SuperDrug Haul

Yes, I've been shopping a fair bit lately. I thought I'd treat myself, and why not. We all need a treat now and again, don't we.

Superdrugs a shop i don't that often go into, mainly because i work for Boots, so just tend to buy things i need while I'm at work, or with my Staff Discount. But i have noticed, Superdrug does have some better offers than boots, and they also carry a different range of make up brands, One of them being Sleek, my favourite highstreet brand. So on the occasion i pop in, i do usually end up buying something.

This time though, so many things caught my eye!

My first purchase, and main reason for heading to Superdrug was to pick up the new MUA, Undress Your Skin Highlighter. One of my local Superdrugs was completely sold out! Its been muchly raved about across the Blogsphere, as its apparently pretty good dupe for the much loved MAC Mineralize Skin Finish, I'm unsure of a particular shade having not tried them before.
I always have a look at the Sleek stand if I'm in Superdrug, as i said previously they are my favourite high street make up brand, I particularly LOVE their i-Divine Palettes, they are incredibly pigmented and have the most stunning colours in. I've not seen this palette before, so I'm not sure if its new, but picked up the SnapShots Palette, so many bright colours! its going to be perfect for summer.
And my last purchase was very much on impulse, and its from a new brand called B. i was really intrigued, and they were running a free gift offer if you spent £10, so i thought that'd be the perfect way to try out a range of products from the brand, as they aren't just MakeUp but skincare as well. To spend £10 i chose two lipsticks, i was there for ages deciding what products and shades to buy, there is so much choice! The other great thing about B. is that they are suitable for Vegans & Vegetarians, and all the products carry the jumping bunny logo, meaning they are certified by Cruelty Free International. 

This is just a quick post, to show you what goodies i picked up, and i plan to do a full post on each purchase.
Have you treated yourself to anything lately?

Lots of Love

X

EOS; Alice In Wonderland Collection

I saw these on a blog somewhere many months ago, and knew i just HAD to have them! I love anything Alice In Wonderland Themed. EOS is pretty hard to get hold of here in the UK, and after a little scout on Ebay, i was willing to pay the extortionate prices on there, for what is essentially a few lip balms. Luckily, i have family in America, and they had recently asked me if there was anything particular I'd like for Christmas, THIS was top of my list, Though knowing they were limited edition over there, i wasn't sure how long they'd already been out before i discovered them. But luckily they managed to find me a packet, which i am so so grateful for, So along with a bag full of American 'candy' this is what i got for Christmas Stateside.

The packaging looks simple and cute, with little 'Alices' printed all round the edges, the rest just being plain white. Simple but effective. But, once you take the insert holding the balms out, you're treated to this...

I LOVE IT!

A cute little print of the Mad Hatters Tea Party, with the quote "Very Few Things Indeed Were Really Impossible" I'd of much preferred it, if it wasn't then printed in another language, but that can't be helped.

I am planning on putting this up in my room somewhere.

The down side of these balms, that once they're out of the packaging you'd never know they were part of an Alice In Wonderland collection, the only inkling is the Mickey Mouse head embossed into the packaging. Though that alone doesn't scream 'Alice In Wonderland' Maybe a Rabbit or a Tea Cup. But i suppose Disney have to get their mark on it somehow/where. Also, the packaging does affect the effectiveness of the products, its all aesthetic so it doesn't reaalllyyy matter. It just would have been nice.

EOS Balms are 100% Natural and 95% Organic. They are also Paraben-Free and contain Shea Butter and Joboba Oil.

The Alice Collection Included 3 Flavours...

Blueberry Potion

This smells and tastes just like a Blueberry Muffin. I though this flavour was going to be my least favourite. But i actually think it might be my favourite.The scent/flavour is really subtle and not to over-powering or to synthetic. The formulation is really nice, it not to greasy or to dry and it glides onto the lips 

I haven't given them all a proper trial as to lasting times etc but I've heard many-a-good thing about EOS Lip Balms.

Watermelon Wonderland

This is my second favourite flavour from the trio or possibly equal to Blueberry Potion. It so fruity and sweet, i just love love love it. Again once the balm is on your lips, it isn't to sweet or overpowering, but it does make me want to lick it off.

Sweet Vanilla Nonsense

I think my least favourite smell from the trio. It has a weird vanilla smell almost like bees waxy kind of hint to it, which I'm not a massive fan of. Its not as bad once its on the lips, but the actual Vanilla-ness is so so subtle. Which i suppose is good in contrast to the other sweet scents.

