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Tuesday 31 July 2012

Shabby Chic Summer Treats


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Give me a wooden dresser and I'll sand and distress it, give me a pretty glass plate and I'll fill it with candles, drop me off at a craft fair and I'm in heaven. I am a through and through shabby chic addict. 

I adore 'prettying' things up and just taking ordinary objects and making them quaint. You might call it twee, but it floats my boat and lights my fire. Oh yeah. 


I thought I would share a cute little idea with you that I have been doing a lot lately. Also, it's free- what more could you want?

On summer patio evenings, rather than drinking out of regular glasses, I have been saving little glass jars from jams and sauces, thoroughly washing them, adding cute straws (I bought mine HERE), fruity cocktail sticks, ice and voila!

It's not a big deal, but it's fun, free and makes us smile. These are also great if you have little ones coming over as they seem to think it very novel indeed to have a drink out of a jam jar. I'm totally with them on that one, haha.

Does this little idea tickle your pickle?

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top! 

Monday 30 July 2012

Amazing Advertisers :: August


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

This month has flown by hasn't it?! It's time for Amazing Advertisers again, which is your opportunity to get to know the lovely ladies that have been nestled in the left hand side bar this month.

If you would like to advertise on Sprinkle of Glitter in August, look up to the tabs under my header, and 'Sponsor' has all my advertising packages within it.
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(Image :: Weheartit.com)


Be warned - this blog will make you want to shop. Big style. Shelley's blog is fresh, easy to navigate, well written, with great photographs and with well laid out posts. It is literally everything I look for in a blog and I love it. I just sat reading her Topshop Personal Shopper post and now want to book myself an appointment. She makes me want to do things. Ooer.


Confessions of a Secret Shopper

Louise (oh hello name twin) has been my Ultimate Advertiser this month and so you may well have seen her link at the bottom of posts. Like me, Louise is a Mummy obsessed with all things beauty and girlie and her blog is a place for her to share this passion. If you like reviews, tags, giveaways and the odd blog sale here and there, you'll like this blog.


Briar Rose Beauty

Jess is one of those people that is kind through and through. Always there to offer a supportive tweet or encouraging words in an email, she is a gem. Not only is she an all round good egg, her blog is right up my alley. With beauty, fashion, funnies and mummy posts, there is always something interesting to see. Jess is also on Pinterest and has some of the best boards I've seen. Re-pin-tastic! Haha.




A Thrifty Mrs

Mrs Thrifty is my chummy. She is the best of eggs and if you don't love her then you must have a heart of lead (feeling a bit stern there). Her posts are easy to read, informative and guess what?.....thrifty. If this lady doesn't save you some money somewhere, I'll eat my frugal charity shop hat (or borrow one of hers!). Not only is she a cracking gal with a great blog, she offers advertising slots like me, so if you were looking for a bit more exposure, give her a bell. Or just email her. It's not 1997 after all.
PS- Her post on penny pinching glitter polish excited me. Fact.


Prairie Charms

This little accessory shop is simply charming (ooohh see what I did there?). If you like whimsical little bracelets and quirky floral brooches, this may just be the place for you. The shop is clean, fresh and well laid out so if you are looking to treat yourself or have a friend's birthday coming up, check it out. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a giveaway from here very soon!




Obsessive Compulsive Beauty

Sarah is, like many of us, a style and beauty enthusiast. Her blog posts feature her favourite cosmetic finds as well as great fashion combos that I might never have thought of (pencil skirt with a leather jacket for example). I have really liked her latest posts on jeans and found her article explaining the differences in cuts very helpful. No more fitting room tears for me!


The Beauty of Louise

Before we even get onto content, I must just say, I LOVE the colour scheme of this blog! Louise's beauty posts are well written, clearly laid out, interesting and frankly, make me want to buy things- naughty lady! I have also noticed that Louise is now offering advertising slots (only 10 so fairly exclusive) to her fellow bloggers for only £4 per month- bargain!!


Monday Night Fashion

Ooooh this blog is the perfect blend of beauty, fashion, interiors and quaint places to visit. The pictures are large and clear, the writing succinct and there is all round just a lovely tone and feel to Monday Night Fashion. If you're after what I would call a 'relaxing' read, this is your blog. Also, I now what to pop round for dinner and try some of those deserts! Yum!


