Go Balmy Lip Balms from George At Asda

Wondering around Asda on a Sunday morning as you do, getting there too early to pay for your shopping, can lead to my wandering around and buying things on impulse.  My Asda has just had a make-over, nice though that is, nothing is where it was and I find that insanely annoying, I don't take well to change!  

That said, the beauty section is a little bit better than it was, mainly because there are now bits of make-up present, so when I came across these really cute lipbalms, it would have been rude not to pick them up and try them. I had been looking for some little gifts to go into a birthday box I was making and these fit the bill.

Every brand it seems is bringing their own lip balms out, Maybelline did it with Baby Lips, Collection have just done it with their Little Mix branding which you can read about HERE, Barry M have done it with Cor Balmy and Collection also have their Mardi Gras range, so for Asda to get in on the act is not a surprise.

The Go Balmy Asda range comes in four different shades and scents:

No.1 is Mint and the balm is see through, sheer some might say and to go with the mint scent the Go Balmy writing is in mint green.

No.2 is strawberry scented and is a light pink shade again with the Go Balmy wording in a light pink

No.3 is Cherry and the lip balm for this is a much deeper shade of pink, almost red and the writing matches the colour

No.4 is honey scented, this one is quite sweetly scented, though not over-powering and the lip balm is beige shade, an inbetween orange and brown colour whereas the writing on the tube is a bright orange.

Once applied they are surprisingly quite moisturising and there is a very slight hint of the colour when applied to your lips, but it isn't long lasting and they are quite good for wearing over lipstick.

These lips balms are currently on offer for £1.99 but have an RRP of £2.50, so they are definitely worth trying and would make a great gift for a youngster.

Have you tried these balms?

Bee Good Vanilla & Honey Lip Balm

The reason I am blogging about this product today is that it is #DontStepOnABeeDay which you can read more about at the bottom of this post!

I am a bit of a lip balm addict, there I have admitted it, I cannot help myself. When asked if I would like to try the Bee Good deeply nourishing and seductively sweet Vanilla and Honey Lip Balm, I immediately said yes. Add to that I am also a big fan of bees and always plant bee friendly flowers in my garden and on my allotment.

For those of you who have't heard of them, Bee Good is an independent British skincare company based in rural Hampshire, who have harnessed the centuries-old healing powers of British honey, propolis and beeswax in an innovative skincare range, designed to make a real difference without the use of parabens, synthetic colour, mineral oil, silicone or SLS/SLES.  Each and every one of their products are described as being packed with hard-working intensively soothing ingredients, there is nothing better to care for your lips than this nourishing and protective treatment delivered from the flower, to the bee, to you. 

The Lip Balm is described as follows:

Deeply nourishing, our Vanilla & Honey Lip Balm softens, protects and moisturises to bring welcome relief and rescue to dry or chapped lips. Packed with  hard-working intensive and soothing ingredients, your lips will be left perfectly conditioned and kissably soft and the delicious scent is truly addictive!

The first thing I love about the Bee Good range is the outer packaging, not something I would usually get excited about, but when something like this pops through your door, it is bound to prick your interest. Packaged inside a plain corrugated cardboard pillow pack, which is then secured with a bee patterned cotton ribbon, there is a label which is called a 'seeded paper label' and you can plant it into your compost and wait for the flowers to grow - How amazing is that?  I was totally blown away.

Back to the lip balm, packaged inside a yellow squeezy coloured plastic tube which features some lovely bumblebees and the Union Jack to remind you the product was made using British Bees!  When using the lip balm, it has an angled tip so you can apply directly onto your lips if you prefer, personally, I always tend to squeeze some onto the end of my fingertip and apply, unless I am in a rush or on the tube and haven't time to wash my hands afterwards.

This lip balm smells incredible.  I am not a fan of vanilla scented things, it gives me a headache, but just imagine the scent of fresh honey and for me that is exactly what this is, not so much of the vanilla.  So why does it smell so good? Well the ingredients include protective British beeswax, naturally sourced vitamin E, British Borage Oil and British Echium Oil which are moisturising, nourishing and replenishing ingredients to help soften, smooth, protect and moisturise your lips, more so if they are dry and chapped.

After applying the balm, which is a fairly thin texture, it slowly absorbs into my lips rather than immediatly disappears which I don't mind at all because rather than sit on the surface looking all shiney and not doing alot, I feel it is working its way through each layer of skin giving it some TLC.  As it does sit on the lips it is neither tacky nor sticky but you know it is there, so it works better over lipstick than under it.

This lip balms costs just £4.75, and it is perfect for keeping in your handbag.

