Highend Vs HighStreet TAG

So earlier on this evening I received a tweet from the lovely Heather at http://b3autyjournal.blogspot.co.uk/  asking if I would take part in a new TAG she created over on her blog . I was really happy she asked me to do one, my first TAG!!! So here it is

 

I have chosen to do my Highend Vs Highstreet on Skincare, Heather done hers on MakeUp however my skincare collection overtakes my make up these days :)

1. What is your favourite high end item?
Oooo this has to be my Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser, I got this stuff last year at Gatwick airport, I had about 4 hours to kill for my next flight so Duty Free was just heaven. I had a really bad break out at the time so I went to the Demalogica counter, the staff was so helpful and really analysed my skin. They came to the conclusion my skin is oily to combination with areas of congestion. I use this when my skin isn't at its best in the morning and at bedtime, the cucumber and sage really help soothe away the redness and my skin always feels refreshed and soft. It also doubles as a face mask which is a lovely extra treat. I had the 250ml bottle at £27 but I have to say its well worth the money, I have only just finished it and I will most defiantly be purchasing it again.

2. What is your favourite high street item?
This has to be my favourite everyday cleanser Cetaphil, this stuff is just amazing!! My skin has over the past few months been super sensitive, I have taken a few allergic reactions where the skin on my face has dried up, swelled, itchiness and red. So I needed a cleanser that was really gentle to the skin I also heard this was good for acne which was a bonus for any bad breakouts I had. It doesn't strip the skin, doesn't have much a smell, can be used on most skin types, removes make up and moisturises it is my holy grail product. Its only £8.99 for a 236ml bottle.

3. Name one high end item that was a disappointment/wasn't worth the hype
For me this has to be Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions 3 Step System £30, this set is aimed to give fast and effective treatment to blemished skin. You get a cleansing foam, a clarifying lotion and a clearer moisturiser. For a while I suffered with acne, I'm not going to lie I was so self conscious of it I tried so many different products to treat it when I seen this 3 step system I thought I found the cure to all my problems. The first few weeks it seemed to be working a treat, however after a month or 2 of using it my breakouts were getting worse and my skin just seemed pretty angry at me I had to stop using it. I read so many reviews on how good it was so I was rather disappointed that it didn't work for me :( but hopefully it really has worked for others.

4. Name one high street item that surprised you in terms of how much you love it.
This is a rather odd one, its Aloe Vera Gel 100ml for £3.99 from Holland and Barrett. From having a previous allergic reaction that left my skin so dry I was recommended to give Aloe vera gel a try and my god is this stuff amazing. So amazing that I use it every night after cleansing and before moisturising. It soothes and moisturises the skin, helps dry, chapped skin, stretch marks and skin irritations. It is another must have item I need in the bathroom cupboards at all times.

5. If you could only buy high end or high street for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
This is a tough one as I would normally say high end from the quality of the product however I am finding the high street is catching on and doing many alternatives to the high end products, for that I'm going to choose High street :D

6. What are your best dupes?
The No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make Up Remover at £8.50 I'm pretty sure this is a dupe of the Clarins Instant Eye Make Up Remover £17.00 in the sense that you shake it to mix both parts of the lotion. You just shake it then tab it on cotton wool pad hold it on the eye area for about 10 seconds then wipe away the days make up. I love this stuff, for my dry sensitive skin it works a treat and doesn't irritate my skin!

7. If all of your skincare disappeared, what would be the first 5 products you repurchased (high end or high street)?
Oh gosh well my Dermalogica Cleanser would be the one high end product, Cetaphil, Aloe Vera Gel, Sudocream and my Boots own Simple Sensitive Moisturiser would be my high street products so mostly high street.

8. What is your favourite brand overall (high end or high street)?
Its actually the Superdrug Vitamin E range, my skin always feels pampered using these products and they smell amazing, my mum loves this range and got me into it. Their moisturisers are so lovely to the skin I always have a pot in my bathroom cupboard for when I'm needing that extra boost.

So there you have it, you can tell I'm quite the beauty product junkie haha!
I hope you guys have enjoyed this, feel free to do your own and then comment with your link so I can read them :)

SparklySJ
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images used from weheartit.com

Dr Jart Regenerating Beauty Balm

So recently my skin has decided to turn to the naughty side, I have had some type of reaction round my eye area that the skin around has turned a little red and dry, along with patches of redness and the odd blemish here and there. With this happening I haven't been wearing much foundation purely cause I do want my skin to breath and not feel all covered up. I rummaged in my drawers (teehee) to find something that would give me a bit of coverage to hide the redness but didn't feel too thick like a foundation but more like a moisturiser. Behold I found my Dr Jart Regenerating Beauty Balm 50ml £21.00 this BB Cream is aimed at doing a fab covering for redness and spots while helping your skin to regenerate.

