Life - Who doesn't love a freebie?

At work over the last year we've had some great freebies which is a great office perk. Looking in papers these days there are always people out there working out how to feed a family of four for £1 per head per day or most recently, families affording Christmas at rock bottom prices. I've always been a bargain hunter and Christmas is when I am in my element but people always ask me, where am i getting these bargains and how do i find them? The answer; by putting in a lot of effort.


Lets begin with the cheapest of cheaps... freebies.

My work place use a company called Gems At Work. Sign up your office today to get freebies. All they ask for in return is a review of the products sent over for their market research.

Here is one of the recent freebies we had:

Recently in the office we had another freebie at the same time as the above by chance as a someone on our customer service team won a competition as per the below:

For my own freebies I've recently been applying through Magic Freebies. This site is a little "hit and miss" but I've found a lot of the money saver articles suggest this site. Mainly I apply for samples this way but even with samples I receive only 40% of what I apply for.

Onto bargains. I am a bargain queen if I do say so myself. I hate to pay full price for anything and have become so used to paying low prices that faced with full priced items I dispair at the full price ticket.

My favourite site for the last year has been everything5pound. This wonderful site sells everything for £5 (shocker right). A lot of thier product are previous seasons branded items. From here I've bought ASOS, h&m, new look , cameo rose, topshop and many other brands we know and love for as I've said before £5. It is hit and miss so you could end up with something cheap looking as well as cheap costing. I've now got colleagues hooked on this site and j hope you become hooked too.

Everyone knows about Primark of course but as we all know this is another hit or miss store..often I have asked colleague "where did you get that" they tell me primark and I'm astonished. How do people find these gems? I've had a few which i was really pleased with but generally i usually leave with something i like but not love.

Believe it or not even places like Poundland and Aldi are upping thier homeware game currently and there are some great bargain finds in places like these if youre willing to take the time to look.



Lastly we have Discounts and Voucher codes.

I would do no shopping if not for discounts and voucher codes. For any big purchase my first port of call is Quidco. This website offers discounts and most importantly cash back on purchases. Some of these cashbacks are minuscule but its still more than nothing. This site also gives you the ability to sign up a card and for instore purchases at certain stores you will still get cashback when using this nominated card. I've made on average £70 a year on this site for the last three years.

For most discount codes, especially those for fast food i simply google search the store/restaurant "voucher codes". This usually brings up a plethera of sites to choose from. Two of my favourites are Voucher codes and Hot deals UK. These are hit and miss as a number of codes will be out of date but also these codes are provided by outside sources and are often unreliable.

Currently with my beauty boxes i am searching for a number of codes online but also using my one stop source of information on beauty boxes Which beauty box UK.On this site you will find not only reviews about the latest beauty boxes but also some discount codes. Its been really helpful.



The above are not the only options as occasionally I've been known to even barter in store (especially furniture stores) but this is a rough guide to how i do get bargains.

Well that's all i have for you on this.

Peace Out ☮䷊🕊

The Chronicles of "trying to be more woman" - Episode 19 - The weekly list (which is becomming less regular)

Apologies to anyone who is actually keeping regular tabs on this blog trying to read some of my more regular updates, for which there havent been many. I'd say life got in the way but actually i have very little on my plate at the moment, especially in comparison to how it's been the rest of this year. Just had some time to myself so spent it with me, myself and I.


Well onto the main topic of this article. Let us begin with the new stuff:

 
I'm sorry to say that even over a week theres not much to show for it on the new side of things however these two newbies are massive winners for me so hopefully that makes up for the lack of variety.


Soaper Duper - Rich and creamy shea butter body wash
I am in LOVE with this body wash.This came with my cosmopolitan latest in beauty box which i am still yet to review however for sure this was the best item in the box. The smell is delicious but i struggle to put into words why i find the smell so enticing. This leaves a wonderful scent on your skin without making it irritated (for new readers, i have Psoriasis and Eczema so struggle to find body washes). The texture of this is light and comes out very fluid. I would love to buy this again but it is more expensive than i'd usually buy.

Currently available in Tesco for £4.33


Murad - AHA/BHA Exfoliating cleanser
I recieved this in my Latest in Beauty (my own picks) recently. I chose this as it was the best rated exfoliating cleanser in thier selection however i was unsure as it's been available as a choice for some time which indicates it was perhaps unpopular (average review doesn't reflect lots of reviews, just mainly good ones). I am happy to report that this didn't disapoint. My skin feels better after use and seems a lot clearer. Until i choose myself a decent moistouriser it is hard to judge enitrely how well this is working. I am however happy that i recieved another bottle of this cleanser with another box as reviewed here which means i get to use this for even longer. Sadly to say the full price product is fairly expensive meaning once these bottles are gone i may not purchase again. Saying that this has lasted me almost 2 weeks and this is a small bottle.....

