Sneaky Stena Line purchase.

Bored out of my brain on the ferry, I am writing this from the lounge. Thank heavens for free wireless internet! There is free wine but I think that mixed with the motion will not have a good result...

The small shop on the ferry wasn't a total waste of time, although it had mainly all the same lines as the last time I was on the ferry, dusty and unloved, a few boxes of chanel and dior as well as the ever present clinique and clarins sets. However, I was delighted to find a few Urban Decay products on a display in the shop. Not deterred by the messy and dusty display I decided to not purchase the shadows as they had all been opened or likely shattered from being tossed about the shelf. I decided to purchase the mini 24/7 glide on pencil set. It was obviously meant to be as I had cursed myself that I missed out on the set from Urban Decay last Christmas. I know that Urban Decay are bringing out an anniversary set next year and I intend to purchase that one too. I have a few UD pencils mainly black, brown and purple (lust) and I think they are unsurpassed in terms of quality, colour and longevity.

The set of 24/7 pencils comprises 9 travel sized (about 1/2 the full size) and one full size in Zero (black). The travel size colours from left to right are all creamy metallics: Eldorado (gold), Whiskey (taupe brown), Stash (dark khaki green), Mildew (olive), Electric (turquoise), Ransom (indigo), Binge (dark blue), Rockstar (plum) and Gunmetal (grey).

Shaky picture taken using my phone and in the lounge!

Back to my New Year break, see you when I get back!

What are you favourite eye liners?

Post Christmas Cleanse and De-Stress

Feeling a little stressed post Christmas or wanting to prepare your skin for New Year's Eve? My de stress facial will help!

Happy Holidays!

Have a wonderful holiday!

A few new videos will be up on my channel shortly, to see you through the festive holiday and prepare you for New Year!

I have given everyone strict instructions not to get me any cosmetics for Christmas but I think I'll be hitting the sales come Boxing Day!

Gone but not forgotten, the exit interview!

This is a post about some products I have recently finished and I thought I would give them an exit review.

From left to right

Alva Sanddorn Facial Tonic £15.50/100ml. A pretty great toner even if I do say so myself. I used it remove my cream cleansers. It is great for dry skin as it is alcohol free and very gentle. It doesn't have a sticky feeling that you can sometimes get with alcohol free toners that rely on lots of glycerin to hydrate. Although is contains a few oils it does not feel oily either. It also doesn't leave my skin feeling tight and uncomfortable. I did power through it quite quickly and I'll give a few other toners a go before I decide whether to purchase a new bottle.

Amie Bright Eyes Very Gentle Make-up Remover. £4.75/125ml. I used to be able to buy this at Superdrug but I haven't been able to find it but it is available from the website. I did like this eye make up remover, it really is gentle on the eyes with no drying or stinging. It does lift off make up and shadow very easily. However it is no match for waterproof, cream or pencil/wax make up, that's half of my eye make up! So I won't be replacing this bottle.

Faith in Nature Seaweed Shower Gel & Bath Foam £3.70/400ml. I think this range is superb if you're looking for a eco-ethical-conscious brand. It's such an easy buy and choice. The smell and bubbles were acceptable however I did have to use a lot of it in a bath. As a consequence, I rocketed through this bottle! I would buy this again, simply as I support this brand. You can buy it from Oxfam stores, so I am only too happy to buy and also give at the same time.

Original Source Summer Shower Gel. Prices range from £1 to £3 depending on offers. Available from Supermarkets and Chemists. A brilliant all round shower gel that both my husband and I use every day. I have just started using the Winter edition (Pepper and Cardamom) which is heavenly. I normally stock up on these when they are on offer, as well the handwashes. I will certainly be buying more of this in the future, but perhaps not this scent. I am more keen on buttery/woody scents than fruit.

LUSH Breath of Fresh Air Skin Toner £3.25/100g bottle. I mainly used this during the summer as a skin refresher, a lovely fresh rose and rosemary scent. I have since repurchased this in the larger size and Eau Roma which I think will suit me more for winter. I use this to remove cream cleaners or a quick spray if I've used a wet cloth to remove face wash products.

