How I Prepare a New Bag

Howdy,

If you have recently bought a new bag or are planning on getting a new one then I think a few of these tips will help you to prolong the life and colouring of your bag. I know this is extra expense on top of the bag itself but when you are investing in a bag I don't understand why you wouldn't want to protect it.

The tips I have below are suitable for all leather and suede bags. I have done lots of research on what to use and followed the guidelines in my care booklet that came with my bag. This has worked well for me and I recommend following your care booklet before your first use. However desperate you are to use the bag, protect it first, it only takes one accident to have a stain forever (I would want to cry if that happened). First read the instructions on all of these products before using them and follow the guidelines you are given from the company you are buying from. If your item doesn't come with a care booklet, you can usually find all of this info on their website.

What I used:

Collonil leather gel 
Collonil 1909 Supreme protect high quality waterproofing spray
Super soft lint free polishing cloths

I used one of the lint free cloths to just dust over the bag, I know it had not been used but fluff is still everywhere.

Then I started with a new cloth and used a small amount of the gel in an inconspicuous place first. After I knew it was fine I lightly rubbed in circular motions gel over the bag doing the back first. Once the gel was dry I used another cloth (this is why you need a pack of them) to then lightly buff the gel. By the time you are doing this the gel will have been absorbed into the leather so there really isn't much to bluff but I did this all over the part I had gelled just to ensure it had all gone. I then repeated this for all leather areas.

By using this gel you are going to help keep the leather in good condition. Like our skin, leather will dry out if it not kept moisturised. By using this gel it will keep the leather looking bright in colour and subtle for a lot longer than if it wasn't treated.

I then let the gel completely dry, then moved on to the waterproofing spray. The spray is going to protect all leather and suede materials, this is going to help it be water resistant and keep the colour as vibrant as possible, like an SPF for your bag, as things fade in the sun. Also the spray works extremely well on the suede too. It will help to also keep the bag free from as much everyday dirt and pollution as possible.

As this was the first time I was using my new bag I decided to use the gel twice then the spray twice too, I read that if the bag was brand new then they suggest doing the above things twice. It also should work well as a base layer to keeping it well cared for.

The gel and spray had no no bad effects on the leather or the suede of my bag and I feel very happy to continue using them, there was a squeaky bum moment when I first tried these products out on my bag, but not anymore. I shall be repeating this process in a couple of weeks time and as I know it will prolong the life of my bag I am all for it.

Tip: When using the spray, shake the can well and only use in a well ventilated area. I opened the doors and windows to my conservatory and closed it off to the house and that worked well. No smell got into my house and the smell faded from my conservatory after a few hours. I would have gone outside but in typical UK fashion it was raining! 

I have been loving this bag SO much. You can tell who is a Mulberry fan as I have had people spot it and walk up to me knowing what it is. I had a work colleague say this was her next bag and I can see why she wants it, she is a big Mulberry fan too.

Thanks for reading
Kara xx





































Tip, never use a duster the material used to make to make up dusters contains small fibers that will shed.

Vitamasques- Manuka Honey Sheet Mask

Howdy,

This is a mask that came in my Glossybox and as I always say, sheet masks are some of my favourite to use, so let's give this a go. I cleansed my face as it suggests and placed the mask on for the 20 minutes recommended, the mask was very cooling and smelled slightly fruity, nothing strong or over-powering.

After the 20 minutes were up, I rubbed in what was left on my skin. My skin was very cool but felt hydrated. After 5 minutes my skin felt sticky to touch, you wouldn't want to go to bed straight after this, putting your face on a pillow would have felt awful. As time went on the moisture that was left did sink in and my skin seem to enjoy the mask. Hour or so later my skin appeared bright and had no bad reactions to this mask at all.

The next morning my skin felt soft and I didn't feel that it looked any different. I still needed to apply a moisturiser first thing to my face. It was quite a nice mask to use, I wouldn't use it in preparation to a night out though, the sticky feeling may make applying make-up a little tricky.

My rating: 7/10

Recommend/ worth the money: Yes, the mask costs £3.99 each or a box of 4 for £12.99 making them about £3.25 per mask. 

Pros: It is quite moisturising and feels very cooling, I bet this would be lovely to use on a holiday if you had been out in the hot sun all day.

Cons: Not readily available but you can order them from Vitamasques or Look fantastic.

