A Product Junkie's Junk...

Skincare Heaven

2013-01-11T15:56:00.001Z

Hello There.. wow it has been a while since I blogged I tell ye!

I have been super busy with Christmas and Blog designing, which is my true baby and have wanted to make sure that all the designs that I have been doing have had my full attention.

I alos got engaged over Christmas which was magical and I wanted to enjoy the celebrations for as long as I could!

So, over Christmas, as most I over indulged in many things that I shouldn't have and my skin is now feeling the consiquences.

I have heard Tonnes about La Roche - Posay skin care but in particular their Effaclare duo which is an anti inperfection corrector. it is meant to be for people with very bad skin, which I don't have but I am very prone to the odd spot or extra head that grows from my chin and wanted to give it a go.

I bought it from boots and it cost £13 which i think is pretty reasonable for a product that I have heard great things about and wasn't ridiculasley expensive should it not deliver on what I expected.

I bought this round 1st December and have been using it twice each day since then.

Using this, I saw reuslts within a couple of days, I was amazed. I found that my skin looked clearer and I had less blackheads on my face, I also think that my skin tone was becomming a little more even after the years of smoking. I have since, touch wood, not had any spots since using the product!

I would for sure recommend this and will be re purchasing again and again..... and in boots at the moment it is 2 for £15 on this range meaning that you could get £11 saving! WOWza!

I'd love to hear if any of you have used this and what you think?

Thanks for reading

Ellen

It's Christmassss...

2012-12-17T15:29:00.004Z

So, I love Christmas, it’s no secret. I love to get caught up in all the festive cheer and get really frustrated with people who are Bah Humbugs and do not join in with me.

As soon as the shops start to display this year’s festive products I am on it and start planning what we are going to do this year, what I am going to buy, where we are going to eat... the list goes on and on..

I thought for today’s post, I would share with you the little things that I do around the festive season that are sort of traditions that we have developed. We do not have any children yet, but I hope these traditions will grow and become our little family traditions that my children will tell people about one day...

Choosing our Christmas tree decoration colours – this has become an exciting part of the festive season. I take it upon myself to scope out the pretty decorations in the shops and choose which colour scheme we are going for. (Our local garden centre has colour corners.. I am a control freak and this really excites me!!) When I have chosen the colour scheme we buy one really special tree decoration in that colour. The idea is that we will have a huge collection of decorations that all mean something different to us.

Christmas movie and duvet time – the last weeks before Christmas, we make a conscious effort to spend time at the weekend, usually on a Sunday evening, to watch a traditional Christmas movie cuddled up under a duvet with the tree lights on in the background whilst enjoying a hot chocolate or some mince pies. It’s so nice to be able to take some time out of our busy lives and spend Christmas time together

Opening our presents – We have made a rule that we open our presents from each other on Christmas eve, usually after we have been out for the evening. This is the kids in us I guess as well as allowing us to have our own time opening our presents and appreciating them before the madness of the family.

Christmas Beer – This is one of my favourite traditions! Every Christmas morning we head to the local pub for a Christmas drink. All the locals are there and its heaving. The place has a really Christmassy feel to it and I always try and have a Christmassy drink too!

I hope you enjoyed reading my Christmas traditions, I am really excited to keep this list growing and one day, my family can talk of their traditions too.

I’d love to hear about yours too!

Merry Christmas!!!

New site!

2012-12-10T20:18:00.002Z

So I have been somewhat AWOL on the blog for the last few weeks, this has been for a good reason! As some of you know I started designing blogs about 12 months ago which within the last few months has really taken off.

I absolutely love designing blogs and am so grateful that I can do it to earn a few pennies. I love to take peoples dreams and visions to what they see their blog to look like and take these dreams and make them a reality.

When someone approaches me about a new design, I will always ask them to send me some visions or graphics that they have seen around that they feel reflects their blog and personality. I then put together a header or two and ask them to choose their favourites, from there I can get creative and Finnish off the design.

I have been using Etsy to sell my designs and wanted to start my own site alongside this to showcase my designs.

I'd really love it if you took a few minutes to check out my new site www.beautifulblogsbyeh.com and subscribed. I will be updating it weekly with new designs and tutorials so watch this space.

If you would like to add my button to your page please use the HTML below. If you would like me to add your button to either of my sites please send them my way!

See you soon!

Gift Guides... For Her (me)

2012-11-27T16:15:00.000Z

1 - Cloud Nine Straighteners - £ 129.00

I would spend £200-£300 on these bad boys! I bought these after my hairdresser recommended them to me about 3 years ago. I was pretty sceptical to be honest as I was an avid GHD fan. I had at the time however found that the newer GHDs did not run as smoothly as my original ones. My hairdresser informed me that the original people (factory ) that made GHDs had stopped and moved somewhere else and now Cloud 9 used the old GHD factory... or something like that?! anyway... they have some kind of ions in the plates which smooths your hair and makes it shinier... magic! a must have for the divas in your life!

