Brown & Harris Vintage lovelies!

Who doesnt love a bit of vintage? Brown & Harris are a brand who specialise in vintage-style English toiletries. The range comes in 3 scents, English rose, Lavender and Lily of the Valley.


From shower creams and soaps to drawer and wardrobe freshners. This range is cute and takes you right back to grandmas bathroom! The wardrobe sachets went straight in my cupboard, every morning I get a whiff of fragrance when I stand for ages trying to decide what to wear! It makes the whole 'I have nothing to wear' process so much easier!

For nostalgia courtesy of Brown & Harris, log on the their website here, or click onto QVC. If you buy now, they will be here in time for Mothers day! Prices start at just £4.99.



xoxo

Mothers Day, Sanctuary Spa Style

Mothers day is just around the corner. What better way to spoil the mums than a bit of pampering!


Sanctuary again come up trumps with their offers!

It’s the one day mums get to truly relax so make her day extra special with a day of luxurious pampering at The Sanctuary Spa, Covent Garden. The UK ’s No 1 ladies only Day Spa has a great range of spa packages for two, so why not go with her - it’s the perfect excuse for a girly catch up.

This Mother’s Day you can take advantage of our limited edition spa package offers:

Day Spa Normal Price- £69 Offer Price- £53.82

Champagne Day Normal Price- £130 Offer Price- £104.00
Sanctuary Escape Normal Price- £193 Offer Price £154.40

Girls Delight Normal Price- £310 Offer Price- £248.00

Take the Spa away with you…

Unwind & Relax with an ‘at-home’ treatment for some well-earned Me Time.

Indulge your mother with a beautifully wrapped ‘Spa Time Treat’ from the Sanctuary worth £10 when you spend £10 or more in Boots until 3rd March.

Packed with mini Spa Essentials goodies, this magnificent box is sure to delight and includes:

Spa Essentials Bath Float 75ml

Spa Essentials Body Wash 75ml

Spa Essentials Salt Scrub 60g

Spa Essentials Body Butter 50ml

Warming Charcoal Detox Mask 15ml

Exfoliating Body Mitts

A £3 voucher for your next purchase of any Sanctuary skincare products

Monetary Gift Vouchers in values of £25, £50 or £100 and a wide range of day and evening spa packages are available at The Sanctuary Spa

Fancy a treat myself...

xoxo

Lee Stafford Matt Fat Powder

So by now, you are fully aware of my quest for volume. When a powder promises 'Bardot Film Star Hair', I'm on it.
This is a powder that is packaged in a salt shaker type pot. It is a matt powder that contains a 'styling agent and sebum/moisture absorbing material' which will dry up oily roots as well as adding volume.

I would compare this to Aveda's Pure Abundance potion. I have been using the Aveda version every now and again since I picked it up in Vegas. They work in the same way and give the same results, in my opinion. There is just one main difference. The Aveda version forms a paste and goes hard. The Lee Stafford one doesn't, it grabs the roots and lifts them with no stickiness.
In my book, the winner is Lee Stafford. Factor in the price difference too, LS priced at around £5 for 10g with Aveda at £17 for 20g.



xoxo

London Fashion Week A/W 2010

So LFW kicks off  very soon. I am sure you will lusting over the hair and make up that will be created as much as I wll be!

My favourite hair brand, Sebastian Professional is sponsering House of Holland at LFW. Any looks you see can be recreated with these amazing products. They are by far one of the best hair ranges out. Good choice Henry!


Other looks to keep your eyes peeled for...

Herbal Essences are sponsering PPQ who's show will be on Saturday 20th February at 8pm...for anyone who will be around. Herbal have just launched their 'beautiful ends' range which will be great leading up to summer for those frazzled ends.

So whoever said catwalk looks can't be recreated....were lying!

xoxo

Aveeno Moisturising Creamy Oil

Aveeno isnt a brand I had really heard of before or tried.


