Eye Creams For Young Eyes. Elemis, Origins & Garnier!

Hey everyone! Its a beaaaauuutiful day today in the UK, we normally have a few nice days in September but no where near this hot! people are having BBQ's in Autumn. I guess I shall have to postpone wearing my chunky knits that I have brought recently as I have had to dig out my shorts again.
Anyways, eye creams? not everybody sees the point in them, why not just use a moisturiser there? I have always been put off spending £20 for a little tub of eye cream just for the skin around my eyes. Well I will tell you that eye creams are definitely important, for the fact that the skin around our eyes is much different from the skin on our cheeks. It is more prone to sensitivity as it is very thin and normal moisturisers can be too heavy for that delicate skin. I have always thought that eye creams were anti aging and only used by older women with wrinkles but in fact it is important for young people to use eye creams because keeping that area well moisturised can reduce tiredness and fine lines around the eyes. I have 3 eye creams in my collection all of different prices and they all work in different ways. I am going to start with my favourite which is:

Origins GinZing £21 15ml

Refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff

This is the most expensive eye cream out of the 3 I have to review but it is definitely my favourite because it does what it says on the label. I sometimes suffer from dryness around my eyes and this cream really keeps my eyes hydrated. It also works very well on dark circles. I don't really suffer from puffy eyes so I wouldn't know how it works on them but I have read reviews and it apparently does work well on puffy eyes. The cream is a peachy colour with reflective particles which I think works to counteract dark circles and the particles add a brightening effect. This really does work and I have also found that It works as a great primer for concealer too. I wouldn't normally spend this much on an eye cream, but it has lasted me a very long time as you only need the tiniest bit and it smooths and spreads easily.

Garnier Youthful radiance £8.70 15ml

This eye cream comes in at a close second. It is second because I don't find this to be moisturising at all but it does give a youthful radiance. It may even brighten the eyes more than the origins eye cream. It also has a primer feel to it so I think it would be great for fine lines as I noticed the under eye area to be more matte and bright as the origins cream made my eyes look more dewy and moisturised. This eye cream contains caffeine which is a common ingredient used in eye creams as it gets the blood flowing and reduced tiredness. This eye cream would come in at joint first if it were more moisturising and that is what I need from an eye cream, brightening properties are just an added bonus. If you are looking for an eye cream for dark circles I would definitely recommend this one more.

Elemis Fresh skin Tired eyes soothing eye rescue £15.00

I have previously reviewed this eye cream on my blog before on a post about the whole Elemis Fresh Skin range which you can read HERE. I wasn't sure whether I should Include this eye cream because I don't get on well with it at all and the price is ridiculous for this product. When I first apply this eye cream It does feel moisturising and you don't need a lot of product either. It also feels very cooling on the eyes especially if kept in the fridge but you could get the Garnier Caffeine Roll-on for cheaper and it has the same cooling effect. The moisturising effect of this gel lasts for about 15 minutes and then it just feels as if you never applied anything in the first place. now it isn't that this is a particularly bad product and I love Elemis as a brand but this product just didn't work for me and for the £15.00 price tag it doesn't deliver enough. I would knock £10.00 off this product.

So there we have it, 3 eye creams, all pretty different. Do any of you use an eye cream? I am looking to try some more as I'd like to find a good one with an SPF in it which I am quite surprised that some eye creams don't contain SPF as the eye area is one of the main places you don't want getting sun damaged!

Joselin
xxx

Good Things 5 Minute Facial Face Mask Review!

Whilst I was strolling along the superdrug isles on my college break buying products for my international beauty swap, I spotted this little gem on offer! for £3.49 reduced from £5.99. I had seen a lot of reviews of this product and I was on the look out for a new mask because my Elemis Fresh Skin clay masks had ran out, so I picked one up and threw it in my basket. The packaging was the thing that drawn me too it the most as it is a simple yet very attractive design. This Brand are particularly very good for sensitive skin and it is also aimed at young skin because there isnt any ingredients in there that will strip the skin from any precious oils!
This product is free from parabens, SLS, mineral oils and animal products which makes me love it even more.
This mask only takes 5 minutes to work so it is great if you have a busy lifestyle or need a quick fix.

