& Other Stories: Bath & Body

Frozen Verbena Body Scrub, £7; Lemon Daydream Hand Soap, £4

I was in London at the weekend and just couldn't resist nipping in to my favourite

 ever store, & Other Stories. For those of you that haven't heard of the brand before, it is a

 sister label of H&M (and a very chic one at that) along with Cheap Monday and COS. 

& Other Stories is stripped back and more high end than H&M, but still remains relatively

 affordable. The style is simple, clean cut yet still very original.

When in an & Other Stories store I always find myself spending hours in their beauty department. 

They have their own make up, skincare and bath ranges, all of which look as elegant as each other.

I'm particularly taken by their compact powders and blushers as they have a Shakespeare quote from Romeo & Juliet etched into them. Cool huh?

When I was in their Regent Street store on Saturday I couldn't resist picking up a couple of bits

 from their bath & body range. After taking my time and having a good old sniff of pretty much 

everything they have to offer I went for the Frozen Verbena Body Scrub and the 

Lemon Daydream Hand Soap.

All of the & Other Stories body scrubs are amazing as they are really abrasive, so I chose 

Frozen Verbena based on scent alone. The scrub is made up of sugar, which I like as I try to 

avoid plastic based scrubs for environmental reasons. The fragrance of this scrub is refreshing,

 light and slightly floral as it has notes of lime, basil, verbena and geranium. So far after using this

 scrub just a couple of times I am really impressed with the way it polishes the skin and leaves it 

feeling silky smooth. 

I picked up the Lemon Daydream Hand Soap as I thought the bottle would look great next to

 my sink, and I was not wrong. However, after giving this gorgeous hand soap a try I was

 completely blown away. The fresh, citrus fragrance lingers on the skin for ages and leaves you

 feeling really cleansed. Lemon, grapefruit and pear notes all make up this deliciously refreshing

 hand soap.All of the & Other Stories bath & body range is paraben free, which for me is

 another great appeal to these products. I guess the only thing I don't like about both of these

 products is that I will have to wait until I'm in London again to stock up.

Have you tried any beauty products from & Other Stories?

Blow Ltd: The Beach Blow

I have spent the last couple of days in our beautiful capital city, London. After hearing so much

 about Blow Ltd and their speedy beauty services I was determined to get myself booked

 in for a slice of the action. 

Blow Ltd describe themselves as being the home of fast beauty, and they really do live up to this.

 They offer hair, nails and make up updates at affordable prices and in no time at all.

Located in the Covent Garden area of London, it is clear to see from the outset that Blow Ltd

 is not just your average beauty salon. The aesthetics are cool yet understated and everything in there

 is on-trend and up to date.

When I entered Blow Ltd I was greeted by Tanya, my stylist, who sat my down and talked me

 through the menu. For me the menu really is the coolest part of the whole Blow Ltd experience

 as it offers the opportunity to show the stylist exactly what you want out of your blow dry. 

I opted for the beach blow as I was going to a gig later that day (to see the Arctic Monkeys

 at Finsbury Park no less) and wanted something nice and casual. Tanya noticed straight away that 

my hair is a little brittle at the moment and so used the Kerastase reconstructing shampoo

 and conditioner. After washing my hair my stylist took me over to the blow bar where she began

 to dry and create those beachy waves. It took me aback a little when Tanya pointed to an iPad

 mini in front of me and said 'there's some magazines on there if you would like to take a look'.

 Before I knew it I was flicking through the pages of the latest Elle magazine on a tablet, which

 gave Blow Ltd even more cool points in my books.

When my blow dry was finished (in 30 mins flat) Tanya asked me what I thought.

 I had honestly never seen my hair looking so big, voluptuous and glossy. I was impressed!

Tanya assured me that the waves should last well into the evening, and boy was she right.

 My beach waves lasted a good 8 hours, and I think they would have gone longer if it wasn't

 for the beer being thrown around at the gig.

The whole experience was quick but at no point ever felt rushed, which to me seems perfect in a

 city that is constantly on the go. I cannot recommend Blow Ltd enough and next time I'm in London

 I will be booking in to try another great option from their menu.

Have you visited Blow Ltd? What did you try?

