Your Lips But Better- Code Beautiful review and giveaway

[post contains gifted items]

It’s been a little while since I last ran a giveaway on the blog so I’m delighted to be teaming up with Code Beautiful to review two of their products and offer the chance to win them to one of my readers.

Code Beautiful is a is a vegan-friendly beauty brand that focuses on the basics and getting them right. They kindly sent me out two of their products to try and share my thoughts on, and based on looks alone I was excited to test them out.

Lip Intense lip plumper*
Soft Smooth lip liner*

I instantly loved how sleek these products look. The lip plumper especially with it’s matte black packaging and graphic design.

I tried the Soft Smooth lip liner (£18) first- it’s a fantastic nude/pink colour that works with the majority of the lipsticks in my collection. One of it’s top selling points to me is the self sharpening technology making it perfect to keep in my handbag without worrying about it going blunt. This claims to be a long-lasting product and I can report it lives up to it’s claim. I got a good 8 hours out of this and during that time nothing budged. It also works as a lip plumper giving more definition without the need for needles. Pricey for a lip liner, I agree, but I can’t fault the product.

The Lip Intense lip plumper (£20) contains an exclusive blend of ingredients to help redefine your lips natural contours making them look fuller.
Again it’s a great suits all shade, and, plumping properties aside one of my favourite clear lipglosses I’ve tried for it’s longevity (a good few hours) and non-sticky formula.
In terms of plumping, don’t expect anything drastic (100% a good thing in my book). Instead of artificially inflated lips this actually makes your mouth look more hydrated with a longer term gentle plumping effect thanks to hyaluronic acid and the magic ingredient Hilurlip.
There is a gentle minty tingle when you apply this which I loved, and on the whole I was just hands down impressed with how much better my lips looked.

You can pick up both of these products on Amazon (linked above) and for your chance to win simply follow the steps below.

Win The Fabulous Lip Duo From Code Beautiful #17

Lightbox review and giveaway with Gingersnap

The fashion for light boxes is one that’s been around for a while now, and in typical Laura style I’m very late to the game. I’ve wanted one for ages but for one reason or another never quite got round to making the purchase. Now, thanks to the generosity of the team at Gingersnap I’m the proud owner of two.
I was sent the original cinematic lightbox as well as an extra lightbox and emoji faces and symbol pack. The lightbox is A4 sized and costs £15 which is really good value compared to many I’ve seen on the high street, it comes complete with 85 black letters, numbers and symbols and is powered either by 6 AA batteries or a 9v adaptor.

Bob and I had great fun creating lightboxes for each other’s bedside tables and we’re both really impressed with the effect they give. The emoji pack is a worthwhile addition for an extra £10- it’s a bit sad to say but we’re both emoji mad in our whatsapp messages to each other so it was great fun to be able to continue that theme in to our home environment (whoever said adults had to be grown up?)

The Gingersnap website is a great new discovery- alongside their range of lightboxes in varying size and colour options you can also pick up super quirky “mintage” lighting and neon lights- all perfect for jazzing up your home or giving as gifts. I’m also quite taken with the mini ginger range which is just adorable and so not limited to the little people in your lives.

As well as being generous enough to provide the products for this blog post, Gingersnap are also offering up a lightbox to one lucky reader of this blog. Just follow the simple entry steps below and keep those fingers crossed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to UK residents only. It starts on Monday 9th October and ends on Monday 16th October 2017. Winner will be picked and contacted within 24 hours and your prize will sent directly to you from Gingersnap. By entering this giveaway you consent to me sharing your contact details with Gingersnap if you are selected as the winner.

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Xtava Twist Curling Wand review and giveaway

Over the last twelve months I’ve really got in to styling my hair, ever since I took the plunge and went for a new style and bold colour I’ve been determined to make more of an effort with it, both in taking care of it and in how I wear it. My army of tools is basic- a dryer, straightener and a curling wand. My current wand has definitely seen better days so I welcomed the chance to try out a new one as well as give one away to one of my readers.
This is the xtava twist curling wand* which costs a very reasonable £20 from Amazon. Call me a snob if you must but I do seem to have fallen in to the habit of spending a fortune on hair tools with the belief that they’ll somehow be better for my hair, or give greater effect so I was interested to see how a budget curling wand would perform.

This is the 1-1.5 inch conical wand, it’s thicker than the one I currently own and for me that’s a good thing. I prefer a looser curl over tight spirals and this gives me exactly that. In true Laura style I haven’t yet managed to photograph the results (watch this space!) but it gives a wave type curl (technical term) which I’m really enjoying for an every day laid back vibe.

