Christmas Gift Ideas from Dr Organic, Lloyds Pharmacy and Olpro

The Dr.Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Luxury Hair Therapy Gift Pack is a lovely product, giving the gift of rich, smooth, well nourished, intensively moisturised hair to beauty lovers this Christmas. Containing three of Dr. Organic's best selling products: the Your Hair Magazine award winning Moroccan Argan Oil hair treatment serum, moisture repair shampoo and conditioner, the trio works together to leave hair clean, hydrated and in beautiful condition. 

The organic Moroccan Argan Oil hair serum detangles hair, eliminates frizz, nourishes, protects and adds instant shine. It has a rich fragrance and lightweight, easily absorbed texture, with a little going a very long way. It contains natural essential oils and fruit extracts providing a rich source of vitamins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids. Even the driest, most damaged hair will be improved and look healthy and shiny.

The Dr.Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Luxury Hair Therapy Gift Pack costs £25 and is available from stockists such as Holland & Barrett. Other Dr Organic gift sets are available including a Manuka Honey Hand and Foot Gift Pack RRP £11, Rose Otto Perfect Complexion Gift Pack RRP £25 and the Snail Gel Skin Perfection Gift Pack RRP £40.

***

When out Christmas shopping this year, why not pop into your local Lloyds Pharmacy for some great gift ideas? They have loads of quality gifts in store for all the family, including this Despicable Me 'Minion Made' Jumbo Activity Set. It is perfect for any little Minions fans and at just £7 is great value. The large size, Minion shaped set looks really impressive and boasts some excellent contents to get kids unleashing their inner artist with a Minions twist.

The Jumbo Activity Set includes 14 coloured pencils, an A3 scene to colour, 10 chunky felt tips, 11 wax crayons, 14 oil pastels, 6 A5 Minion standees, 2 A4 sticker sheets, a sharpener, 2 self inking stampers and a cut out colour in Minion poster. Everything has Minion branding, making it really appealing to kids.

This is a lovely creative gift that any child will love to receive on Christmas Day. 

Other gifts available at Lloyds pharmacy include a Frozen Musical band Set for £9.99, Babyliss Twilight Shimmer Hairdryer for £19.99, Frozen 52 piece art set for £4.99 and the Baylis and Harding slipper set for £9.99. 

***

For loved ones who are interested in innovative new green products, www.olpro.co.uk, the leading UK camping and outdoor equipment manufacturer, has launched a new range of eco-friendly tableware created from rice husk. They make perfect practical gifts or quirky stocking fillers.

Husk tableware is made using discarded agricultural rice husks following the rice harvest, making them extremely environmentally friendly and also biodegradable. Plastic takes thousands of years to biodegrade, releasing poisonous toxins into the ground. Rice husks are natural plant products and the husk material takes just 90+ days to turn into natural compost once disposed of. It's a great solution to the problem that using plastic has on our planet.

The new OLPRO Husk tableware range includes mugs, tumblers, plates, cutlery, bowls and sets of round or rectangular storage. They can be used safely in the microwave, dishwasher and freezer. 

We received a bowl and a breaktime beaker from the range. The travel beaker comes with a silicon sleeve and lid, making it perfect for both cold and hot drinks on the go. The husk material has no pores and is naturally anti-bacterial making it hygienic and extremely safe to use. The silicon sleeves and lids are available in six different colours.

The Kimchi bowl is lightweight, durable and strong providing an eco-friendly, hygienic serving dish for snacks, fruit or hot food. It is a good looking bowl with a unique Korean design that would look great in a modern kitchen. I really love these products. I like the look and the feel of the material and knowing it is such an environmentally friendly innovation is a real selling point.

Prices start at just £2.79 and right now they are on special offer on the Olpro site.

Working on a whole new me

This year, after turning 46, I have decided to really take some control on my life. I'm not getting any younger and I'm aware that I'm not as fit nor as slim as I would like to be.  So rather than slipping complacently into middle age, I have decided to make it my mission to become the me that I want to be. A mum that my kids can be proud of and aspire to be like and a wife who will enjoy an active future with my husband.

My plan is multi-faceted, taking a holistic approach to health, happiness and well being. As my confidence in myself is increasing, these things are taking on a life of their own. I am finding things about me are changing and I'm happy just going along with it. 

Diet

I am a vegetarian. However, I am an over-eating vegetarian who enjoys food a bit too much. This meant lots of cheese, plenty of carbs and big portions of dinner. This year, I've made steps towards a more plant based diet. Many meals are becoming vegan and I'm making alternative dairy free versions of family favourite meals like my vegan Mac & Cheese. I've made switches to almond milk, soya cream and coconut oil. I've also added more nuts, seeds, vegetables and pulses to our meals, and I've cut down on my refined sugar intake. I still make some slightly more indulgent things from time to time and still enjoy the occasional treat, but on a whole, my family's diet has improved.

However, even though the food I was preparing and consuming was all good stuff, my natural propensity to greediness still resulted in eating to excess. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to bump into the lovely Sandra from Thinking Slimmer at this year's Blog On MOSI conference. Having worked with Thinking Slimmer before and becoming one of the original weightloss blogger poster girls for the product, I know that Slimpods work. They retune your mind using cognitive hypnotherapy, altering the way your brain thinks about food, allowing you to make good choices naturally.  Sandra agreed to me trialing the Slimpods again and I've started listening at bedtime. 

I must be very susceptible to the Slimpod's suggestion or maybe a part of my brain has been instantly reawakened, because from the very first day I changed. Like someone had thrown a switch in my brain removing the urge to mindlessly snack through every waking hour or eat beyond fullness. It was incredible and after a week I am 3.5 lbs down simply because my habits have changed. No calorie counting or having to make separate meals, I'm just eating less without even thinking about it. I know that the extra weight will be gone soon, while the foods I eat nourish and fuel my body, rather than fill me up with empty calories.