 Dr Jart Regenerating Beauty Balm 50ml £21.00 

I forgot I bought this in the summer on a Boots 3 for 2 offer, I didn't use it much then due to the fact that a had a little bit of a tan and the shade of this is for more of the paler types. However it is now winter and I can fall under the pale category making this stuff perfect for me. It moisturises, it protects with an SPF 30, it calms and soothes the skin covering the redness and any blemishes however I would recommend a little concealer for any of those extra hard to hide spots.

 

It has a rather thick consistency like a thick hydrating moisturiser, a little does go a long way. I only use a small bit of this dot it round my face then I use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush £11.99 just in circular motions round my face if I feel I need a little more I will just a dap a little more of the BB Cream to those sections working it in the skin with the brush to help create a natural flawless complexion.

I have felt using this has helped my skin feel less dry and the redness is almost gone. Although this item is a tad on the expensive side a little really does go along way. You could always mix it in with a little foundation if the shade is too light.

Hope this helps you guys, if anyone else is having bit of skin drama due to this weather changing leave a comment below with what you have been using. I will also put up a post with the other items I have been using to help my skin survive these colder conditions.

Have a fabulous weekend

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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The IN Thing

This November its all about staying IN! So last night I took part in Cancer Research The IN Thing. My friend Rachel decided to sign up and throw her own Girls Night In all in aid for Cancer Research. Basically a bunch of us girls got together in our onesie's ate Chinese food, watched Chalet Girl (yummy Ed Westwick) and played a few games of UNO.  And you put in a donation of what you would spend on a night out ie on drinks and taxis and the money goes towards Cancer Research. Rachel also had up posters on facts and information about Cancer Research and how we can help beat cancer, along with some fun pink balloons which little Winston took a shining too. We all had such a fun time and a good giggle, it was nice doing something fun for such a good cause.

If your interested in throwing your own girls night in all in aid for a good cause click the link and register, I thoroughly recommend it http://support.cancerresearchuk.org/support-us/do-your-own-fundraising/the-in-thing

Image from The IN Thing site

Here are a few photos from the night to share with you guys.

Yummy Chinese food watching the ever so yummy Ed Westwick

 

Emma and Mel

 

Midge and Lyndsey

 

Our beautiful Hostess Rachel

 

myself in my Totoro onesie

 

Winston was loving the attention from the ladies

 

 

cheeky selfie

 

Just in case you guys weren't sure what my oneise was its Totoro from The Studio Ghibli film My Neighbour Totoro, one my favourite films.

I'm gonna say it again we had such a good time and all for a good cause you guys should totally join in and together we can beat cancer!

Also to top off the end of my week I am super super super excited that my boyfriend got us 2 tickets to see the ever so amazaziiiing KATY PERRY!!! Next year in Glasgow. I have loved Katy Perry for a while now but recently my love for her has become borderline obsessive (I'm not afraid to admit it) so when he managed to get these with 02 Priorities (cue singing Don Broco "Priorities") I was beyond ecstatic dancing and singing around the flat haha Only 175 days to go! Woooo!!

 

Hope you guys have an amazing weekend, let me know if any of you guys got tickets to see the beautiful Katy Perry or if you have seen her before. Also let me know if you have had your own girls night in :)

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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Avon Nailwear Pro+ Diamond Nail Enamel

Now I don't know about you but I do appreciate a good nail polish and I personally feel that Avon never seem to disappoint me. So when I seen Nailwear Pro+ Diamond Nail Enamel "ultra glossy nail polish containing diamond dust" I was a sucker for its sparklyness in the booky. I went for the shade Night Violet and I am just in love with it. Its a lovely berry shade which is perfect for this time of year with its little shimmers from the diamond dust. Its nice that its not full on sparkle and it is just a lovely subtle one that you could possibly wear during the day as well as night time.

                                                  I love the shape of the bottle.

                                                  Its a lovely deep purple shade.

   Here's a photo with the flash on so you can see the lovely sparklyness this nail polish has.

