How do You feel about Private labelling?

cosmetics_private_labelling

I found this blog post on my desktop last week that I wrote way back at the beginning of 2012 and for some reason didn't post it. So I thought I would post it now as it is still relevant and quite an interesting topic I feel.

For me private labelling has been something I have known about for quite some time but I just don't know what to make of it as the beauty brands that opt for the service don't make it clear so I never who which brands do use it, which makes me feel a bit indifferent about it all. But I don't think anyone really wants to purchase products from a brand that doesn't create their own cosmetics and basically picks them out of a catalogue - I know for me that totally wipes out the creativity of that brand!

What is Private Labelling?
For all that don't know what private labelling is, it is basically when companies produce unbranded products that then get bought by brands that put their of brand name and product name on it. Some brands will package the products themselves, some pay the company to do it for them, sometimes brands will even pay the private label to do it all - so they provide the actual cosmetics, the packaging and then place the brands requested label/branding on them. Then that specific cosmetic brand will release it as a new product. 

If you think about it you can easily spot some private label beauty products - ever used hotel toiletries with the logo of the hotel on it? Yep, that is private labelling. Ever purchased a magazine with free makeup that has the logo of that magazine/no logo on it? Again, private labelling. Salons and spa also use private labelling and also airline, but the list does go on and on. In these sectors it is the only way as hotels, magazines etc can't be going through the length process of making a skincare product as each test to make sure it's safe and within certain regulations takes money and time. 

However this is another side to it which isn't so great for us- the consumers. Lets say for example next year the new type of product is tinted eyebrow gels. So a high street brand instead of developing their own, purchase a huge order with a private labelling company and put their own brand name on it. They then market the product and sell it for £6.50. Then a high end or more expensive cosmetic brand come along to the same private labelling company and purchase a huge order of the same product at the exact same price, they put then own brand logo on it, maybe even use their own packaging to make it look more expensive and then they charge £12.00 for it. So you have two identical products that perform in exactly the same way but at totally different prices. A possible example of this can be seen on British Beauty Blogger here. This can of course also happen with food and clothing.

A few well known cosmetics brands that have used private labelling in the past (I cannot say for certain they do now) are - Lime Crime, Daniel Sandler, Jelly Pong Pong and Pixi.

Which takes me on to how brands that use private labelling would be viewed if we were aware of this practice. Does this make them glorified re-packagers? Does it mean they are lying to us if they talk about why they created X product? Are they less creative as a brand? Also when it comes to a makeup line that has been 'created' by a makeup artist surely they know we are all going to assume these products have been designed to be the best by the makeup artist based on their vast knowledge of products and experience... so again, are they indirectly lying to us by doing this?

Celebrity Products
The other side to cosmetic private labelling is 'celebrity' products... now celebrities perfumes are fine, we all know the celebrity has a meeting or maybe even a few (imagine that!) and has a sniff of a few different notes and selects ones they like - so they do have an input in the scent. But imagine a celebrity that is coming out with a tanning range or range of makeup products for Christmas... the amount of people they would need to employ/pay to create a totally unique range of products would be huge. So they go to a private labelling company, select the products they want to use, they then design the packaging, have their logo put onto the products and there you have it - Celebrity X's amazing new range! Yes, ALL celebrities do it... it's impossible for them not to do it as like I mentioned their costings would be huge otherwise. 
  
I personally feel Private Labelling should be a service for corporate businesses such as hotels and all beauty brands such be manufacturing their own products ! 

However if for whatever reason a brand does use private labelling (christmas gift sets, celebity products) then they could disclosure this on the label so that we are aware of it. 

 How do you feel about Private Labelling?

Fee xo. 

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Montagne Jeunesse Foot Cooler Mask

Montagne_Jeunesse_foot_cooler

Yesterday was Face Mask Friday, or just Friday, or Good Friday if you are a non-beauty blogger person. And I didn't post a face mask review because I forgot I actually tried out a Monu face mask in the shower, so I thought I didn't have anything to write about! 