Musha-Moi

Charlotte's blog is a little unlike your average beauty/fashion blog and as she will tell you herself in the 'About' section of her site, it is a great place for her to find the daily structure she craves whilst living with depression. Depression is a very real illness for a great many people and I think it is commendable that Charlotte has been so open and enlightening about her life. Also, she lives above a bakery and has a pet hedgehog- that sounds like my kinda location! 


Wonderful You

Meg, is fast becoming my new favourite blogger. Not only is her blog a visual feast for the eyes, she has giveaways (there is one day left on hers so hurry hurry over), great reviews AND when my chummy Zoe was feeling very grim a couple of weeks ago, Meg did the most thoughtful and kindhearted thing for her. Anything that makes ZoeChummy smile in her time of blueness makes me smile so I think Meg deserves a great big pat on the back. :)


Macgalore

If you like fashion, OOTD's, style and How To's, then you'll like this blog! If blogs aren't your thing but you still like those topics, panic ye not as there Miss MacGalore also has a YouTube channel linked so you can indulge in many a different technology fashion. I have really enjoyed the 'How To Wear Neon' post, as this is a trend I love but struggle to pull off without looking a little nutto! Yay for the Macgalore flavoured help!


Aspirations of Glam

Liz makes me want to buy things. She is an ultra enabler and my purse hates her for it! I however, bloomin' well love it. If a blog can get me hyped up about a product, then it's a goodun! I love her beauty posts and think her photographs are beautiful. I also rather enjoyed her backcombing photos and may have had a little chuckle at them- in a good way of course. Don't ask any more questions, just go and check her out please. Thank you!


Live Love Laugh

Sasha's blog is what I would call a Lifestyle blog. Hurrah!! I do love beauty and style posts, but there is something really soothing and intriguing about reading through other people's day to day business and opinions on topics we all experience. If, like me, you are a closet curtain twitcher, this blog will appeal to you. I also enjoy the fact that Sasha full on got in her shopping trolley in the middle of Morrisons. I shall say no more...


I Am Fabulicious

I Am Fabulicious is a girlie girls haven. Filled with regular beauty posts, up to date industry developments and celeb gossip, this is a blog not to be missed. I really love that everything is clearly laid out (it's things like that that set apart the good from the great if you ask me) and that the images are large and crisp. A jolly good slice of the web indeed. 


How does it feel to...

Love this blog? Great! (See what I did there?). This blog is like a pick and mixed of incredibly well written, through provoking pieces of writing. It isn't a beauty or style blog, but a little online feast for the mind. I urge you to go and click on one of the enticing squares and not want to read another. Go wild and give it a whirl.


Fragmented Splendour

Ooohhh puuurddddyyyyy. That's the first thing I think when I look at this shop of gorgeousness. If you like delicate accessories with natural gems and stones and fossils, go and look right this minute. Prices are amazing for these pieces and I think they would make amazing gifts too. Also, I know who I'd rather support out of big corporations or independent businesses. How about you?


Ahhhhh, so there you have it, my lovely Amazing Advertisers of this month.

Have you found any new favourites?

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top! 

Friday 27 July 2012

Live Facebooking || London 2012 Olympics


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I am all of a buzz and dither! I'm sat watching the Opening Ceremony for the London Olympics and in my opinion, it's AMAZING!

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(Image :: weheartit)

I absolutely LOVE things like this. I feel like the whole world celebrates together. With this unity and community in mind, I have been (and still am) 'live facebooking'. This means is that I am updating my wall/timeline in sync with the ceremony, giving thoughts, praise, questions etc and then all of the Sprinklerino facebook community are joining in and in turn, giving their thoughts, praise and ideas. It really is great fun and I'm loving interacting with you all.

If you would like to join us, THIS is my Facebook Page and you can see everything we have all discussed, from light up beds to the Queen's little wry smile, it's a lovely atmosphere over here!

So what are you waiting for? Come and join the sparkly party!

Toodlepip!

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top!

