REVIEW // BeetsBlu Bluetooth Scale

I've worked with BeetsBlu before, they sent me their heart rate monitor to review at the start of the year which I really loved using, if you want to know more about that, you can check out my review here, they recently contacted me again to offer me a Bluetooth Digital Weighing Scale that they've created, I jumped at the chance, I'm on a big fitness kick at the minute (minus a recurring leg injury that's driving me mad!) but once I saw this, I thought it would be really good for helping track my weight loss. The BeetsBlu digital scales sync up to an app via bluetooth, which means that each time you use them, the app is updated and you can track BMI, Weight Loss, Body Fat %, Water % and muscle mass, it keeps each sync on record so you can track using the app.

Set up was incredibly easy, I downloaded the app from the App store for free, then I turned on the scales by putting pressure on them and then going to the bluetooth settings of my iPhone, after a few seconds of searching, the BeetsBlu scales popped up which will sync the two together, then when you go into the app and use the scales, it sends up the information and stores it so you can start to build up a picture of your weight loss (or gain). It really is incredibly easy to use and the rest of my house are all using it now too.

Looks wise, it looks very sleek, shiny black glass with silver detailing so it's good enough to keep on show and it's small enough to slip into corner if you want to keep it out ofthe way. Overall, I've really enojoyed using this and if you're in the market for a new set of scales, I'd check these out, they're a little more pricey than your average set of scales but considering the additional benefits you get with these, I think they're definitely worth the extra pennies. You can find the BeetsBlu scales here.

What do you think? Would you be interested in getting the BeetsBlu Scale?

Soph xx





REVIEW // Irresistable Me Hair Extensions

I was recently contacted by the team at Irresistable Me Hair Extensions to ask if I would like to try out some of their hair extensions, no, since cutting my hair at the end of last year into a shoulder length bob, I've been intrigued by hair extensions but kind of dismissed them on the effort factor, I'm a get ready and out the door in 20 minutes kind of gal, I have no time for faffing over my makeup or moulding my hair into something presentable but when the team contacted me, I figured why not, Adriana was incredibly helpful in helping me to work out which would be the best option for me, I was umming and aahing over which length to go for, but she sent me lots of links to help me pick which would be best, in the end I opted for the 16 inch and the platinum blonde colour, the shipping wasreally fast and the extensions were with me in just a couple of days, great if you need them fast for an event.

So, what did I think? When they arrived, they were packaged really well with a separate pouch for you to test the length / colour before opening up the whole pack, so that if the colour doesn't work, you can return and exchange. The hair itself is very soft but had a faint smell of something that I can't quite put my finger on, ever so slightly not pleasant but not enough to put you off wearing them. They clipped in really easily, you literally just pop open the clips, section off your hair, place them and then pop the clips back in and they stay safely in without feeling like they'll come loose or fall out. The problem I did have is that the colour didn't match my hair, I have quite an ashy / white tone to my hair that I've created through lots of toning while the extensions were a lot more yellow based, I tried toning the extensions but it didn't help so my nxt step is to give dying them a lighter colour a whirl, I'll let you know how I get on! The other problem I have is that my hair is shaped into a fairly blunt bob, there's no layers and as such, it very much looked like it's stuck some long, curly, different coloured extensions in, also my hair is very fine and while there's a lot of it, you could see the extensions at the root in places.

Even though, these aren't necessarily for me, I would recommend these if your hair is more of a match for any of the shades that they offer or if you have a hairstyle that's going to blend in a little bit better. I'll be keeping these to see if dying them helps to tie in with my hair colour a little better and if they look better when my hair has grown out a bit.

Let me know what you think of these? Would you try them? If you are interested, you can get them from Irresistable Me here.

Soph x








REVIEW // Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex

The Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex came as part of this set that I posted about a while back, I was only really going for the set for the Instant Facial so the other two items were just a bonus really, the Micro Cleanse I absolutely love and will repurchase when I run out, after saying recently that I hate grainy exfoliators, the micro cleanse is that but is also a chemical exfoliant using Glycolic acid, I love it, my skin feels amazing after using it - review here -  Anyway, I'm rambling, the Eye Complex I really want to love but I just struggle with the packaging, even on my very first use, it was literally like getting blood from a stone, I'm all for using pumps and gadgets to make life easier but it just doesn't seem to work on this and from looking on google to see how others found this, it seems to be a recurring issue so hopefully it's something Alpha-H will sort out. Essentially, I found I had to pump and pump before any product would come out and then all of a sudden, loads of product would fly out and now it actually won't pump anything out.

