Monday 24 December 2012

❅ A Very Merry Christmas ❅



Just a quick post to wish you all a very merry christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful day surrounded by friends, family and delicious food. I've loved buying gifts for everyone this year and I know I'm going to miss the Christmas shopping now that everything is over. Thank-you all for being such fabulous followers and have a great christmas! 

'Til Next Time,


Sunday 23 December 2012

Recently #2 ❤

Last night - went to see the hobbit // Red lips // The cosiest // Oops // Cranberry green tea // Excited // In bed // South Park appreciation // Christmas top // Tree // Shopping in Cardiff // Mick left me to play sims // Candle lit // Yummy // New coat // New curtains // Diptyque freebie // Jan exams are taking over // Cute little cafe // Walking with the girls

I went to see The Hobbit last night with Mick and it was really good. I thought it may have dragged but I really enjoyed it despite the fidgety couple sitting next to us. 
I've just finished sixth form for Christmas so my days have been spent doing nothing or doing some christmas shopping. I've been so organised this year and I had everyone's presents bought and wrapped a week early, yay for being organised. I actually can't believe it's christmas eve tomorrow, I am so excited to spend christmas with my family, to eat nice food and give everyone my gifts. I also can't wait to receive some LUSH goodies from my parents as its become a little bit of a tradition in my house. 
I also bought these really cute curtains from Ikea, although they are massive (they're even too big for my patio doors) I think I've managed to make them look ok. 
At the start of the month I went on a weekend trip with my friends to a country park. We had to go to do a drug course from school but we stayed in a lovely place with the cutest little cafe. I kind of miss it now.

How are you spending your Christmas day? 
Oh and Merry Christmas everyone!!

p.s the winner of my Burt's Bees giveaway was Catherine from Lady Liquor Vintage

'Til Next Time,

Thursday 13 December 2012

✿ Review; Vichy Pureté Thermale Soothing Cleansing Milk ✿

I bought this product whilst escentual.com were having 15% off all their french skincare brands (and still are!). I was having lots of trouble with congested and dry skin so I was really interested in trying a cleansing milk and taking my skincare back to basics. 
It was such a pleasure ordering from escentual.com! The package came within 2 days and they even included a perfume sample and a nail file with my order. I will definitely be ordering from there again as it was such a nice experience.

I love how simple this product is. It does what it says on the tin and is such a pleasure to use. I was expecting it to be of a thinner consistency being a cleansing 'milk' but it's more of a lotion. I massage it all over my face to remove my make-up in the evening and then splash off. It is the best product I have used for removing make-up. It gets rid of everything and I can almost feel the make-up dissolving as I massage the product in. Despite getting rid of ever scrap of make-up it leaves my skin nourished and not feeling tight or stripped. It has a lovely but not too strong scent and is such an easy product to use.
I would definitely re-purchase this product as it is completely worth the money and is such a pleasure to use!
You can buy this product here with 15% off.

Have you tried this? What's your favourite product from Vichy?

'Til Next Time,

Wednesday 12 December 2012

❅ Christmas Gift Guide // For the Beauty Lover ❅


I thought I would do a gift guide post dedicated to girls who love all things beauty. I know I would looove everything on this list, as a beauty lover myself, I thought these items would be perfect to give to any fan of all things beauty.

The NEOM candle is on my own Christmas list as I've always wanted to try them. This travel sized one for just £15 is a great way to try the candle's out without having to spend the full £30/£40 for the full size. On Cult Beauty they have a great variety of scents, each dedicated relieving stress or helping you feel refreshed. These candle's are a lovely luxurious treat any beauty fan would adore. 

I have also been lusting after some Aromatherapy Associates Oil's so the Perfect Partners gift set is again a lovely way of trying them out without having to part with too much money. They look so luxurious and have a lot of hype surrounding them. These are great for any beauty lover who love to pamper themselves.
I would absolutely loove the YSL gift set. I've tried their mascara already and it is pretty darn good. Every beauty lover would know of the Touche Eclat, being a cult product I'm sure anyone would love to give this a try. I love the packaging too.

