Book Review: Captive For The Sheikh's Pleasure (M&B) Carol Marinelli

Captive For The Sheikh's Pleasure by Carol Marinelli is the first in the Ruthless Royal Sheikhs Series.  Shiekh Ilyas al-Razim knew from birth that one day he would be King of Zayrinia.  He is committed to preserving his family's reputation when his brother, yet again, caused embarrassment and preventing a waitress, Maggie Delaney, from blackmailing him. Maggie vehemently denies this claim.  Once she has proved her innocence she is free to return home, but will she? 

This is a very well written book, full of imagery of the desert and the past.  It could, without the mention of photographers and the internet be a historical romance.  The mythical royal stories, descriptions of star gazing and sandstorms all add to the depth of the book.

I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review,  I am a #MillsandBooninsider

Amazon UK

Festive Poinsettia Adjustable Derby Cane

Classic Canes have brought out a festive poinsettia adjustable walking stick/cane for the festive season. It is £34 from walkingstickonline.com.  It is a petite stick, adjustable from 66-90cm, weighs 260g and has a smaller handle, 18x15mm. I love the fact the bottom part of the stick is a different colour to the red poinsettia as it makes a less in your face and not as floral but Christmassy.
It is available Walkingsticksonline.co.uk

Z for Accessorize 2x Anya Earring Pack

                                     

All Z for Accessorize jewellery is on 3 for 2 (online only) so I purchased the Anya earring pack and some other items as well. The studs cost £15 for both pairs before the discount plus the £2 flat rate p&p.  There is also a matching pendant - the Anya cluster pendant which is also £15.

The tear drop pair are yellow gold plated and the semi precious stone is labradorite.  The round pair of studs are also yellow gold plated and have cubic zirconia stones.  As they are both tiny I found them hard to grip and get in to my ear lobes.  I also found the backing hard to put on the post to secure them, again. I found the backing to be too small for my fingers to hold on to, so in the future I will stick to butterfly and fish wire closures.  I do like the style and look of the earrings, especially the labradorite ones.  They are small, discreet and elegant but I did find it tiring trying to fasten them in place, so I am not sure if they will be worn very often for this reason. 

                    

I purchased these earrings myself.

They are available online and in store. They are available here

Rie Designs: A6 Recycled Plain Wildlife Jotter

I have purchased several items of jewellery from Valerie Harrison, artist and illustrator, the owner and designer of Rie_Designs in the past few years. I blogged about the mini pet portrait pendant I commissioned here and the Penguin mini portrait pendant here. I needed some small flat gifts that could be used instead of Christmas cards and would be more useful to the recipient as well.  I chose this A6 plain recycled notebook with the wildlife print (it also comes in several diffferent designs, seashells, autumn, fish etc). It can easily be slipped in a handbag and the design is so pretty!

It cost £2.50 plus p&p and would make a great thoughtful gift for almost anyone as the designs cover most interests.  My potential receiver loves wildlife spotting so maybe she will use it to keep track of what she has spotted.  

Valerie lives on the North Rhins, South West Scotland and her designs are inspired by the wildlife, nature and countryside of that area. The items are then handmade in Dumfries and Galloway.  The hand drawn prints are not only used for notebooks but also jewellery, cards and gifts all of which are also reasonably priced. The wooden robin earrings are £5.95, otter hair clips £4.95, mini picture frame necklaces £9.95 and the cards and book marks £2.50. There is also a range of notebooks and handbag size mirrors.

Ebay shop
Etsy

The Old FarmHouse Jewellery: Squirrel Studs

I first notice The Old Farmhouse Jewellery range when browsing my instagram feed. They are based in Penzance, UK and the owner/designer is Victoria Whitaker.   She has an Etsy shop and a shop based at Theoldfarmhousejewellery.com.  She accepts commissions and stocks a large range of her own own affordable designs.  

I purchased these mini squirrel sterling silver studs (£10) plus p&p from Etsy.   They are tiny - all the mini stud range measure 0.6-0.8mm.   They are not twee but very squirrel like. Even though they are tiny (and my poor grip and coordination issues) they are quite easy to grip and put in the ear lobe.  They fasten with a butterfly backing.  There is a huge choice of designs in the mini stud range - squirrels, ducks, hedgehogs etc.  There are also anklets, bangles, children's Jewellery and a Cornwall copper range. After having several visiting hedgehogs over the summer my next purchase will be the he hedgehog studs. 

Available from their Etsy shop: here (squirrell studs).

