My Lottery Wishlist

Whenever you buy a lottery ticket, do you ever, whether on paper or in your head come up with a wishlist of things you would buy if you ever won?  I do all the time, I can't help it. The most I have ever won is £1500 and that little win didn't even scratch the surface of my wishlist.

So chatting with some friends of mine on Facebook chat today about lotteries and what they would buy if they won, it amazed me just how many different ways there are to play and win money - Euromillions, Irish Lottery, Health Lottery, Postcode Lottery, National Lottery, Thunderball to name just a few that come to mind.  Friends of mine across the pond play something called Powerball and I asked What is Powerball and was quickly told it is a form of Lottery with prizes starting at $40million dollars (wow).

Like most people my wishlist is huge, the list is endless and obviously I want want to make sure family and closest friends got to share my wealth, but once all of that has been done and dealt with, if money was no object what would I buy? Naturally I would want to go on hliday and one of my dreams is to go back to Las Vegas where beautykinguk and I got married before going on to Reykjavik which I am also really wanting to visit because I want to sit in a hot geyser!  Holidays aside, my wishlist is quite long, but these would be high up on my list:  

Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Soleste Band Ring - A ring with round brilliant white and Fancy Vivid Pink diamonds in platinum and 18k rose gold.  At a mere £11,400 it is unlikely I will ever own this ring unless I do win the lottery, but it is on my wishlist because it is just stunning and I love everything about it.

Canon D600 - Every blogger needs one and this particular camera is one I keep looking at and wishing I could afford to buy it, I have mentioned so many times how poor my photographs are on my blog and how I lust after some other bloggers photos with how fabulous they are - camera, I need you!

Hermes Birkin Bag - Well who doesn't want one? My only problem would be deciding on the colour, would it be a classic black version or something a little more out there and perhaps a coral colour?!

Creme De la Mer Asprey Ultimate Collection gift set - having seen this in Selfridges, the only thing I can say is that it looks amazing and has a price tag to match. I would love to know if this stuff is as good as all the 'celebs' claim it is and if I had the money to do it, I would quite happily work my way through the entire collection and then blog about it!

Jo Malone Signature Collection Gift set - I am dying to try some Jo Malone products and almost every one which has been suggest to me is featured within this gift set, so it would be mine!

Bvlgari moonphase Watch - I love Bvlgari watches they are stunning and I spend hours drooling over them.

Ted Baker Large Blue Cubic Print Flapover Purse - I have loved this purse from the moment I saw it and at £99 I can't quite justify purchasing it, though I do need a new purse as mine is clinging on my mere threads.  I just love everything about this purse from the design, to the zips, to the inside and think it is just fabulous.

*Written in collaboration with Lottoland

Ambience volumizing dry shampoo

How I have survived without dry shampoo in my life is a complete and total mystery to me, infact it was only a few years ago that I did discover it and one brand or another has remained a staple product within my bathroom cupboard. So when I sent some Ambience volumizing dry shampoo in blonde, I was really keen to try it.

Arriving in its black box, everything you need to know about the product is clearly displayed for you to read. It states that it is 100& natural, instantly cleans and refreshes hair without water, is both Paraben and preservative free, not tested on animals, contains no alcohol, is non-flammable and is sulfate free - wow!

This product is quite unlike any that I have used before, for example it isn't in an aerosol can and it has an applicator brush that you use to apply the product to you hair, as you can see in the photos shown below. Like many dry shampoos it states that it will:

• Lift roots to add body and fullness to hair
• Cleans hair and absorbs excess oil, leaving hair looking, feeling and smelling freshly shampooed
• Tinted powder blends with hair colour, does not leave white residue, which can cause the hair to look grey

The applicator brush is found inside a protected lid to keep the brushes shape and a retractable sleeve, as soon as you remove the lid the brush comes to life and to use you simply tilt the brush and having sectioned your hair, use the brush in circular motions to distribute the powder, which was much easier than I was anticipating and it doesn't create any mess, then I used my Tangle Teezer to brush my hair through once I had finished and voila, those greasy looking oily roots were no longer. If you are someone who has their hair highlighted or coloured regularly, this dry shampoo also works to conceal those roots which is an added bonus.

So how did it fair? Well it did leave my hair looking as though it has just been washed and feeling clean, my oily roots had disappeared and there was no white residue or stickiness, so it ticks all of those boxes for me. Did it add some volume, yes it did, once I ran my fingers through my hair there was a bit of a lift round the roots so my hair was no flat against my head and it saved me having to get my hair dryer out and add any further products, so again another ticked box. The only thing I would change is to get a darker shade, as my hair is dark blonde, I think a darker shade would be more suitable, though this one did work really well.

Ambiance Volumizing Dry Shampoo has a RRP of £26.98 though if you look around you can find it priced a little cheaper around £14.99 HERE , however as it is more than just a dry shampoo it is something I would recommend people who do highlight and colour their hair regularly to try because it does conceal those roots, which is brilliant for those inbetween hairdresser appointments. I have been using my dry shampoo for a good few weeks now and it shows no sign of running out anytime soon.

The Ambiance Volumizing Dry Shampoo is available in Blonde, Black, Brunette, Grey and Red the box I was sent did contain a refill which is one of those limited time offers, so it is worth hunting it down until the offer is rescinded.

Have you tried the Ambiance Volumizing Dry Shampoo?

