New Year, New Hairstyle

So im gonna get my hair cut and styled tomorrow and was thinking of new styles that might suit me

And this is the one I cant seem to get past...
What do you think?

I'll post again after its been done and let you see the results!  If only I could look as gorgeous as she does


CJ xo

The beautiful Ciara, my HairSpiration for 2014!! 

Im finally back! (sorry)

Hi guys

Right im finally defintely back! It's been a very rough couple of months, but I'm determined to up my blogging game and come back bigger and better!

Hope you've all had an amazing Xmas and are ready for the New Year?! Xo

And so back to business...

I've decided im not going to do a 'what i got for xmas' post, instead I'll do singular posts on some of the items I received as and when I come about using them/its appropriate to post on them,  and I'll state whether it was an xmas gift and from whom it was received.

I did order the 'Love Me Beauty' advent calendar, and planned on doing a daily blog of the items, along with some of bits I'd picked up, but with all that went on that all fell by the wayside, and I've totally missed the train on that one now! So again I'll do singular posts of the items as and when.

Hope thats all okay with you guys?

And thanks for your patience. ..

Merry belated Xmas and best wishes for the New Year, may 2014 be good to you all!!
CJxo

Upload Problems!!

Sorry guys I'm having trouble uploading all my post pics from my camera,

Half wont load to the PC and the rest won't import!

So frustrating, I'm finally ready to post again and now I cant, as soon as I can sort this problem, you'll have lots of juicy posts to read.

CJ xo

sorry for my absence! :(

hi guys,
hello again, its been a while.

just wanted to apologise for my lack of posts lately, I've been dealing with some very hard personal stuff, but will be back to blogging again from tomorrow.
i have a few posts stashed away ready for writing up for you all.

hope everyone has been ok, and i look forward to writing again.

see you soon
CJxo

No7 brush set

I'd been on the look out for a new (small) but complete make up brush set2, I find I never really use the lip brushes and I so rarely wear eyeshadow I wasn't too fussed about eye brushes, so am more interested in the face brushes.

After making the boyf listen to me drone on for a while, he comes home with the No7 brush set complete with zipped wallet!

He explained that it was on the Boots 3 for 2 so also picked up a new organiser for me and an eyeliner set for my daughter. Therefore, if I didnt love them theres no real waste and I get a chance to try out a brand I havent yet used.

The brush set was £20.00 from Boots

I havent yet tried them out but they feel very soft and lush, and I love the wallet, a gorgeous purple.

Have any of you tried the No7 brushes?
What do you think?!
What other brands would you recommend?!

CJ xo

Soap & Glory Cosmetics

I decided I'd make the most of Boots 3for2 offer so popped in and went straight to the Soap&Glory stand!

I love Soap&Glory have used there products for years, but never had any of their cosmetics (other than a 'Sexy Motherpucker' and the 'Trick & Treatment concealer')

I've heard good things about the cosmetic range, and I'm not one that likes to miss out, so I thought I'd give it a go!

My choices were as follows;

• 'One heck of a Blot'  Super-translucent mattifying powder (with puff) for all skin tones

          '' Ultra light smooth velevty finish''  priced at £12.00 for 9mg find it here

• 'Kick Ass Concealer' 3 piece flaw camouflage kit. (with puff)    *Under eye brightening concealer with PUFFEASE 8.  *SUPERWEAR lightscramble face concealer.  *Concealer sealing powder with INSTAFIX polymer technology. Priced at £10.00 for 2x2.6g find it here

• 'Face & Body Mini Kabuki Brush' priced at £9.00 find it here

 Make the most of Boots 3for2, find it here

What Soap & Glory have you guys tried and loved?? what would you recommend?? 

Let me know please

CJ xo

New Make up bags!!

I picked up 2 new make up bags today.

I didn't need any.... let alone 2, so why I picked them I just don't know!!

Actually I do, they were just so damn cute... and as I'm not a 'shoe' girl, bags are my thing, and that obviously stretches to make-up bags!!!

 Here's a little peak at them; 

 Let me know what you think of them, and oh the best part of it is.. they were both only £1.00 from Primark!!!!

