Spending ban - week 5 update

Happy Saturday everyone!  This isn't going to be a big update as I have family visiting right now so I don't want to be too rude sitting here on my laptop :P  Sorry I missed last weeks' update, I took a weekend off from blogging as I've been so incredibly busy I just needed some time to do nothing :)  So here's my two week update!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty good, I haven't been too tempted to splurge, other than when I was buying giveaway prizes for the annual 12 days of Christmas giveaway me and A Scottish Lass do (which starts tomorrow!!!).  There is one thing I've bought which is the Tresemme with Keratin heat protector spray - the reason I'm giving for buying that is that my old heat protector spray has seized up and I can't get any product out of it anymore, that and the one with Keratin was half price (around £2 in Superdrug)!  eeep!

I'm telling myself that's a legit reason anyway :)  Other than that I've only been buying Christmas presents and I think I'm pretty much finished with the xmas shopping - still a couple of things left to buy but not much - it's mostly the hubby I still need to buy more for :)

So keep your eyes peeled for tomorrow's blog post which will probably be up in the afternoon some time as it's a big collaborative giveaway between me and Laura :)  Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm off to spend the rest of my day/weekend with my Step Dad :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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Out with the old

So today I decided to get rid of some of my makeup.  I was sitting there in the car on the way home, thinking about my makeup collection and how a lot of it is getting really old and needs a bit of a clear out.  When I got home I went through my collection bit by bit and picked out all the bits and pieces that I knew was over 1-2 years (depending on the product) - here's what I binned :)

First up, face products.  My Benefit Dandylion is... well more years old than I'd like to admit.  It has been about a year since I've used it though, hence it being binned.  There's my Kelly Brook bronzer, it's not that old, maybe a year, but I really don't like it, it's super dark and super sparkly - not really the kind of bronzer I like to wear.  Then the Benetint lip balm - I'm not actually sure how old this is, but it's at least 2, which means it's gone!  Then the L'Oreal glam bronze trio - it's very pretty, I like it, but next month it's 2 years old, so it's in the bin!

Then we have the mascaras - I'm not going to review each one - but they're all over 6 months old, some nearly a year (gasp!).  The Rocket volum is the shining star here, talk about long wearing!  The Illamasqua one is really awesome too, it gives such great volume to the lashes.

Now the big one, all these eyeliners!!!!!  Most are 2 years old which means, they're coming no-where near my eyes!!!  Super sad to bin the Chanel one (far left) but... well... I bought that for my wedding, which was just over 5 years ago!!! Don't worry, I haven't used it in ages, but for some reason I just couldn't bin in (until now!).  The liquid eyeliners aren't just old, but they just don't work for me.

So there you have it, lots and lots to throw away :D  And lets face it, a lot of it should have been thrown away a long time ago!!!

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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Christmas gift guide #2 - Treats from Clarins

If there's someone in your life who likes great skincare and fabulous makeup look no further.  Clarins are a household name in beauty circles and quite rightly so.

On the blog today are not just great beauty products, but great stocking fillers for Christmas.  First up we have the Instant light natural lip perfectors, these are £17* each and come in 6 different shades. These two shades are apricot shimmer and rosewood shimmer.  The scent is amazing, like a vanilla buttercream yummy sweet scent.  This is one of the most hydrating lip balm-type products I've used, in the short time I've had it, I've applied it to my lips every single day.  It's not a sticky formula at all, but a soft creamy flattering butter.  There's a nice amount of pigmentation to them - not crazily pigmented, but a wareable amount.

Then we come on to the beauty flash balm - an absolute cult product.  For the £29* you'll get 100ml of product.  It's a bit of a multi-use face balm - there's two key ways it can be used, on your skin with your makeup applied straight after, so like a primer.  Then you could also use it as a face mask, apply it to the skin and leave for 15 mins, then rinse off for a treatment.  This is amazing for tired and stressed skin and contains oil and witch hazel extracts - witch hazel is fantastic for problem skin, so as well as making your skin look refreshed, it'll actually be helping to control outbreaks too.  It's also won a host of awards, as recently as this year.

