Gem and Jo Take On No.7 Beautifully Matte Foundation

Well ladies and gents, the festive season is coming to a close and the new year is fast approaching and with that comes the inevitable New Years party that we all know and love. Now if there is one thing you need for a new years party it's some kick ass makeup and some seriously durable, flawless foundation for all that cheek kissing.
Introducing No.7's Beautifully Matte Foundation.

Now when it comes to foundation reviews people tend to read them and "OMG, this blogger/reviewer loves this foundation and it made her skin matte all night long, so it must do that for me too!!" - Not the case. Foundation is so dependent on the individuals skin and coverage/radiance preference. While some products might be great for a few, it may not be for you. The best way to avoid this? Ask for a sample, most makeup counters are more than welcome to give you a little sample and they'll even find the right shade for you so you don't spend a fortune on something that is just not for you.
Give it a go, they worst the makeup counter can do is say no.

We were a little skeptical when we tried this foundation at first, just for the simple fact that it boasted about "up to 14 hours shine free" which as we all know in the beauty world should be taken with a pinch of salt. This foundation by no means left us shine free (but we are very shiny people, Shiny Faces Unite!) however the coverage of this is just beautiful. It claims to be medium/full coverage and it does not disappoint in that category. It glides on very easily with either a brush or a damp sponge and lasts all day, with a few powder touch-ups required (nothing drastic though).

Before Gem tried this product she worshiped Estée Lauder Double Wear, however after trying No.7's products she has hardly gone back to EL, with the exception of a small bit used for concealer cause that stuff does not budge! It is a genuinely good product with a much smaller price tag than Estée Lauder at just €17.50. And if you're a bargain hunter like us then you'll be thrilled that Boots always give out No.7 vouchers for money off their products!
 However the only let down? There aren't that many shades, Jo found it incredibly difficult to find a shade and ended up mixing it with others she had at home, sad times...
If you're incredibly pale like Gemma then fortunately their lightest shade is very pale (it suited Gem perfectly), which is quite hard to find too!

Also bonus feature of this foundation? It has Salicylic Acid which helps fight acne!

We give this product: 7.5/10 
It has great staying power, good coverage and an SPF but let us down a little on the shine free side of things.

Have you tried this foundation? What did you think?
Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Festive Holiday Nails

Well hello there! Welcome to another unusual edition of polish picks, this one not so much polish, oops. Instead we're gonna show you guys there crazy cute false nails from Primark, which were only €1.50! 

We decided to wear these bad boys for our university Christmas day which was way back on the 15th of December. Basically Christmas day on campus is an excuse for people to skip lectures and wear festive clothes for the day. It's a great tradition and this year was great fun for our last year on campus *sadface*

While we put on the mandatory festive jumpers and santy hats we also went that step further and put these uber festive falsies on. 

When we first got them we were like "these will not last long" however they pleasantly surprised us! The majority of the nails lasted all day and we made sure to bring the glue that came with them just in case, but it definitely wasn't needed!

Jo went full on Christmas and used every design in the pack, which turned out super cute as you can see in the picture above!

Gem went for a more subtle look (mostly because the majority of the nails were a little too big) but it too turned out quite cute, as seen below! Gem also used Primark's PS Love collections pink shimmer nail varnish which was on sale for 50c!

There you have it! Our super festive, cute nails for Christmas day. We are definitely going to try more of Primark's false nails range and we shall let you guys know how we get on with them, as usual!

Which is your favourite look? What did you do on your nails for the holidays? 

Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Favourite Christmas Movies

Well lads, here we are. The last stretch till Christmas. By now we're in the thick of the madness, the crazy shoppers, crazy family dinners and the disgustingly festive people... and we are all of them!!! 

We are Christmas crazy here at Gem and Jo Take The World and to get you holiday-phobic peeps on side we shall chuck up this list of our favourite Christmas movies which are sure to get you in the festive mood! So this weekend (or during the week if you're lucky enough to have time) sit back, relax with a hot chocolate and a candy cane and stick these festive bad boys on the telly and prepare to feel the Christmas feels...

