Miners Tin o' Tinted lip balms

I am a huge lip balm lover, I have hundreds! However most of mine are either clear or pink, I don’t own any nude shades. So I was really excited to discover new Miners Tin o' Tint lip balms, which have three flavours in the range – cherry, watermelon and vanilla, which is a nude shade! Created with a delicious Vanilla fragrance and an added moisturising formulation, you lips feel soft and smooth with a hint of gorgeous nude brown colour that looks really natural. I also happen to love vanilla –flavoured products so love the taste. I am not so keen on cherry and watermelon flavours so will give those a miss, but for only £2.99 you can afford to try them all out! The packaging is also gorgeous as well :-)

Has anyone else tried these out?

x

My latest obsession..... Retail Therapy!

Ok I have been indulging in a different type of retail therapy over the weekend, in the form of new virtual Facebook game Retail Therapy! The insanely addictive new game from PopSugar enables you to mix and match your favourite brands (including Diane von Furstenberg, Gap, Topshop, Barneys New York, Banana Republic, Juicy Couture, and Tory Burch), play with your friends, and feel the experience of running your very own high-end fashion boutique! You can create and dress up your own avatar, hire your friends (we have all hired each other!) and decorate your store as it grows. 

The user selects items to sell from a catalogue of virtual goods which are actually replicas of real life, in-season products from the retail partners (I actually owns several of the items from Topshop!). Players can buy any of the items in real-life by clicking a link that redirects to the designers' e-commerce sites. Sugar says that the catalogue of items to choose from will be refreshed frequently to reflect any real world changes such as new product launches. With each new level— there are currently more than 45— you unlock new products for purchase. However, until you hit the higher levels the choice of items to sell can get a bit boring as there is not much variety on each level.

The game has pretty much taken over my life as timing is key! For example, when you order stock for your store you must make sure you can log-on to unpack the items otherwise they will get eaten by moths!

In order to maximise the game’s potential, I think it would be more exciting if PopSugar could expand the offering from just fashion items. For example, beauty products could be sold alongside fashion items to make the game more appealing to users who might not be interested solely in fashion. It would also be better if you could buy products to sell in your store from other stores, so you can make a profit at your neighbours’ expense! Finally in order to maximise social media, a Twitter account solely for Retail Therapy alongside the Facebook page would ensure fans are updated regularly with news and special time-sensitive offers. For example, a 

Twitter update giving users the chance to buy a limited-edition item to sell in your shop would help ensure excitement levels are maintained and people are following you religiously! Unless you are obsessed like us, users may lose interest as it can take a while to jump through the levels and you are not incentivised to keep playing by PopSugar to stay ahead of the fashion pack.


Who has played Retail Therapy? Why not have a go yourself and become my neighbour! I might even employ you to work in my shop!

bareMinerals Refillable buffing brush for portable perfection

 My little sister is a huge bareMinerals fan and has written a review for me of her favourite new product to share with you. She has totally different skin from mine, oily, so it's nice to have another alternative on a skin product.

The new bareMinerals Refillable buffing brush (£16.75 from QVC) is perfect for people who love using bareMinerals products but hate carrying them around all day, just for that little touch up. This buffing brush provides a brilliant solution, simply fill up the container at the end with your own shade of bareMinerals twist and buff away. You can use it just as a top up or as a fresh start after coming out of the gym, it gives an even but slightly lighter finish that you can top up later with other bareMineral products such as the Mineral Veil, the illuminating Mineral veil is also a new product to look out for.   

Let me know what you think, have you tried this product?

Favourite new hair products

When I go on holiday I always struggle to decide which hair products to take with me because of the stupid weight allowances. I have just spent two weeks in Germany and Turkey and took with me several of of my newest hair products to trial out, two of which I loved.

After I wash my hair I always use a smoothing treatment or spray of some sort to protect my hair against heat damage and straighteners. I usually always stick to my favourite brand TIGI but tried out a new leave-in smoothing treatment called Senscience Moisture Lock (£12.95). It is infused with Vitalock-6 Complex to nourish your hair without weighing it down and has been developed to treat your hair whilst styling too. What I love about the treatment is the silkiness, which reminds me a bit of a runnier TIGI Afterparty (another one of my favourites!). It promises to leave your hair three times shiner, seven and a half times more resistant to breakage and protected against damaging UV rays which is crucial for me when choosing which hair products for holiday.  I was really impressed with the treatment and will definitely carry on using it after holiday, it is perfect for thick, knotty hair like mine which needs serious moisture!!

