A Long Overdue Lifey Update

Woah. This feels weird. But I'm back! I know it's only been about 10 days, but honestly, it feels like a year! Anyway, I'm so sorry for being so sporadic on here recently - I have exams coming up in a few weeks time and despite having revision it still feels as though essays are coming in left right and centre! In addition to this I haven't been too well recently (or as you'll know if you follow me on twitter where I've been moaning about it!) and therefore haven't really been into the 'blogging' mood - which is strange for me!

But anyway, last weekend I went shopping (what a surprise) - so expect a haul and some more reviews very soon. A hint - I've fallen in love with a very expensive but amazing foundation. Guess what it is yet?! Mwhahaha!! 

So I promise there will be more posts in the next few days....

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

GIVEAWAY (CLOSED)

Hello lovely ladiesss!

So today I have a very exciting giveaway for you all! After Christmas, I think we all like to visit the gym, go for a run, do some zumba - in my case, basically anything to make myself think I'm working off those numerous Ferrero Rocher's from Christmas. So to help with it:

You could win  one of ShockAbsorber's new Ultimate Gym Bras!

There is lots of science behind these sports bras, and I wouldn't expect anything less as ShockAbsorber is the UK's #1 sports bra brand. The Ultimate Gym Bra, which one of you lovely readers could win, features padded straps and hook (to prevent the eye in the hook and eye clip digging in), multi-dimensional, encapsulated support among many other amazing features, and has bounce control tested at the University of Portsmouth! Bounce control - who knew? How amazing? The material is also a soft and breathable under band and high performance fabrics, with padded non-slip straps and a seam free inner lining - THIS IS JUST BASICALLY AMAZING.

The bra also features a headphone wire holder so that you can listen to some amazing tunes whilst on a run, at the gym or wherever you like to exercise! Shock Absorber recently teamed up with Dr Karageorghis and his team at Brunel University, London and they recommended some great tunes to listen to whilst exercising (because they found that people were able to endure exercise for 15% LONGER when listening to motivational music!) Some of the songs they recommended were Call My Name by Cheryl Cole (128bpm), We Found Love by Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris (129bpm) and Both of Us by B.o.B ft. Taylor Swift (127bpm).

So, how could YOU get your hands on one of these?

T&Cs
1. UK Only, sorry!
2. If your size is not available in the Ultimate Gym Bra, you will be offered another bra in your size :-)



-this competition is now closed. congratulations to the winner, Danielle -

Good Luck all!

Lots of love,

I have a perfume problem.

Hello my lovelies,

Okay, so my problem is this: I like too many perfumes. I always see people who say, 'this is my staple perfume' or 'I wear this every day'. I don't think I could ever do that! Sure, I have my favourites - but there are roughly 4 of them - and the number keeps growing!

One perfume I wore on and off throughout 2012 and am currently loving as a winter fragrance is the "Belle" perfume from Jigsaw.

Okay, let's start with the packaging. I absolutely love the gold and mint colour scheme - it looks oh so French and looks perfect on my dressing table. But when you open it....

IT IS SITTING ON A BED OF VELVET. I REPEAT, IT IS SITTING ON A BED OF VELVET. I mean, how perfect does it look? Let's ignore the fact that I can't figure out how to remove it from the bed of velvet, because frankly, it's so pretty I can overlook that. This is in such a classic bottle and smells so lovely and sophisticated, that it really has become an evening staple for me. I say evening, as it's quite a heavy, sophisticated perfume which I feel is a little too heavy for all-day, every-day wear. To apply, I just dab the bottle top on my wrists - it really is that easy.

Annoyingly, I don't know if Jigsaw are still stocking this - but if not, I shall start a petition to get it back! Otherwise, I'm sure you could find it on ebay or somewhere. 

Lots of love,

2013 Recommendations

Hello my lovelies,

This is quite a quick post as I'm now back at 6th form and the essays are rolling in! I've been meaning to do this post for a while now, so thought I should finally get around to doing it! I thought I'd share some of the blogs and youtubes I've loved watching and reading throughout 2012. I'm sure some of them you will all already know, but if not, hopefully you'll go check them out!

