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 :)

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. 

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 :)

Favourite Apps : January

So you took a photo you love, but it lacks something ? Perhaps to be sharpened , filtered or mirrored even. The quickest way to edit photos is just an App away.  I love watching videos and reading blogs about apps, especially when they are photo editing apps. I thought this time I will show you some of my favourite apps that I'm loving at the moment. I have an Iphone 4s but it only has an 8GB memory capacity so I like to keep my apps to a minimum if possible.Every now and and then I'll have a phone clear out and delete apps or photos that are calling to be erased.

~ Diptic ~

So my first photography App is Diptic. Diptic allows you to sew photos together to create your own little collages. The reason I love Diptic is that you have control over the frame added to any collages made. You can change the width, colour, edges, add textures or remove the border completely. Diptic also gives you the ability to edit photos with filters, adjustments and adding text. The app is just more flexible than most free collage apps I have used and is now my go to app for photo editing ( even before instagram!).  Diptic does cost to download I'm afraid though I believe it to be a little investment for those who love to get creative with Instagram photos.

For those who wish to create collage photos on a free app then I recommend Picstitch. It doesn't have as many photo editing options as Diptic and it isn't as flexible on the front of editing borders around photos either. However it is a great alternative for those who wish to try a photo collaging app.

~ PS express ~

A quick and easy photo editing app. This app allows you to edit photo's through filters, adjustments and enhancements. The reason why I like this app is the choice of options and frames available as well as a red eye detection to remove any red eye from your snaps. It's user friendly and makes editing photos a doddle. The only thing this app doesn't offer is the ability to create collages of photos.

Of course there is always Instagram itself which gives you the option to filter you photos last minute before you upload them. I recommend trying a different photo editing app as well just to give you more options and diversity for your photos. It's easy to get stuck using the same Instagram filter for every photo.

~ Wallpapers ~

As far as I can tell, the app itself is just called "wallpapers". Can you guess what it does yet? It's a wallpaper app. You guessed correctly. This app allows you to scroll through some of the latest photos and images to find a wallpaper that matches your mood. There's a wide choice of wallpaper selection from animals wallpapers to landscape,  to ones created with IOS 7 in mind. It's easy to use , you find the image you like, save it to your picture reel and then set image as wallpaper. EASY! The only down side is that you do get the odd advert pop up now and again.

~ Pixiwoo magazine - TWO ~

This is an app that downloads into your newsstand. 'Two' magazine is a free magazine created by the Pixiwoo sisters, Sam and Nic. Pixiwoo is a popular and well known Youtube channel offering make-up tutorials and other beauty related videos to their audience. They are creative and constantly on the ball with the latest make-up trends. Their magazine is full of glamorous photo's , advice, tips and interviews with other skilled make-up artists. This magazine just catches your eye instantly and best of all it's free! Sam Chapman even has her own make-up brush range that is found in most drug stores and some supermarkets.

So that is all folks. Just a small round-up on some of my favourite current apps at the moment. feel free to share yours with me or add me on instagram.  

The mint apple :)

#Haul : Skincare and Mens fashion

Who's still keeping up with their new years resolution? If you are, then keep going and bravo!  Nothing better to knock away any January blue's than a bit of retail therapy. I have to admit I haven't been so eager for the January sales this year. It makes me sad to see all lovely things I had bought a week prior to Christmas at 70% off , so I only snatched a couple of items from the sales. The skincare items included in this blog are mostly Christmas presents though they are things I have wanted to try for a while. 

~ floral hoodie , River island ~

So the first thing I have here to show you is this floral hoodie from River island. No surprise with the run up to spring, floral prints have burst onto the shop floors and I'm loving them. I chose this hoodie as not only did it have a dark floral design but it contrasted well against the light grey in the centre. It allows me to wear a bold floral print without it being like having a bouquet thrown at your face. I'm still on the hunt for a floral back pack but I hope to grab one soon.

