A slice of vegan Pai?

So it's been about a month now since my last post... It's those A levels I swear! I feel like I am constantly tied to a bundle of coursework and revision, but that should be no excuse!

Anyway, through out January I have been experimenting with the plant based/ vegan 'but I still where leather shoes' diet you could say, where I scoff my face on a Sunday night vowing to be completley vegan the next day and so forth, but to then crack mid week on a cadburys chocolate crunchie from the schools sixth form cafe! Despite that statement I have actually almost managed to go 3 weeks with consuming no animal products! I say 'almost' because today I had to eat a prawn and crayfish salad from Pret to stop my mum thinking I have lost the plot and depriving myself of protein which is readily available from pulses and quinoa etc... Let's just say I am an all or nothing girl and 10 hours later, my head is throbbing from all the nasty chemicals in my body which preserved my reeses peanut butter cup! Back to chia seed pudding for me tomorrow lets just say 

But the real point of this post is my view on Pai's skincare kit I purchased in December. I bought the set because I had become shocked and quite annoyed about what was put into products aimed at regular teenage girls like me! Not to name names as I still use some of their fab makeup products, but I wanted to improve my skins texture therefore, I opted for a more natural approach...

Here's what I purchased:

I purchased the cleanse & tone starter kit, prices start at 77 GBP but I paid an additional 10 for a 200 instead of 100ml cleanser.

My favourite thing in the pack was the Chamomile and Rosehip moisturiser for redness and hypersensitive skin. Though you can chose from 4 differnent types, I thought this particular product was great if your like my who is in a rush in the morning and doesn't have time to sit and wait for their moisturiser to sink in! It didn't leave my skin greasy or tight and the smell was very soothing. In terms of redness, I guess I did help slightly, but on my pale Snow White complexion it would take miracles to look like a porcelain doll!

Next the Camellia and Rose cleanser... With a similar soothing smell to the moisturiser, I also really liked this product due to the accompanying muslin cloth; I found the cleanser effectively removed my makeup (which is very impressive from an eu natural brand) and made my skin feel lovely and soft! 

Also within the pack came the toner, I wasn't crazy about the product in terms of its effectiveness, but to be fair I never really have with any toner I have ever bought! I mean it was nice and refreshing on the skin, but I would not re purchase. 

Overall, I love Pai's ethos and how natural each individual product is, this post has not done the science part justice therefore, if your on the fence about purchasing the products I would recommend checking the website, especially to look at the other products they cater! 

I also must admit I have not been friendly with my diet throughout using these products so I feel they may not have worked to their full potential on my skin, yet never the less they have been a pleasure to use and I would repurchase.

Lucy x 

Happy New Years Eve me

As I sit in my bedroom listening to my dad attempting to sync my Mums Red leather cased iPad to our Bose speakers, I dread the moment a dreadful number 1 from this years chart which gets used and abused on capital fm for months. It's lucky if you like the current songs apparently popular with the UK citizens at that time, but God help you in the gym if you don't... Happy New Year's Eve me.

I haven't posted on here since summer but sat with my AS coursework in front of me on the joyous day which is the 31st December, the most social night of the calander... I am sat in my own pondering the future and my passion to be a fashion journalist. I realised how much I enjoyed writing for that brief time in the summer and I am determined to reignite my love for writing, specifically lifestyle and beauty this year. 

I hope you enjoyed your 2014 and I hope 2015 brings you all you wish.

Lucy x

Review: deep sleep pillow spray by thisworks

Recently due to finishing school I have fallen into a little habit of falling asleep at 2am and waking at 10:30-isssh. Compared to my friends that's not actually too bad. However, during school I was an 'early bird' ( I hate that term ) as it was my peak revision motivation period of the day. I wanted to get rid of the lazy sluggish feeling associated with late night eating and Netflix watching. So, I recruited my dad's Xmas present.

The claim...

"A best-selling, natural sleep aid that will fragrance your bed and calm the nerves... this works de sleep pillow spray is a great alternative to sleeping pills and tablets."

I must admit I have never used tablets or sleeping pills, however I set an ambitious target of going to bed at 10 after taking a bath. About an hour over schedual I followed the instructions of spraying the solution over my pillow. The sents described are lavender ( certainly noticeable ), vetivert and wild camomile. 

Not going to lie, my initial thoughts were thinking that I may as well of been sleeping in my Nana's spare bedroom! Though as I did drift of into a sleep the sent was very relaxing and calming. Unless I am yawning before I tuck in, it takes me on average about half an hour to fall asleep using this product. 

I really like this product due to the fact that it makes me tired enough to resist the urge of checking my Instagram feed 2 hours after getting in bed. I am not sure if it could replace the pills as I have never suffered from insomnia or more. I would say it is more of a sleeping aid and as the website claims, the product calms the nerves, but at £16 it is worth a try.

Overall 8/10

Review: Yves Saint Laurent Couture Palette n*9 Love

Not going to lie, whatever advertisement YSL produce catches my eye. With the likes of a gorgeous model like Cara Delevinge, there marketing and advertising team know how to lure a teenage girl to their counter. 

I wasn't to sure if I was going to purchase this palette but the woman did an excellent job at showing me how to use the product and wearing an LBD for prom, I figured I needed something a little extra fancy in terms of makeup. 