Product wise, it's a clear gel consistency that looks like it's done nothing as you apply it but you really will notice a difference when you wake up the next morning, everything seems a bit tighter and firmer around the eye area, I didn't find it worked amazingly on dark circles but too be honest, it's not really something I have a problem with so perhaps if you have darker circles, you may see a more dramatic result. As a preference, I'm definitely one for more of a creamy consistency for eye creams as opposed to gel products so this would be more something I'd reach for if I had a special event the next day but it's probably not one I'd be reaching for on a daily basis.

At a price of £34.50, I'm glad this came as part of a set and it's unlikely that it would be something I would re-purchase, maybe when I'm older and need to use something like this on a daily basis! If you do want to give this a go, I'd recommend trying this as part of one of the Alpha-H sets on QVC as they really do offer great value versus buying the products separately and as a brand, I'm really loving their products. Check them out here.

Have you guys tried this, what did you think?

Soph x


REVIEW // Superfacialist Tea Flower Purifying Cleansing Wash

Today's post is about the Superfacialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Purifying Cleansing wash, I thought I'd already done a review of this because I've been using this for well over a year now, I know I've mentioned this in my Top 5 Favourite Cleansers aaaages ago but, it's one of those cleansers that I just know I can depend on and one of the ones that stays in my shower for my morning face wash,  so it's one of the ones I reach for most mornings, and I know that after using this, my face will feel completely clean and ready to start the day, I also know that if there's a bit of a breakout brewing, with the addition of Salicylic Acid, it will help to combat and keep it from rearing up. This product itself is a clear gel product that foams up when massaged into the skin, I know that foaming products aren't supposed to be great for your skin but I kind of like the super clean feeling that I get from them so while I won't use them all the time, I do like using them if I feel like my skin needs a really good deep clean.

The Superfacialist range is created using natural ingredients (thumbs up from me) and while it's not in the same league of using natural ingredients like Antipodes or Origins, it's good to see a drugstore brand bringing natural ingredients into the mix. This particular product contains Sweet Orange Oil, Bitter Orange Oil, Ylang Ylang and Elderflower which combine to create quite a strong scent, I'm going to hold my hands up here, I'm not a huge fan of the scent, It's the same scent as the rest of the products in the Tea Flower range, but it's just a bit too floral for me, I don't hate it but I wouldn't use the product solely for how it smells, I know a lot of people love the scent though so it may just be me.

I'm also a huge fan of the Tea Flower Clay mask which is one of the sister products in the Tea Flower range, which is getting a lot of buzz in the blogging world, which is another great product. I  do have to say that while I think the Mask can hold it's own against some of the higher end products, the face wash is just a good drugstore product. It's also quite often on offer in Boots so keep an eye out for a deal.

I picked up mine here for £7.99

Have you tried this, what did you think? 

Soph x 










REVIEW // Lavanila Healthy Deodorant

I think this is a first for my blog, I don't think I've ever reviewed a deodorant before...duh duh duh....so, I had been hankering after this ever since I saw it in one of Essie Button's vlogs a year or so ago so I added it to a shopping list for my sister the last time she went to America. It's the Lavanila Healthy Deodorant, the healthy element is because it doesn't contain Aliminium which is found in most deodorants these days and overusing it can cause it to build up in the body, I don't know too much about this so I won't talk about it here but there's plenty on google if you want to know more. This is a creamy stick, it smells AMAZING, I have the Pure Vanilla scent but they also have Vanilla Grapefruit, Vanilla Lavendar and Vanilla Lemon, it's quite a creamy vanilla scent, and smells very natural, I'm not a fan of synthetic vanilla scents but this doesn't fall into that category at all, it's very vanilla pod-esque if you get me?! It's incredibly hydrating and actually leaves the under arm feeling really moisturised which I really loved and wasn't expecting so if you do suffer from irritated or dry patches in that area, then I'd recommend this, if you are in America or have a Sephora order planned because as far as I'm aware, this isn't available in the UK yet.


