You Beauty Discovery Box - November 2015

The November You Beauty Discovery Box has arrived and this month's edit was specifically chosen to give us as subscribers a helping hand with the celebration of Autumn and in doing so, the chance to select products which would help to enhance our hair, skin and regular beauty regime.

There is two treats within this box, a little extra which I really like to get and this month we have the Alpha-Arbutin White Mask by DHC. Fight dullness and discolouration with DHC Alpha-Arburtin White Mask, a sheet mask formulated with moisture-binding ingredients. The deeply conditioning formula helps target the signs of ageing and sun exposure. The revamped sheet mask contains 43% more serum than before, uniting scientifically advanced brightener, alpha-arbutin, with mulberry, serine and peony. The sheet mask’s radiance enhancing formula delivers a continuous dose of hydration to the skin, and the addition of fold-over flaps allow the option of also using the mask to treat the eye area. I Love Perfectly Peachy Bath and Shower Creme sachet. I Love… is the first cosmetics company to commit to adding breast cancer awareness signs and symptoms labels to their limited edition Perfectly Peachy Bath & Shower Crème as part of CoppaFeel!’s new #showerhijack campaign and I wrote about it HERE.

Then as a subscriber there is a list of products to choose from to make up your box and you can see them all here and this is what I chose:

Bubble T – Bath & Shower Jelly - As a brand Bubble T is one I have seen written about quite a few times and as I had never tried any of the products, I thought this would be a great opportunity.  More than a shower gel, the Bath and Shower Jelly has a great malleable texture to cleanse and refresh. Ideal for the bath as the jelly won’t slip or slide off your hands. Scoop and lather! This one is the Summer Fruits Tea scent and it smells really fruity.

Fillerina – Hyaluronic Acid Gel Filler (grade 2). Okay so this really caught my attention with the words 'Revolutionary No Needle Filler' and it is a dermo-cosmetic filler for at-home use that containts the first ever blend of six hyaluronic acids with different weights and structures to facilitate in the plumping of tissues without puncturing the skin and I am really looking forward to giving it a try!

So there you have my box of treats for this month and all for the bargain price of £6.95 and some really intriguing products to try this month.  What do you think?

Magazine Freebies

There are some months when Magazine Freebies are brilliant, awful, non-existent, repetitive or down right gotta have them all. This month is one of those 'gotta have them all' months because there are some serious products to be trying out there.

Elle Magazine is perhaps the one most people will be grabbing for and hunting down because it has a world exclusive with Benefit for their new product They're Real Tinted Primer. This is a lash primer that can be worn alone for a more natural look or under mascara for those lashes which are just seriously wow. As soon as I heard this was to be released, I wanted to try it and the sample in Elle is a really decent sized 3g tube. Alongside the Tinted Primer there is also an introductory leaflet for 'Easy on the eyes' by the fabulous Lisa Potter-Dixon plus special price offer for the full version.

Glamour Magazine have teamed up with Clinique to give readers the chance to try four different products - Pop Lip Colour and Primer in two shades: Cherry Pop and Nude Pop or there is a choice of High Impact Mascara in Black or the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+. If you manage to get all four freebies, they are said to have a value of £29!

InStyle have teamed with with Eyeko to bring you the Black Magic Mascara. There have been a few Eyeko freebies this year, usually an eye liner which I never use, so it will be interesting to see how the mascara works and it is said to be worth £12.

Red Magazine is being a little bit different this time and is offering you a free drink from Starbucks with a funky little Starbucks designed mug card.

Harpers Bazaar is another magazine to grab as soon as you see it because it has a sample of Estee Lauders Advanced Night Repair worth £11.

How good are the freebies this month? I am quite impressed.  Have you managed to collect any?

What I am watching!

Sitting down and relaxing is not something that comes naturally to me, my Gran always referred to my constant fidgeting as having 'ants in my pants' because I am so naturally restless.  So whilst I am ironing, cooking, cleaning, just have a face mask on or even having a bath, if there isn't a book I am currently hooked on, then I always have something to watch on TV.  Now I am not your average soap addict, I grew out of those many years ago after the storylines became totally depressing and a bit samey from Walford to Emmerdale, so instead I find myself obsessing over American TV dramas which I much prefer.

