Empties | August

Hey! 

This August has officially been known by me as 'project use up'. I move out (again) tomorrow to start my final year as a student, and I had so many half used products that I made a vow to myself to use up as many as possible so that I wouldn't be taking as many almost empty bottles and tubs with me. I've managed to create quite the collection of empties which even includes make up which never happens! 

Fructis Big Volume Flexible Hold Volume XXL Hairspray: This hairspray is just perfect for me. I'm never usually loyal to hair products, but the fact I've already repurchased this says a lot for me. It doesn't feel sticky or make my hair crispy, it simply holds whilst giving me volume, yet still leaves my hair feeling soft. 

Would I repurchase? Already have done

Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo: I will quite happily rave about this dry shampoo until the cows come home. I love it! It's the perfect summer pick me up for days when you can't be bothered to do much with your hair. This not only absorbs excess oil, it creates volume and texture too, and smells incredible! 

Would I Repurchase? Already had a can on standby! 

Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo: Oh Aussie. Oh, oh Aussie. If I could only use one hair brand for the rest of my days, I have a feeling Aussie would be right up there in the top choices! I find that all of their products smell incredible and do a great job of making my hair feel squeaky clean and soft. I wouldn't really say that that did an awful lot on the volume front, but I can never really tell as my hair is quite wavy and volumous naturally.. 

Would I Repurchase? Yes

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Colour: I have had this for ages, and truth be told, my colour has mostly grown out now, and i'm sporting more of an ombre look, so I'm not sure I'm using it for it's intended purpose, however, like I've previously said, it doesn't really matter which of these products you use, they will still do amazing things for your hair, and as a 3 minute intensive treatment, it does an amazing job of making my locks feel lovely and soft without weighing them down. 

Would I repurchase? If I coloured my hair again, yes. 

Lush H'suan Wen Hua Hair Moisturiser: I've spoken about this before, and I'm actually quite upset. This tub was the last in my stash. If you can get past the unappealing smell, this moisturiser is amazing! It leaves hair softer than any other deep conditioning treatment I've ever tried. 

Would I repurchase? I might try some others from the range, but I'd definitely revisit H'suan Wen Hua. 

Boots Honey & Jojoba Intensive Hair Mask: I feel like I've had this in my life for longer than I should. I don't know why I've not finished this up sooner, I just tend to use other hair masks over this one. It's fine, and for how cheap it was, there isn't really anything wrong with it, I just have a bit of a 'meh' attitude towards it. 

Would I Repurchase? Probably not. 

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub: This range from S&G is not to everybody's taste, but I love it. It's incredibly sweet, but undercut with lime to give a bit of sharpness. The scrub itself is fairly abrasive, and really gives a good amount of scrub, without being scratchy. 

Would I Repurchase? Yes. 

The Body Shop Mango Sugar Scrub: I'm very undecided with this scrub, I really liked it when I first got it, but as time's gone on, I'm not sure I like the gloopy, oily residue left behind. Although it does moisturise my skin nicely if left to soak in, lately I've been very impatient and want products that sink into the skin quickly so I've been unimpressed with it in the past few weeks. 

Would I Repurchase? Maybe in the winter months for some extra moisture. 

Garnier Summer Body: I love this. There isn't anything more to say. I'm gutted I've ran out to be honest, as I've promised myself I won't buy any more moisturisers until I've made my way through my stash. It sinks into the skin quickly, leaving a no streaks, no fuss gradual tan with a gorgeous apricot fragrance. 

Would I Repurchase? In a heartbeat. 

Lush Mask Of Magnaminty: Another of Lush's offerings that I always seem to have on standby is Mask of Magnaminty. I find that this doubles as an exfoliant and the minty fragrance makes my skin just feel so fresh and cleansed. 

Would I Repurchase? I have a stash so not at the moment. 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Show Off Mascara: I'm glad to see the back of this mascara. I don't know if I got a dud or not, but it seemed dry and clumpy from word go, and just made my eyes look awful. The brush, a huge bushy number, I imagine would be great if the formula wasn't so dry. Definitely not my cup of tea.

Would I Repurchase? Definitely not. 

Avon Summer Shimmer Lip Care: I bought this under false pretences. I thought the words 'summer' and 'lip care' meant an SPF lip balm, however this balm has no SPF whatsoever, and felt like it as doing anything but 'care' for my lips. I haven't actually finished this, but enough is enough, and I'm throwing it away. 

Would I Repurchase? No. 

What have you used up recently? 

Bourjois Colour Boost Lipstick in 'Orange Punch' | Review

Hi! 

Little mid-week review for you! For those of you who haven't already met, let me introduce you to Bourjois' latest addition to their ever expanding family; the colour boost lipsticks. 

