Thea Skincare

I'm loving the world of blogging for a whole host of reasons.

One of which being, that thanks to "the power of the blog", I have been, very gratefully, introduced to a whole host of fab new products and brands I would otherwise never have discovered.

Lucky Lady aren't I.

My lotion, potion, and beautification shelf has never looked so well stocked, healthy and plentiful in it's life.

Fab.

And recently, I have been trying out some little facial sample pots I was sent by Thea Skincare.

Thea are a brand which represent pure, luxurious, natural beauty and they offer a whole host of products.

The particular samples I was kindly sent were part of Thea's fruit enzyme range - products containing organic fruit acids to help hydrate the skin.

And hydrate they did.

From the minute I opened these two little pots I knew I was going to love them.

They have got to be the nicest smelling face products I've used in a very long time - if not ever.

Maybe it's slightly obvious...with the clue being right there in the name and all...but these smelt so amazingly fruity.

Absolutely lovely.

The creme cleanser smoothed across my face really easily.

It didn't foam up at all on the skin, but with it being a cream product, I suppose that was to be expected.

However, this didn't take away from it's face-cleaning-goodness at all.

It very gently removed all leftover traces of make-up and daily grime from my face and left it feeling clean and very fresh.

And the scent - wow it was just amazing.

A really strong, fruity cocktail of loveliness.

Good enough to eat.

Which leads very nicely onto the moisturiser which was also tempting to the taste buds - for a different reason.

When I opened this I was very much expecting the same scent as I got from the cleanser - but oh no.

Yes, it did still smell of fruit, but, it was a different kind of fruity

(if that is even possible...)

This scent was a lot subtler and for a while I couldn't pinpoint exactly what the difference was...but then it hit me - it whisked me back, in one swift moment, straight to my teen years because I definitely caught a strong whiff of an alcopop escaping from the little pot.

Yep - you heard right - it smelt of an alcopop.

Very fruity.

Very sweet.

Slightly strong.

But really nice.

Yum

It's moisturising capabilities were brilliant too - even my Hubby can't keep his hands away from it.

It melts into the skin perfectly, making it smooth, fresh and touchably soft.

I only wish my 'ickle pot was a lot, LOT larger...

Thanks Lots Thea

*samples sent to test and trial - words all my own

A Fantastic Jack Flash Performance

At thirty years old, is it acceptable to be acting all "Fan-Girl" when you go watch talented people perform?

Awww - come on - you've got to say it is...

Well, regardless - that's just "the way I roll".

I can't help myself.

Don't worry - The Husband is very much aware of my "problem" and regardless, invited me along to go see one of his - and one of my - favourites, perform at Huddersfield's Bar 122 on Friday night.

It was fab.

Bar 122 is a really laid back, chilled out venue - just the way I like it, and whilst we sat around and waited for the "main event", we were entertained, first by Darren Ellis who was great - really friendly and chatty, and of course very talented too.

Then we had the pleasure of listening to The Zillaz perform - who were mega mega fab...so fab in fact I think I'm adding them to my favourites list.

But then it was time  - time for the brilliance that is.... *wait for it*...

~ Jack Flash ~

Ooooh - I was a teensy bit excited I've got to admit.

I've had the pleasure of seeing him perform live before and I was obviously really giddy to be going again.

Especially when he made a special effort to pop over to see us and say Hi, thanking us for coming along...accompanied with a quick cuddle and a kiss on the cheek for me... :)

So yes - I was way too excited, I think we may have established that little fact, and I wasn't disappointed at all.

The performance was Ah-Mazing - as expected.

And naturally, I took way too many photographs and videos - but who cares right!!

It's what fabulous music and outstanding lyrics call for.

Jack Flash is from Huddersfield - even more reason to love him right, being from Yorkshire and all - so playing in his home town, surrounded by friends and family obviously helped to create the real chilled out, intimate feel the evening had.

It really was great.

The live music; the words of the songs being so strong, meaningful and at times so hard-hitting; the atmosphere - everything just blended together perfectly.

I've got to add - I have known people who have been reduced to tears after listening to, and after really understanding this song, "Mayflies" - and that takes a lot.

Jack Flash has a very unique style - he certainly isn't a performer who blends in with the rest that's for sure.

And having the beauuutiful voice of Jade America Harris accompanying him just makes for a simply amazing mix.

