Review: Sphere of Life Jewellery

So a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a competition; £100 to spend on My Sphere of Life. The competition tied in with Mothers Day so I let my mum have first dibs on the £100, and anything that was leftover was a bonus for me.

Whether she didn't want to take all my winnings or not, I don't know, but she settled for a very cute daisy necklace which was only just short of £36. (Unfortunately she is now in possession of this and I'm too lazy to drive to her house to take photos to show you guys!). This obviously left me with a fair amount still to play with...

I was spoilt for choice as they have a wide range of things to offer... their jewellery is rather unique, a lot of the necklace pendants being some form of ball bearings (hence the 'sphere of life'). Now I'm getting older, I've been slowly coming away from the costume jewellery, the nasty rings that leave your fingers green, or the necklaces that turn from silver to bronze within a few months. I've told myself to stop wasting my money and start looking for more timeless pieces that will never date and I know will be in my collection for years.

I'm a silver girl through and through when it comes to jewellery.. I'm not sure why, theres just something about silver that I think looks more pretty and sparkly, so I was pleased that the majority of the jewellery on my sphere was silver and not gold!

After carefully looking through everything, I finally settled on this little beauty 'milestones'.. and can I just say, before you look at the photos, I was a little apprehensive about this choice because the website shot made the heart pendant look rather large and chunky, and I prefer more delicate looking pieces.. however I'm glad I went through with it because once it arrived, I couldn't have been happier.

The first thing that struck me was the packaging. Oh my god. It instantly cries out luxury. The first 'layer' was the cute little red gift bag. Inside that was a solid white box, and inside that was a metallic red sphere/ball that screwed open and was padded so beautifully inside.

 

The necklace was placed in a cute drawstring organza bag, with half the necklace hanging out, so not to get knotted (which I also thought was... thoughtful! *lacking a thesaurus today!*). And the necklace? The necklace is ba-you-tee-full... with a capital B! The pendant is the perfect size, with 6 little crystals on for added sparkle! The chain is one of my favourite types too. Its also got a bit of weight behind it, which is something I bizarrely prefer on certain pendants, because sometimes (depending on where the piece of jewellery is from) the lighter the jewellery, the more cheap it makes it feel, in my opinion! This necklace retails at £53.90.

 

 

I couldn't have asked for more... I've told myself to keep it for special occasions, but I want to wear it every day!

I never really had a 'special' necklace in my collection - Its something I've been telling myself to get/ask for, for a long time now, and I think I've finally found that missing piece!

I haven't been asked to do this review - I just thought their website deserved a mention because I was truly happy with not only my purchases (if you can call it that! ;-) but the service too. It caters for all types of occasions and I believe there would be something on there for everyone - The packaging just adds that perfect final touch that really makes you feel you are recieving a luxury gift. I mean c'mon, who wouldn't want to receive a gift with packaging like that?! (or am I just easily pleased?!)

Interior Design - Shabby Chic Floral Storage Box

Yesterday after mooching round Dunelm Mill I spied these gorgeous shabby chic wooden storage boxes. As you know I have a bit of a thing for shabby chic and have had for a few years now. I also have a bit of a thing for pretty storage boxes.. I have a tonne of them, but never have enough stuff to put in them all, so half of them are empty! (Where the logic in that is, I don't know!)

There were 2 sizes to choose from, this is the smaller one, but as you can see, is still pretty big inside. They also had a pastel blue colour to choose from which was also adorable, but the pink went better with my dressing room. The wood is very solid, and has a gorgeous floral shabby chic-esque print on the lid, with white polkda dots round the box. It has been finished off with a cute ribbon bow which I think looks so pretty!

 

You could store absolutely anything in these. I've just popped nail polishes in for the time being (purely for the photo to give you guys an idea of how big they are). But you could put make-up in, hair accessories, or if you have a desk area, you could use it as a cute way to store your stationery. You could even use it as a memory box, and stash a pile of photos in.. or maybe to stick it your sewing bits... the list is endless!

 

I thought these were too cute not to show, and for £2.99 for this size, I thought what is there not to like?!

 

I love Dunelm Mill for home interior.. if only money grew on trees eh?!

