Christmas beauty gifts – Are you a hoarder or a user?

Hello ladies!

If you read our blog regularly you will know that once a month we hand over our blog to Stace's sister Sam to get the low down on what's beautiful in her life. Find out more about Sam in our Q&A here.

Over to you Sam!

So, it’s 2012 and another Christmas has passed meaning I’ve got another horde of ‘smellies’! Usually, these end up being stored in the bathroom never to reappear. I’m not really sure why I do this but I tend to just keep buying my regular shower gels, moisturisers, etc and not use the packs.

Now, with the recession and all being upon us, I thought this was a bit wasteful of me so hooked out xmas 2010’s goodies to start using (are they supposed to be left this long.... surely they’re ok if unopened!)

The pack I started using first is Royal Jelly, which comes from Marks and Spencer, so bridging the gap between high street and high end products. It contained three pots; a body scrub, body moisturiser and hand and nail cream.

Royal Jelly Body scrub, body moisturiser
 and hand and nail cream

I would say the style of pots with screw lids is a drawback when using the body scrub as I find it easier when I’m in the shower to have a squeezy bottle, but it is definitely a plus for the moisturiser.

The body scrub is lovely; it lathers up well in the shower and has little grains in it for exfoliation – leaving my skin beautiful and soft. It also smells subtle and fresh (I can’t stand the overpowering, cheap, flowery smell of some shower gels).

The body moisturiser is also good; great consistency and keeps my skin smooth, however the hand and nail cream is a bit of a disappointment. It is very greasy which is not what you want on your hands and it doesn’t rub in very quickly, meaning I have to wait quite a while before I can do anything (not great when you put it on at your desk at work and then can’t type for half an hour!)

Top swatch, hand cream, middle swatch,
body moisturiser, bottom swatch, body scrub

So two out of the three when trying a new brand isn’t bad! Although I won’t be rushing to buy anymore I am still using the products and pleased with the result!

Look out for my next guest blog on another Christmas pack.... Lush – definitely not my favoured products!

Sam x

Thanks Sam! If you have any questions for Sam you can find her on twitter @sambosh26 or please leave us a comment.

Oasis, Bourjois and No 7...the girl in gold!

I hope you're all having a lovely relaxing weekend! Today I wanted to share with you my outfit and make-up I wore for a night out in Bournemouth last night! I love it when an outfit dictates your colour scheme for the night. I started with the gold dress from Oasis and then picked my nail polish and eye shadow to follow the theme of gold.

So here is what I wore:

Dress from Oasis in the sale, originally £60
but only paid £15!! Lace flowery tights from M&S, £6

A closer look at my golden nails:

Stay Perfect No 7, Hot to Trot, £7, 
but with a Boots £5 no 7 voucher only £2!!

I am actually in love with this nail colour for the Winter! It's a great day and night nail colour, and it has stayed on all night and no chips today! It did take a long time to dry, so I would argue with the 'quick drying' claim, but the end result is a really glossy finish, nearly up there with some of the brands that cost £10 a bottle. It was also very easy to apply.

This colour was recommended to me by the lovely Jo over at www.budgetingbeautyblog.blogspot.com

A closer look at my face and my eye make-up:

Without flash

With flash

My golden eyes!

I have to admit to never trying Bourjois before this week, and this was thanks to a recommendation from www.beautygeekuk.com

I am so impressed by this eyeshadow range! The two colours I picked to create my gold eyes are:

Bourjois little round pot shade 09 for £5.49 
and intense shade 01 for £6.99 

I used Bare Minerals eye primer to start the base of my eye, despite the 16 hour hold claims from Bourjois. I then applied the light golden intense shade 01 to the whole eye area. I applied this quite liberally. I then took the little round pot, shade 09 and applied this just to my eye lid. I then took more of the first light golden shade to blend the two colours together. I absolutely loved the end result, and cannot wait to get my hands on some more of these little pots!!

The finished look was intense enough for a night out, but not over the top, and it lasted all night until I got home! And for the price, these are the cheapest eye shadows I have bought for ages!


Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed seeing my outfit and make-up from last night.


What colours do you like to mix together for a night out? Have you tried Bourjois eyeshadows and what do you think of them? Please let us know, by commenting below, or tweet us @beautyu

Stay Beautiful


Stace x

Bioderma to the rescue!

