Primpin with the stars- Benefit make up review

I received my first Benefit product in an edition of Glamour magazine last year, which was porefessional’ the primer to apply before or after applying foundation to make your face pore free and flawless. I was so impressed with my little sample, that when it came Christmas time 2012, my boyfriends sister was kind enough to buy me Benefits- Finding Mr Bright set which included four travel size products in a beautiful pink box.

By May of this year I saw a status on the Benefit Facebook page about one of their newest sets ‘Primpin with the stars’ releasing 2 weeks early for Benefit lovers to purchase online at Boots and guess what? I couldn’t keep my paws off. Running low on my Finding Mr Bright set it was the perfect excuse to purchase Primpin with the stars at £26.50.

The product includes six ‘All time greatest” fake its:

1.      Stay don’t stray- Stay don’t stray is used as a concealer under eyelids and on the top of eyelids to keep heavy eye shadows looking fresh all day. I personally think this product is great. When I first used ‘Primpin with the stars’ I stuck to the products I knew but when reading the tips and tricks guide included in the set, I used stay don’t stray when applying my smokey eye effect. With my busy schedule of university work I don’t have much time to re apply my eyeshadow so this is the perfect product for girls on the go.

2.      Porefessional- As I mentioned previously, since I bought Glamour magazine and received a small sample, I was hooked by this product and I use it every day. I apply mine after my foundation to make my face looking soft and pore free. Even after a tough day running around, it keeps my face looking flawless and helps me stay confident about my skin.

3.      Some kind of gorgeous- This little cream is a foundation faker. It looks like you are wearing a foundation without the drama of spending time to blend it in. The cream is for medium complexions so be careful if your skin is a little paler as it could make your skin a bit orange. I think this is a great product when I am having a lazy day. A touch of this and some mascara finishes off my natural look.

4.      Bene-tint- This colourful pot can be used on lips and cheeks to give skin and lips a natural looking rosy glow. I must warn though if applied wrong this product can be a disaster. When I first used the product I applied a few strokes on to my cheek bones and unfortunately I didn’t rub it in quick enough. Safe to say I looked like one of Santa’s little helpers with my stained cheeks. I had to go out that day too and my friends commented thinking I had some skin reaction to something. Benefit also does a very similar product called Posie- tint which I prefer as it gives a more natural glow without staining my hands too.

5.      Girl meets pearl- This liquid luminizer is a perfect finisher after using Bene-tint or my alternative favourite Posie- tint. It calms the bright pink look down a bit and gives my cheeks a lovely flushed glow.

6.      They’re real- I cannot fault this mascara at all. The applicator wand is the best I have seen which makes it super easy to apply and gives lashes a boost in the right direction to keep them looking long and dolly like.

Which Benefit set is your favourite?

Lots of love Siobhan Marie x

Frankincense intense cream review- Neal's Yard Remedies

The British brand Neal’s Yard Remedies, known for their luxurious organic products made with natural ingredients minus Parabens and Synthetic fragrances, are launching a new product to their Frankincense range which is clinically proven to banish fine line’s and wrinkles.

Frankincense intense harnesses powerful stem cells from the Gardenia plant and works with a peptide complex to provide multiple collagen production for younger, firmer skin.

Unlike other products on the high street which use Parabens and Synthetic fragrances, Frankincense intense uses Frankincense, Gardenia stem cells, Essential oils such as Macadamia and Grapeseed, plus Argan oil.

After attending Neal’s yard Remedies blogger event, in Manchester, I made some valuable contacts and I was sent a small sample of the cream.

As I am new to this blogging lark, I was super excited when the parcel arrived as I love trying new products.

The cream didn’t fail in being luxurious. Like all of Neal’s Yards products it smelt absolutely divine which meant I couldn’t stop sticking my head in the jar. I have had the cream a few weeks now and without fail I have used it twice daily every morning and night. As the cream is very thick, small blobs go a long way. It made my face feel ever so soft after the first application. After weeks of using the cream my face has a wonderful healthy glow.

Frankincense intense is essentially an anti wrinkle cream. I have only just turned 20 so hopefully I am not developing any wrinkles at the moment but I believe in keeping healthy and using a good cream can help preserve and keep those wrinkles at bay later in life.

The cream is priced at £55 a pot including an application spatula. For a student like myself it’s a tad expensive but since I graduate next year and I still have tonnes left in my sample pot, this will be the first thing on my list when I get a job.

Have you used anti wrinkle creams before?

Neal’s Yard Remedies- product review

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a bloggers event at the Manchester, Neal’s yard Remedies store and luckily I received a goody bag full of some of their best products to try.

Due to ill health I have neglected my blog and I haven’t posted since the blogger. Finally after feeling a bit perkier, I have managed to test out every product. So as promised here’s the review.

