Paul Mitchell and New CiD Event

Hey All

Hope you've had a good weekend. Mine was good but crazy busy. It was so horrible to hear about all that was going on in the world on Friday and our thoughts are with everyone involved as well as Frances Cassandras family. The blogging world has lost two great ladies far to soon.

Today's post is about an event we were invited to on Thursday evening at the beautiful St David's hotel. I'd never been before so was excited to see it. It's such a talked about hotel and I've only heard good things so couldn't wait to see it from the inside.

The event was held in one  of the rooms which had a lounge area, bedroom and bathroom as well as a balcony with these amazing views. How lush to wake up and enjoy a morning cuppa over looking the bay. We were treated to some very tasty canapes (I'm a huge fan of mini yorkshire puddings and even got to try quail eggs!)

Onto the event. All around were products we could look at and play with. How gorgeous are the Rose gold straightner set. We got to see these in action and they worked amazing. We were both totally in love the Paul Mitchell Nude wands. They seemed a great size for creating loose waves.

New CiD is a brand of make up I've tried before. My mum has one of the baked blushes and it's the prettiest colour ever. I always borrow it when I'm home. Above is one of the bronzers. Whilst we were there we were taught make up and hair tips and interestingly the bronzers and blushes are made me swirling pigment onto a terracotta stone and then they are baked for 24 hours. I love random facts like that. I'd love to see a make up factory from the inside. The eyebrow pencil made it into my everyday favourites back in 2012 (post here) and I've since repurchased and still love it.

Here are some of the gorgeous hair styles created. How amazing is the plait. L has amazing long hair and is always looking for ways to get the effort loose waves shown above so was pleased to learn some trick. Basically tight ribbon curls (so the hair is flat against the wand, in about one inch sections) are done all over the head and then brushed out. The finish is amazing.



Another product we got to see was the new Ultimate Colour set. Which uses Quinoa to lock in colour and help keep hair in great condition. As someone always dying their hair and can't wait to try this set out.

We were also lucky enough to leave with a goodie bag, We'll be sharing our reviews on these products once we've got to test them out.

Have you got any Paul Mitchell or New CiD product favourites?

Thanks for having us at the event!

Love L and M 

xxx

      

MAC Lipstick in Syrup

Hey there!

I've been working my way through my stash for an extremely long time - saving up my empty MAC products so that I can do the 'Back to Mac' deal that they have going on is one of my favourite things.
I love going into the shop with my empties and coming out with a free lipstick!

There are so many more lipsticks that I need to try and Syrup was the most recent addition.

MAC describe Syrup as a cloudy pink, it's a muted down soft pink with a lustre finish. It's quite a sheer finish, and so because of that is the perfect workwear lipstick. It can be built up and layered to give a deeper pink on the lips, it's also really moisturising and as so you can wear this all day without getting those dreaded flaky lips that can happen with matte finishes.

It's super comfortable and easy to wear, what's not to love!

It's almost a contender for a 'your lips but better' shade. When I was choosing my lipstick this time I tried a few that others rave over but unfortunately they just didn't seem to look right on me at all. This pinky shade seemed to make my skin look brighter which is always a bonus!

Here's a few snaps with the lipstick on:

Soft pink, super wearable, comfortable and flattering on many skin tones I would imagine.

Syrup is a winner in my eyes!

Have you bought Syrup? Which has been the latest lipstick to add to your collection?

I've no idea what I'd choose next! Any suggestions for your favourite wearable day shades like this?


L xxx

Elemis Skincare Essentials Travel Collection

Hey All

Last month we were lucky enough to attend a spa day at Celtic Manor, you can read our thoughts on that here. Whilst there we were spoilt with some Elemis goodies. As a big fan of spa days I've used a few Elemis products already so was pleased to some some of my favourites in the set.

We were given the skincare essentials travel collection which contains everything you need for a break away. It costs £39 and can be purchased from the Elemis website.

