Glamour Magazine December 2014

Can I get a woop woop for new phone photography excitement?! WOOOO!!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick post to show you the BARGAIN that is this month's Glamour magazine!

 Included is:

- One of four Nails Inc polishes (worth £11 each)

- 20% off at H&M voucher

- Body Shop gift voucher (minimum £3)

- Pantene conditioner sachet

- Stella McCartney and Calvin Klein perfume samples

Considering this is only £2 for the magazine, I cannot stress how badly you need to go out and get this bargain...clearly I already bought two...!

Nail of the day posts to come soon...!

Love Ashleigh x

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Poundland Finds: Derma V10 Cocoa Butter Lotion

Honestly, I don't know what possessed me to buy this.

Was it the sweet yet slightly bitter scent? The fact that I was running low on moisturiser? The fact that it was a pound?

Yes, possibly all of the above. However I am glad I bought this. It melts into your skin, ideal for just before bed moisturising sessions.

Okay, there are plenty of moisturisers that I rate higher than this one. The Garnier ones are amazing. Yet, if it all came down to price, I would clearly pick the Derma V10 one. You get a lot for your money and the way that it melts, means a small amount goes quite far. This bottle has lasted a really long time.

Put it this way, you're not paying for packaging either.

I'm not saying that I would rush in for another bottle anytime soon but if my budget gets cut substantially, I know what I will pick!

And for a moment everything is alright.

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Accidental Boots haul

Lets talk about the economic crisis and how inflation is affecting everything...

Okay, let's just leave it at how prices are going up for make up and it's rather depressing.

I have been ever faithful to my lovely Bobbi Brown foundations and powders for years. However, checking on the website, I saw that the foundation is now £30 for 30ml and the powder is £25 for 11g. Pretty sure it wasn't that 6 months ago...

I will need new foundation soon and it's just not possible for me to buy from Bobbi Brown any more. Maybe a treat occasionally, but it's just too painful seeing 10 hours work leave my bank account like that!

When I was on my lunch break on Sunday, I went into Boots to enquire about foundations and left with all these goodies! I was only going to look!

So much for my spending ban. But this was a fab deal! All of this for about £28! Bargain!

The assistant, Emily, wiped off my make up, applied this mousse foundation, then the powder. It gave such a soft, light finish, I was in love! She then applied my usual blush, but applied this honey coloured blush on top. It gave a natural looking glow to my skin which looked so pretty.

I then picked up another one of my favourite eyeliners. Since receiving it in one of those Christmas goodie bags, I am a little bit in love with it!

Emily then found me a £3 off make up voucher, so with the buy one get one half price deal and the £3 off, it came to £25! I then came back the next day and got another eyeliner to add to a pile for a little giveaway I am planning on having! *spoiler alert*

Honestly, I cannot believe how relaxed I felt during and after the experience. I felt like I had a mini pamper on my lunch break, which was well needed!

Oh, can't forget that it was 10 points per £1 when you spend over £15 at the weekend too! Woop!

I am very excited to try this foundation, as I want to have a natural, daytime look for when I go to university. There's no need for that awkward "trying a new foundation out" look within the first few weeks of meeting new housemates!

If anybody is near Hempstead Valley Boots, see if Emily is on the No.7 counter! She is FAB!

Does anybody else have high-end make up blues sometimes?

A change would do you good,

would do you good

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£10 free at The Fragrance Shop

Buying perfume is something I have never done. It was always a gift.

When I was little, my Mum got it for me. When I hit 18....from there, it was gifted to me from my now ex-boyfriend. *sigh*

(I sigh because it was nice how he did that, he just managed to find the right scents for me and it made him so happy. Oh well. C'est la vie.)

Seeing as my perfumes have nearly run out, I figured that it was time to be a big girl and look for a new perfume. Moving on and all that.

Well. I went to The Perfume Shop opposite my work and the woman who served me was SO RUDE and clearly couldn't be arsed to serve me. As someone who works in serving customers, I know that it is important to be polite as ANYONE could be a mystery shopper. Or a blogger. Just sayin'.

Feeling disheartened (and a little p****d off) I forgot about getting perfume, until I checked Priority Moments. They are currently offering £10 off ANYTHING in store. Even their sale stuff.

As soon as I went in, I explained my need for a completely new perfume, what I had and how I liked it but I didn't want the same one. She showed me one perfume, but I remembered reviewing this scent and once I tried it properly, I had to have it!

I reviewed Hugo Boss Nuit Pour Femme last year and LOVED it. It was one of those scents that you just keep smelling.

The great thing about my purchase was that the gift set was the same price as the fragrance on its own! It was originally £35, but with my £10 off code, I got it for a bargainous £25! Love it!

