Lou Lou Land

Birthday Haul

2013-05-21T19:27:00.000Z

Hi Guys - As you know it was my birthday last week :) I mentioned on twitter and instagram so of the things that I got and a few people requested a birthday haul - I've had some negative feedback on posts like this before so I wasn't sure so instead I've recorded a video for my You Tube channel xx If you can't see the embedded video you can also see it here x

I promise I'm not bragging I'm just really grateful and thankful that I have such amazing family and friends and I really want to say a public thank you to them xx I'll probably feature most of the beauty items on my you tube channel or on my blog but if there is anything specific that you'd like to see please let me know xxx

A Fresh Start - Losing Weight With Thinking Slimmer, Slim Pod And Debenhams

2013-05-20T18:13:00.000Z

Well after 2 weeks of excess, 2 birthdays, 2 birthday teas, 5 meals out, lots of gluten free cakes, and several boxes of birthday chocolates, it's hardly a surprise that the diet has pretty much gone out of the window and I'm pretty much back where I started and just 1lb down from my original starting weight.

Today though is the first day of a new beginning, I'm starting with a clean slate and I'm going to tackle those excess pounds and lose some weight for summer. I've done it in the past and I KNOW that I can do it again.

What makes you think you not going to fail this time? I hear you cry, well I've got a little bit of help this time round. Whilst my computer was in laptop hospital I received an email on behalf of Debenhams and Thinking Slimmer regarding their Beach Body promotion. We all know who Debenhams are but what about Thinking Slimmer?

Well Thinking Slimmer are the creators of the SlimPod, a unique and ground breaking weight loss method that doesn't rely on diet and exercise. Instead it's all about helping you to change your mindset so that you eat less and achieve the goals that you've set yourself.

All you do is chose the Slim Pod to suit your goals, or lifestyle and either download it or buy the cd. This isn't hypnosis instead its all about unconcious persuasion. The idea that listening to the download for just 10 minutes a day can play a major role in changing our thoughts and behaviours. I know some of you are probably thinking that this sounds a bit like mumbo jumbo, but things like this have been used successfully in the past to aid all sorts of behavioural changes such as stopping smoking so it can work. The Slim Pod system has been used and endorsed by an NHS consultant psychiatrist who declared the effects as profound and possibly life changing which sounds good to me :)

I was given a voucher to download the Slim Pod "Create That Summer Beach Body" worth £29.99 which is now on my laptop and on my ipod for night time listening. The download aims to help you change your attitude towards food and think more positively about achieving the beach body of your dreams. I listened to it for the first time last night and I have to say that it made me feel utterly calm and relaxed - there is no putting you down and making you feel bad about yourself, this is all about making you calm and feel more positive about achieving the body and appearance that you want. You also get free online support from the Thinking Slimmer forums, facebook and on twitter and a personal handbook you can download to help you set goals and complete your weight loss targets.

Since the aim of this Slim Pod is all about achieving the beach body of your dreams, I was given the opportunity to chose a swimsuit of my choice from the newly launched Reger By Janet Reger swimwear line at Debenhams.

The are a few block colours in the line but for me it was all about the florals so in the end I went for a one piece - the Designer Grey Floral Twist Halter Neck Swimsuit.

It is absolutely gorgeous in the flesh, the quality is superb and the colours are so vibrant. I haven't got the guts to model it myself at the moment so my beloved dress makers dummy has come into play again x I've also gone for a size below what I would wear at the moment to hopefully account for any weight loss. If I achieve my initial weight loss goal I may be brave enough to model it for you :) hopefully on a sun lounger somewhere warm and sunny or if not before an aqua therapy session.

I know things like this aren't for everyone and if your happy with your figure I hold my hands up to you and say good on you, but I'm not, I've gone from a size 12 to a size 18-20 in less than 7 years due to illness and medication and to be honest it's starting to bring me down, and for that reason I'm willing to give anything a go. You don't need to calorie count or diet with the Slim Pod but to be honest I'm going to, I have a lot of weight to lose and I'm hoping that with a bit of gentle persuasion and conditioning that I will be able to lose some weight and feel better about myself.

I'll keep you posted as to how I'm getting on both with my weight loss and with the Slim Pod on my main blog page and of course on my weight tracker page. To find out more about Thinking Slimmer and the Slim Pods please check out their website here x you can also listen to a sample of a Slim Pod x If you have any questions please leave me a comment and thanks again for your support xx

(Both The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Create That Summer Beach Body" And The Reger By Janet Reger At Debenhams Swimsuit Were Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Cleanse And Rebalance Fine And Fragile Hair With Celebrity Hairdresser Guy Kremer

2013-05-19T20:22:00.004Z

If you've read my blog for a while you'll know that I am a bit of a hair care junkie. I love trying new products and new tools, and over the next few months I've got loads of exciting new things to show you and to share with you.

Probably my most popular haircare post is the humble shampoo and conditioner review, I love trying new shampoos, and experiencing new textures and smells so they're a never a chore to do. Recently I received a couple of shampoos, conditioners and styling products to try out from a haircare brand that was completely new to me Guy Kremer.

Guy Kremer is a multi award winning celebrity hairdresser with a renowned international reputation, who has styled the hair of everyone from Bollywood stars, to Little Mix, Alexandra Burke and Claudia Winkleman. As well as tending the hair of the rich and famous, and training and teaching his art French born Guy runs a successful salon based in Winchester. Drawing on his day to day work, and years of professional experience in 2011 Guy Kremer developed his own line of professional haircare products, designed to appeal to women of all ages and leave their hair looking and feeling the very best it can. All of the products in the Guy Kremer Professional Salon Style are designed to feel and smell gorgeous and above all to perform.

The range comprises of 3 shampoos (Guy calls them Cleansers) and 3 conditioners (he calls these rebalancers) and 6 styling / finishing products. As I say I was sent quite a few products from the range to try out but the first one that I managed to try are the Add The Bounce Cleanser and the Add The Bounce Rebalancer both designed for fine /fragile hair

Guy Kremer Add The Bounce Cleanser - Professional Salon Shampoo For Fine /Fragile Hair

I know what your going to say "your hair isn't fine", well let me tell you it is, I have super fine hair but I have an awful lot of it. It's prone to frizz and it can look quite flyaway and quite flat. It's also quite fragile and I lose about a zillion hairs on a daily basis so at the moment this product is right up my street. The Add The Bounce range has been formulated specifically to give fullness body and bounce to the hair.

Like all the shampoos and conditioners in Guy Kremer's range, Add The Bounce Cleanser contains 18-MEA which is a natural lipid which is found in the hair cuticle which helps to balance the hair and maintain condition and strength ahead of styling.

The first thing you notice about this product is the bottle, to me it doesn't scream celebrity hairdresser it screams more budget supermarket brand, it's quite basic and for the Add The Bounce range its made of a pink plastic, it doesn't really say luxury to me to be honest. It is clear though that in this case the money has been spent on the actual product rather than the packaging - it smells gorgeous! It has a herbal, floral, aromatherapy type smell, I once has a massage with something that smelled very similar, you smell maybe lavender, and rosemary sprinkled with something a bit more floral - heavenly.

The product itself has quite a runny texture and a clear appearance. It foams up really well to give a super gentle foam that cleanses the hair really well and washes it really easily.

Given the light texture I was a bit worried that this maybe wouldn't be able to deal with really dirty hair but it managed it with ease even after a day in the kitchen and some major products build up. It seemed to be a really light, gentle shampoo that you could easily use everyday with no problems. I really liked this shampoo so much so that I've actually used it continuously since I opened it and I actually finished it last week - to actually finish a bottle of shampoo before starting another one is pretty rare for me! The downsides, well if you have coarser, drier hair this probably won't be for you, it will probably be just a bit too light and not nourishing enough. It also contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate which I know a few of you guys don't like to use or allergic too so that's probably a pretty big negative as far as your concerned. If SLS doesn't bother you though, and you have fine hair, or your after a frequent use shampoo this could be the one for you. Guy Kremer Add The Bounce Cleanser retails at £6.25 for 250ml.

Guy Kremer Add The Bounce Rebalancer Professional Salon Conditioner For Fine / Fragile Hair

As well as the Cleanser (shampoo) I was also given the opportunity to try out the matching Rebalancer. Yes it's a conditioner under a fancier name but I can kind of understand why it's called what it it. The whole point of Guy's range appears to be to transform your hair to its natural glory - if the hair isn't looking its best I guess something is wrong or unbalanced so surely the idea is to rebalance it out and get it back to the way it should be? that's how I interpret it anyway lol

Packaged in the same basic pink packaging as the shampoo, the conditioner also contains the 18-MEA lipids, and ingredients such as sweet almond oil and argan oil for moisture and condition. It smell exactly the same as the shampoo, if anything the smell is a little bit stronger and the lavender is more prominent. It has a creamy texture but it actually feels quite light.

I guess one of the biggest issues people with fine hair, is product weighing it down. They certainly won't have that problem with this conditioner. Although it feels quite creamy to the touch, it doesn't feel thick or heavy, and in fact it feels quite lightweight when you massage it into the hair.

Unsurprisingly it rinses out really easily and it doesn't seem to weigh the hair down or leave any residue or stickiness. My hair was left feeling quite soft but if your hair is really dry this product probably won't be moisturising enough for you, but again if you have fine hair or if you wash and condition your hair every day this product could be perfect for you x Guy Kremer Add The Bounce Rebalancer retails at £6.95 for 250ml.

I have to say these products really surprised me, the packaging is a total red herring, as I said it doesn't scream celebrity hairdresser, but in this case the contents really do speak for themselves and the money has clearly been spent on the formulations and textures themselves. I shouldn't have been so surprised though when you read about the pedigree of Guy Kremer himself, I'm sure he wouldn't have put his name to something that didn't do what it claimed. I also think the prices are amazing, your paying for product not glitzy packaging, and at just £6.95 a bottle these products are great value. This is a pretty exclusive range at the moment which is just available from the Guy Kremer salon in Winchester and from his website here, but it's a range I would definitely recommend trying. If these two products aren't for you though keep checking back as I have some more products from this range to review x If you have any questions please leave me a comment xx

(Both Products Were Provided By PR For Review / Promtional Purposes)

A Foodie Friday Special - Walkers Baked Hoops And Crosses - A Mini Review And A Special Guest

2013-05-17T17:37:00.000Z

I'm not a morning person at all so I generally wake up feeling, well a bit crappy. About a fortnight ago though when I was on my blogging hiatus I received a surprise parcel that really helped put a huge smile on my face.

I removed the outer box and found a was a rectangular shaped box decorated in a jungle type design from top crisp and snack manufacturer Walkers.

I opened the box only to be met with the cutest press release I've ever seen, a board book with holes in it very similar in appearance to The Hungry Caterpillar telling my all about their new snack Baked Hoops And Crosses.

The fun didn't end there though underneath the book was this little guy....

How cute is he? a little furry, beanie monkey :) He really made me smile and cheered up my morning no end :)

Better still he came with a packet of the new Walkers Baked Hoops And Crosses in Roast Beef.

Walkers Baked Hoops And Crossed are a wholegrain snack that a very much marketed as a healthy snack and seem to be aimed towards children as a healthier lunchbox option.

Wholegrains are a key component of a healthy balanced diet and recent research published in the British Journal Of Nutrition suggests that young people aged 4-18 just don't eat enough, and in fact 27% don't eat any at all on a daily basis.Walkers Baked Hoops And Crossed contain a massive 56% wholegrain, in this case wholegrain corn meal, and because they are baked and not fried they come in at between 84 and 85 calories for an 18g bag.

