Makeup Revolution Mystery Bag Reveal

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I was ever so excited when I recently purchased from Makeup Revolution London, and they included a free mystery bag with my order. I decided that I would share this reveal with you all, because I have no idea what is inside, and I love a surprise especially when its free! It took me a moment to unroll the bubble wrap and I couldn’t believe how many items were neatly arranged inside…

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So the items that were included in my mystery bag are…

Item 1. Colour Chaos 18 Exclusive Eyeshadow Palette. The pigments in these colours are just incredible!

Item 2. Radiant Lights Glow

Item 3. The One Blush Stick – Malibu Shade – For Cheeks and/or Lips

Item 4. Amazing Sheer Lip Gloss – shade ‘Hey Girl’

Item 5. Vivid Blush Lacquer in shade ‘Desire’

Item 6. Single Mono Eyeshadow in shade ‘I Won’t Be Alone’

Item 7. Ultra Velour Lip Cream ‘Move your Mouth Forever’

Item 8. #LipHug Lipstick in shade ‘Let’s Raise the Bar’

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Wow! I am over the moon with my mystery bag! I am very much looking forward to using the eyeshadows and the lip gloss, and trying out the radiant lights glow too.
If I’m really impressed with any of the products I will of course do a review on them individually in the coming weeks.
Thanks to Makeup Revolution London for some great new products. Keep your eyes peeled for my makeup reviews soon.

The Importance of Water

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I have always been a supporter of drinking lots of water. I have never had any problem in drinking pints of the stuff every day. Sometimes I drink it plain, sometimes it’s flavoured and occasionally with a dash of squash thrown in. But the most important thing about water is just getting it into your body in the first place.

For anyone who does struggle with drinking water, here are a few of my tips to getting more into your every day routine. The first is to buy a sports cap bottle. It might sound a little odd, but not having to unscrew a lid, and just flicking up a cap and drinking out of it, saves time and is more convenient if you’re someone who is always on the go. You can also drink more this way than you would do if you were sipping from the top of an open bottle.

Something else that I always do, is to have a small glass of water half an hour before every meal. By doing this it kick starts your digestive system and gets it ready to receive the food you’re about to devour, this also helps to control appetite as well.

Most people will insist that the recommended daily amount of water you need to consume is eight glasses. But this doesn’t take into consideration warm weather, sweating if you exercise and other daily situations such as health and lifestyle. The actual amount of water you need to drink as an adult varies from eight to sixteen glasses a day. Some people struggle with this amount and many adults substitute water for things like tea and energy drinks. Although these hydrate you they don’t have the benefits that plain water does. My tip for you is to always keep water to hand, either in a bottle or a glass. If you’re on the go a lot always carry a bottle with you. Another tip is to drink one glass of water when you wake up in the morning that is before you eat anything or go about your daily routine. This helps to kick start the digestive system and can lower blood pressure too.

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The benefits of drinking more water can be noticed within a couple of days. Your body is made of approximately 60% water, this helps transport nutrients in the body and regulate body temperature among other things. When you are made of so much liquid this means that dehydration is never far away if you don’t look after yourself. Being dehydrated can cause your skin to dry up and for your kidney function to decline in efficiency. These are just some of the reasons why you need to keep up those fluids. Your skin will look healthier and you’ll notice the difference in your concentration levels as well as your muscles. Drinking more water can help with muscle tiredness and it flushes out the toxins that cause illness and skin breakouts.

Robinson’s have been running promotions on both Twitter and Facebook to win their very cute glasses, I call mine my happy glass. Why is he happy? Because you’re drinking more water of course! Thank you again to Robinson’s for my wonderful glass.

RobinsonsFreebieSWI hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and I hope that perhaps I have inspired you (with the facts) to drink more water.

Makeup Organiser Review

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Makeup and Desk Tidy Organiser Review

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I’m a big believer in keeping things tidy and organised. So when I had a major clear out of lots of old makeup and products at the start of this year I knew I needed to get things tidied. I wanted to purchase some clever storage items for the products I was keeping and use on a regular basis.

The purchase I made was this organiser and I’m very happy with it. I’m reviewing this plastic makeup storage piece because I think lots of people out there might be interested to know how much these things hold.

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As you can see in my photographs I’ve only put the products I use often in the unit, and there’s still a ton of space. This organiser is great if you own a lot of lipsticks, there are 12 spaces for them. A large square section on the left ideal for flat based items and two taller slots at the back of that. Finally a slot at the back on the right which I have used for eyeshadow palettes but it’s a very versatile space.

Overall I’m pleased with this purchase. It’s made my daily routine easier by having the products I use on show and easily removable. You can get a variety of items to fit, providing they are a standard size. As you can see in the picture below I have managed to fit square and round based lipsticks on the right. Nail Varnishes sadly don’t fit in the lipstick sections for anyone who wondered. Despite this I still have plenty of room for all my other types of daily products, and the organiser sits flush on my bedroom unit, keeping everything tidy. I only wish the back right part was a little deeper (look at the No7 eyeshadow palettes) so I could fit more in.

My Final Review is;

Quality 4/5
Value 4/5
Usefullness 5/5

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Thanks so much for reading this review. You can find these type of organisers in TKMaxx Homesense and on Amazon.

✩ Sabrina ✩

L’Oréal Paris Préférence Glam Bronde No5 Review

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Deciding to change your hair colour can be quite a daunting process, especially if you are very attached to your hair as I am. Not only do I have natural curls, but I have naturally auburn hair through my ancestry. This can mean that certain colours will always turn into a red tint, especially if I’m trying to go blonde, it just doesn’t work.

So what I wanted to do was highlight my hair for the springtime, a subtle change rather than a bold new look. When I saw the ‘Bronde’ boxes last summer I kept hoping to try one, and now was the right time for me to do so.

LorealParisHairDyeSWWith help from my husband (for the strokes at the back of my head) I decided to use this hair product. Being L’Oréal Paris Préférence I was expecting great things. The brush that is used to apply the mixed product to your hair is really great. It allows you to safely and precisely work with your hair, as you would when brushing it, putting the highlights in where you want them. I thought it was a genius piece of kit and I have kept it (thoroughly washed) for future hair dyeing escapades.

I was pleased with the overall look of my hair, though after the full 45 minutes of developing time I would’ve expected a little bit lighter result. I even put extra product on just the ends of my hair in the hope that at least I would end up with an ombre effect even if the highlights weren’t very noticeable.

I took this selfie in natural light by a window and even though the colour difference is noticeable, you can also see that my natural colour has altered the final look. The product is designed for medium brown hair and although mine is a little darker than the woman shown on the box, I always take that with a pinch of salt; you don’t know how much processing has been done to the photographs. I would have hoped of a lighter highlight, even if it did go a hint of red with my hair colour, it’s still not how its advertised on the box.

Hair Sabrina MarchSo that is my new look for spring and the end of my review. The pros are that as far as applying the product goes, the brush makes it easy, and providing you’ve got lots of mirrors or someone to help you with the strands at the back, it’s easy to achieve. The con is that it really did stink, you need a much ventilated room, and I’m not sure how much lighter it has gone on other people but it didn’t do much on my hair.

Finally would I recommend this product?
Yes I would, but I would say the next one I would try might be the red shade of highlights rather than the ‘Bronde’, I might need to realise that this is as light as I can highlight with this shade without a progressive hair dyeing every few months.

If anyone has used this product and would like to leave me their thoughts in a comment I would love to hear others experiences.

Dorothy Perkins Gingham Check Pinny Dress Review

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One trend I liked the look of for SS16 (but have very little of in my own wardrobe) is the check/tartan designs. When I saw this dress from Dorothy Perkins I knew it was the right style for me. I ordered this in the hope that it would become my staple check piece.

I love layering, and this dress is perfect for that. Crop tops with no sleeves or t-shirts with full sleeves both look good underneath this pinny dress. I chose to show you a version of me wearing this dress with a crop top, because with any luck we’ll soon know better weather (in the UK) and can enjoy wearing less layers.

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I hope that this item will last me throughout the year, paired with boots and layers for the cooler days, and wearing the dress (with at least a crop top) as it is with flats in the warmer months. The quality of the material is good, it’s thick and seems durable.

