Kamigata Party!

Happy Sunday morning to you all!

Fingers crossed you're feeling pretty fresh this morning and not too hungover....if not, a cup of tea will soon help sort it!

Last week we both went to the Kamigata Aveda salon in St Davids 2 in Cardiff to celebrate their 4th birthday with them. Luckily for us they'd roped in their next door neighbours to help them celebrate and this was none other than Vivienne Westwood so we were treated to a catwalk from them throughout the salon whilst indulging in complimentary treatments.

This is my favourite photo of the evening, all of their clothes in all of their glory!

I NEED that navy dress in my life, what a gorgeous cut! And what gorgeous models too, they had amazing hair which you'd expect in a salon but it really did look so healthy and I wanted to book myself in straight away.

As I've never been to the salon it was lovely to wander round and see all of the treatments they offer. The salon is decorated really well and feels comforting as opposed to clinical which i always prefer.

I had a complimentary eye brow shape and the lady was really nice. I'd attempted to do my own brows a week or so before hand so they needed some attention and she tidied up my mess for me!

The following 2 pictures show my other favourite looks from the night; i do love a good coat and statement bag. I love the black one in particular as black is my friend but the brown coat and bag also look stunning. If only my purse would stretch to VW!

 

The bags and coats on display were generally beautiful, I really loved seeing all the shapes, sizes, colours and patterns of all of them.
I'd love to be able to pull off an outfit like the one below, so pretty and perfect for winter!

I've never seen the infamous Melissa shoes before but they didn't disappoint. There were a variety on show including one with a tartan heart which was so cute for winter!

Amongst other treatments we also had our chakras done which was really interesting and we came away with our very own personalised spray of essential oils to balance our 7 chakras. I love essential oils for their different properties so this was really interesting. Here's Martyne having hers read:

It was a lovely evening and whenever I get paid from my new job I'll be sure to call in and get a treatment done at the salon. They are very professional and I look forward to choosing one from the list!

On a side note....the stylists from Vivienne Westwood were there and wandering around the store at different points. Check out those SHOES!!!

I absolutely love them, what a statement and they look like they're such good quality. I think I'd quite like a pair myself!

Have you tried the services from Kamigata? Are you a Vivienne Westwood fan too?

L & M xxx

Lush Cardiff Event

Hi all!

We've been super lucky recently and have been invited to a few events that we've really enjoyed and can't wait to share with you.

The first one was at Lush in Cardiff and it has been such a long time since we've been there it was really lovely to be invited back.

After meeting everyone and having a quick catch up we were separated into groups. There were three separate stations for us to walk to and have a demonstration and also cake and tea at each station from Waterloo Tea Gardens.

Going to tea rooms is something me and M keep meaning to do and after trying this tea and cake we can be sure we will definitely be going to sample some more!

We wandered around upstairs first and were given a quick chat about the scents from Lush. I hadn't smelt them before but i do love the large squirty bottles at the back of the tray that are used for body sprays, so fun and easy to use!

I love that they also have names like Smuggler Soul and a book to detail the journey behind the fragrances. i will have to go back for a full test but the packaging is very appealing!

A product that we came across but hadn't seen before was the Black Stockings solid body tint; a gorgeous bar that melts on contact with skin and gives the skin a lovely sheen and slight tan. It would be great for use on nights out on your legs for a gleam without being glittery.

As promised here's the cake; lemon and poppy seed, followed by a gluten free orange cake, and lastly a super sweet and sticky chocolate and salted caramel cake.

We also had a variety of tea to enjoy and this one was my favourite. Peppermint tea is my fave anyway but brewed with REAL peppermint leaves from Lampeter (a place in Wales) and a bit of brown sugar and it didn't take much more to win me over anyway!

My hair has been feeling awful after so many years of highlights so recently I've dyed it back to my natural colour but it needs a bit of TLC so I picked up this hair treatment. I'm really looking forward to trying it and getting my locks back to their former glory!

M absolutely loved the Knot wraps that Lush now use instead of wrapping paper. We both thought it was a really nice and environmentally friendly way to give a gift, or as M did, pick one up for herself to use in her hair! There are quite a few options for the prints and colours so you're sure to find one you like and for £4.25 they're a bargain!

We were lucky to come home with a goodie bag too so expect some reviews of these products soon. As well as the hair treatment we received a product from their new sun tan range (Sesame Suntan Lotion), a tester pot of their Dream Cream and the choice of one of their new self preserving products. I chose the Ocean Salt scrub and M chose Mask of Magnaminty so there will be reviews soon!

We also got given a bag of tea leaves from Waterloo Tea gardens so me and my mum are waiting for a time when we're both in to make a pot and test it out!

Do you like Lush products? Have you tried out their new natural sun care range or new self preserving products?

