Wholefoods Skin Glow Potion

This week I travelled to our nearest Wholefoods Market store.
I love this shop! My boyfriend and I first visited a Wholefoods Market store when we were on holiday in New York at the end of last year. The closest Wholefoods Market to us is actually 84 miles away - so unfortunately we aren't there as often as we would like! What I love about Wholefoods is they specialise in Organic, high quality, local food - which we wouldn't see in our big branded supermarket chains.

Amongst all of their wonderful organic fruit, veg, food, smoothies/juices etc. they also make what I can only explain as a "juice shot/potion" (pure fruit - no alcohol included). They make up several of these magic potions depending on what you want your potion to help with. From memory I think they had a Detox one a Gym one etc. I decided on the Skin Intensify potion below:

 

This was to help make my skin glow - it tasted really nice & sweet quite like apple juice. It was £1.99 from the fruit/smoothie section - please note it is a small bottle so you may think they are expensive for the size of them. However it is pure fruit and minerals, this shot was made up of Apples, Mangosteens and Silica. If you are unaware of what Silica is, it is a mineral which helps build the hair, skin, nails and joints. Silica helps activate the enzymes in your system which will help produce collagen for your skin and elastin for hair/skin and nails - making them all lovely. So with this in mind I wasn't bothered that it was £1.99 for a small bottle. Im glad I tried it out as I ended up loving it - I wish I grabbed more as they were so tasty! I definitely recommend going to your local wholefoods and trying these out!

Wholefoods Market also have a great set of core values and missions which I like - they've made this public on their website for the world to see, so feel free to check these values out and you can also find your local Wholefoods Store via the website link below

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

Garnier Moisture Match Review

 This week I have been trying out the Garnier Moisture Match for Dull Skin

It’s a 24 hour revitalising hydrating gel to help make your skin look radiant!

 

 

Garnier have 5 of these out – to suit different types of skin. These moisturisers come in pretty packaging and instead of being labelled they are also colour coded depending on what skin type you are. This is the first time I have ever tried the Dull Skin (orange one). I will make a list below so you can work out which one you would be best to try:

Shine and Be Gone – best for oily combination (green)

Wake Me Up – best for dull skin (orange)

Start a Fresh – normal to dry skin (blue)

Goodbye Dry – dry to very dry (pink)

Protect and Glow – normal skin (yellow)  

I have previously tried the Start a Fresh one before and I loved it.

My skin type I would say is normal im quite lucky that it isn’t oily or very dry but unfortunately my skin can be dull and tired looking as I have grown up I have started to sport horrendous dark circles underneath my eyes – which isn’t a good look!

So I thought I would try the Wake Me Up moisturiser this time as a change. I actually bought this from Tesco they have It on a deal at the moment for £1.99 in UK Stores which is great because usually it is £3.99 most places so you are saving yourself a couple of pounds if you are quick and buy it there.

After showering or cleaning my face I always put a moisturiser on before anything else...

Your skin is the biggest organ after all – so you have to remember to take extra care of this!

 

When you first use this product you will notice that it isn’t like all the other face moisturisers, it’s a cream – it’s actually an orange gel. Once applied this gel sets in to your skin very quickly it’s not like other moisturisers where you can feel it sitting on top of your skin for hours not soaking in. It has a lovely citrus smell to it  – which Garnier are famous for. After applying this gel to my face, my skin feels incredibly smooth and hydrated. I can also see a difference in how vibrant my skin looks which is an added bonus!

I apply this every morning now before I put on any of my make-up. I find that by using this and also my Bourjois primer (mentioned in the post below) that my make-up stays put all day. I even tried this out on my boyfriend’s sister who said she loved it and wanted to go out and buy it!

I definitely recommend this moisturiser – I can see such an improvement in my skin. If you are going to try this moisturiser out from Garnier – make sure you figure out which skin type you are first so you pick the best one noted above for your combination

Or you could take advantage of the fact that they are all £1.99 at the moment in Tesco - you could buy all 5 Garnier Moisturisers for under £10.00! The offer of these at £1.99 is only on until 30/03/2015 so you only have 2 days to snap these up at this price - be quick!

 

Link to Tescos website see here: http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=276772446

If you have any questions on this moisturiser please feel free to comment below.

