Bejewelled

Hello possums :)

I've recently bought some lovely new jewellery so I thought I'd showcase it on here for you.

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Like the magpie that I am, I saw this beautiful sparkly, colourful bracelet on a stall in one of the marquees at the Lincolnshire Show back in June. It was a steal at £10. Unfortunately, I have no idea who the seller was.

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Next up, I became aware of Cutie Pie over on Amy's blog. I had a browse of the website and couldn't resist ordering this beautiful La Vie en Rose vintage pink bracelet. £18 and free shipping!

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I always love checking out Temporary:Secretary and I've bought from them a few times in the past. This time I wanted to get my hands on this cute Rose Garland (£10). I also picked up this Pink Flower Ring (£6.90) and this beautiful Vintage Filigree Floral Cameo Ring (£10, currently sold out).

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I love buying from independent retailers! Do you have any favourite online jewellery boutiques to recommend? Do you have your own online store? Link me up :)

Birthday Antics - CLOSED

Morning petals :)

I realised a couple of days ago that I managed to miss my blog's second birthday. Two years (and a month), can you believe it? How time flies when you're having fun!

In celebration, I'm holding a mystery birthday giveaway, and you're all invited to participate!

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There will be 4 winners :)

You will all receive a gift box of goodies to pamper yourselves with!

All I need you to do to enter is R.S.V.P. by commenting below with the following information:

♦ Tell me what you'd like to see more of on my blog and your favourite type of post
♦ Tell me your one must have lippie and nail polish - I want to find some new ones!

Please also leave the following:

✔ Your GFC follower name (please make sure this is correct)

✔ Your blog URL (must be an active blogger - and not one of these naughty giveaway post only blogs)

✔ Your email address so I can contact you if you win

♦ Open internationally
♦ One entry per person
♦ Closes 19:00 GMT on Sunday 4th September 2011
♦ You must be a follower of my blog via GFC - I will check
♦ I reserve the right to disqualify entrants who do not follow these rules, and to choose new winners if the original ones do not contact me within 48 hours of the winners being announced

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I'd like to say a huge thank you to all of you that read and participate - it wouldn't be the same without you all <3

Good luck girls!

Jumping on the bandwagon

Morning dolls :)

BB creams. I've caved, and bought one. I saw Charlotte over at Lipglossiping review one and I managed to locate the same brand on eBay. I was super surprised that mine arrived so quickly - it must have been about 5 days after I'd ordered it.

How beautifully packaged is this? I'm not sure if they all come like this, or whether this is something the seller I bought mine from does.

I love that this is a squeeze tube with a pump. This should help to minimise product wastage :)

As indicated by the number, I bought shade 21 which is Light Beige

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And blended out...

Product claims

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream offers a novel skincare concept with BB cream, which lightens skin tone by healing visible wrinkles and blemishes with excellent skin cover ability, and prevents skin ageing through effective whitening and anti-wrinkle properties.

My thoughts

I quite like this. It's ever so slightly darker than my natural skin tone which is fine at the moment as my skin has darkened with it being summer. It smells lovely! A little really does go a long way so it's excellent value for money. I think this looks, smells and feels like a tinted moisturiser, however the coverage I get is fantastic without being heavy or caking. I'm left with glowing, immaculate looking skin. Dark circles, blemishes, scarring and uneven skin tone are banished upon application. It also contains SPF42 so there's no need to apply a separate SPF beforehand. A handy holiday/travel product as it's a 4-in-1 product really!  I've had so many compliments on my skin recently when wearing Missha M Perfect Cover. A definite thumbs up from me :)

The global Missha website can be located here but there is as of yet no UK website, however there is plenty of information on the US and New Zealand sites if you want to take a look. For those of you that are interested, Missha is a cruelty free brand, so well worth the investment in my opinion :)

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I bought Missha M Perfect Cover on eBay from Spicy Goods and it cost me $18.99USD inc. shipping which worked out at £11.56 for 50ml of product. I also got a few samples. Bargain! If you're looking at ordering, I'd recommend this seller as the communication is excellent.

Interestingly, Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream retails at $29.99USD in the USA which is equivalent to £18.27, and $38.90NZD in New Zealand which is equivalent to £20.83.

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Have you tried a BB cream? If not, are you tempted?

Updated Skincare Routine

Hello lovelies :)

I've been getting lots of compliments about my skin recently so I thought it was about time I posted about my updated skincare routine.

Products I'm using

Witch Cleansing & Toning Wipes
I reviewed these wipes recently and I'm still absolutely loving them. The wipes are my first port of call when it comes to removing make up. They remove even the most resilient of make up products and they smell lovely.

No 7 Hot Cloth Cleanser
Next up, I use one pump of cleanser and smooth on to my face before using the muslin cloth (moistened with hand hot water) to polish off any remaining make up on my face. Would you believe this is only my second bottle this year? Seriously good value for money.

Witch Gentle Exfoliating Face Wash & Champneys Microdermabrasion System
I've been using this face wash after using the No 7 Hot Cloth Cleanser every other night along with my Kim-sonic to gently exfoliate my face. It is packed with exfoliating beads which help to softly exfoliate and brighten my complexion.

