Monday 24 February 2014

Clothes & Beauty Haul

Hi everyone!

On Saturday me and my hubby had a day out shopping at the Trafford Centre (we live dangerously close to the Trafford Centre!!) and I made quite a few purchases! Oops!

Here's what I bought:




I really needed some new clothes for work and I spotted some smart black 'cigarette' trousers from Topshop which I picked up for only £22. These will be great for work when the weather improves. I'll get a nice pair of flats or loafers to go with them. 

I also got a smart monochrome top from Dorothy Perkins for £24 which will look great with black trousers or a skirt for work.


Whilst in DP's I saw this lovely black lace shirt by the concession brand LUXE for £28. I thought this might be nice for work too, but when I tried it on I actually really like it for casual wear too....it looks great with a nice glitzy collar necklace and skinny jeans...ideal for nipping out for a pub lunch!


I got these Real Techniques 'Core Collection' make up brushes with my Boots card points, they are £21.99 to buy so it was great to feel like I was getting them for free! I bought the starter kit a couple of weeks ago and I'm really liking the quality of these brushes so far. 


As soon as I saw this shirt in River Island I knew I had to try it on! It's brighter than anything I'd normally wear but I really liked it and thought it was a bargain for £25! It's a short length shirt but not too cropped that you can see all my belly (...I'm nearly 30 and my stomach isn't as toned as it used to be!!)


I'm loving my red MAC lipstick I bought a few weeks ago so I thought I'd treat myself to another one! I wanted a nice coral colour (to go with my new River Island shirt...obviously!) and after trying a few I decided on this Amplified Creme Lipstick in colour Vegas Volt for £15. 



I absolutely love this colour! It's a lovely vibrant coral and not too orange. I can see me getting a lot of use out of this through Spring and Summer.

I also bought a gorgeous new underwear set from Boux Avenue...but I won't post a photo of that as I don't know you all well enough yet to start showing you my bra and knickers! Haha! 

What do you think of my purchases? What have you been buying this week?

Shell x


Thursday 20 February 2014

Some Exciting News....

Let me start off by saying, "WWAAAAHHHHHHH!" I'm so excited to tell you all that I was asked to write a post for the online fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazine, A-Listed!!!



The lovely Editor-In-Chief, Sam Saeed, spotted my blog recently and contacted me to ask if I would like to write a post for them! I couldn't say no to that! I love reading A-Listed in my lunch break at work and lusting over the latest designer fashion finds that I can't afford! 

My article has now gone live on the site and you can read it by clicking the link below!


I'm so grateful to Sam and the team at A-Listed for this opportunity. Thanks again!

Shell x

Monday 17 February 2014

February's Love! Want! Need!

Hi everyone!

After the positive comments I received about my Love! Want! Need! post last month I've decided to make this a monthly feature! If you missed the last one it's just a quick post to let you know what I'm loving this month, what I want and what I need....simple!


LOVE!


I'm absolutely loving Soap & Glory's Hand Food hydrating hand cream. I honestly don't know how I lived without this little tube of loveliness in my handbag ! It leaves my hands feeling silky soft and it smells good enough too eat (perhaps something to do with one of the ingredients being marshmallow!)


WANT!

I'm not the best with technology but I really want to look into designing a new look for my blog to make it more personal. I'm going to have to do lots of Google-ing about this one but it will be worth it in the end!


NEED!



With working full time, I don't always have a lot of time to dedicate to organising my blog posts, but now I'm settling into it a bit more it's something I need to do! I've bought myself a cute little notebook and matching pencils to jot down any ideas and to prepare my posts before I publish them! 

That's all for my February Love! Want! Need! post! Let me know what you love, want and need this month!

Shell x




Sunday 16 February 2014

E.L.F Cosmetics Haul!

Hi everyone,

This week I received an email from E.L.F Cosmetics which said they had 50% off everything plus free delivery.....how could I resist? I've never tried their products before but have read some positive reviews so I thought it would be rude not to try them with such a great discount! 

Here's what I got...


All this for just £16.13 - what a bargain! 




Studio Pigment Eyeshadows in colours Innocent Ivory, Tropical Teal, Breezy Blue and Passionate Purple (£0.94 each with discount)

and each pot comes with a cute little brush. These were already reduced to £1.88 in the sale but with the discount code they had a further 50% off!




Baked Blush in colour Passionate Pink (£1.88 with discount)

I love the pearly pink/peach colour of this and I think it will be perfect for summer days.




