Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Review: Soap & Glory 'For Daily Youth'


Although I have never talked about about beauty products on this blog I recently bought the Soap & Glory For Daily Youth moisturising lotion and just had to tell you about it. I don't usually use moisturisers/facial products because I find that most products either breakout or dry out my skin, but I had heard good things about this so I thought I would give it a go.

I got it from Boots for £12 for a 50 mL bottle - I have been using it everyday for about 2 months and I still have a third left so I think it is pretty good value for money. The first thing that I noticed was that it was very light and easy to apply and doesn't leave a horrible greasy feeling afterwards. It leaves the face feeling soft with a nice 'glow' (but I'm pretty sure that this is equally due to the massaging as it it to the actual lotion). So far so good.

What I really like about this product is that it didn't break me out, in fact, it has done the total opposite. Since starting it I have noticed a considerable decrease in the number of spots I get, my skin is a lot clearer now and I can only put it down to this moisturiser. I must admit I used to be sceptical when people told me that moisturising helps to reduce spots but it actually does! I would recommend this if you have sensitive skin and want to try something to help with spots.  

It claims to have a '6-in-1' action to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles too. I'm 22 so I didn't get it specifically for wrinkles but I did notice that the fine lines on my forehead (those ones you get when you raise your eyebrows) have pretty much disappeared after two months.

Although not an expert in beauty products, I really do like this moisturiser and will definitely be repurchasing it. I has gotten rid of dry areas of my skin, which feels a lot softer, reduced the number of spots I get and got rid of the fine lines.  All that and it's pink. I have nothing bad to say about this product. If you're looking to try something new, I really recommend this :)

Friday, October 26, 2012

True friendship

 

I've always ardently believed and said this but I never knew it was an actual quote! It is definitely true; I hate the pressure of feeling the need to say anything to keeping a conversation (however uninteresting it may be) going  just to avoid the dreaded awkward silence. I really think that one of life's little gems is finding someone whose silence you are comfortable in. Nice to see others feel the same :)

Arranged Marriage

Ahh, what a guy, so romantic.. xD



It's funny because it's pretty much every arranged marriage summed up in two minutes.

Anywaay, Eid Mubarak guys! Hope you had a good one. I went shopping today and then stuffed my face with chicken and cake - the only way to celebrate in my opinion.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

October Birchbox, Ipsy Bag, & Beauty Army Box: Full Review

Finally, today I received my Beauty Army Box, so now I am finally able to write a full review on all of my October monthly subscription services like I promised. Embedded below is my video unveiling the products I received for my Ipsy Bag, and my Birchbox  , go ahead and check that out if you haven't already and then following is my full, honest review on each product.
 


This month's theme was bombshell, and I absolutely loved it, this is my favorite bag so far, and it had the most makeup samples. The bag itself was an adorable black, white and red chevron bag, pictured below along with my favorite product of the month. This month's bag is the best one I have received since being a subscriber to Ipsy (MyGlam).

 
 Be A Bombshell Eyeliner
http://www.beabombshellcosmetics.com/ $14

This eyeliner is my favorite product I have ever received from Ipsy. Since my signature look involves doing a cat-eye or winged eye liner I love to purchase eyeliners with the tips that are like markers, and this has a good sized one. I normally use either the Marbella or BH Cosmetics marker tip eyeliners but they feel like they dry out at times and this one always feels moist. This is the best eyeliner for making a precise / straight line. They offer these liners in black, brown and a purple-ish blue.


 What's Your Type? "the body builder" Black Mascara
www.thebalm.com $19

This is my second favorite product since being a subscriber to Ipsy. As you can see this month they really wanted to provide us with good quality samples from good brands. I have always wanted to try products from TheBalm and just never really have had the chance to, and now that I have tried this I will definitely be ordering from them in the near future. Normally when I apply mascara I have to apply two coats for full coverage and volume, but with this mascara one simple coat does wonders and provides exactly the amount of volume I look for. Another wonderful quality this mascara offers is that it is CLUMP FREE, no more hassle with clumps is definitely enough to make it worth it. Also, it is long lasting it doesn't seem to fade or smear throughout the day, even when it's quite warm out.

