Top 5 For Under £5

Hey guys! Some of you who have been reading my blog for a long time may remember that I did a "Top 5 For Under £5" post way back in March last year. As it is coming up for a year since I did that post, I thought it would be about time for an updated top 5 for under £5! These are just a few of my favourite products, for under £5, that I have gathered in the past year, and they would be great for anybody on a budget who would still like some lovely products. 

Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturiser - £4.99 (currently £3.99 at Boots) To start off is the Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturiser! I first heard about this on Kayleigh's blog a little while ago and loved the idea of it. It is basically a canned moisturiser that you spray onto your skin, quickly rub it in and it dries within seconds! 

I am definitely one of those people who rarely bother with body moisturisers because I just find them too time consuming and a hassle, so when I saw this I had to buy it. I have been really impressed with it so far, it smells lovely and fresh, almost almondy! Although the most important thing is that it dries very quickly, and leaves my skin soft for a long time. There are also a couple of other versions of this, an aloe vera one and a cocoa butter one! 

Nivea Creme - £3.39 for 200ml I had heard that Nivea Creme was an amazing dupe for the Creme De La Mer (which costs an astonishing £1300 for just 500ml), which obviously tempted me to try Nivea's version! When I spotted it in Sainsburys half price, I couldn't resist getting and I am so happy that I did. This is one of those moisturisers that you can use anywhere, however so far I have only used it on my face! It is one, if not the, best moisturiser that I have tried to get rid of dry skin. I did a review of this lovely product a couple of months ago here if you would like a little more detail!

Nivea Raspberry Rose Lip Butter - £2.10 Surprisingly I had never tried any of Nivea's lip balms before, meaning when I heard lots of people raving about the lip butters (mainly MissGlamorazzi) I decided to give them a try, especially considering they were so cheap! It is definitely one of my go-to lip balms, and I've had this little pot since late 2012, plus I still have at least half left, so it's definitely value for money. There are a few other "scents", however I mainly chose Raspberry Rose for its smell, it is one of the best smelling products that I own! The scent is rather sweet - very much like raspberry but a bit more sweeter. It leaves my lips extremely soft and stays on my lips for ages!

Natural Collection Waterproof Mascara - £1.99 I would say that this is possibly my favourite of the five! I was desperately searching for a waterproof mascara during the summer that actually worked and didn't cost loads. I then noticed this and remembered using a few of the Natural Collection mascaras a few years ago, so I decided to give this a go - I really was right to pick it!

It never flakes off at all, and I have quite oily eyelids so it would be perfect for anybody who is similar to me! After over 8 hours of wearing it I still find that it is pretty much the same as when I first applied it. I rarely end up with any clumps when applying it, and if I do they can easily be removed with an eyelash/eyebrow comb! Plus I've had the tube that I am currently on since about July, using it most days, and I still have quite a bit left. The best bit though is the price, for all those wonderful things it only costs £1.99 from Boots!

Maybelline Color Tattoos - £4.99 Finally the Maybelline Color Tattoos! These are constantly being talked about amongst bloggers and I really do understand why. Currently I only have two shades (Metallic Pomegranate and On & On Bronze) and whilst yes, I would like to buy others, I'm just not too keen on the other shades! In America they have a lot larger shade range, so I really hope that Maybelline bring them over to the UK soon. 

They are really easy to apply, and the formulations are gorgeous! My only real problem with them is the lasting power! I always have to wear them with a primer, because if I don't they crease within minutes, however with the primer they last for hours (I'm talking 8 hours+ here). I did actually do an in-depth review about these a few months ago here if you would like to hear more about them.

They are my top 5 products for under £5! I hope you enjoyed this post and that is of some use to some of you. I would also love to know if you have done a post similar to this in the past! 

What are your favourite products for under £5?

My Diamond Advertiser for January is Niamh from Niamh's Dream!

What I Got In The After-Christmas Sales

Hey guys! Today's post is going to be about what I got in the after-Christmas sales. I didn't actually get much this year, and only got some things from Boots and Lush! Normally I get a lot of stuff in the Boots 50% off sale, but it just didn't seem as good as previous years. This was my first time getting something in a Lush sale, because I completely forgot about it in 2012! Now, onto what I bought..

I will start with the few bits from Boots first! One of the first things I bought was the Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Set (£14.67), which contains a full sized Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara, a mini Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover and a mini Crayon Khol Pencil Eyeliner. I had hoped to get the Hypnose Star set, however it was sadly sold out, but I was still happy to get this because I've never tried anything from Lancome! Next was a No7 Set (£8) that contains a bronzer/highlighter hybrid compact (which is unbelievably pretty) and a round kabuki brush. The bronzer/highlighter has three "sections" - a simple white shade, a rose gold shade and a coppery shade! The brush isn't particularly soft, but it is still a pretty good brush. 

