Gem and Jo's Honeypie Minerals Review

We found this great company called Honeypie Minerals. These guys make great mineral products which are 
paraben free, cruelty free (which is super awesome in our books) and environmentally friendly. They were kind enough to send us some samples of their products for us to try out and tell you guys what we think. So lets just jump in!

Honeypie Mineral Foundations- £11.99

                                      

       

The consistency of these foundations is really nice. We found that they were really buildable, up to creating an almost full cover look. They felt really light weight on the skin as well and would be great for anyone with very oily skin that finds it hard to deal with liquid foundations (girls we feel your pain!). These foundations would also be great for adding more coverage over your normal foundation (let's face it, sometimes we all need a little more coverage, darn you bad skin days!!!). Another great thing about these foundations is that they don't contain ingredients such as talc that can cause skin to break out.  We used Real Techniques buffing brush to apply this and it did the trick! Unfortunately these colours didn't really suit our skin tones but we will be the first to admit that we find it hard to find a colour in any foundation that matches us perfectly (Gemma is whiter than a ghost for one thing!).  However these foundations come in 15 different shades and they even have sample foundation packs for 49p so that you can try out a load of shades before choosing the right colour for you (an awesome idea or what?).

                                                   Eye Shadow in the colour Mushroom - £4.99

We were super excited to try the eyeshadows, if you don't already know we are serious eyeshadow collectors! This shadow in Grey is really gorgeous and is matte which means it is perfect for a casual, work appropriate smokey eye! It might not look like it in these pictures, but the little packets we received hold a serious amount of product and they are going to last us ages!

Eye Shadow in the colour Plum - £4.99

This eye shadow is really great. The pigmentation is fantastic and it doesn't crease on the eye. This is a matte shadow and doesn't contain any shimmer. We have been loving wearing this in the outer corner of the lid to deepen up our look and add a pinch of colour. The shadow itself is more a subtle brownie purple colour which we think would look great with any skin tone. It would be great for any winter look either in the crease, outer corner or all over the lid for a vampy nighttime look. 

Blusher in the colour Peach - £5.99

This blusher is so pretty and summery! It really suited Gem's skin tone, whiter than white incase you've forgotten, and gave her a gorgeous healthy glow! We emptied the packet into an empty jar and used our Seventeen blusher brush to apply it over the apples of our cheeks! 

Overall the Honeypie Mineral Makeup is pretty good! Aside from slight skin tone issues, the products we got were fantastic and for those prices, you really can't argue! The consistency and buildable nature of all the powders is prefect for natural, "no makeup" makeup looks and the eyeshadows are seriously amazing, our favourites by far! Plus the makeup is free from most of that nasty chemical stuff that's in a lot of other brands! 

Thanks Honeypie Minerals for the makeup! 

To see their website click Here

Until next time, 

Click this ribbon to see

why we've gone pink! > 

Gem and Jo's Favourite Eyeshadow Palettes

We love eye shadow, we mean who doesn't? And what better way to have eye shadow then in a pretty little palette! Here's are a little round up of the eye shadow palettes that we love.

Gem's Favourites:

Estée Lauder Christmas 2013 Palette

This palette, although extremely difficult to photograph, is gorgeous and is great for creating night or day looks. It contains both shimmer and matte shadows, which makes it one of my go-to palettes most days. The consistency of the powders is really creamy and they are incredibly easy to blend! I cannot speak highly enough of the Estée Lauder eye shadow range!

When I'm travelling I generally only take this palette with me, it literally suits any occasion and you can create so many diverse looks with just a few of these shades. When I'm stuck I even use the matte brown to fill in my eyebrows! I love to use the shimmery grey to create a subtle, day time smoky eye. As you can probably tell, my favourite are the brightest shades at the top of the palette, they are amazing as base colours and to add a bit of brightness to the inner corner of your eye. 

Check out Estée Lauder's website Here

(Keep an eye out for their Christmas gift set for 2014, they are always gorgeous!)

Ted Baker "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" Palette

This palette was a gift from our good friend Chloe last Christmas and I have loved it ever since. Just like the Estée Lauder palette, this one can create so many different looks. It has neutrals and brights which means you could go for a simple day time look or go wild with a deep blue smoky eye. All the shadows in this palette are shimmery and look gorgeous in the sunlight!

The creamy texture of these powders makes them a pleasure to blend, either together or with another brand. I love to use the brown in the crease of my eye and then I use the light pink to give my look a really feminine feel with the lightest shade giving a hint of brightness in the inner corner. The only thing I would change about this palette is the packaging, it's a strong cardboard but I have to be super gentle when I open it so I don't rip it in half. (No I'm not the Hulk, the packaging is just a little soft)

Take a look at the Ted Baker makeup collection at Boots Here

e.l.f. Cosmetics Eye Enhancing Eye shadows

This palette is a lifesaver for those days when you just cannot wake up enough to show it in your eyes. I call it my Monday Palette. Usually when a product says 'eye enhancing' I think "ye right!" but this one does not lie. It seriously makes your eyes seem so much brighter and awake! I love this palette!

