Valentine Gift Guide

Lightbox just £1.50 in the B&M sale!

Love it or loathe it Valentines Day is a little over 2 weeks away! If you’re looking for some cute gift ideas for your Valentine you’ve come to the right place.

I love celebrating different holidays and occasions but we don’t go crazy with gifts for Valentines so if you’re looking for something super luxe, you may be disappointed!

One of my favourite treats to myself is a new nail polish and Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to give yourself a little boost and there’s always a fun heart themed collaboration to get! Essie and Barry M have some gorgeous pinks and reds available at Boots

Essie Valentines Collection in shade Unwrap Me

Barry M Kingdom Come exclusive shade to Boots

You can pick up such cute little items, even in your local supermarket, these little Mary Poppins cuddlies were from Morrison’s and only £3.99 each. Phil and I both love the movie so it was a cute little buy for us.

Goddess bath bomb , Unicorn horn bubble bar and Peachy bath bomb

Another fave of mine is Lush , they always have a fab collection around Valentines Day and the Peachy bathbomb launched last year is one of my faves thanks to its amazing scent!

Another thing we do is try to pick things that really connect to moments in our relationship like our wedding song. We chose All of Me by John Legend for our first dance and Phil got me this cute mug a few Valentines ago and it’s one of my faves.

The cutest Mug from Sainsbury’s

Flowers are always a winner for me, but don’t think it has to be roses, personally I just love getting any flowers but spring flowers like tulips and daffodils are some of my faves and really affordable. If the person in your life has a favourite flower, treat them to that instead of spending over the odds on roses!

Whatever you end up doing this Valentines make sure you spend it with someone you love 💕

Asos Date Night Beauty box

ASOS have hit it out the park again with a fab Valentines themed beauty box for just £12!

Coming in a gorgeous leopard print box it has everything you need for a date night or a galentines catch up! Billed as a skincare, feel good, makeup and haircare box to brighten up your month and it’s certainly done just that for me!

First up Nip+Fab Primer Mask with hyaluronic acid to prep and hydrate your skin for a brilliant base. I really love this brand and I’ve used quite a few things from their skincare and makeup ranges. It’s got amazing reviews online and I’m excited to try this. This is £6 and available at Superdrug and other online retailers.

Next is the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder. I keep hearing great things about this and I’ve been excited to try it. This came in the glow formula and is designed to keep you looking fresh and bridge the gap until summer comes! This has a nice light shimmer to it, works well and is really fine powder, it kept my foundation and concealer in place and I’d definitely recommend it. This is £32 for the full size product, this is a sample mini size is is worth approx £2

Also included is a gorgeous sugary pink gloss from Barry M appropriately named Sugar! This gloss is vitamin-infused and moisturises as well as giving beautiful glossy lips. I really like Barry M as a brand they have a lot of great products I especially like their nail polish. This is £4.99 available direct from their website as well as other online retailers. 

Coco & Eve hair masque has strengthening properties to repair and provide some much needed TLC to hair. My hair is super dry and frizz prone so I use a lot of serums and masques like these to keep it in check.

This is a pretty small size and as my hair is quite long I focused on just the problem areas of my hair which are the ends which due to colouring and styling are the main places damaged. RRP for this in the full size is £34.90 available from their website Again this is a small sample size – enough for one use so would be worth approx £8.80

Finally it’s the Ciate Fierce Flicks Liquid Liner for those cat eye lined eyes you want for Valentines looks.

This has a really fine nib and reminded me a lot of their stamp and drag eyeliner which was out a while back which I really liked. It’s the pen style liner which is what I personally prefer and it gives a nice neat finish. As with the stamp and drag liner it lasts really well and it usually retails for £15 which means this alone was worth the price of the whole box!

I’m loving the products I tried so far and will give an update on the hair masque once I’ve had the chance to try it.

In total the products in the box are worth £36.79 making this another brilliant ASOS beauty box!

If you want to purchase a box visit ASOS and search beauty box. They sell out super fast so be quick!

Glossybox December Merry Metallics

It’s beginning to look a lot like New Year….. especially when you get a box like this from Glossybox!

Decembers theme is Merry Metallics and as expected it’s full of gorgeous sparkly makeup! This month has 5 full-size products, each better than the last!

