Spring Shopping Haul

Recently I hit my one stone weight loss target and as a reward I got to go shopping, so with my budget I went out and picked up some essentials and some other goodies from Lush, Primark and Bodycare. As I know a lot of my readers enjoy a haul like me I decided to give you a little haul post, enjoy!

BodyCare
Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo £2.99
Aussie Miracle Moist Conditioner £2.99
Nail Smoothing Block 75p
Colgate Sensative and Whitening Toothpaste £1.09
Montagne Jenesse Tea Tree Mask 89p
Montagne Jenesse Dead Sea Mask 89p

Lush
Mumkin Bubble Bar £2.95
Immaculate Eggception £6.95
Inhale Exhale Ballistic £3.25
Golden Egg Ballistic £3.50

Primark
Mini Satchel £6
Cotton Pads £1
Shopper £1.50
Owl False Nails £1
Fox Socks 3 Pack £2
Daisy Statement Necklace £4
Bunny Purse £2

I hope you enjoyed my haul roll on losing another stone in weight for my next haul!!

#OxMeet A Day in Oxford

I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Bloggers event in Oxford last week which was hosted by the lovely +Adrienne Third she had planned a lovely day and I had a lot of fun! We met at Wagamama's in Oxford where I had chicken tama rice which was extremely filling and really nice, it was a nice place to meet as we were able to say hello and have a little chat before heading off.

We then walked to Crabtree and Evelyn  were we could have manicures and ask the staff about product as well as having a mooch at all there products we were also given a goodie bag. It was a great chance for me to explore as I've always missed the shop and walked passed but it turned out to be lovely in there and I can't wait to go back and buy some bits!

We then headed to Costa for a little sit down and chat before heading over to Lush were we could have a skin care reading or a go at there colour wheel. We were also treated to cupcakes and rose lemonade which was a lovely treat. I had a great skin care reading were I could ask questions and I was also given samples of some products to test at home before buying the full size product. We then got some goodie bags and heading of home!

It was a fantastic day and I had so much fun meeting local bloggers!

Photo credit - Samantha 

Browdrama Review

I have a love hate relationship with my brows sometimes they look fab and I'm really pleased and then other days I just want to shave them off! It partially because I have dyed my hair so much now my natural hair is a lot darker then my eyebrows meaning I have to draw them on or I'll look silly. I was always a pencil girl but then while in Superdrug I was having a look at the eyebrow palette's when the Browdrama from Maybelline caught my eye.

I picked up shade medium brown as that is what I would class my hair as and I wanted to create a brow look which matched my hair. The Browdrama is a Sculpting Brow Mascara so the brush is just like a mascara brush which the same sort of liquid that you would get in a mascara. I find as it has a large brush is makes it really easy to use, I brush is along my eyebrow and then just take my finger and very gentle brush over blending in again to dark or to light areas.

I love how it makes my brows look and feel, I was worried that putting on a liquid it would go hard on my brow and look unnatural but it didn't it left my brows soft. It also shaped my brows and added hair to areas I needed some more hair added. I was impressed as it lasted all day and didn't wear of after a day at work or a day walking round down. The only downside is how hard it is to take of, even my bioderma has trouble and I feel the need to really scrub at my brows which worries me about what damage I may be doing!

17 Blow Out Mascara

This mascara was a product in my Boots Beauty Calendar and has been a bit of a nightmare product, I'm just not a fan of the whole mascara and not really impressed by there range of make up so I would 100% say I have a love hate relationship with 17 as a brand.

The mascara is a Volumise Sculpt Tease Mascara with 12x volume in colour black. The one thing I hate about this product is the brush, it's way to big and holds way to much product so when applying to my eyes I got product everywhere! and almost stabbed myself in the eye. Another thing is the overall size of the product is rather chunky and big so pretty much takes up a large place in my make up bag. I also found the black wasn't much to rave about either it came out nice but for a mascara that is pretty big headed I would of thought it would be a richer darker black.

If you want to find or test this product out for yourself it's available at Boots, Has anyone else just had no luck with this mascara or is it just me?