They come in 3 flavours Prawn Cocktail, Salt N Vinegar, and the one that I received Roast Beef. All the flavours are suitable for vegetarians, and contain no gluten, although if you are super sensitive there is the potential for cross contamination during the manufacturing process.

As the name suggest these corn snacks are shaped like hoops and crosses, or as your probably more familiar with noughts and crosses :)

As tempted as I was to have a quick game, these were just too yummy to play with. They have a crunchy texture, and a lovely savoury flavour. They reminded me of something that I used to eat in my own lunch box when I was little, so I can really see these appealing to children.

Yes I know we should be encourage children, and maybe larger children to eat more fruit and vegetables, but the fact is we all love crisps and savoury snacks, so surely it's better to eat something that it designed to be a little bit healthier and lower in calories. Walkers Baked Hoops And Crosses come in multipacks of 6, 18g bags and they come in 3 flavours, and retail at around £1.89. I'm a huge salt and vinegar fan so I can definitely see myself picking up some more of these when I get back on the diet bandwagon, and of course a huge thank you and thumbs up to Walkers for one of the best PR samples and concepts that I've seen in a while x Have you tried Walkers Baked Hoops And Crosses yet? What's you favourite "healthy" snack? let me know in the comments x

(The Press Pack Shown In This Post Was Provided By Walkers For Review / Promotional Purposes)

I'm Back And Raring To Go

2013-05-16T13:52:00.002Z

Well my absence was a little bit longer than I hoped but hopefully you didn't notice too much :) I got my completely transformed, working laptop back yesterday which just so happened to be my birthday x Thanks for all the birthday wishes both on facebook and on twitter by the way I really do appreciate it x I've been a busy bee while I've been away taking lots of photos, and trying out lots of new products for you so I'm on a mission to make my blog bigger and better than before.

I've got loads of posts planned over the next week or so including a review of a fab new snack launch, a hair product review, a nails of the day post, a review and a giveaway post and a series of posts on the North East Lush Event which was a blogger event that I was lucky enough to attend last weekend. I also have a few You Tube videos planned including a much requested birthday haul, and a demonstration of one of my favourite Lush products x

I really appreciate your feedback so please let me know what you'd like to see more of on LouLouLand x

Don't forget you can follow my ramblings in several ways all of which you can see in the sidebars - At the moment you can follow me via GFC, Bloglovin, via email and of course on twitter, and on You Tube and now on Instagram - I am also considering several other ways of keeping in touch with me so I'll keep you posted x

Thanks for sticking with me and I'll see you tomorrow with a Foodie Friday post x

Budget Beauty Series - MUA Power Pout Colour Intense Stain And Balm - Irreplaceable And Broken Hearted

2013-05-12T23:37:00.000Z

A few weeks ago the lovely Mummy Lou was kind enough to buy me a couple of things from Superdrug. I pursued the shelves for a little while before settling on two items from one of my favourite budget beauty brands MUA.

I've become a bit obsessed with these chubby style lip colours lately - I love the Chit Chat ones from Poundland, the Revlon ones and the Ted Bakers ones that I have, so it was pretty obvious that somewhere along the line I would try the new version from MUA.

The MUA Power Pout Colour Intense Tint And Balms, are basically chubby pen style, twist up moisturising lip tints. They come in 5 shades for a nude, to red tones, and of course pinks. The shades I got were Irreplaceable and Broken Hearted.

Irreplaceable is a proper pink colour. It looks very bright and is almost fuchsia tones but it is in fact very, very wearable.

Both of these lip colours feel very creamy and moisturising which makes them very easy to apply and they have a really glossy finish.They have also have a pleasant minty smell and flavour.

and of course here is a full face shot, so you can get another idea of what it looks like on.

The next shade that I picked up something way out my comfort zone - I really am trying to get out of my pink and nude rut so instead of the most obvious shade Rendezvous, which is a nude colour I went for Broken Hearted.

Broken Hearted if I'm honest does look pretty scary in the tube - it looks like a bright red but it swatches down to be an all be it very bright raspberry toned red.

It's still a bit of a departure for me, as it does look really bright against my almost ghostly skin, but in the summer or with a tan or for an evening out this is actually really wearable - you need to be a bit careful with application of this one because of the colour, but the extra effort is so worth it.

and of course my much requested duck face to give a full face view :)

To be honest the lip shot don't look too different here but there is a definite difference between the two shades. As you can hopefully see from these side by side swatches Broken Hearted on the left has a lot more red tomes, where as Irreplaceable is a lot pinker.

I have to say I am so, so impressed with these. The pigmentation is amazing, the texture is super, creamy and moisturising, and they actually seem to last on the lips. What shoots these way ahead of the Revlon alternatives is the taste and smell, these actually smell and taste of proper peppermint, as opposed to the hideous synthetic mint ish flavour of the Revlon. A lot of people think that MUA have taken the copying / duping thing too far, but personally if they can continue to produce products as good as this for me they keep doing it till the cows come home. These come in 5 shades and retail at a pretty amazing £3 each! that's £13 less than a Clinique Chubby Stick. Do they compare? I really can't say as I've never had the pleasure of owning one but for £3 they are definitely worth a try and I can definitely see myself buying at least one more x Have you tried lip pens like this? which ones would you recommend? and are Clinique Chubby Sticks really worth the money? please let me know in the comments xx

Removing Unwanted Hair With Nair Brazilian Spa Clay Shower Power Cream

2013-05-09T19:23:00.000Z

As I said in my latest trimming my stash post May is the month when I start to look forward to summer, and hopefully some warmer weather. The prospect of warmer weather though does mean though that we need to start getting our bodies and bits summer ready. Over the next few months I'm going to be doing a few posts on getting ready for summer featuring everything from self tanning, to body care, nail care, hair care and of course that old chestnut hair removal.

I've done quite a few posts on different hair removal on my blog from waxing, to epilation, to shaving but one method that I haven't covered until now is hair removal or depilatory creams.

Apart from stealing my dads razor, I made me first venture into hair removal with a tube of cream that had the pleasant aroma of rotten eggs!! Thankfully though depilatory creams have came on leaps and bounds, and although I tend to wax or epiliate I still have a tube of cream in my bathroom cabinet for quick fixes and more often than not my bikini line! You should now by now that I'm not frightened about the less pretty side of beauty so when I was given the opportunity to try out a new hair removal cream of course I agreed after who doesn't have unwanted hair.

The product that I was sent was the Nair Brazilian Spa Clay Shower Power Cream. Containing mineral rich clays, mango butter and acai palm, this cream is designed to leave the skin smooth, nourished and hair free. It is dermatologically and clinically tested.

The cream comes boxed and in a really easy to use squeezy tube, in the the box you also get two plastic applicator / removal spatulas.

The product itself is pale pink in colour and a very creamy texture, making it easy to apply either with the spatula or with your fingers.

One of the key selling point of this cream is that it contains a patented odour control technology, so in theory no rotten egg type smell. It smells fresh and almost melon like which seems to be a common fragrance in products like this, and yes I can safely say there was barely a hint of the common eggy smell.

This product is simple to use as you would expect, but there are full instructions on the box. Like with any product like this it's always best to do a patch test about 24 hours or so before hand just to make sure that your not allergic to the product. Then all you do is apply the cream in an even layer to clean, dry skin - you can use this cream on the legs, bikini line and underarms, but for the sake of your eyes I tried it out on my legs.

This is in an in shower cream so after a couple of minutes if you like you can actually have a shower so long as you don't direct the nozzle directly at the cream. Then after about another 3 minutes test a small area to see if the hair comes away easily, if not leave it for a bit longer, you can leave it on for up to 10 minutes in total so it will still work on coarser thicker hair. Then remove it with the spatula, and rinse well using plain water. Did it work? well here are some before and after pictures x

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Pretty impressive for less than 10 minutes don't you think? Yes my legs do look a tiny bit blotchy but that's pretty normal for me after any form of hair removal. This didn't sting or feel uncomfortable on my legs at all, and they felt really smooth and pretty soft. The drawbacks ? well it is a bit messy, but the spatula really makes a difference and puts it exactly where you want it, the spatula is also much more effective than the sponges that often come with similar products on the market, it does the job and its easier to clean than a hair laden sponge - yuck! I guess the biggest drawback with this type of hair removal is the time that the hair takes to come back. Depilatory creams such as this one just remove the surface hair so obviously the hair does come back quite quickly, depending on your own hair growth cycle, my legs were okay for about 6 days before I needed to do it again. If your not into some of the more painful hair removal methods than maybe creams such as this are the thing for you. Even if your like me though and use other methods it's always handy to have tube in your bathroom cabinet and this is one that I will definitely consider purchasing. Nair Brazilian Spa Clay Shower Power Cream retails at around £6.69 for a 200ml tube and is available from most major retailers. If you have any questions please leave me a comment xx

(Nair Brazilian Spa Clay Shower Power Cream 200ml Was Provided By PR For Review Purposes)

Palette Of The Last Two Months - FrontCover Desk To Date

2013-05-06T19:05:00.000Z

I had a few different options to choose from for my March palette of the month, but in the end I went for one from a brand that I love and that I've always been impressed with - FrontCover. I have a couple of their large eyeshadow palettes, but for Christmas I was lucky enough to receive one of their more compact offerings - Desk To Date. Alas this is from their Autumn / Winter 2012 range so it might be a bit hard to get hold of now but I think this palette is worth showing because it demonstrates perfectly the amazing quality of the FrontCover range.

As I said previously this is one of FrontCover's more compact palettes, I have two larger palettes and one smaller one which are housed in all be it sturdy cardboard but this one is a bit different. Desk To Date is a two layer palette packaged in black, shiny plastic with an amazing holographic photographic image. The top layer opens like a normal palette and has a full sized mirror and one layer of eyeshadows, and underneath there is a drawer which contains another layer of shadows.

The top layer contains 10 Super Pearl Baked Powder shadows. These are the shadows that front cover are perhaps most famous for. Given the name and the baked consistency s you would probably expect these shadows all have at least a hint of sparkle or glitter, so you are going to get some fallout. These shadows are ridiculously pigmented even when their dry, but being a baked shadow you can use them with water or a mixing medium to provide a really, intense foiled finish.

I've swatched these colours for you both wet and dry to give you a proper idea of the intensity and effects that you can create with them.

Top row from left to right - swatched dry - Figgy, Malva, Indigo Warrior, Gold Mine and Copper Oro

and swatched wet.

Again swatched dry the bottom row from left to right - Fools Gold, Vapour Mist, Mint Mist, Sorrell and Black In Blue

and swatched wet

As you can hopefully see here the pigmentation of these shadows is amazing. In fact some of the shades including Mint Mist and Indigo Warrior really take some getting of - the wear time is amazing. In fact I would recommend that you use an eye base to make removal a bit easier.

The second layer of the palette contains 8 large Satin Pressed Powder shadows. These were almost too pretty to use and feature an embossed seashell design a bit like those super drool worthy Chantecaille ones that were released a few years ago. These shadows are very soft and again the pigmentation is superb. There are a few matte finish shades in this section but again the payoff is fantastic. They are quite soft so again there is a little bit of fallout. Where as a lot of the shadows in the top layer are quite bright and vibrant, the second layer makes an excellent neutral palette in its own right.

Top row - from left to right - Cadet Row, Amaretto Truffle, Chimney Sweep, and Nude Tights.

Bottom row - from left to right - Mocha Magic, Tempura, Burnt Cork and Brown Cork.

I've reached for this palette again, again over the last couple of months and it's earned a rightful place in my most recent products I'm loving right now video (click here to see it :). If your familiar with FrontCover you'll know that all of their packaging features at least one tutorial showing you a look that you can create with the palette, well this one contains two. Unlike a lot of their palettes their aren't any pictures to show you how to create the look just a written description - not as good as the larger palettes but it still gives you some idea of where to start if your new to make up. I followed the instructions and did the two look, first up the Day look.

