Product of the week: New Nivea In Shower Moisturiser

Dont you just hate it when you're in a rush to get ready and you all your clothes start sticking to your not yet absorbed moisturiser?! I cant stand it and begin to question is it really worth the effort to moisturise everyday? But then I complain when I get dry skin, it's a viscous circle really! However the other day I saw this product advertised on telly and had never seen anything similar before so it went straight on my shopping list! But my flat mate beat me to it and very generously let me trial and test it; I did so the next morning.

As it is an in shower moisturiser, you are advised to rinse it off whereas you wouldn't usually, just like a shower gel, which I applied as normal before the moisturiser. I've never really been keen on the smell of Nivea products, they remind me of old peoples homes but thankfully the effect of this product made up for that aspect. Excuse the cliche but it really does feel silky smooth; acting as a skin conditioner. Not only this but it conveniently reduces the amount of time taken to ready as there is no faffing around waiting for it to absorb. I will definitely be including this in my daily routine from now on.

Image courtesy of temporary-secretary.com as mine disappeared from my camera memory

Purchase it HERE for just £3.56! I have also since tried this in 'pampering honey' which is my new favourite as it smells divine!

Have you tried this product yet?

Are there any other moisturisers you would recommend?

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London Fashion Week: My Personal Favourites

Firstly, with moving into my new house at university and all the Great North Run hype I regret to say that my blog has been slightly neglected; I have been meaning to publish the post for a few days now but my laptop has been playing up therefore I have only just got round to it! However, on the bright side, the beauty of studying Fashion Design at uni is that whilst compiling researching for upcoming projects I can blog about it at the same time, hitting two birds with one stone! So my blog is my work to some extent, and I enjoy sharing it with you!As its recently been London Fashion week I have been all over the LFW website browsing at all the inspiring designs. It is safe to say that LFW has reached a new level this year with such a vast variety of new designers. As a design student I love looking at the fresh talent in some ways more so than looking at established designers as there is the potential that I could be in a similar position one day! I like to design clothing that is wearable wacky; from the consumers point of view I want to be able to buy something that will make a statement, but I know will get my wear out of. I believe that the following newly established designers target this exact market, and I think that awareness needs to be raised of there truly inspiring designs.

Antonio Berardi I can only applaud for this spring summer 2014 collection. My initial vibe of the collection was how fresh and feminine it felt with the pastel pink and white colour palette. However when looking closer I noticed that many of the garments have a masculine, oversized shape that are made to look so ladylike, something that is challenging to accomplish in design but he nailed it! I also love the burst of leopard print that appears on some of the garments, this adds excitement to the collection as its something I wasn't expecting.

Never have I heard of the pair Ostwald and Helgason yet this collection caught my eye straight away. What I love most is that it's everyday clothing however with edge and excitement; what I aim for when designing myself. The mix of boyish and feminine styles really appealed to me, and combined with all the prints and pleats there is no questioning that I admire every aspect of the garments. I would love to have each and every one of these looks in my wardrobe!

Where to start with Zoe Jordan, I cant fault this this collection! It contains that element of suprise with pops of bright contrasting colour, creative prints and dyes, and a great range of garments. I consider this collection to be very wearable and something that would appeal to many people as it covers a range of styles. I look forward to seeing what Zoe Jordan has to offer next.

Are there any designers from LFW that you want to talk about?
Ellie

Product of the week: French Manicure Tip Guides

French tips. Two little words that can be very daunting for us girls. I don't know about you but whenever I attempt french tips on myself it takes me up to about the 5th attempt on one nail until I decide to give up with the task. As a result I was forever in belief that I would never be able to achieve this type of polish without forking out to go to the salon for a professional manicure. Until, I discovered the saviors in french polishing that are tip guides!  As soon as I used these I could not wait to share them with the blogosphere; who knew something as basic as a curved shaped sticky label would make life so much easier! I can confidently say that a french manicure at home is now but a doddle, when all you need to do is apply the sticker, paint your tip without worrying about going over the lines, wait for them to dry, then peel the stickers off and finish by applying a top coat. It's as simple as that! This is a product that I will from now on maintain stock of indefinitely, and for as little as 99 pennies on ebay, you really cannot fault them!

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Ellie

Back to Uni

September is here and that can only mean one thing for us students, back to uni. After a what seems like a whistle stop summer break it's time to get organised and back into routine. As it's my second year now I would like to think I am a little more organised than before; so for all you freshers out there I thought that I would pass on some experienced advice from one uni student to another...

Social Media. If it's brilliant for one thing it's this; getting in touch with flat or course mates prior to moving in. This will really prepare you for the big day as it did for me, and make the whole situation a little less nerve wracking.

If you are self catered and sharing a flat with a number of other people, try get in contact with them to ask what kitchen appliances they are taking. Perhaps agree on one thing each to take, this will save you both time and money. Otherwise you will end up having vast amounts of each utensil! Don't get me wrong it's nice to have a spare cheese grater but having six is a bit excessive.

Make the most of your freshers week. The social scene is on a high over this period so this is the time that you're most likely to make friends. It may seem a little daunting but just remember that everybody is in the same boat!

Join a society. I didn't do so last year but this will be the first thing that I do when I go back. No matter what uni you are at you will be spoilt for choice. From DJ societies to Harry Potter appreciation societies, there is literally something for everyone!

Free from mum and dads restraints it can be tempting to consume all the alcohol you can get your hands on, but to save too much harm to both your dignity and your bank I can tell you from experience that it's wise to drink in moderation (there's always that one jagerbomb that just tips you over the edge), line your stomach with some carbs for dinner, and force a pint of water down before you go to sleep. Trust me, your hangover free self will thank me in the morning.

