Saturday 24 May 2014

Fresh Coffee and Reflections

Writing without any particular theme today, I am happy to introduce summer into my life! University is over until September and starting today I have two weeks off  work to kick start my last week as a 20 year old. And what am I doing to celebrate my summer break? I am sitting in the cafe my boyfriend works part time in at 10am organising blog posts and planning day trips up to the North of Scotland. Sipping on fresh coffee in this cute little cafe in Cults, I feel content starting my summer this way. Chilled, calm and making the most of my day.

Its a scary prospect, growing up. The big TWO ONE is fast approaching and though I am looking forward to it, I do have to wonder where time has gone. It only feels like yesterday I was graduating from school, still a little uncertain on life; if I would get to university, if I would move out of my quaint little house in the country to the big city of Aberdeen. And now I have just picked my dissertation year modules for university, working as an Assistant Manager and ultimately are embracing the ever growing years of the 20's. Pretty sure its safe to say that life is getting real. Soon i'l be out in the real world working... with the excuse... 'but I'm a student.' being lost in the past.*gulp*

If there is one part of growing up I feel I have already taken on full force, its the hangovers. Holy lord! Gone are the freshers days of doing a week non stop of alcohol consuming partying. One night on the sauce and I'm knocked for six for at least 2 days. Growing up sucks, its the reason I don't party nearly to the extent as I used to and why I am sitting on the first official day of my summer holiday in a cafe at 10am contemplating my life and growing that one year older. Go figure.

So this is me and my worries and fears, my expectations and my realities. Do any of you guys just freak out sometimes thinking about where time seems to go? Not even twenty one yet and I'm already experiencing nostalgia for 'the good ol'days'. God knows what the next 10-15 years will be like! All I can hope is that they are full of memories that I will look back on fondly, like I can do already sitting here in the wee cafe in Cults.


'too much yum for one photo!'
X.O
JF


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Thursday 15 May 2014

Body Shop Products Review!

Last week after payday I went out and bought a few products from The Body Shop, some of which I highlighted in my last post. As usual when I go in to these sort of shops I always end up purchasing so much more than originally planned, and this occasion was no exception! Sticking to my last blog post I did purchase the Raspberry Body Scrub and the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter however I also changed a few of my purchases last minute and also ended up buying their Tea Tree Face Mask and their new Vitamin E Overnight Serum in Oil.

To start off their Raspberry Body Scrub is so so amazing and one of the best scrubs I have ever used to ease you into the day in the morning. A little treat in a pot, It looks and smells like delicious raspberry jam. I actually cannot tell you how amazing this stuff smells! As a scrub it is amazing, the lady from the body shop advised me to use a small amount on a mitt scrub to really make it last and get a deep clean and that definitely works. My skin feels so smooth and exfoliated after using this scrub and smells so delicious! I love it so much I am looking to next purchase the Raspberry Body Butter just so I can get that yummy Raspberry smell to last that little bit longer.

I had been intrigued with using a butter as a cleanser and make up remover for a long time, reading reviews from a lot of high end brands. When I heard about the Body Shop Cleansing Balm I thought it would be a safe bet to try, not being too much of an expense if It didn't particularly suit me. However I am so glad I tried this product because I don't actually think I could live without it in my skin routine anymore! This cleansing butter is amazing and a thrill to use after a long day working as it makes your skin feel so soft and cared for. There is no other greater pleasure than taking your worn make up off after a long day and rubbing this butter into your skin and massaging into the eye area to get all your mascara off just feels so cleansing and softening and it literally just melts all your make up off your face. Sometimes in the morning I used to wake up with 'panda eyes' after not being able to get all my mascara off the night before but since using this product I haven't had that trouble at all. I couldn't recommend this product enough if Im honest it is just lovely and smells lovely and is all in all a lovely product to use!

The Tea Tree Oil Face Mask was more of an impulse buy than anything else. I had been looking for a good quality face mask to try and help absorb excess oil as during the day I tend to get quite an oily T-zone, especially in the summer months. Originally I was between their Tea Tree Mask and their Clay Mask however I decided to go for the Tea Tree as it is a known antibacterial product and I was nervous the Clay Mask would block my pores more for some reason (I know it probably doesn't but yeah.) Using it twice a week i concentrate on my T-zone but use it all over my face and it honestly makes my skin feel so fresh and clean. I also do see a dramatic difference in the 'shine' that develops under my make up during the day. It such an easy mask to apply the consistency is great, it does the job and it is honestly a pleasure to use.

My other impulse buy of the day was their Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil. This was probably my unexpected buy of the day only really considering purchasing it after the lady from the Body Shop was telling me about it. I had never really considered using a serum, never mind a serum-in-oil as i moisturise before bed anyway, but holy lord this stuff is like the elixir of healthy skin. After cleansing i massaged a small amount into my face and around my eye area, (a little goes a long way) then applied my usual night moisturiser. When I woke up in the morning I actually couldn't believe how soft my face was, and weirdly enough my skin felt 'plumper.' The tone and texture of my skin had greatly improved over night and I now religiously use this serum-in-oil every night it is that amazing!

All in all I had a very successful trip to The Body Shop. There isn't one product I was disappointed with and all seem to definitely be investments for the future. Im excited to continue using these products and see more results because of them.