Using a combination of nearly all the shadows, I love to create a really bright, yet natural, look that turns my Monday morning gloominess around. The hint of shimmer in each shadow really lifts and opens your eyes to make you seem more awake, even if you are falling asleep in that 9am lecture! I especially love the packaging of this palette, it's sleek, small and sturdy which makes it perfect for in your on the go makeup bag! 

Check out e.l.f. cosmetic's website Here

Jo's Favourites:

 Stila Natural Beauty Eye Shadow Palette

Who doesn't love a neutral eye? It's one of the easiest things to wear and to create and goes with just about everything. I absolutely love this palette and it's one of my go to palettes for an everyday natural eye. It's super rare that you find an eye shadow palette where every eye shadow is actually usable but this one is like a diamond in the rough. Every eye shadow in this palette looks great either by itself or paired together and it contains both matte and shimmer eye shadows. 

The shadows themselves are super pigmented and last a long time on the eye, especially when paired over a eye primer. It's great for travel too, as its super slim and you can create tonnes of looks with it. Seriously just love it. Check Stila's website out here.

Sleek Cosmetic's I-Divine Eye shadow Palette in Au Naturel

I may have a slight problem when it comes neutral eye shadow palettes, but I mean who doesn't need like a dozen? This palette is one of my favourites. The shadows are super de duperly pigmented and really show up on the eye. The palette has great lighter and darker neutrals that can be paired together to create some really great looks. 

This palette also has a variety of matte and shimmer eye shadows and has a great base colour and a matte black colour which would be great to use as an eye liner. Oh and I haven't told you the best thing about this palette. It's only €9.99! I know what you're thinking, "what Jo? All this for only €9.99?". Yes that's right all this for just €9.99 (yeah I know I sound like a crazy television shopping advert). 

 Sleek Cosmetic's I-Divine Eye Shadow Palette in Vintage Romance

After a good ole neutral eye, I loves me a pop of purple and this palette delivers on both the neutral and the purple. This palette has some lovely golden shades and some really great purple shades. Most of the shadows in this palette are shimmery and make for a great glam or night time look. The Palette also has a great matte brownie colour with is great in the crease. 

The shadows in this palette are super pigmented and really last. This is my go to palette when I want to either add a pop of colour to my normal neutral look or when I want to step it up a notch and go for an intense night time look. And..... (drum roll please)... You can get this palette for only €9.99 as well. Check out Sleek's website here. You can also Find Sleek cosmetics on Cloud10beauty.com also from every order placed with Cloud 10 beauty this month, €1 will be donated to the Irish Cancer Society. This way you can get yourself lots of pretty beauty items, and help a good cause all at the same time. Can't get much better than that if you ask us. 

So there you have it, our favourite eye shadow palettes. We'd love to know what you're favourite eye shadow palettes are and if you have any of the ones above. Hope you enjoyed this post and as always thanks for reading.

Until next time, 

Click this ribbon to see

why we've gone pink > 

Gem and Jo and The W7 Eyeshadow Palette

Now everyone has heard of the Urban Decay Naked palettes and if you haven't then you've probably been living under an eyeshadow-less rock for the last few years. As beautiful and pretty as they are, the Naked palettes can be kinda expensive, even the mini ones! However do not fret lovelies, there is an alternative to spending all yo money! 

Drum roll...... 

                 

Ladies and Gentlemen, the W7 'In The Nude' eyeshadow palette. This palette is practically identical to Urban Decay's Naked 3! 

You may now bow in thanks for this wonderous product!

The palette contains some mattes, some shimmers and some that are more on the glitzy side which means it practically covers you for all occasions! 

The texture of the shadows is really soft and silky, almost a creamy feel and even though this isn't a well known cosmetic brand, their brush seems to be really good! This definitely surprised us as some times eyeshadow palettes don't come with the best brushes, only those spongy ones that we personally never use. 

The last shade seen in the picture above, Fashionista, is very similar to MAC's Knight Divine and is gorgeous for a special occasion as it has little pink sparkles in it!!  In fact every shade in this palette could be used for a special occasion as they are all beautiful and have amazing staying power! 

We love to use 'Latte' as a base colour and 'Angel' for a hint of shimmer in our inner eye to make our eyes pop! 
'Alice' and 'Tokyo' can be used for shading in the crease of your eye and 'Bad Manners' can be added to the eye lid for a glizty, glam look!  

