I went to Afro Hair and Beauty Live last Bank Holiday weekend; the last time I went was in 2012. I previously wrote about AHB Live in 2012 which you can check out here.
Showing posts with label cosmetics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cosmetics. Show all posts
True Colour Lipstick - Sleep MakeUP
I wanted to show off my latest make-up purchase; readers/followers of this blog will be aware of my relationship with make-up!
I bought Sleep MakeUP True Colour Lipstick in Smother. I was looking for a shade for Autumn/Winter that I thought would be bold but not too bright. I was drawn to Smother, which I thought would suit me.
Summer Skin
London
has been experiencing a proper summer as of late, which means legs and arms
out, sunnies and sandals!
It
also means that a lot of us step up on our skincare regime; not just for our
face, but for our body too. I share some of the products I’m using to ensure my
skin is ready for summer:
Exfoliation
is an essential for smooth skin; I exfoliate all year round, but I pay extra
attention in the Summer. Avon body scrubs are my go to when I want my skin at
its best. Their scrubs are abrasive enough to do the job without damaging my
skin. I tend to use my body scrub twice a week.
I
also use gel oil by Vaseline on my skin. I typically use Hollywood Cocoa
Butter, but in the Summer this tends to be too heavy for my skin. Vaseline’s
gel oil keeps my skin supple and gives it a nice sheen, while being light – you
only need a little for it to go far.
When
it comes to my face, I have to say that I can be quite lazy! My face care
regime is typically very simple; I might switch it up if I get a free sample
with one of my monthly magazines!
However
for the last few months, I have paid more attention to what I put on my face. I’ve
been using The Body Shop’s Vitamin E range, in particular the face mist and
moisture lotion with SPF15. The face mist is really light and refreshing; apparently it's also ideal for setting make-up. I chose this moisture as it had SPF protection
which is crucial for summer. Sunscreen regardless of skin complexion or age or
location should be used by everyone. I’m not an OAP yet but I’m aware that as I get
older my skin will too….it’s good to protect it now!
Got
any essential products to achieve your optimum Summer Skin? Let me know!
Just Bitten Kissable ™ - Revlon
Just
bought another beauty product to add to my slowly growing make-up collection!
My
most recent purchase is the Just Bitten Kissable™ Balm Stain by Revlon; the
colour is crush:
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| "Just Bitten Kissable" Balm Stain in Crush - Revlon |
When
I saw that it was a balm stain, I thought that it would quite a subtle shade. However
when I put it on my lips I actually found it to be quite vibrant.
 |
| Without flash |
 |
| With flash |
This
is a nice shade, however I found it was the only shade that was suited to my
skin colour and probably the most universal.
It
was easy to put on and actually felt quite nice on my lips – it didn’t feel
sticky or feel drying. It’s lightweight, but it does have staying power. I liked that the balm is like a chubby crayon (similar to/rip off of Clinique?!); not sure why but I found this to be quite attractive!
The
normal price is £7.99 however I bought at the promotional price of £5.99, so it
was a bit of a bargain. As I have mentioned before, I don't regularly use make-up however, I find that this product would be ideal for those rare occasions when I do throw on the slap!
My Giveaway is still ongoing - due to close at 6pm GMT/UK Time. You can enter here; all the best!
Scent Travels
I’m
sure most, if not all us like to carry with us some sort of fragrance or body
spray/mist when we’re out and about. I usually have a body spray or mist in my
bag to freshen up during the day. However I use perfume for my social nights
out, which usually fades after about 4 hours, especially if I’m out dancing.
So
in April 2012 (yep, a wee while ago!), I saw a little gadget know as a perfume atomiser. Basically you
fill it with your preferred/favourite fragrance and take it with you wherever. You
can re-spray when needed meaning you won’t have to worry about your perfume
fading.
I bought my atomiser
(the brand is called Flo) from Boots and it cost £9.99 (at the time). At first
glance it could be mistaken for a mini vibrator – imagine that dropping out of
your bag during rush hour!
