Gem and Jo's Valentine's Lips Picks

Ah Valentine's Day, the smell of roses, the cute romantic couples proposing to each other everywhere and then there's us. We will be celebrating the occasion with some frozen pizza and a tub of Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough. Exciting, we know. However, if you have managed to bag yourself someone special, we are here to help with the toughest decision of the day: What lipstick should you wear?

In this particular situation you have a couple of things to consider:

• How much kissing will you be doing? Cheek or otherwise. 
• What's your outfit like, would a little lipstick push you towards hoochie mama? (You don't want that.. or maybe some do, no judgement!)
• Are you going to a meal? (P.s. don't pick ribs.)

If there will be kissing or eating a dark, hard to maintain lipstick is out of the question. There is nothing worse than passing by your reflection and realizing all that kissing has smudged your lip colour all over your face. The actual horror. However a light, subtle colour wouldn't be as noticeable or leave your date with red-face! If you want lips that are sure not to budge keep reading:

Lip Stains
This has to be the best way to go. You get the coloured lips you want and you won't leave said colour all over your dates face. That's gotta be a plus in our opinion! However keep in mind, stains may dry out your lips, so keep a little translucent lip balm with you to keep those puckers kissable.

Maybelline 10hr Stain Gloss

(adds a little shine when first applied but fades to a unmovable stain)

Primark P.S. Love lip Stain Pen. 

Lip Balm
You could always go the route of no lip colour and let your natural lip shade shine! Just bring along a little lip balm! You could bring scented, unscented, etc! Plus if it's scented your date will probably get a whiff and be more inclined to smooch! A lightly tinted lip balm is a safe enough area too, just try to steer clear of intensely pigmented balms though, the same principal applies: dates face = lipstick-ified *shudder*.

Here's some lip balms that would work perfectly:

Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm

Vaseline Aloe Vera Lip Therapy 

(Pretty sure everyone has a billion of these in their house!)

Nivea Fruity Shine lip balm in Peach. 

(a soft tint and this stuff smells amazing!)

Lipstick
If you're gonna go the route of lipstick (you are brave and we salute you!), here are some of our top Lipstick picks for this Valentine's Day:

Elizabeth Arden: Red Door Red 

Elizabeth Arden: Breathless

Natural Collection: Sweet Pea. 

Ladies, we do have one thing to ask of you. Please, please for the love of that's holy and sacred: don't wear lipgloss! Lads do not like it! To them you have the lips of a two year old: sticky and unappealing. We asked around and they confirm this, for some reason most boys don't understand the wonderous-ness of lipgloss. Weirdos. 

Don't forget to check out our DIY Lip Scrub to prepare your pout!

What are you planning this Valentines? What's your lip pick gonna be? 

Until next time,

Gem and Jo's DIY Lip Scub

Lately we have been loving the dark lip trend, anything from reds to purples, we have been loving it all. Unfortunately though our lips have not been loving this transition into the cold weather, and trust us dark lipstick on super dry and flaky lips is not a good look. That's where our  DIY lip scrub comes into play. Massage a little bit of this stuff into your lips every night and your pout will be feeling super moisturized and smooth by morning, all ready for the lip product of your choosing.  So how do you make this marvelous stuff? Well here we go:
What you'll need:

4 teaspoons of coconut oil

3 teaspoons of brown sugar

2 teaspoons of honey

A few drops of vanilla essence

A tiny weeny jar to put the finished product in. 

What to do:

Put the honey in a mixing bowl. This stuff has great healing properties and works to bind the scrub together. 

Next add the coconut oil. This will make the scrub really moisturizing.  

Add the brown sugar to the mixture and give it a good stir until it's all combined. Finally add the vanilla essence to add a bit of flavour, this stuff is gonna be on your lips so it's got to taste nice (if vanilla isn't your thing go for something else like orange or almond extract). 

