Take Me Away With You And Win With Balance Me

Despite the warm weather in the UK I'm already super excited for my holidays and I can't wait to jet off into the sunshine, in fact I'm super jealous of my neighbour who has just come back from Cuba and looks amazing! Never mind I know how lucky I am to be going away at all and it will be my turn before I know it lol. When I eventually do start to pack my case there are few beauty related things that I always take with me and one of my real travel essential is a tube of hand cream. A lot of people just use hand cream in the winter but the sunshine, air conditioning, salt water and chlorine can all play a huge part in drying out the skin on our hands.

A little while ago now I was contacted by a company called Balance Me. They are a UK company who use natural formulations and ingredients to produce an extensive range of products for the face, body and hair that do exactly what they promise. The company very kindly sent me a tube of one their most popular products, the Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream

This multi award winning product includes fabulous hardworking natural ingredients such as grape seed oil, Shea butter, kukui nut oil, and  sweet almond oil for moisture, as well as carrageenan gum, benzoin and yarrow which are skin conditioners. It also includes lavender, geranium, patchouli and bergamot essential oils which give at a typical aromatherapy type fragrance.

It's quite a thick cream, so you don't need very much, it's pretty easy to rub in though and it does absorb quite quickly. It leaves the hands feeling really smooth and just a tiny bit tacky which makes them feel really protected.

This is definitely a night time hand cream for me, but if your hands are super dry you would love it in the day time too, and you can also use it on your feet and on other areas of dry skin on the body. It isn't cheap but as I say you need such a small amount that it will last for ages. Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream is available in 3 sizes all of which are travel friendly. The 30ml tube retails at £7.50, the 50ml tube retails at £10, and the 100ml tube retails at £14.50. To find out more about the Balance Me range, or to purchase or to find stockist information please check their website here x

If you already own this product, or if you decide to purchase it in the near future, then you can take part in Balance Me's fabulous summer competition to win a goodie bag full of products from the range. All you need to do is take a photo of your Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream,on your travels this summer. If you going abroad take a the most inventive and eye catching picture of your hand cream on it's travels. If your having a stay cation this year or holidaying closer to home then take a pic of your hand cream enjoying what there is to love about the places you go to. All you need to do is upload your picture to the Balance Me Facebook page or tweet them it on twitter, and the best picture uploaded each week wins a goodie bag. I think this is a really fun competition and I've really enjoyed looking through some of the pictures that have already been uploaded. Have you tried this product? and will you be entering this competition? leave me a comment and let me know x

(Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream 30ml Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 10

After last weeks little loss, I've maintained this week. I have to say I'm pleased with that. I always bloat or pick at my time of the month so a maintain is good.

I've had a funny week confidence wise, I ordered a few bits for my holidays which quite frankly looked hideous on, I was feeling pretty fed up at one point but on Thursday I went to the hairdressers, and my hairdresser asked me if I'd lost weight :) I then went shopping with my mum who bought me  a few items of clothing in a smaller size - result :)

I've got 8 weeks left before my holidays and from today I'm going to try harder than ever to stick to my healthy eating plan - Mummy Lou has decided to join for these last 8 weeks, so I'm going to get her to listen to the Slim Pod too :)

Although I haven't lost as much weight as I would have liked over the last 10 weeks, if other people can notice the difference I must be going in the right direction. To find out more about Thinking Slimmer, and the Slim, Chill and Fit Pods please check out their website x

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Create That Summer Beach Body" Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Keeping Your Mouth Healthy And Fresh With Dentyl Active Complete Care

I make no apology for the amount of dental products that I review. A healthy mouth and clean teeth in my opinion are absolutely key to looking and feeling beautiful. What's the point in wearing a gorgeous lipstick if your teeth are dirty and uncared for. It's not just about looking good, mouth health is so important. Recent research carried out by Professor Robin Seymour into adult dental health found that 73% of the adults surveyed suffered from exposed dental roots surface (receding gums) due to inadequate dental care or inadequate tooth brushing. It's quite scary to think that 73% of people in this survey could be suffering from sensitive teeth and could be prone to cavities and severe tooth decay.

It's not a pleasant thought really, but it can be avoided by having a good oral hygiene routine including regular visits to the dentists, frequent and correct brushing, gentle flossing, and by using a good alcohol free mouthwash.

