The Fine Fragrance Body Spray

For women 'Awe'

Once this was in my mitts I chucked it in my bag, ready for times during the day when I can't smell my perfume anymore, and wanted to smell all fragrant again.  Luckily most of the perfume I wear is long lasting, but that doesn't mean I remember to put it on everyday - that's where Q's 'Awe' steps in.  Whilst I didn't get any compliments from random people, the hubby really did like the smell of it, maybe that's because he was wearing the man version of it, so his nose was already attuned to it :)  Either way, I really like it and would definitely buy it again, especially considering it's so cheap (£2.29*)

Q describes it as "citrus floral aroma opening with top notes of bergamot and Sicilian lemon followed by a green tea accord. The floral heart is dominated by a Summer freesia bouquet supported by a rich smooth background of cedarwood, amber and musk."

For men 'Invigorate'

We were in the car last night and I was quizzing him about it - typical for a man I got a 3 word response 'I like it' - so of course I asked him to elaborate!  He said that it 'lingered' for a long time (I can vouch for this, after him spraying it on about 7:30am, I could still smell it on him about 9pm) and smelled more refined than the likes of Lynx (more grown up).  He said he'd definitely buy it again and was really surprised when I told him it only costs £2.29*.

Q describes it as "clean, fragrant topnotes warm on the skin evolving into deep base notes for confident all over body fragrance and freshness. An aromatic, enlivening woody fragrance with chypre elements and a floral violet facet."

So if you're looking for an alternative to Impulse and Lynx, and want something a little more sophisticated, it's worth giving this a sniff next time in Boots :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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Baker Days cake review

*** BakerDays.com birthday cake £14.99* availalbe on their website http://www.bakerdays.com/ ***

Who doesn't like getting cake through their door?  Yeah, I didn't think any of you would hold your hands up for that one!

The lovely people over at Baker Days approached me the day after my birthday to see if I'd like a nice cake, well, I'm not going to say no to a birthday cake!

On their website you can pick the type of filling (chocolate, choc chip, gluten free, dairy free, sponge

fruit), then you pick the size of cake (mine was 'letterbox').  There's loads of different designs to pick from, I opted for the one that says 'Georgina 365 days lovelier than before' :)

When it arrived, it was packaged neatly in a box.  My husband was amazed that the cake wasn't all smashed up - I think that's all down to how it was made.  Buttercream on the base (helps stick the cake to the board) then the sponge, and then the entire cake as well as the board is sealed in fondant icing.  Then it's put in a bag, and neatly into a pretty tin and then in a box - so there's not much room for movement.  It came with a pretty little card, and much to my surprised a bit of a party kit (3 balloons, 2 candles and a party-whistle-type-thing (no idea what they're called!).

The cake itself was the real surprise.  I'm not sure why, but I expected it to be a bit dry and uninspired, but it was really nice.  The sponge was moist, the buttercream was lovely, sweet but not too sickly and the fondant icing was lovely too.  We demolished it pretty quickly (it is a small cake after all) :)

Whilst I probably wouldn't go to the trouble to buy one of these for myself, I do think they'd make a lovely present, especially for a friend or family member you're close to but don't see very often - I know this would be a lovely treat for my friend Beccy, she's moved from Cardiff to Somerset so I don't see her very often, so maybe next Jan she'll get one of these through her letterbox :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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GOSH Forever waterproof eyeshadow stick

*** GOSH Forever eyeshadow in Beige 02 £3.99 ***

Recently I haven't bought much makeup, with the baby on the way it just isn't my priority and we need to save our pennies for Squidge, however, I have picked up a couple of little things here and there, this being one of them.  It's essentially a cream eyeshadow in a stick, at least, it's as long wearing as a cream shadow.  I haven't worn it by itself, but I wear it on top of a primer, and with eyeshadow over the top.

Depending on the eye shadow a little of the sparkle from this sometimes shines through (which I think is really nice).  When I pair it up with the Smashbox eye shadow primer (review coming this week), my eye shadow will last a good 12+ hours without creasing, which for me, is unheard of!

There aren't many occasions when I wouldn't wear this, combined with my Smashbox eyeshadow primer it's a killer combination for long wearing shadow, just remember to top it off with some normal eyeshadow too and you'll be good to go!  Also, just in case you're wondering, despite being waterproof its not horrible to remove either, at least, not after 12+ hours :)

They currently cost £3.99 each in Superdrug and come in 8 different shades. 

