Favourite Blogs To Read #4

Today is my fourth installment of my Fave Blogs To Read; where I share with you a few of my favourite blogs and tell you a little bit about why I love them. I am all for sharing the love and I would love for you to check out these blogs because I am sure you will love them just as much as I do.

Em Grace- link

I love catching up with Emily's blog, she has beautiful pictures, and her blog is full of gorgeous outfit posts and lots of beauty. 

Pennies For A Pound- link

I am all about the bargains; literally, I am a crazy bargain hunter, so any blog that talks about good deals and getting better value for your money has my heart. I love Naomi's blog and urge you all to have a read.

Pocockins -link

I love having a read of Sophie's blog, she has plenty of variety in her posts and I particularly like her lifestyle posts. I have met Sophie in person and shes a really lovely girl.

I hope you found some new blogs to read! If you have any recommendations of any blogs you love, feel free to leave the links in the comments as I am always looking for new reads.

You can read my previous Fave Blogs To Read posts here.

Collective Beauty and Hair Care Haul

It seems like I haven't showed you many of my beauty buys recently. I haven't been buying a lot as I have a huge backlog of products to get through, but I have picked up some things here and there, and I have missed writing haul posts so here is a little collective haul of all the beauty bits and pieces I have purchased in the past few Months. 

Hair Care

John Frieda Queen of Curls Gift Set: I picked up this really great hair set from John Freida in the sales at my local Tesco. It includes a mini serum, shampoo, conditioner and a sachet of their intensive masque which I love.
Argan Oil Heat Defence Leave in Spray: I have had this quite a few Months now and I do really like it. I used to use the Tressemme Heat Protection Spray but decided to give this a try as it was reasonably priced.
Alberto Balsam Coconut and Lychee Conditioner:  I'm not quite sure why I'm including this in this post, but thought this was worth a quick mention as it is super affordable (usually costs around £1) and actually leaves my hair feeling really soft. I picked it up in Superdrug on offer for 49p in the reduced section, so definitely have a look in the clearance section of your local store as there were some other good deals too.
Derma V10 Long Lasting Hair Colour in 3 Darkest Brown: I'm not fussy when it comes to hair dyes. Gone are the days when I'd spend £8+ on an at home hair dye kit, as I tend to just pick up the cheap-but-just-as-good dye kits from Body Care or the pound shop just to cover my roots. I have used them before and they've always turned out fine on my hair. 

Beauty

Nivea Primer: I actually bought two of these as it was on a great offer at the time in Superdrug for buy one get one free, meaning I spent under £5 for two tubs of my favourite primer, which I thought was a great deal. I always seem to go back to this primer as it works so well for me.  

Crabtree & Evelyn Mini Duo: Usually on Boxing Day, me and my Sister go sales shopping and the first place we hit is Boots for their half price gift sets. This Year we just didn't really want to go because it gets so busy, plus neither of us really needed any more bath sets! Last week I popped into Boots and realized the 70% off sale had started - which seems a little early to me than usual - and I spotted this mini gift set standing alone. Even though I know I don't need it, I couldn't leave it there and for some reason I decided it needed to come home with me! The set includes ...

Cheryl Cole Storm Flower Gift Set: I absolutely adore the scent of this perfume so I decided I would treat myself and ordered it online a few weeks ago. It reminds me a lot of Paris Hilton's first fragrance and it smells super sweet and a little fruity.

Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturiser: This was a bit of a random buy at the till in Boots, I am still unsure what I think of it. It smells of cocoa butter and is a quick spray moisturising which dries after a minute or two. I'm not sure if it leaves my skin moisturised but it does make my skin feel soft.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup:  My Sister actually kindly bought this for me just after Christmas which was super lovely of her, but I thought I'd include it here too. I am really impressed with the coverage of this product as it really helps to cover scars and blemishes on my face.

Have you bought any new beauty products recently?

Bomb Cosmetics Fields of Joy Bath Mallow

Bomb Cosmetics is one of my favourite bath bomb brands as it is super affordable and a little bit different to Lush. Today's post features the Fields of Joy Bath Mallow . As you can see, it looks pretty cute, doesn't it?! 

Costing just £2.24, Fields of Joy Bath Mallow is the perfect addition to any bath. With scents of Chamomile, Frankincense and florals, it is perfect for a relaxing pamper night. 

