Birchbox August Box Reveal and Review

Having taken note of several Birchbox reviews and recent boxes I have been waiting for the right time to sign up and I chose this month for two reasons. The first is because they had a fabulous deal on with free gifts, and the box also contains a Spectrum Brush that is only usually available inside the set of its colour…

So I have had delivered a one off Birchbox to Reveal its contents and Review honestly for you all this week. This unboxing is the contents of the August Box, which has a theme of Mermaids. The box itself is beautiful, a detailed scales design of Blues, Greens and Purples, with a golden trim.

I will tell you honestly why I wanted this box, and it’s more for the Spectrum Brush than any of the other items. Though I was pleasantly surprised by the actual box design quality and the other contents, and I will of course try any product once, and plan to do so with what Birchbox have chosen to send me.

The Birchbox measures 18.2cm in Length, by 12cm Wide and 5cm Deep. The design really stands out against my white backdrop as I begin to photograph the unopened contents.

Now it’s time for the Reveal! Let’s open my Mermaid themed box!

The free gift that I managed to get with my order was a fabulous summery and rather stripey makeup bag, and a Nails Inc Nail Polish. The bag is lilac and yellow and measures 22cm by 16cm. It is adorned with a yellow rope and pink trim that includes zip and the word Birchbox in a clear plastic. The Nails Inc Nail Kale Polish is in the colour of Regal Close and is a nude shade.

Nails Inc is a good brand that I have tried and tested before. I was happy that I was receiving something that was well known. The makeup bag reminds me of Summer with the shades of its stripes. They are two free gifts that I will certainly enjoy.

Here is the full list of the items that I received in my Birchbox. I will be looking at them individually, and photographically, in just a moment.

Spectrum Clam Brush A05

Seba Med Clear Face Mattifying Cream

Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray

LOC Eye Shadow Stick

Merci Handy New Wave Love & Hand Gel


Spectrum Clam Brush A05

The A05 Brush by Spectrum Collections is designed for applying blusher or bronzer with precision. It is a beautiful brush that is part of the Spectrum Atlantis Collection, usually only supplied inside the Glam Clam. A turquoise handle and a brush end with bristles of lilac and pink, this makeup brush is finished with a rose gold ferrule.


Seba Med Clear Face Mattifying Cream

This Seba Med Clear Face Cream is designed to be free from oils, it is the ideal PH for the skin at 5.5. A non-greasy and shine-reducing cream, this is meant to be moisturising for oily skin. Containing Aloe Vera and Hyaluronic Acid to keep your skin hydrated and smooth, without clogging pores. This travel size at 10ml is great for a handbag or for travelling.

Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray

The Oribe Spray can add texture and shine by adding a tousled waves to the hair. It has added proteins and vitamins to give the hair a boost, and can be applied to wet or dry locks. It contains ingredients that have a natural dose of UV protection and natural oils like sunflower and others such as marigolds and amber, to ensure the hair gets nourished. This can is a 37ml size, ideal for going away but be aware this might not be allowed in aeroplane luggage due to being an aerosol.

LOC Eye Shadow Stick

A Birchbox Exclusive, the LOC stick is a precise eye liner shadow pencil which claims to have 11 hours of crease free staying power. It is a compact size but I think from the swatch that I did it will go a long way. In my opinion it is an ideal base for other eye shadow colours to be built up on. Mine was named “Out of your Shell”. The One and Done Eye Shadow Stick is supposed to be easy to apply and comes in a travel size at 1.35g.


Merci Handy New Wave Love & Hand Cleansing Gel

A handy sized sanitiser which is great for handbags or travelling. A simple item but a rather useful one. I received this blue one, called New Wave. I like that it smells nice, it even has glitter inside it for a touch of glam, and it is also supposed to nourish your skin while killing bacteria because it contains Vitamin E and emollient beads. It smells like fruity and clean all at the same time, and is a ‘handy’ 30ml size.

My favourite items from the box are the LOC Eye Shadow Stick and the Spectrum Collections Glam Clam A05 Brush.

My reasons are because I will definitely use these pieces. I wanted the brush so badly to use in blogging and in my makeup. The other items I will all use and/or test, so I just see them as a bonus. I quietly hope that I can use them all despite my sensitive skin.

Here is another image of my items that were inside my August Birchbox.

And below is another shot of the free nail polish and the makeup bag.


Overall I am pleased that I did this Reveal, If I am very happy with any of the individual products then you will no doubt see individual reviews of the items.

Thank you very much for reading this blog post today, I really hope you’ve enjoyed this reveal and of course all of my detailed photography.

If you’re interested in some Birchbox products then please check out their website, they have a shop and you can subscribe to the boxes if you wish to.

Birchbox

If you liked this but want to ‘See’ more then check out my unboxing video, reveal and honest review of the box over on my YouTube Channel.

Thanks Severn Wishes followers, until next time!

✩ Sabrina ✩

A Uniqlo Store T-Shirt Haul – Featuring Designs from the UTGP 2017 in Association with Nintendo

A Uniqlo Store T-Shirt Haul – Featuring Designs from the UTGP 2017 in Association with Nintendo.

