Girls Christmas Dinner || Frankie & Benny's

A few weeks back Frankie & Benny's got in touch with me and asked if I would like to have a girls Christmas meal where we could try out their Christmas menu. We all love Frankies & Benny's so were delighted to get to try out their Christmas menu. On their Christmas menu you can get a three course Christmas meal for just under £20 or a two course meal for just under £17. They also have cute Christmas crackers on the table which was a nice touch.

All us girls are massive macaroni cheese fans and we did get super excited over the fact that as an option for a starter was a macaroni cheese cake. It comes with salad on top of it and drizzled barbecue sauce and it was amazing, in fact two of us have already went back to have it again haha! The only criticism of this is that I'd prefer the salad on the side because it looks much nicer than having it dumped on top. 

Aimee was the only one who didn't go for the mac and cheese cake and she went for buttermilk chicken tenders which she said tasted really good!

For mains none of us actually went for the traditional turkey, me and Aimee went for the Festive pizza which has mozzarella, chicken pieces, salsa rossa and salsa verde. I went for mine without the chicken pieces and Aimee had hers with, we both thought these were really good although couldn't finish them because we were so full! Aimee wasn't so keen on the salsa verde, I actually liked it but I think there was maybe a little too much of it. 

Gillian and Erin both got the bacon and cheese burgers, they thought they were tasty but the chips they came with were slightly congealed in parts. 

For dessert we all got the chocolate yule log, this was delicious although I don't think any of us could finish it all because we were so full. The only way this could be better is if the yule log was served a little hotter but other than that it was really nice. 

I will definitely be making a few more trips back to Frankie & Benny's before their Christmas menu ends! Have you tried it yet?

Lots of Love,

A

♥

*This post is sponsored but as always all opinions are honest and entirely my friends and my own

Windle & Moodie || Brand Introduction & Review

Windle and Moodie is a company that has been created by hair experts and Vogue stylists Paul Windle and Neil Moodie who have worked with celebrities and models at their award winning Covent Garden salon. I recently got an email asking me if I wanted to try out some of their products and I jumped at the chance because I love the story of the brand and that their products are all healthy for your hair.

All ingredients in the products are unique and chosen specifically to have benefits on the hair and scalp. All their products have been trialled and tested in their own salon and on magazine shoots, the brand is eco-friendy and the products contain no parabens in them. It's also worth noting that all their products are made within the United Kingdom.

The products I picked to try were some of the more interesting ones but they do have a range of 22 hair care products including the usual things such as shampoo and conditioner. I picked a salt spray, a foundation spray, a day and night cream, a smoothing oil and an essential oils treatment. They also do a volcanic ash treatment which I really wanted to try but it's for styling short hair so obviously it would be no use on me. It sounds really good though and contains real volcanic ash so if you have short hair you like to style then I'd definitely say it's one to try out.

Essential Oils Elixir* - £26

The essential oils elixir contains apricot, coconut, camellia and oat oils and it's a pre shampoo treatment that you leave on for 15 minutes before you wash your hair. The idea is that it pre-cleanses, nourishes and leaves hair shiny. I do like this product although I wish it had a nice smell. The smell to me smells like a herbal spa scent which I'm not the biggest fan of but I'm sure some people would love it. It's quite messy to apply and to sit about with it on for 15 minutes given that it's an oil but I still like using it now and again to give my hair a nice treatment.

Intense Treatment Masque* - £29

Containing green tea and cocoa butter it's a moisturising blend to help repair damaged hair and to replace the keratin in the hair that has been lost/weakened. It's meant to nourish, detangle and boost shine which I think it does do. A little of this goes a long way because of the texture of the product, again it doesn't smell the best but my hair feels better once I've used this. It's another one that you have to put on 15 minutes before your shower so I don't do this as often as I would like just because I never have the spare 15 minutes.

Invisible Day and Night Cream* - £18.50

This was the product that really excited me because I've never heard of a day and night cream for hair by any other brand before. I love the packaging for it, it's in a foil tube so really easy to store and the product doesn't spill out or leak. This contains UV protection which is so handy to have in a hair product because your hair also needs sun protection, monoi oil for shine, sugar beet for moisture and aloe vera to soothe. It's also created to protect hair from day and night abrasion especially during the sleeping when hair rubs against pillows and each other causing friction. I actually really like the smell of this one and I get dry ends so I love this for applying throughout the day when I feel my ends need some TLC. This can also be used on your roots but something doesn't sit right for me about applying hair product there and not washing it out!! (Just me??)

