Homesense #LoveFromFirstFind Event

A couple of weeks ago I was invited along to the Homesense #LoveFromFirstFind in Manchester. If you know me then you'll know that Homesense is one of my absolute favourite homeware shops, so I was super excited when the email landed in my inbox! I arranged to meet up with Abi, my blogging bestie who I've known for years now, we both started our blogs around the same time & it's really great having the opportunity to attend events together. 

On arrival we were greeted by the lovely Fran, who ran us through the plan for the evening, handed us a glass of fizzy Elderflower, pointed us to the delicious buffet of food & gave us a gift card to have a little shopping spree with. Once we had filled up on tasty little canapés & sandwiches we were ready to explore the huge Homesense store at Barton Square in the Trafford Centre. It was much bigger than any other Homesense store I had visited before which filled me with excitement, to me it's like entering a giant treasure chest, you never know what you're going to find but you're sure you'll fall in love with something!

Abi & I spent a good hour or so browsing all the aisles, discussing what we loved, our plans for our new homes & generally had the best evening homeware shopping! The store was presented beautifully, with a huge faux flower display, a beautiful Valentines stand & small room sets arranged to really get your imagination running wild. Whenever I step foot in a Homesense store I come away filled with ideas for our house!

With the gift card I was given I purchased a beautiful bouquet of silk Peonies, a mint wire basket & a set of three cute notebooks. The peonies are the most stunning faux flowers I've ever come across, they are so realistic looking & even feel real too! I know these are going to be one of my most-used & most-loved blog photo prop from now on & they will also save me a few pennies when Peony season arrives as I won't *need* to buy a bunch of fresh ones. The mint basket I picked up is the perfect accessory for our bathroom as it has a grey, white & mint theme & is ideal to store all my LUSH bath products in, I love how colourful they all look nestled amongst each other. I couldn't resist popping the set of three mini notebooks into my basket either, the cute yet simple pastel coloured designs caught my eye & will be so handy for jotting down to-do lists, blogging notes etc etc!
Let me know what you think of my finds! (:
L x

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Haircare For Frizzy Hair

For as long as I can remember my hair has been the bane of my life, it's thick, it's frizzy & it can be really unmanageable. When I was about 14 I started straightening my hair religiously everyday, I had it thinned out so much I was practically bald at one point (no, not really but you get what I'm trying to say!) & I felt happy with how my hair looked. These days I'm trying to embrace my fuller head of hair without being so extreme with heat & using products to look after my locks instead of relying on a pair of straighteners as much! My hair took a real beating from straightening & began splitting really badly that I wore it in a bun most days for ages. I knew I needed to start looking after my hair properly which resulted in quite a strict haircare routine for a while until my hair was looking & feeling healthier! I've trialled & tested a huge amount of hair products so I thought I'd share a few favourites of mine... 
MoroccanOil has been my most-used haircare product for the past 4 years, it's my go-to hair oil that I always apply after washing my hair. It gives my hair an extra boost of moisture, keeps it looking sleepy & shiny and although it is expensive luckily a bottle lasts me forever! It helps to keep split ends at bay too & has really made a huge difference to my hair in terms of managability & appearance too. (full review)
Before I got sucked into the world of beauty blogging I was oblivious to the idea of hair masks, so when I discovered that they existed I knew I needed to try some! Redken Smooth Lock Butter Silk is an intensive rinse-out treatment & is everything I could wish for in a hair product. It gives my hair a nourishing shine & a frizz-free finish, meaning my hair is incredibly easy to manage and style. Whenever I'm having a bad time with my hair I slather this on after shampooing & I'm left with the most silky feeling & nourished looking hair. (full review)
VO5 Give Me Moisture Hot Oil Treatment is one product that I see instant results with, which is why I'm pretty obsessed with these little bottles of oil! They're a bit of a unique product as I've never seen anything else like it before, using the warmth of the water in your shower you give it a few minutes to heat up before applying it all over your hair. At first it gives my hair a squeaky kind of feeling which I'm not a fan of but as soon as you shampoo it away it turns my hair so soft. There's no sign of grease or any oiliness after using it, instead my hair is given a new lease of life & restored to it's original state. It's been in my haircare routine for years now & won't be going anywhere anytime soon! (full review)
I love my Tangle Teezer, it makes brushing my hair a joy rather than a chore. I'm prone to knots & also get a little deadlock forming at the back of my neck sometimes, #thickhairproblems so having a hairbrush that gently detangles my hair rather than rip it out is a life saver. I always used to use a bog-standard brush but would often find it got stuck half way through brushing it. Of course now I use products tailored towards my hair type, I can use a regular hairbrush but I much prefer the Tangle Teezer, they're perfect for popping in your handbag too! 
If I don't use my MoroccanOil I will use the Lee Stafford Frizz OFF Keratin Spray instead. It is similar to MoroccanOil as it helps to tackle dryness (mentioned in my June Favourites) & also keeps my hair smooth throughout the day. I love the smell of this too, it's really sweet & hangs around all day so I get whiffs off it every now & again.
What are your favourite haircare products? 

