Collective Haul: Work-Wear, Accessories and some Beauty Products

Hello cupcakes :) This is a collective haul of stuff I bought during this month, ranging from work-wear, casual wear and some accessories to a couple of beauty products.

Let me start with the clothes first. As some of you maybe aware, I have officially started working as a Medical Laboratory Scientist within the major hospital in Malta.  Although we do not have a uniform at work except for our lab coats, I still want to look different then when I was a student so I figured it would be time to invest in some work-appropriate wedges that look cute and smart while at the same time, be comfortable enough to wear during my work days. So I headed to Valletta with Mum and managed to find a khaki-taupe coloured pair at Peacocks as well as some bargains which were on sale.  The shoes cost €26 as they are part of the new stock and were not on sale.

The jeans and the beach dress were a steal at the prices I got them (€11.25 instead of €25 for the dress; €12 instead of €40.50 for the boyfriend jeans & €10.50 instead of €39.50 for the medium wash jeans) and they fit nicely and feel really comfy :)  The tan belt was included with the mid-wash jeans and I really like the detailing on it and how the straps are intertwined with each other.

I went to Peacocks again on another day (you guys should have figured out that I love shopping at Peacocks by now!) as I needed some basic white and black bras as the ones I had were wearing off a little at the straps.  I settled on a basic two-pack which retailed for €10.50.  Of course, while at the store, I had to check out all the other fantastic clothes that they have and of course, I had to get something else apart from the bras no?  I got another pair of jeans for work which I only ended up paying €4.05 for!!! They were originally €16.50 and were marked down to €6.75 (this was the price shown on the tag) and when I got home, I realized I paid even less! Don't you just love it when this happens? ;P  I also got two cardigans from the new collection of which the pink is my absolute favourite (see pic on right for back detailing).  I paid €20.50 for the red one and €29 for the pink one.

Mum also bought me this cute striped polo neck from Terranova which was on sale for only €5.99.  It would be perfect with a longer sleeved top when the weather is colder :)

From the Bossini sale, I picked up another top which is pretty long and looks great with some wedges and jeans for work and with leggings for a more casual everyday look.  I also got this pair of light-feeling dove grey trousers which are perfect for work.  The top was €6 instead of €20 something and the trousers were €8 instead of €22.45. 

I also got some accessories and some random beauty products from ebay:

First I got this black head peel off mask that you apply to your nose and so far I'm quite happy with the results.  I got this after seeing a review about it from Enigma and decided to give it a go myself (read myself and the rest of my family + bf).  I got this for €4.14.  I also purchased a sachet of Bubble White to whiten my nails after all the polish they get applied onto them every week.  To be honest, I was expecting a little more product but so far I am managing to get a few good uses out of this sachet which I paid €6.20 for (in fact, I won't be re-purchasing even though it whitens my nails.  I will stick to my home-made treatment instead).

Lastly, here are some accessories I got from ebay as well.  Shipping was free for all the items except for the necklace.  First up, my favourite out of all! These lovely and colourful peacock shaped earrings (told you I love peacocks ;p)!  I only paid €2 for these and I love how they jazz up an outfit! Although they may seem big, they are really light and that makes me like them even more :)  I also got these dress shaped ones for €1.11 and this brown Cameo brooch which can also be worn as a pendant.  I paid €3.95 for this.  At €10.50 (shipping inc.), the necklace was the most expensive piece.  I had been looking for a nautical necklace for quite some time but I still couldn't find one I liked until I saw this and knew it had to be mine!  The locket and the swallow make it look more feminine and cute and it has a vintage feel to it which I absolutely adore!  It also came cutely packed and it was supplied in a pink organza bag as well.

I also got a set of empty containers from BornPrettyStore.com to keep my nail art steel beads in as the containers they were in were really impractical and were taking up a lot of space.  Just a quick reminder about a code for my readers here; for 10% off your order, remember to use the code EBABK31 at checkout :)

And that concludes my August collective haul! I have to be extra careful not to spend too much money now as my first pay is due in September then I will treat myself to some China Glaze polishes I have been lusting after as well as an Audrey Hepburn DVD collection featuring 6 of her most famous and best films :)

Till next post, stay beautiful :) 

Review: OrigiNails Bubble White 5 Minute Effervescent Nail Cleaner

Hello my lovelies :) Today's review is about this effervescent nail cleaner called Bubble White.  I have never seen reviews about it on blogs I follow but I came across it on a facebook group of which I am a member and I decided to give it a go.  So I looked it up on ebay and ordered a sachet which came in the mail about a week later.  I was expecting some more product as I paid €6.20 (the cheapest I could find) for it and the sachet only contains 11g of product so definitely I will not repurchase, at least from ebay.

However, here is my experience with the product itself.  The product, which is basically a white powder, is supplied in this paper sachet which looks pretty basic.  The powder smells very much like those effervescent tablets with which you can clean dentures and the instructions at the back say that you have to empty the contents of the package into 1/3 cup of warm water and soak your bare nails in the solution for 5 minutes (the product will stop effervescing but they claim it continues to work even after the bubbling stops).  I wasn't really sure that for €6.20 I would want to use up the product immediately at one go so I added some product to less water in order to make it last longer and get some more uses out of it.

My main concern to try out this product was the fact that it claims to whiten nails and as my nails are most of the time wearing polish, they do get yellowish at some point.  My traditional remedies are to go without polish for a week two (the cheapest way lol) or else apply a home-made scrub de-stainer which consists of olive oil (to strengthen the nails), some white vinegar and lemon juice (to whiten the nails) and some sugar (to exfoliate the skin); but I still wanted to see how this product performed.  Here's a picture of my nails as soon as I took off the nail polish.  You can see the tips are somewhat yellowy.  And here's a picture after I used this product for the first time:

I wasn't overly satisfied with the results but my nails still look whiter and my hands feel incredibly soft after this treatment. However, I can achieve the same result with my home-made treatment, thereby I won't repurchase this again.  Have you ever tried Bubble White ladies? How do you feel about it?

