Montagne Jeunesse Chocolate Face Mask Review

You can never have too much chocolate, not even at Christmas when you stuff your faces full of it - well I certainly do! Last night I tried a chocolate face mask too. Apparently it is great for moisturising, and as its Winter with a chill in the air drying out my face I thought it would be perfect.

I even got the fiancé involved! Although he used Superdrug's Sensitive Deep Cleansing Mud Mask. He looked a bit funny as he was laying on the sofa with his glasses over the top of the mask reading his Kindle - so cute!

Anyways, the Montagne Jeunesse website says this "Indulge in our guilt free natural treat of creamy delights with our Chocolate Masque. We’ve blended Fairly Traded Cocoa Butter from the sunny islands of the Dominican, with crushed Cocoa and ultra-moisturising Shea to leave skin silky soft and deeply cleansed."  The listed ingredients are: Cocoa, dead sea salt, mediterranean clay and shea butter. And the instructions say: "Cleanse with warm water only. Apply evenly over face and neck with fingertips, avoiding eyes and lips. Lie back & relax for 10-15 minutes, or until dry. Rinse off with warm water. Pat dry. Use weekly"

I applied a thin layer to my face, then squeezed out more product from the sachet to give a thicker layer, then there was still more mask so I actually ended up what I would call a really thick heavy layer of face mask on my face. Thumbs up for the amount of product you get versus the price (usually around £1). The 10-15 minutes of waiting went by very quickly and I could gently feel my skin tightening as the mask dried. I took pictures but tried not too smile too much in case the mask cracked!

Once I had washed off the mask (I used a flannel and warm water - it didn't take too much scrubbing and I think this shows a good mask - you shouldn't have to make your face go red/sore from rubbing!) I stroked my face and it felt as smooth as a baby's bum, I'm not even joking - I don't remember the last time it was this smooth! I am going to stick to my new skincare routine and hope the feeling lasts! I have been moisturising my face more than normal due to it being Winter but that's what everyone does isn't it?

Overall a cheapish product which is fun (they come in so many flavours/varieties!), easy, not time consuming and very effective.

Let me know if you have had any good experiences with face masks!! ext post I'll be jumping on the bandwagon and doing a "Best of 2011". xoxo

Very Quick FOTD

Ok so today I was putting away some of my make up and rediscovered the following Benefit items:
Eye Brightener
Concealer It Stick
Bad Girl Eyeliner

So I was in the mood to use them for a quick natural-ish look.

I used:

FACE
No.7 Tinted Moisturiser in medium
Max Factor Pressed Powder in Medium Beige (41)


EYES
Benefit Eye Brightener - lower waterline
Benefit It Stick - under eyes
No.7 Smoky Rose Quad - all four shades used for eyelid, crease, under eye & highlight
Maybelline Colossal Eyes Mascara in black


LIPS
No.7 Wild Volume Lipstick in Toffee Apple


Definitely not as many items as I would normally wear for a day or evening look!! I think the eye brightener actually looks a bit weird - maybe I haven't done it right?! But I didn't get on with this mascara at first as it seemed really gloopy, possibly a dodgy tube?, although now I can see how long it makes my lashes look and it gives a great curl without using eyelash curlers - time saver maybe?

Is there anything you do to save time when making yourself up? Let me know ur tips/tricks! xoxo

200 blog posts!! This will be celebrated by a NOTD look!!

Hi all, well 200 posts, that's certainly an achievement for me! Some days I hardly find the time to blog, but I'm happy to know there are always people out there interested in what I am writing :)

For Christmas I got a few new bits of clothes - but no makeup and I haven't been buying any in the sales either - I've actually been super good. Hoping it means paying for the wedding will be a bit easier!!

Anyways, today I fancied a bit of gray...the weather hasn't been great! But then I felt it looked a bit sad and lonely so have divided my nail up diagonally with another silvery gray shade and separated it with a white line.
My pictures aren't great as I did my nails as quick as I could and the bottom layer wasn't quite dry enough for the "straight line using sellotape" trick. Nevermind, it's not something you notice up close as I don't know who would be getting that close to my nails in real life!!

