Beauty and Beyond....

Review - Original Source vanilla milk and raspberry shower cream

2012-02-13T15:13:00.000Z

I saw this Original Source vanilla milk and raspberry shower creme on someones blog ages ago and I made it my mission to track it down because it sounded amazing!

It is a lovely creamy pink colour and oh my gosh it truly does smell amazing! Think of the most luxurious raspberry milkshake and then you're on the right tracks.

As it is a cream it is a slightly thicker consistency than a gel and in my opinion they are more luxurious.

All I can say is that when using it it is like having a shower in a milkshake and the aroma is amazing! It is mouthwatering actually. I could quite happily use this product everyday for the next year because it smells that good!

This is £2.20 for a 250ml bottle and it is also available as a handwash which is also priced at £2.20 for a 250ml bottle and they are available from most health and beauty retailers and supermarkets.

New Model's Own Spring Collection

2012-02-12T11:45:00.000Z

Models Own have just released 5 new shades of nail polish for their Spring collection.

Colours are (left - right):

Edamame - a fresh shimmering green

Naked Shimmer - a glistening gold-tinted stark beige

Soda Pop Pink - a subtle pastel beige

Peaches and Cream - a light sherbet peach

Bare Beauty - a pretty, barely there beige

These are available for £5 each or buy all five for £18 on the Models Own website!

My latest purchase....

2012-02-11T15:13:00.000Z

Blackberry Bold 9900

♥

Review - Caudalie Vinexpert radiance day fluid

2012-02-09T19:47:00.000Z

This Caudalie radiance day fluid came in one of my Feel Unique's Beauty Boxes and as I hadn't tried anything from this brand before I was quite excited to use it.

Being a fluid it is lighter than a cream so it suits my skin really well as creams can sometimes sit quite heavy on my face. It also contains SPF 10 which is ok for autumn, winter and spring but in the summer this wouldn't be my first choice of product as the SPF is quite low.

It has a nice clean scent which is slightly fruity but it's not overpowering. Even though it has a lighter formulation it moisturised my skin really well and didn't dry it out. It also left my face feeling lovely and soft and not tacky like others can.

I don't think I would buy the full sized product as I've used other products that work just as well that are cheaper. The full sized 30ml product is £30.60 and available from Feel Unique.

Review - Mitchell and Peach shower gel

2012-02-07T17:59:00.000Z

In the first Jolie Box was a little sample bottle of a shower gel I was very excited about trying. It was from a brand I had never heard of before, Mitchell and Peach. The packaging is very reminiscent of Jo Malone and I envisaged it would be scented with gorgeous floral essential oils.

All I can say is that after the all important sniff test I was left feeling quite disappointed. It had a slight hint of essential oils but not like I'd imagined.

Next I popped to the shower and things didn't get any better. It did foam up ok but it wasn't anything special. I get a better shower experience using low end shower products and considering the full sized 250ml product is priced at £20 I won't be buying it but if you want to try it it's available to buy online here.

A year of nail polish - January

2012-02-05T13:52:00.001Z

One of my 2012 goals was to wear nail polish at least twice a month and I'm now going to do a monthly post to show what colours I've worn. Here are my nails from the past month:

2True - Shade 2

Revlon - Star

Rimmel - Rose Libertine
Bourjois - Not sure what shade

No 7 - Beanie
OPI - Gold shatter

Haul - Primark, Boots and a magazine freebie!

2012-02-04T14:56:00.001Z

This is my first haul since my spending ban ended at the end of January

Primark

Rolling Stones t-shirt - £8

Ring set - £1.50

Fish charm - £1

Cherry Coke lip smacker - £1

Gift bag - £1.50

Vest top - £1.80

Boots

Organix Brazilian Kertain straightening spray - £6.99 (2 for £8, my mum got the conditioner)

Collection 2000 lipstick - £2.99

Benefit Hervana - £23.50

Benefit Bella Bamba - £23.50

Babyliss ponytail wrap - £5

17 Matte foundation - £4.99

17 metallic eyes pigment - £3.99

17 mirror shine lipstick in Peace - £4.59

17 blush and glow in Peached and Cream - £3.99

(17 is on 3 for 2 so I got the metallic eyes pigment free and I had a voucher for a free blush and glow too!)

The Range

Cards, glue, bows, sentiments and stickers

Free Soap & Glory mascara with Elle magazine

This is the full sized product worth £10 with Elle magazine which costs £3.90, bargain!

The month that was - January

2012-02-01T22:41:00.000Z

This month feels like it's just gone on and on and on! I finally got rid of my annoying cough that I had since before christmas only to then get another cold! I had 2 days off work because I felt so rubbish :-(

I also decided to cancel my Feel Unique beauty box after Januarys one was very dissapointing. How much skincare stuff do they think you want in a single box?

Even though I'm meant to be on a diet as I want to loose a stone by the end of June I have been eating my pink and white mice, I still haven't finished the tub, and I bought a mini egg dessert! Love these! Oh and I bought a box of Pop Tarts which helped me feel better when I was off work!

After moving back home about 5 months ago I finally got round to putting my picture up in my room and it's got pride of place above my bed.

This month I also went on a spending ban which went well, I did spend a little last week but I sold some things on eBay so I think this is allowed! I also had a job interview at a small hospital which is slightly nearer to where I live but I didn't get the job :-( never mind. Hope you had a good month!

Wednesday Wishlist - 10

2012-02-01T15:47:00.000Z

New Look

Zip satchel bag - £14.99

Next

Kirstie Allsopp Lydia duvet cover - £45 - £85

Red bird print duvet cover - £25 - £55

River Island

Leather black print cross body bag - £45

3 pack flower earrings - £7

Zebra coin purse - £13

Review - Bomb Cosmetics Flying High bath blaster

2012-01-29T17:48:00.000Z

A few weeks ago I went to a garden centre with my mum and dad and they sell lots of gifty type products and a stand full of bath bombs caught my eye. I decided to buy one for my friend to go in a basket of gifts that I've got for when she has her baby and the Flying High one caught my eye.

The bomb is a pale turquoise colour with two space ship like objects on the top! It is scented with patchouli oil and contains cocoa and shea butter.

As soon as I put it in the bath water it tarted fizzing and gave off an amazing aroma which lasted all night.

Overall I'm very impressed with this bath bomb and I will definitely buy more. Have you used anything from Bomb Cosmetics before?

Wednesday Wishlist - 9

2012-01-25T16:36:00.000Z

Matalan

Skinny twill trousers - £18

Cable cardigan - £16

Hamish door stop - £8

Debenhams

Ben de Lisi mugs - £6.50 each

The phone I want....

Blackberry Bold 9900

Review - Tigi Catwalk straightening blow out balm

2012-01-22T16:26:00.001Z

I hadn't used any Tigi products before so when I received this mini straightening blow out balm in Octobers Feel Unique beauty box I started using it straight away (no pun intended)!

This is a clear product which has specks of shimmer and glitter to it and you need a small amount to rub into towel dry hair before you blow dry it.

I have used Lee Staffords straightening balm which is a similar product, clear with shimmer in it, but this one does actually make your hair shimmer slightly! My hair was left feeling soft and silky and it didn't feel coated like other products can leave your hair feeling.

The full sized 90ml bottle retails at £10.35 from Feel Unique.

Blog sale! Mac, Benefit, St Tropez, New CiD and more!

2012-01-21T20:28:00.001Z

It's blog sale time again! Here's a few terms and conditions etc etc.

1. All sales are final

2. UK buyers only

3. Payment is via Paypal as a GIFT!

4. Items damaged in the post aren't my responsibility but proof of postage is always obtained

5. P&P is a flat rate of £1.25 no matter how many items you buy

6. Email me at: beautyandbeyond88@yahoo.co.uk if you want to buy and I'll send you my Paypal email address for payment

7. First come first served!

1. Mac eyeshadow

Paradisco - £6

Used about 3 times

2. No7 eyeshadow primer

Used once or twice - £3

3. L'Occitane peony eyeshadow

Used a few times - £3

~~4. Urban Decay eyeshadow palette~~

~~Shades swatched, Fishnet, Shag and Scratch used the most. Loads of product left.~~

~~Will be cleaned up before send out. No applicators or primer potion~~

~~£7.50 (RRP £27)~~
SOLD

5. Jane Iredale rose gold shimmer powder

Lightly swatched, seal still on covering holes - £3

6. New CiD i-gloss in Baby Doll

This has a mirror on the side and a light on the wand. Swatched on hand only - £5

~~7. Harajuku Lovers Music 10ml EDT~~

~~Used once - £4~~
SOLD

8. St Tropez wash off face tan

Used once, 90% left - £6

9. St Tropez wash off body tan

Used once, 90% left - £6

BUY BOTH FOR £10

10. Benefit Erase Paste - Shade 2, medium (3.2g pot)

About a third left - £3

11. Benefit Boi-ing concealer - Shade 2, medium (3g pot)

Used about 3 times, loads left - £5

12. Make Believe face bronzer

Used twice - £4

Review - Bliss fabulous foaming face wash

2012-01-20T17:24:00.003Z

I received the Bliss fabulous foaming face wash in Octobers Feel Unique beauty box and couldn't wait to try it as it was a 2-in-1 cleanser and exfoliator.

