Review of my MAC eyeshadows!

MAC eyeshadows are somewhat legendary in the makeup world, and for good reason. With so many shades and finishes to choose from, you are guaranteed to find something that will work for you. The idea behind this video is to show you my MAC eyeshadows and share my opinions on them.


MAC eyeshadows come in 2 variations: in a pan (£12) or in a refill pan (£10) that you can put in your palette.


Products mentioned in this video:
Naked lunch
All that glitters
  Sable
Patina
Tempting
Woodwinked
Antiqued
Mythology
Sketch
Beauty marked
Carbon
# Something you may want to take into account if you are buying online, the swatches MAC provide of the website are not that accurate in my opinion, so I would Google swatches before buying.


All these shadows are available here- 
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/154/363/Products/Eyes/Shadow/Eye-Shadow/index.tmpl

MAC palettes are available here- 
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/154/363/Products/Eyes/Shadow/Eye-Shadow/index.tmpl

  What am I wearing?
Nails- Chic nail polish in 226
Top- NEW LOOK
Lips- REVLON lipstick in nude attitude 001, No7 lip liner in nude, Rimmel lipstick in shake up pink.


I hope you enjoy this video!

-Thesparkleicious-

Clarasonic update-A year on!

I have wanted a clarasonic for as long as I can remember so once I had one, needless to say I was super existed to try it. My first impression of it was effected by the price as I was expecting big things for £120 but now I truly see why so many people adore it.


You see my last review of it here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4jN9JKp_X0
The best cleansers to use with the clarasonic-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85csGJadkZg
For all the info on the clarasonic as well as where you can buy it click here-http://www.salonskincare.co.uk/index.php/manufacturers_id/266/ref/6?gclid=CKG5goSuqLACFcohfAodJGtlWQ


What am I wearing?
Nails- Chic nail polish in 226
Top- NEW LOOK
Lips- REVLON 001 nude attitude lipstick, No7 lipliner in nude, Rimmel lipstick in shake up pink.


I hope you enjoy the video!

-Thesparkleicious- 

Monthly Favorites & disappointments-May 2012!

Yes boys and girls, it's that time again! These are the products i'v been enjoying this month and the ones I have, well, not enjoyed as much!

Products mentioned in this video:

REVLON Colorstay foundation in shade 340 early tan.

number  MAC lipsticks in Ravishing and Vagas volt.

 *Blush professional 88 palette.

Clinique blemish solution stick.

*Soap &Glory fab pore hot cloth cleanser.

Soap &Glory fab pore facial peel,

* Nourish balance toner apple and intense face gel and face moisturiser Available here-http://www.nourishskinrange.com/bin/pxisapi1.exe/loadpage?page=npf-nourish%20balance

*Liz Earle instant boost skin tonic (Read my review here- http://thesparkleicious.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/review-time-liz-earle-instant-boost.html)

No7  hot cloth cream cleanser.

Soap &Glory peaches &clean cleanser.

 ROC anti-brown spot 50+.

* Body care-Soap &Glory sit tight intense XS (Read my review here- http://thesparkleicious.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/review-time-soap-sit-tight-intense-xs.html)

*Soap &Glory pulp friction body scrub.

*Ayuuri Neem body wash .

ST MORITZ mousse and mist (Watch my guide to the perfect fake tan here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2MZdHzVOQU  and my overview of ST MORITZ products- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fECMV70UP9Y)

*Soap &Glory hair turban.

VO5 revive me daily conditioner.

My disappointing products of the month:

Original source British strawberry shower gel

EVE LOM rescue mask

Clinque high impact mascara

*Nourish balance apple cleanser


What am I wearing in this video?
Top-ZARA
Nails-Barry M blueberry
Lips- REVLON coral reef lipgloss.

All products mentioned with a * were sent to me as PR samples.

I hope you enjoy this video and as always, Please let me know what you think!

-Thesparkleicious-

  

Review time-LIZ EARLE instant boost skin tonic!

