I always like the idea of finding the perfect mascara that I'll use forever more, the perfect foundation, a signature perfume that I just adore SO much all others can be thrown away.  But I'm nothing like that, I'm a real cosmetics butterfly and will, often, be tempted to try the latest 'big thing' (which generally under delivers *sigh*)

If you're the same then you might want to enter this competition to win £500 of Per-fekt beauty products - I've no clue what they're like, but if someone wants to give me £500 worth then I'm more than happy to find out!

The answer is Umbrella and closing date for entries is 27 June.

I listen to music all the time; on my iPod, in my iPhone, through the computer, on the radio, through the TV - it's rare there isn't music playing somewhere at sometime.

I ran, with my dogs, in the rain once and my iPhone really wasn't very happy about that, so a waterproof MP3 player is just what I could do with!

The answer to the question for this competition is Purl and you need to make sure you get your entries in before 28 June.

Are you, or someone you know, a gold bracelet fan?  If so, then you will want to take a look at this rather pretty and elegant Molly B couture 9ct gold bracelet, worth £625, that's going to be given to the lucky winner.

The answer is Paper and closing date for entries is 9 July

And for those who just want some good, old fashioned cash - enter this competition to win £5k of the stuff.

The answer is C (Olympic Games - can't wait for those to be over already!) and the closing date for online entries is 6th June 2012 at 5pm.

GOOD LUCK!

Thanks to marba01 and Painkiller at HUKD

At almost 39 years old, is it wrong that I got rather excited when I saw this Star Wars R2D2 Repair game?  Think Operation, but for R2D2 instead and that's exactly what we've got here and all for £9.50 at Tesco.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Star Wars R2D2 Repair game

I'm going through a bit of a personal Star Wars revival just now; my husband hasn't seen any of the Star Wars movies (I know, shocking!) and we borrowed the complete box set from a friend of ours only to realise, too late, that they were the Blu ray editions and not compatible with our DVD player *sigh*

So I begged and borrowed by set back from my youngest son (I gave them to him) and have been on a bit of a Star Wars feast ever since.

It's his sixth birthday in July and as a little fun something I think, as a responsible Star Wars parent, I should buy him this Star Wars R2D2 Repair game - we will need to remove R2's damaged parts, using the special galactic tweezers, and then put them back once they've been repaired, without setting the buzzer off.

The three AAA batteries needed are included and you can arrange to have your Star Wars R2D2 game delivered to your home for £3, OR you can collect him for free in-store at the Tesco of your choice.

Thanks to wishihadadonkey at HUKD 

I know that time is flying by quicker and quicker each year (why does it do that?!) but how on earth can Shiloh Jolie-Pitt be six?  Let alone the eldest adopted child, Maddox, being already!

Well she is six years old now and it's going to be interesting to see how she changes over the next six years.  Being TOTALLY different from the girly-girly Suri Cruise, of similar age, Shiloh is much more into dressing up like a soldier, wearing jeans and t-shirts, short haircuts and generally being more of a tom-boy.

I had a few friends like that when I was little and now they are some of the most pretty-fru-fru girls one the planet, so I wonder whether Shiloh will go the same way or whether she'll shun girly glamourous ways forever.

Either way, I LOVE that she's allowed the freedom to wear what she wants, when she wants and have her hair cut how she wants, without a thought for what the press or anyone else will have to say about it.

That's what childhood is all about, let's face it the doing what you want, when you want opportunities are few and far between as you get older.

Ohhhh to be six-years-old again without a care in the world hey!

We don't usually feature eBay shops that aren't the 'big ones' here on PlayPennies - BUT I've bought wooden train letters from Cathy's Toy Shop before and have never been anything other than thrilled.

• Click HERE to order your wooden train letters

Now, the deal is this:  the letters cost 99 pence each and the engine and carriage usually cost more.  However, if you buy six letters or more then you'll be given the engine and carriage for free.

