Disney Princess Jasmine Collection at Sephora

The big kid in me was so excited when I heard that Sephora has teamed up with Disney for princess-inspired makeup.

Aladdin is one of my favourite Disney films and the fact that they’ve now released a range inspired by Princess Jasmine I had to take a look.

They’ve released limited edition colour pallets and perfumes along with a gorgeous compact mirror. I’m always a sucker for anything Disney and limited edition, I have a box of stuff in my loft that I wont open as I’m sure (I hope) it will be worth loads one day!

The packaging itself is gorgeous without being too 'in-your-face-Disney-princess' and I love the versatile colours in the pallets. There’s so many to chose from, you know that they won’t go to waste. I personally think there's something here for everyone and it's perfect for any Disney fan.

The eyeliner set hints at Jasmine’s darker side where she is under Jafars spell with its dark pink and black packaging so its slightly more sultry looking and the pallets are more like her natural olivy golden tone with some pastel accents.

The story look eyeshadow palette is my favourite, it has 15 sultry eye shadows, a blush, and a bronzer, all customised to match the original colours from the film. There’s everything from the golden-orange tone of Jasmine’s tiar, Rajah’s fur, and desert sands to the a vibrant purples and blues in the magic carpet. Each shade has been matched to the film’s original animation. It also has the cheeky phrase "You’re only in trouble if you get caught"

on the top, which I love!

The compact Magic carpet eyeshadow palette has 4 gorgeous colours inspired by the starry glow, lavender sky, gleaming moon, and Jasmine’s classic turquoise outfit. The names of each colour are taken from the classic song ‘A Whole New World’ -annnd now it's in my head! Carpet is a glittery soft violet,
 Wonder by Wonder is a darker glittery lavender,  Splendid is a girly glittery peachy pink and Diamond Sky is deep turquoise. I love the silhouette of the magic carpet scene on the packaging.

The Whole new world perfume Is available in a compact rollerball and a bottle and has accents of Carnation, Orange Blossom, Mandarin, Gardenia, Mimosa, Musky Accord, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Amber, Benzoin. Look how gorgeous and princess-y the bottle is!

There is also a perfumed body shimmer which I wouldn’t get much use out of but I want it for the bottle alone as it’s amazing!

They released a Cinderella range a while back but obviously in the UK we don’t get the chance to have a play with it all. I might have to get on to my in laws over in the states….

Barry M Gelly Hi shine Blueberry

Recently,  I took advantage of the 2 for £6 offer in Superdrug and bought Barry M Lychee and Blueberry. Last night I removed the lovely nude Lychee colour which lasted really well -almost a week! It only just started to chip (without a top coat) and I  was eager to try out the Blueberry.

Honestly, I'm in love with this range. They're so shiny and long lasting. I don't think they really give a  typical gel effect like they claim but they are really good quality. I'm not really one to compare anyway as I've never had my nails done, I just paint and go! But I think it's a good high street polish all the same! A perfect affordable treat to brighten up the cloudy days!

 I want so many other colours, I just cant decide which to go for next!

Elemis Fresh Skin

Elemis have been clever coming up with a range for young skin, aimed at 16-24 year olds. Opening the door and hoping they will continue using their brand as they get older... cunning!  

It's been made specifically for young skin and they've kept it nice and simple for you by not giving you too much choice and just kept to the basics. It's never nice to get confused by skincare when you're just finding your feet!It's in cute pink packaging, which always makes it more appealing and makes it stand out alongside it's usual white, more mature packaging. 

 There’s no alcohol in any of the formulas. so no stripping away of the skins  natural oils. The ingredients have been selected to cleanse and moisturise and also to prevent future damage. Elemis has a great reputation and you can guaranty you are getting what you pay for.

I tried out a selection from the range. 

Peachy Perfect Face Wash 100ml RRP £12

This has a really fresh scent without it being too overpowering and you only need one of two pumps to clean your face. It's a clear, smooth formula and really light and really gets all the dirt out without being too harsh on your skin. I've been using this for a good few weeks now and it's not even half empty. A little goes a long way so dont be put off by the price.

Softly softly daily moisturiser 50ml £20

This moisturiser has a load of natural ingredients, including english chamomile which is known to calm and tone skin, rosehip seed oil which is high in vitamin A, C and E to promote collagen and elastin. I'm not overly keen on the lavender scent but that's just a personal preference. It's light on the skin but I found it stayed a bit greasy for a little longer than I would have liked. It's fine if you're not planning to put make up on straight afterwards. 

