Jaide Poppy | Colourful Cruelty Free Living

Half term done and dusted we are now getting back to school for the final term of the academic year. It's a long one and hopefully the weather will be warming up (she hopes) and no doubt will be super busy. With these points in mind I'll need to re-think my make up look, from half term (full on make up) to back to natural school make up which is teacher or student friendly.

It wasn't long ago that I did a natural make up look however have a couple of new products that I've brought into this look. My base switches between just using the Collection concealer to the Bourjois Healthy mix depending on what my skin was like. Both are very long lasting and blend into the skin so well it's like they become untraceable. As I often teach active lessons I don't use powder on a daily basis but if I do I'm still using and loving the Bourjois Healthy Balance . I use it for the days when I'm just in the classroom or have meetings after school as it really does lock you…

This monthly favourites is a nice varied one in which mostly contains new products. It's been a busy month where my social life seems to have rocketed some what. When planning this post I had quite a long list of favourites but wanted to keep it a small cluster. Enjoy!

Show- Finishing spray-
First of all we must address the gorgeous packaging. How luxurious and sleek! The lid is weighty and the bottle is a nice size to hold comfortably because sometime you get a large canister and can't hold it right and sprays here there and everywhere (I say hoping other people do it too). This finishing spray is great as it's build able. You can have a very light hold all the way through to super hold (doesn't move in the mind). The smell, unlike others is lovely and almost slightly fruity. Yes it's quite pricy, but honestly so worth it for something that doesn't choke you after spraying the tiniest amount. 

Skin Pep- Dark Circle Eraser-
I didn't think I would become dependa…

I go through so many different phases when it comes to perfumes, and right now I'm pretty much obsessed with two that I'm using on rotation. Both I've had for quite a while now but as I said I go through phases and before I started using these again from the beginning of May, I hadn't used these since summer last year. Now before I begin I;m really not good at describing smells so to be warned! 

Yves Saint Laurent- Parisienne
I love this perfume so much, and every time I smell it I melt a little inside. Its so girlie and powerful. You can smell a bit of a floral tone and also a bit of a fruity one. I wear this both daytime and evening and get so many compliments when I wear this. I'm now down to my last few wears so they are being saved under lock and key.

YSL describe this as a woody floral scent.

Estee Lauder- Modern Muse
I'm pretty sure I got this last Christmas and have treasured it since. Makes me feel like a real lady when I wear this (as I would say a mature …

Not long ago I addressed the issue of dark circles, and how I can get extremely dark ones depending on the amount of sleep I've had. I have quite a few products that claim to help reduce the problem however, have recently been testing one out that I'm actually really excited about and had to share with you.

Skin Pep* is a premium professional aesthetic skincare brand with lots of products under their belt along with being a finalist for the beauty shortlist awards 2015. I was kindly sent their Dark Circle eraser and have been using it for just under a month now. The packaging is nice and has a very high end look to it, sleek and compact. The applicator is great and means you can apply it directly to the skin instead of using your finger. 

So........ Being paraben free, mineral oil free, artificial dye free and perfume free its packed of good things. Containing powerful antioxidants and vitamins this cream helps to maximise collagen levels and elasticity in the effected area. I c…

Bleached hair takes a lot of effort to keep it in nice condition, so I only use heat when I really need to (mostly in the form of a hairdryer). I do own some GHD straighteners however never use them unless I need to touch up my hair for a special occasion. I do this to my hair on a weekly basis to give it a bit of texture and movement and is very easy to do. 

Step one: you need a hair band that isn't too tight. I use these curly plastic ones I have from Japan but have heard on the grapevine that Primark have some too. They are great as they don't dent or kink your hair in any way.




Step two: gather your hair into a high pony and twist it until you can't twist anymore.




Step three: twist it round into a bun on the top of your head.




Step four: secure with the hair band and if you want it really secure use a bobbi pin or two. 





Step five: when your wake take it out and give a little loosening with your fingers and tahdah!

