Win a fantastic beauty hamper full of pampering treats

With Christmas just around the corner I wanted to run one last competition for 2014.

This massive beauty bonanza includes lots of pampering treats that will keep you going after the stressful festive period.

So here's a look at what you could win:

• Wilkinson Sword Hydrosilk Shaver
• Too Faced Liquified Long wear lipstick in Melted Peony
• Leighton Denny Quattro Nail File
• Sleek makeup lipgloss in Forbidden City
• Company Lashes Mascara
• Make Believe Instant Tan Bronzer
• Glitter Tattoos
• Next Sheer Patterned Tights in Medium

The competition will run for one month and the lucky winner will get a extra treat just after Christmas. To enter just follow the Rafflecopter instructions.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Asda Rocky Road House Kit Review

Gingerbread houses - we've all seen them. Cute house shaped biscuits that make you think of roaring fires and snow. Whilst it's unlikely we'll get snow anytime this Christmas I really wanted to create my own little gingerbread house.

I heard Morrisons had a gingerbread kit and hoped Asda would have something similar. I browsed the baking aisle and found a glorious looking Rocky Road house. It wasn't a gingerbread house but it was a bargain at £3 and looked suitably Christmassy.

The instructions on the back were fairly simple and acoompanied by a diagram so it was quite easy to follow. The set advises you to split up your ingredients into a number of piles in order to have enough to complete the house. The chocolate is melted down and the biscuits and marshmallows added for that familiar rocky road taste. Another cute addition were little wafer cones that I dipped in chocolate for Christmas trees. After pouring the mixture into the moulds I popped it into the fridge to set and waited. Once they had set I excitedly took them out of the fridge and was disappointed when one of my roof pieces broke in half. There was only enough mixture to do one set of each pieces so I quite frustratingly had to find the ingredients in my kitchen cupboards to try and create more mixture to create a new piece.

When I took the second mould out of the fridge another of the roof pieces broke in half and I had a horrible sense of de-ja-vu. On inspection I found the chocolate was very thin around the break area. So third time lucky I made yet more mixture and finally had enough pieces to complete my house.

I found that the amount of chocolate included isn't really sufficient for the number of house pieces you have to create and that this results in the chocolate being overly thin and cracking easily. 

I used the icing to set the house and realised that I had put the marshmallows on the wrong part of the roof. When I tried to put the door on a marshmallow got in the way and unfortunately one of my side panels split in half.

It was quite a frustrating process however it stayed upright long enough for me to move the house on to its base and decorate with snow and red chocolate beans.

Once it was finished it looks lovely but the creation process was a rather frustrating one. If I had the option next time I think I will make a gingerbread house. Much less hassle.

Rocky road house is available for £3 at Asda

Baby You Won't Be Cold Inside With November's Edition of My Little Box

Baby it's cold outside... and it's time to get cosy.

November's My Little Box is really raising the cosy factor up a notch with their latest edition which really evokes a warm feeling inside.

In my latest review of November's Birch Box I noted how they were going for a cosy feel however, when comparing the two I would say My Little Box came up trumps with their wintery offering.

I'm always surprised by the goodies with My Little Box and this month has really brought a smile to my face. Here's what they had to offer.


Tsumori Chisato Designed Hot Water Bottle
It's certainly not the typical design of hot water bottle you might expect. Designed by Tsumori Chisato, a Japanese fashion designer this hot water bottle is super cute and unusual. It's quite compact and can be rolled up so it doesn't take up much room and I love the super chic red polka dot design. I love how the polka dots take on a random form like a cats head and a circle with bobbles, and feel this really makes it that little bit more unique. Inside are tiny little beads....

My Little Box All You Need is Coffee
When I saw this I actually thought they had put a box of coffee in my box. As I don't like coffee that was a sobering thought. However when I opened it I found the cutest little cappuccino style mug with the wording how is your day gonna be? I thought they had really given it a personal touch. The mug is well packaged and safe in its container and whilst I probably won't have any drinks that small it's a cute addition to my kitchen cupboard.

 


Yves Rocher Intense Colour Single Eyeshadow 
This eyeshadow comes in ashy brown, coffee brown and smokey grey and is perfect for giving even the most innocent eyes a sexy sultry glaze. With the Christmas party season on our door step the eyeshadow is a great colour for creating smouldering eyes and perhaps getting a kiss under the mistletoe. Maybe even I'll get lucky this year?
You can buy yours for £13.20 at Yves Rocher

 
Arcancil Starliner Black Waterproof Eyeliner
November means rain, cold and misery, but it doesn't have to mean your makeup ends a wet soggy mess. If you take the right precautions you can come home looking just as hot as you did the moment you stepped out the door. So kepe that smile on your face, and keep on singing in the rain with Arcancil's Starliner waterproof eyeliner. The formula is designed so it won't shift even in the biggest downpour, so you can keep that smokey eye what ever you're up to.
You can buy yours for £5.50 at Arcancil