So all in all, I'm very pleased to have Alice In Wonderland EOS Balms, I'm also very excited to try EOS balms for the first time and have already have other flavours recommended to me (i really want to try the lemon one!)

Have you tried EOS Lip Balms before?

Lots of Love

X

Savvy Circle; Venus & Olay

You might remember from the summer, i took part in a Savvy Circle Project, for the Braun Silk Epil.

Well, this time I've been selected to trial the New Venus & Olay collaboration as well as an Olay moisturiser.

My 'kit' came in the post today, containing, A Venus & Olay Five Blade Razor, an Olay Essentials Complete Care Multiradiance Fluid, Information Booklet and lots of vouchers to pass onto friends and family.

I'm just going to do a quick First Impressions/Unboxing., and over the next few weeks Ill do full reviews of the products.

First of all i opened the Razor up, I'm really intrigued to try it out and see how the Olay element of the razor works.

The packaging of the product has a lovely summery feel to it, and has a holographic finish in some areas, which you can just pick up in the picture.

The pack contains, the Razor handle, 1 head and a holder that has a suction cup to attach to the shower wall (pretty handy) I always thought Venus razors came with a spare head, but perhaps they've changed.

The razor head holds two moisture strips infused with Olay goodness as well as being lightly scented with notes of Caramel and Peach, which smells really scrummy.

I cant wait to try it out, and see how well the moisture strips work. According to the information book, the moisture strips mean you don't need to use any shaving gel or foam with the razor, you just wet it and it creates its own lather.

Unfortunately i wont be able to use the razor until at least next week, as I'm not allowed to get the stitches in my ankle wet.

The other part of the kit is the Olay Essentials, Complete Care Multiradiance Fluid.

I've never tried an Olay moisturiser before, so it'll be good to see how this one works out, my only concern with the product at the moment is that it states it for Normal/Oily skin type, whereas i have a Normal/Dry skin type. I'll still give the product a good try and hopefully it won't make to much difference.

The product comes in a 75ml pump bottle. I like pump bottles on moisturiser, i think its more hygienic and i tend to use a lot less product, than if I'm just scooping it a pot with my fingers.

*Please Excuse My Bruised Hand*

The product itself is actually a bit thicker than i was expecting, as a fluid i was expecting something quite watery, but this has a nice consistency.

It contains 'light reflecting particles' which essentially is glitter. This though doesn't have chunky glitter like some of the cheaper illuminating products have. This one leaves a nice subtle sheen on your skin, something I'd imagine looks gorgeous in the summer times.

The other thing i love about the product is that it has a lovely fresh scent, this could be down to the Mandarin extract, though is doesn't smell very citrus-y.

The moisturiser also contains SPF 15 UVA/UVB, so its great for protecting your skin day-to-day.

I really cant wait to try out both these products, and I'll be sure to keep you up dated on how i get on!

Have you tried either of these products before?

Lots of Love

X

Valentines Gift...

Today, I've literally spent the WHOLE day, making a small thoughtful valentines gift. Me & the boyf haven't been together that long at all (just over a month) So i didn't want to get anything to extravagant or too sentimental, tbh, Its such early days, i don't want to look a bit of a keeno haha.

So i thought, I'll make him a card, and bake him a little something. I've been wanting to make Cake Pops for AGES now. My family in the states actually sent me a Cake Pop book a few years ago, but they hadn't taken off over here yet and i found sourcing things to make them fairly difficult. But thanks to bespoke/boutique bakeries and the growing passion for baking over here in the UK, its gotten a lot easier.

It also helps that a fairly large craft 'Superstore' has opened up fairly locally, where they stock everything to fulfil my Cake Pop Need.

I'm not going to lie and say i made everything from scratch because i didn't, i cheated quite a bit. I used a store bought cake mix AND store bought icing/frosting. But in my defence the book did say if you've never made them before, its the best option to get a consistent result, so you know, gotta do what the book says.

The book i used for little helpers, was a book called 'Cake Pops' By Angie Dudley. I found it super helpful, the first quarter of the book, is literally just going through all the things you need, tips and tricks and general helpfulness. There's loads of clear pictures and it is perfect for beginners. It then goes on to give you loads of super cute ideas! Everything from animals to aliens and all special occasions, weddings, Easter, graduation, valentines etc.

Here's a selection of some of my favourites...

Cute eh?

I thought I'd do a quick little guide as to how i made my Cake Pops, i must say its fairly simple BUT very time consuming. If I'd known, i probably would have made the actual cakes yesterday then i could of just cracked on with forming and decorating today.

I started off by just making up my boxed bake mix, i used a Betty Crocker Red Velvet mix, but I'm pretty sure they would work with any cake mix. 

