Review: Jemma Kidd Signature Shadows

A while ago, ASOS, one of my favorite online stores, had a sale on a lot of items, including beauty items, so I got some nice stuff, including this palette of Jemma Kidd Signature Shadows, because I was looking for a palette with some natural shades anyway. I actually don't remember how much I paid for this anymore, but it wasn't a lot, let's just put it like that.

This was my first time trying anything from the Jemma Kidd line, and while the colors were just what I was looking for, I must say the palette is nothing out of the ordinary otherwise. The packaging is not very impressive, and after hearing that Jemma Kidd is actually considered a bit of a high end line by some, I must say I think the packaging doesn't reflect that at all. So that could definitely be improved.

And while the shadows look nice on, they are very understated, so this is not a brand I would recommend for anyone who wants their eye makeup to be very noticeable. I do kind of like the natural look, so this was not really a problem for me, but since I mostly use MAC eye shadows otherwise, I wasn't very impressed by the lasting power, and they do crease. I guess that is to be expected with such a big price difference, but if you think the Jemma Kidd Signature Shadows palette would be a MAC dupe in any way, you might be disappointed by these, so I still think this is worth mentioning.

So I would say this palette is a great every day palette for those who like a natural look, but if you are looking for something other than that, or have high demands for eye shadows like me (using MAC does spoil you in a way, I guess), there are other brands that do this better.

But it was still definitely fun to try the Jemma Kidd line, and for the great price I paid for these, I wasn't sorry I got this palette at all. That said though, I probably would not get this again.

First impressions of Boob Tube by Mama Mio

Recently, I've lost quite a bit of weight. But nope, I wasn't really trying to, so this post won't be about weight loss tips, but rather about some of the effects weight loss might have elsewhere, and how to battle that. Because you see, like a lot of women, one of the main areas where I lost weight was my boobs. And while I don't really mind that so much, it does bother me that my boobs looked a bit more droopy and saggy as a result. So I decided to check out if there was any product out there that claims to battle sagginess of this kind, and ran into Boob Tube by a company called Mama Mio, that makes products for both pregnant women and women who are looking to get into shape after a pregnancy. The product had really good reviews, so I decided to give it a try.

While I haven't been using Boob Tube for long enough to be able to enjoy any "full" results (if there are any) I have been using it for around 2 weeks, which means I have some first impressions to share at least, and I thought I would do just that, and do an update after I have been using it for a bit longer.

The first thing you should know about Boob Tube is that it smells wonderful! That's always a huge plus for me, since bad scents can really bother me, but Boob Tube has a very nice, clean smell, which I love, and I also appreciate that a little goes a long way with this product. I think the bottle I got is going to last me for quite some time, which is really nice, since I do think you need to use certain products, including this one, for a while before you can make your mind up about them. And then it really helps that you don't have to go buy a new one before you're sure you like it!

I can't say I notice any firming effects yet, but I think it might be a bit too early for that anyway, so I am not complaining. I do notice that the skin looks healthier and smoother though, so the cream definitely seems to be doing something. I'm just not sure if it is more than just moisturizing the skin really well (which this cream undoubtedly does!) yet. So let me get back to you on that, but all in all, I am very pleasantly surprised by Boob Tube so far. I don't regret getting it, let me put it like that! And if their other products are as lovely as this one, I definitely think Mama Mio is a brand anyone who is reading this and is pregnant should check out!

I should also mention that this cream is supposed to do wonders for the skin on your neck too, if you find that to be a bit saggy. I luckily have not faced this issue yet, so I can't comment on effects on the neck, I'm afraid.

Review: Anatomicals Headache Relief Balm

I suffer from headaches from time to time, and I have actually found some natural remedies to be really helpful when it comes to relieving headaches. A friend of mine brought me a bottle of some kind of minty essential oil that I was supposed to rub on my temples whenever I have a headache from a trip to Morocco, for instance, and that really helped! But unfortunately, I have run out of this oil, so I thought I would try the Anatomicals Oi! You Throbhead Headache Relief Balm to see if it was something similar, being a big Anatomicals fan and all.