In terms of quality I’m really happy. It uses ionic technology to keep frizz at bay and the barrel is coated in tourmaline and ceramic to help minimise heat damage to the hair. There are many temperature settings on this wand with a guide of what heat will suit your hair type best- the LCD display is a helpful feature too as you can keep track of how hot you’ve got it.

The look and feel of this curling wand would have you think it costs far more than it does- from the luxe packaging to the weight and feel of the tool itself- I’d definitely recommend this for anyone looking out for a new curler whether you are on a budget or not.

I also have one xtava curling wand to give away to one of my readers so you may get to try it out for yourself! Just follow the simple instructions below.

Win the xtava Twist Curling Wand #11

Let me know in the comments what your favourite hair styling tools are and if there are any you’d especially recommend.

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Globenfeld Men’s Chronograph Watch review & giveaway

It’s always a bonus when the benefits that sometimes come with having a blog can be extended to your nearest and dearest. I was recently given the opportunity to receive a Men’s watch from Globenfeld which I took great pleasure in being able to give to my boyfriend who had not all that long ago made noises about wanting a watch.

Now, I’m no expert on Men’s watches, although my obsession with Women’s ones are well documented but between us we decided we’re a fan of this particular one. Big fans. So much of a fan that boyfriend has managed not to lose it yet- impressive with his track record!

It’s a chunky and weighty looking watch although actually it is quite light to wear thanks to the durable rubber strap. It makes a statement without being too in your face and also appears to be highly durable, although at present this hasn’t been truly tested (it’s only a matter of time, I’m telling you).

The attention to detail on this watch is great- from it’s textured dial to the illuminated hands and numerals. It also features a calendar and stop watch function which is something I had previously associated with only digital watches.

The watch also comes very well presented in it’s box meaning it’d make the perfect gift, as far as watches go it is reasonably priced at just under £70 (a significant reduction on the £375 RRP!) and comes with a 90 day money back guarantee- just in case.

Now the real perk of this particular blog post is that not only did I get to pass on a perk to my boyfriend, I also get to pass one along to a lucky reader. I have a second watch to giveaway and if you fancy your chances then just follow the simple entry steps below.

Win a Globenfeld Chrono Watch #1

Good Luck!

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Lee Stafford Academy Hair Straighteners review and giveaway

I’m still very much a novice when it comes to hair, really it’s only since I had it cut and coloured in October that I’ve managed to get any kind of grip in styling it myself and my once neglected hair straighteners became one of my most used items. I’d had them for a few years already by this point and over the last few weeks I’d noticed they were failing to heat properly and were losing their ability to you know, actually straighten my hair. So when an opportunity came up to review the Lee Stafford Academy Hair Straighteners* the timing could not have been more perfect.
I’m not hugely au-fait with many hair styling brands but Lee Stafford is one I know well [by which I mean I already own one of his hair dryers]. My previous straightener was by Corioliss and I have never owned a pair of GHDs. Because of this I also roped by Mum in on this review and we both tried out the product- she is the queen of hair straightening so if something impresses her then it’s definitely a good ‘un.
I know looks aren’t everything but these are some sleek looking straighteners which gave a good first impression. I was a little worried about the size of the plates as my hair is very thick and there is a LOT of it and I was concerned that it would prove too much for this tool to cope with. I needn’t have worried.

Thanks to the adjustable heating settings [up to 230 degrees] and handy quick start guide I quickly established the optimum temperature for my hair, waited a mere matter of seconds for the straightener to heat up and got going. This straightener made short work of getting my hair smooth and sleek which in itself is no mean feat. More impressive was that after sleeping on it my hair was still straight the next day- with my old straightener I found that I needed to re-do it the next day as my natural waves had fought back.
Mum thought the same, she was impressed with how easily this straightened her naturally curly hair [please note I have never actually seen it curly] and how sleek a finish it left.

Because I tend to straighten my hair and then curl or wave the top layers with a curling wand I decided to have a go at creating curls with this as well. I probably should have taken a picture but being me I didn’t think of it at the time but this straightener also creates smooth and shiny waves quickly and easily without looking like they had obviously been done with a straightener if you know what I mean?

I 100% would recommend this straightener for anyone who’s on the lookout for a new one, with an RRP of £79.99 it’s on the more affordable scale of things and at the time of writing it’s currently on sale on Amazon for £49.95.

I also happen to have one of these straighteners to give away to one lucky reader- see the widget below for how to enter and the T&C [and good luck!]

Win Lee Stafford Academy Hair Straighteners #1

The giveaway will run until 29th March and the winner will be contacted directly by Review Directory.

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Product sent to me for purpose of review. Opinions and shiny sleek hair are entirely my own.