Five Friday Favourites.....(on Saturday)

I seem to have a problem sticking to "scheduled" blog posts.

Five Friday Favourites has gone up three Saturday's in a row....ooops. But I still really enjoy sharing what I've loved during the week so here goes...

I made myself a little herb tray. And by "made" I mean I bought them from the supermarket and put them on a pretty tray, not difficult. It looks nice though, and if I keep them alive for more than a week it will be a small miracle!

Friday night plans involved sitting on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, perusing this months Easy Living and some Beauty Porn (SpaceNK's latest catalogue)

I picked up this picture in TKMaxx this week. It's Sean Connery teaching Ursula Andress how to do a handstand on the set of Dr. No in 1962. I really like it but also think it would make a great gift for a Bond fan (which is most guys I know)...

I love fairy tales. They remind me of a time when life was a lot simpler! This book by Camilla Morton is really cute. There's three published so far. I think they make a great coffee table book, or a gift for a girly-girl who likes her designers.

Bath & Body Works Candles are so damn good, they smell divine and last for hours. But I don't think you can get them in the UK. Jenna bought me back these mini ones from her recent trip back home....the Caribbean Escape one I'm saving for the rainiest summer day! I can't wait to try them out this weekend.

Happy Bank Holiday Weekend! x

Beauty | "Natural" Products

Supermarkets are fast becoming dangerous places for me.... if it's not clothes aisles grabbing my attention, it's beauty products.

I "popped" into Waitrose the other day to pick up some lunch. I did not in fact buy any food because I got completely side-tracked in the beauty aisle....who knew Waitrose stocked so many great brands and products? I know they're part of the same company as John Lewis, but I just didn't really make the connection before.

Anyway....back to the point. I'm no beauty product connoisseur, nor am I a scientist. I use what feels right for my skin and individual requirements. But I do also really like natural products. When it comes to what I eat, I steer well clear of anything processed so for me there's a natural affinity with products that haven't been messed about with too much.

And that my friends is exactly what I found in Waitrose. There are too many brands to mention, you'll have to check it out.

Here's what I bought:

From l-r:

Burt's Bees Super Glossy Natural Lip Shine in Sweet Pink £7.99

Organic Surge Fresh Ocean Shower Gel £4.09

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil £24 (on offer, normally £30)

Korres Lip Butter in Quince £8

I've only had these products for about five days but I have used them all religiously. My favourite so far? The Korres Lip Butter, it's AMAZING and I'm a little bit in love. 

For more info on these brands clink on the links below. They explain what they're all about far better than I could.

Burt's Bees

Organic Surge

Balance Me

Korres

Do you worry about what goes into your beauty products?

Please Note: None of the brands or companies discussed in this post have any idea who I am. I bought these products with my hard earned cash.

Life | Polaroid Project

Whilst we were walking the streets of Stockholm in December 2012, it was -13 degrees (celsius people), I saw a Polaroid camera in a shop window and mentioned to Dan that I thought it would be really cool to do a "Polaroid Project".  We very quickly dashed into the nearest coffee shop to thaw out our fingers and toes but the throw-away comment lingered with him and he bought me a camera for Christmas.

Nearly six months on and I've yet to do a thing with it (apart from a few comedy shots of friends etc.) I needed some inspiration and found this really cool book called "Instant Love" which has some great ideas on how to use your Polaroid and what you might like to capture, when and how....

So armed with inspiration and a bunch of new film I'm ready to start. My idea is to capture the essence of "Bristol". Pretty broad topic? I agree. I'm in the process of making a list of all the landmarks I want to capture....ideally I want to complete this over the summer whilst the light is good but I also like the idea of doing the same shot every-other week for a year...

I have absolutely zero photography credentials (you may have noticed) so fingers crossed this will turn out into something I want to frame. Any hints/tips greatly appreciated!

Life | This Weekend I.....

I can't believe it's Tuesday evening already.....the last two days at work have gone by in a blur! And my lovely weekend seems but a distant memory...

Friday night, Dan and I chilled in. Neither of us could decide what we wanted to eat so we settled on "Mezze" which totally hit the spot.

Caprese Salad, Anchovies, Olives, Salami, Parma Ham, Avocado, Sunblush Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken Salad with Spinach....a Mediterranean Feast!! I think we were subliminally dreaming of sun-kissed days.

