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This week I am loving the coral trend so decided to use as inspiration for my nails this week.
As usual I used Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Cuticle and Nail Oil, followed by Sally Hansen Miracle Cure as the base coat.
For colour I used Boots 17 Orange Soda & Mint Choc Chip. I find with 17 nail varnishes they ca be abit of a hit and miss. These 2 are a miss, I love the colour of both and I think they look great together but they are very streaky and watery. I ended up with 3 coats to make it look good and even then there were a few streaks. I finished with my much loved Sally Hansen Mega Shine top coat.
I painted them last night and it has worn at the tips already so not convinced it will last the week :(
I discovered this spray from one of Sara Walker's video on YouTube. I always struggled with finding a product that gave my hair non frizzy beach curls. This product is my saviour! I use it by spraying it in to towel dry hair and then scrunch my hair heavily or lightly depending on the curl I want to achieve.
Tip: I scrunch my hair using a cotton T-shirt as it takes out some of the dampness and helps create a tighter curl without causing it to frizz which it did when I used a towel.
The best thing is the spray doesn't leave your hair crispy!!
I brought mine in Sainsbury for £3.99 but have also found it online at KMI Club
This product was next to the Phil Smith section in Sainsbury when I brought the spray and so thought I would give it ago. I use this to set the curls created using the spray. You do have to watch how much you use as it can make the curl crispy, however, it does hold the curl until the next time I wash my hair.
I found this video from Garnier on YouTube on how to use the gum, i'll be honest my hair doesn't look as good so easily but it is helpful.
A couple of months ago I had my hair coloured to a red colour and I needed a shampoo that would help the colour stay vibrant. I saw this on offer in Tesco and decided to give it a try.
Before this I will be honest I was using Tesco Own Shampoo (which actually is very good) as my ex was always borrowing my expensive shampoos and so it was the cheapest option. Tresemme is very good value when you buy the big bottles and when on offer are even better. I was sceptical that a shampoo and conditioner could really impress me but this did. My colour has lasted a lot longer then it did before and kept the vibrancy of the redness. Once dried I have found my hair feels soft and healthy every time which was not always the case with the Tesco version. I am so glad I found this and feel a little foolish I didn't give it a go before!
4. Umberto Giannini Beauty Secrets Pure Beauty Shampoo
www.boots.com
I will be honest, I am a little biased to this as I have my hair done at Umberto Giannini, however, I brought this shampoo as a travel size for my hols last year and I am mentioning this product because I like it, not because I am a client.
This shampoo for me is a real treat for my hair, in fact I use it once a month almost like a treatment. It claims to add shine, cleanse and condition your hair. I agree with all of these, my hair is left feeling and looking amazing!
Tip: I use this on holiday to keep my hair in good condition as it often dries out and frizzes in the heat.
The products are available at the salons, Boots stores and Boots.com
5. Kerastase Oleo-Relax Serum
www.kerastase.co.uk
This is my luxury product, at around £14 it is the most expensive product I use on my hair. It is an oily serum used to eliminate frizz before and after styling. As it contains Shorea and Palm oil it smells divine, leaves my hair smooth, soft and super shiny. The best thing for me is it doesn't leave my hair greasy which I have found with other serums.
As it is expensive I tend to use it for special days, using Phil Smith Xrated Shine Serum everyday but worth splashing out on!
As far as I know you can buy it in most hair salons and online.
Being newly single I realised how boring my 'couple' menu was, same 7 meals week in, week out so when walking through my local Sainsburys one day I saw the recipe stand next to the door and saw the '5 fun family meals for £20' meal plan. Inside was 5 meals that are quick and easy to make with all the ingredients listed inside so you can keep it in your handbag for your next supermarket trip.
My first chance to use the leaflet was when my, also newly single, best mate was coming over for a girlie dinner. I needed something quick to make that wasn't my usual pasta bake so I looked for inspiration. My first try was the Sweet & Sour Chicken (Click here for recipe). It went down well and while chatting about how boring our 'couple' menus were I showed her the meal plan. She insisted on taking it home and to make sure I always picked up the new ones for her.
