Tag: weekend

Lookfantastic with all of the lights

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The November edit of Lookfantastic Beauty box is a fab one and I have a great offer for you as well if you are thinking of signing up! So this month the theme is all of the colours and all of the lights – perfect for transition into December as Christmas draws nearer!

This months box had 6 items mainly in gorgeous shades of purple!

There was Molton Brown Ylang-Ylang bath and shower gel, Le mini macaron Foot mask, Balance Me BHA exfoliating concentrate, Prai throat and décolletage creme, Diego Dalla Palma brow pencil and Comfort Zone Night cream.

Lookfantastic November box

I absolutely loved the foot mask, a real spa type treat and fab for giving my feet some tlc. It smelled lovely and my feet have been so soft. My other stand out from this month is the Molton Brown, smells gorgeous and it’s my fave colour – purple! The Comfort Zone night cream is a really good formula and my skin has felt so nice, really nourished and replenished!

Special offer!

I’m currently subscribed on a 6 monthly basis and pay £13.75 including postage and packaging for my box. I’ve always found this a great box, usually with a skincare focus as well as some tools like brushes/ sponges. Lately they’ve also been including more makeup items. For a limited time if you use the code FREEGIFT you can get a free Sol de Janeiro cream when you subscribe! While stocks last and only on 3,6 or 12 month subscriptions

Lookfantastic have a range of subscriptions available here with a rolling subscription where you pay month by month as well as 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions.

So what’s your thoughts on this months box??

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Beauty beyond Boundaries

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This months Lookfantastic theme is a great one with International Women’s Day approaching in March 8th.

The theme of Beauty beyond Boundaries is to encourage us to feel beautiful and ensure any flaws we think we have don’t define us. This years International Women’s day theme is Choose to Challenge and I think challenging the way we view and think about ourselves is a great way to celebrate this year. We’ve all at some point been way too hard on ourselves whether it’s our appearance, our work, whether we’ve been a good parent or spouse. But if the last year has taught me anything it’s that I’ve got to be much kinder to myself and give me a break, and I hope you all will too!

First we have AHAVA mineral mud soap which is for face and body and meant to cleanse without stripping your skin of moisture.

Next is a duel ended eyebrow brush from Brushworks. This has a angled brush at one end ideal for applying either cream or powder brow products. The other end is an angled spoolie brush, perfect for brushing through your product and giving the trendy fluffy brow look.

Then we have a Lottie London pencil eyeliner, this is a really nice formula and really glides onto the lid. It also has a sharpener built into the lid so you don’t have to remember to sharpen it.

One of the things I really love about the Lookfantastic box is that they often include different haircare products and this month has a Christophe Robin hair treatment which is ideal for dry or damaged hair. I like that with this you only need to leave it on for 2-3 mins so it’s not a long treatment and can be done while you have a shower.

First Aid Beauty is one of my favourite brands and I’ve actually used this product before! The facial radiance pads are amazing and something I really enjoy using. Basically they are to be used after you cleanse, you can use them daily, and act as a toner brightening and smoothing the skin. The thing I really like about these is they are able to be used on sensitive skin and make my skin look so clear.

Blossom and Bloom is a brand I’ve not used before and this is called their wonder balm. It’s a bit like the Dr Paw Paw original in texture and is a multi-use product so they recommend it for chapped lips and dry hands in particular. It smells amazing, like aromatherapy oils and has lavender, Shea butter and vitamin E. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, and the texture is really rich. I think I will use this at night as I think it will be lovely to apply before bed and have the scent lingering!

And finally the last product in my box is Polaar IceSource Ultra Moisturising Mask. I’ve used the micellar water from the same range and really enjoyed it. This mask is a cooling treatment for helping hydrate and leave skin refreshed. It’s a leave on moisturising mask so again I think this would be a lovely one to apply after a bath or shower in the evening and let work it’s magic overnight.

So this month everything was a mini or deluxe sample aside from the eyebrow brush but we did get 7 items this month, making each item cost just over £2 each which I still find great value.

Lookfantastic have a range of subscriptions available here . I’m currently subscribed on a monthly basis and pay £15 inc postage and packaging for my box. If you got this box what did you think?

Glossybox March 2020 All eyes on me

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The latest Glossybox has arrived and it’s a goodie with some gorgeous makeup treats to see me through the month. If you don’t know about Glossybox, it’s a beauty box subscription where you are sent 5 items each month. You can subscribe for various amounts of time or purchase a one-off box.