Luckily on a recent visit to London my husband wanted to go shopping down Oxford Street. He absolutely loves the work shirts available in Uniqlo. So I agreed to go along with him and give him my opinions of course.

What I didn’t know was that the brand was running a collaboration with Nintendo, where people had designed these awesome T-shirts. Based on Nintendo Video Games and various Characters too, the T-shirts were both for male and female and some were even unisex, at a cost between £11 and £15 each.

Of course I browsed and I couldn’t have left London without getting a few of them. (For those who don’t know it I’m a very keen gamer!) So here are the items in question, with the collaboration details and then I will review them for you.

T-Shirt Design One – Pikachu on Black

My husband bought me this one, he knows I adore Pikachu!

T-Shirt Design Two – The World of Nintendo

This tee brought back so much of my childhood, Mario, DK and hours of fun!

T-Shirt Design Three – Splatoon

I chose this one because of the colours and the googly eyes were fun!

So this T-shirt design contest is held by UNIQLO and people from around the world create and submit original T-Shirt designs based on Nintendo characters. The designs varied with Donkey Kong, Pokemon, Super Mario Brothers, Kirby, Splatoon, Star Fox and of course a Nintendo favourite The Legend of Zelda, all making appearances. All the T-Shirt Characters of course belong to ©Nintendo. A final 25 entries made it to the process of being made, and have been distributed worldwide, with the Winner being a man from Japan who did a Mario inspired design.

For the UT Grand Prix for 2017 and they received more than 16,000 entries, a new record high for the competition. By offering these unique and exciting designs for both men, women and children from its UTGP 2017 Nintendo collection, UNIQLO hopes to bring more joy to the world by giving people the chance to own these one off designs. With the standard being so high this year I cannot wait to see what people come up with for the next one!


There are very few of these wonderful T-Shirt Designs left now, because I went a couple of months ago, and sadly I just hadn’t gotten around to reviewing the items. Anything that is still available can be found in the Summer Sales in stores and online you can fin them here on their website.

Each tee is 100% Cotton, super soft and the designs are all well made and have consistent good quality. The colours are still good after several washes, and I am really pleased I got more than one. There were a few designs that were already sold out, and I am quite disappointed that I didn’t get to buy them. I grew up playing Pokemon on my Gameboy Colour, so I would have adored all of the other Pikachu Tee’s (Numbers 10, 11 and 24 on the list) and I personally think the Mario Star Tee (Number 21) is awesome too! As you can see by the list of pictures I have compiled, the T-shirts are all excellent. I didn’t even see some of these when I went to London in May! Wished I had!


Overall I am happy that my husband wanted to go into Uniqlo that day, otherwise I never would have seen these T-shirts! So it’s thanks to my Ed, I now have them in my wardrobe. For me I wear them as casual tee’s, for doing shopping in, gaming in and general wear. But nevertheless I think they do bring some joy, the comfort and the quirky designs, so I guess Uniqlo have succeeded with their aim, with me anyway.

Soft and well made, these tee’s wash and wear well. So far the colours have remained strong and bold. Because it’s cotton it can be washed on a cool cycle helping the environment. I am a size 6-8 and chose a Small, the sizes fitted well. They are good value for money most definitely. And finally I would like to add that they certainly do look unique.

Thank you very much for reading this blog post today, I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this contest and the designs for this year. As well as my personal review of the items of course. Until next time, thank you.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Oh and I hear that UTGP for 2018 will be a Marvel theme competition!!! :O How awesome is that?!

Using BooHoo Shorts and Iron On Patches to Create my own Unique looking Embroidery Style

Using BooHoo Shorts and Iron On Patches to Create my own Unique looking Embroidery Style Summer Shorts

In the blog post today I am going to be explaining how I managed to make these awesome, unique, and I have to say pretty cool looking embroidery style shorts.

(The Sunflower, Palm Tree and Eye were already sown on).

The original shorts are from BooHoo, I will pop a link to them at the end of the post…

(All the Patches I have had in my Treat Boxes and Artemis and Xena Box!)

The Iron On Patches have all been from past Treat Boxes, the first one I received is from a whole year ago! And it has been sat in a drawer waiting to be used.

I saw the shorts ages ago when I placed an order, to replace an old black pair. And then I had an idea! Seeing as they already had a couple of patches sown on to them, why not add to them! I decided exactly what I was going to do… and this is the result!

If you ever did this as a child, then you had a great childhood! Picking an iron patch in the local shop, taking it home and choosing an item of your clothing for it to go on to. Usually a denim jacket in the 1990’s with patches covering the back! But I wanted to spruce up these already great shorts! I hope you like what I did!

Here are the Treatbox Iron On Instructions and a closer look at the beautiful Rainbow patch that we had last year in our August 2016 box.

Here is a closer look at the Flamingo and Pineapple which were in the July 2017 box.

Recommending to use a handkerchief or an old pillow case to place over the patch while you are ironing is not only a tip but a definite necessity.

This lovely Cup Cake Iron On Patch came out of the Artemis and Xena Box I had earlier on this year in March.

