Boots Christmas Gift Guide Wish List

So it's that time of year when all the shops are releasing their Christmas gift guides and one that I look forward to reading every year is the one from Boots. I have put together a few of my favourite things from the guide but I can assure you there are plenty more things that I would love to get out of this catalogue!

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Talk £22 

Champneys Bubble Heaven Collection £16 

Hot Chocolate Mug Set £8 

Philosophy The Cookie Exchange Set £22 

No7 Nail Glitter Collection £10 

Lindt Lindor Maxi Boule £12.50

Have you seen the Boots Gift Guide? What are your favourite items?

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is a project that I am going to be taking part in the Christmas and is something that everybody can get involved in.

The project is run every year by a charity called 'Samaritans Purse' and it aims to deliver Christmas presents to children all over the world who might not other wise be able to afford presents.

What you have to do is chose whether you would like your presents to be delivered to a boy or a girl, chose from the age ranges given and then you are free to fill a shoe box with goodies to be delivered to them! There are limitations about what you can send and they do ask that you try and include items from every category; toys, education, hygiene and other items such as sweets or set items of clothing.

I have just started shopping for my presents and am really excited about knowing a little boy and a little girl are going to open them somewhere and hopefully enjoy what I have chosen for them.

Once you have filled your shoe box and wrapped it in some beautiful festive wrapping you can take it to your local drop of point. From there they will deliver it to one of the countries that the charity works with. If you want to know what country your box was sent to you can pay your £3 shipping donation online and then print out a bar code to place on the inside of your box, you will then receive and email in n the coming months telling you where your box went.

Boxes need to be dropped of between the 1st and 18th of November so there is still plenty of time to take part.

I think this is a really lovely idea and just wanted to share it with you guys as I know how lovely you all are and thought it might be something that you would like to get involved with as well.

 

Let me know if you take part!

Rapid Lash

Rapid Lash is a serum which is designed to improve the length and volume of your eye lashes. With claims of increasing lash length by up to 50% and volume by 75% I was really excited to give this a try when the team at Rapid Lash were looking for people to test the product.

In order to get the best results from this product it is recommended that you apply it over night. It was easy enough to incorporate this into my evening routine as it takes no time at all. All you need to do is brush the product along your top lash line, similar to how you would liquid eyeliner. It is not at all messy and it did not irritate my eyes.

Before

Rapid Lash claims that results can be seen from this product after just 4 weeks use. I have been using mine for around 8 weeks and although I have seen some improvement the results have not been staggering for me.

After Natural

After with Mascara 'L'oreal Voluminous x 5 in carbon black'

I have noticed that my lashes do have more volume and are slightly longer; this is more noticeable when I have applied mascara. Unfortunately it just did not give me the ultra glamour lashes that I had hoped for.

However I have seen other blog posts and photos where users have got incredible results from this product, I suppose the results vary according to the user.

So although I have seen some improvement in my eyelashes I don’t think I would personally use this again. If you can get a sample of this product it is definitely worth giving it a try though because as I said some of the results that I’ve seen have been amazing.

Have you tried Rapid Lash? I would love to see the results!

Blog Sale

Hi Guys so I thought I would have a little bit of a clear out to make way for some new bits and pieces so welcome to my blog sale! Postage will be £2.50 per item plus 40p for each additional item. Please email me at prettybugblog@gmail.com if you would like to purchase any of the items and I will send you the PayPal details. Payment must be received within 24 hours by PayPal or I will put the item back on sale again. Enjoy!

 

Chilli Pepper Eye Shadow Quad used a couple of times: £1.50 Clinique Eye Shadow Quad New: £3.00

 Collection Liquid Eye Liner used once: £2.00 Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara New: £3.25

 

Jelly Pong Pong Irish Cream Pavlova Lip Frosting used once: £2.00 Anatomicals Lip Gloss Tube New: £2.40 Lipcote used twice: £2.00

Elf Mineral Lipstick 'Natural Nymph' New: £2.00 Helen E Lipstick 'Raspberry' New: £2.00

 Clean Start Purifying Spray Toner half full: £1.00 Avon Extra Lasting Liquid Foundation 'Ivory' Swatched: £3.00

 Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream Sample Used Once: £1.00 Garnier summer body deep sun-kissed New: £2.00

 Awapuhi Wild Ginger Hair Shine Spray New: £3.75

 

Opi Shatter Polishes: £1.50 each All New: - Pink Shatter, Gold Shatter, Silver Shatter, Red Shatter, Black Shatter,Super Bass, Shatter the Scales

 

Replica Cath Kidston Bird Oil Cloth Bag: £10.00

 

 

Nica Brown Leather Bag New : £17.00

 

      

Jewellery £1 each: - Blue Heart, Grey Beaded, Green Pendant

Happy Shopping!

