January Empties

Now this post won't be anywhere as near as exciting as my last empties post (81 products, hello!) but I've still been a busy bee this month. It always surprises me when I use up a lot of products, but I always find that some products finish really quickly, but others (I'm looking at you lip balms!) seem to go on forever and ever and ever.

Here's what I used up.

I'm really trying to focus on using up some of my older products, especially since my 'Use Up Dates' post, which opened my eyes to the amount of bacteria etc. that can get into your products from once you open them. Also, I now work in beauty and I found out a lot of information about product dates, and it's kind of opened my eyes a bit.

 

The products I will miss the most are the Strawberry Body Butter (heaven in a tub), the Britney Spears perfume (surprisingly beautiful scent) and the Batiste Dry Shampoo (a life saver, although I have stocked up on this so I'm okay!)

My spending ban starts in February so I won't be able to repurchase anything, and I'm trying not to anyway, so expect to see a lot more in next month's empties post!

Advertise Your Blog Here...

I have decided to start offering advertisement spots on my blog again. I did it a few times last year and I really enjoyed discovering new blogs and sharing them with my readers. Since I'm really throwing myself into my blog at the moment, I thought it would be an ideal opportunity for you to get your blog 'out there'.

What will be included:

- Your blog button in my sidebar (near the top) for a whole month, or two.
- A blog post mentioning your blog and what I love about it around the 15th of each month.
- Regular mentions on twitter. I can guarantee at least one a week but I will do it more often too.
- A special mention on my Facebook page.
- A follow from me. It's only fair!

If you're a shop or company you can still advertise and get all of these benefits (unless I can't follow of course!)

The cost will be just £5 for one month, and £8 for two months.

The spots will be offered on a first come first serve basis, and I will only have a maximum number of blogs selected as I think it's only fair that they get their own little spot and are not lost among hundreds of blog buttons.

If you have any questions, including about stats, etc. feel free to comment or tweet me (@ditzyglamour) or drop me an e-mail at jesswd18@hotmail.com

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Dotcomgiftshop Haul

Dotcomgiftshop is by far my guilty pleasure. I have spent months browsing their website and creating endless wishlists in my head. Just after Christmas they had a sale on and I couldn't resist. I got a couple of bits and left it at that. However, a short while after that order arrived, they added more to the sale, including things I wanted! So I ordered another box of goodies and they arrived today, so I thought I'd do a haul of everything I've got.

I am in love with everything I purchased. Most of it will all be going into storage for when we get our own place but it's nice to know we've got some bits to have when we get there. We have nothing at the moment so we are starting from scratch with everything. I know it will be pretty expensive which is why I shop in sales and look around way in advance.

 

I absolutely adores these sets and I love the colour scheme too. The tea/coffee/sugar set was reduced to £4.95 and the tins were also £4.95. I'm not sure what the full price was but I think it was at least half price or there about for everything!

 

 

I'm not sure why I bought these - Aiden even said we probably won't have these spices but I want to prove him wrong! I thought these would look perfect with the other tins, and I promise I will use them! These were reduced to £3.95.

 

 

Now these were all little extras that go with the tins! I'm clearly in love with their 'Pantry Design' range! The jelly mould was 50p, the napkins were £1.00, the tea towels were £3.95 for two, and the shopping list was £1.95.

 

 

I can't do much baking at the moment but when I get my own place I plan to bake all the time so I got these cute cupcake cases that were 50p each.

 

 

Planning ahead just a tad but I thought these would be perfect for Christmas next year with brown wrapping paper. It was £1.50 for the ribbon and £2.95 for the string.

 

The sale at http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/ is still on (it ends midnight 28th January) and delivery is only £3.95 which is pretty good if you buy a lot. Let me know if you're getting anything and if you're as in love with this website as I am!

Pretty iPad Case

So for Christmas, I was super lucky to get an iPad, and one of the things I was very excited about was getting a cute case for it. Ideal Cases* have a wide range of cases for mobiles, tablets and ereaders. I was given the opportunity to create my own case.

At first I was overwhelmed by the choice. You could have a photo or even a collage of photos. I was originally going to do this, but I couldn't decide which photo's to use so I opted for a simpler choice. They have a range of different designs that you can choose, and you get to see what it would look like too.

I love how it is completely up to you what you have. You can add text wherever you want, and add as many images as you want. You can go wild - although I didn't.

