If you love cosmetics, you'll adore Direct Cosmetics

Do you ever spend hours online searching for a product and then look to see if you can find it a bit cheaper elsewhere? I know I do.  I was recently introduced to Direct Cosmetics by way of email which has been around for over 35 years and they sell authentic cosmetics, fragrances, beauty sets, skincare and much more at discounted prices.  Brands such as Clinique, W7, Elizabeth Arden, YSL, Dior and Decleor to name just a few of the brands.

I was given the opportunity to try out and test some of the products on offer from Direct Cosmetics and this is what I chose:

As you can see there is a real variety on offer and truth be told, I was quite surprised at how many products there was to chose from at such great prices, so I decided to stick to things I had never used but had been wanting to try, you know the ever growing wishlist, well it has got a slight dent in it now.  As for the prices, well this is what my haul is priced at:

• Revlon Just Bitten Cherish Devotion RRP £7.99 - Cost to me £1.50
• Revlon Just Bitten Lovesick Passionee RRP £7.99 - Cost to me £1.99
• Elizabeth Arden Eight House Cream Lip Protection Gloss - RRP 17 - Cost to me £6.99
• Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in Plum RRP £6.19 - Cost to me £1.49
• Elizabeth Arden Mascara RRP £22.00 -  Cost to me £7.99

So as you can see, instead of spending £61, instead my haul came to £19.96 which is an enormous saving!

If this sounds like the kind of site you want to be looking at, they do ship only within Europe, but delivery super quick and everything comes packaged really well and is protected within a box.

Have you ever used Direct Cosmetics? Do you use any similar site?

Have you heard of this website before?

LightStim for Wrinkles

LightStim for wrinkles** it clearly states on the box, the first LED device approved by the US Food and Drug Administration which is intended for the treatment of wrinkles on the entire face. Well when offered the chance to try it out, how could I say no? Especially when the Hubby wants to try and get rid of his Gordon Ramsey forehead (his description, not mine).  I am quite lucky I am not really showing any signs of ageing, though there are one or two lines beginning to make their appearance around my eyes.

The device in question is hand held and looks like a shower head, only it isn't. It uses 72 therapeutic LED lights which you hold against your skin on those areas you wish to target. LightStim emits a soothing warmth, it is totally painless and can be used to treat your forehead, crows feet, cheeks, smile lines, jawline, neck, decollete and hands.  

After being plugged in you simply hold the device against your skin for around three minutes in each place you wish to treat, the red LED lights are said to work by stimulating your natural collagen and elastin production which in turns helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. As we age, the volume of collagen and elastin in the skin decreases and this allows lines and wrinkles to form. The claims are that this device will:

• Reduce and eliminate fine lines and wrinkles
• Restore your skin's youthful appearance
• Stimulate the production of collagen and elastin

As I have mentioned, the LED lights produce warmth but it is entirely painless and the idea is that after washing and cleansing your face, apply the accompanying (if you wish) collagen peptide serum and then sit back and relax whilst using your LightStim.

You are advised to use the device for around 8 weeks. Firstly taking a photo before using it and then another one after those 8 weeks to see for yourself what improvements there have been. For the best results, again you are advised to use daily, or at least 5 days of the week and each session should last around 10 minutes each time - taking into account that for each part of your face you wish to treat, you need to be holding the device against the skin for 2-3 minutes.

I have just started using this device and am really looking forward to see the differences in 8 weeks time. I have downloaded the LightStim App which I use the timer on whilst using the device on my skin. Also whilst I am using it, I tend to be laid or sat in bed reading, so the reminder is really helpful and useful.

LightStim for Wrinkles isn't cheap - at a cost of £250 it is one of those products which is more of an investment purchase and can be purchased from Space NK and QVC in the UK.

What do you think of LightStim for Wrinkles - is it something you want to try?

Yankee Candle Halloween Wishlist

Today I am guestposting over on the lovely Georgina's blog Make-up Pixi3 who is in hopsital having her first baby. So I thought I would bring a Halloween theme to my blog with my Yankee Candle wishlist. 

I absolutely love Halloween, I just we celebrated the event as well as some of my American friends who decorate their houses and have amazing parties. As a child I used to love Trick or Treating, the joy of getting buckets full of sweets was amazing, it is a wonder how I still have a mouth full of my own teeth with no fillings whatsoever.

With Halloween comes a lot of limited edition products from some of my favourite brands and one of those is Yankee Candle who have some of the most amazingly decorated jars I have ever seen and with a wishlist as long as my arm, these are just a few of my favourites:

1 Halloween Cat Candle Shade - I absolutely love this and it has been on my eBay wishlist for a long time, though sadly it never seems to be available here in the UK. I love cats, have three of them myself and this candle shade is simply amazing.

2 - Ghostly Treats has the scent of gooey marshmellows, imagine them after roasting on an open fire - that scent!

3 - Happy Halloween Candle which uses a potion of black liquorice spiced with anise and cloves

4 - Candy Corn - The familiar, sweet scent is a fond reminder of Halloween fun and treats.

5 - Witches Brew which is said to be a spicy sweet aroma of exotic patchouli

6 - All Hallows Eve has a mixture of Midnight Jasmine and Evening Air

I love how each one of these jars has its own little theme and how decorative they are, each one of them is designed specifically with Halloween in mind, right down to the actual scent. Even after using them all up, they would look great as storage jars!

Those are just some of the candles I am wanting to get my hands on.  Do you have a favourite Halloween decoration?

Hillarys At The Harbour

When you buy your first home, the first thing you dream about is decorating it. I never thought it would be something I was that bothered about, but actually I am and spend many hours on Pinterest looking at all kinds of interior design pictures wishing that was my home or particular room.

When Joebloggers invited me to an event called 'Hillarys at the Harbour' I was really looking forward to going because, I have always wanted to go to this particular hotel to see whether the views are as spectular as some friends had told me there were and because I wanted to know more about the brand Hillarys, whom you might recognise for their blinds and curtains.

The event itself was held at the stunning Chelsea Harbour Hotel, the world stunning really isn't the best description to describe it, but it is everything and more. The views from the balcony were breath taking over the harbour and as I dreamt of owning one of the yachts, the real reason I was there was to see the new collection that Hillarys were to showcase called House Beautiful Collection, which is a collaboration with the magazine House Beautiful.

The collection itself featured a lot of bright prints, bold colours and amazing patterns which are said to have been inspired by architects from across the world.  At the even, those present were very lucky to be able to look really closely at each design. I particularly loved the Lattice design which is a small-scale geometric design.  Each Pattern comes in three colours which can, if necessary be put together for layering when and where necessary.

Once we'd had a chance to look around, we all took a seat to listen to the Head of Product Design at Hillary's, a fabulous and very knowledgeable lady called Sarah Quilliam, whom had been on hand the entire evening to answer questions and queries that we might have. Throughout her speech, Sarah told us all about the inspiration behind some of the designs, how long they take to put together and how all the photos on the website and in brochures are taken which show the products inside the homes of actual people, not in a factory where I had assumed everything might be taken to create that perfect photo, but no, they source a house/home and use those which actually I liked the sound of.  After Sarah had finished her speech, we had a brief talk from a lady called Julia Goodwin, who is the editor of House Beautiful magazine and with whom the collaboration is shared with.

This was my first time attending an event like this and I had a great time and really enjoyed learning more about a brand I had only heard of, but never used or seen, other than on the TV or through mentions from friends and families and I was surprised at how much time and effort goes into each aspect of creating a product, getting it ready, publishing it, creating the media profile and then getting the finished product out to potential client and customers.

Have you ever used Hillarys?