September Spends Or How I Was Well And Truly Spoilt In September

I have to be honest and say that I really have tried to rein in my spending a bit this month, I haven't really managed it though have I? The problem that I've had is that I've sold a lot of things on ebay this month, great you'd think, I've made some money, paid some bills of, bought my mums birthday presents and I've even started my Christmas shopping, but the problem is I always seem to end up with a few pounds here and a few pounds there in my paypal account, which means what ? erm spending! It really doesn't seem much spending a pound here, a pound there but it all adds up so yeah ebays been my downfall this month :)

First up nail polish - I have quite a few nail polishes on my wishlist at the moment but this one had fell under my radar a bit, why though ?? it's a piece of more sparkly gorgeousness from Nubar this is Essence, which I purchased from Enchanted Beauty Spot in the USA

Lovely :) staying with the sparkly theme I also purchased another Catherine Arley polish this month - I love these polishes so much, smooth, holographic amazingness in a bottle, this one is shade #672 -  a pink / lilac / mauve shade which I bought from this Bulgarian seller x

Yet again I been buying a lot of jewellery on ebay this month mainly bracelets and necklaces x first up a necklace with three colour ring charms - this was only 99p including postage from this seller in Hong Kong x

I also got another couple of necklaces including this super cute gold tone bow necklace which was only 99p from this Hong Kong based seller x

I also got this silver heart pendant, It claims to sterling silver which to be honest I don't doubt as it certainly has a lot of weight to it, very reminiscent of Tiffany don't you think?  This was only £1.98 from this seller. I also got another set of the gold tone magnetic clasps to put one my new bow necklace and on something Mummy Lou got me x These were £1.88 from this seller  x

As well as necklaces I also went a bit bracelet daft on ebay this month I bought  bracelets - first up this silver tone, and turquoise one which was £1.19 from this seller x

I also bought this bracelet in the lapis variation which was only 99p from this seller.There are lots these bracelets in a few different colours and stones all over ebay, so I definitely think I'll get some of the other colours and layer them all together :)

I also got this gold tone spike bracelet from ebay too, this isn't as substantial as I would have liked but it was only 99p including postage from this seller - It also comes in a silver tone, and a gunmetal tone.

I also made another little jewellery purchase this month this time from the Avon sale brochure - I bought the "Wish" version of this a little while ago and loved it, this one is the "Luck" charm necklace which was just £3.00

and I also picked up another few things from Avon including the gorgeous smelling Avon Naturals Strawberry and White Chocolate Shower Gel, and the 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Mask (sorry for the pic - it didn't come out very well )

I also got another two of the Pro + Nail Polishes - this time in Lucky Penny and Noir Emerald

I only made two other purchases this month including my most expensive purchase of the month this blush coloured cardigan from H&M  -  It should have been £24.99 but I was sent a discount voucher and got it for £18.74. I still think that it's a bit over priced but I love it, it's really slouchy and casual yet at the same time it's really feminine because of the colour and the design.

My final purchase wasn't a real purchase because I bought it with gift vouchers. I finally got round to give my purse a good clear out this month and I found £8 worth of paper Boots gift vouchers - I didn't even know they still did the paper ones - well they must do, so I picked up a nail polish that I'd wanted for sometime - Essie Bikini So Teeny

It was £7.99 so technically I should have had a penny change but they don't give change with vouchers booo so it cost me £8.00. I haven't done a full manicure with this yet but I can see where people were coming from by saying it was really hard to work with, it needs at least two coats for full coverage, but I love the almost periwinkle blue shade so much that I'm prepared to just deal with it in this case:)

I have to say my mum has been a total angel this month, she managed to sell a few bits that she's had for sale in the local Ad Trader so she was in the money,  she's treat us both to quite a few bits this month - she bought herself a new purse, a new saucepan set, some cushions, some Yankee Candles, some uggalike boots, a new food processor, and a cat activity centre - check out Charlie :)

Not only that but she's spoilt me rotten too. First up sticking with the nail polish theme she bought me a set of Essie polishes from TK Maxx, she paid £7.99 for four polishes - the colours I got were from left to right - Navigate Her, Sugar Daddy, To Buy Or Not To Buy and Orange It's Obvious.

They had a few sets but this was easily the best one that I could see some of the others all had very similar shades in the packs, at least with this one you get a bit of variety. The only shade I'm a bit meh about is Sugar Daddy I seem to have loads of these sheer, French manicure esq shades in my Essie collection already  but I guess one more really won't hurt.

She also got me one of the Essie nail care products, the Smooth Trick Cuticle Oil which was just £3.00. I'm just coming to the end of a product I've been trying out for you so I needed to have something ready for when it's done. I am a real OPI Avoplex devotee but even the US ebay prices seem to be sky high at the moment so I thought I'd try something new.

