Adamina Day Spa Review

Aloha!

I've had this week off work and I decided I very much deserved a lovely treat to myself, so I figured a trip to a Spa would be lovely! Initially, I was planning on getting a Lush Synaethesia massage, but in the end I settled on the Tranquility Ritual from Adamina Day Spa in Kensington.

As long as you don't walk the wrong way out of High Street Kensington tube station like I did, Adamina Spa is really easy to find. It's about a 5 minute walk from the Tube (turn left not right!) and is located on Kensington High Street.

The Spa uses [Comfort Zone] treatments and offers a wide range of beauty services including massage, mani/pedi, ipl and various wraps and rituals. From the minute you step inside, you feel removed from the business and rush of the high street and transported into a luxurious haven.

Adamina Spa have gone for a slightly vintagey feel with soft lighting, antique dressers and pictures of old movie stars dotted around. The receptionist took me down to the changing room, where my wardrobe was waiting for me with a (very short!) robe, slippers and towels. I was invited to use the steam room if I wanted (free of charge for anyone having a treatment) or to use the relaxation room, where comfy seats, Pukka teas and lemon water awaited me. I took a quick nip into the steam room, which is a bit like a dark stony cave. It is unisex, although when I was there it was super quiet and there were no men booked in that day. I then headed to the relaxation room to enjoy a cup of Love tea (my favourite Pukka tea!) and to flick indulgently through glossy magazines whilst I waited for Vicki, my therapist. Now, one thing to note is that whilst I was in the waiting room, I started to hear a few building work noises... they weren't too loud, so I wasn't too worried. More on that later.

Vicki was absolutely fantastic. She came down to meet me in the relaxation room and we chatted a little about my treatment (I went for the Tranquility Ritual - a 90 minute massage, body mask & facial) and also about my seizures (I think I may have terrified her a little bit but she hid it well!). Vicki wanted to know what I wanted to get out of the treatment itself and also checked how much pressure I liked in my massage (AS HARD AS YOU CAN GO was my reply). This was a nice touch - often if you go for something like a Tranquility Ritual, you don't get a say in how hard or soft your massage is. You just get the "set" package. She also allowed herself time to work more on my back than anywhere else because it's so tight.

This is where the review has to take a bit of a fork in the road part. I'll start with the good. Vicki was incredible. She made me feel so safe and relaxed (I was a little anxious because it's a long time since I've had anything nice and spa like). The bed was heated and adjusted to fit my body and I was covered by a lovely warm duvet/blanket for the whole treatment. It was like being in a cosy bed more than on a spa table. She only uncovered the bits of me she needed at that exact moment. Perfect. Also, I don't know if this is the case for all Adamina Spa treatments or just mine, but there was lovely classical music (and the odd bit of Opera) playing instead of Whale noises. The ritual itself consisted of a facial first and then having my body massaged with a thick lotion/mask (think Origins Drink Up for the body). Vicki is an fantastic beauty therapist - I really can't praise her highly enough. She had a perfect, seemingly intuitive touch.

However, remember those building noises? Turns out my treatment room was right next to where the building works were being done. Now, Adamina have absolutely no control over them. It isn't their building works and poor Vicki was so incredibly apologetic and did still provide a wonderful treatment despite this, however the Tranquility part of my Tranquility Ritual was sadly lacking. There were parts where I had to put my fingers in my ears because it was so loud (and because certain pitches or types of noise can affect my seizures - thankfully I was ok). From what I understand, these building works have been going on for a while. From my wandering around, I think I was definitely in the worst treatment room for this. There were some downstairs that didn't seem as loud. As I say, Vicki was exceptionally apologetic and lovely about this.

After my treatment, I was lead back down to the relaxation room where I could stay for as long as I wanted. Instead I decided to just get dressed and head out for lunch. There's a wonderful monsoon shower that you can take advantage of should you need to as well!

One thing that did soften the blow of the building works was that all New Customers (Monday-Friday) receive 50% off off their treatments (Although I actually think that the receptionist over charged me by £2.50.. by the time I'd realised though I was already eating lunch and I didn't want to go back to query a couple of pounds). You also get 50% off if you mentioned I've recommended you - just mentioned Emily Birkinshaw when you book.

I really would recommend Adamina Spa though, despite all the building works. The treatments are beautiful and the Spa itself is a wonderful haven from the busy rush of the High Street. It's just a shame that the building works detracted from all of this. If you, like me, are bothered by noise, it might be worth asking if you could have your treatment downstairs. It's also worth noting that the building works are intermittent  and I had a good 30 minutes where there was just a gentle hum, so there's a high chance that they won't affect you at all. And as I said, despite all of this Adamina Spa was still a lovely place to visit.