Don’t Step on a Bee Day

This Don’t Step on a Bee Day, we urge you to help spread the message! Please find an image attached for use across your social media channels - we would love it if you could share our message with your audience and tag @BeeGood_UK or use #DontStepOnABeeDay to help raise awareness! Please see below for our Top 5 Bee Care Tips to give you inspiration for Don’t Step on a Bee Day:

1.       Don’t step on a bee! (Of course)

2.       Support your local bee keeper! The majority of our honey here in the UK is imported, but with the wealth of bee keepers on our doorstep there is really no need. Support your local bee keeper by visiting a near-by farm shop or deli and enjoy their precious produce for breakfast on some warm buttered toast - yum!

3.       Plant your Bee Good labels! Our little tags that accompany your Bee Good products are impregnated with special wildflower seeds that bees simply can’t get enough of! Just soak the label for an hour and plant under an inch of soil and watch your wild meadow grow! 

4.       Download the Great British Bee Count app. This wonderful app created by Friends of the Earth allows you to log the bees you spot out and about. This builds a picture of bee health and activity in the UK to secure a thriving future for our buzzing bees! You can find out more about the app here.

5.       Build a bee hotel! Did you know that bees need somewhere to rest when they venture out on their pollen mission? Get the kids involved and get building! You can find a step-by-step guide here.

You can find out more about Bee Good and all of the great work they do by visiting their website

You Beauty Discovery Box - July Edition

For the past few months I have been getting the You Beauty Discovery Box which you can see February,  March,  April,  May and  June with previous box contents.  This month my fifth box has arrived and I have said I am just as impressed.

Whenever it is time to pick the contents of your box, there is always one item that goes really quickly, no matter how early I find myself logging in to select the products I would like to try, I miss the one I want to try most.  That said, I like this months box and this is it.

This months box is themed "You Travel" and it is designed to give me an offer of a range of travel-friendly beauty must-haves - to go! As I have said before, I love is how the box fits through my letterbox, it is packed really delicately and the box really study and it has never looked disheveled.

Within the magazine which comes with the box we given the opportunity to try some of the following products, the idea being you choose two and there will also be two little extra treats, so this month they included:

So yes, there are infact three little extras which are:

Agent Provocateur Fatale perfume sample, everyone knows I am a big fan of these and this one says "Are you ready to flirt with danger? Fatale, the new fragrance from Agent Provocateur, has dark glamour, seduction and a sensual hint of danger".  It is quite floral and fruity at the same time, a scent I would perhaps favour for evening over daytime.

Next comes something for my mister Beautykinguk and that is the New Pro Moisture Shave Cream from Dove.  It is said to have been designed to provide men with a more enjoyable shave experience!

The final extra is the Egyptian Magic all purpose skin cream.  I have been wanting to try this for some time now, it is one of those products on my life of something to get a sample of to see if I like it, well voila I have it.  It is described as being the celebrity favourite all purpose skin balm with super moisturising benefits which combines the healing powers of six natural ingredients and is bursting with antioxidents to nourish and protect the skin.

So now to my choices, this month there was a choice of nine products which included: Tanorganic Self Tan Original, Tanorganic Oil Arganic Body Oil, L'oreal Paris Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara, L'Occitane en Provence repairing shampoo and conditoner duo, Green People Sun Lotion Tan Accelerator with SPF 15, Dr Bronner All-One Hemp Lavender pure castile soap, Balm Balm Rose Geranium Lip Balm, Archeia Rose Rejuventating Cream, Abahna White Grapefruit & May Change Bath Gel.

This is what I selected:

Starting with Balm Balm Rose Geranium Lip Balm which comes in a cute little pot, it is 100% Organic, Soil Association Certified Multi Purpose Rose Geranium Balm and has a delightfully uplifting, feminine fragrance.

It uses a combination of Shea butter, sunflower, beeswax, jojoba, and calendula rose geranium essential oil, gently melted together to create a solid balm to soothe, moisturise and nourish your lips or anywhere else that might need a little tlc.

Secondly the mascara I think most people are talking about and a product you can never have enough of is the L'Oreal Paris Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara.  It is described as follows:

Mega Volume Miss Manga features a 360° fleible cone shaped brush for mega volume on top and bottom.

The 360 degree flexible brush enables easy application and mega volume on top, while the conical shape captures the lower lash for mega volume on bottom.

The result…Big Manga eyes.

So for a £6.95 subscription, my box has a value of around £15 which is more than double the value for money and not a bad box.

What do you think to do this? Do you subscribe to these boxes?  What would you have chosen? If you subscribe, link your post below so I can see what you got.

Little Mix Make-up - New Releases!

Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards, better known as girl group Little Mix, have been working with the cosmetics brand Collection to produce a range of make-up, some of which is available in both Boots and Superdrug.

Source

I was very kindly sent a package of new products to play with and when I first saw them, I was a little dubious that I would like them, but I was always taught never to judge a book by its cover and here is what I thought.

Recently, the Little Mix girls have extended their range to include moisturising lip balms, which are available in each of the girls' signature shade and favourite scent.  The lipbalms will have an RRP of £1.99 each.

Each Lip-balm is held within a black plastic tube with white see through plastic cover and the signature of each girl matches the shade of their lipbalm.  

Jade has gone for a raspberry flavour which is a baby pink coloured balm and when applied to the lips, it is really moisturising.

Jesy's lip-balm is a funky purple colour which is a vanilla scented lipbalm and sadly there is no colour transfer to the lips at all, but it does feel quite moisturising.

Leigh-Anne has opted for a mint flavoured lip-balm and the balm itself is a lovely mint green shade, again as with the other two balms, it is moisturising on the lips, though it leaves no hint or trace of the mint green colour behind,

The final lip-balm comes from Perrie, which has no scent to it, because apparently she has no sense of smell, is also colourless, instead it is called a natural shimmer and is a brilliant white shade, but this one differs slightly to the other three in that there is a shimmer to it. Within the lipbalm itself are teeny tiny little particles, which when applied to the lips, give them a bit of a shimmer.

I am a big fan of these lip-balms, they remind me of the Maybelline Baby Lips, which I happen to really like.

Also added to the range is the All About The Eyes Palette which will retail at a very pocket friendly price of £3.19 and includes six shades; Feather, Sunkissed, Golden Sand, Dazzling Brown, Cocoa Dream and Blackbird.

I actually really like this palette, it is a nice mixture of brown shades which are quite pigmented which is a lot more than I expected and they all work quite well together.  It is said that each singer within the band uses this palette to create their own signature look.

This is what each shade looks like:

 From left to right Feather, Sunkissed, Golden Sand, Dazzling Brown, Cocoa Dream and Blackbird.

Have you tried any of the Little Mix range so far?  

Do you like what is on offer here?

These lip balms and eyeshadow palette will be available to buy from Superdrug from 30 July.

EOS Lip Balm

Regular readers will know that I am more than slightly obsessed with Lip Balms, always have been.  When I saw one of my local beauty shops selling the EOS Lip Balms for just £2.99 I went in and bought a few of the flavours that he had.

EOS is an American brand, known as Evolution Of Smooth who specialise in lotions, creams and balms and isn't as readily available in the UK as I hoped they would be, though you can find many places online to purchase them.  Currently available in ten different flavours, I opted for Pomegrante Raspberry (which I gave to a friend) and Honeysuckle Honeydew which I kept for myself.

The first thing that attracted me to these lip balms is their quirky shape, rather than coming in tube form they are instead a funky spherical shape which makes them stand out and when in your handbag, it makes them much easier to find, especially if like me you always have more than one lipstick and lipbalms with you.

Funky shape aside, these lip balms are  95% organic and 100% natural. The ingredients within this EOS lip balm include Shea Butter, Vitamin E and Jojoba oil to moisturise and soften lips. They are also paraben and petroleum free which I am quite pleased about, one thing I dislike about Vaseline, other than the fact it feels like you have rubbed a block of lard across your lips, is the way it leaves my lips feeling, hydrated and tacky.

This lip balm applies to the lips clear, there is no colour left on the lips and it most definitely does do a great job at softening and moisturising. The scent also becomes noticeable as soon as the lid is removed and it is one of those authentic fragrances, not too overpowering but most definitely something I really like, almost good enough to eat.  The main fragrance for me in Melon and Honeysuckle, both of which you can see listed within the ingredients.

These lip balms retail online for around £5.99 which I think makes them grea value for money and they are definitely something I would recommend trying, I will more than definitely be trying some of the other flavours just as soon as this one runs out, which having used it constantly for the last 6 weeks, it shows no sign of doing just yet.

Have you tried either the EOS lip balms? Do you have a favourite one?

Shopping my Haul...

I have just taken part in a beauty blogger swap and all of the details will appear in a new post in due course.  

One of the best things about taking part in the swap is shopping for bits and pieces that your swappee will hopefully really like.  When I went to buy the bits for my box there was quite a lot of bargains to be had I found and well erm yes I did do a little bit of a mini haul and this is what I bought.

You might have guessed by now that I am a bit if a lip balm addict and can never have too many of them.  So when I saw this eos lip balm on offer in a 99p store for you guessed it 99p there was no way I was going to leave it behind and as I am yet to try these out for myself, I am looking forward to opening it.  