The other beauty set that I picked up was the Soap & Glory Eyes Box (£8). I spotted this and loved the look of it! It contains a full sized Thick & Fast, a Smoulder Kohl Pencil Eyeliner, a mini eyeshadow brush and six eyeshadows which contains some gorgeous shades (I found a photo on Google of all of the shades so I will link it here). The last thing from Boots was some Monty Bojangles Orange Truffles (£2)! I haven't tried these before and since they were only £2 I thought that I would. I'm not really very keen on these though, they are extremely sweet and I don't have a sweet tooth at all!

Now onto Lush! Sadly a few products had already sold out online, such as Candy Mountain, but I got a few other products to keep me going throughout the year! The first thing that I got was three of my favourite product from Lush, the Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic (£1.75 each). It is definitely one of the prettiest bath ballistics that Lush do, mainly because of how it makes the bath water shimmery! I then got two Melting Snowmen Bath Melt (£1.12), which is another one of my favourites and smells lovely. I only got the one Cinders Bath Ballistic (£1.22), which contains popping candy, meaning that I had to get one! It smells exactly like fruit punch, which I love. The last product that I bought was the Magic Wand Bubble Bar (£2.47)! I had had my eye on this since it came out in 2012, but always resisted the temptation to buy it because £4.94 is quite a lot, however when I saw it at half price I caved and bought it. I am so glad that I did! It smells absolutely amazing, and exactly like bubblegum, so I'm really happy with that purchase.

On top of those lovely things, I was kindly given three little samples! The first was some Unlucky For Dirt Bar Soap (I believe they are no longer selling it), which smells like rose Turkish delight. Next was a little pot of The Greeench Deodorant Powder and I have absolutely no idea if and how I will use it! The last was a little pot of Whoosh Shower Jelly. I love the smell of this, it smells very citrusy and fresh (I may wait until Spring to use it) and I can't wait to try it! 

That is everything that I bought in the after-Christmas sales! I was really happy about what I got this year, and they were all great deals. 

Did you get anything in the after-Christmas sales?

My Diamond Advertiser for January is Niamh from Niamh's Dream!

What I Got For Christmas 2013

Hey guys! I can't believe that we are already over halfway through January, this year is going quick already! Today's post is about what I got for Christmas in 2013. I realise that I have left this really late, but better late then never right! Like in my "What I Got For My Birthday 2013" post I want to clarify that I am in no way bragging or showing off, I just wanted to do this as I love reading these sort of posts because they always give me ideas of what to buy (or put on my birthday/Christmas list).

First, starting with makeup! I received the Nars Creamy Concealer in Vanilla because it is my favourite concealer. I've had the tube that I am currently using since about April last year, and I still have lots left so this is for putting in my storage! The other makeup item was the Smashbox Try It Kit. I knew that I was going to get this because I got my Mum to order it when it was on offer at Boots at half price, and I had never used any Smashbox products before so this little kit seemed great! The only brush that I got was the Real Techniques Shading Brush which I can't wait to use as Real Techniques brushes are my favourite.

I actually got quite a few nail polishes, the first being the OPI Matte Top Coat! I had asked on Twitter what was everybody's favourite matte top coat, and this was by far the most recommended. Next was an Essie set of 3 polishes in the shades Leading Lady, Limo Scene and Adore A Ball! I spotted this in Tk Maxx in about November, and it was only £7.99, which is the cost of just one Essie polish making it an amazing deal. The last nail polish was the Ciate Very Colourfoil Manicure Kit! I have never tried any Ciate polishes before, and they are always raved about so much, so I'm looking forward to trying this. 

For skincare and moisturisers I received Marks & Spencer Nature Extract Spiced Cranberry Body Butter, which I love the smell of! I also got another body butter, but this was The Body Shop Shea Body Butter which has become one of my favourite products. Like my birthday, I got another of the Loreal Post Party SOS sets that included the Loreal Micellar Water and Loreal Triple Active Day Moisturiser! Another The Body Shop product that I received was a little Ginger Sparkle Set - this included a hand cream and little nail file with gingerbread men on!