Those of you who share my passion for beauty will understand that when recently I had a chance to replenish my Bioderma’s cleanser stock (check my previous blog to find out about the SensibioH2O Cleanser) my shopping experience with Bioderma didn’t just stop there! As you can image, being mesmerised with the rest of Bioderma’s products, and being an owner of a very sensitive skin, I decided to try two more products from the range. Here there are, the products I’m proud to review and share with you, especially if you suffer from sensitive skin: 

Atoderm Lip Balm

Aroderm Lip Balm by Bioderma, 15ml

Transparent in colour but soft and thick in consistency, not sticky!

The balm is very comfortable to wear, isn’t sticky and has virtually no smell! The best balm I have used recently! Works fantastic on chapped and dry lips, nourishing them instantly and keeping them conditioned for a long time. My lips never felt so soft during the winter months! It’s available on the Amazon website for approx. £13 per 15ml.

Hydrabio Gentle moisturising scrub

Hydrabio Gentle moisturising scrub by Bioderma, 75ml

The creamy consistency with small particles

It’s really hard for me to find a face scrub that won’t be too harsh on my skin! However, this Gentle moisturising scrub feels more like a thicker cleanser with tiny particles that lightly polishes my skin. It’s advised to use it once or twice a week. The smell is fresh but very light so almost not noticeable; it’s a pleasure to use it! My skin is left smooth and clean, and there are no red patches or any reaction after I use this product! In the UK it’s available on the auction websites and it ranges from £14 - £19 per 75ml. I love this product!

Is your skin very sensitive? If so, what products do you use and would you recommend them to us? Let us know by leaving a comment or on twitter @beautyu! 

Stay beautiful!

Mags xx

Delicate cleanser for sensitive skin

Have you ever had a change of hearts when it comes to any beauty products you used? You tried a product a few years before and it was just okay or didn’t suit your skin then, but now you can’t stop raving about it and it’s the desert island product you can’t live without? Well, I did!

Sensibio H2O by Bioderma

A few years ago I’ve tested a number of micellaire solutions, the calming cleansing products, perfect for the most sensitive of skins. One of the products tested was Sensibio H2O by Bioderma. It was just okay for my skin then; however, at that time my skin was misbehaving badly after a long course of antibiotics, and I didn’t feel this product was right for me! About a year ago I decided to give this product another go as heard so many good things about it. Now I can’t look back!!!

My skin has got super sensitive over the years and it’s hard to get products that suit its sensitivity. This cleanser is brilliant, though! It soothes irritated and fragile skin, cleanses and refreshes my face, eyes and lips thoroughly without rubbing (removes even the toughest water-resistant make-up), and rinsing is not required, so there’s no additional need for toner either! The smell is very subtle and fresh.  

This product doesn’t belong to the cheapest on the market but the price is justified with the longevity and performance; it RRP £10 - £13 for 250ml depending where you buy. The only disadvantage is, it’s hard to purchase it in the UK. The only place I could locate that product is the popular auction website. However, I purchase mine whenever I go to visit my family on the continent!

Have you ever used any of the Bioderma products? Let us know and share your experience either by leaving a comment or on twitter @beautyu!

Stay beautiful!

Mags xx

GOSH! What pretty nails!

Hello ladies!
I hope you are all having a great weekend! I haven't been up to much as planned to have a quiet January, but that has given me lots of time to play with beauty products!
Today I am going to show you one of my Christmas presents and the results I got with it!

GOSH nail glitter in 05 Ruby Red

And a closer look at the nail glitter - pretty!

This nail glitter was a Christmas present from my sister. They retail for £3.99, and although I cannot find them available online, I have seen them in my local Superdrug. There are a few other colours, but this would definitely be the one I would have picked as well, so good work sis!

You might think, why would anyone need nail glitter with all the glitter polishes on the market, but these are just a fab accessory to any night out. The basic method of application is to apply a clear nail polish, dip your nails into the pot, and then brush of the excess.

The final nails, a nice thick glitter coverage

It is a little fiddly to begin with, and I need to probably brush a bit more of the glitter away, but I was really happy with the end result, there isn't many polishes that would give this really thick, luxurious look and feel. It would be perfect for a big night out.

Have you used GOSH nail glitter before? What did you think of the nail accessory? Do you like the look that can be created?

Thanks for reading and stay beautiful!

Stace x

Pretty in pink!

Hello ladies.

I hope you're all having a beautiful week. January can always be a bit of a dull month, I find. Christmas is over, the weather is dreary, no one's got any money to go out, so I fancied myself a small pick me up. And guess what I found in the 'Blue cross sale' in my local Superdrug? These two beautiful nail polishes for just 49p! Yes 49p!

