Shopping my stash – December 2014

 1. Boots Botanics Hydrating Eye Cream – to be fair I just want to use this up. I have used it quite a lot before but didn’t really notice any hydration. I will try to use it every evening before bed to see if that makes any difference.

2. Organic Surge First Class Mask – I’ve had this for quite some time so just want to use it up. It’s a nice product, the skin feels nice and soft after using it.

3. Abi Soft Sun Self Tan – I don’t normally use self-tanners but I get so pale in the winter that I need a little tanner help during this season. This one is for English roses meaning that it’s very subtle and light. It only gives a hint of colour which makes me look healthy instead of ghost white.

4. Clinique 04 Totally Neutral Eye shadow Trio – I have been so lazy with make-up lately! I can’t remember the last time I applied eye shadow. It is so easy and quick to create a day time look with this trio. I thought it’s perfect to ease me back into using eye shadows.

5. Revlon Brown Eye Pencil – I don’t even know what pencil this is, all I know its Revlon. The writing rubbed off and most of it is used up anyway. This pencil is so old, I just want to use it up. I thought it will go nicely with the Clinique trio.

6. L’oreal Studio Secrets Primer – I did not get on with this at first. But I reached for it again in the summer and it turned out to work great. I don’t usually need to use primers in the winter because my skin gets dry. But the office where I work gets so hot and stuffy that my make-up needs a little primer help in order not to melt off of my face.

I will be reviewing all of the products featured in my ‘Shipping my stash’ series at one point or another. Not everything is worth a whole post but it might end up in my empties post, random faves or a monthly fail so stay tuned.

Product use up – November 2014 empties

Batiste Dry Shampoo – I have tried many dry shampoos and always come back to Batiste. Yes, it leaves white cast on the hair BUT apart from that it is the best dry shampoo I have ever tried.

V05 Firm Hold Hairspray – okish hairspray, left my hair little bit crunchy.

Neutrogena Multi - Defence Daily Moisturiser – lovely product. I will definitely re-purchase. It moisturises well, has SPF 15, soaks in well, leaves the skin feeling soft and smells lovely (its scent will forever remind me of the holiday in Tenerife cause that’s where I used it for the first time).

Avon Far Away Exotic Perfume – I didn’t really like the scent of it. I layered it with different perfumes just to use it up. That’s the problem with Avon, the page of the catalogue smells different to the actual perfume in the bottle.

The Body Shop White Musk Sun Glow - lovely summer scent. Shame it only lasts on the skin for a couple of hours.

Bio – Oil – I’m not really sure what to think of this. I feel like it is a great moisturizer but it didn’t really do anything with my scars. I have applied it every day for about a month but the scars (one on my leg scratched by a tree branch and on my arm – paintballing!!) still look the same.

Heart lip gloss – got this random little cute thing from a friend. Just a nice one to keep in a pocket, it was quite moisturizing!

Rimmel Bronzing Compact Powder – it’s a nice bronzer. It was a light matte shade so I only really used it in the winter when I normally get really pale.

DIY Organiser Dividers

My organiser is from Paperchase (can’t find it on the website anymore but it’s a simple black A5) and it came with an insert divided into six sections. After few months of using the organiser I found that I have only been using the Diary part of the insert. I couldn’t make the other sections work for me. So I decided to make my own dividers and customise the organizer to meet my needs.

I have traced Paperchase devider shape on a double-sided scrapbooking paper and simply cut it out. I punched the holes in the dividers using a single-hole punch. I have then found a random brown envelope that was lying around on the table and cut out the tags. Glued the tags on and stamped the section names on them.

The whole process was very easy and a lot of fun. But most importantly it allowed me to match the organiser to my needs and use it to its full capacity.

Cost:
Scrapbooking paper – approximately £1 per 12x12 inch card at Colemans (I used 3).
Stamps - £1.50 at The Range
Ink - £1
Single hole punch - £2.50 at Colemans (I use it over and over again when make my own inserts).

 

Pitta Bread Individual Pizza with Parma Ham, Black Olives and Ricotta Cheese

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of cooking. For that reason I have always been into quick and simple dinners. I have lately also tried to make them ‘healthy (or rather –ier)’.

I am not really sure how I came up with this ‘healthy’ alternative to pizza but it tastes great and I make it on a regular basis.

All you need is:

LOVE!
… kidding…

*pitta bread (I use brown)
*tomato passata
*tomato puree
*Italian herb mix
*parma ham or prosciutto (your choice dependent on preference)
*black olives
*ricotta cheese
*salad mix (I like baby spinach & watercress)

Sauce:
Mix equal parts of passata and tomato puree in a pan. Add a pinch of Italian herb mix and cook for couple of minutes. Apologies but I don’t measure things! It depends on how many pizzas you want to make. I find that half a tube of puree and half a box of passata is enough for about 6 pizzas. Don’t go overboard with the herbs, add a bit and if you feel it’s not enough add a bit more. They are quite aromatic so you’ll find you won't need much.

Pizzas:
Spread the sauce straight on the pitta bread. Place parma ham on top, sprinkle with black olives (slice them up beforehand). Add blobs of ricotta and put in the preheated (180° - 200°) oven for 10 minutes.
Take them out and put the salad on top.

Voila! Simple, easy, quick and it’s a healthier alternative to a regular greasy pizza.

 

October 2014 Product fail - Clinique dramatically different moisturizing lotion

I have heard such good things about this product. I have had such high hopes. I really wanted it to work. Unfortunately it did not work. I am glad I got the mini size before committing to buying the full sized bottle.

The lotion has a really nice texture and feels lovely on the skin. It actually made my skin feel very hydrated for the first two times I used it. But my skin started to hate it straight after that. It actually made it feel dry, rough to touch and dull looking. I have stopped using it for a while. I gave it another try after about a month but scenario repeated itself.  
Perhaps I had an allergic reaction to the product? I am really not sure but I have not had a similar experience with any other moisturiser before.

The bottle in the picture looks quite full but I have used most of the 15ml of product and I feel that I gave it a good try. I had to stop using it in the end due to my skin looking and feeling just horrible.
It is a shame because I had such high hopes for this product. Oh well! My journey to find the perfect moisturiser continues.