Wednesday 27 May 2015

Cheapies! #2




Another Cheapies post today, because who doesn't love a bargain right?

And on Ebay, there are just so many! Today the focus is on jewellery, see what you think of these beauties!


Charm Layer Necklace £1.00 - How pretty is this! I love these kind of necklaces!


Diamante Flower Studs 99p - These earrings are so pretty, definitely going on my ebay wish list! 


Owl Charm Pendant 99p - Twit twoooo, I want to buy yoooou!


Black Tattoo Stretchy Choker 99p - I see these have made a comeback and I feel old as I remember having one as a kid first time round!  


Flower Necklace 99p - Make a statement with this flower necklace, I love how this type of necklace can dress up a plain outfit! 

Please note all images are taken from listings and are not mine.

Hope you enjoyed my cheapies, there are some gems on ebay right!? (get it, gems.....time to sign off methinks!)

Thanks for reading,

Wench x




 

Monday 25 May 2015

Mask Monday! #3



It's Monday again already! Mask Monday time! 

And just to throw you off I've got a hair mask to show you today! Who said Mask Monday was all about face masks eh?! 

So anyway, here I have Lee Stafford For Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length Treatment and I had my eye on this a while as it's a bit on the pricey side (for me!) at £8.49 (RRP) but when I saw it on a good offer I thought it's now or never! 

So does it work? I can't say yes definitively but I feel my hair is growing quicker than usual AND past the length it usually gets to before it stops. I can't decide if it's because I'm paying attention to the length of my hair more, like a placebo effect if you will, or if it's actually working, but I feel like it is.

You apply this treatment in between shampoo and your conditioner, however I don't use conditioner (shock horror!) so I just use this after shampooing and slather a load through my hair paying more attention to the roots and scalp and then leave it for 5 minutes before rinsing it out. I did wonder if I'd like this product as I'm not really into deep conditioners because I feel they make my hair lank and oily after using them (my hair is oily enough as it is!) but this felt like a deep conditioner when using it, and my brush slid easily through my hair as it would if I'd used conditioner but the day after my hair just felt like washed hair, with none of that oiliness I seem to get after using conditioner. Definitely a win for me!

I will definitely re purchase this as long as it's on a good offer (which it seems to be fairly often) at the moment you can get yours in store or HERE at Boots 2 for £10!

Thanks for reading!

Wench x     

Friday 22 May 2015

Lacura Make Up from Aldi!


Be prepared for a pic heavy post. I've just discovered how to do collages and got a bit excited!

However, you may remember a while back I bought some products from Aldi (see that post HERE), I've reviewed the skin care items already but today I have the make up items for you!

First up is the Lacura Wonder Curl Mascara £2.39 and for such a cheap mascara I'm so impressed, the pictures speak for themselves really. The brush is a bristle brush and it's curved and I find this kind of brush really easy to work with. It's by no means the best mascara I've ever used but as far as cheap mascaras go I've never found a good one....until now!


Now for the Lacura Eyeliner £1.99 I really wish I could say this was as good as the mascara but I'm afraid I can't. For me, it didn't stay on and the only way I could use it was smudged out (like in the photo above). It's a soft pencil and it smudges super easily but unfortunately it doesn't stay put and slides down the eye as the day wears on.


Finally, the Lacura CC Cream £3.99, and I liked this. The picture inserted above is me (obviously!) wearing the mascara, liner and CC cream only. I found the CC cream shade (which is light) to be a good match for my skin, this impressed me as I find when products have limited shade ranges the light shade is usually too dark for me and goes on orangey (not a good look!). The only problem I had was that once dried, it went a slightly darker shade, this wasn't too noticeable but I had to make sure I blended this thoroughly on my neck otherwise you could see it once it dried. Other than that it's an excellent product, it evened out my skin tone and offers a fair bit of coverage without being heavy. This is ideal for day to day wear and I found I can use this without applying powder over the top. 

I hope you enjoyed my review, have you tried any of these?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x









Wednesday 20 May 2015

The Hidden Braid




 


This is the hidden braid and I first saw this on Hair Romance blog HERE (which has a complete how-to guide!), and when I saw this I thought I have to try it out. Hair Romance does a much better job of it than me but I thought I'd show you my rough attempt in my own hair.

I really like that this style looks like a normal, uninteresting pony tail from the front and then you see the back and there's a sneaky little braid saying peekaboo! 

