Home Again!

I'm now back home from my 10 day holiday and I have such an amazing time!

As I mentioned in my previous blogs about how much I loved cruises, this one was just the same. Waking up late to a different country each morning, hot weather, all you can eat ice cream and amazing dinners, I want to go back already!

I've got literally hundreds of photos of it all. I'm usually awful for taking photos, I always regret it afterwards but this time I was determined to capture as much as possible so now my phone is full of them, mission accmplished.

As I write this paragraph, I've yet to upload them to my computer as I like to document and save them all on here so in a minute I'll do that and then add some below in a diary form - sort of!

When I got back my Glossy Box had been left outside our gate, for at least 3 days in the rain :( but fortunately it hadn't wrecked the box or any of the products, only the outer posting box which I was thankful for! This month's box is the London Edition, I had a quick look at the items at 11:30pm the other night when I got home but I haven't had a chance to try them yet as I've been so busy already. I'll try get that done by the end of this week but worst case scenario, it will definitely be next week.

Have a wonderful rest of your week.. On to the photos..

Day 1

Cipriani Hotel, Venice Italy

 In the water taxi on the way to the Cipriani Hotel

The view from my room's balcony

Day 2

Embarkation Day, Venice Italy

Embarking the Norwegian Jade

The view of Venice docks from our sundeck

Day 3

Dubrovnik, Croatia

 The view of Dubrovnik, Croatia from our sundeck

The Dubrovnik starting to set

Day 4

Day at Sea

My brother and I went for a walk on this day around the ship and got to the back of the boat where you could see the wake left behind us. I personally love this photo!

Day 5

Piraeus, Greece

 I took this photo as we were coming in to Pireaus Port, Greece at 6a.m. It was still dark, the street lights were all still on and the sun was starting to come up.

Day 6

Izmir, Turkey

That afternoon once we'd left the port, we sailed in to a huge storm. The lightning was amazing and you couldn't even see the water next to you it was such thick fog!

Day 7

Day at Sea

No photos for this day :(

Day 8

Split, Croatia

This was the most beautiful place we visited by far! It was so windy and there were hundreds of sailing boats on the water all day long.

The sky and sea were so pretty and little houses were dotted all over the sides of the hills.

Day 9

Debarkation Day and Cipriani Hotel, Venice Italy

 At the hotel they had a little pond at the front full of fish and when we arrived a family of four tortoises were out by the side of it.. They were so cute!

After we'd got off the boat and back to the hotel we got straight by the pool to get some last bits of sun as it was so hot.

Day 10

Cipriani Hotel, Venice and Home Time :(

 Before we flew home in the afternoon, my Mum and I took the hotel's boat over to 'mainland Venice' as I wanted some new sunglasses and managed to get this photo from St. Marc's Square among all the tourists.

 We then came back to the hotel and had lunch in the Pool Bar restaurant which sits on the dock.

This photo was taken while flying home, high above the clouds!

I loved this holiday so much, I can't wait to do the same again although we're planning on going on a cruise around Alaska next summer then going to my second home, Whistler, Canada for a couple of weeks :)

I'm in Venice!

Well after a complete nightmare this morning with flight times and a suitcase of ours being left behind I'm now relaxing in my beautiful room in Venice, Italy!

I absolutely love it here, it's at least my fourth consecutive year here and it never ceases to amaze me. We always get a 'water taxi' from the airport to our hotel (as there aren't any roads!) it's just out of this world and such an amazing experience.

We're staying at the Hotel Cipriani and have previously stayed at the Danielli,where Daniel Craig stayed when they were filming a James Bond film, and also the Luna Baglioni. The Cipriani is by far my most favourite hotel, first of all they have a massive pool and it's so quiet peaceful as opposed to previous hotels I've stayed in which are on the main island of Venice so it's full of tourists 24/7. This is out on a little island opposite St Marc's Square and the gardens are absolutely stunning, I'm in love!

Tomorrow I'm getting on to the Norwegian Jade ship to go on a 7 day cruise around the Mediterranean Sea. I'm so excited, I can't wait to wake up in the morning and take another water taxi to the port.

