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Posts tagged Haul
My Budget Beauty Swap Parcel
9
Early last month I launched my Budget Beauty Blogger Swap. The budget for the swap was £10/€12/$16, and the aim was to buy your swap partner as many beauty products as you could within the budget – quite a challenge, but not impossible! So far, I have already seen quite a few posts from bloggers sharing their swap parcels, and everything sent and received has been brilliant.
Today it was my turn to receive my parcel all the way from Beverly Hills in LA. My swap partner was the lovely India, a US beauty blogger who runs beautynthbrains. I answered the door to the postman this morning to see him holding a box with the US postal logo on it, and I knew what it was straight away. As I’m sure you can imagine, I was really excited to see what was inside the parcel so I opened it in a hurry, and was met by this pretty pink, spiralled package, packed full of amazing products.
When I saw this little haul I was over the moon! Everything India sent is exactly my colour, and I was really happy to receive products from so many brands that we don’t have in the UK. I will be reviewing each of the products separately in the coming weeks once I’ve had a chance to use them properly, but here are my first thoughts on everything…
Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in Shimmer The Night Away
I was incredibly happy to receive a Wet n Wild eyeshadow palette, as I have heard a lot of good things about them and they are highly sought after in the UK. The palette I received is Shimmer The Night Away, which features eight shimmery shades – four suitable for a smoky eye look, and four pinks and purples which are my go-to colours – perfect.
Everyday Minerals Stay Cool Matte Eyes Eyeshadow
Everyday Minerals isn’t a brand that I’m familiar with, and I don’t own many mineral eyeshadows, so I’m really looking forward to experimenting with this. The colour is a deep grey with a lovely violet undertone, which will incorporate well into my usual colour palette.
Sephora Nano Eye Pencil in Midnight Black
India and I told each other a few items that we had been lusting after, and Sephora Nano Eyeliner was one of mine. I adore bold, black eyeliner looks so this is ideal for me. I’ve swatched the liner on my hand and, as the Sephora website says, it is highly pigmented and glides on easily as it’s enriched with shea butter.
Sephora Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil in Fuchsia Pink
Sephora’s Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil in Fuchsia Pink was another of my requests, and it hasn’t disappointed. I wore this today and it applies smoothly and lasts a very long time. The bright pink shade is absolutely stunning, and the micro-glitter finish gives incredibly shine. I think it’s reminiscent of Barry M’s Lip Lacquer Crayon in Party Pink. Gorgeous!
Sephora Pencil Sharpener
I’ve been meaning to buy a new pencil sharpener for ages now as my old one is on its way out, so this was a great little accessory to find in my swap parcel. India must have read my mind!
Model Co Lip Gloss
Model Co is another brand that I’ve never used before. The gloss doesn’t have a name or colour labelled on it, but it’s a bright shimmery pinky red with a sheer finish. I didn’t find the gloss overly sticky when I tried it on earlier, and it has an intense strawberry scent and flavour which I love. The mirror on the tube is so handy too. I’ll definitely be using this gloss on a regular basis.
Beauty So Clean Cosmetic Sanitizer Wipes
India also sent me four cosmetic sanitizer wipes which are for cleaning cosmetics before or after use. Another nice little addition which will be carried in my make up bag for cleansing on the go.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with what I received in my swap parcel. I imagine India went over the budget with her buys, so thank you India for being so generous and sending me so many fantastic treats. I feel well and truly spoilt today! Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph everything I sent, but hopefully India will share everything in a post of her own when her parcel arrives. I posted almost two weeks ago so fingers crossed it will reach the US soon!
I plan on linking to everyone’s swap parcel posts in a blog post very soon, so if you’ve received your parcel and have blogged about it please let me know!
Naomi x
Valentine’s Birthday
9Yesterday was not only Valentine’s Day but my 23rd birthday, and I was lucky enough to have the day off work to celebrate! As is tradition, I woke up early to open my cards and presents, and in the afternoon I went for a lovely lunch with my family and partner, Charles. After lunch, Charles and I walked into town for a wander round and to see the Richard III exhibition at the local museum, before heading home for birthday cake and a game of Balderdash. It was a relaxed day, but I enjoyed it as I got to spend time with the people I love, and I was given some amazing gifts which I am extremely grateful for! Here are a few photos from the day…
I was lucky enough to receive everything on my Birthday Wish List this year, and more! Everything I was given is very ‘me’, and I have quite a few fashion and beauty items to review for you, including Layla, Miss Sporty and Barry M nail varnishes, Sleek Lipstick and Real Techniques make up brushes. There was also a strong owl theme in my cards and gifts this year… My mum even bought me a packet of owl print toilet roll as a joke! Haha.
