Cornwall Week #5

November 8, 2015 - Vicki 2 Comments

White Wash Cornish Cottages

Sunrise in Cornwall Lighthouse at Mevagissey

Aquarium in Mevagissey

Mevagissey Harbour

Newquay Coastline

The Red Lion Pub

Charlies Coffee Shop Charlestown

This week has been quiet and I think we have found our rhythm into rural life. Daily coffee shop visits & buying our fruit & veg from little stalls at the road side & paying into an honesty box – I Iove that! It has been so warm & feels nothing like October / November its so bright and feels more like Spring. I’m sure the colder weather is on its way.

We are driving up to Manchester & then on to Scotland at the end of the month so we are trying to get all our work up to date so we can enjoy spending time with family & friends. We are spending Christmas back here in Cornwall which will be our first Christmas just the two of us in 15 years. We are usually the ones driving up the motorway on Christmas Eve / Boxing Day on a 600 mile round trip to visit family and this year we want a quiet low key Christmas just the two of us in our own home. Bliss.

Arran Aromatics

November 6, 2015 - Vicki 1 Comment

I have recently been introduced to a lovely Scottish brand called Arran Aromatics, which started back in 1989 on the beautiful Isle of Arran by a husband & wife (there is something quite romantic about that). Over the past 20 years the brand has gone from strength to strength and is dedicated to producing affordable quality products. I have been trying out two products from their incredible range and I’ve been blown away with how effective and luxurious they’ve been.

After The Rain Bath Salts*

These bath salts come beautifully packaged and look lovely out in your bathroom. I wasn’t prepared for just how incredible they would smell. I emptied a good amount into my running bath, closed the door & pottered about for a couple of minutes whilst they dissolved in the water and by the time I went back into the bathroom the whole room smelt of the most soothing and calming scent. Even my husband commented on how good they smelt.

So these bath salts are part of the After The Rain collection and the scent is an Arran Aromatics best seller, its easy to see why. After the Rain fragrance blends citrus top notes of lemon, and essential oils of lime and mandarin with rose, musk and precious woods to form the heart and base notes of the fragrance. I like that its a combination of floral, citrus and more masculine musk and woods, its such a wonderful blend. I love the scent that much that I will be purchasing the candle and the body lotion. The scent was so soothing and I felt relaxed after my bath.

The After The Rain Collection has something for everyone from bath salts to perfume so make sure you take a look.

Sea Mud Cleansing Mask*

This mask is from Arran Aromatics Feel Good Formulas which is an everyday body care range with natural-inspired traditional ingredients, extracts and essential oils, which are centuries old – yet bang up-to-date, allowing you to enjoy positive benefits from head to toe! This Mud Mask is a great way to pamper the skin and draw out impurities and balance oils leaving your skin looking radiant and feeling clean. Its like your traditional Mud Mask and you apply a generous amount to clean skin & leave it on for about 10 minutes, I never let my mud mask dry completely I like to wash it off just as it starts to set, that way my skin never feels dry and tight when I wash it off. I remove it using a warm damp cloth & I love how smooth and soothed my skin feels after using this.

This Sea Mud Mask contains natural Kaolin to draw out impurities and replaces lost minerals, whilst essential oils of Bergamot and Mint act to tone and revitalise, protecting against oiliness and spots, leaving your skin clean and conditioned. So your skin is in good hands!

What products have you tried from Arran Aromatics? I’d love to hear your suggestions. Oh and they have a lovely selection of Christmas gifts including an advent calendar filled with 24 luxurious treats from candles to shower gels and much more. I am very very tempted by this!

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Products For In Between Hair Washes

November 5, 2015January 14, 2018 - Vicki 3 Comments

Since having my hair cut shorter last year Into a mess cropped bob I find I don’t need to wash it as often & so I have been using a lot more products in between washes & I thought I would share with you a few of my favourites.

Macadamia Professional Anti Humidity Finishing Spray*

This is a product for all those people who need help fighting the dreaded frizz. I normally wear my hair curly which is how it dries naturally & there is a fine line for me from curly to out right frizzy. Whether its the damp or humidity my hair will go instantly frizzy in these conditions & it’s such a pain. This product is lightweight and shields hair from moisture and humidity, you spray it on to dry hair and it gives a slight hold to your hair but not like a hairspray. It’s not tacky and it doesn’t leave your hair feeling weighed down at all. It helps maintain your style without leaving your hair feeling like it has a lot of product in. This also has a number of benefits for your hair too,

Macadamia Oil – Omega 7,5 and 3 fatty acids provide weightless moisture
Argan Oil – Omega 9 fatty acid repairs and strengthens
Proprietary Copolymer Blend – A water resistant film-forming barrier that protects the hair from weather and humidity
Vitamin E – Offers antioxidant protection against environmental aggressors and helps to maintain healthy, shiny hair
Hydrolized Soy Protein – Strengthens hair fibre; adds shine and smooths hair

So your hair is in good hands. This would be a great product to use when you have an important date or event! Maintain your style for longer.

