Life sometimes...

Firstly my most humongous apologies for being absent from the blogosphere... You know when life just gets in the way? That happened! I returned to my normal job in the bank after going away on a secondment, got a new boss and life went super crazy! A bout of glandular fever followed and a car crash later and I was ready to see the back of 2014! 

Anyway despite some upcoming visits to have my back and sciatic nerve sorted life's getting back to normal... And by normal I mean my fiendish make up and beauty shopping ways have returned!

I was lucky enough to end 2013 with a long awaited trip to Florida which of course meant some serious damage in Sephora... 

So expect a shed load of reviews, some make up how-to's and skin care news! 

Much love, 

SJ xxx

Topshop Eye Crayon in 'Marble'

So last week I was lucky enough to be working in the center of town which means I get to park and wander through one of the largest shopping centres in the area I live in...shame...

I popped into Topshop with the intention of browsing their nail polish but I just could not decide on a shade and so decided I should pick up one of these eye crayons instead! I've had my eye on them for ages, particularly this shade 'Marble' and as a eyeshadow and cream shadow lover I threw caution to the wind and handed over 6 of my finest English pounds for....a crayon?

This isn't just any crayon though its super super super soft and glides on without tugging at your eyelid at all! Colour wise it's definitely in my 'shimmery neutrals' arsenal now and does a brilliant job of perking up my peepers!

My only 2 concerns with this product are that after only a few applications it had worn down to a stump... No problem I'll just sharpen it... Except I'll be damned if I can find a sharpener big enough for this bad boy!

Thankfully a local stationary shop came up with the goods and super jumbo size crayon is now back in business!

Much love,

SJ xxx

February Favourites 2013

A little late to the monthly favourites party this time but finally here are my February Favourites!

First off I'll start with hair care... My hair had slowly been looking duller and duller as my old highlights grew out and before I knew it I realised it had been 3 months since I'd sat my ass in the hairdressers! Oops... Anyhow after a quick berating for not coming back sooner my stylist Lauren then said my hair was in much healthier condition than normal and asked what I'd been doing... The only thing I have changed is I have been using Ojon products since running out of my beloved Bumble and Bumble Creme De Coco! Both are owned by the Estée Lauder group and I picked up the Ojon Ultra Hydrating Shampoo on my February visit to their factory. Since using my hair has been softer and more manageable and it would appear much healthier! Well now I have whole head of blonde highlights to take care of so luckily I have a nice stash of Ojon shampoos, conditioners and masks to keep my newly coloured locks safe!

Next up is my favourite fragrance for February, the Michael Kors 'Island - Very Bali' perfume. It's a very clean smelling scent but there is a musky floral hint to it which makes it very wearable for this time of year.

Moving on my next favourite is a bronzer that I again picked up in February's Estée Lauder trip and its the Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in '01 Shimmering Sands'. This is such a pick me up at the moment as I am finding it completely depressing being a pale face! I tan really easily and spend a lot of time outdoors at weekends and so a little colour on my face is imminent but until then this will have to do! It must be used sparingly though, use a heavy hand and expect to look like your little 5 year old sister did your blush! This does apply like a dream though and gives you a rosy and dewy look to your complexion. You would expect it to be glittery given its gold colour but it really isn't at all!

Twice a day every day since its purchase I have also been slapping on this Clinique Repairwear Deep Wrinkle Concentrate. Now that I am 2 years off 30 I am stepping up my prevention of the dreaded wrinkles and have started to use this on my forehead and around the eyes where my skin will naturally crease if I laugh or frown... So far so good some of my new work colleagues guessed my age to be 22 today, I like them already! The consistency of this cream is good, a little goes a long way and there is no awful scent to contend with and I have noticed that my forehead looks a tiny bit smoother but I'm carrying on with this as it takes about 8 weeks to really see a difference and this is more prevention for me really!