The last few beauty bits I received was the Nivea Luscious Lips Set which contained two lip butters and two "stick" lip balms! The other two The Body Shop products, in one of my favourite scents, were the Shea Body Mist and Shea Shower Cream. The only Soap & Glory set that I got was the Soap & Glory I'm Your Manicure Set which has a tube of Hand Food hand cream, Scrub & Happiness hand scrub, Pink Soda nail polish, three sided nail buffer, moisture gloves and cuticle stick in it! I'm really looking forward to trying all these products out (although the Hand Food is already one of my favourites), especially the hand scrub because I've never seen a scrub for your hands before. Lastly is the Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray! I had this on my Christmas/Birthday wishlist and it was definitely one of the products I really wanted to try. So far it has been pretty good, I admit it's not as amazing as the hype led me to believe, but it is still nice!

I only received a few pieces of clothing this year because my wishlist was definitely centred more around beauty stuff! The first thing was some Black Slipper Boots from George (Asda), they are fur lined inside and fit my feet really well because they don't fall off everytime I take a step, and with little, very narrow feet that's a real problem for me. Next was a Cable Print Heat Retaining Top, also from George! It is quite thin but really retains heat well, and I am pretty sensitive to the cold, so this will be good. The final item from George was a Reindeer Christmas Jumper! This is really cute because the two reindeer are nose-to-nose with a little red pompom where they meet, whilst the rest of the top is white. I wore this on Christmas day with a pair of Zara leggings and I think that they looked nice together! The last couple of clothing bits that I received were two packs of socks. The first were some "Mistle Toes" Socks (I think that they were from B&M), which are five pairs of Christmas themed socks! The others were some Primark Fluffy Socks, which are one of my favourite things from Primark. 

This year I ended up with a huge amount of chocolate, but the funny thing is that I barely eat any chocolate at all - I have only eaten about a sixth of this lot so far! I did ask for the Lindt Stracciatella Cookies & Cream Truffles because they seriously taste amazing and aren't too sweet. I then received a pack of four Crunchies, which used to be one of my favourite chocolates. I got a few things from Thorntons, four of which were from the Continental range - two of the Milk, Dark & White Boxes, a bag of Viennese Truffles and a Continental Selection Box. There was also a bag of Turkish Delight and two miniature chocolates (a little Alpine Log with a marzipan robin on and a little Christmas Pudding Truffle!)

My iPhone dock broke during the summer and since then I have been having to put up with no speakers and using the standard cable charger, so it was pretty good when I received the Groove i-Speaker Dock 20! The sound quality is amazing, and it is generally a great dock. Next I got a set of three LED Pillar Candles (which have become a part of my new photo background) and are one of my favourite presents! They all change colour using the remote and really do look like real candles. The other LED candles that I received were three LED Bird Tealights from Wilkinsons, and they are so cute! 

Last of all is the assorted other things that I received! First of all was the No7 Illuminated Make-Up Mirror, which I admit I knew I was getting, but I was still so happy to receive it. I had been needed a new mirror for ages, and this one is perfect, I especially love the built in lights! I had put the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual on my wishlist aswell, and it is a great book. It's really useful because it has lots of little tips in it and I'm looking forward to reading it all (again!) I've been baking since I was about seven and enjoy it, so the Cake Recipe Book by Rachel Allen will hopefully give me more inspiration about what to cook. There are some lovely looking recipes in it and I don't own a recipe book by Rachel Allen meaning this should be fun to try! Last of all was a Kenwood KMix Freestanding Mixer Cover. I bought my mixer about one/two years ago and never got round to getting a cover for it. This one is vinyl so it is easy to clean and stops dust going on the mixer! 

That is what I got for Christmas 2013! I loved all of the things that I got this year and can't wait to use/wear all of them.

What did you get for Christmas?

My Diamond Advertiser for January is Niamh from Niamh's Dream!

Christmas Present Swap With Kathryn From Effie

Just to address the elephant in the room, the 2nd photo is awful quality, I know

Hey guys! Today's post is going to be about what I got, last month, in the Christmas present swap I did with Kathryn, from Effie. We had decided to do a present swap after neither of us were in time to join any of the various present swaps already going on! We set a budget of £10 (not including the postage) and went on our way buying presents for each other. 

To start it off Kathryn included a little Estee Lauder makeup bag (which I believe she got from the car boot, so don't worry, she didn't spend loads on it) and it had a cute little bow and tag saying "open me!" Inside there was a Christmas card, but I thought the tag and bow was a nice touch. 