The offer is on for another week so get yourself O2 Priority Moments and down to The Fragrance shop! The sale stuff is pretty good too, you might get a freebie from it!

So baby don't worry.

You know you've got me.

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Barry M Limited Edition Pink

Well hello there Summer and do I have an ideal nail polish for you!

During the last of my recent splurges (all of which will be stopping now!) I picked up this lovely little gem from Superdrug. It was free if you spent £6 on Barry M and this purchase was also fuelled by my desire to have a box of pretty colours on my dressing table.

This colour is a stunning *slightly* neon pink which is quite sheer, but is buildable to a solid colour. I have used three coats here.

I wore this colour on Sunday when I did Race For Life and it was the ideal shade to go with our neon t-shirts!

After experiencing this, I will definitely be buying more Barry M polishes; I can't believe I have never owned any before! Especially starting from £2.99, they are such great value!

I don't think that the offer to get this for free is still on, but Barry M are included in the 3 for 2 deals at Boots and Superdrug anyway.

Has anyone else got this colour? Are you loving it like me?!

I want to thank you,

for giving me the best days of my life.

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Poundland Finds: Herbal Essences Seductively Straight Sleekening Intensive Mask

Welcome to my new series of posts! The plan is to find something in Poundland or 99p shop every week and review it. It could be something popular, something silly, anything that I can find, or that whoever I am shopping with influences me to buy! Basically, it needs to be a genuine bargain.

This week is the Herbal Essences Seductively Straight Sleekening Intensive Mask.

Containing Pear & Silk extracts, this is a gorgeous hair mask that leaves hair nourished and soft. I leave it on for 5 minutes, then rinse it off; it practically detangles my hair! It contains pear juice as well, so just knowing that makes me think that I am putting good things onto my hair. The smell! OH MY. We are talking typical Herbal Essences here...soapy but fruity. Love it. When I apply the mask, I do not put it on my roots, only the main length of my hair, but that's purely because my hair does get awfully greasy.

You might be shouting, "But Ashleigh! You have super straight hair! Surely this is pointless?"

Well yes, but I LOVE a hair mask and it will be replenishing the moisture and if it helps detangle, then I am happy.

This tub appears to have Italian and Greek writing on it. It says, "lisci da accarezzare" which translates in Italian to "smooth to caress." However it has been made in the EU and has the contact details for Procter & Gamble so I know that it will be safe to use.

Now, here's the nitty gritty and the annoying thing about the mask being from Poundland. If I could buy it again, then YES! I would scream from the rooftops to get everyone to buy it.

BUT.

There is no more in stock aaaand I think this line has been discontinued. You can buy it from Amazon HERE, but you're looking at £11.97 for the same 200ml tub. Gutted.

See...I'm messing with your minds here. Getting you all fired up, just to knock ye back down.

Sorry about that! Maybe the next post in the Poundland Finds series will be a bit kinder!

Til next week honeys...

Sometimes love comes around,

And it knocks you down.

Just get back up,

When it knocks you down

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March's Haul

I'm thinking about making a monthly haul post, of all the things I have bought in the month.

I know that there are a lot of beauty and fashion bloggers out there, but who knows, some of you might wanna see some of the random bits, like horsey stuff or DVDs?

ASDA

I always think that George at Asda is pretty good for the basics, when compared to Primark. These vest tops are £3.00 and are far better quality than Primarni...they last so much longer and the colour range is so much nicer!

Everybody knows that Montagne Jeunesse are kings of the face mask world and everytime I pop into Asda, I have to pick at least one up. This time I went for the T-Zone Peel Off, which has two stages. I also picked up some of their pore strips; they do nothing for me, but my father-figure finds them to be great as his pores are HUGE!

I am new to the Yankee Candle craze, but just cannot justify spending so much money on a candle! In Asda the tartlets are £1, but so are these ones, which are bigger! I picked scents which are more neutral or gently flowery, as I do not really like food scents.

Primark

Mum spotted this beaut in Primark the other day, reduced to £5! She then went back the next day and managed to find the last khaki one for me! Although that means we both have the same one! Oops.

Amazon

The Breakfast Club on DVD. Just read this, all will be explained!

Boots

3 for 2 on No7 kills me. The blush (replacement!) was £8, the make up remover was £8.50, so one of the eyeliners was free! However I wanted another, so paid £6.50 for two eyeliners tecnically?! I had the £5.00 off skincare voucher too.

The Oil-Free Mattifying Lotion was free too, with a voucher from the Advantage Card machine. It was featured in last week's freebie's post.

