Friends of Glass Beligum trip

As you will have seen in an older post I took part in #challengeglass on twitter which was all to do with glass & recycling. Well along with a few other people I won a trip to Belgium! So here come a lot of photographs to show you how truly amazing it was!


The day started extremely early, that clock says 6.45am not pm!! Ohhh yes, early it was but very exciting.

We jumped on the eurostar which takes less time to get to Belgium than the train from Newcastle to London! Crazy.


After arriving & going to the airport to pick up some other winners we went to a shopping centre where Friends of Glass had a pop-up shop fulllll of amazing glass bottles. Here's Natalie & me.




They also had an entertainment area where a man juggled with glass, unfortunately we missed it while we were having the lushest lunch & many glasses of wine.




Glass blowing was next! We watched Guy make champagne glasses, which was really relaxing & slightly hypnotising. We all made our own christmas baubles... this one above broke =( so I made a super tiny one so it wouldn't break!


Natalie, me & Milla

Dinner next! The restaurant was fab, it was an all you could eat, but the ingredients were all raw, you then took it to the bar where they'd throw it all into a wok & cook it. Yum! More wine & then some Belgium beer at a few bars afterwards, were Nat, Francesco & I got very drunk with some lovely Belgium...ers? We then (Nat & I) in true English style got cheesy chips & headed back to the hotel for a well needed sleep.



Sunday was spent exploring Lueven, having yummy, yummy pasta & more wine! Then home time, I was very, verrry tired by the time I got home, but it was so worth it. I had such an amazing time & want to say a massive thank you to Friends of Glass & the girls at 1000 heads, you're bloody amazing!

Review: Benefit silky powder eyeshadow in Guess again

I was contacted by the lovely Joyce at www.beautyjudge.com about a month ago. It's a great site to go to for reviews of products, because they're true reviews & Joyce explained how she didn't mind if the review was bad or good, a review is a review & we need to know the bad ones too!

Needless to say I really like this product. I am not a Benefit type of girl, purely due to the price of their products, so I'm glad I was sent this because otherwise I wouldn't have chose it myself & it's actually a lovely eyeshadow.


What Benefit say

Love Your Look "makeup to match your lifestyle" introduces nine new silky matte powder eye shadow shades that "smooth" on for even coverage to enhance and contour. They blend effortlessly with the love your look creaseless cream shadow/liners so you can mix & match for guaranteed gorgeous.

What you get for your money

£12.60 for 3.50 g Net wt. 0.12 oz It's quite a big eyeshadow so I think it's actually an ok price.


What I think

The colour reminds me of a matte Satin Taupe, it's got that purple undertone to it that goes really well with my blue eyes. The powder is very finely milled & is super silky, so it lives up to it's product name 'silky powder eyeshadow'. Because it is so silky & I want to say creamy because it just feels like it, the blendability of this eyeshadow is amazing. Pigmentation as you can see is amazing, that is one swatch from my finger, I haven't layered it at all. It claims to be creaseless, & I haven't had creasing from it at all, but I have always put it over a MAC paintpot as I wouldn't apply eyeshadow without a base. I actually place this colour in my crease & have had no problems with it creasing at all. I honestly can't get over how blendable, silky & pigmented this eyeshadow is, it's fantastic & I've never actually come across a texture or colour like this one before. I would definitely give this top marks overall, I really love it!

I love this in my crease & outer corner as it's buildable, so for a really quick look, I can just pat on my usual paint pot & then blend this into the crease for a really quick but slightly smokey eye.


No picture really captured it that greatly, because I was in a rush to get out the house I couldn't keep trying for a better one. But this is just Guess Again really lightly in the crease along with MAC Rubenesque paintpot.

Go have a look on www.beautyjudge.com for more reviews, you can also join up to give reviews on products too!

Friends of Glass

Some of you who follow me on twitter may have seen my tweets that link to #challengeglass. Over the past week I have been taking part in a challenge for a chance to win a trip to Belgium, you can find out more at Blog in a Bottle. It's basically all about making awareness & getting everyone to recycle glass. Milla (a gorgeous & talented friend) let me in on the challenge & I've loved taking part, it's really helped me connect back with my creativity which is perfect timing for going back to uni, ready for all those design briefs!

So I thought I'd post each of my entries for the 7 parts of the challenge & let you in on other things in my life than just makeup!


Challenge 1 - Use a glass bottle in a manner not initially intended by its manufacturers….
Bracelet holder & actually looks fab on the shelf for decoration.

Challenge 2 - Share a perfect 5 track glass themed playlist on social networking or audio sharing sites

Challenge 3 - Create a glass inspired haiku
chilled white wine/ drank till it's last drop/ recycled again & again

Challenge 4 - Find or make a glass based video to share



Challenge 5- Create a piece of glass-art, using only materials found in one’s bathroom

I used a range of shampoos, shower gels & face mask & went a-la Jackson Pollock.

Challenge 6- Enjoy a ‘glass themed’ night in, or out – with pictures documenting it…


After my monster 9 hour shift on a saturday at work, the only glass theme I could have was a bottle of wine in with the boif & family.

Challenge 7 - Take a picture of an inspiring view through a glass object (e.g. a glass bottle)
Picture could have been so much better, but with it being 1am the lighting isn't that fab! But anyway, the picture is taken through my brush holder (which is glass) & looking onto my grandad's painting pallet, it hangs on my wall & keeps me inspired as well as something to remember him by.

TK Maxx haul

Bit of a different post to cosmetics, but I love interior decor & I know lots of you do too. Plus, just sharing these gorgeous finds, so you know where to go to get some amazingly beautiful things.

I decided I needed new storage boxes for when I move into the new uni house. My room is a sort of box itself so I need lots of storage solutions. I went into IKEA..came out with a gorgeous bed throw that I've been lemming for ages, a cutlery holder & another cushion (I swear I have a cushion obsession, I have about 7 for my bed so far, it's a weakness!). So I come out of IKEA with no storage boxes pretty or big enough for my liking, TK Maxx next! I love TK Maxx for home furnitings, it has some amazing pieces, always the best place to go for something that's super pretty & usually quite unique (ie not an IKEA print lol).


I found this wicker basket, didn't need it, but err the Cath Kidstoneqsue print had me at first glance & I had to have it. I now have the decision of either having it at home or in my uni house! I also found some gorgeous V&A bedsheets for £13!! These I decided to keep for home since I'll be redecorating soon & these would be beautiful. The mug was also a beauty at £1.99, I feel rather grannyesque with it, lol. Then the box, ohhh the box. I don't know what I'll use it for, maybe jewellery, but I just had to have it. I mean look at it!



So these are my recent buys & no doubt I'll ant to get more things, pictures for my walls, shelves, more pretty things.... & hopefully some boxes!!

The Body Shop Event

Look at us all!! Ahh there was so many of us, I think next time we should do some sort of speed dating set up so we all get to chat to each other! I had such a good day, the event, the venue & the people were amazing. I really wish I had a compact camera to take pictures of the day, because my SLR would have been a right hassle. You'll see photo's on other blogs anyway!

There was Champagne, there was cute finger foods, champagne, chocolates, incredible art pieces & more champagne. I felt like I was in a surrealist world the whole time, it was such a crazy venue (Sketch) which totally made the event one to remember. It was amazing & I just want to say thank you so much to The body Shop & the girls at Headstream!

We were introduced further into the brand, & to some of the new makeup products, which Chase demoed for us. Then my favorite part of the event where they told us all about the new fragrance Love etc. It's a gorgeous scent with a great inspirational background. We got to smell the perfume in sections, it's top notes, heart notes & base notes, which was incredibly interesting & made me appreciate the scent more. You can find out more about the fragrance at releasetheforceoflove.com.It has a real feel good story & meaning behind the perfume & I really enjoyed finding out about it all.

We were spoiled with so many goodies which I'm sure you will have seen pictures of in other blogs. I'll be testing these out, reviewing & also giving you the chance to win some of the products! Also, there's a 10% off code you can all use when ordering from the Autumn Trends Collection, which is fab because the new products are gorgeous!