First up is Sweet Rhubarb & Raspberry Showergel from Original Source which smells amazing. I really like their products as they are great for my sensitive skin and always have beautiful scents. The RRP is £2.30

Next is a loose powder pigment from Steve Laurent in the shade Rose Gold which has the most amazing shimmer and shine to it! The guide with the box has a few ideas on how to use including using a wet eyeliner brush and applying along the lash line. I think this will be a fab look and can’t wait to try it! The RRP for this is £14.60

The eye products in this box are the star of the show and the LA Splash Golden Gatsby Faux Mink Lashes are no exception. As you’d expect these are designed with party time in mind and look really pretty. RRP is £9.75 for these.

The final eye product is the Bellapierre liquid shadow in the shade Eye Candy. This is so highly pigmented ! It’s designed not to crease or smudge so will definitely be putting this to the test over Christmas and creating some new shimmery eye looks. RRP is £20 for this.

Swatches of all the beauty products

And last but not least we have a lip stain from L.O.V The Fateful range. This claims to be long lasting and smudge proof but has a gloss finish. It’s really nice and adds a lovely pop of red colour. I really like red lip colour and I haven’t had a lip stain for a while as I’ve been into the matte trend so it was nice to try a glossier shade for a change. It’s got a Hyaluronic Filling Spheres (fancy!) designed for plump your lips and moisturise. RRP for this is £7.99 which is actually a lot less than I thought it would be.

I pay £11.75 per month for my Glossybox including shipping but there are lots of plans available on their website www.glossybox.co.uk

In total this months box was worth £54.64 which is fantastic value. Lots of gorgeous metallic treats for some really Christmassy looks!

Glossybox November Winter Warmers

November 2019 Winter Warmers edit

A bit later than normal but here’s the low down on the Glossybox Winter Warmers box for November.

7 items in this box including two delicious fruity teas from OffBlak. I liked the Brighten Up one best which has a lovely berry flavour, a perfect winter warmer for this cold weather.

First is the Mudmasky Leave-Me-On Winter Mask which has an RRP of £43.50! Like lots of people I get really dry skin in the winter and often experience psoriasis flare ups at this time of year. So I was I intrigued by this leave on face mask and whether it was up to the task! It’s a really nice light formula and I felt it made my skin feel much softer.

Another winter essential for me is hand cream. This Rituals handbalm is so moisturising, you really only need a tiny bit as it’s so rich. As with all Rituals products it smells amazing and has sweet almond oil and Indian rose. This has a RRP of £9.90

Cetaphil is one of my favourite brands for gentle skin cleansing and moisturising. It’s also great value this mini is worth £1.10 but a full size bottle of the same product will only set you back £8.99. Cetaphil helps create a barrier to seal in moisture for your skin and is so gentle and non drying. If you suffer from dry skin definitely give this a try.

This beautiful glow mist from Kandi Cosmetics is designed to be a shimmery primer applied after cleansing and before foundation. I was a bit unsure of this, although it looks gorgeous in the bottle, I was wary of looking like I’d been rolled in glitter! However it’s incredibly light and works brilliantly under makeup to give a nice soft glow. I haven’t tried it as a setting spray which is the other way you can use it but I think this would also work well. This has an RRP of £20.

I love Hask products having used a lot of their hair masks which are great when you colour your hair alot like me! This hair oil is a repairing formula and has argan oil to restore your hair. I’ve been using this on my lengths and ends, it’s been great for giving my hair a nice sheen and avoiding that straw like look at the ends! This has an RRP of £2.49

And finally a little extra treat in this months box was these delicious fruit teas from OffBlak. My favourite is the Brighten Up tea which is forest fruit and ginger flavoured. They were a lovely extra treat and taste amazing. They are £0.84 each or £9.98 for a box.

The grand total for this months box is…….. £78.67!

I subscribe to Glossybox for £8.50 plus postage and packing which in total is £11.75 so definitely well worth the subscription fee once again.

I’m looking forward to the December box and there’s also a limited edition box coming for December which more details will be released about soon.

Glossybox is available by visiting http://www.glossybox.co.uk

Glossybox Birthday edition

So this month Glossybox really excelled itself! With a special birthday theme, the packaging alone signalled this was going to be an awesome box!

The sparkly holographic packaging has a millennial pink and rose gold scheme, definitely a box to keep for storage.

Love this pink sparkly box!

Perfectly packaged birthday theme!