Exercise

Just by making the decision to take back control, I have found myself feeling more active: dancing around the kitchen while I wait for the kettle to boil, jumping up and lunging just for fun or doing some vigorous housework. I'm just more energised. Although doing structured exercise isn't really my thing (my Scoliosis means I end up putting my back out if I go to the gym or do a class), taking active days out with the family really appeals to me.  We have recently bought season tickets to Trentham Gardens and love going for long walks around the lake. I'd like to take our walking further. Climbing the Wrekin is something I'd like to try to do now Freddy is a bit bigger. Popping on our walking boots and packing our waterproofs, some water and healthy snacks in to a suitable rucksack (I've spotted some good rucksacks available online) I reckon we could scale the 1335 ft high peak!  Our Merlin Annual Passes are also great for going on days out. Alton Towers not only boasts some cool rides and CBeebies Land, it has some lovely walks through the gardens, which are pretty steep in places. You get a good workout and its very pretty.

I like the idea of us keeping fit together as a family. I am not the sort of person who could go solo and take up something like running (I have pondered this prospect over and over again as my sister runs and just completed her latest 10K race) but it's just not for me. Walking in beautiful places however, up hills, around lakes, through gardens or in woodland, whilst having fun with Ian and the kids sounds like a good compromise.

Beauty treatments

I've never really been the glamorous type. My own mother refused to leave the house without a full face of make-up, but I am the complete opposite. I'll happily do the school run with a face like nature intended. I've never really bothered with a full blown skincare cleanse, tone and moisturise routine, and until recently, I hadn't been to a hairdresser for years. My mum religiously dyed her hair for as long as I can remember, touching up her white roots with mascara in between treatments. Unlike her, I've decided to go grey naturally. Whether this is down to pure apathy or whether I think silver highlights look cool is open to debate!

Recently however, I've embraced my girlie side, relishing pampering myself top to toe. From face masks to nail varnish to fake tanned legs to pedicures - I am really enjoying using all my beauty products and feeling good about my self.  It feels good to have a bit of me-time while the kids are at school to do something for myself. Me-time is something I've never really understood until now, but investing a little in myself really is a positive thing. Although I'll never be a total glamour puss, I am enjoying taking a bit more time over myself and my beauty rituals. 

Happiness

I make no secret of the fact that I have previously found the concept of happiness quite elusive. In the past I've struggled with depression, dwelling on some dark parts of my life, able to achieve only a superficial kind of fleeting happiness rather than real contentment. But over the years this has changed dramatically. 

Becoming more mindful and reflective has allowed me to let go of so much of the darkness. I have found peace with a lot of issues that festered inside me, freeing me to live in the present and embrace the joy that surrounds me. The joy that comes from being a wife and mother to the most wonderful people that I have in my life. I strive to be a better person and have learnt that true happiness comes from giving rather than taking.

I am in a good place. That doesn't mean that bad things don't happen, but when they do I'm better positioned to help those around me through them. My mantra these days is that I can't change things that have happened, but I can change the way I deal with them and the effect they have on me. Life truly is so precious, to live it in the dark is such a waste.

Taking responsibility for my health, for my happiness and for my life has made a huge difference to me. Here's hoping I can maintain my momentum and emerge a better person.

Vichy Liftactiv Supreme Anti-Ageing Skincare

I'm 46 years old this Friday.  My skin is no longer as tight and taut as it used to be as the effects of ageing set in. Fine lines, wrinkles, dullness and loss of firmness are definitely in my face's future!

However, it's not only these long term changes that I have to prepare for, the phenomenon of over day ageing is also a consideration. Women in my age group have been found to experience skin degradation over the course of the day, with skin appearing up to 4 month's older by the evening compared to its appearance in the morning.

Many skincare products offer results for the long term effects of ageing, but don't take into account the fact that deterioration can occur over 12 hours, with markers such as under eye shadowing, more obvious fine lines, increasing skin pigmentation and complexion dullness setting in as the day draws on.

Vichy Laboratories evaluated seven ageing markers and set about creating a product that would counter both the signs of ageing over time as well as the issue of daily ageing. The result of their findings has given rise to Vichy Liftactiv Supreme, the innovative new facial cream, which helps correct both of these areas.

Vichy Liftactiv Supreme claims to improve the look of skin during the day as well as tackling the longer lasting effects of ageing. Using 3D Optical Correction technology it smooths and illuminates the complexion. The formula contains Adenosine and Caffiene to offer a dermo-smoothing effect to combat expression lines, fill out fine lines and reduce dark circles and puffiness under the eyes. Rhamnose acts on the ageing markers and helps thicken the epidermis, while Neohesperidin is an antioxidant that protects the skin's protective barrier. It has aggressive anti-wrinkle and firmness correcting care with a long lasting lifting effect, resulting in smoother and younger looking skin.

I received a sample of the Vichy Lift Activ Supreme to test. The silver packaging and stylish tub give the product the appearance of a luxury item with higher end branding.  The product itself is thick, rich and creamy with a pleasant, light fragrance and it goes on smoothly, absorbing into the skin without any feeling of greasiness. On application it gives the skin a feeling of smoothness, which I really liked. The use of blurring particles and mattifying powders make the skin look illuminated with a more uniform texture and radiance. It felt really nice to apply giving a fresh feel to my skin.

Throughout the day, my skin felt well nourished and fresh and my under eye area definitely looked less shadowed and puffy. I can't say that I have particularly noticed any signs of over day ageing, unless I've had a particularly fraught day, so that is definitely a positive for the product.

Having a product that helps combat the signs of ageing as well as giving my complexion a lift throughout the day is great for my confidence as I am getting older.

Vichy Liftactiv Supreme is available from Boots stores and online priced at £29.95 RRP.  Find out more at www.liftactivsupreme.co.uk/liftactiv-supreme.

Who has been voted the Ultimate Beauty Icon of all time?

New research by Amway has revealed that Hollywood's Golden Age is still considered to be the era that has produced the most beautiful women, whose looks we all aspire to emulate.  Beyonce may be the most Googled female of 2014, but when it comes to beauty icons, she was rated #5 behind the glamour of Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, who claimed the number one spot.  It seems that when it comes to beauty icons, we still favour the old school, sultry sirens and the effortlessly elegant and stylish women from the silver screen to today's pop stars and actresses.  Even Scarlett Johansson, who has been crowned 'Sexiest Woman Alive' couldn't compete with the big beauty hitters of the golden age, placing at number 10, behind Brigitte Bardot and Ava Gardner.  Kate Moss polled just 2% of the vote.

