Lip Voltage - Review

If you have Twitter or Instagram I'm sure you will have heard the buzz about this product recently!

Lip Voltage is the latest beauty craze to sweep the country 

I'm pretty sure it gained popularity after Holly Hagen from Geordie Shore posted a pretty impressive Before and After photo on her Instagram account 

Lip Voltage is made by a company called Dream Weave & Co 

I've never tried any of their products before but after all the hype I had to give it a go 

The product comes in two parts 

Part one is the Lip Gloss itself which is a clear gloss which they say is a

 'Quick absorbing peptide lip treatment'

Part two is 'Mix Up The Voltage'

Which allows you to customise the plumping power of the gloss 

depending on how much voltage you add 

1 Drop - Low Voltage 

2 Drops - Medium Voltage 

3 Drops - High Voltage 

Now you may have tried other so called miracle lip pumping products that leave a minty tingle on the lips 

Lip Voltage is a whole different ball game and I'm not going to lie to you girls 

IT HURTS LIKE A BITCH! 

It really does sting for a while after applying 

but it stops after around 10 minutes 

obviously the more Voltage you apply, the more it will sting therefore I really wouldn't recommend adding more than 3 drops. 

My before and after picture definitely isn't as impressive as Holly's 

but I think you can see there is certainly a difference

I used two drops this time but I have used three in the past and there is an even more noticeable difference 

It can leave the skin around your lips a little red 

but touching it up with a bit of concealer solves the problem 

As it has been so popular Lip Voltage is sold out in a lot of places 

but if you visit the Dream Weave and Co website they list some local stockists 

I know there are a few beauty salons near me that stock it and it is around £15.99

Have you given Lip Voltage a try yet?

As much as it stings I'm sure collagen injections would be a hell of a lot worse 

So I think I'll stick to this method for now! 

Jen <3 

Moxi Makeup Brushes

I am a total makeup brush fanatic and I don't think you should ever underestimate the power of a good brush

It can totally change the look of your makeup 

and while I have more than enough brushes to last me a lifetime I am always looking at or buying new ones to add to my collection! 

I love coming across new brands to try so when I seen these little beauties from MOXI I knew I wanted to try them. 

They hadn't been released yet so I registered with their website and waited to find out more details.

I was delighted to find out a few weeks later that I had actually been lucky enough to win the competition they were running where you could win a full set of brushes worth over £90

I was so excited when they arrived!
You can tell they are a luxury brand straight away as each brush was individually wrapped
I'm a sucker for packaging and MOXI certainly don't disappoint
Each brush comes in it's own protective case to make sure they stay in tip top condition

They are by far the best looking brushes I own
who doesn't love a bit of Rose Gold?
They feel really solid and well made I think they will last for a long time

My set of brushes included:
MOXI - Flat Top Angled Brush, perfect for applying foundation
M1 - Blusher Brush
O1 - Foundation Brush, which also works really well with concealer
X1 - Angled Eyeliner brush
I1 - Double Ended Eyeshadow Brush, which is great for both applying and blending shadows

I am loving these brushes so far
They don't shed at all
The foundation brushes leave my face streak free
and my favourite has definitely got to be the double ended eyeshadow brush
it's perfect for travelling as it's two in one
anything which saves space in my makeup bag is always a bonus!

You can purchase these fab brushes from
Moxi Makeup
Unfortunately their site is still under construction so I can't give you details on the prices
but keep an eye out for their website to be back up and running soon!

Jen xx

Juice Warrior - Juice Cleanse: Review

With Christmas fast approaching, it's the time of year when most of us have a jam packed social calender

All these lovely events usually include copious amounts of food and drink, which although great at the time it can soon catch up with you and leaving you feeling just a bit...Bleurgh!

My lifestyle has changed an awful lot in 2013 

I used to be a complete exercise-phobe. This year I joined a gym and have been going regularly 

My diet has improved drastically I now put a lot more thought into what I'm consuming and try to eat as clean as possible when I can.

All these good intentions however seem to go right out the window at Christmas!

I had been reading a lot about juicing and have been thinking about buying myself a juicer to try and incorporate some more fruit and veg into my diet but I didn't want to rush out and buy one if it really wasn't for me.

Luckily I was offered the chance to try out a Juice Cleanse from a Glasgow based company called Juice Warrior. 

Their juices are 100% pure cold pressed fruit and vegetable juices. They are never processed or pasteurised so you don't have to worry about any horrible additives. These juices are all natural,

because of this the juices are highly perishable so have to be consumed within a few days, but the company do offer a delivery service. 

