Taken a break...

If you've noted my absence, I have taken a break from blogging, but I will be back soon with lots of new reviews and news about what I love in home and beauty.

Check back soon!

Review: Garnier BB Cream

There seems to be a bit of a buzz around BB creams at the moment. They’re a pretty recent phenomenon in the UK, but have been around in Asia and the US for a little while. The term ‘BB’ stands for ‘Beauty Balm’, and they claim to be an all-in-one cream, acting as a moisturiser, make up and sun protector all in one bottle. Sounds good to me.

I didn’t want to spend a fortune, so I opted for Garnier’s BB Cream for normal skin. As with most of these creams, you can choose from 2 shades (varies dependent on product), this one being light.

Apparently, you don’t have to apply moisturiser, or prepare your skin in any way to use this product, so I just applied it after washing my face, using my fingers. The texture was really nice, not dissimilar to a moisturising cream, and felt very light and fresh. However, because of that, I didn’t really find that it covered as well as I wanted it to. To me, it was kind of like applying moisturiser with a bit of make up added to it. On the pack, it does tell me ‘To increase coverage, just add another layer’. All well and good, but for me, the coverage just wasn’t quite good enough, and I still wanted to add a layer of powder to finish off.

That said, I have used it more than once. I think it’s good if you don’t want to look ‘made up’, and don’t have any real blemishes to cover up. I like the feel of it, and the illuminating quality is quite nice. But will it replace my moisturiser/foundation/powder routine? No, I’m afraid not.

Garnier BB Cream is currently on offer at £6.66 in Superdrug.

Love List: Jewellery

Faux Snakeskin Effect Owl Cuff - currently £5.00 from Love Hearts & Crosses Jewellery.

Rainbow Crystal Peacock Necklace - £12.50 from St8ment Jewellery.

Malaysian Jade Bracelet - £26.99 from Angelica Florence.

Blue Bird Earrings - £3.95 from Little Shabby Chic Boutique.

 

Little Mouse Ring - £4.00 from Carini.

Gold and White Shamballa Bracelet - £18.99 from Cutey.

Article - Monochrome: Home décor ideas for the kitchen

When you are thinking about colour schemes for your kitchen, you simply can't go wrong with a classic monochrome style. Whether your taste is modern or traditional, a black and white background can be dressed up by adding a few splashes of colour with cleverly placed accessories, or kept plain and simple. By using glossy surfaces for tiles, worktops and cupboards, light will be reflected, making the room feel brighter and more spacious.

If the cupboards in your kitchen are wood, and you don't want to paint them you can still achieve this look by furnishing the room with monochrome accessories. Here are some of my favourites.

Add a bit of homour with this teatowel from Molly and Fred. Cost: £6.99.

Look out for things you use everyday with a black and white theme, like this colander, just £3.99 from Dunelm Mill.

Ordinary objects made a little more interesting, with this heart shaped dish from House of Fraser. Cost: £8.80 on sale.

This stylish breadbin is just £24.99 from Homebase.

Who can resist these cute salt and pepper shakers, shaped like scotty dogs?! Just £7.00 from Oliver Bonas.

Apologies for the poor image! A much better one can be found by looking here. This great kitchen tool set includes everything you could want on your countertop, and is only £29.00 from Very.

Review: V05 Smoothly Does It Heat Protect Serum

I am kicking off this blog with a review for V05 Smoothly Does It Heat Protect Serum, because it’s a product that I’ve heard lots of good things about and I’ve been meaning to try it out for quite some time.

This serum can be used on wet or dry hair, one of the reasons why I chose it, because my hair is quite thick and so I prefer to apply it when my hair is wet. On first using the product, I found it to be quite light in texture, with a very pleasant scent. I had to use 2 or 3 pumps for my hair, but once I’d dried it, I was pleased at the difference it made. It didn’t eliminate the frizz completely, but it helped a lot, and once I’d used hair straighteners on it, I found that I had less fly-aways, and my hair was much shinier. I have also tried using it on dry hair, and was equally as pleased with the overall result.

V05 Smoothly Does It Heat Protect Serum can be bought from Boots and costs £4.19