blogger spotlight is back!

It's been a whole 16 months since my last blogger interview. I was looking through my old posts and came across this feature I used to do and thought it was time i brought it back. I've missed interviewing fellow bloggers and it's a nice way to discover new blogs and to get to know your favourite bloggers better. So, blogger spotlight is back and I need you. Leave a comment below if you are interested in being interviewed - it doesn't matter whether your a lifestyle/fashion/beauty/food blogger or how many followers you have. Or let me know who you'd love to see me interview! 

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Glitter Mix Boutique: Part 4

*All products were sent to me for testing and review, completely complimentary, from Glitter Mix Boutique. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Welcome to Part 4 of my review of the Glitter Mix Boutique's glitter mixes. This is the one I've been most excited to share. This is my favorite, favorite glitter mix of the glitters I received for this review.

You saw Rainbow Graffiti in Part 1 now see why I love it so much!

Rainbow Graffiti has every color of the rainbow in square and hex as well as what looks like every size of black and white, including bar glitter!

I love bar glitter, but sparingly! In my opinion, you just can't go hog wild with bar glitter or your nails start to look like you stuck grass to them or that they've started to grow hair. That's what's so great about this mix. The bar glitter is an accent not the main focus.

Held close to the light there's not much shine from this one so you know it's going to be a great layering glitter!

Sorry for all the bubbles. This picture was taken just after I finished mixing; it hadn't had time to settle yet.

One coat over bare nail and one coat over Wet n Wild I Need A Refresh-Mint. Can you see why I love this glitter so much?? Maybe it's just me, but I think this is the most perfect mix EVER!

This is a glitter topper that everyone needs! Don't have suspension base? That's okay. A lot of the shops on Etsy sell small sample sizes of suspension base. You can pick one up while you're there buying Rainbow Graffiti from Glitter Mix Boutique. Of course, you can also use regular store bought clear polish. It will not suspend the glitter; the glitter will sink to the bottom but turn it upside down for a few minutes before you want to use it and it'll work fine.

Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GlitterMixBoutique
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/youmixcosmetics
You Mix: http://www.shopyoumix.com/

*All products were sent to me for testing and review, completely complimentary, from Glitter Mix Boutique. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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beauty haul

Hope you've all been enjoying the bank holiday weekend & the start of half term for some of you! I'm just about to chuck some sausages on the BBQ to make the most of this sunshine before it's gone again. I've got a skincare/haircare/makeup/essential beauty haul for you today. I love seeing what other people buy and i guess you do to if you're reading this! I bought some of these thing over about a month and some things i have been sent for review. I wanted to share these bits with you so you know what products will be featured on Make Me Up soon and so you can have a little nose at what i spend my wages on - enjoy!

Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal mask*

Simple Revitalising eye roll-on

L'oreal Cleansing oil 

17 Doll'd up mascara in Black

No7 Triple Protection tinted moisturiser

Listerine Stay White mouthwash

Asda Cotton Wool pads 200

Bumble & Bumble Creme wash shampoo and conditioner*

What have you bought/been sent lately? Let me know if you have any questions about the products mentioned above! 

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Crowdtap & Old Navy In-Store Beach Party

Hey everyone! I recently received the opportunity from Crowdtap to snag some new beach essentials from Old Navy!

The really awesome thing? It wasn't just for me! I could bring 3 friends!

The coupons were for one swimsuit, a pair of flip-flops, a beach bag, and a towel for each of us. All the things you need for a day at the beach!!

I took my mom, my sister, and my niece. We arrived at the store and after informing the manager we headed right for the swim section ... and found ourselves pretty disappointed. I had 'window shopped' ahead of time at OldNavy.com. I had picked out a few suits I wanted to try and could find none of them in store. There were three of their control max one-piece suits that my mom and I prefer and one of them only had two sizes left (a medium and an x-large). Checking the other one-piece suits, the non-control suits, found about 3-4 of them.

I grabbed two of the control suits and two of their regular one-piece suits. I also picked up one of their tankinis. Everyone else grabbed their favorites and we headed to the dressing room.

Trying on the swimsuits presented problems immediately. I'm 5'3, my mom and sister are slightly shorter than me. We found that we were slightly too short in the torso to fill out most of the suits. The bottoms were saggy in ... well, in the bottom. If pulled up the bra part was slightly too high.

However, I did find these two beauties!! They are both control max. The black and white one had soft padding in the bra and side boning to help it stay up (which is really a must if you want to wear it into the ocean). The all black one even has a padded bra and underwire! While I preferred the all black one, I picked the black and white one simply because it fit the best from top to bottom.

