Jade's Secret Corner

REVIEW: Hair and Makeup Addiction Brushes

2014-01-09T15:19:00.001+00:00

Recently I have been really addicted to perfecting my makeup. Many years ago I bought a brush set called Fraulein from Ebay, and at the time they were perfect for me I had everything - although I had no idea what they were for lol.

I got more interested in makeup and decided that in order to have a flawless made up face I would need better brushes, I had already had a pretty good basic collection for face from Real Techniques and ELF but for the eyes not so much. My friends told me to go for the Real Techniques but I had my eye on something else...

http://www.hairandmakeupaddiction.co.uk

Hair and Makeup Addiction is a company based in the UK, and is completely vegan friendly with synthetic taklon fibers with bamboo handles making them more desirable as they are eco-friendly.

I ordered the 'Special eyes kit' just after Christmas, and they came a week later - which I think is pretty good especially because of the busy period of the holidays. The packaging was super cute and I was so excited to use them!

The collection consists of:

-The Shader: Can be used for packing eyeshadow all over the lid.

-The Blender: Best used for adding shadow to the crease of your eyes or even contouring of the nose. Something I'm still new too, and have found it blends really well.

-The Highlighter: Best used for adding shadow to the corner to create that smokey eye look. Which it does to perfection

-The Detailer: Great for smudging colour on the lower lash line and adding colour to the inner tear duct.

-The Liner: Can be used to apply gel eyeliner. I haven't used this one yet, but I'm sure I won't be disappointed by thee brushes but my own unsteady hand

-The Queen: Great for blending concealer under the eye and possibly contouring if its not too big. I've never seen a brush like The Queen before and after using it, it made me rethink life (lol, too dramatic?) I don't think I could ever replace it

My New Years eve face

All of these brushes are incredibly soft to the touch and after a couple of weeks of use, I am in love and cannot wait to purchase more! I haven't yet clean them, so I don't know if any of the bristles will come loose, but I think at this point I wouldn't care because I love them too much.

The Special Eyes kit cost £20 plus P+P and can be purchased here.

Jade

ELF Haul - Happy New Year!

2014-01-06T14:13:00.003+00:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and an amazing New year! I thought I would start off the new year as I means to go on with a look at an ELF haul, that I managed to bagsy during their £10 off deal.

-Contouring Blush & Bronzing powder in Antigua
-Lip primer & plumper
-Wet Gloss lash & brow clear mascara
-Eyelid primer in Pearl (they were out of the nude unfortunately)
-Cream eyeliner in black
-High definition Undereye setting powder

Hopefully I will be posting more and more this year. So watch this space! (I know I know, I say this all the time, but I really am trying - so please bear me with ^_^)

Jade

How I do my eyebrows!

2013-12-11T13:58:00.001+00:00

I didn't really know how to review a make up brush and an eyeshadow so I thought I'd show you instead what I use it for. Apologies in advance as this will be very picture heavy!

So as you saw from my previous blog, my mini haul (here) I purchased these products the other day. I was looking for an inexpensive angled brush to fill in my eyebrows since my friend stole mine and came across this Barry M eyeliner brush for £2.99 at Superdrugs and I was in the lookout(?) for a a new eyeshadow to fill in my brows as the one I had was too glittery, so I bought one from Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in shade Rich Espresso (47) for £17, lucky enough Daddy bought it for me.

1. Make sure you have a shape of the eyebrow

2. Fill them in - Doesn't matter how bushy or caterpillar like they look, as you will see in step 3

3. Clean that ish up with some concealer. I use Mac NW40 studio finish concealer (Which is a lighter shade than I use which is NC45). I then use a flat foundation brush to blend it in

4. I set my brows with the elf lash and brow mascara, so that they remain above my eyes and not by my chin, but you can use any clear mascara

I actually really love the Bobbi Brown eyeshadow, its amazingly pigmented and I occasionally use it as a base on my eyes if I'm using eyeshadow. I really want to try more from Bobbi Brown, especially there gel eyeliners, at least the Barry M eyeliner brush will be put to multiple use!

Jade

Review: MUA Matte Perfect primer

2013-12-09T02:57:00.002+00:00

I'm not really a make-up wearer, and I usually wear most of my make-up in the autumn/winter. I guess because my skin doesn't look as delicious as it does in the spring/summer months.

Before my foundation I used to apply just a face cream and then I was good to go. I then stepped it up a notch and started using Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm as a primer, and then eventually gave up with primers all together, until recently. I had it in my mind to purchase the 17 face primer but then I came across the MUA Matte perfect primer. I thought since I love MUA products, and haven't been let down by them before I should give it a shot, so I brought it from Superdrugs (here) for £4.

Its only a small tube 15ml to be exact, but trust me a little goes a long way.

For a primer, the longevity of this product I'd say is about 2-5 hours, before I can feel it slipping off my face, it makes my make-up look really nice and flawless and makes my skin nice soft. As for a matte primer, I'll let you be the judge of that. Considering I have combo/oily skin it wasn't the best for my skin type - waste not, want not - I shall use this product until its finished to get a proper feel for the product.

