Soap & Glory: It's the Whole She-Bang Gift Set

Hi Guys.

Sorry it has taken me a while to get this blog post out but it has been one stressful time at university.  I have had deadlines for uni work and all my life has been dedicated to that...plus work.  I have a few posts in mind for the coming month, maybe into February as well.  

To kick the first blog post of 2016 off, I am going to show you a gift I received at Christmas...well I got this at New Year as I went home over this period but it was a Christmas Present from my family.  

The first day I went home, I was presented with a giant present and once opened, I realised that I had received Soap & Glory's It's the Whole She-Bang gift set.  Now before I go into what is in this glorious  gift set, I would like to point out that I have never used any Soap & Glory products (through fault of my own)  It is not because I didn't want to try this brand, I just didn't know which one to try first.  

I had seen many post of this gift set throughout the blogosphere, and fell in love as this is the perfect way for Soap and Glory novices like me who want to try the brand out but are overwhelmed by the number of products they have. 

The gift set comes with 9 items from their brand and costs £60 but at the time of sale, this price was £30 at Boots   (On finding the link for this gift set on Boots.com, I found that they are selling this at £18 in the sale, however, this is unavailable on-line and after searching through a few main cities in the UK, only a select few stores still carry this)  

So what is in this beautiful gift set?  Well, upon opening this, I found a wide selection of goodies to try out.

  

The first three items I pulled out were, Clean on Me, The Righteous Butter and Peaches and Clean.  

Clean on me is a beautifully smelling body wash which lathers up like a dream.  I have used this a few times and I love the scent and wish I had tried this earlier.  I cannot put my finger on what the scent is but it is very sweet smelling, almost marshmallow like.  

The Righteous Butter is a thick body butter which smells fresh and clean with a scent of citrus.  I have yet to try this but I am looking forward to trying this and will update you all on this when I have tried this.

Peaches and Clean is the only skincare product that is used on the face.  This smells like heaven.  The scent of this is fruity yet minty.  I think this is the best smelling of the line and I will have to see if they have this scent in a body wash or body lotion.  Again, I have yet to try this but I cannot wait to try this.  

The next four items that I pulled out are Hand Food, Heel Genius Foot Cream, Thick & Fast High Definition Mascara and Sexy Mother Pucker Lipgloss.

Hand Food say it is a hydrating hand cream which is a thick cream that smells dreamy.  I detect 

a fruity smell almost like strawberries and cream.  I currently have a hand cream that I am using but I am looking for a small size for my handbag and I am thinking of purchasing the smaller size soon.

Heel Genius Foot Cream is a very sweet scented cream and by the looks of it, very nourishing, thick cream.  I am not one for foot creams or foot care but I am looking forward to trying this cream.

Thick & Fast High Definition Mascara.  I tried this mascara the other day and I love it.  I don't think it does exactly what it says, but it separates my lashes amazingly and it is so black which is what I love in a mascara.  I think I have found my favourite mascara for the time being.

Sexy Mother Pucker in Rose & Shine is a very nice rose colour.  I am not one for lip glosses but I may have to see how this looks layered over my new MAC Lipstick (This will be featured in my haul post)

The final two items are The Scrub of your Life and The Righteous Butter Sun kissed Tint Body Lotion.

The Scrub of your Life is fresh smelling, scrub with little pink beads.  I have tried body scrubs and nothing has caught my eye to being the best in my eyes so I am excited to try this.  The scent is bergamot and mandarin, rose, jasmine, peach, strawberry, oak-moss and amber.  Once again, I am plagued by the scent of jasmine (which indirectly I am drawn to)  

The righteous Butter Sun Kissed Body Lotion is a tinted body lotion.  This lotion smells divine.  I think this smells like chocolate but I could be wrong.  All I know is this smells amazing.  I am yet to use this as I am a bit weary of tanning products as I am not used to using them but I think in time, I will love this product.

All these products, come in a very pop art zipped carry case which is beautiful and I will use this time and time again.  I am so happy to have received this  at Christmas.  And I am hoping that one of these products will become a permanent fixture in my life.

What is your favourite Soap & Glory product?  Any other recommendations?

Bye for now.

Jess. X

Blogmas - Day Eight: Red Lips for the Party Season

Hi guys.

Today's post is a bit of a different one.  I am going to show you three red lipsticks you can wear for this time of year.  Before I get into the post, I would like to say that I am not one to wear red lips though I am trying out different brands and formulas to see which suit me best.  I am only showing three as these are the three I have in my collection.  I will try my hardest to give my opinion as I have only worn two of them so far.

From L to R: Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Standout, Model Co Ultra Long-Lasting Lipstick in Smitten & Rimmel Apocalips in Big bang.

From Top to Bottom: Smitten, Standout & Big Bang

Model Co's Ultra Long-Lasting Lipstick in Smitten.