Bath Mallows are used by dropping into a warm bath and you can watch it fizz softly, releasing the butters into the water which are good for moisturising the skin. I really like bath mallows as they're so easy to use and smell gorgeous. If you like floral scented baths, Fields of Joy is for you. 

Have you tried any Bomb Cosmetics products before? What do you think?

Own Brand Beauty Buys - Do You Rate Them?

I have been thinking recently about the amount of beauty products I own and have rediscovered some hidden away beauty lotions and potions I had forgotten about. I have a lot; from high - end, drugstore and bargain brands. I am no brand - snob and I will happily purchase supermarket's own branded products. I often use some of these products regularly and thought it would be something a little different to talk about. I wanted to share some of my favourite own-brand products and to see if they matched up to the more expensive brands. 

Tesco Medicated Shampoo -link

Medicated shampoo can be picked up pretty much anywhere, and lets be honest, they all do the same thing. I have a sensitive scalp so it is essential I use a medicated shampoo at least once a week. Have you noticed how expensive shampoo is these days? This is why I opt for Tesco's own brand - and it does the trick. My hair feels clean and my skin doesn't react to using it. 

Wilko Rhubarb and Vanilla Shower Scrub -link

Wilkinson's is a great store to pick up all of the bargains, and I recently started trying out some of their body care products. I have tried a few of their products but the Shower Scrub stands out to me the most. It does smell a little synthetic when you first apply it to your skin, but after you have washed it off, it smells amazing. It is great to exfoliate with and lathers a lot. I definitely think it is just as good (if not better) to other shower scrubs I have tried that are at the higher end of the price scale. 

Boots Therapy Nourish Shower Gel -link
I have been using this shower gel for a while now, it is one of those 'back-up' shower gels I buy when we're running low of our favourite body washes. The scent is gentle and faint so is not too overpowering. The shower gel lathers well and leaves skin feeling soft, so is a really good bargain in my eyes. Sometimes 'cheaper' shower gels feel a bit strange and gloopy on the skin but this doesn't - I think it is just as good as other brands.

Are you a fan of own brand beauty products?

Adding some sparkle to the home with LED Hut

I love adding fairy lights and decorative lights to the home that add a homely touch. There is something special about having LED lights on at night which makes our house feel really cosy. You may have seen a previous post of mine where I showed you our Christmas Tree with some beautiful pink LED Lights from LED Hut. Today I'm reviewing a beautiful branch light set that they kindly sent out for me to review, isn't it so pretty!?

LED Hut are the one stop online shop for all things LED and Lighting. They pride themselves on fantastic customer service and great quality products. LED Hut are one of the leading retailers in the UK for LED products. 

The set I received is the LED Indoor Decorative Branch Light - Brown Branch - Warm White. 

The brown branches fit in perfectly with the theme of our decor in both the living room and bedroom. There are 16 lights attached to the branches. As you can see, the lights are white and are scattered across the branches. As well as the lights, there are realistic berries attached to the branch too. The branch lights look great standing alone, and they also look good with other branch sets in a vase to bulk them out a little. I also think they would look effective lay down on a windowsill or fireplace, so this is something we will be trying out too. 

The branch lights are battery operated (batteries included) and the battery box can be easily disguised by putting at the back of the branches. 

I really like the traditional, yet contemporary style of these branch lights. Even when they are not turned on, they are a great decorative piece. I love that they are something you can add to a room which are for all Year round - not just for Christmas - which I find quite a challenge when buying LED lights as they often look festive. This is why I love these - they are perfect for every Season and fit in with the theme of the room perfectly. They add a little rustic chic to a room, which looks effortless yet stylish.  

LED Hut stock a variety of branch lights which you can view here. 

*This post contains a product I was sent to review. All opinions are my own.*

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm

I have been going on quite a skin care frenzy since New Year, as I really want to improve my skin in 2015. I have been trying a various amount of products to help control my oily and dry areas. 

A brand I have used quite frequently in the past is Balance Me (you can view all of my previous posts featuring Balance Me here). Balance Me are a body, skin and hair brand that are well known for their natural ingredients. I really wanted to try out the Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm as I had seen a few good reviews of it online, so I decided to go for it.

