January Favourites!

Hello lovely people! 

I hope you're all having a great day.

Wow how quick has January gone by?! I'm not complaining though as I'm not really a fan of this month and I'm happy to be moving towards Spring/ Summer.

I've never done a monthly favorites before, but I found that this month I have tried and loved a lot of new things and if this receives a good reception, (is that even a phrase?) then I shall continue talking about the things I have loved of late.

 I didn't realize until I put them all together that the majority of my favorites are pink!

♥   Batiste dry shampoo

 Oooh I have been loving this so much, I normally buy the 'blush' scent from batiste and find it works very well for those days when you just don't have the time to wash and dry your hair. I decided to have a change and give the cherry version a whirl and I love it! It has such fruity, clean scent. I also love this because it gives me the root lift I long for so much.

♥   Next just pink

Now, this perfume is one I have loved for ages. I used to wear it all the time when I was about 14, I remember thinking it was the perfect light scent for school. Whilst doing some Christmas shopping last year, I popped into next and saw there was a pretty pink stand saying 'Next Just Pink' with a tester underneath, I sprayed it and it honestly took me back to being 14- isn't it strange how scents can do that! Anyway, it is a floral perfume but definitely not 'heady' floral (this is for sure as I detest the scent of roses- bleurgh just the thought turns my stomach) it is very light, clean and fresh. I think this is primarily a Spring/Summer perfume but I use it all seasons. Also, how pretty is the bottle?! - Pink and Rose Gold aaahhhh love it!

♥  Over-sized pink sparkly hair bow

I had seen so many people wearing these and thought they looked so sweet and seemed to jazz up any mundane hairstyle. I got mine from a small independent stall in my local shopping center and it only cost £2. I have worn it so many times this month and love to put it at the back of my head when my hair is up in a messy bun.  

♥   Garnier micellar water

This is the first micellar water I've ever tried so can't really compare it to other brands but I have been using it for 2 weeks and so far, I am very pleased with it. There is no scent to this which I like as I use it around my eyes and want something gentle for that. I remove the majority of my makeup with my usual face wash, then smooth this around my face on a cotton pad. It doesn't leave my skin feeling tight which was my main concern, it removes the excess makeup like a dream and leaves no greasy residue on my skin. In the mornings since I've been using this, my skin has looked clear and felt clean and all this for just £3.33 bargain!

♥   Wilkinson kiss lip scrub

I mentioned the kiss lip scrub in this post and did a full review on it there if you're interested. I have been using this a lot recently as in winter, my lips become oh-so-dry and this really helps combat that.

♥   Benefit posietint

This is just a small bottle of posietint that I bought in a pack of 3 benefit tints about 6 months ago. I started using it as I had forgotten about it and just wanted to use it up to be honest. I now think I will soon be buying the full size as it gives such a lovey rosy glow to my cheeks, It lasts all day and a little goes a long way.

 ♥   Hand warmers

These are not a recent buy but I have used them lots this month, well this winter really. I think I purchased them from Avon about a year ago. They have little disks in them that you snap and some science-y chemical reaction occurs which in turn makes the hand warmers heat up. These are great for on the go and you can reuse them, all you have to do is pop the inside into a pan of hot water and they return to normal again.

I hope you found this post interesting and if you have any January favorites or written a blog post about them then let me know in the comments : ) 

Winter Hair Care

In winter everybody's hair becomes dryer, duller and generally less healthy-looking. 

I have put together a list of things that I do to keep my hair looking and feeling its best.

First on my list of haircare is this Aussie Leave in Conditioner, leave in conditioner protects your hair from both physical damage and heat damage as it coats each hair strand with oils that act as a protective barrier and make the hair more flexible. I have tried many a leave in conditioner in my time and this is by far the best, you apply it to wet hair, comb through and dry as usual. It leaves my hair looking shiny and feeling soft as well as smelling fresh until I wash it again.