The survey of over 2000 women also revealed views about what they felt defined beauty and about their own personal beauty regimes.

68% of women said that confidence is the holy grail when it comes to beauty whilst 57% claimed being in love made women feel more attractive.  38% of women claimed that having a full face of make-up made them feel better about themselves.

Age doesn't necessarily have an adverse effect on a woman's view of her own beauty.  Woman over 55 were more content with their looks with 26% having a positive view of their beauty compared with just 22% of women aged 18 - 24.  The younger women also feel the need to wear make-up to make themselves feel beautiful (19.8%) whereas the older women are less inclined to rely on cosmetics to feel good (3.74%) recognising the benefits of lifestyle, diet and exercise.

The majority of British women are still quite thrifty when it comes to spending money on beauty products with almost half shelling out less than £10 a month, although a minority admit to spending in excess of £50!

Amway's ARTISTRY skincare and make-up collection has been making women feel beautiful for many years, with its ethos of creating the very best formulations to make women look and feel their best whatever their age or lifestyle.

I was sent some of their new ARTISTRY INTENSIVE SKINCARE Advanced Skin Refinisher which offers skin smoothing benefits, that they claim to be comparable to professional fractional laser treatment.  With age, the skin's texture becomes duller and rougher and pores become more visible. So I was very willing to test out it out, especially given that my aging skin needs a little help in these departments!

I am not usually one to rave over beauty products but this skin refinisher is pretty amazing.  In just one application of the cream, my skin looked more refined, smoother and softer with less visible pores. It felt velvety to touch and some of my fine wrinkles seemed less prominent.  The minimisation of the pores on my cheeks was really pleasing to see and I couldn't stop stroking my face!

The results are thanks to a blend of active ingredients.  Optical diffusers mattify the skin for a soft-focus effect. Lentil Seed Extract is an antioxidant that minimizes the appearance of enlarged pores. Java Tea Extract suppresses sebum production and Star Fruit  Leaf Extract tightens the pore's structure to prevent slackening over time. Oat Extract and NMF Sugars exfoliate and smooth away roughness.

During clinical trials 98% of users felt their skin was softer and smoother and in 4 weeks the appearance of pores was reduced by 62%.

The ARTISTRY products don't come cheap with the Skin Refinisher selling at £53.35, however this is much cheaper than professional treatment and can be used in the comfort of your own home.  It can be used with other products in the ARTISTRY INTENSIVE SKINCARE Collection for an efficacious skincare regime.

One thing's for sure, having my skin look and feel better definitely made me feel more confident and, as confidence is the holy grail of beauty, I felt good about myself - even make-up free!

www.amway.co.uk

Secrets Behind Beauty - An Infographic

Escape and unwind by creating a real pamper session at home with indulgent bodycare products.

This post is a PR Collaboration.

The Dove Self-Esteem Project Empowering Young Girls to Realise their Potential

To celebrate International Day of the Girl, Mumsnet are working with Dove to promote the Dove Self-Esteem Project (DSEP) and the launch of their new online space packed full of resources specifically designed to help parents build their girls’ body confidence and self-esteem.

Research from DSEP highlights that 60% of girls globally are missing out on participating in daily activities, sports and experiences because poor body confidence and low self-esteem is holding them back. Half of UK girls have ‘missed out’ on participating in activities because they don’t like how they look. From avoiding activities such as swimming, running, dancing and gymnastics to not joining sports teams, trying out for school productions or even putting their hands up in class, girls are missing out.

As a mother of three daughters aged 11, 17 and 21 this is a subject that is really close to my heart.  I understand what it is like to feel self-conscious and have low self-esteem as I have myself suffered with body confidence issues. It is not easy growing up at the best of times, but having a poor body image and a lack of confidence can be debilitating for a young girl.  Missing out on going out or joining in with activities because of these issues is just so very sad.  I was the tall, thin, awkward girl who sat in the corner at discos because I was too embarrassed to get up and dance, even though I desperately wanted to join in.  I hate to think of any girl feeling like that.

I was all too pleased to get involved and help promote the message of the DSEP campaign.  

Dove’s mission is to help the girls of today, our women of tomorrow, to develop a positive relationship with the way they look, helping them raise their self-esteem, and realise their full potential. Dove believes the next generation of women should grow up to be happy and content, free from misconstrued beauty stereotypes and the burden of self-doubt.

The website is packed with information and activities for parents, teachers and mentors to help girls overcome the beauty related anxieties which can negatively affect their self-confidence.  With sections on Teasing and Bullying, Friends and Relationships, Growing Up, Boosting Self Esteem and the Role of the Media, the information is aimed at girls aged between 8 and 16.

As a mum, I have always considered open and honest communication between myself and my children as a fundamental element of my parenting.  I believe that it is through talking with my children and through sharing my own experiences, we can reach a level of trust that means nothing will ever be taboo or off limits. Any problems they encounter can hopefully be shared early on, without any shame or judgment, before they become too overwhelming. With my older girls we have experienced the horrors of anonymous cyber bullying, issues of bad body image, the dangers of the pro-anorexia websites, the cruelty of jealous love rivals, the pressures of boyfriends and the reality of teenage depression and self-harming.  But through communication and finding relevant resources for help, we have dealt with these problems as a family.  

It is important to empower our daughters to help them deal with problems by giving them the tools they need to equip themselves from an early age to hold themselves in high regard, boosting their confidence and self-esteem by giving them a good self-image.  Helping and supporting girls through the emotional ups and downs of growing up will hopefully see them emerge as confident  young women ready to take their place in the world.

Kizzy is my youngest daughter who has just turned eleven and is in her final year of primary school.  I chose to focus the activities on her giving us some quality time together to discuss the issue of self-esteem and give her a confidence boost.

What do you love about your body?