On the box it said to split it between 2 cake tins, but my cakes ended up pretty flat, not that it really mattered.

After leaving the cakes to completely cool, i carefully sliced off the top 'skin' of the cake as it seemed to be pretty sticky, and you need to be able to crumble the cake.

Once all the cakes been crumbled into a bowl, i added a large scoop of frosting, and you just mix it up until you get a good consistency. You need to be careful when adding the frosting, not to add to much. It should disappear into the cake mix, and shouldn't be too sloppy. I think i added just a tiny bit to much as they were quite a smooth consistency and not amazingly cakey, but as well as they can hold a ball shape, that's all that really matters. I imagine its a bit trial and error with how much frosting you add.

I then bunged then in the freezer for about 20mins so they were firm enough to coat.

This was my decorating set up, i used a polystyrene block to hold the lollipop sticks in, and silicone cake case to put sprinkles and bits in.

To coat the Cake Pops i used the suggested 'Candy Melts' I've never worked with this product before, and I personally found it tricky to get the hang of, but eventually managed to get a good coating on my pops.

And here's the finished result...

These were just the ones that turned out well, there were plenty that went terribly terribly wrong!

But for a first attempt I'm pretty please with the outcome.

To finish them off, I've popped a couple in little cellophane bags and tied with pink ribbon, just to give a bit of a finishing touch.

I think these are a really cute idea, as just a small gesture for any special occasion. They'd be great at birthday parties as well, as one cake mix could of made around 20ish pops (if you're good)

I hope you like this post, a little different from my usual beauty related ones.

Are you doing anything for Valentines?

Lots of Love

X

Back For Good....

"Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it  

I just want you back for good  

Want you back, want you back I want you back for good
Whenever I'm wrong Just tell me the song and I'll sing it  

You'll be right and understood  

Want you back, want you back I want you back for good"

I couldn't help myself with the little Take That reference ( I now have it stuck in my head) But yes, as the title suggest i am back, and for good this time.

I've honestly truly missed blogging regularly, it's almost like something is missing, I've finished uni, so i never have a scary deadline creeping up on me, and you know i kind of miss it! I feel a little bit lost, knowing i have no work i HAVE to do. Its a strange feeling, knowing i can lie in and not feel guilty because I've got a 10million word essay to write or 10thousand sketchbooks to fill, obviously i work and things, but actually having spare time is a strange concept to get used to.

But blogging has definitely been missed, I finally have my room pretty much organised or enough to properly sit down and get some work done. My wardrobes been built i have all my furniture in its places and my bits and bots are starting to fill my room, slowly but surely. The main parts that need doing now, is the decorating, my room is semi-painted, but it needs another coat and my wardrobe painting/papering. I will get round to doing a room tour post, and possibly a post on how i plan to decorate the wall/wardrobe area, all in due course.

I have so much i want to blog about! Haven't there been some amazing make up releases lately?

I'm going to start with February Glossy Box though, it turned up yesterday, and i thought what perfect timing, to get back into the blogging swing of things. 

Glossy Box is now the only beauty box I'm subbed to, I've found it's been the only one I've been consistently happy with and it was getting to the point where with other boxes i wasn't excited about then arriving, and they were just getting a bit 'meh' Glossy Box survived the Cull, and i must say, I'm really loving this months box.

The actual box this month is so stinking CUTE i love it. Possibly my favourite box so far.

Cute little touch this month, a heart shaped lollipop, which I've munched while typing out this post *it was delicious*

This months selection of lovely products, I think this month, the balance has been struck pretty well. I'm pretty sure there is something for everyone, its almost like a 'go to' box, you know what i mean? like if you had to leave suddenly and you could only grab this Glossy Box i think you'd be pretty sorted. A moisturiser, a fragrance, a highlighter, a lipstick & a blusher. Pretty sorted i think.

*Please excuse my bruised hand in the swatch photos, I recently had more ankle surgery, and my hands suffered from my cannula/drip what ever its called*

First up...

Micabella Cosmetics, Mineral Blush Powder.

This is a brand I've not heard of, (that's another thing about not blogging, i feel so out of the 'loop'!) The blush is made of 100% natural Mica, which is crystal-like mineral.

The blush has gorgeous pigmentation not to heavy, but not to sheer. Its got a really subtle shimmer to it, i often find with mineral products especially loose powder, the are insanely shimmery. But this has a lovely subtle shimmer. Mine is in the shade Siera Suede, almost like a terracotta colour which i think will look lovely in the summer with a bit of a tan. The other great thing, this blush has an SPF15 I've never seen a blusher contain SPF before, that's pretty good.

