A Space NK Moment

2014 marked the first year ever that I have done a grand total of nothing to celebrate new years, why? Work. I'm a complete grump when I haven't had my 8 hours and so when I heard I was working a 10 hour shift on NYD, I promptly cleared my schedule for the evening before. So when my first-week-of-January pay check my bank, I figured a new-years treat was necessary. So lets take a look in my shopping basket.

So the product I was most excited to try was easily the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. A blogger-hyped product that per bottle works out a tiny bit cheaper than my beloved Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm? I just had to try it, and it really does live up to my expectations. The thick gel consistency is reminiscent of a balm cleanser as rather than foaming on the skin like most gel cleansers, this one turns almost oily in texture as you work it into the skin, making it easy to massage in for as long as you like. I use it as a second cleanse (so make-up removal, and then this) and work it into dry skin before removing with a damp flannel (wash-cloth - for any Americans wondering what a flannel is) and it leaves my skin clean but not stripped. It's another smells-amazing cleanser that has earned it's place in my cleanser cabinet for the rest of the foreseeable future.

The Caudalie Beauty Elixir is a super hyped product in the beauty-blogging hemisphere so naturally I'd been wanting to try it for a while, along with the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer so when I found the two products packaged up in a set that had ended up in the 50% off sale I had to give it a go. My mother did think I had lost my marbles slightly when she saw the "Best of Space NK" Christmas Cracker Set popping out of my delivery box but it was too good a deal to pass up. Along with the aforementioned products there was a mini Life NK Ultimate Unwind Body Wash, a Rococo Nail Apparel nail polish in "V.I.P Creme", a mini of Oribe's Supershine Nourishing Cream and a Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Gloss in the shade "Cosmo".

Now you'll have already heard about the Lipstick Queen lipgloss in my "Three Ways to Valentines Day: The Dinner Date Edition" post last week, but it really was love at first swatch. With the exception of MAC's Dazzle Glass and Cremeshene Glass forumlas, I've never really been a lipgloss girl. But this was a turning point for me. The texture is smooth and almost balm-like on the lips, and with a sheer, sheeny slighty sparkley finish it makes a good fuss-free lip product that I've been wearing pretty much everyday since I got it.

While I'm a self-confessed non-hair-enthusiast, I surprisingly found the Oribe product lovely as well. It's a low maintenance hair product for the girl who likes some nourishment in her locks. I just work a pea sized amount into towel dried hair, blow dry and I'm done. It give that freshly-dyed shine to my hair and leaves it softer than I thought colour-damaged hair could ever be. It does leave the hair a little bit sleek looking but I think for a casual jeans-and-jumper day it's nice.

The Caudalie spray I'd been so interested in turned out to not be my favourite (check back on Wednesday for more info on that), the bottle produces a lovely fine mist that applies to the face wonderfully but the product didn't seem hydrating enough and was a bit too minty smelling for my taste. I'm not really into nail painting so the Rococo nail product will probably end up being passed on to a friend and the Life NK shower gel is a rather standard product (I still prefer my S&G shower products). I still haven't quite made my mind up about the Laura Mercier primer. It's a lovely formula that I'll definitely be cracking out and using up but for the price difference I think I may end up sticking with my Maxfactor Facefinity Foundation Primer when it's time to repurchase.

So Space NK's UK online store offers free delivery on orders over £60, and since I'd already spent £50+ I figured I'd drop a couple of sale products into my basket since the delivery charge would have taken me up to the £60 limit anyway. With this I picked up a mini of the Daily Fix Bath Soak and the Drift Away Milk Soak (Both form the Life NK range) and the Space NK Smoky Rose Candle, all for half price. The Space NK candle looks lovely on my bedside table, the packaging is lovely and sleek and the scent is exactly what you'd imagine, a rose scent with a hint of smokiness to it. While the burn time is great for a small candle this does mean it's a slow burner so the burn isn't as even and I can imagine that quite a lot of the wax will end up being wasted, but it kicks off a good scent never the less.