The mask is greenish colour and the scent is divine, It makes my bathroom smell all yummy and fruity afterwards! From the product swatch, the cream looks like a thick consistency but when spread across the face it is surprisingly very buttery and smooth it felt like a lotion rather than a mask. I prefer this type of consistency because you don't need a lot of product to achieve a full face coverage.

I applied this mask on after I had cleansed my skin, I may also try this product after I have steamed my face too as it will help to clean out the pores even more.
I left this product on for a couple minutes more than 5 minutes but within that time it had completely set. I then washed it off with a warm flannel and it came off easier than any other mask I have used, revealing a clean brighter and more revived complexion, my skin was also beautifully soft too. I also felt that It calmed some redness that I normally wake up with.

I think this mask did the job perfectly for its price, it isn't the most deep cleaning mask out there but if you are looking for something quick, organic and great for sensitive skin with amazing ingredients such as green clay and kaolin to draw out impurities, avocado oil to moisturise, goji berry extract to soothe and willow bark extract for radiance then I would definitely recommend this mask for you, I will be repurchasing this when I have ran out, even at the full price of £5.99!

Have you tried this mask? what other products from Good Things would you recommend? as I am definitely interested in more of their products.

Joselin

xxx

Handbag.com Beauty Awards 2011

I received an email today telling me that the Handbag.com beauty awards is now live on their website and there is a 'Best Beauty Blog' category.

If any of you who read my blog, and would like to nominate me for the award please hop over to their website and vote! you can do so HERE. You can also click the image above to vote too! It would mean a lot to me if I made it on the shortlist and I'd be soo grateful if you were to nominate my blog. I couldn't thank you all enough for your lovely comments and your support so even that alone means a lot.

If you vote, you can ALSO be in with a chance of winning lots of great prizes for taking part and voting. Prizes go from Goody bags to weekends away!

Thank you all if you decide to vote the LINK will also be at the side of my blog too.

Joselin

xxx

FOTD Using Sleek I-Divine Palette!

Apologies for the lack of blogging lately I have been mega busy with college!, I have quite a few reviews to get through which I promise will be coming soon! But for now I thought I'd do yet another makeup look wearing the eyelashes that Jacqueline sent to me from Hong Kong as most of you will have seen my international swap post, you can view it Here! Some of you requested that I do a post with me wearing the eyelashes so you can see what they look like on. The eyelashes that I am wearing are these ones:

The 3rd box of eyelashes in this picture!

I had to cut them down to fit my eye, but they did not go to waste as I used the bit that I cut, on the corners of the bottom lashes! They were comfortable to wear and looked quite natural. My only complaint is that the band that goes on the lash line is quite thick and I prefer mine to be thin so I cant feel that I am wearing any.

The liquid eyeliner I used was Loreal Carbon gloss just to hide the lash line.

(Woah looking at this picture makes me want to rush into town to get my eyebrows threaded :(! and check out the eyeshadow fall out that I forgot to clean up! IM SLACKING! )

If you have the sleek I-Divine palette I definitely recommend using the bronze, gold and green together together. I never usually wear green eyeshadow I'm more of a neutral girl but I actually think blending the green with the bronze and gold really makes my eyes stand out!

I used the 3 last colours from this palette, If you have brown,hazel or green eyes I would really recommend this look!


I'd love to see what looks you create with this palette if you have it too!
Joselin
xxx

FOTD - Purple Lips And A Subtle Smokey Eye!

Hey everyone! Hope you are all having a great weekend. I did have some reviews lined up but I am at my boyfriends for the weekend and the photos that I had taken of the products are at home. I couldn't leave you all hanging so I decided to take a photo using a different camera of the purple lip that I had going on today. Its a MAC lippy called 'Up The Amp' I brought it using my birthday money and worn it once for a swatch on my blog and then I just forgotten about it (oops). This lipstick is a gorgeous purple colour but for some reason it is showing it as a pinky purple colour on photos which is slightly annoying, but it might just be my lips because just to make sure I even applied it on my boyfriend and it came out true to colour on him (You can see the picture at the end of this post). Anyways today I decided to find it out and wear it even though this is probably a lipstick for a night out rather than in the day. I used a normal kohl pencil around the eyes and smudged it using a blending brush for a softer look. I then used a brown mascara to try and keep the eyes toned down as black would have just been too much! My eyelashes are naturally black but this just prevents them from going any darker especially as this was my day time look.

