AA Skincare Prize



A couple of weeks ago I couldn't believe my luck....I'd actually won a twitter re-tweet competition! Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm not the one that naturally seems to win everything. Normally I'm the person that knows the one who wins everything. 

The competition was with AA Skincare, which if you've never heard they are a UK-based company that use essential oils and natural ingredients to make great products at affordable prices. Their products can be used by everyone from young, teenage skin to mature and sensitive skin. They have a product for practically everything and you can find all these amazing products and all the information behind each product here.

I was mid-lecture when I got the exciting notification on my phone from Twitter that I had won the competition they were running for the chance to win their Natural Remedy Kit. These retail for £19.50 if you would like to get one, they would make great little Christmas presents!



These kits come packaged in pillow shaped boxes, with the AA Skincare logo embossed on the front. As soon as you open these bad boys they smell amazing, all of the essential oils greet you when you simply just open the side of the box. Inside it comes with plenty of little paper strips inside to keep your goodies protected.....then you get to the good stuff!!

In the Natural Remedy Kit you get 3 little boxes that include their Lavender gel, Arnica Gel and Tea Tree Gel. Everything comes in super cute colour coded packaging, which also transfers onto the bottles/containers. 



The Lavender gel is a calming multipurpose gel that is soothing and antiseptic. AA Skincare say that it has so many different uses but can be best used for calming and soothing irritated, inflamed, and unhappy skin. I love the antiseptic element to it which makes it great for use during any acne breakouts. Within it it has lavender, chamomile oil, and comfrey extract which gives it so many uses. AA also state that it can be used for insect bites, sunburn, skin irritations, cuts, abrasions and it can also be used across your forehead to relieve any headaches which is super useful for me.....hours on the computer and looking at books and essays often gives you multiple headaches!

Next up was the Arnica gel, they class this as one of their first aid essential that is anti-inflammatory and soothing. It can be used by anyone over the age of 3 and is used typically to reduce bruising which is perfect for me as I'm constantly bumping into things and I seem to bruise pretty badly, pretty easily. It also works as a natural pain reliever for any strains or sprains, so I'm planning to use it on some upper back pain I have due to nature's gift of a full chest. I will keep you guys updated on how I get on with it. It includes calendula extract, goldenrod extract, glycerin, and st john's wart to help with the anti-inflammatory properties. 

The last item in the kit is the Tea Tree gel which is their natural anti-fungal. This is used to keep skin clear of blemishes without drying out the skin. To contribute to the non-drying properties of the gel, AA have added borage and calendula as well as honey extract which help moisturise the skin on every application. They also state that it can be used to help heal issues like cold sores, athlete's foot and fungal nail infections as well as calming insect bites.

I'm super excited to try out these products, so keep your eyes peeled for some reviews coming in the near future.


Being a nurse is not all glamour and high fashion, but it is always rewarding!


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Danielle Levy
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Liverpool Blogger Event Goody Bag



A couple of weeks ago I got the chance to attend the Liverpool Blogger event hosted by Jenny Dawson of Secret Beauty Box, as we were leaving Jenny handed out these large red bags to everyone that smelt amazing. I couldn't wait to get home and see that amazing goodies Jenny had managed to get for us, I feel super thankful to these lovely goodies as they are such a lovely touch to a great day. However I have heard people knock down events and blogger days due to the fact they weren't given goody bags with free gifts in at the end of the event/day, I can honestly say I am doing this post to show how hard Jenny worked to get us treats and how thankful I am that we were given these things!



First up we got such a great goody bag from Lush. The lovely Megan and Jonathon gave us all a skincare masterclass on the day, they then gave us some goodies to try out at home. I was lucky enough to get a pot of the self-preserving mask of magnaminty as well as samples of 9 to 5 and ultrabland cleanser. I couldn't help using mask of magnaminty days after the event, I've been dying to try this mask for ages and it's even better that it's naturally self-preserving so it lasts for even longer!



We also got a little goody bag from MooGoo, it's an Australian based company that I had never heard of before the event. I got a sample of the How Now Brown Cow gradual tanning full cream, which just has the cutest name I think I've ever seen! I've never used false tanner but I really need to start using some sort of false tanner as I have the PALEST legs known to the human kind. I also got a full size of the skin milk udder cream which is incredibly generous of them to send. This is one of their original products that started their company off and was originally used on cow's udders to keep them in top condition, they then adapted for human skin to be used on babies or adults skins. It helps promote skin elasticity and leaves it feeling amazing!