If you're a regular PlayPennies reader you'll know that I have a real 'thing' for wooden toys and toys that have some additional educational element to go alongside the fun - I bought my youngest son, Edward, a set of wooden train letters and not only does it look fabulous, it was lots of fun watching him get to grips with the letters and learning how to spell his name; which he's been able to spell from a very early age.

The letters measure 7 x 5cm each and aren't treated with paint or varnish; all you have to do is add the letters you need to your basket and then place your order.  There's a minimum order of four letters (if you're after a Tom, then perhaps order a middle initial too!) and if you're ordering six or more then DO NOT add the engine and carriage to your basket, they'll be automatically shipped to you and delivery is free.

Thanks to andywedge at HUKD

The Gro Blackout Blind is available to be picked up at less than its full price again; we've featured, and reviewed, this Gro Blackout blind before and it remains one of our favourite baby 'things' - Amazon are currently selling them for £19.99, rather than their usual £29.99.

• Click HERE to bag yourself a Gro Anywhere Blackout Blind

How's it going if you've got young kids now that it's broad daylight at 4.30am already; how's that sleep deprivation working out for you?

There are few things worse than trying to sleep when it's broad daylight outside, other than having a baby who won't/can't go to sleep because it's light outside and wakes up with the birds during the light summer months.

The Gro Blackout blind measures an impressive 200cms x 135cms  but will fit small windows too cleverly using, as one reviewer put it, ‘those elasticated waistband thingys you sometimes get on kids trousers’ to shrink it to fit.

I resorted to all sorts when my teenagers were younger - there was nothing like this Gro Blackout blind then - towels shut in windows, black bin liners taped to window frames (very effective but VERY ugly!) - it would have been much easier, by far, to have bought a couple of Gro Anywhere blackout blinds and if they'd been around back in those days then I WOULD have done.

Thanks to Wadjet at HUKD

Kiddisave are selling this Fisher-Price Precious Planet musical mobile for £19.99, rather than £49.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Fisher-Price musical mobile

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of plastic, musical mobiles (I got all arty farty with mobiles for my kids and made them, it was fun) but that doesn't mean you're not a fan of them and this is too good a deal to pass up.

So, the Fisher-Price Precious Planet musical mobile can be attached to the side of your baby's cot OR onto their pram/pushchair/buggy/stroller/whatever you want to call their transportation device with either three or four wheels!

It winds up so there's no need to worry about blowing your spare monthly cash on batteries, and as it plays the ever-familiar Brahms lullaby (trust me, you'll know it the moment you hear it) the little animal characters dance and twirl around.

It sounds pretty cute, even to me, is suitable from birth to five months old and delivery to the UK mainland will cost you an additional £3.95.

Thanks to amnamalik2003 at HUKD

Play are selling this rather fun looking Hama Beads Puppet Theatre for £9.99, rather than its full price of £15.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Hama Beads Puppet Theatre

If I was of a certain younger age then Hama Beads would be just my cup of tea - I love messing around with things like that and making little keepsakes to give to people.

But there are only so many coasters and other Hama Bead items you can make before it gets a bit tedious, so something like this Hama Beads Puppet Theater will make a nice change.

It features a pop-up cardboard theatre, one large peg board, four puppet sticks and 5000 Hama beads of various colours; your child, and you if you want to join in, can make some puppet characters and then stage their very own dramatic productions afterwards; fabulous DAHLING!

If you've never ordered from Play before then I'm pleased to be able to inform you there's no delivery to pay if you live within the UK; even more fabulous.

Thanks to wishihadadonkey at HUKD

Argos on eBay are selling this Chad Valley Inflatable Water Slide for £3.49; if you're looking for some cheap summer fun for the kids then this might just fit the bill.

• Click HERE to take a look at this Chad Valley Inflatable Water Slide

I loved playing in the water in the garden as a kid, it was just too much fun.  I can only imagine our neighbours on either side (who were elderly) must have dreaded the hot summer weekends, because playing running through the sprinkler or running away from the hosepipe or water bombs inevitably meant LOTS of squealing.