You can pick from a few different cleanses from between 1-3 days. 

I only opted for one day this time as I just wanted to give it a try and decide whether it was for me. 

It is up to the individual whether they want to eat or not whilst doing the cleanse, but it is advised that you stick to fruit and vegetables and don't consume any processed food.

As I attend the gym regularly it is important that I consume enough calories to keep my energy up 

So I was quite worried at the prospect of not eating all day, but I decided to try and stick to the juices alone and see how I got on. 

I waited until about 10:30 to try my first juice

I usually eat breakfast around 7am but I had a day off yesterday so I had only been up for around an hour when I drank this. 

This flavour is 'The Golden One' containing - Pineapple, Orange, Sweet Potato and Ginger 

I was slightly dubious about the Sweet Potato as it seemed quite a random addition amongst the other fruits but it was really quite nice! It definitely suppressed my hunger. 

I had my second juice at around 1:30pm 

This time I opted for 'Sweet Beet' containing - Beetroot, Carrot, Apple, Lemon and Ginger 

Now I really wasn't looking forward to this one as I absolutely hate beetroot

but I liked all the other ingredients so I was hoping they would sort of drown out the beet taste.

Unfortunately that was the strongest flavour and I didn't particularly enjoy this one

but I gulped it down anyway. 

I had another Sweet Beet around 3:30pm

Although I had to decided to try and get through the day drinking the juice alone 

by about 5pm I was absolutely starving so I decided to make some dinner 

I had some roasted vegetables 

Red and Yellow Peppers, Courgettes, Red Onion, and Cherry Tomatoes 

I can honestly say vegetables have never tasted so good! 

Before bed I had one more 'The Golden One'

I thought I would be really tired and worn out by bed time but I actually struggled to get to sleep and seemed to have loads of energy! I was hungry though and had a bit of a sore head.

I'm almost certain that the sore head was due to not having any caffeine.

I am an absolute coffee fiend and whenever I try and take a day off from drinking coffee I get really bad headaches.

I woke up this morning feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed 

My dad even asked me 'What I was on?' haha 

and although the cleanse is not designed to be a weight loss programme 

I did weigh myself before I started and then again this morning

I had lost a total of 4lb which will definitely go a long way in helping me squeeze into my dress tonight for my xmas night out! 

Although I really struggled with the hunger I definitely want to try this again

I will probably try a 3 day cleanse early in the New Year 

from what I have heard the hunger subsides on the 2nd and 3rd day 

Would you try a juice cleanse?

Or have you tried one before?

If you live in the Glasgow and are thinking about trying one here is the website for Juice Warriors

www.juicewarrior.co.uk

Jen xxx

Festive Nails - NOTD

Now I won't pretend to be some sort of nail painting extraordinaire 

They are usually a bit of a riot, I try and keep them nice and tidy but more often than not, I fail. 

However since I'm attending a Christmas Jumper Party tonight I thought I would make a bit of effort and make my talons a bit Christmassy :) 

What colours are more gloriously festive and tacky than red and green?

For the red nails I used:

two coats of 

No 7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in the shade Devils Delight

covered with one coat of 

W7 Nail Polish in shade 2 - Red Dazzle 

For the green nails I used:

two coats of

No 7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in the shade Totally Teal 

and one cot of 

W7 Nail Varnish in Shade 8 - Green Dazzle 

I think the No7 and W7 combinations work really nicely together 

and obviously if the alternating nail colours are a bit OTT for you 

then you could just opt for all red or all green

What are your go to nails for the festive season ?

I will be sure to post a photo of my awesome Christmas jumper on Twitter or Instagram 

So if you aren't already following me please do

Twitter - @thebigburdblog

Instagram - @biggins89

Jen xxx

Social & Cocktail - The Review

I can't quite believe I'm up and writing this today after the night I had last night! 

Admittedly I have a rather sore head, but I am powering through

I was lucky enough to host a fabulous cocktail party courtesy of Social & Cocktail 

In the comfort of my own kitchen!

There is nothing I hate more (especially in a wet and freezing Glasgow) than going for a night out and having to wait in a massive taxi que to get home at the end of the night.

So this was my idea of heaven! 

My lovely bar tender Evan arrived at 7:45 with a little white suitcase which magically turned into the most amazing cocktail bar.

They bring everything you can think of from fresh fruit and ice to cocktail glasses and straws

and probably best of all, they even clean up everything when they are finished!

