What I've used in March

I love reading posts showing what people have used up in a month. Its great to see new products or what other people think of items that I like, so since I started my blog in March I've been keeping a box to one side then putting in my empties.

It's great to see items being used up!


I've also been inspired by a few blogs to put money away for each item I use up - i'm putting £1 per full size item and 50p per sample/sachet in a money box and I'm going to save it until Christmas then treat myself to loads of beauty related goodies in the sales, well that's the plan anyway!

Full size products

Rituals foaming shower gel 200ml in yogi flow - Indian rose and sweet almond oil
Rituals foaming shower gel 200ml in t'ai chi - white lotus and green tea

I got the yogi flow in my December Glossybox and really liked it so I purchased a few more from the range, they retail at around £6.50 online but I managed to pick a few up for £3 from my local TK Maxx. I prefer the white lotus and green tea scent, its really fresh and perfect for spring the yogi flow is really nice too but is more heavily scented.  The gel foams up really nicely and a little goes a long way.  They don't dry my skin so if I don't have time to moisturise after my shower these keep my skin nice and soft.  Would definitely repurchase.

Macadamia Deep Repair Mask 30ml

Personally I wouldn't class this as a full size product, but I got it in my February Joliebox and thats how they described it so I'm going with their description! This retails at around £2.50 online and as I have shortish hair I managed to get three uses from this sachet.  It smells gorgeous! Has a really nice thick consistency but spread easily through my hair and was easily rinsed out.  My hair was nice and shiny after using this and my frizz was definitely reduced. Would repurchase, its one of the nicest masks I have used - although I haven't tried my Ojon masks yet!

Perfume Samples

Clinique Happy 7ml - received this in a swap from Beauty Box Swaps 30ml retails at around £20 online.  I like this perfume, I think the name is perfect! The smell reminds me of my teenage years - it must smell like a perfume I used to wear.... I wouldn't repurchase though as there are other perfumes that I prefer.

Benefit Laugh with me Lee Lee - again received this in a swap! It doesn't say how much the vial contains but I'd say about 1ml.  I love this perfume! Its described as fruity-floral and for me its a great everyday scent.  At around £30 for 30ml I would repurchase this.

Memo Paris Les Echappees Jannat - again doesn't say how much is in the vial.  I got this in my December Best of Boudoir Prive box. I can't find this for sale in the UK, but you can find it on their website where 30ml retails for 69 euros (approx £58). I don't really like this scent, it was nice to try but to me it smells too spicy verging on the masculine. So I wouldn't repurchase this. 

Cleansers

Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil 4ml - received this in my Harrods Glossybox. 150ml is £28 on their website. I got two uses out of this sachet and I was really disappointed with it! I didn't like it at all! The oil was very thick, didn't seem to emulsify properly, didn't take all my make up off and no matter how much I rinsed it felt like it left a layer on my skin so I ended up using another cleanser to get it off! Would definitely not repurchase.

RMK Cleansing Oil 3ml - received this in my February Joliebox.  175ml is £23.25 on beautybay. I loved this oil! Was completely the opposite to the Shu Uemura oil, the oil is a much thinner consistency, spread easily, took all my make up off, emulsified nicely and washed off easily.  Really like this and 175ml would last for ages, I got three uses out of the sachet, so this is on my repurchase list.

Green People Gentle Cleanse 10ml -received this in one of my Feel Unique boxes.  Its organic and suitable for all skin types. 200ml retails at £16.95 on their website. This is a nice gentle cleanser, left my skin nice and soft didn't break me out at all but didn't remove all my eye make up.  It says it moisturises but I did need an additional moisturiser.  Its a nice thick consistency and smells really nice, although its quite a strong smell so may be overpowering for some people. I'm undecided on repurchasing this, my skin likes it but I don't like the fact it doesn't remove my mascara very well.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser 28.3g - I first received this in my December Glossybox.  I had just had a disastrous experience with Clinique three step that ruined my skin and this cleanser was my saviour! Soothed my sore skin, cleared up my spots, removes all my make up.  I love it! I still get the occasional spot but no big breakouts anymore. It is unscented and a little goes a long way. You can buy the essentials kit from Boots for £10.  This is my favourite cleanser and I have stocked up from Beauty Box Swaps (think I have 5 tubes left) and will be repurchasing when they run out!