Thanks for reading

Kara xx

When Good Things Happen For No Reason

Howdy,

You know when nice things happen occasionally for no reason? Well, that just happened to me.

I have the day off work tomorrow and a friend is coming over with her children, so as promised to her eldest I thought I would do an Easter egg hunt for them in my garden. Being the 30 year old child that I am I tweeted "So excited to do an Easter egg hunt" and about 5 minutes later I had a tweet from Tesco. I had a short conversation with them on Easter eggs and Easter egg hunts, they then sent me a link for Easter egg hunt ideas and asked me to DM them. They replied to my DM with a voucher for some Easter eggs from their Finest range! I never asked or hinted at this and I never even tagged Tesco in my tweet, how cool is that!

I can now use this voucher and go get us some more Easter eggs and make the hunt even more EGG-citing (I couldn't resist that)

Here is what Tesco had on their shelves available to buy from the Tesco Finest range

All the eggs range in price from £3.00 up to £9.00 and to be honest they all looked YUMMY! Tesco Finest Eggs also have a selection of eggs in the "free from" range, these eggs are free from milk, wheat and gluten.

The one on the left is Belgian dark chocolate and butterscotch and on the right Belgian milk chocolate and caramelised hazelnut. If I was going to just buy one egg, the one on the right would have been it. It sounds amazing, mmmmmm.

This egg looks like it belongs in a Harry Potter movie, the bronze shimmer effect looks fantastic and really does fool you into thinking it isn't really chocolate. It is again Belgian (the whole range is) and comes with a hidden milk truffle inside.

I'm sure with this one it would be all over your lips like sugar from a doughnut, still so fun though. Who doesn't want shimmery lips? ;-)





I decided on getting these three eggs. Cheeky little mint one for me, an orange one (as its his favourite flavour) for the husband and also a large Belgian chocolate for the girls to share. As after all this Easter egg hunt is all for the children..... mostly.

Here are a few little eggs that I hid round the house and garden.

The mini Lindt eggs are perfect for hiding round the house and the larger Milkybar eggs are a good size to hide out in the garden. Not so small they get lost in the plants.

I also previously purchased little baskets, some masks and a little game, where you can create pictures on felt eggs.

These little bits all come from The Range, they had the best selection of Easter goodies for children and all for £1 each.

The Happy Easter sign is made out of wood also from The Range and cost £2.

You don't need to spend a lot to enjoy these little treats.

Making felt eggs.

What we made.

Who wouldn't want a basket of eggs, mmmm.

Thank You Tesco for your random act of kindness, you really added a nice touch to our Easter Egg Hunt. The girls got to take home a larger egg to enjoy. I don't think I could have hidden that very well in my garden. My husband and I will enjoy our little eggs very soon I'm sure, even though it isnt quite Easter yet.

Here is a link to some Easter Egg Hunt Ideas that Tesco sent me, it might give you some ideas of a new game or two to play this Easter.

I have had such a great day and the weather has been amazing, I may even have got a little tan. All this running around my garden has worn me out. The girls had a great day too so I think it will be early nights all round!

Happy Easter everyone,

Thanks for reading
Kara xx

INGLOT Fusion Blush & Illuminator

Howdy,

This is the first make up item I have ever tried from Inglot, I was running low on my Laura Mercier blush so it was time to try a new one.

You can buy Inglot products either from the shop or online, and you have the option to just buy the product or you can buy the magnetic case to go with it. When first buying from them it might cost more as the cases for the products do add up to be about 2/3 of the cost of the blush itself. But as they are magnetic and re-useable you will only need to buy them once.

I purchased the Fusion blush and illuminator in the colour 203, which retails at £9.

The magnetic blush holder palette retails for £6.

The blush come in this black packaging.

The blush comes sealed and the packaging is magnetic.

The blush is also magnetic and can be changed easily.

It is very compact and perfect for travel

This blush works out to be £15, which is not pocket change but isn't up there with the likes of Laura Mericer, Chanel or Dior. As I said earlier, you do pay the extra price for the case, so when it runs out or you wish to replace it you only have to pay the price of the blush itself.

