Sunshine, BBQ's and Garden Gnomes

Don't know about the rest of you but we've had a lovely sunny weekend in North Wales (although a little windy and chilly at times).  As usual as soon as the sun makes an appearance we're straight out in the garden and planning a BBQ.  

In previous posts you'll see that we only moved into our new home at the end of August 2012, with everything that needed to doing in the house we've only just been able to start in the garden over the last few weeks and it's needed an awful lot of work.  But it's starting to look fantastic and we're been picking up some garden furniture and some decorative bits, which leads me nicely on to this little beauty I picked up in Poundland, who's positioned very nicely guarding my herb garden.

I've actually used a lovely image taken my stepdaughter and you can see up on here instragram.

Finally with the lovely weather looking to continue, me and the hubby are planning a little trip to the beach next weekend to celebrate a two year wedding anniversary.

Hope everyone's had a good one! 

NOTD Maybelline Super Stay Gel Nail Color in Surrel

I've been after the perfect cornflower blue shade of nail polish for a while.  Nothing I've seen as quite been what I was looking for.  Now I've not actually tried or looked at any of the Maybelline polishes before and was actually only looking through their Colour Show range and just happened to spot this gorgeous shade in their Gel Nail Color range.  The shade is just the perfect blue.

The polish applies easily and smoothly in two coats.  I was left with a lovely glossy finish after two coats.  This is the second gel polish I've tried - the first being Rimmel's Kate Moss range (will try and get a review up shortly on that one) and I have to say I love the way they go on.  I find that their application is just very easy and even if you feel it's looking a little streaky as it dries the end result isn't.  Now it's states 7 days strong and in the picture above, I was at 3 days and you can see a little chip on my thumb, and there's been a little tip wear but nothing like I would usually expect by Day 3.  Can easily see this staying on through to Sunday - which is a definite bonus when you work full time.  It's much easier to apply a polish on a Sunday night for the week.  I've spied a deliciously looking Berry shade and a gorgeous Green that I need to try out next!

Priced at £4.09 (and currently on 3 for 2 in Superdrug) 

N-Spa Beauty range

We both absolutely love the N-Spa Bath and Body range. They stock a range of deliciously lovely body butters, bubble baths and shower gels. Plus at Christmas they tend to release a range of chocolate, toffee and gingerbread scented products. Finally they're more than reasonable priced at around to £2-£3. I usually buy my selection from my local Asda.

Now I've been aware of the beauty range for a while but haven't really given it a go despite looking over the range on a few occasions. Well a few weeks a go, Asda had an offer on with price reductions over the whole range so I thought why not. I picked up the Melting Cleanser and the Illuminating Beauty Serum.
The Melting Cleanser is a gel that once massaged into dry skin and once a little water is added turns into a cleansing milk. I then buff off with a muslin cloth. It removes all traces of makeup and even got rid of my mascara - not bad at all!

The Illuminating Beauty Serum is described as 'sleep in a bottle' as it illuminates tired, dull skin. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but applied after my moisturiser and before my primer it definitely gives my skin a lift in the morning and perks up my whole complexion. I've actually been using this every morning since I picked it up and is definitely one of the better serums I've used.

Got to say it's not a range you'd expect to find in your local supermarket. It has a much more expensive feel to the whole range. Both products I tried definitely had a luxurious feel to them. I've already got a list of a few more of the range to try out.

Priced at,

Melting Cleanser £6 for 125ml
Illuminating Beauty Serum £7 for 50ml

There's currently a 2 for £8 offer on - bargain given the individual prices.

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Dragon Fruit NOTD GNP11

Just a quick NOTD featuring Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Dragon Fruit.

With the weather finally looking up its made me want to crack open the bright nail shades. And though I do have a lot of nail polishes I decided I wanted something new. I had been wanting to try these Gelly nail polishes fom Barry M for a while and this shade jumped out to me. The idea behind the concept is a glossy high shine in one coat. I did do two coats here but I have seen in reviews if other shades they are opaque in one coat.

 

This polish is a great spring shade...I will be making good use of this throughout spring and summer.

These retail at £3.99 and are available in 13 shades and I now really want Blueberry and Lychee.

 

Have you tried any? What do you think?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

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Beauty Blog Link Love

Here is this weeks Beauty Blog Link Love filled with lots of lovely reads.

