Monthly Archives

September 2013

Clothing and Fashion, Hair, Jewellery

Primark “Rock Chic” Accessory Haul!

September 30, 2013

Primark Accessories Rock Chick

I’d actually only planned on popping in to pick up some £5 fake uggs to laze about in, but I couldn’t help a tiny little look at the other bargains on offer!

Although I frown in despair when I see a fashionista sporting a bullet belt or a trvegrym band shirt that they’ve never heard of, I do love being able to pick up “alternative” accessories at high street prices!

Primark Opia bracelets

Okay so I only really wanted the black and silver spiked bracelets, but I will find some use for the others I’m sure!

£2.00

 

IMG_5697

 

Love this arrow necklace, especially with the very long chain. I bought this with idea of wearing it on stage, but I might have to watch out for how much it flails around when I’m headbanging!

£2.00

 

IMG_5702

I’ve been meaning to pick one of these up for a long time to try and make a sophisticated slick bun. Unfortunately they don’t come in blue so I settled for a black one!

£1.00

 

Primark backcombing brush

 

I’ve been rocking the big textured hair look a lot recently, so I figured it was time to finally buy a back-combing brush to reach Motley Crue esque levels of volume!

£1.00

 

IMG_5704

 

Honorable mention goes to these two scarves I picked up in poundland. I’ve paid a fortune for similar styles in the past from festivals! They’re short enough that they can double as headbands or bandannas too!

£1.00 each

 

Totally hellbent for festival-esque shinies at highstreet prices

– Gem

 

 

 

 

Facemask Friday, Skincare

Facemask Friday – Superfruits Exfoliating Mask

September 27, 2013

 

superdrug superfruits facemask

We all love a multi-tasker right? Well this facemask is something I’ve never come across before, but when you think about it it just makes perfect sense! The mask contains ground up strawberry seeds so as you apply it you have a built in exfoliator!

The scent of this alone is worth raving on about, a mix of strawberry, blueberry, cranberry and raspberry that doesn’t feel synthetic and isn’t too overpowering once it’s on your face.

It dried in just under ten minutes, and rinsed off easily. Though my skin looked and felt much cleaner and brighter when I got out of the shower, I don’t think it really did too much for my massive pores on close inspection. This wouldn’t stop me from buying it again though as the overall results and the gorgeous smell more than made up for it.

Available from Superdrug for 99p.

Totally hellbent for natural berry scents.

– Gem

Nails

O.P.I Tiny Treats

September 26, 2013

OPI Tiny Treats

It took me a while to get into O.P.I.

As a lover of a bargain I always thought the RRP of £13.95 for a single polish was a bit much, but after dipping my toe(nails!) into the range I’ve now found myself a bit of an addict and the polishes worth every penny!

OPI Tiny Treats

My latest purchase was this adorable Tiny Treats set containing mini 3.75ml ChipSkip, Nail Envy Natural Nail Strengthener and RapiDry Top Coat, a 30ml Expert Touch Lacquer Remover and 25 Expert touch Nail Wipes in a super-cute travel bag.

OPI Chip Skip, Nail Envy, Rapidry

The nail treatments are a dream, and I love that I can take this on the road with me (there’s still room inside the bag for one or two full size polishes too) and have everything I need to touch up or re-do my manicure mid tour. Of course with the ChipSkip the likelihood of me needing to touch up is minimal – what a product!

OPI Expert touch Lacquer

The full sizes of all the treatments have gone straight onto my wishlist, but I doubt I would shell out £7.60 for the 120ml size Expert Touch Lacquer Remover. Though it took my varnish off quickly and efficiently my Sally Hansen remover  does the job for a fraction of the price at £2.34 for 200ml with added nutrients and a not-too-unpleasant smell.

Same with the wipes, they work great but you can pick up the exact same product much cheaper without the O.P.I price tag!

Overall I think this a great little set if you want to try the nail treaments but don’t want to invest in the full sizes without trying them first, or like me if you travel about a lot and want to be able to keep your nails looking great!

Available from Fragrance Direct for £5.99

 

Totally hellbent for tiny treats (and big treats too!)

– Gem

Make-up, Nails

A mini haul and some unsuccessful shopping!

September 23, 2013

I had to pop to my local shopping mall today to pick up a birthday card and present for my sister and though I’m trying to save money (and thus stop buying lots of make-up!) I promised myself one treat.

Rockgoddess, Halloween 2013I headed straight for Sally and peered helplessly at the O.P.I stand till a clerk came to ask if I needed help. Seems this was due on today’s delivery but she “wouldn’t know till she had sorted it all, so come back tomorrow”.

Drats!

