Scent & Co

If you are like me, and have a slight perfume obsession, then you will really enjoy what awaits you at Scent & Co. This brand offer you the chance to try out many different perfumes that you may not have otherwise tried,  perhaps, in my case, due to the fact that many of the higher end, expensive branded perfumes are only available in large volumes which in turn makes them not very affordable. 

Scent & Co 'offer choice, flexibility and portability', of a number of high end perfumes at affordable prices, a perfect way for you to find your ideal scent. This is a subscription service, where you will be charged upfront for either a one, three or twelve month period. 

How it works: Choose your fragrance from a collection of over 450 premium, high end perfumes or have a scent hand picked for you. After you have chosen you then receive your fragrance in the post, in a cute 10ml supply bottle that should last you a month. 

Once you have an account, you can access your scent calendar, where you can add to and edit your queue of perfumes into the order that you would like to receive them. You can recycle the empty glass vial once used, but you can keep the metal case it is contained in and then place your next scent in there once received. 

At the moment there are so many amazing fragrances to choose from, including brands such as Tom Ford, Giorgio Armani and Thierry Mugler. As well as one of my favourite perfumes of all time, Vikor and Rolf's Flowerbomb. 

You can visit Scent & Co at their website https://www.scentandco.uk or follow them on their social media pages; Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Love Me Beauty - July Edit

I was overwhelmed with last month's bag by how generous they were with the products inside. Love Me Beauty really do not hold back on offering their customers a variety of different products, from a number of different brands, switching it up from old but holy grail favourites, to products that I have not heard of before. Below are the products from this past months bag and I will definitely be purchasing some of these in their full sized versions. 

Remember to use the code 'laurae17' and you can get get yourself a free EcoTools Perfecting Blender Duo!  

July's bag included;

Ecotools Blender Duo - a review on these sponges can be found further back on my blog, but the bigger sponge in this duo is now my go to and has overtaken the Real Techniques sponge.

Ecotools Retractable Face Brush- A compact, travel friendly kubuki brush that can be twisted to disappear into the container to protect the brush and to make it easy for storing and travelling.

Nib + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads - I have only really recently been trying out Nip and Fab products, but these cleansing pads are a game changer as I'm all for skin care products that are easy to use and don't make a mess. These also feel like they are really giving my skin a good clean at the end of the day and primes it well for any serums or moisturisers. 

Nailsinc - This is a gorgeous cerise pink shade, that is bright and vibrant and did not chip on my nails until four days into wear!

Rodial Dragons Blood Eye Masks -  I am yet to use this, but after using the dragon's blood products from Nib and Fab and being really interested in those products, I am really looking forward to using this. These are designed to hydrate and tone the delicate eye area. 

JewelleryBox.co.uk

I love Jewellery box and have been a fan of them for ages. They were kind enough to give me the opportunity to pick out some pieces from their website to wear and write about. The pieces I received are beautiful, elegant and dainty, and whilst they look minimal, I believe the jewellery from Jewellerybox have the ability to add that finishing touch to an outfit.

I picked out a pair of silver and gold tiny hoops as I want my earring collection to grow with some high quality pieces and I often get fed up of wearing studs all the time. These remind me of the small sleepers I used to wear during school and I think when these are matched with some studs (as I have multiple piercings in my ears), they will compliment each other well. 

I am also really into stacking small rings at the moment as I think it looks pretty and elegant. The ones I received are small and not bulky, they really compliment each other well and remind me of the Pandora stacking rings . I received a sterling silver and moonstone June birthstone twisted rope ring, a gorgeous and well detailed ring. As well as the Sterling Silver 1mm Ring with CZ Crystal Bow, a really simple but stated ring that is pretty and subtly sparkly, and rarely wear these individually as I love pairing these two together. 

I was also kindly sent the sterling silver ship anchor necklace on an 18 inch chain. I don't own many small and dainty necklaces and so have not worn this type of jewellery much since I was a teenager. This necklace sits so nicely around the neck with the anchor sitting just in between my collar bones. I used to be really into wearing lots of jewellery, especially statement pieces, and then for some reason around the time I left school I just did not wear much jewellery anymore. By adding delicate and dainty pieces to my now small collection, I think it will definitely help me to fall in love with wearing various different types of jewellery now, instead of just simply sticking to rings and stud earrings. 

I have definitely fallen in love with these pieces from JewelleryBox and will certainly be heading to their website first in the future. Please visit their website here. Also check out their social media sites: Twitter and Instagram.

UltraDex Travel Essentials

I was recently kindly sent this set of travel essentials from UltraDEX, perfectly designed for your holidays. 

