My First Ever PINK themed Giveaway!!

As a very big thank you for all your support since I started blogging on the 19th December 2011 I thought I would hold my first ever giveaway!!

For your chance to win both of these prizes please follow the raffle copter instructions below.

You can win both of these prizes and the giveaway is open internationally!  

The giveaway closes on 1st February 2013 at  12 am GMT so you all have plenty of time to enter.

Here's my video on the prizes -

Soap and Glory Kit -

Soap & Glory Scent - Sationalism Gift Set features three gorgeous fragranced body sprays including 

Soap & Glory’s fabulous Girligo™, very sexy day spray Mist You Madly™, and irresistably amber & floral 

Glam-A-Lot.

LUSH Snow Fairy Gift Set -

Snow Fairy gift, much like its shower gel namesake, has earned herself cult product status by continuing to be a global best seller! 

With a best selling soap, shower gel and glitter bar, Snow Fairy is such a popular gift, so much so that I had to buy myself one so that I could try it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for watching and good luck!

Have a great holiday season.

Claire

xx

A - Z Blogger Tag

Hi Guys,

Thanks to Catherine Lux from "Lux Life" blog Post on this tag which you can see 'Here' I really enjoyed reading her post!

So here's my A-Z Blogger tag for you to laugh at!!

Age: 

31 (I'm gonna be 32 in February 2013 sheesh!)

Me

Bed Size: 

King size (enough room for me and my two cats LOL!)

Chore you hate: 

Taking the bins out, Going into the loft (I HATE spiders)

Dogs: 

I would love a dog but working full time means the little guy will be left by himself all day to eat my shoes! :-( One day I will have a dog. 

Essential start to the day: 

A cup of tea with two sugars, Toast and a nice hot shower! (not all at once!)

Favourite colour: 

Pink and white

Gold or silver: 

Silver although I adore Rose Gold!

Height: 

I am 5ft 7"

Instruments you play: 

I only play the recorder.. and that's badly and I have not played for a really long time!

Job title: 

I am the only administrator for a Research Office 

Kids: 

I do not have any children yet, unless you can count my two cats as my children? LOL! But I adore children and cannot wait to have them one day!

My Babies! are also my children

Live: 

In Surrey

Mother's name: 

Margaret (but we are estranged)

Nicknames: 

I have lots - CEMB which is all of my names put together

Pricey because I have dark hair like Katie Price and I also like her

Lil because I am the youngest and littlest in my family

I get called Clairey, Claireabella, and B a lot because my surname begins with a B!

I also get called trouble a lot, but my comeback is always "I'm not trouble, trouble follows me around!"

Overnight hospital stays: 

I have luckily only ever been in hospital once in my life and that was to have my tonsils out

Pet peeves: 

Rude people 

People that push into queues

I hate cigarette smoke and find smoking really unattractive in a guy!

Dirty fingernails = gross!

People that spit in the street, put it in a tissue for gods sake and put that "stuff" in the bin!! grrrr

Guys that play with their "furniture" in full view of everyone = yuck!

Dirtyness

(god this was a long list!)

Quote from a movie:

I watch far too many movies to be honest, so I couldn't pick just one, so I decided on two my favourite quotes from 50 Shades of Grey -

Mock up of the 50 Shades of Grey movie - these are everywhere at the moment!

“Don’t leave me,” he whispers.

“Oh, for crying out loud—no! I am not going to go!” I shout and it’s cathartic. There, I've said it. I am not leaving.

“Really?” His eyes widen.

“What can I do to make you understand I will not run? What can I say?”

He gazes at me, revealing his fear and anguish again. He swallows. “There is one thing you can do.”

“What?” I snap.

“Marry me,” he whispers.”

and...

“You wanted hearts and flowers,” he murmurs.

I blink at him, not quite believing what I'm seeing.

“You have my heart.” And he waves toward the room.

“And here are the flowers,” I whisper, completing his sentence. “Christian, it’s lovely.” 

(ever the romantic aren't I!)

Right or left-handed: 

Right handed

Stores you love:

River Island, Primark, Next

Time you wake up:

I am supposed to get up at 6.30 am but I always snooze for far too long! I am late for everything always have been it's dreadful I run on "Claire Time"

Underwear:

Yes I wear underwear thanks! (weird question)

Vegetable you hate:

Mushrooms and courgettes!

What makes you run late: 

Everything!

Xrays you've had:

My Head

My back and neck :-(

Yummy food you make:

I make a mean roast dinner! 

Zoo animals: 

I love Monkeys, fish, Zebras and penguins

I hope you have enjoyed this post?  I really enjoyed checking out other people's blogging A-Z!

