Who doesn't like free beauty products?

I have been really impressed this month with the quality of 'free gifts' that some of the magazines have had this month. A little trip to Tesco for some stickers for my Year 1 class ended with me walking out with 3 Glamour magazines, InStyle and Marie Claire (the latter 2 I don't even read). These are the free gifts I was tempted with!

Glamour Magazine teamed up with L'occitane and had 3 skin care items up for grabs free with the magazine. I am nearing the end of my Clinique skin care products so these deluxe samples were perfect for me! I have always wanted to try L'occitane but it's always been a bit pricey for me - I cannot wait to try out this skin care range! You have an option of a cleansing gel, face toner and a hydration cream (moisturiser). I haven't tried these yet but I have listed some information about each product below for you to have a look at! The total of these deluxe samples was around £36 so it's not too shabby!

The Angelica Cleansing Gel contains essential oils of organic angelica which works brilliantly at removing make-up but not drying out the skin. It also turns into a foam when combined with water (I hate my Clinique soap because it doesn't foam). The Face Toner is also enriched with angelica essential oil which 'moisturises, refreshes and cleanses the skin of impurities'. The Hydration Cream boasts of being fresh and silky smooth and revitalising the skin. Have you tried any products from L'occitane? What were your thoughts?

Marie Claire have teamed up with Body Shop to give you the chance of picking up one of their cheek and lip tints. There is a choice of this red one or a more bronze-ey one for the summer. These retail for £10 in store so I had some really high expectations! I have also lost my mini Benetint (sad face) so I thought this would make for a cheaper substitute but boy was I disappointed! It was gloopy and and had a really chemically taste to it. I will not be using this as a lip tint. It works far better as a cheek stain but it does take a while to build up the colour. Have you tried this? What were your thoughts?

I was really excited to extend my Nails Inc collection when I heard that InStyle had 3 Nails Inc polishes up for grabs with there magazine this month. I was planning on getting all 3 but I ended up just getting this pink pastel colour because the others didn't really appeal to me (a baby blue and a pinky white one). I absolutely love this colour and the quality of the polish. I was worried that it might not be up to the normal Nails Inc standard because it was just a freebie with a magazine but one coat lasted me for a whole week (excluding some chips). Have you picked up any of these polishes?

I was, however, super sad to find out that RED magazine had the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish product as a free gift last month. I have been meaning to try that and I was gutted when I found out that I have missed out!

Have you picked up any good magazine freebies this month?

Are there any recommendations you would make?

Wishing for a money tree...

Letting me loose in Manchester town centre when I have just had my student grant through is the worst possible thing ever! I have a few very hectic months coming up so I thought I'd get a few essentials (and treat myself whilst at it). I spent the day with my little sister smooching around shops and blowing money that really should be kept away from me.

Here are a few of my purchases;

I got this adorable clutch that resembles the Marc Jacobs bag I wanted! I love the bright yellow colour, patent material, the chain handle, and the fact that it over £500 cheaper than the one on my 'wish list'. It was a bargain at just £10.

I gave into temptation and got these Nail Inc Magnetic nail varnishes because they.are.just.too.pretty! I got the green and purple polishes because I felt that they had stronger magnetic pattern to them. At £13 a pop they were expensive BUT it was worth it because....

I got these 10 mini Nail Inc nail varnishes for FREE! There a variety of different colours in the free gift pack. I cannot wait to try these out. 2 magnetic nail varnishes and 10 mini ones for £26 sounded like a reasonable price and completed sealed the deal for me.

I got this bag satchel from Primark for £5. BARGAIN! I have needed a new one for university ever since my leather Jane Norman gave up on me. I hope it is sturdy and doesn't live up to normal Primark standards.

I fell in love with this white lace top the second my gaze crossed it in Primark. I've seen the 'Peter Pan collar' trent in most shops but this is the only top that has really grabbed my attention. I'm planning on layering this over a white shirt and wearing it over black trousers for a smart slash casual look on my new placement. At a mere £6 it was totally within my *ahem* student budget.

I was so happy when I saw this bronzer brush in Primark for £1(!). I was even happier when I got home and realised that the brush was soft against my skin and pretty good quality. I don't like spending too much money on make up brushes because I always tend to lose them or they get ruined.

I also purchased this concealer brush from Boots. It's a No.7 concealer brush and was originally £8 but I got it for £3 because I had one of their £5 off vouchers. Those vouchers are a life saver for me at the moment (I have 3 more) because I get to top up on eye shadows and brushes without making a dent in my bank account.

Even as I'm typing this I can see the money adding up (yikes!) BUT it was worth it (must.justify.this.to.myself). I have heard a lot about felt tip liners on other bloggers pages so thought I'd try one out. I got the one from MaxFactor because it was the ONLY one in store, and then, after finding out that you get a free gift containing a makeup bag, 2 mini nail varnishes, a mini mascara and a mini eye liner if you spend over £12, I decided to add the Creme Puff face powder in Translucent to my shopping basket. I will do a review on these when I get around to trying them out. I am the most excited about the powder because I need something to set my make up especially now that I need to look professional.

I cannot make up my mind about whether or not I like Lipsy; sometimes I find some great bargains in there but other times it just seems a bit chavvy. However, on this trip I saw this cute cloth bag that I have been trying to order on their website (but it's always out of stock) for just £3. It's cute, flirty and funky so I just HAD to buy it.

Being a trainee teacher means that any stationary shop is HEAVEN and that is how I feel about Paperchase. I got the cutest little heart paper clips, cat highlighters, normal 'boring' paperclips (because it's not ALL fun and games), and some star stickers to make marking more fun. I spent over an hour browsing through all their stuff because I wanted to buy EVERYTHING...and it took a looong time to narrow it down to these items...

I am a Glamour girl so was very excited to see that this month's issue came with a FREE Beauty Guide magazine and a FREE hair conditioner. I am looking forward to trying out the conditioner because I'm growing my hair longer and it needs some looking after.

What was your latest shopping spree like?