It's Christmaaaaaaaas! Just kidding it's still only September. I'm a bit ahead of myself here considering it's not even really Autumn yet, but when I heard that some of Zoella's new Christmas range was being released early for "price establishment" (whatever that may be) I had to see if I could get my mitts on it. Most of it was sold out online at Superdrug, but they had this set still in stock so I grabbed it quick. You may ask, "Steph why can't you wait until the end of September when its launched?" And i'll tell you why, it's GINGERBREAD scented and this excites me SO much.
Sleek | Solstice Highlighting Palette
I've only recently come across the brand, Sleek. My local Boots never used to stock it but after a recent revamp they have added a little Sleek counter, much to my delight. The only product I owned before buying this pallette was a blusher (Rose Gold), which is the perfect dupe for the Nars Orgasm. I kept seeing beauty bloggers reviewing this highlighting palette and it looked suspiciously like the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette, a limited edition product out last autumn that I so badly wanted, but at £65 couldn't really justify.
Warm Summer Nights | Yankee Candle
I know it's nearing the end of August and we generally associate September with Autumn but I'm hoping (and praying) for an Indian Summer, so I'm not breaking out the cosy candles just yet! These gorgeous scents are part of Yankee Candles "Warm Summer Nights" collection, I have three out of the four released and each one has its own unique but equally dreamy scent.
Cactus Obsessed
Recently I've developed an obsession with anything cactus print. I also love pineapples but that's a whole different story. I don't know where this has come from as I've never shown any interest in them before but it's seems to have become the in thing this summer and it's pretty much everywhere. These are my favourite pieces -
Tried & Tested | Beauty Edition
Over the last couple of months I've collected a few new beauty items, some of these items are relatively new and you might not of tried them yet. I love reading posts where people tell you if items are "hot or not", its genuinely helpful to know if it's worth spending the money trying out the product.
Pixi | Love Me Beauty
When I got the email from Love Me Beauty telling me they were adding Pixi products to their boutique i'm not kidding I let out a squeal. I LOVE Pixi By Petra and swear by the Glow Tonic (you can read my post about it here). The only other product I've tried from their range is the Glow Mist and I'm a big fan of that too. Miniature sized beauty products are my weakness but to be honest these are almost full size, Pixi have been very generous.
Origins Mix & Mask | Latest In Beauty
I have been wanting to try the brand Origins for the longest time but I never know where to start. They always have so many amazing products that I just don't know which one I should buy, I want them all but that is obviously not an option! If like me you love to pamper yourself and use face masks then this is the perfect little box from Latest In Beauty. It's almost like a skincare starter kit. Can you believe this box was £20 and free postage? The contents are worth £78.12 and the VitaZing Energy Boosting Moisturiser is worth £29 alone! As soon as I saw it I knew i had to snap it up immediately as I feared it would sell out and I was right.
Baking With Dr.Oetker | Part 2 Mug Cakes
Chocolate cake in only 1 mintue! Never have I heard anything sweeter. Mug cakes are obviously not a new thing but a mug cake mix is (well relatively!) and i for one am bloody excited about it. I enjoy baking cupcakes but sometimes you just fancy a bit of cake and you don't always want to bake 12 cupcakes, what a faff! Dr.Oetker have brought out a quick and easy cake mix that is ready in under 2 mintues (times vary on microwave settings).
St Moriz | Advanced Pro Formula
I'm a big fan of St Moriz, ive used their medium (sometimes even dark) mousse for years, so I was pretty excited to see they had not only had a revamp on their packaging which looks fresh and clean, but they had added a new collection to their line.
Yankee Candle | Red Raspberry
I love a good candle I do. I'm not sure where my obsession stems from but I find it very hard to walk past them in shops and get maybe just a little too excited when Yankee Candle release a new range. Your sense of smell is so powerful, because we encounter new odors when we are young smells often trigger memories from our childhoods and hopefully happy times.
Well, that's the excuse I'm using anyway.
Latest In Beauty | BYOB
Beauty boxes are a huge deal at the moment in the blogging world and I'm no stranger to them. I've on and off subscribed to different boxes for a few years but Latest in Beauty is slightly different. I love that the boxes are tailored to you and there's no subscription fees, you just buy a box as and when you want. Building your own box means you can choose exactly what you want to try, whenever you can afford it.
Salt Of The Earth | Natural Deodorant
Deodorants not something we put a lot of thought into is it? Until recently I just bought whichever one was on offer in Boots, that was until I read just how many parabens and chemicals were in our favourite brands!
