This is a Goodbye...

Hello again!

There comes a time when you realise that something you had high hopes and dreams for may not go to plan.

Now I believe this isn't ‘failing’ or ‘giving up’… I think this is me realising that perhaps I can’t commit my life to this right now.

As you may have seen my once busy blog – with at least 2/3 posts a week has slowed down somewhat. This has been down to a mixture of things and I want to be honest with you so you too can understand my journey. This has been on my mind for a little while now and I've had to really make sure on what is right thing to do, for me.

Firstly finding new material to write about as a beauty blogger usually means I invest in some new product (yay). But when I'm trying to be a good girl and budget my wallet isn’t so happy about this. So I don’t write as much (boo!).

Secondly my family is my focus – forever and always they come first. This means I may not find the time to write sometimes or will find it hard to get in the ‘zone’ so I’m able to write well (well the best I can!).

Thirdly I'm focusing on my work/life balance and now I'm back at work my ‘free time’ is limited a little more – meaning less writing time.

So really, to gain a little more balance in my life this sadly is goodbye, at least for now.

This hasn't been an easy decision and there will be days were I really miss writing but I don’t like to do things half-hearted. For me it’s all or nothing and if I can’t give my all I don’t want to let you (and myself) down.

I have really enjoyed writing and meeting so many lovely people along the way – thank you for all your support over this past year or so! You have been the reason why I would go back and write new material every week!

Keep happy, keep busy and keep writing fellow bloggers!!
Jess xx

Elemis vs Boots Botanics Brightening Balms

Hi and welcome back to my blog!

This week I was trying the much talked about dupe for Elemis from Boots, the Botanics All Bright Radiance Balm (link).

Now I loveeee my Elemis Pro Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm but I'm not so much in love with it's price tag. When I had heard that Boots had released their own version and people were comparing it to the Elemis I had to dive in and give it a test run too!

This balm is £5.99 and oh my do you get a lot for such a tiny price tag!

This is light and creamy, much like the Elemis balm and glides on without making your skin greasy - massive win!! This looks gorgeous under makeup and gives my skin a wonderful pop of 'glow' too.

The one thing I wasn't so sure on was the amount of shimmer this product has. When you first put it on - oh my I looked like a disco ball! But after a few minutes of letting it sink into my skin and then applying my usual foundation, it actually looked pretty nice.

Now if it came down to it and I had to pick one, I would still pick the Elemis just because it just works - it's effortless and gorgeous - on its own or under makeup. The Botantics balm I would only ever feel comfortable wearing under makeup but I would still say it's worth a go - especially if you're after a more budget friendly option!

Have you discovered any beauty dupes at the moment?

Thanks for reading!
Jess x

Winter Lips

Hi and welcome back to yet another post! :)

This week I thought I would do a nice little seasonal post and as the nights have gotten darker so has my lip colour. I thought it would be nice to show you my 'darker' side to lipsticks and possibly give you a reason to go shopping (sorry wallet!!).

My lip colours of choice this Autumn/Winter have been...

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Nude-ist - This stuff is amazing! One application lasts hours and a little goes a long way too. As it's a long lasting wear product it does tend to dry out your lips a little but for hours of colour I don't mind. I have several of these but this is the most perfect shade for winter!

Avon Lipstick in Ravishing Rose - I originally bought this for my wedding a few years ago but it was much darker than I imagined. The colour is a beautiful deep pink/red that lasts for hours. My only issue with this product is that it does dry out the lips a little and can become patchy after a few hours of wear but for the price tag it's definitely worth it!

Mac Lipstick in Syrup (Lustre) - I love this shade from Mac, it's a slightly more pink choice in Winter but as it's a Lustre finish it stays put really well and gives me a pop of 'girliness' in the cooler months.

Gosh Lipstick in Plum (Matt) - This is quite a darker shade for me and a very daring colour to wear. This has been marked as a dupe for Mac's Rebel so if you're thinking of trying that but not the price tag this is a good one to go for. I love the shade of this and as it's matt finish it lasts really well on the lips. I have worn this a few times and honestly felt more confident than I ever have! This lipstick either has wonder powers or is really that gorgeous - either way a win for me!!

Rimmel Kate Lipstick in 01 - This is from Kate Moss' new lipstick range by Rimmel. I picked this shade as it looked like the most gorgeous pink/nude. I love having dark eye make up this time of year so a nude with that just looks perfect! This was a little paler than I expected but equally gorgeous too!

Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in Cherie Bow - This one I use with special occasions in the Winter as it gives a gorgeous glossy lip colour that is classic and timeless. It makes me feel ready for a party and stays put for a while too! This one I will always have in my collection - it's just a holy grail lip colour for me.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Walkyrie - This was in my Cohorted September beauty box but oh my was it a treat! This gorgeous browny/red shade is perfect for Autumn and I have been using this 70% of the time this year! I love the fact that it lasts hours, is so easy to apply and doesn't dry out the lips too!