The bath products are another nice-but-pricey product, The Daily Fix Bath Soak is my favourite of the two as the scent is more to my taste but for calming sore muscles which is what the product claims to do I much prefer the Radox Muscle Soak Herbal Bath, the scent on the Radox isn't quite as nice but the effect is much better and at £2 for 500ml vs the Life NK's £6 for 150ml, it's a no brainer.

A cheeky add-on to this haul is the Sarah Chapman Skinesis Hydrating Booster, which I did purchase at Space NK, but in store rather than online with the rest of the products mentioned in this post. I went to the Manchester Beauty Chat Live a couple of weeks ago and picked this up as your entry fee was redeemable against purchases made on the night (there was also an epic goodie-bag for anyone who spent £50 or more but, again, more on that in my post on Wednesday). As I've already mentioned, I'm a big fan of Hydraluron and bloggers site the Sarah Chapman as a more sohpisticated, less tacky version. Oddly enough, I actually find it to be more tacky on my skin and, while it's a nice product, I still feel the loyalty to my original hydrating favourite and will definitely be repurchasing that over the Sarah Chapman when I run out.

The Valentines Take-Over Finale - The Girls Night Out

Now I dub this the option for the single girl. I suppose the option could be switched up to suit a date-night, maybe you and your other half are going out for a night on the tiles, but generally when I think clubbing, I think girls night. So dust off your heels (and your emergency flats) and here we go.

Again, a night-out option doesn't call for much on the pamper side (I find the day post-night out becomes all about the pampering) so besides jumping in the shower and washing my hair I focus mainly on the make-up side of things. I'm all about an SPF free base, some sheen to the skin, shimmer on the eyes and a bold lip option to give the look a bit of something.

To keep things in place all night I prep the skin with the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer before going in with a pump of Bourjois' Healthy Mix Foundation in "51 Vanilla", which is a decent match for me but still warms my complexion a little (yes, I'm that pale). I rely on my old faithful Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in "Vanilla" (are we sensing a theme here) to hide all my bags and blemishes and set my base in place with the (you guessed it) Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot setting powder. For a night out I go for more colour on the complexion than I normally would and so go for a triple hit. when it comes to contouring I've gone through multiple of E.L.F's Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in the original shades, I rarely use the blush in this compact due to it's heavy shimmer but the contour shade is nice when applied with a light hand. For a hint of blush I dip my brush into Benefit's Sugarbomb box blush which swirls peachy, plummy and pinky tones into a subtle cheek colour and I finish with a light dusting of The Balm's Disco Disco highlight (from their Balm Jovi palette) onto the tops of my cheek bones.

With complexion done I move onto eyes with the Urban Decay Primer Potion being the first product I reach for, I'm currently testing out some other eye bases but this one remains on the top spot for now, the dispenser is good for keeping the product clean and it makes most shadows I apply on top of it last a whole day (and I have some long days, trust me). I then carefully pack on one of my Helen E Cosmetics Loose Eyeshadow Pigments in "1" which is a mid-tone taupe-y shade with irresistible shimmer to it. I tight line and line my water line with my usual Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in "Perversion" and the Rimmel Scandaleyes Khol Liner in "Nude" and then apply a generous layer of Urbans Decay's Subversion Lash Primer. While that's drying I tend to unruly brows with the Maybelline Brow Satin in "Mahogany Red" (A brow product for red-heads, finally!) before topping off my lashes with a few lashings of the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara.

A bold lip is my favourite make-up pick-me-up right now and with my light skin and red hair I think a red suits me best so I have three of my favourites with different formulas to choose from. For the lip-pencil lover the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in "Cruella" is a nice, deep red that's matte and lasts a good while without much need for topping up (although if an orange-y red is more your thing "Iberico" and "Red Square" from this line are nice too). A liquid red lip option is the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in "Hot Pepper" a slightly warmer toned red that's a comfortable matte finish and really perks up a pale complexion. And for the girl who loves a glossy finish? MAC's Luster Lipstick in "Lady Bug" is a beaut. A glossy finish that can be layered up to a full-coverage and feels hydrating on the lips. This one is more high maintenance if you want it to last all night as the glossy finish isn't as long lasting as the more matte options, although it should be noted that it fades flatteringly and doesn't leave you with that bright lip-line and bare centre look that other products may leave.