2 - Radly Clare umbrella - £30

I have bought this for my mum, she wanted an umbrella for Christmas, I wanted to get her a nice decent one, so this one comes in a presentation box and is small enough to fit in your handbag, overall I think this is a lovely present for a mum, aunt friend... everyone!

3 - Quilted Clutch bag - ASOS £20

This is a must have in my wardrobe. I have so many big bags but just not enough small bags that have a shoulder strap and are perfect for a shopping trip to fit your mobile and wallet in. I am loving this seasons quilted effect and like to liven up my dark coats with a light colour bag.

4 - Ospry Ipad Case - £125

I Love Love Love Ospray. I was looking for a good work bag that was professional but pretty at the same time for ages and then i discovered my O.S.P bag by Osprey. they are such good quality. This IPAd case is perfect for anyone who is getting an IPAD for xmas. it allows you to stand your device up so you can watch movies or do some blogging!

5 - POP ASOS Nail Glam £ 13

I am a sucker for both nail polish and for sparkles! this is a perfect stocking filler for the glam girl!

6 - Ciante Nails, Velvet Manicure £ 14

I have not tried any Ciante products yet, but have heard great things about them. I also love the idea of something really different to your bog standard nail polish! this would make me a happy girl to receive it for xmas.

7 - Heaven Sends sign - Debenhams £ 10.50

I am a fan of these little signs and anything a little shabby Chic around my house. I would love to have a cottage one day and be able to have lots of little signs and vintage things around. until then. these little antique rose kind of gifts get my juices flowing!

I hope that my gift guide has helped you a little in buying christmasy gifts for your loved ones.. I would love all of the above!

Thank you for visiting, I really appreciate it if you could subscribe!

Gift Guides.... For Him

2012-11-21T15:12:00.001Z

So I don't know about you, but as much as I love the Christmas season one of the biggest headaches that I have is around Christmas gifts and what I can get my friends and family. The most difficult person to buy for (In my view) is a man, whether that be my boyfriend, my Dad or my brother I always struggle with gifts.

I wanted to start doing Christmas Gift Guides in the run up to Christmas, to share with you the things that I find and who I would/will buy them for.

So lets start with the hardest... Men!

When looking for these gift ideas, I had both my boyfriend and my dad in mind and I think that most would be suitable for both.

1 - Kola Camera Accessory £12.95

I found this beauty on Gadgets.co.uk which you can find here they say 'These great Kola Camera Accessory Gels are great for adding some colour and something different to your photos' basically the idea of this ( I think ) is that you put the coloured filter in front of your flash and they give your photos an 'instagram' kind of feel. To be honest, this is the sort of novelty present that my boyfriend would love on Christmas morning allowing him to play with it all day.

2 - Pizza Set £20

I found this on the Next website. This is a great gift for the pizza lover. My boyfriend loves to eat pizza all the time, and always moans about not having a decent Pizza cutter, or the plate being too small for his pizza. This gift fixes both of these problems for him. Simples!

3 - Clarins Men, Line - Control Cream £39.50

This present is from feel Unique ( amongst other places I am sure) Peter my boyfriend has actually been bought this before and loved it! it was perfect for the man who does not have a daily routine for his face and often suffered from dry tight skin. This is a pretty pricey present but will last most of the year.

4 - Grow Your Own Chillies - £15

I was once bought this actually and ended up with some lovely chillies. This is a great project for the man who loves hot food. it is a super easy kit which has everything except for the water that you need to feed the plants. I think there are 5 different types of chili plant in here. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this gift idea as a stocking filler.

5- Mujjo Touchscreen Gloves £ 24.50

I found these at John Lewis. One of the thing that annoys me about commuting when I am listening to my IPod or IPhone in the winter is that I can not change the track or anything without taking my gloves off. This is a great solution! These are another great stocking filler present and I am sure that you would be able to get them a little cheaper in a gadget store.

6 - Oregon Scientific Sky Carve Crystal Weather Station £119

This is my favourite by far... it is a little pricey but looks cool and is a good present if like me you enjoy getting someone something a little different for Christmas. These are crystal weather symbols on the top of the clock which light up depending on what the weather is like outside! I think this would look great in or bedroom and I secretly want one myself!

7 - Simon Carter Cuff links £ 20

These are a great gift for any man. These cuff links are simple but sophisticated I think and perfect for any occasion! I know for a fact that my boyfriend never has any cuff links for that wedding that we need to go to.