Code: FACEOFF10
Valid from today until 28^th September 2009

& finally, I met Daisy (Cupcakes & Cherries)!! I was so excited to finally meet her, obviously I was excited to see everyone else, but I've known Daisy for years so it was all very fun =)

Project beautiful skin: Chlorella

So to start project beautiful skin I started to take Chlorella. I haven't tried anything else as I wanted to see the full affects of one thing, the only other thing I've changed is my face wash as I've stopped using the Garnier Pure active range. Nor have I changed my makeup routine, actually lately I've probably been wearing more. So I know the changes in my skin are purely from the Chlorella. This is likely to be a long post, but if you're interested in improving your skin & finding out the other benefits of this product then definitely read on.


My experiences

I've been to the doctors about my skin, they've tried me on Dianette & an antibiotic, neither of which worked, I've tried multiple 'amazing' skincare products..again none have worked. I've also taken multiple vitamins & supplements, none of which worked very well/quickly. So I thought to stop using multiple external treatments & unnatural medications & turn to something that is completely natural, something that has helped me with skin problems when I was younger. My dad has harped on at me for ages to take Chlorella again (I used to take it for my eczema when I was younger) & I never really listened, I wanted to try other things first. Finally I took his advice & I now take 6 tablets a day in the evening. I started using it 2 weeks ago & within a week I saw instant improvements. Usually I don't go a day without a couple new spots appearing & when I was using the Pure Active range I'd experience clusters of spots, really bad ones at that, but while taking this blemishes have massively reduced. I still have spots and the marks from previous blemishes, but it's only been two weeks & most full effects usually take up to a month or two. Instead of wearing a full face of studio fix fluid, concealer, more sff & powder, I am now able to wear a bit of concealer, MAC moisture tint & a bit of powder & my skin is looking flawless with a sheer/medium coverage.


What is Chlorella & it's benefits?

Chlorella is a microscopic plant that grows in fresh water, it's a single celled algae. It has apparently been in existence for two-billion years. It contains a massive array of nutritional element: vitamins ( all known B vitamins including B12, C & E), macrominerals, trace minerals, essensial fatty acids, protein, nucleic acids (RNA & DNA), chlorophll & a vast spectrum of phytochemicals. Chlorella isn't a suppliment or a vitamin it's a pure food. It's a great detoxer as it is able to bind to the toxins in your body & pulls them from your bloodstream. It will purify your blood & cleanse your organs. You can even feed Chlorella to your pets, our cats love it & it makes their fur beautiful!

Some benefits of Chlorella:

• boost your immune system
• detoxifying
• improve your digestive system, help overcome bad breath, constipation
• reduce cholesterol
• protecting your liver
• help with kidney problems
• improve skin conditions (e.g acne & eczema)
  
• balance blood sugar

These are only a few benefits, if you go to www.chlorellafactor.com you can learn a lot more about this pure food. In my opinion it is not known about enough & after researching more about it, the reason for this is because the FDA do not permit companies that sell Chlorella to publicise the true benefits of it as the benefits would be seen as 'medical claims'. Another thing along side the dismissal of tea tree for MRSA that annoys me about health organisations.

We currently have Optimum source Chlorella but there are many other companies that sell it.

If you want to find out more about Chlorella I've added some useful links that go through the whole ins & outs of it. I highly recommend it if you suffer from skin problems & really for anyone to take it due to the great benefits of it.


Useful links that go into more detail:
http://www.chlorellafactor.com/
http://www.naturalways.com
http://www.foreverlookingood.com

Mandizzle hair pieces

I'm loving flower head bands at the moment. Only problem is I can't find anything in the shops that fits my tastes, but the hair pieces at Mandizzle are stunning. I posted a while back on twitter about them & ever since then I've been obsessing over these beautiful creations created by an equally beautiful girl.

Here are some I'm loving & lemming for, if I could I'd have them all! I'm hoping to get my credit card soon so I can buy one for Leeds fest!

Hair prescription

Today I got my prescription through the post. No, not a prescription of antibiotics or tamiflu, my prescription included a range of fantastic hair products to make my hair all better! These new Bonacure products were kindly prescribed to me by the hair doctor, hehe also known as hairstylist Steven Goldsworthy.



