Jo Malone : Herb Garden colllection

When it comes to beauty product releases, little brings me more joy than seeing a new fragrance collection to one of my favourite fragrance houses ; Jo Malone . 

Jo Malone have released five limited fragrances based on the concept (and titled) , "The herb garden." Each fragrance uniquely headlining an earthy and green herb accord , some diced between other fragrant floral and fruity notes. The campaign's main image being a lady in her garden, showing a very glamorous side to being green fingered. The whole concept oozes a british vibe.

The five blossoming fragrances stand at ;

- Lavender and coriander

- Wild strawberry and parsley

- Sorrel and lemon thyme

- Nasturtuim and clover 

- Carrot blossom and fennel

( I didn't even know carrot blossom existed.)

Each slender glass bottle is tinted with a shade of leafy green , with a silhouette print of a herb that can be seen through the bottle. Simple yet reflective to the collection. 

I knew I would like at least one of these fragrances , but i didn't expect to have a like to all of them. The two standouts to me where the sorrel and lemon thyme and the lavender and coriander. Sorrell and lemon thyme surged my taste buds to salivate from the sharp and citrus scent , bursting with a refreshing sourness. This would mix beautifully with one of my fave scents, 'wood sage & sea salt'. 

Lavender and coriander has a romantic vibe, calming and soothing as resting your feet from a long day with a cup of tea. The coriander tones down the floral notes of lavender , whilst an underlying tonka bean accord adds depth , warmth and a very subtle sweetness.

With my purchase the staff kindly gave me a little fabric pouch with some "Herb bombs",  so I could grow a herb garden of my own. A gesture from them to me which just completed the Jo malone experiance. I was just missing some rain and soil!

Each 30ml fragrance retails for £44 , and are only available for a limited time.

( sidenote : Instead of binning the fragrance cards used to sample scents in Jo Malone, recycle them as bookmarks or magazine page markers . ) 

Sincerley, Harry 

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 :)

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.