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June 2014

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100 Happy Days PT. 2

June 25, 2014

Silly as it sounds, finding something every day that makes me smile even if only for a moment really does help with the ups and downs of life. I’ll admit I skipped a few days purely out of forgetfulness, but this is a challenge I’m determined to see through so I’ve picked back up and set an alarm on my phone to remind me to find something every day!

Here is 11-20 of my #100HappyDays!

100 happy days 11 12

11. One of my favourite things in the world is the simplicity of a good power walk with my best exercise buddies Amie and CJ. I’m a cat person honestly, but I just adore taking CJ for walkies. We went to nearby Cofton Park and did a few KM to burn off all the nervous energy that builds when I know my significant other in en route!

12. And here he is! Roode is now officially here for the summer, though I strongly suspect he is here to fuss over my darling Helena rather than spend time with me sometimes! The two of them are just inseparable and it’s adorable.

 

100 happy days 13 14

 

13. One of the best perks of having him here is the amazing vegan delicacies he so masterfully creates. You might have seen Amie and I waxing lyrical about De Vegetarische Slager (Or in English The Vegetarian butcher!) before, it’s a delicious vegan meat substitute that is scarily realistic. It’s currently only available in The Netherlands and I think Belgium, but we order huge bags of it every time Roode comes to England to tide us over till they (hopefully!) start selling it over here.

14. So we know now that it’s all over for the England football team in this World Cup, but I was full of optimism here before the first match. It’s the agony and the ecstasy of World Cup football that I love, and at the very least I can still cheer on the Dutch team (who actually DO stand a chance of winning with the way they are playing!)

 

100 happy days 15 16

15. Here we are right before Race for Life! We beat our previous time and did a lot more running than walking this time so it was a really big personal achievement for us both!

16. My prize arrived from the lovely Katie at Pretty For Pence! I had a nice stream of luck this week from competitions which made me feel less bad about a spending ban as I still have plenty of shiny treats incoming! You can see the review for the Bourjois Manucure Toppings here!

 

100 happy days 17 18

17. Sometimes nothing beats a surprise visit from a friend when you’re feeling low. Simon has been like the big brother I never had since before even my teens and I cherish every moment we have together now we are sort-of proper grown-ups who can’t sit around in our PJs all day watching rubbish films and eating pizza.

18. Summer Solstice is one of my favourite events of the year and we celebrate the longest day with a trip down south to Glastonbury, Avebury and Stonehenge. Here we are at the top of Glastonbury Tor in the scorching mid-day heat! Unfortunately we couldn’t stay to greet the sunrise this year as I had to teach in the morning, but we had a great time shopping in the awesome treasure troves of Glastonbury and exploring the gorgeous landscape.

 

100 happy days 19 20

19. Another competition prize arrived! This time from the lovely Simone at 30 Something OAP. I asked her to pick out the Models Own shade of polish for me and she chose this amazing blue velvet glitter which I adore! She also kindly sent two bonus goodies – an anti-stress mud mask (which I totally need right now!) and some Kleenex shine absorbing sheets which have been doing a great job of keeping me from looking like an oil slick in this heat!

20. I’ve been feeling like I need (another) healthy kickstart so I’ve started juicing. Yes I’m starving and craving carbs like you wouldn’t believe, but absolutely nothing feels healthier than a raw vegan diet. Let’s see how long I can keep it up!

 

Once again #100HappyDays has done it’s magic and I feel much more positive after this post than I did before it. If you’re interested in starting the #100HappyDays challenge to bring a little burst of positivity you can check out the website here.

Totally Hellbent for the little things making a huge difference.

– Gem

 

Make-up

W7 Rock ‘n’ Roll Eye Shadow Review

June 23, 2014

 

w7-shadow

These were picked up from Poundland on my recent “Accidental May Haul”. I’m a sucker for green and blue shadows, as they really suit my hazel eye colour. A quick swatch in the shop and I knew that these were coming home with me.

w7-eyeshadow

Sage is actually more of a gold infused green, which is actually Okay with me, since I like to add a bit of sparkle when I’m wearing my hilarious gold Manowar t-shirt. Envy is a greeny blue and is just as gorgeous. I think the two will probably also work quite well together. Once I had a good play with these at home, I was hooked and instantly set about scouring the net to find out if there were any more shades. Thankfully there are, including a gorgeous grey/black colour called “sixpence” here which I may just have to invest in at a later date. I love the pigment of most loose shadows but I find applying them can be such a nuisance, Having a whole tube full of pigmented loose powder applied with a roller ball is an such a brilliant idea and makes application a dream.

