BLACK FRIDAY: THE DEALS & CODES

So apparently Black Friday is now a thing? I remember a time when Black Friday was known as the last Friday before Christmas, where everyone went out and got absolutely bladdered to celebrate the end of work! This is the biggest shopping day in the US, and it's now becoming a major thing in the UK too. The UK is slowly but surely merging into the US, I'm sure of it haha. I've made a list of the best deals and codes that I could find, in the hope I can help you find a bargain or two for Christmas.

All Saints

20% off

Code: CYBER

ASOS

20% off 

Code: CYBERWKND20

The Body Shop Black Friday Bundle

- Hemp Hand Protector 100ml

- Super Volume Mascara 10ml

- Satsuma Shower Gel 250ml

- White Musk EDT 30ml

- Ginger Anti-dandruff Shampoo 250ml

- Vitamin E Moisture Cream 50ml

- Vitamin E Night Cream 50ml

- Shea Body Butter 200ml

Worth £76.50

£30 with Code: BUNDLE

The Body Shop

£25 off when you spend £50

Code: TREAT

Boohoo

30% off and Free Delivery

No code

French Connection

30% off

Code: 30FCBF

40% off

Code: FC40B

Missguided

20% off

Code: CYBER20

River Island

20% off EVERYTHING from 11am - 3pm

Code: TREAT28

Topshop

50% off Selected Lines Thurs-Mon

No Code

Whistles

30% off EVERYTHING

No code

Keep an eye on this post as I'll be updating with specific deals and my picks of the bargains throughout the day!

 
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Autumn/Winter Blush Picks

During the colder months, I tend to opt for a blush to give me a fresh faced look, without looking too bright or overdone. I think all of these shades are all year rounders, but I do think they look especially nice this time of year teamed with a berry lip. 

First up is the Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in the shade Pinched. This blush is very sheer, but can be built up to a hint of colour, which is sometimes all I'm after, especially if I'm wearing a heavy lip colour. The formula of these is so creamy and feels almost velvet to touch, which is perfect for this time of year when my skin is feeling that bit drier. I like to use my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply this, as I feel it builds better than if I were to use my finger. An everyday favourite of mine (and an absolute bargain to boot), is the Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks Blusher in the shade Peach Melba. At only £1.99, this is perfect to just throw in my handbag and is surprisingly well pigmented and leaves a lovely natural flush. Next up, and apologies in advance about this as it is a limited edition from last years' collection, is the RiRi Hearts MAC's Bad Girl Gone Good Powder Blush. I just had to have this in my picks as I absolute love it for this time of year. As with all MAC blushers, it's highly pigmented, meaning I literally need the tiniest amount. There's a danger of going overboard with this one, as it's such a deep rusty orange shade, but it's seriously so lovely and really warms up the complexion when done properly. Last but not least is Sleek's Rose Gold Blush, which I know is one of their most popular blushes and has been dubbed as a dupe for NARS' Orgasm. This is another one that can look too much if overdone. It's a beautiful bright coral pink shade with golden shimmer running through it. I find this looks beautiful at this time of year as the gold just illuminates the skin and leaves a lovely, healthy glow. A universally flattering shade that's pretty hard to find when it comes to shimmery blushes. 

What are your Autumn/Winter blush picks?

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Essie Favourites To Fall For Duo

Essie is one of my favourite nail polish brands and I'll tell you for why; the formulas are always bang on point, the shade range is incredible, the brushes are nice and chunky and the lasting power is the best I've ever tried. I was actually in Boots looking for a berry shade, and I'd seen the shade 'Bahama Mama' on numerous blogs and I thought it looked like the perfect shade for Autumn/Winter. Bet you can imagine the look on my face when I spotted it sitting there all cute in an Autumn duo set next to another beautiful Autumnal shade.  Essie's Favourites To Fall For Duo Kit (which, annoyingly isn't on the Boots website so I'm assuming it's brand new or something), contains two full size polishes in the shades 'Bahama Mama' and 'Chinchilly' for £12.99, which is a bit of a bargain considering full size Essie polishes retail at £7.99 each. Here's how they look swatched...



What do you think of this lovely little duo? Let me know your favourites Autumn/Winter polishes!