I have not long had this lipstick...in fact I only received this in my December Birchbox (linked here) yesterday so I haven't had the chance to wear it yet to see if it is long-lasting.  I swatched the colour on my hand and I am excited to see how it looks against my skin tone.  Smitten is a red with a slight berry colour to it.  I feel that it has a slight blue undertone too which I have been told will compliment my skin tone.  The scent of this lipstick is heavenly as it smells like vanilla!

Revlon's Colourburst Matte Balm in Standout.

This by far has to be the red lip I am loving as it is matte and I am into matte lips as well as ling lasting products.  I wore this on a night out once and it stayed on the whole night and didn't stain my lips.  Standout is a red and again, like Smitten, has a slight berry colour to it.  I can also see a hint of blue again in this lip product though it isn't as noticeable from a far.  The scent of the product is mint and I haven't noticed the scent lingering for long although it isn't an offensive mint scent.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Big Bang

This is a liquid lipstick which is a true red colour.  It has a glossy look to it which depending on my mood, I can make work for me.  I have only used this once and didn't feel that it suited me at all.  I will try and work more with it once my confidence with red and bright colours' is here.  I am eager to try more from this range.  The scent of this is quite chemically but it isn't offensive and doesn't linger.

So there are my three red lip products for this years party season.  Like I said before, I am not confident with wearing red or bright lipsticks yet but I would like to try more colours' to see what is out there that will suit me.

What red or bright lips are you loving this season?  Any recommendations for me to try?

Bye for now.

Jess. X

Blogmas - Day Three: The Christmas Tag

I did a similar tag last year during Blogmas but this year I decided to do a different one courtesy of Beth from Miss Beauty Obsession (linked here).  I will also link my last Christmas Tag from last year here.

What is your favourite Christmas movie?

I have a few favourite Christmas movies; The Muppet's Christmas Carol, The Wizard of Oz and The Miracle on 34th Street.  I have done an in depth blogpost on my favourite Christmas movies which I will link here.

Do you open presents on Christmas Morning or Christmas Eve?
We have a tradition in my family to open one present on Christmas eve while in out new Christmas PJ's and open the rest on Christmas morning.

Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

I don't really have a Christmas memory as for the last few years have been really good.  I guess if I had to choose one it would be spending time with family when I was a child.

What's your favourite festive food?

Christmas dinner hands down.  My flatmates and I recently had a flat Christmas dinner which went really well as some of my flat mates have never tried a British Christmas dinner and they enjoyed it so much.  I have some pictures on Intsagram (linked here)

What's been your favourite Christmas gift?

I would have to say my favourite Christmas gift has to be my Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy perfume which I got for my very first Christmas with my ex-boyfriend.

What's your favourite Christmas scent?

My favourite Christmas scent is anything with spiced apple and cinnamon as it reminds me of home when my mum would burn candles smelling of this as well as having air fresheners.  I always make sure I have a can of air freshener that has this scent every year so it reminds me of home.

Do you have a Christmas Eve Tradition?

Like I mentioned above our family tradition is to sit around and open one present while wearing our new PJ's  I try to keep this tradition even if I am not at home anymore.

What tops your tree?

At the moment I have a silver angel at the top of my tree.  I have had this for 5 years and it is still going strong.

As a child, what was the one (crazy, extravagant) gift you wanted but never got?

I honestly cannot remember.  It has been so long since I have looked through the Argos catalogue as a child and I guess if I looked through it now it would be completely different.

What do you think is the best part of Christmas?

The countdown and the excitement of knowing Christmas is coming closer.  This Christmas will be a bit different as I am staying at uni and working (sad I know but Christmas wont be the same this year).

So that is my tag for this year hope you enjoy reading my answers this year.  Please feel free to do this tag and I tag anyone who reads this and please go and check out Beth's blog, it is awesome.

Bye for now.
Jess. X 

Blogmas - Day One

Blogmas - Day One

I cannot believe my blog is now one year old! How time flies. I don't know as of yet what I want to do to celebrate this occasion but I will do something (ideas would be appreciated). I also can't believe that I have kept to my word of posting as regular as I can (I know I missed a few months due to a busy schedule but I will hopefully get this sorted out). 

As I enjoyed doing Blogmas last year, I have decided I am going to do this again. So as it is the 1st of December, I am going to kick this years Blogmas off with an update.  I know I have done a few recently but I have been MIA for a few weeks and it will be a catch up as well as a get to know me for my new followers. 

So as some may know, I'm Jess and I am a second year student at the University of Bradford studying Health, Wellbeing and Social Care.  Most of my life at the moment is uni work as well as my two part time jobs (one being a Student Ambassador for my faculty and the other and more frequent is crew member at Burger King). I spend most of my free time studying (boring I know but it's gotta be done). 