One con for me with this one, is I don't think that it would withstand lots of activity or a long, stressful day, it's not an anti-perspirant so there is room for wetness (I'm cringing even writing that) so it will either need to be re-applied or you may need to apply alongside another deodorant if you know you'll need some extra protection, I found it was great with my normal daily duties but there was a day where I had to head off at 5am for work, spend 4 hours on a hot, squashed train and also spend 6 hours in a stuffy meeting room and by the end of it, I was wishing I'd worn my Mitchum but I don't want that to deter people because it really is a lovely product.


So, there you go a whole post without using the word pit which is the most horrific word after moist. I did however use wetness so I apologise for that!

Have you tried this? What do you think of it? Is there anything similar in the UK?

Soph x



REVIEW // Sarah Chapman Intense Hydrating Booster

So, where to begin with the Sarah Chapman Intense Hydrating Booster, I picked this up as part of a QVC Special Value Set back in June last year (yes ,last year!!) Mini review of that here  and I have to say this was probably one of the products that I was least excited about, I hadn't really heard much about it which is why it took me a while to get around to using it, my main reason for getting the set was the Overnight Facial Oil (obvs) which is one of my favourite, favourite products to use. The Intense Hydrating Booster is a serum that I'd liken to the likes of Indeed Labs Hydraluron in the sense that it helps to deliver an intense hit of moisture and really get whatever product you put on top of this, be it a cream or an oil really working to benefit your skin, this is the only real likeness that I've found though, the Intense Hydrating Booster is a lot more fluid in form and comes in a little pippette dropper bottle, it also smells quite literally divine, it contains rosewater and it's definitely that scent that comes through the strongest, it's like a spa treatment in that sense, it's not an in your face rose scent, delicious but subtle enough to not be offensive in any way.

It's very silky in formula, almost like a light oil but it's actually oil free, I use around 2-3 drops of this and I find that's plenty to work across my face and down onto my neck, one thing is it does run very easily so I'd recommend appling a few drops into your palm, rubbing between your palms and then applying onto your face, I normally apply products onto the tips of my fingers then press onto my face but this runs before I can even start, not an issue just something to be aware of. The packaging for this states that it is for Stressed, Parched, Dehydrated skin which I definitely tend to lean towards having dehydrated skin and this really is lovely and I notice a real difference when this is included in my routine. The website also mentions that it's great for skin recovering from too much sun exposure which I would actually be inclined to agree with, I don't tend to over do it in the sun but this is really colling and refreshing and very gentle so I think it would be perfect. Hyaluronic Acid is the base product in this which is the key product delivering that hit of moisture but this is combined with Bioecolaia and Beta Glucans which help to prevent against airborne bacteria affecting skin. There's also claims that this helps with plumping fine lines and wrinkles which isn't something I can comment on as I'm fairly lucky I don't have any yet but this delivers on all it's other claims so I can't see it failing on this, my skin definitely feels a little plumper after using.


I was hoping to not do a war and peace blog post but it's definitely going that way so i'll try and tie it up now, it's a really lovely product that really feels like you're treating your skin, it's not cheap at £57 but skincare is the one area I don't hold back on spending really plus keep an eye out for sets, the QVC TSV that I got was really amazing value and they're great for trying out other products, I wouldn't have thought about trying this had it not been included in this set. 

Have you tried this? What did you think?

Soph xx

P.S This and the Overnight Facial Oil = Skin Heaven





WISHLIST // Weekly Wishlist #10

Weekly Wishlist #10



I'm not really sure what this wishlist is saying about me to be honest, I think that Iwant to look glamorous while lying in bed, which I'm kind of OK with...I actually have a bit of a confession as well, I put this wishlist together on Saturday and have already ended up buying the duvert cover and the Sunday Riley Luna oil....I'm currently off work sick so lying bed all day feeling sorry for myself didn't do anything for my bank balance! I cannot wait to try the Luna oil though, I've been pawing through reviews for the past week and I'm reallyhoping it's as good as everyone says!

I'm on a real Gym kick at the minute as well so I wouldn't be surprised if that Mint Green bottle isn't winging it's way to my by the end of the week either!

Hope you all have a great week! 

