Stop animal testing!

This isn't a normal post we'd do. This is just me trying to raise more awareness to animal testing.
Many make-up brands test on animals, which is unnecessary and disgusting.  Why should innocent animals take pain and harm because we want to wear make-up? 
"This may make you blind so here you go let's put it in your eye to see?"
We wouldn't do it, so why should animals?
I'm not going to insert pictures of the poor animals which I've seen on photo's of this, you can all imagine how awful they are. 
Just please please please check the back's of make-up products, skincare products, any products just to make sure you realise what you're using.
I'm not saying this will stop animal testing or just me writing this will even help the matter, however I will try. 
Please please always check the labels of items before buying, bare in mind whilst that poor defenceless animals are being hurt for this. 

Thanks for reading! Just felt like I needed to say this after seeing a tweet of a picture of an animal being tested and it honestly made me so angry. 

These are defenceless animals who don't deserve this.

Sexy mother pucker gloss stick // review

For Christmas I got a set of three of the new 'sexy mother pucker gloss sticks' from Soap and Glory! I am a huge, huge, huge fan of soap and glory and it is one of my favourite brands ever but, I have to admit, I have never been a huge fan of mother puckers! I found the glosses a little bit sticky and the 'tingle' was too much for me. 

 These products, however, are amazing!! 

I got them in three shades: nudist, fushia-ristic and plum jam! 

These are not really bold and vibrant but give your lips a lovely splash colour making them really wearable lip glosses. 

The first you can see here is nudist then fushia-ristic and then (my personal favourite) plum jam! 

I usually use clinques 'chubby sticks' but these are a lot cheaper and I really like them! They are not sticky at all and are actually quite moisturising which is good! I was worried they would be really tingly but, although you can feel the product plumping up your lips, it is not too much. I would definitely recommend you trying this product out. It is a great way to add a bit of colour to your lips without going over the top and they are so so easy and quick to apply. 

I will definitely be making a repurchase of this Christmas gift! Well done Santa haha :) 

Jamie xx

The candle in the back ground of this picture is Yankee snow flake cookie (£8.49, I think haha) and the Calendar  is from the Boots Christmas 3 for 2 offer! 

Not so lazy Sundays // New Look sale!

So, I met Abbie really early this morning (I am not a morning person so I was pretty mardy haha) and we went to Costa for our breakfast. It just so happened that New Look was open which was a clear sign from someone above that we should be sale shopping haha :p to top it off there was a coat that I was looking at a few weeks back that was £45 but I didn't buy it. Anyway, today I found this coat for £16!! How good is that?! It was in my size and everything! 

It is faux fur and leopard print which I really like! It is so warm and fluffy, I have called her Cecilia. Yes, I name my clothes. 

This is a rather posey picture of Cecilia and I :p 

We also filmed a video today answering you questions from twitter but it hasn't let us upload it which is not good news. Hopefully we will get recording again soon :D 

Tonight, my friend is coming to stay with us from London so I am currently tidying my room up for her :)  going to have a nice chilled out night and then tomorrow we are hitting the sales... Again!

Jamie xx

#TAGchristmaschat

We have started a tag called #TAGChristmaschat :) we have been reading through everyone's Christmas hauls and you guys have got some really lovely presents! Being the nosey pair we are haha we decided to create this tag. We hope that you enjoy answering these questions and if you do it please tweet #TAGchristmaschat @scoshgirls so we can share the link. 

1) What was your favourite Christmas gift this year?

2) What has been your must have make up product this year? 

3) Have you been to any Christmas parties this year?

4) Do you have any plans for new year?

5) Where is your favourite place to go shopping?

6) What is your favourite Christmas memory?

7) What will you be buying in the January sales? 

8) if you could pick one place in the world to spend Christmas, where would it be? And why? 

9) What is your favourite make up brand?

10) What is your skin care routine like over the winter months? 

Thank you for answering these questions guys! Remember to share our link :) 

Scosh girls xxx

People to check out: 

http://alicelouiseswonderland.wordpress.com has answered on twitter! Check her out :D 

Braving the pink // semi permanent hair dye!

