A Lil' Giveaway ...!

Bonjour!

I told myself that when I got to 450 followers on Bloglovin (which may seem small fry to some but is a huge deal to me!) I would do a little celebratory Giveaway! On Saturday morning I reached 450 - yey!! but then at lunchtime it had gone down to 449 - pants!!  Despite the 'pants' situation I decided to go ahead with the Giveaway because what's one follower, more or less, between us bloggers ... ? And now I'm back at 450 - yey!!  Anyway - I'm giving away three of my favourite products of the moment to one winner  ...

Elf Baked Eyeshadow Palette in California
Elf Baked Blush in Rich Rose
L'Oreal Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara in Black

You can read my reviews on Rich Rose and Miss Manga here and here. Swatches for my California Palette can be found here. Now although I can't vouch for this personally I did read that this is very similar to a certain Sephora palette - and that can only be good yes?!

To enter please complete the Rafflecopter below ...

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*The Giveaway will run until  23.03.14 and is open internationally *All entries will be checked.
*Please obtain permission/consent from an adult if you are under 18 *As with all new products please be aware of possible allergic reaction and remember to test the product suitably first.


Good Luck!

Jen x

January Favourites/Empties ...

Bonjour!

So that's January over with for another year - I'm so looking forward to the lighter mornings and evenings  - how about you? A mixed bag of favourites and empties over the past month or so then ...

Kerastase Ciment Thermique - been using this since the middle of December and it's a firm favourite! Full review to follow.
L'Oreal Elvive Triple Resist Reinforcing Shampoo and Conditioner  - this duo is coming to an end now. I was pleasantly surprised with it's performance and have re-purchased. Full review here.
Mandara Spa Tropical Blooms Moisturising Shower Gel - just finished, gorgeous smelling product this one with a  heady floral scent - reminds me of high summer!
Bare Minerals Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara - all finished. It gives a good effect once on but is a bit of a smudger. Couldn't make my mind up about it - as you can see from my review here. 
Benefit They're Real Mascara - I'm giving up on this one.  A magazine freebie and something I've been trying on and off for a few months - but it's not to be.  It just doesn't 'do it' for me and I poke myself in the eye every time I try!
Elf Baked Blush in Rich Rose - been loving this for a touch of colour and radiance (both of which have so been needed!) - review here.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Advanced Eye Treatment - this finished about a week after my review here and I was gutted and am missing it already! I'm trying another eye cream out but will be re-purchasing as soon as I can snap up a good deal!
Maybelline Dream Touch Lumi Concealer in Nude - used mainly for the under-eye area. You do have to be light handed otherwise it has a tendency to cake up but I would re-purchase as it's quite a good concealer for me.
The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector - one of my all time favourites - especially in Winter - it's hard to beat that's for sure. I've repurchased a few times and will continue to do so!

And last but not least ... why oh why does this have to be empty...

Toblerone has to be one of my all time favourite items of confectionery - the chunks are just the right size for a treat after dinner and because you can't (or shouldn't) really fit it all in your mouth at the same time then one is enough on a school night. I've been allowing myself two chunks at the weekends though - get me!  Yes I will be re-purchasing on a fairly regular basis!

What have your favourites been last month? Are you able to fit a whole chunk of Toblerone in your mouth cos I can't!?

Jen x

ELF Baked Blush in Rich Rose - Review

Bonjour!

The Elf Baked Blush is one of the products from my recent Elf Haul which you can see here.  It comes in four colours, the two which grabbed me the most were Passion Pink and Rich Rose - after some deliberation  (I am a deliberator!) I went for Rich Rose ...

Now, granted, it does look like the surface of a dark planet from the outer regions in the pan but do not be alarmed!  It's a warm burnished rose shade with a golden shimmer to it but not in a 'big chunks of glitter' type of way.  I wouldn't say this is the most pigmented of products I've used but it's a lovely combination of blush and highlighter which lasts surprising well - I've applied first thing before work over foundation (Bare Minerals) and it's lasted pretty much all day. Lasts a little less over a BB but I'm not complaining.  It's really easy to apply - a quick swirl around the pan gives a gleaming (but not sweaty looking!) healthy glow and it can be built up a little if you want a bit more colour. However, the more you apply the more highlighter comes along so unless you want to look like an extra from Goldfinger then maybe don't overdo it!

Swatched above and blended below ...

