My Edinburgh Christmas experience

Hi everyone, wow it has been a really long time since i last blogged! Writing this makes me both nervous and excited to be putting finger to keypad again after such a long while. SO much has happened! I thought i would ease myself in gently by sharing my recent trip to Edinburgh with you all.

This was my second trip to the city as on the first I completely fell in love with Edinburgh. In my head i thought it would be like in 'One Day' (the well known book and subsequent movie) and it didn't disappoint as the beautiful architecture and cobbled streets are packed with interesting places. 

The purpose of my trip was to visit the Christmas markets and having been to Birmingham and Munich before, Edinburgh really did come out as my favourite! Prior to the market i did a bit of exploring and of course took in the wonderful and picturesque castle.

After the castle i went to the market for a Bailey's hot toddy (has to be done) and a sausage and raclette cheese combo.. food porn at it's very best!

The atmosphere was lovely, not too busy but lively and with food to die for. Other options included full on german sausage, potatoes, crepes, waffles etc, drinks included mulled wine, beer, ale, cider, so many good things!

For breakfast i decided to check out a place in the Quartermile which had a lot of good reviews, it was a swedish place called Peter's`Yard and had the most delectable breads and buns all baked in-house. This place was a hit with trendy cool hipster types and the coffee was great also! I had a cinnamon bun and a latte which were both yum.

Before i knew it my brief trip was over. I flew Ryanair for £20 return from London - bargain! Have any of you been to the Edinburgh Christmas market yet? I can highly recommend it as it was a brilliant precursor for Christmas! On my next trip i hope to go the Elephant room which is a lovely quaint cafe where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book - magical.

Blog Sale!

Blog Sale

Hi everyone!

I've decided to have a clear out and the consequence of this is a blog sale!

Rules and regulations...

- first come first served, please leave your paypal address in the comments and pay within 24 hours
- please make the paypal payment via the gift option!
- items are sent unrecorded unless you specify recorded and agree to pay the extra
- Postage is 2.50, additional items 50p extra
- Please research by searching swatches etc if in doubt!
- UK only unless agreed
- Enjoy :D

1. Rimmel stay matte pressed powder, shade 001 translucent - swatched only £2.00
2. Rimmel stay matte pressed powder shade 002 pink blossom - swatched only £2.00
3. NARS illuminator super orgasm usage 50% £3.50
4. NARS illuminator copacabana usage 70% left £4.50
5. Max factor pan stick foundation shade 25 fair - used once with a brush £2.50
6. VICHY dermablend fluid corrective foundation shade 15 opal almost full £8.00

7. MAC mineralize skinfinish shade gold deposit £6.50
8. MAC eyeshadow shade honey lust swatched only £9.50
9. Bare Minerals READY eyeshadow 4.0 the A list used a couple of times £6.50
10. Bare Minerals READY eyeshadow 4.0 the rare find swatched only £9.00
11. NARS eyeshadow night star swatched only £10.00
12. Too Faced eyeshadow Bob's your uncle £2.50
13. Illamasqua liquid metal shade electrum used once £3.50
14. MAC paint pot shade genuine treasure £6.00

15. Miners lip colour shade pink shimmer - swatched only £0.50p
16. Bobbi Brown skin foundation mineral makeup SPF 15 shade light to medium 70% left £4.00
17. NARS velvet matte lip pencil roman holiday used twice £8.00
18. Butter London Lippy shade chancer used once £3.50
19. MAC mattene lipstick shade first amour usage shown £5.50
20. Maybelline colour tattoo shade eternal gold swatched once £2.00
21. MeMeMe illuminator/highlighter shade oyster gold used once £2.00
22. MAC eyeshadow shade crystal swatched only £8.00