A while a go I decided I wanted my hair dip dyed but didn't want to pay all that money out to have it done (I would be allowed pink for school anyway) so Mum went out and got me a semi permanent hair dye. I was a little bit worried because I have never done anything to my own hair and it wasn't a brand that I had heard of before. I tried to find reviews on it but there was hardly any. Anyway, I ended up going for it and dip dying it pink! 

This was the product:

Please excuse all the books in the back ground haha!! 

I got this product from a place called 'savers' where I live but since then I have seen it in lots of other discount shops and even in some bigger stores like super drug and boots. I found this product so easy to apply and it didn't dry my hair out at all (my hair goes really dry and stretchy). I didn't leave it in for the full time recommended because I was looking for a paler pink and the colour was perfect. This product is great for if you want a more subtle look rather than bright colours :) 

It was a while since I used this product (as you will see from the photo: no fringe and a pout.. Lovely haha) but I am now braving the whole head for a performance I am doing! It only lasts for about 2-3 days until it starts to fade. I wash my hair every day though and the colour didn't fully go away for much longer after this. 

If you are looking for a subtle hair dye product, I would definitely recommend this one. This is the colour it left my hair...

The fact this picture is now on the Internet for everyone to see makes me very, very sad haha! Anyway, if you ignore the hair style and the face and.. Everything apart from the pink colour, you can see how the product works! 

What hair colouring product would you recommend?

Jamie xx

Guest post // this and that beauty tag!

Hey guys! This is a guest post from the lovely serena! Make sure you check out her blog at serenatalks.blogspot.com this is the this and that tag! We hope you enjoy it :) 

Makeup

Blush or bronzer?

Bronzer, my cheeks are always pink and when I say always I mean always!

Lip gloss or lipstick?

Lipstick, I love love love lipstick and I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to it!

Eye liner or mascara? 
Mascara, a eye look wouldn't look complete without it!

Foundation or concealer? 
This ones a toughie, foundation always makes my skin look even and will make the rest of the face makeup look normal & stay in place. But then concealer covers under eye circles and blemishes, I think I''ll stick with foundation!

Neutral or color eye shadow? 
Another toughie, I love wearing colours such as dark navy, olive green and burgundy, yet I love doing really smokey bronzed looks but I'll have to go with colours (subtle ones though!)

Pressed or loose eye shadows? 
Pressed, It's much more easier and less of a mess! 

Brushes or sponges?
Brushes, its easy to blend shadows and apply product.


Nails

OPI or china glaze?

OPI, all of my nail polishes are OPI and China Glaze except the few Barry M, Revlon and Rimmel. OPI's colour range is incredible, their staying power is amazing and they apply so well.

Long or short? 

Long, my nails grow so fast its crazy but being a beauty student we have to have short nails for practical purposes, sad face :(

Acrylic or natural? 
Natural, like I said above my nails are long naturally and they are one (of many many few) quality's of myself that I actually like.

Brights or darks?
Darks, I love Russian Navy by OPI and Mrs O'Learys BBQ!

Flower or no flower? 
No flower, but I wont say no to an accent nail!

Serena xo

Thanks for reading guys!! Don't forget to check out Serena blog! Xx

A few 2013 Faves!

Hiya guys, hope you've all had a great christmas! Today I'm going to do a post on my 2013 favourites! :-)
I'm not going to babble on, I'm just going to jump right in there.
So first, 

1) Favourite Fragrance - Escada: Cherry in the air.
I have many favourite fragrances but the smell of this is literally gorgeous! I can't tell you what it is precisely but it just smells absolutely beautiful to me. It's also very cheap and would make an excellent gift!

2) Favourite skincare item - St. Ives: naturally clear apricot scrub.
This is my holy grail. O my god. I love this, I've used this for over a year and have not changed it since. It does exactly what it says on the front of the pack which is excellent. And the fact it is apricot just makes it nicer and feels alot less harsh to the skin!

3) Favourite shoes - Chelsea boots / Vans
Now this what out of chelsea boots and vans to me purely because I absolutely love both pairs of shoes, they're just great and both go with any outfit you want!

