Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!! :)

20oz Candle - £3.29 from Homebase! A Christmas Bargain!!

It is now two days until Christmas and I cannot wait to be finished at work and not come back until the 9th January. The first port of call when I am done today is the pub and so I doubt I will have another post up before Sunday! lol. It's just a quiet one this year with myself and my Fiance staying at my parents house on Christmas Eve and spending Christmas just the 4 of us ,which I am actually really looking forward to. We are then visiting family on Boxing day and on the 27th we are off on holiday to spend New Year in the sun!

I am trying to arrange a couple of posts to go up when I am away but for now I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!

xxx

Feel Unique Beauty Box

Hey Everyone!

So things have been a bit hectic lately with it coming up for Christmas and all! Lots of shopping, wrapping, decorating and family visiting to do!! Things have also been very hectic with the Postal Service it appears! I originally received an email tellling me my Feel Unique Beaty Box had been despatched on the 5th of December, I was then informed 10 days later that a shipment had went missing without them being infomed but they had now been routed onwards and so I finally received it this morning! I should note that Feel Unique were great to keep my informed with what was going on.

Right, so I  had seen many blog posts on the different beauty boxes which are available and it was the Feel Unique one that I was drawn to the most (although this months GlossyBox looked amazing!). I have used their website many times (free delivery!!) and I liked the idea of being able to go onto their site to purchase the items that they include in their boxes, if I so happen to want more of them. It is a monthly supscription of £9.95 (that includes postage!) and each month you receive 5 Deluxe sized beauty products.This subscription can be cancelled at anytime so you are not tied in.

Onto the box.

This is my first BeautyBox and it was actually slightly smaller that I expected, I think I was expecting something about A4 size when in fact its about A5 size. I have no idea why I expected it to be bigger, I guess sometimes you cannot tell from photographs! However I have to say I really like the packaging, sleek black with pink text.

                         A pink tab on the side allows you to slide out the tray with all the goodies!

Unfortunately as my box was late I already new what to expect when it arrived although I'm not to bothered as I was still very excited to get it this morning! Onto the contents...............

First off was Mangragore Eau De Toilette, Annick Goutal Paris 25ml. A 50ml bottle to buy is £43.45! Now I know most people don't like receiving perfume samples in their beauty boxes and I don't like the idea either however this is a bit more than your normal perfume sample! It is a beautiful small glass bottle with a decent amount in it! It is not a scent I would choose myself although after having it on all day it is growing on me and seems to be a great warming scent for the winter time!

 

Clarisonic refreshing gel cleanser 30ml  (full size 177ml is £21.00) I am looking forward to using this as I have been eyeing up the Clarisonic Mia (its just so expensive!) and so it will be good to try out this first.

Nails Inc Oxford Circus 4ml (Full size 10ml is £11) I would have much preferred a more festive colour to be included in the 'christmas' box although this is still a very nice baby pink colour.

TIGI Bed Head Candy Fixations Sugar Dust 1g This is a full-size product which is worth £9.35!! So looking forward to trying this out! The tube feels like it has nothing in it at all but on sprinkling it onto my hand I was surprised to see the product is almost like fluff and not as white as I was expecting!

Figs & Rouge Sweet Geranium 100% Organic Balm 8ml This is also a full-size product worth £3.49! I am not too keen on this floral scent as I think it reminds me of something which I cannot put my finger on! The product itself seem very good but I would have much prefered the Peppermint and Tea Tree one!

Despite the wait I had I am delighted with my first Feel Unique Beauty Box and will definitely stay subscribed to the next one! If you want a bit more information on their box click here.

xx

OOOOOOOPI it's Beautiful!!

After seeing Rainbow Connection by OPI on a few blogs I thought it was just beautiful!! It was fairly popular and so I headed to ebay to try and get my hands on one (plus I figured it would be a lot cheaper) I had also been lusting after Gettin' Piggy With It and was after that as well.

I found a Seller who seemed quite good and appeared to have many happy customers. My items took about 2 weeks to get here, as they were coming from America. I bought two which meant I got combined shipping and in total it cost me $18.95 which worked out at £12.65! So quite a good deal I felt. Now, I obviously cannot gurantee 100% that these are genuine OPI products, however they certainly seem to be and if not they are an extrememly good replica!! (The only issue I have is the small scuff on my Gettin' Piggy With It which I can live with.)

The product inside was exactly what I was expecting and both look amazing!

