Mystery Prize Package...from the USA!

As you all might know, I was taking part in a group spending ban.  You could all follow the groups progress using the #roseenospend.  Some girls were doing it for thirty days, like myself, and others are still doing a sixty day spending ban!  We were all paired up to spur each other on, and at the end of the swap, you got to send and receive a prize bundle from your partner!

I was paired with the lovely Hannah from Hannah's Beauty Blog and I received my prize box yesterday!  I photographed everything as soon as I opened it because I was dying to get in and try everything, and this whole unwritten blogger rule of no using it until it's been photographed was a killer.  Hannah is based in the USA, so I have been very lucky in the fact that I've been able to try some American beauty bits!  I'd love to tell you all what I popped in Hannah's box, but hers hasn't arrived yet!  Here is what was in mine...

First off, Hannah - thank you so much for sending me this!  I am so pleased with everything, and I love it all - I've tried almost all of it and everything is perfect!  The shades you've picked are gorgeous, and are ones that I'd have chosen myself - great minds must think alike!  I wish we had Wet n' Wild in the UK, and that candle....ohhhh it smells so good!

This is the Leaves candle from Bath and Body Works.  It smells absolutely gorgeous, and not remotely like leaves.  I can't remember what I thought it would smell like anymore, maybe crisp outdoors and maybe a bit of pine thrown in, but it's gorgeous spiced apple.  I love this so much that I've already tracked down a site that sells it in the UK so that I can get a larger version!

This blush is by Wet n Wild and is in the shade Heather Silk and Hannah has made the perfect choice!  She said she chose this as it's a perfect fall shade, and I have to agree!  I wore this today and it gives me that perfect flushed look.

Another Wet n Wild product that Hannah bought for me is this amazing eyeshadow palette.  I've seen a lot of reviews from other bloggers about these, and they're so distinctive with the embossed text for where to apply each colour.  I have the Comfort Zone palette and sometimes you have the odd shade in a palette that you might not touch but I can see me using every single one of these shades.  The left side is a perfect day look, and the right is a bit more dramatic!

EOS is another brand that I have heard of, so I was really excited to see this in my parcel!  I have the Pomegranate and Raspberry flavour and it is so nice, I love the packaging and they are so much better than I had expected them to be; far better than your standard lip balm.  I love this little sphere of goodness.  If anything it's made me want to try our UK equivalent, the Balmi to compare which formula is better!

Hannah also sent me a Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara.  Covergirl is another brand that I have heard of, mainly when I've been watching America's Next Top Model as they usually win a contract to represent Covergirl!  First thoughts are that I love being able to see the brush in the packaging, most of the mascaras I've bought always come with the wand ready in the tube, so this was an interesting change!  I've tried this today and it has been so nice to wear!

I also got sent a little packet of Extras chewing gum in the flavour Raspberry Vanilla Cupcake.  I've actually not tried this yet, but it was such a nice little extra to get in the box!  I've never had a sweet flavoured gum before so this could be interesting!

I'll be reviewing each of these products a little more in depth in the future, so keep an eye out!  And thank you so much Hannah for everything!  I can see you put a lot of thought into the box, and I'm very grateful!  I really hope you like yours, please let me know what you think and keep in touch!

Have you done a beauty swap before?  Have you tried any of these products?

Wednesday Wishlist #3

I really don't know why I do this to myself...create these wishlists of all the things I'm loving at the moment when I know that I literally can't afford them.  First of all, I'm meant to be saving for a house with my boyfriend.  The last couple of months haven't gone so well as I've been topping up my winter wardrobe with shoes and coats...  And second of all, it's coming up to Christmas and I have so many people to buy for!  I can't really justify spending money on myself, but...if I slip up...I'll have probably bought one (or more!) of these beauties.

1/2/3/4/5/6

First up, we have the Illasmasqua lipstick in Apocalips.  It's an unusual choice; a gorgeous teal with a matte finish.  But before you question my choice, just Google some swatches.  It looks stunning.  A first look at this bizarre colour might put you off, who wears teal lipstick?  Well Rihanna did for one, but that's not my reasoning for needing it.  Greens are opposite reds in the colour wheel, meaning that green should be just as flattering as a red in theory!  This shade teamed with winter skin, and dark winter clothes seems to be right up my street...and to be honest, I'm not bothered if it's right up anyone elses as I love it!

