Clothes Show Live 2012 Haul

 HIYA!  I had a lovely day out at the Clothes Show Live on December 8th and since then my bedroom floor has been taken over with bags so I thought it was time to show you what I bought.  I'm sure you're all familiar with the Clothes Show but just in case you're not, the Clothes Show takes place in Birmingham at the NEC and is the UK's largest fashion and beauty event.  The main event is the massive fashion show that includes lots of models, singing and dancing.  Obviously I enjoy the show but the most important thing for me is the stalls!  They're full of amazing brands offering heavily discounted goody bags (most of them anyway).  You might be thinking, where are all the clothes you bought?!  The clothes for me, are a huge disappointment.  The majority of the clothes stalls are very cheap, market-y versions of things - alright for some but i just prefer to buy my clothes from the high street.  Anyway, this is going to be a picture heavy and massively long post so I do apologise.  Here we go...

The first stall I visited was Company/Cosmopolitan magazine who were offering this goody bag for a mere £3.  It includes Company and Cosmopolitan magazine, a Missguided lipsplash, an OPI shatter nail varnish, a Lacoste perfume sample, some horrible sweets, Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets, a Rimmel Eyeshadow set, a mini Batiste Shampoo and it also included some crisps which I ate and a coconut water that I detest that I discarded as it was too heavy to carry.

The daily mail also had a fantastic offer on.  Again for £3 you get Hello magazine, Hairstyles Magazine, Daily Mail newspaper, a little hair shampoo/conditioner sample, a YSL LIPSTICK (BIG WOW!), a Maxfactor mascara and a Maxfactor foundation.  For me, this was a tad disappointing as the Mascara I received was blue and the foundation was in shade toffee.  The YSL lipstick sort of makes up for it though even though it is an orange colour, I'm sure i'll put it to good use.

 So...? is something that I associate with 12 year old girls but when I saw the offer of a bodyspray, a dry shampoo, a mini dry shampoo, a mini bodyspray set and a lipgloss and perfume set for £5 I couldn't not buy it.  The body spray is actually really nice so I'm looking forward to giving everything a try.

Probably the best bargain I've ever bought in my entire life was this Lee Stafford goody bag. 10 products for £10.  I love Lee Stafford for this.  My mum, my sister and I all picked one of these up and were completely over the moon.

  This was the goody bag I was most excited for as I'm a little obsessed with Models Own.  The offer was that you had to buy two nail varnishes for £10 and you get a goody bag worth £70 for free.  Seeing as the nail varnishes are £5 each anyway, this offer is amazing.  I picked up the exclusive Clothes Show live nail varnish in 'Show Stopper' and 'Thunder and Lightning'.  You also get a free copy of More Magazine which is my fav.

At first I was a bit dubious about buying this as it was only £10.  I thought it might be a fake but I'm pretty certain it's not.  You get a 100ml perfume, a bath and shower gel, a body lotion, a reb'l fleur sample and a bag with RiRi herself on it.  This is honestly one of the nicest perfumes I've ever smelt.

My mum ordered me to buy this as she heard a man on the stall shouting they were buy one get one free.  For £2, I got two of the above.  Each bag contains a December copy of Elle Magazine, a January copy of Elle Magazine, a St Tropez 75ml body moisturiser and a Jemma Kidd eyeliner in copper.  Absolute Bargain!

I've never heard of Helen É before so I wasn't sure whether to buy this at first but after the Sales lady had given me her best pitch I thought I'd just go for it and I'm glad I did!  For £10, the goody bag includes a little makeup bag, a Skin Smoother, a Lip Crayon, an eyeliner pencil, a clear lipgloss, a concealer, an amazing holographic glitter and a couple of nail files.  What I like about this goody bag, is that everything is all really wearable - they don't chuck in silly things like green mascara that nobody (maybe?) ever uses.

I usually love Barry M but I was extremely disappointed with this goody bag.  You do get a lot in it for £10 but most of the things are silly.  How many times will I be coating my eyelashes in green mascara, lining my eyes with orange eyeliner and putting a hideous blusher on my cheeks?  Zero.  The nail varnishes aren't even their beautiful normal ones :(   I like the makeup bag though so I suppose that's a plus.

 I LOVE SLEEK!  Couldn't resist a cheeky goody bag for £10.  You get the Storm Palette, some rather nice fake eyelashes, a lipgloss and a face & body highlighter.  I'm excited to use all of this.

Next up is Jelly Pong Pong that I think must be rebranding to So Susan?  If they are, it's a shame.  I think Jelly Pong Pong is such a lovely, unique name.  I mostly bought this for the packaging, it's just so pretty and girly.  This set me back £8 which is amazing!  I got a Wide awake palette, a particularly huge bronzer, fairy lashes mascara (cute, aww) and a lip cushion lip gloss pot.

