The Body Shop Intu Metrocentre Autumn Blogger Event With The G Edit*

Although I had every intention of breaking up my blog and press event posts with some different content some how life seems to have got in the way again, and in the last week I've only managed to upload a couple of unboxing videos to my You Tube channel. Still content is content, and I'm back today on the blog to talk about another blog event and some new and exciting product releases from one of my favourite high street stores, The Body Shop.

Like so many girls that grew up in the 90's The Body Shop has been one of my go to shops for almost my entire life and it's a store that I'll forever associate with growing up, and it's one of the places where my beauty obsession really started. I'm going to talk more about my own history with the brand in a future post but it's safe to say that The Body Shop holds a special place in my heart.

I'm lucky enough to have been to a couple of events in various branches of The Body Shop over the years, and I've always found them to be both fun and educational, and this one was no different.

The previous events I've been to took place when the stores were open, but a couple of Sunday's ago, myself and a number of North East bloggers and influencers were invited down to the Intu Metrocentre store after hours to spend a few hours learning about some products, and rediscovering some old favourites.

We were greeted with glasses of fizz, name stickers and nibbles, and we basically given free run of the store, and given ample opportunity to experience everything that The Body Shop has to offer. There were lots of helpful staff members to answer our questions, and to demonstrate products, and they'd even set up a selfie station with props and bunny ears for us to help promote their Ban Animal Testing petition ( you can sign it instore or online here), and a whiteboard where we could leave our Instagram and Twtter handles and share our favourite products with our fellow bloggers.

If you look really carefully at the whiteboard, you can probably see my social media handle, and the products that I love (I'm @LouLou699 just in case you didn't know ;). For me two things really stand, their Christmas ranges and of course their body butters. I've lost count of the number that I've owned and tried over the years, and they really are an ever present in the my bathroom cabinet. Yes they're thick and they can take a while to absorb, but when my skin is at it's driest in the winter, and after and during a hot holiday, they really are a must have.

I love them and it turns out that a lot of other people do as well, and their body butters, in their various different fragrances and different guises have been one of their most popular products for the last 25 years. It's hard to believe but this year The Body Shop Body Butter is celebrating it's 25th birthday, and in order to celebrate, the majority of stores are giving you the opportunity to print out a free sticker and personalise your own full size tub of body butter. Personalisation is everywhere at the moment and I think that this is a great gift idea, and something just that little bit different.

As a special gift on the night, The Body Shop allowed us to choose a free full size, fruity fragranced body butter, and get our own personalised label printed off. I love anything fruity so it wasn't that easy to choose which one I wanted, but I ended up going for Early Harvest Raspberry. This was a new one to me, and I've spent every minute since kicking myself as to why I hadn't tried it before. It has a lovely true to life, punnet of fresh raspberries type scent, that smells good enough to eat without smelling too sweet or sickly,

Talking of smelling good enough to eat, this year The Body Shop has debuted their first ever range of Halloween themed products with a yummy, Vanilla Pumpkin fragrance. If you're not a fan of the traditional cult pumpkin spice type fragrance, filled with nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon, then this fragrance might be more up your street. It contains real Madagascan vanilla, and with added hint of fruity pumpkin, your left with a sweet and creamy fragrance with just a hint of warmth and fruitiness. Sounds good? well it is, but it is a limited edition range so get your skates if you like the sound of it. It has been introduced especially for Autumn and Halloween but it should be around until Christmas so you should a month or so to get your hands on it.

On the night the lovely people from The Body Shop offered us a special discount on any purchases that we made, so it would have been wrong not to indulge in a bit of pumpkin love. I'm not sure if the same offer is still on but there was an offer in store where you could buy 3 selected bath and body products for £20, so I picked up a few Vanilla Pumpkin items and took advantage. I got the full, 192g size Vanilla Pumpkin Softening Body Butter which normally retails at £15, and I got two, 250ml bottles, of the Vanilla Pumpkin Shower Gel that normally retail for £5 each so I really ended up getting one for free. I didn't see it on the night but you also get a hand cream in the Vanilla Pumpkin scent.

As well the new Vanilla Pumpkin range, we also had the chance to find out more about some of stores other new releases, including their new world ingredients, inspired face masks, including the  Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask, the Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask, and the British Rose Fresh Plumping Mask, and we also introduced to their new Liquid Peel exfoliants.

