Boudoir Privé Beauty Box - September

Today I received this months beauty box from Boudoir Privé. I was was a little apprehensive about this month's box after being disappointed with last months treats.

This months box was all about 'Les Indispensables', products that are absolutely essential.


The box included:

Tropic Skincare - Body Smooth
A natural scrub containing Macadamia oil and Sea Minerals.
I haven't tried this as I gave it straight to my mum. It smelt to lemony for me and it us very oily which my skin isn't fond of.


Agent Provocateur - L'Agent perfume
I was surprised by this scent as I normally like Agent Provocateur scents. It smelt very floral and musty which I hate. I also felt it was a very grown up scent which I'm not sure would appeal to the normal Agent Provocateur audience.


Macadamia Natural Oil - Healing Oil Treatment
I am guessing this is rivalling the much loved Moroccan Oil range. It says it is suitable for all hair types and can be used on wet or dry hair. I am going to try this tonight to see what I think.


Colbert MD - Nourish Eye Cream
This cream claims to reduce puffiness and dark circles and is used by celebrities including Kate Middleton. It does cone with a royal price of £90 for 15ml!!
I actually was lucky enough to be given a pot of this at a previous bloggers event. It is a nice cream but I was to scared to use it up as it was so expensive, so I will try this little sample pot.


Zoya - Jem Nail Varnish
Zoya is one of the top nail varnish brands and Jem is from it's Autumn/Winter 2011 collection 'Smoke & Mirrors'.
I'll be honest this was the main reason this box excited me. I can't get Zoya near me and dying to try them out! The colour is great and I will feature it in a NOTD post tomorrow.


Cargo Cosmetics - Boogie Nights Eye Liner
This liner came in black and contains silver glitter bits.
I liked it when I swatched it but I do think you need to build it up with a couple of layers to really see the shimmer.


Mai Couture - Blot @ Bronze
This is a blotting paper that removes oil but also leaves a hint of bronzer to give skin a radiant glow.
I am not sure about this, I tend to need blotting on my T-Zone which isn't where I would bronze my skin.


Overall the box wad better then last month but I feel Boudoir Privé appeals to a more mature user so I am going to cancel and stick to my Glossy Box.


Stay Beautiful


Jane xx

Glossy box - September

I have just picked up my GlossyBox from the sorting office and found another box of treats.

This month I was treated to:

Green People - Day Solution Hydrating Balancing Day Cream
Moa - The Green Balm
Mary Greenwell - Plum Eau de Parfum
Rahua - Shampoo & Conditioner
HD Brows - Eye & Brow Palette in Vamp


My Thoughts


I love the HD Brows palette, I don't fill my brows but as a smokey eye palette I can see this being used a lot. All the colours are matt and have a good pigment.

The Plum Eau de Parfum does smell plumy as you would hope but isn't my kind of scent. It kind of reminds me of the smell you get in La Senza from those bead things!
The rest I am not sure about yet as haven't tried them.


Overall I did like this months box but I wish GlossyBox would give everyone the same. As most bloggers post each months box I always end up feeling a little disappointed that someone got one thing and I got another. This month for example I got mainly what I would call sample sized products except for the palette. Looking at other people's boxes some got mainly gull sized or bigger products. Yes mine still may be luxury but I feel they got more for their money.


Having said that I do still like my monthly delivery from GlossyBox but I am waiting for my Boudoir Prive box before I decide which to keep next month.


Stay beautiful


Jane xx

EOTD: Pink/Purple Eye

OK this is my first EOTD because I use my iPhone to take my blog pics and it doesn't work well for this sort of thing, however, today I accidentally created a really pretty eye that I wanted to share!


It was meant to be a metallic nude smokey eye as I was just popping to the shops, I started with Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin and then used my new eyeshadow from Famous by Sue Moxley.


I know I may be a bit behind but I have never really looked Famous by Sue Moxley before. The palettes have really nice colour combinations and the prices are really good. While I was looking I spotted this really unusual shade (Shade 16). It was brown with a metallic shine to it, I decided as it was 1/2 price in Superdrug (£2 I think) I would try it. OMG I love it! 
It has great pigment which surprised me and you could really build up the colour, I love that the colour always changes, from brown to purple to grey to gold.

