Sunny days...

These few days have been a wonderful, sunny, summer outfit inspiring long weekend for me in the UK! I wonder what it's like in other parts of the UK? :) 

I've had a few days off work and so, somehow the days have just slipped away without me realising! I've been in London, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Hastings and Chessington within just a few days, but it's been worth it. The sun has made me yearn for summer and I just can't wait for the warmer evenings with a cocktail or two in hand ;) 

As i'm sure most of you shop in Topshop, i'm sure alot of you will be aware of their super soft skinny jeans which are a must have! They come in lots of different colours and there are thicker and thinner jeans material ranges (correct me if i'm wrong?!) however, shopping in Primark the other day I noticed that they now too have a range of super soft super skinny jeans! 

I'm not really the greatest fan of primark jeans as I don't feel they wash well and somehow on me, the waist band seems to be very, very low! (this could just be a result of my silly giraffe type legs) But I stumbled upon some black long fit super soft super skinnies and i'm a convert! 

They feel lovely. Admittedly not as good as topshop, but for the price tag, i can forgive that! They come in lots of different colours, including my favourite acid wash which i will be soon stocking up on! and for only 11 pounds?! i'm impressed :) 

(sorry I didn't take any pictures, they're currently packed away in my travel bag!)

what are your recent primark bargains?

On another note, these few days have made me wish and wonder why sometimes I forget about the nice things, and don't sometimes let time just pass me by in the sun.....

B xx

I don't like Mondays....

Good evening everyone!

How have your weekends been? I do apologise for my lack of posts, and lack of pictures in this post! There are so many posts that I have up in my head that I've been working on, but so far work has had to take priority and unfortunately fun has taken a back seat!

But I have a bit of spare time now and fancied a bit of blogging and youtubing!

My morning was lightened up when I arrived at my desk this morning to 2 parcels.... one, a graze box which I may or may not do a post on, but do have a free code if anyone's interested, and one from Latest In Beauty. This is a sort of subscription service, as the like of Glossybox, however there are different options. There are options for 3 mini samples, or your own choice of luxury samples, or one of their "themed boxes" which include a selection of their luxury samples.

Now, I've had beauty boxes in the past and i've not been 100% impressed, so I was a bit sceptical of how good the Latest In Beauty box was going to be! I had originally received an email from a lovely lady there called Monika, letting me know that one of the products in my box was out of stock, so they were going to replace it with a more expensive product - always a plus with me! When the box arrived, it was in a lovely pink box and I was very impressed with all of the sample sizes. They were more like travel sizes than samples, and some of the items were even full size!

I've been very impressed with Latest In Beauty, and would recommend everyone checking them out.

On another note, I'm currently undecided as to what car I want to look in to. I desperately need to swap mine for something more user friendly, as, although my car may be a bit more fun, I hate it!

So the search continues.....

B xx

2012 Harrods Edition GlossyBox

Hello All!

The other morning, I was greeted with a very nice surprise of the very special Harrods edition glossybox. I have to admit, I've never been overly excited with the whole beauty box concept, but looking at all of the PR news from them, this box seemed very exciting.

                                  I apologise for my shocking photos - I didn't consider the lights reflecting off the box.....


I am afraid to say, that in some senses, I was very disappointed with this box. Maybe it was all of the hype around it, or maybe I was just expecting a bit too much, but this fell about as flat as all the other boxes I've seen.....

The box itself was very pretty, as usual it was wonderfully packed, and even had little harrods touches of ribbon. It also come with a Harrods skin care magazine, which some people may find interesting, but I personally thought was just designed to sell very expensive products, just in case you don't remember that a 20% off voucher is included in the box.

Now, on to the products! 

All looks promising in the box....

However, once out of the box it does seem a little bit pointless. 

Included in my box was....

Valentino - Valentina Eau De Parfum

Molton Brown Vitalising Vitamin AB+C Bath and Shower Gel

SKII Skin Signature

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara

Clarins Extra Firming Body Cream

Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil

What I was disappointed with was that most of the samples included in my box, I believe, would be classed under the "free sample" category. The perfume was one of the little samples you can get free at any counter, the beauty oil was such a tiny, tiny sample, i'm not sure anyone could really get an idea of the product. I was happy with the rest, but not as excited as I wanted to be. 

