Soap & Glory Peach Party

Hellooooo!!

How are you guys? Hope your all well and happy 

Now I have gone on and on about my love for Soap & Glory products since I started up this blog and I realise that majority of the products I have are skincare or bodycare. So I took a little dip into the adventurous pool and treated myself to a make up item. 

There is actually quite a bit of make up to choose from this range but I decided to go for a blush as I only really have 1 or 2 and I wanted to add a new one with a bit of a bronze for summer! So with all that in mind I decided to go for Peach Party, a beautiful blush brick with 3 different shades that are bronze, gold and a rosey pink. It looks so pretty I almost don't want to use it. I have been using this for the past few weeks and I love the result it gives on my cheeks. I use my Real Techniques Blush Brush and I only lightly dab it on one side then blend it in the apples of my cheeks. As I have been using this just as a day look I haven't gone wild on the shimmer for highlighting yet but I thought I would show you the results for the look I have been going with it.

Soap and Glory Peach Party Multi-Colour Blush Brick £11.00

It adds a lovely healthy glow to the cheeks, this is becoming quite the staple in my make up bag these days :)

Have you guys tried any of the make up from Soap & Glory? is there any products that you would recommend?

Hope you guys enjoyed this post

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

The other week I was in Boots and I couldn't help myself but to add another brush to my Real Techniques collection. 

The brush I went for was the Expert Face Brush £9.99, I wanted to go for a brush that blends my foundation into my skin really well. I have been finding that some times my foundation has really needed to be worked into my skin for it to be all blended and not looking that it's just sitting on my face. So with this one I take one pump of foundation on the back of my hand and take the brush, just dab a little of foundation onto one side of the brush. Starting from my cheeks I start to blend the foundation outwards then a little on my forehead and chin again working outwards. So far so good, there's no streaky marks from the bristles which by the way are super soft on the skin, it blends in foundation really well and even better my foundation doesn't look like its sitting on my face. I love this brush!!!

Have you guys tried any of the Real Techniques brushes? is there any others that you would recommend.

Hope you guys have enjoyed this post.

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser

So I have been rambling on about my 3 for 2 goodies I recently got in Boots. My first was an Essie Nail Polish which you can check out here and the other was Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Body Lotion which you can check out here. As I stated in the last 2 posts I wasn't going to do a haul post for you but I will do a review instead on each product. And today is my 3rd aka my freebie.

So for my freebie I decided to go for something that's been calling my name to try out for the past few months and its the Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser, sounds crazy doesn't it a body moisture you apply while still in the shower? What madness? There is various different types you can choose from so I went for Cocoa Butter as I have a bit of a thing for that smell right now. Basically while in the shower after you have washed with your choice of body wash (Soap & Glory) while skins still wet you apply this genius product all over and then simply rinse off. Making it super handy if your in a bit of a rush in the mornings and don't really have the time to apply your normal body lotion as lets be honest sometimes it can take up a bit of our time, I know I take my time applying mine. Well with this product after you have rinsed it all off you can then simply dry off and get dressed with your skin feeling all super silky soft without having any stickiness. The smell of this product is just lovely, as I said I have a bit of a thing right now for Cocoa Butter, the packaging is nice and simple you can just squeeze out the right amount of lotion you need and your skin is left feeling lovely and soft. The only warning that I will mention about this product is that this product can leave your bath or shower a bit slippy. I myself haven't had any problem with that, it is mentioned on the bottle to just be a bit careful. I love using this product and I would recommend, its quick and easy and smells gooood.

Have you guys tried out this product? What was your thoughts on it?

Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser £2.37

I hope you guys have enjoyed my little reviews on my recent Boots purchases apart of their 3 for 2 Deal that went on through March, I do apologise its taken me this long to finish up the reviews, blame moving house and lack of internet connection.

Love you guys

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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Soap & Glory Smoothie Star

So as you may have or may not have noticed I recently posted that I moved house with my boyfriend, before my last post I mentioned Boots had a wonderful offer on the 3 for 2, I am going to continue the review on the products I purchased and this post will all be about the second item I got.The first item I have reviewed was Essie nail polish in Tart Deco you can read the review here.

