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?

Foodie Weekend

Happy belated Bank Holiday Weekend!

I spent my weekend literally walking around like a stuffed penguin after the amount of food I consumed. Friday evening I decided to treat my little sister to Frankie & Benny's so we could indulge a little bit and catch up. The original plan was to go just for dessert and drinks but it ended up being a full blown meal! After the garlic dough balls and a main of pasta AND chips [it was chips or salad so...] I managed to fit a slice of chocolate brownie fudge cake into my tummy [it was literally the size of my head!].

On Saturday I went to Manchester with some of my friends. There was no plan on the agenda apart from catch up and eat...and eat we did! We met up at a Chinese restaurant called RICE and were blown away by the amount of options we had. I settled on a Sweet Chilli Thai Chicken with noodles. OMG - it is officially the best thing I have ever ate in my life! I wasn't able to finish it all because it was such a massive portion but trust me I tried! I was surprised because it was only £7.99! Be warned though - a can of Tango costs £1.50 - WHAT?!

Across from RICE was Patisserie Valerie so we HAD to go inside. We were tempted by this gorgeous cupcakes but we decided on truffles because we were saving room for drinks later.

After getting our munch on, we decided we needed to go for drinks. I recommended a bar that I had been too called Zouks, they make the best drinks! We literally filled ourselves with sugary goodness!

It was nearing half 5 by this point and we decided that we needed to do something a bit more productive in our day out...so we went for cake! There's a little dessert parlour called Treat on Wilmslow Road in Manchester that one of my friends had been to before so we decided to check it out. I tried this bubblegum sponge cake - it was so yummy! We were going to go for seconds but by that time we were all close to bursting out of our clothes so we thought it best that we didn't.

 How was your weekend?

What are your favourite places to eat at?

A glimmer of Hope...

Hey ladies and gents, this is how I am feeling right now! It is ironic that my last post was about being positive and finding the silver lining in every situation when all I want to do right now is crawl under a table and weep my poor sleep deprived eyes out...

I thought I would do a quick blog post to show my followers that I am still alive and I have so-so-so-so-so-so many amazing products, events and moments to blog about but alas, I never get the chance. Doing a postgrad course, being on placement and trying to find a job all at the same time is really hard work. I give myself 30 minutes everyday when I allow myself to come on here and catch up on all the blogs I follow as I find it therapeutic - however...I never post anything because I know all my self pity will seep out into my writing (like it has now).

I am really excited about the long weekend coming up because I will get a moment to catch my breath and do some blogging. Watch this space homies!

What are your tips on time management?

What do you like to do to calm your self down after a long day at work? 

Don't be a 'Mood Hoover'...

Dance with life and you’ll get everyone dancing!

 

Think about the last time you wanted to punch someone's face in... I wanted to knock out a guy who was chewing loudly behind me in the library this afternoon [don't worry, I didn't]. Now think about the time you were truly content with what you had and were actually happy being you! Don't worry if it took you a little while to think of something because you are not alone!

People are suffering from 'destination addiction'; they always have to strive to work harder to reach a goal which they think will give them the happiness they desire. Well guess what people? Happiness is here and now. Don't let the busyness of life get in the way of enjoying those precious moments with your friends and family.

A recent research study showed that the UK is the 41^st happiest country in the world. We are materially rich but community poor. Let's hit those brakes in the fast lane that we insist on travelling in and enjoy what is going on around us. I was driving back from work yesterday and I started panicking because I passed a church that I had never seen before. I stopped my car and got out my satnav to check my whereabouts - nope, I was on the right route. I had never seen this beautiful church before because I used to speed my way home and not pay any attention to my surroundings. Just think about all those things you could be missing just by speeding through life.

Another factor in this whole happiness shindig is that people always say you can't control it. 'How could I be happy when that crazy girl punched me in the face for chewing my gum too loudly?'Well guess what ladies and gents? 10% of your life consists of things that will happen to you and the other 90% will be how you react to it. That 90% is a big part of your life! Yesterday I had to wait for a learner driver who was doing a 3 point turn in the middle of a road oh-so-slowly - any other time I would have had grumbled, cursed and given him evil looks when he drove past me, but armed with my new information I sat there, waited patiently, and gave him a big smile and thumbs up when he FINALLY drove past. That smile that spread over his face literally warmed my heart! My positive-ness gave his the confidence boost he needed and I know he won't be crying in bed at night because the crazy woman in her banged up car was mean to him.

YOU are the main character in YOUR life so make sure that your negative behaviour does not have a knock-on effect on people around you. If you are pissed off at something that has happened at work and take it out on someone else then you are affecting their mood and it is a never ending cycle until SOMEONE takes that inspiring step to react with positive-ness and move on. Positive-ness is contagious so get on this bandwagon people and let's make the world a better place.

CHALLENGE

I challenge thee to take four minutes before you go to bed and think about what has been good about your day, what has been amazing about your day and what has been BRILLIANT! Going to bed in a positive frame of mind means you will wake up feeling positive. It takes 14 days for habits to become embedded in our minds so let's see this through!

Be the inspiration you want to see in the world!

Hello, Wow!