I started lusting after the O.P.I Rock Goddess set the moment I spotted it on-line. Admittedly more for Rolling Bones and The drummer’s hot (and the free bracelet!) than the other two shades, but at a RRP of £12.99 for four O.P.I shades and an extra gift I wouldn’t complain at Yellopalooza and Stand in lime for days as I don’t own any similar shades.

HOWEVER. My lust was not be sated with this delicious treat today so I moved on and picked myself up a few bargains in it’s place. I’ll return for the varnishes next time!

 

Revlon Top Speed Black Star and Ignite

 

Another Poundland bargain. I picked up two Revlon Top Speed polishes in Ignite and Black Star.  RRP is £5.99 so a few pennies saved there!

Also how cute is the butterfly wrapping paper I picked up for my sisters gift!

 

Techic Juicy Stick 16

 

Bodycare had slim pickings today, but I saw this Chubby Stick style Technic lipstick in a gorgeous pinky purple (shade 16) for only £1.19 and was sold! On that note I definitely need some purple lipsticks – how is it I don’t own a single one!

 

MUA Mascara shade 1 - clear

 

I popped into Superdrug in search of the new MUA Pro-Brow Kit, but alas the shelves were looking very empty. As my current brow palette is completely out of gel, I settled for going old school and bought a clear mascara to set them. At only £1 I figure it’s not much of a loss if it doesn’t work!

 

Yuru animals sticky notes

Finally honourable mention goes to these ADORABLE mini animal sticky-notes that arrived in the post this morning. Only 99p from Ebay! You can’t pick which set you get (I was totally hoping for the ones with the zebras!) but they are all quite adorable so worth the risk!

So there you go, a mini budget haul of four cosmetic items for only £4,19!

Totally hellbent for saving pennies

– Gem

 

 

Skincare

Free Body Shop Hand Cream!

September 23, 2013

Body shop free hand creme

 

 

I found this amazing offer just in time it seems – for the next few days you can get a completely-free-no-strings-attached Body Shop hand cream worth £5!

All you have to do is download and print the voucher from  VoucherCodes.co.uk or even easier you can just download their App and show the clerk your voucher on your smartphone!

This offer runs out on Thursday 26th September so make sure you get there fast!

I’ll be trying to get my hands on the wild rose, which cream do you fancy?

Totally hellbent for a freebie!

– Gem 

 

Hair

Avon Naturals Chamomile and Aloe Vera Care and Repair Conditioning Balm

September 23, 2013

avon hair

I put my hair through hell with the amount of bleach and dye it takes to keep it this blue, so I turn to nourishing treatments for damaged hair at least once a week to try and keep it in good condition.

If you’ve ever had extreme hair colour (or style for that matter – mohawks do a hell-a-lot-a damage too!) you will be familiar with the dry ends, dull colour fade and other assorted unwanted side effects of fabulous hair.

On a day to day basis I use Aussie Three Minute Miracle to combat these symptomswhich if I’m honest in my opinion is the single best conditioner on the market (and well deserving of a blog all about it..soon!) but sometimes I need a little extra kick to stop my hair drying out.

I picked up the Avon Naturals Chamomile and Aloe Vera Care and Repair Conditioning Balm (what a mouthful!) for only £1 on special offer and was really surprised with the results I got for such a low cost.

The balm has a much silkier and thinner texture than I would have expected, and was doubtful of it’s results when I was applying it because of this. The scent was very light and natural and it didn’t feel at all like the usual thick and heavy intensive conditioners I’ve used before. The results however were amazing! My hair is shiny, silky and healthy looking with no styling, and retains a slight hint of the lovely (and very natural) scent.

I used about half a tub in one application, but I do have very long hair so that’s a little more acceptable. If you have shorter or finer hair I imagine you would easily get 4-8 uses out of the tub – but then at such a low price you could use the whole thing and you’d still be getting better value than most intensive hair treatments!

Available from Avon for only 99p (125ml) or £2.50 from your local Avon rep.

Totally hellbent for a scrimping but amazing hair care solution

– Gem

Facemask Friday

Facemask Friday – Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask

September 20, 2013

Amie spring clean clay face mask

 

My collection of face-masks is quickly overwhelming the storage space I have set aside for them, so in an attempt to start using them more often (I’m sure my skin will thank me!) I’ve decided to try a different one every Friday to review for you all!

First up is the Amie SPRING CLEAN Cooling Clay Mask. I received this in my last Latest in Beauty Little Beauty Box (which Amie reviewed here).

I’ve been eager to try out this brand for a while, but never quite got around to it. I love their natural and cruelty free ethos, and have seen many positive reviews around the beauty-blog-o-sphere.

