We got bored...

As the title suggests I got pretty bored the other day... along with my little sis. We umm'd & ahh'd over what to do, but with no car or money the options were limited. Being a complete nail art whore I just went to town on her nails! They aren't great, but I've not done many of these designs before :)

I love the little tuxedo, I think it's soo cute! :D Have you guys got any nail art ideas for me to try out? Or do you want a tutorial on how to do any of these? Just lemme know :) 

Hope you had a great weekend girlies! Jen xo

Grow hair, grow! | Update

I've been putting off writing this post for a while now. I'm not really sure why, I think it might be because I don't wanna show you guys the awful state that my hair was in :P But, hey! We're all friends here!

So, you guys who saw my grow hair, grow post will know that I've been on a mission to, well.. grow my hair! My hair had got to that stubborn stage of 'I don't want to grow any longer', I'm sure many of you will be familiar with this.

In my grow hair, grow post I told you that I was setting my self a few rules & guidelines. Lets back track & see whether I stuck to them or not...

• No heat. I'm mega proud of myself for this! Before I started this mission I would blow dry my hair every morning & straighten it every day I wore it down. Butt, in the past month or so I could count on my fingers the amount of time I've blow dried my hair :) As for straighteners, I've only used them once (& this was only because I was having photos taken for a new job ;) ). I wouldn't even let the hairdresser straighten my hair when I went to the salon. Whoop, go me!
• Give my hair days off. I did plan on only washing my hair every other day. Although I haven't stuck entirely to this, I have been washing it a lot less often then I was.

As well as these 2 rules I bought a few new products to help stimulate my hair to grow. Throughout the month I've also added & taken away products. Here's a general idea of what I've been using.

• Lee Stafford growth products. I started using the Lee Stafford growth treatment when I started this mission, & have used it in every shower since. I swear by this product! I really believe it has helped my hair to get past that stubborn stage, as well as making my hair feel extremely soft & healthy. I then went & bought the Lee Stafford hair growth shampoo & conditioner, though I'm not as positive about these two. I'll write a review on the shampoo & conditioner soon, & let you know more of my thoughts. 
• Hair oils. Why did I not know about hair oils & treatments sooner!? I bloody love these! I first came across them when I received a Redken treatment spray in a She Said Beauty box. Since then I have not had a single shower without using a treatment or hair oil afterwards. Although I don't think they are helping with the growth of my hair, they are definitely assisting in making my hair shiny & healthy. I can't recommend using a hair oil or treatment enough. The ones I have used so far include Redken treatment 10 spray, Macadamia healing oil spray & at present L'oreal extraordinary oil. 
• Tangle Teezer. This is the king of all hair brushes/combs! I use to have such a mare brushing through my hair after a shower. It would get so knotty; I'd end up really frustrated & half my hair would come out in the process. But, with the tangle teezer it literally just glides through my hair effortlessly. I love it! Although I still have a few strands of hair fall out in the process (this is natural), but nowhere near as many as I use to. No pain, no snags & no pullsm :)

So, after about 6 weeks of these rules & products here come the results. Both of these pictures were taken after my hair had naturally dried. I figured this was a fair way to do it. So the messy wavy look is due to the lack of a hair dryer & striaghteners, don't judge me too harshly!

The picture on the left was taken when I started my little mission, on 26th August. The picture on the right was 3 weeks later, on 17th September. Let me know your opinion, but I definitely think my hair has grown! & quite a significant amount for just a 3 week time frame. Not only has my hair grown I think it looks significantly healthy & shinier.

It's been a few weeks since the latest picture was taken. I'm still continuing my little mission, but I wanted to show you my progress. I'll be sure to let you know if my hair manages to grow any longer :) I hope so!!

Lemme know what you guys think, & if you have any more suggestions on how to get my mop longer!

Jen xo

OPI Minnie Mouse mani

I wasn't going to post this mani, but then I realised that I've never shown you guys the beautiful Minnie Mouse OPIs! This look doesn't include them all, but a couple :) Here's what I used... 

L-R: OPI I'm all ears, OPI If you moust you moust, Andrea Fullerton black striper & Models Own 3-in-1. 

This mani's real easy, so for those of you who don't have the patience, or what not, for fussy nail art, give this one a try :) You don't have to worry about the neatness of painting your nails half & half, the black striper will cover up any wobbles & bumps! 

