Face Mask Friday - Yves Rocher Matt Skin Paste

Well hello again, today I am here with another face mask friday post this time with one from the brand 'Yves Rocher'. I have used a number of products from this brand as they have loads and loads of different beauty products and are really great value especially with the numerous deals and sales they always have going. This mask is called the 'Botanical Matt Skin Paste' and is targetted for the oily/ combination skin types as it aims to soak up excess sebum and rid all impurities from the skin.

The mask is a green colour and is quite thick in texture with containing lots of exfoliating beads. If your in a hurry this product is great to use as a quick fix scrub which is then washed off immediatly however gives a much more intense feeling and result if left on for a few minutes. I have used many mud like masks in the past which dry to a clay texture, this gives a very similar effect however dries super fast and within 5 minutes you have the 'oh god I can move my face' clay mask feeling. Personally I like this feeling and does make you feel the excess oil has been removed but I definitley wouldn't suggest it for any sensitive skin types as it may be a little much.

After leaving some of this on my skin and washing it off immediatley my skin did feel very smooth and refreshed but no longer tight as if it had drawn every droplet of moisture out of my skin which I really like. Wether the removal of excess sebum continued in to the following day i'm not too sure but I really enjoyed using it and will definitley continue to. This mask retails at £11 for a 75ml bottle which is slightly pricier than some of their other masks and skin care products as it is one of their 'salon session' higher end products however I think I would consider buying it again when it runs out.

Have you tried any Yves Rocher products? Whats your favourite mask at the minute? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Multi-purpose on the cheap?

Currently within the beauty industries more and more multi purpose balms and products are appearing and they are becoming incredibley popular. However even though they are multi functional and can be used all over the body for different things some of them can still be a little pricey. A little while back I was looking for an oil to use within my hair as an occasional hair mask treat and came across this coconut oil in 'Superdrug' which you can find online here.

This coconut oil is solid at room temperature however melts once within contact with the warmth of you hands. I personally like to use it mainly for a hair treatment so melt a peice of the oil by rubbing it between my hands and then apply it too the ends of my hair where they tend to be the driest and most damadged however I do sometime like the apply it to entire hair and scalp for an all over moisturising treatment. With my fairly normal hair it is recommended to leave the oil in for around 2 hours however if you have very dry or course hair it is suitable to be left in overnight within a hair turban or any other sort of protector.

Other uses for this oil include using it as a body moisturiser which I have done in the past and is great for a real hydrating treat however it does sit on the skin for a fair while similarly to a palmers moisturiser which you can see a little more about here so if your not one to be waiting for moisturisers to sink in and want to get up and go its probably not the best use for you. An alternative could be adding it into the bath as it smells amazing and will hydrate your skin that way or of course can just be applied to those little dry areas such as the elbows or cuticles for a little moisturising hit.

Well thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Face Paint Fun

As a fun activity me and my neice decided to get out the face paints we had stashed away for a little afternoon fun. Coming up in the summer is her 3rd birthday and we are having a party with our family and other little cousins so I thought what a better activity to have at a party than facepainting? So we decided to get some practice in. The face paints I was using was a 'Snazaroo' face painting kit which I found a little while ago in my local 'The Works' shop and sorry I forgot to take a  photo, whoops. I have really liked these face paints they are easy to use, pretty cheap and go really really far.Today my neice Tia decided she wanted to be one of her favourites 'Hello Kitty.'

I started by creating the white face base with a slightly damp sponge and the outline with a small brush which came with the kit. I then continued to draw out the other feautures such as the bow, whiskers and nose outline and then finally filled in the pink in the bow, nose and lips. As you can see from the pictures below as she started to see who she was becoming she became more excited, and I know she looks a little timid in the first picture but I promise she did want to do this and loved it and normally she is the loudest little monkey in the world.

Well I hope you like this slightly different post, I guess it like make up .. on the slightly extreme side!
Thanks for stopping by.x

May Glossy Box

This months box seemed to come round super fast this time, however I think it may also have been to do with my poor late upload of last month's box review. Now leading up to recieving it all over twitter and various other online sites I was starting to see sneak peeks and glimpse' of what was going to be in the box (which I must add I didn't look at any as I love the surprise) because it is Glossy Box' 2nd birthday!

