OSKIA Micro Exfoliating Balm Review

I first came across the brand 'OSKIA' when I heard Ruth from AModelRecommends mention a few of their products. I went on the Oskia website and had a look at a few of their items and this instantly jumped out at me and despite the £46 price tag I decided to just give it a go, and I am glad that I did!

This brand sparked my interest because it is a natural skincare that is packed with active ingredients. One of the key ingredients that this brand uses in most of its products is 'MSM', when i first saw this ingredient I knew that I had heard of it before, so I went mooching around in my moms supplement & Pill cupboard and there I found my moms 'MSM' pills for joint health. Its quite weird that they have put MSM in a skincare product when MSM is specifically for joint health. I did a bit of research on this and found out the reason. The reason being that the founder of Oskia Georgie Cleeve had been taking MSM tablets for her cartilage and saw amazing results not only in her joints, but in her skin as well. You can also read a lot more information about it on the Oskia Website. They use all kinds of weird ingredients that you would rarely find in skin care such as prebiotics, which you would normally find in yoghurt's...

The product is contained in a glass jar which i am not very keen on because all sorts of bacteria can get inside easily. Also you need to be careful not to get water inside which is hard because of the packaging. There is a protective plastic cover to stop anything getting into the product, but if you have wet hands and you go in to scoop some out, water would transfer into the product. looking past the packaging, the product inside is very soft and buttery with micro MSM and silica. the granules are so small that you cannot see them just by looking at the product (See Photo). The thing that I like the most about the texture is that the granules are very dense and consistent so you can evenly distribute it all over the face. They do not feel scratchy even though there are so many MSM granules in it. it just feels very pleasant, you could scrub as hard as you like and it still would not feel irritative.

 When water is added to the balm it transforms into a milk consistency on the skin which makes the granules feel less dense but it still feels as if you are getting a good clean and you can really feel it scrubbing deep down. You do not need a cloth to remove this, it literally emulsifies every time you add water to it. I have had this tub since January and still have A LOT of product left even after using it twice a week, you only need the tiniest amount as it spreads very easily.

Now moving on to the results after using this product. After using this my skin has never felt so clean and smooth i could feel the results of my skin whilst i was washing the product off. My skin looked as if I had a professional facial or some sort of peel. This doesn't strip my skin either it actually feels softer and quite moisturised. It makes my makeup go on so much easier afterwards and I never have dry skin anymore. This really does instantly brighten and perk the skin up and makes my skin look more even.

The scent of this product is absolutely amazing and apparently it is Oskia's signature scent of rose, Lychee and peppermint. It is quite a distinctive smell and I have never smelt anything else like it.

It is free from: Artificial fragrances, colourants, silicone's, Parabens, Sulphates and propylene glycol etc... 

There is also a lot of information on the box of this product which is shown in the pictures below:

I hope this review didn't drag too much but I really wanted to try and get across how much I love using this product and highly recommend it if you have a spare £46 lying around!

Joselin

xxx

Nails Of The Day Essie 'Its A Cinch'

This is a warm toned bubblegum pink with a hint of coral nail polish by Essie and it is all that I have been wearing the past week. I absolutely love this colour it just looks so pretty on the nails and so many people comment on the colour. It has tiny flecks of silver shimmer in there which makes the light bounce off it nicely. This has got to be my most favourite polish for application too, its such a joy to use and does not streak at all. The brush is perfect for covering the whole nail in one application. It is also very opaque you would be good to go in just one coat of this but I always add 2 coats just to intensify it. It is also very fast drying so you can paint your nails and go without worrying about it smudging. This is the only Essie polish that I own but I will definitely be picking up some more colours.
Essie Polishes retail for around £9.95 depending on where you shop!

Joselin

xxx

How Much Would You Pay For Your Toothpaste?