My second item had to be a Soap & Glory product! Whenever 3 for 2 offers are on at Boots you are mad to not take up that opportunity and buy yourself something from the Soap & Glory range. So when I went to my local Boots range I couldn't decide what item to get. Thanks to Christmas I have about 6 little bottles of shower gel, 4 tubes of hand cream and about 5 little pots of body butter. Seen as how winter is slowly going and Spring/Summer is on its way I figured I should take care more of my body and moisturise it every morning after my shower. That in mind I decided on getting a body lotion I don't want something that's thick like the butters I wanted something that's not too thick and soaks in to the skin pretty quick so I can then just put on my clothes for the day. What appealed to me about Smoothie Star first was that it was in a pump bottle which I find a lot handier than squeezing it out of tubes, second of course was the packaging the pink and girlyness that is Soap & Glory and lastly the description of the product being a deep moisture body milk with Almond, Cocoa, Yogurt, Oat & Honey!! I know what your thinking.....OMG!! The scent of this stuff is amazeballs, now I'm normally not a fan of anything that smells edible but my gosh this stuff is just heaven and what it does to your skin wow my skin has never been as silky and soft, the past week I have been using this everyday and my goodness. The consistency of the product is what you would normally expect from any other body lotion, not too thick, easy to apply and soaks in pretty fast without leaving you with a sort of sticky feeling. Its in a massive 500ml bottle so its gonna last you a long time! I will say if you aren't a fan of your lotions and potions smelling like something you just want to eat I wouldn't recommend it for you as the scent is rather strong and it does linger which is a bonus for us lovers that want to smell edible but a down side to those that don't, sorry! Other than that I thoroughly  recommend this stuff. 5 out of 5 from me!

Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Body Lotion £10.00

Hope you lovely lot enjoyed this post, have you tried any Soap & Glory products? whats your favourite?

That's all from me today I hope you are all well and happy, enjoying life!!

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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Essie Nail Polish Tart Deco

 

So Boots 3 for 2 offer is making quite the dent in a lot of bloggers bank account right now and I am loving seeing all the haul posts on what everyone has treated themselves too. I have been pretty good and only treated myself to a few new items to try. So instead of doing a haul on all the items I am going to test out the products first and then do a review on each item.

 

First up had to be a new Essie polish and I was torn between all their shades, now I am a sucker for a Coral shade and with the thought of Spring/Summer coming I had thought a lovely Coral shade would be perfect! Not only is it a lovely warm bright colourful shade it goes with most skin shades from rather fair skin to beautiful tanned skin (perfect for summer if we get the sun this year). I don't own an Essie polish in Coral so I had my mind set on what I wanted which cut my decision time in half, honestly guys I don't know about you but I am at the Essie stand for aaaaages trying to decide. Tart Deco is the one that stood out most for me as I was looking for one not too light I wanted one that packed a bit of a punch on the bright coral side and this does not let me down. In certain lights its a lovely light coral shade and then in others its this bright deep orange coral shade, its just so lovely!! I even managed to keep this on the nails for just about 4 days before noticing any massive chips which is pretty good for me. So this defiantly gets a thumbs up from me.

 

Essie Tart Deco £7.99

 

 

 

Have you guys been treating yourself to any new nail polishes? any new shades for Spring/Summer? Leave me a comment below I would love to see what you got

 

That's all from me I hope you are all well :)

 

Lots of Lovies

SparklySJ

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My Evening Skincare Routine!

So I have already shared with you wonderful lot my morning skincare routine that I figured I best show you what products I use on an evening. Evening skincare has to be my favourite as I always feel like Im giving my skin a mini pamper. So lets get started!!

If its a day where I have quite a bit of eye make up on I use The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Remover £8.00 I just shake it up and down so the 2 liquids mix in together then get a cotton pad using just a small amount of the liquid  I place the pad on my eyes then wipe away the make up. After this I use The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter £12.00 to remove the rest of my make up, I love this stuff. You just apply it on a dry face apply the product to your fingers then massage round the face seeing the make up melt away I then rinse off with a muslin cloth and warm water. After removing my make up I take my Cetaphil cleanser £8.99 use 2 pumps on a cotton pad and work it into my skin.

Once I have done all my cleansing I use Superdrugs Optimum Swiss Apple Overnight Skin Renewal Serum £14.99  by just applying 2 pumps on to my fingers then using circular motions massaging in to my face and neck. I then apply my Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream £2.99 this is a lovely thick luxurious cream perfect for bed time. Then I use my eye cream, I am currently using 2 so I decide on the night which one I use, during the day I use Boots Vitamin E Gentle Eye Cream £2.54 so sometimes I will use it again at night. My other option is Superdrugs Optimum Super Antioxidant Grape Ultra Protecting Eye Cream £9.99. I just use a small amount dotting the product around my eye area then massaging it in. After I have done all that I use a lip balm or butter to help keep the lips moisturised, I am currently using an nspa one in coconut ice which I received in a Christmas present.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, these are the items I am currently using and that seem to be doing the trick to helping keep my skin healthy. Which products do you swear by for your evening routine?

