Superdrug to the rescue!

Never has a post been more apt, as you read this particular one I am suffering from man-flu - serious man-flu, the worst I have had in years! Sore Throat, Runny Nose, Chesty Tickly Cough, Headache, Sinus Ache and worst of all a great big horrid coldsore on my top lip!  It is fair to say I am not well right now and essentially all that is interesting me right now is being snuggled up in bed watching either Christmas/24 or catching up with Nashville.

I am never ill, it is a rarity, but when I am poorly, I get really poorly and feel horrible for days.  Superdrug** have come to my rescue with just about everything you need for this type of illness

There is literally a medicine cabinet right there in front of you, every essential that you need when you have a heavy head cold like I have and this is what we have:

Superdrug Dry Tickly cough which gives effective relief for dry tickly coughs and sore throats. retails at £2.99 per 100ml.  It actually tastes pretty nice for a cough medicine in so much as you don't gag as soon as you swallow it and if like me you do have a sore throat, it is definitely effective relief.

The next batch of goodies again have all been an absolute godsend at making me feel slightly more human than I do.  Starting with the Adult Vapour Rub which is always one of those essential bathroom cabinet items for me, possibly a trick I picked up my my Mum growing up.  

If you really are bunged up and unable to shift the mucus, this stuff works wonders, more so if you put some in a bowl of hot water, lean over it with a towel over your head and breathe in and out for just a few minutes and hey presto, you can breathe out of your nose again!  Priced at just £1.79

Superdrug Max Cold & Flu Day & Night Capsules provide relief from the symptoms associated with cold and flu, including relief of aches and pains, sore throat, headache, nasal congestion and fever. At £2.99 for a packet of 16, for me there is more than enough to help clear my symptoms and best of all they don't leave you feeling drowsy.

The Superdrug Max Congestion are used to help provide relief from nasal congestion, particularly when associated with colds and flu or hayfever.  For me, I only use these when I am so bunged up I am giving myself a headache from constantly sniffing (and annoying myself) and they work really well, within a couple of minutes of taking them.  Priced at £1.69 for a packet of 12, they are another must have for the bathroom cabinet.

Superdrug Max Echinacea Cold & Flu Relief are also an essential to have.  I use these as a back up if nothing else is beginning to work because I find them quite powerful. Used to help relief the symptoms of the common cold and influenza type infections.  Priced at £4.99 for a packet of 30 tablets, these are slightly more expensive than the other items mentioned so far, but I have always found them to be reliable. 

The final item in this photograph to mention is the Superdrug Dual Action Sore Throat Lozenges which are Blackcurrent flavoured. Priced at just £1.99 for 24 Lozenges they help fights Infection and relieves pain for the effective relief of sore throats.  Again, another must have for the bathroom cabinet and they are brilliantly soothing on a sore throat, not to mention that they actually taste of real blackcurrent too.

Once you have got your cold or flu in hand and are beginning to feel a lot better, it is time to step up the Vitamin C intake and again Superdrug has everything you need for this.  Superdrug Effervescent Vitamins which are orange flavoured retail at just £2.99 for 20 dissoluble tablets.  All you need to do is take one tablet, dissolve it water and drink it and I will be honest, the taste does take some getting used too because it is quite sweet, but doesn't have that chalky effect.  If this doesn't sound right for you then we have the

Superdrug Chewy Vitamin C which comes in a tube of 60 and are priced at just £3.49 as Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps protect the body's tissues against cell damage caused by free radicals, so both of these products help to maintain a healthy immune system, the body's natural defence mechanism, and also helps maintain healthy skin.

I have been taking some of these for the last 3 days and whilst I am still feeling sorry for myself and slightly more human, I know I would be feeling much worse without a little help.  

As always please ensure that read the label before taking any of these products and do not exceed any of the stated doses.  Always check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure about any of them.

Thank you Superdrug for helping to take care of me.

London Calling!

One thing I love about living in London is the fab opportunities there are to see so many of my favourite bands live. Since I moved here 13 years ago I have been to see quite an eclectic bunch:

• Steps, 
• Terrorvision, 
• Marylin Manson, 
• Bush, 
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Scissor Sisters
• Trucker Diablo, 
• My Chemical Romance,
• Linkin Park, 
• Enter Shakiri 

I am going to see Inspiral Carpets and Slipknot over the next few months - to say I am excited is an understatement.  One band that is coming up to headline at the O2 Arena where you buy Basement Jaxx Tickets, a band I had the opportunity to see when I first moved to London and one I would recommend seeing to anyone, just get your tickets quickly - or treat someone for Christmas!

If you son't know London that well, you will probably have heard of The O2 Arena which is situated in Greenwich, formerly known as the Millennium dome, it has undergone quite a transformation and is a brilliant venue to visit, even if there isn't something on that you would like to see. Situated right outside the North Greenwich tube station, on the Jubilee Line it is one venue you won't have trouble spotting. 