I added black eyeliner from my fav GOSH Velvet Touch Pencil and was going to leave my eye like this.
And then out of the corner of my eye makeup box I spotted this little pink pot from Barry M (Barry M Dazzle Dust Shade 84). I had brought it a while ago but never used it and so I popped a little on my brush and decided to give it a try.

I hope you like it, the pics don't do it justice really but it looks so pretty! I'll be honest it probably a little OTT for popping to the shops but it gave me a little boost!!
























Stay Beautiful


Jane xx

Guest Blog: Bloggers Must Have from Nanna Kate

First to take part in my 'Bloggers Must Have' series is Katy from Nanna Kate

1. Name 

Katy - not short for Kathryn or anything else, just Katy...

 

2. Tell us a little about yourself and your blog

I'm a Pisces and a left-hander so I am a dreamer, creative and sometimes rather impractical... however - through some crazy twists of fate I ended up working as a Credit Risk Analyst for the Finance Department of a major Telecoms provider in the UK; crazy because I don't even know my times table! But for as long as I can remember I've crafted. One of my best friends and I made an entire miniature village out of clay as kids, it even had it's own ambulance! I've always had some little craft project on the go to indulge my creative side, at one point I even set up a business making Wedding stationary. But work and 'life' always get in the way and there aren't enough hours in the day to work full time, follow a career development plan, have a social life, bake, go to my WI meetings AND regularly craft!

 

I decided to set up my blog as a way to escape the rigidity of my job. Initially, I intended to write about baking and craft, my two major passions - but I ended up writing about all kinds of things including beauty - did I mention I'm a product junkie? I have included links to my beauty reviews (via www.dooyoo.co.uk) on my blog, little snippets about my addiction to monthly boxes and plan lots of cool beauty stuff in future, including 'The secret skincare diary of Nanna Kate, aged 27 and a half'... which is going to chronicle my sudden battle with skin perfection and the products / treatments I'm trying to combat the outbreaks I've never experienced before!

 

3. What is your must have product?

 

£17.95, www.sheercover.co.uk

My must have product is without a doubt Sheer Cover Lip-to-Lid Highlighter.

 

4. How did you discover it?

 

I used to work in a Call Centre as a Team Leader handling calls from people wishing to buy Guthy Renker products (including the Sheer Cover brand). One of the perks of the job (in my eyes!) was that we got to try samples of the range so that we could sell products based on our user experience; we also got 50% discount on the full sized products. After leaving the company I went on to use everything up that I'd bought discounted; and couldn't resist buying the products direct at the full price - they were so amazing. 

 

5. Why can't you live without it? 

The Lip-to-Lid Highlighter is not only ridiculously versatile, amazing value for money and comes in three perfect shades to suit anyone and everyone - it's also GOOD for your skin because it's a mineral make up. It's the absolute definitive finish for day or night make up. My review of it can be read here http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/makeup/sheer-cover-lip-to-lid-highlighter/1534721/ and that's going to give you more justification (if you need it) as to why I can't live without this product!

 

6. Anything else you would like to add?

I called my blog Nanna Kate because my Sister absolutely tortures me about my 'Nanna' fashion sense. I wear vintage, floral, handmade, etc and she thinks it's hilarious. My Dad tells me I am old before my time joining the WI and putting a sewing machine at the top of my Christmas list. My Mam's a bit kinder - but that's her job after all. I originally intended to keep the blog 'anonymous' and thought this would be an ace pseudonym (Kate, short for Katy and also my real Nanna's nickname as she was Kathleen), but I kind of lost the anonymity when I told my Sister all about it (damn that sisterly bond!).

Thank you Katy for sharing your Must Have! If you would like to share your must have and do a guest post for me comment below, tweet me or email me.

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

New Flat Haul

Some of you may know that I am packing to move next month. I am moving to a little flat not to far from where i currently live (actually it is 2 buildings away lol) so i have started collecting things on my travels (mainly to Ikea!!) ready for my new BOY FREE home!


* Warning!!!!* If you don't like pink or purple look away now! It appears the flat will have every shade of pink and purple possible!!!


Ikea


I do love Ikea!! I love looking at the rooms for inspiration and the Market Hall is like my heaven!!


On my recent trip I purchased this gorgeous mirror, I really like that it looks vintage but being black gives a more modern feel. When I brought this I think they had got the pricing wrong as I paid £19.99 and weirdly the same frame without the mirror was £24.99. When I went yesterday the pricing seemed to have  changed but now the mirror is £25 and the frame only has stayed the same. Not sure how that works but anyway it is really cute!