The newer small sized versions of the products help you to stay well under those tight luggage allowances and leaving you space for that extra bikini you really don't need to pack.

Every core UktraDEX product contains the advanced iQ + ActiveOxi Technology which eliminates bad breath bacteria, and leaves your breath minty fresh. The UltraDEX Daily Oral Rinse is in a cute 100ml sized bottle, a great travel size, and really does leave your breath super fresh. 

The mouthwash works with your natural oral pH level to meet the individual needs of your mouth, and helps to whiten your teeth within 14 days by gently oxidising organic stains. Using this after the Low Abrasion toothpaste, which not only masks bad smells but neutralises them by stopping the action of bacteria, means your breath is extra protected against the intrusion of odour. The toothpaste is also suitable for sensitive teeth. 

My personal favourite out of the three products I received is the Fresh Breath Oral Spray, my new alternative to gum to give you that instant fresher breath, that is quick, easy and discreet, also great during travelling, or after a long flight, it is also the perfect size to keep in your handbag or pocket. It has a clean minty taste, is 100% free of alcohol and sugar and suitable for vegans.

I did not particularly find that my teeth appeared all that much whiter, but they were definitely brighter. I think to see full effects I would need to stop drinking tea and coffee which is an extremely hard thing for me to do!

The complete core travel range has a combined total price of £12.90, available online or from Boots. I have used up nearly all of the three products over the past two to three weeks and am really considering purchasing the products again for my holiday in October. 

Love Me Beauty - May

Just wing it, life, eyeliner, everything. 

This months bag is called #shinebright and is once again full of exciting and varied products to try out! 


If you have an interest in monthly beauty bags you can get 20% off your first month with Love Me Beauty with the discount code 'laurae20'. 

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Oil Gold 10ml
This is a multi-purpose dry oil for the face, body and hair which combines 30% precious plant oils and vitamin E to nourish, smooth and repair. This shimmery oil is designed to enhance the look of your skin once tanned or for use after sun exposure. I am looking forward to thoroughly using this in the summer months in hopes that it will leave me with glowing and sun kissed looking skin. I am also going to be using it mixed with my moisturiser or foundation to add extra glow to my skin and improve the look of my make up. I have always wanted to try this and am so happy it is featured in this month's bag. 

Nuxe Reve De Miel Cleanser 15ml
I am always open to trying products that remove your make up at the end of the day, and although I enjoy using micellar water as a quick and easy way to do this, I have also tried a few different cleanser gel samples that I have really enjoyed using. This is a face cleansing and make-up removing gel that can be worked up into lather to really remove make-up, but that is soap free and gentle and so does not leave your skin dry or stripped of moisture. 

Gentle Exfoliating Gel with rose petals 15ml
This is a gentle gel that removes dead skin cells and exfoliates, recommend to be used twice weekly. It can be massaged onto dry or damp skin and then rinsed with water. I have some dry skin patches on my face and after use, this left them feeling smooth and soft. Some exfoliates can be drying and too rough but this gel is perfect pick me up for your skin. 

Manna Kadar Beauty Lip Locked Stain

This is a highly pigmented, non drying and long lasting lip stain, that was smooth and easy to apply. This is a new innovation, as in it is a primer, gloss and stain in one. It is not sticky, or uncomfortable to wear and does a great job of keeping my lips moisturised. 

Once again you can get 20% off your first month at www.Lovemebeauty.com with the code 'laurae20' ! 

Until next month! 

Love Me Beauty - Spring Edit & Discount Code*

I love trying out new products, or being introduced to ones that I have not heard of or tried out before. Love Me Beauty is a fantastic way to receive products to your door monthly, at a subscription cost which makes it easy to navigate your way through tons of brands!
Once you sign up and after filling in some details about yourself, Love Me Beauty tailors your experience by creating the best recommendations for you. Then browse the month's edit and customise your order before having your products delivered to your door. 

This months edit is 'The Spring Edit' and in my bag this month I received a number of EcoTools products, some skincare products and a hair care product. Some of the brands I had heard of before and others were new to me. 

If you have an interest in monthly beauty bags you can get 20% off your first month with Love Me Beauty with the discount code 'laurae20'.

EcoTools Make Up Brushes

Eco Tools Full Powder Brush - This has to be the softer brush I have ever used. I have been wanting to try a new powder brush for a while and this one has very quickly become my favourite. It has cruelty free bristles and made of vegan materials, it is large and very dense so the powder is distributed really well, without the brush locking in too much of the product. 

