Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist

Vitamin E Face Mist: £6.85

I've had my eye on this spray for quite a while, as I'd heard good things about MAC's Fix+ but wanted a cheaper alternative, so when I was offered some goodies from The Body Shop, I asked for this. The website states;

A quick skin pick-me up and excellent for setting make-up. Spritz it on for instant refreshment, moisture, and protection. With a delicate rosewater scent.

I love this little bottle, it's become a new favourite of mine. It's been so lovely and refreshing in the recent hot weather, and if kept in the fridge it's even more cooling. The scent is really soft and girly and it's a perfect size to carry round in your handbag. This would be a great item to take when you're on a flight for a much needed moisture boost to keep your skin hydrated. It can also be used to wet brushes for applying pigments, although I've yet to try this out. I spritz this over my face after applying my makeup, and as far as I can tell, it works well at setting it and making it last all through the day. A great purchase for summer!

Happy Anniversary!

On Monday it was my boyfriend and I's 2 year anniversary, this post is a bit delayed!

Here's Matt;

He's a smart little bean, he got a 1st in Social Psychology at Loughborough Uni and then went on to do a Masters in Occupational Psychology at Nottingham Uni. I'm very proud of him so I had to mention it!

I can't believe how the time has flown since we met each other, we've spent almost every day together since and it's hard to remember a time when we didn't know each other. He treats me like an absolute princess and from the moment we met we've been completely comfortable with each other, so much so that I wasn't mortified or even remotely embarrassed when I got a nosebleed in front of him when we'd barely known each other five minutes or the time I got over excited whilst I was talking to him and a piece of saliva flew from my mouth into his eye! (Nice!) I can tell him anything, know he'll always support me and he believes I can do anything.

Matt is a sweetie, he does cute little things like helping old people with their shopping when they need it, giving up his seat to others and he loves seeing old couples together because it is so adorable and he thinks of when we'll be a couple of OAPs! He is a perfect gentleman, a quality that sadly is rare to find these days.

He loves surprising me, whether with things like taking me to London to watch The Lion King (front row seats!) on our first year anniversary, whisking me away to a gorgeous hotel for Valentines where champagne and a rose petal strewn bed and bubble bath were waiting for me or little things like saying, "Why don't you have a look in the drawer," where I'll find a MAC lipstick I've been rambling on about forever.

He thinks I'm the most precious thing in the world and always tells me how all he wants to do is make me happy and look after me for the rest of my life. It's lovely to feel so secure and sure someone will never hurt you in a relationship. We love planning our future together and spend hours talking about what we're going do.

I have never met anybody I am so compatible with. We fit together perfectly and for this reason just never argue! A few things I love; how he tells me I'm beautiful when I've just woken up, he can cheer me up when I'm in a terrible mood, he's super patient when I'm having a tantrum because I can't find anything to wear and just being held in his arms and nestled against his neck makes me feel content. He really is everything I hoped one day I would find and I still can't believe I have found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.

He's going to be an amazing daddy to our little one's in the future and I can't wait to be able to call him my hubby. He is the most lovely, gentle, kind and generous person I have ever met, and I feel so blessed to have him as my boyfriend. I love you Matty.

Here are a few pictures from our Anniversary weekend and some from the past couple of years...

On Saturday we went to a little tea shop called The Walk. It was a sweet little European style cafe selling gorgeous cakes, sandwiches and little lunches. I had an amazing cream tea and was delighted with the little teacup and pot I was presented with!

We went on the boating lake afterwards. I hadn't been on one of these since I was a little girl, stepping on and off the boat was a little scary! Here's Matt trying to manoeuvre the boat in the right direction.

I like his pouty lips!

Little cutie asleep on the sofa. Pringle on his face courtesy of his housemates.

On holiday in Cyprus last year

Happy and drunk on a night out

We love dancing together, we even have a routine that we've devised, it's very impressive! This is the end bit where he dips me down, it's a bit hazardous after a few drinks too many and we have ended up as a heap on the floor before.

In Paris, where we went for New Years Eve. It was so lovely and romantic, I definitely want to return there one day!

St Moriz Self Tan Mousse

There has been a bit of talk about this self tanner so I thought I'd do a post about it. It's a great dupe for St Tropez mousse tanner. But at £2.99 and at 200ml, it's not only so much cheaper, it's also a lot more product! I got mine from Home Bargains. You can check here if there's a store near you. This is my all time favourite tanner, a few of the benefits;

-Gives an even, streak free tan

-Really easy application

-Quick to apply

-Very fast drying

I also prefer this to the St Tropez mousse becasue it's a bit darker, which means I only need one application for a gorgeous golden colour. It looks I've been on holiday for a few weeks and also has the magical result of making my stomach looked toned when it really is not! Definitely wear gloves or use a mitt to apply, this stuff stains!

Goodbye Loughborough Uni!

Well, my time at Loughborough Uni has come to an end. The three years have flown by and I can't believe it's over. It definitely hasn't sunk in yet, I think it only will when I'm stuck in a full time job that I no doubt will hate and dread each morning!

For any younger people reading this who are yet to choose their uni, I can't recommend Loughborough enough. It frequently stands in the top 10 uni's in the UK, with its highest ranking being number 7 in 2007. For my course, (Communication & Media Studies), it was ranked number 1 in the country, although I think that it has slipped to number 2 now! Most recently it was awarded as the Sunday Times University of the Year 2008-2009, and for the past 3 years it has won the Best Student Experience Award. So not only is academically excellent, it's an amazing place to experience uni life. *If there's anyone interested in the same course I did, entry requirements are 320 ucas points (ABB) with about 45 places available.

