Amazing Elemis Christmas sets!

Ok I know it is slightly early to be talking about Christmas presents BUT all the adverts are out in force now & the cold weather has made it feel ever so christmassy! I thought I would write about my favourite gift idea so far - the fabulous Christmas sets from Elemis that actually work out at fantastic value, saving £44 with this Perfect Radiance Kit (£45). Inside the kit you get:

Elemis Rehydrating Rosepetal Cleanser, 200ml

Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner, 200ml

Elemis Maximum Moisture Day Cream, 50ml

Elemis Maximum Replenish Night Cream, 20ml

My favourite item is the lovely Soothing Apricot Toner (£19) which also doubles-up as a refreshing facial spray! It is alcohol-free so really soothing and helps leave your skin clean and radiant - a worthy investment as the bottle is huge so will last ages. I love apricot product so much!

What do you think - who else likes the Elemis gift sets?

My weekend!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend, sorry for the lack of blogging I had my boyfriend's parents over staying with us from Germany so had to entertain! We went to Winchester to see some lovely fireworks with my friends, which was really good fun - loved the fireworks (see my photo above!) It was quite cold, so was glad of my lovely new Giles Deacon bunny scarf and Blistex Lip Massage to look after my exposed bits!! If you suffer from dry lips in the winter, I recommend trying this lip cream, as it actually massages your lips getting rid of rough bits and keeps them moisturised with shea butter and aloe vera. Plus it tastes good too so definitely try it out!

I have received several 'lovely blog' awards from Panda Does Make-up, Clearly Beautiful and Make-up Princess so thanks very much guys much appreciated!

So I have nominated seven other blogs for awards:

Amy from Amy Antoinette

Zoe from Zoella

Charlotte from Lipglossiping

British Beauty Blogger

Beauty Scribblings of J

Lolipop26

Laura from A Daisy Chain Dream

The Rules:

1. Add the logo to your blog.

2. Link to the person from whom you received this award

3. Nominate 7 or more blogs

4. Leave a message on their blog, letting them know they are "One Lovely Blog"!

Amazing Wonderbra competition - win tickets to the Ultimate Strapless Party!

With invitations flooding in…the search for the ultimate strapless dress…the man you’ve had your eye on for months….it can mean only one thing – the Christmas party season has arrived!

Wonderbra is literally on hand with their most wanted Ultimate Strapless bra. Its hand shaped support will give you ultimate oomph so there’s no need to worry about it letting you down - it’s been made to stay up as long as you do!

Not only is Wonderbra giving 40 lucky girls and a friend the chance to get their hands on an Ultimate Strapless bra, they're also offering the chance to win exclusive tickets to the 'Ultimate Strapless Party', hosted at Soho’s ‘Punk’ nightclub on November 26^th, an exclusive party venue and celeb hangout.

Invite only, the party will be the ultimate girls night out with our lovely friends at ASOS putting on a catwalk show, giving you an exclusive insight in to the hottest trends this Christmas. Kirsty Drury, top stylist to the likes of Kylie, Claudia Schiffer and Cat Deeley will also be on hand to share her top tips to ensure you’re looking your best under the mistletoe this year.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets EXCLUSIVE TO MY BLOG enter at http://www.ultimatestrapless.co.uk/party - Good Luck!

My favourite products in October

Is it me or has October felt like the longest month! On the plus side I did win a lovely scarf at the Cadburys boutique, which I am still waiting for and have received a few blog awards - thanks guys I will write about these tomorrow!! First though, here are few of my favourite items I have been using religiously this month!

Aveda Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener

I love the Aveda Smooth Infusion range, which is perfect for my wild, frizzy hair! The new Glossing Straightener smells really lovely and consists of a blend of plant-derived cellulose, wheat, organic aloe, maize and guar bean. It helps to keep my locks straight all day and the wheat protein protects the cuticle from heat damage caused by my lovely straighteners!

Braun Silk-épil Xpressive Wet & Dry epilator

It's the first premium epilator from Braun which can be used in water to provide the gentlest form of epilation yet and gives you smooth, soft skin for up to four weeks. I have used epilators loads in the past and hated having to epilate seperately from having a shower (what a waste of time!!) Plus it's pretty gross having to clear up the hairs afterwards!! So the best bit about this epilator is you can use it in the shower AND the warm water soothes and relaxes your body, so hairs are removed as gently and pain-free as possible!! You are also not left with bumpy-red legs like you get after waxing.

Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear cream shadow in Antique Gold

I am a big fan of Bobbi Brown’s eyeshadows and love the new shades that have a touch of glistening sparkle and last all day. Antique Gold is a lovely dark gold shade that I have been using all the time when I go out!

Max Factor Second Skin Foundation

I adore this new foundation and have been using it every day since I got it! The formula is designed to be virtually undetectable once it’s on your face, but to provide coverage that makes you look “naturally” perfect. Sounds almost too good to be true, but it gets better: the liquid formula also contains “multi tonal pigments” which will synchronise naturally with your skin. It gives you such a natural look and is a refreshing change to foundation that is thick and clumpy on your face! It is currently under £10 at Superdrug at the moment so well worth trying if you like the natural look like me!