 
Eyeshadow
www.coastalscents.com $1.99 per shadow
 
Top Left: Vibrant Blue
Top Right: Deep Eggplant
Bottom Left: Candlelight
Bottom Right: Elven Midnight (this is not a typo)
 
I always love expanding my eyeshadow collection, in my opinion you can NEVER have enough good quality eye shadows. I have noticed on the website the pictures of the colors they have are not exact, there is a huge difference between the actual color compared to the websites picture, so be careful ordering colors you are unsure of because they seem to be darker/brighter in person. I absolutely love this little collection of shadows, the shade of candlelight is perfect to use as a highlighting color for my pale skin, and the elven midnight and deep eggplant are wonderful smokey eye colors, I have yet to use the vibrant blue but as you can tell it is quite bright. The eye shadows blend out well, and are highly pigmented, so what you see is what you get. I have purchased eye shadows before from Coastal Scents and I have never had a negative transaction, and have always loved the products I received.
 
 
Mirenesse Lip Bomb in Mirror Mirror
 
Holy Cow! I just actually checked up on the price of this stuff and really couldn't believe how expensive this stuff is, and in my opinion it is definitely NOT worth it. They offer this product on the website in two different shades of red, and I wanted to love this product so badly, I mean a red lip is part of my signature look, but no matter how many times I have tried this something always goes wrong with it making me believe it is not worth $35, now if it was somewhere near $10 I would deal with it and purchase again. First off the negatives, this lip product is very heavy and difficult to get a even application, and it also smears very easily for at least the first hour of wear, during the making of my video I had to stop at least 10 times to wipe it off of my teeth and away from the edges of my mouth, even though I applied lip liner also to help. I also have tried it without the lip liner and still had the same difficulties. Now the positives, the color is absolutely amazing, and I do believe that once it dries up it does last quite long, but back to the negative side, once I did get it off, which took quite a scrubbing, my lips felt very chapped and dry. Like I said before if this product was cheaper I would consider dealing with the hassle, but in my opinion it is nowhere near worth $35.
 
 
Pequi Oil Treatment
www.couturecolour.com $12 for .5 fl oz
 
Now when it comes to hair products my opinion never seems to match up with other people's reviews, maybe my hair is just odd or something, but I didn't notice too many differences while trying this. I do know that it does have a wonderful smell, and it is alcohol free which is always a positive, and it is suppose to help create softer and shinier hair, which it does a little for me, but mostly I have noticed that it makes my hair greasy.
 
 
This month Birchbox teamed with a company called Goop . Goop is a company that was created in 2008 by Gwyneth Paltrow to help share all of life's positives. The website itself doesn't give a real good definition of what exactly Goop is, but Birchbox stated that Goop is there go to for lifestyle inspiration. To sum everything up this month's box was lame and I am seriously considering canceling my subscription, some months are good but others are just horrible.  
 
 
DDF Brightening Cleanser
 
This foaming face wash is suppose to help minimize uneven skin tone and reduce age spots, and it comes in a licorice scent. I have been trying this face was for about two weeks now, and haven't noticed any different in my skin. I use this every night before bed and I have to plug my nose to use it because the licorice scent is very strong and makes me sick, afterwards my face does feel clean, but I have notice it does nothing for taking makeup off. Since I have been using this my skin has been getting very greasy and has broke out worse than it has in years, after this review I do not plan on using it again. 
 
 
Perfekt Lip Perfection Gel in Melrose
 
This is the one and only makeup sample of the month, and it is TINY. I have never heard of Perfekt Beauty before this, but I am always curious to try new brands, and the packaging is adorable. The lip perfection gel comes in 5 different shades, and is suppose to not only moisturize but provide good color and even application.
 
 
Mighty Leaf Tea Assortment
 
To be honest I wasn't really that excited to get tea, I have a MASSIVE collection of teas already, and I am not real fond of getting food samples from a beauty themed monthly subscription service, I would much rather a beauty product, especially this month because everything pretty much sucked. On the optimistic side I checked out the site for this company and I do like the fact that they have a massive selection of flavors and they do sell loose teas, not just tea bags. They also offer boxes that have up to a 100 tea bags per package for avid tea drinkers.
 