The Polar Express (2004)

Jo watches this on repeat every year...every...single...year...

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

The dog in this is just the cutest!

Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

There is a serious debate on in college as to which Home Alone is better! You tell us? Which do you prefer? Tell us in the poll in the sidebar over here >>

 The Santa Clause (1994)

Elf (2003)

Undoubtedly the funniest Christmas movie ever! 

"Buddy the Elf, what's your favourite colour?" 

The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)

The Holiday. 

This movie is pure cheese! But sometimes all you need is cheese

 (it goes great with crackers!). 

So there you have it, our favourite Christmas movies. 

What's you favourite movie?

We'd love to know. 

Until next time, 

*all images are from IMDB. No copyright intended. 

Gem and Jo's Polish Picks

Well well well, what do we have here? Another edition of Polish Picks? You got that right! Take a look at the polishes we've had on our nails this week!
Jo's Pick:

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret, I have a huge obsession with the colour burgundy (okay maybe it's not a secret at all). Half the clothes in my wardrobe are burgundy and as soon as it gets to the colder months I love whipping out all my burgundy nail polishes. So this week I decided to stay true to form and chose to wear this Rare Nails polish in the colour Flame. 

 The formula of this polish is a bit thinner than other nail polishes I have been using lately so you might find application a little tricky if you're used to more gel like nail polishes but apart from that this polish is great. A really opaque look is achieved after only two coats and it really does last on your nails.   What I really wasn't expecting was how quickly the polish dried. The polish was touch dry after only a few minutes and didn't smudge easily after that!

You can get a bottle of this baby for around €3.50. I believe RARE nails is a Spanish brand so if you live in Spain I am super jealous because you can find this gorgeous brand in a load of different places. Unfortunately if you do live outside Spain it's a little harder to get your hands on this stuff. RARE nails do amazing nail kits as well and you can purchase their products online here

Check out RARE nail's website here. 

Also check out their list of retailers here

Gem's Pick

This week is a week for sparkly polish and this one fits the bill. It's sparkly and shimmery without the whole bother of actual glitter polish. (Because who likes them polishes anyway, look pretty in the bottle but not on the nails). 

Anyway, here is TopShop's Mermaid varnish. Which I picked up for just €1.00 in the sales (yay for sales!!). 

This polish doesn't really have a completely opaque finish, even with a couple of coats, however you won't really care because it is just so pretty when its on. Despite the opaque-less-ness the polish really shimmers in the light and is prefect for those wintery days where all you're looking for is something girly and pretty without the need for super in-your-face glitter. 

This varnish has a pretty standard drying time, if you like to put it on thick then it'll take a while. I usually put it on in thin coats with a little drying time in between, to make sure it doesn't smudge! 

This is part of Topshop's nail varnish range and unfortunatly I am not too sure whether it's still for sale or not (I can't find it on the website, sadface.) However they have some really beautiful colours, similar to this one and they even have a range of matte polishes!! 

Check out Topshop's website here

Check out their nail polishes here

What's your favourite nail polish at the moment? 

Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Favourite Christmas Songs

It's December, which means it is finally acceptable to blare out some Christmas tunes. We have to admit that we may have been playing these songs since the start of November, but at least now people can't throw things at us for it! So here it is our round up of some of our favourite Christmas songs.  

José Feliciano - Feliz Navidad

Elmo and Patsy - Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer

There are no words for how hilarious this song is. 

Also it's compulsory that you sing with the accent. No buts. 

East 17 - Stay Another Day

This video is the most 90's thing you can watch ever. 

Prepare for flashbacks. 

Dean Martin - Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Eartha Kitt! - Santa Baby

Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Gem once pretend ice-skate danced around a shopping centre for charity to this song. Yup. 

Chris Rea - Driving home for Christmas

Wizzard - Wish it could be Christmas Everyday

What a video. That beard tho...

Wham - Last Christmas

George Michael is our Jam 

Augie Rios - Dondé Esta Santa Claus

We really love Christmas songs in spanish! No clue why, they're just so catchy!