NOTD 'Blue Dazzle'

I am absolutely loving my latest nail combo, normally I would go for just one plain colour on all of my nails but thought I would try something a little bit different.

I used a shade from the Headline Colours range in 'Poolside Party' for all of my nails but my ring fingers. On these nails I used 'Betty Blues' from No 7 Stay Perfect. I topped this off with a what I must say is my bargain of the week since I found it in Pound Land and that is 'Nail Dazzle' from w7.

 

Do you like this style of nail?

September Favourites

Welcome to my September Favourites! Some months go by and I don’t see the point in writing this post as a lot of my favourites don’t change but this month I have found a couple of new things that I have really been loving so thought I would share them with you guys!

Lacoste Touch of Pink

I got this perfume for Christmas and just didn’t open it until recently as I have got so many perfumes already. However I have just been using it non stop this month, it smells absolutely lovely and is really long lasting on your skin.

Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Cream

I have been wearing this practically every day. It is so quick and easy to apply in the mornings when you would rather have an extra 10 minutes in bed. It evens out my skin tone and provides a good amount of coverage for a BB cream.

Rituals Magic Touch Cherry Blossom and Rice Milk Body Cream

This stuff smells amazing! And it leaves my skin really soft and moisturised.

Dr Renaud Raspberry Soft Cream

I have been using this on and off for a while now but this month I have used it most days and have really been enjoying using it. I got this tube in a Glossy Box and have decided to purchase a bigger size as it smells great and with the winter months coming up it will be just what I need to keep my skin moisturised.

Nature Valley Granola Bars

So not a beauty favourite but oh my days these are delicious! I purchased the multipack which contains 3 different flavours; oats & honey, maple syrup and ginger nut crunch. They are great for snacking if you are looking for something healthier than naughty chocolate and crisps!

 

What have been your favourites this month?

Shoe Showcase: Vans

So here's the next instalment of my 'Shoe Showcase' series. Today we a limited edition pair of Vans which I got as a Christmas present from my brother last year.

This is the first pair of Vans I have ever had and I think they are great. I really love the design of them and they are so comfy. You can get this style of Vans in just one colour, I am looking at buying another pair soon, however some of the designs you can get look amazing. They are perfect for adding a little something to basic outfit.

Sometimes I find when you buy shoes, particularly trainers with a design on they tend to fade after a little while. These look as good as new and the colouring is still as bright as they day I got them.

Even though these are not a pair of shoes that I chose for myself I still love them. I just shows that you do not need to be a skater to wear a pair of Vans!

What do you think of Vans? Are you more of a fan of the plain colour or the different designs?

My Perfume Collection

 

Just a quick post today to show you guys my perfume collection. If you would like to read a full review on any of the perfumes just let me know in the comments and I will try and get one up for you!

So from left to right starting on the bottom row:

 

Taylor Swift 'Enchanted'

Lacoste 'Touch of Pink'

Dolce and Gabbana 'The One'

Britney Spears 'Circus'

Britney Spears 'Fantasy'

Mini Taylor Swift perfume

Gucci 'Guilty'

DKNY 'Be Delicious'

Vera Wang 'Princess’

Calvin Klein 'CKin2U’

Gucci 'Rush'

David Beckham 'Intimately Beckham'

 

Have you tried any of these perfumes?

My Dream Beauty Box

I saw this post on SatchelsAndPearls the other day and I thought it was a great idea for a post. I have used beauty boxes in the past, I was subscribed to Glossy Box but decided to cancel my subscription as although I was getting some great products that I enjoyed using I was also getting things that I just didn’t need.

Anyway so after thinking long and hard about what I would put in a beauty box I came up with this. I tried to be as realistic as possible in terms of not putting in ridiculously expensive items. These are all products that I would love to try.

 

 

Origins Ginzeng Moisturiser- This would be a sample obviously since it is in a beauty box after all. My skin tends to be quite fussy with moisturisers but I have heard some great things about this product. I would love to try a sample to see how I got on with it before purchasing the full tub.

 

PopBand Hair Ties – Again another product that I have read about and would like to try. Basically they are hair bobbles that do not kink or knot in your hair, they also look pretty so can be worn on your wrist without looking horrible and scraggly like normal hair ties.

 

The Body Shop Honeymania Shower Gel – I like getting little bottles of shower gel in beauty boxes as they are great for travelling. This just happens to be the next shower gel I want to try as it sounds heavenly.

 

ThisWorks Sleep Spray – Recently I have been having trouble sleeping and would like to try a sleep spray to use on my pillows before bed.

