Chocolate Indulgence

 Now I love a good chocolate treat, whether it be a bar of chocolate, a slice of chocolate cake or a mug of hot chocolate, topped with marshmallows of course....but a chocolate massage, now that's a new one. So when I heard my beautician was offering chocolate treatment in her salon ' The Beauty Lounge' I could not resist, and can you blame me? How could I turn down a chocolate fix, without all the calories, but with the benefits. (yes there are benefits to chocolate, but I will get to that soon)

The first treatment I sampled was the chocolate back massage and I can honestly say its one of the best massages I have ever had. From start to finish it was pure Indulgence. Upon arrival I was given the choice of a mint chocolate, chocolate orange and Turkish delight, which is a rose scent. All the scents smelt beautiful, but for me the chocolate orange scent stood out and the aroma was divine. The chosen oil is then added to real melted chocolate, which looked and smelt amazing as well as making my mouth water. 

At the start of the treatment the melted chocolate mixture is trickled onto your back (yes it was a heavenly as it sounds) and rubbed in, and the massage and chocolate indulgence begins and for the next 30 minutes I was in pure chocolate heaven. 

I sometimes find after a massage that even though my skin feels soft and smooth the oil can leave my skin feeling slightly greasy, however this melted chocolate mixture has such a silky smooth texture and it left my skin feeling like velvet. Not to mention I smelt good enough to eat....even my fiancé commented how good I smelt. 

Now I was informed that chocolate isn't just a treat for your taste buds it also has an array of skin and health benefits. Chocolate contains essential trace elements and nutrients such as iron, zinc, potassium and vitamins A,B1, C, D & E. Cocoa is also the highest natural source for magnesium. It contains more than four times that of black tea. Magnesium deficiency is linked with hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, joint problems & pre-menstrual tension. Chocolate is also rich in cocoa butter which soothes and hydrates the skin. So I now believe chocolate might actually be the best invention ever.....in moderation of course :p 

The Beauty Lounge offers a range of chocolate treatments including, 

The Chocolate back massage which lasts for 30mins ,costs £22 enjoy the benefits of anti-oxidants, endorphins and deep moisturisation with this chocolate indulgence. The high percentage of the cocoa butter within the chocolate means that this treatment will be very nourishing and softening on the skin.

The Cocoa and rose facial  for 60mins costs £35. Enjoy all the above benefits from the cocoa and the anti ageing properties of the rose.

Cocoa-cinno chocolate and coffee therapy an 1hr 30mins long treatment costing £55 starting with a full body exfoliation and body wrap finishing with a body massage. Again enjoy the benefits above of the cocoa and the coffee is stimulating, aids circulation and toning.

So I am sold, I loved my chocolate treatment, it left me feeling relaxed and my skin feeling silky smooth,  and I  plan to book myself in for more treatments. If your interested in finding out more or visiting the beauty lounge for your own chocolate treatment, take a look at thier facebook page and keep up to date with all special offers and treatments available. 

http://www.facebook.com/thebeautyloungeatstelphins

Thanks for reading 

Emma Louise xx 

My hair story

Growing up I was obsessed with Disney princesses and dreamed of having long blonde princess hair.....Now that I have grown up not much has changed, I have experimented with countless numbers of styles and colour. I have been white platnuim blonde to jet black and pretty much everything in between. I love changing my hait up, I get bored very easily and always want to try something new.

Now my own natural hair is a dark blonde colour, I think but I have been colouring since the age of 18 so I not 100% how it would look if I striped it completely of colour. Unfortunetly I was not blessed with the thick long princess hair I dreamed of, in reality my hair is quite fine and mid length (currently), so I to enhance the length and thickness I use hair extensions. I know there not everyone's cut of tea but I love clip in hair extensions they make such a difference to your hair and so easy to put in once you get the hang of them. The only hair extensions I use are foxy locks hair extensions. I have tried numerous brands and these are defiantly the best on the market. The quality of hair is amazing they are so silky and soft, and I love how thick and full they are. I do tend to trim the extensions as they are very very long.

So here is my hair story from once upon a time, to right now...let me know what you style and colour you prefer, I love getting everyone's opinion

My trade mark very long blonde hair.