Liz Earle Hand Repair £14.50 for 100ml. This is a small travel sized tube, and I am quite glad I find that some Liz Earle face products for me tend to be quite dry and sticky. The exception being the Foot Repair Cream which is marvellous. Since I have finished this tube of Hand Repair I use the Foot Repair on my hands. I do love the smell of this hand cream however, a delicate orange flower is one of my favourite scents.

So that was my mini exit review for a few products I have recently finished. Do you have any products that you'd give an exit review, or recommendations?

Clearstep Braces - Thoughts and Experience

If you're unhappy with your teeth and have been thinking about visiting your Orthodontist, here are my thoughts on the Clearstep plastic brace system. I have been using this system for about 4 months and I have about 3 months left to go. I will then wear a retainer at night forever to keep them in position.

If you've had Clearstep or Invisalign then let me know your thoughts too. Don't mind the camera in this video, the tripod was gently sliding off to the left!

The nails wraps I am wearing in this video are from Rebel Nails, and I am currently on day 10 of wear. I might change them soon but they show no signs of coming off by themselves!

Winner of the Coastal Scents Brush Set is...

"Gracefulswirl", you're the winner, please contact me with your address so I can send you your prize. It will be posted after Christmas now as I fear it will get lost in the snow otherwise!

If I don't hear from Gracefulswirl over the next couple of days I will pick another winner from the comments from the original post.

Wintry Lips - Just say No to chapped lips!

I'm sitting here in my pyjamas and I reach over to my bedside cabinet for a lip balm. I realise that this lip balm is always there as I actively keep it there. Rather than my absent minded product strewn desk in the study. It is my favourite and most intensive over night treatment.

Nip + Fab is a brand that has received a lot of attention both good and bad because it is a cheaper and "cut down" version of it's sister-more-expensive brand called Rodial. I personally wouldn't justify purchase of a Rodial product unless I couldn't find a more cost effective version. I don't think my practical outlook on cosmetics or wallet for that matter are the target audience for Rodial.

That being said, I was keen to try Nip+Fab products. I have tried the Tummy Fix, Lip+Nip Fix and Under Eye Concealer. The concealer is brilliant however far too light for my skin tone and too pink. However I have given my tube to a friend who thinks it's great. Better than her touche éclat that she buys in duty free every year! The tummy fix whether psychosomatic or real seems to work for me. But you have to be religious about using it morning and night or it all goes to pot. I noticed a firmer tummy but have since slacked a bit about using it now that I am getting to the end of the tube. I am saving it for special occasions when a super flat tummy is needed, think little black dress or bikini.

Back to the Lip+Nip Fix. It is an odourless**, pale brown, viscous, lanolin substance which is is incredibly difficult to squeeze out of the 15ml tube. However a little goes a long long way! It melts with body heat in to a non sticky or greasy feeling balm. It has many uses rather than the obvious lip and nipple balm. I use it on knees and elbows, scratches and grazes, emergency eye shine and eye brow tamer and cuticle cream. You can also use it whipped up as an emergency make up remover. This is one handy little thing to have.

As I don't use Vaseline (for cruelty free reasons) this is a brilliant alternative. For Lanolin allergy sufferers, this is sadly not for you.

At £7.95 it is an expensive lip balm, but a cheap multi-purpose balm. Consider the readily available alternatives such as Elizabeth Arden which the smell is so overpowering that I can't bear it anywhere near my nose and mouth and it's suddenly not all that expensive.

You can buy Nip+Fab products from their website or see their website for retail stockists.

This is my second tube of Nip+Fab Lip + Nip Fix, the first was provided for PR purposes.

** Today I noticed it smells a bit "sheepy". I suppose that's the Lanolin. It's not overly unpleasant but noticeable.

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Lust

Hankering for more purple liners I bought Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Lust the other week. I have been impressed with the staying power of these liners owning a few that came in UD sets, but I haven't had any of the coloured ones. Just brown and black ones.

