The Summer Sunday Round-Up

Just looking back at these photos reminds me what a fantastic summer I've had so far. The month of June was packed full of great days out, delicious food and the best company, and fingers crossed there's plenty more of that to come over the next couple of months! The weather does seem to have taken an awkward turn this week, but in all honesty, a dreary weekend was fine by me, purely because it has meant I've got stuff done that I've recently been ditching in favour of enjoying the sunshine. Ok, so I'm not talking about the most thrilling tasks in the world, but they had to be done - plus, it's meant that I've had more time available for blogging.

Last week, we took a few days off work and made the most of the sunny weather, and we couldn't have timed it better if we'd tried. Each day was more of a scorcher than the last with azure skies and not a cloud in sight. We headed down to Padstow in Cornwall and did the infamous Camel Trail, a bike trail which starts in Weymouth and continues on to Padstow. It's about a 45 minute cycle, and it's a coastal path all the way, meaning we had stunning views across Cornwall as we made our way along it. As you can see from the photos, the sea was an absolutely amazing colour, and it serves as a reminder of just how beautiful the UK can be in the summer months. It was quite a nostalgic trip, too, as I hadn't done the trail for about fifteen years!

On arrival on Padstow, we chowed down on some of Rick Stein's posh (and overpriced!) fish and chips, which were delicious but cost us a small fortune! We wandered along the seafront before getting the ferry across to the beach, and being able to get my bikini on and lie in the sun to relax was utter bliss. Unfortunately though, we had to skip ice creams, as having overestimated the time for which we had parked back in Weymouth, we suddenly realised we were running late, and the cycle back was fraught to say the least! We made it back in the nick of time, and by then we had definitely earned our 99s!

We spent the rest of our break brunching at our favourite haunts and visiting local parks, castles and other pretty sights with picnics. We definitely had our share of cream teas and pink lemonade, too.

The same week, we were lucky enough to go and see Kasabian live, and it's safe to say they did not diappoint. Unlike some, they really pull it out of the bag when performing live, so it was great to have a dance and sip on a few ciders while we watched. I've seen them in the past at various festivals, but this time was definitely the best.

There are plenty of things coming up over the next few weeks, with more live music, friends visiting and holidays to look forward to, so after these dull couple of days have passed, long may the sunshine continue! I'll be sure to keep snapping away with the camera so that I've got some pretty pictures to share with you as we go along.

How have you been enjoying the summer so far?

XX

The Sunday Pamper Session

Sundays are a day for relaxing, recharging, and most importantly, a bit of pampering to get you ready for the coming week.

If you'll excuse the quality of this photo (I'm currently camera-less and having to make do with my Ipad), this week I'm sharing all of the products I'm using to treat myself a little bit.

We recently moved house, and when we arrived, there was a problem with the water pressure that meant filling the bath was impossible. Thankfully, that has just been rectified, so tonight is bubble bath night!

I pop the taps on, and let the hot water fill up about halfway before adding a dash of Radox Stress Relief Bubble Bath. This stuff is seriously bubbly, and with the calming fragrance of rosemary and eucalyptus, it's perfect for a pre-bedtime bath.

While the bath is running, I usually apply a dollop of Charles Worthington Intense Rescue Melting Balm to dry hair, leaving it to work its magic for around twenty minutes. It's quite thick and waxy in consistency, but when rubbed between the palms it becomes more of an oil. It's great for dry or damaged hair, as it's highly nourishing, leaving locks soft and shiny. You do need to take extra care when rinsing it out though, as not doing it properly will result in a bit of an unsightly oil slick. I rinse mine with my Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo, and I'm ready to go.

Once in the bath, I apply Bumble & Bumble Quenching Masque to my hair, and pin it up out of the way. It's a thick, creamy conditioner which really adds life to hair, replenishing any lost moisture and making hair all the more manageable.  I wouldn't usually go for two hair treatments, but as this is a weekly treat, I like to go the whole hog and keep all bases covered.

Tonight, I'm trying out the Raw Gaia Raw Chocolate Face Pack*, a lovely, 100% natural mask made from (you've guessed it) raw organic chocolate, red clay and turmeric, as well as some other skin-friendly goodies. It comes in powder form, so before my bath I mixed a teaspoon with warm water in a bowl to form a thick paste. Now it's time to spread it on to ready-cleansed skin - it dries quite quickly, and absolutely smells good enough to eat. It's a great choice for detoxing the skin, leaving it soft and comfortable, and over time it also offers healing benefits such as the evening out of skin tone.

