Helen É lip crayon

This product (originally £8) was being given away free on their website (there was a P&P charge of £2.50) with the use of a promotional code. I chose the shade 'Red Carpet' (what can I say, I love having red lips!), and while they said to wait 28 days for delivery, I received mine within the week.


To confess, I have had this product for several months now (I am so far behind on reviews it's unbelievable), and whenever I have worn this product, I have always received compliments from friends about it! In fact, I am wearing this lip crayon in my profile picture (I had been trying out a basic 50s look), and I was definitely impressed by the way it defined my lip shape so effortlessly.

When applying it, you can immediately tell that this is not a shade for the faint-hearted! It is a bright red, the type most associated with Hollywood glitz and glam, hence why it is called Red Carpet! The lip crayon applies matte as well, which I think is a great option for this shade; you can make your lips the centre of attention without it being over-the-top, if you're not going for an overly-dramatic look.

Unfortunately, I found that if you wear this lip crayon on its own, it tends to come off quite easily during drinking and eating. Also, you may need to blot several times after application so that it does not transfer as heavily throughout the day. However, even though the product does come off quite easily, the pigmentation stays throughout the day -  this particular shade may require reapplication for any of the product that comes off on the inside of the lips.

Overall I would give this 3.5 kisses out of 5 - great colour, but comes off too easily during the day.

P.S. Helen É constantly offer free products (P&P is charged), so make sure to follow them here on Facebook to keep up-to-date on their latest offers.

Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede cologne

Introducing Peony & Blush Suede

The Essence of Charm

Peonies in voluptuous bloom,

exquisitely fragile.

Flirtatious with the juicy bite of

red apple and the opulence

of jasmine, rose and gillyflower.

Mingling with the sensuality of

soft, blush suede.

Luxurious and seductive.

Released in 2013, Jo Malone offered free 1.5ml (0.05 fl oz) samples when you designed a floral postcard and emailed it to a friend. Currently, this is available as a fragrance in 30ml and 100ml bottles, a 200ml body and hand wash, a 175ml body crème, and a candle (I have never seen a fragrance being offered as a candle before, but it's definitely an intriguing concept for fragrances).

The packaging of this sample is one of the nicest ones I've ever received. However, before I begin talking about the fragrance, I just want to mention about the customer service. With ordering samples, it usually takes several weeks before it arrives (if at all) - it mustn't have been more than two weeks when I received an email for Jo Malone, where they were apologising for me not receiving my sample yet as they had had an issue with mailing them out, but promised it would be sent out within the week. I must say that this is the most impressed I've been with a company that I've ordered a sample with, especially since I didn't spend any money with them. If I did order from this company in the future, I would have complete confidence that any problems would be dealt with both promptly and efficiently.

When I applied this, my initial thought was that it was definitely a floral scent, but in a mature way compared to some other fragrances which can be overwhelming with their sickly sweetness. The top note here is red apple, which adds a slight zesty element along with full-bodied fruitiness. Next, peony, rose and jasmine incorporate the floral elements into this fragrance that make it incredibly feminine and absolutely irresistible. Finally, suede makes up the base note here, helping to keep the whole scent velvety soft.

During the day, the scent doesn't fade at all, and the fragrance continues to be as pleasing as the initial application was.

Overall I give this 5 kisses out of 5 - a grown-up floral fragrance, which manages to perfectly capture femininity in its purest form.

Avon Perfect Kiss lipstick

So you might remember my previous post about the body spray that I got free from Avon. Well guess what - this was another freebie that came with that same order! I think I may have to start ordering from Avon a lot more in future...




This is Avon Perfect Kiss lipstick in the shade Lovey Dovey Pink, sample sized obviously. When I first saw the product, I was slightly worried that I wouldn't want to use it much because I'm not too much of a pink fan, but a freebie is a freebie, and I told myself that I would give it a go.





As I swatched it on my hand, I expected it to be quite a dark pink, but instead it was very light and subtle - I would describe it as a rose pink shade with silver sparkle hidden throughout. Definitely a lovey dovey shade.

When applying it to my lips, not a lot of the lipstick shade was noticeable (though the sparkle came through beautifully), and I would say that this lipstick is better to use for enhancing naturally pink lips to give a more natural look. For this reason, I would recommend using it in a flirty look, as the sparkle is sure to make your lips the centre of attention.

