Monthly Archives: September 2011

Montagne Jeunesse – Eye Rescue

I said in a previous post that my other half and I would be posting about Montagne Jeunesse newly released products for men. They released 5 new products for men. We got these new products and the boyfriend and I decided to put them through their paces and try them out. We’re starting with Eye Rescue. This is apparently meant to help puffy eyes and dark circles. These products are suitable for vegetarians and use natural ingredients! Mineral rich sea algae! Yum!

Montagne Jeunesse recommend you chill this product in the fridge before use. So we did that. I’m sad to be writing such a negative review on this product.

Opening the packet, you have a little plastic doo-dah with the eye masks in. We were wondering why the packet felt funny. We kinda squeezed at it a bit so it may have affected the product, I say this now because it may have affected the outcome. However, I don’t see why it should, really.

We had a little problem… no idea which way these went on! We tried both ways. They feel kind of slimy. But I kind of guessed they would.

Applying the eye masks was a bit of a faff. They didn’t particularly want to stick very well at all. Robbie said they felt they were falling off and didn’t feel secure at all. We had chilled them in the fridge before hand like it recommends. Robbie lay back with them resting on his face. He didn’t really like it. He didn’t want to talk or anything, fear of them sliding off. Weird when you just have something around your eyes!

When the time was up, we took them off. Very easy task. Robbie claimed his eyes were irritated afterwards. He has rather sensitive eyes, however. I also decided to try these out, but my eyes also itched a little afterwards too. It didn’t bother me anywhere near as much as it did Robbie though.

Here’s before and after. You can see, there’s not really much of a difference to his eyes at all. If you can spot any. But I think this is something you might need to try out on a regular basis. Robbie didn’t enjoy the experience. I found it relaxing but it didn’t really do anything for me either unfortunately. I’m quite sad because I was expecting a lot more from this product but you can really expect a miracle. I think it’s one of those “works for some” products! Maybe it’ll work for you. But would he recommend it? He says no, he would not.

Eye Rescue costs £1.99 and is available online or in stores.

This product was sent to me by a PR. I have not and am not being paid for writing about these products and have written with honesty, as always.

Montagne Jeunesse for Men – New Range.

Montagne Jeunesse have released a new range of products aimed at men!

I know, I know, I’m a girl right? Why is a female blogger blogging about male products? Well the man in my life means a lot to me and he is ever so supportive of my blog. I use Montagne Jeunesse facemasks on a regular basis and I have even got him using them.. but how about using the new products actually aimed at men?

So, we will be trying out and testing their 5 new products. Or rather, he will and I’ll be grilling him about them and together we’ll be writing posts on each one to let you know our verdict!

These products are suitable for vegetarians and use natural ingredients!

They also currently have a competition going for you to win the Ultimate Rugby World Cup Final party for you gents by heading over to their site or clicking here.

These products were sent to me by a PR. I have not and am not being paid for writing about these products and will write with honesty, as always.

GOSH Special Edition Nail Lacquer – 008 Berry Me

So I went in to Superdrug and saw GOSH’s A/W11 Special Edition polishes. I wanted all 4 but it was 3 for 2 and I also wanted to try out a lip pen so I picked up Berry Me (this one) and Rebel Yell (the dark almost black greenish one)

This polish is a pain in the arse to photograph! And it doesn’t help I’ve used it twice and both times on my nails, it looked different! First time it looked more pinkish, now it looks more blood red. Though it got more pink overnight? o.o

I tried to make sure my pictures were as accurate as possible…

(Image Curtosy of Superdrug)

Note, this polish? STAINS. Like really, really stains. I dropped the bloody brush on me and my hand is stained pink from it.

I’ve never used a GOSH polish before, simply because they’re not the cheapest. Yes, you heard me. I’m a cheapskate. Well. I’m not made of money at least, not going to fork out if I didn’t like their polishes. So, 3 for 2 deal had me sold.

Conclusion? Me gusta. Application was pretty smooth, not as glossy as when I first used it, weirdly. And it wasn’t as smooth as I was expecting.

I really like GOSH’s packaging, but I hate the brushes in lids like this, I’ve decided, they’re not the easiest thing to apply with. With both GOSH and Nails Inc, I’ve dropped the bloody thing mid-application and made a mess of myself. They’re just too fiddly for me, or maybe I’m just awkward. The gorgeous colour made it worth the faff though. I’ve had this polish on for a few days before any chips appeared so it has good staying power. And good staining power too. Being the silly moo that I am, I forgot to apply a base coat so I now have pink nails. *facepalm*

Polishes are £5 available from Superdrug.

Do Different

Isklar are currently running a campaign called “Do Different.” The campaign is try and encourage people to well, do different. Try something new. Throw yourself out there a little. I know this post is different to my usual, but being a big chicken I am, this campaign idea really grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me.Since I was told about it, I’ve been making little changes in my life, trying to be brave and do different.