This new shared love of ours has turned into a monthly event. One night we pick a recipe from the plan and make it together. My favourite is the Salmon & Courgette Pasta (Click here for recipe) costing less then £5 it takes minutes and makes a great filling meal. For the summer I substitute the courgette for cucumber. This is perfect for a summer picnic or lunch at work.
The collection of these leaflets have now ended but Sainsburys have replaced them with 'Feed You Family For £50' (Click here for Feed Your Family Website). They are just as good, last week I made the Vegetable Stir Fry and it was delicious! The second leaflet is out today so make sure you pick it up. Check out the website as you can print the shopping list and the recipes, see how much each day for that week will cost plus lots of extra tips. For girls on the go it is a great place to check before you leave work. Also enter the competition and you could be in with a chance of wining the £50 worth of ingredients to make the meals!
When you pick up your leaflet check out the loose recipe cards they are great for inspiring dinner choices, our next girls night is making Parmesan-crusted Fish Goujons (Click here for recipe).
Sainsburys also sell a handy little ideas file for you to put the cards in, the file would be even better if the meal plans fitted to but for now they have to sit loose.
This week I went to London for work and managed to squeeze in a quick trip to Oxford Street. My main aim was to go to John Lewis and take a look at the Liz Earle products.
As many of you know I had not had much luch with Eve Lom due to the Mineral Oil and many had suggested trying Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.
The area was a lot bigger then I had expected with lots of different products on offer. Luckily the sales assistant was really helpful in talking to me in detail about the cleanser and the other products in the Daily Essentials range. As we were talking she also gave me a quick tour of the other ranges. I have to say she was really nice and not pushy at all I felt she genuinely wanted to help me pick the right product rather then just make a sale.
We talked about my skin type and what products I had used before. She suggested I buy the Starter Kit which contained a 100ml bottle of the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and 2 muslin cloths (£13.25) In addition she suggested I buy a tonic and moisturiser to complete the routine. I didn't buy the tonic as I was on a bit of a tight budget (Liz Earle is not a budget breaker but it was nearly the end of the month!) and I needed a new moisturiser for the summer. From her recommendation I purchased the Skin Repair Light Moisturiser (£17.60)
Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser :
'We only make one cleanser because this formulation is the ultimate in concentrated yet gentle cleansing power and works on every age and skin type.
Our plant-based cleanser has a 2-phase action, phase 1 is the cleansing. Free from mineral oil, it has a rich and creamy texture and swiftly removes all traces of face and eye make-up, even stubborn mascara.
Phase 2 is the polishing. Polish off the cream using the pure muslin cloth to help gently dislodge dead skin cells and help reveal clean, soft and radiant skin.
Naturally active ingredients include eucalyptus and cocoa butter for smoother, clearer skin.'
(www.lizearle.co.uk)
The starter kit comes with a set of instructions which is very simple, massage into skin, rinse the muslin cloth under hot water and ring out before 'polishing' the face. Follow with Skin Boost Tonic and chosen Moisturiser.
Liz Earle's Skin Repair Light Moisturiser:
'Light and gentle, this easily absorbed moisturising lotion is ideal for combination, oily or problem skin.
This finely balanced blend of naturally active skin-conditioning ingredients includes borage oil (a rich source of the essential fatty acid GLA), echinacea, hops, avocado oil, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) and natural antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin E to replace lost moisture and help protect your skin, leaving it soft and smooth with a naturally healthy glow.'
(www.lizearle.com)
I have used both now for almost a week and I LOVE them!!!! My skin has had not breakouts infact it calmed down the ones Eve Lom had created. My skin is smooth, fuller, soft, less oily and feels healthier. In fact this week I have worn no makeup as I love my skin so much! The moisturiser is light but my skin loves it, I have always struggled to find a moisturiser that kept my skin free from dry patches but wasn't to heavy and ended up creating oil and breakouts.
Liz Earle is stocked in selected John Lewis stores and has stores in London and Leeds (to find your nearest stockist visit http://uk.lizearle.com/where-to-buy).
The London store also offers treatments and I am now saving to treat myself to the Liz Earle Signature Facial. I'll let you know what is like when I have saved up!
