Freshskin by Elemis Here We Glow Collection- #Xmas gift idea.

 
If there is one aspect I would have to choose in beauty that I love most, it would be skincare over and over. I just love how you can really give your skin a bit of a treat and pamper with a wide range of skincare products, and what better than the fab products at Elemis.
 
If like me, you have left your Christmas gift shopping to the last minute this year, (or just a little treat for yourself) do not despair! This amazing little Freshskin starter kit is affordable and a perfect little stocking filler for teens and 20's that may use the Freskhin range already, for anyone who want to sample it before buying the full sized products, take it to the gym or simply as a travel set to take on holiday with.
 

 
The Freshskin by Elemis Here We Glow Collection costs £15* and comes in a lovely pink patent zip case and includes:

 

 

 

Skin Clear Purifying Face Wash 30ml

 

Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash 30ml

 

Softly Softly Daily Moisturiser 15ml

 

Magical Moisture Quenching Mask 3ml.

 

 

I am a HUGE fan of their products, check out my first review *here* for a more in depth insight on their Freshskin range, I couldn't recommend this set enough, it is great value for money and an excellent way of introducing someone new to the brand.

 

I always enjoy using my Elemis products, I really genuinely feel that I can relax, pamper my skin and get the at home spa feeling and don't we all just need that now and again!

 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

xxx

Apprentice Luisa's Bakers Toolkit: An insight and review.

Believe me when I say, I am no domestic goddess. I would have much rather poked my eyes out than slave over a hot stove in the kitchen. Oh and the endless episodes of Nigella, Rachel Allen and Ina Gartens that my mum and sisters put on were enough to make me feel nauseated.
However, once you become a mum the whole. ' cant cook wont cook' mantra goes completely out of the window, I mean lets face it, you cant be feeding your kids beans on toast all their lives.

Lately, I have started to experiment more and more in the kitchen as you do and have developed a real liking for baking in particular cupcakes.

Cupcakes have really taken the world by storm. I mean you can find them practically anywhere, a posh tea house, weddings, christenings, baby showers, graduations and even funerals. Whatever the occasion, everybody wants a piece. And whats more, nowadays, the choices are endless, more creamier frosting's, edible glitters, pearl beads, a wide range of flavours and if anyone wants to add more to the list, feel free!

I was very lucky to be sent some baking and decorating samples from the amazing  Bakers Toolkit, the 'innovators for everything cake decorating and baking related', as they put it.
For those of you that don't know, Bakers Toolkit was launched this year by 2013 Apprentice runner up Luisa Zissman, if you do not know who Luisa is, well where have you been?! Having watched The Apprentice religiously this year, it is such a privilege to be able to sample products from the very business idea she was putting forward to Lord Sugar.

From everything to the products, the branding, the website of Bakers Toolkit, one thing is clear is that Luisa is extremely passionate and professional when it comes to what she does best, certainly not just a pretty face is she?
Bakers Toolkit, on closer inspection appears to be very user friendly, simple yet effective and to the point. The site doesn't seem too cluttered either with lots of images and ads which usually has a tendency to put me off. The range is extensive and oh so pretty. Some may even argue that its only target market are females due to the imagery and colour used, however this can be debated.

So, lets move on the what I was sent shall we. (In no particular order)

I received the Blue Fully Edible Mini Pearl Beads, two Fully Cake And Cupcake Glitters in Turquoise Blue and Orange, Edible Shapes in Love, Ready To Roll Icing in Pure White and Pink as well as Blue Food Colouring Gel Paste to try.

The first thing that caught my eye about all of these was definitely the packaging. Its cute and chic and economical and would most definitely grab my attention if these were stacked on a supermarket shelf. All the products are clearly branded and come in good quality, sturdy packaging that doesn't look cheap.
I was lucky enough to try some delicious cupcakes from Yum Yum Cakes and Cupcakes and simply couldn't help but have a little play around with all the products! Don't they just look so pretty and far too good to eat! Take a look at my little creations with these and do excuse the crappy iPhone pictures.

 The blue mini pearl beads can add a great touch and extra detail to say a wedding cake, baby boy baby shower, a wedding or just in general. These are available in a wide range of colours too. And check out the wonderful innovative cute lids, I have never quite seen anything like these.

Next were the Fully Edible cake and cupcake glitters. Now we all need glitter to add a sparkle to our lives and well now you can add sparkle to your cakes and cupcakes with these amazing edible glitters. Again, these are available in a full range of colours and come in fab little pots you could almost mistake them for eye shadows! Simply sprinkle on or use with a brush as they suggest. I  got them in a gorgeous turquoise blue and orange colour.

 
Next, the Edible Shapes in Love is definitely my favourite out of the lot, these come in red and white and a mixture of the letters L, O, V and E. These are a perfect edition to cakes and cupcakes for a wedding, anniversary and valentines just for adding that extra special touch. The fact that these are edible mean you can practically use these anywhere for that romantic gesture, even of a piece of toast for your loved one. I will definitely be putting these to good use on my cupcakes come this Valentines!

