Blogging Essentials worth Investing in - Lighting!

When I was asked by the amazing people at Joebloggers "What are the things worth investing in" as part of a Legal and General campaign, I took some time to think about it. It was quite a gloomy day and I had been attempting to take some blog photos for hours, the light being horrid, I downed my camera and quickly had a strop, grunted and sighed alot - then the answer came to me - Lighting!

So having made my decision I did a bit of research, read a few blogs that gave hints and tips and decided that a portable Camera Photo Studio Box Light Lighting Cube Tent Kit with Tripod would be brilliant and the kit I had seen came with four backdrops at a cost of £35.  Now to some people, this might not seem like a lot, but I have little room to spread myself about, I live in a one bed flat, affectionately referred to as 'the shoebox' and there are three cats who also live here and like to be actively involved in everthing, so this for me is the perfect solution.

When my package arrived, I was far too excited, the box was huge and I momentarily forgot what it was, then came a squeal of delight.  Inside my box I had the following:

• Studio box size: 50x50x50cm
• Double warm white LED spot light
• Light cable length: 150m (each)
• Backdrop color: Black, Blue, White, Red
• Tripod and stand

Now to be, this is the best bit of kit, besides my Canon EOS1000D camera that I own and it most definitely makes taking pictures a lot easier, especially when it is dark outside!

Described as being a complete photo studio kit, I was delighted to find that it folds away into a neat carry case which takes up absolutely no room at all and I can put it neatly away in my wardrobe or under the bed out of the way. Setting the whole thing up was also incredibly easy too, much more so than I thought it would be and everything is fully adjustable, the tripod which fits my camera perfectly, allows for me to take a really nice close up without getting my hands, camera strap and anything else in the way. Once set up, it is made of both aluminium and steel and is really sturdy, the height is fully adjustable as well going from 25cm to 45cm, though I am yet to change it from the original settings.

The box itself is made is 100% pure white nylon fabric with a stainless steel frame photographic light tent and given it's size, everything that I need to photograph, including any of the cats, fits in there nicely. If I decide to change the background to either blue, red, or black, I can easily do so and each one fits snugly using a velcro fastening.

The final important item within the box are the two LED Lights/Lamps which also fold away and again you can adjust the light angle using a simple click of a button.

I am chuffed to bits with this piece of kit and whilst I am still getting to grips with how it works properly, I hope some of you will begin to notice the changes to my photographs.

If this sounds like something you fancy trying out, you can find it HERE.

Do you use lighting to take photos? is there something you would recommend?

Purrfect Box!

When asked if I would like to review a subscription box, I was all excited, I then continued reading to find the email was infact meant for one of my cats and not for me. If you read my blog or my Hubby's blog, you will know that we have three cats, all male tabby's and often mentioned with the moniker #furkids attached to them and they often make appearances on Instagram.

The Purrfect box** is a brand new UK subscription service which allows you to treat your cat, or your dog each month you will receive each month treats, toys, accessories, hygiene and personal care products customized and based on the cat's age, size, weight, fur type and preferences. Each month has a different theme so you get different goodies each month. The cost is £19.50 per month or £15.50 if you subscribe yearly and this was what was in my first box.

As you can see, there was some excitement as to what was in the box.  My boys love boxes and paper bags, especially Primark bags, so as soon as they see one, they want to be in it.

So in the box there are five different items, all nicely packaged ready to get your cats attention. So in my box we had:

Hills Cat Shrimp Snacks - These are heart-shaped biscuits which most definitely remind me of shrimp paste, you know the stuff that you used to get in sandwiches from your Nan, and as soon as the packet was open, all three of mine wanted to know what they were.

Trixie Multivitamin Paste - I wasn't too sure how this would be recieved, but unsurprisingly, all three of them loved it as soon as I squirted some onto the pink box they had been fighting over just moments ago.  The description says it will add shine and lustre to their coats, so I intend to add some to their food each morning to see if there is a notable difference.

A Spot Laser Toy - Always guaranteed to have hours of fun with this, as soon as the batteries are in and the red light appears, off they go zooming around trying in vain to catch the red spot.

