Gem and Jo's Polish Picks

It's that time again! Here are our polish picks for this week!

Gem's Pick:

                                   

So this week I decided to stray from the blues that I usually wear and try a green instead. The green varnish I'm wearing is from Primark and was part of a set of 4 nail varnishes which were only €2.50 from the P.S. range!! I thought it was a brilliant bargain until I used the polishes. Unfortunately for all you girls out there who love a bargain, I am sad to say that when it comes to polish, the more expensive, the better the quality. 

                        

First off, it takes about 5 layers of polish for this to become opaque and even then its not total cover. And to make this worse, it seems to take forever to dry! You need about 3 hours to apply it and after all your hard work and dedication to making dinner with your elbows to avoid ruining your nails, the varnish just cracks anyway. I love the colour of this polish but the formula is just poop.                     

                                

I applied a layer of Topshop's Mermaid holographic nail polish to my ring finger for a bit of sparkle and thankfully it stopped the Primark polish from chipping. 

To be honest, these pictures (and any others I took) don't show the true colour of this polish, it's more of a Kelly green than a mint. It just doesn't seem to photograph very well. 

I would love to be able to recommend every nail polish I use to everyone, however we all know that there are a few dud ones out there and this just happens to be one of them. The only recommendation I would give this polish is for parents who want a first time polish for their little kids to try. It comes off easily and doesn't stain your nails so it would be perfect for kids who aren't allowed nail polish in school. 

You can get it from Primark stores, check out their website Here. 

Jo's Pick:

This week I decided to go down the green route as well and painted my nails using Barry M's nail paint in the colour Mint green (way to be creative with the names there, Barry M!). This is a really pretty, creamy mint green colour (as you might have guessed from it's name!).  

This nail polish gives off a really pretty shine which I love about it and it is super opaque after only two coats. It does however take a little long to dry compared with some other fast drying nail polishes but that's not much to ask since it really lasts for a long time on the nails. I tend to be really hard on my nails,but this didn't chip easily at all. I was actually super impressed. 

You can find Barry M nail paints in Boots for  about €4.59, in the UK and Ireland. Unfortunately I don't believe that you can purchase this in the US but hopefully they'll rectify this soon. Check out Barry M's website here.

So there you have it our lovelies, our polish picks of the week. Let us know what you think in the comments below, and as always thanks for reading!

Until next time, 

Gem and Jo Make Cookies

                         

Now it's a well known fact among our friends and family that Gem should never, ever be allowed near an oven or cooker or any sort of electrical equipment but lately we discovered Betty Crocker's Easy Bake range and hallelujah!

All you have to do for these baked goods is add an egg, water and oil. Then you stick it in an oven (with guidance if you're Gem) for about 20 minutes, give or take, and voila! You have cookies! 

Here's how we got on with Betty Crocker's Easy Bake Choc Chip Cookies: 

                                 

So this is what the box says you need: 

1. A medium egg( preferably free range!) 

2. 2 tablespoons of water

3. 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil (we had none so sunflower had to do, oops!) 

4. Of course, the cookie mix you get in the box. 

                             

After you mix everything together into a stiff dough, slap a blob onto a non greased baking tray or some parchment paper and stick 'em in the oven at 190 for 10-15 minutes depending on your desire of crispy-ness! 

                       

Enjoy the wonderful, wafting smell of cookies throughout your home and after 10 minutes and some icing sugar you'll have these bad boys:

                          

Now if you're a more experienced baker you can attempt to mold these into pretty little shapes before you bake them but we went with the ole original round shape! (Mostly because we tried to mold them and it was a little bit of a disaster, maybe next time!) 

If you are like Gem and would like to bake cookies without killing family and friends and burning your house down, why not try Betty Crocker's Easy Bake Range! It is seriously as easy as it sounds! 

The hardest part is mixing it into a dough, that takes some serious arm muscles! 

Thanks for reading and happy baking! 

Until next time, 

Gem and Jo's First Glossy Box

Like a lot of you guys, we have seen a lot about Glossy Box sprawled across the interwebs and we have gazed in wonderment upon it. For those of you that have no clue what Glossy Box is (and are looking at your computer with an expression somewhat akin to a caveman gazing upon an iphone!) it's a monthly subscription service where for only 10 of your hard earned spondoolies (pounds) you receive a box full of beautiful beauty products for your enjoyment. All of this is delivered straight to your door, and let's face it who doesn't love getting mail. What's great about this subscription service is that it delivers to the UK and Ireland (unlike a lot of others) So we decided to finally jump on board the Glossy Box train and fetch us some awesomeness in a pretty pink box!

So here it is, what we received in our very first Glossy box!

 

Figs & Rouge mini hand cream

 I Love ... Cosmetics shimmer and shine lip gloss

Kryolan for Glossybox highlighter cashmere

Philip Kingsley elasticizer

Pep Cosmeceutiacals hydra sun defence day cream

All That Jazz cuticle balm in chocolate orange

We loved this box and we cannot wait to try out these products. The box is really worth the money and you get to try out lots of different and new products. 

Let us know if you've ever tried out Glossy Box and if you liked it, or if you'd like to try it out. We love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading.

Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Pandora Collection

We are both huge Pandora fans and every time they bring out a new collection we are in love with pretty much all of it, so as you might have guessed we've picked up a few bits over the years. Our favourite thing about this jewellery collection is that each piece can tell a story, you can really have a lifetime of memories on your wrist! Here are some of our favourites:

Gem's Bracelet

Gemma's Favourite Charms

Jo's Bracelet

Jo's Favourite Charms

Gem's Rings

Jo's Rings 

Gem's Earrings

Gem's Essence Bracelet (New Collection)

The charm seen is 'Dedication' and is from Pandora's Autumn 2014 Collection. 

So there ya have it, our favourite pieces we have from Pandora! Let us know if you have any Pandora jewellery in your collection! 

You guys can check it out online Here, or you can go to a store near you like Gem did this morning. She literally only got her Essence bracelet today! 

Thanks for reading! 

Until Next Time, 

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 College Tips

So it's nearly that time again, back to college and we decided that since we are going into our final year we could give some of you college newbies a few tips on how to survive and make some friends!

It's never too late to go into third level education and whether you're 18 and just finished school or your 65 and ready to learn again, it's just as scary and daunting for everyone. We hope our tips will help you get through the college year without breaking down crying or being friendless and lonely.

1. Talk to people. Sounds easier than it is!

2.  Join a Society or Club. They have ones for absolutely everything. Pick one that strikes your interest and join. You'll meet loads of people!

3.  Take advantage of all the facilities on campus, academic and non academic! Fees are expensive enough, might as well get your money's worth! 

4. Do your own thing and be your own person. 

5. If you are a commuter, get a locker. It will save your life and your back. 

6.  Screen shot your timetable and send it to your friends. 

7. Enjoy yourself, but do the work. There's no point in paying a ton of money to come out the other end with a terrible degree, a little work goes a long way. "Due Tomorrow, Do Tomorrow" should not be your philosophy!

Remember, the person sitting beside you on that first day probably doesn't know anyone either, all it takes is one little hello!
Good Luck and we hope you enjoy college as much as we have!

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,