I chose five cocktails for us to try from the menu. I wanted to stick to mainly vodka based drinks so there wouldn't be too many sore heads in the morning from mixing drinks,

We went for:
Moscow Mule

French Martini 

Cosmopolitan 

Strawberry Daiquiri 

and Mojitos

They were all absolutely delicious but I think my favourite was either the Moscow Mule which was so refreshing or the French Martini which is my favourite cocktail of all time 

My little cousin Rebecca is Vlogging every day for two months for charity 

You can check out her Youtube channel here

and Evan very kindly let her join in with the cocktail making and include it in her vlog

You could tell he was really passionate about his job and was answering all our questions about the different types of cocktails. 

He also wasn't scared of joining in with the banter in a room full of women! He must have thought we were all a bit crazy, especially after a few cocktails. 

He done a great job and really made the night what it was. 

Social and Cocktail can be hired for private parties and corporate events 

and the prices are so reasonable! 

£25 a head and they were here from 7:45 until after 12 

It is definitely worth the money when you think how expensive cocktail bars are.

I would definitely recommend hiring them

It is such a brilliant idea for birthdays or hen nights 

or even just for a fab night in or even before you head out to a club!

If you are in the Glasgow area and fancy having one of these great nights for yourself 

you can find the guys here

www.socialandcocktail.co.uk

or on twitter @sococktail 

They are also going to be branching out to Edinburgh early in the New Year :)

Jen xxx

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation: Review

One question I always see getting asked in the #bbloggers chat on Twitter is 

Can somebody recommend a good full coverage foundation?

and I always reply with, 'Estee Lauder Double Wear'

So I decided it was time to do a post about the product I am constantly raving about

This is my ultimate holy grail foundation

I have been wearing it for years now and although it is by no means the only foundation I use 

(My stash of liquid foundations is verging on ridiculous)

It is the one I ALWAYS repurchase 

This is the foundation I will always turn to if I have a big night out or special occasion 

as the finish is absolutely flawless and the staying power is the best I have ever used

The best way I have found of applying it is with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush

These two are a dream combination for a flawless face

I suffer with redness across my cheeks and this foundation is great at completely covering my problem areas with minimal need for concealer.

If you have tried Rimmel wake me up foundation I would say they are comparable coverage wise.

Although Double Wear has much better staying power and gives far more matte appearance

Sometimes the 'glow' from Wake Me Up can leave me looking a little shiny.

I wear the shade 3N1 Ivory Beige which is a perfect match for my skintone

and from what I have seen they have a good range of colours.

You can head down to your nearest Estee Lauder counter for a colour match 

The only negative about this foundation is that it has no pump dispenser

but I have found that the MAC foundation pump fits the bottle perfectly 

You can pick one of these up online or in your nearest MAC for £4

It would take a pretty major contender to get me to sway from my beloved Double Wear 

but if you know of anything that lives up to it with a similar coverage please let me know :) 

Have you tried Double Wear before?

Are you going to give it a go now?

Jen <3 xxx

Pantene Clarifying Shampoo: Review

If you didn't already know, a clarifying shampoo is a product which is designed to cleanse the hair and remove product and oil build-up.

I have extremely irritating hair, it can be dry through the ends but sometimes my roots can feel oily almost as soon as I've washed my hair.

I used to wash my hair every single day as I honestly couldn't have left the house without doing it.

It was so greasy looking you could have fried chips on it! even although I had only washed it the day before.

Washing your hair every day is really not ideal 

It can take up a lot of precious time, which lets be honest could be spent in bed! 

Plus my hair does not dry well naturally, so washing daily also means blow drying daily

and constant heat is never good for your hair.

This shampoo has been part of my haircare routine for about a year now

and I have noticed a massive difference in my hair 

I try and keep my product use to a minimum throughout the week 

The weekend is a totally different story though. My poor hair goes through the mill 

I basically pile on anything that claims to give me 'BIG' hair 

Come Monday morning, my tresses are in a sorry state 

That's when I whip this out

You only have to use it around once a week to see the effects 

Any more than that and you could be stripping your hair of colour and healthy oils that it needs to keep it nourished.

My hair never feels cleaner than it does after using this and I have found that I now only have to wash my hair every couple of days, which makes such a difference. 

Also don't be scared to use this on dry/damaged hair, although it gets rid of the product it won't leave your hair feeling straw like and dried out just lovely, light and clean.

There are many clarifying shampoos on the market, but this is definitely one of the most budget friendly 

Less than £4 for a whopping 400ml

and what's more they are on BOGOF in Boots just now!

Have you used this before?

Do you regularly use a clarifying shampoo?

Jen <3