Bedside Beauty

I've decided to do a little summary of the things I keep on my bedside table. After all, every girl has a little stash that she keeps to hand pre and post nights sleep, doesn't she? I'm going to do a series of posts like this. My bedside table necessities change all the time as I try and rotate different products so I get to try them out. Here's a little glimpse at what I'm using last thing before bed, and first thing in the morning at the moment. 

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - I'm enjoying using this so far, besides the smell, which definitely needs to grow on me. I like to spritz this on my face in the morning mainly, just as a quick refresh. I often spritz it before bed too, but normally before my night cream. 

Taaj Micellaire Water Makeup Remover* - I will have already cleansed before bed at the sink, but I keep this here for the morning. This is probably the best makeup remover I've ever used. I love everything about it. It was a sample in a JolieBox not too long ago and I am definitely repurchasing a full size when this runs out. I like to sweep this across my face just to remove any missed mascara which might be lurking underneath my eye area after 8 hours of sleep. I also just find it really refreshes my skin, and is the perfect little pick me up (or roll me out of bed). 

Body Shop Wild Rose Targeted Hand Oil* - This nifty little roller ball is perfect for applying oil to specific areas of your hands. As you can imagine, oil slathered all over your hands won't be too comfortable, so it's nice that you can apply a little bit in the places that you really need it. I put this across my cuticles and areas of the skin on my hands which could do with a little more moisture.

Bare Minerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment - I'm currently trying out this powder foundation night treatment. It's definitely a little weird applying this last thing before bed but there is no nasty pillow transferring and it feels very comfortable on my skin. I don't want to report back about this product yet, as I want to give it a fair trial before I let you know my thoughts, but so far I like it.

Lavera Hand Cream* - Again, this was a sample in a beauty box (I find these samples perfect for my bedside and my handbag). This is probably one of my favourite hand creams recently, alongside the Burt's Bees one that I reviewed a while back. I like something that feels moisturising and nourishing but doesn't take an age to sink in, or leave me with greasy mitts, so this ticks all the boxes. 

Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm - A new obsession of mine. I can't praise this lip balm highly enough. I apply this before bed, and when I wake up it's STILL THERE! It really gets to work on my always-impossibly-dry lips. Since i've been using this, I've found that I can apply lipstick more often without getting scaly lips, or having to rub it off, and re apply it. I think this will be at my bedside for a long time!

What do you have on your bedside table? Anything you think I'm missing or that you think I'd love?

♥

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Agent Provocateur L'Agent Bath & Body Collection

Now, when someone mentions Agent Provocatuer, I instantly think of the sexy window displays featuring mannequins wearing heart shaped nipple tassles & extremely gorgeous underwear that I know I could personally never afford to indulge in, draped over luxurious materials and glamourous furniture. They certainly get their window displays spot on.
If like me, you don't very often set foot inside an Agent Provocatuer, as you may not be able to afford it, or you have your boyfriend in tow, who may leave rather red faced, then the new bath & body range may give you reason to step inside.

This year, Agent Provocateur released their L'Agent range just after the success of the new Frangrance. They have selected the finest ingredients for this self indulgent collection. If you like the scent, you will love these products. I didn't really know what to expect, as the scent itself is very powerful, and albeit a little too overpowering, so for me, the things in this collection were much less harsh in comparison, and left my skin smelling absolutely amazing without too much of a "perfume" kick.

Soap on a Rope - £20

First thing in the range, is the "soap on a rope". Now, when someone mentions soap on a rope, you automatically think of old school soap, or unwanted cheapy christmas/birthday presents. Typically the sort of thing you shove to the back of your lotions and potions draw. This however, is on a whole other "soap on a rope" level. It comes in a swish box which has a little ribbon pully. Once pulled, the draw containing your soap pulls out. It really is gorgeous, and smells amazing. It's enriched with vitamin e and shea butter which leaves your skin feeling fabulously fragranced and seductively smooth. It also has a cute little black tassle. Very Suave.