This look features two shades of the Satin Pressed shadows. I used Cadet Grey, which is more of a light khaki shade rather than an actual grey, all over the lid, and as a liner and then Amaretto Truffle, an old gold shade on the inner corner and in the crease, and blended out.

The Night look is actually really simple it's just a wash of one of the baked shadows Vapour Mist, a gorgeous metallic silver. Your meant to wing it out but since I was actually wearing it during the day I chickened out a bit and instead just used it wet for a more intense look :)

I also had a little play with some of the other shadows in the palette - first up one of the more vibrant baked shadows - Mint Mist. This is a really, really bright turquoise, green- it's really pigmented and you definitely need to use an eye base with it to prevent staining. I'm sure you'll agree the effect is amazing and so summery.

Another one of the vibrant shades in the palette is Copper Oro, as the name implies it's a metallic copper colour, exactly the shade of a new penny x

For this look I've used two colours the shimmery lilac Malva all over the lid, and Indigo Warrior on the inner corner. Unfortunately the pictures haven't came out that well, purples never seem to show up too well on any camera that I've ever used :(

Another baked shadow that I've used a few times is Fools Gold - The name of this shadow is a bit misleading whilst you can see some gold in it, it's probably more of a golden green / olive. I love shades like this and this one is no exception.

The rest of the looks that I've photographed for you use the Satin Pressed Powder shadows. First up the look that I wore for the Newcastle FABB Event (read my FOTD post here x).

My photos don't do this look justice really, but it's a really easy, natural, neutral look. I used Brown Cork all over the lid, blending a mixture of Mocha Magic, and Nude Tights into the inner corner and as a brow highlight, before blending Burnt Cork into the crease, and using it as a liner - simples.

The final pictures here show one of my favourite shades Mocha Magic, it's looking almost silvery here, but it's actually a shimmery taupe / nude.

This palette delivers exactly what it promises - the premise is from desk to date and that's exactly what you get. With it you can achieve everything from the most conservative neutral day look, to a bright extravagant look at me evening look. The shadow quality is amazing from the colour payoff, to the blendability, to the wear time - these shadows really are well worth having. As I said at the start of this post, this palette is probably really hard to find now, but I really wouldn't hesitate to recommend FrontCover as a brand. I've had a little look at their website and one of their new releases is a fabulous looking palette called New Metallic Pastels Eye Colllection. This palette contains the same formulations as Desk To Date and the some similar shades so it could be a good alternative. FrontCover bring out new palettes every season to keep up with and create the latest trends, and as well as eyeshadows, you can also buy palettes containing nail products, lip colours, bronzers and more. I'm definitely going to dig out my older palettes and rediscover some past season FrontCover gems. In the UK we can buy FrontCover from QVC and from their own website, and they also ship worldwide. Have you ever tried FrontCover? Do you love them as much as me? leave me a comment and let me know x

Missing...But Not Completely Gone

2013-05-03T18:12:00.001Z

Hi Guys -Just a little heads up to let you know that I might be a bit AWOL over the next week or so. My beloved Acer laptop is rapidly giving up the ghost, the fans failing, the battery doesn't last two minutes, I can't open my DVD drive, my keys are sticking and only one of my USB slots works but not all the time, so it's going to laptop hospital aka PC World for repair. I've been told it should take 7 -10 days but since my last experience with them I'm not entirely convinced that I believe that. To be honest you shouldn't notice that I've gone I've got a few posts to go up over the next week or so, so I'll still be here really. I'm still going to have a bit of internet access via various devices connected to my wifi and my iPhone but I don't know how much blogger access I'll be able to get to reply to comments etc. but if it's urgent try contacting me via twitter x So thanks for sticking with me and I'll see you soon xx

Trimming My Stash - April Empties And Mini Reviews

2013-05-01T16:59:00.000Z

Hey Guys - Welcome to May :) May is one of my favourite months of the year by far, as well as being my birthday month, it's also the month where hopefully the weather starts to get better, and there are signs that summer is at last on it's way - well at least that's what I hope happens it's been freezing so far this week sorry this year - I need some sunshine!

Anyways like every other month of the year so far, I've been attempting to trim my stash and use up items from my very own personal product mountain, how did I do in April, well see for yourself....

Deep Heat Muscle Rescue Bath Soak - 200ml
The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Bath Melt - 200ml
B. Pure Micellar Water -150ml
OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go - 7.5ml
Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream - 30ml
Alpha - H Liquid Gold - 200ml
Dove Hair Minimising Anti-Perspirant Deodorant - Wild Rose - 150ml
Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover - 150ml
Steam Cream - 75g
Vichy Eau Thermal - 50ml
Leighton Denny Hydra Flex Polish Remover - 50ml
Total - 11 Items

Consistency is the most obvious word I can think of to describe this months performance, and the years so far. Like in January and February I finished 11 items. A few things on the list are firm favourites, some were new to me items, and some were products that I thought would never end!

1. Deep Heat Muscle Rescue Bath Soak - 200ml

This was a PR sample which I reviewed here x A really nice product ideal for achy muscles and the cold weather.

2. The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Bath Melt - 200ml

This is one of my favourite ever festive fragrances from The Body Shop so why do they keep changing it ever so slightly year after year. Like the cranberry some years it's nice, some years it's not. This product from a couple of years ago had the lovely warming scent of vanilla, cloves, and a bit of nutmeg which I love, what I didn't really love was the texture of this, it had a sticky, syrupy type texture that ages to dissolve in the bath , and ages to get out of the tub, even using the honey dipper that you got with it -shame :(

3. B. Pure Micellar Water - 150ml

I have to admit that the cleansing water / micellar water thing seems to be passing me by. I've used similar products from Decelor, Taaj, Lancome, and now this and none of them have wowed me or inspired me to repurchase. It's always a worry on a product which can be used to remove eye make up remover when it says don't get product in eyes. Yes I know they mean your not supposed to use it actually as an eye bath or on the eye ball as a wash by that but still, this stung like hell and was useless at removing heavily pigmented or waterproof eye make up. Facially it did the job but it left my skin with a weird almost sticky feeling that made me want to wash my face - hardly the point really, oh and god forbid you licked your lips after using it the taste was like pure bitrex so so bitter and nasty. So no this product didn't wow me and I won't repurchase. I haven't given up on my cleansing water journey and I really do fancy trying Bioderma and the new L'Oreal one, maybe the one is out there somewhere.

4. OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go - 7.5ml

This is one of my favourite cuticle oils - this is the slightly thicker gel formulations which comes in a squeezy tube with a brush applicator. I bought this initial for a holiday nearly two years ago now and whilst I have alternated and used other products, you need so little that this has lasted for ages. I have to say I do prefer the normal version but this is great for travel.

5. Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream - 30ml

This is one of my all time favourite moisturisers - It's anti-ageing which I love, you can use it day and night and as an eye cream which I love. What I really love about this cream though is the texture, unlike a lot of anti ageing creams it's very light, it has a really light cream gel texture which means it absorbs really easily into my oily combination skin. I love this and my Godmother who is in her 80's loves this too, neither of us like heavy textures on our skins so this perfect. Mummy Lou however loves a greasier feel and a heavier texture so she isn't a fan of this, you can't please everyone I guess. This is a real staple in my skin care regime, and whilst it's pricey I usually ask for Elemis QVC Today's Special Values for Christmas and birthdays which usually makes it more affordable.

6. Alpha-H Liquid Gold - 200ml

This cult product is yet another staple in my skincare drawer - my skin can often feel quite bumpy and look quite uneven but used last thing at night a few times a week this make a real difference in smoothing and improving the look and feel of my skin overnight. I already have one of these in back up and I will continue to repurchase.

7. Dove Hair Minimising Anti-Perspirant Deodorant - Wild Rose - 150ml

I don't know how but I always seem to have about 6 deodorants on the go at once. I seem to buy them on 3 for 2's I think and then just vary them to suit my fragrance or need. This one had a lovely light floral rose fragrance, and didn't irritate. I didn't notice a hair minimising effect but I didn't use it consistently so I can't really make a judgement on whether or not it works.

8. Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover - 150ml

Wahhhh finishing this bottle means I only have two bottle of this left - snifffff - My all time favourite eye make up remover now altered beyond recognition :( nuff said - I'd love to know which eye make up remover you use so please let me know in the comments x

9. Steam Cream - 75g.

Yet another cult product in this months empties list, and something I have to be honest I only bought for the amazingly cute, reusable tin. This is a multi purpose lavender fragranced cream that you can use on the face or body. To be honest I don't get the hype the tins are adorable but the products is just a gentle, pleasant smelling cream, nothing shattering for me. I used this mainly on my body after a bath or a shower to get me in the mood for sleep. I have another one which I got in beauty box to use up but I won't repurchase unless I can find the elusive "LouLou" tin which I once saw in a magazine and could never find. If you want a nice relaxing lavender based body lotion I recommend Lush Dream Cream or The Body Shop Divine Calm line much better value than this x

10. Vichy Eau Thermal - 50ml

Yes a can of water, loads of people see these as a bit of a waste of money but to be honest I'm on the fence. I really like these when I'm on holiday and their great for helping me with night sweats thanks to medication, and their fab for foiling eyeshadow but it is just pressurised spring water after all. This came in a beauty box and whilst I won't be rushing out tomorrow to buy a new one I would never say never.

11. Leighton Denny Hydra Flex Polish Remover - 50ml

I found this month whilst sorting out my nail products and I have to say I love all the Leighton Denny removers (this one is for brittle nails) , they are gentle and don't leave the nails white or dry and flaky, and above they actually smell really nice when they've dried down. The only barrier to me repurchasing is the price, they are a bit on the pricey side but if they come in a QVC kit I'll happily cherish them and use them up x

So they were my April empties x If your doing something similar I'd love to know how your getting on so please leave me a comment or a link and let me know xx

Products I'm Loving Right Now :)

2013-04-30T20:23:00.001Z

Hi Guys - I just thought I'd sneak in my latest favourites video for you , just in case you didn't know already that I make You Tube videos too x

This video includes a sneaky peek of a product that I'm going to be reviewing for you in the next few days so don't forget to keep checking back or better still follow my blog via GFC, Bloglovin or even via email -check out the sidebar to follow xx

April Purchases, Gifts And A Win - H&M, Ebay, Boots, Bodycare And More x

2013-04-29T22:58:00.000Z

I've had another one of those months where shopping has just been inevitable. I've had a few opportunities to get out and about, and I've had money in my paypal account - what else is a girl to do?

I'll start off the couple of things that I've bought throughout the course of April in bricks and mortar stores. First up an emergency purchases from Bodycare.

Yep, nail polish remover or more specifically the Pretty Perfect Twist And Out Instant Nail Polish Remover. This Bourjois dupe set me back just 99p and to be honest it's not that great, it contains acetone which is really drying on the nails and cuticles. So why did I buy it, well I was on my way to the Newcastle FABB Event, when I smudged an entire hands worth of nail polish, and I needed to remove it asap. It did the job but I'm not a fan.

On the same day I also treated myself to two nail polishes the one on the left is Sinful Colours - Let Me Go which was £1.99 from Boots. This polish has the most amazing duo chrome, shimmery appearance, alas it takes about 4 coats to make it look like this on the nail, so instead I'll think I'll use it as a layering / cocktail colour. I also got the polish on the right - Technic and Bonanza which was just 99p from Bodycare. It is a super sparkly mass of blue glitter :)

Strangely enough in real shops that was it from me but it was a different story from the postman and via my lovely Hermes delivery lady - along with quite a few press samples this month - it seems as though the doorbell has never stopped ringing. First up some bits from H&M - yet again 90% of my two orders went back thanks to scratchy fabric and almost transparent tops but I think I've found some gems in these vests from the H&M + range.