Rainbow Connection is full of different coloured and sized sparkles! I found it better to dab it onto the nail rather than stroke it over as it builds up the chunky glitter a bit better. It is also good for using as a top coat over existing nail varnish to change the look up a little.

Gettin' Piggy With It is a great red glitter polish with bigger silver sequins included. I have yet to use this but my friend had a go and after a few coats (like most glitter nail polishes) it built up to a really nice sparkly nail! Both of the nail polishes dry very fast which is also a bonus when you have to do a few coats.

I am delighted with my purchase and the price I paid for them. If you would like to see where I got them from click here.

P.S. I would have shown them on my nails however they are in horrific condition right now! So if anyone can recommend a good way or product to strengthen them/help them grow I would love to hear it :)

xx

A Misguided Mini Haul

I had never bought anything from Missguided before, infact I hadn't even looked on their website before! After a quick look it was instantly clear I would end up making an order. I didn't have an extensive browse as I am trying to buy Christmas presents just now and not things for myself! My order arrived on Monday and I am delighted with it!

So first up was this Zeana Oversized Tribal Design T-Shirt for £8.99 and available in six different colours. I originally wanted it in Stone but it was sold out which meant I purchased it in White instead. I am so glad I did though as I love the design and I think it stands out really well in the lighter colours.

Now this next item was what sealed my order. I lusted after the Topshop Allegra Black Chelsea boots for a long time but always seemed to talk myself out of actually buying them (this could have to do with the £75 price tag!)

These Odetta Heeled Chelsea Boots were only £26.99! (also available in Tan) and WOW! I love them already!!! I have not properly worn them out yet but on first trying them on they fit perfectly and felt sooo comfortable! I don't know about you but I think they are very similar to the Allegra's and I much prefer a smaller price tag :-)

xx

November Favs!

I love seeing people's favourite items of the month and so I thought I would get involved! Here are some of my favourite things I have reached for last month.



1. Lee Stafford Treatment for Hair That Never Grows Past a Certain Length I love this stuff! I personally think it smells amazing! I can't say that it is actually making my hair grow any faster but perhaps over time I will see more of a difference. (I am desperately trying to grow my hair!) However everytime I use it my hair feels in much better condition and I am also noticing less breakage at the roots of my hair.

2. Benefit Coralista Blush. Such a beautiful colour! Despite the occasion moments where I can't believe I spent £23.50 on a blush, especially as there are many dupes out there, I do love it and use it every other day.

3. Maybelline One by One Mascara As I have said before I think I actually have quite long lashes with the only problem being that they are very fair. For so long I used a Collection 2000 Volume Mascara which I thought was great, until I tried this! The brush is great for separating lashes and creating volume without it looking clumpy.

4. MUA Heaven & Earth Palette Everyone has seen and heard about this. Great cheap, highly pigmented natural pallette. Well worth having!

5. MUA Professional Eye Primer This stuff is brilliant. A touch of this before eye shadow and the colour is still there all day and into the night. Now I have never tried the Urban Decay Primer, however I doubt I will as this stuff does the job and its only £2.50!

6. Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki Brush For me, this lives up to all the rave reviews. Great for applying and blending  foundation and giving an excellent coverage.

7. VO5 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixr I first bought this on a whim after the Miricle Concentrate wasn't in stock, and I have continued to buy it since. When in the shower you put it on your hair for a minute before shampooing, then rinse it out. It is meant to "reconsruct damaged hair in 1 minute" and I have to say my hair  is continuing to improve in condition after using this.

8. Mac Shy Girl Another cult classic described as a "Creamy neutral coral beige" lipstick it is such a wearable colour however, at the beginning I wasn't a big fan. That said I now reach for it most of the time despite the formulation not being one of my favourites.

Maybelline One by One Mascara



Mac Shy Girl

Benefit Coralista

xx

ELF Haul (with their Mystery Box!) ...........and then one with 40% off!

I absolutely love Elf (eyes lips face) products! Very cheap but good quality products! (most of them anyway). Even though the prices are brilliant they always seem to have some sort of offer on whether its money off or a free gift. Recently I took up their offer of if you spent more than £10 (I think!) You received a free mystery box! I was intruiged and so I had to buy a few things. The second offer not long after was a 40% off. I was originally going to do two posts but thought I would just throw it all in one (so apologises if its long!)

