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 15 - Latest in beauty with my latest in beauty box

I've been watching the Latest in Beauty website since my last delivery, adamant that I'd choose wisely this time keeping reviews, variety and product size in mind. I feel happy with my choices this month. My box is brimming with delights, each which excite me and none of which i felt even a tinge of disappointment with. Well without delay let me introduce you to this months box of delights:

As you can see I chose the following 9 items with my "Beauty Guru" subscription:

1. Burts Bees - Tinted lip balm in rose

2. Murad - AHA/BHA Exfoliating cleaner - really excited about this and am just waiting until I'm through my current cleanser before i give this a go

3. Natracare - Regular Tampons - guess why i wanted these and what I'll be using them for.....

4. Eisenberg Paris - Moistourising smoothing serum
5. Lord & Berry - Matte crayon lipstick in Chic - tried this out and I'm not entirely sure the colour suits me. Will try it out in front of my gal pals to see what they think
6. Nanogen - Root boost thickening hair treatment spray - no hair, do care 😭

7. Feather & Down - Sweet dreams pillow spray - intend to have the Mr try this. He used to suffer from insomnia and although he sleeps better it still takes him a while to drop off to sleep

8. Wellwoman - Wellwoman energy in Lime - never taken vitamins before let alone berocca type stuff. First time for everything

9. Cetaphil - Gentle skin cleanser, Moistourising cream, Moistourising lotion - why wouldn't i try this? Three products in one selection! YAY









Another yay in this box was A FREEBIE (as pictured on the right). I have tweeted Latest in Beauty my joy at the freebie and now i shall tell you blog reading folk. YAY i love a freebie!!!! Will give this a go and review another time.




 












Lastly i was impressed with two small things included in the box this week. Two things which they may not have intended to impress by, but none the less did impress little old me. Firstly...there was instructions on how to use one (well three) of my products and also a voucher for money off another product should i wish to purchase full size later. This is a small gesture but something i really appreciate.

So folks. That's all i have to say on these for now. To see individual reviews you will have to read future blogs (oh yeah; plugging my own blog) as and when i use the products.


Peace out 🕊☮

The Chronicles of "trying to be more woman" - Episode 14 - Whats new? Whats used?

Quite a bit of newness this week, some empties and also a return to a product which I've already reviewed.

Lets start with goodbyes with some empties:

Tesco - Coconut & Almond Milk Shampoo
A golden oldie for me. I've mentioned before but i have a sensitive scalp and often my scalp has reactions. On top of that with my super fine and soft hair, if a shampoo leaves too much of a residue then often my head is left a greasy mess. At 80p I'll be getting this again and again.


The body shop - Tea Tree Cleansing Toner
 I've reviewed this before but I got this from The Ashford Retail Outlet for a steal. I've been using this after my cleanser and its really helped to clear up my recent break out (sounds very prison break when in reality i mean SPOTS). I will be getting this again to be sure.


Avon - Sweet Vanilla Bubble Bath
Sold out on their site but you can purchase other festive shaped bubble baths so take a look if you want. I wouldn't suggest it as i have mentioned here, and here. To reiterate my prior post this smelled great in the bottle but didn't smell at all outside of the bottle.



Ok enough of the old, in with the new:

Balanceme - Pure Skin Face Wash
This is my favourite newbie of the week. I got this in my Birchbox this month and i am impressed. I'll start with the best part. It rubs on and washes off quickly and leaves my skin feeling great. I must go on again about sensitive skin but its my blog, so deal with it! This does not irritate my skin at all and leaves me feeling glorious. Now the bad bit. Looks and feels like spunk! Sorry to those who ma be insulted by me bringing up bodily fluids but that's the case. The smell is also kind of chemical for a product which claims to be 99% natural? Regards less of smell, look and texture I am loving this product!

Aldi - Mighty Shampoo
Another product which admittedly i have tried before but well worth a revisit. This moisturises better than my tesco usual but without leaving a residue which will grease up my hair. This smells delicious too which is always great for a shampoo. People don't be put off by store brands. Aldi especially are upping their game and playing against the big boys. So far there isn't a product of theirs i haven't been impressed by.

Rituals - Ritual of Sakura
My colleague seemed excited when i got this in my Tilli box however i wasn't that impressed. The smell is quite old fashioned and not a scent i like. The texture is odd. This is a gel which foams... but not that foamy sometimes and sometimes too foamy. There's no balance. I basically used the whole canister in two washes which is ridiculous.