To use the balm, you simply warm a small amount of balm under warm water. You then apply the balm onto the face and gently massage the product onto the skin. Next, allow around half a minute for the product to settle, before adding more warm water and massaging for another 30 seconds. To remove, you wet the muslin cloth and remove all of the product from your face with the warm water. 

After using this cleanser my face feels fresh and soft, and the majority of my make up is fully removed. The product leaves my skin feeling really refreshed and ready for bed. I am honestly so impressed with this product I will definitely be looking into purchasing other products from the Balance Me skin care range. The Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm comes complete with a muslin cloth, which is handy if you don't already own one.

In comparison to similar products such as Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, I think this balm is just as good. I would definitely recommend Balance Me if you have sensitive skin like me, and are sometimes unable to use regular cleansers due to them causing further irritation. 

The Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm retails at £20, and is available to buy online from My Pure. 

*This post contains a PR sample I was sent to review. All opinions

 are my own. Read full disclosure policy in the contact tab.*

Lily O Briens Chocolate Survery Results

Hi everyone. You might remember a while back I posted a chocolate survey for you to take part in in collaboration with Lily O Briens. Here are the results - they are quite interesting!

Graphic and Information provided from www.lilyobriens.ie.

Easy Home Super Cleanser

Cleansing facial brushes are pretty huge in the beauty world right now. I have really wanted a face brush to cleanse my skin with for such a while now, but with some costing over £120, it is just way over my price range. I was hoping to find a more reasonably priced alternative, but didn't have much luck on that front. I actually tried to hunt down the Sanitas Cleansing Brush from Lidl which I saw Hannah from Away With the Fairies Blog feature in this post, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find it. 

I was delighted when I came across the Easy Home Super Cleanser which my Sister actually found in Aldi, for a complete bargain. The brush comes with 6 different attachments to achieve a full face cleanse. The heads for the cleansing brush include: facial massager, hydration sponge, sensitive cleansing brush, medium cleansing brush, hard cleansing brush, and wrinkle reducer. 

The brush is really easy to use with a simple on/off switch. It is wireless but require 2 AA batteries (which are included). The kit also comes with a storage cradle to keep in the bathroom which is really handy. 

I use the brush with a variety of different cleansers and moisturisers. It makes my skin feel clear and soft. 

I have used this cleanser brush for over a Month now and I have noticed my skin feels much, much more cleansed after use and I don't have to wash my face further, other than eye make-up. It removes heavy make - up which is really impressive. My face feels very soft and mosturised after I use this. Both me and my Sister have one of these tools and both have found it a really good product and have received many a compliment on our clearer skin. 

I would definitely recommend this facial cleanser to anyone that hasn't tried one before. Of-course I have no idea if this is on par with the likes of Clarasonic and other brands, but it works for me and my skin so I am really impressed with it. I am not sure if this facial cleanser will be available nationwide in all Aldi stores as it has also been difficult to track down online, but its worth a look if you are popping in anyway. 

Natural Being Manuka Creamy Cleanser

I have been going a little crazy with cleansers since I received a electronic facial cleanser for Christmas. I am always looking for a cleanser which is gentle on the skin, and that also removes all of my make up.
The Natural Being Manuka Creamy Cleanser is something I thought I would quite like. Having sensitive skin can sometimes cause problems when trying new brands as more often than not the products contain ingredients which irritate my skin, but with Natural Being, all of their products contain only natural ingredients and have been certified natural by BDIH. I hadn't heard much of the brand previously but will be looking into more of their products in the future.

I have found the cleanser to be very light and feels gentle on the skin. The cleanser caused no irritation to my skin and after using it; both with my electronic facial cleanser and by hand, I really saw the benefits of it as my skin looked and felt great. The product does not dry out my skin which is fantastic news for me! It doesn't sting my skin nor does it leave it feeling tight. It removes most of my make up after a few applications of product. I think it is a good product; it does the job, but I have used other cleansers which tend to remove my make - up with just one application of product.I think this may be because the cleanser is not a thick or creamy consistency so it feels like you need to use more product. Even though I have to use a little more product than usual, the tube seems to last a long time. The Natural Being Manuka Creamy Cleanser retails at a reasonable price of £9, and is available to buy from My Pure online. 