Soph
x

REVIEW // Alpha H Instant Facial

I picked this up as part of this special value set on QVC so I got this Alpha H Instant Facial, which at the time was newly released, along with the Micro Cleanse (LOVE!) and the Absolute Eye Complex, the whole set is a bit of a bargain at just over £36, the Instant Facial on it's own has an RRP of £37 so you are essentially getting the eye cream and Micro Cleanse for free so it's definitely worth checking out. The Instant Facial is essentially an exfoliating toner, so it's used after cleansing and before Serum to exfoliate and refine the skins texture, removing dead skin build up, softening skin, shrinking pores, evening out skin tone, blurring imperfections etc etc - I'm going to stop there, you get my drift. The initial thing that drew me to this was the spray pump, which writing that down, seems ridiculous but it's truth, as it happens, it's probably one of my least favourite things about this because I find it's got quite a wide spray that spreads further than the cotton pad and I'm never quite sure how many sprays to do but that's me being very picky as well, there are very few flaws with this product on the whole.

So, it's a glycolic based exfoliator but also has Cyprus, Thyme, Barley, Malt and Arnica which each bring different elements to the toner to help with the evening of skin tone and redness reduction. I don't use this on a daily basis but maybe more like twice a week, depending on how my skin is behaving that week, use around 3-5 sprays on a cotton pad then sweep all over my face and neck, I leave it to dry a little bit before applying a serum and moisturiser, you can also just leave it on it's own for a more intense treatment, so if your skin needs a good exfoliation, skip the serum and moisturiser. It's oil free and leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth and just looking alot more refreshed and alive.


I'd liken this to the Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Brightening Toner as I find it to be quite gentle like the clarins, there's no stinging or harshness with this, it's a little bit tackier when first applied than the clarins but this settles down once it dries or moisturiser is applied. Alpha H as a brand is definitely one that I'm getting more and more into, I literally love the Micro Cleanse, which again is exfoliating but in cleanser form and it's just dreamy to use, my face feels so incredibly soft after using, I reviewed it here a while back if you want to know more about that one, but yeah, I'll definitely be checking more out from Alpha H, I currently have my eyeballs all over this Clear Skin Daily Face Wash.

Have you tried this before? Any other Alpha-H products I should be trying?

Soph x



REVIEW // OSKIA Renaissance Cleansing Gel

I mentioned that I'd picked up the OSKIA Renaissance Cleansing Gel in my Space NK haul a while back and a few people were keen to see the review of this one, It's definitely starting to get a name for itself and rightly so, when I was looking to revamp my skincare routine, this is the main thing I knew I wanted, I first saw it on one of Vivianna Does Makeup's vlogs I think and ever since then I've spotted it popping up on several blogs and I've been lusting after it ever since. This leaves my skin feeling amazing, it says cleansing gel, which it is, it's a soft pink gel but it definitely leans towards an oil texture as well as you massage it in, it melts onto your skin much and starts working on breaking down the makeup much like a balm or oil would and as you massage it in, you start to get the scent coming through which is so beautiful, it's like a rose dream, I find strongly scented products can sometimes irritate my skin but there were no issues with this, I actually think because of the ingredients in this, it's incredibly calming and soothing for my skin.

So, I pump this out, about a pump and a half works for me, I start massaging it in, it works really well on waterproof mascara, I normally take my eye makeup off with a micellar water before cleansing but there were several times over christmas where I just used this and I just tended to massage it in and it takes away all my mascara. Anyway, I get it all over the face and actually leave it on for a minute or so while I get a hot flannel ready and then take it off, all my makeup comes off and I've tested with a toner afterwards, there's nothing left but the main thing that separates this from an oil or balm I found is that there's no residue left on my skin afterwards but it still feels amazingly moisturised but really clean, I love oils and balms for taking off makeup but I hate that layer it leaves.

The packaging on this is brilliant and I wish all cleansers would come like this, it's a sturdy plastic, nothing special on that front, looks nice though, but it's the pump that works with this, so many cleansers come in pots or tubes and you have to mess around with trying to get lids off, squeezing product out, all while your face is soaking wet and you can't open your eyes so you end up squeezing too much out or my favourite, dropping the lid down the sink hole which has happened to me way too many times, this is just a simple pump but it makes such a difference to getting the product out and makes the whole process a breeze. Possibly a little bit of a dramatic rant there but I'm sure some of you feel my pain there.

