Wouldn't it be nice...Jurlique Rose Hand Cream Review.

Here's another review post for you all! I received this product as a free sample through a great website called What's In My Handbag. This website is a new way of discovering beauty products. Basically anyone can upload an image of what's in their handbag detailing their favourite products with people like presenter Lisa Snowdon, Harriet Vine who is co-founder of Tatty Devine jewellery, and Lauren Stevenson, PR Director for my-wardrobe.com amongst many others who have uploaded their bags and shared their favourite beauty products. There are also some great beauty articles such as a piece by makeup artist Aly Hazlewood on 'Fingers vs. Brushes' when applying makeup. The topics for these articles are also posted on their Facebook page with everyone able to join the 'Beauty Concierge' discussion.

The sample Jurlique Rose Hand Cream came from the 'Try' section on the WINH website. This section enables you to apply to receive a sample size product from one of the Editor Picks handbags. You aren't guaranteed to get the sample but you instead register for the chance to. I was lucky on my first attempt and was picked to receive the 'Try' of that week!

The product came in really nice, simple packaging

The personalised label was a nice touch!

The sample size product itself

So far I do like this product. The hand cream is really moisturising and it's all natural which is always nice to have in a product! The only thing I'm not that keen on is the smell. Whilst some may love the rose smell it rather reminds me of my Grandmother who used to have rose scented products and pot pourri in her house, so unfortunately it therefore reminds me of an older generation! I've have found though that I've got used to the smell more as I've used more of the product. I also found it a little greasy when first applied, but if you wait quite a while it does full soak into the skin leaving them feeling so soft and smooth. I have also been wearing it at night and I wake up with my hands looking and feeling lovely!

I think it's a great idea of What's In My Handbag and I'm definitely going to keep entering the 'Try' products as I do always love trying new products! I'd also recommend, if you're interested in beauty and by different products to take a look at the website. When you sign up you get your own profile where you can save products you have and products you'd like to try in your 'Beauty Cabinet' and you can upload your own handbags to share your favourite products. I think the whole website is a great concept and an interesting new way of sharing beauty tips and treats! So come join me in discovering great new products on WIMH!

Bye for now :)

xxxxx

Wouldn't it be nice...if birthdays lasted longer than a day.

Of course I know what I am suggesting is completely impossible due to the very nature of a birthday but I had such a wonderful time celebrating my 21st birthday on Saturday that I really don't want it to be over.

Firstly to give some context; I LOVE birthdays. I also love Christmas and basically any kind of big celebration but I particularly love my birthday. Some may even call me a slight birthday brat. Not in the sense that I am ungrateful at all, I am quite the contrary, but in the way that I am excited and begin the countdown to the day at least month before. I once started referring to the fact that it was nearly my birthday 6 months before hand (the eve of Christmas Eve) I just can't help myself. I really love my birthday! (Doesn't everyone!?) I was extra excited this year as well as it was my 21st birthday and I knew all my family were coming to celebrate with me in the day and then some close friends were coming round in the evening. This meant two BBQ's in one day. That fact alone doubled the birthday excitement.

Moi a Birthday Brat!? Never! :)

I had an amazing time celebrating surrounded by my loved ones and really didn't want the day to end, but alas it must! It was then my brother's birthday 3 days later (my parents planned that one well!) so we had another bout of celebrations for his 23rd birthday with more coming at the weekend as everyone was working on the actual day.

Finally I want to share with you an image of beauty. My mother's cupcake masterpiece, all homemade and decorated by us (we were rather pleased with ourselves I must say!):

She could be a baker I tell you!

Wouldn't it be nice if birthdays lasted longer than a day. Well yes, yes it would. But then they wouldn't be quite as fun anymore would they! There's something exciting even as an adult about that one day drawing ever closer. Perhaps I'm only saying that because I'm a big kid though; I don't think it'll ever get old for me even as I get too old for it.

Bye for now :)

xxxxx

Wouldn't it be nice...Liz Earle Skin Care Review!

This is a slightly different post that I hope to continue as a little beauty sideline within my blog. I am really into beauty, makeup and, particularly, skin care, so I wanted to share some of my favourite products and brands on this blog! This is not a sponsored post or anything like that (this blog is not nearly read enough for that yet but worth saying!)

Today I will be focusing and reviewing some Liz Earle products. If you haven't heard of Liz Earle before they are a fantastic British brand that uses natural ingredients to create really fantastic products. I was first introduced to Liz Earle by my Nana who lives on the Isle of Wight, where the company originally began. I've always suffered with dry skin but as I hit the teens I also started to break out so my Nana bought and posted to me the 'Young Skin Try-Me Kit' and I have never looked back. The tagline for this product "For every teen – the best start to a lifetime of great skin." couldn't have been more true, and I have been an avid user of Liz Earle since I was about 15, and I'm pretty sure I always will be!

