Elemis Daily Cleansing Collection

aka "the alternative"

As you may remember, as part of Holly’s wedding present her hubby bought her a Bannatyne’s Spa day, and as Bannatyne’s use/sell Elemis products, we both decided to treat ourselves to some of the products which were used during our facials. Even though we have different skin types, many products were used on both of us, so we decided to buy one of their daily cleansing sets for £25. The set included two full size products (cleaner and toner) and a generous travel sample of their day cream (20ml).

I mix and match these products with my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, I normally reach for this cleanser over my Cleanse and Polish.

Rehydrating Rosepetal Cleanser

"Active extracts of healing Rose, Lecithin and Vitamins E and F replenish moisture levels, whilst gently purifying the skin. This rich, aromatic cleansing milk, helps restore the youthful bloom to dehydrated and mature skin"

Full size RRP £19.40

Rehydrating Ginseng Toner

"Extracts of tonifying Ginseng, Quillaja Wood and Sweet Betty Flower revitalise and nourish skin, whilst thoroughly removing any last traces of cleanser. Perfect for rehydrating dry and mature skin".

Full Size RRP £19.40

Maximum Moisture Day Cream

"Unique desert plants Myrothamnus and Tamarind are known for their adaptation to extreme climactic fluctuations whilst being rich in anti-oxidant power. Combined with the moisturising virtues of African Baobab Tree, Saw Palmetto Berries and Black Poplar Bud, rich in trace elements and vitamins, skin is perfectly hydrated and energised".

Full size 50ml RRP £35.80

I have really enjoyed using these products however the one thing which puts me off is the smell of the product. Personally I am not a fan of rose scented anything, and these products- especially the cleanser and day cream do have a strong smell of this. However I can’t rave enough about the Ginseng Toner in the spray bottle- its amazing. I’ve been using this near enough constantly since September and I’ve only used an 8^th of the bottle. Its brilliant value for money.

I’ve currently got my eye on their Papaya Face Mask however the £28 price tag is seriously putting me off.

Blog Buttons- February Spaces

Just a quick note- I have blog button space avaliable on the blog for February. If you would like your blog button featuring down the side of the blog let me know.

I have 6 spaces avaliable on a first come first served basis.

Leave a comment below, or email me at raybanrarr@gmail.com

Sarenza is all about the classics..

Considering how much I love my high heels, and how much of a pain I find trying to get shoes to fit my size 8 (or sometimes 9) feet- or as I call them flippers, you would think I would have chosen a pair of 6” heels from Sarenza.

Wrong.

My favourite shoes on the site have to be Converse All Stars in white. Purely for one simple reason- they are a classic shoe, which have stood the test of time. They’ve never gone out of fashion and you most definitely get your money’s worth out of them. Simples.

They can easily be dressed up to give a going out dress an edgier rockier feel.

(image via google)

And look equally as good dressed down.

(image via google)

Plus who can resist a rather fit bloke wearing a pair ;)

Why should Sarenza let me be their new shoe ambassador? I can prove that for those ladies who are blessed with feet on the larger size that they don't need to be self-conscious about their feet, and regardless of shoe size everyone can look fabulous in a pair of shoes.

Rahua Yahua

Don’t get me wrong I love to try samples of products you get in magazines/beauty boxes- mainly make up/skin care, however I’ve never really tried using hair care samples. Recently I decided to try the Rahua Volumious Shampoo and Conditioner which I received with the October (??) Boudior Prive (now Jolliebox) box. If you subscribe to this box, you will recall getting two samples of the shampoo and conditioner.

What do Rahua say…

"Cleanses to create body and bounce without the drying effects found in other volumizing lines and is safe for colour-treated hair. Rich with organic and 100% natural ingredients. Begin the day with aromatheraputic lavender and eucalyptus to calm and relax the senses. Lemongrass and Green tea create body, volume and bounce by balancing and removing excess oils from the hair shaft, without compromising the integrity of the hair".

My thoughts- HORRIBLE. The products do smell very fresh and citriusy which are refreshing, however that is the only good thing I can say about this product. After using the shampoo/conditioner- my hair felt very knotty when rinsing- something which only ever happens in the wash to rinse the colour from my hair at the hairdressers. After towel drying it, my hair felt very “bushy” and dehydrated which I was disappointed with. It took macademia oil and aussie take the heat leave in conditioner to get my hair in some sort of manageable state to get my tangle teezer through my hair.

