Foreo Luna Mini

I have been using the Foreo Luna Mini on and off now for around 3/4 months so I thought I would do a post on it. 

It is on the same lines as a Clarisonic Mia, so it has T-sonic technology for a deeper clean.

You only have to use it for 2 minutes a day. One minute in the morning with your cleanser and one minute at night. All you do is apply your cleanser to your face, wet the Luna and then use it on your face. It buzzes when you need to move onto the next section (forehead, chin, cheeks and nose) you can also press the on button again to select a lower speed which I use on the under eye area. 

It is completely waterproof so you can use it in the shower to save time. It is made up of silicone touch points so is way more hygienic than other standard sonic brushes. I just rinse away the suds after use and no need to buy new brush heads. It also come with a 2year warranty and 10 year quality guarantee what more could you want!

To charge the device you just use the USB cable provided for a few hours and when fully charged lasts 300 uses! 

My skin after just a few uses felt instantly soft and smooth and especially brighter than usual. It is very gentle on my skin but still gives that deep clean feeling. This helps remove any excess dirt, oils and makeup residue so it doesn't clog your pores. You can buy a normal luna but I chose to buy the mini as it fits in your hand and is great for taking away travelling. 

It is priced at £99 I bought mine from lookfantastic or you can also purchase from the Foreo website for the same price. 

As I am getting a lot of spots recently I want to try out the Clarisonic Mia aswell but I am very scared of the purging phase have you tried this and how was it?? 

Love stef x

Top 5 Tuesday. Mac Lipsticks

 left to right- fan fare, patisserie, japanese maple, hue, plumful

This Tuesday is top mac lipsticks. I have been collecting Mac lipsticks for a while now and my favourites seem to have a running theme they are all some kind of pink or nude. They are very high quality and a great starter lipstick if you are just starting to try high end lipsticks as they are around £15 this is a lot but not compared to other brands which are sometimes double!

They come in different finishes depending on what you want these include amplified, lustre, matte, satin, glaze, frost and cremesheen. 

 fanfare - cremesheen is a creamy texture a medium pink colour a great everyday a little darker than natural lip colour.

patisserie - lustre is a your lips but amazing! it is a high shine and tiny bit glittery light pink natural colour my fav!

japanese maple -cremesheen is the ultimate nude creamy texture the nude tone is slightly pink when on so it doesn't drown your complexion.

hue - glaze the lighest of them all give a subtle sheen of very light pink 

plumful- lustre this is my work lipstick I love it. It is more on the dark pink side of plum if that make sense its a unique colour it gives a lovely smart look. 

Love stef x

Grow Gorgeous Cleansing Conditioner

Who needs shampoo and conditioner when cleansing conditioners are the new fad! I decided to give Grow Gorgeous 12-in-1 cleansing conditioner a go. 

 This has been on the U.K shelves for a few months now, I have tested this shampoo for around 8 washes so I have a good idea what it is like on my hair.

Unlike shampoo that strip oils from your hair this product is just a conditioner so its a lot gentler and does not dry out or strip the hair. 

I decided to go for the Blonde Prismatic technology one to give that extra boost to my blonde hair. As I dye my hair blonde this gives my hair a lot nicer colour and shine too it, no brassy tones here.

There is also one for brunettes and a 11-in-1 with no colour technology also. 

This is the 12 steps.. 

1. Deep cleanses
2. Deep conditions
3. Hydrates hair and scalp
4. Adds lustre
5. Adds shine
6. Reduces frizz & flyaways
7. Makes hair soft
8. Offers lasting smoothness
9. Makes styling easier
10. Adds protective shield
11. Adds volume
12. Enhances blonde tones with Prismatic colour technology. 

As it says in number 10 it has a protective shield I feel that it leaves a tiny bit of residue on my hair. It's great and is soft and shiny for the first day. But I cannot leave my hair for more than two days without needing to wash it. I suppose with normal shampoo and conditioner I can only go a maximum of 3 days before washing there's not too much difference. 

The only difference is the price, it retails at around £19.99 in boots so it is definitely not cheap so I really don't know if I would purchase it again soon. 

Although I really do want to try the Grow gorgeous hair growth serum its £29.99 and claims to make your hair grow! Has anyone tried this and would recommend let me know!?

Love stef x

Jo Malone Candles

I did it I purchased two Jo Malone candles. I am a massive fan of the fragrances and what girl doesn't love candles in their home. They have the signature Jo Malone sophisticated packaging from the boxes to the lids and even matching black and wood match sticks. They make an excellent gift or just a prezzie to yourself. 

