Nuxe Pamper Hamper - My Entry!

When I was emailed and told that Nuxe had launched their first UK blogger competition and would I be interested in entering to win a luxury hamper worth £250, I thought why not? The prize contains so many products that I would love to try and there are also prizes for two runners up.

All I needed to do to enter was create a spring inspired wishlist post using products from Nuxe and create a post on my blog. further details on how to enter can be found below if you fancy having a go yourself. But this is my entry and I would love to know your thoughts.

Rêve de Miel Lip Balm - I have read SO many reviews on this product that I am begining to wonder why I don't actually own it. As a self-confessed lip balm addict everytime I read about it, i feel as though I need to add it to my collection because I am missing out. Described as "A repairing, nourishing lip balm with a rich, delicious texture to restore suppleness and comfort to dry and chapped lips" and apparently one is sold every 28 seconds somewhere throughout the world!

Gentle Exfoliating Gel with Rose Petals - with the weather ever changing from being windy, to raining back to windy not to mention very cold, my skin is always in need of some TLC and a facial exfoliator is a product I use a lot of in the colder in the months.  I love the sound of this which is described as follows "A gel texture with gentle exfoliating granules to give the skin a refined appearance. Skin is purified, soft and smooth, and more radiant than ever".

Crème Fraîche® de Beauté Mask - I am a lover of face masks and try to ensure that at least once a week I have a pamper evening and use a face mask on my skin.  As with above, the weather playing havoc with my skin means that after exfoliating I also want to nourish and add moistuise to my skin and I always find a facemask does just the job for me and this one sounds amazing - "A fresh moisturising mask and source of well being to hydrate and soothe the skin reducing instantly any discomforts (tingling, redness, burning sensations, etc.)".

Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Petals - I am yet to board the Micellar water bandwagon and it is a product I really want to try and this is one I have not read much about but intrigues me quite a lot.  Described as "In a single step, this alcohol-free Micellar Cleansing Water cleanses, removes make-up and eliminates all the impurities from your face, eyes and lips." all of which sounds wonderful and amazing but the fact it is made with Rose Petals is what draws me to it, the same as the exfoliating gel I can only imagine how wonderful this must smell.

Nuxe 24 hour body moisturising lotion - said to give a satin feel and leave your skin feeling soft, I am yet to find a body lotion that I like enough to continue using, makes a difference and smells amazing. This I like the sound of because of this description "This body lotion provides immediate and long-lasting moisturization (Wheat Extracts and Wood) and corrects skin dryness (Sweet Almond and Sunflower Oils). The skin is soothed and soft (Almond and Orange Flower Petals)" and I have no doubt it would smell amazing with those ingredients.

So, if you like the look of my wishlist but want to do your own, all you have to do is complete the steps below:

1) Create a spring inspired wishlist style post using products from uk.nuxe.com on your blog

2) Tweet the link to your post to @NuxeUK along with the hashtag #NuxePamperHamper

3) If you don’t have twitter you can send your entry link to us at onlinepr@nuxe.com

The competition closes 10th March 2014 but please let me know if you have entered or when you do enter by leaving a comment below so I can come and see your entry.

Five Among Friends

Welcome to a new feature, Five Among Friends, where myself & some of my closest blogging friends will be linking up for a a series of Q & A's once every month.

We'd love to see your answers to the questions too - Just post your Q & A on your blog and then put your link in the Linky below and we'll be sure to check them out! Don't forget to check out other peoples answers too!

This week's theme is  Hopes & Dreams.....

This week's questions were written by Jess at Our baby blog....

The Questions

1) What is your dream job?

I want to live on a farm and be self-sufficient.  I can think of nothing more rewarding than being in the middle of the countryside, no car horns blaring and not having to be squashed on public transport.

2) If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?

A cattery.  I would love to be able to give a home to all of those unloved and abandoned cats that people no longer love or want.  I am a huge cat lover and have always said if I won the lottery, that is one thing I would love to do.

3) Picture your life in 5 years time, what do you hope it will be like?

See question one - on that farm but with the cattery.