August Glossybox

And then… onto the products! As usual 5 products, 3 full size and 2 deluxe mini size. That’s one of the things I love about Glossybox, you do get actual full sized items and not just minis all the time.

The definite highlight of this box is the Huda Beauty Lip strobe which is £17. I got the shade Angelic, which is a gorgeous rose gold, very in keeping with the box theme! The gloss is designed to be worn for a full coverage finish with pink shimmer and gold reflections. It can also be worn on top of your regular lipstick for an added shine effect. I really like the colour and texture of this product. Unlike other lip strobes and toppers it has a good coverage on its own so you don’t have to layer two products.

Next we have the Furr Lashes Rose gold eyelash curler. This came at a great time for me as I was looking at my old Eyeko curler and thinking it was past it’s best! There’s not much you can say about this except it’s rose gold coloured again and it nicely curls your lashes. The eyelash curler is £15 to purchase.

A fab Beauty Pro eye therapy product is included in this box Eye Therapy under eye mask. A cooling eye mask to smooth your under eye area and revive puffy eyes. This has green tea and aloe vera extract with anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also made to reduce dark circles and brighten up your skin. I love eye patches like these as I always feel your makeup looks great after you’ve used them! They are £1.65 for the deluxe mini sample or £4.95 for the Full size product which is a really affordable price for this kind of product. I really liked using these, it was relaxing and my skin felt great and looked more rested.

Next I got an Imperial Leather Foamburst Ultimate Moisture Golden Amber and Coconut Oil. This smells amazing! It just makes me think of holidays with the coconut scent and I like these foam based products as they make my skin feel more moisturised. The amber oil is meant to repair and the coconut oil is to moisturise and hydrate your skin. It’s a perfect size for popping in your travel or gym bag, which is where mine will be headed! This costs £2 for the deluxe sized sample or £5 for the full sized product.

And finally another product I was in need of purchasing! The felt tip liner from Bang Beauty comes in a mirrored packaging and has a thin marker tip for precise eyeliner applications. It’s also waterproof (yay!) and designed to quick dry for a non smudging application that you don’t need to reapply. I haven’t put this to the extreme test yet as I’ve not worn it all day but I can say that it applies really well and doesn’t drag when applying like some others I’ve used. This product sells for £15.75 normally.

Altogether this months box is worth £51.40!

I subscribe to Glossybox for £8.50 plus postage and packing which in total is £11.75 so definitely well worth the subscription fee.

Next months has a ‘Delicious Beauty’ theme with food inspired beauty products which sounds very intriguing!

Have you had any great products this month?

Lion King

As another Disney film gets re told in live action form, I just had to check it out.

The Lion King is one of our family favourites and was the live action I was most worried about not liking.

I needn’t have worried!

Lion themed sweets were the only snack …

From the opening sequence and the first bars of Circle of life you were literally transported to Africa and immersed in the landscape of the fictional Pride Rock.

Hakuna matata, what a wonderful phrase!

The film is beautifully done and although there are some scenes which are pretty identical to the animation, Circle of Life being one, there are some fun additions or little twists to others to make it stand alone and not be a carbon copy of the original.

Couldn’t resist joining in with the crew!

The heart wrenching Mufasa death scene only feels more difficult in this version -it suddenly seems much more real. Tissues at the ready!

One of my favourite songs from the animation Be Prepared, has some lines altered and cut. However it felt right for the movie and didn’t spoil it for me.

Men’s swim shorts from Shop Disney

The imagery is just amazing in the film and Hakuna Matata has a great update with references to the changes in Simba.

Seth Rogan and as Pumbaa and Timon are excellent as is the Lion Sleeps Tonight sequence.

Of course there’s a plethora of merchandise available, and we couldn’t resist a few wardrobe updates!

Boys Simba T-shirt Asda

Shop Disney, ASDA and ASOS have some fabulous clothes for kids and adults 💜 we loved these swim shorts for my hubby which have a 80’s inspired print and they’ll be making a debut on our holiday. For the little ones there’s so much cute stuff but this Simba shirt has been a real hit with my boy.

There’s also talk of a special Lion King key from Disney stores so I’m keeping an eye on the Shop Disney social media sites.

Timon was always there to motivate Pumbaa

Quick makeup, it’s all about the base

IT Cosmetics Your Skin but Better CC Cream in Fair

You know what it’s like, sometimes you just need to put on a quick face to do the school run or pop out for a few errands. As much as I love applying my makeup sometimes you just want a more natural look that’s easy to apply.