I leave it for ten minutes, then wash off, also rinsing the conditioning mask out of my hair.

I'm going for a double whammy this evening, so next up it's time to pop on a radiance mask. I've gone for the Apivita Pomegranate Face Mask. Once again, I pop some on and relax for ten minutes while it gets to work.

I'm not one for reading in the bath, as much as I'd love to, I always end up getting the pages wet. I wouldn't dare read anything on my Ipad either, for fear of dropping it, so instead, I pop it onto a stand and catch up on some of my favourite Youtube channels while I enjoy my soak. 

Time to rinse off my face mask once again, and once that's done, I'm generally ready to get out. I'm a bit of a fidget, and can't stay put for too long, so off I go, slathering on some Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath* as I go. I've spoken about this one before - I like to use bubbles and bath bombs when actually in the tub, which doesn't leave an awful lot of room for milks. But luckily, this one doubles up as an absolutely mind-blowing moisturiser, so I always pop some on for insanely soft skin whenever I have a bath.

At this point, I wrap my hair in a towel and get into some warm, cosy pyjamas, and mix a couple of drops of Raw Gaia Cold Pressed Rosehip Oil* with some of  the Body Shop's Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil and press into the skin. These are both really, really nourishing, and my skin feels incredible the following morning. Rosehip oil is great for fading any old scarring, and the Vitamin E leaves skin feeling plump with health.

That's pretty much it - now, I might sit on the sofa for a while under a cosy blanket, grab a cup of chamomile and catch up on my Bloglovin' feed, or go on Twitter for a while until it's time for bed! Not very rock and roll, I know, but on a Sunday night, it's exactly what I need.

Do you have a pamper session on a Sunday evening?

If so, which products do you usually go for?

xx

A Sunday Pamper Session

There was a time when a Sunday pamper came as naturally as breathing to me, but of late I've barely had time to sit back and relax, let alone slap on a face mask. So this weekend, I've decided to set aside some 'me' time and indulge myself with a good couple of hours of luxury.

To set the scene, I run myself a nice hot bath. Usually, I might go with a Lush bath bomb, or my favourite - The Comforter bubble bar. But this time, it's the Radox Herbal Bath Stress Relief Bubble Bath (not pictured). With its calming blend of rosemary and eucalyptus, it's the perfect way to unwind, easing any aches and pains as well as stilling the mind. Add to that some of my all-time favourite, the Elemis Skin Nourishing Bath Milk* and I'm guaranteed silky soft skin to boot - this stuff packs a seriously moisturising  punch, and can even be used as a body lotion, too. 

Before getting in, I usually light a couple of candles and place them around the edge of the bath. This is a new tactic I've started employing of late, as I do have a tendency to get a bit bored after a few minutes if I don't go out of my way to create a calming environment. At the moment, my candle of choice is Diptyque Noisetier*, but I generally switch things up a bit depending on how I'm feeling.

When I'm nearly ready to enjoy my bath, I take a scoop of the Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Intense Rescue Melting Balm and rub it between my palms to emulsify. Smoothing it evenly through the ends of my hair, I then pin my locks up on top of my head and I'm ready to go.

To keep me occupied during my soak, I've taken to bringing in my Ipad and popping on some of my favourite Youtube videos. It's amazing how much longer I can stay put if there is something to watch.

My skin has been looking a bit dull and lacklustre this week, so my face mask of choice this evening is the Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel*. I leave this one on for a good few minutes, then massage it in a circular motion for a couple of minutes before removing with a hot cloth for smooth, radiant skin. If I still feel that I need an extra boost, then I might also pop a layer of Ren Resurfacing AHA Concentrate on when I get out, leaving it to do its magic overnight.

After twenty minutes, it's time to wash off my hair masque. I then shampoo and condition as usual - at the moment I'm using a selection from Aussie, which my locks seem more than happy with.

Once I'm done with my bath, I go for a layer of my favourite body moisturiser - M&S Indulgent Fig & Orange Oil Moisturising Body Butter. This stuff smells nicer than any other product I have ever tried - and that, I'd say, makes it an obvious choice. If you've not heard much about this range then keep an eye out for my review, coming soon.

After that, I usually go for a couple of pumps of L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil before drying my hair. Ordinarily, I might slap on a moisture mask before bed, or failing that, my usual toner and moisturiser. But as I'm going for the Ren Resurfacing AHA Concentrate option this evening, I'll leave it at that, as I find it does its best work when left to do its thing alone.

And that's me.

