Unboxing Glossybox - April 2019 Edition - Fruity Or Floral*

Ah, at last I've found some time to sit down and get my blog on, so I'm stuck indoors despite the fact that it's Good Friday, and unusually for a Bank Holiday in the UK it's actually sunny! I can hear people laughing and generally enjoying themselves but I'm not bitter at all, I've actually had a pretty decent week for once, and I'm getting very excited about an impending new arrival (check out my Instagram and Facebook page to have a sneaky peek), and I've being enjoying the April 2019 edition of Glossybox UK.

Last month saw a return to the traditional pink and black Glossybox that we're so familiar with but in keeping with the changing seasons and hopefully the return of the warmer weather, April's vibrant, and colourful box design just screams Spring and Summer.

Every subscriber this month received one of two randomly selected boxes, one with a fruity theme, and one with a floral theme, which was reflected not only in the box design but also in the contents.

I received the floral box, which features a bright pink box base, and a white lid festooned with a large, glossy floral design in shades of yellow, pink, and turquoise, with gold foil accents. The goodies inside were wrapped in turquoise / teal tissue paper, and pink ribbon, and surrounded by pink shredded paper.

Sticking with the fruity and floral theme, all of the boxes contained an assortment of fruity and floral treats, the contents varied depending on what box design you received but all of April's boxes contained the usual 5 items, and an extra treat.

Jeanne Arthes Let Your Dreams Blossom - Eau De Parfum - 30ml - Full Size - RRP £20.99

Now perfume is always a slightly dodgy items when it comes to subscription boxes - fragrance is such a personal thing, you could ask 100 people what they thought of a fragrance and you'd probably get a 100 different answers. Personally though I don't mind receiving fragrance, I've probably had more hits than misses in my years of receiving beauty boxes, but at the same time I've also discovered some real gems over the years including the fabulous Courreges La Fille De L'Air which is now one of my go to fragrances.

The name Jeanne Arthes seems quite familiar to me so I think I've potentially tried something from the brand in the past, I don't think I have anything in my collection so if I have I obviously passed it on. Based on the research that I've done the brand was founded in my year of birth 1978 in the home of fragrance, Grasse. It doesn't seem that widely available in the UK but a quick search on ebay and Amazon brings up a few different fragrances from the brand.

From what I gather this fragrance, and the fragrance in the fruity box were made especially for Glossybox, and the floral design on the bottle even mirrors the floral design on the box lid. With notes of rose petals, cedarwood, lily, freesia and amber it's a lovely fresh, rose based scent. Rose scents can sometimes smell a little bit old fashioned but the fresher notes, and warmer notes give it a wider appeal. I like rose based scents so this was actually a winner for me, it reminds me a little bit of the long discontinued MAC Cosmetic fragrance Deja Rose from the Rose Romance Collection. Mummy Lou who loves Paul Smith Rose, and some more traditional rose scents also loves it so it's definitely a multi generational scent.

This fragrance is exclusive to Glossybox and the only official place where you can buy is directly from Glossybox but I've also seen a few on ebay x 

Soaper Duper Zingy Ginger Body Butter - 300ml - Full Size - RRP £10

After receiving the Soaper Duper Fruity Green Tuberose Body Lotion in the February edition of Pink Parcel (read my review here), and loving both the brand and their ethos, I was delighted to receive another Soaper Duper product in April's Glossybox.

Like the body lotion that I tried this body butter is vegan, cruelty free, and is free from parabens, phthalates and artificial colours. The ingredients in this particular body butter are 97% naturally derived and including all sorts of lovely things including ginger, eucalyptus, grapefruit and rosemary extracts, lime, macadamia, camelina, and sweet almond oil, vitamin E and C, and shea butter.

It's white in colour and has a thick and creamy texture, despite its richness though it absorbs into the the skin pretty quickly, and leaves it feeling soft and smooth, and looking hydrated and glowy. Rather than smelling of gingerbread it actually has more of a green, tropical scent with hints of citrus and ginger root that lingers on the skin. If you liked The Body Shop's Candied Ginger festive range from a few years ago, then you might like this. It isn't as warm but it definitely has a similar vibe. 