Weekend Eats: Cow & Co

This weekend me and Harry decided to make the most of the glorious weather and head

 out on our bikes for brunch. We decided to try Cow & Co, which is just a two minute walk

 away from the hustle and bustle of Liverpool One.

Cow & Co is a quirky little shop that stocks anything from stationary to kitchenware, and 

everything they sell is designed to perfection. They have recently transformed the ground floor

 of the store into a cafe and, after hearing good things, I decided it was next on my 'places to try' list.

Both me and Harry decided to go for a bagel, and they were pretty great choices. Mine was

 goats cheese and home made pesto, and Harry opted for the cheese, ham and pickle. 

We both also agreed that the cappuccino was the best we had ever tasted (quite a statement

 coming from us)! The greatest part of the cafe itself was its extensive magazine collection. 

There is a whole wall full of cool, alternative magazines to read including my particular

 favourite, Oh Comely. 

Although I loved Cow & Co it is definitely a place to go for a coffee and a small bite

 to eat, and not a meal. The relaxed atmosphere of the cafe was so lovely, and sitting outside

 in the sunshine we completely forgot that we were in the center of Liverpool. I will be visiting 

again for sure, even if it is just for their perfect coffee.

Home Bakes: Peanut Butter Bites

If you like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups you are going to absolutely love this recipe!

When I was at a training day recently with work one of my colleagues had baked little these

 little treats for us all. After my first mouthful I was hooked and just had to find out the recipe. 

The recipe is actually one of Nigella's and is so quick and simple to do. 

These little peanut butter bites are perfect with a cup of tea, and even make a lovely gift for 

those with a sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

For the base

50g muscovado sugar

200g icing sugar

50g unsalted butter

200g smooth organic peanut butter

For the topping

200g milk chocolate

100g plain chocolate

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Method:

- Stir all of the base ingredients together in a large mixing bowl either by hand or with an electric 

food mixer. I find this part a little messy as the icing sugar gets everywhere so prefer to

 do it by hand.

- Once the mixture has come together and has a very sandy consistency you can press it into

 a lined brownie tin. Nigella says 'it is quite satisfying seeing the gentle finger indentations in the

 soft, rich mixture' but I'm not sure I agree. What ever tickles your fancy Nigella.

- To make the topping I melt all of the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling

 water on a low heat. Stir this mixture regularly until there are no lumps left.

- Spread the chocolate mixture on to the base and then pop the tin in the fridge to set. 

When spreading on the chocolate mixture I like to leave it looking a little rough around the edges, 

but if you prefer a smooth finish just use the back of a spoon to spread evenly. 

- The chocolate mixture sets fairly quickly, and once completely hardened you can cut up into

 little squares and enjoy. I cut the squares pretty unevenly to give a rustic feel but you could be

 more precise if you prefer.

Will you be trying this recipe? I would love to know your thoughts!

Yes To Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub

Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub, Yes To, £6.99

Yes To are a company that I have only recently become familiar with. I first caught 

wind of them during a Twitter bloggers chat and was intrigued to find out more. I began looking 

into the company as I'm a total skincare addict, but like to keep it all as natural as I possibly can.

Yes To make sure that all of their products are at least 95% natural and paraben, petroleum and

 SLS free. Plus, all the packaging is completely recyclable and the products themselves are cruelty free.

 You don't get skincare better than that, surely?

So, after finding out more about Yes To and their natural skincare range I headed to my nearest

 Boots store to check out the range in the flesh. I was in need of a new facial scrub and was immediately

 drawn to this one from their grapefruit range. My skin tone is pretty uneven and prone to blemishes,

 so this daily scrub seemed perfect for me. 

I have been using this grapefruit facial scrub for around two weeks now and I am really pleased

 with it. Not only does this scrub smell ridiculously fresh, it also evens skin tone and enhances

 luminosity. Made with lemon balm, this scrub helps to calm and repair damaged skin, whilst the 

grapefruit oil brightens and moisturises. After the first use my skin looked brighter and fresher,

 and I could really notice a difference. Although this is a daily facial scrub I try and use it just once

 a week as my skin doesn't need scrubbing too often. Overall, I am really impressed with this scrub

 and am looking to venture further into the Yes To skincare range.

