The Fault in our stars.....

I know this isn't a beauty review but this is something that is close to my heart. Even though I am not big on reading books this is a book that just tore me up and i couldn't stop reading it. I know most people think the books just predictable and cliché however to me at the end it showed the true darkness of cancer. This is one to read before you watch the movie and I promise you won't be disappointed. In one of the scene's she said ' I'm a Grenade and at some point I’m going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties'. Just that sentence brought back all my memories as in 2006 my Nan lost her battle with cancer. 

This book truly got me thinking about my Nan and the importance of living life to the full. I wanted to share a bit about my Nan as I have always struggle actually talking about her. Let me just start with saying she was one of a kind, she helped out at play ground with the children, she baked cakes for charities and she would help out anyone that would ask. A week before she died she even drove elderly people to their hospital appointments so they didn’t need to get the bus. Those of a few things that my Nan did. 

She had fought cancer over nearly 10 years where she was in and out remission. It started of as breast cancer which then went to her liver, heart, and lungs. She was the most wonderful person that you would have ever met and I will never forgot her. The day she died my parents had arranged for us to go see a theatre production in London. They didn't want to spoil the day so they waited until the next morning to tell us. I remember them waking me up and sitting us down in their room. My mum burst into tears and I remember thinking please don't be Nan, please don’t be nan, anything but her. She was like my mum, she looked after me most of my life but I didn't know how sick she really was. I couldn’t catch my breath and all my emotions seem to crash down on me.  

Cancer is one of the worst, ugliest and scariest thing I have come across in my life. I live near a huge hospital where they test all these new drugs to cure cancer. My Nan was basically their guinea pig, she tried these drugs years before anyone knew about them. However none of them worked. The chemotherapy soon started to actually make my Nan mad. At one point when my mum visited my Nan, she started trying to call my mum even though she was sat right next to her.

Her funeral was all a blur but I remember a few things such as that everyone was asked to wear colour and that I wore a pink fluffy dress. The church was so full people were standing at the back and outside. She was loved by everyone. Instead of people giving flowers we asked people to donate to the hospital to get more equipment for the patients. I remember it rained at the burial ground and my mum said ‘the heavens are crying’.

It tore my family apart but made us stronger in the long run. Sorry about the rant but there are a lot of things that I can never speak about but instead I can write about. This book brought all my emotions back while I was on holiday and I believe it is a great book for people to understand the effects of cancer. I don’t want to give anything away but I recommend it very highly.

Please feel free to comment.

Jess
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BareMinerals Haul

This is a company that i hadn't really tried before however when i went to LA for work i saw the amazing deals and i had to pick up some of the products. The girls were so amazing with my mum and actually did a full face of make up on her. They tried out which colours were best for her and showed her how to use them. I have to say they have one of the best customer service in the world. We eventually came up with a couple of sets.

Get Started Complexion Kit 

As my mum isn't the best with make up and hasn't got many products she got the started kit which she was very impressed with. I found this set would be amazing for people just starting off with make up or just trying out mineral make up. The colour match was perfect and the set made my mums fine lines fade and make her skin look flawless. In England the set is around £50 in various stores however i believe my mum got it for around £30 in an outlet.

Collection includes:

bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation in Medium and Medium Beige, size: 2g each

Original Mineral Veil, size: 2g

Warmth All-Over Face Color, size: 1.5g

Full Flawless Face Brush

Flawless Application Face Brush

Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush

Prime Time Foundation Primer, size: 15ml"

I could not find my sets online however i took at couple pictures to show you. I was very impressed by the products.

BareMinerals Eyeshadow in Smolder and Panache, BareMinerals Ready Blush in 'The Whisper', Flawless Application Face Brush, Tapered Blush and Shadow Brush, Eye shadows in Shoulder and Panache, Marvelous Moxie lip gloss in rule breaker, bareMinerals lip gloss in Cherry Bomb.

BareMinerals Eyeshadow in Smolder (Left) and Panache (Right)

The First set i got was the bareMinerals Ready Blush in 'The Whisper' which i use as my bronzer as its the perfect colour for my pale skin. This came with a face brush which i believe is called the flawless application face brush. The brush bristles are very soft and give a very natural bronze to the face. 

