Sunday Summary #20

Long time no speak once again, apologies! Last weekend I was away in Brighton for my friend's hen do so I didn't really get a chance to write my Sunday post up. It was nice to have a break but it was v.tiring due to a few nights out! Unfortunately I couldn't book Tuesday off work to recover so the only chance I've had to really catch up on my sleep was this weekend. I think I'm fully recovered now!

Despite this week only being four working days long, it still felt pretty slow. This weekend was a very chilled one. I had a nice lie-in yesterday morning before heading out for breakfast with Vince. He has booked the day off so we visited an American diner in town for a fry up, yum yum! We also had a look around town and I picked up a few bits that you'll no doubt see in a blog post very soon.

The weather was quite nice yesterday so I spent the majority of the afternoon at the park with my mum and niece and nephew. They both loved going on the swings and kept asking me to push them 'higher, higher', even little Oscar who can't say it properly. I then went back to my mum's with them and promptly fell asleep on the sofa next to Daisy. You'd think the three-year-old might need an afternoon nap, not the 26-year-old!

Today I popped back into town to pick up a parcel and a New Look order as well as spend even more money on things I probably don't really need. I've just got back and had a toastie and salad for lunch, made by Vince, and now I'm going to spend the afternoon blogging and taking photos. I feel very out of the blogging loop at the moment and I was losing interest in my blog, but then out of the blue I received an email from Essence UK telling me I'd won their blog-e award for the month of June, yay! It's not a huge thing but it's so, so nice to have one of my blog posts recognised! I also got a little goodie bag of products too, which I'll no doubt feature and I might even host a giveaway too as there are a few bits I already have!

Hope you have all had a good week and weekend! What have you got planned for the coming week? Let me know in the comments.

No7 Beautiful Skin Energising Mask

No7 Beautiful Skin Energising Mask - £12.50
I didn't really need another face mask…but I had picked up two other No7 products and it was 3 for 2 so I just had to pick up another product. I mean, I didn't have a choice!!

Nothing else was really taking my fancy so I went for the Energising Mask, without realising I had a mini version sat at home that has never been used, oops!

This claims to give skin a bit of a much-needed boost, which is something I've been feeling my skin is lacking recently. I'm sure I've mentioned this before…my skin tends to get used to the products I use and I could definitely tell it wasn't feeling as clear and good as it could be so thought I'd give this mask a go, to try and revive it a bit.

The mask itself is a peel off one, which is so weird, I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I simply apply a thin layer, leave it for 10 minutes and then peel it off, except it doesn't come off all in one go like you're whipping off the mask of a baddy from Scooby Doo, this one comes off in bits, like you've been sunburnt and are peeling, gross, but also satisfying at the same time.

I found I was left with some little bits where I had to rub my skin a bit in order to get it off but overall I was quite impressed with the mask. My skin felt really soft after I used it and was definitely feeling more boosted. I would recommend this as a morning mask, if you have the time for one, as it can really give a little extra boost to your day.

Have you tried the No7 Beautiful Skin Energising Mask? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Essence: The Nudes

(L to R:) Crunchy Cake, Cupcake Topping, I'm Lost in You




Sometimes I find it so hard to choose a nail polish colour. When I don't fancy a pastel or a bright shade I usually opt for something nude. I was recently doing the rounds in my local Wilkinsons, which by the way, is great for cheap beauty products and I spied some new ranges on the Essence stand. What particularly caught my eye was 'The Nudes' range, which are all beige/greige tones with the odd sparkle shade thrown it.

It was really hard to choose which shades to go for but in the end I opted for 'I'm Lost In You', which is a buttery beige, 'Crunchy Cake', which is a gorgeous greige/purple and the best named one of all 'Cupcake Topping', which is a pretty, sparkly topcoat that looks perfect over either of the other shades.

They're really lovely to apply, thick but not thick enough to go horribly gloopy on application. I only needed one coat of each aswell, which I was really surprised about, especially as 'I'm Lost In You' is quite a light shade. They dried pretty much instantly too. 'Cupcake Topping' is such a gorgeous top coat, perfect for a party night out. They're staying power is pretty good too, lasting a good couple of days before chipping. The best part is that they're only £1.80 so you can really treat yourself!

Have you tried Essence's polishs yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Sunday Summary #19

So you'll probably be pleased to see a header image on this post that isn't of flowers from my garden, this week it's a lemur!

