Pre-Wedding Pampering.

With a special occasion such as this wedding coming up I've been indulging in lots of pampering to get me feeling and looking my best, so I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to share with you some of my favourite pampering products, both old and new.

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First of all, leading up to any big occasion my skin is my top priority, so I go to extra lengths to prevent breakouts by drinking more water, eating more fruit and veg and getting more sleep but I also like to give my skin that extra bit of T.L.C.

For me, my skins ultimate savior has been the Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash which has seen my number of breakouts reduce and my skin tone improve, a fantastic product for sensitive skin. To provide my face with a deeper cleanse every other day when using my face wash I use this Massaging Face Brush from Avon which leaves my skin looking brighter and firmer. At the start of the week I like to relax with my Mankua Doctor ApiNourish Rejuvenating Face Mask which helps my skin recover from the weekend, I then use it the day of the event as I can relax with it on for half an hour sknowing it is hydrating my skin, not drying it out. Whilst relaxing with my face mask on I wear my Gel Eye Mask which was just £1 from Primark and makes a nice change from tea bags! This eye mask helps to reduce puffiness and the appearance of dark rings.

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When it comes to my body, I can't stand having dry skin, unfortunately we all have those problem areas and for me its my knees and feet caused by working with small children and going to the gym. Over the years I have tried lots of different products to get results that last and I now think I've found them.

For my birthday I received my first ever Lush set, which included the incredible Rub, Rub, Rub, Shower Scrub. This product is a fantastic exfoliator that leaves skin feeling soft and refreshed, it also smells amazing! I go on to use my Molton Brown Body Wash, which I am currently using in Pink Pepperpod, followed by the Molton Brown Nourishing Body Lotion, which keeps my skin, including my knees, looking and feeling hydrated all day.

For my feet I purchased The Body Shop's Peppermint Soothing Foot Scrub and Intensive Foot Rescue cream.Though the foot scrub has a brilliant cooling and hydrating feel it doesn't seem to do much, however the Foot Rescue Cream is amazing and I noticed results after just two days! I have used this every day this week and my feet feel fantastic. Of course I will not be using it today as moisturising feet before wearing heels is never a good idea unless you want blisters!

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Finally, my favourite part of getting ready for a special occasion is painting my nails. Pretty hands are a must  which is why it is so important to make sure your cuticles are pushed back before you paint your nails, you can do this easily and gently using an Orange Stick. For the wedding I am wearing gold jewellery so to get the perfect nail varnish colour I will be applying Revlon Gold Coin first which has great coverage and sparkle, but is a few shades too light, followed by a coat of No7 Hot To Trot, which is dark but not very thick.


I'm now off to apply my face mask and put my feet up before getting ready for the wedding this afternoon.


Have a lovely bank holiday weekend.

Glamour Magazine Balance Me Freebies.

So this happened. 

I very rarely buy magazines unless an article or a freebie entices me as I struggle to find the time to read them. In this particular instance four freebies caught my eye, so of course I had to get them all. I'm in no means saying that this is a bad thing., four products worth £41 for just £8, what's bad about that? It's just I now have four magazines, exactly the same, which does looks kind of odd, but hey who cares?!

Now GLAMOUR is by far my favourite magazine to read whenever I do decide to buy one. It's great value for money, has fantastic reads from fashion and health, to relationships and careers, plus it has some amazing free gifts.

Last year I used the Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash, also free from a magazine, and I remembered how much I loved it so I was eager to try all four of the products that were up for grabs this time. Available this month with GLAMOUR for just £2 is the Super Moisturising Body Wash, Pure Skin Face Wash, Radiance Face Mask and Shine On Tinted Lip Salve in Sheer Red.

I AM IN LOVE! All four of these products are amazing and I am very happy to be sharing this review with you guys!

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The Body Wash
This gel like product has a natural scent to it that is really refreshing and it lathers up well so you don't need to use a lot. It's really sensitive and soothing on the skin and after using it my skin felt really soft and clean. Over the past few days of using it I've notice my skin doesn't appear as dry. All in all a really good product. Buy Online Here, £9

The Face Wash
This face wash is a white cream with a similar scent to the body wash. It's a lovely product that spreads well meaning you only need a really small amount as it goes a long way. I have sensitive skin and this product was so gentle and soothing upon use and afterwards didn't leave my skin feeling tight or dry. Being a contact wearer I also have to be careful with products near my eyes but this caused no irritation or discomfort at all. I've used this product for five days now and my skin feels very smooth and I've had no outbreaks. A great skin soother. Buy Online Here, £16

The Face Mask
As I've mentioned in the past I very rarely use face masks but I'd had a slight breakoutbreak after last weekends nightout so I decided to see if this would help at all. This facemask is an exfoliating cream that doesn't dry, it simply soaks in to your skin slightly and then upon removal the ground walnut shell particles gently massage and exfoliate the skin leaving it with a fresh healthy glow. My pores appeared less visible and my skin felt smoother and not as oily. The next day my spots had dried up and were clearly less visible. A five minute miracle worker. Buy Online Here, £18

The Lip Salve
I never wear lip glosses but this little beauty has been in my bag everyday now since purchase. The red colouring is only a shade darker than my natural lip once on so looks very natural whilst still adding that hint of colour. It soaks in leaving the lips feeling and looking moisturised without that sticky or wet look you get with other glosses. It has a lovely minty taste and makes the lips look fuller, A handbag must have. Buy Online Here, £12

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Now here is the part where I would usually tell you which product is the best and which one you should pick up but I just can't, for £8 seriously just buy them all if you can!

Have you tried any Balance Me products?

Freshen up with nspa.

7am, snow on the ground, lots of walking and cleaning to do, I need to be woken up!

In winter it can be so hard to wake up, it's cold, it's dark.. You want your duvet! But unfortunately the day calls and you've got to answer! The solution? For me it's a hot shower with raspberry, mint, lime or cherry scented shower gels to get my senses working in those early hours! These fragrances are also perfect for when you want to freshen up after a workout!

This gift set by nspa is in "fresh, sweet raspberry" according to the bottle and I'll tell you now, the bottle does not lie! So sweet, so fresh. I am extremely excited to have this product again as I used to use it all the time after Aqua Fit as it got rid of that awful chlorine smell brilliantly and I am pleased to say the product is still as good, my shower smelt amazing and I definitely feel more awake! This product lathers up well and a small bit goes a long way, the only downside? You can't smell it much afterwards, but bring in the body butter, problem solved! I now smell nice and fruity (if you smell me that is, I won't knock you out just from entering the room). My only niggle with the body butter is that it's very thick and doesn't spread that far, but I do feel soft!

500ml versions of this shower gel and 200ml body butters are available for just £3 at Asda.

Have you used any nspa products before? I'd love to know!