Honestly the amount of knots in my hair was shocking- I’ve never known my hair to go like this, and the amount of hair in my tangle teezer was a bit concerning. After blow drying and styling my hair as usual, my hair looked no different to how it normally is. I was expecting to have that shine in your hair what you get from using a new shampoo/conditioner but unfortunately that was no-where to be seen. However this may have been due to the oil/conditioner on my hair.

My hair didn’t even last a full day without it becoming greasy. Personally I’m glad I received this as a sample and didn’t spend the $32 on a bottle of shampoo (yes that’s how much it retails for- expensive or what). My opinion- don't waste your money.

Did you recieve this in your Boudior Prive box? What are your thoughts on this? Am I the only one who didn't rate it?

Cut-a-Caper I Love You

I’ve realised I’ve never ever done a proper review on a lipstick on the blog before, so why not start today, with a rediscovered favourite.

Mac Cut-a-Caper.

Limited edition from the Tartan Tale collection from Christmas 2010.

Looking back I think this was probably one of the first major Mac collections which I was aware of/excited for purely as I’d started blogging. However strangely enough, I never actually purchased from the collection even though I wanted this lipstick. However Ellie came to the rescue and said she would sell me hers as she had only used it a handful of times.

Many people have compared this to Mac’s Ever Hip (yet another limited edition lipstick I missed out on), however many have said that Cut-a-Caper is more peachy than Ever Hip. However as I don’t own EH I can’t personally make the comparison.

This lipstick has one of my favourite Mac finishes- lustre, and provides my lips with a light coral shine. If you wanted a Mac comparison I would say it’s a very toned down version of Costa Chic. I normally wear this lipstick during the day (not for work) with a very neutral eye. Personally the only time I have ever worn this on a night out was in Tenerife (the first time), never back home, as I just don’t feel like it suits me.

However I have found a dupe for this lipstick (or what is close to it), Barry M lip paint in 147.

As you can see Cut a Caper looks more "coral" compared to Barry M, and BM looks more "reddy" based. However on my lips, I would say Barry M looks more coral than Cut-a-Caper- bizarre or what. If you recall reading my holiday favourites post you will have remembered me saying that the BM 147 bullet vanished into thin air, gutted wasn’t the world. However I now have a back up, even though its never been touched since being back in this county (bar that swatch). I really need to start wearing Cut-a-Caper more often, however I’m worried that I’ll either loose it, or it’ll snap. Fingers crossed Mac will re-release it in a future collection.

How do you wear coral lipsticks??

RayBox January Edition

What sets the RayBox apart from the other beauty boxes out there… RayBox comes when you expect it, not when you have to pester the companies to get answers. So yes its that time of the month again- RayBox time. However… starting next month RayBox may be no more for the immediate future (shock horror). As I am going on a beauty spending ban…. ther only exception is a certain product from the upcoming Mac Naturally collection…so there may be a special one off RayBox in Feburary.

Anyway we’ll deal with that next  month- you know the rules, for £10 the RayBox magically appears with products you want. Shall we see what I got this month??

Aussie Colour Mate Shampoo (£3.99)

Aussie Colour Mate Conditioner (free off Holly)

Clairol Red Conditioner (99p)

Eyelure 107 lashes (£1.20 that is not a typo)

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser (£2.75)

Elegant Touch Nail Polish Remover (£1.75)

(all items from Boots)

TOTAL- £10.68.

What a bargainious month, especially the Eyelure lashes reduced to £1.20 a packet. I definately think this month's RayBox does show that you can buy a lot for £10ish. What would you rather have? 5 samples which you may or may not like, or products you like/will use? I know what I would rather have.

Oh Who is She is now on tumblr if you want to follow - http://www.whoissheblog.tumblr.com/

D-I-S-C-O

I have disco pants on the brain....

No not the ones modeled by Terry the Italian Stallion from Q-Hill, even though they are a pair of bobby dazzlers.

Phwoar

But the infamous American Apparel ones.

I am obsessed with them. There is something about their shineyness which is drawing me in, like a magpie. I want to wear these with oversized sheer shirts on nights out when I’m strutting my stuff. Initially the £70, yes you read right £70 price tag had put me off, however now I’m not fussed about the price. So much for me trying to save money this year- I just REALLY want a pair, and as there is an AA in Leeds, I think I will have to go and try a pair on Saturday.

In an attempt to get some inspiration- I thought I would do a quick google search and see what others were wearing with them… look how versatile they are!!