I also grabbed myself a Fake Bake set for £20.  It includes the Airbrush self tan, a Buffing polish for the face and a bronze goddess lip gloss.  Had to pay a cheeky visit to the Carmex stall too.  They were offering three products for £5 so I got a cherry lip balm pot, the cherry liquid lip balm and I gave the other one to my Mum.  Bourjois weren't doing a particulary amazing deal.  I think it was 3 products for £12.  My sisters and I picked up a Bourjois nail varnish remover each.  I then visited the Steamcream stand, something I have wanted for absolutely ages and I love it!  I picked the Daisy tin and picked up two other steamcreams - one for my Mum and another for my Grandma for christmas.  The deal was 3 for £20 and considering they retail at £12.50, I was well impressed.

You get a free goody bag at the end but as we were collecting ours, a lady tempted us with an offer of buying the official clothes show bag for £3 that the Platinum ticket holders receive and upon showing it, we get an extra goody bag.  We didn't think twice as every other year I've been the goody bag had been pretty good but I wish I'd never bothered now because this year's were poor.  I feel sorry for the people who spent extra on a Platinum ticket because they received exactly the same goody bags.

If you've managed to read all of this, you're the best.  Sorry that it's been so massive.  Even though my shoulders and arms ached for days after from lugging all of this around, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  Clothes Show Live is one of the greatest days out for fashion/beauty loving girls ever.  Let me know if you went too!

Grace x

Also - my Sanctuary Spa giveaway ends in four days.  GET ENTERING HERE!

Christmas Wishlist

one. two. three. four. five. six. seven.

My Christmas list mainly consists of cute girly things - these are a few of my favourites that I'd love to be unwrapping on Christmas day.  What's on your christmas list?  I'm so excited! 30 DAYS GUYS!

Love Grace x

p.s check out my sanctuary spa giveaway if you haven't already entered yet.  :)

Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden £100 Gift Voucher GIVEAWAY!

Hi lovelies!  I've got such an exciting post today...a GIVEAWAY courtesy of Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden!  One of you lucky people will receive a £100 gift voucher to spoil yourself at the Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden.  Head straight to http://www.sanctuary.com to see the vast selection of spa days available.  Need not worry if you can't make it there though, the voucher is also redeemable online to spend on the Sanctuary Spa website - trust me, there are so many gorgeous options!  Whether it be a pamper hamper to spoil yourself at home or a special gift for friends and family.  There is something for everyone.   All you have to do is enter below.

The giveaway will win for one month - ending on 19th December 2012.  Really sorry but this giveaway is open to UK residents only. Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Models Own Nail Polish Collection

 Hello lovelies, hope you're all having a great weekend.  Today I thought I'd share my Models Own Nail Polish collection.  It's not a big collection by any means but I'm enjoying expanding it and definitely plan to collect hundreds more over time!  At £5 a pop, they're not too expensive.  You do get a reasonable amount of polish, 14ml's to be precise and the majority of polishes only need two coats for  a beautiful coverage.  Without further ado, let's get in to it.

Beetle Juice, True Blue, Beth's Blue, Balearic Blue, Beach Party and Gold Digger. 

Pastel Pink, Coral Reef, Lemon Meringue, Raspberry Crush, Pearly Queen and Peach Puff

Southern Lights, Hot Stuff, Ibiza Mix, Juicy Jules, Jack Frost, Disco Heaven and Disco Mix

Which polishes should I invest in next?!  What are your favourites?

Grace x

I won't let these little things slip out of my mind

THANKS SO MUCH FOR 800 FOLLOWERS! EEEEK.  It's weird to think there's 800 of you, sorry 811 (at present) that read my little blog.  It makes me so excited though! :)

Just a little post from me today, a little 'life in pictures' type post.

I am absolutely in love with Cath Kidston, want everything in that shop.  Blue raspberry bonbon's are the best sweets in the world.  Just a little picture of my makeup, love my lip colour in it but I can't remember which lipstick I used now.  RED CUPS! Some blogsale goodies I got from the lovely Lottie.  A temporary home for some of my jewellery.  Three dvds I picked up for a fiver!  My favourite nail varnish in the world, ever.  Some bargains I picked up on a shopping trip for my Sister's birthday.  Yet another nail combo, you getting bored yet? ;) Yummy new favourite crisps and the cutest little brother ever with some sequinned stickers he stuck on a Pumpkin before my mum carved it.

