Welcome 2016! FREE GIVEAWAY

Aloha!

Sigh** The ball balls are placed in the empty Quality Streets tin and have been returned to their attic abode; ready to gather dust. Christmas presents have been placed specifically in a home to suit and it's no longer acceptable to eat mince pies for breakfast and start drinking at 11am. The reality of leaving the festivities behind and returning to our normal routine is a sad feeling for most and as the long month of January approaches us all, I've been doing a lot of reflecting... Sadly, in the last few months blogging has had to take a back seat. Honestly, I was stressed, overwhelmed and confused for more reasons than one and everyone reaches a point where something has to give right? 2015 brought a lot of surprising challenges for me; I have learnt from them, I feel stronger and after taking a break I've been able to focus on my own wellness and now I'm feeling refreshed and am looking at things from a lighter point of view. 

One of the main learning curves I've faced is to always look at the bigger picture. When you're in a difficult situation or feeling low it's easy to focus on the negatives and before you know it, it seems like the worst thing in the world. You can feel trapped, alone and stuck. I've realised that by taking a step back and thinking logically, taking time to lick your wounds and talk to those you love it suddenly doesn't seem so bad. Okay so I know it's easier said than done and I'm still practicing this myself and I've found it helps to look back at a time when you were feeling a similar way... it worked out in the end right? 

To begin 2016 we decided to pull back the shades, clear out the clutter and have a good ol' spring clean! We treated ourselves to some new bedroom furniture and a couple of treats for our home yano candles, fairy lights... Small things that make a big difference! It really does do you the world of good and even if you can't afford to splash out, Primark certainly have lovely candles that smell delicious and don't burn a hole in your purse. So, to celebrate the new year I thought I'd  kick start my first blog post of 2016 with a free giveaway...

Monu Skin Firming Moisturiser 

This professional, hydrating moisturiser is perfect for dry/ sensitive skin and contains essential oils and marine collagen to plump and firm as well as nerolli and lavender to tone and tighten. 

Monu Spa Rosewood Riving Mist

Perfect for when you're skin is feeling tired and dull. This refreshing mist smells amazing with it's lemon, rosewood, sandalwood and geranium extracts. Suitable to use on all skin types, you can spray it lightly over make-up to set or use it for a cool refresher on those hot summer days.

Lumiere d'Hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect 

This lightweight conditioning spray is the perfect hair tamer. It de tangles, making combing a breeze, stregnthens, repairs and nourishes. It's also 100% Vegan, gluten/ sulphate and the best part; paraben-free.

So to get your hands on this free tantalising trio simply comment below with your new years resolution and follow Just Neeks on TWITTER / BLOGLOVIN &OR FACEBOOK. You have until 31st January 2016 when I will be announcing the winner, good luck!

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