Foundation: lioele beyond the solution bb cream & anna sui brightening powder foundation

Concealer: Benefit Erase Paste

Bronzer: Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing base

Highlight: Jemma Kid Dewy Glow in Rose Gold

Eyebrows: HD Brow Palette

Eyeliner: Royal Lady E115 Golden Black ( From Hong Kong)

Eyeshadow: UD Naked Palette 'Gun Metal' In the inner corners and to soften the line

Mascara: Collection 2000 'Brown'

Lips: MAC 'Up The Amp'

Here is a true colour swatch of 'Up The Amp' and yes it is on my boyfriend haha! simply because he has the most pouty girliest lips ever and they are totally wasted on a man, I love them so I just had to see what this lipstick looked like on them. The colour STILL looks more pink on me in this photo, so it definitely is just my lips :(

So that is it for my weekend makeup! Sunday is usually my slump day where I give my face a break from makeup. What do you guys think about wearing a bright lipstick in the day? I don't normally but I just saw it and had the urge to wear it!

Joselin

xxx

My Perfect Makeup Combo! Mac 'Shy Girl' And 'Peaches'

Throughout all of September I have been reaching for these two products pretty much every day. Ever since I watched a video on YouTube that Lisa Eldridge had done about matchy makeup I thought I'd give it a go. Basically matchy makeup is, well matching your makeup! so blush and lipstick or eyeshadow and lipstick all you could do all 3! The colours that I decided to go for was peach as it looks the best against my skin tone. I did try plum/purple but I think that would suit a darker skin tone. The products are 'Mac Sheer tone Blush in Peaches' And 'Mac Shy Girl Lipstick' I wear this look in the day and it instantly perks up my complexion. Another lipstick that I think would work well with this blush is 'Mac Peach stock Lipstick' From the Mac me over collection as it is  more of a true peach colour where as 'Shy Girl' is pinky peach.

Here is a picture of what this combo looks like on. Very peachy indeed!

Joselin 

xxx

OOTD: Feeling Autumnal!

Top & Skirt - River Island

As it is autumn I thought I would attempt at this seasons AW11 Trend of plum/brown colours with metallic.

I never usually follow trends, but I am really loving metallic, burgundy, rust, browns and dark greens at the moment so I thought I'd pick up these pieces to start off my wardrobe! I kind of wished that I added accessories like a necklace and some bracelets too. The skirt is a floor length maxi and it is very comfortable It is my second maxi skirt from river island as I find that only the river island ones fit me as I am 5 ft 4 so I find it hard to find ones that aren't so long! you can see my other river island maxi skirt Here! Which is another colour for autumn too. I think maxi skirts are great for autumn as it isn't quite winter yet, but you still don't want to go through the sudden transition from summery clothes straight into big wooly jumpers! When I go outside I will throw on my black leather jacket which looks great with this outfit as it breaks down the glitzyness (is that a word!?) of the tank top and I think leather jackets will be in again this year! I paired this outfit with my new look black loafers that I shown in my shopping haul post which i am happy because I can wear flats with this maxi skirt without it dragging on the floor which makes it even more casual. Later today I have a job interview at Reiss in the Birmingham Selfridges! so I am quite nervous as my last job lasted me a few days. Turns out a receptionist job just isn't for me, I couldn't deal with sitting down for 10 hours my bum felt like a pancake afterwards!

Anyways, I hope you all like my outfit of the day in case you were wondering how the items that I had brought in my shopping haul post looked like paired together.

Have A beautiful day girlie's!

Joselin

xxx

Clothing & Makeup Collective Haul

I thought I'd post a few bits and pieces that I have brought over the past 2 weeks and also a few products that have been sent to me too. There is a mixture of Clothes and makeup items, I thought it was about time that I got some new things for Autumn and winter as my wardrobe is still quite summery at the moment.