£35 per bottle



Now for the empties:

Rosie for Autograph - Nuit Parfum
Recieved as a part of latest in beauty box I was excited to try this when it came however upon reciept i was sorely disapointed. My hope was to use this as an alternate perfume for work, which i did use however i really found the scent old fashioned and too flowery. I won't be trying this again but it would make a great present for someones nan.

Available at marks and spencers for £28

 

The Body Shop - Satsuma body wash
Smells beautifully fresh but doesnt leave much of a lasting scent. I've used this before and reveiwed this before because it is one of my favourites. Always an added bonus that The body Shop are against animal testing.

Not currently available online but is usually £5 in store


Aldi - Dentix 6 in 1 Mouthwash
I've reviewed this before but as always i was impressed with this mouthwash. This really leaves long lasting minty freshness but also makes my teeth feel great.

Absolute steal at only 95p


Rituals - Ritual of Sakura foaming shower gel
I tried this out in Belgium and didn't like it. I tried it again when i came back and i really don't like it. Not only do i find the scent inattractive but also this made me sting in.... lets say some sensitive areas... YES... there. This product is fairly expensive for an everyday product but also it irritated my skin quite badly. Never again. I also reveiwed this product here.

Available for £8.50 from the rituals site.


Well the Mr has no input this week so in the famous words of Looney Tunes "thats all folks".

Peace out ☮䷊🕊

The Chronicles of "trying to be more woman" - Episode 18 - Not so Rockin' "Roccabox"

I'M BACK. I wasn't really gone very long but here I am again. This time its a new beauty box which unfortunately unleashed fresh disappointment.....


Recently I discovered a awesome new blog about beauty boxes called Which Beauty Box UK. Through it i've discovered more beauty boxes to try but also gained some more discount codes which rather than saving me money has meant I've bought even more beauty boxes! Through this blog i discovered Roccabox. This monthly box is £10 plus postage and packaging but through Which Beauty Box UK i used a 10% discount code.

If you have been on which beauty box UK before, or have since i've included the link above then you may be asking why did i chose this box? Well if you check out the September blog for Which Beauty Box UK you will see that the selection was AMAZING as were the prior selections for the months prior. I was so excited to give this a go especially as its a blogger edition based on ReallyRee suggestions....


So i began to unbox......

I was getting so excited.... then......

IS THAT IT?!?




Lets begin with what I did like....

Murad - Exfoliating cleanser
I actually picked this up recently in my Latest In Beauty box which I blogged about recently. Since i already had tried and tested this I wasn't wow-ed but it was nice to know I liked this and could put it to use.

Omorovicza - Deep Cleansing mask
This is also available on Latest In Beauty though i haven't picked it up as yet. I am looking forward to using this and have heard great things. It is however expensive so its not a product i'd buy again, but i like that i get a chance to try it.


That is it really for the items i look forward to trying.

I want to give the eyelashes a go as i'm wanting to experiment with lashes, however I just bought four sets of lashes to try so this is just another which will wait in line.

The last is the Pureology, Strength cure shampoo conditioner duo. I'm least excited about these since i'm fairly happy with my current shampoo, oil combo and wasn't really looking to replace/improve.


Its not just me. Jaina who writes the blog Which Beauty Box UK has expressed her disappointment in this box also explaining how although she see's a theme (which i cannot even grasp this theme) this wasn't great for her.

I don't think i'll be trying this box again since i especially didn't like the lack of visibility you had. No previews and as its not that popular, instagram didn't help at all.

Sorry this article was a bit of a bummer but i hope you enjoyed or found it useful regardless.

Peace out ☮🕊䷊

Life - pets are family too

When you call your pet your baby you are always going to get those people who look at you like your mentally unstable. Just like parenthood however there are militant pet owners who will on the flip side tell you you aren't doing enough or your doing everything wrong.


Hi. My name's Laura and I'm addicted to giving my love to animals (even those which are not mine). I am a super animal lover.... Not to say I'm vegetarian or vegan (I love my furry friends but I do still eat some.... 😬). Yes I love animals and not just my own. I give my love to animals I meet on the street, in parks, in zoos and at friends houses (beware friends I could steal your pet). I've long loved furry creatures but as a child left the rearing and care of my creatures to my mum. Poor mum was left picking up dog poop, cleaning out fish tanks and scooping the poop for the hamster. It's only as an adult in my own home that I've met with the other side to pet ownership..... Others opinions of you.


