June's Birchbox

 

I caved in and last month re-subscribed to birchbox, I could resist their Harper’s Bazaar box and I haven’t been let down this month either! For June Birchbox have gone for a super fun world cup/Brazil themed box. Please note this is the only time you will ever hear me utter the words ‘world cup’ and ‘football’ on this blog. I would love to get into the spirit of it all and would love to see England do well but I do find it all a bit boring in terms of a game, it’s just not as gritty as it used to be and I find them all a bit girly! YAWN!

Anyways, back to my box, I have to admit I did a little squeal when I opened it!! I think it has to be one of my favourite boxes yet! So here is what I received...

Beautyblender &Bleandercleanser – eeeek! I’ve been so tempted to purchase this for a while and couldn’t believe it when I spotted this in the box. It’s an egg shaped makeup sponge that I’ve seen a lot of great reviews about it. It also came with a little soap cleaner. Cute!

Silk & Honey Shea Butter Hair Mask – I can’t resist a good hair mask and can’t wait to try this one. Especially with all the recent hot weather, my hair is need of a bit of TLC!

OPI Nail Lacquer in ‘Kiss Me I’m Brazilian’ – LOVE this stunning pink shade!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser – I have wanted to try this for so long but have always been hesitant due to the rather expensive price tag, so this has to be the product I am most excited about trying!

Korres Citrus Body Milk – I am a bit of a fan of Korres products, they always smell so gorgeous.

Birchbox Brazil-Inspired Key ring – I think this is a really fun bonus pressie!

I can’t wait to try all these out! Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes?

P.S Have you checked out my ‘800 Bloglovin followers Giveaway’ yet? You could win a MAC Lipstick in ‘Plumful’, Kylie Minogue ‘Pink Sparkle’  Eau De Toilette, a Tangle Teezer ‘The Original’ Detangling Hairbrush and a Nail Rock Glitter and Polish Set... so what are you waiting for?

Nails // Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Damson

 

As I am sure I have said many times before I am a huge fan of the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paints and I keep being a bit naughty and adding to the collection I already have at home! The latest shade to be purchased is Damson it’s a gorgeous muted cobalt blue.

I am a little bit obsessed with this colour at the moment as it’s such a great sunny shade. As usual this polish was high quality, long lasting with no chips in sight! Yey!

 

P.S Have you checked out my ‘800 Bloglovin followers Giveaway’ yet? You could win a MAC Lipstick in ‘Plumful’, Kylie Minogue ‘Pink Sparkle’  Eau De Toilette, a Tangle Teezer ‘The Original’ Detangling Hairbrush and a Nail Rock Glitter and Polish Set... so what are you waiting for?

Motivational Monday #18

 

So this weekend I launched my shop Pearl Divine on Etsy! It’s taken me a long time to take this step and I have spent/wasted so much time putting myself down, worrying that people will think my designs and work are crap, quality is poor etc. BUT its gets to a point where enough is enough! You can either take that step to put yourself out there, face your fears and go for the things you want to achieve, or you can stop doing what you enjoy and hide away.

I have chosen to go with the first option, to see what happens and have fun along the way! Because if you don’t try you will never know what could come from it, and I don’t want to live a life of what ifs!

So I challenge you all to do one thing you’re scared of this week!

Happy Monday Lovelies!

P.S Have you checked out my ‘800 Bloglovin followers Giveaway’ yet? You could win a MAC Lipstick in ‘Plumful’, Kylie Minogue ‘Pink Sparkle’  Eau De Toilette, a Tangle Teezer ‘The Original’ Detangling Hairbrush and a Nail Rock Glitter and Polish Set... so what are you waiting for?

Hair SOS

I have to admit I am pretty lazy when it comes to my hair, I have been known to forget to brush it and don’t have the patience or skill to do pretty things with it. It’s either down, or scraped back into a messy bun, or on special occasions I may brush off the dust from my GHD’s and give it a straighten. However saying all that, for a long time now I have been trying to grow my hair, my dream is to have long luscious locks. This requires effort though, and means I need to sort myself out and start looking after my hair which over the past six months I have been making a concerted effort to do.

My hair is very fine, there is a lot of it, but it is fine which means it can often look limp and flat. It also tends to get just past shoulder length and start to matt. The tramp look is not one I like to sport!! The ends look all scruffy and in despair I get the chop and then I am back to square one.

Determined to break this cycle, for the past 6 months I have been trying various different products and think I may have cracked it! For the first time ever my hair is now slightly past my shoulders and is feeling sifter, looks healthy and I keep getting compliments on how my hairs looking thicker and has more bounce! RESULT!!