The Valentines Take-Over Part II - The Dinner Date

So whether your other half is treating you to a luxe meal at that restaurant you've been eyeing up for ages, or it's just you and your best mate going for a cheeky Nando's (My best friend and I just so happen to be frequenters of the cheeky Nando's). I've come prepared with a line up that's fool-proof.

When it comes to a night-out option, it's less about the pampering and all about the make-up for me really. I want to enjoy applying a night-out face, so this routine may contain more products than usual but it's a winner every time. While I would normally gravitate towards a bold lip, when it comes to food things can get a bit messy, and so I play up eyes with a dusting of something dark and shimmery, and lashings of mascara. Here's a typical dinner-date stash.



I'll kick things off with a primer and right now I'm all about the MaxFactor FaceFinity Foundation Primer, it' basically glue for your face and works well under the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation which will give you that my-skin-but-better glow. To amp up that glow a little more I add a tiny bit of Benefit High Beam highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones and then set everything in place with Soap & Glory's One Heck Of A Blot powder. With it still being cold outside (it's been snowing in Manchester *sigh*) I skip blush and just add a good dusting of Soap & Glory's Solar Powder to the cheeks for a winter glow.

With complexion done, we'll move to the main event, eyes. To prep I sweep a dot of the Urban Decay Primer Potion across my lids and then gravitate to something grey, bronze-y or slightly plum-y on the eye. My go-to's of late have been "Smog" (From the Urban Decay Naked Palette), "DTF" or "Angel" (Both from the Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette). I tight-line with Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in "Perversion" and line my water-line with Rimmel Scandeleyes Liner in "Nude". For an indulgent mascara option I'd go for Urban Decay Perversion Mascara but for something more budget I love the MaxFactor 200 Calroie Curved Brush Mascara and then fill my brows in with "Buck" eyeshadow from the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

For lips I'm keeping it simple but a girl's got to have options, I have 3 neutral-lip favourites in a format to suit everyone. For the lip-pencil-lover I'd say the Soap & Glory Sex Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in "Nudist", for a traditional bullet lipstick the Esteé Lauder Pure Colour Envy Lipstick in  "Dynamic" is great slightly deeper neutral. A new-to-me gloss option that I'm currently loving is the Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Gloss in "Creation" - and for those saying "Lipgloss? On a date?" yes. Though this gloss is shiny and shimmery, it's not sticky at all and feels almost balm-like on the lips, wears off nicely and won't leave you in a mess.

3 Ways to Valentines Day - The Night In

So with Valentines day being just around the corner, I thought I'd indulge the holiday of romance with a 3-post-feast with three ideas for how you may choose to spend your Valentines, whether you're attached or indifferent. Round one? The Night In.

I thought I'd kick this Valentines series off with my personal favourite option (and the option that me and my other half will be enjoying this year) the night in. The night in is a versatile one, and can be enjoyed equally with or without company (but we'll not mention that to the boyfriend of course) simply by switching out a few things.

The night alone is an easy one. A hot bath, a good book, an indulgent skincare routine and maybe a film before bed and you can consider yourself a very lucky lady. I'd personally kick things off by running a hot bath and adding in a few drops of the Aromatherapy Associates Relax Deep Bath and Shower Oil, I got the miniatures set for Christmas (thanks mum!) and it is seriously lush. If you're a bubble-bath girl Lush's French Kiss is nice for an early night and their The Comforter is always a goodie. I'll cleanse pre-bath and then slap on the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask.

Once I've dried off I give myself a good coating in Laura Mercier Ambre Vanillé Soufflé Body Créme (which smells seriously stunning) and give my feet some love with Heel Genius by Soap & Glory before moving on to skin. Since I've already cleansed and rinsed off my mask, I give myself a quick spritz with Omoravicza Queen of Hungary Mist (a pricey product that I have a mini of and use fairly sparingly as a treat) and massage in some MV Organics Rose Plus Booster (which you can pick up at a slightly less ridiculous price on Cult Beauty if you wait for the offers).