If you like skincare that looks and feels as though as it's working and you want to see results in minutes then The Body Shops new range of Liquid Peels are something that you definitely need to try. They come in three different variations depending on your skin type and the results that you want to see, you can get the Liquid Peels Drops Of Youth Youth Liquid Peel, the Vitamin C Revealing Liquid Peel, and the Drops Of Light Pure Resurfacing Liquid Peel which retail at around £18 each. Basically these peels are exfoliators but instead of being grainy the gel like texture contains ingredients that help to lift up the dead skin and leave you skin soft and glowing. One of the members of staff tried the Drops Of Youth peel on my hand and the amount of gunk that it took off my supposedly clean had was fascinating, in a slightly sick and horrifying way :) I've used something similar in the past and I'm definitely going to pick one of these up the future.

On the night we were given the opportunity to try several of the different treatments and demonstrations that available in store including a facial and a make up lesson, but given time constraints and the amount of bloggers that were in attendance, it wasn't really possible to do everything but I did manage to snap this picture of the lovely Laura from Look At My Clothes having her skincare consultation and facial,

and I did have a few minutes to play by myself with some of The Body Shop's latest make up releases and all I can say it wow! The obsession with the lips is strong at the moment thanks to a certain Ms Jenner and if that's the look you want or like than The Body Shop have got you covered with their new Matte Lip Liquids, and their new Shine Lip Liquids, and their new and very convertible Metal Lip Liquids that are perfect for the party season and have found a place on my current, and overflowing beauty wishlist

One treatment though that I've had from The Body Shop though in the past and loved was their fabulous hand and arm massage (read about my previous experience here), so when I was offered another one I jumped at the chance.

Unlike my previous experience which just involved a bowl of warm water, the Intu Metrocentre branch is now full fitted out with sinks and running water, which just added to the whole spa like feel of the treatment. Unlike last time when it was all about the Christmas collections, the lovely member of staff Hina, let me choose exactly what products that I wanted to use for my treatment. There are so many beautifully scrubs, creams and butters to choose from that it was a hard decision but in the end I decided to try out some products from their Spa Of The World Relaxing Ritual range.

Hina started off by massaging my hand and forearm with the beautiful African Ximenia Scrub, which is sugar based scrub that contains Namibian Ximenia Fruit Seed. This is quite a gentle scrub, which given my love of gritty scrubs, wouldn't be quite gritty enough for me in the shower but it was perfect for a hand treatment. She then dried my hand and followed with a liberal application of the Japanese Camellia Velvet Moisture Body Cream, before ending the massage with an application of the French Lavender Massage Oil.

Afterwards the difference between my two hands was clear to see, the hand that had been treat looked brighter and fresher, and it felt silky soft, and smooth. I can only imagine what the rest of my body would feel like after using these products. The Spa Of The World range isn't the cheapest range that The Body Shop do but if you want real luxury or you feel like you need some serious feel good products then I can't recommend it enough.

I loved the feel of all of the products that I used but I particularly fell in love with the fragrance of the French Lavender Massage Oil and both the scent and the feel of the Japanese Camellia Velvet Moisture Body Cream, which I ended up buying in the small 50ml size. I love white flower, powdery type scents and as well as feeling amazing on the skin, the subtle scent really is beautiful

Since we has such a good opportunity to explore the store, I couldn't resist picking up a few things for Christmas presents. I know some people still think it's a bit early for Christmas but I love it, and I'm a big believer in getting prepared nice and early. The full range of Christmas products isn't in store just yet but it won't be long I'm sure and no doubt I'll be back for another shopping trip when it launches. In the meantime though we did have an opportunity to have a little look and The Body Shop's range of advent calendars for 2017. I really couldn't justify buying one (I already have two advent calendars already!) but I love them, and I particularly love the fact that they have calendars available at 3 different price points in order to suit a wider range of budgets

So feeling pampered, shopped out and with another wishlist as long as my arm, I headed for home with my purchases, my personalised body butter and a little bag of treats from The Body Shop including some skincare samples which included the Drop Of Youth Liquid Peel which I can't wait to try, a 30ml Mango Hand Cream and a 5ml jar of the Oils Of Life Sleeping Cream which again I can't wait to use.

