Foundation Review | George Mousse Foundation

Like everyone else I'm always looking out for the perfect foundation and so I'm willing to give anything ago whether it be the cheapest of the cheap or something a bit more high end. This foundation I'm reviewing today is the Asda own brand George Skin Perfection Mousse Foundation.

Information

Brand | George @ Asda

Product | Skin Perfection Mouse Foundation

Shade | No.1 Porcelain

Size | 20g

Price | £6 but I bought it at introductory price of £3

Would I re-purchase | Yes!

So let me start off by saying I was pleasantly surprised with this foundation. It comes in a little glass tub with a black plastic lid. When I purchased mine there were only two available colours porcelain and ivory beige. I recently checked the website and it now shows another two shades natural beige and honey beige, so four in total. 

When buying foundations I always opt for the lightest shade even though I'm olive toned all foundations oxidise on my skin making them darker so the lighter I go the more chance it will oxidise to the right colour for me!

The consistency of this foundation is a mousse, its really light and silky, and once smoothed in it creates a light powdered look. It gives surprisingly good coverage I'd say a light medium coverage which could be built up to full coverage. Its also scentless.

Click to enlarge!

For me, the best way to apply, is using my miracle complexion sponge (review HERE) slightly damp, and gently patting the product onto my skin. I quite often get dry patches on my nose and in between my eyebrows and this does stick to it but using my sponge damp helps the blending in process and using this technique I find a little goes a long way.

It doesn't feel heavy on the skin, its almost like not wearing anything at all. It last pretty well and doesn't look cakey and has a nice natural finish to it. 

What I like about this, is that it doesn't boast anything. All it advertises is smooth and silky coverage, which it delivers and there's no way to be let down. 

This has actually become one of my all time favourite foundations. It doesn't help my crazy oily-face, which of course I didn't expect but it does give good natural coverage, is purse friendly and is nice to apply. 

I look so tiered in all of these!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Have a great day!

Jen x

100 Happy Days

The #100happydays is something I've been seeing a lot on instagram, and being a little inquisitive I googled. What I was led to was this WEBSITE asking 'Can you be happy 100 days in a row?' It sounds tough because we all go through things in life that make us feel a little less than happy from time to time.

 As you read down the website the general premises is that we are all so busy running around with super busy schedules that we find less and less time to stop and appreciate a moment and before we know it, its gone and we just carry on rushing about. We forget to look at the everyday beauty that surrounds our lives and appreciate our lives, and our own miracle of being alive.

There is a Dr Manhattan (from Watchmen) quote which I think everybody should hear/read at least once:

 "Thermodynamic miracles... events with odds against so astronomical they're effectively impossible, like oxygen spontaneously becoming gold. I long to observe such a thing. And yet, in each human coupling, a thousand million sperm vie for a single egg. Multiply those odds by countless generations, against the odds of your ancestors being alive; meeting; siring this precise son; that exact daughter... Until your mother loves a man she has every reason to hate, and of that union, of the thousand million children competing for fertilization, it was you, only you, that emerged. To distill so specific a form from that chaos of improbability, like turning air to gold... that is the crowning unlikelihood. The thermodynamic miracle."

I think it puts in to perspective that each of us is a walking, talking, breathing miracle and that we should all take a little bit of time out to appreciate that and work on our own happiness. And I think that's why the 100 happy days challenge is a pretty amazing thing! Its encouraging us to to document the things that make us happy so that we can look back and go "Hey my life doesn't suck, look at all these amazing things!" 

So maybe you've had a hellish day at work, rushed off your feet and your exhausted, you come home and run your self a nice hot relaxing bath that makes you happy, focus on that. Or your out for a walk and see a beautiful blossom that puts a smile on your face. Beauty and happiness is all around us, its just up to us to find it!

So as of today I am taking up the "100 Happy Days" challenge. Everyday I will take a photo of something that has made me smile and upload it to INSTAGRAM with the #100happydays. The main thing to remember is that it is not a happiness competition, this is solely for your self.

I hope you check out the website and think about giving it a go - if you do please let me know! I'd love to follow you! And take at least 5 minutes a day, if not more to be selfish and make your self smile!

Have a great day guys! 

Keep smiling and be happy!

Jen x

First Impressions | Sample Rimmel BB Cream Matte

I'm getting bit of a Sample collection so I thought it high time I actually start using them! So I'm going to do a little series of first impressions. 

I got my little sample in my Company magazine last month.

Information 

Brand | Rimmel London

Product | BB Cream Matte 9-in-1

Shade | Light

Price | £6.99

Will I Purchase | No

First off its very thick and creamy and glides on really nicely. It gives good coverage but the colour on me is a bit more orangey than I'm used to. The downside to this product is that it only comes in 2 shades light and medium.