The polish comes in 6 shades including my lovely purple one, I am toying with the idea on getting another one in another colour as I do love it that much. At the moment you can find this in Avon books or on their website which you can shop on although you do have to sign up first. Just now these nail polishes are only £4 (bargain!) in brochure 18 but normally will cost £6 which I still think is not a bad price for nail polish these days.

If there's any nail polishes that you like and what shades you leave please feel free to comment below I do love any suggestions on some new ones.

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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Avon SuperShock Mascara

So recently I seen on the bbloggers twitter feed a lot of bloggers asking about others favourite mascara as they either need a new one or are not loving the one they are using. When I see these tweets I always comment mentioning my favourite is Avons Supershock. I have always had a tube of this in my make up bag or in my vanity case for years (obviously not the same one) whenever I have been adventurous and tried some well known drugstore brands ones I always go back to Avon. I always have it in a black shade although I have heard that brown mascaras are ment to be good for blue eyes. Here is my review on this bad boy.

 

The packaging I have this time is a limited edition one which they do tend to take out every now and then but the SuperShock has always been the same. The wands got lots of little plastic bristles almost like a tiny comb that goes all the way round, with there being so many of the little bristles it is just like combing your eyelashes . I like to start at the root and then wiggle the wand out to the tops of my lashes. I do always tend to do more than one coat, usually about 2 or 3.

 

 

Before

 

 

 

After

 

I do find this mascara is amazing it really opens up my eyes. I do apologise about the state of my brows in these pics haha and my hairs a tad messy but I hope I managed to show you the difference my eyes have with just a lick of mascara.

 

The SuperShock Mascara is normally about £10 but I always tend to buy when its on offer or The SuperShock Max which is another beaut of a mascara. This stuff really is my favourite by a long shot cant recommend it further.

 

Have a fab day guys.

 

Lovies

SparklySJ

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No7 Match Made In Heaven

A few weeks ago I ran out of my favourite foundation Revlon Colour Stay, now normally I would go marching down to Boots and purchase another bottle asap but instead I was rather adventurous and went along to the No7 counter and thought I would give the the Match Made service a go. This is where they take a little machine and place it on an area of you're skin (on your face of course) and it scans the area resulting in a perfect shade of foundation for you. I thought this is far to good to be true so I went along spoke to the lady on the counter, she assured me that we can also try a few little testers as well to see which one I found that better suit my skin type and shade. 
 

 
 
I explained that I have oily skin and can also suffer from the odd break out here and there, to this she recommended the Beautifully Matte Foundation £12.95 in my shade Cool Vanilla. This foundation is aimed to balance oil and minimise the appearance of pores. I thought that sounded fantastic the matte appealed to me also as I do work in a place that can get pretty hot and I didn't want my foundation dripping off my face. An even better pro to this foundation is it also contains salicylic acid to help unblock those nasty pores and help improve the overall condition of our skin. It gives a medium to full coverage which is fantastic, its hypoallergenic which I also find to be a bit of a pro too as my skin can be super sensitive and it has an SPF 15 to help keep our skin protected and is supposedly ment to last up too 14 hours wear time. I haven't worn it for longer than 12 hours but I have noticed that when I remove my make up at night it is still there. The texture of this foundation is lovely its not to thick and not runny its just perfect and a little does really go along way. When I apply it I use the Real Techniques Buffing Brush which was the Core Collection Set you can get in Boots or can find them a bitty cheaper on sites like Amazon or I heard Asda do them cheaper as well. The coverage I get using the foundation and the brush is lovely flawless look. I could not recommend this stuff more. 

                               No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation £12.95

Once I had the foundation I thought well I may as well get the Match Made Concealer £7.50 in same shade Cool Vanilla too so I'm all matchy matchy :D. The concealer is in a stick form that just twists up like a lipstick and it gives a lovely flawless cover to any little breakouts I have. I also use it to hide any bags under my eyes on days they look rather darker than normal. The texture is lovely and creamy its very easy to apply and is said to last up to 16 hours!

                               No7 Match Made Concealer £7.50

                         Concealer on the left & Foundation on the right

Now in the little town I live in believe it or not we happen to have 3 Boots stores all different sizes however they all stock No7, I went to the one in our little retail park as the counter is right by the window. Whenever I try foundations I test it along my jawline and then go outside with a friend or my mum and see if it matches my skin tone as I don't want the line of where my make starts on my jawline up to where it ends by my hairline I like it all to blend in well. With this stores counter being by the window I had natural light coming through which was better for me to tell that it did suit my skin not just in the stores artificial lighting but also in natural lighting as well. So my tip would be have someone with you who can help you out and check indoors and outdoors.

