The Autumn Bloggers Snail Mail - Sign Ups Now Open!

 

Welcome to the Autumn round of The Bloggers Snail Mail! Way back at the beginning of March I launched the first ‘The Bloggers Snail Mail’ and this is now going to be the third round!! I’ve had so much positive feedback from the first two rounds that I just had to keep going and do another!

So here is how it works:

A quarterly gift exchange where you can meet other bloggers from around the world and spread a bit of positivity! People get paired up in March, June, September and December. During the sign up period, every participant will be paired with one other new participant and you’ll spend a few weeks becoming BFFs (i.e. reading each other’s blogs, sending happy e-mails, you name it!). After that, you’ll send your partner a gift from your country that you think they may like from the info you now know about them. There’s a £5 limit on the gifts to make this project as affordable as possible. Be as creative as you can and make it meaningful! Motivate them, tell them all the beautiful things you learned about them, and make them feel special! We could all use a little encouragement, especially from our new friends. Also, each package should include a postcard (or a letter if you can’t find one!) with some motivating love or positive words of wisdom written all over it.

So to sign up for the ‘The Bloggers Snail Mail’ you just need to send an email to whatsinyourmakeupbag@gmail.com, title it ‘The Bloggers Snail Mail’ and include in it your name, where you are from, and you blog! Sign ups will be open until the Friday 29^th August. I will then randomly match you all up aiming to make sure you are with someone from another country or at least in another area from you! I will then let you know by Monday 1^st September who your partner is and you then have 4 weeks to get to know them! So the week of the 29^th September, you can then send your new buddy their Snail Mail!

Once you receive your gifts, write a blog post about your experience, sharing what you gave, received, and learnt through this being part of this and meeting your new pal.

If you want to tweet about this project, use the hashtag #TheBloggersSnailMail, You can also tag me @GemmaMarieJames and ill retweet your post, so everyone can share your experience!

Please only sign up if you definitely are willing to take part and if you want to be match with someone from the same country as you to save on postage then please let me know!!

The Summer Tag!

I love a good tag post, I think it’s a really fun way to get to know the blogger a little better! So when I came across this ‘summer tag’ on the lovely Tori’s blog ‘Welcome to a Wonderful World’ and realised I cant actually remember the last time I did a tag post myself I thought it was the perfect one to do!

 

1. Favourite bronzer for summer?

The Body Shops Shimmer Waves or Bourjois Paris Cream Blush Sun 05 in Pink Sunwear

2. You're relaxing in a hammock, on a tropical island. What are you sipping on? (Favourite summer drink)

A tropical cocktail or an ice cold beer!

3. Favourite summer lip product?
L'oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Color Riche in Fuschia Drama

4. Pool or Beach?

            Pool if I want to sunbath and be extremely lazy and just chillax, beach if I want to play around. I love being in the sea!

5. Summer = crazy hair! What's your must-have styling product?
Morroccan oil as my hair dries out so much in the heat and this stuff works wonders! I have recently had blonde bits put in and am so conscious that it will add to the dryness so I’ve been trying various products to redeem it a little, so far I am in love with the Aussie range! It smells lush and is keeping my hair in fab condition!

 

6. Sun bathing or fake tan?

Sun bathing! Fake is great for sorting out my pale pins but if I can have a natural tan then so be it!

 

7. Favourite summer nail polish?
I am working my way through the Gelish summer collection which is full of fab, fun bright colours.

8. Any summer traditions?

Ummm no traditions as such, I just try and make the most of this time of year and see as much of my friends as I can, go to the beach, long bike rides and lots of BBQ’s. I try and have as much fun as I can and enjoy the sunshine before we all hibernate for the winter!

9. Favourite summer scent?

 I know this question probably means a perfume but I am going to answer with my favourite summer smells which are freshly cut grass and sun tan lotion!

10. Favourite BBQ food?

BBQ chicken, nom nom! I also love BBQ Banana with syrup, so unbelievable yummy!

 

11. What's your favourite summer-proof product?

Benefits They’re Real Mascara, I tend to wear very little makeup during the summer but can’t go without mascara! This works wonders in the heat as doesn’t melt off or smudge, happy me!