Simple Derma Intensive Relief Lotion

If you suffer from dry, itchy skin they try out the Simple Derma range, which is ideal for very dry, sensitive skin. My boyfriend has really dry skin so can’t use many moisturisers, but he likes this one and goes through a bottle every month! It is specially formulated with Aquaxyl™ and Canola Oil which deeply hydrate and restore your skins natural moisture levels as it protects and prevents further moisture loss.

What are your favourite products of October?

Look what I just won at the Nibbles Boutique!!!

A Caramel Bunny Giles Deacon scarf on the Enchanted Hunter blog!! I have been trying all day yesterday to win one and got to the front of the queue after 5 minutes! I'll post a photo up here when it arrives in the post...Has anyone else won one and what do they think? You can follow Caramel Bunny on Facebook to see where the shop will be arriving next...Love the virtual store it's a great way to engage people, which it certainly has as there are thousands of people chatting on there all day!

Clinique review by my Mum!

Sometimes when I am reviewing items I feel that it is difficult to give a 'proper' review, as I am not the intended target audience. Like anti-ageing items for example - I do take good care of my skin and cleanse, tone and moisturise every day but I am only 23 so who knows if it has an effect now!! However when buying presents for my mum I always take recommendations from reviews I read on blogs so thought I would ask my mum to write about her favourite eye cream which is her HG product. So here goes.. as written in the words of my mum! My love for Clinique is purely down to her, thanks to her always using Clinique skincare products and me secretly trying them in the bathroom!

'I was asked to review Clinique's All about Eyes (£22) by my daughter to see how it compared with other eye creams I had used in the past. As a lady fast approaching 50 I believe it is important to use the right products for your skin so I was intrigued to see if all about eyes could make a difference. The first thing you notice is just how creamy, smooth and light it is. The velvet gel cream glided over the skin, absorbed quickly and did not leave it feeling sticky. I applied it after my normal cleaning routine night and day under and over the eyes. The cream is a unique combination of botanicals, proteins and anti-oxidants that work to fade the look of under-eye darkness, decrease puffs and strengthen skin against enivronmental aggressors.

After just a couple of weeks use I noticed a huge difference. The dark areas had diminished considerably and it works very quickly to reduce any puffiness particularly first thing in the morning. It is the first time i have seen an eye cream make such as difference. I will certainly be continuing to use it on a regular basis.'

Thanks Mum for the recommendation! Who else has asked their mum to review products before?

Introducing Cloud Nine Irons

As I am sure you know I am a mad straightening addict and use straighteners most days *slaps wrists*. The day I discovered GHDs literally changed my life and I am being deadly serious. If anybody to this day asks me what the best invention has been, I will always say GHDs! I have thick, wavy hair that just looks ‘lumpy’ if I don’t style it, so love it after I have straightened my hair when it is sleek and shiny!

I was asked if I would like to try out a pair of Cloud Nine irons which was very generous of them as they are not cheap at £129.95 so thanks very much (There are three styles on offer, a regular iron, a micro one and one with wide plates which I tried). As a self-confessed straightening addict I jumped at the chance and have been really excited to try them out. They arrived in beautiful black and blue/green packaging, which looked really expensive and impressed me straight away (yes I am a sucker for good packaging – it is so worth it!) Cloud Nine irons have been created by the original founders of GHDs and provide a beautiful natural finish - without the heat damage. They allow you to achieve a vast array of styles, at lower temperatures than GHDs so your hair isn’t put under so much strain. They also have a secret ingredient trapped within the black ceramic plates, a mysterious element that adds shine and sparkle to the hair every time they're used. Obviously I can’t vouch for this after only using them for a few weeks but my hair does look much smoother and shinier since using them.

My only complaint about these great irons, which I have found with other brands, is that the plates are not as big as GHDs and when you run them through your hair quickly, they can scratch the hair. I can use my GHDs from any angle and they will not catch or scratch my hair. Having said that, when my hair was just washed and dried it didn’t scratch, so maybe it just does it with hair that isn’t freshly washed? Hmm...

But overall I am impressed with their quality and love the wide irons, as it means I can straighten my hair much quicker in the morning, The variable temperature setting is also really good if you have thinner hair (I wish!) that didn’t need as much heat! It would be interesting to compare GHDs with Cloud Nine after using both for a month to see the difference in hair damage – maybe I should do this?!

British Beauty Blogger also has a great review here on these straighteners - so the big questions is will Cloud Nine take over from GHDs?

St Ives 24 hour body lotion

As you already know I am a huge St Ives fan and especially of the Radiance Cleansers (thank you so much Helen from St Ives sending some to me as they are now discontinued - they are my HG in the morning to wake me up!) I have also discovered a new favourite, which is similar to Garnier Hydralock - 24 Hour Moisture Body Lotion (£4.20). My legs always seem to get really dry underneath trousers (why is that?!) so I have to religiously moisturise twice a day to keep them smooth. The body lotion is "specially formulated with Hydratein, an exclusive protein complex that hydrates dry, flaky skin, replenishing it and infusing it with long-lasting moisture." Like Hydralock, its keeps your skin really smooth and moisturised for 24 hours and smells lovely too. It is also easily absorbed, which is important when moisturising as I hate products that take ages to rub in.