L x

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Filming with Holland & Barrett

Back in December myself, Tilly & Lulu were invited along to Manchester to film with Holland & Barrett. We recently received the videos back so I thought it was about time I shared the footage with you all, plus a few photos from the day & what we actually got up to! I was really pleased to find out two of my friends had been asked to attend the event too, Abi with beautiful Bella the Border Collie & Cat with pretty little Prunella Pug! I didn't realise until we got the invitation that Holland & Barrett actually sold Dog products so it was great to see what they had available & the Pugs enjoyed munching on lots of treats & food. 
When we arrived at the studio the Pugs instantly spotted the bowls of food on the floor & ran straight over to have their second breakfast of the day, greedy Pugs! There was also lots of toys dotted around for them to play with, they were in their element running round with the other dogs playing & causing mayhem! After the producers had finished shooting all the Holland & Barrett dog goodies it was our turn to be filmed & interviewed. We began with group shots of us all playing with the dogs which was fun getting them to run around with each other but also quite tiring too! Then we all took part in individual interviews which I was really nervous for because I'd never been filmed before & I actually didn't realise we were being filmed, I did think it was the just Pugs so I was a bit unprepared! Props to all you YouTubers who make it look SO easy! It's definitely given me the 'feel' for YouTube though & I would love to give it a proper go this year. You can watch my interview below, sorry for the awkwardness & also about 2.54 I know I look like I'm strangling Tilly but I promise I'm not haha, I had to keep her on the chair & she was such a wriggle butt! 

Once filming was over I was given a goodie bag for the Pugs, it had the Yarrah Vegan Biscuits in which the girls had loved eating whilst they had been good during the shoot! We also got given a really nice Shampoo & Conditioner to try out, the Scruffy Chops Zest in Show Shampoo & Muddy Marvellous Conditioner. Both smell fruity & leave the girls coats feeling silky soft & clean! I'd never used a conditioner on them before but it makes all the difference so I will be doing so from now on. There was also some supplements included, Glucosamine being one of them which I was really pleased to see as Tilly Pug suffers from bad legs & it's important for her to take Glucosamine to look after her joints. 
I had the best time at the event, I loved being able to bring my two little puggies with me, I always take them with me wherever possible & would love to take them to more blog-related events again! Thank you so much for inviting us along & for the girls goodie bag!
L x

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Five Beauty Secrets from MissBella

Five Beauty Secrets

True beauty comes from within but that does not mean that we should neglect the face we show the world. Our outer layer can say a lot about who we are and we should always be careful to show those around us that we care. You can look great and feel great too, when the way you look on the outside reflects who you are on the inside. Keep things simple and you will discover that your beauty shines through. Here are five of the best beauty secrets – they may not be quite what you were expecting:

Keep it Simple

Skin, hair, eyes, mouth, body, clothes: all of these elements come together to create your 'image' – the message that you send out to the world. Keep it simple. All you need to do to be beautiful is think about how each of these six elements fits into your whole image. It is not rocket science, you simply have to make sure that each of these elements is at its very best: clean, healthy, natural. Do this and you are sure to look and feel great.

Don't Be A Mindless Consumer

At times we can all of us be guilty of buying things we do not need. Think carefully about which beauty products you choose. It is not about doing without, it is simply about not buying things that you do not require or which are not right for you. Sometimes, when we are lured by advertising or fancy packaging, we can end up with a whole bunch of products. Here is the big secret – sometimes we can be doing more damage than good by putting so many products on our skin and hair which can trap us in a consumerist loop where we are constantly trying to repair the damage we have done – drying out our skin or hair with products and then endlessly trying to get the moisture back in.

Beautiful Skin & Hair The Natural Way

Inner and outer beauty can come by finding a closer connection with the natural world and caring about our planet can also mean caring about ourselves. Get beautiful skin and hair the natural way with organic, natural products. Our physical bodies are amazing things and on the whole, they are able to find their own beauty and balance if you just let them. The big secret? You can get the best hair and skin ever by doing three simple things: eat healthily, get some exercise, protect yourself from the sun. Work with nature and you can be naturally beautiful.

Be Your Own Best Self

Nature can take us a long way but we always want to make sure that we are being our own best selves. We have to work with what we have naturally but there in nothing to stop us from making the most of what we have. A smile, for example, costs nothing, but it can illuminate even the most ordinary of faces. Your physical body is only part of you but you should always take care of it. By making sure you are looking the best you can, you show the world that you care.

Develop Inner Confidence

Remember, at the end of the day, the most alluring thing of all is inner confidence. The whole thing is something of a confidence trick but it is strange but true that when you have faith that you look at your best you will absolutely look at your best. Developing inner confidence is one of the top beauty secrets of all.

Written By Elizabeth Waddington

Content Credit MissBella

L x

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