Lush's Cuticle Cream Butter Review

One of my aims is to stop biting my nails. I haven't bitten them for around 3 weeks (I think?). I'm actually really surprised by how much they've grown already and I cannot wait to do some NOTD's with real nails for a change. Anyway, in spite of all this, the skin around my nails is still looking horrible. It's dry, and tends to bleed from where I subconsciouly pick the skin (ouch!).

I'd seen Lush's Cuticle Cream Butter before but never purchased it as I never cared too much about my nails/hands. Plus for £5.95, I wasn't happy with the small tub. However, a quick tutorial from the sales assistant had me feeling much better when he showed just how little you need to use. It will last me a lifetime! All you need to do is massage a very small amount into your cuticles and the skin around your nail.

My first reaction is that it looks like you've dipped your hands in oil at first (lemon scented oil that is...) and it felt a little greasy. However, after applying every night for just a few days, I could already see a difference. I had no dry skin and there was no dead skin to pick at. It also softened my cuticles and has left me feeling a lot happier about my nails.

Would I recommend it? Yes, I really really would. If you're doubtful, just try it out in the shop - Lush is one of the few shops with amazing customer service.

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Batiste Go Wild!

Regular readers of my blog will know I love Batiste dry shampoos, so any chance to try a new one is obviously a chance I am going to take. The latest addition to the Batiste family is called Wild and has an oriental fragrance to it. I honestly think it's the best one yet as the scent is amazing and who doesn't love a bit of leopard print packaging?

Batiste Wild is available and Boots, Superdrug and many other retailers.

PS Do you fancy winning a UK weekend safari for you and a friend in association with Batiste Wild? Enter here.

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Jess's Guide To: Taking Your Driving Test

I was going to name this 'Passing Your Driving Test' but I can't guarantee that and I couldn't guarantee that I would pass mine either! But I'm so glad I did and I sort of wish I had a bit more advice on what could help. So here's a few things I learned before and during my test.

1. Ask questions before your test.

There is no question too stupid to ask. I had so many that I didn't want to ask as I thought my instructor would just laugh. One question I wanted to know was what do you put in the engine coolant, and I'm so glad I asked because that exact question came up in my test!

2. Learn your 'Show Me Tell Me' answers.

Now I didn't know that you can get up to 4 minors during this part of your test, and all you need to do is learn the answers. You might as well, as then you can go into the test with 15 minors available instead of 11. It's easy marks. :)

3. Don't think you've failed.

Almost every person I spoke to who had taken their test told me if I make a mistake just carry on and it was the best advice ever. Within the first 5 minutes of my test, I accidently hit the kerb and I knew (at least I thought I knew) that it was an automatic fail. However, I decided to carry on like it never happened and after I passed he told me it was only a minor as I only touched it and didn't actually go onto the kerb. So if I'd assumed I'd failed and given up, it could have been a silly mistake.

4. Relax!

Such a difficult thing to do when it's one of the most important days of your life. But the best thing to do is not get worked up and just relax and treat it like a normal driving lesson. The examiner doesn't want to fail you, and they aren't scary or horrible. They are simply watching you drive, so show them that you can! :)

Good luck to anyone taking their test. It will all be worth it after.

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Charity Shop Buys: A Make Up Bargain!

Today has been one of the best days ever! I passed my driving test today (thinking of doing a 'Jess's Guide To' on helping others). I also got my uni grant (hello money towards new car) and I also had a lovely, hilarious night out with Aiden, my mum and my brother.

The final thing that made my day was my amazing bargain finds. I was just casually browsing a local charity shop with my mum and Aiden, when I saw this little box of make up at the till. I honestly thought it would be rubbish bits, but when I looked, they had brands including Urban Decay, Ruby & Millie and Max Factor! I nearly bought the whole box - but instead decided to purchase just a few items. I will definitely go back again though. Here's what I bought - you'll be amazed at the prices.

Eyelure Individual False Eyelash Ultra RRP £5.30 - purchased for £1.50

Having struggled with normal false eyelashes, I had been against paying out for these as I knew I'd probably just give up and waste over £5. However, this price was just too good to resist. Although there are 4 missing, I wasn't really that fussed over it, and I can't wait to have a play around with them - especially as they're semi permanent.

Max Factor Lasting Lip Tint Shade 03 RRP £.7.99 - purchased for 50p

I have wanted this for so long but just didn't get round to buying it yet, so you can imagine how happy I was when I saw it for just 50p! It is so easy to apply and the colour is great. I almost prefer it to lipstick!

Max Factor Max Colour Effects Lip Gloss Shade 07 RRP £4.99 - purchased for £1.00

You can never have too many lip glosses can you? I'm not even sure why I purchased this, I think it was more the price. :)

Max Factor Masterpiece Colour Precision Eye Shadow in Coffee and Stardust RRP £4.99 each - purchased for 50p each.

Again, I simply purchased these just to try them out and because they were a bargain. But these colours looked lovely and I can't wait to try them out.

Grand saving of £24.26!!