According to research, only 4% of women think they are beautiful.  We clearly default to a very critical opinion of ourselves.  However we find it easy to say what we admire about other people.  So me and Kizzy took part in an activity where we had to say five things that we like about one other and five things we liked about ourselves.  For me, I always focus on my negatives (like most women clearly and sadly do) so to ignore the flabby tummy, the greying hair, my xanthelasma and my less than perfect skin was actually quite a revelation. Without just looking at just physical appearance, but also looking at personality and character it was much easier to be kind to myself. I like my long legs.  I like the fact that I have lost weight and have a good relationship with food now. I like that I am a good mum, wife and daughter.  I like my green eyes and I like that my body has carried five beautiful children.  It was easy to find five things I liked about my amazing daughter: her full lips, her long eyelashes and blue eyes, her sense of humour, her personal style and her empathetic soul are all wonderful aspects of Kizzy.  Physicality is just one part of who she is!  Valuing other aspects of what makes us who we are helps to remove the unhealthy obsession we have with beauty stereotypes.

It was then my daughter's turn to say what she liked about herself and about me.  Kizzy likes that she is tall. She likes that she can make people laugh. Kizzy delighted me with her next answer, saying she likes that she is not perfect because 'perfection screams a lack of adventure'!  She also likes that she is kind to other people.  Kizzy also likes that she can crinkle up her nose!!  It took her a while to get going but then thought of more and more positives about herself.  When I asked her five things about me she said I was loving.  I never think about myself first.  She likes my determination when I do things.  She likes me 'saying it how it is'! Plus she likes that I make her laugh.  She saw right through what I looked like and considered aspects of my personality, showing that she clearly isn't obsessed with looks.  That made me very proud!

FLAW-LESS Exploring Global Ideas of Beauty

One of the activities we enjoyed was a game of pairs where you matched things that might be considered as 'flaws' with descriptions of ideas of beauty from around the world.  Kizzy has got really full lips and was pleased to see that legend has it that big lips make girls very expressive and give them the ability to sing songs, make jokes and tell stories.  This is definitely true of my little all-singing and joking comedienne.  It shows girls that there isn't just one idea of beauty and that we are all beautiful in our own way.  In China hairy moles are considered a sign that you will live a long and happy life and in some parts of the world, a big chin means you are fun loving!

Cyberbullying

Since January 2009, the UK charity Family Lives reports that it has seen calls to its bullying helpline increase by 13%, while calls specifically about cyberbullying have soared by 77%. Appearance is a common target for cyberbullying attacks – and girls experience it twice as much as boys.  We have seen cyberbullying firsthand and it is horrible, chipping away at a child's self-esteem and feelings of self-worth.  Talking about it is the most important thing and trying to understand why the bullies are doing what they do.  My eldest son said something to his sister at the time which I thought was very insightful, "People bully you because they are jealous of you.  They want something you've got or they want to be you."  In many cases I think this is quite true, with girls being mean to other girls because of their own insecurities.  I teach Kizzy to treat people with respect both off and online and to expect the same in return.  If anyone ever says anything online that makes her feel bad, she needs to turn off that device and tell me straight away.  Never try to reason with or beg a bully to stop.  It just fuels the fire.  Step away and tell a grown-up.

How to express The Real Me

Here is a lovely activity to do with your child:

1. Ask your daughter to find a photo of herself she likes and print it out.

2. Stick the picture on a sheet of paper.

3. Complete these sentences and write them on:

 'I am unique in many ways. These include...'

 'Three things I enjoy doing… '

'Three things I'm good at…'

'Things I'm really proud of about my family's background and culture…'

This celebrates your child's uniqueness and is a really positive way for a girl to embrace what makes her special.  She can share this activity with her friends and find out more about them too.

The Role of the Media

It's no wonder that we are image obsessed when the media distort real images of women to fit in with the stereotypical image of what is beautiful.  Sharing this video with Kizzy showed her that the images she sees in magazines and on billboards are not of real beauty...they are fake.  Necks lengthened, eyes widened, cheekbones accentuated and skin airbrushed, the end result is not an authentic representation of a real woman.  If girls understand this, maybe they won't feel the pressure to conform to this unreal expectation.  Real beauty is so much more than what can be achieved with photoshop...real beauty comes from within and transcends the physical.  It's the person you are inside!

                           

Kizzy really enjoyed looking at the DSEP website with me.  It was nice to find out more about what she thought about the idea of beauty, body image and growing up.  Hearing her mature attitude to many of the discussion prompts really pleased me.  Although she is the tallest in her whole school, I was so happy to hear her say that she thought it was a positive thing, making her unique and special, rather than being embarrassed about it.  Kizzy experienced firsthand the effect that low self-esteem had on her older sister and I think she learnt a lot through that and came out much stronger with an understanding of how bullying and lack of body confidence can prevent you from reaching your full potential and enjoyment of life. Thankfully, Kizzy does seem to be quite a confident young girl, coping with the changes she is going through, with a close support network of friends at school.  She is one of the lucky ones.

If you are the parent of a daughter or if there is a young girl in your life who needs a boost in her self-confidence, I would recommend the Dove Self Esteem Project website as a great free resource for activities, games, videos and advice, which can help you to empower them to realise their full potential.

Help spread the word at #doveselfesteem

Learn more about the Dove Self-Esteem Project at: selfesteem.dove.co.uk and at: 

www.facebook.com/DoveUK

“I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity”.

A Very Berry Festive Face Masque

Montagne Jeunesse have a brand new, indulgent face masque in their range...Very Berry.  Packed with gorgeously juicy blueberries and cranberries, this super fruity beauty is the pick of the crop!

Brimming with the juice of pressed blueberries and crushed cranberries, this fruity masque is naturally rich in antioxidants. Vitamin rich blueberries help clear troubled skin, while super-fruit cranberry boasts Omega’s 3, 6 and 9 plus natural oils helping to avoid premature ageing.

What’s more, this berrilicious beauty has Peach Kernel oil which nourishes skin whilst soothing Aloe will leave it rehydrated and moisturised. What more could you want!

Blueberries are known to be a good mood stimulant too, so it won’t just be your skin that’s happy!

Feel revitalised, refreshed and cleansed.  Perfect for a pre-party pamper over the festive season.

