BEAUTY: GARNIER, SPLIT END RESTORER SERUM

Garnier Ultimate Blends: The Strength Restorer Serum

As the Sun comes out and the weather get's warmer, us natural blondes start to notice our hair get even lighter. Great right? Natural highlights without the hair dye? Correct. However, if, like me, you 'suffer' from naturally curly hair too, these effects of the Sunnier months comes with split ends and dried out hair - not so great. My daily haircare routine will always include a split end serum to solve this problem so I couldn't wait to try out this new one by Garnier (find out where to purchase this product here).

 Of course, I first noticed The Strength Restorer Serum because of it's honey bee related ingredient (propolis - a compound bees make which they use to glue materials of their hives together, showing just how much it can benefit the strength of your hair) - we all know I love products containing honey because of it's wonderful healing properties. This serum aims to provide your hair with defensive properties to help protect it against further 'attack' from split ends and the Sun. So much protection would surely mean a thick and glue-like product right? Nope! The lightweight ingredients of The Strength Restorer Serum means your hair is protected against damage without weighing it down - woohoo!

I choose to use this serum after towel drying my hair, before blowdrying. I use one pump of the serum, applying to the ends of my hair and then through the lengths of my hair - I would recommend avoiding the roots of your hair with this product, especially if you find your hair can often naturally gather oils throughout the day leaving your hair greasy. I find this application method protects your hair from brushing damage too - something naturally curly and knotty hair is prone to! Although I choose to apply The Strength Restorer Serum this way, you can also use at anytime on dry hair to smooth the look of split ends throughout the day - great for the warmer Spring/Summer months when those frizzy split ends make a more frequent appearance.

Tip: Only apply to the ends and lengths of your hair to avoid greasy roots

Do you suffer from split ends and sun damage to your hair in the Spring/Summer? What do you normally do to repair and protect your hair? Let me know in the comments! Enjoy your damage free hair, 

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BEAUTY: L'OCCITANE, CHERRY BLOSSOM HAND CREAM

Cherry Blossom Hand Cream (75ml)

Hand cream is always an essential in the months to come - the elements of the Summer months seem to dry them out horrendously. Saying this, finding a hand cream that doesn't linger on your hands for several hours after application, leaving you unable to hold your phone from the fear of it sliding right out your hand, is a tricky task. I know I often rave about L'OCCITANE and their wonderful products - this hand cream fits right in with the rest, some form of miracle.

If you haven't already discovered the products in the L'OCCITANE Cherry Blossom range, it's a scent you really need to sample this Spring/Summer. As I've mentioned before, I'm not one to go for over powering florals when it comes to any beauty products, including Perfume. However, the Cherry Blossom range by L'OCCIITANE comes in a lighter scent as well as the intense version of the same florally goodness. After months of carrying around several of their smaller travel sized hand lotions I decided to make a decision and pick my favourite. Cherry Blossom won me over, especially now we're heading in to those bright Spring/Summer months - I had to have a scent to match the weather.

Tip: Apply a small amount, don't get carried away

This hand cream contains Shea Butter and Vitamin E, meaning your hands are not only moisturised but protected throughout the day too! I choose to apply this hand cream in the morning, using a small amount as swatched in the picture above. Top tip for using hand cream: always start with a small amount and go back for more if needed - nothing worse than too much moisturising, resulting in greasy hands. I also apply this hand cream to my elbows, an area many of us forget about when curing those dry skin patches of our bodies. A light, effective moisturiser with a beautiful Spring/Summer scent - hooray for finding you!

This hand cream, along with L'OCCITANE's others, comes in a small travel size - so pop to your local store (or order online at www.loccitane.com) and pick one up to try. Let me know your favourites in the comments! Enjoy taking care of those hands, 

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BEAUTY: SKINCARE FAVOURITES #1

Left to right: L'OCCITANE Pivoine Sublime CC Cream, GOOD THINGS Deep Clean Exfoliator, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, CLARINS Smoothing Body Scrub, Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask

It's officially Spring (although the weather here in England is saying different), so it's time to share my current skincare favourites of the Spring months. As the weather gets warmer and the sunset gets later, my skincare routine always changes. The elements of the Spring months cry out for a skincare routine that involves cleansing, uplifting and moisturising products!

