Dirty Martini Cocktail Masterclass

Hey All

Last week we were invited to a cocktail masterclass as Dirty Martini. Of course we said yes, we were both gutted to have missed opening night and couldn't wait to try it out. If you've followed us from the early days you'll know we are big cocktails fans (the blog used to be cosmetics, shopping and intoxication) and used to post recipes to our favourite cocktails weekly.

Boux Avenue Haul

Hey All

I definitely don't buy new bras as often as I should. When La Senza closed down I've tried different shops but not found one's I liked enough to go back and re buy. When I was feeling spendy the other day I decided to pop into Boux Avenue, L is a big fan so I decided it was about time I gave it ago.

They had an offer one where if you bought the bra you got free matching pants. I love buying sets but always find the knickers seem really expensive so when I saw the offer I was sold. I went to be measured as I've not been for ages. I have actually been wearing the wrong size...ooops. The lady doing it was great and picked out different styles and sizes to try to find what I was comfortable in.

I ended up picking up two styles. I went for light colours as I really needed a new white bra and the floral print was too pretty not to pick up.

I ended up going for the Chloe Lace Balconette Bra. I never used to choose a balconette style but I really like the shape this gives me and it's so comfortable. I'm surprised how much my tastes have change. The matching knickers are soooo comfy too plus they look good. 

The floral print bra is a boost bar so enhances cup size. I always favoured these bras a few years ago and love the shape it gives me but not sure if now it makes my boobs look too big. It's comfortable but I probably wouldn't buy this style again unless my boobs shrink a bit again. It's currently on offer as well for cheaper than I paid but lets not mention that! 

Boux Avenue has won me over and I'm already eyeing up my next buys. The Anoushka bra is next on my list!!

Where do you find best for bras?

Love M

xxx

Living Nature Lipstick in Wild Fire

Morning all!

A few weeks ago we were sent some lipsticks from Living Nature, so I chose the lipstick called Wild Fire.

Living Nature are a company from New Zealand who produce products that do not contain any synthetic compounds including parabens and only use beeswax and honey from animal derived products. In fact the list of products that aren't in any of their cosmetics is pretty impressive! In fact, here's the list so you can see yourself:

No Synthetic Preservatives, No potentially harmful chemicals, No Mineral Oils, No Herbicide or Pesticide Residues, No GM ingredients, No Animal Ingredients or testing, Only Use Recyclable, Reusable Packaging. The Living Nature preservative system is a synergy of potent plant extracts which are strong antioxidants, bactericides and fungicides. Living Nature aims to create a sustainable, profitable, ecological, educational and inspirational business that impacts on the individual by promoting healthy skin. 

All sounds wonderfully promising don't you think??

In addition to this, the lipsticks in particular have a 100% natural formula containing beeswax, certified by BDIH and produced in recyclable plastic tube. They are not tested on animals either which is always a great bonus, there really isn't any excuse any longer for animals to be tortured for humans to wear make up.

The packaging is black and rubbery on the outside, hopefully this means it is a little more hard wearing than other black plastic packaging we are all familiar with. It feels a lot sturdier and has a satisfying click so you can be sure the lid isn't going to fall of these - which you would think is an odd point to make but I've lost a few lipsticks to my hairbrush and keys recently and I refuse to lose any more!

Wild Fire is described as a semi-matte red with an orange undertone, it is a very wearable lipstick. The colour is quite sheer so it is more like a stain or a tinted lip balm than a traditional 'lipstick' but I really like it.

It's very comfortable to wear which is a welcome change from many of the matte lipsticks and liquid lipsticks that are available now that I can find are very drying.

My lips are quite small and I always prefer a lip product with a cream or glossy finish to give the appearance of more volume so the semi-matte finish is a perfect compromise for every day wear.

The lipstick colour doesn't last all day with eating etc but to be honest it is so easy to reapply owing to the sheer finish that it isn't a problem.

The range of lipsticks from Living Nature contains twelve colours altogether and a lip hydrator. Botanical Brands (the sole distributor in the U.K. for Living Nature) carries all 12 of these which is great! You can find them at www.botanicalbrands.com 

The lipsticks cost £19.50 each which is perfectly reasonable for a lipstick with minimal chemicals and no animal testing in sight!


Have you heard of Living Nature before? Have you tried out some of their lipsticks?


They have a huge range of skincare too, some of their serums, oils and masks sound wonderful and I've spotted some gift sets that would be great on a Christmas list!

L xxx

Pestle and Mortar Skincare Deals

Hey all

When we were contacted to see if we fancied trying some Pestle and Mortar skincare items we of course said yes. We have both taken care of our skin with full skincare routines started from our early 20s in the hope prevention is better than cure.

We couldn't wait to get out hands on the Pestle and Mortar products as not only are they cruelty free (a must for me now), they are suitable for all skin types, both of our skin needs seem to be changing so a product suitable for all is great, they also free from parabens, mineral oil, silcones, sulphates and propylene. When we first started the blog we wrote about parabens, sulphates and silcones in products and what it means, you can find these posts here.

Pestle and Mortar is an Irish beauty brand that have a great range of skincare products all in gorgeous packaging. I love the simplicity of the packaging and the monochrome it looks great on my bedside table.

We were lucky enough to be sent the Hyaluronic Serum. I'm so excited to give this a proper try. L has tried the alpha h liquid gold before which contain hyaluronic acid so was excited to try this to see how it compares.

The serum is formulated from the salt of hyaluronic acid. This is a smaller molecule and is said to be even more penetrative than hylauronic acid. I can't wait to give this a proper trial and see the results. As I'm getting older even though I have oily skin I'm still finding my skin dehydrated. Serums such as this one are great for getting moisture in my skin without drying it out. 

It leaves the skin feeling really soft and the perfect base for makeup. We will be doing a full review once we've been able to try it for a while but wanted to go on and share it as with Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner Pestle and Mortar are offering some great deals. It's worth signing up to the mailing list as you get 20% off. Non-subscribers still get 15% off thought.

Have you heard of Pestle and Mortar? Will you be taking advantage of the deals? They can be purchased from pestleandmortarcosmetics.com.

Love M

xxx