I hope that my gift guide has been of some help to you, please let me know if you have any other ideas for men and give me your links below so everyone can check them out.

Lush Lush Lush

2012-11-15T21:19:00.002Z

Hey, For those of you that follow me on twitter will know that I had not tried Lush until recently. I had always been put off by the smell to be honest as I found it was to over powering. I had seen on Blogs hundreds of you raving about their products so thought I would give them a go.

I am writing this blog post following my second trip to Lush and I have become a convert! I have tried a fair few products now so here are a few of my favs!

One of the things that I love the most about the Lush products is that they make your house smell soo good.

All I want to do is continually bath!

I do think that some of the bath bombs are slightly over priced and do not do too much to my bath, where as others ( the big kid in me ) loves, like the Twilight Bath Bomb which starts a light purple colour which slowly turns to green then to a dark purple colour and adds glitter to your bath, Amaze! I also love the Golden Wonder which turns 4 different colours and then at the end adds gold stars to your bath which dissolve after a while.

I can truly say that I will keep going back to Lush to make my bath times super exciting!

What do you think I should try next??

Wish List

2012-11-09T12:50:00.000Z

Hey! So I am have been completely swamped over the last week! I am currently studying for a Post Graduate Masters in Human Resources Management, which is as hard as it sounds! I have my final exams in January, so the end is in sight! I am so excited.

My wish list this week has some cheeky Christmas items that have entered! I love Christmas and always want to buy everything for myself.

1 - Ciante Nails Advent Calender - Selfidges £ 38 ( now out of stock :-( however there is hope... ) they have hinted at the chance of more to be released...

2 - Personalised Iphone Cover - £24 - Like my case

I love this, I have seen some people such as Fluer de Force with their own covers, this is a pic that I took back in the summer whilst on a walk with the boy, I have played around with the filters on Pic Monkey too.

3 - Magic Wand Bubble Bar - £4.95 Lush

Every Blogger loves this! I am pretty new to Lush and have only really adventured as far as their Bath Bombs ( which can be hit or miss) but I am partical to a cheeky treat in my bath. I have read lots about this on my regular bloggers sites and do really want to try this out for myself.

4 - Philosophy Sugar Plum Fairy Set - £16

This, in all fairness is pretty expensive but is so lush! Who does not love purple glittery shower gel?! I love anything that is bought out for the seasons - I have heard that there are some questionable ingredients in these products, but if I am honest this does not bother me too much

5 - Palmers Coco Butter Skin Therapy oil - Feel Unique £9.99

I am a fan of Palmers, whilst the smell I am not keen on as I feel it is just a little too sweet, I love what this does for your skin. I currently use their fake tan (which I have done a review on here) and I really think that it leaves your skin looking so lovely. Oil wise, I have used Elimis hot oil, which is very luxirious but expensive, ao I am looking for a cheaper alernative.

What is on your wish list this week?

SkyLash - Another Fav

2012-11-04T15:45:00.000Z

I am sure that there have already been so many posts on this porduct, but I have only just tried it for the first time... and WOW!

Previoulsy I have been using Benefit - They're Real, which is a very good mascara, however I felt for the price £23 odd I think, it only lasts 1/2 months before going really dry and unusable.

This SkyLash Mascara from Collection 2000 is a mere £4.99 and gives you amazing lash effects.

Have you tried this? Collection 2000 are really impressing me at the moment!

Little Treasures

2012-11-01T12:18:00.000Z

I have only recently found the little slice of the interweb that is called Etsy and I can say that I am obsessed! I love crafty things and one of a kind pieces, one of my other favourite sites being Pintrest and this is where you can purchase the things you see on Pintrest from.

Etsy is an on line 'market place' where people sell their hand made items, There is a shop on here for everything, from Pet clothing to signage to decorations and home designs. Its amaze! I spend most evenings looking through different stores on here. I am pretty sure this is where the infamous 'Cambridge Sactual' was being sold before it went for the big time in the fashion world.

If you are looking for ideas for any family members, gifts for birthdays or Christmas, this place is amazing!

Other than my favourite store, obvioulsy being my Blog design shop... you can see that here ( I currently have a 20% off code JUNKIE20 too!)

Here are some of my favourite products at the moment...

Handbags - Diaper bag, Tote bags, BPurple Women handbag, Travel bag, School bag

You can pick this up here

MOLESKINE JOURNAL -Large Ruled- It Is What It Is - Letterpress Typography Printed Cover

You can pick this up here

customized with your name, personalized gift, for her, clutch pouch, natural, fashion, MADE TO ORDER

You can pick this up here

Let me know if you find any other treasures!