Again I was really impressed with this product, it's perfect if you need the hydration and power of a body butter but without the heaviness or stickiness - it leaves the skin soft, hydrated, glowy and delicately scented - what more could you want ? You only need a small amount too so this huge tub will last for ages. This body butter is available from Soaper Duper directly and various other retailers.

Dr. Botanicals Po Pomegranate Superfood Regenerating Sleeping Mask - 30ml - Travel Size - £12 - £14

Next up another product from Dr Botanicals, they seem to be a bit of a subscription box favourite at the moment, and do you know what? I'm not complaining - I'm still loving the Cr Charcoal Superfood Mattifying Face Mask that I got in March's Pink Parcel (read my post here) and I'm still picking up the rose facial oil on a regular basis so it was to the opportunity to try something else.

I haven't managed to try this yet but like the rest of the products in the Dr. Botanicals range it's cruelty free, vegan and it's certified by PETA, and it contains only high quality natural ingredients. Containing pomegranate, sweet almond oil, grapeseed and shea butter, this is an overnight mask that aims to nourish, hydrate and smooth the skin, and add brightness and antioxidants to the skin. 

All you do it apply a thin layer to clean, dry skin, 2 to 3 times a week before bed, and let it sink in while you sleep. I haven't tried anything like this before so it's gone straight in my to try pile. This is the 30ml travel size which seems to retail at anywhere between £12 - £14 from various retailers including direct from Dr. Botanicals and Beauty Expert. The full 50ml size retailers at around £19 and is again available from various retailers including Look Fantastic.

Original Source Hydrating Water Infusions Raspberry & Rose Water Shower Gel - 250ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £2.30

What I like about Glossybox is the real variety of products that you receive - now a little of people aren't a fan of the inclusion of more purse friendly products but I really don't mind. There really is nothing worse than falling in love with a products and not being able to afford to buy it again. This shower product comes from unisex, drugstore brand Original Source, I love their Lemon and Tea Tree shower gel already and this gave me a nice opportunity to try something new.

This is a product is part of a new range from Original Source of hydrating body washes, that are infused with vitamins and anti oxidants, and are designed to nourish, hydrate and detoxify the skin. They are vegan and are paraben free, but they do contain SLS. This particular one contains raspberry fruit extract, and rose flower water.

Just a small amount, of the slightly pink toned, translucent gel produces a lovely, creamy lather. It didn't smell quite as sweet and fruity as I'd expected it to, instead it had a green, more natural fruity scent, that reminded me a bit of raspberry leaf tea! It's not sweet instead it has a warm, greenness to it. It didn't feel drying on the skin and if your skin wasn't particularly dry, you could probably pass on a body lotion afterwards if you were in a rush. This is a full size tube and depending on the retailer the price at the moment varies dramatically - it's currently £1 in ASDA and £2 in Boots and Wilko.com so my advice is to shop around a bit.

Dr Paw Paw Hot Pink Balm - 25ml - Full Size - RRP £6.95

Next up a variation of a product that almost cult status in so many peoples lives. Dr Paw Paw Balm. Now I'm sure I have a tube of the original balm floating around somewhere but I can't remind whether or not I've ever tried it. In its original form it's a cruelty free, vegan, PETA certified, fragrance and gluten free balm that can be used anywhere from patches of skin, to dry lips, and dry cuticles. 

The main ingredient is Paw Paw or as we know it better in the UK, Papaya, which is combined with aloe Vera, olive oil and in this case colour pigments.

Although slightly less versatile than the original, this is a hot pink tinted version of the original Dr Paw Paw Balm, that you can use on your lips and cheeks. The shade is designed to suit all skin tones and complexions. You can apply a small amount and blend it out for a sheer finish, or you can build it up for a more dramatic finish.