23. MAC beauty powder shade snowglobe used once/twice £6.00
24. Estee Lauder pure color lipstick shade exotic orchid swatched only £4.00
25. Estee Lauder pure color lipstick shade candy shimmer swatched only £4.00
26. Estee Lauder pure color lipstick shade barely nude swatched only £4.00
27. No7 Blusher shade coral flush swatched only £3.50
28. ARTDECO illuminating baked powder highlighter used twice £8.00
29. Elf blush shade gotta glow (highlighter) used £1.00
30. Estee Lauder gloss orchid passion swatched only £2.50
31. Estee Lauder gloss electric ginger swatched only £2.50
32. Barry M lipgloss shade 12 used once £1.00

YSL Creme de Blush - Velvet Peach

 A peach parade

Hi everyone! I hope you are all well, it's been a while since i last blogged as things have been a bit MENTAL for want of a better word. Work has been crazy busy, i completed my masters degree and also moved house, anyway i am back to my passion which is obsessing about makeup and spending too much money i don't have.

Tonight i am blogging tonight about a blusher i got from YSL a couple of months back - it is shade 1 'velvety peach', i seem to have an obsession at the moment with finding the perfect peach blusher and cream blushers are my hedonism at the moment!

Here we go, as is standard for YSL, feast your eyes on some purdy packaging!

Ahhhh the fresh untouched look of a blusher waiting to be swatched...

This is a gorgeous blusher that applies like a dream using fingertips or a blusher brush but i prefer fingers (just my preference), a little goes a long way and this lasts all day! This blusher applies evenly and has a lightweight feel, the only downside as expected is the price, at £29 i feel there are alternatives out there that meet my same need - that need being for a peachy blusher that is flattering and easy to apply! One example of this is a peach blush Photoready by Revlon in shade 'pinched' retailing at £7.99 and also 'Rude' by Illamasqua at £18 which is also a fave blusher of mine!

Although YSL supersedes other brands in terms of packaging and a luxe feel the price is actually crippling and i feel other brands are able to equal if not better this product in terms of colour payoff and value for money - but hey i paid the price so who am i to moan!

Thanks for reading my blog post i hope you liked my review - lots of love always!

YSL 5 Colour Harmony for the Eyes

Back once again with a brand new purchase

Well hello there! 

First of all let me say a big HELLO to all you lovely people who are reading this post and wondering where i have been for the last few months (i flatter myself that i am expecting people to read this but i hope someone is!), sorry it's been so long since i have blogged but life seemed to get in the way for a wee while - however.. drum roll please... I AM BACK!

This post references to an unplanned purchase i made in Boots yesterday, my second purchase of a YSL product to date - the first being their shocking mascara, since replaced by Babydoll which i would love to try as the shocking was darn good til it dried up.

Yesterday's purchase was of a gorgeous eyeshadow palette that just caught my eye and combusted my bank card; YSL 5 colour harmony for the eyes shade no 10, tres inspiring name, non?

This eyeshadow palette/combination/bank balance buster was £42.00 from Boots EEK, don't worry i slapped my wrists and had a right old finance guilt trip after this one. 

So as you can see there are five eyeshadows altogether including a lilac shade, blue/purple shade, mint green shade, hot pink and a brown to finish. These eyeshadows caught my eye through sheer prettiness! Here are some swatches:

This is a beautiful palette, however this may be a case where the packaging and overall look of the product outweigh the actual standard of the formulation.

These eyeshadows all contain quite a lot of shimmer and the pigmentation is not as i expected, to put it another way these are nowhere near as pigmented as Urban Decay eyeshadows as only the pink shade had comparable pay off, however the fall out is minimal (there was some but not a lot) and the shadows apply smoothly and are not chalky at all.  As YSL describe, these shadows are supposed to blend and harmonise with each other and the overall look is very pretty once shadows are blended and the colours do compliment well. 

So overall, don't expect great colour pay off and be willing to dig deep to supplement the £42 cost, but do expect the shadows to blend beautifully, look extremely pretty on the eyelid and last all day (well, from 8am this morning to current 5pm).

I hope you enjoyed my review, it is great to be back - please leave a comment if you have the time and thanks as always for stopping by.