It’s healthy to make a change in your life, and we should always strive to be the best we can be. There is so much to learn in life, we couldn’t possibly learn it all in a life time. So much to experience. Why not start with ourselves? Try something different. Maybe you might change your hair style, your look, re-vamp your wardrobe, take up a new hobby. Three quarters ofus Brits say their life is stuck in a rut! It’s time to get unstuck! Maybe you’re Rebecca Bloomwood (From the Shopaholic series) Get rid of everything and start again! Or maybe that is too drastic for you. Maybe a milder change would be better. But when I get stuck in a rut, I find myself re-setting. Back to basics! Sometimes a de-clutter and a detox is good. Be it your life or yourself.

90210 star Jessica Lowndes is the ambassador for Isklar’s campaign. Taking the lead by doing something different. Emma Miles, Francesca Neill and Malin Coleman, make up artists who’ve worked with the likes of Kate Middleton, Sienna Miller, Kelly Brook, Kate Hudson and Gwyneth Paltrow to name a few, have been teaching Jessica how to create this seasons looks. A bit different from her usual career as the girl in front of the camera!

Jessica shares what she has learned with us.

  • I always drink lots of water and when I’m in the UK I drink Isklar. It’s probably the best beauty tip that I was given. Water is a natural purifier and aids in detoxification, so make sure you drink 6-8 glasses a day!
  • I love dramatic eyes for my night time look so I always use Laura Mercier cream eye shadow and L’Oreal Voluminous mascara to give my lashes lots of volume. Always try and use a mascara applicator that’s more of a comb rather than a brush for more defined, fully coated, voluminous lashes
  • I like body lotions and perfume that are sweet smelling – anything that smells like cake is a favourite of mine. I always apply body lotion after I get out of the shower to help seal in moisture to keep my skin supple and hydrated
  • I’ve just been introduced to Bare Minerals makeup on my trip to the UK and it’s great because it doesn’t clog your pores and allows your skin to breathe. It’s ideal for sensitive skin as the minerals are so pure and absorb excess oil giving you a matte, fresh finish.
  • Whilst in the UK I’ve been introduced to Givenchy lipstick in sweet shine, this is a great lipstick colour that can be worn in daytime or with smoky eyes for night time look, make sure you choose a lipstick colour that suits you and is wearable with more than one look!
  • For a great glow I like to use Armani Cream Blush Duo- gives a great sun kissed look without being too much. I apply mine with a soft brush and it leaves my skin dewy and glowing!
  • It’s really important in summer to keep your skin hydrated so I love to use Dermalogica cream on my face. A good moisturizer is imperative for healthy skin, as is an SPF. Make sure you choose the right moisturizer for your skin type too!

Some of these may seem a little basic and/or obvious, but I think sometimes we forget these core things. Without a good foundation, whatever you put on top will eventually give way, whether it’s your make up or your life!

Over half of Brits (51%) claim that they’re too strapped for time to contemplate making a change in their life. However, according to a Thinkbox report, the average British person watches up to four hours of TV per night (over 28 hours a week) which could be spent towards doing something fun and different with friends and family. Excuses excuses! We’re always looking for excuses to not jump in the deep end. 63% of us are not brave enough to take the leap by ourselves! Okay, so maybe you need a little bit of a push. Consider this me pushing you! I’LL push you to take the leap!

Winter is approaching and a lot of us choose to stay in, snuggle down with a duvet on the sete, in front of the tele and stay warm, we’re way less motivated to do things. Well a lot of us are. You only live once so it’s time to do something different!

To inspire the nation to go out and get some life refreshment, Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic gives us his top tips for trying to ‘do different’:

1. Do all the things you hate – as Oscar Wilde said, the key to enjoying life is to have strict rules but break them as often as you can. Indeed, rule-breaking (especially when your own principles are at stake) is extremely pleasurable and will make you feel free!

2. Confront your fears – in doing the things you are afraid of you will feel more confident and become a more competent person! It’s a win win situation.

3. Do something embarrassing – you will be able to laugh at yourself, and this sort of humour is key to both health and happiness.

4. Talk to strangers – the routine of everyday life is not just dreadful to you, but everybody else. If you talk to strangers you will be able to bond with people and make those dreadful, boring hours much more enjoyable.

5. Make a difference – If you take your life seriously, and set yourself competitive goals, things suddenly become more meaningful.

6. Whatever you think, do the opposite! – This is key to creativity and improvisation. Most of our reactions, thoughts, and behaviour, are in “default” mode or auto-pilot. A useful way of breaking this monotony is to do and say the exact opposite to what you would instinctively do.

7. Avoid arguments – As Dale Carnegie said, “The only way to win an argument is to avoid it”. Most of the things that upset us are the direct result of conflicts with people, and 99% of these conflicts are avoidable.