I definitely think that it's easier to start of sheer and build it up, apply too much at once especially on the cheeks and you may be doing your best Aunt Sally impression. A small amount though and you get a really pretty, pink pinched cheek look that doesn't look greasy or shiny. As well as adding a pretty pink tone and a bit of gloss to the lips, it also adds and huge hit of moisture and nourishment and it actually wears pretty well.

Obviously as I say the pink tone makes it slightly less versatile when it comes to a skin care product, but it's still a multi functional make up item so it's a great one for travel and when you're on the go. You can buy this product directly from Dr Paw Paw and from various other retailers including Feelunique.

Palmer's Natural Fusions Chia Seed & Argan Oil Hair Mask - 30ml / 1 fl. oz. - Deluxe Mini - RRP £1.99

Finally an extra treat, and despite the fact that it's labelled not for resale ;) it's a nice addition to the regular 5 items. When it comes to Palmer's I automatically think body products, and Cocoa Butter, but did you know that they also have a hair care line? Well I didn't and although I haven't tried this yet, I do love a hair mask so I can't wait to give it a go.

This intensive conditioning hair mask isn't tested on animals and contains 95% naturally sourced ingredients and it contain no sulphates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oils or gluten. The two main ingredients are chia seed to strengthen the hair and promote new growth, and argan oil to rejuvenate dull and lifeless hair. It also contains sunflower oil, shea butter, coconut oil, rosemary leaf extract and rice bran wax. 

My hair is desperate need of some colour, so when I hopefully got rid of those greys, I'll treat it to some of this mask and let you know my thoughts in a future post x This is a deluxe mini with an estimated RRP of £1.99, the full 60g size is available from Superdrug and retails at £2.99.

I have to say that again I'm pretty happy with Glossybox, the value again was definitely there and it contained a nice combination of items all of which that I'll use, and that fitted in very well with the whole fruity floral theme. As per usual the box also included a little sneak peek as to what we can expect in May's box, and it looks like it's going to be a good one . In May's box every subscriber will receive either a Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Cream Kit, or a Barry M Cosmic Lights Highlighter Palette. Being a pale girl, and a highlighter junkie I would really love the highlighter palette but since it's randomly selected, I guess I'll have to wait and see x If you're interested in trying Glossybox UK for yourself, then check them out via my link, and save a little bit of money on your subscription xx Thanks as always and enjoy the rest of your weekend xx 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links 

Trimming My Stash - March 2019 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews *

I'm late again with one, so much so that we're now almost in the middle of April argh! I honestly don't know where this year has gone, Easter is next week, and then it's my birthday and then it summer arghhhhh! I'm sure time seemed to drag more when I was younger. Anyway because time is short I'm going to get straight down to it and talk about my March empties.

AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Shampoo - 250ml
Yes To Grapefruit Rejuvenating Body Wash - 500ml**
The Body Shop Glazed Apple Shower Gel - 60ml
The Body Shop Glazed Apple Body Butter - 200ml
Benefit Roller Lash Super Curling And Lifting Mascara - Black - 3g
Benefit Gimme Brow - Light / Medium - 3g
Beauty Pro Foot & Callus Peel - 40ml - 1 x Pair Single Use Booties
Freedom Pro Studio Brush Bath Sanitising Brush Cleanser - 100ml

Total - 8 Items

At last a decent month! It took 3 months but I finally achieved a monthly empties total that I can be proud of. Not only did I manage to finish 8 items, making it my best month of 2019 so far, but I also managed to finish a nice variety of items. I didn't manage to finish any skin care products but I did manage to finish a good assortment of body and hair items, and shock of horrors I managed to finish a couple of make up products, which almost never happens. Go me!

1. AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Shampoo - 250ml

I've already talked about this at length in quite a few posts, so I'm really going to try and not repeat myself much. What do I think about this product? well I love, love, love it and I can't be without it, so much so in fact that I've already got a couple of bottles of the shampoo and the matching conditioner in back up. I do switch things up a bit when it comes to shampoos and conditioners but I just keep coming back to this one and I probably use it at least once a week.