When I bought my first place I was all on my own for a few years. Sure the boyfriend came to visit but it's a lonely life when he wasn't about. To keep me company I invited two guinea babies into my life. It was there my zoo began.....a year later I had also gained two budgie babies. Being that I had a one bed flat I decided (the boyfriend kind of demanded) that four pets were my limit.

Here's a baby Alpha:

Next question? What goes into the keeping of two guinea pigs and two budgies? Well I'm glad I asked. Firstly you need to decide where within the limited space of your one bed flat you can keep these babies? When i bought the guinea pigs from Pets at home i followed all the advices of the sales person. Since looking this up online apparently its not only the worse thing i could of done, but i also shouldn't have even bought them from there. Pets at home do not have the best reputation for the pets they sell but also for how they keep them whilst in their care. In my mind.... that means i rescued them..... right?




Well sales advice was to keep them in an indoor cage which was 1 metre long and 1/2 metre wide. Quickly i learned that two boy guinea pigs in such close confines was not a good idea. In the first 24 hours they fought fairly ruthlessly and poor foxtrot (my lil ginger baby) ended up with an infected bite on his neck. This meant the poor baby was on a weeks worth of antibiotics and painkillers (smelt like calpol and the fact he loved the taste of it tells me it probably was calpol). The next day my baby Alpha (the alpha of the pair - SHOCKER) poked himself in the eye with hay and gave himself an infected eye. This meant i had one guinea pig on antibiotics and painkillers and the other on eyedrops......Not only is it not great that within 48 hours two pets from pets at home were poorly but what was worse was the sales persons advice. When i bought  foxtrot back (pets at home as in house vets) with his swollen neck the sales person asked "if you like we can swap him for another." I asked you. What kind of question is that? That is a living animal....Of course i kept him. I make attachments VERY QUICKLY. It was a fun time for all three of us. I then upgraded to a large outdoor double hutch. Huge in fact as it was nearly 6 feet long and 5 feet tall. It was lovely and thick and in the winter i threw a huge throw over the top with some plastic covering and it was warmer in the hutch than it was in my flat!


Here we have some festive (not so) happy faces:

The second advice given by pets at home which was snubbed by forums i visited was the use of sawdust. Fellow pet owners suggested that sawdust assaults poor guinea pigs airways and also irritates their little feet. I'm not entirely sure about the feet thing but certainly it makes sense about them breathing in the dust of the sawdust. Instead I decided to use either a shredded cardboard (very eco friendly) or horse bedding. Yes horse bedding. I found this great stuff which is made from wood pulp, especially made for ponies post op as it is DUST FREE. This stuff doesn't smell too pleasant to be honest but it agrees with the guineas feet and airways.


Sometimes they even got on:

 

Before i moved again one of my furry babies passed away. Unfortunately me and the guinea baby got a particularly bad case of food poisoning from a cucumber. For a small furry it was deadly. Shortly after his passing we moved and  I soon moved my remaining fur baby back into the house so he wasn't as lonely. I'd love to find him another friend but as foxtrot was bullied by Alpha all those years he seemed to relish having a home to himself. He's an old fella and I'd doubt he'd want to make friends at his age since he's even become a grumpy bugger with me and Glenda. He currently lives in a big 6 feet long, one level on wheels. He loves nothing more than licking his Himalayan salt lick, running through his tunnel and hiding in his hut.


Just me and Foxy these days:

With the budgies i did learn my lesson and visited a breeder rather than a pet shop. I also chose my cage based on forum recommendations. These two are brothers but like the guinea pigs fought like demons. They however unlike the guinea pigs settled with age and now have loving relationship where they share their toys and perches.

My top tip for buying and caring for your pet. Don't make a rushed decision. If you want to purchase a pet then keep in mind how long they will live and how much it will hurt when they go. If you don't have the patience to keep caring for your pets for the years they may be with you, then don't buy a pet. If you can't afford the upkeep for a pet including any possible vet bills, then you shouldn't get a pet. Animal shelters are great places to pick up a new family member, because pets are 100% family, however they shouldn't need to exist. If more people were more responsible when taking on pets then there would be fewer shelters and less pets wondering why they were abandoned and wondering when they will meet their new family.


Well i hope you liked the advice but more importantly i hope you liked the pictures!

PEACE OUT 🕊☮