Right Guard Deo for Women

A bit of a different post but today I thought I would review a Deodorant, I've had problems in the past with deo's and am always weary of trying out new ones as my armpits are super sensitive and if I use the wrong product it causes a reaction so bad I'm left in pain for around 2 weeks. So for me finding the right deodorant is almost a beauty priority, I came across Right Guard and thought I would give it ago after another beauty blogger had review it.

It boasts to have 72 hour protection, tackles wetness and protects against white, yellow and oily stains. I would say after using it for around 2 months that the statements are quite correct and I've experience so problems of major concern with this deo. It has a nice neutral scent and isn't to strong and overpowering, I did however find it seemed to take ages to soak in so I was left in just my bra for around 30 minutes or so on quite a number of occasions!

I would 100% recommend this product and as it's available in most low cost stores like Savers and Body Care it costs around £1-£2 which is great for a product that works so well.

Montagne Jennesse Tea Tree Face Mask

I'm a massive fan of face masks and always have loads around my room but I recently picked up a face mask from the company Montagne Jennesse who I haven't heard much about but I thought I would give there fabric mask ago. It isn't like a normal tube mask which you have to rub onto your face this one is a fabric one which you place over your face and after 5-10 minutes then you rubbed onto your skin, peel it off and rinse and your good to go!

I picked up the tea tree one as I have problems with spots and wanted to see if it would clear my skin at all, the first thing I had trouble with was opening the packet as I was already in the bath and thought it was a simple tear packet but found out it wasn't so I had big trouble getting into the damn thing! But after I had finally tore it open and pulled the mask out I was excited to put it on my face which I had no trouble with but after around 30 seconds my skin began to feel odd and almost like it was burning so I managed to last around 3 minutes before ripping the mask off  (don't worry I still managed to get a photo!)

So I'm not sure if it was meant to be a harsh mask but my skin did not like it at all! I have got another mask from the range but it's the Dead Sea Face Spa so hopefully it will be a little less harsh and I will enjoy it more, for 89p you can find the masks in Savers.

MAC Studio Finish Concealer Review

MAC is one of my most used make up brands, I have a lot of there products and must say I don't see myself stopping any time soon! I use there studio fix foundation and powder but felt like I needed a bit more coverage for certain spot scarring and problem areas so I picked up a tiny pot of there concealer and I mean it's pretty small so I did feel like I was being ripped off but I had seen some great reviews so went for it.

It's quite a creamy texture and for some reason smells really nice, applying to my face it goes on well I use my fingers and blend it into my problems areas with no trouble. It covers spots and scarring really well and won't budge during the day. I find it sits nicely under my powder and blends in well with my foundation even though its a shade lighter as the shop assistant has suggested I do.

The pot cost's £15 which is a great price for such a good concealer, I've been using it for around 2 months and only a small amount has gone from my pot.

Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream Nail Varnish

One of my favorite summer shades of nail varnish is the Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream a really fun bright blue, Barry M have such a big collection of nail varnishes that this little bottle gets missed easily but it perfect, at just £2.99 it's a great buy.

It goes on in just two coats and lasted around 4-7 days on my nails, I found it worked well with most of my outfits as well which was a nice surprise as I'm always going on with my nails clashing with my outfits. It's the perfect summer shade!

Rimmel Save The Queen Metal Rush Review

I've never really been into gold nail paints but this one works so well, I've had it in my collection for quite a long time I would say two years maybe so it may not still be available to buy but its a great product from Rimmel. I use two coats as well as a base coat and it always works really well, it's a bit more of a summer product and has some great undertones.

It is a normal gold but has a lovely copper colour to it, it changes colour as you turn your hand as well as putting it under the light. It's quite a subtle effect but it still a great one. The longevity of the nail paints is around 5-7 days before looking really chipped it has to be taken off but you could stretch to 10 days.

I wish I had the whole collection and may go on the hunt for some this weekend as I love this little bottle of gold joy!

#BloggersWLW Week Eleven

Today's post is all about eating out a daunting experience for anyone on a diet but I've found a few restaurants which do a great range of food but also have the calories to help you out!

McDonald's
Yes you heard right I'm promoting McDonald's on a weight lose post! If you go to the counter you need to simply take or ask for the sheet that's on your tray turn it over and hey presto all the food they served with all the nutrition information! I've found with Weight Watchers I can have a hamburger and small fries with a diet coke and still have points in the evening to have a snack.