Getting down to the ‘How To Do This’ Part of the blog post now, and basically just be creative! Make sure that you get patches that are good quality, and make sure you choose both areas of the fabric that are easy to iron on to, and choose a fabric that can be ironed on a high heat without it getting damaged!

Otherwise just follow the instructions carefully and make sure you do this with an adult if you’re of a young age.

My final tip is to play around before ironing anything on, you might change your mind. Imagine wearing the item and where the patches will be when you do. Once you’ve made a final decision why not ask someone in your family for their opinion, it couldn’t hurt. And remember this is a creative and fun activity you can do as a family if you all wanted to participate.

Review of BooHoo’s Polly Palm Embroidered Denim Shorts

Comfort 4/5
Value for Money 3/5
Appearance 4/5

Now I’m going to show you a photo of me wearing my finished shorts! I’m really pleased with the way that they turned out.


Here is a link to the boohoo shorts BOOHOO, and don’t forget to check out my category for my Treat Box REVEALS, the Treat Box shop link is also here if anyone wants it SHOP.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to leave me comments, I’m happy to answer them.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Revisiting the Urban Decay Urban Eyeshadow Vault

Revisiting the Urban Decay Urban Eyeshadow Vault

A good many months ago now, I was extremely lucky enough to win this Urban Decay Vault, but I haven’t had much time to photograph and use the products inside it. So on the blog today I am revisiting this incredible Eyeshadow Vault, showing off some new swatches and new images I have made of its contents.

There are twenty wonderful pots inside this vault, and they are all gorgeous eyeshadow shades. I am going to show off some brand new swatch images, and then just a whole lot of random shots that I love. I have experimented for hours with photographing the pots and also added some of my spectrum brushes in some photographs too, to bring a whole lot of awesomeness to my blog today!

The Swatches

10 pots are Original Collection shades and 10 are Moondust Collection shades.

The Original ones are in the Dark Grey Pots. Here are my swatches.

Blackout
Lounge
Mildew
Mushroom

Last Call
Scratch
Busted
Sellout

Rockstar
X

The Moondust Collection are in the Silver Pots. Here are my swatches.

Scorpio
Zodiac
Vortex
Moonspoon

Solstice
Space Cowboy
Dark Force
Interstellar

Shockwave
Cosmic

What I loved most about photographing these eyeshadow pots was the variety in the colours. They are wonderfully designed with such detail.

I really hope that you will enjoy these next four photographs, I spent many hours composing and shooting, and this is what I have come up with.

I hope I have done the Urban Decay Urban Eyeshadow Vault justice with my work. Leave me a comment if there is a particular photo that you really like so that I know, thank you.

The Vault

A Little Mixture

Stack and See

An Incredible Set


You can purchase Urban Decay Eyeshadow Pots from their website, they range from £14 – £15.50 each. Check the range out by clicking here.

Thank you for reading this blog post today. Let me know if you enjoyed the revisited swatches and my photographs. And don’t forget to check out the original post if you want more general information, it can be found right here.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Wilkinson Sword Quattro Review and Free Limited Edition Lipstick


When I recently purchased a new Wilkinson Sword Quattro for Women Bikini, I received a code for a Free Limited Edition Lipstick.

As most of you will know the film Wonder Woman has been in Cinema’s over this Summer, and although I didn’t get a chance to go and see it, I jumped at the opportunity to own a Lipstick with the Wonder Woman branding. Wilkinson Sword claims they were designed for Strong, Independent women, and I like to think I’m one of those people.

When I logged into their website I entered my details and I got to choose one of four lipsticks. I chose ‘Wonder’ because I thought it would better suit my complexion.

Unfortunately as the disclosure states, if they run out you get the next available colour. I have ended up with the lipstick shade of ‘Power’ instead, which was my third choice and not one I would have chosen because of my complexion.


This Red really isn’t my colour sadly, so I won’t be posting a ‘selfie’ picture, instead I will share a swatch of the shade. It might be used for ‘fancy dress’ but it’s certainly not an every day lipstick for me. I envy women who can pull off this incredible shade though.

 


The Wilkinson Sword brand is an excellent one that I have used for many years. Twice a year I make sure that I change my shaving units, and I was just lucky enough to be changing them while this promotion was on to take advantage of this freebie.


Overall Review of the Shaver and its Promotion

Value for Money 4/5
Effectiveness of Use 4/5
Promotion Item 3/5
Variety Available 3/5


Overall I believe this shaver to be a good one. It has good manufacturing quality to it, the unit comes with a battery to start you off with, and when the brand runs promotions they tend to be very good. It’s a shame that the shade of lipstick isn’t for me, because the quality of it seems good. The unit is nicely presented in a black case with the Wonder Woman logo and name of the lipstick shade on the side.

Thank you to Wilkinson Sword for running this promotion and for supplying me with this lipstick. I think, for anyone who wanted to know, the shaver was around £12 in Sainsburys but was on offer when I bought it.

Thank you for reading this post today, I really hope you have enjoyed it. Did you manage to pick up a promo pack for yourself? I would love for you to comment what shade you chose, and what you actually received, if you did.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

 Sabrina 

If you would like to see what Wilkinson Sword products are currently on offer, then you can visit their website HERE

SS17 Fashion Trends, How To Wear Them This Season And How To Combine Your Current Wardrobe

Welcome to today’s Blog Post, in this piece I am going to be discussing the main Fashions for this Spring and Summer. How you can wear them this season, and how you can combine new items with your current wardrobe to stay on trend.

There are several main trends this year, and the majority of them have been doubled up to ensure maximum ‘on trend’ efficiency. Brands seem to be fusing together different styles to create new ones. I will give you an example, Denim and Embroidery. A lot of companies are now uniting various denim styles with patches and sown on patterns. Of course this relates back to some of the 1990’s fashion trends that saw embroidery on a variety of things, including jeans. But now it seems to be on everything, from T-Shirts to Jackets, Jeans to Coats… Other examples have been gradually making a come back, hinting on 1920’s and 1930’s fashion, with cold shoulders, bardot tops and dresses and of course lots of lace.

I will now list all of the trends that I have come across through research, personal shopping trips and reading about what is appearing on the latest catwalks, so that you can see what I’m talking about. Here are most of the current trends…

✩ Denim and Embroidery ✩
✩ Embroidery and Lace ✩
✩ Denim and Pink ✩
✩ Lace and Cold Shoulder ✩
✩ Cold Shoulder and Gingham ✩

✩ Gingham and Silver ✩
✩ Bold Prints and Glitter ✩
✩ Floral Prints and Stripes ✩
✩ Stripes and Studs ✩
✩ Ruffles and Mesh ✩
✩ Mesh and Sheer ✩
✩ Sheer and Florals ✩
✩ Stripes and Cold Shoulder ✩
✩ Florals and Gingham ✩
✩Gingham and Bold Prints ✩

Now I’m going to talk about a few of the trends that I like the most, and give examples of my fashion and any styles that I myself have worn during the summer so far.

Stripes are a go in my wardrobe at ALL times of the year and in all seasons. I have striped tops, dresses and various other items, striped pieces in my opinion don’t ever go out of style! Check out my latest Fashion purchases on that named category to see what my latest fashion spends have been on. Mainly T-Shirts if I’m honest, some of which are very much on trend right now…

So what I noticed more about this summer more than any other in recent years, was how many brands got on the ‘Floral’s for Summer’ idea. This is a simple one of course, everyone knows how much flowers thrive in the warmer months of the year. Yet it was different somehow. People were combining unusual colours and prints that had never before seen each other. Next time you’re shopping take a look at Floral Fashions…

Let’s get down to some of my examples now, and how I have recently styled them.

✩ Florals and Gingham / Gingham and Florals ✩

I adore Gingham, and until a couple of years ago I barely had any of it in my wardrobe. These Shorts I already did a separate review on, but I wanted to explain why they were so on trend still. They combine two trends, Floral Print and the Gingham Print, in one item. Not only that but depending on what you choose to partner them with, could mean your outfit ticks several ‘On Trend’ boxes in one go!

Shorts from BooHoo (See My Individual Review For More Details)

Here I am in my Gingham and Floral outfit. I love how the flowers really stand out on the pattern.

✩✩

✩ Sheer and / or Mesh in Fashion ✩

Sheer Mesh T-Shirts are also on trend right now, I had this lovely Floral one from New Look. Check out my review of it by clicking New Look on my categories.


✩✩✩

✩ Florals and Bold Prints ✩

A really good example of Bold Prints and Florals are these other Shorts I got also from BooHoo. Comfortable and affordable, these excellent shorts have such a vibrant pattern, and really stand out. I would pair them with a plain black bardot top, a double Fashion ensemble to ensure a great looking Summer outfit.


✩ Gingham / Chequered Print and Bright Colours ✩

I absolutely love to recycle old clothing into new trends. This year I’ve been able to dig out my ‘vintage’ chequered pieces, such as these two skirts. And then pair them with new items such as bold print and brightly coloured T-Shirts. One is around twelve years old and from New Look, the other is around eight years old and was from Primark (and yes I can still fit in them both). Recycling your older items is a great way to stay up to date with the latest trends, plus you never know when items such as these will be in fashion again, sometimes it’s not very long at all!

(Primark Original)

(New Look Original)

✩ Embroidery and Denim ✩

Another trend I particularly like is the embroidery one. I am really getting into this, it brings back all the 1990’s Fashion from when I was growing up. What I actually plan to do is make my own shorts, but I have cheated slightly, and gotten a pair that was already started with patches. I am going to add my Iron On Patches that I have received inside my various Treat Boxes, on to these shorts to make them unique. Here is a shot of them with the patches, but I have yet to decide on my final design.

You could choose to put patches on any kind of Denim item, I liked how these would brighten up the black, but they work just as well with blue too!

These shorts will look great this Summer with either a crop top or with a white tee with very little pattern to allow the embroidery to take central focus.

Another way Embroidery has been used in Fashion in recent months is to line T-Shirts, on either the hems or the sleeves, or both. Here are examples from Dorothy Perkins that I have purchased this year. They go excellent with a variety of Denim colours. Check out my DP section on the main page for my reviews.


✩ Cold Shoulder / Bardot and Lace ✩

Finally, another style I want to discuss is the Cold Shoulder one. As I mentioned earlier in the post, the Bardot style and the Cold Shoulder trend have both been reinvented for modern day fashion, and I have to say I really took to both. I never thought it would suit me, but actually I am happy to wear both tops and dresses. Here is one example, where I have paired my BooHoo Gingham Shorts with a Lace Cold Shoulder Top from Dorothy Perkins.

Here I am in this outfit. I really like combining trends like these to make my own style.

Thank you for reading this Fashion post today, I really hope you have enjoyed reading about the latest trends and my takes on how to make them unique for yourself.

 Sabrina 

Title Image taken by Megan from Makeup by Megan

Sabrina’s Crafting – How To Make Your Own 3D Box Frame

✩ How To Make Your Own 3D Box Frame ✩

If you have followed me on social media or read my blog for a while now, then you will know that I’m a very creative individual. I wanted to share that creative streak with you on the blog this month by writing this special post, and making a “how to” video too!

What I’m going to be talking about on the blog today will be frames. For those who don’t already know, I’m a photographer, I have been for more than twelve years now. I guess you could say that I have an eye for seeing things in the world around me. Combine that with my creativity and it’s a match for making all sorts of things. Like my very own frames, and that is what I’m going to explain to you all now, so that you can go away and make some too.

(Here are a few of my examples to get you thinking…)

Before we begin we will need to gather a few things. You must buy a box frame (of course) or recycle an old unused and unwanted one in your home. The size can be totally up to you so long as its deep, roughly 1.5cm or more is good. And it can plastic or wooden, but wooden is preferable so that you can stick items to it easier.

Here is the type of frame that I chose to get, I like wooden ones, and believe it or not these were only £1 each in Poundland, a real bargain for the quality I think.

These frames make wonderful gifts for people, and seeing as we are getting closer and closer to the end of the year, you might want to keep some ideas in mind if your frame building goes well.

Not only are you going to need some items to put inside your frame, but in order to decorate it, layer it in order to make it 3D, and of course stick the whole ensemble together! So you are going to need to either buy, salvage from loved ones, recycle or make the following items…

So before we start getting creative with it you will need to think of a theme for your frame, and then buy, salvage or make the parts to go with it. I’m going to provide some ideas now, and then take the “How To” part into a Step by Step guide for you to follow.

✩ Theme Ideas ✩

Nature – Woodland / Forest
Nature – Seaside
Nature – Garden
Nature – Animals
Memories – A Day Out
Memories – Loved Ones
Fun – Superheroes
Fun – Toys – Lego


✩ Examples of Some Items I Used and Where You Can Get Them ✩

Stickers – Pound Shops
Wooden Shapes – The Works
3D Butterflies – Inside my Artemis and Xena Subscription Box
Butterfly Stickers – Craft Store
Sequins and Stars – Treatboxes
Wooden Flowers – The Works
Wooden Mini Mushrooms – Etsy
Resin Flowers – Poundland
Mini Wooden Pegs – The Works
Beads and Buttons – Craft Stores
Shells and Stones – From A Beach
Photographs – Owned By Me and Printed By Me
Toy Shops for Small Toy Items

Check Charity Shops – Always Good To Look Around For Items and For Frames

Now on to my Step by Step Guide, you can also watch this on my video, but in case you need a reference to look back on, this is how easy it is to make your frame, once you have accumulated all of the above components.

✩ My Step by Step Guide ✩

Step 1. Make Sure Your Frame Is Clean And Dust Free, Remove Any Price Stickers etc. Decide On Your Theme and If It Will Be Shown In Portrait or Landscape When You’re Finished. This May Take Time To Complete, Do Not Rush, Be Patient…

Step 2. Write Down How You Want It The Frame To Look, Play Around With The Items You Have Assembled, Until You’re Happy With The Way It Looks. Then Write It Down Or Take A Photo Of It.

Step 3. Next, Arrange Your Items Into Order Of What Will Be Stuck Down First Through To Last. Make Sure You Begin By Doing The Background, You Can Keep The Piece Of Glass Inside The Frame, Or Remove It If You Are Layering, But Be Careful The Edges Will Be Sharp. Remove The Back Of The Frame So You Can Work On The Centre (Set It To One Side In A Safe Place).

Step 4. For The Background. You Can Choose To Use The Glass As A Base, The Card Inside, Your Own Photograph Or Your Own Drawing etc. But Make Sure It Is The Correct Size By Measuring It Against The Template Paper Piece Inside The Frame (Or The Glass Piece But Be Careful).

Step 5. Once You Have Completed The Background Start Your First Layer. This Can Be Just An Image To Layer Upon, It Can Be A Photograph, A Collage, A Drawing… Anything! But It Should Stand Out…

Step 6. Once The Background Is Done The First Layer Can Be Glued, Let The Frame Dry For A Few Hours After. You Can Nudge The Items After 3-6 Hours And If There Is No Movement, Then You Can Be Gentle And Avoid Them, And Can Continue Sticking. If You Are Layering Paper Though Allow Time To Dry Between The Layers (Usually 12 hours).