Firstly this month I loved how there was cute special birthday tissue paper and a bright pink bow which made it all the more excitednand then as I opened it up, which I must add I try to do with great care which never goes to plan I was excited to find 7 little items inside! Firstly i'll start with the 2 extra gifts, the first of which I couldn't resist before I even thought about taking my photos which was a mini 'Green and Blacks' dark chocolate bar which was delicious, great start for me and the other extra gift I was really suprised at and have never seen anything like it before was a set of little mini nail files which are super cute, perfect for on the go and there was loads of them! They are'nt the harshest of files however it is such a great idea for travel and you could pop one all over the place and you would never be without a file.

So onto the main items, the first thing which caught my eye was a mini 'Nails Inc' polish as it is a beautiful bright coral orange called ' flammable' which I think is the perfect name for it. This is the third polish I have recieved from this brand and I am still not bored I like having mini bottles as it is more likely you will use alot of the polish before it thickens and goes gloopy, the Nail Inc polishes are great qaulity and beautiful colours too. Next was the 'Caudalie Divine Oil' now I have heard a fair bit about the brand with their popular elixir and other products however have never personally tried any. This oil is said to be a dry oil for the face hair and body, I love dry oils for the body however have never tried them on my hair or my face especially because of my oily skin it does make  me a little nervous to use it there however I will definitly try it out as I have never tried a facial oil and has a beautiful floraly scent.

I recieved two facial products this month firstly a facial moisturiser 'Premae Harmony Balm' which personally I have never heard of the brand however the moisturiser is said to be perfect for combination/ oily skin like mine as it has primer and moisturiser properties levaing a silky finish and also contains lemongrass and aloe vera to help calm breakouts and reduce excess oil which sounds perfect for me so i'm looking forward to trying it out. The second product is from 'Beautiful Movements Cosmetics' formally known as 'BM Beauty' which I have recieved a product from in the past, which is said to be a primer and mixing medium meaning it can be used under your make up to mattify and perfect the skin but also can be mixed within your make up to change the textures of liquid and powder products. I think this sounds very promising, I haven't had a great deal of luck with primers which then put me off of purchasing any for them not to work so i'm looking forward to giving this a test run.

My final product of the month I was very excited about is the 'Givenchy Noir Couture Mascara' I have never used any mascaras other than from the highstreet/ drugstore so was looking forward to see if the high end ones are really worth the money. This mascara is said to be a 4 in 1 as it provides volume, length, curl and care, the wand is pretty unique and personally I have never seen anything like it and is made of three balls with fibre bristles, I found the having the wand like this definatley helped to grab all the lashes and seperate them especially as they are fairly short and stiff, it also gave a good amount of curl and volume once I had applied a second coat. So yes I am impressed with this high end mascara but doubt I would ever pay for one full price but its great to try one out!

So there we have it May's lovely box, I think this months was a great box as there was a lot of brands and products that I have never tried allow me to experiment a little more. What did you get in your box this month? Have you tried any of the products I got? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Empties #3

Well hello again, here we are with another empties update with a few products I have used up over the last couple of months with a little reviews and my thoughts on them too.

First up I have a shampoo and conditioner which I believe I featured in my last empties post and it is the 'Alberto Balsam Herbal Shampoo in Sunkissed Raspberry' I will buy these products over and over as they come in a pretty big variety of different scents and properties for different hair types and are ridiculously cheap and readily available, personally I couldn't ask for much more. You can see a different scent and a bit more of a review in one of my previous empties post here.