I tag all of my GFC followers.. so let me know in the comments section once your post has gone live!

Claire

x

Printed T Shirts.co.uk

I was approached by Max at Printed T-shirts and asked whether I would like one of their printed T-shirts to review for you guys.

I thought the printed T-shirts website was really fun and the company has been voted Britain's favourite printed T-shirts website!

Click Here for more information 

Printed T-shirts are a company based in Sheffield who design, print and create personalised and printed T shirts.

They make perfect gifts as well as great items to wear for events such as birthdays, stag and hen do's, holidays away, business events and much more.

They can tailor quotes to you and your needs. They aim for 100% happy customers and always make sure that you are satisfied with your t shirts.

They can produce unique and unusual t shirts as well as traditional t shirts so email them to see what they can do for you today. They also let me design my own t shirt as well as many other forms of t shirts.

They are there to help you create the best t shirts around and so you a free quote via email or through their contact form so you can get an idea of the cost.

They produce all t shirts on high quality t shirts and aim for 100% satisfaction.

I decided to go with my own designs and asked Max to print me a t shirt saying "I only Obey Christian Grey" as I am 50 shades of grey obsessed and I cannot wait for the film to come out!

The T-shirt that Max sent me was of extremely good quality and had plain black text as I had asked him for.

I know your all going to laugh at the T-shirt that I choose but I really liked it, and thought it would wind my house mate up as he hasn't read all of the books yet!

Have you designed any of your own T-Shirts before?

FreeFrom Skin Care Awards 2012 in association with the Green Beauty Bible

I was lucky enough to be sent some products to review from Alex at SkinsMatter.com and it has taken me longer than expected to review the products sent so apologies Alex!

You can find more information about the Free from skincare awards by clicking Here

Here's some more information about the Skins Matter website

Skins Matter is an entirely independent informational website, part of the FoodsMatter family of sites, focusing on skin health, natural / organic and 'freefrom' skincare products, and skin-related sensitivities and disorders.

The SkinsMatter site has over 60 articles and over 150 research reports on skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, carries regular new and tried and tested product reviews, and extensive directories of freefrom skincare product manufacturers.

Skins Matter's FreeFrom Skincare Awards, in association with the Allergy and FreeFrom Show and the Beauty Bible, launched in 2012 and are now in their second year.

The site gets approximately over 40,000 unique visitors and 1.5 million hits per year. SkinsMatter has its own Facebook page and its own Twitter account with over 1,500 followers.

I have loved several of the items Alex was kind enough to send me to review and here are my top 3 favourites -

EDEN Fresh Therapies Natural nail polish remover

This natural polish remover is not harmful to you or your nails in anyway. It will not damage the natural oil within your nails. Helping them to remain much more healthy.

EDEN Natural Nail Polish Remover works perfectly on all types of nail polish, but is not suitable for polish coating false nails.

The natural polish remover is translucent with a fragrant smell which includes a hint of lime for freshness. 

Free from any artificial acetones, EDEN ensures you won't be left with any lingering reminders of your nail polish remover. 

You can purchase a 50 ml bottle of this polish remover for £9 directly from Here with free delivery! 

I really enjoyed the glass bottle and how classy it looks on my dressing table and it really does remove all traces of nail polish and leave a fruity zesty lime fragrance behind!  A nice alternative to the usual nail polish remover!

Australian Bush Flower Replenishing Night Cream

A rich luxurious organic night time formulation to nurture and rehydrate skin whilst restoring a radiant looking complexion. Replenishing Night Cream combines natural organic emollients, rich natural anti-oxidants, beautiful botanicals, exotic oils, Rose Stem Cells and Australian Bush Flower Essences all within an overnight intensive beauty treatment. It rehydrates and plumps up the appearance of skin which helps maintain your skin feeling soft and gentle. Rich in graceful aging anti-oxidants that fight free radicals and promote the elasticity of the skin.

Gently apply to your beautiful face, hands or body.

Imbibed with Rose Stem Cells and Australian Bush Flower Essences

Rich in natural anti-oxidants and graceful aging botanicals

An overnight intensive skin beauty treatment

Wow this replenishing night cream really does what it says on the tin, not only is it a slight emollient feeling cream, but the smell is beautiful and it just is a pleasure to use!

I have literally been using this cream for about two months, and I am not sparing with it, I use it everywhere and the contents of the pump dispenser has run out quite rapidly from over use, always a good sign!