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| Bought from Boots, £9.99 |
 |
| naughty me for my naughty thoughts hehe! |
However
this compact baby has been a Godsend! While small, it packs a punch; when I
spray it, it is just as powerful as an average sized perfume bottle. It’s very
easy to fill up as well.
 |
| Fragile, by Jean Paul Gaultier My Ultimate Fragrance |
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| The atomiser may be small but it is powerful - has the same spray strength as the average perfume bottle |
Since
I bought my atomiser, I have always used my favourite perfume, namely Fragile
by Jean Paul Gaultier; however the atomiser is re-fillable and you can it for
whatever fragrance takes your fancy - just make sure you wash it out first
before filling it with a new fragrance.
I
think that this is definitely an essential for any girl especially during the
festive party season – I forgot my atomiser at home on Friday and I actually got my sister to bring it to me to our home station before I went to karaoke! Seiously, I felt lost without it!
Maybe it could be an ideal Secret Santa gift/stocking
filler (^_^)
Speaking
of which I hope you’re Christmas preparations, spiritual and otherwise are
going well!
Er.....
So, I’ve not posted for the best part of this month. For a
variety of reasons, mostly concerning that little thing called Life which has included but not limited to crazy times at work, running
errands for my family watching hilarious new shows Girls (Sky Atlantic) and
Some Girls (BBC3) and re-discovering my love for banana cake.
I
could/should apologise, but the reality I have come to face is that I may not
be able to blog as often as I intended to……..and I now don't feel as bad as I did around 10 November 2012.
Having said that I do owe my blog and its readers a few
posts! Hence why this has been posted at an erratic hour :¬)
Wanted to show off a small purchase made about 2 weeks
ago:
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| Sleek Blush, £4.49 An addition to my tiny (and often wasted) make-up collection! |
 |
| Without flash |
 |
| With flash |
Since I bought it, I have only tested it for the purpose
of my blog, but I hope to give it a full try out when I attend my younger
brother’s graduation. And with that I’m off to get a bit of ‘beauty’ sleep, but I will leave you with a song (and video) that has been seducing my ears:
Until Next Time x
Product Review – Onsen Crystal Clear Scrub
I’ve
recently been using a new body scrub from Onsen for the past few months and I
wanted to do a review of it and share my story as to how it came into my
possession.
The
Onsen Body Scrub consists of Sea Salt Crystals and oils such as sunflower oil,
jojoba oil and macadamia oil.
Pros:
The
Onsen Body Scrub exfoliates my skin well, but doesn’t feel harsh.
After
rinsing it off my skin is smooth and feels supple – the oils helped in this
aspect
The
Onsen Body Scrub has a light lavender smell – it’s really a nice and clean
smell
Cons:
It’s
not cheap – the price of this is about £60…….. which leads me to the next con
and the brief details of how this scrub came into my possession:
I
was in Westfield Stratford City when I got caught out…..I was approached by a
woman who was offering me a free gift card. Now, my arse should have known that
it was a marketing ploy, but common sense had not kicked in at the time.
So
I took the card and the lady got me to test out the Onsen Body Scrub. I will
admit I was impressed by the Scrub, but when the lady told me the price I was
like ‘Nah mate’, but still I did not walk away. The woman proceeded to drop the
price, ‘offer’ me her employee discount and throw in another product for ‘free’.
To cut a long story short (cos we were in ‘negotiations’ for about 30 mins) I eventually
left the Onsen Counter with £59.99 less and two products, namely the Onsen Body
Scrub and a Daily Choice Peel, which were supposed to worth £119.98.
I
started to have second thoughts about it and when I looked at the receipt I saw
that the products were non-refundable and only ex-changeable within 14 days of
purchase *KMT*….. and trust me when I say there was nothing at that counter
worth exchanging! I arrived home feeling pissed off, especially as I normally
avoid these sales people like the plague. Where were my defences?!
So
there you have it, my story behind Onsen Body Scrub. The fact is that there are a whole lot cheaper body scrubs that exfoliate just as well, if not better and do not burn a hole in your finances (such as Avon body scrubs - cheap, cheerful and very effective).
While I am enjoying the Onsen Body
Scrub, I will not allow myself to get caught up with counter sales staff……I’m
gonna walk straight past. But if all else fails, just say NO! Let my story be a warning.....
Sugar Scrubbed Lips
"Look how rough and dry your
lips are; and you’re going out like that” were the kind words of my mother
about 3 months ago…….this was despite me using Carmex on a regular basis. Just
as well I was going to Lush Cosmetics to pick up a present for a friend,
because I also purchased Lush’s Lip Scrub in Mint Julips (mint chocolate).