Throughout the day, the lipstick stayed on incredibly well, with almost none of it transferring whenever I ate or drank something - definitely a rare thing to find in a lip product that isn't from a premium brand.

Overall I give this product 4.5 kisses out of 5 - incredible wear throughout the day, but would have been nice if there was a little more colour to the lipstick.

The Art of Couponing

So for just under three weeks I have been in America, and I certainly did not return from there empty-handed! Everything in the picture was bought using a coupon, available either online or in the Sunday edition of the local newspaper. (I also bought food items using coupons, but I didn't keep track of them, so to make it simpler I'll only include make-up products.)




Coupons can be separated into two different types - manufacturer coupons, and store coupons. Manufacturer coupons are usable in any store that stocks the specific item on the coupon, whereas store coupons can only be used in that specific store. If you're lucky enough to get both a manufacturer and a store coupon for the same item, you can combine them and get even more savings! (But be sure to read the conditions on the coupon, as different restrictions apply to different coupons!) Also, some stores will require you to have a store card with them to be able to use store coupons (an unfortunate problem that I had at Walgreens).

For these products I went to three separate stores - Walgreens, CVS, and Target. Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer and Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick were bought at Walgreens; Covergirl intenseshadowblast and smokyshadowblast, Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow and Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color were bought at CVS; and Almay Eye Makeup remover pads was bought at Target.

This is Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in the shade Crushed Candy, a dark pink with a purple shimmer throughout. I used a $1 off Maybelline Color Show nail product manufacturer coupon that I got from Seventeen magazine. (Unfortunately I cannot remember the price of it, and the price being quoted on the Walgreens website is definitely less than I paid for it.)

This is Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in the shade Couture, which is red (what can I say, I love red lips!). I used a $1 off Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick manufacturer coupon that I found online (I did also have a $1 off Revlon lip products store coupon, but no store card so was unable to use it). Now this was a more expensive buy for me at around $9 (approx. £6), but I had been interested in the product for a while before finding the coupon, so I thought I might as well save some money on it!

These are Covergirl intenseshadowblast (in the shade Forever Pink), and smokyshadowblast (in the shade Tempest Blue) eye products. I have to say, these are probably the biggest bargain I got whilst couponing - each of these should have been around $9 in price, but were reduced by 50%, making them about $4.49 each (approx. £2.99). Then the manufacturer coupon I had was for $4 off of two Covergirl eye products, so after all savings these only cost roughly $2.49 each (approx. £1.66)!

This is Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in the palette Wild Orchids. For this I used a $3 off Revlon makeup products manufacturer coupon from the local Sunday paper, meaning that this only cost me around $3.99 (approx. £2.66). Sadly, an eyeshadow applier is not included in this palette.

This is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color in the shade Black Diamonds. Originally I was going to buy this in Walgreens, but I wasn't able to use the store coupon. I used a $1.50 off Sally Hansen nail products manufacturer coupon from the local Sunday paper, bringing the cost down to about $3.99.

These are Almay Eye Makeup remover pads, with a total of 80 pads in the tub. Originally $5.29 (approx. £3.53), I had a $2 off Almay makeup remover store coupon, making them $3.29 (approx. £2.19) after discounts.















So these are all my couponing rewards - I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse at one way in which you can cut down on your makeup costs!

Millie's Cookies red velvet cookie

So today I ventured out into the wide world and picked up a free red velvet cookie from Millie's Cookies with the use of a voucher from Red Online.

This red velvet cookie is a new limited edition flavour to the cookie range, and is also accompanied by a red velvet cupcake.

As soon as I received my cookie, I ate it down as quickly as I could - that's how good it was! (That's why I had to use the picture from their Facebook page - no time to take a photo.)

The main body of the cookie had a very soft and buttery taste, and melted in my mouth almost instantly. Dispersed throughout the cookie were white chocolate chunks, elevating the cookie to the status of a decadent treat.

The voucher for this cookie is still available from here until Friday 19th July, but you must have an account on Red Online. Also, Millie's Cookies are currently running a competition with their red velvet cookies and cupcakes where you could win a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes worth up to £450! Click here to be taken to the entry page.

Overall I give this product 5 kisses out of 5 - a guilty little pleasure that will leave you wanting more!