Liz Earle proves you can create an amazing range of products that are organic and free from Mineral Oil at affordable prices. I am defiantly going to look into the rest of the ranges, and I was given a sample of the Botanical Shampoo and Conditioner so will let you know when I have tried it.
Today's top 5 are my favourite brushes, these are the ones I can not live without and are always in my makeup bag no matter where I go. All the brushes are the best I have found but a few I keep with me as they can me used for more then one job which is great when you have to travel light!
I love this brush the bristles are really soft even with me cleaning them every week. The nice thing about the brush is it picks up powder well but not too much that it leaves a heavy layer on the skin. Although I do use this bush for applying powder the main reason for it being in my makeup bag 24/7 is that is great for blending blusher. I apply my blusher with a Benefit Blusher Brush and then use the No7 Powder Brush to bled it into the skin. It does the job better then any other brush I have tried. It is a bit expensive but sometimes Boot do a £5 voucher for No7 products ( i think this voucher is currently being given out) and this can be used against the brush making it even better!
Ruby and Millie makes really good brushes, I actually have 2 of their other brushes. The Lip Brush is great with cream eyeshadows and for detail, I like to use it for highlighting the cheekbone, eyebrow and nose. The other is the i-Brush great for blending and for adding a light layer of powder over the eye or cheekbone. The i-Define Brush works great for eyeliner, I use it with Mac Carbon and with Sleek's black eyeshadows to great defined lines especially for a winged line. I also use it for placing eyeshadow in the outer corner of the crease and inner corner of the eye.
I discovered Crown Brushes at IMATS this year and love them. They are professional quality at amazing prices. Although this brush is said to be for the crease I use it for blending eyeshadow. It works perfectly, you can use it lightly for an overall blend or harder on the outer edge of the eye. The bristles, like the others, stay really soft after weekly cleaning which surprised given the price, a great bonus!
To be honest there isn't much I can say that you won't already know about the Mac 190 brush so all I can say is it works well for me, gives me great coverage and no streaks.
Apart from the brushes being good quality I also like EcoTools as a brand. They wanted to create brushes that were earth-friendly aswell as face friendly. 1% of their annual sales goes to charity and the brushes are made using cruelty-free, taklon brisitles with bamboo handles. What I LOVE about this brush is the angled edges, these make it perfect for applying shadow into the crease and under the eye and with 2 edges you can apply different colours which is perfect for when you are away. 1 brush 3 uses!
So that is my top 5 brushes, come back next Monday to see my next top 5!
I mentioned in my first post the Eve Lom used Mineral Oil as the main ingredient which some skins don't like. Turns out mine is one of them!
A month of so ago I used a new body scrub I brought in Tesco's by Treacle Moon called The Raspberry Kiss that I really liked, within a few days my body broke out in spots that were really red and wouldn't go away. At the time I thought maybe it was change of season or hormones as I am prone to break outs. The only thing they made me a little curious was the fact that they stayed red and didn't heal and disappear. While in the shower I looked at the ingredients and saw it contained the infamous Mineral Oil! Luckily I had a tiny bit left of my old scrub (Soap & Glory Flake Away) and noticed this didn't contain the oil. I used this instead and the next morning the spots and healed and were no longer red.
I also had a very painful spot on my lip which I have never had before so I have decided to stop using the Eve Lom Cleanser.
To give my overall opinion of the cleanser if your skin is ok with Mineral Oil then it is a good cleanser. My skin did feel better after using it, I didn't need a moisturiser after using it and I enjoyed using it. I am not convinced it is worth the £50 price tag, from reading other blogs Liz Earle's Hot Cloth Cleanser is said to give similar results for a much smaller price tag of around £11. As it doesn't contain Mineral Oil I am going to try and pick it up next time I am in John Lewis so will let you know!
Stay Beautiful,
Jane x
P.S I am going to do a review on the Treacle Moon - The Raspberry Kiss in a few days
Just a quick update today as I haven't really got much to report.