There'll be none of that where I live this summer - not because I don't run through the garden sprinkler any more (there's a mental image for you first thing on a Monday morning!) but because there is a hosepipe ban in FULL effect in my little part of the country.

If you happen to live in a non-drought area though then your kiddies can enjoy the rush of sliding along all four meters of this Chad Valley Inflatable Water Slide without you having to sloosh them down it with a bucket of water each time - although you could, if you were feeling particularly H2o conscious.

Obviously as this is Argos on eBay you can't arrange to go and collect your Chad Valley Inflatable Water slide for free in-store, BUT it will be delivered straight to your door for just an additional 99 pence - you can't say fairer than that!

Thanks to lucersymum at HUKD

I'm going to wrap up my deals for the day with something to start getting in the Jubilee mood - this rather fun looking book, from the pen of Nicholas Allan, called The Queen's Knickers.

• Click HERE to take a look at The Queen's Knickers (OOOH-ERRR!)

This is the sort of book that will have little kids giggling away like loons; the mere mention of knickers usually sets them off, let alone when those knickers belong to the Queen!

The Queen's Knickers tells all about the different pairs of special knickers the Queen has for different occasions - knickers to wear when she addresses the nation at Christmas during her Crimbo speech; knickers for the State Opening of Parliament and different ones for the annual Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.

My daughter used to have a pair of special knickers - they had 'Lucky Pants' written on the front with a little fairy and a wand; she'd wear them when she felt she needed a bit of extra luck and they are now stuff of family legend.

She properly laughed out loud in disbelief the other day when I told her I still have them tucked away in her keepsake box - like I said, stuff of legend and the perfect thing for 18th birthday party embarrassment!

The recommended price for The Queen's Knickers is £10.99, The Book People are letting if go for £3.99 and if you enter the code LIVECHAT2012 into your basket you may even land yourself free delivery too (otherwise it'll cost you an additional £1.99)

Happy reading!

Amazon are selling this ELC My First Badminton Set for £10, rather than £20, and it looks rather good.

• Click HERE to take a look at the ELC My First Badminton Set 

I was rubbish at tennis as a kid (even in matches where my opponent was the garden wall!) but I was pretty nifty at badminton.  I'm all for getting kids active from the earliest age possible and on days like today it's great to have something that can be played with out in the garden.

This ELC My First Badminton Set ticks those boxes and features a pop up net, two rackets and two shuttlecocks all neatly packaged up in a carry bag; you can keep score of your matches using the fabric markers and score chart that are on the side panel and there are some pegs supplied too, so your net doesn't blow away on breezy days.

I can't find any dimensions for the net but the ELC My First Badminton Set isn't suitable for youngsters under the age of three, so I guess it'll be big enough to cater for those bigger than that!

Thanks to lucerysmum at HUKD

Okay, so I couldn't think of a better way to describe this item, but you all know what I mean by 'wooden building blocks in a wooden push-along trolley' don't you?

Well if you're not sure then I'm sure the picture helped make everything clear and you can pick one up for just £9.99, rather than £29.99, from Home Bargains.

• Click HERE to pop over to Home Bargains

When my youngest was little, me and his dad went off in search for an ABC building block cart and were stunned as to how expensive they were and not that interesting.  Most of them had square blocks and nothing much else going for them - these blocks are different shapes: cones, pyramids, square and rectangle blocks and some bridge pieces too.

They are also a mix of colours so you've got the opportunity to teach colour recognition as well as shapes, then of course there's the fine motor skills development to factor in too which, all in all, makes this a rather fabulous buy in my opinion.

You can arrange to collect your wooden blocks in their push-along trolley for free in-store, if you have a Home Bargains near you, or you can pay around £2.95 for home delivery instead.

Thanks to Wadjet at HUKD

Some celebrity babies sneak in under the radar, like Connie Huq's baby son, Covey, who was born on March 23 - did I completely MISS that announcement?  Or did Connie and her husband, Charlie Brooker (I still can't quite my head around sweet and lovely Connie, being married to the snearingly, caustic and very funny with it, journalist and radio presenter!) just decide not to make a HUGE fuss about it?

