Tuesday 28 May 2013

Fathers Day Gift Ideas

Fathers Day Gift Ideas


Father's Day is just around the corner on June 16th, so I have had my thinking cap on scouring the interwebs and the shops for some Fab bits and pieces for my Daddi-o. Hopefully you will also find this post helpful - I love preparing gifts!

Paper Themes Personalised Posters

Firstly I am going to mention these gorgeous personalised posters from Paper Themes which I have blogged about previously here. As you can see they are gorgeously presented and I am sure any Dad would love to hang this up with pride and joy in their home. I adore giving personalised presents as they just know that extra effort and thought has been put into it. I cant recommend Paper Themes enough!



Moonpig Personalised Mugs and Gifts

Following the previous gift idea, Moonpig also offer lots of lovely personalised gifts such as mugs which I have bought in the past. You can personalise by adding text, pictures and photos. What Dad doesn't love a good brew!? Other lovely gifts they have are chocolates, wall art, plants, t-shirts and off course they're ever famous personalised cards. I really recommend Moonpig as their delivery is super quick!


Vinyl Wall Clock

This wall clock from River Island can make any room super retro and cool! My Dad would adore this, I am sure any record lovers would too! It is limited edition so if you do want to get it I would grab it quick, it is only £10!




Cadbury Chocolate Treasure Box 

If you are really struggling on what to get your Dad for Fathers Day, his fave chocolate usually goes down a treat and you can't really go wrong! I found these Dad Treasure Boxes on The Cadbury Gifts Direct wesbite for just £10. It is stuffed with a huge 360 g Dairy Milk bar along with lots of other Cadbury chocolates. They also sell a personalised Dairy Milk Bar for Father Day along with lots of other lovely Fathers Day chocolate gifts.


Me To You Dad's Shed/Office Plaque

These are so inexpensive and a lovely personal touch to add to your Dads desk room or shed. They cost only £3.99 from Clintons and are a lovely gift from a child or adult of any age!


Album Sleeve Frame

I picked this frame up from Home Bargains for a bargain of £1.99 (RRP £6). They are unavailable online but I have seen lots left in a few of my local stores. I know many Dad's would love something like this to showcase their old record sleeves, especially as a lot of them were beautifully decorated and they are probably just sat in a box up the loft somewhere - it is a shame to leave them unnoticed! I picked up just the one but I might go back and get two more as they are so reasonably priced.


Magazine Subscription

These days you can get a magazine for pretty much any interest or hobby, and rightly so! Magazines can be expensive though, so why not treat Dad to a year subscription to his favourite magazine? W H Smith have a fantastic selection of different magazine subscriptions with various prices, mostly reasonable. 



And if all else fails...
Typical 'Go - To' Fathers Day Gifts

Book, DVD, CD, Slippers, Socks, Photo frame, Tie, Cuff Links, Chocolate and Sweets, Tools, Dressing Gown, Tickets to see his favourite show/comedian/entertainment/musician/play/sports game!


What are your top tips for Fathers Day gifts?
Have you got any of these in mind?





Thursday 23 May 2013

Beautiful Personalised Posters From Paper Themes

Thanks Dad Poster
by Paper Themes

I recently discovered a fantastic website called Paper Themes. They specialize in Wedding stationary, gifts, and accessories, as well as a lot of personalised products too. 
As it is coming up to Fathers Day, I thought I would show you how beautiful their personalised posters are. 

I opted for this lovely 'Thanks Dad'* poster which I know my Dad will adore. Parents really love personal touches to gifts, as it shows the extra special thought put into them - I am sure anyone in your family would adore something like this to live in their home. 

You can personalise the posters text to whatever you like, making it a very special piece as there would be no other in the World like yours! 
Paper Themes are really helpful, as after payment you email them directly with your personalised information - which means it will be created exactly as you wish. The product comes very well packaged too; in a circular tube with tissue paper covering the poster. Paper Themes take extra care ensuring your product arrives safely to your door.




I think the Personalised Posters make a fantastic gift for a family member or friend, or even a unique touch to add to your own home. The poster can become the focus point in the room, as it is unique and an interesting piece that you know all your visitors will love. The posters would look stunning in a frame, surrounded by family photographs as it would tie it all together.
The poster itself is glossy and has a lovely finish to it, making it look fantastic and sophisticated. The quality of the paper is brilliant and the print on the poster looks exactly as it does on the Paper Themes website.  

I would definitely recommend Paper Themes if you are looking for beautifully made personalised items as they take such extra care to ensure your product is exactly how you want it to be.

Visit Paper Themes website here, where you too can discover many other of their stunning personalised products that would compliment any home.

Tuesday 21 May 2013

When she was 22 the future looked bright...

I am turning 22 tomorrow and it saddens me so much I am no longer 21! 


Does this mean I have to grow up now?

