GlossyBox

Hey guys, I'm not going to write loads about January's GlossyBox as I know so many lovely ladies have reviewed it already but I just wanted to mention it briefly. 

For those of you though haven't heard of GlossyBox; it's an online beauty subscription service and they basically send you out a box of goodies every month for the small price of £10 (plus p+p). 

This months box contains 5 full-sized products and is worth over £30, so you do get a lot for you money I think. 

The reason I decided to join was to try different brands/products without having to spend a fortune. And who wouldn't love a box of goodies through the door every month! 

One thing I really like about GlossyBox is that you don't have to sign a big 12 month contract you can just do it month by month if you wish. 

I will be interested to see the quality of the boxes over the next couple of months before I make a bigger commitment. 

Do you use any beauty subscription services? Which ones would you recommend? 

Are you interested in joining one and want to know more? 

Let me know! 

Peace and love xxx

Trying out the dark side

Last week I ordered a lipstick from Amazon by New Eve. Nope I had never heard of them either! For £3.99 I really wasn't expecting that much but I've been dying to try a darker shade on my lips but  I hate using testers in stores because they have so many germs and they're really messy. I also didn't want to pay a lot for something that didn't suit me, so I thought this would be a great just to see how I get on. 

So for £3.99 you get a lipstick and the matching gloss, which is pretty decent I think. But again, I didn't hold out much hope because cheap lipsticks are generally not very pigmented, rub off after 5 minutes and full of glitter (which I hate more than anything!)

However, I was pleasantly surprised. 

This looks a little red in the picture but it's a beautiful burgundy colour! Other than the fact that it's a little messy (but what dark lipstick isn't?!) it's really great value for money. It went on beautifully, stayed on well and it wasn't the least bit drying. 

If, like me, you struggle with dry lips- make sure you exfoliate and moisturise them prior to wearing this because I feel like it would definitely stick to and highlight dry, chapped lips. Fortunately I was having a pretty good day when I tried this and my lips were the smoothest they've been all winter! 

This lipstick/gloss might be from a virtually unknown brand but I would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking to move over to the dark side but struggling to justify paying a lot for a new lippy that you might end up hating! 

Peace and love xxx

Liebster Award

So I have been nominated by the lovely Fauve IG: @une_belle_fin for a Liebster Award! Not entirely sure what it is, as I'm still new to the blogging world, but thank you very much. 

I believe the rules are as followed:

1. Thank the person who nominated you

2. Answers the questions from your nominator

3. Nominate 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers

4. Create 11 new questions

5. Notify your nominees through social media  

1.What was the name of your first pet?

My first pet that was actually mine, as opposed to the family pet, is George my cat. He’s all black and I’m obsessed with him, which he hates!

2. No eye lashes or eye brows?

Having lost the majority of both my lashes and brows last year I can say that it’s no fun losing either, but if I really had to choose then I would say brows for sure because false lashes can look amazing whereas having no brows whatsoever makes it difficult to draw them on which can look really obviously fake.

3. First make-up experience?

I think I tried lipstick aged 3! Starting young haha.

4. Most loved piece of clothing?

Far too many to mention- plus it changes all the time. But right now its a black knitted dress from Zara.

5. Favorite soup flavor?

If its canned then minestrone but if it’s fresh I really anything spicy. Convent Garden do a really nice spicy corned chowder which is amazing.

6. Going out or staying in?

Staying in, for sure.

7. Name of your first bestfriend?

I have 3: Yazmin, Charlotte and Holly. Don’t make me pick between them please lol.

8.Style icon?

Hardest question ever, I have so many! If I really had to pick though I think I would have to say probably Kate Moss.

9.Why did you start blogging?

Something I have been thinking about for a while now so I just thought why not? I love anything beauty-related and I couldn't find any bloggers that could necessarily offer the same insight to being a young woman with cancer and still being fabulous so I thought I would give it a try.

10. What was your first EVER post?

Literally the other day and it is called In a nutshell...and it basically explains a little about me and what i intend to write posts about etc. A little introduction if you like.

11. Favourite album?

God I do not know where to start. Currently it is either Souled Out by Jhene Aiko or Partynextdoor/Partynextdoor2 by Partynextdoor. But I think Drake’s Take Care is probably my favourite album of all time. 

