Sunday 31 August 2014

400 Bloglovin Followers Giveaway - Make Up Revolution, Jewellery, Sleek, Maybelline And More x

Hi Guys x I've just about got my prize package sorted so it's time to launch my huge 400 Bloglovin followers giveaway. I've been giving sneaky peeks on what you can win on my facebook and my instagram over the last week but now it's time to reveal the full prize package.

Make Up Revolution Ultra 32 Shade Eyeshadow Palette in Flawless



I reviewed this on Friday and I have one word, AMAZING! This palette like nearly everything else I've tried from this brand is perfection - soft pigmented shadows in a range of neutrals, metallics and smokes - A real day to evening palette. (The plastic outer packaging has been removed and the seal have been removed as I found some suspicious looking shadow residue in the jiffy bag and wanted to make sure it was still in one piece - It was fine :) - it's new and unused and beautiful).


Make Up Revolution I♥MAKEUP Blushing Hearts Triple Baked Blusher In Blushing Hearts




Another beauty from the Make Up Revolution stable. This is a gorgeous soft and creamy baked blush trio in a super cute heart shaped very similar to a certain one by Too Faced x You can read a full review of this here x

Maybelline Baby Lips Electro - Berry Bomb


A brand new and sealed Maybelline Baby Lips Electro in Berry Bomb. Packed full of moisture, this gives a very subtle pink / lilac tint to the lips and it tastes yummy. You can seen a swatch here

Statement Bling Necklace





This is something that you'll see in my upcoming August haul x In a mix of pastel and bright acrylic stones, and faux crystals this is a real statement.

Sleek Sheer Cover Lipstick - 812 Organza


Sleek are famous for their eye and cheek palettes and to be honest that's all you ever hear about. Their other products need some love though and although the Sheer Cover Lipsticks have been discontinued
 Organza is one of my favourites. It's a lovely pink / peach that's so pretty for summer. You can see some swatches here, they aren't the best though and it's a little bit pinker irl

Hello Kitty Tweezers - Superdrug




A cute little prize here but something that we all need. I bought myself a set of these too this month and they aren't bad at all.

Purple Ivy Silver Tone Ball And Crystal Bow Charm Bracelet


I'm a bit of a bracelet obsessive and I feel in love with this one on sight. It's in the elasticated style and it will look great layered or on it's own x You can see it featured in this haul post x 

Little Black Dress Jewellery Organiser










I've had a one of these for a little while now, and I've just bought myself another. It doesn't look much  and obviously yours will come empty but it's a fab storage idea. All you do is pop it onto a coat hanger (not included) and on one side you get 14 hook and loop (velcro) closures, ideal for storing bangles, bracelets, necklaces and hair bands, and on the other you have 27 clear vinyl pockets ideal for bobbles, rings, earrings, hair slides and even small make up items.

Clear Neon Pink Avon Make Up Bag / Pencil Case



          A cute little make up bag ideal for your handbag or your could even use it as a little pencil case x

One lucky winner will get all of these items plus a few little surprise extras. This giveaway will be open for about a month and will end on the 1st of October. I will ship worldwide so yes this is an international giveaway :). All you need to is fill in the rafflecopter form below x Please note that my comments are moderated so if you leave a comment it may not appear straight away x Please only comment once on each post x 
Thanks for reading, Thanks for following and Good Luck x 

Saturday 30 August 2014

Press Sample / AD - My Thoughts On Toners And The Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner - A Review For My Pure*

Lately I've been doing a lot of work on my Beauty Product Directory and that's lead to me re-reading a lot of my older posts argh! not good in some cases, but what I have learnt from it is that I tend to repeat myself quite a lot, not with specific posts but more so with the phrases and the language that I use in my posts. I'm useless at starting blog posts, so quite often I start off by talking about my obsession with a certain product or group of products., and today's post in no different.

My name is Louise and I am obsessed with facial sprays and facial toners! I know that toners have had a bit of a bad press over the years but their really is nothing better for refreshing your skin and leaving your face smooth, cool and hydrated. Years ago the only toners and face sprays you could get were either pressurised water - nice but it doesn't do too much, or filled with alcohol which more often than not left the skin dry and stripped. You can still get the water sprays, which I swear by on the beach, and you can still get some toners with alcohol in with are more geared towards people with an oilier skin, but thankfully for most of us toners have moved on, or should I say backwards.