If your one of my regular readers and viewers you will know how much I adore the Liz Earle cleanse and polish hot cloth cleanser but because I have so much skin care sitting around my bathroom I have never bought the skin boost tonic, although I have always wanted to.


I was very kindly sent the skin boost tonic by Liz Earle along with the moisturizer (I will review that soon too) and I have only been using it for 4 days, but I am in love. I realize these are big words, but this is a truly wonderful product. One of the main reason I have so much love for the Liz Earle C&P is I love the hole idea behind the brand as they use lovely quality ingredients, don't test on animals and have beautiful packaging. This product is essentially a toner but because it's alcohol free it's very gentle and will not dry out your skin. This toner contains naturally active ingredients such as organic aloe vera, cucumber and chamomile as well as fabulous pure essential  oil like rose-scented geranium and lavender, so it smells divine.... 

I should point out that my skin is pretty normal, it's oily but I don't have too many serious skin problems so I love using a toner just to help refresh my skin and get it ready for the next step in my skin care routine. You can buy this toner in a bottle format or a spritzer format, which was what I did as I love how it feels (and it means there is no need for cotton wool) but you can pick whatever works for you.


What do I need to know about this toner?
*As I said, this is not one for fragrance-free lovers. I personally LOVE the scent of this product, it has a very delicate, soft floral scent that I find really uplifting, but I know so many people don't love heavily scented products, so you may want to keep that in mind.     
*It's for all skin types.
*At £12.50 per 200ml it's not super cheap, but in my opinion it's worth it.
*As with all Liz Earle products, the packaging feels really expensive and looks fab on your bathroom self.


The weather has been so lovely lately and this has been a total life-saver as it's grate at refreshing your skin and your makeup, and will be an absolute summer staple  for me.  


Have you tried it yet? what did you think?

-Thesparkleicious-

Review time-Soap&Glory Sit Tight intense XS!

We all know that when it come to cellulite, there are no magic solutions and in most cases you can never get rid of it completely because it is due to so many factors, some of which you have zero control over (being a woman sucks right?!)  and it can be very frustrating, especially if you are planning on wearing a bikini or a shorts any time soon, and in this weather you would be a fool not to!


I have always been a fan of S&G fan products. I love the ethos behind the brand, the quirky names and the cute packaging,and I have always likes using a cellulite treatment as part of my everyday body routine so I was very excited to try out this product.


I was sent this a few ago by the lovely people at S&G and have been using it ever since. S&G describe it as a special super-strength body firming serum and claim in 4 week your skin will look firmer, tighter, and less dimply. It's new super strong formula has been created to reduce the dreaded  orange peel appearance and stimulate circulation to aid lymphatic drainage as it has a rollerball type of applicator (Think like an eye rollerball but for your thighs) and it's actually made to work better while you sit, so maybe we can have out cake and eat it after all?

As S&G state of the packaging it's very important you understand that this is NOT going to miraculously transform your thighs and solve all your cellulite issues forever, what this does it just makes it a little better by stimulating the area and helping smooth it out (I should also mention that one of it's main ingredients is in fact caffeine, which is very commonly used in most anti-cellulite treatments)  and making it feel and appear smoother for a short amount of time. I have been using this every evening on clean, dry skin,I twist the cap and apply the cool serum in circular monitions on the back of my thighs and bum area, then twist it off and just rub it in a little longer. 


A few things you should know about Sit Tight intense XS:
*The consistency is a very thing, serum almost-gel like consistency.
*S&G state you may feel a slight heating feeling upon application, but the real heat comes when you sit down. Now, I  love products that heat up, but this one heats up for just a little too long in my opinion, causing it to feel a little uncomfortable.
*A few reviews I had seen were complaining about the rollerball applicator but I personally like it and I think it actually works better because of it.
*It's RRP is £16.50 which I think is on the slightly pricey side, but it's not going to break the bank.  
*It's available in larger boots stores and on the boots website, as well as on the Soap& Glory website so it's pretty easy to get hold of.


