Weekly Snaps #6

Sunshine! That is mostly all I have to say. However, this weather means legs. And getting my problem legs out is fairly terrifying! Possible leg care post in the pipeline! Does anyone have any tips for getting the pins summertime-ready? Without further ado...

1 & 2. No one knows how huge this is! I am genuinely frightened of cats. I have no idea why, because I absolutely love animals, to a scary degree. I went to a friend's house one night last week and this little character didn't even give me time to be scared, jumping on my lap as soon as I sat down. Well, that confronted that fear pretty quickly. I'm also allergic to cats; my nose and eyes were not feeling so top by the time I left!

3. Tried to force this down after my kettlebell class last week. I know it's good for me, but oh my word it was awful. It tastes and feels disgusting. I managed a sum of two very small bites.

4. Made the sensible decision and bought Lush's Mask of Magnaminty of the Caudalie mask. I much prefer the natural feeling of the product and my skin feels lovely and plumped up for days afterwards! Saved myself about £20 in the process too..

5. Had the most lovely lunch at The Stable with my friends Beth and James, and of course Dave. I haven't seen Beth for almost a whole year, since uni, so spending the day with her in my corner of the country was just lovely! It was just so nice to see her.

6. And look! The bins are really huge here. Or is she just really tiny?!

Happy Monday everyone, I hope it was everything you hoped it would be and more!

A few Caudalie samples..

I felt a bit ashamed of myself to begin with; I gave in to the hype surrounding the Caudalie Beauty Elixir and bought one at the weekend. I don't like to think of myself as the type of person who could be so easily swayed, but apparently I am! And I think I'm OK with that. Particularly after using the product! It isn't talked about so much for nothing, let me tell you. It gives me the exact look I've been trying to achieve for months now, dewy, but not obviously so. I'd say that was £9 well spent!

But this post is more about the samples I was given by the lovely gentleman in the shop, who I've since found out was the co-founder. Eek! I was really intrigued looking at all the other Caudalie products; after hearing so much about one product I almost forgot that there would be a whole other host of skincare. I was given a mix of everything - he even gave me some little things to give to Dave! The service in this shop was on a whole other level. I think that's what is really nice about independent shops. (Also, they just won the Telegraph Best Small Shop 2012 award, how exciting. Read about them here.)

Caudalie Purifying Mask

Caudalie Purifying Mask

This sample was so cute, it had the exact right amount of product for one application. The directions tell you to apply the mask to dry skin. I don't usually like face masks like this because they tend to get a bit messy, but this was a dream. The water almost dilutes the mask, so a small amount of product goes a long way. You leave the mask on for 10 minutes and then rinse off with water. The mask felt lovely whilst on; it wasn't too drying and it didn't burn my skin. I have quite sensitive skin and find that a lot of face masks tend to give a burning sensation after about five minutes and leave my skin very red. The only thing I didn't really like about this was that it took forever to remove. Even when I thought it was all off I could still feel a slightly slimey residue and had to rinse again. I guess that just means it's really getting in there and doing its job! After I'd managed to get it all off though, my skin felt incredible. I won't say it looked incredible, because that is not modest and terribly un-British, but it did look pretty good. I can still see the effects two days later, my skin looks much clearer and cleaner with a more even tone. I'm considering buying the full size of this product as I'm currently on the lookout for a face mask as I don't currently use one. You know it's a sorry state of affairs when your boyfriend is telling you that you really should!

Eye and lip cream

Pulpe Vitaminee Eye and Lip Cream

I've never used an eye cream before and I won't lie, I'm not entirely sure what they do. However I do know that I rub my eyes more than I should, and anything that can stop them wrinkling before their time is a good thing. I've only used this twice, at night. It says to apply morning and evening, but I feel a little weird applying it in the morning. It's very thick so takes a while to absorb - I don't usually leave myself enough time in the morning, so I can't wait around for it to soak in before make-up! I do really like it though, it might all be in my imagination, but my eyes look a little less puffy already? I usually use Touche Eclat, but have absolutely and completely run out. I can usually notice the difference, but today I can happily go without. It may seem optimistic, but I'm going to put it down to this eye cream. I can't say I'd buy the full size, simply because I just don't understand eye cream!

Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum

Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum

Now this didn't actually come from Medusa Apothecary, I got this in my April Glossybox. My holy grail product is Lancome Visionnaire serum, so truth be told I wasn't that excited to see another serum. I started using this in the morning and saving my thicker, richer serum for the evenings. It's super hydrating and I notice that my skin isn't as dry as the day wears on. My make up tends to start looking really obvious and a bit chalky on the surface of my skin by about 3pm, but since I've been using this I honestly haven't noticed it as much. I don't know how it does it, it feels like it works really deep and sticks around for the whole day! I'm definitely purchasing one when this runs out. I think it's a really reasonable price too, so I can spend a little less on serum in the long run because my Lancome Visonnaire will last longer. I honestly let out a little sob everytime I have to re-buy it.

Nourishing Body Lotion
There's not all that much that can be said about a body lotion. I tend to steer clear of lotions in favour of thicker more richer moisturisers, because I find that lotions don't soak into my skin all that well and just seem to lurk around on the surface. I have hideously problem legs and a lotion just doesn't cut it. This, however, is a seriously luxury lotion. It's so rich and creamy and soaks in straight away. It's very similar to the Biotherm Anti-drying Body Milk, which I love, just slightly less watery. It also smells amazing. I thought it smelt really lemony and fresh, but after seeing the grapes on the front I'll retract that. It just smells lovely. When something on my person smells really good I always feel very 'wafty', like I'm wafting around the house in my own little haze of yumminess! I definitely get that with this. I think it's fairly pricey for a body lotion, at £23 I don't think I will be availing myself of this, I'll stick with my Sanctuary Body Souffle I think!

Vinosource Moisturizing Matifying Fluid
This came in a teeny tiny little pink foil pyramid, it was literally only enough for one use, so I didn't think it warranted a photo! It's difficult to get a feel for a moisturiser after only one use, but I think I like this. The moisturiser has a very watery consistency and soaks in very quickly, which I like. Other than that, there's not really that much to say about this.

Overall, I'm really impressed with Caudalie and on the whole I think it's reasonably priced. My mum has told me since I was old enough to know what skincare is that French skincare is the best, and it would seem she is correct!

I'd love to know if anyone has tried any other Caudalie products and what you thought of them!

Weekly Snaps #5

So I have amassed enough interesting experiences to share a few! It feels like I use this blog mainly as a means to discuss the weather, but I think it's just because the weather is so Hideous at the moment. With a capital H. Either way, I just haven't been doing that much because of all the rain. Between the rain and decorating flats with Dave, here's what I managed to squeeze in.

1. My parents spent the weekend in London for my Dad's graduation ceremony. The letters after his name are longer than his actual name, I swear. My mum brought me back Essie's Mint Candy Apple, which I immediately, and rather messily, painted on. I have no idea how she remembered this, I didn't even ask her to get it?! She must be actually listening when I'm harping on about anything and everything.

2. I caved to the hype surrounding this and bought a Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I picked one up for my mum too as I thought it would work wonders for her. She's only used it once and loves it already. I found this in Medusa Apothecary in Dorchester. There are only two of these shops and they're both in the South West, but it has to be the most beautiful shop I've ever been in. Think Harry Potter style apothecary and you're almost there. The man who served me was absolutely lovely and gave me more Caudalie samples than I could carry. I may do another little post on everything he gave me because it was all truly amazing.

3. David and I went to the kite festival! This is my favourite thing ever. I used to go there with a friend from school every year, and one year we bought matching pink and purple kites and named them Pinky and Perky. I would like to add this was many, many years ago. Good memories! This was probably the only sunny day of the last few weeks. Very misleading from indoors, I didn't wear enough layers and I was absolutely freezing!

4. Dave and I had Thai food for lunch one day. I love eating Thai food, it reminds me of when we were in Thailand together, many moons ago! Man I need a holiday, stat!

5. Saturday night cocktails with Dave! We both went a little 'off-menu', and requested different things. Totally the best thing to do! I had some sort of mango/lychee concoction, which was amazing! 

6. I hit the 50% mark in A Game of Thrones. It is such a good book, but probably one of the longest I have read in a long time, so I felt this was a landmark percentage! I want to get to the end so badly so that I can start watching the first series of the television programme, I don't want to start watching before just in case it ruins the book for me. 

Happy Monday everyone!

Travel A-Z!