Burgundy Maxi Skirt with belt - River Island £25

Metallic Gold Tank Top - River Island £18

Sequin collar blouse - New Look £25

Loafers - New Look £14.99

Brand new Sure deodorant collection arrived at my door this morning from a competition I won over at Beautilicious love

Topshop Blush 'High Five' Topshop.com £6

Accessorize baked Blush - Superdrug £6

 Rimmel Vinyl Gloss - Press sample - £5.49

Collection 2000 Big fake lashes mascara - Boots £4.99

Some outfit of the days and face of the days will be up featuring some of these products so look out for them if you want to see what they look like on!

Joselin

xxx

Collin Resultime Regenerating Collagen Gel Review

I have been using this gel over my cleansed skin morning and night for about 2 weeks and so far I am loving it and I have seen such a change in how my skin looks and feels.

This regenerating collagen gel is designed to plump up the skin, making it look more firm an bright. This gel feels very cooling on the skin which is great to apply in the morning after you have cleansed your skin as it instantly wakes you up! This gel is perfect for dehydrated skin. My skin is quite dry but it definitely isn't dehydrated but I can see that people with that type of skin may benefit from this too as it plumps out the skin and brightens which gets rid of that dullness that dry skin can usually have.

Here is what they say about this product:

Collin Resultime Physio-Cosmetology uses molecules that are naturally found in the skin (collagen, Hydraluronic acid, DNA, Micro-Elastin, Amino acids etc.) for immediately visible results on the youthfulness of the face.

this exceptional formula combines vectorised micro-collagen, an exclusive new active ingredient patented by COLLIN, with 14 other structural molecules. The results are instantly smooths skin that looks smooth, hydrated and plumped up; in the long term, it appears repaired, firmer and denser. Efficiency test carried out over 20 women for 21 days with twice daily application.
users found that skin looked:
smooth (90%)
hydrated (95%)
Plumped up (89%)
Firmer (86%)
repaired with restored density (75%)

All of this certainly sounds impressive and there is a lot of science behind it, which all completely baffles me if I'm honest. My skin has never looked clearer and I think it is down to this product and I am all for prolonging the aging effects so the fact that this product has the added benefit of keeping my skins youthfulness sounds amazing so I have my fingers crossed, I never want this product to run out!

Usually when a company promises amazing anti aging results, I get a little skeptical about it but the science behind this product backs up their claims and it all sounds very promising. I have been doing some research behind this product myself as to why this product is different from others. There is a different type of collagen that has been used in the product, so unlike other collagen based products, the Collins gel uses micro-collagen fragments which can easily penetrate through all of the skins layers using a vector( which helps the collagen protein to move through the skin) which combine with your skin cells and adds new collagen and repairs your current by increasing the number of cells to regenerate the epidermis. Your own skins collagen production is improved by 49% and Hyaluronic Acid improves by 78%.

 The gel is a lovely consistency which spreads easily so a little does go a long way. It also smells amazing but I can see that some may like it and others will hate it as it is quite a strong smell. Its almost like a powdery old lady smell but personally the smell doesn't bother me and it becomes quite pleasant after a while of use.

This product really does do what It says on the box, I wish I had taken before and after photos, Id say that all skin types can use this and I'd recommend it even more for winter so I will be needed to get some more of it! It is also marketed as an anti aging product but it can be used by all ages too.

More information can be found on the Collin Website

A 50ml Tub costs £44 

I was lucky enough to win this tube though a competition on BeautyMouth and I am ever so grateful because it has introduced me to such a wonderful product that I could not recommend enough!

Joselin

xxx

I Have Recieved My First Blog Award!

Hey everyone, I woke up this morning to a comment off Derin from the blog Wonders Of Beauty telling me that I had received a blog award. I was so happy that my blog had got noticed for this award as I have only been blogging for less than 2 months and I am started to feel accepted into the blogging community. So I'd like to thank you all for continuing to visit my blog and posting all of your lovely comments, I very much appreciate it! 