Body and Face Moisturisers

Clarins Extra-Firming Body Cream 30ml - Received in my Harrods Glossybox, the cheapest I could find it online is £31.60 for 200ml on Escentual.  The cream smells really nice to me, like bubble gum! Its easily absorbed and makes my skin nice and soft, not sure about the firming effect! At over £30 I wouldn't repurchase this.

Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion 30ml - Received in the same Feel Unique box as the Green People cleanser (oh how I miss Feel Unique beauty boxes) 250ml is £14.40 on lookfantastic, really like this it smells fresh, easily absorbed and doesn't irritate the lovely dry patches on my shins! Undecided on whether I would repurchase £14 to me is a lot to spend on a body cream.

Clarins HydraQuench Cream 15ml - got this in a swap with the Clinique Happy perfume, its £26.40 for 50ml on Escentual. This product is described as ultra-moisturising, it didn't live up to my expectations - still had dry patches that it didn't seem to improve.  Wouldn't repurchase.

Korres Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturiser SPF 6 10ml - got this from the Best of Boudoir Prive box, wasn't sure if I would use it at first but I'm glad I did! The smell of rose is really subtle, the cream sinks in easily and gave my complexion a nice glow! Looked really nice under my foundation. I don't know if it does moisturise for 24 hours as obviously I wash in this time! but I really liked it for the daytime a little goes a very long way and I'm suprised how long this little tube has lasted me.  40ml is £15.20 on Lookfantastic. Would repurchase.

Aveda Smooth Infusion Shampoo and Conditioner, both 10ml.  Got these both in a little set from the first She Said Beauty box, along with a Style-Prep Smoother (not used this yet).  Only got one wash from these samples so its hard to judge the product, my hair was nice and soft but I wouldn't say it was any smoother than usual. The shampoo is £15.50 for 250ml and the conditioner is £17.50 for 200ml from John Lewis. I wouldn't repurchase these products. 



This is my little money box! How cute is it! I got it in a set from Lush at Christmas.

So thats £9.50 saved up so far!

Just realised there is not one make-up item that I've used in full this month! Thats awful when I think of what I have bought....which leads me onto my first April post - Budget Challenge!

Oh and just a quick one - I am in no way paid/affiliated/bribed by any of the companys I have linked to, this is purely so you can see the product in full and get an idea of price.  I have tried to pick the websites with the lowest prices x

VIVO - Baked Shimmer Palette

Morning All - its the weekend wooohooo!

Just a little post on some other bits I picked up last weekend during the shopping trip with my sisters. Popped into Tesco on the way back to the car and remembered that they had started to stock VIVO in that branch so went to have a little nosey while they picked up cat food and milk (obviously they had had enough of me talking about make-up by then!)

Really wanted one of the baked blushers to try out (retail at £4) but saw this gorgeous baked shimmer palette for £6 its sooo pretty that I couldn't resist!

It contains one blusher and four eyeshadows

There were a few different palettes to choose from and I picked Divine. It's described on the back as - Divine a specially baked formula enriched with high pigment colours for stunning eyes, complete with baked blusher to complement any complexion

It comes with a sponge applicator and there is a handy mirror too

The products are not named - this is blush!

Shades 1 and 2

Shades 3 and 4

Shades (L-R) 1,2,3,4

They are so pretty, really shimmery - I've tried to pick up the colour from slightly different angles so you can see the shimmer.

The blush is absolutely gorgeous, I'm made up with it. Contains just the right amount of shimmer, the colour looks gorgeous on my face a pretty spring pink. It looks quite coral on this pic, but it's definitely pink!

I also picked up a compact power in shade 1, soft vanilla, for £2.49.  It is quite a large compact and has a mirror in the top lid. Perfect for chucking in my handbag and not worrying about it getting broken.