And finally I get to reveal what I ended up receiving from Beauty Army this month... This month in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month they are donating a portion of there sales to Strides Against Breast Cancer . Like I said in my video I did have problems with my account this month which caused my box to come later than normal, when I went to do my selections this month they were the same products I received last month, and no matter how I changed up my beauty profile I ended up with the same things. So, after that I got on Facebook and commented there in hope of some assistance and explanation and they responded back for me to email them which I did, I waited a couple of days and no response so I emailed again and once again no response.. After that I commented on Facebook once again and they commented back and gave me a different email address to try so I forwarded all my past messages and another new one to that email, and still NO RESPONSE, and I basically just gave up, I selected the favorites out of my selection that was offered and just dealt with it. I am hoping next month things are better and I get a good selection otherwise I will have to fight once again with there horrible customer service to get assistance, because I do typically really love Beauty Army. Okay, now onto my samples for the month, I will not be saying much about a couple of these products because I have wrote about them in past Beauty Army reviews.
 
 
Lipsi Aphrodite Powder
 
This is the second time I have received this sample, and the first time I wasn't even sure exactly what it was for until I did a little research on the website. Aphrodite powder is a face powder designed to absorb excess oils on your face to help provide glowing skin, it works pretty well but it isn't my favorite face powder that I have tried.
 
 
Paris Amour Bodywash
 
This is another product I have received twice, but I didn't mind getting this one a second time I actually just used up the last one. Like a lot of other products from Bath and Body Works this has a wonderful scent and that is the number one reason I love it. The scent is also long lasting, you can still smell it even after you are out of the shower and dry.
 

Emani Minerals Primer
 
Once again a product I have received twice, and just like last time I love this primer. It is lightweight and provides a smooth base for applying makeup.
 
 
Blushed by Ruddy Water
 
The first time I received this sample I had a much more positive review, I loved the scent and the packaging was neat, but this time when I received it and opened the package to apply the wipe inside was dried out and the package had more scent to it than the wipe itself.

 
Skinn Cosmetics Twin Set Lipstick and Lip Gloss in Coral Poppy
 
This is the first time I have ever received this product or tested something from Skinn Cosmetics and I wasn't overall impressed. This duo has a lipstick end and a gloss end and comes in 13 different shades. For starters I love the color, but the quality of the product isn't really worth $13 in my opinion. I applied the lipstick in the morning before I left to work and in about 15 minutes it appeared cracked and clumpy and my lips felt and looked dry. The lip gloss itself comes in one of those applicators that no matter how hard you try to get some everytime you pull out the little wand it only brought out a tiny dab, and the gloss also didn't have much color.
 
 
 
Ineke HotHouse Flower Perfume
 
This is one of those fancy expensive perfumes that I can only picture old women in fur coats wearing. I put a little dab on my wrist to test the scent and I smelled like it all day, my son told me I smelled yucky. It is suppose to have hints of Earl Grey Tea, Cypress, Gardenia, Musk, Fig, and so on, and it smelled disgusting to me.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Overall this month my favorite subscription was the Ipsy Bag, besides that the products I received I wasn't too satisfied with. I am hoping next month's get better and you will see them as soon as I receive them. Once again next month I will do an unveiling video when I first receive my packages and then write a written review on here when I get a chance to test everything fully. Thank you!
 
-Bri Grim
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Halloween Helpline


Halloween is here, that means dressing up. Either you love it or hate it. I LOVE IT. Most of you have probably been planning your costume since the 1st of November last year but for those few who are a little late to the game if your not wanting to do the traditional witch, zombie or vampire this year here are a few ideas.

If your not wanting to spend any money on a costume try being creative with something you already own. For example you can use a faux fur jacket to become a terrifying mountain yeti. You can make yourself a mask or just rub dirt on your face if your lazy. I think this outfit is more suited to trick-or-treating as the faux fur jacket will be way to hot for a party.


Faux Fur Jacket from Asos
If your really wanting to push the boat out I suggest adopting a character for the evening. There are loads of online make-up tutorials for every character you can think of. To be Ziggy Stardust just wear anything tight fitting which has a mix of mental colours, it's very simple.


