Sunday 28 September 2014

My Top Picks from Boots 3 for 2 Christmas Gifts 2014


If you are a huge Christmas - crazy person like me, you may have noticed Boots have started to stock their Christmas gifts online and in most stores. I love the 3 for 2 deal at Boots every Christmas; meaning you can buy three people a gift and you get the cheapest gift free. I am always interested to see whats new from their Christmas range every year. I have compiled my Top Picks of their Christmas Gifts in my blog post today of my favourites.

I am always eager to see the No 7 gift sets each year, and the Cosmetics Case is definitely my favourite. It contains all of the beauty essentials you may need. This is a brilliant gift for any beauty lover.
Another well-loved brand which Boots stock every year is Starbucks. I love the Coffee Duo Set as it contains two large coffee mugs - and they are their ordinary design, not just a Christmas theme. 
A new perfume this Christmas is Cheryl's Storm Flower. I am a big fan of Cheryl and I have had a sniff of the perfume in the shops, and I must say, it smells lovely. I was surprised Boots are selling the gift set in their 3 for 2 range.
A newbie at Boots this year is Crabtree & Evelyn. I think gift sets like this make a perfect gift and are a little touch of luxury at Christmas time. I love the brand and it is nice to see their gift sets stocked at reasonable prices. The packaging is gorgeous, too.
Finally, the last of my top picks is a beautiful storage box from Vintage Collection. I love how shabby chic it is and would be perfect to add to any dressing table. I think this would be a great gift to a person of any age.



Saturday 27 September 2014

In The Buff Makeup Blusher in The Pool Boy



IN THE BUFF MINERAL MAKE UP BLUSH




In The Buff Makeup was founded and created by Becky Laroc back in 2009. Initially a company which specialized in eyelash extensions; they have come on leaps and bounds and now stock a wide variety of cosmetics. In The Buff Make up is 100% natural and is made from only minerals. All of their cosmetics are completely free from artificial colours, presevatives, talc, oil and fragrances.

They have a wide variety of lovely looking mineral products. Today i wanted to share my thoughts on one of their blushers, 'The Pool Boy'. Pool boy is a gorgeous pop of pink. I find it a great colour for both day and night time, and perfect for work as it is subtle but also adds a gorgeous pop of pink to the cheeks. I really like my pink blushes, as I find them quite natural on my pale skin. I love this colour, I think it would suit any skin tone. It is a perfect dusky pink for any time, any occasion. This is quite subtle but is easy to build on to make it more of a flush of colour. 

The mineral blush* seems a good quality product. Of-course, mineral make up can be messy, but this blush is gorgeous and lasts all day. It feels soft and is really easy to blend. I have really enjoyed using this blusher in place of my every day blush. I think it is a good value product as you need only the smallest amount of product.

Head over to the In The Buff Makeup Website to see all of their other products. Don't forget to check out their Twitter and Facebook Pages too!

*This post contains PR samples/items which were sent to me for consideration to review. All opinions are 100 %  honest and my own. You can view my full disclaimer policy on the contact tab above*

Friday 26 September 2014

I'm Prepping for Christmas!



Image Source

I know, I know - I said the C word and its only September. I am one of those people.

I have started my Christmas gift shopping already (please do not hate me!) mainly because I really don't have time to shop come November - December. I aim to get the majority of it finished before November this year. I have been planning my Christmas shopping by making about five different lists - things I've seen and want to get for people, random ideas, how much I need to spend per person, etc etc. I find writing lists really useful to keep on track of what I have already bought. I don't know if any of you guys do this, but I know when I Christmas shop last minute I tend to worry I haven't bought 'enough' or if the gift looks too small - silly I know, as we all know its the thought that matters. I find if I am well prepared I will be happier with what I have chosen to gift my family and friends. 

I have also been picking up a few little food and drink bits to put away for Christmas. I know this sounds crazy - but I hate the big Christmas food shop - everything is so expensive and it is so busy during December, so I have been buying a few treat things to put away for that time; ensuring everything is in good date of-course! I've also brought all of my family Christmas cards already. Please don't hate me!
I am planning to post some gift idea blog posts like I have done in previous years. I really enjoy compiling them, and I love reading blog posts to find inspiration for gifts. I may also share some festive recipes and gift wrap ideas - let me know if you're interested in reading those kind of posts.

