Life Lately

It's been just over two weeks since I last posted properly on here. My last post was this. Titled a weekend of change! It was definitely a big weekend of change, that weekend I was doing stuff to make me feel better as that weekend me and my now ex broke up. We'd been together for over 3 years and lived together for 2 of those so it was a big decision and has led to big changes. After a chat with L I decided apart from Sunday posts I was going to have some time off to get used to everything. Thanks to all the lovely ladies who sent me messages and texts on twitter! It was so nice to have everyone.

So today marks 3 weeks. All in all it's a bit awkward but I don't want to go into too many details. Basically we still live together (luckily it's a big flat) as we have a contract till December. I'm very much struggling with ups and downs but mostly I'm feeling better knowing it was the right thing and things can only get better. I'm enjoying distracting myself with spending lots of time with friends and family. I'm the girl that can never be single. I've told myself I have to change that this time and stay single for at least 6 months as I've not been single for longer than a month in over 9 years. I need some me time.

During my time away from the blog it was my birthday. I celebrated with L in the day with afternoon tea, spa and cocktails, in the evening my family came to visit and we had the most amazing meal at Jamie's Italian Cardiff. I was totally spoilt in the restaurant and then by my family. On the Friday I went back to my parents, had drinks with friends then a whole weekend with the family. It was just what I needed.

I was very lucky and got some amazing gifts. L got my Effaclar Duo and the Stila Primer we both love, my parents got me a couple of pairs of skinny jeans from Gap, my beautiful graduation shoes back (story explained here) and Sanctury goodies. My now ex went through a previous wishlist of mine and got me amazing presents including a Lydia Rose Bright dress, macadamia hair mask, bioderma and more. Other presents were a slushies mug (I love slush puppies), debenhams vouchers, a suitcase and coffee! I was so lucky and had a really great birthday.

Whilst at home I also visited Clark's Village. I love going there to pick up some bargains. I couldn't resist a few purchases. I always go to gap as they have great dresses for work. I didn't find one this time but did get two cardigans reduced from £24.99 to £9.99. I don't know about you but I'm useless at buying myself staples I need like cardigans and leggings. I love outlet stores and there bargains. My favourite pick of the day were these gorgeous blue Henry Lloyd skinny jeans. I've been after some this colour for ages. They were a bargain £25!!! I couldn't believe it. I snapped those up quickly. They fit amazing and they are pretty long.

One of my best friends gets married on the 10th August. I can't wait. I'm a bridesmaid so we had our first fitting for our dresses which was so exciting. I don't want to put a picture of them on here just yet.

I've really enjoyed having extra free time to meet up with old friends. It's been great having more time to go for meals. L and I also had a really girly weekend which was just what I needed. We got totally glammed up on the Friday. I wore a bright yellow dress from Warehouse and L wore a lush red dress from Debenhams. We definitely enjoyed one too many cocktails.

On the Saturday we headed to her parents caravan for some time on the beach, relaxing with good books, Magners and food. It was definitely nice to escape from the outside world and have some time in the sun. We both got rather sunburnt ooops. Luckily I had factor 50 on my face so that was ok.

Bit of a random post but felt like doing a little life update! It's onwards and upwards now and hopefully onto better things!!

Love M

xxx

Beauty Naturals: Skin Revivals

Good evening to you all!

Hope you've had a lovely weekend in the sun. We've both just got from a weekend away at my parents caravan and are both nursing some burnt bits, mostly on our backs! They're always hard to cover and that pesky bit around your bikini strap is never covered properly is it??

Beauty Naturals were a company we found via Twitter who have a huge range of natural beauty products. They've actually been around since 1980 and offer free UK delivery from their website, amazing!

They contacted us and offered that we could try some of their products which was absolutely lovely and we were really excited to receive them knowing they'd come from such a reputable company and were going to be natural/organic.

We received these three products to try, Skin Revivals Organic Facial Cleansing Oil, Skin Revivals Advanced 24 Hour Balm and Rose Mist Facial Spray.

Along with the products was a catalogue with all of the products and brands that Beauty Naturals stock and I can tell you it was an interesting read which has doubled my shopping list at least!

From a quick flick through the catalogue i could already see some honey products, camomile, rosehip oils, serums, enzyme masks, vitamin C gel,  and a whole host of others including brands such as Amie and Organic Surge. They also provide comsetics and nail products from Orly, hair care from Jason and even Carmex for lips.

The first product I tried was the Organic Facial Cleansing Oil. This oil is Soil Association Certifed as 99% organic containing rosehip and avocado. It claims to naturally break down make up and impurities as well as maintaining moisture balance, all for £12.

The 100ml bottle will certainly last you a while as you don't need a lot of it to cover your facial area.

It also contains a whole host of vitamins which are great for your skin.

I applied this straight to my skin and massaged it in before washing it off with a muslin cloth. It was very easy to use and dissolved my make up, even mascara, really easily.

