Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Well as you may have seen in one of my previous posts here I tried out my very first lip stain/ balm product and really liked it, therefore I collected my pennies and had a little trip to boots and brought a few other similar products to try out. The 'Revlon Just Bitten' stains were at the top of my list as I had heard alot about them on fellow blogs and just fell in love with the colour of this one so I just couldnt help myself.

I think this balm stain really lives up to the good reviews that it has had, it is beautifully creamy and moisturising when applied, has great colour payoff and lasting power too. The shade I got was 'Rendezvous' which in packaging is an amazing bright orange colour and on the lips transfers as a slightly more wearable but still beautiful creamy coral/ orange. I belive it is the balm side of the product which does give the lighter pay off of pigmentation however this does not bother me at all as i'm all for hydration in the colder weather we have been having. But now back at home and writing you this I have just discovered they also have a slighty different version with a seperated stain + balm which would most likely provide more colour, plus I have picked up somthing similar from a different brand so keep your eyes peeled for that to see how it goes.

Thanks for stopping by again, bye for now.x

My Everyday Make- Up

Hello there, today I thought I would share with you the typical sort of make up I would wear on a day to day basis. Working within the beauty industry and in a spa it is important that we look proffesional and well presented and this definately includes a basic but nice everyday make up application.

Starting with the base at the minute I am using the 'Bourjois 123 Perfect' foundation in shade 51 and apply this all over the face with my 'Crown Duo Face' brush. Usually I like to start stippling the foundation on then buff it in to the skin. I then use my 'Collection Lasting Protection Concealer' in fair and apply this under the eyes, on any discolouration (usally the nose) and any breakouts that I may have. I then set this with my 'Rimmel Stay Matte Powder' using my kabuki brush which I got from the lovely Zoella's and Sprinkle of Glitters shop, shoplouella link. I don't own a lot of brushes so then also continue to use this to apply my bronzer 'Rimmel Natural Bronzer' in '022 Sun Bronze' and my 'Sleek Life's a Peach' blush too.

With the majority of the face done I move on to the eyes which I usually keep very simple with a fairly thin upper lash line using the 'Carbon' powder in my 'HD Brows' kit with the angled brush it came with and a couple coats of my current mascara which currently is the 'Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara' I really like this mascara at the minute as it has a fairly big brush which is great at grasping all the lashes and does give some good volume to them too. Occasionally I will decide to do a natural smokey eye using cream and brown shadows usually from my 'Sleek' palette however usually I just stick to the simple eyeliner look as it is quicker and simpler. Usually for my lips I will tend to choose a tinted lip balm as again it is super easy and during the day at work I am constantly reaching for a lip balm to keep my lips hydrated, my reach for product at the minute is the 'Miss Sporty Dr Balm's.'

Well thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

BONUS PICTURE!!

Product Wars - Cleansing Waters

Cleansing/ micellar waters are becoming more and more popular within the blogosphere and the beauty community, I have been using one by 'Yves Rochers' for a while and really love it and with the fairly recent launch of the 'B.' brand in 'Superdrug' I thought I would give it a try and see how I like it and how it compared to my other cleanser.

The cleansing water by 'Yves Rocher' can only be found online here as far as I am aware however this doesn't bother me as the delivery is reasonably priced and really fast too. This cleanser is slightly on the thicker side and has more of a gel/ water consistancy, it is perfume and paraben free and and contains organic cornflower water making it really gentle and soothing on the skin. It is applied to a cotton pad and wiped over the face to remove any make up and impurities and is safe for the eyes too and does a really good job and removing any heavy eye make up. This cleanser usally retails at £7 for 200ml however 'Yves Rocher' seem to constantly have offers on and I dont think I have ever brought it at full price either at  half price or buy one get one free!

I havent heard alot about the 'B.' range in 'Superdrug' however did hear about them bringout a micellar water so thought I would give it a try link. With this being a highstreet store brand means it is super easy to get hold of and retails for £4.99 which is pretty good value for a 150ml bottle which does go quite far. This cleanser is much more of a water consistancy as advertised in the name and again is applied to a cotton pad then sweeped over the face. This product says to be a 3 in 1 product and cleanses, tones and refreshes the skin and similar to the other one is said to be suitable for all skin types and the delicate eye area too. When I first used this I wasnt greatly impressed as it did sting around my eye area when removing my eye make up however it did remove it well, although as I continued to try it out I think it was a user error and I was applying a little to much as I was so used to the other thicker gel/ water and now I do not get this feeling at all.