     

You cant see perfectly here, but its quite spacious

                

    I love the cut-out heart detailing of this bag <3

This is such a cute design, so pretty and fresh

    

Double sided, clear zipped compartments, how handy!

CJ xo

REN FWP (free with purchase)

While doing my local sainsburys shop this morning I picked up a copy of InStyle magazine, it was on for the special price of £2 and had a set of Ren Skincare for free, worth £12! Bargain right?!

In the set you get;
Evercalm global protection day cream
Vita Mineral active 7 eye gel
Evercalm gentle cleansing milk

I cant wait to use this set as ive used REN before and loved it!

What do you giys think of REN?
Your favourite skincare brand?
I'd love to know

CJ xo

New Foundation

Today I picked up a new foundation, I wanted to go for the bourjuis healthy mix but they have such a tiny shade range i couldnt find anything to match my tone

So after having a good old look I opted for the Revlon Photoready 010 Caramel, with Spf 20, it claims to be 'oil free', 'fragrance free' and to have 'complete coverage' its blurb is "Perfected airbrushed skin in any light"  I'll soon be putting this to the test.  

I picked this up in my local superdrug for £12.99

What foundations do you guys like?
Let me know

CJ xo 

A serum. . My perfect primer

Ive been using the Harmony Moisturising Smoothie Serum for a little while now, and I love it!
It leaves a perfect finish and for me and has been the best primer! And it smells totally divine! That'll be the Lemongrass oil... wow! Just wow!

I received this in a previous GlossyBox, have a mooch through for more details!

What primers and or serums are you guys loving?!

CJ xo

My favourite eye liner!

I receive a lot of new brands and products with the help of Glossybox & Birchbox fabulous companies may i say!

So a few boxes ago of Glossy box I received an 'be a... bombshell' eyeliner in onyx
this is a liquid felt liner, and oh my god is it amazing!?!?

I like wearing eyeliner, I love the effects you can create with them, I'm not however particularly good at applying them! :( I generally use pencil eyeliners, they are easy to use but i find they always smudge and transfer to my upper lid (possibly because i have oily skin..?)
I love the thought of Gel & Liquid liners but I never manage to get it right, I can never match each eye and end up with wonky bits and flicks where I don't want them... meh

So this little gem is perfect for me and my clumsy ways, I used it for work yesterday morning, and if I say so myself I did a grand job, more to do with the product then my extraordinary application. It stayed put all day and looked as fresh at the end of my 13 hour shift  as it did when I applied it.

I love this product, it is so so easy to apply, clean lines, you can easily create flicks, swirls, anything your little heart desires! this is now my go to everyday liner choice!

here are some pics and swatches;

look at that!

 

 you can purchase 'be a... bombshell' eyeliner and other products here

Happy Lining

CJ xo

Rediscovering my love of Mineral Powders

Yesterday I rediscovered just how much I love mineral powders, in particular Bare Minerals!

I have been using Bare Minerals for the past couple of years, since my best friend got me the starter pack.

I think I've got caught up in trying out as many new liquid/creme foundations as possible that I totally neglected the amazing products I already had sitting in my drawers! I love it, it gives the perfect 'airbrushed' finish, is so easy to use and is actually 'good' for your skin because of the properties within the product!

My best friend got me the 'Tan/Medium Tan Starter Kit' which includes;
(I think the kit is now called medium)

• bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation in Tan and Medium Tan, size: 2g each
• Original Mineral Veil finishing powder, size: 2g
• Prime Time Foundation Primer, size: 15ml
• Warmth All-Over Face Color, size: 1.5g
• Full Flawless Face Brush
• Flawless Application Face Brush
• Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush
• How-To DVD shows you how to Swirl, Tap, Buff your way back to the skin you were born with

This kit costs £49.00

I love it so much I now have 2 kits! .. just in case... ermm... its necessary really!


These kits are such great value, everything you need in one little box!

Bare Minerals  have an amazing range of Starter kits, as well as a wide range of products sold singularly.

Find out more and purchase here

Have you tried Bare Minerals or another Mineral Foundation? How do you get on with it?

Let me know

CJ xo

My 1st Birchbox

So yesterday I received my 1st Birchbox, as you know I'm already subscribed to Glossy box and thought I'd give Birchbox a try as I've heard good things.