Cla Niky- http://claniky87.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Regina- http://reginareviews.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Maria- http://exotickissesz.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Tanja- http://tanjawhatsername.blogspot.co.at/ 

Harriet- http://harrietjacksonx.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1 

Lacie- http://laciealice.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Amani- http://amanielle.blogspot.de/ 

Cara- http://carasblog612.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Caela- http://princesscaela89.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Katherine- http://penneychic.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Courtney- http://courtneyleighxo.blogspot.co.uk/ 

My questions for my nominees: 

1. What is your favourite beauty brand?

2. Most beautiful woman in the world?

3. What is your favourite movie?

4. Where do you hope to be in 10 years time and what do you hope to be doing?

5. Tell us something not many people know about you.

6. What beauty product could you not live without?

7. Twitter or Instagram? 

8. If you could have a superpower what would you have?

9. How long have you been blogging?

10. Explain the name of your blog.

I look forward to reading your responses! 

Peace and love xxx

Rimmel Lash Accelerator

I'm trying the Rimmel Lash Accelerator Serum for brows and lashes. Mine are a little sparse after my last chemo cycle and, as much as I would love to purchase them, the Rapidlash serums are a little out of my price range atm so this will do. 

Have you tried it and, if so, what did you think? Let me know! I will be posting my thoughts at some point, but I know these kind of serums usually need at least a month of continuous use before you start to see results. 

Peace and love xxx

Latest additions..and another basic beauty confession!

These are just a few of the products I've purchased recently that I wanted to share:

First up is the Vitamin C Energizing Face Spritz from the Body Shop, which claims to 'revive the appearance of dull-looking skin'. I find that this spray has a really awful smell; it's quite citrus-y, which I hate, but not enough to put me off using it. I usually use it in the morning, after I've washed my face, and before I apply moisturiser. I have really dry skin, especially during the winter, so this gives it a little extra hydration.

 I haven't noticed any dramatic changes but your skin can never be too hydrated, right?

 Vitamin C Energizing Face Spritz- £10 from The Body Shop

Next is the Cath Kidson Geranium hand cream, which is from a set of 3. I actually pinched this from my mum, who is the queen of hand cream- she literally has so many I didn't think she would mind! This just smells really fresh and I like to take it everywhere as I'm pretty obsessive with hand-washing and using antibacterial gel, which can really dry out the skin on your hands. Cute packaging too. 

Cath Kidson Flora Geranium Hand Cream Set of 3- £10 from House of Fraser

Then we have the NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator in Gleam which just arrived like 2 days ago. I have tried loads of highlighting powders but as my skin is pretty dry they tend to look to powder-y and just dry my skin out more. I have learned my lesson from buying products online now because I didn't really think this one through- I thought I would be able to use this all over but it's such a pinky/peach colour that it's actually more like a cream blush with a sheen to it. 

That said, it added a beautiful colour to my cheekbones and I'm very pleased with it- I just won't be able to use it exactly as I had planned (ie to highlight nose/forehead etc). 

NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator in Gleam- £7 from NYX Cosmetics

At last I have got my hands on Revlon Colourstay and mine is in the shade 150 Buff. I was going to wait til my current foundation runs out but I read amazing reviews on this and didn't want to wait any longer. 

The reason I decided to give this a try is because I have been using light-medium coverage foundation for a while and it just isn't for me. My skin isn't bad but I have a lot of redness on my cheeks that I wish would go away. I kind of want to try the Estee Lauder Double Wear but who has the money for that right now? And this is supposedly a great dupe. 

I have to say that so far I'm super impressed with this foundation and I've only had it a couple of days. It went on beautifully, stayed on all day and covered all my problem areas. 

I usually have a lot of issues finding the right colour for me but Buff is a perfect match. I tend to go for more Ivory shades but they can be a little pink sometimes, which I find just amplifies my redness. 

So I read that Buff has yellow-ish undertones which, on fairer girls, can apparently help tone down any red and I definitely think it works. 

Because I have dry skin I don't like anything too matte and, although this isn't exactly dewy, it didn't leave me feeling dry or cake-y and, combined with the NYX Illuminator (which I applied before foundation) I actually had quite a nice sheen going on. I will be repurchasing this foundation 100percent. 