I had the Tranquility Ritual at Adamina Spa, which I paid for myself. 

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask Review

I think REN might be stealing my heart a little bit. I got a sample of their Glycolactic Radiance Renewal mask in one of the "exclusive" Glossyboxes a while back, and oh how I love it.

This marmelade-esq mask from REN is packed with Papin (papaya extract) and natural fruit acids to exfoliate the outer layer of skin and create a beautifully glowing complexion, and it really does what it says on the tin (well, bottle). I don't think I can remember a face mask that has such a wonderful affect - although this isn't an explicitly moisturising mask, it always leaves my skin feeling softer and more hydrated. 

The "peel" effect isn't super strong - there's a very gentle tingle but it's never painful or uncomfortable. That doesn't seem to have a negative effect on the results though. One thing it is pointing out is that this is a facial peel, not a peel off mask. I've seen a few reviews expressing confusion at the lack of ability to peel this off (like the cheapo superdrug masks I remember from my teen years) - this mask stays a sticky gel like substance throughout. The peel refers to its gently acidic exfoliating effect which comes from the glycolic acid which helps to stimulate new skin cells and give you a radient glow (hence the name Radiance Renewal!)

My sample has finally run out, and this REN mask high on my list of goodies to replenish soon. I'm eyeing up the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey mask with hungry eyes too.

REN Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask £30 from renskincare.com

What are your favourite face masks right now?

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra-Moisture Body Oil* Review

Aloha!

It's a while since I've written because, as most of you will know, I've spent a lot of the last year dealing with dissociative seizures, which means my brain hasn't been in the writing space. However, today I'm off ill and I just used up the very last drop of this incredible rose otto body oil from REN, so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Wow. Honestly, this body oil is one of I've ever used (even if it is a bit of a mouthful to say Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra Moisture Body Oil whenever you try and describe it to someone). It's perfect. It isn't greasy, it smells utterly divine and it makes my skin softer and more supple than I've ever known it to be.

Winter is a bad time for me, and my skin has been dealing with an extra blow this year because I've been so ill. My diet has suffered and spending so much time in the house and in bed doesn't do amazing things for your skin. This little bottle of oily joy fixed all of that. Mine was part of a gift box, hence the teeny tiny size, however, it still lasted me a good few months and was even used for a couple of extremely luxurious back massages. It's also recently won an InStyle Best of 2013 award.

It's possibly a little out of my price range, but I would definitely contemplate restocking this when I have a little spare cash hanging around. It's honestly one of the most beautiful things I've ever used on my body.

What are your current favourite body oils?

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra-Moisture Body Oil is available from renskincare.com £34.95 | 100ml 

Buy a gift Spa Day Review

A few weeks ago, an email popped into my inbox, asking me if I'd like to receive a voucher from Buy-A-Gift  for a Spa Day for Two. I, of course, jumped at the chance. My back is utterly screwed, and the thought of a lovely, calming massage was extremely welcome after a month of incessant stress and faff and difficulty. Spa Days, in general, freak me out a bit - I don't ever quite know what to do with myself - but massages are lovely.

The Buy-A-Gift process is wonderfully faff free. They send you a box with your voucher on, which you then activate online, presenting you with a list of places offering your treatment. One of the things I really like is that the vouchers are transferable - so say you buy someone a voucher for a spa day for two, but instead they decide they want a luxury spa day for one... they can transfer it. There's also the option to add money to your voucher to upgrade it, as well as retaining some if you swap for a cheaper treatment. Lovely idea, very easy to navigate site - brilliant. Not a bad word to say about them.

The spa experience itself wasn't really that great. We were at Bannatynes, Millbank. It's small and a bit scummy looking. It didn't feel clean and airy, it felt like we were trapped in a basement gym with tiny corridors, surly staff and a swimming pool full of agressive men (well, I say it felt like that... it was that). We didn't really stick around in the spa itself - there was nowhere to just sit and lounge (apart from one slightly broken looking lounger) so instead we just waited in the lounge, read the papers and drank free tea until my friend's treatment (I missed mine due to someone jumping in front of a train, and they were unable to rebook it or offer me any sort of compensation - not even a smile)

The conclusion? I'd most definitely use Buy-A-Gift again - I may well get my sister something from them for her next birthday as there's a huge range of options but Londoners, you'd do well to avoid the Millbank Bannatynes, unless an underground gym full of grumpy people is your scene. In which case, know yourselves out!

Lush Volcano Foot Mask Review

Hello Lovelies.

Today I'm going to be bringing you a review of this bad boy - Volcano Foot Mask from Lush.