High Definition Powder in Shimmer (£3.00 with discount)

I really wanted the translucent HD powder but it was sold out so I opted for the shimmer to try considering it would only be £3. I like the look of the packaging but the powder does go everywhere when you open it so I think there may be a lot of waste product with this one.





Soothing Lip Balm in Strawberry Creme (£0.75 with discount)

I always have lip balm in my handbag and I thought this one would be nice to add a bit of subtle colour in the day whilst protecting my lips.




Lip Primer & Plumper (£1.88 with discount)

This looks like a handy little 2 in 1 product! It says to use the primer first, then your lipstick of choice and then the plumper over the top. My MAC lipstick has great staying power but I'm looking forward to seeing if it stays on even longer when I use this product. I will keep you posted! 







Contouring Blush & Bronzer Powder in colour Antigua (£1.88 with discount)

This contouring palette looked like the best colours suited to me when looking online but now it's arrived I'm not sure whether the bronzing powder looks a bit too orange. I will try it and blend blend blend (!!!) and see how it goes.




Mineral Eyeshadow Primer (£1.50 with discount)

I've been wanting to try an eyeshadow primer for a while as my eyeshadow always creases when on a night out! I'd heard good things about the Urban Decay primer but didn't really want to pay that much, so when I read Julie's review of this primer over on http://justjulie81.blogspot.co.uk saying that it rivals the Urban Decay primer, I had to order this...in fact I got two to stock up! I will be trying this for my next night out!

So, that's my E.L.F haul! A huge bargain for £16.13 I think!

Have you used any of these products? Which are your favourites? Let me know what you think!

Shell x







My First 'Love Me Beauty' Box!

Hi everyone,

I hope you've had a great week! 

I was very excited to receive my first Love Me Beauty box this week! I'd looked at various other monthly beauty boxes but decided to go with Love Me Beauty as I love that you can view the different menus and choose which one is best suited to you. For the February box I opted for menu 3. Let's have a look inside...


I love the cute red tissue paper to fit with the valentines theme this month!



Lots of goodies all packaged nicely with an extra mystery product!


A cute and colourful menu card is included to explain what all the products are, how to use them and how much they would normally cost to buy separately.





I'm quite impressed with my first box so far. There are some good full sized products and some small samples to try. Let's have a look at them in more detail...




Percy & Reed No-Fuss Flawlessness Dry Conditioner RRP £12 (150ml)

I've never used a dry conditioner before and am looking forward to trying this. I have quite greasy roots but the ends can become dry as I wash and dry my hair most days. This product claims to reduce damage caused by brushing as well as adding shine so I'm intrigued to see if this helps my hair in any way. 



La Claree Gentle Cleansing Milk RRP £15 (150ml)

I've never heard of this brand before and I absolutely love my Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish but I'm looking forward to trying this cleanser to see if I prefer this over my trusted C&P! It's non greasy, which is great for me as I have a really oily T-zone, and claims to leave the skin feeling hydrated with comfort and brightness. This sounds ideal for me as some products aimed at oily skin can leave your skin feeling dry and stripped of moisture after cleansing. Again, another one I'm looking forward to sampling.



Bakewell Soap Company Multi-Purpose Pocket Balm in 'Lavender and Lemon' RRP £3.95 (25g)

This is a handy little tin that you can pop in your handbag for moisturising on the go! It has a lovely scent, not too over powering, and will be great for soothing dry skin, lips and could even be used as a cuticle balm. I normally just have a little tin of Vaseline in my handbag but I'll swap it for this one and see how it goes!



Dr Bragi Age Management Moisturiser RRP £15 (5ml)

Wow! This little 5ml sample is worth £15! What is in this stuff??? Well, it claims that it's formula combines unique marine enzymes and hyaluronic acid which hydrate, plump, rejuvenate, refine and brighten and eliminate dark circles....it does a lot then! I have to admit that when I saw this product on menu 3 I was instantly drawn to it purely because of how much it costs...surely it must be great if they are charging so much! We shall see!




Nip & Fab Dry Leg Fix £10.25 (100ml)

This was the mystery product in the box, a 'Hero Product' featured in previous months boxes which subscribers have claimed as one of their favourites. I've heard if Nip & Fab before but never used any of their products. This one sounds great as my legs can get dry round my shins and knees, so I'll be applying this after showering to lock in moisture. 

