Lancôme Juicy Shaker Review | Walk The Lime & Great-Fruit*

I managed to get my hands on two of the new Juicy Shakers by Lancôme the other week and can't believe it's taken me this long to review something I was actually happily surprised at. These colourful pops of lip oil landed on my doorstep along with some similarly coloured jelly beans.

I've been trying out new products to wear on my lips recently, because along with eyeshadow, lipsticks and lip glosses are only really things I wear on nights out. I would really like to wear it more casually and learn to get better at applying them and experimenting more with the makeup that I wear. 

L-R: Walk The Lime, Great-Fruit

The great thing about these Juicy Shakers is their sheerness. I don't have to worry about them being to bold or too bright for the day time as they slide on like a gloss but have the slick non-stickiness of an oil. But there in-lies the issue. They don't last very long on the lips and the difference between the colours, because they're so sheer, is minimal. At least we can have faith in the fact that each shade will last a long time!

L-R: Great-Fruit, Walk The Lime

The products themselves are styled in shape after a cocktail shaker and you've got to use it like one too! In each shaker is a mixture of nourishing lip-plumping oils including sweet almond oil, cranberry oil and omega 3, combined with a nice dollop of scented pigments. The more you shake, the stronger the colour gets, even apply over lipstick to add a coat of glossy shine.

The sponge inside the shaker is perfectly shaped to hug the contours of the lip and the three holes allowing the pigment to soak the tip allow the most perfect amount for application. Each shaker smells divine too... fruity, zingy hints of fragrance which brings us back to the fruity cocktail theme. 

Lancôme Juicy Shaker in Walk the Lime

Lancôme Juicy Shaker in Great-Fruit

154 Great-Fruit and 166 Walk the Lime shades are not too dissimilar in colour when they're on, but they do have slightly different tints of pinky-peach and coral which make them perfect everyday lip oils. The packaging is simple and stylish and with 12 other shades available in the UK, there's plenty to choose from including a limited edition pale blue shade.

These innovative glosses are available direct from Lancôme for £18  or if you want Boots points, you can get it from them too!

Have you tried any of their shades, which is your favourite?

8 Easter Essentials | Spring Wish List

Getting ready for spring, we've given our houses a big spring clean and have identified some products that we absolutely cannot be without this Easter weekend. 

From skincare to footwear, our wish list covers all the bases to ensure we confront Spring fully equipped.

With my 23rd birthday coming up a couple weeks after Easter (April 20th if anyone was wondering..), I've got to admit that some of these items are also things I'd like in preparation for my birthday celebrations.. points to whoever guesses which ones!

We've been longing for some of these palettes for ages and I cannot wait to have my hands on a few of them.

1. Since it's recent launch, I've been coveting this Makeup Revolution Palette. Fortune Favours the Brave is a triumph of a collaboration with the wonderful British Beauty Blogger whom we met at an event last year. The colours in this palette are just divine! It's hard to believe the palette is just £9.99!

2.  I've been searching for a new handbag for ages and in the pile of 'unlikely' bags I will get lies this YSL beauty. If it were cheaper (much much cheaper) I would buy it, but bank balance unfortunately does not allow :(. Classic Small Sac Du Jour in Fog Grained Leather is just gorgeous but it comes with a hefty price tag of $2,890. Definitely for when I win the lottery.

3. I'm in dire need of a new statement necklace. Something to dress up a plain black dress or top and that's not too pricey (some amazing ones I've seen are £50+!). This piece from H&M ticks all my boxes; short, bold, silver, cheap. It has it all and is just £12.99. 

4.  Another palette Kirsty has been coveting. Tarte Cosmetics Tartelette in Bloom is just so pretty. She doesn't have any Tarte palettes yet but this is sure to be the first of many! 9 mattes and 3 lustres make this the most beaut palette for Easter. £33 and so worth it to have perfect subtle smoky eyes.

5. Kirsty is majorly eyeing the Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Gleam. Having used their highlighters before and knows how good they are, she feels she just needs this palette to complete her collection as no others are comparable. Convenient and beautiful at £39.00, you'll love having an amazing spring time glow.

6. My nails are going through an annoying phase of growing and then breaking, despite my best efforts to strengthen and take care of them. Nails from Elegant Touch are my saviours. Especially with the nail guards preventing damage to my nails. These Don't Be Sheepish* Easter themed nails are super cute and so appropriate for spring. Ewe can get your hands on these for just £6.95.

