Disaster In December - Haulage From Last Weeks Metro Centre Trip, Parcels From This Week and More

 and Parcels OK Guys I'm going to be very, very honest with you, we're less than a week into December and already my spending has gone way over my limit - as per usual the culprit was my annual festive shopping trip with my godmother last Thursday. I did manage to buy an awful lot of Christmas pressies but at the same time I bought a few little bits for me, starting in a most unexpected place, Poundland

I used to be a total snob when I was younger and used to mortified when my mum went into Poundland or any other discount type store but age has it's benefits, and one them is loving a bargain. So what can you see in the picture, well first up nails wraps, as I said in my last haul post I'm planning a post on nail wraps, and given that most UK dwellers can access Poundland I thought these would be a good cheap brand to try, mine have little flutterbys on them. Also in the pic Poundlands own ouchless hair bobbles and a bit of a silly one, Hello Kitty plasters!

Aren't they sweet, I almost, yes almost want to cut my finger in order to give them a go lol

I've always loved stationary, just the feeling of new paper or opening a new notebook makes me happy, so when I saw this in The Works I added it to my pile of pressies and concentrated on the words and stroked the pages during a 20 minute wait in the queue !!!

Strangely I didn't buy shoes, but I did buy some Lush, I love Lush especially at Christmas, I really think it's one of the best shops to shop in the sales assistants are always so helpful, - there Christmas bags are so sweet this year aren't they, there's even space to write to and from on, instant gift wrapping :), so shall we see what's in the bags :)

First up something I first heard about on twitter,  Magic Wand, a super cute bubble bar which smells of Snow Fairy, the assistant showed my exactly how to use it in order to get more than one use out of it - yummy!

Sticking to the Snow Fairy theme I also got the Snow Fairy Lip Tint. This smells amazing and tastes amazing too. It looks quite scary in the pot but it's actually a lovely pale pink on the lips

Then I got one of my favourite ever Lush products, Christmas Eve Bubble Bar, I love this it's quite floral but at the same time really calming, I always use it on Christmas Eve

Finally from Lush I got one of the new types of bubble bars Bubbleroons , that are supposedly extra moisturising, the one I got was Rose Jam, again it smells lovely but what does this look like to you?

Yup my mum thinks it looks like either a bottom or a ladies cleavage - naughty Lush lol - I have to say the smell from this little lot, and the things I got as gifts is amazing my room smells gorgeous!

If your a Body Shop Love Your Body card holder you'll know that from Thursday - Saturday they had a whole load of special offers, well guess what happened, I took the mailing I'd been sent with me but I forgot my Love Your Body card! I have to say the girl behind the counter was amazing from the details on the mailing she phoned the head office and got my details so she could give me the 30% discount! Obviously I didn't get my stamps but she really went above and beyond to save me some money, so thanks that lady in the larger Body Shop in the Metro Centre :) Anyways I'd actually spent quite a bit of money on other people but I did manage to grab a few bits for me

Tea Tree Toner - a real essential for me at the minute I really think it makes a difference when I use it on my t-zone

I also got something else I'd heard about via twitter - The Sparkler - I love the vintage look perfume bottle dispenser. I got the gold version but they also do a pink one. Basically it's lovely shimmery powder, gorgeous for the decolletage and the shoulders :) and great for the party season x

Because I'd spent more than £15 I could buy one of the new, full sized Candied Ginger Body Butter which normally retails at £12.50 for just £1.00, well I wasn't going to say no was I ;)

I don't know of your going to be following my disastrous monthly spends total in the sidebar but I have to be honest and admit that the Body Shop total is a bit of an estimate, on the receipt they only show the total saving instead of what you've saved on each item, if anything I've been a bit generous, I probably spent less than that - that's my story and I'm sticking to it ;)

I had to go into Boots, I can't go past one without going in, but I have to say, I was a bit overawed - despite continuing to purchase make up I can really say myself hitting the wall before long, I just wasn't that desperate to buy anything so I bought a few gifts, and just one thing - the 17 Magnetized Polish in Blue

I love the green one I have (click here to see the post ) and I love blue so I needed this one in my life, I also bought something else from 17 for someone else so I qualified for a free gift - wahoo