Haul no 1. The Mystery Box

1. Angled Foundation Brush £3.50 I actually meant to buy the Angled Contour Brush but bought this instead. Not the best brush I have got from Elf  :(

2. Hollywood Eyelashes.£3.50 I have never been that great at applying fake eyelashes which means I rarely wear them and don't get the practice! I am always quite happy with my lashes after a few coats of mascara however i would like a more dramatic effect at times. I mainly bought this set to try out the eyelash applicator!

3. Studio Blush in Peachykeen £3.50 I was drawn to this one immediately.

4. Complete Coverage Concealer in light £3.50 I was interested to try a set of concealers so I could blend and mix colours.

For buying all this I got a Free mystery box which included the following:

A Beautybook - Natural Eye Edition (worth £6) Nail polish in Twinkle (worth £1.50) and Cream Eyeliner in Coffee (worth £3.50)

I am so happy with the free gifts I received!! Unfortunately one shade in the Beautybook had smashed however it will still be usable.
I was after a sparkly nail polish and this one is brilliant although it does take about 5 coats to get a decent cover of glitter and I absolutely love the cream eyeliner, I have used it almost everyday since I got  it!

Haul No 2. 40% off

Ok so not long after the mysterybox offer Elf had a 40% off everything deal on and so I ordered a few more things some of which I meant to order the last time round. I will list their original price.

1. Blending Eye Brush £5.50 This brush is from the Elf Mineral collection. I already have a No7 Blending brush which I love but thought I would try this one out mainly for using with different shades to save on cleaning (very lazy I know!)

2. Powder Brush £3.50 I have read several people raving about this for applying their foundation. I normally use my Sigma F80 (which is amazing!) but as I have a few foundations that I go between, depending on the tanning situation, I thought it couldn't hurt to have an alternative.

3. Studio Blush in Blushing Rose £3.50 After being very impressed with the blush I bought in the first haul I got this shade as I thought it seemed like a good one for this time of year.

4. Eyebrow Kit in Ash £3.50 I did already have this but cannot find it anywhere which led me to buy the Sleek Eyebrow Kit. I much prefer the Elf one so had to repurchase it! (may do a review on both eyebrow kits?)

5. Dual Pencil Sharpener £1.50 My one that I have had for so many years, its unreal, broke and so I needed another.

Right, onto shades and swatches to give you a better idea.

Eye Brow Kit in Ash

Complete Concealer Coverage in Light

Studio Blush in Blushing Rose

Studio Blush in Peachykeen



Blush Swatches

 I also bought a lipstick in my second order but forgot to add it in the collective image (oops)

Mineral Lipstick in Cheerful Cherry £3.50 I was after a dark lipstick to wear for my works Christmas Doo. It is not as dark as it is shown on the website but is still a lovely colour.

Another thing to mention is the packaging which in no way reflects the price of the product! I think it actually looks quite sleek and simple. If you haven't looked at Elf products before I would definitely recommend them. You can see their products here.

xx

Clippy for Christmas?

I can't quite remember how I came across Clippy although it was most likely through a blog! I had been after a new make up bag to carry around with me and this seemed perfect!! Clippy do a wide range of products from make-up bags to handbags even lunch bags. 

I ended up buying two Style Your Own Make-up Bags (which are also available with a silver and clear trim). I also bought their Style Your Own Magazine Clutch Bag. All of these are only £10 each!! Which I think is brilliant! 

I bought one for myself (as you can see) and the other two as Christmas Presents!! 

The best part of it is you can personalize it to make it unique! The make up bag has four inner pockets which can be filled with anything you like. The Clutch Bag is designed to hold a magazine cover however could be filled with any customised sheet. I would also personally use the Clutch Bag as a make-up/toiletries bag but that is just me.

I filled the pockets of mine with bits of card covered in pages from a John Lewis Catalogue, Photographs and postcards. The pockets are smaller than a 6x4 photograph so images would need to be cut down. For £14.50 you can get your purchase to arrive already filled with photos you upload or free images from the Clippy Gallery. 

xx

Recent Clothing Haul

I have done quite a bit of shopping lately (quite a bit of sale/discounted items though!) And thought I would show you some of the things I have bought. I will link as many as I can.

I will start with some sale purchases from ASOS. I absolutely love this site! When I go on I normally only ever look at their sale section as there is always heaps in it!! Plus if you are not in a rush for your items you can choose a longer delivery which is free!!