Hope you have all enjoyed and find this helpful for any Body Shop purchase you are thinking of making! Let me know in the comment section below of any other recommendations or experiences you have had with these and other products in their range :)

X.O
JF
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Tuesday 6 May 2014

My May Wishlist - The Body Shop

Pay day is coming up and boy am I excited! Over the last couple of weeks I have seen so many different beauty products and clothes I have been wanting to buy and try.. Always the same when you are a little bit strapped for cash! However, a little bit of pay and a wee bit of retail therapy will hopefully allow me to try out some of these beauty products I am looking to invest in from My May Wishlist :)

Here are a couple of the products from My May Wishlist which are all from The Body Shop! If anyone has used any of these products before and wants to make any comments on their use or recommendations please feel free to let me know in the comment section below! I always love hearing what you guys think :)

Firstly my absolute must purchase product is the new Raspberry Body Scrub from their new Early-Harvest Raspberry range that retails at £12.50. I think if there was anything to get me up in the morning and ready for work (apart from the smell of fresh coffee).. this would be it! It smells like the most scrumptious raspberry jam..  it looks like raspberry jam.. even down to the tiny exfoliation raspberry seeds! You wonder how it isn't raspberry jam if I'm honest as it looks and smells good enough to eat! But I have heard such good things about this product and I am definitely keen to try it this month.

My next wishlist product is the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter. I have been wanting to try a cleansing butter for a while now as I feel it would be a much gentler way to remove make up than using a liquid based make-up remover. I have heard really good things about this product, that it is nourishing but not too oily and leaves your skin super smooth after use. The fact that is it said to 'melt' make-up away and and leaves your skin feeling 'pampered' makes it a winner already in my books! It retails for £12.00 and I am super excited to try this product.



My final product that I will share with you guys today is also from the Body Shop and is a fragrance product. It is the Vanilla & Tonka Bean Body, Room and Linen Spritz which retails for £7.00. I am a huge fan already of the Aloe & Soft Linen fragrance of this spritz which I bought a little while back. It is such a versatile product that freshens any room or material. By the end I was actually using mine more as a body spray before I went out because it just smelt so fresh and clean and was so pleasant to wear on your clothes on summer days and wasn't as heavy as wearing a perfume. As a scent I love vanilla so I feel that I will also love this product and will probably be spraying it everywhere! 



All opinions are my own and there is no sort of sponsor or anything for this post. I just love Body Shop and I am keen to share my love of their products with you guys! 

I hope you all enjoy this post and I look forward to purchasing and reviewing these products for you all soon :)

X.O
JF
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Saturday 3 May 2014

Loreal Paris Lumi Magique Range - Review

I came across the Lumi Magique range while browsing the make-up aisle in Boots, as you do, and I must say I was quite taken with the range as soon as I laid eyes on it. I became instantly attracted to the beautiful rose gold packaging which I thought had such an expensive luxury look. The Lumi Magique concealer especially reminded me of the YSL Touche Eclat concealer which is nothing but amazing giving you sheer luminous cover and I must say for a high street dupe it does the job perfectly. The concealer itself is easy to use with a twist bottom that controls the amount of concealer you actually use. I find this so handy as i always end up taking far too much at once and wasting perfectly good make up because I have overdone the amount I need! It is evenly distributed onto a brush attached to the concealer stick which makes it very easy to apply to both small blemishes and to use under the eye. The concealer adds a luminous touch to your make up which makes it perfect for adding extra covering and 'zing' to tired eyes. I believe a must item for all make-up bags!


The second product I want to tell you guys about from the Loreal Paris Lumi Magique range is their Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer. I don't actually think I have enough words to rave at just how good this product is for the price. This primer is just amazing and in my eyes is literally a 'splash of sunshine' for your face. It is so easy to apply and has the colour and sheerness of pearl. When applied to the face it adds a beautiful yet not overpowering pearly dewy glow which is just so flattering and (bonus) it lasts all day. Though this product is a primer in its own right if you are a little daunted by the thought of putting a luminous primer all over your face under your foundation you can also just dab it round the eye on top of your foundation to use it as more of a highlighter, adding a lovely glow to tired skin which will catch the light and shimmer away all day.



These two products retail at £9.99 (Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer) and £8.49 (Lumi Magique Concealer) from Boots. If anyone has any comments on there products or more Loreal Paris products they can recommend let me know in the comment section below!

 X.O
JF
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Friday 2 May 2014

To Get Started...

... let me formally introduce myself. The names Jodie, I live study and work in Aberdeen, UK. Studying communication with PR at University, I had always been interested in starting up my own beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog and have now finally decided to take the plunge! I myself am a huge fan of some fantastic beauty and lifestyle vlogs, to name a few essiebutton, fleudeforce and amelialiana. Those girls just seem to have so much fun sharing all of their reviews and experiences to an online audience I found myself desperate to get involved in this strange exciting new world of online blogging. So, here I am! Fresh to the drawing board, apprehensive but very excited to get started! I hope you all enjoy my ranting and raving, I'm looking forward to meeting you all and becoming part of your online shenanigans!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin X.O
JF  
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