I could of included a million more gift set's in this post but I couldn't fit them all in. Great sites for beauty gifts are cultbeauty.co.uk, feelunique.co.uk, asos.co.uk and debenhams.co.uk!

I hope this post was a helpful one and I hope you enjoyed reading!
What beauty gift sets have you been lusting over recently? 

'Til Next Time,

Sunday 25 November 2012

♡ Nude Tones ♡


I am in love with all things lace at the moment. Especially black lace. I love the lacey, high neck crop top and I think it would look lovely with my American Apparel Easy Jeans. I'm also lusting over all things nude. Nude and black look beautiful together, even lovelier if there's navy or berry tones thrown in.

❅ ☃ Christmas Giveaway: Burt's Bees Basics Gift Set ☃ ❅


So I thought I'd give a little something back to you for being such fabulous followers. It means so much to me that you read and enjoy my blog - I wish I could give something to each and every one of you!

So I will be giving away this Burt's Bees Basics Gift Set which I purchased with my own money from feelunique.com. I know this is only a little something but I thought this was a lovely little set - and a great way to try out a lovely brand, I know I kind of want to keep this for myself but don't worry I shan't.

All you have to do to be in with the chance of entering is fill in the form below - my only requirements are that you are a follower of my blog, you leave a comment including your email/twitter and that you live in the UK (sorry international followers!). You can do a few extra things to increase your chances of winning which are explained in the form below. This giveaway will run from today (November 25th) for three weeks until December 16th so you'll receive the gift as a Christmas present! I will contact the winner asap and if I do not get a response within 48 hours another winner will be chosen. The winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter.
Good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 'Til Next Time,


❅ Christmas Gift Guide // Under £15 ❅

I've been reading these posts non-stop lately so I thought I'd do one myself. It can be difficult finding the perfect gifts for friends and family so hopefully this gift guide will give you a few ideas. I've decided to do one that consists of gifts under £15 as I know Christmas can be a very expensive time of year and not everyone has the money to splash out, I know I haven't anyway. Although, I will also be doing another Christmas guide which will be covering gifts that are a little bit more expensive for those extra special people in your life that you don't mind spending a little bit more money on.

For Her
10. Geo Print Purse // £15.00

For Him
1. Topman Boxers Gift Set // £10.00
2. Mr Tea Mug // £9.50
3. 101 Horror Movies Book // £9.99
4. Grey and White Beanie // £12.00
5. Dead Island Game of the Year // £11.00
6. The Zombie Survival Guide // £7.09
7. 1001 Ridiculous Ways to Die // £7.99
8. Professor Puzzle Galileo's Globe Puzzle // £5.99
9. Monster Socks 5 Pack // £12

I hope you found this post helpful!
To thank you all for being such fabulous followers and to give you a little something back I am currently running a Burt's Bees Christmas giveaway here.

What are you getting your loved ones for Christmas this year?

'Til Next Time,

Wednesday 14 November 2012

❄ Autumn/Winter Nails ❄


I've been really enjoying reading blog posts about everyone's favorite A/W nail polishes recently so I thought I would do my own. I love autumn/winter nail wise. Deep, dark and neutral tones really float my boat but there's a few bright ones I like to brave too. Autumn/winter nails also scream glitter to me. I love anything with sparkles during this time of year, especially around Christmas and New Year, my nails must be glittery.

(starting with the bright orange & then going clockwise)
Revlon Siren // Ciate Wait Until Dark // Models Own Poppy Purple // Nails Inc Piccadilly Circus // Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle // Essie Cocktail Bling // Rimmel (Metal Rush) Royal Blue // Miss Sporty // Barry M Navy // No7 Totally Teal // 17 Sulk // MUA Shade 23 // Essence 78 Blue Addicted // Nails Inc Jermyn Street // Rimmel Disco Ball // Models Own Jade Stone // Collection 2 Tea At The Glitz // Essence Disco Disco

I love all of these polishes because they are not only pretty but they are nice quality. My favorites are Nails Inc, Essie, Models Own, Revlon, Miss Sporty and Rimmel. 

What are your favorite polishes for this season?

