Teapigs!

I love a good cup of tea, I'm pretty sure I have around 4-6 cups a day which can't be doing me any good but recently I have discovered a new brand which do healthy alternatives to tea. In the past I've gone for fruit flavored tea but while I was on a walk at a local garden centre in there cafe I spotted some fresh tea so I was straight over there prodding and pocking at all the packages before picking up a mint flavored packet.

The brand is called Teapigs, a brand run by Nick and Louise which was started in 2006, they have a fantastic website which helps you choose your teas and helps you select a package or single packets. You can select a sample pack which includes two sachets or a 15 pack which I selected in the store. Prices range from £1-£10 and the selection is quite big from Chocolate Flake to popcorn tea you can also go for mint and Everyday Brew.

They also have a great range of gifts and tea ware, for orders over £35 you get free postage and they also deliver internationally. I was really impressed with the website and was surprised that I hadn't come across it sooner!

Now for my tea review, the packaging for the tea bag is just like normal tea so just pop in into your cup and then leave to brew for 3 minutes before removing, a nice simple process. The tea was rich in flavour and had a lovely minty aftertaste, it made me feel refreshed and woke me up a bit which I really liked.

I would highly suggest this affordable brand for any tea lovers as it's just perfect!

Time For Some New Glasses!

I've been wearing glasses since I was four years old and have always either had my glasses chosen for me or been very silly and gone for designer which are far to expensive. I was due a check up and decided to go with Boots Opticians rather than Specsavers and I'm extremely pleased with how well it went and extremely happy with my new glasses!

The design I went for is called Millie but I couldn't find it online, it's a really nice gothic flower design in a purple and pink frame. It also a bit different but I have gone for rimless at the bottom of the frame instead of a full frame, as I always go for red or black frames this is really different for me and I love the results.

Everyone says my face looks loads better and I look older which I really like, I also like how they sit on my face and how it makes me face almost look smaller! They cost me £180 for the frame and thinned glasses which is a great price for these lovely specs!

#BloggersWLW Week Eight

Today's post is all about Change4Life Smart Swap, there's a lot of adverts about the smart swap idea and on the recent half term my brother was given a leaflet to sign up for free so I decided to sign up my family to see what it was all about. It was nice and simple to sign up you enter a few detail such as your name and address then you are asked about how many family members there are and then a few marketing questions to tick and your good to go!

Around a week later we received our smart swap pack and I was rather shocked at how much you get for signing up for free, We got fridge magnets and a fridge smart swapper with loads of smart swap ideas and we also got some free vouchers to spend in most stores.

As well as all this we get weekly updates and weekly emails with even more smart swap ideas. I was really impressed with the idea and all the items will got, as well as it being free to sign up what more can you ask for! To sign up you can use the website Change4Life or look out for the yellow leaflets in most supermarkets!

Weight Update! This month I haven't lost to much as I had major problems following the Slim Fast diet and have only just switched to Weight Watchers 

Weight 29th January - 14 Stone 9lbs (205 pounds)

BMI 29th January - 38.2

Dress Size 29th January - Size 20

This month the only differnece I have notice is that my clothes are a little looser and I am fitting into all my old size 18 clothes which I think is great and I'm really happy about!

Weight 26th February - 14 Stone 4lbs (200 pounds)

BMI 26th February - 36.5

Dress Size 26th February - 18

My goals for the next month are - 

• To follow the Weight Watchers plan and stick to my daily points
• To do a two day juice/herbal tea detox 4 times this month
• To up my exercise as i'm still pretty much a coach potato! 

Spring Nails

For Spring I love to have a natural or nude look nail, if I do paint them it will be a light shade or a really pale colour. So I decided to go through my top picks for this Spring and share them with you, they range from high street to fashion so there's something for everyone!