If you're looking for gift sets, Clarins have put together some really lovely sets, these are two of my favourites :)

First up, the Hydra Quench gift set complete with makeup bag.  In the set you get a Hydra Quench cream for normal to dry skin (50ml), Hydra Quench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase (15ml), Hydra Quench Cream-Mask (15ml) and the makeup bag :)  This lovely little set costs £34 - a perfect present for a mother or grandmother, or anyone who really likes to take care of their skin :)
Then we have my favourite of the two sets, the lip set!  (how amazing does this look?).  In the set you get, Rouge Eclat - (1.4g), Colour Quench Lip Balm - (7ml), Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector - (5ml), Gloss Prodige - (2.5ml), and the Beauty Purse.  This lovely set is only £18 - which for 4 Clarins lip products is pretty awesome :) Perfect for any beauty aficionados :)

These are great picks for fans of Clarins or fans of quality makeup and skincare, perfect for Christmas :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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I can see again!

I've been pretty eager to get some new glasses - I lost mine about a year ago and been living in a slightly blurry haze since!  Back 14 years ago I was on my way to uni and I realised I couldn't really see the people walking towards me, so I went for an eye test and bob's your uncle, I needed glasses.

I've been wanting to learn to drive for some time and over the last year the only thing holding me back has been the lack of glasses, so when Firmoo offered to send me some to review, I was pretty happy :)

My biggest surprise with these was the quality.  I've never ordered glasses online before and given how affordable these were I didn't have particularly high hopes, so when these arrived I was really impressed.  They turned up in a high quality glasses case, with a decent lens cleaner and a little kit to tighten up the screws should they fall loose.

These glasses are made of plastic (as opposed to metal) and fit really well, they don't sit wonky on my face or anything, they're really comfortable.  Since getting these I've been telling everyone I know about them, I never thought to buy prescription glasses online before, let alone how much cheaper they'd be.

I love the colour, totally matches my hair (you can see the exact ones here)!  And in all honesty, I've had so many compliments since I've had these, I never had compliments with my old black metal glasses, but people seem to love these, and you know what, compliments are always nice :)

Price-wise these were really good, they came to around $50, $30 of that was the frames.  As a treat Firmoo are offering the first 5 of my readers a $30 voucher to be used on glasses (not shipping), just use the code georgeistired blogs4 on the Classic range of glasses.

If you're a blogger, Firmoo are offering an opportunity to other bloggers to review some of their glasses, if you'd like more information about this, just have a look here.

Have you thought about buying glasses online before?

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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Fantastic November advertisers

The other day I turned the spotlight on to my Biggest Pixi3 advertiser, Srslylou.  Well today it's all about my other lovely advertisers.

First up, my Big Pixi3 advertisers, this month we have:

May I introduce you to MissDelirium or Karla, she has the prettiest blog and the loveliest FOTD and really great eyeshadow looks/tutorials :)  She's 23 and if I've read correctly, based in Norway :)  Her photography is great, super high quality :)

Blog | Twitter 

Next up is Sarah from 'Those Stars that Shine' - only 18 years old Sarah is one of my youngest advertisers :)  She has a great blog with a great assortment of posts - she writes great beauty reviews and also talks lifestyle posts - her most recent post is a Christmas gift guide and has some seriously great recommendations :)

Blog | Twitter

And last but not least of my Big Pixi3 advertisers is the lovely Anoushka from Anoushka loves :)  She's also doing a spending ban, I feel her pain!  If you don't follow her already, you need to head over there now, say Hi and have a ready :)

Blog | Twitter

I also have a Middle Pixi3 advertiser this month, the lovely Laura from Side Street Style - a fellow local blogger, husband and wife team with a lovely blog.  Definitely head over there and check them out :)

Blog | Twitter

So there's this months wonderful advertisers, I hope you've managed to find a couple of new blogs to enjoy, I know I love them all :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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The pets post

Meet Matilda, she's 8 years old, a moggy crossed with British short hair (that's what gives her chubby cheeks).  We found her one day when we had popped into Morrisons to grab a couple of bits, as Chris was paying I went over to the customer information board and saw an advert for a black female 8 week old kitten.  I called the number straight from the shop but it went to answering machine, so I left a message and my number.

Then later on I was at home, napping on the sofa while Chris was cooking dinner when my phone rang, it was the people from the advert, they said she was still there and no one had claimed her :)  I was super excited and 1 hour later we were there at their house ready to see her.  I'll never forget when they brought her out of the room, she was so tiny and scared - I put her straight on my shoulder and cuddled her.  The people who had her were an older couple and their grandson was allergic to her. The saddest thing was that they'd already had her for a couple of weeks, which means she must have been separated from her mummy when she was too young :(

Fast forward 8 years and she's a super healthy and much loved kitty.  She can be quite... lets say naughty!  Sometimes she decides she wants to death grip Chris' feet, or become all bitey, but that's usually when she can see the bottom of her food bowl :)