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Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Gift Set

Benefit always seem to bring it when it comes to Christmas time, and this year they haven't left me disappointed. They usually choose a theme to go with their Christmas gift sets, and this year they've chosen the Sweete Shoppe theme. I had a hefty build up of Boots Advantage Card Points and decided to treat myself to the best of the best (in my eyes) of their gift sets. The Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes Gift Set is packaged in the most adorable little tin that looks like the front of a traditional sweet shop. I'm a sucker for cute packaging and I have to say that this is by far the cutest product I own. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of this aswell, as when I ordered it I expected a big chunky house that would take up half of my dressing table, but it's so compact (smaller than my 7" Nexus) that it will actually fit nicely in my drawers with the rest of my large palettes (although I do think it's too cute to be stuffed in a drawer, but least I have the option). I've seriously been lusting after this set since it first launched, because this is the first time that Benefit have brought their bestselling blushers/bronzer together in the one gift set.

So what's inside?

How beautiful? I love how they've carried the theme to the inside of the packaging and kept it bright and colourful. So as you can see, the set contains 6 of their famous boxed blushers;

Dandelion - 4g, Bella Bamba - 5g, Sugarbomb - 6g

Hoola - 5g, Coralista - 5g, Rockateur - 5g

PLUS a bonus sample sized Watt's Up Highlighter.

Benefit's Boxed Blushers come in at between 5g and 8g for full size and cost £23.50 each, with Rockateur being the smallest at 5g, which is the same as you get in the gift set. Given that this gift set costs only £29.50 - yes £29.50, this means you're getting an additional 5 blushers and a highlighter for just £6 more than a full priced boxed blush. How amazing? I honestly can't believe the value of this set and I'm really surprised that it hasn't sold out yet! I'm absolutely over the moon to have got my hands on this, I only owned Bella Bamba on it's own before, cos let's be honest, at £23.50 each, I think it would have taken me a very long time to get all 6 in my collection. It's almost too pretty to use, but I know I will get a lot of use out of this set, and I can't wait to get playing with it.

Have a great day!

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25 Week Pregnancy Update

Heyy lovelies, I'm back again with another pregnancy update! Can't believe I'm 25 weeks already. For some reason this pregnancy is going so much quicker than my first. I think it's probably because this time I've got George to focus on and I'm just loving life. Before we know it Christmas will have been and gone and then I'll be on serious baby countdown! EEEEEEEEK! Best be ready!

How I've Been Feeling

Ahhh I think I've been really lucky again, as the magical 2nd trimester has just been fantastic. Apart from tiredness which is normal, I've been feeling pretty much spot on. I sometimes forget I'm even pregnant to be honest. I do find that if I've been on my feet all day I get unbelievably tired and on the evening I get restless legs (which, if you've never experienced it, is the most annoying feeling in the world). The headaches have settled down, and my appetite is as good as ever. Loving life!

Cravings/food aversions? 

Errrm, do Chocolate Oranges count? Probably not seen as how I get a little obsession with them every year, lol!

Bump

I've just had a little look back at my 17 Week Update and I don't even think I look that much different, although I know I must as that was 8 weeks ago. I had my 24 week appointment with the midwife last week and she said I'm measuring perfectly so that's reassuring. I also got to listen to the heartbeat for the first time which was really exciting. For some reason my hospital don't allow you to listen to the heartbeat at the ultrasound scans which I find really odd, so having to wait until 24 weeks to hear it was a killer but definitely worth the wait. Nothing cuter than hearing the sound of your unborn babies heart beating away. I did a little bump comparison of my first and 2nd pregnancies around the same time....

What do we think? I think I'm slightly bigger than last time, but the bump itself seems to be higher up. Perhaps it's a girrrrl? Eeee love a good bump guess. Hit me with your guesses. I'm starting to get to the point now where I find it uncomfortable to lie on my back, get all breathless n shiz. Nightmareee!

Baby

20 Week Scan - 17th October 2014

I had my 20 week scan on 17th October, and all was healthy and well with the baby. We decided not to find out the sex as we both wanted a surprise. Fast forward 5 weeks and according to BabyCentre, baba now weighs approximately 660g and is about 35cm long from crown to heel and he/she is now starting to gain some baby fat. Can I get a big massive 'awwwwwwwww'? Last week I hit the magic 24 weeks, which means that my pregnancy is now considered 'viable' and if I went into labour now the baby would have a fair chance of survival. How amazing is it that babies can survive these days from such an early stage. Thought I'd mention that seen as how it was World Prematurity Day yesterday. Sending all my love to all of those miracle babies out there.

