Review: SVP Rhodo Quartz Medium Highway Star Gold Vermeil Adjustable Ring

I first saw the SVP Ring collection  when it popped up on my suggested Instagram feed. I loved that Maureen the dog features heavily in Sarah’s (owner and designer) Instagram stories and that she obviously cares about her employees and the surrounding environment in Jaipur, India.  I enjoyed watching her “take” us with her as she showed how her rings are made, and most recently raising awareness of the plight of the tigers. 

So to the rings. Sarah Parnham is the owner and designer of the SVP Jewellery adjustable ring collection. A chance meeting in a jewellery workshop in Jaipur sparked an interest as one ring was designed as a thankyou gift. Her friends back in the UK loved and wanted this ring but couldn’t remember their size so the adjustable ring was born.  A whole adjustable ring collection grew from that one ring. 

The first ring in my collection is the Rhodo Quartz Medium Highway Star Gold Vermeil Adjustable Ring (£99). The Highway Star collection is  inspired by a long hot summer on the Cote d’Azur. The colour palette focuses upon blues, greens and brownish pinks, all colours associated with the Mediterranean Sea.   The Vermeil is recycled 18 carat gold gold plate on recycled sterling silver. I like that the band and setting of my ring have had a past life and using recycled precious metals is a way of combating not fast fashion but fast Jewellery. I picked the rhodo quartz stone as it looks very moody and temperamental, just like the sea. It is a brown/pink colour but as you can see from my photos as it is a cushion cut stone it changes colour and has different refractions when placed the sun etc. The stone measures 8x8mm so it is quite an eye catching piece. The setting does extend slightly from the band, so if like me you wear glasses and have allergies, be careful when itching your eyes as you could catch your lenses.

I love wearing my ring as every time I wear it the stone looks slightly different in colour depending upon the lighting or what I am wearing. I was slightly unsure at first about the adjustable ring element as I associated the concept with rings that I would get from the seaside out of the machine that dispensed surprise gifts in little eggs or plastic balls. I was pleasantly surprised as the band is very comfortable to wear and easy to resize. I bought the wooden mini mandrel  as this is what Sarah suggests to use when adjusting the ring to the size you want rather than just forcing on said finger and risking damaging the band. I did display my rings on the mandrel until my cat spent a happy afternoon taking them off and hiding my rings all around the house! 

The ring came packaged in a magnetic flip top SVP branded gift box with a card outlining the properties of the ring stone. Apparently the chakra of the Rhodo Quartz stone is heart and the stone is supposed to recharge the wearer both mentally and physically, heal emotional pain and make you more resilient and able to cope with whatever the world has to throw at you. 

I have several more SVP ring reviews coming in the next few days and several SVP ring competitions. 

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

Review: Chantecaille Lip Chic in Amaryllis

I got the Chantecaille Lip Chic Lipstick in Amaryllis (£32) years ago in a Beauty Bible tester box. Used it for several years as my go to glossy red lipstick then moved on to matte liquid lipsticks. I saw a beautiful red flower in my garden - when I looked it up I realised it is an Amaryllis. I found my Lip Chic hiding in the bottom of my beauty drawer looking unloved, a bit scruffy but well used. It is vibrant and as glossy as I remembered. The red makes my teeth look whiter and the undertones suit my skin tone. The hyaluronic acid plumps and moisturises the lips.  The lipstick is glossy and lightweight but not sticky. The lipstick itself is housed in a chic gun metal grey case.  

I enjoy wearing the Lip Chic range. I have reviewed several of the Limited Edition ones but this is the only one I have that isn’t s neutral colour but a bright summery red. 

Review: Karen Young Jewellery Labradorite & Champagne Diamond Sterling Silver Pendant

I was lucky enough to win this beautiful pendant I am reviewing in this blog post in an Instagram competition run by Karen Young Jewellery. Karen Young designs and makes silver and gemstone  jewellery. Her inspiration for the designs appears to be nature and minimalistic designs which are unusual and affordable.

My pendant is sterling silver with a labradorite as the main stone and tiny champagne diamond on the base. There are also two tiny 9ct gold accents surrounding the diamond. The pendant measures 1”x1/2”. The sterling silver chain is chunky and so different from the very slim chains that most jewellers use.  As the chain is chunky it doesn’t seem to get tied up and tangled as slimmer chains do, which is another plus as I struggle to untangle them!

The necklace is stylish and comfortable to wear. The detail on the back of the pendant means that it doesn’t matter if it flips over as it looks like a pendant rather than just the normal claw setting that would be used to hold the stones. The stones compliment each other. Labradorite is one of my favourite stones as it almost comes alive with flashes of different colours under different lights. The champagne diamond makes the whole pendant as it gives out flashes of orange and red. I would also wear the chain by itself as it would look great pared with a crisp white shirt or dark pop neck jumper.

This item was a competition prize but I would purchase from this designer in the future. The rings especially are just that little bit different and reasonably priced.  I am pleased that I found this jewellery range and look forward to seeing what she designs in the future and where her brand goes.

#Review & #Win DisneyStore Positively Minnie Silver Plated Necklace

I purchased a Positively Minnie Silver Plated Necklace via the Shop Disney website in May at the full price of £15.95. It is a very detailed necklace - Minnie is depicted in a floral chain with a bow on her head. She is silver plated and has a very polished finished. Measuring 2.5 x 3 cm she is a very eye catching pendant. The chain is also silver plated and measures 44cm with a 5 cm extender. The clasp is a lobster fastening. She comes presented in a window style gift box which would look great hanging from a Christmas tree or an ornament stand as a gift. At the moment this pendant is half price which is a brilliant discount as I thought this pendant would have sold out!