My Little World Magazine
Now normally I wouldn't mention the magazine that's included in most beauty boxes but this month I thought it was worth mentioning. The magazine continues that cosy theme with a cosy photo shoot at home with a warm wooly oversized jumper, cup of steaming tea and a scarf all featuring. There is a interview with Caroline Gomez, the editor of a lifestyle magazine Slo and a look into her minimalistic home. A link to a My Little Detective game which is a bit like Cluedo without Colonel Mustard and the candle stick.You can learn how to make some paper lanterns and learn more about what inspires Tsumori Chisanti to create her great work. I found the Ikat nail tutorial, a traditional Indian technique of weaving and dying, quite unusual and great for inspiration. Once you've finished painting your nails you can put your hair up into a messy braided bun with the help of the easy tutorial and get some tips on how to remove your makeup properly. Finally there's a tutorial on how to create a simple smokey eye and some yummy recipes.

 
My Little Beauty Volume Mascara
This little mascara aims to work your lashes, leaving them volumised and regenerated with a formula of beeswax, jojoba and sesame oil. With this mascara doing its magic your lashes will be fanned out and separated ready for you to face the day. 
You can buy yours for £16.00 at My Little Beauty




Final Thoughts
When I consider the contents of this box I think it is all stuff I would use, apart from the mug perhaps. Whilst you might not get as many items as you would in other beauty boxes I think My Little Box puts a lot more thought into each box and provides stuff you're more likely to use. As always it gets a thumbs up from me.

Boxes are £11.99 plus P&P

If you want to become one of My Little Box's latest subscribers head over to their site now

What do you think? Has it made you feel all warm inside? 
 

How to Create Santa Baby Christmas Themed Nail Tutorial

It may not be December just yet but with the Christmas advertisements on TV and a festive feel in the air I thought a Christmas themed nail tutorial would go down a treat. The idea of Santa Baby is to create one statement nail and accentuate the other nails with festive shades. The tricky part is keeping the white and silver layers even but otherwise it's quite a easy design to recreate. Have fun ladies!

Here's what I used to create the design:

Coconuts are the superfood that you can cook, bake, eat, drink and rub on your skin for nutritious goodness

Coconuts are more then just a fairground prize, they are a highly nutritious health food that you can drink, eat and even bake with. It's great for your hair and skin and it helps to boost energy levels. Is there anything this super nutritious fruit can't do?

Keep hydrated
Coconut water is loaded with electrolytes and is perfect as a post-workout drink. It's low in calories and even helps your body rehydrate after a strenuous workout. It does have sugar in so drink in moderation if you're trying to avoid it.


Flake it up
Coconut flakes are full of medium-chain fatty acids that help to stimulate your body's metabolism which in turn leads to weight loss. They offer instant energy and are a great healthy alternative to chocolate chips in cookies or cakes.

Yoghurt with a twist
Love yoghurt but hate the feeling it gives you? Co Yo is the dairy free alternative yoghurt which is packed full of creamy coconut goodness. you can eat it alone or try it with fresh fruit or a high fibre cereal. Perfect before your morning run.

Coconut milk
It's rich, it's creamy and it's dairy free. Coconut milk helps to nourish your immune system  and can be used in your coffee or tea instead of soy or almond. Perfect if you're lactose intolerant or simply don't like milk.

The power of flour
Coconut flour is high in fibre, healthy fats and protein and it has a low GI so it won't spike your blood sugar levels. It's also ideal for coeliacs as it's gluten free. You can add it to you morning cereal, to thicken up gravies or even add it to sauces.

Oiltastic
You can use coconut oil instead of vegetable or butter to cut down on the amount of unhealthy saturated fats in your diet. It will also aid your digestion skin and hair. If cooking with it isn't enough you can even rub it on your skin or hair for instant moisture that your body will simply adore.

Debenhams blogger christmas party outfit competition

Glamour at your Christmas party is extremely important and a well coordinated outfit can really make you yurn heads.

Here's a outfit I found on Debenhams and is part of the Debenhams Christmas party outfit competition.
              

Debut black embellished one shoulder maxi dress £180.00

J by Jasper Conran Designer black floral beaded pouch bag £40.00

Debut black jewel strap high sandals £49.50

Jon Richard Cubic Zirconia peardrop twist necklace £35.00

My November shopping haul: Dorothy Perkins, New Look, H&M, Debenhams and River Island

This Saturday I headed off to Canterbury to do a bit of shopping. I hadn't been in years, literally since I left Christchurch university in 2008 (a looong time) and I was feeling a bit nostalgic. I aimed to get some sweets from this little pick and mix shop they had at the end of the high street but in the end decided I didn't want them after all.