As you can see by the noisy video below, Dexter was trying as hard as he could to catch the red spot.

The Wasabycat Scratching Post - This caused the most amount of interest in my box, infact I couldn't;t get near it for a good hour whilst the three of them fought over it, rubbed themselves over it and generally became a dribbling wreck.  The post itself, is more of a box which has little vents in it to shove the accompanying catnip into.  It has a scratching mat on the top and out of the three of mine, Asbo scratches the most and Dude tries to chew it.

The final item is a 4Cats Valerian Heart Toy and again, this was fought over too, possibly because it had been next to the catnip in the box and the scent had clearly rubbed off.  This is a favourite of Dude and he had a great time playing with it, as did Asbo when he could get near it and Dexter just sat back and watched everyone generally looking a bit daft.

To see the look on the faces of my three boys as soon as I opened the box was amazing, they loved each and every item within the box, which you can see from the photos and even now, a few weeks after getting the box, all of the items are still played with, rolled over chewed, dribbled on and fought over, so for me, this is great value for money and is definitely something I would think of subscribing too.

What do you think to this box? Have you got it, would you buy it?

Love Me Beauty - A New Concept!

Just over a week ago, myself and around ten others got to go along to The Sanderson Hotel, just off Oxford Street here in London to be introduced to a new Beauty box, only it is something a little more than a beauty box.  Unveiled by Oli and Sam the CEO and Co-Founders it was described as being the Netflix for beauty and this is why!

Love Me Beauty asks you to sign up to an account and then complete a short series of questions which begins the build of your personal profile.  You are then assigned to one of a team of beauty experts who read and look at your profile and recommend to you some products to try based on the answers you give to some questions. The better the beauty experts get to know you, the better the recommendations will get! Those questions to answer include your hair colour, hair type, skin type, age, favourite make-up and how much you tend to spend per month on beauty to name just a few.

Naturally if you don't like the suggestions given to you, you don't have to choose from them, you can choose anything you want from the Boutique which will have 100’s of products and brands to choose from which are updated on a daily basis. Love Me Beauty search the world for the best and most exciting brands and products out there, just for you.

Each month, once you have subscribed (read more about that HERE) you are given six credits and using those credits, you can add as many other products as you like. (That’s four or five items at the very least.) Credits are based on a weighted system and are either worth 1 or 2 credits.  If the item you want is worth 1 credit then it is typically a travel sized product and if it is worth 2 credits it will either be of high value or a full sized product, some of which will be in limited availability.

So this is what the Box looks like and this is an example of some of the brands and products you might come across during your selections:

Just how stunning is this box? The silvery grey coloured matched with the rose gold lettering is stunning and as soon as I saw it, I loved it.  It looks every much a luxury box and even the little bag inside is of really high quality.

The products I received within my box are as follows:

Percy & Reed Eau My Goodness Shine and Fragrance Spray for your hair - Is it a fragrance? Is it a shine and glossing spray? Ladies, it’s both – and what a wonder it is too! This airy green, delicate fragrance evokes the smell of a rose in the early morning, sprinkled with dew. Spray it over your locks and not only will you smell glorious, you’ll also have intense, dazzling, glossy shine.

Malin + Goetz Peppermint Shampoo - The Peppermint Shampoo is gentle and hydrating, effectively purifying and cleansing and balances all hair and scalp types. Blended with peppermint and olive oil, the hair shampoo is formulated for frequent use. The mildly foaming, residue-free formula softens and conditions.

S5 Balance Fluid for normal-oily skin - Advanced anti-ageing moisturiser for normal-oily, sensitive skim with age defying alpine, arctic and marine bioactives. Helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, balance and protect for a matte, clear complexion.

S5 Renew Serum - Targeted age defying treatment for fine lines and wrinkles with arctic bioactives to plump and smooth. Helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles for younger looking skin.

Absolute Bronzing Boost with SPF15 - Enjoy a guilt-free glow with an oil-free bronzer which protects your skin and blends easily for buildable coverage. The perfect facial bronzer that balances skin hues instantly and restores tone while giving a beautiful, even touch of colour.

