The Body Shop haul - Early-Harvest Raspberry and Amazonian Wild Lily!

 

 The Body Shop Early-Harvest Raspberry Body Scrub, £12.50

Body Butter, £13 and Body Lotion, £8 (3 for 2)

Amazonian Wild Lily perfumed oil, £7 (free as part of a promotion)

A recent trip to my local Body Shop proved to be very beneficial, not only did I take advantage of their 3 for 2 offer on their new Early-Harvest Raspberry products, I also signed up for one of their loyalty cards (check out the benefits here) which included this beautiful Amazonian Wild Lily perfume oil and 10% off my purchases. The result being, the total bill of £38.50 (including £5 sign-up charge for card) came to £27.95 and I walked away with two free products, RESULT!!!

Early-Harvest Raspberry body scrub - This was the product that first tempted me into the Body Shop when I spotted it at the entrance. It looks pretty much like raspberry jam with bits of fruit contained within the scrub. Instead of spreading it on your toast (I wouldn't recommend this), rub it into your skin, particularly those stubborn dry areas such as elbows, knees & feet. Although it can seem a little messy to apply, after exfoliation and rinsing the skin feels really soft and smooth and smells divine. I suggest you follow-up the body scrub with the Body Shop's famous body butter in the same fragrance.

Early-Harvest Raspberry body butter - One of my most frequently bought products from the Body Shop has to be their body butter. I always stock-up on the travel sized Coconut one before going on holiday, it's a MUST HAVE! I love the extra creamy buttery texture of the body butter, it's ideal for sun-dried skin, easy to apply and always leaves my skin feeling richly moisturised and silky smooth. Again, the smell of this new fragrance is so lovely and sweet, imagine the yummyest raspberry and cream dessert, a real essence of summer. 

Early-Harvest Raspberry body lotion - It's not always necessary to use such a thick buttery moisturiser and that's when I reach instead for the body lotion. This product still leaves the skin feeling soft and hydrated but is less intensive than the body butter. It's easily dispensed with the press down top and quickly absorbs into the skin with gentle rubbing, a slightly quicker method of moisturisation than the butter. Again this smells lovely but a little more subtle than the other two products mentioned. I would probably use this each morning for general body hydration and leave the body butter as a more intensive treatment, especially after using the body scrub.

You can view the full range of Early-Harvest Raspberry products on the Body Shop website here, these include a shower gel and eau de toilette, they are certainly worth checking out.

Amazonian Wild Lily perfume oil - This product was a welcome bonus to my Body Shop haul. I haven't tried their perfume oil range before so was keen to give it a go. The scent is alcohol free and because it is oil based, lasts longer than an eau de toilette. It has a lovely fresh fragrance described as a 'blend of floral and aquatic accords inspired by the rain-kissed cool of the jungle' making it a very easy and pretty scent to wear. The Body Shop are really good at bringing out several products in the same fragrance, you can check out the Amazonian Wild Lily range on the website here, again including shower gel and body lotion.

Overall, I'd say I had a pretty good day when it came to both value for money and quality of product, thanks Body Shop!

What are your favourite Body Shop products?

Hope you are having a great Bank Holiday weekend!

Deborah

xxx

Cargo's Valo Wind Light - Perfect lighting for those summer nights!!!

Blue Valo Wind Light from Cargo HomeShop, £9.99

Recently I was contacted to see if I would be interested in reviewing this lovely garden tea-light holder for Cargo HomeShop. As you may have already guessed, I love anything to do with candles and this beautiful blue Valo Wind Light seemed like the perfect garden accessory in which to display one of my many tea-lights.

Firstly, let's talk about the look of this product. I absolutely love the deep blue colouring of the jar, it looks so pretty when lite and I love the way the light is dispersed by the textured patterns on the glass. The jar is given an almost nautical feel with the addition of the chrome around the rim which has a rope attachment for hanging. I'm not sure how safe it would be to hang the jar when lite as quite a bit of heat is emitted from the candle which might affect the rope handle, it would probably depend on what size tea-light you use. Mr Moonstone also pointed out that the screws holding the rope handle were a little loose, so it's worth checking them out and tightening if necessary before hanging.