All of the clothing on this wishlist is from Motel (because I've been insanely stalking their website lately) and the first is this patterned dress.  It's very bold and not something that I'd usually go for, but there's something about it that's making me want to give it a try.  I think this, some sheer black tights, an oversized dark coatigan and some chunky boots would look amazing.

The second dress is this gorgeous plain black dress in a skater style, with a nice Peter Pan lace collar.  I just think that this would be really nice for day to day wear and would again work nicely with my trusty chunky boots.

The fourth thing on my Wednesday Wishlist...this stunning Jouer limited edition palette.  Jouer isn't a brand I've tried before, but I've read so much about it.  This is the In the Red palette, and it doesn't even need explaining.  Look at it!  Connectable pieces of gorgeousness, and they're just screaming my name.  This would be perfect for winter parties, or perfecting your flawless Snow White look - neutral eyes, rosy cheeks and bold lips.  Be. Mine. Now.

Another seasonal screamer for me is the new Jo Malone Peony Blush Suede cologne.  I had a sample of this through the post when I ordered my Mums birthday present and it smells amazing.  It's the perfect mix of floral and musky and is something that I would wear a lot through winter.

To finish my somewhat seasonal ending to this wishlist...this amazing dress from Motel.  Sparkles and sequins are again something that I wouldn't normally go for, I tend to go for the more grungey look, but this would be the perfect party dress.  I'd either go for sky high heels, or tone down the sparkle with some high wedge boots.

So what do we think? Do I save or spend, spend, spend?!

As I am part of the Motel Rocks Street Team, I have a discount code available for all of my readers for a handy 20% off at Motel Rocks!  Just enter ceejayell at the checkout for discount across all Motel branded products.

Richard Ward Keratin Rehab Conditioning Treatment

At the beginning of this month, I received the Richard Ward Keratin Rehab Conditioning Treatment* to test out.  I had been toying with the idea of getting another hair mask for a while, so this arrived at the perfect time.  It is a deep conditioning treatment enriched with keratin, hairs natural protein, which helps protect your hair and helps it to re-build it's natural fibres.

I had real high hopes for this, and at my first chance, I applied this to my hair after shampooing for the full half an hour.  You can leave this treatment on from five minutes, to half an hour; I was really looking forward to having beautifully soft hair.

Unfortunately, I was really disappointed.  I have fine, flat hair and leaving it on for this amount of time obviously really weighed my hair down, as well as making it feel really thick, and greasy - because of my hair type, I took extra care to ensure that all the product was washed out, but it must have left behind a very moisturising residue.  On drying my hair, my hair actually felt worse than when I first started, it felt dry and matted.

I tried this mask again for a shorter time of five minutes recently, and the same thing happened again minus the greasy feeling.  My hair felt so dry and I can't understand why or how it happened.  I was so looking forward to trying it seeing as it is a product by a top hairdresser; looking after the locks of Kate Middleton would be enough to make me buy anything he had to offer!  Unfortunately, I just don't think this mask is for me but there are lots of other things in the collection that might be more for my hair type!  I'm currently eyeing up the Keratin Volume Shampoo and Conditioner.

The Richard Ward Chelsea Collection is exclusively available at Waitrose, and this particular mask is £5.99.  If you want think that this is suitable for your hair type and want to try it, or anything else from this collection, the Richard Ward range is currently on a 3 for 2 promotion!  (On a positive note, I really love the little illustrations on the packaging!)

Have you tried any of the Richard Ward products?  What hair masks would you recommend?

*PR Sample. This product was sent to me for review.

Barry M TMLP Lip Paint

A few days ago marked the end of my spending ban!  I won't lie...I didn't not buy anything at all.  I bought some clothes, most of which were necessary and only bought when I had a discount code!  But I can honestly say that I bought no beauty products, which was where my main spending ban was.  So...obviously I treated myself once it had been lifted...  Some people are still on their spending bans, so have a look at how they are doing on the hashtag #roseenospend!  I'll have another exciting post coming soon on the end of #roseenospend...stay tuned!

So what did I buy?  I bought the Barry M Lip Paint in TMLP, standing for Turn My Lips Pink.  The only thing I've ever bought from Barry M are the nail paints; nothing else really took my fancy, and I was worried for the quality.  But, I am so surprised.  This is amazing, and probably now one of my favourite lipsticks!  Oh...and it's green....