No.4 - Lumiere D'hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect
What this incredibly long name is meant to tell us is spray which makes it easy to comb (or brush) and protects from heat (should you choose to dry your hair). I air dry my hair so protect i do not need. With my thin, fine hair it does get tangled and does need help. This spray does work to help with my issue HOWEVER it does no more than my Aldi brand. Aldi version is much cheaper so i really wouldn't buy this again nor would i recommend this.






Lastly my other half has asked me to revisit my review on a new product he tried out last week (and is still using). I shall call this sections "He has an opinion on everything":

 The other half wanted to again reiterate that he liked the scent ALOT however he has found a design floor in this bottle. He claims that its incredibly hard to get the wash out the bottle which is frustrating for him as he really does like this product. Pity its so expensive.....



That's all folks. No more new, old, empties or revisits.


Hope you have enjoyed this article and if you have suggestions please do let me know.


Peace out ☮🕊

Thr chronicles of "trying to be more woman" - Episode 13 - Feeling sorry for myself

I was feeling a little under the weather this week and as always was feeling very sorry for myself. My first go to for any pain or illness is sleep. Well unfortunately being a working day my mind wasn't willing to cooperate with that. I woke up at 5.50 and I was up for the day. Still I got to rest even if I wasnt sleeping.

I'd have loved to get some household chores done but I really wasn't feeling up to it. So as many of us do, I set up camp on the sofa under my faux fur blanket and switched on Netflix. 

Anyway Ive got distracted from the main point. As I felt a little better in the afternoon and as noted already my skin is really horrendous at the moment I thought now was as good a time as any to do a face mask. The mask I went with was the Primark Deep cleansing blueberry bubble mask. It was my first time using s primark mask and a first using a bubble mask but at 80p I wasn't worried if it was useless. 

Application - the liquid comes out as a viscous fluid with a creamy looking consistency (yes, it looks like spunk)

Smell - with blueberry in the title name of the products , I was expecting something fruity. It wasn't. It wasn't a very pleasant smell for me but that could be me being ill as I've lost some sense of taste

Consistency when on face - once on, the foam starts up pretty quickly. It did feel a bit uncomfortable and itchy while I was waiting.....

Removal and after effects - washing off was easy enough however it was sticking to my flannel and really wouldn't wash out. After my skin felt a tad sticky... But no more cleansed...

Would I recommend this? Yes. It's a cheap buy to try out a bubbling face mask. Did it do much for me? No, but again didn't expect much for 80p.

If you like this, please visit my older blog on other mask's i've tried :)

Well that's all I have for you on this one. Hope you enjoyed!!!!

The chronicles of "trying to be more woman" - Episode 12 - damn you blemish stick

So folks in this not so special Tuesday me and my colleague decided to jazz up an ordinary day by renaming today Neon Tuesday. It isn't to become a national day I'm afraid but for a few in our finance team at work we are rocking the bright neon today.

Since today is a little different I wanted to put an effort into my face so what happens yesterday.... Mount Etna decides to mould itself to my face.

Sod's law, I know..I bought a blemish stick from Avon a little while back so this was an opportunity to give it a whirl... well..... Meh. It doesn't want to stick to my face and like most blemish sticks it's entirely the wrong colour for my face. So rather than conceal I'm left with a large paler lump on my face..... Yay. I tried and at least this has tea-tree in it so perhaps it's helping a little. Its currently only £2.50 so if you're tempted, now's the time to give it a go. I won't go on about my bad experience with Avon again, but here's my blog about them if you're interested.

The rest of my face I'm overall pleased with. This morning I tried a the technic primer (bought from fragrance direct for £1.75) out for the first time and then used the simple light moisturiser (i reviewed this on my recent blog so please refer back for more details). I feel the combo has made a difference as a base for the makeup and am pretty pleased. The Revlon gloss is a subtle touch to my bold look (yay neon Tuesday). I tried the Primark bronzer stick again today but this time along with the W7 liquid highlighter. The bronzer is probably too dark for me but runs in well but the highlighter... It's nice and glittery but other than that I feel it does little else. I'm also wearing my gosh foundation which I have mentioned in previous blogs and my L'Oreal eye pencil and Maybelline mascara.

