Happy Birthday To Me | Half Way To 40!

If you follow me on Twitter (@hannahripley) or Instagram (hannahripley1) then you will already know this - because I haven't shut up about it - but it was my birthday on Friday and I hit that big old milestone of 20 years old. I did a post on Monday about the presents that I generously received and I basically just showcased a huge mound of sweets.. so if you want to tease your sweet tooth or have a nosy at what else I was treated to, including The Body Shop and Benefit goodies and a Ciate Mini Mani Month then you can see the post here: (link). This is just a post with a couple more pictures sharing the antics from the week and the weekend, hope you all enjoy.



Even Google wished me a happy birthday!



♥ Birthday girl with her cake and candle  |  Cute cupcake & card ♥

♥ Cake made by my mum  |  Full fry up made in the morning by John ♥

♥ Surprise MoonPig card from my best friend, Lucy  |  'Lovely' morning text from John ♥

♥ Banner on the front door of uni house  |  Banner on my bedroom door at home ♥

♥ Presents from the girls at uni  |  'Create your own' badge & Arthur Christmas film ♥

♥ Favourite texts from the day: 'fellow booty shaker'  |  Favourite texts from the day: 'blogging buddy' ♥

♥ More favourite texts from the day - how cute that my grandparents have learnt to text?! ♥

♥ Uni girls  |  'Uni family' ♥

♥ Jager shots to start the night  |  Beer pong! ♥

♥  Out in Preston #1 |  Out in Preston #2 ♥

♥ Out in Preston #3  |  Out in Preston #4 ♥

♥ More picture with the girls  |  Surprise Moonpig card from Lucy ♥

♥ Popular day for bloggers birthdays!  | Free cookie from Subway made my day ♥

I do love a good collage!
 ♥

Monthly Favourites | November

I know that there's still a week left to go of November but I'm going to be a busy bee over the next two weeks so this is the only chance I've really got to put this post up and I love doing favourites posts so didn't want to miss it out! Here's what I've really been loving recently:
 

 

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Conditioning Treatment

I'm quite late to the party with love and appreciation for Aussie products. I've always heard people bang on about them but just never expected that I'd fall for the hype. Well, one day I tried and tested and now I am madly in love. I think the scent of their products is a real winning factor for me - so sweet and bubblegum-y - I really like it. Then there's the absolute bargain price of them and most products can almost always be found for under a fiver and the quality isn't at all compromised with the price as the standard of these is a lot higher than some expensive high end brands I've tried before! The first time that I used this reconstructor mask my hopes weren't all that high, I left it on my mid-lengths and ends for 5-10 minutes while I sat in the bath and then rinsed away. Almost instantly I could feel a difference in my hair and I have quite literally never used a conditioning mask that has impressed me so much and left my hair feeling so amazing. For the next three days I just could not stop touching and stroking my hair - LOVE.
 

Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner

There's no frills with this one; Simple really does just live up to its brand name. I needed to get myself an affordable, everyday use toner to sweep over my face morning and night to remove all those last traces of dirt and make up and really freshen up and this bottle does the trick absolutely perfectly! I'm itching to try the rest of Simple's skincare line now after loving this so much. Imagine a really soft and soothing, moisturing water that you wipe over your face to make your skin feel clean and refreshed? Yep! It's fragrance free with no nasty chemicals so doesn't irrate or sting the skin in any way and for just over £2 it is the perfect step for inbetween cleansing and moisturising.

 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

Something else that I'm late to the party of love and obsession for is Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Concealer - seriously, what was my life like before this?! I cannot believe that for years and years I used pricer alternatives when this gem has been sitting in Superdrug the whole time for less than £5! Since purchasing this every single day that my make-up has been done this has been an essential part of my routine; not just for blemishes at all as I also find it good for under eye circles with my shade being so light, and really good for any areas that need extra coverage. I normally just swipe a few small streaks across my cheeks and around my nose then gently blend before putting on foundation and I really don't ever want to be without this now! It's a thick and creamy high coverage concealer that lasts and lasts all day - 'Lasting Perfection' is a really appropriate name. I'm curious if the matching foundation is of the same high standard ..anyone know?

 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Good old Rimmel Wake Me Up! I did a post on this a couple of days ago about how I thought I'd found a replacement for this trusty, amazing foundation until I rediscovered my love for it and realised that it can't be beaten - especially not for the price anyway! The post I wrote on this can be found here (link) and I basically just gush about how much I love this. Really affordable, good quality, high coverage, buildable, luminating and long lasting foundation - Nothing to complain about and this has been my foundation of choice every single day.