So I set up my subscription and was pleased to see you can choose between 3 menu's each month, I like this method as you have more control over the products you receive. 

I opted for menu 1

and here it is;

 Such a cute dinky little box, I collect all my boxes and try to reuse them!

I love the little drawstring bag you receive, will come in handy for holding bits and bobs in your handbag?

Overview of the products

 A series of flash cards, product information, tips & tricks, Birchbox Beauty buzz #BBXBUZZ

Now for the products (singularly);

KMS California hairplay makeover spray (£15.00)

Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion skin exfoliant (£67.00)

 I'm itching to start using this! always on the lookout for a great exfoliant

Laura Mercier foundation primer radiance (£28.00)

I've heard great things about Laura Mercier, so will be using this next time i do a full face :)

 

theBalm Cosmetics stainiac lip 7 cheek stain (£10.00)

Dr. Lipp niplle balm for lips (£11.50)

I have this already, and love it!!

 

 Egyptian magic all purpose body cream (£29.00)

For £10.00 per month (plus£2.95 delivery) I think these boxes are well worth it, its always handy being able trial a brand before splashing out a load of cash and discovering you don't like it or can't get on with it!!

All hail to Beauty Sample companies... they certainly make blogging a lot easier, and for that I will be forever grateful!!

All products can be purchased through Birchbox here 

there is currently free shipping on this months products so hurry

*£10.00 minimum spend applies*

Happy Shopping

CJ xo

Aaaagh.... Insomnia!! :(

I am such a little insomniac, hence why I'm writing this post at 00.42am GMT
I have been suffering with insomnia on and off for a little while now, but its been a particular problem for the past 4 months or so, I literally have 2 full nights sleep out of 7! and manage a maximum of 2-3 hours on the bad nights!

I know stress can play a major role, but there's nights when I'm perfectly happy, have no stress to think of, yet still heavenly slumber evades me... *sigh*

Don't get me wrong, we all stress, whether unnecessarily or for good reason,  I am a particular stress head, always have been, I worry over the smallest little things and drive myself crazy! Money, Work, Love, Friends, Health and Family are the usual suspects for most of us.

Luckily for me I am very lucky in love, and have been reunited with the most amazing boy ever! *gush*
I have an amazing daughter *princess*, who makes me proud daily and who melts my heart hourly
I have an amazing family and wonderful group of friends who are all thankfully in good health *amen*
I have had a few health problems of late, but thankfully its all well on the way to being sorted out

I have been offered an amazing job opportunity with a company that I love, I'm so excited to start and tell you guys all about it but for now I won't say who/what the company is but all will be revealed soon.

So all in all I'm a very lucky and thankful little bunny, possibly just over thinking things as usual, and need to learn to relax and clear my mind.

Remedies I have tried ;

• warm bath
• Kalms herbal sleeping tablets
• prescription sleeping tablets
• reading in bed
• no stimulants 1 hour before bed

So far I've had no real joy from anything, the Kalms herbal tabs didn't work for me, even the prescription tabs only worked for the first night.

Tonight I'm going to finish reading my book 'Friends & Rivals' by Tilly Bagshawe










Do you guys have any tips and tricks for insomnia? I'd love to hear any new suggestions

Sleep well

CJ xo

A new face scrub

Today i purchased and used the Superfacialist by Una Brennan 'Tea Flower Deep Clean purify & refresh facial scrub'

This scrub is lovely, I like my scrubs to feel like scrubs, not creams and this certainly does, without being too harsh, you can feel the lovely micro granules working on your skin, and it smells so nice! Very fresh! With that eucalyptus cooling, invigorating sensation that wakes you up!

This has been put to the front of my daily use shelf!

I paid £8.99 for this at Boots, money well spent I say!

Happy cleansing

CJ xo

A blush obsession....?

So I realised I cant seem to pop into town these days without bringing home a blush or two!!

Always powder blush, not sure how I feel about creme blush!

But anyway, so today I picked up 2 Rimmel lasting finish soft colour blushes
In 050 Live Pink & 010 Santa Rose

The Live Pink is a gorgeous vibrant pink, that is perfect for my skin tone
And the Santa Rose is a neutral peachy colour for those days of less is more!