That's all from me

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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My Morning Skincare Routine!

  

Hello you beautiful lot

I thought I would show you guys my morning skincare routine, I have pretty temperamental skin that can be oily, sensitive and dry but these products I have been using recently as part of my routine have sure done my skin some good. I haven't had any random patches of dry skin lately or had any recent break outs including allergic reactions. At the moment I have some pretty happy skin which makes a very happy SJ!! So I figured why not share with you beauty's what I use.
 
So to start off when I'm in the shower I use Soap and Glory's Peaches and Clean 3-in-1 deep purifying cleanser £8.00 to waken up my skin I use just one pump and work it into my face using circular motions and then wash off. Once I'm finished in the shower I use my Cetaphil cleanser £8.99, Yes I use 2 cleansers but I like the soap and glory one to waken my face up in the morning and then I use Cetaphil for cleansing properly, you don't need to cleanse twice this has just worked for me. For the Cetaphil I either use one pump and work it into my skin then rinse off or I use one pump on a cotton pad massaging it into my face.

Once I have double cleansed I then tone using The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Toner £8.00 using just a small amount on a cotton pad working round my face. For the eyes to keep them hydrated and fighting away those pesky wrinkles I use Boots Vitamin E Gentle Eye Cream £2.54 where I use just a small amount dotting it around the eye area massaging it in. I finish off with my Superdrug Vitamin E Day Cream £2.99 I dot this cream on my chin, forehead and cheeks then working it into my skin, this stuff smells lovely and is super moisturising I love this range its so cheap and great to my skin.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post.

Catch you all soon

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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Whats in my MakeUp Bag!!

I used to store all my make up in a drawer and I would spend ages rummaging around looking for a certain product, so I decided to invest in a good sized organised make up bag and keep in it the products I use all the time. I will be changing it up every now and then but for now I thought I would show you wonderful lot what is in my bag at this current time.

The make up bag zips open all the way round and inside is a organiser clip that holds 2 other little make up bags one is mesh type material and the other is in the same material as the main bag. There is another section on the right which has pockets to hold make up brushes and another big pocket then on the left is one main pocket.

 The pocket on the right is where I am keeping my current favourite eye shadows, my little bottle of Benefit highbeam and a pot of soap and glory lip balm.

 

 

 In the clear mesh material bag I keep my 2 go to foundations which are my No7 Beautifully matte and the Rimmel Match Perfection which I really must do a review on as its so good. I also keep 4 concealers!!! 2 are from the collection lasting perfection range just one lighter shade than the other. I have my No7 one that has been colour matched along with my foundation and Seventeens Phwoarr Paint which is awesome for tired eyes!

 

 

The little material bag is where I keep my eye make up, I have my eye pencil sharpener, 2 mascaras my beloved Avon SuperShock and another one I love for my less make up days the L'Oreal False Lash Flutter. Eyeliner wise I have in pencil form the Benefit BadGAL waterproof pencil in black and the Rimmel Exaggerate eye liner in liquid form also in black. For the brows we have my Rimmel pencil and the Maybelline master shape pencil.

 

 

Finally in the left pocket I am keeping my Oriflame Studio Artist Loose Powder which is a white powder that you place on top of your make up to set your foundation. Avon Calming Effects powder foundation and the Avon Kabuki brush this stuff is my current fave at the moment which I am going to do a review on as its that good!!! For a good pink cheek I have my Maybelline dream mousse blush in dolly pink for a healthy flushed cheek.

 

 

I hope you guys have enjoyed this post, I would love to read your comments and I will reply to them.