I was sent the moisturising creamy oil which 'moisturises like an oil, absorbs like a cream'.
What they say-

'AVEENO® uses naturally active ingredients from nature which are proven to benefit the skin. Oats have long been known for being absorptive and hypoallergenic, whilst softening, cleansing and soothing the skin. In 1945 scientific advances made way for the fine milling of oatmeal into “colloidal oatmeal”. This allows oatmeal to retain its naturally active benefits, which include:

· Moisturising skin: Oat proteins leave a protective barrier on the skin, which prevents water loss to help maintain moisture.

· Cleansing dry skin: Oats are naturally absorptive and when in powder form, act like tiny sponges to withdraw dirt and dead skin cells so they can be rinsed away.

· Soothing dry, irritated skin: Colloidal oatmeal has been clinically proven to relieve dry skin and associated itching.'

This smells of cherry bakewells and contains sweet almond oil, which cant be bad! The consistency is in between a butter and a lotion. It absorbs really quickly and leaves a nice glow to the skin as well as a nice smell! I never had used an oil type product to moisturise before but I was pleasantly surprised. I always thought that oil would leave a film on my skin that I would just want to wash off. My skin stayed moisturised all day with no film and this didnt give me an artificial moisture. It felt like it had moisturised under the skins surface rather than left an artificial surface. The bottle itself has a pump dispenser which makes life that bit easier. No scooping out too much product!

For winter however, I prefer something a bit thicker. This will be perfect for Spring and Summer so I will be looking forward to using this more as the year goes on. It works well with fake tan too...bonus! You can bet that this will be featuring in my summer favourites.

Aveeno also have a cleansing range which I would like to try. Shower gel and body wash...thats just asking for an excuse to have a long hot bath!

You can buy the Aveeno range at Boots.



xoxo

BRIT Awards 2010

Today marks the 30 year anniversary of the BRIT awards.


Its all about who's wearing what and you can bet Heat magazine will be out in force to beat down those celebs.

Official sponsers this year include...

Sanctuary Spa- keeping those nervous and stressed celebs calm backstage with massages and facials...jealous!

Revlon will also be providing manicures. Any colours you see, you can bet they are from the new Spring Summer range and will be hitting our shelves soon.


xoxo

Lee Stafford 'Bling' Wake Up Call

I have blogged about Umberton Gianini Beauty Makeover spray before. I love it. Its perfect for refreshing my hair and my extentions. I have only every seen Umberto Giannini with product like these in their range. It always seems that I find a product like this that I love and then they discontinue it. When I was sent Lee Stafford Bling, Wake up Call. I got excited. Could this be an alternative?

They say 'simply spritz this clever little multitasker onto dry hair' So thats what I did. The liquid sprayed finely over my hair, just enough to make it damp. It dried with a bit of jzeush and teasing from me to boost volume a bit. One minute later, I am left with re-styled hair and ready to rush out the door. Not only did my hair feel refreshed but this added more texture to it, giving me a rougher look which I love. This will be the sea salt in it. This also neutralizes odours, perfect if you wake up after a night out and dont have time to wash your hair. Yes, its pretty gross, but it happens! With this product, you dont have to worry about people finding out about your late night!
Although I love this on my hair, I used it on my extentions and didnt love it as much. Because it adds a coat to your hair creating the texture and boost it needs, this didnt work well with my extensions which I like to keep soft and managable. It was fine for that day, but I wouldn't be able to go onto day 2 with this on them. So a quick wash of them and they were back to normal.
I have been using this most days to create the texture I am after. It even looks great with up do's. The twist and clip styles that get me through the week have looked better than ever with this.

This is now a permanent addition to my everyday hair routine. You can buy this in Boots for £5.49. Lee Stafford is currently on 3 for 2.

Have you used this? Or something similar?



xoxo

Sebastian Professional Penetraitt

Sebastian are a brand I have used before, mainly their styling and care products. When the shampoo and conditioner arrived, I couldnt wait to wash my hair. I love their products. There isnt any product of theirs that I have used that I havent loved.
The shampoo and conditioner I used is from the Penetraitt range for coloured hair. The claim to 'strengthens stressed hair against damage. This system helps reduce breakage and remove impurities leaving hair clean, soft and bouncy.'
Shampoo- This is a creamy formula that lathers really well but doesn't leave my hair squeaky clean. The first time I washed this out, my hair felt like it had already been conditioned. It really feels like it cleans while looking after my hair.