It's not the cheapest cleanser in the world but skincare is where I'm kind of OK with splurging, it's £28, I picked mine up from here.

Have you tried this? What did you think?

Soph x

FITNESS // BeetsBlu Heart Rate Monitor

I was recently asked if I wanted to try out the Beets Blu Heart rate monitor, the timing of being asked this was almost perfect, I was just starting to get a fitness routine in place and had actually just purchased a Jawbone, which is one of those bracelets that basically tracks your steps and sleep and you link it to an app and you can track your food but I found it to be absolutely rubbish, I work from home and spend a lot of time, sitting at my desk, making the odd trip downstairs to get a cup of tea however, the Jawbone kept tracking me at doing severalthousand steps when I hadn't moved from the desk...that's a whole other post but I ended up retuning that and just as I was looking for something else, I got asked to review the Beets Blu, which is essentially a heart rate monitor, so you put it on, it sits around your chest, just underneath your bra and has two little sensors that monitor your heart rate and it links to your iphone via bluetooth so you can track the readings. It's very stretchyand apart from feeling a little bit cold when you first put it on, it's incredibly discreet, you can't see it under clothes and it doesn't really feel like you're wearing anything.

I think for me, I really enjoyed wearing it and as I up my (currently very low) fitness levels, I think t will be interesting to see how my heart rates responds, it also links to several fitness apps such as RunKeeper and Map My Run so you can see how your performing while out running as well. One of the best things I found it for is working out when my heart rate is in the right zone for actually losing weight, however, my chosen gym workout is the Cross Trainer and it can be a little bit tricky to look at the app whilst my arms are flailing about in the air but good for when you're on the treadmill or if I take a morning run, I would also imagine it would be pretty easy to use on an exercise bike.

It's £34.95 which isn't the cheapest but I have enjoyed using it - I'm not sure if I would necessarily pay the £34.95, I've only been using this for a few weeks now so I want to see if it's something I actually keep as part of my routine, but if you are in the market for a heart rate monitor this is actually one of the cheapest I've seen, I got mine from Amazon here.

What do you think? Is this something you'd be interested in?

Soph x




WISHLIST // Weekly Wishlist #9

WISHLIST // Weekly Wishlist #9


I'm going to stop saying I'm going to start posting more reguarly on here because everytime I do, I disappear off the face of the earth for a few weeks - work was to blame for this more recent lack of activity on the blog. I'm back though with a weekly wishlist, I've been lusting over this Ken top for a little while, not so much to wear out but I think it looks like the perfect lazing around the house top and it's cotton candy scented - I didn't even realise that was a thing! 

Another big part of my life over the past few weeks is Scandal, I've literally been binge watching it, my new life motto is "What would Olivia Pope do?!" - It's definitely one of my new favourites. Also, i've been trying out a lot of new products recently so there's going to be a lot of skincare and hair review posts coming up in the next few weeks so keep an eye out for those.

Hope you're all having a good weekend!

Soph x

LIFE // Update + New Layout



Hi Guys, 

A bit of a quick update for you as I listen to the wind howling outside, I've just put my PJs on and settled down with a blanket and a cup of Pukka Wild Apple & Cinnamon tea, which is the actual bomb, check it out if you're a fan of herbal tea's, it's keeping me going this winter but anyway, I wanted to give you a bit of an update, you may have noticed the layout has changed a bit around these parts, I've kept the same logo but made it a bit clearer, but the main body of the blog is a little bit cleaner and fresher, New year, new blog and all that jazz! I'm hoping it will rejuvanate me into blogging a bit more often, my plan is at least 2 posts a week moving up to 4 hopefully in a few months, when I started this blog, I had just started working from home and I wanted something that would break up the working day from the evening, which sounds a bit weird to stay sitting on the computer  when you've finished working but I think there was some sensible reasoning behind it at the time but I really love blogging now, it' gives me a little escape, my job can be ridiculously stressful and high pressure at times, which is why this is a little escape for me, where I can do it when I fancy really so I don't want to put too many pressures on myself to upload on certain days although I might do that at some point in the future so I kind of force myself to break away from work and do something I enjoy, working from home, means you can sometimes end up working ridiculous hours which I really want to cut back on. Anyway, I'm digressing a bit and this post is turning into a bit of a brain dump but hey, if you can't brain dump on your own blog, where can you?! 

