Nip and Fab Body Wash - Energy Boost and Detox Blend

Shower gel can be a bit of a boring topic can't it?

Everyone uses it, most people would just use whatever is on offer during their weekly shop and I'm no different. I have been making my way through my stash and have finally used up the Soap and Glory bottle that seem to last for up to 6 months at a time.

However I couldn't resist picking these up from Nip and Fab, on offer at the moment in Superdrug in a buy one get one free offer. If I'm honest £7.50 is a lot for a shower gel but in a deal like this at £3.75 it didn't seem too bad.

I picked up both the Energy Boost and Detox Blend and have been testing them out.

The Energy Boost Body Wash contains uplifting Lemon, Grapefruit and Sweet Mandarin fragrances. It's a lovely awakening scent which is something to be welcomed in the morning, however it's not as authentic as the Original Source shower gels. I'm a big 'sniffer' of products (if that doesn't sound weird and disgusting) and scents are a big hit or miss for me. This was strangely neither, it had a lot of promise but didn't amount to anything which was a little disappointing.

The packaging is perfect though, colour coded for each scent and just like the rest of the Nip and Fab skincare range which I really like. I also like that all of the info is on the front of the bottles and just on the one sticker. Its funky and draws your eyes to different areas.

The Detox Blend Body Wash contains Tea Tree, Green Tea and Jasmine to purify and detoxify as well as cleanse.
This scent was the same for me, it had lots of promise and whilst I'm grateful that both weren't overpowering (I get headaches from strong smells) they were just a bit too bland and could have had more of a punch, particularly with the lemon.

That said they both lathered up easily courtesy of SLS being the second ingredient in the products. I just feel a bit disappointed with these and can't say I would pay the £3 for them again let alone the full price of £7.50.
I'm a self confessed lover of Nip and Fab but feel like these products have misfired and are a bit 'meh' when compared to other products such as their Viper Venom and Dragon's blood ranges (both of which are fabulous!).

With Original Source recently on offer in Tesco for half price at £1.10 for 250ml or in fact Superdrug who had them for 98p (!) smelling a good ten times better and more authentic than these I know which one I would choose....

I hate to write negative reviews but feel like its necessary sometimes to save another from spending hard earned cash on something that ultimately is a little disappointing - sorry Nip and Fab! It's probably because i have such high expectations from how amazing the skincare range is that this was a bit of a surprise.


Have you tried the body range from Nip and Fab? Are you a fan of authentic scents from real essential oils?

L xxx

SlenderToxTea Detox Tea

Hello!

A few weeks ago I was sent a 14 day teatox by the lovely people at SlenderToxTea. I've always wanted to try one of them but just couldn't decide which as I was overwhelmed with the amount of choice!

Luckily for me SlenderToxTea saw my confused tweet and offered to send me a trial, which of course I could not refuse!

The 14 day trial included 14 Daytox morning tea bags, and 7 Sleeptox  night tea bags in separate packets to make it easier to distinguish between.

I like the packaging, it's easy, resealable and easy to tell which is which, making it that much better for people like me who are somewhat of an ogre in the morning. Reading and trying to work things out isn't what I need!

So what do you do? The Daytox tea bags are to drank in the morning, as soon as you can to getting up. You make it using warm water and leave it to brew for a few minutes only. start off with a shorter time and build it up if you prefer. Don't do what I did and make it with boiling water, it's very potent that way! Always make sure you read instructions yes??!

I was surprised when first trying the morning Daytox, it smelt quite strong but actually didn't taste of much at all which I definitely preferred. I find green tea to be too strong for me, taste wise, and tend to drink it in tea bags with peppermint to help the taste so I was apprehensive this would be just like green tea and I'd hate it.

So I was pleasantly surprised and found it easy to add this in as an extra tea in the mornings, also adding an extra step of hydration to my day so it was a win win situation.

As you can see from the ingredients in the picture above the tea does contain green tea but also a number of other ingredients that I don't know the function of.

The Sleeptox is slightly different and only requires you to drink a cup of this every OTHER night. Definitely read the instructions on this one as although it's brewed the same you only need one on alternate nights........don't try and drink it every night like me!

You can see the list of ingredients in the sleeptox in the photos above, some are similar but there's a few more additional ingredients in the night one.

I also found this tea to taste similar and although it smells strong it's really not a strong taste at all.

So what did i think?

It does suggest that you use the tea bags and complete the tea tox starting on a weekend to allow you to get used to the effects. I'm glad i started this on a weekend just so that i could get used to brewing the tea, when I needed to have them etc. I didn't find the effects to be too off-putting though everyone might react to this in different ways.

I did get some of the 'cleansing' feeling and of course my trips to the little girls room did increase (no blushing here!) but this was in no way uncontrollable and after all the horror stories of some people not being able to leave the house.........I would have to dispute that!

I completed the full 14 days in work without anything different aside from more frequent trips to the toilet so if you work in situation where you are unable to get to the bathroom easily (such as a teacher or nurse) then I probably wouldn't recommend it. As i said, it's nowhere near uncontrollable but you will need toilets available to you!


I did personally find that the Sleeptox teas were more potent than the Daytox teas, though this is probably having had a 'double dose' more than it being more potent in itself. As i mentioned earlier on I did make the mistake of not reading the packet and for the first three days had both a morning and night tea which was WRONG AND DEFINITELY DON'T DO IT.

How did i feel after completing it?


Well I weighed myself pre and post Teatox and lost 3 pounds. This was definitely a step in the right direction having put on a few lately with stress and was a good booster to continue with further healthy eating and exercise. I didn't change my diet in this time either so definitely this was just from the tea.

I also had increased metabolism and energy as i didn't feel tired at all, probably as my system didn't need to spend its' energy getting rid of the toxins in my body.