It claims that it is a 9-in-1 product:

 1| Minimises the appearance of pores

 2| Evens skin tone

 3| Mattifies

 4| Controls shine all day

 5| Smoothes

 6| Soothes

 7| Conceals dark circles

 8| Helps prevent blemishes

 9| Gives all day coverage 

For me this only does about 2 of these things. It does minimise the appearance of my pores and has concealed my dark circles a little bit. My skin tone looks a little bit better. I can't say whether it helps to prevent blemishes or soothes. It doesn't mattify my skin at all or controls shine. Because of the lack of mattifing the coverage doesn't last all day.

In this picture it does look really nice and matte. I have some left in the sample sachet so I'll continue to give it ago and see how I get on.

Have you ever used this BB cream before? 

What are your opinions on it?

I'd love to know!

Have a great day!

Jen x

Dip Dying My Hair!

Hi guys! Today I dip dyed my hair! Which for me was pretty exciting as I have never dye dyed, dip dyed or high lighted my hair before, apart from the occasional fling with a bottle of Sun-in. I used Bleached London's non permanent hair colour cream in the colour Rose. 

It cost £5 for a 150ml bottle available at Boots. Being my first time playing with colour I wanted something not to intense and quite subtle and this looked like the thing! They are available in a whole range of amazing colours from blues to greens, reds, oranges, purples and pink! 

It says it fades out with 2-10 washes  and is recommended for use on bleached or light blonde hair, and as I have neither I wasn't expecting really intense results.

I ended up with a really pretty rose colour that adds a lil summin summin to my hair. Its just noticeable, and a friend at work even said it looks kind of natural. So yes I have naturally pink hair! To be honest when I showed my brother he was like 'Its blonde?' 'Its curly?' 'What are you showing me?' but that brothers for you! 

The dye its self has a pretty pleasant scent, is really thick and creamy and I only used a tiny amount, less than what I would use to condition so I should get plenty of use out of my bottle.

I do quite like this washed out look but I plan on going over it again next time I wash my hair which will be in about 3 days, so I'll post a hair update to show any difference. 

My overall thoughts on the product is that its pretty great and I would definitely try another colour, maybe something more bold? If I'm brave enough!

I filmed a little video of me doing my dip dye. Its my first ever attempt at videoing myself and editing. Its bit of a fail granted but hey! For me it was a big thing! And I'm semi proud of it! So please do watch it, maybe if I'm ever brave enough I'll do another!

 

Such a sassy looking video thumbnail I know! And yes thats a boots bag bib I'm rocking! Mmm so sassy!

Thank you so much for reading! Have a great day!

Jen x

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Y'all!

Hope you have had a great day!

Jen x

Elf's Kitchen | BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches...yum!

So yesterday I shared a recipe for homemade BBQ sauce that goes perfectly with today's recipe! I always get so excited about making this dish. Its sooo tasty and good for the soul! This again is another FOOD NETWORK recipe and I've made it 3 times now...this is the 4th. Its seriously delish!

Lets start out with the pork rub:

In a bowl combine the following: 

~ 1 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper    

~ 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper                          

~ 1 tbsp of paprika                                  

~ 1 tbsp of ground cumin                         

~ 1 tbsp of salt                                        

~ 2 tbsp of essence (recipe to follow)      

~ 3 tbsp of soft dark brown sugar           

Recipe for the essence:

~ 2 1/2 tbsp of paprika                          

~ 2 tbsp of salt                                       

~ 2 tbsp of garlic powder/granules         

~ 1 tbsp of black pepper                       

~ 1 tbsp of onion powder                      

~ 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper                   

Pork Rub

The cut of meat that you want is pork shoulder. This is just a Sainsbury's Basic cut, 1.456kg that cost all of £4.79. But I would definitely recommend a decent cut of meat.

So once we have our pork rub made up and our pork shoulder we want to place our pork in a bowl and rub all of the rub all over the pork, into every nook and cranny.

Cover it with clingfilm....

...and place in to your fridge for a minimum of 4 hours. I like to keep it in the fridge over night, this particular piece is being kept in for 2 nights to draw in extra tasty flavour!

The next important step is the wet mop basting sauce that we will be basting our pork in during its cooking time. 

In a bowl combine in order and mixing well after each addition:

~ 1 cup of vinegar

~ 1 cup of apple cider vinegar

~ 1 tbsp of soft brown sugar

~ 1 tbsp of  Schwartz black and red pepper

~ 1 tbsp of crushed black pepper corns

~ 1 tbsp of salt

Cover up and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Method

Before we are ready to cook our meat we need to bring it up to room temperature. So take it out of the fridge and over night the meat would have released it juices and turned the pork rub in to a liquid.

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees C or gas mark 1. We are going to be slow cooking this over 7 hours.

Place your meat in a backing tray and cover with tin foil.

Every 45 minutes we will be basting the meat with the wet mop sauce. I leave it in the bowl on the side and spoon in the wet mop sauce as and when I need it.

After first basting

Continue this for your 7 hour cooking time.

