Next Perfume Gift Idea

Next recently bought out some new products and unfortunately I couldn't make the event but I was kindly sent some products from the range. I must admit some things didn't impress me but this perfume in New York would be a perfect Christmas present to give or receive. I would describe the scent as quite floral but sweet at the same time.

It is described on the website as "A radiant, white floral fragrance with elegant jasmine and sun-kissed orange blossom. In spiring and cosmopolitan, this blend captivates and

engages the senses."

For only £12 for a 100ml bottle I think this really is a bargain. It lasts on the skin an average time for an eau de parfum, about 3-4 hours. I also think the bottle looks really good out on display as it is a simple classic bottle.

I will hopefully have a DIY post up tomorrow if I can get pictures taken in daylight 

tomorrow.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Megan xx

Liz Earle Christmas Crackers

I don't know about you, but I love Christmas dinner. In fact sitting round the table with my family wearing stupid hats and reading the worst jokes in the world is one of the best parts of my day. However saying that nothing in the Christmas crackers is very interesting so imagine my joy when Liz Earle sent me a Liz Earle Christmas crack set with 6 crackers each containing a deluxe sample size of a Liz Earle product.

In the crackers are:
30ml Cleanse and polish with muslin cloth
30ml instant boost skin tonic
30ml orange flower hand wash
15ml hand repair
30ml mens face and body wash
15ml after shaving moisturiser 

If I have done the maths correctly if you bought all of these mini products individually it would cost £32.75 so having them in gorgeous packaging for (a smaller price at the moment) a couple of £'s more isn't a bad deal. I think these are going to be a great addition to my Christmas dinner and i'm already looking forward to pulling them with my family!

This set is normally £35 but until the 5th December Liz Earle are offering it for £28! You can buy it from here.

What do you think of beauty crackers? Do you prefer traditional crackers?

Megan xx

Luxbox Review | October 2012

The October Luxbox had a few issues getting to me and a few other people. To cut a long story short I only received mine 2 days ago, a month late! There is no November box as Luxbox have been taken over by a different company, hopefully for the best. 

Anyway the October box did not impress me very much. Although 4 of the 6 products are full sized I only like one product and even that isn't amazing.

Tan Organic tan erase exfoliator full size £12 

This is my favourite thing from the box although I don't find it particularly better than the average exfoliating gloves.

Tan organic fake tan full size £19.95

 I'm not a tanning person really so this product doesn't really float my boat!

Tan organic tanning mitt full size (obviously) £4.50 

Again I don't really fake tan but compared to mitts i've used before this looks very similar.

Kimia rejuvenating facial system sample-unknown/full size-£74 

 In this tiny set you get a serum and a facial oil. I have tried both and haven't really noticed much difference but to be honest with skincare you need a decent sample size to tell if it works/makes a difference to your skin.

Models Co. black eyeliner full size £15

I have tried this eyeliner before and really disliked it, I think it was because of my sensitive eyes. Anyway I havent even opened the one from this box because of my past experience with it.

This honestly wasn't the box for me but everyone isn't going to be happy with every box. It is definately good value though with the box being worth over £50. I also think having 3 products from the same brand was a bit annoying because my favourite thing about beauty boxes is that I get to try 5 (normally) new brands each time but that didn't happen this time.

Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes?

Megan xx

Christmas Posts

As I really love Christmas and always love watching the Vlogmas videos on Youtube I have decided to do some Christmas related posts on my blog. I will be blogging about anything  Christmas related whether that is decorations, baking and food, gift ideas and DIY posts there will definitely be something for everyone.

If you have any Christmas post requests please leave a comment with them below.

Megan xx

Guest Post From LucyyWrites

Soap & Glory | The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser | Review

Hi to all Megan's followers, I'm Lucy and I blog over at LucyyWrites. Megan kindly asked if I would guest post for her and I of course accepted, I adore Megan's blog. I'm a huge skincare addict, I'm always trying out new products to defeat my dry-very dry skin type. I picked up Soap & Glory's hot cloth cleanser earlier on this year. They had an offer on and I was keen to find a drugstore hot cloth cleanser that actually worked!

Soap & Glory is another popular brand in the beauty blogging world, you'll find S&G in your local Boots stores. Originally just body care they now have a  fairly large skin care line as well as a more recent makeup range. The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser retails at £10 for a 100ml tube. Like most hot cloth cleansers the formula is a very thick, highly concentrated white cream, packed with panthenol, sweet almond, orange and lavender oils. Sounds perfect for dry skin, right?

