Asian Beauty Products - Sheet Mask

  I've been a fan of Asian beauty items for a while now and love how they can help the most dry of skin and help the most blemished of faces. This got me thinking that I should share my Asian beauty product experiences with you; from those who already use such products on a daily basis to those who have never tried anything before - this post will help you try something a little different today!

The first beauty product I thought I would share with you is a sheet mask. I love sheet masks, they instantly hydrate and moisturise your skin leaving you feeling relaxed afterwards. The best product for a girly pamper night!
  This mask is a Red Ginseng Essence Mask which I picked up from an eBay store called wikitrend, they ship worldwide so this mask can be bought by anyone.

  Known for helping blemished skin and restoring elasticity, once left on the skin for 15 minutes or so, you can pull up the eye masks attached to the sheet mask and leave them to sit on your closed eyelids for a few extra minute. So when you finally remove your mask your eyes are also relaxed and less irritated.
  After use, any remaining moisture can be rubbed onto the skin for extra benefits. What I like most about this sheet mask was that it didn't smell too strongly like other previous masks that I tried and when I finally removed it my skin was smooth and shiny.
  All these views and opinions are all my own and I'm not sponsored to say them, I just wish to spread my love Asian beauty products further and let you all feel the benefits, too!
  Have a go today, I promise your skin will thank you for it :)

Love,
Jocelle
xx

A Day in my life - City Hall + Natural History Museum

  My day started off with a quick trip to Starbucks, we all know those early mornings where coffee helps to bring you back to life. I love lattes, so a fix of vanilla latte perked me up and got me ready for my first appointment in City Hall.

What was I doing in City Hall you ask? I was attending a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony, both beautiful and in some ways haunting. I took this picture outside of City Hall, the timing was perfect and the Shard looked radiant in the sunlight. 

 Opposite City Hall was this brilliant view of Tower Bridge looking so majestic!

Here's me *Hello!* standing opposite City Hall. Look at the awesome building behind me! A semi-outfit of the day:

Snood - Chinatown stall

Coat - Henry Holland

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

Boots - Clarks

After finishing the ceremony I had a lot of extra time on my hands so I thought I would head over to South Kensington and explore the Natural History Museum. As an avid historian, museums are a haven of knowledge and links to the past.
  I spent the best part of three and half hours wandering around and losing myself in history.  I didn't even get to see all of the museum as it is just so big!! When in London, I do recommend that one of the best places to go (and it's free!) is here.

   The mammal room! As soon as you walk in you are taken away by the size of the humongous blue whale taking pride position in the centre of the room.

 Whale bones in their glory. I found many an artist sitting and drawing them, from a balcony just opposite the hanging bones.

Whilst wandering, I took a picture of the inside building which held the Darwin exhibit.  Unfortunately it was closed for renovation so I couldn't go inside. I'll have better luck next time!

 A view of the entire main hall from the highest balcony in the museum.  I love architecture in England. Everything is so overwhelmingly stunning and beautifully made you can tell it's history just by looking at the arches and staircases. It looks like Hogwarts! ;)

Chilling with Charles. Darwin, of course! His statue takes prime position in the main hall in the middle of the staircases (as shown by the photo above).

  The main hall. Here you can see Dippy, the museum's famous diplodocus! He's much too big to take a picture up close to, so the bottom picture shows another one the museum holds in their dinosaur exhibit.

The dinosaur exhibit is one of the best and easiest places to get lost into the past with, seeing the towering structures of such incredible beasts show you just how long the earth has been around!

That's all I have for now folks! It was hard condensing all my photos into a small selection for this post but I hope you enjoyed visiting London and living my life with me. To finish off, here's a picture of an awesome T-rex! Rawrr!

Love,
Jocelle
xx

Battle of the BB - #1

 I had a few spare moments so I thought I would start a new reviewing adventure with you guys; BB creams are a huge hit for 2014, they have been blowing up drugstores and such for some time now so I thought I was ready to jump on the bandwagon!
  As someone who is new to using BB cream, I thought I would share reviews on some of the BB creams out there so that you can find ones that are better value for your money and will make your skin look flawless.
  Although I know the best BB creams are to be found in Korea, those aren't so easily accessible to me. I'll be reviewing more 'local' creams to me and eventually when I am able to, I'll review Korean BB creams, too!

  The BB cream I'll be reviewing is Maybelline's Dream Pure BB 8-in-1 BB Cream for Oily skin in Light.
  I picked up this BB cream rather than its partner simply because it said it was for oily skin (which I have) and that it contains 2% Salicylic Acid which is great for the skin in terms of blemishes.

  After using this for about a week now, it's not so bad for a first BB cream. It does pretty much everything it says on the packaging. It's pretty light to medium coverage so if you want a more full on coverage this probably isn't too great for you.
  The one issue for me with this BB cream was though it said 'hydrates and soothes' and can be worn with or without moisturiser; it felt very drying to my skin.
  I put light moisturiser underneath just to be sure and then put the BB cream but the formula wasn't too hydrating for my semi-sensitive skin. To get over this problem, make sure to fully moisture your face with a hydrating moisturiser or cream, leave to dry for a while, then apply the BB cream to avoid too my drying to your skin.