Volcano is one of those phoenix-esq Lush products. It used to be around a looong time ago as part of the Fresh range, then it went, then it came back, then (I think) it went again and now it's back, it a smaller tub. A product's gotta be good to have made its reappearance that many times - no matter how often we try to kill it, it just won't die.

Volcano is part foot mask, part foot scrub and oh my goodness, do I love it. It's packed with yummy things like papaya and lemon (packed full of antiseptic cleansing power), tomatoes (they're deodorizsng apparently...), a multitude of other anti-fungal and astringent herbal bits and errr, potatoes. Yeah, I'm not sure either. All of this is mixed into a based of kaolin and pumic to give your feet a good deep clean and exfoliate.

To use it, you simply need to slather it on - not too thickly though:

Next, wrap your feet in cling film or two plastic bags and leave for 10 minutes. Spend the majority of those 10 minute admiring your new, cheap-as-free shoes and attempting not to break your neck when you need a wee.

I can definitely see this look going down well for A/W 2011 fashion, no?

After your 10 minutes are up, unwrap your feet and give them a good massage. This will help the exfoliation process and (if you're anything like me) warm your feet up a bit too! Then, plunge them into a bowl of warm water and rinse thoroughly. No, seriously, if you think you've finished rinsing, keep going. A white mask of kaolin does not an attractive foot make.

To finish, slather your feet in a luxuriously rich moisturiser, Ta-daa super soft feet!

One thing I will say is this isn't a massively moisturising foot mask, and it does have a lot of active ingredients. If your feet are really dry or cracked, you might want to opt for something else. I find this leaves my feet feeling really fresh and tingly afterwards but equally, that could be less of a nice feeling if your feet are already a bit sore.


Available from: Lush (online and instore) for £5.50
Would I buy this product again? Yes!

*Disclaimer* This product was sent to me for review purposes

Munchy Seeds Review

Hello lovelies,


You may or may not know that I am a snacking fiend! Especially if that snack happens to be salty... I've been known to chow down on 3 bags of crisps in a row. Not a statistic I'm proud of but hey, we all have those crazy days!


Since starting to exercise and look after myself a little more, I've become obsessed with trying to find interesting, healthy and fun ways to snack so I was more than happy to give these Munchy Seeds a try!

How cute is the packaging? They genuinely make me smile every time I look at them! I was sent 5 varieties - Omega Sprinkle, Chilli Mix, Vanilla Mix, Pumpkin Mix and the very exciting new Belgian Chocolate Mix with Apricot! Obviously these little babies are packed with bad boys, and this size is just perfect as a post-workout snack (or in our household, a Dr Who watching snack). I've also been sprinkling some of the savoury ones of salads and the sweet ones on bowls of yoghurt! All the seeds are roasted to bring out a lovely flavour and them mixed up with a range of interesting natural flavours and seasonings.

Omega Sprinkle:
Ingredients: Sunflower Seeds (48%), Pumpkin Seeds (20%), Hemp Seeds (6%), Rape Seeds (6%), Sesame Seeds (6%), Linseed (3%), Flax (3%)
Savoury Sauce: Soyabeans, Sea Salt & Koji (Aspergillus Oryzae)


As the name suggests, this one is packaged with Omega oils - Hemp, Linseed, Flax.... these babies pack a body loving punch :) I love the soya saucy flavouring. Salty and delicious!

Belgian Chocolate Mix with Apricot:
Ingredients: Seeds (Sunflower Seeds 21%, Pumpkin Seeds 5%), Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Whole Milk Powder, Dried Apricot (7%), Glazing Agents (Gum Arabic, Shellac), Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin, rice Flour, Natural Vanilla Flavouring)


I'd be lying if I said these weren't the first packet to be opened and devoured. Far tastier than chocolate covered raisins or peanuts! These went down very well in our household and I can see many more packets being purchased in the future. The only sad thing (if you're a vegan that is) is that they're not vegan :( Would be lovely to see a Dark Chocolate variety in the future....

Pumpkin Mix:
Sunflower Seeds (63%), Pumpkin Seeds (21%), Sesame Seeds (10%)
Savoury Sauce: Soya Beans, Sea Salt, & Koji* (Aspergillus Oryzae)


Fairly simple but tasty all the same. I've found these a little duller than some of the other varieties to eat on their own and have generally used them as a salad sprinkle.

Vanilla Pumpkin Mix:
Pumpkin Seeds (72%), Sugar (24%), Nature Vanilla flavouring (4%)


Ok so 24% sugar doesn't make these the healthiest of snacks but oh my goodness are they tasty! Personally, I could take them being a little less sweet but an excellent, slightly healthier alternative to sweets themselves. Really delicious!

