back to the 90's with impulse

Recently I was set the challenge by Impulse to create a 90's inspired look to coincide with the the revamped version of the 90's Vanilla Kisses fragrance. Never one to turn down an opportunity to have some fun, and being a 90's baby myself, I created what always comes to my mind when I think of 90's make up which is a brownish red lip along with ash toned brows and a lot of orangey bronzer. Of course I just had to use a velvet scrunchie and a plastic tattoo choker too, I even went as far as using a pearlescent nail polish shade which is about as 90's as it gets. I had so much fun putting this post together, it definitely made me wish that I could go back in time to before smartphones and when beanie babies were all the rage.

I'd definitely recommend checking out the Vanilla Kisses fragrance, as a girl who isn't a fan of overly sweet scents I love how this is a musky yet sweet vanilla rather than being sickly and unwearable. Selected Impulse fragrances are currently half price at Superdrug, although this one won't be around for long as it's limited edition to celebrate Superdrug's 50th anniversary. 

impulse vanilla kisses - 98p |

tweezerman gear men's essential grooming kit

As we all know, there are trillions of beauty products for the girls, but male grooming products are still few and far between. Tweezerman have set out to give male grooming tools the shake up that they so desperately needed and have newly launched their Gear range aimed at the modern man. I'm a big fan of the products and the fuss free simplistic designs of the products, they have a complete masculine feel meaning that no man should ever have an excuse for stray brow hairs or bitten down nails again. There's also no room for excuses of losing any parts of the kit either as it comes with a handy pouch to keep everything inside of. Push the man in your life in the right direction of becoming perfectly groomed by giving him the gift of this kit and treat him to a nail filing and eyebrow plucking session. The set includes; pointed tweezers for ingrown hair or splinter removal, facial hair scissors, fingernail clippers and nail file tool with a cuticle pusher edge. 

tweezerman gear mens essential grooming kit - £32 |

lush sweetie pie shower jelly

Every once in a while I come across a product that I think to myself everyone needs to try and find out how wonderful it is, this shower jelly by lush being one of them. I've tried near enough every type of Lush product yet only got round to trying the shower jelly out when it came in a big box of goodies that I got as a birthday present recently. I tend to splurge more on bath bombs and bubble bars as I definitely prefer a long soak to a quick shower, that being said this little pot of jelly has made shower time ten times more enjoyable. You simply drop the jelly into your hand and lather it all over your body, it's pretty much a wibbly wobbly solid version of shower gel. I like to turn the shower away from myself so that it doesn't disintegrate in all of the pouring water meaning it will last much longer. It has the scent of juicy cherries which I'm completely addicted to, it tricks the mind into thinking you're washing with an actual slice of tasty jelly since it smells so god damn good. Once you're done you just pop it back into the tub ready for next time, the packaging states that you can even put it in the fridge or freezer before your shower if you're after a cooling sensation. It's a tad pricey but I reckon mine will last me for a fair few weeks of showers or longer if I decide to save it to use only ever now and then. Try it, I promise you'll love it.

lush sweetie pie shower jelly - £6.75 |

crest teeth whitening strips | the good and the bad

I've used Crest teeth whitening strips a fair few times over the past few years, anyone who lives within the UK will know just how hard it is to whiten your teeth on a budget and these are the only product I've found to actually work without breaking the bank. That being said, there are a couple of downsides which I'm now going to talk you through. Most of you will probably know that Crest whitening strips aren't available to buy in the UK, thus meaning you need to find an online seller that has imported them from the US. I did a little research and found out that the reason for this is that they are banned for sale by the British Dental Association as teeth whitening products containing over 0.1% hydrogen peroxide (bleach) are not allowed for sale, Crest whitening strips contain between 6-14%. The issue here is that bleach can break down the enamel on the teeth which causes sensitivity and if used irresponsible can result in irreversible damage. In essence this means if you were to use the whitening strips daily or go through a course more than a few times a year then you'd be causing your teeth more harm than good. 

In my experience I've found that around the halfway point of a 14 day course that I can sometimes get a sharp shooting pain in the nerves of my teeth that lasts only just a few seconds but can still sometimes be a cause for concern. I always find the results of how whitened my teeth become outweigh the slight risk factor and as I would only ever use the 14 day course twice a year at most I don't see any real harm ever being done. The point I'm trying to make here is that regardless of if they have good reason to be banned or not in the UK, it's worth knowing the reason as to why and then you can make an informed decision about putting concentrated levels of bleach onto your teeth. If you decide to go ahead and buy a set of whitestrips, the main issue is finding a seller that sells the real deal and not just some fake knock offs. I'd also say don't bother with the cheaper and less effective strips that claim to be more gentle, they really do end up just doing next to nothing. 

My preferred version are the 3D Professional Effects Advanced Seal Whitestrips, these mould around teeth perfectly and stay put for the hour or so that they need to be left on for. A big tip of mine is to try and get your teeth as dry as possible before applying them as this way they won't slip and slide around. I go for the 14 day course as I find that it leaves my teeth looking as white as I'd want them without damaging them in any way, but if you're teeth are needing a complete overhaul then look at going for the full 20 day treatment. I'd highly recommend using Crest Whitestrips, I'm always so impressed by the results and think they are worth every penny to completely whiten my teeth twice a year. 