7. With my 23rd Birthday coming up, I've got my eye out on some new Carvela Kurt Geiger heels. I've been growing my Geiger collection for about 5 years now and am always looking for a new pair to join its sisters. How better to celebrate a birthday than to wear glittery heels! These KACI courts are silver, glittery and are even on sale at just £39.99. *Hint hint.....*

8. I love Aviator sunglasses above all other shapes and am always lusting after a designer pair. With the sun finally showing it's face, I'd usually go for Ray Bans, but I thought, as this is a wish list, not a shopping list, I thought I'd push the boundaries a bit and go for a Chanel pair. These pair of Pilot Signature sunnies will set you back $340. 

Other items to add to our wish list would be more YSL lipsticks, the Naked Palettes, Dior Dream skin and Marc Jacobs mascara. Hopefully over the next few months, we will in fact be fulfilling our wish list (unlikely for some items, but we can dream) so keep an eye out.

Do you have any must-haves this Spring? Let us know!

CHOCOLATE & LOVE* | Dark Chocolate Obsession

I've been on a mission to seriously cut back on my sugar consumption but as a chocolate addict this has been so very hard. I've stuck to dark chocolate, the higher the percentage of cocoa, the better. We were sent an assortment of Chocolate and Love* bars to try out and I think it is safe to say, I'm obsessed. Chocolate and Love is a family owned organic and ethically made chocolate company that produces seven sumptuous flavours; Mint, Orange, Sea Salt, Filthy Rich, Panama, Coffee and Dark Milk.

MINTYCOCO | Natural Teeth Whitening*

 

I am obsessed with getting whiter teeth so I jumped at the chance to review Mintycoco* all natural coconut oil teeth whitening sachets. I love wearing lipstick and white teeth are really important for lipstick wearing confidence which has led me to try loads of different teeth whitening kits in the past. I usually use chemical bleaching whitening strips but they cause so much teeth sensitivity and have left me in agony so I was thrilled to find a safe and natural alternative. Plus they do not meet EU safety regulations and having to import them from the US is a pain. Mintycoco are available online and arrive quickly in the post in a cute box that easily fits through the letterbox.

Oil pulling is an ancient technique that is thought to have many health benefits.  Mintycoco is an all natural oil detox that is designed to improve the health of gums and teeth, it is fantastic for removing stains on teeth caused by coffee or wine. Coconut oil is mainly solid at room temperature so I prefer to warm the sachet in my hands for a few minutes before I put it in my mouth. I've used coconut oil for oil pulling before and the sensation takes a while to get used to, once it has all melted and you get into the swing of swishing  it about it can be quite pleasant. The soft peppermint flavour of Mintycoco makes it much easier and made it feel like a normal part of my dental hygiene routine. The sachets are easy to use, much less faff than trying to dig out coconut oil from a jar with a spoon and really convenient for carrying with you on the go or travel. I did not need to use the full sachet at a time as there would have been no room in my mouth to swish the oil around, which makes the 14 sachet set an absolute bargain at £23.99 plus free shipping!

The Mintycoco package does come with full instructions

The results are not as immediate as with chemical whitening treatments because they are not bleaching and damaging your teeth, but for the price and the ease of use I can totally recommend Mintycoco. It did take a couple of days for me to see the effects so it is worth persevering with the full course of the treatment, my teeth were very noticeably whiter after using all the sachets. I’ll try and take an ‘after’ shot as soon as there is more than 10 minutes of daylight in my flat.  I love using Mintycoco sachets safe in the knowledge that my dentist won't have a go at me for doing further damage to my already weak enamel as they are ideal for naturally whitening my smile. 

If you’d like to give them a try yourself, they are available here, don’t forget to tweet us to show your results!

Barry M Spring '16 Launches*

I had the pleasure of attending Barry M's Spring '16 launch party where they showcased some pretty exciting new products and have revealed the new face of the brand, Lucy Mecklenburgh.

With Spring in mind, Barry M have created some great products to see you right through to Summer. You can keep your face looking bright, fresh and summer ready using their new products, shades and looks to prepare for the upcoming Spring/Summer months.

We couldn't wait to share with you their fabulous new range, full of colour and quality!

A major dupe for Benefit's Roller Lash, That's How I Roll pretty much has the exact same brush, with longer hooked bristles on one side, shorter ones on the other. Life a life without curlers and buy this super cute mascara for less than £6! The bristles really lift and define the lashes giving a full fluttery look. It's certainly made it to my everyday essentials.