  Apart from that, this BB cream is good for any beginner and is a really good price, too. It can be applied quickly and simply with your fingers and still look great if blended well enough.
  I look forward to continuing my reviewing adventures with you!

Love,
Jocelle
xx

Manga-fy your eyes!

 Today's blog post will be a review on L'Oréal's Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara.

  When I first saw the advert for this mascara being broadcast on TV a while back, I knew this mascara was going to be a part of my make up collection whether it wanted to be or not!
  As a massive fan of all things anime and manga, it was love at first sight for me; black and pink being a great colour scheme for me - the packaging was amazing!
 
   As anyone who reads manga knows, nearly all manga characters have luscious, long eyelashes which can be fluttered to attract the nearest hot guy so with a name involving manga; I knew what I wanted from this product.
  The mascara glided onto my eyelashes smoothly and with little effort, with only a few coats I could already see a difference! My eyelashes were looking voluminous and long in just a few strokes of the mascara wand.
  I wore this mascara for a long time today, about 12 hours or more and it had great staying power on my lashes. They also remained bouncy and full for the whole day which was great. When it came to removing it at the end of my busy day, it was gone quickly with just the use of a face wipe and face wash! Simples.
  The only downsides to the product? It smudged under my eyes quite quickly (but this happens to me quite regularly due to lower lashes being too long) but that could easily be fixed with a quick wipe. Also, when it first came out of the tube it seemed rather gloopy and packed onto the bristles, but after wiping a little off the wand onto the side of the tube, the wand was fine and ready for use.

Overall, I love this product. Not only because of its name and packaging but also just because it is a brilliant mascara over all in terms of staying ability and flaring my eyelashes to the max. Give this product a try and it'll be worth the small amount of money you spend on it!

Love,
Jocelle
xx

The dawning of time...

  Early today marked my passage into becoming a woman. Why? You ask. I received my first ever 'grown up' watch from Fossil.

  It was a match made in heaven. Rose gold and in Roman Numerals; it was a dream come true and what I had wanted for so long. All thanks to the most amazing parents possible that I received such a beautiful watch that instantly adds style and class to any outfit when worn. The simplicity of it, is what draws in and demands attention.

  I know I'll be wearing this watch as a staple piece for my wardrobe for many years to come!
  Invest in a great watch and the power to stun is yours ;)

Love,
Jocelle
xx

A day in my life - Chinatown

   I had some time to spare so I thought I would share my day with you! Here's a full body shot of the outfit I wore to London today. Here's a list of where my clothing is from:
1.) Bowler hat - ebay
2.) Tartan scarf - H&M
3.) Ripped jeans - New Look
4.) Boots - Rocket Dog
5.) Winter Jacket - H! by Henry Holland (my favourite designer!!)
6.) Monochrome bag - H! by Henry Holland

Today was a girly day out for my mother and I, and trips to Chinatown are a regular thing for me but I still enjoy going there because they sell the most delicious food and the cutest things in general! I get a lot of my snacks, hair accessories and facial products from the Chinatown supermarket based there.

   We started the day by getting a quick lunch, mine was a delicious congee with a bread stick (my mother and I shared the dim sum) and all topped of with some nourishing fresh juice with orange, apple and carrots. Yay for healthiness!

  Went wandering around for a bit and found this hidden pagoda and wall collage in a place called The horse and dolphin yard.

We ended the night with delicious desserts in a new restaurant called Boba Jam where we had Halo Halo and Pat Bing Su - mine is the Pat Bing Su, the fruity one.

  Wrapped up dessert by having a hot coffee milk with tapioca balls; energising and yummy!
  Bought quite a lot, but perhaps I'll do my haul in a separate blog for you guys so I can explain more in depth the stuff I got ^_^

That was my day brought together in a few pictures; I hope you enjoyed this post and perhaps I'll do more in the future!

Love,
Jocelle
xx

Outfit of the day - Oriental notes

Before I head out to go to London, I thought I would quickly show a little of the outfit I'm wearing today!

 My lipstick is one of the reds I mentioned in a previous blog: Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Matte 006 Really Red.

I'm wearing a bowler hat which I purchased from ebay; my infamous tartan scarf that I adore so much, is from H&M - it's so warm and snuggly, perfect for the chilly English weather!

My dragon print jumper is from Zara (gotta love the awesome clothing in Zara, it's a shame it's rather pricey) and the bracelets I'm wearing are rather miscellaneous. They come from a variety of places that I can't seem to remember.

  Hope you enjoyed seeing this brief outline of my look today, I should like to do more in the future and hopefully you guys will enjoy them with me!

Love,
Jocelle
xx

The Bolder the better

  One of the things I love about fashion is the aspect of being able to go big and break the bounds of conventional fashion. If you're brave enough to be your own stylist and not necessarily conform to what magazines tell you; being fashionable can be all kinds of fun and not such a task.

I'm not one to be so safe with my fashion choices.  Many who know me, know me for my quirky sense of style and accessories.

