Benefit Pin Up Lashes

I'm not normally one for fake lashes. Since spending hours in my earlier years trying to fix them equally across my lash lines without looking half-cut before I've even left the house, to ripping them off complete with half my natural lashes still affixed at the end of the night, it's safe to say I'm not the biggest lash fan.
I have dabbled with the Eyelures, the Girls Alouds (we've all bought the Cheryls right?!) and the Laurens Ways all with varying levels of success. I've tried all styles, from wispies to glamourous, to double-layered-drag-appearance. You see all too often the girls who think 'bigger is better' and for some, yes perhaps, for others...not so much :/
It's a minefield of fiddly applicators, ridiculously finicky glass bottles of glue, cutting to size, dropping them down the back of the dresser, trying to figure out how to make them stay on the inner corners (dammit, why don't they stick?!?), just ridiculous.

However...

I think I may have stumbled across the holy grail of false lashes. For those, like me, who fear individual semi permanents leaving lasting damage and stick to the occasional special occasion strip lash, I may well have the answer to end your Saturday night lash-dramas!

Let me introduce you to Benefit's Pin Up lashes.

Benefit Pin Up Lashes. £11.50

These. Are. Incredible!

Benefit do a whole range of lashes, but for me these are the best. They are dark brown, rather than black, so give all the drama of long, fluttery lashes without the drag-queen effect. They are double layered, for a wispy but full appearance, and they really open up your eyes. They are more curved than most other brands so sit more naturally along your lash line. The plastic strip is thinner and more flexible than others so is easier to manipulate into the curve of your eye and stick into those tricky inner corners!!

Below are two pictures, the first of my evening make-up before applying the lashes and the second after I have added the lashes.


Neutral smoky make-up before adding Benefit Pin Up lashes.

Neutral smoky make-up with Benefit Pin Up lashes.

 

In each picture, the smaller top right photo shows just how much difference these lashes make to your eyes, they really widen them and compliment that smoky evening look.

 

Benefit Pin Up lashes are available from Boots, Debenhams and Benefit direct. I normally get mine online from Debenhams as they have free delivery for beauty card holders and frequently run promos (there is 10% off at the minute!!). They cost £11.50 full price, which a little more pricey than other strip lashes, but I have used mine over and over again and they just keep going!
It's worth mentioning that these don't come with glue, but most of us have a vial or two knocking around. I did buy the Benefit Lash Glue (£7.50) with the lashes too and have to say it's worth investing in. You get lots for your money, it comes in a squeezy, resealable tube rather than a ridiculous small glass bottle (with a lid which never comes off easily!) and again there is currently 10% off this little beauty at the moment at Debenhams too!
So there you have it, Saturday night lash dramas are a thing of the past!

xxx

Beautifully bronzed - Xen Tan Moroccantan

As all of my friends will tell you, I am a total tan addict! If there is a tanning product out there, chances are there is a half-used bottle sat in my bathroom cabinet!
I am a huge Xen Tan fan, their products smell delicious - like chocolate rather than fake tan - they are paraben free (very important) and the colour lasts for daaaaays!!! I've been using their Deep Bronze Luxe once a week self tan for months now and I absolutely adore it!

Xen Tan Deep Bronze Luxe

 

As a devoted fan, I recently noticed that Xen Tan were running a Twitter competition recently where you could win a bottle of their fab new Moroccantan, containing Moroccan Oil. I had wanted to try this for the longest time so I entered and was thrilled when I won!!

Xen Tan Morrocantan

The Moroccantan is a fair bit darker than the deep bronze luxe, with a noticeably darker guide colour. It smells delicious, like coconut, so instantly triggers memories of sunkissed skin and sun lotion!

When applying my normal Deep Bronze Luxe I find it is fine to apply using my bare hands and wash them afterwards (with whitening toothpaste for my nails of course!) whereas the deep guide colour of the Moroccantan means that a mitt is a must!
On the morning after application, the depth of the guide colour can look a little scary! But once you shower it off, it leaves you with a gorgeous, smooth, deep brown tan. It's a really natural looking colour, but quite dark, so I'd recommend it for girls who prefer a deeper colour, for summer months or pre-holiday bronzing.

Prices are very reasonable, I normally buy my Xen Tan through feel unique who have speedy delivery and also regularly run promotional money-off offers.

Xen Tan Deep Bronze Luxe weekly tan sells for £21.50 with free delivery.
Xen Tan Moroccantan sells for £19.99 with free delivery.

Follow Xen Tan on Twitter here!

I hope you love them as much as I do! xx



Day after using Xen Tan Deep Luxe.
(Apologies for the odd shot in the Eden Project loos, I forgot to take a pic before taking the kiddies out for the day!!)



Xen Tan Moroccan Tan after application - tan line to show the contrast.

Flip flops and friendship bracelets

Yippee, it's finally here!! Summer has arrived, and with it comes the pretty pedicured toes and floaty, sleeveless outfits.