For a quick makeup day I love this IT Cosmetics, Your Skin But Better CC Cream for my base.

I got a sample of this a few weeks ago and I am loving it. At first I thought the shade, I’m using the Fair shade, was too light and would wash me out. However on applying it truly is as it says, “your skin but better!” giving a good coverage and evening out skin tone.

It’s also got factor 50 SPF so no worries about forgetting that in the warmer weather as the summer goes on.

If you are suffering with facial psoriasis as I do from time to time, it’s very good at covering red patches without drying out my face so ideal if a full coverage foundation makes your skin feel dry. It really does have a hydrating feel which I’ve never had with any foundation.

My go to Primer from Makeup Obsession

Hot 🥵 sticky summer days call for a primer that’s got your base covered! I love this Obsession Makeup primer for a non sticky matte finish which keeps my makeup in place all day. I’m usually busy with appointments and work so I need a good base to get me through and keep everything in place. I don’t want to be reapplying!

My other fave is Obsessions Mega Conceal and Baking Powder. I use shade 4 in the concealer and it’s perfect for dark under eyes, something i always struggle with. The formula is so creamy and gives great coverage thanks to the unique applicator.

The translucent powder is so fine, I like to apply mine with a Real Techniques contour brush to give some control over where I apply. It really helps set my concealer in place and areas where I might normally get shiny.

One of my favourite blush palettes is this Pinky Promise one from, you guessed it, Makeup Obsession! I just love their products right now! A great range of shades depending on your mood.

Finished off with a good mascara and I’m good to go.

I’m currently working through a few mascaras at the moment so will give full verdicts on that in another post.

Getting the basics right for a quick base has been my saviour for feeling my best when I leave the house.

Let me know some of your favourites for a basic makeup look.

Spice up your life

Why is the world going crazy for the Spice Girls?

Don’t worry this isn’t a negative post – I was front and centre at the show a few weeks ago in Sunderland, singing along at the top of my voice!

Spice World 2019 at Sunderland Stadium of Light

It’s amazing to me that a girl group who last toured back in 2007 still holds such a dear place in the hearts of us 30 somethings that grew up with their music.

The Spice Girls were built around Girl Power and friendship, two decades on from their debut in 1996 and its still the core of their performances.

Theres been much debate over whether Posh was a spoil sport not joining them on this tour, and as much as I missed her ( yes I am a massive VB fan) I understand her reasons. However it certainly doesn’t spoil the show and I loved seeing all the old footage of SpiceWorld and photos from the height of their fame with Victoria still featured.

Geri was so emotional at the Wembley show given that last time the girls were there she missed it due to having left mid way through their world tour. Even resulting in an apology for leaving the first time around. It really highlighted that friendships, especially ones that have been as long as theirs, have ups and downs but a simple apology is sometimes all you need to weather the storm.

I was about 13 when the Spice Girls burst into the music scene, and I think they were probably one of the first experiences I had of feminism.

I know there will be many people who don’t view the Spice Girls as feminist and to that I say there’s no one way to be a feminist.

The Spice Girls pioneered a movement in the Nineties which reintroduced and created a modern form of feminism. One which emphasised that being a feminist was to be worn as a badge of honour.

The Spice Girls represent to me a time when you were proud to stand up and be a girl, unafraid to be yourself. In those five characters they created we all saw ourselves and were one or a mix of a few, you didn’t need to be perfect you just needed to be you. Bringing a generation of girls (me included) into their world and believing we could achieve anything we wanted to put our minds to.

They spread the word that women are strong and confident; that women are stronger together and friendship and love are key to your life, something we should all hold dear .

So there will always be comments like, they can’t sing, they’re too brash, loud, annoying but for me the Spice girls will always be my first real experience of feminism.

Something I think in the modern world we forget, real women fix each other’s crowns.

And friendship really can last forever ♾

Viva Forever 🦋

A few of my favourite pictures from the Sunderland concert!

Sporty and Ginger

Rainbow 🌈 confetti

Girl Power!

Glossybox May 2019

May 2019 Glossybox Contents

A late posting about the May Glossybox, I love getting this box each month to try out new things and May was a great one. The theme was ‘trending beauty’ with some innovative and trend driven products, 2 makeup, 3 skincare this time.