Step 7. When You’re Happy With Your Frame, Continue To Glue Any Items Until The Entire Piece Is Complete And How You Imagined. Remember You Can Always Change Your Mind As You Go. Some Items Might Be Awkward To Stick Down, Take Your Time, And Let It Dry In Between Complex Layers…

Step 8. Once Everything Is Stuck, Let The Frame Dry At Room Temperature (Roughly Overnight for 12 hours but if you glued a lot on then make it 24 hours). Place It Up High And Keep It Away From Any Dirt, Moisture Or Heat.

Step 9. If Everything Has Stayed In Place After This Time Then You Can Fit The Back Of The Frame Back On (Carefully).

Step 10. Let the Frame Sit Now For At Least 24 – 48 hours. If Nothing Falls Off During This Time Then Now You Can Enjoy What You Have Made!

Check Out My YouTube Video Showcasing My Frames And More Of The “How To” With  More Of My Tips Too!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN 3D BOX FRAME

Thank you very much for reading this blog post today. I hope that I have inspired you to try and make a frame yourself! If you do, please leave me a comment to let me know, or you can tag me on social media and show it me instead! I cannot wait to see what you all come up with, and don’t forget to have fun getting creative this summer!

Happy Crafting!

✩ Sabrina ✩

X115 New Generation Cream Woman “SOS Total Youth” Review

An in depth Review of the X115 New Generation “SOS Total Youth” Cream for Women from Jarmy SRL in Italy.

When I was recently contacted by Jarmy I jumped at the chance to review a product that is created outside of the United Kingdom. The company is a leading name in Italy and has the appropriate slogan “Beauty For Life”.

The product I have been sent to test is a 15ml bottle of their Women Anti-Aging Cream. Said to bring back the skins youthful appearance by increasing hydration and collagen in the skin. The small bottle is designed to last anything from four to six weeks, so I wanted to test the product accordingly before reporting my findings.

The first thing that I noticed when I began testing this product was that it had no smell, only a light plastic sort of smell and a slight oily scent, I take it that was from being encased in its packaging. However once applied there was no lingering smell. The cream was very light to apply and with a few strokes it soaked into my skin with ease. Even though I have sensitive skin I have had no issues with using this product whatsoever.

The X115 Anti-Aging Cream contains lots of naturally occurring ingredients including Argan Oil, Acai Oil, Shea Butter, Avocado, Cholesterol, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin E Acetate, Lipoic Acid and Vitamin A.

There are some specific reasons why the following ingredients are used in this cream. I will now briefly outline why some of them are so relevant to its effectiveness.

Vitamin E – provides an anti-oxident action by blocking radical reactions.
Vitamin A – improves skins thickness and promotes collagen production.
Lipoic Acid – helps protect cell membranes and protects skin from early aging.

Not only that but it is both Hypoallergenic and is Dermatologically tested. Due to it also being Paraben, Gluten and Fragrance Free, all of these things help prevent any skin irritations. I could tell after a week of using the cream that my skin liked it.

There are a couple of other ingredients that people should be aware of before making a decision to purchase. This cream does contain a muscle relaxant and a type of acid that can cause a tingling sensation in some people.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) – this ingredient has an inhibiting action upon nerve pulse transmissions, it promotes the reduction in expression lines.

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 – this ingredient is a micro muscle relaxant that provides a smoothing action to the areas of the skin it is applied, it has been known to contribute to the reduction of facial wrinkles.

I honestly had no problems with the cream, and read all through the accompanying leaflet before first applying it. As I stated earlier with my somewhat sensitive skin I was expecting something, but no, and I have to say I have noticed a slight difference in the quality of my skin.

The X115 is designed to be applied at either the morning routine or the evening one, whichever suits the customer better. I have always preferred to do my more complex routine just before going to bed, that is because I usually struggle to remember to apply everything in a morning when I’m still half asleep!

So how and where can you apply this X115 cream. Well the first thing you must do is make sure your skin is washed thoroughly and then cleansed. I love using my Garnier Micellar Water to clean my face and neck before bed, it is refreshing as well in the warmer months of the year. Make sure you pat your skin dry, before applying the cream.

Jarmy recommend the cream be directly placed on to skin where there are already lines and wrinkles, such as the forehead, around the eyes etc. You only need apply it in small quantities, then with a gentle circular motion rub it in gently until it is fully absorbed. It is recommended that you keep your face relaxed until the cream has fully sunk in.

This cream is not an SPF, so if you are applying it with a morning routine, you must wait several minutes after it has been absorbed, before applying your regular SPF face creams and then any makeup after that. Ensuring that your skin is thoroughly protected from UV Rays will allow the product to work more effectively.

Over all I have found the cream easy to use, and because the bottle is so small it’s easily portable too. I went away for a weekend and just tossed it in my bag with my makeup. The small bottle went a very long way, with an evening routine I have used it consistently for almost six weeks now, with a very small amount remaining.

The bottle has a pump action top, and one squeeze of product onto a finger was enough to do the problem areas on my entire face. This is roughly a large pea sized amount, and honestly this will be all you need. Use the cream sparingly, it isn’t oily at all and is quite thick, but it will absorb quickly if you massage it into your skin gently.

The X115 states that it will act on several levels to ensure that your skin becomes more youthful. It does this by targeting several main areas and skin aging problems. They are; Protect, Nourish, Regenerate, Smooth and Correct issues.

The main problems that women around my age have with their skin are that it is Tired, Stressed, Dry, Sagging, Dehydrated and Wrinkled, but X115 is going to help with all of them in one tiny bottle.

I must admit that I am lucky enough not to look my age, yet! But all the same, using X115 for these past few weeks I have noticed some changes in my skin. The lines that appear on my forehead with certain facial expressions are less noticeable and my skin is definitely better hydrated. (As someone who regularly has dry skin I do drink between 1.5 and 3 litres of water a day though as well and this helps your skin stay hydrated). My face is softer to touch since using this cream and my crows feet are not as prominent as they were three months ago.

I don’t really believe in a ‘before’ and ‘after’ image, because your skin is made up of so many factors, like diet, exercise and hormones. But I have definitely noticed a difference in my facial areas, so much so that I stopped using two other creams a month ago, just so that I was focusing all my attention on the X115. I wanted to see what it could do and see if it could do, in a shorter time period, what my usual products had been attempting to do for months.

I would like to finish my review on a positive note. I am rather glad that Jarmy got in touch with me to review their Anti-Aging Cream. I am currently twenty nine years old, I work full time and blog part time, and I have stress in my life like everyone else does. But looking at my skin now, compared to three months ago, I can see it doesn’t look as stressed and looks healthier. I hope that it was this cream, I definitely haven’t given up my food luxuries like chocolate, so I know it can’t be that!

If you’re interested in knowing more about the incredible products available from Italy, you have two choices. Visit the website and click on the United Kingdom flag to read all about it in English, or you can pop over on to Amazon, where the products can also be purchased from, direct from Jarmy still though. I will leave the links to both of these at the end of my post if you want to take a look.

Thank you for reading this beauty and skin blog post today, I hope that you have enjoyed reading about this interesting X115 Anti-Aging Cream, I know it has been a pleasure testing it for you all to read about. This is an affordable, but high quality product, and I would like to thank Jarmy for choosing me to represent their brand this summer by means of this testing and review.

Thank you very much.

✩ Sabrina ✩

 

X115 Website

X115 on Amazon

Label M Curl Cream Review

On my most recent visit to my favourite Hair Dressers, Toni and Guy, my stylist used their latest curl cream on my hair after my cut. To style this cream she scrunched it through my wet and freshly cut hair and then placed me under a hooded drier for thirty minutes.

I was so impressed with the results afterwards that I asked to see the bottle and know more about the brand. Used at London Fashion Week Label.M is a professional hair care brand developed for use by professional stylists. I decided to purchase some to take home, my hair really seemed to like it and the curls bounced up as it dried fully.

(Above; My Hair straight after having it cut and styled with the curl cream).

Here is the product, it comes in a 150ml bottle but every pump goes a long way. It contains natural ingredients including Jojoba, Bran and Extract of Sunflower. The smell is just apparent as you rub the cream through your hands, and its easy to apply in your hair. Comb it in with your fingers, and then scrunch small sections at a time to create curls. Then either let dry naturally or slow hair dry with a diffuser.


My hair loves this product. I use it twice a week on my hair after shampooing and conditioning, squeezing out the excess water and applying it on my damp hair. After scrunching I let it sit for five minutes in a head towel before blow drying on a medium heat with a diffuser.

Comparing images of my hair from three months ago versus my hair now, you can see how less frizzy it is, overall it looks shinier and healthier since using this product.

Not only does the curl cream suit my type of curly hair but it also contains a complex that protects against both heat styling and UV Rays so it’s good for the whole of your hair.

Honestly, these bottles aren’t cheap, they are around £15.00 each, though the product can be used sparingly and your use would obviously depend upon the length of your hair too. Like I said earlier in the post I only use two pumps on my long hair, twice a week, so it’s taken me almost three months to get through my first bottle.

Right now I don’t use any other hair sprays or frizz control products on my hair because of the way my hair has responded to this treatment cream, I should save money in the long run hopefully.

(Above; My hair after using the product at home).

Final Review and Thoughts

Value for Money 4/5
Product Quality 5/5
Ease of Use 5/5

Overall I adore this Label.M Curl Cream and I will continue to use it while my hair prefers it to my other brands. I have also researched and you can buy this brand online at certain retailers as well.

Thank you for reading this blog post today.

✩ Sabrina ✩

A Spa Day At The Mercure Shrewsbury Albrighton Hall Hotel and Spa

I had a warm feeling in my soul while revisiting Albrighton Hall Hotel and Spa again.
6 years ago in June I had my Hen Weekend here, where we stayed in the hotel and also used the restaurant, spa and leisure facilities. It was a truly wonderful weekend that we all indulged upon, and so when my mum suggested that I needed some ‘me time’ and time out, due to both some stress at work and difficulties with my health, the first place I thought of going was here.

I will set the scene for you all. In the picturesque Shropshire countryside lies a beautiful old building, it’s an eighteenth century manor house set in gorgeous gardens and grounds, with trees and a lake. The main house is where reception and the main dining area are situated, along with function rooms and a variety of conference suites. Alongside it is the hotel part of the grounds, currently Albrighton Hall has eighty seven contemporary en-suite rooms.

And finally there is the Spa and Leisure section situated off to the left hand side of the grounds. With its own parking area, this has newly been renovated as of 2016, and I looked forward to my visit to take in the changes.

My mum and I decided on a Spa Day, where, for a package price, we received lunch and a hot drink included, with full use of the facilities, plus two spa treatments of our choice from a set list. We were also given complimentary bath robes and slippers to wear during our stay, and towels for the pool area too, so there was very little you required to bring with you.

For lunch we were given a menu to choose from, there was a nice variety, some were cold and some were hot. I decided to be semi healthy and go for a Chicken Caesar with egg (not fish) salad, and an orange juice. As you can see it was well presented, and actually I thought the dish was very tasty for a salad.

The Spa was busy on the day we visited, which meant our lunch was delayed slightly, however staff did apologise, and mum and I were happy to just relax and wait, we were in no rush.


The newly refurbished Spa houses a main room with a salon bar so that Nails and other beauty treatments can be done. In the back there is a selection of rooms where the treatments that require one to lie down are performed. The lighting was very calming, as was the music, and I found the rooms to be clean and well maintained. The Spa was busy, yet all the staff were calm and friendly.


A lovely young lady called Frankie, did my Manicure today. I chose a pearly pink colour, because my Wedding Anniversary was fast approaching.

The nail lacquer that the Spa use is called Orly Beauty, and the colour was called Toast The Couple. The colour was very beautiful, and I liked how smooth it felt once they were fully dry.

I also opted for a Back Massage, to try and relieve some of my stress. Frankie was an excellent masseuse, and did wonders with my shoulders that had previously felt rather knotted. She used an Almond Oil on my skin while massaging, then a Eucalyptus based Oil, followed by a hot towel. The whole treatment made my skin and muscles feel great, and I felt relaxed afterward listening to the calming music in the room also.


Now I hate to criticise, after a lovely experience in the Spa itself, but I feel that the facilities aspect let my visit down. Not due to the choice, but the running of it, let me explain why I was so disappointed.

One thing that didn’t make our day perfect, was that some of the facilities were out of order. However we were not once told this by the staff, we were left to notice the several A4 sheets of paper that were stuck to doors around the building. We were unable to use the steam room or ice room, though we did manage to have a few minutes in the Sauna, but it was rather busy because of the lack of the other rooms available. I only wished this was made aware to us when we booked, which was only a couple of weeks prior. My mum and I would have bought clothing for the gym if we has known that the wet rooms would be unavailable.

Another thing that I hadn’t been aware of before, was that the leisure facilities were open all day for anyone who was a member to use them, but that included children. I have no problem what so ever with children using health and fitness areas, and in fact I was glad in one way to see them here. But what bothered me was that nowhere in booking by phone or online, does it tell you about this.

My mother and I had hoped for a relaxed day, using the facilities at our own pace, and enjoying the package we had paid for, which was all advertised as such online. Except we couldn’t use the pool at all, because when we first changed there were two families in there splashing about with pool floats and pool noodles. Forgive my harshness, but wouldn’t you take your children to a proper sized swimming pool with varying levels of depth in order to teach them how to swim?

We were not the only disgruntled people at the pool side that day wondering if we would get a turn in the water. Mum and I went away and returned later, we had our one turn in the Jacuzzi (groups of people were also waiting to use it as it goes on and off on a timer on the wall). By that time more people had turned up for the pool, this time some teenagers were in the pool, so we sat once again on the loungers. But a while later our time was up and our spa day had ended, I was disappointed not to get a swim in.

I believe that the hotel needs to state online that there are members who use the facilities, and when booking a Spa Day, you can use these facilities, however you may have to wait your turn to do so. This would cover the Spa if it has any future complaints and inquiries from groups about how many other people might be attending.

The Hotel had been catering for a wedding the day and night prior to our visit, which meant generally the hotel and spa were busy. I don’t think I will be booking again if I am made aware of the amount of people staying on the grounds.

Hopefully the next time I visit I can book a quieter day and make sure that mum and I are able to make full use of our spa package and all of the facilities will be available to us.

Overall the Spa Treatments were the best part of our day, and lunch was rather delicious too. However I am still disappointed about the leisure facilities, hopefully when I come again they will be all up and running.

Here are my final review scores for my day the
Mercure Shrewsbury Albrighton Hall Hotel and Spa.

Spa Treatment – Massage 5/5
Spa Treatment – Manicure 4/5
Lunch on the Premises – 4/5
Facilities Available 2/5
Facilities Used 4/5
General Facilities 4/5

Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope you have enjoyed reading about my experiences.

 Sabrina