Having used this a few times now, I think I can comment on it. They are smudgy and soft but have great staying power.

White skin

My skin

Lust is a deep indigo colour with significant silver shimmer. You can buy these liners for £11.50 from various retails stores on the UK.

Ask Jasmine - Mascara Alternatives.

Q: LOVE your videos! I am (almost) 33 years old and embarrassingly JUST NOW learning how to use makeup correctly (foundation? concealer? :-D ). Your videos have helped immensely.

I occasionally am afflicted with mild angular blepharitis outbreaks (red, irritation at the outer corner of my eyes) and find that removing mascara is evil as it tends get stuck right at the corners and under my eyes when I use make-up removers, aggravating the condition.

Do you know of any alternatives to conventional mascara that is super easy to remove?

A: Have your eye lashes dyed as even if your eye lashes are already dark it will lengthen them as it dyes the very tip of the lashes which are transparent.

Curl you lashes using a mechanical curler and then use the clear mascara to hold the curl. However this won't create volume, but you can achieve this with lash infills(extensions which are place between your lashes) but they are expensive to maintain.

Using a thin eye liner creates volume as well. Use this video from my channel for tips.

Also consider using strip lashes as an altenative as they are easy to remove (with a warm damp face cloth then gently pull the lashes away).

Christmas Giveaway #7 - Brush Set by Coastal Scents

Please follow and leave a comment below. I'd like to know your top tips with brushes, which brushes do you like best and why?

e.l.f Bamboo Complexion Brush vs ecoTOOLS Powder Brush

This is such an obvious post, but I thought I'd head it off at the pass. e.l.f have launched their eagerly awaited sustainably sourced Bamboo Brushes. It's natural to compare them to their main competitor and probably inspiration, ecoTOOLS. ecoTOOLS started life just like e.l.f in the US. It is sold mainly through large chemists and supermarkets such as Walmart. They have finally made their way over to Europe and can now be found mainly in Boots and Tesco.

As a side point, please let me apologise for the state of my e.l.f powder brush, I use it every day so in these photos it isn't clean! But it is normally a soft creamy white colour and when washed, returns to that colour.

The main difference is the price, as expected the e.l.f brush is slightly cheaper at £5.50 and the ecoTools brush is £8.99. The e.l.f Bamboo brush range has a static price of £5.50 a brush whereas the ecoTOOLS are priced differently depending on the brush, so some of the smaller brushes like the angled eyeliner ecoTOOLS brush may be cheaper by about 50p.

Both brands are also available in sets which offer significant value for money if you are interested in more than four brushes. The 5 piece ecoTOOLS is around £14.99 and the e.l.f set is £20.

I will say that having tried both sets, they are identical types of brushes however there is a difference in the e.l.f eye brush as it is basically a C brush which is dense and fluffy, whereas the ecoTOOLS is flat and so not as versatile. That's the main difference I can see.

The density of the brush head is very similar, it is very hard to feel the difference.

The e.l.f brush is softer though.

The ecoTools brush head is slimmer and more tapered. The e.l.f Complexion brush head is fluffier and bigger.

The e.l.f brush is slightly longer and the brush head is bigger. They both weigh about the same.

It is refreshing to see that both are good quality brushes that have considered environmental impacts of their manufacture. Do you consider ecological sustainability when choosing whether a brush is good value?

My favourite Cruelty Free Brands

Being cruelty free is getting a lot of attention at the moment thanks to Pixiwoo's interest in animal testing of cosmetics. I am really happy about their decision to investigate this area and have offered advice on how to go cruelty free in the future.

A few years ago it was very difficult to lead a cruelty free lifestyle, it is very difficult to find and get information from companies about their manufacture and ethical concerns. This has left the way clear for lots of new and exciting ethically and environmentally conscious companies to break in to this area and lead the way. Slowly other companies are seeing the potential of the green conscious currency and are putting in the effort to become cruelty free. I am delighted to see mainstream brands like Superdrug, Argos, Marks and Spencer and The Co-operative taking the lead in this area.