I'm not good at the vlogging thing but I did make a little, super short taster video on my phone so you see what some of your favourite North East bloggers, You Tubers and infuencers got up to on the night x You can also view it via this link x



Again I had a lovely evening spending time with some of my fellow bloggers, and learning and trying lots and lots of new things. Huge thanks to The G Edit, The Body Shop, and particular all of the staff in the Intu Metrocentre branch for their advice, and for sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with us, I'll definitely be back and soon x If you have any questions if you've tried any of the items I've mentioned I'd love to hear from you so leave a comment below x

*Blog Event - This Post Contains Gifted Items, And Items That Were Purchased With A Discount

Supporting Local Business - Longsands Surf Clothing And Apparel*

I'm going to start off this post off with a bit of a confession, I'm no surfer chick - dancing to the Hawaii 5 0 theme tune is about as close as I'll ever get! I prefer my waves to be calm and peaceful, just give me a sun lounger rather than a surf board any day! When it comes to supporting a fellow North East company though, I'll make an exception, and start visualising crashing waves, and whipping winds!

Named after one of the most popular beaches in the North East, Tynemouth's Longsands. Longsands is a surf clothing and apparel company, based right here, in this fabulous region, that I call home. Don't think wet suits, and bright and gaudy Hawaiian shorts though Longsands in a way parody the traditional idea of pre and post surf apparel and have a designed a range of clothing that's ideal for walking along a cold, windswept, northern beach, rather than along a tropical one lined with palm trees.

Designed and printed right here in the UK, Longsands offer a wide, and ever changing range of surf inspired casual clothing and accessories, for men women and children. Although I'm no surfer, I am partial to casual and comfy clothing so many moons ago when I was offered the opportunity to chose a few pieces from the brand, I jumped at the chance.

The first product that I chose was something that unfortunately no longer seems to available, it's a t-shirt in a thick feeling fabric, with just a hint of stretch to it.

This is a women's t-shirt and this particular one had quite a skinny t, feel to it. It's grey marl in colour and features printed dark, almost black, navy blue wording "Skint and Hopeless" on the front. Although it's caused a few raised eyebrows here and there I love it. At the time I chose the shirt, that was exactly how I was feeling, but now I look at it and see how far I've come, and view it as a bit of a joke. It also features a small Longsands logo on the bottom of the shirt.

I've predominantly been wearing this t-shirt with jeans but here I've styled it in bit of a funkier way with a skirt. My aim was actually head to the seaside to do these pics but unfortunately life got in the way so you'll have to take me as you find me x

What I'm Wearing

Skint And Hopeless Women's T-Shirt - Longsands*

Straight Black Jersey Maxi Skirt - H&M

Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars Hi Tops -Black

I think what struck me most about this t-shirt is the quality. As I said the fabric seems quite thick compared to a normal shirt, and it actually feels as though it would last. Mines been through the wash about 6 times now and it looks no different to when I first received it. It's kept it's shape and it hasn't faded or pilled. This t-shirt was £18 when it was originally on sale, not the cheapest shirt ever,but because of the quality I think it was great value. There are several more t-shirts available on the site in various designs but if I had to pick another one I think it would be this  " Made In The North" design which again £18.

Source 

Something that Longsands seem to do a lot of is hoodies. Immensely practical either for throwing on after a swim in the frigid North Sea or for snuggling into in front of the fire, even Kimmy K has been spotted recently in a hoody!  Longsands do a huge variety but I fell in love with their retro design.

Made of a cotton and polyester mix, this hoody has a thick and heavy feel, with a dark grey, marl, body, it features a navy blue hood navy blue sleeves. It also features a white draw cord and a contrasting white zipper. It also features one of the Longsands logos, the crossed board symbol on both the back and the front.

Although I normally like my clothing to be quite form fitting, and dare I say it clingy, with this piece I wanted something different so I sized up. For me this hoody is all about comfort and whilst sizing up doesn't maybe show it off at it's most flattering I'm sure I'll be reaping the rewards come winter time, curled into my hoodie while the winds, howling outside, a steaming cuppa in hand. This isn't a piece that you can really dress up so I just went for a simple tonal Breton style top, some matching Converse and my trusty dark skinnies.

