A Review Of The Bare Minerals By Popular Demand Gift Set

I'm not a huge fan of taking pictures of make up that I've already used, but in this case I'm going to make an exception. I bought this kit a couple of years ago now from QVC but after a few showings it disappeared never to be seen again. I'd intended to review it at the time but I never got round it, and to be honest I never thought much more about it -  I used it and loved it but that was about it. Last month though, a familiar looking kit appeared on the Boots website, and because I loved it so much I thought I'd review it for you.

I've been a fan of the Bare Minerals make up line for quite a while now. Their loose mineral foundations are probably the best of that type that I've used, and the pigmentation and wear time of loose eye shadows and blushers are excellent. Loose minerals aren't for everyone though, and they can be messy so over the years Bare Minerals have introduced a wide variety of liquid items, including a liquid foundation, lip glosses and mascaras, and pressed mineral products with the launch of their popular READY line.

Bare Minerals By Popular Demand is an all in one kit for eyes, cheeks and lips, everything coordinates with everything else, meaning that this is a perfect kit for make up newbies and people who aren't that confident with make up.

The kit comes packaged in a magnetised cardboard box. I'm not the hugest fan of fan of cardboard packaging but this one has such a beautiful, iridescent almost oil in water finish that I'll make an exception in this case. It will get a bit grubby though so do bear that in mind. There are four removable items in this kit, and 3 which are fixed. Being cardboard though it would be quite easy to depot the blusher and the shadows if you wanted to.

 

The box contains a 0.75g removable pot of Mineral Veil in Brightening Pearl, a 6g READY Blush in The Aphrodisiac, a 3g READY 2.0 Eyeshadow Duo in The Top Shelf, a mini 0.6g Round The Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in 9pm, a mini 2.25ml Mini Marvellous Moxie Lipgloss in Sparkplug  and a small double ended eye and cheek brush.

Mineral Veil is one of Bare Minerals most popular products. Depending on the shade it can be used to finish your make up and as a cheek colour, or as a highlight.

There are 3 permanent shades in the line but this one is a limited edition so I can't make a price comparison. Brightening Pearl is a loose peach toned powder, with a hint of iridescence and shimmer. I've been using this one predominantly as a highlight shade. 

The second cheek product that you get is a full sized READY Blush in The Aphrodisiac. This 6g size in a separate compact retails at £22 which just shows the value of this kit. The Aphrodisiac is probably the reason why I bought this kit. It's a lovely peachy, coral shade, with just the tiniest hint of shimmer.

This kit also contains 2 eyeshadows totaling 3g, Mixologist and Cognac, with together constitute the READY Eyeshadow 2.0 Duo -  The Top Shelf. These two shadows in a separate compact retail for £20. Cognac is a beautiful metallic copper shade and Mixologist, a shimmery, creamy champagne. I've been using Mixologist all over the lid, and applying a bit of Cognac into the outer corners and crease.

All of the mineral / powder shades in this kit are soft and silky and feel almost like creams. As you would expect from this brand the pigmentation is superb and all the colours blend like a dream.

As well as the powder products this set also contains a mini 0.6g Round the Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in the shade 9pm, a deep, almost matte, chocolate brown. This is a half size, the full 1.2g size retails at £13. It's creamy and pigmented and it does seem quite long wearing. It didn't sharpen that well, probably because it was so soft and I've never been able to replicate the original sharp point.

The final make up product in this kit is one of Bare Minerals' famous Marvellous Moxie Lipglosses. The shade in this kit is Sparkplug, which is described as a dusky, pink pearl but for me it's more of a nude pink with a bit of sparkle. These glosses contains avocado, and shea butter and they also contain a bit of mint so they do have a bit of a tingle and a plumping effect. The gloss in this kit is 2.5ml, the full size is 4.5ml and retails at £16.

The final item in the kit is a small double ended brush, one end is a fluffy eyeshadow brush, and the other end is a small blush brush. The brush is a nice quality and it's actually something that you would use and not just a throwaway extra.

These pictures aren't the best and please excuse the brows but hopefully this gives you some idea of what you can do with this kit. It isn't the most dramatic or fashion lead kit out there but it's ideal for creating a natural, healthy look.

