The 15th of this month marked the day that I would no longer be a teenager. With so much going on at the time, I was worried that it would go by unnoticed. But to my surprise, and thanks to my nearest and dearest, it turned out to be the best birthday I could have ever wished for.
Surrounded by my Mum, my Boyfriend and my Best Friend (also my housemate and a close family friend) I opened cards from my family and read all the lovely and touching messages. Unfortunately my dad couldn't join us as he was working abroad. However, the present opening was followed by lunch with up to 18 members of my family and then a return back to my house to eat all of the delicious cakes that my mum and I had baked. Growing up in the UAE, meant that I didn't get to see as much of my family back in the U.K, so it was a really special day for me, especially as some had travelled to be there. I wanted to show you some pics from the day and also review some of the gifts that I've been desperate to try out.
This is the vintage Cath Kidston tea-set that my mum gave me. It came with the tea pot, 2 mugs, 2 bowls and a saucer
for milk. I absolutely love vintage chinaware and looked at getting the Royal Albert sets but absolutely love these too.
for milk. I absolutely love vintage chinaware and looked at getting the Royal Albert sets but absolutely love these too.
Let me introduce to you the best fragrance in the whole world. Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle has forever been my ultimate perfume.
My other favourites have been Gucci's Flora, Juicy Couture, Vera Wang's Princess and YSL's BabyDoll. When given the
chance to pick a perfume as a gift and after seriously considering the best value for money, my confidence certainly lay with Chanel.
The two items I bought were the Body crème, not the Body Lotion and the Eau de Toilette Spray. The Body crème was around £12 more expensive than than the Body Lotion but the concentration is significantly higher which means that the fragrance stays on the body for a long time and you therefore do not need to use so much of the perfume spray. It was not oily, but soft and easy to apply.
It soaks in immediately to the skin and the smell lasts all day long.
For the spray, I needed to choose between the Eau de parfum and the Eau de Toilette. The Eau de parfum which is the strong perfume, was around £15 more expensive than the Eau de Toilette spray.
The Eau de Toilette is a lighter liquid which combines perfectly with the body crème when it is applied to the body beforehand as a base. Without the body crème, I would worry that the fragrance would not last very long and so I would recommend getting the same duo as I have or buying the Eau de Parfum alone.
The Eau de Toilette is a lighter liquid which combines perfectly with the body crème when it is applied to the body beforehand as a base. Without the body crème, I would worry that the fragrance would not last very long and so I would recommend getting the same duo as I have or buying the Eau de Parfum alone.
RESULT:
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Body Crème - 5/5
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Toilette Spray - 4.5/5
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Body Crème - 5/5
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Toilette Spray - 4.5/5
My second collection to review is this trio of BarryM nail polish which were priced at 3 for the price of 2.
BarryM are notorious for their fabulous, bright and bold colours which are always on trend. They also have a great selection of glitter polishes that you can add to a favourite colour. I decided to buy these three colours.
BarryM are notorious for their fabulous, bright and bold colours which are always on trend. They also have a great selection of glitter polishes that you can add to a favourite colour. I decided to buy these three colours.
The third item on the right is from the new Gelly Hi-Shine collection at BarryM and I was keen to see how well
it applied to the nail and how long it took to dry. I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed. I applied the Gelly Hi-Shine colour first and found that
it didn't apply easily to the nail, coming out a bit sticky and finding that the first coat was almost transparent. After doing a second coat, I found that it took ages to dry and smudged which showed that the polish was very thick.
I then tried the teal metallic colour (first left) and found this applied more smoothly but again the colour was not as matte as I would have liked. It did look great with the glitter coat on top and I had no problem with that.
I decided to take off the Mint colour and re-apply it. I found that it worked better with lighter applications but maybe up to 3 coats. The colour was excellent, and it got lots of thumbs up from family and friends.
THE RESULT
Gelly Hi-Shine Mint Colour Polish - 4/5
Teal Metallic Colour Polish - 3.5/5
Glitter Nail Paint - 3.5/5
Teal Metallic Colour Polish - 3.5/5
Glitter Nail Paint - 3.5/5