At home we have more than one TV, so the mister and I can watch our own thing, unless there is a show we both like. Now our lounge television is getting on a bit and needs replacing and everytime we see an advert for the new 4K TV from Panasonic we both immediately want it, the picture is just stunning and so much better than either TV.  However, it is on a wishlist and will have to wait.

I am not one of those people who can re-watch a TV show having watched it once, so I am signed up to Amazon Prime which gives me a great opportunity to watch whatever I want when I want and some of my favourite shows of late have been:

Castle - This is one of those TV shows I can just keep on watching.  It is about the mystery novelist Richard Castle who is friends with the Mayor and manages to get himself a job as a consultant to work with New York police to find a killer (or killers) who is modelling his crimes after scenes from Castle's novels.  I am now onto season 8 and just love the show.  It is easy to watch, requires no thought process and is easy to follow.

Sons of Anarchy - I have finally finished this show and wow what an ending.  I am not going to spoil it for anyone but if you love bad boy bikers then this is the show for you. The show is centered around SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original) and features characters such as Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam for whom it is worth watching just for him)and it is essentially about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in California's Central Valley.  You can read more about it on the Wiki page if you like the sound of it.

Criminal Minds - I started watching this show years ago and have recently got back into the swing of things.  The show is set primarily at the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) and is based in Quantico, Virginia, and the main focal part of the show lies with the rather talented group of FBI Profilers who set out to catch various criminals that local police forces seem unable to catch thanks to their analysis and behavioural profiling. If you like shows like CSI or Graceland then this is one to watch.

The Blacklist - This is my latest 'must watch' show and it began a few days ago thanks to an advert during the football. Raymond "Red" Reddington who is a former United States Navy officer turned high-profile criminal, voluntarily surrenders to the FBI after eluding capture for what I can gather is decades. He tells the FBI that he has a list of the most dangerous criminals in the world that he has compiled over the years and is willing to guide their operations in exchange for immunity from prosecution, there is however one caveat and that is his insistance to work with rookie FBI Profier Elizabeth Keen. I am only a few episodes into this show and am already hooked.

I would love to know what it is you are watching right now and whether you have a TV series you would recommend my watching.

*Collaboration with Share It Quick

MakeUp Revolution I Heart Chocolate Pink Fizz Palette

This little beauty from Makeup Revolution costs just £7.99 here and it is an absolute bargain to be had, especially if like me there is no such thing as too many palettes. It is chunky, it is pink and it looks like a pink bar of chocolate, what more could you need in your collection?

Inside the palette there is a super handy mirror which stretches the entire length of the top of the palette and you will also find 16 delectable shades. These shades are split into shimmers and mattes across three rows and you also get a handy applicator tool, now I usually ignore the applicator tools because they tend to be pretty small and a little bit pants to use, this one is double ended and really long, making it easy to hold and easy to use!

The shades you will find in this palette are - Champers, Drink, Flute, Sparkling and Toast along the top line and each one is as stunning as the next. As you can see they are pretty pigmented with Champers and Drink being the matte shades.

The second row has shades called Bubbles, Girl, Party, Elegant, Celebrate and Truffle. The two which really stand out being Celebrate which is a light blue shade and Truffle which is a stunning deep brown shade.  I absolutely love this entire row, they are all stunning shades.  Bubble is brilliant for using in the inner corner of your eye to brighten the area up and making you look more awake.

The third and final row has Rosy, Cork, Pop, France and Pink Fizz and once again there is a fantastic mix of shades with France being a stand out deep blue almost purple shade which is just stunning.  As you can see the shimmers on this row are Rosy, Cork and Pink Fizz with Pop and France being matte shades.

For me this is a palette for those of us who love our neutrals but have the temptation to try a bit of colour too. How could you not love Girl and Rosy and not want to try France and Truffle?  All of these shades work really well on their own or you can pair them off together and the matte shades work just as well on their own or with a bit of added shimmer too.  I have been wearing Cork and Truffle over the last few days and with a primer they last a whole day which is pretty impressive.

What do you think to this palette? Is it already on your wishlist?

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Christmas Traditions - Pyjamas

Christmas is coming and one thing I love about Christmas is a childhood tradition that I have kept, even though I have no children and that is - New Pyjamas for Christmas Eve and some new slippers. Not possibly the most exciting thing to look forward to for some, but growing up, this was always something we loved as it meant we would probably watch Santa Claus the Movie, a family favourite, then leave the mince pie/carrot and a glass of milk out ready.