4) If you had 3 wishes right now, what would you wish for?

Ooh I found this question really hard to answer but these would be my three wishes:

1.  I would love to know what happened to my missing cat Geezer, he has been missing for almost a year and there has been no sign of him.  I hope he has found another family to love him as much as we did

2. To speak to my grandad one last time.  He died when I was in my early twenties and I would love for him to see how I am doing and to hear him play on his guitar one final time.

3.  To win some money on the lottery to be able to do numbers 1 and 2

5) What do you hope to achieve in your lifetime?

To be happy, healthy and content with my life.  Whilst it would be wonderful to travel the world and have a millionaire lifestyle, I would rather be happy with what I have.

Don't forget to check out the other girls answers too....

Alex - Bump To Baby

Emily - London Mummy Of Two

Hayley - Sparkles & Stretchmarks

Kerry - Lived With Love

Lauren - Mrs Hippo & Me

Louise - Confessions Of A Secret Shopper

Rachel - BeautyQueen UK

x

The Radiant Orchid Challenge!

When challenged to find an outfit for £60 to celebrate Pantones colour of the year being ‘Radiant Orchid’ I readily agreed but wow what a challenge it turned out to be.  For those of you who are not aware what the colour Radiant Orchid looks like, here it is:

Described as follows "Radiant Orchid blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination. It is an expressive, creative and embracing purple—one that draws you in with its beguiling charm. A captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid emanates great joy, love and health".

So off I went in search of an outfit that I could purchase to celebrate this colour, I thought it would be easy because a lot of stores now have their spring items coming into stores, but oh how wrong was I when it came to finding something that might represent that above.  For hours I wondered up and down Oxford Street, went to Westfield before finally finding this:

Yes I managed to find a dress which I think suits the Radiant Orchid theme and it was priced at £13 which was at least a start, but an outfit is more than one item. So, as I have an event coming up in a few weeks time I decided that this dress would be the outfit for said occasion but I needed things to go with it and this is what I bought for the rest of the outfit.

Shoes which cost £10, Bracelet and necklace £8 from local boutique, Bag £29.50 from Marks and Spencer and the nail polish and tights are my own and all of that came to £60.50 and I have a lovely black cardigan which works really well should I get a little chilly.

One of the reasons I decided I would quite like this challenge is because I love black clothes, my Husband will tell you all that my wardrobe and drawers contain items that are mainly black with bits of blue and purple thrown here there, so predominantly darker colours which I am more comfortable with.  So, now was a good a time as any to inject some colour into my wardrobe, even if it does have black accessories.

Have you bought anything that could be classed as Radiant Orchid?

**SP

Snails for your Nails!

I have no little people, but I am a mummy of three fur-kids whom most of you now know are my cats. Child issue aside, I was asked if I would like to try some nail polishes designed for little princesses called Snails, which stands for Safe Nails, a French-made chemical-free brand of kids nail polish.

Snails was started when Jeanette Sklivanou, a mum of two, scoured the market for safe non-toxic nail polish to add colour to the imaginative play of her little ones. She quickly found that such a product just didn't exist — so she created SNAILS**.

A brief description

"SNAILS Kids nail polish is unlike any other you will find. You’ll delight in our simple natural nail polish formula which is optimally safe and child-friendly. Our revolutionary patented formula contains just three main ingredients: water, acrylic polymer and non-toxic colorants and is paraben free. This sets us apart from other products. The toxic trio of Dibutyle Phythalate (DBP), Toluene and Formaldehyde dominate many children’s nail polishes currently on the market. Such chemicals are banned in Europe due to their links with cancer, birth defects and other illness. So you will not find a trace of these harmful substances in SNAILS. Just pure ingredients that are kind and gentle on little nails".

Some of the highlights of this brand:

• Revolutionary formula — containing just water, acrylic polymer and non-toxic colorants, SNAILS is safe in its simplicity. 
• Totally water soluble — SNAILS washes off easily with simple soap and water, making harsh solvent-based toxic remover a thing of the past.
• Environmentally friendly — from biodegradable packaging and lead-free bottles, to a strict no animal testing policy. 
• Hypoallergenic — SNAILS is chemical, Paraben and toxin free, so little nails are kept safe and sound and splendidly coloured.
• Vivacious colour choices — every SNAILS polish delivers glorious high-quality gloss and a deliciously gentle fragrance.