Review: Born Pretty Store 12 pot empty container set

Hello loves :) I hope each and everyone of you is doing fine :) Here's a quick review about this empty container set that I purchased from BornPrettyStore.com.

I was looking for some empty containers to store my bouillon steel beads because as you will see in the photos that follow, the containers they came into were simply impractical.  So I logged onto their website and decided to get these which also came with a clear plastic box to keep the pots all together.  I placed my order for which I used my Born Pretty Points and practically, I got the containers for free! (you can accumulate points by creating an account and submitting pictures and reviews of products you have bought from the site). The retail price is also quite affordable and it decreases per item if you purchase more than one in a single transaction.  Born Pretty Store also offer free shipping worldwide.  Since they are based in China, orders may take long to arrive but with this order, it arrived within less than 15 days so I was quite impressed.  The containers came in a plastic sleeve, all wrapped in a padded envelope to protect them against rough handling.

Here are a couple of pictures to show you in detail how the pots present themselves:

As you can see, they are made of a clear, sturdy plastic material which makes up for easy viewing of what's inside each pot.  They are suitable for a vast range of nail art supplies and decorations such as rhinestones, beads and dried flowers amongst others.  They are also suitable to store craft materials as well.

The lids close tightly so there is no risk of losing rhinestones and the clear box in which they come helps keep everything organized in one place and it also serves as a space-saver!

Here's how I transformed the way my steel beads were originally stored:

Much more organized huh?  The only thing is that if these sets came in sets of 16 instead of 12, I think it would have been better for me.  I could always have gotten another set but since I only needed like 2 or 3 pots more (that's why there are some mixed colours in the photo above), it wasn't really feasible.

However, I am really happy that none of the pots nor the box itself were broken and now my beads are nicely stored away in pots which are more practical for me to pick out the beads from!  Should you wish to get a set yourself, make sure you use the code below for a 10% off your order ;)

Review: The Face Shop Nose Clay Peel-Off Mask

While changing up my skin care products, I came across a review from Enigma about this black head remover and she included a link to the ebay seller she bought it from.

I thought it was worth a try even though I don't get a lot of black heads and blocked pores, I still get a few sometimes and this sounded like a great alternative to popping them myself/using nose strips which never did anything.  On to ebay I logged and got myself a tube for €4.14 for 50ml of product which is quite a good deal.

I got my package a week later and there were no leakages whatsoever and the product was shrink-wrapped and packed in bubble wrap.  The tube itself, to me, conveys an image of a spa... all clean and white and with a blackberry pictured on it.  The cap is a twist-off type and the nozzle also had a silver seal (pretty much like the ones on toothpastes).  On the back are ingredients and instructions but since they are in Korean, I couldn't understand a thing.

I use this product after I clean my face as per my everyday routine and apply it before the toner while my nose is still wet.  I recommend using a generous yet not thick a layer of product for it to be peeled off easily later on and I usually leave it for around ten minutes.  The texture is very mud like and the colour of the product is in fact a muddy soft of white but it dries quite fast.  I really like the fruity smell (blackberry) of this product as well.  It's not a strong smell but it is delightful. To peel off, you just have to pull it off gently.  For me, it never came off as one whole piece but it is easily removed and if there are some left over bits, you can rinse them off with some water.

Now for the results.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting this product to really deep clean my blocked pores the way it did! It gives instant results and the skin on and around my nose feels smooth and deeply cleaned.  Once a week, is enough for me to give my nose a deep clean.

The rest of my family have also tried this product after all my ranting and they all agreed that this mask does a really good job at cleaning out blocked pores and black heads.  Most importantly, it didn't break me out or cause my skin to react adversely.

Once finished, I will definitely get a back-up of this mask as the pricing is awesome and it does a very good job! Have you ever tried this mask or any other product from The Face Shop?

What's in my Work Bag?

As most of you probably know, I have started working as a Medical Laboratory Scientist mid-August so I thought I'd do a What's in my Work Bag? post for you all who want to have a nosey :P  Let me show you the bag first:

This is the bag I use on most days so that's why I chose it for this post.  I usually co-ordinate the bag with my outfit but this bag is big enough to hold everything including my lunch.  I got it from Bossini during some sale period and I like the muddy brown colour which matches most colours.  It has a little zip pocket at the bag and another one on the inside as well as two other inside pockets for a mobile phone and say a little mirror.  Let's get on to the contents: 

Apart from my mobile phone (which I took the photo with so it is not included in the picture), I carry with me my make-up bag; a notebook and pen so I can take note of new things/procedures; pink iPod Shuffle; some tissues; chewing gum; house keys which I attach to a butterfly key finder, a Betty Boop key-ring and a heart shaped key-ring with flowers, butterflies and a little rhinestone that Johan had given me as part of a Valentine's Day gift; and last but not least, my access card.

Here's what's in my make-up bag:

I carry all this stuff with me everyday and when that time of month approaches, I always make sure I have some sanitary towels.  In winter, I also like to carry with me an extra pair of socks should I happen to wet the others with rain.  So basically, all the contents are: Impulse deodorant, e.l.f. Shine Erasers, wet-wipes, comb, hand cream, glasses cleaning cloth, mirror, hand sanitizer, lipgloss, black kohl eye pencil, small nail file, basic sewing kit for emergencies and the lipstick I would be wearing on the day (shown here is the e.l.f. Studio Matte Lip Colour in Natural).

What do you carry with you ladies?