Avon Skin So Soft body spray

About a week ago I ordered a make-up grab bag from Avon, and this came along with it for free! This is a moisturising body spray, in a size of 150ml, and they recommend you use it after a bath or a shower to help lock in moisture.

I applied this to my legs (since I'm going on holiday in a few days and need my legs to look good!) spraying a somewhat generous amount to make sure that I covered every area. The moisturiser is clear in appearance, which I think is good as if you miss rubbing it in a certain area you won't have any unsightly white marks.

After using the body spray, I definitely noticed a difference in the way that my legs felt. They were a lot softer and felt more toned too, and it lasted for several days after just one application.


One problem that I found with this is that it took an incredibly long time for my legs to dry after I applied it - maybe this was due to the amount of product that I used, but even still it was a lot longer than expected.

Overall I give it 4 kisses out of 5 - it keeps skin soft for days after use, but takes an incredibly long time for skin to dry after use.

Boss Jour Pour Femme eau de parfum

Experience the break of dawn in a whole new way with Boss Jour Pour Femme, inspired by the first light of day.



This fragrance was initially released in Spring 2013, being exclusively available at Heathrow Airport. Now, this fragrance is available in Boots, and to celebrate its new launch free samples were available.



It is currently available in 30ml, 50ml, and 75ml bottles, and is also available as a body lotion and a shower gel, both of which are available in 200ml.




The sample is in a glass vial with an applicator wand, in a size of 2ml (0.06 fl oz).

When first applied, it is instantly obvious that this is a very light and crisp fragrance, echoing morning scents. The main top note here is lime, helping to emphasize the freshness of the perfume. Beneath this, freesia adds further freshness, perfect for a summery scent, while honeysuckle adds an element of sweetness. For the base note, white birch prevents the fragrance from being overly floral.

Throughout the day, the fragrance fades quicker than I would have liked, and the sourness of the lime can become very slightly overbearing.

Overall, I give this 4.5 out of 5 kisses - a very refreshing scent, though the lime note can become too sour over time.

Balance Me face wash

This was a freebie that I got with InStyle magazine. It is an organic face wash for normal to combination skin, and this sample size is 50ml (1.7 fl. oz).






At first glance, I thought that since the packaging appeared professional, it would be a quality product which was both kind to my face and the environment.








Opening the tube, the first thing that hit me was the smell of the face wash - it was horrendous. However, I put this down to the fact that it was organic, and that the product wasn't meant to be focused on its scent.

The instructions seemed a little strange, as it said to mix the face wash with warm water in the palm of your hand. Typically, when a facial product and water are mixed, disaster shortly follows.




Once I applied it to my face, I found that I was unable to bear the stench of it, and so washed it off only a few seconds of application. However, that was still long enough for it to react badly with my face - any area it had touched turned red.





Overall, I give this 0 out of 5 kisses - the product smelt horrible, and it didn't seem to do anything while it was on my face.

Aura by Swarovski

This is a freebie that I have had for a while, given to me by a friend's mum as she got some samples when she purchased the full-sized product just over a year ago.





The fragrance was released in 2011, and is available in 30ml and 75ml bottles. Each bottle is topped with a Swarovski crystal, and the perfume inside the bottle is pink, though once applied it turns clear.







The sample I have is 1.2ml (0.04 fl oz), and this is the only perfume sample I have where it comes in an atomiser, a definite plus as it is a lot easier to control the amount you apply at once compared to normal vials.

 

As soon as I applied this perfume, my initial thought was feminine - this is a very light and floral fragrance, but the floral notes are more elegant than typically found in other perfumes. The top note here is clearly rose, with a slight fruit scent echoing alongside it. Beneath this, the freshness of the floral aspect comes into its own, ensuring that the perfume does not become overwhelming. For the base notes, pink pepper helps to carry the floral theme throughout the scent, while hints of amber offer a touch of sweetness.

During its wear throughout the day, the perfume does eventually fade, but it lasts for a long time before this happens. Since the fragrance is light, the lingering scent of it doesn't become off-putting during the course of the day.

Overall I give this 5 kisses out of 5 - very refreshing and elegantly floral, perfect for daytime use.

