Valentines Treats and Giveaway with Holly’s Lollies

02nd February 2017

Ah, Valentines day…I’m not a huge believer in having a specific date for showing someone that you love them but I’ll admit there is something a little bit magical about it whether you’re in a relationship or just want an excuse to round up your best girlfriends and have some fun.

This year will be my first Valentines day spent single in a while and whilst I once assumed I’d be bothered, I’m really not. I actually have some really fun plans for the week with some of my favourite people and I’m more excited about that than I am worried about moping around on the 14th Feb.

If you’re looking for a gift idea for your loved one then may I point you in the direction of Holly’s Lollies (read this post to find out more about Holly and her magical creations). Holly has come out with the most beautiful selection of boozy love themed treats that are perfect for showing your partner, or your best friends just how much you love them.

Heart Shaped Lollipop duo* | Trio of Boozy Lollipops* | Prosecco and Elderflower Rock Sweet Jar*

Holly very kindly sent me a selection of the Valentines Range to try out- so far I’ve only tried the prosecco and elderflower rock sweets (which might just be my new favourite sweet, ever) as I want to share the lollipop love with my friends and family but from previous experience I can assure you that anything you buy from Holly’s magic kitchen is going to be an absolute winner.

Speaking of winners…Holly has also offered up a trio of boozy lollipops (worth £11) for one of my readers/followers to win- with delivery in time for Valentines Day too! If you fancy your chances then just follow the simple steps below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only, giveaway runs from 2-2-17 until 9-2-17 and winner will be picked and contacted by the end of that day. If no response within 24 hours a new winner will be selected and contacted.

Good Luck!

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Rose Quartz Brightening and Lifting Serum from SkinChemists (and whopping discount!)

01st February 2017

If you read my blog in the run up to Christmas (which now feels like a lifetime ago) then you’ll recall how impressed I was with the luxury skincare I reviewed from skinChemists. The three products I was sent then have become daily staples so I was delighted when the brand got back in touch asking if I’d like to work with them again.

This time I was sent the Rose Quartz Brightening and Lifting Serum* which promises to lift, smooth and illuminate your skin- the three things my face is in dire need of right now! With Rose Quartz as the active ingredient to buff away dead skin cells and unveil the fresh- and hopefully still youthful skin underneath, it also contains Vitamin C to stimulate collagen production and skin tightener ST (a blend of marine and plant ingredients associated with having an instant lifting effect).

It’s certainly a very pretty product- it literally shimmers in it’s sleek looking pump dispenser. As far as serums go this has a very light formulation and doesn’t smell overly rose-y which is fantastic for me as I do find the scent can be quite overpowering. I’ve been using this daily before popping on my makeup and by the second day my skin already looked a lot brighter and a week or so on and the difference is noticeable not just to me. It’s so nice to have a bit of a natural glow about me which never happens during the winter months as central heating just sucks the life out of my already dry skin. I’m noticing my fine lines less and less as well and all round I’m just much happier with how I’m looking minus my usual war paint.

This isn’t a cheap serum- it is in fact incredibly expensive at £109 for 30ml which is way out of my usual price range. I wouldn’t usually feature such an expensive beauty product on the blog, I like to keep things realistic around here BUT…

For the month of February skinChemists have reduced the price of this product (and all of the Rose Quartz range in the name of valentines and romance) to a much more affordable £29.99. If this wasn’t enough then you can also get an additional 20% off of this already generous reduction (making each product £24) if you use my code DAISYBLOG when you check out.

If you’re looking for a real boost for your skin then I really cannot recommend this enough. I know I was sent the product for blog consideration but I was under no obligation to give it anything but a passing mention and if it hadn’t have genuinely impressed me I wouldn’t have wasted my time writing the last 400-odd words about it.

Let me know if you do decide to treat yourself- it would also make the perfect valentines alternative to a bunch of roses…probably cheaper than a dozen red ones and it’ll last longer too!

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The Art of Layering

30th January 2017

It feels like ages since I last purposely wore a monochrome outfit. It would appear I have un-intentionally embraced the world of colour and that’s no bad thing. Still, it felt kind of good to get back in to my old faithful mode of black and white dressing- somehow this slip dress has missed out on being packed away with the rest of my Summer clothes so rather than languishing unloved in my wardrobe I thought I’d make it earn it’s keep.

Dress: Archive by Alexa at M&S (first collection) | Jumper: TTYA x Long Tall Sally | Boots: Office

Some people appear to be born with an inbuilt ability to put together the perfect layered outfit and make it look effortless. I am not one of them. As much as I love the look of slip dresses worn over high neck knits on other people on me I just felt a bit…awkward and bulky. Probably I need to pick up a couple of lighter weight roll necks, this could be the problem but it’s not just this layered outfit that I feel ungainly in, I just appear to lack that innate ability to bundle myself up against the cold and still look chic. Perhaps I’ll stick to my current uniform of oversized dresses and chunky boots as you can’t go too far wrong with that, I’m sure there must be a secret to the art of layering though (although you’d think by the age of almost 30 I’d have it worked out!)

I can’t believe we’re almost done with January, it’s going to be another one of those years that just speeds by isn’t it? I reckon we all deserve a pat on the back for getting through the month- it’ll be Spring before we know it!