I think both these products are really good water cleansers as they both remove all traces of make up and although I dont personally have sensitive skin on my face I think they both are gentle enough for all skin types. They both feel very cooling and soothing on the skin and are both super easy to use.
Smell wise the 'Yves Rocher' cleansing water has more of a gentle floral smell which is very gentle and doesn't last on the skin and the 'B.' version which i'm not such a big fan of the scent smells much more chemically and a bit like nail polish remover in the bottle however doesnt not smell as bad  when removed of applied to the face. I am a big lover of the 'Cleansing Water Face and Eyes'  from 'Yves Rocher' and think I will always be a fan and however because of the 'B.' version being much easier to get hold of and slightly cheaper I think this may be a new staple in my cleansing routine, and I may have to try some other products form their range.

I hope you enjoyed this little comparing reviewing, do you use any cleansing waters? Or have you tried any of the 'Superdrug B.' range?
Bye for now. x

A Little Pedi Pamper

One way that I like to have a pamper and relax is by giving myself a mini pedicure, so I thought with my beauty therapy background and just my general love for pampering and all things beauty I thought I would share with you the things I like to do to give my little trotters a treat.

First up I give me feet a nice long soak in some hot soapy water, firstly because it feels so nice but also as its great to soften the nails and cuticles for the up coming steps. Whilst soaking the feet this is when I would remove the old nail polish, I usually use 'Sally Hansen' not for a paticular reason but because it is easy to get hold of and does the job. I will also use a foot file which are also widley available in the highstreet/ drugstores and use this on the heels and balls of my feet to reduce any hard or dry skin, they will usually come double sided one slightly rougher to really file down any hard skin and a softer one to then buff and smooth the skin after.

I then move on to cutting and filing the nails, I like my toenails fairly short but with a bit of the free edge (white tip) showing so they look and allow for a much better paint and finished look. Another thing that can really help this is pushing back and trimming any excess cuticle, cuticle is formed to protect where the nail is made but can become over grown so pushing it back and trimming the edges gives a much cleaner and polished finish.

These are the main steps that I carry out while my feet are in the water and when I finally remove them it is important to rehydrate them as water can dehydrate the skin so you should always put some back in. This can be done in a few different ways, you could use a foot mask, apply a moisturiser and let it soak in or apply a thick moisturiser and wrap the feet in clingfilm and thick socks and the heat from the feet really aid the absorbtion of the products.

I then finally move onto the polish. This time I used a new polish which is one of the 'Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Papaya' which is a new spring colour in their high shine range. I used two coats of the polish and no top coat and I was pretty impressed with the shine it gave, especially as the polish wasnt much thicker than a standard polish which I was expecting for the 'gel-like' effect. I then finish off by spraying a small amount of rapid dry spray by 'Elegant Touch' which speeds up the drying time of nail polish, partly by applying a think layer of oil making the polish less sticky and partly by .. well im not too sure really, but it works well.

 

A run down of all the products I used include:

Carex Hand Soap - to create the bubbles for the soak link

Sally Hansen Nail Polish Remover - for soft/ brittle nails link

Foot File - hard skin removal link

Nail Clippers + Nail File - to shape the nails link+link

Orange Stick + Cuticle Nippers - remove excess cuticle link+link

Barry M Nail Polish - Papaya link

Elegant Touch Rapid Dry Spray - speeds up drying time link

 

 

 Thanks for stopping by again, hope you enjoyed. Bye for now.x

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush Stain

Recently there has been a lot of new lip stain product launches and when I recieved this 'Jelly Pong Pong' one in my March 'Glossy Box' I was really excited to try it out. had never used any lip stain products previous to this so this was also a great way for me to see if it was worth giving any of the new ones out on the market a go.

