VS PINK | ALL I WANT

Victoria's Secret is one of my favourite American brands that has recently been brought over to the UK. PINK is a line by Victoria's Secret that is aimed more towards teenagers. I am lucky enough to live close to some of the Victoria's Secret UK stores, and if you happen to get the chance to be near one, I would definitely recommend you take a trip inside, as there is currently no UK website.

This post features a body mist and body cream from the ' ALL I WANT ' collection.I would firstly like to mention that the packaging of these products, as it is so beautiful and girly. It makes me think of going out for a party or special occasion.  

The scent of the products is described as a white vanilla and berry spritz. It is a comforting and indulgent smell, that isn't too heavy. I really love these products and always use them after a bath.  The refreshing body mist includes conditioning Aloe, which is great for your skin, and the body cream features supersoftening Cotton Complex and Vitamins E and C. 

The products are priced at £15 each, which admittedly is a little on the pricer side of things, however I believe that the quality of the products is of a good standard. They would also make a great gift for a friend. 

Have you ever visited a VS/PINK store? what are your favourite products? 

Jem x 

MAC HOLIDAY COLLECTION | VIVA GLAMOROUS

Hello lovely readers. First off I'd like to wish you all a Happy 2015, and hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I thought I would kick-off the new year with a review on one of the gifts I received for Christmas, which was the MAC viva glamorous bag. This was part of their holiday collection, however both of the lipsticks are available individually as part of Rihanna's Viva Glam series.

MAC's Viva Glamorous set features the two Rihanna lipsticks, packaged in a red glittery bag. I thought this added the perfect christmassy feel. Plus, who doesn't love glitter.

The first of the two lipsticks is Viva Glam Rihanna , which is a frosty blue-red. This is the original of the lipsticks, and features a subtle shine and sparkle when applied. I have been in need for a decent red lipstick for so long, so this was perfect for me. Although I prefer matte lipsticks, I like the added glamour you get from the subtle gold glitters.

Secondly, is Viva Glam Rihanna 2 . This lipstick is described by MAC as mauve with a silvery frost. I cannot even begin to explain how much I am in love with this shade. At first I was a little unsure as it unlike anything I have ever seen before, it has an almost gunmetal effect to it. I love the uniqueness of this product, and would definitely recommend investing in it if you like to be original.

The products both come in limited edition velvet red packaging, with Rihanna's signature on the inside, and the full amount from sales goes towards helping those affected by HIV/AIDS . The lipsticks are available for £15.50 each  here 

What are your favourite MAC products?

Jem x

DIY | CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

        

 

The Christmas holidays are now with us, with no more college until next year, I've found myself sitting at home struck with boredom. For something to do, I decided to bake some simple chocolate chip cookies that could be enjoyed by me and my family. The recipe worked really well, so I thought why not share it with you guys. These could also be a great last minute gift idea for a friend or family member, as they are really easy to create but taste delicious!

 INGREDIENTS (enough for around 15 large cookies) : 

200g milk chocolate chips

225g self-raising flour

125g caster sugar

100g dark brown soft sugar

125g butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp salt

EXTRAS:

wooden spoon

sieve

mixing bowl

baking tray

cooling rack

baking paper(optional)

cooling rack

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. 

2. Make sure your butter is softened, then in a mixing bowl, combine the butter and both of the sugars. Once creamed, you can then add the egg and vanilla. 

3. Sift in your flour and salt, then stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Grease a baking tray with butter, or alternatively you can line it with baking paper. Roll your cookie dough into ball shapes, and place on the baking tray. They will spread out as they bake so make sure you don't place them too close together! You may need to bake the cookies in two batches, or use more than one tray.

5. Bake for around 10-15 minutes, depending on how soft you want your cookies to be. Remember when they cool they will slightly harden. Transfer to a cooling rack, and you're done!

I hope you liked this recipe, and be sure to let me know if you tried it out for yourself!

Jem x

AMITY FEST | BRIGHTON

Last month I returned to Brighton, one of my favourite places in the world, for Amity Fest. For those of you who haven't heard of it - Amity fest was a show put on by some of the most popular british Youtubers, including Caspar Lee, Pointless Blog , Jim Chapman , Niomi Smart, Zoella, Sprinkle of Glitter, Tanya Burr, Marcus Butler and Joe Sugg. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some VIP tickets as an 18th birthday present, which allowed me to spend an hour with them all before the show. It was a really fun experience, the VIP session was so relaxed and we got to spend quality time chatting with them all as if they were friends. The show itself was really funny, and allowed the audience to get involved with team challenges. There was also musical performances from Hobbie Stuart and Florrie. Joe was ill throughout the whole tour, but our surprise, he came on stage at the end of the show. I really enjoyed my time and I thought that i'd share some of the photos from the day! 

WWW.WIFTY.CO.UK

Last month a totally new, fun and unique way of purchasing new jewellery entered the world of the internet. What is this? you might ask. Well guys - the place I'm talking about is WIFTY.CO.UK , and in my opinion they are totally fabulous.