Pineapple Funfetti Tray Bake
Sprinkles, who doesn't love sprinkles? I made funfetti cupcakes last year and they tasted great but let's be honest I made them mostly because I just love the pop of rainbow colours. I was going to bake them again but this time I decided why not make a tray bake, its simple, fun and would be great for any occasion.
Benefit | Dandelion Shy Beam
When you think of highlighters you think shimmer and a lot of it. I've nothing against shimmer, in fact I'm a big fan but if you suffer with super oily skin adding a sheen is not going to help. I'm pretty sure that this new Benefit highlighter is the first of its kind, I could be wrong but I've not seen one elsewhere. Dandelion Shy Beam is a liquid MATTE highlighter, yes I know it's matte! Not only is it housed in the most beatiful metallic pink bottle but it's by the far the best liquid highlighter I've ever used.
Baking With Dr.Oetker | Part 1 Browkies
So here's something a little different, over the next month I'm going to be doing a mini series called "Baking with Dr.Oetker" where I will be russling up 2 easy but super tasty recipes using a variety of Dr.Oetker ingredients that are easily found in most supermarkets all over the country. Dr.Oetker kindly sent me some of their products to bake with and I've taken a recipe from their site to show you what you can do to make baking fun!
Maple And Whisky | Review
A while ago I came across this cute little Etsy shop called Maple And Whisky and instantly fell in love with their candles. I'm a bit obsessed with candles and own way to many so I didn't buy any at the time, but a couple of weeks ago I came across them again on Instagram and bought a few of their melts on impulse. I'm super glad I did though, they are gorgeous!!
Sugar Free Blueberries Muffins
If your on a bit of an health kick or just fancy eating less sugar then I think these little muffins of joy will be perfect for you. Made with honey and wholemeal spelt flour your probably expecting them to be quite tasteless and certainly not as flavoursome as a regular sugar filled muffin, but you would be surprised at how moist (ergh!) and scrumptious they are. The perfect 3pm treat with your favourite cup of tea.
The Neom Stress Relief Treatment
I am the definition of the word stress. I used the thrive on it before I got ill but now just the slightest bit of stress makes me feel very unwell. Stress is so common now that it's sometimes even a way of life for some, this is very damaging as it can have such a negative effect on your mood, health and even relationships with those around you.
Soap & Glory | Sugar Crush
I've been a huge fan of Soap & Glory products since I was a teenager, back then there was only the original pink fragrance available and products were limited, but now you can get this amazing Sugar Crush range. I am literally obsessed with the smell, the gorgeous sweet lime scent is basically summer in a tub.
Nails Of The Week | OPI Hello Kitty
A few months ago I wrote a post on the new Hello Kitty OPI collection which featured the beautiful Five Apples Tall polish, when I purchased that colour I also picked this one up and I've been dying to try it ever since. Pink is a hard colour to wear in the winter, it doesn't tend to match many of my outfits as I wear alot of red, so until recently I've stayed away from it, however now it's spring I will be wearing pink on my nails all the time and this is the perfect bubblegum shade.
Cat Furnature | Review
If you love cats as much as me this post might be worth a read. I have two cats, Frankie and Benny. Yes they are named after the restaurant! I think every cat loves a box or a paper bag to sleep in so Cat Furnature have come up with this genus idea, a cardboard pod that looks like an actual wood box. Gone are the days of having to keep an ugly bitten and ripped up old Amazon box for your cats to lay in, now you can have the luxury of a cardboard box with a bit of style. I must admit the first time I saw one of these boxes in a photo on Emma from Emma's Looking Glass Instagram, I actually thought it was a wooden cube!
Two Faced Chocolate Bon Bon's | Review
Ahh, isn't it just beautiful? I'm a huge fan of Too Faced but this has got the be the most beautiful palette they have released yet! This beauty is part of the Spring 2016 collection that was released back in January in the UK and is quite obviously inspired by chocolate. It's the third chocolate palette to join Two Faced's ever growing make up collection and in my opinion, it's quite honestly the best one. I own the the original Chocolate Bar and although it's pretty great this is the one to buy.
Love Me Beauty | March Edition
I'm a big fan of beauty boxes, what's nicer than a box full of goodies coming through your letterbox? It's certainly better than bills! It's not just beauty boxes i like, there's so many different types to choose from these days from candles (my current obsession) to healthy food. I decided I needed to change up my subscription boxes and try something new. Ive sadly paused my Flamingo Candle and monthly Pink Parcel for a while and I'm going down the beauty route once again.