 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Primer

Again, something that I've recently dedicated a post to is The Body Shop's Tea Tree Pore Minimiser / Primer and you can find the quick review that I wrote here (link). This is highly comparable to the ever so famous Benefit Pore-Fessional but this is a much more purse friendly option at just £7.50 instead of £23! It's basic and simple what this product aims to do and it acts as a base for your foundation (or you can wear it alone) and it smooths out the surface of your skin, reducing the appearance of pores for a more flawless and perfected finish. It also mattifies your skin and the tea tree ingredients help to keep your complexion as fresh and clear as possible. Love The Pore-Fessional? Try this out as a cheaper alternative!

 

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Recently giving into the hype, and becoming tired of applying foundation with my fingers, I decided to invest in a decent set of make-up tools in the form of Real Techniques brushes. They didn't break the bank; I got the Core Collection set which cost £22 and contained four brushes but was the only way that I'd be getting my hands on the much-loved Buffing Brush. I use this every day to apply my liquid foundation and just adore the smooth, flawless, even and streak-free finish that this gives in super quick time and the large head can cover quite a big surface area at a time. Applying foundation has never been so easy. 

 

Models Own Nails: Naked Shimmer & Bluebelle

Lots of love for Models Own at the moment! These two are complete opposite ends of the spectrum with regards to nail varnish colour; one being a subtle and neutral nude, with the other being a bright and bold glitter shade, but both are utterly gorgeous. Just this morning I took off Bluebelle (took forever - bloody glitter polishes!) for a change to the more muted and toned down shade of Naked Shimmer - a creamy pinky grey - and I really love both of them and can see me coming back to them again and again.

 

I'm off to Liverpool this afternoon to see Michael McIntyre's live show at the Echo Arena as I got tickets for that and a hotel too for my boyfriend's birthday present so I'm really, really excited as we've been counting down the days to this since August. Expect a haul post soon after too because I already know that I won't be resisting the shops in Liverpool One!

 

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

♥

Monthly Empties | November

Hello my little pickles! No need for too much of an introduction today but here is one of my personal favourite types of post ..'empties'. I've expressed before why I understand some people can think these posts are weird, because, well, they are. 'Just throw the empty shampoo bottles in the bin, you loon' is what I want to tell myself sometimes! But I still like to write these posts, I still like to read these posts and they're always well received too so I can't be the only person who likes to see these. So here are products that I've loved so much that I used up every last scrap of them instead of neglecting them or throwing them out:

 

 

Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo & Conditioner

Mmmm! This jumbo sized duo for dry and damaged hair was an absolute treat to use and I can't wait to get back to using Aussie on my hair again! I recently switched things up when I finished these and starting using the Avon Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner on my hair instead and they just do not even compare! These are very affordable, smell gorgeeeous - be aware the smell is very sweet and bubblegum-like, and leave hair feels soft, smooth and really managable with minimal frizz! Love! 

 

N-Spa Lemon Souffle Body Scrub

It looks like there's a little bit left in here but I asure you that there isn't. This was a gift for Christmas last year but N-Spa has a brilliant bargain range of products and there's so many more that I want to try! This scrub is citrus scented which is great because it smells really fresh and clean and the exfoliating beads inside are quite rough and gritty so I'd recommend this for the times when you need a reaaally good clean - it's great for getting rid of patchy fake tan left overs.

 

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment Mask

If you saw my verrry lengthy post on this product earlier in the month then fear not as I'm not about to ramble on for another 1,000+ words about my opinions on this, instead I'll just direct you all to the post that I wrote so you can have a read for yourself if you like: LINK. I really do love this Lee Stafford product and I'm sure I'll continue to repurchase and use this for a very long time as I feel it does wonders for my hair and can often be found for a bargain when '3 for £12' offers are on.

 

Special FX Nail Varnish

I found this little 3ml bottle rolling around in the bottom a drawer when having a sort out the other day and there was just enough left in the bottle to get one coat of colour on each of my nails, but by the time I reached my last pinky finger I really was scraping the barrel to get any more product out of here. It's a shame really because I don't know where this came from or how long I've had it for but it's a really beautiful shade and appropriate for the season; it's a lovely deep metallic navy blue and unfortunately the bottle doesn't have a shade name on it because I suspect it came as part of a set, being a miniature and all.