Both of these were only £1 but online they vary from £0.99 to over £2.50 but I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for other colours in my local Poundland.

Have you tried these yet?

Totally hellbent for surprising finds during accidental hauls

-Pants

 

Nails

Bourjois Manucure Toppings in Coral Bikini, Lilac Sand & Maliblue

June 19, 2014
Bourjois Manucure Toppings

Bourjois Manucure Toppings

As with all nail trends I was inevitably late to this party but I seem to have suddenly acquired quite a collection of nail caviar sets, and this the latest was a competition win from the lovely Pretty for Pence!

The trio contains three shades; Coral Bikini, a mix of  red silver and gold, Lilac Sand in purple and silver and Maliblue, which is made up of blue silver and black. I’ve tried quite a few different caviar manis recently and I have to say I can see no difference between the original Ciate (£18 a set) and the Primark (I paid £1 for mine!) set, nor indeed this Bourjois  offering somewhere in the middle at £6.99 each.

To apply you simply pour the tiny beads over the top of wet nail varnish and leave to set. None of them survive longer than a day or two, but they do give an amazing 3D effect whilst it lasts!

Bourjois Manucure Toppings

My favourite of the three is (unsurprisingly) Maliblue, but as I’m so into this look at the moment I think all three will find plenty of wear on my nails. If you’re like me and enjoy changing your manicure every few days anyway then it’s no extra bother to take it off and start again once the balls start going AWOL. If you are after something that will last you a whole week then caviar nails are definitely not for you!

The only thing I don’t really like about the Bourjois Manucure Toppings is that they don’t come with a funnel, which is pretty essential if you don’t want to throw away the inevitable spillage that occurs when you pour the beads onto your nails. Luckily I have a few from my other sets, but if you don’t have one it’s quite tricky to try and pour the beads back in even if you do collect them in a piece of folded paper. My advice would be to pop to Primark and grab one of their sets for £1 just for the funnel!

Overall I am quite smitten with this summery trio, so big thanks to lady luck and Katie from Pretty for Pence for bringing them into my life!

£6.99 each from Boots.com

Totally hellbent for loving a freebie!

– Gem

Beauty Boxes, Make-up, Nails, Skincare, Travel

Glossybox June 2014 Review

June 16, 2014

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This is the last of my beauty boxes to arrive this month, and Gem and I have been waiting on tenterhooks after a few spoilers were going around, but now the wait is over and I can finally see what is in my Glossybox!

The first thing I noticed, is that mine was prepared a little more shoddily than the usually impeccable presentation. My Glossybox (GB)  sticker looked as though it had already been peeled off, and everything was just kind of “thrown in”. I know this has absolutely nothing to do with the contents, but one of the reasons I love GB so much, is down to the presentation and packaging.

That aside, let’s move onto the contents:

glossybox-june-14-nailgirls

nailgirls – 3in1 base/topcoat & nail strengthener | Full Size Product | £13.50

I received a nailgirls in one of my boxes last month, unfortunately it was the most disgusting barbie pink that I am likely never to wear. The formula was amazing though which was a shame, so I’m pretty glad I’ve received another, this time more multi-functional product from them. I am running out of base coat (and at the rate I paint my nails it’s no wonder), so I was gearing up to look around and buy a new one. No need now though. Having base and top coat in one is going to be especially great for when I go away, knowing that I don’t have to fill my bag with lots of varnish. Because when you are on a 6 hour boat ride to a festival, you need to occupy yourself!

glossybox-june-14-teeez

Teeez Trend Cosmetics – Beautiful Flat Stiff Brush | One Size | €19

This brush looked absolutely amazing, but from the moment I tipped the tip out of the box, my heart sank. There it was, the distinct sand coloured bristle that generally means some form of animal hair. I therefore narrowed my eyes and replaced this brush back into it’s box never to be used on my skin. Although my first impressions of the brush were that it looked fab, on closer inspection it is a mere spec on the horizon compared to it’s cruelty free counter parts and the bristles were quite stiff and and rough. I know it’s always difficult to know for sure if a brand is cruelty free, but for a company that thinks it’s Okay to use animal in their brushes, I don’t hold out any hope for the rest of their products. Glossybox take note.