I recommend this body lotion if you have dry skin that needs a bit of TLC - and it is priced reasonably under £5 but not as cheap as Hydralock though.. Who else has tried this product - any thoughts?

** UPDATED OFFERS ON ST IVES**

Save a 1/3 on the whole St Ives range from 2^nd December – First week January in Tesco

All St Ives products will be HALF PRICE from 2^nd January – 26^th January in Sainsbury’s

Origins Skin tone correcting serum

I hate this time of year as my skin always seems to look so dull having lost its summer glow. I am always on the lookout for skin brightening products that will give me a healthy glow all year round so decided to try out the new Origins Skin tone Correcting Serum (£30). I must admit I don’t know too much about Origins and their product range, but I do know they use potent plants, organic ingredients and 100% natural essential oils which is really important for me when applying products to my face.

This serum consists of naturally-derived Vitamin C which helps to create even skin tone and reduce the appearance of dullness, dark spots and discolourations. Cucumber Extract and Japanese Basil Leaf help prevent future spotting and freckling. It has a lovely smell and texture that feels really soothing on your face and definitely brightens up your face. The downside is it is pricey – but then as you know you get what you pay for with skincare products and serums do tend to cost more than moisturisers.

Who else has tried Origins and what are your favourite products as I’d like to try some more out!

L'Oréal Paris Double Extension Renewal Serum Inside Mascara review

There has been quite a few reviews on blogs about the new L'Oréal Paris Double Extension Renewal Serum Inside Mascara (wow what a mouthfull!!) so was really excited to try it out. It is currently on offer in Boots for £7.76, which is a pretty good deal as you get the Renewal Lash Serum, as well as a mascara. As you can see from my photos,it gives amazing lashes! First of all you use the serum enriched base coat with Arginine and Centella which makes your lashes really nourished and looks after them in the long-term helping them grow! Secondly you use the lengthening mascara for a lash extension effect which claims to give up to 80% longer-looking lashes. I don't normally believe claims on mascaras adverts, as we all know they use fake lashes anyway (what is the point in making an advert for a mascara if you use fash lashes - why?!). However, I would actually say this claim is pretty correct as my lashes were much, much longer than before!

The only downside to the 'double' mascara is in the morning I really can't be bothered to apply the serum, then the mascara. That's purely because I always get up so late and have around five minutes to apply my make-up! But if you have a spare ten minutes for your routine in the morning, then it is a fantastic buy and I will definitely be re-purchasing!

Who else has tried this mascara and what do you think?

Best Breast Cancer Awareness pink products

As I am sure you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and there are loads of products out there at the moment which are donating money to Breast Cancer. I think that is so great of brands to do this and I always look out for products that support good causes - plus I love all things pink! So I thought I would write about a few of the best 'pink' products I have come across this month!

1) Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion (£3.51) is a great moisturiser made of 100% cocoa butter (which I love!) enriched with vitamin E. It is a real holy grail product for me thanks to its skin smoothing and stretch mark reducing benefits, plus it keeps your skin smooth for hours and feels proper moisturised. The bottle looks fab in pink - only downside is they only offer 25p to charity from each bottle which I think could have been a bit more! Great buy though as a bottle costs under £4.

2) Avon have some fantastic products on sale with at least a 25% donation to breast cancer. My favourite is the gorgeous 'Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer' nail file which only costs £1.50 with 75p going to charity which is extremely generous.

3) Tweezerman Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Slant Tweezers (£20) from feelunique.com look so cute, with £4.00 going to Breast Cancer Campaign. Tweezerman are contributing £2 for each pair bought and feelunique.com will match this with a further £2 which makes it even more important to buy from them online! They are decorated with gorgeous pink ribbons and are ideal for clean, precise plucking - even getting those most annoying hairs! Well worth purchasing as they are for a good cause and look great too in your make-up bag hehe!

So let me know what you think - what are your top beauty buys for Breast Cancer Awareness month?

Nailene review

I am soo rubbish at painting my own nails - I always get my sister or friend to do them for me if I can't afford to get them done in a salon (which is most of the time!) Nailene, a US company kindly send me some products to try out, so I decided to try out the French Tip Pen Kit which has a great white tip pen and a lovely top coat. I found this kit really easy to use and in particular like how easy it is to do a french manicure yourself!! At first I couldn't work out how to use the tip pen but realised you have to push down on the end like a bingo pen! This ensures that you have enough varnish on the pen for each nail. It literally takes five minutes to give yourself a great, smooth manicure and is so easy to do even with complete novices like moi! I have found one downside though - I have had the polish on for two days and it has already chipped which is a real shame :( Maybe next time I will add an extra top coat to see if it lasts longer? You can buy Nailene products for around £4.99 online so they are well priced and worth checking out!

Goody's Add & Shine jojoba-infused brush review

I suffer from really dry hair that has been abused by straighteners so was really intrigued to hear about Goody's Add & Shine jojoba-infused brush which claims to put an end to dull, damaged hair once and for all with jojoba infused bristles!

The Goody Add & Shine paddle brush is infused with nourishing Jojoba oil, and has soft, rubbery bristles which stimulate your scalp. You can’t see the Jojoba oil as it's released slowly as you brush and absorbed by the hair. The oil smoothes down the cuticle to stop natural moisture escaping, as well as providing extra hydration. So if you have oily/greasy hair then this isn’t for you!