I got 3 in different colours for £6.99 each - they are a really good fit, they wash well, and their long - I already have a white one and because I loved it so much I decided to buy a few more. I think these will be a real summer staple for me x

The next thing I kept was a piece of jewellery - I think this was pretty expensive for H&M at £5.99 but I love the knot design.

I also got this, which I couldn't resist - a cute raccoon mug :) I've currently got it on top of my Helmer with my scissors, nail files, tweezers and bits in - I love the print so cute and it was only £3.99.

The final thing that I kept was a nail polish - I noticed that they had loads of new nail art items in stock but I was really good and just got a sparkly nail polish.

Prim and Proper is crammed full of pink / lilac and silver glitter - it was £2.99 :)

Blogs are a real inspirations when it comes to shopping at the start of the month - I saw a gorgeous Primark top on the lovely Kaye's blog. I looked for it but unfortunately I couldn't find so Kaye kindly picked me two up from her local store.

Their made of a slightly slubby t-shirt style fabric and they feature a lace v to the front of the top -if your daring and you had the right underwear on you could easily wear them back to front x

Here I am wearing the white one x their probably a bit short on me to wear with leggings but they are a really, comfy and easy to wear top x

The rest of my April haul came from ebay :) I've sold quite a bit on there this month so I had a pretty healthy paypal account :). The first thing that arrived this month was some more nail wheels, which were £1.36 for 10 from this seller. I'm going through loads of these at the moment as I'm trying to swatch my entire rather epic nail polish collection. I've come to the conclusion that if I never ever bought another nail polish I'd have enough to last me a life time, but this baby was just too cute to turn down.

This super cute ice cream shaped nail polish is by a brand called Etude House and cost me £3.29 including postage from this seller. There are a few shade in the line and the one I really wanted was the Mint Choc Chip but nobody seems to have it, so I went for Strawberry Stars Candy - which is a baby pink filled with multi coloured glitter sprinkles.

My next ebay purchase of the month was a pack of the rather cutely named Tinkle Eyebrow Shapers, which were £1.09 from this seller x

I've been growing my brows out for sometime now in an attempt to start again and get a proper shape back, and these are fab for thinning the brow down and for removing strays from above the brow and below the arch quickly and easily.

I also bought another make up bag which to be honest I didn't need at all - in fact I have a bag of virtually brand new ones ready for ebay - but I really, really wanted one of the Ted Bake bow ones, alas there is no way on earth that I could justify the price, this one though I thought looked a bit similar.

It's by French skincare company Gatineau and I'm sure it was a gift with purchase with some of their Christmas and Winter collections. It's made of an ivory /nude PVC / vinyl like material and it features a bright coral / pink bow. I paid including £3.99 including postage.

Blogs, blogging and instagram were also responsible for yet another ebay purchase this month :)

I first saw this on Bicky's blog where she has used it to document her fabulous weight loss, so I thought I'd get one in the hope it might inspire me in the same way. This was £5.50 including postage from this seller.

It wouldn't be a monthly haul without a few ebay jewellery purchases, so I got a couple of necklaces, including this lipstick one, which was £1.23 including postage from this seller x

and this horoscope necklace which was just 99p including P&P from this seller. All the astrological signs were available and I went for the bull which represents the sign we're in at the moment and my birth sign Taurus.

I also bought some more bracelets for my layering fetish, this elasticated beaded set, features a couple with charms on including a super cute daisy - these cost £1.19 from this seller.

You can't go anywhere or hardly watch a You Tube video without someone wearing a t-shirt proclaiming that they are a nerd, a dork, or a geek. I know these tees aren't to everyone's taste but I find them quite endearing especially when I got this GEEK one for just £5.94 including postage :)

The quality is decent and it's a lot cheaper than the Top Shop ones - I fancy getting a SICK one lol now that would be irony!

H&M Haul - £33.94
Bracelets - ebay - £1.19
GEEK T Shirt - ebay - £5.94
Horoscope Necklace - ebay - 99p
Weight Loss Sign - ebay - £5.50
Phone Cases -ebay - £5.48
Sinful Colours Nail Polish - Boots - £1.99
Pretty Perfect Twist And Out Instant Nail Polish Remover - 99p
Technic Nail Polish - 99p
Make Up Bag - ebay - £3.99
Lipstick Pendant - ebay -£1.23
Eyebrow Shapers - ebay - £1.09
Primark Tops And Postage - £7.00
Nail Wheels - ebay - £1.36
Etude House Nail Polish - ebay - £3.29
Total - £74.97
£34.97 Over

This month as you've probably guessed has been a bit of a fail spending wise - I was a massive £34.97 over budget. To be fair over half of my funds were from my paypal account but it's still not great. I've really got to start cutting down for the summer :( May is my birthday month so I might have a few opportunities to get out and about, and with any luck I might get some birthday money but still I'm going to do my best to reign things in a bit, and maybe put the money from any ebay sales to better use hmm

The observant readers amongst you may have noticed that there a few items in my list of shame that I haven't mentioned yet i.e several mobile phone cases. Well half way through the month my mobile phone contract was up for a renewal or an upgrade - so I said goodbye to my ancient Blackberry Curve

and thanks to Mummy Lou said Hello iPhone :)

I went for a 4S as the contract and down payment for a 5 was more than me and Mummy Lou were prepared to pay, but I'm super happy with it and super thankful to Mummy Lou for making an early birthday contribution :) Oh and if your looking to sell a mobile phone I used Mazuma Mobile and they were brilliant :)

Of course I couldn't leave it naked so I got a few cases from ebay to start me off including this super practical purple leather flip case, which came with a cleaning cloth, a screen protector, and a dust plug come stylus (which the cat has already stolen!!) for just 99p from this seller.

I also got a rubber silicone type case with a gorgeous psychedelic, floral print, which reminds me a lot of the work by Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes which I love. This one again was just 99p from this UK seller.

From the relatively sensibly to the completely and utterly blingtastic - you probably know that I'm a huge daisy fan so I needed this in my life - you can buy all the bits online to make these but I just went for a ready done one :) This was £3.50 from this seller x

I have to say I'm a pretty addicted iPhone user already, Candy Crush, Angry Birds Star Wars, and Smurfs Village seem to be occupying way too much of my time at the moment lol. I've recently signed up to Instagram too - I seem to be uploading rather a lot of cat pictures at the moment but you can find me here under my twitter user name LouLou699 x

As well as making a contribution to my iPhone purchase my mum also bought me a few other bits including some magazines - Marie Claire which came with a free Ciate nail polish - I got the shade Pocket Money

InStyle which came with a 50ml Cowshed Slender Cow Extra Firming Body Butter :)

and Red which came with a free Aromatherapy Associated skincare product - I got the Hydrating Rose Face Mask :)

She also bought me a couple of the new MUA Power Pout lip colours in the shades Broken Hearted and Irreplaceable.

I'm absolutely loving these, so much so that they deserve a post in their own right - I'll try and stick up a post in the next week or so with a full review and some swatches x

I mentioned in my Easter post that my mum had ordered me some shoes from Dorothy Perkins well they came and I love them - they are just an simple blush nude ballet pump with a gold studded bow, they are so comfy and will be great for the nicer weather.

I also got a little freebie in the package 2 mini tubes of Jergens Ultra Healing Cream :)

Speaking of freebies I also had a nice surprise from Mr Postman :) A little while ago now I picked up a special 30th anniversary edition can of Diet Coke, and on the can was a competition to win a LE Marc Jacobs bag :) Well I won :) now before images of stams and the like come into your mind the prize was actually a Marc Jacobs designed bag for Diet Coke, so it isn't quite as glam but it's still a nice bag for the summer.

It' silver with red spots and a red trim, and it features little ringpull style rivets, and of course it contains the Marc Jacobs Diet Coke logo.

Not something I would have purchased myself but it's nice to have especially considering I failed to get my hands on one of the LE designed glass bottles.

So that was my April haul, gift haul and some freebies, did you buy or receive anything nice in April? let me know in the comments if you did, and of course please feel free to ask me any questions you like on anything that I've mentioned in this post xx

Foodie Friday - What I Ate In April

2013-04-26T14:26:00.001Z

It's hard to believe when I look at some of the food I've eaten this month but I've finally managed to start losing weight again, pretty surprising I'm sure you'll agree when you look April's food review of the month.

April started as you would expect with an Easter chocolate overdose, no pics of any chocolate eggs - they didn't last long enough instead here are some creme egg chocolate brownies and some mini egg Easter nests x

Yummy :) over the Easter I also made a massive dish of cheese nachos with homemade salsa which was amazing.

Speaking of cheese, in April I had my first cheese and onion toasted sandwich in ages, using gluten free white sliced, mature cheddar, and red onion nom!

Mmmm comfort food there really is nothing nice :) - A couple of weeks ago my mum had a real craving for drop scone, scotch pancakes or whatever else you want to call them - she made them with gluten free flour, and we had them with a bit of butter and some lemon curd yum!

A nice plate of warming chilli always puts me in a good mood :) - this one was loosely based on this recipe but I made it without the soya mince and instead just used a combo of beans and vegetables, and I thickened the sauce, with a gluten free flour and butter mix for extra richness - gorgeous and probably one of the best I've ever made.

As you've probably gathered from my foodie Friday posts I am a huge card junkie and this month I made one of my favourite ever comfort foods - Nigella Lawson's Double Potato And Halloumi Bake (you can find the recipe here ) - Instead of halloumi I used a combination of feta and mozzarella.

There was loads left so the next day I warmed it up in the microwave and mixed it with some pasta sauce, some more mozzarella, and some cooked pasta for a carb overload.

Speaking of pasta I also made a pesto pasta salad with some low fat mayo mixed with pesto sauce, cooled pasta, mixed beans, sweetcorn, red onion, and sun dried tomato x

and as you know I also made my Creamy Mushroom And Basil Pasta - click here to see the recipe xx

Despite all of these calorific goodies I did try to be good this month and tried to stick to healthy snacks at least including these fab Kallo rice and corn cakes x

and some yummy Graze Lightly Salted Popcorn - you can find out more about Graze here and get a free box with my gift code LK47LF8D.

Oh I almost forgot that I had one of the gorgeous cake pops at the Newcastle FABB Event, naughty but oh so worth it xx

So that was my foodie month, what about May? well I'm hoping for some better weather and maybe the start of salad season and hopefully the start of yummy summer fruit to encourage me to eat more healthily, It's also my birthday next month so I can't guarantee I'll be good then though ;) Have you eaten anything new or exciting this month? let me know in the comments xx

Yes To Carrots C Me Shine Lip Gloss Revisited - A Review For My Pure

2013-04-23T13:35:00.003Z

Earlier this year as part of my regular My Pure reviews I featured one a Yes To Carrots C Me Shine Lipgloss (click here to read the review). It was okay but it didn't wow me, mainly I think because of the colour. The shade I went for was Red Hot, a real brick red, on reflection I was a bit too far out of my comfort zone so I've decided to give them another go, this time in a more "me" colour - Carrot Kiss.

Like Red Hot, Carrot Kiss is paraben free and isn't tested on animals. It contains ingredients such as Beeswax, sunflower and Castor seed oils, carrot root extract, and peppermint oil.

It comes in the traditional squeezy tube, and it has a slanted tip for easy application. Again it has a peppermint smell and taste, so you do get a cool, slightly tingly feeling on the lips when you apply it.

I have to be honest and say that Carrot Kiss again looks quite scary in the tube - it has quite a bright orange / coral appearance in the tube but as you can hopefully see from this swatch, it has a more subtle slightly shimmery nude peach colour when applied.