  I love statement necklaces; the two in the picture are from the Freedom jewellery at Topshop, the more they stand out the better. Not to the extent that it's weight wears you down but rather so that you get noticed for being different.

  Pair a statement necklace with either a simple shirt or a collared blouse and you're sure to wow the crowds. When wearing the necklace, try not to go too heavy on your other accessories as it will overwhelm you and make you look like a jewellery stand in a boutique!

  Give going bold a try and you'll be sure to love it; once you go bold, there's no going back ;)

Love,
Jocelle
xx

Paint the Town Red

 As you may or may not have guessed from my picture, I am an avid lover of the colour red. Whether it be in the form of tartan or in a lipstick, I can never have enough of the colour! Yes, even though pink is the new colour of the season (I do have some great pink lipsticks with which I can share with you, too) I still believe in the coming months, red can be a colour in which to sport on your lips.

My personal favourite lipstick so far, which is cheap and chic is the Sleek True Colour lipstick in Vixen (shown in picture). Whenever I wear this colour out and about; my lips always tend to get noticed.  It is the best shade of red, not too dark or light and it lasts for a long time.
  Another favourite in the drugstore/ highstreet range of red lipsticks is the Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Matte 006 Really Red. Although it is a darker red, it is still wonderfully cheap and great value for what you pay for. It instantly enhances your lips making you look incredibly sexy.

One small downside for both, which can be easily overcome is that they have a slightly drying formula so I would recommend pitting on any lip balm of choice before sporting the red lip.

Speaking of lip balms, if you wish to sport a more natural red lip without the fuss, I would recommend either a tinted lip balm such as Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me or a lip stain such as the Revlon Just Bitten lip stain in 045 Romantic.

Many of the products I will be sharing with you will be relatively cheap and easy to access, as not all of us have the money to splash out on the higher end brands so I'll try and provide cheap alternatives for you to try out. All of these products can be easily purchased at your local make-up store or online so there's no reason to not give these colours a try! Be fun, fierce and fabulous then paint the town red ;)

Love,

Jocelle

xx

Kawaii Kitsch

After having a few new jewellery pieces arrive in the mail, I knew I should share my love of kitsch and cute jewellery. These (almost) one of a kind pieces brighten up any dull outfit and make people stop and ask 'omg, I love your jewellery, where did you get such a cute necklace/bracelet/other??'. 

To find the best kitsch jewellery, prowl on ebay for those hidden gems which, with most sellers, hardly cost anything at all! So whenever someone asks, you know your piece is from somewhere unique but is still easily accessible for them to buy, too.

  If you're feeling more out there with your fashion, which I feel I am most days now, you can pair your bright necklaces or whichever type accessory with another bright item of clothing such as a scarf or a skirt.  Just don't go too overboard with the colours! Have at least one black or dark coloured staple piece to your look  in order to stop you looking like an exploded Skittle factory >.<

  Be more individualistic and creative with your jewellery and you'll be sure to get noticed; for all the right reasons!

Love,
Jocelle
xx

A little party never killed nobody

   A fond lover of all things Gatsby and 1920s related, I thought I would share this outfit from a few months back. My dress came from Topshop and my accessories came from my overflowing array of jewellery that I already had stashed away at home. I did indeed wear it for an event most commonly known as Comicon (or formally known in Britain as the MCM Expo) but the last few months of last year saw a boom in the fashion world of anything remotely flapper related and it was deemed appropriate to wear such flamboyant 'costumes' as daily wear.
  Make-up tutorials hit Youtube (many which I used myself) and the stores were filled with glittering dresses almost closely resembling crystal chandeliers. Although, the glitz, glamour and decadence was very much welcomed - especially by moi! I couldn't get enough of this blast from the past.
  I'm rather sad that it's no longer as popular as it once was, but times do move on and I'll still be pleasantly reminded of the style whilst watching my DVD of The Great Gatsby and even whilst continuing to wear some aspects of the fashion in the new year. Fashion is timeless so I'll be sure to bring the style back soon enough!

Love,
Jocelle
xx

Chilly winter nights

I'm staring outside my window at the greyness of the streets outside and this made me think, there is plenty of things to be grateful for on a night like this. I have to say, the best thing about rainy and chilly winter nights is two things for me; 

1. being cosy

Yes, snuggly socks and fleecy pyjamas are the best way to embrace whatever winter throws at you.  For this season, forget being fashionable and top of the range - rather be at one with your lazy side and allow yourself the guilty pleasure of lounging around all day in either your new Christmas onsie or pyjamas whilst watching the TV or just merely browsing your favourite social media websites. This season is definitely one for treating yourself a little before the fitness months kick in. 

        2. Hot drinks

Starbucks and Costa have us all fighting for seats and tables during these icy chills for they do offer up a rather splendid array of yummy hot beverages!

Not all good hot drinks have to come from your local cafe or coffee shop though. Beverages made by yours truly can be just as satisfying and if the choice is of the tea family, it can also be much more healthier, too.

So, on that note, brew up your hot beverage of choice, throw on your comfiest pj's and spoil yourself a little. Don't get too fitness crazy just yet...we still have a few more days before that ;)

Love,

Jocelle

xx