Here are the products:

These polishes come in a cute little bottle with a white lid and a pretty little bow to match the shade of polish, almost like a childrens version of Ciate in many ways.  The polish itself is smooth and is really easy to apply, more so than some of my adult brands, a few of whom could learn a thing or two here!

The two shades:

• Raspberry Pie - Glossy purple. Wear purple when you want to encourage fantasy, mystery and imagination
• Gingerbread - A hot, sun kissed orange shade, summer sunset in a bottle!

Raspberry pie I absolutely love, it would fit in perfectly with the whole pantone of the year "radiant orchid" theme.  Once applied it dries in just over a minute, which is perfect for little ones because I know they are not going to sit and wait much longer.  Last-ability is also quite impressive, I managed to wear mine all day without too much wear and tear but when it came to removing it properly there was no need to nail polish remover, I simply used soap and water and rubbed each nail and the polish came off and there was no staining to my fingernails and no trace of colour left on my nail.

Available from safe-nails.com polishes are €8 each, the site also shows all the countries they are for sale.

What are your thoughts on washable nail polish?

Fruity Melon Yankee Candles!

I love the fact my local Asda now sells Yankee Candles, though it can sometimes be too difficult to walk past the aisle within which they reside and not pick up a few everytime I am in there.

The latest additions to my collection is this set - Fruity Melon.  Priced at £13 for the Large jar which has a burn time of 60-95 hours and the samplers which have a burn time of around 15 hours are £1 each they are total bargains.

I always smell the candles before I buy them because if I don't like the scent on first sniff, then I know I won't like it once it is lit.  One thing I am always looking for is a hint of vanilla because it is one of those scents which can give me a headache, so I stay well clear.  This candle though was an instant hit as soon as I sniffed it.

So what does it smell like?  A fresh melon, a watermelon to be exact.  The first time you cut into a watermelon and you pick up that fruity scent, that is what you get with this candle, but obviously no seeds and no mess.  Once it is alight, the same scent permeates the room within which the candle resides and slowly works it way around the house.  The reason I have come to like it so much is because it is such a fresh scent and one that is definitely designed to burn on a chilly spring morning to just add a hint of scent.

I am a big fan of this candle, everything from the bright green colour to the fruity scent, it isn't too heavy and it smells wonderful from the moment it begins to burn to a good few hours after you have blown it out.

Have you bought any new Yankee Candles lately?

Lily Lolo - my introduction!

I have seen Lily Lolo products on so many blogs but have never branched out and tried them myself, so when the chance to do just that was given to me, I jumped at the chance. They claim that "Whether your skin is dry, oily or anywhere in-between, Lily Lolo makeup will give you a light, flawless and seamless finish without clogging or irritating" which I am interested to check out.

Lily Lolo is a British brand launched by Vikki Khan in 2005. Named after her two sisters Lisa (Lily) and Lorraine (Lolo) though for some reason I keep calling it Lily Lilo, don't ask why!

Lily Lolo have just re-branded their make up range which you can see on their website and in recognition of that I was sent two of their products to try and review.

Natural Lip Gloss in English Rose (£7.99)** - I would describe this as being a dusky pink shade which looks really pink when you first apply it and then as it settled down it becomes quite a pale pink which I really like. It is perfect for wearing on its own or over the top of a pinky/nude lipstick to add a little glossy look. One of my bug bears with some lipglosses is the tacky feel they leave on your lips, this lip gloss doesn't have this *hurrah* it is not sticky at all, it simply glides on. This gloss does also contains Vitamin E and Jojoba oil to nourish and protect.

Mineral Eye Shadow in Miami Taupe (£5.99)** - This is most definitely the shade I would opt for, it is perfect for daytime or nighttime and one of those shades which you can have as a light coverage or build it up so that you can have a much deeper coverage, which to do you simply use it wet and the video I have mentioned below shows you how to do this. It is highly pigmented and as the shade suggests it is Taupe which is described as being a dusky browny grey shade or warm grey.