I remembered seeing this post over on Niina's blog quite a while back and loving it. With all the rain we've been having I started to feel really nostalgic for my travelling days, so thought I would do this post! Thankfully, the sun has come out today, so I'm writing this in my conservatory in the sunshine with my feet hanging out of the door! I have a duff laptop that complains if you unplug it from the charger, so that puts paid to outside blogging!

So here we go!

A - Age you went on your first international trip.

I was three years old when I went to Greece. I don't really remember much of the holiday, but the things I do remember are pretty strange! These things must have really made an impression on me; sleeping with a lilo beside my bed incase I fell out in the night; another little girl offering me Opal Fruits at the airport; discussing the pronunciation of spaghetti on the beach (I used to say 'pasghetti'); finding a starfish, and being given a free Looney Tunes lolly everyday by the lady in the shop near our villa! Ah, the three year old mind!

B - Best foreign beer you've had and where.

I drank a LOT of Godfather beer when I was in India, in the Himalayas. It was pretty much all you could get that wasn't going to potentially kill you. I loved that the volume of alcohol was 5-8%. They didn't even know?!

C - Cuisine, favourite.

I loved the food in Thailand the best. Once I got over my food fears and stopped worrying if it was going to make me ill, it was amazing. 25baht Pad Thai on the street is one of my most memorable meals! 

Krabi, Thailand

D - Destinations. Favourite, least favourite, and why.

Out of the places I have visited, my favourite destination is definitely Australia. I just love it, the people are so friendly, the weather is amazing and the scenery is beautiful. I can't put my finger on it, I just love it. My least favourite is probably France. I know it's only just over the pond, but I always feel uncomfortable in France, like the French really don't want me there! I've not had wonderful experiences there. Maybe now I'm older and wiser I'll try again!

E - Event you experience abroad that made you say 'wow'.

This is a really difficult question because there are so many of these and there's probably a ton I don't even remember. Something that I really remember loving is one tiny little island I stayed on in Fiji. The locals would dance for us every night and they even took us to their tiny little church on Sunday morning. It was possibly the sweatiest I've ever been, but I've never felt more welcome anywhere than there.

F - Favourite mode of transport.

This is weird because I love travelling and going to new places, but I hate flying, and I know that's the obvious answer! I have an absolutely irrational fear of it. It's got worse recently and the sad thing is I can't imagine ever taking a long haul flight again. I know I will, because I want to so badly, but I don't know how I'll get over it. Answering the actual question now, my favourite way to travel is by car, because you get to see all the lovely scenery and I think it helps you get a real feel for a place and feel more at home there!

G - Greatest feeling while travelling.

Feeling really comfortable somewhere, like you belong there and should have been there all along! It's the feeling you get after a few days of exploring, when you're not the new girl anymore. Basically just finding a place that suits you and you really click with.

 H - Hottest place you've travelled to.

The more time that passes since being in these places, the less I remember the intensity of the heat. I remember having a genuinely gross sweaty upper lip in Fiji, wanting to cry because I was so hot in Thailand, and saying that leaving the hotel in Las Vegas was walking into an oven. I really can't decide which was hotter. I think maybe Thailand.

I - Incredible service you've experienced and where.

I'll never forget this, because it was so unexpected. We went to a small family run fish and chip restaurant in Mission Beach, Australia for dinner one night, and after sitting in the outdoor seating area all night, the owners gave us the keys and told us to lock up when we were done and put the keys through the letterbox! I couldn't believe how lovely and trusting they were. It made me love Mission Beach so much. 

J - Journey that took the longest.

Leh to New Delhi, hands down. We flew from Delhi to Leh, but on the way back we drove. For THREE days. The first day was the worst ever, it was 18 solid hours in Jeeps on the worst road in the world. Genuinely, it is actually the worst road in the world. I couldn't even enjoy the scenery.

K - Keepsake from your travels.

I never keep a diary at home, but everytime I travel I without fail keep a travel journal. Then I fill it with all things I gather on that trip, like leaflets, receipts for special things, everything! Really random things too.

L - Let down sight. Where and why?

In India I saw the Taj Mahal. At the time I thought it was a huge let down, but in retrospect maybe not so much? It took us five hours to drive there, and when we got there it was tiiiiny. Really small. I thought it was the Indian equivalent of a castle that you could go in and look around. That's just because 16 year old me didn't actually know the story of the Taj Mahal. We got there, looked at it, then drove back.

