Tag - The One And Only

On occasions I have to admit that I've a bad blogger and I've been a very bad one over the last few months, lots of you lovely ladies have tagged me in posts and I haven't done them, I'm so sorry but I promise from now on that I'll do them if your kind enough to tag me x 

Earlier this week I was tagged by the lovely Shannon from Raspberrykiss, to do The One And Only Tag. The idea is that if you could have one ....., what would it be and why? Thanks Shannon, this was a tough one and a few aka nearly all of my answers I admit are a bit of a cop out.

Primer 

As yet I haven't found my HG primer, but the closest I've found it Laura Geller's Spackle. I find a lot of primers too greasy,or they feel as though they are too slick and contain too much silicone. This is quite light and cooling, and I will definitely consider repurchasing when I've finished the ones I'm using. I'm currently using Benefits Stay Flawless but I haven't used it enough yet to make a judgement, I'm going to do a review then so I'll keep you posted.

Base Product

Cop out number one at the moment I have two products that I love, first up Avon Ideal Flawless Invisible Coverage Foundation, it covers, looks natural and makes my skin look fab, and it's pretty inexpensive. My other favourite is Bare Minerals Foundation, I use various shades but this is one product that I'll use if I'm in a rush or whispers I can't be bothered. It's quick, covers a multitude of skin problems and it's good for your skin.

Concealer

I don't actually use a lot of concealer any more - lucky me :) but at the moment  I'm using the Boots No7 Trio Concealer which works just fine. I also love Mally Cancellation Concealer, which I've used in the past (and still own) which is effective and long lasting on my obvious and stubborn blemishes.

Powder

Despite it's diminishing popularity with a lot of make up artists I am a powder girl, and I always, always use it. Cue cop out number three I have found the one though :( I'm still searching for a good go too one for 90% of the year, in the summer or when I have a tan though I swear by Laura Geller Balance and Brighten in Regular - although this can be used on it's own as a quick base product, and that's often what I use it for on holiday, it also make a great finishing powder when lightly applied. Please let me know your favourite powder please, I'd love to know what you use x

Blush (Cream Or Powder)

Too Hard!!! I can't pick one (sorry!) so I've narrowed it down to two, which considering my collection is good enough.  First up ELF Studio Blush in Tickled Pink, this is a long term favourite, the perfect pink, to give me skin just a little flush. Secondly something which has skipped into my top two over the last 12 months - Benefit  - Sugarbomb. A peach, pink, coral and brown mix, this added just a hint of warmth to my skin. It's not that pigmented but I often wear it when I'm wearing a natural look.

Bronzer

I'm a bit scared of full on bronzer so I don't use it that often. However lately I've been using something that could be the one. It's the blogger and You Tuber favourite, Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Universal. I've had this for about a year now and until recently I just couldn't make it work, but I've managed to get a bit of a colour this summer, and with careful application with the elf Small Studio Stipple brush, I've eventually realised what all the fuss was about.

Highlighter 

Ahhh my favourite type of product - I love highlighters so to pick just one was nigh on impossible but unusually for this blog post I've managed to pick the one. Prestige Skin Loving Minerals - Mineral Bronzing Powder in Pure Shimmer isn't a bronzer it is in fact a beautiful, nude, beige iridescent highlighter. I've used this is an eye colour, and of course for an amazing cheek bone highlight. Alas we can't get Prestige in the UK any more but thankfully I have a back up :)

Make Up Brush (Single)

At last an easy peasy one - Bare Minerals Flawless Face Brush. Basically a kabuki, powder brush I use this obviously for Bare Minerals Foundation but it also make a fab powder brush. I have quite a few of these brushes in my collection and I use it pretty much every day.

Eyebrow Product

I have quite dark, full brows anyways so up until recently I've never really used a brow product, but lately I've decided to thin them out a bit, using the Tweezerman Slant Tweezers. These are probably the best tweezers ever, they are sharp, the tips meet in the middle, and they do the job perfectly.