4) Favourite lipgloss - Benefit ultra plush lip gloss.
These lip glosses' are absolutely wonderful. To me, they feel alot less sticky than other ones and the colour range is lovely!

5) Favourite jewellry - Midi rings.
My favourite is definitely the midi ring. These are such a contemporary idea so different and so lovely. 

6) Favourite body stuff brand - Ted baker.
Most people would say Soap and Glory which I agree is AMAZING however I really am enjoying Ted Baker and I've also reached more towards this! Plus all of the Ted Baker bags are beautifully created and look great!

7) Favourite tv episode - Made in Chelsea.
I'm a fanatic when it comes to MIC, I got the box set last christmas and I believe it has been frequently a great, fun series to watch!

8) Favourite nail varnish - Barry M: blood orange.
This is a red colour which is dark! This looks awesome on but the only downside is the name .... Blood :-|

They're just a few of my favourites!:-) 
Hope you enjoyed it!
@ScoshGirls follow xx

Estée Lauder night cream review!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed our 25 days of Christmas countdown! Today I am reviewing the Estée Lauder night cream that I received in a set! (Check it out on my Christmas haul) 

Now, at 17 it seems a bit funny me using a product that gets rid of lines and wrinkles but it is brilliant! I received this product on Christmas Eve and so have only, used it twice and already I am seeing (and feeling) a huge improvement to my skin. I don't have lines and wrinkles but my skin still looks tired and gets really dry and lifeless! Over winter I get really bad dry patches around my nose and they have already gone! As you guys know, my eyes are a huge problem area for me and can make me look really tired but this product is already helping to brighten them up. 

I have also noticed with this that a little goes a long way (which is lucky because it is only a small pot) and it smells lovely and is a really nice texture. It has an almost velvety feel and is not thick and sticky like lots of night creams I have tried. 

I know that Estée Lauder can be expensive and it is too early to say whether or not I will be making a repurchase of this product but it is already showing results. My skin is feeling so soft and smooth and, although I feel a little bit like my nan using an anti-wrinkle product, I was not going to waste it haha! I perhaps wouldn't suggest buying this particular product if lines and wrinkles are not a problematic area for you but I certain would recommend this brand! Everything I have tried so far have been brilliant. This is the first piece of skin care from there but reading other reviews the others are equally as good. 

If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, I suggest looking at Boots brand No7 who have a brilliant range of facial care products that are reasonably priced and there are often sales and deals on! 

Jamie xx

Christmas Haul!!

Is finally here guys! Merry Christmas, I hope you all have a lovely day :) today I am going to do the obvious Christmas haul of all my lovely presents! 

You all know my love for soap and glory and I can't wait to try out these two products! I have heard great things about both :) 

Benefit is my favourite brand and so Mum got me a really cute 'how to look the best..' Kit! Also the porefessional primer which I blogged about recently. It is amazing!!

I turned 17 in October but have been really scared to learn how to drive. Mum and my stepdad have got me the theory revision pack and 10 driving lessons, eek. Wish me luck guys haha :p 

These were the first three presents I opened, all about history haha! I love black adder and as you know by now anything war of the roses is fab! I know what I am making the whole family watch tonight :p 

I got a lovely dangley, pink pandora charm to go with my pink and silver theme! I was looking at the one just the other week so Santa has done very well with this!

Look at my lovely wintery gloves and night shirt! They match my Christmas jumper which is super cute!!

This kit is amazing!! Champneys is such a good brand and I can't wait to try out the manicure kit! I am thinking I have many girly nights ahead of me :p 

Once I have manicured my nails, I have got some gorgeous colours to paint them with! I have never tried this brand of nail polish before but the colours look lovely. It has darker ones for the festive season and then bright, light colours for when the weather gets a bit better! This brush sent it lovely as well, it is French connection and they are super soft! I think it is a hint from Mum to stop taking hers haha! 

After reading all the amazing reviews I finally have one of these!! The products are so good and smell amazing! Also, I really like the bag this year, it has a really pretty design and I. Ant wait to review these products!

