Foodie Friday - Gluten Free Mushroom And Basil Lasagne

You should know by now that I'm partial to the epic blog post, you know the ones, long and picture heavy, well I make no apologies that this is one of those posts. Way back when on the 7th September we celebrated Mummy Lou's birthday, sometime we celebrate by having a family event, other times it's just the two of us and we either go out for a meal or I cook something special for the two of us. This year I decided to cook, and for our main meal I made something that I've made many times before - My Mushroom And Basil Lasagne. This recipe landed in my inbox quite a few years ago now in a mail out from Goodness Direct, but it was originally from a sadly now defunct food blog called Polka Dot Mittens. I tried it and it was love at first bite. It's not the hardest recipe but there are quite a few steps to it all of which take a bit of time. It can be made a bit easier and I'll tell you how later, but unfortunately it can't be made any less calorific, yeah that's just the way it rich, luscious and perfect for special occasions x

Gluten Free Mushroom And Basil Lasagne

For The Mushroom Sauce

1lb 10oz Chestnut Mushrooms

1/2 40g Packet Of Dried Porcini Mushrooms

1 Carton Whipping Cream (About 142ml)

2 Large Onions

4 Cloves Garlic

2oz Butter 

1 Or 2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley

2oz Grated Cheddar 

Salt and Pepper To Taste

For The Basil Sauce

Some Of My Easy Pesto Sauce

Or

1 Tub Of Fresh Pesto Sauce

Or 

1 Jar Of Good Pesto Sauce

For The Cheese Sauce

3oz Gluten Free Plain Flour

3oz Butter 

1 Pint Milk

2oz Cheddar

Salt And Pepper To Taste

For The Topping 

1 Ball Mozzarella 

2oz Cheddar

1 Pack Of Dried Lasagne Sheets (Around 250g)

1. First up your mushroom sauce. Finely chop your onion, and thinly slice your garlic cloves, and put them in a large pan with the butter, and cook until soft.

2. Put your porcini mushrooms into a small bowl and cover with boiling water and leave them to soak for about 20 minutes. Then slice your chestnut mushrooms.

3. After about 10-15 minutes your onions and garlic should be soft, so add your chestnut mushrooms to the pan. Don't panic if they don't all fit in at once, pop as many in as you can and leave it for a few minutes and you should be able to put the rest in. If you've got a lid put it on and cook over a gentle heat until the mushrooms are coloured and softened.

4. Right back to the porcinis, after about 15-20 minutes they should have softened considerably. Now what you need to do is drain them, through either a tea strainer or a sieve Don't throw the liquid away though, it contains great flavour so you going to add it to the mushroom sauce later. There still might be a little bit of grit left in the soaking liquid though so I usually end of straining it back through the sieve a few times.

5. It's pretty obvious when your chestnut mushrooms are done, the colour will have changed, the size will have reduced and there will be a lot more liquid in the pan.

When they're done add you porcini mushrooms

and your parsley and give it a mix

and then add your grated cheddar

6. Now for the liquids, first add the cream and then the porcini soaking liquid

7. It will look pretty liquidy but don't panic, cook it slowly over a gentle heat till it thickens slightly, and be careful not to boil it. It can take up to hour but low and slow is the key. It will also thicken a little bit when it cools. Once it's done set it to one side.

8. Next up prepare your lasagne sheets as per the packet instruction. I'm using Tesco Free From here which I just cooked in small batches for 10-12 minutes in boiling, salted water with a touch of olive oil added. You can use no cook lasagne sheets if you like, but once you've assembled your lasagne leave to stand for an hour before baking.

9. Pre heat your oven to about 180 C and now it's assembly time - I'm using my large ceramic baking dish here but whatever you use normally for lasagne will be fine, something none stick is preferable though.

All you do now is layer it all up, I just got two layers but you can do how ever many you like, first put in a layer of the mushroom sauce, 

Then on top of that swirl a few tablespoons of pesto sauce, you can use as little or as much as you like. Homemade or fresh is way better than the jarred stuff but how much you use is up to you.