Hope you're all having a nice weeeeek.  I hate mid-week wednesdays.  P.S How much do you all love One Direction's new song Little Things?!  It pulls on my heart strings, I love it so much.

Grace x

Denman team up with local artist AnarKitty

Denman AnarKitty Sassy D3 Brush* £7.50

I remember being around fifteen one Christmas and receiving a Denman brush in my stocking from my Mum.  When I unwrapped it my Mum told me that Denman made the best brushes and this has stuck with me since.  I regularly purchase Denman brushes, in fact, my beloved D83 Large paddle brush has replaced my tangle teezer - something I thought would never be possible.  When Denman contacted me and asked me if I'd like to review one of their latest brushes, I couldn't possibly pass on the chance. 

Denman International have teamed up with a local Bangor artist, Emma Geary AKA 'AnarKitty' to create a Special Edition design for the famous Denman D3 brush.  Admittedly, until I received this brush I had never heard of AnarKitty.  A quick visit to http://www.anarkitty.co.uk/ supplied me with everything I needed to know.  AnarKitty's style focuses on strong and individual women in today's culture but gives them a feminine twist.  All of her work is signed with her initials 'AK'.  

Denman were looking for stylish artwork that was completely original and unique for their Denman D3 brush and thus discovered AnarKitty and felt that her vision fitted in with the brand image.  If you look at the extremely stylish illustration, you'll see that the famous Denman 'crown' is being worn by 'Sassy', she's also sporting the famous asymmetrical bob hairstyle and the Rococo swirl design is printed on her dress.  Something really special about this 'Sassy' brush is that it's a tribute to the late Vidal Sassoon.

Now i've given you a bit of history about the brush and shown you it's general prettiness, let's see what I think of it.  I've never had this particular style of Denman brush before so was thrilled to receive it.  It's  illustration just makes me want to use it as an ornament, it's too pretty to be used!  I did eventually decide that that would be silly of me!  The brush is sturdy, well made and I can't see any of the nylon pins breaking any time soon! (something that always happens to me).  The rubber pad is perfect for general styling and smoothing hair.  

I think this would make a lovely stocking filler for a loved one.  It's better than just receiving a brush as it's got the sentiment of the illustration behind it.  It'd be perfect for the girl who has everything. 

Visit http://www.denmanbrush.com/ to view the whole range of Denman brushes - there's a three for two offer on at the moment so snatch it while you can!

Grace x

Empties #1

I haven't actually ever done an empties post before and after reading loads, I thought I'd give it a go.  These are all products that I used up in October.  I'm going to aim to post these monthly.

Nivea Double Effect Deodorant - This is the best deodorant I've ever tried.  The scent is so delightfully girly, doesn't sting and I can smell this all day when I'm wearing it.
Repurchase? Of course!

Batiste Dry Shampoo - This is one Batiste Shampoo that I always go back to.  I just adore the cherry scent.  I feel as though I go through dry shampoo so quickly though.  Does anybody else find this?
Repurchase? Already have.

Herbal Essences Shampoo - I'm not too fussed on shampoos and haven't really got a lot to say on this one.  I just think they all do the same job and I'll just buy what's on offer at the time.  I think it's the conditioner that makes the difference to your hair.
Repurchase? If it's on offer, yes :)

Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Foundation - One thing I am forever looking for, is alternatives to this pricey £27.50 god of a foundation.  It's flawless, long lasting, looks amazing and is just my absolute fave.
Repurchase?  I have to,  I can't live without it.

Laurens Way Self Tanning Bronzing Mousse - I actually won this on the lovely Natalie's blog giveaway ages ago and have only just used it all up.  I was sad to see this go as this made a nice change to my usual St Moriz tan.  It's quite orange if i'm honest and not as dark as I'd like but it is long lasting and if you use two coats, it's perfect.
Repurchase? Probably not.

Natural Collection Pink Cloud Blusher - I wish there was a bit left in this so you could at least see the colour, sorry!  This is a lovely light pink colour that looks gorgeous on both tanned and pale skin tones.  It's very matte and it does look a bit OTT if you apply to much but a light sweep is gorgeous. For only £1.99 it's such a bargain too!
Repurchase? Yes

Twist and Out Nail Polish Remover - When I first bought this, I couldn't fault it but after a couple of uses I found that the scent was revolting.  Literally made me feel like I was going to choke.  The sponge eventually broke up too and clung to my nails like you wouldn't believe.  I did pay 79p for it and I know that it wasn't going to be amazing but I expected a little more from it.
Repurchase?  NO.

Johnsons Baby Wipes - I bought these as I was at my Mum's house for the weekend and forgot my face wipes.  I actually really like using baby wipes on my skin, they're just gentle and smell nice.  I'm glad that I've finished them though, I much prefer using wipes specifically for removing makeup.
Repurchase? No.