Bourjois Paris Make-Up Review

I have recently been trying out some of Bourjois latest new make up!

 

As mentioned in my previous post – I went to Boots recently with the intention of buying new make up to review and got side tracked by the Elegant Touch Nails. Not only did I try out some of Elegant Touch Nails (review in post below) but I did come across the new Bourjois make up in the 3 for 2 offers so I couldn’t help myself. I ended up buying…

Happy Light Luminous Serum – Primer

If im being honest this was a spontaneous buy. I have tried primers before and every single one I have tried so far has been pretty pants even the well-known big branded names – none of their primers seemed to last long or actually set any of my make up, so I bought this primer from Bourjois on a whim hoping it could reel me back in.

The primer comes in a foundation like bottle with a pump for dispensing. The primer itself is a cute pastel pink colour. Happy light serum helps to illuminate and radiate your complexion whilst also hydrating your face so you can use this as a base coat.

 

I usually apply a small amount of this after I have moisturised my face. It leaves my skin feeling really soft and bright. Once this sets in I then apply my concealer/foundation whatever takes my fancy that day and I can honestly say I have noticed such a difference. My make-up does sit better and does seem to last longer too. I do feel as if I have more of a glow after using this serum.

Great product which I would definitely recommend especially since it’s currently in the 3 for 2 at Boots stores – see link

 http://www.boots.com/en/Bourjois-Paris-Happy-Light-Luminous-Serum-Primer_1388141//?cm_mmc=bourjois-_-beauty-_-bourjois_website-_-bourjois_paris_happy_light_luminous_serum_primer

Bourjois Volume Glamour Push Up Mascara

This was one of the first things I picked up - as every mascara that I use from Bourjois is amazing.

 I always find when I am using other brands of Mascara, I will always go off them and go straight back to using Bourjois. I have tried several of their mascaras already – I have two favourites that I swear by and always keep in my make-up bag (I will note these below).

Since Bourjois Volume Glamour Push Up Mascara was newly released I wanted to try this as I had high expectations since I love the other two that I use regularly. In my head before I had even tried it on I thought this would be a great contender however I was pretty disappointed in this purchase. It didn’t crack up to what I thought it would be – I was expecting to see high curls for eyelashes and separate lashes - but I don’t feel like this is the case. Maybe it’s because I have tried other Bourjois Mascaras and I rate them so highly but I felt like this mascara was average and although it states “no clumps” I did find this mascara very clumpy and it seems to group your lashes together. Which isn't always a good look. See link -  http://www.boots.com/en/Bourjois-Volume-Glamour-Push-Up-mascara_1538948/

The two mascaras by Bourjois which I definitely recommend are the following:

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

http://www.boots.com/en/Bourjois-Volume-1-Seconde-mascara_1471322/

This mascara does hold all day and separates your lashes and is clump free. I wear this mascara for everyday use

When im going out I always use the Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara!

http://www.boots.com/en/Bourjois-Volume-Clubbing-Ultra-Black-Mascara_1407611/

This mascara gives a more dramatic volumised effect and looks like you have false eye lashes on.

And last but not least…

Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher – Healthy Mix

I have used the little round pots of blusher on and off over the last 5-10 years – I have always been a fan and was tired of wearing the same shade of pink all the time.

 

 

I love how Bourjois make so many different colours in their Blushers to suit different pigmentation. So since it is now spring and my make-up bag only consists of bright pink blush colours. I thought I would go for a nice golden glow. I chose the 41 Healthy Mix colour I believe this came out with the other “Healthy Mix” range of foundations etc. – why I didn’t try this at the time I will never know! I LOVE this! This blusher is like a pretty Terracotta colour - isn’t too orange or too brassy although im describing it as a terracotta colour please note that its nothing like a bronzer. Once applied it sits on my cheekbones and leaves a lovely dewy glow all day. I definitely recommend this blusher – I know it is not new but it is such a pretty shade for wearing this spring. The pot comes with a little compact mirror and tiny blusher brush for applying.

Going off subject here - I had always thought it was me being weird but I was convinced that these little blusher pots smelled nice even though its make up? I don’t know if you have ever gone out your way to smell them but they are delightful. Whilst doing some research on Bourjois and their products I recently found out that these pots are actually rose scented! So it’s not just me being a crazy strange lady smelling blushers in the make-up isle – which I am glad about as I feel a little bit less weird now knowing that they are actually scented! YAY!

