Friday 28 November 2014

A Beauty Christmas Gift Guide 2014

It’s definitely the time of year to start buying those gifts or just making lists of what to get if you’re still waiting to get paid but with it being the last full months payday today, I can imagine most people will be buying their presents over this weekend and with so many offers on, you’d be silly not to at least start your christmas shopping if not treat yourself to a few bits too! 

This year, my Christmas Gift guide is in video form but it’s not the average 'sit in front of the camera and tell you everything about it’ video, it’s something a little different and I’m really quite chuffed with it. It took me so long to complete so I hope you like how it’s done and more importantly, if you’re struggling for ideas, I hope you see something that’s perfect for your beauty loving friend, Mum, Sister, Cousin, Niece... you get the picture. Head on over to my Youtube to watch the video there or click on the video below and watch it instantly. Below, you’ll also find a full list of the products included, prices* and links of where to buy them!


Anatomicals Smacker in a Cracker includes Lip balm & Breath freshener- £4.50 ASOS
Ginger & Co. Mini Trio’s Set  includes Hand lotion, Body lotion & Body wash- £6.00 Missguided
St Moriz ‘Give it a Glow’ Tanning set includes exfoliating Body scrub & Dark tanning mousse- £5.00 Feel Unique or Amazon
Balance me Hand Lotion Set includes Super moisturising Hand cream & Super protecting Hand cream - £15.00 Balance Me or Look Fantastic
Models Own Hyper Gel Polish Set includes 10 Mini Hyper Gel Polishes- £8.00 Debenhams
Vita Liberata NKD SKN Tan Lotion - £8.99 Superdrug or Vita Liberata
Ginger & Co. Lip Balm Set includes Watermelon, Raspberry and Coconut Lip balms- £4.00 Bath and Body Shop also available in selected Asda stores
Burts Bees Duo Set includes mini Hand Salve & Lip balm - £6.00 Debenhams
Origins Masks to Go includes 4 miniature clear improvement mask pods- £8.00 Debenhams 
Ciate Nail Lab - £19.99 TK Maxx (similar gifts here)
Mark Hill Sets - £10.00 includes mini Miracoilicious Shampoo, Conditoner, 2 minute intensive treatment & Moroccan organ oil & £14.00 includes mini All day Shampoo, Conditioner, hairspray & dry shampoo in re-useable makeup bag - Boots 3 for 2
Lauren’s Way 'Let it Glow' Gift Set includes 1 set of Dream Rollers Sleep in Rollers & case, 1 pair of Eyelashes & Dark tanning lotion - £25.00 Laurens Way 
Sebastian Hair Professionals Volume Set includes mini Volupt spray gel, Shampoo & Conditioner- £21.00 Look Fantastic
St Moriz Set - sets start from £6.99 Feel Unique & Home Bargains
Joan Collins Crystal Compact Mirror - £30.00 QVCUK.com
Vivabox Perfume Set & Voucher includes 7 sample size perfumes & 1 voucher for a full sized bottle of one of the samples- £37.00 The Perfume Shop
ARK Skincare Age Prepare Gift set includes Age Prepare Exfoliator, moisturiser & masque - £47.00 ArkSkincare.com 

*Please note that prices may change and the prices included in the video are that of purchase date, not including any offers, discounts or promotional values. 

You can also enter my Christmas Giveaway to win some of the products featured in the Gift Guide. 

Merry Christmas! 

Wednesday 26 November 2014

Children’s Christmas Gift Ideas

My first actual Christmas Inspired post this year, yay! I can’t believe theres less than a month left until the big day but I only have a few more gifts left to get and then it’s all done and I’ll just need to wrap (or try to!) everything and stick them under the tree... Although I doubt everything will fit! It’s Millie’s second Christmas this year and we’ve been really stuck as to what to get her but I’ve ended up buying so many things that I thought I’d share a few of them with you if you’re struggling what to get your children, a friends children or relatives such as nieces, nephews etc. 

