Fabled by Marie Claire

A few weeks ago I was luck enough to attend the launch party of Fabled by Marie Claire, a store that is so exciting, I just wanted to run around and touch everything, think of a child's reaction in Toy R Us, well that was me in Fabled. Why is it called Fabled? Well put simply Fables are stories that have withstood the test of time and been passed from generation to generation. Marie Claire has 27 years’ experience in telling great beauty stories and Fabled is here to inspire, educate and advise you. 

A stunning store which can be found on Tottenham Court Road here in London, inside is a store, filled with so many amazing brands you dont quite know where to start. Full to the brim with amazing brands such as Benefit, Urban Decay Bare Minerals, Bobbi Brown, Lancome, Living Proof, NARS, Estee Lauder, Lipstick Queen,Foreo, GHD, Tom Ford and YSL to name just a few. But you don't have to worry if you don't live here in London, because you can order online and have items delivered to you and even better than that, items are delivered to suit you. So just like you order your food shopping online, you choose a time to suit you, Fabled has the exact same process and it is just so easy to use.

One of my favourite parts about the site and instore is the Marie Claire Edit which shows you the latest looks, trends, techniques and has articles on insider knowledge, all of which has been selected by Beauty Experts and curated by Marie Claire. So if you want some advice on a new concealer or want to read all about Urban Decay and their Vice lipsticks, you will find it all here and it is such a great read.

I was kindly gifted with a voucher code to test out how good the online service was and was able to pick a few products of my choice.  I think I could quite happily fill my basket ten times over I was so undecided as to what it was I really wanted to try and thankfully I do always have a wishlist saved to my computer which is usually for other peoples benefit, this time it was for mine. Emma Hardie is a brand I don't know that such about other than a few sample sachets I have had, so that was my first choice and this Amazing Face Starter Kit which was only £25 and an absolute bargain. I am constantly told by other blogger friends I need to try the Moringa Cleansing Balm (50ml) because it is so good, well now I can and this kit also comes with an accompanying Professional Dual-Action Cleansing Cloth, Age Support Face Cream (15ml) and it is nestled inside an Emma Hardie pouch which is a nice little extra. 

Next I was drawn to lipsticks, I can't help it, I am obsessed with them and this time decided to go for a brand I haven't tried before but this particular lipstick caught my attention at the launch party and it is Lancôme Rouge In Love Lipstick and it is 379n Rose Sulfureuse and it is just stunning. 

The final item again is something I am obsessed with it and that is Facemasks and I went for The Skin Lounge Deep Hydrating Single Cellulose Mask which isf ormulated with hyaluronic acid, trehalose and natural extracts of aloe vera and hamamelis virginiana, this mask acts as a powerful antioxidant and water retainer, hydrating the skin and protecting it from the exposure to harsh and changing environments. Your skin will look smoother and hydrated.

Products at Fabled are clearly labelled on the homepage to make them easier to locate and bandied under heading such as skincare, makeup, hands, feet & nails, bath & body, haircare, fragrance, wellness, men's add gifts.  Those categories are then broken down further to help with your search and the item you wish to find.  The other option is to search for the item directly or you can browse through the brands available to you.  What I found was a site which loads incredibly quickly and is set out so everything you need to know about the product, including what its purpose is and how much it costs, is all laid in front of you.

So with a basket brimming with products I couldn't wait to receive them. I quickly made an account filling in my name, address and usual information that is required and was then taken to the time slot page to choose the slot which was best for me.  Again these slots are one hour time slots and like your shopping, you select it, decide where your package is to be delivered and wait for it to arrive.  The day your package is to arrive, I was sent a text which served as a reminder and it also gave me the name of the driver - Gary in my case and he was due to arrived between 10am and 11am and details of the delivery van.  Gary is clearly a punctual fellow as he was right on the dot of 10am, super polite and told me to enjoy my package and have a nice day, a little touch which made me smile.  

For me Fabled is a website that a delight to use, easy to navigate around and makes my wishlist grow my the second.  It is as informative as it is easy to use and given it ha articles that help you form opinions and get advice, it is more than worth a look and to encourage you to do so, I have a Voucher code for you lovely lot which entitles you to 15% off and it doesn't expire until 26/10/2016 and all you need to do is use VOU386121199 at the checkout stage. Happy Shopping!

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Top 3 Tips When Buying Through Catalogues That You Need To Know!

Are you thinking about opening a new credit account with a UK catalogue? Before you go any further, there are a few things you need to know. Here are the top 3 tips when buying through catalogues and what you can do to save money on your purchases. 

 1. Find the best interest rates When you open a new credit account with a UK catalogue company, you can spread the cost of your order and pay for your purchase in affordable instalments; however, you will be charged interest on the balance. The amount of interest you pay will vary depending on the retailer so it's a good idea to shop around and find the best deals. A comparison website will enable you to compare different interest rates in one place, saving you time. Some retailers won't charge you any interest if you settle your balance within a certain time frame (for example, if you pay for your order within 28 days). Always read the terms and conditions and find out the interest rate - as well as any penalties for late payment - before you place your order.

 2. Find the best catalogue for you There is a wide range of catalogues to choose from, some of which specialise in particular products like clothing or electronics. Choose a catalogue that best suits you by looking at their products online or finding out more about the retailer. Companies like Jacamo specialise in clothing that you won't always find on the UK high street - including clothes in sizes up to 5x large. 

 3. Decide how you want to repay There are a number of different ways you can make repayments when you place an order with a catalogue company, including pay monthly, pay weekly, and buy now, pay later. Catalogues like Very and Simply Be provide a wide range of repayment options, including pay monthly - where you pay for your order over a period of time by making payments every month. Dial a TV is an example of a pay weekly catalogue, which might suit you better if you get your wages paid on a weekly basis.

Those are some tips.  Do you have any tips to share? Do you use a catalogue to purchase anything?

**Collaboration

Online Shopping!

Online shopping and payment transfers can be fraught with danger, with a host of dodgy websites happy to take your money, or your money and your bank details and not deliver or those pesky spyware programmes that steal data from your computer before some enterprising little so and so hacks into your bank account for every last penny. Having had this happen three times now it is extremely stressful and scary and even though I do still shop online regularly, I do now have steps in place to hopefully prevent further attacks.

Source

One solution for me has to be secure money transfers, something I believe is essential for us bloggers, whether we are buying the latest cosmetics, paying for changes to our blog layouts or doing like I do a lot, buying obsure clothing from even more obscure countries for their other half!

Paypal is a pretty good tool which cuts out most middle-men and I find it incredibly easy to use but there is a whole universe of transfer methods available and I tend to use the app on my iPhone rather a lot.  There are also many from the branch of your own high street bank that allow you to transfer money directly to other bank accounts globally through a simple bank transfer. One such method is SWIFT Funds Transfer available to account holders of most banks. It allows account holders to make international payments in a range of currencies worldwide.

If you regularly make payments abroad and are looking for a better bank transfer service, why not take a look around, there are so many options out there where you may save yourselves a small fortune, especially when it comes to the currency conversion rates and fees being charged by your own bank.

There are also steps you can take to protect yourself online when you do shop and most of them are so simple and straightforward and know your consumer rights too, there are plenty of helpful websites such as this one which have lots of useful information.

SP