 

Phyrra shares her picks for the best photography and video equipment for beauty and fashion bloggers. From handbags to cellphones and lights, she's got you covered!

Jenny tries her hand at an Illamasqua I'mperfect inspired speckled eyeliner look at My Funny Valentine.

Musicalhouses does an Emerald Color of the Year Eye Look, and throws in random musings on this whole Color of the Year business, too!

Rae thinks she's found the one Spring 2013 blush that you need. Don't miss her review of this gorgeous violet-scented face palette over on theNotice!

Jenn from Spiced Beauty shows you how to get dewy skin in seconds!

Handmade Reviews reveals how skin color and contrast can contribute to signs of aging.

Looking for a reasonably priced BB Cream? Gouldylox Reviews has the run down on most brands available at drugstores!

At Musing on Beauty you will discover pictures, swatches and a review of the five new Makeup Geek eyeshadows. Check them out!

Love Frederic Malle's Lipstick Rose? Kim from Makeup by Kim Porter has found an affordable dupe!

Beauty Crazed discovers that Sally Hansen InstaGel Strips are not so easy that even a spaz can use them - check out guest reviewer's Sam and her inaugural strip experience!

Jude reviews the GlamGlow Exfoliating Mud Mask on Love, Lust, & Fairy Dust -- with not so glowing results!

Watch SmashinBeauty make Pablo Picasso's The Weeping Woman painting come alive on her face.

Love a bright lipstick? Midnight Violets has lip swatched all her favourites for you!

Looking for a sophisticated and lovely new scent? Pammy Blogs Beauty reviews Valentino's new Valentina Assoluto.

Prime Beauty has rounded up the best of spring's beauty launches just for you!

Don't know what to get at Sephora's 15% off sale? Then head over to Beauty Reflections to see a few of the new Sephora Colorful Eyeshadows in action! Some of them are worth getting, especially with the discount!

Whether you're a redhead, blonde or brunette, you'll appreciate the gorgeous shades in these Whiphand Cosmetics lip palettes. Beauty Info Zone loves these so much that they're offering a giveaway for these, too!

Thanks

 

K & L

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GLOSSYBOX April 2013 - Pearl Lowe

Here is April's 2013 Glossybox with Pearl Lowe.

How cute is the box!

In this months limited edition box you get the the gorgeous box designed by Pearl Lowe, 5 lovely products and an interview with Pearl Lowe.

My box contains the following:

Balance Me Radiance Face Mask

'A triple-action mask that deeply cleanses, exfoliates and brightens thanks to our bespoke blend of purifying kaolin clay, skin-brightening fruit acid complex, ground walnut shells and a bespoke blend of calming essential oils including rosemary and palma rosa.'

This retails for the full size 75ml £18, the box contains a 15ml sample.

Richard Ward Couture Hair Optimiser Style Reviver.

'Lightweight, non-tacky reviving spray with Wheat Protein and Kukui Oil to refresh and volumise hair between washes without residue or stickiness.'

Full size retails at £19.00 for 150ml, the box contains a 50ml sample.

Nip + Fab Mango Smoothie Dry Skin Fix Body Butter.

'Energise + awaken the senses while giving your skin a moisture burst with MANGO SMOOTHIE from the new Nip+Fab body butter range!

This rich, whipped body butter repairs dry + dehydrated skin with 24 hour moisture-boosting ingredient Aquaxyl ™ and subtly invigorates the skin with the fresh, fruity scent of mango!

Mango Smoothie Body Butter is a tropical temptation for the skin, leaving you feeling silky smooth + instantly hydrated.

Super smoothing ingredient Aquaxyl™ boasts scientifically substantiated benefits to improve the water reserves in the skin, limit water loss and visually improve the surface of the skin.'

Full size retails a £9.95 for 200ml, the box contains a 50ml sample.

Yves Rocher Nutritive Vegetal 24H Comfort Nourishing Cream.

'Soft, supple and comfortable skin set.

The Comfort nourishing cream will immediately nourish your skin for 24 hours.

It also decreases skin discomfort and tightness.'

This retails at £13.50 for 50ml the box contains 15ml sample.

Finally I have a full size Essie nail polish in Sugar Daddy.

This retails at £7.99.

