About Me

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hi, I am a 40+ year old who loves jewellery and all things sparkly. I also enjoy trying out and reviewing new makeup products, finding stylish walking sticks, reading and writing book reviews. I will review anything from bird tables/ hedgehog houses to the latest fashion! My Instagram account is @sparkling_magpie

Friday 28 August 2020

Review: Disney Cat Inspired Washable Face Mask

As I am only small I am having great difficulty finding masks that fit comfortably and look cute. I found the Disney Cat inspired Washable Face Mask (£9.99) on Etsy. Made by PrincessandPetticoat it is available in four sizes - adult male and female and child 2-4yrs and 5+. The print includes all the famous Disney cats and it is reversible - the other side has a car print pattern. I find the mask comfortable to wear but would prefer the elastic to be slightly thinner. She isn’t taking orders at the moment but when she does reopen I will be checking out her other items as she makes lots of Disney inspired pieces! 


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



Saturday 22 August 2020

Review: Rabat 1745 New York Body Mist Spray


I purchased the Rabat 1745 New York Body Mist Spray (£10) as I wanted a clean smelling body spray as I wear fentanyl patches which can soak back out of the skin when it is hot leaving a sweet smell which I am very conscious of and want to disguise. 

I saw the spray when I was in a Hotel Chocolat shop - Rabat 1745 is part of their range. The New York body mist spray doesn’t smell of chocolate, but has a gourmand gentle citrus/clean/soapy/fresh scent which is perfect for what I wanted. It lasts around 4 hours and doesn’t feel sticky on the skin. It does feel refreshing and cool when I first spray it on. The bottle is comfortable to hold and the spray dispenses just the right amount of product - one spray is enough. I get more comments about what scent/perfume are you wearing when I use this body spray than when I wear my perfumes!! I do hope it comes back into stock as it is something would repurchase.



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



Review: Anna Sui Lip Rouge Pen 500 Brick Red

I purchased the Anna Sui Lip Rouge Pen in 500 Brick Red (£25) primarily because I love the packaging. The pen is a hybrid of a lipstick and a lip gloss - vibrant shades without the stickiness associated with gloss. The finish is a velvet semi matte vibrant colour. The pen has a twist up mechanism and is applied with a brush applicator. The rouge contains collagen to plump the lips and botanical oils hydrate and protect them. The colour can be applied as a flattering lip tint or built up for a bold wash of vibrant colour.



I chose the colour Brick Red. I found the shade was way to dark and unflattering on me if I applied several layers but looked flattering as a tint using just one layer of product.  The product lasted several hours and through a meal, fading in a flattering way. It is easy to apply with the brush and the pen itself is very stylish! 

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





Tuesday 18 August 2020

Review: Heliocare 360’ Invisible Body Spray

 I first noticed the Heliocare suncare range when reading a review on the British Beauty Blogger’s website. She mentioned a suncare body spray which intrigued me as I am, during the summer months, looking for ways that I can apply suncare to my legs, feet and back when I physically cannot reach them. 

The Heliocare 360 Invisible Body Spray RRP is £28.99 for a 200 ml aerosol. The spray has an SPF of 50 and PA++++ . The spray protects against UVA and UVB sun rays, infrared-A and visible light. The lotion is non oily, absorbs quickly and is water and sand resistant. It contains the antioxidant Fern block time help protect the skin’s health. Sounds pretty impressive!


The canister itself is easy to hold - I have small hands and a poor grip but I found it easy to angle it at my feet etc. There is a lock mechanism on the lid so no risk of it being accidentally being pressed during transit or if something pushes on it. The button that you press to dispense the product is quite chunky and easy to press down, I didn’t have to break it in. The spray itself is easy to direct and produces a fine mist. I found one spray was enough, I didn’t have to keep spraying an area to make sure it was covered. I even managed to angle it over my shoulder so I could spray my back. I cannot reach my back, I feet or legs myself due to a spinal injury so it felt very liberating not to have to ask someone to help me. The lotion is non oily and sinks in very quickly. It didn’t feel claggy or sticky on my skin, rather it felt like a lightweight body spray.  I also found it to be very moisturising on my scaly little feet! It didn’t have the traditional sunscreen smell, it smelt slightly of rubbing alcohol and the scent faded very quickly. I found that I didn’t burn at all when using this spray. I didn’t have the faff of greasy hands or have to rub in sunscreen in the areas I can actually reach, so for me this is definitely an item I will repurchase. 

