The Natural Series: Konjac Sponges

Hello m'lovelies!

If all goes to plan, as you read this, I'll be enjoying my last evening in Paris!

Today i'm introducing you to Konjac Sponges a genuine skincare miracle!

Konjac sponges are 100% natural face and body sponge puffs designed to deep cleanse and purify the skin.

I was lucky enough to be sent two sponge puffs:

• The green one - for normal to oily skin with nourishing mineral rich french green clay
• The pink one - for tired, devitalised skin with nourishing mineral rich french pink clay.

These retail at £5.75 each and can be found here!

These sponges deeply cleanse, gently exfoliate and remove make-up... They're perfect for sensitive skin and are PH balanced, I love mine so much :)

Use:

You should always rinse these before using them and allow the sponge to fully absorb the water. you then gently massage your face or body in circular motions and rinse the sponge out as needed.

The sponges need to be rinsed out after use and left to dry, they should not be wring'd out as this may damage them. They will harden when they are dry and should be soaked in warm water before the next use :)

These sponges have absolutely revolutionised my skincare routine, I use the green one when I'm having a bad skin day - it helps to clear up my skin, get rid of any unwanted oil, and clear up my blemishes as well as making my skin baby soft and radiant :)

The pink one I use when my skin needs a really good pick me up! This is like a mini facial in a bag, it leaves my skin clear, glowing and fresh... As well as really well hydrated, exfoliated and renewed.

It took me a few days to sort of get the courage to use one of these, it was something I hadn't tried before and I was a bit nervy but they're so amazing! I think i'm going to order Stew this one as sometimes he has some problems with his skin, plus it's black - thus immediately more 'man friendly' and will probably go down much better than giving him a pink one!

You can also get Baby Sponges that are ideal for babies or make-up application! I'm DESPERATE to try one of these for applying my foundation so I'm going to order one as soon as I get back from Paris!

Oh and also, if your skin is extra mega sensitive there is a Plain sponge ideal for super sensitive skins :)

These get an absolute 10/10 from me as a 100% natural way to cleanse your face and body, exfoliate and hydrate your skin, apply your make-up, remove your make-up, and generally wash with. ♥

With a massive and very important interview coming up next Thursday, smooth, clear and glowing skin is extremely important to me right now and my amazing Konjac Sponges are definitely helping me achieve that :)

What do you think? Would you try out a Konjac sponge and completely revamp and change your skincare routine or are you more 'stuck in your ways' ?

xoxo

Style Rush!

Bonjour Bloggettes!

I'm currently watching the sun set over Paris/the eiffel tower and painting my nails in Sephoras 'picnic in the park' :) Stew and I are just relaxing in the hotel tonight after 3 long, hot days and walking about 500 miles... I thought whilst we had free wifi in the Hotel I might as well write you a review ;)

Meet my not-really-new-anymore babies! My StyleRush hair straighteners :)

I was sent these little beauts quite some time ago but I was in the middle of trying to finish my degree so never had time to write my review! I was sent the Standard Styler in White and Orange, secretly I was wishing for the pink ones but actually, the orange is a nice change from everything-pink-and-hello-kitty in my bedroom! These retail at £79.99 which is an incredible price for how fabulous they are :)

The straighteners feature an extra long swivel cord, a heat guard, 'dual adaptor' plug so you can take them on holiday, a travel pouch (in the top photo) and they have a 2 year warranty. They're switched on by a basic on/off switch which is shown above and a little red LED light flashes when they're hot.

In my opinion the heat guard is what sets these straighteners way ahead of any others I own! I'm safe in the knowledge that I can just chuck them down when I'm dashing out of the house and they won't burn or melt anything (as long as the heat guard ison, obviously!). Others straighteners such as the Cloud 9 ones have a heat guard but they're over £100 and in my experience (having used my friends Cloud 9's for 6 days and HATING THEM), don't perform as well as they StyleRush ones. Proof that the most expensive brand aren't always the best brand!

I am absolutely obsessed with these straighteners, to date I have 4 pairs. A pair of GHD midnight deluxe gold stylers (£150!), a pair of BIG EGO irons (£130), my StyleRush stylers (£80) and a pair of FHI's that cost me £60 from Sallys.

