My ShoeDazzle Lindy Boots

I received my ShoeDazzle orders yesterday morning, which equates to speedy delivery so I was happy with that. The shoes I didn't like in reality, they were nice but just not what I was expecting or what I wanted so they'll be posted back later today.

So onto my lovely boots...

The ShoeDazzle Shoe Box Outer Packaging

The Dustbag, Information and Small Free Gift Bag

My lovely boots!

I absolutely adore these, they were £31.96 with my first order 20% off discount, they fit perfectly, they look amazing and seem to be of great quality too! The only thing is that I haven't worn them out yet, so maybe after a few months of wearing them I'll give you a little update, typically my shoes wear out about a year after regular use (not completely though, they'll tend to become unusable after 3-4years), so I hope I won't experience any problems with these.

In the package, included was a cute bag as a free gift! A dustbag to keep the boots in, although I think 2 would have been better as they are knee-high boots...and I'm just really very happy with my entire purchase. I've been wearing them around the house to "break in" to them properly. I can't wait for October's shoe selection now! I think I would definitely recommend ShoeDazzle and their services to anyone who wants a new pair of shoes, is obsessed with shoes, or just wants to treat themselves.

I'll also add some artsy images when I do wear them to go out! If you'd like to join ShoeDazzle click here, you'll also receive 20% off your first order! :)

Amarya Beauty Box - September 2011

I received my Amarya Beauty Box in the post this morning and I'm quite happy with it - especially with one item. I've also decided to do a comparison post of all the beauty boxes available in the UK every month as I'm now subscribed to all 4. I'll put this post up closer to the end of the month so that I'm able to use the products for a little while. The Amarya Beauty Box costs £10 per month for a selection of organic products and is available from here.

This is my first ever Amarya Beauty Box and here are some pictures showing you the packaging and the items:

The Box and the Amarya logo

I got an Amarya Beauty Cloth Bag!

The smaller box inside...

Leaflet with more information on other products

Beautifully presented information on each product inside the box

The box wrapped

The box when opened

The products inside the box

Finally! The products themselves!

 Lavera Hand Cream - 20ml sample - worth £1.00

REN Active 7 Radiant Eye Gel - 3ml sample - worth £3.60

Dr Hauschka Skincare Samples - 1.5ml each - worth £1.99 and £2.70

Madara Moon Flower Tinting Fluid - 50ml full size - worth £23

Total Value of Box: £32.29

Amount Paid: £10

Total Saving: £22.29

The values/totals calculated are excluding the lovely bag I received! My first impressions of Amarya are as follows:

- They themselves are very polite and helpful.

- The box was on time, so punctual.

- Everything in the box was as promised and more.

First Impressions of the contents of the box and the box itself:

- I wouldn't keep the actual boxes purely because I have no room left for anything in my room, but the quality is fine and very reusable.

- All products are organic and a lot of them cruelty free - huge tick from me.

- The Lavera Handcream smells very fresh albeit natural, and moisturises my hands well, also the full size (75ml) is only £3.75 so if I do fall in love with it, I may repurchase.

- I don't use eye creams/gels very often but probably should so I'm happy I received the REN eye gel.

- The Dr Hauschka skincare I believe was from the regenerating line and therefore anti-aging so I've given those away.

- The Madara Tinting Fluid looks amazing, so luxurious and I was very happy to see it in my box, I can't wait to try it and it's full size!

Based on my first impressions and everything so far I'd like to award this box a 9/10! :)

Changes!

As you've probably noticed the blog layout has changed quite a bit, my header was created/designed by the amazing @MidnightDraven on twitter and her blog can be found here. I decided I wanted a change in template but still wanted the deep red theme going on and she incorporated that so well, and I'm very grateful.

My blog is still under construction, I need to add pages, social media buttons and various other bits and pieces, but hopefully it'll be complete soon.

So please bear with me and thank you so much for reading and following! :)

Review: John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Multi-Tone Revealing Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner

I bought both the shampoo and conditioner at £1.99 each for 50ml, and both lasted for 5 washes of my mid-back length hair, pretty good value I think. There are full sizes available too from Boots, Superdrug and supermarkets. I don't have completely brown hair, in fact I'd say it's leaning towards the more black side, but I do have dark brown and medium brown hair on my head randomly. Especially towards the front and top of my head my hair is lighter.

Using this pair for the first time I thought it was pretty average and didn't notice any change in the colour of my hair or brightness/shiny-ness. The second time onwards my hair seemed to have more colour in it, as though I'd added highlights but not as strongly to that effect of course. The natural brown tones in my hair were definitely 100% more prominent and noticeable and I absolutely loved it, I've always wanted to colour my hair and switch it up a bit but haven't done so due to various reasons as of yet.

My hair was clean and felt moisturised and healthy too which was great. To make sure I don't confuse anyone, this will not magically give you highlights or a change in hair colour, however it did reveal my hair colour's undertones and make them more visible to the naked eye - something which I really liked. My hair is pretty normal, occasionally on the dry brittle side when in need of a haircut, but not highly so ever.

