Animal Interior Obsessions

Chester Owl Cushion - Sass and Belle £16.25

Alphie Fox Cushion - Sass and Belle £16.25

Bird Cover Set - H&M £19.99

Bird Hooks - TU Sainsburys £8

Dove Candles - Cox and Cox £12.50

Wire Birdcage Tealight Holder - Asda £6

I'm a little (ok a lot) obsessed with cute little animal inspired finishing touches for the home. As I'm currently renting I can't obviously make any big changes or put up and exciting wallpapers to make my house my home. So I'm loving picking up lots of little bits here and there especially bits adorned with animal prints or shaped like animals. 

Post Lent Wishlist

Not really sure how I managed it but I've completed my beauty spending ban for lent 2013. If I'm honest I didn't think I'd do it. I spend way too much on beauty products so the thought of giving it up completely for lent was a tall order. I think it's actually been one of the best things I've done though - it's made me start using up products I have for once in my life and my beauty drawers are starting to look a lot more in order. Obviously whilst stopping myself from spending I've been racking up a neat little wish list. Throughout lent I've had my eye on many many more products but when it's come down to it these are the ones I've run out of it and/or want to try really badly. 

Barry M High Shine Gel Nail Varnish - £3.99 Boots
This product has been talked about so much in so many of my favourite blogs and I can't wait to get my hands on so so many colours - Papaya, Green B erry, Lychee, Dragon Fruit, Raspberry 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - £10.99 Boots
I've reached a weird point in life when I've actually run out of foundation again. I'm a massive fan of Maybelline Fit me which will definitely be repurchased but I'm also dying to give this a go.

L'Oreal CC Cream - £9.99 Boots
Sucker for a gimic I of course want to get the anti-redness CC cream from L'Oreal. I adored the BB cream from the same range so would love to see what this offers compared with it.


Bioderma Sebium Pore Refiner - Corrective Concentrate 30ml £14.80 - Escentual.com
So glad Bioderma is finally hitting UK stockists, their make-up remover is holy grail for me and I can't wait to buy a few more bits of their skin care ranges. 

Erase Paste Benefit - Feel Unique £19.50 
This little pot has lasted me ages and I didn't really think I loved it but now it's finished I'm really missing it from my make-up routine so can't wait to get this back in my life. 

Ole Henriksen The Whole Truth Kit - Feel Unique £45
I've tried the serum from this kit and adored it so think this little kit would be the perfect way to try some more bits and get the serum back in my skin care routine. 

Dr Jart Moisture Sleeping Mask - £26 Boots (currently £17.33)
I'm loving Dr Jart at the moment and as I mentioned in a previous post this is the next product firmly on my list. It offers moisture and is an overnight mask which looks to tick all my boxes. 

Origins Drink Up Instensive Mask - £20 Origins.co.uk
I feel like I've been harping on about this for ages and I will finally buy it now I promise haha! I've read such an amazing reviews on this product and I just need to bite the bullet and get it into my life.

Dr Jart + BB Water Fuse Beauty Balm

I'm a little bit obsessed with Anna's blog Viviannadoesmakeup especially everything she loves when it comes to skincare. So when I read her post singing the praises of the Dr Jart water Fuse BB cream I naturally had to buy it.

This is one of the best BB creams I've tried - and now I've actually tried a lot. It's normally £18 which is on the pricey side for a BB cream in my opinoin but it does always seem to have a third off at boots here and £12 is more than reasonable for this generous 50ml tube. You only need a small amount of this product it melts into the skin but spreads really well. It's an SPF 25 which I love as it means I can keep loving it all summer long (if we ever get one) and it's super hydrating.

Dr Jart have a range of four BB creams which are noted to do the following:

Dr Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF40 - Provides high SPF40 protection with anti-oxidents. A slightly glossy, low coverage cream which helps fight ageing. Particularly suitable for those over 30.

Dr Jart+ Platinum Beauty Balm SPF30 - Provides high coverage in a light application. The moisturising lotion is particularly suitable for those in their 30s.

Dr Jart+ Regenerating Beauty Balm SPF30 - Provides strong coverage for redness and spots which won't rub off as easily as traditional cosmetics. Skin will look brighter, whilst still suitable for problem and sensitive skin. Particularly suitable for those between 20 and 35.