Since receiving the StyleRush straighteners a while back, I haven't taken my GHD's out of the basket I store all of my hair tools in! Shocking isn't it! I just haven't reached for them at all!

In ALL of the images of me on my blog with my hair straight, I've styled my hair with the StyleRush straighteners. They keep my hair smooth, frizz free and perfectly straight but don't damage my hair as much as my other straighteners. I've also found that when using my StyleRush straighteners my hair stays straight for MUCH longer than normal and doesn't go kinky at the ends like it usually would when I've used my GHD's.

At £80 these are absolutely ASTOUNDING for the amount you pay, I honestly couldn't live without mine now and I don't ever really want to go back to my GHD's or EGO straighteners.. I can't think of any brand that challenges the quality of these, like I said I've tried Cloud 9's (hated themmmm) and have GHD's and other brands! Nothing compares to my gorgeous StyleRush straighteners :)

Its very, very rare that I rave about a product this much so you can trust my opinion on how fab thes are! If I really had to change one thing, it would be the lack of heat control, these would be an 11/10 if I could choose what heat I wanted them on :) ♥

Do you have a pair of StyleRush straighteners? Are you interested in trying them? I loveeeeeeeee them!

xo

A little silly one!

Bonjour! Ca va?

I'm currently sitting in my hotel in Paris, Stew and I went to Disneyland today! We met Chip and Dale the Chipmunks an I made Stew say 'il est mon anniversaire!' and they did a little dance for him and sang Happy birthday to him! HAAAAA!! It was about 30 degrees today and we STUPIDLY forgot to take out suncream when we left the hotel so I'm burnt :( not the end of the world but a bit annoying!

We're off into the city tomorrow for some Sephora, Laduree and Eiffel Tower action! We're also going to go on a batobus and see the Arc du Triomphe and Catacombs! We've decided to get up at like 7am because when we went down to breakfast at 8am today it was a NIGHTMARE. About 7 million spanish teenagers shoving us around and skipping the queue!!

One thing I have noticed here is how appallingly rude people are, they literally completely ignore the fact I'm standing in front of them and just shove me etc. Ennuyeux!

Just to tide you over for the day, heres a stupid video of myself and Louise at the Aussie event yesterday! Natalia, Lil and Maria all make a teeny appearance too!

Hope you enjoy the video! I think it shows our personalities really well, not only do I have a rogue necklace related disaster, I swear and pull silly faces... Story of my life!

Love you all! I'm back in the UK on Friday :)

xoxo

Mini Treats for my Tresses!

I went and had my hair cut on Tuesday at a gorgeous salon in Derby called Cocco it's literally a 5 minute walk from my house and I love going there for a little treat every now and then :)

I got the 'luxury cut and finish' (£39) and my amazing hairdresser, Brian definitely made the 'luxury' part a reality!
First, he shampoo'd my hair with Moroccan Oil moisturising shampoo, then he exfoliated my scalp and applied a Morrocan Oil deep conditioning treatment..

...cue most relaxing and amazing head massage I've ever had...
.................aaahhhhhhhhh

Then he wrapped my head in a hot towel and let that sit for a few minutes whilst we had a natter about paris, men, clothes, his new top from topshop, etc..

Once the treatment was rinsed off he used the Morrocan Oil moisturising conditioner

..............another amazing head massage....aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Rinsed that off, slapped some Morrocan Oil on my hair, and processed to give me a gorgeous, but subtle hair cut! My hair literally felt better than it ever has before soo I got completely sucked in and picked up a little Moroccan Oil travel set because 'I need it for Paris'... ahem.




The set cost me about £30 and it comes in this gorgeous, amazing quality little bag! Perfect for holiday!







The little bag of joy contains a hydrating shampoo and conditioner, a hydrating syling cream and protects from heat, moisturises and prevents frizz, and a dinky bottle of Morrocan Oil treatment! It's such a little bargain!

I'll be updating you all soon on what I think of these :)

xoxo

Invitation Only Fashion!

Hello you lovely bunch!

Do you hate it when you go to shop a sale and it's all a mess and everyone else has had the good stuff? Or is Primark-on-a-saturday your idea of hell with all of the hustle and bustle? Would you love to be able to shop private, invitation only sales with brands such as Vivienne Westwood, McQueen (DROOOOOOOL), Karl Lagerfield and Vera Wang from the comfort of your own home?