Chilli Mix:
Sunflower Seeds (58%), Sweet Apricot Kernels (19%), Pumpkin Seeds (15%), Savoury Sauce: Soya Beans, Sea Salt, & Koji* (Aspergillus Oryzae), Crushed Chillies (1.3%)


These were probably my favourite of all the ones I tried. The addition of Sewet Apricot Kernals added some interest to the texture and I just loved the chilli kick. They were pretty spicy though so if you're not a fan of heat in your foods I'd give them a miss! For me they were a much healthier alternative to Thai Sweet Chilli crisps :)


You can get Munchy Seeds in all sorts of sizes and some other interesting flavours and varieties too! I've seen them in quite a few supermarkets but you can easily buy the whole range from the Munchy Seeds website.


Have you tried Munchy Seeds before? What did you think?


What's your favourite snack at the moment?


*Disclaimer* I was sent these for review purposes but this has no effect on my opinion. I always give my honest opinion.


Ps Sorry about the really bad pictures... my camera was having an off day and wanted to make everything a little dark and blue.

Lush Street Party Ballistic Review

Hello Lovelies! Today I'll be bringing you a review of something very exciting indeed - the Street Party ballistic by Lush!

This is a limited edition reissue of an old favourite of mine, and it's utterly divine. It's got a gorgeous cognac, orange and lime scent - to me it's like a cross between Big Blue and Christmas Party/Bob Soap. It's the sort of scent that I associate with Lush from when I first shopped with them (about 13 years ago) - fresh but wonderfully complex.

When you first look at it, you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for a slightly boring off white ballistic with black vanilla seeds in. That couldn't be much further from the truth - this ballistic is pack with gold, red and blue glitter, little pink confetti hearts, streamers and a little Union Jack flag or two. Amazing!


£2.95 from Lush for a limited time only!

St Tropez SPF 20 Medium Protection for Body with Tan Enhancer Review

Hello Lovelies! Isn't it beautifully sunny?! I'm absolutely loving the British weather at the moment and I've been more than happy to drag my shorts, skirts and summery dresses out of their winter hibernation!

Sadly though, sunshine also means something else - sun tan lotion. I am a firm hater of sun tan lotion. Most of the proper lotions smell funny and leave me sticky and the dry sprays make me look weirdly shiny and smell just... odd. I know that it's super important to wear it, and I tend to grin and bare it but it's never a very enjoyable experience.

However, I thought I'd give St Tropez the benefit of the doubt when they offered to send me the SPF 20 Medium Protection for Body with Tan Enhancer from their new Sun Tan Lotion range and I haven't been disappointed - in fact, I think I'm in love!

For a start, how gorgeous is that packaging? A beautiful matte gold squeezey tube which means you're in control of how much product you get out and doesn't leave you frantically whacking the bottom of a half empty bottle on your sunlounger to get out the last of the product from a hard plastic bottle. Lovely

But what about the lotion itself? It's beautiful. It has a wonderful, summery, slightly floral scent and is nice and light but still very moisturising. It sinks into the skin easily and leaves no sticky residue or white streaks behind (always a good thing). This is the medium protection (which is about right for me as I have Olive undertones and don't really burn) but they also have SPF 30 for those of you who are a bit fairer.

But the really clever thing that St Tropexz have done with their SPF Protection creams is the inclusion of Melanobroze, a special ingredient which gently stimulates the body's own melanin production and helps to enhance your tan. A definitely bonus for those of us who love to get a tan and maybe avoid the sun tan lotion in fear of not tanning (which is a silly thing to do - saving yourself from skin cancer is far more important than having a lovely tan!). I have to say, I think I've tanned a lot quicker than I normally would - ever my super pasty Husband (who I've been slathering in this as part of my super precise scientific experiment) seems to have a bit more colour than normal. St Tropez, I think you've got a winner on your hands!

I'll definitely be repurchasing this when my bottle runs out - I think I've found my Sun Tan Lotion Holy Grail!

£20.00 from St Tropez

*Disclaimer* I was sent this product as a PR sample

Tropical Shine Nail Files Review

Hello Lovelies!

Just a quick video review for you of Tropical Shine Nail Files! Have you given them a try yet? They come in 12 different colours, with each colour matching how rough/smooth the file is - fabulous! I love the fact that these are so sturdy and reusable. Tropical Shine have made a really great contender for the nail file world! Enjoy xx

Living Nature Luminous Pressed Powder Review

Hello lovelies!

Today I'm going to bring you a quick review of a product that I chose to try as part of the My Pure blogger's scheme - this time I decided to give this beautiful Living Nature Luminous pressed powder a try.

The first thing I noticed about Living Nature is that they've really invest in their design and packaging - something that some organic makeup companies I've reviewed in the past haven't really bothered in. This is possibly the most beautiful packaging for pressed powder I've ever seen!

