Category: Lifestyle

Lifestyle – Event – Lush Bournemouth’s Palentine, Galentine, and Valentine Day!

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A wonderful evening for those looking to self pamper, or with a loved one!

I was very lucky to attend this event for Valentine’s day for me to review for my blog. The lovely ladies at Bournemouth’s Lush welcomed us with lovely Rose and Raspberry mock tail to set the mood, and introduced themselves to us and gave us an overview of what will be happening during the night.

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We also introduced ourselves and then relaxed whilst sipping the delicious mock tails and browsing the store as it was closed to the public – giving us free reign of the stock to try!

To start with we each created the Sex Bomb bath bombs, and was taught how the master compactors at the nearby Lush factory make hundreds each per eight hour shift, as they are seasoned professionals – where as it took me two tries to create one where you can see the Rose!

After this, we were introduced to Lush’s collection of solid massage bars and given information about each type and what they’re best for. Then we all grabbed a massage bar each, and gave each other arm and hand massages after learning the special techniques that Lush utilise in their Spa’s to soothe their clients aches and pains.

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Once we were soothed, we had more mock tails and then made our own Rosy Cheeks face mask from scratch, learning the important properties each ingredient contributes to the mask and the benefits they give the skin.

After all the events and activities we were allowed once more to peruse the shelves and select items we want to purchase, as well as one-on-one time with a Lush expert to have our queries answered! The lovely ladies bid us adieu! and gave us a wonderful goody bag, each containing a few surprise goodies and our personally handmade bath bombs and face mask!

Pop in to your local Lush store to see if they are holding an event soon. The next one open to public in Bournemouth is on the 28th March 6-8pm for Mother’s Day celebrations, please contact the store to reserve a spot!

 

Pro Teeth Whitening Co. – Day and Night Set – Keep Your Teeth Sparkling Night and Day – PR

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Pro Teeth Whitening Co. Set

Pro Teeth Whitening Co. Day & Night Set – A two in one kit for brightening and moisturising your teeth!

I was lucky enough to be gifted this Pro Teeth Whitening Co. Day & Night set from the use of the new Brandbassador App – you can find my review on the App here! They were also kind enough to sponsor my latest giveaway on my Instagram which was up last week.

I’ve seen activated charcoal kits before, and even tried the SmileLab whitening toothpaste, but have never used a dual kit before. It was a very unique experience, I’ve never thought of moisturising my teeth. My skin obviously, but teeth? Never.

The premise of these toothpastes is pretty self explanatory – you use one in the morning which polishes teeth, whitens their appearance and provides all day protection. The night time one uses to moisturise your teeth and also balance pH which prevents cavities caused by the breaking down of food by bacteria in your mouth. This is why its important to brush your teeth before bed! They say that using a combination of the two is the best way to achieve optimal oral health ensuring all day protection – Day and Night. All of their products are created from natural sources and made entirely in the United Kingdom!

The day one I found bizarre – its black from the activated charcoal, and has a sweet, minty taste. I’ve noticed that my teeth have whitened up a shade over the paste few days, and I hope with continued use they’ll be sparkling white. Using the Night toothpaste I’ve found I don’t have morning breath as much, and my mouth doesn’t taste as weird in the morning – something they’ve put down to the balance of pH which prevents and neutralises the over night bacteria activity! This pack provides a two month supply of toothpaste which I have noticed lasts a while if you use the recommended pea-sized amount.

Bottom Line: A unique product which provides around the clock protection, and over times helps brightens your smile.

Price: Currently £12.99 @ Pro Teeth Whitening Co. 
Get another 20% off with the code “RosemaryHXO” at checkout!

Rating: *** Expected more dramatic results.

Fujifilm Camera – Instax Mini 9 – Smokey White – Early Birthday Present! Yay!

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Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 with Protective Case

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 – A stunning, self printing camera to capture images in an instant!

As it is my birthday at the end of the month, I really wanted to have an Instax Mini camera and my boyfriend was lovely enough to get me one. I decided to go for the Smokey White version as its a light grey and totally my kinda colour! I chose to get the Instax Mini 9, as it is a more recent model that has a built in selfie mirror, as well as better Hi-Def functions.

I decided to get the camera plus 20 snaps, which included two packs of its film. This Fujifilm camera takes film in 10 photos packs, which are around £10 each to buy off of Amazon, or the value packs are £17-£25 depending on how much film you want to get. The camera itself retails for around £65, which is cheap compared to other modern film cameras. As the camera only holds 10 shots per film pack, its works out to be an average of 70p-£1 per snap – which is quite expensive for a photo that is 2″ x 3″, but it’s great for taking special pictures for mementos rather than taking a constant record of the night.

