Friday, May 23, 2014

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Cool & Crisp Fresh Review




Time to be real here; we’ve all had one of those days where, for some reason, watching Jeremy Kyle/funny cat videos/those 27 Ellen Degeneres YouTube clips has taken priority over showering. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, and now it’s all out on the table, we can look for a solution to those somewhat greasy looking locks. Boots’ 3 for 2 offer on haircare was what originally roped me into buying this Batiste Dry Shampoo, but I’d used Batiste before and I’ve always liked the brand. They’re probably the best known dry shampoo brand on the high street, and everyone likes them because they cater to a variety of needs and wants.

Batiste has dry shampoos for brunettes and blondes with hints of colour, which is amazing and innovative, and combats that horrendous looking greyish-whiteish streak left in the roots by other dry shampoos! On top of that, how gorgeous are the cans? I’m a typical consumer, drawn in by bright patterns and pretty colours.


This one, the Cool & Crisp variety smells gorgeous, like fresh linen or something. It just smells very clean, which is essential for me if I’m going to brave the outdoors with unwashed hair. I spray it in my roots, rough it up a bit, then smooth my hair back down. It adds a great amount of body, too, which is perfect. It does a brilliant job of absorbing any oil, and you can target the spray to where you need refreshing. These little cans of goodness are an absolute essential for any girl, and will literally save your life at a festival or after an impromptu sleepover. Well, there you have it, a short and sweet review on a wonderful smelling, easy to use and effective little must-have. Thank you Batiste for allowing me those extra 30 minutes in bed!



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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Pastels Wishlist - Missguided


It’s well known that Missguided is such an authority in high street fashion these days. The website has really blown up and they've got a never ending flow of amazing new stock that keeps making its way into our shopping carts. Pastels are so so so amazingly in fashion right now, and Missguided has jumped right on that wagon, coming out with a massive variety of pastel pieces in beautiful lilacs, baby blues and pinks. I've fallen in love with this girly, feminine and youthful trend, and I've been picking up a couple of Missguided items here and there for fuel my obsession, but this time I dedicated an entire cart to my desire for all things pretty and pastel!


What a gorgeous bunch of stuff, so pretty. Pastels work best with white, in my opinion, but I've also been known to match a pair of pastel jeans with a black top and black heels for a night look. These colours just remind me of marshmallows and I genuinely can't get enough. What are your top pastel picks?


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Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser Review




Never did I think I’d see the day that I’d rave about a moisturiser! As a generally oily person (hair, skin, face), I never really needed help with feeling moisturised or nourished, as I always felt a bit greasy and clammy. I actually only picked up a moisturiser because I felt like I ought to have one in my collection, and it would be nice to soothe my face after a deep cleanse.

I popped into Superdrug and headed straight for Simple. I’m not sure what it is about Simple, but even though they’re a drugstore brand, they seem really professional and like they really know what they’re doing in terms of skincare. I also love the fact that they’re gentle and contain no colours or fragrances, and aren’t chock full of harsh chemicals. They’ve got a Clear Skin range (link) which honestly was a godsend before I started going for more expensive skincare products. They’re a wonderful range of products and did a fantastic job of cleansing my skin and keeping it looking clear. I’d never tried the Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser before, though, and so I picked it up.

With my skin, I always always always avoid words like ‘nourishing’ and ‘hydrating’ and ‘moisture boost’ when I pick my skincare, because they’ll just end up overdoing it for me. If you’re an oily person like me, then look for words like ‘balancing’ or ‘oil free’ when you’re choosing a moisturiser.

This moisturiser is light and clean-feeling on the skin, which is a huge must for me. There’s nothing worse than that claggy, clammy, greasy feeling after you apply a moisturiser. It spreads evenly, doesn’t have a particular smell and feels really light and..well, healthy on my face! I only need it once a day, if that, but I do find my skin needs it after a good going over with my Calrisonic, which can leave it feeling a bit dry and tight afterwards.