Have you tried this product? What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments below.

Hope you all had a great week!

Jade

Mini-Haul - Superdrugs

2013-12-01T16:45:00.001+00:00

Hey guys! :)

Happy 1st of December. I'm definitely not feeling in the festive mood yet, maybe that will change as we approach Christmas.
Today I thought I'd share with you, what I brought this week. It's been such a stressful week I actually can't wait to see the back of 2013, so I treated myself to some goodies.

(Sleek eyeshadow palette 'i-Divine', Miss eyelure lashlets, Nivea lip butter 'Raspberry rose', Loreal Super Liner Blackbuster, MUA Matte perfect primer, Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Rich Espresso.)

Reviews on these products shall hopefully be coming in the future couple of weeks (Most likely not the Nivea lip butter, since its everywhere on the blogosphere, but fyi I am loving this product!)
, to give myself enough time to actually use and get a feel for these products.

What do you think about my 'Holy Grail' posts, I'm very dramatic and excitable so everything is pretty much a holy grail product. Is the Holy Grail post something you would like to see more of, let me know in the comments below.

I hope everyone had a better week than I had, and I hope you have an even more amazing week this week.

Until next time.

Jade

HolyGrail#1: Softhood by Hairflair

2013-11-22T10:34:00.002+00:00

Lately I've been on a hair journey, and have been trying to grow my relaxed hair (chemically straightened) longer. I've tried and tested many products along my journey, (which if you want to know more about then let me know in the comments) and also have been such a fail whale with maintaining a routine.
I am literally so bad with a routine, I do it for like 2 weeks and get bored and move on to something different. But maybe the trick isn't to treat it like a routine, but as something fun? (Eh, reverse psychology'd myself!)

One of the major steps on a hair journey is reducing the amount of heat you put on your hair. On my journey I came across this product, which I think it is safe to say is one of my holy grail products since being on my hair journey, and it is the 'Softhood' by Hairflair.

I purchased this product from Amazon and it cost £14.95 plus p+p, but lucky enough I had a £20 gift voucher, so it didn't cost me anything. The delivery was quick, as like most Amazon orders - and the product was not harmed in any way.

When you open the box it comes in a zip pouch and when you

take it out, it looks like this. It has a chin strap, a draw string to tighten and secure it to your head, and when I first tried this on I felt like I was gearing up for war or at least winter.

The long nozzle/hose attaches to the hair dryer, set it to the lowest setting and voila! You have your own mini hair salon in your bed room, or in my case the kitchen (because for some reason I always do it in the kitchen).

I use this for EVERYTHING!

-To roller set or curl my hair: Using rollers or pins and product

-To dry (of course)

-To steam my hair: by putting a product in my hair, usually a deep conditioner and then putting a shower cap on my head and sitting under it for like 15 mins...

and most of the time to keep warm, cos its super warm underneath

This is what it looks like on, sort of.

Disadvantages:

- Its loud. Well of course it is, its covering your ears but I don't mind this as I usually use it when I have free time to leisurely relax around the house, and if I was still a student I'd probably do it whilst writing and researching for some essays. Multi-tasking at its finest ;). But maybe thats just my hair dryer?

-Its hot. I thought it being on the lowest setting would be really cold. I was terribly and utterly wrong. It works just as well! But its not too hot on the head, my complaint is about the little holes on the nozzle/hose that runs up the softhood that lets the air out and heats up my neck and shoulders or just anywhere it touches really. Which is why I wear my dressing gown - but this is most certainly not a deal breaker!

-You really have to secure this bad boy on your head, otherwise it will fly off and not in the fun Mary Poppins way either, in the wtf? sort of way, know what I mean?

I love this Softhood, because I can be handsfree, anything to make my life easier is something I'd throw cash at. I haven't had it for too long, so I don't know about longevity, but if it did break, I would definitely re-purchase!

So if you would like to purchase one and have an alien head like me for a while, then click here!

I promise you won't be disappointed! :D

Jade

#LiquidFoundationProblems

2013-11-14T12:28:00.003+00:00

I didn't used to be a liquid foundation wearer, just give me my Mac Studio fix powder and I was good to go. I then dabbled into the liquid section of foundation and found myself beginning to wear it more often.

I first started off with Mac's Studio Fix fluid in NC45 which is pretty standard for everyone, after a while I thought to myself I need to start looking after my skin better so let me try a mineralized foundation and that worked really well for me for a while until I decided I wanted to graduate away from Mac foundations entirely - don't get me wrong Mac foundations are amazing as well as affordable, but I'm sure there are other amazing foundations out there too!

My problem with Mac foundations and other foundations I have used is that for my skin colour it is far too orange, which was another reason I wanted to look for another foundation. So I had an 'ahhhh' moment (imagine floating angels and instrumental music in the background and maybe throw in a American black choir in there too) when I came across the Benefit stand in Debenhams, they had just come out with their new foundation 'Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow' in Hazelnut.