Yes!  Green!  This magic lipstick starts out a real Halloween green, but is one of those magic lipsticks that change according to the pH in your lips, so it will vary in shade for everyone to create your perfect pink!  I'm a sucker for anything that looks this cool, and I have to say I'm not disappointed with this little impulse buy.

It's really moisturising on the lips, and has such a good wear time.  I swatched this on my hand and it was so hard to get off!  Wear time is pretty good too; once the moisturising feeling has worn away from the initial application, you are left with a nice stain.  Don't be fooled though, this colour gradually develops, so whilst it may seem sheer at first, keep an eye on it!  My Mum borrowed mine when I wasn't in, and was shocked hers had developed to an almost fuschia pink!  A nice one at that!

The lipstick comes in pretty standard packaging, but I really like it.  It's a matte black tube with a gloss band where the lid meets.  I usually find that cheaper lipsticks usually come with cheap, tacky packaging but I really like this and wouldn't be bothered about cracking it out during the day!  The bright green inside might get me a few stares though!

As far as smell, it's no MAC lipstick.  It's got quite a synthetic fruity scent in my opinion, and reminds me of Tutti Fruities, but it's not unpleasant!

Indoor Lighting

Excuse the awful quality selfie - I really ought to invest in a proper camera for showing what it's like on skin!   Keep an eye out on my Instagram, as I imagine I'll be wearing this a lot! Mine goes a really nice rosy pink in indoor light, but a real bright lolly pop pink in natural light!  I'm so pleased with my purchase!  I bought mine from Amazon here for £4.21, I've always struggled to get it in Superdrug and Boots because they're always sold out!

Natural Lighting Outside

So there we have it.  My crazy impulse buy of a bright green lipstick, that leaves my lips that perfect shade of pink.  I'm one happy chappy.

What has been your latest impulse buy?  Will you be getting this?

The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Make-Up Remover

This is The Body Shop's Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Make-Up Remover*.  I have to admit here and now that I've never really bought into the whole make up remover thing - I usually just wash my face properly with face wash in the bath or shower, and prior to me becoming quite into my skincare routine, I just used face wipes - I know, I don't anymore and they're now banned!

The only eye make up remover I bought before this was the Simple one - it was okay but I was never really taken with it so I didn't get used very much, so I'll say now I didn't have high hopes.  But oh my god, wow.  This is one of those cleansers where you have to shake it to wake it, you can see below that it's a layered solution; one is an oily liquid, and the other is a watery one.  Once shaken, it turns into a milky mixture which is just perfect.

The cap is the only downside - I find it quite difficult to actually get the product out compared to other liquid cleansers that kind of just soak onto the cotton wool.   I think it's because of just how small the hole is in the cap, but I can get by!  I'd still buy this again.

To test the make up, I used my brightest red lip which usually leaves a stain behind, and my Maxfactor False Lash Effect Mascara, teamed with a Body Shop one as well for maximum mascara layers seeing as the only waterproof mascara that I own is my other Maxfactor False Lash effect mascara, which as I said in my previous review here, isn't waterproof.

I was pleasantly surprised.  My lipstick was removed easily, and no red lip was left behind!  I had no staining, and was left with my natural lip colour.  Removing mascara required a little more effort as expected, but just holding the soaked cotton pad over the eyelids for a few seconds allowed for a gentle and effective removal!  I was expecting to have some sort of oily residue left behind, but I couldn't notice anything dramatic, just clean, make up free skin.

So all in all, like the Camomile Cleansing Butter, I love this product and would definitely buy it again.  At £8, it is more expensive than I would normally pay, but as I'm researching more into skin care, I am starting to be willing to pay that little bit extra as you really do get what you pay for.  This is just perfect; simple, effective and will last a while too thanks to the product control from the small cap!

What are you favourite make up removers?  Will you be trying this?

*I received this Eye & Lip Make Up Remover from The Body Shop after winning a Twitter competition

Tagged: This or That

I've been tagged again!  This time it is for the This or That tag, and I was tagged by Carly from Carly's Beauty World.  Be sure to check out her blog!  She's doing an amazing new series at the moment called 'Focus' and it's all about skin care!  I really like the idea of this tag; I'm new to blogging, so this is a great way to quickly find out more about other bloggers!