And yep - the rest of this post is going to be filled with a small selection of the images I captured from the evening.

...well I did warn you I went slightly "fan-girl"...

Just fantastic

I'm already pencilling in the next time I'm going to see him anyway...

Slimming World...or Weight Watchers...?

A little comment the Husband made last night got me to thinking a bit and I just wanted to ramble on and throw a little post together about it.

Well, why not eh.

We were just sat about talking - not glued to social media for a change - and the conversation slippped onto food - naturally - and then, being very genuine and a tad confused, he looked at me and simply asked,

"It's Weight Watchers now isn't it...Or is it Slimming World again...?"

That is the one question that rules them all

Not even the Husband knows what plan I'm on and when.

* Ooops*

No - I'm not that bad really, he just hasn't been paying attention...

* Ahem*

I do always seem to be "on a diet" though...but the plans I follow aren't really diets as such, more healthy eating plans.

Both Slimming World and Weight Watchers don't have me feeling hungry, they don't have me "eating dust" or give me that sad-please-feed-me-quickly face - but I admit - I do tend to mix it up a little bit between the two.

Don't get me wrong, if I am on a plan then I will be on it for ages before I switch - but at somepoint I know I will switch.

Take Slimming World for example...

I have followed Slimming World for years and years and I think it is brilliant - I tell everyone that asks who is thinking of "dieting" to give it a go first.

I mean eating carbs and loosing weight??

Happy Days indeed.

I lost two and a half stone without doing a single exercise with the plan when I first began trying to shed the pounds.

It's great.

But I have had to step away from it recently, and that isn't because it doesn't work or anything like that, but I just sort of gave up with it.

I wasn't following the plan properly or making the right food choices and the weight was hardly creeping, more like sprinting, back up the scales.

I had to sort it out.

So for a change, I have joined Weight Watchers - just for a month online - to see if the change in eating works.

I have done it before and I find it easy to track things and keep an eye on my points with the handy phone app.

(notice that chocolate never leaves my day!)

I always get lazy on any plan though - with Slimming World my tea most evenings was the same - savoury rice, "fried" onions, mushrooms, peppers and sweetcorn all spiced up and mixed together

"Spicy Rice"! :)

But it was my absolute favourite...but I know it needed to be changed a little.

At least with Weight Watchers I know that I have to stack up the veg on my plate to fill my stomach - with it having no points I can eat boatloads.

Whereas if I was peckish on Slimming World I would avoid the veg - even though I love it - and open up a tin of spaghetti or have a quick jacket potato - which is fine because they are "free" foods -  but I'm sure with veg versus tinned spaghetti there is no contest in the healthy stakes...

I was just so lazy.

So I have forced myself to get un-lazy with a whole new eating approach.

Fingers crossed I will see results with Weight Watchers quickly, but Slimming World - I'm sure to be back to you...at some point.

Forever alternating between the two!!

Bourjois Colour Boost Love

I'm becoming slightly addicted to lip products at the moment and I'm not even a teeny bit sorry about it either.

I'm also becoming ever increasingly addicted to Bourjois and I'm certainly not sorry about this one little bit.

And add together my two "not sorry's" to a trip down to London-town, it obviously equals lots of purchases being made.

...Obviously...

To be fair on myself, I did actually put these two things back on the shelf whilst I was in Boots.

I decided to be strong, to walk away - very fast - and to not spend any (more) money.

But really - who on earth was I trying to kid?

Those things needed to be mine.

When we stepped into Superdrug a little while after leaving Boots I bee-lined for the Bourjois stand and picked them both back up straight away; I stomped over to the till and then gave the good lady my cash.

* And breathe *

Lip products - purchased

Lip products - mine

~ P H E W ~

And aren't they just so pretty.

Those fab Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayons.

(find them here)

They make me think of Fruit Salad sweets when they are sat next to each other like they are in this picture - remember those orange and pink wrapped penny sweets that always went hand-in-hand with the equally yummy black jacks.

Hmmm...

Anyway, apart from looking totally sweet-tastic, these products are brilliant for adding a really subtle, slightly shiny colour to the lips.

They aren't exactly glossy but they do make the lips look a little shimmery - without being sticky or glittery in the slightest.

I found them perfect for everyday wear.

Although saying that, I did recently wear the pinky one, Red Sunrise, to a party and I had lots of compliments on it.