Ummm, so I've decided to start doing a few more set posts on here as well, like Monthly Favourites, which will be beauty related but I also want some lifestyle bits in there as well so may include clothes, homeware and most likely Tea, tea makes the world a happy place for me, nothing beats a blanket, a book and a cup of hot tea to keep the happiness alive.

Final thing, has anyone watched Haven? It's on Amazon Instant Prime and it's my latest obsession, I want to live in a little fishing village in Canada with my pooch, blankets and tea of course. Talking of pooches, I'm going to stick a picture of Dixie in for this post, she's growing up so quick, I went into the office the other day and started rambling about how she was growing up so fast, yadda, yadda, yadda, started flicking through pictures and showing people before realising I was talking to 5 middle aged men who had zero interest in my despair that my puppy was going to be 7 months old this week, true story.

Let me know what you think of the new layout and if there are any types of post you like reading? How do you find these rambly posts?


Hope you're all having a dreamy weekend.

Soph xx




REVIEW // Beneft Radiant Skincare Set

I've been intrigued by the Benefit Skincare range for a while, I went to a Benefit event a year or so ago and they used the cleansing milk on me to remove my makeup and I was pleasantly surprised with it, it was lightly scented but did a good job of taking everything off and leaving my skin feeling soft as well, but for some reason I never really think to go to them when I'm looking for new products, they're definitely a makeup brand in my head but then I saw this little set which includes a selection of miniatures from across the range, great for holidays or trips away but also really great to try everything out, at £14 for this set, it's really great value, there is plenty in each little sample to give you a good chance to test everything out. The whole range smells lovely, quite a fresh, subtle fragrance, I don't normally get along with scented products on my skin but I didn't have any issues with this and I enjoyed using pretty much every product in here, If you're thinking of delving into the Benefit Skincare range or need a complete set for a holiday, I'd definitely look into this.

Foamingly Clean Wash - 8.9g

This was the first thing I tested out and it's really nice, it gives a good foam and leaves skin clean but still soft and not at all stripped, reminds me of the Origins Checks and Balances formula wise in that it's a foam that really lathers up when it hits water and is massaged into skin, really nice and one I'd happily repurchase.

Refined Finish Facial Polish - 8.9g

I've only tried this once because I'm not a huge fan of grainy exfoliators but it was OK, buffed away at my skin without being harsh at all and my skin felt baby smooth after using.

Moisture Prep Toning Lotion

This one was a bit hit and miss for me, nothing majorly wrong with it but it didn't really feel like it was doing much, it might be that this one needs more than a sample size amount to see the benefits, I also tend to prefer an acid toner so it might just be down to preference.

Triple Performing Emulsion Lotion SPF 15 - 8.9g

I liked this and I liked that it had SPF built into it but it was too light for my skin so I had to pair it with the other cream in the box, I do have very dry skin though so if your skin leans to the normal / oily side, this would probably be just about perfect.

Total Moisture Facial Cream - 3g

This is my favourite item out of the set, smells lovely, is quite rich and creamy but sinks in quickly, I have way too many moisturisers to work through but if i'm in the market for one any time soon, I'll definitely check this out.

It's potent Eye Cream - 3g

This is nice and rich eye cream, definitely one if your skin is a little dry around the eyes and great for the winter months, it left the skin around my eyes feeling soft and moisturised.


And, that's it - what do you think? Will you be trying out Benefit's skincare range?

Soph x




REVIEW // Birchbox January 2015

I was quite excited to get this month's Birchbox, I'd seen the sneak preview that it was in collaboration with Women's Health which I think is brilliant and perfect timing! In theory I should love this box, it's got Caudalie, HealGel and Stila which are all pretty big brands but unfortunately none of them excite me that much, I think I'll get use from the HealGel and the Caudalie products but the Stila lip gloss just isn't a colour I'd normally wear it's a good mix of brands but the sample sizes  are kind of small and there's nothing that's a WOW product for me. I'm particuarly happy with Pilates band, I used to have one but lost it, but thy really are good! Here's a run down of what I got:

activbod Cooling Finish Lotion

This is for use after a workout, contains menthol to help re-invigorate you, I actually quite like the smell of it, it's quite a strong menthol scent but I'm not sure I'd actually want to smell of it myself if you get me? Might be one to throw in my gym bag to try out.

