Friday 6 April 2012

March Empties

Two empties posts in a row!  I promise that I do have other things to blog about coming up, but here's what I got through in March:


Hair Care

I got through a load of hair care stuff in March - a lot of it was from gift sets I got in the sales after Christmas as a way of trying more expensive ranges for not many pounds.

Ojon Dry Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner - I did really like this and I would use it again, BUT I hated the bottles that the product was in, particularly the conditioner.  The bottles were made from really solid plastic and with such a thick product inside, I only got two uses out of the conditioner.  There were at least two more applications in the bottle, but despite shaking, inverting the bottle, and trying to get it out, I couldn't, so what a waste!
Philip  Kingsley Shampoo and Conditioner - actually nothing spectacular - I liked it, but it didn't wow me.
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Extreme - on the other hand, this stuff was amazing!  It's a pre-shampoo treatment and it did wonders for my hair.  I got two applications out of this sachet and I've got two more sachets of it in my stash.  Something I'd definitely buy in the future.
Fekkai Advanced Shea Butter Ultra Rich Mask - I think I paid £15 for a gift set which included this mask, a glossing cream and a hairspray, but this product on its own retails for £25 - bargain!  Actually, looking on HQ Hair, you can buy the gift set I got for £25, or pay £25 for the product alone - why would you do that?  As for the product, it was a really nice conditioner - it wasn't £25 worth of nice, but at £15 with two other products, it was a good deal.

Shower Gel

Korres Guava Shower Gel - this was another sale bargain, think I paid £5 for it, and it's up there as one of my favourite shower gels ever.  It smells lovely, makes a great lather and lasts for ages (over a month on two showers a day).  Definitely something I'd consider repurchasing once the shower gel mountain has receded.

Face Care

Clarins Multi Active Night Cream - another sale gift-set purchase.  It was nice and moisturising, particularly in the colder months and it wasn't too heavy like some night creams can be - you could wear it under makeup.  It wasn't a knock-out product though.
Palmers Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub - I've had this knocking around for ages - I went between liking it and hating it.  It's a good scrub for occasional use, but not for a daily scrub.  The kernels are quite large and can be a bit too scratchy rather than scrubby.
Bliss Pore Perfecting Facial Polish - another scrub, another gift set and another item I wasn't blown away by.  This works fine as a daily scrub, but it's too gentle for me, I like a scrubbier scrub.  It also didn't last very long.  I'm so fussy about my facial scrubs!

Lotions and Potions

I'm back on my mission to reduce my moisturiser mountain, so there are a few I got through here.

Scholl Hard Skin Softening Cream - a foot cream that's OK - not as good as Flexitol though.
The Sanctuary Body Butter - I've used this before, I like the smell and great for the winter.
Bliss Lemon and Sage Maximum Moisturiser Cream - loved this stuff.  It lasted ages, felt lovely on my skin and smelt great.  It says on the bottle that it was developed as a massage cream, and I used it for that purpose as I've developed lots of injuries in my marathon training.  I was able to massage my calves for about 10 minutes without reapplying, but it didn't leave any stickiness, just softness.

So, quite a few things got through in March - no makeup though.  Hopefully there will be some more in April!

Thanks for reading! xx

Sunday 25 March 2012

January and February Empties

So I lost my blogging mojo in the early few months of this year and now my laptops broken!  But, with my trustee work laptop I'm back in the blogging swing of things now.  So here are my empties from January and February - and there are a lot of them!