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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Japanese makeup goodness!

You all know what a fan I am of ANYTHING Japanese, I'm obsessed with the country, the food, the wonderful people and of course, the makeup.  So when Lunatu approached me and said "Hey, can we send you a couple pieces of our Japanese makeup for your blog" I wasn't about to say No!

So, lets start in reverse order (saving my favourite product for last!)....

Dolly wink false eyelashes (No.2 sweet girly) - £10.50*

The reason it's taken me a while to review all these products (I've had them for weeks) is because I don't wear false eyelashes very often and I wanted to wait for an opportunity when I was going to wear them so I could give them a proper excursion!  The lashes themselves are really lovely and vary in density all the way down.  The were a little too long for me so I needed to trim them down by just under a centimetre.  Here's the good and bad bit - the glue.  It was good, it really held the lashes in place, probably better than any other glue I've tried, however, it took an AGE to go clear, and when I took the above pics, I didn't think it was going to go clear as that was after 30 mins of wear - so I'd applied liquid eyeliner over most of the white leaving only the bits you can see.  But it did eventually go clear, so my tip, if you're using these, put them on in plenty of time before you go out :)

Canmake BB Cream 01 light £9.25

Now, you know me, when I review a foundation/bb cream or whatever, I *always* show it in place on the face.  Sadly, because of the 'Yes to Cucumbers' face wipes I have an eczema breakout all over my face and as much as it doesn't look that bad, any foundation is looking terrible on my skin due to all the dryness, and I'm trying not to wear any so not to aggravate it any further.  What I can say about this, is when I first got it a few weeks ago, I wore it a lot and managed to road test it.

It's thick, very blendable and for me, a great colour match, if not the tiniest shade too dark (I had the lightest shade).  It covers as well as any foundation and stays put just as long, but with the added benefit of SPF 50 pa+++ protection.  I've been a big fan of Canmake for a while, ever since I did my Japanese makeup swap and fell in love with the Canmake duo blusher in 01.  Eastern BB creams are the best, Western ones just don't compare, so if you're thinking about getting one, definitely make sure you aim for an Eastern one :)  And at £9.25 this one is really well priced.

Dolly Wink liquid eyeliner in deep black £10.50

So what makes these my favourite of the three products? That's simple, it's amazing.  It's better than my Chanel Ecriture (holy grail) liquid liner hands down.  This is cheaper than half the price, has a finer point to it so it's more precise, it's just as black, it doesn't get on my lashes, it stays put all day, it doesn't transfer to the top of my lid and it's not crazy hard to remove, oh it's buildable too so you can make it blacker and blacker.  The Chanel one comes in around £26, and this is just £10.50 - it's a guaranteed repurchase for me.  

Since I've had this (mid-end March) I haven't used my Chanel eyeliner once!  That's how good it is, and you know how much I loved that liner!!  I love that I can get a much prettier and finer winged look, and this is friendlier on slightly 'older' lids too - on my eyelid on the inner corner, I have tiny little hairline wrinkles, and my Chanel liner bleeds into them while it's still wet, this doesn't.

So there you have it - I hope you've enjoyed this triple review, I've really enjoyed trying these out, and I've found an absolute gem with the liquid eyeliner :)  Thank you Lunatu for introducing me to it :D

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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Michael Kors perfume in Sexy Amber

Michael Kors perfume in the scent Sexy Amber 100ml £75*

Behold!  A new perfume!  I like perfume as much as the next girl, but I'm a bit fussy over what type of scents I like, and for what occasions.  

Containing notes of musk, orange, sandalwood and white florals, this is a pretty spicy but beautiful scent.  It comes in a tall glass bottle, with the signature gold lid and embossed MK logo.

It's a really long wearing perfume, I've worn it both in the day and at night, and I have to say, it suits evening much better given it's spiciness.   Each time I've worn it, I've still been getting 'wiffs' of it hours and hours after without the need to reapply.  I've also had quite a few compliments when wearing it (a lot of them being from the hubby, he loves it on me!).  

