The CSI Girls 2017 Round Up

Hey all!

We have finally reached the end of another year, and it has been a super busy one at that. We've both had our own personal highs and lows but the blog has progressed over the year and we're hoping to take it even further in 2018.

So put the kettle on, grab a brew and have a read of our recap of everything we've had the pleasure of covering in 2017!

L's Christmas Photos 2017

Hi all!

It's been a little while since sharing a post with you, between the two of us we've been moving, attending weddings, working and prepping for the Christmas season so took an unintentional break from blogging. It has been lovely to spend time with family and friends and tuck into the expected stash of Christmas food, so I thought today was the perfect opportunity to share some of these photos with you.

New Vegan Cafe: Blanche Bakery Cardiff

Hey all!

Friday evening we were invited to a preview of the new vegan cafe opening in Cardiff. If you're long term readers you'll know we've both been mostly vegetarian this year, and have been enjoying trying new veggie and vegan recipes. So we were particularly excited to hear about a new cafe opening and couldn't resist the invite to see Blanche Bakery before it opened.

Review: Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette

Good morning!

I'm sure you've probably read a few posts on the fabulous Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes by now but I'd still like to add my own thoughts to the mix.

I bought the Modern Renaissance palette with some money I had pre Christmas and couldn't wait to share. The colours are perfect for this time of year so it was the best time to treat myself.....right?!

The Greyhound Inn, Letcombe Regis

As you know I travel with work so I stay in many hotels, and hotels can be memorable for many reasons. I've stayed in some pretty ugly ones but I try to forget those...when you stay somewhere good it makes it all the more memorable.

Cue my recent stay in The Greyhound Inn, in Letcombe Regis. I don't think I have ever written a hotel review so be nice! I just couldn't resist but share some pictures from my stay, so grab a cuppa and see why I decided to share them this time.

Review: The Body Shop Drops of Youth - Youth Essence Lotion

If you're a long term reader you will know how much we absolutely love The Body Shop Drops of Youth Range.

We've previously written about the range in general here and also the Youth Liquid Peel. Recently I saw the Youth Essence Lotion and couldn't resist picking it up in the recent winter deals.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum in Oil

Hello everyone!

It has been a super busy few weeks for the both of us so unfortunately we've been lacking in new posts. But life happens and we've been battling illness, new houses, crazy work schedules and general Christmas festivities...

But were hoping December is going to be the best month yet! 

I've mentioned a few times about the issues with my skin and with the colder weather, indoor heating and the flu my skin has been so dry and I've been looking at some new products to see if I can find anything to help. My first port of call was The Body Shop!

Beauty Review - Lush Dark Angels Cleanser

Hey All

I've loved Lush Skincare for a while now, if you've been reading the blog for a while now you'll see some early reviews on the Lush Herbalism Cleanser, when I went for my Validation Facial with Lush I tried out the Dark Angels cleanser. 

I'd never tried it and was intrigued by it. I was given a sample to take away to try and I was instantly won over on it so I went and purchased the full size. Dark Angels is a great exfoliator and as a bonus is vegan!

Beauty Review - Make up Revolution Brow Pomade in Caramel Brown

Hey All

I've not been buying much make up lately, my stash is huge so I've been trying to work through it but when Tam Beauty had a sale a few months back I couldn't resist getting a few bits.

I love brow products and especially the brow pomade type textures so when I saw the Revolution Brow Pomade reduced I snapped it up. The Caramel Brown is probably a touch darker than I'd normally go but it still works.

Cruelty Free Hair Heroes

Well hello there!

The last few weeks I've been feeling pretty rubbish - the flu got me and wiped me out for weeks, and the colder weather has been playing havoc with my skin and hair. So I thought it was time to share my absolute favourite cruelty free hair products to rescue my 'do and save it from turning to straw and looking like something a crow wants to curl up in.

Healthy Vegetarian and Vegan, Quick and Easy Meal Ideas

Hey All

The past few weeks have been so busy and I wanted to share my latest favourite vegetarian and vegan cookbooks with you.