Anyway, if you haven't already you really should head over to Hair Romance, there's loads of hair ideas, tips, tricks, and tutorials!

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

Monday 18 May 2015

Mask Monday! #2



It's Mask Monday again! 

(The bottom right picture just shows how excited I am! And for my amusement!) 

Today's offering is in the form of Nip + Fab Deep Cleansing Fix it's not just a mask, you can remove make up with it and apply it directly on spots as a treatment, I love this stuff, it's not the first time its appeared on my blog (you can see my previous post on this HERE).

For today's purposes were just talking how it performs as a face mask. It has a creamy texture and is fresh feeling on the skin, the eucalyptus scent is refreshing but it is strong and may put people off trying it. It doesn't sting but it does have a slight tingle which wears off after a little while, because of this if your skin is sensitive you might want to give this one a miss. I like a tingle, it makes me feel like a product is doing something but blemish products do have a tendency to sting, however, this does not! I usually wipe this off with a muslin cloth and then rinse my face to make sure there's none left behind and after I use this my skin feels nice and soft and really clean feeling (if you know what I mean) without my skin feeling dry or tight.  

I do feel like this product really does help keep my, at times troublesome, skin at bay and I regularly use it as a ten minute face mask while I'm chillin' in the tub!

The packaging has changed (mine is old packaging) but get yours HERE and rest assured it is the same thing!

Thanks for reading,

Wench x     


Friday 15 May 2015

Lacura Expert Skincare




It's review time again!

You might remember these from a couple of weeks back, when an Aldi shop turned into a little beauty haul! See my first post HERE to see what I bought. 

Now I've had some time to test them out I'm going to tell you my thoughts (that is how a review works after all!). We'll start with the Lacura Expert Intensive Care Beautifying Serum, I've used this morning and night since I've got it and my overall opinion is that it's not so great. It didn't break me out which is always a good thing, a little goes a long way, I only needed 3 drops to cover my face and after using my skin felt more moisturised but other than that I couldn't say there was a massive difference to my skin. A point to mention here is that at 25 I'm not massively in need of anti ageing (or at least I hope not!) and I'm not this products target audience so it may be better for someone who is a bit older. 

I did however have some gripes with this product, I found the dropper to be very irritating, it didn't seem to work very well, you press the top and it's supposed to draw the serum inside the dropper and then you press again to dispense, but it was really awkward to get it to dispense so I found myself just dipping it in and then wiping on my hand. The smell is quite off putting too, it smells like aniseed cough medicine and I found the formula to be quite sticky after it's applied. This does disappear when it's sunk in but I couldn't apply make up over this until the stickiness had gone. Unfortunately, Lacura Expert Intensive Care Beautifying Serum gets a thumbs down from me!

Now let's move on to the Lacura Expert Double Effect Eye Gel and this I'm quite impressed with! The gel is nice and cooling around my eyes which feels really nice as my eyes usually feel tired and feel quite hot (sounds strange but I'm sure you know what I mean!). The eye gel doesn't feel sticky like the serum does and it feels nice and light whilst making the skin around my eyes feel moisturised. I find darkness under my eyes is reduced and my eyes in general look more awake. Now I'm not saying it's the best eye cream in the world but for the tiny £3.99 price tag I'm really happy with it and I will use it up although I'd probably not repurchase it as there are other eye creams out there that I prefer to this one. Lacura Expert Double Effect Eye Gel however does get a thumbs up. 

Thanks for reading,

Wench x     

Wednesday 13 May 2015

My First Smear


At the ripe old age of 25, a letter flops through my letter box inviting me to make an appointment for a cervical smear test.


Images like this one were all over the bloggosphere not that long ago and it inspired me to share my own experience. 

To be honest, that wasn't the first letter I'd had about going for a smear but the first time I got the letter I was pregnant and therefore couldn't have it done. It was actually a GP at my doctors surgery that reminded me to make an appointment. 

Now I know it's not a pleasant thing and I realise not everyone will want to read about this, so I invite you to tune out now if you don't want to read about lady parts, foofs, vajayjays, fanny's, muff's or whatever word you like to substitute vagina for! 

For the sake of this post I'm going to use the term lady parts, yes it may seem rather immature but I don't like the word vagina so I'm not going to use it, simple as.

Before I went I had a nice bath, to make sure everything was nice and clean "down there" and it helped me to relax a bit too. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous but after having a baby and also having had the coil in the past it doesn't really phase me. 

