Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Whether you're spending the day shopping, going for a meal or simply relaxing at home,  to show some appreciation to the women who have done so much for us over the years. Whilst flowers & chocolates are always a nice gesture, I'm a strong believer in going the extra mile when it comes to Mother's Day gifts. Below are a selection of gifts that I feel really show just how thankful we really are to those special women in our lives.

1. The Power of Three Spring Collection - Liz Earle - £19.00 [x]

2. Marc Jacobs Daisy - The Perfume Shop - £54.00 [x]

3. Rose & Rose Gold Watch - Olivia Burton - £70.00 [x]

4. Mother of Pear Earring Set - Pia Jewellery - £25.00 [x]

5. Oriental Blossom Makeup Bag - Ted Baker - £27.00 [x]

6. Sanctuary Mothers Day Gift Set - Boots - £22.00 [x]

What are your plans for Mother's Day this year?

I'd love to know in the comments. 

xxx

January Sales Wishlist

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas & a very Happy New Year! 

After a little break over the festive period I am very excited to get back into blogging again & really spend time working on my little corner of the internet. 

Now the rush of Christmas has come to an end, the next thing I tend to get excited over is the January Sales. Whilst I'm not one to run into town at 5am or fight people over a pair of jeans, I do enjoy finding the odd bargain - especially if it's found online from the comfort of my own home. 

To kick-start this year of blogging I couldn't resist sharing a few of the sale items that have recently caught my eye... 

1) Skincare Essentials Duo - £20.75 reduced from £26.00 - Liz Earle [x]

2) Black Suede Platforms - £16.00 reduced from £27.99 - New Look [x]

3) Nutcracker Creme Lipstick;"Saucy Little Darling" - £11.50 reduced from £17.00 - MAC [x]

4) RedKen "All Soft" Gift Set - £22.10 reduced from £29.50 - Feel Unique [x]

5) Vintage Disney Wall Canvas - £16.00 reduced from £20.00 - Debenhams [x]

6) Large Shopper Bag - £74.00 reduced from £149.00 - Ted Baker [x]

If you've spotted any great deals online, I'd love to know in the comments! 

xxx

January Sales Wishlist - Part One

Now that Christmas has officially come to an end *sobs* only one thing can cheer me up.. January Sales. There's nothing I love more than finding a good bargain, especially if that bargain is on an item I've been lusting over for months.

Of course actually attending sales in person is not for me (you won't find me queuing outside Next at 5 am on boxing day) BUT I do love to sit at my laptop from the comfort of my own home (preferably in pyjamas, with chocolate & a good Disney film on the telly) ready to find a good bargain from my favourite online stores.

As there are quite a few items on my wish list this year,  I have decided to put together a two part "mini-series" detailing all the items that have managed to find their way onto my "Sale Wishlist".

Welcome to part one - all things beauty! 

1. Benefit's "You're So Party" Gift Set - Boots - £26.33 reduced from £39.50 [x]

2. Urban Decay "Smoky Eye Palette" - Feel Unique - £34.20 reduced from £38.00 [x]

3. Clarisonic Mia 2, Keith Haring Special Edition - Feel Unique - £100.00 reduced from £125.00 [x]

4. Liz Earle "Sparkling Skin Duo" Set - Boots - £18.66 reduced from £28.00 [x]

5. Colour Crush Festive Lipstick in shade "Coral Blush" - The Body Shop - £5.00 reduced from £10.00 [x]

6. Real Techniques Bold Metals Essentials kit with Bag - Boots - £25.00 reduced from £64.00 [x]

Above are a mix of products that I have tried/tested & fallen in love with - Liz Earle being a holy grail product of mine - along with new items that I've had my eye for a while now. These include Urban Decay's "Smoky eye" palette & the Clarisonic facial brush, both of which have received great reviews within the blogging world. I also found the sets from Benefit & Real Techniques to be of amazing value when the original price & products themselves are considered. 

I hope you liked the first post within my little January Sales series - Part two will feature all things Fashion/Home-ware. 

Have you tried any of the above products?

What are your thoughts?

xxx

2015 Christmas Gifts - Part Two

Following on from my previous post (which showed the gifts I received from my boyfriend & can be found here) this post details the lovely present I was lucky enough to receive from my family & friends this year.

Again - I just want to quickly point out that this is in no-way bragging or showing off as I'm writing this due to the fact that I personally love reading posts like this & having a nose at what people received for Christmas.

