Cleanse With A Sponge? The Konjac Sponge Company Review ♥

Hey beaut's!

I have something exciting, new and unique to review for you all today, so say hello to the beauty that is The Konjac Company's NEW French Pink Clay Heart Sponge, before I get into the review let me tell you a little bit more about the company itself. The Kojac Company is an award winning beauty sponge company that make extremely gentle cleansing face and body sponges like no other. All of their beauty sponges are handmade and contain 100% natural vegetable fibres along with French clays and some even contain pure charcoal from bamboo, also they are all 100% biodegradable as well as being cruelty free and suitable for vegans.

As I said before I've actually been testing out The Konjac Company's NEW French Pink Clay Heart Sponge* (£8.99) and I have to say I'm in love with it! Firstly I love the fact its pink and heart shaped, I just think it makes things alot more fun and looks so cute if your buying one of the sponges as a gift he he. The heart shaped sponge itself is made up of Pink clay (rose clay) which is a mixture of red and white clay and is the mildest of all the French clays. It's naturally mineral rich in iron oxide and silica, and has a softening effect on hard, rough skin making it great to use if you have dryer, flaky skin like myself and is said to improve circulation too.
To use the sponge all you have to do is rinse and hydrate it under warm water until it gets all soft and puffed up slighty (when you first get the sponge it will be rock hard and very lightweight), then gently squeeze out any excess water, and then go on to cleanse your skin. The little heart shaped sponge gets to work quickly to gentley exfoliate, rubbing off dead skin cells in the most delicate manner so if your skins sensitive like mine then this sponge will feel great against your skin. The extra soft texture means that its OK for anyone to use, and when looking at the website I honestly couldn't believe the amount of sponges the Kojac Company have to offer, whether you want a sponge for your baby, for yourself to use in the bath on your body, for the man in your life and even your dog (yup that right, even your dog) The Konjac Sponge Company have got you covered. While this won’t replace your makeup remover (eye makeup more specifically) it can gently take off much of your face makeup in a matter of minutes and you don't even have to add any additional cleanser to the sponge, however if you wish so you can add a small amount, I tend to use a Micellar Water first to remove my eye makeup and to give my face a quick swipe over and then I use the sponge to deep clean.
After use, always rinse your sponge well, and allow it to dry in an airy place between uses. I like to either hang mine in the airing cupboard or from a window hook to dry back out and if you look after your sponge well it will last you 2-3 months. 

Overall im really impressed with this little sponge and would highly recommend it as it makes my skin feel absolutly amazing after each use, its little claim of  'Have a mini facial everday' is certainly apt as it feels great yet effotless to use and afterwards my skin is left feeling super soft, deeply cleansed, exfoliated and renewed without damaging my sentaive skin.

Have you tried a Kojac beauty sponge yet beaut'?? What did you think?? I'd love to know!

nopin

Meet my September 'Sparkling' Advertisers!

Hey beaut's!

 As we are nearing the end of September I thought it was about time that you lovely lot got to know my gorgeous September 'Sparkling' Advertisers a little bit more, hopefully you have seen their blogs sitting in my sidebar and have already had a cheeky little peek and found some great, new reading material... arrrhh I love finding new blogs to read, it's so inspiring and often sends me into wish list overdrive ha ha... Anyway enough of me rambling, please let me introduce to you all my September Advertisers!

Dannielle Saint
The ramblings of a 20 something girl who has a slight addiction to shopping and make up! A beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog full of reviews, look books and chitter chatter! 

Hello! My name is Angela, but you can call me Angie, I author Chocolateandlipstick.com. I am a Canadian living in the UK, and a mother of 2. These past few months saw me fast track my courses and through them I have become a fully accredited Beauty Therapist specialising in Skin Therapy and a MUA and I am beauty and lifestyle blogger. Come on over and have a peak, and I hope you like my blog just as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
Angie x
Blog | Twitter

Hi everyone! I’m Jordan, a 22 year old beauty blogger, currently on medical leave from university with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My blog focuses mainly on beauty reviews and hauls, although in the future I’d like to try some lifestyle posts. I set up my blog mainly because I’m sure my friends and family were getting fed up of me constantly telling them about my new favourite blushes or the new products I was looking forward to trying! It has also helped me to deal with my illness a lot, being bed-bound for days on end can get very boring & lonely! Although I haven’t been blogging for long, I absolutely love it! I hope if you pop by you enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy writing them! x
Blog | Twitter