To apply, simply cleanse your face and dry. Apply the masque evenly over face and neck with your fingertips, avoiding eyes and lips. Lie back & relax for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Pat dry. Use as a once a week treat! 

I love to pop a couple of sachets of Montagne Jeunesse Masques in my older children's Christmas stockings. We then enjoy a Boxing Day beauty session! 

Check out the full range and buy your favourites at montagnejeunesse.com

RRP from £1.01 from Claires, New Look, Asda, Boots and other good stockists.

Make Me Yummy Bloghop

Would Like to Be a Yummy Mummy hosts a lovely bloghop where we are invited to share our favourite beauty must haves.  She asks us to share our secrets to help make it easier for us all to become yummier!

I'm not a big user of beauty products.  I have a simple regime that hasn't changed in years but there are two products that I wouldn't do without.

One of my favourite shops is Lush and I absolutely adore their Coalface Soap.  It looks black and dirty but nothing makes my skin feel as clean as this soap.

It contains soothing sandalwood oil and liquorice root, said to help cells regenerate and minimize wrinkles, and also charcoal which is exfoliating and absorbs excess oil.  It is a must have in my house...but it leaves the sink looking a bit mucky if it splashes around!!

It costs £4.35 for 100g and that lasts for ages.

My second fave product is actually something I reviewed when I first started to blog.  My Salux Wash Cloth has become an absolute must have when I have a shower.  It is an exfoliating cloth that is really long so you can get to all those hard to reach places on your back really easily.  It turns any shower gel into an exfoliating experience, and makes tonnes of bubbles out of a little product.  I am currently using it with some Original Source Mint Shower Gel which is invigorating!  It makes it seem like a luxurious spa treatment rather than an everyday shower gel.

Here is a link to my full review for the Salux Wash Cloth.  It really is a way to get smooth skin with minimum effort.  It cots £4.99 on Amazon which I think is a bargain!!  Mine is still as good as new and I've used it for 8 months now.  It doesn't go mouldy or smelly and is machine washable.

What is your favourite beauty product?  Link up and then hop around to discover some other tried and tested products that will help you on your journey to becoming a yummy mummy!

Botox at 7???

I loved The Only Way is Essex the totally "reem" show about the beautifully vacuous birds and blokes whose colourful lives make my existence look depressingly grey by comparison!  Their obsession with their looks is hilarious...down to buying shoes that are 2 sizes too small because they look "tall and reem" when worn that way.  Their waxing, beauty therapies, dress sense, hairstyles and botox parties seem so utterly beyond my own remit for what really matters in life.  To me, things that matter most are the love of my family, my children and my integrity as a human being.  The superficial qualities so expertly exercised by Joey, Lauren, Mark et al are from the realms of the unfathomable.  But my comparison, their exploits are positively wholesome!

Something I read today totally turned my stomach.  A British single mum, now living in San Diego, is so adamant that her daughter will be a star that she is taking matters into her own hands to ensure she will look the part.  From a botoxed, expressionless face, to trout pout lips to tattooed eyebrows, this beautician mum is using all the weapons in her arsenal to halt the ageing process on her only child.  The problem is, her daughter is SEVEN!  Seven years old and subjected to bi-monthly beauty treatments at the hands of her vicariously ambitious mother.

The aim is for her to win pageants as a stepping stone to a career in showbiz as an 'A-Lister'.  Oh how this offends me!!!  Willow Smith is her role model, but when you see the progeny of Will and Jada you see a fresh faced child whipping her hair back and forth, blessed with the looks, talent and privelege that is her birthright.  However, this poor child, born to a woman blinded by her desire to live her life through her daughter, is being promised stardom and seduced by the prospect of being Britney for the new generation.  She endures treatments akin to torture.  Her next enhancement is a tattooed lip line.  At a time in her life where she should be young and free, occasionally raiding mummy's make-up bag to experiment with lipstick...she is being thrown into an adult world where looks are everything and nothing else matters except being famous.

I'm sure the little girl never gets to play...heaven forbid a scraped knee!  I bet her food consumption is monitored to the point where eating disorders will became inevitable.  It beggars belief that a child can be treated as an object in this way.  The whole essence of childhood has been stripped away, replaced by a worry of a wrinkling brow or even a spot.

When the bubble bursts, what will mum do next.  A boob job at 16?  A stepping stone into being a star of the adult genre as another chance of stardom perhaps.  It doesn't bear thinking about.

This is apparently not an isolated case either. It is becoming common to give pageant children botox and fillers.  It is not illegal as the administration is self-regulated. Botox can even be bought online. Are we really becoming so hung up on looks, fame and celebrity that people are prepared to sacrifice their kids' childhoods to claim a piece of that pie.

I will continue to enjoy my children as nature intended!  Dirty mouths, chubby cheeks, tousled hair and the beaming smiles that come with having nothing to worry about and knowing that I think they are beautiful as they are.

Johnson's Baby Soft Bath...Rediscover Baby Softness!

For over 70 years Johnson's has been an iconic brand in our homes.  We trust it for use with our precious babies, and now more and more of us are rediscovering the luxury of babysoftmess for ourselves!

Enriched with the pampering benefits of moisturising Baby Lotion, Johnson's Baby Soft Bath is mild and soap free, and creates a rich lather when swirled into running water . It leaves skin smelling babyfresh and feeling babysoft.  The iconic fragrance is predominantly rose and jasmine and it smells gorgeous.  It has the No More Tears stamp of approval, the guarantee of its mild and free formula.

How to Create the Perfect Soft Bath Experience

1. Make time for some Me-Time...even 10 minutes a day to wind down and digest the day's information can leave you with with a clear mind and a calm head.
2. Run your bath and add Johnson's Baby Soft Bath to create a rich, luxurious lather.  Sprinkle over rose petals if you are feeling decadent!
3. Sip a cup of camomile tea to relax the nerves and boost the immune system. (Failing that a glass of wine would do the trick!)
4. Light some rose scented candles to complement your bath perfectly.
5. Step into the bath and place pieces of cool cucumber over your eyes for 10 minutes to reduce puffiness.
6. Relax and surround yourself in the luxurious softness and indulge yourself.  Once you have found your peaceful state of mind, step up and wrap yourself in a warm fluffy towel.
7. Notice your soft silky skin and emerge ready to take on the world!