Not sure how to use a hot cloth cleanser? Take a generous amount of the cleanser and divide between your finger tips. Next massage all over your face, don't forget to use product on your neck too. Apply a warm, damp muslin cloth over your face and relax. S&G provide you with one, it has pink edging - very cute! After 5-10 minutes dampen your cloth and press the cleanser off. 

 I usually can't fault Soap & Glory but this hot cloth cleanser is another pointless product out there, just like the No7 version. Maybe hot cloth cleansers aren't for me, I see raved reviews out there but I see no difference in my skin. After just one use I knew I'd hate this product, after a few more I gave up. It melts most of your makeup away, I'll give it that. But it doesn't leave my skin feeling amazing, smooth or nourished, nor did it do anything for my pores. It also smells like sudocream? For a product that contains almond and lavender oils, along with being from S&G I expect it to smell a lot nicer! Sorry Soap & Glory but I was not one wash away from an amazing face. You did however make incredibly cute packaging as usual.

Disclaimer: purchased with my own pennies!

Empties #2

Bonjour! Today I thought I would do an empties post. I love to see what people have used up and to find out if they would buy the product again.

Herbal essences volume shampoo £3.79 - I love this shampoo, its the one I always go back to. Would I repurchase? I already have!

Batiste wild £2.99 - I love Batiste a lot. I use it the day after I wash my hair just to refresh it and to make sure it looks clean for an extra day. The scent is quite nice but not my favourite. Would I repurchase? I have but not in this scent.

Batiste blush £2.99 - Again the same as above. I am now loving the new paisley scent.

VO5 Nourish me truly conditioner £3.59 - I didn't really like this conditioner. I didn't feel like it detangled my hair at all and I prefer most conditioners more than this. Would I repurchase? No!

Herbal Essences voulme conditioner x2 £3.79 - Again this is the conditioner I always use. It leaves my hair feeling soft and smooth and I really love it. I have already repurchased.

Listerine smart rinse mouthwash £2.50 - If you don't like strong mint mouthwash this would be perfect for you. It is designed for children but I find its extremely effective at doing its job. I will repurchase when I have finished my current mouthwash.

Colgate advanced whitening toothpaste £3.49 - I always use colgate toothpaste but this one was a bit of a letdown. It was supposed to be whitening but I haven't noticed any difference at all. Would I repurchase? Probably not!

Impulse body spray in Paris and New York £1 - I found these 2 half empty in a drawer and just decided to use them up. I do really like the scent but I don't really wear body spray. I don't think I will repurchase.

Sure deodorant in cool pink about £2.50 - This deodorant was average. It was okay but not outstanding. I probably won't buy it again.

Nivea pearl 48hr deodorant £2.50- I found this half empty in a drawer. I'm not a massive fan of Nivea deodorants; they leave white marks and are really sticky. I won't be buying again!

Nivea double effect £1.50 - This wasn't as bad as the other Nivea deodorant but I would still not purchase it again.

Natural Collection strawberry body scrub £2 - I really didn't like this. I basically had to use the whole bottle to cover my body. It really didn't exfoliate very well either.

I am glad I have been able to finish some products (especially the ones I didn't like) so now I have some room in my beauty drawers.

Please let me know if you have post requests.

Thanks

Megan xx

Product Of The Week :Naked Untagling Spray

For the last couple of months I havent seen any point in doing monthly favourites because I have basically been using the same products for months. I do however discover a couple of new products a month or think that a certain product deserves a mention on the blog so I have decided to do a product of the week post every week.

This Naked for kids untagling spray is amazing, I cannot praise it enough. I think it is only about £4 and it works wonders. I have extremely knotty hair when I have washed it and getting a comb or brush through it is really difficult but with this it does help the process a lot. When you spray it, it does smell like oranges but after your hair drys there is no longer a trace of an orange scent. If you have knotty hair I would highly recommend this to you. I got mine from Boots but I am sure its available elsewhere too.

Megan xx

The Beauty Bloggers Tag

I have always loved watching tag videos on Youtube but feel like they would be so boring in blog form so when I saw a new tag made by Sophia especially for beauty bloggers I was super happy that I can finally do a tag.

Why did you start blogging and how long have you been blogging for?