Thursday 26 July 2012

Interactive! 7 Things for 7 Days || July

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

W.O.W! When I started this last month, just saying, 'hey, wanna join me in a bit of self motivation?', I thought a handful of keen beans who love lists as much as I do would. I was not expecting over a hundred of you to write your own blog posts!!! WOOAAAHHH!

So firstly, Yay Us! Yay for our happy little community, where we offer support and warmth and goodness and together, achieve our targets. I think this goes to show that the internet is not only great for shopping, facebook and youtube, but a fantastic way to connect safely with like minded people and work together towards a common goal, which in this case, was little things to make us happy. I feel very uplifted by it all I must say. Oh, and for the lady who said she wanted to get a dozen penguins- you sound amazing! ;)

I'll start by sharing all the blog links to those who took part and then I'll tell you what I aim to achieve in the next 7 days. I always aim to do mine in 7 days, but only update once a month, otherwise this blog would become slightly listy and boring! haha!


Who Took Part?


NB: If you joined in but you didn't clearly say you have done so and leave a link on June's interactive post, then please don't be cross if your link is not here. If you had put 'I'm going to join in', I took that as you hadn't yet written your post and so did not accept that link. If you put 'I've joined in and here is my link' then that was clear as day and made me smile. Also, thank you if you additionally tweeted me  your link, I RT'd as many as I could. Yay!


As you can see, that was a lorra lorra linking for me! Blogger is playing silly beggars and is not letting me change colours, so it looks a little messy, sorry about that. 

Next month I have a lot of plans and as Matt is off work for his jolly holidays, I have high hopes that I can achieve them. I'll keep this short seeing as there are so many links for you to look through.

In August I will ::

Film :: I have so many videos that I want to film, edit and upload so I'm rarring to go on the YouTube front.

Review :: A good problem to have but I have quite a backlog of products I would like to talk about, so I'm going to make a concerted effort to do it.

Eat Healthily :: This is fairly obvious. Just eat more fruit and veg and whatnot.

Decorate :: Our dining room is currently being converted into my office/studio area so I'm really enjoying the interior design process and looking forward to getting it all sorted. 

Enjoy :: It's Summer! I'm not one for hot temperatures, but I do like sunshine, so I plan on spending more time in it with Baby Glitter and Matt.

Display :: I a crazy amount of photographs both on my phone and on my big camera and I'm just now starting to have the images developed. I now need to find fun and frugal ways to display them all. 

Hunt :: For bargains! I'm in the mood for carboot sales and charity shops. OOooooh yyeeaaahhh.

I'd love to hear what your goals are for next month, so feel free to make your own blog posts (you are welcome to use the image above but please link it back to me) and let me know in the comments! 

I'm looking forward to another month of this wonderful community and support. 

Are you in?

Toodlepip!

xx

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Curvy OOTD || High Waisted Summers


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I was in London last week for a party (oh my how swish do I sound?) but also for a few things during the day, so I had to find an outfit that could work for both sorts of occasions and let me tell you, it was a struggle! I wanted something comfortable, not too hot, not too cold, casual, dressy, with laser guns and matching utility belt. Ok, maybe not the last two, but you get the jist.

So here is what I opted for:


I'm afraid my patio isn't large enough for my camerman to take a full length shot and we don't live in a glam location, so this is the best I could get. If this aggrieves you immensely, I am open to offers of new larger houses ;). 


Clothes

Denim Jacket :: Primark
Black Lace Camisole :: H&M
Floral High Waisted Skirt :: Dorothy Perkins (in last years sale for £3! Woop woop!)


Accessories

Faux Pearl Earrings :: Primark
Gold Glitter Belt :: New Look
Amber Ring :: 16th Birthday Present
Coral Scallop Heels :: New Look
Amber Bracelets :: Oasis

I also branched out an opted for a sixties side pony and orange lips. How retro of me!

I really enjoyed this outfit and have worn it a couple of times since, I think it will be a firm favourite!

If you would like to see what I got up to that day, I have embedded the vlog below. Look carefully and you may well see some familiar faces!


Do you ever find something that you love so much that you want to wear it every day?

Toodlepip!!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top!

