Shouldn't we all be a bit kinder? The Kindness Boomerang

I came across a fantastic video on Youtube yesterday and it really opened my eyes. This video is all about acts of kindness and how it all gets passed on from one person to the next. Eventually, the final act brings us back to the guy who started the chain.

Wouldn't life be so much nicer if we were all more caring and willing to help others out?

This video has inspired me to take up every opportunity to show kindness to a stranger and, of course, to my family & friends as well. I hope it makes you feel the same too.

Review: bareMinerals - All-Over Face Colour in Faux Tan

Those who have read my previous blog posts will know that I'm quite a big fan of bareMinerals products. I really wanted to get myself a decent bronzer. I own the All-Over Face Colour in Warmth but it lacks that glow and it's also an old pot so there's no lockable sifter on it. 

I'd read about Faux Tan and thought that it sounded like Warmth but it had a shimmer to it. It was for sale at a special discounted price from Feelunique.com so I just had to purchase one. It comes in a 1.5g lockable sifter pot. There are fewer sifter holes in this product than in the mineral foundation. 

It took me a few applications to get used to this. It was a lot heavier on the shimmer than I thought. Also, a little goes a long way. The first time I applied this, the darkness of the powder scared me a bit so I applied a tiny amount and didn't even notice it. The second time I applied it, I put far too much on. I was under artificial light. Once I stepped out into the sun, I looked like someone had literally applied fake tan just to my cheekbones. So my advice would be to apply this under good lighting.

I should probably clarify that although this is more shimmery than I expected, it isn't glittery if you apply it properly. ALWAYS apply this onto a matte base. If your face is oily or shiny, this product is going to be your worst nightmare. The shimmer shows up far too much. But once you've got yourself a matte complexion, this is perfect for giving a soft sunkissed glow. Start off light and then build it up to avoid looking overdone. I would say that this product would be suitable for most skin tones, but go easy on it if you're quite pale. 

Overall a fantastic product and it was worth the purchase. This is probably one of the few bronzing products I've bought that isn't orange. Even if you apply too much, you won't look orange. You'll just look like you have a very strange tan.....

This is available for £17.95 from Feelunique.

On the bareMinerals website, you can also purchase the matte version for £19.

Books or eReaders?

So summer is finally approaching and I finally have some spare time to sit down and read. I'm a bit torn at the moment though. I'm not sure whether to purchase a book for my eReader or whether to read the book I bought ages before I had my eReader. 

To be more specific, I own a Kindle. I'll be honest, being a massive fan of books, I thought I'd hate it. Turns out it's actually quite a neat invention. Easy to carry around (especially on long journeys), e-books are cheaper, and it's a lot slimmer than holding a book in your hand. 

Then again, I do miss turning the pages of a book and the feel of turning that very first page and the very last. I've been wanting to read About Last Night by Adele Parks for a while now. But I absolutely hate putting books in my bag whilst travelling in case they get creased. I'm also sensing quite a few train journeys coming up this summer...

It would be a shame to waste my Kindle as I haven't had time to really use it since I've had it but, at the same time, you've got to love a good old fashion book with pages to turn. 

Do you prefer reading from an actual book or from your Kindle/Kobo?

Review: Along Came Betty - Body Scrub and Body Butter

I feel that I've come across a gem of a product so I thought I should share this with you all.

Let me introduce you to Along Came Betty - a bath and beauty range exclusive to Tesco stores.

The vintage design caught my eye straight away a few months back and reminded me of a well known brand, Soap and Glory. I'd been looking for a good body scrub for a while and this was more affordable at £5.99 a pot. However, I still felt a little apprehensive about parting with that much money for a product I had heard little about. I finally purchased the body butter and scrub last week when all their products were down to half price. Definitely worth stocking up the next time they have a half price sale.

Each tub contains 300ml of product so it is good value for money. The tubs are very stylish and will definitely appeal to the Soap & Glory fans.

I love the texture of the body scrub. The exfoliating granules are extremely fine and it is mixed into a creamy paste. It is very gentle on the skin but also very effective at dealing with dry scaly skin. After one use, my legs were so much smoother than before. I have used Soap & Glory scrubs before and they have all been far too harsh on my skin. Some other brands have simply been so gentle that I didn't get any exfoliation. This one is perfect. 

The body butter is such a luxurious product. It smells wonderful and goes on smoothly. It is fairly thick but easy to spread so it's perfect for use after the shower or before you go to bed. I haven't used the Soap & Glory body butters so I can't really compare on texture but I do think this smells so much better. 