Derin awarded me with the Liebster Blog award, which is an award given to bloggers that have less than 200 followers. This award will give bloggers more exposure and hopefully more followers. After receiving this award I get to choose 5 bloggers that I would like to reward this to:

summer lights runway
lucyywrites01

on-thebias

arabellag

jacqlibrawrites

These blogs are in no particular order. Make sure you all check out their blogs! 

Recipients should show their appreciation to the award by:

1. Linking back to them on their blog 
2. Comment on your chosen blogs so they are aware of your award
3. Post the award on your blog !

Thank you to Derin 

for choosing me to win the Liebster Blog award. All go and check out her fabulous blog!

Joselin

xxx

 

Glossybox September

I'm not going to go into too much detail about the overall design of the box as I am sure most of you have anticipated that they have put a lot of thought and effort into the packaging and it always looks so neat and presented, The box is also surprisingly very sturdy and can be used to store other various bits and pieces.
In each box, you receive a card with a message from the glossy box team just explaining the theme of the box and then on the back is a list of the products that are in the box with a description and a voucher code if you would like to purchase the product again.I'm sure you all know the concept of the box too, in case you don't, You get 5 high end luxury samples to try out every month for £10.00 + £2.95 pp all delivered to your door.

As you can see the products are layed out very nicely in the box, when I first opened it my eyes went straight to the 'HD Brows' Palette which made the whole box for me. My first reactions of the box were pretty good.

Plum by Mary Greenwell Eau de Parfum

I love trying out new perfumes but when I saw this in the box I thought oh god what if i don't like it, when I saw the pink packaging I thought ooo this is going to be sweet and girly but I was wrong! I mean it isn't a bad smell, it just isn't for me its quite fruity and musky and I'm not too keen on musky smells. This product has not gone to waste though as I have given it to my mum as she loves musky perfumes and she took it right off my hands! The perfume that I received in the June glossy box which was the 'perles le lalique' was gorgeous I loved it, I was hoping that this one would be just as nice.

Moa The Green Balm 
This is quite a small product at first I thought it was just a lip balm and it feels great on the lips, slightly oily but I don't mind it. In fact this is actually a multi purpose product which can be handy to carry around in your bag. This balm is organic and can be used on dry skin, grazes etc... This product has no scent at all, I am definitely happy with this product.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Salt Brushing:
 I am excited to try this as I have heard a lot about this product and it was voted the best scrub too! I love scrubs and I am yet to find one that I absolutely love using and I have high hopes for this one! I have seen this brand in Debenhams but have never bothered looking at them, which is why glossy box is such a great Idea! by feeling these packets, its looks like I am going to get a great full body scrub out of it.

HD Brows Eye & Brow Palette

I think we have all established that this is the star product of this months box and worth a whopping £19 so you are getting your moneys worth straight away. This product jumped right out at me when I opened the box. I have always wanted to try this out ever since I have seen the reviews on a few blogs. I have always needed a proper eyebrow product as I was just using a normal Mac eyeshadow and these eyeshadow shades are perfect, they suit my hair colour just right and the rest of the shades can be used as matte eye shadows. The only thing I was disappointed about was the brush, other people seemed to get a nice little brush in the kit but I, for some reason got a bigger one so i have to carry it separate and then I got a normal eyeshadow sponge applicator in the palette. I would have preferred a normal brush like it was supposed to have! Other than that I cannot complain.

Neal and Wolf Glow Super shine spray

This was another great product in this months box as it smells gorgeous, It is quite strong so if you don't like strong smelling products you may not like this. This spray really did add shine and de-frizzed my hair after I became wind swept today. It made my hair super soft and manageable again without weighing it down or making it greasy. I would be careful not to spray it too close or too much on the hair as it could make it go greasy if too much is used. I think that this product alone costs the same price as the box so yet again you are getting your moneys worth with this and it is a fantastic product.

 Over all This has got to be my favourite box so far ( I started in June and then cancelled after because I didn't like it) I decided to give it another go for this month and I am glad that I did! I am going to stick with it for another couple of box's to see how they improve. 

What do you think of this months glossy box? What did you receive if you get glossy box? or what would you like to try out if you don't have glossy box?

