Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

Started reading the 2nd fifty shades book (Fifty Shades Darker).  I managed to pick up all 3 at a charity shop for a bargain price and whilst I admit to not loving the first book, after watching the film (which I did like), it made me want to pick up the other books in the series.  I am liking the 2nd book so far, so will try and finish it soon. Watched The Man From U.N.C.L.E at the cinema.  This was an enjoyable movie and the 2 lead actors were very funny and had great chemistry.  I never watched the original TV show, but I do hope that they make more films. Started thinking about a plan for my next holiday in Los Angeles later in the year.  I need to work out what things need to be booked in advance and when I am just going to wing it.  I will also be fitting in a couple of days in Las Vegas so I can't wait.  Any tips of what to do while I am out there will be greatly appreciated. Started decluttering.  So far I have started on my DV...

My latest giveaway held with Cohorted only has a 3 days left to run. You can  enter here . The Prizes on offer are: MAC Mineralize Lipstick (Bold Spring) MAC Blusher (Dolly Mix) MAC Bronzer (Refined Golden) Sorry this giveaway is only open to UK residents but I'll be running another International Giveaway later this year so look out for that. Good Luck Leighlee

It's been a while since I last wrote an empties post and as I have finished a good few items over the last month so I thought it would be a good time to do one. Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant - This is a powder exfoliator that you add a little water to.  I did not notice any difference to my skin after using this product, so would not repurchase. Cowshed Gorgeous Cow Blissful Body Lotion - I think this was a magazine freebie or from a beauty box. This is a lovely fragrance and is moisturising, but it doesn't wow me so I probably won't repurchase it. Mio Double Buff Dual Action Enzyme Exfoliator - This is a very fine, creamy exfoliator that does a good job on my dry skin so I may repurchase this again in the future. £18.40 for 150ml. Korres Basil Lemon Moisturising Body Milk - This has a lovely zesty fragrance and is nicely moisturising without being too thick.  Perfect fror summer, I may repurchase this at some point. Currently £8 for 200ml at M&S as ther...

It's great when you find a Holy Grail (HG) product and  Pixi by Petra 2-in-1 Natural Brow Duo is definitely a HG product for me.   I think that I have mentioned before that I have very sparse eyebrows and it's not due to overplucking in the past.  It's just a family trait shared by my mum, my sister and me.  Therefore, I am always on the lookout for amazing brow products, that give me natural looking, but noticeable brows. What's great about Pixi Natural Brow Duo is that it's a 2-in-1 product that includes a waterproof brow pencil and gel.  I have the Deep Brunette shade and the angled brow pencil is so easy to use to shade in my brows.  Once I have perfected my brow, all I have to do is brush through the tinted soft-hold gel to set everything in place.  This is such a great product to travel with and I'm so glad that I bought it. It's £15 on the Pixi website. What are your HG brow products? Leighlee I paid for with my own money ...

I asked my sister to guest post on my blog this week as she has been trying out an epilator for the first time.  Here's what she had to say: This is my first experience with an epilator and I must admit I was somewhat worried about how painful the Braun Silk-epil 9* would be. I was pleasantly surprised that while I could feel the hairs being pulled out I didn't find it as painful as I thought it would be at all. On the majority of my legs I felt a slight tingling sensation and it was only around my ankles that I really felt it and it made me wince a little. The bottom line though was that the little pain I felt was worth it as my legs were smooth and hair free after a couple of minutes.  It's now 3 weeks later and the hairs have started to grow back in some areas but they are quite fine at the moment.  I can already see this being a staple in my body care routine.  I will definitely be using it before my holidays.   I was even brave enough to use it on my u...

I haven't seen any magazine freebies this month, so I thought I would just let you know about the freebies that will be available with next months (September 2015) magazines. In next months Marie Claire magazine you can choose from 3 different Balance Me products which together are worth £36.  The magazine is on sale 3rd September 2015. In next months Instyle magazine, you can choose between 2 Neal's Yard products which together are worth £18.  The magazine is on sale 3rd September 2015.                                           Leighlee

It looks like the weather is gonna be pretty nice around these parts this weekend, so out comes the BBQ.  Well we have to make the most of any good weather that we get over here in the good old UK. I don't drink much alcohol during the day, so I am always looking around for new non alcoholic drinks to try out and I found some great ones at Asda recently. Feel Good Non Alcoholic Cocktails come in 4 varieties and they all taste great. They are a great alternative to alcohol and my usual Coke & Pepsi.  The 3 flavours I have tried so far are Mojito, Peach Bellini & Strawberry Daiquiris and they are all refreshing, but not too sweet.  They all contain fruit, water and no added sugars and are gently sparkling.  They also do a Buck Fizz version, but I haven't tried that one yet).   I usually stock up when they are 2 for £2 at Asda, but they are usually £1.29 each for a 250ml can.  It looks like Tesco sells 750ml bottles for £2.49 as well. Le...

I always say this, but the reason I subscribe to beauty boxes like Birchbox and You Beauty Discovery is the chance to discovery smaller brands that I might not come across otherwise.  One such brand is Skin & Tonic  London which is an organic skincare line and the product that I tried out was the Steam Clean Cleanser .   This simple cleansing balm is made with British Thistle, Eucalyptus and Spearmint oils.  This is a lovely cleansing balm that smells really refreshing and is a lovely wake up call if I use it in my morning routine.  I only need to apply a small amount to my face and r ub it in and do a little facial massage at the same time.  As recommended I use a warm muslin cloth and lay it over my face for a minute and breathe in the fragrant balm, then wipe the balm off with the cloth.  My skin is left feeling really clean and it removes all traces of my make-up.  It does not leave my skin feeling tight and dry like some cle...

I just spent another weekend in London.  See my last trip report here .  I won't go through everything in detail, just mention some of the highlights and new discoveries.  I have to say the weather was scorching on both days, so it was a brilliant weekend. The primary reason for my visit was to go and see some shows at the theatre. I really enjoyed Bend It Like Beckham The Musical and you can read my full review here .  I also went to see The Elephant Man which starred Bradley Cooper, Alessandro Nivola and Patricia Clarkson.  This show recently transferred to The West End from Broadway and it is such a good show.  I was worried that it would be too serious because of the subject matter, but it was very entertaining, funny in parts and also heartbreaking as well.  It's only on in London until 8th August 2015 so it might be a struggle to get tickets, but if you can manage it, it's well worth going to see and all the performances were amazing. We ar...

I have teamed up with the lovely people at Cohorted  to run this great giveaway. They are giving you the opportunity to win 3 fab MAC products.   Cohorted are an online store that offer 1000's of high end beauty products and deals from brands such as Chanel, Urban Decay, MAC and Bobbi Brown.   They also have a monthly beauty box that always sells out really quickly. The prizes are 1 MAC Mineralize Lipstick in Bold Spring, 1 MAC Blusher in Dolly Mix and 1 MAC Bronzer in Refined Golden . All you have to do is enter via Rafflecopter below.  This giveaway is only open to UK residents (don't worry all my lovely international followers, I will be running another giveaway in a couple of months which will be open internationally). Good luck everyone. Leighlee a Rafflecopter giveaway