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.