I have also been loving my MAC Lipglass in 'Casual Air' this month. It's a totally wearable light pinky nude colour that layers well over most nude lipsticks and I have found myself reaching for this pretty much every work day!

And finally I am still besotted with my No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator. I pop a thumbnail sized blob of this onto my fingers and sweep in circular motions around my face avoiding the eye area just to sweep away dead skin cells. The micro-crystals do a good job of this and after each use I am left with baby soft skin!

Have you tried any of these products? Do you love them too?

Much love,

SJ xxx

Huge Haul! Estée Lauder, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Ojon, Origins & more!

Lucky me I've been to the Estée Lauder factory again and I thought I'd share with you what I picked up this time!

ABOVE L-R back row: Ojon Full Detox Shampoo, Ojon Revitalising Mist, Ojon Rare Blend Oil, Origins Rich Rewards Intensive Moisture Treatment for scalp and hair, Prescriptives Calyx Exhilirating Body Lotion, Bumble & Bumble Quenching Masque for terribly thirsty hair, Estée Lauder Sensuous Body Lotion and Shower Creme.
L-R front row: Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Creme Compact Make up in 'Outdoor Beige', 2 x Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair, Estée Lauder Signature Satin Creme Blush in 03 ' Nude Light', Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Creme Compact Make up in 'Pebble, Estée Lauder Sensuous Eau De Parfum Spray, 2 x Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Age Renewal Creme

BELOW L-R back row: Estée Lauder Double Wear in 'Dawn', Bobbi Brown 'Pretty' Palette, Bobbi Brown Rich Colour Gloss in Angel Pink, MAC Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Whim, MAC Lip Pencil in Stripdown, MAC Cremesheen Glass in Right Image, Estée Lauder Pure Color LongLasting Lipstick in Melon Shimmer, MAC Glaze Lipstick in Hue, MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Creme D'Nude
L-R front row: MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in Havana, Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Shadow Creme in Smoky Twilight, Estée Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow Duo in Black Chrome, Estée Lauder Pure Color Intense Kajal Eyeliner in Blackened Black, Origins Peeper Pleaser in Twinkle and Estée Lauder Pure Color Gelee Powder Eyeshadow in Cyber Ruby.

Is there anything you want to see an in depth review on or a make up look using any of these products?

Much love,

SJ xxx

No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush Review

Firstly I must admit to being off on another work related jolly last week to Essex. Chelmsford to be exact, a 5 day intensive course that left no time for anything other than crashing out in my hotel room with room service and chilling in a nice bath... My only frolic was popping into Superdrug to pick up the MUA Undress Me Too palette for which you can read the review here.

Monday however sees me take what will probably be one of my last trips away before I set up a permanent base with my job! I am so happy about this! Staying in hotels does nothing for your waistline and its heartbreaking missing out on special occasions back home and things like valentines day... Sob sob can you hear the violins? So my last stop for a while will be in Birmingham, a shopping Mecca and somewhere I have stayed countless times before with work so I'm looking forward to a bit of post work retail therapy in the Bullring!

One thing I will definitely be taking with me on my travels is this Boots No7 Cleansing Brush £15 (currently out of stock on the Boots website but may be available in stores! NOTE this is an introductory offer and normal price is £24.95)... To date the most affordable alternative to a Clarisonic that I have come across. I picked this up a couple of weeks ago and it has accompanied me to Gloucester and Essex and is definitely coming to Birmingham! If you read my review of the MUA Undress Me Too palette you'll know that I love the idea that I can travel with these cheaper products as it lessens the worry that they will break in transit or I leave them somewhere and although I soon won't be doing a many trips away these things are still really handy to have.

Now I can leave my Clarisonic safely at home and transport this No7 beauty in my case. In terms of comparison the Clarisonic certainly wins but I would expect it to given the price tag! However the No7 brush is a super alternative for the money! Even at full price it's tons cheaper and the product has so many similarities its the perfect solution if you want to test out using a cleansing brush before purchasing a Clarisonic, or for travelling like me and mostly if the Clarisonic is just too expensive!

