Picture Tuesday

Photo: Krisatomic (Here)

Little Black Dress

I popped into Urban Outfitters today in a hope of buying an EOS ball lip balm, since I noticed on the website that not only do UO sell these (SQUEE), they are on sale for £2.99!

Unfortunately, the UO in Birmingham didn't have any (I'll definitely be taking a look around the ones in London when I get home!), but I did find a little gem among the sale items.


I've wanted this t-shirt since I first saw it on the UO website ages ago. But at £25, I could never justify spending that much on a t-shirt. Which is why I was so ecstatic when I was riffling through the sale t-shirts and saw this! It cost me £13.49 with student discount (It was £14.99 before student discount), which is still a little steep for a t-shirt. But I decided to take my chance and just buy it, because I knew I'd regret it otherwise. :) Happy days.

Have any of you discovered any amazing finds in the summer sales?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Review: Gorgeous Feet Instant Comfort Anti-Friction Stick

I was browsing around Boots a while back and spotted this among the foot products aisle. I thought I'd give it a go, since I have quite wide feet and I'm prone to blisters, especially on my little toe or around the sides of my feet near my big toe.

Product twisted up a little. Doesn't it look a little like a deoderant?!
Also, look at the sky out in the corner of my window! So lovely :)

What they say: (From the back of the package) Take a step in the right direction and instantly protect your feet from friction and chafing. Simply apply our invisible stick formula wherever you need it and you'll enjoy blissful relief from rubs and blisters in an instand - from heel to toe.

Price: £3.99

What I think: I have used this product so much since I bought it. I love that I get instant relief from any areas that were previously rubbing.

I used to put vaseline on my feet to stop my shoes rubbing, but that was messy and left an oily residue in my shoes. I also used to put plasters on areas that were prone to rubbing, but they rarely stayed in place all day, were fairly obvious and the cost started to build up as I bought more. This product leaves no residue on shoes or feet and is so easy to use. You literally just twist it up, rub it on the areas of your feet that are rubbing and twist it back afterwards. It kind of reminds me like a deoderant!

Size comparison with a bottle of Nails Inc. nail polish

I love the size of the product. It's so easy to carry around in my handbag. I feel that this product is a rather expensive at £3.99, but I would definitely repurchase this, since it stops rubbing and blisters and allows me to enjoy wearing my shoes. However, I'm sure I will always be on the lookout for a similar product that's cheaper than this.

Since buying this, I noticed in Superdrug that 'Compeed' (The company that makes those amazing blister plasters) also have a product like this and I'm aware that Bandaid (which isn't available in the UK) have something very similar too.

Do any of you have problems with blister prone feet? What do you do to resolve the problems?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Saturday Quote

Photo: Muszka (Here)

"No girl should ever forget that she doesn’t need anyone who doesn’t need her." - Marilyn Monroe

Wardrobe Envy: Alexa Chung

All images are from tfs

I would be more than ridiculously happy if I could steal Alexa Chung's wardrobe. I love how Alexa mixes a combination of vintage, high street and designer and makes it work so effortlessly. She knows how to work her modelesque figure and I think it's great that she doesn't always conform to popular trends.

Who are your style crushes? I will post more of mine in the future. :)

xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Photo: Katherine Squier (Here)

Saturday Quote

Photo: Hazel-Jane (Here)

"I wanted to do shoes which are really just shoes for seduction. For pleasure. For sex. That's it. A shoe, you cannot run, you cannot even walk. You want to run in your shoes? Buy sneakers." - Christian Louboutin

NOTD: Samoa

2 coats of Mavala Nail Polish in 'Somoa'

This is another nail varnish I fell in love with instantly. I think it's perfect for summer. I found this really easy to apply. The formula is non-streaky and so creamy, which is a bonus! The longevity of this nail varnish was really good - I was really impressed.

xoxo, Joy

Thank You!

I was recently lucky enough to win a giveaway at The London Beauty Review. Well, I didn't initally win but they couldn't get in touch with one of the winners so I was a second winner. :) I was so happy when I saw that I'd won, since I never win anything!