Below are some of the many photos I've already taken and all add some more whilst on the cruise throughout the week!

Holiday Packing!

It's now less than a week until I fly to Venice and then board a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea and I cannot wait!

We've gone on this particular cruise for the last few years and have the most beautiful suite. I adore cruises, I'm not one to get off and look around, I just prefer to stay on the deck and sunbathe the whole time.

I've got a whole load of stuff to pack, it's going to be madness next week and this week has been crazy enough just trying to get ahead with work.

I'll post photos of my packing mayhem as I go along and I'll also be blogging whilst I'm away and posting photos of my outfits and the ship.. It's called the Norwegian Jade! NCL have the most amazing ships, the countdown is on!

Have you ever been on a cruise before?

August Glossy Box Reveal & Review!

Hello wonderful readers

I hope you're enjoying your weekend.. Or beginning of your Bank Holiday if you live in England.

In this post I'm going to be showing you what I received in my August Glossy Box and give you a review of each product.

This month I received 5 different items in my 'High-Flyers' themed box which includes products from around the world. It was the usual dusty pink box and came with a folding leaflet with the list of products and also introduced the new CEO of Glossy Box UK, Rachel Kavanagh. This box is full of beauty goodies for 'the girl on the go' to help with looking great whilst on your summer travels.. And to make them even better, all the liquids are under 100ml so they can be taken in your hand luggage on flights!

On to the products now...

Emite Make Up Eyelash Curler

This eyelash curler is really great in my opinion. I do like my eyelash curlers although I'm relatively lucky that my natural lashes have a slight curl already but it's always nice to enhance that. One thing which I particularly love about this set by Emite Make Up is that it comes with four rubber cushions which hold your lashes as you apply the gentle pressure to curl them. Most eyelash curlers that I've seen only come with two in total which can be a pain if you lose one!

It has a special curved design which is supposed to 'suit all eye shapes without touching your make up base'. This works well for me but I don't have several different eye shapes to test it on! They're really easy to hold and are comfortable to use without pinching your skin however the actual movement is slightly stiff/slow so a couple of times I've pulled my eyelid.

TIP: Curl your eyelashes before applying mascara and try gently heating your curlers before curling as this will help to set the curl in place for the whole day (just like straightening or curling your hair!)

RRP: Approx. £20

Available at: Emite Make Up

Juicy Couture 'Viva La Juicy Noir' Perfume

I must admit, I usually find Juicy Couture perfumes a bit too sweet and overpowering for my liking so I was a bit optimistic about trying Viva La Juicy Noir. This scent however has pleasantly surprised me! Yes, it's very strong when you first apply it but once it settles on your skin, it's a lovely berry smell. I wouldn't usually go for a perfume with this sort of note as I prefer strong floral smells. It's the sort of perfume which you can put on in the morning and still smell on yourself at the end of the day.. (I tested!) I don't like perfumes which I become 'numb' to so I like to rotate mine around but this is one which you'll never forget you're wearing! I think this perfume may just have edged me towards trying more fragrances by this brand..

Not only that but the bottle is beautiful as well and I'm a sucker for a beautiful perfume bottle ;)

RRP: From £35.00

Available at: Debenhams, The Perfume Shop, Superdrug and Boots

Philosophy Daily Cleanser

I tried this 3-in-1 cleanser by Philosophy the other evening as part of my usual skin routine and replaced it with my usual cleanser. The scent of this is really lovely and reminds me of a spa, I just love any products which smell like a spa! You apply this to a damp face, the product itself is quite runny and difficult to control but once massaged in to your face for a minute or so, it turns slightly thicker and works in to your skin. When washing off, it's quite slimy when trying to use your hands so I used the muslin cloth which I'd normally use and it worked perfectly. I then used my usual toner and moisturiser to finish and my face feels just as smooth and clean as normal, however, I'll be sticking to my usual brand of facial cleansing products.. but it's a close second!