M - Moment you fell in love with travel.

In Greece for the second time. Looking out of the window of my room at all the little streets I hadn't walked up yet, and thinking, I'm a grown up now and can go out right now and explore by myself! That's when I realise I could explore ANYWHERE by myself. It was the most exciting feeling.

N - Nicest hotel you've stayed in.

I stayed in an amazing hotel in Australia, in my own suite! But that doesn't count because my flight was cancelled and Qantas was paying for it. Still, amazing. I loved Octopus resort in Fiji. We definitely couldn't afford it, but after the roach infested dormitories we'd been sleeping in, we really needed a treat. And a shower! On the day we arrived there were a couple getting married at the resort so we knew we'd hit gold. We were basically part of the wedding party because the place was so small!

Octopus Resort, Fiji. This place was actual, genuine real tropical paradise. Take me baaaaaack!

O - Obsession. What are you obsessed with taking pictures of when travelling?

Food. I always take pictures of my food! I have no idea why. Different foods is one of my favourite parts of travelling. This is totally weird, but I get so excited about the different crisps I'll be able to get in other countries!

P - Passport stamps. How many and from where?

Current passport - none, it's new. Old passport, LOADS. I have an Indian visa, and two stamps from every single country I went to in my gap year. And some from family holidays. I miss my old passport!

Q - Quirkiest attraction you've visited and where?

Without a doubt the giant mango in Australia. It was on the East coast somewhere, I don't really know where. We'd been driving for about 6 or 7 hours and saw a sign for Giant Mango, so we turned off. It was literally just a huge fake mango at the side of the road! 

 

R - Random experience. (Made this one up myself because R was GONE! Gasp!)

Walking down Hollywood Boulevard and being told, "If you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much room!" by a man who was polishing the stars on the walk of fame. If that's not living on the edge, I don't know what is.

S - Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while travelling.

This sounds really pretentious, but experiences. I have no problem paying a whack of money to go and do something really cool that I can't do in my own country. Black Water Rafting in New Zealand = amazing!

T - Touristy thing you've done.

Walked the entire length of the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Both sides of the road baby! I think that was pretty touristy.

U - Unforgettable travel memory.

All the amazing and interesting people I met from all over the world. 

 

V - Visas. How many and for where?

One in my passport for India and one in cyberspace somewhere for Australia!

W - Wine. Best glass and where?

At a vineyard in New Zealand. 

X - eXcellent view and from where?

I would imagine from the sky when I did my sky dive. If only I'd remembered to open my eyes. Damn. Aside from that, flying out of Sydney over the harbour.

Y - Years spent travelling?

Collectively, probably just over a year. More please!

Z - Zealous sports fans and where?

Can't say I've really come across any!? My friends in Australia were very defensive of Aussie rules football though.

Well that was fun! I love a good old reminisce! Looking back at all this has definitely inspired me to travel more. I will get on a plane again! Think I might start short-haul and try to see a bit more of Europe first.

If you haven't looked at Niina's blog yet, go, do it now!

Happy travels!

Weekly Snaps #4

Without further ado.. last week! This is a fairly grey post because, let's face it, its been a fairly grey week. Come on sunshine, do your thing.

1. Dave and I took Rocky for a walk just as the heaven's opened, but I didn't mind one bit because we saw this gorgeous double rainbow! That my friends, is what dreams are made of. My camera doesn't quite do it justice.

2. I know this is just a tea bag, but it has ACTUAL flowers in it. It's an Earl Grey Teapig, possibly the most luxurious (and expensive) tea I have ever tasted. There are little blue cornflowers in there because "they just look so pretty". I swear this tea has my name written all over it.

3. The island of Portland taken from our dog walk. I like to admire it from a distance. 

4. Dave and I had breakfast at Time for Tea; they probably do the best breakfast I have tasted. And compared to London prices it is SO reasonable. We love us a good breakfast.

5. The cutest His and Hers gingerbread people. I feel like the girl definitely gets the better deal here, there's way more chocolate on the girl one! We of course indulged.

6. This is weird and makes me feel a bit sick, but last weekend I discovered my friend's thumb could do this. I think I'm right in thinking that not a lot of thumbs can do that. In other news, I hadn't seen said friend for about four years, so it was lovely to spend time together.