Loving Lips Quenching Lip Balm £8

This has a minty scent that reminds me a bit of carmex. I love that it comes in the squeezy tube as I hate getting my nails covered in lip balm when getting it out of a pot. Instantly it felt like my lips were moisturised and it didn’t feel too greasy when it was on. It has passionflower oil and vitamin E, which will both do wonders for moisturising and softening your lips. This has become a permanent addition to my handbag.

Dreamy sleep night time moisturiser 50ml £22 

This is slightly thicker than the day moisturiser which I liked as you get the feeling it's really sinking in as you sleep. Although it's thicker you dont feel clogged up and covered in it which I do find some night creams have done in the past.  It has a nice tingly feeling on the skin as you apply it which is really refreshing and makes you feel like its doing its job the second it's applied.

I really like this range and it's made me keen to try out a lot more from Elemis.


I've also seen that Cosmopolitan Magazine will be giving away a choice of 3 products  from the range in their next issue, so you'll have a great chance to test them for yourself!

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint Lychee

I saw that Barry M had a  '2 for £6' deal at Superdrug and naturally I gravitated towards their nail paints. Im a big fan and there were so many great colours to pick from. After much deliberation I decided on Lychee, a lovely nude colour and Barry M Blueberry which is light blue.

Lychee

They claim to have the sort of Gel nail effect, which I'm not 100% sure about, but they are shiny and the consistency is really good. Usually, I find a nude colour can seem a bit wishy-washy and will need a few coats but that's not the case with this. It's so pigmented and looks perfect after two coats. It has a lovely shine to it too. 

I've got the light blue on my toe nails -they rarely match my nails -is this a faux pas? When I try it on my fingernails and give it a fair run I'll be sure to post a picture.

I really like these and I'm sure I'll end up buying a few more over the next few months. Pomegranate, Lilac and Greenberry look like lovely colours for spring. Even when thye're not on offer, £3.99 for a good nail polish is amazing!

My Valentines Day

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. I spent mine with my lovely boyfriend celebrating Valentines Day.

We did say we weren't going to buy much for each other but I couldn't resist buying him this amazing multi coloured rose.

 We didnt do anything on the Thursday as we wanted to wait for the weekend so we didnt have to worry about getting up early the next morning.

I met him when he finished work and we went for a lovely meal at Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte in Moorgate. He'd heard good things from his colleagues and had been looking for an excuse to take me, and we were not disappointed. You can't book in advance, you just turn up and usually there's a queue but we didn't have to wait long at all.

There's only one thing on the menu -Steak frites which they cook to your liking. They bring out a green salad to start and then your main is brought in 2 parts so the meat is perfect throughout the whole meal. We obviously washed it down with a couple of glasses of wine too. It was amazing and was really nice to make a point of just talking about ourselves for a change as our lives seem to revolve around everyone else's plans at the moment. It was nice to just be 'Us' -I think that's what Valentines Day is about.

I'd been saying I wanted some bed sheets for a while and I casually showed him a set online but he told me they were too girly so I bought a plain set. He obviously changed his mind as he gave me them as part of my Valentines present. 

After writing my Valentines wish list I cant complain about the outcome. 

He got me the Illamasqua Speckled nail polish and a bunch of gorgeous lilies.

2 things off the list aint bad...

I really like Valentines day. I know you should show your love for your partner any day of the year but  with how busy everyone is it's nice to have an excuse to make the effort. It's really cute seeing everyone all loved up for a day, it's always nice to see someone walking along with a bunch of flowers with a glint in their eye! 

Hope you all had a nice Valentines Day!

GOSH Long Lasting Lip Marker

I've been lucky to be sent a selection of GOSH Long Lasting Lip Markers to try out. I know they've been out a while but I was yet to try them. There are so many lip stains on the market and I never know which to go for.

I have to say after trying them out I'm hooked! I really love them. They last a really long time and the best thing about a lip stain is that you don't have to keep reapplying it. I love a bright lipstick but I hate having to reapply it all the time on a night out. This stuff lasts when drinking and even when it fades it fades evenly so doesn't go all patchy and you don't have to worry about how your lips look.

The colour is really vibrant, they smell really fruity and it sounds a bit weirds but they... taste quite nice too!

It's easy to apply as it looks just like a felt tip. I outline the lip (carefully) and then fill in the middle, sort of like colouring in! You can also build up the colour if you leave it try dry then apply another coat.

So I tried out 3 colours Red, Pink and Berry.

001 RED is a really gorgeous bright red. Kind of '50's pin up' red. I wore it when I went out for my Valentines meal with my boyfriend and it lasted all night, even when drinking wine!

002 PINK  is a candy pink colour which you can build up to a Barbie-like pink if you like. This is nice for a little bit of colour for day to day wear without seeming too done up.