I also bought another Dove Compressed Deodorant, but forgot to photograph it. They're currently £1.92 in Boots, so stock up quick! You can read my thoughts about it HERE if ya want!

In conclusion, my Boots goodies should have cost £35.38, but I paid £19.92! I also had a voucher for 150 points if I spent over £15.00 + the additional 16 from my purchases. Bargain!

Matalan

Okay, a little boring...tracksuit! This is a running tracksuit as I am planning on doing Race For Life so need to get practising. On the plus side, it makes my bum look AMAZING.

 A Musto polo can set you back £45.00. I spotted this one for £8.00 so took it straight to the till.

Words couldn't express my glee when I realised it was a ZARA PHILLIPS polo! EEEK!

I AM IN LOVE RIGHT NOW.

Superdrug

Oh we all know it's hard not to pick something up at the MUA counter. I LOVE my Shimmer Kisses bronzer so I kinda had to get the blush too(!) I also picked up a single eyeshadow as the pearly white colour will be handy to try and brighten up my dark eyes.

Amber

Amber is the lovely lady who fixes my eyebrows and I buy my  Dermalogica products from her. I finished my cleanser and decided to go back to the Dermal Clay Cleanser which is my favourite. I also used up my moisturiser, so I got a new tube of Active Moist.

PHEW. I had a busy month! I did also get a few other bits that I forgot about, like Garnier moisturisers, B Pure Micellar Water, magazines and whatnot, but I have probably bored you all already!

What's been your favourite purchase from March?

So what do you say?
You can't give me my dreams when they're mine anyway.

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Shopping haul

A haul accidentally happened.

Poundland

Herbal Essences hair masque - this appears to have Greek (I think) writing on it but the product is the same!

Collection 2000 eyeshadow - what a bargain! The old stock from Collection 2000 is being sold in Poundland! Bargains to be had!

Superdrug

Flannel - need to leave flannels at Jamie's

Haribo Eggstras - 2 for £1. Yes, there was another packet...

Dead sea mineral face mask - love this!

MUA lipstick - a potential new favourite!

Rimmel Exaggerate Undercover Eyeshadow Primer - review to come soon!

Boots

Goody hairclips - reduced to £2! Bargain!

Nail files

Another flannel

Natural Collection lipstick - not that impressed to be honest. Too shimmery and not enough colour pay off

This Works Beauty Ball - Has a highlighter inside! Reduced to £3.33

There we have it! Not the most interesting haul, but I still felt the need to post about it! Have you bought any goodies recently?

I get fly like paper,

Get high like planes

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Freebies of the week! #13

Well, one week can be lacking, another can be full! So many freebies this week; and they are all beauty related! Hurrah!

This post has taken about 12 hours to write! I just could not upload these dratted photos!

3 sample sachets of Pore Refining Day Cream. I know it is anti-wrinkle, but the way life has been recently...!

A sample of Nivea Express Hydration Primer. Very excited to try this!

Jergens Daily Moisture. This smells lovely!

WAS £3.49, reduced to £1.74.

£1 off coupon = 74p

4 Advantage Card points received.

Friend that I was with got bored of waiting, gave a pound coin to the cashier.

Moisturiser...free!

3 sachets of DR Jart + BB Creams

Mum spent a certain amount on No 7 products so got a free box of goodies. Obviously I got the bits that she didn't want! I'll do a separate post on these.

All of the stars are fading away.

Just try not to worry, you'll see them someday.

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Freebies of the week! #12

Oh dear! More bad news again! There have been freebies I suppose.

I was sent a dozen cans of cola to test from Toluna. It's kinda difficult to test at the moment...my current freebie that I was given is yet another virus! I started the week spluttering and choking, now I am sneezing! How unfair?!

Other than that, I haven't really had anything else! Maybe it is because I had a productive bargain haul on Thursday. If you fancy reading it, the post is here.

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Another cheeky little bargain haul!

I left work vaguely on time today, sat in my car whilst it took an age to de-mist...and realised I wasn't ready to go home. I had worked my arse off for 7 hours, with a ridiculously overdue lunch break and having had no lunch. Something had to be done.

So I got out my car and headed back into the shopping centre!

I did restrict myself to just things that were cheap, that I could use vouchers with and that I could benefit from. To be honest, I think I did quite well!

Body Shop

Now I was at Bluewater a few weeks ago and was handed a Joy Card. It entitles the owner to either £3, £5, £10 or £50 off at Body Shop. Obviously there would be more of the £3 cards, so I used it as part payment for a tube of Hemp Hand Protector. This is ideal for all horse owners out there! Dry hands are gone!

This tube is normally £5, but I got it for £2.