I don't know what it is about the concession stands or just make up shops in general, the lighting, the professional hand of the make up artist, I don't know! But all I know is when they applied the foundation on my skin it looked FANTASTIC - I was completely sold - when I got home on the other hand and tried to re-apply it myself it was still frickin' orange!!!

So I went on the hunt again, and there was my holy grail, a little to the right of Benefit and directly in front of Mac. Urban Decay. Luckily this time, instead of being the impulsive shopper I usually am I waited till I got home to see:

a. The longevity of the product
b. To see if anyone noticed my nice flawless skin

Before purchasing the product especially considering the price of the foundation £27. This became my go to foundation for every occasion, it has great coverage, it was weightless, did not have to reapply as often and I always got compliments, another positive point is lasts a while which is great for my purse as it is quite pricey.

Then I went on holiday and got darker, and now it doesn't match my skin anymore :\ *cries*

Alas, I'm on the hunt again!

Any recommendations will be great in the comments below, although I went into Inglot the other day and their foundation was an exact match to my complexion so I may have to venture down to Westfield and bagsy myself one. Who knows!

What's your favourite foundation?

Jade

DIY: Earring Holder

2013-11-01T11:50:00.000+00:00

As I write this, I'm sitting in my pj's, sipping some herbal tea and trying to come up with something to post about - when it strikes me. I can show you what I tried to make the other day.

Watching youtube videos and browsing through pintrest for inspiration, I saw a DIY earring holder so I was literally on the hunt for a photo frame that was big enough to fit my entire collection of earrings, I kid you, not I hunted high and low even when I went to America to look after my sick aunt and still came up trump!

So the thought of doing that disappeared, just like many other DIY projects I thought would be a great idea (e.g. re-painting my mirror to some cool effect, re-decorating my bedroom to make it have a vintage look). Until one faithful evening, my mother and I went to Sainsbury's to pick my grandmother up some candles and low and behold in the sale section (because I'm a cheap motherf*****) I saw the perfect frame!

I can't remember how much they were but I picked up 2 of these bad boys and some string, and got to making some magic.

And here is the finished product!

I just need to hammer some nails through the wall and hang them up and I'll be sorted.

What do you think?

If you want to try this at home, you will need:

*Frame of some sort

*String - quite thick because earrings are quite heavy

*Selotape

*Scissors

One thing I'll add is, I used selotape to hold up the string, and obviously its not sturdy enough and I don't know what to use to make it stronger - I was thinking maybe staples? I dunno but suggestions would be super helpful!

Happy belated Happy Halloween!

Jade

Better late, than never.

2013-10-24T12:01:00.001+01:00

Hi all,

I know I haven't posted anything in a long while and for that I have no explanation. It has been a very busy year for me with it being my last year of university only to find out I wouldn't be graduating as I failed one of my modules, 2 relatives passing away, and being able to go to America for a month to look after another sick relative and then finally volunteering in Romania for 2 weeks.

To say that these past few months has been tumultuous is an understatement.

To my old followers I thank you for your patience and your understanding, to my new followers I hope we can create something special.

Please know that I am returning to the blogosphere and hopefully with a vengeance as I hope to review many products and share with you anything of interest to me.

So thank you for everything, my little cherubs!

I shall see you in the next post.

Jade

Liebster Award

2013-03-15T15:34:00.000+00:00

Hi all,

Sorry I have been really M.I.A lately, but uni is quite literally kicking my butt now. I have a dissertation due in may, 3 assignments due in april and 2 exams in may, suffice to say I need a beach with a long island ice tea cocktail, STAT!

Despite all this pressure, I thought I'd delight you all with my online presence (ha ha ha!)

I was very surprised when I looked through my emails one morning and realised that Nin over at Prettypug had nominated me for a Liebster award, and sadly it quite literally made my ~~day~~ week!

So here are the rules, I have to post 11 random facts about myself, answer 11 questions asked by the nominee and choose 11 bloggers and ask them 11 questions.

Frankly, I hate talking about myself, but anything to distract me if only for a little while from the never-ending dissertation.

So without further a do, 11 random facts about moi!

I am currently a 3rd year student, studying Criminology with Psychology and quite literally counting down the days until graduation. (Although the thought of me leaving my ~~friends~~, family and new home is very daunting to say the least
I am quite literally terrified of spiders. Come at me with one, and I may actually have to do physical harm to you. Lol who am I kidding, you will most likely see me in a foetal position crying my poor little heart out.
I am an only child.
I have many great friends, but my Mum will always be my number 1 she is definitely what I imagine to have a sister would be like. And she is most definitely the definition of the grand ol' saying 'can't live with her, can't live without her'
I am a very good singer, alas I have unfortunately been cursed with stage fright, sort of a catch 22 - all hopes of wanting to become a famous singer have been thrown out the window
Green and Grey are my 2 favourite colours, if you haven't noticed already.
My family background is Jamaican, but I was born and raised in London
I love to cook, just as much as I love to eat and my favourite food in the whole world would be something pork related, possibly jerk pork
I have 2 piercings (minus the ears) and 2 tattoos
History was one of my favourite classes at school, although I was horrible at it
Handbags, and shoes (flats/heels) are my kryptonite, although I'm still mastering how to walk in heels (lol)

11 questions I was asked...