Nail varnishes used:
No.7 Base Coat
Collection 2000 Hot Looks Fast Dry in Wham (27)
No.7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Night Silver (62)

P.s. if you have any ideas for me as to what posts I can do in 2012 please let me know - I am hoping to have a strong year of blogging and vlogging up ahead, and would really love to get my followers to 100 by the end of next year!! Thanks for reading xoxo

Merry Xmas everyone!

Hi all, hope you had a great Christmas - I'm still enjoying mine - although I am back to work in a week :(
Here is a quick FOTD for you - I can't remember much of the make up I wore so I will just skip it for this blog and give you a few looks instead and an Xmas day special of me and the hubby to be!

Red hair! and natural look - foundation, mascara and eyeliner

Dark brown eyeshadow and plum lips!

Red updo

Gold eyeshadow, pinky/brown lipstick

Christmas day outfit! Love that the hubby to be is wearing a trimby!

Thanks for reading everyone - look forward to blogging more once I have seen all my family, I don't think I have got any make up for Xmas this year - except nail varnishes from my secret santa at work! Speaking of which I need to paint my nails tomorrow! Perhaps I will recreate todays outfit as well as I wore a lovely new skirt! xoxo

Leopard Print OOTD

Hi all, apparently animal print is in again this season. I am not a huge fan of it so I try to keep it minimal. I think the matching necklace and belt might be a bit too much especially with the patterned tights...!! 

I do however think that the skinny belt works well with the green shorts and the black top and cream and gold glitter cardigan! What do you think? Next time I might try it with plain black tights but on this occasion I couldn't find any.

My black top is from H&M for £3.99, the cardigan is from New Look, and was on 50% off, then I got a further 25% off code so it was £7.50, the shorts are from River Island for £28 and the tights were £4.99 from Miss Selfridge but I can't remember where I got the belt or necklace.So who's looking forward to Christmas?!

 I know that with my wedding coming up I won't be getting much this year but I will still be creating a Christmas wish list, although it won't be completely unrealistic, ie this perfume Lauren Luke asked for from eBay as a joke!

You know your make up is too old when...

you go to pour out some liquid foundation and out comes water!? I didn't even know this is what happened after you'd left it so long? Even when some of the product comes out and I put the lid back on and shake it, it still sounds like there's more water in there!

I am going through my foundation stash and getting rid of shades that either no longer suit my skin colour, or those that need to go in the bin!! I don't think I spend long enough using up my products these days. New ones entice me too much and therefore I end up buying new things before I finish the old ones, then they end up being forgotten about!

Ok so what else is left of my collection apart from water? Well there is a picture below:

Of the above about 6 of them have been purchased in the last 12 months so all still in usable condition and can go safely back into storage! The other 8 (including the watery one) are over 12 months and I am going to test each one, or throw it out!

Rimmel Recover foundation in Soft Beige, watery - BIN
17 Super Wear Long Lasting Foundation in Biscuit, too pink for my skin - GIVE AWAY
Rimmel Lasting Finish in Pale Biscuit, little bit leaky - BIN
Avon ...... in Warmest Beige (name of the foundation has worn off!), perfect condition, wish I knew what it was now that I know it lasts so long! - KEEP
Rimmel Lasting Finish 16 Hour Foundation in Soft Beige, my favourite so far (I think you can tell I have bought a lot of Rimmel in the past, cheaper than many brands, but not lacking in quality!) perfect shade for Winter for me! KEEP
17 Skin Perfecting Shine Free Foundation, shade has worn off! Consistency however is great, perfect shade - another KEEP
NYC Natural Matte Foundation in 004 and 005, strangely 005 has gone very watery but 004 is perfect, and again is a great shade for Winter. Its a shame to split this pair up as I would use the darker shade for contouring, but what can you do?! 004 KEEP 005 BIN

There we go, after half an hour my foundation stash is now 25% smaller! Thanks for reading! xoxo

Sparkly Christmassy NOTD

After 4 OOTD posts I'm sure you're glad to see a NOTD post. I used two different polishes to see what kind of layering effect it had and I loved the results! Perfect for this time of year too, really brightens up my day!