Finally,  put this wondrous stuff into a cute little jar to use later. It's as simple as that! Rub the mixture into your lips for about two minutes, wipe it off and apply some lip balm and voila, beautiful soft and smooth lips! Keep this stuff handy in the fridge for the next use and pop it out for about 10  minutes before applying to warm it up.

So there you have it, our secret to super soft, lipstick ready lips!

What's your favourite go to lipstick for this fall? 

Until next time, 

Click this ribbon to see

why we've gone pink! > 

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. 

Gem and Jo's June Favourites.

So today we decided to show you guys what we have been loving this past month. For more details on these products be sure to check out our youtube video, oh and don't forget to subscribe!

Jo's Favourites:

Clean & Clear Morning Energy Skin Brightening Facial Scrub: 
I have been loving this facial scrub this past month. It is great for my acne prone skin and I've found that my skin has been looking a lot better since I've started using it.
This can be found at most drugstores and supermarkets for about €4.99
Check it out here
Buy if from boots here

  John Frieda Fizz-Ease Spray Gel:
 This product is great for those us who have frizzy hair    and works a treat when styling. Also it acts as heat        protection. Again this product can be found at most       drugstores and supermarkets for around €7.99.
 Buy it from boots here

 Victoria's Secrets Aqua Kiss Fragrance Mist:
I have been wearing this fragrance Mist all month.
It is a soft scent with tones of rain-kissed freesia and and fresh daisy , although it is not overly floral.
This can be found in Victoria's Secret stores, or if you live in Ireland, Dublin airport for around €12.00
Check it out here 











Aussie Miracle Colour Insurance Leave in Conditioner:
If you have colour treated hair you know that it can get quite dry. We found that out this past month when we dyed the ends of our hair. This product is great for adding moisture, detangling and helping colour last longer in your hair.
It can be found at most drugstores and supermarkets for around €6.00
Check it out here
Buy it from boots here










Iseree Refreshing facial wipes for normal to combination skin:
These wipes are full of moisture and make taking off waterproof makeup a breeze.They are also quite thick and for under €2.00 a package, they are an absolute steal. These wipes can be found at Lidl stores.








Rimmel London Scandaleyes retro glam mascara:
This mascara is great for both lengthening and volumizing. It's also super black. I usually wear waterproof mascara because I have quite oily skin and normal mascara tends to smudge, but this didn't at all and it was super easy to get off.
This can be found at most drugstores for about €9.00.
Check it out here
Buy it from Boots here










Gem's Favourites 

Garnier Moisture Match for Combination to Oily Skin: 
This mattifying face cream is absolutely brilliant! It really helps to dull down shine and lasts all day long! It can be worn alone or under your make-up and smells great!
It feels almost like a serum but dries in really well, we definitely recommend this one!
Find it Here

Esteé Lauder's Pure Color Lipstick: 
This product is amazing! Gem has it in about 6 different colours and they are all beautiful and long lasting! This particular colour is Nectarine Shimmer (Number 26) and was part of a set that was on offer this past Christmas! Esteé Lauder are brilliant for their sets and giveaways!
Find it: here

Esteé Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Serum: 
This is the small bottle which was free in a set when you bought two other products, it was totally worth it! This serum works miracles! Applied after you wash and cleanse your face, it instantly brightens and evens your skintone and Gem has even found that it has evened out here acne scars!
Honestly a brilliant product and worth the investment, a large bottle would last you forever!!
Find it: Here

Esteé Lauder's Advanced Time Zone Night:
This is a line reversing and wrinkle creme but Gemma is slightly worried about the future! It's applied after the repair serum and leaves your skin feeling refreshed and toned! This too is a miracle worker!
Find it: here

Boots Essentials Cleansing Wipes: 
These are great little wipes! For such a cheap price, there are a generous amount in the pack and they smell gorgeous! They are quite moist and take off make-up really well! Boots almost always have them on 3 for 2!
There is a whole range of products that go along with these wipes!
Find them: here

So there ya have it, Our June Favourites! Hope you liked it and we hope you try some of these products out for yourself! If you have already tried them, let us know what you think in the comments below! 

Until Next Time!