Origins Surprise Twists

For Christmas I asked for a few beauty bits, including this Origins Surprise Twists gift set.

Now that I've had time to try these out, I thought it might be a good time to let you know a little more about them!

Included in the twists were:

4 x Make a difference (hand creams)

2 x Drink up intensive night treatment

2 x Make a difference plus (face moisturiser)

1 x Modern friction

1 x Clear Improvement

1 x Ginger Souffle

1 x Ginger body wash

Whilst that sounds like a lot, firstly, and importantly, I think the difference in how many of each product given is hugely disproportionate. Why would you need 4 hand treatments? The contents could be spread out either by trying a great range of different products or more of those where there were only 1. That's one area Origins got this wrong for me, especially as the set costs £40.00 full price.

On a brighter note, I have thoroughly enjoyed trying out the different products.

Favourites include the Clear Improvement Charcoal face mask which has hugely helped to unclog my pores on bad skin days. It's super gentle and very effective at making my skin look that bit brighter on a dull winter's day. Secondly, the Make a Difference Plus face moisturiser has been perfect at injecting some moisture in the mornings.

Things I wouldn't purchase after trying are the ginger scented products. Whilst they do the job, I'm just not keen on their pungent scent, and the scent seems to aggravate my skin around small eczema patches.

All in all, I love the idea of these Christmas crackers for trying a couple of Origins products out, but this year that balance in products wasn't quite there for me to give it a 10/10 rating.

At this rate I'll have enough hand cream treatments to last me until Christmas 2015!

What do you think? Would you buy them?

Shaka Zulu - a review

D and I made a little trip to London as part of my Christmas present this week (a surprise trip to a London restaurant with Red Letter Days).

After an awesome day of browsing Borough Market, devouring doughnuts and strolling along the river we headed over to Camden for dinner.

Considering I mostly eat vegetarian, D's choice of restaurant as a present was interesting....South African theme. Sadly, I am a bit of a pansy when it comes to food. I'm not fussy with much ...except for meat. Meat is the one thing I find difficult to trust, and the South African cuisine is mainly based around deer, crocodile and other wild animals.

You can see why this will be a difficult review.

Sadly I didn't love the food. With limited vegetarian options, I had to opt for a corn soup followed by vegetable curry. The food was fine, however if I was a bit more into meat I think the dishes on offer could have afforded a much more enticing experience.

D chose ostrich roulade followed by the spitroast which he assured me was tasty, though didn't convince me to try it.

Despite the disappointing menu, there were two great things about this restaurant.

1. The cocktails! We tried a couple of different cocktails, and D's raspberry mule was delicious (see below)!

2. The interior. The South African decor was just insane! The whole restaurant turns into a bar/club later in the evening, and it was just the most incredible place. Located underground, you have to get an escalator down into the restaurant which is kitted out in huge statues of animals, elephants and other tribal decorations. Spread over two floors, you really can't believe it exists. It looks so authentic and definitely is an experience you have to try.

We would definitely go back, but only for drinks and to try the club out.

Do you fancy a bit of crocodile? Let me know if you go and what you think!

A super quick, skin care saviour

A super quick, time saving, skin care saviour (wow that's a mouthful!)

Recently I picked up this Vaseline moisturiser in the hope it would help me to take better care of my skin. For people without much time on their hands (mums, teachers, or generally everyone) moisturising you body is way down the to do list. 

However this product really does make daily moisturising achievable! Just a quick spritz along the arms, legs and torso, this glorious smelling stuff makes my skin feel that little bit fresher, smoother and all round brighter. It's been a firm favourite in my daily routine for the last few months now, and I can see it staying that way.

Just be prepared for how cold it is! 

Changing outfits with a statement accessory

When I first saw this chunky beaded necklace I couldn't tell whether I loved it or hated it. It was one of those where you're not keen on it for a while, but you can't stop looking at it.

After trying it with a few black and white tops, just to jazz up a boring monochrome outfit, it still wasn't working quite right. Instead I thought that the necklace is such a mishmash of colours and textures in itself, with stripes, beads and chains all rolled into one, that perhaps that's what it needed to be paired with in an outfit.

Recently I've been loving wearing it with a stripy tee, plus a cosy textured cardigan. Personally I think it looks best this way. 

What do you think? 

How else could you style a statement piece?

Bourjois Eyeshadow & Liner .. my newest beauty lust!

Firstly.... I know its been over 2 months and I haven't written anything! 

The world of teaching just runs away with you...where on earth have the last few weeks gone?  Actually wait, I can probably answer that....planning lessons, attending parents evenings, and sending at least four thirteen year old's to the medical room during our first lesson back, due to multiple injuries including staples through fingers, nosebleeds and spots they had picked. Yes, my life is just dreamy!

Secondly, this Bourjois dual liner/eyeshadow is just WOW!

I picked up this little gem in Boots a couple of weeks ago and instantly fell in love. It's waterproof, yet has a really creamy consistency that is easy to blend and not too heavy on the lid, though very build-able if you wanted to.

It comes in a nice (yet compact) range of colours, of which I chose 'Mauve'  to contrast with greeny-blue eyes. It really compliments them, and out of all the colour choices it is definitely one of the easiest to wear. Some of the other shades may be a little too 'drag queen-esque' to wear as a full on eyeshadow, but feel free to prove me wrong!

At only £5.99 I'm pretty pleased with this little purchase, and may need to grab a few more from the collection!

Do you think they're as good?