I was sent a 500ml of Johnson's Baby Soft Bath to try for myself.  I don't often indulge myself with baths, usually grabbing hurried showers when my toddler goes to sleep.  So I pencilled myself in for some pampering time with the help of my lovely husband!  He even ran my bath and popped my towel on the radiator!  I locked myself away and sank into a tub full of bubbles.  It was bliss!  What had I been missing out on!  I emerged feeling silky soft and smelling babyfresh....exactly as promised!

Johnson's Soft Bath is suitable for babies and for delicate skins....but it also wonderful for us mums!  Rediscover Baby Softness for yourself, you won't be disappointed!

So iconic I made it into Pop Art!!!

Priced at an economy busting £2.99 for 500ml, Johnson's is affordable luxury for the whole family!  

What Is Beauty?

The concept of beauty is a confusing one.  On one hand we're bombarded with images of "beautiful people" and told to buy expensive products to enhance our own physical appearance.  Some people confess to spending a whopping one third of their disposable income on beauty products!  Then we're told that beauty comes from within.  In which case no amount of pentapeptides or Botox are going to help.

Scientists have tried to unlock the secret to beauty.  Could it be facial symmetry or a mathematical equation relating to facial proportions? Either way, that does not give a reason as to why I should find RPatz an absolute turn-off whilst millions of women are left drooling.

We call newborn babies beautiful, but a toothless, incontinent, wrinkly, hairless grown-up would never elicit such a compliment!

My husband thinks I am beautiful....I think he is either delusional or optically challenged. I think my children are beautiful.  My eldest daughter is an absolute mini-me.  I look at her and know that she is gorgeous with her long, dark hair and her green eyes...however I can't perceive myself as such.  (I see myself as having an unmanageable mess of hair and eyes the colour of ditch water!) Another cause of confusion...it is so subjective and so locked into emotions.  How can the media give us their interpretation of beauty when in reality it just doesn't work like that.  Beauty is clearly in the eye of the beholder!

The cultural interpretations of what is beautiful varies around the world.  Take for example the Chinese practice of foot binding.  Commonplace until 1912, but still happening until the 1930's, young girls would have their feet broken, folded and bound in order to give them tiny feet, said to resemble a lotus flower.  This barbaric practice left some women unable to walk, run or dance, but tiny footed brides were much sought after by rich men.  Feet that squeezed into shoes as small as 3" long were considered the most beautiful of all.  The story of Cinderella is said to originate from a Chinese folk tale...not quite so Disney-esque if that is the inspiration for the glass slipper!

Yahoo News Image

As horrific as this practice seems, we are not completely guilt-free in condoning practices that can physically damage ourselves in the name of beauty. These days us women hobble ourselves in a subtlety different way.  In 2009 Alexander McQueen sent models down the runway in 10 " heels. I struggle to walk even with a kitten heel these days, goodness knows how many packs of Scholl Party Feet the poor women wearing these beauties went through!  Ouch!

Huffington Post Image

Although this is an extreme, we do all still covet the latest Manolo Blahnik heels as worn by SJP in Sex and the City.  Synonymous with high glamour and sex appeal, they lengthen and slim the leg creating an illusion of being tall and svelte.  Making us more beautiful...even though we know it'll lead to corns, bunions and callouses!  Which let's face it are not very attractive at all.

Some cultures celebrate obesity. Fatness represents wealth, fertility and fecundity.  Fatter women are said to occupy a larger area in their husbands' hearts.  Some West African tribes actually force feed their daughters to make them more beautiful to future husbands and so they will attract larger dowries.  Meanwhile in the west, obesity is only loved by the manufacturers of diet potions, foods and pills (and those men who subscribe to websites dedicated to the larger lady!).  In an industry that rakes in over $500 billion of the market, making fat people yearn to be thin is a way to make money in shed loads.  In a society where one of three of us is overweight, obesity is not a celebrated expression of beauty.  (More's the pity or I'd be a most coveted prize!!!)  Obviously healthiness should be synonymous with beauty...why then do we aspire to the waif-like ideals perpetuated by fashion designers?  How many times do we see our favourite more curvy entrants in Britain's Next Top Model get told to lose some weight!

The question of beauty is a minefield.  Our children are growing up in a complicated society that contradicts itself as to what constitutes beauty.  As parents we must take a long hard look at the example we are setting our children.  All too often I'm on a diet and complaining about being fat.  Or I'm deleting photos with me in because I look like "a beast".  Thankfully, despite my own insecurities, my girls have grown up with a good body image and a positive attitude towards how they look.

I asked 8 year old Kizzy what beauty means to her:

"Sometimes people put make-up on to make them look more beautiful but I think beauty is something that comes naturally. It is more important to be a beautiful person on the inside anyway.  A bad personality is ugly whatever you look like on the outside.  Being kind to other people and not discriminating against people for what they look like is far more important."  Wise words indeed.

Valentine's Pampering with Montagne Jeunesse...go on spoil yourself!

January will soon be all but a memory and we find ourselves looking forward to the most romantic day of the year....  Valentine's Day!  A day of love hearts, romance and true love :)

To prepare for a passion-filled Valentine's this year, Montagne Jeunesse recommend these four lust-have lovelies!

Reveal your inner seductress and bask in the confidence of your cleansed, clear complexion with the Passion Peel Off  face masque.

The blissful blend of pomegranate and passion flower, infused with raspberry, grape and cranberry banishes blemishes and leaves skin fresh, purified and primed to get up close and personal! Simply smooth on, relax while it sets and peel off for gorgeous, kissable, totally irresistible skin.  Perfectly packaged at 99p a sachet there's no excuse for not having a loved up Valentine's this year with a Passion Peel Off!

It'll make you feel fruity!

Keep the passion alive longer with a fabulous Tottle (the love child of a tube and a bottle!)  With ten applications they contain plenty of the gorgeous masque...enough to share a pamper session with a loved one!