Which is why I have decided to leave that review for next week and review an interesting foot mask instead. You don't often see masks for other areas of the body but they are quite nice... (not that there is anything stopping you from applying a face mask anywhere I guess) and so I think once I have come to the end of my Face Mask Friday series I will start seeking out more unique masks to review. 
 
montagne_jeunesse_foot_mask_review 

Montagne Jeunesse Foot Cooler 80ml
£4.99 (here) or from select ASDA stores

Now I did try out this new Montagne Jeunesse Foot Cooling Mask when my feet were feeling cold which in hindsight probably wasn't the best of ideas as it made my feet even colde. But it did give me a good sense of how the product works and how affective it is. 

Following the simple instructions on the back of the squeezy bottle I first washed my feet and patted them dry. I them rubbed on the gel like cream and massage it into my feet a bit. Then I sat back and watched a few YouTube videos. As the cream dried I noticed it turned to more of a light blue chalky/powder texture which I expected to come off when I rubbed my foot but it didn't. The last step on the back of the tube is to leave on the mask which I find quite odd as surely you don't want to be walking around with chalky looking feet but I guess if your feet were really hot and puffy (in summer or from too much shopping/walking) you could leave this on while watching TV etc. I personally decided to leave it on for 20 minutes and then rinsed it off. 

While the mask was on I did feel a cooling sensation on the tops of my feet but actually this really intensified when I washed it off for over the next 2 hours which really did impress me, even though I didn't really want cold feet at the time. I definitely think this must has something to do with the peppermint in the mask. 

My only dislike of the mask would have to be the smell... I just don't think blueberries and peppermint are two scents that go together at all! 

However I was sooooo impressed with how this preformed and know I will be using this after all-day trips to the Trafford Centre shopping and on hot days this summer (I'm keeping the faith for hot weather this year!). A really unique product from Montagne Jeunesse.

Fee xo. 

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Easy Easter Nail Art

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Easter is here and a lovely long weekend, which hopefully means lots of Easter egg eating, movie watching and general relaxation. 

To get myself in to the spirit of Easter now that I am an adult and sadly don't receive 10+ Easter eggs anymore I thought I would come up with some simple Easter Egg nails!

I decided to use the new Models Own Fruit Pastel nail polishes (£20 for all 5 from Models Own here or £5 each in Boots) as they are just the perfect shades for spring and create a really nice base for nail art when using all the shades. I actually only just realised that there are 5 nail polishes in each Model Own collection so you can actually paint each nail a different colour. I wonder if this was Model Own's idea in the first place? Probably so.  
 
Models_own_polishes

To create the nails you will need lots of different pretty pastel nail polishes, a dotting tool/hair grip and a nail art striping brush or a thin eyeliner brush. 

With all nail art I find leaving the base nail polish colour to fully dry is so important to be able to paint on the nail art easily. So I painted my nails with the Models Own Fruit Pastel nail polishes and then left them to completely dry for 30 minutes, of course getting on with other things. 
  • First on each alternate nail I created polka dots in different colours. If you don't own a dotting tools using the end of a hair grip/bobby pin will work in a similar way (though sets of dotting tools from eBay are under £2 - here). To create a neat looking polka dot pattern I always start with 4 or 5 dots down the centre of the nail and then place the other dots vertically either side. 
  •  For the more Easter egg looking nails you want to paint two horizontal squiggly lines with a nail art brush. These can be as neat or as messy as you like or even just straight lines if that is easier to do. If you want to change up the colour of the squiggles just make sure to keep a cotton pad with nail polish remover close by to quickly clean the nail art brush.
  • Next using the dotting tool again place a row of dots in between the two squiggly lines.
  • Finish with a clear top coat or even a sparse glitter top coat for a decorated egg look! I also dotted on Models Own Gold Finger over the central dots as I wanted to make my nails look more fun!
Models_own_easter_nail_art

Nail polishes used... 
Base nail polishes - Models Own Fruit Pastel in Apple Pie, Grape Juice, Banana Split, Blueberry Muffin, Strawberry Tart.
For the dots - Essie Tour De Finance, Kiko 419(coral), Kiko 422 (turquoise)
For the squiggles - Essie Tour De Finance, Essie Where's My Chauffeur?
Glitter nail polishes -Models Own Gold Finger, Avon Silver Plated
Top Coat - NYC Clear Nail Polish (Favourite clear top coat)

I really couldn't be more pleased with how these turned out. They looks so similar to when you decorate eggs for Easter but also very spring appropriate with the pastel colours. I will definitely be trying to keep these chip-free over the weekend by applying a top coat every day to keep them looking nice. 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend whatever you are doing - hopefully eating at least one Easter Egg! 