RRP: £17.50 for 240ml or £28.50 for 480ml

Available at: Pilosophy or Debenhams

Jelly Pong Pong 2-in-1 Crayon

I've received products from Jelly Pong Pong before in my Glossy Box and they seem to be quite girly but for me, the quality just isn't there in them. I tried this eyeliner (the colour of which I don't know as I can't see it written anywhere on the pencil) and when I made a swatch on my hand, the colour was quite strong but when I tried this on my eyelid I couldn't apply enough pressure to get a good colour. Obviously you wouldn't do this to your eye but the colour was just too weak for me. I think with my skin colour being so pale that this colour just doesn't suit me anyway so it made me look like I had a skin condition.

Unfortunately, I'm not in love with Jelly Pong Pong products up until now but hopefully in the future I'll be able to receive something which I'll love!

Below is a swatch of the colour against my awfully pale skin

RRP: £10.50
Available at: Jelly Pong Pong

Óceane Make Up Remover Pen

This beauty pen comes all the way from Brazil and I'm really pleased I received it in my box this month. It's designed to tidy up the edges of your make up and any mishaps. Ideal for your eyelashes dotting mascara on to your eyelids or when you smudge it across your nose! It's also great for if you get a bit carried away with your lipstick and removes all of these with ease and no further smudging whilst trying to remove the mistake! The other great thing is that it comes with four tips, these are obviously going to get marked with use and you can use both ends so really you have eight to go at.

I was in a rush the other day and putting my mascara on last, I managed to catch the wand on the outside corner of my eye. This was the perfect chance to test this and I was so pleased with how well it worked, i just gently dabbed it on to my skin and it disappeared instantly All that's needed after is blending of your foundation etc to just hide the erased area. (I'd usually be using a cotton bud and smudging the mark around my face) It doesn't have an odor and is perfect for putting in to your handbag for when you re-apply your make up later in the day. Unfortunately it's not available in the UK yet so I'll be using it frugally for now but I'll let you know if I find it somewhere! If you find it before me, please let me know and I'll be eternally grateful :)

RRP: Not currently available in the UK

Available at: Not currently available in the UK. Visit Oceane for more information.

It's fair to say that I'm pretty pleased with my first Glossy Box in a few months! Have you received the August Glossy Box, if so, what did you receive and what did you think of it?

The quest to find the perfect pink

I've been on a quest to find the perfect colour for my summer holiday which is only two weeks away now and I've recently been trying out a number of different pink nail polishes ever since I've moved away from the traditional pink and white 'French Manicure' look which I've always previously had. I've also moved away from the square shaped nails which I've had for the past 6 or 7 years of having my nails done and decided to try out 'almond' shaped ones. This came about when everyone was obsessing over 'stiletto' nails and I just knew that wouldn't work for me so I tried this shape instead to see how they'd look on my chubby hands..

I've loved them ever since I took the plunge and it's also meant I've had a colour on my nails again for the first time in over a year! I have over 60 different colours and I've only used about 19 :( ..I seem to find one I like, obsess over it for a month or so, get bored, find another and the circle starts again!

It's fun to have a bright colour in summer though and I love it! I usually prefer having the pink and white acrylic over a colour because the edges of the colour gradually get worn off so I'm always sure to take my own polish from home to the nail shop so I can patch anything up if that happens :)

Anyway.. On to the colours!..

When I first moved away from my previous square, pink and white nails I went for a bright pink that was at the shop, it was too thin and I hate when I can see the light through my nails and the brush stokes below is a not so good image of the colour, don't get me wrong it's a great colour but the 'quality' wasn't there for me. I do however love the acrylic flowers I had on both ring fingers but I only have these when I'm in the mood for them! I can't remember the brand unfortunately but if I come across it again I'll update you

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So.. I decided to try this beautiful colour by O.P.I it's called 'Japanese Rose Garden' and is such a lovely deep 'thick' colour with very very fine glitter to give it a nice shimmer. I got given this as part of a number of O.P.I colours from, funnily enough a man, as a present for my eighteenth Birthday last year! He has great taste haha ;) 

I absolutely loved this colour, as I said above its just so thick and lovely, it goes on great and whatever polish I have, I always do two coats but I guess you could get away with only one with this! :) (I'll try find a photo of this colour on)

Japanese Rose Garden by O.P.I
RRP: £11.50
Available at: OPIUK.com

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The next pink I tried was a Models Own colour called 'Pink Punch' which is a very neon pink with a hint of orange to it. It's beautiful for summer and I absolutely love it. I bought this as a set of 15 which I bought from the Models Own website over a year ago now. I'll definitely be going back to it soon, but needed to try one last colour before I go away as I've had this for the past 6 weeks or so!