(all images via google search)

I’m most definitely sold, and look how fit my homegirl AVS looks…

Fittie.com

WANT WANT WANT

Gel Off Me Nails

First off thank you to all your comments regarding my first gel nails post- some very interesting points have been raised. So as promised today’s post is focusing on the removal of gel nails- now I need to dig out the picture I took of Holly’s French manicure gel nails which she had on for her wedding, as all credit of how to remove the nails goes entirely to her.

If you haven’t read my previous post, I’ll remind you of the state of my nails just before they were removed. As you can see in the first picture, my left hand only has some major regrowth and one or two slight chips on my index finger. However the second and third pictures show the extent of chipping and peeling on my right hand- not very nice at all. However considering the length of time they have lasted (9^th December- 4^th January) I am completely sold on the concept of them. I haven’t missed painting my nails at all.

These are the products which I used/are using for the removal and up keep of my nails.

Mavada Scientifique, Soap and Glory Handfood, Elegant Touch Get Em’ Off (all from Boots).

Now I was under the impression that the Mavada Scientifique would be a clear nail polish. Nope- its blue, smells horrible (like roast dinners) and is more of a liquid which is absorbed into the nail. Don’t let that whinging put you off there as I’m going to be doing a separate review on this, as this is a miracle in a teeny bottle.

So to soak the gels off, all what you need to do is fill a small bowl with the Get Em’ off- enough to cover your nails and wait for 15 minutes. Throughout I was keep removing my nails to see if the gel was melting, as well as scraping bits off.

As you can see they’re just about soaked off, a little bit of scraping with my nails and they’re were off. I think the flash on my phone has made it look a little bit extreme.

(yuck)

After a quick wash, these are what my nails look like. The nail surface does look rough from the prep on my nails, however after a quick buff they looked fine. My thumb nail actually looks way worse than it is.

Next step was treating the nails- I didn’t want to apply polish straightaway on my nails so I went a little bit over the top with my handfood and left the air get to my nails for a good 6-8 hours. Then onto applying the Scientifique- it states on the bottle that you shouldn’t let this touch your cuticles and only paint on the top half of your nails, I’m also warning you it stings like a pain in the backside if you get it on a cut. Mavada recommend that you use this product twice a week for a month, and then afterwards only once a month. I paint this on my nails (Wednesday and Sundays) and allow it to dry then I’ve just been painting my nails clear or OPI Passion.

Its worth noting that I do have some staining of the nail especially on my left hand from a St Tropez mishap, and there is some bits of the gel nails left on the sides of my nails, which I haven’t removed properly. However in the 3ish weeks since I’ve embarked on this treatment my nails haven’t been stronger- no splitting nothing- the opposite of what you would expect after having any type of nail extensions.

Roll on next week until I get them put back on. If you have any questions let me know in the comment box below and I’ll get back to you asap.

Illamasqua Leeds Store Opening

On the 8^th December after a very stressful episode of running through Darlington town centre in heels after going to the wrong train station after a fabulous afternoon in Bannatyne’s spa with Holly (it could only happen to me), I hopped on the train with the lovely Tor to Leeds to attend the opening of the new Illamasqua store.

The new Leeds store is the second stand alone Illamasqua store in the North of England (alongside Liverpool) and can be found hidden amongst Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood and Louis Vuiton in the Victoria Quarter in the City Centre. I was very excited to meet the fabulous Drew-Ashlyn from my Trans-sexual Summer on Channel 4 who is currently working there, as well as being reunited with some of my favourite bloggers (Laura, Caroline, Dan, Sinead, and Lucy). And to top it all off- I FINALLY got to meet Nicoletta!!

If you live in the North East and are familiar with the brand you will know that Illamasqua have a stand in Fenwicks, however if you only go to Newcastle on a Saturday like me you can never get anywhere near the products as its that busy. So it was nice to have a good nosey at all the products while being in the company of some fabulous people.

The store itself is quite small, however personally I find that of all stores in the Victoria Quarter, however the store stocks everything, so you won’t be feeling like your missing out on certain products. If you go up the glittery stairs you go to the make over area, which looks out over the VQ. I’ll definitely be going back to the store next weekend when I'm in Leeds.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking…

Tor acting shy, after getting her blush done.

After the event, we decided to gatecrash an open evening in Topshop- free cider and a photobooth, we were sold.

DUCKFACE

Here's some more links to the posts everyone has done- Tor, Sinead, Laura, Caroline, Dan, Nicoletta, and Lucy.