Yesterday I took a trip to Bristol Zoo with two of my friends from Uni. We haven't all seen eachother in a really long time so it was really nice to catch up and wander round the zoo. I really liked the Lemur section as it was a walk through so you could literally get within touching distance of them. I managed to snap a few cool pics on my phone.

There was also a walk through butterfl section, which I absolutely hated. I don't really like things like butterflies/moths/bees/wasps. Anything winged and buzzy but I went through it anyway and it was just horrible. They were flying in my face and landing on people. Kids were running around with them on their hands, my worst nightmare! Eurgh, I could not wait to get out of there.

We also got to feed some Lorikeets, which was pretty cool, apart from the fact I nearly got pooed on! All in all it was a really nice day and when we were done with the zoo we took a walk to Clifton Suspension Bridge and had ice lollies. I think I got a bit sunburnt on my head as I had such a headache for the rest of the day and now today my scalp is quite sore! Oops. My feet were also absolutely killing from all that walking.

My ankles are still hurting a bit today. That'll teach me for wearing shoes with absolutely no support. I'm also aching from doing Yoga. Yesterday's workout was particularly strenuous but I am quite enjoying doing it every day. I have had to miss the odd day here and there and I'm going away next weekend so will miss three days of doing it, which is a bit annoying, but I'll just have to pick it up again when I'm back. I am determined to complete the full 30 days.

This week I had spin class after missing a week. I thought I'd find it really hard but it wasn't too bad! There were only two of us in the class as well.

I also had crochet this week and am on to part three of the blanket, although I haven't completed parts one and two yet. I can tell this is going to take much longer than the instructions estimate. Oh well!

Today I'm trying to get my blogging for this and next week done as I won't have a chance next week. I'm also heading to my sister's this afternoon for a BBQ, which should be yummy!

What have you been up to this week? Let me know your plans for next week in the comments…

Catch up on this week's posts:

Five Friday Favourites - blogs

Lip Smacker Walls Mini Milk Lip Balms

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Sweet Lime & Vanilla Musk Fragrance Mist

Pamper night faves

Five Friday Favourites - blogs

As my bank account is currently not allowing me to spend…I thought I'd do a bit of a different Five Friday Favourites post and instead of talking about my fave products, I thought I'd talk about some of my current favourite blogs.

It's so important to regularly read other blogs not only to just see what everyone else is up to/what they're loving at the moment but you can also get some great inspiration and find really helpful tips/new blogs/instagram accounts etc etc. So, onto the faves:

Dorkface
I'm not even sure how I discovered this blog, possibly through Twitter, but either way, I'm really glad I did. I am really enjoying reading Jemma's posts at the moment and the vibrant layout and photography is really refreshing.

Jemma writes about a mix of things from beauty and lifestyle to crafts and art and I'm really enjoying the varying content. Her blog is a little pastel wonderland and one I'm thoroughly loving at the moment.

Pint Sized Beauty
When it comes to blogs one of the first things I notice is a nice, clean layout. Lily's blog is very 'me' and her photography is absolutely gorgeous. It's one of those blogs that makes me want to be able to take better photos. Everything is just clean and chic and the content is a good balance of highstreet and high end products too.

Mascara and Maltesers
Annabel's blog is another absolutely gorgeous, clean and chic blog complete with stunning photography. I love reading her make-up/beauty reviews and really enjoy the mix of highstreet and high end too. I'm not surprised there are almost 4,000 followers as this is definitely one of those up and coming blogs that are going to be huge!

Zoe Newlove
I love, love, love Zoe's blog. Surprisingly Zoe's blog is written in her spare time from being a make-up artist and social media manager, but her blog and content is so impressive you'd definitely think it was a full time thing. Reading the blogs of make-up artists is always super interesting as they always really know what they're talking about. Zoe's make-up looks are always completely flawless and she has the best hair too!

A Little Boat Sailing
I absolutely love Amy's blog and it is one of my daily reads. What really catches my eye about Amy's blog is her photography and how she dresses a product. Her photos definitely inspire me to improve my own skills.

I also really enjoy the fact that there's lots to read in Amy's posts. Lots of blogs are either all about the photography with not many words but Amy has both and her posts are always really interesting to read!

What are your favourite blogs to read at the moment? Let me know in the comments.