Introducing MadeCloser

When you buy a product whether on the High Street or online, do you ever wonder where it has really come from?  Would you like to know more about the item you are buying?  Well let me introduce you to Madecloser a place where you, the customer can buy any goods that are originally manufactured within your own continent and they are sorted by area - in order of local, regional, national or continental location.

The brain child of  John Palaguta-Iles, MadeCloser came to being in February 2011 when he spent quite some time searching for locally, ethically produced products for his new home, products that he could trace the origin of its manufacture and could get from a retailer that was closer to him.  Having found it quite a difficult task, he came up with MadeCloser, an online marketplace where ethically and locally manufactured goods, literally made closer, could be more readily found and purchased by like-minded people.

MadeCloser state that they are:

“Uniquely for an online marketplace, shoppers who care about local economies, sustainable commerce, helping the planet and helping fellow citizens, can choose products from a wide-ranging catalogue of goods - all Made Closer!”

So how does it work? Manufacturers register their products with MadeCloser to sell them on the their marketplace, as a customer we can then sort those products from continental to regional levels to find a product that we want from the closest manufacturer to you.

There are so many products that I liked from this website and from a choice of twelve different categories such as Jewellery, Health and Beauty, Home and garden and Animals and pets to name just a few, the choice is quite literally endless when looking for that perfect item or gift and here are some of my favourite items:

For those of you who are interested in ethics first, and economic and environmental sustainability, MadeCloser is a site you will like because whilst reading about MadeCloser, I was encouraged to find that it gives two thirds of its' net profit, to charities that comply with at least one of its charitable pre-requisites:

• ŸSupporting the preservation and evolution of indigenous and endangered cultures and species
• ŸActive involvement in local, national & continental self sustainability
• ŸThe education of free will and self governance
• ŸWorking with nature to fight disease

Out of this donated money, half of the funds go to causes and projects in the actual region of the individual customer. Whether you are a retailer, someone who is crafty or like me, someone who often wonders where products actually come from and wants to find something that has been made by a person, with a lot of love, rather than factory made in their millions, then MadeCloser is the place you should definitely come to look at.  

**SP

Heaven Skincare Bee Venom Face Mask

At the beginning of the year I did a post featuring some of the products I wanted to try in 2014, many of which pricked an interest due to some odd ingredient.

I was lucky enough to be sent some of the Heaven Skincare Bee Venom Face Mask**, a product favourite of some of our Royal Family Members, which is how I became fascinated by it – I am a huge Royalist and if it is good enough for the Duchess of Cambridge, it is good enough for me right?

Well once I had it in my grasp, the whole idea then became much scarier, I mean actual bee venom on my face, why on earth would I want to do that?  Well this is why:

“Heaven's Bee Venom range is the only Bee Venom range that contains the special ingredient abeetoxin™..  It softens lines and wrinkles whilst plumping and firming. It is a luxurious cream that you will see and feel working instantly, leaving your skin looking its youthful and radiant best.

If that isn’t enough to capture your interest it also contains Manuka Honey which is renowned for its soothing and healing properties as well as softening and calming Shea Butter which also has moisturising properties and finally Rose and Lavender essential oils which are also both hydrating and moisturising when on the skin.

As mentioned it does contain Bee Venom which claims to control the facial muscles for immediate lifting, tightening and firming, whilst getting to work on frown lines and wrinkles which is something I am always looking for, paranoid that I am getting old before my time.

The actual cream itself is not overly thick but you only need a small amount to cover your face.  So having cleaned and cleansed my face I took a few deep breaths and applied the mask as instructed to do so. There is a slight scent to it, definitely honey was the ingredient that I detected over and above anything else, but it glides onto your skin effortlessly and gradually sinks in.  Once your whole face is covered, you leave it on for 20 minutes before washing it off.  Once it was applied, I was sat on my bed relaxing and after about 6 minutes I felt my face start to tingle; it wasn’t unpleasant in any way, infact it was a relief to know that something was happening, I wanted those 20 minutes to hurry up so I can have a look at my face to see what the affect was going to be.  As soon as my time was up, I grabbed my Washi cloth and duly removed the cream or what was left of it, from my face and this is where I was so impressed.

Before using the cream, I had slight dryness on both cheeks and on my forehead between my eyebrows, it is a constant problem when the weather changes from cold to warm, no matter how much cream I apply, it always comes back.  So, having used this mask, not only did my skin feel smoother than it ever had before, softer than I have ever known it to be, but it was free from dry skin, I had a natural glow and even though I have hardly wrinkles, there was no sign of those that had been there, my skin felt tight and the puffiness under my eyes from lack of sleep had also gone. I was quite literally astounded by how good this was after one use.  

Now two days on, my skin is still soft and smooth and there is no sign of the dryness on either cheek or on my forehead, no wonder it is such a big hit with members of the Royal Family and now me!

As well as using this product as a mask, you can also use it both in the morning and in the evening by applying a small amount on top of your moisturiser.  I am yet to do this, but I intend too because I really want to see what the difference in my skin will be like.

This product for me is wonderful, now I have it in my grasp I am not willing to let it go, I have never tried a product like it nor been so impressed by its results, they more than live up to the claims and it is no wonder that Deborah Mitchell, CEO and founder of Heaven Skincare has won awards for the abeetoxin™ ingredient. 

Prices start from £25.30 and more information is available on the website which you can find here www.heavenskincare.com