Instead I got these little beauties - psst some are these are christmas presents.

The Body Shop and RSPCA join together in a unique campaign to Make Over The World

To highlight their work in protecting animals, The Body Shop and the RSPCA have come together in a unique collaboration called Makeover The World.

Despite thinking animal testing is a thing of the past, thousands of animals worldwide still suffer in the name of beauty. Whilst animal testing is now prohibited in the European Union, many well known cosmetic companies continue to test on animals outside of the EU to sell in other parts of the world or in those countries that require mandatory animal testing.

Following the EU sales ban which stops products tested on animals outside the EU being sold on our shelves, countries like Israel, India and Brazil have already looking into improved practices and legislation.

If you're one of the 7 out of 10 people who want a end to animal testing join The Body Shop in their campaign to Makeover the World by asking the top 10 global cosmetic companies to stop needless animal cruelty.

One unique part of the campaign involved in The Body Shop reaching out and Testing on the Blogger. When I was approached to take part I loved the idea and thought it was a fantastic way of raising awareness. I was sent a fantastic bundle of The Body Shop makeup to test and wasted no time in creating the perfect cruelty free makeover.

The Body Shop Colour Crush lipstick
Infused with a rich moisture this gorgeous lipstick gives a high impact colour. Available in 29 shades the lipstick offers real variety and shades to suit all whether you prefer nude lips to pillar box red. Colour Crush is a vivid crimson red that smells amazing and glides on with ease. I was disappointed by the lack of colour transfer when applied and felt it ended up giving the results of a lip balm or lip gloss.
Available for £10.00 at The Body Shop

 
The Body Shop Define and Lengthen Mascara
Say goodbye to short lashes with The Body Shop Define and Lengthen mascara. The product defines lashes and helps to make them longer with a smudge resistant glossy formula. The results are fairly average for a high street mascara and whilst my lashes were defined I didn't feel it added much in the way of length.
Available for £10.00 at The Body Shop


 


The Body Shop Shimmer Waves
Boost your complexion with five gorgeous shimmering shades for your face and cheeks. Whilst the product is a little expensive it has a multitude of uses and it can be used as a blusher, bronzer and even eyeshadow. The powder is heavily pigmented and whilst I didn't feel it added a lot of shimmer when on it's still a really useful addition to your makeup bag.
Get it for £16.00 at The Body Shop




The Body Shop Colour Crush Eyeshadow
These intensely pigmented eye shadows have a pearlescent or matte effect based on the colour with a silky soft texture. They can be used wet or dry and are great for blending layers of colour. Available in 36 shades there's a eyeshadow for everyone occasion whether you're chilling with your friends or you're heading out on the town. Oh, Honey is a shimmery light gold shade that looks great with blue eyes and Head in The Sky is a deep cloud blue. Unfortunately the shades didn't add much colour when applied and I was more then a little surprised at this considering the price of them.
Get it for £7.00 at The Body Shop

The Body Shop Liquid Eyeliner
Applying eyeliner can be tricky but this felt tipped applicator helps to make things as easy as possible. Available in three shades the liner is smudge resistant and dermatologically tested.
Get it for £9.00  at The Body Shop

Smudger Brush
This soft foam tipped applicator helps to blend eyeshadow or smudge eyeliner. Great for a smokey eye or combining several colours together.
Get it for £9.00 at The Body Shop

The Body Shop Brow and Lash Comb
There's nothing worse then clumped lashes and messy brows and this Brow and Lash comb saves the day.
Get it for £8.00 at The Body Shop 

So if you want to recreate this natural looking makeover check out how I achieved this look.

Helen E Cosmetic Cream and Concealer Duo: Tried and Tested

The Gloss
Whilst life may be full of choices and options, Helen E's Cosmetic Cream and Concealer duo helps to make life easier with their one shade fits all pack. The colour is designed to suit most skin tones whether you are very fair, olive or light Asian.

The concealer is lightweight, lasts all day and gives a natural flawless finish. It works by brightening up under eye shadows and reducing redness with the yellow concealer.

The Lowdown
Over the years I have sought long and hard for a concealer that actually lasted longer then two hours, didn't make me look like a panda and helped me look awake. Despite trying many different brands, types and different ways of applying I've yet to find that holy grail of concealers. So when Helen E gave me the chance of trying their concealer I was a little sceptical to say the least that one shade could benefit all.

So how did it fare?

The product is smartly packaged in a silver carry case. Inside are two shades, a darker tan like shade and a very fair pale shade. In case you need to touch your makeup whilst on the train or at work there's also a mirror for easy application. The cream is covered with a plastic sheet which is making the concealer sweat and on removing the plastic I found it's actually quite wet.

