Oil pulling – ten day trial

I first heard about oil pulling when reading around the benefits of coconut oil, you know, that product that is everywhere these days!

I’ve recently become more aware of staining on the backs of my teeth and so was willing to try anything, and if the reviews I was reading were true this ancient practice was going to have all kinds of positive side effects. Including; overall improved oral health, whiter teeth and fresher breath. The oil can be any oil but I knew for a fact I the only one I could bare swirling around in my mouth for 20 minutes would be coconut oil as in my opinions is the best tasting oil out there.

The process…

This is the oil I used, mainly because it was refined (which means no nasty extras! and all natural) it was also on offer in Tesco and with coconut being a pricy product I was all for saving some pennies. This is a 283ml jar and it was reduced to £5. I have had a look online and can’t seem to find it any cheaper ANYWHERE.

I’ve read in some places this process is best done on an empty stomach and others deny it makes a difference but for arguments sake I would do it on an empty stomach. Usually as soon as I got home from work, so having not eaten since lunch time.

Spoon one healthy sized table spoon of the oil into a small Pyrex glass. You will not need anymore than this as over the 20 minutes of swirling around the oil will double in size in your mouth. Pop the glass in the microwave and heat just enough to melt the oil until it has returned to its liquid form. Only 20-30 seconds is necessary and you do not want to overheat it because you will be swirling it around in your mouth straight after.

So this is the least glamorous part of oil pulling. I tried to do it when no one else was around so no one would try and talk to me or make me laugh! It is just a case at the point of sitting their with the TV on and just swirling it around your mouth, making sure you force it through the gaps in your teeth and just keeping it on the move for 20 minutes. You won’t want to be too forceful as 20 minutes is longer than you think and your jaw will start to ache.

Once the twenty minutes is up don’t put the oil down the drain! it is only going to clog it, so I pour it back into the glass, wait for it to set again and put it in the bin. I then floss like crazy, brush my teeth and rinse with water. You wont be able to feel the oil on your teeth after this you might just have a lingering taste of coconut, which isn’t such a bad thing! I then try and leave it as long as I can before eating. Drinking water (which is all I am drinking at the moment anyway) is absolutely fine.

The Review…

Overall yes I have noticed a small difference after just ten days, the stains and plaque on the back of my teeth are slowly but surely disappearing. My teeth are not sensitive like they can be after using unnatural teeth whitening products. However, my biggest issue was with the price. This is a very pricey method of oral healthcare and with having to do a session of pulling everyday to notice a difference it will not be something I keep up. I intend on buying one more jar (mainly because it is still on offer in Tesco!), using that up and then look at cheaper home remedies for whiter and healthier teeth. Not just the price but the process is a lot to think about, which regards to having to time your meals and think about when you can eat. It just really does not suit my lifestyle.

If you have any oil pulling stories please let me know, there are so many mixed reviews out there! it is really is a try it for yourself and see if it works for you process by looking around at everyone else’s experiences.

Love

Joanna x

Sleek eyebrow stylist review

I have not seen much about this product over the internet, and this is a product I personally feel needs a hell of a lot more recognition than what it is getting!

I get that everyone looks for different qualities in a brow kit and it takes a long time to find the right one that works for you. I tirelessly tried to make Benefits Browsing work for me but I had to admit defeat, that powder based products on my brows just didn’t work. Next up I tried Benefits Brow gel. This I had little patients with, it was really difficult to apply without ending up with the product in clumps the brush was bad quality and in my opinion the product itself was one of benefits worst. After watching Hollie Wakeham of PampurLounge https://www.youtube.com/user/PampurLounge I took her up on one of her recommendations, and wow I glad I did. I have found a staple product for my everyday make up kit and a product I reach for every morning. An ever bigger bonus is the price tag £5.99! and it lasts around three months (obviously dependant on your brown preferences). It comes in three shades, light medium and dark. I use the medium and I would say this is perfect shade for dark hair and medium skin tone. If I thought really bold brows suited me I might go for the dark but because I use this as an everyday product medium works just fine for me.

The stylist is double ended, one end is a spooly brush and the other is a wax based pencil. The nib of the pencil is very small so it is perfect for building up and detailing. The packaging is underwhelming but I don’t mind this at all, it if keeps the price down and the product continues to be so easy to use, and give me the exact effects I want for my brows I will be repurchasing this product again and again.

Voilà , the finished product and my everyday make up.

Much love,

Joanna x

Lancôme Hypnôse mascara review

When it comes to mascara I am a very ‘stick with what you know’ kind of person. So when I was bought this product for Christmas I was slightly dubious about trying it. But alas… Thank you mum for knowing me too well and making me try out something new!

Packaging

In my personal opinion the packaging is underwhelming. Simple and elegant I suppose, but with a product like this It doesn’t need amazing packaging. The product really does speak for itself.