Here, I've used a larger tea-light as the jar is quite big (14 x 11cm), however, it would look equally as pretty with a normal sized one or maybe even a votive in a clear glass votive holder. You could also use a citronella scented candle if you had a problem with mosquitoes in the evening, both pretty and practical!

I didn't think the price tag of £9.99 was too much when you consider the size of the Valo Wind Light, you can pick up one of these little beauties direct from Cargo online by clicking on the link here. This has certainly become a welcome addition to my garden lighting accessories and I can't wait for those lovely warm summer barbecue evenings with family and friends, happy days!!!

How do you like to accessorise you garden on those lovely warm summer nights?

Deborah

xxx

Arthur's Antics - Happy Easter 2014!!!

My gorgeous boy!

Who knew they did Easter Eggs for dogs?

 After eggs a good walk is what's needed!

Arthur loves a stick but I think he may have bitten off more than he can chew here!

After a run around a swim is needed to cool off.

Arthur's favourite Border Collie Willow was down for Easter weekend so she came for a walk too. Willow also experienced her first proper swim when she chased a ball into the water, the look of sheer panic as she doggy paddled back to solid ground was so funny we were all laughing too much to take a photo.

SAFE!!!

After a good walk we had achieved the impossible, a sleeping Willow!

She wasn't the only one!

We also took advantage of the good weather to do some gardening, of course Arthur and Rupert were only too happy to help out.

Who put the cat in the bag?

A camouflaged Arthur, Rupert will never see me coming!!! 

Arthur had a great Easter weekend, doggy eggs, cat hide'n'seek and of course fun and games with Willow. Both dogs spent the next couple of days recovering but it was so worth it, we can't wait for Willow's next visit.

What did your furry friends get up to this Easter weekend?

Deborah, Arthur, Willow & Rupert

xxx

Nails Inc Gardens Floral's - Summer in bloom!

Nails Inc Chelsea Embankment Gardens Floral (white), Queensgate Gardens Floral (blue)

and Richmond Gardens Floral (green) - £12

I was so excited when I first received an email from Nails Inc about these pretty new Floral Gardens inspired polishes and couldn't wait to try them out so I pre-ordered early in March in the hope of reviewing them for you when they were first released at the beginning of April. Unfortunately, due to a problem with delivery of one of the shades, they have only just arrived so finally here's my review, better late than never!!!

Delay aside, I have to say that I was a little disappointed when I finally got to try them out. Firstly, as recommended by Nails Inc, I applied two coats of a similar colour as a base for the floral polish. Here I used a pink, blue and green from my Nails Inc Spring/Summer Collection (previously reviewed here), next came the tricky application of the floral polish itself. As with a normal glitter, two coats were needed to get a good spread of the pretty particles, however, it was really really difficult to get a larger flower on the brush and apply it to the nail. It took me several attempts to get hold of a flower from the green Richmond Gardens floral, so frustrating when you can see them so clearly in the bottle but can't get one on the brush.

The blue Queensgate Gardens was the most disappointing of the three I tried, it only contained pink flowers and tiny particles, unlike the other two that were far more colourful. The Chelsea Embankment Gardens was probably my favourite, I really liked the pretty pastel pink. blue and yellow flowers and I would probably give this another go, maybe practice will improve the application!

As a positive, the polish was surprisingly durable although I did find myself picking at the flowers, but that's just me, I've never been able to wear acrylics as I'm continually picking them off. They do look pretty when worn over a lovely pastel shade, very in keeping with this summers flowery trends so certainly worth giving a go if you have the patience.

Have you tried these pretty florals yet?

Deborah

xxx

Yankee Candles *Online Exclusive* - April Showers!

Yankee Candle 'April Showers' swirl candle,

Tulips & Meadow Showers - £16.99 online exclusive!

I know, I know, not another candle post BUT how gorgeous is this beautifully scented NEW candle jar from Yankee Candles springtime range? I couldn't resist ordering this from their website when I received an email the other day, it's soooo pretty. I haven't seen the swirl effect jars before, a great way of combining two fresh scents in one. Here you have the combination of spring flowers with the Tulip added to the refreshing scent of Meadow Showers, who doesn't love the smell of grass after a bit of rain. The result is a subtly fresh scent which fills the house with an aroma similar to fresh cut flowers, lovely!