Dr Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF25 - ideal for those aged 20-35s with a soft application which gives natural, fresh looking skin and controls sebum production.

I love that each one is targetted to different age ranges with different needs from the product. It makes picking one so easy. If they all follow suit to the water fuse I've tried I think they'll be winners across the board. This really does give a lovely natural fresh finish just like it describes and I find it lasts really well only touching up problem area's with concealer throughout the day. I'd love to try the regenerating beauty balm for bad skin days as the description makes it sounds more like a foundation than a BB cream so I think that is on my wish list to see what it offers. 

I'm trying quite a few Dr Jart products at the moment and am loving them all - one of my favourite brands at the moment which is leaving my skin very happy indeed. 

THCF's Little Online Store

Super excited to be sharing 'The Hannah Chamberlain Foundation'  little online shop. 

Right now we have our gorgeous black ink pens on sale for just £1 and our handmade plaited yellow cord bracelets for £2. All profits go directly to the charity! 

To find out more about our aims and where the money goes visit thcf.org.uk  It's an amazing cause in memory of an incredible girl so if you feel like being a little charitable please drop by the store - P&P is super reasonable :) 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Lotion

La Roche-Posey Effaclar Lotion £11 Boots

I picked this up in a bit of a La Roche-Posay 3 for 2 frenzy a few months ago. I'm weirdly into the clean and clear cleansing lotion for sensitive skin. Most people hate this stuff it's very alcoholic and stings the skin a little on application. I like this though - it really gets the dirt off your skin and when you're having an oily breakout there's nothing like sweeping it over your face after removing your make-up and not using any moisturiser afterwards. It drys out the oil and makes the skin a sponge for all the serum and moisturiser goodness you want to throw at it the next day. 

As much as I do love this stuff it's not an everyday product by any means. I picked up the La Roche-Posey effaclar lotion after reading a few reviews in the hope that it would be a good post make-up removal middle ground. This product unlike the clean and clear is actually clear (it's the bottle that's blue) I liked this straight away it appears more natural immediately. It also has no scent which again ticks my skin care boxes. Even after a few pads of bioderma - which I swear by to remove every single trace of makeup - this stuff gets right in your pores and removes the final traces of any dirt or oil that may be in your skin. It's not as alcoholic as the clean and clear but it does still pack a punch. 

It has really helped with my skin's overall texture and has reduced the amounts of little pimples I've been getting. I can't really comment on how much it's reduced my pore size as I've begun using 3 pore reducing products at the same time but they are smaller and I'm sure this has had something to do with that. I really enjoy using this overall it gets rid of all the dirt on my skin without being quite as harsh as my beloved clean and clear cleansing lotion. It offers more of an exfoliant compared with the clean and clear which is far more of a deep cleansing lotion. Will it buy it again? Going to be honest I love it but clean and clear even though a little harsh is a third of the price so unless I see this on some amazing deal I won't be repurchasing but I do highly recommend it if you find something like clean and clear to harsh but are still looking to deep clean your pores.  

Where are you?

I've been a little MIA from Magpie Obsessions this month - only posting 6 times so far this month is so unlike me and I thought it was about time to do a little catch up post and get back in the flow. Since giving up beauty buying for lent I've kind of lost the blogging bug and haven't really wanted to blog all that much at all. It occurred to me recently that when I started this it kind of evolved into being about beauty but that was never my first intention. I've made a vow that from now on this will just by my space where I'll write about anything that interests me and most of the time that isn't beauty at all it's making things, sewing things and cooking things. Giving up beauty buys for lent has been the best thing I've ever done even though I still spend a lot of time trawling feel unique it's kind of liberating to not jump on the back of every bandwagon and start using a lot of products that have been neglected. I imagine that come 30th March I'll be hitting Boots and stocking up on some much needed essentials but before then I'm going to be hitting up the haberdashery section of John Lewis and remembering exactly who I am.