I used a No.7 Base Coat, No.7 Stay Perfect in Betty Blues, then JRB Nail Enamel 190, followed by No.7 Top Coat.

What do you think and what nail polishes do you go for at xmas? xoxo

Wedding OOTD

Recently I went to my hubby to be's sister's wedding. I didn't really want to splash out on a new outfit for the occasion because I knew I had so many dresses that hadn't been worn much anyway. After much deliberating, trying on dresses, cardigans, jackets. Checking they weren't too long, too short, low neckline etc. All this was almost too much for Dave! lol.

In the end I chose a rather colourful number, wouldn't have expected anything less with Dave's help!

I wore a multi coloured dress from ASOS, a yellow blazer from ASOS, a simple black back with a flower attached to the zip, black tights and black peep toe high heels from New Look which also featured a flower on the toes. I think it was quite simple but pretty, and suitable for day or night!! The second picture shows my toned down make up, after all I didn't wanna steal the show :-P

The only thing I hate about this picture and some others, is the massive vein that shows up on my forehead - how can I hide this?! Please help! xoxo

Birthday OOTD

Hiya guys, I've just recently celebrated my 24th birthday, hence why I have been away for a bit. So to jump back into the swing of things here is the outfit I wore on the day, something casual, but some new items making an appearance!

I got the jacket from H&M (£20), the jumper from Hollister (£38), the green jeans from Miss Selfridge (£38) and the boots from New Look (£25), total of £117, not bad, the top under the jumper is just a cheap top from HandM (£8) if you want me to include that as well to take the price up to £125. Do you ever consider how much your outfit has cost you? It's definitely interesting for a number freak like me :-\

I'm sorry I seem to be featuring so many OOTD's lately, I think they are just the simplest for me at the moment. Especially as I have to wear clothes everyday, whereas I can't seem to find much time for make up lately, it makes me sad!! :(

I am hoping to do a nail video or liquid eyeliner video at some point today - please comment below and let me know which you would prefer? xoxo

Another OOTD - Brand New Items!

Ok, so I had a bit of inspiration for today's outfit, I wanted to wear my new cream blouse and my new black bow stocking tights! Perhaps a little borderline for a work outfit, but hey I never stick to rules :)

I'm holding up the skirt to show you the bows on the tights, the skirt is not really that short!!

Some of these items I've had a while, but not worn yet; whilst others I bought just over a week ago with a friend in Bluewater. What do you think of my lovely ladybird slippers? Lol. I wish I could wear these to work! Breakdown of the outfit; cream blouse from Miss Selfridge £35, black pleated skirt & bow belt from the local market stall £6, bow tights (25% off) New Look £3.75, Eiffel Tower necklace Republic £4.

Quite a simple look with the main theme of bows!! What do you think xoxo

New Tights - OOTD

Hi all, sorry for my absence, had a busy weekend - again! So last week my colleague passed me a 25% off in New Look code. I decided to buy some tights! I bought 4 pairs - a blue pair, a navy pair, a mustard yellow pair and a black stocking pair with hearts going up them. All for just £10.

Here is my OOTD inspired by my new blue tights!

Not sure if you can tell, but my cropped trousers have the same colour blue lines running through them. I like wearing funky colours to brighten up the dreary Winter days in the UK! Headband in blue £1.99, 3/4 sleeve top in blue £6.99, grey check cropped trousers £9.99, blue tights £2.25, shoes £5. Not bad for a total of £26! What do you think? xoxo

Red Magnetism NOTD

Hello again everyone! I know I haven't finished my FOTD series yet, I have the pictures, but I haven't got round to uploading them yet as I had a stupidly busy weekend!! Sorry!

So here is my trying the magnetism look again, I have red, blue, green, silver and purple now. I'm very into red atm, I went in search of some red pumps and red tights today but didn't find any in my size in 2 shops that stocked them! Anyway, here are my pictures:

I was sitting in bed taking the pictures and my cat came to sit on my lap cause he likes to sleep on the bed with me. I couldn't resist adding the picture. I also just noticed that my nails match my bed sheet! hehe.

