Ice facials

Although Ice facials are recommended in the winter months to improve circulation, it is a hundred times easier to do it in the summer. Many salons in hotter cllimates use ice at the end of a facial session to close pores, improve circulation and basically bring all the goodness of the facial to the surface of the skin giving you an instant glow. It is especially popular in hotter climates as it is a lot easier to apply and is actually quite refreshing. Applying ice to the face is the easiest way to get fresh looking and blemish free skin at home.

1- Get the most out of your ice facials by adding green tea to the ice cube tray before freezing. This will freeze into the cube and when applied to the face, will give you the added benefit of green tea and all its anti oxidants. Instead of green tea, you could use fruit, essential oils, lemon juice, aloe vera, honey or even just leave it plain. It is entirely up to you. I would recommend adding the ingredients that your skin require. If you have dry skin, add honey. If you have irritated skin, make chamomile ice cubes.

2- Allow the facial to last between 10- 15 minutes, no longer. The ice will rapidly melt  due to the warmth of your skin and thus allowing at least 5 minutes will ensure the ice does its best to treat your skin. You should also notice that very fine wrinkles will diminish due to hydration. Also remember an excess of anything is bad, so don't allow our ice facial to last longer than 15 minutes.

3- It is best to prepare your skin a little before directly applying the ice. Since ice is extremely cold, it could cause a shock to the fine capillaries on the face and cause breakage or bruising. A splash of cold water before applying ice should prevent any sort of reaction. Also, redness is normal.

4- never rub your face dry with a towel after an ice facial. Since the skin is pretty sensitive on the face, rubbing can be very harsh, instead pat your face dry.

5- If you have a pimple, lightly massage over the pimple with the ice. This will freeze it and basically get rid of it a lot sooner than it would if you left it to heal naturally!

6- If you have thin skin and have sensitive skin issues, it is best to wrap the ice in a muslin cloth or a thin towel and then apply to the face. This will become the neutral barrier between the warmth of the skin and the cold ice.

Did you know, Ice works as a great primer? It smooths out the skin, tightly closes the pores, gets rid of fine lines and leaves a smooth canvas for your foundation. Who knew? Cheap, easy and healthy. Don't forget to apply a thin layer of moisturizer however, the last thing you want is dried out skin.
Take care

2 things to keep you healthy and active this summer

Summer is the perfect time to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off from all those winter days spent tucked away in our blankets. With brighter and longer days, cold showers and lots of drinks, it is much easier to keep fit and look good during the summer. So, do all you can to get physically active and take care of yourself. It will be worth the effort and you'll also feel much happier and confident.

1- Drink plenty of fluids. Fridge cold water, fresh juices, smoothies, cold milk, all these will cool you down and fill you up. Along with being healthy and full of natural goodness, they will give you a healthy glow and detox your body from toxins giving you more energy and clearing up your skin. Make an extra effort to make yourself a smoothie for breakfast, it is the perfect beginning to a long day. Also, if you need to tone up a little, this will fill you up and keep you going without having to munch on crisps, cakes and biscuits, as delicious as they may be!

Want to know Rosie Huntington's not so secret secret? 8 glasses of water a day is what keeps her skin looking clear, fresh and healthy!

    2- Sweat it out. When your alone at home for longer than an hour, turn the fans off, get a good workout in and just allow yourself to sweat a little. This will get rid of toxins from your body (toxins that won't release any other way), cleans your pores, keeps the skin active, and improve your blood circulation making you look your best. Then, go have a quick lukewarm shower (If possible a cold shower).  Sweating is vital and because it is so hard to sweat during the winter, try and allow yourself to sweat as much as you can while the sun is out. Of course in private, sweating and smelling isn't very attractive in front of anyone! Sweating is also important to maintain our body temperature, cool us down in the heat and warm us up in the cold.

I'd love to know if any of you guys do something specific in the summer months to stay healthy. It is really important to be physically active and make the most of every single day and staying hydrated and exercising are the two basics.
Take care

New look hand jewellery!

Hello everyone, So not too long ago I was looking for hand chains all over the internet and I just couldn't find one that I liked. As soon as summer came around, New look came out with do many gorgeous hand chains I just couldn't wait to buy a couple. I absolutely love small dainty jewellery pieces because I think they look really pretty and give a very feminine touch to your entire outfit .Therefore I chose two hand chains that are pretty and are quite dainty.

I liked this hand chain because it is Asian inspired with the pearl like stones. It is a statement in itself and has sort of a vintage look about it which you guys know, I am obsessed with! I like the fact that it has three thin chains around the wrist and the pearl like drop just under the wrist. It is perfect if your going to a wedding or a party etc. 

The second hand chain I bought was this really dainty floral one which is very subtle and very girly. It is something that can be worn with everyday outfits to add that little bit of glamour. It is gold in colour and is a small floral chain with a small diamante in the middle of each flower. Very pretty!  