In terms of saving money you will all learn to appreciate these pointers:

• Get a joint money pot going with your flat mates and chip in your spare change from a night out each week to go towards buying essentials such as fairy liquid and bin bags etc.
• Utilise your student card, there is no harm in asking shops whether they do student discount, it may only be 10-20% but every little helps! Handy for us fashion and beauty bloggers, a list of some shops that offer student discount include, Topshop, New Look, Miss Selfridge, Superdrug, Dorothy Perkins and Urban Outfitters.
• Keep your receipts from food shops, this way you can start to budget for cheaper shops in the future.
• Buy a rail card, particularly if you live far from your uni and or travel lots, they are approximately £30 for the year but save you buckets more than that in the long term.

And last but not least, if you have not yet purchased your household appliances I really recommend you pay a visit to Paccup; a student run business that provides students with all the essentials needed for the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom and conveniently delivers to your new address. It doesn't have to be roughing it as a student as they also offer a comforts pack so that you can have a few of those home luxuries at all times, and with great quality products you can't go wrong!

For more uni tips and product updates, follow Paccup on Twitter HERE

I wish you all the best of luck with your fresher experience!

Ellie

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Product of the week: Witch concealer stick

When it comes to my daily make up routine I have not been one to use concealer and usually just apply foundation. I bought this product by chance last month as there was a deal on Witch products, I usually buy a cleanser of theirs but there was a 3 for 2 offer on so I added to my basket this concealer which is a product I haven't used before. To trial this compact little stick I applied it under my foundation on the skin under my eyes, the inner of my cheeks, my nose and chin. I noticed that the stick provided a nice base for my foundation, acting as a sort of supporting agent to maximise the coverage on blemished areas. The concealer itself is really smooth and creamy so blends nicely on the skins surface. Furthermore, after having used this product for a few weeks now I have also noticed that I have not had a breakout in ages, this being an even greater benefit to the product as it's sticking to witched word by helping to prevent the cause of spots whilst covering them.

On top of all this it retails at just £4.99 making it the perfect solution and essential for your make up bag.

Are there any witch products you would recommend?

What concealers do you use?

Ellie

Guest Post

http://www.lifeofatraineejournalist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/guest-post-outfit-of-night-white-bright_3.html

Blog Swap with Life of a Trainee Journalist: Summer Favourites

Hi girls! I'm Nicole from Life Of A Trainee Journalist and today, the lovely Ellie and I are doing a little bit of a blog swap. I was so flattered when Ellie asked me if I'd like to do a guest post and I instantly asked if she wanted to do one for me too, so if you'd like to see Ellie's post then head over to lifeofatraineejournalist.blogspot.com. Now we've entered September and we'll be swapping the sunnies for scarves before we know it, I'd love to share some of my summer favourites with you. It was hard to limit my favourites down to five because some great products have been released over the course of the last few months, but after much deliberation, I finally whittled it down to these five little gems.

Let me start with the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine polish in Passion Fruit. It's the ultimate fun and bright summer colour and I love the intense glossy shine finish. I'm a Barry M nail polish fanatic as you'll know if you read my blog and I literally cannot stop raving about them. The Gelly range offer so many gorgeous bold shades and this is one of my many favourites among Lychee, Guava and many others. Barry M stock an incredible range of high quality affordable nail polishes and I'm one of their number one fans.
Another product I've been loving this summer is the L'Oreal Matt & Messy Shine Free Salt Spray. I like to try and avoid applying heat to my hair in the summer as it makes me feel all flustered, so I've really been loving the natural look when it comes to hair. When I leave my hair to dry naturally overnight it's a little limp and lifeless and this salt spray is a quick fix. It lifts the hair and adds an extra bit of oomph to give your hair that beachy tousled look.

A fresh floral scent is key for summer and I've been absolutely loving this Sarah Jessica Parker New York City scent. I got it as a birthday present at the end of January and it's still standing after pretty much daily use - now that's impressive. It's such a day scent and isn't too heavy or smothering. It's very fruity, light and fun and this is pretty much my go-to perfume nine times out of ten. I think it's around £20 so it's extremely budget friendly and is generally a really lovely daytime perfume.

One of the make-up products I couldn't get enough of this summer is the Bourjois Cream Blush in 02. As you can see from the picture it's been well used as the writing is wearing off on the front. It's a gorgeous peach/coral cream to powder blush which complements many skin types. It adds a gorgeous flush of colour to the cheeks without being overpowering and the formula is dreamy. Although this was ultimately a summer purchase, I think this cream blush will make a smooth transition from summer into autumn and will aid me in achieving a warm glow in the upcoming colder months.

Last up is the Vaseline Essential Moisture Cocoa Radiant Rich Feeling Lotion which smells amaaaazing. No word of a lie, it smells like coconutty holiday goodness and I always want to eat it. If you love the cocoa butter smell and are after a really silky smooth nourishing and hydrating body lotion then this is definitely for you. It always seems to be on offer in one store or another which makes it even better because we all love a beauty bargain, but I really can't fault this product.

And there we have it - my summer favourites. I could have included so many more products so I hope you've enjoyed reading about the ones I did choose. I'd like to say a huge thank you to Ellie for inviting me to guest post on her blog. I'm a big fan of According To Ellie and love everything from her layout and writing style to her great pictures and wide range of posts. If you'd like to see more of what I write about, then please head over to lifeofatraineejournalist.blogspot.com and leave me your links.