Fragrance Direct Beauty Haul

I often shop with Fragrance Direct when I'm looking to get great discounts. Even when I can find a voucher code for other online retailers, there are always products available on Fragrance Direct that I just can't find at a better price anywhere else. If you're not familiar with this online store then I'd definitely recommend checking it out - it's a site I've been using for years, with only positive experiences. So, naturally, when Fragrance Direct got in touch with me I jumped at the opportunity to pick out some products from their huge beauty catalogue. 

What's In My Handbag

I haven't done one of these types of posts before but I do enjoy reading them! I have to admit that I did forget to include my iPhone in the above picture and I usually also always lug my blogging camera around with me but I was using it to take the photo… so you're going to just have to use your imagination and pretend I've included them.

My handbag is one of Topshop's studded clutch bags (but I wear it with a strap) which I picked up off Ebay for just under £10. I'm so over Topshop's pricing but there are sometimes pieces that I just can't live without, so I usually try my best to pick them up the next season when everyone puts them on ebay! My purse is from Osprey and this was a similar "bargain" as I picked it up from TK Maxx just over a year ago. I didn't realise how battered it looked until I came to photograph this post! I'll have to look into getting a new one soon.

As a Londoner I'm obliged to carry around an oyster card wherever I go and I currently have mine housed in a Lipcote travel card holder that I got at an event a looong time ago. Again, this is something I need to upgrade in the new year! If you have any suggestions on where to find stylish card holders then I'd love to hear them. I also always carry around a pen and a little notebook - I'm a list writer and I much prefer hand writing notes than putting them onto my phone. 

Beauty-wise, I always have at least a couple of bits in my handbag, although not as many as you might think. I deliberately carry a small bag so I have to limit what I use on a regular basis. I always carry a hairbrush, and at the moment I'm loving my Compact Styler TangleTeezer*. I usually also carry a hairspray to add volume or tame my hair if I end up looking a bit windswept. At the moment I'm loving Umberto Giannini's Backcomb in A Bottle* which is honestly the best volumising aerosol spray that I've ever tried - and the dinky bottle is perfect for carrying around with me!

In terms of makeup I really don't ever carry around much! I usually carry a mirror - in the form of either RMK's Kaleidoscope Nuance Colour* or Stila's Convertible Colour Blush Palette, or on this occasion I found both in my bag! I also usually carry a lip balm, at the moment I'm keeping EOS's Blueberry and Acai* lip balm in my bag. When I apply this in public I get so many funny looks, but it's a nice one to use on-the-go. I'd then usually throw in whatever lipstick or gloss I'd put on that morning and carry that around with me too. But apart from these items I'm not someone to lug a big makeup bag around with me. I'd rather apply long lasting makeup that I can trust, or add a little bit of powder if I know I'm going to be wearing cream blushes (in which case I'd just throw a clean Real Techniques face brush into the inner pocket of my bag and powder using my RMK Nuance Colour).

What are your handbag essentials?

Tange Teezer: Different Strokes

I have been seriously lucky on the giveaway front lately. I've never considered myself a very lucky person but recently I've been putting myself out there a little bit more on twitter and entering far more giveaways and it's definitely paying off. I'm not one for hoarding products - it's not the winning itself that I enjoy. What giveaways offer me that I really, really appreciate is the opportunity to try new brands and new products. On this occasion I was lucky enough to win Really Ree's Tangle Teezer Giveaway (which I entered about seven/eight weeks ago) and my prize was the entire Tangle Teezer range.

 It was wonderful timing as I was in the market for a new hairbrush (I've had my current Tangle Teezer for almost eighteen months and it is getting a bit worse for wear). I'm not going to keep all five of brushes for myself, I'm going to keep a couple and pass the others on to some of my family and friends as gifts this Christmas. I know a few people who are going to seriously love these brushes and I feel really privileged to be able to introduce them to a brand that I really like. Before I won the competition I didn't actually know that Tangle Teezer made brushes for children but I know that the Magic Flowerpot is going to make one little girl I know very happy indeed (her birthday is coming up and she'll love it). So I'll end with a very big thank you to Really Ree and Tangle Teezer for this incredibly generous prize and keep your eyes peeled for their future appearances, I'm definitely looking forward to comparing my Original Tangle Teezer to a couple of others in the line!

Have you won anything recently? Have you tried Tangle Teezers before?