I went vegetarian around March time, I eat the occasional fish so technically I guess I'm pescatarian but I would like to cut that out too. Me and my OH used to eat a lot of vegetarian meals in the house and always made curries, chillies and Mexican dishes vegetarian so I wanted a bit more inspiration for more meal ideas that would be health and easy to do!

NYX Liquid Suede Lipstick Metallic Matte in Biker Babe

I'm pretty sure everyone who owns a liquid lipstick will own from NYX....am I right or am I right???

If you don't own one of the Lip Lingerie products then I'll be surprised as they are just so popular! However I actually don't own any because I just can't get on with the formula as it's so drying.

Cue the Liquid Suede effect that I tried about a year ago now, and I'm obsessed with the suede finish instead of the matte finish. It was a win/win situation for me as I love the finish plus there is a huge colour range! I've got a post coming up soon on this so I'll just stick with this beauty for now, the new Metallic Matte range.

Bravura London Skincare: First Cleanse Oil

Hey All

We're huge skincare fans and have been eyeing up acid peels for a while ever since we tried a Glycolic one ages ago. We have been looking at Bravura for a while so when we were offered some of the range to try out we jumped at the chance. We thought we'd share our thoughts on the First Cleanse Oil first and work our way through the range as if we did it all in one post you'd be here reading our love for a while!

Life Update

Happy Sunday morning!

I hope you've had a fabulous weekend, I've had a family oriented weekend with birthdays, mother/daughter time and catching up with friends. The last few weeks I've been travelling all over the place for work and trying to keep up with everything, so I've got a post to show you what I've been up to!

Owlcrate October 2017

I'v e been tweeting recently about how my love for books hasn't really made it onto the blog before so I've been making a conscious effort to share it and also get myself back into reading more regularly.

I signed up for Owlcrate in September and wrote about the September box here so I thought I'd share my thoughts on the October box too.

Lush Spa Cardiff: Christmas 2017

Hey All

As you've probably guessed by now if you're regular readers of the blog we love Lush, (here is our lush tag to check out past Lush posts!) so when we got invited to see the Lush Christmas range of course we headed to the store to try out the new bits!

The Potted Pig

Have you heard of The Potted Pig in Cardiff??

It has long been a restaurant on our lists as we had heard the food was amazing. M had been here for a family meal before turning veggie and the meat was amazing, but L hadn't managed to make it there yet. After hearing they were going to start opening on Monday evenings as well as the rest of the week we knew it was time we went together and luckily for us they invited us to try out their menu.

Laguna Health Spa - ESPA Optimal Skin Profacial Treatment

Hey all!

I'm sure you've seen M's post on her amazing ESPA Body Wrap so I'd like to share with you my thoughts on the ESPA Optimal Skin Profacial Treatment that I had when I visited the Laguna Health Club.

We both love a good spa treatment and knowing the new treatments at Laguna used cruelty free products from ESPA we were looking forward to visiting again.

Cameo Club Cardiff

I'm sure you all know by now how much we love food, we are always trying out new restaurants, bars and street food events and never get bored of it! 

There are so many great places to try in Cardiff so there's always something new to test out, and recently me and my family went to Cameo on Wellfield road in Cardiff for a celebration and it was a great chance to try out their menu.

Beauty Rehab

Hey all!

I've been writing these Beauty Rehab posts for a long long time now, even though I started them right at the beginning I still enjoy showing you what I've actually been using throughout the month and what I've finished. I'd like to say I am working through my stash but that would be wrong, my stash seems to have ballooned in recent months so I'm going to try and make more effort between now and Christmas!

Here's what I've used up recently:

Travelling Croatia - Dubrovnik

Good morning!!

I have some fabulous pictures to share with you today and I'm just too excited. I've been sharing my travel tips for various places in Croatia the last few weeks and have another today, this time about Dubrovnik. I wasn't sure what to think about this city as I hadn't really had chance to look it up beforehand, I just knew it was going to be full of sea views and orange roof tops and I was not wrong!