It is slightly bolder in colour on the lip than the orangey one is and the colour is much more visible, but without being OTT.

The colour worked really well with the outfit that I chose for the party too and because I was running so late I ended up putting on all of my make-up on in the venue toilets (classy!!) - but using the Colour Boost crayon saved me loads of time and effort.

They are just so easy and very precise to use.

And that goes for the peachy shade I chose too, Orange Punch.

I'm loving orange lips at the moment and recently purchased MAC Morange - but I feel that it is a tad too much for day-to-day wearing.

I have wanted to purchase lip colours that are more subtle recently, so I can wear them all of the time - even just to pop into Tesco on a Saturday morning if I need to, without worrying that I'll be stared at for having too bright or too bold a lip.

(this really does happen ya know!)

Orange Punch ticks this box for me perfectly.

It too is sheer, shimmery, feels very hydrating on the lips and just has a lovely, subtle peach tone.

I love it.

So, it would seem that Bourjois have done it again - got me all addicted to one of their lip product ranges and I now must have all of the other colours.

Well...

It would be rude not to complete the collection now wouldn't it...

And These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things

Awww - what a film.

The Sound Of Music.

That is certainly one of my favourite things - total flashback to my childhood with that one.

I so wanted to be Liesl

Oldest, very beautiful - yep - she was my favourite Von Trapp for sure.

Anyway, this got me to thinking a little bit this weekend - where were all of my lovely things?

The things I used to wear all of the time but now seem to be lost forever - where on earth did they all go?

If you spied my Twitter last night then you'll see that I sent out a little bit of an SOS plea or two, to help me fix a few of these favourite things.

I did - once upon a time - buy lots of lovely things...way before I became a Mum and my money stopped being my own that is.

So the first thing I re-found was my Vivienne Westwood glitzy, bling bling orb necklace.

I know I bought this whilst I was still at Uni - possibly in my third, year wayyy back in about 2004...

Which was a looong ten years ago... wow...

I loved wearing it but like with anything that's "getting on a bit" it needs a little TLC now and a stone needs replacing.

Fingers crossed it can be sorted.

Next I found another bit of bling I bought - I very obviously loved my sparkles back in the day didn't I.

I remember opening this on Christmas morning - my first Christmas as a Mum in fact - back in 2005 - and I loved it.

I also remember it latching onto everything I wore which is why two of the pink stones are missing.

Boooo.

But I'm determined to get it fixed so I can bling myself up again and get it back on my wrist.

I love the fact that I managed to find some of the things that mean a whole lot to me.

I would have hated them to be lost forever.

I also had a little realisation that my trusty old big fat ghd's will celebrate their ELEVENTH birthday this Christmas.

Eleven years - that's got to be good going for an electrical appliance

(they better keep going a while longer now)

I used to have this very huge, fluffy hair and back when the Husband was the boyfriend he bought me them on our very first Christmas together.

I was SO happy when I opened them let me tell you

(fuzzy haired girl issues!)

Whoever thought ghd's could be romantic eh!

But romantic or not, I'll never forget going out that night and being stood at the bar - a friend came over to me and said "You got ghd's for Christmas didn't you."

Those blooming things changed my life.

Isn't it great how the craziest of things can spark the most random trip down memory lane!!

I really do love all of my favourite things

Birchbox - The September Edition

Nice surprises are always amazing and because I totally forgot I was due a Birchbox delivery last week, I had a very nice surprise indeed when it popped through the door.

Just look at how pretty that packaging is.

Ooooh - I do love things that are presented prettily

"Happy Days" indeed.

And taking a little peek inside, I found a cute little tied up bag with a few fab beauty bits tucked away

On the whole, I was quite impressed with everything that I found too

The main source of excitement came from finding the little pink BeautyBlender and solid soap cleaning duo.

I just love it.

I have actually never used one before, so this heightened my excitement levels a little, but I must admit, my main source of love for it came purely because of it's bright pink colour.

I can't wait to give it a go.

The clippy Birchbox photo frame is going to sit proudly on my desk at work and will 100% be holding a lovely piccy of my beautiful son in it's pincer like grasp.

That little surprise was very much appreciated

As was the Agave treatment oil...any product that claims to tame, treat, repair and de-fuzz my tresses is a winner in my opinion.

I have actually used this today and it is fantastic.

My hair feels and looks in so much more of a better condition than it did before.