So if anyone reading this is coming to the end of their foundation and is thinking on trying something different that hasn't tried the Match Made Service I thoroughly recommend it. I am in love with these 2 products they work so well together and really do give me such a flawless coverage, they quite possibly will be my new must haves!

Hope everyone's having a lovely Saturday. Feel free to comment maybe you have tried a new foundation did you love it or even if you hate it? You can also follow me if you would like to keep up to date on any new posts :)

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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Hi Guys

Hello Everyone I hope your all well and looking forward to the weekend. I have been a little quiet this week to which I do apologise, this week has gone crazy fast for me and been tad stressful on some fronts. I have a list of blogs to post so within the next few days they shall be up so keep your eyes peeled for that. This week has consisted of working, driving lesson, studying theory, my knee locking twice which is so painful when it does I end up hobbling around all evening, I dropped my phone in my soup but its all good it seems to be working now but my god did I panic, I had a little bit of a cock up organising my works staff night out but it is all sorted now....I hope. Then to top it off little Winston was poorly yesterday I was so worried about him, I swear I'm worse than a parent. We got him to the vets and he was ok it was just a poorly tummy he is now back to his normal self and wont leave my side. Today I have the day off as one of my closest friend Becky and I have been invited to our gay friends wedding/ civil partnership ceremony. I have so much to do before we go to that but before I get started with them I thought I would leave a little post to just check in with some photos from the week.

My Latest in Beauty Box The Glamour Beauty Edit

 

This fab box of treats arrived in the post this week which I am super excited to try all the goodies out over the next few days then I will put up a post reviewing these bad boys.

 

 

My face all ready for a days work, working the dark lip look I will be reviewing the lip liner and the lipstick I use here as they are very much my new favourites.

 

 

And lastly here is my poorly baby all curled up sleeping, I'm so glad he is feeling better.

 

Most these Images are also up on my Instagram you can give me a follow there if you like I'm under SparklySJ

 

Sorry about the short post guys, as I said there will be more posts up within the next few days. This post is just me popping by saying Hi.

 

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

 

Lots of Love

SparklySJ

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If You Go Down To The Woods Today

This weekend my boyfriend Gordee and I decided to try and be a bit more healthier and active. By doing this we went for a winter walk in the woods. There is nothing better than going out there and getting some fresh air in those lungs with the wind blowing through your hair and having rosy cheeks. Plus the endorphins you get is just awesome, we both felt really good afterwards knowing that instead of sitting in the flat watching movies the whole weekend we actually done something productive. I love going to places I haven't been before and taking in the scenery, living up in Scotland sometimes I don't realise how pretty this place is that when I do I instantly fall in love with it all over again. Even though I can have a moan that there's not many shops where I live I do appreciate the scenery! I thought I would share with you guys some of the photos we took on our adventures.

 

Hope you like the snaps :)

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and maybe this has inspired you to go out on your own adventure walks.

SparklySJ
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Wakey Wakey

Now that winter is well on its way my skin tends to look little dull and lifeless, needing a little bit of a pick me up. I bought 2 products from The Body Shop which well and truly do the trick!!

These 2 beauties are from the Vitamin C range, since the clocks have changed and the dark nights have come creeping in my skin has just be needing that bit of zing to brighten me up.

To start we are talking Microdermabrasion this is a light exfoliator that aims to remove dead skin cells and improve skins appearance leaving it soft and smooth, It smells lovely and citrusy (if that's even a word). I use this twice a week which is what's recommended on the bottle, usually at night when I have removed my make up and cleansed my face. You only need a pea sized amount, apply to a wet face and use circular motions round the face and neck then simply rinse off. I have noticed a good difference in my skins radiance since using this over the past few weeks.

                                                   Vitamin C Microdermabrasion £13.00

My next wake up skin product is the Skin Reviver, now I have been using this stuff for about 4 months and I just love it!! It aims to be an instant radiance booster to smooth the skin and enhance its natural glow. Its texture is light almost like a serum and again it smells lovely with citrusy zestiness. You apply it to the skin after your moisturiser it can be worn alone or under make up. Now I used to use Benefits Porefessional for my make up primer but when I ran out I couldn't exactly afford to rush off to my closest Benefit counter and get another one but then I remembered this stuff does the same job and if I'm perfectly honest I do prefer the Skin Reviver very much!