Barry M
I have three nail varnish's that are perfect for spring they are the Matte Vanilla, Bright Pink and Prickly Pear. I picked Vanilla and Prickly Pear for everyday use and then the Bright Pink as an alternative for going out. Barry M has prices from £2.99 and there colours are always great and perfect for any occasion.

Nails Inc
Again I have three that are great for Spring Bruton Street, Porchester Square and Portobello. I picked out Bruton Street and Porchester Square as my day time shades and then Portobello as a going out shade. Nails Inc start at £5 and can get quite pricey so it's always best to go to TKMaxx or a discount store to try dig out some Nails Inc bargains!

Lastly a shade from Estee Lauder called Rose Coral, I love this little pot of Nail Lacquer as it's the perfect shade for Spring. I received a sample size from a relative and have loved it since!

Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash

This product was from the January Glossybox and I've been using if for around a month now, it's from the company Balance Me who do bath and body items as well as having a great range of face products. There prices range from £6+ and you can get minis to full size to gift sets so its an all round great range.

The Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash has an unusual scent almost like medicine it's a mix of Rose, Lavender and Aloe Vera which sounds really great but doesn't smell all that nice. I found once applied to the body however it seems to get nicer and smelt fresh. As it's a super toning body wash I tend to really work this product into my legs and tum, although I'm not to sure if its really made a difference yet!

I love some of the products Balance Me do especially there face range but the Super Toning Body Wash does nothing for me, I do however love how they are 99% Natural Origin so I will take a look at there full range of body washes to see if there is another one that catches my eye.

Spring Lips

For Spring my lips tend to be quite girly and shimmery with hints of pinks and orange tones, I love doing my make up in Spring as I tend to do it really natural and then add a pop of colour on my lips and I'm good to go. I've picked my favorite Lipsticks, Lip Gloss and Lip Balms for this season and hopefully they can help you out!

Lipstick
I've gone with MAC's Coral Bliss which is a cremesheen lipstick, it goes on well and lasts most of the day it has a nice shade of coral with hints of glitter.

Lip Gloss
I've gone for Model Co Strip Tease a rather odd name I never get why brands call there products things like Strip Tease! But this gloss is lovely it has a nice shimmery tone down pink colour with some sparkly glitter bits throughout, it doesn't last long but does come with a handy mirror if you do need to re apply which is very helpful.

Lip Balms
It the Spring I feel the need to still pamper my lips so I still use lip balms and have two which are my all time favorite. To add some colour yet still pamper your lips I use Baby Lips Cherry Me which is a dark cherry red but comes out a lovely light red shade leaving your lips really moisturised yet looking fab. I've also added my all time favorite lip balm I use all year the Nuxe Reve de Miel it has a fantastic scent and I find it moisturises my lips perfectly so I always grab this product!

Glossy Box February Be Mine 2014

Love is in the air for this month's Glossy Box I was super excited to see mine on my bed (my mum put it there not the postman!) As I had seen a few posts and thought oh wow this month's is a good one I couldn't wait to get my little mitts on it. I was also excited to know there was chocolate in this months box, I'm not going to lie.....

So what did I get this month well 3 Full Size products and 3 minis! Yes I'm the chocolate as a product!

Nougat Sparkling Body Shimmer £14 for 250ml
I must admit I have never heard of this company before so I eager to take a closer look at this product, it's a body lotion with mallow extract, vitamin e and wheatgerm enriched oil which boasts in being luxuriously perfumed with a hint of sparkle. To be honest it smells nice but does have a certain soap smell to it and kind of left my hands feeling rather sticky which means it will fun to put on!

Eldora Lashes from £3.90 
Another brand I've never heard of but the lashes do look good, I did notice how long there were though and it does say to trim them on the box. They come in a handy holder with a small tub of glue and it does state that with the right care they are reusable which is great. I'm not sure if they will suit me though as I prefer thick black lashes and these are very spaced out.

