Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Posts tagged Freebie
CheckoutSmart App
4
8 years
As my regular readers will know, I’m always looking for new ways to save money (I am saving up for a house after all!), and I recently came across a brilliant app that lets me do just that, whilst still enjoying good food. CheckoutSmart makes ‘your supermarket shop more rewarding’, but rather than giving you coupons, it gives you money back on branded and own brand products that you’ve already bought.
The app basically consists of a list of offers on featured items which, if you buy them, you can then get a certain amount of money refunded to you via the app. To get the refund, all you have to do is select the supermarket you shopped at (Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Aldi or Lidl) and the date you were there, choose the offers you want to use, and then photograph your receipt. Once the photos have uploaded, you then submit your claim and wait for your account to be credited! In my experience, this can take everything from a few hours to a few days. Then, once you have at least £5 in your CheckoutSmart account, the money can then be transferred to you via PayPal or into your bank account.
I know what you’re thinking, sounds a bit dodgy… But no! I’ve used this app myself several times, and it is completely safe. I chose to have my balance transferred into my bank account, and all the app asks for is your sort code and account number, and the payment was made the following Thursday (payments are always made on Thursdays). Each transfer does incur a fee of 5%, but that’s only 25p off of every £5, which isn’t much really.
The variety of offers is really impressive too. They seem to be updated almost daily, and there’s a wide range of items to choose from, with everything from fruit and veg, bread and milk, and alcohol, to chocolate and ice cream, cleaning products, and even baby items. Admittedly, you only get a little bit back on most items – 10p here and 20p there – but trust me, it soon adds up, especially as a lot of the featured items are weekly basics. For instance, this week you can get 20p back on 4 pints of milk, 20p back on a bag of potatoes, and 30p back on yoghurt, amongst other things!
My favourite offers though are the freebies. Every now and then an offer will pop up that gives you the full amount back on certain items, so once you’ve made your claim you’re essentially getting them for free! Last week I got a big bottle of Volvic flavoured water and a little box of Cadbury chocolates, and today I got a free box of McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes. Such a great way to treat yourself, and everyone knows free food tastes better!
Now that I’ve started to use CheckoutSmart, I’m even going to use it to plan my weekly meals around, as a lot of the items featured could be put together to make a meal. This week, for example, you can get 20p back on Uncle Ben’s chilli sauce, 15p on Napolina kidney beans, 20p on supermarket own brand basmati rice, and 20p back on both onions and peppers. Veggie chilli anyone?
To grab this app for yourself and get saving, you can download it from the App Store or Google Play for free.
What do you think of CheckoutSmart? Will you be using it?
Naomi x
Freebie Alert! Models Own with More Magazine
6I know we all love a good freebie, so I thought I would let you know about a great one I found today whilst browsing the supermarket! Every copy of this week’s More magazine (Issue 774) comes with a FREE Models Own nail varnish or lip gloss, worth £5.00 each. The magazine only costs so £1.50, so you are getting a VERY good deal! Even if you buy four copies to get every freebie, you are still only spending £1 more than ONE of these freebies is worth – amazing, right? Oh and don’t be put off by the low price tag of the magazine… I know some cheap magazine freebies are ‘limited editions’ which aren’t actually up to scratch with the rest of the brand, but this is the real deal.
There are two nail varnish shades to choose from (Raspberry Crush and Nude Beige), and two lip glosses (a pink and a red). The freebie I went for was Raspberry Crush, a gorgeous raspberry pink which I actually had my eye on a couple of months ago – I’m glad I didn’t buy it at the time now! I haven’t yet tried Raspberry Crush on my nails, but it looks like it has a lovely creme finish and I can’t wait to give it a go.
The magazine also comes with a free Miss Selfridge Lucky Gift Card, which gives you a surprise discount in store, between £1 and £500. There are also several other exclusive discounts in the magazine, such as 20% off at boohoo.com, Rock N Rose, Essensuals Hairdressing and Motel, and 25% off a spray tan at the Tanning Shop. Oh and a couple of free drinks too.
The magazine itself might be a little bit trashy, but who cares when you’re getting a bargain as brilliant as this?! The next issue of More goes on sale on the 27th of November, so you have 4 days left to get your Models Own freebie.