12. Any summer vacation plans this year? No plans? Tell us about your dream summer trip...

I have just got back from Malta which was perfect, but now I am debating what to book next... I get itchy feet if I don’t have some sort of trip booked on the horizon! Im hoping to go to Australia for a friends wedding next year which would be pretty awesome.

I tag you all to have a go at this tag! What do you love about the summer?

Motivational Monday #23

source

 

I’m home from Malta!! Well actually I arrived back just under a week ago, which feels like forever ago now! I have the most lovely, relaxing time ever and suffering severe withdrawals from not being able to sit on a lounger by a pool every day. Boo!

However saying that I came home to the most exciting news.... Lipsticks and Lashes hit 1000 followers on Bloglovin! Can you believe it?! I sure as hell can’t!! I think I am in shock, I still can’t get my head around the fact one person would stop by and check out my ramblings let alone follow and now for 1000 of you to be doing just that, I feel humbled. So a massive THANKYOU!! I’m not sure that even covers how I feel but for now that will have to do, I think maybe another giveaway will be coming your way as a proper way for me to say thanks!

So I digress, as usual! Back to today’s motivational Monday post, this quote completely sums up my feelings at the moment. To say I have a severe case of wanderlust would be an understatement! I have this desperate need to travel but due to severe lack of funds, my back packing dream is currently on hold. However that’s not stopping me from planning mini adventures, at the moment I already have a holiday booked to Turkey next summer and it looks like I’m 80% going to Australia next November, hopefully with a few other adventures in between!

I can’t explain my love of travelling, I have been so lucky that I have been able to do quite a bit of travelling already. The worlds this huge, amazing, interesting, intriguing place and I want to immerse myself in it, to see as much as I can. I think it helps you grow as a person and there’s nothing quite like it! My dream would be to live as a free lance writer and to travel all over the world, just wandering from one place to the next.

Do you want to travel?

Happy Monday!

Argan Dew's Intensive Replenishing Hair Mask

A while ago the lovely people at Argan Dew sent me a ton of samples of their ‘Miraculous Argan Oil’ and the ‘Intensive Replenishing Hair Mask’. I have been using the Replenishing Hair Mask weekly lately, because the recent humid weather has really dried out my hair.

If you regularly stop by ‘Lipsticks and Lashes’ you will know that I am a bit of a fan of Moroccan / Argan Oil, and am yet to come across a product involving it that I don’t like! Argan oil contains Vitamin E, squalene, beta carotene and fatty acids, all of which works wonders at preventing hair damage.

I use Argan Dews Replenishing Hair Mask after I have washed my hair, instead of conditioner, I coat the ends of my hair in it and then faff about in the shower, shaving my legs etc. whilst it soaks in for 5 minutes. You then need to rinse it out.

This mask claims to repair dry, damaged and colour treated hair, well my hair ticks all three of those boxes! After the first use I really noticed the difference, my hair felt so soft and the dry scraggly ends looked a hundred times better! You know how when you come out the hairdressers and your hair is so soft and shiny and all you want to do is touch? Well this is the result I keep getting whenever I use Argan Dews Replenishing Hair Mask! It’s a proper DREAM!

As I said earlier, it has become a regular part of my routine now and I use at least once a week. I definitely recommend it if your hair needs a little pampering!

Book Club: Strings by Kat Green

 

The Blurb

The rise of the Black Eagles was meteoric, from band practice in the garage to global stars almost overnight.

And Melissa Webb, the beautiful girlfriend of the front man, appeared to have it all.

But when Luke Black disappears without a trace and Melissa wakes up in a hospital bed after a savage attack, her perfect world is shattered and their lives are plunged into a potentially deadly crisis.

Where is Luke, and can he be found before it is too late?

The Review

When Melissa meets Luke the lead singer from the band black eagles, not only had she got to deal with the usual relationship ups and downs, but as the black eagles rise to fame she is thrown into the spotlight. Throw in a crazy stalker and this book hooks you in right from the beginning!

The author, Kat Green, mixes it up by jumping from current day where Melissa is in hospital to flashbacks to how they all got into the situation they are now in. The book starts three quarters of the way into the story so you begin by seconding guessing the plot! Towards the beginning I thought it was a great read but that it may be a little predictable but there were so many curveballs and plot twists that thought was quickly thrown out the window!