Img source: Google Images

A few weeks back I received an email from the online store Beautybay.com. Inside the email was basically just advertising some of their things but the only thing that caught my eye was this toothpaste that they stock. What caught my attention even more was the price at £11.95 so i did some research and the RRP is in fact £15.35. I wanted to know just why this tooth paste was so much as the most i have payed is about £3 for 'Arm A Hammer' toothpaste. There are 3 ranges of toothpaste to the Swissdent collection and here is what they say, taken from the Boots.com website:

Swissdent Nano Whitening Toothpaste

Swissdent Nano Whitening Gentle Toothpaste is a whitening toothpaste for sensitive teeth and gums which works gently and effectively to remove stains

Swissdent Extreme Whitening Toothpaste

Swissdent Extreme Whitening Toothpaste is an intensive whitening toothpaste for daily use, to fight strong discolorations. It is ideal for smokers, coffee and tea drinkers

Swissdent Mountain Fresh Toothpaste

Swissdent Mountain Fresh Toothpaste uses active natural ingredients and provides fresh breath whilst protecting teeth and gums.

I then started to read some reviews on it, There were not that many reviews on these products, but the ones that i did read all say that spending £15 on a toothpaste seemed foolish but they are glad that they did because the results were impressive. 

I'm looking to buy the Swissdent Extreme Whitening Toothpaste, my teeth are a pretty normal colour but I do tend to drink a lot of teas, coffees and red wine. I do not smoke, I do have some slight stains in between my teeth so I am going to see how this toothpaste helps and get back to you all!

What do you all think, would you spend this much on your toothpaste?

Joselin

xxx

New Release Benefit Watts Up!

 Image source:http://www.paperblog.fr

Benefit haven't waited long after the release for their new mascara 'Their real' to release another product. This time they are releasing a  cream to powder highlighter. Benefit are popular for their highlighters and I personally love them, so i am hoping that this highlighter will live up to the rest. It the highlighter is in stick form where you apply it straight onto the skin, then at the bottom there is a sponge which you can use to blend out the product. Like all benefit packaging this looks very cute and quirky!

This product will be released in October for £24.50 along with a few other new items!

what do you think, will this be a new addition to your highlighter collection?

I cant wait to try this out!

Joselin

xxx

Rimmel London 'Heather Shimmer' Lipstick!

All summer I have been obsessed with corals, peaches, pinks and generally just bright summery lipsticks. Here in the UK we have had some pretty dull weather this past week and its really starting to feel like autumn. This lippie by Rimmel London was a colour that I loved last autumn and winter and I wore it quite a lot. I noticed that recently a lot of makeup companies have this similar colour in their collections for AW11. So I decided to dig this out and I have worn it for the past 2 days. I remember just why I loved it so much.

The formula is very buttery and creamy, It feels moisturising on the lips and never drys out. It is also incredibly long lasting on the lips It may even stain them a little. The little shimmer pigments make the lips look instantly fuller and gives it a 3D effect. I always got so many compliments when I wore this lipstick. I think It would suit any skin tone as it just really makes the lips pop!

The lipstick looks different from each angle and the shimmer really makes the light bounce off the lips giving it that mirror 3D look!

Will you be incorporating autumn and winter tones into your makeup collection?

Joselin

xxx

Products I wish I never Had Purchased!

I try not to post to many negative reviews onto my blog, so in order to let you know what products that i personally think are not worth buying I will post them all in 1 post after I have enough products to talk about and what I generally think are not worth your money. You may all get on well with these products but personally I think that they are a load of pup :). I don't tend to make that many mistakes with beauty products and I thoroughly make sure that the product is definitely worth it before I go ahead and buy it. As everyone is different I may have read raving reviews on a product, gone ahead and brought it and ended up not liking it, Its just one of those things.

Nars Highlighting Blusher in 'New Order' 
now i really wanted to like this but I just find it so powdery and the glitter particles are way too big for my liking I mean it looks like chunks of glitter on your cheeks. If you wanted to wear a shimmery eyeshadow and lip gloss, having this on your cheeks would look too much! This blush is really pale and un pigmented and it just doesn't look like a blush at all on my skin. In the pan it looks like a lilac/cool toned pink colour. If I wanted this to show up as a blusher on my cheeks, I'd have to use so much product to get the colour and I'd also end up looking like a sparkling disco ball, Its very frustrating. So i just fling this to the back of my collection and forget about it, maybe I'll get it out for Halloween.