Instagram Collage... My 2012 Memories

2012-10-28T15:44:00.000Z

Hey, I recently saw on Louise's blog Sprinkle of Glitter, that she had done a collage of all her instagram photos which I loved.

I love taking pictures, but am not very good at taking my camera around with me, I love Instagram because it is always with you and you can snap away at life's little moments that happen throughout the day. Looking back at my instagram photos from this year, each one had a different memory for me and reminded me of all the fun things that I had done and had happened to me this year.

I wanted to put these together a little like Louise did and display them somewhere where when I look at them, I am reminded of the fun I had this year.

I found his great company called Printstagram Who for $12 dollers print 48 miniature Polaroids from your instagram.

When the parcel arrived I was so excited! I am so impressed with the quality of the photos, I am not sure you would be able to do them at home which made it even better.. I knew that I wanted to put the photos on my landing as I have a large wall which is quite bare.

I had this old picture that i bought from IKEA about 4 years ago, I do still like the print, but if I am honest it does not go anywhere in the new house.

I used the frame as a guide and started sticking my photos down, I just used a Little PVA glue to keep them in place

I really love the look of them all a little uneven and a little wonky, I think it makes them look more like a collage. this made it super easy as it didn't matter too much how i stuck them down.

Once I was happy with the order of the photos, I just popped them intop the frame and they were ready to be hung on the wall.

This was super easy, and in total cost me $24. I am SO happy with the results and am loving that every time I walk down the stairs, I am reminded of a really fun time I had in 2012.

I am hoping that I can do a new one every year and watch how my life changes.

What do you think of this? how do you display your photos?

I'd love it if you subscribed above..

Beauty Box Drop outs....

2012-10-24T15:59:00.001Z

Hey Junkies, This is a little bit of a controversial post really, but one that I wanted to write, to give you both my opinion and find out what you all think of beauty boxes.

I was signed up to two different beauty boxes recently, Glossy Box UK and She Said Beauty. I had been signed up to these boxes for about 3 or 4 months and just cancelled my subscription.

I originally signed up for the boxes after first hearing they existed through some blogs that I follow and some You Tubers that I am subscribed to. I thought "what a great idea!" sometimes in the past, I had felt myself unsure on what new products to try, and didn't really know where to start in finding something new and exciting to get. So, like most I thought of the beauty box as a great avenue to discover new products and brands that I may fall in love with. I also loved the thought that for £10 a month you were on a 'in' list and you would get really good value for money (everyone likes a freebie or a brilliant deal) I honestly couldn't see where it could go wrong! I even saw a You Tuber going through her box and getting a gorgeous nail polish from Ciate. So I signed up and eagerly awaited my first box.. ( I later found out that this was a Glossy Box USA..... another time, another post, but basically I think that the boxes are 100% times better value for money)

So the first one that came was Glossy Box ( July or Aug maybe) I ripped open the packaging and was really impressed with the pretty pink box, ribbon and the padding inside. I couldn't wait to try all the products, which in fairness I was really happy with. I got a Jelly Pong Pong lip Jelly, which I had never seen, but since have re purchased and love, and a shimmer eye shadow ( can't remember who did it) which I like, I would maybe not re purchase but use every now and again. - I thought for £10 this is great..

The next box came.... and I did not enjoy any one of the products, They were all skin care and face masks with a few spot treatments which I do not use. I was pretty disappointed but though that this is my preference and it may just not be my month.

I then got my She said beauty box, which I again wasn't impressed with, I received Collection 2000 bits and some more face masks... whilst I do love the Primer from Collection 2000 and have re purchased, this was the only product I liked and was not worth £10.

I started to think that this maybe wasn't such a good deal anymore, it wasn't what I had been expecting and I felt ripped off a little, but I thought to myself that I would give both boxes one last try to see if they could get it right.... three boxes later and a mountain of face masks I cancelled both subscriptions.

These boxes were not for me, and after a lot of thought, I felt that I wasn't getting a good deal and felt that these companies were ripping me off by charging me in total £12.95 for a bunch of sample items, that I could possibly go and get for free from the companies. The more I thought about this, the angrier I got! I don't know that this is the case, and would love for someone to correct me, but I feel that these companies are sent X amount of samples for free to send to their subscribers to advertise the organisations (acting more as an advertising agency) ... I get that to have a company you need to make a profit, but at £12.95 per box to send 5 crappy samples that were free, to me is a rip off...

Like I said, I am sure that this may not be the case, and these companies really do want to reach out to the beauty lovers and give them an opportunity to try new things, but I think it is less about the benefits to us consumers and more about what they have been sent that month for free...

Rant over... but my personal reasons for cancelling are..

