June Haul : Men's fashion 2014

I'm sure we can all agree on one thing this month , which is that where has the time gone ? May and June have just flown by without passing go or collecting £200. During June I decided that it was time to collect a few fashion bits and pieces for the summer,  as majority of my wardrobe still consists of heavy knitted jumpers. ( I'm a slave to winter fashion)! I don't often do Hauls of any kind, with majority of that reason being at present 1. I'm on a student budget and 2. I'm saving up for a house deposit.  The pieces of fashion I have chosen are more playful and colourful to match the vibrancy of the bright summer weather. If you wish to find the stores where I bought my items from, just click on the photo and it will send you to the webpage.

Hype T-shirt ( from Topman)

I'm a lover of floral for any day in any season and I fell in love with this garden floral print by "Hype". The Hype collections are found in most Topman stores and I have admired many of their designs,  though this shirt really took my fancy. The design consists of a bouquet mingled with garden greenery and the odd butterfly here and there. It is a very bold T-shirt but the white cotton background  helps to balance out the clashing colours. ( I've edited the third picture to emphasise the detail of the pattern)

Plaid Shirt from H & M

I love this shirt from H & M as it mixes three colours that would clash against one another if they weren't softened down as they are here. The shirt consists of a neutral tone pink, yellow and light blue for a soft plaid colour combination. I usually wear it buttoned up to the top with a pair of jeans though I could throw it over white T-shirt for a more casual look. I feel that due to the softened tones of colours, the shades may become more faded through general wash and wear, but will just add further to the neutral colour scheme 

.

 This currently retails for just under £20.

Nike Trainers - Asos

I have had my eye on a pair of white trainers for some time now and when I spotted this Nike pair detailed in Teal, I had to have them! Further more for my reasoning to have them was that I was able to grab them in the sale. The teal colour is beautiful, but how long I can keep these trainers sparkling white for is another question.

Jack wills- rucksack

I love my current bag but I decided it was time to get a back pack that was colourful and spacious so I can throw together anything that was needed for travel or a get away to the beach.  I picked up this Jack wills backpack from the sale, in a bright pillow box red with a contrasting navy panel and navy lining. The bag straps are comfortable and boasts an exterior and hidden interior pocket to keep items such as mobile phone tucked safely away. I'm impressed with the quality of this ruck sac which I expected as always with the Jack wills brand.

White polo shirt  - Next

My final high street purchase is this crisp white polo shirt from Next. I previously had a Fred perry white shirt that I would  wear with just blue jeans, though it seems to have dissappeared in the depths of my wardrobe . ( I still pray for it's return). I adore the contrast of a crisp clean white shirt against dark blue jeans for the summer, something simple yet stylish. The collar on the polo makes the shirt seem a little more formal and gives some structure around the neck and shoulders.

The mint Apple :)

Quick Review : Blanx 'white shock' toothpaste

Having a casual cruise around Boots , ( as you do), looking for things I wanted but didn't need,   I came across this Blanx , White shock , whitening toothpaste .Intrigued by it's eccentric packaging and the fact it was on offer, I decided that I would give it a try to decide if the product was a breakthrough or just another gimmick.

Blanx white shock toothpaste claims to whiten your teeth by activating the whitening agents in the toothpaste with light. It seemed only fitting they have created a toothpaste that has a built in blue led light in the lid. The lid can be detached from the toothpaste so the toothpaste can be either used alone or attached to another tube of Blanx White shock toothpaste. The toothpaste itself is only 50 mls so majority of the packaging comes from the bulky led light. When you unscrew the cap the light turns on automatically and the light is supposed to immediately activate the toothpaste and it's whitening properties. The more light the toothpaste gets, the more intense the whitening action!

The test

So to ensure that I gave this toothpaste the fairest chance for testing it's results I used it exclusively , morning and night , until the tube was finished. I finished the tube fully after about  4 weeks. At times,  once I had brushed my teeth with the toothpaste, I would hover the light over my teeth for around 30 seconds to see if this would increase the chances of whitening my teeth.

My teeth aren't heavily stained though they could do with going up a notch in the whiteness scale.

