How do you treat your feet?

I may have mentioned once or twice (a lot) that I have a bit of a disliking for feet, but I put aside my dislikes and ensure, like the rest of my body, my feet are well taken care of, the very thought of having to go see a chiropodist makes sure of that.

Now there is nothing like a good pampering session, I love to come home, light the candles, dim the lights and get out my foot spa, slightly ancient though it is, it works and I have never been more thankful for it, especially if I have been on my feet all day and they are tired, throbbing and sore.  I have flat feet so more often than not I have some sort of gel heel support in my heeled shoes for comfort, but my feet still throb by the time I get home.

Once the water is ready for my feet, I sit back, usually put on a face mask and relax as my feet are slowly massaged and I begin to relax usually with my kindle to escape from reality for at least half an hour.  One of the best things about my foot spa is that it massages your feet and also has these extra little ridged rollers which are really good for that little extra deeper massage and the water never gets cold because it has what is called a smart heat feature.

The pampering doesn't end there of course, once my feet have been dried, I decide which colour I am going to paint my toenails from my ever-growing collection of nail polishes. Then once my nails are dry, I grab some of my pedicure footcare products some of which I mentioned in another post HERE.  Those items include such my foot buffer, foot cream and once I am finished buffering and moisturised, I then place some pamper socks over them, usually over night to ensure the cream has plenty of time to absorb itself and my socks are similar to these but pink (of course). Beyond pampering your feet, these socks help you stay warm and comfortable overnight. Moreover, these socks' warmth allows your blood vessels to dilate and enhance stimulation, improving your feet’s appearance. When you wake up in the morning, and they're looking pampered, why not indulge further and sell some feet pics? That’s a great way to make extra money while giving your feet the care it deserves.

What I find when wearing my pamper socks as I call them is that the following morning my feet are much softer, smoother and almost certainly dry skin free.

Does anyone else follow a certain foot pampering regime? Are there any products you would recommend?

*sp

Candles Candles Candles

I burn candles nearly every day and there is nothing I love more than coming home from work as the evening draws in, closing the curtains and lightening a few candles to create that much wanted relaxing atmosphere. I don't just have candles in the lounge, I also have a few in the bedroom and whenever I have a nice long relaxing bath, there are a few placed around the bath to again create that atmosphere.

A few weeks ago, I was kindly sent these wonderful products from the Scented Candle Shop* and in my box which you can see below is:

• Yankee Candle Housewarmer Jar - White Christmas
• Yankee Candle Votive Candles - Welcome Christmas x 2
• Wax Lyrical Porcelain Frangipane Roomscenter Holder x 2
• Yankee Candle Jar Shade - Small (Snow Covered Mosaic)
• Yankee Candle Tray - Small (Snow Covered Mosaic)
• Prices Candle Lighter

I have always wanted a plate and shade for one of my candles and it has been one of those items that I have never got around to getting, so I was so chuffed to see something so beautiful inside my box. As soon as I attached it to my lit candle, it really came to life as you can see in the photos below:

The Scented Candle Shop stocks well over 2,500 different types of candles and scented products which include scented and unscented candles, wax tarts, tea lights, votives, pillar candles, candle holders and a vast array of candle accessories. Alongside Yankee Candles you will find brands such as WoodWick, Colony Candles, Bolsius and others aside.

If you are looking for some new candles, any of these would be perfect. The Scented Candle Shop recently started a youtube channel and here is one of the videos below.

Do you love candles as much as I do? Do you have a favourite brand?

My £2 challenge!

Now we are almost a month into 2014, most people will have had their credit card statements, seen their bank account and are thinking about next Christmas as well as other activities and events in between and there is one thing all of these things have in common - Money!

As I have spent hours reading and commenting on other blogs, scrolling up and down sites such as Facebook, Money-saving Expert, and Twitter I have discovered that there is a wide range of different money-saving methods out there. For example, when it comes down to saving money, whereas some people prefer to work with financial services providers like Aspiration, others prefer to do things a little differently. That being said, if you would like to learn more about the different ways that financial services providers like Aspiration can help people to save money, you can take a look at these aspiration online bank reviews. As for me though, over the years I have attempted spending bans. Many of us are currently doing them as well as looking for other ways to save some money and I am sure we can all manage to save just £2 per day from the change we have in our pockets, wallets, or floating around in our handbag.