As you know, I have become a fan of the budget beauty brand MUA, after discovering MUA last year, so was really excited to try their nail polish to see if it would deliver the same excellent results as their eye shadows and lipstick.

The first one is a beautiful baby pink shade, this was my favourite, and if it was an OPI nail polish, I am sure it would have a name like candy floss or bubblegum.

MUA shade 12

MUA shade 12

This colour I could easily wear everyday to work as it is very subtle, but has a nice hint of colour, not too bright.

The second colour in this pack was a vibrant coral colour:

MUA shade 15

MUA shade 15

I like this colour as well, although not as much as the first colour. This is definitely more of a going out nail polish.

I was so impressed with these nail polishes, application was actually really easy, and with the brush being small I could be more precise. I only did one coat, and although I would like to do two, they look fine with one coat. The finish is really glossy, and they dried very quickly. This nail polish range is definitely giving some of the mid range priced nail polishes a hefty run for their money.

I think I was lucky getting this deal, but the shades are available on the Superdrug website and they are only one pound each, so go on, treat yourself and put a smile on your face this January! At only one pound each, I just know I will be back in there trying out some of the other colours soon!

Stay Beautiful!

Stace x

Mags’ Face of the Day

This is my first Face of the Day (FOTD) post so I thought I’ll share with you my daily make-up routine and show the products I use to create my daytime look. 

Here are the tools and products I use:

• Elemis Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules – facial oil used in the morning and evening to double charge the moisturiser
• Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream – my day moisturiser
• Smashbox Photo Finish – foundation primer
• bareMinerals Multi-Tasking SPF20 Concealer in Bisque
• bareMinerals Original SPF15 Foundation in Medium Tan – I usually use the Medium Beige one, however, I still have some colour left after my holidays
• bareMinerals all-over face colour in Warmth – bronzing powder
• bareMinerals blush in Intrigue
• bareMinerals Original SPF25 Mineral Veil – finishing powder, also can be used as a primer
• Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink
• bareMinerals Flawless Definition Volumizing mascara in Black
• Chanel AQUALUMIÈRE Gloss High Shine Sheer Concentrate in Freeze (066) – lip gloss
• Most of the brushes are from my Bare Escentuals collection: max coverage concealer (concealer brush), full coverage buki (foundation brush), flawless face (bronzer brush), angled blush (blush brush), hydrate & brighten (finishing powder brush) and Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eye Liner brush. 

I really love all the products I use! They saved my life! About three years ago I went through a rough time with my skin and nothing worked. Three years down the line and after discovering the bareMinerals make-up products no one can really tell that a few months ago I was covered in spots and looked really miserable! 

Here is my flawless skin today:

Without a flash:

With a flash:

Hope you enjoyed my first FOTD! I surely did! Let me know if you use any of the products listed and if so, what do you think of them?

Stay beautiful!

Mags xx

Time to detox – gel mask

For the past few days I’ve been reviewing the products from the Elemis’ Try-Enzyme Resurfacing range. Tonight I’d like to conclude with the last, but no means least, product from the range – Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask (RRP £45).

This product is a wonderful addition to the range. It helps to smooth the skin and revive dull complexion. I found this product perfectly complementing the range and delivering to its promise. After using the gel mask my skin is smoother to the touch, looks and feels cleaner and matte and any small imperfections are minimised even after one application.

Try-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask - gel texture

After application the gel texture initially creates a cooling sensation on the skin, which quickly changes into a nice tingling sensation. (I like it! However, my hubby wasn't so keen on it!) That doesn’t mean you’re allergic to the product but just the opposite; it means that the product works its wonders. In my case the place where it tingles the most is around my nose, meaning the need for enzymes in that area is greater. 

I usually keep the mask on for 8 minutes, as specified on the packaging; however, sometimes I leave it for a bit longer and I've never had any reaction. I find the gel texture too clingy to remove it with just water so I use towelling mitts but any face towel is perfect for that! Use it twice a week in the first few weeks and as the tingling minimizes with usage then use it once a week.

Note: People with rosacea and very sensitive skin should seek doctors’ advice before using this product as I’ve heard different opinions on the reaction post usage. 

Hope the detox reviews helped you to decide if those products are for you! Let us know by leaving a comment or on twitter @beautyu.

Stay beautiful!

Mags xx