The result

After four weeks of using the toothpaste I unfortunately didn't notice any differences in an increase of teeth whiteness. However , I did have to take into consideration that I am a heavy tea drinker and my teeth hadn't become any more stained than before. SO the toothpaste did a good job at keeping the stains away from my teeth and maintaining them at the colour they already are. Whitening toothpastes at times can be irritating to gums , make teeth feel sensitive or have abrasive grains to scrub the stains away. I didn't have any problems in regards to any tooth sensitivity using this toothpaste nor did it leave my gums feeling sore. I already have sensitive teeth, the last thing i would want is to make it worse! 

Unfortunately overall I'll have to call this one out as a gimmick as I couldn't tell any differences in regards to pearlier whites. I took photos of my teeth prior to using this toothpaste and can't see any changes.

The toothpaste isn't particularly cheap either and you only get 50 mls of product therefore it won't last as long as most toothpastes unless you use a lot less than a pea sized amount. Sorry to say I won't be repurchasing this toothpaste though I wouldn't miss trying others in the Blanx range.

What I did find handy was that the light came in useful when stumbling across the dark hallways of my house when the lights went out. Toothpaste torch anyone ? 

Themintapple :)

April favourites 2014

April showers are sprinkling here and there and the sun is shining it's face for a lot longer in the daytime. I've just had my first pina colada of the year , which can only mean summer is slowly on it's hazy way. With no signs of any Easter eggs left but a bloated stomach , April has flown by!  All of my April favourites are under £10 with one of my favourites this month being just a pound.

I'll start my April favourites with two eye products I've been using. The first eye cream is Benefits - It's potent! The pot that you see in the photograph is just a sample size that I received in a gift set of miniatures from the benefit B.right skincare range. Now I mentioned all the products in my April favourites were under ten pounds , however the benefit miniatures set fluctuates in price and can retail between £10-£15. firstly, the packaging of the benefit miniatures is beautiful! They all come in aqua glass bottles or aqua coloured tubes looking as they they belong on a dolls dressing table. Despite their gorgeous attire they actually make getting the product out rather difficult.

It's potent! is a thick and creamy eye cream that moisturised my under eye area. Due to it's impact to moisturise the eyes, it added a veil of hydration to eye area that gave it a slight brightening effect. The brightening effect is small , however it doesn't rely on any shimmer to reflect light that in fact makes my under eye circles look worse majority of the time. The thickness of the eye cream made it  a great base for applying a creamy concealer on top.

The second eye product was an eye gel by the company Anatomicals. I love the name of this eye product, " no old bags allowed" , I'm all up for quirky names on packaging.  I hadn't used an eye gel before but I think I may just now be a convert for an eye gel for life! It's a clear gel that when rubbed between my two fingers begins to turn more fluid which I then apply to my eye and orbital area. The gel was so cooling around my eyes, refreshing and helped to reduce my morning puffiness. I didn't feel awake until I had used some of this soothing eye gel. 

It contains some lovely ingredients such as orange flower water and glycerine to seal the moisture. The down side to it's packaging is that the hole where the product is squeezed out from is quite large , so I would always squeeze out far too much product. Anatomicals- No old bags allowed can be purchased here.

The next three products in my April favourites are hair products. The first product on the left being from Avon.

Advance techniques, Moroccan argon oil conditioner from Avon was brought on a whim as I was in need of a new conditioner. I was pleasantly surprised at the scent as it appeared to be clean yet sweet. The thick , creamy white conditioner gives a fantastic finish to my hair leaving it smooth, shiny but just a little weighed down ( though I can look past that). I was so impressed by the end result of this conditioner it was as if I had used a hair mask as it gave the same result as a higher end conditioner. With argan oil and vitamin E , I would definitely repurchase this conditioner as it costs less than £3! You can view the Moroccan Argan hair range at Avon here.

The next hair product in my monthly favourites is VO5 - Surfstyle sea salt spray ( try and say that fast five times ). Sea salt sprays are a great way at adding tousled texture to your hair. Just a couple sprays of this added a matte texture to my hair as if I had spent the day by the seaside. If you use it on wet hair before blow-drying it can add mega volume to your locks. 