I started blogging about 2 years ago although I only really became interested in my blog this year. I had been watching youtube videos and reading blogs for ages before I started my blog. I think I was talking to someone on Twitter when I decided to start me own because of my love for writing and beauty.

Whose blog did you fall in love with first?

I read a lot and I mean a lot of blogs but I do remember who's blogs I first fell in love with and inspired me to make my own. I stumbled upon all four of these blogs after I started to read blogs and these were my favourites.

Sinead from DaintyDollymix

Laura from BellesBoutique

Fleur from Fleurdeforce

Sabrina from Alittleobsessed

What was the first blogosphere hyped about product you bought and was it worth the hype?

The first product I gave into the hype and bought was the Revlon Lip Butters. It is one of the most hyped up products ever and even though everyone loved them I couldn't just take their word for it and had to try them for myself and I am so glad I did. The colour range is great and they are one of my favourite lip products.

What are your favourite five things about blogging and being a beauty blogger?

I love being able to say what I want about what I want on my little space of the internet. I love writing about beauty products as I need to get my opinions out in the open and none of my friends care about make up so don't listen to me go on about it.

I love talking to other bloggers on twitter and in comments. There are several other bloggers who I talk to all the time on Twitter whether its about a new mascara or about things in our lives.

The blogging community is amazing. I love commenting on other blogs and receiving comments on my own. I also love taking part in the #bbloggers chat on twitter every Sunday.

I love reviewing products especially ones I have repurchased and loved and hearing that others have bought the product and loved it too. I also like reviewing products I don't like and seeing that they work for other people with different skin types if its skincare or a different skin tone if its make up. 

Until I started blogging I had never heard of Liz Earle and now her products are staples in my skincare routine. I suppose that this has happened with many other brands too especially ethical skincare brands. So I have discovered lots of new brands and products.

What have you learnt from being a beauty blogger?

I have learnt that everyone doesn't have the same opinion of products. I always read multiple posts on a product before I purchase it to see what others think but I know that even if everyone else likes something, I may not.

Have you changed anything since being a beauty blogger?

I have changed the whole way I apply make up and have completely changed to tools I use to apply it. I have learnt new techniques from watching videos and blog tutorials.

What advice would you give to a beauty blogger just starting out?

I would say that you have to enjoy blogging or it just won't work. If your interested in other things too such as baking or sport include posts about those topics too just to mix it up a bit and make things more interesting.

Name your top five brands!

My top 5 overall brands would be Liz Earle for skincare, MUA and Collection (2000) for makeup, Soap and Glory, for body care and Batiste for hair.

Recommend your top five favourite beauty products!

For body products I would say the soap and glory clean on me shower gel. For hair the Naked orange lollies detangling spray and Batiste. For makeup the MUA eyeshadow pallettes and Collection 2000 blush.

Tag other beauty bloggers to do this tag!

I tag anyone who wants to do this tag to do it. I will also tag some bloggers below

Sandra from theblackpearl

Jennie from sailorjennie

Victoria from victoriasvintage

Lizzie from cupcakesandcosmetics

Sinead from daintydollymix

Estee from essiebutton

I hoped you all liked this tag.

Megan xx

Autumn Beauty Wishlist

I love looking online for things I want to buy. This way I tend not to spend too much money as I'm just 'looking' .I'm not normally one to get excited by Lush. I think their prices are far too high and I don't think the products are all that everyone makes them out to be. However after having a quick look on the website this morning I found some seasonal products that I love the sound of.

Melting snowman Bath Bomb £1.95
Cinders Bath Bomb £2.25
Jacko Bath Bomb £3.50
Christmas Eve Bubble Bar £2.95

Mua Nail Constellations in Pisces - £3
Topshop cream blush in Prime Time £6
Mua Undressed Pallette £3
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On & On Bronze £5

If you would like to see my fashion wishlist please let me know.

Megan xx

Luxbox Review | September 2012

The packaging and the price

Luxbox is £12.95 including p&p which is about the same as all the other beauty boxes. The box itself is a dusty lilac kinda colour. The thing that really annoys me is the black shredding inside. They make all the products in the box have a black dust look on them and its really hard to get off. However I do like the fact the paper stops things getting broken in the post.

Murad oil free suncream SPF 30 - 10ml

£5.40/10ml or £27/50ml

This is one of the 2 products that I am excited to see in the box. If you have read my blog for a while you will know I burn so easily in the sun so this is nice to have in my collection. I haven't tried it out yet (because we have no sun) although I will let you know what I think when I have tried it.