What I Wore

Navy Retro Hoody - Longsands*

Navy Blue And White Striped Top - La Redoute 

Indigo Stretch Jeggings - H&M

Converse All Star Ox Low Top - Navy 

Again what is apparent is the quality of the product and the quality of the materials that they use. This is sturdy piece that you would certainly expect to last. The Longsands Navy Retro Hoody retails at £34 and goes from a size S to a size XXL. If you search for it you probably could find a similar looking piece on the high street but and the big but is, would it be the same quality? I'm not sure that it would.

Even if your not a surfer or an outdoor enthusiast the Longsands range has a lot to offer. This is a range of casual clothes that is both comfortable and practical, and based on my experience the quality is second to none. These are items that you will buy once, and wash and wear time and time again. To see more from the Longsands range and for ordering and stockist information please take a look at their website x Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please leave me your musings below x 

*Samples

Sunday Fun Courtesy Of Lush Newcastle - #GeordieLush

Hey Guys x It's been a few days since I last posted but I've been seriously lacking in spoons, chronic illness you suck! It's always the way I do something I enjoy and I pay the price, it annoying really because last Sunday was probably the best and most positive that I've felt in a long time.

Instead of having my customary lie in on Sunday morning, I boarded a bus and headed into Newcastle to meet up with some of my favourite North East bloggers for a mini blog event at Lush Newcastle. Unlike the previous Lush blogger event that I attended, this was a very small, intimate event that gave us the opportunity to have a play and ask as many questions as we liked.

We were met at the door by the lovely Graeme, who was to be our guide and our host, and our first task was to get our hands dirty, and make one of Lush's most popular skincare products, Angels On Bare Skin

If you've been reading my blog for a little while now, you'll know that it isn't the first time that I'd made Angels On Bare Skin. Way back in May 2013 I attended a blog event at Lush's Metro Centre store, and this was one of the products that we made. You can read a full review here but it's a product that I love, it's a fabulous cleanser and gentle exfoliator for all skin types, and it smells absolutely fantastic. Compared to last time though this event was a lot more intimate so there was plenty of opportunity to get involved and to get our hands dirty (or should I say clean?).

The first thing that went into the bowl were the liquid ingredients. In this case, vegetable glycerin, plain old tap water, and Lush's special fragrance and colour mix which includes lavender essential oil and rose absolute.

Next it was time for the dry ingredients, there are just two dry ingredients but they make this cleanser what it is - kaolin which is clay that absorbs grease and dirt, and ground almonds to tone and brighten the skin.

Then it was time to get our hands in and give it a good mix. You're really trying to create an almost dough like consistency so you need to pull in and combine the dry and liquid ingredients and give it a good knead.

Then it was time to form our cleansers. We were each given a ball of dough which we had to roll into a log shape, then we had to flatten it out, sprinkle it with lavender flowers and then roll it into a sort of a Swiss roll shape.

Finally it was time to squish our cleansers into the familiar black plastic pots, sprinkle it with a bit more lavender and pop the lid on - Voila!

Although Angels On Bare Skin is probably best known as a facial cleanser, Graeme told us that it can also be used as a gentle body cleanser, particularly on areas prone to redness, and congestion such as the upper arms, and as you can see here it also makes a fabulous hand scrub and cleanser.

After we'd dried our hands Graeme then give us a guided tour of the store, and told us a little bit about some of the soon to be discontinued products, and about some of the newer launches and of course about the new Oxford Street exclusives (stamps feet I want the Comforter Shower Gel!)

We also had a little try of some of the fragrances and learnt about some of the back stories and the reasoning behind some of the stranger names. Although my sense of smell was still lacking I came away wanting, no needing ! both Kerbside Violet and Death And Decay!

We also spent a bit of time finding out more about the Lush sun protection line. It's so hard to create cruelty free sun protection but Lush seem to have done it with their Sesame Sun Tan Lotion and The Sunblock, a solid sunscreen wash! which I'm very keen to try.

After a bit of chit chat to Graeme about blogs and blogging it was time to leave. As well as our tubs of Angels On Bare Skin we also received a little goodie bag containing a mini New Charity Pot, a Braziliant Shampoo Bar, an Avobath Bath Ballistic and some discontinued Love You Mum soap that went straight to Mummy Lou ;)

I'll definitely be reviewing some of these products in future posts and I'll also be reviewing something that I purchased on the day x More on this little packet to come soon x 

I would like to thank both my fellow bloggers, and Graeme and the rest of the staff at Lush Eldon Square for a fun morning, and for their obvious enthusiasm for the brand and it's products. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please leave me a comment x