Valentines with Aamaya by Priyanka

If you follow me on instagram (@brushupmakeup) you'd have seen me post a photo of this a few weeks ago. Last month was Valentine's day and typically, after nearly 8 years together, the boy and I decided not to bother with much.

That was until I saw this beaut on my-wardrobe.com - oh how she sparkles! Believe me, I didn't ask for it, I bought it there and then and promptly thrust it under his nose with the instruction 'give this to me for valentine's' - subtle I know! Well, I couldn't possibly buy myself a heart shaped ring like this now could I?!

The ring is called the 'Crystal Rose Gold Heart Ring' and is by a brand called Aamaya by Priyanka. I'd spotted it somewhere in the blogosphere before and then it must have been fate when it creeped into the my-wardrobe sale (half price down from £125).

Aamaya by Priyanka is a jewellery label by the designer Priyanka Lugani. She is inspired by her many travels around the globe to create her bold statement pieces and also finer jewellery collections, like this ring.

It is 18 carat rose-gold plated sterling silver and the open heart design is embellished with crystals. It only came in one size (US 6/UK L) so I'm glad this was the perfect fit for my ring finger.

I absolutely love it, which surprised me for someone who normally veers away from heart-shaped jewellery. But the simple elegance of it just seems to work.

Stockists of Aamaya by Priyanka can be found on their website and their collections are stocked in many countries around the world.

 Disclaimer - This is not a sponsored post in any way but the ring was gifted to me because I am a kind and loving girlfriend who deserves to be spoilt... ;)

GlossyBox - March - City Chic

This month's theme for GlossyBox was 'City Chic' and I have to admit that they hit the nail on the head for those essential handbag beauty staples that help keep you looking effortlessly glamorous. And if that wasn't enough, they teased me with their little travelling book - an exciting guide to cities around the world... oh how I crave a holiday right now!!

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Skin Protectant Fragrance Free - 7ml sample size - full size 50ml £25
The Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream is as iconic as the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and can you believe that neither exist in my vast beauty collection?! I know, bad beauty blogger indeed. Eight hour cream has so many uses (chapped lips, dry hands, smooth cuticles, shape brows, refresh skin... to name but a few!) that it would make a handy go-to handbag saviour for those little beauty emergencies. I'm glad that it's fragrance free too -  the original version never quite appealed in scent to me.

Nails Inc. Nail Varnish in St. James - 4ml sample size - full size 10ml £11
Ooh I do love a good nail varnish and if it comes in a cute dinky little bottle - even better! I already own a similar shade to St James which I showed here on my other blog Brush up and Polish up! but this red seems to be on the pinker side of pillar box red, so it's not exactly the same. I love Nails Inc. products full stop - easy to apply, gorgeous colours and a smooth finish - so GlossyBox could never really get it wrong with this one.

Juicy Couture Fragrance in Couture La La - 1.5ml sample size - full size 100ml £63
Hmmm, skimping a little with a fragrance sample? Well I have to admit that a small handbag spray is quite handy at times so I see how it fits with the theme. I also have to confess that I'm not really a fan of Juicy Couture (the packaging is quite garish and just screams tacky to me I'm afraid) but the fragrance is actually fairly pleasant. It has a nice floral tone to it with a hint of musk as well as being not too overbearing and quite feminine. I doubt I will repurchase but it was a nice little sample to try.

Tresemmé Salon Finish Extra Hold Hairspray - 100ml sample size - full size 500ml £4.69
Perfect timing GlossyBox - I'd just run out of my handbag size and this was the perfect replacement. I tend to go for the lighter hold options though as the stronger ones can get a bit heavy in my fine hair. I have always bought Tresemmé hairspray, the big ol' tins for the dresser and a little one for the handbag. I'm sure you're all very well aware of what a hairspray does so I don't need to explain that one but the various brands do tend to differ. I guess I settled on Tresemmé a while ago when the shop own brands failed to do the job and Elnett was just too ridiculously expensive for a hairspray. Repurchase? Of course! This just saved me the job of a trip to Boots.

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip Blush in Cranberry - full size 2.5g £12
I last tried a Jelly Pong Pong product in July's Glossybox and wasn't disappointed so it was nice to see another offering from the brand in this month's box. I would have preferred the pinker shade they do in this range, I'm not really a red lippie person, but I gave it a go anyway. They advertise this as a 'lip blush' which is essentially a balm like lip stain that moisturises and injects a bit of colour (just imagine a Clinique Chubby Stick and you're there). It was very easy to apply and very smoothing on the lips although I was a little wary (as I am with most lipsticks) that I'd end up smudging it and getting red smeared all over my face, thanks to the habitual lip chewer that I am. Asides from my fear of red, this was a lovely product that I would consider repurchasing - in a different shade of course!

If you like the idea of subscribing to GlossyBox, then use this referral link to sign up today.

Disclaimer - I have subscribed to GlossyBox out of my own choice and money (damn the fanciful idea of mystery beauty products delivered every month). It was my choice to review the products above and I have done so in a 100% honest manner. I am not compensated for my reviews but if you use my referral link to start a subscription then I can get points towards a free box next time... well who doesn't want free beauty stuff?!!

GlossyBox - February - Valentine's Edition

Love is in the air so GlossyBox have gone all pink. Naturally! How much this month's box actually fits with the theme of love is fairly questionable but they've managed to pick out a few pink-ish things that fit.