I spend a lot of time in my pyjamas, so they have to be comfortable.  I feel most at home at a weekend when it is cold outside not getting dressed all day and sitting around in my pyjamas, I just find it so much more comfortable to do and of course it saves my washing load.

This year there is a whole lot of choice when it comes to Christmas pajamas and every store I have been in so far has a huge selection to choose from.  So far, from those I have seen, I have managed to narrow it down to just a small selection and this is my current list to choose from:

I like Pyjamas which have comfy bottoms and usually opt for lounge pant style ones which usually come from New Look or Primark.  This year there are just so many cute pairs, that I might just have to try something new, especially the Pug Christmas in the pink or the Polar Bear stating it is cold outside.  Whatever happens, I will have new pyjamas for Christmas Eve when I settle down to watch a Christmas Movie before Father Christmas hopefully pays me a visit!

Do you have any Christmas Traditions that you have carried on since your childhood?

Best Christmas Beauty Crackers 2015

Once again Beauty Bloggers have a tough choice when it comes to deciding which crackers should adorn their Christmas Tree if these choices are anything to go by:

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a Jo Malone Cracker right? Well this year I think they are just superb and here it is and it could be yours for £32 and they contain Tart-juicy Blackberry & Bay Cologne. Reviving Lime Basil & Mandarin Body & Hand Wash. Opulent Peony & Blush Suede Body Crème.

Clarins Christmas Crackers £49 for a set of 6 and are a Selfridges exclusive. They contain a Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, Miniature Rouge Eclat Lipstick, Miniature Wonder Perfect Mascara, Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream, Beauty Flash Balm and Eau des Jardins Treatment Fragrance.

Dermalogica Set of Three Crackers £30 which are exclusive to Selfridges and feature the brand’s Precleanse, Special Cleansing Gel and Daily Microfoliant.

Boots No.7 Crackers £16 - This delightful gift-set consists of six crackers that are filled with gorgeous Nail Polishes in shades Cheeky Chops, Temptress and Me Me Me plus Lip Crayons in shades Blink Pink, Ballerina and Blush Coral, along with complimentary party crowns and beauty tips, to get all of your guests looking and feeling fabulous.

Nails Inc Festive Cracker £12 each and they contain three polishes York Row, Buckingham Terrace and St Johns Avenue found in Marks & Spencer. 

Roger and Gallet Hand Cream Cracker £6 from LookFantastic and there are three different ones to choose from - Bois D'Orange, Fleur de Figuier and Fleur D'Osmanthus.  Each cream is 30ml.

Nuxe Cracker which is filled with four little stocking filler gifts for the bargain price of £8 and inside you will find a Mini Micellar water, Mini Crème Prodigieuse, Mini Huile Prodigieuse and a Mini Reve de Miel Hand Cream which together are worth £16.

Cowshed Moisturising Cracker - Cowshed’s moisturising cracker has been filled with a Cow Pat hand cream and Lippy Cow lip balm and it costs just £10.

Soap and Glory Christmas Crackers are a little bit fabulous I think and at £16 for 6 crackers and who wouldn't be wanting these little miniatures in their life?  With all 6 body washes from the Soap & Glory range, if you have never tried them, now is your chance!

Latest In Beauty £17.95 - In the box you will find three beauty crackers which contain a make up surprise, a beauty surprise and a skincare surprise.

Radical Skincare Christmas Crackers £28 in Space NK. This set contains a 4-in-1 Eye Revive Creme 5ml, Anti-Ageing Restorative Moisture 8ml, Age-defying Exfoliating Pads, Advanced Peptide Antioxidant Serum.

This Works Sleep Plus Cracker £12 from Feelunique and it contains one this works Sleep Plus + Pillow Spray 10ml. this works Sleep Plus+ Pillow Spray is a fast acting natural remedy to help restore healthy sleep patterns. Clinically proven to provide a better night's sleep.

St. Tropez Express Party Cracker £10 from Feelunique and it contains a St. Tropez Self Tan Express Advanced Bronzing Mousse 50ml.

St. Tropez Instant Christmas Cracker £5 and it contains the St Tropez Face and Body Lotion (50ml) in a light to medium shade.

Steamcream Cracker £8.95. Encased inside the cracker you will find that it contains a mini tin of Steamcream.  Steamcream is freshly handmade in the UK using high-quality and natural ingredients, the lightweight whipped emulsion can be used on the face, body or hands as a pampering treat and provides long-lasting hydration, whilst minimising excess oil.