Again this gloss has quite a tacky sticky feel, which does mean it tend to sort of pill on the lips if you know what I mean, but unlike Red Hot this one is really easy to apply from the tube, you do get a bit patchiness but it really isn't that obvious or noticeable. Sorry that this pictures isn't the best but hopefully you can see just how wearable this gloss is.

If you don't like sticky lipglosses don't buy this, but if you don't mind them this is a really easy to apply and wear colour. I can't see me wearing Red Hot that often but I can see this shade being a real staple in my make up bag. Yes To Carrots C Me Shine Lipgloss retails at £5.99 from My Pure for a 14g tube and comes in 5 shades. If you have any questions please leave me a comment, I love reading what you have to say xx

(Yes To Carrots C Me Shine Lipgloss 14g In Carrot Kiss Was Provided By My Pure For Review Purposes)

Foodie Friday - Creamy Mushroom And Basil Pasta

2013-04-19T19:24:00.000Z

Hey guys x sorry for the little hiatus but I'm back with a lovely recipe for you x I've showed you a version of this briefly in one of my What I Ate Today posts, but it's so good I thought it deserved a post in it's own right. The original idea for this recipe came from an advertisement for a certain brand of cheese but I've altered mine a little bit.

Creamy Mushroom And Basil Pasta

300g Pasta Shapes

1oz Butter

Drizzle Of Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic - Crushed or Finely Chopped

8 Cherry Tomatoes

400g Mushrooms

200g Cream Cheese

2 dsp Pesto

Fresh Basil (Optional)

1. Pop the butter, the olive oil and the garlic into a pan, and heat gently until the butter is melted, and the garlic is starting to soften.

2. In the meantime chop your mushrooms, you can use any variety you like but I love making this with whole baby button mushrooms or with chestnut mushrooms which have a meatier texture and a better flavour - you can chop them roughly or finely whatever you prefer.

Then chop your tomatoes - you can half or quarter them whatever you prefer.

3. After a few minutes the butter should be melted, and the garlic should be starting to soften

At this point add your mushrooms to the pan, and give them a quick stir to make sure their covered in the oil, butter and garlic mix

If you have a lid pop it on, and cook over a medium heat.

4. If your using it tear up some fresh basil

and pop your pasta on I'm using some gluten free spirals but any shape would work.

5. After about 10 minutes your mushrooms should be softened and should have reduced down

Then add the tomatoes and some of the fresh basil and mix in

Then add the pesto and mix in well.

6. Cream cheese time :) pop the cream cheese into the mushroom mix

Mix it in slowly and don't panic if it looks as though it's going to curdle

Cook for few minutes and the mixture should start to thicken

7. Once your pasta is cooked drain it well

Then pop it back into the pan and add the mushroom mix

Stir well until everything is combined

8. Serve, sprinkled with chopped basil and enjoy :)

This recipe serves two greedy people very easily and obviously could be adapted to serve more. This is another one of those add what you like and leave out what your don't recipes. If you don't like pesto leave it out, if you want to add some chicken or bacon do it. You could also vary the cream cheese, and use maybe a basil version, or a garlic and herb variety, instead of adding the pesto and basil (like the original recipe). Oh and don't think you need the "branded" cream cheese you don't, I usually make this using the stores cheap own brand - the one I used here was a 200g tub of Tesco Everyday Value Cream Cheese, and its fine x This is a really quick and filling dish that tastes yummy :) I am a real pasta girl so this is definitely one of my favourites :) If you have any questions please leave me a comment x

FABB Events Newcastle - An Amazing Day, And A Huge Confidence Booster

2013-04-15T17:12:00.000Z

Despite it's misgivings I actually love living where I do, I'm a real northern girl at heart, and I love the north east with a passion, within an hour of where I live I can be by the sea, in a bustling city or out on the unspoilt, windswept moors - this area really does have something for everyone, apart for maybe the blogger. It's sad to say it sometimes well we feel a bit left out, I'm lucky enough to have been invited to lots of blogger events since I started this little journey, but due my illness and where I live it just hasn't been practical for me to go to any of them. Sensing the isolation that a lot of bloggers from outside the capital felt, two amazing ladies and north east bloggers, Tor from That's Peachy and Ray from Who Is She, formed FABB Events, with the aim of bringing fashion and beauty blogging meet ups and events to the bloggers, no matter where they are. Their first event in Leeds was a huge success, but on Saturday the ladies were back on home turf (ish) in Newcastle.

As soon as I found out there was an event somewhere that I could get too, I signed up straight away. Can I be honest with you? as soon as I did I regretted it, as you've probably gathered from last post my confidence in everything from my appearance to my own future is at rock bottom at the moment, and here was I planning to spend an afternoon with a whole load of ladies (and gentlemen) that I'd never met? that sounds crazy but I knew I had to do it to prove that the old Lou is in there somewhere all be it under a bit of padding, so after talking to quite a few lovely people on twitter some of us arranged to meet at the famous Monument in Newcastle before the event so we didn't have to walk in on our own :)

The event was held in the Kanaloa bar, in city centre venue, Tiger Tiger. The room was decorated in a polynesian style with tribal carvings and sculptures on the walls and leis on the tables :) - a little bit of the south seas in an all be it sunny Newcastle :) We were met by Tor and Ray and given name stickers, a real godsend as I'm useless at remembering names, we then had a chance to have a drink and get to know each other a bit before we had brief intro from the ladies.

The first presentation was from Rosie Spencer from a clothing company called Tinned Bananas. This is a relatively new north east based, family clothing company, that's already making waves with the UK fashion pack. All their garments are made in the UK and are simply amazing to look out, the colours and patterns are so vibrant, and the fabrics are so soft and range from a smooth slinky style material, to a soft stretch velvet, and their swimwear in particular is to die for, in fact Look magazines fashion editor Lucy Wood, has even taken some of their bikinis to the Coachella festival.

I have to be honest and say that the line is probably a too small for me, and my rather rotund frame but if your after something a little bit different I would definitely recommend you have a look at their website here x I'm really thinking of using their swimwear as diet inspiration for maybe Summer 2014 :) x

After Rosie's presentation there was another chance to mingle, after the cup cakes and cake pops had been attacked though :) I was really good and not wanting to aggravate my food allergies I just had one cake pop which was AMAZING :), so worth the bloating and pain lol. I tried to speak to as many people as I could but I was really hard to speak to everyone, especially when your a bit shy - I seemed to miss out the far side of the room which was a real shame :(

The second talk was from Sandra Tang. Sandra works freelance in digital marketing, and has done a lot of work with Newcastle NE1, which promotes leisure and cultural events and activities in the city centre (click here to find out more). What Sandra came to talk to us about though was Newcastle Fashion Week. There are events taking place all over the city from the 11th to the 18th of May, ranging from individual store events, to catwalk shows in Eldon Square, an introduction to ebay session in the Central Library, and a spectacular bridal fashion show taking place in the Theatre Royal. We were kindly given an event programme, and a free ticket for the first day of the Newcastle Fashion Weekend, a event which is going to be taking place at Northumbria University, and will feature everything from catwalk shows, celeb appearances, free make overs, style consultations and a chance to meet Poppy Dinsey from WIWT - I love Poppy and would seriously kill for her figure x so I'm definitely going to be using my free ticket. You can find out more about Newcastle Fashion Week here xx

Before and during the event we were given the opportunity to enter various giveaways to win some gorgeous goodies including clutch bags, jewellery, and beauty products, and I was lucky enough to win two prizes.

I won a Semi Permanent Mineral Brow Travel Kit, from ILAH Beauty, which contains eyebrow stencils, eyebrow and shadow colours and a lip balm, and I also won a Jelly Pong Pong Mineral Foundation which I'm super excited to try.

Towards the end of the event we all given a goodies bag which contained some fabulous things that I can't wait try from a variety of brand including Lush, Elemis, Macadamia Oil, Lee Stafford, Beauty UK and loads more, as well as press releases and a load of discounts - I can't wait to have a proper play and I'll definitely try and review some of the bits for you - Oh it also contained some Pop Chips but I ate a packet on the way home and Mummy Lou ate the other one sorry - the barbeque ones are amazing :)

From Left To Right - Katie, Amy, and Bethanie

I have to say despite my initial apprehension I really enjoyed the event and the opportunity to meet and talk to so many fabulous north east based bloggers, and to listen to some really informative and interesting speakers. Everybody was sooooo friendly, and I'm only sad that I didn't get a chance to talk to everyone. My confidence still isn't amazing especially appearance wise (hmm) but thanks to Ray and Tor, and some lovely, genuine people I certainly don't feel as isolated or as scared about meeting new people and trying new things. If you want to find out more about FABB Events then you can follow them on twitter or check out their facebook page, and if they come around to your neck of the woods, I'd definitely advise you to try and get a ticket, Thanks ladies I am one satisfied blogger x

Honesty, Sadness, An Outfit Fail And A Quick Face Of Saturday x

2013-04-15T16:41:00.000Z

I'm sorry that these posts are a little later than I intended them to be but I spent most of Saturday night and yesterday in a stupid amount of pain, my muscles literally seized up, in a mass of cramps and spasms, the cause of the pain - believe it or not a blogger event. On Saturday I attended my first ever blogger event hosted by FABB Events at Tiger Tiger in Newcastle. I didn't do anything that people don't do everyday of the week yet I ended up in some serious pain. I hate my stupid body at times and my physio is going to have a field day on Wednesday trying to iron me out, but do you know what? it was worth it. I really think I should give my body a kick in the teeth more often and do things that I enjoy and suffer the consequences - life really is too short. I'll post more about the event itself later but I thought I'd do a quick outfit and face of the day post x

I was scared about the whole thing to be honest: when your completely lacking in self confidence and self belief hurling yourself into situations like events when you've never me a soul there is scary. I constantly feel as though people are judging me and critiquing me all the time, I know this isn't true but its how I feel, so what do you wear to meet up with fashion and beauty bloggers? well I'm afraid I stayed well within my comfort zone. I'm feeling super uncomfortable about my body at the moment the weight isn't coming off as quick as I would like ( my doctor said it would be hard and boy is it) and quite frankly I hate looking in the mirror at the moment. I picked a simple smart casual outfit, that above all was comfortable.

What I Wore

Blue Jeggings - Asda

White Vest - La Redoute

White Number Burn Out Top - Primark

Lightweight Black Blazer - Sienna Couture At New Look

Black Biker Boots - Studio Catalogue

Gold Acrylic Mirror Name Necklace - Punky Pins

Standing up and walking I was feeling OK glancing at my reflection in shop windows etc. I thought you aren't looking too bad Lou - I was wrong though, I've had a look at some of the pics from the event and quite frankly I could have cried sitting down the two layers of top does nothing for my stomach, and the white makes me look huge :( In fact I almost look pregnant (thanks for that Mummy Lou)- comfortable but all in all a fail and a real confidence killer - I guess there is a reason why so many clothes for fuller figured women are dark - white clothing, flash photography and a super curvy tummy does not a happy LouLou make :( Everyone has been so nice about everything though so I can't thank you all enough for being so sweet and understanding - It only goes to show what fabulous people end up in the North East xx

From something I felt like utter turd about to something I was happy with - my make up - I was in a major hurry and I knew that being a slightly warmer day than we'd had lately nothing dramatic would last so I made the decision quite early to go for something neutral - I didn't have much time to photograph the look so you can see the lipstick here x and the eye look will be up in my palette of the month post later this week and yeah it is another fish face :)

What I Wore
GOSH - Velvet Touch Cream Primer

Avon Ideal Flawless Foundation - Ivory
Mixed With
Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid - 010 Ivory
Boots No7 Trio Conceale - Lightest 2 Shades Mixed
MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Benefit Sugarbomb - All Shade Swirled Together
Maybelline The Colossal Mascara - Glam Black
Front Cover Satin Pressed Eyeshadows - Mocha Magic, Brown Cork, and Burnt Cork

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick - 04 - Rose Tweed.