The gift is actually pretty decent, you get a cute little cosmetics bag, containing a mini nail file, and 3 nail colours Risky Red, Nightshade and the Glitter Topcoat - really nice shades for the festive and party season x

I looked in a few clothes shops but nothing appealed, so I picked up a few jewellery bits including this huge ring from Primark

another huge ring from H&M

and this ickle bracelet also for H&M, you can't see it too well here but it has all sorts of cute gold tone charms and crystals on it

So that was it apart from an essential for me, Superdrug nail polish remover. Superdrug on the whole like Boots was a disappointment, loads of things but nothing I wanted to buy, no that's not strictly true the MUA stand was nigh on empty so I may have took advantage of their new website when I got home, more on that to come :), and they even heard of Look Beauty hmmm. Anyways that was my ickle, well not so ickle Metro Centre haul, but as you've already guessed that wasn't all I've placed a few orders on ze internet over the last week too  - slaps wrists!
From a Boots parcel of Christmas gifts I sneaked in 3 bottles of the Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover, I justified this purchase because all the Botanics skincare was on 3 for 2, not the most exciting purchase but I use so much of this stuff it's always worth picking some up when it's on offer. That purchase may not be that exciting, but this one is ;)

Yes a rare site for me in 2011, a MAC order! I only ordered two things one things I wanted and the other one on a bit of whim. First up the object of my desire from the MAC Gareth Pugh collaboration, Ascension nail polish.

Ok lets cut to the chase, the couture collections are always beautifully packaged but stupidly expensive and this one is no different. £19 for a nail polish is pretty steep in my eyes, but the beautiful packaging and the even more beautiful colour certainly made up for the scary price

I don't think I've managed to capture the colour that well, but Ascension is the must beautiful oil on water, iridescent duo chome polish of amazingness I've seen I really can't wait to pop it on my nails :)

To be honest that was all I was planning on buying, but I had a little peak at the Goodbyes section and the MAC site and I purchased something on a bit of a whim

Nubile Paintpot looks like a proper neutal beige in the pot, not dissimilar to Layin Low, but when you swatch it has a lovely nude pink tone, which I think will make a great eyeshadow base

I don't know when MAC started putting samples in their parcels, but I was lucky enough to get one in this order, I got a mini, and I mean mini Zoom Lash Mascara -it's tiny !

The final parcel I recieved this week was a little sneaky QVC purchase, I've loved this ladies jewellery since I first saw it, so when I spied this gorgeous little ring in clearance I had to have it

It's the petite posey ring by a jewellery designer named Kimberly Selwood, I love it, it's really small and so cute x
So yeah that was my haulage over the last seven days, scary eh! and would you believe that may not by the end of the months spending, I'm still waiting for a few parcels for buyapowa, and from MUA and I'm going to the Metro Centre in the next day or so!- Heads to the naughty step in disgrace lol. As per usual any questions on anything please leave me a comment x

Nails Of The Day- Golden Girl

After the return to the darkside in my last nails of the day post I decided to return the bling today. I believe this colour was designed by manicurist to the stars Leighton Denny for Jade Jagger, the colour in question? Golden Girl

This is two coats of a beautiful bronze toned old gold with just a hint of sparkle in it, nice isn't it, I'm starting to feel festive already :) What do you think ?

Milking It Up With Acorelle - A Review For My Pure

If your a regular reader of my reviews for My Pure, you'll already be familiar with French brand Acorelle. I've reviewed quite a few products in their epiliation and skincare line including the Oriental Wax, their body scrub, and a facial hair growth inhibitor, and an ingrown hair treatment, not the most glamorous of item but nevertheless good workman like products. Acorelle isn't all about hair removal and the more hidden side of beauty though, the also have a fragrance line. I'm a bit funny with fragrance if I'm honest I wouldn't dream of buying a perfume without trying it first, you can choose a fragrance sample with your My Pure order but I thought I'd play it safe and go for a fragrance body milk instead. The Acorelle Fragrance range contains 3 fragranced body milks to coordinate with 3 of their top selling fragrances, you can get Tea Garden, White Orchid, and the went for Rose.