Naomi x
NOTD: Filthy Gorgeous London Nail Polish in ‘Rosey Posey’
6
9 years
by Naomi in Nails
Yesterday I promised that I would post swatches and reviews of my What’s In My Handbag free gift, so today I thought I would feature the Filthy Gorgeous nail polish that I was sent. The shade I received is called ‘Rosey Posey’, and retails at £9 for a 10ml bottle. All of Filthy Gorgeous’ polishes are 3-free as well which is a massive bonus.
I had seen Filthy Gorgeous nail polish on other blogs in the past and was impressed by their eye-catching packaging and wide range of bright colours, so I was very excited when I found this in my gift parcel. The packaging really doesn’t disappoint with its pleasingly round bottle and pretty lace effect lid, and the guitar pick charm is the icing on the cake. It gives the polish a rocky edge and is detachable too, so you can wear it on a piece of jewellery or a keyring if you so desire!
Ignoring the product’s image and getting down to the polish itself, I have mixed feelings. Though the brush bristles are fairly long, a few of them kept bending back on themselves and fanning out when I was using it, which made getting it in and out of the bottle quite difficult. The consistency of the polish is creamy and not too thick so it applies really nicely, leaving an even coat with no brush strokes. However, it is a lot more sheer than I was expecting so it took three coats to create an opaque finish, and even then the whites of my nails are still slightly visible. The drying time of the polish is quite impressive though, only taking around ten minutes to be dry to the touch, but I wouldn’t risk doing anything too hands on for a good hour or so after application.
In terms of colour, ‘Rosey Posey‘ is listed on Filthy Gorgeous’ website as a neon polish which is a ‘warm coral pink’ shade – a spot-on description which I can’t really improve on! It’s not a shade I’d normally go for as I’m not much of a coral fan, but I like the fact that it is more pink than orange, and I think it is a very pretty, girly shade that I will wear often. It makes my hands look quite tanned too (not that you can tell in the photo), so Filthy Gorgeous are right when they say it ‘looks perfect with a tan’. The polish has a glossy creme finish and an impressive shine which makes your nails look flawless too.
So far, the lasting power of this polish is fairly decent. It survived an hour of swimming today which is great as my polishes often chip after holding onto the hard pool walls, but there is some sign of wear at the tips of a few of my nails after just 24 hours.
Overall, I like this Filthy Gorgeous polish. The packaging is stunning, it’s a lovely shade and it applies well and dries quickly, but the fact that it took three coats to achieve opaque coverage is quite disappointing for a £9 polish. I’m not sure I would pay full-price for it, but I’m pleased that I have it in my collection. Although, having said that, there a couple of shades on the Filthy Gorgeous website that I would love to try, especially Fuchsia Pink 3D Crystal!
Have you tried Filthy Gorgeous nail polish?
Naomi x
Unboxing: What’s In My Handbag Free Gift
6You may remember that a few months ago I posted about a new social website called What’s In My Handbag, or WIMH. WIMH is a place to post photos of what you carry in your handbag, and to share your beauty secrets with other members by tagging each product. You can also see what other people carry with them and learn about their beauty secrets in return. I joined, and was given a personal invite link to share with friends, family and bloggers, which I did, and because 25 people joined using my invite I earned a free gift! Thank you if you signed up using my invite by the way. After waiting a couple of months for my gift to arrive it turned up this morning, rather unexpectedly, which was a very nice surprise indeed. I had a job interview this morning so I needed something to calm my nerves and the excitement of receiving this helped!
The gift came in a sleek black box, and was wrapped with black tissue paper and paper pieces… Very reminiscent of Illamasqua’s classy packaging, I must say! It was also sealed with a personalised sticker which I thought was a really lovely touch.
When I ripped open the tissue paper I was met with a ‘Service Menu’ from Filthy Gorgeous. I have been wanting to try Filthy Gorgeous nail varnish for a good while so I got very excited when I saw the leaflet, and kept my fingers crossed that there was a Filthy Gorgeous varnish inside!
And now for the part you’ve all been waiting for… Here is what I found in amongst all the packaging!
As I’d hoped, my free gift contained a bottle of Filthy Gorgeous nail varnish in the neon pink shade of ‘Rosey Posey’. The varnish looks absolutely gorgeous with the lace effect on the lid and the pretty little guitar pick detail. I can’t wait to try it out! I also received a bottle of L’Oreal’s Mythic Oil. I’ve heard quite a bit about Mythic Oil and it sounds like an interesting product so I was pleased to see this in box too.