Application

The brush is long and thin meaning it’s perfect for reaching all lashes in one stroke and it doesn’t get messy! The product doesn’t go all over the place during application. In fact this is the only mascara I’ve used which doesn’t require a clean up after applying. There are lots of bristles meaning it picks up all lashes. The product itself is amazing at not clumping your eyelashes! I repeat girls NO CLUMPS! I mean it when I say… somehow… And I don’t know how, Lancôme has given us a product which separates all your lashes without even having to work the product out.

Overall verdict

A little pricy for everyday mascara (£22.50) but I for one don’t mind spending a little more on a product if I feel like it’s worth it. And this product is definitely one of those very few. Like I said the applicator is so lovely and leaves your lashed elongated and separated giving you a really elegant open eye. It’s also very buildable so it can easily double up as an everyday and night out product. The mascara doesn’t budge once it’s on either. Just today I’ve been out in bitterly cold wind and even after my eyes were streaming I got back in the car to find my mascara hadn’t gone anywhere. I was very smug with mysef when looking at the other girls I was with! Hehe.

If you have experience with the product I’d love to hear about it.

In the meantime, much love,

Joanna x

Benefits ‘Rockateur’ blush review

Tah Dah!

After many dead end attempts at finding the a good drug store blush I decided to go into Debenhams and look around to see what the concessions had to offer. I new from the offset I needed a powder blush after finding out cream blush is definitely not the one for skin which is prone to getting oily throughout the day. I tried on plenty of blush from a number of concessions, Urban Decay, Bare Minerals and  YSL… Final stop, the old faithful Benefit.

After explaining what I was after the assistant recommended Sugarbomb, after having this applied I was ready to give up on all hope of finding a blusher to fall in love with.

Enter my final shot (I don’t think my checks were appreciating all the applying, removal, applying, removal, applying, removal). ROCKATEUR.

At first I was dubious, the packaging didn’t impress me too much, the brush looked cheap and useless and it appeared very shimmered. But as soon as she passed me the mirror I knew I had found it. The pigment is perfect, the shimmer is just enough (not too dull but definitely doesn’t make you look like you have a face full of glitter). Even throughout the day the shimmer doesn’t budge so unlike a lot of shimmer based products you don’t come home to find you’re entire face is a glitter ball.

I have also found this product really good for conturing when just using a highlighter. So just applying it in the hollows of my cheeks and then using Rimmel wake me up concealer as a highlighter. It is a super affordable everyday look that looks stunning.

The only negative of this product is the brush provided is useless, in fact I binned it soon after bringing it home. But the product itself is just perfect, the colour is a best described as a bronzed coral.

If anyone would be interested in a make up tutorial for this look please do let me know. In the meantime, for me and Rockateur, we don’t go anywhere without each other!

Much love,

Joanna x

Benefit they’re Real Eyeliner – review

Eyeliner is one of the trickiest products in our make-up bags, not only the application of the stuff! but finding the right product for you is a nightmare. Gel, felt tip, liquid?! argh. And unfortunately after being promised the world with this product … I am still searching for my perfect match.

Application

This was the first problem I found with the product but like all make-up something someone else might be an ace at applying beautifully. The nib is flexible silicone and angled.. apparently for ease of application. But I just found it impossible to apply without it bending and giving me a thick line. Which would be fine on a more dramatic make up look but for everyday I always go for a thin discrete line.  The way you get the product out of the pen is also something i struggled to understand what benefit were thinking when in the design process. It’s all or nothing with the product, one twist is nothing, two twists and too much of the product is dispersed. Maybe i got a dodgy pen… but i am not willing to spend another £18.50 to test my theory.

Staying power 

The staying power of this product is INSANE! Im still trying to scrub the swatches off… it might be time to call the brillo pad in. On a night out this is exactly what any women wants or needs from her eye liner, but for everyday, I would never apply this again. Unless you purchase the Benefit … this product does not budge. It got to the point I thought I had it all off and would wake up in the morning and have to have another session at trying to budge it! Now some would see this as a positive thing… for me rather like being able to take my make-up off quickly and nothing having to spend £15 on a specific make up remover just to take one product off.

Consistency 

The product is SUPER thick and difficult to thin out using the silicone nib. It’s waterproof which gives it its helping hand in staying power and it is very good for giving a bold eye but again, not my every day kind of look. It is a matte look liner and I must hand it to benefit, they’ve given us a liner which leaves no gaps or transparency.

As you can probably guess, I will not be repurchasing this product. For some who love bold eyes may love it, but I’m afraid Benefit they’re real ‘push up’ eyeliner is not for me.

Much love,

Joanna xx

Liz Earle hot cloth set

This has been my skin routine for a little over two months now and knowing my skin it takes a while to get used to a new routine, so I wanted to leave this review until I knew exactly where I stood with the products. And like 99.9 per cent of reviews on Liz Earle out there this post is no different, they are absolutely amazing, hands down the best products I have ever had the pleasure of smearing all over my face. Now, everyones skin is different and everyones skin will react differently to products so I will start by giving you and brief idea of my skin type. I get quite an oily tea zone but can also get dry patches all over. I am not prone to spots but I do get the odd horror from time to time. Luckily my skin is not something that gets effected at different times of the month (eh hem) but it does very season to season. In summer I could probably fry an egg on my face but in winter my skin can get super dry. However in saying that, I have read a good few reviews of these products and it seems most skin types react well to Liz Earle.