Either way, this is the first time Covey's been seen out in public, by the press at least, and from the brief glimpse of him in the pictures, he's looks a cute little lad and more than happy to snooze away in his stroller in the sunshine.

Snooki, of whatever that reality TV programme is called that she's part of - Jersey Shore (I looked it up), on the other hand is clearly not going to keep her pregnancy, birth and home life under the radar.

Apparently a spin-off show is being recorded (because there just aren't ENOUGH reality shows on TV already!) and screen shots of one of the episodes shows her undergoing the ultrasound scan in which it is revealed she's expecting a little boy.

Snooki has previously said she thought she was having a little girl, "Everyone said I was going to have a boy, and they were right! 'I thought it was going to be a girl. I was hoping it would be, because all girls want girls. It's still my baby, no matter what. I'm excited either way."

Names are already being laid on the table for the little lad, who's due in September - Lorenzo or Jionni Jr are just a couple of possibilities being tossed around.

Debenhams are selling this Dickie Mini Construction Team set of building site vehicles for £3.60 - they're original price was £12, which was then reduced down to £6 and now brought down to £3.60; marvellous.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Dickie Mini Construction Team

You really can't go wrong with construction toys for little boys (I'm not being gender biased really, but how many girls have you seen rushing to play with diggers and dumper trucks?) and it's even better when they're such a decent price, as is the case with this Dickie Mini Construction Team of building site vehicles.

There's a fully functioning dumper truck, complete with plastic load - although almost anything that will fit into the back of the truck will end up being transported in it, I'm sure.  There's a front loader JCBesque digger and a construction site van to drive around site with too.

You can arrange to collect your Dickie Mini Construction Team for free in-store, OR you can have them delivered to your home for free (standard delivery is within four working days).

Thanks to Wadjet at HUKD

Capital FM are giving away £500 cash and I could absolutely do with winning it!  I have a whole host of extra off-budget things I need to factor in over the next few months and none of them are exactly small figures - I'm sure you know what that's like and if you're in the same boat then have a bash at this competition too.

The answer is Doctor and the closing date for entries is midnight, 27 May (that's this Sunday)

If £500 isn't enough then how about £5,000?

That really would sort out most of my 'things' and leave a bit spare to stash away - I'm all for stashing cash and not just spending it on a load of tat I don't need, of course if it's tat I do need then that's a completely different story!

The answer is C (Violet - if you want to know the actual answer) and closing date for online entries is 31st May 2012 at 5pm

My dad works in Formula One and when you know everything that's going on behind the scenes, what's likely to be the season outcome (even though we're only five races in) and the plans for the next three years - it all gets a bit boring to be honest.

If you've never attended a live Grand Prix then you should go - it's something to experience at least once in your life, but then you'll quickly realise it's much more civilised to watch at home, or in a sports bar, with a drink in your hand, no crowds to beat and no queues to sit on for hours to get in and for more hours to get out!

Anyway, enough of my F1 jaded attitude, there are two tickets for F1 at Silverstone up for grabsif you want them.

Now, here's the twist - you need to carefully craft an answer to this question, before 18 June, to be in with a chance of winning...

"What, in your opinion, is the greatest ever Formula 1 performance and why? "

GOOD LUCK with that!

Thanks to Jedi Master, Painkiller and r1c0l1 at HUKD

Just in time for the warm weather, Tesco have some 'better than half price' deals across the main sun protection brands; hurrah!

• Click HERE to take a look at the included sun protection products

Well, it couldn't stay cold for EVER now could it!  And as usual the people who were complaining it was cold, just a week ago, are now stating that it's tooooo hot, that they can't sleep because it's sooooo hot - honestly, there's NO pleasing some people.

Whether you're a Nivea Sun fan or an Ambre Solaire devotee, there are sunscreen bargains up for grabs at Tesco.  I'm very glad to see this, all sun screen/sun cream/sun lotion (whatever you want to call it) is expensive and I think that's wrong!