Subscribe to glossy box HERE 

Joselin

xxx 

International Beauty Swap - Hong Kong!

Last week I received an email from Jacqueline from Hong Kong asking if I would like to do a swap with her because she has been wanting some products from the UK and cant get hold of them where she lives. I instantly jumped at the chance as I have never done anything like this before and thought it would be a good chance to try out brand new makeup from another country! Jacqueline offered to send out her box first and it arrived very quickly at 8.00am yesterday. I was so excited to open my little box of goodies to find it full of beauty products, In this post I will be showing you what I received and my first reactions of the products. This post is going to be very picture heavy!

BB Creams!

I asked her if she could send me some BB creams to try as I have heard so much about them but cannot get them over here in the UK. We have started to see a few creep on the shelves but they aren't the proper ones that they have in Hong Kong. Jacqueline kindly put some of her BB creams into little jars for me to test as each brand is different and I would need to find out which one suited me the most and which brand and shade I prefer. She also sent me some BB creams in little sachets & tubes of lots of other ones too!, I honestly think she sent me every single kind that there is, there's so many! I will be doing a proper review of the BB creams that are my favourite and which ones I recommend out of all of these ones that she has sent to me.

Mascaras!

I also asked her for some mascaras as I have heard that they do amazing mascaras that hold a curl all day and are very waterproof! she warned me that these mascaras do not budge at all and that I would need a good oil based cleanser to remove them. She sent me some of the most popular ones in Hong Kong such as Majolica Majorca and Fasio.If any of you haven't heard of Majolica Majorca they are owned by the high end makeup company shiseido but this is like their drugstore makeup which we cant get here in the UK. I will also do a separate blog post on all of these so that you can see pictures of what they look like on the eyelashes and how they last during the day.

Eyeliners!

She also sent me some eyeliners both liquid and pencil. All of the eyeliners that she sent liquid and pencil are waterproof which is definitely what I need in winter as the wind always makes my eyes water so I will be interested to see if these work. the brushes on these liners are very fine and easy to use as I much prefer fine brush liners to felt tip ones. The colour comes out very black which is what I like!

Top - E112 Shine Black

Bottom - E115 Golden Black

Eyeshadows!

I asked her also if she could pick me up some things from the brand 'Dolly Wink' as some of their packaging is just so cute that I had to get my hands on it so she sent me some Dolly Wink eye shadows. I also got another eyeshadow kit, I'm not too sure of the brand but the packaging is gorgeous, it has a huge gem as the lid and a mirror on the inside. The shadows are also really pigmented and the colours are lovely too! She also sent me an eyeshadow pot by 'Splash' which is a loose pigment in a lovely sparkly seaweed green colour.

Eyelashes!

She even sent me some cute Dolly Wink eyelash glue and eyelash case!

Lips!
Jacqueline sent me a few lip products such as a bubblegum lip balm which feels lovely on the lips and it smells exactly like bubblegum. She sent me an EOS Lip balm which i have heard of before but I haven't seen it here in the UK I'm so happy I have one because I love it and again it smells and feels great on the lips. Another lip product was a lipstick which feels again very moisturising and it is in a nude pearly colour.

Others!
Jacqueline was also kind enough to send me a few other bits and pieces such as, false nails, a phone charm, a hair tie, earrings, face masks, hair conditioners and an Anna Sui brightening face power which I cant wait to try because I have never tried any of their makeup products before. I have tried one of the face masks called 'Skin food' and so far I love it, it has made my skin so smooth and soft I definitely want to get my hands on a full size of this product.

And that is all! I hope i didn't bombard you all with so many photos believe me it was a lot of work for me too! I originally wanted to do it as an open box video but my camera quality was appalling so hopefully I will get a camcorder very soon so that I can start making videos. I honestly was not expecting this amount of things it really made my day to receive them. If anybody else wants to to a product swap with me feel free to email me and i will definitely consider it!
You should all check out Jacqueline's blog HERE !

Hope you are all having a great day, apologies for not blogging much I have been mega busy with going back to college and stuff but don't worry I haven't forgotten about you all!
Joselin
xxx