As much as I love fresh, sweet and fruit scents for Spring/Summer in the day time, I love a deep spicy fragrance for the Summer evenings, and I think this'll be perfect.  Although I have the 100ml, it is available in much smaller sizes to keep it more purse-friendly too (from as little as £37 from Superdrug)

So if you're feeling like treating yourself to something special for the coming months, you might want to have a spritz of this next time you're in Superdrug/Debenhams etc to see if you like it, personally, I love it :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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Yes to cucumbers? Perhaps not...

If you read my April Birchbox post, you'll know I was pretty excited to see these in my box, something different and something that sounded interesting, and that I'd actually use.

Now, normally with anything remotely skincare related, I'd really put it through it's paces before reviewing, but with this little package, I only needed a few days.

The first time I used them I loved the scent, they really do smell like fresh cucumbers and are very cooling on the skin, oh and the packaging is cute.  That's about as positive as this review will get I'm afraid.

After using them for 3 nights in a row to remove my makeup, my skin gradually got worse and worse. By the 3rd night, my skin was starting to burn when I used these, they were coarse and rough, but not like they were exfoliating, more like a light sandpaper.  Then the worst thing, it's brought out excema on my cheeks, making them very very dry, not something I'm used to having given that I usually have very oily skin.  Each day that I used these my skin got worse and worse, I wasn't using any other 'new' products, this was the only change in my routine so I know it was them.  Also, I could feel it when I was using them, they were really irritating on my skin.

So... would I purchase these again?  Absolutely not, I won't be finishing this pack.  I know it seems early to judge them, but my reaction was so severe I couldn't use them any further.  What's more, when I tweeted about it the other night, another girl tweeted me saying she'd had the same reaction :/

I just wanted to share my experience with you, it's not all about 'the good' side of stuff here :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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My favourite makeup brushes

I was thinking at the weekend of different posts to write that aren't just a simple review, and I thought I'd write one about my most used/favourite makeup brushes.  I'm not going to go into massive detail about each brush, just a little summary, but these are the ones that have cemented their way into my everyday makeup routine, ones that I've been using for months, not just currently.

Starting from the left....

E.l.f flat powder brush*

I had this in a goody bag months ago (before Christmas) and ever since that day, I've pretty much used it every single day since.  It's perfect for applying powder evenly over foundation, it picks it up evenly from the pan too, I love it!

Sigma F80 flat kabuki brush

I debated long and hard whether I should purchase this as it was around the £15 mark, but I'm so glad I did, it's now the only brush I use to apply foundation.  It buffs it into the skin beautifully giving a near-flawless finish.  It hasn't shed so much as 1 hair yet, it really is a superior brush and if you wear foundation, I urge you to invest in it :) - previous review here

Models Own blusher brush

This was in a set of 5 brushes for £10 and is the only one I've actually repeatedly used.  If I'm using a super intense blusher, then I do opt for my Real Techniques blusher brush instead as its much bigger so picks up the product much more evenly, but for the blushers I tend to wear most, this is perfect.  It blends really well and is just a great basic brush.

Ulta makeup brush (large shader brush)

This is one for my American friends, this was part of a set with a makeup bag that I had in a makeup swap.  This is fantastic at packing on colour all over the lid.  I tend to use this, then work a 2nd colour into the crease for my daily makeup.  I like it because the bristles are firm and they don't let much shadow fall out, something I battle with!

Bdelium green bambu crease brush* 

This is the crease brush to end all crease brushes!  Not only is it all eco-friendly and swish, it does a bloody good job of blending, picking up product and not letting much fall out :)  It's a great brush and in my opinion, worth every penny :) - previous review here

So there you have it, my top favourite brushes and why I love them :)

Do you use any of these brushes?  Which are your favourites?

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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Yves Rocher mascara & lipstick review

Top row one coat, middle row two coats, bottom row three coats

The good people over at Baobella Boutique approached me about the possibility of reviewing these. After using the Yves Rocher camille cleanser I was definitely interested, that has become a morning and night staple for me so I was keen to try some other products from Yves Rocher.

First up, the mascara.  It's enriched with a fixing botanical extract (their claim), and has a reservoir wand that they say picks up just the right amount of product.  The wand is similar to ones I've seen on other mascaras, but with rubbery bristles, it also has a flexible end (like the Maybelline mega plush). Until now I wasn't sure how that would be useful (it seemed pointless with the Maybelline one), but when I used this after the first coat, I found that the flexible wand made the bristles cling to my lashes better, the result being - more mascara on my lashes, and the bristles brushing through them better.