Maybelline ColorSensational Stripped Nudes Lipstick £6.99
This product made me go yay! and then oh no! as I love lipstick I'm obsessed and the thought of another one made me jump for joy, then I opened it and realised it was nude and as I've tried nude in the past and found it really did not look good I was kind of a but meh about it. But I did try it today and it turns out I can wear nudes and this one is perfect!

Ciate Paint Pot £9 for 13.5ml
My first ever Ciate Paint Pot and it's in a lovely red. I can't wait to try this product out as I've heard so much about the brand but have always been put of by the price so I'm extremely happy with this product!

Giovanni Eco Chic Ultra Sleek Range £7.99 251ml
A brand I have heard of and have used there products in the past and currently, I love the over all range you get from Giovanni but find that one shampoo sample doesn't give me enough time to be wowed so this product may need to be a miracle one for me to purchase the full size!

Lindt Lindor Treat Bar 79p a bar!
This smooth and melting lindor chocolate treat is just perfect for a naughty little treat and has one of the nicest centers ever! Almost as good as a praline center but much more smooth and silky, Excuse me while I go finish the bar....

And that's it for February's Glossy Box, overall I think its a great box and can't wait to see what they have in there March boxes.

#BloggersWLW Week Seven

I've hit a bit of a problem within my diet and I thought I would share with you what has happened, For the last 2 months I've been following the Slim Fast diet and have been doing so well I've lost a stone in weight and have felt great but unfortunately last week I weigh myself and I had gain 2 pounds without changing the diet at all, I felt upset and dishearten but carried on as my stone weight lost last month was amazing and then I started to feel ill.

It began by me feeling sick after drinking the shakes just a bit nauseated but it wasn't to bad and then at work two days ago I had a shake and had to run to the toilets as I thought I was going to throw up. This happened yesterday and then last night I felt extremely bad and was sick a few times but it wasn't food it was pretty much liquid like the shakes.

Today I've stopped the Slim Fast diet and after being on it for 2 months I've lost 12 pounds which I think is good but due to the fact I can't even think about drinking a shake without wanting to throw up I'm going to be switching to Weight Watchers! I'm going to sign up to there website and attempt there diet, I've tried this diet a few years ago and lost 7 pounds before giving up so this time with my dedication I'll hopefully loss some more!

My Current Makeup Routine

A while ago on my blog I did a makeup post on my everyday makeup routine which has dramatically changed since the last post so I thought I would update you all on what's changed.

To start with I use my Soap and Glory Facial Daily Moisturiser which is perfect for underneath makeup as it's not too thick and it soaks in nicely, it also has a nice fruity scent to it but it's not as strong as the normal Soap and Glory scent.
Next up I apply my foundation and concealer which are both MAC products, I use the Studio Fix and Studio Finish products which are perfect for my skin tone and skin type. They are on the pricey side but I find it works best for my skin so I tend to pay that bit more.

After applying my foundation I use my Studio Fix powder and MAC's Desert Rose powder, a lovely deep rose shade which comes out lovely when applied to the face.

Lastly I use my Natural Collection mascara as it's a all time favorite of mine, and for my eyebrows I use the Maybelline Brow Drama which I love using as it goes on well and lasts all day as well as giving my eyebrows a great shape and not leaving them to dark.

To apply all of that makeup I use quite a few tools, I use my Primark powder brush and my Real Techniques Brush as well as the Real Techniques Sponge (beauty Blender) and I then finish with a spritz or MUA's Fixing Mist to hold it all in place!

It's change quite a bit to the original post but I feel my make up is how I like it and I don't think I shall be changing it anytime soon!

Lush Love Locket Review

A few days ago was Valentine's day and I decided to crack open my giant Love Locket bath bomb a lovely heart shaped locket which you have to unlock to reveal the secrets inside! By unlock it means crack open which surprisingly was really easy to do one little bash on the side and mine had cracked open, inside was a lovely little heart with some little red hearts on which was a super cute secret!

