Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Archive for April, 2012
Betty Buff’s Gunky Monkey Sugar Scrub!
1
I was recently lucky enough to win this 50ml sample pot of Betty Buff‘s Gunky Monkey Sugar Scrub via her Twitter giveaway, and was kindly gifted a few extra scrubs to try as well (which I’ll also be reviewing). Betty Buff specialises in creating all natural sugar scrubs and other body products for people with sensitive skin, and since I myself have sensitive skin, I couldn’t have been happier to try these scrubs out. Over the last couple of days I have been using Gunky Monkey, and since it is a new scrub made especially for men, my fiancé has tested it too 
The scrub I received is scented with ‘Lime & Ginger’, and smells absolutely lovely. What I adore about Betty Buff’s products is that they’re based on vintage, tried and tested recipes and contain no parabens or icky chemical fragrances, just simple ingredients which do the job just as well, if not better, than the scrubs you can buy in shops. The ingredients in Gunky Monkey are listed as: Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Glycerin, Honey, Lime and Ginger – all good stuff! And it looks like this…
When using this, I decided to focus on exfoliating my upper arms, as it is there that I have small, stubborn dry patches that prove difficult to shift! I gently rubbed the scrub into my skin in a circular motion whilst in the shower, and then washed it off with warm water. I noticed that, because real lime is used in the product, as I rubbed the fruit popped and let out its natural oils so I was hit with bursts of the gorgeously zingy smell of lime. Unfortunately, the ginger scent wasn’t as obvious.
I have to say, I am amazed by just how good this product is. The honey works to really soften your skin without leaving any stickiness, and after just two uses I have already noticed a difference to my dry patches – they’re definitely not as rough as they were and the rest of my skin feels so smooth… I think Betty Buff’s sugar scrubs may be my new miracle product!
Now, I’ll admit, my other half was slightly sceptical about trying Gunky Monkey as he isn’t keen on body products that look or smell like puddings, but even he was pleasantly surprised. After his shower this morning I grilled him about what he thought, dreading that it’d be bad news, but he told me it was easy to use and washed off well, and he really loved the smell (although he did say it smelt like Iron after a while but I didn’t experience that!). And on top of that, he said it worked, and that his skin already felt smoother after using it once! Impressive huh? I think he may be a convert.
Oh, and I also love Betty Buff’s quirky labels, they’re so cute!
If you want to try Betty Buff’s Sugar Scrubs for yourself, you can buy them online here for £8 each. OR, if you hurry, all Betty Buff and Gunky Monkey Sugar Scrubs are 2 for 1 until tomorrow! Just enter the code listed on the home page
Which Sugar Scrub do you fancy?
Naomi x
MUA Lip Booms in ‘Bring It’ and ‘It’s A Situation’
3
11 years
by Naomi in Lips
Earlier this week I ordered two of MUA’s NEW Lip Booms via their website and, after a 24 hour wait, my package arrived yesterday! I have been excited about trying the Lip Booms ever since I heard about them, so I was very happy to get my hands on some so soon to see whether or not they lived up to the hype.
My first impressions were that they look absolutely great. I really like how chunky they are and they look really slick in the classic MUA black packaging with the shiny silver font.
The Lip Boom collection includes 8 stunning shades, and each boom is double ended, featuring a matte lipstick and a glittery highlighting gloss. The two shades I went for are ‘Bring it’ and ‘It’s A Situation’…
MUA teamed up with British pop artist Alexandra Burke to create the Lip Boom range, and they can be worn in four different ways; as a matte lipstick, as a sheer gloss, as a glossy lipstick or to create the illusion of more volume! For the latter look, the trick is to apply the lipstick first, then highlight the centre of your lower lip and the Cupid’s bow on your top lip for ‘fuller curvaceous lips’.
Here is a demo of each look in each shade. Sorry about all the pictures! The top shade is ‘Bring It’, and the bottom shade is ‘It’s A Situation’. As you can see, the glosses are very similar.
Sheer
Matte
Glossy
Volume
I really love both lipsticks when worn matte as they’re easy to apply and nicely creamy. They also stay on for AGES and are fairly difficult to remove, but I see that as a good thing as it means they have the potential to last all day! I thought the gloss looked great as a highlighter too. However, the gloss isn’t just shimmery, it’s glittery, and the glitter is quite coarse, so when there is a lot of gloss on your lips it is really quite irritating! Every time I rubbed my lips together when wearing the sheer and glossy looks, the glitter felt gritty and uncomfortable, so I’m not sure I’d actually wear the gloss like that very often. The gloss also has a VERY strong scent, like creme brulee, which I initially found quite overpowering, but the sweetness soon grew on me. If you don’t like scented lip products though, you probably won’t like the Boom gloss, but give it a chance as the scent fades eventually and leaves no taste.
In terms of colour, both are absolutely stunning! ‘Bring It’ is a bold, daring red which is perfect for a sultry evening look. ‘It’s A Situation’ is a deep violet purple, which happens to be my favourite lipstick colour so this one is definitely my favourite!