I mean how can I not love a piece of packaging that reminds me to chill out, take a moment and just... breathe.

See, I told you it was beautiful! Now, it's all very well and good having beautiful packaging but how does it hold up performance wise? Amazingly - I utterly adore using this powder, so much so that its become my daily go to base product (overtaking MAC MSF Natural in Light Medium). It gives a light even coverage and really does give the skin that extra lift and luminous glow - it gets rid of all my redness in my cheeks and nose but doesn't leave me feeling caked in makeup. You might be able to see some tiny bits of glitter in the picture above but I can't say I've actually noticed them at all. I've found that it lasts well and doesn't cling too much to my dry bits :)

I'm trying this in the lightest option (Fair) which is fine for my winter tone but I might need to go up a colour for summer - even now fair is edging towards being a little on the light side, but I do like to play it safe wherever possible.

If you want to see what this looks like on the skin, watch either of my most recent youtube videos as I'm wearing this powder in both of them :)

Price: £17.99

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ out of 5

Would I buy this again?: Yes!!

Living Nature Luminous Pressed Powder is availiable from My Pure

*Disclaimer* I was sent this product for review purposes, but this in no way affects the review that I give

Review - Miners Cosmetics Dip & Define Eye Powder and Volupulash Mascara

Hello my lovelies - I thought I'd treat you to another video review after my last one got so many lovely comments from people. This time I'm reviewing the Dip and Define Eye Poweder and the Volupulash Mascara, both of which are from Miner's Cosmetics

I've really been enjoying using these products and would highly recommend them as budget buys - especially the Volupulash mascara which is a fab everyday product. The Dip & Define Eye Powder is really pretty on too and super quick to use.

Have you tried Miners products recently? What do you think?

Elf Bamboo Brush Review Video (and a couple of other bits too!)

Hello lovelies

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend! I feel like I've spent most of my weekend trying to make a little video review of a couple of bits I was sent by Elf (and a couple of bits I bought myself) It's been a bit epic though - first, I filmed it in HD... it was going to take 23 hours to upload :| Then I started filming it again this morning only to have my camera die out on me. In the end, I gave up on the camera all together and decided to film it on my Macbook and hurrah it uploaded super quickly, but I'd not set the fps correctly so much audio and video were all out and sync hence I've just had to go back and edit it and finally it's done!! Hope you enjoy xx

Alva Naturokosmetik Exotic Shower Gel Review

Hello my lovelies! Hope you're all doing ok - very excited that it's nearly the weekend. I feel like this week has dragged on forever! Today I'm going to be bringing you a little review of this Alva Naturokosmetik Exotic shower gel that I've been trying as part of the My Pure bloggers panel.

Just incase your secondary school German isn't up to scratch, Alva are a German organic skincare brand who have been going strong since 1988. The have quite a few different ranges including skin and body care and makeup.

I decided to give the exotic shower gel a go for two reasons - 1) because I love exotic smelling showergels and 2) because we were running out of shower gel. Like everything sold on My Pure, this is free from sulphates, parabens and phthalates and the showergel itself is actually plant based.

Based on the list of ingredients, it sounds yummy enough - soothing aloe vera, skin softening glycerine and sweet orange water. However, I found it to be a bit of a mixed bag.

The shower gel itself foams up fairly nicely if you use a shower puff (don't even think of just using your hands because you're not really going to get that far) but its the smell that's really disappointed me. It just smells... odd. It's not really exotic fruit, it's just a weird slightly synthetic tropical inspired smell. Looking at the list of ingredidents, this makes sense as there are no essential oils or fruit extracts (other than the sweet orange water) listed - merely parfum, which tends to be synthetic (as opposed to perfume, which tends to be essential oil based, however I'm willing to be corrected on this if I'm wrong)

Also, the packaging is a bit of a nightmare - its got a flip top lid which stores up pools of water if you leave it on your shower shelf... also the showergel has a tendency to just run out the minute you open the lid meaning that you waste a fair bit of product every time you use it.

My overall thoughts that are whilst this isn't a bad showergel, I imagine that there are better (and cheaper) organic showergels out there.

Price: £6.50 for a mere 150ml

♥ ♥ 1/2 out of 5

Would I buy it again? No

Available from my pure

My Current Skincare Regime (aka a Liz Earle Love-in)

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're all having a wonderful day. Today I thought I'd share with you my current skincare regime... you might notice that it contains one brand and one brand only, and although technically all of these products were sent to me free for review purposes (and I'll be giving you a mini review of each and every one), I'm already making plans to repurchase my Cleanse and Polish as I'm down to the very last pump and know for certain that I'll be sticking with this long term.  Since starting to use Liz Earle bits and bobs, my skin has dramatically changed - my skin is never dry or flakey (something it has always been, regardless of how intensive a moisturiser I've used), my blocked pores and blackheads are pretty much gone and my skin itself is just much more radient, less dull and grey and less prone to redness.