The Old Farmhouse blog and e-shop

Gisela Graham Christmas Ornaments

My family have a Christmas tradition whereby each year we take it in turns to select some Christmas decorations from Selfridges, Harrods or Liberty London. Previous years have included cats, santas elves and reindeer. This year was my turn and these are the ones I selected. All my Gisela Graham Christmas ornaments were purchased at Liberty London, apart from the gingerbread house and gingerbread man which I purchased via EBay UK. They are all around the same height - 7.5cm and they are made out of resin apart from the glittery plastic peacock. They cost between £3.95 - £6.95 each (prices and links below). They hang beautifully and don't twizzle around so they can't be seen properly, or they can be used as ornaments. I have taken the cord off the squirrel and blue tit as they are sat in the window. They are definitely ntly instagrammable pieces - I used the gingerbread ornaments when photographing/reviewing my Too Faced gingerbread man Lipstick. All of the ornaments are gorgeous and well made and certainly too cute just to be put out at Christmas time. My favourite is the squirrel - he has such a cheeky gleam in his eye as he clutches his snack!

 

Available here:

Squirrel (£6.95)

Robin (£3.95)

Blue tit (£3.95)

Robin on a letterbox Set of 2 (£9.50)

Gingerbread house (£6.39)

Gingerbread man (£4.50)

The other items were out of stock. 

Z for Accessorize: Santorini Semi Precious Pendant

The Santorini semi precious necklace/ pendant is part of Accessorize's winter 2017 range. It costs £17  and the semi precious stone is blue agate.  The chain and setting are gold plated and it has an attached link xtender chain and the closure is a lobster clasp.  The chain measures 14" (16" with the extender).  The stone measures 2cm (L) 1.75cm (W).  The setting is elegant and secure.  The stone looks very unusual and elegant and contrasts fabulously against darker, winter colours.

I purchased my necklace from Accessorize.com and it can be found here

Z for Accessorize: Rose Gold Eliza Semi Precious Long Pendant Necklace

The Eliza semi precious longline rose gold necklace is part of the Z for Accessorize range stocked at Accessorize. It costs £27, so it is at the higher end of the scale price wise, but it is a beautiful and elegant piece of jewellery.  The chain measures 32cm including the lobster clasp and extended chain and is adorned with cubic zirconia and labradorite beads.  The pendant is a rose quartz stone which measures 2cm (L)x 1.7cm (W).  The piece is rose gold plated and the warm coloured gold offsets the rose quartz beautifully. The extender chain means that the necklace can be worn at slightly different lengths. 

I purchased the item online from Accessorize.com.  Postage and packaging was £2 and the package arrived within 3 working by days.  It comes on a little Z for Accessorize swing tag. 

Available here

Z for Accessorize: Opal Hoop Earrings

These hoop earrings (£15) are from the Z for Accessorize Winter 2017 collection. They are gold plated and are studded with an opal and a cubic zirconia stone on either side. They are hoop earrings and the addition of the stones takes them to the level in terms of elegance and a luxe look.  They feel light to wear and as they are quite small hoop earrings could be worn as either elegant office wear or popped on for a night out in either jeans and a snuggly sweater or as part of a black tie outfit. 

They come fastened on a Z for Accessorize swing tag.  I bought mine from Accessorize.com.  I paid £2 postage and they arrived within 3 working days, carefully packaged in Accessorize branded packages and box. I love that this range uses semi precious stones and their designs are unusual but at the same time timeless. I have noticed, however, fewer and fewer of the designs incorporate them and I do wish they would use sterling silver or vermeil as the gold eventually rubs off and I would love some of the designs all the time. 

Available here

Tesco Hedgehog Ring Dish

I found this little guy, well hedgehog ring holder/ dish in my local Tesco Extra. I cannot find him online be but he cost £3 in store and was tucked away in the jewellery box section. He is cute Bute not twee and can store a fair bit of jewellery in the dish. The dish has cute little gold paw prints printed on it and the hedgehog has a gold nose. The rest of the item is white glaze and the whole thing is ceramic so doesn't drop it!  He is a fabulous find and would make a great secret santa/ stocking filler etc. There were other items in the range including a candle holder so your whole dressing table could be hogified.

I purchased this item myself in store at Tesco Extra.

Fox & Ivy Set of Two Nested Glass Jewellery Boxes

There is a definite trend in jewellery boxes this Winter 2017.  Glass and copper terrarium style trinket boxes are the "in" style. Beloved  by both instagrammers and bloggers as the boxes are certainly photogenic, they combine two key elements- rose gold and glass.

