Dermalogica Skin Saver

Now i have never had the best skin in the world, i always used to get jealous of those girls that had the best skin and wouldn't need to wear make up. I started trying out different products around about 3 years ago when my skin was quite bad for me, however i never want to say i have had the worst skin because there are a lot of people out there in the world who have severe acne. I say people because the people with the worst acne are actually men, i had a lot of guy friends that would have severe acne on there face, arms and back. Remember that your skin will get better and if it is truly bad seek guidance from your doctor.

My boyfriend got given a 13g sample of the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant from a friend. We use this daily as this has worked so well for our skin types. I have said in a previous blog post that i have combination skin as i get oily in my t-zone but dry on my cheeks.

The product comes out as a powder then turns into a scrub when you add water. Please be wary NOT to put this product in the shower as my boyfriend got water inside the bottle and it completely ruined the product.   I great weekly exfoliate is the Lush Ocean Salt as its natural and really does make my skins overall complexion better.

Overall 

Brand: Dermalogica
Price: £41
Amount of product: 75g
Pro's: It has completely transformed my skin as well as my boyfriends skin. In the past year my cheeks have been the worst area's for acne however since using this my skin has smoothed out and my spots have all gone on my cheeks.
Con's: The product costs around £41 a bottle now that is quite expensive however i believe it is a great investment but i am sure there are some good products out there for cheaper.
Overall rating : 4*

Please comment with any recommended products that you think are skin savers, as i would love to try new products for my skin.

Jess
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Birthday Weekend in London

Saturday !!!!!!!!

We first went to Camden Market, now one thing I have to say is at first I thought is this it but we kept walking and finally arrived at the lock which was full of food stands of every culture. It was AMAZING!! If you are visiting London this should be on your list.

While we had our lunch we noticed this fish spa that had a great deal and I had never tried it before. I always try and do things that I have never done before on my birthday so its an adventure. It was quite early and we were the first customer's so she actually gave us 10 extra minutes for free which was very sweet. The Garra Rufa fish feed on the dead skin on your feet making them very soft afterwards. It was nice to just relax in there while outside was manic.


After the fish spa we explored Camden and found some weird and wonderful places. Then headed to Lion King at the Lyceum Theater which was spectacular and at one point the women actually brought me to tears as her voice was so perfect and the lyrics were so beautiful. If you ever come to London, I recommend The Lion King so highly especially if you want to treat a partner, family member or kids. I would also recommend that you bring food and drink with you into the theatre as the drinks were about triple the price they are normally.

After the theatre production we actually went round Covent Garden for about an hour which at that time they had a small food market selling Deserts, Duck Wrap, Pull Pork wraps and organic fruit. The food wasn't expensive for the amount you got and the views at pretty amazing while you have a snack.

Something that I had never done before is climb a landmark and i saw there was an offer for Up at the 02 which is where you climb up the 02 to a platform that has a 360 degree views of London.

There are different times you can choose from and we actually went up at 7:15 which meant we got the end of the sunset. It was breath taking and we really had an amazing time. It's something that you will only do once and I would recommend the summer time because it can get very windy at the top.

Sunday !!!!!!!!!

The next day was my 19th Birthday and we travelled to Harry Potter World. An absolute must for Harry Potter fans. Extremely detailed, exciting and interesting. The whole experience tells of all the love and passion everyone involved in the films invested in making them. One thing that I was suggested to do by a friend was to take our time around the tour as there was so much to see. We spend around 4-5 hours in the actual park and I am sure we didn't see everything. I would also recommend that you get the package that comes with the digital guide and paperback souvenir as they were definitely worth the extra money.

You see that everything in the movie has such detail, they spend a lot of time and money on little objects that in the background of even things that are probably not even seen such as there is a crest in the fireplace that was made but never actually seen on camera. There are secrets to the movie that come out in the tours that you have ever of guested. It has now inspired me to re-read the Harry Potter Books to gain a different perspective.

I had to say that is was one of the best birthday weekends that I have ever had. I wanted to share it with you all as it might help a few of you on idea's for a day in London or a birthday. I hope you all loved an insight into what I did on my 19th.

Jess
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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