Weather spoon's Pub
This pubs are fab as they have a great selection of affordable food and they have all the calories on all the items on the menu, including a healthy low cal selection all under 500 calories. I love going to these pubs as they have so many around the UK you can't go wrong.

Yo!Sushi
Another great restaurant with loads of items all under 500 calories, if you ask nicely they will advise which selection to make to help you out on your diet. Last time I asked she gave me load calorie food which was super filling!

Boost
If your out and about and want a quick to go lunch I would suggest Boost the juice bar, I ordered one of there low calorie juice's and was really surprised as it filled me up till dinner time and was extremely healthy. It's all made in front of you and they use all natural ingredients as well as having a selection of super healthy low calorie drinks they also do some smoothies and ice creams.

They are my top picks but let me know of any restaurants I can visit to help me with my diet!

Easy to Bake Cupcakes!

I'm a massive baker and love to cook for myself and sometimes even others, one of my favorite things to bake is cakes and biscuits and thought I would share with you my easy cupcake recipe and some tips on how to make the best kind of cupcakes.

You will need Flour, Sugar, Eggs, Butter, Baking Powder and Vanilla Essence. Two bowls, Cupcake Tray, Scales and a cooling rack. Don't worry if you don't have things like Baking Powder and Vanilla Essence or if you don't have a cooling rack!

Preheat oven at gas mark 4, 180 C

Step One - Measure out 100 grams of Flour, Sugar and Butter

Step Two - Mix the butter and sugar together to create an ice cream textured mix - take your butter out the fridge for an hour before baking to soften it

Step Three - Add half a teaspoon of Baking Powder and two cap fulls of Vanilla essence ( you don't need to add these so don't worry if you don't have them!) Add one egg and mix

Step Four - add half a bowl of flour and fold into mix, add second half and fold - don't mix the flour it will go everywhere and create a mess, you must fold it in

At this point you can add any ingredients that you want to include for example chocolate chips or raisins and then stir mix to make sure it's evenly spread throughout the mix

Next add an even amount of mixture into a cupcake tray and bake for 12-15 minutes until cakes are firm and are starting to brown!

Leave to cool for around 30 minutes and then get creative! I use icing sugar and sprinkles or chocolate drops and make my cakes look colorful and fun!

Soap and Glory Daily Facial Moisture Lotion

After loving serums for the last few months I have gone back to moisturising my face as I felt the only good thing about a serum was it was keeping my make up on but my face however was suffering as it wasn't getting it twice daily moisture which it was hating me for!

The one I use daily under my make up is the Soap and Glory Amazing Everyday Facial Moisture Lotion with sun trigger antioxidant vitamin balls! (phew bit of a mouthful!) not only does it have all of that but it's also spf 25. I love this moisturiser as it help protect my skin against wrinkles, sun spots and dryness. I love how it goes on my face and settles nicely after around five minutes, it also doesn't affect my make up so I can apply it over the top with no worries. I also find it holds my make up on just as well as a serum would which I was highly impressed with, the scent is lovely as it's quite a nice mild floral scent which I love.

Barry M Mint Green

This is going to be a bad review so get yourself a cuppa tea at the ready! Barry M has always been a brilliant brand and I adore there other nail varnishes and other make up products I just can't get along with the mint green shade and overall product.

The shade comes out very light and I had to apply three coats before getting it to any sort of decent colour, I hardly ever apply three coats as it damages my nails so much so at first I was ready to take it off and just forget I had purchased it but I decided to give it a fair review so left it on. The varnish came out almost watery and didn't have to usual good texture of a Barry M varnish which was odd and maybe why the colour was so weak.

I had it on my nails for around three days before it had chipped quite bad and I had to remove it, I was quite shocked as after three coats surely it should of stayed on my nails for a little bit longer. I was just really unimpressed with this shade, I won't stop buying Barry M products as I usually get on really well with them I just won't be buying the Mint Green Varnish any time soon!