I'm Naomi, 21 years old from the South-East of the UK. I blog about beauty, fashion, nail art, baking and whatever I get up to that’s worth sharing! In my spare time I love shopping, binge watching Netflix and creating things. I make jewellery and design home/blog/life organisation printables which you can look at (and buy!) on my etsy store. (www.etsy.com/shop/ohhellomango) I post everyday so there’s always something new to come and read. I’m currently venturing into YouTube as well so there will be lots of my face to get involved with! :)

Hi! My name is Michelle, I’m 30 year old girl living near Norwich. I have an office job, a husband and a lovely little boy called Freddy. These take up most of my time so when I’m not at work or running around after my 2 year old, I spend my time blogging! I started Thou Shalt Not Covet as a blog dedicated to my obsession with beautiful things, it has gradually evolved to include a focus on jewellery, fashion and make up, product reviews and features, nail art, wedding plans and diet updates – a bit of everything really! I'd love you to stop by and say hello! xxx
Blog | Twitter

If you would like to come a join in on the fun and advertise with HaySparkle all details can be found HERE!

nopin

September Degustabox Review + Discount Code


Hey beaut's!

I have a subscription box review for you all today but it's a subscription box with a difference.... it contains yummy food and drink, so say hello to Degustabox*. Degustabox works very much like how beauty subscription boxes work, for £12.99 a month (postage included within the £12.99 price) you will receive 9 to 14 surprise food/drink products, many that are completely new to the market! So if your abit of a foodie like myself  and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's!

 Anywhooo onto what yummy treats I received in my September Degustabox...

Elizabeth Shaw Dark Chocolate Mint Thins £2.50
Well... like always I just have to start with the chocolate don't I ha ha... These dark chocolate mint thins by Elizabeth Shaw are new to me but my goodness they taste amazing, if you like After Eights or Mint Matchmakers you'll love these.

Jordans Simply Granola £2.69
I love having Granola, yoghurt and fruit for breakfast so I was so happy to see this generous sized bag in my Degustabox, it definitely wont last very long is my house he he.

La Vieja Fabrica Marmalade £1.59
I haven't bought Marmalade for yonks and this one by La Vieja Fabrica looks and sounds rather fancy doesn't it, I better get some toast on the go hadn't I he he.

Pick Up! x2 £3.38
I love Pick Up's, you basically get a thick slab of milk chocolate that's been sandwiched between two sweet biscuits and they make some sort of delicious lunchbox style wafer and they are oh so yummy, however I've never tried the Black'n'White version which is a slab of white chocolate between chocolate biscuit's so I cant wait to give them a whirl.

Burts Lentil Waves x3 £2.07
Burts Lentil Waves are described as crunchy chips but to me they are more like mini Doritos but abit healthier than Doritos ha ha. The 3 flavours I got are the Thai Sweet Chili (yummyyyy), Lightly Salted and Sour Cream and Chive, they all sound amazing however you don't get many in a bag which may be an issue for me as I'm such a greedy guts ha ha.

Little Miracles Organic Energy Drinks x2 £3.18
Little Miracles are a brand that make tasty organic teas and fruit juice's which are all free from artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners and contain less that 90 calories per bottle, I think it's safe to say these are pretty good for you and would be a great 'pick me up'  kind of drink. The two flavours I got are Green Tea and Lemongrass Tea, I cant wait to give them a whirl and see if they do give me an energy boost without all the sugar and sweeteners. 

Crabbie's Lemonade £1.20 (Non Alcohol Option)
This months non alcoholic glass bottle offering is a traditional cloudy lemonade by Crabbie's which I love. You can actually use the cloudy lemonade as a mixer but I prefer it ice cold on its own, delish!  

Crabbie's Alcoholic Fruits £1.50 (Alcohol Option)
This months alcoholic offering is again by Crabbie's and is one of their NEW fruit drinks, I received Zesty Lemon but theres also Black Cherry and Raspberry and Rhubarb to choose from, yum! Degustabox have also added a cheeky voucher within the box that entitles us to a £1.00 off a 4 pack which is always appreciated! 

Righteous Dressings x3 £2.19
These little Righteous Dressings are made by using only 100% natural ingredients so I'm sure they are packed for of flavour. I'm not too sure if the flavours I got are up my street so these may take a trip to my Mums house as shes partial so the odd dressing or two.

Carnation Cook With It! x2 £3.30
Carnation Cook With It! is a versatile cooking creme great for thickening savoury dishes such as curry's, carbonara's, stroganoffs and even quiche. It's such a great alternative to just whacking in a pot of full fat cream making it so much healthier for you because it contains half the fat than cream... bonus! 