Fee xo.


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My Favourite Instagrammers - Part 2

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As here promised here is Part two to my favourite Instagrammers. You can view Part 1 here which lists my favourite beauty, fashion and all round lovely Instagrammers.

nail_art_instagram 

@wahnails - Wah's Instagram account is full of snaps of clients nails, which are great for nail inspiration but also interesting to see what people go for on their nails! 
 
@tweetiisweetii  - Amazing nail art by Tweety - always flawless and creative! Lots of nail images and even a few step-by-step nail art tutorials. 
 
@bedizzle - The most detailed and creative nails I ever did see here! This account makes me want to get out my nail art brushes and try more detailed nail art. 
 
@michellepoena - More NOTD's than nail art with this account but still amazingly done. I also fine myself Googling the nail polishes used as she always uses nail polish brands that aren't available in the UK
 
@letsgogetnailed - A great one for more simple nail art that can easily be achieved by anyone that loves painting their nails. Also the images always seem really summery which I love
 
@onenailtorulethemall - I am constantly wow'd at the detail and creativity of Alice's nails. They are literally amazing and so my style. Also she does share which nail art brushes and pens she uses - so helpful. 
 
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@loveyourbodycookery - I love to follow healthy food instagram account with really good photography and ideas, and this certainly is a good account for that. I've tried out a few recipes so far from this one with my favourite being the chocolate orange mini loaf cake which tastes really indulgent whilst still being healthy. 
 
@liverightbehealthy - My favourite healthy food account here! I find myself often going on the Live Right Be Healthy blog to find out a recipe after being so tempted by the photos. The sweet potato brownies are just amazing and the Blueberry Muffins are super low in calories but great for breakfast as they only contain a banana, eggs and blueberries.. though I do prefer to swap the blueberries for a teaspoon of Nutella!

 @officialfooddiary - This is the Instagram food diary of Muhsine who writes Bubblegarm. Her daily food diary has really made me think a bit more creatively about food and realise I need to stop being so lazy with meals. A great motivation if you are trying to eat healthy/clean. 

  @carlyrowena - This isn't so much a food account but a fit inspiration for me, as Carly (who has a great You Tube channel) is one healthy, fit person. I find this a great one for general motivation though I could never be as healthy as Carly! 

  @foodloverpics - Not a low calorie meal in sight just 100% food heaven here. From amazing desserts to carb overload with pizza and pasta dishes. Lots of creative ideas as well to try out
 
  @tastyhealth - Another good account of healthy desserts and sweet breakfast ideas, such as No bake Apple Pie Protein Bars and Giant Chocolate Coffee Pancakes.
 
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@instagramholidays - This is a really great seasonal/holiday Instagram account with lots of different ideas and pretty photos for each holiday. I followed the account at Christmas and loved all the images and now they have been removed for lovely new Easter and spring pics. 

  @deluxefx - From what I gather Deluxe FX is a photo editing app for the iPhone and the photos on the account are the best edited ones using the app. Lots of amazing landscapes that are just so vivid and beautiful. 

  @saramueller - This is a lovely mixture of everything account that I have been really enjoying recently. Only last week Sara posted such a great idea she'd found to organise your desktop and I decided to try it out and it worked brilliantly. A must follow just for that I think! I may actually post about the desktop background idea in another post it's that good.

  @1bite2xshy - Stacey is a must follow if you appreciate art as she is such an amazingly talented artist. Her work its just so realistic and the portrait of Lana Del Ray just blows me away everytime I look at it. 