 

Lush Mask of Magnaminty Face & Back Pack

This mask is amaaazing! If you haven't tried it yet then I highly, highly recommend you hop on down to Lush and pick one up. In fact, try any of their face masks and I'm sure you'll be impressed - I love lots of their fresh ones. Unfortunately, as these contain fresh and natural ingredients they have a use by date of around three months and because there's so much product inside the tub I didn't get a chance to use it all up before it went off which is a shame really. As the name suggests it's a mint scented mask, it is very thick, clay-based and leaves the skin refreshingly tingly and awakened!

 

 

♥

Instagram Diary | November

Hello lovelies!

How incredibly quickly is this year flying by? There's just over five weeks left of this year and I think that's crazy. Today's post is 'November in pictures' and I hope that you enjoy. If there's a blog post relevant to one of the pictures then I've linked the caption so you can read more if you want to, and to see even more pictures you can find me on Instagram: Hannahripley1 ♥

 

Chilling on a Saturday Night | Topshop: 'All About Me' | Pamper Day! Hair Masks | Movember Moustache Loving

Homemade Bacon Cheeseburger with Onion Rings | Kitchen Wizard Bacon Cheeseburger | Foot Long Sub Meal for Lunch | Chinese - Salt and Pepper Chicken with Curry Sauce and Duck in Plum Sauce with Rice and Chips - Greedy!

Text Books From Last Year I Need To Sell | Uni Work - Criminal Law Coursework | Night Out With The Girls | Mini Jager Brought Back From Austria

Big 'FRAGILE' Delivery | New Nail Varnish Stand | Fave Combination: AWOL and Bluebelle | Giveaway Prizes

Ooops - Went Shopping | November SheSaid Beauty Box | Polka Dot Nails | Rimmel Precious Stones: Ruby Crush

Seasonal Yankee Candle Tarts | Christmas Cookie in New Tart Burner | Robot Necklace | Happy Halloween - Topshop Socks

Cartier Perfume Sample | Free 10ml Fit Me Sample From Maybelline | Dairy Milk with Oreo | Tickets Arrived for Michael McIntyre This Weekend!

♥

 

SheSaid Beauty Box | November

When I received the October SheSaid Beauty Box a month ago I stropped, sulked, huffed and puffed about how downright shit it was. I'm not going to link you to the post I wrote on it because it's negative and Mondays are bad enough without you hearing me moan about something in the past. On Thursday last week that big old pink box landed up on my doorstep again and I opened it up completely not knowing what to expect as I purposely hadn't read any reviews already done on this box as I wanted to have my own open minded opinion on the contents.

 

I've been really unhappy with previous boxes and I can't just unsubscribe as I'm tied into a pre-paid 6 month subscription package so if I'm not satisfied all I can really do is have a little moan on Twitter then get on with life and hope for the best in the next month's box. So, with only slightly improved contents from October's box.. here is what was inside the November She Said Beauty Box:

Redken Smooth Lock Shampoo and Conditioner Full size 300ml and 200ml - £11.85 and £13.40

It was probably the Redken product that saved this box and made above average instead of awful. I've tried two Redken products before; one I loved and was really impressed by, the other massively fell short of expectations and I was disappointed, so this was the perfect opportunity to give the brand another chance and let me make my mind up on it because right now I'm on the fence whether or not their products are worth the money.

There's 10ml of product in each sachet and for me personally, that's just a little bit too much for one use and not quite enough for two so I just gave myself a very generous application and used it once. This duo claims to cleanse, refresh and nourish dry and unruly hair, which is pretty much what a lot of hair care sets say they will do. The shampoo didn't really do a lot for me but I was impressed with the conditioner and I'd say it left my hair in an above average state living up to it's promises of leaving my locks manageable, smooth and frizz free. It's definitely a higher price that what I would normally pay for a bottle of conditioner so although I enjoyed using it I will probably stick my high street brands for now!

 

So...? Brit Body Spray Full size 50ml - £1.99

 

I was sceptical at first, feeling cheated by SheSaid including such a cheap brand and cheap product into their box that brought memories flooding back of school days and all of the girls soaking themselves in So..? and Charlie body sprays at lunch times and after Sports class, but despite my hesitations with this body spray I do actually think that the scent is really nice. It is described as 'an edgy scent that has been created for the fashion forward and independent girls in mind' which isn't much of an accurate description in terms of what it actually smells like and of course scents are subject to individual preferences but I think this is alright. It's perfect handbag and travel size, and although being an aerosol can it's not as subtle as a little spritz of perfume of body mist to freshen up during the day it still does the job nicely and I've got nothing against this product.