 

BOMB Cosmetics Lavender Musk Bath Blaster – This relates to the sleeping issue. I think a lovely lavender bath bomb would work wonders before bed time. This one is from BOMB cosmetics, I have never tried anything from this brand before but they sell a wide range of products which are cheaper than lush. This bath bomb for example is only £2.29 so I think it would make a nice edition to my dream beauty box.

 

What would you put in your Dream Beauty Box?

The 5 Minute Face FOTD

This is the look I usually go for when I have to go to work or I have to be up early for whatever reason as it is really quick and easy which is especially useful if you are half asleep!

So what do I use for my 5 minute makeup look?...........

I start off by using the Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Balm as it gives my skin a lovely even coverage and looks really natural. I really like BB creams as I find that I gives my skin a nice break from using foundation everyday as it is much lighter.

 

I then give my brows a bit of extra shape using the Avon Glimmer Sticks brow definer. You only need to use this really lightly, you can see my previous review here.

 

When I am wearing this look I do not tend to wear eye shadow so to make my eyes look really wide awake I use my all time favourite mascara which is the L’Oreal Voluminous X5 in Carbon Black.

 

As I said this is usually my quick morning look so chances are I am going to have tired looking eyes. To hide any under eye circles I use the Collection 2000 Ultimate Wear concealer. I am in shade ‘Light 2’. I also use this to hide any blemishes.

 

Last but not least I like to wear this look with a bright pink blush to give my cheeks a pop of colour. I really like this Elf Studio blush in shade ‘Fuchsia Fusion’, it is really affordable and the quality is fantastic.

 

And that’s it, my 5 minute makeup look. I do not tend to wear anything on my lips other than a lip balm. in this photo I am wearing a Revlon Lip Butter in 'Peach Parfait', it decided to miss the photo shoot, hence why it is not shown!

 

What products do you use when you are doing your makeup in a hurry?

Shoe Showcase: Bargain 'Tesco Work Shoes'

This is a serious bargain alert ladies! I needed some new shoes for work and was hunting around for a little while to find a pair that were comfortable but fashionable.

 

I hadn’t even thought about looking on the Tesco Clothing website until I went into store and picked up a leaflet explaining about Tesco Rewards.

 

With Tesco Rewards I could double my club card vouchers, since I had £5 worth of vouchers I could exchange them for £10 to use on Tesco Clothing. You cannot complain about that!

 

Anyway after browsing the site I found these little suede pumps which were perfect. They were £12.50 with free collection from my local Tesco store. This meant with my voucher they were just £2.50!

 

I think they are great for work as they are smart but have a little bit of character to them.

What do you think of these shoes?

My Makeup Storage

Makeup storage is now something that I could not do without. I used to keep all of my makeup is different makeup bags but when my collection started to grow further this was just so impractical when it came to looking for certain items and knowing what I needed to repurchase. So with this in mind I decided I needed some sort of system, and me being the organised person that I am I love a good organised system!

 

It took me a while to find these little desk top drawers. I knew what I wanted and could picture them in my head but just could not find them anywhere. So after about a month or so of searching I spotted these little beauties in Asda Direct and they were perfect.

 

As you can see there are four sections. I divide mine into; eyes, lips, face and other tools such as hair clips, sponges, eyelash curlers etc.

 

I have found that the drawers themselves are really spacious. In this photo the lipsticks and glosses are 2 deep so you can fit a fair few in there.

 

Since the drawers are plastic is also makes them easy to wipe clean. I think these cost me around £4-£5 which I think was a really good price.

Next up and also from Asda are these little plastic baskets. I use these for keeping my body products in and also any sample that I want to use.

 

These came in a pack of 3 and if I remember rightly I paid £2 for them, possibly £3. They are really handy for keeping things together neatly and out of the way.

 

Having a storage system for my makeup and beauty products has made it so much easier to find certain products, unorganised chaos is just not for me!

 

How do you organise your makeup?

Barry M Wink Eye Liner

 

After watching a video on you tube showing how to create the perfect flick on the outer corner of your eyes I decided that I needed the tool for this look. The video showed a fairly expensive felt tip eyeliner which I didn’t want to fork out on considering I had never used a felt liner before. With this in mind off I went to Superdrug to find a cheaper alternative. Luckily enough I found one, the Barry M Wink Black Marker Pen for eyes.

You can see why this is described as a black marker pen. If it wasn’t labelled as eyeliner it could easily be mistaken as a felt tip pen from its appearance. Being designed as a pen is supposed to allow the user to apply the eyeliner easily and with more precision.

As I opened the lid to this product I was actually quite surprised at how chunky and sturdy the nib looked. I thought it would be hard to apply as the nib looked stiff and worried about the thickness of the line it would create.

The pen itself is of a good thickness to hold steadily and apply the liner.

As I started applying I was immediately impressed with the intensity of the black. It really does stand out.