Are you screaming, "YES, YES, YESSSSSS!" at the computer screen right now as you read this? You are? Well then Cocosa is the place for you!

Cocosa is Bauer Media's first pure e-commerce site. It is an invitation-only fashion destination offering members exclusive access to an array of private sales. Each sale runs for a limited period of time and is BRIMMING with gorgeous pieces from luxury brands. The items are all hand picked by the buyers (no TK-Maxx alike junk here!) and are subject to dizzying discounts :) Perhaps you want to splash the cash on an investment piece or just want to treat yourself after getting your GCSE/A-level/Degree results recently...



To experience these amazing, invitation only sales you need to register on Cocosa

I'm already registered and can't wait to get my mitts on a few more McQueen pieces, I'm sure if my scarf wasn't silk and I wasn't terrified of staining it I would literally drool all over it every time I wear it because it's so divine!

My readers can get an exclusive £10 off their first order over £50 by entering the promotional code 'luxurystyle' at the checkout!

If I were you I'd be registering right now to snap up some of the amazing pieces on the Cocosa site!

xo

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The End of an Era: My Degree!

Hullo everyone :)

If you follow me on my twitter you'll potentially already know the huuuuuge news I have to announce, but if you don't...read on!!

Three years ago around this time of year I was running around my house SCREAMING with delight because I'd been accepted into Warwick University! My life went into complete overdrive whilst I sorted everything out, and then something horrific happened.

My mum was diagnosed with chronic Crohnes disease and was rushed into hospital where she underwent major life threatening surgery to remove over 13 feet (YES, THIRTEEN FEET) of her bowel and intestines. I was told she probably wouldn't survive and promptly phoned Warwick to tell them I wouldn't be going to University that year. Mum started to improve, then took a massive turn for the worst... she was admitted into intensive care and they shut her entire body down and put her on a life support machine. The day she went into surgery she told me that if the worst happened, she wanted me to pursue my dreams and go to University.

BAM! I went through the University clearing system and secured a place at Derby University to study Joint Honours Human Resource Management with Business Management. I moved into the University Halls two weeks later.

Here are some of the best bits:










(trying to change a lightbulb without a ladder)




Now don't get me wrong, it definitely wasn't all partying and fancy dress and drinking! I worked really, really hard and managed to find a balance between work and play and when I got my results back yesterday I was absolutely overwhelmed to discover that...

I GOT A FIRST!!

I really can't believe it, I was fully expecting a 2:1!

Now, I've been through some really hard times at Uni, my dad went through a really serious break up, my nan was diagnosed with terminal cancer, my mum continued to be ill (and still is), verity's parents split up, stew's grandma died, i ran out of money 500 times, i fell out with countless housemates, one of my housemates' dads threatened to kill me because i asked her to flush her poo down the toilet.. the list goes on!

The most important thing to remember, whether you're at uni now, about to start, or even just thinking of starting is that with dedication and hard work, you CAN do it. There will be times when you think it's impossible... I had 25,500 words to write for my final year assignments and it all came down to blood, sweat, and tears! There will be (lots of) times when you will DESPISE your housemates, you'll fight and argue and bitch over the tiniest things (poo in the toilet, for example). But, at the end of the day when you've completed those three years and had that email to tell you not only did you do it, but you did it and you got a FIRST - you will feel incredible, ecstatic, over-the-moon and most of all, proud!

I'm currently in shock about my results, I just can't believe it at all! Hopefully everyone has realised that my 'bragging' on twitter is actually just sarcasm ;)

So, if there is anything you would like to ask me about the University process, what it's like doing a business degree, hints tips and tricks, or even just how to stay sane whilst you're trying to do it then feel free to email me at the email address on the right hand side of my blog! I'll be more than happy to personally email you back, or if it's a question I receive regularly I'll write a seperate post on it :)

Have you just finished a year at uni? Or your degree as a whole? How did you do?

xoxo

BATISTE GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Hello Everyone! Wow! It doesn't seem like I was writing the giveaway post a week ago! Hasn't that flown by! Anyway, it's 1:12am UK time and I'm going to draw the 25 winners out as I write the post, it'll take forever but it's the easiest and fairest way of doing it.