It goes on nicely and is really pigmented so you need a light hand when applying it, I think this is going to last a long time. Check out Inglot if you are interested, they have a shop on Oxford Street too. Inglot have quite a large selection of products and the larger eyeshadow palettes look interesting, especially as you can design your own palette. We all have a few colours we don't use in a palette, this way you design it and pick all the colours you would use.

Thanks for reading
Kara xx

Labiotte, Whitening Sheet Mask

Howdy,

I really laughed when I saw this mask, "whitening sheet mask" but I'm brown can I use it??? haha Maybe not quite so politically correct to some but then if you know me I'm the first to not be politically correct. I like to push the boundaries of skin colour, being that I'm smack bang in the middle of colours is the only way I get away with it, I think. ;-)

Anyway back to this mask, firstly thank you to my bestie Katherine (Chops) for finding some sheet masks for me all from TK MAXX and all only £1. xx

I cleansed my face as usual then applied this mask and left it on for the 20 minutes as it suggested, the mask felt so full of moisture. The mask looked like it had been dipped in a jar of white cream as it wasn't the usual clear liquid you find on most of the masks I have tried. It smelled quite strongly of lily.

After the 20 minutes were up my skin felt very oily and greasy, I wasn't too worried as usually what ever is left on your skin gets absorbed. After an hour my skin still looked oily and felt sticky too.
The next morning I woke up with super oily skin and SPOTS, I have those annoying little red spots/bumps on my chin and across my forehead. My skin feels horrible, I cleansed my face as I usually do and applied a little make up. It looks awful, my skin is clammy and sticky to touch and my make applied awfully.

I have only had my make up on for a couple of hours and I am going to take it all off and try and get my skin back to normal! I have a lot these red itchy spots all over my chin and forehead, my skin irritates and itches. This is horrible and the worst mask I have ever used bar none.







My rating: 0/10

Recommend/ worth the money: No way, even if this mask was offered to me for free I wouldn't take it.

Pros: Price, its very affordable even when not on discount it only costs around £1.50-£2.00

Cons: Smell, after effects of greasy skin, gave me spots.

Thanks for reading

Kara xx

My Product Empties

Howdy,

Everyone is a bit of a Nosey Parker to some extent but some more than others. For the Nosey Parkers who have tuned in to read this, then let me show you my empties. I know a lot of people make these empties videos on the likes of YouTube but I am going to doing a blog version. I love a good empties video, so lets see how well this works in blog form. 

Here are things that I have used up and I will tell you if I loved them and if I would recommend them. Links for everything will be below, also does anyone else find that everything seems to run out at once?

Boscia, Black Peel Mask- Love this, I recommend this product and I already have a back up of this to start. Works great all over the face, just avoid any hairy parts of your face ;-)









Origins VitaZing- Gives just a light amount of coverage to just even out skin tone, my back up already opened. I recommend this as long as your skin colour is not along the lines of Casper the friendly ghost.






 
Emma Hardie travel size pot- There will be a full review of this going up in the near future, little spoiler alert, I like it a lot. This is just a mini that came with the full size. It melts away your make up and best of all does not sting your eyes.





 


Laura Mercier Blush in Lush Nectarine- I probably have had this longer than the recommended time oops, but this is by far my favourite blush. I have not found a colour I like more than this one. You can build the colour up and it lasts all day (Tip: Set it with a setting spray) I find more orange toned blushes suit my colouring better.


Bee Good Cleanser- Excellent very natural cleanser, you do need to double cleanse to make sure all mascara is off but I like it and have enjoyed using it. It leaves the skin feeling a little tight but not dry and it is gone as soon as you moisturise.

Bee Good Moisturiser- Really nice moisturiser, kept my skin hydrated, I would use this again if I purchased another set from Bee Good. There are moisturisers out there I like more but I did enjoy using this everyday. Only down side would be, I could only use this at night unless I planned to not wear make up. Its quite thick and doesn't sit well under make up, so unless you are happy to wait quite a while for it to soak in, then stick to just night time use.

Chanel Chance, Eau Fraîche- I love this perfume, I won't attempt to describe how it smells so you will have to go to a counter and smell it. I found this perfume so much nicer on the skin than what you smell from a bottle off a shelf. It lasts really well and this small size is perfect for travelling, I do have a back up ready to be opened.






