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

Monday 25 February 2019

Review: TBHPS Hedgehog Notebook & Pen

One of my main shopping aims this year is to only purchase items that are useful, multi purpose or they must have a charitable element to them.  So look away now if you know me in real life as if you get s gift from me this year it will most likely be this hedgehog notebook and pen from The British Hedgehog Preservation Society. After cats hedgehogs are my favourite animals. I was thrilled to finally see one in my garden last year and I now have 3 hog houses, several feeders and a selection of hog food and water for my discerning guests. When I started researching what I should feed them I was horrified to see that the hedgehog population has declined by 90% since the 1950s and they will be gone within the next 10 years unless this decline is reversed.

Founded in 1982 The British Hedgehog Preservation Society is a charity which offers help, advice and support to finders of sick and injured hogs and can provide a list of volunteer rehab centres that they can be taken to (most centres can be followed on Twitter and there has some heart warming and sad cases). TBHPS is dedicated to preserving, helping and protecting hedgehogs and they have a reasonably priced gift shop. 

I chose the A5 hedgehog notebook (£3),  which is designed by RieDesigned.  I love her products and have reviews them several times in my blog. The notebook pages are blank, there are 36 pages, it measures 15x21cms, it is made from recycled paper and is designed and made in the UK. The print is adorable and the notebook is the perfect size for jotting down lists and notes etc.

The ball point pen (£1) is the society pen. It comes with black ink. I find it comfortable to hold as the grip is cushioned. It clips securely on my notebook and the pair make a useful, thoughtful gift. 

TBHPS web shop has a range of relatively inexpensive gifts which are cute and thoughtful.  Even if you do not purchase anything please leave bowls of water (low bowls as they can’t move their necks), hog food or kitten biscuits as they are currently waking up from hibernation and there is little or no suitable food around for them at the moment. If your garden is locked in think about installing a hedgehog corridor so they can widen their territory and also use animal friendly gardening items and check before you strim - there may be a hog asleep under that bush or leaves and strummers kill or can inflict horrific injuries.  If you see a hog out in the day it is not cute it needs help so please catch it, don’t feed it and contact your local hog rescue for advice. Finally don’t feed the meal worm, bread and milk, nuts etc as they can kill them. You may not see hogs in your garden as they are shy and nocturnal so watch out for their poo!! 

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

The items are available Here.



Monday 11 February 2019

Be A Pixi Princess/Prince With Pixi MultiBalm In Wild Rose

As I struggle with hand/eye coordination and have problems gripping small or slim items I was intrigued to try out Pixi MultiBalm in Wild Rose (£12) The Multibalm can be used on cheeks and lips and comes packaged in a chunky, easy to grip, plastic case with a twist up mechanism, so very easy to use! The MultiBalm is a creme-powder formula which is fortified with aloe vera, Shea butter, and rose hip oil. The balm should be dabbed on to cheeks and tapped onto lips.

I chose wild rose which is a dusky rose pink shade.  The dual purpose balm adds a flush of healthy colour to the lips and cheeks and this balm is a great way to create a healthy glow which stays put all day. I did use it as an eyeshadow and it didn’t irritate my eyes. The MultiBalm has buildable coverage and is easy to blend. It had a satiny finish.  These are great for travel or just to use on the go as they are compact, multi purpose and easy to use.  Mine had great longevity even though I have very greasy skin and it added that touch of a healthy glow which was much needed on a very cold day!


I purchased this item myself and the MultiBalms are available at all Pixi Beauty stockists and Boutiques.




Saturday 2 February 2019

Beak & Claws: Korres Mandarin Lip Butter Stick In Rose

This blog post is going to focus on the beak (lips). I have used the clear version of the Korres version of the mandarin lip butter stick for years but finally tried the tinted (rose) version when I was sent a free tube with my order. 

The mandarin lip butter stick in rose is £8 and contains 5ml. It is packaged in a cute tube which twists up to dispense the balm. It has spf 15 to protect the lips and it’s key ingredients are Shea butter and sunflower wax to nourish and condition the lips, giving long term protection and benefits such as moisturising the epidermis, reducing wrinkles and soothing sore or chapped skin. Mandarin oil to moisturise dry lips and mandarin oil to tone and moisturise the lips, reducing any inflammation.  I found the red tint to be subtle but effective. My lips looked like I was wearing a sheer, glossy red lipstick. My lips felt nourished and moisturised. The lip balm had a light texture and was barely discernible on the lips. I enjoy using the mandarin butter range but it sadly appears to be being phased out as most sites were out of stock when I was trying to purchase a new one. 


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

The lip balm can be purchased Here.


Friday 1 February 2019

#win Gus and Jaq (Cinderella) Trinket Dish

This month’s competition prize is the sold out Gus and Jaq trinket plate/dish from the Disney Store The characters are the mice from Cinderella. The two mice stand in a teacup with their hands out so jewellery can be draped over them.  The teacup and saucer have a holographic finish and the mice are so detailed.  The item is made from resin.  It is adorable and the attention to detail is amazing. It is made from resin and the height is 12.5 cm and diameter is 14 cm. 




Enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules:
Competition opens 02/02/19 12.01 am GMT and closes 11.59pm 11.59pm GMT.
open internationally.
Entrants must complete the mandatory Rafflecopter option or they will be disqualified.
This competition is not associated with the Disney Store. Any queries or questions please email or send a message to me.