Conditioner- As my hair already felt amazing, I used a small amount of this on the lengths of my hair. The formula is quite thick but glides through the hair nicely to coat it for a good conditioning. When this is rinsed out, I cant even describe how nice it felt. I honestly have not had my hair feel this nice since before I started dying and using heat all those years ago.

This range, as with all the products in the Sebastian Professional line are amazing. They retail at £12.00 for the shampoo and £14 for the conditioner. In my opinion, this is money well spent.There is also a masque in the range which retails at £18.25. I think it is safe to say I will be repurchasing this. I wonder if they have a volume range....





xoxo

Valentines Day - Mother Nature's way

She's back! Just when you thought she was gone forever. Mother Nature is back on the scene to ruin Valentines Day.

Hate valentines? So does Mother Nature. You can send your friends Anti- V Day cards on facebook.
Check them out, I've been sending them to my girls!


xoxo

Tangle Teezer...sent by Angels

Hair Angels that is!

One product that I am convinced helped me to grow my hair was the Tangle Teezer. This was featured on Dragons Den.
It is the best detangler I have every come across. I havent got rid of my normal brushes that I use for styling, but day to day care, I use this. There is no ripping, pulling and ultimately, no damage.
Not only does this work wonders on my natural hair, this helps keep my extensions healthy for longer.

You can buy these form Boots or Asos. I did have a black one, but it went missing :( so I picked up the hot pink...of course!



xoxo

Sanctuary Spa Valentines Offer

Sanctuary are running another top offer ready for Valentines day!


But you need to be quick! You snooze, you lose!
Take advantage of The Sanctuary Spa’s vouchers and e-vouchers this February, which start from £99 for an Evening Bliss voucher to £310 for you and a friend to enjoy the Girl’s Delight package. Hey, it’s the perfect excuse to preen yourself before a hot date so why not share some girl time with your best friend in the process?!

Need another excuse to spoil yourself? Well from the 2nd to 11th February 2010 you can save 15% off gift voucher spa packages and 20% off the admission rate of your day*. Feel preened to perfection knowing that you have saved some cash….which can go towards an outfit for that date!

You can even pick up some Sanctuary massage oils at reception when you leave…..

Girl's Delight

Sunday - Friday inclusive.

Includes full use of the health spa facilities; the beautiful Koi Carp Lounge, Atrium Pool, Exercise Pool, Spa Pools, Sleep Retreat with Sound Wave Therapy beds, Heat and Steam rooms.

Two 50 minute Face or Body Treatments

(1 x 50 minute treatment per person or visit)

Two 2-Course Lunches

Two Sanctuary Gifts

Evening Bliss

Monday*, Wednesday - Friday inclusive 5pm - 10pm

Includes full use of the health spa facilities; the beautiful Koi Carp Lounge, Atrium Pool, Exercise Pool, Spa Pools, Sleep Retreat with Sound Wave Therapy beds, Heat and Steam rooms.

· 25 minute Face or Body Treatment

· Supper

· Sanctuary Gift

*Monday evenings available Oct-May only, subject to change.
Who needs a smelly boy to take them out?! Or...leave this page open for a while...


xoxo

UK Beauty Blog Awards 2010

Ive been nominted for UK Beauty Blog Award 2010 in the 'Everyday Woman Award' category. How excited am I?!

I never even knew I was put forward for a nomination! It would really mean a lot to me if I won. (Cue X factor style music)...

Now the hard bit, I never ask much of your guys...but I was hoping you wouldnt mind clicking on the link and entering my unique code to cast your vote.
My code is EWA1069
You can only vote once though :( boo!
So if you think I deserve to be the winner in this category, please click the link and type my special code in.
Go on...you know you want to. There is also a voters prize worth £100 up for grabs.
You may even get an Oscar worthy speech out of me ;)

I'd like to start by thanking my agent...

Click here to enter my code....



