Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

Here's another Beauty Haul.  This time I went to the York Designer Outlet and popped into The Cosmetics Company Store.  When I've visited in the past the shelves always looked a little bare but this time they had plenty of products and I was like a kid in a candy store, I could have bought loads.  I managed to control myself (a wee bit) and only buy the following items. Ojon Rare Blend Tamer  (see my review of this product here ) - £9.50 (RRP £12.50).  This is an instant frizz fix that I can't live without.  It tames my frizz for most of the day even when I go to the gym.  Ojon Rare Harvest - £11.25 (RRP £15). Fortifying Hair Juice (sounds abit weird!!) which protects fragile hair against future breakage.  I thought I would try this out as my hair does tend to break quite easily when I brush it even with The Wet Brush or Tangle Teezer so I thought it was worth a try.  I haven't used it yet but will report back when I do. MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in S

Cult Beauty are giving away a free goody bag worth £175 when you spend £100. That's a great deal if you are looking to buy some Christmas presents, or maybe just treat yourself to some of the things on your wish list. The goody bag contains the following: Kai Perfume Oil Vial (0.7ml) Earthen Instant Peel Ying Yu Jade Eye Roller Studio 10 Liquid Lipstick (full size) Therapie Himalayan Detox Salts (100g) Neom Travel Candle £10 Gift Card Alpha-H Liquid Gold (50ml) REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask (15ml) Jouer Lip Enhancer Resultime by Collin Regenerating Collagen Gel (5ml) Sunday Riley Start Over Eye Cream (10ml) Make up Bag Cult 51 Night Cream (10ml) Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Primer (full size) There's a great mix of brands that I really want to try out and some that I have never heard of, so I think this is a great way to try out all these brands. The goody bag will automatically be added to your basket with a qualifying spend and it's

I love animals and I have 3 rescue cats of my own.  I thought I would write this post for those of you that love animals too, but maybe can't afford a pet, or you don't have the time or space to accommodate a pet.  If that's the case, you could always consider sponsoring or adopting a rescued animal that cannot be adopted and will remain at the rescue centre for life.  Here are some of the animal charities that you can support in this way: Cats Protection Sponsor - You can sponsor a cat pen at Cats Protection for as little as £6 a month.  By sponsoring a cat pen, you will be helping Cats Protection to give vulnerable cats somewhere safe to live until they find a new home.  You will receive a welcome pack and regular updates on the cats that have stayed in your pen.  You can also log onto the website at anytime to see more of the cats that have stayed in your pen. If you are not into cats, then what about sponsoring a dog at the Dogs Trust . For £1 a week, you will rec

I just wanted to let you all know about a great Gift With Purchase offer that Marks and Spencer has on at the moment.  If you spend £45 or more on nightwear you receive a Box of Beauty containing REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial 40ml and NUXE Huile Prodigieuse 50ml together worth £38.  This offer is available in store and online while stocks last.  I wish I needed some new nightwear as it's a great offer, but to be honest my mum buys me some PJs every year at Xmas so I really can't justify getting anything at the moment as I have loads.  Details of the offer can be found here .   Let me know of any other good gift with purchase offers. Leighlee   This post is not sponsored. .

I posted earlier this month about the Primark Jewellery Advent Calendars I bought here .  I hadn't seen them in-store recently, but I've been to Leeds and the Metro Centre in Newcastle this week and they have a few left and even better, they are now reduced to £5.  If you haven't been lucky enough to get hold of one I am holding a giveaway  to win one. Unfortunately, this is only open to people living in the UK this time as I want to make sure you get it before the start of December.  To enter just follow the instructions on Rafflecopter.  This giveaway will only run until Tuesday 25th  November in order for me to post it out, so you receive it (fingers crossed) before the 1st December.   Good Luck Leighlee   a Rafflecopter giveaway