Decided to give my hair the chop, love my hair a bit shorter but I get to bored with it.

When I first went to the dark side

Kept getting darker 

When I went jet black, I do love this actually, just cost me a small fortune in fake tan

When I had my hair stripped from black to start the journey back blonde 

High lights and low lights, This is one of my favorite looks, minus the army fancy dress though

Darker blonde

More natural blonde, got too bored though

How I currently wear my hair, I use hot rollers to achieve this voluminousness look . 

A rare sight but this is my hair  au natural, extension free, longest its been in about 5 years, Going to keep growing till my wedding.

Thanks for Reading

Emma Louise x 

Mac Archie's Girls

Like many make up and MAC lovers , I have been extremely excited about the MAC’s Archie Girls Collection. The collection is biased on Veronica and Betty, two best friends and rivals competing for the love of Archie.  The collection has a variety of products, there are some general ‘Archie’s girls’ pieces and the collection is split to portray each girls persona. Betty is a sweet, blonde haired girl next door, and the Betty collection is full of pale and soft pastels. Veronica on the other hand is Brunette spoilt rich girl, the Veronica collection captures her character in seductive dark tones.

 The collection came out in the US at the start of February and the blogging and Youtube world has gone MAC and Archie crazy. Of course all this hype meant I spent lots of time reading and watching. reviews from lots of on line beauty gurus, some what heightened my excitement. After the press release I had a pretty good idea of the products I wanted to purchase and was very impatiently sitting tight, waiting for the UK towards the end of February. That was until one of my friends told me Selfridges was exclusively launching the collection early. So I headed straight over to the on line store and made my purchases.

I managed to somewhat restrain my spending and purchased four items of the collection. Now being a blonde girly girl, I was instantly attracted to the shades and colours of Betty collection. So I decided to go for the Betty Lipstick in girl next door, the Betty Lips glass in stay sweet and the Betty pigment in Cheers my dears, just need to add how cute the names of the products are.  Finally I couldn't resist the beautiful Pearlmatte face powder. 

I am huge lipstick lover, I have an array of colours in my collection, but I mostly opt for nudes of pinks. So this lipstick was very me. It’s a blue tone pink Lustre lipstick. I love the finish and tone of this lipstick, its the perfect cute pink shade, I found just a couple of coats of this lipstick really changed the effect so you can switch up the look of this lipstick with a few coats.  The gloss in stay sweet and girls next door and the perfect colour combination to achieve a pink lipped  look. It also would look lovely on its own if you wanted a more natural look. I was also impressed with the pigment, I am not a huge fan of pigments as I find them a bit messy but I loved the lavender pink colour of this. Its really pigmented and the finish it really strong. I don't own many eye shadows this shade so I am sure this will be well used. 

Lipstick and gloss together.

left to right
pigment, lipstick and lip glass lip gloss

I am in love with the  pearlmatte face powder. Firstly it looks so cute with the pink hearts embedded in the powder, so cute actually I almost didn't want to use it. When i did though I was so impressed with the colour, I would personally use this as a highlighter along the top of my cheek bones as it has a high shimmer finish. I love the pink highlighter glow it gives me cheek and the name describes it perfectly with its pearly glow. 

left to right
Both light and dark coloured combined, darker pink colour, lighter colour (sorry my camera is not great but you get the idea)

Now I can’t do this review and not mention the packaging. The packaging is a real switch up from MAC’s usual black statement to comic book style white with reds and pinks.  I love the retro and colourful packaging and I have to admit it this distinctive and unique packaging that initially caught my eye with this collection.

Overall I am really impressed with the Archie’s Girls collection, I adore the colours and shades used to illustrate the different identities of two girls and I think there are some really good quality products on offer.  The collection is now available on the MAC website, they have also realized some exclusive products to this collection  available only to MAC, I am trying very hard not to buy the brush set along with a few other pieces I have my eye on such as the Betty bright lipstick and the Ice cream sundae eye shadow set, but if I want to have any kind of social life this month I will have tor restrain myself. 

Let me know what you think of the collection? 