Onto my fashion choices (picture care of itsshradha which the tag line #betterthanitsshradha comes from)..... Bold and beautiful i say. I am a pink Princess and proud today. I got this jumper for FREE from www.everything5pound.com when using a voucher code. I hated it when I first ordered it online and when it arrived but when I tried it on..... love at first sight. The jeans (sold out already) are also from everything5pound with a simple h&m black cami. I finished the look off with my office leather bright pink beauties which I had re-heeled yesterday. I love that these beauties are back in action so expect to see more of them. The socks were another recent purchase from ASOS, all topped off with my only accessory today which is my fitbit!

Well that's all I have on this neon Tuesday. I hope you all enjoyed and please do read my other posts for more makeup newbie reviews and fashion tips (maybe I'm not the best to take tips from).

Peace out ☮️️

Fashion Edit - trying to build on my wardrobe

As if I really need to, but i'd like to expand my wardrobe selection (even further). Currently i'm on the hunt for a smarter but quirkier look.

I've been searching the online sites for a shirt dress, jumper, legging combo. Something that all together I could smarten up with a handbag and heels; or dress down with dr martens/trainers and a back pack.

Here's the best of what I consider was a bad bunch in the shirt dress department:

Green and blue tartan £18 from Boohoo.com
Multi stripe (middle/top) £16 from Matalan
Red and black check £22 from Boohoo.com
Red and white stripe (Bottom left) £20 from Forever 21
Denim dress £18 from Matalan
Blue and white stripe tent dress £58, French connection c/o Asos


Truly I struggled to find a dress i'd like as I wanted a fairly plain shape, in my size which would cover my bum (i'm 5"7 with a big bum). My favourite of the above would be between three; The french connection number, forever 21 deck chair chic and the school kilt tartan in the top left.



I'm also after a funky pair of jeggings/jeans. Below are my wish list currently:

From left to right

Black leggings lace up front £20 from boohoo
Grey "puppy tooth" legging £4.99 from Select Fashion  
Ripped jeans with patches £9.99 from Select Fashion 
Denim stirrup jeggings £7.50 from ASOS 
Leather look, lace up side legging £25 from boohoo 
Grey and white patterned leggings £4.99 from Select Fashion 
Two tone Jeggings £14 from ASOS - I actually bought these last week. They also come in tall and petite and come in all sizes from 8 to 28!


I'm sure some people will check out some of my choices and think "she doesn't usually dress so out there/funky". That is all my own fault:
1. I don't have the money to buy everything I want
2. I am my own biggest hater and hate myself in everything I wear (I know im not alone in this self doubt and let me tell you, my other half hates how much I hate on myself)
3. I don't really want to be centre of attention - some of these are a bit more out there and I don't really want to draw attention to myself


Oh well. On with the show. I LOVE Dr Martens, and what better to wear them with than pinafores/dungarees:

 From left to right again...

Different shades of denim dungarees £17.50 Boohoo
Snoopy print dungaree dress £29.99 Pull&bear
Blue ditsy print dungaree dress £5.99 Select Fashion
Black formal style pinafore dress £5 Everything£5
Red cord dungaree dress £39 Topshop
Light denim dungaree dress £32 Topshop
Dark denim with faded knees £30 Boohoo




Now this is all fine and dandy but heading into AW17 really I should add some knitwear to the mix. Below are my Knits that I want and perhaps will buy:

From left to right for the last time
Grey sweatshirt jumper dress £30 Missguided 
Pink oversized jumper £25 Boohoo 
Green oversized jumper £18 Boohoo 
Blue "cute by crazy" sweatshirt £9.99 Select Fashion 
Woven black jumper with chiffor inserts £9.99 Select Fashion 




To some these may not be staples but to me they are. I'd love all of the above but i'd settle on at least 2 from each picture if I could. Oh well. Maybe when I win the lottery.

I hope you have enjoyed this fashion edition. Let me know if you want me to do a specific article on any styles/seasons in the comments section.

Peace out 🕊☮

Rage page - customer service - "manners maketh man"

The motto "manners maketh man" is from a family hierloom of mine (a decorative cheeseboard) which have always struck a chord with me. Manners are for free but certainly working in London has taught me that these values haven't been installed in everyone.

London is a tough environment where it is hard to keep up a positive demeanor. For starters, try smiling at someone on a tube/train. The resting bitch face (RBF) response is almost comedic... Almost but more than anything it's disheartening. I'm not sure how this London standard have become the normal but it took moving out to Kent to realise that this isn't a nationwide standard. Hold a door open in London and you could well be standing there for sometime without perhaps a single thanks (I have experienced this on a number of occasions). In London, especially when I'm on the move I take on another persona these days and it's not particularly one I like. My response to rudeness in the face of my manner is not usually loud "you're welcome" (one day this knee jerk reaction may get me injured so I would not recommend others to take on this stance) which in itself makes me ill mannered. If I held true to my manners I would silently take rude ignorance and move on... But how can I when it's a daily occurance? Come on london! Bring back manners.