Once the money to save has been found, for me it needs to be out of sight, so this is my money box, Freddie the Frog and I have had him since my University days when I used to put all kinds of coinage into him and whilst he is looking a little older and a little bit battered, he is the perfect size for this challenge.

We all have loose change in our handbags, pockets and purses and I don't know about you, but I do find it rather annoying and heavy and am always wondering what to do with it.  So what I am going to now do is keep all of that change at the end of each day and try to ensure there is a minimum of £2 and then I put it into the frog.  Naturally I would prefer to have £1 and £2 coins but as long as it adds up to £2 that will do and if I have a little bit more change that will also go into the frog.  Then by the end of the year I should have no less than £730 which I can either use beforehand when buying Christmas Presents or leave it until the New Year and have a good old spend in the sales.

It is now 13th January and I already have £30 in my frog, £30 I would have probably just used on things I didn't need!  Putting that into perspective, it is almost a Naked3 Palette!

Is anyone else doing anything like this or have you tried it in the past? 

Balance Me BB Natural Perfection SPF 25

I am yet to find my Holy Grail BB Cream, I have tried 3 or 4 and they were alright, but would I repurchase them, I am not too sure. When this box from Balance Me dropped through my letterbox I was quite excited when I saw what was inside. Allow me to introduce you to their very own BB Cream*, a product which sold out as soon as it became available and one I have been itching to get my paws on. I am a huge fan of the Balance Me range and I first came across the BB Cream when I got a sneak preview at the Debenhams beauty event that I was lucky to attend and which you can read about HERE.

The Balance Me BB Natural Perfection SPF 25 to give it, its proper title is described as being

"A high-tech formula designed to create a naturally active daily skin perfector that leaves skin radiant and glowing, thanks to our sophisticated mineral-based tint. To support the structure of your skin and to smooth away signs of daily wear and tear, our SPF 25 BB cream contains an innovative natural titanium dioxide-based sun filter to block out both UVA and UVB rays. Our hand-picked ingredients were chosen to both enhance the activity of our sun filter and boost complexions. We’ve blended Abyssinian and rosehip oils with anti-oxidant rich, collagen and elastin-boosting blackberry leaf extract to help firm and smooth the surface of the skin; the purest grade of hyaluronic acid to help plump and bind in moisture; spruce knot, lotus flower and violet seed extracts to help calm any redness to give you a beautifully even skin tone"

Now I am more than impressed that it has an SPF 25, the one thing I want from and in my products these days is an SPF and something around 20-25 is perfect for my face. What's more with this BB Cream is that it has, what is referred to as a five-fold action to nurture and enhance your skin and they are:

1. Prime
2. Moisturise
3. Smooth skin
4. Protect with an SPF of 25
5. Deeply hydrate

Now this cream smells incredible, as soon as you squeeze some onto your hand all of those essential oils rushing to your senses making them coming alive and it smells absolutely wonderful.

When it comes to application, it couldn't be simpler.  It can be applied directly onto your freshly cleansed skin or over a moisturiser and using your fingertips, you simply blend it to give that natural, radiant and dewy glow.  What i love about this product is that the coverage is lovely and light, it doesn't make me look orange and it does make my skin feel lovely and nourished specially given that it contains high grade natural hyaluronic acid which we know is brilliant for our skin, camellia and jojoba oils which help with moisturising your skin, rosehip oil to help calm and then Abyssian oil for smoothing and anti-ageing, add that to the SPF 25 and your skin is getting some serious protection and TLC.

I use this BB cream daily with Benefit Hello Flawless over the top and my make-up lasts all day, so on a normal working day that can be anything from 8-10 hours depending on how busy I am, again I found the staying power quite impressive.

This product hit the shelves in November and a 40ml tube retails for £26 which you can see HERE and since this product came through my letterbox I have worn it almost everyday, it is just brilliant and it leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth and moisturised not to mention looking lovely.

Have you tried this product? Would you like to try it?