The nurse called me into the treatment room and explained that results take around two weeks to come back and that they also check for HPV (human papilloma virus) which is common in the general population and just means you may be slightly higher risk. If this is detected you may be referred for a colposcopy (where a microscope is used to look for abnormalities). Please don't freak out, that's only IF they find anything abnormal, and an abnormality DOES NOT mean you have cancer. Abnormal cells could lead to cancer if not treated, but that doesn't mean it will! The idea here is that prevention is better than a cure. 

So on with the procedure, the nurse asked me to remove my clothing and underwear from the waist down. She pulled curtains around and asked me to tell her when I was ready. This way you don't have to undress in front of anyone. I wore a dress for practicality, it's easy access and goes a small way of covering up your decency. I lay on the bed and the nurse asked me to pull my knees up, put my heels together and then spread my knees apart. She inserted a small speculum (like a plastic tube, about the size of a tampon, lubed up with KY jelly) into my lady parts so she could see my cervix.

Now my experience was different to most in that my cervix is at a funny angle (I have been told before that I have a retroverted uterus, it just means it tips backwards rather than forward) and therefore was asked to lie on my side and hold my leg so she could get better access. She then swabbed my cervix (with a cotton swab, like a long ear bud) removed the speculum and all was done. She then left the curtained area while I got dressed.

The whole thing was over in 5 minutes and although it's uncomfortable it's not painful. If you've had your letter, go and get it over and done with. I certainly want to be around for my son and my family, it's so worth doing, it's 5 uncomfortable minutes that could save your life!

For more information see the NHS website HERE

Feel free to ask me any questions,

Thanks for reading,

Wench x 

Monday 11 May 2015

Mask Monday!




Time for a new series!

Introducing Mask Monday! A place for reviews on various different face masks (believe it or not!) each week. I'm going to kick start with Superdrug Clearly Youthful Peel Off Mask.


The first thing I want to say about this is when I say it's a peel off mask, I actually mean it. It's addictive, like peeling PVA glue off your hands when you were a kid! It also means less mess and less faff which is also a good thing! It comes in a tube so you get more than one use out of it unlike the sachet kind of masks but it does cost a bit more at £6.99 however it's usually on some kind of offer (currently BOGOF). 

The thing that really impresses me about this is that it is anti-blemish, youth boosting, spot fighting, anti-shine AND anti-ageing, a combination you don't often see but really appeals to me as a twenty-something who wants to keep ageing at bay but also still gets oily and blemished skin.

There are a couple of things to bear in mind with this product and that is firstly, the smell is quite a strong chemically smell which may put people off and it also tingles. For me tingling isn't a problem, I feel like it's working its magic but if your skin is sensitive or you just don't like tingling then this is probably not for you.

Superdrug Clearly Youthful Peel Off Mask is available at larger Superdrug stores or online HERE

Thanks for reading,

Wench x   



Friday 8 May 2015

My Korean/Japanese Make Up Stash




I thought I'd share my Eastern make up stash today!

So first up are the Etude House Fresh Cherry Tints, I have three of these and as the name suggests they are lip tints. When first applied they don't seem to do much but after a little while you get a really vibrant colour from them (especially the red one) and they stay put for ages although they can be quite drying after a while. 

Next up is Fairy Drops Tokyo Mascara, and let's just admire how adorably cute the packaging is! This is a cult classic in Japan and I can see why, I get lots of volume from this.

The Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion foundation is an usual one, it's a cushion soaked in foundation with a sponge that you press into the product and then tap on your face. It gives a really nice air brush effect although I did find it a bit time consuming I enjoyed using this and need to buy a refill (which is also a good thing, you don't have to repurchase the full thing). 

I also have the Skin79 BB Powder, which is good for when your out and about for touch ups during the day (not that I tend to touch up much) as the packaging houses a mirror, the powder and has what I can only describe as a shelf which holds the sponge out of the powder (I'm sure there is probably a technical term for this and I'm being a bit dense). At first I really liked the packaging, but I've had two of these so far and this "shelf" always breaks in my make up bag and then it doesn't close properly, which is very annoying!

Sticking with Skin79, I have the Super Beblesh Balm (don't ask me what "Beblesh" means!) and my mum and I really like this and have repurchased it many times (which really is something as I tend not to stay loyal to one thing). It only comes in one shade which is pale (as the Koreans like it that way) which suits me as I'm quite a ghostly shade! It goes on quite thick but once applied doesn't look it at all and the coverage is great. Western BB creams don't even come close!

