1st Blog Birthday Giveaway – Lily Lolo Goodies

 

I can’t believe its been 1 year since I started blogging! Since then I have ranted, raved and reviewed about lots of different things, including my green beauty journey, my wedding plans and general lifestyle things.

On my green beauty journey the first thing I really looked at was my make-up. As I wear make-up everyday and I was experiencing many skin problems (dry skin & spots), I decided to focus on my face first. On asking for recommendation on good green beauty make up products, the one brand that was recommended to me the most was Lily Lolo.

The first Lily Lolo product I bought was French Flirt Lipstick and since then I have reviewed a few of Lily Lolo’s products, including the Eye Brow Duo and Angled Spoolie brush, which I use every day. I still have many more of their wonderful products to try, including their pressed eye shadow, so I am sure there will be more reviews to come…

WIN Lily Lolo Makeup Goodies

To celebrate my 1st blog birthday I am giving 1 lucky person the chance to win my favourite Lily Lolo goodies (Lily Lolo French Flirt Lipstick, Eye Brow Duo – Medium & Spoolie brush – prize value £23.47). The giveaway is open to UK & Ireland only (sorry this is due to postage reasons) and ends 4th January (my actual birthday) at 12noon. The winner will be notified by email or by DM on Twitter.

Good luck…

To enter click the rafflecopter link below and complete the actions:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***I have bought these items with my own money, this giveaway is not sponsored by Lily Lolo. I choose to giveaway these product based soley on my own experience of how good they are***

My Christmas Treat to Myself…

I LOVE Christmas and as well as buying my loved ones lots of nice goodies I have a wee tendency of treat myself  too. This year I couldn’t resist this little gift to myself – a stunning handmade charm locket from Close to my Heart.

According to Close to my Heart, memory lockets and floating charms are a massive trend in the USA and are set to be a big trend here in the UK too. From the designs I have seen on their Facebook page there is just so many memories that can be captured in these special lockets, from the birth of a baby, a special birthday, a wedding date, for a bridesmaid or even a special gift for your mum and much much more…

My Christmas treat was a locket which Close to my Heart recently put up for sale. What appealed to me was the Disney theme of this beautiful locket. Playing on ‘a dream is a wish your heart makes when your fast asleep’ from Cinderella, the locket features the word ‘wish’ on an engraved silver plate, as well as a tiara, shoe, hearts and fairy wand charms. I LOVE Disney as much as I LOVE Christmas so I had to buy it.

image from https://www.facebook.com/nickisclosetomyheart

I came across this online company, which is actually very local to me in Mauchine, Ayrshire, a few months ago when one of my friends shared the below image on Facebook. I immediately put it on my Christmas list for next year. I love the personalisation of the ‘I do’ and date of wedding, its such a lovely unique gift for any bride.

Image from https://www.facebook.com/nickisclosetomyheart

The lockets are easy to open so you can actually add your own charms if you want and they come in lovely packaging so make ideal gifts. The prices for each locket vary depending on style and personalisation. There isn’t many prices on the Facebook page but from what I can see they appear to be priced from £20 – £35. My sale locket was £20 with UK postage costs on top of this price.

Image from https://www.facebook.com/nickisclosetomyheart

I am so pleased with my lovely locket. I think its uniqueness really stands out as so many people have complimented me on it so I think it’s well worth the money and I cant wait to buy my next locket and wearing it will pride this time next year (when I am a wee wife).

What do you think of these lovely lockets? What would you like in your memory locket?

{A Redhead’s Review} A.Vogel’s Echinaforce Hot Drink for Colds & Flu

Sometimes no matter what you do your body thinks it’s funny to give you a horrible nasty cold when you least need it! Since I started working with A.Vogel I have been a big fan of Echinaforce® Echinacea drops and they have helped me stay relatively cold free all year.

Boosting my immune system

I take 15 drops in a little water, as well as a Nature C every morning to boost my immune system and if I do fall prey to a sniffle or two, I increase my Echinacea intake and fight, fight, fight.

For years winter bugs were my mortal enemy. A winter wouldn’t go by without me getting at least 3 or 4 nasty colds and I don’t just mean a wee sniffle, I mean a full blown, can’t get out of bed, urgh I have never felt this rotten in my entire life type of cold!

So when I started at A.Vogel and found out about Echinacea I was like ‘I need some of that’. So now my 3 to 4 mega colds has now been reduced to about 1 to 2 bearable colds and they are never like before, when they would linger for weeks. Now I have a helping hand to kick that bug out of my system quicker – Echinacea.

The dreaded cold

But as I said sometimes no matter how strong your immune system is there are other factors at play that can weaken it. The other week my immune system took a knock when I had to say goodbye and goodnight to my wee old dog Cassie. They say stress and lack of sleep are both factors that considerably weaken our immune systems, so it’s no surprise that my sleepless nights and anxiety over the loss of a very much loved ‘family member’ resulted in an all mighty head cold.