The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song

;

Whenever this plays in an ad on telly we get shivers! So good! 

Ryan Sheridan - Walking In The Air

A really amazing artist, who is amazing live and who can put an amazing twist on a classic! 

Ryan Sheridan everyone, check him out here

Or check his Youtube Here

The Pogues - Fairytale of New York 

We're Irish, we couldn't leave this one out! 

Also fun fact: This song was voted Ireland's favourite Christmas song! 

What's your favourite Christmas song? 

If you want to listen to all of these songs in a row, we made a playlist on Youtube just for you guys check it out Here

Bonus: Christmas FM has started back and you can tune in on the radio or online (which means you can listen in from all around the world!) In Dublin tune in to 94.3fm or online simply google: christmasfm.com

Until next time, 

Gem and Jo's Best Biscuits.

Happy Cookie Day!! What a beautiful holiday, everyone should get the day off work and school to eat cookies all day. If you're not able to get off work, your boss should supply 10 tons of biscuits to the workplace. We say so, therefore it must happen!

Sadly that probably won't happen but it would be very nice! So to make you even more hungry than you probably are, here are our favourite biscuits that deserve a day of celebration too.  

Lotus Biscoff: 

These are amazing dipped in tea! 

McVitie's Caramel Digestives

McVities Penguin Bars

we know, we know not a 'biscuit' per se, but could you imagine having a cup of tea without one of these? We didn't think so. 

Top Tip: Bite off both ends and suck tea up through the middle! Trust us, Just do it. 

Cadbury's Crunchie Biscuits

Cadbury's Chocolate Fingers 

And the white chocolate ones? Ugh so much delicious-ness and too little biscuits in a pack

Also Life Hack: if you go to Euro Giant, you can get a BAG of chocolate fingers for €1!!! A bag full of chocolate! For a euro!!! Good job Euro Giant, good job. 

Oreos!

Of course these were going to be on this list! They're delicious!

Maryland Big and Chunky White Chocolate Brownie Cookies

If you haven't tried these, you need to go to Tesco right now and eat them!! 

(Actually pay for them then eat them!)

Tesco Chunky Chocolate Cookies

What are your favourite biscuits? Do you dip in tea or bite and drink? These are the important questions!

Until next time,

*all images are from Tesco.ie! No copyright intended

Gem and Jo's Haul.

We went shopping...again. 

We got stuff...again. 

Our bank accounts will not thank us. 

Secure Marsupials. Excellent. 

What have you bought lately? What was your favourite? 

Until next time, 

Gem and Jo's Christmas Wishlist

Ahh! Can you smell it? Can you smell the Christmas in the air? Well take a big whiff cause we're about to barf a whole load of Christmas on you! Prepare yourselves, these are our excessively Christmassy wishlists filled with, not what we would like from dear ole St. Nicholas, but the things we would like that would make our Christmas even more Christmassy. (Is there enough Christmas in that?). So throw on that Christmas jumper, string up those fairy lights and pour yourself a big mug of hot chocolate because we are about to jump right on in to it.

Gem's Wishlist:

                                

Dunnes Stores: Dancing Christmas tree: €20.00 

He's cute, he sings and he dances, how much more would you want? 

Buy it Here

  

Littlewoods.ie: Outdoor Blow Up Santa: €40.00

Buy it Here

I have no regrets. 

Littlewoods.ie: Reindeer cushion €16.00

Also available in a pudding or a Santa! So cute! 

Buy it Here

theorganicpepper.ca

Christmas Dinner. 

Yes I did just put dinner in my wishlist!

happydietarian.wordpress.com

Hot Chocolate. 

I can feel you judging me from here and I do not care! I love hot chocolate and nothing makes me feel Christmassy like a cup of creamy, frothy, deliciousness. 

Jo's Wishlist: 

F&F Reindeer Print Flannel Lounge Pants - €10.00
These look warm and cosy and fill my reindeer obsession.  I need all the reindeer things!