1. If you could go on holiday right now, where would you go and why?

I'd choose to go somewhere in the far east, maybe malaysia or Bali simply because of the culture and the history places like these are mostly overlooked and I would love to capture all the beauty of these countries before its too late

2. What three songs are you loving right now?

I can't even tell you the last time I properly listened to music. The only music lately I have been listening to is soothing oceans, and piano melodies to help me concentrate with my work, so uh does that count?

3. Summer 2013... what are your plans?

Hopefully go on a pre-graduation holiday with my uni friends to Turkey, then after that its back to depressing England to put my degree to use and look for a job.

4. Dream job?

I'd love to work for myself. Start my own business doing God knows what, watch this space!

5. If you were any Harry Potter character, who would you be and why?

I'd be Hermione, mostly because I am a secret lover of gingers (Ron Weasley!) and who else wouldn't want to be outrageously smart and beautiful?! Girl power is making a comeback.

6. Will you be donating to Comic Relief/what are your reviews on such-things?

As much as I love watching Comic Relief, I won't be donating. To me personally I think charities are all a big scam and I much rather go over to a country and volunteer my time to them. My mum works within the voluntary sector so I know all the ins and outs.

7. Highlight of 2013 so far?

Its too early to tell, I guess a new boyfriend and just finally being happy and content with life.

8. Which items of your wardrobe could you not live without?

Ooh this is a tricky one! I guess my leather jacket and my ugg boots

10. You're getting married; you have complete creative control - what is your colour scheme, theme, etc, - what would you do?

Where do I start?! Although green is my fave colour it wouldn't be one of the colour schemes. Maybe a purple and grey/silver? But I don't want to get married in a church I'm not that religious, and if I can't get married in an outdoor wedding, then I'd rather just get married in the registry office.

11. Name something non-academic you would like to learn to do?

I'd love how to learn to fly a plane. Air Jade here I come!

Ok so here are my 11 questions to you.

When you was little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Who is your celebrity crush (male) and your fashion icon (female)
What one item could you not live without?
If you could be an animal, what animal would you choose and why?
Exercise or plastic surgery?
If you could be or do anything in the world, what would it be?
What is your favourite movie?
If you remember your first ever date (or any date), what did you do?
What are some of your best memories?
If you could back in time where would you go and why?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Who I nominate!

http://plainandsimplejustlittleoldme.blogspot.co.uk/

http://lolalucy09.blogspot.co.uk/

http://phatfashionandbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

http://discoveriesofself.blogspot.co.uk/

I don't really know who else to tag, but I'd love it if everyone participated. That would be awesome and let me know if you do it in the comments.

Thank you for being such a loverly distraction as always, welcome new followers. I hope you all have a great weekend and a fabulous week!

Jade

Firmoo Giveaway!

2013-03-03T14:47:00.001+00:00

Whats this 2 new posts in one weekend?! I do spoil you ;)

Hope everyone is enjoying a very lazy sunday, Lord knows I am. I'm determined to stay in my pj's for the whole day and only surface when food calls my name, but we all know plans don't always go that way.

I thought I would share with you that Firmoo the online optical store will be giving away 100 pairs free glasses + free delivery on the 4th March at 9pm EST (I think thats like 1am in the UK, so be prepared to pull an all nighter) on a first come first served basis. Click the link and it will show you what you have to do to be entitled.

So don't say I didn't warn you, and good luck!

Jade

Super Savvy Me Project: Venus & Olay

2013-03-02T14:11:00.002+00:00

Last year I signed up for a website called Super Savvy Me created by the company Procter & Gamble (P&G) and it is used as a platform to get help from their top experts, read interesting inspiring articles, get great offers on the latest products and read real reviews from its community - which is where I come in.

This month I was giving the opportunity to be apart of their latest project and test out a new product - the Venus Gillette five-blade razor who has teamed up with Olay and an Olay essentials complete care multi-radiance moisturising lotion (gosh that was a mouthful!) They sent me a package and it looked something like this:

Inside the bag looked like this...

So inside was the 5 blade razor and the moisturising lotion, a handbook and some coupons to get some money off, in the future.

Thank God that it came in time, because the hair on my legs was no joke! I think I was still stuck in winter hibernation mode, so the first chance I got I whipped out this bad boy and set to attempt to remove the hair from my legs. Due to the Olay moisture bars, it felt heavenly to remove the excess hairs and left my legs feeling nice and smooth and soft without having to moisturise afterwards, so I was super pleased with that result and its my go to razor now extra 5-blades also helped with the closeness of the shave which is always a plus in my books (: .