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Bargain Bunting Bracelet


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I don't know about you, but I find great satisfaction in buying something I love. However, I find even greater satisfaction in buying something I love that is also a total and utter snip!

Bunting Bracelet



This bargain bracelet was from ebay and I bloomin' well love it! I have been wearing it a lot this summer and since I have had so many people ask me where it's from and then be shocked when I said, 'Ebay for £2.39 with free postage', I thought I'd show it off on here.

It is quite literally 'cheap as chips' but I doesn't feel tacky. It's metal with an enamel type coating on the bunting triangles and has a nice weighty feel to it. 

Since it was so affordable, I actually ordered a few more to use as stocking fillers (yes, I'm spreading the cost and will feel oh-so-smug come December) this Christmas.

If you have read this blog from the start and seen my many and various DIY and craft projects, you'll know I'm a big lover of bunting, so this is right up my street!!

What do you think? A good deal indeed?

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top!

Saturday 21 July 2012

15,000 Follower Giveaway!


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Woah, wowee and hiphiphooraaayyy my blog has reached 15,000 followers on GFC!!!! 

This is a big deal for me and as ever with these sorts of landmark posts, I want to THANK all of you. I know it sounds really cliche and insincere, but really, thank you. You all provide so much love, positivity and support in my life and I know it wouldn't be as sparkly a place without you. 



I wanted to do something as a fun treat and luckily for us those crazy kids at Glossy Box have come up trumps and offered you the chance to win a 3 month subscription to them!

15, 000 Follower Giveaway


To enter :

Follow this blog on GFC (look right and up if you can't see where to do this)
Follow @GlossyBoxUK on Twitter

For an extra entry (so doubling your chances of winning!) :

Tweet : " I just entered @Sprinkleofglitr 's 15,000 Blog Follower Celebration Giveaway!!! Have you entered yet?! http://sprinkleofglitter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/15000-follower-giveaway.html xxx " (feel free to just copy and paste that).

Simples.

This giveaway will end in one month, on the 21st of August. I will announce the winner on Saturday the 25th of August, to give me a little time to check entries and suchlike. 

This giveaway is only open to the UK (please don't be cross at me, but if you live overseas, there is something exciting coming for you soon on my YouTube channel. Hurrah!

Please be sure to leave a comment on this post letting me know how many entries you would like and please don't be a minx and lie. I would hate for your pants to catch fire (Do you remember 'Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!'?).

Thank you a billion for being part of this sparkly community and filling my life with glitter.

Toodlepip!!

xx

PS

You may have noticed I have been blogging twice daily for over a month now and so will be taking a couple of days off to spend with Baby Glitter and because I thought my eyeballs might turn square if I'm not careful. I'll still be uploading videos and tweeting my socks off though. :)

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top! 

Friday 20 July 2012

Being Happy


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I uploaded my most recent video, Being Happy, yesterday and have been bowled over by the response. 

I had thought it might be quite nice to make a video with a few tips and tricks on how to be a bit more cheery and see the good in your life and would never have described it as 'inspiring' or anything of that ilk but once again, you Sprinklerinos have made my day. I have had sooo many comments, emails, tweets and texts saying you really enjoyed it and that you were going to take some of it on board that I felt I wanted to share it here. 


You may have already seen it or maybe prefer to just stick to reading blogs, and that's OK too. I'm easy like Sunday Morning.

If you have any little tips and tricks to being happy, leave them in the comments on this blog post and we can all enjoy them and maybe be a little happier for it.

Happypip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top! 

LOTD || Fact or Quote #4

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

The challenge today is to share either in interesting fact or an inspiring quote and spread knowledge and cheer to all.

Friday will always be : Fact or Quote


 
Another Pinterest one today (no change there then). 

Eyes closed 
It's nothing incredibly profound but it made me smile and gives you a bit of a warm fuzzy. Also, it sort of makes me want to give Matt a bit of a closed eye smooch, haha. 
 
I love little quips like this because they make me appreciate the little things and love life that little bit more. I think we could all do with a little more life love. 

If you would like to join in, simply copy and paste the image above (please link this blog with it), find your favourite fact or quote and share it with the world. Feel free to let us know in the comments if you have done this and we can all mooch about together!