The most famous Liz Earle product that many, many people have blogged about and reviewed is the 'Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser' and if you are going to invest in one skin care product I really do recommend this product.

(Image from http://uk.lizearle.com/cleanse-tone-moisturise/cleanse-and-polish-hot-cloth-cleanser.html)

Using this product morning and night for even a few short days leaves your skin feeling fresh, renewed and looking clean and clear. This really is a holy grail product for me that I re-buy as soon as I run out.

I am aware that Liz Earle isn't cheap but I've always believed that skin care is the most important thing and so I personally believe it to be worth the money; think of it as an investment for your skin! You can slap whatever you want on top of your skin but if you're not looking after what's underneath then there really is no point! I am a little obsessed with skin care I will admit; I scour the shelves of face cream to ensure the one I'm buying has SPF and UVA protection because I think skin care is paramount in a beauty regime. I plan to put the leg work in now in looking after my skin with the thought in my head that I am doing my future self a huge favour; anti-wrinkle creams and products alike to that can only do so much once you've got the wrinkles. I'm working with a preventative frame of mind!

Having shown my favourite product I will give a little run down of my Liz Earle regime:

1. I use the 'Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser'; rubbing it all over my face and neck before gently wiping it all off with a muslin cloth (comes with the cleanser) that I've soaked and wrung out in hand-hot water. Once I've wiped it all off I splash some cold water on my face.
2. I then use my 'Instant Boost Skin Tonic'. I pour some of this product onto a cotton pad and again sweep it over my entire face and neck.
3. Next I use the 'Skin Repair Light Moisturiser' in Combination/Oily, again all over my face and neck. I'll then finish moisturising by patting on 'Daily Eye Repair' cream around my eyes.
4. Finally I use 'Spot-On' on any blemishes. (I tend to do this step only at night time rather than during the day, although it can be used anytime.)

I find that this routine works really well for my skin. I do also have the 'Gentle Face Exfoliator' and the 'Deep Cleansing Mask' but I do not use them every day. I prefer to use exfoliators and masks once or twice a week rather than every day as that just works well for my skin. Now I know that sounds like a lot of time and effort but in reality the 4 steps only take me 5 minutes max and they really are worth it. Sometimes I fall out of the habit of doing this routine and within a day or two my skin really begins to show it; I develop dry patches and am more prone to the odd blemish. As soon as I start using these products and doing my little routine again my skin improves so much.

So I hope you liked this little sway off the normal blog post path. I really enjoyed writing this! As I said I am aware that Liz Earle is not cheap so if you're unsure about spending money on products you don't know will work for you, I would recommend getting one of the 'Try-Me Kits'; perhaps the 'Essential Try-Me Kit' or the 'Young Skin Try-Me Kit' and giving these products a go. I genuinely have never heard a bad review of Liz Earle products and I'm a big fan so I would thoroughly recommend giving these a try!

I'm interested in their makeup range too having been sent some samples of their 'Sheer Skin Tint' with my last order. I've really enjoyed trying this product (it's got SPF in it too!), and the Bare 01 colour was perfect for my skin tone before I went on holiday, and then the Beige 02 has been perfect since I got back; so perhaps that'll be one of my next investigations! Anywho I think I've banged on about Liz Earle enough now; let me know if these kinds of posts on products are interesting/informative/you like them at all!

Bye for now :)

xxxxx

Wouldn't it be nice...if cleaning did itself.

A rather silly and obvious statement I know but I have spent the last few hours tidying and cleaning. I then decided to sit down for a few minutes and well, here I am!

The reason for my need to clean and organise is a move home from University. This was not just any move but THE move from Uni...the end of my life as a student. Unfortunately that meant I had to move everything home and my room at Uni was (surprisingly) substantially bigger than my room here. So three years worth of stuff is having to be majorly cut down otherwise I'll be living like one of those 'hoarders' you see in programmes where they can't even get into the room let alone inhabit it.

It really is amazing how much stuff, most of it pointless, you find in drawers and cupboards and behind furniture when you really start to look. And believe me I have a lot of stuff. I will admit that I am one of those sentimental types who tends to hold onto stupid things because of the meaning behind it. This has come to back to bite me though. After 20 years of being sentimental I have suddenly had to start being brutal. In a classic girl move I do have a memory box that has the most important things in that really do have sentimental value that I cannot part with, but I have been focused today and really have managed to sort out a huge chunk of the stuff. There is also a nice pile growing of stuff to give to charity. I always try and do this because I always think that just because I don't want something anymore doesn't mean someone else won't it, and if my useless old stuff can make money for a charity then that's fantastic in my opinion. I've said stuff rather too much. Stuff.

