Hello all! It's been a while!

Tim and I took a trip up to my new flat in Cardiff a couple of weeks ago and obviously I couldn't have gone without diverting into the city centre for a spot of shopping! I didn't pick up too much but I thought I'd show you guys the few bits I did get because there were some very exciting things (in my opinion anyway).

Let's start with the (potentially) least exciting of the bunch - my new duvet set! I've had my eye on this beaut set for a while, ever since I saw it in Primark's Tottenham Court Road store. When I got to Cardiff I realised I had no duvet cover for my bed with me so perfect opportunity to pick up a new one! It only set me back about £10 and I absolutely love the print and colours. I also love that it's totally reversible for if I fancy a change of bedroom scenery with very little effort put in!



I felt slightly pressured into buying this next item (LOL pushover!) but I'm actually so glad I bought it. Cardiff has a new Models Own pop-up store in St David's shopping centre so I decided to have a bit of a nosey. One of the staff members came up to me immediately and was talking me through all the new products and said that I would get a free gift for just having a chat. Now I'm not one to turn down a freebie (especially a make-up related one!) so I went along with it but DEFINITELY felt the need to buy something else with it! I picked up a nail polish in the shade Colour Chrome Indigo for £5 and I'm so in love with this metallic colour. I'm a little disappointed at it's lasting power but I'm determined to find a top coat that'll prolong it! Any suggestions, please do let me know! The freebie, in case you were wondering, was a 4-in-1 nail file with a nail buffer/shine etc.



I had part of a gift voucher left from Christmas for New Look so I dragged Tim in for a look around the sale items. I found these gorgeous high-waisted shorts for £9, so I picked them up despite them being a size smaller than I would usually go for (although they actually fit pretty perfectly - for now!)



The last item was a bit of  a naughty purchase, but it's something I've had my eye on for a while. I've heard so many things about the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess fragrance and as soon as I smelt it I was in love. Nothing like your usual floral/fruity fragrances, this perfume is a holiday in a bottle. I was going to ask for this for my birthday (6th September if you were wondering), as it usually retails at just under £50, but The Fragrance Shop had 21% off and so I just couldn't resist! And look how beautiful the bottle is!

I have been a loyal Real Techniques buffing brush user to apply foundation for a good couple of years, but since the introduction of sponge beauty blenders being brought out by many brands, I've been very curious as to how they compare.  After attending the #BloggersUniteSummer15 event in Sheffield organised by Bloggers Unite Events, I received an incredible goodie bag including a Nanshy Marvel 4 in 1 make up blending sponge. How cute is the packaging?!



Firstly, I had to research what was so "4 in 1" about this product, and I learnt that this refers to the different surfaces of the sponge and its ergonomic shape.  Traditional beauty blenders tend to boast a 3 in 1 design, but the Nanshy sponge has an added fourth flat surface. It must be said though, that this added surface is not gimicky in any way at all. It's probably my favourite surface to use! The pointed part is perfect for blending in under the eye and around the nose and I think the sponge works so well to blend in concealer over acne scarring and over dark circles. I've noticed that using the beauty blender on dark circles as opposed to using my finger or a brush leaves such a nicer finish and leads to a lot less creasing under the eyes, which I'm very happy with!



In my opinion, using the sponge gave me more of a natural finish than a full coverage, so in this respect using the sponge for foundation works best for me when doing make up for work or for days off when I don't want to look fully made up.  I didn't feel the sponge worked well for blending in concealer over raised spots and blemishes, so for these I just continued to use my finger, which works perfectly fine for me.  



Overall, I'd say it isn't a matter of conversion as I'm continuing to use both the beauty blender and buffing brush to suit my needs, and I would say I use the beauty blender pretty much every day to blend in concealer to cover up dark circles. I'd definitely recommend the Nanshy blending sponge with the flat edge as it fits beautifully to the contours of my face, and makes blending foundation and concealer so easy!

As someone who has worked part time in retail for almost 6 years, I can safely say I've met my fair share of interesting people. In fact, I think working in a garden centre can bring even more "unique characters" than perhaps working in a high street shop. I'm sure many many people working in all kinds of retail can recognise and categorise these types of customers listed below, and please feel free to leave any you think I've left out! I love reading your comments!