Ung Drill Mirror, £25

www.ikea.com/gb

To go with my purple lounge I also purchased these flower pots, I wanted to get the pink to match but they were under all the purple ones and I couldn't get to them :( oh well good excuse to go back!!
They are a complete bargain at £1.39 each! 


Tip: If like me you can't keep plants alive Ikea do some nice artificial plants that look realistic


Papaja Plant Pot, £1.39

Ralph Lauren Home - Bicester Outlet Village

This is my big treat for when I move in! I have wanted the duvet for years! I brought the matching pillow cases about 4 or 5 years ago in a House of Fraser sale but could never justify the price, plus, the bf didn't want to sleep under a pink duvet.


I had seen this in the outlet store a few times but still thought it was a lot of money as I have to have a Superking size. On my recent trip they had an offer of £20 off which made it a little more reasonable (kinda lol!!) at £79.99 and as I am now going to be living boy free I thought why not!


The duvet matches the Oxford shirt in the main collection from Ralph Lauren collection and is in the same cotton material. I like that you can have 2 different looks, one side has the stripe, the other is just plain pink. I am so excited to put this on my bed but am resisting until the first night in my new place.




My next purchase was this gorgeous door mat with princess motif. It is made by a german website called www.giftcompany.de and is washable plus has a rubber non slip back to it.
I brought it from a little shop in a village I was visiting. The shop was closing down and had everything in the sale, I managed to get it for £12 down from £40!
I wish I could find another shop in the UK as looking at the website they do some really cute stuff and some cool doormats!

I have actually decided it is to nice to be a doormat so I am going to use it as a mat by my bed.

My last visit was to TK Maxx. Now I must admit I am not a big fan of TK Maxx purely because I hate going through rails of clothes, however I do know they are good for homeware so ventured in.

My first find was this bright pink utensil holder with four utensils. It is a shiny hot pink plastic and was only £5.99.

The other purchase was this cute baby pink metal birdcage. It has a little mirror at the bottom which I think I will actually take out. It also has 6 little hooks which you can hang necklaces from, I think I am going to buy some cheap necklaces with birds etc on to put inside and use as decoration rather then storage. I love how cute it is and was only £7.99!

So that is my haul, I will do a flat tour post when I am moved in and sorted, I am sooo excited!!


Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx

Guest Bloggers Needed!!

?????

Calling all bloggers!!

This week someone asked me after all the products I have tried which would be my 'Must Have'. I found this quite difficult to answer but my answer was..... you will have to have to read my upcoming post to find out!!

This got me thinking, as bloggers we try lots of different products some good, some bad. We may not be beauty 'experts' but I think we have a good knowledge of which products are worth buying.  With that in mind I want to start a new series called 'Bloggers Must Have', where guest bloggers take turns in writing a short post on the one product they can't live without. It can be makeup, skincare, haircare or anything you could not cope without.

If you would like to take part, comment below, tweet me or email me and I will get touch.

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Boudoir Prive - The Launch Box

A few days ago I received my first Boudoir Prive box. I like many others was very excited to see what they would offer, especially after a big twitter campaign to get people signed up just when everyone was a little disappointed with Glossy Box.


Boudoir Prive had promised 5 or 6 products for £10 that would be deluxe samples of luxury products. The products will cover Skin Care, Body Care, Hair Care, Makeup, Lifestyle and Fragrance. Some brands may be know, others maybe new.


So the little pink box arrived with a little hand written note and a pink box wrapping up the treats.

Inside the box was a little note explaining all the products.

I received:

2x sachets of Bloom Tea
2 x perfume samples from Etat Libre D'Orange
Sample pot of Babor HSR Lifting Extra Firming Cream
100ml bottle of Sachajuan Hair Repair
Sample tube of Jane Iredale PureLash Extender and Conditioner
Bottle of Olavie Antioxidant Body Butter




So the important bit, what did I think? 
Well to be honest I was a little disappointed. I like the concept obviously, I also like the idea of being introduced to new products (Babor was the only brand I knew) but I was a little disappointed on the product sizes. The Babor and Sachajuan samples were good sizes but the others were tiny. I know they are expensive and I'm sure they warrant the £10 but I was disappointed. 
I hate to be negative and actually after reflecting on it after a couple of days I think Boudoir Prive could be a real compliment to Glossy Box. If they can continue to provide lesser known luxury brands in decent sized samples it would sit nicely with Glossy Box providing samples of well known brands.