I think this might be one of the best mascara's I've ever used, and that's saying something.  It thickens, curls and lengthens, giving me magnificent lashes - I'm sure looking at the pics you'll agree!?  The Yves Rocher Volume Vertige mascara costs just £10.50* at the moment which includes 50% discount.  It compares with all other mascaras I've tried, both high street and high end and looking at these pictures, I think it shows them all up too :)

Next up, the lipstick, or should I say Yves Rocher Grand Rouge lipstick in Shining Pink.  Both products have nice sleek packaging and feel pretty good quality.  The lipstick is an unusual colour, sort of like a blushy dusky pink, with a soft shimmer (not glittery).  It's very hydrating and not drying at all, and very well pigmented.  It's not going to stay on your lips all day, it has pretty typical wear of a couple of hours without needing a touch up, but my favourite thing about it is the colour, it's so pretty and not quite like any other I've seen, it's pretty perfect for my skintone too :)  If you're interested in picking this up, it costs £9.75 at the moment (which is with 50% off) over on their website.

What do you think of these?  Would you purchase either of them?

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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What's in my bag

I don't think I've ever done one of these posts on my blog before, I know I've done a couple on my YouTube channel, but that was quite a while ago now, and I've been meaning to do one on here for ages, so here it is!

The bag is by Nica - I bought it about a year ago, but sadly the strap is almost completely broken now so I'll be needing to buy a new across-the-body bag soon.  I've really liked this one though, there's a lovely teal floral print on the inside, and a decent sized front pocket.  The only thing I wish it didn't have were the handles since I only ever use the massive strap.  Now lets get on to what's inside!

Makeup bag

This lovely bag was a present from A Scottish Lass at Christmas (if I recall), it's filled with all the things I need to do a basic face of makeup, as well as some lip balms and gloss.  Off the top of my head, in there is my Ginvera BB cream, Loreal BB powder, Chanel liquid eyeliner, Canmake creme blusher, Wet n Wild eyeshadow trio (with a pretty close dupe for the MAC satin taupe) and some Max Factor mascara - I'm sure I'm missing something out, but that's the bulk of it.

Diary

This was a present from my sister-in-law for Christmas, it has cute little cats over it (awww) - I keep this up to date all the time, and even try to plan out my blog posts in it, even if I don't stick to what I plan (I think it was from M&S).

Purse

This little big beauty is by Visconti, I picked it up on Amazon about 2-3 years ago (wow, didn't realise I'd had it so long!) for about £25.  It's made out of real leather, and is pink on the inside :D

Mini Longchamp

I bought this at Harrods when I bought my full size Longchamp shopper, this little one keeps my asthma inhaler in it keeping it free from dust and other debris which I'd otherwise inhale and then almost throw up on (been there, done that).

Carex alcohol hand gel

This I've started carrying with me since becoming pregnant as I need to try and keep germ free for the baby.  This one is the aloe vera one which smells amazing and I'll definitely be replacing once it's run out.  I keep a different one on my desk in work, I can't remember what it's supposed to smell like, but it smells like pink grapefruit which is awesome!

EOS lip balm

I always keep one of these with me, this one is the strawberry one, it smells and feels lovely on the lips and does a good job of keeping them hydrated, I love what unusual packaging it is and the odd shape of the balm inside.

Mobile phone

This is my beauty, my HTC One.  I used to have an iPhone 4 but when I came to upgrade the 5 didn't seem different enough and I like a proper change.  The HTC One had only been out about a week and I'd already had my eye on it, so I opted for that instead and I haven't looked back, it's an amazing phone with a fantastic camera, a large screen, a great range of apps and what's more, it's fast!  Oh and it has Beats audio inside, so the sound quality is really good.

TicTacs

I always keep these with me, I've become a little addicted to them with the pregnancy and I hate having a nasty taste in my mouth.  I'm not loyal to any particular flavour, as long as they're tic tacs :)

Keys

Enough said really!

Clarins Instant light natural lip perfector

This is in shade 02, a peachy shade - it smells slightly fruity and a bit like white chocolate, basically awesome.  It's super hydrating and conditioning to the lips, a bit of a handbag essential for me.