Eyeshadow (Single)

Sooooo hard, if I had to pick one it would probably be MAC - Gleam or Idol Eyes, Gleam a beautifully nude, pink, gold, or Idol Eyes, a silver, violet with a hint of gold. Both of these shades are really go to's for me depending on whether or not I want a warm or cool look, or a day or an evening look. Slightly cheating but If I had to pick a palette too it would be the Urban Decays Naked palette.

Eyeliner

I'm pretty ambivalent about eyeliner - I own lots of them but it's often the step that I miss out. That said I love the Smashbox Cream Eyeliners for ease of you, and staying power, and I've recently discovered the L'Oreal Superliner Gelmatic in Ultra Black 1* which I'm really liking for staying power and ease of use.

Mascara

I am a mascara whore, I love trying out new ones, so I've decided that if I've purchased one more than once, and would still repurchase it, then it deserves it's place in this post. Number 1 Maybelline Colossal - I've gone through 2 tubes of this and I would still potentially buy it again, it gives lots of volume which is exactly what I need. I actually like all of Maybelline mascaras bar Great Lash, does anyone in real life actually like this?? Next up another "drugstore" brand -  Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara - this just does it for me, long lush lashes, in fact someone asked me if I was wearing lashes when I was wearing it - result! and if not this one then one I'm currently using which is pretty much identical Cover Girl - Lash Blast :)

Lipstick, Lipgloss or Lip Stain

A late entry but it's already become one of my most worn lipsticks - MUA Kiss You Lipstick - Moments. Nuff said I love it, I love the colour, it's nice and moisturising and it's only £3. You can read my full post on this beauty here x 

Lipliner

I own them but I don't use them so there is no one. I guess this might change as I fancy trying out one the clear ones so we'll see x 

Lip Balm

Another cop out answer, but I'm a lip balm obsessive and I usually have about 5 on the go at one, my favourite of all time is The Body Shop Yes Yes Yes Lip Butter, alas it was discontinued but I think their Foundation Lip Butter is supposedly quite similar so that is one on the list to try. What am I using at the moment and loving? Guess LOL initials MBL :) I'll show you better on Saturday ;)

Nail Polish

I can't answer this one really, there is no such thing as The One And Only when it comes to nail polish, so my one of the moment instead is Essie - Cascade Cool, a bright and summery pink. You can see a nails of the day post here x

So yeah, that was a bit of a cop out to be honest but I have so much make up and nail polish, and I love trying new things so much that it's nearly impossible to pick the one and only, a top 10 of each would probably be a bit easier than this was lol

I Tag:

Katie From Beauty Baker Blog

Michelle From Butterflies And Lillies

Faith Summer From Faith Summer Love

Kate From Pretty Little Us

Suzy From Suzy Hearts Beauty

Even if I haven't tagged please feel free to do it, and link me below, I'd love to know what your One And Only Products are x Oh and if you have any questions or if you would like any specific reviews of anything that I've mentioned please let me know xx 

(*Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes - Review Coming Soon)

Milani and Primark Giveaway Winner Revealed

Hi Guys - My latest  giveaway ended  on Monday  and now it's time to reveal the winners.I had 94 entries and I used Rafflecopter to randomly select my winner, and it was someone who follows me on Instagram -

Jess S - JesssRawr

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Congratulations Jess, I'll be sending you an email shortly. If you weren't lucky enough to win this time, then don't despair I still have lots of goodies to give away. My next personal giveaway will be for a gorgeous MUA palette, which should be live in a few weeks. Thanks to all of you for following and for entering I really do appreciate it x

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 14

It's another maintain this week and to be honest I'm only surprised that I didn't gain. Listening to my Slim Pod has really helped me to stop picking and comfort eating for roughly 3 weeks in every 4, but in that fourth week, I suffer from serious time of the month cravings, which as yet I can't control. I haven't ate stupidly by any means but I just haven't been as careful and I've craved sweet things and salty things equally, and on a lot of occasions I've given in to the urges.

I've got less than 5 weeks to go to my holidays, and whilst I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't lost more I'm remaining positive that I can lose a bit more before 29th September. The holiday won't signal the end of my weight loss journey in a sense this is just goal that I've set myself. I'm under no allusions that I still have a hard slog ahead of me, but after reading other people's success stories both on the Thinking Slimmer website, and seeing how well some of you guys have done on your own weight loss journeys, I'm even more determined to succeed.

