Category Archives: beauty

Party Makeup with Essence

14th December 2016
Party season is in full swing and last Friday saw me pop on my glad rags for my one and only festive knees up this year. I’ve never been on to splash out and invest in expensive clothes, shoes or makeup for a night out but at the same time I do want something that’ll go the distance. This year I sported a £10 playsuit and £5 jacket from Primark as well as my pewter boots from New Look (now half price). My makeup came courtesy of my friends at Essence who sent over a few new pieces for me to try out- despite their purse friendly prices the products in this post impressed me enough to make it to the top of my party makeup list and were still going strong long after I left the dance floor.
Up until the package had arrived I’d actually been struggling to find exactly the colour eyeshadow I wanted to wear so it was fortuitous that the metals eyeshadow in shade 02 frozen toffee (£2) was exactly what I’d had in mind. This is a gorgeous frosted brown that blends beautifully, the colour payoff is amazing and it didn’t crease or fade at all which is frankly amazing for the price. I used this colour as a base before blending in a smokey grey pigment and finishing off with the extreme lasting eye pencil in shade 04 nighttime in the jungle (£2). Again this shows impressive longevity for the minuscule price tag and applies like a dream- no dragging or catching at all.

I’d already decided I wanted to go with a dark lip for the party and the long lasting lipstick in shade 21 très chic (£2.30) turned out to be perfect. Once again this is an essence product that lives up to it’s claims and unlike many long lasting lip products doesn’t suck all of the moisture out of your lips by half way through the night.

Finally a product that was completely new to me was the blush ball in shade 30 cinnamon candy (£3) which I used along with highlighter to give my skin a healthy glow. I love how portable this product is although I did find it a little harsh when applied directly so used my soft blusher brush for a gentler approach. It’s a lovely way to package a product though and the colour creates a warm glow for pale winter skin.

After getting caught up in the party prep madness I didn’t actually manage to get a decent photo of the end result…but you kind of get the idea from this shameless instagram selfie right?

Are you all partied out yet? What are some of your favourite budget party makeup pieces?

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Posted in beauty, brands I love, christmas, fashion, make up, review

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The New Beauty Wonder Oil- Cacay Naturals

13th December 2016
I’ve been a fan of using oil based products in my beauty regime for a few years now. I first picked some up whilst on holiday in Spain- my hair was feeling the wrath of 40 degree heat and having spied Argan oil in a shop I grab some out of desperation and the rest, as they say is history.

Since then it’s not just been on my hair that I’ve used oils. Although I’ve not ventured in to the territory of facial skin care I do use coconut oil on my very dry elbows and knees with excellent results. When I received an e-mail about a new oil on the beauty block that is suitable for all skin types, is 100% natural/organic/vegan, is cruelty free and contains more benefits that my old faithful Argan oil I was intrigued.

Cacay oil claims to be the purest anti-ageing oil out there, rich in vitamin E and linoleic acid and with skin healing properties I was really eager to try this for myself.

But first, what is Cacay oil? Not something I’d ever heard of that’s for sure. Apparently it is an oil made from the highly nutritious nut of the Cacay fruit. This edible, protein rich oil has been used for centuries by indigenous Amazonian people to treat skin irritations and to help with wound healing.

Sounded good to me!

There’s not much to say about the oil itself, I was a bit surprised that it doesn’t really have a scent to it but that’s not a bad thing. I really liked that the bottle comes with a pipette dropper which makes application really easy and precise. Over the last week I’ve been using this oil in all aspects of my beauty regime- and that includes, out of interest on my hair.

Does it work? Well, I can’t claim to look ten years younger after such a short space of time but the fine lines that insist on appearing around my eyes are less noticeable to my eyes. My elbows and knees have never been so soft and my hair is loving this (applied with a light hand before blow drying) and feels silky smooth and nourished. Being somewhat haphazard whilst making mince pies the other day I also popped a drop of Cacay oil on to a rather nasty burn on my hand that was driving me mad and although it didn’t magically heal up it did sooth the searing pain and scorched skin feeling.