Crest 3D Professional Effects Advanced Seal Whitestrips - £29.89

giveaway | ray-ban sunglasses

I've recently fallen head over heels for this pair of tortoise shell erika ray-ban sunglasses, and here I am to offer you all the chance of winning your very own pair too. To sweeten the deal even more so, the winner can choose any colour of the ray-ban erika model, I myself was absolutely torn between the black and tortoise shell versions. This type of post would normally be over on my lifestyle blog but I thought I'd include it on this one instead as a way of directing all of those who don't know about it over there. Good luck to you all and a big thank you to sunglassesshop.com for letting me treat one of my readers to a beautiful pair of designer sunglasses. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

benefit they're real push-up liner

Now that Benefit are out of my bad books I've been eager to try out their latest launch; they're real push-up liner. I've already read quite a few mixed reviews on it, one thing you probably all know about me by now is I just love to give my opinion on something. I love the packaging, it's super cool looking and I find the handle really easy to get a good grip of which makes application much easier. The tip applicator is silicone plastic meaning it's ever so slightly flexible, just enough so that it can follow the shape of the eye. Twisting the end of the pen pushes the product through a hole at the very top of the nib so that you can then start to draw on your liner. 

Upon using it for the first time I was surprised to find the product is really quite dense, I'd describe it as more of a cream liner than gel for that reason. Starting off at the inner corner of the eye I struggled to get a thin, precise line and had to go over a few times which then caused the product to crumble as it was drying. I do have fairly dry skin on my eyelids which might have contributed to the liner not applying well but if you take a look at the photo above it's really not a result you'd expect from a liner with a high price point, I've been doing flicked liner for years and years so I can assure you the dodgy line was not down to my application skills. In contrast to this I found the flick at the outer corner of my eye incredibly easy to create, it must be due to the shape of the nib but it took me far less time than usual, and I didn't have to correct it as I usually do either. The product is jet black which I give it a lot of credit for, but all said and done my impressions are that the product inside the tube is just too thick to be used for a push-up pen liner. I also noticed that each time I went to use the liner that some product had pushed through the top of the nib which ends up being wasted, there was a tiny plastic stopper that was inserted into it at first but I lose those kind of things in an instant. 

The liner needs improving in two ways if it's to be worth it's price point; the product needs to be thinner so that it doesn't cake up easily and there should be a stopper built within the lid, the applicator nib is genius although I can't help but feel it's wasted by the gel liner being incompatible with it. If you can create a precise line and flick within seconds then it will work just fine for you, but if like me you like to go over the line a few times then my advice is to stick to a liquid liner. I've been using my regular liquid liner for everyday use and have been using the Benefit version for when my make up calls for a more dramatic evening look but overall I'd say invest in a Mac 266 brush (which will last years) and the Maybelline studio gel liner which works just as well as any high end version.

benefit they're real liner - £18.50 |

aesop hydrating cream and deodorant

Aesop have become the skincare brand that I've been most excited about lately, I've finally got to that age where simplistic packaging and natural ingredients within products pleases me. For the last few weeks I've been trying out the Safe & Zinc Facial Hydrating Cream which I've subsequently become a huge fan of, it instantly perks up my skin and sorts out any dry areas without feeling at all heavy on the skin. It sinks in straight away also making the perfect base for foundation, plus it has built in SPF15. The packaging is great too, with it being a small sized metal tube it doesn't take up much space in my make up bag and is kept hygienic, it also ensures that you get to use up every drop of product.

If you're wise to product ingredients then you will know about the controversy surrounding aluminium in deodorants, if not then feel free to give it a quick google search. Personally I don't tend to worry about that kind of stuff too much but for those of you who do it's worth checking out this natural alternative. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it worked much better than I ever thought it would, I found it controlled perspiration and kept me smelling fresh, you only need one or two sprays under each arm so I'd imagine the bottle would last a few months. The scent is ever so subtly masculine which I love. It also leaves zero sticky residue and sinks instantly into the skin and for that reason feels much nicer than applying a cream or aerosol deodorant and feels as though the skin is still left to breathe. I've also noticed that the skin under my arms feels much softer than usual which must be down to not using harsh chemicals which dry out my skin. That being said I still wouldn't ever spend anywhere over £10 on a deodorant, even if it was all natural and had no nasties in the ingredients. If you have the funds though I would recommend giving it a go, it's been a big surprise to me that a natural deodorant actually works.

lush sweetie pie gift box

A lot of the time gift boxes can be hit and miss in the way that they include a few products that you will love along with some that aren't so much of interest, luckily this one from Lush includes a bunch of sweet smelling bath treats that are all equally as wonderful. If you've already tried out one or two of the products in this set then I guarantee you will like the rest, they are all very similar and have a candy floss type scent. Apparently this gift box has just been discontinued (boo!) but if you are in the mood to try out some new Lush products then I'd mostly recommend the creamy candy bubble bar and sweetie pie shower jelly out of the box. 

sweetie pie shower jelly - £6.75 |

creamy candy bubble bar - £2.60 |

think pink bath ballistic - £2.50 |

rock star soap - £3.40 |

space girl bath bomb - £2.35 |