They certainly aren't a cheap purchase, I found some copper/ glass trays and boxes at Debenhams, for example, where prices range from £24 - 30.  Paperchase have a triangular terrarium jewellery box for £20, but the jewellery can only go no the bottom, there are no shelves so there is a huge amount of wasted space.  Urban Outfitters has some really cool divided coloured glass trinket boxes (£24), but still expensive items.  There are some gorgeous ones available on EBay but there is no guarantee they will get here for Christmas and stock photos can be very deceiving. 

I was wandering through my local Tesco Extra and noticed that they have a variety of glass, terrarium  style trinket boxes under the brand Ivy & Fox. The prices are reasonable - I got a set of 2 for £15.  They are a nice size - the larger box measures 14cm (W)x 12cm(L) x 7cm (H).  The smaller one measures 10cm (W)x 5m (H) x 9cm (L).  They are well made and the lid stayed up when opened so no risk of it crashing down on fingers as you reach for a piece of jewellery.   As there are 2 in each set you could keep one and give the other as a Christmas/Birthday/whatever gift or keep them both for yourself. There were lots of other lovely jewellery boxes on display on my local Tesco including a blue shabby chic mini dresser style box, so it is well worth a browse.

I purchased this item myself and all views expressed in this blog are my own. 

Available: Here(£15)

Ivy & Fox Blue Jewellery Holder (£22)

Book Review: The Billionaire's Christmas Baby by Marion Lennox

                                      

Max Grayland has inherited his baby half sister just in time for Christmas.  His father has died and his step mother has abandoned her baby daughter once she found out that she would only receive financial support if she had a boy,  She leaves the baby in the hotel suite, which is where Sunny Rae, the hotel maid, finds her.  Max asks/demands that she should help him over Christmas whilst he sorts out child care.  She agrees, so long as they spend the festive period with her family.  Sunny thought love solved everything whilst for Max love was an anathema. He was used to taking people financially but not loving them.   Max changes his view as realises he, and the baby, need/love Sunny.

This is a slow burn romance.  It is enjoyable but drawn out in places.  

I received this book via Netgalley and Harlequin Romance in exchange for a honest review,

The Billionaire's Christmas Baby by Marion Lennox is published by Cherish Mills and Boon on 30 November 2017 in the UK and December  5st 2017 by Harlequin Romance.   

Available from:Amazon UK

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Book Review: The Bridesmaid's Royal Bodyguard by Liz Fielding

Published by Tule Publishing on 18 October 2017, The Bridesmaid's Royal Bodyguard by Liz Fielding is the third book in the "Royal Invitations" series.  Ally Parker has returned home to Combe St Philip after losing her jb at a gossip magazine.  Her friend, Hope, employs her as a PR consultat for her forthcoming marriage to Prince Jonas.  Head of the Royal family's security, Count Fredrik Jensson, does not approve of her employment due to her prior employment and her debts which could encourage her leak stories to the press.  He tries to fight his attraction to her.  Will they overcome their past issues and make a future together?

I received this book from Netgalley and Tule Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Review & #Win #Beauty&theBeast #primark #Mrs Potts & #Chip Bag and Purse

Primark Beauty and the Beast Chip Cross Body Bag & Purse

The Chip purse and cross body bag were available for about a second in Primark.  It is an official Disney product. I got mine via Ebay and the pair were £18 including postage. There are still some available on Ebay and the price seems to be slowly gong down.

The cross body bag is cute. It has Chip on one side and is a contrasting pink on the other.  It has a pinky/gold glittery bottom and a iridescent gold nose/handle. The zip goes along the back of the bag rather than the top so it can be difficult to fit things in it.  The strap is quite short as it is meant to be a child's bag and it is not adjustable in length.  The bag measures 12x19cm and the strap 39cm.

The chip  purse, like the bag has Chip on one side and is a contrasting pink on the other.  He has a glittery pink base, a gold iridescent handle and a gold zip at the top. He is fully lined.   He measures 9x11cm

I purchased these items myself.  To win a set of Chip and Mrs Potts cross body bag and purse follow the instructions below:

This is open internationally but as I have left it so late I cannot guarantee it will arrive before Christmas.

Complete the Rafflecopter requirements, the only mandatory option is to follow my blog, the rest are optional.

Competition runs from 20 Nov-4 Dec 11.59 GMT.

enter here >>>

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Little Secrets: Holiday Baby Bombshell By Karen Booth

Holiday Baby Bombshell by Harelquin was published on 1 November 2017 by Desire (Mills & Boon) in the UK and on November 2017 in the US.

