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

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

BURT'S BEES LIP BALM AND BODY LOTION

I have always suffered from chapped lips, especially once the cold weather starts to kick in. A lot of the lip balms that I have previously tried never quite seem to work, and in some cases even make my lips worse off than they were to start off with. I decided to try out the Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil by Burt's Bees.

Burt's Bees is a brand that offers a range of natural health and beauty care products. Believe it or not, the company started 30 years ago in a beekeeper's backyard. The products are not tested on animals and contain no ingredients that may harm you.

This lip balm is a welcome oasis for you lips. It is a sweet scented lip balm packed with the antioxidant goodness of Pomegranate Oil. I really love this balm as it doesn't leave the greasy sort of texture that a lot of lip products do. It replenishes moisture, making your lips appear healthy again, while also leaving a subtle pink sheen to give an even toned appearance. You can purchase it for around £3.69.

When I purchased the lip balm, it came in a set along with Milk & Honey Body Lotion. This is a really lovely scented lotion made with Milk, Honey, Vitamin E, Coconut and Grape Seed Oils. The milk nourishes whilst honey helps to soften skin. What I find great about this is that it is non-greasy unlike my other moisturisers. It quickly absorbed into my skin and left it feeling soft all day. You can purchase 70ml for £5.99 .

You can purchase Burt's Bees products in a variety of places including Boots, Debenhams and Holland & Barratt .

what are your favourite lip products?

Jem x

LANCASTER SELF TAN BEAUTY

If only we could all achieve the perfectly bronzed summer glow all year round. You may be lucky enough to have gone on holiday this year, or even just naturally tan already, but for those of us left looking pale - I have found the perfect solution.

For a lot of us, self tanning can be seen as something we are afraid of. You don't want to be left with an overly orange, artificial looking colour on your skin. You don't want to end up with streaks, and you most definitely do not want to be left with the slightly off putting odour that comes with it. 

I have been testing out a few different self tanning products recently, to try and create the best effect possible. You may have seen my St.Tropez review, however that did not go down brilliantly as there wasn't really much of an end result. This week I discovered Lancaster Self Tan Beauty. This is a self tanning jelly for a progressive natural looking glow. There are three shade options, and I went for 01. Light. This is described as a gradual, gentle sheen of a weekend in Capri. 

You can apply the product to both face and body, and it features Tan Colour Adapt technology which allows it to mimic your natural tan colour, leaving a radiant and even result without the orange look. I was really impressed with the results, after just one application I had a noticeable difference. It left me with a natural looking light tan within a few hours. 

Another thing I would like to mention about this product is that it does not have the usual scent of fake tan. It is actually rather appealing. Over all I am really happy with this product and would really recommend it to those of you looking to invest in some decent fake tan. You can purchase a 125ml tube for £24 at Debenhams.

What are your favourite self tanning products?

Jem x

MARC JACOBS DAISY DREAM

So if you are a huge fan of Marc Jacob's fragrances like I am, then you most likely will have heard about the newest edition to the collection of Daisy perfumes - 'Daisy Dream'. It is one of the biggest fragrance launches of the year after all. As you may know from previous posts, I am slightly more than a little perfume-obsessed - so when I heard about this release, I just had to get my hands on it.

For starters, the bottle design itself is in fact a dream. It's one of the most beautiful perfume bottles I've set my eyes on. The perfume itself is a light blue toned liquid, inside a rounded glass bottle enveloped with a splattering of daisies. If you purchase the bottle in 50ml or 100ml, then the spherical silver lid also comes with daisies placed around it, however the 30ml bottle simply displays a mirrored effect silver lid without the daisies. Either way the bottle is something that you can admire when its on your dressing table!

The scent for Daisy Dream is a fresh interpretation of the original Daisy. It's a really breezy, summery scent that still channels the soft floral fragrance that its loved for. Daisy Dream has top notes of blackberries , fresh grapefruit and succulent pear. At the heart of the perfume lies notes of lychee and blue wisteria, and a dreamy medley of jasmine, musk and coconut water create the base. It creates a truly dreamy and luxurious fragrance. 