I purchased the 200g home candles and cost £40 each. These are a great size and are supposed to last up to 45 hours burning time. 

I have English Pear and Freesia a floral scent, with a hint of sweet pear. Also Nectarine blossom and Honey which gives our house a a lovely delicate fruity smell with hints of nectarine, peaches and soft honey. 

 

Why not take a look at their website for excellent colognes or treats for the body and home.
Jo Malone

Love stef x 

Hot Air Balloon..Rutland Water

 A few days ago I experienced a hot air balloon ride with Virgin. It started off very early in the morning just as the sun was rising. The weather was lovely and so it was a perfect morning for it. A lot of people that were on the experience have attempted to fly about 5 times but as it is weather dependent couldn't get on! So it was first time lucky for me. 

They make it fun by making everyone help out in setting the balloon up, even filling it with air! Nope not blowing it up with our mouths- with fans silly! 

We all then climbed in and then up and away.. It is such a strange experience you don't really feel like you are moving more like floating. You get to enjoy the lovely views for around an hour before the pilot looks for a suitable field to land in. We took off from Rutland Water which is gorgeous English country side surrounding a huge reservoir. 

 And of course after you land you get a champagne toast to finish off the lovely morning. 

I bought this as a gift for my boyfriend for christmas. It would make a great gift for anyone young or old. 

Virgin are always giving offers on the hot air balloon rides and discounted flights. I usually see them on Groupon or o2 priority moments if you are in the UK. I paid around £89 per person so not bad really.

The crew were really nice and it is a really different experience which alot of people haven't done before.

I hope you like my pictures! Maybe next time I can enjoy a ride over the Serengeti..

Love stef x

Mac eyeshadow palette

So this has been a long time coming, I have always wanted a Mac eyeshadow palette. So with a lot of saving and scouring the internet and YouTube videos on what colours to choose, I came up with these 15 shadows. 

I think I have played it quite safe but this is my first palette and these will definitely be everyday shadows for me. 

With a lot of rearranging I have ordered it as very lights and creamy colours along the top lighter browns and quick and easy application colours in the middle and the darker colours along the bottom. 

I hope these pics give you an idea of the colour of eyeshadows that mac do. I hope these come in handy to picking your own selection for a mac palette, like all the pics on blogs helped me to choose and inspiration for this blog.

What's your favourite mac shadow that will help me on my selection for the next 15 ?? :) 

Love stef x

Top 5 Tuesday. Lip Balms

 My top 5 this Tuesday are my favorite lip balms. 

A-derma balme levres as I travel by plane a lot I feel my lips getting dry quite often so I have been using this balm to relieve them its in a squeezable tube and is great for sensitive skin.

Nivea essential care the cheapest and by far my most used and repurchased balm. Its great for travelling and is always in my makeup bag I use this before lipstick. It has a very light natural scent! 

Elizabeth Arden Intensive lip repair balm definitely a purchase for the winter this is thick, has a scent but its not horrible. Absolutely excellent for getting rid of heavily chapped lips with a soothing tingly effect.

EOS cutest packaging by far.. the texture is very similar to the nivea and has to die for scents the one pictured is blueberry acai yummy! very expensive in the U.K but a lot cheaper in the states.

Carmex they come in tubes now a lot more hygienic than the original tubs. It has a strong smell of menthol and camphor which actually really refreshing and soothing. Leaves a strong tingling sensation on the lips very addictive. 

Can you recommend any lip balms to beat these? 

Love stef x

Latest in Beauty Glamour box

Latest in Beauty have teamed up with Glamour Magazine to bring the Glamour power list right to  your door.

This is an absolute bargain so you must purchase now and don't miss out! 

You receive some amazing size samples and full sized products too, great picks of 2014.

You get Liz Earle cleanse and polish with cloth, Laura Mercier foundation primer, Philip Kingsley Daily damage conditioner, Eyeko mascara remover wipes, James Read sleep tan mask and full size Bourjois 1 second volume mascara and Maybelline nude lipstick!! 

How can you top that! Oh wait there is a free annual subscription to Glamour magazine on your iphone/ipad! 

Latest in beauty and Glamour magazine have really out done themselves with everysingle product being excellent and what everyone likes. 

I bet you are wondering how much all this costs! £15.99 yep get spending now! 

