This is a one off box of organic make up and skincare, I ordered it after seeing it on Which Beauty Box UK a really good blog all about beauty boxes.
It’s a small box, should fit through most letterboxes.
Inside is a selection of sample sized items.
Jane Iredale Mascara
Inti Ultimate Lip Tint in candy
Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Tint
Bella Pierre Cosmetics Kabuki brush
Madara Moon Flower Rose Beige & Golden Beige tintinflg fluid sachets.
The Green People Tinted SPF15 Moisturiser sachet
The mascara is really hard to open, the cheek tint so pale I can’t see it on my skin, the lip tint is sheer but very soft.
Haven’t tried any of the sachets yet, and I already have 3 kabuki brushes (not sure how!) but will keep it in case any of my others start moulting.
I think that it is a nice little introduction to see organic skincare and beauty brands, I had only heard of the Green People before, and if that is important to you, then this a good box.
The products are small but would do well in a handbag for touch-ups although I don’t think the sachets are good as there’s probably only one use in each of them.
So, I have been signed off work since late August. Because of the two conditions in the above image. Anxiety and depression. The devils on both shoulders.
There has been a lot of discussion about mental health issues recently, partly because of next week’s elections and concerns about how the outcome will affect the provision of mental health services, and partly because there is still a distinct lack of knowledge and understanding of mental health conditions and what living with them is truly like.
I will never be ‘better’, there is no magic cure. Instead, with a combination of therapy and medication, the aim is to manage my condition so I can lead a relatively ‘normal’ life and go back to work.
I don’t like the word ‘normal’, in fact I spend a lot of time wondering what exactly is normal?
Last summer I tried CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) but it wasn’t for me, I know it has helped a large number of people manage their mh but I don’t have the tools to exchange negative thoughts into positive ones. I may never.
Currently i’m doing a psychotherapy assessment, meeting every other week with a consultant to assess whether psychotherapy is for me.
I also regularly see my GP to monitor the tablets I take and check in.
Sometimes it feels like I spend my time going round in circles, with good days where I get lots done and feel able to cope with things and then I can’t get out of bed at all, forget to eat and spend too much time sleeping.
Stupid things trigger my anxiety – the phone ringing, a knock at the door when I’m not expecting anything, opening the fridge and not finding anything I want to eat even though there’s plenty of food.
The thought of going back to work makes me feel worse than anything else, but I have to make a decision.
This weekend we went to get a few things to make my new flatmates at home.
My new flatmates won’t be human though, instead they are rodents. I know some people (including my mum) hate rats but they’re cute, fluffy, smart and squeaky.
Mine are two brothers courtesy of the lovely Georgina of Fuller Figure Fuller Bust whose girl rat had some babies a few months ago.
I’m allergic to cats (which is a shame) and we can’t have a dog in the flat so small mammals it is.
My cousin used to have a rat as did a good friend of mine, so I’ve handled them before and have knowledgeable people on hand.
My boys will have better digs than me, their cage has three stories, toys, tunnels, a hammock, water bottles, food troughs, a litter box, ladders and soon, a wheel. They’ll also have lots of things to play with outside like a zorbing ball and the entire front room to explore when I come home to them.
They even have room service and a cleaner – me! Regular baths and new toys and treats.
Wish I was that lucky!
We have named them Justin and Algernon. Both are literary references. Justin was one of the super intelligent rats in Mrs Frisby & the rats of N.I.M.H and Algernon was the mouse in Flowers for Algernon (which is one of the OH’s favourite books).
Justin munching apple
Algie is brown and Justin hooded (a mix of colours, in his case brown and white), which makes telling them apart easy.
Algie all snuggled up
At the moment there are curled up in the corner sleeping, all wrapped up together, probably exhausted from their exciting day of moving and rampaging round their new home.
Pictures will appear on my Instagram. I can’t take any when they’re curled up in the corner.
Rats are very clean, intelligent animals, capable of learning their names, how to do tricks, they spend a lot of time grooming themselves and each other. They can be toilet trained (mine have a litter tray).
They’re affectionate, social animals who use social grooming to bond (and will apparently groom you too), they like hiding and have an abundance of tunnels to scoot through.