I know you can't see the look too well, It will be definitely something that I will wear again it was simple, and it looked really fresh, and natural, and shock of horrors I still had make up to take off when I got home - result! Pretty boring but effective - if you want to see a much more exciting eye look though check out this post from the lovely Aqeela who I was lucky enough to meet at the event - how amazing are her eyes?

I'm sorry that this post was a bit of a downer, if your not happy, your not happy though and you can't pretend to be something your not. Thankfully my negativity came after the event which was a great experience that I'm so pleased to have taken part in - my full post on the event will be up shortly, if I haven't scared you off already that it :) xx

Tackling Spots And Blemishes With The OXY Clearlight

2013-04-11T19:33:00.000Z

I have a confession to make guys - I'm feeling old lately - whether it down to the increasing number of bloggers who are still at school or whether its down to the first grey hairs that I'm starting to sprout - lately I'm feeling every inch of my 34 nearly 35 years and a bit more besides. One advantage to getting older is that at long last my skin is starting to clear up - instead of almost continuous breakouts I now only get a few hormonal spots at my time of the month - every cloud as they say. Despite only getting the odd spot now (bar this month where I've had my worst breakout for ages!!) I still hate them and the type that I do get or sore, painful and take ages to go away. I have a few spot treatments that I keep on hand just case but I can honestly say whilst they do work I'm not a huge fan of any of them - a lot of them burn, sting, and worst of all they can leave the skin flaky and dry long after the spot has gone - yuck!

If lotions and potions aren't your bag though, their are lots of other things on the market that can help us in the quest for perfect skin. Look in any electrical retailer, department store, beauty retailer or larger chemist, and you will find lots of skin clearing gadgets, and tools, that promise to zap those zits and leave our skin smooth and perfected. The only trouble is the majority of these gadgets aren't cheap and some can retail at well over £150. Yes spots are annoying but there is no way, that I would pay that, if your unhappy enough with your skin though I'm sure you would pay anything but I'm not so I wouldn't pay that. A little while ago now though I was contacted on behalf of the well known skincare company and blemish specialist OXY and given the opportunity to try out a more purse friendly spot zapping gadget.

The people at OXY are aware of how distressing spots and can be so alongside their skincare line they've also introduced a gadget called the OXY Clearlight which claims to amongst other things reduce the appearance of spots and acne.

How it works is quite scientific and it's clear that a lot of specialist research has gone into this but in its simplest terms this tool uses the power of light through a process which is known as photodynamic therapy. The battery operated unit contains 4 LED lights which emit a pure, safe blue coloured light. The light wavelength in the OXY Clear Light is scientifically formulated to react with our own skin structure, to produce oxygen and to kill off the bacteria called P.acnes which is the bacteria that causes spots, acne and blemishes. OXY claim that with regular usage this product can aid the healing and appearance of existing spots whilst at the same time, preventing the formation of new spots and blemishes.

Unlike a lot of similar gadgets on the market the OXY Clear Light doesn't use UV light so it's claimed that doesn't affect or damage any healthy skin cells, the only areas that the light affects is the areas containing the spot causing bacteria. Its also claimed that this product can help heal spots without causing any additional redness, dryness, soreness and irritation.

The OXY Clearlight comes boxed, in the box you get the handheld unit itself, a 9 volt battery, and an instruction leaflet. The unit also comes with a two year warranty.

The battery is really easy to insert, and the unit operates with a single button, so it's really easy to use.

I've made a video showing you how the unit works which you can see below but I'll give you a quick overview here x First of all you need to make sure that you skin is clean and dry, I usually cleanse or wash my face first. Then you need to use a antibacterial or skin wipe on the head of the unit to make sure that it's clean Then you put the head of the unit over the spot or area that you want to treat and then you press the button. Then you'll hear a beeping noise and a green light will be illuminated on the button, and the blue LEDs will be activated. All you do is hold the unit against the spot for 3 minutes, the unit is self timed so after 3 minutes, it will beep and the lights will do off. Then give your unit another wipe down, and apply your regular facial moisturiser and your done. OXY recommend that you use the unit twice a day until the spot disappears completely.

The unit as you can see is really easy to use, one button and the treatment is all timed for you. I did expect to feel something from the lights but I didn't feel any heat or any indication that anything was happening, and afterwards the skin and spot looked exactly the same bar an indentation where I'd pressed the unit too hard against my skin.

I've been using this product for quite a few months now and I have to say, it's generally done what it promises. I've found that it does seem to heal up spots more quickly, and most importantly without any stinging, burning or most importantly dryness. Dryness is one of my main issues with conventional sport treatment, yes they treat the spot but more often than not they leave the area of skin so dry that it's even worse to cover up than the initial spot was - I hardly found that at all with the Clearlight, the spots just gradually seemed to go down and look less obvious without any of that horrid flaking and peeling. Spots aren't pretty are they so instead of putting some rather yucky pictures up here - the link below will take you to a set of photos which show the progress of the Clearlight over a period of 9 days on one of my rather less welcome guests.

An Example Of My Progress With The OXY Clearlight Over The Course Of Several Days - Not For The Squeamish!

For those of you that didn't want to look at the pics I'll do my best to summarise what they show. After the first couple of treatments my spot actually looked a lot worse, the gadget seemed almost to draw the spot out but after a few days it started to calm down and gradually disappear. I know what your saying 9 days is still a long time for a spot to completely disappear but for me that's a major improvement. If I don't touch a spot I can still often see evidence of it up to 3 weeks later - the spot itself can disappear within a couple of weeks, but the pigmentation can stick around for much longer not with this though, clear skin within less than two weeks :)

I'll hold my hands up and say that this product did the business for me, it's really helping clear up some of those horrid, sporadic hormonal spots that always seem to pop up at certain times of the month but I can see why this gadget wouldn't be for everyone. I only have small breakouts and odd spots so I find this pretty quick and easy to use but if you have more widespread acne or skin concerns then it could be quite time consuming to use, as the Clearlight can only treat a small area of skin at a time.

Like most medical / beauty tools it's also worth bearing in mind that there are some people that the Clearlight isn't suitable for, these include children under the age of 12 and individuals who suffer from light sensitivity or are taking any medication that can cause light sensitivity.

I really think that the OXY Clearlight has made a difference to my skin and to how quickly my blemishes heal up so I definitely think that it's something that I'm going to keep using every time one of those annoying spots threatens to appear. For more information on the OXY Clearlight system and their skincare range please check out their website x The OXY Clearlight unit retails at £39.99 from larger Superdrug store and from the OXY website. If you have any questions please leave me a comment x

(The OXY Clearlight Was Provided By PR For Review / Promotional Purposes)

AVON Color Trend Lip Stix - A Budget Beauty Series Special

2013-04-09T17:27:00.000Z

In last months haul the gorgeous Mummy Lou paid for a teeny, tiny Avon order for me. It only contained 2 items but they were things that I really wanted to try - the new Color Trend Lip Stix

These are basically twist up lipstick pens, the plastic pen style bullet contains a thin lipstick, just a couple of times larger than a lip liner - chubby sticks they ain't. Obviously this means that you need to use a bit more product so I don't think that these will last very long. It's also worth noting that these lipsticks aren't retractable so be careful how far you twist it up, as you won't be able to get it back it. They have a very, very subtle coconut / vanilla type smell.

Anyways on to the colours - they come in a 5 shades at the moment ranging from nude, to coral to red. The first shade that I got was Gone Pink. This a pale milky pink shade - just the type of shade that I personally love. It is slightly different to the brochure, it's a lot paler and slightly less pigmented.

Shades like this are hard to get right the formula needs to be just right. Unfortunately this product is a bit of a fail in this shade for me. It's very thick, but at the same time it lack moisture so it ends up almost clumping and clinging to dry patches that you didn't even know you had. From a distance it doesn't look bad - check out my frog face, trout pout, fish face :)

In close up though it's a different story, I went through so many pictures, and I even tried taking pictures on 3 separate occasions but I couldn't make this look any better :(

Not great is it? I can't recommend this product at all, it was horrid! The texture was horrid, it looked really nasty on the lips and it faded really unevenly.

As well as Think Pink though I also picked Think Fast Pink, I was a bit mehhh about trying it but I gave it ago anyway.

Again the brochure swatch is a bit different, in it Think Fast Pink appears to be a lot brighter than what it is in real life. It's still a lovely pink shade but it's a lot more wearable than I anticipated.

This shade felt a bit more moisturising and it actually applied a lot better. There was still a little bit of bittiness but on the whole I think it looked at least 70% better.

It too faded a little bit unevenly but it looked and lasted better than Gone Pink. It isn't perfect by any means but I think I will use this one up.

This review was a bit of a mixed bag really wasn't it? I can never understand why two products that are exactly the same bar the colour can be so different. I was really looking forward to trying these and I have to say I'm disappointed, I'll use up Think Fast Pink but I can see Gone Pink languishing in the bottom of my lipstick drawer or ending up in the bin. These have a recommended retail price of £4.50, but being Avon they are nearly always available as part of an offer - my advice though is don't waste your money on these buy one of the normal Color Trend lipsticks instead. Have you tried these yet? do you share my disappointment? let me know in the comments xx

Foodie Friday With A Twist - Healthy Snacking From Kallo And A Nails Of The Day

2013-04-05T18:02:00.002Z

Way back in the day when I was first diagnosed as being wheat and gluten intolerant, one of my saviours was the humble rice cake. Yes I know their a bit tasteless and boring on their own, but with a nice topping on them, they can make a filling snack or a light lunch. In the 8 or so years since I've been avoiding wheat and gluten though the humble rice cake has undergone a major transformation. Yes you can still get the plain ones, but you can now get a huge variety or flavours, from sweet to savoury, all of which are great to eat on their own. I was recently given the opportunity to try out some new products from one of the largest rice cake brands Kallo, so being a bit of a fan I jumped at the chance.

I don't know if you've been out shopping lately but the shops as you would expect for this time of year are full of gorgeous pastel shades and less surprisingly beautiful shades of nude and caramel. Inspired by these colours of Spring, in January of this year Kallo added two new varieties to their popular Jumbo Rice Cake line - Blueberry and Vanilla, and Caramel.

Made with a combination of brown rice and corn for added flavour, these rice cake are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. They contain no artificial colours, or preservatives, and they also contain no Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). or gluten containing ingredients making them suitable for Coeliacs.

Kallo Rice And Corn Cakes - Blueberry and Vanilla

The first pack that I received were something a bit different to what I've had in the past. These were the first fruit flavoured rice cake based snack to hit the market

The first thing you notice about these babies is the colour - it isn't that easy to see on camera but these rice and corn cakes have a lovely light pink / lilac hue which comes from the natural blueberry extract.

They have a sweet vanilla berry smell, and a soft blueberry and light vanilla flavour. They aren't as sweet as expected and whilst you can taste the natural blueberry you can also taste the almost popcorn flavour of the rice and corn cake.

You could eat these on their own but because of the subtlety of the flavour I actually preferred these ones with a topping. These large rice and corn cakes only contain 36 calories each so you can be as naughty as you look or as good as you like when it comes to toppings. Some topping suggestion include yogurt, or ice cream and berries, but I went for the slightly lower calorie option and had mine with low fat cream cheese, and fresh blueberries.

Kallo Blueberry and Vanilla Rice Cakes, retail at around £1.79 for 131g pack.