You might know I actually bought the shade 'Orange Punch' along with a few other Bourjois goodies about a month ago when these lip crayon's first came out. After a month of usage, I think I have a pretty good grasp on what I think about 'Orange Punch'. 

First of all, the packaging I initially really liked. The 'chubby stick' style twist up applicator makes the lipstick easy to apply and fuss free. However, I'm not sure if you can see in the images, but after a month of living in my make up bag and various handbags, the silver writing has started to wear off - one of my pet hates with make up! Not good enough Bourjois! 

Thankfully, it's only packaging problems I have with this product. As you can see from the swatch above, the colour is a very sheer peachy orange, but can be layered up to create a slightly bolder lip. Be aware that over skin looks a lot different and a lighter shade to how it will look over pink lips. I can sometimes find that I'm wanting a lighter wash of colour like the swatch, rather than a slightly deeper orange on the lip, and have been pairing this with a lighter lip product, such as The Body Shop's Coconut Lip Butter as a base, to give more of a peachy tint. There isn't anything wrong with the darker orange, it's just in the summertime I tend to lean towards lighter shades. I imagine through Autumn I will be sporting this on it's own quite a lot!! 

The formula is very smooth and creamy feeling, and once applied, feels almost like a mix of balm, gloss and lipstick, all rolled into one. If you're not a fan of glossy lips, maybe this isn't for you, but I love a bit of glitz so it's right up my street! It's not in the last bit sticky, which is always a bonus for such a glossy finish! 

I would say that the staying power on this product is pretty good for a glossy finish lipstick; around 2-3 hours without eating or drinking, but it's foolproof to reapply so it doesn't bother me too much. I definitely have my eye on 'Peach on the Beach' as my next purchase! There are 4 colours available at the moment, and don't quote me, but I have a feeling Bourjois may be releasing more colours for the Autumn and Winter. I'm hoping a deep berry shade will be winging it's way to the stores soon! 

If you fancy delving into the world of the chubby stick but don't fancy paying too much, these retail at only £7.99, and boots always have 3 for 2 offers!! For such high quality products (bar slight packaging flaws), I'd say these are quite the bargain! 

Have you tried the Colour Boost Lipsticks? Which is you favourite shade? 

Marbled Nail Art | Tutorial

Ciao bella's! 

Or hello beautiful's, if you're not into the whole Italian thing. As for me, you could ship me off in a crate with no hair straighteners and I wouldn't mind as long as I was headed for that shoe shaped beauty of a country!! One day....one day... 

Tangent over, and lets crack on with today's post! I have only recently gotten into nails in a big way. Having been an art student for the past 4 years, and then before that an art A leveller, (congrats on all results today btw!), nails have never been a priority, mainly because there is absolutely no point in painting your nails when the next day you'll have your hands in a bowl full of plaster of paris, or be knee deep in charcoal etc.. 

Having now finished my course, I am relishing in the fact that my nails can be so pretty without fear of ruining or chipping, and I have even begun to delve into the world of nail art! Yesterday, I managed to create the look above, which I have lovingly named my 'marbled nail look', and decided to do my very first tutorial, so hopefully this goes well!

First of all..you will need: 

Tissue paper/ cotton wool balls 

Cotton buds

Nail polish remover 

Vaseline/ lip balm 

A small bowl (I'm using an old shot glass) and access to a tap/water

Cocktail sticks or skewers 

Nail polish - at least two different colours

The first thing to do is to choose your colours. After my short time of doing this, I have come to find that not all nail polishes work well. For example I tried to use my Essie Waltz along with my Bourjois So Laque in Adora Bleu, which didn't work very well, the Bourjois polish, I think, Is a little too thick, as are the Barry M Gelly Nail polishes. It's a lot of trial and error to find out what works for you. To show you, I've chosen Essie Waltz, Rimmel Lycra Pro Fancy Fuchsia and Models Own Coral Reef, however the image featured at the beginning of the post is my own nails, and that was just Waltz and Fancy Fuchsia. 

To begin, fill your container with water. It's much easier to use a small container that you can fit your finger into. An old shot glass is ideal. 

Now, taking it in turns, create a bullseye pattern by allowing drops of nail polish to drop into the water. 

Using the cocktail stick, swirl the colours around until you have created a pattern you are happy with. 

Meanwhile, using your vaseline, smother your finger down to roughly the knuckle being careful not to cover the nail itself. This will stop the nail polish from sticking to your finger. 

Next, find a section of the pattern that you like, and place your nail over that area. Quickly, but without splashing, place your finger into the water. 

Keep your finger in the water, and take your cotton bud. Using the cotton bud, dip into the water and swirl around until the excess nail polish has been mopped up from the surface of the water. DO NOT dip your finger in and then pull it straight out!! It will not work and you'll end up with a mess. 