This kit retails for £25 which sounds a lot but when you look at the value of the individual items within it, it's well worth the money. I'm a huge fan of the entire Bare Minerals line and this kit gives you a perfect opportunity to try 5 different products at a reduced price. I've looked and looked and I can't find this kit anywhere else bar Boots. It keeps coming in and out of stock online so it's worth keeping an eye out, and it might be worth checking out the Bare Minerals counters in Boots stores too. If not then every item in this kit bar the Mineral Veil is available separately. I'm a big fan of this kit and I think that it would make a great gift for any make up lover, whether they're a new or current Bare Minerals user. Are you a Bare Minerals fan?  If so leave me a comment and let me know your recommendations x 

Foodie Friday - What I Ate In November

Hi everyone and welcome to November's foodie review of the month. I haven't got a lot to show you, but the general theme of the month was comfort food. Pretty much everything I ate and drank was designed to soothe and calm.

Probably one of the most popular comfort foods of all time has to be Macaroni Cheese. It's a real nursery dish, carbs, cheese what more could you want. This month I made my pimped up, gluten free version, with vegetarian chorizo for a spicy kick and with a crispy, cheesy, garlic, breadcrumb topping.

I'm a huge pasta fan and I ate quite a bit of it last month. As well as having it as an accompaniment to both a vegetable chilli and a curry I also rustled up a super quick pasta bake. I'm a huge fan of making my own pasta sauces but buy something decent and you can rustle up a lovey warming meal in less than 30 minutes. Here I've just mixed some cooked macaroni with some cooked veggie sausages, and some bought tomato and chilli pasta sauce, then I've sprinkled it with cheese and popped it in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Another pasta dish also appeared on the menu last month and it was surprise, surprise my broccoli and Stilton pasta. I think I've ate this in pretty much every month of 2014, and since we're sure to have a big chunk of Stilton in the fridge over Christmas, I can pretty much guarantee that I'll eating it in December as well.

As comforting as piles of cheese and pasta are though they aren't that diet friendly, thankfully over the last 11 months or so, I've discovered two dishes that are a bit kinder on the waistline and that for me have that real comfort food feel. Both of them are Slimming World inspired and sound odd to say the least but I love trying new things and in both cases I'm glad I did.

My Mushy Pea Quorn Curry, is one of the weirdest sounding and probably one of the least authentic curry recipes ever but it's became a real favourite in my house. It's filling, warming, full of protein and you can pretty much make it with whatever vegetables you have.

Another weird Slimming World inspired recipe and something that I've become strangely addicted to is Chickpea Dahl or Curry Loaf. A combination of cooked rice, some form of curried beans, and eggs, I really don't know who I lived without this recipe. It's great served hot or cold, and you can either make it as a big loaf or cake, or in bun or muffin tins for lunchboxes.

There is nothing more comforting than a sugar rush, and the return of the coffee shop festive drinks have hit the spot perfectly. This year in Starbucks I've discovered a new love, and no it isn't one of their new introductions, it's actually something that's being around for a while - the Eggnog Latte!

I was never sure about this one but I took the plunge last month and I've ordered nothing else in Starbucks since. It's creamy, it's spicy and it just tastes of Christmas. It doesn't need whipped cream but if you want a real treat pay the extra and have a little squirt on the top - sweet and creamy heaven in one sip!

Talking of sweet and creamy heaven, Costa have brought back their White Hot Chocolate for this festive season and I'm in love. I wasn't sure about this one at first but over the years it's grown on me - I have it without the cherry drizzle and with just a squirt of whipped cream and a sprinkling of edible gold stars. I really want to try a couple more of their festive drinks I just need to be brave and order something different for a change.

The final thing I'm going to show you is something that I haven't eaten yet but given how nice it made the house smell, I can't wait!

Yes, the Christmas cake, this is our gluten free version of Delia Smith's Creole Christmas Cake and it is amazing! We've gone for a round cake this year, and I have a pretty good idea about how I'm going to decorate it, providing my bits come from ebay in time.

It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and foodie wise I'm ready. I'm sure December's foodie review of the month will be a lot fuller than this one and do you know what? I can't wait! I'm not even sure what I'm looking forward to most though, the mince pies? the cheese board? the chocolate? or even this gluten free nut roast that I'm going to be having for my Christmas lunch. Something I do know though is that I'm going to enjoy every mouthful, and I hope you do too x Happy Eating x 

Festive Fun With The Body Shop, A Discount Shopping Opportunity And Some Mini Reviews*

If you're a regular reader of my monthly empties posts then you'll already know that I'm a tiny bit obsessed with The Body Shop. I've been shopping there since my early teens or is it tweens that they say now? From White Musk fragrance, to Japanese Washing Grains, Kiwi Fruit Lip Balm and Dewberry everything, some of my earliest beauty memories are associated with The Body Shop. 