Too many Face creams and face masks
Charging me £12.95 for things I could get for free from the companies
The Brands were pretty average
Too many samples, I did not receive one full size product
Beauty Box Ambassadors always had better products than me..
Charging me for the box super early and not sending it to me for weeks
I could go and buy a new lipstick from MAC for £2 extra which I would love more

Things that would make me think about re-subscribing...

Less products, more full size
More makeup brands
Less Face masks and moisturisers
At least one of the products to be high end
Sending me the box early in the month

I know that this post has been a little ranty and some people may not agree with me. I would really love to hear what your thoughts are and weather you feel I should give them another chance...

What are your thoughts? are the USA boxes better than ours in the UK?

Pic taken from

http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/05/16/the-booming-business-of-beauty-boxes/

Crafty Mrs... My DIY Blackboard

2012-10-18T18:51:00.000Z

Recently I have been obsessed wit Pintrest and have pinned so many different crafty DIY tutorials, one that I thought I must try was a DIY framed blackboard, which is something I have wanted to buy for a while.

I had a week off the day job this week, so whats a better time than to get cracking on my new DIY skills... so I headed off to Hobby Craft. In all honestly I ws pretty disappointed with Hobby Craft and could not find anything that I needed, so headed to the Range ( a shop that literally sells everything) and manges to pick up everything I needed other than the chalkboard paint which I picked up from Homebase.

In all, all the bits, minus the paint brushes that I already had, cost me a decent £18..

Step 1 - I got this box frame for about £3.50 from the Range, I decided I wanted it as a box frame so I had a ledge to rest the chalk on once it was transformed.

The first thing you want to do is take the glass out of the frame and discard safely, you will then need to get the back board out ready to paint.

I got this paint from Homebase for £11.99 - I would not bother purchasing the magnetic stuff, as it is not magnetic!

Stir the paint well, for about 5 minutes as it does separate quite a bit. Then apply a thin layer to your back board and leave in a dry area to dry.

This paint takes around 2 hours to dry... so whilst it is drying Ill move onto step 2

Step 2 - I picked up some mint green acrylic paint from the Range, which cost me £1.50 (bargain) I wasn't sure how porous the frame wood would be so I also bought a small tester pot pf white matte finish paint from Homebase to mix in with the green to ensure that one, I had enough and two, it dried well on the wood.

I then applied a thin layer of this mix all over the frame and the inner frame. I had to keep going back to ensure that I had reached every spot.

Step 3 - This is optional, but I wanted to add some letters to my blackboard. I bought two packets of children's craft letters from the Range that cost me £1.20 each. I decided I wanted these to be coloured.

I used the chalk that I had bought to colour the letters in, I then sealed this with some clear nail varnish...

I then arranged my letters and used some super glue to attach the board...

Voila...

What do you think? Have you got any DIY tutorials for me to try?

Thanks for reading..

Hair Mare

2012-10-13T13:08:00.001Z

For those of you that follow me on twitter, you will be aware that I have been having massive issues with the condition of my hair. I have been bleaching it and straightening it, toning it and curling it over the lase few months, which as you can imagine, has left its evil mark on the condiditon of my hair.

I have been trying a few different hair masks to try and inject some moisture back into the strands! some have been ok, others have been rubbish, but my favourtite by far has to be Osmo - Berber Oil Mask .

I picked this up from Sally's for £10 ( alot cheaper than some I had bought) you can use this everyother day as a conditioner, or you can apply before bed if you hair is very dry - I have tried both ways and found that leaving it in over night gave me the best results.

It smells absloutly delicious, I don't think I have ever smelt a nicer hair product (it even beats Aussie)

This for me is a definate staple!

What is your favourite hair product?

Thanks for visiting! don't forget to enter my 200 follower giveaway!

October Wishes...

2012-10-10T12:20:00.002Z

Hey Junkies! So I am feeling super autumnal! I love this time of year so much. I went to London yesterday and spent the afternoon looking around in Oxford Circus at all the christmasy products that are now out... I though it a little to early to do my Christmas wish list, but boy, I have a lot of things that I want...

So onto my October wish list...

Tweezerman Candy Cane Brow Beauty Bubble - YES PLEASE!

I love Tweezerman tweezers, no doubt they are the best, and you get a 10 year guarantee on them.. however this guarantee does not stop me wanting to buy all the new exciting designs... I love this candy cane one!

OPI The Bondettes Skyfall Mini

I have really gotten back into nail colours recently, especially OPI as they are great quality, and, honestly I love the quirky names that they have. I adore these 4 colours that they have released in line with the new bond film Skyfall. A defo!