HealGel Face

I think this is a serum of sorts, it's packed with Hyaluronic Acid which I know works brilliantly with my skin so I'm looking forward to giving this a whirl.

Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum

Another serum, this one targets evening out skin tone and brightening complexion which again, I'm happy to try out, I think I have actually used this before but a few years ago!

GreenPeople Intensive Repair Shampoo

I love the GreenPeople brandand have used it before, this is 82% organic and is free from a multitude of nasties such as SLS, Parabens, DEA, TEA and many more, it's even free from Urea which is a bonus!! 

Stila Lip Glaze 

I got the shade Glamour which is a deep Raspberry Pink, it's nice but it's just not a colour I wear so I'll probably give this to a friend, I have used the Stila Lip Glaze's before and loved them.

So, that's everything in the box, nothing I'm not happy with but nothing that I'm overly excited about but you can't win them all! 

How was your BirchBox this month?

Soph x




HAUL // SPACE NK

Today's post is going to be a little bit of a skincare haul from Space NK - I've felt like i've been lacking a little bit with my skincare recently, I think I just got a bit bored with it all so I ended up in a bit of a rut with just using micellar water all the time and my skin was starting to get a bit dull and having a few breakouts so in typical "me" fashion, I decided to buy lots of new cleansers to get me back in the swing of properly cleaning my skin. I also snuck in a re-purchase of the Phytoneutre Clarifying Shampoo which is literally amazing but other than that, it was just cleansers.







This is something I've been debating purchasing for a while, it's the most expensive cleanser in this haul but it really is lovely to use, it's a gel formula but melts into a balmy, oil consistency when you massage it into the skin, it smells heavenly and very spa like with a deep rose scent. I'll do a full review on this soon because this is one of the ones I have been using most out of this little lot and I really am loving it.


I'm really into Nude as a brand at the minute, I picked up a moisturiser set in the Boxing Day sales and it's so, so good. This is a really nice cleanser and I've been using it most mornings for the past few weeks, it's not super foaming but it really cleans skin without drying it or stripping it, it smells like most of the nude products which is kind of a muted vanilla scent - actually, now I'm thinking about it, I think Nude products smell like the head on a Cabbage Patch Kid, anyone else find this?


I'm not sure why I picked this one up but I wanted something to be my Shower Cleanser, I've been using the Origins Checks and Balances which I love but I'm just a bit bored of it so once that finishes, I'm going to replace with this one, I haven't tried this yet but I love Kiehls products so I think this will be a win for me.


I've spoken about this little beauty before - link here - I use it one to two times a week to deep clean my hair, it has eucalyptus in it so it smells amazing and is super good if you have a cold because it really helps clear everything up. It leaves my hair really clean but not stripped so it's super soft. My only issue with this is the metal tube because when it's coming to the end of the product, it gets all battered and it was dripping green goop into my shower everyday but I can learn to live with that, if you're in the market for a clarifying shampoo, I'd really recommend trying this one.

And, that's it - it was definitely a bit of a splurge haul, I think I was obviously feeling quite lavish, I'll be living off toast for the month of January I think! 

Soph x


WISHLIST // Weekly Wishlist #8

Weekly Wishlist #8




So, I think firstly I'll start off with a Happy New Year, I know everyone says it but I can't believe how fast 2014 went, it was literally gone in a flash, I rang the new year in with cups of Pukka Apple & Cinnamon Tea and shots of Covonia so I'm hoping that isn't how the rest of the year plays out. This week's wishlist is a bit of a random one, I think now that Christmasis out of the way, I'm already moving onto Spring in my head, this Poppy dress is beyond pretty.

Keeping it short and sweet for now, but I'm going to be making some changes to the blog over the next month, I'm thinking a bit of a re-vamp and possibly a name change so I'll keep you updated on that.

Hope you all have had an amazing New Year so far and that 2015 brings you everything you wish for.

Soph x