The colours do tend to blend as the wax melts but this also serves to combine the tulips and the meadow showers fragrance. This is such a pretty looking candle, it would look great just about anywhere in your home, it would also make an ideal gift for a candle loving addict like myself, I know I'm not the only one out there am I??? These medium sized jars are only available online, you can check them out here from the Yankee Candle website, so hurry up before April is over. Hopefully this will be the only April Showers we will be experiencing this spring, bring on the sun!

Have you tried any of the Yankee Candle swirl candles yet and what would be your favourite Springtime scent?

Deborah

xxx

CLARINS Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector - A touch of luxury on the lips!

CLARINS Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, Rose Shimmer - £18

The hype - 'A soft, gel formula that nourishes, repairs and protects Day after day, lips are visibly more beautiful.'

As I've probably told you many times, I have a real problem with dry cracked lips, so I am always on the lookout for a product that will help minimse the effects of weathering, central heating and daily wear and tear! I've tried many products but I usually come back to my faithful Nivea Lip Care Essential which I carry with me at all times. However, I have recently discovered this little beauty from the Clarins and I have to say, after a couple of weeks of use, I've been impressed!

I've been applying the Lip Perfector before my daily dog walk and last thing at night to fully test the benefits and it's certainly performed well. My lips have retained the moisture more efficiently than previous products that I've tried and they even feel a little firmer and plumped. When I wake up in the morning it feels almost as if I have just applied the balm and my lips do feel in better condition. 

The packaging is really simple and stylish, I certainly won't mind carrying it in my handbag. It is also very easy to apply, just a gentle squeeze dispenses some of the balm on the spongy tip, reducing wastage and even eliminating the need for a mirror. I chose the Rose Shimmer colour to try as you can just add a touch of pretty pink shimmer to your lips as a glossy balm or as a topcoat to a more vibrant lip colour, it also has a subtle hint of vanilla flavouring which I had to stop myself from licking and removing. The product comes in 6 beautiful shades designed to give a subtle hint of colour, you can check them out here on the Clarins website, I may well be investing in Candy Shimmer next as one of my holiday make up essentials. At £18 it is a little expensive until you take into account the benefits of having both a protecting balm and gloss in a single product.

Overall, I guess you could say that I would definitely recommend this product, my lips certainly feel in far better condition and my faithful Nivea has now been consigned to the bottom of my bag!

What lip care products would you recommend?

Deborah

xxx

Dont forget!!! My *GIVEAWAY* finishes on Sunday so not long to win Yankee Candles, Revlon and Accessorize goodies, to enter click on the link here, good luck!!! xxx

Nails Inc Spring/Summer Collection - Happy Mother's Day!!!

Nails Inc Spring Summer Collection

I had a really lovely Mother's Day this year, after being thoroughly spoilt in London the day before (see post here) we returned home for a family meal at our favourite local. Before going to the pub I had some really beautiful presents and cards to open from my babies, these included some gorgeous smelling candles and a scarf from my boys, they know me so well! Lisa gave me this amazing set of nail varnishes from Nails Inc containing six beautiful Spring/Summer inspired colours, I am such a lucky mummy!!!

The bottles themselves are smaller than the full size ones which makes them great for travelling, I think I want to take them all on holiday with me. They are easy to apply, two good coats should do it and they last really well, the photo above was taken after 3 days and there was little if no signs of chipping, even without a topcoat. I can't really provide a link or pricing for these beauties as they were a gift and I don't like to look but I'm pretty sure you can find them online fairly easily, Amazon is always a good place to start. I would suggest though that you look soon if interested as Lisa reckons they are selling out fast.

Lisa and I sharing some Prosecco, Happy Mother's Day!

A reluctant Will posing with his mum and sister, soooo embarassing!!!

What did you do to celebrate Mother's Day?

Don't forget there's only a few more days left to enter my 300 bloglovin followers *GIVEAWAY* Yankee Candles, Revlon and Accessorize goodies to be won, to enter click here, best of luck!!!

Deborah

xxx