*This post contains a PR sample I was sent to review. All opinions

 are my own. Read full disclosure policy in the contact tab*

Bomb Cosmetics Crazy Cupid Soap

Hi everyone! Firstly I wanted to address that I haven't been blogging as regular as I would have liked to in the past three or four Months. In all honesty I haven't been very motivated and have been lacking inspiration to write, which I am glad to say I have now overcome and I am back with lots of excitement for blogging again. 

Today I am writing a review of a Bomb Cosmetics product. I have tried quite a handful of their products in the past which have always impressed me, so you can imagine my excitement when I was presented a lovely bundle of their products for Christmas! 

One of those products was the Crazy Cupid Soap. Now, some people might wonder why I would review a soap or wonder whats so special about a bar of soap? I personally love buying and receiving a nice soap as a gift and would really recommend Bomb Cosmetics Soaps as they are really good value for money considering the size of soap (100g) will last you a pretty long time. 

Crazy Cupid Soap smells delicious, it smells a little fruity and sweet. The oils in the soap include lavender, chamomile and ylang - ylang. The soap lathers really well and my skin feels soft, moisturized and smells sweet after I use this. After using the soap for a while, the cute heart separates from the soap slice and could be used alone as a smaller soap which is handy.

Have you ever tried anything from Bomb Cosmetics before? Do you prefer a nice soap or a shower cream?

Keeping Busy Over Christmas with the little (and big) ones!

Christmas has been and gone, I know, I know, how dare I mention the word? I am still quite sad that the festivities have come to an end. I often think it is fun to do some crafts - or just simple doodling - over the Holidays which keeps the little ones in your life (the adults too!) pretty busy and content. 

This Christmas was a lot of fun spending it with all of my family, but sometimes it is difficult to choose a board game or party games which are appropriate for everyone as we all vary in age, so it was great to do some doodling and make up our own games by just using some paper and crayons! Lets be honest - we are all partial to a bit of doodling at any age, which is great as we could get the whole family involved in some 'Christmas Doodle Contests!'. Here are a few of our pictures below!

We were kindly supplied with a pack of crayons* from Maped  This set is the Color'peps Smoothy, which includes 12 crayons in all different colours..The watercolor crayons are chunky and really easy to grip onto. They are great quality and last really well, even when making some big scribbles! 

Did you play any games with the family over Christmas?

*This post includes a product I was sent to feature. All opinions my own.*

Teksta Kitty

When it comes to Christmas and gifts for children and adults alike, there is a huge array of toys to choose from. Debenhams is my first stop for pretty much anything when it comes to gifts, so it is no surprise that they stock a huge amount of toys. I was asked if I would like to review this Teksta Kitty; an electronic robotic cat with touch and sound recognition, so here is my verdict.

First off, how super cool and cute does this kitty look?! This is probably one of the coolest toys I have seen in a long time.

The Teksta Kitty is really easy to learn to use. The Kitty comes with instructions which help you to understand how the toy works and how you can get the best out of it.
Kitty will make a variety of eye expressions which will let you know how she is feeling. Her eyes light up and it is fun to guess how she feels by her eyes and the sounds she makes.
You use the mouse not only as a remote for the kitty, but you can also 'feed' Kitty with the mouse too!
The Kitty walks, dances and you can also teach the Kitty three tricks. Kitty will recognize sounds close by and will work towards any loud noise. Using hand gestures you can learn to teach Kitty to walk and stop. You can use both the mouse and the two buttons on Kitty's head to play with her, but as said before, Kitty responds to sound and movement also. Kitty makes purring, meowing,  and other cat noises during play time, so it really is a lot of fun to have a cute electronic cat around the home.

As well ans playing with the Teksta Kitty, you can also Download the app on Tablets and other smart devices which works with the Teksta Kitty aiding the Kitty to do more. I think this is a fun attribute for any child that owns a Tablet to interact and connect to their Teksta toy.

I think the Teksta Kitty is a lot of fun and would be a great gift for a person of any age between 3 - 12 Years, but also the Kitty is amusing for the whole family. The added bonus of the Kitty being able to connect to Tablets etc. makes it very current and enjoyable to use and connect with.
You can also check out Debenhams website for other gifts and toys. 

