Beauty On The Inside And The Outside With Fushi

I'm sure I've made this point recently but I've certainly got no qualms about making it again :) Blogging has introduced to me to a whole load of new products and brands that I wouldn't have even heard of if it wasn't for the fabulous invention that is the world wide web.

One brand I was recently introduced to is Fushi, my first thoughts were isn't that a type of seaweed ;) but no Fushi in Japanese means Eternal Living. Fushi are a UK based company that live by this philosophy, they employed a wide variety or herbal and nutritional experts to create not only a range of external body and hair care treatments but also a range of internal remedies and supplements to achieve maximum beauty and heath benefits.

The company have grown from strength to strength predominantly based on the word of mouth. Despite their growth they've remained true to their award winning ethical beliefs. Their main philosophy is all about protecting people, animals and the environment They believe in the three R's, Recycle, Reuse and Reduce, and stick to these principles throughout their business from recycling office waste, to providing recyclable packaging for their products. They also support fair trade, and try to use organic and natural ingredients wherever possible. They are also animal friendly and all their products are suitable for vegetarians and some of their products are suitable for vegans.

I was kindly sent a couple of items from their extensive range to try, one of their body products, and one of their internal supplement products - I received these products a little while ago now so I've had a good chance to try them out properly for you :)

Fushi Nutriceuticals Beauty Totale - 60 Capsules

I firmly believe that you should be able to get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs from a healthy balanced diet, but lets be honest how many of us eat as we should all the time, and let's not forget other factors such as illness, stress, and medication, they can all play a part in affecting our skin, hair and general wellbeing. As you know I've been having a bit of a rough  time of it lately and my skin, and hair have really paid the price, so when I was offered a little something to help me I jumped at the chance.

I was kindly sent a 30 day supply of the Beauty Totale supplement to try out. Suitable for vegetarians, vegans, and those with gluten and wheat allergies, these capsules contain a mixture of 24 essential nutrients essential for the skin, hair and nails. They include ingredients such as Vitamin A, which can help to repair and regenerate skin cells, Zinc which can help skin conditions such as acne, Silica and Vitamin C which help with collagen production which can help skin, hair and nails, and Vitamin E and Beta Carotene which can help the with the skin's defence again free radicals and our old enemy the sun.

In each box you get 30 days supply, you take 2 capsules everyday with food. These are pretty big capsules but I didn't have any problems getting them down. They are in a clear shell and contain what looks like green powder.

I took these capsules for the full 30 days, (I've actually finished them now:) and I have to say I think they did make a difference. Admittedly I have been trying out some new skin care products at the same time but I did see an improvement in my skin. My breakouts were confined to my time of the month and the dry patches around my eyebrows seemed to pretty much disappear. I did see an improvement in my nails but again I was using the supplements alongside a new nail strengthening system so it could have been down to that. I haven't really noticed any difference in my hair though, and obviously I never really got the chance to try out the sun protection side of this product. I don't think these capsules are a miracle product by any means,  but used alongside a good skin and hair care routine and a good diet I definitely think they could give you a boost before a special occasion such as a holiday or a wedding and I have to the price is easily comparable if not better than some similar products on the high street. Fushi Beauty Totale Capsules usually retail at around £15.26 for a months supply but they are currently on special offer at just £12.22.

Fushi Really Good Cellulite Oil 100ml 

From the inside to the outside in one swoop - the second I was sent by Fushi to try out, was their Really Good Cellulite Oil. I'll start off with my usual line when it comes to reviewing products like this, I don't believe that you can get rid of cellulite just be rubbing in a cream, an oil or a lotion on it's own. Massage and product application can play a part but so can a good diet, a bit of exercise, and drinking plenty of water. I'm holding my hands up here, I do have cellulite, I'm overweight and I can't do as much exercise as I would like, but I try and that's the main thing, and I'm always looking for a cellulite busting product that will make a difference.

Sticking to their principle of the three R's, the Really Good Cellulite Oil comes in a 100ml dark, glass bottle. It is designed to boost circulation, reduce the appearance of cellulite and promote smoother and firmer toned skin.

The oil is dark yellow, to orange in colour and contains hazelnut, jojoba, wheatgerm and sesame seed oils, it also includes ingredients such green coffee bean oil which is stimulating to the skin and acts are a diuretic, Gotu Kola which is an ayurvedic herb known for it's circulatory benefits, sweet birch which is detoxifying and grapefruit essential oil which is cleansing and detoxifying.