The Along Came Betty range has definitely been an amazing discovery and I will be stocking up my cupboards the next time a sale is on. They also stock a range of other products including face wash and body wash. This is a very luxurious feeling product minus the luxurious price tag.

I love a good shopping bag

Shopping bags are my clear shopping weakness. One of my favourite parts of shopping is when I get a really pretty shopping bag. It is such a good feeling when all my purchases get wrapped up and put into a smooth shiny bag. I especially love bags with rope handles. 

I don't even like M&M's that much but when I saw everyone carrying around these cute little yellow bags at M&M's World in London, I had to make a small purchase just so I could get the bag!

My favourite bag so far though is definitely Victoria's Secret. The glossy pink material along with the soft pink ribbon handles always makes me feel like I've treated myself to a real luxury.

What's your shopping weakness?

Review: Lily Lolo - Mineral Blusher in Flushed

Definitely my favourite blusher so far. Lily Lolo blusher in Flushed is a matte rose shade which works really well to give you a nice lift to your face without looking like you've just got red cheeks. The shade is perfect for me and it gives a smooth finish for a flawless look.

I originally planned on purchasing bareMinerals blusher in Thistle but I thought it was a little too pricey. So I had a look on the Lily Lolo website to find a similar shade.

The product cost £7.29 from the Lily Lolo website and it comes in the typical lockable sifter jar. I absolutely adore the simplistic design of the Lily Lolo make up pots. Looks very stylish on my shelf! You get 2.5g of product per pot.

I don't like shades that are too pink or too red because I always find that I end up looking like I'm constantly blushing. This shade is perfect and gives a really classy healthy look. I adore the matte finish as I think that more "glowy" products work best in the form of bronzers or highlighters. 

Similar to other mineral products, you apply this by swirling some in the lid, tapping off the excess, and then buffing it onto your skin. The great thing about minerals is that you can slowly build up the coverage. Make sure you do this in good sunlight!

I use this blusher to either colour the apples of my cheeks or to contour my cheekbones. Works great for both. 

Flushed is a very subtle classy shade and I'm so glad I made the purchase.

Lily Lolo uses natural ingredients and is affordable. Delivery is also very fast and you don't need to be in the house to get your goods delivered to you (unless you've made a massive order that physically can't fit through the letterbox!)

Review: bareMinerals - Matte Foundation in Medium Beige

I've used bareMinerals Original foundation for the last few years and although it's a great foundation, my face gets shiny very quickly when the sun is out. 

So I was very keen to try out bareMinerals Matte foundation. I initially sent an email to the help team at bareMinerals to enquire about shades and I was told that the Matte version can sometimes be slightly darker than the Original version. However, having little time to head out to a bareMinerals counter to test out shades, I decided to stick with my usual shade, Medium Beige.

I received my products earlier this week and I have to say, I'm very shocked at how good it is. I wasn't expecting a major difference between this and the Original foundation but there is definitely is one! It lasts all day so I no longer have to worry about re-application. It's been a nice surprise to not look shiny after about 6 hours. This has definitely been worth the purchase! Also, I thought that the shade was the same in Matte as it was in Original. In the pot the Matte version does look slightly darker but I didn't notice a difference once I'd buffed it onto my face.  

Medium Beige is a light-medium shade with neutral undertones. The great thing about minerals is that it looks very natural so you tend to not need the "perfect" shade for it to work for you. I know that Medium Beige is very popular and is used by people with varying skin tones. 

Application is simple. I won't go into too much detail but it is the usual "swirl, tap, buff" procedure. Depending on your desired level of coverage, you can put as much or as little of the mineral powder into the lid to swirl. I can not emphasise enough that you need to buff it in as much as you can. The more you buff, the better the results. Minerals work better when they are warmed up (hence the swirling and the buffing). The lockable sifter helps to keep your minerals from making a mess in the lid when you're travelling around.

bareMinerals Matte foundation is slightly more expensive than the Original foundation. From the company's own website, it costs £25 for a 6g pot. I purchased mine at Feelunique.co.uk for £21.25.

It is definitely worth the money. Feelunique.com is your friend when it comes to getting discounted expensive products like bareMinerals. 

And a word of warning: I have been the victim of purchasing fake bareMinerals products on eBay before from so-called "top sellers". So I advise you to purchase directly from the company online, reputable cosmetics retailers (such as Feelunique.com), or the company counters (in stores such as Debenhams, Fenwick etc). bareMinerals is certainly worth paying more for (and it is not worth paying anything for fake mineral foundation).