My Dream Beauty Box #2

I posted one of these ‘Dream Beauty Box’ posts way back when I first started my blog and I really enjoyed writing it so thought I would do another one!

I used to subscribe to Glossy Box and loved the surprise of getting treats in the posts every month but I found that a lot of the things I was sent I just didn’t use so I cancelled my subscription.

The idea of this post is to create what you would want to see in a beauty box if you got to chose. When thinking about what would go in my Dream Box I do like to make it realistic for example the cost of the items and the size etc in comparison to the other beauty boxes that are available.

1.   Viktor and Rolf Flower Bomb – This would have to be a sample size obviously but I absolutely love the smell of this. I tried it in Debenhams and just thought it was amazing, I could not stop sniffing my wrists all evening (weirdo I know!). However if you saw my perfume collection at the moment you would see why I cannot justify buying myself a full bottle of this so a sample would be lovely!

2.   Bourjois Cream Blush in Shade 2 – I have been eyeing this up for a while and just have not bought it for some reason. I think it might be because I have never used a coral blush and am a bit unsure as to what it would look like on my skin as I am quite pale. So if it came in a beauty box I would have no excuse not to try it!

3.   Noble Isle Willow Song Bath & Shower Gel – I tried another shower gel from Noble Isle in a previous Glossy Box. It was the Summer Rising scent and it was so delicious, so fresh and summery. Willow Song is described as a ‘romantic fragrance, remindful of floaty green florals and mellow woods’, I love the sound of this!

4.   Essie Nail Polish in ‘Ballet Slippers’ – I love Essie nail polishes I have found the colours and quality are fantastic. This is the next one on my lust list!

5.   Mini Tweezerman Tweezers – I have had my current pair of tweezers for years and these Tweezerman ones are so funky, I think they would fit right in on my dressing table.

I would love to see if you do one of these posts, leave your links below!

Healthy Snacking with Nakd

One of my New Years resolutions was to not eat cakes, chocolate, sweets and crisps during the week. I have to say I am doing quite well. Sure I have the odd slip up and might have a cheeky biscuit but when you compare this to how I was eating before when I was eating crisps and chocolate every day I think I am doing a good job.

 One of the main things I usually find difficult when choosing healthier options is snacking and foods that I can have with my lunch.

Last year I discovered Nakd bars and since my mini health kick I have been eating more of them to cure my sweet cravings!

So what are Nakd bars? Well, Nakd bars are raw fruit and nut bars. When I first read this I was not too sure as I don’t like nuts but I gave them a go anyway and I am so glad I did! Basically they are whole foods squashed together with no added sugar or syrups and as strange as this may sound they are absolutely delicious.

 Nakd bars are gluten, wheat and dairy free and are basically free from nasties. I will give you an example of the ingredients. The Cocoa Orange bar contains  40% dates, 40% cashews, 14% raisins, 5% cocoa and a hint of natural orange and chocolate flavouring.

 I love these bars and they hit just the right spot when I am craving something sweet. They do not taste like fruit and nuts as all, in fact most of them I have found taste like cakes! The flavours that I have tried already include, cocoa orange, cocoa mint, cashew cookie, gingerbread and cocoa crunch. All of them I have enjoyed and the fact that they contain minimal saturated fats and no nasty ingredients make them even better!

Have you tried Nakd bars? Which flavours would you recommend?

Garnier Ultimate Blends 'The Marvellous Glow Oil'

I try to use some sort of treatment on my hair a couple of times a week in order to keep it looking its best.

I had read a lot of good things about the Marvellous Glow Oil from the Garnier Ultimate Blends collection and with this awful cold weather we have been having my hair needed a bit of an extra boost.

So this is a multi-use product which can be used before washing, before styling, after styling or as a refresher between washes. I mainly use this product after I have washed my hair, I pump a small amount out and apply it to damp hair before drying. My hair can look greasy as it is quite fine so it is my own personal preference not to apply this to dry hair, but if you have tried it this way let me know in the comments below!

 The first thing to say about this hair oil is the smell, oh my it smells delicious! It reminds me of the cola bottle sweets or do you guys remember the round sugar coated sweets called frosties? This stuff smells exactly like the cola ones.

 The oil brushes through my hair easily and I can tell the difference when I am drying my hair. It feels smoother to brush, my hair looks shinier and has a lovely gloss to it.

 I had worried that this may have left a residue on my hair but it didn’t at all. I am just left with hair that looks, feels and smells fabulous!

Have you tried this oil or anything else from the Ultimate Blends range?

No 7 BB Lips: Blink Pink

I was feeling flush with my Boots points so decided to treat myself to this little beauty. Boots describe the BB lips as ‘all-in- one lip balm that provides 3 lip-loving benefits of; Beautiful colour, soothing nourishment & UV Protection’.

At 9 pound is was a bit more than I would usually spend on a balm but as I said I used my Boots points which technically makes it a free treat and you have to admit it does look pretty!