Then put a layer of lasagne sheets, and repeat, till all your mixture is used ending with a layer of lasagne sheets.

10. We're on the home strait now and it's cheese sauce time. I've read all sorts of faffy ways to make it but this way works for me. Maybe it because it's gluten free but it's worth a try. Put the milk, flour and butter in a large pan, and apply the heat.

Stir, stir and keep stirring to get rid of the lumps, I'm using a mini whisk here but a wooden spoon or large whisk would do the same thing. Eventually it will start to thicken, and start to coat the whisk or spoon. Once it gets to this stage add your grated cheese and give it a good stir till it melts in, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Make sure it bubbles though to make sure the flour completely cooks out.

11. Pour you cheese sauce over your lasagne, and top with the remaining grated cheddar and the torn up mozzarella.

Then bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes till golden and bubbly.

12. Once it's done leave it to cool slightly before serving. It's very rich so small portions are probably best, and I would always serve this with something to cut through the richness like the rocket leaf salad here.

My dish made 6 substantial portions, it fine eaten straight away but I actually think it's nicer if it's eaten the next day. You can keep it in the fridge when its cool, and heat it up either in the microwave or the oven till it's piping hot.

This is a long drawn out and slightly complicated recipe but you can make it slightly easier. In my opinion it's better to make everything yourself but of course you can buy your own pesto sauce, and even your own bechamel sauce to make it quicker. You can also make the mushroom sauce the day before, just leave it to cool, then refrigerate, and then reheat it either in a pan or in the microwave till it's piping hot before adding it to your lasagne. Oh and the mushroom sauce can also be used with normal pasta x Obviously this recipe is gluten free but it would be easy to adapt it, to use wheat flour and pasta

Yes this is an epic and pretty calorific recipe and it's not for everyday but it's so yummy and so worth making. It has a real richness, and savouriness. The chestnut mushrooms give it a real meaty texture making it ideal for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Although I only make it once or twice a year, it's definitely one of my favourite, luxury recipes for when I just want to potter and spend some time in the kitchen. I really hope that you try this out, it's so worth the effort x Let me know if you do xx 

Bentley Organic Bodywash With Olive, Tea Tree And Eucalyptus - A Review For My Pure*

Do you know that the worst thing about being ill is? not having the energy to have a bath or shower that's what. Wipes and damp flannels can only do so much, so as soon as I got over the worst of my recent bout of gastroenteritis, I knew come hell or high water I needed a shower. Thankfully we have a shower seat, so there was no danger of me falling over, but by gum I enjoyed it. I felt, fresh clean and loads better once I was done. Fresh is the key thing, and the product that I used  in the shower was something that I'd conveniently chosen for one of this months My Pure reviews, you'd almost think that I knew I was going to get sick!

A couple of month ago now I reviewed a hand wash from British, natural beauty company Bentley Organic (read my review here). As well as hand washes they also produce a range of baby, hair, home care, and body products, so I decided for one of this months reviews to try out one of their body washes.

My Pure have 4 varieties to chose from including the Cinnamon, Orange and Clove, which matches my hand washes, a version containing Lavender, Aloe and Jojoba, a Grapefruit, Lemon and Seaweed variety and the one I went for Olive, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus.

80% organic and sulfate free, this body wash contains real extracts of tea tree, olive and eucalyptus, and uses natural coconut extracts as a foamer, as well as salt and vegetable glycerin.

The wash itself comes packaged in a basic shower gel, style bottle, practical but nothing fancy. The body wash is clear with just a hint of green in colour, and has quite a thick gel like consistency.

A little goes a long way and despite the viscous texture, it blends easily with water to produce a gentle foam. Alas this my bath test, it just didn't foam enough to justify using it as a bubble bath but in the shower it was fine.

 As you would expect it rinsed away easily, but I have to be honest and say that I didn't really like how it left my skin. I wouldn't say it felt dry but it felt almost squeaky clean, it's hard to describe but I wasn't keen on the feeling, and I felt as though I needed to slather myself with moisturiser the minute I got out the shower. Once I was out and dried my skin  felt fine and not dry at all, it just seemed to be the feeling when it was initially rinsed off.