 

That's all from me today hope your all well and happy :)

 

Lots of Lovies

SparklySJ

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Check In Tuesday #5

Hi Guys

Its time for another Check In with you beautiful bunch, I hope you are all well and happy :)

• My laptop has been fixed Yay!!! There is still a few little glitches with it but I am on to working them out so the good news is that I can finally get back in to blogging. I'm so happy its fixed.
• I have finished my Vampire Diaries binge :( So now I'm a little stuck, over here in the UK Season 5 has already started so I cant catch up which means the wait begins for Season 5 to go on to Netflix.
• Since finishing my binge on Netflix I have started watching good old Buffy but only the odd episode here and there, I'm not hooked yet haha.
• I have started my book again and I am finally getting back into it, I forgot how much I liked it that I am determined to read a bit each day.
• I have also been enjoying my past few driving lessons and I am now feeling pretty positive about it and feeling that I CAN do this!!! So I need to pass my theory, I have been reading my theory books and doing practise tests on my laptop and I am doing not bad.
• On the home front we may have a possible new place to live we are waiting to sign the contract before getting all excited, I think I will do a possible post on some home inspirations.
• Boots 3 for 2 is killing my bank balance at the moment haha I have been treating myself to plenty body lotions and potions but I decided yesterday was my last trip of this offer so no more spending in Boots for a while which is going to be hard considering its my birthday month and I received in the post from Boots a double points card you can use the entire month of your birthday.
• My birthday is coming up!!! Yay!!! and I will be turning 25 I don't think I will do a wish list post as I'm happy with money or gift cards.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post leave me a comment if you like tell me what you have been up too I would love to hear from you.

Catch you guys laters

Lots of Lovies
SparklySJ
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Super Facialist By Una Brennan Clay Mask

Hello Everyone hope you are all doing well and having a good week?

So a few weeks ago I blogged about a few recent Boots purchases you can check it out here. Some of the products I had never used before and I did say that I would review them once I have tried them out. This post is going to be all about the Super Facialist Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask By Una Brennan (what a mouth full) its in a 125ml tube and it costs around £8.99.

With this product I wanted to try it out a couple of times before I reviewed it. Now I'm not sure about you guys but I like to have a face mask once during the week mainly a Wednesday and then I have another at the weekend usually a Sunday. I just find it lovely and relaxing I tend to just lie down on my bed for 5-10 minutes after applying the mask just chilling out or I'm having a nice soak in the bath listening to some chilled out music with some nice smelly candles burning away.

Now with the Tea Flower Deep Clean Mask (we will call it that for short) what appealed to me was that on the front it said that it was " A detoxifying mask to unclog pores and restore skins balance" I figured with the nasty cold weather my skins been faced with recently it could probably do with a good restore in balance. When I then carried on reading the back of the tube I discovered it also contained salicylic acid which has been proven to help congested skin and I can suffer from time to time I thought Bonus! Then you read on to see that its Dead Sea Mud is rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron!!! Could it get any better?! Yes! it most certainly does it also contains avocado oil which is also rich in Vitamins A,D and E!! I couldn't help myself I was looking for a new face mask and this was bursting with so much potential. 

Front & Back of the Tea Flower Clay Mask 

I have been using this mask now for about 3 weeks now so that's about 6 times I have tried it out and its safe to say it does not disappoint, I am in LOVE with this mask. With all it's lovely ingredients it smells gorgeous and it leaves you with such soft skin. I tend to use mine in the evening, I take all my make up off with my cleanser even if I don't have any make up on I will still cleanse it before applying the mask. It has a nice thick creamy consistency its not a very flattering colour with its green grayish clay haha I try not to put it on when Gordee's home but when I do have it on I do get some funny looks from the cat. It does say to apply a generous amount so I like to slap it on my face then just lie back and relax even the smell of the clay makes you feel more chilled out. I always love the feeling of the masks hardening on your skin that way I feel it is actually doing something, once my times up and the mask has hardened I go and wash it off with warm water. Taking it off can be a bit more time consuming I usually soak my flat surface face sponges and move it round in circular motions rinsing out the sponges a couple of times inbetween to get all the mask off. Once its all washed off boy does my skin feel super duper soft and smelling bootyfull!!! I have also noticed quite a difference in my skin using this mask it looks a lot healthier and feels it too. Could not recommend this enough. 5 stars from me :)

Its a thick and creamy clay mask and it smells loverly!

Me all masked up with a silly looking face :P

Have you guys tried out this mask? What did you think of it? or is there any other masks that you could recommend I would love to read your comments.

In the mean time have a lovely day!

Lots of Lovies

SparklySJ

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Maybelline Baby Skin Review!

Hiya fellow bloggers and blog readers :)

Today's post is all about the much raved about Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser!! seeing all the hype over this little tube on my Instagram feeds made me more and more curious to try it out. So I did what needed to be done and bought it!

To start off how adorable is the packaging? I love the colour's they are so eye catching and just looks Oooo exciting! With its baby blue (almost turquoise I find in some light) tube and the name baby skin in a bold pink colour it just looks inviting. It even has Only for Adults at the bottom of the tube!