The down side to this sea salt spray compared to others is that it can leave hair so dry it feels crunchy and can make hair appear chalky at times. This depends on how much you lavish your hair with it. It's a great budget texturing spray but not so for those that wish to make their hair dryer than it already is.

The final hair product is another conditioner specifically for brunettes made by a company called "creightons". I have never heard of this brand before and I grabbed this conditioner from the shelves of pound land. At just £1 I didn't have high expectations for this conditioner but boy did it deliver! I loved it so much that I have already repurchased it. It left my hair smelling great, left it shiny , soft and I do believe it enhances the brown tones in brunette hair. At just £1 I am ecstatic with this little high street bargain.

Two shower and bath products I have used up in the month of April include The body shops raspberry ripple shower gel and soap & glory's  "The breakfast scrub".

 I believe the breakfast scrub has now been renamed as "smoothie star" as soap & glory have had a name and packaging shuffle lately. The breakfast scrub is a delectable body scrub that smells so good you could eat it ( please don't , I discovered it really doesn't taste nice). The body scrub smells of maple syrup,  containing oat and sugar kernels to buff off the dead skin cells. This delicious scrub also contains banana, almond and honey extracts . Note : if the product says scrub, this often refers to what the product will do and not an action. The product itself will do the hard work of buffing your body to perfection , whilst actually vigorously scrubbing a body scrub could leave skin feeling irritated and perhaps damaged.

The breakfast scrub is incredibly thick so it shouldn't fall into the plughole straight away and leaves a light layer of moisture on the skin afterwards. to avoid the risk of the scrub falling straight into the plughole, i would often turn the shower off, scrub and then rinse away the beads. Plus you don't waste as much water! It is a bit of a struggle to scoop out the body scrub in the shower and then finding a spare hand to put the lid back on. My only desire for this product is that I wish it came in a tube. The breakfast scrub ( "smoothie star") can be purchased from boots here.

Raspberry ripple shower gel from the body shop smells absolutely gorgeous! Every time I lathered myself in the red ripples I felt as if I had landed in some katy Perry-esque candy music video. The shower gel gave a light lather, has a beautiful fruit scent and didn't leave my skin feeling dry afterwards. I believe my skin didn't feel dry afterwards due to the added community trade aloe Vera. bonus.

My final product in my monthly favourites is a strawberry and white chocolate air freshener from Avon. How tasty does that sound?  At less than £3, I am pleased to say that this is a fantastic air freshener. It is strong so you only need a couple of sprays and there are always offers on Avon throughout the year as well as new limited edition house fragrances. 

I recommend spraying them before going shopping so once the scent has lingered in the air and settled, you return back with a sweet scented home. Unfortunately, I believe this was a limited edition scent but I wanted to mention these house sprays as they are brilliant. The packaging is sleek and small making them easy to store.

Have you tried any of the products mentioned above  ? Leave a comment of your Blog so I can read your monthly favourites too. 

Themintapple :)

# OOTD : Colour Punch Sports Wear

Hi everyone ! I was inspired to create an outfit that reflected upon a lot of the "Sports" or "gym" attire that I see often in the shops. Whether it be from long mesh tops or bold T-shirts blasting sports numbers and teams, this style is out in full force. Though I enjoy this style, I have noticed the colours of these tops don't often stray away from black and white. I have created an outfit inspired by those themed clothes but with a colour punch for spring giving a casual, playful, college day feel to the outfit. Yes, I am wearing a crop top.

Why are you wearing a crop top , do I hear you say ? Watching "A nightmare on elm street" , a very young and fresh faced Johnny Depp appeared wearing a crop top and jogging bottoms whilst portraying his very best victim acting skills . I fell in love with the outfit! He looked so casual and sporty , I had to try a crop top even if his outfit dated from 1984. After convincing my flatmates I wanted one, a friend of a flatmate surprised me with the yellow crop top that you see below . (Thankyou)!

I've chosen bold block colours to move away from winter and into the spring. The jeans could have been switched for jogging bottoms to give a more sporty and gym feel.