First I would like to start by saying ALL entries that followed the guidelines were put into an Excel spreadsheet as the giveaway went on so that I could be sure I hadn't missed anyone. The winners will be selected on random.org and I will then email the 25 winners and ask them to email me back with their postal addresses. If you win and you do not email me back by TUESDAY 21ST JUNE I will draw a winner to replace you! I need to email Batiste with postal details of all 25 winners by Wednesday as I go on holiday on the 26th and have a lot to do! Right, theres that done with... let's see who's snagged themselves a bottle of Batiste Nude!

WINNERS:

1. Rebecca from Rebecca's Raves, Reviews and Rambles
2. Emily from The Musiczine
3. Aisling from Lashes Lashes Lashes
4. Sara from Sara's Cooking Diary
5. Olivia from Olivia Writes
6. Brittany from Brittany Love
7. Zoe Frances
8. Leanne from Leanne Marie
9. Miss Mathful
10. Simone from Just Like Hollywood
11. Jess from Raffles Bizarre
12. Karla from Beauty and Beyond
13. Sarah from Blusher Obsession
14. Soph from Beauty Comes From Within
15. Maria from Frills'n'Spills
16. Lucie from Lucie Lovely Cupcake
17. Lily from Lily Lipstick
18. Steph from Beauty Rambles
19. Whimsical Wolf
20. Lauren from Gotta love a Trier
21. Charli from Charli dot dot dot
22. Alison
23. Laura from Choux Pastry Hearts
24. Lozrii from The Tale of a Beauty Addict
25. Kate from Toothpaste Smiles

PHEW! that took longer than expected! Congratulations to all 25 of you :) Please email me at cat.west[at]hotmail.co.uk with your postal address. Thank you :)

xo

The Natural Series: The AMAZING Dr Bronner's Magic Soaps!

Happy friday everyone! Have you all had a good week? Today I'm writing about Dr Bronner's Magic Soaps as part of the Natural Series.. Are you all enjoying learning about different Natural products so far? This series has been my favourite EVER and there is still SO much more to come!





Dr Bronner's all natural, fair trade and organic soaps are infamous in the USA and the brand is rapidly growing in the UK :) The 18-in-1 soaps come in liquid and bar form. It is incredible value for money, just £4.99 for a 236ml bottle of soap that has seemingly unlimited uses!

With celeb fans including Drew Barrymore, Eminem and Bobbi Brown - this soap isn't one to be ignored! Bobbi Brown herself championed Dr Bronner's on the opera show, saying "It's probably the finest soap in the Universe, I'm obsessed with it. I cannot get enough of it!"




I was sent a full sized 236ml bottle of the Almond liquid soap, and a sample sized bar (28g) of the Peppermint soap! These photos were taken when I first received the products, I've used a fair bit of it now!

Price and Availability:
Dr Bronners Soaps are available across the UK at Liberty, selected Waitrose stores, and most leading health stores. Prices are as follows

• 8fl oz full sized bottle of liqud soap - £4.99
• 2fl oz travel sized bottle of liquid soap - £1.69
• Solid bar - £3.50

The Uses:
Shave, Shampoo, Dental (to clean your teeth!!), Soap Bath, Deoderant, to clean dentures, breath freshener and mouth wash, dilute to use as a body rob, udeal for babies and the beach, washing school uniforms, foot soak, douche (ahem), great for a hot-towel massage, washing pets, washing clothes and dishes, tingly peppermint soap can keep the body cool, can be used to wash food (fruit and vegatables), pest spray, kitchen and bathroom cleaner and many, many more!





I have been using these for literally everything! Here are some of my thoughts:

• Shampoo - this leaves my hair soft, tangle free, and smelling absolutely INCREDIBLE. The almond scent is strong but not overpowering and it subtly lingers in my hair for a couple o days.
• To brush my teeth - I've got to say, I had to really psyche myself up to doing this. Soap? IN MY MOUTH? Well I did it, and I loved it! There was no foul taste, no soapy tongue and no gagging/sick. The soap was gentle yet effective and really gentle it left my teeth feeling cleaner than ever and I also used it diluted as a mouthwash with equally fantastic results.
• Clothes washing - this left my clothes clean, brilliantly white and smelling faintly sweet/almondy! Again I felt a bit weird about using it but it really worked with no awful accidents or disasters and it was nice to smell something other than 'detergent scent' on my clothes.
• Washing my hands and body - I've used the liquid soap as a shower gel and the bar soap to wash my hands. Both are amazing, they leave my skin clean, soft, and fragrant and I haven't had any skin irritation or anything undesirable.
  