Momma Lou also treated me to a few bits from Poundland of all places - first up she got me some Stila foundation sponges, nothing that exciting about these and they can't be out of date lol but I seem to go through loads of these. I was really looking for the empty eyeshadow palette to depot my old style Stila shadows into but I've tried 3 stores and nothing - so if you see one out though please pick it up for me and I'll pay postage and stuff too. I know cheapsmells have them but I really didn't want to pay that for one x

I went a bit nail varnish daft this month thanks to Mummy Lou - she also bought me another 4 polishes on a little shopping trip I admit it she bribed me to make her go with me!! The nail polishes I got were from left to right - Eye Candy London Graphite  - What A Steal, Barry M Nail Paint 344 Magnetic Gold Sparkle, W7 Nail Polish in 97 Lava Flow and MUA Nail Varnish in Frozen Yogurt.

So many pretty polishes :) If your interested in the Eye Candy polish check out my blog next week for a full review of some polishes within the Eye Candy range :)

She also got me one of these from what I believe is Poundland's own make up line Chit Chat - I've never paid much attention to it before but I read a few posts on these, and Mummy Lou was kind enough to buy me a couple x

The Chit Chat Juicy Lipsticks are supposedly a limited edition and look exactly like the Clinique Chubby Sticks and the Revlon Lip Balm Stains. There were a few colours to chose from including this one Autumn Leaf

I have to admit that this looked a bit scary in the tube too, it's a dark bronze tan shade, but when applied it gives the lips the most lovely warm neutral colour.

It's not that pigmented admittedly but I have to say I still love this, the shade just works and it's great for the Autumn months. She also bought me the shade Peony

Again this looks slightly different and a bit scary in the tube but on the lips, it looks a lovely pale pink shade.

I have to say I really like these, they probably don't last as long as some of the more expensive ones, and they probably aren't quite as pigmented but for £1.00 each their pretty good and they don't taste of mint! Speaking of which.........

Well, from that you've probably released that by now I have tried the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stains - I have to be honest despite remaining strong Project 10 Pan wise I did nearly throw a wobbler in Boots this month I was swatching these babies and wanted one soooo much - I didn't give in though but I still ended up giving my mum earache for the next day or so about them! Well my mum had to go for a mammogram which just happened to be near a Boots store so guess what she got me? Yup one of these babies in the shade Honey

I have to say I love these, the pigmentation is perfect for me, the colour is great and they seem to last, my one issue is the minty taste,I'm not a fan but again it's something I can live with  - I've now added Darling and Cherish to my list :)

Whilst we were in Boots and I was spending my gift vouchers, I spotted a few Japonesque brushes on the clearance stand - Mummy Lou kindly bought me this ickle concealer brush which was just £2.00.

I was actually sent a few Japonesque things to review this month so I'll included a review of this brush in my post which should be up in the next few days.

Did I mention that Mummy Lou went mad in Primark, yes my normally restrained momma bought herself some uggalike boots for the winter, some leg warmers, a fitted sheet, and some nightwear so also showed her sweet, lovely side (yes she is watching what I'm typing atm lol) and bought me this infamous studded clutch

I managed to get the last one in the black, but I believe their also doing these in a sort of nude blush shade. I'm not sure why I wanted this really (hype?) but I think for I'm going to put my chargers in it so they don't go missing :)

So also bought me one of these handbag organisers I've been eyeing these up on ebay for a while - I'm not sure I'm going to actually use in in my bag, instead I think I'm going to use to take my bits such as nail polishes and craft bits up and down stairs - I think this was £3

She also kindly paid for my second Avon order of the month which included some more products from their new 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil hair range, she got me the shampoo, the conditioner, and the leave in treatment - I'll be doing a full review of these bits and the mask when I've had a chance to try it all out.

As well as some undies, and random jeans and jeggings she also bought me a couple of magazines - I'm really going to have to stop buying magazine £4 is a lot to shell out for just one dinky magazine, which just seems to be full of adverts. Anyway one of the magazines that she got me was Instyle, which this month came with a free Clinique product, I went for something a bit different  and got the 7ml pot of Turnaround Overnight Radiance Moisturiser, I've used the Turnaround range in the past and I remember liking it something rare for me and Clinique skincare, so I thought I'd try it again with no risk x

My mum also bought me something from ebay - my mum doesn't have an ebay account of her own she used mine instead, mainly to buy strange things such as vintage tea sets! She bought something a few weeks ago and she kindly asked if there was anything I wanted while I was completing her paypal check out , there is always something I want from ebay so I went for this "Juicy Couture" inspired bracelet which was £3.99  from this seller.

I love the flower and butterfly detailing but I have to be honest and say it's not as nice as it is in the picture and that it isn't finished off that well, it feels a bit rough where the words juicy couture are, it's also a bit of a strange fit. Never mind you pays your money you takes your choice I guess and I will still wear it x

The final things that  she bought me were this - Wenlock!!

and this - Mandeville!!

We both realised that neither or us has bought any Olympics merchandise, and both of these guys were only £4 in each in a shop called The Entertainer - they are a bit odd looking but strangely endearing at the same time :)

So that was September's rather large haul :) As per usual if you have any questions please leave me a comment xxx

Press Sample - Getting Rid Of Those Achy Bits With Gwdihw - A Review For My Pure*

A few weeks ago I reviewed a few products that I'd been sent to help with sore and achy muscles - I loved the products and I really felt that they did the job, but you know me I never rest on my laurels and I always like trying new things so for one this months My Pure reviews I decided to try out another muscle soothing product, this time from Welsh natural beauty brand Gwdihw - Goody Hoo.

