I really love colours like this that can look so different in different lights - any questions please ask x
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Nails Of The Day - Illamasqua Bacterium (Pic Heavy)
If you remember I bought this in my recent ASOS haul - It was one of my must haves from the new Illamasqua Toxic Nature collection. Described by Illamasqua as a pearlescent ash ochre, Bacterium is a funny colour to describe, in some lights it appears to be beige, in some opalescent gold, and in some a pewter grey. I've taken two lots of photos here so you can see how different it can look in different lights - first two coats with the flash
as you can see it's pretty gold toned but without the flash - it's much more beige / greige even with a splash of silver in tone
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Project 10 Pan - 6 and 7 Down :)
Well it's official I really am on the final few legs of Project 10 Pan over the last couple of days I have finished not one but two make up items :)
First up one that has been there or there abouts for a little while now a little 28g jar of Laura Geller Spackle Under Make Up Primer
I have to say I have loved this primer - it's not greasy or siliconey and has a lovely cool gel/cream texture - My skin really liked this primer, it made my foundation last, without feeling greasy, or heavy and it didn't any breakouts
The tub I've finished here came in a QVC TSV it normally comes in a pump action dispenser. I think this is something I will definitely repurchase when I have used up my pile of primers :)
Next up item number 7, and surprisingly enough another Laura Geller product, my third of P10P so far. A 10.50g compact of Laura Geller Invisible Oil Blotting Powder
This was a product that I had always wanted to try but I never got round to it, that was until I chanced upon one of Cosmetic Candy's spectacular blog sales. I saw and as well as several other things I snapped it up. I have to say I love it it's really is invisible it actually looks white in the compact but once you've put it on your skin you really can't see it and it totally takes the shine away. I didn't expect to finish this as quickly as what I did but I've used it pretty much every day, on its own and over make especially on my t-zone. It's another definite repurchase from the Laura Geller brand that is exclusive to QVC in the UK, that when I have used up the rest of my face powders lol
So I only have 3 items left to finish and I am feeling super confident that I am going to do it :) Next up maybe a foundation or a lip product, and I have a mascara that's on its way out so who knows. Thanks again for all your support and I'll keep you posted x
First up one that has been there or there abouts for a little while now a little 28g jar of Laura Geller Spackle Under Make Up Primer
The tub I've finished here came in a QVC TSV it normally comes in a pump action dispenser. I think this is something I will definitely repurchase when I have used up my pile of primers :)
Next up item number 7, and surprisingly enough another Laura Geller product, my third of P10P so far. A 10.50g compact of Laura Geller Invisible Oil Blotting Powder
This was a product that I had always wanted to try but I never got round to it, that was until I chanced upon one of Cosmetic Candy's spectacular blog sales. I saw and as well as several other things I snapped it up. I have to say I love it it's really is invisible it actually looks white in the compact but once you've put it on your skin you really can't see it and it totally takes the shine away. I didn't expect to finish this as quickly as what I did but I've used it pretty much every day, on its own and over make especially on my t-zone. It's another definite repurchase from the Laura Geller brand that is exclusive to QVC in the UK, that when I have used up the rest of my face powders lol
So I only have 3 items left to finish and I am feeling super confident that I am going to do it :) Next up maybe a foundation or a lip product, and I have a mascara that's on its way out so who knows. Thanks again for all your support and I'll keep you posted x
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Acorelle Epilation Oriental Wax Ylang Flower and Cane Sugar - A Review For My Pure*
Ever since I was 17 I have had my legs waxed or more often than not I've waxed them myself. I have to say I've tried most of the waxing products available on the high street, I used hot wax, hot sugaring, cold sugaring, and my current favourite cold strip wax. I have to say I love waxing and would never go back to the razor blade, yes you have to leave it till your hair grows a little bit, and it might be painful and a bit messy, but the results speak for themselves about a month of being hair free, and I have to say after 15 years of waxing I have bald patches and my hair is much softer and finer.
That's why I jumped at the chance of trying something from the Acorelle Epilation range for this months My Pure review. Acorelle is a French based company thats main speciality is hair removal and post hair removal skin care. Developed especially for sensitive skins, and for those with thicker, darker hair and problems with ingrown hair, the Acorelle range is based on natural ingredients such as sugar and black truffle.
The product I chose was the Acorelle Epilation Oriental Wax With Ylang Flower and Cane Sugar. This is a sugar based wax product which is 100% natural and contains pure organic cane sugar and ylang ylang. It also contains no colourings, chemical preservatives, or synthetic fragrances.