I would definitely say this is an everyday fragrance as it is so light and fresh for summer days. You can purchase a bottle for yourself from most perfume shops and it is priced at around £39 for 30ml, £52 for 50ml, or £70 for 100ml.  If you would like to purchase it online then simply click here. 

Also I'd just like to quickly mention the gorgeous Daisy Chain Flower Necklace featured in the 3rd photograph, which you can purchase from Punky Pins for just £12! Its so lovely for summer, it looks so realistic and thought it fitted quite well with the daisy theme of this post. 

 What's your favourite summer fragrance? Let me know in the comments below.

Jemma x


This post contains some products that have been sent to review.

TANYA BURR NAILS

If you are a fan of YouTube or even just beauty in general then I'm sure you would've heard of Tanya Burr. Earlier this year she launched her own lip-gloss and nail polish collection, which are available online and in Superdrug stores across the UK. Of course, being a huge fan of Tanya I had to give some of these products a try. Here is my review on the nail polishes.

The polishes come in a square shaped bottles, very similar to the look of Chanel / NARS . This makes the appearance of the products really pretty, however it makes it difficult to open and close them. The lids didn't go back on aligned to the bottle which I found slightly frustrating ( I am a bit weird when it comes to things like that!). However when it comes down to the quality of the polish itself I was impressed. I usually only ever use OPI nail varnishes as I find that other brands are no way near as good and long lasting, but I must admit, these are really pigmented colours, they are easy to apply and last around 5 days without chipping. I personally would have preferred a slightly wider brush, but nonetheless it was easy enough to use. You can clearly tell that Tanya has taken inspiration from favourite shades from brands such as Essie, Chanel and OPI, and catwalk trends.

I purchased 4 of the 10 shades available, as these were my favourites for summer.

The first of the shades that I purchased was 'Little Duck'. This is a minty blue colour, similar to 'Mint Candy Apple' from Essie. I really love this colour and have been wanting to purchase a mint nail varnish for a while now so this was the perfect opportunity! Its really bright once you've applied two coats and it is a great shade for summer.

Next up is 'Bright and Early', It is a gorgeous coral red colour. The polish comes out with a super glossy and shiny finish and will look amazing with a tan.This is probably my favourite of the shades at the moment - I'm even wearing it now!

'Peaches & Cream' was the colour that I was most excited about when discovering the range, I really love the simple peachy nude colour of this nail polish. It makes a change from the bright colours, and would look really pretty for a summer evening or if you are on holiday.

Last but not least is 'Penguin Chic'. The name for starters is just adorable. I am a huge fan of this grey colour, I usually go for a black nail varnish for my every day look so this is a great summer alternative as it goes with anything but doesn't look too dark.

The Tanya Burr nail collection is priced at £5.99 a bottle, which in my opinion is great value for the quality of the products. Better still - They are currently 3 for 2 at Superdrug so get them while you can!



Have you tried any of the Tanya Burr collection? What is your favourite shade? Let me know in the comments! x

ST TROPEZ GRADUAL TAN FACE LOTION

Even in the summer, I never fail to look extremely pale, especially on my face. I think this is probably due to the fact that I hardly leave my house because I'd much rather stay at home and online shop or something, but still - I want to look like I've got a lovely summer glow rather than looking like a ghost.

The St.Tropez Gradual Tan Face Lotion in light/medium was the product I decided to go for. I was a little scared of going for a full on fake tan as I did not want to look orange or crazily tanned. This product is a great alternative as it is a hydrating face moisturiser with an added touch of fake tan to it. The tan is build-able and develops over 4-12 hours. You can apply this daily to achieve the look you want.

For the first 3 days, I applied the product each morning to my face and neck as instructed. You apply it much like a normal moisturiser but all over your face and neck in light sweeping motions. I must admit that I was quite disappointed as I did not notice much of a difference in colour at all, but it did give me more of a glowing appearance. However,  on the fourth day of using the lotion, it has finally worked! I have a very subtle, natural looking tan to my face, much better than the pale, ill looking colour I was before.

Overall, The product does sort of do what it says, I'd say it gives a light build-able tan, and gives a glow to your face. I don't think it is something that I would purchase again though as it is a bit too subtle for what I was hoping.