I did want to pick up one of the lipsticks too but at this point my sisters dragged me away!

Have you tried any of the VIVO range?

Whats on my desk?

I love seeing the posts showing what people carry in their handbags etc (so nosy), today I went to re-apply my lippy in work and realised I have a right little collection of beauty goodies that I keep out on my desk in work so this is my twist on the handbag post!

Kushmi Detox Tea, not really a beauty product but I got it in my December Joliebox

Figs and Rouge Sweet Geranium Lip Balm

CID I-Pout in Pomegranate

Clinique lipstick in Rosette

Lavera Hand Cream

Revlon Lip Butter in Cupcake

Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

L.I.L.Y by Stella McCartney sample

Revlon Colorstay Mineral Powder

Duwop Lip Venom in Buttercup

Rose & Co Strawberry Crush Lip Balm

Hello Kitty wipes

My son drew the pic for me to keep on my desk :)

So much for the clear desk policy!

Do you keep beauty items on your desk?

The Hotel Chocolat Tasting Club

Yay its Wednesday, the sun is shining and the postman delivered a large box today from Hotel Chocolat's Tasting Club :)

A little bit addicted to Hotel Chocolat after munching my way through the Sleekster Easter Egg selection that I won a couple of weeks ago, so when I saw an introductory office on their website to sign up to the Chocolate Tasting Club for £9.95 inc delivery I couldn't resist!

Plus as I went through TopCashBack I got £7.45 cashback, making this an absolutely steal at £2.50!!

You can pick from Milk, Mixed, All Dark, No Alcohol and Rare Cocoa.  Curtis and I love dark chocolate (I know, how strange for a child to like dark chocolate!) so we picked the All Dark selection. It contains 32 yummy scrummy chocolates.

Had to get a quick pic of the chocs - the boys were not happy that they had to wait!

 It has a card inside the box with a picture of the chocolate and a description, most of them contain alcohol so if you don't like chocolate with your alcohol you won't like this!  There are a couple of chocolates without alcohol and of course Curtis has first dibs on these! It also has a scoring sheet at the bottom of the card where you can mark the chocolates out of 10.

The chocs have yummy names such as Cherry Bakewell, Rhubarb Truffle, Indian Summer, Heart of Kirsch.  I choose Indian Summer - wow nearly took my head off - thats a LOT of alcohol!

As an introductory offer we also got a 60g sachet of liquid dark chocolate - can't wait to make a hot chocolate with this.

The tasting club is a subscription service that you can cancel at any time.  The monthly cost is £19.95 inc delivery.

I have really enjoyed the chocolates I have tried but I can't justify spending £20 a month on chocolate (especially as I should be dieting!) so this will be the only box I get.

You can read more about the offer on the Chocolate Tasting Club website, don't forget about the £7.45 cashback from TopCashBack.  If you have not yet signed up please feel free to use my referral link

What do you think? Scrummy yummy? Is £20 a month too much to spend on a box of chocolates?

The Body Shop Bargains

I think you may be coming to realise that I love a good bargain. Well I certainly couldn't resist this one - 40% discount code for The Body Shop, that works on Sale items!! Plus I went through TopCashBack and earned 12.12% Cashback!

Ordered my goodies Thursday night and they arrived this morning, because I spent over £15 delivery was free.

Love Etc. gift set - 200ml body wash, 50ml EDP, 200ml body lotion. 

Described on the website as a heart-stopping fusion of jasmine, vanilla and sandalwood notes.  RRP £25, bargain price £9

I need a toner thats not too drying, this cucumber one says its suitable for all skin types so i'm going to give it a go.  RRP £4 for 250ml, bargain price £1.20!

Dreams Unlimited gift set - 200ml body wash. 50ml EDP, 200ml body lotion.

