Easter Haul! Primark, Internacionale, Superdrug ect,..

Yesterday me and my boyfriend popped into Leeds to visit the new Trinity Leeds Centre. To anyone heading to Leeds for shop a shopping trip this is a great place to go! It's right in the city centre and basically there are a load of shops under one roof. It's not quite finished, they're still awaiting a huge Primark but even so you can tour round the rest of Leeds city centre and shop 'til you drop (literally). Anyhow, I brought myself a few things and thought I would share them!

I firstly visited Primark and found myself some great bargains! These first three tops are all the same but in different colours. It sounds crazy to buy all of these, I know, but they were only £2 each in the sale rack! As part of my university course I have placement and these tops are perfect for that! I'm going into a Primary school so I need some cheap, respectful clothes and I know for £2 if these get ruined with paint or glue I wont care. So everyone is a winner with these! They're dip hem, light and have a little net pattern on the back which doesn't come too far down. They're very pretty and convenient. I would suggest if you need a couple of cheap tops then get yourself down there and see if they're still about!

Primark- £2

Primark- £2

Primark- £2

The final item I brought was a dress. Last yeah I was obsessed with Spring/Summer dresses and I always felt comfortable in them. This yeah the obsession is returning! This dress was £10 and for some reason I felt like this was quite expensive for Primark; then I though, well.. It's made a lot better than the cheaper dresses in there so why not? It has two layers however it still feels fairly light so perfect for both warm and cooler weathers. It has two flatter factors: a) It pulls in at the waist and b) it has little sleeves which balance out broad shoulders and provides a little coverage to your arms. You can accessorise this dress in so many ways, different jewellery, jackets, tights, no tights... it's endless. This is why I can't get enough dresses! 

Primark- £10

The forth item I brought was from Internacionale. It's a denim shirt! I have really tired to stay away from these because me and buttons don't really get along. I usually find that I get a load of gaps when I wear shirts but I got this in a couple of size up and it's perfect. It was on special offer with 20% off so I got it for about £13.60, which I think is a good price for a denim shirt. In comparison to the Primark version (which I tried on a few weeks ago) it's much softer and made with higher quality material. I would recommend this one as opposed to the Primark one seeing as there is only a couple of pounds difference in price and at the end of the day you'll be getting a higher quality product! This is perfect with some leggings, under a jumper or even tucked into a skirt. I think most people can get away with denim shirts in any season, they're so versatile I think every girl and guy needs one!

Internacionale- £13.60 (special offer)

The next item isn't clothing unfortunately but it still is something incredible! I really enjoy Whittard's Hot Chocolates and this time I have brought the 'Luxury White Hot Chocoalte'. It is beautiful! It's so so creamy and full of flavour! I honestly don't know how this company does it but any flavour of their hot chocolate is simply gorgeous and I can't find a comparison! Whittard's hot chocolates are £5.50 each but so worth it if you're mad on hot drinks and want something to treat yourself with once in a while! Alternatively they make a great present, but probably more for in the Autumn/Winter months.

Whittard- £5.50

I've been looking for a mint green for a while now. I have a similar colour by maybelline 60 seconds or whatever it's called but it stains my nails so I thought I'd try something else. Barry M polishes are only £2.99 and not bad quality either! To get a good coverage with this I had to use two coats but it doesn't take forever to dry or go lumpy so it's not too much of a negative. It's a little bit darker than I expected but still a gorgeous Spring colour. 

Superdrug- £2.99

The last items are two MUA powder blushers. These are £1 each so I brought two colours; a shade 1 and a shade 4. I haven't tried these on my face yet but swatches on my hand are very nice. They seem to blend with my skin tone but shade 1 is slightly brighter and a little more shimmery whereas shade 4 is more subtle. I would most likely use shade 1 on nights out ect and shade 4 for casual wear.  I've seen lots of bloggers and youtubers suggesting to use these so I presume they're good! Still for a £1 you can't go wrong! 

