Thursday 7 December 2017

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!


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Thursday 27 November 2014

25 Pills You Should Run a Mile from



Hello there!

It's that time of year when we all hear about another round of the flu stalking the office or the school or your family or friends have all got it. My first reaction is to avoid them like the plague and run to the local shop and pick up some Beroccas. nothing helps me like they do, even if it's all psychological and a boost can't do any harm, though i do only use them for when I'm feeling run down.

However I read an article the other day in Women's Health about the pills you should and shouldn't be swallowing and I found it really interesting. So interesting in fact that I've decided to pretty much copy it straight into a blog post for you to read and see which pills you really shouldn't waste your money on.

We've all been there in a store reading how the latest vitamin can help shift those last few pounds, how something can rev up your metabolism and draw out toxins and they can be very appealing. But after reading this list i was surprised that most are completely pointless and can do more harm than good.

So let's just be clear, I'm copying this from November's edition of Women's Health and it's not my own research or hard work really, aside from typing it up in my own words, but I thought it was worthy of knowing so you don't waste your money or do yourself some harm:



1) Raspberry Ketones - one I'm sure we've all heard of and al of the weightloss claims it has. Actually, there's no scientific evidence to confirm they promote weightloss in humans at all. Save your money!

2) Korean or Panax Ginseng - I've never heard of these and don't know what they claim to do but they do speed up your heart rate and affect your oestrogen levels....sounds terrifying. Save your health by avoiding this one.

3) Guarana - found in sports drinks and although it does give you energy, it's because it contains caffeine so you might as well save your money by sticking with something more natural and also guarana can leave you feeling jittery and nervous...save your sanity in this case!

4) Bio-identical Hormones - Again no idea what these are supposed to do for you or why you would voluntarily take them but they are prescription only and therefore should only be given to you by your doctor, scary stuff! 

5) Soy Isoflavones - Derives from a plant however they have a serious effect on your hormones that nobody has quite worked out how yet, that should be enough to scare you off too.

6) Chitosan - allegedly a fat binder though it drags all fats out and doesn't discriminate between the ones we need and the ones we don't. Save your health and your money.

7) High doses of Vitamin C - totally pointless and no evidence to show that anything over 1g is helpful at all. Save your cash as these can be quite expensive!

8) Bentonite Clay - another one to allegedly draw out toxins. Don't think there's any evidence to support these claims but regardless, it wouldn't draw out the toxins fast enough if you had a bad diet so it's no excuse. 

9) Acai - totally pointless unless in the original fruit form which you can't get as it would go off by the time it reached the UK....sigh

10) Senna - taking laxatives is never a good way to help you lose weight but even as a helping hand when things get sluggish it can make your own digestive system lazy. My family have always said that orange juice is a much better antidote which I've no idea if it's true but chia seeds most definitely work to get things going again.

11) DMAA - had to look this one up......essentially it has killed people who have taken it and can still be found in some online pills for fat burning. It's really not worth the risk!

12) Garcinia Cambogia - So many people talk about Garcinia  the internet, Facebook adverts are the worse for scams like these sending them to you for a few pounds but still no scientific evidence.

13) Evening Primrose - borage is the key ingredient in this and is found in much higher doses in Starflower Oil so skip buying this one.

14) Vitamin E - famed for helping with skincare issues it can actually give you thrombosis and blood clots when you take too much of it. Save yourself!

15) Vitamin A - if you've ever used My Fitness Pal to log your daily intake of food and checked out the vitamins section it's likely you will have exceeded in your does of Vitamin A as it is in so many fruits and vegetables. you certainly don't need to take extra when it's that easy to find and high levels with damage your liver - again, terrifying.

16) Thermogenic supplements - I've been caught by this one, was so excited to think that they would work whilst eating clean and working out as much as possible. Funnily enough, they never worked and there's no scientific evidence for them either. Waste of cash!

17) St John's Wort - claims the be a mood enhancer but can actually increase the metabolism of any prescribed drugs that you can take and therefore make them less effective which could be extremely dangerous. Get into the gym to get your endorphins going and enhance your mood the natural way!

18) Brindleberry - never heard of this one but the US claims its an appetite suppressant but when compared with a placebo there wasn't any change whatsoever.

19) Beta Carotene - claims to help against cancer, but actually has no effect in supplement form. Stick to eating the real deal from orange foods like carrots and pumpkins.

20) Calcium - it seems you just cannot beat having things in its natural form. Milk is fine, the supplements appear to increase risk of cardiovascular disease.

21) Glucosamine - can alleviate stiffness if you suffer from arthritis but is no help whatsoever in preventing you from getting it like previously thought.

22) Milk Thistle - doesn't help against binge drinking. I know many people who take this on nights out and have said it works for them but it is possible that maybe it's just because you drink water taking it? Either way, if it does help your hangover it definitely doesn't help your liver recover.

23) Chlorophyll - the chemical that makes plants green has been claimed to help with detoxification. There's no evidence to suggest this is correct so you might as well stick you drinking lots of free water instead, it's the best way to flush out anything from your system.

24) Fat Binders - another one I tried and had no results from. 'Obesity' found that over the course of a day only 10 calories were bound and removed, TEN! Might as well just skip on that extra biscuit or crisps and save yourself 200.

