Disappointing Beauty Products #4

Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Facial Scrub (Supermarkets/Superdrug/Boots £3.99 for 75ml)
Simple claim that this " Oil Balancing Facial Scrub is a perfect blend of active ingredients and exfoliating goodness to remove dead skin cells, dirt and impurities. Clinically proven to reduce blackheads and blemishes in just 7 days. "
I used this as instructed but did not see any change in my skin or amount of blackheads. After 3 weeks I didn't see any changes and I felt that this was as ineffective as water. I was disappointed as I love this brand and the oil balancing ranged seemed perfect as it's for sensitive and oily skin. Unfortunately this didn't work for me.

The Body Shop Lip Butter in Honey Mania (The Body Shop £4 for 10ml/9g)
This does soften lips during the day but is not very moisturising. It feels similar to Vaseline in the fact that it acts as a barrier but doesn't feel soothing at all on chapped lips. The smell is very sweet but not off-putting. I'm currently using this to soften my elbows and around my fingernails and cuticles instead.

 Dr Organic Royal Jelly Lip Serum (£3.10 for 10ml Holland and Barratts)
The packaging states this is a  'intensely regenerating and revitalising' that 'instantly moisturises and restores the condition of the lips.'  I've never tried a lip serum before but  from this description I imagined it would be an intense moisturiser, but I this feels like a very light version of a lip balm.  I loved the smell fruity mango and ginseng and the fact it's organic with lovely ingredients such as organic royal jelly, Shea better, olive oil, African coffee tree oil and mango butter. It's also free from parabens, SLS, harsh preservatives and artificial colours. As far as the packaging goes I loved the tube it's more hygienic, although  stiff at first but then it gets easier to squeeze. However I was really disappointed, on the lips it made my lips feel dehydrated as if I've just eaten salt and vinegar crisps that have made my lips dry and uncomfortable from the salt. It also tingles a little this might be the ginseng or the bioactive effect it claims to have? Overall I would avoid this one.

No 7 Lash Adapt Mascara in Deepest Black (Boots £12.95 for 7ml)
I'm not sure if this is being discontinued or not. I loved this at first, it lengthens, adds volume holds a curl and suitable for sensitive eyes. The wand has a soft bristle brush. No 7 claim that this is a buildable mascara that can be layered without up to 6 times for more volume, which is does with minimal clumping.
The shiny silver packaging is gorgeous, and makes it look more expensive than it actually is.

The problem came when I wore it for my birthday and ended up with panda eyes when I got off the dance floor which ruined my photos, I was really annoyed. This is good enough for everyday use as long as you stay off the dance floor and avoid the gym and humid weather. For the price there are probably better ones out there

.No 7 Extreme length Mascara in Black (Boots mini sized. Full sized £12.50 for 7ml)

This mascara has a plastic bristled brush which No. 7 claim is unique because of it's flexible plastic bristles, it doesn't look different but does help to separate lashes, reducing clumping. No 7 also say that the brush helps to catch the small lashes in the corner but I think having bristles on the tip/head of the brush would be more effective. This mascara doesn't really have much of an impact, it adds a little length but in no way is it extreme. It doesn't give any volume to the lashes either. I would say this suits those who like lashes defined but are after a soft, natural look. This is also hypo-allergenic so suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. However I wouldn't buy again because there are cheaper mascaras out there that have more impact than this.

25 Ways To Get into The Christmas Spirit

As I get older I find it harder to get into the Christmas spirit especially after losing a close family member, so I've put together a list of things to get in the festive mood and enjoy the celebrations.

1. Spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate and tune into Channel 5, Netflix or The Christmas channel for a marathon of Hallmark Christmas movies. If Hallmark movies not your thing (they are quite cheesy) then re-watch your favourites- I recommend ELF or Arthur Christmas. Also check out black and white classic Christmas films on Dailymotion, Youtube or rent via Amazon or Apple. 
2. Make a Christmas wreath- There are loads of helpful tutorials to guide you on Youtube see here.               
3. D.I.Y some baubles using nail polish for a marbling effect (see here.) Or buy some refillable baubles and fill them with feathers, gold star confetti or beads. I also love watching D.I.Y Harry Potter baubles on Youtube. 
4. See a pantomime, musical or ballet show. I've always wanted to see The Nutcracker.
5. Visit winter roof top bars and terraces. 
6. D.I.Y Christmas cards  Look on pintrest for inspiration and how to guides.                           
7. Go ice skating-either the seasonal outdoor skating rinks or local ice rinks
8. Have a go baking gingerbread men, mince pies or Chocolate truffles-they make great gifts.
9. Drink Mulled wine and read a Christmas novel beside a proper fire.
10. Attempt to make a gingerbread house.
11. Create a playlist of festive songs whether it's traditional choir music or classic cheesy songs. Check out my favourite ones here. 
12. Go late night Christmas shopping when all the lights are on. Or check out the big window displays like the ones in Oxford and Regent Street.
13. Go Christmas decoration shopping, I recommend checking out The Range.
14. Buy some Christmas themed bedding try Asda George or Dunelem. 
15. Buy a festive jumper. pajamas, socks or a mug. 
16. Stuck for what to buy friends and family? Read gift guides in magazines, Youtube or blogs to for gift ideas. Write them inside this Christmas planner.
17. Write Christmas cards. I always do this to Christmas music while eating mince pies.
18. Treat Yourself to an advent calendar whether it be a chocolate one, an alcohol version, a candle or beauty calendar.
19. Have a bath with a festive bath bombs like the ones from Lush here.
20. Watch Youtube videos for ideas to buy or D.I.Y Christmas decor. They are also good for ideas on wrapping presents with a festive touch. I like Hermione Chantel's D.I.Y Christmas Tutorials.
21. Take a winter walk whether this be a tour of all the outdoor Christmas lights in your neighbourhood, the annual Christmas lights switch in town or a jaunty walk through fields and fir trees.
22. Paint your nails. Choose glitter, Christmas colours such as red, green and gold or Christmas themed nails such as snowflakes or father Christmas. 
23. Shop at a German or U.K. Christmas market. 
24. Go Carol Singing or attend a carol singing service.
25. Host a tree decorating /trimming party. This is an American tradition but like Black Friday it'll eventually be adopted here. This is a party for friends and family to decorate the tree together while drinking and eating baked cookies, cakes etc.

If you're based in London or are planning a day trip check out the Christmas activities 

Visit Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Attractions include a giant wheel, magical ice kingdom, Christmas markets, a circus and ice rink. For More info see here.

Southbank Winter Festival (Waterloo) You'll find Christmas markets, a Christmas tree maze, express train choir performances and a cider Lodge  see here.

Kew Gardens have a Night time trail.  There's a garden of fire, Santa's grotto and carols. for more info see here.

Go Ice skating in the historic surroundings of Hampton Court Palace (see here) or checkout the ice rink meets nightclub at Somerset House (see here) or at the  Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens there's an ice rink as well as ice carving, a Christmas tree maze, street entertainers and food and drink see here for details.

Go on the London eye at night to see the city in lights or book special tickets with Hotel Chocolate and prosecco. 

Hogwarts In The Snow  Leavesden (near Watford) It's not really London but not far to drive to. I couldn't miss including this Warner Bros Studio Tour where Hogwarts castle is in snow, the great hall is decorated for Christmas and the tour  includes a trip to the special effects department. Hogwarts in the snow tour goes on until 1st February 2015. For further info see here

Carol singing and concert music at  St Martins in the Field  for more information see here

Visit the Ice bar in central London for a winter experience for dinner or drinks see here for more info.

MakeUp Revolution Salvation Palette Run Boy Run & Vivid Blush Lacquer Liquid Blushes Review

Desire- unblended semi dried

These liquid blushes are similar to ELFs HD blushes in their packaging with the air tight pump dispenser. However I haven't tried ELFs HD blush to compare the two. The bottles are small but you only need the tiniest bit. The consistency is a thick slightly creamy liquid (See picture above un-blended) which blends easily so you don't need to use much.- about a quarter of a pea or third of a pea. I've tried various brushes to apply these the best were Bobbi Brown's foundation brush and the Zoeva 122 petit stippling brush. 

However it is so easy to over apply so I make up I have powder or foundation brush to cover any excessive blush. You have to be careful when pushing down the nozzle so that it doesn't give you more than you need and end up wasting the product. Additionally sometimes if it hasn't been used in a while the blush may have dried blocking the so a clean pin is needed to unblock it. These packaging issues aside I really like these. The blushes dry fairly quickly (if you use a small amount) but it does give you enough time to blend them, but once it sets its hard to remove are long wearing. It dries to a matte finish and both are very pigmented but once blended it looks pretty natural on the face but they do show up and I think these colours would suit most skin tones, although black/women of colour may need something darker and brighter. For the price (£3) these are brilliant. They can be found here at Make Up Revolution or at Superdrug Online.