Overall, I’m very pleased with my free gift and I’m looking forward to using both things, so keep an eye out for swatches and reviews of the nail varnish and oil coming soon!
Naomi x
Glamour Freebie: Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve
4
Last Thursday was the day that the August issues of the women’s glossies hit the shops. After a fantastic month of magazine freebies last month (Benefit AND Ciaté – wow) I wasn’t expecting to find anything too thrilling this time, but was pleased to see that Glamour were giving away products from the natural skincare brand, Balance Me. I had heard of Balance Me before and had been keen to try their lip salve for a while, so of course this was the freebie that I went for! Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve.
I really like Balance Me’s packaging – I think the simple white tube and basic font with a swirl of colour is really classy and pretty. I’m also pleased the salve is accented with purple as that’s my favourite colour haha.
The salve comes in a lip gloss style squeezy tube, but unlike gloss it isn’t sticky. In fact, it’s probably the creamiest lip salve I have EVER used. You only need a tiny amount to cover both of your lips, say, a 2mm blob, and it smoothes your lips as soon as you apply it. I tend to use my finger to put it on instead of the tube applicator as too much comes out of the tube if you do it that way. As you can see below, the salve has a yellow tinge to it. This is the only thing I don’t like about this product as I think it looks a bit like earwax – not good!
The best thing about this salve, for me, is the smell, as well as the fact that it is 100% natural in origin! It is scented with various essential oils, including several different Rose oils, Ylang Ylang, Mango, Lavender, Red Mandarin and Patchouli, amongst others, and they combine to give a strong scent which is really quite fantastic. I put this on whilst in the car the other day and everybody else in the car could smell it and commented on how lovely it was. I can even smell it on myself when I’m wearing it which is quite pleasant! Some of the ingredients used to make the salve so moisturising are Virgin Coconut, Beeswax, Sweet Almond, Shea, Jojoba and Cocoa Butter.
The tube claims that the lip salve ‘plumps, smoothes and hydrates’. Though the latter two are true, I haven’t yet felt or seen any plumping effects from it, but that’s fine by me as plumping products tend to irritate my skin! I’ve definitely noticed a difference to the texture of my lips though… They’re quite obviously softer and they feel protected when I have it on.
Balance Me are a UK based company which pleases me as I am a huge advocate of supporting British business. This is honestly the best lip salve I have used, and I will be buying another tube once this one runs out. It’s just beautiful!
Which Glamour freebie did you choose this month?
Naomi xx
What’s In My Handbag
4
9 years
by Naomi in General
Hello all,
Believe it or not, this post isn’t actually about the contents of my handbag… You’ve probably all heard of it already, but ‘What’s In My Handbag’ is actually a website which enables its members to discover the beauty products that other people love that you may not have heard about. The jist of it is this… You can upload a photo of what you have in your handbag, and tag all the beauty products. People will then be able to browse your bag and share your beauty secrets, and of course, you can do the same to hundreds of other bags! When you find a product you already have, you can mark it as ‘Have This’, and if you want it, you mark it as ‘Want This’. These products then get added to your beauty cabinet.
Possibly the best bit about What’s In My Handbag is that you can sign up to ‘Try’ exciting beauty products for free. There is a new free product to try each week, and all you have to do is register to try it. You aren’t guarateed a free product every time, but it’s worth giving it a go!
I’m not sponsored by What’s In My Handbag or anything, and I haven’t been asked to promote the site… I just thought it was a good idea and I wanted to share it with you all! If you want to join, I have unlimited invites here – please let me know if you sign up, it’s good fun! It’s international as well, which is great news for all my overseas followers 
Naomi x
Freebie Alert! Avon ANEW Clinical 28 Day Trial
3Hello everyone!
Just a quick post from me today, but if you love a freebie then it’s a good one! Avon have developed a new facial treatment for their ANEW Clinical range, which will (hopefully) reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles after just two weeks of use. The product is called ‘Pro Line Corrector Treatment with A-F33′, and is not yet available to purchase. However, Avon have created a 28 day VIP trial pack, which 10,000 lucky entrants will receive.