Monday 20 May 2013

300 FOLLOWERS GIVE AWAY! Naked Basics Palette and More!

Hi everyone, I recently hit 300 followers and wanted to give away some prizes to say thank you!
I think you will agree there are some fabulous prizes up for grabs, all paid for with my own money :)


Prizes:

  • The Urban Decay Naked Basics Eye Shadow Palette
  • Garnier Ultra Softening Lotion with Shea Butter
  • Sanctuary Spa Luxury Bath Float
  • Sanctuary Spa Foaming Bath Soak
  • Sanctuary Spa Body Butter 
  • Elemis Softly Softly Daily Moisturiser
  • MUA Lipstick in Shade 13
  • New MUA Nail Polish in Bold Blue



Rules
The give away will last roughly a month and there will be one winner. 
I will contact the winner by email, if there is no response within 3 days I will pass it on.
Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter the give away!
You must follow me on GFC to enter this giveaway.
You must also leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.
You can also follow me Bloglovin and Twitter, and you can Tweet about my give away once a day!





a Rafflecopter giveaway Good luck to you all!

Saturday 18 May 2013

Anti - Blemish Skinetica - Miracle Product!

Anti - Blemish Skinetica


Anti - Blemish Skinetica* is pretty much exactly what is says on the bottle. I suffer from blemishes and like many of us, I am always on the look out for a product to help to get rid of them. 

Skinetica advise to use it twice a day to get the best benefits from it. I use it once in a morning and on a night before I go to bed. It is so straight - forward to use, simple apply some of the product onto a cotton pad (covering the entire cotton pad) and apply to dry, clean skin. You then just let it air dry and sink into the skin.  It doesn't sting the skin at all. 

I have been using this product since the end of January, and have noticed great results. I have noticed the amount of blackheads on my nose and face has dramatically reduced and my skin looks and feels so much clearer. Spots or blemishes seem to disappear much quicker since I have been using this product.

The only thing I dislike about the product is the smell - it isn't a horrible smell or anything, I just don't usually use scented products on my skin.

I don't often adore any skin care products or use a particular product religiously but this has quickly become the best product for my blemish prone skin. I really would recommend this product to anyone. My confidence with wearing no make - up has increased so much since using this, as it really has helped to clear up any blemishes on my skin. 10/10 from me!

Have you tried Anti- Blemish Skinetica?

You can buy Skinetica online here

See what others think here!



Thursday 16 May 2013

Oriflame Lip Impact Crayon


Oriflame
Lip Impact Crayon
in Pink Impact


I don't know about you, but I have tonnes of lip products. Lipsticks, Lip balms, Lip stains... I don't own that many lip crayons, though. I was delighted to begin to use this Oriflame Lip Impact Crayon as it is such a gorgeous colour. I love lip crayons, they are so much more moisturising and long lasting than lip stains in my opinion.

Oriflame is not a brand I was familar with, I had heard a little about them but had never owned any of their products. Oriflame originated from Sweden and was founded in 1967, and is now a very popular international beauty brand. They sell  a wide variety of items, including; make - up, fragrances, skin care, body care, accessories, and hair products.

They sell a variety of lip products, this one being a Lip Crayon. The colour I have is called 'Pink Impact'. The lip crayon glides onto your lips really softly, leaving our lips feeling very moisturised. The colour pay off is fantastic, it is a very pigmented product which I have found to last a good 6 hours with the colour still very vibrant on the lips. The product feels so soft on the lips, which is due to its creamy formula. I haven't found the product to bleed either.
Pink Impact is becoming a new favourite of mine. The colour itself is a vibrant pink and very wearable for any season! It has a nice shine to it too, which I really like.
 I have been checking out a few of their other shades of Lip Crayons and the next on my list is 'Electric Red'!

EDIT: Since writing this blog post, I have had quite a fair few amount of questions from some of you asking how to use the product and if it sharpens. As I haven't yet used it enough to be sharpened, I did a little investigating and this is what I found. Yes, you do need to sharpen this product. As it is quite a chubby lip crayon you may have to find/invest in a large sharpener as a normal sized one just wont do it. The product does look like you twist the end to 'sharpen' or reveal the product when it gets stubbier, but you cant, which is the only thing which is a little dissapointing about the product, as most other lip crayon sticks are twist to use kind of jobs.


Oriflame Lip Impact Crayon's retail at £8.95* and are available from their website here!

Tuesday 14 May 2013

The Big Reunion Tour, Birmingham!

I went along to see The Big Reunion Tour on Sunday (12th May) which I am sure you have heard all about from the TV programme on ITV2!

Performing live at concert were B*witched, 5ive, 911, The Honeyz, Liberty X and Atomic Kitten and they were all fab! As a child I loved B*witched - there is video evidence somewhere of me singing (veryyy out of tune) Blame It On The Weatherman!
I had also seen Liberty X before a good many years ago now so I was excited to be seeing them again, and also the other bands too!
I went along with my lovely blogging friend Clare and we had a fab time  - and yes we remembered all the words and danced and sang all the way through!
We met in Town then got the train together to Birmingham, then headed off to the NEC.
Clare actually got the tickets and we had pretty good seating too which was fab - although we were convinced we were in the wrong seats all night!