I also love the latest range from TIGI (surprise!) called Love Peace & The Planet. The products are a unique range of hair care products that are rich with renewable, organic and bio-degradable ingredients with no artificial colours or fragrances. My favourite product from the range is the Totally Beachin’ Body & Waves Styling Mist (£11.95) which contains no chemicals, is 82% organic and its innovative natural blend will give texture and add body to your hair. It also contains coconut water and sea kelp to help nourish hair, as well as pineapple and sea salt for adding texture and body to your hair which smells gorgeous. Plus it is all packed within a tube made from 50% recycled material so you are doing your bit for the planet too.

Let me know if you have tried any of these new products!

On holiday again.....Istanbul!

Today I am off to the gorgeous Istanbul for ten days of shopping, sightseeing, food, sun, culture and sea! I love Istanbul and the people there, they are so friendly and welcoming. The customer service and pride from the people who work there is also unbelievable, it puts the attitude of English restaurant and retail staff to shame.

My favourite place to go shopping is a place called Kadıköy, which has an unbelievable market with much lower prices and better products than the more famous Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar on the European 'Touristy' side of Istanbul. They also have loads of outlet shopping shops (heaven) like Mango. So if you ever visit Istanbul don't miss out on a trip to the Asian side it's better!

Lovely new liglosses from Estee Lauder

How annoying is the heat and humidity right now for make-up? Sorry for the lack of inspiring posts, I simply have been wearing minimalist make-up to make sure it doesn’t sweat all down my face – lovely! However that doesn't affect my obsession with lipglosses and I am loving Estee Lauder’s newest glosses, the Pure Colour Gloss collection which is available now! It is a collection of 34 shades in 3 finishes as well as a custom collection by world-renowned makeup artist and Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux. The collection features the exclusive True Vision™ Technology that wraps pigments in a crystal-like coating to provide intense, brilliant colour and shine.

My favourite shade so far is the lovely neutral Peach Sizzle, which is shimmery but not too shiny and is perfect for wearing during the day to brighten up your look without looking too obvious! I also love the gorgeous gold packaging as well, which looks great with my cream/gold Marc Jacobs handbag J They are also fairly reasonable at £15. Who else has tried the new range from Estee Lauder? 

** I will update the posts when I get home tonight - forgot my camera with the photos on our the lipglosses - duh! **

Liz Earle Flight Essentials Kit review

As you know I went away recently to Spain and thanks to restricted liquid limits on airlines now I am unable to take my trusty The Body Shop vitamin E face mist as it's over 100ml. For some reason my normal/slightly dry skin doesn't get on well with aeroplane air and I always seem to develop spots/dry flaky skin within an hour of landing!! I also seem to go over the weight allowance every flight (me - surely not?! ;-)) so absolutely loved this new Liz Earle Flight Essentials Kit (£15.75) which includes four of the most popular beauty must-haves in cabin-friendly sizes. They include Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer 30ml, Skin Repair Moisturiser dry/sensitive 15ml, Superbalm 5g and Hand Repair 15ml. I'm a big fan of the Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer, which is similar to TBS Vitamin E face mist and is great in refreshing dry skin and giving it a boost. It also contains vitamin E and hydrating organic aloe vera and rose-scented geranium.

What other products do you use for air travel - any other tips to avoid dry skin?

Clarins Instant Sun Light Eye Quartet & Liner Palette

I have mega post holiday blues!!! This time last week I was on the beach in Spain - gutted :( I have got loads of blog posts planned for my favourite holiday make-up and skincare products starting from now! I absolutely love the new Clarins Instant Sun Light Eye Quartet & Liner Palette (£29.00) which has four gorgeous bronze eye colours : pearly ginger, iridescent cinnamon, matte cocoa, sparkling paprika and a metallic nutmeg eyeliner. I do love experimenting with new colours but always love shimmery bronze colours when I am on holiday and this palette accentuates your tan perfectly. The eye shadows are really pigmented and blend in easily - love love love this! 

I am ill.....:(

Sorry for the sad face, I have been poorly today and just diagnosed with gastroenteritis so feeling very sorry for myself! Any tips on how to feel better? I just have no energy and all my muscles are aching at the moment. I'm also off on holiday tomorrow so need to pack tonight and have no desire to do so - arhhh normally I love packing to go away!!!  Anyway have a good week or so and I will be back bright and happy next week!