Titillation Decollete & Derriere Balm 2x80ml - £45

Next are two creams, "Titillation Derriere Balm" and "Decollete Balm". The teasingly sensual Derriere Balm is especially formulated to help tone, shape and define buttocks & the decollete balm is for the chest and neck. Both have the same gorgeous scent and the balms themselves are extremely velvety and hydrating. They contain moisturising avocado oils, skin conditioning Coleus Forskohlii (an ancient plant) and caffeine which all help to lift and revitalize. Being a mere 21 years old, I don't feel as though I need much help in the way of "lifting" as of yet, but this could be the perfect gift for an older relative or a friend who moans about a wobbly bottom (we all have one...a friend that moans about her wobbly bottom I mean..) ;) The packaging on these is so cute. Little sphere's which you twist to open, with the delicate agent provocateur font running around it.

Above: Bathing Cream Wash 425ml - £28
Below: Silk Body Elixir 225ml - £28

The "Bathing Cream Wash", is probably one of my favourites from the collection. Containing Babassu, Macadamia and Avacado oils, it delicately softens, moisturises and cleanses the skin. This is one of those products you could wash with before a night out, and you'd smell amazing all through the night, without the need for any perfume, or moisturiser for that matter. It also claims to include Epimedium (an aphrodisiac, apparently better known as horny goat weed (!)) All I know is that after using this, I smell super nice, and my skin feels really soft. I also love the bottle, it oozes sophistication.
Last up, is the "Silk Body Elixir", better known as a body moisturiser. As far as moisturisers go, I want something that smells nice, sinks in quickly, but leaves my skin feeling like silk. This ticks every box. It's especially amazing on freshly shaven/waxed legs. This too contains the aphrodisiac Epimedium, along with nutmug and Babassu oil. It works like an absolute dream.

This range is certainly not for those of you who like to shower in the mornings with something fresh and revitalising to wake you up. It's more for the evenings, before a date, a night out or a cheeky night in with your fella. It leaves your skin feeling amazing and smelling even more amazing. It's a very deep, sensual frangrance, not light or floral, and it's main purpose is to make the user feel sexy, which is exactly what you'd expect from Agent Provocateur. They certainly know how to put the "sex" in "sexy" (did I just say that...yes I did). Overall, I would certainly reccommend these products to those of you who like a little self indulgence, something a bit more
luxurious. They may be slightly more pricey than your average Boots or Superdrug bath or body product, but perfect gifts or for when you feel like splashing out and treating yourself.

♥

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Shop Zoella

As of late, it has become increasingly clear i have a lot of things i just do not use. Clothes and makeup mainly and the odd accessory/electrical item. I do love having a good Blogsale but there is so much hassle involved with a massive list of items for sale on one post, i find it can get a bit much scrolling through 50+ comments to see who got what.

So for this reason, i have decided to create my very own blog shop. Don't be fooled into thinking it's going to be an all singing, all dancing proper shopping website, it has all the same elements of this blog, but im hoping it will be so much easier to maintain and sort through. Also giving you all the option of searching for something you might want. Have no fear, it shall be very straight forward, i don't do complicated. I could have chucked it all on Ebay, but i like to give my blog readers a chance to grab it first, and Ebay is the devil for selling - I dont want to pay for more than one detailed photo thankyou very much.

The same rules will apply when asking to buy an item, just simply state your paypal email and your country. Which also brings me on to say it is Interntational :)

The posts will just be in MUCH smaller batches rather than the typical 20+ items, so makes life easier for the both of us in the long run.

Click the Shop Header Below to take you to the website, or the widget to the right (which some of you have already spotted, and for that, i praise you for being alert, loyal bloggers) Please go and follow & give the info a quick read before i start putting items up for sale.



There will definitely be something for everyone, i have way too much stuff which you need to take off my hands.

I would really appreciate if you could spread the word about the shop, obviously not all of you are always interested in my blogsales but it's worth a follow just to keep updated with any new items.