As it goes with looks, I 100% believe it has made me look smaller because the bloat in my stomach reduced considerably and made me feel so much better about myself and more comfortable wearing my clothes. I also took photos pre and post teatox and there's definitely a difference in my stomach especially when viewed from the side as its a lot flatter. However I don't feel ok with publishing these on the blog for everyone to see, but I promise you there's a noticeable difference 

I'm not convinced this is a permanent solution and for this reason think it's perfect for a special event like a wedding, holiday or graduation etc but not for permanent weightloss as I think when you stop the weight will slowly come back on without a permanent lifestyle change.

The 14 day Teatox package with both Day and Sleeptox comes in at £19.99 with free P&P. I think for an event in your life that you want to look your best at, £20 is worth the money as it really does work in helping you reduce the bloat and lose a few extra pounds. Before a holiday it would be ideal to give you a boost before getting your bikini out but long term i think it would be too expensive to feasibly drink it all the time.


That being said, if you've got the cash to splash I'd be one of those buying it every other month to help keep the bloat at bay and cleanse out my toxins to help my body metabolise the things it actually needs.

Have you tried Slender Tox Tea? Have you tried another brand of detox tea?
Would you buy the tea for an event or for long term?

Slender Tox have a number of products on their site and provide a variety of tea packages. I'm most interested in the Slimming Patches that they have recently brought out, a patch that can help with weightloss of 2-4 pounds a week without side effects?? Sounds like a miracle!

L xxx

Rituals Tea

A few weeks back I met up with the lovely Anthony from Beauty Seen PR as part of their beauty tour. We had a chat about all the brands they represent and what those brands were offering and I was lucky enough to be given some items from some of the brands.

I was so excited to see the Rituals Tea. Rituals isn't a brand I've tried much of but have always heard lots of good things and been often tempted to order a candle as I've heard lots about them. I was surprised to know they sold tea.

After a friend got me hooked on tea pigs last year I definitely realised you can tell the difference between good tea. I love to relax with a nice cuppa and a sit down. I tend to like most teas with my favourite being green tea and mint so I was really excited to try it.

The teas come in silk like pyramids. I always think these type as best as it's the nearest to loose leaf tea. 

This set would make a great present for any tea lover. I can see mum's and nan's loving this for Christmas. It's a good way to try different flavours as there are some in here I wouldn't have chosen but I've been pleasantly surprised.

I love that the packaging represents the flavour. The Hammam mint almost has a Moroccan themed print and the Jasmine Delight has a very Chinese feel.

The Hammam mint is a lovely refreshing tea without an overpowering sense of green tea. If you're a peppermint tea fan this is a great way to enjoy green tea.

Earl's Secret it a lush earl grey. Tastes good with or without milk. This is my favourite one to have first thing. A good balance of black tea and fruity/floral.

Jasmine Delight. I didn't expect to like this. A blend of green tea and jasmine. I didn't think floral tea was for me but I really like this blend.

Rose and Ginger. This was my least favourite. I'm personally not a fan of rose but it was still ok as the ginger balanced it out.

I will definitely be ordering more of the first three. 20 tea temples cost £4.50 and the set of four like I received cost £10.50. I love the cute little tea tins too. I definitely need these! I do think it's worth paying for tea like these and love to treat myself to them. You can find their full range here.

Have you tried rituals tea? Are you a tea fan? I'd definitely recommend these!

Love M

xxx

Tea Pigs

Today is a bit of a random non beauty post. I hope you don't mind. As I'm think L has mentioned in some of her America posts (or it may be one coming, sorry if it is) we are both huge tea lovers. Non tea lovers this may not be a post for you.

Since the new year I've tried to reduce my intake of regular tea. I was on 7-8 cups of tea a day and thought it was too much so switched to healthier options such as green tea and peppermint after the obligatory cuppa in the morning (milk no sugar please, made for me each morning by my OH, we have a deal going so he makes me tea. Nothing better than a cup being bought to you haha).

Getting used to green tea took a while. L struggled and couldn't face it. It's a unique flavour that takes getting used to. I like the fact it boosts antioxidants etc. If you fancy trying it I'd recommend trying green tea with pineapple or apple and pear, I know twinings do these as it adds a slight sweetness. To be honest switching from normal tea to green tea I can't say has made a huge difference but I feel it's better.

So the point of today's post. My new 'high end' love. Yes I believe tea pigs are the high end of tea. I was introduced to them by one of my lovely work ladies. Instantly I was intrigued by the silk tea temples the tea sits in and couldn't wait to try them.

The next time the lady I work with placed her order online at tea pigs she ordered me some too. I got the chocolate flake and green tea and peppermint blend.

I also got sample packs of these. You can buy tea pigs online or there are local stockest listed online and cafes local to you that sell them. Link to that here

I was blown away by the chocolate flake. The tea comes in silk tea temples and is leafs that swell up when water is added to them. The chocolate one has actual pieces of chocolate that melt into your tea. I personally prefer to drink this black. It has a subtle chocolate flavour but not sweet or overpowering the tea.

How pretty are they. (ok I sound weird now)

I like that on the back of each tea if gives a description of the base tea and how you should drink it. Being a tea novice I'm not sure what should and shouldn't have milk. The more I try the more I prefer non milk. My mum is kindly buying me the mix and match set where you get 12 different types of tea and two of each type.

Sorry if my tea talk has bored you but I really would thoroughly recommend these to anyone and the sample packs are a great way to test it. The average price for 15 tea temples is between £3.49 and £4.29 (I think) and some teas can be bought in 50 packs.

Have you tried tea pigs. Everyone I know that has loves them. I'm saving L a chocolate one for when she gets back from America.

I'm off to brew a pot of chocolate tea now.

Love M

xxx

I'd love to know if any of you try these xx