So overall I’m impressed. As I mentioned it’s really hard to gauge the anti-ageing properties after only a week but I am happy to report back if anyone wants to know.

Cacay oil is available to buy on amazon (direct link) at £32.75 for a 30ml bottle which strikes me as reasonable given a) the sheer number of ways you can use this and b) you only need the tiniest amount so it will last forever.

Let me know if you give it a go or want a more in depth review of any of the claims.

Posted in beauty, hair, review, skincare

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Gift Inspiration: Luxury Skincare from SkinChemists (and a hefty discount!)

17th November 2016
As I have mentioned in previous posts skincare is still a bit of an un-explored area both in terms of blogging and in real life. It’s taken me a good 29 years to truly embrace taking care of my skin and this year in particular I have had the pleasure of trying out all manner of products. None so luxurious as the ones I bring you in today’s post though- SkinChemists recently sent me over a few products from their Advanced Caviar range to try out and whilst each of these products retails at between £82 and £85 each if you stick with me and read on you’ll find out how to claim a whopping 70% discount between now and the end of the year.
At first I wasn’t overly enamoured with the idea of caviar in my skincare, I had a vision of lumpy fish eggs in my mind that I couldn’t shake. However, reassured that this wasn’t what would turn up having read the science behind the product I decided to put my fears to one side and give it a shot!

Caviar is actually a highly nutritious marine complex that contains Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids which both balance and brighten the appearance of the skin whilst protecting against harmful UVA and UVB rays. Packed full of vitamins and minerals caviar saturates your skin with goodness and boosts collagen production to firm and smooth the skin.

So, lets see how I fared…

First up is the Advanced Caviar Hand Mosituriser* (£82). The hands are one of the first parts of your body to show signs of ageing and mine were far from being in tip-top condition due to the cold weather and general neglect. This hand cream contains caviar extract (of course) as well as seaweed extract and coconut oil. It smells incredible, that’s the first thing to note. It’s a gentle scent, fresh and for want of a better word…posh. This has worked absolute wonders on my cold, dry and chapped hands and I’ve been using it every night before bed without fail. It’s pretty much a miracle worker- which I suppose you’d expect from a hand cream costing £82- I almost didn’t want to love it just because it’s so far out of my normal price range I won’t be able to replace it indefinitely!
The Advanced Caviar Duo Moisturiser (£84) is a blend of caviar extract, neroli oil and seabuckthorn fruit oil and claims to provide natural nutrition and protection for your skin whilst leaving it revived and hydrated.

I often find at this time of year my skin becomes quite tight feeling from central healing and since I’ve been using this moisturiser twice daily since it arrived that has lessened. Again it’s a wonderful smelling product and I would say my skin is definitely looking brighter from it- not an easy achievement for me at this time of year. I’ve been struggling a lot with random blemishes lately as well which have been getting me down but since using this (and it could of course be coincidence but I choose to think not) they are finally clearing up!

Finally we have the Advanced Caviar Facial Serum (£85). Again this of course contains caviar extract along with seaweed extract and aloe vera to boost, hydrate and smooth the skin. Out of the three products this is probably my favourite. There is something so luxurious about skincare serums and with it’s fresh, light scent this makes me think of being in a salon when I use it. I’ve been using this as part of my night time skin care regime (oh yeah, I actually have one now!) and I’ve noticed a definite reduction in the fine lines around my eyes as well as my skin generally feeling a lot clearer and less irritated by the cold air and central heating.
As I mentioned above, I really didn’t want to love these products purely because of the price but I am so glad I got to try them as they have made such a difference. It’s made me realise that some things are 100% worth splurging on as I haven’t found any other product that makes such a visible difference to my skin and that in turn gives me a much needed confidence boost.