Containing keratin, bamboo extract, wheat protein and peppermint, it's especially designed to strengthen the hair and to reduce hair loss. It smells gorgeous and I think it's made a real difference to my hair, and unlike a lot of anti - hair fall shampoos it's really affordable, with a 250ml bottle retailing at around £2 directly from AVON or via your local AVON representative.

2. Yes To Grapefruit Rejuvenating Body Wash - 500ml**

Next up a product from the popular Yes To range. I was lucky enough to try a lot of their products when I wrote regular reviews for My Pure and this was one of them - You can read my original review here. x

If you've never tried anything from Yes To before than I'd highly recommend that you do. The entire range is petroleum, SLS, paraben and cruelty free, and this particular product is 98% natural, and contains both apple and grapefruit extracts, and coconut.

As you would expect from the name this is a very refreshing, and zingy shower gel, with a noticeable but not overpowering grapefruit scent. It's not drying on the skin and just a tiny, tiny amount creates a lovely creamy lather, making this huge bottle a very economical buy.

Alas My Pure no longer seem to sell the Yes To range range but this particular product is still available and retails at £7.99 for a 500ml bottle from various retailers including Look Fantastic, Feel Unique, and Fragrance Direct

3. The Body Shop Glazed Apple Shower Gel - 60ml

4. The Body Shop Glazed Apple Body Butter - 200ml

I don't know about anyone else but there is something very satisfying about finishing a beauty product, and seeing those empties stack up - I can honestly say that I normally relish finishing a product but in the the case of these two items though it made me feel a bit sad.

In pretty much every other empties post that I've ever written I've shared my love for The Body Shop's festive collections, I've loved so many over the years but the stand out for me have to be their Glazed Apple range from around 2014.

It's not the obvious apple scent that you'll ever smell but it's sweet, juicy, sugary and almost candyfloss inspired - for me it's simply mouthwatering. Add an amazing fragrance to The Body Shop signature shower gel and body butter formulations, and the combination of the two products left the skin clean, soft, and deliciously scented.

Unless I find another forgotten stash of beauty products hiding somewhere in my house, I'm nearing the end of my The Body Shop Glazed Apple stash. I think I have one full sized bottle of shower gel and that's it :( The range was obviously discontinued some time ago now so unless I succumb to some of the ridiculously priced pieces on ebay, I'm on the verge of saying goodbye to Glazed Apple for good - So you know what The Body Shop needs to do? Bring it back of course! 

5. Benefit Roller Lash Super Curling And Lifting Mascara - Black - 3g

Now I'm going to try and keep this short, because I do intend on doing a full review of this mascara in the near future. I'm a huge fan of Benefit Cosmetics, and I do love their mascaras, this is their curling mascara, which aims to separate, lift and curl the lashes, it water resistant and long lasting.

I love using this alone but it also works really well with Benefit They're Real, you get the length and thickness from They're Real and the curl and separation from Roller Lash. This is a mini but it has the same size brush as the full size. As I say I have a full review coming soon but if you're interested Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Super Curling And Lifting Mascara retails at around £22 for the 8.5g size, and at around £11 for the 4g travel sized mini.

6. Benefit Gimme Brow - Light / Medium - 3g

Next up another Benefit product and I'm not actually sure where this one came from, I think it got lost in my stash somewhere but in case you don't recognise it, it's an old Gimme Brow that I found and finished.

For years and years I didn't really bother about my brows, I plucked them without ever knowing really what I was doing, I lost my natural shape and  my brows ended up an over plucked skinny mess. Then a few years ago now I was offered the chance to try out the Benefit Cosmetics Brow Services and the rest as they say is history (read about my experience here).

I now have regular brow waxes, and occasional dye treatment, and I now have all sorts of different brow products in my collection. A product that I keep coming back to though is the original Gimme Brow and now Gimme Brow +.