It is blue in colour and does contain gentle exfoliating particles.

The first thing I noticed when I used this is that it smelt lovely and clean. I can't describe the scent other than saying it is clean and fresh and I love it!

My skin is left feeling lovely and clean and a little goes a long way. I've been using this everyday for about 3 weeks now and I'm only a quarter of the way through the 60ml bottle so it should last quite a while yet.

The full sized, 197ml, bottle retails at £18.40 at Feel Unique.

Wednesday Wishlist - 8

2012-01-18T15:13:00.000Z

Pauls Boutique

Tilly Twister bag - £70

Ruby purse - £35

New Look

Distressed skinny jeans - £25.99

Cable sleeve marl jumper - £22.99

Accessorize

Feather owl long pendant necklace - £12

100 things I love - Part 3

2012-01-17T18:12:00.000Z

Part 1

Part 2

21. Made in Chelsea

22. Nandos

23. Percy Pigs

24. Shopping

25. Strictly Come Dancing

26. The Only Way is Essex

27. Yankee Candles

28. Glitter

29. My iPad

30. Lists

BB photos from 2011

2012-01-15T16:12:00.000Z

March

My friends hen do and my really bad buttercream icing

April

Finding out I had got a 'proper job'

Eating a chocolate bunny I had bought for someone for Easter

May

Enjoying our 2 weeks of summer

September

Smashing my knee on my dads tow bar on the back of his van

December

Baking mince pies, tasted batter than they looked

All photos were taken on my BlackBerry

Review - Emma Hardie cleansing balm

2012-01-12T16:23:00.001Z

In my November Feel Unique Beauty Box I received this little gem, the Emma Hardie moringa cleansing balm and cloth. I had never used a cleansing balm before and wasn't sure it would suit my skin but how wrong was I?!?

I received a little 15ml tub which I thought would be gone in no time but you only need a small amount which you mix with water and then massage onto your face. You can also use it directly onto your eyes to remove mascara and eye make-up. I didn't think this would work too well as I always find mascara a pain to remove but I was amazed at how well it worked! And it didn't irritate my eyes one bit.

I think my dirty cloth shows how well it worked! I had no mascara residue left on my lashes and they felt soft and conditioned. My skin also felt really clean and fresh after.

I liked this product so much I bought the full sized 100ml tub from QVC for under £30! Have you tried this? What did you think?

Review - No! No!

2012-01-09T20:04:00.000Z

Hair removal, I think we all hate it. I started, like everyone else, shaving, then went on to epilating when I started getting ingrown hairs and really bad shave burn. I'm quite happy with the results of epilating but I've only dared to use it on my legs.

A while ago I saw about this product, No! No!, which used Thermicon technology to remove hair and prevent regrowth. I was slightly dubious about how it worked and if it actually did and at around £150 I certainly wasn't going to rush into buying it. Then one day when I was browsing the TV channels I flicked on QVC and it was on there! Being able to see what it did made me want it even more but having heard lots of mixed opinions about it I still held back from the purchase.

That was until a couple of weeks ago. Again I was watching the beauty show on QVC and it popped on. This time it was on Easy Pay, this is where the price is split into a few monthly payments, and at £54 for 3 months I bought one! And the best thing is, if I'm not keen on it I can return it with their 30 day money back guarantee! So what do you get?

You, of course, get the No! No! device, mine is pink because that's the only colour they had left, a charger, a CD user manual, 3 Thermicon tips, a brush cleaner and 2 skin buffers.

I was a little scared about whether or not this would hurt but on the TV they said it didn't. Still slightly dubious I started on my super hairy arms. Like epilation Thermicon will slow down the hair growth and in the end it will hopefully stop hair from growing.

I started on the lowest setting, there are three, and I was surprised that it was actually painless. You can feel a warm sensation but that's it. It does take a little while to get the position and pressure right, if you're not doing it right it doesn't work. And then there's the matter of the smell of burning hair. At first it is really over powering but you do get used to it and the instructions recommend a scented candle! I also recommend this or a room with a window!

Before

After

I was impressed with how well it removed the hair and it didn't even take that long. I have used it on my legs which did take quite a bit longer because it's harder to hold the device at the right angle and I've done my under arms but as the hair is thicker I didn't get such a great result but I will keep trying.

They recommend using the No! No! 2-3 times a week for the first 4-6 weeks and then to reduce usage to once or twice a week. I will keep you updated on my progress but my initial thoughts are that I will keep this.

Have you used the No! No!? What did you think?

Sale hauling - Part 2

2012-01-08T11:53:00.001Z

This is part two of my sale haul and it was all bought before 1st January so I haven't broken my spending ban!

Next

Jumper - £16 (was £32)

Bag - £12 (was £26)

Clinton cards

Samples - about 84p each

Medium Jar - £7.99 (was £15.99)

ASOS

Bliss It's a Fabulous Life - £20 (was £39.50)
Bliss Snow Wonder - £15 (was £29.50)

Yes to Cucumber face wipes - £4.99
Nip + Fab Have your Cake & Eat It - £15 (was £30)

Boots

Carolina Herrera 212 VIP gift set - £33 (was £49.50)
Scents of occasion - £9.50 (was £19)
17 mirror shine lipstick - £2.29 (was £4.59)

HK notebook - £5 (was £10)

HK eye palette - £8 (was £4)

HK memo block - £5 (was £10)

HK re-useable bag - £3 (was £6)

Colours in the eye palette, for £4 I thought it wasn't a bad buy!

Did you pick up anything good in the sales?

NOTD - 2True crystal

2012-01-07T12:35:00.000Z

2True Crystal Limited Edition nail polish in Shade 1.

Available from Superdrug.

Review - Cetaphil cleanser and moisturising lotion

2012-01-05T17:46:00.000Z

A while ago I was sent a bottle of Cetaphil cleanser and moisturising lotion to try out. I was excited to try them as they had been portrayed as amazing products problem skin.

Cleanser - 250ml £9.18
I liked this product, it was a clear liquid which I used on cotton wool to wipe over my face and then to rinse off. I used this for a few days and then it started to dry my skin out and after working hard to get rid of the eczema patch on my face it returned. I then stopped using it.

Moisturising lotion - 236ml £8.49
I used this for one day and had to stop. It was a light, runny lotion but it just didn't agree with my skin. After applying it my skin felt dry and thirsty and the next day it even looked dry.

Overall
Currently I wouldn't repurchase either products but in the summer when my skin is generally problem free I think I'll try them again. I'm interested to hear what everyone else thinks of these? I recently gave 5 of these away in a competition so I hope my five winners are getting on better than I did.

Oh and these are both available from Boots.

Wednesday Wishlist - 7 feat. Next S/S 2012

2012-01-04T18:49:00.000Z

1. Animal print jumper - £24

2. Moccasins - £14

3. Animal print socks - £8

4. Striped heart sweater - £28

5. Hooded jersey quilt jacket - £48

6. Dalmatian sweater - £24

7. Geri printed prom dress - £99

All are from the new Spring/Summer 2012 collection at Next

Product use up - end of year

2011-12-31T17:33:00.001Z

This month I used up these products:

2x deodorants

2x shampoo

1x conditioner

1x bubble bath

1x fake tan

1x face mask

1x face cream

1x exfoliator

1x shower gel

I started off the year by wanting to use up all my hoarded products which I did start to do, my collection went down but slowly it built it's way back up. Now though I don't work in a health and beauty retailer and rarely go into town so slowly it is being reduced and I am now not going to buy products unless I only have one left. Hmmm we'll see how this goes I suppose.

Oh and some of you might already know but this post is now going to be posted every 3 months rather than every month.

So that is it. My last empties of 2011. Now on to a successful product use up 2012!