L'Occitane Hand Cream- This is one of many tubes I have used up, its very moisturising and not greasy. For this reason it is great for your handbag and for the car. This is the 30ml size, I also have a few of the 10ml size that fit perfect into the smallest of bags. I found I could only get the 10ml tubes in either America or from an outlet shop in England.

Burt's Bees Pumpkin Lip Balm- As with most lip balms, they take what feels like years to use up and if you are like me and keep several in your bags, car and around the house then it feels like it takes even longer. I do love Burt's Bees and recommend them as a brand. This pumpkin spiced one I picked up in the States and it was limited edition, if I ever find this scent again I would buy it. Although any scent from this brand works just as good.

Dior, Dior Show Iconic Overcurl Mascara- This mascara is lovely, super dark and you can easily do 2-3 coats. I loved using this and it still gives you very long and thick lashes even after a few coats. It did not smudge on me at all and I got next to no full out.
Down side to this mascara is after 4-5 weeks it showed signs of slightly drying out, which is not what you would expect from a mascara of this price. I won't lie, I would try a different one and see if it happened again, the mascara really is that good. Also look at that packaging :-)

Nicky Clarke, Volume shampoo and conditioner- This shampoo and conditioner are really nice, it is the first Nicky Clarke product I have tried and really liked. You do end up smelling of sage which is quite strong but I actually quite liked it and the smell lasted a few days. I wouldn't pay full price for these products but if they were on offer again, I would pick them up. I have tried to find a link to this shampoo but I think it is discontinued, so maybe I won't be trying it again after all!




Burberry, Weekend- I have been buying this perfume for more than 10 years, I always have a back up of this, I call it my "work perfume" I have had people say to me I knew you were in as they must have smelt me (in a good way I hope). You can pick up a 100ml bottle for around £25 which will last you a long time. This perfume must work well with my body chemistry as it is by far the most complimented perfume I own. I really recommend it.





I have blog posts of the Boscia mask, Origins moisturiser and the Bee Good Cleanser mentioned, so go check it out if you want to read a more in depth review and see why I keep repurchasing these products.

Now you have read about empties, I can chuck it all away. I hope you liked it? You read a lot about products from advertisements on TV, online and when you go round shops. But you can never fully tell if you love something until you use it all up.

Anyone got any staple products they keep repurchasing? I would love to know.

Thanks for reading

Kara xx

Mulberry Clifton Unboxing

Howdy,

This is going to be a new type of blog post for me, I know the video could probably do with a bit of work and improvement but I don't think it is too bad for a beginner. Let me know what you think. I was so excited to share with you my new purchase, that I just had to film it ASAP.

I have spent weeks doing research, looking at reviews, seeing what was available and what I really want out of a bag. To some people I am sure they are thinking what a waste of time and why bother? But when you love bags like I do then its no bother at all, it is part of the fun and build up to getting a new bag. My collection of bags, clothes and just my possessions in general have got smaller and smaller as I have gotten older. But I am ok with that and I really agree with the saying less is more. I want a collection I love and will use it all.

Just a little info on why I decided on this bag. I wanted a bag I could use everyday, one I could put on, go out and be happy with it day or night. Also a bag big enough to hold my purse, SLG's and essentials too, lip balm etc. I wanted a bag I could wear cross body mainly or just over my shoulder in a hurry. So many of the bags I loved would not work for me as a cross body. They hit me right at the chest! The Lily, the Cara both hit me at that awkward poke in the boob angle or the handles of the bag remain up right and cause the same problems. This is not to say I would never own one as I do own the mini Lily and that has the perfect cross body length on me. (I'm 5'7" / 1.7m for reference). Also with the Bayswater new and old varieties, it would not be suitable for cross body and is mostly carried over the shoulder. As the bayswater bags are quite structured and quite heavy too, I fear I will fill it up and then it would just become a heavy pain!

Also just to note, I mention that it feels heavy but this is due to the fact I have a glass jar of leather cleaner in the bag too. The Clifton itself is not too heavy at all.

If I could change one thing about the bag, I think it may be to change the hardware to silver as that is the colour I prefer, as the gold isn't the super-bright-in-your-face yellow, it hasn't put me off the bag at all and I do think it goes really well.

Wow what an intro to a video, bet your thinking do I waffle like this in the video and you will be pleased to know I don't. So if you have a spare few minutes and want to see my excitement of what I purchased then go watch the video.

Thanks for reading and watching.

Kara xx