*Mobile Madhouse Review

I'm one of those people who drop there phone into there bag with no care in the world sometimes I'll put it in the pocket and other times it just gets dropped in and left to float about with all my other items. Recently I was on the hunt for a new phone case as I always find in phone shops there are overpriced or don't have a large range or if you go to a market stall there overpriced and never fit your phone! So when I heard about Mobile Madness I was rather intrigued and then when I saw they were offering Bloggers a case to review I was overjoyed! No more scratched phones or chips and it's a lovely shade of pink to...

They have a fantastic range of cases for loads of phones including Apple, Samsung, Blackberry, HTC and Sony, the selection process is extremely easy as you search for your brand then select your phone and voila you are presented with a range of cases that fit your phone. For my phone Samsung Fame I got to choose from Leather Effect, Gel Case, Pouch or a Leather Pouch I went for the Faux Leather Phone Pouch in Pink which cost only £4.99 a great price for such a great item. It's a great high-grade synthetic fabric which is water proof, there also no problems with creasing or scruffs. The case is easy to use as well as having a strong magnetic opening so my phone didn't fall out in my bag.

I've been using the case for a week now and I'm more than happy. It has had quite a few compliments and I was more than happy to give them the website as I found over the week it's protected my phone and hasn't scuffed or creased which I like as it looks as good as when it first arrived, the magnetic opening is as strong as it when it first arrived as well which I'm happy about.

As well as having a range of cases I noticed they do covers for Tablets I have a Google Nexus and was intrigued to have a look at prices and I was in for a shock the price for a Textured Faux Leather Rotating Standing Case is £7.99 a price I would be more then happy to pay to protect my tablet.

They also do products such as Car Chargers, Screen Protectors, Sport Armbands, Stylus Pens and Touch Screen Gloves all at affordable prices and for a brilliant range of products.

To take a look at there website click here
To buy the pink phone case click here

#BloggersWLW Week Ten

Today's post is going to be all about my new love Weight Watchers, I've been on the diet for around a month now and love it as all the food is nice and I'm still losing weight. Stay tuned for my weigh in at the end of the month!

For me for breakfast I'm not a fan off a large full English or anything to sweet so I go for Belvita breakfast biscuits for 4 points and I have a cup of tea for half a point. I find it fills me up till lunchtime and it tastes yummy! If I do fancy something a bit more filling or larger I go for bacon and sausages all lean and unsmoked as they are one point each.

Lunch time is when if I'm at home I can get creative or if I'm on the go or at work I go for a sandwich and a bag of quavers as the bread is the same points no matter what you go for I can have white bread, some low fat weight watchers spread and some ham and salad this will be around 4 points and with the quavers I just add one and a half points. If I'm at home I will go for 60g of pasta which is 3 points and I can also add salt to flavor as it's 0 pointed!

Dinner time brings some lovely weight watchers meals all around 6-8 points my favorite being the broccoli and salmon melt which is rather delicious or the chicken curry another yummy meal!

Lush - Amandopondo Rose and Lemon Bubble Bar

I picked up this bubble bar on my recent shopping trip to Oxford and was intrigued my the Rose scent and the small hint of lemon. It costs £2.75 so a nice cheerful price and is available from in store as its part of the permanent collection.

The scent was lovely not one I would usually go for but it turned out to be a really relaxing and nice fresh scent which I loved. It has Rose and Lemon as it's main ingredients but I could only really smell the rose and only a small hint of lemon. The bubbles from this bath were impressive as it filled my bath and stay there for the whole 45 minutes which I loved.

It's a great bubble bar and for only £2.75 you can't go wrong! Let me know what you thought of the Amandopondo bubble bar!

London Girl Nail Varnish Review

Another nail polish I picked up at a recent car boot sale this one was also 50p, I picked up the Barry M Glitter one as well Review here! This polish from London Girl is a sea blue shade it comes in a 18ml bottle with a rather long brush lid, which I found kept pulling off but oh well it doesn't affect the polish so it didn't bother me.

The shade was lovely a really nice clear blue with soft undertones, I found it only lasted on my nails for around 3 days which is annoying but as the shade is so nice I will keep the polish! I feel this shade is more of a spring or autumn colour so I won't have more wear from it for summer but I will keep it for next spring as it is such a lovely colour.

Happy One Year Blogging Birthday!!