While my mom and niece refused to be on camera my sister was ham enough to make up for them. She walked the 'runway' of the try on room! This is the suit she decided on for herself.

We were also allowed to pick up some classic flip-flops, a beach towel, and a really awesome straw bag. I LOVE this bag and plan to use it all summer long - not just take it to the beach! I would have been happy if the coupon just covered the bag honestly, but to get everything else free as well was so generous of Old Navy and Crowdtap!

Our cashier, Andrew, was great! He had never seen coupons like ours, but was more than willing to read through them and help us. He was really nice, and I'm not just saying that because he was cute ... which is always a plus on a girl's shopping trip. ;)

Sadly, he explained that my swimsuit was on clearance that day and  the coupon only covered items that were full price. I quickly ran back and grabbed the all black suit from the try on pictures ... only to find out it was on clearance too. What was I going to do?? I hadn't tried on anything else that I had like. I did the only thing I could do in a situation like this. I went back and picked a cute one at random, making sure to check the price tag this time, hoping all the while that it would fit once I got it home.

This is what I came home with. I'm not too terribly pleased with the stripes, but striped suits in different styles were all they had in full priced one-piece suits.

I don't know. I think it might just be the one that fit the best of all those I tried on. The bottom isn't saggy, the top isn't too high, and everything else sits comfortably. I do wish it was a control max, especially with the stripes, but that's mostly just to make myself feel comfortable and confident in all situations (like sitting down). But I feel no shame wearing this. And getting it free? Well that just makes it all the better!

So, many thanks to Crowdtap and Old Navy for upgrading my beach style!!!

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Spellbound Nails NEW RELEASES

Hello everyone! Another exciting post announcing the release of some new polishes to my Etsy Shop. I don't have swatches for all of them yet but scroll down to see what I have to offer. :)

First, I would like to start off with the fact that I now ship to Canada! I'm sure you know that shipping to Canada is costly but I have tried to keep it as low as I possibly can!

I am also offering 1 full size bottle or 2 mini bottles with every purchase of 5 full size bottles. If you buy 5 polishes, let me know in the 'notes to seller' section what you would like and your polish choice/choices.

With this release I have also started giving the option to buy mini bottles of my polishes!! There are listings for 1-5 mini bottles.

Candy Floss is neon pink hex glitter and neon blue bar glitter that overlap to turn this polish purple in the bottle. I've also added some color shifting iridescent glitter to give it some add glitz.

Orange You Lovely is just entrancing in person! A blend of bright orange and color shifting iridescent glitter are eye catching and enthralling.

Pittsburgh Pride is for all my sports fans out there. I originally created this as part of my gift to my mom on Mother's Day. She is a huge Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins fan, and she tells me this glitter will work great for Pittsburgh Pirates fans as well.

I will also be taking requests for other team color polishes. If you have one you'd like me to mix up please send me a message through Etsy.

All of Time and Space is my tribute to the recent season finale and the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who. This is a slightly sheer blue polish with silver holographic stars, moons, and micro-glitter. This polish looks best when layered over black or dark blue.

Fuchsia-ristic is one of two holo polishes in this release.

 Grape Fizz reminds me of a grape slushie or grape soda with pink and blue bubbles fizzing inside.

Jaded for Green is the other holo polish in this release. It is a gorgeous jade green.

Sugar 'n Spice is everything nice in a bottle. It has light pink, fuchsia, and turquoise dot glitter as well as fuchsia and holographic blue micr-glitters all contained in a white base.

 And last but not least is Pretty in Punk. Filled with neon pink glitter in large and small hex and lots of small black glitter to fill in the rest.

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5 different hair problems solved!

Whether they admit it or not, people care about their hair. I have been testing out a lot of different haircare products recently and I wanted to share with you my thoughts. My hair type is coloured blonde, quite thick and prone to dry ends. It dries naturally with a bit of wave to it and can get knotty after washing it. Below are five different hair products aimed to help hairy problems such as dryness, dullness and frizz. I do try to take care of my locks and I love seeing what new trends/styles come around each season.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Perfecting Creme �5.49 (link) Best for: Frizzy hair
It's not very often products give instant results but this really does. The product itself has a thick creamy consistency which is easy to distribute throughout your hair. I've been using this on my dry hair, applying it to my frizzy ends. It definitely helps to reduce frizz and adds moisture. If you run your fingers through your hair after applying it you can slightly notice it but it doesn't leave hair stiff or sticky.