I chose a case just for the back, as I already have a case that goes over the front too, and it can sometimes get in the way. I opted for a simple blue and white polka dot design.

When it arrived I was amazed at the quality, I was worried it would look quite cheap with the polka dots but I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Ideal Cases is perfect as a gift or if you're looking for a specific or personalised case. Would you go for a simple design like me, or would you go crazy? :)

*product was free, but I chose the case and design myself.

Lazy Girl's Guide To Fitness

I'll admit it. I used to be extremely lazy, and I still kind of am. But this year I decided enough was enough and I want to get fit. Not just for now, but for when I'm older. I'm not the kind of person that can train for hours on end and keep going. And probably like you, I don't seem to have enough time to exercise. I decided that this year there was no more excuses and so here's my lazy girl's guide to getting some fitness into your day.

- Do squats whilst brushing your teeth.

This is so easy to do, and instead of just standing there, do squats. If you do 20 squats a day for two weeks you will notice a big difference. That's not long to see changes!

- Walk whenever you can.

Now I can drive I tend to drive everywhere. Before I could drive, I used to walk for hours. My tip is to avoid using the car when you can, and if you get public transport, get off just one stop earlier and walk it. You'll feel better for it, and you'll be wide awake by the time you reach where you need to be.

- Do an advert break work out!

I've become a big fan of these lately. When I'm watching TV I'll choose an advert break, and do a work out whilst it's on. Whether it's sit ups, squats, press ups. I'll do whatever I want until the programme comes back on. It gives me a little boost!

- Have fun working out!

Find what is fun for you. Whether it's a zumba class with friends or a jog around the park with your dog, find an exercise you enjoy and go for it. I downloaded the Davina Fitness App which offers 15-20 minute work outs and I really enjoy doing them. As they're quick I can fit them in around my day.

What fitness tips would you give to someone struggling to get motivated?

source: link

P.S. Do you want to see more fitness posts? If so, what kind?

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Review | Soap and Glory Bright Here Bright Now

Those of you who were lucky enough to receive a Best of All gift set for Christmas will know that inside was a range of Soap and Glory vouchers. The first voucher entitled me £3 off skincare so I decided to head to Boots and treat myself.

I decided on the Bright Here Bright Now Instant Radiance Energy Balm as it is currently on sale from £11 to £7.50 so I only paid £4.50. I suffer from really dull skin, so I was keen to try out some new skincare that brightened up my face.

 

 

Bright Here Bright Now claims to make dull skin dazzle. It contains real orange essential oil to uplift skin, as well as timeron pearls to create a radiance, along with many other ingredients.

I applied it to my skin after cleansing my face and it was relatively easy to apply, however I noticed small white flakes on my face which I couldn't seem to get off. I applied another moisturiser on top, and this got rid of the problem. It does say you can use it like a moisturiser but I need to use it with for some reason.

 

It doesn't have a very overpowering smell, and left my hands feeling very sticky, but other than that it's really good. It does what it says it will do, and my skin looked luminious all day. If i'm having a good skin day I try not to wear foundation to let my skin breathe, so I applied this and nothing else (apart from moisturiser) and my skin looked awake and very very radiant.

Would I pay £11 for this? Probably not, but I would definitely recommend getting it whilst it's on sale at Boots.

Review | FCUK The Colour Palette

As I travel to and from London a fair amount to see family and friends, I normally drag around way too much luggage, especially make up, as I'm never sure what I'll want to use! (Anyone else get like that?) For Christmas, I got an FCUK eye palette, which I blogged a little bit about here, but never realised there was a lip palette inside too! And it's perfect for travelling with.

The main things I love about this palette is that the mirror is really big for a compact, and there is such a wide range of colours. I love my Naked Palette, but if I fancy a bit of colour, it's no good, so this is ideal.

 

The palette consists of 10 eye shadows, which are all very pigmented and there are a lot that can go together to create a smokey eye.

The biggest surprise to me was the lip palette underneath. Normally, I shy away from lip palettes as I feel like I have to dig into to it to get any product, but these are so dewy and so easy to apply. I tend to normally wear nude lipstick so I'm keen to try some of the brighter colours.

 

I will now be carrying this every time I travel. I really love it. It's actually from Boots but I looked on the website and couldn't find any (They were from the Christmas section) however, I looked on the FCUK website and found it in the sale! There's also some on eBay and Amazon.

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