I’ve noticed a massive reduction in my spots since I began using this moisturiser! It’s amazing to think that I’d been avoiding moisturisers for so long because I didn’t want to add excess grease, but the right kind of moisturiser can actually help to actively reduce the amount of oils and sebum your face produces during the day.




It has helped me out a whole load, and I’d recommend using a good moisturiser to anyone, regardless of how oily your skin is. It might just be the thing that reduces your spots and calms your oiliness!



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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

My Pamper Session Essentials! - Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, Babescrub, Lush Fresh Face Mask






I’m aaaall about taking out time for myself to pamper myself and treat myself. Ever since I started bleaching my hair, I needed to make time to do a hair masque. After that, I started doing a face mask at the same time, and I found that gorgeously relaxing. So I started delving into the world of body scrubs and Clarisonics, and began taking about an hour or two out of every Sunday night to thoroughly cleanse and scrub and detoxify. I usually settle down with a good book, or stick on the tv for an hour or so and allow my face and hair mask to work their magic. So, what are my top 3 pamper essentials?

Hair: Macadamia Deep Repair Masque
I'll always start by washing my hair with whichever shampoo I'm using at the time, so in the most previous case, it's the Goldwell DualSenses Rich Repair Shampoo, and then smooth on a really generous and thick layer of the Macadamia Masque over my hair. I absolutely love this hair masque; it is my holy grail product for keeping my dry, split and frizzy bleached hair under control. It leaves my hair feeling incredibly smooth (something I hadn't experienced truly for years!) and adds a bit of healthy sparkle and shine. I did a full review on this hair masque if you wanted to know more (here), but it's amazing and I adore it. 

Face: Lush Cosmetics Cupcake Fresh Face Mask
OH. MY. GOD. I have an upcoming review on this product, and I'm literally dying to write it, but I'm waiting until I've used it a few more times so I can be really fair, but so far I'm really loving it! I give my face a quick whizz over with my trusty Clarisonic, which I use every night anyway, and then I whack on a couple of small scoops of this baby, and massage it into my skin and make sure it's thick and even. This one smells incredible and really cleanses and removes the oils from my face. When you wash it off, you can even rub it in circular motions to exfoliate. Ah-mazing. Definitely watch out for my full review on the mask!

Body: The BabeScrub No.1 Green Tea Body Scrub
This scrub, and every scrub from the Babescrub range for that matter, is amazing, and sooo luxurious. It's perfect for that special Sunday evening pamper and you really feel like you've got rid of that week's worth of grime and grossness. It does a beautiful job of exfoliating, smoothing and nourishing your skin. The Green Tea one is also meant to target spots and blemishes on the skin, which I've unfortunately got a whooole load of at the minute! I love the scrubs so much I did a huge long review of all three, which you can check out here!






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Birthday Wishlist!


White Low Converse £35 Office // Joni Jeans £40 Topshop // Dermalogica Oily Skin Kit £25.50 LookFantastic.com // Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in Lace £9.99 Boots // Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Buttercream £10.50 Boots // MAC Shy Girl Lipstick £15 MAC // Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19 Boots // RealTechniques MultiTask Brush £12 eBay // Sweet Lips Lip Scrub £5.75 Lush // Pale Pink Playsuit £12.99 Missguided // Strappy Chunky Sole Sandals £38 Lavish Alice // Barry M Gelly Nail Varnish in Rose Hip and Huckleberry £3.99 Superdrug // Hawaiin Dream Two-Piece £35 Love Too True

Well, my birthday certainly has swung round quickly! I swear, the older you get, the less excited you get in the weeks before! I didn't even realise I'd be nineteen this month until a couple of days ago. Cue a mad rush around the internet machine to get together a nice little wishlist for my birthday weekend! My dad is taking me shopping next Friday, and then I'm going to buy myself some presents To: Me From: Me! Birthdays are an amazing excuse to spoil yourself rotten! Who else is a May baby? 