The concealer feels sweaty and quite loose on application. I initially applied the tan shade and felt it didn't really conceal anything. The pale yellow shade doesn't add much coverage and the area under my eyes just looked greasy.

I have to say I'm really disappointed with concealer and can't say the product really did anything for me.

I give it 1/5

Get yours for £16.50 at Amazon

Advantages

• Comes with a mirror so you're not second guessing where you're applying the concealer

Disadvantages

• The one shade suits all factor doesn't really work
• Quite greasy and wet
• Quite pricey

Get cosy for winter with November's Birchbox

The thought of winter denotes images of hot bowls of tomato soup, scarves, gloves and toasty nights in tucked up with a good DVD.

This month Birchbox have tried to envisage that cosy night in with November's collection of pampering products.

So whether you want to paint your nails, detangle your hair or make yourself smell hot, Birchbox has it covered.

With two full size products worth £37.95 you're getting your moneys worth and a little extra on top. The box is really diversified and provides both cosmetic, hair and bath products so you can try something new in each sector.

So without further ado here's a quick snap shot into what's in the box.

OPI Coca Cola Red Nail Polish
This iconic classic red is part of OPI's Coca Cola collection. Perfect for a night out with your friends, whether Coca cola is on the menu or not!
You can buy this for £11.95 or get it full size in November's box.

Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle
Do you find yourself yanking your hair brush through a matted mess of hair in the morning? This little wonder product may be for you. It helps to detangle hair and minimises frizz whilst safeguarding colour and adding shine.
Go full size for £14.00

English Laundry Signature For Her
This gorgeous scent was inspired by rosy floral top notes with hints of musk. With a few sprays of this thoughts of classic country gardens won't be far away.
Go full size for £60.00

Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip Plumper
Whilst you may have tried many lip products that claim to give you that 'bee sting', Jane Iredale's aims to give plumping that lasts with a formula of mint oils and ginger root extract. The mint helps to stimulate your lips whilst the ginger boosts circulation whilst moisturising your lips with Shea butter.
Go full size for £22.00

Dr. Jart V7 Relief Vita Drop
This moisturiser is literally packed with vitamins that help to brighten and moisturise your skin. The added antioxidants restore elasticity helping to reduce those pesky fine lines.
You can buy this for £26.00 or get it full size in November's Birchbox

Drinkwel
There are so many multi-vitamins on the market now you're probably sick of the sight of them. Drinkwel is a multi-vitamin with a twist - it's a veggie friendly capsule that is loaded with all the stuff you need after a heavy night out.
Go full size for £39.99.

With the contents unveiled I'd love to know what you think. I personally love the moisturiser and nail varnish and think they add great value to the box. The other items are quite small but they are significant enough to give you a quick taste of the products. Would you be impressed?

Present ideas for Christmas 2014: Remington Silk Waving wand video review

With Christmas coming you're probably busy compiling a list of the latest perfumes and beauty must haves you want to get.

Whatever you might have on the top of your list you should definitely take a look at Remington's Silk Waving wand. Priced at under £30.00 in Boots, this little beauty has five star reviews and is great at helping to produce the perfect curl, whether you want it tight or loose.

Check it out in action.

Beautyuk launch a range of 22 new fantastic nail varnishes

The Gloss
BeautyUK launch 22 new statement shades in their flagship nail collection.

Pink You've Had Enough

The varnishes have been developed to offer the perfect balance of coverage, high gloss and intense deep pop colours to refined pastel hues. The varnish is designed to last for days without fading or chipping and dries quickly.

The new collection comes on the back of Beauty UK's Posh Polish collection and are perfectly pigmented with statement shine.

The Lowdown
The wide selection of available colours is really impressive and at only £2.99 you could buy them all and still have lots of money left over. For the review I chose to test Pretty in Pink and Pink You've Had Enough as the pretty feminine shades really took my fancy.

Pretty In Pink

Whilst the packaging is quite simple the varnishes still manage to maintain a premium effect which surpasses their small price tag. After applying the varnishes the one thing that stood out instantly is the high impact gloss and shine. The consistency of the varnish is quite thick and essentially you only really need one coat to give full coverage. I did notice however that for some reason the odd nail might come out thinner then the other coats. After about a minute the varnish was virtually dry although it was slightly tacky and could have been smudged if rubbed harshly.

Pretty in Pink is such a girly pretty colour whilst Pink You've Had Enough is a higher impact, almost coral like shade that really brightens up an outfit.

With a great range of colours, intense shine and gloss and a awesomely budget friendly price tag the new Beauty UK nail range is a real must have.

I give it 4/5

Available for £2.99 at Supedrug

Advantages

• Available in 22 shades from neutral to neon
• Adds high gloss and shine
• Dries quickly
• Budget friendly

Disadvantages

• None that I can see