Molton Brown Re-charge Crackers found here with LookFantastic at £20 each. The Fiery Pink Pepper Cracker for us ladies also contains three skincare treats and they are Molton Brown Pink Pepperpod Replenishing Hand Cream (40ml), Molton Brown Pink Pepperpod Body Wash (50ml) and Molton Brown Pink Pepperpod Nourishing Body Lotion (50ml).

Decleor Handcream Cracker is £12. Nourish and protect your hands with the DECLÉOR Hand Cream Cracker. Infused with skin-regenerating white meadowfoam oil, moisturising shea butter and magnolia essential oil, its light formula works to fight against signs of ageing on your hands, limiting the appearance of fine lines and dark spots.

Sanctuary Surprises, £10

These four eye-catching crackers, each containing a different Sanctuary Spa goodie, are the perfect table accessory, plus they wont break the bank. The set includes a Cleansing Burst Body wash, Silky Smooth Body lotion, Green Lemon & Orange Blossom Body Wash and a White Lily & Damask rose Body wash.

Read more at http://www.look.co.uk/beauty/the-best-beauty-christmas-crackers-2015#zUxhrPvQhbocPb2g.99

These four eye-catching crackers, each containing a different Sanctuary Spa goodie, are the perfect table accessory, plus they wont break the bank. The set includes a Cleansing Burst Body wash, Silky Smooth Body lotion, Green Lemon & Orange Blossom Body Wash and a White Lily & Damask rose Body wash.
Read more at http://www.look.co.uk/beauty/the-best-beauty-christmas-crackers-2015#zUxhrPvQhbocPb2g.99

Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden -Sanctuary Surprises Crackers is a set of four crackers costing £10 and inside you will find Cleansing Burst Body Wash 75ml, Silky Smooth Body Lotion 75ml, Green Lemon & Orange Blossom Body Wash 75ml and the White Lily & Damask Rose Body Wash 75ml.

It doesn't end there either, there are quite a few more crackers to choose from, but these are the ones which caught my attention.  

Will you be buying Beauty Crackers this year?

Laundrapp review – laundry for busy people

With my washer dryer on the blink and a new one on order, the washing seems to pile up much quicker than it ever has.  Then I came across a few apps which do your laundry for you and opted to give one a chance, with thanks to Bloggers Hangout.

Laundrapp can either be downloaded onto your mobile phone or you can use it online.  I used the app version on my brand spanking new iPhone and it literally took less than 2 minutes to organise.  You firstly need to ensure that the app works within your postcode, you will then be asked to choose what it is you would like cleaning and a series of options appear for you to choose from, for example, a 6.5kg load of washing that doesn't include bedding and towels is just £14.50 but it is worth noting that the minimum order is £15 so you will need to factor this in.  

Then once you have chosen your items, you head on to complete your full postal address details along with any delivery notes the driver might need when collecting and delivering your washing to you. The next screen will then ask you to choose a suitable time for collection and for return delivery and it is as easy as booking your shopping online and most orders are turned around within 48 hours.

So having been given a code to use, I dutifully took advantage of the order and on the day of collection, even though it was set as a reminder in my iPhone calendar, you get a text telling you what time to expect your collection and with whom and what is more impressive is you get a 10 minute window (beat that Tesco!)

                
Once Attila collected my laundry a little earlier than scheduled, off my washing went and my next update came via an alert from the app to remind me that my laundry was arriving today and then closer to the time of arrival, a text to tell me who was to deliver my laundry and again with a ten minute window of arrival.

My laundry arrived back all very neatly and securely packaged within the estimated time frame and the Misters shirts, all washed and ironed and hanging nicely (one job less for me).  When your Laundry does arrive back it, it isn't ironed but it is folded so neatly that there are minimal creases and it literally took me seconds to sort out.  In this pile was 10 pairs of socks and pants, 9 t-shirts, two onesies, three work tops, 4 pairs of tights, a pair of oven gloves, three pairs of pyjamas and a pair of shorts.

I think this is such a brilliant service.  Imagine getting back off your hoidays with a suitcase full of washing... well I think I have found my solution and I am so impressed I have already booked another wash.

If you think this could be of use to you, then use the code 'ZBMHSP' to get £10 off your first order. Try it now at http://www.laundrapp.com

Have you tried the app yet? have you tried anything similar?