If your a venus gillette fan and you have bought their razors with the moisture bars then you know what it is like when the bar finishes, my only doubts with this product is, how long will the moisture bar last and exactly how much will they charge for the refill blades.

With the facial cream I was a bit skeptical, as you all know my skin is a bit weird and putting new products on my face always makes me weary, so I decided to use this as a night cream instead and so far there hasn't been anything amiss I've noticed, and have actually noticed that my skin feels nice and soft in the mornings. I haven't been using it for that long to properly give you a true review but I do feel it makes me look a lot more 'dewy fresh' (is that even a term?) Hopefully I don't grow extra friends on my face during this time, wish me luck!

If you think you want to be apart of a community like this, then most definitely sign up (here) and maybe next time you can be testing out new products in a different project.

Hope everyone is doing well, on this beautiful sunny saturday!

Jade

Facial Cleanser review: Dr Organic

2013-02-24T15:24:00.001+00:00

Today I'm going to be doing a review of a product that I have been using for at least over 6 months, that I have not fallen in love with and probably will not be using anything but for forever now - unless I add to it, which is more than likely as I have my eye on the Liz Earle daily gentle exfoliator wash, but thats neither here nor there.

The history of my skin is a grave tale.. (lol) but all jokes aside, I personally can't just use any facial product on my skin as I have a sort of oily/dry skin (Is that combination skin? meh!) most facial products either leave my face dry, itchy or just an overall blahh (know what I mean?) I have found a few things that have worked for my skin such as Avon's own products 'Clearskin pore penetration' which I have found that works magic, but found due to it being an exfoliant I cannot really use it for every day so I went on the hunt to try something new.

I stumbled across Milly from Made In Chelsea's blog one day and she said that she uses a product from Holland and Barrats I cannot remember if she said Dr Organic Manuka honey or Burts and Bees facial products, but I decided to try the Dr Organics option.

There are so many to choose from, as I was only looking for a facial wash I can use every day I chose the tea tree gentle foaming wash and since its tea tree it was a win win for me!

It has literally been a God sent for me. I use it every day in the morning and sometimes at night to thoroughly take off my makeup, which btw works wonders on the eye makeup. I have had this bad boy for over 6 months now and I have not had to repurchase a new one yet, and at £6.19 for a 200ml tube makes for a cost effective investment. The smell is quite refreshing, I guess very um, tea tree-y? And it makes your skin feel very refreshed, without the tautness and tightness you usually feel after cleansing.

Usually after washing my face, I follow up with a facial cream, I was using the Dr Organic Virgin olive oil facial cream, and found that left my face too oily (the name should have given me a big clue) but considering the jar is quite small, it lasted me quite a while and I think I finished it just after christmas, so I decided to try the Dr Organic Manuka honey facial cream. I have not had enough time to decide whether it works for me or whether I truly like it as in all honesty I'm not the biggest fan of the smell of manuka honey, but it leaves my face smooth and soft and thats always a bonus - priced at £8.19 this 50ml jar will most certainly put a dent in your pocket, I sure know it did to mine!

I will be most definitely repurchasing the facial wash, but I may try a new facial cream from the Dr organic range. So a big thumbs up from me and a 10/10 from my happy skin :)

I hope everyone is having a beautiful lazy sunday, and please let me know if you have tried any of these products or any other health store related beauty products!

Jade

Oh, Hello stranger ;)

2013-02-13T12:02:00.003+00:00

Hello my lovely followers,

I'd just like to start off by apologising for my lack of posts recently, 3rd year has literally been kicking my butt so far and it's only going to get worse! Sigh. Not long left until its all over and I can relax with a cocktail on some faraway island (ahhhh!)

I hope everyone is doing well, and I hope I can finally start posting again soon because I've missed you all and I've missed writing down my thoughts on this big small world.

Happy Valentines day for tomorrow and if your single like moi, just happy thursday <3

Jade

Happy Burlesque and a sexy new year!

2013-01-03T17:22:00.000+00:00

A couple of days ago I had the chance to go to a Burlesque show. If you know me, anything sexy related I am interested in (lol). So myself, cousin, aunt and mum trekked down to London's Soho to a little club amongst many called 'Madam Jojo's'.

It was only a small little club, and we got their pretty late so we had really shitty seats ('scuse my french) as you can tell from the crappy pictures. I didn't take many either as I was a bit too excited and forgot I could take photos, but I did remember to record the last act (which in my opinion was the best one!)

If you ever get the chance to see a Burlesque show, I really recommend you go and do it if not just for the experience. I enjoyed myself immensely and just maybe have found my calling in life.

Hope everyone had an amazing christmas and an equally amazing New years!

