Friday 30 May 2014

Friday Wishlist



1. New Look - Daisy Crop Top - £12.99
I'm loving crop tops at the moment, I think they look so cute paired with high waisted skirts or shorts. I love the Daisy print and imagine this is an item I would get a lot of wear out of!

 Every time I walk pass Dorothy Perkins I can't help but notice the gorgeous summer dresses they've got, this one looks perfect for spring summer either for the day or dressed up for the evening.
 I absolutely adore this colour, I think it flatters my pale skin tone without washing me out. I definitely need to inject a dash of colour into my wardrobe now the weather is starting to perk up!

The print of this is gorgeous, florals are still on trend this spring. I love that it's quite high necked so although you may have some tummy showing you're not showing too much flesh.

 I hate shoe shopping, it's really just stresses me out as I have such skinny feet and am in between sizes so can never find anything I like or that fits. However, I've been on the hunt for some new shoes which will go with everything, these look practical and comfy as well which is essential for every day wear. I've seen quite a few people wearing sandals like these and I think I need a pair too!

If I'm ever brave enough I will give in and have to buy one of these beautiful floral garlands, they'd be perfect for festivals or summer days at the beach paired with a summer dress.

 Are you planning to purchase any similar items? Or do any of these catch your eye? Comment below or tweet me @hayleyjachzz

Hayley x
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Thursday 29 May 2014

LUSH Mask of Magnaminty, NEW Self Preserving!


LUSH - Mask of Magnaminty ( £5.25/125g or £9.25/315g)

"A multi-purpose mask with a mixture of gentle yet effective ingredients to clean, calm and clear the skin"

I love a good face mask and who doesn't?! I've been a fan of LUSH for a while now and never really wanted to buy a fresh face mask. One, I didn't think I'd use it up by its expiry date and two, I didn't think it would be worth the money. But, here I present you with the solution to my problems...Mask of Magnaminty! Mask of Magnaminty is not one of the fresh face masks that you have to keep in the fridge and also I've been amazed at how long this little pot is lasting me, therefore has been totally worth the money!

PROS:

-The minty freshness of this mask is, for me, what makes this product stands out. It leaves your face feeling extremely fresh, clean and super soft.

-A bonus of this product is that it is self preserving, although LUSH is natural there is stuff in some products, which although occurs naturally, some people believe to be nasty. LUSH recently have been re releasing products that are now self preserving which means they've got rid of some nasty stuff and it's even better for your skin!

-As I said above, you don't have to keep this one in the fridge, unlike all of the other LUSH face masks. For me, this is more suitable because I know I have a bit longer to use it up and to be honest, I probably would forget about it in the fridge.

CONS:

- I really love this product, I really do but as much as I'm in denial about it, I'm not sure if it's causing me breakouts. This is kind of disappointing as its meant to keep skin clean and spots away, but I always seem to wake up with more spots after using this! After I've used up this pot, I'll definitely be trying other LUSH face masks and won't rule out using Mask of Magnaminty unless I definitely know it's what breaking me out!

- This isn't so much a con but more of a personal preference; I hate mint (yes.. weird I know) and while you may think it was stupid of me to by a mint product, I thought I would be able to get over the smell but it is quite strong and over powering and when it's sat on your face for up to 15 minutes it's important that you can withstand the smell of a product!

Overall, I'd really recommend this face mask, it is well worth the money and leaves your skin squeaky clean!

Have you tried any of LUSH face masks? What did you think of them? Comment below or tweet me @simplyhayleyx



Hayley x
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Saturday 24 May 2014

Book Review: "A Dead Wife's Handbook"

"Today is my death anniversary. A year ago I was still alive"

I picked up this book by Hannah Beckerman a while ago and I was immediately really gripped, then exams got in the way and I had to enforce a reading ban (unless it was a Psychology textbook..). You may notice this is the first book review I've done on my blog, and well, simply because this book stood out to me and I'd highly recommend it as everyone can learn a life lesson or two from this book! The book, without giving ANYTHING away, tells the story from dead person's perspective, the main character, Rachel looks upon her old life and sees her husband and daughter live a lift without her.

