A reflection of my week #3

After reading Vivianna Does Makeup's blog post on Sophia Amoruso's Girl Boss, I had to see what the fuss was about so I ordered it from Amazon last week. Oh my god, if you want to feel empowered then you need to read this book. #Girlboss is inspirational and insightful and it will fill your head with so many ideas that you won't be able to sleep at night.  I don't want to talk about it too much as I want you all to buy it but Sophia Amoruso started up her own business - Nasty Gal on eBay that has grown into an extremely huge successful business. She shares her tips on what she's learnt along the way, seriously thought provoking quotes as well as her own personal story. I thoroughly recommend reading this book!

What with it being Orange Wednesday, I went to see The Fault in Our Starts. I hadn't read the book so I wasn't fully knowing what to expect. Obviously I knew it had been raved about but the 3 minute trailer I'd seen wasn't enough to make me form an opinion.  My friend and I both thought the beginning of the film was quite cringeworthy but fast forward 30 minutes and we'd totally fallen in love with the characters.  It's honestly the best film I've seen so far this year and I'd recommend taking a packet of tissues with you if you're thinking of going to see it as you'll be blubbering all the way through! 

My boyfriend's grandparents bought us this Pot of Dreams 'money pot'. I absolutely love the cute little quote on the pot but I don't want to put money in it because you have to physically smash the pot to get it out and it's far too pretty to break! They come in loads of different designs too and I think they make a perfect little gift for someone special to you.

Me and my boyfriend discovered these Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches about a month ago and have been throwing them into our shopping trolley every week since. They're only 110 calories and they are out of this world. If you've ever had a maxibon, they're similar to the biscuity bit of that. They're £3 a box but you get six in there so they're easily justified!

I bought these beauty blenders off eBay months ago and I tried applying my makeup with one once before giving up. I'm trying to get in to using beauty blenders again as everybody talks about how much they love them. So far, I'm not really getting it but I don't know if I'm just doing it wrong so I'm going to watch a few youtube videos later to find out how you're meant to use them.

What have you been upto this week? 

Tanya Burr lipgloss in 'Smile, Dream, Sparkle'

 It's great when a blogger/youtuber you watch brings out their own range of products isn't it? It's almost like you know them! Being a bit of a Tanya Burr fan, my boyfriend bought her 'Smile, Dream Sparkle' lipgloss home for me one day as a little surprise.

I can't say the barely there shade is something I'd normally go for but it made a nice change to the  brights I'd usually wear. 'Smile, Dream, Sparkle' does have a slight pink tone to it with tiny pieces of glitter running throughout which aren't noticeable at all when applied to the lips.

My initial thought on the packaging and shade names was that the range had specifically been targetted at a younger audience which I completely understand as I think the majority of Tanya's subscribers are aged between 12-16 ish.  This aside, the packaging is ok. It's nothing amazing but then I wouldn't expect it to be for Tan's first range! 

The first thing that hit me was the scent - literally smells just like pic n mix! I really like the actual applicator too, I thought it was going to be quite flimsy but it's relatively sturdy but soft at the same time which makes applying the lipgloss a smooth process.

The lipgloss lasted around 3 hours on my lips without eating or drinking which is amaaazing compared to most lipglosses I've tried.  I wouldn't say i'd wear it every day but that's just my personal preference as I feel bare without colour on my lips.

Have you tried Tanya's lipgloss and nails range?

Samples, samples, samples!

I came across a huge box of samples whilst tidying my bedroom last weekend that I'd completely forgotten about.  I promised myself that I'd try to use at least five a week but I didn't realise how much I'd want to buy the full sized product of everything! AAAH! 

I'll give you a little summary of the samples I've used this week:

Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Fresh Balancing Lotion

Would you buy the full sized product? Definitely not.

I used a cotton pad to pat this on to my skin after cleansing.  My initial thought was 'this is going to sting' due to the alcoholic, almost chemical scent.  It didn't sting as such but it did leave my face looking quite red which really alarmed me since I don't have sensitive skin at all. The product has actually been discontinued and to be honest, I'm not surprised!

Colgate Max White One Toothpaste

Would you buy the full sized product? I already have! 

You won't notice a difference in your teeth by solely using this mini tube but after using the full sized product, I did notice that my teeth looked whiter after a 3/4 weeks. Not much else to say really. If it makes your teeth whiter, it's a winner for me.