Founded by Gaelle Comte, the aim of Wifty.co.uk is to bring something new to purchasing accessories. How? By offering a unique monthly subscription service delivered directly to your door. If you're a fan of quirky and handmade pieces, this is the place for you. It gives you the chance to discover new designers from across the globe without the hard work!

The other exciting element that I love about Wifty is that each month you don't know what you will get! Sure, this may sound a little scary but who doesn't love a surprise. It sort of feels like its your birthday every month. It's a fantastic way to try out things that you may not necessarily have considered choosing before. Each box is guaranteed to contain two to three pieces and is priced at just £15 per month. Bargain!

So this month I received the October box. It arrived in a little box prettily presented with my items carefully wrapped in pink tissue paper on a bed of shredded brown paper. I first noticed the card which gave me some information about the designers behind this months box, which was lovely. The theme behind the October box is Day of the Dead. It includes items from creative due Philip Eggleston and Domingo Daquioag, and also Lady Luck's boutique.

The first item inside the box was a beautiful red rose clip. As you may or may not know, roses are one of my all time favourite flowers so I was extremely delighted with this. Also the fact that it matched my red nails... anyway.

I also received a lazer cut necklace and a temporary tattoo , which I can't wait to try out!

In a pretty striped pink and white paper bag, I was happy to discover that inside it was filled with skull shaped chocolates and sweets. I thought this was a super cute touch to finish the box as who doesn't love a bit of chocolate.

I am super pleased with my box, and if this sounds like something that appeals to you, then I have even better news! You can receive 10% off your first order using my exclusive code 'jemsbeautyblog10' at checkout! 


Jem x

SKINCARE SECRETS | LUSH MASK OF MAGNAMINTY

 

Hello lovely readers. I have decided to share with you some of my skincare essentials throughout the next few weeks. I have been testing out several products for a while now to ensure that they really do work well (at least in my case they have!) so hopefully these posts will benefit you in some way! First up I thought that I'd start with Mask of Magnaminty. I personally thank LUSH for this marvellous creation - my skin has dramatically improved since using this mask and I now use it every week! So read on if you would like to find out more.

One of my favourite things in life is coming home after a long day, running a bath and applying a face mask. Particularly if that mask happens to be the LUSH Mask of Magnaminty. This face mask is truly wonderful, and I can't imagine not using it now. Unlike a lot of the LUSH facemasks, this one is not fresh so it lasts for a lot longer than some of the other products do. You can buy it in a 125g pot for just £5.25 , which in my opinion is really good value as you can get tons of use out of it.

This multi-purpose peppermint scented mask is designed to cleanse, calm and clear your skin. You can use it not just on your face, but anywhere you wish. The key ingredients to this mask include peppermint oil which stimulates and gives a cooling effect to the skin, absorbent kaolin and moisturising honey. Aduki beans are added to the mix to create a gentle exfoliator as you remove the mask .

The scent Mask of Magnaminty brings is personally not for me as I really dislike anything mint. However I have learned to put up with the scent as this mask really does work for me. I found that it clears any blemishes, and also makes the overall appearance of my skin brighter. The smell is more similar to fresh mint in my opinion, and I have seen some people compare the scent to mint choc chip ice cream!

I would say that if you particularly struggle with spots and oily skin then this mask is for you. I hope that you found this post useful or at least fun to read! Let me know if there are any other products that you recommend or would like me to review!


Jem x

VISITING LUSH IN POOLE

Hello! If you have read one of my previous posts '' THIS WEEK'' then you will have noticed that I mentioned visiting the first ever LUSH store in Poole.  I thought seeing as I took lots of photo's whilst I was there that I'd do a more detailed post about my visit to the store/spa. So if you are interested in finding out more about LUSH in Poole, then read on :)

So as you may know from reading my blog, my best friend has a flat in Bournemouth which we went to stay at during the summer for a mini holiday. Poole is not too far from where we stayed, so on one of the days we took a trip down to visit the store. If you are a fan of LUSH then you may know that the first ever store is located in Poole. Founded by Mark Constantine, the brand was created to give customers natural handmade products including bath bombs, soaps, conditioners and more for a variety of skin types. LUSH now has over 830 stores across 51 countries. It is most known for it's policy against animal testing.

Another thing that has now been introduced is the LUSH Spa. There are several Spa locations across the country including Poole, London , Liverpool and Leeds. You can take a look to find the one nearest you here. Each spa is designed to look like an English kitchen. It creates a really relaxed and homely feel. They offer treatments such as 'The Comforter?' which is a relaxing hot chocolate and rose scented massage. Each treatment has its own LUSH twist to it. The treatments are rather pricey but it would be a great treat for a special occasion if you are a huge lover of all things LUSH like I am!

If you are near to Poole I would definitely take a trip down to visit the store as although it is similar to the other locations, there is something extra special about this one in my opinion.

Jem x