I've tried a couple of the Gwdihw balms before and I was pretty impressed with them (read my reviews here and here), so I thought I'd try out one the newer editions to the line, the Muscle Soother. Unlike some of the products that I reviewed recently this product contains no medical or painkilling ingredients, it just contains four naturally occurring extracts - Arnica Oil, Menthol, Camphor and Witch Hazel.

The product comes boxed and is packed in a clear plastic pump action dispenser. I've said it before and I'll say it again I love these dispensers they keep the contents relatively airtight, and it's easy to dispense exactly the right amount. 

The product is a gorgeous ice blue / aqua in colour and it has a cream / gel like texture. Other than the colour the first thing you probably notice when you dispense the product is the smell. It has a really fresh, nose clearing even, smell which comes from the camphor and the menthol. The product immediately feel cooling on the skin and when you gently massage it in, it absorbs really quickly without any greasiness or tackiness.

Over the next 15 or so minutes the skin where you've applied will go through that strange ice cold / burning feeling. Both me and Mummy Lou really liked this product, it really did make a difference to the aches and some of the pains. It wasn't as effective as say the ibuprofen and levomenthol gel, but if your after a more natural product to help ease those aches and pains this could be the product for you. Unfortunately as of 2021 this product appears to have been discontinued. If you have any questions as per usual please leave me a comment xx

* Press Sample

Foodie Friday Spicy Bean And Chunky Vegetable Soup

Well we've had a serious blast of autumnal weather today haven't we. My mum had to go and see her surgeon today for a check up, and on our way we past several road closures and signs of this weeks flooding - not good. Having said that we also saw lots of beautiful leaves - the colours out there are amazing. Anyway on cold autumn and winter days there's nothing better than a nice warming bowl of soup, to fight off the chills, so yesterday I made a little soup concoction.

I originally got the idea for this recipe from a lovely food blogger who unfortunately stopped blogging, The original recipe was gorgeous but it required a little bit more thought and preparation because it used dried lentils which needed soaking. I wanted to make this recipe, quick and super easy to make, with only a few fresh (or not so fresh) vegetables, and whispers some tins! This is the recipe as I made it but I'll probably preach to the converted later and tell you how you can change it x

Spicy Bean and Chunky Vegetable Soup

1 tbs Olive Oil

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Turmeric 

1 tsp Paprika

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Red Chili

1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes 

2 Cans Tinned Beans or Pulses (I used Black Eyed Beans and Butter Beans)

2 Large Onions (4 Small Onions ;)

4 Carrots

1 Red Pepper

1 Potato

1 Litre Vegetable Stock

Salt and Pepper 

1 Add the oil, the turmeric, the cayenne and the paprika to a large pan (I'm using a pressure cooker pan here)  Finely chop the chili and the garlic and add to the pan - heat gently till the oil and spices form a paste and the  garlic is starting to soften.

2. Peel and dice the carrots, the potato and the onion (I cheated I hate chopping onions so I did mine in the food processor! - it doesn't really matter as long as the potato and carrots are roughly the same size) Core and de seed the pepper and dice that too.

3. Add the veg to the pan and give it a good stir. Then cover the pan for about 5-10 minutes till the veg has started to soften

4. Open your cans and drain your beans - I usually give them a rinse with cold water too

5. Add your beans and your tinned tomatoes to the pan and give it another stir

6. Make up your stock - each one of my vegetable stock cubes made 500ml so I used two stock cubes to make the full litre. Add it to the pan - my vegetables weren't completely covered so I added another 200ml of boiling water.

7. Put the pan onto a simmer, and leave it until the soup has thickened slightly and your carrots and potatoes are cooked - it took about an hour and 15 minutes - I could have left it for longer it really doesn't matter.

8. Have a little taste, add salt and pepper or a bit more cayenne or paprika as need - serve with some warm bread and butter ;) or even a slice of healthy multigrain bread like Mummy Lou if your being good - This here is a yummy DS Dietary Specials Gluten Free Ciabatta Roll.

9. My and Mummy Lou had one bowlful last night, and it made enough for around another 3 portions each - 1 for the fridge and 2 for the freezer :)

OK that was probably the most simplest recipe ever and I don't even need to tell you how you could alter it but the gist is use whatever you have leeks, parsnip, turnip, dried pulses, lentils, chickpeas, tinned lentils anything really, and instead of the potato, you could use rice, noodles or pasta something to make it a bit thicker, and of course you could alter the stock, and add maybe bacon or chorizio if you eat meat.Obviously the spices and chilli's are personal things too - we like spicy food and whilst this wasn't head blowing it certainly warmed us both up. Unlike baking cooking isn't really an exact science experiment and have fun with your food and your cooking, if something doesn't work out the way you wanted to use mine and Mummy Lou's phrase "well it filled a hole" and try something different next time. Do you experiment in the kitchen ? and what's your favourite soup variety? let me know in the comments x