I have noticed that since using this my thighs are slightly smoother, and the skin feels tighter and less dimply.(I decided against before and after photos as my thigh area is really not much to look at, plus I think it would be a little odd!) In terms of how my skin looks the difference is not THAT visible, but it makes me feel better about my cellulite which I guess is half the battle.   


Have any of you used this? what did you think?

-Thesparkleicious-

  

OTTD-What do you wear to go food shopping?

Hey there my lovelies!


I spent my day yesterday having lunch with a friend and doing some shopping and had an amazing time, so naturally I spent today doing quite the opposite: doing the weekly food shop and cleaning up as my boyfriend's mum and dad came to visit.


Activities such as these obviously require a super glamorous  outfit (yes i'm joking) so here is what I wore:

My top- H&M and I adore it! it's a really lovely sheer white cotton shirt, I got in tow sizes bigger than I am so it would be long and I could wear it with leggings. I love how it looks and it's super comfortable, casual yet looks put-together at the same time. It's in store and online now and it was £7.99.
My leggings- This is shameful......They are from Primark. They are pretty comfortable but  not very good  quality. But then what do you expect for £3?!
My shoes- These were actually from Primark too which is strange as I hardly ever shop there (I find it messy and it's always to busy) but they are really cute pointed toe lepored  print flats with a pretty gold chain detail. This is the third time I have worn them as they are not very comfortable but they look cute! 
My bag-This needs no introduction. The black "Focco"
My watch- I was wearing my gold watch from new look that was cheap as chips but I love it, along with some random "diamond wannabe"  bracelet.


All in all, this is a very inexpensive, simple outfit, but I think sometimes that is what is nice about reading real peoples blogs, you get to see what they wear in real life, ie, while shopping in Tesco's.


I hope you hall had a fab weekend! 

My experience as a vegetarian

I have mentioned in a few videos that I have been veggi all my life, and it's something I get asked about all the time and so many of you have asked me if I would do a video about it but I have decided against it as I feel it's the kind of topic that can cause allot of controversy as I  know i'll have people telling me being vegi is not healthy, what I eat is not really healthy, I should be vegan and so on.......and to be honest, i'm just not that in to that.


So where do we begin? I don't eat meat, chicken or fish and that's always been the way for me. My mother has always been that way too since she was a child and while she did cook meat for the other household members, I had never liked meat. I probably should be clear about my reasons for being vegetarian: I am not vegetarian for ethical reasons. I know it's not the most PC thing to say, but i'm telling the truth and the truth is the reason I don't eat meat is because I really hate the texture of it and i'm not overly keen on the idea of eating something dead (god this sounds controversial) I don't eat eggs because I don't like them, but I do eat dairy and while I did toy with the idea of being vegan for a while, I have decided it's not for me.


One of the most commonly asked questions about being a vegetarian is "How do you get your protein?"  but to be honest it's not something i'v ever really worried about it. I have always eaten dairy and I eat plenty of vegetables and pulses so i'v never worried too much about it. I don't believe in over thinking food,I don't believe in worrying and obsessing about getting enough of this and enough of that because I think 9 times out of 10 your body knows best, and if your eating a pretty healthy diet you will be fine. I don't all the fake meat products because a) I think they are full of preservatives b) They have the same texture as meat, which as we know, i'm not a fan of.


If any of you have any more questions about this I will do another post addressing them, and telling you a little more about my eating habits.

All about my skin!

Just like hair, a girl's skin is one of those things that can make or break your feel good factor for the day.Wake up in the morning with a clear glowing complexion? perfect. Wake up with dull, tired looking skin, or god forbid a spot or two, and most women will be left feeling not so fabulous. 