 

http://www.boots.com/en/Bourjois-Little-Round-Pot-Blusher_1395/

  

Elegant Touch Nails Review

Boy-ish, short, tired, worn out looking?

Looking down at my nails I couldn’t help but think – yeah you guys definitely land in all four categories. I didn’t even plan on reviewing Elegant Touch nails - I actually went to my nearest Boots store to buy drug store make up for reviewing on my blog.

Then I had a great idea… I decided to wave good bye to my boring nails and introduce myself to a whole new world of beauty - false nails. Now this is a pretty brave step for me - never in my life have I ever tried "falsies" but I was so sick of looking at my dull, tedious nails that I thought I would relish in the fact that I could jazz them up and make them grow within half an hour.

Boots currently have a wide range of false nails – I'm not going to lie I must have stood in the Nail isle for a good 10-15 minutes deliberating on which colour/style/pattern I would go for. I decided to buy one of the Elegant Touch Nails cheaper options, just in case the falsies idea ended up being a massive fail.

 

I chose the Elegant Touch Polished Nails in Slate Grey 327 - they were £6.59 GBP from Boots

Elegant Touch packaging is great because it gives you the chance to pick what exact style/texture/pattern of nails you want.

I figured that I would go with the slate grey colour since grey would pretty much go with anything.

The pack itself has 24 nails – 10 different sizes which is great because this allows you to pick the closest size to your own nails. The pack also comes with adhesive tabs for gluing the false nails to your natural nails and also a buffer nail file.

With never having tried false nails before I was VERY sceptical about how long they would last before they would fall off and whether in fact they would fall off – it is glue after all!

So despite the pack containing adhesive tabs for pre gluing on to the nail I thought I would buy the Elegant Touch Brush on Glue which was £3.10 GBP from Boots – just in case any nails decided to break off. For removing the nails I have bought the Elegant Touch Get Em off Remover £2.65 from Boots; I have not had to use this product yet – which is a good sign!

I prepped my nails by making sure they were clean and dry before I picked out the sizes which best fit my natural nails. Once ready, I brushed the glue on to my natural nail – the glue dries within 4 seconds - it’s that fast, so you have to be really quick when applying the false nails. Make sure you hold down the nail in place for 5 seconds – then repeat x10. The instructions do read: not to go near any water for max of 30 minutes - this is to ensure that you are allowing the nails to have enough time to dry and set in and... Ta Dah! Look at these beauties:

 

I filed some nails down as I found that this set was a tad too long for my liking. Maybe it’s because im not used to having long nails I just found it really hard to pick stuff up/text etc. I found myself asking my Boyfriend to help me out a lot!

To look at they are really beautiful they look 100% real. Ever since I’ve had them on I’ve had nothing but compliments on them. The polished texture is lovely – they shine all of the time, they're really smooth and feel so real. For a while I actually forgot that I had fake nails on - sometimes I find myself staring at them wishing they could look this good all of the time!

The only critique that I have on these is that I found after a few hours 2/3 nails did start to gradually fall off – I don’t know if this was down to my own error by not brushing on enough glue initially. Fortunately because I did buy the Brush on Glue separate, it ended up being a little saviour for fixing any loose nails & within 5 minutes they were reapplied - yay! That easy and that quick.

I love these nails – they are so pretty and despite a few falling off. This has not put me off buying them again – I’ve had them on for two days now and they still look awesome. These would be great for a night out, formal occasions or even every day wear. Im looking forward for trying out more styles and patterns in the Elegant Touch range.

Below are links to all 3 products mentioned above on Boots website:

http://www.boots.com/en/Elegant-Touch-Polished-Nails-Slate-Grey_1529201/
http://www.boots.com/en/Elegant-Touch-Brush-on-Nail-Glue-6ml_1211623/
http://www.boots.com/en/Elegant-Touch-Get-Em-Off-Nail-Remover_1037549/
 

If you have any questions or any recommendations on Elegant Touch Nails – please feel free to comment below

Many Thanks,

Lush Haul

Honestly I could spend a fortune in Lush

It’s nearly impossible to walk past this shop without popping in and smelling/trying on the new products in store. I LOVE their products, staff, ethics the list goes on and on I just really like this shop, so much that I am one of those people who wake up at 6am on Boxing Day to stock up on lush products for the rest of the year – all of my Christmas money goes on Lush products FACT!  I was really excited to see they have had some lovely new products in store with it just being Mother’s Day last Sunday and Easter in a couple of weeks so I thought I would pop in and review some of these newbies.