Instax Mini 9 Camera in Smokey White

The reason why I wanted an Instax camera for my birthday was because I happened to play around with one whilst out on a Hen do. It was being used by a Bridesmaid to capture the events during the night – such as our cocktails from the masterclass, our celebratory meals, as well as everyone’s special moments from the night. It seemed like the perfect way to capture the special night – and I wanted to have one to capture my special moments during my birthday!

To add a cuteness level to my camera, I couldn’t help but by a Bear themed carry case/bag for it! I just loved the little face poking out!

Bottom Line: A fun, novelty camera to capture special moments or artistic instant prints!

Price: £69.99 with 10 shots @ Amazon.co.uk
£9.96 for Bear Case @ Amazon.co.uk

Rating: *****

Elegant Touch – Press On Nails – Nail Guards – Protective Nail Strips

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A easy and affordable way to save your nails from damage!

As you would have seen from my previous Elegant Touch review – I am an avid fan of press on nails. They’re easy to use, make me feel like a #girlboss, and make my hand held photos look on fleek! But with the use of press on nails comes the risk of nail damage from the glue – but to prevent this, Elegant Touch released these nail guards!

These nail guards are a thin, plastic sticker cover that you apply to your nails before the press on nail application. They act as a sheath to protect your nails as the glue doesn’t penetrate through them. This makes the nails easier, and safer to remove – which is handy if you’re workplace doesn’t allow false nails but you’d like to have them done for a special occasion! To remove them, all you have to do is use a cuticle pusher to flip up the edge of the fake nail to pop it off! So easy!

Bottom Line: Making removing faux nails simpler, easier, and quicker with less damage to your nails!

Price: £3.95 at all high-street retailers.

Rating: *****

Elegant Touch – Press On Nails – Power Trip – Dusty Rose Sassiness

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Feel like a boss, at a fraction of the cost!

As someone who used to spend £70 a month minimum on having shellac and my nails done – I cannot believe how much money I have now saved by learning how to give proper manicures to myself, and how to safely apply press on nails!

These packs – which you can find in most supermarkets and high street beauty stores – have become a must buy in my monthly shops to add a bit of self-love to my nails. I get an instant confidence boost from them. Plus I feel like a total boss when my nails are all done up, cuticles looking cute and I’m making those sassy tip taps on my phone whilst tweeting. Do you follow me on Twitter? I’m hilarious!…

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For the fraction of the price of a salon visit, I’m able to do my nails on a weekly to fortnightly basis depending on my work without having the trouble of making an appointment around my busy schedule. I can’t have falsies on for my job so I can pick and choose when to apply and remove.

These sets include 24 nails, in 10 different sizes to help you get the best fit. They also include glue, nail tabs which are a less permanent way to affix them if you don’t want to use the glue, and a file to help buff and shape. These are perfect if you want to have Instagram ready nails for a holiday away in the sun, or for a glamorous event!

I love having these sets as they’re so easy to remove, you just soak in acetone nail varnish remover and pop off. With the help of the Elegant Touch Nail Guards – I’m able to safely remove the nails without damaging my nails as they act as a barrier between the glue and my nails! Elegant Touch have also recently improved their nail structure to make them more flexible so you get less ping off, and sturdier nails.

Bottom Line: If you want a quick, glamorous manicure, without the trip to the salon and high prices – these are for you!

Price: £7.50 @ Most Retailers – Boots, Superdrug, ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Rating: *****

 

Velvet Caviar – Phone Cases & Accessories – Express Your Unique Style – PR

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Phone cases to suit your style, mood, and lifestyle!

I stumbled upon Velvet Caviar cases on an Instagram post, and knew I must have them in my life. Velvet Caviar sell a wide variety of cases for both iPhone, Samsung and Android phones with complimenting accessories such as grip rings, which help you hold your phone and prop them up – making them perfect for on the go commute binge watching of Friends on Netflix – even though we have seen the entire series hundreds of times.

Peachykeen

They’ve recently dropped a case, reminiscent of Too Faced’s Peachy collection which is very much on trend – so if you’re a massive Peachy fan – or proud of a peach of your own (squat club!) – you can represent it with their new clear Just Peachy Phone case! Or if you’re a fan of marble effects they have a plethora to choose from, and if you want to be extra – they have holographic marble! To be even more extra, they also offer grip rings in coordinating colours so that you can look on fleek, and help your selfie game! By using the ring you’re able to get new angles without worrying about dropping your phone – also perfect for in bed viewing so you don’t drop your phone on your face. We’ve all been there… owch!