Pink Punch by Models Own
RRP: £5.00
Available at: ModelsOwnIt.com

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The final colour is one which I bought only last week.. It's a beautiful neon 'pink' pink from Models Own called 'Bubblegum' and I think this is the chosen colour I'll be wearing for my cruise around the Mediterranean Sea! I thought that 'Pink Punch' was a neon pink but after buying and comparing these two colours, it had much more of an orange tone to it.. The comparison of the two is below.

It comes in a frosted bottle which is from their recently launched 'Ice Neon' range where they suggest for you to keep them in the fridge to enhance the colour and keep it from fading. I haven't tried this yet but I might do one day, either way, its a fun novelty bottle! Models Own colours always impress me. They're always such strong colours and are never watery, they usually need two coats and last for a couple of weeks depending on how you wear them.

Bubblegum by Models Own
RRP: £5.00 for a single bottle
£20.00 for the box set which includes 5 polishes
Available at: ModelsOwnIt.com

I am however disappointed with the bottle. I'm currently wearing this colour as I blog and I was just touching up the ends. I've had it on for about a week now and I've been doing a lot of paper work so they've worn down quicker than usual.. I went to unscrew the lid to the bottle and it came unglued from the brush! The nail varnish from previous use had set the lid in place slightly and broke it to my disappointment. It was easy to fix, I just picked the dried polish off and shoved the brush back on but they obviously don't put much glue on to keep them together. So that's my only downer, but that's only the bottle and can easily be fixed! :)

What colour have you got on your nails at the moment?

Follow me on Instagram!

Hi everyone,

Today I'm really ill and haven't moved from bed yet :(

But this morning, my August Glossy Box arrived! It's the 'highflyers' box with great little handbag sized beauty bits which you can take and use anywhere.. And they've made them all under 100ml so that you can take them on your flight to freshen up :) I haven't had chance to take any photos or trying anything just yet but I'll try and get that done and posted for you before the end of the week!

On a completely different note, I have Instagram, I've been addicted to it for almost 2 years now and love looking at other people's creative photos. If you'd like to follow me my name is @jadehammond. Below is a snapshot of the kind of photos I've posted!

Have you got Instagram? If so, let me know you name by leaving a comment, I'd love to take at look at your photos :)

 

 

New name: JadesBeautyBar

After being away for so long, I've now decided that I hated my blog name.

When I first started with my Blog, Twitter and TouTube accounts, I chose the name Jadesigns. This is the name which I design all my cards under for HelloTurtle.com as my main job and I thought I could link them together. I've come to realise that Jadesigns has nothing to do with what I want to portray and build upon whilst blogging. The other problem was that it can be read in two different ways 'Jade-signs' or 'Ja-designs' depending on where you put the emphasis. The proper way to say it was 'Ja-designs', this works well for my job as my name is Jade and I design cards however it still doesn't fit with beauty!

I went through a load of names, testing whether they're available to register and obviously the majority are already taken by other beauty bloggers :(

I wanted something to do with beauty as that is prodominently what I'll be blogging about and fashion etc. will come with that also but they aren't my main focus. After trying over 30 different names I came up with, that every one had beat me to, I came up with 'JadesBeautyBar'. Jade will relate it to me, beauty is what I'll be blogging about and bar was just a cute touch on the end!

I'm always thinking about the future anyway and one day I'll be owning my own beauty salon where you can have every treatment under the sun, so I guess I've got a name for it already! ;)

I've changed my header now and will change a few bits to match on my YouTube account for those who still visit so that they can be directed to the right place.

I'm hopefully going to be receiving my GlossyBox tomorrow, although I'm not entirely sure whether it's July or August, so I'll post that up hopefully before the weekend.

Have a lovely rest of your week, what do you think of my new name?