Overall, MUA Lip Booms have lived up to my expectations (despite the gloss issue) as they’re versatile, look great and are amazing value for money. Lip Booms are currently available online via the MUA Store and cost just £3 each, and will be in Superdrug stores from 9th May. I think I’ll be getting ‘LMK’ too once they’re in shops!
Which shades will you be trying?
Naomi x
*NEW* MUA Lip Booms
1
11 years
by Naomi in Lips
This morning I took delivery of a very exciting package, containing TWO of the highly coveted NEW Lip Booms by MUA and Alexandra Burke. The Lip Booms are available exclusively online until May 9th, which is when they’ll hit Superdrug stores, and cost just £3 each. As I receive MUA’s e-newsletter I was lucky enough to get a voucher code to receive £1 off each Boom, so I snapped these beauties up yesterday… I can’t believe they arrived so quickly!
The shades I went for are ‘It’s A Situation’ (Left), which is a lovely deep violet shade and ‘Bring It’ (Right), a bold, bright red.
Lip Booms are special because they are double ended, with a matte lipstick at one end…
and a glittery gloss highlighter at the other…
The product can be worn in four different ways – as a matte lipstick, as a sheer gloss, as a glossy lipstick or, most excitingly, to give the illusion of fuller lips! I won’t go into too much detail right now on how it works, but check back tomorrow as I’ll be reviewing and demonstrating both Lip Booms.
And to top it all off, this week is MUA’s 2nd birthday! To celebrate, they’re giving away a different free present every day this week with every online order. Yesterday’s present was this gorgeous Pretty Pastels Palette of 12 eye shadows, worth £4! Great eh? You’ve gotta love MUA’s amazing offers.
What do you think? Will you be trying the new Lip Booms?
Naomi x
MUA Love Hearts Lip Balm in ‘Hot Lips’
0
11 years
by Naomi in Lips
In February, just in time for Valentine’s Day, MUA launched their lovely little Love Hearts range of nail varnishes and lip balms. The nail varnishes come in six pretty pastel shades and the lip balms in five. I have been reading so many positive reviews about the Love Hearts products so I thought it was about time I tried one out and contributed my two pence worth too, even if I am a bit late! So, in my recent MUA haul I ordered the Love Hearts Lip Balm in ‘Hot Lips’ for £2.00. The balm comes in a very generously sized 10g pot which is amazing for the small price tag, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from the wonderful MUA!
As you can see, the packaging is very cute! It looks just like a giant orange Love Heart sweet which reminded me of when I was child, and each different shade has its own name and colour. I chose this shade as I prefer fairly dark lip colours and this is the darkest one in the range. It is a glossy, pinky red and is actually quite heavily pigmented for a balm, so it tints your lips well.
This is another of those products where a little goes a long way. I found the balm ‘melted’ onto my finger quite quickly despite its solid appearance, but it wasn’t greasy at all. One fingertip of balm was enough for both lips but I used a bit more for good measure. It feels smooth and nourishing on your lips and the creaminess lasts quite a while. I did notice that once the balm had worn off, the tint remained, which surprised me as I find that’s not usually the case with tinted balms.
The one thing that disappointed me slightly about the Love Hearts Lip Balm was that it didn’t actually smell like Love Hearts! I expected a product based on a sweet to have some hint of the sweet within it, but it didn’t at all, which is a shame really. BUT it does have a vanilla scent to it which I love so it was redeemed somewhat
Overall, I am loving this Love Hearts Lip Balm and I would definitely buy it again. If you want one for yourself, they’re available in most Superdrug stores and online via the MUA Store.
Have you tried any of MUA’s Love Hearts items?
Naomi xx
Ladybird Nail Art
17Last night I was feeling particularly adventurous in the nail department and I transformed all 10 of my fingernails into cute little ladybirds!
To create this look I used a basic red nail varnish that I was gifted recently, a Technic black nail art pen and a white nail art pen that was part of a manicure set. I was amazed that I managed to keep my hands steady enough to add all the detail and I am so pleased with how they turned out! My favourite nail art attempt so far, by far.
What do you think?
Naomi x
Montagne Jeunesse Skin Heroes Break-Out Mask
2This is the third review in my series of Montagne Jeunesse Skin Heroes reviews, and today I’ll be featuring the Break-Out Mask!
Like most of the Skin Heroes range, the Break-Out Mask comes in a sachet containing two different products. Stage 1 is the green tinged ‘Cleansing Mud Mask’ (Left), and Stage 2 is the ‘Rapid Action Moisturiser’ (Right).
What hit me first about this mask when I tore open the sachet was the scent. The Tea Tree and Willowherb smell gorgeously refreshing, almost minty, and are both present due to their calming and soothing properties – exactly what you want from a mask which is meant to reduce break-outs!