It's a French manicure pink really so will probably never get used.

Overall I am really pleased with this months box, and can't wait to try out the face mask, body butter and the Richard Ward reviver. Plus the box is super cute this month.

Glossy Box is £10 a month plus p+p and is available at www.glossybox.co.uk.

Thanks

 

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Turquoise

Back in October we had a leak from the flat above so had to move out for 2months whilst it was fixed. We had to have the roof in kitchen, bathroom and living room ceilings fixed which meant they had to be decorated. We could choose any colours we wanted for the three rooms to be decorated. Before the leak we were already deciding to redecorate the living teal/turquoise.

 

We decided to have the bathroom and kitchen just done the same as we liked the colours. But choose Dulux Blue Diamond 5 for the living room and I love it soooo much it makes me sooooo happy. Here's the living room at Christmas.

We have continued to accessorise the room and I need to change the black picture frame (I keep forgetting). I love all the new bits we have in the room. Also my new sofa is soooo comfy!

The flowers are from Wilkinson's £3 for three, the T I made myself with bits from Hobbycraft, the pictures are from Next clearance £20 for two, the vase is from Homebase £9.99 and the bird is from Wilkinson's £2.20.

 

The next part I need to do is either a photo wall or shelves for photos which I've seen on Pinterest to go above my sofa.

 

Thanks

 

 

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Nice day for a white wedding...

My sister-in-law recently got married and we helped out on the table numbers. I had made all of my own wedding stationary for my wedding which was Sweetie themed (and pink & purple).

So I wanted to help out...and I love this sort out thing. I had recently decorated a letter T for our living room and we decided it would be a nice idea fir the table numbers.

Her theme was pink and black so we decided on pink glitter and then black bows.

Here's a pic of one on the table (sorry it's rubbish pic).

And just because she looked super cute here's a pic of my little one as bridesmaid!

Here's my husband (right) with his Brother and wife wearing the moustaches from the table.

 

Thanks

 

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Enrapture Totem Styler Review

In March I had lots of events coming up, I ended up out 4 times which is around ridiculous for me. But as I had grown me hair out slightly (more as I was too lazy to cut it) I didn't know what to do with my hair. I had 2 x hen do's, wedding and an awards ceremony to attend.

 

After using Pinterest for some inspiration (I'm obsessed), I decided to curl my hair. Normally I would use my GHDs but due to length and that my GHDs are thick I wanted something else. That's when I took to blogs to get some ideas of what was good. After looking around I settled on the Enrapture Totem Styler.

Here's what they say,

'Perfect for creating ringlets, bohemian curls or soft waves by encoding your look and adding style to short, medium or long hair. This next generation curling tool features a unique totem barrel that allows you to set the three zones to different temperatures using the encoder dial, resulting in an array of different curls.'

It's quite straight forward to use as it said above you have 3 heating settings and three dials so you could change up the setting. For example use a 1,2,2 and 2,3,3 etc with 1 being coolest and 3 the hottest. This helps to creates different types of curls from loose waves to ringlets.

 

The styler came in a lovely box with a guide to what different settings to use to achieve different looks.

 

It heats up really quick and took me about 20mins to do my full head. I have been using 3,3,3 and I'm really liking how it comes out. I've included some pics of my hair recently (apologies for the hubby in the first pics and that I'm in my pjs). The curls have last quick and it's so easy to do.

I love this for the money and am really happy that I got it.

 

The Enrapture Totem Styler retails at around £59.99 (though there are offers around if you look).

 

Thanks

 

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Balmi lip balm

Balmi is completely new to me in the lip balm world. Not sure how I've not spotted them before as they're right up my street. However found a selection in my local Boots and after seeing a review by Fee from Makeup Savvy I had to get one. I had a choice of mint, strawberry and raspberry. Love anything berry flavoured!

The packaging is so cute and looks very much like EOS balms. I haven't tried an EOS one so can't really provide a comparison. But I love the packaging and shape of the lip balm. Quick and easy to apply without having to use your finger. The scent is deliciously like raspberry ripple ice creams - disappointingly it doesn't taste like it lol.  As an added bonus it has SPF 15 in it.

Oh and I've attached it to me keys, as there is a little attachment on the bottom. do always on me. Love it and now need the mint!