Purity One Step Cleanser

Would you buy the full sized product? No.

I want a cleanser to smell fresh, to wake me up, just to genuinely make my skin feel clean. This is the total opposite to everything I want. The worst thing is the scent - it smells stale! I didn't feel like my skin was any cleaner after using this a couple of times so I've given up. 

Rihanna Reb'l Fleur Eau de Parfum

Would you buy the full sized product? ERM, YES! 

I'm so thankful I found this little sample as I ran out of my Rihanna perfume a couple of weeks ago. For a celebrity perfume, this is so long lasting and smells absolutely delicious. You totally wouldn't think it was a Rihanna scent!

L'oreal Ever Riche Shampoo

Would you buy the full sized product? Probably. 

I really can't say what I thought about the shampoo as there wasn't nearly enough in the packet to cover all of my hair. It lathered nicely and sort of smelt like coconuts! I'm really bad at describing scents though.

That's my samples for this week! Are you a sample hoarder?!

Avon Planet Spa Sleep Serenity Pillow Mist

Avon's Sleep Serenity pillow mist has got to be up there in my top ten favourite products of all time. To be quite honest, I can't believe it hasn't made it's way on to my blog sooner.

If you're anything like me and toss and turn in the night, then decide you need a drink and oh god, now you need a wee...oh and it won't hurt to check twitter for 5 minutes will it...oh my god, it's 2am...you get the jist! (basically I can't sleep at night but I could sleep all day long if it was acceptable) then you might want to consider investing in this calming life saver.

I'm not going to say the pillow mist is going to knock you out as soon as your head hits the pillow but it certainly will make you feel more relaxed thanks to the ever so soothing Camomile & Lavender scents that lay within this bottle. I find that I get off to sleep much easier when I spray this but I do try to limit my uses as if you use the pillow mist every day you kind of become immune to the wonders of it.

I spritz a little on my pillow. I wouldn't go overboard as it'll get into your hair and make it greasy. I tend to spray it once on my wrists and a little on my chest too and it just makes me feel all snuggly and peaceful. 

The bottle itself isn't the most visually pleasing and looks quite cheap but I can completely overlook that because I truly love the product that much. 

If you want to see what all the hype is about then you can order the spray here for £4.50 on the Avon website but I'd recommend buying from your local Avon Representative as it's often half price! 

Have you tried any products that promise to give you a good nights sleep? Did they work for you?

The contents of my eBay basket

Floral stationery tidy / an array of make up brushes / Victoria's Secret body mist / the cheapest necklaces you will ever find / Burts Bees balms / the perfect plant / bath bombs that look delicious enough to eat.

I am the girl who has her phone constantly glued to her hand at allll times. The eBay app is perfect for when you're bored, fancy a little treat but don't want to spend too much or just for browsing in your lunch break. These are a handful of the things that I'm currently hoarding in my eBay basket!

I'm thinking about buying all four of the statement necklaces at only £2.39 I'd be crazy not to! I am my own enabler. I really like the potted plant too for under a fiver, it'll make a nice little kitchen accessory whilst I'm not responsible enough to look after a real one.

What's the best eBay bargain you've bought to date?!

Asda Homeware Haul

I could spend forever and a day trawling through homeware sites on the big old web so much so that I have a huge list of my favourite online stores bookmarked that I check daily weekly.  Asda's home range is one of my newest finds.  It's affordable, a sale is almost always going on and you can pick things up whilst you do your food shop!  I ordered a few things online so I thought I'd share them with you.  

I am in desperate need of storage and these stackable boxes are just the ticket. They're pretty which means I can have them on display in my bedroom. Nobody will ever expect they're full of clutter! A total bargain too at £7.

This vase was the biggest bargain I've bought in a long time for only £3! It was originally £10 so I'm well chuffed with that. All I need now are some 'pretty flowers' to go in it (see what I did there?).

I try to keep my house quite neutral since I share it with a boy so I hid these overly girly coasters from him. I just couldn't resist! Sometimes you just need a pop of colour and for £4, I can replace them in a few months with some more masculine ones *cough*.

Some of you will more than likely find this blingy 'wash' plaque hideous but the tacky girl in me could not resist. My bathroom is quite plain and boring so I'm trying to pretty it up with accessories and this is just the start of it! 

Do you love homewares as much as me? What are your favourite homeware sites?