003 BERRY is my favourite, a deep berry red colour with a hint of magenta. This pic is just one coat but adding another makes it really dark and striking.

I can honestly see me purchasing these again and again. They'll be perfect for the summer by the pool (ahh it seems a life tie away doesnt it?) no reapplying lipstick all day!


They are usually £6.99 but they're on offer for £4.99 at the moment so go and stock up!

Marc B Jen Bag

When I heard that there was a chance to win not only £150 of ASOS vouchers but £75 of Marc b vouchers too I had to give it a go. They are two places I could easily blow a whole pay packet! E-tail PR have asked bloggers to create a look around one of the new season Marc B bags. There were so many nice ones to chose from, they've really outdone themselves this season. 

I have chosen to create my look around the Jen bag in soft tan (it had to be done really!) which I think is a total bargain at £55!

 I've always loved Marc B bags, I've been carrying around the Bianca bag for months now, I love it! The quality is brilliant and they're not too pricy either.

As I chose my name sake, I decided to base the look on me. So this is an idea of my sort of style. 

I practically live in a good fitting pair of jeans and my leather jacket and I style it up depending on the occasion. And naturally I have picked a few pairs of shoes as I can never decide what shoes to wear!

This look is day-to-day wear, perfect for coffee, lunch, cinema etc. I've kept it really simple and it's easy to dress up for an evening of cocktails with the girls or a nice meal. 

I keep the make up minimum, just a bit of a nude/pink gloss and a hint of bronzer. Then it's always easy to glam up with a brighter lipstick or some big eyelashes. 

The accesories are kept simple too, with a flash of rose gold from my Michael Kors watch and a hint of gold hoop earings just poking through my hair which more often than not has a pair of sunglasses holding it back until I need them when the sun decides to make an appearance!

The more I look at this bag the more I want it! 
Fingers crossed the voucher comes my way otherwise I may have to ask my boyfriend nicely if he wants to treat me...

Valentines Day Wish list...

As Valentines Day is approaching I've been doing some wishing and dreaming. I've put together a (very ambitious) list of what would make lovely gifts. 

So Sam if you're reading...

I've been loving the speckled nail polish by Illamasqua. It's going to look so cute over Easter as it looks like mini eggs!

I've worn Victor and Rolf Flowerbomb for years now and I'm always happy with a new bottle as I'll always go through it. It's such a girly floral scent and I'm yet to meet someone who doesn't like it.

You can't go wrong with chocolates from Hotel Chocolat.

Christian Louboutin heels have always been on my list. As you are probably aware I'm always in heels so high shoes are never a problem for me to walk in. One day I will own a pair of these babies and I will treat them better than I treat my son (ok probably not!)

Lilies are my favourite flower, I love how they make the whole house smell gorgeous. I think it's way more personal to buy someone their favourite flower than to stick to traditional roses, plus they're less likely to have the prices bumped up on the day (a little tip there!).

I love a Victoria's Secret underwear set and it seems rare to find a nice strapless bra. I'm so glad we have these in the UK now!

I've had my eye on the Naked palette for a while but I've never found an excuse to buy myself one as I have so many eyeshadows in those shades. It would be nice to have them all in once place though...

I've never been a huge fan of silver jewellery so when I saw pandora did their bracelet in gold I had to have it... I soon changed my mind when I saw the £1000 price tag! A girl can dream though

Realistically a nice meal and a couple of hours off from 'being mum' is all I ask for. It's just nice to spend a bit of time with the guy you love.

What are you guys hoping for...?

No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Face Exfoliator Review

After mentioning on Twitter that I needed something to sort out my uneven skin I was told that a micro dermabrasion treatment might be the answer. As this is out of my price range at the moment I figured a home version was the first step.


I had another Boots No7 voucher burning a hole in my pocket and when I saw the No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Face Exfoliator I thought I'd give it a go. And it was a bonus that I only had to pay £6 for it!


It claims to give you smoother, more radiant skin and helps to work against the appearance of dark areas and damaged skin. The aluminum-oxide micro crystals sweep away the dead skin cells leaving your skin really smooth. It doesn't feel too rough like a lot of exfoliators do but you can definitely feel it's doing its job. You only need a small amount to cover your face and there are instructions in the box on how to massage it into your face correctly for maximum effect.  


I made the mistake of ignoring the instructions that said you should use it every other day and my skin seemed a bit dry so I left it a couple of days after that to recover. I think with me using the skin doctors gamma hydroxy at night it was a bit much for my skin so I'm cutting down to only using it 2 times a week.


After using it for 2 weeks I've definitely noticed a difference in my skin as it looks much more fresh and I look healthy without make up on which is a first! I'll definitely be repurchasing this.