Packaged in a 200ml pump action dispenser, this has a much creamier texture than what I was expecting. Body Milks I've tried in the past are usually quite thin in texture, but this was actually more of a loose cream.

Body milks usually don't provide a lot of moisture but this as you would expect from the texture does. It sinks in fairly quickly but I did find it left the skin slightly sticky for a while, not a feeling I have to say I found that pleasant.

The big thing with this product for me is the smell, based on the name Rose, I expected something quite different to what I actually got. To be honest it was my own fault I never read the description of the scent. Don't think of this as a traditional rose fragrance like I did, it actually has more of a fine fragrance character. It has notes of rose, rosebud, freesia, geranium and raspberry. It's quite a sweet fragrance, which I think is dominated by the geranium and the raspberry with only a tiny hint of the rose, I have to say it really wasn't what I expected and it wasn't a fragrance I particularly liked. Although it was my own fault for not reading the description I have to say I didn't get on with this product at all, the texture was a bit sticky, and it's obviously a personal thing but I didn't like the smell. The Acorelle Fragrance Rose Body Milk retails at £12.90 for 200ml from My Pure. Any questions please leave me a comment x

(The Acorelle Fragrance Rose Body Milk Was Provided By My Pure For Review Purposes) 

Alva Coleur Organic Lipstick - A Review For My Pure*

I've tested a few make up products from Alva Coleur, along my My Pure journey, with differing results. The eyeshadow duo was really impressive, the fluid foundation and the baked foundation slightly less so, but as I've said before a disappointment should never put you off a brand so I decided to give Alva Coleur another go.

Like all of their cosmetic products Alva Coleur Organic Lipstick contains their exclusive Wellmune complex which gives the range anti-ageing properties, and makes it especially suitable for sensitive skins. Their lipsticks also contain Castor Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Natural Source Vitamin E and Cocoa Butter to nourish the lips and leave them super moist.

Packaged in a sleek black, and silver bullet, the lipstick comes in 6 shades, the one I chose was 3 Pearl Pink. The name describes the colour perfectly, it's a really pale, shimmery pink. Again though the colour chart on My Pure was slightly off, it was much paler than I was expecting.

It has a slight cocoa butter type fragrance, and taste. The texture is smooth but not overtly creamy, and as a result the lipstick lasted quite a long time on the lips. I have to be honest and say I have used lipsticks that are a lot more moisturising than this one. Maybe it was the pale colour but I did find it a tiny bit drying, and it did tend to cling to the odd dry patch on my lips

I also have to be honest and say that I don't think the colour did an awful lot for me either, my mum implied that I looked as though I was ill, especially when I wore it with dark, smokey eyes, never mind. Would I purchase one of these lipsticks? I have to be honest and say I probably wouldn't, I'll definitely use it up but for the price I really want something with a much better texture, and obviously a more flattering colour. Unfortunately this lipstick shade is no longer available but Alva lipsticks are still available on the My Pure website. If you have questions please leave me a comment x

*Sample

Looking Forward On LouLouLand

Hello My Loves
Welcome to another week, I just thought I'd do a little post telling you what's coming up on LouLouLand over the next few weeks. I mentioned in my November Summary that I had a lot of reviews to do in December but what I didn't mention was that my reviews are going to have a little theme. You can expect to see some reviews on some essentials for the party season, some reviews on essentials for the winter months, and of course some reviews on some of the best budget gift ideas for others and for yourselves ;) I've also got a few posts coming up on how to change your nail polishes for nights out, and lots of pretty nail colours for you to look at. I'll still be doing the odd post in between but this lot should keep me busy over the next few weeks, and of course there is the annual LouLouLand Christmas giveaway which will be going live on 12th December, I have two lovely prizes for you people to win so don't forget to check back and follow my blog if you haven't already. Until then stay nice and cosy, it is freezing today! and what was with those snow showers yesterday and the scene I woke up to this morning, brrr winter seems to be here at last, yeah so get yourself a nice warm cuppa and I'll see you later today with a make up review xx

