TRU: BEAUTY

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Tru beauty, a brand whose skincare products not only look and smell high quality, but the ingredients couldn't be more luxurious.  Sara Jane Lynch has created a unique brand suitable for all skin types and specifically high maintenance skin. The brands ethos is believable skincare for unbelievable skin, and the products certainly live up to this! Her understanding of her customer and belief that they deserve a high quality,  glamorous product with luxurious packaging, that would look, smell and feel as gorgeous and glamorous as the products made her feel.

Sarah Jane has created Three skincare products, with the help of biochemists and skin care experts. All of her products are free from skincare nasties, there are no unnecessary chemicals in these products, instead they are rich in natural oils and ingredients which help unlock the secret to fabulous problem free skin!

Tru: Ultimate Deep Cleanse. 150ml £25

This cleanser smells incredible and certainly does the job at removing makeover and impurities from the skin. but in a gentle way, by purifying the skin without stripping it off essential oils! This product contained unknown ingredients to me, but upon research I found them to be extremely beneficial, such as the use of Wild Pansy which has healing and cleansing properties.  It can be applied with your fingertips massaging into the skin with circular motion before removing with a cotton wool pad or equally can be applied as you would a face wash. This cleanser really does seem like a treat when you use and leaves an incredible smell reminiscent of a spa.

Tru: Toning Treatment. 150ml £28

Don’t let a toner scare you away! I know what you are thinking eeekk squeaky clean skin that is left dry and tight. This is the opposite; it hydrates, softens and calms the skin. Spritzing the skin before applying the moisturiser helps prep the skin for being as receptive to the moisturise as possible.  The smell of this product is zesty and refreshing and is ideal as a mid-day spritz to help awaken your makeup and give your face a much needed refreshment and moisture boost.

Tru: Holy Grail Facial Moisturizer. 30ml £42

Many individuals with high maintenance skin tend to forget the importance of moisturizer. If you have dry skin, spending money on a good quality moisturiser is vital, alternatively if you have acne please don’t neglect moisture, drying the skin out too much will only result in your oil glands over producing oil to compensate for lost moisture! This moisturiser helps lock in essential ingredients such as Camellia oil and Shea butter but leaves no gunky residue sitting on the skin!! Again this product smells and feels so luxurious and is a pleasant surprise compared to those pharmacy products, which definitely lack in glamour!!

I've e seen a tremendous difference in my skin, noticeably the horrible huge spots are healing and no new ones seem to be forming, plus my skin is positively  and glowing . My skin feels healthy and rested. I really recommend this brand Sara Jane has suffered herself from ‘high maintenance skin,’ so she has tested these products until she found a   combination of ingredients which worked. Big beauty brands can very quickly and easily create a product for a certain skin type with little thought, however it takes a lot of effort, time and compassion to create a brand like Tru beauty. They stay  Tru to the promise of creating a skincare regime you will keep repurchasing for years to come. Their products have just launched in Fenwicks Bond St. Tru Beauty are holding a customer meet and greet evening on Friday 15th of November in Fenwick Bond St, so I will keep you updated regarding times.

A link to the Tru Brand's twitter account
A link to the Tru Brand's Facebook account


If you have any questions about the brand, their skincare products etc, please comment below or feel free to email me!

Honey Coco- Homemade Lip Exfoliator

Nowadays beauty products are loaded with chemicals claiming to accomplish a range of different miracles, but what really are these ingredients… sometimes its best to strip your beauty back to basics whilst having fun at the same time making homemade beauty products!

Ideal for a girly night in, homemade products are simple and free of added chemicals!! I spend 70% of my week wearing some kind of lipstick, and whilst they claim to moisturize my lips still always seem to look a bit worse for wear at the end of the day. I rely on my Honey Coco lip exfoliator to remove any dead skin and keep my lips moisturised soft and, well, kissable!

Ingredients in Honey Coco

Coconut Oil 

The helps strengthens underlying tissue and contains antioxidants that help skin cell regeneration but most importantly its moisturising and has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties stopping spots from forming around your lips.