I've always been a huge mouthwash fan, I love how clean and fresh it leaves my mouth, but I'm not a fan of the burning and stinging sensation that you get from some of them. Just over a year ago know I was sent a bottle of the Dentyl Active Enamel Restore - Icy Fresh Mint (you can read my review here) and I loved it, it did exactly what it promised, my mouth felt fresh and clean and there was no stinging. A little while ago now I was sent another bottle of mouthwash from the Dentlyl Active stable.

Instead of just focusing on enamel restore Dentyl Active Complete Care in Icy Fresh Mint is designed to do everything to keep your mouth as healthy as possible. Its is designed to work in 6 ways:

1. It's designed to pull bacteria from the teeth to help fight plaque.
2. It's designed to control tartar which helps to maintain healthy gums
3. It contains fluoride to help combat cavities and tooth decay and to protect teeth
4. In laboratory tests it was proven to kill up to 99.9% of bacteria in the mouth
5. Being alcohol free it helps to retain the moisture within your mouth
6. Finally it's designed to provide long lasting fresh breath by the inclusion of Menthol and Zabactyl, a patented ingredient which is designed to inhibit the gases which can cause bad breath.

Like the last product that I tried from Dentyl Active, this is a dual phase products, in pretty shades of blue and purple.

You need to give a good shake to combine the two phases together, then your half fill the cap and gargle and rinse and spit. This mouthwash has a fresh minty, menthol type taste that leave your mouth feel very fresh, and very cool but it doesn't burn or sting as much as some mouthwashes do.

Again the bit that I loved the most about this product is the fact that it really does seem to remove any debris from your mouth that you've missed during brushing or flossing. It sounds gross but seeing those little purple / blue particles in the sink is really satisfying, and shows how well this product really does work.

Again I have to say as weird as it sounds that I'm in love with this mouthwash. For me it does exactly what it promises. Dentyl Active mouthwashes aren't the cheapest on the market by any means but in this case I really do think you get what you pay for, a good product that you can actually see working. There a lot different types of mouthwashes in the Dentyl Active range but given my experience of the two I've tried I would more than happily buy any of them. In fact I've already bought a mini bottle of Plaque Fighter to try for my holidays. Dentyl Active Complete Care comes in two flavours Icy Fresh Mint and Icy Fresh Cherry and retails at around £4.30 for a 500ml bottle. Are you a mouthwash fan? do you think it makes a difference ? let me know in the comments x

(Dentyl Active Complete Care - Icy Fresh Mint 500ml Was Provided For Review Purposes)

Foodie Friday - What I Ate In July

Hi Guys x It's the last Friday of the month, so that means that it's time for my foodie review of the month. Summer finally arrived this month and that's affected a lot of things that I ate and of course that I drank. First up things that I ate to cool me down :)

This has been one of my favourite drinks in July, a smoothie come milkshake, made with skimmed milk, a little bit of natural yogurt, a banana and some frozen berries, all zapped up together in a blender x Yummy, and full of vitamins.

Yes, another drink and this time a little bit naughtier - a Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble :)

and it wouldn't be summer without ice cream and this month I've been loving Del Monte Raspberry Smoothies - sorry for the blurry pic but these are sooooo good. I've also been loving Cadbury's Crunchie Blasts. These are honeycomb flavoured ice creams covered in Cadbury's chocolate, filled with popping candy - I'm a huge popping candy freak and these really hit the spot, chocolate, creamy ice cream, and fizz :)

I also had some yummy vanilla and ice cream and some homemade fruit cocktail :)

Another thing that I've loved this month has been fresh fruit vegetables and herbs. My mum went to a local fruit farm and did some strawberry picking :) She made some lovely jam which I haven't had the chance to try yet and we had some strawberries with some lovely Easi Yo Greek, I've had them more than once this month and it's a lovely combination, in fact I would probably go so far as to say that I prefer them with yogurt rather than cream.

As you would expect I've also ate an awful lot of salads throughout July, and some of them have included our own homegrown lettuces :)

We're trying to grow quite a few bits this year, we're still waiting for our tomatoes, and our own potatoes and chillis, but we have managed to grow this monster basil plant.