Cleanser - Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

I've done a full review of this before just here and I'm still just as smitten. This takes every little scrap of makeup off and gentle exfoliates too thanks to the muslin cloths. The essential underpinning of my entire skincare regime and I really can tell the difference if I don't use this. 

£11.95 for 100ml, £13.25 for 100ml Starter Kit - lots of other sizes availiable too.

Toner - Instant Boost Skin Tonic

I'm a complete and utter toner addict.... well, alcohol free toner addict. Anything with alcohol in sends my skin wild and some toners are just evil (looking at you Clinique 3 Step). This, however, is beautiful and I love having it in spritzer format (it's also available in a regular bottle) to give my skin a nice quick blast of rehydration post cleansing or just to perk it up in the day. It contains lovely skin softening Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, as well as lots of yummy soothing things like cucumber, calendula and chamomile. The fab thing about a spritzer is that it eliminates the need for cotton wool - saves money and the planet!

£12.00 for the 200ml Sprizter, £11.75 for the 200ml bottle (other sizes also available)

Moisturiser - Skin Repair Moisturiser (Normal/Combination)

I've never really thought of myself as a normal/combination girl before, but in the Land of Earle, I'm just that. This is a truly luxurious cream that's rich without being overpowering - less is more ladies and with this you only need the smallest amount on the end of your finger. I use this morning and night and really do adore how it makes my skin feel. It sinks in quickly and you're not left feeling tacky or sticky for hours on end. It's also full of yummy treats like avocado oil (mmmm hello natural source of Vitamin A and E), borage oil which is a fabulous natural source of the fatty acid GLA to keep your skin plump and soft (also, I recommend googling Borage - it has such pretty flowers that you can actually eat!) as well as lots of other lovely skin treats. 

£17.60 for a 50ml jar/tube

Eye Cream - Daily Eye Repair

Eye creams are something that I'm always a little unsure about - do I really need one? Really? I figure that as I inch my way closer towards 30, I should probably start investing a little more into my eye area so I decided to give this a try. It's lovely - nice and light and I love the fact that it's in a tube rather than a pot to reduce any risk of contamination or infection (no-one wants a scabby eye). It also has an SPF 10 and light reflecting pigments to help conceal dark circles.

£13.25 for 10ml

Serum - Superskin Concentrate

This is another product that I was utterly skeptical about - oil.... for my skin... to go under a moisturiser? Eyebrows were very much raised but the lovely Louise managed to convince me to give a try when I was at the opening of the Leeds flagship store. Oh my goodness, I'm so glad that she did. I think that this is one of the moist important parts of my entire skincare regime and is probably the thing that's helping with the tightness and dryness that I used to experience. On the few days when I haven't used this, I have definitely noticed a big difference in the way that my skin feels and how well my moisturiser soaks in. Ladies, you need this. I use it every single night after toning and before moisturising. It is literally packed with goodies - avocado oil (see above), rosehip seed oil for locking fatty acids in, Argan Oil for vitamin E and general skin restoring goodness, Neroli oil (my favourite essential oil) to help uplift and revive you and tonnes of other treats. It's also an excellent way of reminding you to give yourself a daily facial massage - even if it's just for a minute or two, this can dramatically improve the condition of your skin. Also don't be fooled into thinking that this is just for us dry, sensitive types - this is perfectly fine to use on oily skin (so I've been told). Also, don't be put off by the price - I use 1/2 to 1 pump a day... that's nothing! It will be a long lasting investment :)

£37.80 for 28ml bottle or £18.40 for 10ml roller ball.

Exfoliator - Gentle Face Exfoliator

I don't know about you but I love exfoliating - there's just something so satisfying about knowing that you're scrubbing off all those dead skin cells and knowing that you'll be left with lovely, soft, refined skin. This is very gentle but surprisingly effective as well - normally I go for facial exfoliators which are the equivalent of a sand blaster, but this is much kinder to my face and much more effective. It's got a lovely fresh eucalyptus scent which will help to rid your skin of any impurities (it's also a natural antiseptic), skin softening treats like cocoa butter, beeswax and sweet almond oil and jojoba beads as a natural exfoliant. Fabulous!