So the name kind of gives the idea of what this product is aiming for, in giving you smooth soft baby like skin, giving you a matte finish. With its gel texture (thats right gel!)  helping to vanish pores and leave your skin feeling light and looking poreless.

Maybelline Baby Skin gel texture

So having used a few different primers I was very excited to try this one out. In its little 22ml tube costing around £7.99  you only need a little amount so it will last you a long time. I start off by squeezing the clear gel and dotting it on my forehead, cheeks and chin then I smooth it all out and round my face blurring away any sight of my pores leaving me with a smooth soft surface ready to apply my make up. I have found that using this product defiantly helps my make up last longer throughout the day, I cant say its worth repurchasing as I haven't noticed a huge difference using it in comparison to any other primers I have tried. All in all its a lovely packaged product and it does what it says :) it smooths the skin giving you a fab base for make up or even if you wanted a make up free day.

Have you guys tried this out? Whats your thoughts on it?

Lots of Lovies

SparklySJ

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L'oreal Paris True Match Foundation and Powder Review!!

Goooood morning/ afternoon/ evening you lovely lot, hope your week is going good. Mines going pretty quick, cant believe we are almost at the end of January already! Its crazy!

Anyway this post's title pretty much sums up what I'm going to be jabbering on about today and its the L'Oreal True Match Foundation and Powder. 

As I mentioned in my previous post I'm going to try out more make up items this year, see if i can come across any new holy grail products. So I thought I would start with base products like primers, foundations, concealers and powder. 

To start it off we are going with the L'oreal True Match duo. Lets start with the foundation now at £9.99 in such a lovely packaged bottle you be mad to not try this out right? With it claiming to give the best natural, close to skin tone coverage without caking it just sounds too good to be true. Its light texture means you can also build up coverage for a "made to measure finish". Reading all this and hearing such fab reviews it had to be bought to try out. As Im still rather pale I went for shade Golden Ivory.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Golden Ivory

Blended in :)

Applying the foundation I found it really light and a bit runny in texture, I tried applying it first with my real techniques foundation brush but it was leaving brush mark strokes so I swapped over to my buffing brush, buffing it into my skin making sure it was all blended in and looking pretty flawless. It did not do this for me at all. I had patches on my face where the foundation almost just sat and wouldn't blend in at all. I tried working it in and tried to build it up a bit. Later at work I noticed that my cheeks and forehead basically looked like I had dry skin that the foundation had just sort of clung too, It looked awful. Luckily work has cleanser where I could remove it. My friend Becky at work (Hiya Bexter if your reading) also mentioned how she had the exact same experience with this foundation. We both have different skin types so I don't think that it could be that, we have wondered if its maybe the fact we do work in a place that can get pretty hot so it might have been to do with the temperature. I am rather stumped on what caused the foundation to go like this. I tried using it for another 3 days trying different attempts from using a different primer to no primer at all and just using moisturiser for my base, tried applying it without a brush and just used my fingers, I even scrubbed the night before in case I had any dry skin patches (which I didn't) but with every attempt it still did the same thing. I am rather disappointed with the result of this foundation as it sounded amazing, I do think it is probably a really good foundation for those that have tried it and loved it however it was not for my skin :(.

Now we are on to the powder, this little gem is £8.19 and is in such a handy little compact style where you flip the lid open and the powder sits on a base and there's an underneath compartment that holds a little sponge so its perfect for you to pop in your bag. I also got this in the same shade as the foundation to be all matchy matchy, As I wasn't having such a time with the foundation I applied this on top one day and it made no difference what so ever. However I have used this on days where I have just used a bit of bb cream or another foundation I applied a light dusting of it with my real techniques powder brush and it gave me such a lovely finish and  it doesn't look at all caked on. 

Love the handiness of this product (excuse the chipped nail polish hehe)

The shade of the powder in Golden Ivory

Unfortunatly the foundation just wasn't for me which is a shame, however I am enjoying the powder. So with every negative there is a positive :) 

Hope you guys have enjoyed this post, I have just been honest in my experience with these products. I wouldn't try to tell anyone to not try out any of these products as I have heard such amazing reviews about it. We just weren't ment to be.

Lots of lovies

SparklySJ

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Make Up Make Up Everywhere!!

Hello you beautiful bunch!

So in my Favorites of 2013 post I mentioned how I plan on being a bit more adventurous and try out different things make up wise. As much as I do love skincare I do also love make up, however I tend to just stick to the same brand and stick to the same routine. Well that's us now into the month of January and so far I have bought I few new items to try out. I have stuck to high street shop items to start with.