Skin Care and Makeup



 I used up:

Lancome Teinte Miracle - love this stuff, have bought some more
No 7 Protect and Perfect Serum - a staple
Savlon Cream - I've always got this in my beauty kit
Dermologica Multi Vitamen Power Recovery Masque - Hmmm, got this in a Glossy Box, wouldn't shell out for it.
Origins Starting Over - my favourite winter moisturiser - will repurchase next winter
Lancome Genefique Night Cream - a bit too heavy for me, didn't use it everyday and wouldn't buy it.
Clarins Multi-Active Skin Recovery Serum - I really liked this, although similarly to No 7, it doesn't go very far.  I got this in a gift set in the sales and would repurchase if on offer
Bio Effect EGF Serum - this was from a Glossy Box - A bit too heavy, although it didn't break me out, I wouldn't repurchase
Barbara Daily Face Lift in a Jar - I wasn't impressed with this, despite hearing lots of good things.  I wasn't sure if it was a moisturiser, primer or highlighter.  It didn't really do a good job at any of those things, so I wouldn't buy again.
Doozle Serum - I bought this after seeing Doozle at a craft fair last year.  I really liked it and it wasn't expensive.  A good winter serum.
Lancome Gentle Softening Cleansing Milk - I got this free on a Lancome offer - I was really pleased to have a full-sized freebie!  It was a godsend for my skin in the colder weather, very kind and not at all drying.  It also worked as an eye makeup remover for not too heavy looks.  I'd buy this in the future.

Hair Care


I got through:

Neal and Wolf Harmony Intensive Hair Treatment - I got this in a Glossy Box - I liked it, but I probably wouldn't repurchase.  It's nowhere near as good as the Bumble and Bumble treatment I bought last year
L'Oreal Elvive Shampoo - a staple
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner - another staple
Batiste Original Dry Shampoo - the "infamous" Glossy Box sample!  I'm not a fan of Batiste, I've reverted to using talc for getting an extra day without washing my hair.
James Brown Photo Fabulous Moisturising Conditioner - it OK, I've reviewed it before, probably wouldn't repurchase.
James Brown High Gloss Treatment (not shown all of it) - I preferred this to the Photo Fabulous collection.  I got this and the two products beneath as well as some serum for £10 in the sales - bargain!
James Brown High Gloss Shampoo - quite liked this, didn't blow me away, but wouldn't turn my nose up at it.
James Brown High Gloss Conditioner - again, this was quite good, I'd repurchase, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Shower Gel and Eye Makeup Remover


OK a random grouping here!  I used up:

Radox Eastern Spirit Shower Therapy - I got this for Christmas, it smells nice, using it up helps reduce my shower gel stash, but I wouldn't repurchase.
Spa Invigorating Body Wash - another from my stash, not purchased by me.  It smells lovely, but I wouldn't rush out to buy it again!
Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Make-Up Remover - Not impressed with this at all.  Didn't tackle even light eye makeup very well, the consistency was really waterry and I had to rub at my eyes really hard to remove makeup.  Would steer well clear in the future.

Lip Balms



Coca-Cola Lip Smacker - loved this, tastes just like Coke!  I've got a cherry coke one as well I'm currently using.
Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 - don't believe the hype - this stuff isn't great, but at about £10 it should blooming well be!  It's too thick, I didn't like the applicator which got all gummed up with lip balm and it didn't taste that good.  Not worth the money and would really put me off repurchasing!
Dermalogica Renewal Lip Complex - another Glossy Box sample.  It was OK, I quite liked the consistency and it was really moisturising.  However, the taste wasn't to my taste, so I wouldn't seek it out!

Body Lotion


Oh dear, I've been bad - only one body lotion used up in 2 months.  And I was doing so well before Christmas!  Time to get into the body-lotion-using-up swing of things again.  Anyway, this Nivea Happy Time Body Lotion was very good.  I'd be more than happy to receive this again - it performed as well as many more expensive lotions.  I wouldn't repurchase as I seriously don't need any more body lotions - I must trim that stash.

So I'll probably be posting next week on my March empties - how time flies!

Thanks for reading! xx




Saturday 24 March 2012

Bristol Fashion Week - Live Blogging Catwalk Show - VERY Picture Heavy

Yesterday I attended the Bristol Fashion Week Live Blogging Catwalk Show at the Mall at Cribbs Causeway.  Bristol Fashion Week had provided 200 free tickets for bloggers and fashion students to attend and I was lucky enough to get one of them!  We were encouraged to tweet during the show and were allowed to take photographs - this was great, as at the last fashion show I went to at Bristol Fashion Week, it was strictly prohibited. 