I recently had a couple of shopping binges and what's a shopping binge without abit of a Primark Haul (it's not just me is it?).  Anyway it's been a while since I posted a Primark haul so here it is. I bought this black lightweight jacket to wear when I go to the gym.  This cost £10.    These black shoes are for work and cost £5. I already have these in navy and they are a nice addition to my shoe collection (if only I had a walk in wardrobe to display them all in).  These cost £6. I loved these navy flats. As I'm quite tall I don't really wear heels that much (even though I still buy them go figure) and I thought these would be great to wear on a night out and no one would ever know how cheap they were (unless they also shop at Primark!!).  These cost £8.  I loved these Christmas nails and at £1 each I couldn't resist them. I love love love these PJ's as they totally reflect my mood on a morning :). These were a bargain at £4 for the

Foryou Skincare is a brand that I have just become aware of and I recently received a travel sized pot of the M4 Anti-Ageing Moisturiser to try out and review. I have combination skin which is dry on the forehead and cheeks and oily on the t-zone (although not very oily) and this moisturiser has definitely managed to keep the dry parts of my face lovely and moisturised, even with the cold weather setting in and after turning on the central heating. This product is nice and creamy, but not so thick that it sits on the skin and it absorbs pretty quickly. It has an SPF of 25 which I think is essential in a daily moisturiser. My makeup applies perfectly once I have used this moisturiser as it makes a nice base and I don't need to use a primer. It doesn't have a fragrance which is another plus. This is a brand that is cruelty-free and this product does not contain PEGS, parabens or perfumes. Overall I really like this moisturiser and I have just placed an order

Here's a quick look at what I received in the November 2014 Birchbox (I didn't write about the October box as I didn't receive it until the end of October as the original box went missing in transit).  I have to say this box is impressive with 2 full size products included. I received the following: A full size OPI Nail Polish Turn on The Haute Light (worth £11.95) A full size Dr Jart+ Pore Refine Tight Effect Toner (140ml worth £18.00) Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Oil (10ml worth £1.60) Jane Iredale Purelash Lash Extender & Conditioner Beauty Protector Protect & Treat Hair Masks (2x 14g) Drinkwel (6 vegetarian capsules food supplement for people who drink) This is a great box and the products are spot on for my needs and the value is brilliant.  If you are interested in signing up, here is my referral link  (I will receive 50 Birchbox points if you sign up using this link).  You can also enter this code VC5OFF to receive £5 off your first box making it

The winner of the Beauty Box of Prizes Giveaway has been announced here . Congratulations if you are the winner, please look out for my email. Watch out for my next giveaway coming soon. Leighlee

Here's a quick review of the November 2014 You Beauty Discovery Box.  I picked the Magnifibres Brush-on False Lashes (this is full size and RRP is £21) and Skin & Tonic London Steam Clean Cleansing Balm (15ml worth £8.10).  I can't wait to try both of these products and will post a review when I have used them.  I also received a couple of sachet samples of Merumaya products and a sachet of Aduna Baobab Superfruit Powder. The other options available were: Rituals Hammam Delight Shower Foam Himalayan Detox Salts by Therapie Roques O'Neil Argan Organics Regeneration Anti Wrinkle Cream Bourjois Cream Blush Green People Pencil Eyeliner Invisibobble The Traceless Hair Ring Once again I think You Beauty Discovery  offered some good choices considering the box only costs £6.95 including postage.  You can read my review of last months You Beauty Discovery Box here . Leighlee I bought this box with my own money

I recently went to London for a couple of days and thought I would do some touristy things for a change as usually when I visit I don't have any plans, I just do some shopping and eat out at a couple of restaurants.  This time I wanted to be more of a tourist so I found a few things I fancied doing, planned ahead by booking tickets as I'm not a great fan of queueing (I don't have the tolerance) and anything that helps me bypass a queue is a must. Anyway this post is about my visit to the Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio tour near London. It was very easy to get to, just a 15 minute train journey from London Euston to Watford Junction.  I used my Two Together railcard which I posted about here ,  so it only cost £13.50 for 2 people.  When you arrive at Watford Junction train station you just walk out to the front and there is a bus station to the left and if you are lucky the Harry Potter bus is waiting to pick you up (you can't miss it as it has Harry Potter pi