So that's it, the contents of my bag!  The only thing I left out was my work pass because that has confidential information on it, but it lives in there :)  I hope you enjoyed this post, it's a nice change and break from all the reviews I've been doing :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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DKNY Be Delicious City Blossom in Rooftop Peony

DKNY Be Delicious City Blossom in Rooftop Peony - £37* for 50ml

I typically stay away from fruity scents, but this one, this one is different.  It's part of their limited edition Spring collection City Blossom and this little baby here, it's called Rooftop Peony.  In it you'll smell notes of rose, mandarin and amber.  It's not just fruity like you'd expect, but also sweet and floral.

I normally stick to my trusty sweet scents like Lacoste Touch of Pink (which I adore), but you know what, I've had more compliments wearing this, and I think I've ever had in the years I've been wearing Lacoste.  This one's even been a hit with the hubby, every time I've worn it he's complimented me saying 'oooooh you smell nice!', so I think it's a confirmed hit!  It's so perfect for Spring/Summer too, it's fresh and airy, delicate and pretty.

It comes in the typical packaging (like an apple) but the perfume is pink coloured.  The box is stunning too with watercolour effect petals painted on the outside, it's like blossom falling off the trees :)

It's an absolutely gorgeous scent, one I've found myself reaching for above my favourites day-in-day-out.  If you're in Boots go over and have a spray and see what you think :)

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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Restaurant review - Le Bistrot Pierre, Cardiff

A couple weeks ago the hubby and I were invited to sample a 3 course meal at a new restaurant here in Cardiff, Le Bistrot Pierre.  Seeing as it's not long since we came back from France and sampled lots of fantastic French cuisine, it had a lot to live up to!

The decor inside really reminded me of 'Au Bureau' which is the restaurant we ate at every day we were in Bergerac, this was like a fancier version of that.  Our waitress was Veronica, she was super friendly and happy to go back and forth asking the kitchen if their cheese was vegetarian (I'll come back to that).  Chris had a glass of St Jean wine to go with his steak, and I opted for an orange juice and lemonade (since I can't drink at the moment due to being pregnant).

 Excuse the bad pic of me, I wasn't having a photogenic day!

My choices from the menu (baked camembert, onion tarte and gateau au miel)

They brought us some lovely seasoned olives while waiting for our starter to arrive, these were seasoned in what looks like shallot's :)

 Our starter was a sharing started or baked camembert - I've since read that pregnant women shouldn't have camembert, whoops!

 Now on to my main, the onion tart.  Very creamy, and served with what tasted like dauphinoise potatoes and vegetables.  Now, all of this tasted phenomenal, however, due to pregnancy, I'm totally off rich food, which meant my favourite part of the meal was the vegetables :)  If it wasn't for being pregnant, the potatoes would have been demolished!

 Chris suitably demolished his meal, and a fair bit of mine :)  The chips (I can vouch for this) were amazing, really crispy on the outside, very soft in the middle, lovely!  The steak was cooked rare just as he'd asked, and he chose to have the roquefort sauce over the top, which he later regretted just because he's not that into cheese, but he wanted to try something new :)

 This dessert was so tasty, the sauce was honey, the ice cream was ginger, and the sponge was also honey - yes this was far too rich for me, but I polished most of it off all the same :)

Chris' favourite dessert is creme brulee, so as soon as he saw this on the menu, it was going to be his!  He loved that it wasn't made up to be all fancy with special biscuits, fruit and a fancy flavour - he likes creme brulee nice and plain - this one was vanilla, which was delicious!

We really loved our meal here and would definitely go back there, the service was great, the ambience, the food (fantastic!), the only negative (and there's always one), was that meals marked with a green 'v' for vegetarian, didn't have vegetarian cheese in.  I'd expect anything with a green v to be 100% suitable for vegetarians and safe, and I was disappointed that this wasn't.  But obviously, I'm in a minority there :)

If you live in Cardiff, or fancy a day trip here for a free lunch, the lovely people at Le Bistrot Pierre are offering my readers the chance to win a lunch for 2 with a glass of St Jean wine, all you need to do is complete the rafflecopter widget below, making sure you follow Le Bistrot Pierre on twitter, and me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK

 

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