Superdrug- £1 each

Just a note to anyone who doesn't know but yesterday I learnt that Superdrug do student discount! I think it's either 10% or 20% ? Whatever it is it's still a great money saver! You have to have a NUS card so you can't use a regular college or university card. I got my NUS card for free with Lloyds  TSB when I signed up for my student account. Alternatively can pick one of these up for £11 (ish)  from the NUS website. They're a great way to save money in high street stores and if I did pay for mine I would say it definitely has paid itself off! 

Okay, so that's a wrap for my first haul blog! I didn't manage to purchase much yesterday as by boyfriend commented on everything I picked up and said I shouldn't waste my money! But these are the things I have managed to buy and my little personal opinion on them! 

Thankyou for reading! (:

Ellabella 

♥ ✝ ☮

Birchbox- March 2013 Addition (My first Birchbox)

I received my first Birchbox on the 26th which was fairly later than most people. But I have finally got round to writing a blog post! This is the first Birchbox I have received, I signed up because I had heard very positive reviews about it and I wanted to see if they are true! I already had a hunch of what was in my box because, unlike Glossybox, Birchbox upload their surveys of the products that are in your box before you receive it.

Although Glossy Box have very good quality boxes and are very hard to compete against I am quite a fan of the Birchbox packaging too! I like the rustic brown cardboard contrasting the popping hot pink. I also like how everything is wrapped inside a little drawstring bag; it's kind of an extra little thing you can store products in!

The first product that got me going was this Sanctuary Spa mask! If you have read my other blog post you will pick up on my obsession for this brand. I have used a sample of this before and it is divine! You put two products on and the reaction of them mixed together creates heat. It is super soothing on your face and afterwards your skin feels polished. Just amazing, I really want to purchase this full price but the downside is it costs so much! I'm thankful I got myself another sample of it in my Birchbox!

The second samples is a perfume one. This Molton Brown fragrance isn't really for me. I would say it is more of a mature smell as it has that mumsie, nanna kind of zing to it. Personally I'm not a fan of this and for £65 a pop for a full sized bottle I will definitely give this a miss. It's still good to use as a room spray or to spray in your wardrobe to freshen up to stuffy clothes or linen. 

Okay, so when I opened my bag my eyes went straight to this. I was so so so confused when I saw it. The product is a Nick Chevez Thickening Spray for your hair. But the product was not advertise on the Birchbox website as an item from the March box so instantly I knew something wasn't right. I scrolled through the '#birchboxuk' tag on Instagram and saw that none of the other March boxes had this in. When I scrolled even further I saw that this product was actually featured in the February box. As you can imagine I was not impressed! I have contacted Birchbox over this matter and they are dealing with it. Anyway, after that massive rant I haven't actually tested this product but I have smelt it and it smells very salon like so I guess it is something I am willing to put in my hair. **Still not impressed** (rant over).

The next product is a La Sultane de Saba Body Lotion. This smells incredible! This lotion is like the smell of a baby in a tube. Okay, well maybe not like that, but it smells like baby powder and baby lotion mixed together. The lotion dries almost instantly which is great because it means your not waiting around for it to dry. Alternatively it could be bad as it doesn't feel like it's working! The one thing I love about this lotion is how long the smell lingers on my skin. I would consider buying this in the future because it does leave my skin very soft but we will have to see!

So for some reason the way I have edited this picture has make this product look slightly off colour! Anyway, this product is something different, it's a purple gel liner. I used to wear a purple Urban Decay liquid liner which I was obsessed with. But I've only just discovered gel liners as was a bit like, 'mmm will this work?' I've got it on today and I think it's something I could get used to. It has a long wear on it, it's simple to apply and I'm very impressed with the sample size!

Apparently Yu-Be skin cream is a Japanese saviour. I think it's UK rival is the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream. They're very alike in consistency and use. The cream has a strong medicinal smell but this disappears within minutes. It's very hydrating and creamy which is what is needed for a good old moisturise. This is a fairly small sample but like the Arden cream it does go a long way! This is just under £20 full size so I guess maybe as Winter comes back around I may consider purchasing this.