As you can see I was incredibly lucky this year & received some amazing gifts from my family & friends. These gifts include Soap & Glory gift sets, Pandora Charms, a scarf, adorable teddy-bear slippers, a Liz Earle gift set, make-up brushes, Paper Towns by John Green (I'm sure this will tug at my heart strings just like A Fault in Our Stars), earrings, miniature bottles of wine, a Marie Mug (one of my favourite Disney characters), a candle, both the Aristocats & The Little Mermaid on DVD, a pink Peter Pan collard top, cat gloves, a pair of "riding" style boots, two necklaces, a Ted Baker nail varnish set (which I am in love with), the first 3 Star Wars films on DVD,  and lots & lots of chocolate/sweets. I also received some money/gift vouches which haven't been included above as I thought that may be a little odd. 

Obviously Christmas is about more than gifts & is really all about spending quality time with loved ones without the everyday stresses of work & day-day life (which is definitely something I seem to appreciate the older I get, especially living an hour from my home town) but I am incredibly gratful for all the lovely presents I received this year & as I previously mentioned, I love to have a nose at posts like this so thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get involved myself. 

If you've written a similar post, let me know in the comments as I'd love

to read for myself. 

xxx

December's "It's Time To Shine" Birchbox

As someone who loves all things beauty, the idea of receiving monthly treats is something that has been tempting me for some time now. Whilst there are many beauty subscription services currently available, after a few hours of research (aka reading different blog posts) it became clear that Birchbox  (currently retailing at £10 per month  + £2.95 pp) is up there with the most popular. So as a little Christmas treat to myself - I decided to order December's "It's time to shine" box. 

Contents: 

Benefit "They're real" push up liner [x]
Ciate Nail Varnish in shade "Dangerous affair" [x]

Rituals "T'ai Chi" Foaming Shower Gel [x]

Benefit's "Puff off" [x]

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish with muslin cloth [x]
Model Co Lipstick in shade "Smitten" [x]

Clutch Bag [x]

(Although not the same, I've linked the closets bag I can find)

This month's box includes an impressive selection of luxury samples. This includes popular products that I am yet to try for myself - such as the Ciate polish & both Benefit samples - & others already hold a place within my every-day favourites (I'm looking at you Liz Earle). I also love the addition of a clutch bag instead of the usual box itself. In my opinion this adds the perfect touch of glamour for the Christmas period.

It's safe to say that I was in no way disappointed with the treats featured inside this months box & I can't wait to try them all out for myself. If you're interested in any of the products featured in this months box, I've linked the full size version of each above.

Have you ever tried Birchbox?

What are your thoughts?

xxx

Winter Skincare Routine

Any beauty-lover knows the importance of a good skincare routine. So for today's post, I thought I'd share the combination of products that I find perfect for leaving my skin feeling clean & healthy - especially in the winter months.

Step 1: Remove Make-up 

As much as I love wearing make-up there's something so satisfying about taking it all off at the end of the day. So to ensure the bulk of make-up is removed I use Simple's Micellar Water. I love that Simple is designed for sensitive skin & I personally find this product is perfect for gentle, yet effective make-up removal. Simple's Micellar water retails for around the £4.50 mark for 200ml. 

Step 2: Cleanse

After removing my make-up I like to ensure my skin is fully clean with any remaining traces of dirt/make-up washed away. To do this I gently massage the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanse and Polish into damp skin before wiping off with a cotton round. Although slightly on the pricier side (a 100ml pump costs around £14.00), I honestly think this is a product that is worth every penny. In fact it removes even the most stubborn of mascaras *I'm looking at you Benefit's Their Real*. 

Step 3: Moisturise 

The final step in my routine is one that is especially important in the winter - moisturising. As someone who suffers with dry skin, I find Superdrug's coconut oil perfect for use as a daily moisturiser. To use, I melt a small amount of  between my hands & then gently massage it into my skin. Superdrug's Coconut oil retails at £2.49 for 125ml. To read a full review on this product click here.  

I love having a little nose at posts like this & find it a great way to discover new products. I hope you enjoyed a little insight into my current winter skin-care routine. Let me know you're current favourite skincare products in the comments. 

xxx

Evening Skincare Routine

One of the things I love about reading blog posts is picking up on hints and tips from others. Whether it's a review on a product that I've had my eye on for a while or reading about a way of doing things that I simply hadn't thought about before.