Thanks Clare for a fab night!

Have you got any concerts lined up for this year?



Krammers Study Cards - Brilliant For Studying!

Krammers Pink Porcupine Study Cards


Its that time of year again where the exams come rolling around. Throughout School, College and University I was forever looking for handy little note books to help me revise for my exams - I was always making my own little study cards but I always lost half of them. 

I spotted these Krammers Study Cards in W H Smith a few weeks ago and picked up 3 packs for my sister, who is currently sitting her A Levels. I have since gone back and brought myself a pack as they are so useful!

They are bound with a keyring which makes them really easy to keep together, and you can flick the pages in different directions. 

I really have found these useful myself as has my sister, they were only £2..99 for a pack of two, or 3 packs for the price of 2.
I unfortunately haven't found them online on the W H Smith website but have found them for the same price on their official website, which you can see.here.




What are your best tips for studying for exams?

Saturday 11 May 2013

My Next Homeware Wishlist

Hi everyone. Today I am writing about something a little different - interior design! Well that's the fancy name for it.. Lets call it home furnishing and accessories.
I really love the look of show rooms you see all the time in glossy magazines... unfortunately that just isn't a reality for my bedroom as I am rather messy and have accumulated so much stuff over the years I cant bear to be rid of.
I do really like shabby chic home accessories and little ornaments and furniture pieces which make a room look lovely, yet practical to live in.

Next is probably my favourite store for home furnishing and accessories so I thought I would share with you my favourite pieces.


(Click picture to enlarge)

3D Metal Butterflies Wall Plaques £25


Large Wooden Heart Lantern £35


Solid Wood Heart Frame £8


Sentiment Mantle Clock £18


Gold Keys Wallpaper £15

Maps Printed Cushion £12

I really love this selection of home pieces, I think they would love great together!
You can see all of these products on Next Website:

xx

Thursday 9 May 2013

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Real Techniques Blush Brush
By Samantha Chapman



I am pretty sure you have all heard of Samantha Chapman's (part of Youtube Beauty Girl duo pixiwoo) amazing line of Make Up Brushes. I have only recently made a purchase for one though, and that being the Blush Brush.

All Real Techniques brushes have synthetic bristles so they are super soft on the skin. I don't know about you, but I cannot stand a blush or powder brush where the bristles are hard and harsh on the face, so it feels like it drags on your skin. This brush makes applying blusher really easy as the bristles are hand - cut which ensures the perfect finish. 

As you can see the brush is quite a large brush, which I like as I can use it to add cheek colour quickly and easily in just one go. I find it applies blusher very evenly, and would even use it for bronzing if used very lightly. I am sure it could be used for highlighting, contouring, and powder too - so an all rounder multi - tasker!

I have washed the brush twice now and it has dried quite quickly, with no bristle - loss and still feels really soft.
The brush stands alone with a flat bottom, which is great for storage or travelling!
You can purchase this Blush Brush from Boots.

Have you tried any Real Techniques Brushes?
xx



Tuesday 7 May 2013

Benefit They're Real




Benefit They're Real Mascara

They're Real is the best mascara I have ever used. I have had it previously and loved it, so I was chuffed to be gifted the amazing mascara in my Brum Blogger Meet goodie bag following talks from Wendy from Benefit.

The packaging is silver, very sleek and looks like a high end product. It also comes in a box as can be seen below, which contains information on the product. 
The mascara at full size retails at £19.50 from Boots 

At first glance looking at the brush and the bristles, I wasn't sure if such a thin brush would do the job. I was surprised to see it coats my eye lashes fabulously and after only two coats of this mascara alone my lashes looked twice as full and thick, and very voluminous.

As their name would suggest, They're Real really do give the effect that you have false lashes on. This mascara coats your lashes making them look really full, thick and long.
There are no clumps of mascara and it is fairly easy to remove.
My own lashes are very small and barely noticeable without a decent mascara, so a mascara like this one is an absolute dream to use!

I am unsure if it is a waterproof mascara, but it doesn't run in my experience, although like I mentioned earlier, it is fairly easy to remove with eye make up remover. 




You can buy They're Real at Boots for £19.50


Have you tried They're Real?
What are your thoughts?




Thursday 2 May 2013

Mark Hill Holiday Hair Dry Shampoo





I use dry shampoo most days, this is one I use very frequently.
I know this product is advertised for 'holiday hair', and it only being May it isn't really the season to be talking about Holidays just yet ?(unless you are jetting off soon off course!) , but I honestly adore this product and it is my favourite dry shampoo of all time!

It smells very fresh and doesn't leave any colouring in your hair like many dry shampoos do - off course this is a bonus.
The product is ideally used for Holiday Hair - hair which may be damaged by the Sun, Sea, Pool Water and Sand! It removes any impurities left in the hair from these causes to leave your hair looking and smelling fresh and clean.

It retails at £5.99 at Boots for a 200 ml Bottle.
I have bought it a few times and also found the 150 ml bottle in Poundland before and stocked up!

You can view the entire Holiday Hair Range here.