All in all, I'm really impressed with this box and I'm already looking forward to choosing the products in my next one! I'm impatient, I know! 

You can see from the RRP's that it's a great value box considering I only paid £10 plus £2.95 postage & packaging. These monthly beauty boxes are a great way of trying products out before you buy a full size version and discovering new brands you might never have heard of before. For me, Love Me Beauty has the edge over others as it provides 3 menu choices each month or you can opt for a mystery box so you don't know what will be arriving in your next delivery. 

I'm really pleased I signed up! 

Do you subscribe to a monthly beauty box? What are your thoughts on this one? Let me know what you think!

Shell x



Monday 10 February 2014

A Few Monday Beauty Buys!

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd do a quick Monday night post to share today's purchases with you! (I hate Mondays so I needed cheering up! Haha!) 

I'd been debating investing in some MAC make up brushes for a while but unless I decided to take out a bank loan or won the lottery I just couldn't bring myself to pay the small fortune it would cost. And then I saw a review of Real Techniques brushes by the lovely Julie over at http://justjulie81.blogspot.co.uk .......my mind was made up, I was going to buy these!!! So today I ordered the Starter Set from Amazon UK for just over £16 with free delivery. This set is also available to buy in Boots but I thought I'd save myself a few pounds and order it from Amazon.


I can't wait for them to arrive and try them out! Keep your eyes peeled for a post soon! 

I also nipped into Boots after work and picked up these two little beauties:- 



L'Oreal Skin Perfection Purifying Micellar Solution (wow that's a bit of a mouthful!) currently on offer for £3.33. I've seen a couple of good reviews about this and wanted to try it out myself so I couldn't resist picking it up when I saw it was on offer. I normally use Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish as a cleanser and make up remover but I wanted to try something different to remove my make up first before cleansing so I'll see how this goes and will update you soon! 

I also picked up the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge in Boots for £5.99. I normally use a foundation brush to apply my MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation but I've seen rave reviews about this little sponge and seen a couple of YouTube videos and it seems to make your foundation look absolutely flawless so I'm looking forward to trying this one out! Again, I will do a post in the near future and share my thoughts on this with you.

Well, that's all for tonight! Have you used any of these products? Let me know what you think!

Shell x


Sunday 9 February 2014

TMI Tag!

Hi everyone!

I've been really looking forward to doing this post but knew it would take some time to do so I thought I would save it for Sunday morning when I'm usually having a few lazy hours before I start the housework and ironing (yawn!!!)

I've been tagged by the gorgeous Julie over at http://justjulie81.blogspot.co.uk the other day to do this post. If you haven't checked out her blog yet go do it now as you're missing out! Julie's blog is one of my favourites to read and I always look forward to reading new posts from her.

If you've not seen or heard about the TMI tag, it's a set of 50 questions to answer (Too Much Information!)

So here goes!

1. What are you wearing?   Skinny jeans from Topshop and a comfy Superdry hoody!

2. Ever been in love?   Yes

3. Ever had a terrible break up?   None have been particularly pleasant!

4. How tall are you?   5ft 2 and a half! Yes I'm a munchkin haha!

5. How much do you weigh?   I don't really tend to weigh myself but I'm usually about 8 1/2 stone

6. Any tattoos?   No

7. Any piercings?   Yes just my ears done once

8. OTP?   I had to google this! (One True Pairing)...Chuck and Blair in Gossip Girl!

9. Favourite show?   I love loads but I'm a huge Vampire Diaries fan!

10. Favourite bands?   Take That (minus Robbie, can't stand him!)

11. Something you miss?   British Summers! I'm sure they lasted ages when I was a kid!

12. Favourite song?   Never Forget, Take That

13. How old are you?   29, it's the big 3 0 this year! Waaahhh!

14. Zodiac sign?   Virgo

15. Quality you look for in a partner? Someone who you can have fun with!

16. Favourite quote?   "A girl should be two things - classy and fabulous" Coco Chanel

17. Favourite actor?   Don't really have one!

18. Favourite colour?   Gotta love pink!

19. Loud music or soft?   Loud! So I can sing along at the top of my voice!

20. Where do you go when you're sad?   Usually the sofa curled up with my dog for cuddles!

21. How long does it take you to shower?   I'd say between 20 and 30 mins

22. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?   About 1 1/2 to 2 hours!

23. Ever been in a physical fight?   No

24. Turn on?   Now that would be TMI!!!

25. Turn off?   Bad body odour.....eeewwww

26. Reason I started blogging? I was inspired by http://missljbeauty@blogspot.co.uk !

27. Fears?   Spiders and heights!

28. Last thing that made you cry?   When my friend got diagnosed with cancer

29. Last time you said you loved someone?   Yesterday

30. Meaning behind you blog name?   What Shell Says - my thoughts, opinions & ramblings!

31. Last book you read?   I haven't read anything for ages but I love the Shopaholic series

32. Book you're currently reading?   None, but I need to start reading 50 Shades!

33. Last show you watched?   The Following

34. Last person you talked to?   My hubby

35. Relationship between you and the person you last text?   My hubby!

36. Favourite food?   Chocolate! Haha!

37. Place you want to visit?   New York!! But I hate flying & want to get off after 3 hours!

38. Last place you were?   In the kitchen making a brew!

39. Do you have a crush?   I'm happily married but some of those hunky dancers on Strictly.....

40. Last time you kissed someone?   This morning

41. Last time you were insulted?   Yesterday I held a door open for someone & they didn't say thanks!

42. Favourite flavour of sweets?   Strawberry

43. What instruments do you play?   None

44. Favourite piece of jewellery?   My engagement and wedding rings or my Pandora bracelet

45. Last sport you played?   Football ( just messing about) in the garden last summer!

46. Last song you sang?   Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground in the car yesterday!

47. Favourite chat up line?   I hate chat up lines, they're awful!

48. Have you ever used?   Used what? Drugs? No!!!!! I am massively anti-drugs

49. Last time you hung out with someone?  With my bestie on Thursday, last night with my hubby

50. Who should answer these questions next?  

http://missljbeauty.blogspot.co.uk
http://aaamylouxo.blogspot.co.uk
http://tiannecherieslashesandbows.blogspot.co.uk

I hope you feel like you know me a little better after that! Thanks for reading!

Shell x




Saturday 8 February 2014

MAC Haul!!!

Hi everyone!

Today I've been shopping for goodies at the MAC counter in House of Fraser, Manchester! 


Here's what I got:

Studio Fix Fluid Foundation (NC25) £21.50



Pro Longwear Concealer (NW20) £15.50



Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow Palette (Smokeluxe) £30



Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner (Black Swan) £15



Cremesheen Lipstick (Brave Red) £15



Lip Pencil (Brick) £12




The girl who helped me was so lovely and helped me pick out a red lipstick that suited me (never managed to find one that I liked up until now!) and I love it! She also recommended the concealer colour to me which is a good job as I would have just ended up buying an NC25, the same as my foundation, but she pointed out that I needed the NW pink base to conceal the dark circles under my eyes and an NC yellow base wouldn't do this.

I'm excited to try out all my goodies soon and will do another post with photos when I'm all glammed up!



What do you think of my MAC buys? Are any of these products your favourites? Let me know!

Shell x








Strictly Live Tour!

Hi everyone!

I've been a busy bee again this week and on Thursday night I was lucky enough to go and see the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour at the Phones4U Arena in Manchester! 

I love watching the TV show - I used to do ballroom and Latin American dancing was I was younger but I gave it up when I was 11 and went to 'big school', none of my new friends were interested in it so I began to lose interest too. It's sad really as I've always loved dancing of all kinds and I wish now that I would have kept it up.



So Thursday night was amazing for me as I got to lose myself in a world of dancing and sequins again whilst watching the show! We had great seats 7 rows from the front on the lower tier so got to see everything. It was kind of the same format as the TV show where the judges voted after each couple danced but it was the audience who had the deciding vote for the champions that night and we could text in with our vote. My favourite couple were Natalie Gumede (Kirsty from Corrie) and Artem Chigvintsev. She's such an amazing dancer, so graceful and elegant. The rest of the audience must have also agreed with me as they were crowned champions that night! 

I really enjoyed watching the live tour and I would definitely go again next year!



What have you lovely people been up to this week?

Shell x

Sunday 2 February 2014

The Liebster Award!

Hi everyone, happy Sunday!

I've finally got the time to sit down and write this post after being nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Becki over at http://tiannecherieslashesandbows.blogspot.co.uk I was surprised and very grateful to receive this nomination from Becki as I've not been blogging for long at all so a big thanks to her and go check out her fabulous blog!

So, here goes...