I wrote about the freebies available with the December 2014 issue of Glamour magazine here .  I have now bought all 4 Nails Inc polishes that are available free with this months Glamour Magazine.  There are 4 shades available Marylebone Mews (nude), Hanover Square (burgundy), Tate (red) and Wigmore Street (purple).   Leighlee I bought the magazines with my own money

There are so many great box sets and palettes out for the Christmas season that I thought I would do a Christmas Wish List post. Here are the products that I have my eye on at the moment and I would be super pleased to receive any of them on Christmas day. The Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes is top of my list.  It costs £29.50 and includes 6 of Benefits box o' powders all together.  The kit includes Dandelion, Sugarbomb, CORALista, Bella Bamba, Hoola, Rockateur & Watts Up. What's not to love. Next up is another Benefit set, this time its the  Sweet Tintations box which includes Benebalm, Lollibalm, Benetint (4ml) & Lollitint (4ml).  This box costs £19.50. The Models Own Hypergel Nail Polish Gift Set contains 10 x 10ml polishes. One 14ml bottle usually costs £5.99 and I have constantly been tempted to pick up 1 or 2 everytime I go shopping, but never got round to buying any, so this set of 10 is a no brainer really as it's a bargain an

I just picked up the December 2014 issue of Glamour Magazine which includes freebies from Nails Inc & The Body Shop.   There are 4 shades of Nail Inc nail polish to choose from.  I picked the dark red shade called Tate (there is also a nude, a dark purple and a burgundy colour available.   T here is a Little Card of Christmas Wishes from The Body Shop on page 101. This card is worth £3, £15, £100 or even £1000 to spend in The Body Shop. Take the card into The Body Shop to find out how much it's worth. The magazine also includes a discount card for 20% off H&M and a Pantene Pro-V Breakage Defence Conditioner sample.  Not bad considering that the magazine only costs £2.  I think I will pick up the other 3 shades of Nails Inc Polishes.  Let me know of any other magazine freebies that are out now. Leighlee I bought the magazine with my own money

Fragrance Direct are selling Essie & OPI nail polishes at bargain prices right now and they have some great colours in stock. I just took advantage of these great prices, so thought I would do a haul post to let you know. The Essie polishes are £2.49 (Full retail price £7.99) here and the OPI polishes are £3.99 (full retail price £11.95)  here . Here’s what I purchased : Top row (from left to right) - Essie warm & toasty turtleneck, parka perfect, belugaria & sable collar. Bottom row (from left to right) - ignite the night, hors d'oeuvres & cashmere bathrobe. From left to right - OPI Get Your Number, This Gown Needs A Crown & Blue Chips. I am really happy with my haul and  I will add a sw atch photo as soon as I receive the nail wheels that I bought recently.  I just wish I could find somewhere that sells Zoya polishes for such a great price. Leighlee I bought these with my own money

I have heard of Chocolate Advent Calendars and Beauty Advent Calendars, but this is the first time I have come across Jewellery Advent Calendars.  I was browsing around Primark recently when I spotted said Jewellery Advent Calendars and since I have not bought a Beauty Advent Calendar yet, I had to buy both Calendars that Primark sold. The Primark Jewellery Advent Calendar contains 12 pairs of stud earrings, 4 midi rings, 4 ditsy charm bracelets and 4 ditsy charm necklaces and it cost £10.  There is a card attached to the calendar which shows all the jewellery contained inside and it's all stuff that I would probably buy, especially the earrings.     The Primark 12 Days of Jewellery contains 4 pairs of stud earrings, 2 rings, 3 bracelets and 3 necklaces and costs £8.  There is a photo on the back of the box which shows you all the items contained inside the calendar. Primark also sell a Beauty Advent Calendar for £15, but I did not buy that one as it contained mainly