A Great Frenching...

It has been a while, I did keep picking up my camera and taking photo's of various blog subjects, but then never finding the time to sit and edit the photos, write and edit some blogs, and do the usual social media malarky....sorry!

In the run up to my wedding I'm going to try to set aside some time when I won't be stressing out with the upcoming nuptials and distract myself with some writing.

So some of these boxes may be a bit out of date now, but I shall still be giving a fair review on them all, and sometimes it does help to see a bit of what companies have done previously to see whether you'd like to sign up for their future boxes!

It's a battle of the French themed boxes, My Little Box is a company based in Paris bringing some genuine french chic to your door, and Birchbox is a well known company started up in New York but now sell all over the world.

Every box of My Little Box has very different and unique themes, all with a nod towards french etiquettes and styles, this months (well, last months I guess!) is a summer fresh French Riviera box.

In france it's the norm to summer on the southern coasts of the country, this box is the perfect nod to that, and lets me pretend momentarily that I have a summer chateau in St Tropez, not that I'm actually just quite skint generally and can't even afford a trip to Cornwall!

The contents of the My Little Boxes are always so different than what you would expect, it's one of the reasons I love them so much, as they are not the norm so you never know what to expect when it turns up at your door.

This box contained two plant pot holders, both with very cute nautical designs, and they could be used for more than just plants so let your imagination run wild!

I try my best with plants, but as you can probably tell from this photo, I haven't quite got the hang of it yet.

I'm a plant killer.

All the accessories I've got in these boxes have been so effortlessly chic, I almost imagine I could rock a monochrome linen suit with these sunglasses, made in conjunction with Sarah Lavoine, a French fashion designer, and interior designer who specialises in clean lines and slight 60's style.

I have many pairs of sunglasses, but these shall be making their way into my regular rotation.

I'm not always a huge fan of the beauty products in these boxes, simply due to L'Oréal being owner of many various make up brands, and french their products end up in these boxes far more than I'd like them to be.

I am however, always happy to receive the products from My Little Beauty, their own in house range of wonderful products, sadly not available to buy in the UK, but a treat is always tucked into their monthly boxes.

This month it was a sea salt scrub, with an adorable anchor design, which smells super fresh and leaves the skin feeling silky smooth due to its mineral rich sea salts.

Another collab with Sarah Lavoine brings this teal shade of nail polish, the perfect colour to have on the toenails upon a sandy beach!

I've had a subscription to Birchbox before, which I cancelled a long time ago due to just not being impressed. 

It's easy enough to go into stores and collect samples I actually want to try rather than pay for the privilege of getting some I'm not interested in sent straight to my door at £15 a month.

However when I saw this French Sole collaboration I decided to give it another chance, as a fan of French Sole products but being completely unable to afford such products.

Sadly instead of sending some actual shoes, or anything that was really a French Sole product, the box was once again full of samples.

It also had some temporary tattoos for people to try if they feel like being edgy one night, I however have real tattoos so I'm just edgy 24/7...

I have no space to put these fake tattoos, unless I popped them on top of real tattoos.

As well as perfume samples and fake tatts, you can also partake of miniature bottles of oils, if they haven't leaked all over the rest of the box like these ones had that is...!

Cowshed is a brand I do like, mainly vegan, cruelty free and paraben free, they offer a range of wonderful smelling products that are kind to skin and planet.

I will use this whenever I'm next travelling as I have so many shower products in my house!

I'm not one to use mascaras aside from my trusty Lush mascaras, every other I have tried has ended with eye irritation and red eye, so forgive me that I shall not be trying this one to review, especially so close to my wedding! 

Bridal pink eye, anyone?!

The only actual French Sole item in this box was a striped shoe bag, I'm assuming as it was possible to choose from three box patterns, this affected the shoe bag you received, but it's still a bit of a let down.

I don't have the French Sole shoes to put in it, and Primark ballet flats aren't quite so deserving of the outer label.

There was some French Sole shoes available at a slight discount of the Birchbox website, the ones I wanted seemed to not be discounted however, and there wasn't much of a discount on the others either.

All in all, I'd kinda like my £15 back please.

My Little Box wins this round, yet again!

Pull your socks up, Birchbox.

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Bloglovin'

Lush Oxford Street Exclusive Products...

Any Lush fanatic is probably aware by now about the new and largest Lush that recently opened on Oxford Street.

Alongside opening this three floored store, with a large spa and perfume area on one floor, bath bomb floor that also has a large fun station, and a floor full of every product you could ever need, there are also over 200 exclusive products that are currently only available in the Oxford Street store.