I have two body lotions this time around first being an old favourite, 'Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula' I have used this for many many years and still love it, to start off its smell great of that chocolatey I could like this off my skin smell and its fairly thick so feels really hydrating and moisturising on the skin. It can take a little while to sink into the skin so if your in a hurry its not the best option to go for however I normally like to use this after a more relax bath or shower/ mini pamper which I have to add does happen a fair bit. Another moisturiser I used up was the 'Nip and Fab Pistachio Sunday Body Butter' which is a very new addition to me as it came in one of my most recent Glossy Box'. I wasn't a huge fan of the scent however it did grow on me as I continued to use it but I mainly loved it for the way it felt on my skin, and how hydrated and soft it left it afterwards. You can see a little more info on these products on a previous post here.

I also had a mini face mask sample I used up from 'Temple Spa' which was the 'BeCalm Soothing Mask' now this mask is targeted at a more sensitive skin type however can be used on everyone. It was a white cream mask meaning it could be used like a traditional mask and applied to the face and left on for 10 to 20 minutes but can also be left on overnight which I love as not always can you find the time to apply a mask but a product like this makes a perfect happy medium. For the actual product it did make my skin soft after using it and I think the 'soothing and calming' properties help calm down any breakouts I had too which I think some people don't think about when there are looking for products/ masks for breakout prone skin.

A product which I haven't used since my early teens is perfumed body sprays, growing up I would go through cans of these like nobodies business however as I got older I got into buying bottles of perfume and then found myself having no reason to buy body sprays. However as christmas comes it still popular to get a few mini's in a set like I did with this 'So...? Kiss Me' and I really enjoyed using it again. As this was a mini size it was perfect for my bag to carry around with me for a freshen up and it really made me think back on memories as a teen with the very standards sweet fragerence scent.

Last but not least my final empty product is my 'Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder' I have also used this for a fairly long time, I like to use it to set my make up or give me a quick dust over on a non make up day however with my oily skin I do tend to have to reapply once or twice throughout the day however its so soft and easy to do it doesn't bother me, plus it super easy to get hold of and easy on the pennies too.

Well thats all for this empties, have you used up any products recently? Have yoy tried any of the ones I have? Let me know, bye for now.x

Face Mask Friday - Monu Aromatic Mask

After reading many different face mask friday posts, majority of them being by the lovely Miss Budget Beauty I thought I would join in with this little trend as I love to wear a face mask as it feels like a nice pamper with very little effort and it allows me to share a little more with you on masks I like and I would love to have any replys on masks that you may have tried too.

This Monu mask I recieved in one of my Glossy Box' in the past and it is a warming aromatic mask, it is a clay based mask so great for refining pores and giving a deep cleanse to the skin however it also says to be renewing and invigorating for the skin too. When applied and spread across the face the mask warms between you fingers and face which creates a really nice sensation which isn't burning or stingy but warming and relaxing. I like this as not only does it feel great it is thought to  aid the absorption of the product as the heat will help to open the pores.

It has a very aromatic lavender type scent however is not to overpowering that it will irritate the skin and I personally couldnt smell it once I had removed it. I like that it has a scent like this as it enhances the relaxtion and pampery feel to using a mask. Some of the other ingredients within the mask include beeswax and coconut oil to aid hydration and nourish the skin and attapulgite clay to provide a deep cleanse. I think this is a nice mask with great natural ingredients and good results on the skin however the full size product is 100ml for £26.95 which is a little pricey for me however if I was looking for a splurge Monu may be a company I come back too.

Have you ever tried any Monu products? Whats you favourite face mask at the minute? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

April Glossy Box

Hello again, now i'm sorry i'm a little late on getting this one up but for some reason I just never got round to completing it. So here we are with the lovely April Glossy Box. This months box was designed by Pearl Lowe and I think it is the best designed box I have had so far I think its beautiful and will be taking pride of place for a storage box in my room. The products I recieved this month were really great too so a great all rounder for you this month Glossy Box.

First up I got a 'Nip + Fab Dry Skin Body Butter' I have heard lots of good things about the brand Nip+ Fab so was looking forward to trying this out. My body butter was in the fragerence Pistachio Sundae which I have to say i'm not a huge fan of and I wouldn't personally choose if I had the choice but it has grown on me as I have continued to use it. However every other aspect of the product I absolutely love and could'nt fault from the texture on the skin, the hydration it provided and the longevity of the scent even though I wasn't a huge fan.