The year that was...2011

2011-12-31T14:16:00.001Z

2011. This has been a year where my life has completely changed. In January I was happy with my boyfriend, living on our own and working two days a week in my job in retail. By the time it was July I was single, had a full time job in the NHS and by the time October came I was living back with my mum and dad. This was a massive change after 5 years. I wouldn't have thought now, a year on, this is how my life would be. But I'm happy and thats the main thing! Oh and have more money ;-)

At the beginning of 2011 I set myself a number of goals to try to achieve, so how well did I do:

Get a decent job - yes I got a full time job in the NHS which is what I wanted. It's a shame I just hate my job!
Pay my mum and dad off - my dad said that as far as he was concerned I owed them nothing and not to worry about it! Can't complain at that!
Learn how to sew - nope this didn't happen. I think this may have been a phase!
Make soaps and bath bombs - I would still love to do this but due to having next to no spare time I haven't made any
Read more often - again, due to a lack of spare time I haven't managed to work my way through my book collection
Start saving again - yes! I have saved about £1800 but spent half of it on a new car but I keep on putting money in my savings account
Loose weight - I'm not doing the whole diet thing but I am slowly loosing weight
Start actively crafting again - I try to do bits and bobs of crafting but again due to a lack of spare time I don't do as much as I'd like

So I managed to complete 4 out of my 8 goals which isn't that bad and I did start a Day Zero list which I'm doing well on. If you haven't heard of Day Zero it's where you basically write a list of 101 things you want to achieve in 1001 days and here's my list (completed tasks are crossed through):

~~Buy a new car~~

Give blood

~~Pay my mum and dad back~~

Save £2,000 (£900 saved so far)

Eat vegetarian for a week

Watch the sunrise on a beach

Watch a sunset on a beach

Write a list of 50 things I like about myself

Take one photo everyday for a month

Find a job that I love

Try 20 new recipes (1/20)

~~Write a letter to myself to be opened when 1001 days is over~~

Pay off my debts

Write another list of 101 things to do in the next 1001 days

Drink 5 cocktails I've never tried (1/5)

Stop drinking fizzy pop for a month

Don't drink alcohol for a month

See a psychic and get my fortune told

Travel to another country

Identify 101 things that make me happy

Put away £25 for every goal I complete (£150 saved)

Get in the best shape of my life

Have a romantic weekend away

Write a journal everyday for a month

Read at least 10 books (1/10)

Stay up all night

~~Go to a gig/concert/show~~

Visit somewhere in England I've never been before

Go on a non-essential spending ban one month every year

Make a playlist of my 101 favourite songs

Get a facial

~~Make a new friend~~

See a movie in 3D

Visit another continent

~~See a comedian live~~

Eat 3 things I've never tried before

Make ice cream from scratch

~~Grow my hair past my shoulders~~

Build a snowman

Get a job closer to home

Visit Ireland

Treat my family to a meal twice yearly

Take a full length photo of me everyday for a year

Spend a rainy day watching movies in my PJ's

Try sushi

Keep a 'my day in 6 words' journal for 6 months

Ok so I only have a list of 46 goals so far but I have completed 6 of them and I have until the 23rd February 2014 to complete them! You can track my progress by clicking on the link under my blog header or by clicking here.

2012 is going to be a complete fresh start and I'm looking forward to it! So here we go.....

Source

Review - Lush Sweetie Pie shower jelly

2011-12-30T15:24:00.000Z

Fist things first - Snow Fairy is amazing! Next year I strongly recommend you buy it!

Right on to the review of the shower jelly! I bought the Sweetie Pie shower jelly as a bit of an impulse buy to be honest. I was working my way to the till and it caught my eye. I read what was in it: cherry, coconut and cassis, I thought I have to buy it! Oh it also has glitter in it which in my eyes is amazing!

I had high hopes for this and couldn't wait to try it so off I popped to the shower and scooped a little out of the tub, then I thought how do I use it? It's solid and wobbly and I'll be honest with you, it was a challenge. I rubbed it into my skin and it fell off, I managed to pick it up and it fell off again. I tried mixing it with water to try to make it into a liquid but nope, it wasn't having any of it.

I envisaged that it would melt into my skin and the smell of delicious fruits would fill my bathroom but no I was left bitterly disappointed. Maybe I wasn't using it right?!? I'm not sure. Maybe you need to use the whole piece of jelly rather than using little bits. Might try that method next time!

This is available from Lush and is £2.95 for 100g or £5.95 for 240g.

End of year review

2011-12-30T15:10:00.017Z

Wow this year has gone so fast! I can't believe it's time for my end of year review already! Once again my end of year review is going to feature my favourite products, favourite bloggers, product wishlist and more! So here we go.....

Products I loved in 2011

Avon smooth mineral foundation
Maybelline lasting drama gel eyeliner
Witch pressed powder
Witch skin clearing primer
Bourjois smoky eyes eyeshadow
Revlon eyeshadow quads
Lip Smacker cherry coke lipbalm
17 mirror shine lipsticks
St Moriz tanning mousse

Favourite bloggers of 2011

This year there have been so many blogs I've loved reading and picking a few of my my favourites was hard as there's so many. Buuuut I have managed to narrow it down and here are my top five blogs of the year:

2012 product wishlist

My wishlist started quite small but after doing a spot of sale shopping I discovered a lot of products which I loved and they ended up on here, so here it is:

Benefit Hervana blush (due out in the Spring)
GHD Scarlet straightening irons
MUA glitter ball palette
benefit Ring my Bella perfume
Caroline Herrera 212 VIP perfume
D&G 3 perfume
Kim Kardashian EDP
Kim Kardashian Gold EDP

Most read blog posts of 2011

This year I've had an amazing amount of traffic on my blog and I've had an amazing amount of hits on certain posts, so thank you all for reading! Here are my top 5 posts from 2011:

A few changes

There are going to be a few changes to my blog over this next year. My monthly 'Product use up' posts are now going quarterly (every 3 months) and my 'Week that was' posts are going to be monthly rather than weekly. These changes are mainly because I have a limited time to blog and often don't have enough content to fill one post and I don't want my blog to be 'samey' and 'predictable' buuuut this doesn't mean that I'll keep it like this! I am going to try my hardest to blog more often but I have discovered that it's quality not quantity!

And finally....

Source

Lily Lolo goodies!

2011-12-28T14:53:00.000Z

Last week Lily Lolo offered a discount of 10% with any order and as I was coming to the end of my current pot of foundation I thought why not try Lily Lolo again!

I ordered 'In the Buff' foundation and 'Caramel' concealer.

I've had sample pots of both of these products so I know they'll be the perfect shade for me. The foundation is priced at £12.49 and the concealer is £7.29 and they are available direct from Lily Lolo.

Sale hauling!

2011-12-28T14:50:00.007Z

I went sale shopping yesterday and had a lis of things I wanted to get my hands of if I could. I wanted the Benefit Powda Wowza set and the Crescent Row perfume set but like online, Boots had sold out. If you know a website that has either in stock please let me know! As well as these I wanted to see if I could find some baby clothes for my friend and cousin who are having babies next year and here is what I came back with.

Primark

Baby short sleeved bodysuits (blue) - £3.50

Baby set of 7 short sleeved bodysuits - £6.50

Hangers - £4

Faux fur coat - £30

Boots

Baby whale romper - £2

Baby t-shirt and trousers - £3

Gok drawer set and goodies - £15

Cute or What notebook - £4

Pens - £3

Hello Kitty address book - £6.50

Debenhams

Julian Macdonald purse - £11

Ben de Lisi London bus cushion - £14

Ben de Lisi London skyline cushion - £15.40

StoreTwentyOne

Furry boxes - £3.49

Poundland

Revlon Star glitter topcoat - £1

So that's part one of my sale haul, my second will be up as soon as they are delivered as they're online purchases. Don't forget to link me to your sale posts!

My christmas presents

2011-12-27T18:48:00.000Z

Ok so some people like these posts others don't, personally I like to read other people's so I'm posting my own! This christmas was quite a small one like always and here are my presents that I received:

Slippers (Next)

Chocolates

Nica handbag

Re-usual bag

Sparkly shower cap

Ted Baker cosmetic bag

Owl pocket watch necklace (from Dainty Roses)

Bracelet

No7 illuminating mirror (below)

I also got quite a few bargains in the sales, one post will be up in the next couple of days and when my parcels arrive I'll post the rest in maybe a week or so.

Link me to your christmas present posts and your sale ones too!

Christmas round up!

2011-12-26T16:00:00.001Z

Just a quick post to say that I hope you all had a fab christmas and got loads of nice presents!

I had a quiet one like usual and the day flew by. I'm going to do a quick christmas present post in a couple of days or so just to show you what I got. Some people don't like these posts but I always like reading other peoples!

Today is being spent lounging about watching Harry Potter and then Shrek 2 later, whilst eating a mountain of party food, yummy!

Tomorrow me and my mum are going sale shopping in Lincoln so hopefully I'll find what I want. I want the Benefit Cresecnt Row giftset and the Powda Wowza box which are both sold out everywhere online, please link me to sites if they're not. I also need to take back a skirt my mum got me as it's too big.

Link me to any good online sales and to your christmas present and sale goody posts!

(source)

Haul - Avon

2011-12-24T11:18:00.000Z

As you probably know I love mineral foundation and Avon do a great one which I keep rebuying (review here) and it was time for another purchase so here is what I got:

Mineral foundation x2 (shell and nude)

Nail polish (Mercury Metal)

Enchanted mascara (free gift)

Swatches:

Top: Shell

Bottom: Nude

I normally buy the foundation in Shell but recently I've found it's a little too dark for me so I decided to buy one in Nude too. The main difference is that Shell is pinker and Nude is more yellow but I think it'll suite me quite well.

The mascara was also a nice surprise to receive and I'll certainly try it out very soon!

Review - Bellapierre

2011-12-23T11:17:00.000Z

I hadn't really heard of Bellapierre until recently and I certainly hadn't tried any of their products. They are a mineral make up brand that sells products for the face, lips, eyes, body and more!