Fantastic stuff.

The pink Lip Lacquer mini gloss is a lot paler colour than I would usually go for, but I think it could work for a little slick of colour on a day-to-day basis...and it is very mini so is the perfect handbag size.

And then there is the Korres Citrus Shower Gel.

No day is complete for me without a relaxing, steaming hot bath to unwind after a long day so this was another useful find.

Yep - I know it is shower gel, but if it foams and bubbles under a hot tap then it's bath-worthy in my book.

And it's citrus scented - my favourite.

I have to say though, that I was a tad disappointed with a few teeny things.

The first - well it isn't huge at all - it is totally a preference thing, but I'm not a fan of any sort of dried fruit so this mango, as nice as it probably was, was a little wasted on me...but I'm sure most people would love it.

But what was a LOT more than disappointing was the fact that I didn't find the Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream inside the box...

* W A A A H H H H H *

I really, really, REALLY wanted to try this too, especially after hearing lots of good things about it...

And I do really love Benefit too...

* S I G H *

But I suppose you can't have everything.

Now I wonder what October's Birchbox will bring

ARK - Age Aware Skincare

I love nothing more than receiving pretty parcels in the post.

Who doesn't.

But receiving very pretty, surprise parcels is even better.

Well, a parcel is always amazing no matter the occasion really isn't it - they never fail to make me smile or make me feel all treated and spoilt.

So getting my hands on this fancy white gift bag, filled with fabulous skincare products was certainly no exception to the smile-and-feel-happy-rule that's for sure

ARK Age Aware Skincare promise to bring about a new way to treat skin to everything that it needs and they do so throughout every stage of life.

Products are prescribed, individually, dependant upon a person's skin age.

Yep - skin age rather than skin type

The age "categories" of products are:

~ Age Prepare - teens to early 30s

~ Age Maintain - mid 30s to 50

~ Age Repair - 50 and beyond

My goody bag contained products from the Age Prepare range and I couldn't wait to get started.

My lovely little white bag, adorned with a cute black silky ribbon bow, contained a handy travel bag (hellooo new make-up bag) with "The Discovery Collection" inside (priced at £28)

I was really excited to get going with everything and I used the products twice daily for just over two weeks.

I really, really enjoyed them all.

The skin refining exfoliator was the first product I picked up.

Being fairly busy now I'm back at work, I thought my skin could do with a really deep cleanse or two, and what better way to do this than with a good gritty face scrub.

The exfoliating pieces within were bigger than in most other exfoliators I've tried in the past - I found it to be very gentle and not harsh in the slightest.

It had a really thick, slightly...waxy...feel to it on the skin and it just glided across my face really nicely.

I was left with a very clean-feeling face - love it.

After using this, I smoothed a small amount (and you really do only need a small amount - it is that rich and thick) of the moisturiser over my face and found that it absorbed really well, sinking straight into the skin leaving behind a smooth, soft, hydrated base to work with.

It is very luxurious and even has a recommendation from OK! Magazine - so it's gotta be good, eh.

Obviously I didn't use the exfoliator everyday - just when I needed it...like after a particularly sweaty run - urgh.

The other days I cleansed my face using the Skin Clear Cleanser.

This was really gentle, it foamed slightly and again, it helped my skin feel very fresh and clean.

This cleanser is completely soap free and contains ingredients guaranteed to completely rid nasties that cause those dreaded spot outbreaks...

ARK - you're really winning me over here.

I also (obviously) used the purifying masque a few times too - as a little bit of a skin treat - and it was fab.

(it too has a magazine recommendation - this time from More magazine)

I simply smoothed the clay like masque over my face, relaxed for ten minutes and then rinsed it away.

Because it helps to absorb and then rid the skin of excess oils my skin felt clear, clean and very fresh after using it.

Throughout the time I was using these products - even as early as from day one - my skin not only genuinely felt a whole lot softer and a lot more supple, but not once did I have a single spot outbreak...

...which is quite a bold statement for me to be able to make at the moment because my skin has been an absolute nightmare over the past year or so.

Amazing stuff.

Thank you ARK - I owe you a great deal

*products sent for review purposes - thoughts, images and opinions are all my own

Pretty, Sparkly L.M.B Nails

So yep - I've become one of those ladies who can't wander past any sort of nail decoration stand without spending AGES picking up every bottle and staring at the lovely colours.