Lip Smacker Walls Mini Milk Lip Balms - Good enough to eat

Lip Smacker Walls Mini Milk Lip Balms - £5.99*


Lets take a trip down memory lane shall we? To those hot summer days when you enjoyed a simple mini milk... What was your favourite flavour? Mine was strawberry!

I was recently sent this trio by Lip Smacker and I was so intrigued when they dropped through the letter box. I know they're a total novelty but my inner child loves them, from the pretty packaging to the milky sweet scent.

As you can see the trio includes strawberry, chocolate and vanilla and each one smells exactly like you have a mini milk in hand ready to devour! While they are heavily scented, they aren't heavily pigmented and so apply sheer. Once applied, the urge to lick them straight off is pretty strong, but if you can resist it the lip balms keep the lips moisturised for an hour or so before needing reapplying. I know they're not the latest in lip moisturising technology but they're super sweet and fun. My sister already wants to get her hands on the chocolate one and I expect my niece would like to try one too…

Have you tried the Lip Smacker Walls Mini Milk Lip Balms? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Sweet Lime & Vanilla Musk Fragrance Mist

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Sweet Lime & Vanilla Musk Fragrance Mist - £10

If you remember when the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash came out or if you use it regularly you'll know how absolutely amazing it smells. It reminds me of sweets I used to eat as a kid so I was super excited to try the new Sweet Lime & Vanilla Musk Fragrance Mist, which has been released alongside Fruitigo, Mist You Madly and Orangeasm versions.

I spent a good 10 minutes in Boots trying to decide which scent to go with. Anyone walking down the aisle probably couldn't breath as I'd sprayed them all in order to see what they smelt like. Finally I decided on the Sweet Lime & Vanilla Musk mainly because it was so similar to the body wash and because it was the most powerful smell and therefore I think one of the longer lasting ones.

While this is branded as a fragrance mist it still instructs you to spray on your wrists and use as a normal perfume so I guess you can say you're getting a very decent sized perfume for just £10. I apply this in the morning and spritz it all over myself. After a few hours you can still smell it faintly on your clothes and skin so this is a definite winner for me. That sweet lime, vanilla and ginger scent is just absolutely delicious and uplifting. Not for everyone but if you love fruity, fizzy scents then you'll love this.

Have you tried the new Soap & Glory Fragrance Mists? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Pamper night faves

Every Sunday night I like to wind down before the start of a new week. I like to have a bath with lots of bubbles, lots of moisturising bath products and maybe a bath bomb too. I like to lay in the peace and quiet without the distractions of TV or phones and once I get out I like to have a little pamper session.

All week long my skin is covered in products and make-up so on a Sunday night I like to treat it. I recently bought one of the new Origins Facial Brushes, which are an absolute bargain at £5. It's really sweet and dinky but is great for working away all the dead skin cells that have built up over the week and it really helps to leave your skin feeling nice and fresh.

Once my face is nice and cleansed I tend to follow with a moisturiser. The GinZing Energy Boosting moisturiser is probably not the best one to use at night up as you want to be on your way to sleep, not bouncing about full of energy but I feel like any boost to my skin is good, no matter what time of day. As if the moisturiser wasn't enough, I usually follow this up with a face mask.

It depends how I'm feeling on the night as to which one I use but the one I use regularly is the Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask, which I pop on after my bath. It's one you can put on and leave to soak up through the night so in the morning my skin is feeling lovely and smooth.

I sometimes have real problems/anxiety about sleeping on a Sunday night. I guess it's to do with the thought of a new week and that 'back to work' feeling but I've found that having a night time routine really helps. Having a nice bath and pampering myself helps to ready me for bed - I'd definitely recommend it!

What's your pamper night routine? Let me know in the comments.

*PS - this post isn't sponsored, I just really, really like Origins!

Sunday Summary #18

Last week was a big fat fail! It got to writing my Sunday post and I got as far as 'nothing much to report on this week' and closed the browser and put my laptop down. I've said this a few times but I not really feeling it with my blog at the moment. I'm thinking I need a big 'ol content rehaul and makeover (although money won't really allow a layout change) and today I'm feeling much more like I want to blog after a few little ideas started to flow last night.

It's getting to the point where I need to make the decision, either stop the blog completely or commit to it. Not that I haven't been committed before but after 6 years (yesterday was my blog birthday!) it feels like I'm not getting very far with it…I've seen other people start a blog and completely takeover the blog world with it all in less time than it's taken me to make this tiny little mark on the blog world. Instead of comparing myself to other blogs (big blogger no, no!) I'm instead going to carry on regardless and just enjoy doing it again.

