Get Summer Ready With Arbonne

Products used: Arbonne Make Up Primer // Arbonne Got You Covered Mineral Powder Foundation - Nude // Arbonne Blush - Dusty Rose // Arbonne Eyeshadow - Smoke // Arbonne Glossed Over Lipgloss - Linden // Benefit They're Real Mascara // Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil - Black 

I was recently given the opportunity to trial some products from the company, Arbonne. Whilst Arbonne was a brand I had heard of, I hadn't actually had the opportunity to try any of their products before. For some reason, I assumed they were solely a skincare brand and had no idea that they also have a wide range of cosmetics, hair, and bath and body products too.

The company was founded by Petter Mørck over 30 years ago and the idea was to develop botanically based products around the philosophy of pure and safe ingredients. All of their products are gluten free and vegan friendly and are free from animal products or by-products, benzene and synthetic dyes.

After a chat with my Independent Consultant, Charlotte, she was able to provide with me with several products to try that would best suit my skin tone and colouring and I spent most of the Bank Holiday Weekend playing with different looks.

The first thing I tried were the skincare items she provided me with. I used the Moisturizing Night Cream (£45) the night before which has an amazing mango smell. You only need to use a small amount to get a full coverage and it soaks well into the skin. The next morning I cleansed my face using the Hydrating Cleanser + Freshener (£21) with a muslin face cloth and moisturized using the Nurturing Day Lotion (£33) which as it contains fresh kiwi cells, smells fresh and has a cooling effect on the skin. 

The skincare items really made a fantastic base for my make up. The Make Up Primer (£27) came highly recommended and I was definitely not disappointed. I dispensed a pea sized amount from the pump and this was enough to cover my entire face, focusing specifically on the area that gives me the most trouble, which is just above my eyebrows. I usually suffer with dry skin here and my foundation usually looks a bit cakey in this area. 

The primer created a smooth surface which made a great base for the Got You Covered Mineral Powder Foundation (£30). I had never tried a powder based foundation before but I think I might be converted! As someone who doesn't wear a lot of make up day to day, I was able to build up the coverage gently using a buffing brush and achieve a shine free finish.

Blush wise, I was given two to test, Dusty Rose & Blossom (£21). Dusty Rose was my favourite and had a similar pigment to Nars Orgasm. All that was required was a gentle sweep across my cheekbones to just add a little pop of colour.

On my eyes I used the eye shadow, Smoke (£15). Like the name suggests it creates the perfect smokey eye look when teamed with other shades in the range, linen and vanilla. The shadows are highly pigmented and I didn't need to use an eyeshadow primer on my lids before application.

The final look was completed by adding some lip colour using the new Glossed Over Lip Glosses (£18). The two shades I tried were Linden and Mimosa which are both light pink shades. Normally I get frustrated with lip gloss as its just too sticky but these aren't sticky at all. 

Overall, I was really impressed with the quality of the products and was pleased I had the opportunity to try them. If you are in two minds about purchasing anything from Arbonne, I would definitely recommend the Make Up Primer. I know I will definitely be putting an order in soon for one of those! Make sure you contact Charlotte if you need any help or advice or a browse through one of their brochures.

Have you tried any products from Arbonne before?

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The Disney Series / 006 / Current Disney Wishlist

It's amazing how quickly I can compile a wishlist of Disney products. It's a good job that my "local" Disney Store is a 40 minute drive away otherwise my bank balance wouldn't be looking too healthy!

Disney have really been dishing out the new releases recently. I love it when it get's close to the school holidays as they usually coincide their releases with these times.

The first thing that caught my eye on the Disney Store website is this beautiful Finding Nemo Snow Globe. At £100 it's waaay out of my price range but I would love to add this to my collection. I currently only have The Little Mermaid snow globe, which I received as a birthday present from Bradley last year and I would love to add more.

I was gutted on the 5th May as I was hanging on online at 8am before I went to work to try and get my hands on the new Big Hero 6 and Little Mermaid collection tsum tsums but they realeased them at 830am and I was already on my way to work. By the time I got on my tea break they were completey sold out. If I could just get my hands on an Ariel or Baymax tsum I would be happy. I'm hoping I'll be able to pick them up in Florida.

I currently haven't heard of a UK release date for the Cinderella movie that came out this year but I know I will be purchasing it when it comes out. I desperately want to see it again.

Following on, on the movie theme, Big Hero 6 was released on Monday. It isn't payday for me until Friday so I'm popping to Tesco's on the way home from work to pick it up. I never got to see it in the cinema so I'm really looking forward to watching it.

Stitch is fast becoming one of my favourite characters, I have more plush merchandise of him than any other Disney character. When I heard they were releasing a alien stitch plush, I knew I had to add him to my wishlist. Hopefully my nearest Disney store will have him when I visit next.

Finally, how adorable is this Stitch USB stick? I saw it on Amazon and really want to get it! The best part is that is it only £5.81 for a 16GB stick!

What Disney products are you currently lusting over?

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Things To Do When You Have Little Or No Money...

I sometimes get really frustrated when I'm at home and feel like I have nothing to do. When you don't earn much or you're saving for something, being at home can sometimes feel a little bit boring. I've come up with a few ways that you can beat the boredom and not have to spend very much...

001 - Spring Clean

Not everyone's favourite I know, but there is something really refreshing about clearing out your wardrobe or under the bed, finding old memories or things you could even sell that you don't use anymore to make a few extra pennies.

002 - Go for a walk

I'm lucky enough to live close to the beach so when the weather is nice we can head down to the beach for a walk and look at the beautiful scenery, even if you don't live close to the beach you could find a local park to have a wander round.

003 -Search for new blogs or interesting articles to read

If going out isn't your thing, then you could always browse the internet for new blogs or interesting articles to read. I often find that I never really allocate any time in my day to sit down and look for new blogs.

004 - Draw

Who doesn't have a pen and paper in their house? I've recently rediscovered my love for sketching, I'm not particularly great at it, but I love finding "how to draw" tutorials on You Tube to draw and I find that sketching really relaxes me.

005 - Browse charity shops

Last weekend, Bradley and I went to a local town to have a nosey in some charity shops. I picked up a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle for £1.50 and it's kept me occupied for almost a week! We also found some brand new and sealed Star Wars top trumps (for holiday plane entertainment) but ended up having a go, before we knew it, an hour had passed!

006 - Attend a local free event

Last week was the Christchurch food festival, I love this event and try and attend every year. There are so many stalls selling food and most have free samples to try so you can fill yourself up and try new things. I tried some partridge and it was delicious! Browse your local newspaper to find out about free events near you. There tend to me more in the summer months because it better weather.

What do you do to pass the time?

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