June Favourites

Well it looks like my posting schedule went awry towards the end of last week due to exploits with family and friends although hopefully normal service should resume. That said I have a rather busy Summer ahead to please bear with me should things become a little sporadic. 

Enough with the excuses, let's talk favourites….

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanille Hand Crème link

You all know I love a good hand cream and go through the stuff with abandon and one I had my eye on was from Laura Mercier. This was a slightly extravagant purchase priced at £13 for a small tube but it was one I wanted to have and why not treat yourself occasionally (or too frequently in my case!)

I initially asked for Almond Coconut but in the time it took for the sales assistant to find a tube for me the scent had settled on my hands and I wasn’t a fan so tried Ambre Vanille and we had a hit on hands, pun intended. The scent of Ambre Vanille is amazing and heavily perfumed in such a good way. Colleagues at work frequently tell me I smell nice when I’ve applied this and are shocked when I tell them it’s ‘just a hand cream’. The hand cream formula works well, non-greasy, absorbs into the skin whilst nourishing. I’m dreadful at describing scents so I will leave the description to Laura Mercier herself “Ambre Vanillé is a modern fragrance of comfortable sensuality. The quiet sensuality of Amber blends with the warmth of Vanilla, and are enhanced with fresh notes of Tangerine and Tiger Orchid, delicious notes of Almond and Brown Sugar and a final hint of musky Sandalwood for a finish that is soft, intimate and absolutely addictive”.

Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo link
A few of my nights out recently have involved visits from the hairdresser, lot's of product and lots of backcombing so Bumble & Bumble's shampoo has been great for providing the deep clean needed  to get rid of any nasties still residing in my hair (hmmm that doesn't sound too pleasant a thought does it!). I enjoy my Sunday evening pamper routine before the week ahead and the aptly named Sunday Shampoo is the perfect addition.

Mac Osbournes Duchess Palette and Peaches and Cream Blush
Since purchasing the Duchess eyeshadow palette and blush from Sharon Osbournes Mac collection it has become a regular staple in my make up bag and I've had to consciously remove it so other items in my make up drawer don't become offended! The eyeshadow palette is easy for date to night and the blush adds the right flush of colour to the cheeks for the warm summer evenings we've been experience. You can read more and see swatches in this post.

What have been your favourites this month?

What's Inside my hand luggage

I hope you can afford me some artistic licence on this post as these photos were taken as I was unpacking from my trip to the States in April and as such there are some new purchases that I wanted to share with you too.

Cabin Suitcase similar here
Whenever travelling to the US I always take a small suitcase onto the plane with me. This comes in handy to transport heavy or delicate items on the return leg that I don't want to go into the hold. Outbound it's handy to house my laptop and extra clothing and make up I want to use mid-flight. I love this suitcase for it's Chanel vibe and picked it up from a random store in London many years ago - it also came in handy when my suitcase was overweight and I needed to stash some clothes in there.

About a Girl link
I cannot travel without a good book particularly to keep me occupied whilst sitting on the plane waiting for take off and the in flight movies to begin. About a Girl is a brilliant book with laugh out loud moments once expects from Lindsey Kelk. Quite often I can find books have a very drab female character who I cannot relate to Lindsey's leading ladies have very human and relatable qualities.

Hooded Sweatshirt and Socks
Planes are always cold and often I'm travelling with a jacket that during the flight won't provide the right level of comfort and warmth so a hoodie is always packed in my case to pop on. I picked up this fantastic sparkle pineapple number from Victoria Secrets in Hawaii and apparently that is the only stockist so it was a fantastic addition to my VS hoodie collection. I also hate to have cold feet and often travelling in sandals or flip-flops a pair of socks comes in handy and these cute Alice in Wonderland ones from Primark added a little fun

Eye Mask, Cath Kidston link
Ben brought me a travel set from Cath Kidston which contained this cute eye mask which helps a troubled sleeper like myself catch a few precious hours of sleep on transatlantic flights.

Victoria Secrets Passport Cover and Make Up Bag
I picked up this passport cover in duty free along with the make up bag which is a cheaper dupe for the Anya Hindmarch ones I've had my eyes on forever. Again I love anything from Victoria Secrets as it's almost like having something personalised. You can see what was in my make up here. In addition there were some skincare additions to stop my skin dehydrating along with my glasses and some spare contact lenses.

Everything is housed in my Prada Saffiano Tote which whilst can become a little heavy is perfect for travelling due to it's size, two zipped compartments and one which is open and handy for when you are taking your passport in and out of your bag!