Are any of you eager beavers like me? 

Here are a few links for websites I have found great for Christmas gifts. I have linked their Christmas Gift pages in the links so it will take you straight to the page.

Perfect for their great value 3 for 2 gifts.

They have some gorgeous beauty and skin care sets in this year.

One of my favourite online stores, they have a huge variety of lovely, unique and personalized gifts for Christmas. 

The Works is great for random gifts and some great books - and it is so inexpensive too.

My first stop for fragrance, clothing and beauty gifts. 

I love this site for its quirky and unique gift ideas.

They have everything from gifts to furnishings.

Great for those little stocking fillers we all love to buy.

Probably the best place to pick up some sweet treats for the Festive Season. I love the Snow Dog Chocolate Figure!








Monday 22 September 2014

ACORELLE SUGAR WAX ROLL-ON WAX WITH STRIPS





Acorelle is a body and fragrance brand which specializes in using only natural ingredients. This Month I feature two of their products, whcih I have used together. I am reviewing the Sugar Wax Roll - On, and I previously featured the Body Scrub.

Sugar Wax Roll-On - How Does it Work?



I was really intrigued to try this concept of waxing. The concept is pretty simple, and easy to do once you get the hang of it. To use, I simply exfoliated my skin the day before (I suggest using Acorelles Body Scrub - review here) before you get started. I then popped the wax into the microwave for only 15 seconds, ensuring all caps are taken off beforehand. I then waited a few minutes to ensure the wax has cooled down, before using the roll on to apply the wax onto the area of hair I wished to wax. I used quite a fair amount of product to ensure it covered the area of skin. I then fitted a strip (which is provided in the kit) ontop of the waxed area, applied pressure and pulled off the strip in the direction opposing hair growth. It was quite an easy and straight - forward technique once I got the hand of it. it is quite tricky on the first attempt, but I think as-long as you follow the instructions properly you will be fine.

The results were quite good. The product removed most of the hair in the areas which I waxed. The process wasn't too painful but it did pinch a little. The only thing I would say is that the sugar wax doesn't go far and you do need to use a lot on an area for it to remove the hair.

Of course - I do suggest you read the instructions provided with the product before using the kit yourself and to not just take my advice. You must be very careful using this product and maybe test it before you use it properly in-case your skin reacts to it. I must clarify I am no expert and I do recommend you read all the information provided with the product before you use on your own skin. 


The Acorelle Sugar Wax Roll - On Wax with strips is available from MyPure for a reasonable price of £12.49. I suggest using Acorelle's Body Scrub (you read my full review here) before using the wax for a great application to ensure of any dead skin cells are removed before waxing.



*This post contains PR samples/items which were sent to me for consideration to review. All opinions are 100 %  honest and my own. You can view my full disclaimer policy on the contact tab above*

Worth The Hype #1

It has been a while since I have blogged about a few products I really, really think are worth the hype that are surrounding them. I have picked just three products today that I own and truly love.




Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
I think the Urban Decay Naked palette family is hugely well - known in the beauty blogging community, and I have to hold my hands up and say I love them too! This is my favourite eyeshadow palette of all time. The colours suit my skin tone so well, and the shadows are so easily wearable any time. I find the eye shadows great quality which do not crease after a long day. 

Burberry Fresh Glow Nude Radiance No. 01
This is a great luminous base product which is good to use as a highlight or to use all over the face underneath or on-top of foundation. Although it is quite an expensive investment, it does help to brighten the face in a really natural way. I definitely think it is worth the hype.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate in 101
This is probably one of my favourite lipsticks of the year. It is a great matte lipstick which doesn't cling to chapped lips and the colour lasts really well without bleeding. I absolutely love the colour and I really want to try a lot more of the shades in the Kate lipstick range from Rimmel!

Have you tried any of these products? 
Do you believe in the hype surrounding products that you see featured online?

Sunday 21 September 2014

ACORELLE BODY SCRUB



Acorelle Body Scrub



If you haven't already heard of the brand Acorelle, it is a natural and organic skin and body carebrand originated in France.
I actually decided to try out this body scrub having read some good reviews of Acorelle products online. I thought it would work perfectly with the Acorelle Sugar Wax Roll - On (you can read my full review of that here) and they do work great together.