Even in the most high end skincare these days, you'll still find some element of natural ingredients. Yes even in this technological day and  age we can still see the skin benefits  of plant and natural extracts. Whilst I am partial to a real in your face brightening and exfoliating toner that makes my pores dance, for everyday use I tend to lean towards  gentler,  more natural skin tonics. Having just squeezed out the last drops of my favourite Liz Earle Skin Tonic, I took the opportunity to try out something new as part of my August My Pure Reviews.


Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner is only the second product that I've tried from New Zealand based company Trilogy, although I've heard an awful lot of good things about their Rosehip Oil. They pride themselves on producing an ethical, natural and organic skin care line, full of natural plant and  flower extracts.


This product is designed for all skin types and is designed to hydrate, tone and revitalise the skin. It's alcohol free and contains Aloe Vera, and flower waters including Geranium, Lavender, and Rose, to calm, and balance the skin.


It comes beautifully packaged in a brown, frosted, pump action glass bottle, which is especially designed  to protect the precious floral waters. I love spray toners because they are so versatile, they're quick and easy to use, and they're great for setting make up and for cooling the skin down, with out using any faffy cotton wool.


Another Lou cliche here,  but the first thing you honestly do notice is the smell. The rose and geranium aromas dominate leaving a fresh, refreshing floral scent on the skin. The smell is quite strong but it's pleasant and it doesn't last very long on the skin, so it doesn't interfere with your perfume or any other skin care aromas.

The mist immediately feels fresh and cooling on the skin, probably down to the Aloe Vera content. The mist is quite fine so your skin never feels too wet and it's fine enough to use it over make up. As well as using it to set make up, I've also used it over bare skin on the rare warm days we've had over the last month and as a general toner after cleansing.

I definitely think that the Aloe Vera adds to the moisture content, and this toner leaves my skin feeling not only cool and fresh but also feeling as though it's as had a drink of water. This toner is about as far away from those stripping drying skin tonics of the past as you'll get. Not a hint of drying, stinging or redness occurred, even when I accidentally used it after a bit of hair removal, and a brow shape.

This toner is definitely something that I would consider repurchasing, it felt nice and gentle on  my skin, smelled lovely and it's so easy and economical to use. It is pricey, but I've been using it for about 3 weeks now and I've used such a tiny amount that it really would last for a long time. The Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner usually retails at £18.50 on My Pure, for 100ml Have you used any Trilogy products before? Please let me know, I'd love to hear your recommendations x Thanks for reading x

*Press Sample

Friday 29 August 2014

An Absolutely Flawless Eyeshadow Palette From Make Up Revolution



Apologies for the musical interlude but I couldn't resist - cheesy as it is I love that song :) As much as I love it I probably love this newish release from Make Up Revolution even more - What is it?  Well given the song it's obviously the Make Up Revolution Ultra 32 Shade Eyeshadow Palette in Flawless


I really, really, really didn't need another eyeshadow palette especially not another neutral one  but so many of my fellow bloggers are just temptresses and it was inevitable, weak willed that I am, that I would succumb. So last week I placed a little Superdrug order, and ordered myself a Flawless palette.


The palette comes packaged in the familiar Make Up Revolution shiny black compact. They look lovely but they are sooo hard to photograph, and the finger marks!! eeek, just try to ignore them lol.

The palette contains 32 eyeshadows that are just slightly larger than a 5 pence piece. The compact contains a large mirror and unlike a lot of their palettes you don't get any applicator I have to say I wish more budget brands would just forgot about the applicators I personally never use them especially if they're sponge ones, so in  lot of cases it just seems like a waste.


This is a real day to night palette and contains a combination of matte, metallic and shimmer shadows. The shades are quite neutral, there are lots of browns, nudes, taupe's and vanillas but there are also lots of dark, greys and greens and even burgundy toned shades that are ideal for night time

As we've come to expect from Make Up Revolution, the colour pay off is superb, and the shadows including the mattes are soft, buttery and easy to blend. It took a bit of time but I've swatched all 32 shadows for you :) Some of the colours aren't showing up too well here, particularly some of the highlighting shades in the first picture, but that's because they seem to match my skin tone perfectly, the pigmentation is fine my skin is just pasty, blue, grey pale. The lighting wasn't the best either yesterday afternoon but I think that these pictures will give you a pretty good idea of what you can expect from this palette.