Outfit Menu

Blue washed denim Jeans - Primark

Blue Nikes  - Asos

Grey Casual Hoody - New look

NY colour cap - New look

Yellow Crop top - Topshop

Black back pack - Fred Perry

What do you guys think ? Please feel free to leave a comment below. Do you agree with the 'Hideous halfshirt' and for the crop top to be left alone ?

Themintapple :) 

The' RWB' edit

Hi everyone :) . I have chosen to do a small fashion edit based on the theme of 'RWB' ( red, white and blue). Red, white and blue go gloriously together and each colour compliments and contrasts one another. I enjoy experimenting with red white and blue , mixing between casual and formal clothing items.  I have focused upon one outfit in particular but then added two more casual outfits that still follow along the same colour theme.

I apologise that the photos aren't the best quality. I've discovered it's not as easy as I thought attempting to take photo's jumping mid-air on my digital camera , with no stand and relying solely on the camera timer. 

The first outfit i wish to show you is more formal with a nautical / costume feel to it. It reminds me of Adam and the ants , making me want to whip out some face paint and mark my cheeks in streaks. 

As you can see the blazer has a uniformed aspect to it which makes it appear almost costume like,  though making a bold statement. I love the gold detailing on the blazer which breaks up the bold colours of the red , white and blue.

Outfit Menu 

Navy Blazer - River island

White oxford shirt - New look

Red chinos - New look

Brogues - Sports direct

Here is just a casual way I have mixed red, white and blue. I wear this outfit for any time where I just want a relaxed day with minimal effort.

Outfit menu

Burgendy scarf - Primark

Jack wills white tee - Jack wills

Blue jeans - Peacocks

Blue Nikes - Asos

The final outfit I wish to show you is also super casual , minimalistic and very comfy during the colder spring days. I have also added a photo of the brown brogues which I wore for this outfit , as well for the blazer compilation.

Outfit menu

White knitted wool jumper - H&M

Red chinos - New look

Brown brogue boots  sports direct

I hope you enjoyed this small 'RWB' edit and has inspired you to mix and match with these colours. It was fun creating this post and would love to hear your favourite high street stores and opinions ? 

Themintapple :)

Let's get Lush

Hello everyone, today I bring you a post based on products from lovely LUSH. After running around town buying some staple cleaning products in order for me to catch up on belated cleaning duties, I noticed my conscience was niggling away at me to go treat myself. obviously ,I caved in and went into one of my favourite shops for bath and beauty products, LUSH!

I had in mind what I wanted to buy and when the lovely lady in the store offered her kind help, I couldn't wait to quiz her on what was to offer. knowing I wanted a fresh face mask, I felt a little overwhelmed looking at all the choice but the assistant gave me step by step options that were suitable to my needs.

I asked the store member for a fresh face mask that would be suitable for dull skin and was suggested "Brazened honey". "Brazened honey" includes ingredients of honey, lime, ginger, sage and coriander. It's main ingredient is Kaolin clay that is commonly found in most packet face masks. This face mask even contains small ground almond shells , allowing it to gently exfoliate the skin also. The mask smells fresh and fruity, very expected from lush. I want to eat it but I retract.

I was even politely given a live demonstration in store of the mask on the back of my hand ,to decide if I felt it was suitable for me.  

As the mask is kept in the fridge, it feels soothing as I massage it in to my face and the small ground almond shells start their exfoliating duties. I leave the mask on for 10 minutes before noticing little parts of the mask beginning to flake off on my top, indicating it's time to be washed away.

As I wash it off,  my skin is left feeling smooth , vibrant and dare I say glowing ?! I was so impressed that I continued to use the mask consecutively for three days , each time being impressed by it's effects. Now, I don't recommend using any exfoliating product on the skin three times consecutively, but I was so impressed that the contents did what it said on the tub that I couldn't resist pampering myself with it again and again. I have only just used less than half a tub of product, so this has been great value for me also.

My only downside to this face mask is that it was a little drying on my skin though I do have dry skin and the result may be different for those with oily skin types.

All fresh face masks have a short shelf life , which may be disappointing to some but it further implements how fresh the ingredients really are. The shelf life sticker can easily be seen on the back of the tub and what's amazing is that if you collect 5 empty face mask tubs, return them in store for a free one on them!