Immerse me face mask b.liv by cellnique - 1 mask

£1.35/ 1 mask or £9.50/ 7 masks

This is the other product I am excited about trying. I don't have overly dry skin but I think this will really help with hydrating my skin and repairing the dryness inside. If you would like to see a review of this once I have tried it let me know.

Skinkind unique skin kind moisturiser - 10ml

£4.99/10ml or £24.95/50ml

I don't really like the look of this. I mean there isn't anything wrong with it but I probably won't be using it. Its just a facial moisturiser and it doesn't look like anything special.

Betty Hula moisturiser in champagne and spice.

Sample size unknown 

This is a massive fail in my opinion. I have tried these samples before and although they smell nice they are completely useless unless you only want to moisturise half of one leg. I personally like to use the same moisturiser all over so don't like tiny samples like these.

Black and white genuine pluko - Full size

50ml/£4.99

I'm a bit confused about what this actually is. Its meant to sculpt and style hair. To be honest it sounds like a hair gel that a man would use. I certainly won't be using this, and I don't think anyone I know will want it either so I don't quite know what I will be doing with it.

Overall I am extremely dissapointed with this box. I know you get your money's worth and everything but they products aren't things I can imagine many females being very happy with. There was also no product card this month which is a little bit annoying but its not the end of the world. The box also smells horrible I think its either the hair pluko so I will need to air the box before I use it for storage. I have heard that next month there will be 3 full sized products from the same company so I'm hoping its a decent brand. In case you didn't know the September box got cancelled so they could concentrate on making the service better etc.

Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes?

Megan x

HD Brows Pallette With Before And After Pictures

Since the HD brows pallette appeared in one of the first glossy boxes they have become so popular in the blogging community. As I have a fringe, I don't really tend to fill in my brows. I also am happy with the natural shape of my eyebrows. My mum however has very thin, sparse eyebrows so I thought I would show you how well this pallette works using her as the model. The pallette I have is in the shade Foxy.

In the pallette you get 4 powders. My camera has picked the colours up well except for the bottom right. In the picture it looks quite purple/plummy and in real life its actually more of a muddy colour. You also get a double ended brush. One end is angled and the other is rounded as they can also be used as eyeshadows.

As you can see from the above picture my mums eyebrows are very fair in colour and very sparse. She also has a full fringe so filling in her brows regularly isn't a must for her although when she saw the results she was so impressed she has now got the HD pallette for herself as I rarely used it.

I didn't want to make the brows to dark or to different to how they are normally but the powder makes such a difference. This is definitely mine and my mums favourite brow pallette that we have used.

I believe the product is around the £20 mark but is definitely worth it if your brows are an important part of your make up routine.

Do you fill in your brows? 

Megan xx

(*)

Not Another Bill | September 2012

If you read my post last month about Not Another Bill you will know that I really love the concept and idea of the whole thing. If you don't know, Not Another Bill is a subscription service (much like the beauty boxes) in which you get sent a gift in the post each month. The gifts can vary so much. Last time I got a boat figure which sits on my mantle piece whereas this month I got something much more practical.

This month's gift came from Tatty Devine, a jewelery company who usually make their items out of perspex. The gift was a chip fork necklace which I love. It is gold perspex and on a gold chain. It is quite short which is the length I like necklaces.

I think it is such a lovely piece and it's something I have wore a lot since I got it. I think it goes well with most things as its gold. My favourite thing to wear it with is a blue top as it really stands out on blue.

You can subscribe to not another bill for £17.50 a month here. They also ship worldwide so everyone can get lovely gifts in the post each month. They cater for different types of people and you specify this when ordering in the questionnaire on their website.

Do you subscribe to anything like this?

Megan xx

(*)

Shopping My Stash #1

I always read these posts as they are one of my favourites to read. I thought as I am trying to downsize my collection of products I would do one of these posts too. I am going to try and use up all these products in a month, so in a month I will write an update letting you know how I did. 

Dove go fresh shower gel in pomegranate and lemon - I have used about 1/4 of this. I do like it, I just like others better. I have loads of shower gels so I just want to use them up one at a time.

Nivea happy time body lotion - I have so many body lotions its unreal. I rarely even use them which is annoying and I am so picky about the ones I do use. If they take to long to sink in I will just stop using them. This has been used once so I need to use it a lot to finish it in a month.