This has lead to many of us Lush addicts making the pilgrimage down and spending hours and hours (about 3 or so hours this trip...!) in the store investigating all the new and exciting products on offer.

As you can see I did get quite an epic haul, but I could have bought so so so much more!

I had heard so many things about Jersey Bounce (£12.25), a shampoo designed to save us limp haired ladies like myself, it gives a boost from the roots while adding some protein and nourishment and shine with honey, eggs, and olive oil.

 My hair felt huge, and lead to me sending multiple selfies to my friends and boyfriend as my hair is usually a nothing wisp about my head, and I'm totally going to buy one of the 1kg giant pots they sell in Oxford Street on my next trip.

There are a few hot oil treatments, all of which come on a stirring stick to melt it in hot water making a warm hair mask.

I decided to go for Damaged (£6.50) in the end as my hair has been rather through the wars, definitely requiring a hair pamper...!

It's very easy to melt and creamy, I'd recommend using an empty large black Lush pot as it doesn't rinse out easy, rinsing it out was a little tricky as it gets quite thick after the 20 minutes, but my hair felt so much thicker and nourished, I didn't even bother to use a conditioner!

Totally buying both again, and very much hoping they will make their ways into other stores.

I love anything with rose, argan oils, and rosehip oils, so these two products were heading straight into my basket.

Rosy Cheeks (£6.50) is a rose filled face mask, using rose clay, rose oils, and rose petals, ingredients which all help to ease redness and even the skin tone.

Also packed with calamine lotion, this is a very soothing mask that dries quite quickly onto the skin, leaving you with tightened skin while the clays detoxify your pores.

The Magical Moringa (£28.00) was a lot more than I would usually spend on a moisturiser but oh my god I love it.

Infused with plenty of argan oil, this helps with my quite damaged skin, plus more rose oils to help with the redness too, it's a very thick moisturiser as opposed to their usual very creamy ones, it does also have a slight gritty element to it as well, but this feels amazing when on and leaves your skin beautifully matte and soft.

I applied it in the gym the other day and the girl next to me just had to ask what I'd put on as it smells so amazing, I've even had work colleagues smelling my face as it smells so good, I love everything about this even tho I now have to dodge a Jake lick attack when I've just put it on.

Well I couldn't just get one face mask, I decided to go for a non refrigerating required mask too in this Cup O' Coffee (£6.50) exfoliating mask.

Usually I wouldn't really go for something so caffeinated for my face, but I actually bought this to use on my thighs as caffeine really helps with cellulite...!

Yes I'm going to use it as a butt and thigh mask, it has quite a strong scrub to it, and of course smells very coffee like, I can imagine it would also help you to wake up somewhat if it takes you some time to come alive.

I love a good scrub, I'm an exfoliation addict and usually have about 10 pots of Rub Rub Rub in my bathroom.

Of course I had to pick up some scrubs including the solid version of Rub Rub Rub (£4.95) which still gives you a brilliant scrubby scrub but leaves your skin silky smooth, smelling like cherry blossoms and mimosa.

I'm wondering how much it'll melt down as it's nothing like the body butters nor the sugar scrub which dissolves away so it'll be interesting to see how it melts away, as I was actually surprised that it looked barely used.

Same with the Rough with the Smooth (£4.95) which smells like the christmas favourite, Lord of Misrule. It's a bit more of a scrub than the Rub Rub Rub bar and the murumuru oils leave your skin feeling amazing.

Both leave you smelling absolutely amazing, I'll totally be stocking up on more soon!

I was intrigued by these retro washing powder brightly coloured boxes, you sprinkle the product out of the side and scrub the washing powder over you, and I must say I'm totally going to buy the other three since using this one!

Life's a Beach (£9.95) is a sandy looking and feeling scrub, with vanilla scent and sea salt I love everything about this product, and totally want a shelf in my bathroom with them all lined up.

These are two products I wasn't too sure about buying, one was on my list and the other I was shown while I was there.

Elbow Grease (£5.95) is a small bar that melts over the skin and sinks in the nourish the skin, it does really help with very dry skin and as it states, it does make tattoos look great, but once it runs out I don't think I'll be all too gutted to be honest, it's nice but just for me not amazing enough.

Salted Coconut (£7.95) is a coconut filled hand scrub, not something I would usually go towards but after trying it out after being shown it by a member of staff, it went straight into my basket!

In my job I've got my hands in water all the time and was having some trouble with really dry itchy skin on my hands, this scrub really leaves them so very soft and I hope it will help my hands to get better.