Purchase it here at Latest in Beauty 

Love stef x

Moroccanoil

So it's all about the hair treatments...

I have been using moroccanoil products for the last year so I thought I'd share my thoughts on them. I use it every single time I wash my hair it has become a habit and even have to take them travelling with me too!

I bought these two, the original morroccanoil treatment oil and the hydrating styling cream. 

They are rather pricey but for the amount you get and use it's well worth it! They range from about 20-30pounds but I've used mine nearly everyday for a year I've still got a quarter left! 

I use one little pump of each product you can use two squirts if you have really thick frizzy or long hair and smooth onto your hair I start at the ends to try and mend split ends and the remaining I put all over. 

The products consist of argan oil it absorbs instantly for a great shine and frizz control. It conditions and hydrates dry colour treated hair. 

You can use these items on wet or dry hair to manage frizz and fly always! 

You can use these items individually but I found rubbing both together and putting on my hair gives a super soft feel and smells great too! 

The hydrating styling cream is just an added extra it helps add style and definition to the hair so great if you blow dry your hair. 

All in all they are two great and gorgeous smelling products that helps control my frizz and my hair is much easier to manage!

Love stef x

Mac brushes

I have always envied all the you tubers and the gorgeous make makeup brushes they were using. So I thought I'd save up my pennies and purchase the ones I think I would use the most. They are quite expensive but everyone says they last years so I think they will be worth the investment. 

I went with 

Duo fibre brush 187 £33.50

This is excellent for that airbrushed look when you apply liquid foundation it also works excellent at blending in powders and pigments. It's made up of goat hair and synthetic ones too! The product sticks to the longer white hairs and the black ones help blend them in. So there's no worry in losing all your product inside the brush! Only down side is the black hairs tend to moult sometimes :( 

Blusher brush 116 £27.00

 Amazing brush does what it says on the tin applies the blusher evenly and the head of it is quite small which let's you get just the right amount on the apples of the cheeks! 

Large angled contour brush 168 £27.00

Love, love, love this brush! My favourite face brush by far. It's large soft and fluffy. Great for contouring the face with bronzer. I also use it to apply blusher and also use it to apply highlighter to the tops of cheeks eyebrow bone and other areas. My verdict is its worth every penny..

Pencil brush 219 £20.00 

This is really easy to apply the product. A multi use brush to get product to the lower lash line, upper lash line, the crease of the lid and also the inner corner to apply a highlighting colour. All round great brush must have in the makeup bag.

Blending brush 217 £18.00

One of my first brushes along side the next one is the ultimate combo of eye shadow application. It's soft and fluffy and excellent at blending out and also applying to the outer v shape of the eye area! <3 

Fluff brush 213 £18.00 

Contrary to what the brush is called I wouldn't quite say it is a fluff brush. It is a very compacted soft eyeshadow brush. I use this to apply my shadow all over the lid and up to the brow bone also. 

Small angle brush 266 £16.50 

Cheapest and newest of the bunch! I bought this to replace using all the tiny little brushes that come with eyebrow colour palettes. This is soft gives a precise line so is excellent for eyebrow drawing and filling in. Also great for applying gel liner to the upper and lower lash line! Must have! 

Is there any other must have brushes I need to add to my mac collection?

Love stef x

My fav face wash so far.. 2014

I'm a bit of an addict when it comes to buying and finding the perfect face wash! I haven't yet come across the holy grail but these recent purchases have certainly come real close! 

I'm on a bit of a roll in 2014 in starting to perfect my skin routine. These are the few I have tried..

First up is Kiehl's Cantella skin-calming cleanser £26.50 kiehl's 

Definitely the most expensive of the bunch but comes with the most product inside 200ml and lasts ages! This is excellent if you have very sensitive skin, it really does calm and soothe. It contains excellent soothing and healing properties including Aloe Vera, Chamomile and Cantella. It can be used with or without water to remove any left over makeup and impurities. It hardly has any scent and doesn't leave any tightness you feel very moisturized. It is nice but I will not be repurchasing. Its just not strong enough for my skin and the price is too high :( 

Next up is Biotherm Biosource cleansing mousse £15.50 Boots 

This is a premium range cleanser and not a lot of people have heard of them due to lack of advertising in the UK. But I love them its worth trying out their xmas sets with smaller sizes if there are some still left. This mousse smells divine very clean and marine like and is packed full of 70minerals and zinc. You need the tiniest amount as it foams up when rubbed with water so lasts a long time. I love the glowing and clean feeling it leaves when used in the morning. I will repurchase but as a treat as it is quite pricey. This is for normal to combination skin other versions are made for dry skin too!