You can't help but wonder how many kids get exposed to the sun without adequate protection because of the huge dent in your budget sun cream can make?

You can easily filter all the sun protection products by clicking the tab for your chosen brand, SPF, whether you want protection for adults or kids and don't forget After Sun too (this was, and still is, my favourite sun cream of all, they always smell and feel so nice!).

I'm not sure whether these half price sunscreen deals apply in-store - but I'm going to Tesco later, so I'll have a look-see and let you know.  In the meantime, the web offers are available until 4 June.

Happy staying safe in the sun!

Home Bargains are selling this Disney Cars plastic table and chair for £14.99 - which is a pretty decent price for something like this that's Disney.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Disney Cars plastic table and chair

This Disney Cars plastic table and chair is going to be fab if you've got a little Disney Cars fan; kids love to have their own furniture, especially if it features their favourite (for this week anyway) character.

They'll be able to sit at it to draw and do jigsaw puzzles; they'll be able to sit at it and eat snacks.  It is light enough to be easily moved around the house or out into the garden where they'll be able to eat picnic lunches, rather than sitting on a blanket (one day the blanket will be the only place for picnic lunches in the garden, and the next they'll flatly refuse and want to sit at a table like a 'grown-up' - or maybe that was just mine when they were smaller!).

I have to say, the ONLY thing I'm disappointed about with this Disney Cars plastic table and chair, is just that - CHAIR, singular!  Where's the other chair?!  Was it made for kids who never have friends come to play and are only children?

TWO chairs Disney, TWO! Where's little Billy's friend going to sit when he comes to play and they want to eat together at the special Disney Cars table?!

*rant over* You can arrange to collect your Disney Cars plastic table and chair in-store for free, or pay an additional £2.95 ish for home delivery; it's up to you.

Thanks to wishihadadonkey at HUKD

If you've been on the prowl for a Mookie Scuttlebug deal then today is your lucky day - Debenhams are currently selling three different Mookie Scuttlebugs for £19.44, rather than £27 (Amazon are currently selling for around the £24 mark).

• Click HERE to take a look at the Mookie Scuttlebugs

What's NOT to love about the Mookie Scuttlebug?  It's cute looking without being so 'cutesy' that boys will hate them; they're great for scooting (or scuttling) around on, it can be used indoors without fear of damaging hard floors, outdoors anywhere you like (apart from rough terrain obviously, that could be a little tricky) AND it folds up to make it nice and easy to take out and about and store.

We've reviewed the Mookie Scuttlebug here on PlayPennies - if you want to read the entire review, click HERE

If you don't, here's a snippet that will give you the general gist...

"Our Scuttlebug is really TOO cute!  The folding action is probably one of my favourite Scuttlebug features; we’ve managed to fit it into the nappy bag when it wasn’t being used anymore whilst out and about.  

The wheels are made of a special soft material which makes for quite a quiet ride in the house," our reviewer explained, "I allowed my daughter to ride it in the house because it’s a good height so nothing gets knocked over and it really is quiet and doesn’t cause marks or scratches on the floor."

The price on the Debenhams website is £21.60, just add this code to your basket - CB27 - to drop it down to £19.44.

Thanks to sherry4283 at HUKD

I've written about this Children's Illustrated Internet Linked Encyclopedia before, the last time was September last year, but now it's part of the WHSmith 'clearance books' section so this may well be your last chance to grab a copy - it'll set you back all of £3.39, its full price was £19.98.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Children's Illustrated Internet Linked Encyclopedia

When I was little I was a regular visitor to the local library.  I loved the kid's story book section, but I was always fascinated by the reference books section upstairs.

The entire floor was dedicated solely to dictionaries, encyclopedias, volumes and volumes of English case law and Hansard reports and archives of the local papers going back over 100 years; seeing that amount of knowledge and information just begging to be discovered was amazing to me and when I was nowhere to be seen in the kiddies section, upstairs is where I'd always be found!

