Elemis Spa Light Candle

I normally just hoard candles because I don't want to use them up but when my bestie, Fay, bought me this Elemis Spa Light Candle for my birthday, it was so beautiful and smelt so divine that I just had to burn it!

'Elemis Spa Light Candle'

Believe me when I say I just had to burn it...I cant help myself, I've burnt it every time I've been anywhere near it! I've only had it a month and I'm already half way though it- this isn't because it burns out quickly though, its because I'm so addicted to it, I'm just constantly burning it! 

Elemis state 40 hours burn time and I'm definitely abusing those hours! 

 This candle just gets better and better, As it burns down, more of the pattern of the jar shows. The smell remains consistent though and even when its not burning- you can still smell it- a sign of a good candle! Its so warming and the rich aromas of Vanilla, Orange and Cinnamon work so well together. It smells cosy, fresh and delicious all at the same time! 

Even the flame is good, It burns a really full flame, the sort of flame that looks like a miniature log fire burning brightly in beautiful purple glass tumbler...

At £25, its not the sort of money I would spend on a candle for myself but having tried it and experiencing the complete relaxed happiness it brings me, I wouldn't think twice and have since purchased two for gifts for other people.

I'm utterly addicted to its warm, cosy feeling it gives me. Being a seasonal candle, it has that sort of christmassy scent, but without the sleigh bells- if you know what I mean? Its the kind of festive candle that isn't out of place after the festivities are over. 

If its cold outside. Burn it! (Although, Ill probably be burning it all year round)

I just love everything about this candle. *sigh* I love that its purple (my fave colour) I love the beautiful pattern, like a stain glass window. I love the lingering scent. I love the full, flickering flame. I love the instant relaxation it gives me every time I light it.

I LOVE THIS CANDLE. I don't ever want it to end.

Crayola Crayon Lipbalm Tutorial

Crayola Crayon Lipbalm is so quick and easy to make! 

'All you need'

All you need is; 

-Coconut Oil (I got mine from a health food shop but discovered its actually way cheaper from a supermarket!) 
-Vaseline (any petroleum jelly will do though!) 
-Crayola Crayons in your choice of colour/s 

-A pan for boiling water

 -A small glass jar or small metal pots (I got some metal sauce pots from the pound shop) for melting and mixing

 Don't be worried about smearing crayons on your lips- Crayola is non-toxic and have been ensuring their crayons are safe since starting to make crayons in 1903! All Crayola products have been evaluated by an independent toxicologist and found to contain no known toxic substances in sufficient quantities to be harmful to the human body, even if ingested or inhaled. You may find you are allergic or sensitive to the crayons but this is highly unlikely! 

So...lets get making lipbalm!!

 Firstly, you need to decide what colour you want to make your balm and then peel away the paper cover from the crayons 

'Peeled Crayons'

Break up the crayons and add a dollop of Vaseline and a small spoon of coconut oil into your small jar or pot 

'lipbalm mix'

You then need to create a Bain Marie with your pot and a pan of boiling water, Keep mixing it with a metal spoon 

'melted mixture'

Once the mixture is completely melted, pour into your empty pot and place into the fridge to set

 

After about 10 minutes, Your lipbalm will be ready to wear!

'Set Balms'

 Your all ready to go!

  

'purple crayola balm'

The great thing about using crayons to colour your balm is that there is endless colour choices and you could add some essential oils to add some scent too!

Go get crayon-balmed!!

Mane 'N' Tail; Shampoo and Conditioner

YOU. NEED. THESE. IN. YOUR. LIFE 

I can't express this enough!

 I am totally and utterly raving about these products to everyone. I discovered Mane 'n' Tail from one of my students (for those of you that don't know, I now teach Hair and Media Makeup at LCBT) When she first told me about it, I was like ' Saaaaay whaaat?!' But, let me tell you, it has changed my head of hairs life forever!

'Mane n Tail- Shampoo and Conditioner'

So now were all clear on how very much in love I am with this AHHHH-mazing Shampoo and Conditioner, time for some actual facts (and more of my opinion!)...

1. Mane 'n' Tail was specifically targeted for show horses with long flowing manes and tails until the equestrians started to use it for themselves and started spreading the secret to shiny, flowing human manes!

2. Mane 'n' Tail make hair care solutions for longer, stronger, thicker and fuller hair.
I can 100% vouch for this! Since using it (I used it for the first time on 2nd Aug'14) I can confirm it definitely does what it says on the bottle! I've found my hair to be so much fuller and thicker...there is more volume and my pony tail feels significantly stronger with more texture.