The instructions tell you to use this for around 2 weeks every morning and evening, massaging affected  areas towards the heart. I did miss the odd application but I've made sure that I've used this at least once a day for the past three weeks. It has quite a strange smell, with initial warming herbal hits almost like Deep Heat, then it dies down to a more grapefruit based citrus smell. The consistency of the oil was pretty much what you'd expect it wasn't too runny, but at the same time it was easy to massage in and it absorbed into the skin quite easily, without feeling sticky or staining clothes. There was a tiny little bit of heat when you initially applied the oil but it wasn't uncomfortable or as harsh as some similar products.

As I say I used this product for around 3 weeks and whilst the cellulite is still there, my skin definitely feels smoother, and less bumpy than it did. I don't think this is the miracle cure for cellulite by any mean, as I said before I don't think that exists but I do think that this is a nice product, that does make a bit of a difference to the smoothness and feel of your skin. I'm not alone in thinking that either, this product has had quite a bit of press coverage pretty much all of it positive, so if your looking for something to help smooth those wobbly bits this might be worth a try. Fushi Really Good Cellulite Oil 100ml retails at around £19.96.

I have to say I've really enjoyed my first steps into the world of Fushi, I love the ethics behind the company and I've been pretty impressed with the products I've tried. You can buy Fushi products from selected chemists, and health food stores, as well as selected branches of Waitrose. You can also purchase and find out more on their extensive range from Fushi's own website. Have you ever tried Fushi products? let me know in the comments x

(Both Products Were Provided For Review Purposes)

Grasping At The Last Few Days Of Summer - Nails Of The Day

I'd like to start this post with a bit of an apology - I've posted a few nails of the days lately but they've all been from my draft folder (as is this one lol). The reality is about 3-4 weeks ago I had an incident with a naughty external laptop fan- I caught my left hand in the all be it rubbishy plastic blades and my nails paid the price - I was so annoyed they'd being growing really nicely. Thankfully the same nail strengthener system that I used to make them grow in the first place is starting to do it's stuff again (a review to come) so my nails no longer look like the sad little stubs that you see here. Never mind as we head into Autumn I thought that I would brighten up your day with this lovely coral / red- Leighton Denny - Coral Reef

When I picked this polish out of my to use box I was convinced that I'd showed you it a nails of the day post before, I hadn't it was an Avon Nailwear Pro shade called you've guessed it, Coral Reef. This is much redder than the Avon version but again application is first class, would you believe that this is just one coat?

It's quite difficult to capture the true colour here but I have to say this colour brightened my day up immensely when I wore it, it's proper summer colour. What do you think of Leighton Denny Coral Reef?

Boots Baby Extra Large Cotton Wool Pads - A Product Rave

It's funny I don't do a product rave post for weeks then two come along in less than  7 days - I really am spoiling you guys aren't I?

This one is going to be pretty short and sweet by my standards after all how much can you say about cotton, not much really I guess but I'll give it my best shot ;)

Up till recently I would just pick a packet of cotton wool pads from anywhere, supermarkets, chemists and discount stores being particular favourites. You can pick up a basic pack of cotton wool pads for as little as 49p, so that's what I did. Some of them were fine, some were a bit thin, some were a bit scratchy, and you needed to use about quarter of a packet at a time, but they did the job. Then one day I watched a video from Zoe - the fabulous Zoella280390, and she mentioned some fabulous cotton pads from Boots, intrigued I went and bought a packet and it was instant love.

Love might be a strong word but I really love these.From the baby section Boots Baby Extra Large Cotton Wool Pads really are the bees knees.

These cotton wool pads are square, smooth and huge - look at the comparison with my admittedly large hand, they are huge!

The size is obviously the big selling point here, you need to use far less of them then you do with the normal round pads, great if your using a cleanser or a product like Bioderma to remove your make up. In fact I can normally remove my eye make up from both eyes using just one pad simply fold the pad over and use one side for each eye , these pads are thick enough and strong enough to keep the process hygienic and to allow no cross contamination between your eyes.

I also love using these pads to remove my nail polish. One pad pretty much removes all the nail polish on one hand, and they don't leave masses of fibres which can spoil you new manicure.