I cant wait to wear them.

See pics and swatches, hopefully you can pick out the Santa Rose properly

What do you guys think of my new blushes!? What are your favourite blushes? Brands and shades?!

CJ xo

October Glossbox

My October Glossy box arrived today! Yay! Always a much anticipated day to see what goodies im in store for! This month the theme is Dark Romance... ooh.

And here they are;

MeMeMe Cherubs blush- cheek & Lip stain

Katy Perry Killer Queen Fragrance

Monu Illuminating Primer

Premae Multi vit smoothie serum

Broadway nails imPRESS press on manicure  (I think these will go to my daughter)

Excited to use the products, I'll do posts when I do

What do you think of the products and the Dark Romance theme?!

CJ xo

Vivienne Westwood - Boudouir

I have to say I was gifted this bottle of Vivienne Westwood Boudouir  Body cream a while ago but have never used it as I don't usually like the moisturisers that come as a perfume/cream gift set, but yesterday while getting ready to go out for a family day to the seaside I picked it up and used it. Its lovely, I love the smell and texture and the way it penetrates the skin, isn't sticky or glittery.
Its definitely not a gimmicky body cream, and is now one of my favourites, I only wish I'd tried it out before now!!

Anyone else tried this? Like it? Love it? Hate it?

Let me know

CJ xo

Bathroom Display/Storage (new)

So its not been too long since I showed you all my storage set ups, but I change things around a lot, I recently bought a new bathroom display cabinet and finally have it to how I want it;

The top shelf holds my 'Daily faces' & brushes etc

The middle shelf is all my daily skincare

and the bottom shelf is for the boy!!

What do you guys think of my new set up? 

CJ xo

Boots Mini Make up Haul

Hi guys :)

I popped into town today on a mission to pick up a new foundation, after debating whether to try out a pressed powder (which i have never used) I decided to stick to a liquid foundation as I know where I stand with those. So I popped  into Boots and had a little look and ended up coming out with a couple of bits, here is my little haul ;

 I decided to get a new foundation brush and have heard good things about  the real Techniques I got the base/flawless foundation brush

I picked up the No7 Stay Perfect Foundation in warm beige

 And the No7 Concealer Stick again in warm beige.

And bonus... Boots have a No7 promotion on at the moment, buy 2 No7 items and receive the No7 Perfect Lips Kit free!!

Here is what is in the kit;

No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick - Classic Rose, No7 High shine Lip Gloss - Smile, No7 Lip Brush

I cant wait to try out all my new goodies, and I'll be sure to post a review and pics when i use it all together.

Cj xo

Bioderma review

So ive been using my Bioderma micellar waters for just over a week now, I have the Sensibio and Sebium.

I have been rotating them daily, for example I tend to use the sensibio during my morning cleanse and the sebium during my evening cleanse.
I personally don't feel a huge difference between the 2, but I do love them as a final stage cleanser!
they don't have a scent I can put words to, they just smell of 'clean' .. bonus!
I never feel a residue left over from them, nor does my skin feel tight or dry after use.

When I ordered these mini's from Escenscual I received a free sample sachet of the Bioderma moisturiser, and I have to say this stuff is amazing! I absolutely love it! My skin feels replenished, healthy and soft without being greasy, and oh that clean fresh scent, its the perfect moisturiser for the upcoming winter months!

I will definitely be repurchasing these beauties

Mini sizes £4.99 each

Ooh... Escenscual also scent there own brand nail file/emery board! Love it, its new home is my daily handbag and it is put to good use! :)

Thank you Bioderma and Escenscual!

Happy cleansing guys

CJ xo

More new make up purchases

I popped into my local superdrug today in search of a bb cream, I've never used one before so I'm excited to get to grips with it
The sales assistant recommended the Gosh bb cream, as they do a better range for darker skin tones apparently
So I picked up a 03 warm beige, this product has an Spf 15 rating.
On my way to the till I couldnt help (as always) but to look at the MUA stand, I find it such great value and have so far loved all the products ive tried, and today I picked up their 'Out there plumping lip gloss in pin up pink' I love the name!

What do you guys think?!

CJ xo