I guess I could live with it but I probably wouldn't advise that you use this product if your skin is dry. The reason I could probably live with it is down to the smell. The word amazing springs to mind, the tea tree and eucalyptus dominate, giving you a real, refreshing head clearing kick. Perfect for when you need freshening up, or even waking up, or for when your feeling a bit heady and fluey.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I would buy this again but if I do it would definitely be because of the smell and because of the affordable price compared to products in other ranges with a similar scent.  Bentley Organic Bodywash With Olive, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus normally retails at £3.75 for a 250ml tube from My Pure but it's currently on special at just £3.38. Have you tried anything from this brand before? Leave me a comment and let me know x

(*Sample)

A Review Of The Old Wives Tail Jojoba And Clove Organic Oil Hair Treatment*

I think I mentioned it in a recent blog post but over the last five or six months or so the condition of my hair has literally gone down the drain. Health related I assume and whilst probably unavoidable that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. The texture's changed from straight-ish to so wavy it's almost curly, it looks dry and frizzy, yet lank at the same time, and every wash it I pretty much lose a small handful. It's got me down at times, I've always had lovely thick glossy hair and I want it back!

I've washed and conditioned religiously, and I've tried to cut down on the heat tools and the styling products and I've only seen minimal improvement :( 

Something had to change and touch lots of wood over the last couple of months I've found a few things that seem to be helping - one is a vitamin supplement, and the other is a hair product. Quite a few product that I've tried have made a bit of a difference but nothing has made as big a difference as this product.

I'm a firm believer that the biggest companies don't always produce the best results and in this case I've been proven right. A little while ago know I was contacted by a natural hair care company called Old Wives Tail.  Based in the UK but with South African and Portuguese roots, this company produces a range of natural, chemical free, and environmentally friendly hair care, with Mediterranean olive oil at its heart. As well as being a 100% organic brand, they're also a very animal friendly company -they don't test their products on animals, or deal with suppliers that do, and 10% of their profits are donated to charities that campaign against animal testing. The very kindly allowed me to chose one of their products to review and after a lot of humming and haaing I eventually decided to try the Old Wives Tail Jojoba and Clove Organic Oil Treatment.

Containing just 4 ingredients, organic jojoba oil, shea butter, clove flower oil and olive oil, the description of this product just screamed to me. It is specifically designed for dull, thinning, brittle or broken hair - that's me! The jojoba oil helps add strength, volume and texture to the hair, and the other ingredients are stimulating and anti bacterial, and can help to encourage hair growth.

The product comes packaged in a jar, and appearance wise it resembles almost a thick custard. The appearance is nothing though compared to the smell. Think Christmas, Pumpkin Spice Latte and your about there wow the smell is amazing, so autumnal and wintery and perfect for this time of year.

It's a pre shampoo treatment so to use the mask all you do is apply a dollop to damp hair, and comb it through. You don't need a lot and a little does go along way as it's quite creamy. I combed it right the way from root to tip, concentrating on my tangled, lengths and ends. You can leave it as it is, but since my hair was a bit drippy I rolled it up and popped a shower cap on. Then leave it for at least an hour to soak in. You can also leave it on overnight if your feel your hair needs it x

After an hour or so all you do is just rinse and shampoo. It was really simple to wash out and almost instantly, my hair felt a lot smoother. I'm must admit I'm lazy and more often than not I leave my hair to dry naturally, hence the waves and curls, but after using this my hair was definitely calmer, and less tangled and wild. It also felt much, much softer and looked shinier. The amazing clove scent also lingered on the hair, the towels and anything else that touched so there was no need for scented candles !

I'm not going to say that my hair is perfect now, far from it but I can definitely see a big difference from using this treatment just once a week. It's easier to style, I don't seem to be losing quite as much as I was and it definitely feels nicer and looks shinier, and smells yummy! In fact I've been so impressed with the improvement that I'm actually braving the hairdressers tomorrow, for the first time in a long while!