My 'thing' for reference books remains just as strong today, so when I saw this Children's Illustrated Internet Linked Encyclopedia, there really was no question as to whether I'd buy it or not; I gave a copy to my youngest son for Christmas and he regularly dips in and out of it to help him with his homework, or just because he's thought of something and wants to find out about it.

It contains spectacular illustrations, photographs and maps.  There are thousands of entries on a huge range of topics and up-to-the-minute coverage of world events, and you can jump from one entry to another and find out more with comprehensive cross-references and there are hundreds of expertly selected links that will take you to the best websites for each topic.

This is such a wonderful book; it's big and hefty (hardback too, so it's robust) and, quite frankly, I think it should be standard issue for every child starting school - I can't wax lyrical about it much more so I'll just leave you to go and buy a copy whilst you still can!

Happy internet linking and learning!

I wasn't going to write about Chantelle and Alex Reid again, but I can't help myself - I have a theory, you see, and I want to know if I'm being overly cynical.

In the press, and hinting at it in Chantelle's own column (I have no idea where this column lives, but it's certainly not in any of the publications I read - the day she writes for the Guardian, FT or the New Scientist will be the day I stop buying them, forever!), word is that she and Alex have split up.

Friends have been reported as saying she's had enough and moved back to her flat in Essex; Alex had apparently done something 'really bad' but Chantelle was keeping schtum as to what the 'really bad' thing was!

After donning enough 'armour' to protect me from mental scarring and trauma, I plucked up the courage to visit Chantelle's Twitter page (talk about going above and beyond the call of duty, I'm seriously considering putting in a request for 'danger money' to stray into that territory!).

Well I was quite stunned - there were lots of posts from random Joes and Joannes Bloggs who were begging for confirmation as to whether the latest reports of their latest split were true!  When tweets were posted from Alex and Chantelle confirming that they hadn't split up and that Chantelle hadn't moved out (although she had gone to stay at the flat for a week) and were still 'very much in love', the Joes and Joannes then posted PHEWS! of relief!

And all this amid requests to the press leave them alone and let them have a private life. But WAIT, Joe and Joanne, if that happened then you wouldn't be able to follow their every move on a daily basis, THEN what would you do?!

I don't know, it's all a bit weird for me; anyway - about my theory...

Reports of splits, that aren't really splits, are being 'leaked' to the press to keep them in the public eye until the baby is born - let's face it, after the initial pregnancy news, there's not really much else to tell is there: Chantelle's three months preggars now - big deal.  She's five months gone now - still no big deal.

THEN we'll have the baby announcement, followed by the obligatory z-list glossy spread in OK! magazine reporting how they've never been happier or looked more in love.  Then will come the reality TV show which involved them selling their souls to the devil and by Christmas the Joes and Joannes who frequent their Twitter pages will have watched the demise and acrimonious end to their relationship in glorious high definition.

What do you reckon?  Have I got a second career in fortune telling ahead of me or am I just an old cynic?

If you're on the lookout for simple wooden learning toys, then you'll want to take a look at these 26 wooden play and learn blocks that Asda have up for grabs for £3.

• Click HERE to see the wooden play and learn blocks

I'm a huge wooden toy fan; I also love toys that have educational and skill development value, so these 26 wooden play and learn blocks really do appeal to me, and if I had a child young enough to get value from them they'd already be in my basket.

They are made from 100% ethically sourced wood  that has FSC approval and each block features two letters of the alphabet and four pictures, which are carved into the wood, of things beginning with the corresponding letters - you just know there's going to be a cat accompanying the letter C!

You can teach letters, shapes, names of objects, colours (as the letters and block edges are colour coordinated) and your child will also be able to develop their basic spelling and word recognition through ordering their blocks to form simple words.  Fine motor skills can also be developed through stacking the blocks too.

I think these are truly fabulous and a bargain for just £3 - you can collect your 26 wooden play and learn blocks for free from the Asda store of your choice, or you can pay an additional £2.95 and have them delivered to your front door.

Happy playing and learning