The next thing on my list is something my hair would be a mess without, it's The Tangle Teezer this honestly makes my life a whole lot easier. Having thick, long hair can be testing at times and when I used to use a comb/ brush to de-tangle my hair, I would develop split ends quickly. I loved my tangle teaser so much that I actually bought a second one as a backup in fear that they might sell out. I didn't need to worry as I've had the original one for over 18 months and it is still going strong. If you don't already have one, I would strongly suggest you nip down to boots/ superdrug/ the supermarket and pick one up. They retail at around £10

The third haircare tip is free and costs nothing but 2 minutes of your time. If you massage your scalp, you stimulate blood flow which in turn motivates hair growth. Be aware, this trick can make your hair greasy but if you do this 30-60 minutes before you wash your hair it wont matter anyway- also, side note, even though it seems gross, the grease your scalp produces is actually a great moisturizer for your hair, so skipping an extra day wont hurt once in a while- I wont tell anyone if you don't :P

 The shampoo I use varies all year round but I always stick to one brand because I absolutely LOVE it. It's the Aussie collection. In summer I usually choose 'Frizz Miracle' as I find the heat and humidity can make my hair go a little er... main-like and this always calms it back down. In winter I like to use 'Miracle Moist' to add moisture back to my hair. I also will use any of the Aussie conditioners and I'm currently enjoying using 'take the heat' which is a smoothing conditioner with heat protection built in.

And finally is a 2 ingredient homemade mask which I discovered about a year ago but only tried out earlier this month when I bought a tub of coconut oil from boots (mentioned in this haul) The mask is incredible, it adds moisture into the hair, makes it feel and smell lush and actually makes my hair soooo shiny! 

If you would like to make the mask, you will need  
♥ One banana 
♥  3-5 tablespoons of coconut oil (depending on your hair length/density)

Chop up and mash (I just use a fork) the banana, then melt the coconut oil in the microwave for 20 seconds- (of course make sure you're careful, as it can get hot x) mix together and apply to the mid lengths and ends of your hair, I don't put this on my roots as I find it can make my scalp greasy leave for 10-15 minutes and then wash it off to be left with shiny, soft hair. This mask also temporarily seals split ends, making you hair look healthier and tide you over to your next hair appointment.

So I hope you enjoyed reading my tips and let me know in the comments if you tried any of these out : )

Also, I'd just like to say thank you so much to those of you who have followed or left a lovely comment, I'm so grateful for everything xx 

Primark False Nails Review

Whilst pottering around the beauty section of Primark, I came across these false nails and thought they looked oh so cute! At only £1 a pack, I couldn't leave them and picked up my 2 favorite designs.

Left- Blush pink with roses, leaves and daises.      

Right- Powder blue with branches and cherry blossom.

In the pack, you get 24 nails and adhesive is included.

Good Points 

  ♥  There are a variety of sizes in the pack, so chances are, you will find a perfect fit.

♥ The nails aren't too raised in the centre- a problem I find with many false nails is that they are too curved, meaning after application, the nail is not fully stuck down, leading to the nail soon falling off.

♥  The Price is amazing, I went on holiday to Center Parcs a few weeks ago and wore these. I applied them on the Sunday, we went Monday to Friday, did a whole lot of swimming and outdoor activities and they stayed solid! They continued to stay until the Wednesday after (10 days after initial application) one pinged off whilst I was doing the dishes, since the others still looked and felt good, I stuck it back on (with my own glue, I will mention this later) and they all lasted another 5 days! Altogether, 15 days of cute nails for £1.

 The Only Bad Point

♥ The glue supplied is not the best. If you intend on just using them for a night out/ one day occasion, the nails should be alright, but its not the best quality adhesive and the nails wont last for days. The glue is also in a small tube with a nozzle and it can be difficult to squeeze the glue evenly onto the nail.