Left to right, top to bottom: Miss Claire's amazing spread for a lovely girly evening, £1 tealight holder, Everyday bracelets, excited pup, my new addiction carrots and hummus, first roast in our new home, massive wine, David Cameron popped into work, organising my ikea beauty cabinet with ikea drawer dividers *heaven*, finally got my hands on some real techniques brushes (bought before lent) organising charity stationary with my label maker again *heaven*, night out with my favourite szczuble, high tea for my cousins baby shower, bright orange jumpers, ice cream when it's freezing outside, szczuble turned 24, I bought jewellery on the food shop, organised my phone into just two screens, sewing machine came out of hiding, mini kopperberg, drinks on a quiet night in, homemade cushions. 

Philip Kingsley Maximizer

Philip Kingsley Maximiser - £13

I've had the Philip Kingsley Maximiser for quite a while now and it's been a good addition to my hair care routine but hasn't really moved mountains so it's taken a while to get round to posting about it. It's actually designed for fine limp hair which I didn't read into before purchasing. It's a really light hairspray that is in a spray dispenser rather than an aerosol. I use this on ends of my hair to stop it going limp. It's perfect to be kept in my office drawer as its light formula means I'm never going to be left with really big hair that needs styling. This just gives a bit more oomph to hair that is dried out and a little frizzy from the office air. Even though this doesn't maximise my hair like it would to someone with finer hair it does really help with taming it down and is a welcome rescue addition during the afternoon just to give it back some life. 

Handmade Swatch Cushions

I've become a little bit obsessed with adorning my house with cushions and in doing so have reignited my love affair for sewing. I bought my mini john lewis sewing machine about 4 years ago and for just £50 is one of my best buys ever. At the time the lady in the haberdashery said I should get the £99 version as this one was designed for really light sewing and not cushions/ bag making. However it's never given me and problems and is the perfect first sewing machine - I highly recommend it!

I made these cushions from a selection of swatches ordered from the John Lewis website. You can order 6 to any address within a period of time for free. They post them to your house completely free of charge and they have some of the most amazing fabric's on offer. I know it's a little unorthodox to order swatches to make free cushions but I do end up spending a lot of money in the haberdashery section of John Lewis so I think it's fine. You can order your swatches here. You can only order 6 at a time and you do need 7 to make each of these cushions that are about 40 x 40 cm. But you can of course order swatches to different addresses, maybe work, home, parents house, boyfriends house ... you get the idea.

1. You need to sew four swatches vertically together and three swatches horizontally together. 
2. Then sew them altogether to make a massive piece of patchwork swatch. 
3. You then just need to sew the edges on two more sides. 
4. Sew the edge about a centimeter on the remaining open side to neaten it up. 
5. Put your cushion inside then work out where you need your buttons.
6.  Sew the buttons on then make holes for the buttons on the other side. 
7. You can then sew round the button holes to stop them fraying and to keep it all neat. 

It's so easy to do - I bought some buttons from John Lewis that were about 20p each and used the inner cushion pads from some old cushions I had lying around. Altogether these cost less than £1 each and I love them. They really set off some plainer cushions I have and look so cute on my sofa's!

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Universal Lip Glow

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Universal Lip Glow - £8.49 Boots

I'm such a sucker for a gimmick - hence this purchase. The L'Oreal Studio Secrets Universal Lip Glow isn't a particularly new product to the market but it is new to my collection. I was in lipstick mode a few weeks ago and picked this up along with others that featured on the blog. Obviously you can't swatch this on lips in a shop so I picked it up purely through the intrigue of wondering what colour it would appear on my lips.

For those that haven't spotted this product before the lipstick is a see through orange pink and once applied it adapts to the moisture and colour of your lips to create a unique pink shade. I think what it actually does is enhance the natural pigment to the lip and give a lovely moisturised glow to them. I really like this product to be honest despite it's gimmick it's a nice work lipstick that can be applied without a mirror. It keeps lips moisturised and also gives a nice pink tone. I'm glad intrigue won out and made me pick this up.

Dr Jart + Re-Tighten Mask

I've read lots of good things about Dr Jart and headed to Boots to pick a few things up to try. I found picking a few things extremely hard - pretty much every single product by the brand sounds amazing. However I'm always on the look out for smaller pores so the pore refine range did stand out for me.