 'Urban Decay 24/7 Pencils' 'Stash' and 'Yeyo'
Some of you may love these Urban Decay 24/7 Pencils and so do i, Just not these colours. These pencils last ages on the eyes and they do not budge at all. I brought these and have hardly used them, yet I find myself sharpening them all the time. The formula is so soft on these pencils that they run down very quickly. I'd like them to last a bit longer for the price of them which is £13 each, so I'd quite like them to last a bit longer. Also the colours of these aren't the colours that I'd use for eyeliner so i use them all over the lid which is why they are running down fast. I'd probably get on better with the Urban Decay eyeshadow pencils. The shimmery white colour also refuses to go on the waterline. If I were to buy these pencils again I would buy colours that I'd actually use as eyeliner.

'Benefit Thrrob Blush'
These Benefit Blushes last forever! I have had this blush for about 3 years! I hardly ever used this blush and when I do I have to again use so much product to try and get a colour on my cheeks, Maybe this would suit paler skin so not for me I guess. If you have darker skin I'd recommend 'Coralista' or 'Bella Bamba'

'China Glaze' 'Watermelon Rind' and 'Lubu Heels'
You will either love China Glaze or hate them. I am still on the fence about them because I have only tried these two colours. I love the watermelon green colour and it looks great on the nails but I have to apply about 3-4 coats to get the colour in the bottle onto  my nails. They also take FOREVER to dry and you have to let each coat dry before you apply the next one.Then after all of that, they don't even last that long on the nails. It might just be my nails or maybe I need a top coat I don't know. These nail polishes are quite expensive too. Instead of chipping they peel off the nail so all of the polish on the nail will peel off at once. The black polish with red sparkles looks beautiful in the pot but when applied on the nails it just looks hideous, The formula is very sheer and watery and again I have to apply tons of coats to get a decent colour. Maybe there are colours that are better than others I don't know but these just aren't for me.

This is the 'Tresemme root boosting spray'. This does lift the roots but for about an hour. It doesn't last at all. Also it makes the hair quite hard and dry. I prefer root boosting sprays to make the hair a bit tacky so that I can keep pushing the hair up and it will stay but instead this just sticks my hair together and I only get a root boost for a short amount of time, so by the time you leave the house your hair will be back to normal again. Not worth your money at all!

 

'Mop C-System C-Curl Spray'
I brought this because my hair has a natural loose curl to it. Sometimes my hair is prone to frizz and usually needs something to awaken the curls and to boost them a bit. This spray is perfect when it is first sprayed onto the hair and then scrunched with fingers but the results don't last and my hair becomes even more dry and frizzy after using it. It also makes my hair crispy and hard because the product has stuck my hair together which makes it painful to brush out. I think that there are better curling sprays on the market so I wouldn't waste your money on this one!

Lancome Bi-Facil Instant cleanser
This oil cleanser does remove makeup well but I find that I need a lot of product for it to completely remove all my makeup. It is quite expensive at £20 and you only get 125ml. Also it says that it is non oily but i find this very oily on my skin and its quite irritive on my eyes. It removes mascara like a treat but my  god it stings when the oil and mascara flakes get into your eyes. I can also feel oil residue on my skin after using this and sometimes I will get like an oil film across my eyeballs, not nice. This is a nice product but totally not worth the price. There are better oil cleansers out there in my opinion.

I hope that this post helps you to make the right desisions, dont be put off by these products after reading this, this is just my experience with the products and I generally think that there are better products out there than these ones, but if you get on well with these products then let me know and if you have products that you wish you never brought let me know too!

Joselin

xxx

My Weekend In photos!

Hello everyone just a quick post to say hello to my new followers! 

hope you have all had a lovely weekend!

Mother insisted that we went blackberry picking even though it was raining, I also got stung endless times. I think it was all worth it though these were very yummy! After we washed them of course!

I then realised that I cannot grow my own carrots, they turned out looking like E.T's finger. I didn't get one decent looking carrot :(

I went to see my boyfriends band Strangle Kojak play live before they start touring.

I made a purchase that i wish i made at the beginning of summer, I fell in love with them. I probably wont get to wear them much this year now but I guess i have these beauties for life now! They were £192 from House Of Fraser in case you are wondering!

What did all of you get up to on the rainy weekend?

Its my Birthday weekend next weekend so hopefully the weather is nice and I can plan something to do for it!

I also have lots of blog posts lined up for you this week so keep your eyes peeled for them!

Take Care

Joselin

xxxx

My Everyday Face!