Charles surprised me with this absolutely beautiful silver necklace which says ‘Everlong’. Everlong by the Foo Fighters has been my favourite song for years, and when Charles and I got together it became ‘our’ song, so when I saw this I very nearly cried. I love it so much and I’m going to treasure it forever!
I’m a massive fan of Batman, and Charles’ mum and sister baked me this amazing Batman cake. The bat is made from dark chocolate, the icing is vanilla and chocolate buttercream, and the sponge inside is coloured green and purple like the Joker. How cool is that?
We are currently decorating our hallway and the walls were completely bare yesterday, so I decided to write a little note on the plaster for future generations to find one day when I’m old and grey.
Seeing as I had a casual day, I decided to wear a casual outfit for my birthday. I settled for a pink dress top with romantic lace sleeves and purple skinny jeans, both from H&M, and my trusty purple Dr Martens. Oh, and my Everlong necklace of course!
And true to kitty form, my cat Moth loved playing with all the wrapping paper and gift bags!
What did you do for Valentine’s Day this year? Did you get anything nice from your loved one?
Naomi x
January Sales Haul
3Since Christmas it has been January Sales galore, both on the high street and on the internet, and I (along with millions of other shoppers, I’m sure) couldn’t resist a browse. My main aim was to hunt out a couple of pairs of shoes suitable for Spring/Summer, as well as a few items of clothing. I prefer to relax with my family on Boxing Day, rather than go shopping, but on January 27th I braved it and went into town, but soon gave up as there were far, far too many people for my liking. So, that evening I sat down with my laptop, a box of chocolates and a cup of tea and browsed the web to my heart’s content. I must say, I wasn’t that impressed by the quality of the sales this year, but luckily I succeeded in my shoe and clothes buying mission! I managed to resist binging on make up and perfume gift sets in the Superdrug and Boots sales, but I did get a couple of beauty accessories.
Donnay Purple Canvas Ballet Pumps – £3.50 (£3.49 saving) – SportsDirect.com
Skechers Sunset Pink and Black Canvas Shoes – £20.00 (£14.99 saving) – SportsDirect.com
Dr Martens Aldgate Floral Canvas Shoes – £30.00 (£15.00 saving) – Dr Martens
Purple Metallic Manicure Set – £0.99p (saving unknown) – Superdrug
Unwind Cherry Stone Relaxation Pillow – £0.99p (saving unknown) – Superdrug
Purple Heart Knit Dress – £10.00 (£4.99 saving) – Store Twenty One
Blue Paisley Print Top – £5.00 (£4.99 saving) – Store Twenty One
A rather humble haul I know, but I managed to get everything I wanted! What did you get in the sales this year?
Naomi x
Fashion and Beauty Christmas Haul
6Well! After weeks of preparation – shopping, cooking and decorating – Christmas Day has been and gone, and we’re all probably a few pounds heavier than we were this time last week! I hope you all had a wonderful time, celebrating in your chosen way with the people you love, and I hope Santa brought you everything you wished for. I personally had a great time! The highlight of Christmas for me is playing games and doing quizzes with my family, and they were definitely done in abundance.
Christmas isn’t just about the presents, but I got some really lovely fashion and beauty related things this year, so I thought I would share them with you today. I also got a lot of chocolate, baking equipment, geeky stuff (including a bat detector which I’ve been wanting for AGES) and books – my friends and relatives know me well!
So, here are some of my Christmas gifts. Apologies for the strange colouring in a few of the photographs… They were taken in bad lighting!
My dad bought me this absolutely beautiful sterling silver Bat Skull necklace. He mentioned that he got it from Etsy and it was handmade in New York by an obviously very talented maker. I instantly fell in love with it when I opened the box, and in my surprise I ended up dropping the box in my mug of tea, woops! I adore bats so I am going to treasure this piece.
I also love hares, so my dad gave me this large pewter moon hare pendant as well. Isn’t it stunning? I need to find a chain for this pronto so I can start wearing it.
The dinosaur at the top was from my sister, Rex from Toy Story was from my fiancé, and the owl was from my fiancé’s sister. Owls, dinosaurs and necklaces are a few of my favourite things, so I was very pleased to receive all three of these beauties.
I received three different perfumes this year, all of which are replacements for perfumes I already have. Cacharel’s Amor Amor (one of my all time favourites), Vera Wang Princess Night, and an Accessorize Gift Set.
I didn’t get much make up this year, but my cousin gave me 17’s Smoky Eye Palette and a few little 17 lip glosses. The red gloss is gorgeous! The guy at the bottom is a rather cute owl lip balm.
How amazing are these?! My fiancé’s sister gave me these Batman nail transfers. I was so excited when I opened them and I cannot wait to give them a go. Definitely expect a review of these soon.
This cat bag from my mum was one of my favourite gifts this year. It’s big and furry and very soft – it needs to stop raining now so I can use it!
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a scarf, gloves or socks, and this year I got all three. The scarf is purple with green skulls and is nice and light – ideal for spring. The socks have squirrels on them, one of my favourite animals, and the rainbow mitten gloves are SO SNUGGLY – win!
Not the best photo in the world but my mum got me a BATMAN ONESIE! Amazing, right?
A massive thank you to everyone who spoilt me this year, I am extremely grateful. Did you get anything fashion and beauty related for Christmas this year? I’d love to see your hauls too!
Naomi x
Models Own Sale Haul and Nail Art
13A few weeks ago, to celebrate reaching a whopping 100,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook, Models Own had a 50% off everything sale on their website! As a nail varnish hoarder and a massive fan of Models Own I couldn’t pass up the chance to add to my ever-expanding collection of pretty polishes, so I ordered five bright and beautiful colours. If I was richer I would have bought a lot more, but unfortunately my budget doesn’t allow for that at the minute 
Models Own nail varnishes usually sell for £5.00 each, but in the sale they only cost £2.50.
Here are the shades I bought, also featuring some simple, fun nail art to show that I’m dotty about Models Own…
From Left to Right:
- Hed Kandi – Balearic Cool
- Purple Passion
- Orange Sorbet
- Green Tea
- Scarlett Sparkle
I love every single one of these colours and I’m so pleased with all of them. I wore Green Tea for most of the week and I was hugely impressed with it (it lasted for days without chipping) so keep an eye out for my full review which will be posted within the next few days.
I have entered the above photograph into Models Own’s Facebook competition, which involves posting a photo of your sale haul. The most creative photo will win a full refund of their order, and a set of their NEW, absolutely beautiful Wonderland nail varnishes, so I have my spotty fingers crossed!
Which Models Own shade is your favourite?
Naomi x
This Week: Collective Haul
21I had a fairly good week for bargains this week and bought quite a few fun things (despite telling myself that I wouldn’t spend anything this week!) so for those of you that like a good haul post, I thought I would share my collective haul with you.
First off, on Monday I nipped into town to buy some new boots to wear in the Autumn. I knew exactly which pair I wanted so I was in and out of Schuh in just a few minutes, which is quite unheard of! I went for these Blowfish Ranuku Boots in black which are usually £45, but I got them for £40.50 with a 10% student discount – doing a postgraduate degree does have its benefits!
It’s been quite cold this week so I’ve worn the boots a few times already and they are SO comfortable! They’re very versatile too, and look great with dresses or skinny jeans. A very good buy.
On my way to get the bus home I passed through Primark (always a mistake) and spotted this gorgeous owl scarflace. I have always loved owls, AND scarves, so I just had to have it. It was supposed to be £4 but the eyes were missing on most of the scarves so it had been reduced to £3. I can always just stick some beads on myself if I want it to have eyes!
On Tuesday I received my Avon delivery. In amongst all the items for my customers were a few goodies which I’d ordered for myself, including repurchases of my usual Glimmerstick Eyeliner and Colortrend Concealer, as well as a small bottle of Avon’s new Sparkling Senses Shower Gel (look out for it in Brochure 17). It smells gorgeous! I also ordered two nail varnishes from the new Colortrend range in Violet Freeze (which I reviewed here) and Peekaboo, and a lovely little star necklace.
Yesterday I went to see the Paralympic flame pass through Leicester with my mum, and whilst we were in town we also did a bit of shopping. For the past few weeks I’ve been checking Superdrug every few days for MUA’s new nail varnish shade, Frozen Yoghurt, but to no avail. However, I managed to pick it up yesterday for £1 (FINALLY), and I also bought an Accessorize Eyeshadow Duo for £2.22. Isn’t the packaging lovely?