'Til Next Time,

Sunday 11 November 2012

Recently ❤

 Yesterdays purchases ❤ Costa with mama-bear Wearing MAC's Rebel lipstick  ootd - easy jeans, crop top, shirt & chain  index cards saving my life - lots of equations to remember Favorite red nail polish Essay writing Yankee Candle Heaven Casual ootd Hello  Biology revision Natural hair Cleopatra for Halloween Updating my iPod - Bombay bicycle club, Bon Iver, The XX New shirt & shopping in Swansea Me & Mick (boyf) at a Halloween party 

I haven't done one of these in a while so I thought I'd update you. I've also been a bit of a bad blogger this week but I have an autumn/winter nails post and glowing skin coming up soon!
I've been wearing my American Apparel Easy Jeans lots recently. I love them to pieces and I will be doing a post dedicated to them soon incase you were thinking about purchasing them. They're so flattering! I also went candle shopping but didn't manage to find anything really nice. I really want the Cinnamon Stick Yankee Candle again because I had it this time last year and it was lovely. At the moment I'm burning the Simply Home Yankee Candle in Cherry Vanilla which is divine.
I've been non-stop revising for the past 2 weeks - exam time is soon (early jan) and I have my first set of AS exams boo. Luckily I only have 3 but lots of revision means not a lot of blogging, super sigh.
Currently I'm waiting for I'm A Celebrity to start - Who's a fan and who's watching it this year? I watch it every year as I find it very funny!

'Til Next Time,

p.s I am currently adding lots of things to my eBay so I'd love for you to check it out here. I currently have a pair of Topshop leggings on there!!

Thursday 1 November 2012

☺ Review; MAC Fluidline in 'Dipdown' ☺


Gel liner is a staple in my daily make-up routine, I love how smoothly and easily it applies which is why I will always wear it over liquid or pencil liner. MAC's Fluid-line in the shade 'Dipdown' is my absolute favorite and I will continue to repurchase it when it eventually runs out. I wear a brown liner because black looks far too harsh on my fair complexion but do not fret, these liners come in an array of shades. 
I heard many bloggers/vloggers talk about this gel liner so I decided to take the plunge and get it around this time last year after E.L.F's Cream Liner dried up on me (I would recommend the e.l.f liner for beginners though!). It was £14 which I think is fairly reasonable for this product and I will happily pay it again. I love this liner because it applies so smoothly. I use the E.L.F Angled Eye-liner brush which I love because it applies it perfectly. It glides on and makes using gel liner every day so effortless. It also lasts a very long time on my weepy eyes. This was the biggest reason I purchased a higher end liner because others would constantly smudge throughout the day, this one definitely doesn't. I'm also very impressed that it hasn't began to dry up yet lots of people said it does easily but mine doesn't even look close to drying up and I've had it for around a year now - there's still lots left too. 
I think this is the perfect gel liner and definitely worth a purchase if you're skeptical, I promise you will get your money's worth.
 I haven't tried the Maybelline Gel Liner but I am planning on trying it soon to do a comparison to see if there is a cheaper offering - let me know if you would like me to do a comparison post.

I hope this was helpful and thanks for reading!

What's your favorite gel liner?

'Til Next Time,

Sunday 28 October 2012

♡ Rimmel Metal Rush Nail Polish ♡

Top to Bottom - Pearly Queen layered over a pale pink, Pearly Queen alone, Royal Blue.

I had these lovely nail polishes for my birthday so I thought I would do a quick post on them as they are just so darn pretty and they are part of Rimmel's new A/W collection (and I kind-of wanted to try out my new nail wheels , how swish!)
I have the shades Royal Blue, a teal blue shade with a purple iridescence and Pearly Queen, a lilac pearl with a greeny iridescence. As you can see in the image above there are three shades swatched. I swatched Pearly Queen on top of a pale pink because its very sheer worn alone, you can't tell by the swatch but alone you can see the white tip of your nail beneath the polish (no matter how many coats) and I really don't like the look of it but as a top coat its really pretty.
I actually really love these polishes especially Royal Blue. The formula is really smooth which makes it really easy to get perfectly painted nails each time. The brush is also really wide which is something I look for when choosing polishes as I find it makes painting my nails quicker and easier.
I love the idea of these polishes that you can get a "two shades in one" kind-of look. When you move your nails back and forth the shades will switch, for example Royal Blue switches from teal to purple, which is why I think these polishes are extra special. I really want to get my hands on Purple Reign which is a berry shade.
I am also really liking the rest Rimmel's new A/W collection, I think they've really 'pulled it out of the bag'.