Yes these pads are more expensive than the basic round pads but I really think that there worth it. You use  less pads and they tend to be better quality than some of the cheaper alternatives - I love these so much they even made it into my July / August Favourites video :)



The Boots Baby Extra Large Cotton Wool Pads come in packs of 60 pads and retail at £2.59 a pack but they are currently on a buy one get one half price offer :) Have you tried these before? What do you use cotton wool pads for? let me know in the comments xx

Welcome To Foodie Friday - All About Easi Yo

One of my biggest guilty pleasure in life has to be QVC- not just for the beauty you understand but for pretty much everything. Over the years me and Mummy Lou have bought clothes, jewellery, home wears, cook wear and believe it or not food including the fabulous Easi Yo Yogurt system. After I featured Easi Yo Yogurt in one of my earliest Foodie Friday posts, I had a few comments both on my blog and on twitter from people who had seen the system and wanted to know a bit more about it.

Invented in New Zealand the Easi Yo system allows you to make super fresh yogurt filled with friendly bacteria in your own home without thermometers, or difficult measurements. The system is really simple, easy to use and difficult to get wrong.

The first purchase you need to make is a starter kit which contains a yogurt maker, a jar to make your yogurt in, and sometimes a yogurt sachet and a recipe book to get you started on your Easi Yo adventure.

Forget yogurt makers that you've seen in the past that need to be plugged into the main, this one resembles an extra large thermos flask. The maker is fully insulated and comes with a screw top lid, and a plastic baffle to regulate the temperature and keep your jar in place. The yogurt jars themselves are a clear plastic in colour, and feature a screw top lid, and measurements up the side. The jar hold one litre of yogurt.

Now all you need is a sachet of Easi Yo Yogurt and a kettle. The yogurt sachets come in loads and loads of different flavours, from natural, and Greek, to fruit flavoured, custard flavour, and toffee, and even extra low fat flavours and natural yogurt's. My favourites are the Lemon, the Greek, the Boysenberry, Sweet Greek, and Greek and Coconut which is from the new n' Bits range. Each sachet contains roughly 240g of dried yogurt base and cultures which makes around 1kg or l litre of fresh yogurt.

Ok I hear you cry but how do we get from a sachet of dry powder to fresh creamy yogurt - simples - here's my step by step guide to making Easi Yo - the flavour I'm making here is one of my favourites Sweet Greek, it's a lovely sweet and creamy natural flavoured yogurt :)

1. Fill your jar half full with cold tap water - there is no need for it to be ice cold, just straight out of the tap :)

2.In the meantime fill a kettle with water and put it on to boil - Then add the contents of the sachet to the half filled jar.

3. Make sure the lids on tight and give it a shake, it doesn't matter at this stage if there are a few lumps

4. Take off the lid and fill the jar up to the fill line with some more cold tap water

5. Pop the lid on and this time give it a good shake, until all the lumps and powder is absorbed, the finished mixture should look a bit like milk

6. Now fill the yogurt maker with boiling up the very top of the red plastic baffle - you can't see it too well here I'm afraid

7. Make sure your lid is on your jar nice in tight, pop it in to the yogurt maker and then screw the lid onto the maker - don't worry if a little bit of water comes out of the sides, sometimes it just does that x

8. Leave your yogurt maker on the kitchen table or bench preferably not on a windowsill or in draft though for between 8-12 hour to let it do it's thing. I normally leave mine overnight. Don't panic if you forget though you can leave it for up to 24 hours and it will still be fine - the longer you leave it though the tangier the taste, something worth remembering if your making a natural yogurt and you prefer it with a bit of a kick.

9. When your times up, take the jar out of the maker, empty the water out of your yogurt maker and give it a wipe, don't immerse your maker in water just give it a wipe and dry it thoroughly. Now you can eat the yogurt fresh from the maker but it will be a bit warm - I personally stick my jar in the fridge for about an hour- et voila

10. There you have it 1 litre of fresh yogurt, the consistency does vary a bit between flavours but the Sweet Greek is quite a set yogurt as you can see here

11. If you don't want it to have a set or thicker consistency all you need to do it give it a stir in the jar to loosen it up

Your Easi Yo Yogurt will last for up to a week in the fridge, normally ours is gone within two days, what can I say? we love yogurt - even Mummy Lou who often has issues with lactose has no problem with Easi Yo and even Jasper is a fan of the sweet flavours :)