I adore the packaging of this cream and the slogan on the bottle saying "Love System, Love your body, love your soul, Love who you are"

If you are looking for a moisturising night cream then I would highly recommend this cream, I luckily received a 30 ml bottle and it has lasted me well.  You can purchase your own bottle by clicking Here and you will be taken to the actual Australian website for Bush Flower essences and a 30 ml bottle will set you back $27.95 or alternatively you can purchase it from buyskincare.co.uk for £25.95

SOPHYTO Tocotrienol Super Skin Concentrate 

Sophyto Tocotrienol Super Skin Concentrate is a powerful anti-ageing treatment suitable for all skin types.

Enriched with Tocotrienols (one of Vitamin E’s many components) this Super Skin Concentrate effectively prevents sun damage to the skin by delivering a visibly more radiant, healthier looking complexion. Tocotrienols are about 30-50 times more potent than Tocopherols as antioxidants with demonstrated anti-aging performance and research in the Journal of Nutrition in 2001 showed that Tocotrienols are the kingpins in anti-aging skin care.

Free from Parabens and Artificial Fragrances and Colours; Tocotrienol Super Skin Concentrate protects skin from signs of premature ageing and leaves the complexion healthy, luminous and radiant.

Sophyto Tocotrienol Super Skin Concentrate was a Finalist for Best Innovation in Organic Cosmetics in the Natural and Organic Awards 2012.

You can purchase 30 ml bottle (as shown in the picture above) by clicking Here Beauty Bay stock the Sophyto range for £34.95

I absolutely adore this rich concentrate, it has overshadowed my Clarins Blue Orchid oil by miles!

It leaves my skin glowing, moisturised and feeling nurtured   I adore the pharmacy-esque packaging and the fact that a little bit of this goes a VERY long way.

It contains a large amount of seed oils - Apricot, Pomegranate and Rose hip (to name a few) and it smells medicinal on the skin, but in a lovely calming way.

I cannot wait to purchase the full size of this oil, I really do love it that much!

Thanks very much to Alex for allowing me to sample some of the products, I have thoroughly enjoyed being shown new cosmetic brands and furthering my knowledge of organic skincare.

You can find the winners of the 2012 skins matter Free From awards by clicking Here

I really hope to work with the awards and Skins matter much more in the future!

Claire

x

My Spa London Experience

So last weekend I decided to have some treatments  I opted to go to the nearest Spa London as I had heard the spa was also advertising on Wahanda.

I booked for the Spa London Body Massage and gel nails with Jessica polish, these were not booked through Wahanda though.

They also have on offer several treatments through Wahanda which you can find Here

The body massage that I had was for 50mins £59

Using a combination of massage techniques this massage de-stresses the mind and

the body leaving you relaxed and at peace. 

Designed to ease muscle tension and

to alleviate aches and pains

I adored this massage, I have never had a full body massage before I have always gone for back, shoulder and neck massages, and this treatment was lovely, peppermint infused hot water was put underneath the face section of the massage table instantly relaxing me and gorgeous warm oils were rubbed in to relax my tense muscles.  50 minutes of pampering later and I can still feel the effects of this massage and I am definitely booking in for another treatment!

The gel nail manicure which I had I cannot find on the Spa London brochure, so I a not too sure on the costs for this but you can view the brochure by clicking Here  and choosing to download the full Spa brochure.

Spa London also offer Elemis products to buy and also offer Elemis Treatments meaning that you know a prestigious brand such as Elemis would only stock at the best spas!

If you are thinking of a Christmas gift for someone then Spa London gift vouchers are also an idea, the spas can be found in many locations from Swiss Cottage to York Hall.

The staff are friendly and helpful and the treatment rooms are Beautiful, The reviews on the Wahanda website are also very complimentary.

Have you heard of Spa London before?

Look Good Feel Better Event at Harvey Nichols - An Update

Hi Guys a little update for you on the Harvey Nichols Look Good Feel Better Event that I attended on 6th November 2012.

From my last post you saw how disappointed I was by the event, how the goody bag that was advertised on the website wasn't what I received on the actual day.  And how I didn't know where to go to collect the goody bag, or who to see to give my name to when I had arrived.  I also didn't know what was on offer to me as a ticket purchaser, as there were no directions explaining where everything was.

I was accused in my last post of being a "free loader" by an anonymous commenter I can assure you that I am not a free-loader   

The point of my blog post was to pay £15 for the ticket for the charity and go to the event because it interested me and I knew that it would interest my readers.  

I blogged about the event in my honest opinion, if you didn't like the blog post then you didn't have to read it!

Yes the ticket sale cost went towards the charity, and I was happy to pay that.  But the goody bag that was advertised on the website was not what I received on the day, it contained many samples of products and in my opinion was not a luxurious goody bag.  