Here they are ready and waiting to be tried out.

So to start I thought I would try out a few different foundations, I do still love my No7 Beautifully Matte foundation but I figured I am now a blogger why not have a few different ones in your make up drawer that you can pick from. So I picked up the L'oreal True Match Foundation £9.99 in shade Golden Ivory, this foundation is aiming to give the most natural looking skin that's true to your skin tone that you can achieve a fab coverage without caking. Sounds great I thought why not get the True Match powder £8.19 in the same shade as well, it will be great for setting the foundation or even if I fancy a day off from wearing lots of make up I can just sweep a bit of this powder on and get on with my day.

Now we are on to Concealer, I have seen a few bloggers mention that the Seventeen Range in Boots had a bit of a makeover and released some awesome new concealers so I thought I had better get down there and try one. Phwoarr Paint has been described as the dupe of Benefits Boi-ing and at £5.49 you would be mad to not give it a go. Its a cute little pot that's lid flips open that on the other side of the lid is a little compact mirror and the base holds the concealer. Its got a rich creamy texture to it, I got mine in the shade fair for me pale skin. This will be fab for late nights and early mornings to hide those pesky under the eye bags. Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19 was in Tanya Burrs favorite things in 2013 vlog, now if this is Tanya's favorite concealer than that's it already sold for me. Its supposed to give fab coverage to imperfections and blemishes, also with any redness and can last all day without needing to re touch it.

Another item mentioned in Miss Tanya Burrs Favorites from last year was the Rimmel Match Perfect Foundation £6.99 mentioning how it gives fab coverage, nice healthy glow, easy to blend I could not not give this bad boy ago. I have recently seen it on a few other blogs mentioning how amazing it is, it had to be bought. Also reading up on it mentions how it has advanced smart tone technology aiming to give you a flawless look in any light. Sounds perfect!!

For a new primer I heard someone in Boots mention how they found the new Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser £7.99 very similar to Benefits Porefessional I was rather intrigued to try it. Having tried the Benefit Porefessional comparing Baby skin to it is a big compliment. It has a clear gel texture to it where the Porefessional did have a slight tint to it all its aims are very similar to vanish pores giving a smooth soft surface to the skin, a perfect base for foundation perhaps?! 

Lastly we have the Maybelline Eye Studio Master Shape Brow £2.99. I had mentioned in my favorites post that I am starting to get the hang of filling in the brows. I have been using the HD Brows palette which I received in a beauty box for about £16 which was filled with treats the HD Brows palette being one of them. The palette retails at about £20 so I am going to try and let it last me a very long time. So for days when I feel a little lazy I thought this nifty pencil should do the job just fine.   

So that's the start of my new things to try out, as you can see I'm starting just with base make up first. I have linked all the items mentioned with a website (Boots) you can go on, to either buy or get a bit more information on, they are all linked at their prices. I plan on reviewing all of the items so keep your eyes peeled out for those.

Have you tried any of these or is there something you would recommend? I want to try out some new looks for eyes and lips.

Lovies
SparklySJ
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A Dash to Boots

Bonjournoooo!!

How are we all doing? Hope your good and happy, keeping to those resolutions ;)

So few weeks ago I was feeling a bit of the blues, I know crazy it was not even January and I was already feeling a bit of the blues. So in a way to cheer myself up a bitty a went along to Boots and got myself some treats. I thought I would share with you gorgeous lot what I got.

As you can see I bought my trusty Cetaphil Cleanser £8.99. I fancied trying out a new face mask and I have heard lots of good reviews on the Una Brennan range especially the Super Facialist Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask £8.99 aiming to clear the skin of excess oil and toxins I thought sounded good enough for me, after all the eating of lovely treats and amounts of wine that has been drunk my skin could be doing with a good deep clean. I have only used this once since bought so far I loved it. In my job I do a lot of cleaning that my poor nails get all chipped and can end up looking in such sorry states sometimes. So with that in mind I decided to invest in Essie's Nail Base Coat in Help Me Grow £8.99 it contains argan oil and algae extract which help protect, prevent nail damage and breakage.

As I was heading to the counter to pay Real Techniques caught my eye with buy 1 get 1 half price. Well it would be a crime to just ignore that offer so I picked up the Powder Brush £12.99, I have only used this a couple of times so far and my gosh is the brush big but so soft to the skin!! Gives the perfect finish for powder. Along with that I picked up the Blush Brush £9.99 which was my half price one. Again this brush is super soft and applies the blush perfectly. I mentioned these brushes in my favorites of 2013 post here, they are the best brushes I have used. I'm so happy to add these 2 to my collection. 