Although my cold couldn’t have come at a worse time personally, actually for work purposes it ‘worked out’ (pardon the pun) rather well. Why? Because I got to put A.Vogel’s New Echinaforce® Hot Drink to the test.

New Echinaforce® Hot Drink

The latest addition to the cold & flu fighting Echinaforce® family, the hot drink is great for when you are feeling shivery, achy and feverish. What is it about the cold that makes everyone need a hot drink? I remember when I was a kid my mum would always make me a hot Ribena when I was ill and this new hot drink really reminds me of this.

Unlike some over the counter medicinal products out there, the hot drink doesn’t contain paracetamol and doesn’t have a nasty tasty. Result! It contains extracts of Echinacea and is flavoured by Black Elderberry, which makes the drink not only taste great, but it is also full of antioxidants, soothes and comforts you, whilst helping your body fight off the cold or flu virus.

On the second day of my cold (the worst day) I took the hot drink, as well as Echinaforce® forte tablets 3 times a day and by day 3 of my cold symptoms had significantly reduced and by day 4 I was back to my healthy self again.

WIN a Winter Health Kit

To celebrate the launch of this new hot drink, A.Vogel is giving away 25 Winter Health Kits to help fight the misery of colds & flu. Containing some great immune boosting products, remedies for coughs and blocked nose, as well as an exclusive Echinacea umbrella, you can enter the giveaway over at A.Vogel’s Don’t Let colds and flu stop you blog post.

The competition closes 15^th December 2015 at 12noon and is only open to UK and Ireland residents.

Are you a UK Blogger too?

If you fancy reviewing Echinaforce® Hot Drink then email me anniegburns@gmail.com or DM me on Twitter @smallmightyred1

I have a few bottles left which I can give to bloggers based in the UK who are interested in reviewing the drink, so hurry before they all go…

The Christmas Tag: What I LOVE about Christmas

I saw this tag and I just had to do it. I LOVE Christmas. I think Christmas is the time you can really feel magic come alive. I love the run up to Christmas, the fun of Christmas day and the lazy. snoozey days following (yip you guessed it we don’t have kids lol)

1. What is your favourite Christmas movie?
My favourite newish film is Elf. I giggle so much at it – Buddy the Elf, what’s your favourite colour? But White Christmas with Bill Crosby is my all time favourite, love a bit of old Bill crooning away – “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas…” Love it!

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
We do both! We each open a small one of Christmas eve, then open the rest of our presents in bed on Christmas morning – you can definitely tell we don’t have kids yet.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
I have lots of amazing Christmas memories, mostly just the time spent with family, amazing presents, great food. The best were when we were kids, playing on our new bikes, eating sweets till we were sick, playing monopoly with the family, watching Christmas films, spending all day in pyjamas. The simple times and things are my favourite memories.

4. Favourite festive food?
Vienetta mint chocolate ice cream. Yum yum yum! Only time I ever eat it as well.

5. Favourite festive gift?
Pyjamas – I always have to get a new pair and I always put them on straight after Christmas dinner.

6. Favourite Christmas Scent?
It’s got to be Apple & Cinnamon – Paul’s gets the air freshener out and always says ‘I’m spraying Christmas’

7. What tops your tree?
A little gold angel

8. Do you have any Christmas eve traditions?
Mine and Paul’s favourite Christmas eve tradition is ordering a domino’s pizza and watching a stand up dvd. We have done this every Christmas eve since we started dating. This year our chosen stand up comedian is Jack Whitehall.

9. As a kid, what was the one Christmas present you wished for but never received? 
I think the only thing I have ever wanted since I was a kid until now is a polaroid camera. To be honest I never remember thinking that I didn’t get what I wanted. My mum and dad didn’t have a lot of money when we were growing up so myself and my brother never made crazy demands on them, but they always got us amazing stuff, I still have no idea how they managed to surprise us every year.

10. What’s the best part of Christmas for you?
Getting to see people open their gifts, especially Paul – it’s like having a kid with him he gets so excited and hyper. Also lazing about, Boxing Day sales and eating lots of yummy food. Worst part is taking the Christmas tree down; hate how bare the house looks then.

Do you love Christmas? What’s your favourite part?

{A Redhead’s Review} Darceys Soy Wax Melts & Candles

I really love candles but I have recently found a new obsession that is eclipsing my love for a good candle, all thanks to Darceys Soy Wax Melts!

image from https://www.facebook.com/Darceysonline

These are from a local Ayrshire brand which I recently discovered – Darceys Luxury Soy Wax Products. In my journey to seek out more alternative green products the fact that they use soy wax to make their products sparked my interest and that was before I smelt or used them.

Why choose soy wax?