Thankyou fellow bloggies.

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Review: The Body Shop Vitamin C Facial Radiance Powder

One of the items i was given to try out at the Body Shop event was this Vitamin C Facial Radiance Powder (quite the mouthful isn't it?)
I was excited to try this, as it promises a more even, brighter complexion in just 10 days.
It's very straight forward to use, simply push down the button on the bottle to release the powder into the mixture, screw on the provided top and use morning and night underneath your moisturiser.
It's a 10 day serum as after this time period, the mixture is no longer useable, i did notice mine going slightly orange as the days went on.
The first thing I dissliked about this product was the smell. This is purely a personal preference but very artificial orangey-citrus smells make me feel sick, so applying this twice a day for 10 days really was a struggle. Especially if i wasn't feeling too peachy. *gag*

Did it work?

Hmm...i'd love to be able to tell you i noticed a massive difference in my skin but the reality is i noticed nothing and it broke me out in tiny under the skin spots which made me look all bumpy and hideous. I asked some of the other girls who have also tried out this product to see if it was just a reaction to my skin. Some said the same thing happened to them, and others said they absolutely loved it and it worked a dream. I wasnt aware that my skin was ultra sensitive but maybe it doesn't like higher dosage's of vitamin c.
I stopped using this after the reccommended 10 days and instantly the bumps went away.
Weirdly, my skin looked amazing about a week after i'd stopped using it, whether this was because it had a delayed response to the vitamin c, or because i had stopped using it. haha
Either way, one thing i did love about this product was that my previous blemishes and spot scarring reduced at a much faster rate than they normally would.

My boyfriend also used this (i forced him to be my guinea pig) as there was so much product (more like 20 days worth). He liked the smell, he liked that it made him feel more awake in the mornings as it's quite refreshing but it did nothing to his skin. Although he had no under the skin bumps which goes to show it reacts differently to different people.

Overall, i was pretty dissapointed it did nothing but make me all bumpy, this is obviously just my reaction to it though, as others have had fab results. Im jealous.
Have you tried a powder mix before?
♥

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The Body Shop Blogger Event June 2010

Evenin' Ladies, Hope you are all well?

One of the many benefits of being a "beauty blogger" means getting a sneaky peek into the new collections that some brands have to offer. I was lucky enough to be invited to see the new Body Shop editions last week.
On arriving in London I was greeted by the gorgeous Nicola & Caroline & we made our way over to the event.
As usual, the girls had all made a huge effort to make everything look pretty & fab. Cakes piled up, nibbles, champagne & all the products laid out for inspection.



They started the event off by talking about the new Shampoo's, Conditioners & Hair Treatments which will a lot more easy going on the eco system and all the fishes in the sea. I haven't ever really thought about all the chemicals in my shampoo once they have been washed down my plughole, and i think it's great that the Body Shop have thought about that. There will be different categories for different types of hair and i believe they will even be slightly cheaper. I'm looking forward to trying these out.

We were then introduced to the new "Baked to Last" collection, which feautures a bagful of baked, mineralized products. Personally, i love mineralized makeup. I think it's slightly more versatile. You can get some seriously amazing effects and essentially a whole range of different colours in one compact. Chase Ashton demonstrated two different looks using the products on some seriously gorgeous models. The first was a neutral summer time look, where he just used the bronzer lightly on the cheekbones,very subtle golds on the eyelids & a peach lipbalm. The second look was slightly more dramatic on the eyes and a little bit darker on the lips.

Eyeshadows (rrp: £9.50)


The ones I can see myself using/loving...


The ones i can't...


The Blushes (rrp: £12)


The Bronzers (rrp: £14) - These are GORGEOUS.


The Lip Products (unsure of price)



Below is also a picture of Zoe holding up a bowl of lipgloss...this is how much us females will eat in our lifetime..shocking isn't it?



