Jo Malone Rock the Ages | Lily of the Valley & Ivy

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My favourite kind of package comes in the form of a cream bag tied together perfectly with a ribbon, this only means Jo Malone. I'm so fond of those cream bags that I have created quite a friendship with the ladies in my local store.

Jo Malone recently launched their Rock the Ages collection containing five colognes depicting British history all the way from the Tudor dynasty onto Britain in the present day. I was very excited about this collection when I heard about it as being a bonafide history nerd, a mix of history with beauty is my kind of heaven particularly when a company I love is heading the collection. 

The collection contains Tudor Rose & Amber a sweet yet spicy fragrance based off the heritage rose of England, Lily of the Valley & Ivy a light floral scent depicting Georgian London, the classic Pomegranate Noir to represent the Victorian era, Geranium & Verbena an aromatic scent to depict Edwardian summers, finishing with Birch & Black Pepper a spicy and smoky scent for Britain today. My pick of the bunch was Lily of the Valley & Ivy* which isn’t my typical scent - I thought I’d be all over the Tudor Rose & Amber as I tend to prefer heavier fragrances & the Tudor dynasty is my favourite point in England's heritage - however with notes of cassis, green ivy, lily and narcissus a floral yet hearty scent is created which smells even better as you wear it throughout the day. These retail for £42 - slightly more than the standard fragrances but they are limited edition and the packaging is even more gorgeous than the standard Jo Malone packaging. Picking up one of these beauties - or anything from Jo Malone in general - would also make a gorgeous mothers day present for those in the UK with mothering Sunday coming up next week.

Have you tried the Rock the Ages collection?


~ Jade xx

The Perfect Nude | Kate Moss x Rimmel

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I’ve spoken before about my long lasting love for the Kate Moss x Rimmel lipsticks - especially the matte formula in 107, a deep berry red, but more recently I've become a nude lipstick girl. Before I always donned a bright, bold lip mostly opting for a red or in the winter months a deep berry but more recently I’ve been going for a more stripped back, subtle look. My favourite nude of the moment is number 03 from the Kate Moss x Rimmel line, it's very comparable to MAC’s Velvet Teddy but without the £15.50 price tag. As it's a more of a brown nude it still gives life to your lips rather than just blocking them out and giving them the awful ‘concealer lips’ look that you quite often get with nude lipsticks - particularly those from the high street. The formula of these lipsticks is great as they're long lasting but not drying which is a rarity for cheaper lipsticks. 

What’s your current lipstick love?

~ Jade xx

The Contouring Edit | Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit & Maybelline Fit Me

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Contouring is a step we all take to make our cheeks more chiseled and our noses more straight. It’s a step I prioritise in my makeup routine - along with my brows - and one I hate to skip. 

For my contour in the past I have raved about the Sleek Face Form Kit in ‘light’ - review here - which I still love, however recently something new has entered the ring, the Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit. This new little gem from the high street contains a contour shade, a bronzer and highlight shade. The contour shade is the best high street contour colour I’ve tried - even better than the Sleek version - as its very ashy and pigmented which is the perfect combination to create realistic contour as most contour shades from the high street are too warm toned which doesn’t create a shadow but rather a brown stripe across your cheek - not a good look. The bronzer is pigmented and completely matte which is great to add warmth to the face without it looking like mud, which bronzers with shimmer can do. The highlight shade is great for highlighting under the eyes because it is also matte. It has been my first time using a matte highlighter and I can say I prefer it to shimmer ones. I often find that shimmer highlighters look too overdone like you’ve had a fight with a fairy or touched cheeks with a Kardashian whereas a matte highlight still brings light to places you want to bring forward without everything being too reflective. These powders aren't the mist blendable though so it's better to start light and add more rather than going straight in with a lot of product and not being about to blend it out.

Photography information

Canon 600D with 18-55mm lens, Canon 24mm lens or Sigma 70-300mm lens. Canon EOS M with 18-55mm lens or Canon 24mm lens. Any edited photos are edited using Photoshop CS6. Picture source is given for any photo used that is not directly ours.