Book Review: One Winter's Night by Brenda Jackson. #TheWestmorelands(24)–OneWinter'sNight #NetGalley

One Winter's Night by Brenda Jackson is part of the The Westmorelands Series (number 24).   Riley Westmoreland met, and fell for, his party planner - Alpha Blake.  He makes it clear he wants a 6 week, no strings affair, traditional "Riley's Rules" whilst She has been burned in a previous relationship, her engagement failed as she would not disown her twin and so is looking for fun, but not commitment.  After several dates and weeks of doing normal coupley things - hanging out with friends and family, going for long walks, picnics etc, Riley realises that one night is not enough He has to find a way to persuade her that he is in it for the long haul.   Alpha's secret threatens to blow them apart, but Riley accepts it and they move on.  

One Winter's Night goes from no strings affair to a traditional courtship.  The two characters don't seem to realise what is happening until they realise that the six week deadline is nearly up and they realise they are in love.  This is a great book by Brenda Jackson, cannot wait to see/read who she decides to write about next.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review.

Classic Canes: Walking Stick LED Lamp Attachment

This lightweight LED light/ lamp from Classic Canes is £22.50. I couldn't find many retailers for this item. The only one I could find was an Ebay seller. It isn't stocked on Amazon UK which is surprising as they sell/stock a lot of the walking sticks. It is lightweight, easy to fasten on to your stick and easy to turn off and on. It is a useful accessory to have, both to help see where you are going and to use as a warning light to others who may not see you approaching them in the dusk or dark.

Information available here
Available here

Beak & Claws: Paul & Joe Beaute, Koala Bear (No. 13) Nail Polish

Today I am starting a new monthly blog post series - Beak and Claws which will review and showcase my favourite lip products (beak) and nail polish (claws). I have called this series "Beak and Claws" as I wanted to maintain a link with the name of my blog - Sparkling Magpie, so blog posts and blog name are connected rather than just having random names for certain reoccurring posts that have no relevance to the blog itself. To maintain consistency when considering longevity and potential chipping I always use the same base coat - NailHQ All in One.

I chose Paul & Joe Beaute Koala Bear nail polish (No.13) as the first victim in this series as I love both their clothing and cute but grown up prints and the cosmetics line.  P&J are a quirky, fashion forward French fashion brand. I have already outlined in a previous blog post how P&J diversified into the beauty world under Paul & Joe Beaute. Their fashion line's aesthetic translates seamlessly and successfully into the competitive world of skin care and cosmetics. 

As my neck is fused totally I cannot look down and I also lack hand coordination.  This means I find it near impossible to paint my own nails and normally rely on others to do it for me.  If I am going to try and do it myself it takes a lot of patience, a near melt down, angled mirrors - so I can see what I am doing and a nail polish remover pen to erase my mistakes.  The size of the brush, wand, lid -(gripability and comfort when holding the brush matters) and consistency of the polish are all important considerations if I am going to paint my nails myself.  I did do my nails myself for these photos.  They may look a bit scruffy around the edges but I am proud of them as they took ages to do.

The colour of Koala Bear (£12 for 12ml) is a muted, dusky grey.  The consistency of the Polish is quite runny and thin in texture but it easy to control (too runny and I cant control it with my brush and it runs off my nails), It dries quite quickly - within 10 minutes. I have compared the brush to a Nails Inc nail polish brush.  I much prefer the P&J one. The brush has a long deeply grooves handle/lid which is easy and comfortable to grip, making it easy to apply the Polish in long, even strokes without risking  smudging. The brush itself is long and thin with a square edge. Here is where I prefer the Nails Inc one as their brush is curved so it fits nicely into the curve of the nail bed giving a nice finish without much effort. As the P&J one is squared off it takes more effort not to just swipe over but instead go inside the curve of the nail bed. A combination of the two brushes, I feel, would result in the perfect nail polish brush!

The bottle has a elegant, vintage/ classic. feel/ look to it and would look great displayed on a vanity table or dresser. The handle is white plastic, the bottom part of the container is made of glass. P&J is embossed on the top of the lid. 

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

Available here from Amazon UK.

Review & Win: Xtava Pro-Satin Infrared Straightener - Professional Flat Iron with Tourmaline Ceramic Plates

The Xtava Pro-Satin Infrared Straightener costs £29.99 when purchased through Amazon using Prime.  The plates use infrared technology which is less damaging to your hair , the plates are extra wide and they use dual heat technology to ensure the plates both have the same amount of heat. There are 11 settings from 130c - 230c.  There is a safety swivel cord and a 90 second and auto shut off function.  It comes in a heat proof case. 