Ex competitive swimmer turned real estate agent/magnate Michael Kelly finds himself in direct competition with his pregnant ex-lover and hotel heiress Charlotte Locke. As they compete to sell the most number of apartments in the same hotel, The Grand Legacy, they find themselves living in appartments on the same floor, next door to each other. Charlotte is determined to keep her pregnancy a secret from both her over protective family and from her commitment phobe ex-lover and make a success of her real estate business. Michael has to overcome his avoidance to commitment, grow up and address childhood issues if their relationship is to grow.  Two adorable dogs add humour to the story!

I got this book free from Netgalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review. 

Available here

Review: Evie Bird Peanut Butter Jar Holder

                           

Winter, for me, means not only changing up my wardrobe, moisturising and makeup routine but also changing and increasing my bird feeders.  In the summer I use my Gardmans kids bird feeding station.  In the winter I like to add more feeders to encourage other birds to feed in my garden.  As I cannot lift my arms above my head, use  screwdrivers etc I find it difficult to find suitable feeders. 

                             

The Evie plastic peanut butter jar holder for birds is great for me.  I can securely Velcro it around washing lines, drain pipes or tree trunks or hang it from a tree.  You take the front off and insert the jar securely in the plastic housing.  Once it is securely inside the wooden front is fastened back in place.  The peanut butter is made especially for birds, so do not try and eat it! and comes in different flavours.

I purchased my 3 Evie peanut butter holders from Horze.co.uk.  The holders are £7.49 each, with three colour ways (cheaper than Amazon UK) and the peanut butter jars £2.99 each.  The customer service from Horze was great.  They emailed me when the items were dispatched, the items arrived within a week and were securely wrapped.

I purchased these items myself and are available here

Anna Sui Kaleidoscope Gift Box, Holiday 2017

The Anna Sui Cosmetics Kaleidoscope Gift Tin is part of their Christmas/ Holiday 2017 Collection.  Measuring 162mm x 162mm x 123mm it is a quite roomy tin, great for jewellery, cosmetics or samples that otherwise get lost!  It costs £8 plus p&p. 

This gift box/tin is a great statement piece.   Inspired by the intricate and ever changing kaleidoscopic designs of the kaleidoscope,  The tin has a very eye catching design and would look great on any vanity or dressing table. 

I purchased this item myself from ASOS.
Available from:
ASOS
BeautyBay
Beautylish

#Review & #Win #Harry Potter #Primark Clutch Bag

                  

Primark have produced this gorgeous Hogwarts book clutch bag as part of their official Harry Potter merchandise line.  It costs £12.99 and is currently sold out, but some of the Ebay resellers have it for around £15.99 upwards. 

This clutch looks as though it costs a lot more than it actually does.  It is not flimsy and is really well made and thought out.  The outer shell is faux leather with little stars and the Hogwarts crest embossed in a goldish colour.  It fastens with a clasp mechanism (also gold) and measures 8"x6" in size.  It has a gold chain shoulder strap that ingeniously doesn't get detached (and then lost) but fits inside the bag making it a clutch.  

                 

This is a gorgeous clutch that looks like a journal.  It would be a great gift for any Harry Potter fan! My mum intends to take hers to the Harry Potter Tour London for her 80th birthday.

I bought an extra one to use as a competition prize. 

Rules:

This is open internationally but as I have left it so late I cannot guarantee it will arrive before Christmas.

Complete the Rafflecopter requirements, the only mandatory option is to follow my blog, the rest are optional.

Competition runs from 12 Nov-19 Nov 11.59 GMT.

Rafflecopter Entry: >>>>    a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beak & Claws: TooFaced Melted Matte Gingerbread Man Liquified Matte Longwear Liquid Lipstick

This month's Beak & Claws series is going to focus on the Beak (lips) and review this Liquid Lipstick.  The Too Faced Holiday/Christmas 2017 collection includes a Gingerbread Man Melted Matte Liquified Matte Longwear Liquid Lipstick, limited edition, which is part of their Holiday Kiss Collection. I purchased mine from Sephora as it is currently out of stock on the Too Faced website and Debenhams. I paid $21 plus shipping but Amazon UK (if you really want it have if for £29.99 plus shipping from a reseller). I picked up this lipstick because I love anything that tastes, smells or looks like gingerbread. I have several ornaments, nail stickers (used in the photos) and fragrance. 

Gingerbread evokes a sense of cosyness, sweetness and snuggling in front of a fire on a cold winter's evening and the smell of this lipstick does not disappoint. It is a very strong gingerbready smell when first applied, but it soon dissipates. It is not an artificial fragrance but has a gourmondy smell and  so smells good enough to eat. The smell reminds me of walking through German Christmas Markets. 