I hope this post wasn't too boring, let me know if you enjoyed it!

Grace x

HAULELLUJAH.

Hello lovelies!  Actually can't believe that at the time of writing this, I'm only 13 followers away from 800.  AMAZING!  Thank you all so much for following my little blog!  Today I've just got a little haul for you.  Thought I'd try collating my pictures but I'm not sure whether I like it or not.  Might stick to regular pictures next time.

Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Babydoll £4.99 - As the name suggests this is really baby pink which I'm not entirely sure whether I'll be able to pull off with my skin tone.  Definitely going to give it a whirl though!

Look Beauty Eyeshadow in Suede £4.00 - As you can see, Suede is a gorgeous brown colour with gold flecks.  I'm so excited to wear this.  One thing I'm not keen on already, is the packaging, it just looks really cheap and unfinished.

Maybelline Fit me foundation £7.99 - I'm going to give this foundation a post of it's own - let's just say I'm not loving it so far.

Revlon Photo ready foundation £12.99 - I have used this foundation before so thought i'd pick another one up as I'm running out of my beloved estee lauder double wear and am desperately trying to find an alternative.  Let me know if you'd like a review on this!

Essie Nail Varnishes £9.99 - I love TK Maxx for Essie varnishes.  I don't understand why they put two of the same colour in a pack though - where's the sense in that!  I picked up fear and desire x2, bikini so teeny and cascade cool.  Can't wait to wear bikini so teeny!

Batiste Urban & Edgy Dry Shampoo £2.99 - I think this is a new dry shampoo so I just had to try it out.  I think I've possibly tried all of the Batiste dry shampoo range excluding the red and brown one.  I heart Batiste.

Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie Lip Balm £3.19 - I bought this from eBay and I am in love with the Christmas Cookie scent.  You can pick one up here you do have to bid but the seller seems to have loads!  Well worth the pennies.

Collection Big Fake Ultimate Mascara £4.99 - I've previously used Big Fake Mascara, this one looks to be exactly the same.  Not exactly sure what the 'Ultimate' is about!

Models Own Nail Varnishes £4.00 - Models Own is my favourite nail varnish brand ever.  I always pick up these tk Maxx sets.  I picked up True Blue, Gold digger and Peach Puff.  Can't wait to use them!

Earring Holder £2.99 - This has to be my favourite buy of November so far.  I've been looking for something to hold my earrings and this is just perfect.  I picked up two, they each have room for 24 pairs of earrings! Such a bargain for £2.99 with free postage!  Pick yours up here.

Hope you're all having a nice weekend.  Let me know if you'd like any individual reviews on any of the products!

Grace x

Rio Rosa Mosqueta Rosehip Oil Review

  I was kindly sent the Rio Rosa Mosqueta Rosehip Oil* to review a month or so ago and over the past couple of weeks I've been really putting it to the test.  I originally took pictures of this before using it but when I went to upload them, the quality was awful!  This product has been everywhere with me and has been in my handbag for the majority of the time which explains the battered, makeup covered box.  Oh well, but at least you can see that it has been loved!

The Rosehip Oil claims to;

Dramatically reduce all visible scars
Diminish Stretch Marks
Smooth away fine lines and crow's feet
Reduce the signs of ageing
Treat sun damage and dry skin
Keep your skin supple, soft & hydrated.

Obviously after reading what the Oil claimed to be able to do to my skin, I instantly had high hopes for the product.  I decided that I'd test it on a scar on my hand and also use it on my face once in the morning and once at night.  I'm only 23 so I'm not too bothered about ageing products just yet but I wanted to see whether it made an overall difference in my complexion.

I applied about two pumps to my hand and just massaged it in to my face.  The formula of the oil is quite impressive.  It doesn't feel as if you're coating your face in vegetable oil or any oil at all in fact.  I'd say it feels more like a thick water.  It has no fragrance at all which is great as super sweet fragrances just don't do it for me when it comes to skincare.  My face didn't particularly feel or look oily and it didn't irritate my skin whatsoever (my skin is quite sensitive too).  I can honestly say that my skin is much much much more softer than it was before I started using the oil.  You know when you apply sudocrem to your face and wake up in the morning with a face as soft as a baby's bum?  It just feels like that constantly.  I love it.  It's a miracle in a bottle.

I applied the Oil twice a day on the scar on my hand and I definitely have noticed a difference.  It's still visible but when I used to run my hand over the scar, it felt really raised.  It doesn't any more so that's a huge plus for me.