In last months Feel Unique Beauty Box I received a Bellapierre shimmer powder in a gorgeous smokey silver, Whesek.

This is very similar to Barry M's dazzle dust and at first I as a little confused as to how to use it. It is a powder and I applied it to my eye lids as a shadow but it quickly disappeared. I then wondered if I could turn it into a cream shadow by adding a little water to a little powder and ta-dah!

The shade intensified and it lasted all day! It's simply amazing!

The bad thing is that I think the shade I got is discontinued but alot of others are available on their website and they're priced at £12.99!

NOTD - Barry M and No7

2011-12-22T18:12:00.000Z

Today is a little christmassy nail of the day.

No7 Limited Edition nail polish - Grey Matter

Barry M Limited Edition nail polish top coat (exclusively from Boots)

100 things I love - part 2

2011-12-21T12:00:00.000Z

Part 1 can be found here

11. Baking

12. Blogging

13. Cherry Coke

14. Chinese takeaways

15. Cupcakes from Costa Coffee

16. Gerberas

17. GHD's

18. Hot chocolate

19. The Inbetweeners

20. Malibu

My first Jolie Box - my thoughts

2011-12-20T14:33:00.001Z

The Jolie Box is the rebranded Boudoir Prive box and I am a new subscriber. I already subscribe to the Feel Unique beauty box which I love so I thought I'd try the new Jolie Box too, if I don't like it I can cancel just as easy.

The box is a matte black with the Jolie Box emblem in the middle. When I took it out of the packaging the black was slightly scuffed and compared to the Feel Unique box, it didn't look as nice.

The inside looked so pretty! The samples/goodies were wrapped in tissue paper and then tied together with a piece of hot pink ribbon.

Contents:

OPI - Gold shatter polish

Kusmi Detox Tea

Jane Eiredale gold dust shimmer powder

New cid i-gloss lipgloss

Mitchell and Peach shower gel

Vital Defence face cream

Jolie Box concealer brush (not in photo)

My thoughts..... I was looking forward to receiving this but I have to admit I was slightly disappointed at the contents. My favourite items were the OPI and the Mitchell and Peach shower gel. I don't think I'll continue my subscription as I prefer the Feel Unique box.

What did you think to this box or do you subscribe to another one?

Christmas crafting - Part 2

2011-12-19T12:46:00.000Z

My second crafting post, I was meant to post this ages ago but I've only just finished them. I decided o make my own gift bags this year and here are my creations! Excuse the messy windowsill background!

I bought the plain kraft bags and decorated them using digi images, ribbon, metallic paper, bows, die cut snowflakes, glitter and gems!

Christmas crafting - Part 1

2011-12-18T14:23:00.000Z

Sorry the photo isn't very good but here is a quick look at my christmas cards that I've made this year. I've only done 4 mainly due to time limits but they were so simple to make and anyone could make them.

What you need

Cards

Corner punch

Ribbon

Spotty paper downloaded from Pink Petticoat

Let me know if you've done any crafting for christmas this year!

The week that was....

2011-12-18T10:30:00.001Z

This week was my last at work this year! It's so nice to be able to have christmas off and to relax for a change rather being rushed off my feet at work.

I also took my mum to see Russell Kane as a part of her christmas present. I took her to Nandos for tea first and then we went on to the gig. It was really good and she enjoyed it even though she said he got a bit rude at times!

I also decided to dye my hair again so I now have a red cast to it and it's only semi-permanent so it's no big problem if I change my mind about it in a few weeks!

And finally Harry won strictly, I think it was right he won but I loved Jason and Kristina.

I'm also going to try to schedule a few posts this week to make up for me having no time recently to blog and I'm also going to start my end of year post. There's going to be a few changed to my blog in the new year but I'll tell you more in that post.

Hope you all had a good week!

New - Lumiere cosmetics

2011-12-12T18:54:00.009Z

A while ago I was contacted by Lumiere Cosmetics and asked if I wanted to try some products from their mineral range. Of course I jumped at the chance as I love mineral cosmetics. I was asked what colours I normally wear and was asked to send a photo so that they could colour match their products to me. So what did I get?

I received 7 samples of products: 3 eye pigments, 2 foundations and 3 blushers.

Eye pigments:

Charcoal Silkies

Graphite

Intrigued

Blushers:

Sweet Cherub

Autumn

Foundations:

Cool Cashmere

Cool Luminesse

I thought the foundations were a little to pale for me but I've tried them and they don't look too bad, perfect for winter. I've also tried one eye pigments and one blusher and they both looked great and these sample post will last ages! The powders are really soft and they blend and apply nice. Overall I'm impressed with them!

Lumiere is an American company and you can buy from them here.

Cetaphil competition winners!

2011-12-11T17:47:00.000Z

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winners to my Cetaphil competition but finally the winning 5 followers are:

Sinead - Ditzy Make-Up

Annabella - Skin Scrubs

Deb - World of Beauty

Olivia - Olivia Writes

Scarlett - Scarlett Hearts

Congratulations ladies!

I'll be emailing you all for your postal addresses!

The week that was....

2011-12-11T17:39:00.000Z

Just a super quick post this week. After spending all of this week ill I'm just about feeling normal again, today has been the first day in over a week where I haven't broken out in a rash :-) Finally I'm on the mend!

I also got Decembers Beauty Box from Feel Unique (if you haven't got yours yet, look away!)

Included:

TIGI Bed Head candy fixations sugar dust

Nails Inc. Oxford Circus limited edition nail polish

Annick Goutal Mandragore EDT

Clarisonic cleanser

Figs & Rouge sweet geranium 100% organic balm

Living Natural samples

I have to admit this is my least favourite box I've received but I'm still looking forward to trying out the products.

Hope you've all had a good week!

Oh and this is going to be my last week at work until next year! Can't wait for this week to be over :-)

Christmas gift ideas: £5 and under stocking fillers

2011-12-09T21:35:00.000Z

Boots

Barry M foil nail effects - £3.99

House of Fraser

Rose & Co bath melt - £3.85

Lush

Snow fairy shower gel - From £3.25

Gingerbread house bubble bar - £2.95

Christmas shopping - again!

2011-12-08T14:25:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago I went to do the rest of my christmas shopping and here's what I got.

Marks and Spencers

Forever Friends calendar

Winnie the Pooh diary

Winner the Pooh notepad holder

Nordic/fairisle tights

Debenhams

Jasper Conran iPad cover

Ebay

Kindle cover and reading light

Primark

Baby comforter

Baby blanket

Cosy penguin socks

Other

Home Bargains - Goody gentle brush

Next - Pink and White mice

Ok so maybe alot of this is for me but I did get a few other bits too but as my mum reads my blog it'll spoil the surprise! Have you almost done your christmas shopping? I think I've finished mine now, hopefully!

The week that was....

2011-12-06T21:22:00.000Z

This last week has been a weird one. I had monday booked off as annual leave and then felt like rubbish for the rest of the week, by thursday came I decided to only work half the day so I took the rest of the day and used some more annual leave! I have an awful cold and felt rotten by thursday.

Friday I had a job interview at the other hospital in Nottingham, its doing the same job as I do now just in a different department. I'll hear whether I got it or not on monday now. I have no idea what the outcome will be, I didn't answer the questions very well but I'm hoping my experience will have a strong influence.

I also finally got a stereo fitted in my car. It's been a long week without one. And it didn't enough work doing to it as originally thought and thankfully it didn't take as long as I was told because it was freezing wandering round town!

I also got my new uniform for work. It's horrible. The trousers are alright but my shirt looks baggy and out of shape. I needed a bigger size for it to fit round my boobs but then it's just baggy at the bottom and makes me look fat. Great.

Oh and as well as having a cold I broke out in a bad rash after having an allergic reaction to something and it's only just starting to go down. This has meant I've had 2 days off work and I have tomorrow off too. Urgh basically I'm having a rubbish time at the moment.

One last thing, hopefully our christmas tree will be up next weekend :-) this means that I can wrap my presents and get them shifted out of my bedroom, my room is a tip because there are presents everywhere!

Source

Have a Lush christmas!

2011-12-06T21:17:00.000Z

Lush isn't a shop I normally go in because I think it's a little pricy and you can guarantee as soon as your foot steps over the door a sales assistant will pounce on you but I decided to brave it to get my hands on the infamous Snow Fairy shower gel.

I have to admit I was in there for about 5 minutes browsing and not once did I get asked if I needed help. It was great! I even had chance to decide on buying a melting snowman bath melt and a tub of Sweetie Pie shower jelly which smells like blackcurrant fruity sweets! Delicious!

After this successful attempt of shopping in Lush I would quite happily go back. In fact I want another bottle Snow Fairy to use after the festive season.

Melting snowman bath melt - £1.99

Sweetie Pie shower jelly - from £2.99

Snow Fairy shower gel - from £3.25

Christmas gift ideas: £50 and over

2011-12-02T18:35:00.000Z

This post is to show some of the most expensive beauty gifts that are available to buy. I've tried to keep the items still quite affordable but they are all higher end products.