 

Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Night Cream Full size 30ml - £14.95

 

Sorry but I literally cannot stop moaning in this post so I'll say my first good point now! Last months box contained two sachets of Biao rose night cream and I lapped it up, getting 3 applications from each of the sachets gave me enough of feel of it to decide that I really liked the product, and then this little 5ml tube of another rose night cream came along and again, I've been lapping it up and loving it. This Weleda one is aimed at anti-aging but it also an all round rejuvenating and smoothing night cream. It's right on my bedside table and I've applied it only four nights in a row so far but each morning my skin has been waking up looking better and better so I'm impressed! I'm not sure if it's this brand in particular I love, or just the general idea of rose night creams so I'm intruiged and I'm going to branch out and try a few more different ones to see.

 



 

Yardley Royal English Daisy EDT Full size 50ml and 125ml - £9.99 and £14.95

 

There's been a Yardley perfume sample in a previous box and I just thought it was 'okay' so didn't feel too pleased with seeing another one, but this one is a lot better and I think it's quite nice! I don't ever tend to really use perfume samples that I get though, they all just build up in a little collection and I'm thinking that I might start putting them to use so I'm wearing this one today.

 



 

'SSB Treat': Murrays Manicure Matchbook Nail Files Full size - £1.99

 

It's a little set of mini nail files.. I don't really know what I can say about these and I know I never would have bought them for myself. I might use them, but I probably won't. (Very messiliy painted nails alert in the picture though - haha!)

 

 

Makebelieve enhance Shimmer Lip Gloss Full size 15ml - £10.00

Since opening my box I've since seen other variations of November box and noticed that there was a highlighter available from the brand 'Makebelieve' which I definitely would have preferred, but oh well you can't win them all can you! This is reaaally pretty, I mean really pretty! It's just such a shame that I'm not a lip gloss person at all unfortunately I know that I would never wear this. I've not touched it yet and I intend to sell it because it's a beautiful looking product by a luxurious looking brand (albeit one I have never heard of) and I think that this Shimmer Lip Gloss would be better off with somebody who would use it than just sitting in my drawer untouched until I have a clear out and throw it away! I normally wouldn't bother but it's a full sized product that retails for £10.00 so I think it's worth selling. If anybody is interested in purchasing this from me for around £5 to include postage costs then please just leave me a comment below with a contact e-mail! If no ones interested I'll save it for a blog sale.
'Indulgent moisturising lip gloss for a luscious pout with a hint of shimmer. Apply to the lips for a natural looking enhanced pout or over your preferred lip colour'.


Just to be typical of my current attitude toward SheSaid Beauty I'm sorry to say that I'm going to end this post on a negative note (not sorry really, I'm entitled to an opinion). There's been a pretty weird couple of things appearing in boxes from SheSaid recently, for example, tooth paste, vitamin supplements and bag of crisps(?!) and although this month was all beauty related and all good stuff I do feel that it is getting repetative. I've only been subscribed for a couple of months (5, I think) and in that time I have already been sent a nail file before, so I wasn't interested in that again, I've been sent a Yardley perfume sample before, so again, not interested, I've sampled the brand Redken before, and last month's box include rose scented night cream which was received again this month (Biao last month, Weleda this month). Some of it isn't a big deal because I'm looking forward to giving Redken another shot, I like the Yardley perfume and the rose night cream.. but it's more the principle of it. I'm paying a fair lump of money per month to receive a box full of 'luxury beauty samples' to introduce me to new brands and new products but when I keep getting nail files and the same brands again and again, and similar products repeated then it kinda defeats the purpose. Another point is that a few boxes ago there was a Collection 2000 primer sent out which was also included in a variation of this month's box - thankfully I didn't receive that product in my box which was lucky because I hated it and haven't touched it, but how could any subscriber be interested in receiving the exact same product again?

 

So, c'mon She Said! Impress me again like you used to!

Throw some new brands in there; no more Yardley and Redken!

Throw in something original and a bit different too; no more rose night cream!

..and no vitamins or crisps either!

 

What did you think of November's box?

♥