Hello ladies, Just a quick post about my every day makeup. These are the products that I will generally grab first and use when I am in a rush or what I will wear every single day when I need a fuss free look. I try not to make my every day look too over done and it is basically what I can apply really quickly when I need to be out of the house in about half an hour! It may seem like a lot of products to be throwing on quickly, but I will always keep these products on hand so that I can grab them quickly and It has just become a routine to apply them.

After I have moisturised and applied SPF, I will start with my Concealer, I always start with this because I like to cover my circles and blemishes before I use foundation as I find that it covers them better than when you apply it over the top of foundation.

I use YSL concealer In shade #2 £19.50


















I then go ahead and apply my foundation, I will only apply a thin layer to the areas of my face that need it. I never apply foundation to the whole of my face and if I do its a very sheer layer of it becasue I feel that my skin doesn't need a whole lot of coverage. I use my Sephora Professional Flat Top brush to apply the foundation with. I dip the brush into the lid to get the foundation becasue if i apply it on the back of my hand i always apply too much and end up wasting it!

I use Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in the shade Punjab. £29.50  and the brush was from Sephora in Portugal and it was 25 Euros.











I will then add a radiance powder to the whole of my face as this particular powder does not make me look cakey, it is very light and sheer but manages to control shine on my T-Zone whilst giving my skin a glow and a lovely brightening effect. I can keep applying this during the day and it will never make me look too over done. I apply this powder with my M.A.C 150 brush as I find that this brush is best for picking up enough of the product as it is quite a sheer powder.

I use the Clarins Colour Definition 3D Radiance Face Powder £27.00


M.A.C 150 Brush £32.50











After that I will apply bronzer and blusher. I always apply these as they add a touch of colour and instantly make me look brighter with more of a healthy glow. I use a particular bronzer and blusher because they are both together so I only have to pick up one palette. The formula of these are just lovely so I can apply them very quickly without thinking about it and they go on perfect without me looking like a clown! I also use the M.A.C 150 Brush for this as the rounded tapered point is great for contouring with the bronzer and the flat side of the brush is great for swooping blusher for a quick splash of colour, this brush really makes powder applications effortless!

I use the Nars Orgasm & Laguna Duo £30.00, I picked this up from a counter a few months ago so I'm not sure if it is still available. It can probably be found on Ebay.


M.A.C 150 Brush £32.50







I then do my eyelids with another duo palette as they are easy to just pick up and apply and both colours that I need are there in my hand. I use quite neutral colours in the day just to define and brighten my eyes a little. I will go all over the lid with a dusty brown/purple and then add a touch of highlight shadow in the inner corners of my eyes. I don't really mess about with blending or swapping colours as I find that these colours are perfect for a quick look. I will use one brush which is a small flat kabuki eye brush. It may be a small brush but it is a great all rounder and packs on the colour lovely. It can fit into the crease of the eye, right into the corner and underneath the lash line too!

I use the Clinique Eyeshadow Duo In Victorian Pink £19.00

I got the brush from the Clothes show live In Birmingham a few years ago, unsure of the price.





After eyeshadow I will apply eyeliner to the top of the eyelid, for this i will always use a gel eyeliner, simply because I never go wrong with it. If i were to use liquid i always manage to mess up or get some in my eye and the lines always end up wonky and unequal to each other. So if i use gel it saves me time trying to get the line straight or cleaning up smudges with a cotton bud. Gel eyeliners tend to last all day too and you can use them on the waterline which is best if you are in a hurry because you can just pop some onto the waterline without changing products. Today I haven't bothered with anything in my waterline as I am trying minimal makeup!

I use M.A.C Fluid line In Black track £13.50

M.A.C 210 Eyeliner brush £16.00





Lastly I will use mascara I never curl my eyelashes If I am doing my makeup in a rush. Generally I will use any mascara that I grab hold of first and will add just a few coats of it but I do have my favourites so If I see it next to another mascara I will pick that up instead of the other. The Eyeko big eyes mascara is great for lengthening the lashes which is what I want for every day makeup as it isn't too volumising and clumpy. It separates them nicely and only needs about 2 coats to take full effect. The brush is also perfect because I can do top and bottom lashes without getting any mascara everywhere as it is small enough to get to all of the little lashes.