Debenhams

Temperley for Elemis safari traveller for women - £79

Mama mio bootcamp for boobs - £58

House of Fraser

Rodial Socialite Bathing giftset - £70

ASOS

Elemis rejuvenating stars advanced skincare system - £65

Selfridges

Clarisonic Plus Sonic Skin Cleansing System - £180

Product use up

2011-12-02T17:32:00.000Z

This is my second to last product use up of the year! Wow time has flown by! So how what I managed to use up?

Make up remover

Face cream

Body butter

Dry shampoo

Deodorant x2

Hairspray

Mouthwash

Shower gel x2

Heat protection spray

So all in all not a bad month. How well have you done?

The week that was...

2011-11-28T20:50:00.000Z

Once again it's been a while since my last post and a lot has happened!

I bought a new car and sold my old one! My new car used to be a police car so it needed an aerial and a new radio which is turning out to be a pain to get fitted as when they took out the police radio they cut one set of wires too short so it needs new ones and then the aerial wire is missing somewhere! It's getting sorted on saturday but it means all week without a radio which will be fun on my hours drive to work!

I also finally got my tax back, almost £700 which as nice!

I'm also doing some christmas crafting including making gift bags and I'm now planning on doing some simple but stylish cards, I'll post photos when complete!

And I got an interview for a job! It's still working in the same city but at another hospital which is easier to get to and would save me a minimum of 30 mins travelling each way. My interview is on friday so I just have to ask for the day off now.

Oooo and also this evening I received an email from HMV saying my Harry Potter DVD has been dispatched! So excited as I didn't see the film at the cinema!

Hope you've all had a good few weeks!

Reminders

Cetaphil giveaway - win 1 of 5 bottles

Blog sale

Christmas gift ideas: £31 - £50

2011-11-25T18:05:00.001Z

My christmas gift ideas this week are all priced from £31 to £50.

ASOS

Nars Love Thrill gift set - £45

Ren rose bath gift set - £45

House of Fraser

Molten Brown Kaleidoscope giftset - £36

Laura Mercier creme brulee trio gift set - £50

Debenhams

Urban Decay 15 year anniversary palette - £39

Dior eye palette - £38

Christmas gift ideas: £11 - £30

2011-11-18T18:03:00.000Z

This weeks christmas gift ideas are all priced between £11 and £30.

Argos

Baylis and Harding gift set - £19.99

Tesco

Patisserie de Bain bath melts - £21

Naked shower gel gift set - £12

Debenhams

Bliss snow wonder gift set - £29

Betty Jackson mini body care collection - £25

ASOS

Illamasqua lashes and eyeliner - £25

L'Occitane blockbuster set - £25

Hope I've given you all some ideas!

Review - L'occitane limited edition handcreams

2011-11-16T16:01:00.000Z

I've always been a fan of L'Occitane's handcreams, I got my first one way back five years ago when I bought the huge shea butter one whilst at uni which lasted me about two years using it on and off! I love the shea butter one to use an a more intensive treatment so I mainly use it at night but during the day I like to use a less intense formulation so L'Occitane's scented handcreams are perfect!

In Marie Claires magazine they offered readers a free gift of a new limited edition L'Occitane handcream with every magazine.

L-R: Hibiscus flower, Cocoa flower and Desert Rose.

As you can see I couldn't decide which one to get so I got all three! I thought I'd love the cocoa flower scent but it is really feint and I had no idea what hibiscus would smell like but I love it! It's my favourite by far! The desert rose is also nice, not over the top floral, nice and delicate.

You can also buy these from L'Occitane boutiques along with matching items such as lipgloss and body cream. The handcreams retail at £7.50 each or you can get a giftset for £20.00.

New Batiste Wild!

2011-11-15T20:38:00.000Z

I was very lucky to receive a surprise parcel on Friday from the lovely people at Batiste!

I got a can of their brand new Wild dry shampoo, a cute leopard keyring and a bag containing Tipsy Feet leopard print shoes! Excuse the streaky fake tanned legs in the photo below!

New Wild dry shampoo is scented with cocoa, floral notes, vanilla, musk and wood base notes and I can confirm it smells gorgeous!

Wild is available exclusively from Boots and is priced at £2.99 for a 200ml can.

Win 1 of 5 Cetaphil cleansers worth £8.99! CLOSED!

2011-11-13T13:00:00.002Z

I haven't ran a competition for a while now so here is your chance to win 1 of 5 Cetaphil cleansers! I have been sent one of these that I have been using for a week or so and believe that you won't be disappointed if you win one!

So what do you have to do to win?

You MUST live in the UK

You MUST follow my blog with GFC, leave your name in your comment (1 entry)

Leave your email address/Twitter name so you can be contacted if you win!

Extra entres:

Follow my blog using Blog Lovin' (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter, leave your Twitter name (1 entry)

Tweet about my giveaway, link me @karla8852 in your tweet (1 entry)

Only 1 comment per person please!

Giveaway will end in 3 weeks on the 4th December!

Good Luck!

Christmas gift ideas - £10 and under

2011-11-11T20:21:00.000Z

Every Friday for the next few weeks I'm going to show a selection of christmas gifts which will suit whatever your budget! All gifts on this post are for £10 and under! There are some really cute gifts and it just proves you don't have to spend a fortune to give a decent gift.

Tesco

Baylis & Harding sock gift set - £5

Naked coco de mer gift set - £10

Boots

Soap & Glory you cube gift box - £10

ASOS

Korres tropical holiday set - £10

Models Own beetle juice nail polish set - £10

The Body Shop

Moroccan rose gift cube - £6

Christmas shopping

2011-11-11T20:20:00.000Z

I've done most of my christmas shopping already, I've just got a few more bits to get but here's what I have bought already.

Asda

N-Spa shower and bath gels - £5 each (was £6)

Thorntons and Marks and Spencer

Thorntons - Cupcake chocolates - £4.99 each (3 for 2)

M&S - Reed diffuser - £15

M&S - Candle - £5 (I got this for £2.50 as a buy one get one half price promotion was running)

Marks and Spencer

Chocolate houses - £4

Mini ginger bread men - £2

Coconut mushrooms - £4

These were on 3 for 2

Primark

T-shirt £1.50

Jeans - £6

Amazon and other

Home Bargain - Huge bag of Cadbury's caramels - £3.99

Amazon - New Kindle and charger - £89

Poundshop - Kindle screen protector - £1!

So that's my presents for friends, my dad, grandma and my cousins little boy. I know what else I've got to buy I just need to wait for next payday so I can afford them!

Wednesday Wishlist - 6

2011-11-09T14:30:00.001Z

1. Benefit - Crescent row perfume set (£29.50)

2. Lace Dress with mesh skirt (£60)

3. Nip + Fab Have Your Cake and Eat It (£29.95)

4. OPI Christmas Mini Set (£12.95)

5. Paul & Joe cosmetic bag with travel skincare products (£11)

These are all available at ASOS

Do you know what's in your beauty products?

2011-11-08T19:37:00.000Z

When you go and buy a new lipstick/shower gel/perfume/face wash what do you look at? Colour, price, brand, or something else? I bet you don't immediately look at the ingredients? No? Me neither, but mainly because they are either scientific gobble-de-gook or you just have no idea what it is. But even if you did know something about an ingredient would you know where it is from? I have done a little bit of investigating in the past and identified two ingredients that I now try to avoid: parabens and SLS, see my previous post here. So what else do your beauty products contain?

Yes we all love our animals but did you know that alot of ingredients in our beloved beauty products are actually Animal by-products? So what should you be looking out for?

Collagen

This is created in our own bodies naturally but it is also created from connective tissue in animals.

Products it's in: Anti-aging products

Gelatin/Agar Agar

Hmmm yes I know what you're probably thinking, isn't that jelly? Well yes it is used in jelly and other food products but it can also be found in your beauty products. It is made from reconstituted animal bones, connective tissue and intestines.

Products it's in: Nail polish remover

Glycerine

Created from animal fat

Products it's in: Soap

Guanine

This is fish scales, usually from herrings, which are used for their pearlescent shimmer

Products it's in: Eyeshadow, blusher

Elastin

Again this is also created naturally by our own bodies but it is also sourced from connective tissue.

Products it's in: Anti-aging products

Keratin

This is a structural protein found in the hair, nails and horns of mammals.

Products it's in:

Lanolin

This is excreted from sheep and it is infact sebum, rather like the sebum or oil which is excreted through our own skin, but on a sheep it is from their wool. Sheep are often bred to create more wool to create more sebum.

Products it's use in: Lipstick

Musk

Derived from the genitals of muskrats, beavers and other animals

Products it's in: Perfume

Silk

Created from the fibre from silk worms

Products it's in: Face powders, soaps

Sponge

Yes natural sponge is as it suggests natural and it was once a living creature. Sponges live in the sea

Products it's in: Sponge!