Have you tried anything from Yes To? What did you think?

How running taught me to challenge myself

On Sunday I took part in, and completed, the Liverpool Spring 10K race. This is something I never thought I would be able to do as my fitness levels used to be terrible. There once was a time where I couldn't 

even run on the treadmill for 2 minutes without getting ridiculously out of breath, and feeling like

 I had to stop. I would never thought a year ago that I would be able to run non-stop for a whole

 hour like I did on Sunday. I especially did not expect to enjoy the race quite like I did!

As a result I have found myself wanting to apply for another race in a few months time,

 despite the huge blisters on my feet from Sunday.

So far my running journey has taught me a lot about how to challenge myself and achieve

 my goals. I find running really mentally tough, but in the long run (no pun intended) I always

 end up with a clear, anxiety free mind. Realising that I can push myself to run further than ever

 before has only encouraged me to try and apply this success to other areas of my life. 

Understanding that your mind gives up before your legs do is key to accomplishing your goals

 when out on a run. I find motivational quotes really inspiring before I go out to run

 (or hit the gym) and Pinterest is particularly good for this. I have created a health & fitness

 inspiration board on Pinterest and always check back to this when I need a little lift.

So, what are you waiting for? Get those trainers on and go run!

 Even if it is just for five minutes, you will thank me later.

The Self Preservation Society

 

Lush Cosmetics are a company that famously pride themselves on their natural, ethical

 and handmade products.Where possible Lush try to use only the finest natural and

 organic ingredients in their cosmetics, but do allow for the occasional safe synthetic.

 The safe synthetics (such as methylparaben and propylparaben) are used in cosmetics 

as preservatives to give products that contain water a longer shelf life.

Lush recognised that, although they are deemed to be safe, lots of people don't like to

 use parabens for many different reasons. They are now working on taking their

 range from 70% self preserving to 100%, and have started by adapting some of the most

 loved Lush products.

Dream Cream is up hailed as the best Lush product for many, many people. The incredibly

 soothing ingredients of this hand and body lotion make it great for those who suffer with

 dry skin, eczema or psoriasis. The new self-preserved version of Dream Cream has been

 cleverly re-formulated to provide the same effects as the original for even the most sensitive

 skins. The product inventors at Lush have reduced the amount of water in this product and

 replaced it with a higher olive oil and glycerine content. This has given the formula a richer

 consistency but, as it took 98 attempts to get it right, rest assured this is still the Dream Cream

 you know and love.

 

Good news! Ocean Salt  has not only become self-preserving but also vegan too. To make

 this well loved face and body scrub self-preserving the inventors removed the two

 parabens and three synthetic emulsifiers that were in the original formula. These safe synthetics

 have been replaced with more fine sea salt and glycerine, as both are natural preservatives and

 mango butter and lanolin were added to the mixture to soften and soothe. The product is thickened 

with the added japan wax and avocado butter, which in turn prevents the onset of bacteria.

If I'm really honest I do prefer the original version of Ocean Salt to the self-preserving as ironically

 this one smells a little fake. I also prefer the coarse sea salt used in the original formula , but despite

 this both versions work just as well as each other at brightening the complexion.

 

Mask of Magnaminty is probably my favourite of all these four products. This face and back mask

 is great at unclogging pores and giving the skin a really deep cleanse. To make this a winning 

self-preserving formula Lush have replaced the synthetic preservatives with a higher honey,

 kaolin and glycerine content. When I tried this mask I really noticed a difference in the way 

my skin felt compared to the original formula. Whilst on the face my skin didn't tingle as much

 as usual, which may be due to less peppermint oil, but when I rinsed it off my skin felt smooth

 and supple. To me this self-preserving formula is much better than the original and has quickly

 become one of my favourite Lush products.

 Sympathy for the Skin is the final product released in the recent self-preserving range at Lush. 

This hand and body lotion, which I think smells of cake batter, is a firm favourite due to its

 beautifully light banana and vanilla fragrance. Again, there is less water in this body lotion and

 it has been replaced with a higher almond oil and glycerine content. The self-preserving version

 of this body lotion is much thicker and richer, so if you are looking for a really emollient cream 

this is the one for you.