I've used our home grown basil for a few recipes this month including my Mediterranean Baked Bean Bake (you can see the recipe here).

and of course for homemade pesto - you can read my recipe here x

I used the pesto for a few things including my Creamy Mushroom And Basil Pasta

The other things that I've eaten this month were all super easy to make, essential when it's too hot to cook x So I made some homemade salsa, which I used for a couple of things including cheesy nachos :)

I also made my favourite roasted vegetable dish Nigella's Double Potato And Halloumi Bake - I used feta and mozzarella instead and added some aubergine, and some pickled jalapenos.

You can probably guess from the sheer amount on that baking tray that this was too much for just 2 people and one meal so we used the leftovers mixed with some more cheese, some boiled pasta, and some leftover tomato salsa, to make a quick and easy pasta dish.

Another quick and easy pasta dish that I made twice this month was my Cheese And Marmite Pasta - strangely addictive if your a Marmite fan :)

I only out once this month, and that was on Monday when me and Mummy Lou went to Chiquitos. Yet again I got the Roasted Vegetable And Goats Cheese Salad which is unbelievably good.

So they were my food highlights of the month, have your made or eaten anything new, different or exciting this month? let me know in the comments x

Changing Your Nail Polish - Cookies, Cream And Caviar - Nails Of The Day

Okay this isn't strictly a nails of the day, it was the nail polish that I wore for the North East Blogger Top Shop Event (read my post here). I'd wanted something pretty neutral to go with my outfit so I went for Ciate Cookies And Cream, which came free with a recent issue of Marie Claire.

It's a lovely pale, nude beige shade, application wasn't too bad and this is two coats.

The free gift also came with a bottle of caviar beads in Shooting Stars. I have a few bottles of the Ciate beads that I got in my mini manicure month kit that I got last December, and I've got a few bottles of random beads that I've picked up from Poundland and for other brands but I'd never actually used them before I did this manicure. The Shooting Stars beads are gorgeous, you get  a mixture of tiny clear,nude, gold, and silver round pearls. These pictures are a little bit blurry but hopefully you can see just how pretty the beads actually are.

 I'm not a huge fan of this look on every nail so I just used it just as an accent nail on both of my middle fingers.

I'm still not sure on this trend to be honest, it's certainly eye catching but to be honest I just found it a bit irritating. You can top coat it but it just doesn't look the same so the beads started falling off within an hour, leaving an all be it very interesting and usual textured effect. I also kept finding the beads in bed which was a bit annoying. I also made a big mistake with removal, instead of using a cotton pad and some remover, I used my Bourjois pot. Not good! it took the polish and beads off no problem but the beads stuck to the sponge and every time I've used it since I get covered in beads, thank goodness it's nearing the end of it's life. I also think that this effect looks way better on longer nails - the beads just made my nails look even stubbier. So yeah I'm still on the fence about the whole caviar, fish egg, beaded manicure look, it's great for updating and changing the look of a polish you're bored off, but for me personally it was okay for a few hours but after that I needed to take it off. Have you tried the caviar bead look? are you a fan or are you on the fence like me? let me know in the comments xx

Achieve A Natural Smoky Eye Look With Green People

A little while ago now I was sent an eyeshadow to review from the organic cosmetic company Green People (you can read my review here x). Because I'm such a naughty blogger though, by the time that I'd written the post the product had actually been discontinued -  there were a few floating about on various sites on the internet but I still felt a bit guilty. The lovely people from Green People were fabulous though and kindly sent me one of their newly relaunched eyeshadows.

Like the rest of the products in the Green People range, the eyeshadow duos are certified organic. They contain a combination of natural earth minerals, Jojoba, Vitamin E, and Beeswax. They are talc free specially formulated for sensitive skin and are Vegetarian Society approved.

The shadows come packaged in a glossy cardboard compact. I'm not a huge lovely of cardboard packaging but the glossy finish does make it feel a bit more study. It has a magnetic fastening and contains a mirror and a small double ended sponge applicator. All of the packaging is made from recycled material.

There are currently 3 different duo's to choose from and the one I was sent was City Sky.

This duo features a shade called Slate Grey, which is dark, smoky grey with a little bit of shimmer and sparkle, and a shade called Hazy Beige, which a really pretty creamy nude shade, with a tiny bit of shimmer. Both of the shades are really, really pigmented, and feel very soft and velvety.