Eyeko Big Eyes Mascara £15 now, I did get it for £8 but they increased the price :(





I then fill my eyebrows in using any small brush I can find at the time usually the M.A.C 266 angled brush. My favourite powder to fill in my eyebrows at the moment is the colour 'Buck' From the Urban Decay Naked Palette as it makes my eyebrows look natural and the colour matches perfectly. I think filling in your eyebrows can really frame your face so I make sure that I always try to do it.

Urban Decay Naked Palette in the colour 'Buck' £35.00










For my lips I will either just add a quick lip balm with a hint of colour, or a lip stain if my lips aren't dry because lip stains last ages on the lips and you don't need to re apply them as often. Also they aren't sticky so you haven't got to worry about the wind blowing your hair and sticking to your lips! Lip stains can also look very natural which is great for every day makeup.

I use Natio Mineral Lip & Cheek Tint £9.50

Let me know what products you use to quickly put together a look for the day, I generally use this look for college when i have spent too long in bed or if I have to get ready last minute and need to be out of the house!

Joselin

xxx

Pictures From My V.I.P Label.M Haircut

I'm afraid this gormy face of mine was the only picture that I had taken of my hair before the haircut. As you can see it was quite long.

This was my hair after the cut. They cut off all the dry ends and added a few layers in. They also curled my hair using a curling wand and used label.M protein spray and Label.M sea salt texture spray. I absolutely loved my experience here, the people working were very nice and friendly and they were generally lovely to talk too. A few celebrities came in wanting their hair done whilst I was there. I also met Example who came in for dry shampoo! There was a power cut half way through drying my hair because there were too many appliances going at the same time. The people working there managed to stay calm and apologised and then got it fixed as soon as they could.

I didn't manage to get any photos of me actually having my hair cut inside as the people I was with were elsewhere talking to various managers and I didn't have a camera with me. So the next best thing is a picture of me outside the hairdressing tent :D

Hope you all have a nice weekend my lovlies

Joselin

xxx

Review: Lierac Concentre Mesolift Radiance serum

As you can see I have used every last drop of this product, I absolutely loved it! I can tell even more how much I loved it because now that I have stopped using it my skin doesn't look as nice as it used to when I was using this serum.
This serum basically boosts the skins radiance by using hydrochloric acid which improves the skins vitality and hydration and gives the skin an instance refreshed look, It also helps the skin to retain moisture. As soon as I put this serum on my cleansed skin I notice a visible improved radiance and the results last throughout the day too!

Drawing inspiration from the dermatological technique of MESOLIFT (or facial mesotherapy), LIERAC Laboratories have developed CONCENTRE MESOLIFT – a nutritive and revitalising, Toning Radiance Serum containing a 15% concentration of a cocktail of vitamins, minerals and hyaluronic acid. Results are visible and long-lasting: the skin’s radiance, tonicity and hydration are boosted.

This serum is one of the best that I have used simply because I love instant results and when using this I see a visible improvement to the overall look of my skin and the skins texture. My skin feels firmer and tighter but not an uncomfortable tightness it just noticeably looks as if I have had a face lift. It really is that good and its great if I am feeling or looking tired because it completely plumps out the skin and tones it. It also has a fresh zingy but sweet citrus scent to it which really helps to wake you up and refresh you. It is an amazing base for makeup as the skin is nice and hydrated and lifted! It doesn't leave any sticky residue and it sinks into the skin nicely. I first heard about this product when I saw a YouTube video and a blog post that Ruth at AModelRecommends wrote. Click the link to read about this product on her blog. I practically trust everything she says and blogs about so you know your going to be buying a good product here!

The RRP Is £40.00 but you can get it on Feelunique for £30.20!!

Joselin

xxx

Topshop's New Makeup Collection Smoke & Mirrors!

Topshops brand new winter makeup collection will be released August 25th and there will be 11 products. It is full of warm and sophisticated colours.
The collection is called 'Smoke & Mirrors' and it is inspired by 70's glamour. The Makeup in the collection consists of a smokey eye palette, deep rich lip colours, an eyelash extender, terracotta blush, A highlighter in 'Glow' and metallic nail polishes. Warm sophisticated colours as well as metallic colours will be seen a lot in winter as they are all over the catwalks!