Laguna Health and Spa - Espa Body Wrap Review

Hey All

Laguna Health and Spa have recently switched salon brands to Espa and as it's cruelty free I was pretty excited to hear this! We were lucky enough to be offered to try out some of the treatments so couldn't wait to test them out.

Laguna Health and Spa is located in the Park Plaza Hotel in Cardiff and has a beautiful swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi, as well as a great gym (which used to be my gym and I really miss those classes!)

How to Pack Beauty Products with Airline Limits - Cruelty Free

Hey All

Twice this year I've traveled to Edinburgh from Cardiff and flown, the biggest challenge I find is getting all the products I want whilst sticking to the 10 x 100ml airline limits. Of course as with all of my posts all these travel products I use are cruelty free too!

Owlcrate - September 2017

Hey all!

I have a bit of a different post for you today. I've recently been sharing some tweets about my love for books which I haven't really shared on the blog that much.

I have so many books of so many types, and when I heard of monthly book boxes I was so excited to see what they contained. There are many available but I chose to try Owlcrate. It's a subscription box for young adult books and comes from the U.S. They seem to have a bigger range of book box subscriptions in America but there are a few in the UK too.

Kenra Platinum Hair Styling Products

Hey All

A few weeks ago L shared her thought on the Kenra Professional Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner (post here), we were lucky enough to get sent the range to try out and got a few different bits to each other in our boxes, so today we thought we'd share our thoughts on the styling range we've been testing out, we've been trying a few from the professional range including the root lifting spray and the volume spray and a few from the Kenra Platinum range including the silkening mist, revive oil and our absolute favourite the blow dry spray!

Kenra is a brand that is relatively new to the UK, they have some amazing colour ranges (I'm always loving all the brights and pastels on their instagram!) and some great styling products.

Skinny Tan Body Glow Everyday Tan

Who doesn't love a golden glow??

I recently went on my first holiday in YEARS and finally got some real sun on my skin. It was lush and I loved having a bit of a natural glow, but as we all know this never lasts long when you get back to the grey skies of the UK.

Since I've been back I didn't want to use a full on fake tan product as I didn't need it and well, let's be honest it is now October and looking super tanned might be a bit odd for someone in Wales!

So I've been testing out the Body Glow Everyday Tan from Skinny Tan to see what it was like.

The Body Shop Banana Shampoo and Conditioner

Hey all

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now. Whilst wondering past The Body Shop store in Cardiff a few months back I saw an offer where if you bought a shampoo you got the conditioner free, I hadn't actually tried any hair products from The Body Shop so decided to test them out (I have the hair scrub now too which I can't wait to try!)

Since going Cruelty Free I've almost rediscovered The Body Shop as a brand and I'm totally in love with so many products, and obviously I've convinced L too (you can find all of our reviews on The Body Shop Here and Here)

Travelling Croatia - Plitvice Lakes

Hi all!

I'm so excited to share these pictures with you, I've been trying to do it for weeks but I wanted to get all the photos just right, so it has taken longer than planned.

I've so far written about Split and what you should eat there, and during my few days before my sailing trip started I managed to get a day trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park and it is STUNNING!

Kat Von D's Lock It Foundation and Concealer

Well hello there!

I've been meaning to share this review for a little while now but life has been so busy! After my trip to Croatia I've been travelling with work and will be away for the next few weeks, hopefully I will be able to keep up with everything.

I picked up the Kat Von D Lock It Foundation and Concealer at their opening event of the Cardiff stand in Debenhams a few weeks back (post here of the counter and the make up looks!)

What to Eat in Split, Croatia

Morning! 

I recently shared my photos with you from my trip to Split, I have more photos to share from islands and other places in Croatia but had to share my food photos and recommendations too!

Travelling Croatia - Split

Hey all!