"Brazened Honey" retails for £5.95 in Certain LUSH stores.

"New" shampoo bar

The next item I purchased from LUSH was the "NEW" shampoo bar. I have used the lush shampoo bars in the past and have been impressed by how long they last and how well a job they do at cleaning my hair. Noticing my hair was looking rather limp and thin that week, I grabbed this for it's scalp stimulating properties that targeted towards my tired hair.

"NEW" shampoo bar has a strong clove and peppermint scent, that definitely awakens my senses if not my hair. "NEW" shampoo bar includes ingredients of clove oil, glycerine, cinnamon and nettle with it's main cleaning agent being sulfate. There's been an added cinnamon stick on top of the shampoo bar for decoration, which even though I appreciate , does actually scratch my head when I use it.(ouch)  

As soon as you swipe this shampoo bar on wet hair, you are emerged in a rich and thick lather. It's amazing how much lather you get from just a couple of swipes of this shampoo bar on your head, and it really cleans the hair thoroughly. My hair looked shiny and clean and I can already see that this shampoo bar is going to last me a whole month. 

Shampoo bars are also great for travel because they are light and there's no risk of any pesky leaks in your college bag.

"NEW" shampoo bar retails for £5.50.

"The Godmother" soap bar.

After explaining my love for snow fairy shower gel that limits it's perky face at Christmas time, the store assistant recommended I try "The Godmother" soap bar. I didn't actually purchase this little slice of soap, the assistant said my "smiley attitude" had made her smile too so she gave me this piece of soap for free! Yes, nice gestures do still exist ! I wanted to just hug her when she popped this in my LUSH bag but I held back as I thought that would be a tad inappropriate. 

so if you are a lover of snow fairy shower gel, then you will be spell bound by the sickly sweet scent ,( reminiscant of pear drops), of "The Godmother".  This fuchsia and pink coloured soap includes rapeseed and coconut oil. I have enjoyed using this soap , with it's fragrance lingering around the bathroom long after I initially used it. It can at times be very strong smelling, so bare this in mind if you're likely to get headaches from strong scents. 

I was able to get a light lather though I don't think I will be repurchasing this soap any time soon. I have dry skin, and even though this didn't exacerbate that, I believe lush will have other shower soaps to offer with more moisturising properties. I also find myself going through bar soap far more quickly than I do with shower gel, though I do keep this bar in a little tub to prevent if from vanishing in the shower when I'm not using it. 

"The Godmother " retails for £3.10 per 100 grams. 

"Popcorn" lip scrub.

The final treat I have to show you is "Popcorn" lip scrub."Popcorn" lip scrub contains only six ingredients and smells of , surprise, POPCORN! I actually don't like popcorn but love the flavour. Confused?

This lip scrub smells delicious with jojoba and cocoonut oil to moisturise the lips once they've been scrubbed. I dip my finger into the tub , scrub away gently in small circular motions and then lick away all the sugary and salty goodness. I enjoy using this cute little tub of a lip scrub, but I can't help but feel that it's expensive when considering the main ingredient is caster sugar.

This lip scrub does it's job ,leaving me with soft and smooth lips and I am eager to try the other lip scrubs in the range available though I am in no rush to repurchase a scrub any time soon. 

"Popcorn" lip scrub retails for £5.50 for 25 grams. 



I hope you have enjoyed this little review of some Lush products I have to show you. LUSH is a great company who have the most helpful and polite staff I have ever encountered in store. I recommend keeping products in tubs or the tins available to purchase in store to keep them in good condition and prevent them from washing away down the plug hole too fast. 

#OOTD : Winter wool

Jumper - New look.   Denim shirt - River island .   Collar pins - Top man. 

Looking pale as usual

Hi everyone !  :D Winter has stuck it's stubborn heels into the ground and doesn't seem to be budging for miss spring any time soon. As I choose to wrap up in my wool clothes and heavy knitted jumpers, I decided to share with you one of my more smart casual looks I would wear in the colder months.