I have spent the last two days holed up in my bedroom applying for jobs, so you can imagine that I am at an all time low! So imagine my surprise when I got a little parcel through this morning containing some lovely treats for me. I was sooooooooper happy! I recently met Lisa Potter-Dixon at a Benefit event that I attended (blog post here) and was lucky enough to try and get a sample of the new Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation. I have been using it since and I have completely fallen in love with it! The girls from Benefit in Harvey Nichols (Manchester) rang me yesterday and asked for feedback on the foundation and whether I was interested in mail ordering it. Then she went on to say I would get a few little freebies thrown in as well...I was already sold but that was a BIG BONUS! I only ordered this yesterday and it was on my doorstep this morning - SO HAPPY!

I got the foundation in the 'I'm so money - Honey' shade and it matches perfectly! The foundation is in 9 shades so I will be very surprised if there is anyone who can't find a match. It's SPF 25 (perfect for the sun...when we get it), a brightening foundation (I will need this once I start back at school), oil-free, and you can build up coverage! It is a bit on the expensive side at £24.50 but when you think about how much you get and the 'benefits' of it (geddit?) it doesn't really matter! This is definitely going to be in everyday make-up bag! What are your thoughts on it?

The very helpful BeneBabe (I think it was Katrina) also went on to say I would get a free eye shadow with my purchase. It turned out I already had the one that they had in stock so she said I could choose two samples from their skin care range. I already had the Total Moisturising Facial Cream (review here) which she offered so she said I could get the Potent Eye Cream. I got two deluxe samples (my mother already stole one!). The eye cream helps to fade the dark circles under your eyes and helps retain/regain the elasticity. I have been meaning to buy this for a long time so I'm very happy with my deluxe sample which should tide me over for two months! Have you used this product? What did you think of it?

Tips&Tricks #2 Never wear make-up in the dark!

Don't laugh! It sounds so simple but it is such a common mistake. 

Disclaimer: This is not me!

Today I decided to use my Benefit Dallas bronzer to contour my cheekbones before heading out to run some errands. After I left the house I got a few weird looks and little chuckles, I didn't think much of it because I hadn't straightened my hair so assumed that I was walking with a frizz ball on top of my head. (OMG, it actually hurts to write this!) I finally stopped in front of a mirror to sort out my hair and was gobsmacked to see 2 very clear brown lines on both sides of my face - I HADN'T BLENDED PROPERLY! The dark lighting in my room had led me to believe that I had blended the bronzer in properly but in the clear light outside I could see how defined they were. DAMN.YOU.ROOM! This led to some furious rubbing of my cheeks which ended up VERY RED! Oh dear...

Anyway, enough of my sob stories! When applying make-up make sure that you are in natural light and always make sure that you have a quick look in your compact mirror once you've left the house. Dark lighting means that you will cake on the make-up because you can't see it!

DO.NOT.MAKE.THIS.MISTAKE!

Have you had a similar experience to mine?

Superdug Splurge

I made a very rookie mistake of going into Superdrug today when I KNEW that I didn't need anything. Being a laydee of very little willpower this is what I ended up buying;

Now I am going to try and justify this...

MUA Blusher Shade 4 - £1

I have read so many great reviews about MUA that I had to pick up a few of their products when I came across them. I am in need of a new blusher so I picked up this gorgeous shade. It is a deep picky-bronzey colour but doesn't go on that shade; it is a lot lighter even though it is quite pigmented. I can't wait to try this on tomorrow to see if I am blown away by it or not. Have you tried any of MUA blushers? What did you think of their quality?

MUA Bronzer Shade 2 - £1

I needed a medium coloured bronzer for contouring so I picked up this little beauty. I have given this a go and it is great for contouring because it is not shimmery and really does work. I refuse to make a proper judgement on this until I have tried it for a day to see how long it lasts. Have you tried any MUA products, and what did you make of them?

Mud Mask - £2.59

This was just one of those random purchases. I'm having a Disney movie night with my sister (we are big kids) so I thought we could make a night of it and pamper ourselves while we're at it. I tried some of this on my hand and it smells divine! I haven't used a Mud Mask in literally like YEARS so I am very excited! What Mud Masks have you tried and would you recommend?

Lynx for Her - £1.99

Firstly, if I don't have guys falling all over me when I wear this I will be suing Lynx for false advertisement. I kid, I kid! I'm not THAT crazy. I wasn't sure what to expect of this because it was one of those 'oh-that-looks-nice' moments when I was queueing up and I haven't heard much about it. The bottle is sturdy and not very feminine (aside from the pink) which automatically led me to believe that it was going to be a bit manly-smelling (you know that smell). However, I was very pleasantly surprised; it smells like Lacoste Pink, there are random bursts of a floral smell and something else that I cannot pinpoint. A must buy! Have you tried this?

Hand Sanitizer - £0.99

Germs, germs, germs! I needed this in my life. 

All this shopping and spending the money I don't actually have took it's toll on me so I skipped home to eat my dinner! I made cous cous from a packet that I got from Tesco. It was yummy but I had to season it because the salt was lacking. In my world you can't have dinner without dessert so I poured myself a large glass of Ribena and munched on some French Fancies. I actually have a recipe for these so I am going to attempt to make some of my own soon. Watch this space!

And now I am going to try to bash out a 3,000 word essay on behaviour management in primary school classrooms...

How has your day been?