EcoTools Perfecting Blender Duo - The bigger, darker green sponge is for foundation application and it's shape is perfecting for manoeuvring it around the contours of my face and for applying my foundation well around my nose and under my eyes. It is spongy and springy and I enjoy using the tip for defining and the flat side for coverage. The smaller one is a lime green sponge that is not as springy as the bigger one, which I don't like as much, but it is the perfect size and shape for applying concealer or getting into hard to reach areas. I also love that the packaging has an application face chart on the back to show you how to use it appropriately. 

Ecotools Contour Perfecting Applicator (New) - This is a new one from Ecotools and is designed to highlight and sculpt your face easily. This has a firm sponge tip and softer edges to blend and highlight. It has a handle which makes it easy to use

Ecotools Eye Duo - I love this as it means carrying less in your make up bag; this pack is made up of four brushes on two handles and each different brush is all you need to create an eye look with flawless application and blend ability. The pack contains a shade and define brush and a blend and smudge brush. 

Living Proof Prime Style Extender Spray 15ml

This is designed to drive off dirt and oil and prime your hair for longer wear and as it is silicone free it makes it ideal for all hair types. This product is basically a replacement for your regular dry shampoo except it is a spray that preps your hair for multiple days of feeling clean. I spray it on my hair when it is damp or after towel drying it and make sure I apply a generous amount coating from roots to the ends and then comb it through and style my hair as usual. I am not really a huge fan of dry shampoo but this product involves no white residue on your hair and I didn't find that I needed to apply more as the days since washing my hair followed. 

Amie Purifying Facial Wash & Matte-Finish Moisturiser 10ml

I had not heard of Amie Naturally Kind before but I am always keen to try any new skincare products. These are made up of 100% vegan ingredients and gentle natural extracts and the small sized duo were perfect for my recent weekend away. I don't mind scents in products I use although sometimes I can find them overpowering; these were not like this at all. The smell is fresh and clean but not too strong once used on the skin, the facial wash is cleansing and the moisturiser oil free. I was shocked that I did not know about this brand after learning that the cleanser was a 2017 Beauty Shortlist winner. 

Dr Bragi Intensive Treatment Mask

The Dr Bragi website describes this mask as 'innovative' and specifically designed 'to rapidly target redness, dehydration, loss of firmness and signs of premature ageing. This is a fabric mask and after use, my skin appeared plumper and much smoother. I found this to be the best mask I have used yet, my skin is dry and dehydrated at times and this was a perfect pick me up. I used it before bed and woke up with my skin feeling fresh and looking glowy. 

Weleda Evening Primrose Age Revitalising Body Oil

This range is actually designed for women 56+ years, and makes mature skin look more alive rather than  providing an anti ageing effect. I gave this to my gran and she enjoyed using it, it moisturised and hydrated her skin leaving it feeling soft and smooth. 

I look forward to Love Me Beauty's upcoming months and you can get 20% off your first month with the code 'laurae20' just visit the website here. 

Spring / Summer Wishlist

I am so glad that Spring is on its way, my skin needs warmth and sunshine and when this time of the year comes around I usually have a long wishlist of clothing and beauty items to take me through these seasons. I have out together some of the items on my wishlist together, shown above and I hope to get my hands on some of these to use during Spring and Summer. 

H&M Beauty Blender

I have never tried the original beauty blender but I hope to in the future, the one sponge I choose to use and rarely stray from is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. However, recently on a complete whim whilst I was browsing the make up section in H&M I came across a black beauty blender type sponge for £1.99 and decided to buy it, with honestly not much hope for it and I ended up being pleasantly surprised. So impressed with it I was that I have not stopped using it since I bought it. 

It has a tapered tip so it is easy to use around the nose and under the eyes and blends out my foundation so well that it leaves my skin looking flawless and evenly covered. I have tried it with a number of different foundations and it does just as good a job as the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. For the price of this one over the Real Techniques one I will definitely be repurchasing this more often! 

What do you use to apply your foundation? 

What I got for my Birthday

I turned 23 over the weekend and celebrated by spending time with my amazing friends and family. I was very fortunate to receive some lovely gifts; a few I had asked for as well as some surprises that I want to share with you.

River Island Zip Around Jewellery Case - This is a really cute and compact way of storing jewellery and also makes it easy for travelling. I can not wait to fill it with my favourite pieces. 

Vera Wang Princess Perfume - A second bottle for me as this is a staple of mine, one of my all time favourite perfumes and a definite go to for a night out! I love the pretty jewel cut, heart shaped bottle and the scent is fruity and sweet and lasts all day or night. 