The scent was kind of like Think Pink and Snow Fairy which is citrus and jasmine mixed together, it also has some sensual oils in as well as some adorable little hearts which float in the bath. I found as it was quite large I was able to get three baths out of the bath bomb which really made up for the £6.95 price tag which if you think about it thats only £2.31 per bath which is a fantastic price!

I loved using this Valentines day Lush goodies, did you pick up and review any of there Valentines gifts?

How I Style My Hair

On my recent giveaway I was asked to do a blog post on my hair and how I style it, I wouldn't say I know a lot about hairstyles as I tend to stick to either down with my fringe pinned back or up in a bun or high pony tail so this post isn't going to be amazing but it may help someone so I decided to do it!

To start with I wash and condition my hair with Aussie Miracle Moist and once a week I do a Aussie 3 minute miracle, I've been using this shampoo set for around 6 months now and can't fault it as I have very thick hair that gets greasy quickly this shampoo keeps it clean all day and helps with my tangles.

I then use my VO5 heat protection spray and a heat protection serum on the ends of my hair before blow drying, after blow drying I spray a small amount of hair spray to stop my hair from going static and then I decided on how to style my hair.

If I'm tying in back I brush my hair from the bottom and create the height in my ponytail , then I brush over the top of my hair to make it tidy and I also brush my parting back to make into the style as I don't like my parting showing. Then I either leave it tied back into a ponytail or I create a messy bun, I use cute hair bands and clips to style it, If I'm doing this style I will leave my fringe out.

If I'm style my hair down after blow drying I will straighten my hair using my very old GHD's, then I will either clip my hair to the side or I will create a beehive effect with my fringe using a back combing brush and hair spray then pinning it back.

Anatomicals Puffy the Eye Bag Slayer

In my recent Glossy Box I received this Anatomicals product Wake Up under eye patches, which are jelly like patches that go under your eye to make them feel refreshed. I couldn't wait to try them as I always have days when my eyes feel all meh and could do with a pick me up, so as soon as I felt a bit meh I ripped open a packet and placed them underneath my eyes!

When I opened the packet a lot of the water came out as I thought it would so I opened it over the sink and was able to wash away most of it, the eye patches come on a tray which you slide out of the pink packet. The patches feel quite funny as they are like a slimy jelly feeling, I wasn't sure how well they would stick to my skin but they went on nicely and were easy to move but also stuck to my skin. They are unscented which is good as they are very close to your eyes.

The aim is to reduce dark circles, eliminate puffiness and help to prevent the signs of under eye aging. I only suffer with dark circles and puffiness as I'm only 22 and not sure if I need to worry about aging just yet! But the patches felt cold on my skin and almost tightening

MAC So Chaud Review

While shopping in Oxford a few days ago I picked up a new summer/spring MAC lipstick to add to my ever growing collection, I picked up a summery orange red shade called So Chaud for only £10 as I had hit my £5 review on my Debenhams beauty card!

The shade is a rather bright orange with a nice red undertone which picks up nicely in photos, I noticed with this lipstick it did dry out my lips rather quickly so I applied a nice base coat of my Nuxe lip balm and it seemed to work.

I would wear this shade during the day and night as it goes well with most of my outfits and it's not too shocking to not wear during the day or at work but it also looks nice as an evening out lipstick as well. The lipstick is from the normal range so it's just a matte shade with no added extra's so only cost's £15 which I think is worth it for this lovely lipstick.

#BloggersWLW Week Six

Trying to find the right meal is rather hard on a diet can be tricky but I have two books which recently have been lifesavers for my diet, I picked up a juices and smoothies book as well as being given a 100 calories cookbook. I've been using them the last month as a snack and dinner meal planner, as on Slim Fast you only need a dinner and three snacks during the day while you have two shakes.

The juices and smoothies book has been great as I brought a smoothie maker a while ago and have found so many good recipes. The only problem is they don't have calories so you may be having a juice thinking you are doing well when in actual fact I've just had 700 calories!
The book is easy to follow and has simple ingredients, it's from Waterstones and cost £5.99.