 

Finally, last but certainly not least, is this Estée Lauder make up kit! I have had my eye on this for ages and it is full of everything you need! The bigger palette is full of eye shadows in aside range of colours and, from what I have tried out, they have amazing pigments! It also contains the best mascara in the world!! Can't wait to try all of these products! 

Thank you for reading this, as you can see I have been a very lucky girl!! I hope you are all having a lovely Christmas and for our readers who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you enjoyed looking at some of these amazing beauty products! Look forward to weeks of reviews now haha :p send us pictures of your Christmas presents on twitter @scoshgirls 

Merry Christmas! 

Jamie xxx

Christmas Eve wishes!

The family quiz is finished (with me winning 3 years in a row now haha) and we are settled down watching 'The Polar express' with our traditional snow man soup (homemade hot chocolate) counting down the hours until the big day :D getting super excited now!! Hope you are ready for the Christmas haul tomorrow. Watching Santa on google maps, everything is running to schedule haha!

Have a lovely Christmas!! 

Los of love and Christmas wishes, Jamie xxx

Christmas Day #23!

Hey guys, today I'm going to do a make-up post on best christmas make-up products from Max Factor - The reason I'm doing Max Factor is because personally I find this a great brand with affordable prices and I know it's a pretty popular brand.

Foundation
Face finity all day flawless 3 in 1 Foundation which is a great coverage foundation and also contains a primer which cuts out a couple of minutes of your daily routine.

Concealer
Face panstick which is a brilliant concealer foundation stick, this is great coverage to cover up any shininess or any blemishes.

Eyeshadow
Wild shadow pot - Pale Pebble, which is a lovely skin tone colour to spread all over the lid. 
Wild shadow pot - Burnt Bark, which is a brown which I'd use in the corner to make the look more intense.

Eyeliner
Masterpeice glide & define liquid eyeliner to create a catflick which makes the look very classy and feline.

Lipstick
Colour elixr lipstick - Ruby tuesday which is a lovely red colour to make the look even classier and bright for christmas day.

Blusher
Flawless perfection blusher - Classic Rose, to put a lovely warm colour on the cheeks on a cold winter day!

What drugstore make-up item would you say is a great christmas product? Tweet us at @scoshgirls to let us know!

x

Christmas Day #24! (Christmas eve!)

As part of our house holds tradition, mum and I did some Christmas baking yesterday!! 

We made lemon curds, jam tarts, mince pies, cake covered jam tarts, sausage rollsand other festive treats!! 

Last year we had a bit of a lemon curd crisis! When it is in the oven in spreads loads and we never know how much to put in so it doesn't go over the sides and burn. Anyway this year, we decided to try it a different way and it worked really well! Instead of baking the pastry with the lemon curd in, you do it without. 

Make sure you poke little holes in the pastry (not going all the way through) to stop it from rising! 

You then heat up your lemon curd until it becomes liquidy and then you can pour it into the cooked pastry and leave it to set! That way you have just the right amount in and it won't burn! 

Look how good these look!! :D 

To make cake topped jam tarts all you need to do is make your pastry like normal and put in your jam but then cover the jam with vanilla cake mixture and put it into bake :) 

This is my favourite vanilla paste! You only need a tiny bit and it adds so much flavour. I like to be able to see the vanilla beans in the batter and this has loads :)

These ones are my absolute favourite, they are so yummy!! My nan sometimes puts a coconut  topping which also tastes amazing! 

Here are the jam tarts before they go into the oven. 

Sausage rolls are ready for Boxing Day! They whole family come over and we make loads of different party snacks!

Absolutely love Christmas baking!! Feeling really festive now :) 

today I am going out for dinner with my Dad and then when I get home we will watch Santa on google maps (I have done it ever since I was little haha) tomorrow will be the Christmas Day haul, super exciting! 

Ooh, I went to a Christmas jumper party the other day and my friends dog had just had puppies!! How adorable is he?! 

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas tomorrow and get everything you wanted! Send us your Christmas haul via twitter or email to let us know what you got :) 

What is the best present you have ever received? 

Jamie xxx

Christmas Day make up!