As it was Mother's day this month Birchbox gave each customer a small box of Lindt chocolates.They're chocolate, of course I like them, who doesn't! There isn't much to say about these apart from they're delicious and a fab little extra. I will probably decorate the tin and then use it to store my earrings or something in.

Overall I was pleased with the majority of products within my first Birchbox. However, I wasn't pleased with the delivery time as I felt I got my box after most others. I've also had some other issues with Birchbox about the Thickening Mist sample I got but I'll update you on that when they reply to me!

What did you get in your March Birchbox? Were you impressed? Did you receive any random samples?Leave me a comment below, I'd loved to know what others got! 

Ellabella 

♥ ✝ ☮

I Love Spring Tag- A Few Spring Favourites

I have seen the 'I Love Spring' tag floating around and I thought I'd do one for myself. So far this year I am not loving Spring. At the moment I'm sat indoors whilst there is snow on the ground anticipated the next week when more of it is forecast! However, I do love Spring for the Easter Celebrations, Flowers and beautiful vibrant colours it brings! On this post I have put some of my favourite Springy kind of  items! I'm not very fashionable or up to date on the latest and greatest but here's my personal little interpretation!

This is a photograph I took last year for A Level Textiles

 Both pairs of these shoes I brought in Winter. They were both marked down for £3! I thought these would be fantastic for Spring/Summer and for the price I thought, well why not? I need to keep telling myself to wear these a little more than I am doing! I think I will mostly wear them with jeans or leggings. They're Primark shoes so obviously they're not very protective or good quality so be warned!

Shoes- Primark £3

Shoes- Primark £3

The smells of spring! These little Yankee Candle tester are fabulous! In the majority of places they retail for less than £2. This is a great price considering they do last for a good time and they all smells amazing. For spring I think the best scents are Fresh Cut Roses and Sweet Pea. Both smells are very refreshing and remind me of relaxing in my garden on a gentle Spring afternoon. 

Yankee Candle- Gift shop 

Candle Holder- Cath Kidston £1

Yankee Candle- Asda £1

I picked this up from Primark for £3.50 a few weeks ago. I really enjoy wearing this with my skirts, it's so comfortable. It is a dip hem crop top so I wouldn't really wear unless it was tucked into something. I really like the feather print, I think it ties in well with the whole Spring theme. Simple, comfortable and cheap; that's all I really ask for in vest top! 

Primark- £3.50

This next top is slightly random but I really wanted to share it on my blog. I love this top. I love the silly little saying on it and the quirky moustache. This was (I think) £3 from Primark. It's another cheap top but great to wear those lazy Easter holidays day. 

Primark- £3 (I think)

I have a feeling this Spring my dress obsession will be returning! This little number was £5, which is a real bargain for a cheap Spring/Summer dress. They also do it in other colours such as, pink, red, black and maybe a few more. These dresses are super comfortable and suit the Spring season perfectly. 

Primark £5

Necklaces add so much to an outfit and can make your clothes look much more pricey. I have wanted a bird cage necklace for so long but I was getting very impatient looking for one in shops. Eventually I looked on Ebay and this was the first thing that popped up. The necklace was very cheap so it isn't the best of quality! It has a rustic feel to it and I really do like wearing it! Sometimes you can get a good deal on Ebay.

Bird Cage Necklace- Ebay £1

I have recently started following Lily Pebbles blog and watching her youtube channel. I also follow her on Instagram and the other day she posted the most beautiful nails. The nails below are inspired by her picture. They're supposed to be ombre kind of looking but I didn't have the right colours so I improvised! I didn't quite know how these nails would work but actually having different colours on each nail looks very pretty. (Apologises about the scruffiness). I think throughout Spring I'll give this a try with a blue and a pink theme and see how they look. But for now, I'm really loving these red toned nails.

Nails inspired by Lily Pebbles 

I brought this lipstick back in October for nights out. I think now Spring is here this is the one of the best shades I could have chosen. It's from the Nicki Minaj collection so it's very vibrant. This lip with natural or smokey eyes will look amazing. There is a vibrant these rolling throughout this Spring and a bright lipstick is perfect to create an Easter glow.