1. The Messenger Shooter: taken from the saying "don't shoot the messenger", this type of customer will scream and shout at the till operator when they are not satisfied with non-negotiable shop policies, as if it is their fault. Our store's completely legal but unusual policy of not being able to give a cash refund if returning a non-faulty item is a particularly unpopular one and I have been verbally abused on many occasions because of it - nice!

2. The Worship Expector: don't get me wrong, I always treat customers with respect and I am always super polite.  However, expecting me to get all your shopping for you whilst you have a coffee (and then claiming I've picked up the wrong "medium-sized" pots) is taking customer satisfaction slightly too far, in my opinion.

3. The Youth Doubter: this customer will ask me a question, I will give an answer and they will then go on to ask the EXACT same question to an older staff member who will give them the EXACT SAME ANSWER I GAVE THEM.  Despite being 21 (and looking about 16) I do actually know what I'm talking about (most the time). Another example falling under this category involved a customer recently inspecting the change I gave him for a good minute before announcing how he "knows what [us] young girls are like, always after [their] pension money".  How wonderfully ageist, sexist and naive all at the same time.

4. The Phone Conversationalist: this isn't a huge grudge of mine, but it is just pretty rude when a customer is on the phone while I'm trying to serve them. It makes the exchanging of money that little bit more awkward and disables any communication between customer and till operator. Funnily enough, us till operators are people too, not just robots working a till!

5. The Change Chucker: fairly straight forward - that customer who will throw their change at you, expecting you to count it all out for them. Charming.

6. The Change Hoarder: and opposing the previous "Change Chucker" persona; this customer typically leads a queue of people and will count out their pennies as if they don't have a care in the world (they probably don't). Often this will lead to the customer in fact not having enough change and having to use a card or break into a note instead anyway.

7. The Price Announcer: "These strawberries are expensive!" "I saw this exact bag in another store for much cheaper" "You can get this compost from Lidl's for half the price" DON'T BUY IT HERE THEN. Need I say more?

8. My Favourite Type of Customer: Okay I've had my vent, now let's finish on a more positive note. Polite, friendly customers are my favourites.  The ones that say good morning, the ones that acknowledge I am only human, the ones who smile! If you're feeling adventurous, even a small compliment can make a retail worker's day!

I was lucky enough to receive a Magnitone Lucid in the post thanks to The Bloggers Hub and their #bloggerslove Twitter party. I was so excited when I received an email saying it was being sent to me as I've heard so many great things about the brand, and I'm especially impressed with their involvement with bloggers.

Firstly, aesthetically-speaking, I love the colour range! Superficial I know, but who doesn't love an attractive product, right? My favourite colour is blue, so the colour choice wasn't hard for me. The design is also very slick and looks super professional.


But I guess the most important question is how well does this product really work?  The Magnitone Lucid claims to give you softer, brighter and clearer skins in just 7 days, so I decided to take this 7-day challenge. According to Magnitone, the basic science behind this product is the fact it's powered by Active Electromagnetic Technology. The Lucid pulsates up to 10,000 times a minute which means it's less abrasive than cheaper drugstore cleansing brushes (basically, the more pulsations, the less it's going to irritate your skin).  And if you are worried about the abrasiveness of electronic cleansing brushes, Magnitone are already a step ahead: it boasts two settings - deep clean and sensitive.

But Charli, how was your own experience with the brush? I'm so glad you asked. I was quite skeptical at first - what difference can a brush make? I used the same Freederm facial cleanser I always use followed by my Clean & Clear toner and The Body Shop Vitamin C moisturiser.  But I definitely saw some immediate results. After the first use, my skin felt super soft straight after drying my face,  as if I'd already moisturised.  Another thing I noticed was that my skin didn't feel tight like it often does after cleansing and before moisturising. After using the product for a few days , I've noticed that my skin is visibly brighter and more healthy-looking straight after cleansing.

So far, I am SO impressed with this product - it has delivered what it claims in just 7 days. The product may seem like quite an investment but I would say it's definitely worth it.  Moreover, Magnitone have kindly given me a code for my lovely readers which entitles you all to 20% off any Magnitone product before 31st July 2015! Just follow this link and enter the code below.
CODE: BLOVE20


I hope you find this review helpful; have you ever used a Magnitone product? What are your thoughts on these products?