I recently went on a trip to Croatia for 2 weeks and it was AMAZING.

I've got a fair few posts lined up to show you my photos and share my travel tips, so look out for all of these. I went to Plitvice Lakes, and sailed my way along the coast to Dubrovnik stopping off at islands and sampling the food and drink of Croatia so there will most likely be a post to suit you!

Today I have some photos of Split and what I recommend doing there, I have just over 1 day so I had to see and do as much as I could in a small space of time. My flight landed at 9.30am so I made the most of the day.

W7 Contour Stick

Hey all

Contour sticks are everywhere at the moment with the release of Fenty and the Kim Kardashian West contour sticks I've been wanting to try some myself as they make contouring so much easier but wanted a more budget friendly dupe of the one's mentioned above and that's where W7 didn't disappoint!!

Kenra Professional Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner

Hey all!

The weather recently has really started to get greyer, colder and wetter! It was expected now we're in October but for me especially it was a tough change. I've recently got back from two weeks in Croatia (I can't wait to share my pictures with you!) and the difference in the weather from sunshine and islands to the grey British weather was a shock to the system.

My skin has been drier and my hair, so I've been looking at products to help me battle the weather change. It was good luck when I remembered we recently received some products from Salon Success from a brand called Kenra and I couldn't wait to try them out.

Make Up Revolution Red Carpet Lipstick

Hey all!

I've just got back from a fabulous trip to Croatia, I went sailing around the islands for 8 days and visited a few extra places in addition. I had the best time and it makes me very sad to be home but I've been making the most of the colder weather by changing up my wardrobe and make up pronto!

We're both huge fans of red lipsticks but there are so many shades and finishes it can be hard to find one that's perfect for you for almost any occasion.

However for me I think I have found the one!

Image from TAM Beauty website

Lush 1000 Millihelens Jelly Face Mask Review

Hey All

As soon as I saw Lush had bought out the Jelly range I need I had to try them, as a huge lush fan I couldn't wait to try the jelly bath bombs and face masks out. The jelly bath bomb review will be up soon!

The Body Shop Shade Adjusting Drops Light

Hey All

As a pale girl finding foundation that matches especially on the high street and that is cruelty free is a struggle. After finding The Body Shop Shade Adjusting Drops in light I've not looked back, I can now use all my old foundations that are too dark and adjust foundations to suit perfectly dependant on my skin tone at that time!

If you've read our blog for a while you'll know L and I are huge fans of The Body Shop, after going cruelty free I rediscovered a love for their products and have tried loads and got L hooked too, you can see all our reviews here and here.

Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water Review

Hey All

There are probably going to be a lot of lush reviews from me over the next few weeks as I've been picking up some old faithfuls and some new products to try, today is an old faithful I loved for a while. The breath of fresh air toner water is a lush product I've probably been using now for about 5 years, it's even mentioned in early days blog posts so when I picked up a new bottle I thought I'd share a new post on it.

Lacura Exfoliating Mud Mask

What are your thoughts on dupes??

If you're anything like us you will love a bargain, but often the dupe isn't the same as the original product so I suppose it's each to their own with buying products that are copies of another.

The Glam Glow masks have been around for a few years now and have a huge following, I've only tried a sachet from them a while back and I did like it but can't really comment on regular usage. I'd love to try it, but at £42 for 50g of the Youthmud clearing treatment I just cannot justify it - being single and buying your own home is not good to your bank account!

However, the fabulous brand that is Lacura from Aldi UK has an Exfoliating Mud Mask that is very similar indeed.

Rosie for Autograph Lipstick in Silk Rose

Hey All

I've been eyeing up the Rosie for Autograph range in the Marks and Spencer beauty hall for a while now,  Rosie Huntington Whiteley is absolutely gorgeous and always has flawless makeup and the range always looked amazing!

Spectrum Collections Sassy Sirens Make Up Brushes

If you're a sucker for a pretty make up brush then join the club!