Muchos love xxx

♥ My new favourite perfume ♥

How lovely and hot was this weekend? We had 28 degrees in Bournemouth so I have been to the beach both days which was lovely and even managed a brief swim in the sea - it was bloody freezing!!

Anyway I thought I'd let you all know my new favourite perfume for summer, which I have had for about two weeks now and absolutely love - YSL Parisienne Eau de Parfum. My friend Anita also has it and introduced me to it on a night out and I knew I had to try it! I do like stronger fragrances, like my all time favourite Flowerbomb,  - this one has top notes of cranberry and blackberry reinforced by the middle notes of Otto Rose and Violet, and the bottom notes of Vanilla. Musk and Cashmeran. If you like lighter fragrances then this isn't for you, but if you like long lasting, strong fragrances then you'll love it! It is pricey, which is to be expected for a EDP and costs around £48 for 50ml. 

Has anyone else tried Parisienne and what do you think? 

 ♥

My birthday!

I had a lovely birthday this week and was very spoilt by my friends and family, including this lovely handbag cake from my boyfriend! He knows me very well! I also received some lovely items from Accessorize which I thought I would share. I don't normally buy much from there (unless it is on sale) as I think it is very overpriced, but lovely. Well my lovely Mother bought me the gorgeous Belize Oriental Moulded Cup Bikini and the floral bandeau dress (see below) which I love and can't wait to wear on holiday this year. Looking at the website Accessorize have some gorgeous items out this summer & I am tempted to buy more stuff now!

Who else has got anything from Accessorize this summer & what do you think?

Garnier Fresh Essentials range

Garnier have some exciting new products out this summer & my pick of them is the Fresh Essentials range

for normal to combination skin. The products gently remove make-up, cleanse, refresh and offer a complete sensory pleasure, enriched with grape fruit waters and vitamin E. I love the face wipes which really make your skin soft after using them which normally face wipes don't do and are often regarded as a lazy way to remove make-up! The key skin softening ingredient is Grape Water, which also smells amazing too. I will definitely be re-purchasing these (sorry I can find them online anywhere to link to them?!) I got them from Tesco last week so check the range out there.

Who else has tried the Fresh Essentials range & what do you think?

PS it is my birthday today wooop!

♥ 

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess collection

I love last year's Bronze Goddess collection, especially the limited edition bronzer which is a firm favourite of mine so was really excited to be given the chance to check out the new collection. Estee Lauder describe their new collection as:

"Exotic, eye-popping colour and seductive bronze radiance create a sensuous look. Skin is luminous. Eyes sparkle with bold, metallic hues. Bright lips beckon. Take a walk on the wild side."

My first impressions are I love the gorgeous bright colours, even if the wild coral shade is a bit too adventurous for me (maybe on holiday!) I love the wild orchid colour in the lipgloss (£15) and nail varnish (£12), so these two products are a definite favourite of mine and match perfectly with all my summer outfits. I am also intrigued by the limited edition Eau Fraiche, which is a sensuous, sun-drenched blend of Bergamot and Mandarin, cooled with Tahitian Gardenia Petals and Coconut, warmed with Amber, Sandalwood and Vetiver. I haven't had a chance to try this out yet as the weather has been so awful all weekend but I will definitely be packing this in my holiday suitcase at the end of the month.

Has anyone else tried out the new collection - so far I am loving the bright colours for summer (when it returns!!) I also really want to try out the Bronzing blush as well as it looks gorgeous.

For YSL lovers....

I don't normally copy & paste press releases but as it's Friday and I am a HUGE YSLTouché Éclat fan I thought this offer may interest you all.....

CheapSmells have just launched a truly unbelievable offer starting today just in time for pay day! As part of the CheapSmells.com Massive Spring Sale they are offering a voucher code for an extra £2.00 off the must have YSL Touché Éclat (Radiant Touch No1) Concealer

So instead of paying their usual cheap price of £16.55 its now pay just £14.55 RRP £24.  This is a rock bottom price for a handbag essential and not to be missed!

Simply enter ‘ YSLNo1’ at checkout to claim the discount.

Offer ends at midnight on Monday 3rd May and while stocks of this incredibly popular line last. Maximum purchase of three items in any one order.


Happy shopping!


♥

Back from the dentist.....

Morning everyone! I have just got back from my new dentist after a routine six-month check-up and was given the all clear yay! My dentist also commented on how lovely and clean my teeth are looking AND she could tell I used an electric toothbrush. Wow! I must say before owning an electric toothbrush I was sceptical of the benefits and whether it was worth investing £50 - £100 on a decent brush. Now I have realised it is. I’m 23 (nearly 24!) and last year spent £50 on a filling which could have been avoided by using an electric toothbrush as manual brushes simply don’t get your teeth clean enough.