I won:

• Vaseline Intensive Rescue Soothing Hand Cream
• Vaseline Intensive Moisture Locking Body Lotion
• Dove Triple Moisturising Beauty Care Body Wash
• Dove Summer Glow Beauty Body Lotion
• Sure Maximum Protection Deodorant
• Dove Original Beauty Cream Bar
• Sure Crystal Clear Aqua Roll-On Deodorant

Thank you so much! :D I'm really excited to try some of these products.

xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Illustration: Laura Laine

Review: L'oreal Smoothing Resurfacing Primer

What they say: (From Boots.com) L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer gives a velvet touch.The L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer has a beautifully smooth texture and is effective at disguising wrinkles and pores. It gives a matte look and a silky finish. The L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer is pleasant and easy to apply and it leaves no greasy residue. Used alone or under foundation, this primer is the perfect a base.

Price: £12.99

What I think: I have fallen in love with this primer. I was really excited to try this after buying it, since I'm always on the lookout for things that will minimise the appearance of pores, give me a smooth texture to apply my foundation on, even out my skintone and to make my skin feel softsoftsoft. And I wasn't disappointed - It does exactly as it claims.

As soon as I put my finger into the product the first time, it really reminded me of the consistency and texture of Maybelline's Dream Matte Mouse Foundation, which I used to really like. The formula is non-greasy and sinks into the skin quickly after application.

It gives me a lovely, smooth base to apply my foundation. I sometimes get dry patches on my cheeks, which usually means that my foundation sticks to it and makes it look more obvious, however after using this product, I haven't had any issues with that. Once I apply this, my skin tone looks a lot more even. I've not really found that it's made much difference to the appearance of my dark circles, but I don't really mind that, since I apply concealer there anyway. I've found that the enlarged pores on my nose look less obvious when I use this, which I'm loving since I'm quite paranoid about them. My skin feels so silky after I've applied this and I've found that my T-zone doesn't get as oily as it used to, which means I don't need to put as much powder on throughout the day.

At first, I thought £12.99 was a little expensive for such a tiny pot of primer, but you only need to use a tiny bit, since a little goes a long way. I've been using this everyday since I bought it (about 2-3 weeks ago) and as you can see in the photos, I've barely made a dent in it so far. I get a tiny bit on my finger and dab it onto my cheeks, chin and forehead and then rub it in.

I would definitely repurchase this! Now I can't imagine putting on my foundation without this on my skin first. :)

Have any of you tried any of the L'Oreal Studio Secrets range?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Saturday Quote

Photo: Capitainecroc (Here)

"A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life." - Richard Bach

Glamour Magazine and Rimmel

I was so excited after reading this post at Make-up Savvy and found out that the July issue of Glamour magazine had Benefit freebies with it. It came out today, so I quickly popped into town after uni and bought up 3 copies of Glamour. I was lucky that there were quite a lot in the WHSmith I went to.

At £2 per magazine, £6 for 3 full size products is ridiculouly cheap in comparison to buying Benefit in a drugstore (The RRP of Eye Bright and Bad Gal are £14 and the RRP of It Stick is £17). I'm even considering stocking up and buying more if I like the products once I start using them.

When I was buying my magazines, I had a little chuckle to myself, since the two women in front of me were also buying mutiple issues of Glamour! It looked like we were panic buying!



Did any of you pick up any copies of Glamour today? Which freebie(s) did you pick?

I also popped into Superdrug to buy some Lemsip, since I have an awful cold at the moment. :( While I was there I picked up a Rimmel 60 Second Nail Varnish in 'Rose Libertine' for £2.49 (£1 off its RRP). The colour is a really pretty pinky coral, and I'm really excited to try it.

(It's a little darker in real life than in the photo.)

Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy

Love Suzie

I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my previous post!!

I follow Love Suzie on Twitter, and when I saw that she was having a May Bank holiday offer (where you save 15% and get free postage), I decided to take advantage of it and buy a necklace which I've had my eye on for a while.