Let me know your thoughts,


Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx


P.S If you would like to see what Glossy Box has to offer see my post on last months box here.


P.P.S I would just like to add if you haven't checked out Boudoir Prive on Twitter or Facebook then do, the one big plus is their customer service and joining in with the beauty community.
The blog is good too!

Mini Series: Get The Ibiza Look- Instant Tan

The last post in this series look at creating a gradual tan, this time I looked at creating the Ibizian tan in an instant.

This week I was kindly sent Bronze Ambition Sun Kissed Instant Tan Mist to try and I had brought the Bourjois Delice de Soleil Bronzing Powder Mist last weekend, so decieded to try and compare both.

Bronze Ambition Sun Kisses Instant Tan Mist claims to give a glowing tan which dries instantly while also leaving a moisturising finish. It also has 360° technology meaning you can hold it upside down and it still works. 

There is no claim to how long the tan will stay but it does say it is splash resisitant and can be washed off using soap and warm water.

Bourjois Délice de Soleil Bronzing Powder Mist claims to give a bronzed effect lasting up to a day, dries instantly and is good for the skin.

The Tan Test

Warning: Bare Legs on Show!

These are my legs before, I do have naturally olive skin and have a little extra colour from the St Tropez Gradual Tan.

Although both sprays say they don't need rubbing in, I found the tanning mitt came in helpful to give a more even coverage and it was hard to not accidentally hold the spray on one point for too long.

They did both dry instantly and I had no rub off onto my clothes which I was impresses with. 

Smell wise, Bourjois had a nice chocolate scent and the Bronze Ambition had a fragrance that I can't quite explain but it wasn't unpleasant.

In terms of colour, the Bronze Ambition was defiantly my favourite, the spray is dark brown (as shown in the pic above), whearas the Bourjois was orange.

Below you can see the results, my left leg is using Bronze Ambition and the right is Bourjois.

As you can see both gave a good coverage and colour, the picture doesnt show so well ( I am saving for a new camera!) but the Bronze Ambition defiantly was darker and the Bourjois I found did give me an orange tinge which I wasn't a great fan of.

This picture is 24 hours later and wearing jeans all day (thank you British weather!!). I was impressed with the Bourjois as it had stayed put, although a little faded. The Bronze Ambition had kept some colour but had started to go patchy due to my jeans but as it didn't claim to stay didn't mind too much.

Lastly Bronze Ambition is £4.99 for 150ml and is available online, Poundland and Bodycare. Bourjois is £7.99 for 75ml.

Overall my favourite was Bronze Ambition, it is great value for money and gives a nice dark natural looking tan.

Stay Beautiful

Jane xx

Recycle your Glossy Box

Just a quick post today!


I had been trying to find cute and practical storage for my makeup. It needed to be compact as my new house will be smaller and therefore my makeup will have less space despite growing in size since I've started blogging!!


Today I was having a tidy up and I felt bad throwing out my GlossyBox as it looks so pretty. I decided to use it for storing my nail varnishes. I think I might start using them for my makeup after every month as they hold quite a lot!

If you have any ideas of other places to look for cute makeup storage let me know!


Stay Beautiful


Jane xx


P.S If you haven't discovered GlossyBox yet read my post on it here

Umberto Giannini Painted Lady Palette and Gift Sets

Today I am off to the hairdressers, which I am very excited about as my roots need doing badly!! As some of you may know my hairdressers is Umberto Giannini and I have been going there for over 5 years. During this time I have watched their haircare range grow and develop and produce really good haircare products. Therefore I was really excited to find out they were launching a makeup range in September.

Umberto Giannini have collaborated with BAFTA award wining make up artist Paul Gooch to create a goregous Painted Lady range. 

I was very lucky to be able to try the Painted Lady palette and the duo shadow that will come with some of the gift sets.

The palette has 8 eye shadows and 4 lip colours, they are all dark tones so perfect for Autumn/Winter and a great price of £10.

As you will see the eyeshadow don't have the strongest pigments but still work nicely and I really like the lip creams they have a much better pigment and are really wearable colours.

The shadow duo available with some of the gifs sets and are great for a dark smokey eye in Winter.

