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haul

‘The Body Shop’ Haul! + save £’s

fair trade, against animal testing, protecting the planet, defending human rights and activating self esteem…what brand could do better?

The Body Shop sits on the corner of my local shopping centre, probably displaying the prettiest and most inviting products in the windows. To start with, I thought they were just another brand with expensive price tags and products that were average. Clearly, I was a little more than wrong. The Body Shop go to extents to make sure all their products are quite nearly perfect. They’re against animal testing since the early 1990’s, protecting the planet by recycling, using fair trade ingredients, whilst still staying true to the meaning and development of their products.

This was probably my favourite Haul yet. I ordered online, and because the sale was calling too loudly to wait until Monday to get my first glimpse of the gorgeous products, (about a week ago, there was a sale and a massive 30% off all products that qualified). So, here’s my detailed and envious product descriptions and reviews below! Enjoy…

pack of five smell-and-love soaps! these
two are my favourite! 🙂

Let’s start with prettiest looking…
These five mini soaps in scents such as Lime, Lemon, Strawberry, Vanilla and Orange were…amazing. Not only do they look cute, but they smell gorgeous! This pack-of-5 was half price, too–which made an even better bargain! Plus, who could resist animal shaped soaps? Not me.

Is this one of my five a day?
Beautifully Bananas…

I had read about this conditioner for so long before I had bought it, good things, mainly. How it detangled hair and had little real pieces of banana inside. It definitely lived up to my expectations, especially after using more than just the occasional once. My hair is long-long and wavy, so this product was much needed in that department. It’s a lovely change from the usual line of conditioners I use like Aussie or Tresemme, and I’d definitely repurchase if TBS has another sale to knock some £££ off the price tag.

Staying on the subject of clean hair… I absolutely love this product! It’s the “Ice Blue” menthol shampoo that’s supposed to knock all those other shampoo’s that promise super-clean hair out of the water…and it most certainly does! After just one use, my hair felt literally squeaky clean. And a little…goes such a long way. I have hair that just keeps growing longer and longer by the day, and I’m always finding my hair products are rapidly decreasing with my hair growth, but not this shampoo. SAD ALERT: I was walking past a TBS store just after purchasing this online, and saw it was being discontinued. I had already used this shampoo twice and thought…what’s the worse that could happen? And grabbed another bottle… and maybe more…
Clean skin in a couple bottles…
250ml bottles are my enemies. In hair products, they don’t last at all very long. But that’s all changed thanks to these little products, and the many facial products to come. Firstly, “Passion Fruit Cleanser” is up. This was the very first TBS product I used on my skin, and had almost the same reaction as when I tried the hair products…this leaves my skin so clean! I have combination skin, and this kept everything in the “right” balance, though still using twice daily, or as I do, switching from product to product whenever I feel like it. It’s basically your average cleanser with an oomph. That oomph being superpowers, the ability to clean your skin without the need of toner.
NEXT: “Cucumber Cleansing Milk” – this is…indescribable. It’s a formula that you almost moisturise into the skin, then tissue off, not wash. At first, I had doubts because I’d never used a cleansing milk, but I was totally swayed by the fact that this cleanser was the most wonderful thing I’d ever smelt. It also didn’t do a bad job on my skin, either. Even though it had the looks of a moisturiser, it left my skin feeling refreshed and clean.
NEXT: “Refreshing Facial Water” – the first word that came to mind when I first read about this product was…awkward. I had no idea how this would refresh my face, or how the rose water and tea tree oil would make a difference. But Rose Water is known for it’s healing presence on the skin, and tea tree being a big blemish blaster, this water and I have gotten on like a house on fire ever since. yay.
                                                                   
FREE GIFT ALERT!
Yes, it’s true, that (I’m pretty sure it’s all orders right now) The Body Shop give a free gift with online orders! I got the most adorable little Pink Grapefruit Body Wash that’s perfect for travelling and leaving your smelling yummy. It’s a 60ml bottle, like the ones they usually have in gift sets, (I also have the white musk scent), so I was no stranger to the shrinked-size product! 🙂
You can save money with The Body Shop, too…
At the moment, The Body Shop have a promotional offer that can save you up to £25 on items (certain days they also have free standard delivery, otherwise it’s a small £2.99). You can spend £15 and save £5, £25 and save £10, or £50 and save £25! How amazing is that?! All you have to do to be counted into the savings is enter the promo code: SPLASH
Happy savings!
have a great weekend, and stay beautiful!
xo Becca Jayne
what am I listening to at the moment?
Where the Lonely Ones Roam – Digital Daggers (hear it in Pretty Little Liars!)

Foundation Review: True Match by L’Oreal

A classic foundation that preforms to match skin tones exactly & perfectly…

In twenty shades, light to dark, yellow toned to pink toned, this match made in heaven foundation sure puts up a competitive variety of pros that will knock competitors with it’s true to you formula.