 So this is what I would describe as the perfect ‘on the go’ lip product. It is easy to apply due to the slanted nib and the formula is lovely, it glides onto your lips evenly with a subtle hint of colour.

When first applied this product does give your lips that extra kissable look as they appear more hydrated, this shade in particular gives your lips a beautiful pink sheen. After a couple of hours you do need to reapply as the colour does wear off but for a balm it does perform well.

The shade that I chose was ‘Blink Pink’ however, there are 7 to choose from at the moment if you want to be a bit more adventurous than light pink. For me this was exactly what I was looking for, a neutral pink with just that hint of gloss.

Excuse my pyjamas! I used this first thing in the morning before work, it is the perfect neutral shade!

 

I really like the formula of the BB lips and am thinking about trying some more so if you have reviewed or swatched any of the other shades I would love to see them, just leave your link in the comments below!

Have you tried any of the BB lips?

Makeup Revolution Wish List

Makeup Revolution is a fairly new company but already they have made a huge impact in the blogging world. There are a few things that I really want to try so I thought I would share them with you guys.

 

 

Sugar & Spice Blush Palette

Baked Blush 'One for Playing'

Cream Bush 'Rose Cream’

Mur Blush Lacquer 'O'boy’

 

Lip Power ‘It's My Life’

5 Baked Eyeshadows ‘Choc Delight’

Highlighter ‘Peach Lights’

The One Blush Stick ‘Pink’

Have you tried anything from Makeup Revolution?

 

 

 

 



B.Clean Melting Gel Cleanser

My typical evening skin care routine involves several steps. Step 1 use something to remove my makeup, step 2 cleanse my face step 3 moisturise. I have used various products for step 1 including face wipes, micellar water and cleansing balm but I have never used anything like the B.Clean Melting Gel Cleanser.

 I have tried the micellar water from Superdrugs B range so when I went in and saw this on offer I thought I would give it a try as I was impressed before and since this was a steal at 3.48 from 6.99 I couldn’t go wrong!

The gel is suitable for normal to dry skin and works by melting into the skin to create an oil. Once you have rubbed this into your skin you use a little bit of water to create a milky texture which removes your makeup.

When I first used this I was a bit unsure about the texture. It is very much a gel and kind of reminded me of the texture of hair gel. It is something you get used to and when it is rubbed into your skin it is a lot nicer. I agree that it does help to break down my makeup but I have found that it does not quite remove all trace of mascara and I usually need to use an additional product to avoid panda eyes.

Overall I think for the price of this product it is a good’un as it’s a quick and fairly effective way to remove your makeup and from my other experiences with their products I would definitely recommend giving the B. range a go!

Have you tried anything from this range?

Montagne Jeunesse Twitter Win!

 

I love a good face mask and follow Montagne Jeunesse on Twitter. So when they had a twitter competition to win some face masks for giving your SOS skin tips over the festive season of course I had to enter. It must have been my lucky day as I was a winner!

 Montagne Jeunesse have recently sent me these 4 products which I am looking forward to trying: Rescue Mud for Problem Prone Skin, T-zone Peel Off, a Shine Control Mask and some De-clog Pores Nose Pore Strips.  I think the Rescue Mud looks especially good as it contains Tea Tree and Willow Herb which are great for when your skin is not looking or feeling its best.

 As soon as my skin starts acting up I will definitely whip one of these out and write a review. If like me you love face masks give Montage Jeunesse a follow on twitter!

Personal Planner UK

I am a bit of a stationary nerd I love snazzy pens, funky notebooks and anything personalised! So when I found out about Personal Planner UK I knew I had to have one of their personalised diaries.

 Designing the diary was really simple and I found the site easy to navigate around. There are so many options that you can choose to make the diary completely to your liking. You can change the colours, design, layout, contents of the diary, size and more.

 I chose quite a simple design but one of my friends uploaded her own image as the front cover and it really does look good and is of great quality.

 

 You can choose how the inside appears on the diary, I chose to have a week by week view as I like to be able to see my week at a glance. The size that I opted for was the mini priced at 14.95 and I find that it is plenty big enough to write everything that I need to in there.

 But the personalisation does not stop there my friends oh no no no you can also chose what you have in the back of your diary! I have gone for a 2016 overview with some note pages for all my bits and pieces. Other options include graph paper or if you are feeling arty some colouring pages.

 I really like this diary even though it is a bit more than what I would normally pay I think it is completely worth it as it is tailored to you and exactly what you need.

Personal Planner UK

It's 2015....Welcome Back Pretty Bug Blog!

Well what can I say? After what seems like forever having a break from my blog I have got the bug again and have decided to get Pretty Bug Blog back up and running again. I have always enjoyed blogging but I got to a point where it became too much with my work and personal life to keep it going.  I feel that I am now in a better place and ready to get back into something that I love! I hope that there is someone out there who still wants to read about what I have to say so watch this space!