OGX Hydrating Macadamia Oil Dry Styling Oil

This a dry styling oil from OGX and this is so hydrating and keeps my curls looking bouncy and healthy. You need so little product which is great & this is a product you put on damp hair but I also use this on dry hair to revive my hair, especially when it’s looking a little dry. I only put it through the length & ends of my hair and it stops the annoying flyaway hairs, it never makes my hair looks greasy or weigh it down. For an oil it’s quite lightweight but just remember less is more.

Macadamia Oil – Hydrates and smooths dry hair
Sugar Cane Extract & Bamboo Extract – Soften and helps reduce the appearance of split ends

Colab Luxe Shine*

This is a party season must have. It’s a finishing spray that will leave your hair looking silky soft and glossy.This is such a great product, especially if like me you don’t wash your hair daily & want it to still look fresh. So I like to use it on 2nd and even 3rd day hair almost like a dry conditioner & it revives my dull locks. This luxe shine spray is infused with a nourishing blend of precious oils, silk extracts & shimmering diamond dust, so perfect for achieving the perfect party hair look! Oh & this smells incredible. This is the newest addition to Ruth Crilly’s Colab range & I love it.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

Such a popular product & a lazy girl’s best friend. Gone are the days when 2nd-day hair meant greasy unmanageable locks. I use Batiste so much & find that if I put a little in my hair overnight I wake up with hair that looks clean and has body. I have purchased this countless times & always have a few cans on the go. I don’t really have a preference as to what scent I buy I tend to get the one that is on offer.

Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray

I have had this for a while now but I tend to use it to give texture to my wavy hair without making it feel crusty or dry. I find sea salt sprays much of a muchness, to be honest, & don’t want to pay a fortune so this travel size one has lasted me a good couple of months. It’s nice sometimes to have a bit of texture and wear my hair less sleek & polished looking but I do find if I use this I will have to wash my hair the next day so I tend to use this when I know my hair needs washing.

So what products do you use in between washing your hair, either to revive greasy hair or add a little texture or shine to your locks? Let me know in the comments what products you would recommend.

Glo & Ray Makeup

November 2, 2015January 10, 2018 - Vicki 2 Comments

Glo & Ray are a British brand who made their debut in 2012 so they’re still quite a young brand. Although relatively young their products have been so well received and seem to have quite a following. I tried a couple of products from them last year which I still use now but I was excited to try out a few more products from their range.

All three of the products I have been trying have that Glo & Ray sleek, sophisticated matte black packaging. They look & feel expensive and really good quality. They’re durable and well made so you’re not frightened or hesitant to throw these products into your makeup bag & take with you on the go, which is always a plus.

I have been trying out 3 products from them and 2 out of the 3 have bowled me over.

Glo & Ray Mariposa Quartet Eye Shadow in Twilight Nude*

This I really really wanted to love because all the colours are right up my street, you know I love a neutral eyeshadow but unfortunately I found the colours looked beautiful in the pan but the colours just didn’t translate well on to my eye. The pigmentation just wasn’t there. I have tried another quad from Glo & Ray and that was the Golden Dunes quad and I would totally recommend that one. I just found all four colours in this quad to be a little chalky and underwhelming. Maybe I got a duff palette but I just couldn’t get these to look pigmented at all, as you would expect the darker two shades were easier to work with but they were still not great.

Glo & Ray Nuage Solo Blush in Luna Maroon*

These Glo & Ray solo blushers are so beautiful this is my second one and its equally as pretty and pigmented as Star Dust. This Luna Maroon (love that name) is a stunning peachy pink with an almost gold luminous finish. It gives you a pretty flush of colour and also when the gold catches the light and makes your skin look radiant. Its a blush and highlight all in one product which I like.

Its a really pretty affordable blush, not chalky or hard to blend, its pigmented and long wearing too. You get a good sized mirror in this too so that is always handy. As I said these blushers are just fab and I get a lot of wear from them.

Glo & Ray CC Foundation*

This is by far the best Glo & Ray product I’ve tried to date, its my ideal base. I do love a lightweight foundation that will also cover my imperfections leaves my skin looking luminous and healthy. Its not shimmery or greasy but it makes your skin look even toned and glowing. It also blurs pores and fine lines which is just what I need from my base. This glides on my skin and although the product feels lightweight it gives quite a good medium coverage and it lasts all day (I do powder through my T zone). Its only available in 3 shades and I have the shade 10 which is the lightest shade and this was a little light for me during the Summer but now it is the perfect match & I think it is a great Autumn / Winter Base.

If you’re looking for a new foundation I highly recommend checking this one out.

If you’ve tried any products from Glo & Ray then give me your recommendations in the comments.

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