The gift sets look like great gifts for Christmas ( I know it's early I'm sorry!!), I am really excited to try the false lashes and nail wraps!

The palette and gift sets will be available from Boots in September, they are defiantly going to be on my Christmas list!!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Mini Series: Get The Ibiza Look- Tan

Today is the first instalment of my 'Get the Ibiza Look' series. The reason for this series is today I should be flying out to the White Isle, however, I just sold my house and about to start living on one salary and therefore have had to be sensible with my pennies :(


I was hoping the British Summer would give my tan a boost and make up for not having the Ibizan sun however as always the British Summer has let me down so I am going to have to fake it!!


I must admit I am still a self tan virgin, I have a bottle of St Mortiz waiting to be used but if I am being honest I am still a little scared I will end up looking like an orange mess!


Previously I relied on one sunbed in May/June (I know these are bad for you but I am lucky that my skin is olive and holds its tan. One sunbed lasts me all summer as a base to build on) and Johnsons Holiday Skin (around £7). I  think the formula must have changed as it smells horrible (almost like plastercine) and instead of giving me a 'holiday' glow makes my skin have a slightly orange colour. 


On the trip to Boots the St Tropez section caught my eye ( it was on offer which helped!). I was still a little hesitant on trying a full self tan so decided to try the Gradual Tan Everyday Body Moisturiser (Normally £14.30, currently £9.53 at Boots). I was a little unsure if I would end up with the same issues as the Johnsons Holiday Skin but as it was a tanning company I was hopeful for a better result.

WARNING: Bare Legs Shown below!!


Before

After a week of using it every other day

The camera doesn't show the best picture but I am really pleased with the results. My skin looks tanned not faked much better then Johnsons, I also like the fact that I use very little product compared to the Johnsons lotion to achieve this result esp. when it is double the price. The best thing about it is the smell, it actually has no fake tan smell, it smells really nice. I can honestly say I love this St Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Moisturiser and it has a permanent place in my bathroom!




Stay Beautiful


Jane xx


P.S If you are are unsure on how to apply tanning products the St Tropez website has some great video tutorials.

My Cupcakes!!

Yes I know another cupcake post!! I do love them!!

This weekend I decided to get back in the kitchen and make some cupcakes of my own. I also decided to attempt to make Oreo cupcakes. I did google for recipes and then gave up and just made normal vanilla cupcakes and added crushed Oreos!


They turned out alright actually so I made one batch of Oreo and one batch of normal Vanilla cupcakes.


Here is what they looked like, I think I may go on a cupcake decorating course as mine never look as good as the professionals!

I would love to say I shared them all with my friends but truthfully the Oreo cupcakes went to a friend and the Vanilla cupcakes went in my tummy!! Shhh don't tell!!!




Stay Beautiful


Jane xx


P.S if you would like me to add the recipes then please comment below and I put them up.

Garnier UltraLift 14 Day Trial

A couple of weeks ago I was sent a 2 week trial version of the new Garnier UltraLift Day Cream. I decided I was not the best person to test it out so set my mum to the 14 day challenge and asked her to be my guest blogger!


Hope you enjoy her first ever blog post,


Jane x


Garnier's UltraLift Day Cream claims to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, leave skin feeling smoother and firmer all after the first application. The cream is said to contain Pro-Retinol derived from nature, however I couldn't find any more information on the packaging or the website that expanded on what that meant.


In the sample pack you are given 14 sachets of the cream and a 'Wrinkle Reader' which is basically like a ruler that allows you to gauge your wrinkle and then see where you end up after 14 days.

The cream feels nice and is absorbed easily into skin without leaving your skin feeling greasy or tight.
At first I was a bit unsure about the cream as it is lighter then my normal day cream from Boots No7 range but after a few days I began to quite like the lightness especially for Summer.

What I liked was that it worked well being worn under makeup. I had tried creams before that made my foundation and eye makeup look cakey or thick but the Garnier UltraLift Day Cream actually created a really nice layer between my skin and makeup.


In terms of results, I am not sure. My skin did feel smooth and I liked the feel of it, I think I may invest it the cream as a day cream for the Summer.
The wrinkles and lines above my eyebrows were my area of concern as they are the most notable. After 14 days of using the cream I didn't see a difference in their appearance.


Overall as a day cream I liked it but as an anti ageing cream I am not so sure.


Stay Beautiful,


Jane's Mummy xx