Pro’s and Con’s for a dress this style depend upon your shape. I’m slim but not very tall, just above a petite, so I find I can get away with wearing petite clothes at times. This dress was available in both, a petite and a regular, but I chose to order the normal length.
A pro is that the actual dress as a whole is the perfect height for me, it ends at my knees and I wouldn’t want it much higher than that. The pattern is lovely and I think most people can wear this style without any problem.
A con though is that the straps and neckline hang quite low on my chest, which isn’t good, I would always choose to wear something underneath it, for both a modesty and a comfort aspect. The same goes for under the arms, as you can see in my photograph below, the dress hangs low at the sides, another reason to wear a thin top beneath it.
Another pro has to be the awesome large pockets on the front. Great for the summer months when you wouldn’t be carrying a coat with you, they can hold small items such as a lip balm, a packet of tissues and some change no problem.

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Over all I think this dress is a nice piece that I would definitely wear throughout the year. I wouldn’t say that this style suits my figure entirely, but I can work around it by wearing a top underneath the dress and therefore boosting my confidence to wear it. It certainly isn’t my favourite purchase of this year so far, but it is a trend that I didn’t own, and now do. The dress is wearable, and comfortable but I only felt confident once I had made changes, such as the layering beneath it. Honestly it reminds me of when I had dungarees as a child, without the shorts part, they were so baggy you always had to a wear a t-shirt underneath. Ah the carefree memories…

My final review for this piece of clothing is:
4/5 for comfort
4/5 for durability and quality
3/5 for style and appearance
3/5 for value

Here is the link to the Dorothy Perkins website for this dress if you’re interested in looking at it any further.
http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/product/gingham-check-pinny-dress-5264298?bi=0&ps=20&Ntt=pinny

April Treat Box Reveal

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Today in the post I have received my first ever treat box. I have subscribed for three months of boxes from treatboxuk starting with April.

I was very excited to see what was inside, because I’ve heard that it can be all kinds of trinkets, beauty items and inspirational pieces. I see this as a box to cheer you up and start your month off in a positive way. A treat box filled with treats! So let’s take a look…

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As I opened the box I noticed a card that said ‘Hello Sunshine’ which is just delightful. And my April description inside told me that this box would be filled with Sunshine and Beach Days and Nautical themes.

As I began to peel back the sticker ‘Ahoy there’ to reveal the surprises beneath I noticed the yellow theme running throughout. Sunshine always makes people happier, and just the bright yellow paper was enough to make me smile this morning.

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Inside the treat box for April you will find; the ‘hello sunshine’ card, a strawberry lip balm, a paper bag of seaside related sweets, a cotton bag that reads ‘when life gives you lemons make lemonade’, a pretty three tone necklace, a seaside flag, a white wooden plaque that reads ‘all you need is love and the ocean’ written in blue, and a bunting flag with ‘sandy toes and salty kisses’ written on it in blue.

My favourite things from this treatbox are the necklace, the ‘hello sunshine’ card and the lovely reusable bag. I think I may gift some of the other items to friends who live on the coast, as they may appreciate the ocean references more so in their home more than I do in mine.

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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 the link on my homepage.

TreatBox4SWI have to say receiving this treatbox in the post has brightened my day. I’m even going to share the tasty sweets with my husband. The next of my Treat Boxes will come through my letterbox in May, and I look forward to it! Keep your eyes peeled for my next review!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate Review

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ASCIf there is one saga of games that I truly enjoy playing it’s the Assassin’s Creed franchise. I started playing them on Playstation 3 and have since moved to a Playstation 4. The most recent game that I have played is Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.

The first thing that blew me away, within moments of starting this one, was how astounding the graphics were. Don’t get me wrong they have always been good, but the amount of detail in this particular game made it feel so much more realistic. I had read that before it was released Ubisoft did a lot of research to ensure historical accuracy, especially for the geography of the London boroughs used within this game. I was honestly blown away by the beauty and the features of this incredible piece of entertainment.

Like all the other games in the series they are rated eighteen and over. This is due to the violence, the language used, and the nature of the storyline. This game is not suitable for children and I don’t encourage anyone to allow children to see the violence and adult aspects that this game includes.

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So what about the game itself? Well it’s all about the Frye twins, assassins who fight for the rights of the less privileged in 1868 London. It’s set during the industrial revolution and there are many new aspects to this new game. You can ride on and drive horse drawn carriages; there are trains, barges and new weapons to wield.

This historical lead work of fiction includes real world figures such as Charles Darwin and Karl Marx included in the extra missions in the special edition that I have. If you enjoy completing extra side missions and quests then this is the style of game for you.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate takes many hours to complete, if you go through London with the purpose of completing areas to one hundred per cent capacity. I personally try to accomplish games on the whole, and you really have to get stuck in to finish this saga. Parts of the game take skill both as a player and as a problem solver, and I enjoy these aspects because they keep things interesting.

Twists that occur within the storyline part of this game keep making it appealing to play. By attracting the players with wonderful graphics and great missions, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is one of my favourite games in the franchise so far. If you have played and enjoyed any of the previous ones in the series then I can recommend this game to you.

In the previous game, Assassin’s Creed Unity, there were co-op missions to complete within a multiplayer aspect of the world. I was disappointed that this feature wouldn’t be available in the new game. However there are so many things to do and complete, I was happy enough to just play on and finish missions on my own. Having no multiplayer actually made me focus more so on the sequence I was doing, and you don’t have to rely on others then, to complete the game to its maximum potential.

The reasons that make this game great in my mind are; more detailed graphics, historical accuracy, new modern era assassin elements, addition of extra side missions (such as races and fight clubs) and modern weapons.

Overall I highly recommend this game and I will conclude this review with some more (non-violent) screenshots of my gameplay for you to see.

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Clinique Super Primer and Beyond Perfection Foundation and Concealer Review

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Clinique have been giving away samples of their most recent foundation to be released. This Beyond Perfecting Foundation is both that and a concealer in one which allows for complete coverage.

I decided to give this makeup a go, but having never used the clinique brand before I didn’t have much to compare it to. So I will be reviewing it as an individual product and will conclude with whether or not I would then purchase the full item.

Clinque1SWHaving made a specific journey into my local store to get the samples I had inquired about, I was a little disappointed that the shade I needed had all been given away. Luckily the dispenser had a slightly pinker sample than my tone, or a sample that was one shade darker than my natural complexion.

In the end she gave me both, so that I could blend the two together for a shade closer to my skintone. And she also gave me a lovely primer sample for my trouble.

When I used the primer it was actually great, lovely and light on the skin and once dried I wasn’t even aware that I had put any on.

I decided to mix the foundation samples in a small pot and then apply them with a cosmetic sponge. I did find that the application was smooth, however once it began to dry fully in places it caught on areas of my face. My eyebrows and edge of my nose looked especially bad, with small clumps of foundation. I made sure that I put it on sparingly because the product went a long way, and it blended well over all.

MeWithCliniqueAs you can see in this image the tone is slightly too dark for my skin tone, but I made it work. And this test was more to see how my usually sensitive skin reacted to a new foundation, rather than to match the shade completely. I have to be careful when I introduce new products to my body.

My skin didn’t react to the foundation at all, which is a relief when the clinique brand prides itself on being allergy tested. What I did find the next two days though, was that my skin felt oily, which is a rarity for me. I normally have dry skin or normal skin that can be prone to red patches and is easily irritated. But the day after this testing, I chose to put nothing on my skin because I woke up with an oily forehead.

I normally moisturise every day, but for a whole forty eight hours I didn’t put anything on my skin, and I needed to use my micellar water several times after this testing to remove excess oil.

The look of the foundation is good if you don’t get too close, and it was durable too because after nearly a whole day it took a decent amount of wipes to get it all off.
I found in certain areas it exaggerated my pores and that is a pet hate of mine when it comes to foundation. Look at my cheek and forehead in the image below, and you’ll see what I mean.
And like I described above I didn’t like the way my skin felt after I had used it either.

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So the question remains, would I purchase this foundation brand? The answer is no. I don’t think that this product is suitable for me. Obviously there will be those out there who love the brand, and it’s each to their own in cases like these. I love my Rimmel London products although nothing is perfect, I think when you find something that works for you, it’s hard to try other things. But I’m always open to giving new items a go, and I gave clinique my full attention for the day I tested it. I will continue to sample other foundations in the hope of ever finding my dream coverage, but sadly this foundation just isn’t it.

My final review for this makeup item is:
Effectiveness 3/5
Quality 3/5
Durability 4/5

Learning To Bake One Brownie At A Time

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I don’t know about you, but I love to cook. Not every meal and not every single day, as I’m sure we all enjoy take out on occasion. But seriously, I do love cooking. I’ve never been a very good baker, which is something that I wanted to change.

My main inspiration in my cooking life has always been my Nan. When I was younger she taught me all about the kitchen, and got me started on some staple meals that I would remember for the rest of my life. I can cook a lasagne, a casserole or even a curry from memory, and I love experimenting with new flavours.

Once I had the meals of hers like these in my heart as well as my stomach, I knew I would cook them often and enjoy them. But the one thing I have always struggled with was baking, be it cakes or other savoury treats, most puddings just evaded my cooking talents.

Trial and error is one of the only ways to beat the baking I have found. I have baked countless cakes and puddings that haven’t ended up being edible, and after a certain number you almost don’t want to waste anymore of your time and money. For a good while I didn’t cook puddings, then I tried an apple crumble again (a different recipe) and I began to bake with chocolate again too.

I found a recipe for triple chocolate brownies recently. I think a good recipe can make all the difference, especially if you are a self-taught cook. When I cooked these particular brownies to my surprise it was a complete success! I haven’t put that down to me though. All I was doing was following the recipe step by step, and I based the cooking time solely on my oven and not on the recipes parameters. I was so pleased with the result that I plan to make some more, and that has never happened to me before with any other aspect of my baking.

So the finished result, needless to say I am just a little bit proud of them. Oh, and they didn’t last long, so I did something right! And I will definitely be making them again… Soon…

So what is the moral and the reason that I have written this blog post today? To say to all of you out there who say you can’t cook, I’m here to say you can!
I can now proudly say that I don’t bake well but I can bake something! And that leap is something we can all achieve, if we just try…

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Missguided Navy Bodycon Racer Dress Review

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Missguided are a forward thinking fashion brand who believe in people getting the latest trends for the best possible prices. I first began shopping with them in 2014, and I’ve been pleased with all of the purchases I have made from them.

Recently I needed to refresh the everyday looking dresses for my wardrobe. I tend to wear a lot of darker colours which include Navy, Red and Black. Although I began looking for something lighter when I was browsing I fell in love with the style of this particular dress. The Bodycon style Racer dress from Missguided comes in several colours, but I chose navy blue for myself. The dress wasn’t expensive at all, and I always have the quality of the material in the back of my mind when ordering clothes online that you cannot feel for yourself yet.

The dress I chose to buy is of Bodycon shape which hugs your curves and typically has narrow straps and a high neckline. I often choose this style for my body because it’s more flattering, and luckily this great dress looked good as soon as I tried it on.

MeInNavyRacerDressAs you can see in this image the dress is a lovely length, it ends just above my knees. The material is soft and is not too thin (I was worried about it being see-through) and it’s a flattering shape even on my thin frame. Even the cat liked it (she sat behind me and gave me a meow of approval).

I would happily wear this dress throughout the warmer months, I feel it can be a lovely summer dress when paired with flats or sandals. Or it could even be dressed up with some jewellery, accessories and a pair of high heels for a more glamorous look.

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So overall I’m happy with my most recent purchase from Missguided and I would buy from them again. A good experience is worth so much, even more so if the items are better than what you expected.

My final review for this piece of clothing is:
5/5 for comfort
4/5 for durability and quality
5/5 for style and appearance
5/5 for value

Here is the link to the Missguided website if you’re interested in looking at this dress or anything similar.

https://www.missguided.co.uk/jersey-racer-bodycon-dress-navy-black