I hope you enjoyed a peek at my hand luggage which I'll be referring back to and maybe updating when I head to Las Vegas in September. What are your hand luggage staples?

June Empties | Bath time

Radox Eastern Spirit Bubble Bath* link
I have spoke before how I was often a snob towards Radox and dismissing the products in the aisles which is why I'm thankful to have built a relationship with their PRs who had faith in the products and sent me many bath soaks and shower gels over the years (stay tuned for a review coming next week) that it is now a brand despite receive 'freebies' has happily repurchased from the range - Muscle Soak is my fave! Sadly Eastern Spirit was a limited edition so no longer available.

Dove Maximum Protection Deodorant link
Why I diverted from my trusty Sure Maximum Deodorant I don't know but I can tell you it was a mistake (as was the purchase of another brands but we'll save that for another day). This deodorant did nothing for me and within minutes I felt that grotty wet underarm feeling despite minimal exertion. Back to Sure it is.

Jo Malone Orange Blossom Shower Gel link
I cannot tell you how long this has sat in my shower and as you can see it has discoloured to a rather complimentary (for the name) shade of orange. You'll know I'm a fan of Pomegranate Noir from Jo Malone and this change of scent didn't hit the mark for me, especially I think it's a given that after so long it wasn't quite at the strength it should be.

Sure Compressed Deodorant* link
This is the bottle of deodorant that sits in my desk drawer at work for those freshen ups before a night out. Complimenting Sure Maximum Protection Stick (when I'm using it - see above!) perfectly this small can is budget friendly and does what it says on the tin offering a fresh scent which is just the thing to make you feel tip top before hitting the town.

Ragdale Hall Relax Bath Essence link
I am having something of a panic as when I went to link up Ragdale Hall's Bath Essence I can't seem to find it online which will be a tragedy if it is discontinued. I will be rushing into my local Marks and Spencer's tomorrow to hunt out a bottle as I love a relaxing bath of an evening using this product which I reviewed here. I'm also a fan of the complimentary pillow mist which you can read about here.

Any favourites you recognise here? The third and final instalment for June empties will hit on Friday and is very Chanel heavy.

*PR Samples

Legoland Windsor Day Trip

When my brother text me a few weeks ago asking if I fancied taking my nephew Brody to Legoland I jumped at the chance, as did mum and into the car we climbed and made the trip to Windsor. The first thing that struck me on our arrival was that the park doesn't open till 10am.

In my experience most children have been up a good few hours by 10am and I can imagine if staying at the hotel on the complex that by 10am parents will be pulling their hair out with excited children desperate to get into the park.

We were able to pay before 10am and enter 'The Beginnings" which is essentially a central area of the park with a Lego shop (no surprises that was open!) and a shop where we grabbed ourselves a coffee and mum friends with Luigi.

I really think Legoland are missing a trick not having refillable coffee cups available for purchase!

At last the gates opened and we were let inside the park and made our way to the first of many rides. Any thrill seekers this is not the park for you and all attractions are very much geared towards the younger Lego fans out there.

Legoland very much follows the themes of Disney and Universal Parks in Florida split into areas such as Adventure Land and Pirate Shores that are comfortably spaced apart with much to look at - all made of Lego of course (even the hygiene certificates in the toilets were inside Lego frames).

Despite the park being busy we didn't have too long waiting times, 15-20 minutes at the most although I was surprised that many of the food stations were closed or didn't open till late in the day. Again I think most children start to feel peckish and can't hold out as long as us adults. We hit the newly opened Burger Kitchen for lunch, essentially your typical fast food burger joint. For three adult and one childs meal it came to around £30 so it was no surprise many families were sitting in the sunshine enjoying picnics of packed lunches.

I was a little disappointed by the lack of characters dressed up floating around the park but thankfully there were plenty of Lego brick ones to take some selfies with - I even found my twin!

Mum's favourite part of the park was the model village with some familiar landmarks

and of course mine was spotting Lego flamingos!

Then much to Brody's delight it was time to visit the Lego shop before heading home and he was able to build some characters (with nan's help)

So what did we make of Legoland and is it worth the visit?

My main thoughts as I left Legoland were how do families afford such day trips. It cost us £86 with half price tickets plus lunch not taking into account the Lego shop spending. There are always half price tickets around so I would definitely say it isn't worth visiting at full price so keep an eye out for those. Also if your children are older they may find it a little tiresome. Brody at five was just the right age and thoroughly enjoyed it although dare I say he said his favourite thing about Legoland was the shop - we could've saved ourselves a fortune and taken him to Westfield.