MAKE-UP

Blush or Bronzer: Blush!
Lip Gloss or Lipstick: Lipstick!  Lip Gloss tends to be too sticky for me - if you've found any that aren't, please share!
Eyeliner or Mascara: Mascara! Some people who know me might be surprised at that because I wear eyeliner every day!  But your eyes don't look complete without mascara!
Foundation or Concealer: Foundation, because I have scarring from spots!
Natural or Coloured Eyeshadow: Natural.
Pressed or Loose Eyeshadow: Pressed.
Brush or Sponge: Brush.

NAILS
OPI or China Glaze: OPI, never tried China Glaze!  But I love me some Nail Envy...
Long or Short: Long!
Acrylic or Natural: Natural.
Bright or Dark: Ohh...tough.  Dark.
Flower or No Flower: What??  No flower!

BODY

Perfume or Body Spray: Perfume.

Lotion or Body Butter: Body Butter.

Body Wash or Soap: Body Wash!

Lush or Other: Lush, but I do love Bomb Cosmetics too!

FASHION

Jeans or Sweat Pants: Jeans.

Long Sleeves or Short Sleeves: Long.

Dress or Skirt: Dresses!

Scarves or Hat: Scarves.

Studs or Dangling Earrings: Studs.

Heels or Flats: If I could, ALWAYS HEELS.

Cowboy or Riding Boots: One hundred percent neither.  Biker boots.

Jackets or Hoodies: Jackets.

Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe: I've only ever been in Forever 21.

HAIR

Curly or Straight: Straight, but I would love to have a bit of a curl or wave!

Bun or Ponytail: Bun.

Bobby Pin or Butterfly Clips: Bobby Pin.

Hairspray or Gel:  Hairspray!

Dark or Light: Dark.

Side Swept or Full Bangs: I would like a full, but I don't have patience to train my hair to stay there!

Up or Down: Down.

RANDOM

Rain or Shine: Shine!

Summer or Winter: Summer!  Although Winter has my birthday, Christmas and mine and my boyfriends anniversary....Winter!!

Autumn or Spring: Spring!

Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla.

I hope you've enjoyed reading my answers; I'm sorry for the lack of pictures!  I try not to use pictures that aren't my own, and having not blogged for long, I don't have a back catalogue to choose from just yet!  So here's who I have tagged...

Hayley from HaySparkle

Laura from Pink Frenzy

Caroline from Blue Eyed Beauty

Sophie from Sophie Rosee

Rosie from Rosie Louise Love

Make sure you check out their blogs!  And if you've been tagged, I'd love to be nosey at your answers, so share your links with me!

Do you have any extra This or Thats that you'd like to ask me?

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

As promised, here is my first review for The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing range.  This is the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter* and I have to say, I absolutely love it.  I've never really been a fan of balmy cleansers; I got the RMK Cleansing Balm in a Glossybox before and found it to be far too greasy on my skin, and as I've got oily skin, this worried me.  This is just a perfect balance - it's a bit different texture wise to the RMK balm, that feels more waxy where as I think that this is more creamy which I guess is expected as it's called a Cleansing Butter.  

You literally need a pea sized amount of this cleanser, it just melts in your fingers and applies amazingly well across the skin.  It removes all traces of make up with ease, and because you only need a small amount, I can see it lasting a long time.  It has a clean, fresh, very light floral scent which I personally love because it's not at all overpowering.  On the skin, it looks and feels quite oily so to make sure I removed it all, I did the good old double cleanse, and washed it off in the shower with some face wash.

Having washed it off, I was amazed at just how smooth my skin felt!  I felt amazing, and whilst I haven't noticed any massive skin differences just yet, I absolutely love this Cleansing Butter and couldn't recommend it enough!  It costs £12 in The Body Shop, which is usually more than what I would pay for a cleanser (because I'm a bit tight) but The Body Shop almost always has offers on - the last one I saw was for 40% off everything - so keep your eyes peeled if your purse strings are knotted as tight as mine!

Have you tried any of the Camomile Range?  Will you be trying the Cleansing Butter?

*I received this Cleansing Butter from The Body Shop after winning a Twitter competition.

Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti Spot 24 Hour Moisturiser

You might remember a few weeks back that I posted about the Garnier Pure Active Moisturiser in my Superdrug haul.  Well I've been using it since I bought it, which is about a month!  I'm here to report back.

It comes in a very practical container, comfortable to hold and I've even managed to squeeze it into my make up bag due its small size.  It also has a pump for dispensing the product, which I prefer to pots as I think they're more hygienic.

I have oily skin which is prone to break outs.  The last time I used this, I thought it was a God send and then forgot all about it until I spotted it again in Superdrug.  I had high expectations for it as I remembered it being so good last time, but this time I'm just not so sure on how to feel about it!

The moisturiser itself isn't particularly moisturising; it was great when the weather was hot, as it was nice and refreshing.  I put this down to it being a spot fighting moisturiser, so I think it leaves that fresh 'my skin has just been deep cleaned' feeling behind.  It also contains Salicyclic Acid, which helps to purify your skin.  This also makes it good at mattifying skin, but I prefer other moisturisers for this purpose.  Back to moisturising, now it's turning colder, I can't feel any nourishment on my skin, and it feels like I've skipped a step in my skincare regime.  So whilst this was amazing for summer, I think your skin might need something a little extra in this weather.

As far as spot fighting goes, I've had quite bad skin for about three weeks now, and it has only just cleared up this week.  I read a few weeks back that skin actually takes a month to regenerate, so if you've been using new skincare, the effects of using that won't take effect until the new skin surfaces which does coincide with my results from this, if that is in fact true - feel free to correct me.  One of the selling points is that you have noticeable results from day one, which I personally didn't, but keep at it!

I think I will carry on using this, and maybe even give in to another repurchase to see if it keeps my bad skin at bay!

Have you tried Garnier Pure Active?  What products would you recommend for spot prone skin?

The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Range

This week I will be sharing with you my thoughts on The Body Shops Camomile Cleansing range.  I was lucky enough to win the range, complete with a muslin cloth, on a Twitter giveaway with The Body Shop.  I have been very lucky lately with my wins on Twitter!

I have been using these since I won them a few weeks back, and am excited to share my thoughts with you!  I received the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil*, Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Make Up Remover* and the Camomile Cleansing Butter*, as well as the Grow Your Own Camomile plant and Muslin Cloth.  Keep checking back, or be sure to be following me on Bloglovin' for instant access to my review on this range!

Have you tried this range yet?  Or have you been lucky on any giveaways lately?

*I received these products from The Body Shop after winning a Twitter competition.

Outfit Planning #1

So on Saturday, I'm going out for a meal with friends followed by some drinks around town.  I've been pretty good lately, and haven't been spending as I'm taking part in the #roseenospend spending ban!  I have done so well and I don't think I've bought anything I shouldn't have since I went shopping in Meadowhall, and that was pre spending ban!  I might have made a couple of cheeky purchases since my thirty days have been technically up, as in starting from my last spree, but maybe I've not quite reached my thirty days from joining the spending ban.

Anyway, I've been outfit planning and I've been trying to keep it cheap and cheerful, whilst still getting a good casual outfit in there.  I didn't want an outfit especially for this occasion, but one that I could get plenty of wear from.

1/2/3

The first thing I have bought, which arrived today, is this tartan dress.  I was a bit wary in case it didn't match the photograph; I specifically picked this tartan dress over all the others on eBay, as it had the dark running through, which I thought didn't make it quite so garish and in your face compared to other tartan dresses that just use the red and black.  I am 5 ft 7/8 and I will point out that this dress is so much shorter than I wanted it to be!  It definitely looks longer on the image, so I want to team it with some thick black tights, probably Primark Super Cosy, and some chunky boots.  Enter Heel Berry.

My last Wednesday Wishlist featured Topshop Argo boots, but these are well out of my price range right now, so I spotted these beauts on Heel Berry.  They're very similar to what I initially wanted, minus a strap or two, but they are so nice!  I've just ordered these tonight, and they come with free delivery, so I shall report back on the quality of these once they arrive!

As the dress is patterned, I wanted a plain but striking necklace.  I hate plain necklaces when you have a statement piece of clothing on that blends in, and you might has well have not bothered at all.  This is a raw crystal necklace which is on a twenty inch chain.  I am so excited to get this!

What do you think of this Saturday night plan?  Anything catch your eye?