glossybox-june-14-rituals

Rituals … – QI Gong anti-perspirant spray | 50ml | £3.50 for 50ml

Moving onto a product that I am happy to use, Rituals QI Gong antiperspirant spray. A company who appear to be fairly transparent about their cruelty free products and state categorically that they do not test on animals, nor do they allow third parties to. Although they admit to using beeswax and lanolin (wool fat) I can live with these, although I know there a lot of Vegan’s out there who would disagree. Ever since I procured one a Rituals body wash, I’ve relished the chance to try more of their products. This is a perfect size for taking to festivals (of which my first is going to be a week on Thursday!!), it smells absolutely gorgeous – infused with “white lotus and Yi Yi Ren” it’s a light and subtle summery scent, with a slight musky undertone to it. This is definitely going to be packed and I can’t wait to use it.

glossybox-june-14-qv

QV Skincare – QV Skin Lotion | 15ml | £6.06 for 250ml

Really? Really Glossybox? Really? For anyone that is unfamiliar with QV as a brand, they are heavily regarded as one of the cheaper go to companies for Doctors when writing prescriptions for Eczema and dry skin conditions. It’s issued by a pharmaceutical company named “Ego Pharmaceuticals” so sticking with what seems to be today’s theme of cruelty free, the chances of this being animal friendly are probably very slim (thanks to my nursing knowledge of pharmaceutical companies *boo hiss*), I note that they seemingly appear to avoid any questions asked about whether the product is Vegan or Vegetarian through skipping through their website earlier. I have in fact tried QV Lotion before, due to my very dry and sensitive skin and it really didn’t help at all not to mention my sheer reluctance to use a lot of products issues by my Doctor. Anyway, as much as my skin is a pain in the backside at times I definitely prefer organic, natural products. I suppose it’s the thought that counts GB, and I should really presume that you were sending my this because you actually took note of my beauty profile. Although next time I want to test out pharmaceutical lotions and potions, I’ll stop by the Docs.

glossybox-june-14-susan

So Susan Cosmetics – Universal Blush | Full Size Z £18

And a nice end to half and half box. A lovely “cruelty free” (alleged) blush. I do love my blush – not quite as much as Gem, but this is a welcome product to my collection. The colour is a gorgeous shimmery pink/peach and the pigment is perfect. A quick swatch and I’m very pleased and excited to test this out. The packaging is adorable and if that wasn’t enough, this blush supposedly reduces redness and offers UV protection – you know how much we thrive off UV protection here at “Gem and Pants land of pale”. I’ll definitely be looking out for more products from So Susan Cosmetics, given this one is such a hit. My one criticism is the lack of shade/name, but I can live with it.

Overall, 3 out of 5 isn’t bad. That’s over half of the products that I’ve enjoyed right? If I’m going to be honest, this month’s box has put me in a bit of grump. Although there are three fantastic products that I’m really pleased with, the QV lotion and brush have really irritated me. I am definitely siding with Birchbox at the moment who are offering a lot more high end brands and more for your money rather than Glossybox who seem to be offering me products I can either pick up from Superdrug or from the local Doctor. I am really torn as to whether I want to keep my subscription at the moment but perhaps it’s time too move on to better and more animal friendly pastures?

Have you had this month’s Glossybox? What were your thoughts?

If you are wanting to try Glossybox out, you can do so for £10 a month + £3.25 p&p here.

Totally hellbent for not smothering my face in goat hair

-Pants

Beauty Boxes

Birchbox Review June 2014 – Global Strikers

June 15, 2014
Birchbox June 2014

Birchbox June 2014Birchbox June 2014

With a cheerful nod towards World Cup season, the June Birchbox has a “Global Strikers” theme and a cute bag emblazoned with the Brazil flag colours. I’m a huge fan of the World Cup, and in fact delayed writing this very blog post so that I could enjoy the England V Italy match fully (IE prepare many beers!). Unfortunately it was a loss for England, but I enjoyed every moment of it none the less!