Hope you enjoyed reading and look out for the final two instalments of my FOTD series! xoxo

Models Own FOTD (Day 5/7)

It seems green FOTD's feature quite regularly on my blog compared with any other colour. I used my Models Own eyeshadows, which I haven't used as often as I should. They are great, highly pigmented and really easy to blend.

With flash

Without flash

I used:

FACE
L'oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in Golden Beige (W3)
Max Factor Pressed Powder in Medium Beige
Rimmel Blush in Santa Rose

LIPS
No.7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Angel Kiss
Avon Extreme Gloss Glazewear in Sand

EYES
Models Own Eyeshadow in Pale Jade - eyelid
Models Own Eyeshadow in Emerald Green - crease
17 Metallic Eye Pencil in Green - lower waterline
The Body Shop Divide & Multiply Mascara

Hope you like it!! xoxo

MAC FOTD (Day 4/7)

Today I want to go back to an eyeshadow shade which I first purchased for my sister. Then I liked it so much I bought it for myself as a birthday treat. It was my first MAC eyeshadow and first MAC product and it wasn't my last! It's called Sumptuous Olive. I'm not sure if they still do it. I also wanted to use a subtle shade to go with a casual Winter plum lip!

So here goes;

With flash

Without flash

FACE
No.7 Mineral Perfection Foundation in Almond (30)
No.7 Mineral Perfection Blusher in Soft Damson (10)
No.7 Skin Illuminator in Peach

LIPS
No.7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Plum Rebellion
Gosh On Stage Cool Lip Jam in 105

EYES
MAC Eyeshadow in Sumptuous Olive
MAC Liberty Eyeshadow - shade 12
Maybelline The Colossal Volume Mascara in Black
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero

What do you think? Do you prefer wild looks, or toned down looks? xoxo

Subtle FOTD (Day 3/7)

Someone I know commented that my last 2 FOTD's have been pretty heavy make up for everyday wear, so today I decided I would use some subtle browns to compliment my brown eyes :)

I have housework to do so today's post won't be very long either. Here are my piccies;

With flash

Without flash

I used:

FACE
New ID i-Perfect Colour Adjust Foundation in Vanilla (I was quite shocked when this shade was used on my in the studio but it works - I'm not sure I'm vanilla in high street brands tho!)
New ID i-Conceal Brush on Fluid Concealer in Medium
New ID i-Bronze in Rio

EYES
New ID i-Shadow Quad in Choca Mocha (notice a theme going on with the New ID products?)
Wet n Wild Mega Lash Mascara in Black
No.7 Smoky Eyeliner in Black

LIPS
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Soft Coral (600)
Sephora Lip Gloss in Precious Pink

All in all a quick look to create, probably took 5-10mins max and that was whilst watching TV!
Hope you're enjoying the series so far xoxo

Neon FOTD (Day 2/7)

I was feeling a little bit wild after pole fitness tonight so I hope my look also shows that off. As it's late I'm afraid I won't be rambling on much, you're probably glad. Here are the pics;

With flash

Without flash

FACE

Max Factor Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion Foundation in Warm Almond (45)
No.7 Perfect Light Loose Powder in Medium
MUA Blusher - Shade 4

LIPS

Fyrinnae Lip Lustre
Lancome Juicy Tubes

EYES

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Models Own Neon Hot Pink Kohl Eye Pencil (lower lashline)
L'oreal Extra Volume Collagene in Black
Aromaleigh, Hot In The City - Coney Island (crease)
Aromaleigh, Hot In The City - Italian Ice (eyelid)
Aromaleigh, Les Papillons - Flying Flower (lower lashline)

I hope the yellow really pops and stand out to you. The pink pencil and shadow on the lower lashline isn't as bright as it could be, perhaps if I do something similar I will add a touch of the shadow over the top of the pencil to set it. Also I don't think you can clearly see the green crease colour very much  it's a shame I didn't take a picture with my eyes closed because I have actually used a lovely shade - between lime green and grass green! In hindsight I think I was trying not to overdo it because of the bright yellow, but I may have under done it...

