Festive Lush goodies

 Hello! I mentioned in my last post I wanted to share some of the lovely Lush items I was kindly gifted as presents at Christmas, as well as a few of the things I bought in the sale. 

The butter bear bath bomb has been a firm favourite of mine from previous years. It's one of the lowest priced bath bombs Lush sell at Christmas as it is a bit of a simple one. It doesn't create a magical display in your bath but does make the bath water feel quite creamy and it smells very comforting. It leaves your skin feeling soft after a bath too. 

The Shoot for the Stars bath bomb creates a really pretty blue bath and smells very citrusy. 

The Snow Fairy bath bomb is amazing, it smells just like our favourite Snow Fairy shower Gel, and looks so pretty too! 

My return to the blogging world

 Hello! Long time no type! Sorry, I am still a dork and never know how to start a sentence without failing to be witty. 

I haven't written here in so long, around 3 or so years which is a pretty long time isn't it? I haven't read blogs in such a long time either, so I'm hoping to get back into that. I used to really enjoy finding new blogs, so if you have any recommendations or want to plug your own blog, feel free to share in the comments.

Not too much has changed with me really.  Apart from putting on about 3 stone... let's not talk about that. I hope you are doing okay. Really, I hope you are well. It has been a scary 10 or so Months or so, hasn't it? I cannot put into words how terrifying things are at the moment. 

I was scrolling through my phone yesterday and it occurred to me how much I used to enjoy writing here and I thought it would be something fun to do on an evening like I used to. I'm so out of practise though so dont mind me if I get the trends wrong or dont have the upto date blogging lingo. 

I'm going to give it a go and write a Lush post tomorrow because I've got some lovely stuff from Lush recently, and they were one of my favourites to write about and chat about.

I cant remember how to end a blog post now, so I guess I'll leave at thank you for reading and look after yourself. 

Time Away

Hello! I doubt many will read this as I haven't written here in quite a while. Well, to me it has been quite a while because I think it has been about three or four Months since I last posted, which I think is quite a long time away from blogging. I have been quite consistent throughout the entire six Years I have been here on this little corner of the internet, posting at least once or twice a Week for the majority of that time. I know I don't owe anyone an explanation for my time away; blogging has always been just a hobby of mine where I tap away at a computer for a few hours a Week and I have never felt any pressure to write blog posts or anything like that.
Recently I just stopped enjoying it as much. I was finding what I was writing about a little bit boring to be honest. I love make up and I love clothes and I will always be partial to a rant about something (some things will never change) but I was just annoying myself. There is only so much I can say about bath bombs and subscription boxes. My photography is below average (I'm totally okay with that, too!) and I do ramble on a lot when I write about things (that is just who I am), but I am super proud of my blog. It is not perfect; much like myself, but it has always been honest. It is something I have worked on when I have had free time and enjoyed it a lot. Because of my blog I have had the opportunity to go to some great events, meet new people, and work with amazing brands, as well as making a friend for life. I'm really grateful for that. Through some sad times it has been something to do to take my mind away from other things.
 I don't want to wave goodbye to something I have worked on for such a long time (I am no quitter - I still have my neopets account from 13 years ago. No shame.) but I do feel like I have changed a lot and don't enjoy writing the same content as I did six years ago. I'm not quite sure where I am going with this piece - much like my usual whittlings on, I just tap away my thoughts as they pop into my tiny brain. I suppose I just wanted to write down my thoughts as cliche as that sounds, and keep it documented here like I have done many times before. Maybe I'll be blogging regularly again or maybe it will be every so often, I'm not sure.

Quick and Easy Low Calorie Lunches with Mr Lees Noodles

I have mentioned a few times on my blog I am trying to change my eating habits and lead a more healthy lifestyle. One thing I do find difficult is lunches. I find keeping lunches balanced and fairly healthy a real challenge without finding them boring - I have flat bread with salad or soup most days for lunch, and although I do enjoy these, they do become a little bit boring and repetitive for me. I want something with a lot of flavour that I can make quickly at dinner time and that will curb my hunger for a few hours.