If you are looking for a very bronzed tan then I really would not recommend this product, It would work well if you are very pale and want to give the appearance of a light sun-kissed glow.

You can purchase it here for £14.30 :  St Tropez

Do you use fake tan? What is your favourite tanning product? Let me know!


Jemma x

YVES SAINT LAURENT- COUTURE PALETTE COLLECTION

Eyeshadows are one of the items that I always tend to avoid when applying my make-up. However, lately I've been trying to be more creative when it comes to my make-up looks. I recently came across the new YSL couture palettes, which is a collection featuring 8 different palettes, each composed of 5 colours inspired by YSL couture .

Of course, Yves Saint Laurent is far from cheap when it comes to price, so the palette that I chose to purchase was 05 - Surrealiste. It features a range of purple and lilac shades, with a pale pink to highlight. It's a purple lovers dream! All of the colours are shimmery so if you are not a fan of glitter then I wouldn't recommend it! It is slightly annoying that there is not even one matte shade, however I feel that the colours work well with a shimmer to them, and they are intended to be worn together. 

The formula of these shadows is rather impressive. The recently released palettes feature highly pigmented colour with a smooth and soft buttery texture. When applied, there is virtually no fall-out which is amazing as it is one of the reasons I tend to steer away from eye shadows. The colour is really long lasting too, allowing you to wear it from day to night. 

I love that you can wear all of the shades together or alone, my personal favourite is the shade on the bottom right of the palette. I wear this along with my MAC pencil eyeliner in 'smolder' along my waterline and 'They're Real' mascara from Benefit Cosmetics for an effortlessly glam look.

If you are looking to invest in some really good quality eyeshadows, then I would recommend taking a look at this collection. They have a range of colours available online for £39.50 from Debenhams . Although this is quite pricey, if you are a fan of eyeshadow then you will love them.


Jemma x

SUNNYSIDE BUBBLEBAR WORKSHOP

As you know, I love Lush. When scrolling through my Facebook timeline as I usually do, I noticed a post from my local Lush shop, informing people about in-store workshops that were going to take place over the weekend to make the Sunnyside bubble bar. Naturally, I put my name on the list!

Sunnyside is a lovely glittery and golden coloured bubble bar. When crumbled into the bath, it changes the water to an indulging shimmery gold sea. It adds a lovely creamy texture to the water too which is amazing and skin softening. It is described to have a citrusy scent, with featured ingredients such as sweet wild orange oil to cleanse and tone the skin, at the same time creating an uplifting and cheerful aroma - perfect for summer!

I am not a huge fan of orange, however I personally would describe the smell of Sunnyside to be similar to chocolate orange, and the orange scent is not too over powering. It really is a beautiful smell.

It was really fun to take part in this workshop, where I got to create my very own Sunnyside bubble bar! It was so interesting to see how they combine ingredients together to create it. It was much like making a cake, adding each of the ingredients together into a bowl and then mixing together.We then each got a piece of the mix to shape into whatever we liked - I went for the original rounded shape, however they were still in the process of rising at this point, so by time we had got home it had doubled in size and slightly changed shape. I'm not complaining though - it means I get more baths out of it! Once home, we had to leave them to set for 24 hours before using.

Whilst there, we were also offered some cake and pineapple juice from the lovely staff at the Lush store, which was really nice. They also demonstrated how to make a mermaid bath cocktail by using the Big Blue bath bomb and of course, the Sunnyside bubble bar. It makes the water turn a turquoisy-green colour with a gorgeous golden shimmer to it. I must admit it was pretty amazing. Did you know that Lush are the only company that is able to create a solid bubble bath?, the main reason behind this is because it creates less packaging!

If you are interested in purchasing either of the products mentioned then you can get them online using these links Sunnyside and Big Blue , or visit your local Lush store! You can also ask them if there are any workshops taking place near you, I would really recommend that you attend one, I mean who can resist free Lush?


Jemma x

SEX BOMB - LUSH REVIEW

 

Hey guys, I've been super busy this week so I haven't had much time to post anything. On Wednesday my boyfriend took me out for a meal and then to the cinema to see The Fault In Our Stars, which is such an amazing film, but guaranteed to make you cry! I really recommend it if you don't mind being sad haha. Anyway, I thought I'd put up a quick post on Sex Bomb from Lush. I will be putting up more things such as outfit ideas and monthly favourites next week. Also on Sunday I am going to Lush to make the Sunnyside bubble bar so I will include that in a post if you would like to see!