The Mudmasky Aftermask Vitamin serum is fab, really light and absorbs nicely into the skin. I used this after a clay mask, I find clay based masks give me dryness around my nose in particular. The serum really helped with this and made my skin smoother.

Natruline lip treatment £2.99

The Natruline treatment is basically a version of petroleum jelly but with all natural ingredients. Making it better for the environment. I couldn’t tell the different between this and Vaseline to be honest but price wise it’s pretty similar and does the same job keeping your lips nicely moisturised, ideal if you like matte lipsticks like me as they can dry out your lips.

Dr Jart Shake and Shot Mask £8

The Dr Jart face mask made me laugh when I first saw it! I’ve never seen anything like it before. I got the hydro one, which you mix up like a little science kit. You spread it on and then it sets to a rubber consistency which you peel off. This was fun to use and made my skin feel great, much smoother and brighter looking.

Nailberry Nail Polish in Love me Tender

I love this dusky rose colour and Nailberry was a brand I’ve not tried before. It only took two coats to get the coverage needed for the colour to pop. It’s a lovely everyday varnish, subtle but still brings a bit of colour. I am always on the look out for polish that doesn’t chip easily and this had me impressed. I got 5 solid days of wear without a chip in sight.

The contour palette was something I wasn’t too sure on. Having done very little in the way of contour it’s something I’m not too comfortable with and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to pull off this look. However the cream formula really helped me in being able to experiment without overdoing it.

All in all a great box again with some fab products that I’ve really enjoyed!

Do you have any beauty trends you’re enjoying?

Loving Living Proof

I was so excited to try this Glossybox x Living proof hair care special edition!

I got the Living proof Prime Style extender in the Easter egg special and I absolutely love it, really helps hold your style and keep it for longer. So I had high hopes for this box which was an additional cost to the normal June box.

There’s a good mix of products in this box, two full size items which are the mask and leave in conditioner (perfect for my dry coloured hair).

There’s also a deluxe mini size of shampoo and conditioner which are great size for travelling and a styling cream.

Cute packing for the box

Five products, two full size and three deluxe minis

I loved the dusky purple packaging on the box and the message in the lid about being “powered by science”. There’s a cute purple ribbon as well.

T.B.D Multi-Tasking Styler

The multi-tasking styler was something I was keen to try with its promise of being an easy way to tame flyaways on dry hair and protect against heat styling on damp hair. I blow dry and straighten my hair pretty much every time I wash it so this was going to be put to the test!

On dry hair this acted like a serum, I usually use John Frieda Frizz Ease, but this felt lighter and worked into the ends of my hair easier.

On damp hair it again felt lighter and less greasy to apply and my hair definitely seemed smoother and had a nice shine to it. It smells lovely and it’s a cream texture.

Restore Shampoo and Conditioner

The Restore shampoo and conditioner are deluxe mini size and designed to help dry and damaged hair. It’s also designed to make your hair stronger and protect from future damage.

Restore Repair Leave-In

This is a leave in conditioner again designed to help with damaged hair, focusing on split ends another side effect of overstyling. A full size product and you only need two pumps of product on the ends of the hair to start seeing the benefit. I’ve only used this twice and it made a real difference to the feel of my hair already. Usually I have really dry ends on my hair but it’s made my hair feel much softer and shinier at the ends.

Restore Hair Mask

Another full size product the restore mask treatment which is designed for a weekly treat and to be used instead of the restore repair leave-in. This is a thick formula and needs to be left on for five minutes to work. I really loved this as well as it gave the dry ends of my hair some moisture and it felt super soft after treatment. I think I did see a difference in the shine as well, although it’s hard to tell if it was just this product or the combo of the leave-in and the mask.

An amazing duo!

The box was £20 for subscribers, £25 for non subscribers. I used my Glossy credits to buy so didn’t cost me much at all!

Altogether the value of the box is £78 so well worth purchasing.

Looking forward to seeing what Glossybox has planned for their next limited edition!

Full product list

Restore Repair Leave-In (Full size) £26

Restore Shampoo (Deluxe Mini) £5

(Full size £24)

Restore Conditioner (Deluxe Mini) £5

(Full size £24)

Restore Hair Mask (Full size) £37

T.B.D Multi-Tasking Styler (Deluxe Mini) £5

(Full size £25)