Now onto Neutrogena Visibly Clear pink grapefruit cream wash £4.99 Boots 

Neutrogena was recommended by a friend when she visited a dermatologist for her acne and said use this twice a day daily. I was keen to try and wow my spots were starting to clear after just 2 days. It is a creamy texture so doesn't dry out the skin, yet is grapefruit scented so leaves skin feeling clean and tingly. Definetly one of my top cleansers ever! Will keep purchasing and trying out their other visibly clear products! The price is great and are almost always on offer in Boots and Superdrug! 

Last up is another Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2in1 wash and mask £3.79 Boots

My absolute favorite of the bunch! It is super creamy and lathers onto the skin thickly so little product is needed. This drys out any spots on the face, mine dried out after 3 washes. So maybe not amazing for really dry skin but the grapefruit one is excellent for dry skin. The price is super cheap and can be doubled as a once a week face mask. Just apply the cream and leave on for 5 minutes then wash off. This smells absolutely beautiful reminds me of sun cream! ahh holidays.. 

So I hope this gives you a bit of inspiration if you are on the search like me for the ultimate cleanser. 

Any recommendations that you have come across would be really grateful!?

Love stef x

Rio De Janeiro

 One place I have always wanted to visit was Brazil! At a young age I had a best friend from Sao Paolo and thought its not fair I am never be able to afford to go over and visit. But I finally made it to Rio! 

I stayed in the Radisson Blu in Barra which is a quieter beach front location and great for surfing with the locals! I also treated myself to quite a few too may caipirinhas :s (a brazilian cocktail with cachaca lime and sugar ) pretty much a mojito that blows your mind! and drink out of fresh coconuts at one of the shacks along the beach.

I visited Copacabana beach this is Rio at its liveliest and where you can watch the beautiful people of Brazil play volleyball on the beach. If shopping is your thing head to Ipanema the road just behind the beach rows and rows of shops are here! (havaianas are so much cheaper than and theres a few stores to choose from!)

I did a few hour visit to see Christ the redeemer and at the top you can take gorgeous photos of the sugarloaf mountain and scenery as shown above :)  If you are a foodie like me! you have to try one of many Brazilian BBQ's where they come round and serve mounds and mounds of different meats for you to try! yum.. 

I didn't make it to Sao Paolo but that is a must the next time I go! 

Love stef x 

Soap and Glory skincare

So I'm on a skin care frenzy at the minute and trying out every brand I can think of. I have been using Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish hot cloth cleanser and wow it lives up to the hype! It is amazing at getting all of my makeup up at night as well as a deep clean. But it can be expensive and doesn't last very long :( 

I heard about about Soap and glory the Ultimelt as a dupe and had to give it a try! I ended up buying three of there products as they were all on offer bargain! 

The Ultimelt usually £10.00 on offer for £6.67

A great dupe in my opinion obviously the price helps but it does the job. It's great at dissolving all makeup including eye makeup! It's ok to be used on all skin types but does contain essential oils so be careful if you have sensitive skin! 

Included in the box is a big muslin cloth which can be used about 3 times before washing in the machine. 

All you need is a grape size amount and massage all over for a few minutes, run the cloth under hot water and press off to open all your pores. I normally splash with cold water after to close them too! 

ScrubAtomic usually £9.00 on offer for £6.00 

This is a daily face polish great for exfoliating away black head and spots! I tend to use it in the morning only 3times a week. It is not as harsh as an exfoliation but I still only use it a few times when my skin feels clogged. 

Well what can I say it smells divine! Peaches and oranges yummy! 

You only needs to dab a small amount on your forehead chin and nose then with wet fingers blend outwards. Once washed off apply moisturiser and feel lovely fresh and clean! 

Off your face face wipes usually £4.50 now £3.00

These super soft cleansing cloths are great to remove makeup, they cleanse and tone and if you apply pressure they exfoliate the skin too. They smell of mint and leave the tingly clean feeling. They contain peach and go juice extracts to shrink pores! More than the usual face wipe does! 

My verdict is this range is great! When they are on offer you can get all three for the same price as a 100ml Liz Earle cleanser! If you are on a drugstore budget but want high quality goods soap and glory are the ones for you! 

Love stef x