From the second I opened it I was in love with the fresh and natural peppermint scent. A lot of facemasks promise a cooling and refreshing sensation, but this really made my skin tingle pleasantly!

It took slightly longer than the ten minutes promised to dry, but I did apply it rather thickly.

It came off easily in the shower, with none of the clinging-to-eyebrows-malarkey you sometimes get, and I have to say my skin is looking much brighter, clearer and refreshed.

If the rest of Amie’s products are as good as this consider me sold!

Available from Boots for £4.95 – 70ml

Direct from Amie £1.50 for 3 x 10ml

Totally hellbent for falling in love with a new brand!

– Gem

Skincare

Avon Naturals – Spiced Orange & Ginger

September 20, 2013

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Autumn is definitely here, and the first thing it makes me crave is thick warm comforting scents.

The newest fragrance from Avon Naturals seemed to promise just that with it’s creamy apricot colour and image of a juicy orange, cinnamon sticks, star anais and ginger.

Avon naturals Spiced Orange and Ginger

The scent is only available as hand & body lotion, shower gel and fragrance spritz, which is minimal considering their last naturals scent releases spread across haircare and body whips too.

I’m a big fan of the naturals range, but the spiced orange & ginger scent just seems a little too artificial for me, especially the fragrance spritz.

The fragrance spritz is a re-brand and slightly different formula from the Naturals room and linen spray, meaning it can now be used both on fabrics and on skin. As much as I love a good multi-tasker I think I will be sticking to it’s original use, the scent is just too thick and unnatural to wear on the body. I don’t want to walk around smelling like a seasonal air freshener!

The shower gel and hand & body lotion are much lighter on the scent and will do just fine throughout autumn, but I hope Avon pulls out something amazing for a Christmas fragrance.

Shower gel 200ml £2.60

Hand and body lotion 200ml £3.00

Fragrance Spritz 100ml £4.00

Available  for the intro price of 99p each in Avon campaign 17 from your local rep or the Avon website.

 

Totally hellbent for autumnal delights

– Gem

 

 

News, Recipes, Vegetarian

How do you like your eggs in the morning? – Baked with Mushrooms!

September 20, 2013

breakfast

No make up here today, just a lovely easy to make Breakfast recipe!

Since working from home with Brains for his Web Design and Development company BIOSTALL, I have the luxury of actually having cooked breakfast in the morning should I so desire.

I love cooking and I especially love baking so I’m always trying out new recipes and throwing stuff together to see what happens. So here is a recipe I tried for the first time the other day – Baked eggs with bacon and mushrooms.

You will need:

  • 1-2 eggs per person
  • Fresh Chives
  • 3-4 Button Mushrooms or 1-2 Breakfast Mushroom’s per person (remove the stalks)
  • Veggie Bacon (or real Bacon if you so desire)
  • Some Cheese (<obviously)
  • A smidgen of oil
  • Muffin/Cake tray

What to do:

  • Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190 degrees (for those of us with electric ovens, you might need to go up to 200)
  • Oil 1-2 muffin holes per person (*snigger*) and place 3-4 button mushrooms or one Breakfast mushroom in each, putting them in the over for around 5 minutes
  • Take out of the oven, place the Veggie bacon underneath the mushroom to form a little “holder”.
  • Sprinkle half he cheese and chives over the mushroom and crack an egg into each muffin hole.
  • Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and chives over the top and put back in the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on how well you like your eggs.
  • Dish up on some toast, or muffins … or eat it as it is!
  • Bon Appetit!

For an extra healthy kick, I had mine with some hot water and lemon!

Totally hellbent for quick and easy morning dining

-Pants

 

Skincare

Thanks Mister Postman – Nip + Fab

September 19, 2013

dry leg skin fix

I recently tried out the Nip + Fab dry leg fix, after bagging some with a magazine.

I love this so much that when it was gone, I had to order some more! At the same time, I accidentally ordered the Skin Fix Web Exclusive Kit for £7.99 not to mention that it was also 20% off too. About two days ago, my order came. Instead of my dry leg fix, I ended up with dry hand fix! Feeling annoyed that the one thing I desperately wanted from the order, was the one they had sent the wrong thing for, I dropped them an e-mail.

dry leg

This morning, the postman came again and delivered yet another shiny black box, which had my dry leg fix in!!! This is the second customer complaint I’ve had this week and the second time it has been resolved completely in my favor, so Nip + Fab, I love you and your speedy rectification of my product purchased!

Looking forward to trying out the Skin Fix Kit too.

Totally hellbent for ending up with more than I  bargained for

 

-Pants