What I Got For My Birthday - May 2013

   It was my birthday on Sunday & I turned 19 years old (last year of my teens ahhh). I spent the day up London with my family and then went for a meal in the evening, it was a lovely way to spend my birthday doing a little bit of shopping and having a chilled out day, my brother and dad would definitely not agree with that statement due to them hating shopping with me and my mum SO much. But because it was my birthday they had to be nice and endure it, I can tell you that they found it hard - Primark is their all time favourite shop..NOT.

The above pictures show what I received from my mum, dad, brother and one of my close friends. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of my LUSH bombs but I think I'll be doing a separate post for those so keep an eye out for that. I did get 3 LUSH bombs from my friend & 3 from my mum and dad. 

I have to say I couldn't believe the amount of things I received for my birthday and I am extremely grateful for every single item. I know everyone says this in posts etc but I really am not bragging about what I got, I purely done this post for people that are genuinely interested. Personally, these types of posts along with hauls are my favourite to read, it always gives me new items to purchase. Ouch for my bank balance. 

The Rimmel London lipsticks are in the shade Coral Queen & Nude Delight - I blame Tanya Burr for me wanting those as she featured them in a recent favourites video and I immediately loved them. 

I'll be doing swatches of the lipsticks in another post otherwise there will be millions of photos!!

I hope you all enjoyed seeing what I got for my birthday this year. 

Are these your favourite posts to read aswell?

REVIEW: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Another product, another review. I have to admit when it comes to lipsticks/lipbalms etc, I think I speak for the majority of people when I say that I want them to LAST. I've bought many lip products in the past and been so disappointed with the length of time that they stay on my lips. 

This product did not disappoint as it is a 'balm stain'. I'd see these on my different blogs and thought I'd give them a try. This product definitely stays on my lips a lot longer than many lipsticks I have tried and I'm very impressed. However, because it is a stain I have had the problem of trying on this colour with an outfit and realising that the colour doesn't go with my outfit and had to try and scrub it off - does get a bit painful after a while! Suppose it's my own fault really but I honestly didn't know how hard they would be to get off and believe me when I say these are hard to get off once you've applied them. The smell of this product is a downside for me, it has a strong minty smell, something that I find only acceptable in chewing gum! I absolutely hate the smell of mint on a lipstick or any other make-up related product. The colour does start wearing off and you do still need the occassional colour top up to maintain the brightness of the balm stain but overall I'm impressed. 

I haven't tried any other colours from the range but I have a feeling I might have to have a cheeky purchase of a few. 

What do you all think of these balm stains by Revlon? Are you a fan?

30 Ways to Save £1 - Money Supermarket

Recently I was contacted by Money Supermarket to take part in their '30 ways to save £1' campaign. On April 21st, 2013 the one pound coin celebrated its 30 year anniversary. Most of my ways are to save more than £1. It is always a good feeling when you're able to save as much money as possible! I must admit this was harder than I first realised to think of 30. 