Lips

They have numerous designs, one to fit your personal style, or Instagram theme if you want to add a more personal item to your Instagram flat-lays or selfies. The designs aren’t the only distinctive feature for Velvet Caviar – they take the safety of your phone very seriously. Each case is created to meet their strict protection requirements, and each case offers coverage on all sides & buttons, a front raised lip for screen protection, and a shock absorbing interior for drop safety – keeping your device safe from all sides!

If you’re interested in updating your phone case to a Velvet Caviar one, make sure you use “RosemaryHXO” at checkout for savings on your phones new best friend!

Case Selection

Laura’s Doodles – Laura Davies Graphic Art Designs – New Theme

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As you have seen, I have recently updated my blog theme to a fresher, green tropical leaf scene – along with updating my Instagram feed with a brighter, silver background rather than the dark purple one I had previously!

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I was lucky enough to discover Laura’s Doodles, a graphic design creative by Laura Davies from Cardiff. I adored her art style from the moment I saw her creations.

Her art style a mix of realism but with a “cartoon”-esque twist, this creates a beautifully unique image which is simply stunning. Falling in love with the images, I commissioned her to create my new header image in line with my fresh, tropical theme directive in line with my chosen colour palette!

Here are a few other pieces of her artwork, you can find more by visiting her Instagram, or her website. Laura offers commissions, and has helped create numerous bloggers with logos, backgrounds and other graphic designs for them to use on social media and their websites. So if you’re looking to revamp your online image – give her a shout! 

Celebs

 

Brandbassador – App Based Missions to Earn Commissions – My First Impressions Reviews

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This app is Pre-Launch with a 2-3 week waiting list; I have a VIP link here, or ask me to email you the invite if you wish to use the app straight away!

UPDATED 2020 – at bottom! How I made £1000 in 3 months on the app!

So, as someone who uses affiliate links to fund and help keep this blog in motion – I am always looking out and trying new “Influencer Apps”. I’ve tried Tribe (aka buy the product and we might pay you if we like your product but chances are will block your account. If you haven’t sensed it yet – AVOID!) and a few other up and coming apps which were slightly more successful – but often tedious in the process. That was until I stumbled upon Brandbassador – I had an email from one of the Brands featured as they use it as their main platform for affiliates and influencers and they wanted me on board.

Brandbassador is an app for iPhone & Android, also available on PC, where you select your brand and they have “missions”, each mission has a commission. So far I have seen either; a freebie, cash deposit, gift card deposit or a joint giveaway opportunity for your followers. All of which simply require you to apply to the mission, Follow the brand on their social media, or like/comment on their posts. Now this appears to be mutually beneficial – they get better engagement, and you get 10-20 cents just for that one “like”.

But here’s where it becomes more beneficial for you – by commenting and liking you’re putting your own blog/brand out there. I’ve even started dropping my latest post URLs on my comments to get myself some engagement!

The more missions you do, the more cash and gift card balances you collect along with points. The more points you get – the higher your Brandbassador level is. But to upgrade levels you also need sales. How do you get sales I hear you ask? By using your personalised affiliate links or discount codes. So by simply putting a “hey if you’re already going to buy this product, you can get ##% off by just using my code/link and I also get something in return” on your website you can get between 4-15% commission on all sales, increasing as your level does. It’s basically an affiliate marketing app without the obligation to buy a product, with tiered percentages instead of a fixed base rate.

In one day I managed to “earn” $1.31, just from liking the brands content and dumping a few of my links on their Facebook posts;

They also have missions where you regram one of their posts and they will pay you 10p per like – but you can also request a higher amount for each like!

The best thing is the gift card amounts can be spent in any of the companies online stores so you can use your “earned” $$$ to buy the products to then review, blog about or use for Instagram photos – which if you include your discount codes/links means you’ve effectively boosted your commissions without spending your own cash to fund the content – unlike Tribe where they make you buy the product to create the content. Also your cash balance can be exchanged for gift card value which has a higher exchange rate meaning you can earn more in credit than in cash!

I’ll be using this App for a bit longer to see if it really is as good as it’s coming off to be, but if you don’t spend money on the content – its basically a free way to get affiliate marketing on your blogs/content.