What I received:

·         Organic facial wipes to remove make up

·         White tea facial mist

·         Wild rose beauty balm

·         Hibiscus (Brown/ golden eye shadow

·         Damask Rose lip-gloss

As I wear make- up practically every day, unless I decide to hit the gym, the organic facial wipes were opened the night I received them. They were an absolute god send compared to most facial wipes on the high street. The wipes were extra soapy which meant my make up removed straight away without having to scrub my face. Priced at £5.50 for 25 wipes, they are around 2-3 pounds dearer than other wipes, but they are worth every penny. The morning after my face felt soft and refreshed.

As I mentioned in my blog post about the Neal’s yard Remedies event, the brand is a British organic brand which believe in creating beauty products without parabens and synthetic fragrances. Parabens can be very ageing and damaging to our skin, so Neal’s Yard Remedies are the perfect product to use to beat premature ageing and look after our skin.

The white tea facial mist is for all face types and says it re-hydrates and refreshes skin. A few weeks ago the heat wave was almost unbearable, especially if you had to walk around in the heat which meant my foundation felt slightly runny. However with a quick spritz of the facial mist which smells of heavenly lavenders and fresh flowers, my face felt cool and hydrated. Although I drink gallons of water every day, hydrating your skin on the outside is just as important as the inside. This product is priced at £11 for 45 ml. I think it is an essential purchase to get your skin through the summer heat.

The wild rose beauty balm comes with a cloth and a guide of how to use the product at its best. As I have been busy I have only just tried this a few days ago. I chose to try the Balancing facial mask. Firstly I washed my face with cold water and then splashed it with some warm water. I lightly covered my face with the beauty balm and heated the cloth and placed it over my face. I repeated heating the cloth again. After 5 minutes I removed the cloth and had a relaxing 20 minutes lie down. The wonderful rose scent of the product had me relaxed in no time. Once I was done I removed the balm with a warm cloth and splashed my face with cold water. Instantly my face looked more radiant and glowing than it has done for a while, plus it felt silky smooth. The balm is priced at £37.00 for 50g. Personally I believe this is quite expensive for a student like myself on a budget but this is a very indulgent product and once I run out, I may have a naughty shopping spree in Neal’s Yard Remedies.

I also received some eye shadow, named Hibiscus which is a golden brown colour. Personally I am a sucker for the smoky eye effect and I have never worn brown eye shadow before, but this is the perfect colour for a very natural daytime look. And guess what? I rarely leave the house without a swish of the eye shadow on. The golden shiny colour really brings out my golden brown eyes. I have even had a few compliments for slightly changing my make- up look. This is priced at £12 for 2mg which may seem expensive for only one colour. However if you pick a very neutral colour such as this, it will get you through the 5 day working week. You don’t need very much of the powder either to fill your eyelids.

Finally I received a tube of Damask rose lip-gloss. I usually use clear lip glosses to get me through the day, but it was a nice change wearing a gloss with a hint of pink. This is priced at £9.50 for a 15ml tube. I wouldn't be personally buying this product again as I like to try a new lip-gloss each time, but it certainly tasted great, not that I eat lip-gloss or anything and it made my lips smooth and kept them hydrated.

If you want to buy any of the products mentioned then take a browse on the Neal’s Yard Remedies website: http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/Eye-Care?&page=1&q=Eye-Care

Have you used Neal’s Yard Remedies products?

Miss Vintage Vibe aka

Siobhan Marie 

Neal’s Yard Remedies- Bloggers event Manchester

I was lucky enough to be invited to Neal’s Yard Remedies blogger event last night in Manchester, thanks to my internship at ilovemanchester.com. This was a great experience for me as I am a new blogger; I could chat to some of the other bloggers and get my blog noticed.

On arrival I received a lovely glass of champagne decorated with a strawberry and was spoilt for choice for free luxury and relaxing treatments. I opted for the hand massage which was amazing.  The lady who gave me a hand-massage used Neal’s Yard Remedies rich moisturizing cream which left my hands feeling smooth and helped me feel relaxed.

As I have never heard of the product before Sue Pow, my hand masseuse kindly gave me an insight of the product, she says, “Neal’s Yard Remedies are a natural British brand .They understand holistic health inside out, and anyone is welcome into the shop for advice, especially if they have a skin condition which needs treating properly.”

Neal’s Yard Remedies began in Convent garden on the 4^th December 1981 in Neal’s Yard a forgotten area in London. They believe in using only the best of ingredients including flowers and oils to achieve a high quality product which is free from parabens and synthetics fragrances which can be found in other products on our high streets.

Now in 2013, Neal’s Yard has 42 stores around the UK. They have even won an array of awards including She beauty awards winner 2011, and The Sunday Times Style beauty awards 2010, winning with their best natural product Frankincense hydrating cream.