Like Bobbi Brown I have quickly become absolutely obsessed with these soaps! For some reason having one product that will do everything is really lovely, I surprised myself enjoying it so much because I normally like to use as many different products as I can!

One very cute note about the labels on the bottles and bars; Dr Bronner's family died in the holocaust. After this tragedy he embarked on a mission to spread th emessage of world peace. He used to give away his soaps during talks but quickly realised people were just taking the soaps and not listening to him (some things never change eh?) so he wrote his philosophy on the bottle in tiny writing, these eccentric labels are still used today :)

The soaps are available in the following varieties:

• Peppermint - tingly!
• Lavender - relaxing
• Eucalyptus - soothing
• Citurs - invigorating
• Almond - sweet and aromatic
• Rose - flloral (obviously!)
  
• Baby Mild (sensitive and extra gentle) and
• Tea Tree - this can be used to treat minor cuts!

What do you think of Dr Bronner's? Is this a brand you'd like to try? Do you, like me, love the idea od 'one product does everything' or would you rather have lots of different items?

xo

If I asked you to jump off a cliff,

Would you do it?

You may remember a while ago I blogged here about the O'Neill Superkini 'One Way Runway' competition? If you don't, let me quickly update you...

In a nutshell, O'Neill ran a competition on their facebook for the new 'Face of O'Neill', the girl not only had to have the guts to enter the competition, she had to jump off the One Way Runway at the edge of a cliff and into the sea in Ibiza wearing an O'Neill Superkini O'Neill's latest addition to the swimwear market with material that 'sticks' to your body meaning you don't flash your bits and bobs when in the sea/at a waterpark etc :)

The One Way Runway finalists were as follows (in alphabetical order):
ALICE IVAN (USA)
AURORE MORISSE (BE)
JENNIFER VAN DER TOORN (NL)
KARYCIA IGLESIAS (ES)
NATASHA FOOTMAN (GB)
SARAH EBSTEIN (FR)
SOPHIE FERCH (DE)
SOPHIE JASPERS (BE)
STEVIE BREEZE (AU)
TATJANA MAUL (NL)
TEREZKA PROUZOVA (CZ)
VALENTINA VALENTE (PT)

Choosing the winner were supermodel, Elyse Taylor, O’Neill professional surfer, Raine Jackson, O’Neill Female Brand Manager, Carla Eikenaar, Next Model Management Women’s Booker, Grace Puc, and Company Magazine editor Victoria White so the girls had a lot of people to impress when they were strutting their stuff in the gorgeous O'Neill bikinis!

Dutch contestant Tatjana Maul won the competition and was overheard after winning saying "I didn’t tell anyone before, but I am actually scared of heights,” said Tatjana. “However the one good thing was I knew that the O’Neill Superkini was going to stick to me, which was quite a good thing considering there were cameramen under the water!”

Here are some amazing images of the (absolutely gorgeous) Tatjana and her leap of faith!

Personally I think the idea of the One Way Runway was absolutely brilliant! It must have been a nerve-wracking but ultimately really invigorating experience for Tatjana to jump off the end of the runway, and also it of course meant the photographer could snap some breathtaking shots! How she managed to get into such a perfect, serene pose under the water is completely beyond me! I'd end up doing a bellyflop and pulling some sort of gurn-face just as he took the photo ;)

That said, as we all know I'm currently on 'mission holiday hot bod' as I'll be jetting off to Mauritius for a lovely holiday with my Dad in December! I am 110% going to get an O'Neill Superkini for the holiday to help me look, and feel extra-super fantastic! I think they're stunning! particularly this one! (although my boobs are a bit too big for that at the moment) I love the colour :)

What do you think of the competition? Would you jump off a cliff in the gorgeous O'Neill Superkini?

xoxo


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Product Rave: VO5

Hullo everyone :) Happy Tuesday!
I'm currently waiting to hear back from my Landlord about the possibility of Stew and I getting a little house rabbit.. fingers crossed! Anyway, taking about fluffy things, lets talk about hair shall we? Specifically VO5 hair products.