Wow it's been a whole year since I first starting blogging it's seem's like only yesterday I had placed an order for GlossyBox and was sat reading through Zoella's, Fleur's and Louise's blog thinking it would be fantastic to have girls look up to you and trust you with make up and beauty related issues. My first post can be found here it's odd looking back at some posts sometimes I cringe and sometimes I think ohh I loved that product I must repurchase!

So what's next for Beauty By Jess B, well I have plenty more reviews coming up, some giveaways and plenty more Glossy Box reviews. I'll also been blogging over on my travel blog which you can find here and I'll also be trying to attend some more beauty events this year.

So stay tuned and enjoy the next year with me! You can also find me over at twitter @jessbarnes and email me at jessb1991@gmail.com I will happily reply =]

Orly Bonder Base Coat Review

I've been after a decent base coat for ages and have gone through a loads of them before getting my hands on this one from Orly which I got in my Boot's Beauty Calendar, it's retail price is £6 in the UK or $10.

It's an odd colour as it's a peachy yellow colour and I was unsure as the how it would come out on my nails but it actually came out clear. It has quite a strong scent but once it's applied to the nails it's not to bad, I also found it dry really quickly and left my nails looking really nice.

The description on the website is 'Grips lacquer to the nail surface for lasting adhesion for up to two weeks' I found that the base coat worked really well with all brands of nail varnish I use and it lasted for around a week on it's own.

Barry M Limited Edition Glitter Polish

I picked up this lovely glitter polish from a car boot sale and adore it! It's a lovely silver glitter which when it hits a light goes red/green/yellow and every other colour it's a great find for only 50p. I put it on my nails without another colour underneath as I wanted to see how well it goes on as a top coat and it happened to look quite nice as just a single colour, so I painted all my other nails and wore it for around 10 days before removing.

I think it only lasted the 10 days as I couldn't really see any chips as it's a glitter I didn't really notice any, which is great. As it's a limited edition I'm not sure if its available from shops but it is worth having a look in boots its code is 335 as I know Barry M now have a great range of effect polish's out.

Barry M Lip Paint 121 - Pillar Box Red

I'm always after new lipsticks and after having a mooch for a new one I came away with Barry M's 121 a deep red with hints of orange. It's cost's only £4.49 a bargain for such a fantastic lipstick or lip paint as Barry M call it.

The packaging it's very basic with a gold Barry M logo on the top of the lid and a description of what lipstick you have on the bottom the rest is just plain matte black with a glossy black middle, I always like the Barry M packaging as it's never to big or outrageous so it sits in nicely with the many other lipsticks I own.

The texture is smooth and moisturizing while not drying out to quick I feel this is an all round good lipstick, although I need to re apply every few hours as it does smudge a little and wear off, which I don't mind as it's always nice to go touch up your make up!

You can purchase Barry M from most Superdrug or Boot's stores as well as online at there own website, for £4.49 you can't go wrong!

#BloggersWLW Week Nine

It's been around two weeks of me being on Weight Watchers so I thought I would give you an update, to be honest I was worried I would gain rather then loss as the Slim Fast diet was so strict and I was pretty much on liquids but I was pleasantly surprised. A typical day for me is Tea and Brevita breakfast biscuits, a sandwich and quavers and a weight watchers meal, after all of that I still have points left for a treat in the evening.

After two weeks I decided to weigh myself and I was happy to see I've lost 4 pounds and I feel fuller then on Slim Fast as well as still being able to have treats and all the yummy food I love! I know have a good reason to lose weight as on the 25th April i'm bridesmaid for my sisters wedding, we have picked the dresses and mine fits but its very snug so by April I want the dress to be a bit loose so I need to lose around another 5-10 pounds!

How have you all done this week? Let me know!

Dream Matte Mouse Review

This foundation has always been a hit and miss for me as I adore it in summer but tend to hate it in winter, as it's quite a thick product for summer it tends to stay on my face and won't budge but in winter it dries my skin out and cause such bad breakouts I can't bare it! So this is an odd review it's a welcome to my favorite/most hated product!

Packaging is great for this product it has a thick glass bottom and a twist top with the product name and brand name. It seems rather small and it may seem like you are paying out loads for such a small about of product but I always get 2-3 months worth of product from these little pots.