MAC Lipstick- £14

Another recent clothing purchase was this jumper. I'm afraid this Spring isn't looking too warm so one of these is needed at the moment! However, it is light weight and very baggy so it would be okay for those slighter warmer days. I love the colour of this; everything this colour seems to be catching my eye at the moment! This jumper is very good quality and as it is New Look I believe it will last much longer than the dupes in Primark! It also has a dip hem so it is acceptable to wear this with leggings as it at least covers my bum!

Jumper- Newlook £7

Finally, my favourite Spring nail colours! Pastel colours are very popular at the moment and I think as the weeks get warmer pastel will be popping up everywhere! At the moment I am loving, Models Own 'Blooboo' and Barry M 'Berry'. Pastels are very popular as a nail colour because they make you appear more tanned than you actually are! For a perfect Spring nail collection I'm aiming to add a bright pink, mint green and an creamy colour. These colours will look fabulous on nails throughout Spring and carried on into Summer. 

Models Own- Boots £5

Barry M- Boots £2.99

Thanks a wrap for my 'I Love Spring' tag. I know it's a slightly random post but I just thought I'd cooperate some recent purchases with the Spring theme!

What Spring items get you going? Please comment and let me know. I'm always interested in reading other blogs or knowing what other products people enjoy! Thanks for reading!

Ellabella

 ♥ ✝ ☮

Pamper Evening- University Style

Sometimes a pamper evening is all you need. Being at university means a pamper evening is impossible, right? Wrong! It's true that most students only have access to a shower, this can make a pamper evening feel pretty lame because you haven't got a nice toasty bath to soak into. Showers in halls are sometimes shared between a group of people; other students (like me) are lucky enough to have an en suit. Whatever accommodation you're in it is still possible to take  an hour away from the chaos of a student life and treat yourself to a pamper evening. 

Pink Tea Lights - Asda

To start the evening, I light three little tea light candles and place them on my soap dish. In my bathroom the light is very harsh and it's what I am used to when I shower daily, so the candles create a completely different atmosphere.  I think this step is very important for that pamper evening feel.

No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser- Boots 

The next thing I do is cover my face with No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser. This bad boy helps quickly sweep away all of my make-up and gives my skin a good old clear out. I usually buy this from boots when I get a '£5 off No7 skincare' voucher so it actually only cost £5 and for a Hot Cloth Cleanser that's pretty good! Anyway, after I've smothered this all over my face I hop in the shower. The most amazing feeling is when I drench my muslin cloth with hot water and press it onto my face. It sounds crazy but it's like I can feel my skin open up and all of the make up just pours out! 

Lee Stafford Hair Treatment- Boots

After all of my make up is off I shampoo. At the moment I am alternating between purple shampoo for my ombrѐ  hair and Tresemmѐ. Today I have used Tresemmѐ and just a note to all you girls out there, I still have a couple of uses out this bottle and I have had it since september! Tresemmѐ size bottles will last you forever at university! After I have washed that off I apply some Lee Stafford Hair that Never Grows Past a Certain Length. This part is optional, but if you're like me and need some serious hair fertilisation then this is the thang for you! This treatment needs to be left to soak in for 5 minutes. 

Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub- Boots (I got this from a set in the New Year sales)

Snow Fairy- Lush (Only available around Christmas)

In this time, I ex foliate with Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub and wash down with some snow fairy body wash. A new step I have introduced to my routine is the use of a face brush. My friend Lauren gave my her old face brush so I thought I'd include that (you might think that is gross but hand me downs are the best thing ever at uni). I put some Simple Face Wash onto the back on my hand, dipped the brush in and started swirling it into my face until it was all covered. Surprisingly I  really really like this whole face brush thing, it's left my face feeling very soft and it does feel much much cleaner.