£12.50 for 70ml pump

Face Mask - Brightening Treatment Mask

For the first time in my life, I use a weekly face mask. Why? Because one of the most fantastic things about this mask is that it's speedy to get to work - anything between 30 seconds and 2 minutes is acceptable time for it to work its brightening magic making it perfect for those of us that can barely find 10 minutes to sit down let alone 10 minutes to mask up our faces. I use this after exfoliating (which apparently doubles its effectiveness - who knew?!) and come away with radiant skin.... my dull skin days are very much over. It's got a very errrr exhilarating smell (read as "a little bit antisepticy medicinal but in a nice natural way" but don't let that put you off. This is a fantastic mask for those of us looking to brighten up tired looking skin and give it an extra boost. 

£12.25 for a 50ml pump

You can buy Liz Earle products here

Phew! Blimey - well done if you've made it right to the very end. You really are a trooper. There you have it - my current skincare regime which I truly and utterly adore. What are you using at the moment ladies?

*Disclaimer* These products were provided as PR samples for review purposes however my opinion is my own. These are products that I love and will be buying again in copious amounts with my own money :)

Beauty Uk Eyeshadow Palette Review

Hello lovelies! Just thought I'd share some of my thoughts (and of course plenty of pictures) on the 3 beautyuk  palettes that I picked up in the Superdrug 3 for 2 offer the other day. I have to be completely honest and say that beautyuk is a brand I'd previously snubbed and instantly assumed that the quality of the products wouldn't be that great... I'm happy to say I was proven utterly wrong. I'd seen a couple of other bloggers give them a try recently (and I know a whole batch of you have been selected to be beautyuk reviewers - congratulations!) and at a mere £3.99 a palette I didn't really have much to lose!

I went for 3 palettes - 4, 5 and 6 (not the most creative of names but nevermind). The shadows themselves have a range of textures from  matte to shimmer to glitter. One thing that I will say is that the colour payoff can be a bit hit or miss - some colours can be a little low in terms of colour pay off. However, that's a small grumble when you consider the amount of product you're getting for your money!

Overall, I'd say that these are fabulous palettes and I've found myself reaching for them daily! They're cheaper than Sleek palettes (although Sleek palettes do have slightly better pigmentation) and there's tonnes of colour combinations to choose from!

Enough of the waffle, let me show you some of the pretty pictures!

 [Palette Number 4]

[Palette Number 4 Swatches]

[Palette Number 5 - reminds me a heck of a lot of the Sleek Bad Girl Palette which I never managed to pick up :)]

[Palette Number 5 Swatches - the top line really does include all 5 colours, 3 of them are just super sheer!]

[Palette Number 6]

[Palette 6 Swatches]

So Ladies, what do you think? Have you tried anything from beautyuk? Will you be trying them at all if not?

These palettes cost £3.99 and are available from Superdrug and from the beautyuk website

Darling Girl Cosmetics Eyeshadow Review and Swatches

Hello lovelies! I hope you're all getting excited about the run up to Christmas! I thought I'd share a few of my thoughts and swatches on the Darling Girl Cosmetics eyeshadows that I bought a little while back. I first heard about Darling Girl Cosmetics on the lovely Lily's blog and, as I'm always on the look out for pretty and unusual colours, I thought I'd give them a try.

First Impressions

I have to say, the website isn't too bad actually - nice, clean and simple although I'd prefer a navigation bar down the side for easy access (just personal preference I guess)... at least it's not black. I get so frustrated with black backgrounds on websites - they hurt my eyes! Annnyway, my first impressions were definitely good. The quality of the photos is really nice as well and gives a fairly accurate show of colour.There's a whole range of bits available but I decided to stick with eyeshadows. Eyeshadows are available in 3 different sizes:

Samples (1/8th tsp in a zip lock bag) $0.60

Petit (1/4 tsp in a 3g jar) $2.00

Full (3/4 tsp in a 5g jar) $4.00

I love the fact that there really is something for every budget and I feel that the samples are very generous for $.60!

I had no problems ordering from the site - everything went through nice and smoothly. From what I remember, shipping was very reasonable although I can't see anything on the site that gives me a set answer for shipping costs (and as it's nearly Christmas, the site is on hold for orders!).

The product

So what did I think of the products themselves? Well I have to say my first impression was that I was a little underwhelmed - the colours didn't look that great in the bags and a few of them didn't look properly mixed. However, I never judge an eyeshadow by its baggie so I gave them a swatch anyway and wow.... I was utterly blown away by the complexity of the colours. So many gorgeous duochromes and such wonderfully rich pigmentation - the colour payoff is out of this world. Let me show you:

Showdown - My camera really can't pick this colour up properly but it's a wonderful murky green with hints of red and black and maybe a little gunmetal grey.