Do you have any good quotes like this?

Toodlepip!

xx
 
This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top! 

Thursday 19 July 2012

Lou's Reviews || Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I spend a lot of time on my nails. Too long really. I actually pondered out loud in the car today to a captive Matt, 'I wonder how many minutes of my life have been spent painting my nails?'. I don't think he was too interested, but I am, haha. Guesses on the back of a postcard!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat



So this is the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat. How much do you enjoy the translucent red bottle? It reminds of the kind of makeup packaging they had in the 80's and this, for some reason, makes me smile. 

It's a fairly simple product. You apply it to freshly painted nails, it speedens the drying process, provides a protect shield against chipping and adds an extra layer of gloss. 

I have been using the for a few weeks (I used to use a China Glaze top coat or go without) and I really have noticed a difference. My nail polish stays put a lot longer (like 2-3 days) and my manicures do look a lot more sheeny shiny, which is something I really love. I can't say my nail polish dries a great deal quicker, but I like to do my nails when the baby is in bed and I have a little 'me time', so I'm happy to sit still and be quiet for ten minutes- it's peaceful. 

For £5.99 this little guy won't break the bank and if you were looking for a new top coat or a product to make you nails look that little bit better, I would happily recommend it. 

Not a very in depth review I know, bit let's face it, it's a shiny see-through thing you wipe on the end of your digits, not the hadron collider ;).

Do you use a top coat or are you a paint 'n' go kind of a gal?

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top!

LOTD || Ebay #4

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Today's LOTD challenge is to find a fun/affordable/crazy/brilliant item on ebay and share it with us. I'm a big ebay fan and have spent many a paypal penny (paypal feels like pretend money and so the guilt is less hahaha) on there. I know a lot of other bloggers who heart it as much as me, so hopefully Thursday will be a fun day all round. 

Thursday will always be : Ebay.


This week I have found a crafty item - A DIY Owl Cushion Kit. Twittwoooo!

I know a lot of you are craftiliscious, so thought this would float your boat.

If you would like to join in, simply copy and paste the image above (please link this blog with it), find your favourite ebay item of the day and share it with the world. Feel free to let us know in the comments if you have done this and we can all mooch about together!

Do find sewing theraputic?

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top! 

Wednesday 18 July 2012

OOTD || Girlie Cocktails


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

As I mentioned last week, I had Saturday and Sunday family free whilst Matt and Baby Glitter spent some time with family in Liverpool.

Naturally I made the most of this and arranged to paint the town pink with my chum Nicki and she kindly took some snaps of my outfit so I could show you all.


Pink Dress :: New Look
Mint Cardigan :: New Look
Black Studded Shoes :: New Look
Mint Handbag :: Primark
Moonstone Ring :: Primark
Charm Bracelet :: Accessorize
Gold Belt :: Next

I am absolutely in love with candy colours at the moment, so this pink and mint outfit made me feel great. 

I will be doing a FOTD post soon so do keep your eyes peeled.

Are you enjoying the pastel trends?

Toodlepip!

xx


This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top! 

LOTD || Books #4

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Today's LOTD is slightly nerdy- books! I am a self confessed bookworm so I thought it might be nice to bring that into blogland a bit. Wednesday's LOTD can either be a book you have read and enjoyed or a book you plan to/would like to read.

Wednesday will always be : Books.


Today's book will definitely not be to everyone's taste as I suppose it is a 'religious' book, although that's not how I viewed it when I picked it up after a friend told me she read the whole thing in 3 days. 

'Heaven is for real' is the true account of a little boy who whilst in theatre, died, experienced heaven and was then resuscitated by doctors. You might well think the notion of this is a load of old rubbish, but as a believe in God and heaven myself, I found it both fascinating and comforting. 

I won't go on about it too much because I would hate to thrust my beliefs upon you but I thought it was a BRILLIANT read. I read the whole book in one night, found it easy to digest and have since lent it to several other people who also loved it.



Here is a snazzy little widget to take you straight to the book on Amazon, where you can find out more about it. If you don't like Amazon, it is stocked in lots of other places so do feel free to have a look around. 