 

 

As I am not a professional baker, I am still yet to try the Blue Food Colouring paste and the Ready To Roll Icing kit. The food colouring paste comes in a 30g squeezy bottle again in a range of colours and is perfect for icing, sponges and buttercream.

The Ready to Roll icing  like the other product again come in a wide range of colours and again looks like another fab product. Here is what Bakers Toolkit say about it 'The Bakers Toolkit Roll 'n' Ice Professional ready to roll icing has been made with you, the customer, in mind, by giving the smoothest, most professional look to your cakes, whilst being extremely easy to use. Simply remove it from the packet and either roll it out if you are covering a cake or get to work on your chosen model or shape'
 
 
I would like to thank Bakers Toolkit for allowing me to try these wonderful products, I would without a doubt recommend these to bakers and those who passionately bake frequently. I will definitely continue to try these out and look forward to using the food colouring and ready to roll icings. I just love how Bakers Toolkit provide simple and easy to follow recipes on their site too, they are definitely worth checking out.

Check out Bakers Toolkit here:

 

http://www.bakerstoolkit.co.uk/

Check out the stockists page here:

http://www.bakerstoolkit.co.uk/stockists/

 

Follow them on Twitter here:

 

@bakers_toolkit

 

And of course keep up to date with Luisa here:

 

https://twitter.com/TheLuluLife

Now available to purchase from www.the-bakershop.co.uk
 

Happy Baking! Until next time xx
 
 








 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation: Review.

Hi all,

Hope you are well and wrapping up for the oh so cold days. Here in the UK, although we haven't quite seen the sight of snow just yet, we are having some rather bitterly cold days.

Now, apologies I have been quite MIA lately, life have been far too busy for me particularly these past few weeks  and thus, things have been a bit slow on the blogging side. However, I have made a promise to myself to do lots more blogging in the new year so watch this space!

There has been such a hype about the not so new Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation and I have been meaning to knuckle down and get this review done.

I was sent this foundation by Glamour Magazine to sample almost two years ago as part of a beauty panel questionnaire and I must admit, I didn't exactly rush to trying it on. There are simply two reasons for this. One, well because I used to be a snob and was quite dubious about trying High Street or  'drugstore' as it is known in the US foundations (It was all Mac Mac Mac back in the days) and two, I have never been blown away by Rimmel Foundations in the past so it wasn't really on top of my list of products I wanted to try.

Lately, I had a huge makeup and cosmetics clear out as you do at some point and happened to stumble across it again and decided to give it a try. And actually, as it happens, I was pleasantly surprised! What appeared to be a thick gloopy looking liquid in a pump it bottle, actually gave an amazing natural looking radiant dewy glow to my skin but appeared to be semi matte at the same time. I have recently become quite fond of the dewy look and in fact have been searching high and low for a foundation to give me just that and here this was right under my nose.

At first, I was put off by the shade (303 True Nude)  thinking it was far too light for my complexion but giving it the good old back of the hand test, applied using my RT stippling brush, it went on like a dream. It blends well, doesn't look ashy or grey under lighting and best of all, didn't dry out or irritate my skin and stayed put all day long. Big thumbs up! It really does 'wake you up' as the name suggests. I honestly cannot fault it.

 

 

 

You cannot really tell in natural light, but this has a slight shimmer to it which I suppose is what gives you that glow but it is rather deceptive and isn't an issue at all. I was super impressed by not the coverage, but the amount needed, only a tiny amount is required for a full face coverage, I would say approximately  1.5 pumps full if that makes any sense but of course, this depends on what kind of coverage you prefer, personally I am not a fan of the 'slapped on' look and remember, as with everything, the coverage can always be built up.

 

Believe it or not, I am quite fond of the gloopy thick consistency as it means it doesn't run off the back of my hands as I have had with some liquid foundations in the past. There doesn't appear to be a strong off putting smell either thankfully, although there is a delicate floral scent and the convenient pump glass bottle which allows you to have control over how much product to use is in fact quite sturdy too so no chances of any product leaking out.

 

 

 This works a treat if you have some dry patches of skin like myself, it is surprisingly quite lightweight and you could almost forgot you had it on. Best of all? Aside from making me look fresh faced every time I put it on, it leaves my skin feeling healthy and moisturised. Oh and lets not forgot to mention the fact that it contains SPF 15. Hooray! If you have normal, dry and combination skin and you are after a natural glow without looking tanned then I think this may be the one for you too.

Overall, this is an amazing amazing foundation and definitely deserves all the hype it receives. Considering it is priced at an affordable £8.99* for 30ml in six variable shades and can be purchased at all Superdrug and Boots, it definitely without a doubt beats some of the other much hyped about highstreet/drugstore foundations and could possibly  even give some of the higher end foundations a run for their money.

I think it is safe to say, I have finally found my everyday go to, all year round  foundation and this is something that has quickly become a staple in my personal kit and will be staying with me for a very long time. I am so glad I rediscovered this and didn't throw it out, I will most certainly be heading to Superdrug or Boots soon as there is currently a 3 for 2 offer on these. Is this ground-breaking enough to replace my Mac Studio Fix? It most certainly is I reckon!

Have you given this a try yet?