Thanks for reading

Emma Louise x 

Sweet Like Candy

Now let’s be honest when it comes to Valentine’s Day men get it easy . Shops and florists are full to the brim of pink and red goodies, whether it be a giant teddy a pretty ‘world’s best girlfriend mug’ or a bunch of red roses there is plenty of choice.

However I think when finding a little something for the special man in your life Valentine’s day can be a little tricky. so this year I tried to think outside the box a little when it came to Gary’s present , not to mention I do think one teddy holding a heart is enough for any man to own

I came across the stateside Candy Company’s website. They sell a large variety of American food and gifts and I got really excited looking through all the Candy, cereals and chocolate on offer.

I thought this would be the perfect little gift idea. Me and Gary had been to Las Vegas on holiday last year and he took a liking to the Reese’s peanut butter confectionary and Since it’s not available in the UK I thought it would be a really nice idea to make him a gift box  full of the Candy and Sweets he had enjoyed over in the states. Obviously throughout I did not think for one moment I would also like to indulge in some of these yummy treats….Promise.

We actually had lots of fun trying the variety of sweets, some were good but others not so appetising but it was a good giggle giving them all a go. I am not a peanut butter fan, so I left Gary to munch away on all those, but I think my favourite was the fruit roll ups. We still haven’t got round to having the Lucky Charms for breakfast yet but I am very excited about seeing what all the fuss is about

Take a look on http://www.americansweets.co.uk/ to see the variety of products they have on offer

 Do you have any favourite American Candy?  let me know below.

Thanks for reading

Emma Louise x

Primark Haul

Last week I went shopping and picked up some really nice bits from primark. I really enjoy primark hauls that other bloggers do, probably because Primark are one of the few shops without an online shop, so I am always interested to see what peices and items are on offer. So I thought I would share with you some of the clothes and accessories I found. Primark have just realised thier spring collection, and I was really impressed there was some really pretty peices. I saw a few dresses and shirts I liked but I managed to control my spending....well to some degree anyway. 

I had been eyeing up this gorgeous gold/ bronze kimono since Christmas, but I just wasn't sure what I would wear it with, but this time I saw it had gone down to £10 so I could resist. There was a choice between white or gold. Even though the white kimono was very pretty, I just think the gold stands out more, and my wardrobe is full of blacks and whites so thought I should throw in a bit of colour. I think this will look really nice with disco pants or leggings and a black top.

The next item that caught my eye was this blue striped collared dress. I love the colour and the bow detail on the pockets. It was £10 which I think is a bargain. I think I will team this outfit with a jumper or cardigan till the weather improves. I defiantly think this might be in my suitcase when I go on my summer holiday too.

The next dress I found was this navy dress, I love the skater style skirt on this dress and find it very flattering. I actually wore this out on Friday night when me and Gary went out for some drinks. I accessorised the dress with a navy pin stripe blazer, brown shoes and rose gold jewellery. This dress was also £13, I think it is a great dress because it can be a day or evening dress.

This is the last dress I bought, I love how feminine this dress is. I think the bow print is really cute. Again this was £13 and I think it's really versatile and can be worn in a variety or ways.

I also managed to slip these beauties into my basket (which was getting rather full now). They were reduced in the sale from £10 to £6, so how could I not get them? I really like the peach colour of the shoes. I don't have anything like this in my shoe collection so I am very excited about adding these to my shoe shelf.

I also  got some earrings for my sister, she lives abroad and doesn't have a Primark, and she had been eyeing up some jewellery similar to this on her last trip home. So being the good sister I am I picked these up for her. For £1.50 a pair I think they are great.

Finally I treated myself to anew onsie. Now being the petite 5,1ft I am the adult onsies tend to drown me. So I decided to get a child's one in the hope that it will actually fit, and it was only £8 rather the £12 for an adult one. Now I know it's silly but I thought this bunny suit was sooo cute a looked so warm and snuggly. I am confident it will be well used. 

So I spent a small fortune in primark, I plan to try avoid it for a couple of weeks, empahsis on the word try because I know deep down I wont. However I always manage to justify my spending in Primark because its very affordable and I can spend £60 but I have 5-6 outfits. So I can't complain. 