25) Capsaicin - The chemical in chillies that helps you burn fat. You might as well just eat the chilli's for exactly the same effect and probably a cheaper alternative too!



So there we have it, 25 pills you should run a mile from.

What do you think? Have you tried many of these? Were there any that surprised you?

It's scary to think you can buy so many of them on the internet even though they are prescription drugs and can be extremely harmful, some even causing death!

Let's just stick to the real things in life and get them from a healthy diet right??


L xxx



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Sunday 12 January 2014

Review: Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic


Morning all!

We have a joint review for you today as we've both purchased Liz Earle's Instant Boost Skin Tonic.

We are both big fans of the Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and couldn't resist picking up the skin tonic when it was on offer with the cleanser.

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The Skin Tonic is a non drying toner that refreshes, soothes and brightens your skin all in one swipe.
It is alcohol free and extremely gentle on the skin. This surprised me as it is floral scented which often means that I won't like it and it will cause my skin to break out but it didn't.

You can buy this skin tonic in the 200ml bottle like we both have or in a spritz bottle so that you can spray it onto your face throughout the day as and when you need it.

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The tonic contains multiple components to soothe the skin including aloe vera, chamomile, calendula and cucumber. It also contains essential oils such as geranium, lavender and sweet orange to restore and revive your spirits.

The instructions state to use the skin tonic morning and evening after cleansing and before moisturising as is with most toners.

As someone who isn't the biggest fan of toner it was a surprise to me that i enjoyed using it. As i have oily skin i was worried that it may react but it didn't, although I now save it for my evening routine as I prefer to use another in the morning.

I can't say that it has dramatically improved my skin but it smells gorgeous and is an extra step in ensuring my make up and any traces of cleanser are removed which is always welcome.

This costs £13.25 for the 200ml bottle but you can get the spritzer version for £13.50.

Have you tried the Skin Tonic? What is your favourite Liz Earle product?

I can't help but comment on the design of the bottle....the twisting up of the lid to get the product out looks far too much like a nipple! Whatever happened to having a flip top lid and pouring out the amount of product necessary?!

L xxx

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I'm the opposite of L and absolutely love a toner. I'm totally addicted to Lush A Breath of Fresh air and have now got my brother hooked on it too. As I love cleanse and polish I was excited to try a more high end toner.

I love toner and the always use it. It makes my skin feel better and for me I find I break out of I don't use a toner. After loving cleanse and polish so much I did expect really good things from this toner. For me though I found it was just ok. I don't find it does anything better than my Lush one does. I do prefer the scent of this one and it does make my skin feel slightly better.

I think I'd prefer to have picked up the spritz bottle as the lazy person in me can't always be bothered to get cotton wool when I'm in bed. It does have a refreshing scent and doesn't leave skin feeling tight which is always a good thing.

I probably wouldn't pick it up again but that's purely because I'm addicted to my Lush one and have been for 3 years now,

Love M

xxxx


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Saturday 15 June 2013

Review: Dr Organic Lip Balms


Hiiiiiii all!

Today I will be talking about my new favourite lip balms.

Back a few months ago when me and M attended the Bristol Blogger meet we were lucky enough to get some Dr Organic products in our goodie bags.
This was the start of a beautiful friendship!

I have been using the other products so much that when I saw these lip balms on offer in Holland and Barrett  I couldn't resist.

Dr Organic are a relatively new brand to my ears but I love their ethics; organic, natural and bioactive ingredients, no use of animal products or harsh chemicals, preservatives, mineral oils, or GM ingredients and they do not test on animals.




There were a few different types available but I chose the Manuka Honey and Vitamin E balms as they are both supposed to be super moisturising and that's exactly what I was looking for.

Both balms are paraben and SLS free with no artificial colours, fragrances or harsh preservatives.

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They're also BioActive, moisturising, soothing and hydrating with both UVA and UVB SPF 15.

I very much like that they are all individually packaged and you know that nobody else has been dipping their fingers into it or spreading it over the back of their hands.

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I also like that the packaging is colour coded, all the Vitamin E products are yellow and the Manuka Honey are in orange. There are plenty of other products available in their range including Aloe Vera, Pomegranate, Argan Oil, Lavender and Rose Otto.

After taking them out of the packaging the tubes are quite simple in design but really sturdy, something you need with lip balms knowing you're going to be throwing them into your bags.

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So.....what did I think?

These balms are so hydrating they've worked perfectly. I've had trouble with my skin being dehydrated for the past year or so, and my lips have been cracking terribly.

Both these balms are really moisturising but not greasy at all. I like to be able to feel lip balm on my lips but not still be there a few hours later like Vaseline. These balms sink in quickly enough but also last long enough on your lips not to need reapplying all the time.


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My lips haven't been cracked now in a good few weeks, largely down to these beauties!
They're so soft and have lasted me well, they're still both over half way and I use them multiple times per day.

When they are finished I will definitely be picking up some more!!
The Pomegranate and Rose range are both for anti-aging so I will be heading there, as well as the Coconut range as I'm partial to the smell of that!

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I have really enjoyed using these products and can see me repurchasing regularly, as well as wanting to try out their other products too!

I've personally got my eye on their award winning Coconut Oil Moisture Melt and Pomegranate Eye Cream!

Have you tried Dr Organic products? Which is your favourite??

L xxx


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