Once I'm done, it's all about curling up on the sofa with a cup of chamomile and my Ipad, with no intention of moving for the rest of the evening.

Are you having a pamper session this Sunday? Which products will you be reaching for?

xx

Sunday Catch-Up

Hello everyone, hope you're all out enjoying the lovely sunshine this weekend and making the most of it. Judging by the various Facebook, Instagram and Twitter snaps I've seen that does seem to be the case, and it'd be rude not to really considering there is no telling when the next spell of sunshine might be!

It's still pretty boiling over here in Brazil, in spite of the fact that it's meant to be winter. It's kind of like the UK weather, but in reverse, as when it's ridiculously hot all the time, all you want is a nice cloudy or rainy day so that you can cool off a bit, but much like the illusive UK sunshine, it rarely happens!

I would really love to be back home at the moment, as I just adore the atmosphere of s good sunny day in England. It seems to put everyone in such a good mood, and there is nothing better than sitting in the garden, sipping a Pimms and lemonade, with the smell of barbecues wafting overhead and the faint sound of a lawn mower in the background, haha.

But anyway, speaking of home, this brings me onto my good news! It's been a pretty epic week this week for me, as as well as having a lovely little trip away which inevitably involved some shopping, eating and beaching, we also got some really good news! Basically, we have got the go-ahead to move home at the end of July, and I couldn't be happier! I know I've already mentioned on here that I was going to be moving home in the summer, but since then a spanner had been thrown into the works, which was going to make it a lot more expensive as well prolonging our time here by a few months. Well, thankfully that is no longer an issue, and with the end of July being just eight weeks away it feels like the end is finally in sight! I will be finishing my job for good in four weeks, at the end of June, so after that it will be all about getting ourselves sorted and ready to go! I'm thrilled that we're going to back in time to (hopefully) enjoy a bit of summer - or, at least that we won't be arriving in the dead of winter, which would probably be a bit of a shock to the system seeing as we are pretty acclimatised with the weather over here. Hey, we might even be able to squeeze in a late summer festival, which would frankly be awesome, as I've really missed going to them over the past couple of years.

Anyway, onto the rest of this week's goings-on. We travelled to Vitoria, which is the state capital, to spend a couple of days there, and it would have been rude not to pop into the shopping mall while there and pick up a couple of bits. I didn't get much, but I did pick up a few things, so watch this space for a mini-haul video, which I'll probably be posting on Tuesday or Wednesday. I did pick up a couple of new books, too, which I've just realised I forgot to include in the video (I've already filmed it) - Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, and Eighty Days Blue, by Vina Jackson. I've actually just noticed that the latter is the sequel to another book, which I haven't read - bit of a fail, but hopefully it'll be worth a read anyway!

On the Tuesday night, we were out celebrating our good news, and we went to a new Asian restaurant/bar called Taj. The food was absolutely phenomenal - I had grilled duck in a tamarind sauce, which was served with jasmine rice, oriental veggies and a yummy apple chutney, and the hubby went for a seafood Pad Thai, which was also amazing. Of course, it was only fair that we washed those down with a couple of cocktails, and I went for a sake cocktail with apple and ginger, followed by a couple of pineapple mojitos - sooo good. I wore my new Zara dress, which you can just about see in the top right-hand image - the top part is sheer, with monochrome stripes, and the skirt is faux (I assume) leather body con. I'm sure you'll get to see it in all it's glory before too long, anyway!

This weekend, the hubby is hard at work, so it's a bit of an uneventful one. I'm planning on spending the rest of the day taking some photos for upcoming blog posts, sorting out some paperwork for work tomorrow (fun) and relaxing in my hammock with one of my new books.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

xx

Monday Catch-Up

Happy Monday, everyone. I realise that's somewhat ironic, considering most people are anything but come Monday morning, but as this post is going up as we're nearing the end of the working day, hopefully things have improved a bit on that front by now!

You may have noticed that I didn't manage to get any posts up over the weekend, and that is because I've been holed up in bed with a lovely bout of the flu since Friday. I'm still here now actually, but I've just about managed to muster the energy to put what should have been yesterday's post together today, which is basically just supposed to be a bit of a Sunday chitchat about the week gone by along with my Instagram snaps from the week.

It was a pretty standard one to be honest, and being ill I can't currently recall anything particularly exciting to tell you. My head feels as though it is stuffed full of cotton wool, which means that besides not being able to hear anything, my mind isn't quite in it's usual working order either! I can't seem to remember anything that happened before Friday, but since then I have been house-bound, so I have been watching countless Youtube videos, sleeping and trying to read a book, and not much else. So perhaps less of the chitchat than usual. Let's all just ignore that fact and behold the photos instead, and I will get back to you with a more exciting post tomorrow.