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Saturday, May 17, 2014

Collective Haul! - Beauty, Homeware, Haircare, Fashion





Ok, ok, after looking at these pictures on my computer screen, I realise I’m eligible for the ‘Worst photographer of the year Award’, but I was so excited when I got in from Exeter yesterday that I just hastily snapped these on my iPhone. I went a bit crackers on the spending yesterday; I literally only popped out to the shops to buy some black canvas shoes for work. Typically, I was lured into a whole load of shops on the way, and ended up spending a whole lot more than I initially intended.

First was New Look, where my eye was caught by a ‘3 pairs for £4’ socks stand, and I grabbed a pink polka dot pair with a little bow, the same in pastel blue, and a pair with an owls face on the toes. Highly unnecessary, but cute all the same!

Then I headed off to Boots and was greeted by the dreaded ‘3 for 2’ sign around the haircare, cue a mad dash around the shelves to add things to my basket that I suddenly realised I ‘needed’. I picked up the Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes Conditioner which I had actually been meaning to pick up (after a recent blonde moment where I mistakenly picked up two bottles of shampoo, duh). Then I grabbed the Schwarzkopf Got 2 B hairspray, which is hands down the best hairspray I’ve tried, and I’m almost out of my old bottle. Then, in desperation, I grabbed the Batiste Dry Shampoo in Cool & Crisp Fresh, because, well, why not?

My next stop was Lush, and I’d been eyeing up their face masques online and doing my research on other beauty blogs to find one perfect for my skin type. I’d had my eye on brazened honey, but the very helpful lady in the shop advised I got either Cosmetic Catastrophe or Cupcake. I went for Cupcake because of my horrendously oily skin. At first I was sort of put off by the name and the smell: chocolate. I don’t know, but chocolate seems like it’s bad for you and I was a bit reluctant, but in the end, after reading through its other ingredients and hearing about its benefits, I picked it up. To view Cupcake on Lush’s website, click here!

Then onto Primark. Oh, Primark! You will always be my greatest love and my greatest hate! Why are you so cheap and affordable and bang on trend, but why must you always sell out of my size and have really long queues and drain my bank balance!? Anyway, I went in and immediately got caught off guard by a beautiful pair of red and white gingham shorts, or maybe it’s a skort? I’m not 100% which it’d be classed as, but in any case, they’re gorgeous. Unfortunately, the size 8’s were sold out, but there was no way I’d leave the store without a pair (£10)! Then I grabbed some cuffed ankle PJ bottoms (£7 I think), because again, why not! Then some pink fluffy slippers (£4), a white fluffy throw for my bed (£5), a light grey zippy hoodie (£8), and a simple white bra (£6 I think!). Phew! So what was at first a routine browse transformed quickly into a little spending spree. Luckily, my Primark bill was only about £40, so it could have been a whole load worse!

Then on the way to the station I stopped off a WH Smiths with the intention to browse the books, which is a strange occurrence for me because I reeeally struggle with choosing a new book to read. I made my way over the Penguin Classics, my absolute treasure trove, and decided I’d reread an old favourite to kickstart my new reading habit. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is a controversial one, but I adore it for its beautiful style and hilarious protagonist, poor doomed Humbert Humbert. Then, because I’m addicted, I grabbed the new Cosmo issue on my way out.

A successful day out, I’m sure you’ll agree! Look out for product reviews and style posts featuring these things. Thank you so much for reading, and please leave me a comment or follow me on bloglovin to stay in touch! 





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Friday, May 16, 2014

Video: GRWM - Shopping


I had a bit of a break with filming videos while I settled into UK life again, but now I’m all sorted and happy to be making my regular videos again.

The products I used in this video are:
Benefit PoreFessional Pro Balm
L'oreal True Match Foundation in Vanilla
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory
Face Of Australia Loose Translucent Powder
MAC StudioFix Powder Plus Foundation in NW15
Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium
NARS Deep Throat
Naked 3 Palette
NYC High Defintion Liquid Eyeliner Pen
Benefit They're Real Mascara
MAC Lipstick in Peach Blossom





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Cosmpolitan Blog Awards 2014!