The sample is 0.8g, full size is 9g and retails for £34.95 and are available here.

Helen É Cosmetics, Moisturisng LipStick.

Has this brand been around for years? I seem to remember it from a long long time ago, but it not being a very well known brand? I have some shimmery eye dust, which I'm sure i bought from the clothes show when i was like 18?

But anyway, this lipstick,  have the shade Dusk, a Plummy/Red colour.

The lipstick has well pigmented, and a lovely glossy sheen, i wouldn't say it feels the most moisturising on the lips, but its not incredibly drying either. The shade is definitely a more of an Autumn/Winter colour, but I've found applying with my finger like a balm, creates more of a stain and is a bit less 'dramatic' a bit more subtle.

This is a full size sample, which retails for £8.00 and is available here.

MeMeMe Cosmetics, Beat The Blues.

I've read so many posts on this little beauty, I'm so excited to get in a box. I was actually planning on purchasing this at some point. I think highlighter is my favourite product, i never feel quite right if i don't apply any.

The MeMeMe Beat The Blues, has be said to be a dupe for Benefit Highlighters, i received the shade Oyster Gold, which i believe is a dupe for Benefit MoonBeam, the other shade in the range is Pearl Pink, which is a dupe for the Pink Toned Benefit HighBeam. Having not used MoonBeam before, i can't say whether this is a true dupe or not, but if you look at swatches online or even other blog posts i think its pretty obvious. Steph from Hope Freedom Love did a great post comparing the two products, if you want to check that out for the comparison.

Its an absolute bargain at £5.50/12ml compared to the £18.50/13ml Benefit price. 

Oyster Gold, as it says is a gorgeous gold toned highlighter, which can be used to accentuate the cheekbones and brow bones. You can also, mix a little bit of it with your usual foundation or moisturiser to give you a nice all over, Dewey glow. I love doing that in summer when I've got a tan and perhaps don't wear foundation, but want a little summin summin, more than moisturiser.

Q, The Fine Fragrance Body Spray.

Again a brand I've not heard of, that is, according to the information sheet, available in boots and sainsburys.

It is a high quality fine fragrance body spray, mine is Radiance 'A seductive blend of Rose and Bergamot' Its love light floral scent, which is also to fresh. It isn't to over powering or to 'old lady-esque' On Boots the only flavour i can find is 'Awe' Which is Jasmine & Rose, The 100ml bottle retails for £2.29 on Boots.com

Last Up,

Docteur Renaud, Raspberry Soft Cream.

"This luscious Raspberry cream that enfold your skin in absolute softness and hydration combines 4 Raspberry extracts that offer the skin suppleness, comfort and protection all day long. Morning and/or evening, on the face and neck."

I'm yet to take the seal off of this, as I'm currently using other skincare products, so i cant give much of an opinion on this. I'm really hoping its going to have subtle Raspberry scent. Reading the information sheet, it sounds like this cream might be perfect for my horribly dry winter skin. I look forward to trying this product out for sure.

There we have it, a classic Glossy Box post to ease me back into the blogger cycle.

I'd love to know if there was much variation on this months box?

Lots of Love

X

#bbloggers Xmas Meet Up

So a couple of weeks ago, i attended the #bboggers Xmas meet, in London.

The event was held in The Reebok Bar in London's Canary Wharf. It was a weird, but nice place, and took AGES to find lol. the first 2 floors of the building were a Waitrose, with the top few floors being the sports club, so there was apparently a gym, pool, spa etc as well as the bar, where the event was held.

The bar looked out on to a temporary ice rink that was surrounded by pretty Christmassy trees, i tried to get some photos, but as it was getting dark outside they didn't come out so well.

I spent the majority of the event with Sara from Pretty In Pink, Which was lovely, it was so nice to get to finally meet some of the bbloggers, and put some faces to names etc.There was so much to see and do at the event, there were a few brands there to chat to, though sadly i didn't get a chance to have a proper chat with them, i did get some press releases to look through.

We were all given a beauty quiz to complete, which was good fun, some of the questions were crazy hard. Do you know what the 'm' in 'Barry M' stands for?! 

Some lovely ladies from Aromatherapy Associates and *i think* soap box pr gave a little talk about the brands they represent and things. While we stuffed ourselves with cake pops, biscuits and pop chips, that were all laid out on the tables for us.