Like most homes everything in my bathroom is fair game for anyone else, and Mummy Lou has also being trying this out with me, and I have to say I've never heard her rave so much about a product. Her hair like a lot of peoples with grey hair, is coarse and a bit dry, and she says that this product has improved the condition and feel of her feel no end, and she loves the smell too.

This isn't the cheapest product out there but you really do get what you pay for, This brand, it's products and the ingredients they use have real integrity, and it's great to know that by buying this product your supporting a environmental and animal friendly brand. The pot isn't huge either at 100 ml but believe me you don't need a lot, this pot has easily lasted both me and Mummy Lou, four weeks plus. Will I buy this product again? Definitely we both would, it did exactly what it promised and the results we've seen speak for themselves.

Old Wives Tail Jojoba And Clove Organic Oil Treatment retails at £13.99 for 100ml from the Old Wives Tail website. Please have a look at their website to find out more about their philosophy and to see their full product range x Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please leave me a comment x

(*Sample)

Combining Two Of My Favourite Things Nails And Reading - A Review Of How I Nailed It By Leighton Denny*

When I'm not blogging, cooking or pampering myself, more often than not you'll find me curled up with a book or my Kindle. I've loved reading ever since since I can remember and devouring a new book has to be one of my greatest pleasures. To be honest I'll pretty much read whatever is in front of me from chick lit, to Shakespeare and the classics but my real love has to be non-fiction. I love reading about different people, different times and real life events. Thanks to the eternal student in me I'm a bit obsessed with true crime books, and history books, and maybe I'm just nosey but I'm also a huge lover of autobiographies.

Recently I was given the opportunity to combine two of my greatest loves reading and nail polish, and review the Kindle version of nail technician to the stars, Leighton Denny's autobiography, How I Nailed It.

As you probably know I'm a bit of a QVC fan and that's how I first became aware of Leighton Denny, and his products. I have to say I'm a fan as I'm sure some of these photographs show. 

His products aren't the cheapest by any means but by and large they do exactly what they promise. As a brand you don't always get the new cult texture or finish when it comes to nail polish but what you do get is a range of classic and fashion colours,and products that have that real professional touch. 

I'd be hard pressed to pick a favourite colour from my collection - maybe Inkjet that you can see here but I love so many of my Leighton Denny shades it's hard to choose. My favourite product from the range isn't a polish at all though, it's Leighton's cult crystal nail file. You can read my full review here but believe me there is a reason why one of these is sold every 15 seconds around the world!

So yeah, I'm a fan, I'm ashamed to say though despite knowing a little of his background, and life in Bradford through QVC, I thought this book like so many autobiographies might be a little bit frothy and self indulgent but I was very, very wrong. After reading this book there is no way you could describe it as self indulgent, it's a thoroughly honest memoir illustrating a fascinating life so far with lots of ups and downs and twists and turns. 

I'm not going to go into too much detail as I would definitely recommend you read it yourself but this book proves, that if you work hard enough you will achieve what you want. Throughout his life he's overcame an awful lot of obstacles that would have made a lesser person give in, including dyslexia, family problems, violence and issues with acceptance but he's came out of the other side a stronger person.

Above all this book highlights his tremendous work ethic, something which he obviously inherited from his dad. Showing his first indication of his entrepreneurial spirit at the age of just 14 with his own fancy dress hire business, Leighton has never been frightened of hard work or taking risks, from working in his own salon, to working for other people and being a mobile technician, he's always worked hard to get what he wants. 

Not resting on his laurels as well as the nail line, he's now also branched out into lip colours, self tans and now fragrance. He's definitely not afraid of taking on new challenges, and despite the fear of spreading himself too thinly and becoming a jack of all trades and a master of none, he's determined to be as successful as he can in any venture that he takes on.

Yes the book does have a bit of froth, where he talks about some of the celebrities that he works with such as Joan Collins, Jade Jagger, Dita Von Teese and Geri Halliwell but you never feel as though he's bragging. If anything he still seems slightly overawed by the opportunities that have came his way, and often by the people that he now considers his friends.