To find out more about the Thinking Slimmer system please check out their website x

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Create That Summer Beach Body" Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Essie - Cascade Cool - Nails Of The Day

I know the sunshine has disappeared again but with less then 6 weeks to my holidays I'm trying to keep summer on the brain hence a bright pink nail.

Essie - Cascade Cool which I received as a birthday gift, is one of those bright pinks with an ever so slight purple undertone that I love. This polish was pretty thing but it still needed two coats for an even finish.

I love this shade, and I'm lead to believe that it's one of the bargain Essie polishes that seem to be around at the moment so if you see it and love these shades I would definitely consider picking it up x Are you a fan of Cascade Cool? let me know in the comments xx

Budget Beauty Series - MUA And One Direction - Kiss You Lipstick - Moments

I normally leave it until the end of the month before I show you the things that I've bought, and whilst it's not far off, I just had to do a post on something that I've acquired and loved.

Yeah a lipstick, not just any lipstick thought, this is a lipstick from MUA Make Up Academy's collaboration with boy band of the moment One Direction. I'm far to old for all of this boyband nonsense, I've heard a few of their songs and they aren't bad but I wouldn't say I was a fan by a long shot - when your old enough to be their mother it's a bit hard to see the attraction been, there done that and all that jazz - lol. So the line didn't appeal to me in that respect but when I saw some swatches I was a little more eager to get my hands on some of the products. I've had a little bit of a search but eventually I managed to get my hands on a couple of things, my mum paid so I just got two things a nail polish which you'll see in my monthly haul post and one of the lipsticks.

I chose the lipstick purely on colour not on band member so the colour I went for was Moments, which is Niall's for those of you who are that way inclined ;) The lipstick casing features a printed signature.

and the lipstick itself features an Embossed 1D logo and embossed o's and x's, which stand for hugs and kisses maybe?

All that is pretty irrelevant for me so what attracted me to this lipstick was the colour. It's the perfect, neutral pink with just a bit of warmth.

I'm pretty rubbish at describing colours but this lipstick has been my go to since I got it at the start of the month, believe it or not I've actually used nearly half of it already. It's a bit brighter than what I'd normally wear on a daily basis, but that's pretty much exactly what I've done. It brightens my face and it just seems to go with anything.

I love this lipstick so much, and for just £3 it's great value for money. The One Direction link won't appeal to some people, but try to see beyond  it and see the range for what it is, fab products at a great price. If your a Directioner (see I got the lingo ;) though or the parent of one then I think its great that the line is so affordable although probably not so much if your being pestered into buying it all I guess :) I'm definitely going to have a little look at the rest of the lipsticks and I definitely want to try the Oh My Glow Cheek Tints. This line isn't available in the MUA website (odd?) but it is available in selected Superdrug's, and on their website. Have you tried anything from the MUA / One Direction range yet? let me know in the comments xx

A Foodie Friday Special - Tasting Teas With Twinings

Ever since I was a small child I've been a tea drinker. My dad hated tea and coffee so from an early age my mum encouraged, well made me, have a cup of tea with. I have to admit I was never that keen but over time I was seduced by the charms of a simple cuppa and eventually became a "tea wife" as my mum puts it. I'm not as obsessed as some people but I usually end up drinking at least two or 3 cups of tea with milk and no sugar. The bog standard tea bag is my brew of choice, with a foray into English Breakfast if I'm feeling flush, but sometimes it's good to experiment.

Every now and then usually for diet reasons I add some herb or fruit teas, or infusions into my daily routine, they're generally calorie free or pretty low in calories so they're a good way of getting that warm drink hit without disturbing a days calories intake.

One of the brands that I usually line towards when it comes to flush tea purchasing is Twinings. Twinings are a British company which has an unrivalled history when it comes to the humble cuppa. Founded way back in the 1700's Twinings has maintained it's original pledge to sell only the finest qualities and varieties of tea, and currently retail over 100 varieties of teas and infusions. For what was originally a poor mans drink Twinings teas have appealed to people of all ages and social classes, famous fans of the brand have included Jane Austen and of course the Royal Family, the company having gained the prestigious Royal Warrant way back in 1837 under Queen Victoria, something which they still hold to this day.

