100 day spending ban: Update 1

If you've been reading my blog for a while then you would know that I decided to do a hundred day spending ban which you can read here. I thought it might be interesting to let everyone know how I am doing as I go along and because of my lack of spending I thought I would include a wishlist of what I want to buy.

I'll start by saying I didn't think a spending ban would be this difficult which clearly shows me I spend way too much without actually realising that I'm spending it. For me, actually going shopping isn't a problem because I very rarely do it but I get tempted to shop online all the time! The biggest problem I have found is that being a blogger and reading blogs mean that I become aware of loads of deals and discounts that online shops are currently having and this tempts me a lot! I have almost bought things from H&M, the body shop and matalan, simply because they had deals but I didn't allow myself (go me!)

I'm going to be completely honest and say that I have bought three items but I have justified this as they are practical and not just things that I want to have. I bought a pair of boots (£9.90) for university as I want some comfortable boots which are also versatile, they were brand new and very cheap for boots! I also bought some slippers (£6.00) which I needed because I didn't have any and I love slippers, especially in the colder months so once again this is more of an necessity than a want. The last item I bought I don't feel guilty about at all because out of all three things I bought this was the one I didn't the most. I start university in less than two weeks now and so I bought a student planner so that I keep organised and it was extremely cheap (£1.99).

The items above are the items that are on my current wishlist! 

Black boots - Select

White converse - Bank

Mac lipstick & blush - Debenhams

Black studded leather jacket - New look

Black bag - New look

Ralph Lauren perfume - Debenhams

I hope this post wasn't too boring, thanks for reading!

xxx

My first graze box

Today's post is going to be slightly different than what I normally post but I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on the 'graze box' that I have recently tried out. I'm sure that many of you have heard of graze boxes and have probably tried them out for yourself but I thought it would be a good idea to share my experience on it with you all. 

The pictures above are of the graze box, the contents that I received and my voucher code so that you can all get your first box for free if you want to try it! 

The first time I heard of a graze box was on someone else's blog but I cannot remember the post (useless, I know!). I didn't sign up for a while but decided to finally try as it was free after all. The basic idea is that you pick a box (I chose snack box) and choose what items you would like to be given/what you wouldn't want to be given. For example I didn't want anything with cinnamon in because I hate the stuff so I just clicked 'bin it' and this meant that I would never be sent it. 

Once you have chosen what you would like to be sent you give your bank details (because only your first box is free) and your address, you then get to choose what day you want the box to be delivered. The boxes are around £3.80 per box.

I was happy with what I received and liked it all (I got toffee apple, billionaire shortbread, Korean chilli rice crackers and summer berry flapjack) - the flapjack was my favourite!

Would I pay for this box? No, I wouldn't spend that much on some snacks so all you do is cancel it once your free box has come and then you get a free box (this is what I did)

If you would like to try a box for free click here and use the code I was given: 51YTDLRD

Thanks for reading!

Have you tried graze boxes?

xxx

100 day spending ban

Hello

After reading Sophia's post here on doing a spending ban I decided that this is the perfect thing for me to do as I am ALWAYS spending money and then I constantly moan about how much money I have. I am currently unemployed and a full time student so I am relying heavily on my student loan to pay for things such as my car, car insurance, petrol etc.

I am forever spending money on the latest beauty items, DVD's, books and other pointless things: none of which I need. For example, in the past week I have bought 21 DVD's as well as an MUA haul, two Revlon balm stains and a Revlon lip butter (I didn't need any of it, I just WANTED it).

I have decided like Sophia, that the best way for me to do this spending ban is to set myself some rules about what I can spend money on etc.

Rules:

1. I am not allowed to spend money on ANY beauty products, DVD's, books or any other pointless items that I do not need for 100 days.

2. If I NEED something then I am only allowed to spend up to £2.00 on any one item.

3. The only things I am allowed to pay for completely is my petrol, car insurance and car tax.

I will try my hardest to stick to these rules and will do updates about how I am getting along (hopefully not failing!). As a treat for doing this I am going to purchase my first MAC lipstick, I know they're not that expensive but it's money I can't afford to always be spending.

So I will do this challenge from today, 6th September to the 14th December (think I counted that right). Wish me luck!

xxx

MUA haul!

Hello!

Recently I put in an order with MUA online, simply because I wanted the 'undressed' palette and it was on offer for £3! I ended up ordering more than I wanted (oops) but I got free stuff as well so it wasn't that bad.

The pictures below are of the products that I ordered. 

I bought:

- blusher shade 1 & shade 2

- lipstick shade 5

- nail varnish shade 16 & frozen yoghurt

- intense colour eyeliner pencil in jet black

- going for gold palette (Olympics limited edition)

- undressed palette

I got for free:

- eye dust shade 6

- extreme volume mascara shade 2 in black/brown

- false lashes: siren

Overall I'm extremely happy with what  I bought and separate reviews of the products will follow! I've tested out the palettes and I love them! I don't generally wear eye shadow but used 'undressed' the other day and got lots of compliments so will be using it frequently now! 