I've been trying to find the perfect shade of nail varnish to grace my tootsies now that the flip flops are firmly back on my feet for the sunny weather. At the moment, coral is one of my absolute favourite shades. It compliments virtually every skin tone, looks gorgeous against a tan and can be used as a bright colour pop against a neutral or black outfit in equal measure.

I recently bought Rimmel's 60 second nail polish in shade 415 'Instyle Coral'. It's a gorgeous, lacquer-esque polish with a professional finish, plus it's 3-free so all good for everyday wear. This looks fab for summer, it makes your toes look so tasty!

To match the coral nails I also bought Boots number 17 Supreme Shine lipstick in 'Hot Flash'. It's a beautiful pinky-coral colour which flatters a tanned complexion, also perfect for summer!




Lips - Boots '17'  Supreme Shine lipstick in 'Hot Flash'
Nails - Rimmel 60 Second nail polish in '415 Instyle Coral'

Last week I was also lucky enough to win a Twitter competition run by Little Birdie London, a company I came across when I saw a post by fellow southern-girl blogger Liza Prideaux of GlamBeautys.

I won this gorgeous green friendship bracelet, which looks so understated and pretty. As they sell for only £6 each I think I am going to have to buy some more candy colours to stack for the summer, I just love it! At first I thought it was a material bracelet, but it is actually made of metal (alloy) and painted this gorgeous colour. It's fab!

Little Birdie London green friendship bracelet

Check out Little Bird London here and follow them on Twitter here.

They sell some beautiful pieces, favourites of mine being their two skull skinny cuff and their candy bunting necklace...

I hope that you enjoyed your sunny bank holiday Monday! xx

Winter wonders - skincare for the colder months

As the weather gets colder and conditions more harsh, I find that my beauty routine seems to focus more on skincare products than makeup.
In these deepest, darkest wintry days of the year it can be difficult to find a product which strikes that fine balance, both protecting and enhancing your complexion.

Go for a cream which is too rich and it can over-compensate, resulting in oily and breakout-prone skin.
But, in contrast, anything too lightweight will be instantly absorbed and won't offer any protection at all, leaving you with dull looking, dry skin.

I've compiled a list of the best skincare products I've found to date, which I feel really do work and are worth investing in.

Lush Cosmetics Oatifix Fresh Face Mask

This delicious, vanilla-smelling face mask nourishes and hydrates skin, using fresh and natural ingredients. Perfect for slathering on in the evening with a glass of wine for that essential winter skin boost.

(You will note that none of the Lush Cosmetics moisturisers are included on this list. This is because Lush Moisturisers contain two types of paraben preservative, a known carcinogenic, which really shocked me! I'm hoping that they can find a less harmful alternative in future since their entire brand is built on 'natural' and 'healthy' products. Their fresh face masks, however, do not contain any harmful ingredients are really are wonderful.)

RRP £5.95 from Lush Cosmetics.

Green People hydrating firming serum

I can't stress just how important it is that you try this product!! Completely natural, certified organic and cruelty free, this amazing toning serum soaks into the skin almost instantly and provides day-long moisture. It has proven anti-ageing qualities, contains exciting ingredients like seaweed and marshmallow and makes an amazing make-up base. This toner has wonderful moisturising qualities, so if you have phases where your skin becomes more oily, this is great as it hydrates without the stickiness or greasy appearance that creams can sometimes cause with oily skin. Fabulous for all skin types, GREAT for sensitive skin or those who have skin complaints and it's organic.

RRP £11.95 for 50ml from Green People. Trial size of 10ml also available for £3.60 here.

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector

Great things really do come in small packages! This eye cream works wonders for those in need of a little under eye pick-me-up. The metal tip instantly soothes and tautens the sensitive under eye skin, whilst the slightly tinted balm gives translucent coverage. This product is great for disguising the delicate under-eye area during the months that we can't get away with slathering on as much fake tan!!

RRP £28 for 10ml from Debenhams

Green People anti-ageing facial oil

I briefly mentioned this little wonder-product back in my review of the Green People Oy! Organic Shampoo and Shower Gel and promised my review. Well, I can't do anything but plead that you try this product!! Facial oils are creeping onto the market more and more now, with people realising that with the right oils you can moisturise without encouraging grease and breakouts. This anti-ageing, organic oil smells absolutely divine and leaves your skin feeling softer, more supple and moisturised. This nifty little product is also available in a trial size, so if you don't want to rely on my word alone, you can pick up a little 10ml vial for a fraction of the cost to try before you buy. But you will most definitely buy!!

RRP £16.95 for 30ml from Green People. Trial size of 5ml also available for £3.60 here.

Good Things Face the Day moisturiser

Good Things is another fab little 'friendly products' brand which I've stumbled across. They use gorgeous, natural ingredients like blackberry and pomegranate, so their products are really good for your skin and they smell delicious!! A firm fave of mine is the Face the Day moisturiser. Retailing at less than £10 it's a fab little disposable product for everyday use. Containing goji berry and papaya, the moisturiser balances your complexion and soothes your skin. Perfect for dry or outbreak-prone skintypes.

RRP £7.99 for 100ml from Boots.


I really hope that you find something on this post which you like. Getting your skincare products right will help to balance your complexion, meaning that makeup will sit far better, enhancing your natural skintone.

If you think there should be any other 'natural' skincare products here which I've missed then let me know!!

Check your ingredients: Part 1 - Parabens.

With a wealth of beauty counters, product ranges, miracle fixes, and new releases any girl looking to keep up with the latest beauty regimes and must-have products is easily overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice and jargon when looking to purchase beauty products.
These days it's difficult to open the page of a magazine or turn on the television without having drug brands trying to convince you that their new anti-fatigue, light reflecting, pore minimising, anti-ageing, illuminating, super-product will instantly rejuvenate your face and release your inner, air-brushed supermodel.
And we all believe it and off we march down to the high street, armed with our advantage card, without so much as a disgusted glance over our shoulder at last month's miracle product, sat half-used on our dresser.

On top of these wondrous claims and promises, we are also faced with the new brands of 'affordable' make-up coming onto the high street, aimed at those of us who realise and admit to having a teeny bit of a self-control problem when it comes to cosmetic buying and so therefore need to reign in our spending. How perfect, then, when along comes a brand who can offer items at £1 a piece?! It seems too good to be true!! And the truth is, that well, it is.

Because, you see, a lot of us aren't quite au-fait with the hydro-exyl-ethyl-methylene type ingredients lists on the back of these little pots, tubes and jars. We don't actually know what these scientific names really MEAN and instead just 'trust' these brands not to put us in any danger. We don't think too much about putting these products onto our skin day in, day out, nor that these ingredients are being absorbed into our bloodstream. Our bank balance rejoices at the minimal prices and so we are pleased with our purchases and think no more about it.

And it gets even sneakier! There are companies out there who have cottoned onto the more cautious buyer, who have built their branding on 'pure' or 'natural' images, to have us believe that we are making careful choices when in fact they are as 'pure' or 'natural' as the next chemical-loaded product. This sneaky trickery has been labelled 'green washing' and is a clever marketing ploy used by big companies to lead consumers to believe that they are buying 'eco/natural/green/organically-derived' products when in fact that are just as 'green' or 'eco' as the bottle of bleaching agents next to it.

There are a wealth of damaging, dangerous and totally nasty ingredients used by companies these days, but I am going to focus on a few of the biggies over the course of my next few blog posts.


My number one ingredient that I would urge all consumers to avoid are parabens. Parabens are synthetic preservatives used in cosmetics, skin care products, baby products, deodorants, toothpaste and a whole manner of other products (also including foods). Basically, if you are buying a product which is going to come into contact with your skin, check the ingredients lists for these little nasties.

Parabens can mimic oestrogen which can cause female cancers. In a recent study of breast cancer tumours, scientists discovered parabens in 99% of tumour samples (see article here:   http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/01January/Pages/parabens-in-breast-cancer-tissue-studied.aspx ). Separate research into the exposure of newborn male mammals to butylparaben showed that it “adversely affects the secretion of testosterone and the function of the male reproductive system.”. They are bad, bad, bad for you.

I have looked at the ingredients lists on some day-to-day products and compiled a small (and rather surprising in some instances) list below of the products which I found to contain parabens, which most people use/consume without even thinking that they may be harmful.
Also note that a lot of these products are labelled in such a way that you would believe them to be a conscientious choice...

Huggies *PURE* baby wet wipes - contain Methylparaben

The Body Shop cocoa butter - contains both Methylparaben and Propylparaben

Johnson & Johnson baby nappy cream - contains Methylparaben and Propylparaben

Simple *kind to skin* soothing facial toner - contains Methylparaben

Aussie 3 minute miracle - contains Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben (How many!!!!)

Garnier *Skin Naturals* Simply Essentials soothing cleansing lotion - contains Methylparaben

As for cosmetics, these can be a lot more difficult to investigate as most do not display a list of ingredients on the bottles / tubes / pots. Purely as an example, here is a link to the MUA Cosmetic line's own ingredients list, available freely on their website: http://www.muastore.co.uk/ingredients
See how many parabens you can spot?! Although, I will give them their due for publishing this as many cosmetics companies do not openly publicise their ingredients lists. Very naughty.

It is important to realise that spreading product after product across your skin day after day will undoubtedly transfer the ingredients into your body. If these ingredients are harmful, this is a very bad thing!!! Many women wear cosmetics for up to 14 - 16 hours a day, every day, therefore it is important that a) you know what you are putting onto your skin and b) whether it is good for you or not!

I would recommend looking at sites such as cutECOsmetics , Naturismo , GreenPeople and LoveLula if you are interested in buying truly 'green' and cruelty free cosmetics or skincare products.

I really hope that you found this post informative and would love to hear what your thoughts are on organic/eco-friendly beauty and skincare products.

xxx