Thanks for reading 

Emma Louise x 

Valentines Birthday Baby

As some of you may know my birthday is Valentines day, so yes I am a valentines baby. I love having my birthday on Valentines, it's means no one ever forgets, everything is pink and pretty, everyone is in a lovey dovey mood and the post an thinks I am incredibly popular. On the downside my birthday meals have probably interrupted lots of couples having intimate, romantic meals by my family singing Happy Birthday at the top of thier voices.....but hey ho.

I always like to look my best on my birthday, so i always make sure I give myself a good hour to get ready, its only your birthday once a year so i think its important to look good and feel special. I decided to embrace the valentines theme for my look yesterday. I mixed up my routinely neutral eye make up with some hot pink on the outer corners and lower lash line, and a pale pink on the tear duct and inner corners of the lid. It didn't show up great on camera but I loved it. On my cheeks I went for my very bright pink swoon blush from Mac (I know, the packaging has seen better days). I brush this blush on to the back of my hand to start with, then sweep the remainder on to my cheeks, just to avoid my cheeks looking to drag like :p. I love the finish of this blush and the pinky glow it gives my cheeks. For lips I went with my Revlon colour burst lip butter in cupcake, which is a blue toned pink. I am a huge fan of the lip butters, I love the texture of the buttery balm and the glossy finish. I think I have nearly every colour available but I love them and wear them every day (obviously not all at once). I decided to finish my Valentines themed look with a pink jumper  and a matching pink ribbon in my hair. I love wearing ribbons, they are so femine and can change up an every day hair style in an instant. I finished my look with my beautiful Michael Kors rose gold watch. I loved my hair, outfit and make up it made me feel very girly and almost forget I was turning 25...,I have been trying to forget about the fact I am now a quarter of a century old.

I spent my birthday with my fiancé who bought me a dressing table as my birthday present, which as any fellow beauty lover can imagine I was extremely excited about.. The dresser a silver mirrored effect table and I have been sat staring at it and planning how I am going to decorate it most of the day, once it's all finished I will a proper post on it.  I went out in the evening to a local restaurant called coco bar bistro which was very yummy, and finished the night with some birthday cake and a hot chocolate.....perfect end to a perfect birthday.

Thanks for reading, hope you all had a lovely Valentines day

Emma Louise

Getting glammed up Georgie style

Last weekend me and four friends planned a weekend away to Newcastle, I was soo excited and as much as I hate to admit it but I am a big fan of Geordie shore. For those of you that don't know Geordie shore is a reality tv programme following the lives of a group of 20 something's in Newcastle. Now the most of the programme does consist of nights out and drunken antics, but my favourite part of the show is how glammed and made up the girls get. Maybe too much for some people but I love it. 

Now this might sound crazy but one of my favourite parts of a night out is the getting ready part. I love taking my time preparing and creating my look for the night ahead. I can also usually be found at this time dancing around like a fool to my music at full blast to get me in the mood. Although doing this with a make up brush in hand is not something I would advise, unless you want make up splattered on your walls and carpet.

So I was very excited about my trip to Newcastle and getting glammed and dolled up to my full potential. This included mahoosive lashes, lots of tan, big hair and nails painted, with glitter of course. I managed to pack a rather large vanity case,and yes to most people this might seem far to much make up to pack for one night, but to avoid any stress and dilemmas I wanted to make sure I had everything. 

Gary was slightly horrified by the amount of make up I took for one night...

Now for the dress took me a while to find something special. After hours and hours of searching every online shop i could think of, I finally found something right up my street and once I saw it I knew no other dress would be up to par. I love the style and colour of this dress, it's so femine, beautiful and very me. While I was out in Newcastle a girl told me, I reminded her of Cinderella in this dress. Now I hope she meant Cinderella at the ball and not when she was scrubbing the floor. Anyway being told I looked like a Disney princess is a plus in my book and gave me a good giggle. 

http://www.jonesandjonesfashion.com

Check out  http://www.jonesandjonesfashion.com/  for a range of beautiful dresses, there are so many I love. 