Next up, I got to check out more of my favourite nail polishes. I have been buying Barry M's polishes for years and my collection is ever growing. So much so in fact that I'm having to buy two more nail polish racks in order to accommodate my huge collection! I love the range of colours, finishes and textures, but most of all, I love how they rarely ever chip!

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paint. L-R : Freestyle, In A Flash, Personal Best and Winning Streak.

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paint. L-R: Personal Best, Winning Streak, Freestyle and In A Flash.

The Speedy polishes have a quick dry formula which means you can paint and go! No need to flap your hands about air drying, just a quick swipe of the flat brush, give them a little blow and that's it! This range of pinks and purples gives you the choice of a different colour every week of Spring!

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint. Cream Soda, Pink Lemonade and Acai Smoothie

Another nail favourite is the Gelly Hi Shine range which promises and delivers gel-like shine and longevity. The colours are beautiful and nudes are so in this Spring. I'm actually wearing the Butterscotch Sundae shade right now!

You can get your hands on these two ranges at Superdrug and Boots for just £3.99.

Barry M Sunset Nails in Topcoat, Bug a Blue, All The Things She Red, Empire State of Mint and Pinking Out Loud

Barry M Sunset Nails in Pinking Out Loud, All The Things She Red, Empire State of Mint and Bug a Blue 

The third nail range to come out for spring is the Sunset Nail Paint. Another salon gel-like finish, but without the need for a UV light! These bright summery colours cure in daylight with the help of the topcoat. Simply apply two layers of your favourite coloured nail paint and finish off with a single layer of topcoat and enjoy the sun! You can get these for around a fiver each!

Barry M Flawless Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit in Medium-Dark and Shape & Define Brow Kit in Light- Medium

Adding new shades to their existing offering, Barry M have finally catered for the darker skinned and lighter haired ladies out there. With a new Medium-Dark Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit and a Light-Medium Brow Kit, you'll have killer contour and brows on fleek all Spring/Summer.

Barry M Chisel Cheek Contour Kit in Medium-Dark. Light to Highlight, Medium to Contour and Dark to Sculpt.

The Contour Kit offers not only a light powder to highlight, but two darker powders; medium and dark to bronze and sculpt to give you Kardashian-worthy cheek bones. Although I'm more favourable to a creme, the powdery texture is great for blending and are super pigmented to give you truly spectacular contouring. For less than £7, who needs a professional makeup artist?

Barry M Shape & Define Brow Kit in Light to Medium

I've got quite sparse brows considering how thick my head hair is and am desperately trying to grow them to an acceptable without-makeup thickness. I'm always in need of a little touch-up however and kits like this are great to fill, shape, highlight and define both in your everyday makeup routine and on the go. The Brow Kits even come with handy mini tweezers (so cute!) for touch ups. For just £5.99, it'd be rude not to!

With such cheap products, and no skimping on quality, it's no wonder Barry M is a huge hit with both bloggers and high street shoppers. Sold in both Superdrug and Boots, their huge range of products is fast becoming a best seller, and with Lucy Mecklenburgh as their cover girl, they'll have a very successful 2016 indeed.

Do you have any of their new spring collection? What are your thoughts?

What to Put on Blog Business Cards*

Business cards for bloggers are super important for anyone looking to grow their blog. Business cards help people you meet; brands and other bloggers, to remember you and to find, follow or collaborate with you in the future. This is our 3rd set of business cards. As our blog grows, changes and develops, so does the design of our cards. 

These Impakt Coloured Core business cards at 800gsm from Aura Print are the most professional quality we've seen. They're beautifully thick, well designed and have a little pop of colour to either add contrast or compliment your colour palette. I've actually been given a card like these by someone whilst at my day job. When I first saw them, my first thought was 'ooo, these look professional' and my second thought was 'hmm, they must come with a hefty price tag!' I was only right on one of those points; these cards ooze professionalism. 

We're at a stage with our blog where we really want to grow, work with some more amazing brands and possibly monetise if we can. To future collaborators, we need to look like we know our stuff and we need to be memorable. At events such as our BloggersXmas and at brand parties like the River Island #StyleWithLove event, you need to stand out in a PR's or another bloggers memory. How better than to have amazing business cards that are beautifully designed, simple, classy and above all, high quality. There's actually nothing we hate more than getting given cheap, wafer thin business cards that are poorly designed. I'm sure you can all agree! They just get all bent and aren't that appealing to look at.