I pay £11.75 per month for my Glossybox including shipping but there are lots of plans available on their website www.glossybox.co.uk from 1-12 month plans

First up it’s an MCo Beauty Long Lasting lipstick, we’ve had MCo products before and I really like them as a brand. The lipstick is a nude shade called Flawless with a matte finish. It’s definitely a shade I would choose and has a non drying feel which is rare for a matte formula. It’s not particularly long lasting in my opinion but I generally find that traditional lipstick never lasts as long as liquid mattes. This is worth £15 and I’d definitely purchase it again because of the colour.

Next we have Ciate London’s Stamp and Drag eyeliner. This is actually one of my favourite products from Ciate and I’ve purchased this before. The idea with this is you get a wing shaped stamp to help you with doing a perfect flick and then you can frame round the eyes with the pointed felt tip style. I’ve never been great with eyeliner and this has helped me massively. It’s really long lasting and stays Jet Black all day. This is £15 to purchase from Ciates website.

Who doesn’t love a good highlighter ? The next product is a Sleek highlighter palette in Copperplate. A beautiful mix of colours that blend nicely and aren’t heavy when applied. It’s an all powder palette and I think this will be gorgeous for spring and summer when the nicer weather starts. This is £9.99 RRP.

Also included is an Eyeko mascara which comes in a fun tube like toothpaste! The curved brush is designed to give volume and I’m looking forward to seeing what this formula is like. My go to has been the Too Faced Better than Sex mascara so I’m interested to try something new. This is a deluxe mini size and is worth £10.

Lastly a toothpaste from Whiteglo. This is probably my least favourite product in the box, it’s not particularly exciting to get a toothpaste but it will be used and as it’s mini sized is perfect for my washbag while travelling. This is again a deluxe mini and worth £1.05

In total this months box has a value of £51.04 so great value, and all of the products are something I will use. Despite the toothpaste not being my favourite item to receive in a beauty box!

The April sneak peek is an Avant Exfoliating Cleanser which I am really looking forward to. We’ve had quite a few Avant products, including primer and moisturiser in Glossybox over the past year and they are a really great skincare brand.

Through the Looking Glass

This Thursday I’m throwing back to an afternoon to remember at The Looking Glass, Sunderland.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Looking Glass for an afternoon tea themed hen party. The cafe/bar is a fantastic venue with quirky accessories befitting it’s name. Each way you looked you seemed to see something different with rabbits, mad hatters and playing cards galore!

The delicious afternoon tea had the usual sandwich selections along with quiche, macaroons, sweet and savoury scones , cakes and tea served in china pots, with real cups and saucers.

Each treat was more delicious than the last with my favourite definitely being the scones. I know there’s debate about whether the cream or jam goes on a scone first (answers on a postcard please!)

There was so much included in the afternoon tea we ended up boxing some to take home. My 4 year old was really excited to find mini battenburg and cupcakes when I got home!

I would highly recommend a visit to the Looking Glass and I will definitely be back to try more of their delicious food.

The Looking Glass is in Sunniside, Sunderland city centre.

For more information visit their Facebook page by searching The Looking Glass, you won’t be disappointed!

Toy Story 4

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Toy Story goodies

So we are massive Toy Story fans in our house. Disney is a huge part of our lives and we were all mega excited to see the new Toy Story 4 movie.

No spoilers but it’s definitely different from any of the other movies and for some a bit emotional. One of my favourite things is the change in Bo Peep which has been well publicised, but I’ll leave it there if you’re still planning a visit! This post is all about some of the cool things we’ve picked up now that most of the Toy Story merchandise has dropped.

Primark Woody cushion

With a discerning 4 year old son and Toy Story mega fan, it was a great time to pick up some cute accessories for his bedroom. This cushion was only £7 from Primark and he loved it so much he insisted on using it as a pillow for his bed!

We also got some bedding and curtains for Daniels room, he’s now 4 and we wanted to make his room a little more grow up for him. Needless to say he loves it! The bedding and curtains are from Dunelm Mill and the curtains have blackout lining, perfect for little ones.

Toy Story Toddler bedding £14 , sheet £6

Toy Story Curtains £45 from Dunelm Mill

Boots UK offer

We picked up some suncream for the summer at Boots and got this free water bottle, featuring none other than Toy Story 4 star Forky. Possibly the most relatable item in the movie is Forky, the toy Bonnie makes from items in the trash. As a mum to a 4 year old we get some weird and wonderful creations brought home from nursery and I love this element of the film showing how creative children’s minds can be.