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



Sunday 16 August 2020

#win Lola Rose Olly Necklace

This month’s blog prize is a Lola Rose Olly Pendant. The stones are graduated faceted pink ballet and peacock Quartzite. The length of the necklace is about 49 cm but this is adjustable as it ties with an adjustable knot. It comes presented in a pink Lola Rose pouch.



Enter here>>>> a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules: must complete the mandatory Rafflecopter option
Competition opens on 17 August 2020, closes on 31 August 12am GMT 2020
Competition open worldwide
Competition not affiliated with Lola Rose Jewellery


Saturday 15 August 2020

Review: Paul & Joe Beaute Fall 2020 Parisienne Girl Collection ( Part 2)

This is the second and final part of my Paul & Joe Beaute Fall/Autumn 2020 review. This post will review the lipsticks and refillable lipstick cases. 



P&J introduces a new line of 5 matte refill lipsticks. The names and colours are: 501 Rideau de Scene, a vibrant red; 502 Nounours, beige pink; 503 Coral Earrings, coral red; 504 Flamme de Bougie, a passionate vibrant pure red and 505 Mischievous a deep burgundy. This lipstick line has a new  formula  which combines smooth touch oil and a soft silicone gel to create a lightweight, smooth fluffy soft matte texture which is comfortable to wear. 

I chose Nounours (teddy bear) as I thought it looked a soft flattering lip colour perfect for summer/autumn. The lipstick glides on perfectly, I only need one swipe for it to be opaque. It is a lovely flattering a shade and feels very lightweight On my lips. It doesn’t feel drying like a liquid lip lipstick but looks almost as matte but with more like to it, obviously it doesn’t last as long on the lips as a liquid lipstick but it faded gracefully after lasting several hours in 80’ heat. I also used it as a cream blush and found it very easy to blend so it gave me a natural healthy glow and warmed up my skin tone. 

I chose the lipstick case to match the refillable compact. It is a fun print and I love anything with a teddy bear/ cat print. 




I love the new lipstick formula - it is so comfortable to wear. I really want to try Mischievous next. There is a gentle tea rose scent but it fades quickly. 


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






Review: Paul & Joe Beaute Fall 2020 Parisienne Girl Collection ( Part 1)


Paul & Joe Beaute created The Parisienne Girl Collection for Fall/Autumn 2020. The Collection includes 3 Limited Edition refillable lipstick and compact cases, 5 matte lipsticks and 8 refill eyeshadow duos. Part 1 of my review will focus on the eyeshadow and compact products, part 2 the lipsticks and refillable lipstick cases. 

This collection saw the introduction of 8 eyeshadow duos (£19): 01 French Pastry has a combination of creamy ivory and canele dark brown; 02 Evening Dress a deep wine red and rose gold; 03 Sour Lollipop a bright yellow and pink 04 Ciel de la Nuit violet and dark grey; 05 Happy Rainy Day blue and purple 06 Sweet Song brown and pink 07 Marsh Bird khaki brown and blueish grey and 08 Tropezienne includes an orange beige and soleil reddish orange. I chose 08 as I don’t have any orange eye shadows colours and would never have thought to have worn them but I emailed the Paul & Joe Beaute adviser who runs their social media accounts to ask which eyeshadow would complement the Nounours lipstick and she suggested Tropezienne. The eyeshadows can be worn as a wash of colour or built up for a more dramatic hue. I found that to be really seen behind my glasses lenses I needed to add more shadow than if I wasn’t wearing them. The shadows have an oil base so they go on smoothly and the particles blend easily. The duo also included a mini brush. 

My eyeshadows went on smoothly with very little fall out. They blended very well and I used the lighter shade as a highlight. Despite there being only 2 colours there are so many ways to wear them. My colours are very vibrant and summery and I have already worn away the embossing on them as I have worn them every day. I didn’t like the mini eyeshadow brush as I have problems using my hands and it was too small for me to hold but I can see it being useful for touch ups on the go etc. The eyeshadows do have a tea rose scent but it does dissipate quite quickly. 


The refillable compact cases (£7) come in three collectible designs. I chose 026 which is a fun print with a teddy, cat and rocking horse print on it. Made of a sturdy cardboard with a plastic insert it can hold P&J refillable blushes, eyeshadows and eyeshadow powders. It is a cute addition to my collection. 


I like both these purchases and as I have already mentioned have worn the eyeshadow duo everyday. I would try other duos as I like the formula. 


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