The Second set i brought included the Tapered Blush and Shadow brush which is perfect to have in a travel make up bag as you can do basically your whole face. I use the blush side for blush, bronzer, and foundation powder. I then go in with the shadow side for my eye make up. I have included a closer picture to show the shadows. The grey shimmer eye shadow is in the colour ' smolder' and then the pink shimmer eye shadow is in the colour ' panache'. This creates the perfect everyday or use more of the smolder colour to create a smoky eye. However, i will say that a little goes a long way with these shadows. Then i brought two different lip glosses which are both very different. The nude lip gloss is the Marvelous Moxie lip gloss in the shade ' rule breaker' which is a bit to nude for my skin unless i put it over a lipstick. The pink lip gloss is BareMinerals Cherry Bomb which is one of the best lip glosses i own as its not sticky and its pretty on its own or with a lipstick to give a glossy finish. 

I was very impressed with the products from bareMinerals, i will want to try more in the future as i believe the products are well worth the investment. 

Please comment to share your thoughts on the products and if you have any recommendations. 

Jess 

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Plum/Burgundy Lipstick Collection

Plum/Burgundy Lipsticks must be my favorite colour due to my pale skin in the winter time, the colours really stand out. I do generally wear these colours in the winter time but some can be used all year round. They look all very similar however they all have different lasting powers, and finishes. I could not live without some of them, the price range is very different however i find that some drugstore lipsticks compare nearly exactly with the high end. Below is my favorite picks from my lipsticks:

Left to Right: Make up Forever #10 , MAC Party Line, MAC Craving , Wet n Wild Sugar Plum Fairy, Revlon Rich Raisin Frost, Rimmel #107 , Maybelline Berry Ready , Revlon Raspberry Pie.

Make up Forever #10
Colour: Dark Burgundy 
Price: £24.00
Lasting Power: Once it has dried to a matte finish it does last up to 6-8 hours.
Overall Comment: The only down fall about this product it that it is very hard to get off and when it does wear down it turns into little flakes.

MAC Party Line
Colour: Burgundy 
Price: £15.50
Lasting Power: Lasts around 3-4 hours
Overall Comment: This is a beautiful colour and it always seems to look seamless when i wear it.

MAC Craving
Colour: Light Plum Colour
Price: £15.50
Lasting Power: Lasts around 4-6 hours
Overall Comment: Beautiful colour, its one that i generally get comments on all the time and it last better than the party line. 

Wet n Wild Sugar Plum Fairy
Colour: Dark Plum
Price: £4.99
Lasting Power: 4-6 hours
Overall Comment: The lipstick is a perfect colour for winter, the only negative about this lipstick is that it is very drying and matte. When i apply it to my lips it is very dry and stiff. However, this is a bargain you can't miss out for the lasting power.

Revlon Rich Raisin Frost
Colour: Berry with gold shimmer
Price: £7.49
Lasting Power: 2 hours
Overall Comment: This is actually quite sheer however that means it doesn't last long on the lips so i do have to reapply.

Rimmel #107
Colour: Dark plum/red 
Price: £5.49
Lasting Power: 4 hours
Overall Comment: I am not to fond of the smell of the lipstick, however the colour looks gorgeous on my pale skin in the winter. 

Maybelline Berry Ready
Colour: Berry/ Raspberry 
Price: £8.00
Lasting Power: 2 hours
Overall Comment: This is almost the exact colour as the Revlon Raspberry pie however it is a bit lighter. I do love the sleek packaging as its very thin so you can throw it in your bag for the day. This colour is a little most sheerer than the Revlon Raspberry pie.

Revlon Raspberry Pie
Colour: Rasberry 
Price: £7.99
Lasting Power: 2 hours
Overall Comment: This colour is very pretty and can be worn around the year. You can layer in the winter and sheer out in the summer. Its one of the most prettiest berry colours i have.

Please comment with any criticism's or if you just want a chat.

Jess 

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Autumn / Winter Topshop Haul

It was my birthday the other week and i had won a £250 so when i went to London for my birthday i had a massive spending spree , which was AMAZING.

Some of the basic things that i got was my new Moto black Leigh jeans , which are amazing these are perfect to pair with a jumper for the winter months or lately i have been wearing a short sleeve logo top with a Topshop hooded jacket. They are super soft however i think that £38 pounds for them is on the pricey side as i am a student. Another downside to these jeans is that they attract fluff very easily which annoys me a lot. I also purchased another pair of the Heavyweight Clean Seam Legging which i love because they are not see through like most leggings these days and they are super warm for me in the winter months. My last pair did only last me a year however i used to wear those leggings everyday and for £18 i thought it was a pretty good price.