I absolutely love these 2 pink shades, they're my fave... but I swear I write that about all my OPIs :P Howeverrr, these are so pretty. If You Moust You Moust is a really girly, Barbie pink; I love wearing this on it's own. I'm All Ears is truly gorgeous in real life; it a really sheer hot pink with shimmers of pinks, reds & purples.. My boyfriend says my nails look like jelly beans when I wear I'm All Ears :) 

I love the OPI special collections. I can't wait to get my hands on the James Bond collection!! Have you guys had any of their collections? Which are your faves? 

Jen xo

Models Own sale haul!

Recently I asked you guys to help me abuse my bank balance by liking the Models Own Facebook page! Basically, Models Own said if they reach 100,000 likes on their Facebook page during September they would give us all a code to get 50% off their products online. As you can guess, they did it!

The nail polish addict inside me placed an order as soon as the promotion code went live. However, I didn't go as nuts as I usually would. I was a good girl :) Also, as my collection of polishes is getting quite big I thought I'd be strict & only let my self buy shades that I didn't own. This sounds obvious but some girls have sooo many polishes & most look the same, just different brands. So yeah, I tried to be good & manly cater for my nail art obsession!

With that in mind, here's what I ordered -

Left - right: 3-in-1, Luis Lemon, Lime Green, Pink Fizz, Emerald City, Pinky Brown, Emerald Black, Thunder & Lightening.

Here are some swatches of the polishes. But, these photos really don't do them justice! The yellow polish has a lovely matte finish, the green & glittery pink are about right, the glittery green is a lot more green (less of a blue tone) in real life, the pinky brown is a gorgeous two-tone polish that looks fab in sunlight, the emerald black has more of a dark green tone in real life & the glittery black is about right :)

I had a little issue with the Luis Lemon polish. When my delivery came the neck of the polish bottle had broken. I really didn't want to complain but I knew that the polish would just dry out & be no use. So I emailed Models Own & they replied apologising & saying they'd send me a new one. Within a few days me & Luis Lemon were reunited :) A* for customer service from Models Own!

On another note, have you guys seen their new Wonderland collection?! They look beatiiiful :)

Hope you all had a fab weekend, Jen xo

Free Benefit with InStyle

I have to share this with you girls, it's an absolute steal!

I'm gonna be honest, before today I hadn't read an InStyle magazine! But, when I saw the free Benefit make-up I had to make my first purchase. In Tesco the magazine is only £2.50, bargain! InStyle is a monthly fashion magazine. I haven't read it front to back yet, but so far so good for my first buy :) This months mag also contains an interview with the new Bond girl, which gets top marks from me!

So, the Benefit make-up up for grabs includes bene tint, sun beam & cha cha tint. Bene tint is a rosie cheek & lip stain; apparently a favourite of many celebs & make-up artists. Sun beam is a golden toned highlighter, perfect for a bronzed glow on all skin tones. & last but not least, cha cha tint is a mango-tinted stain that blushes lips & cheeks. I've wanted to try bene tint & sun beam for a while so I grabbed both of them! Naughty me.

They may look small, but they sure are mighty! Because you only need a little dot each time you use these they last for soo long! Last year I nabbed a high beam sample in another magazine (Glamour, I think) of the same size, & I still use it today. I'm not even scraping the barrel - love it.

Get yourselves to your nearest newsagents girls & pick your fave!

Have a nice weekend :) Jen xo

Seaweed skincare range | Bodyshop

I have to admit, over the years I haven't been very kind to my skin & have relied manly on face wipes to remove my make up. I did always feel a little guilty that I didn't have a proper routine, but every time I tried a different skincare product I would break out. I always thought that maybe my skin preferred to be left alone. 

How wrong was I?! The reason my skin was acting up so much was because I wasn't buying products specific to my skin type. This probably sounds really obvious to most of you; but my Mum has never been into things beauty (until recently), & I only have a younger sister. So, I guess until I started reading beauty blogs it was all trial & error for me.  

Anyhoo, recently a friend introduced me to the seaweed range at Bodyshop, which is specific for combination/oily skin - perfect :) So I went & bought a seaweed kit that the shop had put together, I'm pretty sure it was £25. The kit included a deep cleansing facial wash, a clarifying toner, mattifying day cream & a night treatment. You can buy all of these things separately too. The range also includes products such as a clay mask, pore perfecter & SPF. 