If you want to apply for a VIP pack and be in with the chance of becoming one of the lucky 10,000, then you can visit the Only From Avon website here to apply. The trial will be divided between four randomly selected focus groups, and those picked will be notified just before the start of each trial, which will be running in August and September this year.
Good luck! Let me know if you receive a pack
Naomi x
And the WINNER is…
0My first ever giveaway closed yesterday and it is now time for me to announce the WINNER. The winner was chosen using a random online number generator and the winner is…
*RACHEL ELIZABETH WHEELER*
Congratulations Rachel! I will get your prize sent out to you as soon as possible, I really hope you like it
Once again, thank you so much to everyone who entered! It was so much fun running my own giveaway and I have another one planned for the not so distant future, so keep checking back.
Naomi xx
Order Now from Avon’s Brochure 12!
2
9 years
Hi everyone,
It is time again for me to launch the next Avon brochure, and this time it is a very exciting one indeed! Brochure 12 sees the launch of Avon’s new look Colortrend range. There’s a myriad of brand spanking new items, including lip gloss, lipstick, nail enamel, eyeshadow and foundation, as well as a few of your old favourites revamped to look nice and pretty. The new range spans Pages 5-13 if you fancy a look, and if you purchase any Colortrend product, you can get any Colortrend lip gloss for just 99p!
As usual, there are also hundreds of other offers throughout the brochure, so be sure to keep an eye out for something that interests you. One that really stands out to me is Avon’s gorgeous new Sevilla Bag on Page 16. It is £30 full price, but if you spend £9.95 or more across the brochure, you can get the bag for just £9.99!
Brochure 12 can be found online HERE. If you would like to place an online order with me, you can do so by adding the items you want to your bag in the online brochure, and then when you place your order it will be submitted straight to me! Simple as that. Alternatively, you can place your order with me via email, at . For more information visit my ‘Order Avon From Me‘ page. I post within the UK, as well as to the USA, Canada and Europe. Postage will be charged at standard second class Royal Mail prices to keep costs down.
I will need your orders and payment for this campaign by the 13th of June, and I will post your order on the 19th of June. Also, as a special thank you, my first three online customers through Bewitchery will receive a FREE GIFT with their order.
Just make sure you mention on this post when you’ve placed your order
Happy Browsing!
Naomi x
Glamour Freebie: Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara
5
After much deliberation I caved and ended up buying two copies of Glamour this month, just for the freebies! The first copy I bought contained this, the BADgal Lash Mascara, and the copy I bought today contained a little tube of Porefessional which I’ve been dying to try, but I’ll be reviewing that another day.
The mascara you get with the magazine is not full-size, but you do get a generous 4g, which is about half the size of the £16.50 big tube. Not bad for £2, the price of the magazine!
Magazine freebies rarely come packaged in boxes, and neither do samples, so that and the slick black and silver tube immediately make this product look classy and high end.
When I first opened the tube I was really surprised to see such a big, bristly brush. I don’t usually like chunky brushes as they tend to hold too much product which can make application a bit gloopy and thick, but this one looked promising as it wasn’t too loaded with mascara.
When I initially applied the mascara I didn’t think it had made much difference, but I was wrong. The first thing my mum said to me after I’d put it on was something along the lines of “wow, your eyes look nice”. I looked in the mirror again and I realised that, actually, this is a very good mascara!
BADgal Lash is a very, very deep black so it makes your eyelashes really stand out. It doesn’t clump either which means that your lashes stay separate, giving the false lash look that this mascara boasts. The best thing about it for me though is that your eyelashes stay soft. I’ve tried countless mascaras in my life and most of them have made my eyelashes feel stiff, which can make your eyes a bit sore, but BADgal is so light that you can hardly tell you’re wearing it, so your lashes feel supple and natural.
My mum has always struggled with mascara as her lashes aren’t the longest, so it never makes much difference on her, or it blobs all over her eyelids and makes a mess. I let her try this one out and we were both amazed – her lashes looked longer and darker, but still natural, and there was no mess whatsoever. It didn’t smudge either when she rubbed her eyes, which is fantastic! And contrary to what other reviews have said about BADgal, it has lasted all day on both of us.
My overall thoughts on this? A truly impressive product and very high quality! If only I could afford to spend £16.50 on one mascara haha.
Naomi x
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