It was a great day out which I thoroughly enjoyed but would I go again, not for a few years.

Have you ever been to Legoland, let me know what you thought of it.

June Empties | Haircare

 

It would appear that I took an impromptu blogging break and the done thing in blogger circles is to apologise profusely, call myself a bad blogger and make many excuses for such behaviour. Instead of that I'm going to assume you all appreciate that sometimes real life just gets in the way of my little place on the internet and plough straight in with this months empties.

This month I seem to have once again amassed quite a collection which for ease I will break into three parts, the first being hair.

Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Ditch the Dirt Volume Shampoo link
This shampoo really confuses me and that is probably why it has taken me forever to use up. When I initially purchased this shampoo with it's promise to prep hair for product use and hair styling and used it I was amazed. Aside from the mild irritation at having to unscrew a cap to use the results were fantastic. Then the next day not so much. This shampoo is so hit and miss with it's results that it wasn't something I could rely on and gingerly used for fear of a bad result but the excitement of possibly amazing ones. Not one for repurchasing.

Leo Bancroft Volumising Conditioner link
Why does conditioner always last longer than shampoo? Answers on a postcard please. The shampoo from this duo appeared in last month's empties (find them here) and my feelings are the same. A fairly nondescript product. Not bad, not good. At a push I'd throw it in the supermarket trolley again but only if there was nothing else available.

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo link and Conditioner link
After featuring in my April Favourites post here and full sizes repurchased and reviewed here it's safe to say this is a favourite combo of mine. I'll be keeping these small bottles in my travel stash so I can decant for my travels this September and I'm definitely keen to purchase more shampoo and conditioning duo's from the Bumble and Bumble range.

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray link
Despite my love of the shampoo and conditioner from the Thickening range I'm not a big fan of the hairspray. Firstly does anyone else think it smells of jaegermister? Note to self, do not use this when you have a jaegerbomb hangover as the memories come flooding back and they are not always pleasant. Smell aside I find that this hairspray completely ruins any good results from my blow-dry. A good hair can be promptly ruined when I spritz this rather wet spray on my hair. I have another bottle which I will continue to play with but I'm viewing this on the negative.

So that's the hair products that have found their way into my empties pile this month, what did you say goodbye to this month? Stay tuned for part two on Wednesday?

Fruity Skincare Favourites

I love citrus scents and if they can find a way into my skincare regime as the weather warms up even better. Today I have two current Spring favourites to tell you about.

Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil link

I have been looking to introduce a cleansing oil to my regime so Josie Maran's Argan Cleansing Oil was as good a place to start, especially as I was able to pick this up in a duo with Josie Maran's Argan Oil which I told you about in this post. I particularly like using this oil on days when I'm not too lazy to follow my full skincare regime but am too lazy to walk into the bathroom and use a flannel (don't judge me!). This is a thick cleansing oil that I pour into my hands and immediately enjoy the lemon scent (which may not be too everyone's tastes) and massage into my skin. I experience no irritation on either my face or eyes which is something I can struggle with some products doing. It's recommended you remove with water which as I mentioned is not something I always do and instead follow with a cleansing milk which has worked fine for me. It has been a godsend for removing mascara with ease and is a more enjoyable step than regular micellar waters. 

Murad Essential-C Cleanser* link

I have come to enjoy my morning facial cleanse and this fruity and fresh cleanser from Murad is the perfect wake up call and one I've chose to use over the others sitting on the bathroom shelf recently. Murad's cleanser is its claims to remove environmental impurities and rehydrate the skin so as a daily commuter into London via the underground system I need all the help I can get. A little goes a long way and after dampening the face massaging the gel like cleanser into your skin sleepless nights are (almost) forgotten. I would urge caution for those with particularly blemish prone skin as you may find its light foaming nature and mandarin orange, basil and grapefruit fragrances to be an irritation but my combination skin has welcomed it and whilst applying many oils and serums by night and introduction of SPF's into my skincare regime there have been no new breakouts to speak of.

What have been your favourite skincare favourites this Spring?

*PR Sample

The Single Girls Date Night #2

Following on from last weeks post it was back to the cinema a few days later to see Maleficent on it's release date. This was a film I definitely wanted to watch 'properly' without interruption. And what did I make of Angelina's return to the big screen after a number of years? I have mixed feelings. Often with this type of film I want to love it because I love the principle and idea behind it and whilst I loved the story, thought Angelina was mesmerising in it I just wasn't completely wowed by it.