Foundation Spray* - £13.50

This is to be used before styling to de-tangle and moisturise so it doubles up as a de-tangler spray and a serum. It's nice and easy because it's in the spray bottle and comes with the little lock to stop it being accidentally sprayed in handbags or in luggage. It has honey added to it as well to leave your hair shiny and glossy.

Oceanic Spray* - £20

This is Windle and Moodie's answer to a salt spray. It's to give your hair that beachy texture and waves whilst moisturising and strengthening the hair. I find that this works much better on wet or damp hair that's left to dry naturally rather than on already dry hair. This also comes in the same bottle as the foundation spray with the lock cap.

Shine & Smoothing Oil* - £21

This oil is similar to the oil elixir but you don't have to wash this one out which I definitely prefer. It contains three nourishing oils- argan, apricot and camellia and it also has a blow drying agent to help stop fly-away's. It contains a UV filter which pleases me greatly and leaves hair silky and shiny. My favourite thing about this one is that it can be used on wet/dry hair so it's the most efficient of the products I have tried.

These products are sold exclusively at Liberty in London and Brown's hair salon in Dumfries. Don't worry if you don't live near these places and want to purchase as they do have a website you can purchase from! They definitely are a premium hair care brand so won't be for everyone but if you like to invest in your hair care then Windle & Moodie have some fabulous products well worth trying out!

http://www.windleandmoodie.com

Have any of these Windle & Moodie products caught your eye?

Lots of Love,

♥

* This post contains samples sent to me for PR purposes 

Maybelline Lash Sensational || Review

It's no secret that when it comes to mascara's that I'm very fussy with what I look for. For a long time I stopped using drug store mascara's because they just did absolutely nothing for my lashes and the amount of money I wasted, it worked out cheaper just to buy a high end one. That was until I found a Rimmel one that I loved which restored my faith in drug store mascara's.

I know Maybelline in general are frequently raved about for their mascara's but this one especially is one I keep hearing only positive things about. Many have compared it to Roller Lash by Benefit that I've been wanting to try so I gave in to the hype to see if it really is that good. 

I really like the packaging of it, it's a pretty pink colour and I like that the writing is just plain black. It looks much nicer than my bright green Rimmel one and it's also a lot less chunky which is handy for carrying around in make-up bags.

The wand on the mascara is really good, it's curved round to hug the lashes much like the Roller Lash one and it's a synthetic brush which generally I prefer. However, the formula of the mascara is really, really wet and I think it will be a much better mascara once it dries out a little.

I really wanted to like this mascara but I just don't. It takes me much longer to get ready in the morning when I use it because the formula is so wet that it's hard not to get it all over your eyelids which is not ideal when wearing eyeshadow. Despite this mascara being so wet, it sets to rock hard once it's on, this is quite possibly the most difficult mascara to remove.. and this isn't even the waterproof version! If you've tried They're Real by Benefit and found that hard to remove then I would completely swerve this one. It's great if you want your mascara to last but everytime I remove it, I lose a couple of eyelashes with it and it takes me way too long to remove when I'm tired. 

Maybe this would work better for you if you had longer natural lashes so you could use less product. However, because I have awful natural lashes I really need to use a lot of product and the messy formula is a nightmare for me. I'm going to try and use the rest of it up but I think I'll end up giving it away for somebody else to try!

What do you think of this mascara?

Lots of Love,

♥

By Terry Eyeliner || Review

I was very pleased to see this little beauty in my February My Little Box because everyone knows how fab a brand By Terry is and this eyeliner is full sized. It's not the colour I would have chosen but it is a very interesting shade- a black with gold flecks that when blended turns an olive colour.

I like this, I didn't think I would get much wear out of it because of the colour but it actually goes well as an eyeliner for every day looks ... mostly. I wear gold eyeshadows a lot so I find that it compliments it really well and that the flecks of gold aren't too obvious.

You could wear this all over your eyelid and blend it out to get a pretty olive green/gold eyeshadow colour but personally I prefer it as an eyeliner. I do like how versatile it is though and I think it would make a really pretty smokey eye. It's creamy, pigmented, long lasting - no smudges under the eye four hours later. 

I definitely would love to try a plain black version of this because I think I'd love it even more in black! Have you tried any of the By Terry eyeliners?

Lots of Love,

♥

Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt || Review

 When it comes to bath products I'm not very adventurous because I love Lush products so I always have a stash of them on the go. However I recently got sent this as a free gift from The Body Shop for spending over a certain amount of money - I'll be honest I actually spent more to get the free gift because it was a pretty good free gift set. Isn't that always how it works?