I'm absolutely in love with this kit! It has to be one of my favourite skin care ranges (I can't decide between this & the Clinique skin care range!). I haven't had a single break out since using it, which is about 3 weeks now. Everything about it is spot on! The price tag isn't too hefty, the scent of the products are really fresh & don't leave a lingering scent & my skin feels amazing after I've used the whole shebang! I really don't have anything negative to say about it, so here are some more of my thoughts on the products -

• Cleanser- I know a lot of people have trouble removing eye make-up with cleansers, so I tested this out. & no problem at all. It removed all of my mascara & eyeliner, without leaving my eyes red & sore. I will add though, that when removing eye make-up I do tend to do 2 washes, just to make sure it's all gone. 
• Toner - I've heard recently that quite a few people don't think there's much need for a toner, so I did a little research to find out what it's actually used for. I'll share my treasures.. apparently toners remove the last impurities on your skin that have been missed by your cleanser, toners also remove any traces of the cleanser from your skin & prepare you skin for the moisturising step. I also found out that toners are essential for people with combination/oily skin as they help balance the amount of oil being produced. So I'll definitely be sticking to using a toner! I love this toner, it's one of those where you can feel it working on your skin, like it kind of tingles - you girls know what I mean :)  
• Moisturiser - I've always hated using moisturiser on my face, I feel my face has enough moisture as it is. But, I'm gonna put it out there & say this is the best moisturiser I have ever used on my skin! It's really hydrating but at the same time it leaves my skin looking mattified. It's fast drying too, so there's no waiting around to apply make-up. Talking of make-up... this moisturiser makes a fab base for foundation. I find that my foundation applies more evenly after this :)
• Night cream - This is the first night cream I've actually used, so it's a bit new to me. I really like it though! It's pretty much just like the moisturiser, only it's a lot thicker & takes longer to soak in. 

I don't really know too much about skin care so I hope this wasn't too basic for you guys. I'm still learning myself :) However, I do know that if, like me, you have combination/oily skin then I cannot recommend this enough. Get yourself down to The Bodyshop!!

Jen xo

She Said Beauty | October

Jeez Louise! As if it is October already! Not that this bothers me in the slightest... I love love love all the deep Autumn colours, layering warm clothes & accessories, Halloween celebrations & last, but by far not least, Christmas!! I am so excited for Christmas :D Some of you may hate me for saying that though, haha. Anyways, back onto what I came here for... It's that SSB time of the month again :)

• Advanced bio renewal masque by Cellnique.  This is the tinniest little face scrub sample I ever did see! It's a scrub mask containing fruit enzymes and acids. I'm guessing it's the fruit enzymes, but it smells pretty delish for a scrub mask. I'll definitely be using this, but I think there's only enough for one application.. so I don't see how I can really get a feel for the product. But hey! 
• Off with those heads by B.liv. This product claims to easily remove stubborn blackheads & whiteheads, as well as keeping excessive oil under control & preventing breakouts. I quite intrigued as to how well this will work. I suffer from blackheads on my nose, so fingers crossed it works.
• Fragrance by Amy Childs. Yay to another perfume sample.... naat. It's not a perfume I'd go out & buy, but it's nice & girly. I'll be chucking this in my clutch bag. 
• Beauty rejuvenating night cream by Biao. I'm a little weary of using skin care samples that aren't targeted for combination/oily skin, as they usually break me out. I'll be giving these to my Momma or sister. 
• Cocoa butter formula travel size by Palmer's. This is definitely the highlight of this months box. It. smells. AMAZING! I love it. I've always loved the smell of cocoa butter, but have never actually used any, so I'm looking forward to smelling like this! It's a really thick moisturiser too - my favourite type :)  Shame it's just a travel size. 
• Total green tea extract by Myvitamins. It's a little random to find vitamins in a beauty box, but hey ho! With the cold weather here, it's prime time for people to start getting the flu etc. I guess these are a nice way to prepare my self. Fullsize: £2.49.

I'm really not sure what to think about this months box. I think it's the first SSB I've been slightly disappointed with. I love the cocoa butter & I'll enjoy using the face mask, but apart from that it's all a bit mehh. I definitely don't think this box is worth the £10 I paid, & it's sad that the only full sized product is the vitamin packet.

I have a sub to SSB that runs out in December, I'm thinking of cancelling SSB & signing up to Jolie Box. If any of you girls are subbed to either of these, lemme know what you think :)

Jen xo