Sugar And Crumbs | Part 2 Orange Zest
A few weeks ago I wrote a post on Sugar And Crumbs new Nifty Nozzles and I used their Raspberry Ripple flavour natural icing sugar to frost cupcakes, you can catch up on that post here and learn a bit more about the UK based company. I mentioned that they had sent me a few other bits to try too, so this post is my part 2 using the Orange Zest icing sugar. I didn't want to bake more cupcakes so had a go at two different but equally yummy recipes!
The Manizer Sisters | The Balm
If you've never heard of The Balm before where have you been? Lately they've become a big deal in the beauty blogging world, a cult favourite some might say. They are especially well known for their highlighter "Mary Lou Manizer" and the unique names they put to their products. I've been wanting to try Mary Lou for a while but my Too Faced highlighter (even though it had hit pan) just kept on going, weirdly i can't decide if I should be happy or sad about that? Back in November when I saw they were releasing a palette of all three of the luminizers I just knew i had to add it to my Christmas list.
Flamingo Candles | Bunny Kisses
If you've been reading my blog for a while you will know how much I adore Flamingo Candles. I recently wrote a post on their Limited Edition Valentines Love Bug candle, which smelt amazing, so it comes as no surprise they've brought out an Easter edition too! This is my favourite Flamingo Candle ever and that's a pretty bold statement since I've had the Melt Crowd subscription box delivered to me for the last nine months (that's 72 melts!).
Sugar And Crumbs Nifty Nozzles | Part 1
A few weeks ago Sugar And Crumbs launched their 2016 blog programme, an opportunity for bloggers who love baking to try their unique products and be creative. I was very lucky to be sent some exciting pieces from their baking collection, I've decided to do my post in three parts as I have a few different recipes i want to share with you! Sugar and Crumbs are a UK family run business who specialise in natural flavoured ingredients, their products are free from gluten, dairy and nuts as well as being both artificial flavour and presevative free.
15 Of Life's Little Beauty Hacks
Most of these I have listed you might have already heard about or even tried but I bet there's a couple your be thinking "oh, I must try that!" So here's just 15 of life's little beauty hacks.
Nails Of The Week | OPI Hello Kitty
Opi are constantly bringing out new nail polish collections but this one really caught my eye. I heard they were collaborating with Hello Kitty about a month ago and I knew they were going be super cute. With 6 limited edition shades and 6 salon exclusives, there really is something for everyone in this collection. It's not the colours that drew me in at first though but that sweet little white lid with the faces on, sadly it's just a wrap around but none the less it sets it apart from the rest of OPI's collections.
How to | Funfetti Cupcakes
I know it's still early in the year and we have not long ago eaten our body weight in food over the Christmas holidays but who can resist a little cupcake, especially ones as fun and colourful as these.
I love Funfetti cakes, they are typically a very American cake as we don't tend to put sprinkles inside the batter but aren't they just the cutest?
Love Bug | Flamingo Candles Valentines Edition
Who doesn't want a glittery candle? Not only does this candle smells amazing but it looks really cute too. I am already a huge fan of the Flamingo Candle jars, I like the unique square jars and the little trademark Florrie flamingo carefully placed on each one. If you look closely the valentines edition even has a little heart in the middle!
Glossybox | Nars Edition
There has never been a beauty box I've wanted as much as this Nars one. It was a limited edition Glossybox that was on sale back in November now (sorry that it's unavailable!) and never have I had the feeling of needing a materialistic item so much in all my life. Well actually that's probably not true, i remember really wanting the bright pink Motorola flip phone that you could dangle a charm off when I was 15 but that's a whole other story, although in case your wondering I did get one and I was VERY happy.
Pixi Glow Tonic | Review
The question is, is Pixi Glow tonic worth the hype? If you are a regular blog reader then you would of definitely heard of it. It's one of those products that up until recently was sold out most of the time as you could only buy it directly from the Pixi store in Carnaby Street, London or their online site. They've since lauched it in a few other places that I will link further down. About 6 months ago I decided after loving a sample I received in a beauty box that I was just going to go for it and try it long term, at £18 for £250ml you have to be sure your love it or at least willing to know you might hate it and will have wasted the money, but your ok with that!
Tangle Teezer Aqua Splash | Review
Can I just start by saying, where has this been all my life? Why have I not been detangling my hair in the shower before now. I have such knotty hair, it gets so tangled that even hairdressers have commented in the past how knotty it gets when wet. I mean if they think that's bad, they should see it in the morning! I love my original Tangle Teezer and wouldn't be without it and this new design from them is the perfect addition to their ever growing collection.