Squalane/Squalene

This is mainly sort from sharks but can also be derived from olive oil. As a result deep sea sharks are being greatly overfished for this product.

Products it's in: Oil-free moisturiser

Stearic Acid

Often taken form the stomach of pigs

Products it's in: cosmetics, soaps, hairspray, deodorant

Tallow

This is an animal fat usually obtained from cows. It can also be derived from plant oils but these don't have the same benefits.

Products it's in: soap, lipstick, shaving creams.

Urea

Excreted from urine and other bodily from animals

Products it's in: deodorant, handcreams, body lotions

The week that was...

2011-11-06T11:07:00.000Z

Wow it's been literally ages since my last week that was post, so a quick round up.

I treated myself to an early christmas present which was an iPad! I've been thinking of getting one for a while and finally bit the bullet!

I got the white one as it matches my iBook laptop and my iMac! Yes I'm a Mac geek!

Also I've been off work this last week and me and my mum went up to Newcastle for 3 days to visit family and to go to the Metro Centre! I did abit of christmas shopping but I don't have many people to buy for this year so I've almost done. I've scheduled a post to show what I've bought so keep an eye out for it.

My DVD player broke this week too. It just kept spinning the disc around and beeping so I've had to buy a new one.

I've also been catching up with blog posts that I haven't read. I had over 500 to sort through and now have a manageable 130 to read! Phew!

I also got a surprise through the post on friday which was a cheque from my grandad for a rather large amount of money which is going to be put towards a new car :-)

Hope you've all been ok oh and let me know which apps you'd recommend for my iPad!

November's Feel Unique beauty box!

2011-11-05T12:29:00.000Z

This morning I received my second Feel Unique beauty box and here is what I got:

Emma Hardie amazing face cleansing balm

Emma Hardie professional cleansing cloth

Schwarzkoft professional OSIS+ dust it mattifying powder

Xen Tan deep bronze luxe

Goldwell dualsenses ultra volume 60 sec treatment

Bella Piere shimmer powder

Reviews will be up as soon as I've tried these out!

My Money Saving Tips!

2011-11-04T13:00:00.000Z

With christmas just round the corner we can all do with saving a bit of money so here are some of my top money saving tips that hopefully you'll all find useful:

1. Balance transfer credit cards

If you owe money on your credit cards and you're paying interest on it why not find a card which offers 0% APR on balance transfers. There are a number of good offers out there at the moment and Money Saving Expert contains some great information if you're interested in this. Also a quick snippet of advice, if you do do this then don't spend on your balance transfer card and don't rack up more debts on the card/s you've just cleared.

2. Get loyalty cards

By this I mean a card which rewards you for shopping at a retailer and not a store credit card. These are generally bad unless you pay them off straight away. Loyalty cards such at Boots Advantage Cards, Nectar, Tesco Clubcard, Superdrug Beauty Card, can be great as in effect the shop is paying you for shopping there. Even if you don't shop somewhere regularly still grab a card as it all adds up!

3. Use money back sites

If you do alot of online shopping, lets face it who doesn't, then find a website which offers money back if you shop certain sites through them. Sites include Quidco, Top CashBack, KidStart (this is great if you have kids) and of course Boots Treat Street where you get points to spend in store (only if you have an Advantage Card of course).

4. Recycle your old ink cartridges and gadget

I think we all own printers, have old mobile phones and other gadgets and instead of throwing them away or chucking them in a drawer for years on end recycle them for cash. Tesco and Boots offer ink cartridge recycle in exchange for loyalty card points and sites such as Mazuma and Envirofone offer mobile phone recycling. Boots also offers recycling for mobile phones, sat navs, MP3 players/iPods and digital cameras.

5. Sale shopping

Yes sale shopping can be good because who doesn't like buying something with money off but one thing to remember: don't just buy something because it is cheap. If you do this you just end up wasting money. If you need it then great buy it but if you're just buying it as an impulse sale buy then don't.

6. Save

You don't have to save alot, just start by saving your coppers. I save all my 1p, 2p and 5p's but soon I want to start saving my £2 coins. By doing this you will save up a decent amount of money in no time. Also if you can afford it save 10% of your wages. Generally this is about £80-£100 and if you do this every month in a year you could have saved between £960 and £1200!

7. Ebay you unwanted items

Ebay regularly have free listing weekends which are great for getting rid of your unwanted and unloved items. If you've never Ebayed before then start small but you can make a decent amount of money. Just remember you will have your Ebay seller fees and Paypal fees to take off at the end but still, to steal a phrase, every little helps!

Do you have any money saving tips that you'd recommend? Share them in the comments below!

Review - Thea skincare

2011-11-02T16:58:00.001Z

A while ago I was sent a couple of products to try from a new organic skincare brand called Thea.

I received a mini pot of rebalance face creme and a mini rebalance foaming face cleanser.

When i first tried the face cream it didn't agree with my skin, it was too thick, but since I've had it my since broke out with awful eczema and it became quite useful having this little pot of cream. It's worked wonders on my dry patches and now they have practically disappeared.

The foaming face cleanser I simply LOVE! It doesn't foam up as much as others, but then again it doesn't contain any of the artificial foaming agents like some other products, but it still had a good lather and left my skin feeling clean & soft.

Both were lightly scented and overall I was really impressed with the products I got to try. Would I buy them again? I would without doubt purchase the cleanser again but I'm not sure I would buy the face cream.

The full sized 150ml cleanser is £15.95 and the full sized 50ml face cream is £22.95 and they are available directly from Thea.

Product use up

2011-11-02T16:01:00.000Z

This post is a little late this month mainly because I've been rather lack on the blogging front! So how well have I done this month.

This month I've used up 7 items:

Face wipes x2

Deodorant

Make up remover

Hair straightening gel

Face wash

Body wash

Conditioner (not pictured)

How well have you done this month?

What's new: Anti-ageing products

2011-10-21T18:44:00.000+01:00

Over the last few weeks there have been quite a big influx of products aimed at anti-ageing. Yes fair enough probably the majority of my readers won't care about this post but here are four of the newest products available on the market.

1. BIOEFFECT EGF Cellular Activating Serum 15ml - £125.00

No, I haven't dome a typo, you really do get just 15ml of product for a whacking £125! This serum claims to dramatically improve skin tone and visibly remove lines, blemishes and dark circles all in two drops!

2. Freezeframe With Inhibox 10ml - £49.99

Freezeframe reduces the appearance of expression wrinkles instantly which gives a lifted look that lasts for hours.

3. Lancome Visionnaire 30ml - £57.00

Kate and Pippa Middleton are reportedly big fans of this advanced skin corrector for wrinkles, pores and evenness.

4. Nanoblur Optical Skin Cream 30ml - £19.99

The most affordable product which immediately reduces the appearance of lines, wrinkles, crow's feet, sagginess and enlarged pores.

These are all available from Boots and other health and beauty retailers

New Bourjois Christmas 2011 collection

2011-10-19T14:57:00.001+01:00

Bourjois has a few gorgeous new products for christmas this year. They include smokey glitter eye pencils (£5.49) and these gorgeous eye pearl eyeshadows (£8.99):

L-R: Creation, Illusion

L-R: Sublimation, Revelation

I think you'll agree the colours are perfect for the winter season, I have my eye on sublimation and revelation. These cost £8.99 each and are available from Boots and Superdrug.

Face wipes: The best and the worst

2011-10-18T14:28:00.000+01:00

Face wipes - I think just about every skincare brand has them in their range. I love face wipes as they're a quick and easy way to remove your make up but with so many on the market which ones are the best? I've tested 6 different brands to try to answer this question and here is what I think..... photo's have been borrowed from the internet as my photo's were atrocious.

Soap & Glory Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths - £4.09 for 25 wipes

These have a smooth side and a slightly bumpy side for exfoliating. They also have that lovely Soap & Glory signature smell. They were quite moist and removed my make-up really well and my skin felt clean after. I have a stock pile of these to use up because I like them that much!

No7 Quick Thinking 4-in-1 wipes - £7.00 for 30 wipes

These are really wet, not too wet but they remove my make-up easily with little rubbing. My skin was left clean and these are the most repurchased but mainly because I get them with my £5 off vouchers which Boots always give out.

The Body Shop Vitamin E wipes - £5.50 for 25 wipes

These wipes were a little on the dry side for my liking but even though they did do a good job at removing my make-up. The wipe is slightly thicker than others I've tried but I'm not keep on the slight scent they have. I would repurchase but they wouldn't be my preferred choice.

Time Delay - £4.07 for 30 wipes

Really unimpressed by these. They were really dry and it took some really effort to remove my make-up. The worst face wipes I tried.

Bourjois Make-Up Remover Wipes - £3.99 for 25 wipes

Like the No 7 wipes these were really wet and removed make up easily and effortless. I was really impressed with these and would repurchase.

Organic Surge Kiss and Make-Up Cleansing Wipes - £3.49 for 25 wipes

I really liked these, they are thicker than other wipes and are more of a cloth. For the money they are really good value and I would repurchase.

