Today is my Birthday

There isn't a post from me today because:

image source

I am spending the morning having time with my boys and then this afternoon I will be going for a massage in Covent Garden, so watch out for that review soon!  Then tonight, I will be spending time with my mister going for a meal, whenever I decide what it is I want to eat.

Birthday Wishlist

In just a few weeks time the annual celebration of my birth will arrive and as ever the pressure will be on to give people some ideas as to what I would like and like most Cancerians, I can be incredibly indecisive.  That said, I have managed to put together a wishlist or ideas board.

YSL Black Opium is a perfume I have had my eye on for months and months. It is a scent I absolutely adore and happen to think it smells pretty good on my skin too. It ranges in price depending on where you shop, but on average 50ml is priced at around £55.  If people are feeling extra generous then Givenchy Very Irresistible is also a current want.

NUXE Reve de Miel Lip Balm is it seems a Bloggers favourite and one lip balm, despite my obsession, that I am yet to try. Priced between £6-£9

Olympus Pen E-PL7 Camera is something most people I know are coveting and is the most expensive item on this list costing around £400. I currently have a Canon E0S1000D which I adore, but it is on the heavy side for carrying around in my handbag.

Too Faced is one of my favourite brands, especially when it comes to bronzers and this Too Faced Bronzer Wardrobe just looks amazing. Priced between £18-£30 (yes really) it has everything you ever need from a bronzer.

Another cult product comes next with the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm. It seems most people have tried this and loved it and anyone who reads my blog will know that I am a huge fan of cleansers. It costs around £38.

As a recent Liz Earle convert, the limited edition Hot Cloth Cleanser Jasmine & Osmanthus is currently on my want list because I absolutely adore the scent of Jasmine and having red a few reviews, this sounds like an absolute delight.  Priced at £20.75 it sounds like an absolute bargain.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara is another product I have been lusting after for some time now. Having read mixed reviews on it, I am mascara obsessed and never leave the house without it. I have never tried anything from Tarte and do love the sound of this, whether it can rival They're Real or Better than Sex remains to be seen. Priced at £21.50 from QVC.

Cowshed is a brand I love for their quirky product names. These Sleepy Cow Bath Salts sound absolutely divine with the inclusion of Melissa and Lemon Myrtle essential oils plus Himalyan Salts, I am sure they are perfect for their calming and relaxing abilities. I absolutely love bath salts and have featured quite a few different ones on this blog. These ones are priced at £16 for a 300ml tub.

Fitflops are the absolute comfiest pair of shoes I have ever owned and again are something I have mentioned time and time again and I do need a new pair as mine are ancient.  These ruffled ones are just divine and will compliment most outfits I wear and are priced between £35-£55.

The final item on my list is the GHD Platinum Styler.  My GHDs are also ancient and you cannot even buy them anymore and I am sure they are soon to conk out which would leave me distraught.  I love the sound of the Platinum edition ones.  They are priced at around £145.

The joy of your birthday falling on a week day also means, well for me anyway, that I get the day off work  - now what to plan and do with myself! 

What do you currently have on your wishlist?

The Summer Tag

The lovely Georgina over at Makeup-Pixi3 created this 'The Summer Tag' post and as I really enjoy filling them and taking part, these are my answers to those questions.  If you decide to do this tag, there are one or two stipulations which are:

"Feel free to consider yourself tagged as well, IF you do it, please remember to credit me as the source of the tag, and feel free to use the image above too.  Either tweet me or (ideally) leave a comment with your post URL of the tag, and I'll add it to the bottom of this post so others can find all the summer tag posts :)  Lets get on with the questions"

1.  What's your favourite thing about Summer?

It is my birthday.  Yes I am due to be celebrating my birthday in July therefore exciting.  I do also love the sunshine, going to the beach, sitting in the park, picnics, BBq's and so on.

2.  Do you have a favourite Summer drink?

I love going into Starbucks to try their latest Frappuchino which are always quite immense, the only time I tend to drink them.  Otherwise, because I have cut out caffeine, I tend to drink a lot of water during the daytime and to spice things up a bit, I love Vimto.

3.  Is there a location you like to go to each Summer?

I love being beside the seaside, beside the sea. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting on a beach, near to the sea just listening to the sound of the waves when the tide is in.  I am also a bit of a demon for the arcades and love the 2p and 10p slots, just as the mister!

4.  Favourite makeup look for Summer?

Simple  - BB Cream and mascara with lip balm to stop my lips from drying out. 

5.  Dresses or skirts?

Both.  I have recently started to like wearing skirts again, though I do need some sort of colour on my pasty white legs, so for the time being it is either a maxi dresses or a skirt with some nude tights.

6.  Sandals or ballet pumps?

Pumps definitely, though my favourite item of footwear for the summer are my Fitflops, the most comfortable shoe I have ever owned.

7.  Do you prefer to wear your hair up or down for Summer?

Depends on my mood.  I tend to wear it down a lot more than I used to, but if it is really really warm then I put my hair up so that it is off the back of my neck.

8.  Deep smokey eyes or bold lips?

Neither in the summer.  Simple is the way forward to me and that tends to mean nothing on the eyes except mascara and nothing on the lips except maybe a touch of colour from my favourite Dior lipstick and lip balm.

9.  Favourite perfume for Summer?

Either Bvlgari Pour Femme because it is my favourite perfume or at the minute I am loving Irresistble by Givenchy.

10.  Last but not least, favourite music for Summer?

My taste in music never changes, my iphone which doubles up as my ipod will be playing Queen, my all time favourite band, Five Finger Death Punch, Metallica, Bush, Guns N Roses, Terrorvision, Black Sabbath, 90's dance classics, 80's cheese and some songs that I generally like singing along too but would never admit to ever knowing them ;)

If you do this tag I would love to know. Happy Summer my lovelies!!!

Dirty Works V Soap and Glory - is it a dupe?

You know when you use a few different products and suddenly one reminds you of another? Well that happened to me whilst I was on holiday.  As mentioned in a previous post, see HERE, I took with me lots of travel sized lotions and potions and whilst using my Soap and Glory products I realised they smelt similar to another product that I had received for my birthday from a friend.

Here are those products:

Dirty Works are a brand of bath and body products that you find for sale in Sainsburys and quite a lot of the Blogs I follow have reviewed them.  I got the package above as a birthday present from a friend who knew I liked Soap and Glory but promised me this brand would be just as good if not better.

However, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this and please note I did say 'similar' and not the same, but it was with Scrub of your life that I first noticed that there was a similar scent to Buff your Stuff and when I got home I used both of the products one after another to look further into it:

Dirty works on the left and Soap and Glory on the right

Neither product look similar and truth me told the Soap and Glory Scrub is much thicker in texture than Dirty Works though the scrub particles are similar.  The similarity comes with the scent and that is all it is, similar.  The fruity smell I have come to know and love with Soap and Glory products is very similar with this particular Dirty Works product and could it be a very good dupe?

The Scrub of your life currently costs £7 for 200ml whereas Buff Your Stuff from Dirty Works costs £3.99 for 200ml which is quite a big saving.

Have you noticed this? Have you tried a Dirty Works product?