Jade xo

Facial cleansing wipes: Kleenex

2012-12-23T10:45:00.003+00:00

I'm not really one to care about what facial wipe I use on my face, so I usually pick up whatever is cheap or on special offer. I was in MAC the other day and I was just swatching some colours on my hand and I used one of their facial wipes to remove the lipstick and I noticed the difference straight away.

With the MAC facial wipes it is wetter than its competitors which I guess makes better for removing makeup quicker, so it made me think about the types of brands I use on my face. I can't really use much as it really irritates my skin, believe it or not even Simple products irritate my skin!

So being the cheap skate that I am, regardless of facial irritation I picked up some Kleenex facial cleansing wipes (extra gentle).

The actual wipes itself feels a lot like a wet soft tissue, which I love! It doesn't irritate my skin too much and its just nice and soft to the face, it smells like cream which is bearable and removes all my makeup very well, so far so good.

Jade

Braologie: The posture experts

2012-12-20T11:34:00.001+00:00

Hi guys,

I was lucky enough to be able to try out this new company called Braologie, through a little competition by Dao over at Mymakeupblog. Let me just say now, that I am truly grateful and thankful for that opportunity as it has been heaven sent!

Braologie is a company that is dedicated to improving the posture of women through the use of posture improving lingerie. By this, I mean it helps correct your back posture, reposition breast tissue all whilst giving you great cleavage.

The great thing about Braologie is it is done all online, in the comfort of your home. They send you a questionnaire which you have to fill in, and if you have the privilege of being in contact with Tallia, then you are in luck as she was amazing and so lovely to be in contact with - this questionnaire will ask you details about your bra size and you have to get the ol' measuring tape out to make sure everything is correct (so no lying here ladies) and you send them 3 pictures of yourself and they will send you a detailed report from professional bra fitters of your needs just from your questionnaire, how brilliant is that?! Better than Marks & Spencers, La Senza and Ann Summers combined!

When I received my report, I was a little traumatized. I wasn't used to getting feedback like that as I am very sensitive about my weight, but I'm glad I did as everything they wrote in the report was true! They sent me a bra and a little vest that sits underneath the bra to me in the post (which all arrived quite quickly) as these are the items that matched specifically to me, and I was shocked to see how beautiful the actual bra was as most shaping underwear are quite ugly and daunting, but this I feel sexy in and if I had a bf I wouldn't mind prancing around naked in front of. The bra was black with a gold-y colour under black lacing, I put it on and my boobs were finally under my chin haha. The only downside to this is no matching underwear, as I love to have my undies match my bra.

Would I recommend this product? Hell yes! I've seen the benefits for myself and I hear some of the horror stories my fellow big-breasted women have and this will definitely help relieve that issue.

Would I buy more? Definitely, as if I keep wearing the one I have to death it will surely end up in tatters.

Thanxs for reading & thank you guys at Braologie for giving me this opportunity! :)

Jade

Sleek Lipstick: Liqueur

2012-12-15T19:09:00.004+00:00

So I recently got this new lipstick as I've been on the search for a nude lip and I've been wanting to try a high street brand for a while now and I decided to try out Sleek. It's called Liqueur and its got a pinky hue to it with a sheen finish. (Apologies for the lighting in the pictures)

haha do you like my back drop? Its kitchen towel teehee (Improvisation at its best)

I love love love it! I'm still trying to figure out how to wear it as it can be a bit much but thats the fun in applying makeup! Well that's what I love about makeup.

You can purchase this lipstick or any other colour, from the Sleek website or any superdrug store for £4.99

Jade

Abi O Shimmer Tan Boost

2012-12-03T13:04:00.003+00:00

Heyy Guys,

So so so sorry that I have been very M.I.A lately, I have actually been very busy with moving back into Uni and dealing with freshers week and all that malarky and good stuff. I promise I won't keep it too long till my next post, luckily I have a few things that I have been meaning to write about - so watch this space.

Recently, (meaning a couple of months ago) I was lucky enough to win a blog competition from the lovely and beautiful Annie over at EpiphannieA. The competition was in aid of TFWOC (Tans For Women of Colour) and since I didn't have the chance to go on holiday this year, why not try a bit o' tanning eh?

So this is what the bottle looks like..

What the product looks like...

Blob - What the product looks like

And what I look like...

With Shimmer Tan Boost (flash)

So a HUGE thank you again to Annie, for this amazing product!

As always,

Jade

My Quick Smoothie

2012-10-16T10:00:00.000+01:00

So I thought I would just share with you what I make when I want a quick snack or a post-gym workout drink.

What you will need:

*Fruit

*Yoghurt

*Smoothie maker (or blender?)

*Orange juice (optional)

*A glass and a Straw (Cos lets face it, it adds more fun to it!)

I didn't choose the low fat yoghurt on purpose, I was simply just being cheap as its literally £1 from Tesco's (haha!) however I was being particular with buying frozen fruit and the reason being is because I'm not really a fruit person, and fresh fruit would mostly go off. Strawberries and Blueberries are my absolute fave fruits so a win for me! But you can use whatever fruit you fancy :).