Boots have a great selection of brushes if you are thinking of getting one – my favourites are the Philips Sonicare Healthy White Electric Toothbrush (£99) and Oral B Triumph electric toothbrush (£159.99). They may seem pricey but if you consider the long-term effects on your oral health then it’s a no brainer for me. It is a preventative beauty product, rather than a cure! Boots also have half price offers on some other Oral B electric toothbrushes at the moment too, so you can get one for around £40.

Who else uses an electric toothbrush, is it worth it in your opinion?


(Photo from Flickr)

New release from Urban Decay - Stardust eyeshadows

If you're a fan of Urban Decay, you'll be excited to know they have some gorgeous new 'Stardust' eyeshadows out which are extremely sparkly - hence the name!! Boasting 40% more glitter than usual sparkly shadows, Stardust delivers a sheer wash of colour, topped with bits of iridescent sparkle that actually stay on your lids thanks to  

a pricey ingredient called reflex. The best bit is you can also add water for a more intense look, definitely one to try out for a night out. There are eight shades in total for everyone's tastes - I love the silver shade 'Moon Spoon' and purple shade '54' as they are a bit subtler for me. You can buy them for £13.50 from Debenhams and Look Fantastic - enjoy! Who else has tried these?

♥ Summer is here! TK Maxx bargains ♥

As summer is FINALLY here it seems I thought I would share with you my new sunglasses from TK Maxx! These beauties are Roberto Cavalli and cost £39.99! They were originally £330 so I think I have got a real bargain here. Unfortunately you can't buy them online, only in stores but worth going in and checking out your local store if you can. I have three pairs of Cavalli sunglasses now so think I am becoming a bit of an addict hahaha!

Has anyone else bought any bargains from TK Maxx recently? 


♥

Easter break!

Hope you all had a nice Easter break? I promise there are some beauty related posts to come but I thought I would post a few photos from my day out to Beer in Devon with my sister. As you can see from the photos, we were really lucky with the weather after having rain on Friday and Saturday! We had a great day eating loads of yummy Devon food - cream teas, cider and fish and chips! 

What did you get up to for Easter? 

♥

Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends review

If you're a fan of Herbal Essences, you'll be excited to know they have launched a new range called Beautiful Ends, which is targeted for people that have hair with split ends (who doesn't?!) Thanks to my straightening addiction, I do have a few split ends that I try to look after & ensure they don't get any worse. I recommend the Split End Protection Conditioner Red Raspberry & Silk which helps protect your hair against split ends and breakage. The smell is gorgeous, as you would expect containing raspberries, and also contains silk extracts to smooth hair. This is definitely my favourite range from the new Herbal Essence ranges (I LOVED the old ones a lot more) as it has a much more appealing smell and really helps keep my slightly dry hair smooth. The products are also priced under £4 so great value - thumbs up from me.

Who else has tried this new range - do you prefer the old-style Herbal Essences like me?

Nivea tinted day cream

Just a quick post tonight as I am off to watch a football game in ten minutes! I have been looking for a new tinted moisturiser for my holiday in a few weeks, and have found a great one from Nivea, my favourite skincare specialists. The NIVEA VISAGE Q10 PLUS ANTI-WRINKLE Tinted Day Cream is part of Nivea's proven Anti-Wrinkle Care System, working in two key ways to protect against daily external influences. What I love about it is it protects against sun damage with UVA + UVB protection SPF 15 and also works as a light foundation really brightening up your skin. I love the smell of this product, compared to other tinted moisturisers like Benefit's You Rebel which can smell a bit strange. It also really moisturises, which again other tinted moisturisers don't do so well. It's only £6 in Boots so I urge you to try this out - perfect for summer (when it finally arrives!)

xxx

Benefit Sugarbomb photos & review

I have read a few mixed reviews about Benefit's Sugarbomb, so was intrigued to try it out and have my say of course :P As I'm sure you know Sugarbomb has a mix of four gorgeous shades - peach, soft plum, shimmering pink and rose.  A few people have said that it doesn't provide good enough coverage for a blusher, but it's not actually a blusher it's a face powder, which is much better for me as blusher on my warm skintone can be a it scary!