Patisserie de Bain | Review
Hand cream is something I go through so fast, it's a tricky thing to get right sometimes though. Some are too oily and never rub in and others moisturises your hands for 5 minutes and then dry in so fast you wouldn't of even known you had put any on! I've tried plenty of different ones in the past and mostly stick to my trusty Body Shop Hemp hand cream so I was super pleased when this little box turned up at my door. I was very lucky to have been sent these beautiful Patisserie de Bain creams to try and can't wait to tell you all about them.
10 Things To Do To Get You In The Christmas Mood
Let's be honest Christmas is pretty much everyone's favourite holiday of the year, right? Lots of yummy food, presents and spending quality time with your loved ones.
As soon as December hits time seems to just fly by and it's quite hard to fit everything in that you want to do but I've put a little list together of my top 10 things to get you in the Christmas mood and enjoy the holiday!
Cosy Christmas Haul
Only a few more weeks to go until it's CHRISTMAS! I thought i would share with you some bits I've picked up this Christmas season in preparation. This year I set myself the task of getting all my presents sorted by December so whilst I was browsing for presents I kept finding festive bits for me. I always like to get a Christmas candle, pair of pyjamas and socks to wear throughout December but as you can see I found quite a bit I wanted this year, haha! I will leave a list and links down below to where you can find my little treasures.
Health Food Bars | The Good, The Bad & The Very Yummy
If you know me it will come as no surprise to you that I would do a post on raw health bars eventually. I probably go through 3/4 health bars (on average) a week, i can't get enough. I've never been that adventurous though and tend to stick with the same brands, so when The Primal Pantry got in touch with me to try their yummy paleo bars and write a post for them I didn't hesitate. Which is where the idea of trying a variety of different bars and reviewing them for you guys came in so you can get an idea of what's yummy and what might be a waste of money, because let's be honest they aren't cheap are they?
It's A Lush Christmas / Winter Haul
It's not Christmas without a Lush haul right? Every year Lush bring out their winter/Christmas range in November and it really gets you in the festive mood. This year was no exception. I try to stay away from Lush as much as I can as I'm a bit like a kid in a sweet shop in there, I forget you have to pay money for them in the end and go crazy picking everything up insisting I can't leave without it. I don't have a bath at home so I like to splurge a little at Lush when I know I'm going away somewhere that has a bath, which so happens to be in two weeks time for a few days. Some of the bits I picked up were around last winter so lots of you will probably have already tried them but ill tell you about them anyway :)
The Must Have Red Nail Polish This A/W
I love OPI. For as long as I can remember probably before I even went to beauty college I loved OPI nail polishes, that being said they are probably one of the most expensive nail polish brands available. Now the season has changed to autumn and leaves are finally beginning to change I knew it was time to find myself the perfect red polish.
Autumn is my favourite season of the year, especially now I've added this gorgeous shade to my LARGE collection of beautiful polishes.
Roseberry Balmi | Review
Let me start off by saying, this was an absolute nightmare to take a photo of! Shiny metallic objects are not easy to capture and it's a miracle I finally managed to get two half way decent photos. On the plus side, isn't it GORGEOUS? Never before have I seen a rose gold lipbalm so when the Balmi HQ sent me over this beautiful balm to try I was over the moon. Your probably wondering at this point what flavour it is because I certainly had no idea, I mean it could be anything. True to its packaging it's called "Roseberry" and I couldn't wait to open it and find out what delicious scent it had. This is where its gets a little tricky, I actually don't know how to describe it! I thought it might possibly smell of roses but it's a fruity smell (& taste), reminds me a bit of a Chapstick boots sold when I was a child that was strawberry flavour but without being intensely sweet. I can't really tell anything from the ingredients as it just states "aroma".
Matcha | Bluebird Tea
I was very lucky to have recently been sent Matcha green tea to try from my favourite tea company Bluebird Tea Co, if you've been reading my blog for a while you will know I have reviewed their pouches of tea leaves in the past too! I was so surprised when a full size tin of the original matcha and two sample sized tins turned up in the post, I was expecting just one small sample - aren't they the best! I would be surprised if you haven't heard of matcha before, it's been a staple in Japan for many years and is a firm favourite due to its healing and immune boosting properties.
It's made in quite a different way to your usual green tea as instead of using actual tea bags you use just half a tea spoon of matcha powder and add boiling (80 degrees celsius) water and whisk.