This highlighter is probably one of the things in this collection that I am looking forward to the most, It is designed to give you that perfect glow and luminosity which is definitely what I need in the winter!

I particularly love the packaging it is quite a sophisticated black packaging with geometric print. It is much different from their original packaging.

 All credit goes to Beauty.ie

I think I may have to pop into the shop when I am next in town and take a look at this collection, do a few swatches and possibly buy the 'Glow' Highlighter!

Will you be purchasing anything from this collection?

Joselin

xxx

Last Week's Graze Box!

I have previously written a post about a graze box simply describing about their service, I also posted a code for a free box which you can still get if you enter '17M7FTJ' when you subscribe!
You can read my other post HERE if you would like to know more because I go into much more detail about the company. So instead of repeating myself i am just going to go straight into reviewing the foods that I received in my box last week!

Lost Army Oriental Cracker
Mix

Ingredients: mixed rice crackers, mixed peanut crackers - rice, peanuts, soy sauce (soybean, wheat, salt), wheat flour, sugar, tapioca starch, sesame seeds, seaweed, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, chilli, caramel, chlorophyll, curcumin, annatto, paprika

This Punnet is the lightest snack of them all, I chose to eat this when I was feeling peckish in the evening. They surprisingly filled me up and gave me that slight sugar fix that I needed without having to eat sweets or chocolate. I let my boyfriend try one of these and he hated them so I guess its all about opinion I loved these crackers personally. Each cracker has a different taste. The peanut crackers were my favourite as they had a nice crunch to them and I think the peanuts made this punnet more filling. The other crackers were nice too, you'd either get a sweet one or a slightly salted one. The best way I can describe the rice crackers is that they taste like bread sticks but not as thick and crunchy.

Greek Kalamata Olives With Herbs
Ingredients: Pitted Kalamata olives with herbs (thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram, rosemary, parsley and sage) sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil

I am a huge fan of olives so I enjoyed eating these, you even get a little pick to eat them with and its not one of those tiny flimsy picks that break or fall off before they even reach your mouth! These olives were lovely and were nice and filling. The herbs added a nice touch of flavour to them and the oil kept them nice and moist. The only thing that I didn't like about this punnet is that there was a little too much oil for my liking because the olives were pitted, the oil even got in between the olives which made them a bit too greasy and the oil would drip everywhere if I wasn't careful. I'd suggest using the napkin that comes in the box to dab off some of the excess oil.

Blakewell Tart
Ingredients: almonds, cranberries and cherry infused sultanas

This was probably my least favourite punnet out of all of them, I love almonds they are one of my favourite nuts but they are probably the only thing that i enjoyed from this punnet. I do love cranberries and sultanas but I didn't quite enjoy eating them on their own, so I just threw them into my morning porridge which added a bit of difference. To just eat them one by one by themselves, I found to be quite boring and tasteless. Almonds are very filling and give you energy they also contain a lot of vitamin E which is also good for your skin.

hickory smoked nuts and seeds
Ingredients: smoked almonds, smoked cashews, roasted pumpkin seeds and roasted sunflower seeds.

This punnet was probably the most enjoyable to eat as it was just full of different flavours and because I love nuts and seeds I enjoyed this especially. The smoked flavour of the nuts gave it a different taste. I put this punnet in my bag and decided to eat it when I was out so i could nibble on if i got a bit peckish, It instantly gave me a lift of energy and filled a gap in my stomach. Each thing in this punnet had a different taste and I especially enjoyed the cashew nuts and almonds, the seeds were nice but I found them to be a bit small so I had to put a lot into my mouth to get the taste of them.

Overall last weeks graze box was nutritionally balanced and had a nice variety of fruit nuts seeds etc... My least favourite was probably the 'Blackewell Tart' so i will be clicking 'Bin' to these on the website. My favourite would probably be the 'Hickory Smoked Nuts And Seeds' so I will be clicking 'Love' on the website. Followed by the 'Oriental Cracker Mix' so I will be clicking 'Like' on the website.

If you haven't ordered your free box yet, I would seriously recommend it if you enjoy eating these kinds of foods. Each box is £3.49 which can be a bit pricey if you don't enjoy everything in the box but if you like most of the foods and enjoy trying new things then I think that it is definitely worth it.

See you in the next post my lovelies!

Joselin

xxx