Next Appointment

My 28 week appointment on 11th December - in which I'll have my blood taken and have the rest of the usual baby checks.

Much love x

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The Ultimate Christmas Beauty Gift Guide £30 and Under

So I've been trawling the web looking for some Christmas bargains and boy have I found some!! I actually need them all! There's some absolute corkers out there and I've picked my top 10 favourites for £30 and under for you to enjoy. Men - listen up! 

theBalm AutoBalm California Face Palette - £12.50 - ASOS

- A multipurpose '5-minute beauty' face palette containing a highlighter, blusher and 2 eyeshadows.

Lush Night Before Christmas Gift Set - £12.75 - Lush

- Contains Christmas Eve Bubble Bar, Father Christmas Bath Bomb & Twilight Bath Bomb

Enrapture Encode Totem Hair Styler - £17.99 - Home Bargains

- This is an absolute STEAL. I've heard and read so many rave reviews about this hair styler, and to find that it's only £17.99 in Home Bargains is like a dream considering it's £59.99 in Boots and Superdrug and £35 on Amazon. I've already grabbed one and put it away for Christmas off my Mother in Law as I couldn't believe the bargain! Woop!

Real Techniques Nic's Picks - £20 - Superdrug

- Another beauty bargain. Real Techniques brushes have got to be the best and most popular on the High Street. After the success of Sam's Picks, Nic has now brought her own limited edition set out which includes 5 brushes. A bargain at £20 considering it's £30 in Boots.

Soap & Glory The Soapremes Gift Set - £20 - Boots

- It wouldn't be a gift guide if Soap & Glory wasn't included. This set is in the Boots 3 for 2 and includes; Clean on Me Shower Gel, The Righteous Butter, The Scrub of Your Life, Hand Food, Heel Genius, Cosy Socks & Body Polisher. A lovely set for the price.

Urban Decay Black Magic 24-7 Glide-on Double-Ended Eye Pencil Set - £24.30* - Debenhams

- Contains 4 of Urban Decay's ever so popular double-ended eye pencils. I've added an * to the price as it retails at £27 but is currently £24.30 in the Debenhams 10% off beauty event. 

theBalm Nude Tude Eyeshadow Palette - £26.50 - ASOS

- This extremely popular eyeshadow palette consists of 12 neutral eyeshadows with a mix of mattes and shimmers. An ideal gift!

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes Set - £29.50 - Boots

- My personal favourite from the whole gift guide (and something I might have just spent my Boots points on - woooops). For the first time ever, Benefit's boxed blushers are all together in one gift set for AMAZING value. The set includes; Dandelion, Sugarbomb, Coralista, Bella Bamba, Hoola, Rockateur & a mini Watt's Up Highlighter. The blushers and bronzer come in at 5g of product, and I think the full sizes when bought seperately are 8g, apart from Rockateur which is actually 5g when you buy it alone and that costs they cost £23.50. How amazing is that! Not only that, it comes in the cutest tin to keep them safe. Loving it!

Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit 2nd Edition - Cool and Warm - £29.50 - Look Fantastic

- As the title suggest, this ultimate beauty kit contains an amazing 40 Eyeshadows, 6 Highlighters and 6 Blushers. I think this would make a great starter kit or even a great travel item. I haven't tried any makeup by Pixi before so I'm not sure how they are in terms of pigmentation, but it looks a great value set.

Origins Let It Glow Gift Set - £30 - Boots

- Gotta love a bit of Origins. They're just fantastic when it comes to skincare, and this gift set looks like a great mix of skincare and makeup at decent value. The set includes; GinZing Brightening Mascara, GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturiser, Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream & Drink Up Hydrating Lip Balm.

Oooooh I'm really in the mood for Christmas now! What are your ultimate beauty picks for this year?

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New(ish) on the scene: Bouffe Dry Thickening Spray & Fixing Spray

Bouffe Dry Thickening Spray for Dark Blonde Hair*. £5.99

Bouffe Hair Fixing Spray*. £3.99

Dry texture sprays are all over the place at the moment, and I for one am keen to try each and every one of them, as my hair has a tendency to fall flat and limp 10 minutes after I've styled it. Ball ache! No matter how much hairspray I use, the volume just will not hold at the roots. I was over the moon when these kind of sprays were introduced, as they add grit and texture which allows the hair to be styled much easier and keeps the hold a lot more. Bouffe is one of the latest brands to arrive on the scene, and I was very kindly sent two of their products to try and review.