                              

I have purchased another of these pendants to use as a twitter prize and you can enter my competition by retesting This tweet

Competition open worldwide 

C/D 30 July 2020

Follow and retweet 

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

Disney Parks Sorcerer’s Apprentice & 101 Dalmations Ink & Paint Hanging Ornaments

 purchased the Disney Parks Sorcerer’s Apprentice and 101 Dalmations hanging ornaments through Shop Disney Uk. They measure 10.5x11.5 cm. they have a detachable chiffon ribbon which fastens with lobster clasp so the pictures can be free standing as well as hanging pictures/ornaments. The 101 Dalmations canvas features Pongo and Perdita and shows the artwork and annotations used in that particular film. Similarly the Sorcerer’s Apprentice features Mickey in his iconic Apprentice role with the artwork and annotations from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The frame is gold and very detailed. Originally they cost £22 each but they are currently in the sale for £15.40. There are three more canvases - Dumbo, Mr Toad and the Penguin Waiters. They are part of the Paint & Ink collection and there are matching items available.

I really like my two canvases. I will use them for Instagram photos and have them hanging in my sitting room to brighten up my boring back walk. I like that that the hanging loop can be easily setaxhed and I am impressed with the amount of detail that has gone into both the artwork and the frame. I may well purchase the others in the series!

I purchased these items myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own

Review: Paul & Joe Beaute LE Mirror

As part of their summer 2020 Summer collection P&J released a slimline mirror (£16) perfect for travel that is shaped like a cat’s (presumably Nunette’s as she featured on the lipsticks and eye colours) head. The print is from the P&J fashion line and is the Muguet print which comprises of pretty bows and ladybirds. 

The mirror would be/is perfect for travel as it folds down, protecting it from being damaged. The mirror can be folded so it is free standing and measures 16.9x 1.5x15.2cm when folded.  It is very thin and light and would be easy to fit flat in a weekend bag etc.

I think this mirror is the most covetable item in this year’s collection and one of the nicest pieces I own from both Paul & Joe and Paul & Joe Beauty. I love that the use of the Muguet print links the two branches of the company together and that the mirror isn’t just a normal compact mirror but that thought and time has clearly gone into the design and execution of the piece. The mirror is definitely functional, I found a few new grey hairs and wrinkles when I was trying it out, as did my cat! 

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

Review: Paul & Joe Beauty Sparkling Eye Colour 005 Ronron

As part of their Summer 2020 collection Paul & Joe Beauty released three limited edition sparkling eye colours. I chose Ronron (£20 for 6g) which is a bronze and gold combination. The cat head is a nice touch and the packaging is sleek and very on brand. The colours are housed in a little glass jar. 

The colours feel unusual to the touch, bouncy and soft, having a cream to powder texture which can be used as either a sheer wash of colour or built up to a full opacity. They can be applied with either your ring finger or a brush. I found that even though my hands/ fingers are tiny I had difficulty getting the gold colour out of the pan without disturbing the bronze shade. It didn’t matter if I was blending the two colours together on the eye but if I was going for a one colour look I didn’t want the bronze colour making an appearance. I also used the colours as an eye shadow topper to add dimension and sparkle to the two brown shades I received in my P&J 2019 Advent Calendar. This is my preferred way to use the colours as it helps them last longer, gives them something to adhere to as even with primer my eyelids are oily and also gives more dimensional on to the eye than just using the colour by itself. The eye colours contains jojoba oil and hyaluronic acid to hydrate the eye lid  and help the colours blend. I did find the colours easy to blend but there was some fall out on to my face but this was easily dusted off with a brush. 

I enjoy using these eye colours but although the cat’s head is a nice touch it gets in the way and after a few uses looks a bit messy!  I don’t know if I would repurchase, the other colours don’t really catch my eye and I feel bronze/gold are more summery colours. 

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

#win Couture Kingdom Sparkle and Shine Sterling Silver & CZ Crystals Mickey Outline Earrings

This month’s blog competition prize is these Couture Kingdom Sparkle & Shine Sterling Silver & CZ Crystals Mickey Outline Earrings (£39). They are very sparkly and have a butterfly backing. Made from rhodium plated Sterling Silver they are studded with CZ crystals and measure 8mmx8mm. They are dainty yet eye catching.

Enter here - a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

Rules:
Open internationally  
Competition opens 07 June 2020 and closes 02July

12AM GMT 2020
Not affiliated with Couture Kingdom
Must complete the mandatory Rafflecopter option

#win Couture Kingdom Disney 101 Dalmatians Perdita & Pongo Kissing Dogs Necklace

As last month’s instagram competition proved to be very popular I have purchased another 101 Dalmations necklace to use as this month’s instagram competition prize. To win the Perdita & Pongo Kissing Dogs Pendant you need to follow my instagram account, like and comment on the competition post and tag friends for extra entries. The competition is open worldwide and closes on 8 July 2020. 

Link: Instagram post

Review: Paul & Joe Beauty LE Lipstick 005 Bratty Cat

Paul & Joe’s Summer 2020 saw the release of three LE lipsticks, eyeshadows, matte SPF face powder and mirror. My first review is going to focus on the lipstick - Bratty Cat (£21). 

Bratty Cat is not housed in the usual cardboard refillable lipstick case but a sturdy plastic (non refillable) one. The colour is a red tint which will be unique to every wearers’ lips as the two toned lipstick reacts to the PH in your lips. The lipsticks contains both jojoba and lavender oil and Shea butter to keep the lips moisturised and glossy. There is also a gentle tea rose scent that lingers for a while. 

I loved the way the red tint adapted to my lip PH as it is the perfect red for summer without being too loud. The details on the cat’s face disappeared after about 4 wears but as the lipsticks are made the same way as stick of rock the outline continues all the way down the tube! I love this year’s summer offering, I just wish the lipstick case was reusable and there wasn’t a tea rose scent.  

 

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