According to Darceys ‘the benefits of soy wax – it is a natural product with no paraffin or petroleum. There is no pollution to dilute the scent therefore giving you a quality luxury product lasting 3 times longer than leading brands not to mention health benefits!’. Pretty much soy wax is non-toxic and burns cleaner than the paraffin used to make traditional candles.

Scented Soy Wax Melts (RRP £4.00 for 8 hearts)

A great way to fragrance your home, I have fallen in love these cute wee soya wax hearts. When melted in an oil burner, they fill your house with an amazingly long last smell. Each heart has a burning time of 8 hours (roughly 2 x 4 hr tea lights).

wax heart melts in a oil burner

Darceys have lots of scents to choose from, including fresh scents such as Clean Cotton and Baby Powder; fruity scents such as Raspberry Lemonade and Moonlight Pomegranate; designer fragrances (a cheeky wee take on popular perfumes) such as CK One Type and Darceys No.5; sweets scents such as Doodle Bug (I love this name) and Pink Sugar; and heavenly scents such as Fairy Dust and Mr Darceys. They also do limited edition scents, just now they have their Christmas selection including Apple & Cinnamon, Christmas Splendour and Snow Angel.

The hearts now come in new packaging, which unfortunately I didn’t receive this time, but I have seen the new packaging and it is a cute box which you can store better and even stack them up.

My favourite scent is the company’s new Mr Darceys (the all round scent of ever woman’s dream man!). My favourite male character of all time is Mr Darcey of Pride and Prejudice fame so when I saw the name I had to try it. It has a masculine smell to it but I just can’t resist it. It combines black pepper, mandarin and cardamom with clove and leather and finished with frankincense, myrrh and sandlewood. Another scent I love is Raspberry Lemonade, this has a very summery and juicy smell, which is just lovely.

The company’s most popular and best selling scent is its uniquely and humorously named Monkey Fart’s! Yip you heard me right! If you ever wondered what monkey farts smelled like then sorry to disappoint I don’t think this is it, because it is just too nice… It is probably the strongest smell of the range (in my opinion) that I have smelt so far.

Monkey farts – image from https://www.facebook.com/Darceysonline

The aroma starts with top notes of fresh bananas and juicy grapefruit, middle notes of kiwi, juicy bubblegum and strawberries with a hint of vanilla. This distinctive smell is one that you won’t forget and if you like fruity scents, one which you are sure to love.

Darceys Luxury Candles

As well as wax melts, the company also has a range of luxury candles, which are handmade with scented soy wax. There are two sizes to choose from; 130ml (RRP £8.50) and 300ml (RRP £17.50). The small jar has a burning time of up to 40 hours, whilst the large jar candles have a burning time of up to 90 hours. The candles come in a selection of the company’s popular scents including Mr Darceys, Monkey Farts and Raspberry Lemonoade, as well as Angels, Aromatherapy, Cinnamon and Darceys Noir. I have been using one of the small candles and so far it is lasting well.

Darceys small jar candle

If your looking for a home fragrance product I would choose the wax melts (for me they give off a better, longer lasting smell) but for creating a relaxing atmosphere, these candle are great and I have been told that the jars of the large candles make great whiskey glasses 🙂

Other stuff from Darceys

The company also has a range of other products including new soy wax melt tea lights , great for avoiding black soot and paraffin build up, as well as scented aroma beads (pictured below), which I currently use as my car air freshener.

Darceys scented beads

The company also has scented room sprays and soap slices. I have been told the soap is great for taking off fake tan. The soap is SLS and Paraben free and I recently tried some of the Darcey’s No 5 scented soap. Normally I am not a huge fan of soap but I really liked this and can see myself buying more. It didn’t dry my sensitive skin out, like most soap does and it made me smell amazing.

Handcrafted in Ayrshire, Scotland I am very glad to have found this great local supplier. Their products are sold via representatives (similar to Avon reps), as well as online. My mum even had a Darceys candle party recently, so I took the opportunity to stock up and also buy several Christmas presents. The range really does make great stocking fillers and there is even some lovely gift sets and oil burners you can buy.

***This post is not a sponsored post, all product reviewed where bought by myself and all opinions are my own***

 

{A Redhead’s Wedding Update} The 1 year countdown is on….

Last week it was officially 1 year exactly until I marry my best friend. I can’t quite believe how fast this year has went in and so many people have told me our wedding day will be here before we know it. I totally believe this as it feels like only yesterday that we got engaged and now we are starting our year countdown.

We have been very busy over the last few months with booking everything. Our nice healthy bank balance is starting to feel the dent, but we are trying to stay sensible about what we want and the expectations we have.

