Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

If  you are anything like me and absolutely loved the Twilight and Hunger Games books and films , then I have a great recommendation of what to read next.  I recently started reading a series of books called The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare and I love the story and characters so much that I am just about to start reading book 3 (there are 5 books in the series).  Like Twilight & Hunger Games,  the first book has been made into a film which is due out on 21st August in the UK and is called City of Bones.   The story revolves around a couple of teenagers, Clary & Jace.  Clary is a mundane (human) or so she thinks, until a chance encounter with Jace (a shadowhunter).  She realises something is amiss when only she can see Jace.  It turns out that she is a shadowhunter as well, but her mother wanted to protect her and let her live a normal life, so Clary never knew her true destiny up until this point. ...

My friend in Canada sent me a few make up items recently which I thought I would review.  Heres a photo of some of the things she sent me.  Apologies, this photo is upside down for some reason, but I can't rotate it :( Heres a swatch of the lip products. Left to Right - Color Whisper, GlamShine & Baby Lips    First up is Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach.  First of all I should say that I don't think Color Whispers are available in the UK yet.  Pin Up Peach is a gorgeous pinky coral colour.  It goes on like a Revlon Lip Butter, really soft.  Its really shiny, more of a gloss than a lipstick.  I really like this product and will definitely pick up more when they arrive in the UK .   Next up is L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash (bit of a mouthful, but thats what its called on Boots website).  Mine is in Stubborn Plum, which I can't find at Boots, but maybe the name is different over here.  This is ...

I popped into a couple of pound shops on Saturday at Crown Point in Leeds and picked up some pretty nice bargains.     First of all I picked up some Dainty Doll eyeshadows and an eye base.  There were quite a few colours available and helpfully, the shop had put a sticker on each bag with the colour on it.  I passed on the yellow and blue which I think will be a bit too vibrant for me and went with the orange and brown colours.  Teach Me Tiger is a burnt orange colour which is also shimmery. When swatched it looks very similar to Nars Orgasm Blush, just a bit more pigmented.  Are You Experienced is a matte brown colour and is very pigmented.  I think this will work well as a crease shade or lining the eye.  The eyeshadow base is very pale as you would expect from this range and needs blending in quite a bit before it disappears into the skin, but I have tried it under both shadows and it works a treat.  My eyelids are quite oily ...

When I received an email about a 75% off sale at Space NK I had to take a look.  They had some really nice stuff left and I ended up buying a few things. First of all I bought 2 100ml bottles of Diptyque eau de toilette in Vetyverio. Each bottle cost a bargainous £17, reduced from £68.  Here's a discription - t he fragrance opens with a radiant burst of Italian mandarin orange, Florida grapefruit, and Sicilian lemon and bergamot, giving the eau de toilette a fresh and fruity top. Sweet organic ylang ylang from Madagascar, sensuality-steeped Turkish rose absolute and slightly peppery geranium from Egypt add a distinctive touch and build towards the exquisite core of vetiver.  Now I haven't tried this scent yet as I think I am going to save them both for presents for my sisters.  Like me they love buying perfume, but have never had a Diptyque fragrance.  That being said if I happen to visit a store that sells this perfume and I try it out and like...

Like a moth to a flame I was drawn to this polish when I was shopping in Boots (definitely not shopping for nail polish at the time).  I saw this polish from a distance and I had to check it out.  Paradise Love is such a beautiful colour.  Its a sea blue/green colour (of the paradise island type not the Blackpool type), with medium blue glitter pieces and smaller gold glitter pieces.  Its the polish that I have always been looking for, although I didn't know it until I saw it.  It cost me a whopping £3 which is an absolute bargain.  Usually it is £6, but I had a £3 No7 voucher to use.  Its easy to apply and just takes 2 coats to get a nice even finish.  It dried very quickly and I put a top coat on just to give it a shiny finish.  Here is it:     I love this polish so much that I am going to buy a backup next time Boots are giving No7 vouchers away when you spend £5 (usually very regularly).  Yes the pol...

I used to be a beauty box junkie and at one point I subscribed to 5 different boxes (mental! I know).  Gradually each company disappointed me to the extent that I now only subscribe to Birchbox.  At the start of the beauty box phenomenon I was receiving some great stuff such as HD Brow products, Zoya polishes and Neom candles.  Gradually it all went down hill and I started receiving the same products from each company, or there would be some great high value boxes from certain companies, but I would get the crappy cheap box.  In the end enough was enough and only Birchbox kept my interest .    Today I received the July Birchbox and I am pretty happy with it.  This is the jet set box featuring products from places like France, Australia & the US.  What I like about Birchbox is that it almost always contains some products from brands that I have either never heard of or have not tried before and surely that's the whole point ...

Hi Everyone Sorry I've not blogged for while.  I cant believe how nice this weather is and I'm making the most of it.  I visited a great Spa a few weeks ago.  I went to Eastthorpe Hall Health and Beauty Spa in Mirfield, West Yorkshire.   This was my first visit here (I've previously visited Ragdale, Eden Hall and Seaham Hall Serenity Spa, all of which have been lovely but are about a 2 hour drive away).  Eastthorpe is about a 20 minute drive from home, so I thought I would give it a try.  I booked a full day package for £150 which was one of their special offers.  The package includes:- Time:- 9.00am – 5.30pm – arrival @ 8.45am Package:- ‘Spring is in the air’ full day package @ £150 per person lifestyle questionnaire Complimentary robes and slippers Complimentary use of straighteners, hairdryers and towels Fully furnished shower and changing facilities Complimentary teas, coffee and herba...

There are some really great magazine freebies about in July.  Heres what I have picked up so far:   Harpers Bazaar - Cost £4.20 - Free L'Occitane Precious Cream Face Moisturiser worth £15 Red - Cost £4 - Free Ren Clean Skincare Travel Kit -  15ml Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel, 10ml Vita-Mineral Day Cream and 3ml Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream marie claire - Cost £3.80 - Free eyeko skinny mini liquid eyeliner worth £8 - I have just swatched this on the back of my hand and its a nice dark black colour with a fine nib that dries almost instantly.  I cant wait to try this out as I dont own a liquid liner.   There were also freebies in a couple of other magazines to look out for:   Cosmopolitan - Free Nip + Fab products (365 Body Glow, Leg Fix and Bust Fix) Instyle - Rituals Perfection Volume Mascara worth £8 Glamour - Balance Me Products -  Super Toning Body Wash 100ml worth £9.00, Pure Skin Face Wash 50ml worth...

I am an avid sample collector.  Be they in magazines, in beauty boxes or in stores.   I also apply for all the freebies that I come across on facebook and company websites.  I always keep them and store them away as I am sure they will come in handy at some point.  Plus its always great to be able to try a product out before you buy.  Up to this point I have stored the samples in various boxes and containers, in loads of different places, but I thought I would collect them all together and see what I've got.  Well heres the result!   I didn't count them, but they filled a Lush Bath Bomb tin to overflowing.  I am definitely going to make more of an effort to use them all up as I don't want them to go to waste.  There are samples from brands such as Kiehls, Benefit and Chanel in there, so I can't wait to use them.   Heres the samples that I used up in June:   2x Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Shine Dee...