The shadows are very blendable and can be used in a variety of ways. The Hazy Beige shade is a lovely shade for those days when you just don't want to wear a heavy or obvious eye make up look. It is also gives a very brightening finish to the eyelid.

The most obvious use of the Slate Grey shade is to use it on it's own for a really dramatic smoky eye look, but when you use the two shades together you can create a bit of a more subtle smokey eye. I covered the whole lid with the Hazy Beige shade and blended the Slate Grey colour into the crease.

I've really enjoyed using this duo over the last few months and my Hazy Beige shade already has a pretty significant dip in it. These shadows are very finely milled so there is a bit of fallout and the palette does seem to get a little bit dusty but I can live with that. My only real criticism of this duo is the price, it retails at £17.50 which is pretty steep, but if you want to purchase a good quality natural product which is suitable for sensitive skin, then this line and product could be the one for you. Green People Eyeshadow Duos retail at £17.50. To purchase and for stockist information please check out the Green People website here x Do you like these colours? and are you a fan of more "natural" make up? let me know in the comments xx

(The Green People City Sky Eyeshadow Duo Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 9

Yes I've done it, I've broke my hoodoo and I've lost some weight . Okay it's only one little pound but it only goes to show that thinking positive can pay dividends. I've tried to be careful what I've eaten over the past week, but thanks to the heat I've still had some treats, and probably overdosed on ice cream and ice lollies. I've also been juicing, and eating lots of fresh fruit, and veg, which has been really welcome in this heat.

Me and Mummy Lou have been shopping a couple of times over the last week and I've acquired a few new items of clothing for my hols (you can see them in my monthly haul post which will be up next week ;) and I'm happy to report that the things that I've got are in at least a size smaller than I would have bought at the start of my Thinking Slimmer journey. Things like that are a huge lift in confidence, and in self belief, my only worry is now that my bits might be too small by September, LOL.

I mentioned in last weeks update about a special offer on the CD version of a fit pod entitled "Get Back In The Swing" well I ordered it, and it came within a couple of days and I have to say I've found it really useful. The aim of this fit pod is to make you feel more motivated and positive about your health and fitness, and I have to say so far so good. I've only done about 10 minutes of gentle yoga stretches but that's something at least. If your interested in the whole idea of the Slim Pod then I would definitely consider getting this CD. Again I've found it very soothing to listen too, and the CD also includes the Chill Pod which is a real bedtime essential, if like me you can find it difficult to sleep or to relax down at night. If you want to give this one a go for the special price of just £5 instead of £29.99 plus postage, then check out this link "Get A Fitpod For A Fiver" and use the code SWINGSAVER before 25th July.

This week I plan to try even harder, managing to break the cycle of maintaining and feeling altogether more positive about things, all means that I'm much more confident about braving my bits on the beach in September. To find out more about the Thinking Slimmer system and philosophy please check out their website, and if your interested in finding out about my Thinking Slimmer journey then please have a look at my weight tracker page and pop "Thinking Slimmer" into the search box in the left side bar to find my weekly updates xx Thanks as per usual for your support and encouragement xx

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Create That Summer Beach Body" Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes. The CD "Get Back In The Swing" Was Purchased By Me Using The Discount Code)

A Review Of The Remington Keratin Therapy Hair Care Range - Part 1 - Pro Straighteners And Paddle Brush

I'm a huge believer in giving products a good try out for the blog, I'll always use something several times at least before I post a review. This review is probably taking it to extremes though. I received a huge box of products courtesy of Remington to review towards the end of last year, and this is the first post that I've done, eek I'm so sorry but I can assure you that these reviews are worth waiting for :)

When I look back at pictures from my childhood, I have super long, super straight hair! Okay in the one picture that I have on my laptop I appear to have had it waved slightly but what happened? the length I can explain, over the last 20 years or so I've gone from crop to a bob, and back to my current below shoulder length version, but the texture? really what happened. My hair at best is now super wavy, bordering on curly when it's wet, and in weather like it is at the moment I have serious problems keeping it straight and shiny. I rely maybe a bit too much on my hair straighteners, I'm getting better but if I'm leaving the house 9 times out of 10 I'll use them. 

I've made no secret of the fact that I love me GHD's, I wobbled slightly when I received the Remington Wet To Straights (read my review here) and whilst they remain the first item that I normally put in my suitcase, my GHD's are still my faves, or at least they were until this package arrived in late 2012.