8. Watch a really depressing movie – in watching sad movies or listening to sad songs, we can feel miserable without really being miserable, and we can also realise that our lives are actually much better than they could be.

9. Take a day off – there is no better way of changing the routine than to take a day off. In fact, even if you stay in bed watching day-time TV, you will enjoy the diversity that day can bring.

10. Find something to be passionate about – whether its art, trash TV, computer games or DIY, everybody has the potential to find an exciting hobby, and having something to look forward all day will make your day much more bearable .

So what are you waiting for? Jessica did it, I did it, it’s time you did it too.

Visit www.facebook.com/isklaruk to find out more. Information/quotes/images from Iskar Water and http://www.splendidcomms.com/

- This article was requested by a PR. I received no compensation for writing this post.

FOTD – I need more practice.

Okay, this is my second FOTD here. If you want to see the first, its here.

Unfortunatley, the close up with my eyes closed, all the photos came out blurry so I only have a couple for you here… Sorry! I really need more practice at taking photos of myself!

To create this look, I used;

If you were wondering, these are the colours I used from the palette!

Definitely love this palette! So there is me trying to be brave and post my second FOTD. I hope you like it. I am still new to this whole experimenting with eye shadows thing and don’t have too many good tools for the job, but still, practice aye? I don’t think it’s too bad for someone who used max of two colours 6 months ago. Haha.

BeautyUK Baked Eyeshadow – No.4 Beach

BeautyUK released a lot of new products a little while back. I got me one of their baked eyeshadows to try out. I’m still unsure what I think in regards to baked products, but I think they’re leaving a good impression on me.

First thing that grabbed me, was the back of the product.

There is a little brush! The packaging is pretty much the same as their baked blush, minus the “blush” text on the front, and the contents of course. Their baked blushers also contain on of these brushes. There is a little push up on the side which makes the brush pop out of the little plastic shell which is it’s handle. How nifty is that! I’ve honestly not bothered to use the brush so I can’t tell you if it’s any good, I wouldn’t say it’s really a good brush for eyes, but it’s still handy to have!

Neutral colours, I thought would be best to try, plus I don’t have a sand colour in my collection. They smell kind of nice..? Maybe it’s just me being weird but I actually think they smell nice.

They have six trio’s available. All seem to be shimmery shades. They’re a lot more shimmery than they look at a glance. Of course, you could use them either wet or dry, depending on your preference and desired intensity, but they’re quite pigmented dry, so I haven’t used them wet.

Here are some dry swatches of this one. (Top to bottom shades)

Do I like them? Yes, I do. I do! I think I will try and get some more at some point to try out. But for now, I’ve spent a fair amount on BeautyUK products! But what can I say, they’re affordable and amazing. They’re such good value for money!

These Baked Eyeshadow trios are available online at BeautyUK, and also in store Superdrug and online for just £3.99!

Sleek i-Divine Palette – Original

After hearing everyone rave about the Sleek palettes, I picked up Storm, as it was the only one the store had in stock, well other than the Acid palette, which I don’t think I could put to use. My Storm palette is now heavily used. I fell in love with the quality of it. But enough about the Storm palette.

First impressions from Sleek are good, they have such great packaging. I really love Sleek’s palette packaging. It’s subtle and yet bold.

I finally managed to get hold of the Original palette. I actually didn’t know which palette it was when I bought it, it just showed a photo of the palette open, pans on display. I hadn’t seen it in store that time I was in town, and my local store doesn’t stock Sleek (Major bummer, superdrug Stafford!) so I had ordered it online. It arrived to me and I saw it said original on the box. I immediately opened it up to make sure the colours were the ones pictured seeing as the palette itself wasn’t specified.

They were. *Thumbs up* They looked even better than in the picture. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it but I came up with a look. I forgot to put photos on my penstick but hopefully I can post my FOTD with them at some point in the near future.

I LOVE this palette! I’m not sure if I prefer this one or my Storm palette, it’s so much easier to play it safer… I’m trying to try out more things, brighter colours, I think I’m managing to do that. But I think the Storm palette is still my go-to.

The only thing that let me down, was the lower pigmentation of the lighter colours (mostly the bottom row). But lighter colours are always less pigmented it seems anyway, but I was expecting a little more, comparing to the Storm palette, plus this is their original palette. The other colours are great, gorgeous texture, perfect amount of shimmer (except in the matte colours of course!), apply and blend incredibly smoothly and a big handy mirror in it’s gorgeous packing to boot!

And of course, here are some swatches!

  • Do you own any Sleek palettes? Which ones?
  • Do you own this one?
  • Which is your favourite?
  • Are any of them your “go to” palette?

The Sleek palette is available from Sleek online and Superdrug for £6.49