VO5 nourish me truly conditioner - This is about half used. I always finish conditioners before shampoo and like to use matching ones so I finished one of these then bought another one but then the shampoo ran out so I stopped using this. It is a really good conditioner though so I am looking forward to finishing it.

Dove damage therapy intensive repair conditioner - Ignore this one, I have a smaller one that I want to use instead (featured below)

Young skin eye make up remover from asda - I really like this, it removes mascara so well. I have so many eye make up removers that I just want to try and use some of them up. This is about 1/3 empty.

Simple light moisturiser - I will be honest I don't really like this but I really need to use things like this up. I actually have another one exactly the same for some reason. I have used this twice so there is a lot left.

Pantene classic care conditioner - I have to admit I have had this for about 2 years and never touched it. I do normally quite like pantene and as its a mini it should be gone easily in a month.

Adidas fruity rhythm body spray - I got this in a gift set with a shower gel for Christmas and I do really like it. I do prefer to wear perfume though so I think I will wear this when I am just staying at home. There is about half left.

Nivea double effect deodorant - I have never used this although I have tried other Nivea deodorants and absolutely hated them. Hopefully it will be good but if not it won't take long to use up.

Natural collection body spray in apple and lime - I actually have 7 of these, not all in the same scent but I got a gift set just containing these. I have already used about half but as I have 6 others to use I just want to use them up as quickly as possible.

Dove damage therapy intensive repair conditioner - I think I won 2 of these in a competition. I have already used one and really like it although I don't think it makes much difference to the condition of the hair. This is full.

Please let me know if you like this post as if you do I will do one every month.

Megan xx

Next Seven Days Of Shoes

First of all sorry for the lack of posts. I am going to try and get at least one up a week from now on. 

There is currently a competition running where you have to pick 7 pairs of shoes from Next and pick an outfit to go with them from Next. I have been loving the clothes Next have in at the moment so I thought why not give this a go.

This would be the perfect cold autumn day look. The items above are:

• Four strap biker boot
• Sexy high waist skinny jeans
• Hand knit pattern cardigan
• Long sleeved top in white

This look is so easy to wear and really casual.

• Red sole brogue 
• Thin strap vest in white
• Black full length leggings
• Denim shirt 

No one said these looks had to be autumn/winter appropriate :) This could also be worn with tights.

• Studded chiffon top
• Geri flag denim shorts
• Berry suede chunky pumps
• Step back cardigan (if its cold)

This outfit would make such a gorgeous evening outfit. I know the dress doesn't look to good in the picture but its gorgeous in person.

• Black lace dress
• Trim Island Platforms
• Black lace structure clutch bag
• Rose gold ring watch

I really love this casual look and although i'm not too sure about the leggings they could be replaced with jeans or a different colour leggings.

• Black studded heel platforms
• Blue oversized jumper
• Animal print leggings
• Sparkle ball necklace

This look is so cosy and would be perfect for winter. If your not a fan of the red top it comes in a subtle green too.

• Elastic rider boots
• Black skinny jeans
• Ombre knit tunic
• Pinky Owl beanie hat (for a bit of fun)

Pyjamas count as an outfit right? Well anyway they do in my book especially now the days are getting colder. As you can see I don't tend to match nightwear, I just buy whatever looks cosy and cute.

• Knitted owl boot slippers
• Owl you need is love pyjama set
• Butterfly print super soft robe

So there it is my entry to the shoe competition. I would really love to win as although I love shoes I don't have nearly as many as I would like to have.

Which outfit is your favourite? Mine are the 1st and 6th ones.

If you would like a link or price for any item please just ask.

Megan xx

NOTD: Zoya Shelby

(This photo was taken on day 2 of wearing the nail polish. My mum hasn't quite mastered holding the nail polish correctly for photos :)

Zoya nail polishes were never something I had heard much about until one appeared in a beauty box and they became a big thing in the blogging community. I tried the shade Shelby, a barbie pink colour which is lovely, definitely one of the better pinks in my collection. The colour is opaque enough to get away with one coat although I do think 2 coats would be better. I found that the polish dried really well and applied quite nicely. I used it on my mums nails and because she does a lot it chipped within about 3 days on her.I will certainly be trying more colours from Zoya as I really did enjoy using this one. 

Zoya polishes cost £11 and are available from here.

What is your favourite brand of nail polish?

Megan xx