I got a new job in a spa which is lovely although I do not, like I imagined, spend all day floating around smelling of lavender oils and lighting candles. Although I do do that I also do quite a lot of calling, emailing, booking, spreadsheet-ing, ordering and various other paperwork, desk based things. All whilst listening to meditation music though so I can't complain. I also get to spend an appreciated amount of time being the guinea pig for new treatments such as:
Eyelash extentions
Plus various other wraps, scrubs, facials etc etc etc...I'm in heaven! The products I get to play with are Elemis (a classic of the spa world), Orly (hadn't really ever tried, still prefer OPI), Carita (had never heard of and at £200 a pot why would I?) and St Tropez (standard award winner of fake tan).
Another perk is trying out all the products at a nicely discounted price. Unfortunately I appear to be allergic to some Elemis products so it's been a bit of trial and error trying to find things that don't bring me out in boils.
I went for a mini bag of 'Elemis' goodies to start with.
'Skin Nourishing Shower Cream'
So far this has been doing what it says on the tin so to speak. I like how creamy it is but I haven't noticed a massively visible change in my skins appearance, however I do like the fact everytime I have a shower I feel safe in the knowledge that I'm feeding my skin with something and that makes me feel like a good girl which I am all for. It also lasts for ages and ages and a little goes a looooong way.
'Pro- Collagen Cleansing Balm'
A lot of people rave about this and I do like how versatile it is. When mixed with water it becomes milky like a typical cleanser but you can also apply it straight to your face with a cotton wool pad. Both ways mean you can skip on the moisturiser afterwards which is a brilliant positive but it can also leave you feeling a little sticky.
'Pro- Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm'
I wore this under my make up before going out and I liked the texture and mattifying result. I think I was expecting my make up to look dewy but it just didn't. I don't want to give up on this product though and I do really like balms and primers so I'm going to give it another go and assume it was having a bad day.
'Skin Nourishing Milk Bath'
This is my stand out A** winner! The girls couldn't speak highly enough of its long lasting, soothing, moisturising benefits especially for women with dry skin or expecting a baby. My skin can be oily on my top half and dry on my bottom half due to shaving I'm assuming so I was keen to try it out. You can either use it neat on the skin or put some in your bath like Queen Cleopatra. I use it neat as seeing it sink into your bath just feels like a waste. I've really noticed a big difference in the overall appearance of my skin since I started using this after every shower, everything just looks smoother and feels so much softer. It's been an absolute god send for my legs which were not summer ready when the sun came out and needed a little help before they would allow me to get them out in my short shorts.
At full price for 400ml this is £42 which never in a full moon would I pay for a bath product, just no. So being the thrifty shopper that I am I went on eBay and got it for £16 although some lucky bidder got one for £5 just a few hours later.
Highly recommended and you will feel silky smooth for days.
'Soothing Apricot Toner'
Love the smell but I have yet to try it out properly. I have the balancing lavender toner already which I think is what my skin is allergic to so perhaps this would be a good alternative.
Next on my list is the 'Frangipani' range which includes a scrub and body oil. I can't even comprehend to you how amazing it smells, think of sun cream, exotic flowers, a beach and a fruit cocktail and it's somewhere near that.
Another distraction has been the lovely weather we fleetingly had not so long ago. I can't get enough of the sunshine and have booked a ten day holiday to 33 degree Ichmaler which I am literally counting down the days to as I'm fed up of rainy drizzle and clouds blocking my much needed vitamin D!
The few days we did have I thoroughly enjoyed myself in my back garden:
What started off as just catching a few rays in my sundress soon turned into...
I NEED TO CATCH EVERY RAY IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE SUN GOES IN!
My dog Roxy got the same idea and after licking out a yogurt pot she stretched out to tan her white patches...
Until the sun got too hot even for her and she came inside and flopped down in the dining room.
Another happy distraction has been the blossoming of a new romance :)
Unfortunately (and just my luck) he lives in North Wales and therefore any time where I'm not at work and he isn't teaching a class full of kids PE we spend trekking back and forth between my massive city and his teeny tiny countryside town in the welsh hills. I have to get three trains and two buses just to get there!
Things like a herd of cows crossing the road during rush hour traffic is fairly common. An odd co-incidence is that not too long ago I blogged about going for a spa day at Ruthin castle, well as we were in this unheard of village that even our satnav couldn't find, we went past a house which had a photography studio in the front of it and I commented on how nice it was. Then not too long a time after that we met and I realised he lived in Ruthin...at the very same house I'd commented on! It is literally like going into another locals only world full of barn parties and yes there are sheep everywhere!
He is also probably the loveliest man on the planet as after listening to me witter on about how much I adored this 'Nica' satchel but couldn't afford it I returned home to find it waiting for me along with two Ben Howard tickets!
This is Ruthin, home to about 50 people. I've learnt a couple of welsh words but none that are very helpful when lost i.e. Nos Da is Goodnight and Meredon is Ladies. Most welsh words sound more like noises to me for example ee doesn't sound like ee, it can sound like chlee instead and you're just expected to know that.
We also seem to do an awful lot of stuff without meaning to such as seeing bands, going camping, attending comedy nights etc which is doing nothing for my account balance and means my bag is permanently filled with spare socks, emergency make up, dry shampoo and my room is in a permanent state of needing to be tidied. Oh well.
In other news my hair got really long and knotty and I didn't know what to do with it anymore. I played around with a centre parting but it's just not me, I'm a side fringe girl and that's all I'll ever be.
So I got it all cut off so that by the time holidays come back around it will have grown long and shiny and swishy and get highlighted by the sun and it will all just be effortless. In the mean time I now have short but seriously cute hair that I need to not straighten or blowdry for a summer so I've gone for braids/updo's/twisty messy buns.
I aimed for this and found it surprisingly easy to do.
I kept looking in the mirror at work and congratulating myself on my skills. I think this style is best suited to people with naturally thick, curly hair because it stays in better and there's more volume but seriously, it took me less than two minutes to do that.
Other things that have happened/are happening
- I am addicted to peppermint tea but can only drink it in a teacup with a saucer and spoon
- I have pretty much stopped wearing all make up but concealer, bronzer, mascara and liquid eyeliner hence my lack of make up posts
- I have listened to the new Noah and The Whale album about 40,000 times and my biggest regret is not going to see them play in Manchester this spring, what was I thinking??
- My second biggest regret is not getting tickets to go and see The Lion King and my third is not going to see Trey Songz
- I have stopped buying clothes, yes, actually stopped. I figure if I can't close my wardrobe then there has to be something in there I can wear and usually I find that there is. Anything else goes on eBay, no excuses.
- I don't care that I'm not attending any raves or festivals this year. You can keep your soggy shorts and rave paint.
- I am re-reading all of the Harry Potter books from scratch on my commutes to and from work.
- I have am power walking for 2 hours per day (not from choice, this is how long it takes me to get to work and back)
- I want to get on the plane now thanks.
Happy Holidays
Bella
x
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