If you would like to join in, simply copy and paste the image above (please link this blog with it), find your favourite book and share it with the world. Feel free to let us know in the comments if you have done this and we can all mooch about together!

Do you believe in heaven?  
(I realise that is a big question, of which we may all have different views and ask that we respect one an other in the comments x)

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top!

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Lush Favourites


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I am hands down, a HUGE Lush fan! I think I can confidently say I have tried out at least 90% of the shop and love the products, the company ethos and the friendly staff.


Last week I made a YouTube video featuring some of my favourite Lush products and I thought I would share it here too, incase you're not a tubey-you kind of a gal (or guy).


If you would like any individual reviews on the products in the video/image above, do let me know and I will aim to please.

What's your FAVOURITE Lush product?

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top!

LOTD || Blog Post #4

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Tuesday's LOTD is 'Blog Post'. This means you are to share a blog post that you have read and enjoyed/felt inspired by/learnt from/all that good stuff. You can choose one of your own or someone elses, from any time, on any subject. This is an opportunity to share the love.

Tuesday will always be : Blog Post.


I don't know about you, but sometimes I sit for hours just flicking through people's blog posts and watching YouTube videos. One such person I have been flicking through (that sounds kinky and weird) is Lily from What I Heart Today. A blog post of hers that I have LOVED recently was THIS ONE showcasing her Essie nail polishes. 

I am a HUGE fan of Essie polish so seeing all her lovely colours made me VERY tempted to go shopping. Mmmmmm pastels! She's such an enabler dagnamit! If you haven't already subscribed and followed Lily, then you are silly. And I am a poet.....and I did not know it. Tehehe what's gotten into me today??

If you would like to join in, simply copy and paste the image above (please link this blog with it), find your favourite blog post and share it with the world. Feel free to let us know in the comments if you have done this and we can all mooch about together!

Have you ever found anything amazing in a charity shop?
Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top! 

Monday 16 July 2012

Lou's Reviews || YSL Shocking Mascara


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Whilst in town last week with Baby Glitter, I accidentally fell into House of Fraiser, fell into the YSL counter and then my credit card fell into the payment machine and a brand new mascara fell into my bag. Obviously, I am on a spending ban, so am absolutely not to blame for any of this. 

Since I now have it (against my will of course), I thought I would review it. Oopsie. 

YSL Mascara | Shocking | Deep Black



So here we have my accidental purchase. An accidental spend of £23.00 to be precise, but after trying this for a few days, I have no regrets at all.

I'm a sucker for the way things look and it's clear to see that the packaging for this product is luxurious- gold tube with embossed logo and sheeny shiny golden box to make it feel extra special. I know it's only card and plastic but I honestly feel a little bit excited when I pull this out of my makeup bag. It just looks special.



The wand has short plastic bristles of varying lengths. I get on really well with plastic wands and am happy to spend a bit of extra time applying. This is definitely not a 'wizz through and go' kind of product, you have to give it due care and attention. A luxury product deserves luxury care.

(Sadly I'm not a fresh faced 19 year old anymore so I have laughter lines and Mummyhood doesn't lend well to plenty of sleep so yes, there are little veins. I feel quite self conscious about this but figured the best way to give a full review of a mascara was on my peepers, so there we are, wrinkles and all!)

After using this mascara, I was IMPRESSED. It really gave so much length to my lashes and made me feel very doll like. I would go as far as to say this product has made my lashes the longest they have ever been without the aid of falsies.

The mascara lasted all day AND all night without smudging, flaking or generally misbehaving. The only tiny problem I have with it was that it made my lashes feel a little crispy, but with that much lengthening and staying power, I can overlook that for sure!

I know £23 is a lot of money to pay when the high street offers a plethora of alternatives, but if you are looking to treat yourself, this is your answer.

Have you tried this mascara? Does it entice you?

Toodlepip!

xx

LOTD || Clothes #4

Aloha Sprinklerinos,


Happy Monday! Last weeks LOTD series was a HIT! I'm so pleased that so many of you liked it, joined in and found some new blogs through it. 

As you know, Monday will always be clothes.