Before kicking off (hur hur) the first impressions of what was in my box, I have to do a tiny whine and say that some people received a Beauty Blender in their boxes, which is a very desirable find in any box at £26! I didn’t get one, and of course that is the luck of the draw with beauty boxes, and it sort of took away from an otherwise great box knowing I -could- have received such a great item and didn’t!

Birchbox June 2014 - Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre

First up is a moisturiser from French brand Embryolisse (who I will admit I haven’t heard of before!). It contains shea butter, beeswax, aloe vera and soy proteins and can be used as make-up remover, repairing mask, after-shave care and as a baby-care product as well as being a moisturiser, so a very handy product! A quick swatch has left me with high expectations as it make my skin feel very soft!

5ml Sample

£12.99 from Birchbox.co.uk

 

Birchbox June 2014 - Shea Butter Hair Mask

Silk + Honey Shea Butter Hair Mask

The constant bleach/dye cycle I put my hair through means I need to use this sort of thing quite often to stop it going brittle and keep it in good condition, so I will definitely be giving this a try soon.  When I looked this up on the Birchbox webstore I realised that this is the end product of a kit where you make this hair mask yourself, how awesome! I’m really into home-made beauty treatments so I think I’d definitely enjoy whipping up a batch.

Sample

£55 for the set from Birchbox.co.uk

 

Birchbox June 2014 - OPI NEXT STOP THE BIKINI ZONE

O.P.I – Next Stop The Bikini Zone

I was very excited about possibly getting a mini-OPI polish when I saw the June Birchbox spoiler posts, I love the formula and I adore the tiny bottles (which look very cute lined up on display!). I got Next Stop The Bikini Zone from the Brazil Collection, a metallic purple with flecks of shimmer. It looks lovely in the bottle, but unfortunately I found it quite sheer and hard to build up colour on the nail.

In honesty it’s unlikely I will get much wear out of this particular shade as I tend to favour solid colours.

3.75ml Mini

£11.95 for 15ml from Birchbox.co.uk

 

Birchbox June 2014 - Yves Rocher Sheer Botanical Lipstick in Marron Glace

Yves Rocher Sheer Botanical Lipstick  in Marron Glace

Lipsticks are one of my favourite make-up items to find in beauty boxes as I rarely seem to end up with shades that I won’t wear! I actually adore this lipstick already, Marron Glace is a brown toned nude, very my-lips-but-better! It has a gorgeous scent from the infusion of cherry oil, and left my lips feeling amazingly soft and moisturised. Will definitely be looking for a few more shades from this line!

Full Size

£9.90 from Birchbox.co.uk

 

Birchbox June 2014 - Naobay Body Radiance Lotion

Naobay Body Radiance Lotion

Finally an organic body lotion from Spanish brand Naobay. Full of natural ingredients and with a lovely light lemon scent this will definitely be making it into my festival mini-products bag.

30ml Sample

£14.00 from Birchbox.co.uk

 

Birchbox June 2014

LIFESTYLE EXTRA: Birchbox Brazil Inspired Keyring

I do like the little lifestyle extras you get with Birchbox (but I totes like it best when it’s food!). This very summery keyring is quite cute and very fitting for a summer filled with World Cup excitement!

Overall I’d say this -is- a pretty good box, but I can’t shake being miffed that some people got a £26 Beauty Blender and I didn’t! If you’d like to get one of your very own, a monthly subscription costs £10 (+P&P) from Birchbox.co.uk!

Totally not hellbent for being green with envy!

– Gem

 

 

 

 

Beauty Boxes

Love Me Beauty June 2014 – Edition 1

June 13, 2014
Love me Beauty June1

Love me Beauty June1Love me Beauty JuneLove me Beauty June

 

I’ve been watching the front door like a hawk ever since I saw this months beauty boxes showing up on my Twitter and Instagram feed and the first to make an appearance was this amazing selection from Love Me Beauty!

Unlike other subscription boxes where you get sent a random selection, Love Me Beauty allows you to pick the exact box you want from three menus (though individual shades can still vary!)

This month I chose edition 1 and I love absolutely everything inside!