She still gets really playful, and often when we come home from work she spends 10 mins tearing around the house like mad!  Some of her favourite spots in the house: sleeping on the bed between my feet every night, sleeping on one of Chris' t-shirts that he's left on the bed, the arm of the sofa, or sprawled out on the conservatory floor soaking up the sun :)

So that's my pet, Matilda.  In my opinion she's the most beautiful cat in the world - and sadly, black cats are the least adopted in the world :(  People are often too suspicious :(

Tell me your pet story in the comments below :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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Christmas gift guide #1 Georgio Armani luxury fragrance collection

Georgio Armani perfume anyone?  This lovely little set is from Fragrance Direct and will set you back £21.99*.  It contains 4 luxury samples of some of Armani's most loved fragrances.  Included in the set (from left to right) is the spicy Armani Code (3ml), Diamonds (5ml), Acqua di Gioia (5ml), Diamonds rose (5ml) in their miniature shaped bottles.

It comes presented in a beautiful box with a hard plastic wrap around sleeve that tells you which perfume is which :)

Depending on your purse strings this could either make a great stocking filler if you're feeling a little plush, or it could make a lovely gift for a friend or even your mother.  There's a lovely range of notes in this set, from spicy, to floral, to subtle, to sweet, so something for anyone.  

I'm still not sure which of these is my favourite scent, if you pushed me now, I'd probably say Armani Code as it's such a nice scent for this time of year.  I'm a big fan of Sun, Moon, Stars by Karl Lagerfeld and this is fairly similar, perhaps slightly less strong, which is a good thing!

If you'd like to see more details about this, visit the Fragrance Direct website here :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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Wonderful November Biggest Pixi3 advertiser

Today I'm honoured to turn the spotlight to my Biggest Pixi3 advertiser, Amy from Srslylou.  When I saw Amy had picked the big spotlight package I was so happy, I knew I'd get to write this post and talk about how awesome she is and her blog is.

Not only is she a talented blogger with amazing photography skills, she's one brilliant designer too.  If you didn't know, she designed my blog :)  A very talented woman!!!

Ok so I mentioned her amazing photography skills, well, here's the proof... 

I don't know how she does it, and I do want to know her secret! Amy if you're reading this, I want to know how you create such awesome photo's!!!! (not kidding).

She writes brilliant reviews - they're not too long and waffly (unlike mine can get), but succinct and well written, covering all bases.

If you haven't discovered her blog yet, or if you need her very affordable design services, I couldn't recommend her highly enough <3  So head over there, have a read and tell her I sent you :)

Blog | Twitter

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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CND Vinylux review

Before I was kindly sent these, I'd never heard of CND Vinylux polish.  So if you're in the same boat of me, let me enlighten you!  CND Vinylux is a 'weekly' polish, this means that you 'should' only need to paint your nails once a week.  So once this lovely polishes arrived, I painted my nails with my favourite shade (Rock Royalty - the purple one) and set about seeing how well it did last over a week.

Those of you with a keen eye will notice that there's only 6 pictures, so not a full week, I shall explain! On the 7th day I had an event and wanted my nails to look perfect and fresh, so I took off the CND Vinylux and re-painted them with a different polish.

So, how did they do?  First of all, coverage.  What you can see in the pics is just 2 coats of rock royalty and then their top coat.  What you also need to know, is that some of my nails are super weak - so, you know how sometimes the top layer of your nail can flake/peel off?  Well that's happened on a few of my nails :(  They are the only nails that had any chipping, which as far as I'm concerned is understandable.  I also didn't help by picking the polish a little on the nails where it chipped - so they look worse than they would have been.

My nails on my left hand are quite strong and as you can see, there was pretty much no chipping at all, so if you have normal nails (unlike me!) then this should last the full week on your nails.

I've tested (but not photographed) the other shades too (strawberry smoothie and lobster roll), both were just as good and really beautiful shades.

These were sent to me by Beyond Polish - they're based in America so if you're there over the pond you might want to take a peek - they have a massive range of polishes (including OPI for just over $5!), and they deliver to the UK - whoop!  Delivery isn't too cheap to the UK, but if you put in a decent size order you'll easily make your money back :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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UK November Birchbox

When I got home today my November Birchbox was sitting on my doorstep waiting for me to open it. With oodles of excitement I rushed in the house and ripped open the packaging to reveal this collection of products.

First impressions?  I didn't really like it.  Lets break it down.