Does anyone else feel my layering pain? If you had any tips and pointers I’d be very grateful for them…

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Brand Lust- AllSaints*

27th January 2017

In my mind the high-street exists in three distinct levels: affordable (Primark, New Look, H&M, Monki and the like), places to shop when I have some money saved (Topshop, Zara, Oasis, ASOS, Urban Outfitters) and then the “in my dreams” shops (Cos, AllSaints, Kurt Geiger, Reiss, Whistles etc). I can count on one hand the number of items I own from the latter category- in fact it’s just one, a pair of shoes from Kurt Geiger. The others are left strictly for wish list only…they aren’t quite designer but at the same time they aren’t affordable for someone like me unless I wanted to go wild and run up a heck of a lot of debt on a credit card which isn’t my style.

The one brand that gives me the most “I wish I was rich” feels has to be AllSaints. It’s a shop I both love and hate to browse in. I love it because the minimal designs and beautifully cut pieces appeal to me immensely but hate it because I know that whatever I find will remain just out of my budget reach (well, far out of it actually even with a cheeky discount code which you can find here https://www.myfavouritevouchercodes.co.uk/allsaints-voucher-codes)

I’m forever coveting other blogger’s outfits that feature AllSaints items, particularly their signature leather jackets which is what first drew me to the brand in the first place. With time on my hands as my sick leave continues and a strange desire to torture myself one morning by having a good old browse I thought I would share my current wish list- honestly, when I’m back earning money I’m going to have a dedicated “quality over quantity” savings fund and start building myself a capsule wardrobe of beautiful, minimal basics that will last and last.

Knitwear is definitely an area in which I want to invest as I do spend the vast majority of winter in some variation of chunky knit jumpers or cardigans. What I really like about this AllSaints piece (and you can’t see it in the picture come to think of it) is that it has cut out elbow details which add slight edge on an otherwise plain piece. No wish list of mine would be complete without a pair of ankle boots on it and despite wearing flats 90% of the time I was instantly drawn to this heeled biker boot. They cost almost £200 but are a timeless design that I could see lasting for many, many seasons and could be worn with everything from jeans to dresses. Which takes me swiftly on to this dress- I love AllSaints dresses and how they drape so elegantly. This “oil black” coloured one could be worn quite easily for work and play and it would also take you from season to season with endless layering potential.

I don’t have any particular reason for including this khaki green jacket on my wish list. It was just “I love it purely for how it looks” and that’s that! The trousers however would be the perfect addition to my work wardrobe for when I am in the office. I much prefer culotte style trousers to full length ones, they just feel more me…how great would they look with those ankle boots above? And of course the leather jacket- I could probably write an entire wish list post dedicated to AllSaint’s leather jackets as there isn’t one I don’t like. But I picked this one over them all, and at £328 it is never going to be mine but I will continue to dream.

Please tell me I’m not the only one who categorises shops like this? If someone gave you £1000 and one hour to spend it where would you be heading?

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My (latest) vaping experience with e-cigarette direct & giveaway

26th January 2017

I always feel like this kind of blog post is a bit taboo- you don’t see smoking, or vaping mentioned all that much within the blogging community but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only smoker out there, or the only person seeking an alternative.

I’ve been a smoker since I was 17, that’s almost 13 years now and to be honest I haven’t enjoyed it for probably the last 5 years. Add to that the ever-rising cost of cigarettes, the fact I’m not getting any younger and of course all of the health dangers that come with smoking I’ve been mulling over the idea of quitting for a while now.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not quite ready for cold turkey. Smoking has always been related to my mental health and a coping mechanism when anxiety gets too much. I’ve tried patches and gums in the past but it’s the hand to mouth action that I missed and the inhalation so vaping has always held some kind of appeal. I’ve given it a go once or twice in the past but didn’t get much from it if I’m honest- however with the idea of stopping the cigarettes firmer in my mind than ever it was timely when e-cigarette direct offered to set me up with the kit so I could try again.

For the device itself I picked out the Halo Tank Kit* based on the reviews (and the aesthetic I’ll admit). The kit itself represents excellent value, currently on offer at £17.59 but only £21.99 full price. That’s just one week’s worth of cigarettes for me so already you can see the money saving potential as this will last a heck of a lot longer!

I went a bit crazy ordering all kinds of flavoured liquids, again from the Halo Brand*. At £3.99 the liquids are cheaper than a ten pack of cigarettes and again last an awful lot longer- I’m two weeks in and still on my first bottle. I like the fact you can pick from a whole range of flavours, the novelty appeals to me but even the regular tobacco flavoured ones are a lot more palatable than an actual cigarette.

It has been a slow process but this is the longest I have stuck with vaping and whilst I’m not completely off of cigarettes yet I am getting there. This would be a good time to add that I AM NOT ADVOCATING VAPING AS HEALTHY, or indeed any better for you than smoking as I know there is still a lot of research in to the effects going on. From a financial point of view it has already had clear benefits and I’ve found that I’m actually reaching for both cigarettes and the vape kit less and less which is hopefully a sign that I am heading in the right direction to stopping full stop.

Until I’m ready to stop completely though I will be giving my custom to e-cigarette direct. The speed of service was the most notable part of the experience- I placed my order on the Wednesday and had it with me on the Thursday!

For anyone else thinking about giving vaping a go I always have a giveaway running to win yourself £100 worth of kit! Just follow the simple instructions below! Giveaway runs from 26/1/17 until 17/2/17, UK only.

Win an e-cigarette kit worth £100 #17

All products were sent to me by the brand for blog consideration but I was under no obligation to post.