Top Row 



Second Row







Third Row



Bottom Row 



Beautiful isn't it? This is probably one of the most wearable palettes in my collection and unlike some palettes I can see myself using every single colour in it at some point. The nudes and taupe's are ideal for day time, and some of the metallics and darker shades are ideal for a bit of night time glamour or for a smokey eye look. This palette would be an perfect addition to a make up collection  whether someone is an existing beauty junkie or whether they're quite new to or inexperienced with make up. I've only used it a couple of times so far, sticking to a really neutral day look on both occasions but I can't wait to have a proper play with it and create some more evening type looks. 

This palette retails at £8.00 which I think is great value for 32 excellent, quality eye colours. This palette is currently available from the Make Up Revolution website, the Superdrug website and from selected Superdrug stores and if your a fellow North East based lady or gent , Metro Centre Superdrug had this in stock today :) 

Yet again I'm impressed with a Make Up Revolution purchase and having had the chance to have a little play with some more of their products in my local Superdrug today, I can only see my obsession continuing x I'll have a haul post up next week so you can see some of the other things that I got, but  in the meantime if you're a fan of this palette check back on Sunday for my giveaway launch and you never know ;) Thanks for reading and if you have a favourite Make Up Revolution product I'd love you to tell me about it so exercise your typing fingers and let me know x

Thursday 28 August 2014

Feeing Fresh And Zingy With Yes To Grapefruit Rejuvenating Body Wash - A Review For My Pure*

Although the weathers cooling off, I've still been loving my showers both in the morning to wake myself up and in the evening to freshen myself  up after long day. I am a big believer in changing my bath and shower fragrances depending on the time of day and depending on my mood. In the evening I prefer florals and more relaxing fragrances and I love using brighter, fresher, and zesty aromas in the morning to start my day off on a high. So feeling a little bit tired and weary this month I decided to try a nice refreshing shower gel from My Pure.

I've tried quite a few of the Yes To boy washes over the years (check out my reviews via my Beauty Product Directory here) and whilst some of them have changed slightly in formulation I would still recommend them in a heartbeat. Since I first started reviewing for My Pure though they've introduced two new lines to the brand Yes To Blueberries and Yes To Grapefruits.

Grapefruits are probably one of the zingiest things on the planet. I'm not a huge fan of the taste but I can just about manage a Sea Breeze or a cocktail :) The Yes To Grapefruits Rejuvenating Body Wash is 98% natural and contains extracts of both apple and grapefruit, and coconut extract to help it foam.


This body wash is crammed full of fruit acids which naturally exfoliate the skin without the need for any grains or mess. This body wash is designed to leave the skin fresh, and radiant x

It comes in a huge 500ml, with a flip top cap. The wash itself is white opaque in colour and has a thick texture. It has a lovely fruity, grapefruit aroma that fresh, without being too strong or too zingy. Despite the lack of chemical foamers, this actually foams up really well, producing a lovely creamy feeling foam. A little goes a long way and you don't need a lot so this bottle will last a long, long time. You can also pour this under running water to make a lovely creamy, refreshing foam bath.


The foam washes off easily and I was quite surprised by how smooth my skin actually felt, particularly on my upper arms, which are prone to that bumpy feeling, and texture.

Like every other shower gel I've tried from Yes To this one was another winner. I would have probably liked the scent to be a bit more zesty and a bit stronger but that's a personal preference. It's a nice shower product to use in the morning, and the lack of in your face scent also means you could also use at night especially when the weather is a bit warmer. The size is obviously a big selling point so much so that this could easily be used as a family product. This price is also really reasonable for the size - The Yes To Grapefruit Rejuvenating Body Wash normally retails at £7.99 and unfortunately as of 2019 it is no longer available from My Pure but it's still available from various other retailers including Feel Unique.

*Press Sample

A Blast From The Past Rediscovering Clarks Shoes And A Bonus Outfit Of The Day*

My name is Louise and I've been addicted to shoes for as long as I can remember. At one point in my life I owned more than 150 pairs, although I "probably" own way less than that now. I love shoes, you can never really have a fat day in shoes and they can change an outfit in moments. If you were to ask me where my shoe addiction comes from then I can most definitely tell you. There are two shoe related incidents that stand out from my childhood - one is sitting on the floor among racks of shoes at the Tommy Balls discount shoe factory in Blackburn and the other one is getting my feet measured in Clarks.



Founded in 1825 Clarks are probably the quintessentially British shoe brand. For many of us one of our first shoe experiences is putting our feet in to some weird gadget and getting our feet measured for our school shoes. That's traditionally what Clarks do best - they produce shoes that are comfortable, quality driven and practical. I have to be honest and say that as an adult I drifted away from Clarks as a brand, they were just too frumpy and too practical for my trendy teenage and young adult self. My mum still shopped in Clarks, as did my dad, gran and my godparents but not me.