A unique perspective - The narrative of this book is relayed by a dead person, now, that was one of the first things that drew me to this book. The idea of it could seem somewhat.. cheesy? But no, this is far from it and so beautifully written! Instead of purely a tale about grief from a grieving person's perspective, you gain insight to what it is like to have to accept your own death. While it may be hard for the living to adapt to life without a loved one, how should that person feel knowing and viewing their life move on without them and slowly seeing there is no longer a place for them in the living world.

The plot-  I normally like books that are shocking, and whilst elements of this book are somewhat predictable, it keeps you gripped you want to know how the problems of the characters are resolved and know the consequences of their, sometimes shocking, decisions.The bonds you build to the characters urges you to read on as you worry for their well-being and relationships with one another, as Rachel (the main character) does so herself.

The characters- Now, a book, in my opinion, is rubbish if you can't relate to the characters. This book is, by no exaggeration, one of the best books I've read for building up characters and making you feel as if they are alive. You learn to understand all the characters in this novel and information is revealed that, without giving anything away, makes you feel guilty for judging some characters intentions so quickly. 



Motherhood- A main theme that touched me throughout the book was motherhood, the struggle for a daughter losing her mother and a mother's despair at seeing her child suffer in her absence is heartbreaking. Despite not being a mother myself, the author allows you understand that the relationship between a mother and child is irreplaceable and how devastating the consequences are when it is removed.

The ending - Obviously I'm not going to spoil what happens at the end but I can say I'm happy with the ending, if you're an avid reader like myself, surely you understand that some endings leave you angry? Beckerman leaves you with questions about the characters lives but in a way that leaves the decision for you to make. I often feel unsatisfied with the endings, but this was so thought out and meaningful. All I can say is at the end of this book is you feel grateful for the life you lead and treasure what you have in your life and those around you. 

Overall, this was a great, quick read, I highly recommend it to anyone as I think it has a deep meaning that can relate to anyone. 

Hayley x
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Thursday 22 May 2014

The Body Shop; Banana Shampoo + Conditioner




A while ago these products caught my eye; The Body Shop, Banana Shampoo and Conditioner. I'd resisted buying them as I always have a stash of shampoos and conditioners,  I tend just to buy whatever is on offer (poor student problems!). However, I popped in to look at the new raspberry collection and well, got distracted, smelt these again and could not resist. I was really intrigued by the fact they were banana scented, it's not very often you see banana scented products and I love tropical fruity scents so I thought these might be worth a try.

Back in September The Body Shop had a student event which they were giving out the beauty cards (normally £5) for free which means for a year I've had the membership and when I was in store buying these they had extra discount for membership holders! However, they always have online offers so you rarely pay full price and for the money these are completely worth it. These retail at £4.50 each which is super affordable, especially considering the miracles these have performed for the condition of my hair. 

PROS

Firstly, I've got to say I would definitely repurchase this product! If you're like me, this is a big thing, I tend to rarely find products that I love enough that I will repurchase them! However, it does have it's not so brilliant points, but it makes up for these in so many other ways. The most noticeable change this made to my hair is how unbelievably soft and conditioned it leaves it feeling, having frizzy wavy hair this is very important!

Secondly, I'll be honest with you, I am one of those people who prefers only to wash their hair only three times a week and these products leave my hair so fresh that between washes my hair doesn't get greasy! It gets rid of any product build up and really cleanses the hair, if you wash your hair daily but want to train your hair to be washed less often I think this would be a great product to try out.

Finally, what always makes me a bit skeptical is when a product states for "all hair types", like skin, everyone's hair has different needs. However, saying that, I would say this actually would be suitable for any hair types, it keeps the greasiness away but is also very moisturizing, so I can imagine it would be ideal for someone with oily or dry hair! Maybe it was wrong of me to be skeptical?

 CONS

Now, I love almost everything about the product, except how it actually feels when using it in the shower and at the wet hair stage. It does not detangle and feels a bit slimey before drying. For me, having long hair, it's essential that a conditioner detangles, however this really doesn't do the job. This is the one thing about this product that really bothers me and why I'd perhaps choose to use another product over this one.

