Sunday Catch up #1

The last time I featured some instagram photos the comments were pretty positive so I figured I'd pop a few more on. I don't use instagram as much as I'd like because I have a blackberry so can only use iPad pictures and I don't usually carry that around with me (I'm afraid of loosing/dropping it, I'm so accident prone!) hopefully I will be getting my sisters old iPhone soon I think I'm becoming an apple convert!

Anyway this is my week!

The top two photos are my amazing birthday presents off one of my best friends sarah. It's practically tradition to get my presents late off her (last year they arrived in October!) I actually quite like it though as its nice to wake up to an unexpected parcel. The brushes are in a lovely suede feeling pouch and there are so many of them that I don't even know how to use some. She told me she bought me a cheap set of brushes so I can use them everyday and save my lovely real techniques brushes for best. The book is also really thoughtful and if my blogging suddenly starts to improve you'll know why!

I picked up a few bits in Superdrug this week. I've been using the coconut oil lots just because I like the way it melts and for £1.49 on offer it's such good value. I'm planning to have a pamper night and cover my hair in it soon too. I bought Barry M nail polish in Peach Melba, until recently I hadn't tried Barry M polish (I just don't know why) but now that I have I want them all, it's my perfect formula and this colour is so lovely too. Oh and the compact mirror as I just didn't have one.

Finally as an early birthday present for my sister (as this is the last week it is in Cardiff) my nan took me and my sister to see legally blonde the musical!

It was amazing, we really loved it. I love musicals so much, in another life I was definitely on the stage! It was really true to the film and the cast were brilliant, including Gareth Gates who was amazing I actually think he was made for musicals. We also bumped into him in the car park after (as you do) he was really nice having photos with everyone and a little shorter than I expected, He is totally the most famous person I have ever met! I did have to give my nan a severe warning before though, she really wanted to tell him that she voted for him on pop idol! I figured he probably just wants to get in his car and go home not be pestered by us.

Phil is home for the long weekend so we are heading to the cinema tonight, it's so nice having him here for a bit longer as the weekends just fly by. I'm working on a plan to go join him but nothing is concrete yet.

Any musical fans reading? Also any film suggestions for later?

 

Cariad xx

 

Recipe #2 Chorizo Chicken & Pepper bake

I absolutely love chorizo in my food so when I saw this recipe Chicken, chorizo and red pepper bake... On the lovely Sophie's blog, I knew I would have to make it!

I won't repost the recipe as it is perfectly explained on Sophie's page so do click on over, I did make a few changes but only to use up what I already had and to be honest when I make it again I will make the shopping trip and follow the recipe exactly!

I used a bag of frozen mediterranean veg, some onions and peppers in the bottom with the oil.

Then added my chorizo (finally found raw chorizo as most of my local supermarkets only have the ready cooked stuff and it's just not suitable)

I used skinless breasts of chicken as they were all I had, but thighs would have been so much tastier!

I ended up reducing the cooking time as I was afraid the chicken would dry out quicker without its skin, but I still managed to burn the top a little! It didn't matter though as it really did taste amazing with some plain basmati rice, even Phil (who is incredibly picky) enjoyed it.

Now I'm deciding which recipe from Sophie's blog to try next!

I love this type of warm and sticky comfort food, perfect for these late summer days and not too naughty either!

What is your favourite comfort food for days like this?

Cariad xx

Want List #7

I haven't done a want list in ages mostly because I've not had any money to plan to spend so I have been avoiding online shopping like the plague!

Now though I have a little bit of birthday money which is burning a hole in my pocket!

1. Stud Bow Makeup Bag - Topshop, I'm desperate for a new make up bag and this would be my first studded item too!

2. Black Fit and Flare Dress - Dorothy Perkins, I already have this dress in 3 other colours but I think I need the black as they are just the perfect shape for me and I would wear this all the time.

3. Black Flat Chelsea Boots - Newlook, these are so cute they would go with everything.

4. Light Pink Metallic Stitch Dress - River Island, I'd love this but in a size too small as I don't suit the oversized style, I'm really into beigey pinks today!

5. Mineralize Skinfinsh in Soft &Gentle - MAC, I have seen this on a few blogs already and it looks so beautiful, it's a total luxury but that's what birthday money is for! 

Cariad xxx

Birthday Post (Part 2)

How self-indulgent of me to write two post all about my birthday!

The Porefessional was a gift off my little sister as I absolutely loved the sample size from glamour, I really liked the feel of it and definitely noticed my makeup applied easier and looked better with this underneath so this will definitely be part of my everyday makeup routine.

I used my Body Shop birthday £5 on the oils as they were already 2 for £12 and got 10% off with the body shop card too, so I think I paid around £5.80 which Phil decided to give me as he wanted more to wrap up! I love the strawberry and the mango range so those are the scents I picked and they are absolutely lush. I can't wait to use these in my hair as I've not tried any hair oils yet and I will probably use it on my skin after a shower too.