  @rosielondoner - I'm sure most of you will already be following Rosie from The Londoner blog as she is amazingly beautiful and knows how to cook (and eat!). Just lots of lovely images of her travels, recipes and her very cute dog. 

  @huntandbow - A lovely interior Instagram account with lots of images of blue willow which I am a huge fan of. Australian interior design is actually really lovely as it seems to be a mix of UK and U.S styles.

 Really hope you have enjoyed this two-part post! 

If you would like to follow me you can do so by searching for 'makeupsavvy' on Instagram.

Fee xo.  
 
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Nip + Fab CC Complexion Corrector Range

Nip_Fab_CC_Cream_New

First there were BB Creams and now CC Creams. It makes me wonder how far down the alphabet the cosmetics industry can got before we start to think it's a bit of a marketing ploy with no science behind it. 

Well anyway we are only up to 'C' so I'm going to reserve judgement and fully embrace the new Complexion Corrector/Colour Control Creams as they are known. Especially as Nip + Fab, a brand I do  like, have brought out two new products. 

According to Nip + Fab here is why CC Creams are the next generation of BB Creams and give much better results.
 Why CC cream is more advanced than BB cream: Higher SPF sun protection,  24 hour moisturisation, light diffusing particles, corrects+blends natural skin tone, lighter texture, smoother application, shine free finish.
A lightweight hydrating complexion corrector with SPF 30 sun protection + medium coverage.
Soline® provides 24 hour moisturisation whilst the appearance of skin is toned + smoothed with oat extract.
 Here are my opinions on the new Nip+Fab CC Cream SPF 30 and CC Eye Fix both in the lightest shade - light...

Nip_Fab_CC_range

Nip + Fab Complexion Corrector Cream SPF 30  - 30ml
Feel Unique - £14.95 here 
Upon first application of this I noticed the light fresh cucumber scent and the light texture of the CC Cream. The coverage I would say is inbetween that of a BB Cream and a medium coverage foundation - enough to even out skintone, settle down redness and smooth over large pores whilst still looking and feeling on the light side. I would agree that this does give a shine-free finish meaing you don't need a powder however I failed to see how it could be classed as light diffusing as it looks quite a matte finish on my skin. Also I was worried about the claim of '24 hour moisturisation' as I do have an oily T-zone and can get spots when I hydrate my skin too much but this wasn't an issue and it seems to suit my oily skin quite well... which makes me wonder if it would be too drying for anyone with dry skin hmmmm! Also as for the quite dark looking swatch above against my pale skin, I promise it isn't a million miles away from my own skin tone when blended out however it wouldn't suit anyone with really pale skin and I know I will be using it alot more in summer when I'm not as fair. For me this is a superior BB Cream and is quite similar to the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation but with the added bonus of an SPF 30, however I still think I would opt for my Bourjois Foundation
. The CC Cream comes in two shades - light & dark. 
 
Nip + Fab CC Eye Fix
Feel Unique - £9.95 here 
Nip + Fab's other CC Cream offering is the CC Eye Fix which is described as a refreshing eye cream and concealer in one. Now a light reflecting concealer for dark circles/under the eye area it is, but eye cream it is not. I just wanted to get that out there are I really can't see how this is an eye cream at all, even though I do like the product a lot. For me this product did actually live up to the light diffusing claims really well and I would say brightened my eye area just as much as my YSL Touche Eclat, which is pretty impressive. However this worked best when I applied my normal Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer first to conceal and then the CC Eye Fix to really brighten the area, normally doing this with any other concealer would look quite heavy and highlight eye bags but as this concealer is so light it is doable. I have also been using this as a concealer/highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones, down my nose and to the sides of my nose. I think this works so well because it is actually a light enough shade and it does have pink undertones to it. Really impressed with this pen style concealer. The CC Eye Fix comes in two shades - light & medium. 
 


I thought I would also add in the video above as it does show how both products apply. Though the models skin does still look quite dewy but I think that is down to the studio lighting that will have been used and also the little amount of the CC Cream that was used on the skin. Trust me the finish of the CC Cream isn't that glowy, though the CC Eye Fix is as light reflecting as it shows in the video. 