This morning my skin feels fresh and full, I do feel my skin looks better but I am not sure if that is me wanting to see a difference. I did have a couple of bumps this morning, I am a little worried I am about to breakout but we will see.
I was out late last night so when I got in I did cut down the technique time as I just wanted to get into bed! It still performed well taking off heavier makeup but it wasn't great removing my Bourjois Clubbing Mascara. In fact I gave up and used a wipe to finish the job. I am still not sold on the smell but I did find it relaxing to use after a night out.
This morning I was surprised to find the dry patches had gone, my skin felt soft and I didnt feel it needed any extra products. I am warming to it but am still not sure if I would spend £50 for a pot, maybe as a treat.
I also found out today that in London you can have Eve Lom facials, I couldn't see how much they were but I would like to try one to compare to other salon facials.
Last night I used the cleanser for the first time and it is the first time I have had to read instructions and search for a YouTube video to ensure I am using the product correctly!
If you are trying the Eve Lom Cleanser Liberty's have a very good video on the technique which may help you.
My first impression was the smell was not great! If you like a natural, hops smell you may like it. It is not unpleasant and I could stand it long enough to carry out the technique but I was kind of hoping it would be a little nicer.
The lotion is very oily as you would expect but it did concern me as I have a very oily T-Zone. I trusted it would be ok and massaged it into my skin as the technique says followed by the hot cloth steps. If I am being honest I liked the treatment as a treat but I dont think I would want to do this every night especially when you have been on a night out and just want to get into bed!
It managed o take my makeup including waterproof mascara off with ease which impressed me as I have used wipes and other removers that took alot more effort then this.
The instructions ask that you dont use any moisturisers or tonics on your skin after, my skin did feel it needed some moisture but I resisted.
This morning my skin felt a little softer but I still had some dry patches. I am not convince my skin feels worth the price tag and I still feel my skin needs a moisturiser but as this is day one I will hold judgement until the end.
Today while in Space NK I was given a sample of the Eve Lom Cleanser. I was very excited to try it as it is one of the most talked about cleanser. Unfortunetly they did not have an spare cloths for me to use it with but I found a thin flannel in m cupboard that I thought would be ok given I was only going to trial it for a week.
Picture from www.evelom.com
For those of you that have never herd of Eve Lom, she is one of the top skincare, facialists in the world and is based in London. On her website they describe the cleanser as
'With a powerful blend of Egyptian chamomile, hops, clove and eucalyptus oil, together with cocoa butter the Eve Lom Cleanser cleanses, tones, exfoliates all in one. Even the most stubborn make-up and eye make-up will be removed.
The specially woven muslin cloth (100% cotton) is used with the Cleanser to improve skin circulation while cleansing and exfoliating the skin in minutes.
The result is clean, perfectly balanced skin and a radiant complexion. ' www.evelom.com
It is an oil based lotion that you massage into the skin for a few minutes and then rinse off with the hot muslin cloth. One word of warning it does contain mineral oil as its main ingredient which some skins react to and can cause breakouts or irritation. This initially made me a little weary of trying it as my skin is prone to breakouts, however, I looked at a couple of my other face products and saw they also contained the oil(usually shown as paraffinum liquidium) so decided I was probably ok.
I am going to do a daily update over 7 days to let you know how I am getting on. I hope I love it as it pricey at £50 for 100ml! The sales staff in Space NK justified the price to me by saying: You no longer need a cleanser, toner, moisturiser and make up removers and you only use a small amount each time so it lasts for months. We will see!
A while ago I brought some Barry M Dazzle Dusts on a 3 for 2 offer but never got round to using them. While trying to decide what colour to paint my nails for the week the little pot was peering out at me. I decided to open the pot and try it as a nail varnish.
I found an old bottle of Boots 17 Double Gloss Top Coat to use with the powder. I put a small amount of the powder in a dish and dipped the brushed in to it for each nail.
I'll be honest I was really surprised at how well it worked. One dip in the powder gave a really good coverage on the nail, I didn't even need a second layer. It does look a little grainy but I liked it and with a layer of top coat it smoothed out great.
I have only just painted them so I don know how well it will last but I will update this post once I have worn it for a few days.