Golden Eye: a shimmering metallic glitter for perfect gold fingers
The Spy who Loved Me: A classic bold secret-agent red
The World is not Enough: A chic metallic grey
Live and Let Die: A glitter metallic charcoal grey

Black Suede Knee High boots - New Look

I love being able to wear boots again, and I love a good wedged boot as it give you the impression and posture of wearing heels with the comfort of flats. I tried these on today and I think they would look lush over a pair of skinny jeans. Pay day is calling

Skin Doctors Hair No More Inhibitor Spray

I have heard good things about this spray. Apparently it discourages hair to grow back on the areas that you apply... I am desperate to not have to wax any more so I am willing to try anything that may reduce the amount of times that this has to happen, at a snip of £8 I may just need to give it a whirl...

Yves Saint Laurent Volupté Sheer Candy

Yum, yum yum... OK so £23 or so is a bit excessive to spend on a lip balm, but my I have tried this in store and it is B E A U T I F U L - the texture is a amazing and it gives you a just bitten slight tint on your lips which I love! This colour is also so nice too!

Grey Skater Girl dress in Grey - New Look

I think I have this dress in just about every colour now... it is so flattering as it nips you in under your boobies and gives you the illusion that you are maybe a little slimmer than you are ( well for me anyway) I love to team it up with some thick leggings and maybe my new suede boots..

So, there is my wish list for Oct.. What is on your wishlist this month?

alos... have you entered my 200 follower giveaway? I't not too late! enter here

200 Follower Give Away NOW CLOSED

2012-10-07T17:39:00.000Z

Hey Junkies!

I promised a long time ago that once I hit 200 followers I would do a giveaway. So today I hit 199 and thought hey, why not push the boat out and start it now!

I have decided to use Raffle copter for my giveaway as it is really super easy for people to enter and really fair when choosing a winner.

I am REALLY loving Urban Decay at the moment and have just purchased myself the Naked 2 palette and the Smoked Palette, and thought, you know what?! I will give one of my followers one of these in my next giveaway.

I have left it up to the winner to decide which palette they want as a prize, and as long as it is available in my local town it is yours!

This is also an international giveaway!

Good Luck guys!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beauty Box Beauties

2012-10-04T17:59:00.000Z

Hey! It seems a while since I have written a beauty post. I have been really busy designing blog templates for my shop, which is a really exciting project I have just embarked on.

So my post today is on the items that I have received in my beauty boxes over the last few months that I have really enjoyed using and would really consider re purchasing.

All these products are from different boxes from She Said Beauty and Glossy Box.

My first item was from She Said Beauty - Aug box I think... and that is Collection 2000 Primed & Ready. I have done a post on this primer before here and said I think that it is a good dupe of Benefit's Primer but at a fraction of the price. I LOVE this, it really hides my pores and allows me to apply my foundation perfectly. I will defo wefo be re-purchasing

My next Item is Balance Me - Under Eye Cream, from Glossy Box Sept I think... I love this cream and love to use it in the evenings to cool and reduce my bags (wrinkles) from my stressful day. I don't think that it is a miracle cream, but I think it makes enough of a difference to under my eyes to take away a stressful day.

Thirdly.... is Monu Calming Cream. This has a green tint that is said to reduce redness on your face, you are suggested to use twice a day after cleansing your skin however, I love (a bit weird) to mix it with my foundation in the morning, it's hashtag, amazeballs! It reduces the redness of my face and seems to make my foundation last longer. I must do a before and after picture! this is my fav all time beauty box product and will buy again.

Next, is the Glossy Box Lipstick. I did not use this straight away as I felt it looked and felt a little cheap. Which I do still think.. it does not last very long at all and is not a great formulation, but I just love the colour. I would love to find a MAC lipstick in a similar colour so if you know one please let me know.

Lastly is Collection 2000 Fix me Up. I slagged this product off when I got the She Said Beauty box... and I must eat my words. I really like this and think it works very well. I do not need to re apply my make up all day if I spray this on my finished look! the only downside is the smell, I think it smells a little like wet dog... oh dear

So there we have it, I am sure that there will be other items that I like however I have so many I am finding it difficult to try them all!

What are your fav beauty box items?

until next time junkies...

Blog Designs is now live!

2012-09-29T19:27:00.000Z

I have some really exciting news, some of you know that for the last few months I have been working on creating blog designs for blogger.. well, today that has gone live, YEY!

I have just finnished the lovely Emma from Glossy Boutique's blog design, which you can check out here . Thank you for being my first design Emma!

I am looking to do both custom made templates for people as well as some pre-made templates that I have designed. To make it super easy, I have set up a cartel shop for all you lovely bloggers to have a brose of my designs.