I was recently sent a few boxes of tea from Twinings extensive range to try. I've tried quite a few of their teas in the past but everything that I received was new to me, so I roped in Mummy Lou to join me for a bit of tea tasting.

Twinings Herbal Sensations Camomile And Maple Sensations 

I was sent three packets of tea from their new Herbal range. The first two packets came from the Herbal Sensations line.

The first one I tried was the Camomile And Maple. This soothing and comforting blend features a base of  traditional camomile, flavoured with natural Madagascan vanilla, and cocoa nibs.

Like all of the teas that I received these teas are designed to be served without milk, simply add them to a mug with boiling and leave for at least 2 minutes to give it time to infuse, the longer you leave it the stronger the infusion will be.

From the description I really thought I'd love this one but some how it just didn't work for me. It's hard to describe flavours to be honest but this tasted sweet without actually being sweet if you know what I mean. The taste was a little bit sickly and overpowering to be honest, you initially got a big hit of the maple and vanilla , and then you got a woody, almost herby hint of the camomile. I really wanted to love this one as did Mummy Lou but we just couldn't :(

I'm not a one to give up on anything though and me and Mummy Lou got out heads together and debated how we could make this more enjoyable. Well the simple solution was to put it in a cake :)

My mum makes the most amazing boiled fruitcake, so we decided to use one of these tea bags to infuse the liquid which we boiled the fruit in - it was a huge success, and we just needed to add a tiny bit more vanilla.

The tea infusion added a lovely vanilla infusion and warmth to the cake x It just shows you think outside the box and you'll find a way. Next time we make this cake (there will definitely be a next time it was so good) I'll put the recipe up so you can try it yourself x

Twinings Double Mint Sensation

The next tea from the Sensation range that we tried out was the Double Mint Sensation.

I guess pretty much everyone has drink a cup of peppermint tea at some point. It's great for digestion and if your feeling a bit bloated. It's also really revitalising and uplifting when your feeling a bit tired or weary.

This tea contains a double hit of mint with peppermint leave and a natural mint flavouring.

This was one of those teas that you can smell before you've even opened box, you can smell that lovely hit of after dinner mints mmmm After Eights lol. The look of this tea surprised me, every other mint that I've ever drank (bar the ones made from fresh mint) are bright green in colour, this was a much more natural tea colour. Again this shows the quality of the product, no artificial colouring in this one :)

This tea was great it reminded me and Mummy Lou of the mint teas that you can often get in Turkey and in North Africa, all it needed was a little bit of sugar. It had a really strong but clean mint flavour that really lifted the spirits and woke up the taste buds.

Both the Camomile and Maple Sensation, and the Double Mint Sensation retail at around £2.29 for a box of 20 Bags

Twinings Settling Ginger

It's well known the ginger is great for settling the stomach, and preventing nausea. It's all too easy to grab a ginger biscuit but instead why not try a mug of Twinings Settling Ginger.

This fabulous contains dried fresh ginger root, liquorice root, cinnamon and clove.

The smell hits you before you open the box, to be honest it smells of Christmas - all warm and spicy

This is a fabulously warming spicy, tea. First of all you get a big hot of the ginger you can actually feel it warming as it goes down, then you get the hints of the cinnamon and the clove, before finally getting an almost peppery woody hit from the liquorice root.

This tea was by far my favourite of the four. It was very warming and soothing ideal for a cold winter night, or when your feeling a bit under the weather. It's also a winner if your having lady pains :) You could also use this tea again for infusing the fruit for making a fruit cake, this time I think it would give it a fab spicy hit ideal for a Christmas or spice cake.

Twinings Setting Ginger retails at around £1.29 for a box of 20 bags.

Twinings Jasmine Green Tea

Surely by now everybody knows the power of green tea it's good for you and it is full of antioxidants. Twinings do a number of different green tea variants in their range, and recently they've introduce a new line of green teas, including some classic and some flavoured versions.