The Rest Of November's Haulage

Hey lovelys
I mentioned in my monthly summary post that I was waiting for a few parcels, and things that I'd ordered in November, everything is just about here now so I thought I'd show you what I got :)
First up a something from the lovely Lottie's blog sale - check her out if you haven't already, her blog sales are the best :)

Benefit Cha Cha Tint - along the same lines as Benetint and Posey Tint, this is in a lovely peach / mango colour, I wasn't sure at first but Mummy Lou tried it and it looked so nice on her :) I also got a gorgeous turquoise ring but it was a bit too big so I've passed it on to someone who will get more use out of it x Thanks Lottie xx

Next up Avon, I've got into this brand again in a big way - well it helps when your next door neighbour is an Avon rep :) The thing I'm loving at the moment from Avon is nail polish

From the Nailwear Pro line, this one is called Sequined Turquoise, I think I already have something similar but it is gorgeous, so sparkly and glittery

Apart from a little something for my Christmas giveaway I also got on of these

Yes I know it looks like some sort of dead creature but it is in fact a fake hair piece, I've been eyeing up similar ones from Ken Paves on QVC but the prices put me off, this was only £3.99 so it was worth the gamble.

Next a little something from ebay -Yes it's another shrug / kimono / bolero thing, this time in mocha and orange.

This is exactly the same as the first one I got from BooHoo apart from the colour and the fact that the BooHoo tag is replaced with a one from a brand called Evita, and guess what it was cheaper too!!

Next up a little QVC purchase and something I'd been after long, long time - the famous L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

Now you now me I hate the smell of marzipan, even the thought of Lush Snowcake has me running for the hills!! L'Occitane Sweet Almond Liquid Soap is even a step too far for me, so I'd always been put off trying this, but 4 easy pays, and free delivery meant it was hard to refuse. The smell is actually nothing like marzipan, it had a fresh, almost fruity fragrance and I can't wait to give it a go, I'm going to do a full review of it on my blog for you, such is the hype surrounding it.

Next up a few nail things, from Viva La Nails, they had a pretty good Black Friday offer so I took advantage, and got a few things for pressies and a few bits for me :), well it would have been wrong not to ;) - First up some of their nail wraps

Nail wraps are huge at the minute aren't they with new types coming on to the market all the time, but these ones from Viva La Nails are a bit different, there actually water decals. You soak them in water than apply them to the nails. I can't wait to give these a go, I've got a huge post planned looking at and reviewing a lot of the different types of nail wraps on the market, including Nail Rocks, Myleene Klass, Incoco, and of course these ones, so keep an eye out for that at the start of 2012 :)

I also got some super cute flower nail stickers, which you can hopefully see more of in the next week or so in my Changing Your Nail Polish post on Nail Stickers, apologies that this is going to be up a bit later than I planned but I've had some serious nail snappage over the last week or so :( Oh and the little pointy thing is a dotting tool, which you can also use to help pick up gemstones and the like, this will be really useful for the rest of the posts in the series, hint, hint ;)


I also started the process of purchasing a few things in November including my Sigma flat definer brush which hasn't came yet , and this

Yes I got the Chanel BuyAPowa deal -  the smokey eye quad, it's so beautifully wrapped, that I can't bear to open at the moment so I'm going to stick it under the Christmas tree, with a tag that reads To Louise, From Your Evil Alter Ego, LouLou - fitting me thinks :)
So that was the remnants of a very naughty November, has December started in the same vein or have I been a good girl, well I'm already drafting another haul post so make your own minds up ;) Any questions please leave me a comment x

Nails Of The Day - Silver Bells or Foil Or Fail?

Since it's now December I thought I'd try and get into the festive spirit with a very blingy nails of the day.

