The Sunday Snippet #2

Well what do ya know, it's Sunday again. Feels like only yesterday I was writing my first 'Sunday Snippet'- it's like I blinked and suddenly a whole week flew by! Other than work, I've had quite a relaxed week and put a lot of time into planning new and exciting posts. My blog has never been fashion focused, it's certainly beauty based, with the odd lifestyle post here and there but I'm not one to write about my OOTD or current wishlists. However, as my blog is beginning to evolve, I thought why the hell not? I've always loved 90's fashion and what was the main fashion point of the 90's? DENIM, lot's and lot's of cringe worthy denim (I think we've all seen the infamous Britney & JT pic) So, I saw this cute dress in TOPSHOP but they never seemed to have my size in stock. Then, out of the blue, I saw a girl trying my size on in the fitting room... I overheard her saying she wan't gonna buy it and thus it landed in my thankful hands. I love the way TOPSHOP have kept the 90's style, whilst making it current by simplifying the design and keeping it short. Pair up it with your snazziest trainers and baggy T or dress it up with a a heeled sandal and Summer 16, we're ready for you.

I've also been loving the Barry M 'Coconut Infusion' range recently. It's blended with coconut water/ oil to hydrate and care for your nails whilst delivering a gel-like finish. I've found, once applied, they're super shiny, long lasting and with nine tempting colours to choose from you're sure to find your perfect summer shade. What's more? They will all compliment your tan beautifully! My personal favorites are Flamingo, Sunkissed, Aloha and Starfish. I personally find the two nude shades perfect as they're not too pink, not too brown and not too pale. Flamingo is a fun peachy orange, foolproof for the beach! However, my number one has to be Aloha, a bright raspberry pink.

Today was spent how Sundays should be. I headed off to the beach with my loved ones and with the sun beaming down on us, we collected interesting shells and had a good old natter. There's something pretty amazing about the sea. Although it's a force to be reckoned with, I've always found it calming and feel kinda free just watching it. As we sat by the shore, with the wind in my hair, my mum offered a wondrous piece of advice. 'Feel the wind and imagine it's blowing through you. Through your hair and your face and your brain. Imagine it's blowing all your worries, problems and negative energy behind you'... Lovely.  

Neeks ☯

TRESemme Botanique's Nourish & Replenish

When it comes to hair care products Aussie and I have always been inseparable but there comes a time when a beloved shampoo must be interchanged to prevent build up. I must admit I'm not great at following this rule and quite often find a lot of other brands don't appeal to me or don't benefit my hair in the way Aussie does. However, after stumbling across TRESemme's Botaniques range I was intrigued. The bottles instantly caught my eye with it's pro-natural appearance and the clearly stated 'silicone free' (a common nasty ingredient in many cosmetics) I love any product with minimal ingredients, free from synthetic chemicals and when the bulk of the product has been made with a natural substance, it's instantly appealing to me. In this case, the main ingredient is coconut milk/ oil and aloe vera (yum!) Coconut oil is renowned for it's wondrous beauty benefits, especially in the hair department. This little gem is famous for powerfully hydrating thirsty ends and taming frizzy locks into silky smooth tresses that you just can't help but run your fingers though; personally I don't think anything compares to it! The aloe vera is well known for it's health benefits as well as improving skin condition and promoting healing which is why it effortlessly moisturises the scalp, prevents dandruff and restores natural shine, what more could we want?!

The Nourish Replenish Shampoo is completely transparent and quite runny. At first I was a little disappointed as I thought it would affect the sud-factor. Well I couldn't have been more wrong! The shampoo lathered quickly producing zillions of bubbles which surrounded my senses with a coconut scent that wasn't sickly or overpowering. As I was massaging my roots I really felt like the product was cleansing my hair thoroughly, so much so I didn't feel the need to repeat. The Nourish Replenish Conditioner carried the same heavenly smell and a small amount coated my ends well and left plenty of 'slick'. I deliberately didn't apply any of my usual leave-in products, when I blow dried my hair because I wanted to see it's raw effects and the result certainly lived up to my high expectations. My hair wasn't weighed down at all, was shiny and smooth, felt hydrated and soft and even had a little bit of bounce.  As an added bonus, the lovely coconut scent lasted for days!