 I used a nail glue I bought from boots by the brand

Elegant Touch, it is a brush on nail glue (it just looks like a clear nail polish) and is so easy to work with, you can apply as much or as little as you like and I would thoroughly recommend it. It is only £3.10 and I've used it for about 7 sets of nails and it looks like I've hardly used any. 

I will definitely be going back to Primark and stocking up on these little gems, they are great! 

Have you tried the Primark Fashion Nails yet?

Center Parcs Sherwood Forest

Back at the beginning of January, we had a short holiday at Center Parcs, we had been before to Whinfell several times and loved it but felt it would be nice to have a change.

This first Picture is a little random but I woke up early one morning, opened the curtains, looked out the window and was greeted with this beautiful sunrise! I just had to take a picture- look at all the colours in the sky, magical  : )

 

 We stayed in Lodge number 563 Oak area which was perfect because it meant we had a 10- 15 minute walk (or a swift bike ride) through the beautiful woodland to the main centre where all the shops and restaurants are located.

This was our lodge inside...

 

When we arrived, our lodge was warm and toasty- we were grateful of this since it's been such a frosty Winter!
 We were super impressed with how modern everything was. The kitchen was fully equipped, the view from every window was stunning and the bed sheets were smooth and crisp- perfecto!

 On the third day, we decided to head to the pancake house and although the forest still looked lovely and green, the weather was a little- er, grey (to be expected in January of course) we saw a sign labeled 'pancake house', turned the corner towards the beach and to our amazement, the sun beams were glistening on the lake and the golden sand was literally glowing! 

 I got the most amazing pancake, it was called 'cookie monster' It's a super sweet, topped with whipped cream, ice cream and oreos!
I would highly recommend it if you're going there anytime soon.

 Then on the final night, we put a log on the fire and toasted marshmallows- the perfect end to a perfect holiday

Thank you Center Parcs for making Winter bright : )

Lush Boxing Day Sale Haul

So, as you may already be aware I'm a huge fan of Lush. I like the bath things best but I also love the hair products and the creams- although those are more of luxury buy for me as I find some products quite expensive and Lush don't do sales all year round... that is of course until Boxing Day!! 

Now I know this is very late, but I only received the parcel yesterday- Saturday 17th due to technical issues on the Lush boxing day sales. Better late than never eh?

I had heard about the Lush Boxing Day sale before and was told that there are always queues as long as the street just to get into the store, I then found out that they also host a sale online however it can be a stressful experience and stock usually goes completely within the first 20 minutes. Feeling like neither of those options sounded appealing I decided I would have a quick look online and the items available on Boxing day and decide from there.

I went on the website at 5pm ish and everything was still there (I later found out there were technical difficulties on the website causing this to happen)

 Everything in the sale was 50% off and I would say there were roughly about 20-25 items including Christmas products and all year round products.

This is what I got... 

 ♥ Blue skies and fluffy white clouds
♥ Luxury lush pud
♥ Shoot for the stars

♥ Sakura

♥ Cinders

♥ Each peach and two's a pair x 2 (my mum got one and so did I)

♥ Ultimate shine shampoo bar
♥ And 3 samples lemony flutter, R and B and Jason and the argon oil.

It all came up to £21.88 whoop bargain!

I can do more in depth, individual reviews on any of these products (all except 'shoot for the stars' as I've given it away as a gift, sorry xx) so if you would like to know more about any of them, then just let me know in a comment below  : )

Liebster Award!!

Whenever I get a comment on my blog, I literally get so excited- I don't even know why it thrills me so much.

So when I got a sweet little comment on my last blog post from the lovely All Is Good I was made up! I'd just like to say thank you very much for nominating me : )

As All Is Good explained, the Liebster award is not a competition, it is simply a way of getting the smaller bloggers some recognition, this can be done by nominating your favorite 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

All you need to do...

♥ Thank and Link the person who first nominated you

 ♥ Answer the questions they asked you

♥ Nominate and link the 11 chosen bloggers and ask them 11 new questions

♥ Then simply let the bloggers know you've nominated them

Here are my answers to all is good's questions

Why did you start your blog? 