Since it had been the bank holiday weekend, I wasn't expecting it to arrive until the Thursday or Friday, but it arrived on the Wednesday! I was so excited when I saw the envelope, I actually squeed! The box was wrapped up like a little present, with string around it and a little note addressed to me. :) I felt like it was my birthday when I was opening the layers of wrapping! I was so eager to see the necklace that I forgot to take a picture of the lovely packaging. :(

(My camera appears to have made the necklace look more yellow than it actually is.)

The necklace is so pretty! I love Paris, I love 'love' and I love French, so I felt like this necklace really summed me up! It cost me £7.64 (with the discount) - which I think is a good price, since it's a more unique piece than if I'd bought an eiffel tower necklace from Topshop or Miss Selfridge.

Take a look at Love Suzie's site and/or follow her on Twitter! She is having a giveaway when she reaches 250 followers! I highly recommend buying from her, she's really lovely, the service is great and all her jewellery is absolutely gorgeous.

Website - Twitter

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Photo: Sugar and Trees (Here)

Recent Purchases

I went shopping with my mum while I was at home last week and picked up a number of things, including a few cosmetics and a perfume.

Boots
I bought 3 L'oreal items from Boots, because not only was it 3 for 2, but if you bought 3 L'oreal items, you get a free beauty bag with samples and a headband (which I thought would be useful for when I apply make-up or when I wash my face). To be honest, I just really wanted the headband...

L'oreal Voluminous - £7.99
L'oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer - £12.99

Earlier, I mentioned I bought 3 things from L'oreal... Well, I also bought a L'oreal Touche Magique, which is supposed to be a dupe of the YSL Touche Eclat. But I wouldn't know, since my mum has stolen it from me already!

Next

Next 'Diamonds' - I'd read this post on Jessica Alice's blog about Next 'Diamonds' being a dupe of Dior's 'Miss Dior Cherie'. Since I'm on a student budget, spending £40-ish on a perfume (regardless of how much I love it) is out of my price range. So at only £6 for 30ml, I decided to snap up the Next perfume. I really like the smell of it (Next's website describes it as "An opulent white floral fragrance entwined with fresh fruit nectars and crystalline musks"). It's sweet, but not sickly and a really girlie scent. It's a nice summer perfume. Love it.

Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy

Saturday Quote

Photo: Jenny Gordy (Here)

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." - William Penn

Review: Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Oil

What they say: (From the back of the bottle) Our naturally sourced Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which not only revitalises and protects the skin, it also helps combat the damaging effects of free radicals and shields it against the environment. This light, yet penetrating oil will help skin feeling soft, smooth and young looking.

Price: £2.49

What I think: I love this product, it's pretty much a dupe of The Body Shop's Vitamin E Facial Oil but at a fraction of the price. I've used this since November last year and have only just finished my first bottle, which surprised me, since I apply this so liberally.

My skin felt so soft after the first time I used this and has continued to feel soft for the whole time I've been using this. I think this is mainly designed for older people, but I'm finding it perfect for my skin. Plus I like the smell!

I have combination skin and am prone to acne, however this product has not broken me out at all. I apply this after I cleanse/tone and before moisturiser in the morning and evening. Upon applying it, your face initally looks a oily. But after a short time, it sinks in and you can apply make-up etc.

I will most definitely be repurchasing this when it runs out again. Now that I've found this, I don't think I'll ever be able to go without it!

Have you ever tried any skin oil products or anything from the Superdrug Vitamin E range?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Recent Purchases

I am at home for reading week at the moment, while the rest of my friends at uni have exams. (I am doing an NHS funded course, so it runs slightly differently to other courses at my uni - The terms are like school terms, where I have long terms, short holidays and half terms and my exams are at different times).

I had to pop into town today to buy some groceries, but somehow managed to come away with a lot of skin and hair care products as well. Oh dear, I think my debit card is beginning to hate me.

The Body Shop

Facial Brush with Lid - £3.00

Superdrug


Dove Pro-Age - £4.99
Vitamin E Skin Oil - £2.99
Vitamin E Eye Cream - £2.49
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lip Balm - £1.69
Anti Shine Sheets - £2.49
L'oreal Elvive Shampoo- £3.40 [BOGOF]
L'oreal Elvive Conditioner - £3.40 [BOGOF]

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Photo: The Girl who Tamed the Tiger (Here)