The Bargain Hunter: watch out for the big cat...

I was not expecting anything good when I ordered this watch - I thought the face would be smashed in transit and/or it just wouldn't keep the time.

But I was wrong, so here we are with my new favourite item in my The Bargain Hunter series...

FYI: Clintons have started to stock the Yankee Halloween collection...

I went into my local branch of Clinton's today to buy the Twisted Peppermint jar candle, but I noticed a new small display table piled with Yankee Halloween candles.

So I naturally forgot about my original mission and bought some of the Halloween ones instead...

NOTD: Don't Let The Dead Bite by China Glaze...

Today I want us to take a closer look at Don't Let The Dead Bite - one of the five new shades in the China Glaze 2014 Halloween collection 'Apocalypse'... 

NOTD: New Lengths by Sally Hansen in Orange Pumpkin...

I guess that my new Pumpkin Spice candles influenced my nail polish choice today, as I'm going orange AND am digging into my collection of Halloween polishes.

Today we're taking a look at a New Lengths by Sally Hansen polish, in Orange Pumpkin - a Canada-only Halloween shade (I don't know the year of release)...

First impressions: Eau De Gaga by Lady Gaga...

After being left disappointed by the non-existent leather accord in Royal Revolution, I expected another wishy washy "meh" release here too as Coty is behind the Lady Gaga fragrances, as well as the newer Katy Perry ones. Was I right not to expect much, or was I pleasantly surprised?

EAU DE GAGA is described by Coty as being "an enigmatic scent, fusing daringly diverse elements to create a beguiling allure. The fragrance is built around a beautiful heart of white violet, an intoxicating flower that fuses male and female attractions. To counterbalance this opulent woody-floral intensity, the scent opens with an invigorating burst of sparkling lime that exudes dynamic vibrancy. And it evolves into a sensual trail based on leather, adding a primal quality to the scent".

Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts, #2) by Stacia Kane...

ENEMIES DON'T NEED TO BE ALIVE TO BE DEADLY. 

For Chess Putnam, finding herself near-fatally poisoned by a con psychic and then stopping a murderous ghost is just another day on the job. As an agent of the Church of Real Truth, Chess must expose those looking to profit from the world's unpleasant little poltergeist problem--humans filing false claims of hauntings--all while staving off any undead who really are looking for a kill. But Chess has been extra busy these days, coping with a new "celebrity" assignment while trying on her own time to help some desperate prostitutes. 

Someone's taking out the hookers of Downside in the most gruesome way, and Chess is sure the rumors that it's the work of a ghost are way off base. But proving herself right means walking in the path of a maniac, not to mention standing between the two men in her life just as they--along with their ruthless employers--are moving closer to a catastrophic showdown. Someone is dealing in murder, sex, and the supernatural, and once again Chess finds herself right in the crossfire.

The Bargain Hunter: kitty's ears ring...

I've been browsing through all of the cheap and cheerful jewellery items on Amazon UK after buying a pair of earrings and loving them.

I thought that I'd order a bunch of different stuff and share the success stories, making The Bargain Hunter a regular series (with its own page so that everything is easy to find), to help people looking for low cost gift options or pick-me-ups...

Today we'll look at one of my favourite finds; this kitty ears ring.

FYI: Clintons have started to stock the Yankee Christmas candlecollection...

I popped into my local branch of Clinton's the other day where I noticed a new small display table piled with Yankee candles, including many Christmas ones, plus two Christmas gift sets.

My local store is small so there weren't many candle sizes there for their Christmas scents for me to choose from; either large jar candles or 12 packs of their tea lights for the older fragrances. They also had the jars of two of the new Christmas 2014 fragrances - Icicles and Twisted Peppermint - in stock. Considering that the official Yankee website hasn't yet listed the new fragrances, I was pleasantly surprised to find them. 

The new Christmas fragrances for 2014 by Yankee Candles...

I was looking for some information on the Christmas 2014 range by Yankee Candles for a blog post I'm in the middle of writing, and I found that you can now order them online in the UK.

Make my art pop; ARTPOP by Lady Gaga...

ARTPOP is the third studio album by Lady Gaga, and was released in November 2013 by Streamline and Interscope Records. It debuted at number one in around ten countries, including the UK and America. It entered the top ten in some twenty other countries.

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First impressions: Heat Wild Orchid edp by Beyoncé...

As promised, today I've typed up my thoughts on the new Beyoncé Heat flanker; Heat Wild Orchid. I think that the original Heat, and first flanker Heat Rush, is meh; nice enough, but nothing interesting enough to stand out from the 1000s of fragrances released every year. Midnight Heat impressed me more, but is a heavier fragrance, and with my migraines, I've been finding it harder to wear recently.

However as I've found the new pillar perfume - Rise - from Beyoncé to be very enjoyable, I'm feeling lucky when it comes to Heat Wild Orchid too.

But have I gotten my hopes up for nothing?

First impressions: Rise edp by Beyoncé...

This year Beyoncé has released two new perfumes (at the speed she's going I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Christmas scent in the works); a new pillar one, and a new Heat flanker. Both perfumes were exclusively sold in a certain store [The Perfume Shop] upon their initial releases, but as they are both now sold everywhere I've been paying closer attention to them.

I've been testing both perfumes for a little while now and have to say that I think that both are better then all of the past releases in the Beyoncé line of fragrances, but has one of them, or even both of them, been enjoyable enough to persuade me to open my wallet?

Today we'll be exploring my verdict on the new pillar scent, Rise, whilst tomorrow it'll be Heat Wild Orchid's turn in the spotlight...