Face Brush- My friend Lauren, I think she got it from Ebay

After everything is washed off you're ready for the deep condition. Hair at university goes through A LOT. Constant hair spraying, dry shampoo, back combing and it might even have a bit of alcohol left in there from a few nights ago (you never know). So for this step I use TIGI S Factor Serious Conditioner, you can use any sort of conditioner, though I like this as it's more intense. Pop the conditioner all over your hair and scalp, make sure you get a good head massage going when you do this. If you do use the Serious Condition then you'll start to feel a little cold tingly feeling on your scalp, it's very refreshing. 

S Factor Serious Conditioner- Cheap Smells

I have a comb for the shower, I got two of these from Ebay for £1.98- free postage. These are fantastic because they're pink and they also have hooks so they're very shower handy! I like to brush through my hair when it is cover in conditioner, it makes it more manageable afterwards. I would really recommend these to anyone, they're so useful and really do cut out brushing time when you're out of the shower! 

Shower Comb- Ebay (Two Pack)

I got this idea from Zoe of Zoella but it is so fantastical I think every girl needs to do this. Leave all of the conditioner on your hair and turn the shower off. Then use a turbie towel (or a regular towel) and wrap it around your hair. By doing this your scalp and hair has time to drink up all of the goodness from your conditioner. This is the stage where I like to put a face mask on. Usually I would use my Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox mask (which you can read a review for here) but today I have used the MONU Warming Aromatic face mask from my March Glossy Box, just to change it up. However, you can use any old face mask you may have hanging around. 

Sanctuary Spa Face Mask- Boots

At this point: I'm wrapped in a towel, my hair is cradled in a turbie smothered in conditioner and I have a face mask on. It's definitely time to relax. So I put the kettle on, whack out my Cath Kidston mug and a sachet of hot chocolate. Tonight, I've opted for Options White Hot Chocolate. I find Hot Drinks at night very soothing and they always prepare me for bed. If you have a communal shower in your halls then leaving the shower at this stage may not be the best of ideas! But I guess you could take it a book in with you to relax with. I don't have a set time that I leave my conditioner in and my mask on for, I just wait until I've drank all of my drink. I find if you clock watch you can't really relax. Once I feel ready to get back in. Once in, thoroughly rinse everything off and then the whole shower thing is finished with. 

Options Hot Chocolate- Asda

Mug- Cath Kidston

When having a pamper evening it is always important to moisturise. Usually students find it hard to find time to do this. A pamper evening is the most perfect time to do so. I  use Sanctuary Spa Body Butter as it is fairly intense and dries rapidly. Whilst this is drying I move onto my face. I use No7 Cleansing Water, a cheap eye gel from Boots and I have swapped my night cream for the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (only because I got a free mini sample of it). When you're a student it's great to get your hands on as many freebies as you can. Have fun, experiment with them and develop a preference for products. It's the best policy to have when you're young and need to keep control of spends! If you haven't got any samples, ensure you always have something at night to put on your face, even a drug store face moisturiser will make a noticeable difference.

No7 Cleansing Water, Eye Gel, Sanctuary Spa Body Butter- Boots

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Serum Sample- Estee Lauder

 I understand that this isn't very budget friendly but I have done budget pampering and sometimes the products do not work for me. Most of my things I have used tonight I have had as a gift or decided to treat myself to. Remember if you love a good old pamper but don't like to pay the price it's always a great idea to note the products you want to your friends/family so they can buy them as a present for Christmas/Birthday. A pamper evening allows you to have that time out from the antics of life. I guarantee it will make you feel 100% more relaxed. Anyway, that's a wrap for my pamper evening post. If you have any questions on the products I use please feel free to post or contact me. 

Ellabella 

♥ ✝ ☮

Glossy Box - March 2013 Addition (My First Glossy Box)

My passion for products has escalated since coming to university. I feel like I need to try new things all of the time! My friend Lauren recommended Glossy Box because she used to be subscribed to it before coming to university and was absolutely in love with it. Glossy box is a company which posts 5 product samples out to you in a cute little box for £10 (plus £2.95pp). I have umed and awed about this for months and this March I decided to sign up and give it a try in hope it would control my urge to keep buying. The box also allows me to try out loads of products I would never think to buy, which is a great bonus!

