November Glossy Box

I'm a very late putting this up because my November Glossy Box came while I was in Cork a few weeks ago and I wanted to try the products first before posting. Anyway between one thing and another the weeks were flying by and December was upon us so I was going to skip Novembers box and pop up Decembers but as I don't yet have Decembers (and probably won't before Xmas, I'll explain below what has happened) I thought I would pop up Novembers box.

I had heard a lot of people complaining about this box so I was anxious to get mine and see for myself what I thought of it.

So here's what I got in MY November Glossy Boxand what I thought of each of the products.

This was what my box looked like when I opened it

First product were these perfume samples by Serge Lutens.
There were 2 samples both are meant to be unisex but I feel more like the one in the white box is a woman's scent and the one in the black box is more for men.
One big plus for these is that they were in a little pump (something that I had been hoping for in the samples I got with the last few boxes). I'll be carrying the white one around in my handbag but not the black one. The black is too strong and aftershavey for me.

Next up is this FC5 Ultra Hydrating Hand Crème By Arbonne.
This is the perfect size to also stick into my handbag and smells gorgeous. My hands have been EXTRA dry due to the really cold weather and while I like the feel of this and love that it sinks into my skin quickly I feel like it could be a BIT more moisturising.

This was my absolute FAVOURITE product in the box. It's the Recovery Balm By Monu and was a full size product.
I LOVE this SO much. I cannot say it enough how great this felt on my skin.
My skin was in a bad way when I got home from Cork it was very dry and this was just what I needed. After one application I could feel and see the difference.
I have used it a LOT since I got it but found that I was using it a bit too much because I had a bit of a breakout from it. So now I just use it for approx 2 days of the week (depending on how dry my skin is)

The next thing I got in my box were these Designer Nail Wraps By Nail Rock.
I haven't tried these yet, mainly because the animal print design is not really my style. I saw some other people got a red lace design (that would have been more my taste) and there are some other gorgeous designs in the range (looking at the leaflet that came in the pack)

I didn't get too excited when I saw this in the box. I mean they were just bath salts.
I have used Radox Bath Salts before and was allergic so I hadn't tried any others but I was pleasantly surprised by these ones from Dead Sea Spa Magik.
I had no allergic reaction and they left my skin feeling lovely and soft.
I think out of all the products this was the one people seemed to be complaining about the most. There was a chance of getting 4 other Dead Sea Spa Magik products in your box but most people got these Bath salts and didn't seem to be too happy about it.
All in all I was really happy with what I got in my November box. Now let me tell you what happened with my December box. The December (Christmas) Glossy Boxes were sent out earlier than normal so that everyone would have them in time for Christmas but I noticed that my monthly payment hadn't been taken out of my account.
It normally comes out of my account on the 14th/15th of the month so I contacted Glossy Box about it and apparently there was a technical error and the charge run missed out on me. They were very helpful and are looking into what happened and in the mean time they sent me out a box straight away yesterday morning.
So I guess I'll have to just keep my fingers crossed that I'll receive it before Christmas.
Because people have been getting their boxes since last Monday I haven't been able to stop myself from looking at what's in the box so I have an "idea" of what I will be getting.
Of course there are different combinations of boxes so I won't know for sure until it comes and I really hope it comes before Christmas because it looks GREAT!

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October Glossy Box Review

As the title says this is my review of the October so this was what the October Glossy Box looked like.

Because Glossy Box were celebrating 6 months in business, this month instead of having the normal 5 products there are 6 in this months box

First product was this Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner. I was SO excited when I saw this because I'd heard of the brand but had never tried it before, so of course the first thing I did was twist it up to have a look. BIG MISTAKE. It twists up but doesn't twist back down again.
For something that is such a good brand this was a huge disappointment (only because of that) I ended up having to break off the part that I had twisted up in order to put the lid back on again. In my opinion that is a major design fault.


Next up is this Leighton Denny Expert Nails High Performance Colour. I've only used this once and I think I may have applied it too thick because it didn't look very good. I haven't tried it since but will give it another go because I've heard good things about it.

This months box also had some perfume samples, again in vials ;-/ These ones were by Robert Piguet (who I have never heard of before) and were called Fracas, Visa and Calypso. They all smelt really different from each other so I'm sure there is something to suit everyone's taste.
Last but not least my favourite products from the box the Dermalogica Products. I got a MultiVitamin Thermafoliant, a MultiVitamin Power Recovery Masque and the freebie 6th product was a Renewal Lip Complex and also a little bag to put them in. The only one I've tried out of this bunch is the Lip Complex and I really liked it but I look forward to trying these because I've used Dermalogic before and found it really good.