I was sent the Jasmine Green Tea which is made by layering white jasmine flowers, with green tea leaves.

When you open the box you can immediately smell the aroma of green tea, with a hit of pungent jasmine. I have to be honest I was a bit scared about trying this one I love jasmine but it's quite an overpowering smell so I was worried about whether this would be too strong.

Whilst the jasmine is dominant you can definitely still taste the green tea, this really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, it was actually very refreshing and very palatable, just make sure that you don't over brew it as the green tea can taste a little bitter x

Twining Jasmine Green Tea retails at around £1.39 for 20 bags.

I've really enjoyed my Twinings experience, and whilst I'll only definitely repurchase one of the teas that I tried it's introduced me to a lot of new flavours. It's far too easy to think of tea as that everyday cuppa that goes down a treat with a couple of biscuits, but there is so much more to tea. There are different varieties of the tea leaf itself, and then there are herbs, fruits, spices and flowers which can all be used to make fabulous taste bud tingling infusions - the world really is your oyster or should I say tea bag when it comes to tea. To be honest I'm much more of a fruit tea girl but whatever your tea of choice Twinings are sure to have it covered - please have a look at their website to check out their full range x Are you a tea fan? do you like fruit or herbal teas? or is the normal cuppa your favourite beverage? let me know in the comment x

(All Of The Teas In This Post Were Provided On Behalf Of Twinings For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Skin As Soft As Clouds With Lush Angels On Bare Skin Fresh Facial Cleanser

Way back in May I attended an event at Lush's Metro Centre store. I had a fab time at the event learning more about the brand, and some of it's products and generally having a little play (you can find out a bit more about the event here).

The best part of the event for me was helping to make some products, we each made a Space Girl bath ballistic and we helped to make an Angels On Bare Skin Fresh Facial Cleanser, which we got to take home with us.

Angels On Bare Skin is probably one of Lush's most popular products, It's one of several products in their range described as a fresh face cleanser. Throw any preconceptions you had about cleansers being liquidy or creamy out of the window, Lush's fresh face cleansers have broke the mould.

Angels On Bare Skin is basically a squidgy, semi solid substance, which  is made from 100% natural ingredients and contains amongst other things ground almonds, kaolin clay, vegetable glycerine, lavender essential oil, and dried lavender flowers. Since the product doesn't contain water, it means that it can be made without preservatives so it's much kinder on the skin

This cleanser for me is more like a very gentle exfoliator which is designed to improve the skin texture, and appearance. The kaolin helps absorb grease, the glycerine helps soften, the almonds tone and brighten, and the essential oils balance and tone, and in the case of lavender are anti-bacterial.

All you do is take a little bit of the lavender smelling,squidgy cookie dough esq substance in your hands

and mix it with a little bit of water till it becomes an almond milk based paste.

Then gently massage it all over your face. I concentrate specifically on my nose, forehead and chin. It gives quite a good exfoliate but at the same time it feel very gentle and definitely not scratchy.

All you need to then is rinse it off, I usually use warm water and muslin cloth to make sure that I get every little bit off, it comes really easily thank goodness but there is a tendency to get little bits in your hair, so use a hairband. Voila - skin is left clean, soft and bright x

This isn't a cleanser in the conventional sense but it does a great job of keeping the skin clean and clear. I haven't used this everyday but I'm sure it would be fine to do that. I've tended to use this as a night cleanser on the days that I haven't been wearing make up and I've definitely seen a difference in the texture and clarity of my skin, and I've noticed less congestion particularly on my nose and chin which can be prone to the odd blackhead. Yes, it is a little bit messy and bits do tend to fall off but use a hairband and use it over the sink and you'll be fine. I've got quite a few cleansers and exfoliatiors to use up but when they're done I will definitely consider buying this product - It's one of Lush's top sellers and I can see why. Have you used Angels On Bare Skin before? let me know in the comments x Lush Angels On Bare Skin retails at around £6.35 for 100g pot. To find out more please have a look at the Lush website x


(The Lush Angels On Bare Skin Fresh Facial Cleanser In This Post Was Made By And Provided By Lush Metro Centre At The Recent North East Lush Blogger Event)