Most of the bands I have been to see have been playing at the O2 Arena here in London which is not only a huge venue for music but it also has a lot of places to eat and drink, so you have the opportunity to make a day, afternoon or evening of it, there is literally something for everyone regardless of your age. 

If you like Bowling there is Brooklyn Bowl, then Cineworld if you fancy watching a film, Sky Studios where you can go behind the scenes. Read the news and see how TV is made or if you fancy doing something a little bit different altogether you can Climb over the iconic roof and see the London skyline from the top of the Arena. Add all of that to the 35 food and drink venues, you have the makings of a great opportunity to hand.

Have you ever been to the O2 Arena?

*this post contains a sponsored link

How to Control Frizz on Your Winter Holiday + Winter Sun Giveaway

Now winter is on its way your hair is probably used to the cold, rainy weather here in Britain but once you step off that plane on your winter holiday this year into the heat and humidity of lands afar, the chances are frizz will attack. 

Even if you’re lucky enough to escape the heat then, by the time you’ve been in and out of the sea you’re almost certainly going to fall victim to flyaway hairs and messy tangles. So what can you do to control your frizzy hair whilst you’re away on holiday this winter? Here are my top tips on how to tame those locks and maintain the perfect hair on holiday. 

Hydrate Your Hair 

Damaged, dry hair usually means that the cuticles of your hair have been raised and it is this damage to the cuticles that cause your hair to appear frizzy. To help combat this problem, make sure that you’re using a moisturising shampoo and conditioner and try using a hair mask to help re-hydrate your locks.

Use What Nature Gave You

Your hair contains natural oils that help to combat frizz without even having to touch a bottle of hair care product. Avoid washing your hair every day to allow the natural oils to do their thing and use a boar-bristle hairbrush to help distribute these oils across your hair evenly. 

Don’t Over-Style Your Hair 

Being away on holiday gives you the chance to bathe in the endless sunshine, take a dip in the hotel pool or even splash around in the crystal blue sea. But all that sun exposure, chlorine and sea salt, unfortunately, isn’t so appealing to your poor hair. Understandably you want to glam yourself up as you hit the town in the evening but the trick to escape frizz is to not style your hair too much. 

Avoid blow drying your hair and if possible, try to find a style that suits you that doesn’t involve any heat styling at all. If you’re lucky enough to get natural beach waves, enhance these curls with a sea-salt spray or even use specially designed curly hair products to help add more shape and definition. If your hair can’t be tamed so easily try a simple up-do or an easy plait to keep your hair away from of your face.

To all my fabulous readers, I have been offered the chance of a giveaway, it is UK only and the winner will need to be aged 16 or over (or have parental consent because I will need your address) and you can win:

• 1 x Sheer Blonde bag
• 1 x Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Lightening Shampoo
• 1 x Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Lightening Conditioner

All you need to do is complete the form below - Good Luck

Some of the options are Mandatory and must be completed if they are not done so (and I check everyone) your entries will be removed from the competition.

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Boots No.7 Match Made Lipstick Service

I finally got my act together and went into a local Boots store to try out their matching service and the No.7 girl was so lovely she offered to do both foundation and lipstick - winning!  The match made service is totally free and the little device which is no bigger than the average television remote control, reads your skin precisely to decipher which shade of foundation, concealer and lipstick will suit your skin tone. 

So I sat down behind the counter and was asked if I was wearing any make-up, which as I was, it was removed for me and then the gadget was placed on my cheek and she did it on both sides of my face to ensure she got the right reading, both sides registered my perfect shades and before showing me the machine, off the lady went to collect the foundation to try on my skin and then gave me a card which listed all of the lipsticks I should try.  

My skin shade was matched to Cool Vanilla which gave me a huge amount of option with regards to lipstick, so I had a good time swatching them.  As you can see below there is a choice of 10 different lipsticks from the Moisture Drench side and 7 for Stay Perfect - all of which I swatched except Rose Mist as it wasn't in stock.

As I couldn't decide which shade I liked more than any others, the lady who was testing the products on me offered to make the choice with her colleague, which sounded interesting, so having agreed they went off and spent 2-3 minutes deciding which one they thought would look best and picked one for me. I wasn't allowed to see it until it had been applied and once I did see it, I knew I was going to be buying it. 

 The shade I was given is Spring Pink which is a No.7 Moisture Drench Lipstick designed to keep your lips smooth and soft. Hypo-allergenic, Fragrance free, SPF15.

As for the foundation, the shade I was matched too is a Stay Perfect Superlight foundation in shade Cool Vanilla which I have to admit is brilliant, I absolutely love it. Described as being a new innovation in life-proof, light weight foundation. It gives a naturally flawless look which stays perfect for up to 24 hours. It has an SPF 15 and is hypo-allergenic too.

The best part of the whole experience is that there was also a 3 for 2 offer on at the time, so I needed to select a free product and this is what I chose.

Overall, I am really happy with the service and wouldn't hesitate to try something like this again.  There will be pictures of both the foundation and lipstick in a future post as well as the highlighter.

 Have you tried it?