MEET HELLO KITTY & CELEBRATE HER 40TH ANNIVERSARY



If you are a fan of Hello Kitty you will of course be aware that she is currently celebrating her 40th anniversary tomorrow, Saturday 1st November she will be bringing those celebrations to Hamleys toy store in London.

Hello Kitty's 'mission' is all about spreading kindness around the world and so she will be giving hugs in a global hug-a-thon this is your opportunity to meet Hello Kitty for the London part of her trip.

There will also be the unveiling of a life size cake which will be shared with everyone who has come to celebrate with Hello Kitty.

The event will run for 12 - 4pm with the cake cutting at 1pm on the 2nd floor Hamley's on Regent Street. It's a great free event for those ready to draw a close to the half term holidays.

Hopefully I'll be able to take my niece along so don't forget to say hi to me too!

Primark Jewellery Haul

I very rarely shop in Primark anymore for no other reason than I can't bear what always feels like a jumble sale environment. Back in the day my local branch was a haven and I can remember heading to New York many moons ago with a case loaded with coats, jumpers and hats all picked up from there. These days I never know what size I'll be in the clothes as the sizing can be hit and miss and the queues, never is there anything often I want which warrants committing time to it.

Of course the problem is with blogs and YouTube videos is that hauls appear, you spot one or two things you'd like and into the store I go although it's not often the treasures present themselves to me on my trips.

A week or two ago I was heading to an event which just happened to be located nearer Tottenham Court Road Station so I decided to try out that branch and see what was on offer. The jewelled headband caught my eye and I thought it was perfect if not for now but for my holiday I have just booked to Ibiza.

Once again I decided I didn't need to queue for a headband I had no purpose for wearing for over 6 months time and put it back on the shelf and left the store and subsequently spent the following days talking about nothing else and regretting why I didn't part with £5 just in case.

Typically my local branch didn't stock said item but thankfully another blog event was put into the diary and with Tottenham Court Road being the destination I had the perfect opportunity to see if the headband was to me mine - and as you can see it was.

The fact that I would already queuing for something meant I took the opportunity to throw another couple of items into my bag. A black jewelled necklace which is something I've been looking for for some time and some earrings, just because I loved them.

Unfortunately my head must be smaller than average as I need to do some work with the headband to get it to fit without slipping off but as I said I've got some months till I intend to wear it so I can get some practice in!

Are you a Primark fan or like be do you hate the mayhem of it's stores?

Vaseline Goes Vintage

Vaseline Lip Therapy* link

Early readers of my blog will know that it's roots lay in vintage hauls rather than the beauty variety so the recent special edition vintage style tins from Vaseline certainly caught my attention. Did you know that Vaseline has been around since 1872? Me either.

I apologise in advance but I will likely be referencing Christmas a lot in the next couple of weeks and as I discussed in Friday's post these cute tins would certainly be a worthy addition to any Christmas stocking such as the one I usually receive filled with beauty treats and necessities. 

The line up includes the Original formula we all know and love, Aloe Vera, Cocoa Butter, which is my favourite fyi and finally Rosy Lips which has a slight tint for those at home no make up days. I know many people that would enjoy having one of these attractive tins sitting on their desk at work or bedside table. I for one have a lip balm next to my sofa so that I can lazily reach across for a swipe when my lips are verging on the drier side.

They would also make a great unisex product for homemade crackers or table gifts for visiting friends and family and those of you with children the important gifts for teachers and the like. A quick look online and Boots have a 3 for 2 offer on so it's the perfect time to get ahead with your shopping.

What do you think of the new style tins, are you a fan of the vintage style?

*PR Sample

Patty & Bun Liverpool Street

Patty & Bun link

When news reached me that Patty & Bun were opening a City branch in Liverpool Street I was both elated and scared for my waist line. It's not unheard of for me to stumble through Liverpool Street Station and make a pit stop at Burger King following after work drinks and with no disrepect intended to Burger King, Patty & Bun is far superior and harder to resist.



That said despite being open for sometime my first visit to the branch located outside the station was on my way home from a blog event last week. It's a small site with a few tables that are often occupied but they have a handy takeaway window and knowing what a beast Patty & Bun burgers can be I decided to take mine home and enjoy it in privacy.



Once again I went for the Smokey Robinson accompanied by rosemary fries and how I managed to journey home on the train with my brown paper bag of goodness without sneaking a bite is surely worthy of a medal of some description?



On arrival home I dived straight in enjoying the cardboard tray to display them on. Obviously travel time meant that my meal wasn't piping hot but this didn't stop any enjoyment. The familar moist burger was a messy dream, Patty & Bun burgers still hit the top spot for me.