Now, if you are reading this review of the Anatomicals Headache Relieft Balm in order to decide if you should get this balm or not, you should be aware of the fact that the headaches I have are very severe. So any minor things are very unlikely to help at all. But I have tried a similar product that actually did work, so I was still optimistic.

However, when I looked at the box the Anatomicals Oi! You Throbhead Headache Relief Balm came in, I was kind of bothered by the fact that the ingredients listed were:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Golden Yellow Beeswax
as well as several different essential oils.

Why did that bother me?
Because I have oily/combination skin, so I was worried that putting stuff like this on my skin, even if it is only on the temples, would make my skin break out or go completely crazy. So I wasn't too excited about trying this product when I got it for that reason, to be honest. But I did anyway, and while I do think you feel something when you apply this balm to your temples, it really didn't do anything for my headaches. I tried it on two different occasions, but I had the same non result both times, and since I am still kind of worried about skin issues (despite not having any issues, even though I was really scared I might), I won't use this any more. I just find it... well, completely useless for me, and a potential skin hazard too.

So while I adore Anatomicals otherwise, I must say this headache relief balm was a real disappointment unfortunately. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. If you do suffer from headaches and are looking for some cures for it, I might have some tips for you though, so feel free to contact me. Since this is supposed to be a beauty blog, I don't want to get into too much detail about that now. I feel a review of a headache relief balm is kind of off topic enough....

Review: Bliss Fabulips kit

I have a lot of issues during the winter, when it gets really cold. And one of my main issues, that has been bothering me lately, has been the fact that my lips get very dry and chapped. Of course, some lip balm cures that partly, but I decided to really take this challenge on seriously and get a serious lip set, made by Bliss, since I saw this on sale anyway.

Now, some people say that these products are not really necessary, that just a lip balm will do, and before I got the set, I tended to agree. Because who needs a foaming lip cleanser, a special lip scrub and so on? These products just don't seem that useful, but after having tried them, I actually think they are. Here's why:

The Bliss Fabulips set consists of 4 different products:
The foaming lip cleanser
The Sugar Lip Scrub
The Instant Lip Plumper
and a Softening Lip Balm.

I thought I might enjoy the Lip Plumper and maybe the Lip Balm, while the first two products would be kind of useless, but that turned out not to be the case of all.

I actually saw what came out of my lips after I used the foaming lip cleanser, and while I don't want to gross anyone out by going into too much details about that, I will say they seemed to need a cleanse (I've used this product twice now, and the same thing went for both times, around 2 weeks apart). And I don't use lip products every day, so imagine how people who wear lipstick and stuff all the time must feel when they take a look at what comes out of their lips!

I normally don't clean my lips especially, I just didn't think they needed to be cleaned that much, but after having seen how the wipe looked after I wiped the cleanser of, I have definitely changed my mind about that!

I also really enjoyed using the lip cleanser, it foams up a lot, and looks kind of cool on, so that was a nice experience. But the main reason I like the Bliss foaming lip cleanser is not the gimmick of the fun way it looks, just how well it actually seems to be working.

As for the Sugar Lip Scrub in the kit, it smells divine. I actually wanted to lick it too, to have a taste of it, but since this is not something you should do with beauty products, I didn't, but I want to mention this so you will realize just how amazing this smells! It's a very gentle scrub, but it was just what my lips seemed to need, so I was very impressed by that as well. It was a pleasure to use in every way, and I must say my lips felt transformed after I used both the cleanser and the Sugar Lip Scrub. I think it's a really good idea to use them together though, I think using only the cleanser or only the lip scrub won't give you the same result, but combined, they solved all my lip issues at least.

As for the Instant Lip Plumper, I actually like Lip Plumpers a lot, I am obsessed with the Dior Addict Lip Maximizer, for instance, but I don't think this plumper is special in any way. It's nice, and smells nice, but I wouldn't say it did that much for my lips. There are better lip plumpers on the market, if you ask me. I prefer several of the ones I've tried over this, and I haven't even tried that many of them.