It also means the effects are longer lasting than the 'just brushed' look you get from using a traditional hairbrush – your hair feels much smoother and softer. The bristles are also really soft as well – not the best for untangling but great for smoothing down your hair and removing annoying frizzes that are the bane of my life!

I also recommend using the brush alongside your normal hair products to make your hair super shiny and a frizz-reducing dryer like the Remington Shine Therapy dryer which I swear by. What products do you swear by for smooth hair – please let me know as I am always keen to try out new products!

Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub

As you know I am a big fan of face scrubs (I love that feeling when you use one after getting out of the shower! I have been using the Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub for a few weeks now, which is great if you suffer from blocked pores like me, especially on your nose!! It is an exfoliating cleanser for all skin types, but has a lovely formula with micro beads and salicylic acid that unclogs pores and removes dry, dull skin so your pores can breath easier. It is also dermatologically tested, hypo-allergenic and non-comedogenic (so basically it won't clog pores). It won't replace my all time number one face scrub from St Ives but it is pretty good and available in Boots for £4.99. Bioré also have a Twitter account and a blog you can follow which reveals people's dirty little secrets. Why on earth anyone would actually care/want to read this is beyond me as some of them are pretty gross!!

Aussie Angel pamper evening in London!

Oh my god where do I start - I had an amazing day yesterday in London and the Aussie Angel Pamper Evening at Adee Phelan’s salon in Covent Garden. I was with my boyfriend and his cousin Natalie who was over visiting us from Germany and we had a great day sightseeing and hitting the shops on Oxford Street! We had so much stuff we could hardly carry it all when we were walking to the salon, which is conveniently located 5 minutes from Covent Garden tube station.

After a hectic day shopping it was pure heaven to arrive at the salon (which is amazing inside with some really funky décor) and be greeted by the lovely Aussie PR girls with some champagne! They ensured that our glasses were permanently filled up all evening so thanks guys! We then were truly pampered by the hairdressers using the Aussie products who styled our hair however we wanted. I asked for a 'blonde Cheryl Cole' look as I love the sleekness of her hair but it has natural volume - a look I can never achieve by myself. The lovely hair stylist used the Aussie Real Volume products on my hair, which smell gorgeous and are priced under £4 each! Normally when you go to a salon you love the products but when you ask the stylist each product is really expensive, so it is fab to know how reasonable these products are. My only wish would be for Aussie to have a blonde range as I do love how bright my hair looks using blonde products, in particular shampoo! So as you can see from the photos, the end results were fantastic and I still can't stop touching my hair as it so smooth but has natural volume as well :) My boyfriend's cousin looks great as well with curls in her hair - what do you think?

I had a great evening chatting to the lovely Charlotte and Yinka too and their friends - think we all enjoyed the champagne!! I also got to briefly meet Adee Phelan as well and his gorgeous dog Rocky (I think he was called Rocky?!) So thanks again to Aussie for a memorable evening - I had a great time and can't wait to do it again!

October faves!

Ok I know I should be writing this at the end of the month but I just wanted to share a few pictures with you of my must-have products this month. I will be reviewing the Double Extension Renewal Serum Inside Mascara in full as well showing how great it is! Enjoy!

Clinique Youth Surge (no you won't end up 16 again!)

Hi hope everybody is having a good week! I thought I would write about the latest love in my life – the new Youth Surge SPF 15 Age Decelerating Moisturiser (£38) from Clinique. I admit I am not really the target audience as I am just 23, however I believe prevention is key in skincare. This new moisturiser is inspired by Sirtuin technology (whatever that is lol!!) which can slow the appearance of ageing – result! It also has SPF protection, which is really important for me as it helps both minimize the look of lines and wrinkles and strengthen skin’s resistance to the environment. It leaves your skin feeling smooth and protected, which is what I look for in a day cream. It also promises that you will look younger for longer – so what do you think? I’d say worth investing in for your mum as a present and definitely worth trying yourself – downside is it is quite pricey though.

Dry skin sufferers try Neutrogena Multi-Repair cream!

Just a quick post to tell you about a cream my boyfriend has been using the past few weeks for his dry skin and now swears by it! It is from Neutrogena and called Multi-Repair cream, which can be used on the face or the body – anywhere you have dry skin really! It has been developed specifically for extremely dry or irritated skin, and is perfect for this time of year when you start turning the heating on *cries* and you can use it on your face, too. Unlike most dry skin creams, the formula is lightweight and doesn't feel at all heavy on the skin and rubs in easily (I can't stand thick creams!) It's also completely fragrance free so perfect for people with sensitive skin. It costs under £5 as well which is great. What other creams have you used for dry skin that my boyfriend could try?

Pizza Express Blogger Dinner!

Last night I had a fantastic dinner at Pizza Express thanks to their generous offer of a 'Blogger Lunch' to try out their new Leggera pizza! The new ‘Leggera’ pizza is apparently causing a bit of a stir as it’s got a hole in the middle that’s filled with salad, and is only 500 calories! Sounds good to me as I am trying to be a bit healthy after holiday eating and drinking.