Revel in the romance of the divine Damask Rose Deep Cleansing Masque.  Renowned for its cleaning and hydrating properties, delicate Damask Rose is infused with Africa's miracle Marula oil, ridding the skin of anti-oxidants and leaving the skin deeply moisturised.  The sensual blend of Shea Butter and creamy cocoa butter leave skin feeling soft and enticing. The inviting floral fragrance will leave your man completely love struck.

Make sure this Valentine's Day you get your roses in Tottle form for around £5...it would make a long lasting gift to yourself!

As well as roses, chocolates are another perfect Valentine's gift.  This year indulge in a guilt-free chocolate Valentine's Day treat...with a zero calorie Chocolate Mask!

This deep cleansing and luxurious Chocolate Mud Masque is rich in natural ingredients which help to unblock pores, drawing out impurities.  This scrummy mask is devoted to love!  With skin healing properties of Dead Sea salt and moisturizing benefits of cocoa and Shea butter you'll be left with renewed, re-hydrated and irresistible skin...a chocoholics dream beauty product.  You'll be sure to melt any hunks heart for 99p. Mmmm...divine!

Are you desperately dreaming of a perfect, kissable pout?  Then this natural, super soothing lip balm is an absolute must have for Valentine's!  The yummy Cranberry and Aloe Vera balm with 100% natural beeswax will ensure your lips stay magically moisturised and hydrated for all unexpected lip locking moments!  A blissful blend of juicy cranberries, soothing Aloe Vera and smoothing Shea Butter and pure beeswax will guarantee you have gorgeous, kissable, luscious lips all day long.  At around £3 these fruity faves are a beauty bargain.  Perfect for popping in your handbag to keep your lips lush all night long.


Montagne Jeunesse products are bursting with natural ingredients and goodness and are as eco-friendly as possible.  All products are vegetarian and animal friendly.  

Montagne Jeunesse love the planet and our animal friends making them the perfect choice for Valentine's Day!


If you don't have someone to love this Valentine's Day, spoil yourself with a Montagne Jeunesse face masque and a good romantic chick flick!  Lovely xxx

Nip + Fab Review...Part 2

My first Nip + Fab review  posted last week, listed and explained about the range of Nip + Fab Fixes I won so I won't repeat myself!  Since then I have been updating my experience of using the Clean Fix, Moisture Fix, Scrub Fix and Lip and Nip Fix daily on Nip + Fab's Facebook wall.   Here is a copy of my posts: 


"The Clean Fix is different to any cleanser I've ever used before. It is an oil that you massage onto dry skin. It has a lovely light fragrance. When warm water is applied, the oil emulsifies and it can then be washed off easily leaving the skin feeling soft and supple. I'm convinced I can see a difference already! "


"The Moisture Fix is a great product. This winter has left my skin quite dry but this light moisturiser works a treat. It is easily absorbed and a little goes a long way. My skin feels really smooth and soft and my complexion looks brighter."


"The Nip+ Fab Lip and Nip Fix really is perfect for popping in your handbag. This cold weather leaves me with dry, chapped lips. This ultra protective balm nourishes and replenishes dry skin, so it is perfect to smooth over my lips throughout the day. As the balm is so thick, you only need a little smear to feel a big effect. I have used this little tube of balm for a few days and my lips feel smooth and healthy. I haven't tried it on any other problem areas but it is verstaile and if a dry patch presents itself, I wouldn't hesitate to reach for this SOS Fix!"

"It was Nip+Fab's Scrub Fix's turn to impress me last night and it definitely delivered! The texture had a good amount of exfoliating particles that I could really feel working its magic on my skin. It rinsed off well leaving my skin looking more refined and brighter. Unlike some scrubs, it didn't make my face feel tight or dry afterwards. I asked my husband what he thought of my skin after 4 days of using Nip + Fab's skincare products. He kissed me on the cheek and said it felt like silk!! What a smooth talker!"

As you can see, I am really genuinely impressed with these products.  They are all really quick and easy to use which is a huge consideration when "me time" is in short supply, yet they do what they promise.  They are an everyday product offering affordable yet high end treatments, with technologically advanced and clinically proven ingredients. 

Celebrities seem to love the range...so if it's good enough for Denise Van Outen, Alexandra Burke and Kimberley Walsh...then it's good enough for me!

My skin really does feel more refined, and is smoother and freshing looking.  Given my recent over indulgences, poor diet and insomnia, that is no mean feat. 

The package design is simple and unpretentious and has a clear, recognisable brand identity that is used across the range.  The pump action dispensers on the Moisture Fix and the Clean Fix minimize waste and make the products easy and practical to use.

The Nip + Fab Facial Skincare range is available at Boots and Harvey Nicholls stores.  Prices start at £8.25 for the Lip and Nip Fix.   

I would definitely recommend these products for their ease of use, effectiveness and results!

Here's my video review (...oh the shame of being videoed without any make-up, hair pulled back, in my pj top...but my committment to my reviews knows no bounds!!)

Super Smoocher Lipsticks

Super Smoocher is an online company specialising in selling 100% natural lip balms, glosses and colours.  Stocking brands such as Burt's Bees, Badger Balm, Crazy Rumors and Pin Up Balms, you can be sure to find something you'll love to pamper and protect your lips, keeping them lush and kissworthy!

Selling "super natural lip stuff" is not all Super Smoocher does.  They also actively support Animal Aid and the Vegan Society.  This shows they are a company with heart who promote ethical consumerism.  This makes me love them even more!

Having the opportunity to test some of Super Smoocher's gorgeous products has been lovely.  I've had the chance to find out more about the company and try some key products and I'm only too happy to give my honest opinion.

When my goodies arrived I was instantly seduced by the loveliness of Super Smoocher.  Each product was individually wrapped in tissue paper with a sprinkle of shiny red heart confetti.  Beautiful attention to detail.  This is definitely a company that cares about its customers.

I received a Crazy Rumors Coffee Bean Lip Balm.  Instantly I was impressed.  Coffee is one of my favourite flavours and fragrances.  It instantly conjured up thoughts of Starbucks and a tall Blended Cream Mocha.  Mmmm!  "A coffee break for your lips!" The traditional stick of balm smells divine.  It goes on smoothly and the flavour is authentic and rich. It is 100% cruelty free and vegan, made with moisturizing organic shea butter and soothing organic jojoba oil.  My lips felt soft and had a nice sheen.   I am absolutely in love with this lip balm and at just £2.76 , it is affordable, long lasting luxury for your lips.

