September She Said Beauty Box

It's that time again! This month's theme was skincare September in the She Said beauty box. I did have some unfortunate issues this month with my box not arriving and having to have a replacement, meaning i received it almost 2 weeks late! However the customer service team over at She Said were quite good about it over Facebook so the matter was resolved eventually! Anyway, no need to dwell on the negatives, on with the products!

The first product was a full sized product of the amie "spring clean" cooling clay mask. This is supposed to be a refreshing and deep cleansing mask that draws out the dirt and impurities in your skin. I can definitely agree that this product was refreshing with hints of mint and lime, it reminded me a little bit of a mojito! Also the product had a lovely texture and consistency, it really glided nicely onto my skin and it felt thick and moisturising. You know some face masks go really dry and you feel like you can't move your face when you're wearing them? This wasn't like that at all, it felt like i was just wearing a moisturiser. Also i enjoyed seeing the results of this, it left my skin soft, smooth and definitely refreshed, although i'm not sure about the cleansed part. This 15ml sachet retails for £1.50 and you get a generous amount in there!

Next up was the DHC deep cleansing oil which is a make up remover from Japan. You simply dispense a few drops into dry hands and massage it onto your face to dissolve the dirt and make-up. I then use a baby wipe to clean it all off. I've been really enjoying this product as an alternative make up remover and i think i would repurchase it. It's really good at getting every last bit of make up off and doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy which is what you'd expect from an oil based cleanser. I've also noticed that a little bit goes a long way so at 30ml, it will probably last me for ages! This was also another full sized product in the box and it retails for £3.50. However if you wanted a bigger size  70ml prices at £9.50 and 200ml is £18.50.

This next product is a sample of the Ginvera green tea whitening marvel gel which is an exfoliator. The "whitening" part suggests that this product cancels out blackheads on the skin. Now i'm quite lucky and i don't suffer from blackheads so I didn't notice that quality in the product. However this product is also meant to leave your skin feeling smooth, fades pigmentation, prevents pimples, evens out skin tone and stimulate the skins metabolism so an all round wonder product. Being an exfoliator i expected the product to be fairly harsh in order to remove dead skin, however because it's a gel, this product was really gentle and easy to use. It really does leave your skin soft, smooth and clear. It's a shame we only received a small sample of this but the full size 60ml retails for £22.

When i saw Collection 2000 products in my box i was really excited. Being an avid fan of the famous lasting perfection concealer, i see the brand as good quality products at a really affordable price so i couldn't wait to try the "fix me up" long lasting make up fixer. However i don't really see much of a difference in my make up when i use this product. First off, it seems to come out in drops on my face rather than a mist which is strange. I do like the radiance it brings to my face, however i haven't notice that it makes my make up last any longer than usual which is disappointing! I'm not sure i really like the scent of it either. Personally, i wouldn't repurchase it, I think you can find better out there. This is another full sized product in the box though and 18ml retails for £5.99.

The other collection 2000 product was the Primed and ready smoothing make up primer. This reminds me a lot of the 17 cosmetics photo flawless primer in texture and application. It's meant to act as a base to your make up and minimise pores. This makes make up application easier and keeps make up in place throughout the day for a "flawless complexion." Again, this is ok i suppose. Nothing to shout about and i think you can find better out there. Sorry collection 2000 but i'm just not WOW-ed. Hats off to She Said Beauty though because this is another full sized product at 18ml and this retails for £5.99 again.

The bonus product this month was a small packet of "popchips" in sea salt and vinegar flavour. I'm not sure how i feel about receiving crisps in a beauty box but as a bonus product you can't complain! These were pretty tasty, a yummy snack on my lunch break and they only have 46 calories so they're not even a guilty treat. I don't know where you can get these from but at £1.89 a bag they're not particularly cheap!

So that's it for this month, i quite liked that there was a theme and it would be nice to see that again in future boxes. My favourite product this month was definitely the DHC cleansing oil and i'm tempted to repurchase it when it runs out.

I'm off to Bristol Fashion week today at the Mall Cribbs Causeway so be sure to check out #BFW12 on twitter for updates and a blog post will follow next week. I also have an exciting giveaway coming up on Monday(ish) too!

What did you think of this month's box? What was your favourite product?

Birthday Girl

Last weekend i celebrated my 19th birthday, thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! Usually i really take celebrating to the extreme on birthday's, but this year it was a rather quiet affair, i spent the day working followed by an evening in with my family, Indian take-out and a glass of champagne. Classy, right? I received some lovely gifts and a really tasty birthday cake! So i thought i'd share some snaps from the day with you. 

 Birthday lunch at Las Iguanas & My amazing birthday cake!

Overloaded with gifts!

Malibu & Disaronno, my favourites..

Gifts from my brother - Purse, belt and scarf.

Pretty cards, scents and candles..

New geek stuff.. yay for a hard drive!

Pretty, sparkly things..

Some cute make-up bits, the bronzer is so pretty!

As you can see, i got some really lovely little gifts. Not to mention, i was lucky enough to spend the day on Sunday in London, visiting my best friend and exploring the joys of Oxford St. I really enjoyed trying everything on in Forever 21, oogling over how big Topshop is and spending hours on end in Victoria Secret.. It was literally like my version of heaven. I did also pick up a few treats for myself including some cute bow earrings, a new hat, sparkly bow pumps and a delicious VS scent. 

Have you visited London recently? Where's your favourite place to spend birthday money!?