The 'Jelly Pong Pong' stain says to be 'a moisturising stain that tints your lips with just the right amount of colour and hydrates like a balm' so I decided to give the product a bit of a test run and wore it for a day at work. The colour I recieved was a very hot blue toned pink, which usually would be a colour I wouldn't even think of choosing but after wearing it for a while it really grew on me. When first applying the product it is very silky and smooth and at first did make me think it was too soft to give any staining effect but it did seem to prove me wrong and the glossy moisturising feeling stayed put for a while too which I really like.

This picture was taken straight after I firstly applied the product at roughly 10 in the morining, as I said it was really nice to apply, there was a good colour pay off and a really nice glossy shine too.


These next two picture were taken whilst at work so the lighting is slightly different showing more of the blue undertones of the colour. This first one was roughly 2 to 3 hours after first application and the colour pigment is still strong, there is slightly less shine but not drying on the lips at all so still impressive.




A few hours later so around 3pm you can see that there was some fading occuring and the colour was starting to disappear from the centre of the lips but remaining more around the outer rim. When this happened it didnt look bad on the lips as it faded very naturally and didnt leave patches or cling to any dry patches apart from the lip line. I was impressed that it faded nicely in this way because during this time I had been drinking and eating and most likely licking my lips as I am awful for that.

 My final picture shows when I had returned home that evening at around 7pm and the colour had completly faded. As you can see no colour remains which could be a negative as the lips werent stained heavily as nothing at all remained at the end of the day like I had worn nothing in the first place, however on the other hand it had faded so nicely that there wasn't any dry patches or creases which could of looked liked my lip product had faded and I just couldnt be bothered to sort it out.

Overall as a first try of a lip stain product I was impressed, I liked the application of the product, the way it looked on the lips and the way it lasted and even when it started to fade it did it evenly and made it not noticable in a bad way at all. So I am very happy with this little goody from my 'Glossy Box' and will be hoping to find and try out some other stains from 'Jelly Pong Pong' and some other leading brands soon.
Bye for now.x

My March Glossy Box

Why hello there again, today I am going to give you a little look into my March Glossy Box and what I thought on the products I recieved. This month I was very happy with my box, I think there was a good variety of products and the ones I recieved were pretty perfect for me.

When I opened my box the first thing that caught my eye was a 7ml sample of 'Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant' I was really excited when I saw this as this product has been all over the blogging and youtube community as a little miracle product that can be used anywhere and everywhere to help with any dryness. I think the sample size was good as the product inside goes a long way, I haven't had a lot of use of it yet but what I have used I have liked so i'll have to keep you updated there.

Next up, another product I was looking forward to using the 'Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush Stain' I had never used any stain products before so was firstly looking forward to that but also had a 'Jelly Pong Pong' lip product in one of my previous boxes before and loved it. The lip stain I recieved was the full size product which usually cost £12 which is the entire price of my box plus p+p, amazing! At first I wasn't overjoyed with the colour they gave me which is a blue toned barbie pink colour which is pretty bright for someone who is new to introducing a bit of colour to my lips but as I have started to wear it the more I have started to like it. Look out for a future post on this product when I gave it a test run on how long lasting the 'stain' was.

Also in this months box was a perfume sample, usually i'm not a huge fan of getting perfume samples but mainly because the sample pots they usually come in are riduculously fiddley and I spill half the sample on the hand just opening the container. However to my suprise it was a mini atomizer so was easy to use and went that little bit further than usual. The fragrance this month was 'Juicy Couture, Couture La La' I haven't had the chance to try any 'Juicy Couture' scents so was pleased when I saw this in my box, it is said to contain mandarin and white floral notes and as a more sweet perfume kind of person this one was more floral than I would usually choose but I still enjoyed the scent.

Another sample was a mini 'Nails Inc' nail polish, I had recieved a mini polish from this company before in a previous box which was a top coat which always comes in handy and this time I pleased to find a cute little red one. I always think a red nail is always a good look whether on the fingers or toes and this polish is the perfect classic red colour. I haven't had a lot of use from 'Nails inc' polishes in the past but of what I have tried of the two I have I really like. I think they are slightly pricey for a 10ml bottle retailing for £11 but they are good qaulity and there are much more expensive brands out there.