The Leibster award is designed to help up and coming bloggers to discover further bloggers that also have less than 200 followers. I think it's a fantastic idea and has helped me discover some new and interesting blogs to read and follow.

Here are the rules for the Liebster Award:

1. You must link back to the person who nominated you.  
2. You must answer the 11 questions given by the nominee before you. 
3. You pick 11 nominees with under 200 followers to answer your questions. 
4. You cannot nominate the person who nominated you.
5. You must tell the nominees that they have been nominated by you.

Here are my questions from Becki:

1. What is your favourite make up brand?

I really love MAC and have been buying their studio fix foundation for about 6 years now. I love the MAC pigments too! I'm going to have a big splurge on some MAC make up next weekend so I'm looking forward to posting what I've bought so you can all see!

2. What do you enjoy most about blogging?

I love reading reviews on beauty products before I buy them because so many times I've bought a product that claims to works miracles and then I'm just left disappointed and with an empty purse! It's great to get other peoples opinions and see their pictures before you make a purchase. However, I have to say the best thing that has come out of blogging so far is talking to some really really lovely 
people. Everyone has been so friendly and supportive and I can honestly say I feel like I've met some genuine friends.

3. If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

Oooh, this one's difficult! I think I would be invisible so I could sneak into places I wouldn't normally be allowed!

4. Who is your biggest blogger inspiration?

There are some really fantastic bloggers who have turned blogging into a successful career and are hugely inspiring people, but I would have to say the lovely Lor over at http://missljbeauty.blogspot.co.uk has been a huge inspiration to me and one of the reasons why I decided to start this blog. She is a lovely and genuine person who has gone through some really tough times and still manages to smile! Go check out her blog!

5. Which blog do you turn to for swatches of products?

I would say http://missljbeauty.blogspot.co.uk and http://justjulie81.blogspot.co.uk

6. If you had to go to a desert island, what 3 things would you take with you?

My husband, my dog and my eyebrow pencil/powder! I have horrible sparse eyebrows and won't leave the house without filling them in!

7. Where is your paradise?

My paradise is a little beach in Spain that we visit every year on holiday. It's so quiet and I love just lying there listening to the sea!

8. Is there a book that you would like to become a film?

My favourite book has already been turned into a film, which I absolutely love! I love books by Sophie Kinsella, especially her Shopaholic series, and when I found out the first book in the series (Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic) was being turned into a film (Confessions of a Shopaholic) I couldn't wait to see it! I think Isla Fisher was perfect as Rebecca Bloomwood! I'd love them to turn some of the other books in the series into more films.

9. What's your favourite kind of post to read on blogs?

I started off reading mostly beauty and fashion posts but I'm also discovering some interior design blogs which are great for home decorating ideas!

10. Who is your style icon?

I don't really have one! There are loads of celebs that I think always look amazing but if I try to wear what they do I tend to look ridiculous! I'm quite petite (only 5ft 2") so I have to be careful what I wear as things can make me look even shorter and frumpy! I do think Audrey Hepburn was the ultimate glamorous style icon though, she was pure class and elegance.

11. What's your dream career?

I've always been quite creative and love things like sewing, painting and applying make up, so anything where I could be creative with my hands would be my dream career.

So, that's it! I've regally enjoyed answering these questions and I hope you've enjoyed reading my answers!

My nominations for the Liebster Award are:

1. http://dellilahsnotebook.blogspot.ca
2. http://hannahrosalieswords.blogspot.co.uk
3. http://itotallypaused.com
4. http://justjulie81.blogspot.co.uk
5. http://ashleighwinter.co.uk
6. http://sunshinesparklesuk.blogspot.co.uk
7. http://whatlouiseisloving.blogspot.co.uk
8. http://thatlooksgreat.blogspot.co.uk
9. http://paintingnail.blogspot.co.uk
10. http://beautybestfriend.com
11. http://missbeccabeauty.blogspot.co.uk

And here are my 11 questions for them to answer:

1. What do you think is the best budget beauty brand?
2. Where is your favourite place in the world and why?
3. Which beauty product could you not live without?
4. Heels or flats?
5. Who is your favourite blogger and why?
6. Describe yourself in 5 words.
7. What's your favourite high street shop?
8. If you had one wish what would it be?
9. What are your favourite types of blogs/posts to read?
10. If you could be a celebrity for a day who would you be and why?
11. What new beauty product would you love to try this year if cost wasn't an issue?

I look forward to reading all your answers!

Shell x
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