30 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY 

1. Car Boot Sales - Every Sunday, my dad and occasionally me, go to car boot sales around our area. It is incredible when you look at all the bargains you find when you do go. You should go to a car boot sale, I love them and I'm always finding new films that I want to watch for only 50p!!!
2. Ebay/Amazon - These are just 2 online websites that you can find cheaper alternatives. They are a great way of finding cheaper items. For example, I wanted a lipstick from Maybelline and it was £7 in stores but on Amazon I found one for £2.50. 
3. Supermarket Own Brands - These are so much cheaper than the well known brands.
4. Pay as you go vs Contacts - I'm currently on a £25 a month contract and I absolutely HATE it. The fact that I can't stop it or reduce the minutes/texts that I receive really annoys me. I can't wait until the contract is finished in December and I'll be able to think about going on a pay as you go, that way I will only use money when I need to instead of paying £25 every month. You can find really good contracts for a lot less than £25, just don't fall in the same trap that I did! 
5. Offers at the Supermarkets - Different supermarkets do different offers every single week.
6. £1 shops (Poundland etc) - The £1 shops have items that are in the supermarkets at an increased price and you can get them in £1 shops for of course £1! Always check to see what they have in there before purchasing them in the supermarkets.
7. Oyster Cards - If you travel occasionally then oyster cards are an essential item.  
8. Pre Book your Travel - If you have a date set as to when you'll be travelling somewhere, why not book your travel weeks in advance. It saves you a lot of money. 
9. Walking to places - If you need to pop down to the shops or go somewhere local, walk and don't take a form of transport. If you normally take a car it'll save you petrol money and if you take the bus/train it will save you money in fares. 
10. 3 for 2 offers on make-up etc - An extra item for free, yes please. 
11. Loyalty Cards - I've got loyalty cards for both Superdrug & Boots and my points are gradually increasing. For boots I think I have around the £20 mark worth of points which is really exciting to think I'll be getting something for 'free'. You can get loyalty cards for supermarkets aswell and they send you vouchers for money off your next shop. Such a great way to save money. 
12. Avoid Takeaways - cook your own meals, takeaways take away money that you could spend on something else that you REALLY want. 
13. Cinema offers - 2 for 1 on Orange Wednesdays, AMAZING. I use this all the time as the cinema prices have increased dramatically in the past couple of years. With the 2 for 1 you end up paying about £3.50!
14. Student Discount - As a student myself, so many stores offer 10%+ off. I absolutely love this, especially in places such as Topshop where the clothing and jewellery are at a higher price. 
15. Newspapers promotions - Alton Towers & Thorpe Park tickets are a regular occurrence in newspapers, saving you money on a full price ticket. 
16. Charity Shops - You are always able to find some good bargains in charity shops, a lot of the time people forget about places like this but it's definitely worth a look. 
17. Visit Second Hand Shops - Furniture etc at a discounted price - sounds good to me.
18. Don't buy magazines - A lot of magazine companies have online websites where they put the majority of content from their weekly magazine. On a daily basis, I browse DailyMail online and catch up with the latest celeb gossip but also what is happening in the world. It's a great way to save yourself £1+ a week on magazine subscriptions or buying a newspaper daily when the content is available for free online. 
19. Share your clothes/jewellery etc with family members - don't worry I don't mean share your dresses with your brother and dad or anything like that! My mum loves to borrow my jewellery/accessories to add something extra to her outfit, it's free to borrow off of people so why not do it?! 
20. Buy body sprays rather than perfume - I know how expensive perfumes can be and sometimes body sprays can last longer than perfumes. You can get a variety of different smells, especially Boots own brand, they do some lovely scents. 
21. Clothes are cheaper elsewhere - Topshop had a top for around £16 and I was so tempted to buy it. It was only a plain short sleeved t-shirt but I couldn't justify spending that amount of money. I went shopping in many different places and sure enough in Primark they had exactly the same top but for £3.50. It shows that looking in different/cheaper stores you are able to find the items you need but for a fraction of the price. Overall, I saved myself £10+, amazing! 
22. FreeView instead of Sky? - My family's sky bill is over £100 a month and I have to admit, half the channels go unwatched. Freeview is a great way to save money as it is FREE and more channels have been added. 
23. Credit Card 0% introductory offer - this gives you 0% interest on purchases for a certain amount of months. It's always good to look out for it!
24. Social Media Advertising - You can always advertise your business/company on the popular social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. These are all FREE to sign up for and give you recognition.
25. Piggy Banks - Save those 20p,50p and all loose change that you have in your purse or the bottom of your bag. I promise you the money will soon add up, just don't be tempted to take the money out. 
26. Gym Memberships - If you are motivated to go to the gym weekly/monthly, an annual gym membership can save you money. The annual memberships allow you to go as much as possible - just make sure you stay committed to it to get your money's worth!
27. Government Websites - See what your entitlements are regarding free dentistry and any other health care related issues. 
28. Energy saving products - For example, energy saving lightbulbs are much cheaper to run and last longer than the conventional ones.
29. Holidays - It is significantly cheaper to book a holiday out of school term times.
30. Cash Discounts - Certain shops have been known to give discounts to customers if they are paying by cash and not using their card.

WOAH, that was hard work thinking of varied and useful money saving tips! I hope some of them help you if you are trying to save an extra little bit of cash.

REVIEW: Rimmel London - Professional Finish #312 ULTRA VIOLET

Yet, another nail varnish review. I seem to have have an obsession with buying new nail varnish colours, I go into Superdrug or Boots and immediately think I need to buy a new shade. I will have to keep telling myself that I already have 100+ in possibly every shade imaginable, but of course I don't see it this way at all.