I created this blog a year ago today and have loved writing posts and reviewing products. I want to be more involved with my blog this next coming year and hopefully start a YouTube channel but that is only in the planning stages in my head and want to get into a regular routine with my blog. 

I recently became single and am starting to love the single life although I do miss being in a relationship.  I do have to say, I have had a lot of support through this.  Being in a relationship for three years is a long time and we both were serious throughout the duration of the relationship but things started to get a bit strained and we decided it was best to end it.  I was devastated but as time has gone on, I am slowly getting over it and getting on with my life.

I will be staying at uni for the Christmas holidays, working and finishing off assignments.  I am aiming to do well in my next two years of uni.  I cannot believe that I graduate in a year and a half.  Time is going by so fast.

What is going on in your lives?  Hope you all have a great Blogmas.  Let me know if you are participating in Blogmas and I'll have a look.

Bye for now.

Jess. X 

Merry Christmas and a happy new year

IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

I cannot believe it is Christmas already and that 2014 is almost over.  A lot of things have happened this year and I am looking forward to 2015 and the things I have planned.  I would like to say a bit Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and also a big thank you to those who read my blog and also a big hello to those who are new.  Big things will be happening in 2015 with my blog and I hope that it becomes bigger and better for everyone.

Have a great day today and I shall see you in my next blogpost.

Bye for now.

Jess. X

Blogmas day 22 : Favourite Christmas films

As if we are on day 22 of Blogmas...it has just flown by.  We have only 2 days left and boy have a I got a good post waiting for day 24...you will have to stay tuned for that one.

Today I thought I would share my favourite Christmas films.  I am not one for Christmas films but there are four that I watch every year...two that I only watch at this time of year and two that I watch all year round but they tend to show it at Christmas.

My first film is The Muppet's Christmas Carol.  Now I don't care for the original version or any other version apart from The Muppet's.,,I don't even care for The Muppet's so for me to love this film beats me!  I have always liked this version.  I don't know why...I just do.  For as long as I can remember I always love watching this around this time of year.  I tend to watch it in the run up to Christmas and I was having a conversation about this film and another film, that I will talk about in a moment, with a friend and she said that the two films in question should be watched on Christmas eve...I differ on this debate as I feel that they are films to get you in the Christmas spirit and should be viewed from the 1st December.  This film is one that I love to watch with a nice warm drink and some snacks and I am in Christmas heaven.

The second film I like to watch at Christmas is Miracle on 34th Street.  I prefer the version with Mara Wilson as I think she was one of the best child actors when I was growing up (why she quit acting I will never know.)  I love the storyline and the scenery and how it shows that people can be swayed when it comes to believing in the unknown.  I know that there are many people out there who believe in Father Christmas and my other half likes to try and persuade me that he is real but I not one to be swayed but I still watch this and am amazed at however many times I watch it, I am still shocked at the outcome.

I was over the moon to get both of the above films on DVD.

Home Alone is another film I like to watch at this time of year but I have been known to watch them at any other time of the year.  I like films one and two and I don't care for the other two.  My favourite of the two I do like is Home Alone 2.  I like the way that it is set in New York and even though I have never been to New York (though it is a place I would like to go)  I still get a bit sad when I see the twin towers standing in the skyline.  I also like the way that a small boy can get into so much trouble and yet his parents are just too relieved to get him back.

My last film I like to watch at Christmas is The Wizard of Oz.  Yes I know it is not really a Christmas film but it tends to be shown at this time of year and I love watching it.  Knowing that this film is on the TV makes me think that Christmas is right around the corner and that I can get in the festive mood.  I have been known to watch this all year round but it is only when shown around Christmastime, that I get all festive and merry.

So that is my four Christmas films that get me in the festive spirit.  What films do you like to watch around this time of year?

Bye for now,

Jess. X

Blogmas day 19 : Christmas Shopping

I love Christmas shopping. I think I'm one out of a small number of people who do. When you go Christmas shopping, you have an idea on what you want to get people.  You have the festive Christmas songs, people barging into others, shops stocked up on Christmas wrapping and seasonal chocolate.  The weather is bitter and cold and your all wrapped up. 

I had my Christmas shopping done a few weeks back and apart from one thing which I had to order online a week before Xmas and hoping it would come on time (thankfully it did) 

I love the wrapping process of Christmas. I love sitting at the table with Christmas songs on the TV and a nice hot drink, I could wrap all day :D. My other half thinks I'm crazy but I really do like wrapping gifts almost as much as giving the gift out.  I like making the gift look pretty and I get quite OCD over what they look like. 

How much Christmas shopping have you got left?  Do you enjoy wrapping and shopping? 

Bye for now. 