Ooohhhh today I am lusting after THIS SKIRT from Dorothy Perkins. In summer (if you can call this monsoon a summer) I love pastels, aquas and whites so this ticks all my boxes colour-wise. I am also a big fan of dipped hems as I find them quite flattering and pleats are just floaty and girlie. Yep, basically, I need this skirt in my life and seeing as I am off to town in about an hour, I may pop in and try it on! Yipee!

If you would like to join in, simply copy and paste the image above (please link this blog with it), find your favourite clothing item of the day and share it with the world. Feel free to let us know in the comments if you have done this and we can all mooch about together!

*A Little Edit : For those of you who have asked/who are on twitter, the hashtag for this feature will be #LOTD. That way we can all see who's posted and spend way too much money! haha* 

What do you think of dipped hems?

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top!

Sunday 15 July 2012

Love Your Library


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

It won't be news to you that I am a big fan of books. I'm not a literary genius that can recite reams and reams of Shakespeare, but I have read an awful lot of chicklit, home, style and craft books and enjoy sharing them with you. 

The gripe I have with books is the price. I begrudge paying a lot of money for something that I will seldom read more than once and may not even like. The answer to this is Public Libraries.


Before I had Baby Glitter and I worked in an office, I used to visit my local library quite regularly because it was right by my workplace. Then, when I became an at home Mummy, life lost it's routine a bit and I didn't feel like shlepping off to a library was convenient. 

Well, I was wrong. It turns out, my local library is literally at ten minute stroll away! I only discovered this last month when I made the effort to take Baby Glitter out on a walk and was shocked at how close it actually is - I felt almost silly for not knowing.

We now go weekly and absolutely love it. It is completely free to join the library and all you have to do is walk in, go to the desk and tell them you'd like to sign up. You fill out a pretty basic form, take the card they give you and voila- it's book time!


I wanted to write this post because going to the library with Baby Glitter has become one of my happy things and this blog is a place to share and document those.

Great Things About the Library ::

Borrow :: You can take up to 8 books out for free, for up to 3 weeks. Seeing as Baby Glitter has her own card, we can leave with up to 16 and I'm glad her pram has a big basket to carry them all!

Not feel Pressured :: Knowing that borrowing is free, I don't feel stressed about what I take out. Usually I will take quite a selection and may only read 1-2, but that's alright, I haven't just had to shell out £80 like I would have in a shop. 

Be calm :: Libraries are quiet, tranquil places and I happen to really enjoy the peace of them and feel very relaxed and soothed there.

Create :: Our library has a big table with tubs of wax crayons, pencils, felt tips and paper for children. Baby Glitter is just learning to hold these sorts of things and has already created a few masterpieces. You don't have to ask to use these things, they are just always out. Once I came to the library and saw a bunch of old ladies making quilts, which I thought was a cute little group too. 

Surf :: I'm not sure if you have to pay a small fee or not, but there is a sizable bank of computers and desks, should you want to use the internet or write a document etc. I haven't looked into this but I would imagine there are also printers and a photocopier but expect you would have to contribute toward using these. 

Shop :: In most libraries there are often 'sale rails' where you can buy old books for incredibly low prices.

Read :: I know this is an obvious one, but you don't actually have to leave the building with books. Quite often I will sit in the children's corner and read Baby Glitter stories and then put the books back.

Socialise :: I take Baby Glitter to a 'Rhyme Time' group (for free) where she learns songs and actions with other tots and all of the Mum's sit round the edge and rather awkwardly join in. It's really great for little ones and the musical instruments they are given to play with are very stimulating. At the end, they are given stickers and you have a chance to chat with other Mother's/Carer's. 

Those are just a few of the things we do at our library but you can also borrow DVD's, Videos and CD's. I also saw a poster last week asking for young people (I think 13-19) to volunteer during the summer. I'm going to encourage my sister to do this as it will look good on her CV and be beneficial to any further education applications.

Did you know there was so much to do at a library?

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top! 

LOTD || Etsy #3

 
Aloha Sprinklerinos,

It's no secret on this blog that I am a whopping great big fan on Etsy. For those that don't know, it is like a gigantic ebay but only for handmade or vintage items and it is quite simply, BEAUTIFUL. I saved the best LOTD til last. The idea is very simple- find a beautiful item for sale on etsy, and tell us so we can be equally impressed!