So here are the products I have been using to achieve the ultimate Hair SOS mission:

 

Lush’s Rehab Shampoo  – so this doesn’t come cheap at £17.50 for 500g but I can’t recommend it enough. It massively lathers up when you use it so you don’t need much at all. I wash my hair most days and it lasts me for about 3 months! When I think about any drugstore shampoo I previously used, I would buy every few weeks so in the long run I think I am actually saving money?!  Lush describe it as ‘A restorative shampoo packed full of ingredients that benefit the hair and scalp. We press fresh papaya, pineapple, kiwi and mango and blend the juice with strengthening, organic extra virgin olive oil and jojoba oils. A pinch of sea salt softens and seaweed helps your locks gleam. Peppermint and juniper are said to stimulate blood flow, helping to improve the scalp's condition over time’. It really as a fab shampoo and I don’t find it as heavy on my hair as most shampoos. It’s a gorgeous shampoo that has saved my over processed hair time and time again! Fruits to cleanse, oils to soften and mint to promote hair growth! You can't go wrong with Rehab!

 

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner - £6.99 from boots, this really nourishes the ends of my hair and makes it so much more manageable. It's really rich and creamy and it feels like its deep conditioning your hair. I love Moroccan oil from previously using the original ‘Moroccan Oil’ brand, but cannot afford to spend £15-£30 a pop on products so this is such a great alternative!

Tangle Teezer – I love this brush so much I have ditched all my old ones and bought one of their compacts for my handbag! I think the new thickness to my hair is down to this brush as it doesn’t tear at it and is much gentler yet still a really effective brush! It detangles without any pain and leaves my hair smooth and shiny. It is the best brush I have tried ever. If you don’t have one I seriously recommend in investing in one.

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil – this can be purchased at Boots for £6.99 and I am in love with it! I did a whole review of it here. All I am going to say is LOVE!

Wella SP Resolute Lift – My hair dresser suggested this product as one to give my hair a bit of volume. You just spray it to the roots when wet and they dry and style it like normal. Over the years I have tried a billion ways to give my hair volume, I would kill for big bouffant hair but not much works or if it does it only stays put for about an hour before falling flat again. So I was so happy and surprised when this did what it said on the tin! It really gave my hair a lift and added bounce which lasted hours! Don’t get me wrong I’ve still got a long way to go before I have a 60’s bounce but it now has so much more volume than before! So if you’re unlucky like me with limp, fine hair this is definitely worth a try!

I am also now getting my hair cut regularly, every 8 to 10 weeks instead of once every 8 to 10 months, when I couldn’t get a brush through it! I’ve really noticed the results and actually think I might be able to keep growing it for once!

Do you have any healthy hair tips or go to products?

P.S Have you checked out my ‘800 Bloglovin followers Giveaway’ yet? You could win a MAC Lipstick in ‘Plumful’, Kylie Minogue ‘Pink Sparkle’  Eau De Toilette, and your very own Tangle Teezer ‘The Original’ Detangling Hairbrush and a Nail Rock Glitter and Polish Set... so what are you waiting for?

  

Book Club: Thirteen Weddings by Paige Toon

I haven’t written a Book Club Post in ages!! I promise I still read all the time, I guess I just haven’t felt the need to review or post about it here. Well todays different, I finished this book on Monday, it’s now Friday and I’m still in a book hangover. You know that feeling where you are so wrapped up in a book, when you’ve got that last page and it’s all over but you can’t move on. You’re still caught up in that world, not ready to move on, not sure the next book will be able to compete... well that’s where I am right now!

The Blurb

Last year, Bronte left Sydney for a wedding in England, where she met newly single Alex. After a night of passion they parted ways, and Bronte returned to Australia. Now working on a picture desk for a magazine in London, Bronte is about to meet her new colleague, who turns out to be all too familiar. Although awkward at first, as Alex is now engaged to the girl he was on a break from when they met, they soon become friends. But as the two get closer, and the wedding day looms, it is clear that Alex and Bronte have unfinished business…

The Review

I will put my hands up right now and say Paige Toon is one of my favorite writers, I have read all her books and loved each and every one of them. So when this book arrived I was ridiculously excited to read it and made sure I kept last Sunday free to sit in my garden, enjoying the rare good weather, and have a good reading session!

The book begins with Bronte heading over to the UK from Sydney to attend her friend Polly’s wedding, where at the hen do she meets Alex. They have a one night stand, and then part ways. A twist of fate then occurs, Bronte moves over to London for work and ends up working in the same office as Alex who happens to be planning his wedding to his fiancé. Bronte can’t get Alex out of her mind and there is still a spark simmering away between them. He is smart, level headed, caring but happens to also have a fiancé.