Second, another type of moisturiser but this time a hand cream, this is from the company 'Crabtree & Evelyn' and is in the Somerset Medow scent link. Now this product also wasn't a huge hit for me, this is because I suffer with pretty bad exzema on my hands due to my work although it is being investigated which might lead me to do a blog post on this in the future, anyway back to the point because of this I am very careful on what I put on my hands and usually like to stick to the creams I am provided by the doctor. However I have given this to my sister who has been using it and enjoying it to. The scent is slightly 'old lady hand cream' for my personal liking however my sister has found it has been really nice to use and hydrating on her hands.

Up next a perfume sample, now I believe I am similar to a lot of other people that perfume samples are not always the best to receive as they can be very tricky to use in the teenie tiny canester which they sometimes arrive in. However I do love when they come in little minature versions of the actual bottle like this months 'Yves Rocher So Elixir Purple' did, I have had a perfume form Yves Rocher before (Moment De Bonheur) which has now become a bit of a staple perfume for me as I love the scent and get complimented on it throughout the day. The scent is said to be floral and woody which it very much is and in a beautiful blended way and although im normally more of a fruity or sweet scented kind of person I really like the smell of it and will definitley enjoy using it. You can find both of these perfumes here.

This month I also got two products from very popular brands which I personally have never tried anything from before, first from 'Illamasqua' now I know this is a very popular make up brand however their prices for their product are well over my normal budget but I do love to try out products from the higher end brands to really test out if the products are worth the money. The product I recieved was a Medium Pencil in the colour Strumpet, this is a classic cherry red colour and is said to be used on both the lips and eyes which I have never seen from a pencil before however I dont think I will be sporting the red eyeliner look anytime soon. However the formulation of the pencil is really creamy and i'm glad I have recieved this to have a classic red lip look although I do need a little practice as using a pencil is a little harder than it seems.

Finally my last product for the month was a nail polish from 'Essie' yes, I have never tried an Essie polish before, I know, shock, horror. Again this is a product which I know is popular and do look beautiful however are a little on the pricey side for me. I recieved the colour Bikini so Teenie which I adore and is a blue toned lavender which a slight shimmer to it which is absolutly gorgeous and I know will be a staple summer colour for me this year. I did do a post all about the polish which you can view here with a few extra pictures too!

Now sorry this was a little late this month, hope you enjoyed it and I will be talking to you very very soon as May's box is just around the corner! Bye for now.x

Getting Green

With the nicer weather we have been having here in the UK myself and my sister thought it was time we give our garden a little tlc and a spruce ready for the summer. So including all the not so fun stuff such as mowing the lawn and weeding the garden we thought we would try our hand at growing some strawberries, firstly as its a fun activity for my 2 year old niece to join in with and well who doesn't love strawberries!

We found this little strawberry growing kit in our local Sainsburys and thought it looked really cute and made everything pretty simple which I thinks pretty important for first timers like us. As you can see it came with 6 little pots, solid compost disc', strawberry seeds and fun decorative stickers too. So whilst sat in the garden on a sunny day we thought we would get started. The steps were really easy to follow, firstly you place the compost disc' into water and they expand (a lot) filling with water making it moist to place into the pots. You then plant your little strawberry seeds into all the pots, now at this point it did tell us to put 3 in each pot but the seeds were ridiculously tiny and there was 100s in the bag so we put a few more in as 3 seemed a bit pointless. You then place the pots back into the container they came in which acts like a little greenhouse so it's perfect for the kitchen windowsill. Lastly is the fun stage for the little ones sticking all the stickers on to make it look pretty!

So that was super simple and now all we have to do is wait, it says to water them every couple of days and within 2 or 3 weeks we should see them sprouting, if sprouting is the right word and then they can be placed into the garden and should fully grow in about 6 months! So I'll have to keep you updated on that bit. It has inspired us to plant more veggies in the garden as it is really fun and easy and you get to eat them at the end of the day and who doesn't love eating.
Thanks for stopping by, hope you like this even though it was a little different,, bye for now.x