I started my blog because I wanted somewhere to be able to talk about the things I have a passion for- beauty and fashion and also little rambly chatty posts that I call the lifestyle section of my blog.

What has been your favourite blog post to write?

Probably my first blog post as I was super excited to see peoples response, but also super nervous to click 'publish' haha.

What are some of your favourite brands?

I love anything from Lush, Burts Bees, and I'm also quite fond of the Boots no7 skincare range.

QUICK! You’re late… you have your phone, keys and purse.. what 3 other things do you need?

I live in England so an Umbrella would be the best and most practical thing, the second thing would be a lip gloss/ balm of some sort because I'm vein like that :S and the third thing would be my iPod as I'm addicted to music!

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I don't think that many, brb I'll just go count... I've got 6, pretty average eh?

What is a habit you need to break?

Oh so many, but the main one I need to stop doing is biting my lip when I'm concentrating (like now)

Favourite piece of clothing?

My black flippy shorts- I will be featuring them in a clothing haul soon. They are sooooo comfy and seem to go with every outfit.

What is something you really want to buy… but you’re still unsure?

Ahhhh this one is so hard! I honestly can't think of anything- not because I have everything already, just because I'm not really that materialistic.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

I'm sorry, I literally have no idea at the moment. Maybe I will be hairdressing ( I'm currently on the Level 3 hairdressing course)  I don't like to think that far ahead- (dodging the question again :S)

What is your least favourite thing about blogging?

Probably having to use my 6 year old laptop every time I want to write a post. The screen falls back when I move and the keys are so loud, old and 'tappy' that when I'm typing it sounds like Michael Flatley is in the room :/

What is your favourite thing about blogging?

The community- everyone is so kind and happy and I love it!

I have chosen to tag BEAUTY WITH MAXIME, INSPIRED BY PICTURES, HOLLY DOES BEAUTY, THEODORA LEE, THE OMG DIARIES, BLACK AND WHITE SHEEP, THE HOMELY CHIC,

ANCHORHAUS, A LITTLE GREY, WEDNESDAY GENEVIEVE, LAILA DAHO

If you've been tagged by me, please answer these questions...

1  You can only use one item of makeup for a week, what would you choose?

2  Where would your dream holiday be?

3  What is your idea of a great Saturday night?

4  What is your favorite song/ album at the moment?

5  What is your favorite possession?

6  When did you start your blog?

7  What is the best Compliment you've ever received?

8  If you could be any age for a week, what would it be?

9  What question do you hate to answer?

10  How do you start a conversation?

11  If you could spend the day with any celebrity, who would it be?

I can't wait to read your answers!

Oh, and I have a long awaited Lush boxing day haul (yes, I only received my parcel today) coming up in the next few days so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Boots Winter Beauty Haul

I'm warning you now, this is a loooong post! I suggest you get yourself a drink or snack as you may be here a while :D

In the winter I, like many others find my hair begins to look dull, my complexion turns blotchy and my hands look and feel dry- mmm... delightful! 

So whilst shopping around Boots, I managed to pick up some bits and bobs (none of them cost a bomb) that I hope will combat my winter flaws and thought I would share them with you lovely lot : )

The first thing I had to get was this tub of Coconut Oil. If you don't already know, coconut oil is solid at room temperature and melts at body temperature. I read on Pinterest that there are many ways to use this. It can be used on its own E.g. as a cuticle softener and an eye makeup remover, and I have also found it is ALWAYS an ingredient in the best projects like D.I.Y hair masks and lip scrubs. It seemed like a good all rounder.

This was £2.54 for 100ml

Next I went to the hand cream isle and chose this Neutrogena Nordic Berry Hand Cream, the last hand cream I had was actually by Neutrogena, and it lasted me ages since it was very concentrated. I thought I would give this one a whirl as it contains nordic berries and smells beautiful! This was £3.15 for 75ml.