(no particular order)

BLOG - YOUTUBE

I've absolutely loved watching Estée's youtube videos and reading her blog. She has the best personality which really comes across in her videos, and I find her reviews (both video and text) so helpful!

YOUTUBE - VLOG CHANNEL

I absolutely love Jessie's style - and have also loved watching her Vlog channel, especially her Vlogmas series. It's really nice to be able to watch someone close to my age and always take her advice when it comes to fashion and beauty (if you saw what I asked for for Christmas, you would understand).

BLOG

Couture girl was a blog I didn't discover until quite late in 2012, but loved reading it nonetheless. Her posts are always varied and I always get excited when a new post from Kayleigh pops up on my blogger feed!

BLOG

I absolutely love Amy's style and always take inspiration from her outfit posts! I've been following her blog for a while now and just love it. I don't think I can say much else.

YOUTUBE

Okay. So this isn't fashion or beauty related. But every day (Monday through Friday) DailyGrace never fails to put a smile on my face. I always eagerly await her videos and if you're not subscribed to her...well, then...you should be. She's hilarious.

I hope through this post you've discovered some new youtubes & blogs. As I said earlier, you've probably heard of most of these...but oh well. These are just some of the youtubers and bloggers I've loved watching and reading through 2012 - if I mentioned all of them...I'd be here all day.

Lots of love,

REVIEW: Bobbi Brown 'Beach' Body Lotion

Hello my lovelies!

Today I thought I'd share one of my favourite body lotions with you all. I've only recently got into using body lotions (if last summer is recently..) after wanting to help my (tiny) tan last. I received this for Christmas and have been using it after every bath/shower since - unheard of for me as I usually don't like the sticky feeling of body lotions after a nice shower!

The first is one I received for Christmas - the Bobbi Brown 'Beach' body lotion. If you've been following this blog for some time, or follow me on twitter then you may know that my favourite perfume of all time is Bobbi Brown 'Beach'. It reminds me so much of summer and sunny days, and is incredibly wearable. The fragrance is a mix of "sand jasmine, sea spray, and mandarin" and so I think you can imagine this smells gorgeous!

The body lotion is incredibly lightweight yet moisturises the skin well, leaving it feeling lovely and smooth. The scent lingers (lightly, not overpowering!) on the skin - I love everything about this and cannot wait to use it in the summer on any hint of a tan that I may get!

This retails for £21 (I only know this as I was wanting it before I was given it) and if you're looking for a nice little treat, I really recommend it. I personally will ask for this as a gift again if it runs out, or perhaps splash out and buy it for myself - as I absolutely love the scent and how it makes my skin feel - I especially can't wait to use it in the summer If you're ever passing a Bobbi Brown counter, I really recommend you have a smell of the 'Beach' products.

Lots of love,

ps. Now I'm officially a 'body lotion' user - please leave recommendations in the comments!

REVIEW: Korres Lip Butter

Hello my lovelies,

In late November I treated myself to a Korres Lip Butter from ASOS after hearing so many youtubers and bloggers rave about them. I really wanted a nude shade, so went for 'Jasmine'. However, I was quite confused as I presumed the scent of the product would also be of jasmine (one of my favourite scents), however, the only thing I can compare the smell to is burnt popcorn! So in that way I was a little disappointed.

'Jasmine' is a nude shade (despite looking darker in the pot), and I wouldn't say it added any colour to my lips at all, apart from perhaps making them look glossy. This does moisturise my lips and I do like the packaging - it's cute and perfect for ones handbag, but for the £7 price tag - I think in future I'll stick to Carmex! 

ps. I've entered a SheInside competition here. If you could 'like' my most recent post, it would mean a lot! You should all enter too, if you can :) Feel free to tweet me @rosereviews if you do 'like' it so I can say thanks!

REVIEW: St Tropez Skin Illuminator

Hello my lovelies,

About a year ago (!!) I bought this skin illuminator from St. Tropez in 'violet', whilst looking for a dupe for the MAC Strobe Cream. I think I was most attracted to this as it was on offer, but it also intrigued me!