Once cooking time is up remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Pull the meat apart and place in a bowl. Any juices left over in your baking tray pour all over the meat. Serve up with bread rolls ( to make your sandwiches ) chips/wedges, coleslaw, corn on the cob and your homemade BBQ sauce and enjoy your meaty feast!

Next time I do this I'm going to have a go with a brisket. If you try this let me know! I was also told repeatedly by my boyfriend that it was spicy, I didn't think it really was but if you have milder tastes like him be warned!

Enjoy!

Jeni x

Elf's Kitchen | Homemade BBQ Sauce

Hi guys,

I thought I'd share something a little bit different today! I'm going to share a homemade BBQ sauce recipe that I got from THE FOOD NETWORK (I have edited it slightly). It goes perfectly with pulled pork which I'm going to share with you tomorrow!

I got this fancy pants Kilner storage jar from Sainsbury's for £3

So lets get started, here's what your going to need:

• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 3 x 1/4 cups of soft dark brown sugar

• 60ml vinegar (in hindsight it would probably be better to use Apple Cider Vinegar, maybe next time!)
• 680g Tomato Ketchup which is a whole one of these bottles
• 250ml Apple Juice

Start by slicing up your onion into relatively small cubes

Roughly chop up your 3 cloves of garlic

Place your onions, garlic, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and cumin into a large saucepan and cook until soft

Like so...

Add in your 3 1/4 cups of soft dark brown sugar and mix together

Add in all of your tommy K and give it a really good stir

Pour in your apple juice and again give it a good mix together

Next up add in the vinegar...

...1 & 1/2 teaspoons of mustard powder...

...And then I added in some of my favourite Schwartz Black and Red pepper for an extra kick!

Once all mixed together, bring to the boil and then let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. Either use straight away or allow to cool and then transfer into a container and pop in the fridge. 

A Voila!

BBQ sauce!

Keep stored in your fridge for 2 weeks, I guarantee it will be gone by then!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Jeni x

Review | Soap&Glory Puffy Eye Attack Turbo Boost Hydragel

Its a fact of life I think, that we all suffer with dark circles, puffy eyes and bags due to our sleep patterns and life styles. And in my opinion my dark circles are not as bad as some but they are definitley visible along with a deepish line indicating a little bit of eye baggage. So I thought it was high time I try to make them a little bit less noticeable. 

My efforts at concealing them with concealer/foundation are sadly rejected by my face. It always creases and under my eyes end up looking worse that it was before and more noticeable. So when I came across this on sale I thought I would give it ago.

Information

Brand | Soap & Glory

Product | Puffy Eye Attack Turbo-Boost Hydragel

Price | £12.50 but I got it for £6.25

Size | 14ml

Packaging | Pink cardboard box with a white plastic tub inside, both embossed with the Soap&Glory logo

Would I repurchase | No

Ingredients

Aqua (Water/Eau), Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate,PEG-8, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cetyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Caffeine, Disodium EDTA, Trideceth-6, C12-16 Alcohols, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Protein, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Superoxide Dismutase, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Sodium Benzoate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Extract, Ammonium Lactate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Punica Granatum Bark Extract, Tocopherol, Sodium Dextran Sulfate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Sophora Japonica Flower Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Fruit Extract, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract, Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit Extract, Nicotiana Sylvestris Leaf Cell Culture

What it claims

"Loaded with anti-dark circle and anti-puff BOTANICAL PEPTIDES, detoxifying OXYGINSENG™ TECHNOLOGY, HYPER HYDRATORS and COOL-CUCUMBER-X™, Soap & Glory™ Puffy Eye Attack™ is a fast-acting, de-bloating, skin-firming, collagen-boosting GENIUS IN A JAR!"

• Tackles dark circles and puff
• Firms, tones, rehydrates
• Boosts collagen production
• Helps kick-start stagnant undereye circulation
• Cools, soothes and moisturises
• Perfectly balanced for all skin types

So the product itself is scent free and a gel like consistency. A little bit of this goes along way so its been lasting me very well. I've been using it for approximately 2 and a half months now both morning and night. At first impressions the gel is very nice to apply, its cool and blends in very well. 

As a makeup base for under eye it fails. Every time I apply a little bit of concealer or dab some foundation anywhere near where I applied this, it rubs and beads up and I'm left with little white blobs around my eyes that I have to try and sweep away with a brush.
As for its Puffy Eye Attacking yes my eye puffyness diminishes but I believe that is to do with fully waking up and the fluid draining from around my eyes.
My dark circles haven't changed much. I wake up and I have dark circles. When I go to bed they are still fully visible, but maybe ever so slightly less dark.
Under my eye area does feel moisturised which is good as that always helps in combating the signs of aging. But I think all in all I'm pretty disappointed in this. I recently looked at some reviews on boots.com about the product and near all of them raved about this product. So clearly it works well for some people, but sadly it hasn't worked well for me, so its a definite no repurchase.

Have you tried any eye creams that work wonders for you?
Any concealers that won't crease up?

Have a great day!

Jeni x