky Bay’ will enfold you in the fresh, uplifting aroma of a glorious summer’s day at the seaside. Citrusy top notes of Tangerine and Lemon give way to a warm, floral heart that conjures the scent of warm skin, sunscreen and a clean sea breeze. Perfect for taking on your travels, the solid formula can be stowed in hand luggage and applied mid-flight to soothe stresses, or whenever you need a little burst of heavenly-scented holiday happiness. "

September 18, 2013

glitter dipped nails

I've been favouring a natural looking nail with a glitter dipped effect on the tips lately, I love how simple yet eye catching it looks and that it means I don't keep having to switch my nail colour to match outfits on a daily basis. It lasts much longer than a normal manicure too as when it chips you can just pop a little more glitter on, to create the look just use a nude base shade then messily paint on the glitter over the tip. I've been wearing my nails like this for weeks now and have been playing around with it by alternating the shade of glitter that I use, but you all simply must purchase this Bourjois glitter as it looks better than any other I have tried and looks truly magical in person.


BASE SHADE: BARRY M NUDE | GLITTER: BOURJOIS 33 ENCHANTING POTION

September 16, 2013

new launch: ren cleansing gel and emollient rescue cream


Ren are currently one of my favourite skincare brands, they have a no-nonsense feel and have no nasty ingredients too which is great. They've very recently launched two new ranges of cleansing products and hydrating products, I've been sent a product from each range to try out; the Cleansing Gel and Emollient Rescue Cream. 

ROSA CENTIFOLIA CLEANSING GEL - £17: This is a really gentle cleansing face wash that has a faint rose scent and feels like it's giving the skin a truly good wash. It's really nice to use after a cleansing oil at night to give the skin a thorough deep clean and also feels wonderfully calming due to the relaxing scent. 

VITA MINERAL EMOLLIENT RESCUE CREAM - £19: This is my favourite product of the two and one which I'd look into repurchasing again, it's a very thick cream which acts as instant hydration for dry skin. More often than not my skin is looking dull and dry if I don't look after it properly which is where this product comes in a dream, I warm a small amount between my fingers and then apply to any dry areas and leave to sink in overnight. I can sense this being an amazing product for winter time when my skin needs extra nourishing, it would also be great for those of you who travel a lot and need an emergency fix for dry looking skin.

Marks and Spencer are currently offering a free travel kit with the purchase of any two Ren products and also currently have 20% off all beauty products for today only!

September 14, 2013

lush popcorn lip scrub


This is officially my new favourite product. As much as I love the idea of the Bubblegum lip scrub that launched a couple of years ago I always found the taste far too sweet for my liking which is why I had been eager to try out this new version ever since it came out. I get terribly dry lips in the cold weather if I don't look after them properly which often results in them getting chapped which is why a lip scrub is absolutely perfect to buff away any flakiness. I also find that when I use this is makes a perfect clean base to apply lipstick on top of, which is very handy considering the amount of bright lipsticks I wear. The flavour is nothing short of amazing, if you are a fan of sweet and salty popcorn you will love this, the great part is you can lick it off your lips too. Even though it's a little pot it lasts a lot longer than you'd expect making it good value for money.


September 12, 2013

nuxe travel kit


Whilst in Paris last July I picked up many skincare treats, but my favourite brand discovery whilst I was out there was without a doubt Nuxe. I picked up three of these travel kit sets as they were so cheap (I think around £6) as I knew they would make great gifts, they are also a great way for me to try out the products and of course are perfect to use whilst on-the-go. It just so happens that I have become a big fan of all of the products included in the set to the point I'm hoping to buy a full size of each at some point, so all in all I'd highly recommend checking out the set, especially as it's at such a  great price online over here too.

Products included:  
NUXE Eau Démaquillante Micellaire Micellar Cleansing Water 35ml
NUXE Nuxellence Jeunesse 15ml
NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil 10ml
NUXE Reve de Miel Creme Mains et Ongles Hand and Nail Cream 15ml
NUXE BODY Gel Douche Fondant Fondant Shower Gel 30ml

NUXE TRAVEL KIT - £9.90

September 11, 2013

the au naturel make up look


Despite being a complete beauty addict I rarely ever wear full make up and always find myself opting for a cheated natural look, I say cheated because I do spend a fair amount of time on my make up in a morning but with the intention of making it look as effortless as possible. I've been wearing less and less base make up in the summer months too, I rely on my Chanel Vita Lumiere foundation along with a good under eye concealer and that's about it. 