 

Love me Beauty June - Model Co Shine Ultra Lip Gloss in "Fairy Floss"

Model Co Shine Ultra Lip Gloss in “Fairy Floss”

I was never much of a gloss person, but I’m a big fan of the Model Co formula and have a few shades that I like to dip into now and again. I’d never have chosen this colour for myself, Fairy Floss is a lilac-tinged pink but it’s very sheer on the lips. It has a very light sweet fragrance and feels really rich without ever feeling gloopy. The packaging is well worth a mention, very sleek and stylish with a built in mirror that is SO handy for on the go application!

Full Size

£12.00 from modelcocosmetics.com

 

Love me Beauty June NYX Cosmetics Nail Polish in Pastel Lavender

NYX Cosmetics Nail Polish in Pastel Lavender

Another shade that I don’t think I would have picked for myself, but actually I think it will probably get some wear as it almost perfectly matches a very pretty 50’s style dress I bought last year (and nothing is more satisfying then colour matching nail polish for a special occasion, right?)

The formula is lovely, and impressively fast drying for a none-fast-dry polish. I’ve not tried many NYX products but this has made me very curious about the rest of the range!

Full Size

£3.00 from nyxcosmetics.co.uk

 

Love me Beauty June Montagne Jeunesse Brazilian Mud Fabric Masque

Montagne Jeunesse Brazilian Mud Fabric Masque

Everyone loves a good face mask, right? This one includes purple Brazilian mud, acai berries, avocado and a whole host of yummy natural ingredients and is Vegetarian Society approved. However a scan over the ingredients shows that it includes Lactoperoxidase which is of milk origin. I’m a heavily vegan-leaning vegetarian and I haven’t drank animal milk for probably a year or so now, so I’m not so sure I am comfortable putting it on my skin either. It’s a dilemma, and one I will have to think about long and hard. I really like the sound of this mask but I don’t in honesty think I can use it without being full of mega-guilt at poor Daisy and her cow friends.

Overall I really like the ethics of this company, and an accompanying pamphlet talks all about their animal friendly ethos and green ways (including their own wind turbine!) but then I can’t quite understand why a company that says “Animals are our friends – that’s why we don’t bash bunnies or add bits of animals” consider milk an animal-friendly additive!

Full Size

£1.49 from montagnejeunesse.com

 

Love me Beauty June - Beauty UK Eye-shadow Collection in Earth Child

Beauty UK Eye-shadow Collection in Earth Child

This tiny little palette is adorable and full of earthy neutral shades that should suit every skin tone. The shadows are all very creamy for such a budget product, but do need to be built up a bit as they are not very heavily pigmented. In all honesty I don’t think the formula is a scratch on MUA or Make-Up Revolution’s similarly priced offerings, but I do like the tiny size which makes it perfect for travel or festival make-up bags.

Full Size

£3.99 from beautyukcosmetics.com

 

Love me Beauty June - Urban Vega Purifying Day Cream

Urban Vega Purifying Day Cream

I’ve tried this day cream before and my skin really got on with it, so this sample size is a nice reminder to go out and purchase some more! With neem oil, witch hazel and spearmint this really is a great choice for us ladies of slightly oilier skin, and also did wonders for my disgustingly oversized pores. It’s also worth noting that it is free of parabens and SLS and is Vegetarian Society approved! The only reason I didn’t rush out to repurchase this before is the lack of SPF, which makes it a little redundant for me in the summer months.

10ml Sample

£14.99 from urbanveda.co.uk

 

Love me Beauty June - Flavourly Voucher

Bonus – £10 Flavourly Voucher

For those inclined to try gourmet specialities this looks like a great food subscription service, but as there is no vegetarian menu (at least not that I can see!) this isn’t for me! Still £10 off brings the price of a box down to only £10, and it’s great to be able to try out such things at half price!

Find out more at flavourly.com

 

Overall another awesome box from Love Me Beauty, if you’d like one of your very own all three menus are still available for £10 (+P&P) from Lovemebeauty.com!

Totally hellbent for so many full size products!

-Gem

Hauls, Lifestyle

Charity Shop Treasures

June 11, 2014

sewing-boxSometimes Gemma and I like to turn our addiction to shopping into a charitable affair and a few days ago, we popped into our local charity shops to see what they had on offer. It was partly my fault, because Id mentioned I’d seen a candle stick that I really wanted for some weeks, and with Gemma bringing her “let’s buy all the magazines” attitude, there was absolutely no stopping us. (If you want to see what buying all those magazines got us, you can check out the Ciaté collection here.)