Let me know what you think :) xoxo

Sunday FOTD (Day 1/7)

Hi all, hope you've had a good weekend? :D

I figured I hadn't done a FOTD in a while and starting today I'm going to do 7 FOTD's with the attempt of using different products every day! A challenge I know, I'm hoping I don't have to go without blusher  although I'm not even sure if I have 7...I will find out!

Here is today's, I used a little bit of liquid eyeliner which I am still not completely used to but I thought I'd give it a try!

With flash

Without flash

I used:

FACE
No.7 Shine Free Primer
No.7 Beautifully Matte Foundation in Almond (30)
No.7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in Medium
New ID Cosmetics I-Glow in Ice Pop

EYES
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Vol IV - Bender (eyelid)
Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Vol IV - Crystal (crease)
Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Vol IV - Skimp (highlight)
Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion
Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil in Black
No.7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara in Black

LIPS
Color Trend Lip Stix in Nude Pink
Gosh Light'n Shine Lip Glaze in shade 04


And yes, this week I said I would also be bringing you the highlights of my week;
A new female artist who goes by the name "Natalia Kills", the album is awesome, not too unlike Lady Gaga.
Downton Abbey - the season finale is tonight and I'm watching it right now, I'm not sure how I'm gonna cope without it on Sunday nights.
I also learnt two new pole moves this week - Crucifix, and the front hook to back hook, videos of these can be found by some great pole dancers on Youtube of course!

That's all for today - what do you think? xoxo

OOTD & New Blog Series

Today I was provided with inspiration for my OOTD - I asked a friend because I was feeling lazy.
So here it is:

I look a bit weird in the 2nd pic but I had to include it since little Cosmo wanted to get involved in the photos. The handbag is from Next (£12), the tan waist belt is also from Next (£6), the green shirt is from Republic - part of the Soul Cal range (probably no more than £15), the white strap top is from a boutique store (£3), the indigo skinny jeans are from Dorothy Perkins (£20) and the tan ankle boots are from New Look (£25). All in all not bad for a total of £81. What do you think?

I also want to start a series of Sunday Special blogs: featuring my favourite FOTD of the week, a new book that I may have read, band that I've heard or TV programme - I got the idea when I listened to a new band in the car today and was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved them after just one song!! I ended up listening to three!

Thanks for reading!! xoxo

BINTM Goodies!!!

So generally when you go to a modelling show you just assume there is gonna be no free food - like other shows my partner and I have been to, and that it would be full of beauty products.

Well there were a few surprises - firstly the food, due to the stereotype of models not eating! Then there was the fact that Amy Childs was there, surrounded by people - oh dear! I fell in love with lots of clothes there but sadly they stocked size 8's and up, too big for my petite frame :(

I did get to buy a few NYX goodies, I wanted to try a selection of products, as I'd heard that its a good quality cheapish brand from the US. I decided to pick up some stuff from the 3 for £5 baskets:

I was also tempted by the Nails Supreme nail art pens, these were similar to my Rio nail art pens that were bought more than 6 years ago! I felt it was time they were replaced, grabbing a bargain as usual I got 23 pens, a spare brush/pen & a top coat for £40!

And if you've seen my previous blog you'll also know that I got 2 new magnetism nail polishes which I am very happy with and can't wait to get the other 3 colours!!

What do you think of my purchases? :D

Newest Nail Trend - Magnetism!

At the weekend I attended BINTM (Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model). I purchased a few things, being that my birthday is coming up. However from now on I am on a "no-buy" from now on, I have to save every penny for the wedding!! If you live near me and want a manicure let me know and I can give you a special price. I'm a fully qualified Nail Techinician.

Anyway onto the subject of today's post; Magnetism Nail Polish! I got Ego Green & Notorious Silver from FashionistA - who worked with The Saturdays to create this nail polish range.

Purple (Molly), Green (Una), Blue (Vanessa), Silver (Frankie) & Red (Rochelle), they went on sale on 26th October in selected Superdrug stores! The Nail Lacquer is £6 and the Nail Magnet is £3. I managed to pick up 2 polishes and the magnet from the show for £10! I also just had an email from Superdrug about 3 for 2 so I  intend to purchase the other three colours for £12! Bargain.