I have never tried Laura Mercier Honey Bath that comes with the swizzle stick but I imagine this to be the closest version you can get of it without the price tag. It unfortunately does not come with a swizzle stick but most people have plenty of things in their house that they can use as an alternative. It has a very sweet mixture of vanilla, floral and honey and it smells even more incredible when you mix it into the bath.

 I love how dreamy the texture and colour of this is, it mixes into the water nicely and doesn't just lie in gloops at the bottom like lots of bubble baths do. It doesn't create masses amount of bubbles which I really wish it did, it just gives a small amount but the smell is heavenly. It leaves your skin feeling lovely and soft too so definitely makes up for the lack of bubbles.

It's a massive tub and you barely need to use any of it, maybe if you use more you would get more bubbles though but I think this will last a long time. Especially considering with Lush I'm willing to pay £3 for something I'll only use once but this only costs £8 and will obviously give many more uses.

What's your favourite bath treats?

Lots of Love,

♥

Blushing Hearts Too Faced Dupe || Review & Swatches

I have wanted one (all) the Two Faced heart blushers for a good while now but at £24 each, they're definitely not budget friendly and I already have way too many blushers. So I had to get my hands on at least one of the Make-Up Revolution blushing hearts because MUR are so good at creating amazing dupes and I've never been disappointed by them yet. I decided to just get one just now since I'm meant to be trying to save money and use up some of my ever growing make-up collection. The one I chose was 'Peachy Pink Kisses' because I love peachy coloured blushes especially for Summer.

The blush has three segments like the Too Faced blushers which I like because it means you have four different colour options to use. You can swirl all the shades together and get a shimmery peach shade like I have swatched above or you can use any of the three individually to get different colours. They're all pretty shimmery so could actually double up as a highlighter depending on what shade you like your highlighter to be. I personally think the top two segments of the blusher are like highlight shades and the third segment or a mixture of all three are like blusher shades. 

The packaging of the product is really cute although it's quite bulky and hard to store but I guess it's worth it for the prettiness of it. I definitely would want more of these, they're only £4.99 and for four different blush shades I think thats well priced! I think 'Bursting with Love' is next on my list to try.

Have you tried any of these or the Too Faced version? What do you think of them?

Lots of Love,

♥

Dusty Girls Sunshine Bronzer || Review

 A few weeks back I posted a review of a fake tan by Moogoo which if you read you'll know I absolutely adored. MooGoo also have a 'sister company' Dusty Girls where they sell natural make-up and knowing how much I love a tan they sent me their bronzer to try out. I have had so many compliments since using their tan and this bronzer in combination that I had to share it with you. The company uses the name Dusty Girls because of the 'dusty' look your skin has after a day in the country and they try to recreate this using natural minerals and clays from the earth.

When it comes to make-up and skincare I'm all for products being as natural as possible because you only get one skin so it's important to look after it. One of my favourite make-up products is bronzer, I use it as contour, to add colour to my face, on my chest and anywhere else that I feel needs a touch of colour. So it would be fair to say that I've used quite a lot of different bronzers and know what works and what doesn't!

The first thing I love about this bronzer is how big it is. It's the perfect size to swirl a brush round  but not so big that it isn't make-up bag friendly. The colour of the bronzer is really nice, it isn't at all orange, it's the perfect brown shade which makes it great for both contouring and bronzing up the face. It does have a tiny bit of glitter in it but as you can see from the swatch it's very subtle. I think the shade would suit all skin tones, it looks gorgeous when I have fake tan on and when I don't.

The natural ingredients used are joboba and macadamia oil, both products renowned for having benefits to the skin. I love the name of the bronzer 'Sunshine' because it really does leave you looking like you've been out in the sunshine and have that outdoorsy glow. It costs £15 so it's far from the cheapest bronzer on the market but I think the quality is incredible and it's cheaper than a MAC bronzer would be and of course much better for your skin!

Have you tried any of the Dusty Girls range? What do you think of natural make-up?

Lots of Love,

♥

* Post contains PR samples.

So...?|| Review

So have released four new scents into their collection and I was kindly sent them over to try out and share what they're like for you guys! All four scents are named after four prominent cities, Rio- the summer scent, Paris- the saturday night scent, London- the everyday scent and NYC - the super sweet scent.

The first thing I noticed about the perfumes is their amazing coloured glass bottles, I love this effect and think it definitely adds something to the brand. I like that just the bottom of the glass is coloured but I definitely would change the lids to silver because I find the different coloured lids a little tacky. The bottles are very simple with just a landmark of the city they're named after rather than a name which I thinks a really nice touch. 