I have the Dreams Unlimited body butter that I absolutely adore, it smells gorgeous, so I couldn't resist buying this. The Body Shop say -This exhilarating fragrance features uplifting top notes of citrus and green chilli, a heart of delicate white flowers and base notes of soft cedarwood. RRP £25, bargain price £9

So I got £54.00 of lovely smellies for £19.20 inc free delivery.  I do love a good bargain!

If you are not yet signed up to TopCashBack I would love it if you used my referral link

Did you manage to pick up a bargain from The Body Shop?

Revlon Lip Butter - Giveaway Winner!

Firstly I would like to say thank you so much for entering my giveaway and following my blog.  I hope you are enjoying my posts and I really, really appreciate you taking the time to read them and comment.

Well lets get onto the important bit!

Printed off all the names

Cut up and folded, placed in bag (I'm not a hat person)

Good shake by my little helper

Picking the winner!

Its Suzye!

Well done Suzye! Hope you love your Revlon Lip Butters!

 

Saturday Shopping - Next Sale and Lancome Return Visit!

Its so gloriously sunny here today, that I'm waiting until 12 when my giveaway ends - announcing the winner then I'm off to the beach for a lovely walk and some fish and chips! Soak up some of last nights cocktails...BTW how nice is Jack Daniels, Amaretto, Cranberry and Red Bull - if you have never tried it, you are missing out its gorgeous!

We were out celebrating my sister Mels birthday, so she wanted me to go shopping with her in the day to pick a lovely new outfit suitable for birthday celebrations so we had a lovely girly day. I have three sisters, I'm the eldest then its Mel, Megan and Lucy.

Now I wasn't really meant to buy anything, as I have so much stuff I haven't worn/used.  But I couldn't resist a few little purchases ;)

First up, the Next sale. Well normally I hate the Next sale, but Mel wanted to have a little look round.  She didn't get anything but I got a couple of tops for £8 each.

The pink top is sheer at the front and has my favourite print on it - birds! Couldn't resist the cat print t-shirt how cute is it! Think I'll wear it today to go to the beach. I also picked up some stacking rings for £3 and a lovely sparkly bracelet for £2, I wore these last night and I don't know where I put them when I took them off to go to bed....

Next up New Look, at this point we met up with our other sister Megan. Mel got some lovely jeans, a navy waterfall blazer and a gorgeous blue sheer top with a fab bird print! Great minds and all that. Meg got some gorgeous trousers, a tribal print in black, white and brown. Outfits sorted, just need shoes.

New Look. Nothing.
River Island.  Nothing.
Dotty P's. Nothing.
Topshop. Nothing.

Give up at this point and decide to go with shoes that already in the cupboard at home.

Now, I'd been nattering to them about my blog, make-up etc and they were asking about my foundation which was actually the Lancome foundation that I got a sample of a couple of weeks ago. I really didn't like it when I first tried it but I now actually love it! So they wanted to get a sample too. 

The lady on the Lancome counter is so lovely, I told her about her matching me up with the Teint Idole Ultra 24 and that my sisters were interested too, she matched them both up and sent them off clutching a little glass bottle containing a 7 day sample they were both made up! And myself horrified when Mel announces later, wow that will last me for aaagggees my rimmel one is about 3 years old!!! OMG!

Anyway I tell the Lancome lady that I love the Teint Idole Ultra 24 but do they have anything that isn't such a matt finish, yes she says the Teint Miracle which has a dewy finish.  She hands me a 7 day sample and also a sample of the new Genifique Youth Activating Serum worth £9!

Its very like the YSL Youth Liberating Serum that I received in my Harrods Glossybox and I loved it.  She put some of the Genifique on the back of my hand and I could visibly see the difference in my skin.  Its pricey but I may have to buy this.

And I may have converted Mel into a make up lover, she left with a hot pink lipstick, gel eyeliner, stick on nails and some pink nail varnish!


Wow its time to pick the winner of my giveaway......good luck everyone!

Joliebox March 2012

Wow, what a gorgeous sunny day! Love springtime! Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

My postie delivered my March Joliebox yesterday and I only got around to opening it late last night. I'd read a few spoilers online and wasn't sure what to think....