Anyway, blog moan over. This week was only 4 days long but it felt like 5. I missed spin class this week as I was invited to one of our work client's tasting session at their new cafe. The food was delicious so definitely worth missing spin class for, haha! I will be returning next week though and I expect it's going to hurt this time around! I haven't missed a class since starting in February so it feels really weird!

Last week I also started the 30 days of Yoga with Adrienne program. I haven't really stuck to it daily as I've been busy or Vince has been home and I don't fancy doing it in the living room while he laughs at me! I'm not really sure if it's the best thing to start with when you're an absolute beginner as I'm finding some of the positions difficult to get into and I'm really wobbly but I guess the more I do it the better I'll be. I actually did it this morning and managed to get into the Cobra position without getting tangled up.

I was going to start Pilates tomorrow but at the moment my bank account isn't going to allow it. I don't know what on earth I've done with my money this month. I didn't think I had gone spending crazy last week but you always spend more than you realise! Oopsy.

This week coming I also have a crochet class so for that as well as spin and pilates, it would have cost me £15 in classes this week. So either Pilates starts next month or I find some more videos on Youtube. If you can recommend any then let me know!

This week's crochet class is going to be part 3 of the crochet along. I still haven't finished part 2 or even part 1 so I'm getting really behind. There are so many times in the week when I could be doing it at home but I just don't. There's usually something too distracting going on but I really need to find more time to do it or I'm never going to get it finished.

So I have a week of classes to look forward to. Today is my sister's birthday so I think I am seeing her at my mum's today for lunch. Other than that I, of course, have some blogging planned!

What have you been up to this week/weekend? Do you have much planned for the upcoming week. Let me know in the comments.

Five Friday Favourites

I don't know if you've noticed but all of this week's posts have featured products photographed in my bathroom…and this is no exception. It's a good job I cleaned it at the weekend isn't it?! I've actually discovered it's a great place for product photos because it's white and it gets a lot of light through the window. Will have to remember this for the future!

Graham's Natural Shampoo with Manuka Honey*

I don't tend to try a lot of natural/organic product for my hair but I guess these are probably the best types of products to use. I was recently sent this shampoo and the conditioner and thought it couldn't hurt to give them a little try. The shampoo contains natural ingredients suitable for all hair types and it also contains zero parabens. All good.

It's also great for people with sensitive scalps. I have pretty sensitive skin so I would imagine my scalp is pretty sensitive too. I have suffered in the past with my scalp and while I've not really noticed much different with my scalp after use, I do notice that my hair is left lovely and soft as well as smelling great thanks to the manuka honey! The shampoo is a bit pricey at £14.99 but if you're into your natural products then I'd definitely recommend giving this a go.

Aussie Shower Gel Fresh Mate with Eucalyptus

I have been looking for the new Aussie shower gels for ages. I'm a huge fan of the shampoos and picked up the Eucalptyus gel as well as the Ginseng one and both are perfect for giving you a zesty wake-up call in the mornings.

Sometimes with scented shower gels they can leave my skin feeling a bit itchy due to the non-natural chemicals/ingredients but these were absolutely fine and the scent definitely lingers long after you've left the shower.

Soap & Glory Drama Clean 5-in-1 Magnetizing Micellar Makeup Remover

I haven't used a Soap & Glory product in ages but I was looking to repurchase my No7 Make-up remover, which is half the size of this and comes in at £8. The S&G one costs just £6 and is double the size so it was a no brainer really. I've yet to use this as I still have a tiny bit of my No7 one to finish up but I did give it a quick sniff and it smells amazing, of cucumber and peach. Delicious. Will definitely be dedicating a full post to this so keep your eyes open for that one.

Trevor Sorbie Volume Shampoo

Stupidly I realised I've featured this already in my favourites post so I'll keep this short and sweet. It leaves hair soft and with a bit of bounce, pretty much what it says on the tin!

Phil Smith 'Big It Up' Shampoo

I finally found the Big It Up shampoo in Sainsburys of all places! This gives my hair great waves of volume and leaves it feeling lovely and soft too. It contains soy proteins which are ideal for fine/flat/flyaway hair, which is everything my hair is. Would highly recommend!

What products are you loving at the moment? Let me know in the comments.

*Hey, guess what! This post contains a PR sample...