Boux Avenue: Cabot Circus

As i said in my previous post, I was lucky enough to attend the opening of the new Boux Avenue store in Cabot Circus last week. It was a really lovely day and the store is seriously beautiful! I met with some other blogger friends beforehand for breakfast and we headed down for a preview of the store at around 11pm. If you've never heard of Boux Avenue (where have you been?), it's a luxurious yet affordable lingerie store. The press release reads, "The glamorous label will set lingerie lovers' hearts racing with its sultry styles and flirtatious fabrics - making it an irresistible lingerie, nightwear and swimwear haven for Bristol shoppers." I think this sums up the store very well! I was so impressed with the level of customer service and attention to detail. The ladies who work there are so sweet, friendly and helpful and what i loved the most was the fact that they all had they're individual personality. 

The store itself felt like I was in a girlfriends bedroom! It was stylish, chic and classy whilst having a sense of cosiness to it. It's laid out so the lingerie is cleverly displayed in drawers according to their sizes, so it literally felt like i was just looking through my drawers at home. 

Also i must mention the fitting rooms which, not only were chic and stylish like the rest of the store, complete with a name of fabric on the door to each one.. (does anyone else love it when the dressing rooms have names?!) But they also had three adjustable light settings, day, dusk and night, to preview how the garment would look at each time of day. It's the little details that really made the store feel luxurious.

It was such a lovely morning and i'd like to thank Fluorescent PR for the invite. We also had the opportunity to meet Theo Paphitis who is the owner of the Boux Avenue chain and he was such a lovely down to earth man. I'd also like to thank Boux Avenue for the really lovely goody bags complete with a pair of cute knickers, lip balm, hand cream and £20 to spend in store. It's safe to say my underwear drawer is looking very pretty with my new Boux Avenue additions! If you haven't already, i urge you to visit your nearest store!

Have you visited Boux Avenue before? What's your favourite piece from their site?

Happy Blogiversary: 1 Year

So, i know it's been a bit of a gap since my last post. Not only has time seemed to fly by, but I've been lacking in inspiration and felt a little overwhelmed lately. I've been working a lot and socialising a lot, enjoying the typical life of an 18 year old who's finding their place in the world, so blogging has taken a back seat. All is about to change! I went to the Boux Avenue store opening this morning in Cabot Circus and met so many gorgeous bloggers, it's really given me the kick i needed to post again. A post to follow about that later this week.

For now, i'd just like to celebrate a little milestone with you all because I've lately hit my 1 year of blogging mark. This may be a little cheesy and gushy, but i wanted to say a big thank you to all my followers and blogger friends for this past year. I've met so many new people through blogging and been to some fabulous events and worked with some really lovely people. The Internet is such a weird but wonderful place, and I've loved every second of creating my own little space. I hope the years to come remain this enjoyable!

I originally started blogging because of some personal troubles and i needed something to take my mind off them, as well as having a place to turn to when i felt down. You guys have been so amazing, all my lovely followers on here and on twitter. I can't thank some of you enough. I hope you've all enjoyed reading over the year and if you have any request/suggestions of posts you'd like me to do please do let me know! I love reading all of your comments every day.

In other news, just to quickly update everyone with my personal life, I'm now working on a part-time basis 5/6 days a week. I have 2 jobs in a store training for management and a nightclub and they both tire me out immensely! Like i said, in my spare time I try to socialise because it is important to have a life! I do have a week off next week though so plenty of time to sort out my blog. This weekend it's also my actual birthday which is cool, a blog birthday and an actual birthday at the same time! I'll turn the ripe old age of 19! I don't have much planned because unfortunately i have to work, but i am going to London for the day on Sunday to shop to my hearts content! I can't wait to see the new Victoria Secret's store! If you have any suggestions of places i must visit while i'm down there please let me know!

(Images from weheartit)

Over the last year I've managed to knock out 100 posts which is crazy! And I've managed to accumulate a good amount of followers on here and twitter and you are all so appreciated. Please keep reading and keep communicating with me, i love you all!

What would you like to see on Sleep.Wake.Hope? Thank you all so much for a brilliant year! xxx

Shoetastic - ECCO

If you haven't heard of ECCO already, they are a fashionable shoe brand who specialise in comfort as well as style. In fact they take pride in suggesting that the shoe follows the foot! I was lucky enough to trial their new "sculptured 65" shoe which is a patent leather boot with a manageable heel of 6.5cm (perfect for people like me who aren't gifted with lovely long legs!) I decided to wear these out last night for date night with a friend and paired them with a casual outfit. Although I really felt like the shoes really added an edge to my outfit, adding not only height, but glamour and sophistication too. These are a really versatile and "grown up" pair of shoes which make me feel sensible and mature.

As I said, I wore these little cuties out last night and they are such a dream to wear! Not only do they seem to go with pretty much anything, but they really are so comfortable with a soft textile lining which contains a leather inlay sole and a moisture absorbent circulation system for maximum comfort. Being so short means that I like to wear heels a lot of the time, but with the  angle that your foot is at, it can be really uncomfortable at times and I also really struggle to drive in heels. However I can say that these are something else! When I was busy rushing around Bristol yesterday, the last thing I was thinking of were my feet, and as for driving - no problem at all!

As you can see, I paired these boots with a casual outfit of a grey speckled t-shirt and leather lookalike skirt simply because the weather has been so dreary recently, I've felt like wearing darker colours. Despite the weather, these boots feel so durable and I can tell they'll be a staple throughout the autumn and winter months. And, as I said before they can be paired with pretty much anything because they're so versatile. Here are a couple more outfit ideas centered around the boots..

Outfit One: Jeans - Topshop, Beanie - Topshop, Jacket - New Look, Top - Miss Selfridge
Outfit Two: Top - Topshop, Skirt - River Island, Watch - River Island, Bag - River Island, Necklace - Temporary Secretary
Outfit Three: Dress - Glamourous UK, Earrings - Asos, Clutch - Miss Selfridge

How would you wear the Sculptured 65 shoe?

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