Dr. Nick Lowe Dark Circles Correcting Cream
A while ago, I purchased this and it ended up being one of those products I didn't use much. Recently I had a clear out and found it along with it's impending expiration date of September. As my dark circles have been more prominent lately thanks to stupid o'clock shift patterns at work, I've been applying this every night. I can't say I've noticed a dramatic improvement, but they have lessened slightly.

Witch Blemish Pen

My skincare saviour. At the hint of the beginning of a blemish, I simply pop a little of this blemish gel on to  a blemish and they're gone by the end of the day or by when I wake up depending on when I apply. Perfect. Always worth having one in your handbag!

Clarins Daily Energizer Cream
I was lucky enough to be sent 3 of the Clarins Daily Energizer products from Glamour's reader panel ahead of their official launch in the UK to road test. I adore this moisturiser, it smells heavenly and sinks into my skin with such ease. If you're not au fait with the Clarins Daily Energizer range, it's a new skincare range formulated for 18-late 20's skin to give a radiant, glowing complexion. I use this at night when I've finished cleansing. The Daily Energizer cream can be used morning and night, however I don't use it in the morning if I'm going to be applying make up but I will use it on my no make up days. I've repurchased this twice!

Talking of mornings...

Clarins Daily Energizer Cleansing Gel
This is the second of the Clarins products that I received from Glamour. I use this every morning. I am addicted to the smell. I, of course, have repurchased. The tube lasts for ages so it's well worth the money in my opinion.

Clarins Daily Energizer Wake Up Booster (not pictured because I've just run out!)
The third and final of the Clarins products received from Glamour. I use this every morning and gently pat on my skin to leave it feeling awake and refreshed.

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Phew. That's it. A big congrats if you got to the end of this post!

I would like to point out that what is working for me, may or may not work for you depending on your skin type, so please don't feel that you need to rush out and buy all of these items. Although I would recommend the Witch products for everybody!

Just a heads up if you're interested in trying the Clarins Daily Energizer range - Boots and Debenhams are currently stocking a starter kit which contains a full sized Daily Energizer cream and sample bottles of the Wake Up Booster and Cleansing Gel for £19.50. The moisturiser is £19.50 on it's own, so if you want to try the other products, it's probably worth picking this up first :) It is out of stock on the Boots website at the moment but there are more on the way. You may however still find stock in larger Boots stores.

If you want to win a full set of the 5 Daily Energizer products, head over to ASOS (who bizarrely do not stock Clarins in their Beauty section...)

Which lotions and potions are you currently using on your skin? Found any fab products that you have to repurchase?

Things I learned in July 2011

Hello possums :)

I know I say this every month, but seriously, it's the end of July already? Less than 5 months until Christmas. Crazy. Selfridges and Harrods have opened their Christmas shops, beauty brands are showcasing their Christmas ranges to the press, and I spied the 2011 Christmas range PowerPoint at work. Oh deary me.

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01. I am forgetful. I didn't realise until I took my makeup off that I'd forgotten to put mascara on today. Fail!

02. Men are closet romantics too

03. One should be careful as to what one tweets, for things can be easily misconstrued!

04. The MAC website is blocked at work. How very dare you prevent me from purchasing must have items?

05. Boots dispatch orders very promptly for free delivery. Impressed!

06. Sainsbury's mocha desserts are nice, but my Mum's is better.

07. Time goes way too quickly. (There I go again!) I graduated a year ago today. Seems like yesterday!

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08. MAC Ever Hip is gorgeous! So glad I bought two :D

09. Blown tyres do not make a good noise.

10. Being subtle is an art form.

11. Finishing work in the middle of an evening is, quite frankly, pants.

12. I can be sensible with money

13. Sometimes you can just totally click with the right person.

14. Work have overpaid me for last week...

15. ... and I spent that overpayment on some bargains at Meadowhallhell.

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16. I have a ninja spider in my room. Not cool. And using colourful language is also not cool.

17. Accessorize makeup is gorgeous. And yes, I'm very late to this bandwagon.

18. I miss Stoke, and pretty much everything involved with my student days *sigh* A good chat with a very good friend put things in perspective. Onwards and upwards from here :)

19. Sometimes I feel like I don't exist to anybody else.

20. The people I work with do make me laugh, even if it is completely inappropriate.

21. My faith has been restored in Glossy Box

22. Primark PJs are the best

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23. Amy Winehouse passed away today. Such a sad and tragic loss at much too young an age. It also showcases how heartless some people really are...

24. GOSH Metallic Purple polish is quite possibly the most beautiful polish I own

25. Costa Coffee Berry Coolers taste like skittles. The purple ones. And Ribena. Yum.

26. I never go to bed when I should, especially when I have to be up early for work. Although I do love receiving late night texts that put a smile on my face :)

27. I've probably said it before, and I'll say it again - I am bored of my nail polish collection.

28. I might be a little bit addicted to Costa's Caramel Lattes. Oh dear.

29. Oh balls. I am financially unorganised. Hello interest payments :/

30. People have faith in me to do their nails :)

31. I have lost the knack of Konad-ing. Hardly surprising when I haven't used it in over a year!

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Tell me, what have you learned this month?