Spot the gleaming cheek!

Rich Rose is a lovely product which I seem to be grabbing most mornings as it gives the old kite a bit of a lift which is so welcome at this time of year!  At the usual price of £3.75 it would have been a bargain - mine was half price! Going to have to try Passion Pink now! You can check out the Elf  Baked Blushes on their website here.

Have you tried the Elf Baked Blush - which colour is your favourite?

Jen x

Party Nails Are Go ...!

Bonjour!

Party season is in full swing and Christmas is just round the corner (slight panic as I type that!) so thought I'd share a few polishes I'll be favouring over the festive period. After all - if a girl wants to bling up her nails what better time ...?

Here are my picks left to right ...

Barry M Textured Nail Paint in Duchess
17 Fast Finish Nail Polish in Navy Glint
Seche Nail Lacquer in Iconic
Beauty UK Glam Nails in Gun Metal
Elf Nail Polish in Chic Confetti

I  had to move to the window to take the pic below as the light was fading fast and ended up waking someone up who had been fast asleep in his chair - sorry pooch!

Below pic taken in the evening with lights on ... you'll have to excuse the state of my cuticles but I had just completed  a marathon of potato and vege peeling for dinner! Blogging and 'mum' duties do not always go hand in hand!

17 Navy Glint and Beauty UK Gun Metal are from last year - you can see NOTD posts here and here. I received Seche Iconic in a beauty box last year and gave it to my mum but she's let me have it back for the moment! Elf Chic Confetti (would look great over another colour - can't wait to try that out) and Barry M Duchess  are a couple of sparklies I bought recently as I was getting into the Christmas spirit ...

Can't decide which to use for Christmas Day? Which is your favourite? What will you be wearing on your nails?

Jen x

ELF Hauling ... !

Bonjour!

Believe it or not I have been fairly good recently on the 'make-up purchase' front - wonders will never cease! However, when ELF had a half price event on the other week it was just too good to resist ... so here we go ...!

Baked Eyeshadow Palette in California
Baked Blush in Rich Rose
Eyelid Primer
Mineral Blush in Rose
Lipstick in Voodoo
Blush Brush
Glitter Nail Polish in Chic Confetti (my daughter has already laid claim to this!)

I've heard good things about the Elf Eyelid Primer - (it will be put to test at our office party later this week) and first impressions of the Baked Blush and Lippie are favourable!  Swatches of the Baked Eyeshadow Palette in California (knows how to party!) below - it can be used wet or dry ...

Dry swatches ...

A few wet swatches of several colours ...

Pretty colours - perfect for beating the winter blues, looking forward to having a 'mess about' over the festive period and beyond!   Best thing is all of the above products came to around £15 (yes - for the lot!) - bargain or what! Check out ELF goodies for yourself here.

Have you tried out any products from ELF? Which is your favourite?

Jen x

Half-Term, Plan B and Elf Bargains to be had...!

Bonjour!

Well another Friday is upon us, another half term has come and gone... I had some time off work and foolishly thought I would be able to chill and relax with the kids.  Not the case I'm afraid - it's been a bit manic for various reasons - one of which the poor pooch ended up with an eye injury and was in a lot of pain - we thought he may lose his sight in that eye. Thankfully he's been treated successfully after a couple of trips to the vets and should be ok but is now having problems with his (huge) ears - very narrow ear canals - common in King Charles Spaniels but his are extra narrow! So he's on eye medication, eye drops and ear drops - the poor thing is falling to bits!

This afternoon I should have been ironing school uniforms ready for Monday and putting PE kits back together but surprise surprise got totally distracted by Twitter and a half price offer at Elf Cosmetics - ended up ordering some goodies at bargain prices instead - it's got to be done. Think the offer is on until 4 November so check out their website for full details if you fancy bagging a bargain! Also just noticed that Sharron from Style At Every Age has listed a whole heap of tempting offers on tonight's 'Something For The Weekend Post' here so I'll be perusing that lot later on - thanks Sharron!

I am more than happy to stay in tonight - so cold and rainy and if the hubby wants to put some music on whilst I'm cooking his Enchiladas (!) then it's going to have to be something chilled such as...


Plan B - Love Goes Down...

Have you had a manic or chilled out half term? Are you staying in or off out tonight? Will you be bagging any bargains this weekend? How many more questions can I ask on one paragraph?

Jen x