In our household the whole family come round on Christmas Day, this includes people I haven't seen since last Christmas and attractive family friends that I haven't seen since they were 5 years old and i was running around their garden in a pair of pants from ASDA, therefore... Although I don't like to wear Loads of make up, I like to put on a little bit! 

1) 

I put a bit of fake up on under my eyes and on any blemishes! This is my favourite product ever!! 

2) next, I use Rimmel match perfection in shade 100. This is the perfect foundation for me! It has medium coverage but feels really light on my skin and is my exact shade. I would definitely recommend this foundation :) 

3) 

My trusty Smashbox eye brow kit is brilliant!! As you can see this one is old but I still have plenty left. They come in really natural looking colours and with a really good setting wax that you put on over the top. It is so easy to do and has my eye brows looking top notch in minutes! 

4) 

 Then I use nude swings from benefit! This colour is such a wearable shade and is really natural and lovely :) this is my every day eye shadow because it goes with everything and doesn't take any skill to apply when I am in a rush in a morning haha! 

5) I then use one of my favourite mascaras... 

This has a really natural look and doesn't go clumpy! If you prefer a more fuller lash look I would not recommend this one but I like my lashes to look quite natural :) after putting it on I then use Boots eye lash curler to add some volume and curl! 

Then walahhh! I am done! This makes a really quick Christmas Day look but still looks like you have made more effort than you have! I would usually add to this a contouring kit and eye liner but when turkey and presents are awaiting me I don't have the time :p anyway, this is the finished look... 

Here I have also used Maybellines super stay 10 hour lip gloss in endless ruby to match my jumper! With it being a stain I don't have to be applying it all day which is great! It doesn't last the claimed 10hours but it is still pretty good and the colours are really vibrant! Unlike most red lip colours is does not dry your lips out either which is great over the winter months! 

Sorry for the awkward selfish guys, sort of half way between a pout and a smile haha.. Not sure what I was doing :p 

Jamie xxx

Christmas Day #22! (Naughty but nice)

These taste absolutely amazing, I had to share the recipe with you guys! If you make these send your pictures to us on twitter (@scoshgirls) using the hash tag #scoshbrownies :) 

You will need: 

85g of butter 

200g of soft cheese (make sure it doesn't have chives in it haha)

1/2 a tea spoon of vanilla essence

225g of caster sugar 

2 eggs 

3 tbsp of cocoa powder 

100g of self raising flour 

50g of chopped pecan nuts 

For the fudge icing you will need:

4 tbsp of butter 

1tbsp of milk

75g of icing sugar 

2tbsp of cocoa powder 

This recipe makes about 16 when I do it :D 

1) pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius or has mark 4 and lightly grease a shallow cake pan.

2) beat together the cheese, vanilla and 5 tea spoons of caster sugar then set aside. 

3) beat the eggs and remaining caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Place the butter and the cocoa powder into a small pan and heat gently, stirring until the mixture combines. Then stir in the eggs mixture and fold in the flour and nuts! 

4) pour half the cake batter into the prepared tin and then carefully spread the cheese mixture over the top. Cover it with the. Remaining cake batter and bake for 40-45 minutes. Leave to cool in the pan. 

5) to make the icing, melt the butter in with the milk and stir in the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Spread the icing over the brownies and leave it to set. You can then cut out the brownies :) 

Enjoy guys!! 

Jamie xxx

Feeling Christmasy!

First day of the holidays and I am feeling super festive!! Christmas jumper, festive earrings and everything! :) 

Going out and delivering Christmas cards this morning then going up to see my Nan later on! Got a Christmas jumper party later on tonight which will be lovely, after doing revision of course (ew haha) :p 

My mum and step dad are currently acting out a bit of a Christmas carol! It is hilarious haha. Al of us are getting so excited in our house hold! 

Jumper: New Look

Scarf: Peacocks

necklace: Thomas Sabo

 :D 

Jamie xxx

Christmas Day #21!

I'm writing this on my phone (sorry)

And I'm going to write what my Xmas list was (not that I like Xmas) 

-So first of all, I asked for 2 pairs of boots, both are black. One pair is from Dorothy Perkins and the other are off eBay! These were both around £20-£30 mark so not too expensive for a good pair of black boots!