Finally the inglot! We went to Westfield especially for the inglot store as I loved the sound of the freedom system, it was so straight forward and the shop assistant was really lovely these will definitely get their own post this week!

I fell in love with this dress, in the wrong size and at full price, when I was looking for a dress for a friends graduation ball ( I was her date, but stupidly I left dress shopping until the last minute as usual!) I tried it on anyway and it looked so nice except for the enormous gap at the back where the zip had no chance of doing up, so obviously I had to leave it there and find something else. While we were in Westfield I did my usual thorough checks of the sale rail (I do love a sale rail even when I'm being treated) amazingly I found the dress in my actual size and reduced to half price! I tried it on and it still looked perfect, it even did up this time, so I grabbed Phil to pay and unbelievably it was further reduced! It actually felt like a fairy tale, now I need somewhere to wear it and feel like a princess! (so many exclamation marks but I'm just so happy with my luck).

I am actually wearing this dress as I type, it's my perfect shape and style! Dorothy Perkins bring out a dress every year in a multitude of colours/prints and I always fall in love and try the collect them. I have 2 others like this one already (leopard print & pink with black lace) and have the plain black next on my list! It's nice that it makes Phil so happy to see me wearing the dress a lot too.

Finally (I was definitely spoiled rotten!) I got this lovely underwear set from boux avenue, Phil was pretty embarrassed in the shop but I was in my oils! The set is beautiful with some real luxury touches like metal clasps and fixings and the fit is really good too, so I will be heading back there soon!

My family have always tried to make a lot of effort for birthdays but I've learnt as I've got a little older that I prefer a more relaxed day as sometimes the pressure to have fun spoils it (it's always the same with new years eve too!) so I definitely prefer to keep things low key, shopping and food is my perfect day anyway!

Do you go all out for birthday? Or treat it like any other day?

Ah this epic birthday post is finally over, hope you didn't mind me rambling on!

Cariad xxx

Birthday Post (Part 1)

My 22nd birthday was on Tuesday 31st! (I know I'm so late posting this it's hardly worth it!) but I really wanted to show you what I got up to.

The weekend before my birthday I took a trip to visit my boyfriend Phil in his new home which is only a short train ride from Westfield shopping centre *some perks after all!*

Since my boyfriend is a little bit clueless when it comes to gift buying (he does try but I'm just so fussy) we usually agree to go on a shopping trip, since that is probably my favourite bit anyway and it's nice to be spoiled for a day.

On the actual day of my birthday I was lucky that Phil was off work (very lucky as he only managed to book it the Friday before) and we had a chilled morning of opening my pressies which were mostly the items I had picked out in and a few nice surprises too. Then we traveled to my mums house and I opened more cards and a few little gifts off family as my iPad was the main pressie off my family. I even got some unexpected birthday money so we headed straight to Cardiff to spend it!

I will post the bits and bobs I bought in Cardiff in a few days as I bought some really nice make up that I have been lusting over for ages!

In the evening all the family came over for an Indian takeaway, my absolute favourite food I could eat chicken makhani everyday!

My little sister is a keen baker so I convinced her to make me a Victoria sponge which I think she did beautifully, I don't like icing or butter cream so she used fresh cream in my special cake and it was lovely, also it was a great excuse to eat it all in one evening! (I even convinced her to model the cake for me)

I love my cake and the glittery 22 and star shaped sparklers made it really special!

These are my little surprise pressies, the Cath Kidston items are a notecard set which is really pretty and I love the idea of writing nice little notes to people especially now most of my friends live around the country after uni, then there is a set of 3 mini notebooks which are the perfect handbag size and I'm a prolific list writer so I see them being so useful and finally a paper writing set, I think Phil got a bit carried away with the Cath K stationary but now I have no excuses, so I better send some letters out!

Underneath is another notepad of my mum which is from a really pretty range including pencil cases and even bags, I have already adopted this as my new blog book and the first few pages are already full of exciting ideas! The items in the bottom right corner are all bits my sister brought back from her trip around Thailand and Indonesia which I may include in their own post in a few days.

I received this lovely bracelet which I think is amethyst from my boyfriends mum along with some birthday money too, I've not heard of the range before but it's lovely and I see myself wearing this a lot.

The earrings were my main present off my boyfriend as I asked for some white gold studs that I can wear everyday but I didn't say what style or shape and this is what he picked, I think they are lovely and I havent taken them off yet!

I will be posting a Part 2 post later today providing I actually get it written!

Cariad xx

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey

One of the main reasons I picked up this Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain is because I had heard that the shade Honey was really difficult to get hold of (there were loads in the boots in Swansea!) it was also on an introductory offer of £5.99 which is £2 less than it will usually be.

The colour of the tube is a little bit deceiving as its a very pale pinky shade which didn't interest me at all, but I picked it up any way just to see what the fuss was and the shade inside is a much more wearable pinky nude so I'm very glad I did pick it up.