*I was sent this product to review on my blog. I received no further compensation. All opinions and views are 100%  honest and my own.*

I & K Clip in Body Wave Hair Extensions

I have quite short hair with no volume, so having extensions does help uplift my dull hair.
The set of extensions I am featuring today are called the I & K Clip in Body Wave in Colour 2, and they are available from Hairtrade for £62.99. They are sold as a 18" set, but all I & K extensions are actually two inches longer than specified to ensure that you wont lose the hair if you have them cut in. This set is made from 100% human hair. The hair can be cut, coloured, straightened or curled.
I have tried I & K hair extensions before and found them to be really good quality, so I was eager to try this curly set to see if they were just as good, I expected as much.

The quality of the hair is really good. It looks really natural and blends in well with my own hair colour, so it is a really good match. The hair is really thick and there is a lot of it, too, so it doesn't look really false. As you can see from the above picture, there is several pieces ranging from different sizes. There are 10 pieces of hair with 18 clips attached.
The clips are sturdy and are are already attached to all but two hair pieces, which is really handy if you have trouble attaching clips to hair extensions.
I personally like the look of straight hair and curly hair mixed together, I think it looks nice and not too 'styled' which is the look I have gone for when wearing the extensions. In the future I am also going to curl my own hair and add my extensions for more volume.

I really like how the extensions are packaged from I & K. They come in a handy clip bag which is great to hang up and keep extensions in for storage.

You can check out other hair extensions on Hairtrade's website.

*This post contains a product I have been sent to review. All opinions are honest and my own*

Inika Truly Organic Ultimate Lip Tint in Cherish

Inika recently released their new Truly Organic lip line, consisting of three ultimate lip tints. Inika are a make up brand that are pure, natural and use only the finest crushed mineral pigments as the ingredients to their products. Inika products are also free form  talc, bismuth oxychloride, GM ingredients, parabens, preservatives & fragrances.

I was really excited to try a product from their new range, especially being a lip tint as they are one of my favourite lip products to wear.
When applying the lip tint, it felt very creamy and soft. A lip tint is definitely the best way to desrcibe the product as it adds just a subtle hint of colour to the lips. It feels a little like a mix between a tinted lip balm and a lip tint. The lip tint lasts around 2-3 hours without having to be reapplied. The product feels soft and moisturizing on the lips, and doesn't bleed during the time wearing it.

I chose the colour Cherish to review, which is a light plum/purple colour. It is a beautiful colour, and is great if you want to add a little bit of colour to your lips but don't want it to be too bright, as the tint add just a little bit of  that vibrant colour. I really like the colour pay - off and it is a colour I would wear on an Evening for a more 'vampy' look.
The lipsticks cost £15.50, making the lip products a high - end price. I would be prepared to pay the price for the lip product if I had sensitive skin and had trouble wearing 'average' lip products. I would recommend this product only if the person who was buying it had very sensitive skin or are allergic to certain ingredients in average make up.
The Truly Organic Ultimate Lip Tint range is new to My Pure online.

*This post contains products I was sent to review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own*

Lovea Coconut Shower Gel Review

Lovea are a great, purse-friendly, natural brand which I have come to really enjoy in the past few Months. I have tried a handful of their products in the past and they have all been good quality and done the job. Lovea is the on the lower end of the scale when it comes to prices for natural beauty products, which is fantastic. I love natural beauty products but they can be quite pricey, so it is nice to see a brand being able to sell their natural products for a reasonable amount. 

I love a good shower gel, and really enjoy the scent of coconut. I often find that coconut scented beauty products smell quite synthetic, I'm not sure why, but a lot of products I have tried just don't smell like coconut at all. I had heard good things and great reviews about the Lovea Coconut Shower Gel and was hoping it wouldn't smell synthetic either. The reviews were right! The shower gel smells like coconut oil and not too synthetic. This is a great winner if you love your sweet scents, but if you are not a fan of sweet and strong shower gels this may not be for you.
The shower gel worked great for my skin, which is often very sensitive and I sometimes comes out in rashes from certain ingredients in your average body products. The Lovea shower gel is perfect to use if you have senstive skin as it contains organic aloe vera. The shower gel lathers well and a little goes a long way, so the big bottle will last you a while.  After use, my skin feels soft and cleansed. I would definitely recommend Lovea shower gel to anyone with sensitive skin. It has worked great for me.

This shower gel is available from My Pure here for just £6.49.

*This post contains products I was sent to review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own*