Although most of my old favourites are long gone, lots of new ones have taken their place, I'm a huge fan of the Tea Tree skincare line, and you'll always find at least one of their Cocoa Butter products in my bathroom cabinet. As I've mentioned on numerous occasions though, my real love is reserved for their limited edition Christmas scents, from Sparkling Ginger, to Rich Plum, Cranberry, and Vanilla Spice, I've probably tried it, loved it and then bemoaned it's demise.

Last Friday along with lots of other North East bloggers I was invited along to an evening of festive fun at The Body Shops, Eldon Square branch, right in the heart of Newcastle city centre. Normally I wouldn't have considered going shopping on Black Friday but I braved the crowds and the nightmare that was public transport and headed into town.

The store was still open to the public and given the day and the time of year it was busy, but the staff welcomed us with open arms and couldn't do enough for us. After welcoming us with soft drinks and mulled wine we were given the chance to explore the store and a chance to try out some of the new festive items. Members of staff were on hand to answer any questions that we had, and we also were given the opportunity to have a mini makeover (this is the lovely Becca having here make up done), or a hand massage.

As per usual The Body Shop have got it spot on when it comes to Christmas. Although I wouldn't say no to any of their products in my stocking, they have a fab range of gift sets and gift items ranging from just £4.

The highlights as per usual are their Christmas specific fragrances. Available in both gift sets and as individual items, this years fragrances are Glazed Apple, a sweet, apple fragrance, not dissimilar to Apple Sourz, Frosted Cranberry, a sweet yet slightly tart fruity fragrance and finally the one that's stolen my heart this year, Vanilla Brulee.

I'm a huge, huge fan of Costa's White Hot Chocolate and to me that it the smell of Vanilla Brulee. It's sweet and creamy, with just a hint of burnt sugar. It not as spicy as some of their previous vanilla festive lines, but it was love at first sniff.

I was one of the bloggers that was lucky enough to have a hand massage, and the festive scent that I chose was of course Vanilla Brulee. The assistant did the one hand challenge. My hand was soaked in the Bath Jelly, then massaged with the Body Polish, before being gently dried, and then massaged with the Hand Cream. Finally my hand massage was finished off with a squirt of the Vanilla Brulee Eau De Toilette. My hand literally felt like heaven and I just couldn't stop sniffing it!

It's no surprise then that I bought a couple of Vanilla Brulee items. Given the mountain of bath products that I have to use up and the increasingly tight timescale I couldn't justify the Bath Jelly so instead I went for the Vanilla Brulee Shower Gel which retails at £4 for 250ml

To accompany it I went for the body butter, I'm the hugest fan of The Body Shop Body Butters, and this one is no exception, crammed full of vanilla extract and cocoa butter it smells like something you want to dig a spoon into. Their body butters aren't the cheapest but they really do last. You can get a mini size gift set but the Vanilla Brulee Body Butter in this 200ml size retails at £13.

I have to say I was really good and only made one other purchase. You might have seen him earlier but I just couldn't resist.

I loved last years Gingerbread Man and I couldn't resist this Bob The Polar Bear Bath Sponge. He's just £4 and the Perry The Penguin variant is £5. Either of them would make a lovely stocking filler or even as  an extra large tree decoration.

As well as the things that I bought, the lovely people from The Body Shop also kindly gave us a bag of goodies, including some very festive shortbread and candy canes,

and a little wrapped Christmas pressie. I know some people have opened their parcels but I'm going to try and be good and keep mine for the big day :)

We also received a lovely cellophane package containing four products from some of their newest, and some of their most popular lines. I've had a little play with some of them so I thought I'd let you know my thoughts so far.

Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream -  30ml - £5.00

If you ask me The Body Shop Hand Creams are ridiculously underrated, in fact my mum actually prefers their rose scented one over a certain French brands equivalent

Absinthe has an almost cream, gel texture, that sinks into the hands incredibly quickly  and leaves them smooth and soft. It has quite a strong, herbal scent and whilst it could be too much for some people, I actually quite like it. It does linger on the skin, and even after chopping onions and garlic, I could smell it and not the food odours. So far so good this cream does indeed leave your hands soft, and clean.

Vitamin E Cream Cleanser - 200ml - £8.50

I'm going to hold my hands up and say that this is the only product that I haven't had the chance to try. Both me and Mummy Lou have used products in the Vitamin E line in the past though and we've both been pretty impressed.