These polishes are just £3.99 (bargain!) and can be found at Boots.

What do you think of these polishes? Do you have/will you be getting some?

'Til Next Time,


Friday 26 October 2012

♡ Easy Frankenstein Nails for Halloween ♡


I can only apologise for how sparse my posts have been lately. Sixth form suddenly became very stressful and I ended up being bombarded with work and had no time to post (Taking 5 a-levels was not a good idea).
 I have been taking lots of picture for upcoming posts though, so I have everything sorted for the next few weeks. It's also half term so I have a bit more time to blog. Yay.

I've been having a little bit of interest on my Halloween nail tutorial from last year I thought I would do one this year too. I love painting my nails for holidays like this, I can't wait until Christmas is close so I can do some Christmas inspired nails. I had lots of compliments on this nail design at school, which I was surprised about because it was so easy to create. I took inspiration from this photo on google images. 

How To...

  1. Apply your favorite nail polish base, I used Essie's Nail Foundation.
  2. Apply an opague layer of green nail polish. The one I used is discontinued sorry.
  3. Using the end of a bobby pin and some black nail polish draw a horizontal line and smaller vertical lines over it as the mouth. 
  4. Then at the base of your nail draw wavy lines using black polish and the same end of the bobby pin to create his hair.
  5. Then using the other end of the bobby pin and some white polish (or pale pink as I used because I had no white) dab on small circles for the eyes.
  6. Then using a bobby pin and black polish dab a smaller black circle inside the previous one.
  7. Cover with your favorite top coat. I used Sally Hansen's Double Duty.
See, I told you it was easy. I hope you all liked this quick and easy tutorial and I would love to know if you would like me to do more nail tutorials, I really enjoy doing them.

What are you all doing for Halloween? I promise to be a better blogger over the upcoming weeks!

'Til Next Time,

Tuesday 16 October 2012

✿ A Little Birthday Haul ✿

So it was my 17th birthday on October 6th (yay I can finally learn to drive) and I thought I'd show you what I got. I didn't get too much presents wise as I had asked for money and my parents, very kindly, bought me a shiny new laptop.. I am so happy I finally have a working computer as 2 computers have broken on my this year. Expect a lot more blogging from me over the next few weeks.
I also treated myself to a pair of American Apparel Easy Jeans, very expensive but they are so so nice. Look out for a post dedicated completely to them soon. They will be another haul soon as I went shopping last weekend and bought a few bits and pieces with some of my birthday money.


♡ The XX Coexist ♡ Rimmel Metal Rush & Glitter Polishes ♡ Topshop Chunky Necklace ♡ Soap & Glory Original Pink Fragrance ♡ Simply Home Yankee Candle in Cherry Vanilla ♡ Escape Bath Salts ♡ Soap & Glory The Birthday Box & Soaper Hereos Gift Sets ♡ Lindt Chocolates ♡ Escape Scarf ♡ 
  • I absolutely love this scarf my nana got me. The lime green colour is beautiful and it's so cosy. I can't believe she got this from Wilkinson's. The whole escape range is divine and ever so cheap. 
  • I love the Topshop necklace my sister got me. My boyfriend thinks it looks like a pad lock but I think it is beautiful. I love how it's such a statement piece and I wore it on my birthday with a khaki coloured sheer shirt.
  • My Dad clearly took advantage of the 3 for 2 on in boots right now and treated me to these lovely things from soap and glory, it's actually the first time I've ever received something from them myself (I've always stolen my mums opps) and I was so happy to see these. I love the righteous butter and the clean on my shower wash. A review of the perfume is here.
  • I can't stop listening to the XX's new album. It's such a calming album to listen to, definitely have a listen if you get the chance.
Mama-Bear and I


Of course I am not bragging about what I got I just wanted to show you all some of the lovely things I was given, and show you a few snaps from my birthday. I had a lovely day with friends and family and had some yummy food in Nandos the night before and Harvester on my actual birthday. 
(Sorry about this post being so picture heavy!!)