It was lovely to catch up with everyone and hear about the new ranges and smell everything as usual.
We can't wait to try them out and get to Waterloo Tea gardens and samples some more cake and tea too!


L & M xxx

Origins Ginzing Face Mask

Hello there!

Everyone who's anyone has heard of Origins and their fabulous Ginzing range. I'm a bit of a fan myself having loved both their eye cream and face cream and have previously posted about them here and here.

When I had a £10 off voucher sent to me for my birthday I umm'd and aah'd about what to get. I could always buy something from them but I wasn't running out of anything and didn't want to go overboard with my spending.

Eventually I settled on picking up Eye Doctor, my favourite eye cream for my sensitive eyes but wait, what a shame, it required a £50 spend to redeem the £10 off and the eye cream wasn't enough. As soon as my eyes fixed on this face mask I knew it would be my latest addition.

The Ginzing range is all about brightening, refreshing and energy boosting.

With this in mind it was only a matter of time before they brought out more in the range which has proved to be very popular.
This refreshing face mask is designed to be used in the morning, for example during your morning shower, where you can apply to skin for 10 minutes or so before removing.

The mask itself is quite a thick gel mask containing coffee beans for an energy boost, cucumber ot help refresh and Hoelen mushroom to soothe skin. This all combines to give your skin the 'get up and glow' that tired and dull skin needs in the morning.

I've been using the mask a few times a week for the last couple of weeks to see its effects. In the morning i love nothing more than a bit of citrus; things like Original source lemon or lime shower gels are amazing. i absolutely love this wash for the same reasons, citrus scents just wake you up and get you feeling happy! 

Applying this to my face did seem to make my skin feel a bit brighter, whether this was temporary i don't know as i do always put make up on afterwards but my complexion was definitely brighter on a number of occasions after using this mask.

I also think it helped my complexion by keeping it nice and clear; this could be because of leaving it on for 10 minutes at a time and allowing it to fully penetrate the skin but it had a positive effect on my skin.

The tube of Ginzing Face Mask comes in at £23 for 100ml which is quite pricey but if you're only using it a few times a week you shouldn't run out of it too fast. It's a lovely treat and I think particularly over the spring and summer months it's been lovely to use this in the mornings as an extra boost when the weather is occasionally sunny!

For me it hasn't been a necessary part of my skincare routine as I'm already obsessed with Checks and Balances cleanser, Modern Friction and the whole Make a Difference range, plus Night-a-Mins and pretty much all the other masks and eye creams. I'm sure Origins won't mind if I only buy this one when I'm feeling flush, right?

L xxx

Lidl Goodies

Good morning!

Today's post is about some bargain treats that I picked up from everyone's favourite cheap food store....Lidl. Their beaut stock is always a hit and miss, shambles of an area but I've been seeking out some hidden gems in the hair products and felt I needed to share these.



I picked up the Oz Botanics Deep Conditioner and the Macadamia Oil Extract Conditioner both of which were £1 each, absolute bargain.

First up under scrutiny was there Oz Botanics deep conditioner:



First off you can't go wrong with a huge post of what is essentially a hair mask. I dived right in with this one as my hair has been looking a bit nasty recently; highlights, a bit of sun and general wear and tear on my long locks have begun to take their toll.

I jumped in the shower and scooped a load of this onto my head, left it for a few minutes whilst showering and scrubbing before rinsing it out.



It sounded so promising; 'manage dry and damaged hair by smoothing split ends and roughened cuticles'

Sadly this was not the case. After applying this to my hair and rinsing it out the product felt quite thick and sticky on my hands, and my hair just felt coated rather than hydrated.

Even after extra rinsing and drying my hair as usual it felt coated and so I can't say I'll be rushing to use it again! It was worth a try for £1 but this would be a miss from me.



My second pound purchase was the Macadamia Oil Extract conditioner, and I tackled this one with a little less enthusiasm than the first but was pleasantly surprised.





The packaging on this one was a little more inventive and decorative but definitely cheap, the wording was hard to photograph as it was so shiny and the writing was stretched but never mind eh!



After using this a few times my hair has felt nourished and revitalised somewhat and feels considerably better than when I used the deep treatment. I've been using this every time I've washed my hair for the last few weeks and haven't experienced any build up so this was the obvious winner of the two for me.

For £1 for each it's worth buying a few things to try even if they're hit and miss! I've not seen these products in my local Lidl since so they were probably the last few palettes in a job lot, not surprising really!

I think Aldi have a more steady product range in the beauty department and having tried out their skincare before I will have to venture into their hair care too as Lidl seems to be a bit of a gamble......but who doesn't like a bit of risk eh??

Have you tried either of these products? Do you have any recommendations for bargain products from Lidl or Aldi? Or anywhere else for that matter!


L xxx