Fifty Fit

This is a new exercise and healthy eating regime which was thought up by Laura. So what is fifty fit I hear you ask?

For 50 days its just healthy eating and exercise. Jot down what exercise you do each day, how long for and everything that you eat. Once a week you write a blog post stating how you've done including what you've eaten each day and how much exercise you've done. By doing this you can keep track of how you and others are doing and cheer everyone on! You are also allowed 5 days where you can basically have a day off from exercise and eating healthily.

There are a few of us taking part so far but if you're interested contact Laura via her blog and her blog post for fifty fit can be found here!

Image borrowed from weheartit

Review - Bomb Cosmetics

I received this set of bath bombs from Bomb Cosmetics for christmas from my friend. I don't normally go in the bath much as I find it impossible to sit there and relax, a quick shower is much more me!

This box is £9.99 and it contains 5 products: 4 bath blasters and 1 bath mallow

I had never used Bomb products before but I had seen them in quite a lot of shops and they always smell and look lovely. So what did I think? 

Sweet cherry pie bath blaster

Bliss with a kiss bath blaster

Sweet surrender bath blaster

Fresh berry bath blaster

Love buds bath mallow

All bombs smelt lovely and made the water really look really luxurious. Personally I like lots of bubbles and the dried flowers in them were a real pain to clean out of the bath but I would buy them again and use as a treat!

All products are also available to buy individually for about £2.49.

Have you used bomb products before? What did you think?

My late 2011 goals

Yes I am aware it is March, but there are still 44 weeks left in the year so a goals post is still acceptable...I think!

Currently I only work 2 days a week, this isn't by choice believe me, so I have alot of time on my hands and recently I've been thinking about what I want to achieve this year instead of having another 'bum' year!

So here is my list:

Get a decent job 

I graduated from uni almost 2 years ago and haven't been able to get a full time job related to health which I have a degree in

Pay my mum and dad off

They lent me money for a new computer when I was at uni and they paid for my car insurance last year when I had to buy a new car

Learn how to sew

I've recently had the urge to be able to make things. I really want to learn to make fabric hearts stuffed with lavendar, I have no idea why!

And I want to make soap and bath bombs

My mum bought a magazine which has lots of ideas for handmade things thinking I would like the sewing articles but instead I was captivated by the soap making ideas!

Read more often
I have 10 books in my collection which I haven't read yet so I want to try to read as many of these as possible

Start saving again

I love saving up but with my pitiful wages I have no money to spare so saving has had to take the backseat for the last couple of years

My biggest aim is to lose weight

I've already lost quite abit but I didn't weigh myself for almost 2 years and knowing how much I weigh now I would like to lose 5 stone! This is a mahoosive amount of weight and even if I did lose this I wouldn't be at my lightest which I was when I was 16 - ok I am almost 23 but that would be nice!

Start actively crafting

I got into doing craft blog challenges and set up another blog for these but haven't done and properly since way before christmas

(Images borrowed from weheartit)

Have you set yourself any goals for this year? If so link me to them or write them below :-)

Review - A'kin skincare

Way back last year May held a charity blog auction where companies and fellow bloggers donated items for people to bid on to raise money for charity. One item caught my eye and it was an A'kin skincare set for combination/oily skin.

I have never used A'kin before but wanted to try it as it doesn't contain parabens, SLS, silicones and other nasty ingredients which can be bad for you.

In the set I got a 225ml Sandalwood and Neroli gel cleanser, a 125ml Orange Blossom and Chamomile toner and a 50ml White Tea and Aloe moisturiser.

When I started using these products the smell took abit of getting used to. A'kin use only natural botanical ingredients and normally I don't buy products which are floral scented so they took a while to get used to. Don't get me wrong they do smell gorgeous I just wasn't used to floral scents!

Sandalwood and Neroli cleanser

The first thing I noticed is the size of the bottle, it's huge! And a little goes a long way, the only bad thing about this is that I don't really like the lid on the bottle, it seems to get in the way when squeezing the product out. I always end up with more than I should.

The cleanser itself is orange in colour and it's of a gel consistency. I use it on a sponge to remove my make up and it leaves my skin feeling clean and refreshed.

I would definitely repurchase this and it is £13.99 and available at Boots.

Sandalwood - an active ingredient against bacteria and has anti-inflammatory qualities

Neroli (from the white blossoms of the bitter orange) - refreshing, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic

Orange Blossom and Chamomile toner

I like using toners but I don't like one which are called astringents as I find they are too harsh on the skin and can leave it dry. A'kin's toner is described as soothing and refreshing and it's even ok to use on sensitive skin.