Hope you all have a great week.

xx

Sunday Catch-Up

This week has consisted mostly of receiving belated birthday goodies in the post, and then wearing/using them! 

I finally received a package my mum had sent over pushing five weeks ago - if that's not ridiculously slow then I don't know what is, especially since it was outside the UK within the first few days. It seems that as soon as packages arrive in Brazil, they are just tossed to the bottom of some big old pile and forgotten about for a few weeks before eventually being sent onwards - most annoying when you are in dire need of replacement of skincare etc. and were led to believe you had planned far enough in advance, as you can imagine. I'm still waiting on a new cleanser that my mother also sent over in a different package, but that one hasn't shown up yet, so goodness knows where it is. On the upside thought, all these sporadic arrivals mean that most weeks I get something to brighten things up a bit, rather than getting it all in one go and being done with it!

This weekend has been a bit of a mix. On Friday, I was off, and started off feeling so motivated that I was able to get loads of stuff done, including boring housework, more enjoyable blog posts and Youtube videos, and the Jillian Michaels Fat Boost Metabolism Work Out. I do my own interval training anyway, but I do like to follow videos on those days where I feel less motivated or, in this case am lacking a bit of inspiration, as it can get quite boring when you do the same routines all the time, and in turn that tends to make me more prone to taking days off from it. I've done the 30 Day Shred videos a few times, mainly because they've been so talked about that I was intrigued as to what they were all about, but this time I felt like doing some high-intensity cardio and mixing it up a bit.

So it started off well, but then we popped out for a couple of cocktails in the evening, so I wasn't feeling my best the next day. I don't really drink very often any more, so when I do I'm a bit of a light-weight and it doesn't take much! Ha. All I really managed to do on Saturday was make tacos for dinner, which were pretty darn good if I do say so myself! Actually, I picked up a kit containing the shells and a spice mix at the supermarket, which was a first - usually it's near-on impossible to find any sort of international food where I am at the moment, so it was a bit of a treat. I pretty much just ate and watched Youtube videos after that, so not the most productive of days! I did, however, manage a bit of a pamper session with my two current favourite face masks - the Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel and the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask - both absolute treats.

I woke up feeling a bit lazy on Sunday too, so didn't do much in the morning, but later on I found some energy and since then have written up four blog posts and done the Jillian Michael's video again, so I've finished just as well as I started. Fingers crossed I can keep it up.

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.

xx

Little Catch-up

Hello lovelies, hope everyone has had a great weekend so far. For me, it's been a pretty chilled one, hanging out in coffee shops and having lunch with the hubby, drinking huge cups of tea and catching up on blog reading, and browsing the internet for new finds. This morning was hugely self indulgent, as we got up and had breakfast, watched TV for a bit, and then crawled back into bed for snuggles and a siesta. I absolutely love the fact that on Sundays, things like that seem to be totally acceptable.

I had several blog posts planned for over the weekend, but unfortunately I wasn't feeling very well yesterday and so I didn't get very far with them. However, I hope you all enjoyed reading my 'Lipsticks I Can't Live Without' post, as I had been looking forward to sharing my favourites with you for a while, so I was happy to have got the photos together for that one.

This week has been a pretty hectic one again, as I've had lots of paperwork to get through. It's also been one of those weeks where the house just won't seem to stay tidy, so I feel like I've been trying to sort it out every day!

On Wednesday, the hubby and I went out for Japanese, which was amazing as always. I know raw fish is not everyone's cup of tea, and I have to admit that I was totally against it in the past. But being the sort of person who will try anything once, I gave it a go, and now it is one of my favourite foods. And I'm not just talking about the California rolls (rice rolls) - I really go for it when I get the chance to have sushi, and love it all, even the Sashimi (which, for those of you that don't know, is literally just raw fish slices). My other half loves it too, so we always get a big combo and wash it down with some lovely hot Sake - perfect!

I got a few little bits in the post this week that I had ordered online. One of them was a Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart, which I mentioned in my previous post, and I also got some vintage shorts and some aztec-print ones from Ebay. I love getting things in the post, it's so much more exciting that way. Although it's not quite the same when you know what you are getting! Anyway, I will take some snaps of those bits for you when I get the chance and pop them in a post later in the week.

