Umberto Giannini Dazzle Shine

As my interest in beauty has grown over the years one of the key things I've learnt is the importance of hair care.. especially as someone with relativity long & bleached hair.  So when I was recently lucky enough to be gifted a trio of goodies from the Umberto Giannini  "Dazzle Shine" collection, I couldn't wait to put them to the test.

As you can see above, the trio comes with everything needed for a little hair-pamper time. This includes; the Shine Revive Shampoo - which promises to improve anti-static, cleanse & detangle - the Shine Repair Conditioner used to rebuild damaged hair & the Crystal Shine Spray used on dry, styled hair for a "salon professional" finish.

I've used each of these products a few times now & have to say I've been very impressed. My hair has been left feeling soft & nourished without feeling at all heavy or weighed down (an unfortunate side effect of some slightly heavier products). I now can't wait to get my hands on other products from the Umberto Giannini range & see if they live up to my expectations.

Have you tried any products from Umberto Giannini?
I'd love to know your favourites below. 

xxx

Valentine's Day With Lush

With Christmas now well & truly behind us, the next "holiday" to look forward too has to be Valentines Day. Whether you plan to spend the day with a loved one, drinking cocktails with the girls or eating a tub of ice-cream whilst watching chick-flicks, there's one thing that is sure to make any beauty-lover look forward to February 14th - The Lush Valentine's Day Collection

Including a combination of romantic; bath bombs, soaps & bubble bars (to name a few) this is a Valentines Collection that I can't wait to get my hands on. Below are a selection of products that have caught my eye..

"Cupid" Bath Bomb - £2.95 

Made with a combination of floral ingredients - including Rose, Bergamot & Violet Leaf - this claims to be the perfect little bath treat for cleansing, calming & uplifting. 

"Prince Charming" Shower Gel - £5.50
The Disney-esque name of this shower gel immediately caught my eye. With Cocoa Butter for soft skin plus Marshmallow Root for a sweet fragrance, I imagine this is the perfect morning pick-me-up. 

"Love Spell" Massage Bar - £5.95
What goes hand-in-hand more than a hot bath & massage? With Aloe Vera, Jojoba Oil & Shea Butter, the Love Spell Massage Bar seems like the perfect product for a little romantic pamper. 

"Two Hearts Beating As One" Bath Melt - £3.95
I personally love Lush's Bath Oils so cannot wait to test this product for myself. Not only is the interlinked design perfect for Valentines Day, the combination of Almond and Argan oils will leave skin & hair feeling luxurious whilst the scent of Jasmine fills the air.

"Love You Lots & Lots" Soap  - £4.25
With a combination of Rose Oil & Rose Petals (used to sooth, balance & tone skin) this soap screams Valentines. Whilst people have mixed feelings towards Rose scents, I think we can all agree that this would look adorable in any bathroom. 

"Lover Lamp" Bath Bomb - £4.25

The Lover Lamp is made with a combination of Vanilla, Cocoa Butter & Brazilian Orange Oil which claims to soften & condition skin whilst comforting & rejuvenating. Plus, it's said that this bath bomb contains heart shaped confetti - what more could you possibly ask for?

As a self-confessed girly girl, each of the above products instantly caught my eye.. & I'm sure my bank account is going to be very upset with me after my next trip to Lush. 

What are your thoughts on this years Lush Valentine's 

collection?
xxx

A Technology Treat - iPhone 7 Rose Gold

This weekend I finally bit the bullet & treated myself to something I've had my eye for a while now.. the Rose Gold iPhone 7. With my current contract coming to an end & my trusty iPhone 6's screen suffering a recent crack (something that broke my heart at the time) it was time for an upgrade.

Launching in September 2016, the latest iPhone isn't exactly a new release.. however for anyone who - like myself - is thinking of treating themselves, I've listed below some of the main & best differences I've found between the iPhone 6 & 7.

Colour: 

Admittedly this isn't an exclusive feature to the 7, but having a Rose Gold phone is new for me & it's a bandwagon I'm more than happy to jump on. In my opinion anything rose gold is simply beautiful & this phone really is no exception. The pink-tint is in no way in-your-face (flashback to the days of Motorola Razors) but is a tasteful nod to all things feminine. Perfect for the girly-girls amongst us. 