The packaging of the product is very clean and simple, which I really like.
I find the scrub* a really great product. It is very invigorating, as the product name suggests. It is gentle on the skin, helping to exfoliate it without making the skin feel rough. After using the scrub my skin feels so soft and clean. A great plus of this product is that it helps to remove dead skin cells. I love that this scrub actually helps to remove dead skin cells and exfoliates the skin - sometimes I find that the body scrubs I use do not have any of these properties which defeats the object of using body scrubs.

The scent of the product is lovely, it reminds me of honey and fruit. It is really refreshing and really helps to awaken the skin when used on an early Morning. You only need a small amount of product to exfoliate the skin, so I can imagine this product would last quite a while.



Where Can I Buy Acorelle Products?



The Acorelle Body Scrub is available at MyPure for £12.99, which usually is a little out of my price range for a body scrub, but it works so well with the Wax and I really liked the product. I think it is worth the money if you are planning on waxing or tanning, as this is a great scrub to use prior to both of those.



*This post contains PR samples/items which were sent to me for consideration to review. All opinions are 100 %  honest and my own. You can view my full disclaimer policy on the contact tab above*

Saturday 20 September 2014

Living Nature Firming Flax Serum

Today is a small review on Living Nature's new Firming Flax Serum. 
I was sent a few small sample sized sachets to trial. I wanted to share my thoughts of the serum with you all. As the product sizes that I have tried were quite small, I cant give a thorough review as I usually would, but will still share with you my thoughts on the serum so far.


Living Nature is a brand I have become very familiar with through blogging. I have tried out some of their make up and skin care, and have been really impressed by the natural brand. I was looking forward to trying out the Firming Flax Serum*: a serum which aims to give firmer and smoother skin.

To use the serum, you simply apply the product directly to the face Morning and Night after cleansing and prepping your skin. I tended to focus on the areas which wrinkles appear, such as the forehead and 'my laughter lines' around my smile. The serum works by making your pores contract, while still leaving the skin feeling moisturised, helping to enable less lines and wrinkles.
 The serum is suitable for all skin types so is recommendable to anyone that wants smoother skin and are looking for a product to help soften wrinkles and lines.

Having used the samples, my skin feels very slightly tighter, which is impressive after only trialing the product samples. I would be interested to see the effects having used a full size product. I have quite young skin so using a firming serum isn't something I would have thought of using, but I want to prepare my skin and look after it the best I can while I am younger... and the years are totting up quickly, I am not exactly a Spring Chicken anymore! 

If you are interested in the Living Nature Firming Flax Serum, it is available to purchase at the Botanical Brands website here for £31.50 for 13ml of product. 

*This post contains PR samples/items which were sent to me for consideration to review. I was sent samples of this product to trial. All opinions are 100 %  honest and my own. You can view my full disclaimer policy on the contact tab above*

Saturday 13 September 2014

A Cosy Night in With Degustabox




Today I just thought I would share a little lifestyle post with you all. I am a complete home bird, clubbing and nights out are far, far behind me and there is nothing I love more than kicking back on a Friday night, enjoying a relaxing night in and chilling out infront of the TV. 

Thanks to Degustabox for giving me the incentive to bake, I whipped up some super easy and quick fairy cakes. They are very basic baking, but I used these Dr. Oetker Edible Cupcake Wafer Cases to house them in - genius! They look and taste amazing, a little like sugar paper if you remember that?! Yum Yum! I also added some Lindt Chocolate Hearts on top of a little icing. Double Yum!

To complete our munching for the evening, we whipped out a dish of Mexican Dave's Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips (which was constantly refilled - ofcourse!). They are perfect film watching food and so moreish! 

A night in wouldn't be complete without a nice drink to sip on! We drank Carribbean Twist Strawberry Daiquiri, mixing it with vodka and lemonade making a slight spritzer! We also drank these Fever Trees drinks, which were completely refreshing. (Remember, always drink responsibly!)

Do you stay in on a Weekend?
What is your perfect Friday Night In?