The Accessorize eyeshadow was actually on offer for half price, down from £4.45, as were a lot of their lip glosses, and their nail varnishes were 2 for £5. I’m not sure when the promotion ends but it’s worth having a look because they have some really pretty stuff!
My last few items are all from Primark. As I mentioned earlier I love owls, so I couldn’t resist these £2 owly fingerless gloves, ready for Autumn/Winter. They’re so cute! And I love that they can be turned into mittens as well.
I spotted this Bambi sweater in Primark a few weeks ago for £10, but I resisted. I was surprised to see it in the sale yesterday at just £5, and luckily one of the two that I found was in my size, so I caved and bought it. Bambi used to be my nickname when I was younger so it seems quite fitting, and the soft, suede effect elbow patches are quite a nice touch.
Last but not least, another owl! This time, a purple owl print t-shirt which only cost £3. It’s quite a long, fitted tee but it looks great on with skinny jeans.
And that’s it! What have you been buying this week? Are you getting ready for Autumn yet, or are you clinging on to the summer for as long as you can?
Naomi x
This Week: Collective Haul
2I didn’t spend a lot of money this week but I still seem to have accumulated quite a lot of ‘stuff’. So, I thought I would share some of my bargain finds and little treats with you in a collective haul post!
I spent hours in town this week but I didn’t come away with much at all. I bought a hoodie, but I took it back the next day as it didn’t suit me. I also went to both Superdrug stores in Leicester, twice, to look for MUA’s new Nail Varnish shade ‘Frozen Yoghurt’, but neither had it I must keep looking! My shopping trips weren’t completely unsuccessful though. I repurchased a couple of essentials, namely a duo pack of wipes from Primark for £1 and my favourite budget Face Powder by MUA for £1, and I also picked up some NYC Nail Polish in ‘High Line Green’ (which I’ve already reviewed here), and a 10x magnifying cosmetic mirror for just 49p!
Whilst in town I also picked up this Team GB scarf from NEXT for just £5. I absolutely adore this scarf as it has such a special meaning behind it – all the illustrations in the background symbolise different things, including our Olympic Athletes, their supporters and all the Olympic sports. All profits from this scarf (and the bigger £10 scarves) go to the British Olympic Association which is a very worthy cause. I bought it to show my support for Team GB, and after yesterday’s performance I am very keen to show it off! Did you see Team GB win their SIX golds yesterday, including three in Athletics? So inspiring! All of our athletes make me so proud.
My Avon order arrived this week too. I repurchased my favourite Mango and Ginger Shampoo, but everything else is new to me. The Skin So Soft Body Cream contains Argan Oil and I can’t wait to try it. The make up bag, ANEW sample, nail varnish and lipstick that you can see were all free, and the beautiful ring trio cost just 85p! As an Avon Rep, I get a preview brochure for each campaign, which also contains sale items (which is where I ordered the rings from). The Cuticle Oil Pen that you can see was from the preview brochure and cost £2.10. It will be available for everyone else to buy in Brochure 16 
This free sample bottle of Estee Lauder Perfectionist Serum arrived in the post yesterday. I don’t actually remember sending off for it, but I think I signed up for it via a form on their Facebook page. I’m looking forward to trying it out anyway! I also got a big package of PR samples in the post, but they’re remaining top-secret for now 😉
These are one of my favourite finds of the week… I love cooking, I love Jamie Oliver, I love books and I love thrifting. Combine these things and you have a mission to find Jamie Oliver recipe books in charity shops and at car boot sales. For months and months my Mum and I have been searching but have found nothing – until today! I got a text from my mum this morning whilst she was at a car boot sale to say that she’d FINALLY found me a Jamie Oliver book, and a couple of minutes later she found another 😀 As you can imagine, I was very pleased indeed. My mum bought both books for me for just £1 each – BARGAIN.
And of course, what would a week be without some CHOCOLATE!
What did you buy this week?
Naomi xx
Unboxing my First Illamasqua Order
11Illamasqua are a brand that have intrigued me for a long time. They’re British and known for being cruelty-free, and being a British vegetarian myself I am all for local, ethical businesses. Their website states that they are dedicated to ‘self-expression through make up art’ whilst ‘challenging the conventions of the make-up industry’. I have never been one for sticking to conventions, so I was really drawn to their wide range of unusual colours and cosmetics when I discovered them many moons ago. The brand have been around since 2008, but despite my long term obsession with their make up, I received my first ever Illamasqua order today. I know I’m a bit late to the Illamasqua party, but better late than never! I don’t usually do unboxing posts as they can be a bit boring and I did only order two items from the sale that I’d been eyeing up for a while, but I thought I’d give you a sneak peek of what I’ll be reviewing in the coming days/weeks
From what I’ve seen on other blogs, all Illamasqua orders come packaged in a black cardboard box like this:
Not terribly exciting to look at, but that ‘beauty box’ element makes it feel a little bit more luxurious than receiving your items in a plain ol’ jiffy bag.
Upon opening the box, I was greeted with my receipt and a flyer about their Skin Base Foundation.
Underneath the flyer were two little freebie items. When I placed my order I was given the opportunity to add one, both or neither of the freebies to my order, so obviously I went for both of them! I was sent a 1.5ml sample of Illamasqua’s new fragrance ‘Freak’, and a booklet of their Human Fundamentalism collection which I’m really looking forward to browsing. It has some great pictures inside of different and unusual make up looks which I’m sure I can draw some inspiration from!
I tried the perfume out earlier and though it isn’t as sweet as the perfume I would normally choose, I have really taken to it. It’s also lasted a long time on my skin and smells as strong as it did when I first put it on a few hours ago.
And now, onto what I actually bought… Sheer Lipgloss in ‘Tantrum’ for £7.50 (RRP £13.00) and Nail Varnish in ‘Snap’ for £5 (RRP £13.50). I must point out that I absolutely love Illamasqua’s classy black packaging!
I’ve already swatched both products and they seem promising! ‘Tantrum’ is a gorgeous pinky purple shade, described as a ‘deep berry pink’ on their website, and ‘Snap’ is ‘rich pewter’ with a ‘shimmer finish’. But that’s all I’ll say for now! Keep an eye out for my review posts of everything, including the ‘Freak’ sample, which I’ll be doing soon
Have you tried any Illamasqua make up?
Naomi x
Summer Sale Clothes Shopping Haul
5Hi all!
Today I decided to go clothes shopping for the first time in a long time. The summer sales have been on for a while now so I wasn’t expecting to find anything amazing, but I did manage to get a few pieces that I really love! I didn’t come home with a lot, but that just means I can buy more next time 😉 In fact, despite going in quite a few shops, I only bought things from two (H&M and Primark). Anyway, here is what I bought – apologies for the rubbish pictures…
Strawberry Print Dress from H&M. Was £12.99, bought for £5.
Floral Bodycon Dress from H&M. Was £12.99, bought for £7.
Purple and Mustard Boob Tube from Primark. Was £3, bought for £1.
Dark Purple Skinny Jeans with Silver Belt from Primark. £11.
Turquoise Skinny Jeans with Gold Belt from Primark. £11.
In total, this haul cost £35, saving me about £16 which isn’t bad. Hopefully I’ll be going back for more in the week when the shops are less busy. What have you bought in the summer sales so far?
Naomi x
MUA Haul with FREE Immaculate Collection Palette
3Hello lovely readers!
The folks over at MUA recently hit 20,000 ‘likes’ on their Facebook page (congratulations guys!), and as a treat for their fans they have released a voucher code to receive an Immaculate Collection Palette (worth £8) FREE with any order!! I couldn’t pass up an offer to get 24 beautiful eye shadows for free, so my mum and I placed an order straight away and it finally arrived this morning 😀
My mum was very pleased with her lipstick and nail varnish, and this is what I got…
From Left to Right:
- Lipstick in ‘Shade 2′ – £1.00
- Love Heart Lip Balm in ‘Hot Lips’ – £2.00
- Eye Dust in ‘Shade 2′ – £1.00
- Nail Varnish in ‘Shade 3′ – £1.00
- Hide and Conceal Cover Up Stick in ‘Light’ – £1.00
- Immaculate Collection Palette – FREE!!!!
For £6 (plus £2.95 postage) I am SO pleased with this order. MUA products are such great quality for the price and I can’t wait to test everything out. I’ve already tried the lipstick and it is lovely and creamy, and the nail varnish is gorgeous. Here’s a sneak peak…
If you want to place an order and get a free palette for yourself, head over to MUA’s Facebook page and give them a ‘like’ to get the code. Then visit MUA’s website, choose your items, add the palette to your basket and enter the code at the checkout. They ship worldwide too!
Look out for reviews of these products coming soon!
Naomi x
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