I really liked this product for getting rid of my make up as it made it so easy and the oil felt very moisturising. I think this would be great for drier skins who require the extra hydration but oilier skins may find this a bit much as it does stay on your skin after cleansing.
However it definitely works and I can see myself using it often throughout the week as a hydrating cleanser.

Next up is the Advanced 24 Hour Balm which is 90.8% organic and enriched with frankincense and rose, vitamin rich shea and cocoa butters and also jojoba, macadamia and rosehip oils.
It also contains aloe vera and rose geranium to calm and soothe skin which lets face it, makes it a complicated and chocca block full balm that is sure to help your skin!

This product was my favourite, the smell was amazing and soothing and although I believe it is more of a lotion than a balm it was great at hydrating those areas such as elbows and knees and I've used as a face mask without any negatives effects. My skin felt super soft but not greasy the next day so I love it!

This costs £16 for the 100ml bottle which I think is definitely worth it for such a multi purpose and versatile product. You can see a picture of the balm itself below, it's a standard white lotion that sinks in very easily regardless of skin type as I mentioned before smells amazing!!

Lastly was the Rose Mist Facial Spray.

This product is naturally fragrance with Rose Damascena Floral Water and Witch Hazel and helps to hydrates and maintain moisture balance of the skin.

This bottle is the perfect size to fit into your handbag and apply additional moisture to your face throughout the day, especially over summer. This would be a great product to apply if you work in an office with air conditioning and the rose scent will help to keep to calm and collected.

You can also apply it to pulse points for additional soothing!

I can't say I'm the biggest fan of a facial spray, mainly as i always forget to use them at home and can't carry products like this on my at work. But it was a lovely treat when I was sunbathing at home and had the time to spray it on my face at will, it was so refreshing and although it's a small bottle it does only cost £5.50 and I know a lot of people who will really love this!

I will certianly be looking more at Beauty Naturals knowing that they're such a respected company and the free postage is definitely a bonus! I can see plenty of orders in the future from myself when I've made my way through my current batch.
I do love skin and hair products and some of the masks, facial oils and hair repair products have caught my eye!

Have you bought anything from Beauty Naturals before? Do you have any product recommendations?

You can find their website here if you fancy a browse!

L xxx

So after a lush weekend relaxing with L and forgetting about the world I am back. With a slightly sunburnt back I now have to put after sun on. Luckily I'm double jointed and can just about do it myself.

Anyway onto the products. I've had the face mist for a few weeks now and have been using it after applying my make up to set it and remove any powder look to it. As I mentioned in a previous post I've been using powders like the HD brows one more as my base so I'm not wearing as much heavy make up in this heat. I've enjoyed using the spray over the top. As it states it's moisturising I was worried it would make my oily combination skin even more oily but it just adds a quick refresh. The rose scent isn't too over powering or one to linger which I like. The only thing that would make me prefer this more is if it had more of a cooling feeling on the skin.

As for the balm this pleasantly surprised me. Things that say 24 hour moisture worry me with my oily skin that it would be thick and to be honest I held off trying it for a while. That was a mistake. This is a lightweight more of a lotion formula that has left my skin really soft. It sinks in really easily and hasn't left my skin with an oily feeling. This is one I can see me definitely enjoying more and I'll be using this when I visit L.

The only product I wasn't too keen on was the oil and I think that is a personal preference. It does remove make up easily and is super gentle on the eyes and doesn't sting them which are all good things. The thing I didn't get on with was the slight oily texture once it's been washed off. I'm sure anyone with dry skin would love this as it would help provide extra softness but as I said at the beginning I'm just not a cleansing oil fan.

Do you shy away from certain products due to your skin type? Products like the balm have made me realise I need to stop doing this.
Love M

xxx

Ojon Hair Product Bundle

Happy weekend!!!

I will freely admit that I have scheduled this post (it's currently Thursday night) as I've wanted to write about this bundle for a little while. However this combined with the fact that we also planned to go out last night (Friday) and I just knew I wouldn't be in any state to write a post before we head off to my parents caravan for some beach and BBQ fun!

So fingers crossed we aren't too hungover....as we've bought so much pimms to drink later on!

After hearing a lot about Ojon products the past year or so I couldn't resist when I saw a bundle of products put together in cellophane for a discounted price. I mean who could refuse!

The kit contains:
Full Detox Shampoo 250ml £21
Dry Recovery Revitalising Mist 175ml £20.50
Rare Blend Oil 45ml £30

All of these are full size and the bundle retails separately at £71.50.

I managed to pick this up......for £23.

Yes you read that right, £23!!!! How amazing!

I'd wanted to get my hands on this very pretty and gorgeous smelling oil for a while but couldn't justify the £30 price tag.

But are they worth the cash??

I have been using the Full Detox Shampoo for a few weeks now and have noticed a difference in my hair after using it. After a few washes it definitely feels cleaner than it did previously and so I feel that it has reduced some of the build up that was present on my hair.

As well as being detoxifying and helping you to get rid of oil and impurities it contains the Ojon oil, Macadamia oil and Sunflower Seed oil for nourishment.