Thanks for reading

Have you tried any of these products?

xxx

Review: Revlon just bitten kissable balm stain in cherish

So once again I have caved and bought the latest craze is the bloggers world. I'm sure you've heard of Revlon just bitten kissable balm stains by now and if not, where have you been?!

What Revlon say:

It’s a pampering balm fused with a lightweight lipstain in an adorable chubby crayon. Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain gives softer, smoother lips with a perfect flush of color that lasts hour after hour. The gel formula comes in 12 vibrant shades that match any look or mood. 

-Lightweight Lipstain + Moisturizing Balm

-100% of women who tried it felt their lips were instantly moisturized with a soft stain of color

-Retractable chubby crayon, no sharpener required

I didn't really know what shade to buy because I don't wear bright colours on my lips and in the UK most of the RJBKBS colours available are bright. However, looking at other peoples review I loved the colour Cherish and decided that would be the first colour I would try. Every time I went into my local boots or superdrug they didn't have this colour so I decided to order it off eBay, it was only £5.99 with free delivery and the delivery was extremely quick so I was very happy! 

I was a bit unsure about whether I would actually like these balm stains as I'm not really a lip product person and for me to wear it I have to be extremely impressed. After trying the Revlon lip butters (you can read my post about them here) I had high hopes for this product as it was getting just as much praise from the blogging community and I was not disappointed!

The first thing I noticed about this product was that it was extremely easy to apply even though it looks like it would be quite difficult, it is extremely moisturising and I find the pigmentation very good for a lip balm product. I like my lip colours quite pale so using this product is perfect, however, if you want a brighter pint you can just use more of this product as it gives a lovely bright pink if more is used. 

Another thing I loved about this product is the minty scent, I have read that people don't like this but personally I loved it as it isn't too strong and doesn't smell like most lip products. As for the stain, I am extremely impressed. As you can see from the picture above, I swatched the colour on my hand and after taking this picture and wiping it off it has left a stain on my hand that has been on it all day and won't come off which shows the staying power of the stain is good!

Overall I found this product extremely moisturising and love the colour, I think I will probably now use this more than my loved lip butters *gasp*. I have already ordered Charm which is a nude colour but as this isn't available in England I am waiting for it to be shipped from America.

Thanks for reading

Have you tried these? What colours do you have? 

xxx

Purity skincare

Hello!

Today's post is on purity skincare products. I was kindly sent samples from 'purity' to try out and review on my blog and was shocked when I opened the package as I had received six full size products to try! 

"Purity Organic Skincare is a British brand, conceived and created to bring intelligent, sustainable and organic beauty to each and every one of us. Purity Organic Skincare is EcoCert certified, with 98% of the ingredients of natural origin and an average of 82% of the ingredients processed from organic farming."

The six products that I've received are facial wash, conditioning cleansing lotion make up remover, anti-ageing moisturiser, anti-ageing serum and mask, facial exfoliator and regenerating overnight moisturiser. I haven't tried all of the products as of yet so will keep you updated as I try them all. However, I have tried the overnight moisturiser and was impressed by how soft it made my skin, the only problem I had with it was the smell. I absolutely hated the smell and it almost put me off wearing it on my face, however it's made out of natural ingredients which is probably why it isn't scented.

Thanks for reading, like I have previously said, i'll continue to update you with the different purity products that I try and my thoughts on them.

xxx

Day out in Camden

So on Saturday my family and I decided to go to Camden in London for the day because even though I was born in London and lived there till I was seven we had never really been. My dad went to Camden market a couple of weeks ago and told us how brilliant it was so we decided to go for a family day out which is quite rare in my family as everyone has different schedules!

Sadly I only got to take one photo the whole day: this picture was taken from just outside the markets in Camden.

Let me start off by saying that Camden market is possibly the weirdest place I have EVER been in my life. It's absolutely huge but amazing. Most of the stalls are completely different from one another and there are loads of really cute vintage shops/stalls. There are so many good bargains but you definitely have to spend ages there! Outside the market there is a road full of shops also selling amazing things. I have literally never been so overwhelmed in my life, such a weird place!

I bought a new hoodie (comfy wear for winter) for £10, it's navy blue and says 'Oxford university' - I don't really know why I bought it but I loved it and it's so comfortable, definitely worth the money! I also bought a jumper for £10. The quality of the wool is amazing and it's so thick and comfortable (once again for winter). One thing I will say: some of the stalls sell the same product for different prices, the jumper was £20 but I found a stall selling it for £10 so I saved myself paying an extra £10! I also bought two t-shirts which were on offer for two for £10 just for lounging around. My favourite purchase is a gold Casio watch! If you read my holiday buys post then you will know that I bought a black Casio watch until I got a gold one. I bought a gold one for only £8 and I'm completely in love with it! The picture below is what I bought.

I had an amazing day out with my family and will definitely be visiting Camden again! If you live near the area and haven't been I would definitely recommend it as I'm pretty sure there is nothing else like it!

Thanks for reading

xxx