I also picked up this Papaya Gold Paw Paw Balm in Boots which was on offer and I got with a voucher I had lurking in my purse (winning) so instead of being £5.99 I got it for just £1.99. Described as Being a Moisturising Balm enriched with Bio Active Manuka Honey 20+, is a topical balm that soothes, relieves and moisturises dry, sensitive, chaffed and irritated skin and dry chapped lips. Can be used by people who are prone to eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis. Also suitable for children.

Also in the 99p I came across this Ohyo collapsable water bottle which I have reviewed before on this blog HERE and they are just so handy to have in your handbag, especially if like me you drink a lot of water but don't want to have to keep big bottles in your bag.

The next item I managed to get my hands on was this W7 In The Buff palette which has made its way into many blog posts that I have read and in the local shopping centre that I went too there is a W7 stall and they had a sale on, this palette cost me just £2.99 when it usually retails for around £6, so I think I have got myself a bit of a bargain here.

 Next on my list was this set of four reed diffusers from Marks and Spencer and again I had a voucher that needed to be used up, so I ordered them online and went to collect in store, they retail for £25 and cost me nothing essentially.  I love have reed diffusers around the house and these scents appealed to me more than anything else and I can't wait to open them and give them a try.

The final item from my haul comes from TK Maxx, it is always dangerous going in there because I never seem to leave empty handed, admittedly I did not go in there for the item below which is a hard case keyboard for my iPad, but when I saw it had been reduced from £79.99 to just £9.99 I was not going to leave it behind and having opened it and used it already, I am not quite sure how I have managed without it before now.

So there you have my little mini haul which cost all of £17 instead of £126.96 and therefore I think I have got myself quite a few bargains!  What do you think?

Have you shared a haul recently? Link me below in a comment so I can come along and read.

Nuxe Pamper Hamper - My Entry!

When I was emailed and told that Nuxe had launched their first UK blogger competition and would I be interested in entering to win a luxury hamper worth £250, I thought why not? The prize contains so many products that I would love to try and there are also prizes for two runners up.

All I needed to do to enter was create a spring inspired wishlist post using products from Nuxe and create a post on my blog. further details on how to enter can be found below if you fancy having a go yourself. But this is my entry and I would love to know your thoughts.

Nuxe wishlist by beautyqueenuk featuring Nuxe

Rêve de Miel Lip Balm - I have read SO many reviews on this product that I am begining to wonder why I don't actually own it. As a self-confessed lip balm addict everytime I read about it, i feel as though I need to add it to my collection because I am missing out. Described as "A repairing, nourishing lip balm with a rich, delicious texture to restore suppleness and comfort to dry and chapped lips" and apparently one is sold every 28 seconds somewhere throughout the world!

Gentle Exfoliating Gel with Rose Petals - with the weather ever changing from being windy, to raining back to windy not to mention very cold, my skin is always in need of some TLC and a facial exfoliator is a product I use a lot of in the colder in the months.  I love the sound of this which is described as follows "A gel texture with gentle exfoliating granules to give the skin a refined appearance. Skin is purified, soft and smooth, and more radiant than ever".

Crème Fraîche® de Beauté Mask - I am a lover of face masks and try to ensure that at least once a week I have a pamper evening and use a face mask on my skin.  As with above, the weather playing havoc with my skin means that after exfoliating I also want to nourish and add moistuise to my skin and I always find a facemask does just the job for me and this one sounds amazing - "A fresh moisturising mask and source of well being to hydrate and soothe the skin reducing instantly any discomforts (tingling, redness, burning sensations, etc.)".

Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Petals - I am yet to board the Micellar water bandwagon and it is a product I really want to try and this is one I have not read much about but intrigues me quite a lot.  Described as "In a single step, this alcohol-free Micellar Cleansing Water cleanses, removes make-up and eliminates all the impurities from your face, eyes and lips." all of which sounds wonderful and amazing but the fact it is made with Rose Petals is what draws me to it, the same as the exfoliating gel I can only imagine how wonderful this must smell.

Nuxe 24 hour body moisturising lotion - said to give a satin feel and leave your skin feeling soft, I am yet to find a body lotion that I like enough to continue using, makes a difference and smells amazing. This I like the sound of because of this description "This body lotion provides immediate and long-lasting moisturization (Wheat Extracts and Wood) and corrects skin dryness (Sweet Almond and Sunflower Oils). The skin is soothed and soft (Almond and Orange Flower Petals)" and I have no doubt it would smell amazing with those ingredients.