Jess. X

Blogmas day 10 : The Christmas TAG

This is the first ever TAG I have done and have always wanted to do one.  As Christmas is coming up, I thought I would do my first ever TAG with a Christmas theme.

I first saw this TAG on Lou's World (which I will link here)  Go check her out...she is amazing!


1. Do you like to stay in your PJ’s, or dress up for Christmas? 

Because I go and see family, the majority of the day I am dressed up for Christmas.  I like to have a brand new outfit...it just makes me feel pretty and after all it is a special day.  

2. If you could only buy one person a present this year, who would it be?
I don’t think I could only buy one person a present this year...it would be like telling people who your favourite person is in your life.

3. Do you open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Growing up we had a tradition where we would open a present on Christmas eve and they would always be a new pair of PJ’s which we would run upstairs and put on and be nice and cosy before putting Father Christmas’s treats out for him.  As I have gotten older, I still like having new PJ’s at Christmas but I always wait until Christmas day to open presents.

4. Have you ever built a Gingerbread house?
I don’t think I have ever built one before but I really wish I could.

5. What do you like to do on your Christmas break?
Usually I like to relax and see friends and family but this year as I am in my first year of University, I have a lot of work to do, so the majority of the Christmas break will be essay writing and presentation writing.  I will go see friends and family but not before I have done a bit of work.

6. What’s your favourite Christmas meal or treat?
Christmas dinner of course!  How can anyone not like a good Christmas dinner.  This year I will be eating with my family but last year, I ate with my other half’s family and his mums roast potatoes where so good and I am slightly upset that I won’t be eating them this year. :(

7. What’s your favourite holiday movie?
This one is easy...The Muppet’s Christmas Carol.  I have loved this movie for as long as I can remember and last year my lovely other half bought it on DVD for me even though he knows I don’t like the Muppet’s usually and yet he bought my favourite Christmas movie.  It is still in the cellophane wrapper :D

8. Candy Canes or Gingerbread Men?
Neither.  I don’t like gingerbread and I don’t like the taste of Candy Canes.

9. Have you ever made a snowman?

I made a snowman about 5 years ago with my two stepsisters but that was the last time I have built one.

10. Which do you like better, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Hmmmm...I don’t know.  I think if I had to choose it would be Christmas eve as it is the run up to the actual day and once you have done all what you need to do for the day, you can snuggle up on the couch and watch TV with the one you love and wait for the main event to come.

11. White lights, or colored lights?
Depends on the decorations of the tree.  Usually white lights look better.

I'm not tagging anyone specific, but if you're doing Blogmas and are stuck for a day, do this tag! 
And even if you just want to get into the festive spirit, I still suggest you do this tag!

It's 16 days until Christmas!

Bye for now.

Jess. x

Blogmas day 6 : Things I'm looking forward to at Christmas

As I sit here, curled under my duvet trying to warm up whilst outside is like the Arctic, I wondered what to write for today's Blogmas and then a thought came to me...it's almost Christmas and like a child I started getting excited for the first time.  Being a University student I haven't had time to think much past next Saturday when I go home for three glorious weeks (apart from having to be constantly in front of my laptop trying to get essays and presentations done for January! Ugh!)

Here are some things that make me excited for Christmas.

1. Seeing my other half.  Oh how I have missed him.  Talking on the phone is not as good as seeing him in real life.  Its been far too long!
2. Seeing my family.  I have seen them since starting at University but again it is still not the same.
3. Seeing the other half's family.
4. Christmas dinner.  Nothing beats the good old Christmas dinner where you can eat as much as you want and  not be judged on how much you eat.  
5. Seeing home town friends after 3 months of only chatting on Facebook.
6. Christmas Shopping.  Or in my case, Christmas window shopping.
7. Drinking as much as you want and again not being judged on how much you drink.
8. Can't forget seeing loved ones faces when they open the carefully wrapped presents.
9. Seeing your loved ones faces when you open the presents they gave you.
10. Snow...or the lack of in Britain.  I hate being cold but I love the snow and unfortunately we don't get enough of that!
11. Putting up the Christmas tree and decorations and seeing the excitement of knowing it is going to be up for at least a month (or at least in my family it does!)
12. Knowing that after Christmas comes New Year and all they stuff you want to do or to change happens soon,
13. Also knowing that when New Year comes, the Lakeside Darts Championship is on the TV and wishing you and your other half could be there watching it live (That might happen this year!)
14. The different parties that you are invited to.
15. Knowing that even though you have essays to do, you can still have a break and relax.
16. Layering up as it is so cold outside. 
17. Christmas songs.  Yes I know they are played over and over again but you don't care...after all it is Christmas!
18. Getting new PJ's at Christmas and feeling all warm and cosy sat on the sofa with the other half eating copious amounts of chocolate and watching TV.

That is some of the things I am looking forward to at Christmas.

Bye for now. 

Jess. x