Many of Makeup Revolution's Salvation palettes contain eye shadows that are very similar to each other. I chose Run Boy Run over the others because it was the least similar to the Redemption Iconic 3 palette I'd purchased previously. The Salavation palettes are limited edition palates and Run Boy Run contains a mixture of neutral and brighter colours that are wearable on a day to day basis.

The packaging is simple but looks sophisticated with rose gold lettering on a shiny black case. There seems to be a Charlotte Tilbury rose good lettering trend at the moment. It has a good sized mirror and is bigger than the Sleek and MUA palettes(16cm long by 8cm wide and 1cm thick)  housing many more eye shadows (18 in all). Overall it looks more expensive than it is, a thumbs up for the pretty packaging, something which is often sacrificed in order to maintain a lower price point in budget make up brands. The packaging is sturdy and not too big so would be ideal for travel such as for weekends away, being able to create anything from brown, taupe and pink daytime neutrals, blue, grey,  brown and purple smoky eyes and bright pop of colour with the cranberry 'Break out from Society' shade. I like the mixture of colours as it makes it more versatile to use.

There are 12 shimmer shades and 6 matte shades in the palette. The shimmers are full of pigmentation and are easy to use and pick up on the make up brush. I'm impressed with the longevity of the colours in the first and second row lasting 8 -9  hours, nearly all day on my oily-ish lids without fading and that's without an eye primer! The last row contains six matte shades, from white to warm browns and then cool taupes and a black. These seem to be the neutral shades. The first two shades (Follow Me and Head To The Hills) were difficult to swatch, with Head To The Hills being difficult to show up especially as it's close to my skin colour. These need a primer to stay on and are softer and chalkier than the others, to be honest this row is wearable and usable  but a little bit of a disappointment compared to the amazing quality of the others in the palette.

This is tremendously good value £6 for 18 shades! For the amount of colours and the quality of the shadows (the 6 shades on bottom row aside) you are getting a lot for your buck! Since these are limited edition palettes I'd snap them up while you can.

Salvation Palette Run Boy Run £6 from MakeUp Revolution (which ships internationally) and Superdrug online and instore.

The Autumn Tag

With Autumn now upon us I've decided to have a go answering the autumn tag by the lovely Georgina from Makeup Pixi3. Hopefully it will give you all a chance to get to know me a bit better too!

1. Ok we're talking Coffees what's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/ Coasta/Cafe Nero etc?
The Luxury Hot Chocolate from Cafe Nero, it's so rich and chocolatey its to die for! It's also delicious as a takeaway/contraband drink sneaked into the movies!

2. Accessories - what do you opt for, scarf, boots, gloves? 
It's all about Snoods for me: they're great because there's no trailing scarf and they're harder to lose because the fabric is in a loop. My favourite is Oliver Bonas animal snood. I might look for some touch screen  gloves this year.

3. Music - what's your favourite music to listen to during Autumn? 
I don't really change my music according to season and I only get the Christmas music out a week or two before the big day otherwise it's too much.At the moment I'm listening to a lot of Taylor Swift, Trespassers William, Lissie and Ellie Goulding.

4. Perfume - what's your favourite scent for this time of year?
I generally stick to my signature DNKY Be delicious see my DNKY Be delicious review here

5. Candles - what scents will you be burning this season? 
I don't use candles because it triggers my asthma.

 6. What do you love most about Autumn?
Sunday night period drama wrapped up in a fleece blanket. I also love watching the leaves turning orange and red and yellow. Also seeing conkers because it was a school  obsession when I was growing up so it reminds me of that.

7. Favourite make up look?
In the past it's been a grey/silver smoky eye with pink lipstick but now I'm more adventurous I'm going to start using Maybelline's colour tattoo in Pomegranate  and wear more berry lipstick.
I also love Bobbi Brown's pot rouge (Blush and lip cream)  in powder pink as it gives that flushed just come out from the cold look.

8. What are you looking forward to most in Autumn? 
My birthday and Christmas! Also finding a nice pub in London with a fire to sit and read and start my writing  (I'm in the process of writing a novel) if anyone has any suggestions please let me know in the comments.

The Unsent Letters Of A Make Up Fan

This post is inspired by Gaia at The Non Blonde's hilarious post: Dear You- Unsent Letters, A Very Cranky Edition and I decided to have a go writing letters of my own, only these are mainly fan letters.

Dear Sephora,

I would love you to come to the UK, fall in love and make a home here. I appreciate that you send care packages to the UK but it's not the same. While you have many properties in Europe(9 in total:France,Spain,Italy,Portugal,Romania,Turkey,Czech Republic,Greece and Poland) I live in hope that you will one day also settle here. You don't have to give up your American citizenship.