Teabags - I actually don't mind having teabags in my boxes as I love tea (all kinds), I can take these into work and give them a try through the week.

Pencil sharpener - if I hadn't bought one recently, this would have been awesome, but alas I have one and barely use it as it is.

Perfume sample - I think this is what turned the box for me, I'm really not a fan of these in boxes, mainly because I could just walk into a department store and pick these up myself, it's not what I pay £10 a month for.  I know some people like these which is cool, it's just not for me.

Laura Mercier mascara - I'd probably have been more excited by this if I didn't already have a sample one of these, it's actually a decent mascara, but it's something I already have and am using.

Weleda shampoo sample - it's just so small, I could probably get one decent wash out of it given how long my hair is.  It's a good brand which excites me a little more, but it's just not something I'm super pepped up about.

Highlighter pencil -I actually expected this to be shimmery, but it's not, it's a cream/beige pencil, this would be good for brow bones and inner corners of the eye - we'll wait and see how this goes :)

And finally, Matriskin high performance face cream.  In all honesty, I'm really happy with my current skincare routine and I don't really want to introduce any other products into the mix.  I might put this one to one side and keep it for a family member.

All in all a mediocre box, there's a couple of great products but a few duds.  I'm going to give Birchbox another month and if I'm still not happy I'll probably cancel, we'll see how next month goes.

To end on a happy note, have a click here for a happy cute animal funny surprise :D

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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Blog sale!

Welcome to my first ever blog sale!!!  Lets get into the rules.

1.  If you see an item you'd like to buy, leave a comment with the name of the item(s) and your email address

2.  I'll then invoice you for the full amount

3.  Postage for all items is £2.00 plus 50p extra for each additional item and will be sent second class

4.  I will hold items for a full 24 hrs after sending the invoice and if payment isn't received in time, others will be able to purchase it

1.  Collection lasting perfection foundation £3.50 in 02 Ivory (used 3 times)
2.  Revlon nearly naked foundation in 110 Ivory £5 in 110 Ivory  (used twice) SOLD
3.  NYC all day long foundation £2 in 737 Classic Ivory  (used 3 times)

 4.  Dainty Doll blusher in 01 £1 (only swatched) - SOLD

 5.  BarryM lipgloss £2 no name for the shade  (used once)
6.  BarryM lipgloss £2 in number 5  (used once)
7.  MeMeMe Light me up £2 (used twice)

8.  Accessorize lip gloss £1 shade Celebrity (used twice)
9.  Make Believe enhance lip gloss £3 shade has no name (used once)
10.  Inika lip whip mini £2 in Apricot (used once)

11.  Vivo lip lacquer £0.50p shade 8 (used twice)
12.  Elf pout perfector £1 in Glow (used twice)
13.  MAC Dazzleglass £6 in Rags to Riches (usage shown) ** REDUCED **

14.  Revlon colourstay ultimate liquid lipstick in Prime Pink £1 (used twice)
15.  Revlon colourstay ultimate liquid lipstick in Ultimate Orchid £1 (used twice)

16.  Maybelline moisture extreme lipstick in 124 Autumn Rose £2 (used 3 times)
17. L'Oreal colour riche lipstick in 390 Nude £2 (used twice)
18.  L'Oreal studio secrets universal lip glow £2 (used twice)

19.  Top Shop Crystal lipstick £1 (used twice)

20. Top Shop lipstick in Innocent £1 (used once)

21.  Sainsburys lipstick in Gift of the Gab £2 (only used once with a lip brush, not from bullet)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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Spending ban - week 3 update

So that's week 3 under my belt.  The week wasn't as crazy busy as week 2, but I was still out 3 nights out of the 5 in the week.  

Monday saw me to go the Elf event I blogged about yesterday, there were so many tempting products there, but did I cave?  No :)

Tuesday was the work knitting club I started - we went to Cafe Nero - I had a praline latte and some cappuccino cake (yummy!). 

Wednesday was my night off - we were having our weekly shopping delivered, had a quiet night blogging & watching TV #bliss.

Thursday was works drinks, I didn't stay out late, but I did pop out for a couple of drinks before going home.

Friday as always was date night with the hubby - we had a nice dinner and played board games (Pandemic - love that game!).

And then we're at today, a quiet day at home, much needed.

It's been a good week, I haven't bought anything I shouldn't, haven't bought a magazine and the DSLR fund is still the same as last week - I don't see it increasing until next month after I've been paid :)

Hope you've all had a great week - leave a comment below telling me what the highlight of your week has been :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Amy from Srslylou

 

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