Selfridges Limited Edition Beauty Project Box - Review

I do love a beauty box and when I saw that Selfridges were releasing one of their limited edition boxes I had to snap it up, these sell like hot cakes and sell out super quickly so timing was of the essence. In actual fact I owe thanks to my lovely Mum who ordered it for me as I was working when I received the email to say the box had being released for sale she received a frantic begging phone call from me asking her to put the order in for me! We had a few issues with the delivery as we had paid for Saturday delivery and it never turned up but full credit to Selfridges they refunded the postage and it arrived only a few days after ordered, I think I was pretty lucky to get one to be honest. 

Having briefly looked at the contents online I kind of knew what to expect but when I actually received the box I was blown away, this is what you call a beauty box. Crammed full of high end products and full to the brim, costing only £30 (excluding p&P) the contents itself have a value of around £120.

The box is so full I don't know where to begin so  shall just do a quick run through of all the items I received. 

Exclusive Selfridges Limited Edition Make Up Bag: You can never have too many make up bags right? Well this one will be perfect to take away on holiday as it's quite tall so will fit lots of things. 

Nars Mini Blush in Deep Throat: Gorgeous item and beautiful packaging, a lovely addition to my collection. 

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 13G: I love Dermalogica, I don't often use the brand but I can't wait to test this out especially as I have just run out of my Clarins exfoliator! I like the fact that it's a powder that you mix with water to make a paste, quite cool! 

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer 30ml: Great item, I have used a couple of Laura Mercier products before and they are lovely, I have tried this out and it's a fantastic item, I love primer and this will be a great addition to my collection.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser 30ml: Another lovely item, the brand is one that I have used before, although I've never tried the facial cleanser so this has gone straight near the sink to be tested out.

Percy and Reed Dry Shampoo 150ml: This is my least favourite item purely because I have about 4 other tins of dry shampoo floating around and I didn't really need anymore but that being said I love the packaging of this and will definitely make use of it at some point in the future.

Lancaster Silky Milk Tanning Lotion 50ml: Perfect item to be sent with my holiday looming, I'll be throwing this in my beach bag for round the pool, I've never used this brand before so am looking forward to testing it out. 

Tangle Teezer in Original Pink:I have a lot of love for tangle teezers and even though I already have one with a handle I've been using this one the last few days and it's great. I prefer the handle on the one I already have as it makes it easier to hold but I prefer the ease of this one going through my hair, plus it's hot pink which means I love it even more!

Eyeko Mini Black Magic Mascara 4ml:You can never have enough mascaras can you? This one is great, gorgeous packaging, excellent last power and it's lovely to apply. It really does make my eyelashes longer and thicker, I love it so much I think I'll have to purchase full size when it runs out!

Paul and Joe Blotting Papers: Oh I do love Paul & Joe, especially their packaging, I've used a few of their products over the years and always the cutsie packaging wins for me! These blotting papers are great and oh so handy for my holidays, great item to receive. 

Exclusive Carmex Limited Edition Lip Balm: LOVE Carmex lip balms, I find it one of the best lip balms on the market and go through tubs and tubs of the stuff, could not be more pleased to get another one to add to the collection!

Exclusive Phyto 7 Limited Edition Hair Cream 50ml:I've not heard of this brand before but I love the idea of it, as always I am looking for a decent product to use in my hair to stop it from looking it dry and crispy at the ends so I look forward to seeing the results of this!

EOS Berry Hand Cream 40ml:I love EOS and this hand cream smells divine and the packaging is lovely! Great item to be sent and it's such a nice size it's fits perfectly in my handbag without taking up too much room.

Ole Henricksen Truth to Go Wipes:Face wipes are a god send and I've never tried any super expensive wipes (I think full prize these range from £12.00 - £25.00), it will be interesting to see how these compare to high street brands. 