River Island Blue embellished bird print clip top purse - I love River Island purses, they have so many different patterns, designs and colours to choose from, with lots of slots for cards and separate areas for pennies. I like my purse to have some organisation to it, and try to keep it neat and tidy and these purses help to do this. 

Escape to Oz Colouring Book - I am obsessed with colouring books, I have more than I can count on one hand now but it is one of my favourite things to do, especially when I need to unwind, relax and de-stress or just when I want some time away from tablets and the internet. This one is really intricate and detailed with imaginative illustrations but also a must for any fans of the film. There are 96 pages of double sided adventure on every page. 

Pentel Pack of Six Iridescent Metallic Gel Pens - Link here These pens have two different colour effects on light or dark paper and are super pigmented and glittery. They dry pretty quickly. The colours also change depending on the angle of view. I have loved using these in my new colouring book. 

Pandora Charms 'Rose Infinite Shine' & 'Best Friends' - I love Pandora and I love being able to create my own personal bracelet with their many charms. I don't have a colour theme to mine like many people do, but I like the mix of silver and rose gold and the two new charms I got for my birthday are the perfect additions to my bracelet. 

Bondi Sands Liquid Gold Tan - I have been wanting to try this for ages as I have heard great things about it, and having used other bondi sands products before and being very impressed, I really do have high hopes for this. 

Primark Pineapple and Coconut Scented Diffuser - This smells like a tropical paradise and looks so cute in my room. Primark's homeware and accessories are so good and this is a part of their new tropical summer range. 

February Favourites

Nivea Lip Butter Blueberry Blush - I am such a huge fan of Nivea's lip care, especially the lip butters. The scents are incredible and true to their individual names. I have been using this lip butter every day since I got it as it keeps my lips perfectly moisturised and hydrated.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - A rediscovered love of mine that I have been enjoying wearing during this cold month. My skin is fairly dry and this foundation gives my skin coverage, and a dewy finish without sticking to any dry patches or exposing any imperfections. Whilst it is light coverage it can be easily built up but one application does enough to even out my skin tone. I also love the scent of this foundation but it is not overpowering at all or even noticeable once on the skin. 

Wet n Wild Megaglo Highlighting Powder 'Precious Petals'  - A product I didn't think I was ever going to get my hands on unless I took a trip across the pond, but amazingly, I came across a UK website that sells a number of different American beauty products such as Milani, Color Pop and Wet n Wild. I first heard about this highlighter on Kathleen Lights channel, she was raving about how amazing this was for a drugstore highlighter. I found this on Makeupmart.co.uk and highly recommend you check it out! 

L'action Lip Enhancer - A great lip enhancer product that I was kindly sent by L'Action Paris. After a number of uses my lips appeared only slightly plumper, but I love wearing this as a gloss on its own or over other lip products. It is not sticky or drying at all and doesn't make my lips sting or tingle too much. 

Great British Bake Off Vanilla Traybake

Taken from the 2017 Great British Bake Off calendar is this sweet but easy recipe that I can take absolutely no credit for, but something I baked myself recently and wanted to share on my blog. Having only ever shared one other baking recipe on my blog before, which went down really well, I thought it would be a good idea to do another, and perhaps make recurring content. It may not look like anything special, or as presentable as the image on the calendar, but it is really tasty and fun to make and decorate, with a short bake time. 

Recipe

As stated, a tray bake tin of the above measurements in the image, is ideal for this recipe however I didn't have quite the right size but even though my tray bake was slightly smaller than the one in the recipe above, the bake still turned out fine. 

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees/ 160 fan/ 350F/ Gas 4, and grease and line your tin with butter and baking paper. 

To make the sponge, mix the butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, milk and flour into a bowl and beat together, or alternatively use a food mixer. Beat until it looks smooth and light and all the butter is soft and well whisked into the mixture. Transfer the mixture into your tin, spreading it out to the sides and make sure it is even. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is a golden brown and check your cake is cooked by gently pressing the centre with your fingertips to see if it springs back. 

Leave your bake to cool and firm up in the tin and when cooled, remove the paper. Whilst it is cooling make the frosting by sifting icing sugar into a mixing bowl and add the butter, milk and vanilla extract. Beat or whisk until the frosting is smooth and light. 

Put your icing onto your bake and then it's time to decorate! the It is best to do this straight away before the icing firms up, I used these multi coloured stars from Tesco and some white piping icing. I then cut the bake into pieces before serving! 

How cute are the Joie Oink Oink utensils I got for Christmas from Wilkinsons?!

This really didn't last long in my household, which is a good sign! It was tasty and so easy and fun to make. If you give this a go please send me your pictures and let me know how you got on! 

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