Product Review: Illamasqua Lipstick in 'Over'

   You may have seen me tweeting about my recent Illamasqua purchase at @JlouiseArtist. I was so excited to receive my goodies that I felt I needed to embark on a full scale Twitter marathon updating you on the progress of my order.

   So here is my final outcome. For the next few days I'll be producing product reviews of the items I bought from Illamasqua, starting with their lipstick.

   First of all, I really love Illamasqua's use of packaging. The sleek black materials really give the brand a super-luxe feel. Great for quality assurance.

   I bought this lipstick in the shade 'Over', however it does come in thirty-one other shades. This is advertised as a "bright coral pink, with a matt finish". After applying a transparent lip balm, I swiped the lipstick on and it appeared true to its description, apart from the matt finish. I don't know if the lip balm made it slightly more shiny (that shouldn't really happen), but it definitely wasn't matt.

   I wasn't really bothered by this, as the high level of pigmentation made my mind up about this product.

   Illamasqua are known for their extrovert advertising campaigns, with costume-like looks created using highly pigmented makeup. Their lipstick range does not fail this, as shown in the photos below - my lips are a clear bright coral.

   Another thing I love about this lipstick is that Illamasqua don't skimp. They offer a huge stick of product compared to other makeup ranges I've tried, which gives you great value for money, considering you're paying £16.50.




   In terms of staying power, I wore the lipstick for four hours before I needed reapplication. During this time, I was drinking a lot of tea, so it was bound to wear off - but it didn't!

   All in all, a great product that I am very impressed with.

£16.50 for 4g

Scent - N/A
Texture - 4/5
Efficiency - 5/5
Price - 4/5

OOTD - Sara

   As promised, this is the Pierre Cardin shirt that I bought yesterday at Judy's Vintage Fair in Ipswich. It was priced at six pounds but I negotiated the price of a fiver - every little helps!

   When I saw it, I knew I was going to buy it, even before seeing the label. The stripes make it look so nautical and summery - and the fact that it's a man's shirt makes it so casual and easy to wear.

Shirt - Vintage Pierre Cardin

Necklace - Miso at Republic

Chinos - New Look

Watch - River Island

Wedges - Dorothy Perkins

Judy's Vintage Fair - Ipswich

   Today Ipswich was home to Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair, a seven-year-old national roaming fair that encourages vintage retailers from across the country to take up a stall and sell their items.

   I've been wanting to go to this fair ever since I read about it on Becky Bed Bug's blog here, so when I saw that it was coming to my county, I jumped at the chance!

   With over thirty stalls, there was so much to choose from. The Corn Exchange hall was full of bedazzled brooches, fur coats and silk scarves, sold by enthusiastic and generally lovely people.

   I managed to get my hands on a nautical-looking Pierre Cardin shirt for only £5! I'll put up some photos of the shirt itself, plus styling, in tomorrow's post.

   I also saw my friend, Kelly, from Fairweather Vintage, who had so many great items up for sale - as usual! You may have seen me write about her lovely vintage store here.

   Here are some photos that I took today - everything was so colourful and unique, I couldn't take my hands off my camera!

Product Review: Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shine Spray

   The Awapuhi collection is a set of salon-level products by Paul Mitchell. 

   The collection's main focal point is its inclusion of the ingredient, 'awapuhi', which comes from a type of ginger found in tropical countries. The plant can be used as a medicine, food flavouring and, most commonly, as a shampoo/conditioner for hair.

   In its countries of origin, women take the juice straight from the plant and apply it to their hair for softness and shine.

   The Awapuhi Shine Spray promises these exact things - condition and illumination - as stated on the packaging. I've provided some before and after shots below to show you the results.



   As you can see, there really isn't much difference. I had used this spray straight after washing, blow-drying and straightening my hair, hoping for it to add smoothness and shine.

   A good spray later and it had smoothed down the flyaways, but I didn't see any notable difference in the tone of my hair.

   I had gone to work for eight hours after applying the spray and, after coming back home, I brushed my hair and noticed that it was significantly less tangled. This is great as I often find my hair gets so tangled, especially after I've straightened it.

   The scent is also a nice touch. It has that salon-smell, which I love because it makes me feel like I've just had my hair done professionally.

   Paul Mitchell products are already hard to come by, but I can't find the Awapuhi products anywhere in my area. Disappointing.


   Overall, I didn't notice a difference in the appearance of my hair, even after generous application. However, the product did condition my hair, making it less tangled and slightly smoother.


£18.95 for 125ml


Price - 2/5
Scent - 5/5
Texture - N/A
Efficiency - 3/5

OOTD - Alexandra

Blazer - H&M
Necklace - Miso at Republic

Denim Shirt - Burton

Disco Pants - Boohoo.com

Black Litas - Boohoo.com


If you like reading my blog please vote for me for 'Best New Fashion Blog' in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013!!

Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013

   As you may have seen on my Twitter, I've entered into the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013!

   If you love reading my blog, I would LOVE you to vote for me in the 'Best New Fashion Blog' category. 

   This would be the highlight of my year - and just to share my excitement with you, if I get shortlisted I will host a huge giveaway competition on my blog, just because I adore you all so much for participating with me on this blogging journey!

   If you'd like to vote for me, click on the image below. When you reach Cosmo's blog awards page, scroll down and click the 'Next Page' button. There you'll be given a form to vote.


   Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please comment below if you have voted so I can thank you personally!

   Much love,
   Jennifer x

Product Review: Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara

   Their first ever mascara, Jelly Pong Pong's Fairy Lashes is one mascara that I would use again.

   Not only does it come in a gorgeously-patterned floral box, but the product container itself fits in with Jelly Pong Pong's sleek and fun packaging theme. This makes it easy to identify as a brand, plus it stands out in your make up bag.



   The mascara itself is a great product, promising fluttering and flapping eyelashes, like a fairy's wings. Yes, it does provide these effects - as you can see above, my bare eyelashes look completely different from my mascara-d eyelashes in the photograph below. 

   The slightly curved brush made it easier to apply the "intensified colour", which is a mixture of black and blue pigments for 'midnight eyes'. Though the product took longer to apply than some other brands (approximately ten swipes of the brush to each eye), I would sacrifice time for results.

   The mascara made my lashes look both thicker and curvier without feeling heavy. I was also surprised at the texture of my lashes, as I was expecting them to feel rough, however they stayed sleek all day.

   Removing the mascara was easy. Although the mascara is water-resistant, a slick of eye makeup remover wiped away any residue.



   Overall, this is a great product from an exciting and ever-growing brand.

£15.00

Scent - N/A
Texture - 5/5
Efficiency - 5/5
Price - 3/5