I also got a sample of the BeeGood honey & propolis cream cleanser with a small muslim cloth, BeeGood were really generous and sponsored a gift in the raffle as well as giving us all these samples of their cleanser which smells so good! I got a sample of this in my goody bag from the NWmeet that I still need to use up but I am so happy to have two samples as I like to cycle in my skincare products to stop my skin getting too used to a certain product.

Taking Shape came on the day and kindly offered me an outfit to wear on the day, they also gave everyone a nail file and holder in the goody bags as well as 20% for ourselves and a friend. I love getting nail files in holders as they are super useful as they don't rub off on everything in your handbag.

Crabtree & Evelyn very kindly gave us some hand creams, I got given the Nantucket Briar scent which gives intense hydration. It has a slight floral /talc-y scent, but it's so moisturising and absorbs super quickly! I love these type of containers for hand cream cause you can get out every little bit as you can roll it to push the hand cream to the very top. 



At the bottom of our bags there was a small box and then a bigger box from DermaV10, they had designed us a blog post in a box with several of their products for us to test out and review for our lovely readers. One thing I'm really intrigued to try is their Make-off Mitt, which you apparently just add water and you can wash off your make-up without the need for a cleanser or make-up remover. Part of me is slightly skeptical but I am going to keep an open mind and give it a go and see how it turns out. I've noticed as soon as I took it out the box that it's on the small side, I have fairly small hands and it fits me perfectly, if you've got slightly longer hands it's something to be mindful of. 

Inside the bigger box came 4 products that were all different, which is good because I don't think any two bloggers got the same products to review. Inside my box was the rejuventating night cream, the moisturising multi radiance cream (not entirely sure how to use this one, I think it's kind of similar to a day moisturiser), the light tinted eye roll on, and their strawberry body butter which smells soo good! I have so many body butters to get through at the moment but I'm going to rotate this one in as I really just want to smell like a giant strawberry.

We were also kindly given some codes to get money off with certain shops. Hoobynoo world gave us 10% off our next purchase online, Cheerz gave us a code to create a free cheerz box (I still have a code from Cheerz to use up from my last blogger meet, really need to get on that!), we were also kindly given a 30% off code for beauxoxo.com which have some really great handmade hair pieces.


Nurses don't wait until October to celebrate Make a Difference day, they make a difference everyday.

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Danielle Levy
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Liverpool Blogger Event



Last week I got the chance to attend the Liverpool Blogger event with Danielle from Mylilyotv. If any of you guys followed me on social media back in the summer you will know that I just missed out on getting a ticket to the last one as I only found out about the event days before it was due to happen. Luckily this time round me and Danielle got our tickets months ago (I think it may have been the end of August/early September)! 

The event was organised by the lovely Jenny Dawson from Secret Beauty Box and it was held in the Fruit & Fibres Canteen & Craft Workshop. If you haven't been here before, you need to get your bottom down there!! It's a great space that is basically a bloggers/Instagrammers dream with all the decorations dotted around. 

Myself and Danielle got there a few minutes late as we had one of the strangest taxi drivers that didn't seem to know where the road was so we drove round for a little while till we eventually just got out and walked to the venue. When we arrived we were met by Jenny who gave us our badges with our name, blog URL and it also had a QR code that led everyone straight to our blogs (such a cool idea!).



After we'd all got the chance to chat and meet some new people (I, of course ran into the lovely Kiah that I met at NWmeet as soon as I walked in the door, it was so nice to catch up with her again in person!). 

We then got a lovely introduction from Jenny and the owners of Fruit & Fibres telling us about the canteen and Jenny gave us a run down of what was going to happening over the day. We had loads of amazing things to fit into 4 hours!!



First up we had a talk from Andrea from MyShowcase which is a business that sells over 40 different brands, from luxury to higher end high street style products. To do this they use networking stylists that allow women to create their own flexible businesses that they shape around their family and lifestyle. They do everything from make-up bags, make-up, skincare, candles and gifts that you can order from online, from a stylist party that you can hold in the comfort of your own home and you can also become a stylist yourself. Andrea was really generous and held a raffle with an amazing gift basket filled up with MyShowcase products.



After our talk from Andrea, the lovely Tiffany from Stella & Dot told us all about the company and the different collections of accessories they have at the moment. Their accessories are luxurious and affordable whilst being hypoallergenic and nickel-free. Tiffany talked to us about the Artisan collection which if you buy a scarf from the collection they donate the same value to the charity Women's Aid. If you haven't heard about Women's Aid, it's a charity that was started within the UK 40 years ago that is working to end domestic violence against women and children.