When I use this with my regular heat protectant spray my hair looks shiny that when I use my other, more expensive straighteners.  The wide plates are great for long hair, so it doesn't take whoever is doing my hair as long to straighten it all. It heats up very quickly.  The plates are ceramic tourmaline ionic technology which protects the hair and leaves it frizz free. The saftey features - swivel cord and automaic shut off when the item is left unattended are great.

I got this item for free via Review Library but this does not affect my final review.

Available from: Amazon UK


To win these straighteners enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Only open to the UK due to shipping restrictions. Open 1/11 2017 to 12/11/2017

Book Review: A Diamond For The Sheikh's Mistress (M&B) by Abby Green

Sheikh Zafir Al-Noury cannot forgive his ex-fiance, Kat Winters, for breaking off their engagement, nor can he forget her.  He found out about Kat's past - she modelled for some risque photos, so he rejected her.  Although she is an ex-super-model, he finds her working as a waitress.  Zafir hires her to show off the Heart of  Jandor diamond on a global tour.  She does not tell him about the injuries she sustained on the night they split up.  Making her an offer she cannot refuse she agrees to do the tour.  This book is about redemption, understanding the past before they can move forward and acceptance that despite physical changes they are still the same person.

A Diamond For The Sheikh's Mistress by Abbey Green is published on 1 November 2017 and is part of the Mills & Boon Modern series.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review.

Little Print Jewellery: Paw Print Bracelet

  

I was lucky enough to win a Twitter retweet competition run by Little Print Jewellery & Accessories, an Etsy store, which makes sterling silver handmade, bespoke print jewellery and Liberty print gifts, The prize, much to my cat's annoyance, was a sterling silver paw print bracelet (£60).  

LPJ make their paw print jewellery with inkless wipe kits.  The paw is wiped with a wet wipe, to clean it, any stray hairs are trimmed off, the inkless wipe is then swiped over the paw and the paw placed firmly on the paper provided.  The wipe is colourless but the paw print that is pressed onto the paper comes up black.  It looks so easy when consulting Youtube videos (which use a dog) and reading the instructions. Not so easy when you are trying to persuade a very large cat to cooperate!  LPJ does offer to come to your home if you live close to her (sadly I don't) but I do think that is a great selling point.  I managed to get one half way decent paw print which I sent off.  

The paw print is made into jewellery using Precious Metal Clay.  PMC contains small silver particles, a non-toxic organic binder and water.  It looks like potters clay.   The paw print image is converted into photo polymer plates and placed in the clay.  Once the print has been embedded into it and the hand engraving completed, the clay is fired in a kiln.  The organic binder is burned off and the silver is left.  Once the item has been fired it is polished and finished off by hand.  The whole process takes about 2 weeks. 

The bespoke paw print jewellery by LPJ starts at £60 for a small sterling silver charm which can be made in a variety of shapes: round, oval, tear drop, heart shaped, rectangle and square.  Other items include a larger charm (£70), cuff links (£120), necklace with an 18" fine linked chain(£110) and key ring (£120).  They can all be made in the variety of shapes I already listed and they are made from sterling silver.

The paw print charm comes on a Liberty print bracelet which fastens with a little heart shaped pearl button which is then knotted.  The item arrived in an embossed blue gift box.  I love it and as my bracelet is a bespoke piece I will always treasure it.  Communication and LPJ customer service was excellent and I would recommend them if you wanted print jewellery.  They not only make pet jewellery but also make baby/children's bespoke print jewellery as well.   They also make Liberty print accessories - butterfly barrettes, liberty print charm bracelets etc which are very reasonable priced. 

I won the item but that does not affect my review.  

Links:

Website

Etsy Shop 

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Pinterest

Z for Accessorize 3 x Stone Stacking Ring Set

I recently purchased these 3 x stone stacking ring set from Accessorize (£17.00 plus £2 p&p). They are gold plated and set with semi precious stones. I bought the small which measures 16.5 mm diameter in the inner ring. They are gold plated. They came within 2 days, securely wrapped in a box plus Accessorize branded packaging. They were fastened to a Z for Accessorize swing tag. The tags used to say which stones had been used in the jewellery but this information hasn't been printed on the tags on my last few purchases which I find a bit disappointing as I like to know what the stones are. I know I can guess, but I would probably be wrong! My tag did say the stones were cubic zirconia - which I know they aren't, so maybe Accessorize is using up old tags.

The rings themselves are very delicate and colourful. The combination of stone colour and gold makes the gold almost glow. They are comfortable to wear, the stones do not stick out to much and risk snagging autumn jumpers or scratching glasses. I have worn them stacked and separately on different fingers. I really like my rings, just wish they had matching items as well.

Available in store or online here