With no product being over 100ml is perfect for breaks away when flying as well. I think when people go away they tend to skip on skincare products where as this kit have everything you need. 

The Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser and the Soothing Apricot Toner are two products I'm actually using the full size of at the moment. The cleanser just melts away make up and leaves the skin feeling so soft. As it bonus it's anti ageing too. I'm a big toner fan, they make a big difference to my skin and I find when I don't use them I get spotty. This has an amazing smell to and feels so refreshing on the skin. I'm actually saving these skincare bits for when I go away hopefully in September so I've not used the exfoliater and day cream yet.

The Elemis Frangipani range was one I'd heard so much about so was so glad to get to use it. This smells amazing and sinks into the skin leaving it feeling so soft. They shower cream and scrub are also great but for me are a great luxury treat but not something I'd repurchase as full size.

This is the third of the hand cream I've had and I love it. I'm a firm hand cream promoter as I think hands age a person and are probably one of the neglected body areas. I also work in a laboratory environment so my hands end up feeling really dry.

This is a great gift, a pre holiday treat or a way to test out products. I love it when companies do a great range of decent sized minis so you can get a real feel of the product.

Have you tried any Elemis products? What's your favourite? I do also fully recommend the Pro-collagen Marine Cream.

Love M

xxx

Hello Fresh and £20 discount code

Hey All

Hope you've had a good weekend! L and I have been to a friends baby shower this weekend and then I've been in Somerset with my family.

Lately life always seems so busy and me and the other half always seem to spend loads on food by going to the supermarket hungry or because we eat out. Some evenings by the time we're ready to cook it's 8/9 pm and sorting out food seems hassle.

I saw an advert for Hello Fresh somewhere (I can't remember where now maybe a free thing that came through the door) offering £20 off the first box. So £19 for 3 meals for 2 people delivered to the door seemed a pretty good deal.

Hello Fresh is a meal delivery service that delivers what need for the meals. You can chose 3 meals for 2 or 4 people or 5 meals for 2 or 4 people. Then everything you need gets delivered to you with the exception of olive oil and salt and pepper.

I thought I'd share with you the first box we got. Since recieving the first box we've gone on to have about 5 or 6 more and they are currently on hold as my other half is in Africa for the next couple of weeks.

The boxes have always been delivered on a Tuesday and two of these have been bank holidays but the food has always been fresh and the well packed (with the exception of one piece of ginger in one of the boxes that was too small and had dried a little!). The meat and things that need to be refrigerated are in a wool bag with a cooling gel.

Most of the meals take between 25 - 45 minutes to cook and come with simple easy to follow recipe cards. The timings are pretty accurate and the meals have all been easy and quick to cook and for ingredients that aren't so common there are tips on how to use that product. The food all seems great quality and is sometimes organic. I was pleased to see the chicken in the boxes we've had has been free range (I've got my parents loving the boxes too and since my mum has had them she's not enjoy chicken breast from the supermarket as it's just not as juicy she says!)

The first meal was a lush mix of peppers, tomoatoes, onions, chorizo, quinoa and feta. We split this into three meals and had it for lunches. It was so tasty. We've really noticed the difference between using fresh herbs and things like stock pots!!

The stir fry was so simple but so full of flavour. The fact veggies are picked for when there in season really makes a difference and the flank steak was such an amazing quality with no fat on it and so juicy!

Here are a couple of other meals we've cooked. We've totally become addicted and after two boxes you get 3 free box codes for friends.  I was curious to see the price so plugged in as much of a comparison as I could on Sainsburys last week. It was a touch dearer than a full price box but you would have had things like vinegar left over. For the convenience we've really enjoyed the boxes and actually think we are probably saving money as we've not been great with planning. Our plan is to enjoy a few more boxes then use the recipes and be better at meal planning. We've loved Hello Fresh. If you fancy trying a box you can use this code (QT49ZU) for £20 off your first box. If you order a original box there is also meal swap options. Have you used a food delivery service like this? Would you? Love M  xxx