There's been so many occasions when we've seen bloggers order a pack from vistaprint using an existing template card, then at the same event, we'd get given about 10 cards from different bloggers, all with the same design. It's a tad awkward! At least with these, you're guaranteed to be different, and different is what stands out. 

Your blog's business cards need to represent you as a blogger and showcase your blog as the best it can be! With Aura Print, you can choose from 15 different coloured cores and laminate glossy or matte for free! You can either design your own artwork and upload it, or for an extra £22.50, they will even design the cards for you, which for us; pretty much took only 4 or 5 emails back and forth to confirm the design as they got it almost spot on first time!

Simply select whether you want Single or Double Sided, Black & White or Colour, Landscape or Portrait, what Coloured Core you would like and whether you want it laminated or not. Then, you can either upload your existing artwork or have their amazing designers whip one up for you. What's more, you can order as many cards as you like (128 before the price starts increasing). With these,  they're not far off the price of sites such as vistaprint, but with Aura Print you're paying for quality, and quality is what gets you those collaborations and the ROI (return on investment) is so worth it! 

So what information do you need to put on your business cards?

Name

Blog Name

Email Address (can be direct or PR alias)

Twitter Handle

Website URL

Other Social Media handles if different (can just put the logos if all the same)

What you blog is about (e.g. Beauty/Food/Fitness etc)

A photo of You!

The information you put on your business card is crucial. Like a CV, you want the holder of this card to know exactly what you do and how to contact you. Adding sub-text to the name of your blog as we have is great too. This is so the cardholder knows exactly what you blog about without having to visit your site. This saves them time, and is more likely to get you the collaboration if they're looking for bloggers like you.  Adding a photo makes it more personal, and if you've met them in person, they can put the name to the face and remember who you are instantly. 

Adding an image, logo or something that stands out on the reverse side will make your business card eye-catching and is more likely going to be picked up out of a pile than a plain, boring, text filled card written in Times New Roman. 

And obviously.. contact details are a must. You can put your phone number if you want to, but brands are more likely to email you or DM you on Twitter or Instagram than pick up the phone to you. Oh, and do NOT forget to add your Blog URL or YouTube Channel! That's like writing an essay and forgetting to submit it. We've been there, it wasn't a proud moment. *cringe*

Now I wouldn't say I was an expert at business cards, but from my experience in Marketing and having to attend a LOT of networking events for my work, I've seen my fair share of cards, some impressive, others appalling. I'm sure you can guess which ones I used to follow up with afterwards!

You can order your very own Professional-looking Coloured Core Business Cards from Aura Print HERE!

What do you put on your Business Cards? What do you think of these Coloured Core cards?

Results with Lucy* | Virtual Personal Training | BEFORE

After trying and failing (or giving up) tonnes of different diets and exercises, I found Results with Lucy at the perfect time. I started running a couple weeks ago, and being really busy one week knocked me right off track and couldn't pick up the energy to get back at it.

I like having a regime or a timetable to follow. RWL offers a variety of different plans you can choose from including one for Students, one for Abs etc.. I went for the New Beginnings, which includes both workout videos and a nutrition guide to follow.  On the website, there are hundreds of recipes and work out videos to choose from each day, however, with my plan, the videos are tailored to me so I follow a particular sequence, with the intensity gradually getting harder and harder as the weeks go by. Each workout session takes less than an hour and goes through a Warm Up, a targeted workout, for example an Abs workout, followed by a cardio workout, Yoga or Pilates and finally a Cool Down. It's like having your very own personal trainer with you!

The variety each week keeps you motivated and stops you getting too bored of the same workout over and over again. And trust me, you'll certainly feel the burn with these ones! Don't be fooled by the Yoga and Pilates sessions, they're so much harder and more effective than they look! I could barely walk after my first legs-concentrated Pilates session!

So sticking with my 'new beginnings' that are coming up over the next year or so; getting married next year, eventually starting a family, progressing in my career, I have wanted to start a new fitness journey to get in to shape for not only my wedding, but to get into the best shape of my life. To start a-fresh, to start over.  I was at my heaviest ever weight at 12 stone 13 lbs last year, and I have sworn to myself never to get that large again. Not that there was or is anything wrong with being that weight, just for me, I wasn't happy and didn't feel healthy. I was knackered after even the simplest of exercises, none of my clothes fit, I just didn't feel good about myself.