We arrived at our local Pizza Express in Southampton at around 7.30pm and had to wait about 30 minutes for a table, which wasn't too bad as we could read up on the menu! We decided to try the Garlic Bread and Tomato and Mozzarella salad for starters, which were both amazing and tasted so good. We both then had the Leggera Contadina, which had chicken, peppers, and spinach plus loads of healthy salad in the middle as you can see from the photo above! The funniest part of the evening was my boyfriend's surprise when he asked me why this pizza was only 500 calories and I replied that the middle was missing! He actually couldn't believe it and thought I was joking - typical man! But he actually really enjoyed the pizza and was very full up after his meal so was a definite winner from him... and me! The staff were excellent throughout the meal - our waitress was called Sally and was great, so thanks Sally! It was a very busy evening and they still had loads of time for us which is becoming a bit of a luxury when you go out these days!

Check out the new ‘2 Leggera pizza’s for £10’ voucher on:www.facebook.com/pizzaexpress. You can invite your friends then download the voucher via Facebook. Baring in mind the pizzas are about £9 each this is a genuinely good deal and well worth it for a cheap lunch or dinner with a friend especially if you're on a diet! I would definitely have the Leggera pizza again and look forward to trying out another one...:-)

La Compagnie de Provence Fig Hand Cream

I had a huge addition to hand cream it is silly – you should see my desk at work, my colleague and I have a little collection going on! My favourite hand cream of the week is the Fig Hand Cream by La Compagnie de Provence. I must admit I haven’t tried many of their products before but you can get them for John Lewis so they are available on the high street.

I have really dry hands so have to keep them super moisturised otherwise it annoys me so it is important for me that a hand cream has moisturising elements in it and smells lovely. The Fig hand cream is so soft and light (so your hands don’t feel greasy) and contains shea butter, olive oil and vitamin E so is extremely moisturising. It also contains no silicons, mineral oils, colourants or parabens which is great news too. John Lewis are selling this perfect sized handbag version which now lives in my handbag for £9.95.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Crème de la Mer

Tomorrow is October which is actually quite hard to believe and the beginning of winter L As I am sure you all know October is Breast Cancer awareness month and the best thing for me apart from the good cause, is all the products are pink!! I always make an effort to pick up some products to support the campaign and thought I would tell you about one of my favourites. Crème de la Mer have produced a limited edition Crème de la Mer, The Lip Balm, which is presented in an originally designed pink leather pouch, embossed with the Crème de la Mer and Breast Cancer Care logo and packed in pink tissue paper, inside a specially designed white, hinged presentation box. I haven’t actually seen this for myself as it isn’t out yet but you can see if for yourself in Harrods, Knightsbridge and Brown Thomas if you are lucky enough to get one! It will cost £35 and £5 will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which is generous considering most charity donations are normally about 10p!

There are many good reasons for buying the Lip Balm, Breast Cancer aside. It is a luxuriant, soothing and comforting balm which more than lives up to its promise and its heritage and smells gorgeous. It works on contact to soften roughness and relieve dryness and really makes your lips feel smoother and softer. It is also strong to treat the skin’s most delicate area by blending a concentration of the nutrient-rich broth found in Crème de la Mer, and incorporating this with other essential ingredients. It is expensive for a lip balm, but is very high quality and worth it if you suffer from troublesome lips as it leaves them so smooth and good enough to eat! What other products will you be buying for Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

My holiday!

I'm back! I have lots of blogging I want to catch up on but have no time as I am at work until Friday. So I thought I would share a few nice pictures from my holiday near Alicante in Spain with my lovely boyfriend. I particularly love the picture on the sunrise (taken from the bathroom window at 7am lol), it was heaven! We had lovely weather apart from the last 3 days where it rained :( Not good for the tan!! Anyway hope you like the photos - the beach is called Playa de la Mata and is stunning!

I am off on holiday - time for the Bikini Goddess 5 Day Challenge

Hey guys just to let you know I will be off on holiday tomorrow for 12 days - off to sunny Spain! I will miss blogging and religiously reading all the blogs every day but am enjoying getting a total break away from work and hectic life! I thought I would write about how I have been preparing to reveal my 'bikini body' ! According to Gillette Venus Embrace, 97% of women dread revealing their body on holiday, which I can totally relate to and so can the women in the video below.

I was sent an amazing bikini body kit from the lovely ladies at Gillette Venus in a cool beach bag. Inside there was a lovely yellow bikini top, some Aussie haircare products which I will be taking with me on holiday, along with a Gillette Venus razor and some shaving gel. They actually challenged to me to test the Venus razor against a rather scary Wilkinson Sword Quattro for Women Bikini. I have to admit I tried it once and was scared with the evil looking trimmer so gave up! I am generally not a fan of Wilkinson Sword razors as I find they don't shave as smooth as my trusty Venus. I am a real baby as well so won't touch waxing and find the Venus is great for your bikini line. You also don't get horrible red bumps like other razors so I am happy! Thanks Gillette for the lovely kit and I can't wait to keep trying out the products on holiday. You can also get expert tips and advice on feeling like a bikini goddess this summer by visiting www.gillettevenus.com/uk.

Hope you all have a nice few weeks and look forward to catching up on all the blogs when I am back!