So with skin all seen to, I hop into bed, put on a film (for a romance I'd recommend The Fault in Our Stars or if you're more of an action girl and you haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy, you're seriously missing out). When I'm ready to actually sleep, I give my bed a few sprays with the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray and drift off in minutes.

Company doesn't mean you can't have a pamper though, my boyfriend for one knows that I'm going to be a good 5-10 minutes in the bathroom in the evening and would interrupt my sacred skincare routine at his own risk. A quick alteration for a night-in for two would be to do your skincare early. Either before you meet-up with your other half or shortly after they arrive (I'm sure they can entertain themselves for 10 minutes), go for a quick mask option like Ren's Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, or an overnight offering like the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, order take-out (we're having domino's), and either go for a film option or, if you're in for the long haul and you're anything like my partner and I, go for a TV-snowball-session option - we've recently finished season two of Hannibal and are coming up to the end of American Horror Story - Freakshow.

The Winter Skin Saviours - My Top 3 Facial Oils

While I may be an oily-skin-sufferer, I find my skin is almost always dehydrated (must drink more water) especially in winter. So with that in mind I've been gravitating to something a little out of the ordinary for my skin this season. Oils. And Here's the 3 I've been getting a lot of use out of.

Left to right: Sarah Chapman Morning Facial, B. Replenished Antioxidant Facial Oil, MV Organics Rose Plus Booster

For a morning oil, I'm all over the Sarah Chapman Morning Facial, just as hydrating as it's overnight equivalent, sinks in a little quicker and (in my opinion) smells even better. It's got that citrus-y fresh wake-me-up scent that I love. While it sinks in quickly it hangs around long enough to really massage in and give yourself a treat with and works really well under make-up. It also happens to be the lazy girls perfect morning skincare option, when I use this I just cleanse, acid tone, eye-cream and this, no extra serums or moisturisers necessary. Amazing.

In the evening, I find myself pulling out the MV Organics Rose Plus Booster, I find that just 2-3 drops added in to my usual skincare routine leaves my skin happy and hydrated. While it's eye-wateringly expensive per bottle, per ml it actually works out cheaper than the Sarah Chapman options, and it's a real treat so I can live with it. Again, smells amazing, sinks in well and can be used to give yourself a facial massage. While it's not specifically for evening (and I have been known to add a drop to my regular morning moisturiser on a dry day) I find that this is the time when I like to use it as I have more time to really enjoy using it in the evening.

Finally, the budget option. The B. Replenished Antioxidant Boost Facial Oil, you can pick this up from Superdrug and at around £14 for 30ml, it's a steal. You can occasionally get it on offer too so even more affordable. This skincare range does offer recommended age ranges, and while this oil is recommended for skins ages 30-40, my 22-year-old skin loves it. In between days using the previous mentions, I'll add 1-2 drops of this to my morning moisturiser to add some glow, or 2-3 drops before my evening moisturiser, instead of a serum step. Again, sinks in nicely and with a scent reminiscent of the MV offering, I can't say no.

Also - I know I go on about smells a lot - but it's totally part of the relaxation process for me, sorry not sorry.

See you next week for a 3-post feast special. - Jodie

A Boots Moment

So I had a bit of a moment in boots the other day. I had points boosters, there were offers on, it was dangerous territory and some serious spending may have happened. After wandering into the isles looking for a tube of my old favourite mascara, I ended up having to go back for a basket, and the contents of the final purchase looked like this:

Left to right, from top left corner: MaxFactor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in "Eternal Gold", Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in "Frambourjoise", MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in "Soft Pink", Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in "No. 51", Maybelline Colour Tatto in "Vintage Plum", Bourjois Rouge Edition Velver in "Hot Pepper", MaxFactor Facefinity Foundation Primer

So I was a tad indulgent, but as I said there were offers on and most of these are products that I've been eyeing up for ages, and with my points boosters enabling me greatly I gave in to temptation.

My first base product purchase of the day was the MaxFactor FaceFinity Foundation Primer, and as mentioned in previous posts, I'm an oily-skin sufferer. This primer is intended to extend the wear of your foundation and claims to be an "all day" primer. I wouldn't say the "all day" claim is quite lived up to (at least not on my face) but I should say I can have some lengthy days, I can spend anywhere up to 11 hours in the office some days and I have a good 1.5 hour commute each way, so I didn't really expect it to last until I got home, but it definitely gets me through the bulk of the day. It smells a bit funny, slightly glue-esque, but since it pretty much glues your foundation to your face I guess that's slightly appropriate.

