The Quintessential Handbags and Twitter Parties!

Hi guys I am very excited to be back with another collaboration with The Quintessential a wholesale treasure trove of scarves, bags, wash bags, stationary and the list goes on!
I worked with The Quintessential previously when I reviewed one of their beautiful scarves which you can see here. 
Today's post will focus on a review of  the beautiful new season tropical bird shoulder bag from the Collier Campbell collection. I will also be showing you a wash bag from the Eve collection plus a chance to win some prizes from The Quintessential!

I must say I was very impressed when I first saw the tropical shoulder bag in person It is a real eye catching bag. The colors of the bag draw you in without being overpowering, It almost appears like the whole thing has been hand drawn onto the canvas bag. The  pattern is done to such a high standard and the detail is very impressive and like the colors used really draw you in. The first day that I wore this down the street I was asked by two different shop owners where it was from and when I explained they both asked for details to become stockists.

The bag is very well made and feels really sturdy, the addition of a board for the bottom of the bag adds to the solid feel. The fabric is beautiful both outside and in, the bag is fully lined in grey with a slightly different pattern to the outside but the same bird theme. There is great storage for small bits with the addition of some small zipped pockets and also a special string inside for attaching your keys to which is a godsend if your like me and your keys like to play hide and seek with you!

The biggest draw with this bag for me is how pretty and unique the design is, I am currently searching for a changing bag for baby no.1 and am a bit devastated that they dont do any in their range but hopefully it will be something that they expand to in the future.

The wash bag which is from their EVE collection and at w32 and h19 cm its a really great size wash bag perfect for travelling with your essentials or for use as your make up bag. This bag has a pretty floral design in cream, burnt orange and green. As a wash bag by far its most impressive feature is the wire going through the top opening which allows it to remain open while you are using it rather than annoyingly folding in on itself like all of my wash bags tend to do. I also love the washable lining on the interior which if using as a makeup bag is very handy and important addition to clean up spills.
Im very impressed with this and will certainly be adding more of these to my collection.

The Quintessential as you have seen above is a wholesale business and so we want to let all of our lovely local shops know about them so they will become stockists and we can buy all of the loveliness from them :)
In order to become a stockist you should check out you should check out their website http://www.thequintessential.co.uk/

So what was that about winning prizes? Follow myself @clareken86 and @quintessentia_l on twitter and join us next Tuesday May 5th between 7-8 for a twitter party. We will be chatting about the Quintessentials new collections and there will be gorgeous prizes to be won!
To get a head start on being in for those prizes take a look on the website at the collections and tag some of your local shops that you would like to see the Quintessential stocked in, tag some of your friends too so that we can have lots of people taking part in our twitter party. For the twitter party we will be using the #thequintessential, for this time the twitter party prizes will only be open to Ireland and the UK but we would still love for you to take part in the chat.

Nia- calendula & orange blossom cleansing balm

A few weeks ago I started testing this Cleansing Balm from Irish brand NIA skincare.

This was my first time to use a cleansing balm although I have been meaning to try one for a really long time! 

The box contains a tin of cleansing balm ( I love the tin I'm a sucker for packaging) a wooden applicator stick and 3 cloths. 

The instructions say to apply the balm with the applicator stick and whilst this is definitely the most hygienic way I didnt find it very easy so I have been applying it with my (dry) hands. When mixed with water It melts into the skin and smells absolutely beautiful. 

To remove the balm you wet one of the cloths and remove in circular motion. 

While testing this I was really very impressed at the way that it removed the toughest of make up with only one application and no scrubbing I am talking about Estee Lauder Double Wear and Benefit Theyre Real Mascara. 

My skin has been left really soft after every use and has definitely been holding more moisture than normal for me. 

Im definitely very impressed with my first experience of a cleansing balm and even more delighted that this amazing one is from an Irish company. 

You can purchase products and find out more about the range on www.nia.ie 

Blogging......or actually the total lack of!

So its a Tuesday after a bank holiday  which means a brand new start dosn't It? I have been majorly absent from my blog for the last while for a lot of different reasons usually known as life.
Im just about 6 months pregnant now of which the first 17-18 weeks consisted of morning sickness so bad I couldnt of typed my own name, so that meant my poor blog had to be neglected.
Since the sickness has eased up Ive been doing a few bits behind the scenes to get ready for some new posts and then BOOM  we suddenly need to move house and that was not in the plan. We were only given a little bit of notice and buckets full of stress but eventually found and made it into a new house and glad to say myself, hubby, doggy and bump are all settling happily (surrounded by all of our things in their cardboard boxes!)
I have a few posts in the pipeline and I am promising at least one new post this week (yay!) -that yay is more for me Im really excited to get blogging again.
Keep tuned on twitter @clareken86 and instagram : sparkleblossombeauty for updates

Clare x

Waxperts Beautiful Body oil

A few weeks ago I recieved a lovely surprise of Waxperts brand new Beautiful Body Oil and have been putting it through lots of testing since.

I am a massive fan of Waxperts ingrown hair pads #wonderpads and was very excited for this new launch.

First Impressions were of fantastic packaging with a pin up girl on the inside of the bottle which is a signature waxperts look, the pump on the bottle is great as It lets out the oil in small amounts which I do find a problem with other oils. 

The oil is lavender scented which I normally hate because I find It so overpowering but Waxperts have managed to balance the scent where you have a milder lavender than you get in most cosmetics which was a massive plus for me. 

The oil is really lightweight and its not greasy at all. when you apply it it dries almost instantly and you get none of the stickiness that you can get with some body oils. 

The oil is formulated to be used after waxing but in waxperts style it is a multi use product. It can also be used for soothing sunburn and at night time to help you sleep.  I currently have baby no.1 on board and I have been using this on my belly to prevent stretch marks. I havent had much time to spend applying moisturisers so this has been amazing as It is really easy and quick to apply and dries almost instantly. I have found it really soothing and even used it to soothe my tummy spasms during my morning sickness. 

My skin has never been so soft and I have also been told by Waxperts owner Ellen that baby will remember the scent and I can use it on him/her when they arrive! 

This is a product that deserves as much praise as their first retail product and is very worthy of the #wonderoil. It will remain a staple for me throughout my pregnancy and far beyond. 

Waxperts Beautiful Body Oil is now available to buy on dolledup.ie and in waxperts salons for €9.99.

#irishbbloggerssecretsanta2014

To start off I want to thank Aisling from totalmakeupaddict.blogspot.com for organising the irishbbloggers secret santa. It has been so fun and exciting to be part of it.

For my secret santa I had Amy who writes for the secret obsession blog you can find out what I chose for her over there.

In a funny coincidence we had each other Amy picked out some fab bits for me and got lots for our €20 budget. 

All of my pressies from Amy came wrapped beautifully and I was so excited to get them open. This is what I found inside! 

First up is a really cute snowman candle which I love. 

Next up is a really quirky hot water bottle and eye mask! 

Some really cute fluffy christmas socks. 

Catrice nail polish which I'm really looking forward to trying out. 

Finally some lip balm and soap from forever living. 

This was such an exciting secret santa to take part in and I'm looking forward to next year already!