Next up the lovely Sally from Taking Shape Southport got up and talked about the company as well as their styling experiences and parties they offer in store. I have written a full blog post about Taking Shape as Sally kindly offered me to come into store and experience the styling experience and pick up an outfit to wear to the blogger event. I unfortunately didn't get any pictures of her talk as she got me up there to show off my outfit so I will show you my OOTD for the event.



Here's my outfit from Taking Shape: 
Jacket ~ Celia Jacket
Blouse ~ Ember Glow Blouse
Trousers~ Give It To Me Straight Trousers
Necklace ~ Glad To Pearl It Necklace
Boots ~ Matalan


We also had a talk from Hannah from Motive Cosmetics. If you have never heard of it like I hadn't before the event, it is an amazing cosmetics brand that has come over from America and has the most gorgeous eyeshadow colours known to women-kind!! Hannah ran a competition before the event to win the Maven's eyeshadow palette and the lucky Jenny won which is such a nice prize for all her amazing work getting the event ready and organised!



We also got the chance to get a skincare masterclass from the lovely Megan and Jonathon 'Keeping it green on the soap scene!' from Lush Spa Liverpool. On the day Megan and Jonathon were raising money for the Choir with No Name and all the money from products sold and the money from the raffles has gone to them. One lucky blogger on the day got the chance to have one of their facials and she looked so relaxed the entire time! They also let us know that they do make-your-own face masks/bath bombs which is amazing, I had absolutely no idea you could get the chance to do that in the Liverpool store.




In the skincare masterclass they used the Ultrabland cleanser, which they very gratefully gave us all a little sample to try out at home. They also showed us the Don't Look At Me face mask, which you definitely cannot miss.....it's bright blue!! It's a great mask due to all the moisturising ingredients and inside it has a little bead like ingredient (it's not beads, it's an environmentally friendly version) that help to give your face a light exfoliation when you rub it off.



After the masterclass we got the opportunity to make our own bracelet thanks to Brittany from Noctua. Prior to the event Brittany got in touch and asked us all which semi-precious stone we would to make our bracelet from and on the day we all got the choice whether we wanted our bracelet to wrap round once or twice. You have never heard a quieter group of bloggers than when you give them little stones and beads to thread onto a bit of bendy plastic!!! Here's how mine and Danielle's bracelets turned out....



After jewellery workshop before we all disappeared into what became a very dark afternoon, Jenny drew the raffle that several brands had donated prizes for. Danielle won the nicest smelling soy candle from Taking Shape!



As we all left for the train and buses Jenny said goodbye to us on the way out and gave an amazing goody bag which I am going to do another seperate post on as this is probably getting really long now!

I had such an amazing time at this event and got to meet so many amazing bloggers. I'm super excited for the next event in Liverpool!!


What we have done for ourselves alone, dies with us:
What we have done for others and the world, remains and is immortal.
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Danielle Levy
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Taking Shape Personal Styling Experience



A couple of weeks ago Sally the assistant manager for Taking Shape Southport sent me an email inviting me to come into store last week and experience their personal styling sessions that they offer free of charge for all customers, it could not have come at a more perfect time as 2 days later I had the Liverpool Blogger Event to attend!




For anyone that has never been to Southport before, to me I thought it looked like what Brighton might look like (I've never been to Brighton however, so I could be completely wrong!). When I arrived at the store I was met by Sally and her two lovely colleagues (who I feel so terrible and have forgotten their names, that's what lectures since 9am does to your brain!). Once I had met Sally and we'd had a little chat, I got the chance to see the outfit she had picked out for me after asking what a typically tend to go for as well as the colours I tended to reach for and felt comfortable in.



Sally talked me through the clothes she had picked out for me and made some outfit suggestions that she thought you work great for me, I loved that even though I had said that I prefer tops and fitted trousers (e.g. skinny jeans) she still picked a dress out for me to try and see if I liked! I was totally surprised with just how many options she picked out for me, I'd never been given that many before normally it's one or two, three max.


It was great that Sally talked me through the different options but then gave me my space to try on, think through all the items, and split them into different outfits to try. I have been to several stores (which shall remain nameless) that you barely get the chance to get your clothes off and start trying the options on and sales assistants are jumping down your throat asking what you think of them. 

Once I'd tried some clothes on and came out to have a look in the larger mirror with different lighting and that was when Sally came over and asked what I thought of the clothes, gave me suggestions and offered some jewellery that would pair nice with the shirt and trousers I'd picked.  