During Bronte’s year in the UK, you watch her building friendships and watch her accept a weekend job helping a wedding photographer. That is a story in itself, Paige keeps us entertained with crazy Bridezillas and all the fun and frolics you expect. It also highlights Bronte’s dislike of weddings and churches, making you question why? Along the way she also meets a fellow Aussie, Lachie, who becomes one of her close circle of friends. He attends some of the weddings as a singer/guitarist and by the time he is ready to go back to Australia, sparks are flying there too.

To begin with Bronte is weary of Lachie, laughing off his flirty attempts to woo her, she turns him down and they become close friends. It’s at this point that the story becomes more of a love-triangle with Alex being less than impressed at the introduction of Lachie. As the reader you are constantly swapping and changing your mind as to who Bronte should be with, both are very different but would suit Bronte. I have to say I am a huge TEAMLACHIE fan! He is just gorgeous, laidback and fun, perfect for Bronte in my view, who doesn’t love a surfer dude?

If you’ve read Paige’s previous books, you will have spotted a few familiar faces, I was so excited when Lilly popped up. Then a mention of Joseph Strike, swoon! It was really fun to get a mini update on them and what they are doing now.

I noticed a few comments on Paige’s facebook saying they were disappointed with Bronte’s choice at the end, but I was so happy with her decision! I just feel there perhaps is still a little more to come with this story? However I really want her to stick with the man she chooses, I would be devastated if there was a follow up and she didn’t!

It’s so hard to write this review without spoiling it for those who haven’t read it! All I will say it’s a typical Paige Toon book with lots of twists and turns and just when you think you know where the story is going... BOOM! There is a twist in the story. I thoroughly recommend ‘Thirteen Weddings’ and suggest you all go buy a copy now!

Any ideas how I get over this book hangover???

 

P.S Have you checked out my ‘800 Bloglovin followers Giveaway’ yet? You could win a MAC Lipstick in ‘Plumful’, Kylie Minogue ‘Pink Sparkle’  Eau De Toilette, a Tangle Teezer ‘The Original’ Detangling Hairbrush and a Nail Rock Glitter and Polish Set... so what are you waiting for?

 

Nails // Models Own Hyper Gel in Lilac Sheen

I am so in LOVE with this polish! It’s Models Own Hyper Gel in Lilac Sheen and is such a perfect shade for summer. It’s so fun and pretty! It is a pastel shade of lilac and is such a great quality polish. I really like the Models Own range but they can be a little pricey, however I was so glad I treated myself to this! I think it will be used a lot over the next coming months!

 

P.S Have you checked out my ‘800 Bloglovin followers Giveaway’ yet? You could win a MAC Lipstick in ‘Plumful’, Kylie Minogue ‘Pink Sparkle’  Eau De Toilette, a Tangle Teezer ‘The Original’ Detangling Hairbrush and a Nail Rock Glitter and Polish Set... so what are you waiting for?

Motivational Monday #17 // Guest Post by Zoe

Happy Monday, lovelies!

How have you been? I hope you're doing well. I'm Zoe of That's Zoe. I blog about inspiration, motivation, fashion, and beauty. I also have a series called 'Motivational Monday' up on my blog. In the said series, I write motivational posts in the hopes of motivating and/or inspiring my readers.

One day, I stumbled upon Lipsticks and Lashes and found Gemma's version of 'Motivational Mondays.' After exploring this blog, I contacted her asking if we could do a collaboration to bring a different voice in our 'Motivational Monday' with the same goal of motivating and inspiring our readers. So here you go..

Photo Credit

Over the past few months I have trained myself to have a more positive mindset. One of my New Year's resolutions is to think more positively amid of having bad days or encountering some problems. So I did.

In doing so, I've learned that it's not that hard to think more positively. I always remind myself that something wonderful is about to happen; that somewhere along the line, I will be at the place where I wanted to be. I do have some bad days, but I won't let them defeat my positivity, because happiness is a choice. I wish to be happy, so I choose to be happy.

Troubles and mishaps will come, but it's your reaction to those that  predict the next thing that's about to happen. These troubles and mishaps may be the world's way of telling you that there is still room for improvement or that you can be better.

 

As I've always told myself, "Life is a very magnificent journey. Never waste your time not being happy. It's just not worth it."

In the comments section, tell me what do you do to have a more positive mindset?

Be better than who you were yesterday.

Love,

♥ ♥ ♥

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