One of their oldest skincare lines and suitable for all skin types most products in the range are characterised by that light floral, almost rose scent. This cleanser feels creamy, yet non greasy on the skin and it'd definitely something that I will be trying out soon.

Vanilla Lip Gloss - 12ml -£7.00

Although I'd fell out with lip gloss over the last few months I seem to be using it more now the colder weather is here. As the name suggests this one has a lovely vanilla flavour and scent.

It's quite sheer but it's crammed full of sparkle making it ideal for the festive season. It would look fabulous on it own for a more subtle look but personally I'll be wearing it over colours for a full on dramatic, sparkly look.

Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt - 300ml - £8.00

My name is Louise and I hate honey with a passion. The word honey had put me off this range before I'd even seen it in the flesh, I'm going to hold my hands up though,I was wrong and in this case I've saved the best till last.

To me Honeymania doesn't really smell of honey, instead it has a sweet, rich floral fragrance. Swirl a bit of this sticky gel into a warm running bath, and you get a bath full of bubbles with an intoxicating scent that literally filled my house. It  only goes to show that you shouldn't judge anything on it's name alone. I'll definitely be taking another look at the Honeymania range next time I'n in store.

As you can see this goodie package really does have a little bit of something for everyone and it could very easily be divided up into 3 or 4 gifts. These four items are of course available individually but if your a fellow North East beauty lover then keep on reading!

On this Thursday and Friday (the 4th and 5th December), the Eldon Square, Newcastle branch is holding a Love Your Body members event. I'm a huge fan of the scheme, you pay £5 to join, which entitles you to 10% off your purchases as well as special discounts on event days and free gifts. Shop in the Eldon Square store this Thursday or Friday and whether you're a new or an existing member you will be able to get 40% off everything and if your total spend is more than £30 after you discount is applied then you will get a free gift worth over £28. Whats in the free gift? Well it's the four products that I've just talked about. Not only that if you mention me, aka Louise, LouLouLand or LouLou699 then you will also get an extra mini goodie bag, and extra special service.

Unfortunately (sob) I'm not going to be able to make it into town this week but last weeks event has ignited my love of The Body Shop to new heights, and I'm definitely going to be stocking up on some more festive goodies before they disappear for good. Are you a fan of The Body Shops festive ranges? Leave me a comment and let me know x 

(*This Post Contains Goodie Bag Contents And Products Purchased With A Discount)

My Final Weight Loss Update - 11 Months In And Still 27lbs Down! - Honesty, Regret And Moving On

I'm going to apologise for the honesty within this post if that isn't your thing feel free to click the cross and come back tomorrow for some beauty cheeriness. Try as you might life isn't always a bed of roses though and sometimes you just need to share.

I started 2014 with the best intentions I wanted to deal with my excess weight once and for all. Up until April I did well by and large I ate healthily with the occasional treat, and as expected the weight came off. The problem I guess started with my birthday I got out of the healthy sensible eating pattern, it showed, and I gained a few pounds.

I did manage to lose most of  and I really tried to get back on track but for some reason it just never happened. I don't want to make excuses but medication changes, stresses, and periods of ill health all played their part, and over the last 4 months or so I've really struggled to lose any weight at all. I've become one of the yo yo dieters, gain a pound, lose a pound, and repeat, and repeat, so when I weighed in this morning I was exactly the same weight that I was at end of September.

I guess I shouldn't be too disappointed after all I haven't gained anything really for 2 whole months and I should be starting 2015 weighting less than I did in 2014, but I am. I started this year so well and it just all seems to have fizzled out. People who started their weight loss journeys at the same time as me have streaked ahead of me and whilst I know we shouldn't compare ourselves to others, to be honest I feel like a bit of a failure.

At the start of the year, the idea was to use my blog to inspire me on my weight loss journey but lately it's done the exact opposite. When the numbers stop changing, the pounds stopped coming off, and the posts started to become repetitive I almost felt as though I was letting you down. I know that's daft but losing weight for a lot of people is very much a mental thing and if your feelings about it change then it inevitable that the outcome will change too.

I'm not saying that documenting my journey on the blog is the reason why I haven't done as well as I'd hoped but I need to make a fresh start. I'm not the type of person that gives up easily so my weight loss journey will continue. Yes I'm going to allow myself treats over Christmas but from January operation weight loss will be back on.