Recently released as part of the Barry M Nail Effects line NP319 is one of the foil shades. I love silver nail polish, but it's a hard one to get right. Barry M claim you can achieve a foil effect finish in just one coat but the brush marks were so obvious that I added a second one on most of my nails

This is one of the best silvers I've tried especially from a distance but close up the brush marks are still too obvious for it to be the one. Is it even possible to create a metallic polish without visible brushstrokes, I live in hope x

Goodies From Zalando

I don't know if you read my post last week on my Zalando wishlist, well the lovely people at Zalando kindly sent me a £30 gift voucher to use on the site. You probably saw my pretty extensive wishlist so it was no surprise that it took my a good hour or so to decided what I wanted. In the end I ordered something from my original wishlist

I ordered the Vero Moda Rosanne Vest in the pink colour. It's in a gorgeous deep raspberry pink cotton with a gorgeous pink chiffon and fabric ribbon rosette / corsage - not overtly seasonal but I tend to wear vests all year round, so I know I'll get a lot of use of it, so much so in fact that....

Yes, I got it in the beige as well, this is a lovely nude beige, I love neutral tops like these, and I think they are great value at £14.00 each

I also added a couple of other things to my basket for Christmas pressies which I paid for but for the final part of my voucher and a little extra I bought this

Sweet, isn't it - I'm a huge Hello Kitty fan and I saw these cute little shower gels after I'd posted my wishlist. I got the Peach & Mandarin, and it smells amazing, these aren't the cheapest at £3.95 for 100ml but they contains lots of good things for the skin including camomile and olive oil, and they contain no parabens, no SLS, no SLES and no paraffin. There are a few different sweet and fruity fragrances to choose from but I'm really pleased with this one it smells yum!

I'd just like to say a huge thank you again to Zalando, for the voucher, my experience with Zalando has been great from start to finish and I would definitely recommend them even if I hadn't been sent a voucher x Any questions please let me know xx

Naughty In November ?

Well November's been a funny month hasn't it, the weather has been distinctively mild compared to last year, and Christmas seems to have started even earlier than ever, there is a house near my that have had their decorations up for nearly 3 weeks! eek!

It's been a funny month in LouLouLand too, I started the month feeling a little under the weather financially but within a day or so of the month starting, a slightly unexpected windfall,and continuing good ebay sales meant that I've had a bit of a spare cash so guess what? yes I was a naughty Lou, and I've spent quite a bit of money this month and as a result I've probably gone way over this months spends eek.

I have a little haul post to go up next week of stuff that I've bought and received over the last week and a bit (L'Occitane, Avon, Viva La Nails, ebay, blog sale!, and Chanel!!!!) but in December I promise I really am going to try harder, as you read this I'm probably wandering around the Metro Centre which probably isn't going to give me the best of starts, but I'm going to be honest and detail all my spends in December for you no matter how far I go over my limit. Call it my penance for going so far over my limit ;)

I have to admit Trimming My Stash this month has also been a bit of a struggle, I've a few things hanging around, including a few make items, and a few bath and face products but they seem to be going on for ever! I only managed to finish 9 items in November

A'kin Jasmine Body Wash 225ml

SBC Jasmine and Evening Primrose Creme Shower Gel 250ml
L'Occitane Acacia Flower Hand and Body Cleansing Mousse 250ml
Ecover Lavender and Aloe Vera Shower Gel 250ml
Philosophy Spicy Pear Cobbler 3 in 1 Shampoo Shower Gel and Bubble Bath 473.1 ml
Anatomicals Not Another Rough Day Please Body Moisturiser 200ml
The Body Shop Passion Fruit Cleansing Gel 250ml
Lovea Guava Toning Body Wash 200ml
Elemis Lime and Ginger Salt Glow 150g

It's not bad I guess but I would have liked to done a bit better, so in December I will be trying really hard!

Well what else can you expect from LouLouLand in December? well reviews and lots of them, in December you can expect reviews of everything from underwear, to energy boosters, to fake tan and hand cream. I'll also be reviewing a few things which I think will make great Christmas gifts :) I've also got December nailed and I'm planning lots of sparkly nails of the days, a couple of updates to my changing you nail polish, and a nail polish collection post focusing on drumroll MAC! I've also got a few end of the year summary posts coming up for you, a festive recipe and of course the annual LouLouLand Christmas giveaway. Added to more ebay listings, Christmas shopping and wrapping, tidying and seeing friends and family I have a jam packed month ahead, but do you know what I love December and I love Christmas. Thanks to all of you guys for your comments and support during November and I hope you'll stick around in December xx