Have a think, sleep (beautifully) on it,

Love your biggest fan.
____________________________________________________________________

Dear L'oreal Paris,

Please don't be offended but sometimes less is more. Your lipsticks are too perfumed and it can put people off, especially those with allergies. It would be wonderful if you could perhaps have an unscented version or at least tone it down a little, make it a bit more modern and contemporary, we don't all want to smell like little old ladies.

Sorry not sorry,

Bought No. 7 lipsticks instead.
____________________________________________________________________

Dear Lorac,

I have always admired you from afar, from your beautiful Pro Palettes down to your lovely lipsticks. Unfortunately I can't afford the air fare to whisk you back to Britain.Perhaps someday you'll make my dream come true?

Yours hopefully,

A British beauty blogger.

Quick Make Up Collection Declutter

I decided to have a quick clear out of my make up collection, so I rooted through my all my nail polishes and streamlined my eye shadow palettes.  Unfortunately genius that I am I gave away some items before writing this post. While I've conditioned myself like any other beauty blogger to photograph new make up before I use it, I forgot to keep hold of all of these items before I gave them away, so forgive me for the Orly stock photo.

ELF 32 Eye shadow Palette
This was a free gift with my first ever order from ELF, and it actually put me off buying eye shadows from them as the wear time on these is incredibly bad, the shadow just slides off within an hour or less (I have moderately oily lids.)  However paired with a eye primer these last as long as other eye shadows. I don't feel they're good quality and apart from the peach shadow I don't feel I'll miss the other colours. My Smashbox Wondervision Mega palette (holiday 2013) has a lot of similar colours and of better quality.I don't find myself using this palette on a regular basis. The glitter shadows are bad they look cheap and tacky and as if they come from a child's make up palette. Don't get me wrong I'm not hating on ELF- I actually love their long lasting eye shadows and cream shadows I just didn't like this palette.

Sleek  Supreme Eye Shadow Palette
I went through a phase of buying every sleek eye palette release as they are usually very pigmented and good value for money. But after awhile I realised that many of the colours I already had in other palettes and now I only buy those palettes that are truly different from what I have. I find these shades are very ordinary and honestly a bit drab. I'm going to rescue the third shade bottom row for a cheek contour shade and maybe the matte yellowy beige at the end of the row for an natural looking eye shadow base.

MUA Matte Ever After Eye Shadow Palette

I decided to throw this out because many of the shades didn't show up on my skin and I felt the brown shades weren't unique and could be found in other palettes I had.

MUA Lip Pencils in Brooding Plum and Red Drama
These tend to smudge and I have better lip liners in these colours that work better.

Downton Abbey Nail polish in Satin Pink

This came as part of a set and while I felt I would wear the other colours (a red and dark purple) I felt that I wouldn't really wear such a pale pink. I was hoping it would do for a french manicure but I was wrong.

Orly Nail Polish
Unfortunately I gave this away before noting down the colour it was probably Coutry club Khaki or Dare To bare. I actually got this free with a magazine but after experimenting with the Greige trend I felt it wasn't for me, I didn't feel it looked very flattering on my nails.

6 Iconic Perfume Bottles and The Stories Behind Their Design.

 1. Chanel No 5 by Coco Chanel 1921

                                    Source changes made. Right Palace De Vendrome Source

When launching her perfume in 1921, Chanel famously said 'I always launch my collection on the 5th day of the 5th month, so the number 5 seems to bring me luck- therefore I will name it No5.' The abstract name matched the distinctive smell which separated it from the flowery scents with flowery names at the time. Chanel no5 used synthetic ingredients including a blend of rose and ylang ylang that was much less floral.In contrast to the overly decorative perfume bottles at the time Chanel's bottle was very simple and austere. The inspiration for the bottle isn't clear: it is said to be influenced by the whiskey decanter Coco had, others say it was the Charvet toiletry bottle that once belonged to her then-love Captain Arthur 'Boy' Capel. The final design by Jean Helleu didn't deviate much from the squarish shape Chanel had in mind. The clipped corners of the Place de Vendome match the clipped corners of the Chanel bottle.The bottle reached iconic status in Andy Warhol's famous pop art prints and since 1959 it has been on permanent display in New York's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Chanel have even launched No 5 perfume shaped handbags.                          

