Monthly treats : The confessions of a financially unstable female #1

I have had to massively cut back on my spending due to the fact that I am absolutely skint, as a result of this I am now going to be doing one haul post at the end of every month. I think it will be really good for me to look back at and keep a check on my spending as well as a way of showing you all my new treats :) 

The Queen mask ready for my friend's Jubilee BBQ from Men Kind.

Union Jack leggings ready for the Jubilee, not quite sure I'll be brave enough to wear these and if I do not sure what to wear them with!!

 These Union Jack sunglasses will almost definitely be warn weather permitting!

I bought some of these a while back and love how my hair goes with them, my hair is so thick that I couldn't do the underneath so I bought another pack. I used them in my hair in this outfit post before I bought the second pack.

I couldn't resist picking these ones up to trial too.


My new love! I have seen this everyday this week when walking past Peacocks on my lunch hour but have resisted as I am so skint. I mentioned it to Spencer and he very kindly gave me the money to buy it! Isn't it beautiful? The icing on the cake with this skirt, its a size 12!

Three copies of Glamour magazine for the Benefit freebies! I got these from Tesco and used the self scan where there is no one to judge you for buying three copies of the same magazine!

I am very, very impressed with myself this month as I haven't spent much at all. My most expensive item cost £16 and I didn't even buy that myself! Very pleased with myself.

What have you been splashing your cash on in May?

Swatches : MUA Pretty Pastels Palette

I'll be honest, when I first received this palette it scared me! I normally tend to stick with white, gold, brown and grey eyeshadows and that is it. After swatching the palette I am now seriously considering stepping out of my comfort zone!

The palette is full of gorgeous pastel colours, as the name suggests.

The packaging is that of standard MUA palettes, I always like the packaging of these because you can easily see the colours at a glance.

Top row swatches left - right

Bottom row swatches left - right

The Pretty Pastels palette can be purchased from MUA's online store and Superdrug stores for the bargain price of £4.

*PR Sample.

Giveaway : Two Tickets to Ghost the Musical

Hi all, I'm super excited to share this giveaway with you! You may remember that I recently posted about my little trip to London to see Ghost the Musical, well the lovely people at Amazing PR and milktwosugars Limited are now giving you the chance to win tickets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoK1zSQMeBo

To enter simply fill in the Raflecopter form - make sure you leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win. The giveaway will run for one week and close at midnight on 05 June 2012.

The important bits...

• This competition is free to enter and no purchase is necessary. Only one entry per person.
• Entrants to this competition must be aged 18 or over and a resident in the UK.
• The competition prize includes: 2 tickets to Ghost The Musical valid Monday-Thursday until 13^th September.
• The immediate families of the blog offering the competition are not entitled to enter.
• milktwosugars Limited reserves the right to amend and/or withdraw the competition at any time without prior notice.
• The blog editor will randomly select a winner from all valid entries.
• No cash option or alternative to prizes offered.
• The winners will be notified by the blog editor following the closing date of the competition.
• Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to agree to be bound by them.
• The judge's decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
• The promoter of the competition is milktwosugars Limited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!! 

NOTD: Pink Tips with AKA Polish

You may recall that I received this gorgeous invite in the post a little while ago but was unfortunately unable to attend the event. This weekend saw the arrival of another surprise delivery from A.K.A's PR company, Touch Media. 

so thoughtful! 

A.K.A

(also known as)

Awaken the 'other you' with this cutting edge, modern collection of make-up products.

I received two gorgeous nail varnishes in Candy Floss and Heavens Cloud. Awesome names.

I decided to use both of these colours for the Wedding evening that I attended on Saturday night. The brushes are nice and thin which make them really easy to work with when creating freehand tips.

The glitter is gorgeously subtle and looks so pretty when it catches the light. 

For this mani I used two coats of Candy Floss and three coats of Heavens Cloud.

A.K.A. Nail varnishes can be purchased here for £5.

*PR Sample.

Week in Photos #64

Yummy Paella. I really love paella, one day I will attempt to make my own from scratch instead of buying the Vesta one that I always do.

I was very naughty and had a Chinese last Sunday, stupid hangover! It was yummy though.

The girls :) Most people on instagram commented on this about my weird steps! They're the stairs leading up to our converted attic. It is filthy up there because I refuse to take the hoover up those stairs!

Giant yorkshire pudding filled with mashed potato & minced beef and onion = :)

I made cheese & potato pie which was very nice!

The 24 May marked six months to the date of our wedding which sent me into a healthy eating panic. I still need sweet treats though. This delicious Aero yoghurt with added strawberries was very enjoyable and only 4 Weight Watchers Pro Points.

The Olympic torch went through my local town on Friday. It went right past my office which was very good, the lovely partners allowed us to finish at 3pm so that we could go out and watch it. Town was buzzing and I'm so glad that I got to see it. The weather couldn't have been better for it, we even had a picnic in the work garden at lunchtime and were interviewed by Matt Lissack of Capitol FM.