More posts to follow soon, 

30 Ways to Save £1

Pound Saving Tips

Hi everyone! I thought i would take part in the Money Supermarket competition '30 Ways to Save £1' as seen here which i found on the lovely Bonjour Belle's blog here. Not only did it look a lot of fun but Money Supermarket also give you £1 for every tip you make! How great is that? You must be over 18 to enter and in a prize draw one lucky blogger will be in with a chance to win £1000! Eek!

So, here are my tips guys! As a student i think i have learned a fair ol bit about saving (hides credit card bill), i hope you like what i came up with!

30 ways to save a pound!

1. Sounds obvious, but shop in pound shops as opposed to supermarkets for essential household items such as bleach, dishcloths, etc (just the basics I understand you may not be able to shop in pound stores for everything you require).
   
   
2. Save your plastic bags when you go shopping as some places charge 5p every time now! This can add up :)

3. Reduce what you throw out by seeing what you can reuse, an old candle jar when emptied and cleaned makes a fantastic brush holder!
   
   
4. Keep spare change to save breaking a note, as once a note is broken that's pretty much it!
   
   
5. Stock up when you see good offers in stores, this will save you money in the future!
   
   
6. Look online for vouchers, this can help you to save a few pennies if there is money off vouchers for products you normally buy!

7. Don't always shop on the high street, charity shops are great when you're looking for a bargain and its all for a good cause.
   
   
8. Don't food shop on an empty stomach, you're just going to fill your trolley up with crap because the energy levels in your body are making your brain go haywire
   
   
9. As annoying as it is, use those pesky coppers, a little goes a long way :)
   
   
10. Pay whatever bills you can by direct debit, as this saves you more off your annual costs!
    
    
11. Don't throw away your old clothes, some places give you £5 at bag drops (there's one in my local supermarket) for every kg of clothes you give!
    
    
12. Don't impulse buy, step away from the potential purchase and ask yourself in 24 hours if you still need it. I bet you don't.
    
    
13. Remember, wanting something is different from needing it. Save your money unless you really can afford it.
    
    
14. Don't shop online with a hangover! Sounds so silly but I have done this and trust me, you're not thinking straight therefore you care less about how much you’re spending. Step. Away. From. The. Keyboard.
    
    
15. Don't throw out your old food, reheat your leftovers and this will save you money as you wont need to go out to get more food. Eat what you have in your fridge!
    
    
16. Think ahead and make meal plans for the week, therefore when you are home from work and don’t know what to cook it will be written down!
    
    
17. Make a list of what you do throw out and next time you shop you will remember to get less than you did last time as it went to waste.
    
    
18. Don't eat out unless its a treat, eating out means you will happily spend £50 on food without blinking.
    
    
19. If you can, substitute items you buy for cheaper ones. Yes we all love taste the difference and marks and spencers is special, but tomato puree is tomato puree!
    
    
20. Remember that pound for the trolley, then you wont have to break a note to get change which you will then probably spend and not save!
    
    
21. Instead of buying expensive concentrated juices, drink more tap water! You pay for it (its not free) and the world is mostly water, therefore it's not bad for you!
    
    
22. Don't fall for gimmicks in the supermarkets, chocolate philadephia is not a food group!
    
    
23. Instead of going to the cinema on a monday, go on orange wednesdays or student tuesdays if you can, cinema prices are seriously expensive these days.
    
    
24. Sounds daft, but drive slower! The faster you go when you don’t need to the more fuel you burn.
    
    
25. This is a bit icky, but don’t use reams of loo roll, it comes off the roll so quickly and before you know it its all gone, one sheet at a time! (Ew) this saves trees and money which are basically the same thing, would you use one fifty pound note or two if you had no loo roll? Exactly!
    
    
26. When you run out of bath bubbles, you can still use your empty bottle without buying more for a good 2/3 baths as the residue still makes bubbles!
    
    
27. Instead of going to Starbucks, get a cheap caffetiere and some basics coffee and you don’t need to go to Starbucks for a good month. There is not a lot of difference i'm sure of it.
    