The difference in colour is pretty clear in this picture, the packaging ,although the wrong colour, is very nice as its clear to see which shade is which in the range and looks very pretty in all the colours, it's quite modern and I will be happy to be seen applying this. The crayon style of this is really easy to apply and reminds me of the Clinique Chubb sticks. I have been rotating it as I apply to try and keep the point as you twist it up from the bottom rather than sharpening it, which should save lots of product.

This is my perfect 'my lips but better' shade and is perfect for everyday easy application, I could get away with a slick of this and some mascara on lazy days! The balm stain has a sweet minty scent which is very subtle and disappears pretty soon after application it's not my favourite lipstick scent but certainly doesn't bother me. For a balm the product is a lot more pigmented than I was expecting and has a nice lipsticky feel for the first few hours of wear, even when the feel fades there is a definite stain left but I think it is more noticeable in the brighter shades.

This is definitely my new favourite lippy and I will be repurchasing a few more at this price ASAP!

Have you bought any balm stains? Do you have a favourite 'my lips but better' lippy?

I'm gonna head back to watching the Olympics, I'm so obsessed!

Cariad xx

Benefit b.right!

A few months ago I bought this benefit skincare set to test out, I couldn't believe that it was only £10 in Debenhams, my friend Zoe also bought the set so I have included her thoughts too.

I have normal/dry skin and usually use Clinique 3 step skincare and Zoe has dry and extremely sensitive skin she doesn't use a particular skincare regime as her needs change.

The set consists of 6 sample size skincare products from the b.right! range so each one works out at less than £1.70 which I think is really good value and a great chance to test the products out without splurging on the whole set.

The set was nicely packaged, as expected with benefit products! I love the pattern on the box and found the clear plastic inner bag made the whole set really easy to carry around. The small bottles are almost exact miniatures of the full size with glass and cute dots which I love, but I do find it difficult to get the product out of the small glass bottles. I also thought the wash and exfoliator could have been bigger as I ran out of these a lot quicker than the other products but Zoe ran out of the moisturisers much sooner than me.

The kit includes, triple performance facial emulsion, moisture prep toning lotion, foamingly clean facial wash, refined finish facial polish, total moisture facial cream and it’s potent eye cream.

1. Foamingly clean facial wash - I loved this wash it felt soft luxurious and foamed up really well it didn't make my face feel tight like many washes and didn't irritate my eyes or nose at all.

2. Triple performance facial emulsion- this wasn't my favourite as it felt quite sticky on my skin, it moisturised well but I just didn't like the feeling.

3. It's potent eye cream - being an eye cream newbie I wasn't sure what to expect from this, it felt very nice going on and easily sank into the skin without looking greasy but I think I would need to use this for a lot longer to notice any changes.

4. Refined finish exfoliator - I really liked this product I used it 2 or 3 times a week and felt like it made such a difference I will definitely be buying it full size.

5. Moisture prep toning lotion - I loved this too, it felt nice so nice going on and was a much nicer experience than the usual harsh and burned toners I use.

6. Total moisture facial cream - this cream was perfect for use at night as it felt really moisturising and was so thick and creamy. It is very expensive full price which would put me off purchasing especially as I wouldn't use this during the day as it is too heavy.

Overall I would say the set it's definitely worth buying and would make a great gift, the standout products for me were the wash, exfoliator and toning lotion. The biggest let down was the facial emulsion as it didn't suit me at all which is such a pity as I like to have a matching skincare set!

Zoe's review

1. What do you think of the packaging?
Good packing, loved the little clear bag as I've managed to keep all the items together.

2. Did you find the products easy to use?
I don't think there were instructions on what order to use them in so I just guessed - not sure where the toner was meant to come into it! The products were great as they didn't irritate my sensitive skin.

3. Did any products stand out to you?
Night cream, smells amazing.

4. Did any disappoint you?
The day cream is very thin. I needed to use half the pot on my face in order for me to feel moisturised. (The other half of the pot was split over my desk - ooops)

5. Did you find the sample size enough to test?
I felt there was more in the moisturisers than in the wash and exfoliator I was worried they were going to run out first.

6. Would you say the pack was good value for money
Yes definitely.

7. Would you repurchase the sample pack?
Possibly. I only liked the night cream and the exfoliator as I thought the Day cream was too thin, I didnt think the Eye cream did very much and the face wash was nice but I wouldn't pay full price for a big bottle.


8. Would you repurchase any products full size?
I have already bought a big tub of night cream :D (it was expensive though £26 oosh!)

9. Any final thoughts?
Overall I enjoyed using the products and have converted from my old moisturiser as much nicer smell and can see better results with benefit ... Just wish the range was a margin cheaper .....


What do you girls think of skincare sample sets? Do any of you use benefit skincare?

Cariad xx