I bought a few things in the 'after-Christmas' sales, they're all different, random items and I'm loving them:
I fell in love with these Topshop Shoes when I first set eyes on them. I couldn't find them in black anywhere but my sister eventually managed to get hold of them for me. Although these aren't properly my size and I fit snug in them, it won't stop me wearing them. They're very glitzy and great for parties, I look forward to wearing them on holiday. I got these for £25, down from £48.
A bikini from Next is also for my holidays. It's black with white love hearts. The top came separately, but both together they are a great £10.00. Bottoms-£4, top-£6.
I got these boots from Urban Outfitters in Edinburgh and it took me so long to decide because I wasn't sure. They have a pointed toe which makes them different to the average Chelsea Boot. These were still expensive, but for their quality and practicality, they were worth it. These were £50.
Simply, two Cath Kidston candle holders (which I already have candles in). They're Christmas themed but it doesn't bother me because they are only to hold my candles. I think the design on them is lovely though and I will especially like them at Christmas time. They were a brilliant £2, down from £6.
Another bikini, this one is from Topshop and it has holiday postcards/stamps printed all over it. It was a pretty set. At £15, down from £32 I was very pleased.
Inside one of my candle holders is the Yankee Candle sampler in Bahama Breeze that I bought in a small sale (nothing too fancy) but I have been loving the smell of it. I got it for a friend's present and loved it so much that I bought one myself. I am going to buy a larger one of this when it runs out. It was £1.08.
I have never heard of this before, it is The Body Shop's Rainforest Balance mini shampoo and conditioner set that includes 3 shampoo's and a conditioner. It's suitable for my hair type, paraben free and comes with a free comb. It was down to only £3 from £10 which was a bargain. I haven't used them yet because I think they will be great for travelling.
I am glad about all the stuff that I bought and it makes me happy that I've saved over £70.
I have been loving a few things this month and the whole time I've been waiting to share with you the things that I have loved. I have a few beauty things and a few random things, just to mix it up a little.
Beauty
I got Soap & Glory Clean, Girls Body Wash mini in my advent calendar and I have been loving it. I explained it in the blog post when I got it in my calendar. It's got a musky smell and it's a pearl-y colour. I have really enjoyed using this in January and I think I'm going to end up buying the full sized bottle.
I got my sister the The Body Shop Absinthe Purifying Hand Wash as a Christmas present and I just can't resist using it. It's an incredibly fresh smell, basically just smells of leaves and plants. Because the smell is so fresh it makes your hands feel fresher. The only thing wrong I'd that it isn't moisturizing so I use hand cream afterwards. Luckily I use the Absinthe Hand Cream to save the gorgeous smell being blocked out, yey!
I got the La Roche-Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel as a stocking filler for Christmas because a cleansing gel is something I've had my eye out for a while. If you're a common reader of my blog then you should know that I love a trust products from La Roche-Posay so ideally I wanted a face wash from that brand. Removing make-up is a lot easier now that I'm using this however I am finding a few spots in my hair line which I think is due to it not being properly rinsed from my hairline. So wiping there with a light sponge is a step that I'll have to start including.
This came in a set of mini Kiehl's Patchuli & Fresh Rose Bosy Cleanser, Creme de Corpse and a Mango Lip Balm. I love this shower gel it's really fresh rose and what I describe as a pink smell (often floral and girl-y, but not sweet and sickly). The full-sized bottle is £19.00 so I am savouring this shower gel. I think I will eventually treat myself to a large bottle of this because it really could be worth it.
Random/Non-beauty Related
Geek Girl by Holly Smale is a very rated book that has been floating around the charts. I decided to give it a try because one of my New Years Relsolutions is to make more effort in reading books (my goal is maybe 1 book every 1 of 2 months - I'm a really slow reader tbh). I haven't finished it yet, I'm about 3/4 of the way through and so far it's a great story line that has you laughing, shocked, cringing and intruiged. It's very light hearted and I've decided to get the series read before they are something that I will grow out of because they are on the boarder line of being too young for me.
Yankee Candle in Summer Scoop was a present off one of my friends for Christmas. It simply smells like sweet strawberries and 'Dolly mixtures' (if you don't know what they are - they are traditional British sweets). I have been burning it a lot. It burns quickly and well in a great circle, which pleases me. I love it's container because the lid is a pretty stand, it's almost a great ornament. I'm half way through and I'm prepared with a sampler for when it runs out.
Sherlock season has 3 been named BBC's most watched drama in a decade, and I know why. This is the most capturing crime drama based around Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) scouring the well-known places of London in order to solve some gripping cases. It has me on the edge of my seat, and if you're reading this thinking 'yeah, yeah, whatever', then I'd like you to give Sherlock a try because it's not how you expect. So I currently love Benedict Cumberbath and when he won an NTA I definitely screamed because we got to see his trunks. (I watched 9 hours worth of Sherlock in 1 day)
I recently did my first box swap with my blogging friend Katie. We arranged to do it just after Christmas so that we had something to look forward to. We swapped sooner than we planned (I was overly eager) but both boxes turned out to be great!
For those who don't know what a box swap is: it's where you fill a box full of items that the other person will like (beauty products for a beauty blogger) and swap it. I know it just sounds like the average birthday present but box swaps that take place between bloggers often are international or from different parts of the country. Katie and I live in the same country so our box swap was a lot quicker - and cheaper.