On to jumpers and tops , when shopping i wanted to get mainly jumpers and tops however i did buy jumpers from Forever 21 and H & M. I got a general top from Topshop which is called the burnout top which i got in the colour Cobalt. It can be dressed down with jeans or up with leggings and heels , this top cost £16 which i think is OK however it is quite simple. The material is very soft and its a very easy top to just throw on , when you wake up late in the morning. I then got this beautiful winter jumper which has an embellished flower front , perfect for the winter months as its so soft and warm. Pair any colour jeans , mainly i have been pairing this with blue , black and burgundy jeans. I then got a grey jumper which has a scatter of embellishment on it , its the most itchiest jumper i have ever got. I was so gutted and also i could not get ride of the jumper because i lost the receipt so i will have to sell it on eBay.

 On to winter accessories , i have a massive thing about hats lately which topshop is great for. I first got the Angora Cable Beanie hat in cream , which must be the softest hat i have ever got. It is so nice and you know when it suits you because i had strangers say how like the hat was and for £16 i thought it wasn't too bad. Then the other day i picked up the Fur Pom Cable Beanie for £14 at my local store cause i saw it online , which is again so soft and warm . I truly believe that topshop is the best for its hats now because they are the best quality i have ever had. Then i saw a snood which is called the willow bird snood , its lightweight so its good for winter and summer , matches my hat and coat perfectly and was only £18.

I mentioned a few of the main things i brought recently , i have to say a massive thank you for Skadoosh because it made my birthday the best ever. I have got other items from topshop which consist of underwear and some other bits and bobs from other stores but this is mainly based on Topshop.

Hope you liked me haul, please comment if you have any suggestions on what to buy in Topshop that is good quality.

Jess xx

Best and Worst Customer Service Experiences

The Best 
The other day i went to collect an order from boots , it was only 4 lipsticks but i was quite excited . When i got there they said they have misplaced my order however it had been booked in so they will go hunt for it. Although this doesn't start off sounding that great it it gets better. I was with my boyfriend and his best friend when they started to get hungry we all went to get ours boots meal deals while waiting for the order. The woman was baffled that she couldn't find it , she offered to pay for the boots meal deals free of charge when she said that i thought she was joking but she wasn't.

She thanked us for being so nice about the situation and i just said whats the point of being angry or moody cause it gets you no where. The manager then came out and said that because he couldn't find my order would a £30 gift voucher be OK , i was blown away that this was happening to me as i don't get this treatment from most shops. Well i went away and the next day i phoned up to check if they had found my order which they had so i went in to collect it the next day. Considering its my birthday next week i thought that my luck must be getting better as the week before this happened i found out i won a competition for £250 Topshop vouchers from a company called Skadoosh which i will post more information nearer my birthday.


The Worst 
As i am student i don't normally expect to get the best customer service because i find in a lot of high end stores you get a lot of ageism , they don't normally give you good service cause they think you will steal. I find this horrible because i go in looking at products and i won't get good help or a get them follow me around the store which happened once in John Lewis. Which i thought was bad until i went to MAC make up store in Cambridge. I know that there make up is expensive however i went in there to spend my birthday money and i was looking at the make up that i have been researching for months.

I look round to see all the staff members staring at me , one came over and i asked which lipstick she would recommend , i picked the one i had been looking at for a long time and she said it would not suit me and that i should have a look a boots. I have found their customer service there so horrible that i will only now order online unless i am with my mum , if i go with my mum they seemed to be so nice as i went to the London shop and they tried on loads of shades. My best friend told me the other week that when she went in she was at the front of the line and just about to buy products for her sisters birthday when she started to notice that they were only serving the people behind her that were older. She waited until everyone behind her in the line was served because that's what the staff were doing and she is a little shy and then got served.

So i have to say that at my age the customer service can either be amazing or very bad but hopefully as i get older i will get better. I wish i could work at a place like MAC so maybe i could give amazing customer service and understand why the staff give very bad customer service to the younger generation.

I hope you liked my post , i know its different from the normal posts but i just wanted to share my experiences.

Please comment and tell me your good and bad customer service experiences.

Jess xx

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Vs Bourjois Paris Colour Boost Lip Crayon

Its been a while since i last posted a beauty review because i have been so busy at work , but i knew i needed to post a new beauty review . I wanted to do a little comparison of these two lip products because they are so similar , the prices are the exact same however i believe that the products are very different in many ways.