Aziza - Muted purple with red sparkles

Princess Peach - lovely velvety peach with a hint of gold and red sparkles

Enchanted - Lilacy pink with a blue duochrome glitter

Cider - A robust orange-gold with a hint of green

Scarecrow - at first I thought this was purple but it's actually  a browny maroon with  red, orange and gold sparkles

Oceania - stunning! Vibrant blue with silver sparkles

Sparkles at Dusk - Taupe with hints of grey and red and mauve

Torrid - another hard to describe colour - greeny blueish blackish lovelyness

Electra - yellow and gold infused lime green

Mystic - deep dark blackened purple with red sparkles

I'll be honest, those colour descriptions do the eyeshadows themselves no justice - they remind me a lot of Fyrinnae in their complexity and sparkle... Pixie Epoxy is a definite must with these babies! I'll leave you with a few more pictures but my advice? Try them! They're too good to be missed :)

ETA - Squee, the wonderful Susan from Darling Girl Cosmetics has asked to use some of my colour descriptions on her website :) Go take a peek at some of the colours I've swatched and you'll see them there. Thank you Susan <3

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer and Super Shiny Lipgloss Review

Hello lovelies :) Hope you're all managing to stay warm! Sorry for bringing you yet another review - I'd love to do some FOTD posts but to be honest, I look rank at the moment. Flu face is not what you want to be posting for the whole world to see, so you'll just have to hang on tight.

Today I'm reviewing you a couple of Burts Bees Lip bits. Although I've tried their normal lip balm before, I've never tried a Burts Bees coloured lip product, so I was excited to give these bits a try! Toda start with I'll show you the swatches - the gloss is on the left and the shimmer is on the right:

If you're wondering what the white bits are in the gloss swatch, just keep reading (although to be honest the answer is just "I have no idea")


Lip Shimmer in Caramel

Burt's Bees describe this as "A kiss of colour and pearlised shine" added to their normal lipbalm and I'd completely agree. this adds a lovely nude shimmer to the lips and, due to the peppermint oil, provides you with a slight plumping effect. I quite like it under a gloss for an extra dimension, or you could maybe get a bit cheeky and try it over a lipstick for extra shimmer and softness (or just on its own - it's pretty enough!). The only downside is that the peppermint effect is a little too over powering on really cold days and can sometimes make my lips a bit sore!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ and a half out of 5

Would I buy this again: Possibly - I'd definitely like to have a look at some of the other colours too!

£5.99 from Burt's Bees

Super Shiny Lip Gloss in Pucker Berry

Another nude colour - a little darker than I'd normally chose myself but a really beautiful colour. There's lots that I like about this gloss - it's not sticky, it has a fresh fruity smell, the colour is fab however.... it's errr, gritty. Well, not gritty exactly. It's just that there's these weird white balls in it. Look:

See the top of my lips? Those white bits that look like I've been eating a sugary doughnut ... well it's those. And I'm not the only one - Modesty Brown had this exact same experience :/ Saying that though, I've just had a look at a few other reviews and most of those don't seem to mention this so I'm wondering if it's maybe just a batch problem. Other than the gritty bits, it's a lovely product :)

♥ ♥ out of 5 

Would I buy it again? Maybe... it depends on if the gritty thing is meant to be there or not.

£7.99 from Burt's Bees

What do you think ladies? Have you tried these products before? What do you think of Burt's Bees stuff in general? Any ideas what on earth the white bits are?!

*Disclaimer* I was sent these products for review purposes.

Review - Sleek Sparkle Palette

Regardless of the whole 50% sale debacle, Sleek are pretty awesome - their palettes are excellent quality and fantastically priced! During my blogging break, I completely lost touch with the world of beauty and therefore completely missed out on the Bad Girl palette. I was gutter. Hence I made sure that I raced to Superdrug on the first day that this beauty was released and I am so glad I did!

The thing that I love about this palette is that they haven't just gone for the obvious winter colours (icey blues and whites with maybe a hint of red, green and gold) but instead have gone for beautifully deep rich colours with plenty of sparkle.

One thing that I really love is that Sleek have finally started to name their colours - this makes a blogger's life so much easier! Just in case you're wondering, that whitey-grey colour on the end is called Tinsel :)

Aren't they beautiful?! Such bold colours with such a beautiful amount of sparkle. I adore them. The only colour I don't quite get is the yellow... I feel like a rich gold would maybe have fit the palette slightly better.

Finally, some swatches - sadly these are pretty shocking quality. We've not really had much sun so I've been shooting indoors and my camera hates low light conditions. Hence these are quite "noisey" - sorry.

Hopefully what you can see is that (as always) these colours are so richly pigmented and have a fabulous colour payoff. I'm really looking forward to having a bit more of a play with these and I'll try to bring you a FOTD with them soon!

You can get this palette for £5.99 from Superdrug or the Sleek website xx

What do you think of the Sparkle palette? Have you picked it up or are you a bit Sleek'd out?