Sex bomb is one of the most popular products from Lush, and it was one of my first ever products I purchased from there. It's one of the larger bath bombs which means you can cut it in half for 2 uses, or just use the whole thing! This bath bomb is great for when your'e feeling anxious and stressed, as it contains ingredients like Clary sage oil to help relax you and clear your mind, whilst Jasmine helps relieve stress and anxiety.

I really love the scent of Sex Bomb, it reminds me a little of those parma violet sweets but sweeter. I decided to use the whole thing for my bath; the smell is so strong that it lingers around long after you've finished and the fragrance also sticks to your skin which I liked.

Unlike bath bombs such as Twilight and Granny Takes a Dip, Sex bomb is one of the faster fizzing bath bombs which can be a good thing as some of them take forever to dissolve. It leaves the water a vivid pink which is really girly and not to mention my favourite colour. The bath bomb itself once dissolved is rather simple, as there are no fancy added bits such as glitter or confetti -just the rose from the centre of the bath bomb which just sort of dissolves if you try and pick it up which is a little pointless in my eyes. So if you are looking for something exciting I wouldn't recommend this.

Overall this is a great bath bomb, and its definitely worth trying if you are new to Lush.

Jemma x

MAC OSBOURNES COLLECTION

For all MAC cosmetics fans out there, or even just make up fans in general - I'm sure you know that recently they released a two part collection with mother-daughter duo Sharon and Kelly Osbourne. With a beautiful and vibrant collection from Kelly, featuring packaging in her iconic violet colour, and a warmer classic collection in vibrant red packaging from Sharon; This collection was not to be missed out on.With almost the entire collection selling out online in just 2 hours, fans went crazy. Luckily I was able to get my hands on a piece from each set.

The first item that I purchased was the Kelly Eye Kohl pencil. This comes in the colour 'Smolder' which I believe you can also purchase as a non limited edition item, however it will not come in the Kelly packaging or design. I am a huge fan of black eye pencils, which I wear along my waterline almost every day. It is an essential product for me as I do not wear a lot of mascara. I could not resist treating myself to this product as although I use one almost every day, I have never had a good quality eye pencil. When it arrived I was so excited, the gorgeous lilac colour of the packaging is one of my favourites. The pencil itself is lovely, it has a really rich black colour and it's soft, making it easy to apply. The colour lasts for a long while which is great, as I'm used to my eye pencil fading after an hour or so. I would really recommend investing in one of these if you are a fan of eye pencils, I believe that the Kelly version is still in stock for £15.50 here . If when you click the link it is out of stock, or you simply would like the normal MAC version, it can be purchased for a cheaper price of £14 here .

The second item I got was of course from the fabulous Sharon Osbourne. The product I purchased was the Sharon Patent-Polish Pencil, in the shade Patentpink . This comes in a large twist-up 'pencil'. And is created to give you the colour and shine of a lip gloss, with the precision of a lip pencil. The colour is a buildable washed out lilac. I absolutely love the colour of this product and it is so creamy and smooth in texture. It gives a lovely shine but is not sticky - which is one of the things I hate about lip gloss. I also love how MAC lipsticks have a really nice vanilla scent to them. This product was available for £16. Unfortunately all of the colours from the Sharon patent polish collection is sold out, but I have found some alternatives below if you wish to purchase something similar.




MAC lipstick in colour : Saint Germain
MAC lipstick in colour : Pink Pearl Pop

MAC lipstick in colour  : Pervette

Hope you enjoyed this post and found it useful!


Jemma x

UPDATE / H'SUAN WEN HUA HAIR MOISTURISER REVIEW

So if you follow me on Instagram, you would've seen that I mentioned going on a Lush haul. There are lots of exciting products that I have to try out and I thought I'd get started with the H'Suan Wen Hua hair moisturiser. I have really long and thick hair, which has become very dry and slightly damaged due to its length and hair dye. I try to take care of my hair as much as I can, but the hair mask that I was using ( Rainforest Radiance hair butter - The Body Shop) was not working well for me. As more Lush reviews have been requested, I decided to give one of their haircare products a try as I have heard great things about them.