So I was feeling particularly vitamin C-y so I decided to add some to my smoothie this time, which makes it more liquid-y instead of it being thick, but it is really up to you.

Et Voila!

Ze piece de resistance!

Jade

p.s. Can you tell I didn't do french at school? hehehe
p.p.s If you do decide to use fresh fruit add a couple of ice cubes to make it a little bit thicker

I hope you enjoy! (:

The Make-Up Store: Lipstick

2012-10-13T10:01:00.000+01:00

So I've been meaning to do a review on this lipstick for like FOREVER since I probs bought it over a year ago. So lets get on with the review.

I bought this lipstick one day whilst I was in Westfield White City in the Make-up Store. The Make Up Store is a leading make up brand in Sweden created by Mika Liias, you can find out more about this here.

I've really wanted to try one of their make up products because the actual store looks really cute and dinky as it is no bigger than a small box (lol).

The Lipstick colour I got is called Blush and costs £12.50 (but I think actually bought it for £11, I can't remember it was that long ago) - I think I bought this around the time of when my obsession for MAC's Impassioned started and I actually don't remember why I just didn't add on the 50p (or £2) and get the actual MAC Impassioned, but hey ho! (I apologise for the picture quality in advance)

I don't particularly think very highly of this lipstick, which is most likely why I have a whole tube left. Although it is creamy it is still quite drying on the lips regardless of applying a base coat beforehand.

Although it was inexpensive, I don't think I will be buying another lipstick from their store anytime soon. However they had a variety of awesome blushes which I think would be on my agenda next time I take a trip to Westfield.

Have you guys tried anything from the Make-up Store?

Jade

Apologies & CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

2012-09-11T14:12:00.002+01:00

Hey Guys,

First of all I'd like to start off with a huge apology. I haven't uploaded any blogs in a while mainly because I had lost the motivation to blog and I didn't want my blogs to seem robotic and not as easy going as they usually are. I have also been very busy with working at the weekends (which now my contract has ended) and volunteering during the week. I hope you all can except my apology!

But lately I have become more inspired. I guess some may call it a revelation or an epiphany. But I'm going to call it a lifestyle change.

One day I just woke up and told myself 'Jade you are 20 years old, you are in your prime and this is not how you want to look for such a monumental time in your life' thus the idea of my 'ThinSpiration' was born.

You may not all know this but I am a size 16/18 and yeah some may see that as curvy and some may even see that as fat, but I just see it as a burden. I have always been on the chubs side ever since I was little and now I think its time I do something about it.

A very good friend of mine told me about Jillian Michael's 30 day shred so I naturally had to check it out for myself. I bought the DVD from amazon (here) and even acquired myself some weights (here also when I bought these they were much cheaper, I have no clue why they are so expensive now. But have a look around amazon you could probs find cheaper ones too) and within 2 weeks I had notice a difference my face was a lot smaller than usual.

I also changed my eating habits. For 2 weeks I did no carbs - this proved harder than I thought. Coming from a Caribbean background where all you pretty much eat is carbs and protein and eventually white rice was calling my name so I introduced it back into my diet. So now I just cut down my portion sizes.
I try my best to eat 3 meals a day (something which I never used to do before) slowly but surely I'm getting there.

This morning I came across a news article on the Daily Mail about Jordin Sparks. For those of you who don't know who Jordin Sparks is, she is an American Idol winner I think in 2007/(8) I can't remember and she was a bit on the hefty size and now she has lost a whopping 50lbs and looks incredible!!

She has definitely inspired me to go on with this new lifestyle change. And maybe I can share with you guys my progress through it all.

I have a goal, I'd like to drop 2 dress sizes if not more and I have to fit and look good in a bikini for my holiday next summer. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Maybe this can be weekly thing. I duno but we will see! I hope everyone is doing well and look forward to writing more blogs for you all. :D

The Little Princess Trust

2012-07-30T09:53:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, my aunty for her daughters summer fayre was organising this event for a charity called the Little Princess Trust, my Aunt had thought that only herself and a few other mothers would be the only ones to donate their hair, but she found that their were 18 volunteers as well as a few children who were willing to cut their hair for the charity. When she told me the success of what happened during the Summer Fayre I had to check out this trust for myself.

What the Little Princess Trust is about, is a charity which provides real hair wigs to young children (girls and boys) up to the age of 18 suffering hair loss from known illnesses such as; Cancer, Leukemia, Alopecia and other illnesses. It allows little boys and girls to feel like themselves again, before treatment and regain confidence to face the outside world.

The Little Princess Trust was started by a couple by the name of Wendy and Simon Tarplee, after they had lost their little girl to a tumor in 2005 and have been going strong ever since.

I just wanted to make other people aware of this as Cancer has affected my Grandma in the past and luckily she has pulled through - I know how agonising that is to watch and to think that a little child has to go through it is absolutely dreadful!
Knowing that there are charities like this out there, that are trying to reach and do something about it to put smiles on these children's faces is something that makes me feel good and actually want to help with.