-Next I asked for a Bourjois product, the new happy light foundation! This is supposed to be brightening for the face! Can't wait to try this because I've heard good things about this one, I'll do a review once I've used it enough to know how good it really is!

-next I asked for a Bourjois eye shadow pot, it's a very light colour ( can't say which one because it could be any of the lighter ones ) but it is brightening and will be great for putting in the tearduct too to open my eyes up! 

-the next thing I asked for was money so I could put it in my bank and save up for something really cool because there isn't anything that has really stood out to me that I really want!

-I upgraded early to my iPhone 5S too which I count as an Xmas present, and I absolutely love it! :)

Let us know items you'd like for Xmas @scoshgirls on twitter. 

Christmas Day #19! (3rd time lucky haha)

It is showing that I have already posted this but I can't seem to find it anywhere so just Incase I thought I would put it up again! Sorry if this is the second time you have seen this, I just wanted to make sure you got all your Christmas days haha! :D 

For some of my friends gifts I am making them truffles! I posted a picture of the recipe on our Instagram (@scoshgirls) but I thought I would write it up on here so you guys could try them! If you give them a go let send us your pictures in a twitter with the hash tag #scoshtruffles and we will post them on here! :D 

You will need:

25g unsalted butter

5tbsp of double cream (naughty haha) 

350g of white chocolate broken into pieces 

You can also, if you are old enough of course, add things like orange liqueur! If you want to do this you will need 1tbsp and you add it during step 2 :) 

1) Line a tin with baking paper. Place butter and cream into a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring constantly! Boil for 1 minute then remove from the heat.

2) add 225g of the chocolate to the cream and stir until melted. Pour into prepared tin and leave to chill for about 2 hours (or until firm)

3) break off pieces of the mixture and roll them into balls then leave them to chill for a little while longer (30 minutes I would say) 

4) finally, put the remaking chocolate into a heat proof bowl and set over a sauce pan of gently simmering water until melted! Dip the balls into the chocolate and place onto baking paper and leave to set. 

5) you can then out them into cute bags for presents or, of course, eat them all yourself haha!! 

Tis recipe makes about 20 truffles, depending on how big you make them! 

Enjoy guys :) 

I also gave Jess her present today so I can finally blog about it!! Yay :) basically I made her a cookie in a jar. This is a really good present idea for someone who loves baking and you know they love certain foods! I made chocolate and nut oat cookies for Jess and when she has finished she can use it as a memory jar. This is basically where every day for a year you write down a memory and out it in a jar then you can reread them! I thought this was a really sweet idea! 

This is a picture of the finished product! Made sure you also write a label so they know what to do haha! 

What's your favourite Christmas treat? 

Jamie xxx

Christmas Day #20!

I thought I would show you the presents that people from school got me today! I love them all, thank you so much guys!! I have has such a good last day and I hope that everyone has a lovely Christmas :D 

First up is an adorable home made CD with some of my favourite songs on it!! For secret Santa in the form we had to make our own gifts which was really fun to do and people made some really cute, personal things :) Victoria also made me a massive show box full of brownies which were, without a doubt, the best brownies I have ever tasted!! 

Next up, Jess used an old copy from a car boot sale of one of my favourite books... 

And turned it into a box for me!! 

This is such a cute, personal idea and I absolutely love it!! If you wanted to do this for someone, Jess said things got very very messy but it is such a thoughtful idea for any book lovers :D 

From my bus friends, I got a lovely body shop set!! It smells of mango and has got loads of products in it! Body shop is one of my favourite brands, it all smells so so good :) I also got some adorable earrings from accessorise and three new nail polishes! I will be trying out the festive red one very soon!! 

I got loads of other cute little bits from people and I love them all!! I know it is naughty to open our presents before Christmas Day haha :p 

Yesterday was also the talent show and there were some really good acts so a massive well done to everyone who took part it that, you were brilliant!! I also rekindled my love for blackadder yesterday which was great. 

Hope you guys all enjoyed your last day (if it was your last day) 

Not long now till the big day eek!!

Love from Jamie xxx