In my opinion, the colours are not as opaque as they are in the palette yet, I think this is best as they are for me and for most people out of their comfort zone. The look achieved was what I would describe as sultry beach holiday sunset. Yes. But still, swirling my brush around, the eyeshadow I found were quite dusty.

( excuse the camera in my pupils ) 

The packaging of the product would be Infact, great for a beach holdiday as I found it was very light and plasticky. Almost, contradicting YSL's luxeryous image. By this I mean I expected the palette to weigh the equivalent of a bar of gold!

Nether the less, it is a beautiful pallet for summer and would be a lovely addition to a basic makeup collection. If you are beginning however, I would not recommend this. Instead invest in a more basic eyeshadow quad ( chanel or rimmer do some lovely quads) as at £39 I do not believe it is an essential in your bag.

Overall 6.5/10

"Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and pull yourself together"

...One of my favourite quotes from timeless beauty Elizabeth Taylor.

I have to admit, I have been brought up on Chanel lipsticks my whole life. My mum has to have bought a bullet from every summer and winter collection since her first pay check! Now don't get my wrong, a secret money tree does not grow in our garden but my mum always says "I don't drink, I don't smoke!"

Moving the intro on quickly, my prom is on Thursday and my angel of a Mum purchased this gorgeous Chanel lipstick for me in the shade Satisfaction 89.

This Rouge Coco Shine claims to be hydrating lasting a total of 8 hours while remaining light weight. If that wasn't enough to entice anyone to purchase a Chanel lippie, the "melt away balm" is meant to provide a natural shine so there is no need for lipgloss (you probably guessed from the name anyway)

 

As you can see the lipstick is a fairly nude, but with my lips the story is slightly different.

Here are my natural lips...

With the lipstick...

As you can see it is very sheer, if your eyeshadow like mine for your makeup look is bold then this colour would be fab! Evidently, the transparency of the nude from my hand and then on my lips changes but it still has that nudish tone slightly on the lips surface. My mum thought the lipstick looked coraly nude at first probably due to my natural colouring. I know my mum has different skin colour and undertones to me but she still looked great in this particular shade so I imagine it would suit most people. 

Howerer, I would have to agree with the statement of the shine and moisture it gives! It is wonderfully soft and genuinely feels like you spent £25 on a lipstick. The smell is classic for its kind and not overpowering if that's an annoyance to you. 

Despite the fact I adore this lipstick, I think you could definatley find a cheaper alternative but, I could not guarantee the same quality of a shiny but not disco ball sheen.

As for longevity, the moisture lasts but not quite the colour. Though, it is a nude and a balm so, I didn't really expect it too look overwhelming vibrant. 

Overall this product would be a 8/10 for me due to its chic packaging and stunning sheen, maybe a 10 but the price was slightly of point for the amount of time the colour lasts. But if you can't afford the bag, then get this lipstick! 

Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey Cologne review

...fancy schmancy I know! 

It's a beautiful day and the sun is shining currently in my back garden as I squint to write this post. I feel obliged to sit outside as my mum aka the sun worshiper is working so, on behalf here I am, it's tough finishing school early but someone has to do it... But that's besides the point of this post! 

I got this cologne for Christmas, after trying multiple scents in Selfridges. As I spritzed this, I knew from the freshness that it was the one, for those lazy summers days like today. 

From the website, the top note claims to be cassis "with richness of dark fruits cassis, adds an intriguing dimension to the dominant characteristic of sweet honey, peaches and nectarine" 

The middle note appears to be acacia honey "sweet and creamy"... Obviously, which is meant to "build layers of rich floral blossom with a waxy allure". Considering the perfume profile I go for is sweet, feminine and alluring, this description makes sense as to why I was attracted to the fragrance.

Finally with the base note of peach "fleshy, pulpy and enticingly delicious" (cringe), the description gives an illusion of a lovely youthful perfume. 

My opinion... 

When I spray this on my wrist, I feel like I am smelling a beautiful bouquet of flowers outside an upmarket tea room in Chelsea! I absolutely love the feminine but not super girly floral scent which I think many women across all ages could wear! I smell the depth of cassis, something creamy from the honey but not like I am putting my nose in the actual jar! Although sweet I wouldn't necessarily say peachy but nether the less, gorgeous.

I would give this perfume a 7/10 just because I have never loved anything more than the pear and freesia cologne from the brand my mum previously owned!

 

Good vibes only

Yes, some people may see lucky charms as a fad but I personally love them! I have always been fascinated by these symbols so naturally for my birthday I purchased an earring from Thomas Sabo with the Hand Of Fatima as a gift to myself for which I have no shame in at all.

But what does it actually mean? 

Also called Hamsa, the five fingers represent the five books of the Torah yet, in Islam Fatima derives from one of the two daughters of the Prohet Mohammed or some believe the Five Pillars in the Islamic religion.

Many Hamsas feature an eye in the palm which is meant to counteract the bad luck which is being directed at the person (no pun intended). Similarly unintentional acts such as jealousy are not meant to occur. Did you know they believe fish are immune to evil religiously in Hebrew? I didn't, hence they sometimes make an appearance on these protecting charms! Also words such as "mazel" which means luck can feature.

Nether the less, I stock up on every beach holiday and so should you, as they add a cool effortless touch to any outfit.