For example in comparison to Once Upon a Time the tv show I mentioned here it all felt very serious and dark, I can't work out where they were pitching it. The cinema was filled with many small children who giggled, oohed and ahhed their way through it but there were some scenes, such as one with a rather large dragon that would be truly frightening to little ones and the reason I advised my SIL it wasn't suitable for my nephew (who is five).

It reminded me of the latter Harry Potter films which were much darker than the earlier twee films (which I found more enjoyable) and the Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland remake which fell a little flat for me too.

Maleficent is one of my favourite Disney Villains and I loved the history behind her evilness that was told in this story and I certainly came away a bigger fan of hers and cursing King Stefan. I'm glad I've seen the film and definitely that I watched it on the big screen, I think if I'd watched it at home I would've become somewhat disinterested along the way.

It wasn't all lacklustre that evening thanks to my pre-movie snack from Franco Manca. I was craving pizza and toyed with the idea of Pizza Luxe but after reading some dreadful reviews I decided to keep it simple and hit the food court. I love Westfield in that it has its mix of eateries. There's the typical fast-food such as McDonalds, KFC etc on one floor, the next is the more 'gourmet' such as Chip + Fish, Tortilla and Franco Manca and then your sit down style restaurants.

Franco Manca sits in the middle, you order your food, proceed down the line until your pizza is swiftly cooked and popped on a china plate. Your drinks even come served with a glass which makes the quick snack a little bit special. I chose the Chorizo and Mozzarella pizza on Franco Manca's famed sourdough base. I'm not usually a sourdough fan so was slightly dubious but I can honestly say this is one of the best pizza's I've had. The base was soft and the toppings moist (nothing worse than a dry pizza unless it's the morning after) and I literally gobbled it up and still had room to hit Ben & Jerry's on the way to watch my movie.

Mac Osbourne Collection Purchases & swatches

Hot on the heels of Mac's Playland Collection (which you can read about here) was one from Kelly and Sharon Osbourne. Initially this launch didn't excite me, then images starting appearing and I thought I quite like the look of that and then I made the mistake of stepping into a store ' just for a look'.

I'm not a fan of buying make up online as I prefer to have a look in store and I'm not the diehard Mac collector that I rush to buy everything on it's release so it's lucky that I have a House of Fraser store minutes from my office that I can pop in to investigate first . You may remember my knocking on the doors at 10am when the All About Orange collection was released here. 

Yesterday there was the usual flurry on social media from bloggers and the like showing off their purchases and the green eyed monster reared it's head and I started to get that itchy 'I haven't brought anything new in a while' fingers (please ignore Friday's haul - they were necessities!).

I wasn't prepared to throw caution to the wind just yet and instead started looking on Temptalia for swatches so I would have a mental wish list in mind and avoid running into store screaming 'one of everything please'. 

It was Sharon's range which caught my attention, particularly the blush Peaches and Cream. Blushes are a weakness of mine so it was worth exploring. When I saw it in store and had a cheeky swipe across my cheeks I loved how it looked and knew it was coming home with me.

I had eyed up (pun intended) Sharon's Duchess Eyeshadow palette but do I need any more eyeshadows, not really but then of course I came across it in store and.....

Well if I'm honest I didn't actually come across it in store. It wasn't on the display so I asked if they had one to look at and the Mac assistant talked through the images and how they were applied and before I knew I was requesting one was added to my shopping bag. There was also the added thrill when it happened to be the last one left in store.

You can see swatches below and I'll update you shortly on how they look when I've given them a whirl this evening for my company party (we have ours in Summer rather than Christmas).

Was you lucky enough to pick anything up from the Osbourne collection?

St Ives Invigorating Apricot Body Scrub

St Ives Invigorating Apricot Body Scrub* link

As we move into Summer and start reaching for our self tanners the need for body scrubs increases so I'm pleased to have got my hands on St Ives Invigorating Apricot Body Scrub. Whilst the facial scrubs receive some bad press due to being too harsh on the skin their body scrub has got it just right for getting rid of dead skin.

On opening the plastic tub you'll smell the familiar apricot scent of all St Ives products and one which is just right for the time of year. The creamy texture of the cream compliments the grainy particles to leave skin both soft and exfoliated.

I have been using this frequently at bath time and it has worked wonders at preventing ingrowing hairs after shaving and my skin is left soft to touch which is an added bonus for this girl who isn't diligent at applying body lotions. 

If you're looking for a summer scrub you could do worse than seeking this out from your local stockist.

*PR Sample