The world really is your oyster when you have the system, their are so many flavours and variation to try with loads of new innovations coming out all the time. The n' bits range is new, and you can also get kits to make fruit mousse, cheesecake and jellies all with the Easi Yo system, and a range of fruit squirts to use with your Easi Yo or in recipes. You can also make Easi Yo Ice Cream but that involves a different kit and you don't need your yogurt maker - I have this kit and I'll try and review that for you too. A lot of the Easi Yo kits also come with smaller lunch takers so you can take your yogurt to work or to school with you, and many often come with a recipe book.

The recipe book gives you a lot of inspiration as to what else you can do with your yogurt other than just eat if for breakfast or as a dessert. Some of the recipes include obvious things such as yogurt based soft cheese and dips, but they also include more inventive things such as bread, cakes, and even chocolate truffles. The possibilities are endless - I use natural Easi Yo quite a bit in my cooking now to make things a little less fattening, such as in a dressing for a potato salad, or to replace the cream in a mushroom stroganoff. I also use it in my yummy Spicy Mexican Cornbread recipe - which is probably one of the most favourite things of all time to eat.

If you don't eat a lot of yogurt then no this isn't for you but if you were like us and bought pots and pots of the stuff every week then it's well worth it. Yes there is the initial outlay for the maker and you do need to buy the sachets but it does work out cheaper than buying pots of yogurt every week and think how much your saving on packaging. We've had our maker for about 4 years now and I can easily say that it's one of our best ever QVC purchases and it's something we use at least once a week.

You can get  Easi Yo starter kits from around £15 from various retailers including QVC, Lakeland, and Holland and Barrett, it's also worth checking out your local independent health food or greengrocers shop too, the one in my closest tiny town is also a stockist :). You can also find out more and purchase from their UK website :) Have you ever tried Easi Yo? Do you love yogurt as much as me? let me know in the comments x

Project 10 Pan - Item Number 4 - DONE

I said at the start of the month that I could see this being a good month for Project 10 Pan items and so it's proving. Today I finished item 4 :)

First Light Cosmetics Mineral Foundation in Breeze In The Beeches 10g was sent to me a few years ago to review(click here to read it). I actually quite liked it - it was a tiny bit more powdery than Bare Minerals but it was decent and it gave good coverage. This shade was my spring colour but because of the lack of sunshine this year I've been using this colour on and off over the last few months.

My skin responds really well to mineral foundation, and it's something I always use when I'm in a rush because it's so quick and easy to apply, and it lasts forever because you need to use so little at once. Alas First Light minerals stopped retailing a little while ago, the victim of a super competitive industry I guess, but I'm still a mineral foundation devotee and I have several pots of Bare Minerals and ELF foundations in different shades to use up so it will be a little while before I need to purchase any more. So that's 4 down, 6 left to go - I'm still feeling confident despite the fact that I seem to be lemming so much make up wise at the minute but I'm trying to shop my stash a bit at the moment, and use up what I've got and so far so good, I have another two items just about done, so hopefully you should see another P10P update in the next week or so -  Thanks again for your support and thanks for your blog posts and enabling too, nothing tests you like  lusting after something after reading a fabulous blog post - sits on hands and vows to stay strong! Have you ever done Project 10 Pan? if you have, link me to your posts or videos I'd love to see how you managed and what you learnt from the experience x

Facing My Fears - Losing My Epilation Virginity With Philips Satin Soft

A little while ago I was sent three fabulous electrical items on behalf of electronics giant Philips, under the headline "Get Set For Summer" Although summer is now firmly on it's way out (did I hear the word frost mentioned the other day?) all three of the products including the fabulous Avance Juicer are things that you can use in your health and beauty routines all year round.

The next two product from Philips cover one of the less glamorous aspects of beauty - hair removal. I've said it before and I've said it again it one of the dullest and most time consuming tasks that we do - give me colour and sparkle over fighting the fuzz any day. I was kindly sent two products from Philips though to make this process a little easier - I will be reviewing the Philips Bikini Perfect Trimmer in a few weeks but today I'm going to start with the Philips Satin Soft Epilator.