The huge package contained every single product in the Remington Keratin Therapy collection. Using specialist technology every product in the line is infused with Keratin proteins which is one of the key components in human hair .

The Keratin Therapy Collection contains nearly every type of styling product that you can think of but the one I was most interested in was the Remington Keratin Therapy Pro Straighteners.

These lightweight straighteners feature a long length swivel cord, worldwide voltage, and a locking feature so you can keep them closed for travel and storage. They also come with a designer looking quilted storage pouch which folds out into a protective heat mat.

The key selling point of these straighteners is the fact that they claim to be kinder to the hair. The ceramic plates on these straighteners are infused with keratin micro conditioners which supposedly transfer onto the hair when the straighteners are used.

Unlike GHD's and a lot of other straighteners on the market these ones have an adjustable temperature setting. To be honest I'll never understand why this isn't standard in all hair irons, we all have different hair textures and type so what temperature works for one hair type doesn't necessarily work for another. That isn't all though Remington really have thought of everything. If you look at the top ceramic plate on these straighteners you'll see what appears to be some embedded metal strips., these are heat protection sensors. If you press the button on the side of the straighteners to activate this setting then the straighteners will detect the amount of moisture in your hair and automatically adjust the temperature of the irons, to help protect your hair from damage. According to Remington the use of the heat protection sensor and the keratin infused plates can lead to healthier hair that is 57% more protected  from heat damage, then if you'd used a conventional Remington straightener.

This all sounds a bit complicated for most us I guess, and to be honest there is no way of proving whether or not your hair is healthier than what it would be if you'd used another straightener, so I can't say whether their claims are correct or not. What I can say though is that these are really, really good hair straighteners. My hair has been a total frizz bomb lately because of the heat and humidity and these babies have done the business, how about some befores and afters to prove my point - please excuse the facial expressions I'm doing my best rabbit caught in the headlights expression! xx

Before 

After 

That's a pretty big difference isn't it - to be fair I could have made it even sleeker but this difference was probably achieved in less than 4 minutes. I really, really love these irons, I haven't touched any of my other sets since I got these. They heat up super quickly, and they stay hot, their light weight, and the cable is super long. The storage pouch / heat mat is a great extra, but believe me you need to use it as they can take a little while to cool down. I am so impressed with how these babies have performed, that if they broke tomorrow I would go and out and buy another pair. They aren't the cheapest straighteners on the market but compared to some of the market leaders they are a bargain. The Remington Keratin Therapy Pro Straighteners have an RRP of £89.99 but they are currently on sale for an amazing £59.99 from the majority of high street retailers and from the Remington website.

As I said earlier I was sent the entire Remington Keratin Therapy range to try out for you guys. The reviews are coming but something that I've been using alongside these straighteners is one of the hair brushes in the range.

The Remington Keratin Therapy Paddle Brush is designed to help create sleek straight hair styles, exactly what I want but not what Mummy Lou wants - she hated this brush despite my warnings that it wasn't for her short, curly style! lol

This is one big brush in the traditional paddle brush style. It features soft rubber grips on the handle which make it comfortable to hold.

The brush head itself is surrounded by a lightweight ceramic which helps quicken dry time, when your using it with a hairdryer. The bristles themselves are on a bed of cushioned rubber and are made of nylon and as you would expect from the name are infused with keratin proteins

I've used paddle brushes in the past and to be honest I haven't been a fan, they've normally been uncomfortable to hold and the bristles have always been really scratchy and have pulled on the hair. This brush was a pleasure to use, it was easy to hold and the bristles just seemed to glide through the tattiest hair. I'm still a huge fan of my Denman brushes but this brush is right up there.The Remington Keratin Therapy Paddle Brush retails at £9.99 again from high street retailers and the Remington website.

Even though I can't make a judgement on some of their more technical claims, these two products are pretty amazing at what they do and they now have a hard earned place in my regular hair care routine, so much so that I actually talked about them a bit more in a recent favourites video which you can see here x

So if your looking for a new paddle brush or a new set of straightening irons, I would definitely recommend that you check out these products from the Remington Keratin Therapy range. To find out more about the range, and for stockist information please check out the Remington website xx

(Both Of The Products In This Post Were Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)