Camera: 

Whilst I'm far from a professional photographer, I do take a lot of photos. Whether for my blog, during nights out or simply of my cat, if I can document it I usually will. The iPhone 7 camera is one of the main elements that Apple featured when promoting their upgrade. With a 12MP camera compared the the iPhone 6's 8MP the photo quality is clear to see - which is great for anyone who loves to take photos but isn't looking to splash out on an expensive camera. *Bonus* the front camera also now includes a "flash" (think Snapchat's white screen) which is a big upgrade from the grainy nighttime selfies from the iPhone 6. 

Missing Headphone Jack: 

If I'm honest this is the only change between models that I'm not to sure about. Whilst I can understand that Apple are making a move away from wires with Bluetooth headphones, removing the headphone jack just doesn't make full sense to me - someone not looking to use wireless headphones (let's be honest, I'd lose them instantly in my handbag). For those who don't know the headphones are now plugged into the same place as a phone charger instead of having their own port. Unfortunately this means that - without an added purchase of a "Lightening port splitter" - you can no longer charge the phone & use headphone at the same time. Something I imagine will be pretty annoying when on long journeys. 

Storage: 

Storage was something I really struggled with whilst owning an iPhone 6, Especially when taking photos on holiday or during events. The phone's memory would become full quickly meaning I'd have to regularly delete apps & photos. Luckily it's seems that Apple have finally realised that 16GB simply isn't enough storage for most & have now stopped releasing phones of this storage size. Whilst upgrading I decided to opt the for 32GB (Apple's now minimum capacity for iPhones) and even with all my previous apps & photos restored, I still have around 20GB of storage remaining. Hopefully this'll stop any emergency deleting of apps in order to take photos!  

To look at, the iPhone 7 is very similar to the iPhone 6 - however with the upgraded technology (also including; longer battery life (hallelujah), water/dust resistance, improved speakers & new retina HD display) the newest model seems to be a big improvement & is something that I am loving so far. 

Have you tried the iPhone 7 Rose Gold?
I'd love to know your thoughts below! 

xxx

Current Favourites - Lip Products

If there's one thing I hate about the cold weather, it's how dry it can make my skin. Throughout the year I spend a lot of time trying to make sure my skin is cleansed & moisturised, but realised I've been neglecting the one area that gets effected by the cold the most, my lips. I decided to invest in a few products to help keep them soft & healthy - no matter how cold the weather gets.

Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub - £5.50 for 25g

Whilst I love Lush's Bath Bomb and Bubble Bars, this the Popcorn Lip Scrub has to be one of my favourite Lush products - a big claim, I know. To use, simply place a small amount onto a clean finger & gently buff away at lips to remove any dry or chapped skin. With Caster Sugar & Sea Salt for exfoliation and essential oils to moisturise (including both Coconut & Jojoba) Lush's scrub leaves skin feeling silky-smooth without any excess residue. (It also tastes amazing, but I'm pretty sure you're not really supposed to taste too much).

Carmex Lip Balm - £2.69

This is a product I picked up whilst suffering with a horrible cold that left my lips ridiculously chapped (thanks winter!). Made with ingredients including; Menthal, Beeswax and Camphor this balm quickly soothes irritated lips. Bonus, it also has SPF 15, making it the perfect year-round lip product.

I try and use Lush's Lip Scrub followed by the Carmex lip balm each night after cleansing to leave my lips feeling soft & moisturised each morning. Alternatively I'll also use both to prep my lips & remove any dead skin before applying Lipstick.

Have you tried either of the above products?
I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments. 

xxx

January Sales Wishlist

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas & a very Happy New Year! 

After a little break over the festive period I am very excited to get back into blogging again & really spend time working on my little corner of the internet. 

Now the rush of Christmas has come to an end, the next thing I tend to get excited over is the January Sales. Whilst I'm not one to run into town at 5am or fight people over a pair of jeans, I do enjoy finding the odd bargain - especially if it's found online from the comfort of my own home. 

To kick-start this year of blogging I couldn't resist sharing a few of the sale items that have recently caught my eye... 

1) Skincare Essentials Duo - £20.75 reduced from £26.00 - Liz Earle [x]

2) Black Suede Platforms - £16.00 reduced from £27.99 - New Look [x]

3) Nutcracker Creme Lipstick;"Saucy Little Darling" - £11.50 reduced from £17.00 - MAC [x]

4) RedKen "All Soft" Gift Set - £22.10 reduced from £29.50 - Feel Unique [x]

5) Vintage Disney Wall Canvas - £16.00 reduced from £20.00 - Debenhams [x]

6) Large Shopper Bag - £74.00 reduced from £149.00 - Ted Baker [x]

If you've spotted any great deals online, I'd love to know in the comments! 

xxx