VO5 have recently revamped their entire range, with funky pink packaging and products that are boosted with a whole range of amazing oils and treatments for the hair.

I received these products some time ago but wanted to give them a really good trial before I wrote them up :) Let's get started shall we?




Nourish Me Truly Shampoo and Conditioner

VO5 claim that these have 'adaptive haircare technology' which adjusts to you, giving you the right level of nourishment for your hair and they're designed for damaged or heat styled hair (err.. hello bleach and straighteners!).

Theres not really much I can say about shampoo and conditioner! I personally think these are amazing for the price you pay (£2-£3 depending where you're shopping). They smell absolutely divine and leave my hair smooth, sleek, soft, and frizz free. Plus, i really love the pink packaging and the slight pink pearl that shows on the conditioner bottle in the light, too cute!

Treat Me Right Deep Conditioning Treatment




This is easily the best 'drugstore' deep conditioning treatment I have ever used. It knocks the TRESemme, Herbal Essences and Pantene ones out of the water! It isn't quite as good as the Aussie 3 minute miracle treatments but it comes pretty darn close!

I've been religiously slapping this on my hair twice a week since I received it and the difference is so noticeable on the days that I don't use this. It's got 5 natural oils in it (avocado oil, argan oil, grapeseed oil, apricot oil and jojoba oil) and it intensely conditions, repairs, and strengthens dy and damaged hair. It genuinely does exactly what it says on the tin which is something that can rarely be said these days with products making so many promises! I leave this on for anything between 5 and 30 minutes depending on whether I'm in the bath or shower and my hair feels like silk when I rinse it out ♥

When you scoop it out of the pot its a thick cream that smells absolutely heavenly but as it warms up and you apply it to the hair it gets slightly thinner so my top tip is to use sligtly less than you think you'll need :) It's also safe to use every day if needs be because it doesn't coat the hair or weigh it down, meaning it won't cause product build up or make your hair greasy :)



Miracle Mist and Miracle Concentrate

That little bottle of miracle concentrate (50ml) on the left there has been raved about by almost every blogger on the block. I'm not going to 'buzz' over it like some have, as I'm not one for gushing about something unless I truly feel I can't live without it.

Although this product is fantastic, it just isn't amazing, it claims to intensely condition dry, damaged or frizzy hair, leave it silky and soft, add radiant shine and reduce drying time. I've used it both on damp hair and dry hair and I just feel a bit 'meh' about it...

My first issue with this is 'a few drops' just isn't enough for my hair.. I find myself using half to two thirds of a 'pipette' of the product and this really feels like a lot of oil to be putting in my hair! It does make my hair smooth, it definitely makes it shiney, but I haven't noticed any conditioning or repairing going on.. if anything it just feels like it's doing the same thing as a 'normal' serum, making my hair smooth and shiney and getting rid of flyaways! Furthermore, I'm not completely sure just how much argan oil this product has in it. 'Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil' is listed pretty low on the ingredients list and this is slightly worrying for me personally as it could be as little as 2%.. not much at all! Retailing at £5 its a fairly cheap product if you can't quite afford to splash out on Morrocan Oil which tends to cost about £30 a bottle.

The Miracle Mist however, is a really great all round product! It's a leave in conditioning spray and I spray it liberally all over my hair after I've washed it to 'top up' my conditioner and de-tangle my heavily bleached barnet! It smells amazing and the scent lingers in my hair, leading to many 'mmm your hair smells so good' comments from Stew!

In general, this entire range is awesome and VO5 are really onto a winner, the products are good quality, and amazing prices!

Please remember that everyones hair is different and mine in particular is extremely bleached, extremely dry, and extremely damaged! Products that are 'meh' for me will almost definitely be miracle workers for those of you who don't punish your hair with bleach, straighteners and backcombing regularly :)

What do you think of the new VO5 range? Have you tried anything yet or are you skipping it?

Thank you for reading!
xo

ps - although I was sent these by the PR for review, this doesn't change anything! I'm not one for biting my tongue and would definitely tell you if these products were pants!