After mopping up the excess, pull your finger out of the water, and wipe up the excess polish from your finger using tissue or cotton wool. The previously applied vaseline should make this process easy and hassle free. 

HOPEFULLY, you will now have a wonderfully unique marbled nail! Repeat on other nails, and mop up any marks on your fingers with nail polish remover. Give a quick top coat and you're good to go! 

It's important to understand that this is definitely not a quick manicure. Especially the first few times you attempt this, 9/10 times it will probably go wrong. The most important thing is not to give up, and if at first you don't succeed, try again, if you still don't succeed, swap the colours around, the nail polish might be too thick. 

You have to kiss a few frogs to get your prince; the same goes with nails, you have to put up with some disasters (like the image above!) before you get that perfect pattern, but you will get there eventually! 

So there we have it, sorry this has been rather rambly, but I hope you like the effect it gives and I really hope you give it a go yourself, once you get the technique, it's easier than you think! 

My top tips: 

- Vaseline your finger. This really helps to avoid polish sticking to your finger

- Start off by using just two colours. Using white as one of them makes it a little easier to begin with as you can differentiate the colours better. You can always move onto other colours once you've grasped it. 

-Don't be disheartened if it doesn't work first time. I spent around two hours perfecting my first marbled mani, and went through a LOT of nail polish remover before I was happy with the results. 

If you decide to give this a go, please tweet me a picture of your creations, I'd love to see how it goes! @thegemmine 

WOMF: Graduation Edition

Hey there you lovely bunch! 

Today I have woken up with a new lease of life! I've spent the first half of this week in bed feeling sorry for myself - (damn you lurgy!), however today I have woken up feeling a lot perkier, and decided that it would be a good time to get a post I've been meaning to do for a while out of the way: my WOMF: Graduation Face post. 

Ok, so I didn't set out on Graduation day with the mindset of doing this post, hence the rather awful selection of close up photo's of my face... However I basically went for the fresh-faced, coral cheeked, neutral look, and here's how I did it! 

Oooh, little bit of patriotism going on with the Union Jack...Sorry if you aren't British and reading this. I'm not some crazy Brit-obsessed person, I just quite like my rug! 

Face: 

The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Toner

Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser

Rimmel BB Cream in 'Light'

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 'Soft Beige' (Both applied using my Real Techniques buffing brush) 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer 'Soft Beige' 

Soap And Glory Trick and Treatment Concealer

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Chocolate Bronzer (Applied using my ELF Professional Total Face Brush to contour cheekbones and add bronzed warmth to anywhere that would naturally catch a tan: temples, cheeks, nose etc) 

Benefit 10 (only lighter shade for highlighting cheekbones, forehead and browbone)

Benefit Coralista (applied to the apples of my cheeks using my Real Techniques contour brush)

Eyes: 

Superdrug Vitamin E Eye Cream

Soap and Glory It's About Prime Eye Primer

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette (Shades Venus, W.O.S, Naked 2 and Faint, applied using W7 eyeshadow brush and blended using my MAC 217 blending brush. Crave applied in place of eyeliner to upper lash line and outer corners) 

Eyelash Curlers, followed by Benefit They're Real Mascara

Lips:

ELF Lip Exfoliator 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Balm

The Body Shop Mango Lip Butter 

MAC Coral Bliss

Shopping the Sales Wishlist | Work & Play

Hello again! 

So I'm broke. Well, not broke, but with my first rent instalment due next month, along with a string of Uni expenses, my purse strings are feeling a little tighter than usual.

 I'm currently going through a stage of torturing myself by 'window shopping' online, particularly at the gorgeous summer sale offerings! Anyway, I've compiled quite the wish list of sale goodies, which I've decided to show you, so that you can share my pain of not being able to click 'checkout'!! 

Ok, so first up we have workwear. In case any of you haven't heard me blabber on about it, this year I'll be training to become a primary school teacher, so I'll spend a lot of the year doing school placement. Obviously this means collecting a sizeable workwear wardrobe doesn't it? 

1. Polka Dot Blazer | River Island | £15 

2. Chambray Blazer | New Look | £15

3. Polka Dot Blazer | Dorothy Perkins | £15

Anyone would think I liked blazers! With A/W closing in fast, blazers will become an everyday essential for me, and these three are a bit different than the every day block colour. 

4. Shape Shoulderless Shirt | Dorothy Perkins | £15

5. Floral Dress | Dorothy Perkins | £18

6. Black Zipped Waist Dress | Topshop | £10

Monochrome is a huge part of my wardrobe when it comes to workwear, and I particularly love the shoulderless shirt, which gives a simple shirt a bit of edge. I love the splash of colour within the Dorothy Perkins dress, which might brighten up a dreary day. A black skater dress is a staple, and the zip gives it a little something extra. At £10, this is an absolute steal! 