Revlon Colourstay Makeup for Normal/Dry Skin in 150 Buff- £12.49 from Boots

More NYX! This time the HD Formula Concealer Wand in Yellow. I love this! I need to get all the colours. If you don't know about colour correcting you should deffo Google it because it will really change your life (and your make up). Basically it's using certain colours to correct problem areas on your face. 

So this yellow concealer helps cover up the purple bags and discoloration under my eyes. It's a really light colour to be honest so if I'm being lazy and cba to find another concealer I do sometimes use this in other places, such as the sides of my nose, and it works just as well. 

It's a really light formula that's not too runny and it's really easy to pat in to the skin. It doesn't crease too much under the eyes and it's got pretty decent staying power. 

I love NYX products and I'm currently waiting for their Full Coverage Concealer Pot to arrive and I believe the colour I've ordered is called Glow- it's an orange-y colour anyway. I recently watched Carli Bybel's latest video on youtube about contouring and highlighting, and she used the orange concealer to help cover dark circles and she said it really worked. 

To watch Carli's video click here

NYX Concealer Wand in CW10 Yellow- £6 from NYX Cosmetics 

Ok so technically I've had this a couple of weeks but I thought I would throw it in anyway. This is Honey Love by MAC and it is delicious. I have been wearing Myth for like 5 or 6 years (I love a nude lip btw) but I really fancied a change so I made my beautiful sister buy me this one. 

I love matte lipsticks so this was always going to be a winner in my eyes, and it's a perfect nude-y brown if you're pale because it's not too red/pink. 

I've been mixing this with Myth occasionally and it looks really cute, or with just a bit of lip balm over the top if I'm not feeling matte that day. 

I really don't think you can go wrong with MAC lipsticks: I know they're kind of pricey but they're super pigmented, they blend beautifully and they wear for hours. Plus if, like me, you don't like glitter or shimmer, the matte shades are perfect. 

MAC Lipstick in Honey Love- £15.50 from MAC Cosmetics

So this is the Wet'n'Wild Beauty Benefits Pressed Powder in Fair and I have another 'basic' beauty confession: I have never used powder in my life! Because of my dry skin I just always assumed it was unnecessary and would only make my skin look drier, but if you want your make up to last it's actually quite important! 

The reason I chose this one over any others is simply because it was cheap, I can't lie. I paid probably less than £3. And I have to admit I think it's ok! Not that I have anything to compare it to. 

I didn't apply this all over-just in the areas my make up tends to slip off first (chin, nose, forehead, jawline) and I literally used the smallest amount because I didn't want to look completely matte. But I definitely think my make up lasted a lot longer than it usually does: I didn't require any touch-ups! For 3 quid you can't really complain can you?! 

Wet'n'Wild Beauty Benefits Pressed Powder in Translucent Fair 21040- from £2.99 on Amazon

Last but not least- my baby, MAC Zoom Lash mascara! I used this years ago and loved it and I'm not really sure why I have never bought it again. But anyways, it's back in my life now! I've read some awful reviews on this mascara and it makes me really sad. I don't use this on it's own and maybe that's where some people go wrong? It's such a thick, gloopy texture that I think if I applied this straight to my natural lashes I would look ridiculous. But what I usually do is apply a couple of coats of a much thinner mascara (eg. Rimmel Woner'full mascara with Argan oil) just to lift and define them a little then, before the coats have dried, chuck a load of Zoom Lash on and I'm good to go! 

It's heavily pigmented so I find it gives really great definition but, as I say, it's quite thick so beware of clumping (I keep a spare mascara brush handy to get rid of any clumps). 

I wouldn't recommend this is used as your 'primary' mascara but more so as an extra layer if you want a really intense look for a night out maybe. 

MAC Zoom Lash - £14.50 from MAC Cosmetics

So that's what I'm loving at the minute. Let me know what products you've been buying and if they're any good- I love trying anything new! 

Peace and love xxx

Help a girl out..

In case you can't tell I am completely dense when it comes to blogging.

Sure I could write til the cows come home but I'm kind of a technophobe and basically until yesterday I had no idea what html was or what an RSS feed does. 

So yeah my blog is looking pretty basic and I'm totally confused by it all so if you have any tips or advice, or if there's something I'm not doing/doing wrong please holla at me!

I will be eternally grateful for any help you guys can give me. 

Thanks in advance!

Peace and love xxx

What's in a name?

basic bitch 

A basic bitch fulfills all the stereotypes of your typical 22 year old white girl and absolutely nothing more.