I have to be honest and say that the thought of epilating terrified me - everyone I know who'd tried said and hurt like hell and was much more painful than waxing. Although I no longer find waxing that painful I stuck (haha) to my sticky strips, with the occasional pull of a razor or a slap of cream - no epilation wasn't for me, but when I offered the chance to try this I thought why not

The Philips Satin Soft Epilator Model HP6522/01 is specially designed for sensitive skin and it designed to be one of the most effective, painless and easy to use epilators on the market. It can be used wet or dry and comes complete with a battery charger and several interchangeable heads, and accessories.

As well as the epilator and charger you also get a storage bag, and a soft, exfoliating body brush. You get an epilator head with a roller attachment and an attachment to do smaller areas such as the bikini line.

Also included in the box is a  shaver head with an attachment to help you shave longer, and thicker hair and a cleaning brush. You also get full instructions, and an quick start guide to get you up and running.

For those of you how don't know epilators are basically lots of tiny tweezer heads that rotate and pull the hairs out from the root much like waxing. Using this method hair grows back much more slowly and finer.

To start use need to make sure that your skin is nice and smooth, so 24 hours before you use the product they advise that you use the body brush on areas that you want to treat - the brush is made of synthetic bristles and it feels nice and non scratchy on the skin. You then need to make sure that your epilator is full charged before you start - this took a couple of hours - it's not that easy to decipher but there is a light indicator that tells you when it's ready.

Then you sit or lie in whatever in the most comfortable position for yourself and holding the epilator at a 90 degree move it over the legs to remove the hair - how about some befores and afters :) (remember to click on the images to enlarge :)

Before

After 

Before

After 

As you can see it certainly did it's stuff, the hairs came off quickly and easily, and do you know what it didn't really hurt! Yes this is just my experience and I've waxed my legs since I was 17 so the hairs aren't really that strong any more, and your experience may well be different, but all I felt was a tiny tingle no more, no less, in fact I would even go so far as to say I find waxing is more painful as you seem to pull the skin more than what you do with this. As you can see you do get a bit of redness, and a bit of the plucked chicken look afterwards but again in my experience that's nothing that I haven't had before with waxing. I tried using this both dry and wet in the shower and I have to say I prefer to use this dry, using it wet just didn't seem to be as effective and it stung a little bit more. If your going to use it dry though I'd advise that you either sit or lie on either a towel or an old sheet, this didn't occur to me till afterwards, when I found my duvet was covered in thousands of little hairs lol where did I think they would go. I would also say that I found this to be slightly quicker than waxing too which is always a bonus and the results seem to be pretty long lasting too - 2.5 weeks after epilating and my legs are still pretty smooth and hairless.

I also tried the shaver head on my underarms and again I have to say I was pretty impressed, it did the job quickly and easily with no nicks and no pain. Again I tried it wet and dry and in the case I found it to a bit easier to do wet but it's horses for courses and it's great that you can use it either way.

My only worry apart from the pain with this was how easy it was to clean, well as well as getting a little cleaning brush for stubborn, you can also stick the heads under the tap - which did the trick in seconds, I just left it dry for a little while before popping it back into the storage bag.

As I said I was apprehensive when I received this but after a couple of uses I'm a total convert. I've just being thinking about how much I've forked out for wax strips, razors and so on, when I could have just bought one these. As I say everyone's pain levels are different but for this was relatively pain free, quick, easy and convenient - I'm officially hooked hair removal isn't glamorous but at least with this it isn't too big a chore. The Philips Satin Soft Epilator range retails at around £80 from several retailers including Boots.. Have you ever tried epilating? What did you think? and what's your hair removal method of choice? Let me know in the comments I love hearing what you have to say x

(The Philips Satin Soft Epilator Model HP6522/01 Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Super Bright Nails With Angelica - Nails Of The Day

I picked this polish up on a whim a couple of months ago in Primark. I'd never seen Angelica polishes before and I was like a kid in a candy store deciding which colour to get - the one I went for in the end was 21 Holiday Fun.

It's a beautiful almost purple / pink shade. Application wasn't too bad and I probably could have got away with just one coat but as per usual this is two.

I love this colour it's really bright and summery even when it's raining outside - boo. You can get Angelica polishes from Primark and of course from Penneys in Ireland and I believe their website is coming soon. I'm definitely going to have a better look at the Angelica  rack next time I'm in Primark - What do you think of Holiday Fun?