Empties post - January & February

Hello there,

I wasn't sure about doing this as I didn't think I'd have enough to talk about. But I know I love reading these sort of posts and for me personally it gives me ideas of new products to buy and if I'm undecided about something, it can often be the tipping point on whether I buy it or not.  So I collected empties for a few weeks, and here we are!

(and yes - I meant to post this earlier but the dreaded lurgy put pay to that!)

First up - and the type of product I get through the most - conditioners and shampoos.

Herbal Essenses - Hello Hydration conditioner

There's going to be a bit theme in this post, so I might as well start with it straight away - I really didn't like the smell of this at all. It wasn't a bad product at all and made my hair feel soft, but it wasn't enough of a 'wow' to make me buy it again.

Garnier Ultimate Blends conditioner - strength restorer

This was an ok product, but just that - ok and nothing more. Alarmingly, it made my hair really fluffy, which sounds nice but isn't always the look you're going for and it's not something I'd be buying again. On the plus side though, it smelt lovely.

Aussie Friss Miracle conditioner 

This was a huge disappointment for me - not only was the smell overpowering (am I the only one who doesn't like the smell of Aussie Hair products?) but it really didn't help with frizz control at all. I was finding a cheap basic conditioner was doing a better job of keeping the frizz under control.

Aussie Repair Miracle conditioner

I bought this the same time as the Frizz Miracle conditioner as there was a 2 for £7 offer in Tesco. For me, this was just an ok product and seemed better at controlling frizz than the proper frizz conditioner. At the moment, I'm thinking I wouldn't buy these conditioners again, but I just know in another 6 months or so, there'll be a special offer on and I'll be sucked in again. I still have a couple of Aussie products which I'm using with more success (3 Minute Miracle conditioner and Miracle Hair Insurance) so I'll review those on here soon.

Dove Purely Pampering body wash

I think this is the first ever Dove product I've never finished - again due the smell. I like vanilla but this was just too overpowering. On the plus side, it didn't leave my skin dry after showering.

Colgate Max White One toothpaste

This is seriously the best ever whitening toothpaste I've ever used. It gives instant results so it's not something I use regularly but instead I save it for special occasions. As it's not cheap, it does mean it lasts a lot longer. The paste itself is a grey/blue colour but don't be put off by that - it really works!

Body Shop Peppermint Reviving Leg Gel

I was in two minds whether to buy this or not as peppermint is a smell I really hate. But I'd heard so many good things about this, I took the plunge when I had a voucher code for Body Shop. Yes, it's a really really strong smell which many people will love (I had to hold my breath!) but it's amazing at reducing puffy ankles and feet, due in part to the horse chestnut that's in here. I was suffering from occasional swelling after my ankle op last year so I used this - and it worked. So much so, I even have another bottle for those bad days.

Superdrug Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser

I had heard this was a dupe for the Liz Earle range, so when it was reduced I bought a bottle. Now I have fairly dry skin and I'm in my late forties, so I wasn't sure this would be good match for me. Oh my goodness - I have to say - this is the best face wash I have ever used. I realised the other day that since using this regularly, I've had no major breakouts and I feel sure my skin looks healthier (even if I don't always feel it inside!). I've combined it with the Superdrug Brightening Moisturiser and I feel as if it's the healthiest my skin has felt for years.

NSPA Grapefruit shower and bath gel

The NSPA range (as far as I know) is exclusive to Asda. This grapefruit shower gel smelt heavenly and really helped wake me up in the morning, there's something about grapefruits that always reminds me of holidays. I haven't seen this scent for sale for a while though so I'm hoping it's not discontinued. At the moment I'm using the apple scent which is equally gorgeous.

So that's my empties for the last two months, far more than I expected. I'll try to keep collecting the empties and do another post in a couple of months.

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx

Star Wars trainers and other bits

Hello there,

I had a bit of a successful shop in Primark the other day. I'd been on the hunt for some pink Star Wars trainers since spotting them on Instagram. But frustratingly, there was nothing in my local branch (it was becoming an obsession - I needed those shoes in my life!).