As the instructions suggest, I washed and cleansed my face before applying the mask. Once again, I found the sachet contained too much mask for one application… I must have a freakishly tiny face! Either that or Montagne Jeunesse are very generous. The mask felt nice and creamy and smoothed on so easily, although I did get a bit messy with blobs of mask in my hair and all over my hands! I left the mask on for 15 minutes, and took the opportunity to pose for some photos with one of my cats, Moth.
She doesn’t look amused does she? haha. She approves of Montagne Jeunesse products really though, as they’re all vegetarian and animal friendly! Approved by the Vegetarian Society, BUAV and PETA
The mask had a cooling effect on my skin and felt slightly tingly, but not uncomfortably so. After 10 minutes, as it dried, it got quite stiff and started to crack. I was worried it would be difficult to get off because of that, but as soon as I wet it it went creamy again. Having said that, it did take a while to get off, but after some persistence with a wet flannel my face was left squeaky clean.
I was very pleased with the results after using this mask. I’ve experienced redness, soreness and tightness after using other mud masks in the past, but other than a fresh, tingly feeling, my face looked and felt fine. The Rapid Action Moisturiser was a lovely consistency too and settled the tingling down, leaving me with baby soft skin.
This is my favourite Skin Heroes product so far and I would definitely use it again. If you’d like to try this mask, or any other Montagne Jeunesse skin care products, you can buy them on their website or in ASDA, for just £1.49 (RRP) per sachet. Trust me – they’re well worth it for a little pampering session!
Naomi x
Sugar Scrubs from Betty Buff
1Last week I was lucky enough to win a sample of Betty Buff‘s NEW Gunky Monkey Sugar Scrub via a Twitter giveaway, and I was eagerly awaiting its arrival. The parcel arrived yesterday morning and I was surprised by how generously sized the sample was, and that the lovely @A1Betty had also sent me two other products for FREE – thank you! These are the products I received…
From Left to Right:
- Strawberry Smash Sugar Scrub – 50ml
- Besty Zesty Sugar Scrub – 250ml (Full-size!!)
- Gunky Monkey Lime & Ginger Sugar Scrub – 50ml
I will be reviewing all three of these scrubs over the coming days and weeks, and I am so excited about trying them out. They all smell absolutely divine! Good enough to eat but unfortunately not edible haha. Gunky Monkey is Betty Buff’s first product especially for men, so I will be getting my lovely fiancé to try it out once I’ve sampled it, then he can let me (and all of you) know what he thinks of it.
If you fancy browsing Betty Buff’s fantastic range, you can do so here. Betty Buff specialises in making delicate products that are suitable for sensitive skin, so everything is free of all those crazy chemicals.
Naomi xx
Another Garnier Freebie!
2Hi everyone!
I know this is my second Garnier freebie post in a row but I like to let you all know when there’s something good up for grabs! Garnier are giving away yet ANOTHER sample kit for free, this time of their new Intensive 7days Moisturiser. To get your sample, visit the Garnier UK Facebook page, hit ‘like’ and then click on the ‘Tips, treats & more!’ tab at the top of the page. Then just follow the form through to get your free sample pack.
Enjoy!
Naomi x
PS. I know it’s been a while since I posted a review but I have a lot of exciting posts to come, starting tomorrow!
Freebie Alert! Garnier B.B. Cream Sample Pack
1Hello lovelies
Just a heads up but those of you that liked the look of the Garnier B.B. Cream sample that I reviewed recently will be very pleased to hear that Garnier are currently giving away sample packs via Facebook! There are 230,000 samples available and it looks like each pack contains several sachets of the B.B. Cream, which is a good few days worth of perfected face for free! If you’d like one, all you have to do is ‘like’ the Garnier UK Facebook page, click on the ‘B.B. Cream Free Samples’ tab and fill in your details. Then wait! I’m looking forward to receiving mine.
I hope you’re all having a great weekend!
Naomi x
NOTD: MUA Nail Varnish in ‘Shade 3′
2
11 years
by Naomi in Nails
In my recent MUA haul I received this gorgeous nail varnish in ‘Shade 3′. The varnish only cost £1 and, like most MUA products, it has proved to be AMAZING value for money.
One thing I love about MUA nail varnishes (and my mum said this too so it must be true!) is that their brushes are really good quality – they’re not floppy like some cheap brand brushes, so the varnish goes on smoothly and evenly without making any mess. This varnish was slightly runnier than Shade 13 which I reviewed previously, so it took three coats to give completely opaque coverage. I was pleasantly surprised as well because it dried really quickly in just a few minutes compared to other runny nail varnishes I’ve used.
The picture above gives a really accurate representation of the colour of this varnish and IT IS BEAUTIFUL! It’s not often that I’m wowed by nail varnish shades these days, but I cannot stop looking at my nails at the minute. The best way I can describe it is it’s a bright dusky pink with violet undertones, with a shiny jelly finish.
Another great thing is that this varnish lasts – so far I have no chips or scuffs, and no peeling – perfect! I really can’t rate this nail varnish highly enough, I love it. Thanks again MUA for another fantastic product!
Naomi x
Next »