Having arrived slightly late, I picked up my blogger pack, picked up a glass of fizz and was ushered straight into the show.  I noticed that the girl next to me had a blogger pass as well, so I introduced myself and it turned out to be lovely Laura from A Daisy Chain Dream - we'd tweeted about the event earlier, so I was really surprised we ended up next to each other! 

Below I've put together my favourite picks from the fashion show.

Pastels and Pinks from John Lewis

The show started off with dresses from John Lewis in a variety of pastel pink colours.  The models were trussed up in sweetie wrappers with pastel coloured blue and green lipstick.  The dresses shown were mainly knee-length or shorter and were a mixture of work and event-appropriate dresses. 




I know it's a terrible photo, but the dress above is probably my favourite from John Lewis.  Here's a link to it - it's £129 at the moment.  I think seeing it modelled on the catwalk really brought it to life for me, as I don't think I'd give it a second glance from the website model!

Sports Lux from Next


The standout piece from the clothes from Next was definitely these coral coloured jeans.  I desperately want some coloured jeans to liven up my spring wardrobe and I think these might be the ones!  They're very similar to the ones that Kate Middleton has been photographed wearing in the past week, but a lot cheaper.  Kate's jeans are from J Brand and are £200 from Net-a-Porter.  I think I've found the ones on the catwalk from Next here - they are a lot cheaper, at £40, so I'm definitely considering blowing the dust from my wallet for these.

Workwear from Hobbs

Continuing the trend for pinks and pastels, the Hobbs show was one of my favourites.  The clothes are summary and work-appropriate with a nod to the 1950s and are totally my style.  I've never bought anything from Hobbs, but I'm really tempted to go and have a look now.



The outfit above is devine!  I think I need to have this skirt in my life - it's totally my style and I love the colours.  I also like the fact that it's striped and slightly colour-blocky, but the stripes are slightly more abstract than just straight across.  The skirt is the Hobbs Invitation Galindo Skirt and it costs £110.  I think I might be tempted.  The top is the Invitation Jewel Jacket and it costs £199.



I also love this dress from Hobbs, the Invitation Jewel Dress.  It costs £149 and would be perfect for a wedding, but you could definitely wear it to work in the summer.


I didn't manage to take a good photograph of it, but on the very left of the photograph above (purple) is the Invitation Gem Dress, which is also absolutely stunning but a bit of a splurge at £179.  I think the colour and styling is fantastic - I'm seriously impressed by Hobbs and will definitely popping in there.

Occasionwear from BHS

I almost never think of shopping in BHS.  However, whenever I do, I buy something - infact my favourite ever sundress was bought from BHS when I was just passing throught.  Actually, my Egyption cotton bedsheets were bought in there for under £20 for the set, so it's worth going in there more often.  There were some lovely monochrome 1950s inspired prom-dresses at the fashion show from BHS with bold floral prints.



Coming in at £49 each, these beautiful dresses are a total bargain!  I particularly love the purple and pink dress above, also £49.  Having spent some time browsing the BHS website, they have some amazing dresses - how cool are thier going out dresses and look at the prices - bargainous!

Italian Tropical Fashions from Oasis

I love Oasis when it comes to summer dresses - I own many of their floral bright prints myself and I think the photographs below show that they've done it again for 2012.  I love the very Italian look of the dresses - they make me want to pack my bags and go to Rome immediately.



Here's the link to the Tropical Fantasy Collection.  I particularly like the Tropical Jewel Dress (seen on the left above, £70). There are loads of gorgeous pieces and most of the prices aren't too sky-high either, so I might put a few on my wish-list.

Miss Selfridge Nude Tones and Floaty Fabrics

The Miss Selfridge scene showed off an array of beautiful nude-coloured dresses in soft, sheer and floaty fabrics.  It was a very romantic and soft collection.


Miss Selfridge are on to a winner with their Maxi/Mini dresses.  Basically, a mini dress with a sheer maxi-length dress over the top, they give you extra coverage, whilst still showing off your figure.  The nude dress above is a very reasonable £45.


This floral print mini/maxi dress is £50 from Miss Selfrdige.

Channelling Chanel at Jigsaw

One of the standout collections was from Jigsaw.  It was, according to presenter Mark Heyes, the best rip-off of Chanel he'd ever seen - I'll have some of that!  Thinking lady-like fashion, and taking inspiration from First Ladies Michelle and Jackie O, the collection includes work-appropriate tailoring in the pastel spring palette.


The tweed suit (above right) is not cheap with the jacket costing £235 and the skirt £140 ... but it's still A LOT cheaper than Chanel.  The Lemon Merino Cashmir Cardigan on the left costs £135 - pricey, but imagine how it feels!


I love this daffodil trench, and at £185, you can justify it as an investment, not a splurge. I also love this beautiful Easter Print Skirt at £98.


 The beautiful Deco Fan Dress on the left costs £169.

Celebrating the Great Gatsby at Marks and Spencer

One of my favourite stories was the Great Gatsby-inspired, 1920s feel of the Marks and Spencer Collection.  Apparently, this is going to be a strong trend through the summer, and with the release of the Great Gatsby film in autumn, it's likely to continue through the winter as well.


I love the wide-leg trousers on the left.  I think these Seam Waistband Wide Leg Trousers are the ones - at £22.50, they're very wallet friendly and have been added to my wish-list.  I couldn't find the dress on the right online, but it's rather lovely as well.


I love the cut of the dress on the left and I really like the outfit in the middle for workwear as well.  Unfortunately, I can't find either online.

In Conclusion

So, the top trends for spring summer 2012 are:
  • Pastel colours and soft tailoring
  • Coral coloured jeans
  • Purples and pinks with deconstructed stripes
  • Lady-like fashion, chanelling Jackio O and Michelle O
  • Tropical, Italian prints
  • Nude floaty fabrics
So, that's my round-up from Bristol Fashion Week Spring 2012.  I thought bringing in the blogging community was a great idea and it generated a lot of excitement about the show.  Unfortunately, I arrived slightly late, so I didn't have a chance to mingle with the other people before the show and I had to dash off afterwards, so I didn't meet anyone other than Laura.  If the organisers are reading this, thanks so much for inviting the bloggers - it was a great idea.  I've got loads of fashion inspiration from the show, so I'll definitely be having a little shopping trip to pick up some of the clothes shown soon.

I do think that there should be a programme for the show with the outfits and prices set out in it, as it would make it so much easier for shopping afterwards.  When I've been to other fashion shows, such as the one at Harvey Nics, the clothes and pricing was all written out on a programme, so you could make notes or ticks as the models went down the runway.  I think that this would help to generate more sales and interest if the Mall did this as well.

By the way, the saga of my laptop keyeboard continues - I've had to bring  my work computer home to type this... I couldn't face doing it with half a broken keyboard!  I might do this more often so I can actually do some blogging for once!

What are your picks for spring summer?  Thanks for reading! xx

Thursday 22 March 2012

Bristol Fashion Week at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway - Live Blogging Event!

Tomorrow I'll be taking part in the Bristol Fashion Week Live Blogging Event!



The Mall at Cribbs Causeway is holding a number of fashion shows until Sunday 25 March for Bristol Fashion Week.  The tickets are £8.95, and included in the price is a goody bag , and vouchers and offers for shops in the Mall.  You can book tickets here.


But tomorrow, they are also holding a special fashion show on Friday 23 March for bloggers and students!  I’m going, and will be taking part in their live blogging event!


This year The Mall is offering fashion bloggers the chance to attend a special showing of Bristol Fashion Week at 4:30pm on Friday 23rd March. As well as previewing the hottest Spring/Summer looks from the designer and high street brands available at The Mall, fashion lovers will be encouraged to participate in live blogging during the hour-long show.


Lust after the latest catwalk looks while TV stylist Mark Heyes and celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton entertain with their valuable fashion knowledge and celebrity gossip.


The lucky fashionistas who attend will also be able to sample the delights of an M&S 50’s style champagne tea party, win a designer handbag, courtesy of John Lewis, and indulge in the ‘feel good’ treatments on offer in the BFW Pamper Zone.


I will be live blogging will be via Twitter, using the hashtag #BFW during the show!  I'll do a round up post after the show! 

I've been having technical problems hence the lack of recent posts - most of my laptop keys now no longer work!!!  This post has taken me ages to write using an on-screen keyboard!  I'll borrow my work keyboard at the weekend to post about the show!

Thanks for reading! xx

Saturday 18 February 2012

Bristol Fashion and Beauty Round Up - February and March

I haven’t done one of these for a while, but now we’re moving towards spring, there are quite a few things going on in the next 6 weeks, so here’s my essential round-up of dates to put in your diaries. Be warned, this is a mega-post!

Grace Emmerson’s Online Shop

Last summer I reviewed a Dr Hauschka facial from Grace Emmerson – it was fantastic by the way.  Now Grace has recently opened an online shop selling the complete range of Dr Hauschka products as well as men’s grooming products from Speick. 

As well as selling the products, Grace is offering Treatment Reward Points which are redeemable against Dr.Hauschka Treatments, Rejuvenating Facials and Massage.  A £50 spend will result in £6 off a treatment – not bad! 

You can see Grace’s website here and I thoroughly recommend a treatment as well!

An Eye For Fashion – Norman Parkinson Exhibition and Events at the M Shed

If you haven’t yet been to the M Shed yet, I suggest you make your first visit to see the exhibition of Norman Parkinson’s 1950s and 1960s fashion photography that’s running until 15 April.  My friend was lucky enough to get two free tickets for us to go to the opening night party in January, which was fantastic.  Most people dressed up in vintage or vintage homage clothes, the drinks were flowing and there was a 1960s covers band, which really added to the significance of the photography to British fashion heritage. 

'Plain Girl' Jean Shrimpton photographed by Norman Parkinson in 1963

As well as Parkinson’s beautiful vintage fashion photography, there was original 50s and 60s clothing displayed throughout the collection.  What really made this exhibition come alive for me was the information about the clothing and also details of how women in Bristol were dressing contemporarily to the photographs and which shops they bought their clothes from.  It’s a fascinating slice of social history, as well as fashion history.  Another friend of mine who went to the exhibition is in her 60s and she absolutely adored itas well – it took her right back to her youth.  If you, your Mum or Granny was young in the 1950s or 1960s in Bristol, I’m sure that you/she would love this exhibition.  Anyone else who appreciates 50s and 60s style (and who doesn’t) would also find this excellent.  Seriously guys, I can’t recommend this highly enough – just go to it! 

You can see a some of the photographs from the exhibition on the BBC website here

Tickets cost £5/£4, although there is free entry on Wed 29 February and Wed 28 March

 

In addition to the exhibition, there are a series of events running in conjunction.  On Saturday 25 February there is Norman Parkinson Gallery Talk with Catherine Littlejohns.  This starts at 11am and is free if you have paid to get into the exhibition.  This tal will discuss 50s and 60 high street fashion in Bristol - I'm so there!

 At 2pm on Saturday 17 March, Angela Williams, Norman Parkinson’s assistant will be giving a talk which offers a personal insight into the Designers of British Fashion portfolio of prints.This is also free if you have paid for the exhibition and will be well worth attending.


On Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 March The M Shed is having a Vintage Weekend.  This will feature the Blind Lemon vintage fair, Magpie Markets (Magpie Markets Sunday only), retro make-overs, 60s music, vintage vehicles, dance, memorabilia and 50s turban making.Dressing up is encouraged! And if you wear vintage style you can have your photo taken by fashion photographer Matilda Temperley (Sat only).

Alternative Miss Bristol


The Cube Cinema is holding an Alternative Miss Bristol night on 24th March!  They say:

The Cube is proud to launch the Alternative Miss Bristol as part of March’s Fabulous Fortnight (featuring the Cabaret, harbinger of charm)

Shamelessly aping Andrew Logan’s Alternative Miss World, this event is about transformation, not beauty.

Contestants are invited from all and sundry to bedeck themselves in fantastical finery to best represent the area of Bristol they feel most connection with- be this a fashmina and oversized Gaga glasses for Miss Clifton or tiffin shaped earrings and graffiti-ed mega costume for Miss Montpelier...

The stage is yours for an evening of glitter, glue guns and glamour, queer beer and straight shooters, featuring our usual blend of film, music and general bloody brilliant party fun.

Participate ! get involved! email the House of Cube Mama eva@cubecinema.com !

See Paris is Burning and The British Guide to Showing Off and Bristol centre on a Friday/Saturday night on acid for funspiration!


£4 advance /£6 on the door 

Lauren who volunteers at The Cube contacted me to ask if I knew of any Bristol fashion bloggers who wanted to cover the event.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it myself, although it sounds like loads of fun, but contact Lauren if you’d like to get involved!  Her email address is laurengurteen@hotmail.com and she says you may be able to get £1 off the entrance as well!

Bristol Fashion Week at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway


The Mall at Cribbs Causeway is holding a number of fashion shows between Wednesday 21 and Sunday 25 March for Bristol Fashion Week.  The tickets are £8.95, and included in the price is a goody bag (last time I went, this was a very good goody bag), and vouchers and offers for shops in the Mall.  You can book tickets here.

However, they are also holding a special fashion show on Friday 23 March for bloggers and students!  I’m going, and you can go too.  They say:

This year The Mall is offering fashion bloggers the chance to attend a special showing of Bristol Fashion Week at 4:30pm on Friday 23rd March. As well as previewing the hottest Spring/Summer looks from the designer and high street brands available at The Mall, fashion lovers will be encouraged to participate in live blogging during the hour-long show.

Lust after the latest catwalk looks while TV stylist Mark Heyes and celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton entertain with their valuable fashion knowledge and celebrity gossip.

The lucky fashionistas who attend will also be able to sample the delights of an M&S 50’s style champagne tea party, win a designer handbag, courtesy of John Lewis, and indulge in the ‘feel good’ treatments on offer in the BFW Pamper Zone.

The first 200 tickets will be given away free of charge. Bloggers and students with a passion for fashion will need to apply to bristolfashionweek@mallcribbs.com before Saturday 10th March and include a link to their blog or for students, a scan or image of their student ID card, for the chance to enjoy the essential fashion edit of the new season trends and colours.

The deadline for applications is Saturday 10th March 2012 and if you miss out on the free ones, you can still attend if you’re happy to pay for a ticket.  The live blogging will be via Twitter (let’s hope my not-so-smart phone behaves itself for the occasion).  The hashtag #BFW will let you join in the fashion conversation!

I’m not sure if anything is going on this week in Cabot Circus, as there’s nothing on their website.  I’ll update this if I spot anything.  Personally, I prefer The Mall for fashion shows anyway as you can sit down, park for free, avoid queues on the M32 and it’s indoors with better acoustics... that’s just me though!

Harvey Nichols


Harvey Nichols are also holding a spring summer fashion show and party.  This will be on March 21 and will take place in store.  The theme will be Gatsby’s Speak Easy and will feature complimentary drinks and trend presentations.  Tickets cost £10 and are available from here.

This sounds like more of a shopping evening than a fashion show, but at £10, it’s not too expensive and with complimentary drinks as well, it sounds fun! 

Contact me if you know of any other events, promotions, special offers etc going on in Bristol in February and March (or later on in the year) and I'll add them to the list!  Are planning on going to any of these events?

Thanks for reading! xx

Sunday 12 February 2012

AWOL Ramble

Hi to everyone who reads my blog - I just wanted to say I'm sorry for going AWOL on you all for all of January and half of February.  I'm not sure what happened, I lost my blogging mojo for a bit and suddenly 6 weeks had passed.  I didn't intend to take a break, but I think life just got in the way a bit.

Anyway, I haven't just been a bad blogger, I've also been a bad beauty addict.  Since I last posted, I haven't done any of these things:
  • paint my finger nails
  • paint my toe nails
  • dye my roots
  • do a fake tan
  • do my daily moisturising.
Oh dear, I seem to have developed some bad habits!  So what else have I been up to?

  • Working hard (my job never seems to let up)
  • marathon training (this is taking up so much of my time)
  • bizarrely not losing any weight despite the marathon training
  • mainly hibernating when not doing any of the above activities!
I'm also in the middle of a marathon challenge which involves saving up loads of money in order that me and the mister can move out of our too small flat into a bigger house in a nicer area.  This is a challenge that will take at least another year and it's one that means I have to budget... and I don't mean that I'll say that I'm budgeting, but then go and spend loads of money on beauty and clothing - no, I actually have to do it!  I've got some form on this - I managed my challenge before Christmas not to spend anything for two months on beauty and I passed it with only a £5 wobble - that's pretty good going for me. 

I've had to think long and hard about how I budget over the next year - it's a question of setting a budget that is realistic, but also isn't over the top.  When I was a poor student I used to have a beauty budget of £25 a month and I was quite comfortable with this.  However, I know I couldn't stick to that today.  Now, I have more expensive tastes and I'm not prepared to compromise.  I've decided to set myself a monthly budget of £100 for all beauty related stuff - from face cream to bikini waxing, from toothpaste to haircuts.  It sounds like it's quite generous, and I think it is really.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to stick to this, with money to spare which will allow for the occasional splurge or I can save it in the house fund... we'll see.

So that's what I've been up to whilst I've been AWOL - I hope all my blogging friends are well and I promise I'll be back this week with some more posts! 

By the way, the 'k' button is broken on my keyboard - it's the most annoying thing!  Especially as my name starts with a 'k'.  I have to paste it everytime I want to type it.... at least it's not the 'e' key I suppose...

Thanks for reading! xx

Sunday 1 January 2012

2012 Challenges - Challenge 1 Shower Gel

You may know that I like a good challenge.  Having recently successfully completed some no spend and use up moisturiser challenges, I thought I'd embark on some new challenges for 2012.  My challenges are two-fold, trying to use up the stash of products that I have and to try to save money.  We're saving up for a new house and the less I have in my stash, the less I'll have to take with me when we eventually move!

Today I'm posting about my shower gel challenge.  My challenge is to not buy any shower gel for the whole of 2012.  I attempted this last year, but failed, buying three shower gels during the year.  I probably could have succesfully completed this challenge if I hadn't bought them, but it would've been very difficult.  Anyway, that's not the case this year.  My shower gel stash is brimming with products, swelled with Christmas and sale bargains.  I've also received lots of bubble bath at Christmas and as I rarely take baths, I use this in place of shower gel.  I have not doubt that I will successfully complete this challenge with shower gel and bubble bath to spare.


The photo of my stash shows I have 28 shower gels and bathing products.  I've also got one open that I'm using at the moment as well as one I forgot to include in the photo.  So that's 30 in total.  There's no way I'm going to use these all up by next Christmas, but I'll give it a good go.  I'm certainly going to hold myself to not buying any more shower gels in 2012.  I'll post occasionally about which ones I've used up.

Are you planning on any challenges in 2012?

Thanks for reading! xx

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