3.The shampoo formula contains high lathering and ultra-cleansing agents with moisturisers and emollients to help leave hair soft and squeaky clean. The conditioner helps nourish and aid healthy hair growth, leaving hair looking shiny, soft as feathers and looking lush! The micro-enriched protein formulas help to prevent hair breakage and repair split ends leaving you with longer, stronger, fuller hair…

4. Its just a rumour, but.... Mane 'n' Tail has been said to encourage hair growth

I'm convinced it does though! Anyone that knows me well will know how much I hate how wispy the front of my hair is (frown face) but since using the shampoo and conditioner,    my hair line has gotten so much thicker! 

I wish I had done some before and after photos to show how much this shampoo and conditioner have changed the look, feel and condition of my hair! I've tried so many brands over the years to thicken up my fine, limp hair and this is the first thing I've come across that has actually given me long-term results. I cant imagine using anything else. EVER!

Mane 'n' tail have expanded their product line since launching 40 years ago and all their products are safe for animals and humans (You may also be interested to know that they don't test their products on animals) 

I also use The Hair 'n' Root Strengthener- a leave in conditioner which I spray through my hair before blowdrying- I find it gives me a healthy shine to my hair and makes my hair more manageable- its so long, it knots up with every movement!

'Hair 'n' Root Strengthener'

I love the smell of this too, it gives that just-out-of-the-hair-salon smell to my hair and you'll see the price label on it... £5.49! Not only are these products amazing, They are SO AFFORDABLE!

My Shampoo and Conditioner is £2.99 a bottle and I get mine from our local hair shop in Luton town centre but its a lot more expensive online and your looking at £7 a bottle in some stores such as Liberty London.

I'm going to stop rambling on about how utterly fabulous and magical these products are now. Just go get your own.

Latest in Beauty; Beauty Boxes

If your a fellow product junkie, you'll have heard of Glossy Box but have you heard of the Latest In Beauty?

From as little as £9.95 (plus p&p) you can choose your beauty box collection and try a selection of luxury samples put together in a cute box. Or if you prefer, you can subscribe and on a monthly basis, receive a 'Little Beauty Box' with mini samples to try. There's also luxury samples available on their site to purchase separately if there's something you fancy trying but don't want to go the whole hog and would rather try before you buy!

I recently purchased the Summer Lovin' Box.

 For £14.95 I received a St.Tropez Instant Glow Body Lotion (50ml) and full size tanning mitt, Richard Ward Volumiser Root Booster(50ml), Bellapierre Mineral Blush and Eyeshadow(both full size), Cosmopolitan Blush Brush, False Lashes and Lash Curlers from The Vintage Cosmetics Company, SteamCream moisturiser (75g) and a Batiste Dry Shampoo(50g).

'Summer Lovin' Beauty Box'

I would definitely purchase a collection box again, I like that you know what your getting when you order and pay for it. The sizes were excellent and perfect for travelling if, like me, you purchased this for your summer hols! The products are high quality, reputable brands and the value for money is high.

Clinique A Different Nail Enamel for Sensitive Skins

Clinique have finally brought nail varnishes back!!

A Different Nail Enamel for Sensitive Skins, not a catchy name but the colours are eye catching and the packaging is pretty!

'packaging'

They have 12 colours here to stay, including a basecoat/topcoat, and 9 limited edition shades for the summer. The permanent range has a variety of easy to wear shades with your classic reds and pinks but also some stronger shades of deep red and slate, whereas the summer range has some more daring colours with yellow, blue, green,silver and fluro coral!

'Hot Date'

The bottles are quite similar to Nails Inc bottles but a bit skinnier and taller but the enamel itself is very unique. Like the rest of Clinique's range, the enamels are allergy tested and suitable for sensitive skins. 

It may seem odd to be allergic or sensitive to nail varnish but it's not necessarily the hands that can be irritated by our nail varnish..did you know that we touch our faces up to 5,500 times a day? 

'Heart'

The colours I've tried so far have gone on smoothly although a few shades have taken quite a few layers to build up a strong, opaque finish. The enamels have a high gloss finish and are long wearing although I'd highly recommend using the 2in1 Basecoat/ Topcoat. when I've used another base coat and topcoat, It hasn't lasted quite as well as when I used the Basecoat/Topcoat.

'Black Honey'

I love the colours available and at £12 for 9ml, it's not too harsh a price point but I am slightly disappointed with the application and drying time. 'Happy' went on smoothly, only need a couple of coats and dried fairly quick but the others that I've tried so far have needed a few coats before you can get the strong uniformed colour and then have taken a while to dry...I get pretty impatient as I dont often have very long to just sit around waiting for my nails to dry! 