                                                    Vitamin C Skin Reviver £14.00

If you guys have any skin care items that you use to help revitalise you're skin in these dull dark times I would love to hear, or if you want to leave some feedback that would be lovely just leave a comment below.

Thank You
SparklySJ
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Dry Lips? fear not I have the perfect remedy

Hello! Happy Wednesday one of my favourite days as its the middle of the week which means only 2 more working days till its the weekend. Hope everyone is having a good week so far.

This blog post I'm going to share with you what I use to keep my lips tip top this winter.

                                              
So as winter is fast on its way the temperature change can make quite the affect on our skin. I don't know about you but I have already changed my skincare routine in prep for this cold winter. One thing that I do tend to get in winter is dry chapped lips. Well I have found the perfect items to help keep my lips looking luscious! and thought I would share with you all.

At bedtime is usually when I spend extra time and care after the long day and this is when I use my Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub £5.50 this stuff is just genius you rub it on you lips scrubbing away the dead skin and flakiness with your finger or an old toothbrush it contains castor sugar for the scrubbing and jojoba oil to help keep them moisturised then lick off the excess sugary scrub and it leaves your lips soft and smooth plus it tastes amaziiiing! You can get them in many different flavours but this is by far my favourite even the boyfriend loves it.

                                                       Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub £5.50

After I scrub away I apply lip balm the one I have by my bed is the nspa in candyfloss which I cant find the price of as it was in a Christmas present I got from my mum last year. I just love the smell of this stuff its just perfect after using the bubblegum scrub.

During the day I always have a tin of Vaseline in my bag, at the moment I have the limited edition Pink Bubbly which is just like your normal Vaseline petroleum jelly but has a sort of rose scent to it, I love how moisturised my lips are when I use this. Prices of Vaseline range from £1.99 to limited editions being around the £3.50 mark. You get a range of about 4 different types which is great, one of my favourites is the shea butter one. 

That's all for me today thanks for reading this if you want to leave any comments or feedback that would be fab!

Lots of lovies
SparklySJ
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Christmas Shopping

Morning!! Cant believe its Monday already where has the weekend gone? Hope everyone had a lovely one.

So winter is well on its way which means Christmas is coming!! So this little blog post is all about Christmas shopping, now this is either a fun task or is a dreaded one. I am one of those who loves Christmas shopping however I do not enjoy the busy bustling and the pushing the shoving in the big shops. Seeing as how I live in a rather small town there isn't that may shops to choose from to do your big Christmas shop but when I do go out its usually on a break from work when the shops aren't crazy busy like at the weekends.

I'm going to share with you my top tips on getting that shopping done!

To start off I make a list of every person I need to buy presents for from my family to my friends, next to each name I write an idea I have for them if I have one and then once I have bought it I will either tick it off or score it out and write what I bought instead. Another thing I tend to do is before I start I will check my bank balance as I have bills to pay also like rent, gas, electric, council tax all those dreaded grown up things, and will then work out what needs to be paid and write down a rough estimate on a budget for all those presents.

When I work Monday to Friday the thought of going round all the shops at the weekend is just a giant headache. So I happen to find online shopping super handy, I also write down the total from each site I have gone on to make sure I am still in that budget.

I'm going to share with you guys some of my favourite websites where I get some good presents from.

A great site for beauty products of gifts sets which you can get at bargain prices is
www.fragrancedirect.co.uk and of course another favourite of mine is http://www.boots.com/ where they have such a wide range of presents for everyone out there plus the added fact that their on 3 for 2 is just a fab bargain when you want to try and do it on the cheaper side. If your really stuck for ideas a great site I use is http://www.campusgifts.co.uk/ they have fantastic items on there ranging from home items to handbags, I tend to use this site a lot for birthday presents so coming up to Christmas I will be on it a lot more. I have also spent many times on http://www.internetgiftstore.com/ which is a site that's like Campus Gifts but each site has items and brands that the other doesn't so I do tend to jump back and forth on to both sites. There is also the usual sites to go on to like http://www.amazon.co.uk/ or if you have a specific idea in mind for someone but the price tag is rather a tad pricey you can always have a good look on http://www.ebay.co.uk/.

I hope this is somewhat helpful for the Christmas shoppers out there, let me know if you have any sites for good present ideas I do love a good website browse.

Thanks so much for reading this post, comment or a follow would be lovely :)

SparklySJ
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images used are from weheartit