John Frieda to the Rescue

Lately I've been thinking of more ways to style my hair- my hair is either on the top of my head during the day, straight or curly on a night out and that is it. After a quick browse on YouTube for some inspiration, I'd noticed on the John Frieda UK YouTube page they have teamed up with some celebrity stylists to show you in step by step how to get celebrity worthy hair. The best thing is, its not the stylist who is doing the hair- its the model herself doing her own hair!!

If she can do it, so can I!!

Really loving this messy up do- it reminds me of Taylor Swift's hair when you see her at events.

Also I found this video of how to put rollers in your hair, I think I will definately be trying this with my hot rollers next weekend in Leeds

What do you think of the updo??

Birthday Goodness

I really enjoy reading other people’s posts about what they got for Birthdays and Christmas (which seems like months have passed), however as my birthday was just after Christmas I decided not to do a “what I got for Christmas post” as to be honest each year I get a few bits and bobs and then the gift of Papa Dave’s debit card to go shopping and buy what I want. So instead I thought I would do a birthday/sales/any-excuse-to-buy-more-clothes haul, and to be honest I still haven’t found anything in the shops to buy with what is left of my Christmas money.

Unfortuately I haven’t managed to take a picture of my snazzy “REEM” notebook from Steph as I left it at work over the weekend, and one of the other presents will be in my January Favourites post next month, so keep your eyes peeled out for those.

So first up, was the present I was most excited by from the Parentals. In the run up to xmas I’ve always wondered if my favourite perfume- Crystal Noir by Versace would have a box set- until boxing day I’d never seen one. Cue a random browse in House of Fraser, I came across this little set containing a 50ml bottle for £30. Considering a 50ml bottle was retailing in Debenhams for £55 I think this is a fab bargain. This is still sitting on my bedroom floor, as I’m not opening it until I’ve used up my other bottle and I have no where to store any more perfume in my wardrobe shelf.

Next up is three little letters which give me so much joy..

Some of these were bought by JEM, while the rest I bought myself using my “birthday” as an excuse. So from JEM I got another Hue lipstick (my first ever back up woohoo) and Amber Lights eyeshadow, which now makes my Mac Palette complete. I’ve been after a bright golden/copper eyeshadow for a while in an attempt to get away from my grey/black smoky eye combo and I think this could be a perfect going out shadow.

To me, love me- I bought yet another lipstick in Politely Pink, one of those your lips but better shades. So far I’m loving it- I don’t think it will be a night out lipstick, more of a daytime one. I’m currently attempting to grow my eyebrows out, as they are no colour what so ever in them- the one advantage of being able to dye my hair different colours, so I thought I should start shading my eyebrows in. After asking the mua I settled on Lingering. I haven’t tried this on my eyebrows yet, so all what I can say is that I am happy with the colour of the pencil. I also got two foundation samples- studio sculpt, and studio fix both in NW25.

The world's rubbish lipstick swatches, especially of Hue.

No birthday haul would be complete without some new clothes. I’m still in the process of trying to find a dress for Leeds next weekend (it’s the law to have a new outfit for your birthday in the UK), however in the mean time I picked these two gems up from the Tall section in Topshop while shopping with the Seed Maxine. I've been after the gold tee after seeing it in Leeds with Sinead after the Illamasqua event.

Both are from the Tall section.

Grey Tee- £10  

Gold Metallic Tee- £30 I've never seen it online but the link for the style is here

Well and truly spoiled. Now if anyone wants to buy me a dress for next week- feel free to ;)

Oh I’m also obsessed with Instagram at the moment- if you want a glimpse into my life, follow me @RayWhoisShe.

Alexa Chung for Vero Moda

I do love a bit of the Chung, well her fashion, not so much her attempts at presenting. I initially saw these images on the Daily Mail website on Friday while having my lunch at work and knew I had to post these. I don’t know what it is about these pictures, but there is something about them, which I can’t put my finger on.

Normally Vero Moda is one of those brands I never ever bother with- I may give them a quick glance while browsing ASOS but I would never willingly go on their site. If you recall my holiday outfits, I received two dresses from them via Zalando and I thought for the price the quality was good. However from glancing at their Spring/Summer campaign featuring the Chung you would think these pictures are taken from a spread inside Vogue or Elle featuring high end items of clothing, not high street.

The campaign was shot in Alexa’s adopted hometown of Brooklyn, New York, and I just think the background shots just compliment the items of clothing perfectly. There are more shots on the official site, however I’ve selected a few of my personal favourites to share.