Unitard from Asos
Now for this last one, I tried this one myself a few years ago. There was only one problem with it, I left a trail of mini cereal boxes behind me, it might have been a good thing adding to the character of the costume. The cereal boxes being my victims. 




Whoever or whatever you choose to be this Halloween have fun.

Wendy x


Sunday, October 21, 2012

Where'd ya go?


Well, lately things have been a little hectic around here between Halloween activities, work, and my motherly duties I haven't been able to work on much, but I did film the video below. The video embedded below is the unveiling of what I received in my October Birchbox , and my Ipsy Bag , and a couple opinions on each products. I will be doing a full written review on here as soon as I receive my Beauty Army Box for the month, as of now it is still in Indiana. So, check out the video, leave any comments or suggestions and keep your eyes open for the full review. :)



I also created another blog called Pin-Uptuous, this blog will be used for all of my weightloss journey posts. I also will be posting all of my recipes on to that blog from here on out, and will be sharing any fashion/beauty tips I have for all the curvy gals out there on that blog. My goal is to be completely honest with everyone, to share all of my thoughts and opinions and experiences, and to hopefully inspire other people. So please check it out. Thank you!
 
-Bri Grim

Monday, October 15, 2012

Advice for Hijabi beginners (non-sugar-coated)

Source
After the African millionaires desperately throwing their life savings at me, the most common emails I get are from girls thinking about wearing hijab and wanting some advice. I'm not going to beat about the bush, I am the worst person to ask for advice when it comes to anything, let alone a religious subject. My opinions regarding hijab have definitely changed over the past few years and of course, I am not a scholar so my views are often riddled with bias and influenced by my state of mind at any given time. Having said that, as so many people have asked, I decided I should make a post giving anyone thinking of wearing hijab a few pieces of advice, things I kind of wish someone had told me.
.
1. Wouldn't advise you to overhaul your wardrobe the minute you start covering your hair. I did that and it didn't go well - take your clothing transition slowly.

2. It is a piece of cloth, not magic: don't expect to suddenly become divinely religious. Please don't act it either, it's so off-putting.

3. One of the biggest shocks I got when I began to mix with Muslims was realising just how bitchy a lot of hijabis can be. Some are nice, but don't expect to suddenly discover a "sisterhood" that you weren't part of before you wore hijab. You weren't part of it because nobody is. It doesn't exist.

4. Keep reminding yourself that you are wearing it for the pleasure of Allah (SWT) and not for people.

5. Hijab is not about 'modesty', it's about doing what Allah (SWT) commands you to do. You can be modest without covering your hair and you can be immodest in a niqaab.

6. Be prepared for some interesting questions/comments. Some recent ones I've had (from non-Muslim men) include 'are you wearing a wig under that?', 'I bet you don't wear that to the beach.. you don't do you?', 'how long is your hair and have you dyed it?' and 'what would happen if I pulled the end of your.. headpiece?' HEADPIECE.

7. Be confident! It doesn't matter how you dress as long as you are confident and nice, people will like and respect you. And if they don't, it's not your problem.

8. Be cautious of judging the way other Muslim girls dress and act. It has nothing to do with you. Anyway, they might actually be much better than you.

9. Once it's on  you become a walking representation of Islam (like it or not), which is a huge responsibility, especially if you turn into one of those hijabis that find it impossible to smile.

10. I beg you don't start dissing advising hijabis on the Internet about how 'haram' they are and telling them how they should and should not be dressing. People did this with me a lot at the start of my blog when I did not wear the hijab and it almost put me off the idea altogether.

11. Allah (SWT) judges our scales of good deeds in relation to our bad deeds. Hijab will increase your good deeds but it is not the be all and end all of your deen. Just another good thing to do.

12. You will probably, at some point after wearing the hijab, want to take it off. I would strongly advise you to stick with it simply because if you do there will come a moment when you think 'I'm really glad I didn't take it off'. 'Jihad al nafs' was never supposed to be easy, so don't instantly succumb to your inner desires - they are almost always fleeting.

