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

THIS WEEK

Hey guys! It's been another busy week for me again and I'm super sorry about the amount I have been posting lately. I know I said that I would be posting more frequently and promise that from now on I will be. I thought that before I get back to my usual beauty posts, I would let you take a look at some photographs from the past week.

On Thursday last week, I went to stay with my friend who has a flat in Bournemouth. I had so much fun and we did lots of things while we were there. We stayed during the time of the air show, and on Friday night we went to Night Air, which is basically a huge concert on the beach! Some of my favourite artists performed including Rixon, Loveable Rouges and Rizzle Kicks. We also went down to a cute cupcake store called Lulubelles.

                                       
                            
                                        

We also took a trip down to Poole to visit the first ever Lush store. They even gave me a tour of the spa, which was so lovely of them. It is designed to look like an English kitchen, which creates a really relaxed and homely atmosphere. The treatments are rather pricey, however they sound ideal for a special occasion! One of the staff working there also gave me a little demo showing how they incorporate scented dry ice into their spa treatments to give it a cool twist.

I then went back to London on Monday and spent the day shopping on Oxford Street. It only made sense to purchase some items from Victoria's Secret and head down to the photo booth at TopShop. Of course being the idiot I am didn't notice that the photos started taking immediately so the first photo ended up being my er... boob in my friends face. Brill.

Later that night was day 1 of the I Tunes festival! I was lucky enough to bag myself two pairs of tickets, firstly to see Deadmau5 - who might I add was absolutely incredible. The roundhouse is one of my all time favourite venues, the atmosphere is fantastic and you get a great view from wherever you choose to stand.

I got to return to the I Tunes festival again last night to see one of my favourite bands, 5 Seconds of Summer ( aka 5SOS ). I can't even begin to explain how happy and appreciative I am to have won tickets, I am literally still so excited about it whilst typing this.  It was one of the best shows I have been to and really made the best ending to my busy week and of course, my last week before starting at college. We were really close to the stage, and being the fangirl I am I will admit that I got a tad emotional towards the end of the show. Sigh.

Anyway that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed having a look at my week!

What have you been up to this summer? 


Jem x

EASY COCONUT CUPCAKES RECIPE

With summer is coming to an end, I often find myself sitting indoors with nothing to do. That's when I decided to raid the cupboards in attempt to find something to pass the time - the end result was creating a yummy coconut cupcake recipe, curing my boredom and at the same time giving me and my family a tasty treat to enjoy. What more could you want? So if you'd like to give this a go for yourself, read ahead. 

INGREDIENTS 

(makes 10 cupcakes): 

115g / 4 oz butter or margarine

115g / 4 oz caster sugar

115g / 4oz self-raising flour

85g / 3 oz desiccated coconut

2 medium eggs

2 tbsp milk

BUTTERCREAM / DECORATION:

55g / 2 oz butter

115g / 4 oz icing sugar

1 tbsp milk or double cream

chocolate squares (optional)

EXTRAS: 

10 cupcake cases

wooden spoon

cooling rack

mixing bowl

cupcake tin

sieve

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 . Place the cupcake cases into the tin. 

2. Add the butter and caster sugar into a mixing bowl and beat together using a wooden spoon until it becomes light and fluffy in texture. Now beat the 2 eggs in a separate bowl and then gradually add into the mix. Sift in the flour and fold in gently. Then begin to fold in 2 oz of the desiccated coconut and the milk. 

3.  Spoon in the mixture evenly into the cases. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. You will be able to tell they are done if they are risen and golden.  Put on a wire rack for them to cool.

Buttercream : 

To make the buttercream all you need to do is add together the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and beat together until pale and creamy. You can also add in some milk or cream to make it a more smooth consistency. 

- Once your cupcakes have completely cooled, spread on some buttercream and then use a teaspoon to sprinkle on the remaining desiccated coconut. You can also add chocolate squares for decoration like I did. - 

I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you try out the recipe! I'd love to know your opinions. I personally think they taste delicious. You could always leave out the coconut if you don't like it and add some vanilla or something instead. 

What is your favourite cupcake flavour?

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