All work and no play? Certainly not! Here is my wishlist for items outside of the workplace... 

1. Cream Stitch Bag | River Island | £20

2. Lime Mesh Snood | River Island | £4

3. Button Down Denim Skater Skirt | River Island | £12

Ahhh River Island, how I love thee. Although some of their stock is a little out there for my liking, they never fail to impress me in some way, and these three little gems are a prime example of this. Down from £45, this bag is gorgeous. I am loving the more structured bag at the minute, and the stitch detail on the handle gives it the extra touch. Lime is one of my little obsessions. I just love the vibrancy it gives to an outfit, and I can imagine this snood looking amazing paired with my leather jacket this autumn.  I have lusted after a denim skater skirt all summer. I'm not really sure why I still don't own one, but this little beaut ticks all the boxes for me. 

4. Black Ankle Boot | Dorothy Perkins | £20

5. Floral Patterned Tee | Dorothy Perkins | £7

6. Floral Shoulder Cut Out Detail Dress | Warehouse | £30

Every girl needs two things in their life during autumn and winter. A pair of black ankle boots, and a pair of brown ankle boots. I think I have found my perfect black ankle boots - Dorothy Perkins have certainly stepped up their game as of late! This beautiful patterned tee is so cute, I'm picturing it with a pair of skinny jeans and ankle boots. Finally, the dress from Warehouse is just beautiful. I love the cut out detail, and the pattern is gorgeous. 

So, I think I have well and truly mentally shopped the sales. Are you loving anything from these wish lists?

Graduation | The Outfit.

Hello! 

As promised, I am catching up on all the posts I have missed out on during my AWOL period. For those of you who don't know, I graduated a few weeks ago. It was possibly the proudest day of my life, and I definitely had to hold back the tears at a couple of points through the day. The sun was shining (32degree heat) and other than melting, it was the perfect day, topped off by a lovely meal courtesy of my grandparents. (They can be seen pictured below). This post covers the outfit, and a few snapshots from the day. 

Being a model for the day | Me showing my excitement with the G-dawgs | The 'it had to be done' pose. 

I wore: 

Dress - Boohoo.com 

Wedges - Guess

Sexy cap and gown - Hired (Wish I could have kept them though!) 

I'm currently working on a graduation WOMF post, so stay tuned for that one! 

Empties | July Edition.

Hi! 

Long time no blog huh? I have been laptop free for about 3 weeks now but I am back and ready to roll starting with my july empties! 

This month has been a little slow. I've not been loyal to one product, so things haven't been running out as I have been a bit of a dabbler! I have however managed to finish 6 products. 

Time to unwind body soak: Part of a Christmas gift set, these bath salts are so-so. In my eyes, bath salt are bath salts, there are no right and wrongs, and as far as these went, meh, they were ok. They smelled ok, perhaps a little too perfumey for my liking. 

Would I Purchase Again?: No. 

Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo: Ahh Aussie, you beautiful creation, you. This shampoo is gorgeous. If you haven't yet dabbled into the Aussie range I urge you to jump in and fill your baskets! It smells like bubblegum, and makes my hair so soft and manageable. 

Would I Purchase Again?: Yes, maybe not the volume range as I didn't notice too much added volume, but for the smell alone, yes! 

Planet Spa Mediterranean Olive Oil Hair Mask: Whenever we get an Avon book through the letterbox, you can guarantee that I'll be scouring the pages for the Planet Spa range. This hair mask is one of a kind. It's so affordable, and yet you get a sizeable 200ml tub which smells divine and just 5-10 minutes on your hair leaves it feeling so silky and smooth. 

Would I Purchase Again?: One hundred times yes! 

Boots Essentials Cucumber Toner: This toner, although not expensive in the slightest, is my absolute go to toner for before bed. It's so light and fresh, and does the job of preparing my skin for my moisturiser. 

Would I Purchase Again?: Already have done. 

Paul Smith 'Floral' EDT: I am a huge fan of light, fresh and fruity fragrances, with a hint of floral-ness. This little beauty by Paul Smith is exactly my kind of thing, and i'm a little sad that it's life in my perfume collections have come to an end. 

Would I Purchase Again?: Yes. 

The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter 50ml: I love coconut scented things, but I found this butter to smell a little chemically scented. I don't know if it's just me, but the butter, and also the body mist I have just don't really do it for me. They don't smell bad by any means, just not quite authentic enough if that makes sense? 

Would I Purchase Again?: Probably not, there are other fragrances from TBS that I love more! 

So there we have it, my July empties. Sorry it's late, we have my laptop charger breaking and a string of problems with ordering a new one to thank for that!