 

To my delight the liner applies very easily and the nib is just the right stiffness to move along your lash line but create an even line. I hate liquid liners as the brushes are always too flimsy so I can never get the line straight, this is not a problem with this liner. The nib also doesn’t feel rough against my eye lid.

Despite the nib looking thick I have found that you can create both thin and bolder lines with it depending on how you hold it. I really like this versatility.

Once applied the liner dries almost immediately and then goes on to last all day without smudging.

 

What are your favourite Barry M products?

£1 Heat Protect Spray!

Well Hello there beautiful strangers! A quick update on me before we get into the post. If you are a regular reader of my blog you may have noticed that I haven't been as posting as often as I usually do. This is because I have recently started a new job so I have been readjusting to that and trying to settle into a routine. I am now all settled so fingers crossed I will be blogging back to normal. Anyway onto the post….

 

A little while ago I posted about things that I had purchased during the week and this was one of them and I did promise to let you guys know how I got on with it so here it goes.

 

Mellor & Russell is a brand that I believe is only available in Pound land and when I was having a browse in my local and saw this I had to give it a try. 

 

The spray itself is an instant shine heat protectant that contains the infamous Argan oil which is known for its hair care qualities.

 

So first things first I absolutely love the smell of this stuff, it’s really hard to describe but it just smells lovely.

 

The spray brushes through my hair easily and lets me style my hair with no problems at all.

 

After using the spray my hair does have a really nice shine and a sheen to it which makes it look lovely and healthy. I have to say for £1 this is a great find.

 

The only little niggle I have with this product is that the ends of my hair perhaps do not feel as nourished as when I have used other expensive products. However, if I team this up with one of the numerous serums that I already have then it works really well.

 

Have you used any of this range?

Shoe Showcase: Primark Dolly Shoes

  Sorry for the delay in this edition of ‘Shoe Showcase’ I have been really busy and every time I went to write this post I realised I didn’t have a photo of the shoes! Anyway, this is just a quick post but as they say short and sweet!

 

 Primark is one of my favourite places to buy my every day shoes from, whether you call them Dolly Shoes or Ballerina Pumps Primark is the place to go to find shoes that are comfortable, stylish and affordable. 

 Today I thought I would show you some of my favourite pairs. You can typically find pumps in Primark from around £4 to £8. All of these pairs that I have shown in the photo I have actually found in the Primark sales so it is definitely worth having a good look when you are in the store.

What do you think of Primark shoes?

Lush Snow Fairy Lip Tint

The Lush Snow Fairy lip tint is part of the Snow Fairy range that is released over the Christmas period. All of the products from this range are based around a very pink and very girly scent which is what lured me into getting this product.

The lip tint comes in a small metal tin which is really good for just chucking in your handbag as the packaging is really sturdy. The lid also stays on really secure which again makes it great for travelling.

As soon as you open the lip tint you are greeted with a bright pink product that has the most gorgeous smell. The over riding scent is the bubblegum which honestly smells good enough to eat, although this is not recommended!

To apply this lip tint you have to use your fingers, although you could use a brush if you really wanted to. The product is easy enough to apply with your fingers and transfers with ease.

Once applied to your lips the next thing you notice after the scent is the lovely colour. It gives my lips a nice pop of colour without looking over the top. If you want pinker lips that still look natural then this is a great product to achieve this look. I find that it makes my entire face look healthier. My favourite way to wear this product is with a baby pink gloss over the top as I find it gives the most beautiful lip colour.

In terms of longevity I have found that this tint does last a couple of hours before starting to wear off. However it does transfer onto products really easily, if you have a drink for example you will find a big pink mark on your cup.

One thing that I do not like about this product however is its moisturising qualities. Having looked on the lush website I found that this tint contains coconut oil and shea butter which I would have guessed would have been ultra moisturising. Personally I do not find it very moisturising at all and in the winter I would definitely wear another lip balm along with this.

This is not the cheapest lip product on the market costing around £5.50, I do think this is over priced. I think if it was half this price I would repurchase for the lovely colour that it gives my lips but considering I did not find it as moisturising as other products I would not buy it again at full price.

I do really want to try the bubble gum lip scrub though as I have read great things about it and I think it would work perfectly with this!

What do you think of Lush Lip Tints?

Ebay Finds: Under £5 'The Floral Edition'

So I quite enjoyed doing my previous Ebay finds under £5 last time with 'The Disney Edition' so thought I would do it again but this time with a floral theme, let me know what you think!

 

 Memo Sticky Note Pad Set - £4.50

Scarf - £3.99

Oil Cloth Coin Purse - £1.95

Earrings – 99p

Clinique Ladybird Makeup Bag - £3.99

 Clinique Floral Makeup Bag - £4.49

Which of these items is your favourite?