Born Lippy pink berry lip balm

Today, I went and picked up this free lip balm from The Body Shop using a voucher from VoucherCodes.co.uk (with an original retail price of £3). They had a selection of pink berry, toffee, and pomegranate to choose from, though it seemed like most of the ones that were still available were pink berry (I only saw one toffee lip balm that wasn't a tester).


As I began to remove the cellophane from the lip balm, the scent of it became apparent - fruity and sugary, just like berries. However, removing the lid and smelling the actual product hits you with a wave of strawberry bubblegum, which could become off-putting during the course of the day.

Now, since I constantly have dry, chapped lips, I tend to avoid lip balms as they tend to dry my lips out quicker than usual. At first I thought that it would add a tint to my lips as the product is pink, but it does in fact apply clear. I only used a very small amount on my lips, and the lip balm coated my lips evenly. For about five minutes after applying the lip balm, my lips did feel slightly sticky, but this then faded. I didn't feel like it dried my lips out, so I would definitely consider this product a success.

This freebie is available here - but be quick, it ends Sunday 30th June!

Overall I give this 4 kisses out of 5 - a typically good lip balm, though the scent is a little overpowering.

Orly Nite Owl nail polish

I picked up this little freebie from ULTA using a voucher in Seventeen magazine. Originally there were several colours that you were able to choose from, but by the time I managed to get to the store they only had two colours left - both were more neutral shades which disappointed me a little as I prefer bolder polishes. However, a freebie is a freebie, and so I went with the Nite Owl shade.



On first appearance in the bottle, the colour looks like a mixture between a light brown and grey, with a hint of shimmer echoing throughout. This is only a small bottle, containing 5.3 ml (0.18 fl oz) of nail polish, but it would definitely last you for more than several applications.



Applying this nail polish is like a dream - it easily coats your nail in a few swipes, and the colour looks exactly as it does in the bottle. If you have longer nails like me, applying at least two coats is recommended as it is tricky to precisely cover one nail with a single dip in the bottle.

While the shimmer does help to hide any imperfections, I found that applying a light coat first can leave the tips of the nails looking a little streaky, even if you use more nail polish on subsequent coats.

Overall I give this 4.5 kisses out of 5 - nice colour and easy to apply, but can be difficult to hide any streaks from bottom coats.

Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift

Wonderstruck is the first perfume by Taylor Swift, launched in 2011, with the name inspired by lyrics from her song Enchanted.

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go 
I'm wonder-struck, blushing all the way home 
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew 
I was enchanted to meet you



The full size product is available in 30ml, 50ml and 100ml bottles, and there is also a body lotion availaible.




The sample comes in a glass vial, in a size of 1.2 ml (0.04 fl oz).

  

On the initial application of the perfume, you get the typically overpowering scent of most perfumes, but this quickly fades into a more floral and sweet scent - blackberry is the most noticeable of the top notes, with hints of blossom and apple hidden beneath this. In the lower notes is a more earthy scent to help neutralise the potentially over-sweet overtones, with woods and musk to provide a solid base for the fragrance.

Throughout the day, the fragrance can begin to smell a little plastic, and the scent does seem to fade rather quickly, but with a sweet fragrance like this I think it's better to have an essence of it instead of a full-on scent.

Overall I give this 3.5 kisses out of 5 - a nice fragrance for everyday use, but a little synthetic.

My favourite freebie sites

Hello all!
I haven't got enough time available at the moment to post any product reviews, so I thought I would share with you the freebie websites that I visit the most.

NOTE - All websites mentioned here are UK only unless otherwise stated.

1. Magic Freebies UK - The front page is updated daily (excluding Sundays) with new freebies. A mixture of free samples and competitions ensures a vast amount of products for you to get stuck into. Also included on the site are vouchers for money off and ways to make a little extra money.
2. Latest Free Stuff - Also updated daily (excluding Sundays), the front page is teeming with freebies and samples to keep your mouse busily clicking! Competitions and discount vouchers are found elsewhere on the site.
3. Free Stuff Finder (UK) - Regularly updated throughout the day, this website has the most selection of free samples. Definitely worth a look! Separate websites for USA and Canada freebies too.

Those are my top three freebie websites; I hope they help you grab a freebie or two!

Welcome to the world of freebies

Hello and welcome to my blog!
In the coming months, I shall be posting reviews about free samples that I receive (mostly beauty items and perfume).