When the toys take a selfie!

Pizza Planet T-shirt from Primark

I picked up this Pizza Planet T-shirt from Primark for £6 for our family trip to the cinema . We went with a Pizza Planet theme as Daniel loves the aliens, his shirt is from ASDA. Phils is the traditional Pizza Planet logo and is from Amazon.

Toy Story 4 Fan Club!

It was one of Daniels first trips to the cinema and he sat pretty well. You can tell by our faces how excited we were!

Have you seen Toy Story 4 yet?

I’m so looking forward to the Lion King coming up now and now the trailer for the live action Mulan has dropped too it’s an exciting time for Disney fans!

My favourite live action adaptation so far has been Jungle Book so I’m hoping that the Lion King can live up to that!

Spice up your life

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Why is the world going crazy for the Spice Girls?

Don’t worry this isn’t a negative post – I was front and centre at the show a few weeks ago in Sunderland, singing along at the top of my voice!

Spice World 2019 at Sunderland Stadium of Light

It’s amazing to me that a girl group who last toured back in 2007 still holds such a dear place in the hearts of us 30 somethings that grew up with their music.

The Spice Girls were built around Girl Power and friendship, two decades on from their debut in 1996 and its still the core of their performances.

Theres been much debate over whether Posh was a spoil sport not joining them on this tour, and as much as I missed her ( yes I am a massive VB fan) I understand her reasons. However it certainly doesn’t spoil the show and I loved seeing all the old footage of SpiceWorld and photos from the height of their fame with Victoria still featured.

Geri was so emotional at the Wembley show given that last time the girls were there she missed it due to having left mid way through their world tour. Even resulting in an apology for leaving the first time around. It really highlighted that friendships, especially ones that have been as long as theirs, have ups and downs but a simple apology is sometimes all you need to weather the storm.

I was about 13 when the Spice Girls burst into the music scene, and I think they were probably one of the first experiences I had of feminism.

I know there will be many people who don’t view the Spice Girls as feminist and to that I say there’s no one way to be a feminist.

The Spice Girls pioneered a movement in the Nineties which reintroduced and created a modern form of feminism. One which emphasised that being a feminist was to be worn as a badge of honour.

The Spice Girls represent to me a time when you were proud to stand up and be a girl, unafraid to be yourself. In those five characters they created we all saw ourselves and were one or a mix of a few, you didn’t need to be perfect you just needed to be you. Bringing a generation of girls (me included) into their world and believing we could achieve anything we wanted to put our minds to.

They spread the word that women are strong and confident; that women are stronger together and friendship and love are key to your life, something we should all hold dear .

So there will always be comments like, they can’t sing, they’re too brash, loud, annoying but for me the Spice girls will always be my first real experience of feminism.

Something I think in the modern world we forget, real women fix each other’s crowns.

And friendship really can last forever ♾

Viva Forever 🦋

A few of my favourite pictures from the Sunderland concert!

Sporty and Ginger

Rainbow 🌈 confetti

Girl Power!

Casual Chic

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I love when all the little details of a look come together. The weather has been driving me crazy lately so my go to outfit has been jeans and sweatshirts. The great thing is sweats don’t have to look sloppy with so many cute styles that keep you comfy, cosy and on trend!

This one is from the H&M Plus Range and was £24.99 with some beautiful embroidery of little hearts and stars which runs all over the back. I love the details like this which make a simple sweatshirt feel a bit more special! I really like that H&M have reviewed their sizing as the fit is so much better now. I probably could have sized down in this as it is an oversized fit and it’s mega baggy. I really liked the look when it was on so decided to just keep it.

I make no secret that I love my handbags and this Cromia one is no exception. I have a bit of a sentimental attachment as I actually bought it while on my honeymoon in Rome. It’s a really versatile piece with detachable straps and works well for Day or Night. It’s a great size as well, I hate when I can’t fit my purse in a bag! But the thing I love the most is the little studded detail and the fittings round the clasp. They really make the bag pop and give a luxe feel.

Jumper – H&M Jeans- Tu Clothing Bag- Cromia Bags Shoes- Vivienne Westwood

Teamed with a pair of jeans from Tu Clothing and my favourite last season Vivienne Westwood trainers, this look is a perfect blend of high/low fashion. Picking out the colour of the embroidery with the stripe in the jeans and breaking it up with the white trainers makes it an easy to throw on casual look which works for relaxed weekend wear. And ready for any weather changes!