Now to the product – I bought this set from John Lewis in a Christmas offer, however I popped into lakeside a few weeks ago only to find Liz Earle had started being sold in boots! So far more accessible now, probably due to the fact this product is finally getting the recognition it deserves. My set includes the hot cloth cleanse and polish, Instant boost Skin Tonic toner, moisturiser, Eye lotion (more of a toner consistency) and 2 muslin cloths. The first stage is cleansing… and the most difficult part of this routine to get used to. You apply to cleanser to a dry face with all your make up on. I generally start massaging into the areas with less make up spending a few minuets massaging into the skin and working my way around finishing with my eyes. I then like to put the muslin cloth under piping hot water and throughly wipe everything away. Not only does this product smell fresh and beautiful it literally takes off every scrap on make up, and if you have missed anything the toner will pick that up. Once I am satisfied I’ve removed all the product I splash my face with very cold water, this process closes the open pours you opened up with the hot water. It also REALLY wakes you up in the morning, something I often need! Once towel dried now comes the toner. I have never been a toner user but this step of the process is so refreshing and the product like I said is amazing for removing any make up that you may of missed in the cleansing process. Much like the cleanser this product is so refreshing and smells so lovely, it is not too perfumed but just enough to make your skin feel fresh and beautiful. It has a really luxurious spa like smell, cucumber and aloe vera.  I apply this mainly over my tea zone where I have quite large pores using cotton wool pads. Then every other days I use the Eyebright Soothing Eye lotion, the only reason I don’t use this everyday is because the bottle that came with the set is only 150 ml (sad face) so because this is a quite expensive product I want to make it last. This product really makes your eyes feel a lot brighter and awake as one of the main ingredients is witch hazel. I apply this using cotton wool pads again and usually leave them over my eyes for a few mins to let my eyes inhale it.

Finally comes the Skin Repair Moisturiser for Normal/Combination skin. I apply this all over and spend as long as I can massaging it in to get the blood flowing to the surface of my skin. The only fault with this product is (and it may just be my skin type) is it does not absorb into the skin very quickly. So I often get a comments from my beloved laughing at my white oily face! but this does pass, it just seems to take a while for my skin to absorb it for some (and no I am not putting too much on!) I use all these products quite sparingly.

I will definitely be repurchasing all these products and after pay day I plan on trying some more Liz Earle products out, so no doubt more reviews from them in the coming months. If anyone else has some Liz Earle tales, good or bad let me know! I love reading these reviews.

Much love,

Joanna xxx

99 problems but being small ain’t one

Just to give you a rough mental picture of how small I am a colleague approached me the other day and innocently asked in conversation if i was old enough to drive. Well, to say my jaw hit the floor (which isn’t that far down for me) would be a lie.

It is comments like this that don’t make me dislike being petite, its comments like that which makes me dislike people. And it should be that way for anyone else who is fortunate enough to be cute and compact. Silly comments like that one are not a reflection on your height, they are more of a reflection on how inconsiderate and lets face it, down right thick some people are. So this blog is all about embracing our vertically challanged-ness

Enjoy, and I would love to hear anyone else’s petite stories, hell I have a lot more to tell. From people shouting out car windows, to being asked for ID on a first date.

Conversation starter, my oh my how I hate being stuck with a strangers and not knowing what to say, whether its at work, at an interview, or even giving a presentation. As long as you know the jokes there isn’t a small person joke you can’t crack that wont make people laugh, even if they don’t find it funny, they laugh out of awkwardness, so it is all good! Perhaps the classics ‘oh it basically breaks my neck to look up at you’ will get them or maybe a light ‘whats it like up there?’. The longer you do it for the better you get at assessing the situation and seeing what small person joke it is appropriate to crack, either way this has never failed to get laughs for me.

We look young much younger than average people! like seriously, I moan about getting ID’d for scratch cards but really? It is not insulting at all being told you look 8 years younger than you are, most women would sell their for breasts for that kind of compliment.

TAX FREE CLOTHES, I repeat tax FREE clothes. Our clothing ranges are double than that of an average sized people because we can wander on in to the kids department, and low and behold their are actually some really cute little items you can find. New look kids is a definite recommendation!

No heels are EVER too high! and flats just make you look cuter and cuddlier than ever. So LOVE being able to pull off any height footwear you desire.

#shortgirlproblems look this up on twitter and share the love with thousands more who embrace the genes.

There are a million more advantages to being a little un and so not be surprised if you see more posts form me on this, Its something I love talking about and I endeavour to make people love their petiteness too!

Much love,

Little Joanna x