Mac Lipstick in Modesty (Cremesheen) - This is a solid favourite by all and yes yet again it's stays in my favourites too. This is a brown/nude shade and is gorgeous on every skin tone. I love this as an everyday colour all year round.

I'm sure as the months go on these will change a little and perhaps some darker shades my creep in but for now - these are my absolute favourites!

What lip colours have you been using this month? Any you would recommend? :)

Thanks for reading!
Jess x

My Favourite Lush Products

Hello lovelies!

This week I thought I would post about my current favourites from Lush. This is something that does tend to change every year as my taste changes and they bring out new products.

I've chosen my favourites from the main Lush line they do rather than the Halloween, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc collections.

At the moment my current favourites are... (drum roll please...!):

Dream Cream Hand & Body Lotion - This is my newest favourite from Lush as it's something I wasn't overly sold on, until I tried it! Oh my this stuff is amazing, it helps calm your skin and gives you lovely well moisturised skin after just one use.

Comforter Bubble Bar - This has been a staple favourite for years for me. Firstly it's pink which I love, also it smells gorgeous, like sweets!! I love bubble bars as for me a bath isn't complete without bubbles so I tend to use these more than bath bombs.

Comforter Shower Gel - This was an obvious pick for me as I love the scent so much. This again is a gorgeous pink shade and a little goes a long way. I went for the medium size but I know that this will last me a long time.

Twilight Bath Bomb - Again this is another staple for me. If you love all things lavender and relaxing than this is the bath bomb for you! I always have one of these in so if I'm needing an extra relaxation soak I can do thanks to this little one.

Bubblegum Lip Scrub - I'm on my second pot of this stuff now and I love it! I use it about once a week to help keep my lips soft. I would say a pot of this would last you between 8 months to a year if you use it once a week so a little goes a long way. The scent is also very yummy (very sweet smelling) so that's an added bonus (they have other scents if sweet isn't for you).

Cupcake Face Mask - I switch between this face mask and the Catastrophe Cosmetic mask depending on what my skin is in need of. Cupcake is good for those with oily skin and in need of some balancing out and Catastrophe Cosmetic is for skin in need of calming down and helping any breakouts. Both are gorgeous but for my the scent of Cupcake is why it wins my heart. It smells of chocolate!! For any chocolate lover this is the perfect face mask, just make sure you don't find it too much and try to eat it! ;)

Dragons Egg Bath Bomb - This is a new favourite of mine even though this prodict has been out for a while now. The scent of this is quite citrusy and vibrant, it reminds me of sherbert and honestly I'm amazed on how long I'd just been walking past this one! You pop it in the bath and not only does it fill your bathroom with it's gorgeous scent but it also has lovely little coloured flakes inside that help add a little bit of fun to your bathtime. I just love it and again I will always have this one in too!

Creamy Candy Bubblebar - I have loved this bubble bar well over a year but as I got pregnant I found it too sickly. Now however I'm back to loving it! It smells like the name suggests, sweets and as it's pink it creates a beautiful pink bubbly bath for you. I love that you can get several uses out of these bubble bars too - always a win!

Frozen Bath Bomb - Last but not least is one of the newest bath bombs from Lush, Frozen. This is based on the Disney film and doesn't disappoint. It's got a gorgeous blue glittery shade and when popped in your bath it transforms it into a wonderful lagoon with glitter! The scent isn't anything too strong either, it's quite neutral so if strong scents aren't your thing than this may be a good one to start with.

I hope you enjoyed my little post about my Lush favourites, as you can probably tell I'm a massive fan of the store - have been since I was 14 so I've tried a lot of their products!

Thanks for reading!
Jess x

Maple Holistics Argan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner Review & Giveaway!!

Hello again!

Now this week I was kindly sent some products to trial by Maple Holistics (link here).

Maple Holistics are an American based company and they specialise in cruelty free, organic products (yay!).

Now honestly this is the first time I had heard of the company but as a massive beauty fan I love to try new products so couldn't resist!

Maple Holistics Argan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner*
I must say this is my first time using Argan Oil shampoo and after using it all week I'm loving it! These make my hair wonderfully glossy, easy to manage and shiny! This is especially impressive as only last week I dyed it, so usually it's very dry and upset looking at this point!

You only need to add a little shampoo and it lathers up really well and the conditioner, well the second you apply it to your hair you can see it working - gorgeous silky hair in seconds!!

The scent is very mild and as it's organic and sulphate free I can imagine this shampoo and conditioner duo would be gentle on any sensitive scalps too!