I can't lie I don't know how to define the term but when it comes to beauty, hell yeah I would call myself a basic bitch. 

I would love to wake up in the morning and beat my face with Chanel and YSL but, for now at least, I will make do with my beloved drug store faves. 

I've turned into a completely obsessed product junkie but I want to start upping my game! I love using Pinterest and Instagram to see what the beauty buffs are up to and what new products are out there, so why not share some of that with everyone else? 

I learn so much from posts and tutorials but the glammed-up-to-the-max look doesn't always suit me so I often adapt different techniques to find what works for my face; I'm all about the everyday look when it comes to make up.

I've also started to look further into the cosmetics that I'm buying because it is actually very scientific. I've been wearing make up for years but never really considered factors such as my skin type or undertone (told you I was basic), and they're actually really important if you want your make up to look good!

So I think my skin type is dry and that my undertone is cool- but I mean, I could be wrong because I haven't had this confirmed by someone that actually knows what they're talking about. (That is on my To Do List though, I promise!)

I do, however, know for a fact that I have some serious freckles and fine lines under my eyes, dark spots and blemishes on my forehead, redness on my cheeks, enlarged pores on and around my nose, and awful acne scars on my chin. 

I know that it sounds like I'm picking faults with myself but what I have learnt is that once you acknowledge the flaws that you want to hide with make up, you can start buying products specifically made to target those areas, rather than just using any old thing. The result: your make up will look so much better. 

I never thought my make up looked bad, but when I compare old photos with my appearance now, I can see a big improvement. 

Shiny patches, heavy eye make up and where are my brows?! 

Contour, blend, pout, REPEAT! Kim KW- eat your heart out!

So that's what I'm doing here, posting about my beauty journey, basically. As well as learning about cosmetics I'm also trying to pretty much overhaul my lifestyle; healthy eating, looking after my skin etc. so I will be posting about subjects other than make up. 

Keep reading, follow and share posts as you will.  

You can also find me on Twitter @jordanjane and Instagram @jorrdzzz

Peace and love xxx

Happy Birthday to the Queen

 I absolutely adore Kate Moss. She literally is one of the only women in the world that can wear anything. She pulls any look off so effortlessly I could cry. 

One of my most treasured possessions is my copy of Kate Moss: Style written by Angela Buttolph. It's an amazing glimpse into Kate's world (and her wardrobe!) filled with beautiful, glossy pictures of some of her most iconic looks. Well worth a look! 

I think I fell in love with Kate around the 2007- Pete Doherty era. I remember seeing pictures of her in the magazines looking fabulous in grey skinny jeans and begging my mum to order a similar style from Next for me. I even had a pair of black ankle boots with a stiletto heel because she had worn the same style. 

Around the same time she launched her first range for Topshop and I though I was the ish when I got my hands on the cutest play suit from the collection. I think I thought I was Kate every time I wore it. I still have it today and I love to throw it on over a bikini on holiday or if we ever get a bit of sunshine here in the UK. 

I wouldn't say Kate is the reason I love fashion, because I have always loved it from a very young age. There are countless photos of me as a toddler tottering round in high heels with a string of pearls around my neck and clasping a handbag! But she is definitely one of the first people I remember being really influenced by, style-wise. 

I love how she just throws looks together and even when she's dolled up too the max she never looks over done. That's something I strive to emulate. 

I also love that she is utterly undeniably, uncompromisingly: Kate. She is who she is and she does what she wants. She's not afraid to be seen out partying with a fag in her mouth. She's dated bad boys. Remember when Courtney Love ripped her dress on her birthday? The likes of Kim Kardashian-West (who I love btw no disrespect) would have had a meltdown and left to change immediately but not our Kate; she fashioned the stunning Dior gown into a mini dress and continued dancing the night away. 

I love that care-free attitude. In a world where everyone is so concerned about their image it's reassuring to have someone like Kate in the public eye to remind us that, even if you're a world-famous supermodel, you're still a human being: you're not perfect all the time. 

So happy birthday to the ultimate London girl Kate: 41 and fabulous darling. Thank you for inspiring girls like me all over the world. 

Peace and love xxx

Shout out Makeupalley.com

Makeupalley.com

My new favourite website

I stumbled across this site a few days ago and I'm now wondering how I ever lived without it. 