You can check out the contents of the box that I gave Katie on her blog and see what she thought about the goodies inside.
These are the things that I received in my lovely box off Katie :)
A ring from accessorize.
A while back when we went shopping together I pointed out how gorgeous this ring was and that I barely wear rings and want to more often. Katie obviously managed to remember.
A candle lantern, which is from IKEA. It is sooo sweet and Katie put 3 pink tee-lights in that smell really fresh and floral. She knows how much a love candles and I love the concept if this lantern.
A Mavala nail polish in Riga. A Mavala nail polish was featured in my 2013 favourites and this pink colour is sooo sweet.
A Cath Kidston mirror in my favourite pattern. It's extremely weird because I actually nearly bought this from Katie's box.
The MUA palette is a palette that a lot of bloggers say they love and I was so pleased to find this in my box. I'm not a professional with eye shadow so this is great for a starter.
The Collection eye shadow pencil is also great for those who are starting off their adventures of eye shadow. It's a lot dryer than I expected but really easy to apply and the colour of this is cute and a lovely colour for the spring and summer.
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer is another product that everyone raves about. This and an eye shadow pencil were both on my 2014 wish-list. I will review these products properly once I've got into using them more but so far the concealer is great.
Blogger was being stubborn and it was difficult to get this image on.
In the box there was a present labelled 'crafting' and it was a love heart shaped tin. Inside was 3 decorative tape roles, 3 rose button (which are very adorable), white lace ribbon and 3 Lindor chocolates - but I ate them. Katie knows that I'm a really crafty person and love to make things.
There was also a bag of Caramel Nibbles but I've half eaten them ;)
Box swaps are great ideas and great fun. I would recommend anyone to do them with another blogger. I'm sooo happy with the gifts in my box.
Thank you Katie :)
Year 2013 is the year in which I started blogging. After a few months of getting my bearings and finding my feet with blogging I finally decided to base this blog on beauty, lifestyle and fashion. I have leaned more heavily onto beauty, so these are my favourite beauty products from 2013.
KIKO nail polish in 539 Light Peach
I bought this nail polish on a trip to Madrid in the summer. I love the KIKO nail polishes and their packaging is really practical. This colour is one I didn't have and I am so glad I got this. If anyone else is looking for a colour like this I would recommend this one,
Mavala Nail polish in Pure Diamond
This is a silver sparkly nail polish that I received in my Boots Beauty Advent calendar and it was definitely one of my favourite products from it. It's such a great colour for the winter seasons and the silver suites any colour from the spectrum.
Bourjois Colour Boost Lipstick in Orange Punch
Out of all my summer-y coloured lip products, this is my favourite. I wear this during the day and night it's really versatile. I recently received one of the Autumn tones for Christmas and they are so great for keeping lips moisturised.
L'Oreal Super Liner - Perfect Slim in Intense Black
My first felt tip liner and it's perfect. Really precise at the tip and great for day to day use because it's not a pain to get off. I'm slowly getting a bit more adventurous with it and expanding the wing.
Givenchy Mascara
High-end mascaras are always compared to drugstore mascaras; I have no preferred type but I do love this mascara. I bought it on a trip to Paris in April and I always use this for when I want to make a big deal of my eyelashes. It's not clumpy or too thick, gives great length and makes it look like you have a thousand lashes.
Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical
Please forgive me in that I only tried out dry shampoo this year. But wow! this stuff is genius and it's a lifesaver. I love the scent of this one because it smells like coconuts and is a really fresh smell all year round. I also love 'Blush' which is more of a floral scent. I have about 4 bottles of these stocked away for when I run out.
La Roche-Rosay Cicaplast Baume B5
My number 1 favourite product is this because it massively cured my eczema on my face and around my eyes. It has been nothing but good to me and I use it twice a day. I would recommend this to anyone who has problem skin like myself. For me- La Roche-Posay win most trusted brand of the year!
I hope you all had a fantastic year and I hope you have a fantastic 2014!!
Ohh..(sigh). With this constantly dark weather, it's extremely hard to find the right time to take pictures so I've had to try and find the best time to snap some pictures. I got home from a day out and started to take pictures before it got dark. I hope it looks like a successful job.
This is the La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream that I've been using for quite a while. I bought this in October and I was originally supposed to put it away as a Christmas present; I couldn't resist it though. It is in Light Shade which is 1 of only 3 shades there is available at the moment. I have an 'English rose' complexion so if I was to get any shade darker it'd definitely turn me orange.
Usually, I apply this by putting a blob or two onto the back of my hand then distribute it evenly across my face. I don't yet have the correct brush to apply it to my face so I use my own hands. It has a great consistency so I guess it's up to you how you apply this one.
The coverage isn't the best. It would take a few layers of this if you were planning in using it as a cover-up to replace foundation. But as a base, it works well and lasts through the day. I apply this then put at a brief amount of foundation powder over gently.
It honestly smells quite odd. It smells clinical and almost like wipes. If I put this across my cupids I'd definitely be able to smell this and although it smells clean, I'd still rather be able to smell my perfume.
This brand is the same brand that I use as my daily moisturizer. It works wonders for dry skin sufferers and it has positively affected my eczema. I really trust the brand so it was a step ahead for choosing this BB Cream. It's paraben free and I feel safe using it.
If you have this BB cream, what is your opinion? Or do you have a different BB cream? Let me know in the comments.
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