The box is quite small, I took a pic next to my Harrods Glossybox and you can see the difference.  The goodies came in a little Joliebox bag instead of the shredded paper that is in all the other boxes.

These are the goodies that were inside...

The box is themed as "Put a Spring in your Step", on the reverse of the card is the menu of products.  All the products in this months box are full size.

First up, Yardley Luxury Body Wash 200ml in Peony.  Right, while I really wouldn't class this as a luxury body wash I am happy with the scent I got.  I received a sample of the Peony perfume in one of the other beauty boxes and I actually quite liked it, so I really like the smell of this.  It is very flowery and certainly fits the Spring theme.  This retails at £3.50 on the Yardley website.

Next up Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm 75ml.  This is a multi-tasking balm - you can use it on your face, body and hair.  Its more of a cream like texture than a balm, it smells quite herbally and to be honest its a bit overpowering for me.  After I took the photo of the balm I rubbed it into my hand and it was lovely - made my skin nice and soft and the smell disappeared after a short while.  It wasn't until I read the instructions on the back of the tube that I realised I had to wash it off! I think this fits into the Spring theme as its an all natural product.  Some people received this exact product in a previous Glossybox, I didn't and I'm glad I've got my mitts on it to try it out.  I couldn't find a UK Davines website, but I found it for £9.99 on this website

The third product is a skinny eyeliner from Eyeko.  I got it in Midnight Blue, its a nice soft eyeliner and again I'm pleased with this product - although we recently got a fat eyeko pencil in Carmine and the skinny pencil in Glossybox.  I was lucky getting this shade as I already have it in pale pink, plum and emerald green.  Not sure what a dark eyeliner has to do with spring? This retails at £9.50 on Eyeko website.

The fourth and final full size product in the box is a nail varnish from LCN.  This is not a brand I have heard of before. It doesn't say what colour it is on the bottle, It looks like a very pale pastel blue in the bottle with a bluey green iridescent sheen. I wouldn't have picked this colour up myself, but its pretty and a bit different, the pastel shade is lovely for spring.  It retails for £5.50 on this website

Two Coats                                                        Three Coats

The mirror is a bonus item and will be great for shoving in one of my many handbags!

So, the verdict. Again I think this months box is a slow burner.  I will use all the products and I like all the variations I got in terms of colour. I think its just a shame that the same brands and even the same products are being repeated in the beauty boxes.  The whole point is to try something new. 

I love, love, loved last months Joliebox as it was all items that I had never seen in other boxes or tried before.  I thought Joliebox was meant to be more high end and have more niche products than other boxes, unfortunatly I don't think this month thats the case. Lets see what we pull out of the (Jolie) box next month!

Its a sad day for beauty boxes

We have been waiting for Carmine to make an "exciting announcement" their words, definitely not mine.

Well today they made the announcement that they have teamed up with Glossybox.

NOOOOOOOO! I love Carmine and am so disappointed with this announcement.  First Feel Unique now Carmine, my monthly beauty fix has gone from 5 boxes to 3 (I also get Joliebox, She Said Beauty and Glossybox). Carmine seemed to be the beauty box that contained the most make-up products and a big plus was that they sent all their customers the same items, which Glossybox don't and this causes upset on their FB page every month. 

I signed up to She Said Beauty for their first box at the beginning of this month, it was OK - nothing from the box really stood out for me (I also forgot I had subbed to this box and had to go back and update the number of boxes I get on the paragraph above!).  I have stayed subbed for the April box which I am now really glad I did, as they have announced that Carmines Product Director is now working for them - so I'm looking forward to seeing what they send us next week!

If you are interested in signing up to She Said Beauty please use my referral Link 
Use code SSB03 to get 10% off a 3 month subscription, or code SSB06 to get 20% off a 6 month subscription.

I have loved every one of my Glossyboxes, especially the December box which was the best beauty box out of all the boxes I have received, I'm just sad that Carmine are no longer :(

If you want to sign up to Glossybox please use my referral Link and use the code GLOSSYWELCOME1 before 1st April to get free delivery on the April box.