Rio has been named the scent for summer and I definitely can smell why....see what I did there?! *wink wink*. It smells super fruity and would be an amazing holiday scent. It contains notes of 'mango, citrus, pineapple and melon' and for me I would say the melon scent is the one that stands out the most. It is surprisingly strong considering these fragrances only cost £9.99! and you can get the body spray version for £1.99. It's not as long lasting as my usual fragrances but because it's so cheap you can afford to be spray happy.

The London scent is gorgeous, I would say it's quite sweet and actually smells much more expensive than it is. It's definitely one of the more grown up scents in the range and I wouldn't mind wearing this as an everyday scent at all. I actually love to keep this in my hand bag for when I'm out and about to top up with because it's so cheap I don't mind using it lots. I like to keep this one in my gym bag too, I'm probably the only insane person who wears perfume to and after the gym but I obviously don't like wearing my expensive ones. These are just ideal for spritzing on and if I sweat it off then it doesn't matter! This one contains notes of 'Grapefruit, Mandarin, Apricot and Vanilla'. I'm usually not a big fan of vanilla in fragrances but it's really subtle and nice in this one.

Paris is another one that I think smells quite grown up and I guess that is why it's renowned for being the Saturday night fragrance. It smells a lot darker and muskier than the others and definitely is the most evening-esque out of the four. It contains 'Mandarin, Patchouli and Plum' which is an unique mixture but I think it works really well. I think this one is my favourite bottle design too!

Last but not least, New York City. This one contains 'Lychee, Peach, Jasmine and Praline' and it is a very sweet smelling one. I'm pretty sure it's the praline scent that's strongest in this and I really like that. I never thought 'praline' would be a scent I'd be drawn too but mixed with the sweet fruits it packs a nice punch. This one actually reminds me of something from my childhood but I can't remember what it was but for that reason I really like this one!

I think these scents are amazingly affordable for what you get and I think So have managed to grow away from their younger market by making more grown up scents. I think that the brand needs to change their bright packaging as for me that's what makes me associate it with being for younger people but if you get past that and give them a sniff you'll definitely be pleasantly surprised! I think my favourite out of them all is Paris but it was a tough call between London, NYC and Paris because they three are all winners for me. I do like Rio but just think it's slightly too young for me with it being so fruity! 

What do you think of So..?

Lots of Love,

♥

 * This post contains press samples

My Little Box || May

I have been a lover of My Little Box for a good while now but the past few months have left me feeling a bit disappointed and if you've read my previous reviews you'll know that the past few have left me undecided about whether to unsubscribe or not. Well this month is the month I've finally decided to unsubscribe from My Little Box for good and I think you will see why....

The first thing I noticed when I opened my box this month was again that the magazine was in that strange poster format that they started last month. Not only does this not feel as nice as a magazine to read but it's awkward and inconvienent therefore I end up chucking it out straight away. This month the theme of the box is My Little Provence Box and it was a pretty box once again and there was a poster card and I do like that but I'm not paying £15 a month for cute packaging and a poster card.. 

The lifestyle product this month was magnets, I wish I was joking but they genuinely sent out magnets. To be fair to them the magnets were a doll with nice outfits and it does look pretty on my fridge but I feel it's aimed more towards a much younger market than the majority who will receive this box. The idea is you can dress the doll up and put outfits on her etc but I'm 20 years old and have better things to do with my time. So I felt this was much of a disappoint like the stickers were in My Little Super Box which are still sat unused!

The fashion product this month was equally bad. It was a gold bracelet with lots of holes in it so you can stitch a pattern on to it. I can't see many people over the age of 13 wanting to do that and then wear it as a fashion piece. The bracelet is a big gold cuff and is definitely not something I would want to wear with or without crocheting on it.

The beauty products usually have a way of pulling the box back but not this month. It contained a bunch of L'occitane samples... to be fair to them they gave four different ones but all were tiny samples that you could have got for free. The only product that I liked in this months box was the My Little Box eye crayon in a gorgeous bronze shade. This is beautiful and I hope it's just as nice when I use it so I at least get something for the money I paid.

I'm so disappointed to have to unsubscribe from My Little Box because I absolutely love receiving it and getting surprised each month. However the past three months have been more disappointment than excitement so I think I'd rather spend the money on things I really want!!

Did you get this months My Little Box? What did you think of it?

Lots of Love,   

♥