Now on with the makeup bits! I got a couple of eyeshadows from Natural Collection in the shades Asteroid, a really pretty brown shade with slightly bronze glitter, and Barley, a light golden/almost nude shade (which will be perfect for summer). The next makeup piece is a Collection Lasting Colour Lipstick in Vintage Rose (13), which is a dark dusty rose shade! I love this lipstick since it isn't at all drying and doesn't cling to any dry bits on my lips, good choice Kathryn - I'll have to look at the other lipsticks in this line! The final makeup related thing I got was also from Natural Collection, and it is one of their nail polishes in Burgundy, a gorgeous shimmery wine red shade. I didn't own a shade like this until now, it looks like it would make an amazing shade to do a "galaxy" nail design with, so I can't wait to test it out!

Kathryn then sent me 3 things from Marks & Spencer, the first being a little Magnolia set, from the Floral Collection - this included a mini hand wash, a guest soap and hand & nail cream! I haven't had anything Magnolia scented before, but I actually love the smell! It's quite fresh whilst being slightly floral, which means that it isn't one of those overly floral scents. The next was a Mango Lip Balm which I am yet to try, but it smells lovely, I may even go and put some on after I finish this post! I also received a Cocoa Butter Hand & Nail Cream, and as cocoa butter is one of my favourite scents, especially in moisturisers, I was really happy to get this. 

Lastly, I got one of my favourite products from Lush, the bubble bar Candy Mountain! This one is from the Christmas range, and it smells exactly like Snow Fairy (bubblegum), so if you like that, definitely look at Candy Mountain when it's next available. You really do need the smallest bit of it to make lots of bubbles, making it last for ages, to the point where I actually have some of a Candy Mountain from 2012!

Thank you so much to Kathryn for sending me such great presents, I hope she liked hers aswell! Make sure that you check out Kathryn's post about what she received from me here.

Have you ever taken part in a present swap?

My Diamond Advertiser for January is Niamh from Niamh's Dream!

Michael Todd True Organics Pumpkin Nutrient Rich Facial Mask // REVIEW

Hey guys! Sorry that this post is a day late, I do have a good explanation though! I was all ready to do this post yesterday however when I came to edit the photos (which I took on my old camera) in the evening, I found out that they looked really grainy and I couldn't bring myself to use them, which meant that I had to retake them today. Anyway, today's post is my review on the Michael Todd True Organics Pumpkin Nutrient Rich Facial Mask* (wow, that is a seriously long name) which I was sent in early November!

I had very high hopes for this product after hearing from so many people how amazing it is, and it has definitely lived up to those hopes! The only thing that I wasn't really looking forward to was the smell. The scent is definitely a really weird one, the best way I could describe it is a little like gone off pumpkin baby food, which I doubt anyone would like. To give it it's credit though, once I have it on my face for a minute or so I barely notice the smell, and it smells more like punch! As you can see from the swatch it is a very orangey colour, which thankfully doesn't leave any residue or colour on your skin!

You basically use the mask every one to two weeks, which for me is normally more on the two weeks end of the scale, and leave it on for around twenty minutes! It is suitable for all skin types, however be a little cautious if you have sensitive skin, as it is not recommended for it and I have heard of quite a few people have reactions after they ignore the warning.

After the first time I used this I really did notice a difference in my skin! It cleared up quite a few of the spots I had and reduced the redness on my cheeks, which I was really happy with considering I had only used it once. Everytime I seem to use it it honestly does seem to work even better than the previous time! Also whenever I see that I am starting to break out at all, I just use this and it completely stops anymore development. Another thing that I like is the fact that it doesn't dry my skin out, instead it moisturises and softens it!

I admit that it is on the pricey side at $34 (about £20) and you have to get it sent from America, however it really is worth it! I will definitely have to consider repurchasing it once I run out as it has made a big improvement to my skin.

Have you ever tried any products from Michael Todd True Organics?

My Diamond Advertiser is Niamh from Niamh's Dream!

Monthly Advertisers - January

Hey guys! Firstly, happy New Year, I can't believe that it is already 2014! Today I am here with my first ever "monthly advertisers" post where I tell you a little about my advertisers for the month. I only have the one advertiser this month meaning that Niamh pretty much gets this whole post dedicated to her - lucky her!

Diamond Advertiser

Blog | Bloglovin' | Twitter

My Diamond Package advertiser is the lovely Niamh from Niamh's Dream! Niamh is a beauty and lifestyle blogger from Ireland, who started her blog all the way back in June 2012. One of my favourite posts of hers is the "Taylor Swift's Perfumes 101" post she wrote a little while ago, because I recently bought Wonderstruck after reading it and love it! Niamh's posts are all well written and would appeal to lots of people, whether you are more into reading beauty, lifestyle or general chatty posts. Be sure to check out Niamh's blog here (and have a look at her lovely new design)!