It doesn't help that I am just so indecisive either - I just 'ummm' and 'arrr' for ages...

...to the to the total dismay of my eight year old son, who now ALWAYS huffs and puffs simply at the mere sight of a Boots store.

Ooops

Obviously then, when I spotted a L.M.B nail table at Northern Bloggers Meet Up (details here) I was instantly drawn to it.

Such pretty colours.

And after a fair bit of deliberating I finally walked away with two of the lovely colours - a coral (more details later about this beauty) and this slightly sparkly Christmas-ready little green number

I was really impressed with the generous sized bottles - especially for the price...which I can't quite remember now...but I do know it was impressivly reasonable.

Brand owner Leanne was lovely too and very helpful - which is always a sure fire way to get me to spend some cash.

Back to the sparkles...

I painted my nails in a bit of a rush before work yesterday and I was impressed with how this polish played along with my need for total no time-wasting speed or messing about of any kind.

It applied easily, it didn't smell horrible at all and it dried nice and quickly.

What more do you need.

Oh - well apart from a nice finish that is...

And a nice finish it gives.

It is so pretty and is going to look f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s with my array of Christmas jumpers in the coming months.

Two coats of polish gave me this slightly translucent, metallic, sage-green colour.

I really love it.

And I was a little worried that it might be too OTT and glittery for me, but nope, not at all.

It's perfect.

I certainly need to invest in a few more L.M.B colours I think...

Purely for research purposes of course...

A Little Bit Of Denim

I must admit, I'm certainly a gal who loves her jeans.

Don't get me wrong, donning a pretty skirt or dress is always fab, but nine times out of ten, if I'm not really doing anything over the weekend then you'll find me in a nice bit of denim.

It's just so versatile.

The lovely people at Bon Prix must certainly have know about my love of a good old pair of jeans because they recently sent me some straight fitting, distressed looking, deep blue coloured ones to have a little look at.

And have a little look I did.

I've never ever looked at the clothing site before at all - I don't think I knew it existed so I wanted to make sure the sizing was true to form.

I chose the jeans in a size up from usual - I've been a real food monster lately and too tight jeans don't make for an attractive look.

The jeans fit slightly loose and the leg length was perfect.

I think for my own personal tastes the distressed-ness of the jeans was a little bit too much - but that's just me - I prefer things with slightly less fuss.

But that doesn't mean I don't like them - I really do.

They fit well and feel nice - what more do you need.

Well - yes - OK - to look half-decent is a bonus too - and these jeans tick that box too.

Fabulous

They are a "destroyed boyfriend" pair and retail at £34.99.

I wanted to see how they would look for an everyday, run-of-the-mill kind of a day, filled with everyday stuff like popping to the supermarket, sitting in the park or visiting family...

So, keeping it very simple I put the jeans with a pair of Primark cream bow flat pumps (comfy, comfy!) and a super-soft grey jumper with super-cute heart elbow patches.

Certainly an outfit I would wear regularly because it is just so simple, easy and does look good.

Next up, well, you never know when the Hubby will surprise you with a little bit of a pub lunch on a Sunday afternoon, or the best friend will beg for an impromptu girly cinema date, so having something a little more dressy (but nothing too much) on hand to pull out of the wardrobe is always a great idea...

I love the Japanese-y style print of this Primark jacket.

The colours are brilliant and really help to "dress up" this simple pair of jeans.

Teamed with a plain white t-shirt and these amazingly beautiful tan Miss Selfridge wedges (which are so easy to walk in, and you've guessed it - really comfy) the outfit is definatly pop-to-the-pub-for-a-quick-drink ready.

And now be warned - 

- this next outfit could quite easily be deemed fairly scruffy to be honest.

But I don't care.

There's not a person out there who doesn't, at times, slob about in the biggest hoody they can find and aim to do as little as possible allll day long.

Not one person.

Especially the day after a fairly late night, possibly spent "overindulging" in beverages that are most certainly not lemonade...

Hmmm...those days certainly require the ultimate in chilled out comfort...

Totally Sports-tastic

A massive ADIDAS hoody (The Hubbys to be precise) and my Nike Hi-Tops.

Comfort in its extreme - I love it.

So you see there are a fair few ways to mix up the one pair of jeans.

Versatility at it's best

*jeans sent to style, review and try - outfits, thoughts and ideas all my own