So there we have it a box crammed full of goodies, I think you'll agree that this is well worth £30, sadly they are now sold out but I'm sure they'll be releasing another box at some point and I will definitely be looking out for another one. I think beauty boxes should take note that items like this and high profile brands are much more appreciated than certain high street brands. 

Did anyone else buy this and what did you think?

Like, Love, Loathe (Link Up)

I'm a couple of days late with my latest likes, loves and loathes, oops! It's been a manic week and I'm only just catching up with bits and pieces today as it's my day off. So here are mine for this week: 

Liking: I am liking that I've just had my roots redone! I hate it when my highlights start looking all washed out and my roots start showing through, it also means I get to spend a couple of hours at the hairdressers being pampered. As it was Alfie's birthday on Saturday I also had my hair styled with some curls too which was nice (see the picture below!).

Loving: I'm loving that I'm on a proper holiday countdown now!! I can officially say I'm nearly on holiday and I cannot wait, the only downside is I think the next few days will drag at work!! I've been checking the weather and although it's still a bit early it's looking like it will be lovely and warm when we go which is good because who wants rain on holiday!!?

Loathing: There is only one thing I am loathing this week and I don't want to go into too much detail but some family members have really let me down. No text, no birthday card or present for Alfie, disgusting. We're not really sure if we've done something wrong but this is immediate family I'm talking about it and it is not acceptable. Fair enough if they have for some reason got an issue with myself and my husband but don't take it out on my son. It's a real shame, it's Alfie that I feel sorry for however I know that he is loved by other people that are actually worth having in his life. 

So there we have it for this week! What are you liking, loving and loathing this week?

Thankyou as always for reading! 

Turn Your Clutter Into Cash - Infographic

Like most people I tend to have the odd clear out of stuff once in a while (it always amazes me how we accumulate quite so much stuff in a relatively short space of time!). Here is an infographic featuring information on UK households clutter and unused items, it certainly makes for some interesting facts and I have to reluctantly admit I am in the 'out of sight out of mind' category (much to my husbands despair)!

One mans trash is another mans treasure so the saying goes!

De-clutter your home infographic is an infographic that was produced by Gumtree

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Win a Funky Laser Name Necklace!!!

If you read my blog on a regular basis you will know I love a statement necklace so I can't tell you how much I love these, handmade laser cut personalised necklaces from Funky Laser . You choose the wording, the materials as well as the style so you can have a truly unique necklace to wear. If I was designing a necklace to wear I would probably go glittery and pink so it was really girly!.I particularly like the name necklaces, very fab and very funky!

Not only do Funky Laser sell necklace's but they also sell a whole range of personalised items so there really is something for everyone. Made to a high standard and using top quality materials you could be the proud owner of one of these quirky necklace's.

The very generous folk at Funky Laser are offering one of my lovely readers to be in with a chance of winning one name necklace, to enter please use the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note: Winner will be contacted via email or twitter so please make sure you leave me your contact details that are checked regularly. 

Good luck!!

Glossybox May 2014 - The Superdrug Edition

It's taken me a few days to write this post, I just haven't been in the right frame of mind for some reason and although this months Glossybox was pleasantly crammed full of items I am still left feeling a little bit let down. This month Glossybox have teamed up with retailer Superdrug who are celebrating 50 years on the high street. 

I'd read no spoilers and did not know until the box arrived who they were collaborating with but was left feeling a little meh when the box arrived, I do like Superdrug but I don't find it a particularly glamorous shop and I wasn't overly excited to see what I'd been sent. That been said the funky packaging that the items arrived in was appealing and vibrant.

As said above the one thing that stood out to me this months box was crammed full of items and out of the items received five were full size and two were bonus items so to be fair that's pretty generous.

So what did I receive this month?

The first item that I picked out of the box was the Collection Bronze Glow Mosaic (full size received RRP £2.99). Not a huge fan of the brand and the packaging is cheap and nasty. If I'm honest I'm a bit of a bronzer snob so this was never going to blow me away, however the shade is quite nice and will be handy to pop into my handbag and not be worried if it gets broken. 

