Stocking Fillers Under £6 From Sass & Belle

Sass & Belle is one of those stores where you want literally every single item! They sell gorgeous homeware, christmas decorations and gifts all of which are pinterest worthy! I was very kindly sent a few of their products and I think they would make fantastic chrsitmas, birthday or first home presents. 

First up is my favourite product of them all which is a little surprising as I usually hate plaques and quotes but I love the design of this one so much so that I can easy overlook my dislike for plaques/quotes. I have the *Do What You Love Everyday Plaque (£3.45) which I think will look so pretty in our study/office (or blogging central as I am now calling it) to add an element of colour to the monochrome theme of the room. Sass and Belle have SO many plaques to choose from!

Sticking with the colourful theme, I also have the *Vintage Floral Spring Notebook (£3.25). If you have been following my blog or social media accounts for a while you will know that I am a massive stationary obsessive! I adore stationary and this cute, lined notebook is no exception. It feels really sturdy despite its size and I think it would make a fantastic stocking filler. Also lets face it you can NEVER have too much stationary...

Last but by no means least is a mug, again mugs are another weakness of mine! The *Tea Makes Everything Better Mug (£5.75) is so cute as all items from Sass and Belle are. I love the vintage design, the shape and it looks/feels more expensive that it is. Again it would make a great stocking filler but you could add some other tea related items (biscuits, chocolate, teabags, spoons for example) and make it part of a personalised hamper!

Overall, I am very impressed with the range, quality and design of the products from Sass and Belle as well as the amazing prices! I think the items I have would individually make great stocking fillers or secret santa presents but they could also be put together in a pretty box and made into a personalised hamper for a special someone! I definitely have my eye on quite a few products from Sass and Belle!

Have you bought any products from Sass and Belle? What do you think of the items featured?

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Moroccan Oil Extra Volume Duo

Moroccan Oil is one of those brands that everyone seems to rave about, including me! I love the Moroccan Oil Light Treatment (full review, here) and the amazing Moroccan Oil Frizz Control which has been in two of my monthly favourites posts from July and August.  I was so excited when these two beauties arrived!

The *Moroccan Oil Extra Volume Shampoo and Conditioner is a special edition 500ml duo from Hairtrade (£38.99). I love the look of the duo, it is quite substantial so I think it would make a great christmas gift. The products are colour-safe and sulphate, phosphate and paraben free so it would be quite a safe gift to give in my opinion. 

First up, the *Moroccan Oil Extra Volume Shampoo which has the same amazing, original Moroccan Oil scent as the treatment and frizz control spray. I absolutely adore the scent, it smells musky and fairly masculine. The shampoo is very very thick, so much so that it is difficult to pump out from the container! Also the shampoo almost sticks like glue to the hair as it is incredibly thick; it doesn't massage well at all, it just seems to stick in one spot. I haven't used a shampoo like this before, it is so sticky and thick. However it is relatively easy to wash out and it doesn't leave my hair greasy or heavy. Overall rating: ★★★☆☆, 3/5. 

Next up, the *Moroccan Oil Extra Volume Conditioner which again smells incredible and is no where near as thick as the shampoo. The conditioner is just perfect, it moisturises, smoothes and tackles frizz better than any other conditioner I have tried; all without leaving my hair heavy or greasy. I cannot recommend this conditioner enough! Overall rating: ★★★★★, 5/5!

Overall, a mixed bag, one of which is a fairly awful shampoo although the conditioner is just incredible which I'm quite sure was sent by the hair gods. I would definitely buy the full size conditioner when this massive bottle runs out. 

Have you tried these products? What do you think of Moroccan Oil? 

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November Beauty Favourites

I cannot believe it is December already! This year has gone so quickly! Now it is time for my November favourites which is a little later this month as I've had so many blog posts to publish, including my big international christmas giveaway - don't forgot to enter! Here are the skincare, body care, makeup, haircare and makeup tools I have been loving throughout November. 