    
28. Switch your lightbulbs to energy saving, this will save you money on your electricity bills.
    
    
29. Use vinegar as de-scaler rather than these expensive branded cleaning products (even cheaper than going to the pound shop as I mentioned)
    
    
30. If like me you have about 7 interchangeable handbags, have a good ol' route around in them before going to the cashpoint, I guarantee some spare change!
    
    
    Thanks for reading!
    
    
    
    
    

L'Occitane Instant Hydration Mask - Review

Hydration O'Clock

Hi everyone! This review is of a face mask i am currently loving at the moment. I picked this up from my local L'Occitane store and i have been using it for about a month now. The Instant Hydration Mask contains organic angelica water and essential oil which have hydrating and toning properties. For those of use who lack hydration in our skin, these ingredients are desirable!

I incorporated this into my face mask routine by firstly exfoliating with a scrub, then applying an inital mask of my choice (namely my Natural Collection Rosemary & Witch hazel mask from Boots - long term favourite!) leaving on for about ten minutes or so before rinsing, then applying the L'Occitane instant hydration mask and leaving on for the desired three minutes - so quick! This mask can obviously also be used alone and L'Occitane recommend using this 2-3 times a week. The consistency of the mask is that of a gel-like formula, it applies with a 'wet' feel and sits lightly on the skin with no setting effect.

The results are so good, my skin feels so soft afterwards and this continues the next morning and for the next few days ahead. The packaging states to apply a 'generous amount' and i feel no stinging at all with the application of this product, the scent is also a very natural floral scent which smells gorgeous. 

If you have never been to a L'Occitane store you should definitely check it out as the service is fantastic - i was offered a complimentary fruit/herbal tea, the products are also very natural and the overall ethos of L'Occitane as a brand is really fab. The Instant Hydration Mask is £20.00 for 75ml of product. 

What do you think of L'Occitane products?

Viviscal Hair Filler Fibers

Do you suffer from thinning hair?

Hello everyone! Today's review is on a topic that is pretty close to my heart. For anyone who has suffered hair loss at any point in their lives, you will know how difficult it can be to deal with. I had alopecia during high school throughout and after my GCSE's. I had two big bald patches, one on my crown and one at the front of my head on the left hand-side, both were able to be covered with my hair but as a teenager i was extremely image self-conscious and to say it got me down was an understatement. 

I was kindly sent the Viviscal hair fillers to review. These hair fillers are available in a variety of hair shades and contain microscopic, electrostatically charged fibers which stick to the hair and create a volumising appearance, instantly making hair look thicker (so less thin) and fuller. You just simply tap the fillers onto your dry hair until your scalp is no longer visible, you then gently stroke the area to scatter the fibers evenly (don't forget to wash your hands afterwards!). Due to the electrostatic coating the fibers instantly bind to the hair shaft building the appearance of hair density.

As i do not suffer with Alopecia at the moment and haven't done so for the last 4/5 years now i was unable to test the Viviscal hair fillers on a thinning area, however my hair is thin overall. The next picture shows my hair pre-application

And now with the Viviscal hair fibers applied

As you can see they will blend very easily with my hair colour - obviously i chose the blonde ones and once rubbed in they did not leave any residue

The Viviscal hair fibers have been rubbed into the hair and are now dispersed evenly, this is with only a small amount and i can already see that my hair looks thicker in this area than it did previously. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who is suffering from thinning hair as when i was going through this there were very limited products available to help with the side-effects of thinning hair. I would have loved a product like this to help me through what i went through.

Viviscal Hair Filler Fibers

Size: 15 grams (approximately one month supply)

Price: $24.99

Colors include: Dark Brown/Black, Light Brown, Blonde, Grey and Auburn

Available at RiteAid.com; use promo code VIVISCAL to receive $5.00 off!

Per the updated FTC guidelines, I received the sample products with compliments from BeautyStat.com, but my review is my own objective opinion.

What do you think of this review?