That's why I wrote to the Look Good Feel Better company explaining how disappointed I was because I had booked a half day off of work especially to attend the event plus the cost of travelling to Harvey Nichols in London.

I love finding new products and watching beauty demonstrations so receiving the goody bag at such a prestigious event made me want to buy a ticket even more!

This was my point, Yes everyone loves something for free, and I had paid the ticket price but what I had received disappointed me.  This event has just started out and I wanted to provide feedback for the next event so that's why I wrote to The Look Good Feel Better Company directly and then they passed my letter on to Harvey Nichols and afterwards I compiled my blog post about what I thought of the day.

I was lucky enough to receive a lovely letter from Paul Finucane the Group Stores director at Harvey Nichols last week, thanking me for my feedback and telling me that the Look Good Feel Better partnership with Harvey Nichols is an ongoing one which is encouraging as I feel the next event will be even better.  

In light of my letter Paul kindly sent me a new luxury goody bag as a good will gesture and I have written to him today to say thank you.

I was very surprised to receive anything from Harvey Nichols as it was only my intention to offer feedback directly to the Look Good Feel Better company, but both companies went the extra mile and I am very thankful to them for the effort they have made.

My letter didn't need to be sent to Harvey Nichols but Look Good Feel Better had done so which I think is also a lovely thing to do.

Thank you to both companies for their correspondence!

Here's what I was lucky enough to receive from Harvey Nichols -

Some of the items

Me opening the box

The contents was amazing, so many new brands I had never heard of, and a great set of candles from Harvey Nichols and the new Vanitas Versace perfume set.

Thanks once again for this gesture Harvey Nichols and Look Good Feel Better!

Best Wishes

Claire

x

November 2012 Monthly Favourites

So that monthly favourite time is here again!

There are loads of things that I love at the moment in the month of November so here's a few -

Bobbi Brown Black Ink Gel eye-liner 

(I'm wearing it in the above pic)

I have used this eye-liner before, but then stopped to use a drug store brand (I don't know why I stopped!) so I re-found my love for it again and I am not sorry at all.  

The pigmentation of the gel liner is amazing as you'd expect from Bobbi Brown!  

I have the purple, blue and black of these liners as I purchased a set with them in some months ago from QVC.  

If you are looking for a gel liner then this is definitely worth purchasing.

You can buy it directly from Bobbi Brown for £17.00 it has also won the InStyle best beauty buys for 2012!!

From the Bobbi Brown website - 

 This award-winning liner gives you the look of liquid liner with the ease and feel of a gel formula. 

Long-wearing, water-resistant colour glides on and let's you get it just right before it dries - then stays without a smear or crease.

You can find the set which I bought from QVC by clicking 'Here'

Models Own Wonderland polish in "Northern Lights"  

This polish costs £5.00 and is stocked in Boots.  It looks great on its own or as I have done above by ombrying (cannot spell this word!) it to the nails using a sponge.  

The glitter is easy to remove and is the first ever polish that I have tried from Models Own and it won't be the last!!

If your looking for a polish that screams Christmas then I would definitely check this one out!

Clarins Colour Quenching Lip Balm

I was lucky enough to be given a sample of the Clarins colour quenching lip balm long lasting moisture and shine in shade 02 peach nectar.  

This colour is just beautiful it's long lasting, and definitely looks Rose Gold-esque in the tube.

From the Clarins website - 

This luscious balm offers subtle colour and shine, while the moisturising skin care benefits treat your lips. Deeply soothing for lasting comfort and a hint of colour. Great to wear alone or over any lip colour.

You can purchase this lip balm for £15.00 directly from Clarins 

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara in Limited Edition Gold

Max Factor False Lash Effect in limited edition gold is an amazing!! 

From the Superdrug website -

 False Lash Effect Mascara doubles your lash size with the impact of false lashes without the fuss. 

The secret is in the lash boosting combination of Max Factor's biggest brush ever combined with patented Liquid LashTM technology.

Now with every volume coat the big brush sweeps right to the tips giving your lashes fullness and head turning attitude. The result is 100% impact.

I ADORE this mascara, my friend works for P&G and was kind enough to give it to me to try.  

It is simply amazing, it never flakes, never dries up and coats all of my lashes so that they look amazingly long!  You can see from the photo above and below that this mascara even amplifies my lower lashes just as much.

If your fed up of wearing false lashes, then I'd definitely check out Max Factor.  

You can purchase this mascara from Superdrug for £10.99 

It looks as if I have false lashes on!

I hope you enjoyed my monthly favourites!