What do you think about Carmine joining forces with Glossybox? Which boxes do you subscribe to?

11 Questions!

Hello!

I've been tagged in an 11 question post by the lovely Jade over at  Giada Beauty.  I have to answer the 11 questions she has posted then tag 11 people to answer 11 questions of my choice...

These are the questions I was sent

1. When did you start your blog and why?
I started my blog on 3rd March 2012, so I'm a complete newbie. I wanted to share my love of books, beauty products and bargains along with the occasional random post.

2. What are the top 3 beauty products which you cannot live without?
Picking just three is so hard! Revlon photofinish foundation, a good mascara (loving Blink & Go at the moment) and my nars orgasm blusher.

3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
I would live in an old cottage by the sea, surrounded by my family and rooms full of books. When I was little my Mum and Dad used to take me and my sisters to a gorgeous place in mid-wales called Mwnt - it is the most beautiful, relaxing place.  The cove attracts dolphins and seals and is owned by the National Trust.  You can read a bit more about it here Mwnt

4. Which is your favorite movie?
I love all the Harry Potter films, and of course all the Twilight films ;) My favourite girly film is Beaches, although I cry every single time I watch it.

5. What makes you happy?
Spending time with my friends and family, eating, drinking and making each other laugh!

6. Which is your favorite Lipstick?
I have a slight obsession with pink lipstick - my current favourite is my CID I-pout in Fuschia.

7. High heels or Flats?
Love, love, love heels! But I have wobbly knees so its flats for work at the moment.

8. Which is your most want product in this month?
I really want the new L.I.L.Y perfume

9. Which is the most weird (or if you consider disgusting) food you have tried/eaten?
I'm not very good at trying unusual foods, the weirdest things I have eaten are shark, kangaroo and ostrich

10. Do you sing in the shower?
I sing everywhere! Very loudly and out of tune.

11. Name 5 of your favorite books.
This is the hardest question to answer! I am a complete bookworm and to pick five books is impossible.
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
All the Harry Potter books
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Anything written by Diane Chamberlain (her books are amazing)
I could go on and on........


Hope you enjoyed reading my answers!

My 11 questions are:
1.  What blog posts do you most enjoy reading?
2.  What was your most memorable holiday?
3.  What is your dream job?
4.  What is your favourite colour?
5.  What is your favourite nail polish?
6.  If you won the lottery what would be the first thing you would buy?
7.  Whats your favourite hobby?
8.  If you could interview anyone living or dead, who would it be and why?
9.  Do you have a nickname?
10.What was your best subject in school?
11. Name your 5 favourite books (Sorry I stole this questions, but would love a few book suggestions!)

People I have tagged - I look forward to reading your answers!

Nardine lipsticknhandbags
Alice Curiouser and Curiouser
Suzye Just a drop in the ocean
Shona freshbeautyxox
Caroline carolinescraftyadventures
Vicky rememberwhenyouusedtobearascalClaire poochytails
Emsmcs peoniesandsweetpeas
Lola Star lolastarhearts
Katie katiesheartbeads
Kim reallyaddictedtofashion

My very first NOTD!

Hi All!

Well thats Monday over with for another week, thought I would treat you to "My" very first nails of the day.

My bestest friend in the whole wide world Vicki, has a slight (ok massive) obsession with doing her nails, I have never seen her without perfectly manicured fingers (well apart from at one of my birthday meals, she came with unpainted nails and I was traumatised) she always sends me pics of her nails and this week I thought I would share her fabby polishwork with you.

How fab are they! They remind me of rock that you get from the seaside all bright and candy like!

She used:

Nails inc Base Soho Silk

Then painted her full nail with Loreal Resist and Shine in Shade 455

Half painted her nail in No17 purple (she said pick a better one!)

Artclub Art Varnish for the diagonal yellow stripe

Artclub Art Varnish in gold glitter over the yellow stripe

Top coat Leighton Denny Crystal Finish

Fab eh! What do you think?