Taking Shape is a brand that caters for all shapes and sizes as well as all different ages. Some of the pieces appealed to an older audience whilst a lot of the pieces I was able to style it up to suit me. Here's a sneak peak at some of the bits I picked out to wear to the Liverpool blogger event, I am doing a post about the event on Friday so you will all get to see how I styled up the outfit and how it looks on me!


Take pride in how far you have come and have faith in how far you can go!
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Danielle Levy
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Tag ~ 11 Things



This week I was tagged by the lovely Hannah from Pull Yourself Together to do the 11 things tag and I typically have caught some sort of illness days before the Liverpool Blogger Event so I didn't feel quite like photographing my face whilst I looked like I've been dug up!!


What was your last tweet?
When I typed this post my very last tweet was a reply to @Liv_Bloggers as I had recently tweeted about suggestions for non-chocolate advent calendars.


What is your greatest achievement so far?
One of my greatest achievements so far has to be complimented as a second year student nurse by the lead consultant at my last placement on a haematology ward. He was such a lovely consultant but is not known for compliments, so I was so happy to be told that he was amazed how knowledgeable and confident I was for a second year student nurse. 


If you were on Come Dine With Me?
If I were on Come Dine With Me, I would probably make for a starter baked Camembert with tiger bread and real butter to dip in (real butter is so much tasty than margerine!!). For the main I would make my homemade famous enchiladas (I am tempted to make a blog post on these, but it's pretty easy but if you want it let me know!) with potato wedges. For dessert I would make a raspberry creme brulee (I had never tried this before but got the chance to try it at my best friend Harley's wedding, they are so delicious!).


What is your middle name?
My middle name is Louise, pretty simple and traditional. I think my father may have picked out the middle names of me and my brothers as my mum chose our first names.


If you could be any animal, what would you be?
I would probably like to be a cat cause I can sleep as much as I want, get food on demand, can go out whenever I want to, get given treats and I don't have to do anything for it. Plus they are very cute....yes that sounds lazy but I am a huge cat lover and have a really busy stressful job so to be an animal that can just sleep all day and do nothing sounds like heaven. Don't lie you're thinking it too!!!


Out of all of the blog posts you have written, which is your favourite?
My favourite is probably my recent post on my new planner that I bought from Erin Condren. My next favourite one is definitely my NWBlogger meet post as I got the chance to meet so many amazing bloggers and made some great friendships whilst getting hints and tips in an amazing afternoon.


What one thing can you not leave the house without?
My top one really genuinely is my phone. It is my source of contact for family, friends and work, I also used it to write to-do lists/shopping lists, my music station, and my fitness tracker. I always take my phone with me whether I got out for a dog walk or to the shop or if I got out for the day.


Any guilty pleasures?
It has probably got to be procrastinating for doing anything and I can literally spend hours watching YouTube videos or watching things on Netflix, I do eventually get stuff done I'm just trying to improve on my procrastinating and get sh*t done!



Do you have a party trick?
Erm....I don't actually think I have a party trick (not a massive party girl!), I guess I can take your manual blood pressure?? Not very exciting, I need to learn a party trick!



Which is your favourite season, and why?

My favourite season by far if you haven't guessed by now is winter.....definitely a winter baby, I would totally live somewhere that had winter all year round if I could!


What is your first memory as a child?

My first memory as a child is probably back when I lived up in Orkney when my parents were still together and we had an old school house. I remember being in the kitchen with my mum and something about those weaning biscuits kids have when they're younger and they are like a banana flavour (yes I was a fussy kid and I was obsessed with those biscuits!)

I tag ~ 

Danielle from Mylilyotv
Chelsea from Lebeaufleur
Michelle from Michelle Gleaves
Pixie from Pixie Bebe
Anyone else that would like to have a go (be sure to send me your links though!)

My questions are ~
1~ What was your last retweet?
2~ Where is your favourite place to write blog posts?
3~ What inspired you to start blogging?
4~ What is your favourite book you've read so far?
5~ What is your most memorable event?
6~ If you could have anyone (dead or alive) for dinner, who would it be?
7~ Where is your favourite place to be?
8~ If you could give any advice to your teenage self, what would it be?
9~ How do you relax?
10~ If you could be fluent in any other language, which one would you choose?
11~ Are you an early bird or a night owl?


Nurse is just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate everything and soft enough to understand everyone.
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Danielle Levy
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