It super quick and easy to use, and as well as adding a hint of colour, it add thickness and volume to the brow hairs, and it sets and tames all of those stray hairs. I've used every shade from light / medium in the early day, to everything now from 3.5 to 4.5 and it's something that I will continue to use. The full 3g size now retails at £21.50 with the 1.5g travel size retailing at £11.

7. Beauty Pro Foot & Callus Peel - 40ml - 1 x Pair Single Use Booties

If you are a regular reader of my Trimming My Stash posts then you'll know that I am a little bit obsessed with this type of foot peeling socks, they are gross but at the same time so, so satisfying.

Beauty Pro are mask specialists and whilst they are probably best known for their face masks, they also produce a range of hair, hand, and foot masks.

Containing 16 botanical and fruit extracts including sage, anise, kiwi, lemon and lime, vitamin E and both salicylic and glycolic acid, these foot masks are paraben free and they contain no mineral oil, lanolin or petroleum.

Inside the packet you get a pair of thin plastic socks, with a paper like lining, and an adhesive strip to keep them in place. They aren't the sturdiest socks so I ended up putting on a pair of slipper socks over the top to keep them in place. These socks contain a lot of liquid, these were very wet, and they had an astringent slightly fruity scent.

All you do it wash and dry the feet, and pop the socks on for around 90 minutes, before rinsing any remaining liquid off with plain water. Unlike some of the similar socks that I've tried there was no real tingling sensation just a cool feeling, and there was no redness. After about 6 days the skin started to peel off my feet, that lasted for about a week, afterwards my feet were a lot smoother with only a small amount of dry skin still visible on my heels. 

I've tried quite a few different brands of peeling socks now and I was pretty impressed with these ones and I would definitely consider buying them again in the future. You are advised to leave at least 6 weeks between these type of treatments, and next up I have some AVON ones to try. The Beauty Pro Foot & Callus Peel socks retail at around £7.95 directly from Beauty Pro, and also from various retailers including NEXT, Fabled, Feel Unique, and Fragrance Direct.

8. Freedom Pro Studio Brush Bath Sanitising Brush Cleanser - 100ml

Last but not least, a discontinued product, that some may argue doesn't belong in a beauty empties post but hey I think it does. Brush cleaning is one of my least favourite beauty tasks, and I tend to avoid it for as long as I can, in fact I think that's probably one of the reasons why I own so many brushes, I just buy more instead of washing them.

As much as I hate it though this product definitely made it a bit easier, it basically a solid brush soap, wet your brush, swirl it in to the soap, squeeze, rinse and dry, simples! This had a gorgeous fresh fruity, floral scent, and it really made cleaning my brushes easier and a little less time consuming.

Unfortunately like the entire Freedom beauty line, it's been absorbed and re branded under the Revolution Beauty label, and it's being replaced by a product called the Revolution Pro Hygiene Sanitising Solid Brush Cleaner which is £5. It's a very similar product just with a slightly different rose based scent. and it's available direct from Revolution and from Superdrug.

As you may have gathered I'm pretty happy about March's total but I've got to keep at it and make April another successful month x If you have any questions on any of the items that I've mentioned then don't forget to leave me a comment x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

**Press Sample

A Late March 2019 Primark Haul - Clothes, Accessories And Beauty

Like most bloggers I don't know where I would be without my loyal readers and followers, I know it sound slightly cheesy but I love you all and I really do appreciate every like, comment, share and view that I receive, it's what keeps me going. Now I've been lucky enough to receive a few nice messages and DM's over the years, and I recently received a DM on Instagram asking me if I'd been to Primark recently because they hadn't seen any haul posts or videos. Proper hauls have been pretty thin on the ground so far this year, and this message made me realise that a Primark trip was well overdue, so a couple of weeks ago now, after a few false starts, me and Mummy Lou eventually took a little trip to Intu Metrocentre*, and headed to Primark.

Now since I hadn't been to Primark since the week before Christmas lots of things had changed, and the boots and winter woollies, had been replaced with shorts, bikinis and flip flops! Despite seeing a few people in shorts recently, I'm not quite ready for summer just yet, but I did end up buying a few pieces that are probably better suited to barmy spring days rather than the snow that's forecast for next week!