I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Mr Lees Noodles; a brand I wasn't familiar with previously, to try out some of their pot noodles. I did a little research and found that Mr Lees Noodles make instant pot noodles soups which are low in salt, sugar, saturated fat and calories, and are also gluten free. Compared to the likes of Pot Noodle and Golden Wonder Noodles, there is quite a difference in the amount of calories and saturated fat that they contain when compared to Mr Lees Noodles. For example, Pot Noodles calories per pot are around 433 calories, whereas Mr Lee Noodles calories per pot are 215-237 calories. I thought that was quite an interesting difference and wanted to see if they were just as tasty as the bigger brands.

I was kindly sent one of every flavour to try. My favourites were the Penang Chicken Curry Laksa which is full of flavour, and I also really enjoyed the Tai Chi Chicken too; it was super tasty and actually quite filling. Chicken is probably my favourite when it comes to noodles so it was no surprise that these were my faves!
Mr Lees Noodles are available in a variety of flavours, which include:

• Dragon Fire Mushroom
• Hong Kong Street Beef
• Penang Chicken Curry Laksa
• Shaolin Monk Vegetables
• Tai Chi Chicken
• Warrior Fighting Shrimp

These are super quick to prepare as you just need to add boiling water and give it a stir. I think they are ideal for lunches at work or a quick lunch at home. I find these sorts of food items are great to keep in stock in your food cupboards as they usually have a really long use by date and are a great alternative if you have no fresh produce in at home. I really like the convenience of quick lunches like these and it is good to know that they are low in fats, sugar and salt.
Mr Lees Noodles are currently available to buy online here if you wanted to give them a try yourself.

*PR sample*

Not Another Lush Haul?!

Okay, so... another Lush haul. Whoops. I just can't seem to keep away lately. Everything looks so cute and I want it all. I popped in to my local Lush recently and told myself I would allow myself to buy ONE thing. Just. One. I don't need any more bath products I told myself, I have storage full to the brim of the stuff. Alas, I managed to pop more than one item in my basket, naughty Zoe.

Just look at this little cutie, I couldn't leave him there could I?! The Baa Bar Bubble Bar is perfect for just before bedtime, it is a lavender scented one and creates a really soothing atmosphere, and makes quite a good few bubbles too. I also bought the Mum Bath Bomb in pink, but silly me forgot to photograph it and I used it pretty much as soon as I got home from shopping that day. It is a really nice one and super affordable too. The Mum Bath Bomb created a lovely pink bath and smelt a mixture of lemon and roses.

Just. Look. At. Her. Elsie the Giraffe (You're Havin' a Bath) Reusable Bubble Bar is probably the most adorable product I have ever seen in Lush. This creates a fair amount of bubbles and smells of lemons and limes; a zesty scent lovers dream. The lovely sales assistant that was helping me that day told me she had got ten uses out of hers. I didn't really believe her, I've never managed to get more than four uses out of any Lush bubble bar, even the wands. BUT she was right and I was so, so wrong to dismiss it because I've had ELEVEN - yes, eleven uses out of mine so far and still have a tiny bit left. Well worth the money in my opinion. Note to self: always listen to Lush employees!

My main reason for going into Lush that day was because I wanted to have a sniff of the Yummy Mummy shower gel. I decided it wasn't the scent for me and got distracted by the Plum Rain Shower Gel as it smells beautiful and I kind-of want to shower in this forever. Okay that is a bit of an exaggeration but take my word for it, it smells lovely. The scent is a strong fresh plum, sadly the scent doesn't seem to linger on the skin for very long afterwards, but I still really like it and will more than likely buy it again.
I am the ultimate impulse buyer and I always manage to pick something up when I'm stood by the till: this is one of those purchases. I have tonnes of lip balms and certainly do not need to buy any more for at least a Year, but I am a bit of a magpie when it comes to zesty scented products so this Key Lime Pie Lip Balm came home with me. As lip balms go, I think this is a pretty expensive one. I've only used it a couple of times so far but it seems to keep my lips moisturised and smells of lime so in my eyes it is amazing.

