Pudsey inspired nails for BBC Children in Need

This year, Children in Need have launched a range of Pudsey inspired products to help raise money for disadvantaged children in the UK. One of these products are these colourful, spotty nail wraps from Nail Rock. These are available to buy from Boots for £6.65, and 25% (£1.66) of the money will go to Children in Need. I think they are a great way to raise money for the charity; you can have beautiful nails and help a great cause at the same time :)

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Oops! I did it again...

Yes, I did just quote a Britney song. It popped into my head and I just couldn't shake it! At least it's more interesting than 'recent purchases'...

As the title suggests, I did it again. 'It' being spending money. Hehe.

Primark:

Winter socks (pack of two) £2.50, knee high owl socks £2

Oh how I love Primark socks...

Long sleeved pj top £5

Pj bottoms £5 and £3

New Look:

Suede desert boots £23.99 (£29.99 before student discount)

White string vest £2.49, teal vest £3.99

'Shell pink' loose boxy t-shirt £7.99

I attempted to take a photo of me wearing this, but the photos didn't do it justice! The back has a sheer panel (which you can see near the tag).

Republic:

Soul Cal deluxe hoodie £24 (£30 before student discount)

John Lewis:

Remington Pearl straighteners £39.95

I have wanted these for agessss! I wanted them even more after buying the curling wand from this range, which is amazing. The original price of these is £80-90. Boots currently have them on offer for £56 and I was going to buy them from there, but thankfully I saw them on the John Lewis site for a lot less!

Here is a rubbish webcam photo of my hair this morning, after using the straighteners:

Topshop:

Cream blush in High Five £5.40 (£6 before student discount)

I'm not a fan of Topshop. I think many of their items are ugly and overpriced. However, I've wanted one of their blushes for ages. High Five hasn't been talked about much because Head Over Heels has been receiving most of the attention. So far, I really like it. It's very pigmented, so I have to use a light hand when applying! One thing I don't like about this product is the white packaging. It's already filthy!

ASOS:

Barry M Nail Paints in Pink Flamingo and Berry Ice Cream £1.80 each in the sale

I've previously owned Pink Flamingo, but I made the mistake of letting my sister borrow it. She used it so much that I was left with half a bottle of gloopy polish. I've wanted to try Berry Ice Cream for a while, so this was the perfect time to do so.

eBay:

My Blue Nose Friends- Thomas the Hippo and Twiggy the Giraffe.

I've wanted these for ages, but they're no longer sold in stores and are rare to find. The ones you do find are going for stupid prices on eBay. Thankfully, I didn't pay too much over the retail price for these.

I've also ordered some other bits and bobs from eBay, but they're coming from Hong Kong and won't be here just yet!

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Sanex Zero% shower gels

Price: £1.89 each

'Sometimes we put more artificial chemicals than are necessary onto our skin. That’s why the new Sanex Zero% range has been specifically developed to contain only the ingredients you need for moisturised and healthy skin. Sanex Zero% is also mindful of the environment. With its minimal impact on aquatic systems and its biodegradable formulation, it has been approved by the European Eco-Label.'

Sanex Zero% shower gels lather well and leave your skin squeaky clean, proving that you don't need a lot of ingredients for a product to be effective. They're not something I'd personally choose to buy, because I prefer my shower gels to have a scent, but if you have sensitive skin, I think these will work well for you.

Here is a video, metaphorically displaying how many chemicals we put on our skin from day to day:

I can imagine passers by would have thought it was a little weird, but it proves Sanex's point perfectly.

PR sample

Lil Lets new packaging

Periods are not often talked about. Not only in the blogging world, but in real life too. They should be though, because they're natural and healthy. So when I was contacted and asked to review the new Lil Lets range, I agreed. 

I was sent the sanitary towels to review. I wanted to get a sense of the whole range, so I then went out and bought two packs/tubs of tampons.

I've been using these for the last week and here are my thoughts:

Fresh Lock Ultra Towels - Long, £1.99 from Boots.

A few key features:

• Ultra slim towel for a comfortable fit
• Wings for extra security
• Breathable ultra soft non-woven cover
• Twice as absorbent as the leading brand
• Towels individually wrapped in soft grey whisper wrappers for ultimate discretion
• Packaged in a pretty drawstring bag with a ribbon and removable band

Teens Ultra Towels - Day and Night variants, £1.59 from Boots.

A few key features:

• Shorter in length and narrower in width
• Ultra thin with wings
• Super absorbent with a breathable soft non-woven cover
• Individually wrapped in whisper wrappers for ultimate discretion
• Packaged in a pretty drawstring bag with a ribbon and removable sleeve

Silk Comfort Compact Tampons (Regular and Super Plus pictured above), £2.39 but currently £1.75 at Boots.

A few key features:

• Applicator expands widthways for ease of use
• Packaged in patterned, cylinder tubs

Overall, I like the range. A lot of effort has gone into it, from the drawstring bags and tubs, to the actual products. These features ensure that your time of the month is a little more pleasant. I think it also helps girls realise that periods shouldn't be seen as ugly. I really like that the products are in whisper wrappers, so you can change your towels or tampons without everyone in the public toilets knowing. I also like the ultra long towels. When wearing them, they gave me confidence that I wasn't going to leak.

Is there anything I would change?

This is me being picky, but I would love the drawstring bags to be made of fabric. I could then re-use them for storing bits and bobs!

I know the expandable applicator of the tampons is a main feature with the new design, so they can't really change it, but I would prefer them to be made out of cardboard. I normally use cardboard applicators and haven't had any problems with them. They're also better for the environment.

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Recent purchases

I'm about to write a review, but to warm up my blogging mojo, I thought I'd show you what I've recently bought!

