So it’s that time again! The start of a new month means a new treat box arrives in the post. I’m very excited to see what could be in this one and I couldn’t wait to photograph during this reveal!
I grinned from ear to ear as I opened the box and saw purple tissue paper. I love purple and hoped the theme might continue inside. The quote on the card read ‘She believed she could so she did’ which is a wonderful sentiment for everyone, to believe in yourself. I hope to get this card framed in a pretty frame I can see every day and remind myself this quote is true.
When I read the description of ‘pretty chic’ I knew there would be things I would love inside. When I think chic I think drift wood that has been carved into something, I think flowers and I think other symbolic shapes such as stars and hearts. I wasn’t disappointed as I opened the ‘hello beautiful’ sticker…
Inside this months treat box you will find a quote card that reads ‘She Believed She Could So She Did, a Cushion that reads ‘Follow your Heart’, a fabulous Queen Bee bookmark, a polka dot bag with a lovely Compact Mirror inside that reads ‘You Look Lovely Today’ on the back of it, a Wooden Board with the words ‘Life is too short to be anything but Happy’, some hanging Metal Hearts that chink together and are a very nice decoration and lastly some lovely pink decorative tape.
One thing that all of these wonderful gifts have in common are that they are inspiring and confidence boosting. Reminding the people who have received these wonderful treats that they should believe in the things they do, to follow their dreams and hearts to success and happiness.
Overall I’m so pleased with this months treat box, I love every single item that has been received. The quality is excellent and I know that I will find place in my home for all of the things in this treat box. My favourite item, (if I have to pick one because it’s so difficult with this box) is the quote board. I think that it’s words are rather poignant, Life is Short, Be Happy, is something I try to live by, and think of a positive even on the bad days.
I now cannot wait for my next box to arrive in June, and I think it will be a hard act to follow with a box filled with as excellent things as this is!
If you would like to order your own treat box then you can find Treatbox by searching that keyword on Facebook and/or visit their website to subscribe for your own treat box https://treatboxuk.com/
The beauty of subscribing to treatbox is that you’ll pay a one-off fee for whichever amount you choose, and then each month your box gets sent to your door. Inside could be a range of gifts from homeware to accessories, edible items and other useful things, as well as trinkets, jewellery and inspirational quotes too!
If you would like to see the video reveal of this on my youtube please take a look here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChGSVoeSozeHGe3hl9lfdQA
✩ Sabrina ✩
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Day 3. Today I began to notice a few very tiny chips at the edge of my thumb and first finger. Not that noticeable though unless you were up close. This was bound to happen to me because of all the things that my hands go through every day. But it’s not bad enough to ruin the manicure. My nails are still a wonderful shade and are shiny, I have been both cooking and cleaning and typing the past 48 hours, so I am surprised they are in such good condition. So far so good!
Day 5. Other than a few minor chips my nails look great. The look and feel of he polish is still smooth and shiny which is what I would expect to see from a successful manicure. So far the quality of both the polish and the gel top coat is excellent.
Day 7. It’s been a week since the application and overall my nails look fabulous! The shine, colour and smoothness is still apparent and other than my thumb and first finger loosing some polish at the tips the manicure is still in a very good condition. When looking at them not close up you wouldn’t notice the chips.
Day 9. Today I inspected my nails and as you can imagine they are beginning to grow out now at the backs. Their pink lines stand out against the dark red colour painted upon them. Saying that though the look of my nail varnish is still very good. My first finger, thumb and middle finger are now beginning to look worse for wear, but from a distance you can’t tell very much.
Day 11. Not much difference in two days despite my daily duties. All of the nails are beginning to grow out now and most are chipped at the edges. Saying that I have never known a nail polish to last this long without me needing to remove and re-apply at least one of the finger nails.
Day 12. More growing out and a tiny bit more chipping, but otherwise my nails look great for having been applied 12 days ago! I’m starting to really like the quality of this product. It goes to show that when you apply things correctly it can really work in your favour, no wasting time reapplying polish every day or so.
Day 14. Time to remove the nail varnish, but I’m impressed with how well it’s lasted. My daily routine involves cooking and cleaning and I would’ve expected more chips than I have. As you can see in my photograph my nails have lasted reasonably well overall and I think if I were applying this nail polish long term it would be very useful investment knowing that when applied correctly it will last a minimum of a week, almost 14 days if looked after.
Back in February of this year I was lucky enough to win a competition through Intu shopping centres to win this wonderful book by Elizabeth Peyton-Jones. As it says on the cover the author has cleverly created recipes that allow us to harness the power of food so that we may live healthier lives. There are lots of aspects of food that can provide the health benefits our bodies need. Making the most of things such as antioxidants and vitamins that foods such as tomatoes naturally provide.
This recipe was easy to follow and the instructions were very clear. I have always loved to cook so it was nice to try something different. The only thing I did change however was one ingredient, which was relating to nuts. My husband is very allergic so it’s not something that we even have in the house. ‘Cook Yourself Young’ contains many recipes which have nuts in, and although I won’t be able to include nuts in the ones I do try out, I either substitute them or leave the ingredient out completely.
So overall this is a wonderful and unique book filled with recipes and facts that will keep you entertained for months as you create these interesting and healthy dishes. Even if you have to substitute ingredients like I have done, the recipes are still fantastic and it’s well worth it for all the facts about your body and the way it reacts to food.
I was lucky enough to receive this incredible palette from Makeup Revolution London in my mystery bag in March. If you saw my mystery bag reveal here on my blog then you’ll remember it. I wanted to swatch this one and really test out the vibrancy of the colours. At first glance you can see how pigmented the shades are, especially some of the shimmer colours with glitter for extra sparkle.
Here are the 12 shimmer shades of eye shadow. I particularly like the darker shades, because that is how I would usually do my makeup style. As you can see from my swatches there are differences between the shades even those of similar colour like the blues. Luckily I think there are palettes that suit everyone, and there are palettes that people may use only a few of the colours included. I wouldn’t reach for the majority of these shades on a daily basis, but they are great for themed makeup and fancy dress nights out, or just matching with a bold outfit. The great thing about a set like this one is that those shadows are there when you need them, and you can use your regular palettes for the regular days of the week. Unless you love bright and bold as an everyday look in which case this palette is certainly for you!
Outfit 1. Skinny Jeans, Owls T-shirt, short sleeved Lace Cardigan and Black Boots.
Outfit 2. Skinny Jeans, Flowing Dip Hem Shell Top and Black Shoe Boots
Outfit 3. Skinny Jeans, short sleeved Bold Print T-shirt and printed Dolly Shoes.
Outfit 4. Skinny Jeans, Patterned Vest Top and Dolly Shoes
Outfit 5. Skinny Jeans, Striped Jumper and Black Boots
Outfit 6. Grey Jumper Dress with black skinny jeans and boots.
Outfit 7. Skinny Jeans, Statement T-shirt and Dolly Shoes.
As you can see in my photographs the majority of the ingredients are scattered on top of the dairy milk chocolate. There is a lovely texture as you bite through because of the contrast between the caramelised hazelnuts and the freeze-fried raspberries. The dark chocolate and nuts must be added while the milk chocolate is still drying during production because many are integrated in the pieces, but the raspberry is all on the top.
So where can you buy this chocolate bar? I looked in a few supermarkets and eventually found it in Sainsbury’s, but It’s also in larger Tesco stores and I’m sure within a few weeks it will be available in most places.
I know a lot of bloggers do swatches of the colours in the palettes, but these aren’t brand new items so there will be plenty of people out there who have already reviewed them. I just wanted to give my honest opinion of them to you.
Swatch 1 – Iconic Smokey – ‘Silvery’
Here are my recent brush replacement purchases. I chose mostly eye specific brushes because I generally wear makeup on my eyes if nowhere else. The final and largest brush in this image is the new foundation one I ordered. Mine was old and looking worse for wear so I decided to replace it.