2. Shalimar designed by & for Raymond   Guerlain 1925 

Right fountains from Shalimar Gardens Source

Shalimar was inspired by the Shalimar gardens in Lahore, Pakistan and the love story of it's royal residents. Part of the Shalimar gardens was commissioned by love-sick Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in 1619 , where he would walk with his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. When Mumtaz died in childbirth three years after her husband succeeded his father to the throne, he built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his wife. Shalimar also means 'temple of love' in Sanskrit. Europe in the 1920's had a fascination with the East, with it's exoticism, khol-eyed beauties, passion and addictive substances. The bottle is inspired by the garden's fountain, the curves are the basin and the blue transparent fan stopper represents gushing water. The bottle was manufactured by Cristal Baccarat (who along with Lalique first turned the perfume flacon into an objet d'art.) The perfume was displayed at the Decorative Arts Exhibition in 1925 and won first prize. Recently the bottle has been redesigned by jewellery designer/socialite Jade Jagger, a more pared down version that doesn't alter drastically from the original. 

3. L'Air Du Temps by Nina Ricci 1948

L'air du Temps was launched in 1948 after World War II, in a spirit of harmonious joy. The conceptual themes are universal peace, purity, freedom and love. The perfume was to represent the symbol of femininity and eternal youth.  L'Air du Temps is also the air that we breathe, the mood of the moment, the reflection of each era. L'Air du Temps… An unequalled moment of emotion.The original bottle of Nina Rici L'air Du Temps was created by Marc Lalique, considered one of the greatest perfume bottle designers of all time who influenced by art noveau made perfume bottles an objet d'art. He worked with Francois Coty, Roger & Gallet,Houbigant, Molyneux and Worth. His design was a sunburst with a frosted glass insert and stopper. Then in 1951 his design changed to two frosted doves ontop of on a swirled flacon/bottle which encapulated the concept of Peace. Limited editions aside the bottle has remained to the present day. The limited and speical editions have all had doves in the design with variations on the number of doves, the color of the doves and the color of the bottle. The exception was in 1996 when Lalique made a winged version of the bottle that did not have the doves see far right above.

4) Classique by Jean paul Gautier 1993

To me this bottle of a woman's body always reminds me of Madonna's pointy gold bra (also designed by Gautier for her Blond Ambition Tour) but this design has roots further back in history. Shaped like a tailors dummy it references the fashion houses dressing famous stars. This design was heavily influenced By Elsa Schiaparelli's 1937 surrealist bottle called Shocking. Shocking was based on Mae West's corseted hourglass figure. Mae West asked Schiaparelli to design her costumes for The 1937 film Every Day's A Holiday. Schiaparelli based in Paris would not travel to Hollywood and West could not go to Paris. A compromised was agreed when a torso with West's measurements was sent to Schiaparelli's Paris Workshop. Incidentally Shocking was Frida Kahlo's favourite perfume. The designer of Jean Paul Gaultier's classique bottle is Saint Gobain, while Gaultier personally designed the boxes.Today a tin can contains Jean Paul Gautier's perfumes, the unusual choice is because Gaultier likes to use everyday objects and turn them into art. The Eau De Toilette is in a frosted glass bottle and a silver metal can, while EDP comes in a bottle dressed in a lacy dress and in golden metal packaging.

 5) CK one by Calvin Klein 1994.

Left Source Middle Source Right source

This perfume epitomises the 90's, appealing to disaffected, sexually ambivalent, grunge generation X. Popularity for this 'new' unisex brand went through the roof. Because the perfume was marketed as as unisex the bottle design was kept very minimalist to appeal to both sexes- Fabien Baron designed a flat screw top bottle, reminiscent of a hip flask or gin bottle keeping the look edgy. The adverts were shot unconventionally in black and white, using moody looking androgynous models to emphasize the unisex brand. Clever marketing on the back of the current zeitgeist ensured CK One broke industry rules and records,  selling 20 bottles per minute at its peak. 

 6) Flower by Kenzo. 2000

Kenzo's artistic director Partrick Geudj wanted the bottle design to be based around a flower because of the floral scent but he also wanted the flower to symbolise peace after being inspired by the photograph above taken by Marc Ribaud during a March for Peace in Vietnam in Washington' (21st October 1967.) It showa a girl holding a flower as she faces a line of soliders holding bayonets guarding the Pentagon. The resulting design by Serge Mansau is a tall narrow glass leaning to the side like a flower in a breeze and a trompe l'oeil image of a flower which makes it look as if there is a flower inside the glass vase bottle. Serge Mansau has also designed Ô by Lancome, Declaration by Cartier, Eau de Rochas or Diorella.