Maybelline Colour Sensational lipsticks

The past week I have fallen in love with the amazing Colour Sensational lipsticks from Maybelline (£6.84) along with lots of other UK beauty bloggers!! The new lipstick range consists of crispier colours created by pigment technology that have a gorgeous creamy feel. This is down to the fact they are enriched with honey nectar and they taste amazing too!

There are 26 shades to choose from, divided into four easy to use colour groups - plum, brown, pink and red. I have fallen in love with the pink shades - bloggers favourite 112 Ambre Rose (left) and 148 Summer Pink (right). They are easily applied and I love the texture as I have quite dry lips and these lipsticks don't dry them out at all. Sorry for the rubbish photo - I decided to start taking photos in the dark! Boots also have 3 for 2 on Maybelline at the moment so for under £15 you can have three new lovely lipsticks :) What are your favourite shades from Colour Sensational?

Body Shop Autumn goodies!

I was very lucky to sent some lovely goodies from the Body Shop, which included all their key launches for the Autumn. I thought I would write about my favourite products which are shown in the photo above! The Love Etc perfume is really nice - very sweet but I have found it does last quite a long time and smells different from any other perfume I use. It is also well priced at just £16.00 for a 50ml bottle and makes a lovely present for a friend to show how much you care about them. I love the cute heart packaging as well and it really brightens up my bathroom cabinet!

The hand cream you can see in the photo is the Soft Hands Kind Heart hand cream (£5), which is a fantastic product for a really worthwhile cause. £3.45 from your purchase is donated to ECPAT, who are actively working to stop the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children and young people in the UK and around the world. The donation will help fund ECPAT UK campaigns and prevention projects against child trafficking in the UK. I am not so keen on the fragrance of the hand cream but it makes your hands super-smooth and as it's for a great cause is worth every penny. You can find out more at www.ecpat.org.uk.

Finally on the lovely sparkly make-up! My first impressions of the make-up are the products are similar to MAC's Colour Craft eyeshadows and Mineralize Skinfinish and are actually quite similar in price range as well. I am impressed by the pigmentation of the Monlight Lustre Eye Trio (£9.50) which blends onto your eyes easily and gives you fab smoky eyes! I love the Blush Trios (£12.50) which are really moisturising and contain skin softening organic cupuassu butter made from the seeds of the Amazon native cupuassu fruit. The Cool Dusk shade gives a lovely pink shimmer to cheeks that lasts all day - this product is definately my favourite of the new range and I can't wait to use it all through the Autumn.. and summer!!

The Body Shop are also having an Autumn Trends Face-off competition for bloggers, using the new producs! To win, simply create an autumn look using the Pearlescents collection from The Body Shop and send two pictures (one full face and one closed eye) to blog@thebodyshop.com. Chase Aston will shortlist the 10 finalists and then it’s up to the public to vote for the winner!

Treats for sore feet!

I don't know about you guys but shoes in general reallly hurt my feet. A lot. I actually hardly ever wear heels anymore because I always end up with sore, rubbing feet and all my shoes are really old as I trust them not to blister my feet. All very attractive - not! Well I have been trying out some new products for my poor feet over the past few weeks, which is well deserved I think due to me neglecting them!!

I have unfortunately missed the Scholl Party Feet Diary competition (damm having no internet) but was kindly sent some products to try out instead. I tried the Scholl Party Feet Ultra Slim Invisible Gel Cushions (£4.88) when I went out last week with my friends and was really pleased with the results. They basically provide invisible cushioning to help prevent the burning pain in the balls of your feet, by effectively reducing pressure on the ball of your foot. I hate that feeling and get it every time when I wear a pair of heels out and then can't wait to get home and get them off!!! The now thinner, improved design provides even better comfort and allows 25% more space in your shoe than previous Party Feet Invisible Gel Cushions. I definately recommend these if you're wearing a thin, sandal-type shoe as they are really discreet and ensured that my feet didn't ache evening!!

I also have tried a similar range of products from Kiwi - the Kiwi Smiling Feet heel liners (£3.29) which have been fantastic when wearing new pairs of pumps for the first time. I love wearing pumps but it is guaranteed every time I get a new pair I will end up with a horrid blister on my heel - great!! The Smiling Feet heel liners are designed to be worn in any style of closed back shoes, to prevent slipping and rubbing, and improve comfort. They definately helped look after my poor heels and have meant that I can wear new pumps - hurrah!

My advice is if you suffer from painful feet and blisters to definately try out some of these products as both brands have a massive product range (I like the sound of the flip-flip strips!!!) for all parts of your feet! They are all unbder £5 as well so worth it to save having painful feet all evening and having to plaster yourself silly the next day!

Great day out at Thorpe Park!

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend - I have just got back from an amazing day out at Thorpe Park with my sister, boyfriend, aunty and uncle . I know it's not really beauty-related lol but thought you might want to see some of my pictures from the fantastic rides!! My favourites were Colosuss and Tidal Wave (got sooo wet!!) and we were lucky to have a lovely sunny day :) Who else has been to Thorpe Park and what's your favourite ride?

Organic Surge product review

I was asked a while back (six weeks ago) if I would like to review some Organic Surge products. I follow Organic Surge on Twitter and am a big fan of the brand so was more than happy to review some of the products. Organic Surge claims their products love your skin and feeds it what it craves; naturally-derived, skin-loving ingredients and organic essential oils, which are certified by the Soil Association. I am a sucker for cute packaging and I love the packaging of the products - for organic products (which normally have dull packaging) they look really trendy.