I first got the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain a while ago in the colour in Smitten , as i love quite dark colours on the lips i thought this would be a great lip stain. When i first got it i used it almost everyday , i believe the colour pay off is very good and you don't really need to layer it up much. However i find it very messy when you apply the lip stain to your lips , as its a dark shade it is hard to make it look perfect. I believe its due to the fact that it has quite a thick tip to the lip stain which makes it hard to go close to edges of your lips without going outside and making you look like a cloud. Although it does stay on for a long time it is very drying to the lips which i don't like especially when it gets to the winter months. It Claims that it is a moisturizing balm and that 100% of women who tried it felt their lips were instantly moisturized with a soft stain of colour which i believe is not true.

Overall 

Brand: Revlon
Price: £7.99
Pro's: The colour is very pretty for the winter time , and it is easy to pop in your handbag.
Con's: I don't like the thick tip of the stain because it makes it hard to look perfect, and it can look very patchy
Overall rating : 3.5*

I recently purchased Bourjois Paris Colour Boost Lip Crayon in peach on the beach which is an amazing summer lip colour , it is very moisturizing and smooth. The only down side of this product is that i find it goes on quite patchy. It is a beautiful colour for the summer months but i don't think you can really wear it in the winter as it is very bright. The strange thing is , is that i find this lip product easier to use rather than the revlon balm stain and it is defiantly find this product very moisturizing. I find this product does stay on the lips however i believe the revlon one was much more long lasting.

Overall 

Brand: Bourjois 

Price: £7.99

Pro's: The colour is very pretty for the summer time , very silky and moisturizing on the lips  and it is easy to pop in your handbag.

Con's: It goes on quite patchy and doesn't last that long so you will have to apply regularly 

Overall rating : 4.5*

I hope you liked the comparison and please comment to recommend any make up products.

Jess xx

Boots Haul and First Impressions of Products

So i took a trip to town the other day and picked up a few things from boots as there was a 3 for 2 offer on. I thought instead of doing the normal haul so actually give you my first impression of all the products i brought.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum - I found the colour that suits my skin perfectly which is very hard to find cause i have fair skin so i was very happy about that . This is renown for being a dupe of the Chanel vitalumiere aqua , this is looks very smooth on the skin and gives a beautiful glow without being too cakey.

Bourjois Colour Boost Lipstick in Peach on the beach- I love the colour on my fair skin , goes on so smooth onto my lips and its got a beautiful glossy sheen on my lips. Zoella recommended this lipstick so i had to pick it up in the offer.

Bourjois Bronzing Powder - It renown for its luscious smell of chocolate , i must say that the product is very lovely its easy to use for a beginner you can build the colour up for a contour.

Maybelline Fit Me Powder - My very first impression was how soft to touch and takes away the shine , i had run out of my Maybelline dream matte powder so i thought i should try a different powder. So far i like my fit me powder more as it is more smooth and less cakey.

Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream (2% Salicylic acid for oily skin) - I picked up this BB cream instead of the normal BB cream because i have been breaking out lately and thought it might treat my spots will giving a bit of coverage. Its a perfect light colour for my skin and gives a very smooth finish.

Maybelline The Eraser Concealer - Its a nice concealer for the under eyes , although it is a anti age concealer i heard it was great for the under eyes , so i have been using it in my daily routine . I am not liking the sponge applicator because i think it is very unhygienic so i completely torn it off.

I hope you liked my post , please comment so i can talk.

Jess xx

Benefit Magic Ink Jet-Black Liquid Eyeliner Review

So i have been working a lot so i have not been blogging much however this is my new favorite eyeliner so i thought i might review it for you. I sometimes find it very hard to do my eyeliner as i have quite shaky hands , it means i find it hard to create a good cat eye without messing up . However this eyeliner blush is very thin and easy to use , i have to admit that sometimes there will be the odd mistake here and there but that is normal. I wore this eyeliner to work today and it did not smudge or come off the whole day , the staying power impressed me so much. The pot of liquid eyeliner looks very small compared to normal eyeliners in my opinion as it is £15.50 , however if you want an eyeliner that stays put then this is the one for you.

I would want the packaging to be better such as i like liquid eyeliners that are in the pen design as i find them easier to use , wear as you have to keep dipping the brush in the pot. The colour is very dark black which although you might think yeah of course its a dark black cause of the name , however i say this because i have had eyeliners that have been grey when they say the colour is black.