It comes in a box which to be honest doesn't really have very much English on it but don't worry full instructions are provided inside, and the box illustration give you an idea of what the product contains
As well as the instructions the box also contains 12 reusable paper/fabric strips, a wooden spatula, and a 300g pot of sugar wax
The wax is pretty solid at room temperature so it needs to be heated before you can use it.
Following the in pack instructions first of all I made sure everything was set up (a towel covering the bed to prevent mess) and that my legs were clean and dry. Then I took the lid off the wax and put it in the microwave for a 10 seconds at a time for about 30 seconds until it was like runny honey in texture (you can also use a bain maire to heat it )
I then left the wax for about a minute before testing the temperature on the inside of my wrist to make sure it wasn't too hot, it has to be warm but not so hot as you burn your skin. At this point I enlisted the help of MummyLouLou who is very good at waxing to give me a hand - you can do this yourself I did my right leg on my own but it made it easier for photographs and it guarantees the backs of your legs get done properly! All you do is use the spatula to spread a thin layer of the warm wax to your leg in the direction of the hair growth
Then you apply one of the paper strips and smooth it down in again in the direction of the hair growth, then you rip it off :) and press the strip down and rip till the tackiness goes then you apply more wax and get a new strip, etc.etc.
The best way to show how effective this product was is to show some befores and afters -
Before
My legs hadn't been waxed since just before Christmas eeek so they were ready to be defuzzed - still notice though that my hair isn't overly dark or thick because I've waxed for so long
After
You can see a tiny few red spots here but nothing more just relatively smooth legs :)
I have to say though the real proof of the effectiveness of this wax is when you look at a used strip - sorry this pic is a bit gross but look not only at the hairs but also if you look really carefully you can see the little black roots/bulbs on the ends. Unlike shaving the whole hair is being removed which leads to a slower and finer regrowth :)
I have to say I loved this wax - the Ylang Ylang fragrance was beautiful and reminded me a lot of some of the Lovea products I've tried recently a really nice tropical floral fragrance. I have to say because it's a warm wax/sugar it also seems to be less painful, the warmth actually helps the hair follicle to open a little and makes it easier to extract the hair. You also need to use such a small amount that the pot should last for ages. Warm wax or sugar isn't probably the easiest thing to start with for a waxing novice maybe a cold strip would be best but it certainly gives great results. Yes you might think that it's messy but being sugar based it washes straight off everything it touches, including your legs, or a towel, and of course the spatula, and the paper strips - these are the same strips I used and after hand washing in warm water they are completely reusable and are as good as new
My one tiny complaint is that I would really like it if they had included some more strips, even though you can use both sides 12 just doesn't seem to be very many for a full 2 leg wax, you can use pretty much any fabric though since it washes straight out, I actually finished mine off using some folded over muslin cloths. As I said in the introduction I had switched to cold wax strips for quickness but I will definitely be using this product on a regular basis now, it had a lovely fragrance, and it was super effective I will also be looking to try some more products from this range in the future especially since I've noticed they also do strip wax. The Acorelle Epilation Oriental Wax - Ylang Flower and Cane Sugar retails at £11.99 for 300g from My Pure. Any questions please ask x
That's why I jumped at the chance of trying something from the Acorelle Epilation range for this months My Pure review. Acorelle is a French based company thats main speciality is hair removal and post hair removal skin care. Developed especially for sensitive skins, and for those with thicker, darker hair and problems with ingrown hair, the Acorelle range is based on natural ingredients such as sugar and black truffle.
The product I chose was the Acorelle Epilation Oriental Wax With Ylang Flower and Cane Sugar. This is a sugar based wax product which is 100% natural and contains pure organic cane sugar and ylang ylang. It also contains no colourings, chemical preservatives, or synthetic fragrances.
It comes in a box which to be honest doesn't really have very much English on it but don't worry full instructions are provided inside, and the box illustration give you an idea of what the product contains
As well as the instructions the box also contains 12 reusable paper/fabric strips, a wooden spatula, and a 300g pot of sugar wax
The wax is pretty solid at room temperature so it needs to be heated before you can use it.
Following the in pack instructions first of all I made sure everything was set up (a towel covering the bed to prevent mess) and that my legs were clean and dry. Then I took the lid off the wax and put it in the microwave for a 10 seconds at a time for about 30 seconds until it was like runny honey in texture (you can also use a bain maire to heat it )
I then left the wax for about a minute before testing the temperature on the inside of my wrist to make sure it wasn't too hot, it has to be warm but not so hot as you burn your skin. At this point I enlisted the help of MummyLouLou who is very good at waxing to give me a hand - you can do this yourself I did my right leg on my own but it made it easier for photographs and it guarantees the backs of your legs get done properly! All you do is use the spatula to spread a thin layer of the warm wax to your leg in the direction of the hair growth
Then you apply one of the paper strips and smooth it down in again in the direction of the hair growth, then you rip it off :) and press the strip down and rip till the tackiness goes then you apply more wax and get a new strip, etc.etc.