I particularly liked the Daily Facial Wash (£4.99) and Super-Intensive Daily Moisturiser (£7.99) which I have been using every other day, for the past six weeks. I must say that the moisturiser is incredibly thick and isn’t the easiest to rub into your skin – so if you don’t have dry skin then this isn’t for you. However, the Daily Facial Wash is a lot lighter and smells lovely, which I believe is the Rose geranium essential oil. It’s quite a distinctive smell and I love the fact that organic products can smell so lovely. My face is left feeling super-clean and it’s perfect to use in the morning after getting up!

I would love Organic Surge to bring out an SPF 15 daily moisturiser as I use always use moisturisers with at least SPF 15 in them – I am not entirely sure if that’s possible to be an organic product but thought I would say it! I’d also like to try out the Skin Perfecting Polish as well as I am a big fan of face scrubs! Finally Organic Surge also has developed a Detox Diaries iPhone Application app www.detoxdiaries.com, which was created for people who are looking for motivation in dejunking and purifying their lifestyle. The Detox Diaries provide fun and daily health and beauty tips and follows the story of one normal woman called Megan who undertook a proper Detox for six weeks! You can see the results video below – I don’t think I could Detox for that long though despite the results!!

I think you're an awesome girl award

I was tagged by the lovely Tegan at Hot Hobo - thanks hun! Apparently, the rules for this one are I must tell you people 10 random facts about me and then tag some other awesome blogs. So here we go!

1) I actually have met more of you bloggers than you realise! That's all I am saying... hehe!

2) I am a massive football fan and support Southampton FC who are lingering in league one - argghhhhhh!

3) My parents have lived in Istanbul for the past two years and have just arrived back in the UK. My boyfriend is also German so I have a very multi-cultural environment :)

4) I am really scared of heights!

5) I am a fussy eater as well - my favourite type of food is seafood!

6) I set up this blog after my university lecturer told me to do 'anything online' for an assignment - fun times!

7) I hate liars and bitchy people - have had some really bad experiences in the past so am wary when I first meet people.

8) I LOVE reading beauty and fashion blogs - I read them all day and would all night if I had internet!

9) My favourite animals are cats - I have one cat who is living at my parents house still and I miss him so much :-(

10) I also love playing netball and used to play in the college team until I broke my arm!

So I tag:

Marie at Marie Loves

Amy at Lipgloss86

Kelly at Kelanjo

Amy at Dollyboo101

Muhsine at Bubblegarm

Thanks!

Elemis Visible Brilliance

Hope you are all having a nice weekend - hopefully I will have internet by Friday, thank god! Sky are going to get such a big fat letter of complaint.. .hope they are prepared lol!

Anyway I am ranting again sorry - back to the beauty post. Elemis kindly sent me a sample of their new Visible Brilliance serum (£40) which they have spent two years researching and developing! Wow! This product is designed for all skin types and ages, actively targeting the skin’s metabolism to brighten, lift and re-energise dull, fatigued and stressed skin. Harnessing the power of multi-minerals including Copper, Zinc and Magnesium combined with Red Seaweed, Swiss Garden Cress, Blonde Pea Protein and Dew Bean it revitalises and re-energises the skin to restore and repair for instant radiance. I was really keen to try out this product as I suffer from dry, tired skin so recommend it to anybody who always suffers from this! I have been using it in the morning and evening for the past two weeks and have noticed that my skin is much softer and smoother. It's a great base to use before applying foundation as well, as skin is super-smooth and radiant! I will be carrying on using this product for ever now - thank you Elemis!

I have also noticed that QVC have the whole Visible Brilliance Collection available to buy for £39.90 - what a bargain considering the RRP of the serum is £40.

Amazing bronzer from Bobbi Brown

I am sooo in love with the new Illuminating Bronzing Powder (£23) from Bobbi Brown which leaves the most amazing shimmery coverage on your cheeks. It’s not as thick as some bronzers and is formulated with a unique and innovative blend of sheer powder and micro pearls. It also glides on evenly and gives skin a seamless and really shimmery, natural glow. You also don’t need to apply much to the brush, as if you overload too much it goes everywhere all over your hands and is too heavy for a daytime look. So the good news is that it lasts a long time which is good news for the £23 price tag! You can see from my photos how shimmery it looks!

There are a few different shades in the range, which I have listed below. I have been using the Bali Brown and I have medium-toned skin so it matches perfectly.

Antigua – Gives radiance to pale, porcelain skintones

Maui – Gives a candlelight glow for light skin with peach undertones

Aruba – Gives a sunkissed glow for light skin with golden undertones

Bali Brown – Gives a sunkissed glow for medium skin with warm undertones

Barbados Tan – Gives a radiant glow for dark skin with richer undertones

Bahamas – Gives a warm glow to deep skin with golden undertones

Let me know what you think!