Also, thelovecatsinc.com is having an amazing giveaway for hitting 1000 followers. Make sure you enter and whilst your over there give her a follow because he blog is fabulous. Her giveaway post is here.

I hope you're all having a great week!

'Til Next Time,


Monday 8 October 2012

♡ Soap & Glory Original Pink Eau De Parfum ♡

Soap & Glory Original Pink Eau De Parfum 50ml ~ £16.50 
I received this lovely perfume from my parents for my birthday last weekend. I was actually really excited to see it as I never would of thought of buying this myself as I tend to prefer to save up or wait for Christmas to get a higher end perfume. I'm also glad I got it because lots of the Soap & Glory products (especially the righteous butter) are heavenly scented, which tends to mix with other perfumes I wear, but this one has a similar scent and ties everything together. 

I'm sure most have you have smelt the Soap & Glory products and they smell divine. This perfume is no exception, it has the trademark sweet, clean and fresh scent which is so so lovely.
"features fresh citrus top notes of orange leaf, lemon, peach ad sweet strawberries, with a sparkling heart of mandarin, summer rose, gardenia blooms and jasmine, on a patchouli, warm amber and lush musk base."

The perfume itself is actually of really nice quality, it doesn't quite linger like most higher end fragrances but it sticks around long enough so you don't end up applying it every hour. This scent is a really nice one for me to wear to school. It's not too expensive so I don't feel like I'm wasting it, it's fresh and clean smelling and it lasts for most of the day. I actually am quite fond of the packaging, I'm not the biggest fan of pink or the kind-of tacky shiny silver bottle but I think it fits for this product. The only thing that slightly bothers me is the fact that it doesn't have a lid, but it does have a little 'ribbon' stopper which would stop the product being wasted if it was in your bag etc. so I guess it's not a massive problem.
Overall I really like this perfume and would definitely consider re-purchasing when I've run out. Next time your near a boots make sure you have a sniff!
Rating: 

Have you tried this perfume?

'Til Next Time,

Sunday 7 October 2012

★ Review; Wilkinson's Fruity Range ★


So I was sent a few lovely things from the Wilkinson's Fruits Range recently and I've been so eager to write a review. I love Wilkinson's  you can find so many nice things there at really low prices but they still good quality. The cards they sell are lovely and I am a big fan of their stationary so when I was contacted by Nikki on behalf of Wilkinson's PR I did not hesitate to say no to her sending me over a few things. I was not sent everything featured in this post as I went out and bought some extra things so I could do a full range review for you. I'll mark the ones that were sent to be with an asterix for convenience but as always this will be a completely honest review.  

"Sit back and relax in a warm tub with these bottles of fantastic smelling foam bubble baths. The scents of spices and natural fruit extracts will help soothe the whole family after a busy day. Available in black-currant  berry and vanilla & honey."
This is one of my favorite things from the range. The smell is oh so very delicious and the scent really helps to relax me whilst in the bath. I urge you to have a sniff of this next time you're near a Wilkinson's. The product itself  lathers up really well and actually adds a little silkiness to the bath which is what I look for in bubble-bath products. I was so surprised to see this huge bottle was only a £1! Yes you heard my correctly just £1 which makes my bank account very happy indeed. I will definitely be repurchasing along with the other scents. 
Rating: 

"Designed to maintain your hair's radiant shine. Available in tropical, berry and citrus"
So I am a little bit in the middle with this product. It has a lovely tropical, water melon scent which smells really fresh and clean in my hair and really revives it on in-between washing kind-of days but I'm a little worried about using it as it contains alcohol which I believe can dry your hair out. It's great for freshening up and I will definitely contain to use it but I'm not 100% sure I would repurchase it yet.
Rating: 

