Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede Cologne

Hello Everyone!

Now, I have to admit I am pretty late on the Jo Malone hype! I've of course heard about the desirable perfumes and candles, and of the brands brilliant reputation. I have also read so much of Jo Malone herself, as I have a high interest in those that build up powerful businesses themselves, and I really respect her. 

I have wanted to try a Jo Malone perfume for some time, but to be honest, I just thought the perfumes were a tad too pricey for my liking. But, my cousin Zoe (a fellow blogger), has always raved about the perfumes so I decided to take the plunge and purchase one.

There were so many scents to choose from I felt a bit overwhelmed when I first entered the shop. The incredibly friendly assistants were on hand, however, and helped me to pick out a scent I felt suited myself and my personality. 

I decided to purchase the Peony and Blush Suede Cologne, as I absolutely fell in love with the scent. I felt that it suited me perfectly. It isn't sickeningly sweet like most perfumes on the market. It smells girly, yet sophisticated. It is not overpowering at all, but is enough to be noticed, which I like as I hate when women walk past me and I am suffocated by themselves drenched in perfume. 

I am completely in love with the packaging and presentation of Jo Malone products. They look so high end and expensive (which they are), and are just amazing really. I feel like words cannot do the beauty of the elegant bottles and classic packaging justice. 

Now that we have discussed the prettiness and loveliness of this product, let's discuss price. 30ml costs £40, and 100ml costs £82. At first glance this seems a lot. But the quality of this product really justifies the price. It smells expensive and lovely, not sickly and cloying like cheaper perfumes. The cologne lasts on me for the whole day, unlike other perfumes, and also only a little spray is needed. I am more than happy that I paid this price as I know this will last me for ages, and that it is of good quality.

I am sure that I will purchase more Jo Malone products in the future!

Speak Soon, 

Stephanie x

Links of London Pearl Ring

Hello Everyone!

I hope you're all well! It has been so long since I've written a post! I have been so busy doing college work and revising for mock exams!

I went shopping with my Mum today, which was lovely as it feels I haven't seen her in ages! On our way back to the car we walked past Links of London. We decided to peer in the window and we saw such a pretty ring! My Mum encouraged me to go inside and try it on, and I'm so glad I did! It was absolutely beautiful! As a treat, my Mum decided to buy it for me... so spoilt! 

I absolutely love the chic, classic packaging. The black and cream go so well together and feel really sophisticated. 

 

I think this ring is so pretty and classic. The silver beads are on an elastic cord so it is very comfortable to wear. The pearl in the centre is beautiful, I especially love it because my Grandma and Mum love to wear pearls so I feel this is perfect for me! 

I hope you all like this post, it was only a quick one! I plan to get back into more frequently blogging as I'm more on top of my work load now!

Speak Soon, 

Stephanie x

Benefit Sugarbomb Blusher

Hello Everyone!

I recently got the Sugarbomb blusher from Benefit. I've only recently started using blushers as I used to be paranoid my cheeks were red enough already due to my bad skin... even though I wore foundation so looked completely washed out! I guess that's how my mind worked about a year ago...

Anyway, I have a couple of blushers already. Although I do like my original blushers, I found them either too sparkly, or a tad too dark to wear on an everyday basis. After purchasing the Benefit bronzer Hula, I thought I would give one of their blushers a whirl in the hope it would be nice and discreet like Hula is.

 I absolutely love Benefit packaging as so much though has gone into the designs and colours used for their different products, resulting in the most perfect packaging! The little cube that is Sugarbomb is fairly metallic, with a gold toned pink on most of the cube. A black and metallic orange make the packaging a bit more snazzy, and sort of remind me of a tiger? The metallic of the colours represents the "Sugar" of the product, and the sparkle of it, I think. 

The blush itself is made up of four quarters. I would describe the colours as terracotta, a rose pink, a sugary pink and a lavender. The result of all four of these colours is so feminine and delicate. This blusher adds a subtle glow to my skin that adds some dimension to my face. It adds the colour back into my foundation- covered face, but ever so subtley, and in a way that does not make it look like I had severe burning cheeks from embarrassment. 

Overall, this is such an amazing product, like the rest of Benefits collection. Let me know if you have this product and like it as much as I do guys, or if there are any other blushers you really like!

Speak Soon,

Stephanie

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had amazing an amazing Christmas! I was very spoilt this year and got lot's of amazing presents from my family! One of the gifts being the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette.

I've wanted one of the Naked palettes for so long after seeing the hype of how good they are, and because I absolutely love wearing nudes and browns on my eyes... so it's only natural that I wanted this amazing palette of gorgeous eye shadows!

I really like the palette itself, as I love the colour of the tin! It's hard to describe, a muted bronze maybe? It also feels quite chunky- but in a good way- so the product seems of a good quality and that it's made of good quality stuff! Also, it ensures me the eye shadows are well protected if I were to ever drop this, which is highly likely. Oops. 