Anyway, Gemma spotted a cute sewing box, the kind that I had been after for a very long time, but had never found the right one. The problem being, that each time I found a sewing box, the price tag would put me off, since I’m a bit of a craft-o-holic I always thought “I’ll just make one”. Anyway, I picked this up for just “2.95 from Sue Ryder with the intention of recovering it. As you can see above, it was covered in a pretty garish rose print, and although flowers are quite -in- at the moment (or so I’m led to believe) they really aren’t me. A few hours in my craft room with some red polka dot off cuts and a glue gun transformed it into the most perfect box for all my sewing attire. (Okay, not -all- my sewing attire, but most of it)

candle-holder

Moving on into the next charity shop, where I’d seen a lovely candle stick. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so after reassuring myself that it was Okay because I ended up with a sewing box instead, we almost left. It wasn’t until Gem was paying for her things that we spotted it on a shelf, behind some glassware. A beautiful pentacle candle stick for an even more beautiful price of £2.69. This too underwent a bit of a transformation as it has now been sprayed black.

charity-shop

Both of my lovely cheap and cheerful treasures have now found a home in my craft room, and I take great comfort in some of my hard earned pennies (albeit less than £6) have now gone to a good cause.

Have you found any treasures in your local charity shops? As always, post us some links or tell us about your lovely things!

Totally hellbent for guilt free shopping that gives a little back

-Pants

 

Lifestyle

100 Happy Days PT. 1

June 10, 2014

I imagine most people see me as some excitable happy sprite who is always full of positivity and…rainbows and stuff – and I am that person most of the time. Sometimes when I’m alone things aren’t so technicolour, I suffer from a lot of anxiety in private. Couple that with a long distance relationship (always the stuff of emotional highs and lows!) and some pretty stressful dealings with work and certain former associates, and I sometimes find myself in that little grey cloud. It’s easy for me to linger there and let all the negativity swarm me, but I find a small spark of happiness can blow it all away.

The #100happydays website asks “Can you be happy for 100 days in a row?” and I’m looking forward to being able to say yes!

I’m already 1/10 of the way there!

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 1. I picked up guitar properly again for the first time in years, and have happily kept up with it this time (she says only 10 days later!)

2. Shopping always makes me happy, I found these cute shabby chic pieces in B&M for only £2.99 each!

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3.  Day three marked the end of the first 12 weeks of my healthier lifestyle, as you can see from my exercise chart I worked out a lot!

4. My Dakesis band-mates mean the world to me, I had a rubbish day but going through old pictures of our adventures cheered me up to no end!

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5. Shopping again! There’s a theme here! I found these lovely treasures in a charity shop – just look at that spotty bag!!!

6. One of my best friends cooked for me for the first time in the many years we have spent together in a band. I’m happy to say it was amazing and I’ll definitely be bullying him to cook for me more!

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7. This is Stark (the king in the north) one of my trio of feline accomplices. He’s been ever so poorly this week, but a trip to the vets and some medicine has perked him right up again.

8. Cleaning brushes, the bane of every make-up aficionado right? Well I’ve switched how I clean them and now I can do them all in under 10 minutes without getting wrinkly hands! I should really put up a post about this at some point!

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9. I’m one of those vegetarians who struggles to get by without meat replacement, so I grabbed a basket full when I spotted some of my favourites reduced in Holland & Barretts!

10. You’ve probably seen us plugging this all over our social media! Pants and I are running Race for Life on Sunday and our drummer Adam wrote a very cheerful and inspiring blog post over at IsItProg? I do like being called radiant, but I hope he isn’t actually planning on throwing tomatoes at us! If you want to sponsor us you can do so here!

So far my picture choices tell me some very obvious facts about what it is that makes me happy – shopping, music, animals and friends. Not bad things by a long shot! My boyfriend arrives from Holland on Thursday and I get to keep him for the whole summer, so expect a whole bunch of Roderick related #100happydays incoming!

If you’d like to keep up with my daily posts you can follow my personal Instagram here (I follow back!) and Twitter here!

Tell me about something that makes you smile and share a random spark of happiness!