I had high hopes for this box, and maybe that is the problem. However, I think my advice would be to keep your pennies in future for something you might actually use, rather than useless samples. Although, we all know as soon as I say this, something very, very exciting will be in the next box! ;) 

Did you get the Harrods edition Glossybox? What are your thoughts? And have you found any better beauty boxes out there? I would love to know!

On another point, I was here over the weekend....

This photo was taken around sunset, so it does look a little dark, but it is a very beautiful place that I think would really come alive in the heat of summer! It's in Sharpenhoe, a little village in south bedfordshire and if you like nature, then head along with a picnic basket. Next time, I might even get some pictures in the sun.... ;) 

B xx

Odd days...

Today has been an awfully odd day. I've not been back at work for very long and so there have been some very long and painful days, and more to come!

I'm not often in one place for more than a few days at a time, and so some days I'll be seeing things such as....

and other days I'll be right in the middle of.... (cue long lost Christmas pictures from the BB....)

But I would never really want to change it. I love that sometimes I can disappear in to the countryside, and other times, everything I want is within a few metres of me. 

Currently I'm in a small little town in south east London/Kent, which leaves much to be desired. Since being off work for a few weeks, I've been thinking about what I want from the future, and where I want to be. For the first time in a couple of years, I'm really not sure. Sometimes, I think it's easy to stay where I am, doing what I'm doing. But do I really want to look back in 10-15 years and realise how much time I've wasted towards getting to my goal?

This might all sound a bit miserable to you! But it's honestly not, as I find it motivating and encouraging in reaching my ambitions. So whilst some people might be sitting in an office, looking at report after report, or perhaps working in retail, serving customer after customer, remember that, although some days may become mundane, don't ever lose sight of your goals.

B xx

Wake me up...

Good morning! I hope everyone is doing well.

Today, I woke up this morning to a very miserable sky indeed. Not only did I not feel like getting up and making myself half presentable for work, I've recently been recovering from some surgery and so haven't been feeling 100% for a few weeks now!

That's where this little beauty comes in....

New Rimmel wake me up foundation!

For years, I was not a fan of drug store foundations, and always favoured higher end brands, as I found they lasted longer, worked better for my skin, and some of their amazing claims were actually true. That was, until I discovered All Well an Good in Ashford Designer Outlet. I may do another review on the outlet at another time, as, although it doesn't exactly like up to its 'designer' name, it has a few good shops there and is always good to pick up a bargain or two. Anyway, it was here where I first purchased my first Revlon colorstay foundation and from then, I was hooked on trying out new foundations.

On first looks in the bottle, this foundation does seem to be quite shimmery and appears to have very fine glitter through the formulation. However, on my skin I didn't see any shimmer, just a subtle sheen which is really the idea of the foundation so no complaints there.

On first pump, the formulation does seem to be quite a thick, gel like consistency.

First warnings! it does have a very odd, artificial smell. It's not off-putting or sickly, but a very fake fresh smell. I can get over this, and it only really seems to be before the foundation is set anyway.

I found it to be a lot more natural applied using a foundation brush, which I normally don't find when using dewy foundations like this. It also has an SPF of 15, although I would always use an SPF under my foundation too, along with a 10 hour promise. I've worn this foundation for the last week or so and can say that in general, this foundation does have a good lasting time, although I did have to touch up my concealer. (but this could be something said about my concealer, or my dreadful under eye circles!)

All in all, for a foundation under £10, not to mention a 3 for 2 on Rimmel products, I would say it is well worth a try!

B xx

Obsolete Beginnings....

So, whilst i'm not entirely new to the beauty blogging community, I have decided on a very obsolete and boring Monday to start up a jazzy little blog of my own, where I will be reviewing cosmetics, fashion, thrifty tips and maybe just a few little bits and pieces of my life. Firstly, i'd like to let you know that my 9 to 5 job is not beauty or in any way related to beauty. Infact, it couldn't be further! So anything you read here is just little things i've learnt along the way and find useful and tips and tricks are always there to be shared! A main part of my life is car, job related or otherwise, and so there may be the odd bit here and there of reviews, as I think most people who drive need a little chat every now and then about what cars they like, enjoy, or even suit them! Cars are fashion to a certain degree, and they all build up to the lifestyle that we lead. I also spend alot of time in the countryside of Bedfordshire so this could contribute to the fact I would be lost without my car! Over the next few days and weeks i'll be reviewing some products i've recently purchased, including the new Rimmel foundation, and some wonderful miracle shampoo for blonde hair.... I'm very excited to be starting this adventure, until next time..... xx