Over the last few years though Clarks as a brand have tried to change their image a bit and appeal towards the younger generation Their shoes and accessories now feature regularly at London Fashion Week, and in the past they've collaborated with the likes of Liberty and Mary Portas to produce shoes which retain the traditional qualities and values of the brand but have a funkier, younger edge. Their latest collaboration which is released in a week or so is with the legendary print designer Orla Kiely. Although none of the shoes appear to be in a Kiely print they do have the retro feel that we've come to associate with her designs.

Despite their seemingly slight change in direction though up until recently I still wouldn't class myself as a Clarks shopper, but a week or so ago I was given the opportunity to rediscover Clarks, and I was very kindly sent a voucher to use in store.


After several aborted attempts my and Mummy Lou finally made it to their Metro Centre store. The store to put it politely was heaving! It was full unsurprisingly enough of little people getting fitted for their first school shoes, ah the memories. Never the less the assistants were very polite and helpful despite being so busy. I'd had a little look online before I went into store so I had a bit of an idea what I wanted. Some of their block heels, ankle boots and flatforms were to die for but instead I went for something that's still relatively on trend and something that I'd wanted to try for a while - brogues.


Clarks have a huge selection in all different colours, and leather types but the one I'd set my heart on were the Hamble Oak Brogues in Dark Tan Leather. Unfortunately they were out of stock in my size, the shoes come in two width fittings and in all full sizes between 2 and 9 and in several half sizes. The lovely assistant though brought out the same shoes in a different colour in a 7.5 and in an 8, in the D (Standard) width fitting for me to try anyway.  The 8's were perfect so what she said they could do, is order them in the store for free home delivery in 3-5 days so that's what did. I paid for my shoes then and there (Friday)  and gave them my details and then I waited. To my surprise, despite the bank holiday they came first thing Tuesday morning and I have to say it was love at first sight.



They are in the basic, lace up brogue style and have a slightly block heel so they aren't completely flat.


As you would expect from Clarks you're getting a excellently qualify of shoe, they have the softest smoothest, leather uppers, and the tooling and detailing is perfection.


So what about fit? Well they are a true size 8 and the fit is perfect for me. The insole is lightly padded to give the shoes a more comfortable feel. The leather itself at the moment feels a little bit stiff around the tongue  but leather shoes only get better with age as the leather warms and softens. The colour is beautiful a rich, warm, dark tan that will compliment so many of my accessories and handbags, and they will give any outfit a real classic vintage look.


I was always a bit scared of trying Brogues because of my large feel. I always thought that they would make my feet look a little bit too big and masculine and whilst I do think they make my feel look a little bit bigger than normal the masculine aspect can be tempered by what you wear them with.



At the moment I'm just thinking how to style them, I've seen a lot of people wear them with frilly dresses etc. but I'm not sure that's really me. I'm fancying a sort of a smarter look with say an black skirt say, a white shirt and frilly socks peeping out the top - who knows? I love how something as simple as shoes can give you so many outfit options. I decided to do a little Outfit Of The Day (OOTD) for you, just to show you how I wore them today. The shoes, jeans and white vest give the look a more androgynous feel but the femininity comes roaring back with the floral jacket and bright necklace x I wore the shoes with bare feet here but you could easily wear them with socks for a different look.




What I Wore

Skinny Stonewash Blue Jeggings - H&M
White Vest - H&M +
Floral Kimono / Jacket - Atmosphere At Primark
Chunky Bright Bead Necklace  Dasiy and Eve At Evans 
Hamble Oak Dark Tan Leather Brogues - Clarks*

I quite like this look, throw a tan handbag over your shoulder and your good to go. I also think Mummy Lou deserves a bit of credit for her first attempt at fashion photography with an SLR ;) .I love new shoes and especially ones as practical and versatile as these, and these will definitely make my look at Clarks in a different light, and I'll definitely put Clarks back on the map when it comes to buying shoes. Yes you pay a little bit more than in some places, but the shoes, and materials are first class and they're made to last - exactly what you would expect from a company that's over 150 years old. The Clarks Hamble Oak Dark Tan Leather Brogues retail at £54.99 from Clarks stores, concessions and online .They also come in several other colours and finishes, that retail between £54.99 and £59.99.

 I can't wait to see what else I can wear them with so if you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment and let me know x

*Press Sample