On Saturday I had my friend Beth's Hen-Do. Her bridesmaids Katie and Charlie organised an amazing day for us. Brunch, followed by Clay-Pigeon Shooting and dinner in the private room at Jamie's. We were so lucky that we had a really sunny day, it made us want to sink a few Prosecco's and get our dancing shoes on for after dinner.

We were at Rosemarino in Clifton Village. I had fresh Elderflower and Green Tea.

And Eggs Florentine, seriously good.

The Hen. This was Part Deux as she did a weekend in Valencia as well, lucky thing.

Beautiful people.

(I was terrible to begin with, but then I got my groove back and now I'm a little addicted....)

 Onto Jamie's Italian....

Prawn Linguine

I could not be more sad that my camera wouldn't fit in my clutch bag and I decided to "make-do" with my iPhone. The lighting is terrible and they're out of focus.... You get the gist though, lots of yummy food, wine and girls having fun.

On Sunday Dan helped me move the rest of my stuff into storage, we went out to lunch and then for a long walk around the harbourside in the sunshine.

This is Mackie, Dan's family dog. Isn't he a cutie?

Sunday evening was topped off with watching the balloons float past at sunset. Beautiful.

Life | About the boy....

Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I came home last night to find these beauties waiting for me.....stunning, right?

This past week has been filled with self-doubt, a mini 30 year old crisis, if you like. To know that you have someone by your side that is happy to spend hours listening to all the crazy thoughts in your head, and then have them still think you're the bee's knees is just the sweetest thing ever.

Girls, I've struck gold.

Beauty | Save vs Splurge SPF Day Moisturiser

I love my Caudalie Anti-Wrinkle Fluid more than any other moisturiser I have ever tried. It's virtually perfect in every way. It sinks effortlessly into my skin, leaves no greasy residue and provides an optimal level of moisture for my skin all day. But...... it's missing one thing that would make it THE one, SPF.

I recently crisped up my forehead and nose in the sun and was completely gutted at the amount of sun-damage I will have caused, and since then I've been a little obsessed with sun-protection.

I spoke to one of the Consultants in SpaceNK who informed me that SPF in beauty products was "pointless" as it only lasted a couple of hours (just like suncream, you need to keep applying to get the full effect). However, I'm still now hooked on trying to find a moisturiser that has some level of SPF, and you know what? If it's a sunny day I will have to just re-apply if I'm outside!

The key for me is the "grease" factor. I have normal/combination skin (normal cheeks, with oily T-Zone). My skin is also pretty sensitive to anything with excess fragrance, and chemicals (parabens, mineral oils etc). Just the thought of putting actual sun-cream on my face makes me feel like my skin might break-out!

So, I hit Boots on my mission to find a moisturiser with SPF that would work for my skin type. Here's what I picked:

1. Olay Essentials Daily Fluid for Normal/Oily Skin with SPF15 (£4.11 for 100ml)

2. Avene Light Hydrating Cream for Normal/Combination Skin with SPF20 (£14.50 for 40ml)

Now the obvious difference is the volume of product for your money, it would cost £36.25 to get the same amount of Avene to Olay, over £30 more.

I'm testing these out over the next few weeks so I shall let you know the results....

Do you worry about having SPF in your skincare and make-up?

Five Friday Favourites (ok then, Saturday Favourites)

This week went by fast! So quickly I didn't have time to snap pics of the things that had made me happy.....the format is slightly different this week.

Favourite Room

I saw this on Pinterest and loved it. Beams, painted brickwork and big sash windows, gorgeous!

Source

Favourite Scent

I went to the launch of the new limited edition Jo Malone scent, Osmanthus Blossom, on Thursday night. It's absolutely lovely, and so difficult to describe, "summer in a bottle?!" -  and on my birthday wish list if anyone's interested?!

Link

Favourite Eat

I'm still nearing on obsessed with cupcakes. How good do these babies look?

Recipe

Favourite Drink

After having a little too much wine lately I've moved on to my ultimate summer drink, cider!! C'mon, I am a Bristol girl after all, what else would it be. I tried Peronelle's Blush by Aspall which has apple and blackberry flavours, it's fruity but not too sweet and totally refreshing!

Link

Favourite Film

I'm really excited for the UK launch of The Great Gatsby. I've had a major crush on Leonardo DiCaprio since Romeo + Juliet, so anything with his beautiful face will have me hooked!

Source

Aaaaannd, last but by no means least - Favourite Friend News

My beautiful friend Fi has just got engaged!! Congratulations gorgeous, I couldn't be more happy for you xxx