I read somewhere that wearing Cotton Gloves with your hand cream can help lock in the moisture and allow the cream to sink in more effectively- this stands to reason when you think about it. These also cost significantly less than The Body Shops version (£7.00) at £2.59 for a pair.

To keep my nails strong throughout the winter, I got this nail strengthener by collection. This really stops them from breaking and makes my nails grow stronger. Unfortunately, for some reason, Boots have stopped selling this but it can be purchased from Superdrug for £2.50.

The next item is a bit of a cheat since my Mum actually got me this for Christmas, however it can be bought in boots for £3.69 and is perfect for winter months. It's the Burts Bees Coconut and Pear Lip Balm. This is the size of your average lip balm. I like all the Burts Bees lip balms including the honey ones and the peppermint flavored balms but I find the coconut and pear the most moisturising and the leist tingly (if you've tried any of the Burts Bees peppermint lip balms, then you'll know what I mean) I put this on before I go to sleep and find it so nourishing and a winter must have.

I then picked up 2 things for my face...

This Nivea Gentle Cleansing Cream, I always think that creamy cleansers are more moisturising for the skin than the wash off kind. This smells very fresh and delicate and I'm going to just be honest here and say I chose it because the colour matches my bedroom, and it looks pretty sat on my dressing table : ) It was
£2.51 because there was an offer on, it normally  retails at £3.59

 
I picked up this Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream, for the same reason and have been loving it. It was £2.93

And finally, possibly one of the most important things to use in winter- a body moisturiser. The other day, whist sorting out my dressing table drawers, I realised that I'm a lotion hoarder! "So why have you bought another one" I hear you ask, well, I hoard them because when I'm in the shop I think "Yes, I will start to use moisturiser and smell great whilst having have glow-y skin" only to later think "nah... I cant be bothered feeling cold and having to wait for it to sink in, maybe I'll just place it in this drawer..." and there it stays for another 5-6 months. I figured with the Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturiser
being a spray moisturiser and claiming to sink in instantly and
leave skin soft, not sticky or greasy, I would be more likely to use it. The Scent I chose contains pure oat extract which is extremely beneficial to the skin-
♥ It sooths dry skin,
♥ Acts as an anti inflammatory
♥ And can also even out skin tone! 

This was £4.99 and I've read that it lasts about 4-5 weeks if used every other day- making it a little more expensive than the majority of moisturisers which to me seem never ending. This is great if you're traveling as it is a lot lighter than a bottle of lotion. 

If there is anything you would like me to review individually in more detail once I've fully tried them out, just let me know in a comment below : ) 

Phew! And breath... I hope you enjoyed this kind of post

Let me know if you have any winter essentials in the comments

I'm Away... But Here!

As you read this, I will be either cycling around a forest, sipping a salted caramel hot chocolate, or swimming around a subtropical swimming paradise! Sound random? Any guesses? I will be at Center Parcs whooo!!!

 Mmmm Starbucks hot chocolate!

So as I'm currently away, I haven't planned on doing any blog posts, plus there is no internet connection/signal in the lodge we're staying in (yes no internet for 5 whole days!!) so I've pre scheduled this post. 

I have however got LOTS of fun posts panned for you this January- I always think January is such a miserable month and it can be easy to get dragged down into the morbid-ness of Winter/ post Christmas but here on Blossoming Daydreams were going to push through and be positive! In January, you can expect to see...

 A Boots 'Beauty on a Budget' Haul
Lush Reviews
A Budget Winter Hair Care Post
And also, lots of other goodies including clothes and nails!!!

I hope you are all feeling great and succeeding with your new years resolutions so far and I'll be back and raring to go (maybe a little shaky through lack of internet) on Saturday 10th : )

I'd also like to say Thank You so much to those of you who have chosen to follow this little blog, it really does mean so much x