We were then shown a few products from the Vitamin C collection. I wasn't personally expecting a lot from this range as I have previously tried the eye cream and was left pretty dissapointed (no eye cream has ever surprised me though) and i actually got quite excited about the new products in the range. There's a few things i have tried already and love but i will be doing a seperate review on those.




Here's a picture of Me, Caroline & Nicola on the balcony soaking up the sun.


I had an amazing day! So many amazing new products which i can't wait to start using & it was lovely to see all the girls.
After the event, Nicola, Caroline and I, squeezed ourselves onto the tube (So hot and disgusting it doesnt even bare thinking about...) and went to Westfield for a spot of shopping (little haul on that later)
Keep your eyes peeled for reviews on things that are worth blogging about.
♥

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Lazy Sunday.

Face:
♥ Bare Escentuals Foundation
♥ Maybelline Mineral Cover concealer
♥ Bare Escentuals Faux Tan bronzer
♥ Mac Sun & Moon Blush

Eyes:
♥ Body Shop Eyeshadow Trio in Sundown Glow
♥ Chanel Eye Kohl in Ambre
♥ Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

Lips:
♥ Gosh Darling Lipstick

Wearing:
♥ Oversized Jumper - H&M
♥ Black Leggings - New Look
♥ Long thin gold necklace - H&M
♥ Necklace with charms - Bootsale
♥ Swallow Brooch - Bootsale
♥ Earrings - Primark
♥ Rings - Primark

Nails:
♥ Revlon Minted

Hair:
♥ Spindryer to achieve messy beach waves

♥

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Face of the Day

I went out for a family meal today, and this is how I made over my face & hair...





I don't want to sound like i'm blowing my own trumpet but i really liked how my foundation looked today. Considering how awful my skin looked this morning, i thought there would be no chance of me showing you my face at all.
I decided to use 2 layers of moisturiser (i woke up with a weirdly dryer face than normal ..possibly because im a doofus and forgot to moisturise before bed) & i really feel like it made such a difference.
I then decided to use my Mac Mineralised Satin Finish foundation mixed in with the Body Shop Tinted Glow Enhancer, which i have previously reviewed but didnt think too highly of it, now I think I love it, my face looked so much more awake and healthy. I don't know if the camera shows this too well, but trust me, i was pleasantly surprised by the results.
Also, i don't know if you noticed..but i forgot to put my mascara on before taking pictures...how can you forget mascara? sheesh, totally wasn't with it obviously. I did put it on after taking the photo's though :)

Face
♥ Gosh Touch Up Concealer under eyes
♥ Benefit Erase Paste in corners of eyes
♥ Maybelline Mineral concealer on all other blemishes
♥ Mac Mineralised Satin finish foundation
♥ Body Shop Tinted Glow Enhancer mixed with foundation
♥ Light dusting of Bare Escentuals to set
♥ Benefit Hoola to bronze & contour
♥ Benefit Coraslista on cheeks

Eyes
♥ Two Faced Shadow Insurance to prime
♥ Nars Abyssinia E/S (Pleasures of Paris palette) all over lid
♥ Mac Corduroy E/S in crease
♥ Chanel Eye Khol in Ambre on top lid & along bottom & waterline
♥ Mascara = BIG FAT FAIL. (later on i did apply Maybelline Pulse Perfection)


I also had nothing on my lips OR my nails..look how vile they look!...I'm a FOTD FAILURE. haha
Oh, & my top is from New Look :)

♥

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My Winter Skin Essentials.

So as the winter months have crept up on us (alot more rapidly than i had wished) it's time to crack out the products that save our skin. (well, mine anyway)

Hands

One of the first & most vital for me is a good quality hand cream, I tend to get extremely dry hands, mainly around the thumb and forefinger (i inherit this from my dad, who's hands actually split during the winter..yowch) luckily, mine aren't that bad, because i take care of them. :)
My favourite hand cream is Handy Gurugu by Lush. I have tried plenty, nivea, neutrogina, palmers, e45 cream...almost all the "boots & superdrug" brands, but this is by far my favourite.
It's got a really thick creamy consistency, yet soaks into the skin really quickly. The smell is gorgeous too & it's not a bad price.