L'OCCITANE Pivoine Sublime CC Cream: CC (Complexion Corrector) Creams are thought to be the next step on from BB (Blemish Balm) Creams in the industry. This product contains CC pigments and pearly particles that conceal irregularities of your skin and leave you looking healthily luminous - perfect for those bright Spring days! A definite favourite of mine this Spring as I choose to use this CC Cream on it's own for a natural "no makeup" daily look. In addition to this, if you're looking for a fuller coverage, it makes a great illuminating base to your foundation - giving you an uplifting and refreshing finish to your makeup. L'OCCITANE's CC Cream comes in two shades - Light and Medium. These two shades cover a huge skin tone scale as the cream transforms in contact with the skin to adapt to your skin tone - perfection all over! You can find my review on L'OCCITANE's Pivoine Sublime range, including this CC Cream, here. 

GOOD THINGS Deep Clean Blackhead Exfoliator: Firstly, the combination of berries and other fruits in this products ingredients give it a scent that is out of this world! The perfect uplifting, fruity skincare for Spring months. The tiny micro-beads in this gentle exfoliator have placed it in my daily skincare routine this Spring to keep my skin feeling fresh and clear all day. With ingredients such as soothing liquorice and willow bark, this product helps to keep bacteria away from your skin. To ensure your skin is kept healthy this Spring, GOOD THINGS have added papaya extract to this exfoliator to boost your skins radiance throughout the day - woohoo! Tip: This product is to eliminate the build up of new blackheads, not to get rid of existing blackheads.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish: Of course, this is still in my skincare routine this Spring. A product my skincare routine cannot live without! As this product is taking the cleansing world  by storm, I'm sure I don't need to explain why it's made it into this post. For those of you yet to discover the wonders of this product: Ingredients including Rosemary, Chamomile and Eucalyptus help tone, soothe and purify your skin - honestly, they do exactly that! I use Cleanse & Polish every morning (after using GOOD THINGS Deep Clean Exfoliator) and evening to ensure my skin is left moisturised, fresh and radiant both all day and all night. I would recommend always rinsing this product off using a Liz Earle Muslin Cloth for a thorough cleanse of your skin. 

CLARINS Exfoliating Body Scrub: The Bamboo Powders of this products ingredients produce the exfoliating action of the natural micro-beads - incredible right?! This product has made it into my skincare routine this Spring 3 times a week (or when I'm braving bare legs in the slightly warmer weather) based on it's incredible results. I'm guilty of forgetting exfoliation during Winter months so by Spring my skin is crying out for effective exfoliation products - hoorah for this body scrub! As well as removing those nasty flaky surface cells, CLARINS Exfoliating Body Scrub contains Liquorice Extract and Shea to soften, condition and protect your skin for days before your next application. An extra wonder of this product is it's versatility surrounding it's application; you can apply this body scrub on to dry or damp skin - a life saver when in a hurry! Just don't forget to rinse thoroughly before applying your moisturiser. 

Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask: The second Liz Earle product to make it into my Spring skincare routine! Of course, my skincare routine has to include a face mask - I use this one once/twice a week, or when needed on breakout areas of my face. The ingredients of this Deep Cleansing Mask, including Aloe Vera, White and Green Clay and Manuka Honey, help to soften the skin whilst removing all impurities - a must for these Spring months! To find out the benefits of these ingredients for your skin head over to my full review of the Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask here. Tip: If, like me, you have oily/combination skin this mask will do wonders for maintaining clear skin this Spring!

Swatches: L'OCCITANE CC Cream in Light, GOOD THINGS Exfoliator, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, CLARINS Body Scrub, Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask

Will you be adding these products to your Skincare Favourites this Spring? Or do you have other products you absolute love as the weather gets warmer? Let me know in the comments below! Enjoy treating your skin to the care it deserves this Spring, 

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BEAUTY: JO MALONE, SPRING FAVOURITE

Spring 2015 Favourite: Peony & Blush Suede

A long time favourite of mine - Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Cologne. I know many of us bloggers go on and on about this cologne but there really are many reasons why, the same reasons why I've named it my favourite scent for Spring 2015.

It's unusual for me to find a floral scent I enjoy to wear, many of them I find far too over powering and would feel like a walking potpourri pot if I were ever to wear them for the day. If you too struggle to find a subtle floral scent for Spring, you need to hurry to your nearest Jo Malone and stock up. As well as the perfectly created scents Jo Malone has to offer, the quality of their products mean they last much longer than their rivals. I only ever need 2 sprays of this delightful scent (I choose to spritz my neck area twice) to last me the whole day - incredible! 

The combination of luxury peony and uplifting blush suede is sure to be a favourite of mine for Spring and beyond. A little hint as to what my be my Summer favourite - Jo Malone's new Plum Blossom Cologne (make sure to sample a spritz when you're next in store). Let me know your favourites in the comments and enjoy experiencing your local Jo Malone, 

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