The 100 calories book is a fantastic find, it has breakfasts lunches and dinners as well as puddings. It has a lot of easy to follow recipes and easy to find ingredients. All meals are under or 100 calories so they are small but some are really filling and say if you want a 400 calories meal it's easy to double the ingredients or add your own stuff.
The book is from Marks and Spencer but as it was a gift I'm not sure on the price.

My smoothie machine is from Robert Dyers and is from there own range so only cost me around £10. It has a fun and easy to use tap on the front to pour out your smoothies and has several power settings. It's easy to use but quite tricky to clean with all it's pieces. I brought it around 6 months ago and it still works great almost like I brought it yesterday!

Lipstick Tag

I love a good tag! I spied this one on a few blogs and thought I would join in, it's all about Lipsticks!

How many lipsticks do you own?
12 so far

What was the first lipstick you owned?
The first one I brought myself was a pink sparkly shade from MUA

What is your favorite lipstick brand?
I love MACs collection as they have so many and they always do such nice matte and sheen ones

What is your most worn lipstick?
It would be my MAC Coral Bliss as it's my daily lipstick

What is your favorite finish?
I prefer a sheen finish

What was the last lipstick you brought?
I haven't brought one for a while so I think it was my MAC Candy Yum Yum

How many lip products are there in your bag?
I have three my MAC Coral Bliss, Nuxe Reve Di Miel and Yu Be lip balm

What is your favorite red lip colour?
It would be my Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush

How do you store your lipsticks?
In a GlossyBox along with all my other lip products

What lipsticks are you currently lusting after?
It would be MAC's Ruby Woo

Hope you enjoyed the lipstick tag! Link me to any recent tags you have done

Sephora Instant Moisture Face Mask Review

I was excited to see this product in the reduced section of the Sephora store and was eager to get home and try it out, I brought the item for 5 euros and asked the sale lady why is what reduced and she reassured me it wasn't because it was out of date!

The product comes in a pink and black shaker with four sachets of mask it's extremely easy to use with simple steps to follow. Step one is to add water to the fill line, step two is to add the mixture and shake until a smoothie like texture, step three turn shaker till mixture goes into lid and open, step four add to face and hands for 5 - 10 minutes and voila a simple face mask!

The only downside is the scent of the product is like soap a scent I really dislike it always smells cheap to me so I always have to go for a scented soap. The other downside was you need to shake the mixture for around 10 minutes which makes it hard to enjoy the product after you feel like you have just had a arm workout.

The mask did however refresh and brighten my face leaving it soft and moisturized. I added a night cream to take away the soap scent and did feel the benefits in the morning as my skin felt and looked really good!

I Promise*

I was recently emailed by a company called I Promise who send out small cards with promises on, a cute a chic idea which I immediately fell in love with!

You can choose either a blue or red design and then you pick 3, 5 or 10 promises. If you are struggling with what to write they have a selection of pre made ones you can choose from or little hints of what to write. They come in secret packaging so the surprise is never ruined!

I went for the red design which on the front has a simple I promise, Thoughts not Things written, then as you open up the box it has who it is to and who is it from. I went for three promises and got to pick my own design's for each of the promises so I went for things my mum would like as they had a large selection to choose from. As well as your promises it has a simple written verse which lets the person know what they are and what they mean.

To order the promises the total cost is £9.50 3 promises, £14.50 5 promises and £18.50 for 10 promises, as well as free delivery. They get delivered in a handy letterbox sized envelope so you don't need to sign or collect them.

I was highly impressed with the company and the products that were sent, my mum was extremely happy and almost cried! To order your own Promises here is there website I Promise or you can give them a cheeky follow on Twitter . These gifts are perfect for Valentines day so if you order today they should be in time for the 14th! or they make great birthday or special occasions gifts.