The best way to show how effective this product was is to show some befores and afters -
Before
My legs hadn't been waxed since just before Christmas eeek so they were ready to be defuzzed - still notice though that my hair isn't overly dark or thick because I've waxed for so long
After
You can see a tiny few red spots here but nothing more just relatively smooth legs :)
I have to say though the real proof of the effectiveness of this wax is when you look at a used strip - sorry this pic is a bit gross but look not only at the hairs but also if you look really carefully you can see the little black roots/bulbs on the ends. Unlike shaving the whole hair is being removed which leads to a slower and finer regrowth :)
I have to say I loved this wax - the Ylang Ylang fragrance was beautiful and reminded me a lot of some of the Lovea products I've tried recently a really nice tropical floral fragrance. I have to say because it's a warm wax/sugar it also seems to be less painful, the warmth actually helps the hair follicle to open a little and makes it easier to extract the hair. You also need to use such a small amount that the pot should last for ages. Warm wax or sugar isn't probably the easiest thing to start with for a waxing novice maybe a cold strip would be best but it certainly gives great results. Yes you might think that it's messy but being sugar based it washes straight off everything it touches, including your legs, or a towel, and of course the spatula, and the paper strips - these are the same strips I used and after hand washing in warm water they are completely reusable and are as good as new
My one tiny complaint is that I would really like it if they had included some more strips, even though you can use both sides 12 just doesn't seem to be very many for a full 2 leg wax, you can use pretty much any fabric though since it washes straight out, I actually finished mine off using some folded over muslin cloths. As I said in the introduction I had switched to cold wax strips for quickness but I will definitely be using this product on a regular basis now, it had a lovely fragrance, and it was super effective I will also be looking to try some more products from this range in the future especially since I've noticed they also do strip wax. The Acorelle Epilation Oriental Wax - Ylang Flower and Cane Sugar retails at £11.99 for 300g from My Pure. Any questions please ask x
*Sample
Monday, 28 March 2011
The Last Goods and Bads Of March
It's Monday and what does that mean? Goods and Bads time
Bads
Bads
- I don't know why but for the past few days I have been an emotional wreck - the slightest little thing and I've burst into tears there are a few bits going on at home but nothing really to account for me feeling so bad - I cried so much on Sunday night I went to bed at 9.30 and woke up on Sunday feeling like an absolute wreck - I am really hoping that I can sort myself out I just feel so down at the moment
- My mum has been amazing - I've been an absolute pain to live with over the last few days but she has done her best to try and cheer me up
- On the plus side of misery central I have lost 4lbs all week, I haven't been particularly good this week so I am pretty pleased with that
- I have lots of new things to try out which always makes me happy
- My followers - last week I hit 400 followers - thank you so,so much for keeping me going I really appreciate it and have a couple of giveaways planned to thank you all x
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Naughty LouLou - More Haulage and Some Gifts
Well after doing so well on my spending diet for the first two months of this year - this month has been a disaster, that's life though I've needed to by a few things and I've generally felt a bit blargh so shopping has been a bit of a pacifier. Anyhow onto the goodies - first up ASOS - I used my groupon voucher to buy my mum some jewellery bits for Mothers Day but thankfully Diet Coke has an offer on special where you can either win vouchers or get £5 off a £20 spend being a bit of a caffeine junkie I already have a whole load of vouchers - I believe the vouchers are on special packs till the end of April and are valid till the end of June, so it's well worth picking some up x I bought my mum something else and got a couple of bits for me including this beauty - Illamasqua nail polish in Bacterium
I really can't wait to try this out, the colour is like nothing I've seen before - I promise to do a NOTD with it soon - I also got this ring - alas even in the largest size it's a bit small but I can't wait to wear it as a pinkie ring until I can hopefully lose a bit of weight on my fingers
It's a little cream mouse - it's has crystal eyes and the tail moves, so cute it comes in black too but I think that one is still full price x
I also popped to Boots this week and stocked up on Botanics eye make up remover - all the Botanics products are currently on 3 for 2 :) and some Veet wax strips which were 1/3 off - no pics I am sure you all know what they look like ;) I actually went to Boots to use my No7 £5 off voucher but they didn't have the product I wanted - thankfully my mum popped to the Metro Centre on Saturday morning and picked me up a bottle of this - the Boots Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser
I have a review on this coming up but since if I've got another one that probably tells you what I think of it.... ;) My mum was an angel and paid for it for me, she also got me this on Friday from the Factory Bargain Shop - I love this shop it's has all sorts of bits in and from Thursday to Sunday they had 25% off everything in store - so she got me this New York themed t-shirt
They sell a lot of high street end of lines and seconds and this top came from Dorothy Perkins, and originally retailed at £16, Factory Bargains had it on sale for £6 and with the discount me mum got the t-shirt and a bag of M&M mini eggs (not for me;) for just £5.25 :)
As well as the t-shirt she also got me some other bits from the Metro Centre on Saturday including a few Body Shop Cocoa Butter things the creamy body wash and some more body butter -( there was an offer where you got a body butter and a shower gel for £12)
and she also got me the Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Stick that I wanted
I had heard a little bit about this and I really wanted to give it a go - It's basically a twist up stick of solid cocoa butter that melts on contact with the skin, I am intending to use it directly onto my ankle scar to help with healing
She also got my some of the new Earth Lovers Shower Gels with were on buy one get one half price - she got me the Lemon and Thyme version, and the Apricot and Basil fragrance, they smell amazing and I can't wait to try them out x
and because she had spent more than £25 after the in store and Love Your Body discounts she also got a freebie a full sized Vitamin E Body Butter - I've used the Vitamin E skincare before so I am interested to see how I get on with this - Vitamin E is supposed to be good for scarring too :)
All in all a lovely little bag from MummyLouLou - I am so grateful to her - she always tried to find ways to cheer me up when I am feeling down and she normally hits the spot perfectly. If you have any questions or if you would like and reviews please let me know xx
pic borrowed from ASOS
It's a little cream mouse - it's has crystal eyes and the tail moves, so cute it comes in black too but I think that one is still full price x
I have a review on this coming up but since if I've got another one that probably tells you what I think of it.... ;) My mum was an angel and paid for it for me, she also got me this on Friday from the Factory Bargain Shop - I love this shop it's has all sorts of bits in and from Thursday to Sunday they had 25% off everything in store - so she got me this New York themed t-shirt
They sell a lot of high street end of lines and seconds and this top came from Dorothy Perkins, and originally retailed at £16, Factory Bargains had it on sale for £6 and with the discount me mum got the t-shirt and a bag of M&M mini eggs (not for me;) for just £5.25 :)
and she also got me the Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Stick that I wanted
I had heard a little bit about this and I really wanted to give it a go - It's basically a twist up stick of solid cocoa butter that melts on contact with the skin, I am intending to use it directly onto my ankle scar to help with healing
She also got my some of the new Earth Lovers Shower Gels with were on buy one get one half price - she got me the Lemon and Thyme version, and the Apricot and Basil fragrance, they smell amazing and I can't wait to try them out x
and because she had spent more than £25 after the in store and Love Your Body discounts she also got a freebie a full sized Vitamin E Body Butter - I've used the Vitamin E skincare before so I am interested to see how I get on with this - Vitamin E is supposed to be good for scarring too :)
All in all a lovely little bag from MummyLouLou - I am so grateful to her - she always tried to find ways to cheer me up when I am feeling down and she normally hits the spot perfectly. If you have any questions or if you would like and reviews please let me know xx
Saturday, 26 March 2011
All For Eve Hand Cream - A Product Rave and Something To Make You Think
I've decided to make my product raves a weekly feature so every week I am going to 'rave' about an item be it beauty, fashion, or anything else that I really love, this week it's a hand cream.
I am a huge hand cream freak I love the stuff, my hands get really dry, so I always have a tube, or a pot near me. I have to say that I have several favourite hand creams but this is one of the newest additions
Widely regarded as the most popular product in the All For Eve range - the hand cream comes in a lovely chunky, matte, rubberised plastic tube. It's pretty simple but I have to say I love the feel of it
The cream itself which is paraben free, contains Vitamin E and Organic Cucumber, it has a super fresh but not overpowering smell that reminded me a little of after sun :). It initally appears to have quite a thick texture
but it spreads easily and quickly on to the skin.
The best thing about this hand cream for me though is the absorbency, it completely sinks into the skin, leaving a super smooth matte finish. It's ideal if your working on the pc or reading, as there is absolutely no greasy residue at all, your hands just feel soft and smooth.
This is an amazing day time hand cream and it's definitely one I will repurchase, not only is it quality but you are also supporting an amazing charity. All For Eve Hand Cream retails at £7.50 for 100ml. For more information and to purchase please check out the All For Eve website . You can also purchase this and other All For Eve products from other retailers such as Beautique.com, QVC, look fantastic and John Lewis.