The Smokey Robinson is filled with all my favourites, cheese, caramelised onions, bacon and served on a brioche bun - anyone else struggle to enjoy a burger not accompanied by brioche bun these days?



As you can see from the lipstick remnants on my thumb eating a Patty & Bun burger is a messy affair but they have your back and supply a wet wipe to clean up all your mess

You can find Patty & Bun at 22 - 23 Liverpool Street and I'd highly recommend a visit although there's some competition on it's way as I hear Honest Burgers is coming to the City next month.

October Empties

Products I've used up link

Halloween is upon us, Bonfire Night is on the horizon which can only mean one thing - Empties time. Let's take a look at the products I've used up this month.

Clinque Body Butter link

It's taken me nearly a year to use up this tub of body butter from Clinque and you can find my review here. In short it's thick body lotion which does the job but not a product I enjoyed, hence it taking me so long to get through. Ideal for the colder weather when you want something more heavy duty but if you're a fan of scented products this won't be top of your wish list. 

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation link

I did not like this foundation at all and thankful it was only a sample. I had a couple of these testers but didn't even get to the bottom of the first such was my dislike. It clung to any dry patch of skin I had, and I have little but it exaggerated ones I didn't know existed. 

imPRESS Nails* 

Short on time and heading out for the day I grabbed a pack of imPRESS nails to ensure nails looked tip top. After a shaky start if you read this post you will know I'm converted. And if you follow me on Instagram you will know my niece was a fan too!

Sure Maximum Protection link 

Mentioned countless times on my blog and it no doubt wins the award for most appearances in an empties post. I won't say any more but feel free to take a look at this post if you want to know why I'm a fan. 

Radox Mango Mayhem Shower Gel* link

Another brand that is mentioned many times by me is Radox. Mango Mayhem featured in my July Favourites post and was the perfect Summer staple. Stay tuned for more Radox goodness coming up soon.

Soap & Glory Hand Food link

Another hand cream bites the dust and I love both the scent and size of this tube of Hand Food from Soap & Glory. A recent trip to Boots to restock on some items meant that the full size of this ended up coming home to me due to a 3 for 2 offer and will now sit on my desk at work.

A-DERMA Sensifluid Micellar Water* 

I don't get excited about micellar waters beyond their use for removing make up and stepping in when I'm feeling lazy but I did get excited about the packaging of this product. Compared to L'Oreal and Garnier Micellar Waters which I love to use but struggle with their bottles this was able to perfectly distribute product onto cotton pads without spilling everywhere. That said despite being a good product for the price point I think it's unlikely I'll repurchase as I'm happier with the cheaper brands.

A-DERMA Hydrating Cream* 

I only reviewed this moisturiser from A-DERMA recently in this post so I won't say any more than this is a thumbs up for those who want a lighter product and is perfect for the Summer months. 

St Ives Apricot Body Scrub* link

Another reviewed product that you can read about here. There are no complaints from me about the product although it is like cement to remove from the bath if it dries. I liked this product and it worked well for me but I couldn't maintain excitement about it. I would repurchase for it's price point although when pay day hit I treated myself to an old favourite, The Breakfast Scrub from Soap & Glory as if nothing more than the scent lends itself well to the Autumn months. 

Molton Brown Blue Maquis Hand Cream link

Stay tuned for more Molton Brown Hand Cream empties as I'm just getting to the bottom of another bottle. I swear I've had a collection of Molton Brown hand creams in my possession for years - they just never seem to disappear. One sat in my bathroom and another in my kitchen. When neither of those destinations seemed to aid their completion I took them to work as the pump dispensers make for easy application. I find the formula of Molton Brown hand creams to be rather thin and runny which I don't enjoy and prefer cream than lotion. I wouldn't repurchase again, and certainly not in larger sizes but if you're looking for a product that will last a long time this might be for you. 

Molton Brown Travel Reviving Cempaka Body Wash link

I took this bottle of body wash from Molton Brown to Las Vegas with me as it doubled up as both shower gel and bubble bath. I can't argue with Molton Brown for their range of products but I don't know if it's overuse over the years but they don't excite me like they used to. I would happily repurchase this product and if I received as a gift I wouldn't be disappointed but I'm not sure I'd rush out to replace.

Kiehls Powerful Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate link 

I recently stayed over at my brothers and grabbed this sachet to take with me rather than a full size product. I have used this product in the past and didn't quite get the results claimed but I'll happily use in it's sample size when needed.

What products did you use up this month?