The torch passing through meant road closures. A few of us were forced to sit in Wetherspoons beer garden until the buses started running again, such a shame....

This unexpected warm weather has left me not having anything to wear. I dug out these Primark palazzo pants from last year, I'd forgot how comfy they are.

The healthy eating continues, today & yesterday I've had a delicious banana and strawberry smoothie for breakfast. This smoothie maker has to be one of the best Christmas presents I've ever had.

I spent yesterday morning making jewellery ready for the car boot sale that I did today. All of this is available to purchase on Lea's Gems.

Primark buys ready for the Jubilee BBQ and street party that I'll be going to next week. I'm not so sure that I like the leggings, I have no idea what to wear them with?

I went to a Wedding evening yesterday, this is how I wore my nails. NOTD post to follow.

I wore my Kiss false lashes. I'm slowly getting the hang of applying lashes, even though they aren't perfect.

Ready to loose my car boot sale virginity with a slight hangover.

Beef curry for lunch today.

I'm currently chilling on the sofa with my laptop, all stripy where the sun is coming through the blinds.

These are the bracelets that I'm currently wearing.

Have you had a good week?

Eyebrow Threading at Arch Angelz, Cardiff

I've been debating having my eyebrows threaded for a long time but have always been put off by the horror stories and the women crying while having them done in the middle of busy shopping centres.

I was told that if I wanted it done I should try Arch Angelz, which is situated in Debenhams in Cardiff. I bit the bullet last month and was glad that I did, I actually found it less painful than my usual eyebrow wax.

The assistant was lovely and very helpful. I explained that I was a little anxious as the ones that you see in shopping centres always look very brutal. Cari explained that its because they do it so quickly, they don't give you time to breathe in-between them pulling the hairs out.

Cari talked me through the process and showed me the positions in which I had to hold my hands to ensure that she didn't cut me (you have to stretch the skin around your eyes tightly). 

When Cari had finished my eyebrows were very neat and tidy with no stray hairs. My skin was actually no where near as red as it is when I have them waxed!

I received a loyalty card which gives me one free treatment after paying for five treatments. I can't remember the exact price but I think it was £7.50 which I don't think is too badly priced at all.

Overall I was very impressed with the whole threading service and the Arch Angelz store itself and will definitely return.

Have you had your eyebrows threaded? What did you think of it?

Review : May JolieBox

Hi all :) I hope that you've been making the most of this lovely sunshine that we've been having. I've been stuck in work so am missing out on it :(

My JolieBox review is late again, this seems to be becoming the norm for me! It arrived while I was in London and I was too excited to let you all know about the event before posting this up.

The theme for this box is JolieBox in bloom. The box gives us the opportunity to mix a little flower power and plant-based products into our beauty routine. 

The contents...

 TALIKA Eye Therapy Patch 1 pair value approx £5.08

JolieBox say : This reusable patch for the under eye instantly smooth's the area using extracts of Safflower, Avocado and Rosehip.

I say : I'm very intrigued by this. I haven't opened my pack yet as I'm worried it will dry out and want to save it for when I can get the maximum usage out of it. It claims to erase the signs of fatigue and the wrinkles of the eye contour in 30 minutes flat. We should get a minimum of three uses out of this. I will let you know how I get on with it.

 Essential Care Organic Rose Moisturiser 15ml £7.50

JolieBox say : A light-textured facial moisturiser with the rehydrating benefits of organic rose. For all skin types.

I say : The day cream that I'm currently using has just run out so this is perfect timing. I like the rose smell so am more than happy with this. The scent is very strong on initial application which may put some people off, however, the scent doesn't linger. This absorbs into the skin quickly and doesn't leave it feeling greasy.

 RMK Make Up Base 15ml value approx £14

JolieBox say : This make up base primes the surface of the skin, adds moisture with Shea Butter and provides the perfect fit for foundation.

I say : I've never tried any RMK products before and am quite excited to try this. I always like to try out different primers and this sample should last a long time as you don't need to use much. I think products like this are great to include in these boxes.

China Glaze Professional Nail Lacquer in Love Marilyn 14ml (full size) £6.90

JolieBox say : Give your nails a burst of flower power colour with this long lasting, chip resistant and nail hardening polish.

I say : Another brand that I've never tried and a full size! The only downside is that I can't decide if I find this nail polish hideously tacky or kinda cute. It may sit on my shelf until Christmas time!

The coverage is great for a glitter polish, three coats and it can be worn without a base colour.

Overall Verdict:

• The total box value is approximately £33.48 - the £30 - £35 mark seems to be becoming quite average for JolieBox, which in my books is great value for money
• We received one full size product and three sample size products, all of the samples are great sizes and will get a fair trial
• Most items in the box will be suitable to everyone

Next month's box is the special birthday box containing some favourite French Brands SUPER EXCITED!!

Subscribe to JolieBox for £10 + £2.95 P&P per month.

Do you subscribe to JolieBox? If so what was the stand out product for you this month? What colour nail varnish did you receive?