I have to say I'm even more of a Leighton Denny fan after reading this book. His journey so far has been a hard and fascinating one that just proves his own strength and determination to be somebody. To quote his dad "you fake it until you make it", meaning you should always chase your dreams to be who you want to be -  good advice for all of us I think. Recently he was awarded an MBE for services to the beauty industry, proving that hard work really does pay off, and that it really does pay you to shoot for the moon.

Leighton Denny - How I Nailed, previously a number one best selling autobiography, is available from Amazon in both Kindle and paperback versions. The current Kindle price is £6.07 and the paperback price is £9.70.

(*Sample)

A Late But Epic August Haul Featuring Primark, Yankee, Make Up Revolution, Maybelline And More - Picture And Word Heavy

I want to start off this post by saying a huge thank you to everyone that's entered my giveaway, and I want to say a huge hi there, and thank you to everyone that's followed and commented as a result. Although I haven't had much of a chance to reply to your comments I've really enjoyed reading them and it's been very interesting finding out what kind of posts you like reading. One of the most popular types of posts by far is. unsurprisingly the haul post! I have to say I love writing them too, mainly because they give me an excuse to go shopping lol. They do take a bit of time and effort to write though especially when you buy as much stuff as I do :) so yet again I find myself apologising for a late monthly haul post, but better late then never, here is my August haul :)

I didn't buy too many clothes in August partly because I'm trying desperately to cling onto the last breaths of summer, but I did pay a couple of visits to Primark but I just stuck to jewellery and accessories, starting with some socks.

Despite being in my 30's I'm still a sock girl at heart and I couldn't resist these cute Minion ones. I introduced my mum to Despicable Me last month and she loves it as much as I do. It never fails to make me smile and I am hoping these socks will have the same effect.

As well as my Minions, I also picked up some ankle socks with some frill detailing. I bought them to wear with my Clarks brogues but I'm not sure that the cute girly approach works for me. Never mind they were only £1.50. As well as the socks I also got a bargain double duvet (not pictured it's just a duvet!) and this necklace which I've wanted for ages.

This was £6, which I don't think it particularly cheap for Primark but imagine what you would pay in Accessorize or Top Shop! I love the iridescent pastel colours of the stones.

Despite buying quite a bit of stuff throughout August the bargain hunter in me definitely lives on, and throughout the month I spent quite a bit of time both in Poundland and Poundworld. As well as numerous fruit snacks I made just one other Poundland purchase, and it was another jewellery item from their Purple Ivy range.

If your a new reader, you should now that I'm a little bit obsessed with bows, I'm not sure where it comes from but I love them be it on clothing, accessories or on jewellery. This gold tone necklace features lots of tiny little golden bows. Love it and it was a real bargain for £1

I've said it before I definitely don't have the same affection for Poundworld as I do for Poundland but last month I managed to pick up a few things. I'm a bit of an instagram and twitter aholic and whilst checking out my feeds I started to see lots of pictures of the Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Polishes. Now I'd wanted to try these for quite a while but the £6.99 price tag put me off a bit, but after a little bit of investigation work I found out that they were being stocked in branches of Poundworld.

They had lots and lots of colour to choose from but I had to limit myself a bit I just bought 3 for me and one for a pressie. The shades I went for were Spun Sugar, African Tea Rose and Moonlit Woods. I haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but I'll be sure to show you when I do.

You've already seen my other Poundworld purchase in my giveaway post but I'm mentioning it again because I think it such a fabulous idea. I bought one of these on ebay quite a while ago now and I think there great. I paid about £4 or so then which I thought was a bargain as I'd seen them for as much as £16 + before but for a £1 I think they're fab. I'm going to alter mine up and maybe use one for hair things and maybe one for bracelets and chunky necklace I haven't decided properly yet but I will show you when they're sorted.

To be honest I need more jewellery storage I have so, so much of it, I'm a bit obsessed actually and after a few months break I've quite a few jewellery purchases from ebay both for me and for Mummy Lou. The first item is something else that you've already seen a fab bright statement necklace.