Lush Cosmetics specialise in
making fresh, handmade beauty products. With the exception of their liquid products,
all cosmetics are preservative free.
The Lip Scrub is made up of
the following ingredients:
Caster Sugar
Organic Jojoba Oil
Vanilla Extract
Tagetes Oil
Peppermint Oil
Limonene (which occurs
naturally in essential oils)
The Lip Scrub has been very
beneficial; I only need a small amount of the scrub to get rid of the roughness
on my lips. After use my lips feel smooth and soft; I feel that my lip balm is a
lot more effective after using the scrub.
The Lip Scrub smells so nice;
the mixture of the vanilla and peppermint is a delightful smell. It also tastes
nice as well! As it is made of caster sugar, after I have finished buffing my
lips, I can simply lick it off! However I recommend applying the sugar scrub
with a mirror because you may not be able to lick all of the sugar and could
end up looking like you got into a war with a sugar doughnut…….
The Lush Lip Scrub costs about
£4 - £5, which is not too bad considering it is handmade and I haven’t needed
to use it every day. In fact I am still using the same scrub I bought 3 months
ago and it is not even half way.
However, the ingredients are
simple to purchase and you can even make your own scrub. In fact Yolandaas, of
Pink and Leopard Prints has done a post on making your own scrub. You can check
it out here.
Have you used Lush Cosmetics’
Lip Scrub before? Do you DIY?
Lush Cosmetics
The
weekend is nearly over……boo! It’s colder than of late, but at least the sun is
shining :¬)
It’s the first time I’ve purchased anything from Lush Cosmetics. With the Easter Break impending, I hope to take time some time to test out my new purchases.
On
Saturday, I went to Lush Cosmetics (Westfield Stratford City) to buy my friend a gift for her birthday. For
anyone who hasn’t heard of Lush Cosmetics, they basically specialise in fresh handmade
cosmetics – all their stuff smells lovely!
I
bought the Hello Gorgeous! Gift Box for her:
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| Pic Taken from here |
The
Hello Gorgeous! Gift Box contains:
·
Rub
Rub Rub shower scrub (130g)
·
Melting
Marshmallow Moment luxury bath melt
·
Sakura
Bath Bomb
·
Helping
Hands hand cream (45g)
·
A
trial size Gorgeous facial moisturiser (10g)
The
sales assistant was very helpful – so helpful I got a bit distracted and ended buying
couple of items for myself……..
 |
| Sunnyside Bubble Bar Source |
 |
| Shimmy Shimmy Massage Bar Source |
I
was like a magpie in the shop – I was attracted by the shiny pretty things!
The
Sunnyside Bubble Bar is to be used bit by bit – you crumble some under running
water and it foams like bubble bath. The sales assistant said it would be like
having a liquid gold bath.
The
Shimmy Shimmy Massage Bar has cocoa butter and shea butter; two of my favourite
and essential body ingredients. The Bar is supposed to be warned up in your
hands and when you massage it on your body, it leaves a subtle glitter/shimmer
on your body. It’s ideal for nights out and the Summer. Oh and it smells
delicious!
It’s the first time I’ve purchased anything from Lush Cosmetics. With the Easter Break impending, I hope to take time some time to test out my new purchases.
You can check out their webiste here.
Mother v Daughter – Topic: Make-Up
Second post of the day!
I buy make-up, but I rarely wear the stuff. And it drives my mum MAD. There’s rarely a week that goes by without us engaging in the “make-up debate”. Not a debate so much, rather my mum telling me that I am a woman and therefore should wear make-up. That’s her stance – end of! My response? “Yes mum” and then be on my way, or if I have energy to give a proper response, I argue that my two younger sisters wear make-up and that should be enough for her!
I buy make-up, but I rarely wear the stuff. And it drives my mum MAD. There’s rarely a week that goes by without us engaging in the “make-up debate”. Not a debate so much, rather my mum telling me that I am a woman and therefore should wear make-up. That’s her stance – end of! My response? “Yes mum” and then be on my way, or if I have energy to give a proper response, I argue that my two younger sisters wear make-up and that should be enough for her!