Yummy Mummy shower gel – Bright lilac in colour it stands out and it smells amazing! This shower gel smells of oranges and sweet violet. The name really does do justice! Y U M!

Ultraviolet bubble bar – this lovely almost rainbow like bubble bar smells awesome and makes your bath look lovely. Remember those sweets you used to get when you were a kid – Parma violets? Yeah this bar smells so good just like those bad boys! I hope this bubble bar sticks around because this is a new favourite!

Somewhere over the Rainbow soap – the name says it all. This soap is a beauty to look at (see pic 1.) It is the colour of the rainbow and has pretty sparkles all over! When you smell this soap it smells both citrusy and floral

Pot of Gold shower jelly – another new favourite. When I tried this I thought it smelt like popcorn – turns out I was very close. It is actually caramel scented with a hint of pineapple and orange peel! I really love the jelly pots – although they are so slippery to keep a hold of in the shower I do smell the benefit of them! I feel like I can still smell the scent off of them hours after my shower! I think I will be stocking up on this one before it flies off the shelves!

You will also see from my other pictures – they have some cute Easter and Spring bath bombs/bubble bars. I think instead of a chocolate Egg this year im going to get a Lush Easter Egg and relax this Easter Sunday!

If you have any recommendations of any lush products please let me know :)

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I have had an awesome Sunday in Edinburgh this weekend - with my sissy and my lovely mum, this mother’s day!

My sissy currently lives and studies in Edinburgh so we thought it would be a great idea to get the family together and spend the day over lunch & a spot of shopping

I always get really excited to go through to Edinburgh – not only do I get to see my sister who I haven’t seen in weeks but also for my love of shopping. I always feel like I see & buy a lot more when im through there, than what I do where I live?

  

 

I LOVE going in to quirky stores like Urban Outfitters or Oliver Bonas –  they always have great accessories, gifts or stationery that make me laugh and smile

https://www.oliverbonas.com/

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

We went for Lunch at the Hard Rock Café which was awesome and in all 22 years funnily enough this was the first time I have ever been to one! I had a burger and fries whilst Bon Scott was playing the bagpipes above me – doesn’t get better than that!

The only thing I planned on buying today was a button up denim skirt – that was a massive fail, Im unsure if they are sold out? But I can’t seem to find one anywhere, despite trying most high street stores.

Instead I have come home with a dress (which I will explain into more detail) and a t shirt – both from H&M http://www.hm.com/gb/

 

Going back to the dress pictured above, the dress was bought from H&M – MY FAVOURITE SHOP!!!

If you want to search for this online it’s on the H&M Website search for “Dress with a circular skirt – conscious” the great thing about the Conscious range at H&M is the garments can be made out of sustainable raw materials – such as organic cotton/silk, recycled polyester and vegetable tanned leather. If you are unsure whether your item is from a Conscious collection – look out for the green tag which confirms the sustainable value.

Also they like to recycle your old clothes and repay you for it – which is a brucey bonus! If you hand in a bag of used clothes (any brand – doesn’t have to be from H&M) then they will give you £5.00 GBP off of any purchase over £30.00 GBP (in store only). I have done this a couple of times now and I must say it is great you are de-cluttering your wardrobe from old clothes that have sat in there long enough and now you have brand new clothes for a discounted price! You cannot complain at that!

 

Also another cute buy from today is my Disney Frozen pyjama bottoms bought from Primark for £7.00 GBP – I am obsessed with Disneys frozen I know I may be 22 but I cant help but love it! I love pyjamas that have cuffs at the bottom so they’re the perfect length and comfty. I really love buying new PJs and these are just too cute – is it sad they make me this happy?

I am now away to put these lovelies on and tuck in to my Patisserie Valerie Gateau – night night! x

http://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/