Buy them here

F&F Fair Isle Reindeer Print Lounge Shorts - €6.00

Buy them Here

Asos limited Edition Tinsel bow Headband - €11.43

I have been known to rock the Christmas headbands in the past and why should Christmas trees be the only ones allowed to wear tinsel 

Buy it here Here

Lindt Milk Hot Chocolate Flakes -$15.00

Who could actually resist this stuff! It just looks amazing!

Find it here

Elegant touch Christmas Jumper False nails

Christmas Jumpers for your nails? Yes please! 

Buy them here

Bonus Round! 

Marnie The Dog dressed as Santa Claus. 

What would make your December more Christmasy?

Until next time, 

*the above photos are stock photos from their respective websites. 

Gem and Jo's Super Showers. #2

No one likes to be scaly or flaky (We know, gross thought, right?, Unless you're a lizard, in that case more power to you!), So today we decided to scrub a dub dub and show you guys the body scrubs we have been using for the last little while. 

Gem's Selection:

Soap & Glory Pulp Friction Body Scrub. 

Let us take a moment and revel in the wonderous miracle workers know as Soap & Glory. I honestly believe they have secret magic that they use to make all their products. They are that good. This past while I have been using Soap & Glory's Pulp Friction Body Scrub and let me tell you, this is one of the best body scrubs I have ever used. 

The consistency is quite thick, and before you say "ugh, I hate thick products", boy is this one is worth the work! Thick means you loose less down the drain which is always a plus, especially when products are a little on the pricey side and it means you get a good coverage. And that means you smell great everywhere! No spots missing. Whoop Whoop! 

And before you ask, yes you are going to want to put this all over you, it smells incredible. As in I could spend a good 30 minutes in the shower rubbing this in. It contains, wait for it this list is extensive, fig powder, pumice, peppermint oil (One of my life obsessions), lemonade tree liquid, orange waterjuice and vitaminballs. And that's not all! The fragrance contains frozen yuzu, orange oil, green fig, and jungle pomelo essence. 

Now I haven't a bogs notion what half of that is (That's Irish talk for "haven't a clue"). BUT altogether it smells amazing! 

I would not recommend using this wonderful stuff on your face, because, 1. its a little harsh for that sensitive face skin you've got and 2. I got in my eyes and you do not want to go there! Pain is not the word, imagine those lovely smelling vitaminballs in your eyeball. Hell. 

Would I buy this product again? I wouldn't particularly go out to buy this, but if I got it in a little set, like I got this one last Christmas, then I would be one happy girlo. 

My opinion on this product? LOVE it! It is well worth the hype and it does wonders for dry skin. 

Check it out here

Buy it here (It's on 3 for 2!! Buy it quick!)

Jo's Selection:

Baylis & Harding french lavender & cassis body smoothing scrub

I recently got this in a gift set and I have got to say this stuff smells amazing! The lavender and cassis scent is so luxurious and is perfect for this time of year. To be honest I'm not totally sure what cassis is but boy does it smell good!(good job cassis). The floral scent isn't too overwhelming as well so it doesn't feel like you're drowning in a pile of lavender. It has the perfect balance and I have been loving using this after a busy day, the scent fills up the shower and really helps me to unwind and de-stress (gotta love lavender for that!). 

   The product itself has more of a gentle scrub texture with very small scrub particles so if you're looking for a something a bit rougher this unfortunately will not do the trick. Fear not though! This works great as more of an all over shower gel with a bit of extra scruby action! The product foams nicely too so that's awesome! Also can I just point out how pretty the packaging is, It would look really nice in any bathroom. 

Would I buy this product again? I wouldn't buy this again if I was looking for a scrub but if I was to get it in a set I would be very happy. I would definitely think of getting this in a set as a present for someone though. Baylis and Harding do really cute and lovely sets that I think would be great as a gift (the holidays are just around the corner!). Speaking of their sets, Debenhams have a load of Baylis and Harding sets on sale at the moment, perfect for stocking up for Christmas. check that out here

Check out Baylis and Harding's website here.

What scrub have you been loving lately?

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,