When it comes to dressing my bottom half, I do think that I'm stuck in a bit of a rut, jeans, leggings and jeggings are my go to's, and whilst I did pick up a pair of my wardrobe staple, black, cotton leggings for only £2.50, I'm fancying making a few changes style wise this year, and wearing a couple of long forgotten bits in my wardrobe, and picking up a few new, and different things.

Since I'm all about comfort the most obvious bottom half solution is / are joggers! At their heart, they're slouchy, and comfortable but depending on how you style them, they can actually look pretty stylish. Primark was full of joggers, and harem style pants, in all sorts of different designs, fabrics, and colours, and I ended up buying two, quite different pairs

The first pair, which were £7, I guess were the safe option. When in doubt go for a plain colour, and you can't get a safer option than a pair of black trousers. These are just a basic pull on, straight legged pant, with an elasticated, tie detail waist. The fabric is quite thin on these so their definitely more of a spring / summer piece, but they really wearable and black trousers go with pretty much anything.

The second pair that I got though, were a bit more of a gamble, but when I was a bit more daring in my fashion choices I used to love striped trousers - A good vertical striped pant can make you look taller and thinner, which is always a good thing in my book.

These are more like a traditional cuffed jogger, the fabric is slightly thicker, and has a stretchy jersey type feel. Again they are in the pull on style, and they have a waist tie, that is tipped with metal accents. They have a slight harem shape and are a bit wider at the waist and hips, and they narrow down to a cuffed hem.

They are in a lovely navy blue shade, and as you can see they have white vertical, solid and broken vertical stripes. They were £6 and whilst they obviously aren't as versatile as the black pair, they are so soft and comfortable that I know I'll get a lot of use out of them. The most obvious choice is to team them up with a white top but I'm definitely going to have a play with shapes and colours - I'm loving different shades of yellow at the moment and I can just imagine these pants teamed up with a yellow cami in the summer.

Whilst I still feel that I need an overhaul in the bottom area of my wardrobe, it's probably fair to say that I'm pretty well off for tops, and if anything I probably have too many as it is, but I do love a bit of tie dye, and I'm really that there is so much of it around at the moment.

I've already bought a couple of long sleeve tie dye, ombre style tops from Simply Be, and I couldn't resists picking this one up because it's so different for any of the other tie dye garments that I already own.

This boyfriend style t-shirt which was just £6 is just so fresh, and spring like with it's pale, sky blue and white horizontal stripe tie dye design. I actually sized down in this because it was so slouchy and I wanted it to be a little bit more fitted. I know Primark can sometimes be a bit hit and miss quality wise but this has a real quality feel, the fabric is nice and soft, and it has a nice thickness to it, and I can't wait to wear it when the sun comes out, and it actually feels as warm as what it looks like through the window :)

Next up something that I don't think that I've ever shown you on the blog, my knickers! Now I love fancy undies as much as the next person, and I recently added a few pairs of sexier pants from Victoria's Secret (shock horror I found something in there that fits my curves!!!) to my underwear drawer, but lets be honest my fellow females, sexy undies are perfect for making you feel amazing and obviously for those special occasions but sometimes you just want a nice and comfy pair of pants. Like so many others I used to swear by Marks and Spencer for my everyday pants but in the last year or so I've being buying multi packs like this from Primark and to be honest I haven't noticed to much difference in terms of quality or wear. One thing that I despise though is baggy undies so I always tend to buy a smaller size than what I actually am, there is nothing worse than washing your pants a few times and the elastic giving up - go a bit smaller and they end up fitting perfectly. Even if you are an expensive underwear wearer, then these pants are perfect for everyday use and for that time of the month - this pack of 5 cost me just £3.50.