It costs up to £350 for the Trust to make a wig for a child, so any donation is welcome albeit money or your own hair!

I hope I have inspired at least one person today to feel touched by this charity as I have felt touched, and maybe even donate something to help with the wigs or even letting other people be aware of this charity so that they can also help.

Check out their website and see for yourself: Little Princess Trust

Jade

June/July Buys

2012-07-23T20:52:00.001+01:00

I seem to go through really random periods where I buy loads and loads of stuff and then nothing for oncoming weeks.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Real Techniques Stippling Brush: I've heard so much great things about these make-up tools that I decided that I had to have one. I mostly use stippling brushes to apply my liquid foundation as I love the finish. I can't wait to use it, now that we are experiencing some hot weather I haven't had a chance to wear any make up! Au Naturel (sp?)

Tangy nails. Yum!

Tangy Tangerine

Rimmel Tangy Tangerine Nail Polish: As I've mentioned in previous posts I've been on the hunt for the perfect summer orange and I happen to come across it in boots! I absolutely love this orange its so me in every single way as you can see from above in my nail of the week! :)

MissGuided. Misstify

MissGuided Nail Polish: I happened to be in Asda like a month ago, one evening waiting for the mother to finish her shopping and was snooping around the magazine aisle and saw this pink beauty glinting at me through a glossy cosmopolitan magazine, there were other colours but I chose the pink one, so naturally I just had to have it. I'm yet to try it but I love the fact that it came in such a cute box, pretty packaging is a winner in my books!

Rimmel Scandal eyes 'Show off' Mascara. Random Mango & Papaya Lip Gloss. Boujouir 3D effect Lipgloss (03). Maybelline expression kajal eyeliner. Maybelline Master Precise liquid eyeliner.

Maybelline Master Precise Liquid eye liner felt tip

Rimmel Scandal eyes 'Show off' mascara

Make-up er.. essentials?: I had a charity event dinner and wanted to look my best (you never know who is going to bring their beautiful looking heir to such events). I have always been a Rimmel mascara fan, but I decided to go for the 'Show off' mascara as it was on special offer and in my honest opinion Rimmel is yet to let me down! I absolutely love this mascara and its fast becoming one of my faves. It perfectly fans out your lashes, gives it lift and makes them look elegantly long, I always feel like I'm wearing my falsies with this mascara.
I also came across Maybelline's liquid eyeline Master Precise and this is another product I love - I made the move to felt tip liquid eyeliners about 6 months ago and this product by far is one of my favourite liquid eyeliners. It's so thin and provides just the amount of product and is actually quite precise!
The Boujouis 3D effect Lipgloss is also a really nice addition to the make-up family, it boasts an 8 hour wearing time, but if you factor in talking, eating, licking your lips etc its not at all going to last that long.

Essie Nail polishes

Essie Nail Polishes: I went to TK Maxx with my Aunt and was standing in the queue to pay, when I noticed these Essie Nail Polishes. I actually couldn't believe my luck as I had been on the hunt for an Essie Nail Polish for what seems like forever! It came in a pack of 3 and cost me £9.99 which is a bargain as most Essie Nail polishes start at £7, I'm still on the hunt for more so if anyone knows where I can get cheap Essie polishes from let me know (as Ebay has let me down).

Zebra crossing looking Peplum dress.

Zebra Crossing looking Peplum dress: This was the dress I wore for the charity event dinner I went for on behalf of the organisation I am volunteering with. Its from New Look and because I have quite big hips, thighs and bum it suited me really well!

So that's it for now, hopefully as I actually think I am going to place myself on a spending ban. Well until I get back to Uni at least.

Jade

Earrings and Such

2012-07-17T16:00:00.000+01:00

Hey Guys,

So over the weeks these are some of the stuff that I have accumulated that I thought I would share with you.

Ebay. I found these through another persons blog here

Dorothy Perkins. Sale

Topshop. Sale, really old though! I just forgot to mention before. Oops

Dorothy Perkins. Sale

Earrings - Earrings are my staple jewellery, I always feel naked without them if I don't have any on, I don't really shop in Dorothy Perkins, and I went in there by sheer chance and found these really great finds! I'm not really a jewellery person but I wear my essentials which are my earrings and watch (if I can find it)

Lucky Charms - My aunt just arrived from America this week and I asked her to buy me a box, thanks to my friend (who also has a book blog here) I am now addicted to this!

Ebay here (iphone) here (Samsung s3)

Phone cover - I got this cute little phone cover for my new phone. Its adorable and the penguin itself is like its 3D. You can't tell from the photo but it actually has arms on the side of the case, I'm still deciding on a name for it undecided at the moment.

I think I need to curb my spending, it's getting a tad out of hand. HA. Who am I kidding. In the words of Drake 'YOLO'.

Jade