CHANEL VITALUMIERE AQUA FOUNDATION - £31: This has been my staple foundation for many months now, it gives my skin just enough coverage and a radiant glow to match. I haven't used a full coverage foundation in what seems like forever, all thanks to this gem.

PIXI WAKEUP CONCEALER - £7.80: My under eye circles are a nightmare to cover up yet this concealer brightens my whole eye area up really well without drying my skin out or creasing into fine lines. I will write a more in-depth review soon as I absolutely love it.

BENEFIT HOOLA BRONZER - £23.50: I've been using this bronzer for what seems like forever (as you can tell from the packaging), it's matte so is perfect for contouring and is the perfect ash brown shade, not a hint of orange in sight.

MAC SO SWEET SO EASY CREMEBLEND BLUSH - £18: Ever since I first bought this a few months ago I've been favouring it over any other blush, it's such a strong colour that you only need to apply a small amount and it instantly freshens up your complexion. If you like a bright, dewy looking blush then check this out.

HD BROWS PALETTE - £20: I must have mentioned this a million times but it's still my favourite brow palette as ever, I always find other products too warm toned whereas I much prefer the ash shades in this.

GUERLAIN MAXI LASH MASCARA - £22: This creates such natural and wispy looking lashes without any clumping, so it's perfect for a daytime look. It's also very buildable and feels light on the lashes without weighing them down, I will review this in full soon too.

COLLECTION FAST STROKE EYELINER - £2.50: I paint on a flicked liner look every day and I'm still loving using this, though I'm starting to find it a tad drying so may switch to a gel liner.

YVES SAINT LAURENT ROUGE VOLUPTE LIPSTICK IN 7 LINGERIE PINK - £23.50: My ultimate favourite lipstick for a natural day look, it's a beautiful soft pink shade which moisturises the lips too.

September 08, 2013

impulse and models own sets

I confess that I haven't looked twice at body sprays since my early teens, I moved on to perfume pretty sharpish and have never really looked back. That was until I developed a liking for these fresh and flirty scents from Impulse and realised that not every day has to be a perfume day, who'd have thought I'd be swapping a mist of Chanel for a fragrance sprayed out of a can. I recently received the new sets that Impluse have launched in collaboration with Models Own, they come with a mini nail polish (10ml), a nail buffer and the body fragrance, for a total of a mere £4. Whilst these sets are the perfect option for young teens, I enjoy the scents and am a fan of the nail polish shades enough to recommend them to all beauty lovers. I already have all of the nail polish shades in my collection but I figured these mini bottles are perfect to have on the go for touching up. 


I was also set the challenge of designing my own can of Impulse body fragrance and nail art to match, I'm now starting to wish that all the cans came with diamante encrusted lids!


For the nail art I went for a holographic glitter shade on my thumb nail followed by a black half moon and dots of glitter on the next nail, onto a diagonal black dotted design, then I used holographic silver striping tape and finished with the black shade with a topcoat of glitter. I used both Utopia and Gun Grey which both come in the sets and are great colours.


IMPULSE AND MODELS OWN SETS - £4 - AVAILABLE FROM ASDA AND SUPERDRUG

September 06, 2013

eve lom eye lift and intense firming serum


EVE LOM EYE LIFT - £48: This is the first eye cream that I've ever tried that actually delivers on results. I usually have the worst dark under eye circles imaginable but when I apply this before bed I wake up with much more radiant skin under my eye area, I'm so pleased to have finally found a product that works on them. The cream is more of a light lotion which feels delicate yet nourishing on the skin and feels like such a treat, it also sinks in with ease unlike a thicker cream. Although I like the sleek packaging I do find it to be excessively large for an eye cream and would prefer something smaller to pop in my make up bag, but aside from that I can safely say I will invest in this once mine runs out.

EVE LOM INTENSE FIRMING SERUM - £75: I'm always in need of a product that claims to be firming and tightening in the hope of giving my face more definition. This serum is probably more meant for people of that certain age range where their skin is loosing elasticity, but I always find it reduces any puffiness around my cheeks and jaw line. It's a thick gel-like serum which sinks straight into the skin and you can instantly feel a tightening effect, I leave it on for around 20 minutes before then applying my night cream. Although I have found it has given my face a little more definition I wouldn't repurchase it until many years down the line when I start to look at anti-ageing skincare products.