Oh and the male to female ration is something like 60:40, so perfect for you single girls out there looking for a fit, sporty lad (it's a uni very well known for its sporting achievements). I have to be honest, this was part of the attraction for me, I remember on open day, as my parents were driving in, the first thing I saw was a load of guys playing football. After an all girls school this was heaven, I was like a child in a candy shop!

I also have to mention the student union. It is incredible. There are 3 main rooms. Cognito's, where RnB, hip hop etc are played (complete with multi coloured lit up dance floor!), Room 1, which bears resemblance to a Ministry of Sound club, you know, complete with green lasers and things! It's the main room because there's a stage where various groups/bands perform throughout the year. An finally upstairs is Fusion, where they play more indie kinda stuff, although towards the end other night anything goes and it gets pretty random!

So, here are a few photo's of my time at Loughborough...

The trusted combo of wine and cherryade. Yes, I really did drink this. The cheap wine I bought was so foul I had to disguise it with something else. It actually tasted alright in the end!

Dressed as Playboy bunnies for Halloween. No, I don't see the connection either! (My friend isn't that short, she's kneeling, we're not sure why!)

In the first year when Pendulum played at the Union. One of the best nights of my life!

The blur of hair is me. This was when Pendulum were playing in the second year, as you can see it was completely rammed.

Cops n' Robbers theme for someone's birthday. This was the night I met my boyfriend, I must have lured him with my outfit, haha!

Pirate dress-up fun

Dancing like loons. Up in this part of the union at the end of the night they play a weird mix of songs; classics from Disney songs, the Baywatch theme song, and oldies from the 60s to the 90s, great fun to dance like an idiot to! The guy in the white shirt next to me is my boyfriend, also in his own little dancing world! The guy on the right isn't feeling it so much!

Snowman!

Pouting and posing in photo's was a standard part of a Loughborough night out, who knows why!

Getting a bit messy

Uni - probably the only place it's acceptable to wear a skimpy Victoria Secret's Santa costume out in public!

Out for a meal

Although there have been so many memorable parts of uni, the best part was meeting my favourite person in the world, Matt.

Crest Whitestrips Review

A few months ago I became a little obsessed with finding a cheap way to whiten my teeth, after enviously inspecting presenters sparkling whites on TV. After many hours of research, I decided on Crest Whitestrips Supreme; they looked simple to use and everybody who had used them promised they actually worked. Here's a little summary of these strips:

-14% hydrogen peroxide. These are the strongest whitestrips available, and because of this they are not available to buy in stores. They can either be purchased from your dentist (so I've heard), the crest whitestrips website or using ebay.

-If purchasing from ebay, I advise checking with the seller the expiration date of the strips as well as confirming the level of hydrogen peroxide.

-A box of Crest Whitestrips Supreme contain 84 strips, 42 for your upper teeth, and 42 for the lower.

-The instructions advise using the strips twice a day for half an hour each time, meaning the treatment takes 21 days to complete.

-A box from the website will set you back around £57 including P&P.

-I advise having a look at the website if you're thinking of buying these, as it contains a lot of helpful information.

Upon more research, there seemed to be a general consensus that the desired level of whiteness was achieved within a week or two, and so there were a lot of strips left over. Due to this, I decided to buy half the amount of strips, as I didn't want super white teeth. After a quick search of ebay, I purchased 42 strips from the seller vivaplanet. The cost, including P&P, was £19.98, so a great bargain! Considering these were shipped from Hong Kong, they arrived very quickly, I think it took about a week. The ones I ordered did not come with a box. You can have one if you like but it costs more and it's a bit pointless! I just keep mine in a drawer in my makeup compartment, away from sunlight.

Another thing I discovered from my research was that these things can make your teeth very sensitive. Someone compared the feeling to sinking your teeth into a tub of ice cream and leaving them there for a few weeks, not pleasant! Therefore a lot of people suggested using the strips only once a day, or every other day rather than the advised twice a day which could result in agony!

These things are very easy to use, you just place them on your teeth and fold them under to secure in place. My first time round, I applied both the upper and lower set at the same time. I'm not sure if it as because this was my first time and I wasn't used to it, or if there was just generally an overload of product, but there was a fair bit of foaming of the mouth (nice!). General panic ensued, and because the product contained hydrogen peroxide, I wasn't sure if it was safe to swallow down the excessive saliva I was producing or whether I should spit it out (this is so dodgy sounding and gruesome, I apologise!). I can't actually remember what I did, probably something between the two, but it felt like the longest half hour of my life!

Next time round, I used the strips separately, first I did my upper set of teeth, then my lower. This seemed to solve the problem, no more foaming/excessive saliva. It also felt a lot more comfortable. However, it meant the treatment took an hour instead of the half an hour it would take if you did both together.

I must admit I did not use these strips regularly, maybe using them three times a week at the most. I definitely noticed a difference in colour though, however sporadically I was using them! I soon began associating the strips with the awful sensitivity it resulted in afterwards, and I got in pretty bad moods because my teeth constantly throbbed and I was put off food. However, the sensitivity wore off after a day, but of course then it was time to apply the next set. The result? I was a big baby and because I hated the feeling they gave me, I stopped using them and currently have 26 strips still left. I didn't even get halfway!

Having said that, these things do work. They definitely will make your teeth whiter, especially if you persevere like you're supposed to. I might try and build up the courage and resume using them. So, if you're after whiter teeth for a reasonable price, I recommend them. Just be warned about the sensitivity!