Overall my favourite wipes were the Bourjois and the Organic Surge ones. Have you tried any of these what did you think? Or are there any brands that you would recommend?

New Guy Kremer professional salon range

2011-10-15T13:29:00.000+01:00

I have to admit that I hadn't heard of Guy Kremer before receiving this press release and a few samples kindly sent to me. So who is Guy?

Guy Kremer is an internationally renowned hairdresser and he has just launched a brand new range of haircare products: Guy Kremer, Professional Salon Style.

I received the Repair and Replenish Cleanser and Rebalancer (conditioner) and the Perfume and Gloss Spray.

Repair and Replenish Cleanser and Rebalancer - £6.95 each

I liked this product, it left my hair feeling soft, manageable and shiny but the next day my hair looked and felt slightly greasy. I passed this onto my mum who really likes it and it leaves her hair feeling really nice.

Perfume and Gloss Spray - £8.95

This is really perfumed, in fact it's a little too strong for my liking. It did gloss my hair and make it look shiny, but I think less in more is the key to this product.

Overall....

After trying all three of these products I don't think I would repurchase any of them. I did like the results but there are just other products on the market which suit my hair better.

Guy's range is available from Ideal World Shopping.

New Sk:n skincare range

2011-10-14T16:25:00.000+01:00

Sk:n is the UK's leading skin experts and offer specialist advice from their clinics. Now you too can experience some of their expert treatment with the launch of their brand new skincare range.

There are 5 different ranged available within the brand so there is something for every skin type:

Anti-ageing - To prevent the look of wrinkles, lines, brown spots, broken veins and puffiness. It also prevents the premature ageing effects of sun exposure, free radicals and pollution.

Cleanse - To reveal brighter, fresher skin.

Protect - Contains SPF (sun protection factor) to protect from UVA and UVB rays.

Anti-blemish - For use on oily, blemish prone skin. Suitable to use on acne. Reduces redness, inflammation and acne producing bacteria.

Corrective - Pigmentation can be caused by a number of factors including the sun, spots, burns and age spots. Helps to even out the skin tone.

Products start from £11 and are available from selected Boots stores and Sk:n Clinics.

Review - Sanex Zero shower gel

2011-10-12T15:11:00.000+01:00

In a magazine a while go I found a sample of Sanex's new Zero % shower gel. I was intrigued to try this as it contains no parabens, phthanthates, colourants or phenoxyethanol (a preservative often used a an alternative to parabens, see post here). It also has a biodegradable formulation so it is good for the environment too!

So with the claims of having no nasties in it I was quite pleased when I looked at the ingredients that it only contained 10 rather than the usual 15+ like other shower gels.

I used the formulation for 'normal' skin (centre in the picture above) and was slightly apprehensive about how good the product would be. This is a clear product and contains no artificial fragrance but it did have a slight odd smell to it but it wasn't unpleasant. It did lather up ever so slightly but as it contains no artificial foaming agents if I expected massive bubbles and lather I would have been a bit silly. When I got out of the shower I did feel cleansed and it was actually nice to get out with out my skin being scented by a shower product so I could layer up fragrance as I wanted.

I don't think I would use this myself but if I did develop a skin condition I would without a doubt head to the shops to buy this and would recommend it to others.

Available from all good chemists!

New Soap & Glory cosmetics!

2011-10-10T12:16:00.000+01:00

This is a really exciting post as Soap & Glory have launched a brand new cosmetic line! They already do a few products but the range has been massively extended and now included eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, foundation and cheek and lip stain.

Prices start from £8 and products are available from Boots.

The week that was...

2011-10-09T09:36:00.000+01:00

On Friday night me and my friend Laura went to see Russell Kane and it was AMAZING! I've never laughed so much in my life! And he even admitted that he didn't perform any tour material it was all improv, off the cuff stuff which made it ever better! We decided we are definitely going to see him again, he's on somewhere else near us in December, so tempted to book tickets! If he's performing anywhere near you I shout at you BOOK TICKETS!! You won't be disappointed.

And a couple of purchases, I got my first Beauty Box on friday from Feel Unique and here is what I got:

Burberry Body perfume

Crabtree & Evelyn handcream

Bliss foaming face wash

Tigi straight blowdry balm

Orly nail polish

Caudalie radiance day fluid

And I also took advantage of the free L'Occitane handcreams with this months Marie Claire magazine and I got shade 3 of the Kate Moss and Rimmel lipsticks:

Hope you've all had a fab week!

Benefit vs W7 dupes

2011-10-07T17:52:00.000+01:00

On the market there are some great cheaper products, mainly W7, available as dupes for Benefit and other higher end brands.

So they look the same, the product is the same but why is the dupe 10x cheaper than the higher end product?

I'm comparing Benefit's Thrrrob powder and W7's Candy Floss (dupe for Benefit Dandelion) and Africa (a dupe for Too Faced Leopard highlighter).

One major difference is on the inside. The pan in the Benefit product fits snuggly into the case where as the pan on the W7 dupes is loose and a really bad fit (the Benefit product is on top in the photo below).

Another difference is that when I pulled the lid off the Candy Floss powder the container started to come away from the base. On Benefit products the container is attached to the base rather than just being stuck on.

The bases are also quite similar except on the Benefit product all the information is on a stick on label and talking of ingredients they are mainly the same for each product.

And the products themselves. Surprisingly the dupes are more pigmented and the Benefit Thrrrob powder but I guess the only other thing to do would be to see how long the dupes last. I've been using Thrrrob on and off for the past 2 years and have only just recently hit the pan.

L-R: Thrrrob, Africa and Candy Floss.

So considering Benefit powders retail at £23.50 and W7 dupes for around £2.99 I would certainly buy the dupe product over the higher end product. Even if it doesn't last as long it's still a mega saving.

Have you tried any of these dupes, what did you think? Are there any others on the market that I should try?

NOTD - No7 Oyster

2011-10-06T15:37:00.000+01:00

Today's NOTD is No7's Oyster from their new nail polish collection.

Wednesday Wishlist - 5

2011-10-05T20:14:00.001+01:00

River Island faux fur barrel bag - £40.00

Curve pretty circle embroidered top - £12.50

Curve bow dress with empire line - £40.00

Glitter platform shoe - £50.00

Faux fur mittens - £15.00

Curve slash neck dress - £45.00

All available from ASOS

Review - Naked Detox shampoo and conditioner

2011-10-04T12:39:00.001+01:00

I am slowly trying to replace all my beauty products with ones that don't contain parabens or SLS and a brand which doesn't use these is Naked.

Naked create their products using 97% natural ingredients so this is a big thumbs up for me!

I have problems with eczema on my scalp and have to be careful what products I use otherwise I'll end up an itchy, flakey scalp which isn't a good look.

I bought Naked's Detox balancing shampoo and conditioner which contain peppermint and sorrel leaf.

One of the first things I noticed about these products is that you need very little. The shampoo foams and lathers up really well and the conditioner is quite rich and thick. In fact it is a little hard to get out of the tube.

It left my hair smelling fresh and feeling soft, silky and manageable. It didn't aggravate my scalp and unlike other shampoo and conditioners I could quite happily use this everyday.

This is priced at £4.07 and available from Naked and Boots.

Project 10 Pan

2011-10-02T19:49:00.000+01:00

Since last year I have been doing Product Use Up where I'm trying to use up my huge stash of products but now I'm also going to concentrate on my stash of make-up. Compared to some people my make-up collection is reasonably small but when I tend to use the same products day in day out and some hardly get used I'm going to try to use up as much as I can by then end of the year.

My make-up storage which is inside my wardrobe

Inside my Sanctuary unit

Top left hand drawer - hardly used products

Top right hand drawer - everyday products

Second drawer - eye products

Bottom drawer - blushers

Odds and ends

Mascaras and lip products

So as the post's title suggests I want to use up at least 10 of these products by the end of the year. Wish me luck!

Product use up

2011-10-01T18:08:00.000+01:00

September has been another month of using up odds and ends so here's what I finished:

2x face wipes

1x eye serum

1x deodorant

1x dry shampoo

1x cleanser

1x toner

2x face creams

4x shower gels

1x hair serums

1x heat protection spray

I only have 3 months left of my year challenge and so far I think I'm on course to do really well and to have used up the majority of my stash!

Let me know how you've done this month!

Review - Naked eye gel

2011-09-30T17:45:00.000+01:00

A few months ago Naked brought out it's skincare range which included cleanser, toner, make up remover, face wash, moisturiser and eye gel. I bought a few products from the range and first I tried was the eye gel.

With soothing cucumber and camomile I was expecting great things from the gel and it is supposed to be suitable for sensitive skin so I presumed would be fine for my non-sensitive 'normal' skin. But nope, it didn't work on my skin.

The gel was clear and wasn't sticky. It sunk into the skin quickly but my gosh it made my eyes sting like crazy, yes they hurt...alot. I tried using less but nope, they still stung. I tried using less the next day but they still stung so I stop using it.