So, if you like the look of my wishlist but want to do your own, all you have to do is complete the steps below:

1) Create a spring inspired wishlist style post using products from uk.nuxe.com on your blog
2) Tweet the link to your post to @NuxeUK along with the hashtag #NuxePamperHamper
3) If you don’t have twitter you can send your entry link to us at onlinepr@nuxe.com

The competition closes 10th March 2014 but please let me know if you have entered or when you do enter by leaving a comment below so I can come and see your entry.

My favourite products of 2013 - Part one!

It has taken me quite a long time to do this post, sorting products out into groups and categories hasn't been easy, but I have done it and these are my products of 2013, though they have been split into categories to make the posts a little shorter.

Lip care

Lips are an important part of my beauty regime and I am always trying to ensure they are in good condition and don't look dry, flaking and chapped because for me there is nothing worse.  Your lips are such an important feature and you do so much with them whether it is eating food, having a drink, kissing someone or even talking, your lips are one of your main features and should be as cared for as every other part of your body.

I have a bit of an obsession with lip products as you can see HERE and I am never without a lip balm, lip cream or lip something and these are my all time favourite lip products.  Starting with:

Dr Lipp - I got this product in a Glossybox and wrote a post about it which you can read HERE.  Quite a few people have compared it to the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream and I disagree, I cannot stand the 8 hour cream at all.  Dr Lipp is brilliant and I use when my lips are really dry and put it on before I go to bed and I wear it during the daytime especially if the weather is really cold.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub - One of the first items I wrote about on my blog which you can see HERE, this product is an absolute lifesaver and the best lip scrub I have ever used.  For those of you who are fans of Snow Fairy (like me) this scrub smells exactly like the shower gel.  So what is the point of it?  Well like any piece of skin on your body, it gets old and tired, dries out a bit and falls off, so Bubblegum is an exfoliator for your lips which, with a gentle massaging action, helps to remove that dead skin leaving your lips feeling soft and smooth.

Bach Rescue Balm - This is another one of my go to lip products when they are particularly when my lips look like they are dry and chapped and this is another product I usually slather my lips in over night and it works wonders.  It smells of lemons and is both Paraben and lanolin free and can also be used on your temples for relaxation purposes - something I am yet to try.

Korres Lip Butter - I am a huge fan of the Korres range, whether it is a shower gel, a lip balm or a lip butter, I love them and this particular lip butter, Guava is my favourite from the range and I posted about it HERE.  As a lip butter it is really lovely to apply and it smells divine, really moisturising and long lasting once on your lips.

So there you have it.  My first favourites of 2013 post and there are 4 more to come in my little series of posts - Hair and Body, Make-up and Perfume are to follow.

Do you have a favourite lip product? 

Would or do any of my favourites feature in your favourites?

Boutique Spa Blogger Event

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to a Blogger event at The Boutique Spa in West London who are the first high street spa to partner with skincare brand ESPA. Boutique Spa offers a range of other treatments including massages, facials, waxing, threading and even treatments for men.

On offer to us Bloggers attending the event was a whole host of treatments from skin assessments, foot massages and pedicures to a manicure.  I was also lucky enough be given a glass (or three) of Champagne whilst I relaxed having a hand massage and manicure with the latest releases from the Essie Polishes from their Festive Range.  Each manicure starts at £14 and comes with the option of upgrading to a classic manicure which includes a hand and arm massage, or for those wanting The Boutique Spa Manicure this includes a soak, exfoliation, mask, heated hand and arm mits, massage, cuticle tidy, shape and buff/polish starting at £25 for 20 minutes.

I was given a choice of colours to choose from for my manicure and whilst I would usually opt for a berry colour or something purple, I went for something totally different and completely out of my comfort zone.

The Shade I went for was 'Chinchilly' which is described as being "A delicious smooth light praline nail colour that adds a touch of elegance hands and feet what ever the occasion".  I was a little unsure as to whether or not I would like the shade to begin with, but once it was applied I loved it and with an added extra of 'As Gold As It Gets' which is a lovely shimmery top coat, my nails looked fabulous.

My nails were also treated with Dadi Oil, which is a 95% Certified Organic Nail Treatment which absorbs quickly and penetrates deeply to enhance flexibility and prevents nail brittleness.  This oil smells wonderful of Lavender and Bergamot which are just 2 of the 21 essential oils this product contains.

If all of that wasn't enough, I came away with a goody bag and here it is for you to see:

I also couldnt resist this lip balm which comes in the most amazing packaging with a mirror! it smells wonderful and is so nice on my lips, I love it.

I really enjoyed attending this event and if you are ever in the area please do go and look them up.  Boutique Spa is located at 123 Queensway, London W2 4SJ and more information can be found on their website HERE.