(all images via veramoda.com)

All items which are featured in this campaign are currently available on the Vera Moda site, and are VERY purse friendly. I’d definitely recommend to go and have a look.

17 Again- Treacle Takeover

Hi all!

Like Ray (aka me Treacle), I love my make-up, but I was thinking the other day that not everyone can afford the finer things in life, and it shouldn’t mean that looking good should be sacrificed just because of the financials! I am one of many in a bit of a financial rut as I have just left university and started a new job, I am sure there are a good few post grads out there that can identify with this situation. To cut a long story short, while thinking about this I sent me Treacle a text and asked her if she had ever tried 17 make-up as it is bank balance friendly and is great quality, to which her reply was that I should do a guest blog for her about it, so here we are!

Like any other typical girl, I have way too many products that will probably pass their use by date before I can actually use them all up, so I’m going to run through the 17 products I own and tell you why they’re so brilliant.

I have over 60 nail polishes (disgraceful I know), however I have to admit I am a Barry M fan all the way, although I do have 3 17 polishes: a bright pink one which I love, a green one which should be banned, and a basecoat, so I’ll skim past polishes and move straight over to lipsticks.

As we know, Ray is a fan of ‘nude’ lipsticks, and so am I; I just can’t pull off bright shades at all without looking ‘manish’. I have three 17 lipsticks which are all from their ‘Sheer Moisture’ collection, which you can find in Boots at £4.29 each – bargain!

My favourite shades are Balmy Beige, Antique Lace, and Berry Silk, swatches below:

I love these lipsticks because as they are sheer they leave just the right amount of colour and feel quite hydrating too. I am more of an eyes than a lips girl though, so I like a lipstick I can just pop in my handbag and carry around all day, plus these go with anything as they’re very subtle, but could also be built up a bit for more of an evening look.

These are my favourite 17 eyeshadows:

Funfair, Viva Diva, Rose Quartz, Night Sky, Starry Eyes trio in Neptune, and Dolly Mixture. Solo shadows swatched.

There doesn’t look to be many, but I’ve had a lot of fun creating several different looks with these. At £3.89 for the solos, £5.49 for Dolly Mixture and £4.99 for Neptune, you can play around with them guilt free in the knowledge that they were a bargain, and that a little also goes a long way.

 Here are some of my favourite looks with these shadows:

Here (above), I used Funfair on my eye lid, then lined it with Viva Diva, and lined the bottom lid with Rose Quartz. Unfortunately my usually fabulous camera is having trouble focussing and I haven’t been able to capture the look properly

It’s really hard to make out the shades I’ve used on this photo, but this is actually the Neptune trio. I applied the gold shades to my eye lid, the purple shadow on the outer corner and socket line, then lined it with the really dark shade. It’s a great evening look, and I wore it a lot in the winter months of last year – especially Christmas.

Here I’ve used the Dolly Mixture trio, it’s not for everyone but personally I love it! All you need to finish it off is a good coat of mascara! The only downside to this is the yellow needs a lot of building up, but I find a primer such as Benefit Lemon Aid really helps here.

I use Funfair most days, as I haven’t seen a colour like it; it’s like a pinky-bronze which is subtle enough for day time but also fun to team up with vibrant jewel tones on an evening. Night Sky is great for adding the final touch to a smoky eye. All shades also work well applied with a soft eyeliner brush for a hint of colour

And lastly, I love 17 because they nearly ALWAYS have free gifts when you spend x amount of money or buy x amount of their products. Here are a couple of my freebies:

The palette on the left is the ‘Glam Rock Eye Palette’. I got this last December 2010 as a promotional gift and I find it handy for creating evening looks.

On the right is the ‘All About Nude – Summer Palette 2011’ which I got for buying two 17 products (base coat and Balmy Beige lipstick). The top row contains two eyeshadows, including my beloved Funfair, and also Walnut Pearl. I’ve been wearing these two shades together recently and I’m totally hooked!

On the bottom is Mirror Shine Lipstick in Belle (right), and Cream Blusher (left). I’ve only quickly tested the lipstick and I like it, I’ll definitely be using it. However, I have really rosy cheeks that I have to use a calming primer on, so I won’t be using the blusher as I don’t need it. 3 out of 4 isn’t bad for a freebie though!

 I hope I have managed to tempt you with the wonders of 17 make up or even prompted you to check out some other bargain brands – if not, eBay is excellent for finding top end make up at bottom end prices (although beware of fakes)!

Love

Muccy (aka Treacle)

xxx