These most defiantly made my blues feel less royal blue and more baby blue, once I got home the pjs went on and I chilled out with a cuppa tea, bliss!!

I love going into Boots and having a wander and a nosey at all the things they have to offer. I love buying new items too and going home testing them out, so look out for reviews on some the products mentioned in this post.

Hope you enjoyed this post, where is it you go to de-blue and cheer yourself up?

Lovies
SparklySJ
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Essie Winter Mini Kit

Hi guys and dolls :)

How are you all this fine day?

So I'm not sure if I have mentioned my love for Essie nail polishes?! I have mentioned them in a few previous blog posts so if your new and haven't read any of my posts I LOVE Essie!! Well at Christmas the boyfriend Gordee done gooood in getting me the Winter Mini Kit  as part of my Christmas presents.

And there it is!!! 3 lovely shades to choose from, of course I had to go for 4 in the same shade and the 1 different so the sparkly one stood out :) 

So we have (LtoR) Shearling Darling, a beautiful deep red plum shade I used this for the base of the sparkly one so you cant really tell how beautiful this shade really is. Secondly we have Parka Perfect, which is a lovely almost blue gray shade (I'm rubbish at describing colours sorry) you can see I have painted it on all the rest of my nails. This is a really nice sort of everyday shade its not boring and not bright but its very eye catching when its on. I did have quite a few people ask me what colour it was as it is a rather odd shade to see. And lastly we have the bit of Christmas Sparkle in the form of Toggle To The Top. Now I love a bit of sparkle on a nail and I love colour sparkles on a nail, this is THE perfect colour festive sparkle! The colour of the the little bits of glitter is a very similar shade to the Shearling Darling which looks great with it being the base colour, yet when the light hits its full on sparkly red! Just Beautiful!!

Here is another snap of the box with my nails trying to get the best light to show you guys how lovely it is.

This cute little set is still available at Boots stores just now at £12.99 you can check it out here. 

Hope you are all well and keeping up the positive vibes this month!

Lovies
SparklySJ
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My Favorites of 2013 Part 2!

 Hello, and Welcome to My Favorites of 2013 Part 2!

This post is going to be all about the make up and nails. I am rather dull and boring when it comes to make up however I am going to try and be a bit more adventurous on that side of things next year and not be afraid to try out new things. So lets get started on the make up items I have been loving this year.

Face

So its always good to start off with a good base. I'm talking Primers. I tried quite a few this year and I do like to use my Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver for this, another close favorite has to be the Rimmel Fix and Perfect £6.99 I just find this stuff perfect for a make up base, it holds my foundation perfectly. I did also do a little blog post on this beauty which goes a little more in depth to check it out click here. Now for foundation I have 3 to pick from which was rather difficult so I thought sod it I will put them all in as I love all 3 for different reasons. Revlon ColorStay £12.49 this stuff appealed to me from the start being for oily to combination skin, being oil free it helps to control shine and aims to give you that flawless look. This was the first foundation I bought this year and it is probably going to be one that I will continue to use. I loved the coverage of it, I love that it lasted pretty much all day, the match to my skin tone was perfect, I just loved it. When my Revlon foundation was coming to an unfortunate end I thought I would be adventurous and try out a new one, for that I tried out the No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation £12.95 another oily to combination foundation created to balance oil production and help improve skin, I cannot fault this lovely item at all. It gives a medium to full coverage, it lasts a long time throughout the day. I used the match made service so the shade is perfect for my skin tone again its one I will probably repurchase. I done a post on this foundation and the matching concealer, if you would like to review my ramblings more into detail on this product click here. Lastly of the foundations is the much raved about Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation £8.99 I purchased this foundation on a whim in the summer time as I had a slight tan and my everyday Revlon one was a tad to pale for me. Being at such a reasonable price I thought this will do me fine for the summer. I wasn't wrong. Designed to awaken the skin and give you a healthy radiant glow, it does not fault. It gives you  a nice light coverage, not too heavy which is perfect for that suns heat and contains an SPF 15 so it also protects your skin as well as given you a lovely natural glow. Recently I blogged about my skin not having a good time that I had to cut back on wearing my foundations due to an allergic reaction. I turned to a BB Cream to help put my skin back on track but give a bit of colour along the way. I turned to my Dr Jart Regenerating Beauty Balm £14.00 designed to help cover any blemishes and redness while letting the skin regenerate. This was just what I was looking for at the time. I forgot how much I loved this product, it really did help me feel less self conscious of the redness from the reaction and improved my skin within a week or so. If you want to read the post I done on this BB Cream click here. Once I done my foundation I like to add a subtle hint of colour to the cheeks and I use my Revlon Powder Blush £7.99 in shade Smoky Rose which is a lovely light pink, I just sweep it on the apples of my cheeks to make me feel more alive.