If you’re interested in joining, or even seeing what it’s about you can find out here!

P.s. This is not a paid review – I’m just letting my fellow bloggers who need more $$$$ to host their blogs know about this pretty simple, straight forward affiliate marketing app!

UPDATE; 31st July 2018

I’ve used this app for a while now and have had my freebie sent and received, and set up my giveaway on my Instagram account. I’ve noticed that every day you can earn 2-3$ from Hairfinity due to them uploading new missions more frequently – such as comment on this post, like this post – so I’ve been doing those to earn a lot more. I’ve also done a blog post which is currently being approved to earn a £100 Gift Card!

UPDATE; 24th July 2018

So after using this app for the past 2-3 days I’ve now been sent a Freebie, have a company doing a sponsored Giveaway for my followers and now earned $7.35!!! It’s been 3 days! Never had this type of conversion and Brand involvement on an app before!

 

Update: July 2020

So I’ve been using the app on and off for the past few years but over this current pandemic I logged back in and was able to make over £1000 which I’ve already been able to cash withdraw! I’ve also been able to email the app to ask for a fast track Gold Brandbassador level which they now offer on a account basis as they check how much you’ve used the account – I’ve done over 300 missions!

I was able to make this amount from sales and use of my personal discount codes – seems like if you have a big following or a bit creative in how to promote your discount codes you can earn a lot more!

Sign up here if you’re still interested!

Latest Sunglasses Haul – Summer 2018 – Primark Rose Tinted Glasses!

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Looking through rose, and blue, tinted glasses this summer!

I wanted to share with you guys my latest Sunglasses haul I got from my latest shopping trip into town. I got these three sunglasses from Primark, as I genuinely love how inexpensive and stylish they are so I can invest in multiple pairs to add a bit of flair to multiple outfits. Also I tend to break them easily as I forget I’ve got them in my bags so it’s nice to know I can only damage cheap ones rather than Ray Bans…

These three cost me £8 all together, with the top two being £3 and the bottom one being £2. I love how many different designs they have to offer for such cheap prices but always keep an eye on the different categories of sun protection they provide. The bottom pair is Category 1 and the other two are Category 2. If you’re into your eye wear, you should check out the new summer collection Primark Boasts!

Here is a quick refresher, or useful information if you’re unsure, on the different categories!

Category
Characteristics
Suitable for…
0
Cat 0 lenses are either clear or have a very light tint, they are used for safety glasses or spectacles where you need to see clearly what you are doing.
1
Cat 1 lenses are for casual use, used as a comfort filter in cosmetic and fashion eyewear.
Fashion
2
Cat 2 lenses are the most common category to be found in sunglasses, for general use they provide good protection from visible light and from UV rays.
 General Purpose, watching and taking part in sport
3
Cat 3 – Provide extra protection from both visible and UV light.  These lenses will usually only allow less than 20% of visible light to penetrate the lens.
Open mountain ranges
4
Cat 4 – Provide a high level of protection from visible and UV light.  These lenses will allow less than 10% of light to transmit through the lens.  They are to be used for specific situations only – not for a pair of everyday sunglasses.
High altitude trekking and mountaineering.

 

Vanity Tidy – Sainsbury’s Home – Grey and Diamond Desk Tidy

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A large vanity tidy with a deep drawer to hold all of your makeup needs!

I stumbled upon this “Letter Rack” in Sainsbury’s and thought it was a perfect addition to my vanity table as it stores a lot and looks super cute!

This letter rack has two large spaces, which is perfect for palettes of any size and tall foundation bottles as well as a deep drawer for other items such as lipsticks and moisturisers. I think its so cute that it has three clear diamond handles on the drawer which are so chic and on trend.

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I’m able to store my three Anastasia Beverley Hills eye shadow palettes in the back in one stack as both of the standing spaces are 6cm in depth making it a biggy! I can also store my entire Glow Kit collection in one stack in the front row, and you know how many of those palettes I have! The drawer is 6.5cm deep, 12cm wide, and 30cm in length – which you can easily add separators in to customise the drawer into how you want it.

The letter rack comes painted in a light neutral grey which adds a bit of calm to the room – or if that’s not your cup of tea, it is easy to undo the three handles and give it a lick of paint to match your colour scheme!

Bottom Line: Absolutely in love with this rack tidy, as I’ve been able to fit all of my palettes in this!

Price: £16 at Sainsbury’s. Link takes you to one that has 3 individual drawers instead of one big one, check in your local store!

Rating: *****