Have you picked anything up from Lush recently? Is there anything you really want to try?

Wonderful Things: Afternoon Tea, Busted Concert and more!

I was treated to an afternoon tea for two gift experience for Christmas which was super lovely and as I am a big foodie and a big tea and coffee drinker I was super excited to get it booked up. I went with a friend and we had the most amazing afternoon tea; with soup, hot crumpets, finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam and of-course lots of teeny tiny delicious sweet treats and hot beverages. Anyone that knows me well knows that anything ditsy and floral print is right up my street and the decor inside was just beautiful. It was such a lovely day, I would definitely recommend Jelly Pickle Jam if you are local to Evesham or are visiting.

I really like Yankee as a brand, but I just buy their sampler votive candles these days as it gives you a chance to see if you like the scent for just £2, rather than investing in a jar costing around £18. If I'm honest I've found that some Yankee scents aren't very strong and have been a bit of a let down, but not this one! Macaron Treats smells gorgeous and brightens my mood when its burning; it reminds me of times from when I was young - its just a lovely, sweet scent.

I love having false nails on my nails, it is probably one of favourite 'pamper me' type things to do. I've never been very good at growing my own nails, and after using false nails so much in the past, my nails are really weak and tend to break. I have given false nails a rest for a while so I can look after my own nails a little bit better. I was challenged recently to try the Renunail 3 Step Kit* out to see if my nails would strengthen in four Weeks. Included is their original Nail Strengthener, Nourishing Oil and their Nail Strengthener in pink. I've been using this kit for probably over five Weeks now, and I've noticed such a difference. You simply apply the Nail Strengthener every day for one Week, remove on the seventh day and then continue this pattern for the next three Weeks. Alhough my nails haven't grown all that much, they haven't broke and they do feel stronger and look in much better condition than before. I will be purchasing these products once they've run out as they have worked really well for me, so these have definitely been wonderful products for me this Month.

I am big Busted fan (13 year old Zoe was completely obsessed with them back in the day) and having seen them for the first time in over ten years last year on their comeback tour, of-course I had to buy tickets to the latest tour too. They were brilliant as always; we were standing this time and I always think its a much better atmosphere compared to seating. I think Busted will always have a big piece of my heart, regardless of what anyone else thinks, their music really makes me happy and reminds me of being young. I didn't take any photos while I was there, I try to enjoy the moment when I go to concerts (plus being a tiny 5'1 I can't really take any decent photos as I cant see the stage too much!) so here's a selfie of me wearing last Years tour t-shirt.

NEW IN: Sleek Brow Intensity and Lip VIP in Ready To Rock

It is no secret that I love writing about my love for Sleek makeup products on my blog - just check out my product directory; I've featured so many Sleek products on here over the Years, you can really tell its one of my fave brands. I have two new products to share with you today, and heads up - I am really impressed with both of them.

I adore this shade of lipstick, isn't it just beaut. The shade 'Ready To Rock' is a dark nude pink/mauve colour. I find it a really great shade for everyday wear, it isn't quite a matte finish and leaves a shimmer to the lips. I can't praise Sleeks Lip VIP Lipsticks enough - they stay put on the lips, last a fair amount of time and have a gorgeous and vast amount of different shades to choose from, and all for the tiny price tag of £5.50. I'm planning on writing a separate post dedicated to my Sleek Lip Vip lipsticks with lots of swatch photos, watch this space.

Another new product from Sleek is the Brow Intensity. This handy little tool has a tiny mascara-like wand with a sponge tip on one end to shape and define the brows with the coloured fibre gel, and a highlight on the other to define your brows. I really like this product, particularly the brow gel product as it is a great match for my brows, isn't messy and actually lasts really well throughout the day and keeps my 'brows at bay. The highlight is great to use under and over the brow arch too, I only wish it was a slightly lighter shade highlight, but this is just a personal preference.
Brow Intensity comes in five different shades which I think is pretty good considering a lot of brow products tend to come in only two or three shades.

*PR samples*