First up is the Bouffe Dry Thickening Spray for Dark Blonde Hair*. They do a range of different shades to suit hair colours in order to cover root re-growth, aswell as a clear one for those who simply want a dry texturising spray without additional benefits. I think this is a genius idea, as having blonde hair, it's not very often I don't have a bit of root colour showing, so to find something that offers to cover it up in between salon visits is a big deal. I found this product to perform really well in terms of giving volume. In fact, I'd say it's actually one of the best I've tried as it really does double the volume at the roots, as well as giving added grit and texture to the lengths and ends of the hair. In terms of covering re-growth, I think it definitely helps, but I wouldn't want to go overboard on it as I think it could have a tendency to go a little bit on the yellow side. The formula itself is a little heavier than other texture sprays I've used, but nothing too drastic, just took a couple of uses for me to get used to the heavier matte finish. Overall I would definitely recommend this product to those with fine hair that lacks grit, and I think next time I'll go for the clear version to see how that differs.

To use alongside the Dry Spray, I also received the Bouffe Fixing Spray* which aims to act as a finishing touch spray to hold in the texture and lock in the colour. As a hairspray, this product works very well in keeping my hair in place, especially at the roots. I think that's where I was going wrong all those years, I was trying to use hairspray to create the volume, whereas it's actually meant to hold it in place once it's been created. In terms of sealing in the colour, I haven't really noticed if it does this, as I think this would be a lot more noticeable to those who use the darker colours. I like that it's a nice travel friendly size too - who wants to carry around a big beastly hairspray on a night out? (not that the pregnant me ever has a night out these days, lol). 

I think for the price, these products are fantastic, especially when used together. A nice little tag team if you will ;-)

Have you tried anything from the Bouffe range?

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Autumn/Winter Beauty Staples

When Autumn/Winter arrives, I always feel it's time to change up the beauty stash a little bit. Out with the summery pastels & lightweight moisturisers and in with the berry lips, body butters and intense hydrating skincare. I'm sharing my Autumn/Winter staples today, the products that I consider must-haves when it comes to this time of year.

First up is the skin. I for one have started to use facial oils all year round on my very dry skin, but in the Summer if I skip a day or two I don't notice much of a difference. The Winter, however, means an oil is an absolute essential in my routine. My last post was a review of The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil, an amazing serum/oil hybrid which I find amazing at night time. For the day time I like to use something a little less greasy and intense, which is where the Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil comes in. Both oils are fantastic and would thoroughly recommend them, especially now the cold weather is setting in. I must admit I find moisturising my body every night after my bath an absolute chore and I can get pretty lazy with it at times. I know that it's more important now though, so I try and tell myself to slather a load of my all time favourite body butter on. Soap & Glory's The Righteous Butter is the most amazing moisturiser that leaves the skin super soft and smelling deliciously of Soap & Glory's signature scent. I know it's a chore, but I do feel 100% better when I've added this step. Next up is eyes, (remembering back to last year when MAC Cranberry appeared on pretty much every blog going). I have a couple of current favourites that I find are both super easy to apply and very autumnal in colour. The Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick by Kate in Rose Gold is the most amazing Autumn/Winter into Christmas shade. These shadow sticks are amazingly creamy and blendable - I love applying this all over the lid during the day and just blending it out with my finger for a quick wash of colour. That's the beauty of these shadow sticks, they're so easy to blend in a hurry, but can be built up to an intense smoky eye for the evening if needed. Another versatile Autumn/Winter shadow is the Maybelline Eyestudio Colour Tattoo 24hr Cream Shadow in Metallic Pomegranate. Long lasting and non-creasing, these eyeshadows are extremely popular among beauty bloggers. This shade in particular is a favourite for autumn as it's a cranberry red with gold shimmer. It's quite sheer when applied with the finger which I like as it can be built up on it's own or it can be worn as a base for powder eyeshadows. A shade I know I'll get a lot of use out of this year. Last but not least, it's lips. For me, the winter brings with it dry, sore, chapped lips than need my serious undivided attention, but I think I've finally found the combination to combat this. Every other day I apply a lip scrub, and I absolutely adore the Lush Lip Scrubs as they taste amazing and are fantastic in removing dry skin and leaving the lips silky smooth ready for lip balm. I have both the Popcorn and the Bubblegum flavours, my favourite by far is the Popcorn (but mine has probably seen better days and needs to go in the bin now). After applying a lip scrub, the lips obviously need a good lip balm to hydrate, and for that I use my all time favourite, the Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm (see my full review here). I have two current favourite lipsticks that I keep turning to, the first is a bargain £1 MUA Lipstick in Shade 2; a deep purple-berry, it's super-pigmented but not overboard for daytime. The MUA lipsticks are fab for the price, as they're really creamy and easy to wear. A firm favourite for Autumn has to be the ever-so-famous Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107. See my full review here, and I will say no more on the most amazing matte lippie!