Primark knickers £2.50-£3 per pack

I needed new underwear and I really like Primark's, so I stocked up! I love my briefs ;)

Primark cardigans £6 each

I've been looking for simple cardigans for ageesss, so was pleased when I saw these. They're not as long as the ones I normally wear, but I still like them.

New Look stretchy vests £3.99 and £2.49 for the string ones (navy one is in the wash)

I always wear a vest under my tops and needed some new ones. These are great quality and I'm definitely going to buy more.

Rymans academic week to view diary £4.99, WHSmith memory stick £9.99

I was going to buy a Filofax, but I only wanted one for the academic diary, so when I saw this one in Rymans, I snapped it up. It's simple and does the job :)

ASDA mugs £1.25 each

I bought a couple more mugs... I'm getting quite the collection!

Samsung Galaxy Ace, phone cases 3 for £2.79

I upgraded my phone. My previous phone was the Samsung Tocco Lite and I knew I wanted a touch screen Samsung again. I bought the cases from an eBay seller and I'm really impressed. Definitely going to buy a few more colours!

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University - Two weeks in

Good evening, can you believe it's October tomorrow?! Each year is getting faster and faster.

I thought I'd write these little updates about University, not just for myself, but for other people to get an insight to my life and my experiences of being a student.

Oh, by the way, I'm living at home. Future students, your experiences are going to be completely different because of where you live, what part of the country you live in, what University you go to, your personality, etc.

Last week was introduction week and this week, I had my first lectures. The Saturday before introduction week started, I became very nervous. I started to panic and shed a few tears. This happened for the next few nights, as well as being sick in the mornings (I hate that symptom of my nervousness). As with most things, it wasn't as scary as I thought. 
The connotations around fresher's week is that you go out partying all night, every night. I didn't go out once, not only because I was completely knackered, but because it's not my thing. I don't like crowds, dancing or alcohol. It sounds out of the norm to do (or not to do in my case), but quite a few people I've spoken to didn't go out either, for the same reasons as myself.

This week wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be either. Because my University is a small one, there's only 30-40 people in each lecture, so going into a classroom isn't as daunting as you see in the films. The lectures haven't been too hard to understand, but it's only the first week. I'm worried about writing future essays, because I don't believe I am good enough.

In terms of friends, I haven't really made any yet. I've been speaking to people, but I wouldn't call any of them my friends. I do think that living at home makes it harder to make friends. People who are living in halls seem really close with their house mates, which is understandable because they've already spent a lot of time with each other.  Hopefully, I'll have some friends soon! I'm not too bothered at the moment, because I'm used to not having them.

Overall, my first two weeks have been fine. Not great, but not terrible either :) and I'm proud of myself for having the courage to actually go. It's the little things such as taking a new journey and bus on my own, sitting on my own whilst waiting for a class and talking to complete strangers, that are helping me become more independent and confident.

I would appreciate no judgemental comments. You may think I'm doing something wrong, and if I am, I'll learn on my own.

September Favourites

I really should just call these posts 'New products I've tried and liked in *insert month here*' because if I did show you my favourites, you would be reading the same post each month! I rarely change my routine.

I would just like to say that I am sorry for the photo below. My camera is getting worse (or my expectations for quality are getting higher). I wasn't going to write this post, but I really wanted to blog, so I'm putting up with the photo.

Also, I haven't included a swatch of the blush or lipstick because of how rubbish the photos were, but I will be reviewing each of them soon, where I will include some :)

Remington Pearl curling wand- £25.49 from Boots (review coming soon)

This should actually be in my 'Favourite products of 2011' post. It's amazing. I curled my hair with it about a week ago (without hairspray. I never use it) and two days later, the curls were still in. The packaging is also very pretty.

Original Source Vanilla Milk and Raspberry shower gel- £1 when on offer (which is regularly), £2ish when not, from Superdrug, Boots and most supermarkets.

I love Original Source shower gels. I always use their Lime one and it's super duper yummy (very informative, I know). This one is just as delicious and smells of Strawberries & Cream sweets. I picked this up in Asda a couple weeks ago but when I was there last night, I couldn't find it. I really, really hope it hasn't been discontinued.

Accessorize With-Love Merged Blush in Starlet- £5-6 from Accessorize or Superdrug.

I added this to my virtual basket when Accessorize had an online (and in-store) sale. The main reason I bought it was because it was £2.50. I didn't actually think I'd get much use out of it. However, I have! The pigmentation is average, which can be built up, and it gives you a nice glow.

Maybelline The One by One Volum' Express mascara- £8.49 from Boots (review coming soon)

I won this from a Womans Own magazine competition and my first thought was 'Ahh a plastic brush'. I am not (well, wasn't) a fan of plastic brushes because years ago, I tried one that was awful. Plastic brushes have developed since then and this mascara has converted me. The one rule I have with mascara is that it must not clump. At all. I've seen some mascara reviews where girls say 'it doesn't clump' and when I look at the photo, I think their lashes look clumpy. This mascara coats your lashes One by One (shocker!). I love Maybelline's Colossal and Falsies mascaras, and this one joins the list.

17 Mirror Shine lipstick in Belle- £4.89 from Boots (review coming soon)

I'm not a lipstick wearer. In fact, I don't wear any kind of lip product regularly. A bit of lip balm here, some lip stain there, but that's all. So the fact that I've wore this out of the house a few times is amazing. It's a natural, 'my lips but better' shade and feels like a balm on. Sorry I don't have any swatches to show you today, but I will try and write the review as soon as possible.

My favourite shop of the month is... New Look!

This month, I've bought two pairs of jeans, four vests, a pair of heels (and soon to be a pair of boots) from them. All basics, but that's all I wear. I do think some of their jumpers and cardigans are over priced, but their shoes are reasonable (and loved by many), as well as their other basic items.

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