The foundation is a mouse which is a thick creamy foundation which I find easier to apply with my fingers as sponges don't spread it well and brushes leave quite thick brush marks.It has a matte effect so no shimmer or shine which makes it easy to apply lip and eye products without over doing it. When I apply my foundation in the morning it tends to last me around 4-6 hours before I need to top up my make up so it's not an all day foundation but as the pot is so small it's easy to re apply on the go.

The only problem for me as stated above is in the winter even with moisturiser or a serum it dries my skin out so bad that I will have massive breakouts. So for the summer as an alternative I will reach for this pot at only £7.69 from Boots and Superdrug, it comes in a fantastic range of shades.

OPI Nail Lacquer Super Bass Shatter Review

I was given this product in my Secret Santa box this year and am pleasantly surprised with how well it worked and the end results. I was at first stuck with what polish to place under the purple so I had a mooch online and saw that people were using a pink so I went for my Barry M Bright Pink and also used my Orly Base coat as I would be applying quite a lot on my nails so I wanted to keep my nails nice and protected.

So I painted my nails and waited for them to dry and then painted them with the Opi nail varnish which at first looked like normal nail varnish and then began to crack and create a shattered effect on my nails. It looks great and works really well over the pink, it also reminds me off mini eggs the design you sometimes get on the eggs!

The paint lasted around 2-3 days on my nails so it wasn't a great formulation but if I use a top coat next time I'm sure I can push it to 4-5 days. The price was £10.95 but as this is from the Nicki Minaj range and they no longer stock it you can find the range now on Amazon and Ebay at £3.95.

The Five Word Make Up Tag

While browsing some blogs tonight I found a great tag and as I enjoy doing them I thought I would give it a go. It is over on Chloe's blog and it's called The Five Word Make Up Tag and here's the idea :

• List your favorite make up products and describe why you like them in 5 words
• At least one product for each category: Eyes, Lips and Face
• Phrases such as 'high coverage' count as one word - if you were just to say 'high' it would be pretty vague and so use a phrase where you see fit, another example being 'Long Lasting' being one word.
• When you finish the tag, tag 5 other people to take part! Let them know that they've been tagged, too.

Eyes

Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara - Long Lasting, Affordable, non-clumpy, Fuller and Thicker

Natural Collection Cover Up Cream - Coverage, Texture, Affordable, Long Lasting and Nice Packaging 

MAC Eye Shadow - Long Lasting, Pigmented, Nice Packaging, Expensive and Easy to Store

Lips

Rimmel Apocalips - Nice Shade Selection, Long Lasting, Scent, Affordable and Nice Packaging

MAC Lipstick - Selection, Long Lasting, Nice Packaging, Moisturizing and Texture

Nuxe Reve De Miel - Scent, Affordable, Moisturizing, Long Lasting and Not Sticky

Face

Bioderma - Packaging, Affordable, Easy to use, Results and Non Drying

Montagne Jennesse Tea Tree Face Spa - Easy to use, Scent, Packaging, Affordable and Results

Soap and Glory Everyday Face Moisturizer - Scent, Packaging, Results, Non Sticky and Affordable  

This is a great tag and I enjoyed doing it, the five Bloggers I tag are Juyey , Zoe Lianne , Sharna and Katie !

Beauticology Pink Peppermint Body Butter

I received this item as a gift in my Secret Santa swap and have only really started to use it as I was using up another body butter. It's from the company Beauticology a sister company to Baylis and Harding they do all sort of bath and body goodies including the Pink Peppermint Body Butter. There prices range from £3-£10 depending on the type of item you are buying, I only seem to find them at Christmas but I'm sure there is a store out there that stock the range!

The scent of the product is rather mild it has a nice peppermint scent with smells like candy canes, it's not to sickly or to sweet I find it just right. It is classed as a body butter but it is rather smooth and thin compared to other body butters I would class it as a moisturizer instead but it still works great. I use body butters mainly after shaving or if I'm having a pamper evening I usually apply to all over my body so for me I only had around 4-6 uses out of the 30ml tube. I did however notice how it left my skin feeling soft and how it absorbed really quick.

I would to try out some more products from the Beauticology range and hopefully I can find them in store and not just at Christmas, if you know a store which stocks the range let me know!