13. I wouldn't even think about hijab if I didn't pray and fast.

The tips are just my opinions and based on my experiences so they may not apply to you but I hope at least some of them helped :)

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

HAUL: August- October


This is my first haul, exciting I know. These are some of the things I’ve bought in the last couple of months which I have really loved and want to share with you.

Firstly, beauty products can't get enough of them. I love trying out new products and recommending them to all my friends if they are good. A couple of months ago I was looking for some new skincare, I used to use Dr Nick Lowes Oil control range, and I loved the foam wash so I repurchased that but I found the moisturiser to heavy. I had a search online and came across Vichy Laboratories products, a French skincare brand, reading reviews everyone seemed to love the products. I decided to purchase the Vichy Normaderm Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care and the Vichy Normaderm Anti-Imperfection Concentrate from www.escentual.com. After about a month of using both products I’m in love, will defiantly being repurchasing this. The moisturiser is super light but still really hydrating and the Concentrate has really fast results.


  
The next two products may be my favourite hair products ever. I first purchased the Label.m Thickening Cream at the end of 2010, I used it loads and I mean loads and it only ran out 2 weeks ago so it’s incredible value. Its gives you the volume and texture a hair mousse would without the stickiness you sometimes get. A must have hair product.

The second product is L’Oreal Studio Matt & Messy Salt Spray. I've tried a lot of different salt sprays in the past and this is defiantly my favourite. It works really well in conjunction with the Label.m Thickening Cream.



Now for books, bit of a U-turn from beauty but I have a bit of an obsession with coffee table books. I recently got Scott Schuman’s aka The Sartorialist new book. It is a collection of beautiful street style photos he has taken all over the world. Check out his blog www.thesartorialist.com its great if you need some inspiration for a new outfit.
Also I got the Rookie Yearbook One, I would say it’s less of a book more of a giant magazine which I love (I’m a magazine addict). It’s full of fashion editorials, stories, interviews and advice for the average teenage girl. Tavi Gevinson edited this book; she is a 16 year old American blogger who I would say is a genius. There is so much in this book I found I could relate too and it is so funny.




 Now for some fashion. I was really excited to find out Anna Dello Russo was doing collaboration with H&M, she created an amazing accessory line. I could have happily purchased every single piece. I decided on this necklace, I love gold and anything shiny and I can get away with wearing it with pretty much anything. 
I also got these coin clip on earrings when I went to Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair in Edinburgh the other week. They are so cute and were a bargain for £3.



What do you think? Have you used any of the products?

Wendy x




Thursday, October 4, 2012

Current trends I dislike

I have recently been asking myself why I continue to habitually waste my money on the likes of Grazia and LOOK magazines when 90% of them are taken up by either adverts or clothing trends I wouldn't be seen dead in.

Here are a few trends that have cropped up recently that I detest.

1. US army style military camouflage jackets are suddenly all the rage. What's next, orange jumpsuits..?


2. Heel-less wedges. WHY?! Someone please explain this fugly trend to me. Is it some sort of cost-saving plan to cut back on materials?
3. Wellington boots as.. boots. Call me old fashioned the but last time I checked, wellies exclusively belonged on the farm and in the rain. Now, all of a sudden Hunters have become a fashion statement and people wear them as a "fashionable" alternative to normal boots.


 4. Men jumping on the fashion bandwagon. I know that it is really double standards of me to hold this opinion but I hate when men follow fashion and wear next level man-bags and LV belts. Ew. 

No.
Yuck.
What the flip is he wearing..?
 
Bingo! The shoes are naff but this is a nice outfit all round.
   
5. Panelled trousers. Those trousers with stripes down the sides that are supposed to make you look less fat. No offence or anything but an optical illusion is one thing and delusion is something.. a lot closer to reality.



6. Fully grown women wearing frilly girls socks thinking it's cute.  


Excuse me while I go and vomit.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

How to be alone

I came across this video on someone elses blog (can't remember whose) quite a while ago and I really liked it. Stumbled across it again today and thought I'd share. The woman has written a poem about being alone and I think it's awesome. To be honest, I sometimes find that the more time I spend with other people the more I want to just be on my own. I find spending a long time with other people who aren't my family can be really tiring. Does anyone else get this or am I just abnormal..?