Firstly, skincare. I love been obsessed with the Rodial Stemcell Superfood Facial Oil for the past few months, it has quickly become a daily staple in my skincare routine. It gives my skin an instant moisture boost and radiance although it absorbs fairly quickly and doesn't leave my skin greasy - check out my full review, here. My next skincare favourite is the fantastic Nivea Sensitive 3 in 1 Micellar Water which is just as amazing as Bioderma, in my opinion. It leaves my skin so smooth, soft and cleansed without stripping the skin - however I wish it was better at removing waterproof mascara! My final skincare favourite for November is the Body Shop Aloe Soothing Day Cream which I have almost finished. This day cream is so hydrating and smoothing, although I assume that is because it contains silicones (which aren't amazing for the skin) but its a great day cream for those bad skin days. 

Onto my haircare favourite of the month, the Moroccan Oil Extra Volume Conditioner which I received as a sample from Hairtrade to review. It is a massive 500ml bottle, it smells DIVINE and it is incredibly moisturising yet it doesn't weigh my hair down or make it greasy! I think I have found my perfect conditioner! Full review coming soon. 

I only have one body care favourite and it is the gorgeous Body Shop Glazed Apple Hand Cream (full review here) which doesn't irritate my eczema at all, it smells really nice and it absorbs quickly - what more could you ask for in a hand cream. Also it is so inexpensive!

My only makeup favourite of the month is a mascara! Shock horror! It is the Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara which gives natural but fluttery long lashes instantly and it definitely is waterproof; it is also very affordable. 

My last beauty favourites for November are makeup brushes, the first is from Bare Minerals and it is their Flawless Face Brush which is one of the softest brushes I have used and it is travel sized so it is great to keep in your handbag. I received it as part of a christmas starter kit from House of Fraser (full review here). My last favourite is a powder brush from Spectrum Brushes. I have reviewed their brushes previously and I cannot rate them enough! The brushes are cruelty free, incredibly soft and affordable. I would definitely recommend them. I recently bought a set and some individual brushes from their sale, some of which were only 99p!

There are my beauty favourites, what beauty products have you been loving recently? Have you tried any of the products featured in my post?

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Autumn Day to Evening Looks ft. Essence

Back in June I was invited to the launch event for Essence which was the first blogger event I went to on my own and it was amazing (here)! Ever since I have genuinely loved pretty much all of the Essence products I have tried; especially the eyeshadows, liner and the incredibly amazing fixing powder! Here are my picks for a quick and easy day to evening look. Sorry the lighting isn't great in the photos below! Autumn/winter weather is not great for natural lighting and photography! 

First up, the day time look which consists of a very simple eye and a bold pink lip. I used the Essence All About Matte Foundation in Light. For concealer I used the amazing Essence Stay All Day Concealer which I actually love a lot more than the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer! A dusting of the Essence Silky Touch Blush in 20 Babydoll on the apples and back of the cheeks to finish the face.

For the eyes I only used one shade from the *Essence Quattro Eyeshadow Quad (15 Most Wanted) as I wanted a simple eye look to contrast with the bold lip. I used the white shimmer shade lightly on the lid and also in the inner corner; then a sweep of the Essence Lash Mania False Lash Waterproof Mascara. Lastly for this day time look I use the *, Essence lipstick in 10 Cotton Candy which looks really pretty but personally I don't think blue toned pinks suit me at all.

Now onto the night look, I used the same foundation, concealer and mascara that I used for the day time look. For the eyes I used the *Essence Quattro Eyeshadow Quad (15 Most Wanted) which contains all of the shades for pretty autumnal eyeshadow looks! I used the golden shade all over the lid as a brightening base and also in the inner corner of the eyes. I then used the deep purple shade in the crease, along the upper and lower lash lines and across the outer third of the eye. I LOVE the combination of gold and purple, especially for the upcoming festive season. 

To finish I used the *Essence Colour & Go Polish in 111 English Rose which applies so smoothly and it is a very pretty everyday shade. Overall, I am so impressed by all of the Essence makeup I have tried and I am so glad it finally arrived in the UK back in July. You can buy Essence makeup from select Wilkinsons stores (such as the Manchester arndale store and there is a stand alone counter in the arndale too) as well as on the Wilkinsons website.

Have you tried Essence products? What do you think of my day to evening looks? 