 I'd give these an 8/10..They are still high quality given that they've had to be tested and formulated for sensitive skins but there is room for improvement on consistancy, application and drying time for sure!

Although, if I was someone that was normally allergic to  nail enamels and didn't have the choice to wear any ones I wanted, then I'd be rating them 10/10!!

BareMinerals New Marvelous MOXIE

 MOXIE: (mox-see) noun.

Shameless sass, All out spirit,Total passion overload with plenty of attitude to match.

BareMinerals already have a strong colour position within the beauty department with their vast array of eyeshadow pigments aswell as their newer compact eyeshadow pallettes but their lipsticks have been lacking that VaVa Voom, until now.
Introducing... the Marvelous MOXIE Lips range!

'Moxie Range'

I have never experienced a lipstick that feels so good to wear but actually lasts on my lips. The Moxie lipsticks are so creamy and buttery that on first impressions, I didn't expect them to last more than 20mins, let alone a morning! I put them to the test last week on a shopping trip with my lovely friend, Fay, (also a big makeup up fan!).

Before I left the house in the morning I lined my lips first with marvelous MOXIE lipliner in 'Electrified' then filled in with 'Lead the Way' lipstick and a slick of 'Ring Leader' lipgloss over the top. By the time I'd got to town, had a good mooch around H&M then had Costa and a natter...the lipstick was still in place- hadn't bled or faded in colour at all! It wasn't quite as dewy on my lips as on first application but the colour was still bold and my lips were still perfectly lined!

'Lead The Way'

'Electrified/Lead the Way/Ring Leader'

My favourite colour at the moment is 'Fly High' lipstick, a creamy  lavender pink. I'm a bit more tanned than usual and it really stands out and compliments my tan. I line my lips first with 'Jazzed'  lipliner and smudge it in a little so it's not too much of a strong line then build the colour up with 'Fly HIgh'.

'Fly High'

'Jazzed and Fly High'

As you all know, I'm a balmy kinda gal! I normally choose lipbalm over lipstick because my lips get too dry and I get fed up of having to reapply becaused the colours cracked up or disappeared.
What I love most about these new lipsticks is that they have a moisture-loaded hydrating complex that nourishes and conditions your lips aswell as vitamins A,C and E to protect your against enviromental stress whilst the mineral infused formula revitalises lips for a healthy looking pout so all you've got to do is apply and be MOXIE!!

I've noticed a difference in my lip texture since wearing these and I don't find myself wanting/ needing to apply lipbalm over the top to keep my lips comfortable. I can finally dare to wear colour without the hassle and fuss!

With 18 shades of lipstick, varying from peaches and pinks to stand out reds and bold berries, theres plenty of choice and variety and the 10 lipliners in the range means you can always have a perfected pout.
I can't get enough of the lipgloss too (10 shades). They smell good enough to eat and feel really refreshing! With Shea, Avocado and Murumuru butters they deeply hydrate and smooth the lips whilst giving long lasting shine and making your lips looking fuller and plumper instantly and over time!

The Marvelous MOXIE range is out now and available in the BareMinerals boutiques and Counters so go and see a BareMinerals Beauty Ambassador for 'make under' and find your MOXIE combination...

Clinique CC Cream- SPF30 Hydrating Colour Corrector

This latest craze in the beauty world is my new must have! Clinique's CC cream- Colour Correcting cream, removes redness in the skin and brightens dullness and greyness in the skin. The clever technology in this hydrating cream, targets all colour concerns in the skin by using a lavender pigment with a white shell that, on application, shatters and brightens the skin whilst the lavender pigment corrects colour concerns.

 Complexion Perfection Magic!!

'CC Cream'

This can be used alone or as a primer to foundation but since using it, I've found that I no longer need a foundation because this does everything I need in a foundation! It makes my blotchiness disappear, It brightens my skin, It minimizes my darker freckles whilst hydrating (its part of the Moisture Surge franchise) and protecting my skin with SPF30- higher than any SPF you'll find in a foundation.

I find the best way to apply this is with your fingers. Using my fingers, I found the coverage could be built up better and it blended in easier but with a brush I found that it's coverge was too sheer and not as natural.

A powder isn't necessary as it has a semi-matte finish but i've been using Clinique's Almost Powder dusted over the top and for touch ups through the day and it becomes flawless!

At £28 for 30ml, It's slightly pricier than most of Clinique's foundations but it's worth it for the amazing effect it has on your skin as well as the treatment benefits. This one is definately coming on holiday with me!