Aromatherapy Associates were giving everyone hand & arm massages, they were so relaxing and the lady doing them was so lovely. There were also people from the spa at the sports club spa doing nail paints, with colours from the OPI Germany Collection, i had mine painted with 'Suzi & The 7 Dussledorfs' a gorgeous purple colour, Sara Chose 'Deutsch you love me baby' a Stunning bright Orange-Red. Mines lasted amazingly well and just this week has started to chip. I completely forgot to take a picture of them, they're all chipped and horrible now.

At the end of the day, everyone there got a goodie bag. A goodie bag and a half, they were actually amazing.

There were actually 2 bags, a bag full of snacky foodie bits and another one crammed full of beauty products.

ProperCorn, I'd actually bought a bag of these the day before if a different flavour, i think Fiery Tomato & Worcester sauce or something, and they were delicious, so i have high hopes for Sour Cream & Chive flavour I love savoury pop corn and its a much healthier alternative to crisps.

I'd not heard of Little Miracles before, this was Organic Energy in Black Tea, Ginseng, Peach and Acai. I didn't notice much in the way of boosted energy, but it did taste quite nice. I've not seen them in any shop anywhere though, have you?

and lastly Pop Chips, i have tried these before because they actually featured in a She Said Beauty Box. They were also laid out on the tables at the event. They are yummmmyyy. Again I've not seen any in any shops near me.

So on to what you've all probably been waiting for the beauty goodies! I wont go in to detail on every product as this post is already quite long and there is literally a million products, as i use them, they'll get reviewed on here. So here goes...

How Much Stuff?!?!

Stylfile Emergency File

Natio Soap

Ice Crystals, Anti-Aging Prep & Polish 2 x Sachets

SnowBerry, Bright Defence Day Cream. 3 x Sachets

Murad, Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask 2 x Sachets

Blend Diamond Moisturiser Sachet

GlamGlow Super-Mud Clearing Treatment Sachet

GlamGlow Youth-Mud Tinglexfoliate treatment 2 Sachets

Molton Brown Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod Bath & Shower Gel 30ml

Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve

Body Shop Lip Gloss Tropical Pink

Bad Apple Polish

Bad Apple Nail Wraps

Lipcote

Inika Mineral Eyeshadow Autumn Plum

Inika Eyeliner Black Caviar

Lee Stafford Blow Dry Faster Spray

Bronze Ambition Fake Don't Bake

Urban Therapy Twisted Sista Curl Ativator

Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for eyes 3.5ml

Lush BubbleBeard Reusable Bubble Bar

Paul Mitchell Forever Blond Shampoo & Conditioner 15ml each

Di Paloma Hand Cream 25ml

Guinot Face Cream 3ml

Etat Pur Radiant Complexion Care 40ml

Xen-Tan Dark 30ml

Magnifibres Brush On False Lashes

Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque Sachet

Macadamia Oil Healing Oil Treatment 10ml

Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress Mind Bath & Shower Oil 3ml

So...? Va Va Volume Dry Shampoo

Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer 30ml

Sleek i-Divine Sparkle 2 Palette

Laboratories Filorga Paris Sleep & Peel Resufacing Night Cream 50ml

Pretty bumper goodie bag ayy?

I'm SO excited to try everything out.

I can't thank Lola (LolaStarHeats) and Victoria (VIKBeauty) enough, i had a thoroughly good time and they put so much hard work into it, which really paid off.

I can't wait for the next one !!

Lots of Love

X

Lush: Father Christmas

So, I'm writing this post from my new iPad. No idea how its going to turn out. So fingers crossed. Also, if anyone has an app recommendations post them below :)

I went a little mad with the lush Christmas range, pretty much bought one of everything. I'll try and work my way through them and get them all up before they sell out.

First up is the Father Christmas bath ballistic, I think this one I,particular would make a great present. 

The outside is a lovely red and white Father Christmas face, with a hint of some red glitter. The ballistic is scented with mandarin oil and orange flower giving it a real Christmas satsuma smell.

The initial fizz of this is a nice light pink colour and more glitter bursts out.

As the outer layer fizzes away, this amazing vivid Christmas green colour comes pouring out. At this point as well the satsuma scent is quite strong, but still really nice!

The end result is a gorgeous bright green satsuma scented bath with some lovely red glitter in.

Unfortunately I ran my bath waaay to hot and it made me feel a bit ill. So I had to get out and couldn't enjoy my bath for as long as I'd have liked to.

I'll definitely be stocking up on this one before it leaves stores.

The only downside is the glitter does stick to the bath so you have to give it a bit if a rinse afterwards.

But other than that I really recommend this one and can't wait to try more of the Christmas range.

Have you tried anything from the Lush Christmas range?

Lots of love

X