So whilst taking off my make-up a few days back -  I thought why not put together a little "evening skincare routine"? It would be the perfect way to put together a few product reviews along with an in-sight into my little routine.

My evening skin care routine is nothing particularly fancy, doesn't take that long & only contains 3 steps... however I find it's the perfect way to remove my make-up (including stubborn mascara) & leaves my skin feeling perfectly clean.

Step One: 

To help start to take off my make-up I massage Nivea's Daily Essentials Sensitve Cleansing Milk into dry skin & after a few minuets rise off with warm water. I find this helps remove the bulk of my make-up & prepare my skin for using my favourite cleanser.

Now this isn't a product that I would use on it's own - but I find it works perfectly to start breaking down & removing make-up. 

Step Two: 

I then use my Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser by gently massaging it into my damp skin. I always make sure to take extra time to massage this over my eye-lashes as I hate waking up to find random smudges of mascara under my eyes.
I then take the Liz Earle Muslin Cloth, run it under warm water & use it remove any excess make-up. I instantly fell in love with this cleanser from the first use. I honestly find it's the only product that really removes my make-up & leaves my skin feeling properly clean. 

Step Three: 

Finally I gently pour a generous amount of the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic onto cotton wool pad, and sweep across skin. This removes any bits of make-up or dirt that may be straggling behind as well as adding moisturiser to leave skin feeling beautifully soft. Bonus.. This product also smells gorgeous!

& there we have it - clean & make-up free skin!

Although the Liz Earle products are a little more on the pricey side (with the cleanser retailing at around £14.00 for a 100ml pump & the toner retailing at £14.50 for a 200ml bottle) they really are 100% worth the extra pennies. I'd much rather pay a little more & know my skin is being properly cleaned, then purchase a cheaper product & have make-up/day-day dirt left behind. 

If you're interested in trying out any of the Liz Earle products - but aren't sure about spending the higher prices only to find it's not a product for you, miniature products can be purchased online. These are the products featured in the above photos. 

The "Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Pack" can be bought for £6.00. This includes a 30ml tube of cleanser and a Muslin cloth.  In addition to this, a 50ml bottle of the Instant Boost Skin Tonic can be purchased for £6.00. The website states that this is enough product to last one week - however I think this is a massive understatement. With daily use I found this lasted me around 3 weeks, as you really do only need a large pea sized amount. 

Follow the links below to view each of the above products online:
Nivea Cleansing Milk x

Hot Cloth Cleanser x
Instant Boost Skin Tonic x 

After going through many different products, I think I've finally found the perfect evening skin care routine for me. I truly believe this is the best combination of products to leave my skin clean & moisturised. I also can't wait to try other products in the Liz Earle range. 

What's your favourite "evening routine" product?

xxx

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Throughout the blogging and Youtube community I've heard a lot of good things about the Liz Earle brand, and although I was intrigued, it was never something I really looked into.  

However during my trip back to my home-town for Christmas, I noticed a bottle of the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser sitting on the bathroom shelf. So I decided to find out what my Mum thought of it. 

Now my mum is the type of person who has always told me honestly what she thinks of something...be it a product, item of clothing, or even the dreaded "do I look like I've put on weight?" question - which (despite the sometimes straight-to-the-point delivery) I've always appreciated. How else would you really know if something looks good or is worth buying?! 

So when my Mum told me how highly she thought of Liz Earle, I knew it must be something that's at least worth a try. 

Two bottles of the Cleanse & polish cleanser and a muslin cloth

Now I wouldn't ever want to sugar-coat a product that I write about on here, so I want to say out right that the Liz Earle brand is not cheap. For a 100ml bottle of the hot cloth cleanser, you'd be looking at paying around the £15 mark. However I decided that if this was a product that would help keep my skin in great condition - and also help banish those pesky spots that like to pop up at the worst possible times - then it would be worth the money. 

I'm usually a Simple or Nivea girl when it comes to cleansers/face washes, and both brands have never let me down.. But I felt that it was time to mix things up a little and maybe splash out on a little treat for my skin. 

I haven't tried this products out yet as it only arrived in the post today, but I'm very excited to try them out tonight (is that a little sad? Probably but oh well). 

Once I've used this for a while I definitely plan on writing a review on whether it's really worth the price tag, so if you're interested or are on the fence about splashing out that bit extra on face products, watch this space! 

Find the range of Liz Earle products by clicking here. 

If anyone has previously used Liz Earle, or has any other recommendations, let me know! 

xxx