I've had this shade for a while but it's one that I haven't worn for absolutely ages! I completely forgot just how much I love the shade and I think it's perfect for the upcoming Spring/Summer months. I worn this colour when I went on holiday and I had a tan and I must say I loved it. The 'maxi' brush is perfect for an excellent application and I wish more brands would start releasing nail varnishes with the larger brush as I find it so much easier to apply and I make less mistakes around my finger, normally I have to get a cotton bud on each finger to remove the excess from around the nail. 

I actually think that Rimmel have re-named this shade as the new 'Salon Pro' collection has the exact match to this colour and is actually been called 'Ultra Violet'. I'm sure they've called this shade something with 'boys' in the name - I could be completely wrong so don't hold me to that.

You will definitely not be disappointed if you decide to purchase this nail varnish, I promise! 

Have any of you tried the maxi brush on any of the other shades? Do you like this colour?

THE FINAL RESULT:

RIMMEL VINYL GLOSS | QUICK REVIEW

If you had read one of the previous posts you would have seen the lip gloss I bought; the Rimmel London Vinyl Gloss in the shade 'Pin Up'.

Since that post, I have used this lip gloss quite a lot and I must say I absolutely love it. It gives me a nice colour to my lips without the need of any lipstick underneath and the colour stays on for quite a while. I did need to reapply it about 2/3 times but I honestly don't mind doing that if it's going to give me a finish that I like.

What do you all think of this lip gloss colour? Have you tried any of them?

REVIEW: Bioré Strips

'DEEP CLEANSING PORE STRIPS - with invigorating tea tree oil and witch hazel. Unclogs & Invigorates. Pulls out even more dirt and oil for the deepest clean'

These pore strips were fine to start off with and then I used them for around the second or third time and my nose went BRIGHT RED afterwards and stayed that way for about 2 days due to me using this product. It looked like I had a massive spot on the end of my nose, I can tell you now it wasn't the most attractive look.
I didn't notice a huge difference when I first used them anyway so I'm not happy with this product at all. I personally wouldn't recommend these because of the experience I endured with them but also just because I didn't notice any noticeable difference. I know a lot of people like this product but these are a massive no no for me and I won't be re-purchasing these. I did buy them when they were on offer but they were still around the £5 mark. 

You can purchase them here for £7.99: http://www.boots.com/en/Biore-Ultra-Deep-Cleansing-Pore-Strips-6-Nose-Strips_1250117/

Have any of you tried this product? Any alternative products you use?

Small Haul: Boots

I think it's safe to say I've been addicted to the 'Kate Moss' lipstick collection recently, I just can't stop myself from buying more shades as I love them too much!
Rimmel still had the 3 for 2 offer which I took full advantage of and purchased 2 of the 'Kate Moss' lipsticks and a 'Vinyl Gloss'.

Order of products in the picture:

• Kate Moss lipstick - shade 101 
• Kate Moss lipstick - shade 107
• Vinyl Gloss - shade 'Pin Up' 

I absolutely love the smell of the lipsticks aswell, is that weird?! They smell just like watermelons, yum! I saw the shade 107 lipstick on this blog: http://birdle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/kate-moss-infamous-107-lipstick.html & I thought Beth's make up looked amazing with it which made me want to purchase the shade even more. The 101 shade has been raved about for some time now and I did only purchase it to see what all the fuss was about and to be honest I'm glad I did. 

Have any of you tried these shades?

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer

In my opinion, these products are one of the most hyped lip products at the moment. Whenever there's a hype around a product I ALWAYS read reviews about it to see what the overall view/opinion is. Every review I've read about these were positive and I knew I had to own at least 1 of them. I'd read that Rimmel had a 3 for 2 offer going on at the moment so felt that it would be rude not to go and buy some.
I originally wanted the shade 'Celestial' but it was out of stock, so I had to find another shade that I liked.

Shades I Purchased: 

• NUDE ECLIPSE
• BIG BANG
• NOVA

(Top to bottom: Nova, Big Bang, Nude Eclipse) 

I must say I really really really love these lip products, I'm tempted to go buy the rest! (my bank balance is hating me right now, must stop shopping). I'm still a bit undecided whether the nude makes me look like I'm dead, especially in the picture. It is slightly darker in real life but I still think I'd wear it. These retail at £5.99 each and I'd say they are worth every single penny, thumbs up to Rimmel for these new products for sure!

What do you all think of these products? Have you tried them?