Melissa is the main character and you can't help but warm to her. She's so down to earth and you find yourself really rooting for her. There is a wealth of supporting characters that all add to the story and are so relatable! Not only is it a great love story it also looks at friendships and how important they are.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away, as I think it's one of those books that if you knew too much about the plot before you started, I do t think you'd enjoy it as much. It's a bit of a guessing game which I really enjoyed!!

If you always dreamt of having a passionate relationship with a rock star or love a good thriller or passionate romance then this is the book for you!!

I can't wait to read Kats next book and see what she comes up with next!

Nougat Naturals Nourishing Hand Cream & Refining Body Polish*

 

Nougat Naturals are a brand I’ve heard a lot about lately, they make a range of natural, fragranced bath and body products which are made with essential oils and nourishing ingredients. I am all for natural products, as find my skin reacts better to them and I also a sucker for essential oils!

I was lucky enough to be sent a couple of their products to try and I have been using them for a couple of weeks now and am really happy with the results! Therefore I thought I would share my views with you lucky lot!

First up is the Nougat Naturals Refining Body Scrub, it’s part of their ‘Calming and Relaxing’ range which is made up of eleven essential oils – Palmrosa, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Benzion Resinoid, Clary Sage, Rose Geranium, Lavendar, Mandarin, Ylang Ylang and Roman Chamomile. The scent is to die for and reminds me of one of my fave lavender bath bombs from lush crossed with the aroma of a luxurious spa.

I am a huge user of scrubs, especially in the summer when you’re all hot and sticky. I think you can’t beat a good body scrub and this one hasn’t let me down. The beads are a good size, not too many so your scrubbed raw but enough to leave your skin feeling clean and smooth. I will definitely be making a purchase of this when I run out! Its £18 for a 200ml bottle which is a lot more than I would usually pay but its good quality and I have pretty sensitive skin and it’s worked like a dream for me. It hasn’t dried out my skin and has left me feeling smooth and refreshed.

Next up is Nougat Naturals Nourishing hand cream, part of their ‘Uplifting and Reviving’ range its £14 for a 100ml tube. It is made up the following essential oils – Grapefruit, Bergamot , Lemon Myrtle, Ginger and May Chang as well as sweet almond oil, shea butter, borage oil and glycerine to repair and moisture skin. All together it creates a really summery, refreshing smell and is gorgeous.

I suffer with dry hands so was keen to see if this product would do what it says on the tin. When applying you only need a small amount as a little seems to go a long way. So putting the £14 a tube into context, it may seem a little expensive but I think it will last you a long time making it worthwhile. This is then emphasised by the fact it doesn’t leave your hands greasy at all, a HUGE pet hate of mine! It sinks in pretty quickly and after a few uses I really noticed that my hands were a lot softer and the dry patches I tend to get on my fingers have disappeared! SUPER IMPRESSED!!

Nougat Naturals are offering all of ‘Lipsticks and Lashes’ lovely readers 20% off all their toiletries products during the whole of August! How exciting is that?! All you need to do is visit their website www.nougatlondon.co.uk and use the code B3UTY20 at the checkout. Remember you only have till the end of the month to use it and is only valid for one use per customer! While you’re on their site id also recommend having a browse of their gorgeous clothing range. Swoons!

Make sure you let me know if you treat yourself to anything!

 

Makeup Revolution Salvation Velvet Lip Lacquer in 'Keep Crying For You'

 

This is my third and final Makeup Revolution review, for now anyways! This was the last item that was added to my basket when I went on my mini spree on their website a few weeks ago, it being Makeup Revolution Salvation Velvet Lip Lacquer in 'Keep Crying For You'.

 

It’s packaged in a tube like a gloss with a sponge applicator and goes on as a liquid then dries as a matte. It’s easy to apply and I was impressed with how it looks when it dries. It’s also pretty smudge proof which is a plus for me, although you do need to top it up every so often as I wouldn’t say it’s particularly long lasting.

 

I can’t resist a pink lippy so this was right up my street! I have say in my view it’s a very good dupe of Rimmel London’s Apocalips Lip Lacquer and is very similar to the shade Stellar! For £3.00 it’s a pretty decent product, one that’s already become a regular in my handbag!