Overall 

Brand: Benefit

Price: £15.50

Amount of product: 2.5

Pro's: I seem to be able to create a 'straighter' line with this one than with others , and i don't make as many mistakes due to the small tip.Wears well and doesn't fade throughout the day which is good if you need to go out or to work.

Con's: I don't like the packaging and i believe that there isn't much amount of product for the price , you could get a cheaper eyeliner that has more product however this is a very good eyeliner.

Overall rating : 5*

I hope you enjoyed my blog and if you know a really good eyeliner please comment 

Jess xx

My Daily Make up Routine

I hope you enjoy my everyday make up routine, this will change depending on if I am going to school and my mood if I am honest as some days I like wearing a bold lip.

1. Benefit The POREfessional - I will put this on my face if I want my foundation to last all day, it just feel lovely on your skin and minimize your pores however I wouldn't purchase this again because there are better primers out their for cheaper prices. This primer costs £24.50 which is a bit steep for a primer, benefit says that you could apply under or over makeup but I don't think you could apply this really over make up.
2. MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 in NW15 - This is a lovely full coverage foundation which I will wear if I need more coverage like going out, but it does clog your pores so I can't wear it everyday. The only downside of my foundation is that it is quite orange on my fair skin even, this is £21.50 which although is expensive it will last you ages. 
3. MAC Select Cover up - I love this concealer because when you put it on it covers what you want without looking like you have it on. Although this is £15.00 its a good concealer but I probably will try cheaper concealer to test them out such as the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. 
4. Benefit High Beam - This is a very easy to use pretty highlight, the colour is perfect for my skin cause it looks beautiful without people going 'omg your wearing highlighter', its £19.50 for a massive but with most products I would say always get a sample before hand a try it out before you pay a lot for the product. 
5. MAC Fleur Powder Satin Powder Blush - I will use a stippling blush to apply this to the colour looks natural on my fair skin, its easy to blend and looks beautiful. Its £18.00 although its quite an average colour, its perfect for fair skin people.
6. Maybelline dream matte powder - This powder is a great product to have as a setting powder, I like that is takes all the shine away because I hate a shiny face after apply make up. This price in America is $8.23 which i think is a great price.
7. Urban Decay Naked 2 palette - I use Foxy all over my lid and then Tease in my crease for a natural look, the eye shadows are silky and easy to blend. It's £36.00 but well worth your money.
8. Loreal Paris Volume Million Lashes Mascara - One of my favourite mascara that make my eyelashes look lengthen and just  lovely. It sells for £10.99, but you have to try it cause its a must product.
9. Barry M Kohl Pencil - For years I have used this eyeliner in my water line, it's very pigmented , smooth and just defines my eyes beautifully, and for only £2.99.
10. Clarins Rouge Eclat in Nude Rose - I normally don't wear nude lipsticks until I wore this, it's your lips but better lipstick. I think £18.50 is steep but it is naturally beautiful and i love it for everyday simple make up.

I hope you like my blog post :)

Jess xx

First Impression of Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

I got this product a few days a go and I wanted to write my first impression of the product. The product says it has 8 benefits in 1; Creates a natural glow, compliments skin tone, SPF 30, Hydrates all day, Blurs imperfections, oil free, looks visibly smooth and feels fresh. When applying the BB cream it felt very smooth to put on, I would recommend that when applying you use your fingers but the brush would pick up a lot of the product. After applying I did see that the BB cream looked very greasy on my skin, so I used a powder to take down the shine. I think the great thing about this product is that it was the same colour as my skin and complimented it very well, which is pretty hard because I have quite fair skin so I find most foundations and BB creams can be too orange for my skin.

I would say that it makes my skin look smooth and as I have some acne its nice for it to make that look smooth, but however it did not really blur my imperfections so if wearing this in the day I would wear concealer with it. I believe that the product only provides 4 out of the 8 benefits it promises which are that it creates a natural glow, compliments skin tone, SPF 30 and looks visibly smooth.

Overall 

Brand: Maybelline

Price: £7.99

Amount of product: 30ml

Pro's: This product just suit the colour of my skin very well instead of being too orange like other drugstore brands, it just give me a natural glow and smooths out my skin nicely. The product is very cheap considering the amount you get.

Con's: It does not blur imperfections as my acne was still showing and as soon as I put the product on it looked very greasy so you would have to wear a powder with the product. Another con would be that the product doesn't sell a wide range of colours, although my colour suited me, there aren't many darker shades.

Overall rating : 3.5*

I hope you enjoyed my review

Jess xx