Overall I love everything in my Degustabox, apart from the dressings theres not 1 thing that I wouldn't try and that I wont use! I think it's such a great take on a subscription box, I love the whole element of a food surprise and getting excited about what meals or cakes I can whip together, it's fab! You can find Degustabox on Twitter and Facebook for more information, pictures and promotions. 

Degustabox have kindly given me a discount code for all of my beautiful readers, all you have to do is pop 4784593 into the promotional code box and you'll receive a £3.00 discount when registering. And don't worry beaut's, theres no commitments with Degustabox meaning you can cancel your subscription free of charge before the 10th of any month, but I mean why would you cancel monthly surprise treats ha ha!

What do you think of the Degustabox concept beaut's?? I'd love to know your thoughts.

nopin

Vichy Idealia Eyes Review

Hey beaut's!

You may already know that I'm a huge Vichy fan, their dermerblend setting powder is my absolute favourite of all the setting powders in the land he he and I'm on my second bottle of their Idealia Life Serum ( review here ) so when I heard that an eye cream was going to be Vichy Idealia's next big thing I just new I had to try it, so say hello to Vichy's Idealia Eyes*.
The aim of Idealia Eyes eye cream is to transform the skins quality and colour around our eyes contour in one easy step, and its all down to the amazing Idealia formula! The formula of Idealia Eyes is light, but it feels luxuriously hydrating which is great for any dry skin suffers like myself that find it hard to keep the eye area moisturised. The eye cream is enriched with instant illuminators to brighten the eye area, which I find works amazingly in the mornings when all my eyes want to do is go back to sleep ha ha. The formula of Idealia Eyes also has a combination of DRM-Bright complex & Vitamin B3 which work on reducing those pesky dark circles, Vitamin CG to smooth out any fine lines, Caffeine to energise and Vichy’s signature Thermal Spa Water will help to soothe the delicate skin around your eyes and if kept in the fridge it will reduce puffy eyes in an instant. The Idealia Eyes eye cream has also been tested under dermatological & ophthalmological control, is hypoallergenic, suitable for contact lense wearers and contains no parabens, wowza this stuff is incredible!
The way I like to apply Idealia Eyes is either by popping a pea sized amount on the back of my hand then I use my ring finger to gently massage the product around my eye area or.... You may have noticed the eye cream has a somewhat unique silicone applicator, this stops alot of mess as you can just run the applicator around the eye to get even distribution of the product, its also very useful when you've stored the eye cream in the fridge as its feels like an extra cooling agent to reduce puffiness he he.
Ive been using Idealia Eyes every morning for the past 3 weeks and I'm absolutely loving the results. The skin around my eyes is silky smooth and more plump which makes my eye makeup sit more comfortably and most importantly theres no concealer creasing which is just brill... I've also noticed my dark circles are no where near as dark as the used to be and the illuminators within the cream instantly made my eyes appear more awake and fresh from the very first day I used it which is pretty impressive. Overall this is an amazing little product and used together with the Idealia Life Serum is great as they compliment each other amazingly and feel so luxurious!

 You can find the Vichy Idealia Eyes on the Boots website and selected Boots stores for £23.00 however it is on offer at the moment with 25% off making it £17.25 so make sure you take advantage of that cheeky discount beaut's.

Have you tried any of the Vichy Idealia range beaut's?? What did you think?? I'd love to know!!

nopin

Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner Review

Hey beaut's!

I seem to have a slight obsession with buying liquid liners at the moment, of course I have my favourites but I just cant seem to control myself when I notice a liquid liner on the shelves that I'm yet to try so when I noticed Maybellines Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner (£5.99) in Superdrug recently I just couldn't resist a cheeky purchase he he. 

The main thing that attracted me to the Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner was it's ultra-thin 0.4mm nib and after trying it out for myself I have to admit I love the smaller more precise felt pen style applicator, its great for creating very sharp and precise lines and if you struggle with feline flicks then this eyeliner will really make things easy for you. The tiny eyeliner nib  works great for any detailed work and for creating very thin lines, which is nice for those days when you want a less dramatic eyeliner look or if you have small eyelids like myself, this eyeliner will certainly work well and not take up so much lid space that thicker liners are prone to doing. The liner itself is very easy to use and control, the nib has a good amount of flexibility but is sturdy at the same time and applies really smoothly with no tugging at the skin or skipping which is great!
The pigmentation of the liner is good, its nice and black so theres no need to go over and over your lines to build up the colour which is a bonus and it dries to a slight glossy finish which I think is quite nice. The lasting power of Master Precise is OK but I wouldn't rave about it, I find that it smudges very easy especially if you touch your eye area throughout the day which is annoying, and if you get watery eyes sometimes this liner is a big no no as it will just come straight off and run, so in the winter months when its really cold and my eyes water I certainly wont be able to rock this liner. Another annoying thing about this liner is that it very tip of the nib dried up really quickly, so I would always suggest storing this particular liner upside down in your brush holder so that the product will always drain down.