I would definitely recommend this combo to anyone looking to improve the condition of their hair, without using heavy/ thick products. I found after just a few uses the overall condition of my hair had improved and surprisingly my hair has been less greasy, it really does nourish and replenish!

Neeks ☯

September Favs

Aloha!

So throughout September my negative (or shall we say realistic) side is telling me that judging by the rain, clouds and humidity our short but sweet summer is over :(. Meanwhile my optimistic side is refusing to accept this and is still trying to keep summer alive with gradual tan and fruity/ floral fragrances. Throughout September these products were genuinely my favs consistently and have earned a place on my re-purchase list so would absolutely recommend them. 

The Body Shop Coconut Hand Cream

So I was in The Body Shop and as I'm about to purchase some usual skin care shiz, I see 8 adorable little hand creams! I mean they were only £3.50 each so it was near on impossible to not buy one and of course I chose the coconut one. Partly because I love coconut and all it's health and beauty benefits but also because I already had the hand sanitiser so now they make a cute little couple on my desk. The consistency isn't too thick and is actually a ''light gel-cream'' but it still moisturises and nourishes my skin leaving them nice and soft. What I love most about it is that it's not greasy at all and super absorbent, which is good for me as I simply can't stand greasy moisturisers!

Boots Extracts Vanilla Body Spray

Okay so for those of you that are unaware Boots used to do their own range called 'Extracts' that had body mists, shower gels and things like that. Now a few summers ago I was sat in my friend Beth's car when she pulled out this vanilla body mist and we both ended up drenching ourselves with it because it smelt so so good. Since then I've bought bottle after bottle until the tragic day Boots discontinued their extracts range. However, recently Boots re-launched their extracts range (woop woop) and made it completely fair trade, which you can read more about here. The body mist does cost a little more than it used to at £4.50 but that's not really an issue for me as it is fair trade and you can literally spray it anywhere.. your clothes, pillows, blankets or just use it as a room spray. The vanilla scent isn't as strong as it used to be but it's still sweet, warm and refreshing. Also, you can't smell any alcohol like I could with the Holister Body Mist Review (Laguna Beach/ Tippers Beach). 

Soap & Glory Flake Away and Palmers Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze

Okay so I'm going to be talking about both these products together as I have been using them as a pair. I've always kinda had this on going battle with gradual tan moiturisers. I guess I want to like them but I've never really found a good one that I could incorporate into a regular routine, that is until my friend Olivia suggested the Palmers Cocoa Butter gradual tanning lotion. It was only £5.35, which is a really good deal, considering the product has nourishing factors by containing pure cocoa butter and vitiman E and it doesn't have that lingering self tan smell. The best part about this particular gradual tanner is that it isn't greasy and I definitely noticed a difference after the first use. It does appear quite natural on me, which is good as I'm really pale so sometimes fake tan can look a bit weird... the only thing I would suggest through is when applying it to my face and hands I get better results when I mixed it with my regular moisturiser.

Now I've been paring this up with the Soap & Glory Flake Away body scrub. I needed a new exfoliater anyway and the glorious Scent of Soap and Glory sold be again. I chose Flake Away on a wim, at £8, thinking **well if it's not that good at least I'll smell nice** but was surprisingly impressed when I tried it. It's vigorous enough for it to feel like actually beneficial but it's not too harsh to use on a daily. Also, when you rinse it off it kinda feels like there is some kind of light oily residue on your skin, as opposed to the expected dry feeling you get sometimes after exfoliating, so I quite liked that because my skin felt soft and hydrated. I've been using this just before applying my Palmers Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze, they make a really good and easy combo and another pro to Soap & Glory is that they don't test their products on animals. 

Well that's it for today, I hope you enjoyed this post and would love to see what your September favs were! I'm sorry I haven't been writing as much.. everything has been a bit up in the air recently but I'll catch you all up on a 'Little Life Update' soon.

What are your September favs?

Neeks x