 Sugar  

The sugar simply acts as an exfoliator, the granules are rough enough to remove any dead skin but gentle enough to stop you from causing further damage.

 Honey 

Honey has antimicrobial properties, which means it promotes healing and will prevent against infections. It is also one of the best ingredients for moisturising.

Olive oil

Olive oil has been used for medicinal purposes for many years and is fantastic for your lips, it is actually used in many moisturising products so is great to add to this lip scrub.

1 tbsp organic coconut oil

2 tsp coarse sugar

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix all the ingredients together and keep in a seal able small pot. If you enjoy this homemade exfoliator why not think about making one, alongside a homemade lip balm as a present for someone this Christmas. If packaged in a cute mini glass jar with Christmas ribbon, these will go down a storm! It will also save you a huge amount of money on presents and shows that you've put effort into making something unique.

Let me know what you think of this homemade lip scrub?

Round Up Of The Week 27.10,13- 3.11.13

Most popular blog post of the week:  Cracked China- Check it out here!

Favourite product of the week: Mac eye shadow in Uninterrupted

Quote of the week:  “Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.” Gweneth Paltrow

Best moment:  Meeting with the Fabulous people behind new skincare brand TRU...... Will be telling you a bit more about them this coming week.

Favourite fellow blogger:  Beauty by the Geeks  Check them out here!

On my wishlist: Nars Paint pots!! ALL OF THEM.

Tip of the week: Experiment with natural ingredients to create homemade products like my Pumpkin facials!

Song of the week: The Saturdays-Gentleman

Best purchase: Tru Beauty products

Instagram Photos of the Week:

Smokey eyes- Black VS Brown

Left is black smokey eye and right is brown.

I’m going to attempt to answer a huge debate in beauty history, whether to do a black or a brown smoky eye!! Before I tell you about my preference it’s important to remember that everyone is different and what one person loves another may hate, not only that but our skin colourings are all so different, and people suit different colours.

I used to rock the black smoke every day, but over the last year and a half I have converted to brown. This doesn't mean I don’t ever wear black smokey eyes, (in fact I prefer this look for nights out ,as it is more dramatic) I've just have grown accustom to my beloved brown eye. It’s a softer look for daytime, makes my eyes appear larger and is easily transferable into an evening look just by applying more colour on top of the day makeup.

Uninterrupted and Carbon

How to Brown smokey eyes

1.       Apply a brown eyeliner along both the lower and upper lash line, this doesn’t have to perfect as it will be blended out, you can use a gel or pencil for this. I use Bobbi Brown long wear gel eyeliner in espresso Ink, (this is a black brown) great for creating  intensity.

2.       Blend the eyeliner outwards to the corner of your eye. Make sure to work quickly as this product becomes transfer resistant once dry.

3.       Next take a light brown shade, such as Mac Uninterrupted, and a Mac 217 brush,  blend this shade into the crease of your eye, then take it underneath your lower lash line, making sure to blend fully.

4.       Now take a darker shade such as Mac Charcoal Brown and push the product into the outer crease of your eye, try to concentrate on a small area rather than washing it all over the eyelid.

5.       Now  curl your eyelashes and apply 2 coats of your favorite mascara- I used Girogio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara.

To create a black smoky eyes use the same step by step guide but replace the Bobbi Brown eyeliner in Espresso ink to Black Ink, and swap the Mac eyeshadow to Carbon.

If you wanted to make this look more subtle for the daytime you can skip the eyeliner all together which I sometimes do.

Let me know which is your favourite in the comments below

Cracked China

It would be rude not to do a Halloween tutorial!! Unfortunately I've never warmed to Halloween in fact I used to be petrified of it as a kid. Think its time I grew up and had fun with it, so, today I'm going to show you how to create this look (see above.)

Its actually pretty simple and also highlights the difference between makeup and no makeup, especially if you look at the size difference of my eyes (oh jeez.)

1.       Begin by apply a matte foundation to the area that you don’t want to be white, before contouring heavily (this looks best).

