Hourglass Cosmetics Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Origami review

Described as a bubblegum pink, Hourglass Cosmetics Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Origami is a non sticky, hydrating lip gloss with a very faint yummy cupcake frosting scent ❤

I haven't tried other Hourglass products yet; often for me to take interest in a brand, I have to be impressed by their lip glosses first =P

While not classed as natural/organic, Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss is formulated without parabens, sulphates, and phthalates. A gloss I'll happily use!

Packaging is sleek, modern, and will stand out in any lip gloss collection. The flat doe foot applicator is very practical, because its flexibility allows a more controlled application as well as being foolproof. No wastage either.

The formula is absolutely incredible - super shiny, creamy, feels light and very, very comfortable on my lips. It feels more like a lip balm than a lip gloss! Origami is on the sheerer side; it just looks very pigmented in the tube.

I wouldn't say that the colour lasts all day; more like 4-5 hours, so through a meal and a few drinks, which is long enough for me. Don't think it's even possible for a non superglue lip gloss to last the entire day on its own.

Swatch:

Needless to say this is one of my current favourites! Now I need more Hourglass products...

Ingredients:

Octyldodecanol, Diisostearyl Malate, Ethylcellulose, Isostearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Dilinoleyl Alcohol, Hydroxystearic Acid, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Silica Silylate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Glycerin, Water, Lysolecithin, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil, Caprylic/ Capric Triglyceride, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Vanillin, Flavor, Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850:1), Red 6 (CI 15850), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090:2), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410:2), Red 30 Lake (CI 45410:2).

Hourglass is available in the UK at Space NK.

Rilakkuma from Mira Plush

Thought I'd share a small haul from miraplush.com. I ordered on the 25th and it only took 5 days to reach me from Hong Kong!

Korilakkuma plush from the Rilakkuma Sweets collection. I would have grabbed Rilakkuma as well if he wasn't out of stock =(

Holding a pink candy heart lollipop with gold embroidered "R" (surely it should be "K"?), she's wearing a baby pink hooded cape displaying various fruity edibles. So so adorable!

The handwritten note adds a lovely personal touch.


And rolls of Rilakkuma chara/washi tape to decorate stuff with:

Michelle, the owner of MiraPlush, is super sweet and my queries were always answered within a day. Her prices are very reasonable too. I highly recommend checking out her store for Rilakkuma goodies!

Organising my life with Smythson Bond Street

Yep, it's been a long time since my last blog post! Life basically came along and took over. Having recently bought my first house (!!) with the bf, it's been a rather hectic couple of months. Amidst all the unpacking, painting, carpet refitting, designing a new kitchen, and generally running around like headless chickens, I realised I needed to be much better organised. And what better way to do that than jotting down daily plans between waiting for layers of paint to dry?

Over the next few days/weeks/months, I plan to gradually sort everything and, as I expect to have a lot more spare time on my hands for the foreseeable future, I'm back to blogging!

With that in mind, I set out to look for my first ever actual organiser (Android apps don't count). It needed to be of eye candy material (encourages me to use it daily), sturdy quality, and perhaps most importantly, it must be of a motivational colour (PINK, of course).

I would have gone for a Filofax Original in Fluoro Pink, if its intense fluorescent pinkness (think pink highlighter shade) didn't make my eyes bleed. Much as I adore pink in most shades, I didn't think I could stomach looking at something that bright on a daily basis.  

After much disappointment, an unexpected email lead me to SMYTHSON! 

A British manufacturer of predominantly luxury stationery, as well as leather goods, Smythson was established in 1887, so they've been in the industry for quite some time. I received one of their newsletters and decided to check it out on the off chance that they might have something. While browsing, this little beauty caught my eye...

It was delivered in a blue box, tied with ribbon - ideal for gifting (or in this case, gift to myself!)

I was also sent a handy storage bag.

Inside the box there's a care card and blank gift card.

And underneath... The pink Smythson Bond Street Organiser!

Dimensions - W14cm x H19cm

Made of gorgeous fine grained calf skin, the quality of this organiser speaks for itself; its leather feels supple yet strong, and the stitchings are perfect as expected. I like how there are two buttons on the strap - one for when the organiser isn't so full, and another for when it's filled to the moon.

The inside of the organiser is a lighter pink. Even though I'm not a gold person, I love the light pink/gold rings combination! On the left hand side, there are three pocket flaps (for loose paper etc) and a gold coloured SMYTHSON pencil.

On the right hand side, there's a pen loop with another pocket flap (just visible underneath the inserts).

Included inserts are - a blue diary divider, address & numbers divider, A-Z transparent dividers, few address inserts and some lined notepaper.

While the gold gilt edged inserts are pretty, they are just too impractical for me to keep. My experience with gilt edging is that with regular use, the colour inevitably fades/rubs off, which makes it look uneven. I have no use for the A-Z dividers or address inserts either, so I'll be removing everything and getting different inserts instead.

Once I've used it for a while, I'll do an update. But in the meantime, the finishing touches to my kitchen design await. How exciting >_<