*This post contains PR samples/items which were sent to me for consideration to review.  I was sent the cupcake cases, strawberry daiquiri,  fiver trees drinks,  tortilla chips and chocolate hearts in a Degustabox which I reviewed on my blog. All opinions are 100 %  honest and my own. You can view my full disclaimer policy on the contact tab above*


Tuesday 9 September 2014

August Degustabox

Degustabox August 2014


Today's post brings you The Degustabox; a Monthly Subscription service which is a surprise box of food and drink delivered to your door for only £12.99! Great savings are made when ordering a Degustabox as the price is much cheaper than if the products were bought in the shops. The box includes 9-14 surprise food or drink products, with many of them being new to the market or products from around the World!

You can use this code E7HBU at the checkout to receive a generous £3 off your order! 
That makes it just £9.99 for this fantastic box!

I will be sharing the contents of the August 2014 Degustabox along with my thoughts. I am pretty impressed with the contents as a whole, a very varied selection of food and drink - there is nothing I would not use which I think is impressive for a surprise subscription service.




This is how the box looks once opening! Look how full it is!


This is a new addition to the Degustabox. It is called Degustabox Fridge - this is a coupon which you will receive in the box each month, that entitles you to a fridge or chiller item completely free! I think this is a great concept - it is like a little freebie when you are doing your groceries! The coupon is not included in the value of the box, and is an additional item which really does make it free!

This Months Degustabox Fridge includes a coupon for a free MOMA! Muesli Multi-pack. I haven't yet collected my freebie up, as I haven't been to a Sainsbury's store that stocks them yet, but I will be going soon.





Mexican Dave's Tortilla Chips in Lightly Salted

First off... who doesn't love tortilla chips! This is a huge winner in my house, as we love nothing more than having tortilla chips or crisps to nibble on while we are watching a film, playing on the games console or just gathered in the living room having a chat! These tortilla chips are by Mexican Dave, a brand I have never heard of before. They are so tasty and you can't stop at just at just a few. They are full of flavour and are very reasonably priced at just £1, available from Tesco Stores from 25th August.


Schwartz Flavour Shots Spanish Smoked Paprika Chicken
Schwartz Flavour Shots Mexican Fajitas

I was really happy to see these Schwarts Flavour Shots in this Months box. Schwartz are a fantastic brand that we, as a family, have used and enjoyed their products many a time. We have never tried their Flavour Shots before, so we are really looking forward to adding these shots to our meals. To use, you simply spoon the flavour shot into the pan, then add your meat - so simple. We eat a lot of chicken so I think these will be great to add a some flavour to our normal dishes.





Lindt Milk Chocolate Hearts

Lindt, for me, are a chocolate brand that can do no wrong. I loved this cute addition to the box of a small tin full of chocolate. I think these would make a great gift but unfortunately these chocolates did not make it that far... we munched them all! They taste amazing melted or popped in the fridge - a 10/10 in our household. At £3.49 they are definitely an indulgent sweet treat!

Dr Oetker Edible Wafer Cupcake Cases 

Edible Cake Cases were a concept we had never heard of before - what a great idea! You will have to wait and look out for a future blog post as to what they look like - but for a little heads up: they taste great and are a great novelty idea perfect for a party or for kids. You can pick these up from Asda and Tesco Stores for £2.50.




Fever Tree Tonic Water
Fever Tree Ginger Beer
Fever Trees mixers and tonic waters are made from natural ingredients, which ensures they taste clean and subtle. Fever Tree are a top mixer in some of the very best restaurants, so you know they must be good! I received a Tonic Water and a Ginger Beer, which will be great to drink either alone or to mix with alcohol or juices. Costing just £1.69 each, you can top up your average beverage with a taste of something extra special.

Caribbean Twist Cocktail in Strawberry Daiquiri 

I have tried a few Carribbean Twist drinks over the years, but have never come across the Strawberry Daiquiri flavour. It is a sparkling and ready to drink alcoholic cocktail with a hint of Caribbean. It contains 7.5% real fruit juice and 4% alcohol. *Drink Responsibly!*  It taste really fruity and refreshing, and tastes fantastic mixed with lemonade and the obligatory cubes of ice!

*When ordering Degustabox, you have a choice of a Alcoholic or Non Alcoholic option - the Fever Tree Drinks were the non - alcoholic option for this Month and the Caribbean Twist drink was the alcoholic option*

Berry White Peach and Goji Berry Organic Drink

In our box we received the Berry White drink in Peach and Goji Berry. Berry White are organic fruit drinks which are made from an array of fruits and organic ingredients.  The drink tasted so refreshing and was perfect to wash down with breakfast. I would definitely suggest trying out the Peach and Goji Berry flavour, and I am definitely going to hunt down some of their other flavours to try. Berry White organic drinks are available online at Ocado and Waitrose.

