Essence SS17 new arrivals

03rd May 2017

It’s been a little while since Essence featured on the blog and they’ve been busy little bees creating some great new products for the Spring/Summer season. If you didn’t already know I am a big fan of Essence products (past features here) so I was really excited when an envelope containing some of these new products arrived at my door.

There were some really intriguing looking products inside the package and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. So excited it seems I completely forgot to get any swatches of the products but I’ll make sure to pop some up on my instagram over the coming days.

The Blush Play sculpting blush palette (£4) in “play it pink” is a very pretty little palette containing three blush shades that can be used together for a contoured effect or individually. I’m especially fond of the highlight shade, but all three really do work in harmony to create a gorgeous spring flush of pink.

I’ve always raved about Essence’s mascaras and the volume stylist 18h lash extension mascara (£3) is yet another bargain mascara to win my praise. This mascara features a diamond shaped brush which holds lengthening fibres and it creates long, full lashes that don’t budge.

Another product that really excited me was the cushion eyeliner (£3). This little jar holds a sponge soaked with super pigmented eyeliner. Applied with a fine brush this has an amazing texture and again doesn’t budge at all during the day.

You can’t beat Essence for bargain lip products and at a mere £2 these shine shine shine lipglosses are amazing. I’ve got two shades- number 12 and number 13 and they apply smoothly to give a really, really shiny and highly pigmented splash of colour. Out of the two shade 12 is my favourite, I’m really loving purple lips at the moment.

On a side note, these smell incredible too.

Last but not least we have a new nail product- colour boost high pigment nail paint in the shade 11- instant match. Essence nail products are a long standing favourite and a really affordable way to bring your look up to date at a minuscule £1.80 each. This new range takes just one application to provide super shine and solid colour coverage. There are ten shades available and I want them all!

Have you tried any of these new products from Essence, or any others from the brand for that matter? If not then I highly recommend you get acquainted with the brand which you can find in selected Wilko stores or the Wilko website.

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Forget-Me-Not with Silver Bubble

01st May 2017

My love of jewellery is well documented on this blog and I try to support small business sellers and buy handmade wherever possible. One of my favourite things about my blogging journey is having found so many new and talented shops and craftspeople and I always welcome new additions to my magpie radar.

I was recently contacted by Silver Bubble, a handmade silver jewellery company based on a narrowboat on the Oxford Canal in Warwickshire. All of their handmade, silver jewellery comes from Taxco in Mexico where it is bought directly from small, family businesses and independent designers and every piece is handpicked by the Silver Bubble team to ensure high quality and unique designs.

The folks at Silver Bubble kindly let me pick out a piece so I could attest for the quality and craftsmanship myself- I opted for the heart shaped forget-me-not pendant* which costs a very reasonable £12 (although not e you will need to purchase a chain separately).

The pendant arrived beautifully packaged and it is absolutely stunning. Forget-me-nots are one of my favourite flowers and to have them encapsulated in to a striking piece of jewellery is a really nice touch. This is a delicate piece that really is made of the highest quality and it’s just the thing to liven up outfits as the Spring weather ebbs and flows.

If you’re looking to add to your jewellery collection or purchase a special gift then I really do recommend checking out Silver Bubble- it’s not just pendants that are on sale, there are some rather amazing silver rings that I’m bulk adding to my wish list as well as bangles, earrings and well, just about everything really!

Have you made any new shop discoveries lately? What flower would you most like in necklace form?

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A Cox and Cox Homewares Wish List*

29th April 2017

If you’ve spent any length of time reading my blog you’ll have worked out by now that I have a thing for homewares (thanks Mum!) This went in to complete over-drive when I was living in my flat and now I’m back in the parental home I’m yet to reign it in, spending an inordinate amount of time planning ahead to when I move out again.

I have a regular selection of sites that I like to browse, Cox and Cox being one of them- and it’s from there that today’s wish list came about.

It’s all a bit cliche but right now I can’t get enough of clean design with a girly twist. Pinks, greys and copper are seriously floating my boat and if I could deck my future abode out entirely in these colours I would be a very happy girl.

I dream of having wooden floors that I can cover in big, luxurious rugs, statement chairs for curling up and reading in with piles of blankets all around in complimentary shades. I’d even be prepared to part with my currently favoured bold printed bedding in favour of pastel quilted pieces- again accessorised with a blanket and cushion mountain to make my bed the cosiest place on earth.

In my head I have visions of high ceilings, bookcases rammed full of my favourite reads and a couple of cats roaming around just waiting to curl up on my feet. In reality what I’m likely to end up with is a small flat with haphazard furniture, a couple of small rugs, novelty printed bedding sets and one cat that prefers to chew toes rather than curl up on them and keep them warm.

At least I have the internet to keep my dream alive!

What would your ideal home look like and where are your favourite places to browse for homewares and inspiration?

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Moving or Improving?*

27th April 2017

Well, this feels like a terribly grown up post to be writing- there’s nothing like thinking about buying your own home to make you realise you actually are an adult and there is a LOT more to be considered than you assume when you’re younger and home ownership is just a pipe dream.

That’s not to say that right now I’m actively looking to buy, but with a bit of luck in the next twelve months or so I might be able to do this and it’s never too early to start thinking about it- it’s probably one of the biggest steps in any person’s life so when Slater Gordon Property Solicitors challenged me to think about everything that needs considering when you take that leap in to potential home ownership.

I’ve always been clear in my mind where it is I’d like to buy my first home, which I suppose both helps and hinders because I’ll be limited to what properties are available BUT it will give me direction in my search. I think the main obstacle that I will come up against (despite you know, actually getting the mortgage and sorting out the finances) is that I really want to live in a converted Victorian property so making sure the flat/house is in good structural order is essential. Given that my budget will likely only extend to a flat the other two issues I’m likely to come up against are size- it might be fine for me on my own, but should I meet someone and start a family for example, will it be big enough to accommodate if moving again isn’t an immediate option? The second issue which I believe is a common issue when buying a flat is that of Leasehold- that brings with it maintenance fees, an annual ground rent and potential restrictions on any big alterations, owning pets or subletting.

I also thought I’d share this infographic provided by Gordon Property Solicitors which contains some interesting facts and figures about buying your own home, and for non first time buyers the pros/cons of making improvement to your current home rather than the upheaval of a house move.

I’m aware that this post is very much only skimming the surface of the subject and I obviously have no real experience as of yet so I’d be really interested in anyone wanting to share their stories and advice about buying their own home- leave them in the comments!

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The Denman Cocktail Collection

26th April 2017

Ever found yourself wishing that your hair brush could smell like your favourite cocktail? Nope, me neither but when I heard about the new Cocktail Fragrance Collection from Denman Brushes it suddenly seemed like a very appealing, not to mention genius idea.

With flavours such as Strawberry Daiquiri, Pina Colada and Berry Martini these are fun and funky brushes that are the perfect size for popping in your handbag and would make an awesome birthday gift for your girl friends.

Denman kindly sent me the Strawberry Daiquiri brush so that I could see how the idea translates in to real life. It’s a lovely, grown-up looking brush and, despite it’s small size and “novelty” factor it lives up to the renowned quality of Denman Brushes.

The scent of this is SO good, so very good. Good enough that I have to stop myself sniffing my hair brush in public.

I’m not sure if I like the fact that the scent doesn’t transfer to your hair or not though, on the one hand I can see why Denman have done this- walking around smelling like your favourite drinks could grow old fast. On the other hand though, the idea of Strawberry scented hair for the Summer is really kind of appealing!

The brushes retail at £8.00 each and are available from the Denman online store.

What do you think of this idea? And what’s your favourite cocktail?