C1 Rose Ivory (their lightest shade, my shade)

I decided to try True Match by L’Oreal because of two things. 1) Supermarkets always seem to have lower priced cosmetics during certain seasons like Summer or Winter. 2) I had heard amazing things about this foundation that led me to try…and love.
On L’Oreal’s Website, it states that the foundation is super blend able, hides imperfections, and mimics the texture of your skin. Yes, it is super blend able – in fact, it blends away to just a flawless appearance and the feeling of no makeup on your skin at all. Maybe, it sort of hides most “flat” imperfections like pigmentation problems or redness, but for teenagers or adults with acne, it does not “mask” the acne, but it does minimise. Luckily, L’Oreal have tons of concealer shades to pick from, so acne should never be a problem with this brand.

A swatch of True Match with a swatch
of blush to show vibrancy.

 When I first tried the foundation, I admit it was a “thinner” consistency to the likes of Bourjois Paris 123 Perfect Foundation which is “thicker” upon applying. Though after several uses, the consistency isn’t a bother, but a plus, because of it’s illuminating appearance. Another bonus for girls/women with Oily or Combination skin is that this foundation is Oil-free and non-Comedogenic.
I use C1 Rose Ivory, which is L’Oreal’s lightest shade in this foundation. I’m actually lighter in this brand than the Bourjois foundation (52, Vanille). Nevertheless, considering all the uses and bonus features of this foundation, it would’ve been better if L’Oreal had displayed on the bottle (which has a pump, and is hourglass shaped), that it is a sort of 4-in-1 foundation; Vibrancy, Blend able, Mimics Texture, Hides Pigmentation.

Here’s my “product scores” and more, that should and hopefully will help you make up your mind about considering to take a further look into True Match.

Pros
Hides redness
Mimics skin texture
Comes in a variety of shades for all women
Doesn’t clog pores (to lead to acne)
Oil free (beneficial for Combination/Oily skin)

Cons
Doesn’t hide all blemishes
Bottle is quite small if you’re paying full price (get on sale)
Doesn’t state just how good the foundation is in advertising or product info

Overall Rating: ****

Wishing you beauty and happiness,

xo Becca Jayne

P.S. I’m now on Twitter! Either click the little birdy on the right side of this blog, or click here.

E.L.F Haul! + upcoming posts..

eyeslipsface.co.uk – the newest, best, and brightest way of affordable beauty.

I was AMAZED the first time I logged on to (ELF) eyeslipsface.co.uk for more reasons than one. Not only were their ideas of beauty and makeup intriguing, but they made it affordable for women of any age and style to get the colours, styles, and types of makeup they wanted without batting an eyelid at the small prices. I mean, £1.50 for a shade of green eyeliner that is to-die-for? I barely looked at the price before hitting “add to cart”.

My Haul began with this:

Luscious Liquid Lipstick in shade #2118 Ruby Slipper…this was the best red-coloured gloss I have found, and I’ve tried everything from Rimmel to L’oreal. This gorgeous beauty is high in natural pigment, and acts as a lip-therapy whilst applying super-stay colour; not to mention the yummy Vanilla Mint scent!
                      
 I also picked up the ever-favourite  Hypershine Gloss in the beautiful new shade; Bubblegum #9019. It looks amazing over or instead of lipstick, with just a hint of colour and a load of shine. Cotton Candy scented and a must have in my summer essentials this year.

To wear bronzer and tons of shimmery blush this summer, I needed a brush that was going to work for all face products I was using. Enter the wonderful, and cheap, Total Face Brush, that is designed to fit perfectly inside your palm, and was designed and tested by professional makeup artist Scott Vincent Borba, who works with ELF on their makeup brush line.

Metallic Olive Cream Eyeliner from ELF

At the time of my order, ELF was holding a discount for products with three codes to be used at the time of the Jubilee. I fell into the £15 or more category and chose to receive a little Jubilee surprise bag, of which I was super excited to get. Inside, ELF’s Shimmer Sheets in Pearl, greeted me with their highlighting properties and brightening powers. They were also from the Studio line, which I <3 splurging out on for my favourite blushes or bronzing palettes. I also got Nail Polish in the shade: Navy, which will be my “toe” colour this month. ELF also threw in a little surprise product from their new line of Cream Eyeliners, Metallic Olive which included a little application brush that was useful for thick or thin eye lining techniques.

ELF’s Duo Shadow Cream can be worn alone or with their matching Eyeshadow Duo’s, but Coffee & Cream stands alone in the high pigment area. The “coffee” shade is perfect for applying in the crease for a smoky eye, and the “cream” shade highlights the inner corner of the eye beautifully.

The only thing missing from my list is the wonderful, and highly thought of, Brightening Eyeliner in Electric Purple, which looks lovely on a Hazel or Brown Eye, like mine.

****I hope to review my Blush and Bronzer Compact from ELF soon, just in time for Bronzer-season (June/July/August).****

I hope you enjoyed my ELF Haul as much as I did, and I hope to post an update in a couple months once eyeslipsface.co.uk takes me on another beauty spree.

Wishing you Beauty and Happiness,

xo Becca Jayne

 🙂  P.S. Join me for my Book Review of Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson, coming soon! For fans of love stories, drama, and a dash of comedy…. pick up a copy at Amazon!

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