I'm not normally a girl to change things up foundation-wise, I have my Revlon Colourstay for everyday, Illamasqua's Skin Base for when I feel like something a bit more luxe, and I rarely buy any other foundations. That being said the Bourjois counter had an offer on so I picked up a bottle of their Healthy Mix Foundation in the original formula. It's more glow-y than I'm used to, but I was finding that layering a matte powder over a matte foundation with a mattifying primer underneathe, everything was just looking a bit flat, so the glow is definitely welcomed. It smells delightful when applying and when worn over a primer it lasts most of the day and adds a bit of life to the skin. And best of all? Even though I'm ungodly pale, they have a colour that matches my skin fairly well (the lightest one, surprise surprise).

A final complexion Product I picked up is the MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in "Soft Pink". This is kind of a blogger-classic product these days, so I figured I had to try it. I've tried it once to give it a test run and it's pretty, a sheer, sheeny, healthy pink on the cheeks. I personally apply it after foundation and then use my normal face powder all over my face to set everything in place. While I can't see it being something I'll reach for much in winter, come spring and sumer I think this might even make it into the makeup bag.

So while I did get distracted, I managed to pick up the product I was intending to get, the MaxFactor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara. While I love my Urban Decay Perversion, it is pricey, and for day-to day use, I wanted something a little more on the purse-friendly side of things. This one is an oldie but a goodie, I used it back in my poor-student uni days and it's definitely something I'm happy to have back in my collection. It's very black, holds a curl well and adds length as well as thickness.

Again a product that's so hyped here in the online beauty world, the Maybelline Colour Tattoos. They were buy-one-get-one-half-price so I picked up two shades, "Eternal Gold" and "Vintage Plum" and I can finally see what all the fuss is about. "Eternal Gold" is one of the standard more metallic finishes and blends in beautifully on the eyes, and while the leather-effect-finish "Vintage Plum" is slightly more sheer and requires a little more work to get the desired finish, I can say it's also a good'en.

So finally, we have my favourite category, lip products. I love a good bold and have heard a lot about the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets, so I thought I'd pick a couple up and see for myself. I picked up shades "Hot Pepper" (a statement orange-y red) and "Frambourjoise" (a slightly deeper bright pink). They're comfortable to apply and set down to a a lush matte texture (that, admittedly, can be a bit drying after a few hours) and haven't got any nasty smell going on. And while they're not quite as long lasting as I'd hoped (lets face it, I don't think the bold, all-day lipstick will ever exist - but a a girl can dream), they stick around for a good few hours and I find that only the centre of the lip ever needs touching up. If you're looking for an affordable, long-wearing bold, they're definitely worth a go.

Next post coming up on Friday - A Winter Skin Saviour. Hope you enjoy! - Jodie

The Nail Product For Girls Who "Don't Do Nails"

Although my mother is a nail technician, my nails are nothing short of awful. They're flakey, brittle and generally, I try to forget about them. It's probably my fault, I've been a nail-biter as long as I can remember (nervous habit - TMI?).

I'm not supposed to wear nail polish for work (although clear and french-manicure styles are acceptable) and my previous attempts with colour on the nails haven't gone too well. If I manage to apply a coat without getting the polish all over my fingers, the polish often chips off before the day is over. So generally speaking, I don't do nails.

Orly Color Care Nail Strong

I'd just about given up on my nails entirely when I found the Orly Colour Care Nail Strong in Boots. It's a clear nail polish, looks a lot like a simple top coat when applied, but it's really lovely.

This clear polish leaves weak or brittle nails feeling stronger and healthier, and best of all, looking nice and shiny too. The lack of colour means that chipping isn't such an issue either. At £10 a bottle, it's not the most purse-friendly product out there, but if your nails are in need, it's the best help I've found.

Just a short and sweet one today I'm afraid, check back on Wednesday! - Jodie

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