And so we ask you, which palette do you prefer? The Naked or the W7? 
Let us know in the comments! 
Until Next Time, 

Gem and Jo's Makeup Rumours Haul

So recently we came across this little known cosmetics brand called Makeup Rumours and to our surprise their products are incredibly inexpensive! A lipstick for £1? Yes please! Now we contacted Makeup Rumours and they were kind enough to give us a voucher to use on their site and.... this is the good part for you guys: they even gave us a code for our followers to get 10% off when they use our unique code which is valid until September 14th! (gemjo10off)
"What did you buy?" you may ask... well here is our makeup haul from Makeup Rumours!
Eyeshadows

 1. Purples and Blues:

 Dazzle palette in shade 4. £1.00

2. Smokey Blacks

Dazzle Palette in Shade 2.  £1.00

3. Purples Quad

After Dark Quad in shade 2. £1.00

4. Smokey Blues Quad

After Dark Quad in Shade 4. £1.00

5. Smokey Browns

Dazzle Palette in Shade 1. £1.00

Lipsticks

Pinks: Shade 3 £1.00

Nudes: Shade 17 £1.00

Pinks: Shade 6 £1.00

Lilacs and Purples: Shade 12 £1.00

Pinks: Shade 5 £1.00

Nail Varnish

Teal: Fashion: Shade 10 £1.00

Baby Blue: Fashion: Shade 11 £1.00

Pressed Powders

Top product: Satin £1.00

Bottom Product: Nude £1.00

Thanks for reading, as always let us know your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to avail of the 10% off code!! You can find their site Here!
We shall have a review of these products up in the coming weeks so keep an eye out!!
Until Next Time,

Gem and Jo's New No.7

So no surprises here, but we went shopping again today... We know, we know. But new stuff makes us very happy and today that happiness happens to come in the form of new No.7 products! Including a free gift! Now who wouldn't be happy with that!
Take a look at what we got:

So to start us off, the reason we went shopping in the first place, Gem's mam has been struggling with some really dry, flaky skin on her cheeks after she got burnt during the good weather last week. Nothing seems to have worked to moisturise her skin so we went to Boots and talked to the professionals! 

The assistant at the No.7 counter recommended the Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced Serum. Usually they would recommend a cream but Gem's mam has a bit of a thing about cream on her face so serum seemed the best route!

When we tried the product it seemed to work immediate miracles! The dry skin disappeared and the skin felt really soft! It's a brilliant product and we will keep you guys up to date to see if it's anti-ageing properties are any good!

Now since Gem's mam had a ton of Boots points on her card, she bought a serum for Gem too and got the Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask for dry/ very dry skin to use at night! And because it was 3 for 2 we got the mask for free!! We cannot wait to try it out!

To make things even better, we also got a free gift set! 

It's the cutest little gift and the packaging was so colourful and summery! We couldn't wait to get home and try every thing we got in it! 

Stay Perfect Eye Shadow - Middle shade in Good Earth Trio. 

Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara - Black.

BB Lips Beauty Balm - Blink Pink 

 

And you can all probably guess what Gem's next polish pick will be! The nail varnish you get in this gift is called Duck Egg Blue and it is just the cutest shade!! 

Thanks for reading and if you have any No.7 products that you can't live without, let us know in the comments below! 

Until Next Time, 

XO Gem and Jo. 

Gem and Jo's On the Go Makeup Bags

Today we shall be opening the pandora's box known as our travel makeup bags. We carry these bags with us everywhere and they contain everything we need to touch up our makeup during the day! You should probably note that our bags usually have way more crap in them, we cleaned them out just for you guys! No empty sweet wrappers shall be seen here! Carry on.

Gem's Bag: 

Esteé Lauder Bag, part of gift set. 

                                                                                    1. 17's Blusher Brush.

2. Eyes Lips Face (E.L.F.) Stipple Foundation brush. 

3. Esteé Lauder Sumptuous Extreme (Lash multiplying volume mascara) in 01 Extreme Black

4. Esteé Lauder Pure Color Lip Laquer in 01 Peach Glass. 

5. Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm.

6. Wrigleys Extra Ice chewing gum. (A girls gotta be fresh!)

7. Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Neutral 

8. Primark Powder brush. 

9. Wet n Wild's H2O Proof liquid eyeliner in E881 Ultra Black 

10. Esteé Lauder Pure Color lipstick in 26 Nectarine Shimmer 

11. Esteé Lauder Pure lipstick in 19 Rose Tea

12. Seventeen Lip brush
13. Esteé Lauder Pure Color eyeshadow palette. 

                                

Jo's Bag: 

Dolland and Devaux makeup bag from Tesco.

1. Hawaiian Tropic Island berry Sunkissed Moisturizing Lip gloss with SPF 25
2. Bobby pins and a hair tie (My hair has a life of it's own)
3. Real Techniques fine liner brush
4. Garnier Roll on anti dark circles under eye concealer
5. B. cosmetics sheer conditioning lipstick in Raspberry Jam
6. Zara Femme roller ball perfume (gotsta be smelling good)
7.  17 lip crayon in pink
8. Wet n Wild  Cover all pressed powder in medium
9. Primark kabuki brush
10. Benefit Boi-ing travel concealer
11. Elastoplast plaster (because this is seriously needed if you are as accident prone as me)
12. Rimmel London Scandaleyes retro glam mascara
13. Polo mints  (cause you gotta stay fresh).
14. Essence  Liquid eye liner

Thanks for reading guys and as usual, let us know your thoughts and what you like to keep in your bag in the comments section below!
Until Next Time
XO Gem and Jo.