The Burt's Bees Radiance Lip Shimmer Stick is a longer, thinner tube with a twist-up action giving you an all-natural balm containing beeswax with a hint of shimmer.  It can be worn on its own or layered with your favourite lipstick for shimmery, radiant lips.  It was lovely to apply and had a hint of natural mint flavouring.  It made your lips feel a little bit tingly!  The lip shimmer is also available with a kiss of colour which higlight your lips with "natural luminescent earth pigments".  At £4.70 each they are a lovely addition to your make-up bag giving a 100% natural, vegetarian and cruelty free shimmer to your lips. "Eat it off, kiss it off, talk it off.  Re-apply!"



Ella's shimmeringly radiant lips!

The Pin Up Peppermint Twist Lip Balm came in the most adorable little metal tin with an illustrated slide off lid.  It had a pin-up girl riding a polar bear on it...very cute!  (Think Kat Von D's pin-up tattoos!) The balm was quite solid so I needed a few applications to feel like I had applied enough.  The peppermint was very mild.  I think this will be the longest lasting of the three lip balms I tested and the tin would fit into anybody's handbag and look gorgeous!  Being in a tin there is no chance of it snapping or breaking, which is a consideration...my lip balm loving 8 year old has a history of overwinding them and snapping them off!  At £3.35 it is a great accessory as well as a naturally moisturising balm to nourish your lips.

Super Smoocher offer totally free delivery in the UK so you can order a single lip balm without worrying about prohibitive p&p costs.  Not only are you getting great deals, you know you are also supporting Animal Aid and the Vegan Society, both committed to making our planet a better place for all.  The products are all 100% natural and safe and the range really is funky and fun...there is something for everyone in just about any flavour you could wish for (within reason!!).  So if you want a calorie free fix of chocolate...you can smooth on delicious chocolate lip balm and not break your New Year's Resolutions. 

They will keep your lips totally SMOOCHABLE!!

Montagne Jeunesse Tottles Face Masques Review

Pampering With Montagne Jeunesse Tottles

Montagne Jeunesse have recently launched a new range of "Tottles"!  What is a "Tottle"? I hear you cry...well think of a cross between a tube and a bottle and you have it!  The tottles give ten applications of Montagne Jeunesse's luxurious face masque which means you can enjoy indulgent facials over and over again.  Alternatively, there is enough for you to get the girls round for a fabulously perfect pamper party!
The company's ethos is as perfect as their products.  Their products are lovingly made with only the purest, most natural ingredients, which are responsibly and ethically sourced.  As a vegetarian myself, the fact that all Montagne Jeunesse's products are approved by The Vegetarian Society is very reassuring.  They are also Cruelty Free and approved by BUAV with a strong committment to animal welfare.  They say:

"Montagne Jeunesse are vegetarian and animals are their friends - that's why they don't bash bunnies ar add bits of animals."

I have been fortunate enough to have been sent one of each of the four new fresh and delicious formulations to try for myself.  I have used the masques before, but had found that the sachets were quite messy and some of the product would go to waste, so the tottle was a perfect solution to this problem.  Just squeeze out the amount you need for one application then reseal...no mess. no waste!  You just have to smooth the sumptuous masque onto the skin, leave for 15-20 minutes while you lie back and relax, and then rinse thoroughly. 

TROPICAL PEEL OFF MASQUE

"Revitalising and rejuvenating, this exotic mix of fruits will give your skin an energy injection. Red Grape, Noni Fruit and juicy Mango work to revitalise and cleanse pores, lifting away impurities and dead skin cells, revealing a more glowing and radiant you."


The fresh fruity fragrance smelt very enticing and I've always enjoyed the feeling of peeling the masque off!  My skin felt really revitalised.

SENSUOUS SPICE SELF WARMING MASQUE

"Get cosy and comfy with this irresistibly spicy warming masque that heats up and opens pores, ridding skin of any nasties in an instant. A gorgeous and exotic blend of Cinnamon, which brightens and tightens, and uplifting Ginger, will leave your skin radiant and deep-pores cleansed."

I loved this.  It smelt like Christmas!  My skin went very warm and I could just imagine all the impurities being removed from my skin.  This would make the perfect, pampering facial for winter.

DAMASK ROSE DEEP CLEANSING MASQUE

"Renowned for its cleansing and super hydrating properties, delicate Damask Rose is infused with Africa’s miracle Marula oil to rid of anti-oxidants and seriously moisturise. Then the Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter join forces to soften and smooth for enviable silky skin. The lovely fresh floral fragrance is a damask delight."

This masque felt very moisturising and my skin felt soft and smooth after using it.  The rose scented floral fragrance is not one of my personal favourites, but my mum loved it.

DARK CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE DEEP CLEANSING MUD MASQUE

"Indulge in divine, dark chocolately orange bliss where moisturising Cocoa and Shea Butters combine with sweet Orange Oil, to deeply cleanse and nourish. Did you know that orange is jammed packed full of anti-oxidants which help protect skin from free radicals that bring on the signs of ageing? This ultra rich wonder masque smells like heaven on earth and is not to be missed when it comes to spoiling your skin."

This masque had a note on the back telling you not to eat it, and with good reason!  It smelt like a Terry's Chocolate Orange and the temptation to pop some on my tongue was strong!  It was rich and gorgeous and I felt thoroughly indulged, lying down, relaxing, surrounded by the delicious smell of chocolate...utterly heavenly and calorie free!

Total Chocolate Bliss

I really enjoyed putting the Montagne Jeunesse Tottles through their paces!  They are a fun, fresh, new product designed to make using the masques even easier with less waste and mess.  With the New Year approaching, it's high time for a new skincare routine and with Tottles you can discover the secret to a beautifully soft, flawless complexion!

The New Montagne Jeunesse Tottles are available from http://www.montagnejeunesse.com/ priced at £4.99 each.