This Dr Jart + Re-Tighten Mask retails for £19 here and is currently on a 3 for 2. I bought it because it claims to both tighten pores, control blackheads and remove excess sebum. My skin isn't happy at the moment so it was the perfect time to give this tube a go.

It's a clay based mask that is nothing like any clay mask I've used - it's nowhere near as thick. It glides onto the skin and as it drys turns clear in many patches. It's almost like my skin is absorbing it but I can still feel it's there unlike a moisturiser. I use this once or twice a week as suggested and I love using it. It's such a lovely light face mask that really has helped with the size of my pores and the overall clearness of my skin. My skin is nowhere near where I want to be but I know using this product is really helping it on its way.

This product is pricey however it's always on a save 1/3 or 3 for 2 offer at boots which makes it a little more purse friendly. It is also a massive 100ml tube and as it's smooth consistency spreads this mask out really evenly I know this will last me quite a while. There are so many more Dr Jart + product I want to try actually more like ranges I want to try. The Most Moist Water Sleeping Mask and the V7 renewal serum are most definitely on my Dr Jart wish list. I'd love to hear any other recommendations from the range too please leave them below or tweet me @georginacallen :)

Piggle Banks

For the last few weeks my life has become a blur of piggy bank making and I'm excited to write this post to share that some of the first ever finished piggle banks have made their way onto the internet at our etsy shop 'Piggle Banks'

So far Terry the orange piggle, Boris the teal piggle and Pixie the pink piggle are all looking for loving homes. They've been made completely from scratch and by hand. They are designed to be filled with pennies until they are ready to burst then with a little cut of their bellies you can reveal all of your savings. Ideal for those of us who are always dipping into our piggy banks. Above you can see them warming their bums ready to set off to their new homes! We have so many more fun designs to get up too I can't wait to share them with you all!

Empties - February

I've been a little bit MIA from the blogging world recently - I seem to have so much going on at the moment that I never have time to sit down and properly write a post. Also since giving up beauty purchasing for lent a few weeks ago I've been focusing on some other new projects outside the world of beauty and it's been quite refreshing. I don't plan on ever giving up Magpie Obsessions because I love bbloggers and the comments I receive on here but I have realised I need to prioritise lots more recently. I could do with an extra day in the week to get all my little bits done.

Anyways on to this post - giving up beauty buying over two weeks ago now for lent has been the most refreshing thing and I'm getting through so much more of my stash so expect many more of these posts in the next month or so! I even managed a trip to boots today with a gift card in my purse and did not buy a single thing - not even a lipstick!! 

Maybelline BB Cream has to be one of my favourite BB creams I've tried it's a lovely consistency and light enough for my pasty skin. It gives a lovely dewy glow and if I wasn't so obsessed with trying new BB creams I would definitely repurchase this. Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo is actually my boyfriends but I've been sneaking in lots of squeezes of this one - it makes me hair super soft and smells amazing. I'm a massive fan of Aussie hair products so this was always going to be a winner. Once I've finished my stash of shampoo's and conditioners I'm definitely going to splurge some Aussie hair goodies! 

The superdrug coconut conditioner and shampoo was actually bought during a weekend trip away when I forgot my shower bag. I picked them up because they were super cheap like £2 for the 2 and because I adore the coconut scent. I didn't actually make it to the bottom of these two they didn't really moisturise my hair at all and I found it ended up much more knotty than normal. To be fair I have really damaged hair at the moment and cheap shampoo's just won't cut it. 

I've blogged a lot about the clean and clear deep cleansing lotion - it's pretty brutal but I love it and always have a bottle on stand by for when this runs out. So many people hate this stuff but there's something about the little sting you get from it that I couldn't not have in my skincare routine. Original Source black pepper and chilli shower gel again is the boys that I've nicked a few times - it's not my favourite original source scent obviously but it's seriously refreshing and it smells amazing on a man. If you need a kick to wake up in the morning though this does the job and is a little perk of living with a boy. 

Finally is the Elemis young skin exfoliating wash I received this in a recent glossybox and I am so tempted to get it full size. It's the perfect daily face wash with small little exfoliating beads and really fresh all in one. I won't be buying this anytime soon as I'm on a ban but it is easily one of the best little samples to come out of my final few Glossyboxes :)