The brush itself is very soft and it has 2 speed settings so you can control how you treat your face. It's also shower friendly although wont take being submerged under water! Battery operated by 2 AA batteries you actually get 2 in the box, it's fairly noisy but no more so than a good electric toothbrush! I have been using this with my gel cleanser 3-4 times a week as working away I have been mainly city based and I do love a good scrub clean!

After use my skin feels fresh and clean like it does after a mini facial and very much the same as after using my Clarisonic. A fantastic alternative in every way I highly recommend picking this up now whilst it's on offer if you can! The No7 counter also advised me there are plans to sell the brush heads separately as well so that you can replace them otherwise you can remove them very easily for cleaning .

What do you think of this as an alternative? Have you picked one up already or are you tempted now?

Much love,

SJ xxx

MUA Undress Me Too Eyeshadow Palette Review and Swatches!

So this week MUA released its answer to the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, very appropriately named the Undress Me Too. A very well made dupe much like its predecessor the Undressed palette which was widely respected as a dupe for the original Naked palette so I had extremely high hopes for this!

It certainly didn't disappoint! Like other MUA palettes it is such good value for money priced at £4 for 12 eyeshadows! This is brilliant because we can't all afford to fork out £36 for the Naked 2 and for the price you get so close to the Naked 2 colours i think this will become an absolute staple in my make up bag! I often have to travel and I do worry what would happen if I lost my Urban Decay beauties or they broke in transit so to take along a dupe knowing I can replace it for £4 is just amazing!

The colours all have names which I love and it fills me with a little hope that MUA may release some of the shades as individual shadows that we can purchase rather than repurchasing the whole palette.

I have swatched the shades for you below and as you would expect from MUA if you have tried their products before, the eyeshadows are very pigmented for the price which for me is a major selling point! I have named the shades from left to right with the top row first with the swatches following the same pattern;
L-R top row Naked, Devotion, Shy, Fiery, Lavish, Dreamy. L-R bottom row Tranquil, Exposed, Reveal, Wink, Obsessed, Corrupt.
My favourites are Tranquil, Reveal and Wink. Lavish seems like a really good matte colour for brow filling if you have light brows and Corrupt the matte black colour is amazing as an eyeliner on an angled brush! I'm so sorry for the poor quality of my swatches I am away with work and the lighting in the hotel room is awful!

The packaging as always is simple but effective in a white case as opposed to the usual black... I can see this may get slightly mucky in my grubby little paws!

Do you love MUA and their amazing dupes? Have you picked up this palette yet?

Much love,

SJ xxx

Mini Boots Haul

Before I left for Gloucester last week I popped into boots to pick up some toothpaste and I just couldn't resist a wander through the beauty and skincare aisles.

I firstly stopped off at the La Roche Posay section where I picked up the Effeclar A.I. which is a cream for use on skin imperfections and spots etc. I'm super lucky I rarely get spots and have clear skin without much redness but it is oily sometimes and I get the occasional spot when I've been stressed or tired. Hopefully this will mean any new zits get zapped straight away!

I also picked up the Effeclar K an anti relapse product for oily skin. I'm hoping where I have nailed my skincare regime this will help keep the oily areas at bay!

Finally an absolute bargain! This cleansing brush from Boots No7 brand is clearly their answer to the Clarisonic and is currently on offer for £15 as an introductory price as it will normally be £24.95! Still an absolute bargain if like many, you can't afford to shell out for the Clarisonic! I've been using this whilst in Gloucester and so far so good, it's battery operated and has a really soft brush head and I did feel truly clean afterwards! You get what you pay for though so I wouldn't say it is necessarily as good as the Clarisonic but for the money you pay it's a real bargain and the perfect answer if you want a Clarisonic but are trying to save your pennies! Hurry whilst they are still in store and online here

Much love,

SJ xxx