I think both products are priced really well though and if I were to recommend anything it would be the CC Eye Fix as for under £10 it is a really nice YSL Touche Eclat style concealer! 

I'm really finding I like a lot of Nip + Fab products at the moment and recently purchased a ultra cheap gift set from ASOS for only £8.50 (here) which I have been so pleased with as you received 4 full sized products with the set. 

ASOS do have quite a lot of Nip + Fab gift set on sale in fact and I'm tempted to treat myself again. 

Fee xo.


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My Favourite Instagrammers - Part 1

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I am a huge fan of Instagram. I use it for taking my own pictures, nail art inspiration, yummy baking recipes and all round general procrastination


So I decided to round up all my favourite instagrammers, which did take some time but hopefully will be worth it if you use Instagram on your phone or desktop.

beauty_instagram 

@thebeautydept - Instagram account of The Beauty Department. Lovely images and their preview of blog posts always remind me to catch up on the Beauty Dept site.

   @viviannamakeup - I of course follow Vivianna as she is a fellow beauty blogger, but a beauty blogger with an amazing makeup and skincare collection! Always love her beauty images.
  
 @kennethsohmakeup - I love when makeup artists are on Instagram, it is like a backstage pass to their everyday life. Lots of beautiful up close shots of models and snaps of products. 

  @jessicabeautician - I love watching Jessica on Youtube, she has such good taste in makeup and skincare products which really shows through her Instagram photos. 

  @lisaeldridgemakeup - I'm a huge fan on Lisa Eldridge so following her Instagram is a must for me. Again really great to see more of her day-to-day life which seems pretty glamorous! 

  @kayleighjcouture - I feel like Kayleigh and I have a similar taste is beauty products so I'm constantly wanting what she mentions on Instagram. Also she is just too pretty for words! 
 
Fashion_instagram 

@hipsterista - Just a cute Instagram account full of outfit inspiration and lovely accessories. There are lots of account similar to this one but I find this one is updated quite often. 

  @fashionaddictx0 - Another Instragram that consists of outfit inspiration plus lots of shoes and nail art. 

  @natashandlovu - Natasha is a beautiful model and blogger with a mixture of image of jobs she has done and blog OOTDs

  @fashion_snap - Lots of cute outfit ideas for Spring/Summer on this Instagram account. Probably my favourite for outfit inspiration as there are just so many images to look through. 

  @bycelina - I follow Celina's blog which I love so this is just an extension of her blog and her love of shopping. Lots of designer handbag and shoe porn

  @fashionfilth - I am just obsessed with watching Alexia's Lookbooks on YouTube at the moment. She's actually making me want to do my own this summer for my blog! Amazing OOTD pics on her instagram account.
 

Pretty_instagram 


@glitterguide - Glitterguide.com is my go-to website for all things pretty and the Instagram account is no different. Lots of lovely images of interiors, fashion and the odd bit of beauty. 

  @garypeppergirl - Just amazing, amazing images that are so inspiring and also make me want to go on holiday to take photos and eat yummy food. 

@nouvelledaily - Nouvelle Daily is another Instagram account with beautiful images... I can see this being as amazing as Glitter Guide. Great one for baking and DIY inspiration. 

  @milkbubbleteax - Milk Bubble Tea is a blog I really love as it is so dreamy and lovely. A real escape into prettiness blog! You can expect Becky's Instagram photos to be just as dreamy and perfect. 

  @photoshome - Lots of pretty oriental images with this Instagram that always stand out and intrigue me. 

  @kristin_ess - Kristin is a contributor of The Beauty Department meaning she always has lots of interesting and pretty photos to share but also has a more laid back approach than TBD Instagram account. 

 Hope this has given you a few suggestions of who to follow on Instagram. I will be making sure to put up 'Part 2' in the next few days! 
 
Even if you don't have Instagram you can still click on the links and have a look at all the lovely images. 

Fee xo.  


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