As many of you will already know, it’s already time for the Cosmopolitain Blog Awards for 2014! I’ve spent the last God knows how long voting for and nominating my favourite blogs and I’m so excited to see who ends up getting the award!

I’ve been blogging regularly for about 3 or 4 months now, and I can honestly say it’s my first love and my blog is like my baby. I don’t expect to win, but I can’t tell you what it would mean if a couple of you (only if you enjoy reading my stuff!) would nominate my blog for Best New Beauty Blog. I’ve been growing and growing recently and I’d love to put my name on the beauty blogging map. 

All you have to do is click this link (Cosmpolitan Blog Awards 2014) and type in www.jasminemcrae.blogspot.co.uk to the box, and select the category Best New Beauty Blog. It only takes a second and I’m happy to return the favour if I like the look of your stuff too!

You’ll probably be able to tell, especially if you’ve been following my blog for a while, that the quality and consistency of my photos and pieces have been getting better. I’ve started dedicating a lot more time to my one true love, and I’m pleased to say I think it’s paying off! My follower count is rising, my YouTube video views are increasing and I’m starting to feel really welcome within the blogging community.

Whether you nominate me or not, please know that I’m so grateful for your support and attention because you really allow me to express my love for all things beauty, fashion and life. I love you all!



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Skinfood Mud Masque Review





Well well well, if it isn’t my most adored beauty product of the moment! I’ve been so excited to write this post for a few weeks now, and simply haven’t gotten around to it (probably because I’ve been too busy buttering my face up with this very masque). It is, of course, the Skinfood New Zealand Mud Masque, which I’ve adored endlessly since receiving it through the post. I added this baby to my Amazon basket, and to be honest, it wasn’t one of those products I’d been lusting over. It caught my eye as I was scrolling and I just thought, ‘whatever’, and clicked. It actually sat unused in my drawer for a few days after I got it (very, very weird for a person who likes to inspect and road-test all their new things as the postman is still shoving it through the letterbox).

All this aside, after I’d used it, I was sold and I fell immediately in love with my new holy-grail product. I have, arguably, Britain’s oiliest face, and so I’ve got to steer clear of ‘nourishing’ or ‘hydrating’ masks, which is a shame because this tends to be a lot of them. The Skinfood Mud Masque is a deep cleanser which gets right into your pores and rounds up all the oils, dirt and sweat, leaving your pores looking small and your skin feeling soft. It’s a natural based product, too, meaning it shouldn’t be too harsh on the skin and it smells incredible! It contains Rotorua mud, which is found in volcanoes. Then there’s spirulina, which is apparently also amazing for stimulating your skin, as well your brain. There’s Vitamin E, Apricot Oil and Lavender Oil which all work together to rejuvenate and cleanse the skin. The smell of the masque is actually quite citrus-y, and I got a bit teary last time I applied it because it is quite intense!

Nevertheless, the masque is luxuriously thick and smooth in application, and squeezes out of the tube easily. By the way, I muuuuch prefer masques in tubes rather than in pots. (Who were masques in pots designed for?? Where is this community of people who have the extra limb necessary for screwing the lid back on when there’s product on your hand??) Gripe aside, I adore this masque and it spreads out evenly over my skin. It is cool and refreshing at first, but the real magic happens as this baby starts to dry!


In the pictures below, you can see where the real work is being done. As the masque begins to dry, you can clearly see the oils being absorbed by the masque around my nose and forehead, and also where my spots were (the one to the left of my lip is most obvious). You can literally SEE this masque working. For £9.62, the Skinfood Mud Masque is an absolute steal, and works miracles on my oily skin, which stays nice and matte for at least a good few hours after use. I love it, and I’m sure you guys will too. It is definitely one of beauty’s unsung heroes! Let me know if anyone else has used it!





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