Here are the top 10 things we have booked so far:

The Venue

We have picked the perfect setting for our big day and not only is it an amazing venue, but it also has a very special place in our hearts, as it was where we got engaged – Lochside House Hotel in New Cumnock, Ayrshire. Every time we have stayed there or visited (which is a lot still it is one of our favourite places) the staff have always been so friendly and helpful, they even helped Paul propose, so we know they are going to make our big day very special. There are lots of stunning wedding venues in Ayrshire and the West of Scotland but this for us couldn’t be more perfect. We are having a winter wedding so we really wanted somewhere that is warm, inviting and cosy and this venue ticks all those boxes and more.

Stunning Lochside House Hotel – image from http://www.ayrshireweddingdirectory.com

The Dress

I LOVE it. I really wasn’t looking forward to dress shopping because as a curvy girl sometimes it’s really hard to find something to really suit my shape. After having a nosey online I fell in love with a dress but I could only find one stockist in Scotland that stocked the designer and I really didn’t want to travel too far to be disappointed. I was totally convinced that it couldn’t suit me.

Then a lovely wee boutique called Ribbons and Lace opened in my home town and fate intervened! I visited the boutique with my mum and on having a look at some of the beautiful and vintage style dresses I happened to pull one dress out and realised instantly that it was MY DRESS!!! The one I had saw online was right there in this little shop! We immediately booked an appointment to try it on and when I did I wasn’t disappointed at all. When you try on the dress and look in the mirror and think ‘I’m soooo pretty’ you know it’s the one. This isn’t something I think often so I was bowled over by how amazing and beautiful I felt in it. I can’t wait to wear it on my big day and for Paul to see me walking down the aisle to him.

Ribbons and Lace Bridal Boutique – image from https://www.facebook.com/RibbonsLaceBridalBoutique

My Car

I am soooo excited by the car which Paul has chosen for me. You will have to wait until next year to find out which one he choose, but all I can say is it is so me.

Wedding decorations

Chair covers, centre pieces and lots more are being provided by the lovely Jackie from Winton Wedding Hire. When I went to speak to her about our wedding decorations she just knew what I wanted. I can’t wait to see it all come together. I really thought about the both of us when choosing the decorations. All Paul knows is that it will be a silver and purple colour scheme and our theme is snowflakes, but the rest is a surprise for him and I really hope he likes it as much as I do.

The Photographer & Video

The one thing I really didn’t want to do was spend a fortune on a photographer so our mission was to find a good one for a good price. We looked at several and finally found the one for us. After meeting him we knew we didn’t want anyone else. I am not the most confident person in front of a camera. I hate getting my picture taken but Douglas from Dougie Photography instantly made me feel comfortable and it was felt like we would have a friend taking our pictures.

In Scotland there is this great website called I Do Licious which is like a wedding Groupon. There are lots of great deals and discounts on there from suppliers all over Scotland. I got an amazing deal for our wedding video. Ultimate Moments was a supplier that had already been recommended to me so I was so happy when I saw the deal. Several of my friends who didn’t get a video have said they regretted it, so I was convinced I wanted one. I love the idea that if we ever have kids they can watch it years from now or at least be forced to watch it :).

The Cake

A good friend of the family and a very talented girl is going to make our wedding cake. She is an amazing baker and her cakes taste divine. She isn’t an official baker but I think that’s what is special about small weddings, having friends and family add to your big day.

The Piper

As a Scottish lass something inside stirs when I hear bagpipes. I really don’t think a wedding is a wedding without bagpipes. I am so excited about them that I am even going to get piped down the aisle by the lovely Donald from Scottish Wedding Piper. I have chosen Amazing Grace as the music to come into. Although not a traditional wedding song, it is pretty special to me. Not only is my middle name Grace, I am named after my Nana and this song was my Nana and Papa’s song.

Scottish Wedding Piper – image from https://www.facebook.com/scottishweddingpiper

The Photobooth

We decided not to spend a fortune on favours, instead we have choose to hire a photobooth so our guest can have fun and make their own memories and favours on our big day. One of our friends had one at their wedding last year and we had so much fun so we knew we wanted this for our wedding too.

Who is marrying us

We got the chance recently to ask Paul’s cousin to marry us next year. His cousin Matthew is an officer in the Salvation Army so not only will it be a religious ceremony but it will also be made extra special by being performed by a family member.

Lots of little things

Ebay has been my best friend over the past few months. From our save the date cards (pic at the top of the post is our save the date magnets) to our wedding invites, as well as lots of other little things like ribbon and table decorations, I have managed to get lots of great wee bargains. Each month I have been buying something as I have been told its those wee things that can sometimes mount up.

There is still lots more things to organise but we are glad that we have sorted so much already and have chosen the right suppliers for us. So far there have been no bridezilla moments but I am sure there will be a few as we near our date.

Every time we book something, although our bank balance gets a bit smaller we get even more excited. We can’t wait to celebrate with our family and friends in 11 month’s and 25 days time…

Getting married? What have you got most excited about booking? Or already married? What’s the one piece of advice you wished someone had given you when planning your wedding?