I really love the gorgeous colour when all four shades are mixed together (see swatch above - sorry it's not too clear) which gives my face a nice, warm glow that blusher doesn't give me! I prefer Sugarbomb to other Benefit face powders like Dandelion, as it gives a stronger colour and shows up more, but is more subtle than blusher. Benefit products are pricey with this one costing £23.50 but it is unique and will last for ages, so well worth investing if you're not a blusher girl, more a highlighter girl like me! Plus the packaging is as cute as ever, which ALWAYS attracts me to Benefit products.

Who else is a fan of Sugarbomb?

Must have Liz Earle product - Instant Boost Skin Tonic

I know there have been loads of Liz Earle reviews as well on blogger, but I particularly love the Instant Boost Skin Tonic (£11) that I was sent to review which works great on my dry, dull skin this time of year! I must admit I don't also cleanse my skin correctly every night, as I am a bit lazy! I usually use face wipes (Tesco Vitamin E wipes) and then toner, followed by night cream. 

The Instant Boost Skin Tonic revitalises, soothes and brightens, is gentle and alcohol-free and adds a fine layer of moisture. I don't particularly love the floral smell BUT I love what it does to my skin so am happy to carry on using it!! It also contains conditioning natural source vitamin E, cucumber extract, calendula and organic aloe vera juice. Cucumber extract is calming, cooling and toning, calendula is ideal for sensitive skin and organic aloe vera juice moisturises, soothes and helps relieve sunburn which I can vouch for! As it has so many benefits for the skin, I definitely recommend trying out if you can only afford one product at the moment. The products also arrive beautifully wrapped, so would make a lovely gift for someone special. Apparently you can also buy it in a 30ml spritzer bottle, which would be perfect for long aeroplane trips. I also didn't realise Liz Earle is actually based on the Isle of Wight, which isn't far from me in Southampton! 

Who else loves this product from Liz Earle?

Vaseline Sheer Infusion review

I am loving the new Vaseline Sheer Infusion moisturisers, which contain amazing new Stratys-3 technology to give skin a hydration hit across all its multiple levels. Basically that means skin will stay moisturised for longer, will not appear greasy - as the cream won't sit on the top layer of our skin - so works deep down and really targets dry skin like mine. I really love how easily this can be applied to your skin and it literally melts in your hands - it is like silk!! It isn't thick at all, so is perfect for me! I have been using this for a month now to ensure that I have tested it thoroughly and have noticed a real improvement in my skin - especially how soft it is.

It is available in three varieties: Botanical Blend, Vitamin Burst, and Mineral Renewal for a bargain price of £3.33. I am hooked! What do you think?

Bourjois Healthy Mix review

I know there have been a few reviews of Bourjois’s Healthy Mix foundation and concealer, but as I love it so much I thought I’d write a short and simple post telling you to try this out! I missed the bloggers event a few weeks ago sadly, but was really keen in particular to try out this new foundation. The Healthy Mix foundation is Bourjois’s first radiance-boosting fruit therapy foundation, which provides flawless coverage but also looks after your skin and radiates it.

It contains four key ingredients:

Apricot > radiance

Melon > hydration

Apple > antioxidant

Ginger > energy

The foundation itself smells so good, just like apricots, which is so unusual for a foundation to actually smell nice! It also glides-on well and blends nicely into my skin, leaving a lovely natural, dewy finish. If you have oily skin, then this won’t be for you I would imagine as you may want more matte coverage. There is also a matching Healthy Mix concealer which I have been trying out – so far I am not as impressed with this compared to the foundation, as it is actually quite thick compared to my usual favourite touché éclat.

For £10 the foundation is great value and I will definitely be re-purchasing as my skin is looking much healthier since using. I can't wait to use this in summer too with a tan, as it is just as radiating as my favourite tinted moisturiser. Who else has tried this foundation and loved it? I have heard that Revlon's Photo Ready is also as good - what do you think?

New products from Jergens Naturals

American brand Jergens have introduced some new body moisturisers to their range - Total Nourishment and Cocoa Butter. I am big fan of Jergens, as their products are at least 95% natural and are priced under £5 so great value. 

My favourite is Total Nourishment, which contains 97% natural ingredients and is formulated with a healthy dose of yummy berries including cranberry, acai berries and blackcurrants known to promote skin health and fight against free radical damage. I love the smell of the moisturiser, thanks to the yummy berries and it really moisturises and nourishes dry skin like mine. It is also easy to rub into your skin and is not thick at all which I like, as thick body butters seem to take hours to rub in. For under a fiver I really recommend trying out - had anyone else tried Jergens and what do you think?