The One Eyeliner Stylo - This eyeliner tool looks like a pen that comes with a fine applicator that allows you to define your eyes with precision. It dries quickly and therefore, doesn’t smudge. This item is highly sophisticated in appearance and at the same time it is fabricated by using best quality raw components so as to ensure excellence, reliability and optimality. Besides, this beauty product is long lasting and more interestingly, deep black in colour. Thus, achieving high colour accuracy is very much possible.

The One Illuskin Blush in pink glow - A Touch of Delicate Luminosity. Instantly create contoured cheeks.Sculpt & define with the darker shade. Highlight with the lighter, shimmering shade

Three Murad pomegranate exfoliating mask Sachets - Free your skin of dull, dry surface cells with Murad Vitalic Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask and restore the brightness to your skin. Pomegranate extract provides powerful antioxidant protection whilst fruit enzymes exfoliate and keep your skin clear. This tingly weekly treatment features pomegranate and gingko bilba extract which fight free radicals and inflammation whilst natural fruit enzymes and AHAs keep your skin clear and smooth.

For me this is a huge bunch of products which I am enjoying trying and testing out, especially because I have never used any of them before now and only recently realised that The One products are actually part of the Oriflame family.

All of that aside, I actually really like the concept and idea behind the box. Knowing that the more of a beauty profile you give, the more suitable product suggestions to you become, so rather than get a box every month full of stuff you won't use, instead, you get some say in what you might like to try and you never know, you might be finding you Holy Grail products.  I am looking forward to seeing what becomes of Love Me Beauty as they grow and become more established.

As with most subscription services, you can decide how you wish to subscribe. A monthly boxy is £10 plus £3.95 P&P or you can choose a 3,6,9 or 12 month subscription with prices varying.

Have you signed up yet? Is it the kind of idea you think will work?

Karen Millen September Glossybox

As soon as I saw a spoiler for this months Glossybox, I wanted it, just for the box alone.  For me it is the best designed Glossybox that I have ever had, it is simply stunning.

Aside from the fabulous box, there was a few spoilers as to what we might find inside and ive seen a few posts from other Bloggers who all have the one item I hoped for, but didn't get... that said, this is what I got!

ModelCo More Brows fibre Gel -  I got light medium which I might get away with, we will see. This is a full sized item and it does have an RRP £14.95 for 3.5ml.  The enclosed card states that this innovative brush-on gel gives the appearance of fuller, thicker brows instantly.

L'Oreal Professional Mythic Masque - This masque is designed to intensely nourish and replenish the hair, for an effortlessly glossy-looking result.  This masque is to be applied to towel dried hair and left for 3 minutes before rinising.  A full sized 200ml tub has an RRP £15.50, this tub is 75ml.

Nails Inc Westminster Bridge Matte Top Coat - This matte effect top coat gives you two very different looks for everyone of your nail polishes.  This is a full sized 10ml bottle and has an RRP £12

Vichy Normaderm Night Detox & Hydrating Care 3ml samples are said to help target adult blemishes, leave your complexion radiant and balance excess sebum.  NOw I am a big fan of Vichy and I am looking forward to trying both samples.

The final product within this box are three sachets.  Skinpep Brightening Enzyme and Acid Peel which uses pineapple and papaya extracts to gently exfoliate, soft and bright skin.  A 3.5ml sachet which I have two of has an RRP £3.05.  Then there is the SkinPep Dark Circle Eraser and boy am I in need of this right now, I look like a walking zombie!  said to use anti-oxident ingredients to boost collagen in the delicate undereye area.  What shocked me is this 2ml sachet has an RRP £6.49 - wow!  I cannot wait to try it.

Also in the box was a gift card to save £25 on any spend of £150 in store during September.  If anyone is and wants my card, please let me know.

Now I like the box this month, I will use every product within the box, which is not something I often say.  That said, I had hoped to get the Origins Plantscription Serum as I have been wanting to try it since I read about it.

What do you think to this box? Anything that grabs your attention?