There is something hugely satisfying about having a massive clear out/clean (even if I do now stink of cleaning products) and in some senses it's thoroughly enjoyable. Only in some senses though. In most it's boring and an unfortunate fact of life. I'm trying to be positive though as my next task is my wardrobe. I am really bad at getting rid of clothes (again I always give to charity) and I seem to hoard the most when it comes to clothes. I desperately need to do it though as I am having trouble getting things in and out of one section of my wardrobe as I've hung so much you can't move anything. That's a true sign you need a clear out. I better get on then. Apologies that this is a rather boring blog post but packing, moving, unpacking, clearing and tidying is all I have been doing for the past 3 days so it's become rather all consuming!

Bye for now :)

xxxxx

Wouldn't it be nice...if the weather could make up its mind.

So here in the UK we are not blessed with the best weather; we all know this but every year when the weather is bad in the 'summer' we still moan. We Brits are good at moaning. And queuing. We are the best at queuing. Back to the weather...so as soon as we really got into the summer season and June began it also began to rain, pretty much non stop. I had been at home and have returned to Uni for the final week of term to see friends and to make sure everything is sorted and in order for my graduation. So I left basically all of my summer clothes at home, having checked the weather forecast and seeing that it was going to be bad weather all week, and I happily poodled back to Uni with a suitcase full of jumpers, jeans, a few dresses for nights out and some t-shirts for layering.

All I can say is thank goodness I packed some t-shirts because it's lovely weather here now! I'm incredibly happy the weather is perking up as my birthday is coming up and I'm meant to be having a BBQ so sunny weather is greatly appreciated. However I now have minimal clothes for this week which are actually of any use. You can also pretty much guarantee that as soon as I get home and am reunited with my beautiful summery clothes that it'll start pouring down again and it'll be back to the winter wardrobe for the rest of the summer.

I do love the UK and being British but I only wish our weather was a little bit more decisive. It can't seem to decide whether it wants to be summer, winter, autumn or spring so is throwing us daily between them all and just hoping we'll keep up! Yes, wouldn't it be nice if the weather could make up its mind but then again we are British and nothing really dampens our spirits; one of the most iconic images of the Jubilee celebrations in London will forever be the Royal College of Music Chamber Choir who sang on top of a boat in the Flotilla on the Thames that housed the the London Philharmonic Orchestra:

(Image from http://troghead.blogspot.co.uk)

The whole situation was frankly bonkers. 1 million people stood on the banks of the Thames and many more tuned in at home to watch over 1000 boats of all shapes and sizes sail down the river. It poured with rain (of course) and we watched these young singers belt their hearts out as they stood like drowned rats on top of a floating orchestra in front of the Queen singing to and for her (you can see the video here). And my goodness we all felt proud. Now that's true British spirit, and it wouldn't have been quite the same had it not been pouring with rain.

Bye for now :)

xxxxx

Wouldn't it be nice...if people were nicer to one another.

It's strange but lovely being here writing again. I stopped blogging over a year ago after my blog was used by a not very nice group of people against me. They created their own blog by copying the style, format, everything about my blog, then proceeded to write about me and mock me. These weren't just internet trolls but people I knew, and had been friends with, in real life who were hiding behind their computer screens. I tried to continue with my blog for a while after that; trying to brush the whole situation off as not bothering me. But it did. I deleted my blog entirely not long after.

I tried to forget about the whole situation but I recently began thinking about it again. About how I let a group of unkind people ruin something I enjoyed doing. So I've decided to start again. I have always enjoyed writing, and blogging is a fantastic outlet for my need to write and ramble and share things with the world, and I am not going to let anyone ruin that for me.

So here I am again. Refreshed and renewed. My blog is now called 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' after the Beach Boys song which is one of my favourite songs and I'm going to use that to start each post. Todays title up there 'Wouldn't it be nice...if people were nicer to each other.' exemplifies how I feel about restarting my blog. I was stopped by unecessary, unprovoked unkindness and I think it's a shame we're not all nicer to one another. Sometimes you can't help being a little grumpy or mean; we're only human! But if we all try to be a bit nicer to each other by doing small things; smile at a stranger in the street when you pass, make sure you properly say and mean thank you to staff in shops, surround yourself with kind and loving people, and I'm sure we'll all be that little bit nicer and that little bit happier.

Bye for now :) 

xxxxx