Thank you :)

xoxo

Garnier Tinted Eye Roll On

The new Garnier eye roll on has been out for a few weeks now. I have used the original version and never really took to it. I just found tat it didnt particularly do anything for me. It is a well loved product, but just not for me. When I heard that they had taken their original version and added a tinted concealer, I agreed to give it another go.
The concealer contains mineral pigments which offers 'long lasting, immeadiate coverage' while the caffeine stimulates and the lemon clairifies.
I suffer from dark circles so I am always loading up with concealers and illuminating products. On paper, this should be an ideal product for me.
I have been trying this in different ways to find the best way for it to work for me. At first I tried this over my make up...nice at first but by 10am I needed to reapply. The next day I used it before any make up. This worked so much better for me. I dont think it conceals much, but it definitely illuminates. The 'instant refreshing effect' just doesn't seem to work for me. I will continue to use this for the illuminating effect but to reduce puffiness, the search continues...

You can buy this in Boots now.
How have you found the new eye roll on?

xoxo

Lauren Loves...

Want some Sunday afternoon reading? Hop on over to Lauren Loves to see me featured on her blog.

Click here...now!
Happy reading!

xoxo

Lee Stafford Hot Shots

I am on a big hair growing plight. It's been a year now. My hair is at a decent length but I know I am at a critical point this year, to keep my hair healthy and allow it to grow more! Along the way I will let you know how I get on with hair products, styles and colours!


For now, a little product rave!

Lee Stafford Hot Shots 2 minute miracle repair. These contain Pro-Repair complex. So they have beat Aussie with their 3 minute treatment. Its competitive out there! These 'shots' are self heating and claims to 'improve microcirculation around the hair follicle which enables the follicle to increase its uptake of nutrients which can improve the growth rate and health of the hair.'

In each box you get 3 shots with enough product in each for 1 treatment. You put this on after shampoo and leave it for 2 minutes in which time it heats up and treats your hair. Once you feel the heat, you rinse off and then condition as normal. Hello soft, smooth, hydrated hair. The box says to use these once a week but I think you could use these once a month and then a usual deep condtioner oncec a week. These would work wonders on bleached hair. For really damaged hair, I would recommend these once every other wash until your hair gets some normality back!

You can buy these in Boots :)


xoxo

Australia Day with Aussie...Part 1

Tuesday 26th January was Australia day. As well as hosting an event(more on that in another post), I got to spend some time with Aussie. The event was held in Great Portland Street at 1 Marylebone Street. From the outside, the building looked grand with steps leading up to huge double doors. Inside I signed in (next to guests from glossy magazines!) and walked up the curly stone stairs.

Inside the main room, it looked amazing. Huge chandeliers, a purple(red) carpet leading passed a kareoke booth, a psychic, Liz Taw's hair dressing area and up to a huge bar where there were Aussie style cocktails and wine tasting. Sadly I could only stay a while as I had my event to get to. Luckily I didnt get talked into the kareoke...the room would have been empty by the end! I met some lovely people and a new brand too which I will tell you all about in another post. There wer cute guys serving us burgers and chips like you ave never tasted before!

Below are some pictures of the lovely venue.









Thank you Aussie for a lovely evening!
xoxo

Valentines Day...bought to you by Durex

Valentines day is creeping up on us! Durex have launched a fun new offer just in time :)

Its called Picks & Licks...think of pick and mix but with a twist!

You get to choose from different items to create your own retro candy bag full of goodies. Each item is just £1. Its a great way to try out their products and something fun for your Valentine! Oh and its discreet ;)

You can buy these online from February so place your order quick so you can get it in time for the big day! Click here now. One item you should definitely add to your bag is Very Cherry, it just screams Valentines.


 
xoxo

Lacoste this Valentines Day...

Love is definitely in the air at Lacoste. When you buy one of their 'pink' fragrances you get a heart shaped box with two 15ml fragrances free. Who says you have to drop hint after hint to your other half. You can buy this for yourself as a treat! Then you can unwrap it and pretend it was a surprise! What? You dont do that?... Just me then! And you can save the 15ml bottles for your summer holiday. Save money and baggage space.
There are now 2 fragrances in the pink range. Love of Pink and Touch of Pink. With prices in the range starting at £16 whats not to love about it? This offer runs from January 13th- February 15th so you can go and get yours now.






xoxo