Do you do this or something similar? Do you think you'll gi…

A few posts have gone by now where I've either mentioned a red lip or a red eye but haven't gone that step further to mention them together, until today. Is it a thing that people do? I remember when it was a taboo to match your make up in such a way, however feel that now we have more room to play around and try out things that back in the day were a no go. 
When going for a red lip I've been choosing to prime my lips before starting my make up with the Models Own lip balm in Blackberry. It's a balm however stays put as a bit of a stain and starts off your berry lip. Doing exactly what you need it to do its perfect before the real deal. Talking of real deal, the Mac lip pencil in Beet has rocketed to quite a well used product in my collection (having had to sharpen it 3 times already since I bought it). it's creamy, easy to apply and stays put through food and drink. If I'm feeling more of a deep red instead of berry I'm popping on the Charlotte Tilbury Mat…

I love a good list and the best kind of list in my eyes is a wish list of things you are currently swooning over. Last week I managed to add a few beauty items to my wish list and thought I would share them with you all. 

Sunday Riley Juno Hydroactive Celluar Face Oil:

I'm a bit of a fan of facial oils and really like the sound of this one. Sunday Riley have a lot of coverage right now being featured everywhere for their genius blue over night oil. It's supposed to rejuvenate dull and life lacking skin. The list of nourishing ingredients is endless and will apparently help your skin to look luminous. Are you tempted? I know I am, but feel that justifying the price to Tony impossible. 

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel:

This has been on my wish list for a while now and still have bitten the bullet and bought it. I have quite a few different cleansers which I rotate however seem to always go back to my Liz Earl Cleanse and Polish. For that reason I am keen to find another that I love …

Having a jar full of brushes on your desk to choose from is great however you will always go to the same ones day after day and just change it up every now and again. There are five brushes I always use every single day and only swap it up once every few weeks. What cult brushes can you spot?

Mac 217 Blending brush:
The perfect blending brush in my eyes. I've used this brush from the very beginning of my blogging journey (and could do with another) and is so versatile everyone should have one in their collection. Some people think they are bad at blending or just can't do it, but using this brush will do all the work for you.

Real Techniques Expert Face brush:
I used to be a Buffing brush kinda girl, however from the moment I first used this Expert Face brush back in November I fell head over heels. It gives a great full coverage look and buffs the product into the skin in a sort of dense fashion. You really need to work with the brush but the end effect is a well blended flawless…

It's been a strange week this week as it's mostly revolved around going into hospital for a day procedure (investigating into a long term health issue). On the plus side I've had some exciting things come through the post to play around with so in a couple of weeks time they will be up on the blog in detail. So, heres my week in pictures! 

1: A 30th birthday- I teach Drama at a secondary school in Kent and work with some lovely people. It was my head of departments 30th birthday back at her family home in Maidenhead so myself and Tony had a little road trip up there to celebrate. We all had such a lovely time, great company, great food and drink, and most important of all, the birthday girl drank bottle after bottle of champagne. 

2: Pic a Mix from Tesco- I can't manage eating a lot of artificial sugar because of all the issues I have with my diet and body, however before going on my pre hospital diet I was craving a 'Pick a Mix'. I persuaded Tony to go for the X…

I've always been a lover of using masks whether that be heat, clay or gel. Sheet masks were on my last 'to try out' lists and was so excited to see these affordable ones in Boots the other week. This brand have two different sheet masks designed to help with the following areas; brightening and anti-wrinkle. I went with the brightening as I suffer with dark spots and high pigmentation areas. 

The mask itself:

It was really nice to find out that this mask does't include the ingredient hydroquinone, which is a bleach often used to whiten skin so therefore this mask can be used on all skin tones. They come in a box of 3 and are individually packed so they are great to travel with. 

What I thought:

I really enjoyed using these. I only have one left and want more (being on 3 for 2 right now is tempting) and want to try the other type of sheet mask too. I used the masks once a week for two weeks and could see a difference after the second mask. My skin looked more even toned and…

When I was contacted to try out this *Black and White hair wax I thought what better person than Tony to give this a go. Tony is always searching for a good wax that will hold his hair for the entire day or evening. He has very stubborn hair that's wavy and extremely thick so needs something that is tough and has a strong hold. 