This really does have a violet-coloured undertone to it - so is perfect for those seeking the bold look which I always associate with brands such as Illamasqua. Frankly, now I am wondering if this was meant for use on body rather than on the face - however I really have liked using it. It's perfect for a bold 'night-out' look and I think would look particularly great on those with a darker skin tone. If I wear this alongside a bright pink blush, it tends to look awful! However - I must say that it is incredibly illuminating and so I will continue to use this when I want a more eye-catching look until it has run out - and am especially looking forward to trying it out on my legs in the summer!

The Versatile Blogger Award

A big thank you to Olivia from OKfashionbeauty as well as Louise and Erin from Sparkly Blues and Rainbow Shoes for nominating me for this blogger award!

The Versatile Blogger Award is for fairly new bloggers and these are the rules....

1. Nominate up to 15 other bloggers who are quite new to blogging

2. Let them know that you have nominated them

3. Share 7 random facts about yourself

4. Thank the blogger who has nominated you

5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post

So here are 7 completely random facts about me:

#1 - I love photo frames and if I could, I would just have them EVERYWHERE. Especially shabby chic ones. On my desk I have a little heart frame with a photo of my granny when she was little with her father, sisters and dog. It's so cute!

#2 - As well as being an aspiring actress, I also like to sing. I see this as more of a hobby, but my blue Snowball microphone has completely changed recording audio for me!

#3 - The main 2nd language I study is French. I did both French and Spanish at GCSE, and for the most part preferred Spanish - but at the last minute I chose to take French at 6th form as I love the French culture (and food..) and can see myself living there one day!

#4 - A few birthdays ago I got given the guitar I'd been wanting for SO long before. I'm so embarrassed to admit that it hasn't got much use, but this year that's going to change and I'm going to teach myself *gulp*.

#5 - I have the most varied music taste - I love the majority of genres (excluding heavy metal!!). On a day to day basis, I listen to Coldplay, Travis and One Direction mostly though ;) I've also really got into Kanye West and Jay-Z 'Watch The Throne' this Christmas as their music is being used in the new 'The Great Gatsby' film which I am SO excited for.

#6 - I can't walk in heels. It's awful.

#7 - I love peppermint tea too much!! I've gone off dairy at the moment as it makes me feel quite ill, and so normal builders tea is not being consumed :(

I nominate:

Kel loves

Fashion 4 teens

Pretty Squared

Little Miss Student Beauty

Blue Belle Lovely

Thank you again to the three lovely bloggers who nominated me!

NOTD: Pastel Me Pretty

Hello my lovelies,

These are my nails today - I absolutely love pastels so thought I'd shake it up a bit and use Models Own "Lilac Dream" with Miss Sporty (colour unknown - yellow shade) as an accent nail. I applied American Apparel's 'Supernova' over every nail. I think lilac and yellow is a bit different and I'm not yet sure about it, but it makes the accent nail stand out a bit more which I do like. I received 'Supernova' as a Christmas present from a friend and I absolutely love it - it's quick drying and is very smooth on the nail, unlike other glitter polishes I have tried in the past.

Lots of love,

REVIEW: Daisy Eau de Parfum Natural

I was very lucky before Christmas and won this amazing perfume, 'Daisy Eau de Parfum Natural' by Marc Jacobs  from escentual.com in a giveaway. I absolutely love the escentual website as it's classy with a great layout, creating a great shopping experince, something I think is hard to find online nowadays!

The perfume itself is a slightly heavier version of the normal 'Daisy' and smells really sophisticated. Described as being of a 'higher concentration' than Daisy, making it 'a more sensual and indulgent experience to dive deeper into the whimsical world of Daisy', this has quickly become one of my favourite fragrances (alongside the likes of Bobbi Brown 'Beach'). The black and gold packaging is elaborate yet classy and looks fabulous on my dressing table - this product really looks, feels and smells  luxury. With top notes of wild strawberry, violet leaves and ruby red grapefruit, heart notes of violet, jasmine and gardenia and base notes of vanilla, musks and white woods - I must say I slightly prefer the smell of this perfume a little while after application, perhaps as I simply love violet and jasmine. 

I would definitely recommend this perfume, perhaps when you next pass it, give it a spray?

Lots of love,

ps. I am aware that many of my posts lately have been rather wordy due to Christmas/New Year etc and the lighting just being generally pants. Luckily, my new blog design means  that there's a neat little blog archive at the side now! So go search for the type of posts you're looking for to your hearts content ;)