7. Your favourite German Shepherd, Rocky!

8. The most hilarious sentence from the back of the Teapigs box; "Most Earl Greys use poor quality China base tea, which is like palming yourself off as landed gentry when all you own is a Barbour jacket." I feel like that really resonates!

So next week I plan to do a lot more crafting, and I will endeavour to send off some MA application forms. So expect some slightly more exciting photographs. Less dogs, less tea.

Happy Monday!

Book Challenge #3 - Domiknitrix

It may have seemed that I had forgotten about the book challenge that I rather optimistically set myself. This is absolutely not the case, I have just been monumentally lazy with posting about it! So here is a post that we'll backdate to Valentine's Day. 

I absolutely love giving my boyfriend handmade presents. (See previous million posts.) I'm not sure if he loves it so much, but he's really good at pretending if he doesn't. It all started two Easters ago, when I decided to make him a giant Easter themed iced cake. I won't lie, it was no oil painting, but it did taste amazing. I like to think since then that the gifts have only got better. To be fair, they couldn't really have got worse. 

For Valentine's Day this year I wanted to get Dave something super. It was the first present giving occasion that for our whole relationship that I had really been in a position to spend a bit more money. I knew that he loved my Kindle and would seriously make use of one of his own, so it was decided. A Kindle it was. But I was a tiny bit aware that it wasn't a particularly personal gift. It was very thoughtful, because I knew he would be so happy, but it didn't take much to click the order button on Amazon. So I decided to make something I'd had my eye on for a while.

I borrowed this book from a friend at uni and, I'm ashamed to say, never got round to giving it back. Keisha, if you're reading this, I have your book! And sorry. So! Every now and again I would open the book at this page and think, "Oh, I really must make that soon", close it up and put it back on the shelf. And I finally did it!

I'm so glad I decided to make it in the end; it was a fairly easy pattern and I think it turned out quite well! I hadn't done any knitting for so long, so it was almost like going back to the beginning. I really need to get a stitch counter or use some form of writing implement, because I got so confused on the second pattern piece that they are quite drastically different sizes. It didn't show up when I sewed it all together though, fortunately. The embroidery on the front isn't quite as neat and uniformed as in the book, but I think this adds to its authenticity and charm!
 

Dave absolutely loved it, and even though he is a MAN, it is still propped up lovingly on his bedside table. Probably because I would instigate the Spanish Inquisition if it ever moved.
 

Now that I've made something from this book I feel rather accomplished in the art of gothic knitting and feel rather inspired to take up another project! There are some things in the book that I won't touch with a barge pole, but other things - when done in the right colours - could be very tasteful!

Domiknitrix, check!

Nailed.

My quest for the perfect fingernail has taken me down many avenues. I feel like I'm only just discovering how to look after my nails. For example, I have a lot of excess dry skin around my fingernails which someone informed me is called a cuticle. Who knew? Mental. I've started using Lush's Lemony Flutter cuticle butter, which is just amazing. It makes my nails look so much healthier and neater, I absolutely love it. It's not too greasy, which is good, as I really can't abide having a greasy, filmy layer on my hands. So I'm glad that this soaks in quickly. 

I have also discovered Models Own. This is where all the cool nail varnish has been hiding, clearly. I recently purchased three of the new Hedkandi collaboration and I just can't get enough of them. It was 3 for 2, so it would have been foolish not to take advantage. I availed myself of Beach Party, Ibiza Mix and Disco Heaven. Now I haven't used Disco Heaven yet, but the other two are just so far up my street.   

Beach Party is the brightest, most beautiful orange colour I have ever seen. To begin with it did look a bit like I had coloured in my nails with a highlighter pen, but that look does grow on you. And Ibiza Mix speaks for itself; I love me a glitter nail varnish. I think it would probably look better layered over a more subtle colour, because the orange slightly overpowers it and you can't see the colours quite as well. 

I only painted these bad boys yesterday and I annoyingly have to take it off today, because I have work tomorrow and bright orange nails will probably not go down so well...

I really think Beach Party is the perfect orange colour for the summer; allow yourselves to imagine it against a tan. I know, right! All we need now is a bit of sunshine and warmth and we might be halfway there..