I had a great girlie weekend with my beautiful friends and was really happy with my finished look....well worth all the planning and preparation. ( I would normally have more photos to share but my phone has broken so my old phone is having to do for now) 

Thanks for reading

Emma Louise x 

I Love Lush

I am big lushie....for anyone who doesnt have any idea what i am on about, basically mean lush addict, lover, obsessive and so on. Now, I try and make sure I have a pamper night and some 'me time' at least once a week and I love running a bath, lighting my candles and using all my lush treats to help me unwind.

My lush drawer...

When it comes to lush shops I don't know if it's the distinctive smell or the beautiful array of colours on display but something takes over me and draws me in and I loose control normally resulting in me leaving Lush with a heavy bag and a lighter purse.

Now I must admit me and Lush did not get off to the best start. I had been given a few bits  and bobs from family members at Christmas and I always enjoyed using the products,but when it came to the shop I became very overwhelmed, mainly down to the amount of products on offer and I had no idea the difference between a bath bomb and a bubble bar and it was all too confusing for little old me, so I waved the red flagged and gave up. (Slightly dramatic I know :p) 

However after seeing beauty bloggers and youtubers rave about Lush cosmetics I really wanted to give Lush another go. So being the organised girl I am, I spent hours browsing their on line store, and researching different products, to make sure I found the right products for me. So once I felt prepared and ready I went to Lush (with my list in my tow) and made my first Lush purchase, and their have been many, many more since.

Here is a few of my favourite products, I will do some more in depth reviews very soon.

Buffy, enchanter bath bomb, twilight bath bomb,Dorothy bubble bar and snow fairy shower gel.

Honey I washed the kids soap, French kiss bubble bar, pop corn lip scrub, miranda soap and Big shampoo.

Thanks for reading and I would love to know your favourite Lush products :)

Emma Louise x 

Start of something new........

So here it goes.... The start of my beauty blog. 

When I sit down and stare at this blank screen I don't know why it has taken me so long to get this started, and yet i dont really know how to start....

One  of my earliest memories as a child was exploring my grandma's dressing table and wardrobe both full to the brim with products and clothes. I was always painting my face with her make up or dressing my self up in her clothes and doing fashion shows for my family. My grandma was the best dressed, femine , coordinated, classy, smart and 'lady like' person I have ever met. Growing up she was a big influence and inspiration in my life and think she has a lot to do with the person I am today and a key reason for my love and passion for all things beauty. 

Modelling my grandmas furs and boots, always makes me giggle. 

I love make, fashion and all things beauty, i enjoy nothing more then getting myself dolled and dressed up for any occasion. Much to the annoyance of my fiancé I spend hours and hours reading fashion and beauty blogs, magazines and watching make up tutorials looking for new products too add to my make up wish list (yes I am a geek and I have a list) and new looks to try 

I get so excited when I find something new,be it a blogger, products or tutorials and more often or not I feel the need to share my new find my friends.It was actually my best friend and fellow make up and beauty junkie who convinced me to do this, so either I take it as a compliment that's she thinks others might be interested in what I have to say or an attempt to reduces the number of messages I send her each day. well which ever way I am taking her advice. 

I could talk about make up and beauty all day if I could. Some people may think this is shallow or vain, but for me it's much deeper then that. As girls I think we are incredibly lucky that make up is part of our daily routine, as a teenager I suffered badly with my skin and my make up was a real life saver and gave me the confidence I needed as a shy, anxious teen and ever since my collection had grown and my skills have developed.

So a little more about me: 

• I am probably the most girly person ever (at the weekend one of my friends told me I am the girliest person she know,I took it as a compliment). 
• I got engaged in Las Vegas last year so I am currently planning my wedding. 
• I love disney and have a huge collection of old school disney classics.
• I have a white Mini convertible that I love. 
• I am obsessed with Mollie King, she is my fashion and beauty idol. 
• One of my favourite things to do its snuggle up on the sofa with my fiancé, wrapped up in a blanket watching a film with the fire going and a hot chocolate, I am easily pleased. 
• I am book worm and love reading. 
• I buy far too many candles. 
• I want to travel the world and see everything. 

So that's me, and I plan to keep this blog up to date with my beauty loves and I am sure I can include a bit of fashion and lifestyle in general in the mix too just for good measure. So enjoy! 

Emma Louise x