Gran Canaria

Hello lovelies, sorry for my absence but I have been on holiday to Gran Canaria with my good friend Will. The weather and the hotel were amazing and we had such a wonderful time. I do have a few recent purchases to show you all but I'm going to wait until my next two holidays (Mallorca and Paris) are over so that I can just do a collective post. Here's a couple of photos from my trip:





We stayed at the Riu Palace Meloneras, which is in the Maspalomas region of Gran Canaria. The surrounding area was beautiful and lined with little boutiques and restaurants, the perfect place for a quiet stroll.







More photos can be viewed at my Flickr.

I will try and update again before I leave for Mallorca on Tuesday, as I have a large Illamasqua and Mac haul just waiting to be blogged about! If anyone has any suggestions for Spanish cosmetic or skincare brands/products you think I should look into I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Hair care

I have tried and tested many hair products in an attempt to tame my wavy and often frizzy locks, so I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you all. If you're looking for a cheap solution to your hair woes then this is not the video for you as I tend to be a bit of a hair product snob, finding that cheaper alternatives never do what they say on the tin. Saying that if you have any cheaper HG products then please let me know, as I'm willing to give anything a try!

Most of the products mentioned in this video can be bought in Space NK or large department stores, such as Fenwicks, Selfridges or Harvey Nichols.

To watch the video click here!

Soap and Glory 'The Righteous Butter'

Soap & Glory The Righteous Body Butter® is smooth, creamy, and velvety. With skin softening shea butter and aloe vera to attract moisture, some folks think it's a bit addicitve!.

I only became interested in Soap and Glory products recently after Richie Nickel did a rave review of this moisturiser on YouTube. One of the main reasons I'd never sought this company out before is because I normally hate vintage or retro packaging à la Benefit Cosmetics, preferring the sleeker designs of MAC or Chanel. I had been looking for a good quality moisturiser though to use in place of my Kiehl's Creme de Corps when wanting some added fragrance, so I decided to take the plunge and give it a try.

For £9.79 you receive 300ml of product, which is quite reasonable when you consider that for almost double the price you get 250ml of Kiehl's.

The packaging itself is actually quite cute and is reminiscent of the 50s with its powdery pink colour with each design featuring a beautiful woman. The consistency of the product is very creamy and smooth without being sticky and I have found that I can put my clothes on several minutes after applying, instead of having to wait around for it to dry.

This is without a doubt the best smelling moisturiser I have ever used and as Richie Nickel said it smells exactly like Miss Dior Cherie perfume, one of my favourites! Unlike other scented moisturisers I have tried this one does not irritate my skin and the scent does not oxidise or change over time.

Soap and Glory can be purchased from Boots stores or online here.

What Soap and Glory products do you love?

Face of the Day

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Seedy Pearl Eyeshadow
MAC Moonflower Eyeshadow
MAC Stars and Rockets Eyeshadow
MAC Grape Pigment
Wet and Wild Mega Liner
MAC Carbon Eyeshadow
Diorshow Blackout Mascara

Face:
Dior HD Foundation
Bobbi Brown Corrector
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer
MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural
Illamasqua Katie Blush
MAC Shimpagne Mineralise Skinfinish
Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel

Lips:
MAC Politely Pink Lipstick
Carmex

Illamasqua

Let me start by saying that the hype surrounding this brand is completely justified, as the products are amazing! I have had experience of both visiting a counter (Fenwicks, Newcastle) and ordering online, so I thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

The ladies that work at the counter were all lovely and the two that assisted me were helpful without being overpowering or making me feel as though I was being pounced on. They quickly chose a powder blusher that would suit my colouring and applied it, explaining every step and giving helpful hints for a flawless application. I was then allowed time to browse the other products and I didn't feel like I was holding them up, which is sometimes the case at other counters.

My online experience was less smooth. After not receiving any products after 10 days I called and was told that someone that could help me would ring straight back. Three days later and no call I had to ring again, however, the lady that answered was very helpful, polite and apologised for the slip up. Being an independent brand it is inevitable that things like this will happen but I received my products two days later with a lovely product book and some postcards.

On the left is a cream blusher in 'Rude', which is a definite dupe for NARS 'Gina'. The consistency of the product is silky smooth, glides on a dream and has incredible staying power. I applied it this morning and 7 hours later it hasn't moved an inch.


On the right is a powder blusher in 'Katie' which gives the most perfect light pink flush and is similar to the colour my cheeks go when I blush. I love the fact that this is matte and allows for a more professional look but also looks amazing over the satin finish primer for a dewy effect.

Both the cream and powder blushes retail for £16.

Illamasqua is gaining quite a reputation for their nail polishes and I can certainly see why! This is shade 'Lament', which is a perfect pinky coral for the summer months. Again the consistency is amazing and I only needed one coat to get a flawless, streak-free application. These retail for £12.50 and there are a wide range of colours to choose from including neons, glitter and a gorgeous grass green.

I also have the satin finish primer with spf but I want to use this a little longer before I do a review on YouTube, but first impressions are good!

Illamasqua can be purchased online here or at one of their eight counters around the UK. Visit the official Illamasqua blog here. What Illasmasqua products are you loving?

I spotted this little gem in Accessorise this past weekend and my love of bows meant that I had to have it. It cost a mere £10 and can be worn alone for a more elegant look or stacked with other bracelets. They also had the earrings to match but in my opinion they looked cheap and I already had a similar pair from Pilgrim.

I also came home with a GOSH lip jam in number 100, which is clear with pink reflects. After reading a review by Laura (lollipop26) I decided to give them a try because due to their sticky nature they are meant to have good staying power. Normally I don't like sticky lipglosses, however, I wouldn't say that these are necessarily sticky. I would describe them as tacky but you can rub your lips together without feeling like you're battling with sand paper. Here's a picture of the gloss on my lips:



I'm in the process of uploading several videos to YouTube as I type this and one features a review of Biosilk Silk Therapy, which I believe would have a similar effect to CHI Silk Infusion. I'd love to be able to do a comparison of the two so if you know of anywhere online that sells the CHI product I'd appreciate a link because all my local Sally's have sold out.

Thank you lovelies
x

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my small corner of the internet. Some of you may know me from livejournal, youtube, flickr or twitter and some of you may not, so allow me to briefly introduce myself. My name is Jessica Louise and I am a 22 year old living in the North East of England with a somewhat unhealthy obsession with makeup, fashion and all things pretty.

I thought I'd start off by showing you a few of my favourite things to give a hint of what you'll see in this blog in the future!


My bedroom is my favourite place in the world and I can spend hours locked away reading books, watching youtube videos or shopping online (shhh!).



Although I hardly get the chance to wear these they are without a doubt my favourite pair of shoes. They are by Marc Jacobs and are the perfect combination of bows and sequins.


A small portion of my perfume collection. I'm particularly enjoying Miss Dior Cherie and the original Juicy for summer.


I am in love with Chanel nail polishes, especially in the colours 'Fire' and 'Flamme Rose'. They are a great consistency and don't chip easily so I definitely think they're worth the £16 cost.


I love this quirky ring by Vivienne Westwood and lusted after it for many months before finally taking the plunge. Although it's not an everyday piece it can edge up any outfit and is perfect for an evening dinner or going for cocktails with friends.

Before I go I just wanted to say thank you to Vicky (peachykeencheeks) who inspired me to create this blog. She's a lovely girl and her posts are always a pleasure to read so you should click the link at the top of the page and go visit her!

xx