I have to say that I have always been pretty lucky with my skin. As a teenager all I suffered from was a few spots here and there, and I have never had acne. I take very good care of my skin, I never sleep with my makeup on (EVER), I cleanse and tone twice a day and I use sunscreen on a daily basis. My skin is very oily, but most of time that does not really bother me as it's not very hard to handle. I have however, noticed that as I have gotten older, my skin is starting to have some more "grown up" skin issues.....such as dryness. Yes ladies, oily skin can be dry too!  No matter what I do, my skin has it's dry patches (under my eyebrows and on the sides of my cheeks n case you were  wondering) and I suffer from pigmentation from past sun damage (back when I was not as sun aware) and if I ever have a break out,  the scar will stick around for life. I use to have an issue with the size of my pores too, and while thy are not 100% invisible, they are no longer huge thanks to my daily use of the clarisonic. 


I think as a beauty blogger and YouTuber, you end up becoming a little more obsessed with your skin than your average woman, because you know so much about it, and I must also point out the skincare is my weakness.....sure I love makeup and nail polish, but my true passion is skincare. I love everything about it, and I truly enjoy the process of taking off my makeup, cleansing and giving myself at-home facials on a weekly basis.  I am looking for the perfect skin as I think it's so important and the base of everything else, but I can't seem to be there yet.....


How do you feel about this topic? what are you skin issues?

Cold OTTD!

For those of you who live in the UK this will come as no surprise, but the weather is still really cold. I went to see the avengers last night (and it was actually really good) so thought i'd show you what I wore;

 (We shall ignore my stupid expression)


My bag- The black focco bag, from eBay.
My boots- These are the ASOS aggie boot in navy (love them so much!)
My jeans-Gap 
My scarf- From the men's section in River Island (which is always grate for scarfs btw)
My coat- My trusty black TOPSHOP coat.


Although they are not visible in this photo my top was a long navy jumper from H&M and I have some random pearl drop earnings and my much loved crystal ring on.


I hope you all had a fab weekend and enjoyed the extra day off! 

How to make a long distance relationship work!

Ever since I had mentioned that I had been in a 2 year long distance relationship, I have had several emails and comments from amazing women who are  in, or about to enter a long distance relationship and wanted to ask my advice.  I have chosen to write a post about it rather than a video because I feel it would be better fitted for my blog rather than my channel.

So wow, where to I start? Without going in to too much detail, when I met my boyfriend I didn’t think he would turn out to be the love of my life. As harsh as that may sound, its true and if true love was what I was looking for at the time, I would not have chosen to start something up with someone who lived 1000 miles away from me. But I guess that’s the beauty of life for you, you never know what may happen and where you might end up, and although fairy tales are dead in my opinion, I do believe if something is meant to be it will happen.  In my case it was not that we decided we were going to get into a long distance relationship (LDR for short ok?), we always knew that was the case because we didn’t have a choice. I think it’s a rather strange question when people ask me if I would advise couples to get in to a LDR because I don’t think anyone in their right mind would say “yea go for it, it’s a great idea!”  Because its common knowledge that it’s really hard, and in many cases in destined to fail.  

So how did we make it work? There really is no secret. Both sides need to really want it, and be totally, 100% committed because it is really hard, and I can assure you that there will be times you both want to give up because you just miss the other person so much. That is where  like with any successful relationship, communication comes in. You need to make sure you talk to each other as much as possible so you are constantly present in your partners everyday life and with today’s technology  there is no excuse not to talk and see one another everyday (and its free……..skype anyone?) and it really is super important. Another thing I know many of you worry about is how to make sure your partner does not suffer from a wondering eye because you are not around (because lets face it, we all have needs!  Ha ha) and all I can say to that really is, if your guy is in love with you, it doesn’t matter if you are far away and who is always around, a man in love is not going to cheat. Simple in my opinion……

Thankfully we got through it, and have now been living together for almost a year which brings all new challenges to a relationship, but we will leave that for another post ..while I’m not in a perfect relationship and no expert on love a la Carrie Bradshaw, I can only talk from my own experience and while I do believe love is not enough to make a relationship to work , the romantic in me still believes YOU can make it work.