Overall Maybellines Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner is abit hit and miss for me, I LOVE the ultra fine tip because it just creates beautiful looking, precise liner in seconds and I think a beginner would get on really well with this style of liner however... the liners lasting ability, smudging and the fact the end of the nib dried out pretty quickly really lets its down for me unfortunately. 

Have you tried Maybellines Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner beaut's?? What did you think?? I'd love to know.

nopin

The Only Eyeshadow Palette You Will Need This Autumn/Winter!

Hey beaut's!

As we are nearing the end of September I have started switching things up in my makeup bag and adding some warmer Autumnal tones, and when I was thinking about what eye shadows I wanted to use alot over the colder months it dawned on me that I have every single shade perfect for Autumn/Winter within the gorgeous Makeup Revolution 32 piece Ultra Eyeshadow Palette in Flawless. Now I know I did a first impressions post on this palette back in June but I just had to show this palette some more love because its absolutely stunning and is so affordable at just £8.00 a pop.... Yup that right, just £8.00 for 32 beautiful shades of eyeshadow, that works out at just 25p per shadow, wowza!!
The Makeup Revolution Flawless Palette comes packaged in a Rose Gold cardboard box which I think is super pretty, but then anything Rose Gold lures me in and is always a winner for me ha ha, the palette itself  has a sleek looking black casing with a lovely large mirror inside the pull up lid which is always greatly appreciated. When you open up the Flawless Palette you are met with 32 small panned eye shadows in so many neutral hues with a mixture of matte, shimmer and metallic finishes, trust me this palette will have you oohing and arrhhing when you open it for the very first time as that's exactly what I was doing he he. The entire palette just looks beautiful and is crammed full of warm Autumnal shades and if your a neutrals loving gal like myself  then the Flawless palette will be great for you all year round, day and night. 
Each eyeshadow within the 'Flawless' palette is packed full of pigmentation, especially the metallic/shimmer finish shadows and are all super soft to swatch, easy to work with and blend out a treat, and like all Makeup Revolution eye shadows they last great on my oily eyelids without any creasing or fading most of the day which is a major bonus for me.

I mean just look how stunning these eye shadows are.... Eeeekkk! I honestly haven't been so impressed with an eyeshadow palette since the Naked palettes by Urban Decay ha ha. I have added a few swatches just to show you how pigmented the shades are and I think I have spotted a MAC Cranberry dupe within this palette too he he.
As you can probably tell I have so much love for this palette and it's by far my favourite of all the Makeup Revolution eye shadows palettes that I've tried so far, I can see myself getting so much use out of it as there's just so many shades to play with and so many looks that can be created, So if your looking for a good quality, neutral eyeshadow palette that contains lots of shades that's an absolute bargain for the Autumn/Winter months then Makeup Revolution have got you covered.

Will you be buying this gorgeous palette for the cooler months beaut's?? I'd love to know.

nopin

Makeup Revolution NEW Velvet Lip Lacquers

Hi beaut's!

Today I'm back with another exciting Makeup Revolution related post, I literally cant get enough of Makeup Revolution at the moment, I'm obsessed! As Autumn/Winter is fast approaching Makeup Revolution thought they would take us over to the dark side and treat us to 4 all new Salvation Velvet Lip Lacquer shades, so I thought I'd review them for you all today.
Makeup Revolutions 4 all new Salvation Velvet Lip Lacquer shades are Velvet Vamp* a dark purple, Velvet Rebel* a berry-red wine shade, Velvet Depravity* a blue based, bright lilac shade and Velvet Black Heart* a gothic looking dark purple which is very similar to Velvet Vamp but its a smidge darker, and I have to just say straight away that these shades are literally liquid lipsticks on steroids, they are incredible! You may notice that the shades of the lip lacquers are the same shades as the lipstick with the same/similar names ( 100% Vamp, Rebel with cause, Depraved and Black Heart) which for some reason pleased me silly amounts, I love makeup that matches he he.
All 4 of the new shades are packed full of pigmentation and are opaque after just one swipe, I would suggest making sure your lips are moisturised or prepped with a nice lip scrub+lip balm before you apply the lacquers because they all dry completely matte after a minute or so, so if you have dry-flaky lips the lacquers wont sit as comfortably. Also I have found that because the lip lacquers are such bold, intense colours theres not much room for error whilst applying them because if you do make a mistake its quite hard to correct, they certainly aren't something you can whack on in a rush or without a mirror so just bare that in mind.
The lasting power of the lip lacquers is simply incredible, once your chosen shade is on your lips and it has set theres literally no budging it, its amazing! After testing all 4 of the lacquers out they all wore the same and lasted on my lips around 6-7 hours before they started to fade slightly in the middle of my lips and that's with me eating and drinking all day, they also never transferred on cups or kisses making it perfect for any date nights with your boyfriend he he. A little tip if you do struggle with the removing the lip lacquers at the end of the day/night is to use something oil based as it breaks down the matte lacquers instantly, I just pop a small amount of olive oil or extra virgin olive oil on a cotton pad, dab it over my lips then swipe away and it comes off in one go, so please done scrub at your lips beaut's ha ha. 