I absolutely cannot resist any new make up brush, I love the classic monochrome, marble, metallic accents (who doesn't love a bit of rose gold nowadays??) but the unicorn trend has brought out some corkers too. Spectrum Collections have been the obvious choice here - their range is BEAUTIFUL and I did struggle looking at the website choosing what to get.

The Glam Clam is a personal favourite and I almost chose that, but the Siren brushes caught my eye for being totally different again!

Twitter Giveaway! Spectrum Collection You Look Marbleous Brush Set!

Hi all!

Over the last few months we've received loads of support on various platforms and wanted to celebrate. We've been blogging for almost 6 years now and there are a few thousand of you who follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Bloglovin. We're not the biggest and we juggle a lot of things amongst work, travel etc to get the photos and the content completed but we love what we do and appreciate all of the support, so thank you!

We haven't done many giveaways at all over the time we've been blogging, but now we're both in full time employment we decided we want to start giving back.

Kat Von D arrives in Cardiff

Hey all!

If you're a fellow Cardiffian and a make up fan you will have been pleased to find out that Kat Von D has FINALLY arrived in our Debenhams store. We are both fans of Kat Von D and although M has the Shade and Light palette (review here) neither of us have tried any of her other well known products because we needed to be colour matched. We've also mentioned over the last few months how both of us are now only purchasing cruelty free make up, and Kat Von D has one of the best ranges of products that aren't tested on animals.

So when we heard about their blogger event we HAD to go!

Best Bottomless Prosecco Brunch in Cardiff

Hey All

Who doesn't love Prosecco these days and unlimited Prosecco at that. Grey's based in the Hilton Cardiff offer a great two course lunch and bottomless Prosecco for the great price of £25!

I've actually been here twice now and I'm planning the third, I've always gone on a Sunday and it's lovely and quiet and the staff are always attentive.

Zero Degrees Beer Tasting and Food

Hi all!

Recently we were both invited to Zero Degrees in Cardiff for an evening of beer tasting and food, we've both been before on random occasions for the odd drink but not for a meal and drinks so this was a great opportunity and we were really looking forward to it.

Cardiff Food Round Up

Hi all!

So the last few weeks I've finally got over the car accident and I can finally eat properly again, HOORAY! Life has been rather boring having to eat soft food for months on end due to damaging the muscles in my face/jaw and although I've thrown myself into finding some great vegan and vegetarian options I have missed the variety.

In celebration I have rearranged outings seeing friends, colleagues, family etc etc that I haven't been able to make it to for celebration and catching up. I should maybe be embarrassed that I've eaten out so much in the last few weeks but I'M TOO HAPPY TO CARE!

The Celtic Manor Resort Summer Berry Afternoon Tea

Hey all!

Happy National Afternoon Tea Week! I mean, this week is only second best to Christmas in my opinion. A week dedicated to afternoon tea?? How British and how delightful!

We were super lucky and were invited back to the Celtic Manor Resort to try their new Summer Berry afternoon tea - we were obviously never going to say no but especially not when the treats looked this beautiful!

Must Have Cruelty Free Make up Brands

Hey All

A few weeks ago L shared her Top 5 skincare products (post here) so I thought I'd do the beauty version, I've been totally cruelty free in all purchases of make up for over 18 months, it's taken some discovery with some brands being shady about it and some brands making the decision to sell in china so are going back to animal testing (Nars I'm looking at you, that decision broke my heart!) Anyway, so here are some of my favourites!

Camelbak Forge: The Ultimate Leak Proof Travel Mug

Hey all

A bit of a different thing to share today but I've spent ages searching for a travel coffee mug that doesn't leak and this one is so good I had to share.

My commute to work involves a 30 minute walk then bus, I like to have my coffee on the bus so I'm always searching for a travel mug I can shove in my handbag and not have to worry about leaking over everything, until recently I had to ensure it was always stood upright but when I was introduced to the Camelbak forge all that change, a mug that's actually leakproof!