"Fabulously fruity and tantalising, these shower creams gently cleanse and moisturise the skin while the delicious fragrance is truly refreshing. Available in citrus, lemon, minty and tropical."
This was probably the disappointing product for me. It's not bad, it's just a bit average. I don't really find it moisturising and I don't like the other scents. The coconut one smells exactly like the body shop coconut range so if you're looking for something like that on a budget then this is perfect. I prefer more fresh/fruity scents in the shower/bath though. Although it is only a pound and I still think it is great value for the price I don't think I would repurchase.
Rating: 

Wilko Fruity Hand Sanitiser in Berry 50ml ~ 50p each
"These instant hand sanitisers are a convenient, effective and hygienic alternative to washing hands when soap and water is not available  Killing up to 99.9% of bacteria and drying instantly, they are ideal for on the go. Available in berry and citrus."
I love this product so much. I don't think I'll ever buy another sanitiser to put in my bag. It's a small, 50ml tube which is great as it fits right into any of my bags and it smells amazing. Every time I get this out someone always says how lovely it smells. It's also a really nice sanitiser as it is one of the only ones I've used where it doesn't dry out my hands, which is a must at this time of year. Chapped hands are not sexy. I have repurchased and will continue too!
Rating: 

Wilko Fruity Shower Smoothie in Berry* 200ml ~ £1 each or two for £1.50
"Skin will be in for a real treat with these smoothing body scrubs. Each contains tiny grains of walnut shell, which gently polish skin, leaving it feeling silky smooth. Available in blackcurrant, vanilla & honey and berry."
Another product that I really enjoyed using. It has a lovely fresh berry scent and lathers up extremely well. The grains of walnut shell really do polish my skin without being too abrasive and it feels a lot smoother and softer after use. My skin feels especially nice when I use this whilst having the foam bath in the bath too. This has become my second favorite shower wash (just after soap and glory's clean on me) and it's on £1 which makes my bank account scream yay. I will definitely repurchase.
Rating: 

Wilko fruity hand-wash in Sweet Vanilla & Honey 50ml ~ £1 each or two for £1.50
"Keep hands cleansed, moisturised and smelling super fruity with these cute bottles of hand wash. Available in blackcurrant, vanilla & honey and berry."
Another lovely product. I haven't tried too many hand washes but this is my favorite. It has that lovely vanilla & honey scent like the foam bath and is actually the only hand wash I've tried which doesn't make my hands feel dry and tight after use. The bottle looks nice on my sink too. It's a pleasure to use and I will be repurchasing.
Rating: 

Overall I love this range. You can actually get everything I bought here for just £4.50 which is amazing value for money. I highly recommend you have a look at this range next time you're near a Wilkinson's. They also do little gift sets in this range which include hand cream, bath salts, bath bombs etc.which are great little presents for Christmas, especially if you're on a budget.


I hope you've enjoyed this post. I'm thinking about doing a range review on soap and glory soon too if you would like to see that?

Have you tried anything from this range?

'Til Next Time,

Wednesday 3 October 2012

☼ Birthday Wishes ☼


It's my 17th birthday on Saturday and I don't know if you can tell but I'm a little excited. I haven't really asked for much as I prefer money so I can buy things myself but I've been lusting over a lot recently so I thought it was time to make yet another wishlist. 
I've been loving blue and nude polish recently and these two by Nails Inc are perfection. At £11 a bottle they are a little expensive but I may have to splurge as the colours are so nice and from past experience Nails Inc polishes are lovely in formulation. 
I also love the patterned shirt by Topshop, I've been on the hunt for a patterned shirt I love and this may just be the one.
I've been wanting to try REN skincare for ages and these starter kits sound really good. I think they're quite the bargain at £13 (for 4 samples). There's different ones for all different skin types and I kind-of want to try them all.
Yesterday I treated myself to a pair of American Apparel Easy Jeans, I'm so excited for them to arrive. Yes they're very, very expensive but I had a 15% discount and they seem to be the most perfect jeans. As soon as I get them I will definitely do a post on them (whether they're worth the money etc). Hopefully they fit as I had to do a bit of guess work on the sizing *fingers crossed*.

What have you been lusting over recently? Is your birthday soon?

'Til Next Time,