Overall I'd highly recommend these little beauties because the quality is outstanding, they last on my lips brilliantly and they are so affordable at just £3.00 each, wowza! My favourite shade has to be Velvet Rebel because its just that ultimate Autumn/Winter shade and one of my favourite colours of all time, I know I'm going to be rocking Velvet Rebel constantly and when I wear it I seem to get asked all the time what I'm wearing on my lips which is always nice he he.

What  Salvation Velvet Lip Lacquer is your favourite beaut's?? I'd love to know!

nopin

September Glossybox Review ♥

Hey beaut's!

So its that time again... Glossybox time!!! This months box reflects London Fashion Week and Glossybox teamed up with the amazing designer Karen Millen to bring us a pretty impressive designed box, I absolutely love the London skyline thats printed on the top of the box, I'll definetly be re-using it. After ripping open the outta packaging I noticed the box itself has been given a slight revamp, it seems to be alot stronger and hard wearing than the other boxes, I also noticed their was no magazine again just like last month so maybe Glossybox have decided to ditch the magazines again, I wish they'd make their minds up he he. 

   Anywhoo lets see what I received inside my 'Karen Millen' designed Glossybox...

Model Co More Brows Fibre Gel in Light/Medium | Full Size | £14.95
This little brow gel by Model Co is said to give your brows a fuller, thicker look instantly because of its brush on fibres, ohhhh sounds amazing right?? I literally cant wait to use this through my brows and whats even better is that Glossybox have actually sent me the Light/Medium shade which totally matches my natural brows woohoo. I also think Model Co's More Brows offering could be a good dupe for Benefits Gimme Brow, unfortunately I don't own it so I cant compare but it looks pretty much identical. 

L'Oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil | Sample | £15.95 for 125ml
I was so happy to see this 45ml sample in my Glossybox, I always eye up the L'Oreal Mythic Oil online when I'm browsing but never buy it because of its price and considering I have a love/hate relationship with oils I can never justify buying it, so I'm happy I finally have a sample to try. The lightweight oil is said to care and pamper all hair types and leaves hair looking shiny, feeling nourished and supply which is exactly what my hair needs right now ha ha.

Nivea 3in1 Micellar Cleansing Water | Full Size | £4.07
Another product that I was super happy to see in my box this month was this full size Nivea Micellar Water, I'm a huge Micellar Water fan but I'm yet to try Nivea's offering so I cant wait to see how it compares to the others. I love the fact I got the sensitive skin version too because sometimes Glossybox get my skin type completely wrong when they send me skin care items but thankfully they got it right this time woohoo.  

Nails inc Matte Top Coat in Westminster Bridge | Full Size | £12.00
I must admit I never really got into the whole matte nail polish trend so I cant see myself using this matte top coat very often but its still nice to have in my nail polish collection and Nails inc is such a fabulous brand so I know the quality of the top coat will be great if and when I do use it.

Skin Pep Enzyme and Acid Peel  £89.99 for 180ml and Dark Circle Eraser £44,99 for 15ml | Samples | 
Now these little sachets sounds very interesting and the fact that they cost an absolute fortune full size makes me think the results are going to be pretty impressive. The peel gel sachets claim to target dark spots and dissolve dead skin to leave exfoliated, soft, bright, vibrant looking skin which to me sounds great and just what I want! The little sachet called the 'Dark Circle Eraser' sounds equally pretty epic, its basically an eye cream that uses anti-oxidant ingredient's to boost collagen around the delicate eye area and erases those pesky dark circles, I'm expecting very good things from these.

Overall I absolutely love everything I received in this months box and I know I'll be trying/using it all, woohoo!

What did you think of this month's box beaut's?? I'd love to know.

nopin