I currently have 3 pre made templates on there, of which 2 are halloween themed as I love this time of year.

Come and have a look at my store here and let me know what you think!

I will be adding other services to the store over the next week or so, such as Button designing, Social media buttons and header designs.

If you have any questions send me an email!

Thanks Junkies

Ellen Hannah xx

here are some of the designs

Mean Stinks!

2012-09-25T07:00:00.000Z

I recently saw that Joanna from The Treasure Chest did a post about something called Mean Stinks which is a campaign against bullying in all it's forms. This is something that I was really interested in being involved in as I think bullying is awful and unfortunately in this digital age it is becoming easier for people to bully others or 'troll' as it is also known anonymously and easily over the Internet. More and more people are being subjected to some form of bullying and I believe that if we all pull together and take note of the bullying that takes place, we can put a stop to this.

The campaign sees people painting their pinkie nail's blue to show their support and commitment against bullying and saying that Being Mean Stinks.

You can find more information about the Mean Stinks campaign here

You can also watch the inspirational video here

Come on and get involved and together we can make a difference!

Ellen xxxx

Join me on Blog Lovin and Hello Cotton

2012-09-23T15:53:00.000Z

Hey! Just a quick post to say that I have just joined Blog Lovin and Hello Cotton, come and say Hi and follow me so I can follow you back and discover some lovely new blogs.

See you soon Junkies

Ellen xxx

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Follow my Blog with Hello Cotton

Fake me this Winter

2012-09-23T13:53:00.001Z

Tis the season when the sun has gone and my fake tan comes out.

I am generally quite pale, I do get a nice colour when I have been in the sun however this disappears pretty quickly when I leave the rays.

Another annoying thing for me is that for as log as I can remember I have been allergic to fake tan... great hey! I have literally tried so many different brands from cheaper drugstore brands to higher end brands and found that every time I apply, I wake up in the morning with a red bumpy rash that stays on my skin alot longer than the tan does.

I have always been so envious of my pals that look radiant throughout the year with their golden colour , so I thought that I would have one last try and send out a plea on twitter if anyone knew any good fake tans that were good for sensitive skin.

One Product was recommended to me by lots of my fellow #bbloggers who all said it was great for sensitive skin, was Palmers Cocoa Butter, Natural Bronze

Off I went to Boots to purchase...... I have been using this for about 4 weeks now and can happily say that I have finally found a product that I am not allergic to! WOOOOO HOOO.

I LOVE this product, and can't speak highly enough of it. I have used the Cocoa Butter moisturiser in the past which I have always loved and I can see that the same loveliness is also in this tan product.

As a fake tan novice I am not the best at applying evenly, so was a little worried to use a gradual tanner that you can't see where you are applying at the time of application. I was rather daunted at the thought of waking up in the morning with big streaks across my body! however this is great, as the tan is really gradual and takes you a fair few days to get a dark colour, which for me, allows me to fix any streaks that develop over night.

The Product smells lovely and reminds me of the summer, it has a lovely thick texture that rubs in quite easily and doesn't leave you feeling greasy or heavy.

I would really recommend this to anyone who has sensitive skin or who enjoys a gradual tan product.

Let me know if you have tried this I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading! xxx

A Little Thank you....

2012-09-21T08:00:00.000Z

All you have to do to be entered into the draw is subscribe to A Product Junkie's Junk through GFC and Twitter!

I want to say thank you for getting my little blog to 200 followers.

Once I have reached 200 subscribers I will leave the draw open for 7 days.

P.s Please note that the palette will be subject to availability at the time of winning.

Good Luck!

Weekly Wishes

2012-09-18T14:12:00.001Z

This weeks wish list has some pretty pricey items on it.. however I think that is what a wish list is for and you never know who may be looking at your wish list for Christmas (in my dreams)

1 - Blue Scarf Snood, River Island

If you have seen my previous post about my favourite little things in Autumn you will know that I love a big chunky scarf. I love to wear bright colours that I wear with either my black or cream coats to make them really stand out. (if you have not seen my post, you can here ) I love River Island's clothes too, I could wear them all the time!

2 - Liz Earle, Sheer Skin Tint

As do most bloggers, I love Liz Earl products, I think they are so luxurious and smell delicious, along with doing wonders for your skin. I have read on many different blogs that the Sheer Skin Tint by Liz Earl is most have so I am hoping to give this a go soon too!

3 - Halo, 20" Remy Human Hair in Light Brown

I am desperate for long hair! I have been growing my hair for a good year or so now and have just reached below my shoulders. I first saw Halo's on twitter and thought they were fab, you just place the ring under your hair on the crown part of your head and brush through to have lovely locks in under 3 mins.... AMAZE! also there is no chance of any bonds or clips showing!