Those who have read my blog for a while may have heard me mention Eyes Right mascara by Lush many many times, I love it, but now there is a new Lush mascara in town!
This mascara has been made with beeswax so sadly isn't vegan like Eyes Right is, but this is a much thicker darker mascara, Eyes Right is more of a day time light mascara, but Bewitched (£15.50) is very much an attention getting big lashes mascara.
I'm always trying out new things when it comes to eyebrows, so I had to pick up this Rouge (£7.00) crayon. It's very soft and applies fairly easily too, giving a good build up of colour, the only problem is its packaging or lack of, and move has broken already.
I'm also unsure of what to do as it goes down, do I sharpen it, use a brush instead...?
I've heard rumours of change so I hope it is true as it's the only eyebrow make up my fiancé has approved.

This Bamboozled (£12.00) really does stain the lips, it will unfortunately stain wherever else you somehow get it (I'm terrible with lipsticks and somehow manage to get them everywhere) but the colour is very similar to Ruby Woo by MAC, very matte and looks amazing.
It's main drawback however is although the packaging is very different and interesting, it's not really one you can transport around.
To keep getting the product out you need to cut the bamboo down using a bread knife, so I may cut a disc with the product inside and pop it into an empty tin to transport on the go.
Worth picking up, but just keep the above in mind.

Next time I'm in London I'm heading straight for the Emotional Brilliance range to buy more lipsticks, these absolutely pop with colour, go on nicely in their new tubes, and sink nicely onto the lips and hold the colour well until you simply wipe it away.
I only got three, Decisive (£13.50) an amazing raspberry pinkish red that I had bought before in its previous dropper bottle incarnation, but the new formula really works so much better for me.
Boss (£13.50), a bright eye-catching orange colour, that I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull off but surprisingly to myself, I've been wearing it the most.
True (£13.50) you can just about see on the swatch on my hand, it's a real flesh coloured but in a nice and not lip disappearing way, giving the perfect 60's Françoise Hardy look when teamed with winged eyeliner.
You can also see the swatch of Bamboozled too, as I couldn't find swatches online before my trip!

I didn't buy many bath bombs, I have so so many already plus I had gone mad buying everything else instead...!
I bought the Yoga Bomb (£3.75) which is scented with sandalwood, and ho wood oils (lolz) to give a very relaxing scent you could meditate to.
As it fizzes away quite slowly, plus inside fizzes out to reveal purple and green colours, and plenty of shimmer.
Intergalatic (£3.50) is a minty and citrusy bath bomb filled with popping candy that crackles and pops  while it quickly spins about the bath and spreads out colour and sparkles as it goes.
My main problem with these are the amount of glitter in them both, I got out of the water covered in huge amounts of glitter, too much glitter, an insane amount of glitter..!
I'm yet to use the Monsieur Gustave solid bath oil (£2.00), but I will snap it onto my Instagram account where you can also see the other two in action.

I had to buy these three bubble bars, I didn't really care what they even smelled like, I just love the look of them!
Flamingo (£5.95) is a fresh cocktail inspired reusable bubble bar, filled with rosewood and bergamot oils, it's a bright neon pink and is so kitschy it hurts!
Little Dragon bubble bar (£5.95) is a spicy, ginger infused bubble bar that comes in two sections with a paper attachment, it has a bit of gold glitter shimmer too and is very aesthetically pleasing as well as aromatic.
Cherry Blossom (£5.95) is slightly different to the others, made to look like actual cherry blossoms on a twig, scented with cherry and majorcan almonds, it gives the essence of cherry bake well tarts and other such sweet treats.
I can't use these as they are too pretty, I'm currently trying to figure out a way of displaying them nicely that won't ruin them or make them a waste!
Any ideas?!

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Bloglovin'

Ch-ch-ch-changes....

So it has been a while huh?!

It was a relief to see that although I haven't been posting, people have still been reading previous posts in my absence, so I guess now it's time to explain my absence!

This past month has been a month of many ch-ch-ch-changes, all of them for the better, and I had to take the time out to do all of this which will become clear soon.

The first big change I had to make was of course the most harmful, frankly stupid, and disgusting habit that I had to shake for the sake of my health, money, sanity and more.

It was smoking, as a sometimes ten sometimes twenty a day smoker, I had come to rely on the cigarettes to get me through all the stresses in life when really they were a big cause of the stress.