For those of you that haven't heard of Makeup Alley it is basically social networking for make up! It gives you access to reviews of over 2 million beauty products and you will never buy make up again without reading up on it beforehand.

In the past I've always been a 'buy whatever's on offer' kind of girl, but now that I'm maturing, I've realised that I need to pay more attention to my skin type/needs. 

Don't get me wrong I'm not a beauty retard; I've been wearing it as long as I can remember and I'm not too shabby at applying it- although there's always room for improvement! 

But over the last year or so I have started to take my beauty regime more seriously and I have literally become obsessed with all things cosmetic. 

However, like most of us I have lots of bills to pay and limited income so I can't always afford to pay a fortune for products that are going to sit in my makeup bag for the rest of eternity. 

That's where Makeup Alley comes in: now I can read reviews before I purchase anything so that I make more informed choices and hopefully don't waste too much money. 

Of course I understand that we are all different and that what works for someone else may not necessarily work for me but I can at least get a vague idea of what to expect from a product. 

The site also allows you to filter the reviews based on skin type, age range etc so that you read those most similar to your own, which will give you a better idea of how the product will work for you.

At the same time you can also post reviews for products you loved and loathed, and give them a rating. There are also message boards to join if you require more information or advice. 

I love reading other people's opinions and sharing what I thought of various products. I also love that there's an app so that I can scan items when I'm out and about to read and post reviews on the go. 

If you're as obsessed with anything cosmetic as I am and want to read reviews for millions of products all in one place then you need to start using Makeup Alley. 

Peace and love xxx

In a nutshell..

Ok so I guess I'm really doing this. So basically I'm Jordan aka Jorrdzzz and I want to start blogging. Why? Literally just to share certain parts of my world with you. It may or may not be of interest to anyone but I'm gonna give it a shot. 

So I don't want to post my entire life story but I feel like I should explain a little bit about how I have got to this point. Basically in late 2013 I was diagnosed with lymphoma out of the blue and it has pretty much turned my entire life upside down. I'm on the road to remission now but having cancer has literally changed my life in so many ways and that is what has led me to starting a blog. 

Don't worry I'm not going to be posting about my illness all the time; I don't really like to talk about it and I have tried to keep it quiet, but I want to share things I have learned along the way. 

So before I was sick I was just a normal 21 year old girl- obsessed with beauty products, shopping, selfies etc and, don't get me wrong, I am still obsessed with all those things but I have learned so much lately about looking after myself properly and I think it is so important. I don't just mean looking after my health (although that is a major part) but also preserving my looks; I am learning the hard way that the damage you do when you are younger is very hard to undo in later life. 

As you have probably guessed by now I did lose my hair (twice) which, I can't lie, was literally the hardest thing in the world and nothing can really prepare you for how you are going to feel when it happens. So for the last year I've been rocking a bald head/ ridiculously short crop and it's been a very strange experience. 

I have also had to deal with issues like my brows and lashes falling out, although I am very fortunate that I didn't lose them altogether. I received so much support from everyone around me but I didn't have anyone to help with the 'cosmetic' challenges that cancer presented me with. 

I know that I probably sound unbelievably vain right now but it is so hard, particularly as a young woman, but for anyone to go through such a traumatic experience and, on top of that, see their physical appearance change drastically. 

When we feel ill we try and make ourselves feel better with a slick of bright lipstick or something, right? But that doesn't work when you look in mirror and see somebody you don't even recognise. 

I am gradually getting back to the 'old' me- my hair is finally starting to grow and I'm wearing make up and generally making more of an effort with my appearance again. I am not going to be posting a guide for anyone going through cancer treatment or anything like that, I just want to share tips and tricks I have learnt about health/beauty/life, maybe some product reviews, who knows? 

I don't want to make this blog solely about cancer but I will refer to it occasionally I guess. I struggled to find advice anywhere about coping with the physical changes from the illness- I think a blog by someone that has been there and got the t-shirt would have been massively helpful to me, particularly in the early days. 

I'm still a normal 20-something girl at the end of the day though with normal problems like trying to find the perfect mascara and getting rid of those extra pounds I gained over Christmas. I'm not claiming to be a beauty expert- or an expert in anything for that matter- I'm just sharing a little bit of me for those that are interested. 

Peace and love xxx