Maya Collins, medical herbalist in the shop told me; ‘The Frankincense hydrating cream’ is their best seller. The cream retails at £24.75, although it may seem a tad dear to some people, needless to say you get what you pay for ladies.

Due to the hydrating cream being such a hit, a Frankincense intense cream will be joining the range on the 28^th August for you to buy.

Molly Willsher, area manager at the company who has worked there for 11 years says, “Neal’s Yard is an ethical company, a lot of research has gone into our products to ensure they are of high standard. It’s amazing how much time we spend doing quality control as if the product isn't right, we don’t want our customers buying it. What I love about Neal’s Yard Remedies is that it’s a family run business. We treat our customers as one of the family.”

It’s safe to say, I will be thinking twice about what make up I put on my face from other brands on the market, as it can cause real damage in the later years of my life including pre-mature ageing. Speaking to different people associated within the brand at the event showed their true passion for the products they sell, and too right because Neal’s Yard Remedies are an individual brand who care about what we use on our bodies.

After meeting some lovely people and having a whiff of some lovely products, I managed to haul a goody bag full of some of their products, including organic facial wipes to remove make up, lip-gloss, face mist spray, eye shadow, and wild rose beauty balm, plus a £5 off voucher for a holistic treatment of my choice.

I will be posting a review of the products in the next few days when I have tried and tested them all.

Did you know about Neal’s Yard Remedies?

Lots of Love

Miss Vintage Vibe

xoxox

Elvis Jesus fragrance launch, Manchester

Thanks to my internship at IloveManchester, http://ilovemanchester.com/ an online lifestyle magazine ‘for people who love Manchester’. I was lucky enough to be invited to The Elvis and Jesus fragrance launch Thursday 20^th June at Sakura bar, Deans-gate, Manchester.

On arrival I was greeted by a luxury red carpet and was handed a goody bag once I confirmed I am from IloveManchester. The theme for the night was masquerade, which gave me an excuse to wear my masquerade mask. Once inside, tall models wore masquerade masks and sequinned lingerie to fit with the theme. A burlesque dancer entertained the guests by dancing in a life-size martini glass.

As it was my first launch party I didn’t know what to expect, but I was made very welcome and received free drinks all night at the bar, such as cocktails, and vodka and cokes. I also munched on some very yummy chicken and red pepper skewers canapés. I did try the vegetarian sushi canapés but unfortunately I still dislike the rubbery taste of them.

When I managed to sit down in a secluded booth, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the goody bag to find two 50ml bottles of his and her fragrance. I also found a 50% discount voucher off their well known Manchester, clothing brand, founded in 1997, which is dedicated in selling quality clothes.

I managed to speak to the director of the perfume, Mark Earnshaw, He told me, “Both fragrances have been in the making for 2 and half years, so we could make sure, it smells perfect. The womens scent has a very masculine smell, as we wanted to represent the Elvis and Jesus fragrance, as the rock and roll brand everyone knows. The box is shaped like a bible, which offers a chapter inside of how the brands origins began”.

The first sentence inside the box reads:“Embracing  a rock and roll philosophy born out of the counter culture musings of the likes of Kinky Freidman, Hunter S Thomson and even Karl Marx, Elvis Jesus epitomises the anti capitalist dystopian rock and roll rumblings subverted the establishment far back as the people think, write chant and sing their passions”.

The synopsis of the Elvis and Jesus brand, inside the perfume box gives you a real feel of what the brand is about. I adore how it is set out, like a chapter from the Bible as it adds to the brands religious name ‘Jesus’.

The fragrance for her is presented in a glass bottle with the iconic guitar logo which is coloured in a rose gold. The smells contrast from fresh bursts of Cherry, Grapefruit, Bergamot, Elemi and Peppermint which is blended with a woody backdrop of Nutmeg and Rose, Jasmine and Cinnamon. The woody blend with Cedar, Vanilla, Tonka bean and the all important rock and roll smell of leather gives the floral scent a powerful masculine smell.

I have been using my fragrance, every day since the launch and I must admit I have fallen in love with the scent. I am on the go a lot of the time, especially with my new internship, so I want a perfume that will last all day without having to re-spray. At £39.00 a bottle, I think it is well worth every penny. The bottle and box alone make it stand out from any of the other fragrances on the market. It brings out the old inner rock-chick in me.

I will be taking a trip to the Trafford centre, Manchester very shortly to see if I can bag my- self a bargain with my 50% voucher off the Elvis and Jesus clothing line.

Both fragrances retail at £49.00 100ml or £39.00 for 50ml and can be bought exclusively from The Elvis Jesus store, The fragrance shop and selected Elvis Jesus clothing retailers.

www.elvisjesus.co.uk/// www.thefragranceshop.co.uk

The top two images are taken by Craige Barker Photography. The other images are my own.

What’s your favourite fragrance?

Lots of Love Miss Vintage Vibe xo