All in all it is great that Lush are offering their customers the option of using products free

 of safe-synthetics. It is important to note that both the originals and the new self-preserving

 formulas will be available in stores and online.

Do you try to stay paraben free?

Ingredient Focus: Avocado

After my previous ingredient focus post on honey (which you can find here) I had a few people

 tell me that they found it really interesting, and asked whether I would be doing any similar posts.

 I hope to do a whole series of these posts, and so I decided to focus on the benefits of avocado 

for the second ingredient focus post.

Avocado, delicious in its own right, has many benefits for both the skin and the hair. The good fats

 contained in avocados provide many nutrients including vitamins A, B, C and E as well as 

minerals such as iron and potassium. With many health benefits they really are a super food, but I'm

 going to tell you how avocados can help us look great on the outside as well as feeling good on 

the inside. 

Skin: When used as a butter (produced from the flesh of the avocado) the fruit is very hydrating

 as it softens and soothes the skin. If your skin is a little thirsty it will drink up the moisturising

 properties of avocado and will certainly thank you for it later. Avocado also contains

 antioxidants which help protect against free radicals and in turn eliminates wrinkles and prevents

 premature signs of ageing. Avocado oil is also thought to be great for reducing the visibility 

of age spots, fine lines and scarring. All in all avocado is pretty much your skins best friend.

Hair: Avocado oil has been used for centuries in products such as hair conditioners and masks

 as it is nutrient rich and restores health. Dry, brittle hair will benefit from avocado oil as it is

 rich, nourishing and softening. The oil increases the tensile strength of the hair (that is how far you 

can pull it before it snaps) as well as adding a gorgeous shine. 

This healthy, natural ingredient is basically a health and beauty marvel, particularly for those 

with dry or ageing skin. Will you be incorporating avocado based products into your beauty routine? 

My Everyday Make Up Routine

I love doing my make up but as I work 9-6 five days a week I soon found that I needed to
 discover a lasting but quick and simple daily make up routine. I like to keep my day to day
 make up routine simple and my face looking natural, so I keep the amount of products I
 use to a minimum. I decided to show you my everyday make up routine, as I am quite
 boring and stick to the same thing every day.

Face: After prepping my skin with a morning cleanse and moisturise routine I apply the Revlon Photoready
 Skinlights Face Illuminator in Pink Light. I use this to brighten up my skin as it leaves a dewy finish.
Then I use my Real Techniques Expert Face brush to buff the Nars Tinted Moisturiser, in Finland,
 into my skin. The Expert Face brush is a bit of a cult classic in the beauty world, and personally
I have never used anything that has left such an even finish with my foundation. As the weather is
 getting warmer I recently switched from foundation to the Nars Tinted Moisturiser as it is lighter
 and has a high SPF. I finish off my my face makeup by lightly dusting on the Illamasqua 
Translucent Loose Powder using the Mac Duo Fibre Face Brush. Then, using the same
brush, I lightly sweep the Illamasqua  Powder Blusher in Naked Rose over the apples of my
cheeks and up along my cheekbones.

Eyes: After finishing my face I then move on to my eyes and usually start with my brows. I use
 the Illamasqua Eyebrow Cake in Thunder and the Benefit Hard Angle Brush to lightly fill in my
eyebrows and give them definition. I find a powder gives more of a natural finish than a pencil
when it comes to perfect brows. Then I apply a very light dusting of Mac Vanilla Pigment
 (this is such a wonder product!) over the top of the eyelid using the Real Techniques Base 
Shadow Brush . I don't like to wear eye shadow every day but I find that the vanilla pigment
opens up the eye and leaves it looking brighter, which I am all for. I finish off my eyes with a
few coats of Loreal Miss Manga Mascara in Black on both my top and bottom lashes.

Lips: On a day to day basis my make up look is very natural, and so I like to choose a lip
 colour to reflect this. I usually opt for the Mac Matte Lipstick in Kinda Sexy as the shade
 is a neutral pinky-rose and blends well with the rest of my daytime make up look. I love
 the matte look of this lipstick but it can sometimes be a little drying so I finish the whole thing
 off with a dab of the Lush Cosmetics Honey Trap lip balm as is is nourishing and hydrating.

What is your daily make up routine like? Do you use any of these products?