Kallo Rice And Corn Cakes - Caramel

I am a lot more familiar with the next variety that I received - Caramel. There are a lot of caramel based rice cake snacks on the market but I wanted to find out what if anything made these ones different.

The first thing that you notice when you opened this packet was the smell - you get an immediate hit of burnt sugar, sweet caramel loveliness. The rice cakes themselves had a lovely caramel colour, which you can see a bit of here - more on the nails later ;)

The rice / corn cakes had almost toffee popcorn esq flavour, and again they weren't as sweet as I expected them to be, and again you could taste the corn / rice flavours. I've quite happily ate these ones on their own, but for only 40 calories each you could easily put some toppings on them and still have a healthy snack. That depends on the toppings of course, some of the serving suggestions for these ones include chocolate spread, and caramel sauce! Again though I've gone for slightly healthier option,, with low fat cream cheese and sliced banana.

Kallo Caramel Rice And Corn Cakes, retail at around £1.79 for 147g pack. Both varieties are available from most major supermarkets, and some health food stores.

I have to say me and Mummy Lou enjoyed both varieties of these rice and corn cakes. They made great, quick and filling snacks, with or without a topping, and they are really good calories wise, meaning you can eat quite a few without feeling guilty :) Oh and what about the nails you saw earlier? Well with my press I also received a gorgeous bottle of nail polish in one of spring key shades, a nude caramel.

Whilst it lacks the golden hues of the Caramel variety, Rimmel 60 Seconds in 500 Caramel Cupcake, embraces the huge trend for nude, mannequin hands. This polish dried super quick and perfect coverage was achieved in two coats.

What do you think of nude caramel nails? and more importantly are you a fan or rice cakes? Let me know in the comments and of course let me know if you have any questions xx

(Both Packets of Kallo Rice And Corn Cakes And The Nail Polish Were Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

My 600 GFC Follower Giveaway Winner Revealed

2013-04-03T14:49:00.002Z

(MAC Product Images Taken From Debenhams, House Of Fraser And Selfridges)

Well it's the post you've all been waiting for - it's time to announce the winner of my 600 GFC Follower Giveaway. I receive a massive 271 entries - Thank You so much for entering and subscribing - I really do appreciate it x Thankfully Rafflecopter makes it super easy to pick a winner - I can't imagine how long it would have taken otherwise, but without further delay the winner is.......

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beth

Congratulations my lovely - I will contact you asap to get your details and to find out what item you would like.

I'm so sorry that I couldn't give you all a prize but stick around for my giveaways - I have lots of MUA products still to giveaway and I have another couple of things in the pipeline. Thanks so much for following, and subbing and I hope you'll stick around xxx

Trimming My Stash - March Empties And Mini Reviews

2013-04-02T14:08:00.000Z

It's hard to believe that were at the start of another month already, but March is over and April has begun. Like every month in March I continued in my Trimming My Stash quest to use up as many skincare, body care and make up products as I could - whilst I didn't do as well as the previous two months of the year I still managed to finish 10 Items

Tresemme Platinum Strength 60 Second Treatment Shot - 15ml
Boots Botanics All Bright Soothing Eye Make Up Remover - 150ml
Sanctuary Active Reverse Facial 30 Day Thermal Transformation Mask - 3.5ml and 7ml
La Roche Posay Physiological Soothing Toner -15ml
Bomb Cosmetics Pink Marmalade Shower Body Polish - 365ml
Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Fresh Balancing Lotion - 30ml
Naughty But Nice Moisturising Hand Cream - Choco Deluxe -18g
Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift And Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm - 15ml
Primark Beauty Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes With Tea Tree x 25 Wipes
Primark Beauty Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes With Tea Tree x 25 Wipes
Total - 10 Items

Again I'm pretty pleased with that, I'm being pretty consistent this year and gain I've managed to finish a good variety of products. I'm hoping I can do a bit better in April; I'm already there or thereabouts or on 3 items, and I've hit pan on a couple of make up bits too, so hopefully I can do better this month. In March I managed to finish a few things that I'd used for the first time so again I thought I'd do some mini review for you.

1. Tresemme Platinum Strength 60 Second Treatment Shot - 15ml

There has a lot of hype about these little tubes in the blogging community and I wanted to find out why. Basically these little tubes contain an intensive hair conditioner treatment, that you apply to you hair after shampooing, leave for 60 seconds and then rinse out. I did a little bit of research and I managed to get two treatments out of each tube, and I also left it on for a little bit longer maybe up to 5 minutes. After the first treatment I couldn't see any difference at all but after I used the second half of the tube, my hair felt soft, and silky and it definitely looked less flyaway and it was easier to straighten. If I felt my hair needed a boost I would definitely buy these again.

2. Boots Botanics All Bright Soothing Eye Make Up Remover -150ml

Why Boots? Why? Why did your exchange a perfectly good product for this????. It stings, and leaves my eyes like an oil slick, and you need to use so much product to remove all your make up. I used it all up because I hate throwing things away but I definitely will not be repurchasing. I have two bottle of the old formulation left them I'm stuck so I'd love to hear your eye make up remover recommendations x

3. Sanctuary Active Reverse Facial 30 Day Thermal Transformation Mask - 3.5ml and 7ml

I received this sample in a recent Birchbox, and as I felt my skin needed a boost. The system comprises of a serum and a self heating mask. First of all you cover your face with a layer of the serum and then you pop a layer of the mask on top, then you leave it for about 10-15 minutes before rinsing off. When I removed the mask my skin felt like silky soft velvet it was so smooth and the day after my skin looked so awake and fresh. However after a couple of days my skin erupted with the most horrid breakout. It can't be sure though that the two were linked so luckily (or unluckily!) I have another sample from another beauty box so I''m going to give it another go. In some ways I'm kind of hoping that I don't like it second time round as the full sizes are £27.50 eek.

4. La Roche Posay Physiological Soothing Toner -15ml

Another sample sized product which came free with an order that I placed some time ago. This lasted about a week, and to be honest it didn't impress me that much, it just didn't seem to do anything spectacular and was altogether a bit mehhh. The full size is £11.50 so I honestly don't think I would repurchase. I do quite like the sound of the clarifying lotion but at the same price it's not something I will be purchasing in the near future.

5. Bomb Cosmetics Pink Marmalade Shower Body Polish - 365ml

This shower scrub was a Christmas pressie and I have to say it smells amazing. It's full of citrus and lemongrass and it smells really fresh and invigorating. It was an oil, salt and sugar scrub so it's ideal if you like a more moisturising but abrasive scrub. I actually really enjoyed using this especially in the shower - the only thing is - try not get any water into the tub - I did and instead of dissolving some of it fused together into almost candy rock style chunks, that you had to break up and dissolve to use - very odd - the smell though was worth it.

6. Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Fresh Balancing Lotion - 30ml

Another toner sample this time from Estee Lauder. This one left my skin feeling pretty smooth and fresh without any irritation, this bottle lasted me about 2 weeks. It was okay but it wasn't amazing so I wouldn't shell out £21 for the full size!

7. Naughty But Nice Moisturising Hand Cream - Choco Deluxe -18g

I really hate dissing things that I received as presents but this was not good at all. It separated into a combination of watery stuff and creamy sludge, it left the hands the really sticky and rather than chocolate it smelled like slightly sickly plastic! It only had one redeeming feature the packaging ! It came in a cute plastic cupcake tub that can be reused but if you see this on your travels my advice is don't waste your money.

8. Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift And Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm - 15ml

From something that I hated to something I love - this product has a cult reputation and rightfully so. I've been using this as a cleanser, over the last week or so I've been using it as spot treatment. Every night after cleansing I've massaged a little bit of Moringa balm into the blemish and I really think that it's made a difference. I have a full size of this which I'm now using :)

9 and 10. Primark Beauty Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes With Tea Tree x 25 Wipes

I think I've probably finished at least a packet of these every month lately. I use them for emergency cleansing, freshening my skin, and for removing swatches and cleaning down my make up items. At just £1 for two packets you can't go wrong

So they were March's empties x If you have any questions on any of the products I've mentioned in this post please leave me a comment xxx

Easter Gifts And Easter Cooking

2013-04-01T13:27:00.000Z

Hi Guys - I hope your all enjoying the long Bank Holiday weekend :) It seems like only yesterday that I did a haul for you, wait a minute it was only yesterday ;) I think I've told you this before but as well as the obligatory chocolate egg traditionally I get an Easter gift from my mum. I fancied some new clothes so we braved the holiday crowds and went to the Metro Centre. Primark has some gorgeous things in the moment, so it wasn't hard to find something that I liked. First up this over sized sheer burnout top.

At first glance I thought it was a pattern but it is in fact a number design - obviously I'll need to wear something underneath it, but I thought it was cute. It was £6.

She also got me this dress, which I fell in love with the top is lace, and it fall away into the cutest pleated skirt.

I loved the navy blue on sight, but I believe it also comes in several other colours. This was £15.

I also had a little look round the accessories section, annoyingly the bow toiletry bag that I wanted has been replaced with one that just isn't as nice :( so I got some hair bobbles instead.

Look familiar? there not too different from the ones I paid a lot more for in yesterdays H&M haul. The smaller silver and nude ones were £1 for the 2, and the larger black one was £1.

Next up something that I'd seen a few times - the Hask Argan Oil Healing Shine Hair Treatment.

I've seen this quite a few times and never picked it up but recently I've read a few really positive reviews on it so I went for it - It was £2.50 for 18ml.

After Primark we had a slow walk around the centre, trying to avoid being jabbed with pushchairs, tripping over rogue toddlers, and trying to keep out the way of all the pre teen, and early teen Geordie Shore wannabees - not an easy task let me tell you. Eventually we made it to Dorothy Perkins, I'd spotted some nice longline blazers online but I wanted to see them in the flesh first - alas the black was gone so I went for the blush / nude pink instead - This was £45 which I do think is expensive but it seems really well made and it doesn't feel skimpy.

She also bought me this cute sheer ivory top with black lace detailing - again I think this was expensive at £25 but it is pretty and the length is good.

I had a few things that I wanted before we went out and to be honest I couldn't find any of them, nude / pink / blush ballet pumps for example? Primark just seemed to have faux suede ones, and Dorothy Perkins had some gorgeous ones but none in my size. Mummy Lou came to the rescue though and paid for the online order of the Dorothy Perkins ones in the correct size - hurray and there was money off online too - I'll pop them in my April Haul post for you so you can see them when they come x

My final Easter Gifts came from Poundland - I've noticed a huge increase in the amount of nail art bits that they stock over the last few months, and I came across some very interesting discoveries - first up the Allura Nail Stamping Kit.

This is basically a mini Konad rip off, I already have the Rio version which I really must start using again but I thought that this was too good a bargain to pass up. You get the scraper, the stamper, and a design plate featuring 9 designs, mainly flowers, and flourishes. For a pound I think this is a great set if you want to try out stamping, without shelling out a fortune, all you need to add is nail polish. Just a quickie I had a little play with this and I couldn't get it to work - I then realised that the design plate was coated in a film which needed to be removed to access the designs hmm.

The last thing that I got was probably a love it or loathe it item - It's a pack of nail art charms, in this case tiny plastic, and faux crystal bows.

I do think that these can look incredibly tacky but I'll try anything once and it was just a pound for 12 bows. I can't wait to give these bits ago when I recover from a few days of nail rippage!!

It wouldn't be Easter without chocolate and as per usual I received a ridiculous amount, some of these are Mummy Lou's but still...

I think were going to ration ourselves to be fair and only have a small amount each day -we'll need to, as well as the Easter Eggs we've also made various other Easter treats including the famous Creme Egg Brownies.

There recipe comes from the Cadbury's website and you can find it here x I used gluten free plain flour, with a teaspoon of Xanthan Gum, which gives your baked goodies a more gluten containing texture x This is a really good if very rich recipe - YUM!