I think it came out quite well for a first attempt; here are pictures of my manicure:

What do you think? Have you tried any other Magnetism Nail Polishes? I've seen Nails Inc & 17 also have them out in the UK! Thanks for reading!! xoxo

Brighten Up My Day - OOTD

Well as most of you would guess right, it is raining again in the UK, finally Winter is coming. It's then when I want to wear bright colours and tights most of all, we need to cheer ourselves up somehow lol. Although saying that I quite like Winter. Snow, getting to dress warm and snuggly. Wearing scarves (I bought a lovely new one today from Topshop!), gloves and hats! Yay.

Ok so here is today's look:

What do you think? Coral looks great with black in my opinion! I had to add more sparkle with the tigths, not sure if you can tell in this picture. My future hubby to be took it and it's not up to his usual standard lol. I have a few sparkles on my top so I thought the tights went well. xoxo

Pink NOTD - Inspired by...

...the girls doing a Nail Polish Blogger Challenge:
Deniz from Emerald Sparkled uses Flor Mar #29
Leslie from Polish Art Addiction uses China Glaze Laced Up
Inge from Polish Sis uses Hema nr 84
Rebecca from Rebecca Likes Nails uses Color Club Peppermint Twist
Ulmiel from Did someone say nail polish? uses Finger Paints Give Pink A Chance
Gejba from  parokeets uses essence Love This City
Sidrah from beauteous blog uses sally hansen pink blink
Sarah from Lucky Lacquers uses W7 Shocking Pink
Caroline from Good Lack, Nail uses OPI Do You Think I'm Tex-y?
Maestra from parokeets uses essie knockout pink

I'm really loving the intricate designs by Polish Art Addiction, you should really check them out, I also really liked today's layering combo by Good Lack, Nail

Here is my pink look for today, although I'm not sure I'll have time to change it up tomorrow like the other dedicated ladies. I've still got a bit of cleaning up to do around the nails but I'll cheat and do it in the hot water after I've washed up. I used Models Own - Pastel Pink, 2 coats were needed as it is quite a sheer polish. I also used a black rhinestone on each thumbnail to jazz it up a little bit.

Hope you like! :) It was my first time using my stamps again for a while, as you can probably tell, some are quite blurry/smudged. It took a bit of getting used to but I hope to be doing more shortly!! xoxo

Baby It's Cold Outside - OOTD

My cats recently managed to break the glass jug on our coffee machine so yesterday we ventured out to buy a new one. We ended up getting this bad boy. I was excited to make a cappuccino this morning using the Starbucks ground coffee we bought last week. Well that was 8am this morning and I'm not even sleepy yet! It was one goooooood coffee.

Anyway, now less of the rambling, time for the actual post you wanna read. Clothes, yay. Cold, yay! Some people love summer, personally I love winter. Apart from enjoying the snow, I love to layer in the cold weather and find people really get creative when they need to keep warm. I normally start off my outfit by picking out one key item. Yesterday I wanted to wear my acid wash ripped jeans from Republic (£10 in the sale). I've heard that when you go a bit edgy you want the rest of your outfit to be a bit girly. Therefore I went with a long sleeve pink top also from Republic (£5 in the sale). The top has a slight zebra effect so it's partly see through. I decided to keep the outfit casual and add a white vest top underneath from New Look (£6). To add a bit of depth to the outfit I wore my green/pink rope necklace from Next (£6 in the sale). I popped on a pink headband from H&M (£3). To keep me warm I grabbed my brown woolly coat and my owl hat both from Republic (£20 and £3 respectively, both in the sale). I seem to have so many pairs of shoes but found it difficult to choose what to finish my look and what would work with ripped skinnies...brogue ankle boots in a natural cream colour from Next (£15 in the sale).

 

Yes I love sales, they draw me in and make me spend lots of money, but hey, it's all worth it in the end! Overall this outfit totals up to £68, not bad in my opinion. A pair of shoes could easily cost more than that on their own!

What do you think? xoxo