Eyes

I noticed this year a heavy trend going round in beauty and make up was brows!! Now I have a full fringe. So to say I neglected my brows is an understatement, however over the past few months I started to give bit more attention to them. I'm still not 100% confident on them but I am getting there. A few months back Latest in Beauty got together with Glamour magazines Beauty Editor and they created a box of wonderful treats. One of these treats was the HD Brows Eye and Brow Palette in Foxy. The whole box only cost £14.95 and I believe that this palette costs alone £19.95 so that's a bargain already! As a newbie to the whole brows look I have been giving this item a go over the past month and I am surprisingly enjoying it. My fringe is growing right now and kinda sweeps to the side, so I kind of need to make sure they look a little decent as you can see just the one, which sounds odd but it doesn't look it....I hope. I use the medium shade and slowly outline my eyebrow then fill it in. I don't want them to look too obvious and I like that it gives a nice natural look. If anyone is interested in the Beauty Box the link is here. Or if you would rather just check out the palette I found it on amazon here. Mascara will always be my Avon SuperShock I have been using this stuff for years, I do try others but none impress me as much as this one. I get asked if I'm wearing false eyelashes or if I have lash extensions whenever I wear this mascara its that good. As its from Avon the price can tend to change in each campaign with any offers so heres the link to their official shop site. I done a blog post on this mascara also so if you want to see what I'm talking about click here. Eyeliners, I have cut back using these in the past month just for a bit of a break to the eyes. That and I am just hopeless at it haha it takes me ages to get liner just right. However I do like the L'Oreal Super Liner with its sponge tip to do the top lash line bitty, I have still not mastered cat eye but I am getting there. This stuff does last all day or night if I'm wearing it to go out, it is a pain to remove so I would recommend an eye make up remover. I cant seem to find the one I bought on the boots site but here's the link to a very similar one in colours blue or purple which I am tempted to try out. Nice change from black. My favorite pencil eye liner that I use for my waterline has to be Benefit BADgal Waterproof Eyeliner £15.00  it lasts all day and hardly smudges. There is a smudger at the other end if you want to use this liner for the top lashes and smudge it out for a bit of a smokey look. I did mention that only use mine for my waterline, being a bit on the pricey side it does last a long time.

 One thing I have particularly enjoyed this year when it has come to make up is applying it using the right tools. I cannot recommend Real Techniques Brushes enough, there are just the best brushes I have ever used. I started off with the Core collection then added the stippling brush, powder brush and the blush brush. I do intend on getting more as I love them that much. They just give such a lovely flawless cover and they are so soft to the skin. I wash mine about once a week with johnstons baby shampoo to get all the used make up off so I start each week with lovely clean brushes. To check out the range of Real Technique brushes here's the link, Samantha Chapman who created these lovely brushes also has a fab YouTube Channel with her sister where they do fantastic make up looks you can check them out here.

 

I fell in love with the brand Essie in February when I discovered the most gorgeous pink shade of nail polish that I had ever seen, in the name Lovie Dovie it had to be bought. Since then I bought 2 more shades, I recently bought the base coat and at Christmas I got the Winter Collection which I will review about soon. Essie has such beautiful shades of polish I want them all!! I do like to paint my nails I just get rather frustrated when they don't last and a day or 2 later they are all chipped but when I use my Essie polish it can be known to last me a week without chipping! Happy Days!! I am planning on adding plenty more to my collection, I have already spied a few new future buys. Keep your eyes posted on future posts with which ones I get. If you want to check Essie out here's a link to their official website. For removing nail polish it has to be Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover £4.99 you just pop your finger into the sponge twist it in for a couple of seconds, remove finger and bosh! nail varnish gone just like magic.

And there you have it! That is all of my favorite beauty things for 2013, I do wonder what will be my faves for next year. I am planning on broadening my make up ways so here's looking forward to the future!!

Hope you all had a fabulous Hogmanay!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Lets see what 2014 has to throw at us. :)

Lovies

SparklySJ

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