TRESemmé's 24 Hour Body range

I was sent TRESemmé's 24 Hour Body range for review a couple weeks ago and have been really impressed so far by the results. I don’t really need ‘volume’ products as such, as my hair is quite thick and wavy anyway, but was happy to try some out for when I wear my hair naturally. When I wear my straight I normally go for shampoos that make my hair sleek which means my waves tend to drop out after washing! I found the shampoo and conditioner used together made my hair incredibly soft and gave my waves lots of ‘natural’ volume. For the daytime I try not to use too many products as I find my hair is greasy by the evening. However for an evening out I used the foaming mousse and finishing spray which used are designed to be used in conjunction with each other AND ensured my hair held it’s volume all night! The products are all priced under £5 and I think are on offer in Sainsburys at the moment so are amazing value – definitely worth trying out if your hair needs a boast!

My favourite new perfumes :)

Hey guys, hope you all had a lovely bank holiday weekend – I went to Germany to visit the boyf family, and my sister and her boyfriend also came too! It was a lovely weekend and I enjoyed some sun as well – result! Only downside was being told off at Southampton airport for having too many liquid beauty products and having to spend ten minutes squishing them into one stupid mini plastic bag – don’t you just hate that?!

Anyway I thought I would write about some of my favourite new perfumes that I have been trying out over the past few weeks that I recommend to buy!

1) Viktor & Rolf 50ml Flowerbomb La Vie en Rose eau de toilette (£50 for 100ml). A new sparkling version of the original Flowerbomb eau de toilette, unveiled with freshness and a lighter touch for the summer. Green notes and citrus fruits have been reinforced, whilst maltol and vanilla calm, to decrease the sugary scent. My sister got this perfume on offer at Southampton Airport – 2 for £35! I really like this as the eau de parfum is a really strong scent (which I LOVE) but this one is much more suitable for the day and is a lot lighter. And cheaper if you can spot it at the airport!

2) Diesel Fuel for life summer edition (£32 for 75ml). Featuring colourful frosted glass bottles inspired by summer spirits and cocktails, this fragrance offers a refreshing take on the original Fuel for life fragrance. There is also a lovely male version of the fragrance as well, so you can have ‘his n hers’ perfume! This is a great value fragrance that smells amazing and lasts a long time for a summer fragrance which normally has less alcohol in it.

3) DKNY Purple Eau de Toilette 100ml (£29.85 for 100ml) This is the new fragrance from DKNY that is available now in Boots. The limited edition perfume is a bouquet of warm white florals juxtapose against clear spices. Top notes are a cocktail of pink pepper, ginger root, coriander buds, and wet mandarin flower. The heart includes a blend of jasmine tea, magnolia, red orchid petals and honeysuckle. While the warm base features a mix of sandalwood, cedarwood and cashmere woods, blended with elemi for sensual depth. It is a lot muskier than the original DKNY Women fragrance and not so fruity, which I love and is perfect for a stronger, autumn fragrance.

What fragrances have you been buying recently and what do you recommend to try? Let me know what you think of my three new favourites!

Happy Bank Holiday!

Sorry for the lack of posts I forgot to say I am in Germany until Monday evening, I hope everyone is having a nice bank holiday!

Clarins Nude Inspiration Collection

I was sadly unable to make the Clarins bloggers event due to work commitments; I wish I was nearer London so I could attend some events! Never mind! The lovely Ally at Clarins was so generous and sent me a massive parcel of products to try out – quote from my sister ‘it’s like someone has tipped a Clarins counter in a bag and sent it to you!’. Wow! This isn't all the products in the photo - my sister stole half of them!!!I have been trying all the products for a few weeks now and really wanted to get a feeling for them as it’s hard to write a review when you haven’t really used the products for very long.

The products sent were all from the Clarins Nude Inspiration Autumn collection, which is stunning and has so lovely neutral colours which you can play with! I have a few favourites from the collection which are:

Joli Rouge 725 Pink Earth lipstick (£14.50)

Nude Inspiration Face & Blush Duo Compact (£28.00)

Concealer Stick shade 2 Pink Beige (£15.00)

I love the Joli Rouge lipsticks, which are so soft and creamy on your lips. I'd really like to try out a pink shade which is my usual colour of lipstick but it's a nice change to have something more natural. They also taste so amazing (I can't quite work out what yet?!) and you can tell this is a high quality lipstick from the smooth, seamless coverage on your lips. My only fault (which might be this particular lipstick!) is the lid keeps falling off in my bag!

If you only buy one product from the range then I recommend the Nude Inspiration Face & Blush Duo (£28.00) which is amazing and a daily must-have for me. The compact powder evens and sets make-up while the complementary blush palette shades can be blended together or applied alone, giving skin a really natural look for autumn. Finally I am also impressed with the concealer stick and have been using 'shade 2 pink beige' the past few weeks. For a concealer stick it is really smooth, as normally they are much 'rougher' and leave massive streaks on your face, but this one from Clarins applies easy and blends in well with my skintone. I have run out of Touche Eclat actually but haven't felt the need to repurchase which is excellent!

I was also sent some lovely bronzers and after sun products which I will reviewing after my holiday in a few weeks, am so excited now. I am off to sunny Spain on the 18th and am excited about trying out the new products! Thanks Clarins for giving me the chance to try out this lovely collection, I am really impressed with the products which are all excellent quality and well worth the cash. What did you guys who attended the bloggers event think? I hope Clarins do another one so more bloggers get the chance to go!