The second item I received was B. Sheer Conditioning Lipstick in Tango (full size received RRP £6.99) I have never hear of the brand and on initial packaging impressions it's quite a nice item BUT the colour is not something I would ever choose myself. Recently we were asked to update our Glossybox profile so it's a shame that more attention wasn't paid to my dislikes or my skin tone! The colour is a shimmery orange, thankfully it's quite sheer so I might be able to make use of it on my holiday but otherwise not a great item. 

Next item is probably my favourite out of the box, this I believe is only just hitting the shops it is the Max Factor FaceFinity All Day Primer (full size 30ml received RRP £10.99) . I'm a fan of primers and I like Max Factor, so this is a great item. With micro protectors this is designed to absorb sweat and keep foundation in place. I've tested this out already and although the smell of it is a little odd it has kept my foundation on pretty well and I did notice that I haven't been particularly oily which is a massive plus! Definitely the best item this month.

I then received Swwarzkopf Essence Ultime Crystal Shine Conditioner (Full size received 250ml RRP £4.99). This will be winging it's way to my Mum, I have a weird thing that I don't like to use a conditioner without the matching shampoo, or at least the same brand and I've also just purchased some new Bed Head some I don't really need to keep this. Not a bad item to receive though and the new packaging and re branding looks nice. 

The last full size item in the box is Scholl Velvet Smooth Overnight Mask (full size 60ml received RRP£7.99). Not something I would necessarily purchase myself but I will make use of this foot balm in the run up to my holiday. Designed to hydrate for up to 24 hours and leave you with soft beautiful feet as you sleep it's something that I can keep by my bed and use  as needed. 

The next couple of items were the sample size items which considering that the rest of the box contained full size items I can't really complain. The two I received were Garnier Oil Beauty Lotion  which is designed to moisturise and leave feeling soft and replenished and a sample of Ghost Eclipse Fragrance  which smells very pleasant. 

Overall I think I am being quite critical, it is pretty impressive to receive five full size items but I still can't help feeling so underwhelmed by Glossybox recently, I paid for this box using Glossydots so I don't feel that bad about it but I think I'll give it a couple more boxes and see how I feel then whether I want to continue my subscription. Having heard lots of good things about a couple of other beauty boxes it might be time to try another one. 

What did everyone get in their boxes this month?

Silent Sunday - 25/05/14

Guest Post - Homemade Pet Treats

Here is a great post about making healthy and natural treats for your pets. Having spent a few years in the pet industry I became quite passionate about what we feed our animals and how a diet with minimum artificial ingredients and colourings is so beneficial for dogs and cats. These recipes are easy to follow and allow you to have a bit of fun while feeling good that you know you are giving your pets some great, natural treats. 

3 Great Recipes for Homemade Pet Treats

With all the food scares we get these days, with Big Bad People running our food production, putting fillers and strange non-food ingredients in it, there’s a worrying possibility that dog and cat food could be the same.

We love our pets so much that it seems very wrong to give them treats that could potentially cause them health problems, so if you’re handy in the kitchen, you might fancy committing yourself to an afternoon of cat and dog treat baking.

I’ve tried all of these below, which is why there is the odd variation from the original recipe, and they all worked for me.

Cookie Bones – basic recipe

This one comes courtesy of TheKitchn.com.

12 oz wholemeal flour

4 oz wheat germ (if you haven’t got this, just use 4 oz more of wholemeal flour)

4 oz melted bacon fat or beef dripping

1 egg

120 ml water

Combine the lot into a non-sticky dough. If it’s a little sticky, add a bit more flour. If it’s dry, add a bit more water. Roll it out to around a half inch thickness and cut into suitable sizes.

Bake on 180 degrees C for about 20 minutes – they should brown on the top.