It looked like a good-un until closer inspection left me feeling a little all out of love....

Micabella Cosmetics Mineral Blush Powder in Terracotta - sample size - full size 9g £34.95
I thought I'd come across this brand before, but apparently not. I was thinking of another, similar mica powder cosmetics company. Anywho, I was intrigued to find a blusher as the foundation/powder samples I often get are inevitably too dark for my pasty complexion.The shade I got was Terracotta, a nice soft peachy bronze tone that won't be too dark once applied. I like that it has SPF 15 coverage too and am keen to give this a try out and step away from my comfort zone of pressed powder blushers.

ModelCo Eyeshadow Duo in Bronzed Goddess - full size 2 x 2.35g £18
I've seen ModelCo tanning products before and of course the famous fibrelash brush on false lases, but have yet to try any of their makeup. So it was nice to see a full size eyeshadow duo in this month's box, and in some colours that form a pretty staple shade palette for me. The colour combination is called Bronze Goddess and consists of a pale gold shimmer and rich bronze-brown tone - great for a subtle, natural glimmer or building up a full on bronzed blend.

Anatomicals You Need A Blooming Shower - 150ml sample size - full size 300ml £5
Ah, another anatomicals product! So that's October, December and now February... we must be on an every-other-month thing! I wouldn't normally mind as anatomicals win me over with their product names alone, but this one is a little different. It's rose scented, and we all know how I feel about rose *retch* the smell justs gets to me and gives me a headache. Ah well, I'll chuck this shower gel at my sisters and see if they can get some use out of it.

Helen É Cosmetics Moisturising Lipstick in Café Au Lait - full size 3.5g £8
Now a lipstick makes sense for the theme of this box, but shouldn't it at least be pink? Or red? Or kiss proof? I do prefer moisturising lipsticks, but not in yucky brown shades. This is still sat, unopened, cellophane intact, in a drawer gathering dust. I just wish they would send more appealing shades!

Docteur Renaud Raspberry Soft Cream - 30ml sample size - full size 50ml £25
Ooh this smells yummy, but it's a cream for normal to dry skin and that, I do not have. Ah well. Another for the 'sister' pile. I've heard a lot of great things in the beauty blogging world about Docteur Renaud products and was keen to give this raspberry cream a go, but it just won't work on my oily skin and I daren't risk overloading my face and the inevitable breakout that will surely follow. For those of you with normal-dry complexions, this moisturiser is designed to protect, hydrate and soften your skin all day long. And is raspberry scented, what's not to like?!

And a lollipop. Well, that was tasty! Here's hoping that March comes a little bit more up to scratch GlossyBox...


If you like the idea of subscribing to GlossyBox, then use this referral link to sign up today.

Disclaimer - I have subscribed to GlossyBox out of my own choice and money (damn the fanciful idea of mystery beauty products delivered every month). It was my choice to review the products above and I have done so in a 100% honest manner. I am not compensated for my reviews but if you use my referral link to start a subscription then I can get points towards a free box next time... well who doesn't want free beauty stuff?!!

My Guess Rose Gold Arm Candy...

You might remember my Going Crazy for Chronographs! post I did just over a year ago and my quest for a chunky bit of arm candy... well if you follow me on instagram (@brushupmakeup) you will have noticed that I did not give up the search and have indeed purchased myself a very un-dainty timepiece to glam up my wrists. And what a bargain it was...

... I found this gem on eBay no less! It was an unused gift that someone wanted to sell and I managed to get in to bid at just the right time. I think I got it for around a third of the RRP so I was bloody chuffed with my bargain hunting. All I had to do was get one more link taken out and I was good to go.

So what is it I hear you cry, well this is the Guess Ladies' Spectrum Chronograph Watch or W170041L to be precise. They do loads of different colours, all pretty much the exact same style but with slightly different product codes. This one is the Rose Gold version with a Champagne face/dial.

It came in a little Guess branded presentation bag with a two-year guarantee. The watch strap and casing is stainless steel with PVD rose gold plating and it is water resistant up to 50m - not that I ever want to wear it in water, something about that just feels so wrong, but it's nice to have the safety of knowing that a bit of rain or washing up won't hurt.

As you can see it is quite chunky when on the wrist and it is the biggest watch I own, but I absolutely LOVE the simplicity of it and the colour is perfect. I am definitely not one for a diamanté or crystal encrusted bit of watch bling so this suits me perfectly.

Clutz here however, has already flung her arm around so much that I have scratched the glass face after only a week of owning it! So if you're clumsy like me then just bear in mind that this is on the larger side and you might want to be a bit more careful. With that exact thought I have put this aside as my 'special occasion' watch and I use a different one everyday that I don't mind getting scratched.

Althought this isn't exactly the same as the one in my original post (so much for insisting I wanted just a gold watch!) I am so happy with my bargain find.

If you're interested in the same design, I've found it for sale on the John Lewis website but if you're not fussed about your exact watch design and are looking for bargain too, then I highly recommend a trawl on eBay - just be careful, there are a lot of fakes out there and be honest with yourself how much you're willing to bid. Sometimes you're better off spending £20 more to get it from a 'proper' shop for peace of mind and guarantee.

Disclaimer - my rather gangster timepiece was purchased by myself for myself, should you wish to join me in chunking up your wrist, then the links above are merely suggestions of places you could acquire such a watch from (in exchange for monies of course).