Tonys thoughts:

"It smells really good, better than most hair wax I've tried. There's nothing worse than using a hair product that doesn't smell good because you can smell it all through the day. The product itself feels quite oily in the hands and is very easy to warm up before applying to your hair. I found that the hold is firm and not strong and seems to drop after a few hours (probably not the best for ultra thick hair). I've tried brushing my hair at the end of the day and not washing it but with this product that is not an option and need to wash my hair after every use. Overall it's a nice hair wax which I will continue to us…

Cleaning your make up brushes is one of those things that none of us enjoy doing (lets face it, it's a little tedious). Having said this I've found a product that makes it an easier job that I find to actually be enjoyable because of how great this product is. In the past I'd used the Mac brush cleanser which is really good, but was on the look out for a cheaper alternative. 

I'd seen the bottles of Dr Bronnersoap is TKMaxx for a while and in the end got one to just have in the house, as the label states that it's 18 in 1 so thought it would come in handy for something. Having used any shampoo I had hanging around to clean my brushes it was time for a change. I was pleasently surprised as to how well the Dr Bronner cleaned my brushes. There was no struggle and no elbow grease involved. Just a running tap, a drop of this on the end of the brush facing down and the make up just ran straight out. I like to give the end of the bristles a little massage whilst under the …

Waking up to an email from Office regarding a Nike collaboration with Liberty of London instantly made it a good day. Having been a fan of the Liberty prints and also Nike trainers I quickly clicked on the press release and fell in love with a couple of pairs from the range straight away.

The range is available from the beginning of May and the styles are as follows (follow link above to the collection): Air Rift, Air Max Thea, Cortez, Air Max 90 Ultra, Tennis Classic. It's an exciting launch as you see the re-launch of the Air Rift after a 7 year hiatus and also the arrival of the very rarely seen Merlin print which was actually designed by Liberty for a silk scarf back in 1972!




Have you fallen in love? Will you be purchasing these? Any of the range will definitely add a little something different to your outfit for summer. Something nice and bright, colourful and fun. 

My ultimate fabs are the Air Max 90 Ultras, so might have to save.

xoxo

It's been pops of colour over at -Thats-Just-Me during April, embracing the textured hair look and re-purchasing a holy grail product. Aprils been a good beauty month!
Ren Clarifying Toner- Back tracking to what seems an awful long time ago to when I thought I didn't really like toners and didn't see the fuss, however after a while of using this twice a day I started to really enjoy using it for the results were better than others I had used (post Here). I ran out of this for around two weeks and the difference that made to my skin was mad. It felt dry, I was breaking out but those under the skin spots. As soon as I started using this again my skin went back to being nice, plump, tight and bump free.
Awapuhi Sea Spray- I've been a fan of the Bumble and Bumble surf spray for a while and haven't really felt like I needed to try a different one as I felt happy with it as it did the job well. I got this sea spray in a beauty box and have been using it non stop during April…

I tend to have a pamper evening once a week at least. An evening where I completely chill and take no notice of time and just relax. I thought this would be a nice post for today as its a bank holiday weekend and some might need a pamper evening at the end of it.

My relaxing evening routine:

I start by choosing what sort of bath I'm going to have (bubbles,bomb) and this takes a while some times. LUSH cosmetics features in my bathtime frequently and feel I can share with you my LUSH obsession. Like a lot of bloggers and LUSH lovers I have a stash in a box and I just keep adding to it, my LUSH stash box is never empty and I seem to add to it every two weeks. Tony loves Lush products too so my stash isn't just for me.

Once the bath accompaniment has been chosen the bath running begins. Whilst this is doing its thing I pop downstairs to make a green tea which is normally Twinings Salted Caramel or Cherry Bake well **yummmmm. By the time I get back to the bath its at the perfect heigh…