Another thing which slightly bothers me is the smell; it isn't particularly amazing, or as strong as when you smell it in the bottle and it smells rather artificial. However, since using LUSH products I am critical of this as I have become accustomed to very heavily scented products and use of fresh ingredients. For the price though it does a darn good job!


 Overall, I'd highly recommend this product to anyone, it is really worth the price and I would definitely buy this products again. Only negative is the fact it doesn't detangle my hair which is a major let down and may make me choose another product over these such as my beloved Dove conditioners.


Have you tried any other shampoos or conditioners from The Body shop? Or got any recommendations?

Hayley x 


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Thursday 8 May 2014

LUSH Wishlist #1

All photos are from the LUSH website

I'm always having a nose on the LUSH website and always pop into my local LUSH when at the shops. In fact, I'm currently waiting for a LUSH delivery (It was meant to be here by now, but that's a whole other story but the customer service people were really good though and even kindly refunded me the packaging costs as an apology!), I ordered some products from the Kitchen and from the regular line of products.
  I think LUSH have such a wide range of products and once you're out of the being overwhelmed with everything-smells-amazing-and-looks-so-lovely phase, you realise there is so much LUSH have to offer! Above are a few things I've got my eye on!

1. Bubbly Lipstick- £14.50
I feel like the makeup collection (emotional brilliance) of LUSH is neglected, I'm not sure if there is a reason for this but I really want to try the lipsticks, this one is described as  a 
"Two-tone pink lipstick that gives your lips looking luscious all day long."
Plus I really like the packaging, it's very unique from any other cosmetics.

2. Granny Takes A Dip - £3.25
This is one of the new bath bombs from LUSH, need I sat anymore - just look at the lovely colours in it! You know it's just going to be a brightly coloured typical LUSH bath and will not disappoint.

3. Big Shampoo - £11.95
The caption for this product is "To make you feel like a mermaid" - well that's sold me already, who wouldn't want to feel like a mermaid!? I've heard and read good things about this shampoo, it is pricier than I would normally be willing to pay but if it does a good job it might be a worthwhile purchase. Must remember to get a sample next time I visit LUSH!

4.Vanilla Dee-lite Body Lotion - £12.75
I love everything Vanilla, so I don't see why I wouldn't love this product! I haven't really heard much about this product but the LUSH website describe it as
 "A light and fruity lotion to leave a soft and lingering loveliness about you all day." 
- and I do not doubt that one bit! One of things I love about LUSH is the scents do actually linger on your skin/hair

5. Charisma Skin tint - £12.00
Nearly everyday I use the LUSH "Feeling Younger" skin tint, it can be used as a highlighter or as a base with moisturiser. However, now it's approaching Summer I really want to try out Charisma which is a more bronze tint which would be perfect for a skin kissed look!

6. New shampoo bar -£5.50
I'm very intrigued by the shampoo bars LUSH offers, in particular this one I have heard positive reviews of. It is claimed you can get 60+ uses out of one of these! Apparently it's meant to promote hair growth, and as my hair feels so weak I would love to see if it makes a difference, LUSH state
"Cinnamon leaf, bay and clove bud essential oils combine with peppermint to boost blood flow, stimulating the hair follicles."

7. King of Skin Body Butter- £5.50
"For skin that feels royally good" - I love a good body butter, and this looks perfect for using after a shower to nourish and hydrate the skin. It's another product that shows how unique LUSH is in comparison to other brands as I've never seen anything like it!

8. Tea Tree Water-£7.50
One product I've been using every day for a while now is Eau Roma Water from LUSH. However, I've nearly ran out of this and while I love it I really want to try this one next! Obviously Tea Tree is meant to be good for keeping spots away, and I'm intrigued to find out whether this could help my spot prone skin.


Look out for my LUSH Haul post which should be up next week!

Have you tried any of these products? Or have you got any recommendations for me?

Hayley x


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