Boots

Oh I do love Boots. Luckily Hempstead Valley's Boots is tiny so the risk of a blown budget was slim to none! With 3 for 2 and Advantage Card points, can't go wrong!

Soap and Glory Hand food £2.50
Soap and Glory Righteous Butter £2.50
The Sanctuary Hand Cream £3.00

(Hand Food was free after 3 for 2 promotion and I earned 20 Advantage Card points)

Superdrug

Okay, this was real money. But MUA is so cheap, I couldn't resist! My first ever bronzer! I figured this would be a gentle way to ease me in?! Gorgeous shimmery creams and browns, so pretty! Any bronzer advice is appreciated!

MUA Shimmer Kisses Bronzer £3.00

Marks and Spencer

Just a nice glass to put my make up brushes in. It's a tumbler from the homeware area! I had vouchers for M&S from doing some AutoCAD drawings for my farrier. So this was kinda free?!

M&S Tumbler £2.00

I don't feel guilty at ALL! All as cheap as possible! Bit of a hand cream theme, but this time of year, I need it!

No one told me, she told me...

Your love's like one last cigarette, last cigarette.

I will savour it, the last cigarette.
Take it in and hold your breath, hope it never ends,
But when it's gone, it's gone.
The last cigarette

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Haul!

Oops. It happened.

I should add that they are all necessities...

Primark

Black and white t-shirts from Primark...not too much to say about these really! I didn't have any...I do now! They were £3.00 each which is fair for a plain t-shirt.

New jeans...oh these make me so happy. There are many negatives to losing  best part of a stone, the foremost being that your clothes do not fit! But for the first time in many years, I can fit into PRIMARK size 10 jeans! This is quite the achievement because Primark sizes are random beyond belief. These jeans are so nice, naturally I picked the Long size as well. These beauts are only £9.00 too.

Boots

I just cannot seem to shift the 50 points if you buy anything from Natural Collection voucher from my Advantage Card rewards, so I bought this concealer. I'm trying to find a cheaper replacement for my Bobbi Brown so it was worth giving this a try, especially for £1.99.

I hate face wipes that are an alternative to face washing. If you have time, you should always do a proper full skincare routine. However the amount of concealer I have to wear recently, I'm scrubbing for ages! I got these to take the worst off my face first, then wash it properly! I love Dermalogica Precleanse, but only ever have sample sachets...these shall be my alternative! These were £1.49 as they were 1/2 price.

Superdrug

Oh Mum. You're truly the queen. My Mum managed to find this in Superdrug last week for the bargain price of 75p! Naturally I wanted one, but couldn't find any, even in the Maidstone branch. Then yesterday she came home. She found one, took it to the counter...it scanned through for 30p!!! She was planning on putting it on our Ocado order last week, but it was £7.00...so this is truly a bargain!

Peacocks

Two pairs of plain black trousers for work. Not much to say. Fit nice around the bum, plenty of room for lifting boxes at work. Mum had to turn them up an inch though...this rarely happens to me, unless I buy trousers! They ALWAYS need turning up!

Tiger

Anyone else been to this shop? I LOVE it. It's like high street Ikea but cheaper and more useful products! I bought the boy a pressie from here (only a pound!) but I'm not 100% sure if he looks at this blog so I won't post it, just in case! Haha!

eBay

Oh we all love a bit of eBay action! I had to buy some keyrings for the horse's name tags, so bought some for £1.49 + free delivery. Logged into Treat Street and used a welcome code...made £5.00 of Boots points! WIN!

Then I bought this new case for my phone. It was £4.40 + free delivery; once again, another Treat Street code...made £2.50 of points! I cannot recommend Treat Street strongly enough, it is an excellent way of boosting your Boots points. 35 days later the points will be in your account, but that's perfect timing for Christmas Sales!

Peppermint

Work shoes. Not that interesting! But these were only £20 and they are leather, really soft but sturdy and have grippy soles; perfect for rushing around a shop floor! I looked in Marks and Spencer for some but nothing appealed and the ones that did, wouldn't fit! I don't want to spend £30 on dull shoes that I'll regret forever. So these are ideal because I will actually wear these.

Cancer Research

By this point in the week, I should have walked away. My bank account is screaming at me. But when my Mum and I saw this, it would have been rude to say no. A genuine Radley handbag, bit bashed around the edges but in good working order...£12.50! Exactly what I have been needing for ages as well.

I may actually do a before and after transformation of this bag, it is a bit of a mess, but I can fix it!

I'm sorry bank account. I do love you really. It has been a productive week's shopping it would seem...

My life is like unto a bargain store,

And I may have just what you're lookin' for.

If you don't mind the fact that all the merchandise is used,

With a little mendin' it could be as good as new...

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