I decided to write down some of my favourite brands and items from their ranges I like and why. Obviously not all cruelty free cosmetics perform fantastically, as with all make up - what suits one person won't suit another. I hope you consider these brands above others, simply because they share the same beliefs that beauty doesn't have to cost the earth, cause pain and suffering to animals or exploit developing countries.

Make Up

e.l.f - Star products for me are Eye Liner Pens, Eye Brow Lifter and Filler, Mineral Booster (tinted).

Beauty Without Cruelty - My favourite products are their lipsticks - so creamy and incredibly pigmented.

Lily Lolo - although I am in between shades, the mineral foundations are lovely. Even more so are their blushes, which are pigmented, soft and matte. At 75p a sample you can afford to experiment until you find your perfect products.

Urban Decay - Although a lot of this brand is about shimmer and rock, you can't fault their soft and pigmented eye shadows, creamy lipsticks and I am a fan of the cream to powder foundations. As for the 24/7 Liners, well they are the best I've tried. Smudgy and pigmented. This is rather an expensive brand for fun items like eye shadows, but the boxed sets are good value. The Naked Palette is my latest purchase.

Skin Care

Karin Herzog. These have really helped my rashy, red and sensitive skin become more bearable and dare I say it normal! Again on the more expensive side, but the Glyco Rose Serum is one of my hero products.

Liz Earle - I feel that this is an expensive and yet fairly ordinary brand. I also think that the skin care range is quite strong for sensitive, easily annoyed skin. I don't tend to buy this very often but the footcare range and also the new shampoo are rather good. Since there is only one type of shampoo for the moment, it is good for all the family. My sister does quite like the Cleanse and Polish.

Alva - This unassuming brand has quite bowled me over, simple packaging, no overly irritating perfumes or colourants. Effective and gentle products which have calmed and soothed my skin without making a big deal of it!

Lush - I use the Lush spray toner to remove cleansing oils, such as Dermalogica Precleanse, and to freshen up on hot days. It's cheap and cheerful, reliable and effective.

Hair Care

Naked Hair Care - Available in Boots and online. I quite like the conditioning treatments.

Original Source - Easily available in High Street stores and supermarkets. Items are cost effective and there is plenty of choice of fragrances and hair types.

Body

Naked Body Care - My favourite from the range is the Cocoa de la Mer bath foam, it has an unusual but feminine scent which I reach for most bathtimes!

Original Source - Again a large choice of fruity fresh products for shower and bath. Passionfruit is one of my favourite scents.

LUSH - who doesn't love a bath ballistic?

Faith in Nature products can be found in Waitrose and Oxfam stores, I like to buy in Oxfam because then I am getting something I want and the profits go to a charitable organisation. Charity and cosmetics, two of my favourite pastimes!

Nails

O.P.I - My favourite from the ever growing range is Going on Green.

e.l.f - again a growing range of colours. The formulas vary depending on which shade you go for, the latest matte shades are creamy whereas the shimmery shades tend to be sheer needing more than two coats.

BWC - just relaunched with exciting and contemporary shades, beautifully glossy and hard wearing.

Rebel Nails - I first sought these out as an alternative to nail polish as my nails were very weak and needed a rest from polish and remover. These are easy to use and you can achieve fabulous designs and finishes without being a nail artist!

Home

Marks and Spencers, The Co-Operative Faith in Nature (found in Oxfam stores nationwide)
These brands are cruelty free so you can get your washing up liquid, dishwashing detergent, baby products and all household products here.

Clothes - I haven't explored this totally yet, I do try to buy ethically on the High Street but I am very happy to recommend Rapa Nui. They kindly sent me a Bamboo T-shirt and some socks. I liked them so much I went back and bought two more tops and a top for my hubby too! These are the softest and lightest T-shirts and so comfortable! I will be back for the rest of the range as soon as I can!

I would be delighted to hear about your favourite ethical and cruelty free brands, I am all ears/eyes! Specially with Christmas coming up and I like to buy ethically for friends and family wherever I can.