I'm going to make a serious effort to develop a better relationship with food, and getting back into regular mealtime routines is a must. I'm also hoping that the Thinking Slimmer system will do it's thing and help me achieve a more positive mind set again when it comes to food and weight loss. It helped me so much at the start of this year and in the early days of my journey way back in 2013 and fingers crossed that it will make a difference this time round.

So nothings going to really change, well, apart from the fact that I'm no longer going to be documenting my journey on my blog. The monthly weight loss updates are no more and my update page will disappear from today. I hope you understand my reasoning but I will still be updating my instagram page as and when if you're still interested.

I want to thank you all for your support over the last 11 months, and despite what I've said I really appreciated every tweet, piece of advice and every encouraging comment. Onwards and upwards, as they say or downwards in my case x Thank you for reading and thank you for being there x

(Various Thinking Slimmer Slim Pods Have Been Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Trimming My Stash - November 2014 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Hey Everyone x Happy December x It's hard to believe were now only about 4 weeks from 2015, what a scary thought! November's empties pretty much reflect the changing weather and the forthcoming festive season. I dug out a lot of my festive fragrances last month in a attempt to make myself feel a little less stressed and little bit more Christmassy, and do you know what? I think it worked! Okay my Tesco Countdown To Christmas Advent Calendar hasn't arrived yet, but the rest of the calendars are on display, the festive fragrances are burning and the preliminary Asda shopping order has been placed, Christmas is well and truly on it's way.

Avon Naturals Strawberry And Guava Shower Gel - 200ml
The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Body Polish - 75ml
The Body Shop Cranberry Body Butter - 200ml
Avon Senses Winter Wonderland Warm & Welcoming Shower Gel - 250ml
SBC Arnica Bath Soak - 500ml
The Body Shop Cranberry Bubble Bath - 400ml
Total - 6 Items

Anyway enough of the waffle and back to the empties. I'm down on last months total but I still managed to finish 6 items and every single one of them was a bath or a body product, and 4 of those were Christmas related. It was a bit of a frustrating month empties wise, I ended the month with a few products just about done, annoying but at least I'll finish them this month.

1. Avon Naturals Strawberry And Guava Shower Gel - 200ml

Although this is much more of a summery fragrance I'm a huge fan of all of the strawberry products in the Avon Naturals range. This is quite a zingy shower gel and it isn't as sweet as maybe you would expect probably because of the inclusion of the guava. This product is still available from Avon and it's definitely something that I would consider repurchasing.

2. The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Body Polish - 75ml

The first of my festive items and it's a body scrub. One of this weeks reoccuring themes on the blog will be my love for The Body Shop's festive fragrances and this one is a blast from the past which unfortunately is long gone from stores. Vanilla Spice had almost an Eggnog Latte esq smell, with hints of vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. As you know I'm not the greatest fan of nut based scrubs but the smell of this certainly made up for it.

3. The Body Shop Cranberry Body Butter - 200ml

Ahhh cranberry probably The Body Shop's signature festive fragrance. It varies slightly every year and previous years interpreattion. Really fruity but not overtly sweet it's pretty similar to this years offering. Their body butters in my opinion are one of the best out there and they are a real staple in my bathroom cupboard throughout the year.

4. Avon Senses Winter Wonderland Warm & Welcoming Shower Gel - 250ml

Festive item number 3 and it's something that hasn't appeared this year. As well as their Naturals range I'm also a huge fan of Avon's Senses shower gels. This fragrance was a bit fruity, and a bit spicy, and very Christmassy, I really enjoyed using it and I'm sorry I can't get another bottle this year.

5. SBC Arnica Bath Soak - 500ml

Something not so festive, but something that I've really come to rely on throughout the year. I'm a huge fan of the SBC Arnica Gel for soothing my aches and pains, and this is the bath soak provides all the benefits of arnica in a foam bath. With the disappearance of my beloved bath tub early next year this is one product that I'm really going to miss. They do produce a shower product, so I'm really hoping that it has the same effect.

6. The Body Shop Cranberry Bubble Bath - 400ml

Another cranberry product and something else that I'm going to miss. There really is nothing like a warm, foaming cranberry bath to get you in the mood for Christmas. Again this years fragrance is very similar but I'm going to have to rely on the shower gel this time round.

So they were my November empties x As per usual if you have any questions on any of the items that I finished please leave me a comment, and if you're a fan of The Body Shop and their festive offerings you may want to read tomorrows blog post x Thanks for reading and I'll see you later tonight with another post x