2.        Next work on the eye creating a really dramatic effect. I used my normal makeup, for black smoky eyes, which is Mac eye shadow in Carbon and Bobbi Brown long wear gel eyeliner in Jet Black.

3.       Now apply bright red lipstick (Rouge D'Armani) to the part of the lip you want to have makeup on.

4.       Apply white face paint to the area without makeup, take it down the neck and over the eye, perhaps do a couple of coats to make sure it’s really intense and then leave to dry.

5.       Finally draw a jagged black line around your face with face paint or black liquid eyeliner; this will act as the outline, continue by applying crack lines.

This is so simple and looks awesome!! Have a go and let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Power-Masks

It’s the build-up to Halloween, a seasonal event that I’m never really that excited for. One thing I do love to get involved in is the pumpkin carving, in the past I've created some pretty amazing designs. Pumpkins are not just great for carving and eating, (Pumpkin Pie mmm,) but also are extremely beneficial for your skin, perfect for making into face masks.

Pumpkin is high in Vitamin A (skin healing), C (anti-oxidant) and Zinc, the pumpkin soothes, moisturizes and acts as a carrier, allowing any other ingredients in the mask to really penetrate the skin. It is great for all skin types, especially environmentally damaged or sensitive skin. I decided to create 3 different masks one for dry skin, one for oily skin and one glowing face mask which can be used on all skin types!!

Pumpkin face mask for oily skin: Canned pumpkin, (check that pumpkin is the only ingredient), 1 tablespoon of Apple cider vinegar, (tonic action promotes skin circulation; alpha hydroxyl acid; regulates pH,) and lastly sugar (to help remove dead skin and unclog the pores.)

Face mask for oily skin

Hydrating Pumpkin facemask: Canned pumpkin, (check that pumpkin is the only ingredient), half an avocado, (contains rich source of several essential nutrients that relive and moisturize your skin), and coconut oil, (fatty acids in the oil can strengthen the skin's barrier to lock in moisture.)

Hydrating face mask

Glowing Pumpkin Face Mask: Canned pumpkin (check that pumpkin is the only ingredient), Egg whites of 1 egg, (brightens the skin,)one-quarter teaspoon milk, (or soymilk)(alpha hydroxyl acid, enzymes digest skin cells) and pumpkin seeds (for decoration.)

Glowing face mask

I used a third of a can of pumpkin for each mask and had a lot left over.  You could refrigerate any leftovers and use them as morning masks to wake up the skin with a burst of coldness, (help settle puffy skin.) Important to note that the mask was hard to apply, but once on stayed on well,(perhaps you could use a paint brush and paint it on.) Also you can use the pumpkin which is leftover from your carving session, to create these masks, simply blend the inwards of the pumpkin and add the other ingredients.

God, I look good, ha!

I only applied the mask for my skin type which is oily. I left the mask on for 30 minutes, to allow it to work its magic!! I have to say the result was surprisingly good, my skin felt fresh and cleansed but most importantly in the morning my skin had improved, noticeably less oil and fewer spots and masks! I normally favour products over natural ingredients, but after this experience I think I’m going to incorporate more natural home remedies into my skincare routine.  

Try these masks out and let me know what you think!!

Do you use natural home remedies in your skincare routine?

If you have any questions on these pumpkin masks, or anything else, please let me know by commenting below!

Round up of the Week 20.10.13 - 27.10.13

20.10.13-27.10.13

Most popular blog post of the week:  My Experiance With Topshop. Read Here!

Favourite product of the week: Nars-Multiple in Copacabana.

Quote of the week: "The best thing is to look natural, but it takes makeup to look natural." Calvin Klien

Best moment: Accomplishing 5 spinning classes in 1 week!! OUCH

Favourite fellow blogger: Vivianna Does Makeup. Check out her blog here!

On my wishlist: Tom Ford-Jasmine Rouge Lip Colour.

Tip of the week: Wear your lip gloss underneath your lipstick, to play around with texture!

Song of the week: Counting Stars-One Republic

Best purchase: Topshop- Eye Shadow Quad in Game On, buy here.

Instagram photos of the week: