Thursday 29 December 2011

The Body Shop Brushes - My Top Sale Bargain

Earlier in December, I did a Christmas gift guide which included a brush set from The Body Shop which I said I'd love to receive.  Well, no one took the hint, so I when I spotted it in the sale for £15 (down from £25 full price) I decided it was a must have.  The set contains an eye shadow brush, a face and body brush, a lipstick and concealer brush and a brow and lash comb as well as a brush roll to store them in.


I have to say that these are by far the best quality brushes that I own - how I had not discovered these before? 


The eyeshadow brush, in particular, is amazing.  It is soft enough to be kind on your eyelids, but is also stiff enough to give a fantastic application. Since I got this two days ago, I've found applying my eyeshadow a complete breeze.  No longer are the colours muddied and my application sloppy - this brush makes eyeshadow precise and defined.  Seriously, my eyeshadow has never looked better.  I'm seriously considering buying another set of these, particularly if they are reduced further.




In terms of value for money, this brush set is fantastic value.  The individual eyeshadow brush costs £9, the face and body brush is £16, the lipstick and concealer brush is £9 and the brow and lash comb is £8. So, if you were to buy these individually, they would cost £42 (without the brush roll they come with).  For £15 for the lot, you can't go wrong! Also, there was a huge stack of these in the store and they are still available online, so you haven't missed out on these.

I'm so glad I bought these - I'd heard good things about the Body Shop brushes before, but I hadn't realised quite how good they were.  I'm now converted!

Have you tried these?  What's your best sale bargain this year?

Thanks for reading! xx

Controversial Post Alert... I Just Don't 'Get' Lush

I think I may be the one dissenting voice in blogger-land, but try as hard as I like, I just don't 'get' Lush...  I'm always popping in there to see if there are any bits and pieces that tempt me, but I usually leave empty handed.  I'm never sure what to buy or how to shop there.  I have tried, including recommendations from other bloggers, but I just don't 'get' this brand.

In the past decade or so, my Lush purchases and gifts I have received have been the following:

1 bath bomb that got damp before I could use it (but smelled lovely)
1 bath bomb that covered my bath in glitter and left what looked like a dead butterfly floating in my tub (it was a fabric one, but I did get a shock)
1 massage bar (I do quite like this one)
1 packet of Rockstar soap (that I'm using to fragrance my lingerie drawer - I'm not overly keen on the smell)
1 very large bottle of Snow Fairy shower gel - I asked for this for Christmas after reading all the great reviews from other bloggers and thought this would be a good intro into Lush - to me, it smells absolutely disgusting - like medicine!


Maybe it's because I'm not into really sweet smelling beauty products, maybe it's because taking a bath is a very rare occurrance for me (I do shower, don't worry), maybe it's because so many of their products are messy and cluttery or maybe it's because when I was a teenager Lush didn't exist - it was the Body Shop all the way for inexpensive beauty products in my formative years.  I'm not sure why, but nothing from Lush is really rocking my world.  My job involves me visiting town centres all over the south of England and whenever I spot a Lush, I do pop in to see if there's anything to tempt me - there rarely is.

So ladies, what am I missing out on?  Please help me - am I ever going to find anything in Lush that I actually like?!  Given I don't take baths and I get through about 2 bars of soap a year (and have about 20 in my beauty storage), please let me know what you think I should take a look at.  I could really do with some suggestions, as I'm determined to finally 'get' what all the hype is about!

Thanks in advance for your help! xx

Tuesday 27 December 2011

No Spend - the Final Update

I set myself a little challenge back at the beginning of November... the challenge was to not spend any money on beauty, cosmetics, skincare etc or any clothing and accessories until 25th December. 

I've updated a couple of times on this, and by and large, I completed the challenge successfully.  I find it easy not to spend money on clothes and accessories - although I love new clothes, I hate shopping for them, so this part of the challenge wasn't hard for me. 

It was slightly harder to avoid beauty and skincare products.  I blogged earlier this week that I had forgotten about two Glossy Boxes which I was billed for.  Fortunately, due to the way I pay for my Glossy Boxes, they come out of a different budget to my normal beauty spends...so I could pretend they didn't really count.  Maybe I should.  I also bought a £5 nail polish, which was bought to ensure I spent enough on Boots points night to get an additional £12 worth of points - worth it I think.  What I didn't buy was any extraneous or impulse makeup or beauty.  I didn't chuck anything into my trolly at the supermarket and I didn't just pop into Boots - this was helped by the fact my office has moved and I no longer have a Boots just next to my office... Last week, I did end up buying some footcare products, but these are more medical than beauty so they don't count either.

So I've been pretty successful with this challenge, and I'm pleased with how it's gone.  However, I have spent an obscene amount of money (for me) in the sales over the last couple of days.  There are lots of bargain gift sets coming my way and some more I picked up in the sales today.  I love gift sets! But I'm sure I'll have to do another no spend for most of next year to make up for it!

Thanks for reading! xx

Houston We Have A Problem Body Moisturiser Challenge - Update #4

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and got loads of great presents!  You may remember I had set myself a challenge to reduce my body moisturiser stash to 16 moisturiser (I started with 26 and this increased to 27 during the challenge).  In my last post on this challenge, I had already got down to 15 moisturisers .  So I set myself a further challenge - to get down to 12 moisturisers remaining by Christmas.  The good news is, I did it!


The first I used was The Sanctuary Body Lotion which is a classic favourite of mine.  I can't get enough of The Sanctuary's signature smell and this is a moisturising lotion which is thick enough to use in winter as well as summer.  I managed to use up the whole bottle in about 2 weeks!

I got Clarins Eau Dynamisant Moisturizing Body Lotion in a bargain gift set I picked up in the sales last Christmas, but hadn't got round to using it until now.  I have to say, I really loved it - I usually hate body lotions sold in fragrance gift sets, as I find they're often an afterthought and terrible quality.  However, this was a complete exception.  It was wonderfully softening and it absorbed really easily into my skin.  I think this would be even better as a summery moisturiser, as it was quite light.  However, I'd look into getting this again.  Also, a little went a long way with this one and it took a while to use it up.

Finally I had a little, unidentified pot in my stash with barely anything in it.  I think my Mum gave this to me ages ago, and I'd used some of it before - there was hardly anything in the pot.  On reading the label, it appeared that this was a glycerine filled hand cream rather than a body cream.  Nevermind, I'd counted it in my original post, so I used it on my elbows and knees and it was used up in a single application - now why didn't I do that (literally) years ago?!

Most of these are now used up!

I'm going to ignore the fact that in December 3 more moisturisers found their way into my stash (and this was pre-Christmas - there's far more now).  I didn't buy them, so they can be counted when I tally up my Christmas and sales beauty stash.  I'm going to restart this challenge in the new year with the aim to totally clear my stash!

Thanks for reading! xx

Friday 23 December 2011

Pre-Christmas Waffle

Merry Christmas everyone!

Apologies for my lack of posting over the past couple of weeks - you know how it is with work and Christmas etc.  My blog's had to take a bit of a back seat for a while.  I did have lots of pre-Christmas posts planned, however, you'll have to make do with me rambling on!

So, I'm almost all ready for Christmas - just one more present to get today, because annoyingly, a little outfit I'd bought for my friend's little girl ages ago still has the security tag on it.  I've thrown away the receipt and I don't fancy going into town today, so I'll have to get something else for her.  Other than that, I'm all set!

I was running the Christmas Bloggers Weight Loss Challenge, although I noticed a lot of peoples enthusiasm dwindle after a couple of weeks, including my own.  I completely forgot to post about it last week, and this week I've put on a pound.  Sorry to those of you taking part - let's all start again in the New Year, when I know I'm always keen to detox.  Well done to those of you who have lost more than 1lb!

I've been running a couple of other challenges.  The first was my total no-spend on beauty and cosmetics challenge which ends on Christmas day.  I think I've done very well on this one.  OK, I forgot about my Glossy Boxes, and two of them came my way, and I also bought a nail polish costing £5.  I can totally justify the nail polish though, as it was when I was buying presents at a Boots points event.  Without the polish, my total came to £96.  However, for every £50 I spent, I'd get £12 worth of points.  So, by spending an extra £5, I got £12 of points - definitely worth it and justifiable I think.  Other than that, not a penny has been spent - I'm very proud of that!

My Houston We Have a Problem body moisturiser challenge has also been going well.  I've just about used up the last 3 body moisturisers I needed to before Christmas, and a couple of them were full sized ones as well!  However, before I get too smug, Mr TBBB did bring me back some more little hotel-swiped bottles from his travels and he also got me an early Christmas present of duty-free Prada Candy... complete with body lotion!  So, I've accumulated more moisturiser without even thinking about it!  Once I've assessed the anticipated Christmas stash, I'm going to keep this challenge going.

I've really enjoyed challenging myself to use stuff up.  There's definitley some space in my beauty storage and although I know it will rapidly fill up, I am considering doing some more challenges next year to really trim down my stash.  Plus, we're full steam ahead in saving at the moment to buy a new house, so anything I can do to avoid spending loads of money is a bonus.  Look out for some more challenge related posts coming soon.

Anyway, sorry for my waffling and lack of recent posts.  I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas, having a great time with your family and friends.  I'm off out to see some of my friends soon before heading off to see my family, so see you all after Christmas!

Happy Christmas! xx

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Festive Christmas Nails and Swatches - Part 3

This is my third post in my Festive and Christmas Nails series.  I'm trying to find out which is the most festive nail polish in my collection and I'll wear it on Christmas day.  My previous posts are here and here.

I've gone for some classic reds and greens in my previous posts, but today I'm going for something a bit different, looking at glittery polishes and colours that remind me of ice, snow and wintery nights.


From left to right, they are My Private Jet by OPI, Deborah Lippmann's Across The Universe, Gosh Rainbow, Orly Shine and OPI Extravagance.

Thumb: Extravagance OPI; Fingers L-R: Orly Shine, Gosh Rainbow, Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe, OPI My Private Jet

OPI My Private Jet is my favourite OPI polish - it reminds me of a night sky, fully of sparky that is very multi-dimensional.  Similarly, Across The Universe is also like a night sky, but more full on and inky.  Rainbow looks awful applied like I have, without a dark base, but if you click my link to it over a darker colour, you will see what a beautiful, sparkly polish it is.  Shine is a sparkly silver colour - very Christmassy and wintery.  Finally, Extravagance was in a Glossy Box and I hadn't tried it until this swatch - I thought it would be a glitter-tastic plummy purple polish.  However, it was a smooth application, very similar to My Private Jet, looking like a purple tinged galaxy on my fingers - I love it.

OPI My Private Jet

L-R: Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe, Gosh Rainbow, Orly Shine

OPI Extravagance

I can't decide which of these is the most festive.  I'm tempted to plump for Orly Shine, but I'm not sure.  Which do you think is most suitable for Christmas?

Thanks for reading! xx

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Festive Christmas Nails and Swatches - Part 2

This is the second part of my Festive Christmas Nails series.  I'm showcasing nail polishes I have in my collection that I think are particularly festive and Christmassy.  The first post can be found here.

Please let me know which polish you think is the most festive in each post - I'm having a bit of a battle of the polishes competition to work out which is the most festive and I'll wear that one on Christmas Day. 


From left to right: Revlon Ruby Ribbon, Revlon Emerald City, Ciate Kitten Heels, OPI Rising Star from the Burlesque Collection and Barbara Daly Velvet

Thumb: Barbara Daly Velvet; Fingers L-R: OPI Rising Star, Ciate Kitten Heels, Revlon Emerald City, Revlon Ruby Ribbon

L-R: Revlon Ruby Ribbon, Revlon Emerald City, Ciate Kitten Heels, OPI Rising Star

Both Revlon polishes are matte, but I'm not sure why, because in the bottle they are shimmery.  I've shown them with a topcoat, as I don't think that matte nails have any place at Christmas.  The Ciate Kitten Heels polish is from a Glossy  Box and I think it might be a bit tomato-y for Christmas.  I wish Rising Star was slightly more golden, as it's a bit bronzy for me. Finally, Velvet by Barbara Daly is quite similar to Ruby Ribbon (when worn with a topcoat), but slightly darker.  It might be more of an autumn colour than Christmas, I'm not sure.  

I think that Emerald City with a topcoat is my festive pick of this lot - let me know what yours is!

Thanks for reading! xx

Monday 12 December 2011

Festive Christmas Nails and Swatches - Part 1

I've been thinking about doing this post for a while.  However, when I was putting it together, I noticed that one of my favourite YouTubers Carah Amelie had just done a very similar post.  It must be a case of great minds think alike!

Anyway, I've put together a collection of nail polishes that I think are very festive.  I'm going to hold a little competition to determine which is the most festive nail polish I have in my collection and I'll wear that one on Christmas Day!  All the polishes shown are ones I own and unfortunately, some are limited edition and no longer widely available.  However, some are still around, so hopefully they'll be the ones you like!


From left to right, the polishes are Max Factore Nailfinity in Midnight Bronze, OPI Ali's Big Break from the Burlesque Collection, Illamasqua Veridian, Chanel Black Pearl and Butter London's All Hail McQueen (now available as All Hail The Queen).  I've chosen some reds and greens as well as some golden and silvery tones to balance them out.  Here are the swatches:

L-R, Max Factor Midnight Bronze, OPI Ali's Big Break, Illamasqua Veridian and Butter London All Hail McQueen

L-R - Chanel Black Pearl, Butter London All Hail McQueen, Illamasqua Veridian, OPI Ali's Big Break and Max Factor Midnight Bronze

I've linked to NOTD posts where I've done them for these polishes.  You will see that I actually wore Ali's Big Break for Christmas last year.  Seeing them swatched, I'm thinking that Black Pearl, All Hail McQueen (The Queen) and Midnight Bronze aren't as festive as I first thought.  However, Illamasqua's Veridian and Ali's Big Break both seem to me to be perfect Christmas colours.

Please comment and let me know which of these you think is your favourite festive Christmas colour!

Thanks for reading! xx

Sunday 11 December 2011

Sample Sunday - Avon Solutions Ageless Results Night Cream PM

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the day cream in this pack as my Sample Sunday.  Today I'm going to review the Avon Solutions Ageless Results Night Cream PM.  I'm cheating a bit here, as I actually used it last week, then forgot to review it, but nevermind.


So what did I think of this?  Well it was quite a generous sachet, with enough for three applications.  That's not really enough to tell if something is going to break you out, but it's enough to give you a good feel for a product.  I first used this at night and thought it was a really nice cream - really moisturising, easily absorbed and not at all greasy.  In fact, I couldn't really tell the difference to the day cream I'd tried before.


I then used it the next day as a day cream, and it worked perfectly well.  My makeup was fine, I didn't feel like my moisturiser was too heavy and it held up well in the cold weather we've been having recently.

So, this is another winner for me.  I'm not sure if I'd buy this, especially as it's clearly suitable as a day cream, despite being marketed as a night cream and because I couldn't tell the difference between the day cream that goes with it.  However, I would certainly use it again if I had the chance.

There seem to be loads of Avon Solutions night creams on the Avon website, but I can't see the exact product on there.  Yet again, Avon change and discontinue products...

Thanks for reading! xx

Bloggers Christmas Weight Loss Challenge - Update #3

I'm really slow at getting this up this week - I literally didn't have time to do it on Friday and I forgot to weigh myself.  Then I did weigh myself yesterday, but forgot to post it... Anyway, here you go, week 3 of the Bloggers Christmas Weight Loss Challenge.  I'm not doing very well - I've lost nothing thing week.  I'm sure that the crap eating and lack of exercise is to blame! 

I hope the rest of you are doing better than me!

Participants:

Katie, the Bristol Beauty Blog - Week 1: Lost 1 lb; Week 2: Lost 1lb; Week 3: STS
Rachelle, Behind the Shoes - Week 1: Lost 4 lb; Week 2: lost 1 lb
Ray, Who is She??? - Week 1: Lost 1.5 lb; Week 2: Lost 1.5 lb
Mrs Ari - Week 2: Lost 1 lb
Missy Ellie, Ellie's Beauty Blog -Week 2: Lost 2 lb
Hannah, Betwixt Beauty - Week 2: Lost 1.4 lb
Lucy, Beauty and the Blogger
Kat, Kat's Beauty Reviews Week 1: Lost 1lb
Elle, Beauty Abroad Week 1: Lost 2lb already! Week 2: Lost 1 lb
Lovelaine94, Fi's Beauty Box Week 2: Lost 2 Lb

Let me know how you're doing and I'll edit the list...

Thanks for reading! xx

Friday 2 December 2011

The Bristol Beauty Blog's Christmas Gift Guide - Up to and around £25

So this is the second installment of my Christmas gift guide - I've already done one on Stocking Fillers under £10 here.  I wasn't sure what to call this one, as I've noticed that many companies call presents around £25-£50 as 'stocking fillers'.  I don't know about you, but I call this more money than sense!  I class anything of over £10 as a 'proper' present.  I'm unlikely to spend more than £20 on anyone other than my partner, parents, sisters, the very youngest of my relatives and my secretary.  Everyone else gets around £15!

This gift guide covers the 'proper present' price range above £10 up to about £25 (some slightly more), which I think is a fair range.

Boots


I have actually bought this Hello Kitty Liberty Cute Collection Cosmetic Bag for my sister-in-law as I like it so much.  How can you not like a mix of Hello Kitty and Liberty?  I wish I'd got one for my sister actually, but she'll have to lump the Origins gift set I got her!  There's plenty of other Hello Kitty Liberty Cute Collection products in the range - I'm sure they'll be a firm favourite, so definitely check them out.  This costs £16 and is part of a 3 for 2 offer.



You can't go wrong with  The Sanctuary really.  I love it and I know that lots of Mum's love it as well.  I particularly liked this Sanctuary Spa Facial in-a-box which is £20 and contains all you need for a home facial.  This is definitely a good present for someone who likes being pampered! This is also on 3 for 2.


Another gift for beauty lovers is the Champneys Spa Complete Relaxation Kit which costs £25 (also on 3 for 2).  This sounds like heaven, full of body products designed to help you relax.


One brand that makes great gift sets is Soap & Glory.  I love their Not Just a Pretty Case which contains a number of products in a very cute vanity case.  This is more expensive than some of the other products here at £35, but is also on the 3 for 2 offer.  I was tempted to buy it when I saw it in store, but I suspect it may be one of Boots' Star Buy products reduced to better than half price at some point... I'm not saying it will be, but they do seem to have had a lot of similar products to last year, and their Soap & Glory offer was great last year!



There are two nail art kits from Boots that I like.  The first is the Frontcover Brush Works Nail Art Kit for £20 and the second is 17 Metallic Nails Decoration Kit which is £16.  Again, both are on 3 for 2.  The Frontcover kit contains more transfers than the 17, but the 17 is keeper and I prefer the nail polishes.  Either would be great for someone who likes nail art or for teenagers.

The Body Shop


I accidentially included this Gift-set of Make-up Brushes from The Body Shop in my stocking filler gift guide - I meant to include them here instead!  They cost £25 and contains 4 useful brushes.    


This Japanese Cherry Blossom Medium Gift Set from the Body Shop contains a bath and body wash and an Eau de Toilette.  It costs £20.  I've not smelt this, but I really want to.  This is the sort of gift I'd buy for my sisters in law.


I think I may have been given a smaller version of this Satsuma Medium Gift Box last year and I really loved it.  I would definitely like to receive this under the tree again!  It's something I might get for my mother-in-law or step-mother-in-law for Christmas. It costs £25.


If satsuma isn't your thing, you can't do wrong with the Shea Butter Medium Gift Box which contains the same products as the satsuma one, but shea butter scented.  This is also £25.

All Body Shop gifts are currently on buy 2 get 2 free, which is a pretty good deal!

Debenhams

There is currently 10% off all beauty products, so I've posted the prices with and without discount.


If you're stuck for a present for someone, you can't really go wrong with the Naked Eyeshadow Palette from Urban Decay.  Currently in stock, and on offer at £31.50 rather than £35, it would make a great present for anyone, even someone who's not that into makeup.


Another good gift is the Hypnose Precious Cells Mascara Gift Set from Lancome.  This includes mascara, a mini eyeliner and Bi-facial.  This currently costs £20.25 rather than £22.50.  




Debenhams sell Mac online, and I like this Mac Iced Delights Gold Eye Bag for £32.40 (instead of £36).  This is limited edition and contains two shadows, liner, mascara and a brush in a silver bag.  Definitely one for a makeup junkie.


A possible present for your Mum?  This is the Biotherm Aquasource Skin Perfection Gift Set which costs £25.20 at the moment, down from £28.

John Lewis





John Lewis have a couple of Leighton Denny gift sets, both of which look fab.  The Leighton Denny Manicure Must Haves is pricey at £39, but is packed full of stuff for a nail addict. If this is out of your price range, then the Leighton Denny Totally Groomed kit is cheaper at £24.75. 


Not really beauty related, but totally girly is this Filofax Songbird Personal Organiser in purple.  This is £25.60 and would be a great gift for a girly girl.


I'm always going on about how much I love Clinique makeup, especially their eyeshadows.  So, I would love to find this Clinique Black Honey Make-up Gift Set under my tree.  I want it!  It costs £27.90.


They also did this last year, and I'm really pleased they're doing it again.  The Origins Ginger Treats Gift Set costs £26.10 which is a bargain, as it contains three Origins Ginger products. I bought this for one of my sisters last year and the other one is getting it this year.

House of Fraser

There is currently a good sale on at House of Fraser, so I've posted the prices as they are at the time of writing as well as their normal prices.  There are some excellent bargains!


This Rose & Co Rose and Patchouli Bath set is currently on offer at £13.50 instead of £15.  This is what I class as an 'Aunt' present!


From Benefit, you can buy the Powdawozer Gift Set for £17.55 instead of £19.50.  This contains three blushers/bronzers and would be suitable for any beauty addict or teenager.


The ESPA Bath Oil Collection looks like a perfect present for spoiling your Mum.  It costs £24.30 instead of £27 and has 6 different bath oils.


If you have a new baby to buy for, this Cowshed Baby Cow Organics Gift Set could be the perfect present.  As well as three dinky baby toilettries, it has Floyd the Sponge who is a cutie! This costs £23.40 (usually £26).


Finally, something a little bit naughty!  I noticed this Kama Sutra Lover's Travel Kit for £25.60 (down from £32) and thought I had to include it!  It contains lots of naughty goodies - possibly a present to buy your man (or for him to buy for you)! 

I was going to include more presents, but this has already turned into the world's longest blog post and I think there's a large range here.  I will be posting more on wildly expensive gifts and having a look at Christmas fragrances as well, so look out for these.  Don't forget my Stocking Filler and under £10 post here as well.

Thanks for reading! xx

Bloggers Christmas Weight Loss Challenge - Update #2

Hello all!  Well, I've been a bit slack on the old exercise front this week, but have been eating pretty well, so I'm pleased to have lost 1 lb.  Only 5 more to go, and 3 weeks to do it in!  I'd better step it up, I think!

I did start to go for a run last weekend - I was intending to do 5 miles.  However, after I'd run a mile, one of the many straps on my (frankly over-engineered) sports bra decided to ping off.  I ducked down an alley to try to sort it out, but there was no way I was going to fix it without taking my bra off!  So I was forced to walk home the mile I'd just run (as my boobs were now unequal) and by the time I got in, I was really cold and grumpy, so I gave up on going out again... 

Participants:

Katie, the Bristol Beauty Blog - Week 1: Lost 1 lb; Week 2: Lost 1lb
Rachelle, Behind the Shoes - Week 1: Lost 4 lb; Week 2: lost 1 lb
Ray, Who is She??? - Week 1: Lost 1.5 lb; Week 2: Lost 1.5 lb
Mrs Ari - Week 2: Lost 1 lb
Missy Ellie, Ellie's Beauty Blog -Week 2: Lost 2 lb
Hannah, Betwixt Beauty - Week 2: Lost 1.4 lb
Lucy, Beauty and the Blogger
Kat, Kat's Beauty Reviews Week 1: Lost 1lb
Elle, Beauty Abroad Week 1: Lost 2lb already! Week 2: Lost 1 lb
Lovelaine94, Fi's Beauty Box Week 2: Lost 2 Lb

I've had a couple of updates already - well done ladies!  The rest of you, let me know how you're doing and I'll edit the list...

Thanks for reading! xx

Thursday 1 December 2011

November Empties

For the second month running, I've managed to save my empties for an empties post - get me!  I've also been using up loads of empties, being on a total no-spend at the moment.  It feels like I'm finally getting some space back.


Hair Care:

James Brown Photo Fabulous Intensive Treatment - I've reviewed this here.
John Frieda Conditioner - I got this wiith a hair dye kit and I love it - packed full of silicates and lots of nasties that make my hair look and feel great!  I know it's bad, but it works for my hair.

Shower Gel:

Novotel freebie shower gel - very unisex, but I liked it's fresh smell - I'd put it in my bag if I stayed in a Novotel in the future.
L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Shower Gel - I've reviewed this here.

Face Wash:

Palmers Coco Butter Formula Daily Cleansing Gel - the longer I used this, the more I liked it.  A full review is coming soon.

Body Lotions and Butters:

If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that I'm on a mission to use these all up.  I've blogged about these here and here.

Hand and Foot Cream:

The Sanctuary Hand Cream - I really like this - I always keep hand cream by my front door and I put it on everytime I go out.  This is definitely one I'd repurchase, really moisturising and not too greasy.

Flexitol Heel Balm -if you can get over the ugly picture on the box of cracked heels, then this is amazing, especially if you have terrible feet like me.

Face Cream:

Skin Wisdom Age Delay Night Cream - love this stuff, reviewed it here.
L'Occitane Moisturizing Face Cream Sample - reviewed it here.
L'Occitane Ultra Rich Cream Sample- reviewed it here.
L'Oreal Youth Code Sample - reviewed this here.

Makeup:

Rimmel pressed powder - I was supposed to be using this up at the beginning of the year, but found it was still in my stash this month - it was definitely past its best, so in the bin it goes!
Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil - I've repurchased this several times and will again.
No 7 Colour Calming Make-up Base - this was another item I was supposed to use up earlier this year - it's never going to happen, so I'm chucking it.

So loads used up this month and my storage is no longer groaning! 

Thanks for reading! xx

Wednesday 30 November 2011

Bristol Fashion and Beauty Round Up - December

Hopefully this post will keep you up to date with all that is happening in the world of fashion and beauty in Bristol in December.  There's plenty going on this month, but if I've missed anything out, please let me know!


Goodness and Wonder


Firstly, Goodness and Wonder are holding a workshop tomorrow evening (1st December) at the St Werburgh's Community Centre in Bristol on making your own Christmas presents.  It starts at 7pm and costs £39.  I had intended to go myself, but unfortunately, I can't make it as my office is moving tomorrow, so I might try out some of their other workshops in the new year - I'd love to have a go at making my own beauty products!

Blinkz Eyelashes

Again, tomorrow (1st December) Blinkz Eyelashes have a special offer in their Staple Hill salon, Glitzy Nails and Beauty.  You can get a full set of semi-permanent eyelashes for £35.  If you're interested, it's worth following Aimee on Twitter, as she regularly tweets about special offers and they sound fab!

Teepee Bristol

Ali from Teepee Bristol contacted me to let me know about a special offer she has on at the moment.  New for December, she is launching the Teepee Bristol TREATment which costs just £25.  She says it is a lovely warming treatment of a 30 minute stimulating back massage with warm zingy oil to get the circulation going plus a choice of 15 minutes head/hands/feet massage.  Based in Backfields Lane, just off Stokes Croft, this sounds like a lovely treat after a hard spot of Christmas shopping in town.  The TREATment will be available until spring, so you could go after you've hit the sales as well!

My Street Chic

My Street Chic are holding a Fashion Bloggers Christmas Party... and guess what?  It's in Bristol!  The even will be held on Friday 16th December at 7pm at Java on Park Street.  The event costs £5 and includes a fashion show of partywear from Boohoo, a goodie bag and DJs once the fashion show is over.  Fashion and beauty bloggers are welcome and it sounds really fab.  Unfortunately, it clashes with my work Christmas party, so I can't make it myself - boo!

Grace Emmerson Makeup Lessons

I've blogged before about Grace Emmerson and she is teaming up with makeup artist Nina Norman to hold a makup lesson using Dr Hauschka products.  This will be held on Wednesday 7th December between 10.30am - 3pm.  Individual sessions cost £30 and last 45 minutes - they include a goodie bag of products as well.

Space NK

As an N.dulge member, Space NK sent me an email saying they are having a Christmas shopping event on Wednesday 7th December (which is also open for non-N.dulge members).  However, they don't have a list of times of individual stores opening for the evening, so you'll have to email or ring up if you want to visit the store in Bristol.  The event costs £10, redeemable against purchases and if you spend £60, you'll get a free candle.  If you spend more than £120, you'll get even more gifts.  Being Space NK, you'll probably get a load of goodies free as well...

Harvey Nichols


Finally, I was sent a photo of Harvey Nichols' Christmas window display and I thought I'd post it here as it looks quite wow! 

Sunday 27 November 2011

Sample Sunday - Avon Solutions Ageless Results Day Cream AM

Another moisturiser post for my Sample Sunday - I'm on a no-spend at the moment, so I'm using up my moisturiser samples to make my actual moisturisers last longer!  Today I'm testing out the am day cream sample for Avon Ageless Solutions Ageless Results.  I'll do the pm sample next week.


So what are my thoughts?  Well it's a decent sized sample, so I'll have a couple more applications after today.  It's a relatively rich cream, although it's light enough to use as a day cream under makeup.   It smells inoffensive, and I actually quite liked the cream.  I've only popped out for a bit today with this on, so I've not spent much time outside.  However, it seemed to be coping well in the cold weather, when my skin often goes haywire.  It feels moisturising and my skin doesn't feel at all tight as some anti-ageing moisturisers often make it feel.


I'm quite looking forward to trying the night cream as well - potentially a cream to purchase in the future.

I think this is the product on the Avon website, priced at £8 (on offer, usually £11).  Avon are always changing product names and discontinuing things - stop doing it Avon!

Thanks for reading! xx

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