Sunday will always be : Esty.

 
Well, it's July and I'm just starting to think about Christmas time now. Normal? I doubt it. Organised? Yeah baby!
 
I recently had all my instagram pictures printed off onto little pieces of 2"x2" card and have been looking into new ways of displaying them (like this DIY Collage). I found THESE great little frames with loops that would allow you to thread ribbon through and intend to buy some to put my snaps in. I think they would make really cute customised Christmas tree decorations, lavish gift tags or even table place settings. I find it a little odd that you have to buy the glass separately, but they are pretty affordable and will make a really unique but easy craft project. Yay. 


If you would like to join in, simply copy and paste the image above (please link this blog with it), find your favourite etsy product and share it with the world. Feel free to let us know in the comments if you have done this and we can all mooch about together!

Are you thinking this far ahead?

Toodlepip!

xx


This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top!

Saturday 14 July 2012

Lou's Reviews || Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains


Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Another day, another review- I'm on a roll eh?!

I bought these Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains a few days ago from Superdrug for £5.99 each (an introductory offer as soon they will be £7.99) and already LOVE them. 

I was pleased as punch with the Revlon Lip Butters (I now own even more and will be featuring my new ones soon), so I had quite a lot of faith in Revlon bringing out another great lip product. 


I have heard many liken these nourishing little pencils of colour to the Clinique Chubby Sticks, but as I haven't tried them, I can't really compare. What I can say though is that I have tried other 'balm sticks' of a similiar ilk and never really got excited by them. This was either because they lacked pigmentation OR dried my lips.

Well, these are the opposite- hoo-ray. They have fabulous colour payoff (so much so that when I was on Skype to ZoeChummy and wearing 'Lovesick', she thought I was wearing one of my MAC Lipsticks) and leave my lips feeling soft and juicy and not at all flakey dry.

I'm not usually one for lip swatches because it's weird to see my own mouth in such detail (so please don't point and laugh), but I felt like 'mouth shots' would do this product a lot more justice than regular skin swipes. 

The staying power of these are great. This is probably where the 'stain' part comes in and I'm really happy about this. I had reservations that something so nourishing and hydrating would wear off very quickly. My Lip Butters are gorgeous but I do have to reapply fairly regularly, unlike these.

The packaging is just right for me and reflects the price point well. Not crazy flashy, but pretty and something I'm confident to pull out of my handbag. Also, you won't need to sharpen these, as you simply twist the silver bottom and more product twirls up.

There are 7 colours of these available in the UK (but more for our lucky American friends) and whilst I am in town tomorrow I may just pick up a couple more (so that spending ban went well!).

Do these Balm Stains entice you as much as they do me? Have my up close lips scared you off Sprinkle of Glitter?!

Toodlepip!

xx

LOTD || Video #3

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Woop woop, it's Saturday and I'm going out tonight whilst Matt and Darcy are enjoying some time with family in Liverpool. Yay!!

Since Saturday is a kick back and relax kind of a day, I thought it might be fun to have a video. The challenge is to find one video (I'll probably always pick from YouTube but you don't have to) that you like and share it. It can be about anything you like at all, we are free as birds. 

Saturday will always be : Video.


Today's video is WEIRD. I can't dress it up as anything other than odd but there is something really compelling about watching it to the end. ZoeChummy sent me the link the other night and I still can't decide if it's real or not but I'll leave it to you to make your own mind up.

I really am enjoying doing the Saturday LOTD because normally I would only ever pop on a beauty/lifestyle/baby video as that is what Sprinkle of Glitter is all about, but I feel like this gives me a little bit of free license- do you mind? Are you ok with random and weird or do you prefer the status quo? Be honest, I don't mind :)

If you would like to join in, simply copy and paste the image above (please link this blog with it), find your favourite video and share it with the world. Feel free to let us know in the comments if you have done this and we can all mooch about together!

Did you think the video was real?

Toodlepip!

xx

This month my Ultimate Advertiser is Confessions of a Secret Shopper. If you would like to know more about advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter, check out my 'Sponsor' page up at the top!
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