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Christmas Gifts: The Book Of Everyone

Christmas shopping can be a bit overwhelming and most presents are gorgeous but generic and mass market. Personalised gifts are a great way of showing that you have put time and effort into not only choosing a gift but contributing to it in some way. The Book Of Everyone is an online store where you can give someone a truly unique gift! I was kindly sent a code to make and purchase a book which I made for my sister, Aimee. I have the *Book Of Everyone (Paperback - softcover express, £19.50). 

Making the book is half the fun, you enter the name and date of birth of the books recipient as well as your name and after a minute or so the book will be complete; along with your name on the spine of the book as the 'author'. The book contains all kinds of information about what happened on the year or day the books recipient was born! For example, on the day my sister was born Take That 'Never Forget' was the number one hit. 

Parts of the book such as the colour of the cover, the name on the front cover and quite a lot of other pages can be personalised by adding in photos, words or attributes about the books recipient. Photographs upload quickly and when adding in information about the books recipient it can be quite funny! Myself and my parents thought it was a great idea and it turned out so well. I think it is a very unique, special and personal gift. I chose to pick the option where it would be applicable for Aimee's 20th birthday next year so parts of the book are relevant to turning 20. 

I thought the book would take a while to be printed and delivered but the book arrived in about one week of creating it. The images, text and diagrams are quite crisp although some of the photos I uploaded were not as crisp as I would have liked but they still look great. The book I have is the paperback/softcover express which is quite thin, I expected it to be a lot thicker so next time I would pick the hardback option. 

Overall, I am very happy with the book and it was fun creating it! I was also sent a digital copy as well as the paperback version. My only negative point about the book is how thin it is although other than that it is fantastic and I think Aimee will absolutely love it! It would be a surprising, thoughtful unique gift for anyone, in my opinion! 

There are numerous options to choose from such as a christmas themed book, birthday milestones (21, 30, 60 etc) and a book of dad/mum too so there is something for everyone as well as the general one I have. Also they are offering free shipping to the UK mainland. 

What do you think of The Book Of Everyone? Would you buy one as a christmas gift? 

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Big International Christmas Giveaway!

Today is the 1st December, so Christmas isn't far away! Last year I had a series of Christmas giveaways although this year I thought I would collect 25 prizes and give them away to ONE lucky winner! The prizes are a mix of makeup, hand sanitiser, nail wraps, nail tools, stationary and a clutch bag!

Here is a list of all the prizes that you can win: 

- Technic Smokey Eyes Kit

- Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette

- NPW Strawberry Scratch and Sniff Nail Wraps

- Nail Art Tool Set

- Mini Benefit Porefessional

- Lippy Highlighters/Markers

- The Vintage Cosmetic Company 'Gracie' False Eyelashes 

- Laqa & Co Nail Polish Pen 'Fancypants'

- Bourjois Volumizer Mascara (Black)

- MeMeMe Light Me Up Gloss 'Captivate'

- Revlon Moon Candy Nail Polish Duo 'Orbit'

- Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream

- The Body Shop Big & Curvy Mascara (Black)

- Avon Ultra Colour Lipstick 'Dream Fuchsia'

- The Body Shop Smoky Black Eye Definer

- Makeup Revolution Pigments in 'Supreme' and 'Levity'

- Makeup Revolution Lip Power 'Anticipate it'

- Makeup Revolution Blush 'Sugar'

- Makeup Revolution Cream Blush 'Peach Cream'

- Makeup Revolution Baked Mono Eyeshadow 'Blue Planet'

- Makeup Revolution Mono Eyeshadows in 'Killer!' and 'Dirty Cash'

- Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitiser in 'Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin'

- Pauls Boutique Gracie Clutch Bag!

My favourite prizes include the Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitiser which are not easily available in the UK sadly, the Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette which is supposed to be a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette and the Pauls Boutique Gracie Clutch from the premium range and it is made of 100% real suede and genuine leather!

There are a few rules with this giveaway: 

1. You must be following my blog via GFC or Bloglovin 

2. You must be following me on Twitter (@ofbeautyand)

3. You must be over 16 years old as I will need your postal address

4. For my international entrants, due to postal restrictions I might have to remove the nail polish from the prize package as shipping nail polish is very restricted especially internationally 

5. If you follow then unfollow your entries will not count; also competition only accounts/entries will not count

6. To enter, complete all of the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy 1st December & GOOD LUCK! x

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