Totally hellbent for positivity!

Gem

Make-up

Elf Studio Cream Blush Review

June 10, 2014

cream-blush

I’ve really wanted to try the elf studio Cream Blush pots for ages, so when they were in their recent clearance sale I was overjoyed! I picked out “flirt” which is bright pink and “tease” which is more of a peach/russet colour. When I pulled these out of their boxes, the first thing I noticed was how big the pots were. They are literally the size of my palm and packed with a lot of product. The consistency was quite nice to touch once I’d opened the pots and it took a little bit of playing around with my fingers to get to grips with this.

elf-studioblush-swatch

The formula is a cream to powder, I was actually surprised by how pigmented this was and also how well it blended and applied to the skin. Both swatches above were applied with my fingers, the left side of the swatch is more heavily pigmented as I blended the product towards the right, which worked exceptionally well and was very easy to work with. I was a little worried at first that I would end up with way too much product and struggle to make these look anywhere near natural, but the Cream Blush is easily built up for full control and even easier to blend. I’m yet to try this with an actual make-up brush and I think I’ll definitely need to play with it for a lot longer before I start applying this to my face with a brush and as much as I love the pots in all of their enormity I am afraid these will often be left behind on gig days and festivals because I just wont have space in my makeup bag! With that being the only downfall, I’m definitely going to keep a look out for more cream blush’s in the future.

I picked these up for £3.25 each instead of the usual price of £6.50 so if you hurry, you may still be able to grab it in elf’s 50% off clearance here.

Have you tried any of the cream blush’s? If so, I’d love to know how you found them in the comments below.

Totally hellbent for half price and surprisingly creamy wonders

-Pants

 

Make-up

Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette Review

June 9, 2014

makeup-revolution-redemption-palette

redemption-palette

On my first Makeup Revolution purchase, I picked up the Redemption Matte Brights Palette. I have no idea why I was drawn to these bright and crazy colours, but I couldn’t help myself. If you are unfamiliar with the brand, they have hit the beauty world by storm and have rivaled the firm affordable favourite MUA with their cheap yet amazing palettes and fab albeit eccentric lip colours to name a few. I had high hopes for the palette after reading some reviews on their others and couldn’t wait to try some of the shades out.

redemption-palette-swatches

Unfortunately these eye shadows aren’t named but for a palette that only cost me £4.00 for 12 shades I really can’t grumble too much. The first three shades, a white, grey and baby blue were actually very disapointing, I really struggled to get enough, if any, pigment onto my skin as you can see from the swatches above and when I finally managed to build up some colour for the grey and blue it was so insignificant I probably shouldn’t have even bothered. The same can be said for the peach colour which is the 9th swatch along. I was really hoping that me and the grey could get along, but perhaps I can use this in the corners of my eye when going for a smokey black look. I’m afraid that the white was so rubbish, it wouldn’t even work as a highlight.

Now we’ve gotten over the disappointment of four of the shades, we can move on to the others. The orange was actually quite bright, and may even work with a brown/nude eye. It’s not too shocking, but wearable enough to add just a pop of colour. The first pink was darker than I expected, but still gorgeous as was the purple and the second pink, which although was a little brighter wasn’t too dissimilar from the first.

The most surprising shade by far was the yellow which was the most pigmented – I was expecting this to be the worst shade, but I was wrong. Beautifully bright and applied like magic, although I’m not sure when I will ever wear this. As I raved above, the peach was insignificant and hardly worth mentioning, but the first green is stunning, being more of a yellow green, this really does make it stand out, compared to a lot of other greens which often end up a little dull and more of a khaki colour. The blue was also incredibly bright and applied well along with the last green which has even more of a yellow undertone to it. I think these three together with a good blending session could create some very dramatic and amazing results!

Even though some of these didn’t swatch as I’d hoped, I really didn’t buy the palette for it’s exiting white and perfect peach colours, so overall I am impressed with how the palette swatched as a whole, especially given the price tag. It gives me high hopes for some of the tried and tested “safer” shades in the other palettes from Makeup Revolution and I’m really going to make an effort to actually use some of these shades rather than allow it to lay dormant on my dresser.

Totally hellbent for all sorts of ‘zaney’ colours to match my ‘zaney’ personality

-Pants