Apologies for the lengthy post! Hope you all enjoyed my choices. 

What are your seasonal staples?

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The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil

The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil. £13

I've said it before and I'll say it again, The Body Shop really do bring it when it comes to skincare, okayyyy? After raving about the original Vitamin E Facial Oil here, I'm back to rave once again about another oil from the same range which was released at the beginning of this year and caused quite a stir. The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil is the most wonderful mix between a serum and an oil (if you hadn't guessed by it's lengthy name), which is an absolute bonus as you're getting the great benefits of both products in one. I'm actually onto my 2nd lot of this stuff now so it shows how fond I am of it. I use it religiously every night after cleansing and before moisturising and just... wow. There's a lot of common misconceptions about oils, especially by those with oily skin, but Caroline Hirons reassures us all that there's an oil out there for everyone and those with oily skin can in fact benefit from using an oil as opposed to starving the skin, which in turn makes the skin want to produce more oil. Having dry skin myself, I find this product absolutely amazing and has seriously improved what used to be my seriously dehydrated skin. Ever since introducing oils into my routine I've noticed a 100% difference and I very, very rarely get spots like I used to. This oil in particular has become my favourite for night time, as it has so many amazing ingredients to repair and recharge the skin while I sleep. I just love everything about this stuff, it's like magic in a bottle. It smells amazing and feels so luxurious when I massage it in. I usually leave it for a minute or two to sink in before I apply my moisturiser on top and I'm set for the night. It is that little bit greasier than your normal facial oils though, which is why it's much better for night time as opposed to day time under makeup. At £13 for 28ml, this product is completely worth the money as it lasts super long - I only need one drop from the little pipette to cover my whole face. A product I know will be in my life for a long time to come (praying they never discontinue it).

Have you tried this? What's your night time staple?

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What's on my Christmas List: 2014

Christmas is coming and I can't bloomin' wait!!! I just love Christmas and everything about it, although to be honest I love the build up just as much, even more so now I've got kids. I always have a list as long as my arm for Christmas, probably because as we're currently living on one income with me being a stay at home Mum (not forever), we never allow ourselves to treat ourselves, so come Christmas I'm like AHHH I WANT ALL THE STUFF haha! Obviously I'm not saying I'm gonna get all of this, as I want to make Christmas more about the children than myself, but I'm wishing for a few things that I wouldn't buy myself normally (a few of which I know I've already got put away ;-) - bonus).

First up is the book that seems to be everywhere at the moment! Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes is currently the #1 Best Seller in Beauty on Amazon, and has had rave reviews by some of the top beauty bloggers, so I'd love to give this a read! Being a tea lover, I thought it was about time I got a special new mug, and I fell in love with this one after I seen it on Kate from gh0stparties' video a while back. I love the pink and gold together and I love anything with my initial on! I've got a love for highlighters at the moment, as I think it just finishes off a makeup look perfectly. I've heard so many great things about MAC's Soft & Gentle Mineralize Skin Finish that it just had to be added to the list! After getting the Canon eos 600d for my Birthday in August, I've been keen to improve my photography skills. After researching and seeking advice from photographer friends, I've found that the EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens would suit my needs perfectly. I don't really have a really pretty watch, and all the ones I own are just battered now. I keep seeing Olivia Burton Watches on Instagram etc and absolutely love them. They're so pretty and classic, and the Big Dial Rose Gold Watch looks right up my street! Still being a child at heart, and having played The Sims since I was at school, I've been dying to get my grubby little mitts on The Sims 4 for PC so that had to have a place on my Christmas list. Lastly is another initial related item. I've spotted these large clutch bags from Alphabet Bags on various YouTube videos and blogs and think they look so cute.

So that's it for my Christmas list. Thanks Santaaaa!!

What are you wishing for this year?

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