So that's it for clothes next up jewellery and shoes! Ever since I was tiny I've always had a thing for shoes, and do you know who I blame Mummy Lou! Some of my earliest and fondest memories are the trips that me and my mam used to make to the massive Tommy Balls shoe factory outlet in Blackburn, I have a vivid memory of sitting under a shoe rang whilst my mam filled up her basket. She always complains when I buy more shoes but it's pretty obvious to me who is to blame for my shoe addiction.

Long gone were the boots of winter, instead Primark was full of summer sandals, flip flips and pumps. They had some lovely sandals but with summer still being a little way off I ended up buying something that I can wear now, and that will take me well into the warmer months, and hopefully beyond.

I love flat and comfy, skate type shoes, and lace ups, and I virtually live in one of my numerous pairs of Converse. These are more Vans like in appearance actually but I love the style and I since I'm loving mustard's at the moment, these were a must have. These were also £6

Over the last few months or so I've been trying to shop my stash a bit when it comes to jewellery. I've rediscovered so fab things that I'd forgotten about including some amazing, retro looking mustard beads, but you know me I can never resist a bargain, so it goes without saying that I ended up with a couple of new jewellery pieces. 

These fab earrings were reduced to just £1. I love, love, love green malachite, and whilst I'm not convinced that the stones in these earrings are real, it's really vibrant and works so well with the grey and white marble like stones, and the brown and red tone, wooden and stone beads.

When it comes to jewellery I don't know why but I often levitate towards brown and neutral toned pieces, I guess it's because they are so versatile and they go with so many pieces in my wardrobe. This particular necklace with a gold tone snake style chain is just perfect. Despite the chunkiness of the beads it's quite simple and unassuming, and I think that it would equally well worm casually with a t-shirt and jeans, as it would with a smart shirt and a blazer.

Finally beauty, and I always say it, Primark's beauty range just keeps getting better and better. Their own range now, is entirely cruelty free, and they had loads of fab new things in, including a Hello Kitty range, and some gorgeous new highlighters, but I stayed strong and I picked up a few staples including two bottles of their fab cuticle oil for just a £1 each, and some of their tea tea based face wipes that are just £1 for 2 packs of 25.

One of the things that I was surprised to see was the Alex Steinherr skincare range, I know that when it first came out it was only available in selected stores, but it looks as though it's rolling out into more stores which has to be a good thing. I wasn't that desperate for anything new skincare wise, so I only bought one thing, but if you have any recommendations, then please let me know so I can maybe pick up a few more things on my next visit. The one thing that I did get on this trip though, was the Alex Steinherr Pore Balance Blemish Rescue Stickers.

I'd tried something similar in the past from both Sarah Chapman , and from one of the more acne focused drugstore brands, maybe Oxy, Biore or Clearasil and I loved the concept. No mess and no fuss!

Basically you get 22 clear plastic circular stickers that are infused with both tea tree and salicylic acid, which are designed to help calm the redness and irritation of a spot. They are vegan, not tested on animals and fragrance free.

All you do after cleansing is apply one of the patches to each spot, and leave it on overnight or between 8 and 12 hours, before peeling it off. Obviously these would work out quite expensive if you had a lot of spots but if you like me you just get the odd one or two, angry hormonal ones at that time of the month then these are ideal.

I've only tried one up to now but it made a big difference, it stayed stuck to my chin all night and it seemed to bring the spot to a head so it looked less angry, and it seemed to fade more quickly. These were £3 for 22 stickers and I'm definitely going to be using these next time my skin decides to misbehave.

So that was my first Primark haul of 2019, I am aiming to buy less and wear more in 2019 so I don't think Primark trips are going to be too frequent this year but we'll see - it's impossible to go in without buying anything, and who knows what else this year has to offer. I have a nice repositioned mirror which is ideal for outfit selfies, and Mummy Lou is has been practising her photography skills, so I'm hoping to try and get a few more outfit posts and pictures up on both the blog and my Instagram this year, so make sure you're following on all fronts to see some of these bits and more on something other than a coat hanger x In the meantime if you have any questions on any of the items that I've bought then please let me know x

*I Have Worked With Intu Metrocentre Within The Last 12 Months