I originally wanted this One Shoulder Dress with Corsage Flower dress in the black with the cream flower or vice versa however by time I had went to place my order they were all out of stock and there was only the one in coral left which I bought anyway. When it arrived I was surprised to see how pink it was compared to the picture on the website. I expected a more orangey pink than a barbie pink!! Not a colour I ever go for but I like the style of the dress. The flower is detachable with a clasp at the back and would be placed at the side with the sleeve (very Carrie Bradshaw) It cost £19.

The second item was this Carousel Horse Tunic on sale for £21. It was only avaliable in Petite and I think I would have preferred it in the regular size however I think it will look great with a pair of leggings.

From H&M I got this grey Tshirt for £8.99 (bargain!) and I absolutely love The Beatles.

I was instantly drawn to this dress when I saw it, which was strange as it isn't normally the type of thing I go for. It is a black bodycon style dress with this sequin top section attached. It is quite a high neckline which I don't really wear however I really liked in on and after a random lady told me how much she liked it in the changing room I was sold. This was £19.99.

From New Look I got this Blue Velvet dress. It is beautiful! I loved it as soon as I tried it on. Perfect for a Christmas Party! I have tried to find it online but with no luck however I only got it in store about a week ago in the "New In" section. I think it was about £14.99 (and also available in black).

These next two items I bought at New Look online when they had a free delivery and 20% off offer.

The first was this Scalloped Sequin Cami Top for £26.99 (full price) which is also available in black. Unfortunately I think I could be done with the next size up but when I went to exchange in store they didn't have any. Hopefully next time or I will need to re-think my Christmas day outfit!

How cute is this!! I saw it and had to have it. It is a gorgeous burgundy colour and I love it. I wasn't able to find it online although it may still be in store. It was £14.99.

Now on to Primark. It is so cold now and warm jumpers had to be purchased. I bought this cream jumper in a much bigger size as I wanted to wear it quite baggy. I think it was about £10-12.

I loved the teal colour of this one and it looks great with a collared top worn under it. I think it was about £14ish (sorry I bought these a wee while ago now)

This was my best buy! I got this animal print bodycon dress for £10!! yes £10! After seeing a post on Milkteef's blog ,where she was comparing this item to a very similar topshop one, I much preferred the cheaper option one. I love wearing this with the cream jumper above.

Last but not least this Sheer Panel Dress from Motel Rocks. It was £32 however after registering I got a discount code for about 20% off and I got free delivery. I first saw it on Gh0stParties blog (I feel like such a copycat! lol) It is also available in several different colours.

xx

A Recipe For Soft Lips

When I was younger I was obsessed with Vaseline and I mean obsessed!! I would religiously put it on my lips so many times a day I lost count. Why did I do this?? I am not entirely sure, I think it more became a habit than anything else but at that time I wasn't really into lipstick (perhaps the odd lip gloss) although I liked the shine I got from a tin of Vaseline. I wore it so much that my lips became so accustomed to it that if I went so much as a morning without applying it my lips would feel really tight and like they were drying out. I can safely say I have now kicked this habit. I do ,of course, still own a couple of tins of the stuff and I do particularly like the pink tinted one :)

Moving on from this reminiscent ramble..........I have always found that my lips are slightly unpredictable in terms of their condition. They are never ridiculously dry although I find that loose skin can be made apparent when I apply lipstick (sorry! that sounds disgusting!) but applying lip balm just didn't seem enough to solve this problem. However, I have since found a solution (aslong as I remember to do it!).

Sweet Lips Sugar Lip Scrub from Lush. This is essentially an exfoliator for your lips. You gently rub a little onto your lips to scrub off any skin (or in fact foundation that may still be on your lips). This leave them soft and smooth ready for the application of lip balm. The best bit is they are edible meaning you can just lick off the excess or alternatively just wash it off. They come in several different 'flavours' and I have the Vanilla and Chocolate  one.  It is £4.95 for a 25g jar which I think is very good as I have had mine for ages and have barely made a dent in it!

I normally use this in the morning followed by lipbalm to create a good base for lipstick. Recently I have been using a couple of Blistex products.

The first one is an Intensive Moisturiser which is a creamy consistency and leaves a white coating on your lips when first applied however this soaks in to leave the lips nice and soft. The second one I have is the Lip Massage. This one is quite a thick clear gel which is brought up through the whole in the top by turning the wee screw bit at the bottom. As can be seen in the image below the top of the product has small wavy ridges on it which "massages" your lips! I have to say it does actually feel really nice to do!!

These are actually the first Blistex products I have bought (they were on offer in superdrug) and I am really glad I did! They definitely make a nice change to my usual Carmex.

xx