Rats didn’t spread the plague as was previously thought – it was gerbils! The gerbil PR machine must have gone into overdrive spinning that one.
Contains: Liquid Facial Soap, Moisture Surge, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, Take the Day Off Make-up Remover, High Impact Mascara, Happy perfume & Chubby Stick in Plumped Up Pink.
Bonus; £10 voucher for Clinique.co.uk
Free make up/skincare test and free gift.
I really like Clinique products but the price tag puts me off splashing out too often. I like the fact that they’re allergen free, contain no perfumes or any other nasties that set off my sensitive skin.
This box, curated by the British Beauty Blogger, has a nice mixture of sample sized skincare plus a full size mascara and chubby stick.
I love a chubby stick, but this one is very pink so might not get used as much as some of the others I’ve acquired.
At the moment this box is sold out on Latest in Beauty as it is hugely popular. But if you’re interested in it, keep an eye on the website for a re-stock.
The £10 voucher is a nice touch, allowing you to buy your favourite product at a discount, direct from Clinique. The other bonus item is a free skincare or make up session at a Clinique counter plus a mystery free gift. Again, this is nice, it means you can test out more products and see how they work in combination.
The box was £19.95 but contents value is about £45 according to my very quick research.
If you’re a fan of Clinique or looking to test the products this is a nice, easy way to do it.
I am not one of life’s winners, I don’t have natural luck.
The only thing I ever won as a kid was a blue stuffed elephant, who I imaginatively called Elephant. I still have her. Turns out it was rigged. I was three, it was my great-aunt’s birthday party and the raffle was for a local charity. My Grandad swapped out the ticket so I’d win the elephant.
At school I didn’t win things, I wasn’t that kind of kid, and they don’t give prizes for reading. I won first place in girl’s shot putt in year 10 at sports day. That was a fluke, I am not athletic. But I do have a younger sister and many years of practice in throwing stuff.
Recently I’ve been entering competitions, mostly on social media, and I’ve hit a lucky streak.
I won Saturday’s giveaway on Scribblicious which was an Anne of Green Gables mug and Dr Seuss bookmark.
Then I won Butterfly Twists competition on Instagram, two pairs of ballet pumps (I love shoes)!!
The re-grammed image
Previously I’d won London Craft Club’s giveaway – a book on hand knitting, canvas bag and other bits, and The Vagenda’s discussion group starter kit (book, postcards, badges, snacks, balloons and stickers).
Lomdon Craft Club prize
While it would be nice to win some bigger items, like the bed in this week’s Observer (the slats in ours are on their last legs – that’s what you get when you buy cheap!) or a holiday, even winning little things gives me a nice buzz of excitement, and I didn’t spend any money!
What about you? Have you ever won any competitions or giveaways? Let me know in the comments.
There will be a blog giveaway soon so stay tuned. 🙂
The 24th of April – join me on twitter and instagram by posting a selfie with the #whomademyclothes to commemorate the Rana Plaza collapse which killed many clothing machinists.
For more info go to http://fashionrevolution.org
Few brands tell us the truth about their manufacturing processes. Ethical clothing is in the spotlight, let’s keep it there and hold major manufacturers to the question #whomademyclothes.
Every year I sign up to be a World Book Night giver, and this year is no different. I have collected my copies of Charity Norman’s After The Fall and am ready to give them away.
WBN was set up to celebrate and foster a love of reading and is now run by The Reading Agency. It is a charitable initiative supported by the publishing industry (which supplies hundreds of books for volunteers to hand out).
I have been involved since the start, when publisher Jamie Byng launched it on a freezing cold night five years ago in Trafalgar Square. Since then I have handed out dozens of books, from poetry in Soho Square, to fantasy on the Underground, free books are popping up everywhere this week.
If you see someone handing out books, take one, read it, pass it on.
To celebrate the event I am offering copies via Instagram to anyone who tells me what reading means to them.
The book is about what happens to a family after a serious accident, secrets and what happens when you keep them. Set in New Zealand it chronicles the lives of the McNamara family after five-year-old Finn falls from the upstairs veranda.
I really enjoyed it when I first read it, it’s quite compelling.