I honestly couldn't recommend the rosehip oil more.  It's relatively girly, sleek, does exactly what it says on the bottle, Rio Rosa Mosqueta do not test on animals and it's a steal at £10.49 for a 20ml bottle and trust me, a little goes a long way.

You can check out the Rio Rosa Mosqueta website here - http://www.riorosa.co.uk/ and they're also on twitter too - @RioRosaMosqueta in case you'd like to ask the experts any questions!

As always, this review is 100% my truthful opinion.  Have any of you tried any other products that are in the Rio Rosa Mosqueta range?

We all look for heaven and we put our love first

Firstly,  Happy Halloween!

 Can you believe its like Halloween already?  This year is absolutely flying.  It's practically Christmas but I can't talk about that because I'll get too excited!  Hope you all have a fantastic halloween anyway.  I'm just staying in because I'm reallllly boring.





Anyway, on with the post, I thought I'd blog about two of the Kate Moss collection lipsticks I've recently bought that have taken over the blogger community by storm.  I saw on a blog (that i can't remember now, sorry!) that the Kate Moss lipsticks were on offer at Asda for £4.  Since I live relatively close to an Asda I thought I'd definitely have to pop in and pick one up.  I'd had my eye on 107 - from the new Kate Moss Matte Collection and without swatching it, I swooped it up and headed to the checkout.  In the car on the way home, I swatched it on my hand and instantly fell in love.  It's such an on-trend, perfect plum, matte colour.  When I actually put it on my lips, I was quite disappointed.  I love love love the lipstick but I just don't think it suits me.  I'm a bit scared of it actually, it's just so bold.  I'm hoping I can grow to love how it looks on me as I really don't want to waste it.

08 (I hate the numbers - why can't they have names?!) was a treat off my boyfriend actually.  We were getting some lunch in Tesco when he threw this in the basket.  Again, the lipstick was £4 and I actually think they're still on offer at the moment if you fancy grabbing yourself a little treat!  I'm trying to get more in to nudey-ish lipsticks for the winter as i'm usually a pink lipstick enthusiast.  I can't really explain this colour, it's like nude but a little bit pink.  It looks so much nicer on the lips and with a dark smokey eye, it looks amazing.  I'm shocked that I like this so much to be honest,  I didn't think I'd ever find a lipstick colour I liked more than pink.

I'm now off to Boots to swatch lots of lipsticks and possibly buy things that I shouldn't.

Grace x

Get down from your tree house sittin' in the sky

Just a short and sweet post today - gosh I hate that phrase but i'm freezing cold and I can't think of anything more imaginative at the moment.

I went shopping with my boyfriend and his brother on Thursday night with the intentions of coming home empty handed.  AS IF! I can't resist a peeky nose in Boots especially when its 3 for 2.  I was so happy that the entire Models Own mirrorball collection was in stock and also the new Wonderland collection.  Without a seconds thought, I picked up Hot Stuff, Southern Lights and Jack Frost and swiftly made my way to the checkout.  I painted my nails with Jack Frost last night and it looked absolutely awful.  It came out really blue but it was over a burgundy nail varnish.

I cheekily asked my boyfriend if he'd treat me to this £2.99 Giles lipstick when he was purchasing some jumpers in New Look.  When the girl scanned it, it came up as 50p, bargain or what?!  I really do love the shade of this.  I can't wait to wear it.

Since the Nail Constellation's are now out and MUA had an offer on at the time, I couldn't resist spending a tenner on a few bits.  I haven't really bought anything from MUA for a while apart from the palettes.  The love hearts products were all free if you spent over £10 and I'm actually really happy with them.  The lip balm is really sheer so it'll be nice for days when I want a natural face day.  I'll probably pop the nail varnishes away for next Summer.  I instantly fell in love with this nail varnish when I saw it online.  I'm so happy with it and I honestly will wear this all the time in Winter.  £1 too, MUA is the best!

How beautiful is the shade of lipstick?!  I'm on the hunt for a perfect plum colour and I reckon this is pretty close.  I just love it, again for a £1, dream come true.  Also picked up this lipgloss, it's an intense kisses one and the colour is amazing.  Possibly going to need to buy the whole collection.  At £2 a pop for colour like this, can I really resist?  No!

My whole reason for this order was the nail constellation.  I picked this one up in Pisces but I do want the whole collection.  I haven't tried it out so I'm yet to give an opinion so a separate post coming up on that soon.

One thing I am pretty disappointed with is this bronzer.  I've only swatched it on my arm but it just looks so pointless.  I'm hoping it picks up better on my cheeks.  Have any of you tried this?! Let me know what you think of it.

I love how I said this was short and sweet, such a lie.  Hope you've all had a nice weekend!

Grace x