Annoyingly I only paid 99p for it including postage from this seller, but when I decided to buy another one, it had gone up to £1.89 and now it's gone up to £2.25. Very annoying but the quality is nice and I would easily have paid more for it.

I also bought a couple of turquoise and silver items - they always claim to be real but from the price I'm never convinced - first up I got this lovely elasticated bracelet. I love my bracelets but I'm such an old lady lately I'm finding them impossible to fasten, so I love the fact that I can just slip this on and off. It was just 99p with postage from this seller x

I also bought this necklace which works really nicely with it x Again it was just 99p from this seller x

I'm all about a bargain at the minute and last month I had a little day out with my bestie. Due to her job and my health we don't see as much of each other as we would like but it's always a sign of good friendship that you can pick up where you left off. The main purpose of the day out was to see her new house but we also went for coffee at Chester Grove Garden Centre, To be honest I've seen better garden centres but the cafe is nice and I had some lovely gluten free crumble cake. We had a little look round afterwards and I found a whole load of reduced Yankee Candle Melts / Tarts. These normally retail at around £1.49 but they were on sale at just £1 each. I got four, two Bahama Breeze, one White Gardenia and one Vanilla Lime. I love the melts you get a real hit of fragrance even after just a few minutes.

It wouldn't be a Lou Lou haul without a bit of Superdrug shopping and my goodness I did quite a bit of that last month- first I got the Make Up Revolution Ultra Eyeshadow Palette in Flawless. You can see a full, first impressions review of the palette here and of course you can win one in my giveaway here x

August saw the launch of a Make Up Revolution stand in my local Superdrug and of course it would have been wrong not to pick up a few bits. First of all something I'd wanted to try for a long time - their nail polishes - I went for two shades, Adore a lovely creamy, lilac and Cupid In Disguise, fabulous iridescent, oil on water taupey shade. Due to some nail snappage and a fight with a drawer I haven't tried these yet, but I'll definitely stick a nails of the day post up when I do.

Next up another single eyeshadow - I'm a bit obsessed with these and I'm planning a blog post so you can see my collection swatched side by side , I have a lot of the nudes and browns and both shimmers and mattes and as you would expect they're pretty fabulous. The latest addition to my collection is Good Life, a shimmery, taupe, brown.

Now I only have a couple of Make Up Revolution lip products in my collection and to be honest this is the one area that I'm a bit mehh about when it comes to the brand. Again I'll review everything in due course but one product I love, and one I well don't. Never the less having an opportunity to play with some products in the flesh I fell in love with one of their matte lipsticks, Beloved

Again swatches to come, but this looks to be a lovely, bright pink with just a hint of warmth. It looks quite scary in the bullet, almost like a bright coral here but irl it's a lot more wearable.

My final Make Up Revolution product for August was something basic, and not that interesting but I have oily / combination skin and despite the fact that they aren't as popular as they once were I need a pressed powder in my make up bag at all times The Make Up Revolutions Pressed Powder retails at a pretty bargainous £2. There are four shades to choose from and I went for one of the lightest Porcelain.

I've got enough Make Up Revolution products to do a full base product post now, so keeping checking back to see a full review of this and some of their other face products.

I admit it I am a bit obsessed with Make Up Revolution at the moment, but the opportunity to have a little look around Superdrug I did buy some bits from other brands including Rimmel.

I know, I know another lip tint, balm thing! but what can I say I obsessed with these as well at. I also went through a phase of being a bit obsessed with whole Keep Calm thing so these Keep Calm balms definitely appealed. There are 5 to choose from and I went for Keep Calm And Play - 040 Rose Blush.

It looks an absolutely terrifying coral colour in the bullet but like all of these balm tints, you just get a mere hint of colour (not even enough to justify a swatch in this case!) which enhances your natural lip colour. It has a pleasant slightly, sweet rose aroma but unlike a lot of similar products I don't think this feels that moisturising.