I'd finally resigned myself to never owning a pair - until that is I popped along the coast to Portsmouth. Despite it being a smaller Primark, they had a pair left in my size. Cue much excited and undignified squealing...

So here they are, it was truly love at first sight.

And if that wasn't enough shoe shopping for one day, I spotted these beautiful shoes in Dorothy Perkins. Now I'm lucky enough to be able to wear standard width shoes - which I'm pretty sure these are. They're not terribly practical and to be honest, I couldn't see me wearing them for a whole day of shopping - but they're glittery, sparkly and have little hearts on the back - what's not to love?

To round off the day, some unicorn, cloud and dinosaur socks - obviously!

So that was my little shoe haul, and as my other half pointed out, it looked like a teenager had been shopping. Which is perfect - let's hope I never dress for my age!

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

Wingz review with an evening dress

Hello there,

The lovely people at Wingz recently sent a pair of their sleeves* for me to try. If you've never heard of Wingz, they produce an amazing range of sleeves which can be worn with sleeveless dresses and tops. It helps transform a summer outfit into one which can be worn all year and is ideal if you're not fond of going bare armed.

After looking at their website, I knew straight away which dress I wanted to try these with. I'd  recently bought a beautiful dress from Navabi, but until it gets a bit warmer, it's not going to see much use.

As you can see, I quite like swooshing around in it!

Now the Wingz are pretty easy to put on. The website even has a video tutorial on how to do it. I ordered size 3 but I might have been able to get away with the next size down as they're pretty generous. This is how they look under your clothing:

I opted for the 3/4 length lace sleeve in black to match the lace detailing on the dress. I think they look like a pretty good match! What do you think?

More swooshiness and silly faces. I think these look great with this dress and have turned it into an all year round outfit. I did wonder if there'd be gapping at the back but as you can from the pics, there's nothing to see.

Wingz have a range of colours, whites, neutrals, purple and even a bridal collection. It's a great way to get more use out of an outfit without having to resort to cardigans.

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx

*Items were gifted by Wingz - review is my own honest opinion

Steak of the Art - launch night

Hello there,

Last Thursday 18th February saw the launch of an exciting new restaurant in Southampton - Steak of the Art - and yours faithfully was lucky enough to be invited along to their launch night.

Now what makes this different to other restaurants? The clues in the name. Each restaurant has a gallery of artwork that not only brightens up your day but can be purchased too. For the Southampton launch, the Southampton Art Society was invited to display some of their works. What a great idea! For me, that's two of my most favourite things combined into one setting - good food and beautiful art. I couldn't wait to go along and see it for myself in person.

So the glad rags were put on and myself and the other half hit the town. The restaurant is in Ocean Village which is an area of Southampton that's really seeing some regeneration over the last few years. As you can guess, it's right on the waterfront with views over the harbour. It's an amazing place to have lunch at any time of the year.

As you walk in, you can really see the gallery effect, plenty of space to browse, sit and admire the artwork

We even had entertainment during the evening, first up was the caricaturist Picasso Griffiths  Now you're not likely to see any photos of my other half on this blog as he's very camera shy (or grumpy, you decide) so this is the closest you'll get to a pic

That's me on the right!

There was also a magician - who doesn't love a magician and this one was brilliant. Even close up we just couldn't see how he did any of the tricks (and we hadn't been drinking!).

The staff were kept busy keeping us all fed and watered with selections from the menu, these were so light and fluffy, we nearly fought over the last one...

Some of the seating areas were so unique - there's even a proper crows nest that you can book

There was also a beautiful side room for more private functions - perfect for that special party or even a small wedding reception?

What did I wear for the evening? My Lovedrobe dress which is turning into such a favourite. So easy to wear and comfortable too

Oh my goodness - look at that concentrating face! The bag is from the Limited Edition collection at Marks & Spencer

There's two other Steak of the Art restaurants - in Bristol and Cardiff. So if you're ever near any of these, I'd recommend a visit. We had a lovely evening and can't wait for our next visit! Thank you to Steak of the Art for inviting us to your launch.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx