New Things #2 - The Christmas 2013 Edition

Instead of doing a "What I Got For Christmas" post, I decided that I'd incorporate just a few of my presents as part of this New Things post, alongside items that I've purchased myself.

Swarovski Crystal Heart Necklace - As soon as I unwrapped this, I knew I'd love it. The packaging is so cute and it looks like a little handbag. Inside the bag was a lovely textured black box with a printed sleeve over it. I would have been happy with just the packaging! The necklace is stunning though! Crystal jewellery just looks so elegant and I love the way it reflects the light. 

Scarves - By now, the majority of my friends and family know how much I love scarves. It doesn't matter what the weather is, I always like to have a scarf wrapped around my neck. I was lucky enough to receive four very pretty scarves from various people. 

Cookies Baking Kit - I love baking and this little kit will speed things up even more because it comes with half of the ingredients that I'll need! I can't wait to get baking sometime next week!

The Body Shop Papaya range - I bought these during the Boxing Day sale and they are so worth it. I didn't even know that there was a papaya range but I'm glad I found out! I won't say too much more as I'm planning on putting up a review soon.

Monkey USB Memory Stick - This is so adorable! It's probably not the most practical to be carrying around if I'm short on space, but it's definitely a cute little addition to my desk.

Pitch Perfect - I went to see this movie in the cinema and it was so much fun to watch! I'm a massive fan of musicals so I knew I'd love this song-filled film. I'm chuffed to have this on DVD now so I can watch it as many times as I want!

Scrabble Twists & Turns - Call me old-fashioned but I much prefer board games over computers and consoles. Basically, anything non-electronic is good with me! Scrabble is one of my all-time favourite board games and I've heard of different variations of the game but I didn't even know that Twists & Turns existed. I can't wait to invite some people round to give this a go! I'm not entirely sure how this game works yet but I'm sure that it will be lots of fun!

There goes Christmas for another year....

Review: The Body Shop - Vanilla Bliss

During a shopping trip last week, I made a visit to The Body Shop to spend my gift card. After a very long browse, two of the items that I picked up were from the Vanilla Bliss range. I wasn't expecting to purchase these because I've heard very little about it. I thought I'd come away with something from the Gingerbread range (which, by the way, I did not like at all).

When I came across the Vanilla Bliss Body Polish, I took one quick sniff and I was sold! It smells delicious! It reminds me of fresh cookies and cupcakes. It's a little pricey at £10 since it's a polish and not a scrub but it feels so luxurious to use and it makes my skin feel so smooth and silky. It also foams up really well so you can use this as a shower gel as well. I do wish they made this product as a scrub too though!

Naturally, I then checked out the rest of the Vanilla Bliss products. I was a bit gutted to find that the Body Butter didn't smell like the Polish, it smelt a little like play-dough. Luckily, the shower gel smelt delicious too so I picked it up. As with all of The Body Shop shower gels, the texture is so smooth and the smell lingers on long after I've stepped out of the shower.

I always find that the scent differs from product to product within ranges, something that is always quite disappointing. I was hoping to get an actual gift set because I wanted one of those Christmas tins but I only liked the Body Polish and Shower Gel so I figured I'd be better off just buying full-sized products of both. Nevertheless, I am very happy with these two purchases. 

These won't be around for long as they are part of the limited edition festive ranges so I'd grab some quick if you want to try them out!

Have you tried any of the festive products from The Body Shop?
P.S: I hope you all had an amazing Christmas!

Handmade Gifts

I adore most things that are handmade but it's been a while since I've made anything to give away as a gift. Handmade gifts are cute and unique but I appreciate that it's not for everyone. There are some people who would much prefer to just be bought something and that's fine, there is only so much you can make by hand! 

In the past few months I've been having so much fun getting crafty with sewing, cross-stitching etc, so I thought it would be nice to set aside some time to make something as a Christmas gift. 

After much deliberation, I decided to make some bunting! I initially wanted to make bunting with little Christmas trees and snowmen on them but then I figured that I wanted to make something that was more suitable all year round. I won't start naming people but this bunting has the initials of all four members of the family that this gift is for. I think it adds a nice personal touch to it. None of them read my blog so they won't see this until they open their little parcel on Christmas Day!

Gifts aren't complete without wrapping them up and making them look presentable. I even added a little post-it note to the bubble wrap! 

I am usually a perfectionist when it comes to wrapping but I had to just admit defeat with this one. I didn't want to risk squashing or creasing the felt too much so I had to just tape it up as lightly and as quickly as I could. I also used an A4 sheet of coloured paper rather than actual wrapping paper. I love the colour of this! The tag is super cute too and was an absolute bargain at 99p for a whole pack. Card Factory is the best. I actually got these last year so I'm sure they probably have different ones this year.

I couldn't resist making a few more things for them though! Some of you may recognise the Christmas Pudding decoration from my Getting Crafty For Christmas post the other week. I made two so I'm giving one to them. Since last week, I also made some snowmen. I made one with a green scarf to keep myself, and I'm giving them this one with the red scarf. 

I'm not too sure if I'm going to wrap these up yet, I might just give these to them on Christmas Eve as an early gift so they can hang these on their tree. 

Did you make any gifts this year?

Review: Jurlique - Herbal Recovery Gel

Jurlique is a skincare brand, priding themselves on combining nature and science in order to develop the best products in the most natural way possible. I love natural skincare as I find that it's a lot gentler on my skin that other products are. 

I was kindly sent this Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel* which is one of their many popular products and it is an antioxidant serum designed to tone and restore the skin, minimising the signs of ageing. 

This is a luxury product, retailing at around £45 for a 30ml bottle. The bottle itself is a little heavy and appears to be matte glass. The nozzle sticks out a little and that's why the cap has a cut out for it. I love the smell of this product, it smells like a spa! It's so fresh and it reminds me of posh hotel toiletries. 

To use this, you shake it, apply one or two pumps onto your fingertips, and then gently pat this all over your face. This is quite watery so a little definitely goes a long way.

I really wanted to love this product but I just didn't. Jurlique is quite a popular luxury brand so I'm assuming it might just be that it hasn't worked well with my skin, and it may work for you. The first time that I tested this out, I applied it all over my face and it made my face feel really dry and tight. I continued testing it out because I thought that maybe something else had affected my skin but the results were the same.

I probably won't risk trying out any of their other products because I don't really want to splash out on a product that I won't be able to use. I have sensitive skin though so, unfortunately, lots of products don't work for me.

Have you tried anything from Jurlique?

New Things #1

Today I am starting a new series of posts all about new things! I'll be doing a post everytime I have a sufficient amount of new things to share with you all. I hope you'll like my new things as much as I do. 

Penguin Hand Warmers - I love these. I've never used hand warmers before and I've never quite understood how they work. Science is a fascinating thing. All you have to do is snap the little silver plate inside, and the entire thing crystallizes and heats up. It's amazing!

Fruitbroo - This is essentialy hot flavoured water but you make them like you would make squash. I'm loving these two flavours. It's caffeine free as well which is a bonus because I've been trying to stay away from caffeine lately. If you like flavoured water, you'll probably really like these. 

Tweed Bag - I saw this on someone else's blog a while back and I knew I had to have it straight away. It was only £12.50 from Tesco. I deliberated for a few days but when the stock levels said "less than 10", I made the purchase. I think it has been restocked now though. 

Vintage Photo Album - I'd like to say that I specifically chose this album but I did not. Luckily, it's really pretty. It also happened to be the only 6x4.5 photo album I could find. My camera takes 6x4.5 photos at its optimum quality as opposed to 6x4. You'd be amazed at how difficult it is to find photo suitable photo albums. You can get 7x5 photo albums but you'd risk all of your photos just falling out of the pockets.  Does anyone else have this problem? Or maybe no one prints photos anymore....

This was a short post but my next "New Things" post will be after Christmas where I'll be sharing more things with you all!

Do you like my "New Things"?

Review: Elizabeth Arden - Eight Hour Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm

If you regularly read my blog, you'll know that I love anything skincare or lip related. So.......

Let me introduce you to the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm* which was kindly sent to me. Phew, that was a mouthful! This is supposedly "The all-day, all-night, all-in-one beauty secret". Sounds very mysterious and alluring. 

Although this is an Intensive Lip Repair Balm, there are actually eight ways to use this product: remedying chapped skin, shaping eyebrows, calming sun-exposed skin, adding shine to cheeks,  smoothing legs after waxing, refreshing jet-lagged skin, softening rough hands, and smoothing cracked heels. 

Before I even used this product, I loved how cute the little pot was. I absolutely love the whole matte glass effect that it has because I associate it with luxury products. I also love the lid because, aside from the Elizabeth Arden logo, you have lots of 8's in various sizes to represent the fact that this is an Eight Hour Cream. Quite a cute touch, I think! I haven't used anything from Elizabeth Arden before so I'd be interested to see the packaging of their other products. 

The balm itself is a peachy orange colour, which I didn't expect at all. For a moment, I actually thought that it was a tinted balm. It definitely comes out clear though.

I've actually spent a lot of time sniffing this product just for you guys! I've concluded that it kind of smells like sour fruits (in a good way) and it also smells faintly like medicine (perhaps not so good). Make of that what you will but I think it's a nice subtle smell. It's quite light and not at all overpowering. 

When I opened this, I assumed that the texture would be exactly like a tough balm. Turns out that was just the way they'd smoothed it all out. This texture is very much like a cream.

As soon as I applied this for the first time, I loved how smoothly it glided on my lips. Before I'd even finished applying, I was smiling at myself in the mirror because I saw how glossy my lips looked. I'm obsessed with lip glosses so any balm that makes my lips shine is a bonus! 

This Eight Hour Lip Balm is designed to be used at bedtime and I can totally see why. It's kind of like having a lovely face mask on but for your lips. This product is incredibly luxurious and it strikes the right balance between keeping my lips moisturised and forming a protective barrier. This is a non-sticky and can easily be built up because of its soft texture. 

If you suffer from dry, chapped lips then this could easily be your new best friend! I don't have that problem in general, but autumn/winter is when they do begin to dry out a little! Luckily, after the first night, my lips started to feel a little better. There was also no residue left over which surprised me, considering how thick the balm was. It soaked in nicely.

This is not an overnight miracle but I've started to see changes and my lips are looking much better. It's been particularly useful during the colder days and it's a lot more intensive than a regular lip balm.

At £16.80 for a 10g pot from HQ Hair, this is a worthy investment for those of you who are prone to dry lips and chapped skin. I love this product but, taking into account the price tag, I'd have to think twice before making a purchase. 

Have you tried anything from Elizabeth Arden?

Getting Crafty For Christmas

I've loved arts and crafts since I was a little girl, so what better time than Christmas to bring out some creativity? I'm hoping to make a couple more things before Christmas but I couldn't resist showing you all what I've made so far. 

Origami! I love origami so much. My mum used to teach me how to make things when I was younger but now I have my own little (well, actually it's very big) origami book! I decided to make these star things. I can't remember what they're called but they look so pretty. I'm still not sure whether I'm going to just stick these to the wall or add a ribbon so I can hang them up.

I have also been making these felt Christmas puddings. I'm really pleased with these and this is the first time that I've attempted to make something from felt. It took a little longer than anticipated but I'm so pleased with the results. I think they do resemble Christmas puddings, right? These are just hanging on my wardrobe at the moment but I may transfer them to the Christmas tree....

I'm definitely going to be making more felt hanging decorations in the future, though not necessarily Christmas-based! 

I hope you liked this quick Sunday post. Let me know what you think!

Introducing: Punky Pins (+ discount code)

As someone who really enjoys anything cute and handmade, I absolutely loved Punky Pins as soon as I discovered their website. Punky Pins is an online store selling handmade fashion accessories such as necklaces, badges, and mirrors. 

Punky Pins items have been worn by various celebrities, and they are fast becoming a popular handmade fashion company. Their products are regularly updated so you're sure to find something new and exciting to buy. 

I'm someone who supports independent companies who sell handmade products because it adds diversity to the collection of products that I own and I'll also know that not everyone around me is going to be able to get the exact same product since they aren't mass produced. They kindly sent me a couple of their super cute items.

So, onto the packaging... I love nice packaging so, when I opened the parcel, I really liked how they'd packaged the necklaces in little boxes and there was also a velvet pouch for the mirror. They would definitely look great as gifts. 

Whilst we are on the topic of packaging, if you purchase a mirror, please be extra careful when opening your parcel. My parcel arrived securely taped up but, as I was so excited, I took scissors and made a tiny snip so I could rip it open. I ended up snipping into the pouch a little. I was kindly sent a replacement pouch though.

Pouch problems to one side, this Strawberry Pocket Mirror* is so cute! I've never owned a pocket mirror before as I tend to go for compact mirrors, but this comes with a lovely pouch to keep it clean and free of scratches. They have some other designs as well but this one was my favourite because I love strawberries. The strawberry is made from wood and it has a glossy finish.

When I saw this Penguin Love Necklace*, I thought that it would be perfect for the festive season and it is a nice addition to my jewellery collection! For me, this is a reminder of how special those around you are. When I'm feeling sad, I can just look at these adorable penguins holding hands (or flippers!).

The necklace chain is silver plated whilst the penguins are made from printed acrylic. The acrylic used is quite thick to the extent where you can't actually bend it, hence it's quite sturdy and very unlikely to snap. I think this would look great over a fluffy jumper! 

Lastly, this super cute Deer Heart Initial Necklace* caught my eye. This can be personalised with your initial on the heart. Mine has an "L" on it for "Linda". The heart and the letter are both made of strong acrylic, whilst the deers have been cut from wood.

This would definitely be amazing as a gift and it's not too late to make a purchase now in time for Christmas! And if you're a male reading this (leave a comment below if you are!) then this necklace would be great for the women in your life (sister, girlfriend, mother etc). No excuses now if you're stuck for gift ideas!

So if you love anything cute, quirky, and handmade, you absolutely need to check out Punky Pins. Depending on your budget, the products on their website could either make some brilliant Christmas gifts or just some stocking fillers. Everything is affordable and very different to what you can find on the high street.

The vast majority of my jewellery collection consists of fine jewellery, but these necklaces are much more versatile and I know I'll be wearing them on top of cosy jumpers all throughout the next few months!

Punky Pins have kindly offered my readers a DISCOUNT CODE. 

Enter iamlinderella10 at checkout to get your 10% discount.

So check out PunkyPins.co.uk and let me know if you buy anything!

Review: Goldwell - Dualsenses Rich Repair 6 Effects Serum

If there's one physical feature that I can say that I really like about myself, it has to be my hair! I've been blessed with luscious silky dark hair and I love it. I'm lucky that my hair is naturally straight as well so it takes minimal effort to make it look presentable. I'm not someone who really uses hair products, maybe because I haven't found anything worth using.

I've only used one hair serum in my whole life and that was one that was recommended by a hairdresser I once visited. Today, however, I will be telling you about my second and latest hair serum that I recently received: Goldwell Dualsenses Rich Repair 6 Effects Serum*.

This serum is designed for dry and stressed hair. This product claims to provide 6 repair benefits: shine, smoothness, bounce, frizz-free hair, healthy ends, and reduced hair breakage. The claim of making my hair bouncy was something that intrigued me. How can a hair serum give you bounce? Either way, I could do with some volume in my hair so I knew I had to try this out.

This 6 Effects Serum comes in a slim 100ml bottle and is very easy to hold in your hand. It doesn't come with a lid, but the pump has a twist and lock system to ensure that you don't accidentally dispense any of the product. It probably isn't the most eye-catching bottle around but it has a clean design which wouldn't look out of place in a salon.

In all honesty, I wasn't expecting much from this product. I don't really rate hair products so I assumed this would be yet another product added to the list of pointless products. I also find that serums can make hair look greasy and too shiny as well.

When I first used this, I was surprised to see that the serum was white - I was expecting a clear oily substance. This looked more like a conditioner. The smell was quite pleasant. It was almost like a light vanilla smell, definitely not overpowering. 

I don't know the correct technique when it comes to serum but I pretty much scrunched it into my hair. If you're prone to messy, frizzy hair, perhaps it would be best to be a little gentler than that... 

For my whole head, I tend to use 2-3 pumps which seems to be plenty to achieve the results that I want. 

The results? Never in a million years did I think that a hair serum would give my hair the bounce that I've always wanted. Talk about invisible hold! It didn't feel like I actually had any products in my hair but suddenly it had more volume! Don't get me wrong, I don't think that this product made my hair bouncy, I probably did it by scrunching my hair, but it somehow manages to hold the bounce. Hairsprays can do that too but I hate the stiffness that comes with it.

My hair also felt silkier than usual, something that I didn't think was even possible with my already silky locks. Plus, it made my hair smell divine. I got a nice whiff on the vanilla scent every time I swished my hair. 

I am extremely pleased with this product, moreso because I didn't really expect anything from this. I can see myself using this a lot and I'm so glad that I was introduced to brand.

Grab a 100ml bottle online from Beauty Expert for £10.89.

Primrose Hill Jewellery

Primrose Hill is an online jewellery outlet selling a selection of jewellery from both designers and their own label. They aim to bring you stylish designs at affordable prices. They also pride themselves on excellent customer service, something that I think is so important. Who wants to buy from a company who doesn't care?

They kindly offered to send me some items from their website and the delivery was quick and efficient. It was sent as a Royal Mail Signed For package. This costs £3.75 but you can get standard delivery for free. If there won't be anyone in your house during the daytime then it's probably best to go for standard delivery (providing that it'll fit through your letterbox).

My package was neatly packed in a slim cardboard box. My two jewellery items came in individual white organza bags with the Primose Hill logo sewn across the front.

The first piece I received was this Sterling Silver Heart Necklace* (£7.00). I love how dainty it is, perfect for wearing with an elegant outfit as it doesn't attract too much attention. 

The only issue I had with this necklace was that the hook, which goes into the clasp, is a little thick. It took me a very long time to put this necklace on the first time round as the hook just wouldn't go in. Once it was on though, it looked really pretty. It's definitely simple enough to wear on a day to day basis as well as for adding an elegant touch to an outfit.

The second piece I received was this Sterling Silver Cat Ring* (£7.99). When I saw this, I kept thinking about how cute it looked! I'm not someone who usually wears rings but this is quite adorable.  

Unfortunately, you can't adjust this ring so it comes up ever so slightly large but I'm sure I can pass it onto someone else. It's far too cute to leave lying around. Be sure to get an accurate measurement of your ring size, as there are a variety of sizes to choose from.  

The great thing about the Primrose Hill website is that there is a really nice range of jewellery to suit all budgets. I've seen some really cute earrings on there which I'm going to purchase very soon.

What do you think of these pieces?