The first thing you notice is the smell. It does smell soft and soothing (if that's possible!) I only use this at night but it leaves my skin lovely and soft and doesn't dry it out. I would repurchase this and it is £8.99 and also available at Boots.

Orange blossom - is an anti-inflammatory and is refreshing

Chamomile - is an anti-inflammatory and can reduce redness and skin sensitivity

White Tea and Aloe moisturiser

As I have combination skin I need to use a day moisturiser which is matifying to help keep my skin looking shine free all day.

I love that this has a pump dispenser rather than it being a pot so that you get a measured amount and there's less waste. Oh and of course it is more hygienic.

It is a gel formulation so it's light and sinks into the skin straight away which is essential when I'm rushing about before work at 6.30am!

It does eradicate shine from my face and lasts all day. I would say that it's probably the best moisturiser I've used so yes I would buy it again and it's £19 from Look Fantastic.

White Tea - boosts the immune function of skin cells by protecting against the sun

Aloe - hydrating, an anti-inflammatory and reduces redness

Overall impression

After using these products I would without doubt repurchase them all and I would buy more A'kin products to try and I would certainly recommend A'kin as a brand.


Have you used anything from A'kin? What did you think? Or are you going to try any of the 3 products I've reviewed here?

Review - Soap and Glory Heel Genius

I'm a bit sceptical about trying foot creams mainly because I've found one which I think is amazing so nothing really ever compares to it. I also thought this about handcream until I used Soap & Glory's Hand Food which changed my opinion as I was really really impressed. With this in mind I thought that I would give their Heel Genius foot cream a go to see how it compared.

Unlike other foot creams this doesn't have a mint fragrance but instead has a menthol scent but it isn't overpowering. It's actually quite uplifting.

Yes, as the photo suggests it is green! It is also quite light in texture and is absorbed into the skin easily. I use this everynight when I go to bed and literally as soon as it's absorbed I can feel a difference in my skin. My feet are left feeling soft and I can actually leave longer between pedicures.

Don't get me wrong I still love my original foot cream and as it's much thicker I tend to use it with socks for an intensive treatment but I use heel genius on the inbetween days and I would buy it again. It is £5.11 for a 125ml tube and is available from Boots and Harvey Nichols.

My first Graze box!

I'd first heard about Graze boxes a while back but didn't really get the point of them. The ones I'd seen on other people's blogs had nuts, olives and seeds in them to be honest I can't stand these! When I looked on the website I was amazed at how much choice they had; flapjacks, dried fruit, focaccia, crackers, chocolate and the things mentioned above. There are also 3 types of boxes to choose from, I chose the nibble box.

My first box was free and I received it on Saturday. The boxes are the perfect size to pop through your letterbox so you don't need to worry about having to be at home to get them. Oh and you also choose which day/s you receive you boxes and there's no obligation to continue receiving them so you can cancel at any time.

And this is what it looks like once opened

I received a pack of korean chilli rice crackers, ooh la la chocolate and raisin mix, milkshake mix and an orange and ginger flapjack.

You also receive a booklet which states whether you've requested for items to be 'sent soon', the nutritional values of each pack and little token-type things for you to pass on to a friend for them to also get a free box. You do get another booklet about eating healthier but this didn't photograph very well.

So I have eaten my flapjack and my korean chilli rice crackers and they have both been delicious!

Boxes are £3.49 each or you can get your first one free and second half price if you redeem this code: HJCMNL7.

Happy grazing everyone!

Product use up

So another month has gone so it's time for product use up! I've got through all of my half used products so once again there are quit a few empties:

L-R:

L'Occitane sweet almond liquid soap

No7 Protect and Perfect lip cream

Botanics deep cleansing gel

Good Things dream cream night cream

Dead Sea Source shea shower gel

Good Things bright eyes eye cream

Lee Stafford shampoo

L-R:

Kristen Bailey liquid soap

Soap and Glory liquid soap

L'Occitane shea vanilla shower gel

2x Sure deodorants

Back row - Front row:
Avon scalp treatment
Bliss Fat Girl Sleep
Avon banana and coconut body lotion
No7 Make up remover
Batiste dry shampoo
Time Delay face wipes
L'Occitane hand cream
No7 face wipes

So that's it for another month! Have a feeling March's post won't have many used products but I'm getting my stash down...finally!

Have you taken up this challenge? How are you doing? If you haven't I would highly recommend it because after all if you use up your stash it means you get to buy new things!