Inspired by gingerbread, the colour is a vibrant deep red/orange opaque matte, perfect for Autumn and Winter, or Fall, and it is very pigmented. It is quite thick and one swipe covers half my lips with no patchiness. It is lightweight and long wearing - I wore mine all day and didn't feel my lips were heavy or drying out (a common problem with Matte Liquid lipsticks).  The lipstick didn't crack and flake off and I didn't need to reapply.  The lipstick is infused with Volulip which will create a no-stinging plumping and smithing effect and avocado oil, Vitamin E and hyaluronic filling spheres which will prevent the Liquid Lipstick drying out your lips, moisturize and plump them up. 

The tube itself is adorable and will look great on my make up display cabinet. There are little gingerbread men on the lid and you can see the colour of the lipstick through the case. I don't have a good grip due to problems with my hands but I didn't have any problems unscrewing or screwing the lid back on and the component is comfortable and easy to hold.

The lipstick has a doe foot applicator and quite a long wand. I have hand/spatial awareness problems and found that the doe foot was too wide for me to get a defined line on my Cupid's bow and draw out my bottom lip so I used a lip brush instead.  The doe door applicator did make filling in my lips easier and less time consuming than using a brush. The wand is just the right length to maintain control of where you want the lipstick to go. 

This is my go to Autumn/ Winter lipstick. I love everything about it, and hope they bring it back as a permanent colour. 

I purchased this item myself and the views expressed in this blog post are my own. 

Anna Sui Beauty, Mirror N, Christmas 2017.

                                  

I purchased my Anna Sui Beauty Mirror N from the Anna Sui 2017 Holiday Collection through ASOS for £17 including p&p.  It is currently out of stock at ASOS, but is still available at Amazon UK and Beautylish (an American site which ships to the UK. free P&P over a certain spend).  Just as with the beauty box, this mirror has a gothic, vintage feel to it.  The mirror is made out of plastic, the pattern is a bird mosaic and the traditional Anna Sui rose.  The colour of the mosaic inspired by mother of pearl.  The embellishments are reflective, so the mosaic changes colour according to the light its in etc.  

                                                           

The mirror measures 125mm(L) x 90mm(W) x 15 mm(H) and can be opened and used so the mosaic is either set to front or behind the mirror.  the back of the mirror is embossed with Anna Sui, then there is the mirror, the other side of the mosaic part has a rose embossed on it.  It is a beautiful mirror, almost too pretty to use! The only small issue I have with this piece is the lack of a protective pouch.  The Anna Sui hand mirror I reviewed in a previous blog post had a little velveteen pouch.  A similar protective pouch for this  mirror would have made it perfect!

 I purchased this item myself.                                   

Available from:

Amazon

Beautylish

Anna Sui Beauty Box A, Christmas 2017

The Anna Sui Beauty Box A is part of the Anna Sui Holiday 2017 collection.  It is available on ASOS, Beauty Bay, Beautylish and Amazon UK.  I purchased mine from ASOS for £25 including delivery.  The box is a work of art, beautifully made with an intricate dresser design it looks just like a mini vanity or dresser and has a gothic, victoriana, vintage  vibe.  

Made out of a thick black plastic, the makeup/ jewellery box has an engraved floral design on the lid, Anna Sui embossed on the back and the dresser design on the front.  The box is quite deep and the mirror is excellent, quite large and usable rather than just a piece of a plastic there for decoration.  The dresser has a curvy shape and cabriole legs.  It measures 125mm(L) x 200mm(W)x 140mm(H).  I will use this as a jewellery rather than a makeup box because most of my makeup is either Anna Sui or Paul and Joe Beaute so I already have it out on display.

                  

Available from:

ASOS

Beautylish

Walking Stick Review: Charles Buyers' Handbag Walking Stick in Black

                              

I purchased the handbag sized folding walking stick in black from the Stick & Cane shop for £22.95 plus P&P.  I chose this stick as it has 5 sections rather than the usual 4. This means that it is just the right height for me once one of the sections is removed and it is small enough to fit in my handbag. The stick is lightweight - 300g and easily snaps into place and easily folds up to be stored in the pouch.  The length of the stick before I had it adjusted was 82cm - 90cm and can be adjusted in 2.5cm increments and length when folded before my adjustments was 24cm.  It can be stored in the pouch it comes in and comes with a matching wrist strap.   

The handle is wooden and a matte black, the stick itself a more patent black with a gilt trim.  It is an elegant, comfortable stick.  I purchased it from the Stick & Cane shop.  I normally purchase my walking sticks from there as they have quite a wide range, They will advise if it is possible to adapt a particular stick to my height and are always quick to respond to emails.

I purchased this item myself.

Available here: Stick & Cane Shop