Next up is the Tony Moly Cat's Wink powder and again, let's admire the cute packaging, and yes, that is why I bought it I'm not even going to lie. It comes with a mirror and a sponge and you know what? The powder is actually really nice and finely milled and sets make up without being cakey. 

Finally is the Etude House Face Conditioning Cream, this makes a great base for make up whilst balancing oily/combination skin and is also anti-wrinkle. Everything my face wants in a nice big tube!

I think it's also worth mentioning that eastern make up tends to have a high SPF in it which makes sense as the country they come from is very sunny, this doesn't bother me in the slightest and actually it's important to protect your skin, even in our rubbish weather!

I purchase most of my eastern products from the eopenmarket website HERE and I've never encountered any problems but bear in mind these things take a while to come in the post being from so far away.

Thanks for reading,

Wench x 


Wednesday 6 May 2015

P*ss Easy Quesadillas



Ever get stuck in a lunchtime rut?

I do and although I may not be in work at the moment (I'm on maternity leave) it always seems when lunchtime comes along I always go for the same old, same old sarnie. Don't get me wrong I love a good buttie but sometimes I feel like a change. Today, I decided I fancied something different and remembered a really simple recipe (I don't even think you can call it that) that my brother once showed me. 

Now I'm hopeless at cooking so if I can do this then a toddler could do it! All you need is:
  • Tortillas (the floppy kind!)
  • Tomato purée, ketchup or salsa (I used tomato paste as it's all I had in! You can use whatever you fancy.) 
  • Whatever you like as a filling. You could use cheese, any veggies or meat that you fancy, I'm a vegetarian and as this was a rather impromptu idea I used peppers, cheese and mixed herbs as it's all I had in at the time!   


All you need to do is spread your tomato sauce (or whatever your using) all over your tortilla, add your fillings (here I used cheese, peppers and mixed herbs) to one side of your tortilla and fold over. Pop your folded quesadilla under a medium grill until it turns crispy and golden brown. I don't have a set time for this, I just keep an eye on it until it's done, it's no more than a few minutes. 
   

Et voila! Tasty quesadillas that are p*ss easy to make and a change from your usual lunchtime bite! You can have loads of fun with these the possibilities are endless, you could top these with more cheese and swap the filling out with whatever you want!

Bon Appetit!

Thanks for reading,

Wench x 

Monday 4 May 2015

Monochrome Nails. No tools required!

It's been a while since I did me some nail art so I thought I'd knuckle down and do some! And guess what? No tools required! 


Without further ado let me show you what I did!


You'll need a bobby pin, some cello tape, and some to blob your nail polish on (I used the shiny cover of a magazine!).

  

First things first, file your nails to your desired shape (I prefer mine oval but whatever shape you like), and make sure you use a base coat. This gives our nails strength and prevents discolouration from nail colours (and trust me, I've skipped this before and ended up sporting yellow tinged nails - not a good look!)

Next, give a thought to what patterns you want. It's much easier and clean looking to put black patterns over our white polish, however I find white polka dots over black polish is fine. We can be as creative as we like so have fun. I painted two nails black and three white in preparation for the patterns I wanted to put on top.

You can do your patterns free hand if you want to but my skills aren't great so you can use cello tape as a template, all you have to do is cut your tape to size, and stick it on your hand and pull it off a couple of times so it's not as sticky, THIS IS IMPORTANT or it will pull your nail polish off. Use your tape as a template like this:
 

The same principal can be used for straight lines and other patterns. Now onto the polka dots and that's where your bobby pin comes in. Stretch your bobby pin apart, blob some nail polish (on whatever your blobbing your polish on), dip one end of your bobby pin in the blob of polish and use it to make your dots. Work quickly, and keep blobbing polish as it will start to dry out and go gloopy. Make sure you only use one end of your bobby pin for one colour, don't want them mixing! 


Finally, once everything has dried apply your top coat to seal everything off and make your designs last longer! All done!

Thanks for reading!

Wench x 
  


  

Friday 1 May 2015

Freebie Friday! #7




With a new month comes new magazine freebies!



Marie Claire are giving their readers a free Neal's Yard Hand Cream worth £10 each and there are 3 to collect!

InStyle are giving their readers a free Clinique Smart Serum worth £11 each!

I think I'm definitely going to give the Clinique freebie a whirl as I've never actually tried anything from Clinique before as it's waaaaaaaay over my budget usually!

Thanks for reading!

Wench x