4 - HoMedics me Quartz permanent hair reduction

I want this Sooo bad! I suffer pretty badly with dark hair in places that I do no want it to be so am forever shaving,waxing and bleaching. all my answers could be answered with this reduction system that you can do at home. If I had £400 spare this is defiantly the product that I would buy, I wish you could hire this sort of thing...

5 - Michael Kors MK5464 Watch

I really love these watches, I know they have been popular with bloggers for a few years now. My friend recently picked one up in rose gold and it is beautiful.. I am hoping for this for Christmas (hint hint... )

Thank you for checking out my wish list this week, what is on your wish list? I'd love it if you could leave your links below for me to have a read.

Please Subscribe!

Wowze....to my new Dry Shampoo

2012-09-17T17:33:00.000Z

Well as my title to this post implies, I have found a new dry shampoo which I LOVE. I have always used Batiste dry shampoo on my locks when I needed an extra day or just plain can't be bothered to wash my hair.

Batiste always did what I wanted it to do, which was to get rid of any grease that had built up in my hair however I always felt that it gave me a white tint to my hair which no matter how much brushing I did, never quite went away.

I was in boots the other day, spending money for the sake of it as usual and thought I would try a different dry shampoo and picked up Schwarzkopf Got 2b Rockin 'it dry shampoo since then I have not picked up Batiste again!

Got2b does not leave ANY white marks on my hair, even if I spray it too close which is good and has saved me from allot of embarrassing times! it also does not really have a heavy perfumed smell, which I also like as I think that Batiste has such a recognisable smell, it is obvious when you need to wash your hair....

What is your favourite dry shampoo?

I Love Autumn

2012-09-16T15:22:00.001Z

Its true, if I am honest I am glad that Summer is cumming to an end and the evenings are drawing in. There are so many things that I enjoy about this time of year, for some reason it makes me feel all romantic and cosy.

Here are my top 10 little things that make me happy in Autumn.

1 - Gingerbread Lattes from Starbucks

2 - Wearing Over sized jumpers

3 - Wearing Autumnal colours

4- Big Chunky Scarfs

5 - Wrapping up warm on cold crisp mornings to walk the puppy

6 - The sound of crispy leaves beneath your feet

7 - Your allowed to start thinking about Christmas

8 - Attending Craft Fairs and looking for ideas for Christmas decorations

9 - Wearing your slippers in the evenings whilst reading a great book

10 - Home cooked meals like sausage casserole and Sheppard's pie

Umm I feel all warm and cosy just thinking about the next few months and lookign forward to all the little things that I love.

What are your favourite things about autumn?

all images are taken from weheartit.com

Primer Wars

2012-09-15T16:30:00.000Z

Howdy,

My post today is all about primers, one thing that I am quite new to but has become a staple in my personnel makeup case. I have pretty oily skin so it it is important that any primer that I use is oil free or I will break out.

I have tried a few different brands, both high end and cheaper drug store brands, but the one I have been using most recently has been Benefit's Pore Professional which gives you a silky layer over your skin to allow you to apply your foundation easily. It is pretty pricey at £23.50 . I was about to take the plunge to re purchase, when I got Septembers She Said Beauty box, which I reviewed here.

I gave it a pretty harsh review when I saw the main brand was collection 2000, this was however before I had been able to give the products a run for their money - one of the products being a primer...

So what better than to put the two products head to head..

The Price

Well this was a pretty easy contest for Collection 2000 at a fraction of the Price! you do get a little less product however with the price you could buy two and still get a good deal.

The Packaging

Well we all know that one of Benefit's USP's is its Quirky packaging, so on this one the winner had to be Benefit's Pore Professional the packaging looks allot more classy in my eyes where as Collection 2000 looks a little 'teenage' for me which would effect my decision to buy it in the shop... (shallow I know! )

The Product

Pore Professional (on the right) has a creamy texture and lovely sweet smell where as Primed & Ready (on the left) has a clear sort of grainy texture which does have a sort of chemically smell, not massively but slightly HOWEVER and it is a big however, when you apply the products to your skin, I can't tell the difference between the two..

Lastabilty

I wanted to try both products out with my foundation for a whole day to see if I could see a difference. Again I felt that both products were pretty good and I could not see too much of a difference, if anything I needed to apply less of Primed & Ready to get the same Finnish.

Conclusions......

So for me the winner has to be, hands down Collection 2000, Primed and Ready. whilst I don't think that the actual product is any better than Benefits, Pore Professional, for a mere £3.99 it is a hell of allot friendlier to my purse and leaves me more pennies to buy new make up with!

What is your favourite Primer?

Thanks for reading

Ellen x