It wouldn't be Easter without a Mini Egg, and I used them to make probably the simplest recipe ever - Chocolate Easter Nests.

Simply mix some melted chocolate with the cereal of your choice, I'm using Rice Krispies, pop them in a cake case, and add some Mini Eggs, et voila :) Chocolate Coma :) I'm surprised that I haven't gained any weight this week but we'll see what next week brings!

I hope you've had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend and I'll see you tomorrow with my March empties post x

March Haulage, Gifts And A Monthly Spends Fail

2013-03-31T15:00:00.001Z

Well March has been busy month for me haul wise. Unusually for me I've had lots of opportunities to shop this month, I've been to a couple of local towns, the Metro Centre and to Durham so unsurprisingly I've done a bit of spending - whoops!

The first batch of things that I got didn't actually cost me any money :) I still had some Boots vouchers left over from Christmas burning a hole in my purse, so I decided to spend them. First of all I got some of my favourite cotton wool pads - these seem to be permanently on a buy one get one half price offer, so I got two packets. I also at the third attempt managed to get my little paws on the gorgeous L'Oreal Colour Riche Top Coat in 918 Confettis. I'd seen this on quite a few blogs and it was something that I was desperate to own :).

With that transaction I got one of the £5 No7 skincare vouchers, I was initially going to get the eye make up remover, but the reviews that I read weren't that positive, so I used the voucher and £3 worth of gift vouchers to get the No7 Soft and Soothed Gentle Toner.

This seems to be the only toner in the No7 line at the moment, and the reviews were pretty good so I thought I'd give it a go.

On a separate Boots trip I used the last of my vouchers to pick up one of the Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipsticks - I went for the shade 04 - Rose Tweed.

Do you know what though? I loved it so much I went back and used some Advantage Card Point to buy another one :) This time I went for 02 - Beige Trench.

I really, really like these, they are so smooth and moisturising. I can definitely see myself picking up some more shades.

During my Metro Centre trip I had a little look in Primark :) My mum bought me few bits which I'll show you later in this post, but I actually sneaked back in and bought something for mum's mother's day pressie and this t-shirt for me :)

Yeah, it's the Smurfs again, I'm a bit of Smurf freak at the moment, and I love this Brainy t-shirt which embraces the Geek trend without being as obvious. It was £6.00.

Whilst I was in the Metro Centre I had a little look at the cheap make up stall. You really can pick up some gems here so if your North East reader definitely check it out. This time they had loads of products from the Dainty Doll line, but I was more interested in the range of Smooch cosmetics that they had. My mum bought me a blush a little while ago and I loved so I was really pleased to find a range of their NARS a like eyeshadow duos.

I bought two and got Gold Rush.

and Dirty Martini.

I'm really loving these shadows, the quality is really impressive and better still they were only £1.99 each!!!

I've had a few appointment in my nearest town over the last month, and whilst I tried to remain strong, I did make a few sneaky purchases in one of my favourite shops - The Original Factory Shop including this gorgeous nail polish.

Full of sparkly, duo chrome loveliness this is Sally Hansen HD Nail Colour in DVD which was £2.00

Next something with a bit of a strange name - 50 Shades By Miss Daisy 100ml Eau De Parfum.

Yes, it's one of those odd copy fragrances that always seem to appear around Mothers Day and Christmas. I think the same company must produce the cheap Sex In The City perfumes as the bottle is the same. So why did I buy this? well I was standing in the queue and the bottle was on the counter so I had a squirt and I couldn't believe my nose - this is a pretty decent dupe of Marc Jacobs - Lola which I love. The girl on the till told me that they also do a Daisy copy so I really need to try that one out too. I love my Marc Jacobs fragrances and the bottles are stunning but this oddly named fragrance was just £5 for 100ml - It isn't quite as strong and it doesn't last as long but for the price, I can definitely afford to use this one all the time and save my Lola for special occasions.

I also did a little bit of online shopping this month - guilty as charged :) First up thanks to a discount code some H&M, whilst I really think they've upped their game lately I still ended up sending 3/4 of my order back - still too much scratchy fabric and erratic sizing :( Anyway I ended up keeping this baseball style t-shirt with the 78 logo :)

I'm a little bit obsessed with things with the year of my birth and this top is a real basic everyday piece - with the discount it was £7.19. My bow obsession continued this month with the acquisition of these fab hair bobbles.

I got both sets for £5.38 which I do think is a bit steep but I loved them and they match the clips I picked up recently from Primark. Next up a nail polish - to the best of my knowledge I've never owned an H&M nil polish so I thought I'd take the plunge - This shade is the oddly named "Jo Is In The House". It's described as a silver glitter, but the sparkles are actually a combination of silver and multi coloured. I got it for £2.69 and I think it will make a great top coat.

My final H&M purchase was a tealight holder - I've picked up the odd thing from their home section but I really liked - it looks gorgeous when the light shines through it and reflects the patterns on the wall. I got it for £1.79.

Next up Top Shop, again most of my order went back, I really think a lot of their items are overpriced for what they are so back they went and when has a supposedly tall vest finished above the hip - grrr! Anyways the only items I kept were beauty related - first up two gorgeous holographic nail polishes - on the left Moondance and on the right Wistful - these were £6 each but I love holo polishes so much I knew I needed them in my lives.

I've seen a few blog posts over the last few months on the Top Shop Lip Crayons and since I'd never tried them I decided to pick one up - The one I got for doesn't appear to be on the website anymore but the shade was Wave Goodbye x a lovely pink colour x

I have to say after using this a few times I'm not a huge fan, the texture seems quite sticky and more like a gloss than a lipstick, and it faded quickly and really unevenly and it clung to every dry patch on my lips :( I also didn't like the fact that these need sharpening - the texture is very soft and you seemed to waste a lot of product - ho hum you win some you lose some I guess.

Yet again I've bought a few bits from ebay - the first thing I bought was something that quite a few bloggers seem to have bought lately - an acrylic lipstick holder.

You can fit 24 lipsticks in these, the majority of mine seem to fit I only have a few that are too chunky and don't seem to. Mine was just £2.66 including postage from this seller.

My next purchase was this cute cat design scarf - it came in a few colour but I went for the black

I bought a similar one in beige from Dorothy Perkins a little while ago and this one was cheaper and better quality. It was just £2.78 including postage from this seller x

My final ebay purchases of the month were all about the hands - I got some more nail wheels and paid just £1.47 including postage for 10 wheels from this seller x

Keeping in with my bow theme I also got this cute bow ring for just 99p including postage from this seller.

Finally I got this cute lapis and silver tone bracelet which was just £1.69 including postage from this seller x

Whilst I was on one of my many outings this month I also picked up a couple of magazines - I'm really trying to cut down on the number of magazines that I purchase - I've passed bagfuls on to my godmother lately and it's really made me realise how much money I actually spend on magazines. Anyways the two magazines that I purchased this month contained free gifts - first up Glamour which contained a travel sized Percy and Reed product. The one I chose was the 30ml Volumising No Oil Oil which I have to say I'm really liking.

I also picked up Cosmopolitan this month - I'm not a regular Cosmo reader but this months issue contained a free Elemis Freshskin product. I'm a huge Elemis fan but I'd never tried anything from this line. I think the other options were moisturisers but I went for the rather catchily named Skin Loving Lips Quenching Lip Balm 10ml. This seems like a pretty decent lip balm with a nice minty flavour.

As you can probably guess I've gone over my monthly limit eek - you can see the damage here!

Top Shop Haul - £19.00

Magazines - £5.80

Nail Wheels - ebay - £1.47

The Original Factory Shop Haul - £7.00

Cat Scarf - ebay - £2.78

Bow Ring - ebay - 99p

Acrylic Lipstick Holder - ebay - £2.66

H&M Haul - £17.05

Smurfs T-Shirt - Primark - £6.00

2 x Smooch Eyeshadow Duos - £3.98

Tibeten Silver and Lapis Bracelet - ebay - £1.69

Total - £68.48

£28.48 Over !!

I'm a bit disappointed in myself this month - I did so well last month and now I've cocked it up again. I'm determined to do better in April, and prove to myself that this month was just a blip.

The amazing Mummy Lou has also bought me a few bits this month including another magazine - this time Marie Claire which contained a 50ml tube of the Neal's Yard Bee Lovely To Your Hands Handcream.

Containing honey and orange, this is a fundraising product which is sold to raise money for Bee and insect conservation project - you can read more about it here x I am not a huge fan of honey scented things but this actually smells of fresh oranges - yummy and a really nice hand cream to boot.

The super generous Mummy Lou also bought me a few things in Primark including this cute wooden Love sign which was just a £1

and she also bought me this super cute teal / airforce blue cardigan, with bronze star shaped studs, this had been £14 and was reduced to £5 :)

She also paid for some kindle downloads from Amazon and for this nail polish also from Amazon

It is China Glaze Holographic Strap On Your Moonboots :) So pretty and I can't wait to try it out x

She paid for my Avon order - I got two of the new Color Trend Lip Stix in Gone Pink and Think Fast Pink. I haven't had a chance to try these out yet so I'll try and put a review / swatch post up next week.

Finally she bought me one these babies - the beauty junkie staple so it seems - the IKEA Helmer. I'm using mine for nail polish storage :) I'm going to do video / post all about my nail polish storage soon, so you can see this in more detail then x

So that was my pretty substantial March haul - If you like hauls check back tomorrow for my Easter gift haul of clothes, chocolate and more xx

Foodie Friday - What I Ate In March

2013-03-29T15:18:00.000Z

Hideous weather means one thing for me and one thing only - comfort food. Looking back at the pictures that I'd taken for this post I'm actually surprised I lost any weight at all this month, it all seems to be about warmth and carbs. Starting with carbs and fats was my gorgeous Roasted Vegetable and Feta Cheese Quiche - yummy (you can find the recipe here :)

It isn't a carb fest without pasta and boy have I ate a lot of gluten free pasta this month - starting with some yummy pesto pasta with sweetcorrn, feta, red onion, and basil.

Next up some Quorn meatballs in a chilli tomato sauce, with gluten free pasta and grated cheese,

and my mums Mothers Day meal - a gluten free mushroom, and basil lasagna

This is one of my favourite special occasion meals, it's a bit faffy but its amazing and tastes even better a day or so later.

Speaking of Mothers Day I also made a pretty epic gluten free Red Velvet Cake, with cream cheese frosting.

It was soooooo good - even if it did leave the kitchen looking like a crime scene x

Me and Mummy Lou also demonstrated this month that pancakes aren't just for Shrove Tuesday.

I made a lovely batch of gluten free pancakes, which she stuffed with a mushrooms, onions and cheese sauce , sprinkled with grated cheese and popped under the grill - quick, easy and really filling :)

Nothing screams comfort food more than soup and I've made a couple this month including my Carrot and Coriander Soup.

You can check out my recipe here - thanks so much for all the coriander love I knew I couldn't be the only one that liked it :)

I also made the Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper soup that I first made for your last month (my recipe is here). This recipe has quickly became a firm favourite in my house, and it's a great way or of using peppers or tomatoes that have gone a bit soft. I've served it here with a chunk of crusty gluten free ciabatta with a scraping of butter on floating on the top x

Finally something I've eaten today seeing as it's Good Friday - a gorgeous gluten free Hot Cross Bun - yummy. I was good and just bought one packet from Tesco but I really do love them with a bit of butter -yum :)

I am expecting that April is going to start with a glut chocolate thanks to the Easter Eggs in my eye line, but I'm definitely going to try eat a bit more salad, I just hope the weather helps my diet out a bit. Have you eaten anything particularly exciting or yummy in March? let me know in the comments xx