It's confession time - I'm totally lazy and useless at eyeliner - I just don't have the patience for it, and I barely ever wear it now - something that I'm sure several brands and PR's waiting for reviews will testify to. Recently though I became intrigued by the new Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner. It seems to be one of those products that you either love or hate though so I wasn't really that keen on shelling on £18.50. Whilst reading my usual array of blogs and tweets though I happened to read that the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner Pen was very, very similar and actually slightly better for a much more affordable but still slightly spendy £8.99. Hmm I thought about it for a while and decided to raise the issue on a recent #bbloggers twitter chat. A couple of lovely ladies replied and said they liked it so I took the plunge.

In the flesh it looks pretty, damn close to the Benefit offering, the silicone tip is very similar and it has the same twist up action. I'll be honest and say I haven't had the chance to try it on my eyes yet but I'll definitely add it to my list of upcoming eyeliner reviews and let you know how I feel about it soon.

The final item in my Superdrug haul was something else that you've seen in my giveaway post. I definitely went shopping with a one for me, one for you philosophy. Despite my age I'm still a bit of a Hello Kitty fan and I found these super cute tweezers on a clearance rack for just 49p x It would have been wrong not to buy them :)

I only made only other real beauty purchase in August and that was from Avon. I get so mad about brush marks with metallic nail polishes, that you think I would stop buying them but I don't. I decided to try a colour from Avon's new Metallic Effects range and the shade I went for was Jade Reflection.

It's sort of a metallic taupey, khaki, quite hard to describe and photograph but I can't wait to give it a proper try out on my nails, brush strokes and all!

Although the magazine freebies appear to have slowed down on the last month or so there are still a few out there and in August I picked up a couple of magazines with free gifts in them. InStyle came with a mini set of Ren skincare items. I've had the same set from them before so I guess they must have had some spare and Marie Claire came with a mini Ghost Eclipse fragrance roller ball.

Whilst it's not a fragrance I would have bought I actually quite like it's depth and complexity, and I'm a huge fan of the roller ball style applicator. Slim pickings for August but the October issue of InStyle actually came out on the 30th August so whilst it's still in store I can just about include it in my August haul :)

It was actually a pretty decent freebie too, you get a a 50ml bottle of the L'Occitane essential oil shampoo and a 50ml bottle of the matching conditioner, together worth about £10. I haven't tried their haircare before but I'm a huge fan of the brand so I can't wait to give them ago.

The final bits that I acquired in August came courtesy of a lovely, fellow North East blogger, Becca from Polkadot Notebook. For my birthday so kindly gave me a few bit including a mini FCUK Signature Body Spray, which as you know I love. Being the lovely person that she is she sent me some other FCUK signature minis x Thanks Becca x You're a star x

So that was my very late, and very long and in depth August haul x I haven't managed to film a haul video to accompanying post so I hope that you will forgive me x  Hopefully I will be resuming normal video uploads soon x Thanks for reading and of course if you have any questions on any of my purchases please leave me a comment xx

...And I'm Back...

Over the years I've thought a lot about various career changes, but something I'd never really considered was magic, but lately I seem to be getting pretty good at this disappearing act thing. I blog for a few days, promise the world and then I disappear lol.

Well as per usual my latest disappearance was health related. I've spent the last week and a bit battling a pretty nasty case of gastroenteritis. That's pretty much all the gory details that you're going to get but I've actually been pretty unwell. Thankfully I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm still feeling tired, sore and weak and I'm by no means firing on all cylinders but I'm starting to feel a bit more human.

I've had quite a bit of time to think whilst I've been lying in my darkened room, and whilst bemoaning the fact that I was missing some fabulous local blog events, I tried to think positive and look forwards instead of looking back and feeling sorry for myself. My blog was constantly in my thoughts, surely a sign of how much it means to me now, and as a result I've got lots of exciting new ideas and plans for the future, and of course for my blog. Like most things in my life it's going to be a work in progress, so I'll keep you posted on any potential changes but in the meantime, please, please bear with me. It's going to take me a little while to pull myself round after this little set back, so posting may be a bit all over the place till I catch up and sort myself out so stick with me if you can. I'm aiming for at least one new post this week but fingers crossed I might manage a couple x 

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