So that was October's Glossy Box. I received an email to say my November one was on the way so I should have it this week (hopefully). I have to admit I've had a peek at what's in the box this month so it's not going to be a surprise but I'm still anxious to get it and see if I like it.
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Glossybox September Review - Finally

SO it's been ages since I posted about me subscribing to GlossyBox and I'm sorry this review and look at it is only being posted now.
There are various reasons the mains ones being that after I posted originally and saying that I expected to get it a few days after I didn't receive it for a week and a half after that.
Then I photographed everything and went to do my post only for my phone to break (all the pics were on my phone and as I had used some of the things I couldn't retake the pics) So I sent my phone off for repair and was sent a brand new one.
In the meantime I had received my second (October) GlossyBox so I thought I do a double post and review both boxes.Great idea, right? WRONG.
There was a fault with the camera on the phone and I had to send it away AGAIN.
You would have thought I'd have learned my lesson from the month before and not used my phone to take the pics but oh no I made the same mistake twice!
So anyway after everything I'm finally getting around to posting this and I got an email to say that my 3rd GlossyBoxis actually on the way. I'm excited.

So here is what I got in my September Box and what I thought of them.
I will put the October one up later today and the November one as soon as it arrives.

When you get your box it arrives like this inside a sturdy patterned box


And when you open it up it looks like this. Packaged up like a present with a card to tell you all about what's inside. The card also has discount codes for full size products of what's in the box because remember it's sample size products that you get but having said that you sometimes do get FULL sized products.



So this was what my September box looked like. I was really happy when I opened the box and saw TWO full sized products in there.



Let's start with the full size products. The first one was this HD Brows(Eye&Brow Palette)
This is worth £19.95



Now I don't need a brow kit. My eyebrows are very dark already BUT the great thing about this kit is that if you don't need a brow kit you can use it as an eyeshadow and eyeliner.
LOVE this product!



Next up ANOTHER full size product. The Neal and Wolf (HARMONY Intensive Care Treatment). This product is worth £12.95 and was my favourite product in the box.
It smells gorgeous. It was the first thing I could smell when I opened the box, without even opening the tube. I have a very sensitive scalp so I can't use everything but this totally agreed with me and left my hair feeling soft and gorgeous and smelling fabulous.



Next up is the Dead Sea Spa Magik (Salt Brushing). You get 2 sachets of this. They are decent size sachets. I haven't tried these yet so I can't comment on what they're like.



This was my least favourite product in the box.
I love perfumes but I can't stand samples in little vials. I like when they come in little pump bottles. The perfume was a bit strong for me. I liked it when I smelt it in the vial but when I wore it it didn't smell nice on me.



And last but not least was this Kimia (Exquisite Rejuvenating Facial System).
It's a two step skin treatment that has an oil and a activator. You massage in a few drops of oil into your face and then follow that with a couple of pumps of the activator.
I was worried about using this because my skin is really sensitive and can react badly to lots of products but I decided to give it a go.
When you join Glossy Box they ask you to fill out a form and ask lots of questions about your skin, hair type etc so that they can tailor you box to what suits you best. I had filled in that my skin was sensitive and this was a natural product so I thought right here goes.
I used it in the evening before going to bed. My skin went VERY red after using it though it didn't feel like it was burning or anything, it looked like a bad reaction BUT it did feel very soft. I was nervous when I woke the following morning half afraid to look in the mirror but when I did all the redness had gone and my skin did feel lovely and soft. I need to give this another go because it says to experiment with the ratio of oil to activator to suit your skin so I'm thinking I need more activator and less oil.


Overall I was really happy with my box and thought it was well worth the money.
One of the full size products covered the price of the box.
October review will be coming later today ;-)

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Glossy Box

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I don't know if you've ever heard of Glossy Box or not, but basically what it is is a box that you get every month and in the box are 5 beauty products.
They say that they are sample/minature size but some of the reviews I have seen of the Glossy box it has featured products that are nearly full size.

The box has only recently become available to Ireland and it costs £10.00 +£2.95 p&p per month, that's about €15.00. So great value in my opinion.

I ordered my Glossy Box last Sunday week and it has been shipped so I'm expecting to receive it in the next few days.

I'm excited to see what I get in it and will take pics of it and put them up and let you see what I get when it comes.
Some of my favourite beauty products are nail varnish, perfume, hair products and lip glosses so I'm hoping to maybe get some of those. The great thing is that it's always a surprise because you never know what's going to be in it.

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Elsie's Messy Bun

So over on Elsie Larson's blog I saw that she did a little tutorial on how she puts her hair up in a messy bun.

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(Pic Source: A Beautiful Mess)

I love the way she styles her hair but I am totally useless at styling mine and tend to just leave it hang loose.

It looked SO simple that I said I just HAD to have a go and I was so happy with the results.

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I had washed my hair the day before and hadn't straightened it. I must try it on straightened hair too just to see how it looks but I think i will prefer the look on my hair curly.

The only thing I did differently to the way Elsie did it was that I forgot to buy new bobby pins so mine wouldn't really hold my hair properly so I tucked the bits of hair into the band that I used to tie the ponytail and then stuck the pins in to make it more secure.

I'm really happy with how it turned out and it lasted the whole day without having to touch it.
I will definitely be styling my hair like this more often!

Head over to Elsie's blog for a step by step of how she did it!
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'A Dog's Life' Charity Cards


As promised here are the pics of the cards I made for "A Dogs Life".

They are doggy themed (OF COURSE) but I was really surprised that I only had one dog stamp {blush}
I really couldn't believe it! I had more cat ones than dog ones! And though I have nothing against cats I am really a doggy person!

I didn't photograph them individually coz they're all kinda the same ;-}



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"A Dogs Life" do such great work rehoming dogs that I am only to happy to contribute some cards to help them raise money. I only wish I could be of more help.

If you are considering getting a dog please look in your local animal shelters first.
There are SO many dogs that need to be rehomed and ok some of them may not be the prettiest or the youngest but they don't deserve to be thrown on the scrap heap!

Check out "A Dog's Life" Facebook Page HERE
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Cannot Wait For This Movie

I'm so excited to see this movie when it comes out.
For now though, I'll have to make do with the new trailer.
So I thought I'd share it with you



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Great Promarker Tips From Kirsty Wiseman

So while looking on Kirsty Wiseman's blog the other day I saw this video and thought "Why didn't I think of that?" and if you haven't seen it too I know you're going to be saying the same thing. I think these tips are just so clever.
So of course I'm sharing with you because you know what they say..........
"Sharing is Caring!"



For more great tips and ideas check out Kirsty's You Tube Channel and of course Kirsty's blog for lots of inspiration.

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Free Calendar Wallpapers From Basic Grey

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I don't know if you have already seen these or not but Basic Grey have some gorgeous FREE Wallpaper Calendar downloads on their site.
I just downloaded the March one. It's so pretty and I can't wait for March to come so I can stick it on my laptop.


You can download it HERE at their site.
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Rainbow Rice Recipe

The other day I bought some dried apricots to eat as a snack instead of reaching for chocolate or biscuits but even though I loved the sweetness of them I didn't really like that they were so chewy. I had never tried them before so I didn't know what to expect.

I'm trying out new foods and trying to be more healthy.
SO............... I didn't want the apricots to go to waste and looked up some recipes that I thought I might like to use them up and I found this one that seemed perfect.

It's called "Rainbow Rice".
I love rice salad dishes but I generally buy them ready made from the supermarket, I know, I'm fierce lazy but I honestly didn't know how to go about making them myself.
I'm so happy with how this turned out. It's SOOOOOOOO gorgeous and super easy to make!


SO let's get started

First of all let me apologise for the pics. I took them with my phone and some of them didn't come out too good. (Next time I do any cooking I'll take proper pics, I promise)

First of all here's a list of what you need:

Rice
1 Red Pepper
1 Carrot
1/4 Cucumber
8 Dried Apricots
Sunflower Seeds
Juice from 1/2 an Orange
Olive Oil

That's it.

As I said it's so supereasy to make that I probably don't need to do a step by step but here's goes anyway.

Ok so first boil your rice. I used boil in the bag rice because that's what I had. The original recipe tells you all the different rices you can use but as I had this in the press I said I'd try it out. I left the rice cool down and then put it into the plastic tub that I was going to be storing it in (because I hate lots of washing up :-})


Next chop up your red pepper into really small pieces and add it to the tub with the rice.


Grate your carrot.

Add to the tub with the rice and red pepper and mix.

Chop up your cucumber into small pieces (I used 1/4 of a cucumber. The recipe said 1/2 but I found 1/4 was enough for me. It's up to yourself)

Again add to the tub and mix.

Finely chop 8 dried apricots (the recipe says 6 but obviously the reason I was making this was to use up the apricots so I said I'd use 8) and then add them to the tub and mix.

Then get 2 tablespoons of sunflowers seeds (the recipe says you can use pumpkin seeds instead if you have those) and you need to toast them, so what I did was put them on a plate and added a little bit of olive oil and put them in the microwave until they went brown. Next time I make this I'm gonna use more than 2 tablespoonfuls because you wouldn't really notice the 2 tablespoonfuls.


Next you need to add the sunflower seeds to the tub with everything else and add in the juice of half an orange and about 1 tablespoonful of olive oil (the recipe says 2 tablespoons but I don't really like the taste of olive oil so I just put in 1 :-)).

Mix everything together in the tub and that's it.

Didn't I tell you it was really simple?

I had it with some fish and lots of salad and some sweet chili sauce (my fave).
Sorry the picture is crap!

Good thing about this is that it holds in the fridge too and is even nicer the day after making it because the orange juice makes the apricots plump up and they are yummy in it.
I still have more apricots so I'll definitely be making the recipe again and I think I might even add more than 8 to it the next time.

If you want to follow the original recipe I got it at GoodFood.com
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Goodbye Susie

I said goodbye to my little Susie today, she had enough and was starting to show signs of being in pain so I made the choice that every pet owner dreads.
It hurts so much right now but I know it was the right thing for Susie.
She was the best dog in the world and my best friend. She was always there wagging her tail or to give me a lick and cuddle.

John Grogan the author of "Marley & Me" said it best when he said
"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not."

Susie gave me her heart (and more) and she will always have my heart.
I love you little girl and I'm sorry we didn't have longer together.



If I Should Grow Frail
by Julia Napier

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain does keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done
For this - the last battle - can't be won.

You will be sad I understand
But don't let grief then stay your hand.
For on this day, more than the rest
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.

Take me to where my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end.
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.

Don't grieve that it must now be you
Who has to decide this thing to do.
We've been so close - we two -these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.






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