Here's the reasons I had to kick the habit :-

1. They made me smell disgusting, when you smoke you have no idea as to how badly you smell cos of it, now when someone walks past me smoking, or sits next to me after having a cigarette the smell actually makes me feel slightly nauseous. Mainly as I would have smelled like that not long ago too.
2. They are expensive, I have been smoking on and off for 12 years, back then packs cost me £2.10 for ten which every day meant I was spending £14.70 per week. Now they cost £5.10 a pack costing £35.70 per week....! A whole extra £20 per week! This means smoking costs £154.70 a month if smoking ten a day, £273.00 if smoking 20 a day.
3. Hangovers are worse. Seriously. Without the cigarettes on a night out I actually don't feel too bad after a heady night out with friends, the most I feel is embarrassment at my dance moves...!
4. No more standing out in the cold. In winter being a smoker is the worst, huddled under any ledge to hide from the wind and / or rain, shivering in your layers, struggling to light your cigarette just for those 10 minutes of nicotine. It's just daft really isn't it!
5. I have more energy, like a lot more energy! Instead of trudging through waiting for my next cigarette break I can chill out and not be chewing the table legs. Tho the other changes may have also helped with this....

You may remember my recent post about getting up earlier, something I am still doing, which has lead to me naturally waking up about 7/8am every morning tho I have messed with it a little for some earlier mornings lately.

These days I'm usually getting up a little earlier to actually hit the gym...!

Yes, in the wake of my quitting smoking I also signed up for gym membership in a boost of healthy living, and I have been loving it.

I joined Pure Gym which I actually highly rate, full of friendly staff, easy to use and readily available equipment, plus plenty of free classes you can easily book via the phone app to encourage you to push just that bit harder.

I also pay an extra £4 a week to attend the yoga classes that are one of the few paid classes, but for £2 for an hour long class it's still a great deal, and I have really enjoyed these sessions that it makes it worth the 5am wake up call!

Already I have gained a stone in muscle, as someone who always slipped into the underweight category that kept having me told off by doctors, this is amazing, and I have built my B.M.I up to 19.5 which is pretty much as good as it could be, I've toned and pushed myself and already after 4 weeks I've had an amazing result.

If you are inspired or already love a good workout, I have been putting together some great gym compilations to keep me moving, but they aren't too great for yoga..!

• Territorial Pissing by Nirvana, great for using on the cross trainer or step machine, it will keep you moving tho you may be doing an angry angst face during.
• Queen Bitch by David Bowie, perfect for squat lifts, you'll be enjoying the song too much to realise just how much your thighs may be burning, thank Bowie for buns of steel!
• Rise Above by Black Flag, great for those leg weight machines that feel somewhat like a gynaecological device so you can rise above and get that thigh gap thing thats suddenly so important these days.
• Holidays in the Sun by the Sex Pistols, any song that has a shouting chorus of 'reason, reason' helps mid exercise, yes originally it was about the berlin wall, but now that's gone it can totally mean your cellulite....totally...
• Where do you go to my Lovely by Peter Sarstedt, a very lovely song with a great waltz four beat, great for the treadmill as it'll keep your legs in the right pace...one two three repeat...

Not content with changing my bad habits, and exercise regime I have also forced myself to eat healthier, having been a pretty unhealthy eater previously with a thing for chips, now I have invested in a smoothie maker, filled our fridge with fresh fruit and vegetables, and eat mainly fruit and veg for all meals.

I'll start off my day with a homemade smoothie, changing it up every so often to keep life interesting, but also to give me a great energy boost first thing.

I've bought packs of chia seeds, hemp powder for extra protein, and ground flaxseed for all the extra omega 3's and 6's, and pop these into every smoothie too.

You can't really taste them but they make for a healthier more energetic body.

Usually I'll pack in some raw kale too and mix with coconut water for an amazing immune system boost, raise energy levels, and also keep me topped up on essential vitamins.

Here's a recipe however for my not working out kale free breakfast smoothie, I've been loving this one for lazier days when I'm not going to the gym..!

Breakfast smoothie Recipe

• Strawberries, peaches, apricots, or banana. Any combination of these fruits will do!
• Chia Seeds, they are a great source of energy, and expand in water so make you feel fuller longer as they will expand in your stomach.
• Vanilla soya yoghurt, half a pot adds some creaminess and make for a lovely thick smoothie.
• Almond milk, full of iron and tasty too!
• Oats, add a little more thickness, but also it's quite tasty in a weird way, plus it makes it more breakfast like....!

So there we are, I may have been lacking in the writing department somewhat, but I've been kicking my own arse into shape (thanks squat lifts, 15kg lift at the mo!) and trying to make myself the best I could possibly force myself to be.

I still have a way to go yet, but I shall do my best to not turn into one of those annoying fitness blog types, I may however update occasionally on my progress, and post pictures of smoothies on my instagram.

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Bloglovin'