The other thing I bought was this cute vintage tin (pictured above) to keep my earrings in. I have got so many earrings, but whenever I go to put some in, I can only ever find one of them, and it drives me mad. I did already have a big case that I keep all my other jewellery in, but it was becoming a bit chaotic, so I decided I needed to keep my earrings separately in order to actually be able to find them! I absolutely adore vintage tins, and the fact that this one is a) heart-shaped and b) covered in strawberries meant that it just had to be mine. I'm planning on scouring some charity shops and car boot sales now, to get a few more to store my rings and other bits and bobs.

In other news, I have been enjoying trying out my new Mac Matchmaster foundation this week, and my little website is coming along nicely. I will tell you a bit more about that at a later stage, I promise, but for now I'm just going to say that I'm very excited about it and can't wait to launch it!

I think that's all for this week really, it's been a pretty standard one. I'm going to compile this week's Weekend Wishlist for you now, so expect to see that post up before the day is out! I'm also going to do some more blog reading this evening, and try something new on my nails.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Sunday. How have you been spending  it?

xx

Saturday Summary

Playsuit: Miss Selfridge

Clutch: Primark

Belt: New Look

Hello you lovely people, hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend.

I'm in quite a chatty mood, and as my posts have been a bit thin on the ground this week (sorry about that), I thought it might be nice to have a bit of a catch-up.

First things first. As you may have noticed, my 'Friday Favourites' series is proving a little difficult for me, as as I previously mentioned, I seem to be extremely busy on Fridays at the moment. I don't know if any of you know this, but I am a teacher of English as a foreign language, so come the end of the week, I find myself faced with stacks and stacks of homework to be marked and paperwork to be done. I know some of you might say that I've got all weekend to do this, and you'd be right, but I'd really much rather try and get it all out of the way so that I can relax and enjoy my days off, as well as doing a few blog posts (which I enjoy far more!) so I hope that you can understand that. So, the point of this all being that I have decided to rename the series 'Weekend Favourites', and the posts will be up on Saturdays or Sundays.

(Dress: New Look  (Yes, yes I did get it from the teenager section. The benefits of being a bit of a shortie!)

Belt: Newlook (came with dress)

Bracelet: Miss Selfridge

Sunglasses: Chilli Beans

Sandals: A shop in Brazil called Boroto.

This week, and in fact the week before too, I have been on a bit of a diet, which I am going to be posting about tomorrow, for those of you who are interested. I just decided to do it because we all tend to stay at home and munch a bit too much during the colder months, and with summer coming, I wanted to just lose a couple of pounds in order to get back to my 'comfortable' weight. Anyway, the long and short of it was that I have been (surprisingly) very successful, and have even managed to lose a little extra, which is great. 

I have also developed a rather unhealthy obsession with Ebay over the past few days, having 'popped my Ebay cherry', so to speak. Of course, I had known about it for years, but for some reason I'd never actually got around to getting on there and having a browse. Now, however, it's like it's taking over my life! Haha. I spent hours on there today, and it got to the point where I found myself getting into bidding wars for things I don't even really want! Ooh, the competitiveness of it all. 

A couple of days ago, my husband asked me to buy him a pair of Vans he had seen on there, and so I was left with the responsibility of winning them for him, knowing that he'd be really gutted if I didn't get them for him as they were a vintage pair. No pressure then. So, I decided to employ a little tactic a friend of mine had let me into, and waited right until the last few seconds to place my bid. I got so nervous it was actually ridiculous, all that adrenaline! Thought I was going to pass out, haha. Anyway, luckily for me, I did indeed win the shoes, and that was the start of my addiction! Since then, I have bid on countless items I have since decided I neither want nor need, and am desperately hoping for someone to outbid me on them before the auctions end! That said, I did win a brand new Topshop skirt for a pound today - bargain!

My biggest triumph, though, has definitely been finding absolute piles of gorgeous vintage and costume jewellery, for prices so low my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw them!   I am posting on this tomorrow too, when I will be bringing you my favourite, most amazing Ebay jewellery finds as part of my 'Weekend Favourites'.

I do have a little bit of an Ebay haul winging it's way to me, including clothes and makeup, so I will be sure to tell you all about it when it arrives.

Not much else to fill you in on this week, I'm afraid, as I've mostly just been working (and Ebaying!). Our new house is still not ready to move into, and I haven't been out for any delicious meals or cooked anything exciting due to the afore-mentioned diet. Plans for the rest of the weekend are to have a bit of a lazy day tomorrow and watch some films. What have you been up to?

xx