I have come across a lot of other hand jewellery over the internet but can't find where to buy them. My next mission is to see weather I can make them myself! I've included some pictures below to inspire you guys to either make your own, or go out and purchase some for yourself.

I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post. I know everyone of you readers love jewellery and its really nice sometimes to have unique pieces, I think hand chains are pretty unique. 

Take care x 

Trend file: Cuffed trousers

Its been quite a few days since I did a fashion related blog post so here I am with one that  I have observed over the past few months and is becoming increasingly popular now that summer is almost here.

 The cuffed jean/ trouser trend is becoming very popular again as it once was in the 80's and I couldn't be more excited. I think it has a very old school look about it and very classy casual look too. Weather dressed up with a pair of stilettos or dressed down with some espadrilles, this trend is bound to impress. Trust me, you'll feel ultimately fashionable with this trend which is effortless and extremely easy to recreate!

Cuffed trousers are available in every clothing store at the minute including Gap, H&M, New look, River Island, etc, and even if your not looking to spend money, simply roll up your existing pair of jeans! They'll look just as good. Also, they are most popularly seen with light wash denim which again  is a very old school, vintage look and I think it looks fabulous.

NewLook- 15 pounds

This is a very simplistic yet fashion forward trend as it is in no way limited by other fashion trends. Weather you wear it with a shirt, a blouse, a t-shirt or a tank top, it is a very versatile trend which has numerous benefits. Despite giving the illusion of slimmer ankles, it also elongates your legs which is always flattering.

Let me know if you like this trend and if you're going to be wearing it this summer. I'd love to know what you think.

Take care

The body shop: Mango Eau De Toilette and Mango body mist

So recently I went shopping for a perfume and unfortunately didn't get the one that I wanted but instead picked up a small eau de toilette from the body shop which really appealed to me. I originally stepped in to go and have a sniff of white musk but instead came out with mango scents in my bag!
I am not a big fan of fruity scents and after smelling strawberry, coconut, pink grapefruit, satsuma etc, I realized that mango was the nicest smelling scent that The Body Shop do and you really cant even tell its a mango scent, unlike the other ones which smell exactly what they are named after. I mean I love strawberry scents but I don't want to smell like a walking strawberry.

I ended up purchasing the Eau De Toilette and the mango body mist. I don't like having to spray perfume on throughout the day as it does feel like i'm wasting a lot of perfume (and they don't come cheap), instead I like spritzing perfume after I shower and then if I need another spritz throughout the day, a body mist is a great way to stay smelling fresh.

The mango scent is very sweet and refreshing scent making it perfect for the summer months. It is also one of The body Shop's best selling fragrances. The Eau De Toilette only comes in a tiny 30ml bottle which retails for 8 pounds and 50 pence while the mist is a 100ml glass bottle which retails for 7 pounds and 50 pence. Pretty cheap considering it is an amazing freagrance. I just wish they did  bigger bottles. On the plus side, the 30ml bottle means that you have to repurchase every couple of months meaning your perfume is always fresh and smelling its best. From past experience, I know that The Body Shops Eau De Toilette scents evaporate when kept in the heat which is a total disaster when your perfume smells of absolutely nothing! So if you are going to purchase an Eau De Toilette, make sure you store it away from direct sunlight to avoid disappointment.

Other than that, I will defnately be repurchasing the perfume as well as the mist as they are perfect for everyday use. If you haven't smelt them already, go and give them  a sniff and let me know what you think!
Take care

Worlds most expensive facial

So what do you consider expensive when it comes to facials? 20 pounds? 50? or even a hundred, but 350 pounds for a facial? That's right, three hundred and fifty pounds for a 24 carat gold facial. This kind of facial has been around for a while now and in the beginning I thought it was completely absurd but after a bit of research, I am quite convinced that there is no denying gold has anti aging properties. Even so, I still wouldn't consider it because lots of natural ingredients that are a lot cheaper have anti ageing properties and with regular treatment work just as well. Remember the days when honey was considered a luxury anti aging property? Oh how I miss the times when things were much simpler.

A 24 carat gold facial is considered to protect your skin against sun damage and also encourage cell regeneration giving you fresh, plump and healthy looking skin. After a bit of prepping and steaming, gold leaf is generously applied to the facial skin and left to work its magic. It is then carefully rubbed off, similar to the process of exfoliation to make sure the skin has retrieved all the benefits of the luxurious metal. Quite a delicate process to be honest. 

After the process I would expect you would have a beacon of light gleaming from your face and an expensive look about you, but in all honesty, you should leave feeling confident, looking fresher and healthier, and feeling pampered. That's something everyone deserves weather its with a homemade banana and yogurt facial costing you no more than 50 pence, or an expensive 24 carat gold facial. So if you were given the option, what would you opt for? 

  Take care