I've taken one of my favourite cosy cream knitted jumpers and added a more preppy look to it by wearing a bleached shirt underneath. The shirt collar has given more structure to the neck area and I've emphasised this area with collar pins. Collar pins are a great way to dress up a plain coloured shirt and they can be removed effortlessly making them more versatile to outfits and  yet making clothes still easy to wash. Hurrah!  

( You may just want to be cautious before stabbing the pins in your favourite shirt as they may leave a tiny hole in the collar).

I bought my collar pins in the Topman sale for around £3 , ( originally £8), and they've been a source of conversation on a night out more than once. I've chosen to wear Navy chino's , which again add to more of a preppy and smarter element.

I finished the outfit with a trusty pair of brown boots , and a brown leather satchel bag from Ted baker. My Ted baker bag is sentimental to me as it was a combined birthday present from my friends, not that you needed to know but I thought I would share.   I've mentioned before but I believe brown accessories and shoes to be so versatile to a variety of looks so I often gravitate towards them.  :)

Outfit Menu

Cream knitted jumper - new look

Bleached buttoned shirt - river island

Navy chinos - New look 

Brown messenger bag - Ted baker

Collar pins - Top Man 

A closer look at the collar pins

Navy Chinos- New look

Brown Messenger bag - Ted baker

I hope you enjoy the post, The mint apple :)

Acqua di Gio : Fragrance review

I love the world of fragrance, I just can't get enough. Once one foot has entered a large store, then i'm off to find the fragrance section and I plan to be there for some time. I'm like a fragrance mad scientist dashing between scents looks for the perfect elixir. Fragrance and scents can be linked with memories, good and bad, and that's the beauty of them. Just a small whiff can remind you of places, family, friends or food even! Fragrance to me is another way to express yourself like fashion or makeup. I personally don't believe in male and female fragrances, that your gender should define what scents to wear. Sure there are scents more feminine or masculine and targeted to these genders but at the end of the day you wear whatever fragrance you feel comfortable in, whatever you want to express. Anyhoodle, rant over.  let's get into the review!

My first fragrance review is Acqua di gio by Giorgio Armani. The sleek frosted glass bottle is simple, with silver text displayed to the front and a silver cap on top. That's it,  simple. No fancy packaging, No coloured fluid or decorative plastic pieces thrown here and there. The frosted glass is very similar to what you would see on the Issey miyake fragrances. The simple packaging makes it great for travelling, as long as you don't drop it!

The fragrance notes consist of : 

Top - Jasmine, hespiradic notes, rosemary

Middle - Marine notes, persimmon fruits

Base- Patchouli, white musk, rock rose, cedar

The scent is fresh, clean and crisp. Ideal for everyday daytime wear and those summer days at the beach. I can imagine a gentleman ( or lady)  wearing this light scent on a hot summer day. There aren't any heavy wood notes in this so i could imagine a lot of ladies that might like to wear this scent. In my opinion there is something almost salty about it that just increases my imagination of skin that's been washed by the sea and then beaten on by the sun.

As soon as you spray it you get this fresh scent , a light citrus almost with the rosemary adding a further botanical, green , fresh aspect. I can also get a slight fruity note, adding a very soft sweetness but not sickly sweet. The sweetness is delicate unlike a heavy gourmand fragrance.

If you are looking for fragrance that projects and gets you noticed immediately when you enter a room then this isn't for you. The fragrance stays close to the skin which is a plus and negative as i often feel  that it wears off quickly. The projection on me lasts about an hour but it then continues to whisper on the skin between 4-6 hours before disappearing altogether. When you buy an expensive fragrance than you at least want it to last, right ? If you purchase the gift set then using the scented moisturizer before spraying the fragrance layers and locks the scent for longer. I am complemented by this fragrance but only when i'm in close contact with people  (I'm talking about hugging, be clean people). 

If you're a fan of light scents then definitely try this out. I would advise testing it out in the shops first before buying it and avoid blind buying a fragrance to prevent any disappointment. If you like Issey miyake , L'eau d'issey or Jo Malone lime basil and mandarin then I recommend giving this a sniff. It has to be said this is one of my favourite fragrances but i would like a scent with more projection.

Have you tried this ? What do you think ? I would love to hear your opinions or fragrance recommendations.

Themintapple :)