I've got off topic. On a personal level individuals without manners is bad enough but when you experience a lack of manners from a customer service representative for a business it's most certainly unacceptable on so many levels. I am the worse twitterer in that I use it mainly for two things being complaining (about trains, product issues and rubbish customer service) and complimenting (for great customer service or if I love some new product or range or song/artist). I've added to my tweets recently with the addition of this blog but really I signed up with twitter to complain. There! I said it...  I have twitter to moan. On the past two weeks I've contacted four companies on twitter and another smaller company on email. From this I've had three good customer service experiences, one unsatisfied experience and one which angered me further.

Primark I contacted over a product which could potentially harm others. Thier immediate response to my tweet was to ask me to direct message with my email address they then emailed soon after asking for more detail. They have asked for a receipt copy which I can only assume is for a refund which really wasn't the point of my tweet. Point being from this experience is that they took note, responded quickly and professionally ensuring company image is represented in a polite (well mannered) fashion. As a customer it's nice to know that they take note of my negative experience without becoming defensive and are looking into my issue. This is something we expect from a company this size but it's still nice as a customer to know they are listening. Good experience no.1.

Good experience no.2 was with new look. I bought a product, wore it once and then it broke. They were extremely quick to apologise and offer a refund. This was really impressive as I didn't expect a refund considering the product was bought some time ago (even if it wasn't worn til August of this year) and I no longer had a receipt. I was very impressed with their twitter team and messaged them to thanks them. The store customer service (Oxford Street branch) wasn't as impressive when stood in front of  a sales assistant with RBF while the store manager looked up the product. Overall this was still a positive experience.

Good experience no 3 and the most recent was today with a smaller company called sample beauty. I ordered some samples from them and when they arrived one of the pots had smashed and was covering the other items ordered but of course most importantly I had less of that samples than I wanted. I emailed in this instance as being a smaller company I wasn't sure which company was them. They responded within 10 MINUTES of my email! Super impressive. Thier email tone was friendly but professional and they offered to send a replacement. Job done in few words really.

Onto the not so good but not so bad..as noted in my yesterday blog, I wasn't chuffed with my latest in beauty box. I still stand by them and their product as it's great to be able to choose your product for a month box. What sucks is that first order i received on addition to the choices I made a fair amount of samples. With my most current order I received one other sample. This was disappointing but I was far more disappointed when i queried this with latest in beauty on twitter they admitted that you only get so many samples with the first order. This is misleading and upsetting. I'm not alone in this as I can see other bloggers on twitter are saying they same. So although they answered my tweet quickly and fully the response didn't seem to take note of their customers disappointment and so the query is resolved by a abrupt oh well in a sense.

Now for the negative customer service experience. I emailed and tweeted these folks. I placed my first Avon order on Sunday. I'll be honest that I couldn't remember what delivery I chose (naughty me) but when I emailed to ask when i can expect it the response was a reminder not to chase until I've exceeded the delivery window and a delivery code to search on Hermes. Now I got my required question answered and that isn't up for dispute however if I had been given this Hermes reference earlier o could have checked this myself. Secondly I'm sure it is annoying to be queried over orders which are enroute to the customer and within the delivery window, however if you are working in customer services I'm sure this is a common question and you should have a better prepared and politer response. I tweeted to say as much and have heard nothing back. This is just as disappointing considering the size of the business.

As a customer I want to know that my opinions and queries and respected and noted. Do I expect an apology for all my complaints and questions? NO. I expect a response which shows respect however as a paying customer and that even if there isn't a resolution they will note this for the future.

An acquaintance i once knew in customer services once said it's always "arsehole Friday" as for some reason returns and complaints often come in a friday. I hope I'm not one of those as I always try and phrase my queries and complaints in a polite but factual manner HOWEVER if you are rude to me you better expect a snappy response.

Reader (or readers if there are more of you out there) always remember that behind a computer or phone is an individual. Don't hold them accountable entirely responsible for issues you are having. However customer service folks out there, remember you represent a business (even if it's your own) so anything you say will make a business look good or bad. EVERYONE please remember manners are noted when used and it's a free kindness which isn't as used as much as they once were/should be.

PEACE OUT ☮️🕊️