My hair is long, wavy, coloured & dry/damaged. So I've been prescribed two Colour Save products; Colour Save Sulfate-free Shampoo & Colour Save Spray Conditioner (which are well needed at the minute, my hair was very blonde & it's important for me to keep my now brunette colour vibrant for as long as possible) & Repair Rescue Amino Fortifier treatment. Oh & a lollipop to make up for the pain I've had to go through before these products! I'll be testing out these out & will be reviewing them in the coming weeks, where I'll go into more depth of the new Bonacure range. I need to dye my hair again so this will be perfect for me to test the colour save products which are said to keep your colour vibrant even after 30 washes, which sounds fantastic!

Project beautiful skin

The other week I took out Liz Earle's Skin Secrets book from the Library. It's full of fantastic tips on looking after your skin. It goes through what influences your skin, the best plants (plant oils, essential oils & general ingredients) to use on your skin & how to care for your skin from the inside & out. It's a really great book, I might review it, because we're always obsessing over makeup & enhancing our skin/features but not always thinking about treating it & looking after it. After all the more we look after it now the more it'll repay us later.

So my main point of this is that this book is my aid. My aid in project beautiful skin. I'm sick to death of my skin, it's oily, it's acne prone, I have large pores, blackheads & uneven tone. I'm generally just not happy with it & I now need to seriously do something for it. After the Garnier Pure Active range did nothing for me over the month I tested it, I decided to take other routes. I'm going to look after my skin from the inside as well as treating it from the outside. When we have skin problems we don't always think a lot of it has to do with what's going on inside of our bodies. We frantically try to sort it out with multiple expensive products (many that don't actually work), but how often do we stop & think to change what we put in our bodies & what we could add to our diet to help?

I'll keep updating on project beautiful skin with what I'm doing. I'll be going through the benefits of what I'm doing & whether I'm seeing any differences. For now I'm just going to outline a few things.


1. I'm changing my cleanser. I'm now using The Sanctuary Perfectly Polished Hot Cloth Cleanser. I have used Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish but have just ran out & happened to find this version from The Sanctuary range.

2. I'm going to drink 1.5-2L of water a day. It sounds easy, especially when all I drink is water (well apart from fruit juice or tea & coffee, but no fizzy pop for me thanks) but I sometimes struggle & tend to forget to drink.

3. I'm going to start taking Chlorella. It's mentioned in the book & my dad has been harping on at me for years to take it, but I'm terrible at remembering to take tablets & have never taken it regularly. It's not something that's new to me, we've had it in our house constantly while I've grown up so I'm aware of it's advantages. However, I know it's not widely known, so I will be going through this in ore detail later.

4. I'm going to be using multiple masks & treatments, thank god my mums a therapist, so there's hundreds of essential & plant oils to rummage through & use!

5. I'll be eating a lot healthier (hope I keep to these words!). After all, we are what we eat!

Wish me luck & I'll keep you updated!!

Soap and Glory Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying shower gel

I've been meaning to do a review on this for a while now, but always forgot! This stuff is amazing!

What it is:
Clean on me is a 'creamy clarifying shower gel' that contains 'natural mandarin peel extract and a bonus built-in body lotion'. It claims that you can 'have it all... soft, smooth sexy skin whenever you want it'.

What you get for your money:
For a 500ml bottle you will pay £5 in boots, but it is currently on offer for £3.33, fantastic value! You can also pick up a great 75ml travel size bottle for £1.50.

What I think:
I can't praise this enough & after using it I really don't want to buy any other shower gel, I think it's that amazing. I didn't actually buy this, my mum did & I'm really glad she did, otherwise I probably would never have thought of buying it myself.
It has the Soap & Glory smell that is divine & is loved by many; refreshing, sweet & not too over-powering. I use this with a shower puff & fully recommend anyone to use one too, as you'll get more out of this product. I only use one to two pumps for the whole of my body, you need no more, I promise you. With one to two pumps it will lather the whole body puff & you'll still have some left after covering your body in this gorgeous shower gel. When applying it, it feels silky smooth & probably feels like the best shower gel/wash I have ever used. It feels luxurious. I feel like I sound like I'm being paid or something to sell this product, I am not, I just love it that much! My skin after wards feels silky smooth due to the built-in body lotion, so great for those of us that don't always have time to moisturise. I also use this when I shave & find it works brilliantly due to the moisturising nature of this product.
Since you only need such little amount of product for each use this will last forever. I can't remember how long we've had it, but it's definitely been a fair few months!