The same goes for the Lip Balm. It's nice, but it's a pretty basic lip balm, so I wouldn't say it's something to get very excited about. But since I now have both the Bliss Instant Lip Plumper and the Bliss Softening Lip Balm, I will use them until I run out. They are not bad products in any way, just not that unique or amazing either.

But the Bliss Foaming Lip Cleanser and the Sugar Lip Scrub are definitely products that really surprised me, I will definitely try to get hold of those again!

All in all, I am happy I got this set, it really helped me with my lips and the products were all cool, and much more useful than I could have ever imagined. Well, two of them anyway...

The scent I want to try next

So out of the last two scents I've tried I liked one and didn't like one. But I still want to try some more! And the new Escada Cherry In The Air sounds (and looks! even though that is less important when it comes to scents, of course...) perfect, so this is definitely next on my "to get"-list for scents.

I am a huge fan of cherries, and I think they smell wonderful too. So this scent sounds like something that could really work well for me.

While branching out and trying scents from brands that are not so focused on - or known for - their scents, was kind of fun, I think there is always an advantage when it comes to turning to the real biggies in the perfume industry. And Escada is definitely one of those companies!

(pic from Makeup On My Mind)

Review: Bliss Eau de Toilette

I've already mentioned that I got the Bliss Eau de Toilette a while ago, and my hopes were rather high for this scent, since Bliss is one of my all time favorite beauty brands, along with Soap and Glory. And as you may remember, I didn't think the fact that I really love Soap and Glory beauty products would also mean that I would love their scent, but indeed I did. In fact, the Soap and Glory Original Pink scent became one of my favorites, so I started thinking the Bliss Eau de Toilette could be very nice too.

But as it turns out, exactly the things I liked about the Soap and Glory scent, are missing in the Bliss Eau de Toilette, and the things I found to be missing in the Soap and Glory scent are actually better in the Bliss scent.  Let me explain what I mean:

First of all, I didn't like the scent that much. I actually thought this scent would be more to my liking than the Soap and Glory scent, since very sweet scents (like Soap and Glory, according to reviews) can be a bit annoying, and I generally like very fresh smells, like the Bliss Eau de Toilette was described to be. One of my favorite scents is Davidoff's Cool Water, for instance, and in my head, I imagined the Bliss Eau de Toilette to be something similar. But it wasn't. And while Bliss themselves market the Bliss Eau de Toilette as something that smells like a spa, I haven't really been to a spa that smells like this. (I must admit that I haven't been to a real Bliss spa yet, though, if that matters to anyone. I've just tried their products - a bunch of them! - at home)
First of all, the cucumber smell in this scent is very over powering, and while I do like cucumbers, and even their smell, smelling like a cucumber is not something I strive for, so I found that a bit weird. I also thought the smell of alcohol was really strong in this scent, and that is something I don't appreciate, I want my scents to smell of something nice, and while alcohol can be nice for some things, I wouldn't say the smell of it is the nicest. So that was really a disappointment for me.

There are some other notes besides cucumber and alcohol in this scent of course, but these two are so overpowering for me, that they kind of ruined the rest of it for me.

On the plus side, however, the lasting power of this scent is really impressive. If you remember, I really liked the scent of the Soap and Glory Eau de toilette, but the scent didn't last for very long. But this does! So if you like the scent, I would say it's a good buy. Since I don't, however, it isn't really for me. Because why would I want to smell like something I don't like for a long time?

I must admit the scent is very unique, light and modern though. And I've never smelled anything quite like it! So if you are looking for a really unique scent, this may be for you. But because I didn't really "get" the scent, I won't be repurchasing this personally.

Emerald nails

What a fantastic idea, especially now that Pantone has chosen emerald do be the color of 2013. Definitely a look I want to try, if my manicurist has a shade even similar to this one!

(pic from Make Up On My Mind)