Last but not least my final product was a 'TRESemme Salon Finish Extra Hold Hairspray' when I get products like this in my boxes I usually have mixed thoughts because firstly products like this are easily accessable in supermarkets and highstreet shops and dont really fit the 'luxury sample' tagline which is what the 'Glossy Box' originally started out as. However personally I am still happy with this product as the 100ml bottle is perfect for the handbag or travelling and I do really like 'TRESemme' hair products as they smell really great and work well on the hair just like this one. Plus I think even when the products are from a cheaper brand I still could find and love products which I may never of found if not through the beauty box samples.

So overall I was impressed with this months box and pleased with everything inside and looking forward to testing and using them all too. Let me know if you recieve 'Glossy Box's' or any different boxes and what they are like. Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Empties #1

So heres our first empties blogpost, I have 6 products that I have used up recently I thought I would keep the number low just to ease us in to the swing of this. So lets get started.. up first haircare. I brought a 'Vosene' anti-dandruff shampoo (link) as I started to suffer with a dry flaky scalp during the colder winter months so I thought I would try this brand out. I went for the citrus refresh fragrence as it was also recommended for a more greasy hair type, the scent was nice much better than the original which smells like dog shampoo, not a great fan, however im not sure that it gave much help to my scalp at all. I dont know if it was because I wasnt using it enough or because I chose the wrong range and should of gone for a more dry hair and scalp formula im not too sure but I wasnt hugley impressed.

A shampoo range which I am a much bigger fan of is the 'Alberto Balsam' range of shampoo and conditioners (link). These come in a big range of different scents which also claim to provide different benefits for different hair types, the one I recently finished up was the juicy green apple get fresh shampoo and conditioner which is recommended for normal to greasy hair types. The scent is just as expected and a very fresh and fruity scent which lingers on the hair all day too which I love, I have tried a number of the different scents available and they all smell amazing and make you hair feel great after too. My favourite is the coconut and to top it all off they are only £0.99p each!

My next empty bottle is my 'Anatomicals, Dont Just Clean it Woman Scrub it Body Scrub' (link) this was given to me in one of my 'Glossy Boxes' and I loved using it up. This scrub is made up of apricot seed which provides the grainy exfoliant however this formula also turns into a soft lather as it is massaged over the skin which I personally really like. This scrub has a very strong grapefruit/ citrus smell which I didnt mind but others could find it slightly overpowering. I also love the packaging of the 'Anatomicals' products with their bright colours, interesting names and designs.

Another lovely 'Glossy Box' sample is the 'Alison Clare Remarkable Mango Body Butter' (link) now mango is one of my all time favourite scents and flavours so was really excited when I recieved this in my box. This product has a really sweet mango fragrence which I adore and feels great on the skin, it is as it says a body butter texture so much thicker than a lotion however sinks really well into the skin so doesnt leave a sticky residue behind. A few facts about the product include it being perfect for sensitive skin, it is made up with natural fragrances and 70% of the ingredients are organic which I think are great to include within products like this as it shows that there isn't any nasty chemicals or a lot of man made materials which cant be too great for the skin, lets be honest.

Next up a product that has become a holy grail to me, the 'Yves Rocher Cleasing Water for Face and Eyes' (link) I use this on some cotton pads and wipe it all over my face and eyes and it is great at removing all traces of make up, the consistancy is between water and a gel and made with cornflour water making it a soothing and refreshing method of cleansing the face and making it perfect for all skin types and areas of the face. As far as I know this can only be purchased from their website as it is a French brand however I do know when it is sent to you it is sent from a UK destination so delivery is quick and easy.

Last but not least my final empty product is a 'The Body Shop Born Lippy Lip Balm' (link) I have had this lip balm for a fairly long time and as a lip balm lover I tend to dip in and out of different ones all the time. This one I got in the scent raspberry and it smells light, fruity and well like raspberrys, it also has a soft jelly like texture which was great for ease of use and provided a very sheer berry colour to the lips when applied to which I really liked too. These are good value for money and although I personally prefer a stick form of balms i'm sure i'll always have one of these laying around somewhere.

Bye for now.x