Pre-relationship and pre-university I was 9 stone 7 lbs. I was confident, I was healthy and I could wear anything and it looked good. Still a couple sizes bigger than my friends, but I didn't care. With Results with Lucy, I know that weight is achievable if I put my mind to it. The New Beginnings plan is just 13 weeks long, but with the 4 exercises a week and a healthy eating plan along side, losing 2 lbs per week will be easy. That's around 26 lbs I can lose if I keep it up.. almost 2 stone!

In the first week alone, I've lost 4 lbs! So I'm steadily getting there! I have to admit, I haven't followed the diet to the letter, because of my intolerances to wheat and dairy. But I have used them as inspiration to create similar, equally healthy meals for myself each day. My goal is actually to reach 10 stone 7lbs and a healthy size 10. From then, I will set myself further goals to reach my pre-uni weight. I am determined (despite giving in to my chocolate craving once in a while!)! I will share my photo results in my AFTER post!

My pre RWL measurements are as follows:
Chest - 100cm
Waist - 80cm
Stomach - 91cm
Hips - 93cm
Bum - 112cm
Thigh - 70cm
Arms - 33cm

Fitness Test 1:
Press ups - 21 (on knees)
Squats - 33 (full)
Plank - 30 seconds (low)
Jacks - 56 (full)

Check back in 3 weeks to see how my fitness has improved and see how much weight I've lost using Results with Lucy. To sign up to your very own training plan or just want to pay per month rather than trek to a gym, join here!

What do you do for fitness? Have you used RWL before? Share your results with us!

#NailDetoxWeek | Nail Apothecary Treatments*

It's time to take care of your nails ladies! This week is Nail Detox Week, meaning we need to give our nails the care and attention they deserve. According to Elegant Touch's research, 75% of women dedicate less than an hour to the upkeep and appearance of their nails per week. That's a lot of neglect! I am probably the most guilty of this as I constantly harm my nails by applying acrylics, gels, stick on nails, biting etc. and rarely give them a breather! Well this week, that's all about to change. 

From my horror a few years ago my nails got to the worst state they've ever been after a long period of wearing acrylics and stick on nails. My nails started peeling, half of them came off with the acrylics and I ended up having half a nail and it took almost a full year to grow back completely. Ever since then, I've made sure to have a Nail Detox every now and then to give them some TLC. 

That's where these five bottles of nail love comes in. Each Nail Apothecary bottle helps and repairs your nails in different ways, and if teamed together, can breathe life into your nails once again. 

01 - Cuticle Elixir

Containing Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin E and Vitamin F.

Deeply nourishes damaged and dry cuticles, protects and conditions the nail plate, revitalises and restores the skin's natural moisture level and moisturises and hydrates formula to leave cuticles and nails soft and smooth.

02 - Cuticle Eliminator

Softens dey and ragged cuticles for healthy nail growth, moisturises formula allowing efficient and painless removal,  allows immediate and easy push back of overgrown cuticles and makes the nail contour appear polished and well-groomed.

03 - 24KT Gold Ridge Filler

Containing 24KT Gold flecks, Lingonberry seed oil and a Keratin-like formula.

Instantly improves the appearance of imperfections, promotes strong healthy nail growth, UV filter protects the nail from discolouration and yellowing and improves wear when under colour enamel.

04 - Toughflex Base Coat

Containing Naturally derived plant keratin and a UV filter.

Creates strong bonds between your natural nail bed and nail enamel, cellulose-based multi-tasking formula acts as a primer for nail enamel and protects against chipping and triple complex Keratin adds strength to weak and brittle nails.

05 - Super Matte Top Coat
Containing Cellulose, Vitamin E and Vitamin F
Fast drying formula gives a velvety matte finish to your nails whilst keeping them hydrated and protects against peeling and damage.

06 - Gel-Effect Top Coat

Fast drying for a cushiony gel-like manicure, provides improved colour fidelity and longer lasting wear, protective UV filter protects lacquer from discolouration and contains no harmful ingredients!

Combinations

01 + 03 - Gives you perfectly hydrated, conditioned and smooth nails

02 + 03 - Visibly smoother, healthier  cuticles and strong, healthy nails

03 + 06 - Instantly fortified and gorgeous, glossy, plumped up nails

04 + 05 - Beautifully primed nails with an on-trend matte finish

04 + 06 - Perfectly primed, gorgeously plumped, flawless manicures

I know I'll be using all 5 this week to ensure my nails are the best they can be! Which combinations will you go for?