My only slight judgement would be the packaging on the conditioner, I'm not so sold on the solid white label. I think maybe instead have the conditioner detailing marked with a white band around the bottom of the label. This may look a little more attractive in my bathroom, but honestly, if this is my only change than this product is a definite win by my books!

I'm so chuffed and thankful for the team at Maple Holistics for sending me these lovely products to sample - thank you so much! You have definitely made a customer out of me, your products are easy to use, organic, with gorgeous results and cruelty free - I think you have quickly become one of my favourite new brands!!

**GIVEAWAY!!** Have you tried any products from Maple Holistics? If not would you like to be in for a chance to try this Argan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner? All you have to do is tell me your current favourite hair product in the comment section below and I will pull the winner out of a hat of everyone who enters. Keep your eyes peeled as the winner will be announced by the 15th October 2015! Good luck!!

Thanks for reading,
Jess x

*PR Sample

My Top 10 Instagram Pictures

Hi All! :)

This week I'm looking into my past, in fact my past Instgram pictures.

I have quite a few on there, more than I thought but picking my top 10 was easier than I thought it would be. Now some of them will be obvious choices to you but others have a nice little story behind them so if you're interested please keep reading :)

1. First up is a picture of one of our cats, Leo. I love this picture of him as he is looking hopeful for some of my food and is just waiting patiently. This sums his personality up beautifully. He is a cheeky monkey but he is also very well trained when it comes to being patient.

2. Secondly is a slightly more materialistic favourite but I was so chuffed with this I had to include it. This picture is of my newly purchased purse by Ted Baker. Now I know it's sad to include this but I really did love this purse as it was a visual reminder of my success at the time. I had worked hard for years to get my business and career to a really good place and as a treat I finally (after years of waiting) got this lovely purse.

3. This picture is of me and my brother on our birthday - we're not twins but we were born on the same day - I know, weird right?! Anyhoo, we just had a casual meal out but our birthdays are always a nice time to remind ourselves how close my brother and I are, and we will always continue to be. It doesn't matter how hard we're working, how busy we are, where we are - we always make time to catch up, even if it's just over text. I love that we're able to have a strong friendship as well as be brother and sister.

4. I love this picture as its taken shortly after we got married and I couldn't stop staring at my rings. I just loved that we had taken that next step in our lives and our wedding was truly magical.

5. This is a cheeky picture of my husband and me on New Years Eve 2013. I didn't drink anything that night as wasn't feeling it but we had the best time. Silly games, great people, good food - it was such a good night!

6. Haha. This picture is of me and Mike playing on GTAV together on the playstation. We used to play online together and do crazy missions. I love that we got to share the passion of gaming together in this game!

7. This picture is of my beautiful Mum when we went for an afternoon tea. Now not only is this special for me as my Mum is an amazing woman, but also this is the day I thought I may be pregnant. I remember hating the smell of alcohol and smoke and thinking.. oh wait... am I?! :D

8. This had to be included - a gorgeous scan picture of our wonderful baby boy! I loved this scan as it was so amazing seeing our little baby wiggle around on screen even though he was so little I couldn't yet feel his movements. It was just amazing, something I will never forget.

9. I love this picture so, so much! This is a picture of me and our little boy only about a month old here. I remember being so tired but so happy here. I could cuddle him all day but I needed sleep too. We both struggled and supported each other with our sleepless nights, yet all in all I wouldn't change any of it for the world. This boy is everything to us.

10. Finally one recent one of our gorgeous Son. I love this as this is on one of our Mom and Son days where we just go and explore and learn. We spent the morning seeing family, then read some books and played in the park. I love our bonding days.

So that's it, my top 10 pictures. Have you got some top 10 pictures you would like to share, I would love to see them and see why you picked those too!

If you're not already please follow me on Instagram here. I would love you to follow me and I will follow you back :)

Thanks for reading!
Jess x

Loreal Paris Studio Line Hot and Big Hair Spray Review

Hi everyone!

This week I'm featuring one my new favourite hair products from Loreal Paris. This is from their new line and they have a selection of different products to suit every hair type.

I went for the Hot & Big Spray to help try and give my long and thin hair a boost of volume. Now I have tried a lot of different volumising products but haven't gotten on with a lot of them as they can tend to weigh down the hair or make it appear greasy.

This works by spraying it into towel dried hair and spraying it directly onto the roots. You then use your hairdryer to dry your hair and flick your hair upside down to help boost the volume that much more.

Once dry and brushed you're left with wonderfully thick hair, it is amazing!!

I can't say I've seen such amazing results by any other volumsing products before, even those I've tried at the salon! Also as this is a highstreet/drugstore purchase it doesn't break the bank and is only £3.79!!

I absolutely love this and won't be buying anything else for volume now!

If you have thin hair or would just like to add a bit of a boost to your hair give this a try!

Thanks for reading!
Jess x