 

 

Review: Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Foundation

 

 

 

This has been my favourite reach-to foundation for the past few months now, but unfortunately I've never really heard anyone speak about it, like, at all (correct me if I'm wrong and I've completely missed the hype!) Therefore I've decided it deserves to be raved about a little, just by me if no one else ;-)

 

Bit of background history with me & foundations (we go back a long way don't you know..). I wear foundation daily. If I'm just going to the local shops, I wont step foot out the house without my slap on. It was only last summer that I delved into BB creams. The thought of those would make me shudder because for me, there was not enough coverage. However on a good skin day (oh, and the fact that I was in 30degree heat) I braved the ol' BB cream, and absolutely loved it! Anyway, getting back on track - I've sampled so many foundations over the years. I thought I found my dream one last year when I began using Estee Lauders Double Wear foundation. Loved it beyond belief, but kept it for special occasions. Then (like everything else) - those 'special occasions' became too regular, to the point were they were happening every day (or not), and it became my daily foundation. However, it was almost as if the foundation got used to my skin and decided not to work for me anymore. It began to look cakey and just not as flawless as it once made me feel. That along with the £27 price tag, I started to get itchy feet.

 

Once again I found myself trudging around boots and superdrug to find my next 'dream' foundation, and I spied this little beauty below. Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say it was my dream foundation, but its pretty close, especially for the price.

 

 

Lets begin with the packaging - its in a glass bottle and has a pump - both what I always look for. Yes, glass bottles arent always ideal for travelling and lugging around in your handbag, (especially if you're like me and are forever throwing your handbag around on desks etc). But lets me honest, who wouldnt choose a glass bottle over a plastic one?!

 

Application is really smooth - I apply it with my fingers (not a sponge/brush kinda gal!) and I have no problems. With some foundations Ive found you have to work pretty quick with them or they begin to go patchy and are really quick-drying, however this one is really workable and can be blended nicely into the skin.

 

It offers full coverage, which is perfect for me, yes you might need a little concealer for those more stubborn red blemishes, but you tell me a foundation that doesnt need concealer over those stubborn red blighters? Exactly!

 

Its fairly matte - I do 'top up' midday with a little powder to mattify my face, but thats all I need.

 

Staying power is really good. If my foundation is going to slip off, it always begins on the top of my forehead, near to my hairline, and yes this does do this, but thats after 9hours of wear, and its barely noticeable, but for the majority of my face it stays put.

 

Does it stay on for 25hrs like it claims? I honestly couldnt tell you because I haven't kept my make-up on for that long in many years now! (Gone were the days of the all-nighters!) ;-)

 

The ultimate bonus for this is the price - £6.99 for 30ml which lasts me on average 6 weeks (remember, I wear it most days!), I think thats pretty good going!

 

Have you got a staple drugstore foundation that you swear by?

 

 

February's GlossyBox - 'City Chic'

This months' box is based on the sleek city chic who is always 'on the go'. This box hopes to offer sophistication along with a bit of femininity, and I think it does just that.

I'm not going to go into detail about each one like I usually do, but instead offer my thoughts and opinions on the products that I have received. Obviously people's opinions on these beauty boxes are always extremely controversial, but usually this is because they apply the products to their life, i.e. if they receive a nail varnish in a very similar shade which they already have tonnes of, this product instantly tends to get dismissed.

Anyway, quit the waffle, on with the review.

• Nails Inc 'St James' polish. I love a good paintbox red nail varnish. I already have a couple in my stash, but I never say no to a high end nail brand. The perfect travelling companion too.
• Elizabeth Arden 8hr cream. As soon as I saw this it excited me. Similar to the Liz Earle hot polish cleanser, this too is raved about beyond belief. I've never managed to get my hands on it before, so I'm excited to try this.
• Juicy Couture 'La La' fragrance. Sampled this in shops before but never bought it. They always do so pretty perfume bottles that I'd want to keep forever. I have this on right now and keep getting pleasant whiffs of it every now and again. I love perfume samples because of the type of job I'm in - I'm always on the go, in and out of peoples houses and in public etc, so I love to carry samples around with me to keep me feeling fresh and smelling pretty!
• Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush. This is nice, however a little too bold and overpowering for my colourings. It reminds me of Macs 'Candy' and has a little bit of a violet undertone to it, so makes the lips look quite pale. I'll try work with this though.
• Tresemme Extra Hold hairspray. This is the product I was least excited about, and the reasons are similar to what I mentioned at the start of this blog - I have a few cans of hairspray now (in fact I may have this exact same one). Its not something I use on a daily, or even weekly basis... I only use hairspray when I curl my hair, which is very rare, however although its not something I can get use out of immediately (well, not unless I decided to curl my hair tonight!), it is something I can add to the stash, because before long (ok, in a couple of years maybe) I would have had to buy another one ;-)

All in all, a pretty well thought-out varied box - bit of nail, fragrance, hair, make-up and skincare all rolled into one box. Perfecto.

What did you get in this month's box?