~ Beanie and gym T-shirt, New look ~

The next items I bought were from new look. There's a lot of baseball, sports and gym style shirts out in stores at the moment with a vast majority made in mesh. Though I have't got one of those yet, I did pick up this red sleeved sports top which is easy to throw on on days were I just want to chill and lounge around the house. The black beanie also pictured above was £3 so if the price didn't sell itself to me, the accent hash-tag defiantly did. I can't resist a hash-tag!  I love seeing people out in about in town wearing black beanies and white shirts, the contrast of the two colours draws my eye.

~ Skincare~

With a new year and a new start ahead of me , I also got some new skincare.  Majority of the skincare is from superdrug's optimum range. The great thing about when I got these products is that they were on 3 for 2! I have tried the apple skin renewal moisturiser from Iuperdrug and really enjoyed using it so I have now ventured into their overnight skin renewal serum. As well as their apple skin renewal range I received two products from the super grape antioxidant line. The sturdy plastic packaging for both of these looks more expensive than it actually is ( see picture below) . The day cream has an SPF 15, they are both 50ml and both paraben free. I look forward to testing and reviewing these for you.

~ Badger balm , Lip balm set ~ 

 (excuse the chunky thumb). I have something to rival my trusted and beloved Burt's bees lip balms. I'm yet to try this lip balm set but the flavours include tangerine breeze, pink grapefruit, lavender & orange and vanilla Madagascar. errrm yum! With ingredients including beeswax, virgin olive oil and rosehip , I can't wait to tuck into these and smother my smacker with them. Has Burt's bees met it's match ?

~ Clarins , Liquid bronze self tanning ~ 

Clarins liquid bronze self tanner is a product I see and hear continuously in the youtube community. After a small debate with myself, I decided to give it a go. I hear great things about this product and look forward to writing a review about it in the future.You just add a small amount to a cotton pad , wipe it over your face and your done. Simple.Though this retails for around £18 , you do get 125mls of product making it great value in comparison to so many other face self tanners. 

~ Bodyshop, camomile silky cleansing oil ~

The last product I have is a face cleansing oil. It's the fourth bottle pictured above. unfortunately I didn't take a snap of it on it's own. With more and more people becoming more conscious of their skincare and what's in the products they use to clean their faces, cleansing oils have hit the town hard. I've noticed in the youtube community and stores a lot more beauty oils and balms are being favoured so I've decided to try them also. This is the body shop camomile silky cleanse off oil that has a light , clean and slightly sweet scent. I can't wait to slap this on my face and discover the results.

So that is the end of my haul. A little long winded perhaps but I wanted to show you all the things to expect reviews for in the future. Have you tried any of the products mentioned above? I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment or add me on Instagram.

The mint apple :)

#OOTD : Winters day

Hello! January is now in full swing and winter is stomping Britain with it's chilly nights. Here is my first outfit of the day post for something I would wear in the winter. The first photo is very awkward as I posed in front of my camera being propped up on a storage box on top of an old wooden chair. No fancy tripods or cameras for me just yet! The first photo is unedited , ( besides the fact it's mirrored) , so you can see what the outfit would appear like in daylight.The photo's below are also unedited. 

Whether you love it or hate it, I have to admit I love a buttoned up shirt. I feel that they make me look a little bit more broader as they are more fitted around the collar and shoulders , compared to a baggy T-shirt that drapes of the shoulders. The clothes are all available from the high-street , with the most expensive garment being my coat at under £45!

One my staples of winter has to be brown boots. I find them very versatile for a variety of outfits and look great with chinos or jeans. The ones I wear have a Brogue design which just adds a little more detail to a simple boot shape.

I hope you like my first #OOTD and I look forward to posting more in the future. 

Outfit breakdown

Grey 'Teenie Beanie' -  Asos

Grey Wool Coat -  Tesco F&F

Buttoned checked shirt -  Topman

Silver necklace - W.R.Bulllen Limited jewellers

Jeans -  Peacocks

Brown Boots -   Lee cooper at Sportsworld