Her main present this year is the George Wooden Deluxe Kitchen although we struggled to get hold of one, it was definitely what we wanted to get her. We’re still trying to get hold of the Wooden Cooking Set that goes with it so if any of you know anywhere that has it in stock, please let me know! She’s also had a 2 Disney Princesses, Belle and Elsa as she already has Snow White along with lots of jigsaws and learning toys. The selection of gifts I’ve chosen to share with you will be suitable for boys and girls so take a peek...







Firstly, is a Kids Stuff Bath Set* (£5.00) which has foaming body wash so when your little one is playing in the bath, they can play with the foam and the monkey shaped sponge and they’ll be washing themselves too! The squirty body foam will definitely make washing more fun! Next, is a selection of DVD’s - one is Christmas themed and is Peppa Pig and the second is Sarah and Duck. I think we’ll probably give Millie the Peppa one when the decorations go up so she can get into the Christmassy Mood as I don’t see the point of Christmas gifts for Christmas because it’s already been and gone. Anyone else agree? There’s also a Wooden Dress Up Peppa game too which will be good for hand eye coordination skills. 

A selection of books is up next and she has quite a few for Christmas as she loves reading. I’ve tried to get a variation of books including ones I loved as a kid such as ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’, ‘Each Peach Pear Plum’ and ‘Green Eggs and Ham’. Amazon are amazing for books at the moment and most of these cost me around £3.00 each! 

Lastly, are a really cheap but fun stocking filler type gift. These Flash Cards were £1.00 each and Millie loves matching them up or literally just playing with them on the floor. They’re bigger than normal cards and they all have different themes so one is alphabet, one is numbers and then there is a Mr Tumble set too! I got these from Poundland! 

There’s also a Christmas Story Pop Up Book, a Cbeebies CD for in the car and a Minnie Mouse Lunchbox with a Peppa Pig box inside for days that she goes to playgroup or my Mums house and takes a little lunch with her! 

Have these gifts given you any ideas for what to buy the littles ones on your list? Let me know if it has! Merry Christmas! 

Monday 24 November 2014

Simply Be ‘Style your Partner’ Challenge

This week, Me and Adam took part in Simply Be’s ‘Style your Partner’ challenge where our partners, in my case Adam, had to pick an outfit for a Christmas occasion from the Simply Be collection in hope that we’d love what they picked. Along with makeup and hair choices, they needed to ensure it was something that we’d have picked ourselves. 

Adam is pretty good when it comes to fashion and he knows what I like a dislike which is amazing and it lead him to pick out this amazing outfit! He went for a peplum detailed top, brilliant choice as I’ve got lumps and bumps now that I like to cover up, some wet look/shiny jeans that are amazing and perfect for the party season, some leopard print heels with a fairly small heel (I LOVE leopard print anything!) and then some cute accessories and I don’t think he could have picked better! Personally, I would have gone with a little more sparkle but this is definitely something I’d wear and will continue to wear throughout the winter months! 

Adam & Emma


The makeup we went for was a bold, bright lip, simple eyes using heavy eyeliner and a bit of sparkle from the Bobbi Brown Mini palette and then a half up/half down hair style. It’s a casual, party style outfit that can be dressed up and down depending on where you’re going! 

If you like the look of this, take a look at the Simply Be website to see what else they have in stock for the Christmas Parties you’ll be going to this year! You’ll also get 20% off your first order! 

Friday 21 November 2014

The Balcony Champagne Bar and Brasserrie Review

*Picture heavy* 

Ever been shopping around Birmingham and been a little spoilt for choice when it comes to having lunch? I know I have! There are so many restaurants that grab your attention, fast food, sandwich bars, quick and easy food-to-go, but it’s the ones that are tucked away that should really be grabbing your attention! 

The Balcony Champagne Bar and Brasserrie is hidden right in the 4th floor of Selfridges, Birmingham, (you walk through all of the expensive, ‘I want them all' handbags so beware), looking over the rest of the top floor of the Bullring. It is relatively small but nicely accommodating, there were about 20 other people eating when we were there and tables were still free. We were greeted by a friendly waitress who seated us and took a drinks order and then greeted by Melvin, the Assistant Manager who then took care of us for the duration of our lunch. We had the Afternoon Picnic served with a Flute of Champagne (none for me though as I was driving) - it did say that it was served with tea/coffee but I wasn’t given the choice so only had 1 drink which was the first one I ordered. 