If you’re itching to try these or to treat someone special to a real skin care treat for Christmas (imagine your mum’s face as she unwraps one of these luxe tubes!) then you can a HUGE 70% off of the Advanced Caviar products (note, it’s only the advanced caviar products, not the wild caviar) by entering the code CAVBLOG1 between now and the end of the year. This makes the products closer to the £20 mark so now is definitely the time to buy!

Let me know if you do make a purchase and what you think. Also feel free to leave your skincare recommendations in the comments.

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Posted in beauty, christmas, gifts, shopping, skincare

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Gift Inspiration: Makeup gifts with Beautyspin and Frugaa.com*

16th November 2016
Beauty gifts and gift sets are my favourite stocking filler to browse at this time of year. Being a bit of a makeup addict myself, and knowing several more people who also warrant the title this is THE perfect time of year to stock up on favourite brands or try new products- often in adorable packaging or extra value sets too.

Today I bring you some gift inspiration (or just one giant wish list) from Beautyspin an online retailer who stock a whole host of goodies from well known and loved brands at excellent prices. There is a plethora of beauty gifting inspiration on the site and to sweeten the deal you can score some extra savings by shopping through Frugaa.com

I won’t link to all of the products individually as there is such a huge selection on the site that really the best way to get a feel for it is to visit yourself…this is drop in the ocean of what I’m actually coveting and what I think would make perfect presents for beauty lovers everywhere.

Oddly my most coveted item is the metallic (and somewhat space-age) lipsticks by Freedom. I’m having serious lip product addiction problems at the moment which is leading me to crave all kinds of crazy shades and finishes and my latest object desire is everything metallic.

Santa, if you’re reading this post then please do feel free to slip a set in my stocking- and the NYX lip product set wouldn’t go amiss either. Thanks, I promise to be good!

How are you getting on with your Christmas shopping? I’ll admit I’m way ahead of myself this year and I’m pretty much done- this brings me in to the danger zone of buyers remorse and spending way over my budget on additional gifts for my nearest and dearest as well as a few for myself along the way…

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Posted in beauty, gifts, inspiration, make up, shopping, wish list

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The Only 1 Matte Lipstick from Rimmel

15th November 2016
Rimmel was one of the first makeup brands I ever used and one that I have remained faithful to over the years- I can’t get enough of their products, especially the foundation and mascaras so when a rather snazzy envelope full of lipsticks from them landed at my door I couldn’t contain my excitement!

Inside the package was all nine shades of their brand new “The Only 1 Matte” lipstick*

These are a new generation of matte lipsticks- a bold matte colour that slides on like a dream (it really does!) and has a non-drying formula (also a true claim). The colours are super high coverage with full on colour even in the nude shades, it lasts for hours and hours too which is perfect for someone like me who forgets to take her lipstick out with her on a regular basis.

In the name of blogging I decided to test out each lipstick and post a selfie on social media, partly to show just how awesome these are and partly to help myself decide on a favourite. I’ll say now that I really didn’t expect to love every single one of the shades, there are usually one or two in any given collection that just don’t work for me but as I worked my way through the nine shades here I realised that actually I was rather taken with them all! Hover over each image to find out the shade number and product name…and prepare for an overload of my face!

Shade 110- Leader of the Pink
Shade 610- High Flyer
Shade 700- Trendsetter
Shade 810- The Matte Factor
Shade 750- Look Who’s Talking
Shade 800- Run The Show
Shade 500- Take the Stage
Shade 200- Salute
Shade 120- Call the Shots
Honestly, I think it’s impossible to pick a favourite out of the nine but the one that really stands out to me has to be shade 800- run the show. I had no idea I could be brave enough, let alone suit a purple lip before but this has persuaded me it’s not a bad look at all!

Which shade is your favourite? You can pick up the lipsticks from Boots (£4.99) and Superdrug (£6.99). Let me know if you grab any and what you think.

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*Lipsticks gifted by Rimmel for blog and social media consideration*.

Posted in beauty, brands I love, make up, review

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