Overall I was disappointed as I love other Naked products but this one just didn't agree with me. I have since passed this onto my mum who has no problems with it at all. Maybe it's just me!

This costs £7.49 for a 15ml tube and is available from Superdrug and Naked online.

Wednesday Wishlist - 4

2011-09-28T10:51:00.001+01:00

I love it when Next put their christmas seasonal items on their website, it makes me feel all festive! So I had a quick look because I want to look at it all when my Christmas Directory comes (yes I'm sad) and have chosen a few things to go on my, dare I say it, christmas wishlist!

Made with Love Purple Bag - £32

Neutral Chunk Knit Bag - £32

Pink Tweed Sausage Dog Slippers - £12

Scottie Dog ornament - £5

Large Jar of Snowie Sweets - £10

So that the the start of my christmas wishlist! Let me know if you've started yours too!

NOTD - Nails Inc

2011-09-26T11:36:00.000+01:00

Todays NOTD is Franklin's Row by Nails Inc.

The week that was...

2011-09-25T10:52:00.003+01:00

Once again it has been a few weeks since my last 'week that was' post and this week has been hectic!

My mum and dad have been on holiday so I've been home alone, which was quite nice and I've lived off ready meals and cherry coke! I wish I could do this all the time!

This week I've also booked 2 nights away to Newcastle with my mum and to see Russell Kane live a week on friday with my friend! Excited much, hell yes!

And I also bought my first xmas present but it's a secret what I bought!

Hope everyone has had a good couple of weeks! Oh and I've actually done quite a bit of blogging and have scheduled posts up until the second week of October so keep a look out for those!

Source

Haul - Part 2

2011-09-24T10:21:00.000+01:00

This is the final part of my haul and sorry some of the photo's are rubbish, natural light was against me!

Charles Worthington

Mini dry shampoo and hair serum

I won these but have no idea where from!

W7 (from a local make-up shop)

Candy Floss powder (dupe for Benefit Dandelion) - £2.99

Debenhams

Mantaray purple shoes - £12.50 (half price)

Primark

Tights - £2 and £2.50

Colour block t-shirt - £4

Knitted dress - £14

Leggings - £3

So like normal link me to your latest haul posts as I love having a nosey at what people have bought!

Haul - Part 1

2011-09-23T19:48:00.000+01:00

I have quite alot of new purchases to show you so I've decided to split them into two posts and this is the first and the net one will be up tomorrow!

Next

Horse print top - £16

ASOS

Fairisle dress - £25 (since gone back to £35)

Fiorelli handbag - £24 in the sale

Amazon

The Inbetweeners boxset - £13.00

Julian Graves

Random haul item but they had a 50% sale so I'm going to make up my own Graze boxes!

All these cost me about £5.50

George at Asda

Winnie the Pooh PJ's - £13

Part two will be up tomorrow!

New cosmetics

2011-09-20T11:45:00.000+01:00

This is just a quick post to show some of the new cosmetics that have recently been released.

Max Factor Ageless Elixir 2 in 1 Foundation

£12.99

Available in 6 shades

This foundation contains a serum which has a SPF 15 and instantly revitalises your skin.

Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick

£7.99

Available in 15 shades

Maybelline Volume Express Cat Eyes mascara

£7.99

Available only in black

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick

£5.49

Available in 7 shades

Kate Moss has created her own collection of lipsticks exclusively for Rimmel.

L'Oreal Superliner Luminizer
£6.49
Available in 3 colours

Products available from Boots and Superdrug.

New fragrances

2011-09-19T16:16:00.000+01:00

Here are a few new fragrances that have been released int he last month or so.

Beyonce Pulse EDP

Starts at £23 for 30ml

DKNY Be Delicious Golden Apple EDP

Starts at £32 for 30ml

Marc Jacobs Daisy Hot Pink EDP

£60 for 100ml

This is the same Daisy fragrance but in a new funky bottle for Autumn.

All available from Boots and other perfume retailers.

Review - Dr Organics pomegranate skin lotion

2011-09-13T16:42:00.000+01:00

Dr Organic's isn't one of those well known brands, in fact I hadn't heard of it until a couple of years ago when I was trying to find brands which didn't use parabens and SLS in their products. I hadn't bought anything from the range until last christmas when I got given a set which contained pomegranate shower gel and skin lotion (body lotion).

Pomegranate is rich in anti-oxidants and has anti-aging properties. I used the shower gel a while ago and was impressed with it but have only just started the body lotion.

It is of a slightly thicker consistency than a lotion but it's not as thick as a butter. But with this in mind it does sink into the skin quickly and leaves it feeling soft and moisturised.

I'm really impressed with the Dr Organics products and would try more of the range. Have you tried anything, what did you think of the products?

Oh and Dr Organics is available from Holland and Barrett and the body lotion is £7.19 for 200ml.

The week that was...

2011-09-11T15:58:00.000+01:00

I haven't written this post for a couple of weeks now, mainly because I haven't been doing anything interesting except going to work (and that's not interesting!)

So today is September 11th and the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, can hardly believe all that happened 10 years ago. I remember I found out about it when I got home from school and saw it on the TV. Where were you when you heard he news?

But on to slightly happier things, how good is TV at the moment?! With X Factor, Shameless, Waterloo Road, Strictly and Celebrity Juice I'm spoilt for choice about what to watch! Just a shame I have to record most of it as I have to go to sleep early :-(

And on Friday I left work 15 minutes early to make sure I was back in town for 6pm and I had to get petrol as I decided to play petrol-roulette on the way home (in other words I had very little petrol so I might not make it home). I got stuck in a bit of traffic in Nottingham and then it was clear until I was 10 minutes away from town when I hit the most horrendous traffic jam. I moved half a mile in 30 minutes. And my petrol light came on :-S Scary stuff but eventually I made it to a petrol station and got home at 6.30, two hours after I left work. Urgh nightmare.

Buuuut I hope you've all had a good few weeks and I have a number of blog posts coming up over the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled!

Source

Magazine content

2011-09-09T16:15:00.000+01:00

I don't normally buy glossy magazines, I normally stick to my Closer mag every week, but when there are great freebies when you buy a magazine I relent and buy them. I've had four magazines for a while now and only got round to reading them last week but was shocked to find how many adverts they contain.

I had InStyle (July), Red, Elle and Marie Clare (all September).

So how many pages of adverts did they contain? I've tried to show this by putting a post it note in to divide the magazine. Pages to the top of the post it note are all the adverts and actual content is below.

Marie Clare - 111 pages of adverts

Elle - 197 pages of adverts

Red -92 pages of adverts

InStyle - 73 pages of adverts

In Marie Clare, Elle and Red almost half of the magazine is adverts, worth paying £3.50+ for? Erm I'm not sure it is.

And whilst counting the pages I was somewhat amused at the advert which were in them. These include: Continental tyres, Abu Dhabi, Pink Lady apples, Lloyds TSB, Finish dishwasher tablets, Aptamil baby milk and Fiat 500 (designed by Gucci, of course!)

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that there was a mix of mass and premium make-up brand adverts: Rimmel and Barry M and then Lancome, Estee Lauder and Chanel. But the premium brands adverts were placed slap bang at the front of the magazine rather than half way through like the mass brand products.

Oh and another thing I noticed, in Elle there were a whole 33 pages of adverts before the contents page and another 31 pages of adverts before the Editors letter!

Have you noticed how much advert content there is in your monthly magazines?

It must be love, love, love....

2011-09-05T14:51:00.000+01:00

Source

NOTD - Mavala

2011-09-05T12:12:00.000+01:00

Today's NOTD is from Mavala which came free with September's Elle magazine.

August Bank Holiday haul

2011-09-04T15:53:00.001+01:00

As this is the last Bank Holiday until after christmas (heehee have I shocked/scared you there?) I decided to take advantage of my time off and went shopping.

Boots

Original Source shower gels - £1 each

Sure deodorant - £1 each

Revlon eyeshadow palette - £7.99

Models Own sponge applicators - £3

Bourjois Smoky Eye palette - £7.99 (but have a £2 voucher so cost me £5.99)

Primark

Exfoliating gloves - £1

Lint rollers - £1

Block colour t-shirt - £4 (photo is rubbish, sorry)

White cardigan - £6

Velvet hangers - £4 for 10

Matalan

Tassle loafers - £10

Squirrel jumper - £20

Owl PJ top - £6

Owl PJ bottoms - £8

Link me to your most recent haul post as I love having a nosey!

Product use up

2011-09-01T14:08:00.000+01:00

This last months Product Use Up challenge has been focused on using up products which have been open for ages. As I was moving house I didn't want to move half used products from one house to another I knuckled down and did really well. Here's what I finished:

Like last month I'm not going to list everything as there's alot but in total I finished 28 products.

Next month is going to be a slow month as I've started alot of new products but all in all my toiletries stash is going down which is the whole point of this challenge!

So how have you done this month?