Anyway, this is what was in my first box:

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream 7ml

I have previously heard of Elizabeth Arden but before Glossy Box I had never used their products. Woah, is all I can say about this cream! I have been using this on the odd dry patches but mostly I have used it on my lips. This cream is so so intense and literally takes hours to soak in, but when I have dry or sore areas that is exactly what I want. I apply it before bed and after a good sleep this is perfect! The sample sent to me is fragrance free which is a huge bonus because I smelt the full size tube that my friend has (which isn't fragrance free) and it smells disgusting! The cream still has a scent to it but nothing anyway near the pungent smell of the alternative one. In the summer I think I will definitely treat myself to a full size tube of this! It will work as a great protecting lotion and a soothing after sun for dry areas. Thanks for the heads up on this Glossy Box!

MONU Warming Aromatic Mask 30ml

This brand I had never in my life heard of until I receive a sample of this in my Glossy Box. I liked this mask but there was nothing about it that amazed me. It leave a soft touch to the face, and I guess I could say it freshened me up a little. However, I did not feel any 'warming' effect when I put it on. I also own the Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask  which does get fairly warm when first applied and I feel as though the MONU mask doesn't quite match up to the Sanctuary Spa mask. This product wasn't a 100% disapintment as it did work for me but it wasn't exactly a miracle worker! For £24.95 for a 100ml pot...I think I will stick to my Sanctuary. 

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush 12ml (Full Size)

This is the product which excited me the most. Firstly, because one of the posh girls at school always had Jelly Pong Pong products so I thought, 'well they must be good'! And secondly because I have never actually tried a 'chubby' style lip pen. I had wished for this in pink but one of the beauties of Glossy Box is your box is always a surprise! Anyway, I have literally been sat in front of my laptop for three days straight attempting to complete some work and I constantly keep reaching into my draws to pop this on! I love it! The texture is so smooth, it keeps my lips moisturised and is also quite pigmented. The only downside is I am afraid to carry it in my bag in case the lid comes off by accident and it goes all over my bag! But oh well, still a great product!

Nails Inc Bruton St. 4ml

I really enjoy Nails Inc as a brand, I find their nail polishes have particular colours which I struggle to spot else where. I find I only need one coat of the stuff for a good full coverage which is always a bonus! I really wanted the pinky/purple colour and I got it so I was super pleased with that, and it is a beauty may I say! There isn't much I can say about this, so apologises, but Nail Inc polish is Nails Inc polish and that is pretty much all!

Tresemme Extra Hold Salon Finish Hairspray 100ml

This sample put a lot of people off Glossy Box as they believed it wasn't 'high-end' enough. However, a simple girl like me loves a bit of hairspray! A few years ago I brought a petite can of hairspray (not Tresemme) before my holiday so that it could fit it comfortably into my suit case; the can didn't run out until 4 months later and I literally took it every where with me. So these little cans are the most perfect little thing to receive, they can pop in your handbag or you can take it on trips away... and it's Tresemme, so yes it does have a good quality to it, no matter what others say. Haters gon' hate! 

So that is basically what I received in my March (first) Glossy Box! I have reviewed all of my products on the Glossy Box website and collected myself some 'Glossy Dots' which is like a points system. I have worked out if I keep this reviewing business up by my 4th Glossy Box my account will hold enough points for me to claim a FREE box. How fantastical is that?!

If you are unsure whether or not to subscribe to Glossy Box just remember, it isn't about getting more for your money or great bargains it's about trial and error. The aim of Glossy box is to send customer surprise samples each month so they can decide whether the full size sample is worth buying. I have seen many people complaining that they're not getting 'good' enough samples in their boxes, or they aren't big enough... but where else can you access samples of this size for the price? Remember there is a full size product in every single box you receive which usually covers the cost, so things aren't always bad! If you're someone who constantly buys products (like myself) and you would like to explore other products then this is the service for you! 

Ellabella

 ♥ ✝ ☮