Cawston Press Apple and Pear Blend Juice 

This Kid's Blend Juice Drink was well appreciated by my younger Sister. She adores fruit juice and smoothies and tells me she really enjoyed this Apple and Pear Juice Drink. She says its tasted really fresh and not concentrated, which she finds with a lot of other juice drinks. She also really enjoyed the combination of apple and pear. The fantastic thing about Cawston Press is that their drinks have no added sugar or any artificial nasties.


Brioche Pasquier Pains Au Lait
Croissants Au Beurre

We were all really looking forward to munching on these gorgeous French breads, particularly the croissants once we saw them in the box. We added butter and jam to make a really tasty breakfast, and also toasted the croissants which made them even more tasty. I was really impressed that we had two loaves of these in our Degustabox, which I think is ideal for families. This isn't something we would ever pick up on our grocery shop, although we really enjoy these sorts of foods, we never think to stop and buy them. We have thoroughly enjoyed munching on these throughout the week and have now added them to our shopping list for next week. Thanks Degustabox!


There you have it! I think you can agree this box is fantastic value for money. I love the surprise concept. I also think this would make a fantastic house warming or party gift or even a hamper. I love the varied items included in the box - all items are usable in my home and I know they will be consumed pretty quickly by my family. What I love about Degustabox is that their customer service is great and their aims to help their customers enjoy and get the most out of their box. Degustabox have a blog which is a great read, which includes a fantastic recipes page where you can check out lots of ideas of how to use the things in your box!

For more information, check out the Degustabox Website to read more about their services. You can also visit their Social Media Sites Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with them.

Have you ever tried a monthly Subscription Box like Degustabox?

*This post contains PR samples/items which were sent to me for consideration to review. All opinions are 100 %  honest and my own. You can view my full disclaimer policy on the contact tab above*





Tuesday 2 September 2014

I&K Clip - in Straight Hair from Hairtrade

Hi everyone. It seems like forever since I sat down and wrote a blog post. The last week or two have been quite busy for me - I never usually have plans! - I have really missed blogging (and reading other blogs) so I am glad to be back.

I & K 18" Clip - in Straight Hair in Darkest Brown








Hairtrade hair extensions

 Today I am featuring a set of Hair Extensions on my blog. If you know me well, you will know that I hate my own hair and I pretty much detest it any length I have it, so being able to try out some hair extensions really excited me. I have always wanted long hair but my own hair always breaks off and is in really bad condition once it gets past a certain length (due to years of colouring and using heat) so to be able to clip in extensions as and when I want to, without the worry of the condition of my hair is fantastic.


The quality of the hair is fantastic - it is 100% human hair and the colour is pretty much a perfect match for my own hair colour. I am not as clued up as I would like to be when it comes to hair extensions, as I have only dabbled in wearing them occasionally in the past, but my sister (who has worn extensions for years) tells me that these are really good quality, and that the clips are better than any she has used in the past. 
The clips are already attached to the hair which is a complete bonus. The clips are good quality, too. I had help putting them in by my Sister, and I have also watched a video on the website which shows you how to clip them into your hair, which is really helpful.

The set includes 10 clips with 18 clips attached, as well as two hair pieces without clips. The set has enough hair for your entire head, which is great as you don't have to buy anymore extras.
The hair itself looks really full and thick, and blends really well with my own short hair.

This set is the 18" Darkest Brown - I have read on the website that the hair actually comes two inches longer than you order it incase you have them cut in, so you wont lose any length. I think that is really thoughtful and I am really impressed with the length of the hair.

My extensions arrived really well packaged and in good condition. I really like the pouch case they arrived in, this makes for great storage and to keep the hair all together, if you have limited space like me this is a bonus.

Have you tried 1&K extensions before? 
Are you a fan of wearing hair extensions?






Hairtrade hair extensions


*This post contains PR samples/items which were sent to me for consideration to review. All opinions are 100 %  honest and my own. You can view my full disclaimer policy on the contact tab above*