I will definitely be repurchasing these in the full size when all my shampoos and conditioners run out and I would recommend it. Maybe you could pick up the one made for your hair colour and let me know what you think! Or if you've already tried it, what did you think? 9/10 for this pair of haircare! :)

ShoeDazzle - The Beauty Box for Fashion/Shoe Addicts

I found this site sometime back when the blogosphere went a little mad over ShoeDazzle, the company with a major influence from Kim Kardashian providing monthly shoes for £39.95 (and free delivery) in the UK and $39.95 in the US. The pricing system annoys me because with the exchange rate it means UK pays around $65 for a pair of shoes and the US around £25. But moving on from the unfairness that is exchange rate...

The UK site launched in September and I have joined up and bought two pairs of shoes already, and yes I'm supposed to be on a spending ban but seeing as I'm not purchasing makeup, I seem to have gone back to fashion again...it's a vicious circle.

So a little about how the site works, you sign up, answer a few questions on your preferences with regards to shoes and fashion, and each month your personal stylists pick a selection of shoes, jewellery and handbags based on your preferences. If you decide nothing is for you, a new selection can be requested. Every month on the 6th £39.95 is taken from your account (from your first purchase) unless you select "skip this month" meaning nothing is taken. If you forget to click that, then a credit is added to your account and for each credit you can pick one of your showroom's items and after you have 6 six credits and still haven't picked anything, money will stop being taken from your account and your credits used.

There is also a loyalty programme called style points, 100 points for each purchase and 200 for every friend you sign up and 20% off your first purchase. If you would like to join as an invite from me I'd be very grateful and please leave your email address below!

I've become a little obsessed with this site hoping a new pair of shoes will appear everyday which is not the case! I didn't like my selection for September initially but then decided I wanted a certain pair of shoes anyway...after discussion with my trusty friend Paige, I decided I wouldn't purchase them. I then rethought and came to the decision that I don't own that many heels and maybe I should get these as obviously the pressure of the shoes possibly not being available later was on me too! Heels make me very tall though but oh well!

I also bought some boots but they're no longer in my showroom. I personally don't think I'd pick their jewellery because £39.95 is too much and the designs aren't fantastic - in my opinion and I probably wouldn't wear them. The handbags however, aren't too bad but I didn't fall for any of this month's selections.

All the shoes are picked and recommended by various stylists, the ones above have been recommended by Kim Kardashian. Just on a side note, I've never understood the fascination with her and her family, I could say a lot more on this topic but I don't wish to offend. I like this site though so goody for me!

This has made me want to change my blog into a fashion, health, lifestyle and beauty blog, but I'm not sure if readers would like that. Please let me know what you think!

I will post an update on this regarding delivery, the quality of the shoes and sizes, etc. I'm hoping they'll be awesome! :) If you'd like to sign up too click here!

August Empties - 2011

This month I have used up the following products, I was aiming for at least 10 empties every month but I guess I'll have to try harder in September! (Please click on names to be taken to the review post on my blog.)

1) No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser (200ml) - The first hot cloth cleanser I've ever used, I really liked this, it cleansed well and removed makeup too, the cloth with it was the only downside I think.

2) No7 Radiance Revealed Exfoliator (75ml) - I've used this exfoliator a lot, I think this was my second tube, it's a lovely creamy exfoliator suitable for more sensitive skin as well.

3) Olavie Chardonnay Wine Therapy Antioxidant Body Butter (30ml) - I received this in my Boudoir Privé box and I loved it, the only downside to this is the price for the full size, otherwise a fantastic, luxurious feeling, thick body butter.

4) Lush It's Raining Men Shower Gel + Shampoo (100g) - I didn't love this shower gel, it says that it's a shampoo too, and it absolutely sucked at lathering as a shampoo for me. As a shower gel it was fine, I used it with a puff and it did the job well enough but again lathering up was an issue and the smell wasn't as addicting as it is in the Honey I Washed The Kids soap.

5) The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment (30ml) - I really like this, the only issue was that it makes me wake up to an exploded oil rig on my face...however it works very well. After I wash my face in the morning my pores look better and my overall complexion is improved. Works best with the entire Seaweed Range.

6) Simple Sun Sensitive Protecting Lip Balm (5g) - SPF 20 with 3star UVA protection, this lip balm is in a lipstick format and I love this. If I only were permitted to use one lip balm for the rest of my life (from everything I've tried so far...but then again I do have a lip balm addiction...) this would be it. Why? It glides on perfectly, no smudging, yellowing of the product, no seeping or separation of formula like some liquid lip balms, easy to use, one swipe is perfect and with added vitamins and SPF protection.

7) I managed to use up all the samples Amarya Beauty kindly sent and the perfume samples from Beauty Boxes.

Hopefully I will meet my minimum of 10 empties target for September! Thank you for reading :)

Challenge: No Nail Polish

The state of my nails is horrible, they are stained, much weaker than they used to be and now peeling as well. I put this down to the obsession I have with constantly changing my nail colour and using so many different products on my nails. So I have come to the decision not to wear any nail polish for the next few months to allow them to grow out, stop being yucky and orange-yellow and hopefully it'll improve their condition too. The only things I'll be using is either cuticle creams or nail and cuticle creams...(same thing really hmm...)

I'm not sure how long I'll last because I always feel less confident without my nails painted but I think it's best for my nails to leave them alone and to "let them breathe" for a bit!

What do you think? Would you be able to stay away from nail polish?