There are several different options to chose from when it comes to the Lush hair products, however the one that stood out the most for me was H'Suan Wen Hua. This is described to nourish, strengthen and restore dry and damaged hair. When taking care of your hair, think of it as taking care of the rest of your body. You feed it with healthy ingredients. This hair treatment has many great things in it such as fresh free-range eggs, which a full of protein, helping to strengthen and protect your hair. Rich in oils, Bananas and Avocados are super moisturising, leaving your hair soft and shiny. Using a hair treatment made from natural ingredients makes it much better for your hair, and you know exactly what is going on to it.

I would say that the scent of this hair moisturiser is not for everyone. It is definitely very strong smelling. I would describe it as a gingerbready kind of tea smell... Which sounds a bit strange but that's the only way I can think to explain it. I personally did not like the scent at all, however the purpose of the product is to help do good things to your hair so the smell did not really bother me.

You apply the treatment on to dry hair, by massaging it in. The texture of it is not particularly thick, it's similar to normal conditioner. As you apply it to dry hair, it does take quite a while to get it all distributed through your hair as it doesn't spread as easily as it would on wet. As my hair is extremely thick and long, I used around 1/2 of a pot. This sounds like quite a lot, but to get it to cover all of my hair that's how much I had to use. This was quite annoying as it is priced at £9.50 for a tub of 225g. You then leave the product in your hair for at least 20 minutes, and then rinse well, followed by shampooing and conditioning as normal.

As soon as I started rinsing out this product I was AMAZED. My hair has never felt so soft before. Imagine rinsing out your conditioner, your hair feels soft, right? Imagine that x5 . I am serious. I then washed my hair as normal and left my conditioner in for a further 10-15 minutes and rinsed. The results I got when my hair was dry were just fantastic. My hair immediately felt so much softer and shiny. It says on the pot that for extra damaged hair to use it once a week for 6 weeks and I really think it is worth the money to do this.

I will update you after six weeks on the condition of my hair. Thanks for reading ! let me know if you try this product or if you enjoyed this review!


Jemma x

LUSH COSMETICS CUPCAKE FACEMASK REVIEW

I love face masks. Weather I'm having a pamper session with friends or just having some 'me' time, face masks are an absolute must-have. I usually result in getting a cheap sachet from Superdrug or Boots, but when I went into Lush I came across their fresh face masks and decided to give it a try. Although they are quite pricey at £6.25 a pot - you can get at least 5 masks out of it, which if you think about it is the same as buying the same amount of single ones. Plus, this mask is much better.

When looking at all of the different varieties of masks Lush has to offer, I will admit I was a little stressed about which one would be best for me. To my luck, a lovely person who worked there recommended for me to try the Cupcake face mask. This works best for people who tend to have oily or teenage skin, as it helps to absorb excess oil and calm breakouts.

The smell of this face mask is to die for. It smells of chocolate cupcakes with a fresh minty infusion, which I love. It is made from completely fresh and natural ingredients which will benefit your skin. Unfortunately as the mask is fresh it does only last around a month , however you can use it more than once a week! Some of the ingredients included are Cocoa butter/powder which is great for softening and purifying your skin, fresh mint stimulates and tones, and highly absorbent Rhassoul mud which works with the cocoa powder to draw out impurities, giving you a deep cleanse. 

Its recommended to keep this mask in the fridge to keep it fresh. Leave this mask on for 10-15 minutes after applying, then simply wash off with warm water.The results I got from this mask were fantastic! Immediately after using this mask, my skin felt so clean and fresh. I continued to use it about 2-3 times a week and since then my skin has genuinely improved a lot! It looks so much brighter,clear of spots and so soft. I really do advise that you try this mask - if you are still not convinced if you should invest, then ask in store if they have any samples and I am sure they will kindly give you one!

P.S - did you know that if you bring back 5 full size black pots/bottles to Lush, they will exchange them for a free face mask? 

Let me know if this mask works for you!

Jemma x