Aussie Miracle Shine 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner �4.99 (link) Best for: Dullness and dry hair
Oh sweet jesus this smells amazing. Seriously, give this a cheeky sniff next time your in Boots. I love using hair masks because my hair tends to get quite dry. I found this made my hair a lot softer and made it easier to brush through. It wasn't heavy and left no residue like others do, however i wouldn't say it left my hair very shiny. The smell lingers all on on your hair all day and the squeezable bottle makes it quick and easy to use - i just wish my hair had more shine to it!

Macadamia Control Spray �17.45* (link) Best for: Taming fly-aways
One thing that really puts me off hairspray is the strong chemical smell that you can almost taste. This hairspray actually smells quite nice! I've been using it to set my loose curls and to keep my top knot in place and I love how lightweight it feels. Some hairsprays can make your hair feel stiff and sticky but this sprays out a fine mist and is easy to brush out. I also really like that the spray has UV protection so your hair is protected from the sun. The only downside to this product is the hefty price tag. You do get a lot for your money, the massive 300ml bottle is going to last a good few months but it's still quite pricey and I don't think I could afford to repurchase this. But i'll be keeping an eye out for Macadamia in TK Maxx!

YUKO London Lock in colour shampoo and treatment �12.50 each* (link)Best for: Dyed/highlighted locks
This is a Japanese haircare brand, I don't normally try luxury haircare brands so I was intrigued to try these out. I found the shampoo lathered up well and whilst rinsing it out my hair instantly felt softer and smoother. The treatment was quite thick which suited my thick hair and left it moisterised. I also noticed, once dry, my bleached hair looked brighter and kepted it from turning brassy. I enjoy using these products but they are too pricey for me - they would be a nice treat!

V05 Instant Oomph Powder �4.07 (link) Best for: flat hair
Since getting this a few months ago I've had such a love/hate relationship. On my first use I wanted to wash it out immediately. But, I learnt my lesson and second time round I shook the product before use and didn't apply as much. Instantly my roots were lifted with a matte, textured look. My hair didn't stay lifted all day but a quick ruffle with my fingers gave it some extra oomph. 

What products do you go to save BHDs? I'm currently debating whether to chop my mid-length hair and go for a bob?! I've gone a bit pin crazy lately with hair-spiration pictures on pinterest - are you addicted too?

*pr samples

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Bahoma London review & FREE �10 gift card

I love a good candle, don't you? I know they're are such a love/hate product. Some people just see them as burning your money away (literally) but i can't get enough of them. If you've not heard of Bahoma London before let me introduce you...

Bahoma London is a fragrance company which manufactures and designs it's own products in London. I love supporting British brands so when i was asked to test out some of their products i said yes! Their fragrances are designed by their perfumer Malgorzata Strug-Guzowska in their London studio. Here's my thoughts on some of the products i've been testing...

Bahoma London Grapefruit and Lime Luxury Candle �25.95

What a hunk of a candle, even un-lit it smells amazing. This has a crisp, fresh scent to it so it's perfect for the warmer months. The burn time is 75 hours and Bahoma recommend you burn it 3 hours at a time. I burnt this for a few hours last night and the smallest bit of wax melted, it's going to last ages! On their website they describe the scent as a cool,sparkling cocktail of grapefruit and bergamont drenched in aromatic notes of basil and lime all poured over a dry,woody background - couldn't describe it better!

Fragranced Reed Diffuser in Imperial 100ml �29.95

Since whipping this out, everyone who's been in my room has commented on the smell. I love the simple but elegant packaging this comes in. It also comes with a stopper so you can control how often you use it. 'Imperial' has woody,musky base notes with fresh and lemon scented top notes.

Vitality Body Scrub �22.95
I'm such a sucker for a good body scrub and this one is a joy to use. Unlike other body scrubs, this doesn't fall off in clumps when applying. The consistency is thick and left a citrus scent lingering on my skin all day.

Fragrance Bibliotheque �19.95
I love this little library of fragrance samples. It's perfect to test each one of Bahoma's fragrances in the comfort of your own home. My favourite scent has to be 'Passion' or 'Eau De Crystal'. I think this would make a great gift for fussy fragrance lovers.

If you're a candle lover but fancy something a little more luxurious and refined, Bahoma London will do nicely. They have been kind enough to give you lucky lot a free �10 gift voucher to spend online here - just enter the code #makemeup at the checkout. They sell a whole range of lovely products, have a little look!

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