(With thanks to the All For Eve website for the statistics and some images )
I am a huge hand cream freak I love the stuff, my hands get really dry, so I always have a tube, or a pot near me. I have to say that I have several favourite hand creams but this is one of the newest additions
It's the All For Eve Hand Cream. It was created by Urban Retreat to support The Eve Appeal, which aims to raise awareness of women's gynacological cancers, for example cervical and ovarian cancer, not only that but all net profits from the All For Eve range go directly to The Eve Appeal to fund specialist research in this field. Just a few stats for you
Every year 1 million women worldwide are diagnosed with a gynacological cancer, that is just 200,000 fewer than women diagnosed with breast cancer
These cancers account for 10% of all cancer deaths, and 65% of women diagnosed will sadly die
Every year in the UK 18,000 women are diagnosed with a gynacological cancer, and around 7,500 die for the disease
Despite these statistics research in this area remains underfunded, hence the formation of The Eve Appeal. My and my mum bought The All For Eve Todays Special Value from QVC just before Christmas, when it was demonstrated by the lovely Caroline Hirons. We were simply appalled by the statistics and shocked by the realisation that no woman is immune from such terrible diseases.
The kit contained the core products from the All For Eve range, which was as brand set up specifically to help The Eve Appeal. Still available on QVC (click here) The kit contained the Eve Red lipstick created by Daniel Sandler (click here for a fuzzy pic of me wearing it at Christmas), a body butter, a bath and shower gel, a bodyscrub, and a hand cream.
Widely regarded as the most popular product in the All For Eve range - the hand cream comes in a lovely chunky, matte, rubberised plastic tube. It's pretty simple but I have to say I love the feel of it
The cream itself which is paraben free, contains Vitamin E and Organic Cucumber, it has a super fresh but not overpowering smell that reminded me a little of after sun :). It initally appears to have quite a thick texture
but it spreads easily and quickly on to the skin.
The best thing about this hand cream for me though is the absorbency, it completely sinks into the skin, leaving a super smooth matte finish. It's ideal if your working on the pc or reading, as there is absolutely no greasy residue at all, your hands just feel soft and smooth.
This is an amazing day time hand cream and it's definitely one I will repurchase, not only is it quality but you are also supporting an amazing charity. All For Eve Hand Cream retails at £7.50 for 100ml. For more information and to purchase please check out the All For Eve website . You can also purchase this and other All For Eve products from other retailers such as Beautique.com, QVC, look fantastic and John Lewis.
(With thanks to the All For Eve website for the statistics and some images )
Friday, 25 March 2011
Nails Of The Day - Beauty UK - Electric Blue
Hi Guys - Here's another NOTD post for you and it's another one from Beauty UK - I'll start with a few apologies, first up I'm sorry for such an awful paint job, I did this in a real rush, secondly apologies again for the bad cuticles again, I am seriously dosing up on the cuticle oil to try and rectify them, and thirdly I'm sorry that my pics just aren't doing the colour justice.
I've said it many times but blue is by far my favourite nail polish shade I have lots of blues (click here to see most of them), and I have to say this colour is one of the nicest - It's Beauty UK Glam Nails - No.39 - Electric Blue and it is, a real proper dark, electric blue. Unfortunately due to either my camera or my poor photographic skills it just isn't showing up that true to life. In real life this is quite a bit darker than it's looking here but either way it is a gorgeous colour. It didn't apply as well as the previous colour I tried and you definitely need two coats for full even coverage, and I have to say it is one of the strongest smelling polishes I have ever used, Mummy LouLou could even smell it downstairs, but despite that for the price it's a good polish, and I will definitely be looking to buy more from the range.
Apologies again for the bad paint job, have you tried any of the Beauty UK colours and which ones would you recommend ? Any questions please let me know x
I've said it many times but blue is by far my favourite nail polish shade I have lots of blues (click here to see most of them), and I have to say this colour is one of the nicest - It's Beauty UK Glam Nails - No.39 - Electric Blue and it is, a real proper dark, electric blue. Unfortunately due to either my camera or my poor photographic skills it just isn't showing up that true to life. In real life this is quite a bit darker than it's looking here but either way it is a gorgeous colour. It didn't apply as well as the previous colour I tried and you definitely need two coats for full even coverage, and I have to say it is one of the strongest smelling polishes I have ever used, Mummy LouLou could even smell it downstairs, but despite that for the price it's a good polish, and I will definitely be looking to buy more from the range.
Apologies again for the bad paint job, have you tried any of the Beauty UK colours and which ones would you recommend ? Any questions please let me know x