How Clean Are Your Make Up Brushes?
The struggle is real.
Trying to get make up out of brushes is bloody hard work. One of the most important things you need to know about applying make up with a brush is that you HAVE to clean them regularly, if your make up tools are dirty not only will you probably end up with spots but it can ruin your make up look too. Until this year i hardly ever cleaned my brushes, disgusting right? Think of all the germs I was spreading over my face, ergh. Make up brushes are a breeding ground for bacteria so it's really important we clean them weekly if they are used everyday. I'm sure everyone has their own way or technique but this is what works me for so I thought I would share it with you!
Yankee Candle | Cotton Candy Review
A while ago I reviewed the Red Velvet Yankee Candle (here) and pretty much declared no other candle will ever come close to how much I love it. This one might possibly be giving Red Velvet a run for its money, although I probably shouldn't compare them as they are two quite different scents. Both are sweet but I think the Cotton Candy scent is a little more summery but its ok to burn it all year long too! Mid winter would be ideal when your craving that summer sun and can pretend your lying on a beach somewhere instead of it being -5 degrees outside.
It reminds me of going to the funfair on the beach as a child, the smell of cotton candy or as we call it in the UK candy floss floating in the air and me begging my parents for a bag.
My Birthday | + A Present Haul
How am I 27? When did I blink and become a proper adult. I think I've somehow got stuck at 25 as it's the age I kept telling everyone I was even though I was really 26 - apparently my brain couldn't comprehend being that old! 3 years from 30, how bloody scary is that. Birthday aren't exactly my favourite time of the year unfortunately, since becoming ill (6 years!) the thought of getting older scares me a bit, knowing that I am still sick, that my birthday just marks another year of being unwell and not being where I wanted to be by now. So we try to do something nice to take my mind of it and enjoy it for what it is, this year we went away for a night and had a scrumptious afternoon tea.
My Top 10 Things To Do This Autumn
I LOVE autumn, it's my all time favourite season. Spring is a very close second. It's such a beautiful time of year when the leaves are falling from the trees and you get to relish in the crisp cool weather, although what happened to summer this year in the UK?
The boots are back out and I'm already hunting down my winter coat whilst simultaneously planning Halloween, one of my favourite holidays! There's nothing more satisfying than the crunch of leaves under your feet is there? So here's my list of my top 10 things to do this autumn to get the most out of the season before winter hits in December, boo.
Tangle Angel VS Tangle Teezer
I think we've all heard of the Tangle Teezer haven't we? They've been around since 2007 and are pretty much the must have hair brush. I don't know if many people remember but they were showcased originally on Dragons Den and actually turned down by the Dragons, I bet they wish they hadn't done that now! Until recently I didn't think there was any products like the Tangle Teezer (other than the knock off ones you see in Primark that are rubbish!) but it turns out a company called "Tangle Angel" offer a range of brushes which are pretty similar and work pretty much the same way. The Tangle Angel was designed by celebrity hairdresser Richard Ward because he wanted something that his hair stylists could use in his salons that don't slip out your hand whilst your using them (Tangle Teezer - you do, do this im afraid) so he designed a brush that you could hold either at the handle or by the wings if you need greater control.
Lush Christmas Sneak Peek
That's right, somehow Lush's winter list has been leaked to the public, hurrah!
I'm pretty sure they all come out in October so we haven't got to long to wait but these photos were not meant to be released until the end of September so, your welcome. Plus, thank you to whoever found these originally! We love you.
So from top left to bottom right let's find out what they all are.
The Perfect Movie Night Essentials
I've been thinking about writing a post about the perfect movie night in for sometime and then as if by magic the lovely people over at Proper Corn sent me some popping corn to try, what's more essential to a movie night than popcorn I ask? Ever since I was a child I've associated watching movies or cinema trips with popcorn, you can smell it as soon as you open the door and it's such a yummy smell that triggers great memories for me. So although I was sorted on the popcorn front, we needed some more snacks, becauses what a movie night without you pigging out on junk food!
Popband London | Your New Best Friend
Popband London are not a particularly new company but I've only just come across them. They make hair bands that don't crease your hair and leave it kink free when you take your hair down. Pretty neat huh? I first tried one of these type of hair ties when I received a pack by a brand called Bandzees in a Pink Parcel box earlier in the year and loved them! I suffer with frequent headaches and normal hair ties can sometimes make my hair feel tight and my headache worse, these bands you can hardly feel but yet they keep your hair in position perfectly.