The “Picnic” was bought out within around 10 minutes of us being there, amazing service, and was served on a super cute picnic table. A very traditional choice of cobs/baps - Ham, Egg and Tuna, were served alongside Scones, Jam and Clotted Cream with Lemon Cupcakes and Macaroons! The sandwiches were delicious - the tuna had spring onions in which was incredible, the egg wasn’t too overpowering and the Ham was served with an amazing mustard chutney that tasted insane! Definitely not your average cobs... The cupcakes had the most amazing buttercream icing but I think there must have been a hint of ginger in the actual cake and I wasn’t too keen but the Macaroons surely made up for it! All of the food was freshly made and produced by the talented chefs in the Brasserrie. 













  






The Afternoon Picnic with Tea/Coffee for 2 people is £29.00 or £50.00 to have it with a Flute of Champagne each. If you split the price, it’s amazing value and we were worried that we weren’t going to be full when we left but I can honestly say that eating the last bit of the Macaroon was a struggle and when I was offered a drink at the end, I couldn’t because I was that full! 

The whole place is so lovely, the perfect spot to chill out after a day of shopping or for a pitt stop before you hit the shops some more! You can take a look at what else is on The Balcony menu here  and don’t forget to look at their amazing range of Champagnes. I’d love to go back for Brunch or to try some of the hot food so next time I’m in Brum, I’ll be sure to pop in!

You’ll be able to see my review in the Millennium Guide to Birmingham! 

Wednesday 19 November 2014

PeriodBox Monthly Subscription Review

Mother Nature is such a bitch. Sorry for the abrupt intro but it’s true. Who enjoys emotional breakdowns over chocolate (or lack of) every time you’re due on? Who enjoys the sheer panic when you have nothing in when that day appears? “I love being on my period”... Said no-one, ever. Periods are the one thing that I think every woman would change if given the chance and if you’re unfortunate like me, you wish for those few days to be over before they’ve even began. But what if you could make that week more enjoyable? Have something to make you look forward to it more than detest it? Well now you can...

PeriodBox* is a monthly subscription box full of all things girly that you need at that time of month. Armed with your choice of absorption, whether it be tampons, pads or liners, you get to choose your box and match it exactly to your needs. First of all, create your PeriodBox profile and tell them a little bit about your cycle so that your PeriodBox can be sent out in time for the day that your period starts - you can choose your length of flow too be it 2-3 days or 6-7 days. Your box will then be sent out each month containing:
Your choice of panty product (I can’t find anymore words for tampons or pads!)
 A yummy slab of artisan chocolate
A luxorious beauty product
Tasty tea’s and a creative piece of Art or Jewellery - everything that you need to get you through the vile time of month. 















In this months box, the very first PeriodBox I received a mixture of pads, tampons and liners, Caramel and Sea Salt Organic Chocolate (which is flippin' amazing!), 4 Green Tea and Cherry flavoured Teas, a condom (because it’s better to be safe than sorry...), A unique piece of art that I actually LOVE being so I’m off to Paris in March and 2 Au Lait Body Milks. I’m absolutely thrilled with the box and couldn’t have asked for a better selection of things to cheer me up! Starting prices for boxes are £14.00 +£2.95 P&P or you can opt for a 3 month subscription and save £3.00! 

PeriodBox are an amazing gift or even a treat for someone that struggles at that time of month and better yet, they have a Period Starter Kit too that you can get if you’re just starting your first periods, or know someone who is and want to make them feel special and for just £29.95 (free delivery!) 

I really wish someone had come up with this idea a lot sooner and made every month a lot more exciting rather than daunting. I’d much rather wake up to a PeriodBox than stomach cramps, wouldn’t you? Follow PeriodBox on Twitter or Like their Facebook page for more info.