Turn off the oven, flip the cookies, and leave them in the oven until it goes cold. This makes them crisp – the word ‘biscuits’ means ‘baked twice’.

You can crumble some yummy bacon into the mix, or for your cats, 4 oz of minced catnip makes them crazy for it!

Fishy Bites

This fishy recipe from PawNation is perfect for both cats and dogs and although the recipe here states mackerel, I’ve made a sardine version before which is cheaper and just as yummy for the pets.

1 large (15 oz) tin mackerel or sardines. (If you can’t get the big tins, you can use as much or as little as you like – see below in recipe)

4 to 8 oz wholemeal flour

1 tsp baking powder (this helps them rise a little)

Prepare for your kitchen to stink!

Mash the fish, bones, skin and all, sprinkle the baking powder across it, and start adding the flour, a little at a time, until you get a nice thick dough.

Oil a cookie tin or baking sheet – oil it well unless you want to be chipping welded on fish mix off your best baking tray for the next six months.

Spread the mix onto the sheet to a thickness of around 5-8 ml / ¼ inch, and score it into small squares (small for cats, bigger for dogs) with a knife or a pizza cutter.

Bake at 180 degrees C for around 30 minutes, although you should keep an eye on it as it may not need so long.

Break into squares and keep it in the fridge in an airtight container (this is more for your fridge’s benefit than the cookies) for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Liver Snaps

Another great PawNation tip:  if you saute some liver, slice it thinly (no more than 3 mm) and dry it in the oven at around 100 degrees C, your cats will love you forever.

Your pets will adore these treats. They probably won’t notice that they’re different from the ones you buy them, and they certainly won’t realise that they’re significantly cheaper.

This article was written by Michael Truby on behalf of MORE TH>N dog and cat insurance. For great deals on insuring your pet, as well as loads of handy advice and tips on caring for your pet, visit the MORE TH>N website.

Image credit – homemade dog treats by BevKnits on Flickr.

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Baking up a storm with Cake Angels (& Alfie!)

It's been a while since I've blogged any foodie related posts so today my latest post is all about baking up a storm with a toddler and the company Cake Angels. I always enjoy baking and rustling up some sweet treats so when I was asked if I'd like to bake some cakes of some description and review some decorations I didn't have to think twice before agreeing. In our Cake Angels goodie bag we were sent some great items to use to decorate our cupcakes. 

With some assistance (from moi!) Alfie and I made some cupcakes with a basic victoria sandwich mix. 

Recipe

6oz Margarine

6oz Sugar

6oz Self Raising Flour

2 Medium Eggs

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C or Gas Mark 4 and place some cupcake cases onto a baking tray.

2. Cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. 

3. Beat in eggs one at a time adding a little flour with each. 

4. Sift in the remaining flour and gently fold it in to the mixture,

5. Fill the cupcake cases and bake until golden and risen and springy to the touch. 

6. Place on a wire rack to cool and once cooled decorate as you feel fit!

It's obviously important to taste as you bake!

We were sent lots of goodies to decorate our cakes including some ready prepared vanilla icing, a set of candles, mini marshmallows, edible cake toppers and a chocolate shaker kit, we had everything we needed to make our cupcakes look great and taste delicious. 

I normally make my own butter icing so I was a little dubious at first using pre-made but it tasted really nice, quite sweet but spread thinly and was perfect to top the cakes, it also went on the cakes nicely once at room temperature, I decided against piping it as I wasn't sure how well it would pipe but after using it I think it would pipe quite well. The decorations were fun and well made and added the perfect finishing touch to our cupcakes. Alfie's favourite was definitely the mini marshmallows, trying to stop him eating them off the cakes proved to be somewhat of a challenge!!  

Overall we had a great time using the Cake Angels decorations (available at many leading retailers) and I will keep an eye out in the future when I'm shopping for more fun and colourful cake toppings. 

* Please note I was kindly sent the decorations free of charge in exchange for an honest review, all the thoughts and opinions are that of my own.