Anyway, here's the video:

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

E.L.F Cosmetics Haul

Recently I purchased even more products from E.L.F and wanted to share my opinions about them with everyone. I do already have three other posts about products I purchased from E.L.F in the past, I took all the products I owned and reviews them by category so check them out. To find reviews on E.L.F brushes and eye products go here, for reviews on E.L.F sets and palettes go here, for reviews on E.L.F's zit zapper, lip products and nail products go here. I also have created a tutorial for a fall inspired makeup look using just cosmetics from E.L.F, to find that go here.
 
 
E.L.F Flawless Finish Foundation $6
 
I purchased this in porcelain because I do have pale skin, but it was too dark for my skin tone and made me appear kind of orange. It also was a little too heavy for my liking, I like to have full coverage but I like not to feel it all day long. Also, as you can see on the package it reads oil free, but it made my skin super shiny and on the two days that I wore it I had mini breakouts.
 
 
E.L.F Maximum Coverage Concealer $3
 
Once again I wasn't overall pleased with this product, just like the foundation the color was too dark for my skin tone. The concealer itself blended out well though, and did seem to be light and oil free.
 
 
E.L.F Blush $3
 
I actually for some reason own very little blush, but I felt like I really needed to add some to my collection so I purchased this in Tickled Pink. I love the color, it's just enough pink to give me a rosy glow, but not go overboard.
 
 
E.L.F Makeup Mist & Set $3
 
I have never purchased a product like this before so I do not have much to compare this to quality wise, I do know it seemed to make the makeup last longer and kept it feeling fresher.
 
 
E.L.F Eyelashes Kit $2.50
 
I always am looking to expand my collection of fake lashes, I bought this kit mainly for the lashes, but the little extras are nice. The lash curler is all plastic and feels cheap, but it's the perfect size for a makeup bag, and the tweezers are also a smaller size. The glue itself I will not be using, it isn't sticky enough to really hold the lashes for long, but it does bond to my eyeliner and stick into my lashes.
 
 
E.L.F Face Line Filler $5
 
I picked this out of curiosity, and because I had some items I could receive for free, I wasn't sure if I would ever really use it. I tried this a couple days ago before work and it didn't seem to do a thing, the liquid that came out the tip felt slightly sticky and I could feel it where I put it, but it didn't make the line disappear or fade like I thought it would. The reviews on the website are kind of all over the place, some love it, and others hate it. The one thing I did notice is how much of a hassle the application is, to get the product to come out the top you turn the bottom until it starts to come out, it's suppose to come out the very top of the applicator but doesn't always, and you can never guess how much will come out it's either too much or too little.
 
 
E.L.F Mineral Eye Liner $3
 
I love this! I wear black eyeliner almost every single day so I like to have a huge collection of different eyeliners to try. The last eyeliner from E.L.F that I tried was the liquid liner and I was not impressed at all, so I wasn't sure what to expect out of this kind, but it works wonderfully.
 

E.L.F Mineral Lipstick in Cool Coral $5
 
In the past couple of months my lipstick collection has vastly expanded thanks to E.L.F Cosmetics, they have such a great selection of lip products. This mineral lipstick comes in 18 different shades, unfortunately for me they do not have any shades of red, but I do love the color of coral. This color is perfect to make the lips pop just a bit, and it makes me feel kind of extra girly.
 

 
 E.L.F Matte Lip Color $3
 
I absolutely love the matte lip colors, the shade pictured above is Natural, and I already own the Rich Red. The matte colors are long lasting and they come in six wonderful shades. The natural matte lip color is the perfect shade for a nude lip.
 
 
E.L.F Mineral Lip Tint $3
 
I chose the mineral lip tint in the shade of rose, and so far I am loving it,it has an enjoyable flavor, it's moisturizing and long lasting, and it also provides protection from the sun. I like to put this on on top of the Natural Matte Lip Color, which makes it last even longer. They offer this in 8 different shades, unfortunately not in any brighter shades or shades of red.
 
 
 
 

Wish I could always remember this