Now if like me you often struggle to decide how best to apply certain items of make-up, I was pleased to find that there are some really handy tutorials online, one of which you can see HERE. 

Which are your favourite Lily Lolo products?

The range itself is  BUAV approved as well as being free from parabens, synthetic fragrances, dyes, fillers and there is no animal testing.

Coconut Oil - my favourite ways to use it!

Coconut Oil is one ingredient we all probably have in our kitchen and are never really sure what to do with it. As a natural oil coconut oil is a perfect moisturisers, lightweight, absorbs really easily not to mention smells divine. I am a huge fan of coconut scent products whether it is a cream, hair mask, face-mask or sun tan lotion.

Just mentioning all of the above means that it is an item you can incorporate into your beauty routine, especially if you are on a spending ban, wanting to save money, are having a bit of a DIY moment or are simply wanting to try something new.  All you need to do is Google Coconut Oil uses and within seconds before your eyes you will have over 4.3million pages to look at and go through.

The lovely people at Viridian sent me a lovely jar of organic raw virgin coconut oil** and it smells amazing, I absolutely love it.

So rather than read all of those pages, I thought it would be a good idea and a good post if I picked my favourite 5 ways to use Coconut Oil and share them with you below.

1.) Eye Makeup remover: This is a tip I was given by a friend when she was training to be a beautician.  Coconut oil will gently remove your makeup, all you need to do is place some on a damp cotton pad and rub gently in circles around your eye area to get rid of makeup.  Once you have finished be sure to wash your face thoroughly.

2.) Hair Mask: Use coconut oil as a DIY hair mask to soften your hair and add moisture. Just scoop some out into the palms of your hands to warm it through and then apply to your hair, focusing on the ends (if like me you have greasy hair, then definitely avoid the root area altogether). Once applied, leave it on for around 30 minutes and then rinse it out in the shower before shampooing and conditioning your hair.  You can also use this method as an overnight treatment, just put a towel on your pillow to make sure it doesn't stain and then wash out in the morning.  I do this when my hair is feeling really dry, particularly at the ends when my hair is due to be cut and my hair feels so soft and smooth after using.

3.) Body Scrub:  You can make your own body scrub really easily and there are a lot of tutorials which show you how to do just that.   Below is one of my favourite home made body scrubs which the people at Eco Market sent to me to try a few months back.

Combine coconut oil with: 

• 1 small organic lemon

• 1 small organic lime

• 1 cup organic pure cane sugar
• 
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
• 
1 teaspoon organic peppermint essential oil/extract
. 

You can, if you like also add some mint leaves and lemon & lime peels. Mix the coconut oil, the peppermint oil and the juice from both the lemon and lime. Then pour in the sugar and mix it up well. If you want to add the mint leaves and citrus peels then stir them in at the end. Transfer the mixture to a clean, dry container like an old jam jar and you're ready to scrub.

This is such an effective exfoliator and definitely one to try if you fancy trying a DIY version because it is so easy to do and it smells so good.  You can also use this scrub on your feet, hands and lips!

4.) Shaving Cream:  If you run out of shaving cream/foam or whatever you might use, instead of reaching for your misters (oops yes I do) or using shower gel, grab some coconut oil and warm it between the palms of your hands, massage onto the skin and then you'll see how easily your razor glides over the skin leaving you with hair free soft smooth skin.

5.) Cuticle oil: If your nail beds look really dry, cracked and are a bit sore, get a cotton bud and your jar of coconut oil and dab some onto each fingers around and on your cuticle and massage it on.  If your cuticles need a little bit more TLC then don't massage it in, put some gloves on overnight whilst sleeping, in the morning you will notice quite a difference.

Those are just some of the ways I use coconut oil and naturally there are lots of other ways because it is just such a good moisturiser and so kind to the skin.

Have you ever used coconut oil in your beauty routine? How? 

1. Tell me in the comments!