I do really like this shampoo and am happy to have tried it as part of the deal. However I don't believe that it is worth the £21 price tag, as I don't think any shampoo can be THAT much better than another retailing for a few pound. I do really like this but i'll be keeping it for special occasions and for when my hair is in need of a product detox.

Next up is the Revitalising Mist which I was really interested in!

This claims to revitalise, rehydrate, detangle and tame flyaways all without being sticky or stiff.

I like the idea of this, and even better that its two products you have to shake up and the spray feels really light going onto your hair and it doesn't feel coated.

It did feel a little sticky on the top but that could be from me being so heavy handed with it.......

My hair does feel more nourished and definitely more hydrated from using the mist, probably as this also contains the Ojon oil the collection is named after.
Essentially its a leave in conditioner but I am always looking for additional moisture for my hair and this one is rather lovely!

Now onto the biggie in the bundle, the rare blend oil.

This 45ml bottle will set you back £30 which is quite a lot!

So does it actually work?

They say:

From tropical Tahiti to the Kalahari Desert in Africa, from the remote rainforests of Central America and beyond, Ojon™ gathered potent natural oils legendary for their "great healing powers" and infused them into 3 hair- phases: Amber, Crystal and Red.

One precious drop of this multi-tasking wonder helps protect, nourish and transforms dull, dry or damaged hair to vibrant health. Hair instantly looks glossier, shinier; suddenly feels softer, silkier, more luxurious.

I love that they've listed the oils on the side of the box, knowing that its a blend and the company aren't afraid to let people know exactly what's in it is great. And I love the desert/rainforest type packaging they have going on, definitely makes it feel a lot more special and interesting.

They have a long list of promises on the box; taming frizz, preventing heat damage, nourishing and encouraging shine all of which you would expect from a super oil.

I do really like the three layer presentation, particularly the colours, and even more when it's shaken up into a milky coral colour.

I should mention at this point that the oil smells reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally nice!!! A bit fruity, a bit tropical but definitely not overpowering. As you will be putting this on your head I'd hate for this to be overpowering as it would be hanging around all day. I think they've got the balance just right.

However I beg to differ about the 'one drop' theory. I know I have long hair but I believe anyone would need more than 1 single drop and I personally end up pouring out a few drops onto my hand to ensure my hair is covered and have never found this to be too much and be sticky.

I thought the oil was lovely, smells gorgeous, looks gorgeous and does help to prevent frizz, boost moisture and possibly add shine. I can't comment on how well it prevents heat damage as I rarely heat treat my hair anymore, probably twice a month i'll style it so my hair is in good condition from that anyway but every little helps!

It was a pleasure to try all of these products for the discounted price in the bundle and I can't say a really bad word about any of them. However I would begrudge paying this amount when there are other products out there just as good for less cash.
My hair seems to respond quite well to cheaper products so I'm lucky in that respect, I certainly can't say the same for my skin!

What do you think of Ojon and their products? Would you fork out the full whack for these beauties?

L xxx

Maybelline's Color Sensational Lipstick in Shockingly Coral

Happy Friday my lovelies!

I hope you've got the Friday feeling today, I certianly have as me and M are going out for some much needed cocktails tonight!!

As expected lipstick is priority number one for us - cosmetic wise that is, the clothes are obviously also important so let's not forget them too!

There's nothing better than turning a pretty dress into a wow outfit by applying yourself some bright lipstick to brighten everything up. Which is where this little beauty comes in!

I've seen these lipsticks in Boots a lot. However I was always in a rush and couldn't ever find what I was looking for so I'd never picked one up. In my lust for a new lipstick I snapped up one that had a jazzy name to my liking - Shockingly Coral - and hoped for the best.

It was in fact a GREAT rash decision and I have absolutely nothing but praise for the lipstick and my alter ego for making me buy it.

The Color Sensational Lip Color range uses pigment technology to ensure a super bright pout enriched with honey nectar for a creamy feel and comes in 24 shades. Which I absolutely never knew and will have to scout them out.

Look at that beautiful colour! It looks nice and creamy even from the bullet and luscious coral shade perfect for Spring and Summer.

On the hand however it does come out rather a lot more pink than the bullet suggests:

Being perfectly honest I didn't particularly care as the colour of the lipstick itself was just so nice and wearable for day, evening and wayyyyy into the night that I just fell in love with it!

Here it is on the lips with flash and without:

Isn't such a gorgeous shade??

I'm 100% in love with it, but i do have a bit of an annoyance with it.....if it's called Shockingly Coral, it probably needs to be Coral and not a pink. they are very distinct from each other and I feel like it's a silly mistake to make, sorry Maybelline!

The colour is beautiful, it feels super creamy and doesn't dry out lips fast than a hydrating lipstick and gives a good 5 hours wear before needing reapplication. 

What do you think of the Color Sensational range? Do you think it should be called a pink and not a coral? What other colours would you recommend?

L xxx