The palette comes with a large mirror in the lid, and also a good quality brush positioned just below the eye shadows. 

Above is a photo of the mesmerizing eyeshadows themselves (apologies that the ones on the right hand side aren't in focus, that's my dodgy camera work!). The majority of shadows are glittery and shimmery in this palette, with only three matte shadows (Strange, Limit, Nooner). The colours progress left to right from light to dark; pinks to bronzes, to dark greys/ black. The colours are absolutely beautiful and all work well together, so even if you're not a professional make-up artist, it is hard to do wrong with these colours. My favourite colours because in my opinion are the prettiest, are Dust, Buzz, Factory and Mugshot.

I really love this palette and am so grateful my Mum bought it for me for Christmas! I may upload some make-up looks using the shadows in this palette, just for a bit of fun and experimentation!

Speak Soon, 

Stephanie x

Being A Stressed Student!

Hello Everyone!

You may not know but I am currently at college studying for my A-Levels, and am in my second year... and so stressed! Last year was bad enough, but this year features even more work, stress, and responsibility. I have to balance lessons at college, homework, revision, my Saturday job, and some sort of social life/ hobbies. This is quite hard to deal with at times when there really aren't enough hours in the day.

I'm going to share a couple of tips of how to keep above water when you feel like you are sinking under a sea of stress. 

1. Simply, just stop and breathe. When you physically feel like you are going to have a break down and feel like you can't breath, just stop what you are doing. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. This will immediately help to calm you, and reduce some of the physical features of feeling so overwhelmed. 
2. Keep a diary. I like to write down every day what I've been up to, and how I've been feeling. This really ensures you notice your feelings, and highlights to you if there are any patterns of your feelings, or what you do in a day that makes your stress levels feel better or worse.
3. Partake in light activity. I don't always have time to go swimming (which I find really helps to calm me and relieve stress), but I try to do something each day, no matter how small, to release those endorphins that make me feel chilled. Walking my doggy, Bailey, or doing some Results With Lucy workouts are my fav choices. 
4. Keep organised. This is more of a preventative strategy than a way of dealing with stress. If I keep my life organised (writing down homework/ appointments etc.), keep up to date with my deadlines and make sure I plan ahead, then I find my anxiety levels and stress levels are reduced considerably.

I usually work well under stress, and am currently still doing well even under such pressure. Sometimes, however, it does all get a bit much. This is 100% natural though, and everyone feels like this from time to time, so none of us stressed individuals are alone!

 I hope some of my little tactics help you to feel a bit more chilled and that you aren't too stressed out!

Speak Soon,

Stephanie x

Dior Powder Eyebrow Pencil

Hello Everyone!

It has been so long since I last did a post, I can't believe it!

I always struggle with my eyebrows. I haven't over- plucked my eyebrows at all, but I do like to fill in the more sparse areas, and create more of a neatened shape to them. I can never seem to do this well, and end up with either uneven, or too dark brows. So I recently purchased the Dior Powder Eyebrow Pencil, as I felt my brows deserved some better attention!

 I love this pencil as it looks so glamorous and just amazing. The packaging is chic and glossy, and the actual pencil itself just feels of really good quality... If that makes any sense at all! I just love it! (Excuse the grainy photos, I used my phone for these). 

I didn't realise when I ordered this product, but it comes with a sharpener! I am so glad as I have lost the pencil sharpener I owned previously. 

This pencil comes with a spoolie on one end which I use to brush through my brows before applying the product. This is really handy as I don't have to keep switching between a pencil, and a separate spoolie. 

I bought this pencil in "Blonde" as I have sort of blonde, highlighted hair. The colour is really good as it's not too light, so it still goes with the darker, non dyed parts of my hair, but isn't dark which prevents myself from looking like I have "Scouse Brows". 

I love the consistency of the product, it is light and powdery *duh* and just feels so velvety and luxurious. Only a little is needed to be applied to fill in any sparse areas, and it looks so natural. 

I hope you liked this post guys!

Speak Soon,

Stephanie x

How To Make Your Hair Luscious and Shiny

Hi Everyone!

Tomorrow evening is my works Christmas party! I'm really excited for it as we are going up to London and cruising the Thames on a boat! I want my hair to look extra shiny and glossy so I am going to create my own deep conditioner... of sorts.

This is in no way a beauty break through and I'm sure many of you know of this tip already, but here goes anyway. 

It is very simple! I get a little pot and a spoon, and select my favourite conditioners. These can be deep conditioners or just the average type. All of the ones I have are for dry, damaged hair.

 I then squirt about a 2p size of each conditioner into the pot, and mix. 

Then, when in the shower, I coat the mid- to end lengths of my hair and leave it to soak in.

After about five minutes or so I rinse out the conditioner potion, (thoroughly as otherwise my hair will be heavy with product, lank and greasy).

And there we have it! Soft, shiny hair!

This was just a quick, random little post for you all and I hope you like it!

Speak Soon,

Stephanie x