Pretty good bargain hunting if I do say so myself. :)

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A Letter To My 16 Year Old Self

Dear 16 Year Old Jess,

Firstly, happy birthday! The first thing I would tell you is to enjoy the day you're about to have, and cherish the people who have made the effort. Your night will end in the worst way possible, and you'll be crying and wondering why you've had to end it with your boyfriend who just did not care. He is not worth it! And one day he will want you again and by that time you will have moved on. Don't waste your time on him, because in 3 months time you will meet the lovliest, most perfect guy in the world. And this time, it will actually be real love. And you'll be with him forever. :)

Try not to be an adult. You're not. You're still a child and you've got so much to learn. The one thing you'll learn pretty soon is that people will come and go, but ultimately you need to be independent and learn to be strong on the inside. Don't underestimate that inner strength you know you have.

As silly as it may sound, enjoy school a bit more. You won't miss it when you leave, but you will wish you didn't want it to end so quickly. And don't worry about trying to make other people happy, it's your life, and if people don't agree with your deciscion of not going to uni then (beep) them. Plus, you're going to join the Open Uni in 3 years time anyway!

Stop worrying about the future, it will all work out, in a much better way than you imagined. Enjoy every moment and don't look back.

Lots of love. :)

PS Save some money!

Pillow Talk FOTD

I thought I'd do a follow-up post on my Pillow Talk lipstick review with a FOTD of me wearing it. It's become my favourite lipstick by far and I love wearing it.

Note: It looks like I've photoshopped this photo but I haven't. All I did was lower the contrast and sharpen. :)

Products used:
MAC Studio Fix Fluid NW15
Benefit Coralista
Max Factor Smoky Eye Effect eyeshadow in Bronze Haze
No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black
Maybelline Colossal Mascara in Black
Topshop Lipstick (Pillow Talk)

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Every Girl's Dream: Fantasy Shopper

A few weeks ago, I kept reading tweets over and over again talking about Fantasy Shopper and how great it was. And every time I just ignored them, until once I couldn't resist - thanks Sophie! :) I have been hooked from when I signed up and I must admit I love it.

So what actually is it? It's a website where you literally just fantasy shop! You get 'paid' every hour and you also receive money for earning badges, which range from creating 5 outfits to spending £750 in one go. You can use this money to shop in a variety of places and then create outfits.

What I love is that all the clothes are real and you could purchase them for real if you wanted to. It's not 'cartoon-like' and the shops include New Look, Accessorize and even Harrods. I also like the fact it doesn't tell your whole Facebook that you've been playing for hours!

If you're interested then please click this link to sign up. If you do it this way, you may help me get a badge for signing people up. :)

PS. I accept no responsibility amount of time you will spend on this site. I have an addiction, you will too. :)

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Another Little Update

Hi everyone,

I hate the fact that I never seem to have any time to blog anymore. I actually miss it so much and I miss reading other blogs even more. It just seems to be that there is always something that needs to be done or I'm too exhausted to do it! I wish I could do a different type of post instead of a chit-chat one, but I haven't had time to take any photo's and I'm not really in the right frame of mind for a 'proper' blog post.

I'd like to take this opportunity to ask you all what kind of posts you like to see? I know many of you entered my last giveaway and mentioned many of things that you'd like, but they were all mostly beauty related. Are there any more 'lifestyle' posts you'd like to see, as I'd like to call my blog beauty/lifestyle but I'm not sure if it really is? Anyway, please do comment with your ideas.

Hope you all have a lovely evening!

PS Who do you think will be going on tonight's X Factor, I think Janet!

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Open University: My Journey #1

Okay, so I'm not sure how popular this will be, so if no one enjoys reading it then I'll just keep it to myself from now on. But, I thought it would be a good idea to let you all know about my journey through the Open University and my opinion on how it's going and how I'm finding it.

I'll start with the fun stuff. Stationary shopping! Surely I'm not the only one who loves buying lots of notebooks, highlighters and post-its, preferably matching and pretty. I only bought a few things so far and I intend to buy more once I know for sure what I need. But for now, I have a collection from WH Smith's and the stripy notebook is from Paperchase. Also, not forgetting my Filofax which has been a godsend this past week, as I've needed to be so organised.

When asking for tips about the OU, most people said simply 'be organised'. Boy, were they right. There are so many dates, deadlines and tasks that all need to fit in somewhere so it's 100% necessary to get a diary of some sort, and always carry it around as you will always need it.

So far, I've only read through the first book and made lots of notes. It's all a little daunting but I've already learned so much. I think the most important thing is i'm actually enjoying it, and what I'm learning is fascinating me.

If anyone is considering the Open University, then definitely look into it. You can request prospectus's without any commitment to sign up. I requested Psychology first before I realised it was Business Studies I wanted to do. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me and I'll do my best.

The Perfect Shade

For a very long time I have been lusting after the 'perfect pink' lipstick, and I think I have found it. Milly blogged about a new Topshop lipstick last week and as soon as I saw the photos I realised it was the exact colour I loved but could never quite describe. I found it impossible to take photos wearing it as I only use my Blackberry and the images wouldn't come out well but she has posted some great photos so do check out her post on it here.

The lipstick I am talking about is called Pillow Talk and is part of their limited edition Smoke and Mirrors collection for A/W 2011. It costs £9 which is a little more than their normal lipsticks which only cost £8, but I felt it was worth spending as I adored the shade. It's a soft pink which isn't too bright or too eye catching, just nice enough to stand out a little.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the packaging, I found a little too old fashioned for my liking but it does fall into their 70's theme. However, I do prefer their simple black and white packaging.

What's your favourite lipstick shade?