The other thing i think you need for your hands, is an oil or butter cuticle cream.
I use Lemony Flutter by Lush, which i also like to put on very very dry patches on my hands for a quick fix. I also love this product & use it religiously & you don't need that much. I was also told by the girl in Lush that you can use it on very dry, chapped lips..something i hadn't thought about. It's a great item, and i would definitely say it's a winter essential if you suffer dry hands/cuticles like me.

There is also the "Deep Treatment" method. Before bed, slather your hands in a rich, moisturising cream, pop on some cotton gloves and when you wake up it's like your hands are re-juvinated. :) I would suggest doing this once a week, or if you have MEGA dry hands, as much as needed, it wouldn't hurt to do it more often.

Feet

I'm really fussy about my feet being soft. I feel like it suffocates me if i have dry feet.
I use a pummice stone on the bottom's of my feet in the bath at least 3 times a week to get rid of any dry skin. I then like to use a foot treatment before bed (avec cotton socks).
My favourite is one by Soap & Glory called "Foot Mask". I have done a review of this product HERE.

You can also invest in something like a ped egg for easy foot exfoliation..i don't own one, but i own something similar.

Body

There's a few items i always bring out in the winter.
The first is the Body Shop's Body Butter's. I find that these are very rich in shea butter and cocoa butter and do a fab job of moisturising the skin. Review can be found HERE

The second, which i used alot last winter, were the Lush Massage Bars. My favourite being "Heavanilli". These can be rubbed straight onto the skin, or rubbed between the hands then rubbed into the skin, just like a normal moisturiser.

[From Top Left Clockwise: Each Peach & two's a pair, Sexy Boy (Xmas LE), Strawberry Feels Forever & Heavenilli]

Another thing my mum swears by, are oils, rubbed directly onto the skin, she always nags me to oil my skin, and in winter espescially.

I also think it's really important to exfoliate a bit more in the winter, i know i have to.
So i'd get yourself some exfoliating gloves & a good body scrub.
My favourite scrub is "Sugar Crush" by Soap & Glory.


Lips

My lips have been really bad recently, and so i've been applying lip balm religiously.
My favourites are Burts Bee's, Nivea Intense repair lip cream & carmex. I am never anywhere without either of these with me.

I know that alot of people also like to use vaseline, but i tend not to, as it doesn't actually hydrate the skin, it just makes a geasy barrier, keeping moisture in, not injecting any, great for those who don't really suffer that bad with chapped lips, but i don't find it does anything for me.

Other

I also suggest a good night cream, which is alot more moisturising than normal, even if you suffer from oily skin, it's still really important to stay hydrated.

Drink Lots -This is probabaly just standard, but in winter it's a little more important to get your 8 pints in the day because your skin needs to be alot more hydrated to prevent you looking so pale and gaunt :) It's also Good if you suffer dark circles or find it harder waking up in the morning. Drink a pint before bed, and a pint when you when you wake up.

Hot water bottles - It's not really a skin essential..just a winter essential because they are cute. :)

Moisturising Baths - You can buy so many bath bombs and bath melts that moisturise your skin as you bathe. My favourite at the moment is Lush's Star Melts (review here) & the butterball bath ballistic is also very moisturising.

I will be doing a seperate blog post on my current winter skincare regime, but i hope you enjoyed a little insight into the things im currently using everywhere else.

What are your winter essentials? Anything i'm missing out on?

♥

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The Body Shop Bloggers Event

Hello!

I'm so sorry i haven't blogged much lately. I have been a little uninspired recently & have also been helping my dad out most days at his job :)

So, as most of you will have probably already seen, there was a beauty blogger event in London yesterday for The Body Shop.
I was lucky enough to be invited along with around 30 more gorgeous girlies.
The day started off with me meeting Holly (Hollymae20) & Sophie (Beautymarked19) & we then headed over to Selfridges for a bit of retail therapy before the event started.
I will blog about what i bought in a seperate post. :)
In selfridges we met with more gorgeous girlies and we wandered around for a bit.
The event was in a bar/restaurant called "Sketch"
It was amazing inside. I was like a child at the zoo. haha
The toilets..as you will see...were absolutely amaaaazing. Never before have i been so excited to use the toilets in a public place.
If you haven't ever been to Sketch, i highly reccommend you do. I'd love to go back with some friends and have some drinky poo's there.

When we went inside we were greeted with champagne, cute scones, cakes, cucumber sandwiches and fruit.
The set up was sooo cute, and alot of the girlies were oggling at the waiters.
Ryan Phillipe (lookalike) in particular ;)
At the beginning of the event, we were talked through the new products, including the hand cream which is in aid of EPCAT, who are actively working to stop child trafficking & sexual exploitation of children & young people around the UK.
We were also shown (and demonstrated by Chase Ashton on the adorable Laura) the new makeup range for Autumn.
After that we were divided into two groups.
Both groups in turn got to take a trip to The Body Shop shop, and get a sample of anything you wanted and have a look around. After that, we went back and had a talk through the new perfume (which i'd recieved a sample of through the post & absolutely loved) and so we found out all about how they made it, what was in it, the ideas behind the name & we saw an advert that was put together, which was so cute :)

After the event, A majority of the girls went for something to eat, although a few of us (Holly, Sophie & Gemma) weren't hungry so we went to do a bit more shopping
(stopping off at the apple store before - if you haven't seen the video of us on youtube yet...please do. haha It's on Gemma's channel)
before heading to a bar/club for some cocktails & a plate of tasty nachos just before heading home at 8pm.
I SO nearly missed my train. The man shut the door behind me, and blew his whistle.
I had to stand almost the whole way home...the train was absolutely packed.

The event was so well thought out and the venue was utterly amazing, but it definitely wouldnt have been any of that if all the girlies weren't there. Everyone is SO lovely & you truely just get along like you've known eachother for years. I really wish these events were over a few days as you just dont get the chance to speak properly with everyone, and i always feel so guilty afterwards thinking of people i didnt speak to properly.
The time just goes far too quickly, think it's because we're having so much fun :)
I seriously laughed so much.
Thankyou all for a fab day.

Here are some photo's of the day...
[Dont forget to enlarge for close up]

[This photo is courtesy of the lovely Natalie Kitcher - one of the organiser's of the event. She did a fab job of organising everyone & making the day a success. To see more of the photo's she took of the event, click HERE]

Yes guys...There are decorations in Selfridges already!



Gemma's cupcake got squished :(


The Goody Bag Contents...

Prior to the event, we all filled in a questionnaire to determine what skin type we were. I have combination skin at the moment, so my results came up with the seaweed range. Everyone had their skintype products in their goodybag. :)
I used some of these today and i am really loving the results so far.

These are GORGEOUS. So pigmented. I skipped on "Natural Flare" mineralized shadow from the colour craft collection in Mac and the shadow in bottom right really reminded me of it, It's so pretty :)

11 Lipsticks! And i love and would wear every single colour. The formulation is quite sheer, but easily buildable.

These eyepencils are so creamy and pigmented. I cannot wait to use these, my favourites so far are the purple & silvery blue.

Eeeee, I'm so excited to try it all out. So far i can say im loving everything i've tried.
Especially the perfume, it's gorgeous.
I shall be doing full reviews on everything you see here after i have tested them further :)
and i shall be doing some FOTD's too.

If you're wanting to try/test out anything from the Body Shop, there's a promotion on the website from now until the 28th September, where if you pop anything from the new Autumn collection into your online basket, you will recieve 10% off your whole order.
Type in: FACEOFF10 at the checkout

:)
What a long post, haha, sorry if you got bored. I hope you didnt.
It was really so much fun, and i can't wait until the next few events ;)

♥

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