Monthly Archives: January 2019

Hair Secretz Diamond Brush

28th January 2019
So Laura, how often do you brush your hair?

Shamefully it took moving house to realise I didn’t own a hairbrush, it’s that infrequent! I appear to be one of the lucky few who can get away without it. Partly because my hair is often curled, but when I do wear it straight it just doesn’t seem to knot and I don’t get the dreaded bed head.

Still, every so often I do feel the urge to smarten up my act and stop using my fingers to style my hair each morning so I was quite excited to be sent the prettiest hairbrush I’ve ever seen from UK brand Hair Secretz

Featuring a sparkling Swarvoski crystal, the diamond brush is ready and waiting to take pride of place on your dressing table, or in your handbag.

Ergonomically designed to fit in to the palm of your hand (for maximum control), it also features three different length bristles so ensure it glides through even the most tangled of tresses.

Another winning feature of this brush is that the bristles can be lifted to reveal a diamond shaped mirror, ideal for styling on the go. The pod created by this design is conveniently the perfect place to stash hair ties or grips meaning no more scrabbling around to find one at the last minute; in my case they have mostly been stolen and chewed beyond all recognition by Pablo so this is just perfect.

The brush comes in a choice of three colour combinations: red/black, white/pink or blue/pink and costs £12.99

I’m delighted to have such a winning product in my possession, it delivers on both style and substance and would also make for a lovely gift.

Available on the Hair Secretz website, which also offers free UK delivery on all orders!

Product sent to me free of charge for blog consideration, I was under no obligation to write this post and all opinions expressed are my own.

Posted in accessories, beauty, gifts, hair, review

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Valentine’s Day shopping Guide*

22nd January 2019

Valentine’s day is almost here and just like every year you want to make it a special one. After all, this is the day when you can express your feelings for the loved one with a sweet gesture and offer him or her a gift that speaks from the heart. You are at just the right page if you are looking for some refreshing ideas to gift your loved one and celebrate the day with a sweet memory. You need not buy the most expensive gift to impress your loved one, it is the thought and feelings behind it that counts the most. However, if you are short of cash do not worry as you can always count on Cashlady.com to get them emergency funds in your account!

Apart from chocolates and flowers both men and women like to get a special gift from their partner on Valentine’s day; therefore it is must for you to spend some and make efforts to locate just the right gift that will floor your sweetheart. Here are some gift ideas for him and her.

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Apart from chocolates and flowers both men and women like to get a special gift from their partner on Valentine’s day; therefore it is must for you to spend some and make efforts to locate just the right gift that will floor your sweetheart. Whether you spend your money on a day trip for you both to enjoy, or perhaps experiment with pheromones perfume from websites like True Pheromones to heighten your attraction to one another, it’s important to treat your loved one! Here are some gift ideas for him and her.

Gifts for her

Women love jewelry and would never mind adding another bottle of perfume to their collection. Apart from gifting her a box of Godiva or those handmade chocolates, you can gift her a Foot Massager for a great foot spa. You can buy her unique earrings, anecklace or bracelet from places like ETSY, and if she is fond of cooking, how about gifting her a recipe book of her favorite celebrity chef? For beauty addicts you can shop for a set of lipstick shades perfect for Valentine’s Day (make them kiss proof!) or for those girls who are fond of reading a set of books from her favorite authors along with a scented candle will go down a treat for the perfect relaxation session; nothing could be better than combining your favorite books with your favorite scents! Another great idea is to create a custom photo book or a collage of your favorite memories together- watch her face light up as she looks at the gift!

Gifts for him

Shopping for Valentine’s gift for men can be difficult, after all it seems that the guys want nothing and it is not easy to pick a sentimental gift for your man with specific tastes. Well, all you need is some inspiration and guidance to set you going in the right direction. How about getting him the latest versions of his favorite computer game? If he loves art, then look for object d’Art that will always remain with him (try notonthehighstreet for some unique pieces). Another good option is a set of wireless earbuds that make for an enjoyable commute or run. Hair or beard oil, shower cream, good fragrance or a high-quality razor set always go well with men who likes to look good, and a decent quality watch is another option. If the guy is very choosy about what he drinks, buy him a cocktail case where he can store his choice collection. You can also shop for concert tickets for his favorite band, and this is a surefire way to win his heart. Add to the fun by going to the concert together. More joint gifts include a couple’s massage or spa day and enjoy the romantic gift together.

What are some of your top suggestions for Valentine’s Day gifting? Leave them in the comments below as I struggle to shop for Bob!

Posted in gifts, valentines

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Review: Halo UK E-Liquid from e-cigarette direct

21st January 2019
It’s been a little while since my last vaping post and I am pleased to say I am still going strong, for the most part. There have been a couple of cheeky cigarettes when I’ve had a few drinks but this is a very rare event and I can hand on heart say there is no temptation to go back to regular smoking. A big part of this for me is the huge array of vape juices on the market, when there are so many fun and interesting flavours to work through it really does keep the temptation at bay, and I have found that the times where I’ve happened to have a cigarette in hand I’m wishing it was my vape instead.

Recently I’ve been trialling a selection of flavoured juices from Halo E-Liquids* available at my favourite haunt, e-cigarette direct. Halo liquids are produced in a state of the art UK factory. It has a 50:50 VP to PG ratio and I’ve been trialling the 6mg of nicotine strength.

Bubble Trouble is described as a fun, bubble mint flavour. Out of the ten flavours I tried this was the one that came through the least for me, it was just a little bit too mild and as such I probably wouldn’t pick it out again.
Blackjack Twist is based on one of my favourite childhood sweets (I don’t need to tell you which one) and is my favourite of the bunch. It really delivers the promised punch of aniseed, with a more subtle sherbet on the exhale.
Pear Drops tastes so much like it’s namesake it’s a bit scary. It really nails that “tang” you get from pear drops sweets and kept me going back for more.
Raspberry Crush is a gentle take on fresh raspberries, concentrated enough to be almost jam like in it’s flavour. I really liked this but couldn’t use too much as it was bordering on too sweet, but would definitely get again for the summer months when my sweet tooth goes through the roof.
Cherry Bakewell was my wild card addition to my selection as I really couldn’t imagine how it would translate in vaping. Turns out it translates pretty well and I found myself really enjoying this flavour with it’s strong cherry base and light and creamy almond finish.
Vanilla Ice Cream was a flavour I had high hopes for and it didn’t let me down. With a heady vanilla flavour with undertones of wafer biscuit this was second on my top ten list and a definite re-purchase. It’s simple, to the point and excels at what it sets out to do.
Spearmint Breeze was exactly that, it’s much creamier than other, menthol heavy mint juices I’ve tried and perfect executed. I’ve been using this when I fancy something fresher and is again a juice I’ll be re-purchasing in the future.
Lemon Fizz was another complete wild card for me as I don’t as a rule like anything citrus. I don’t know how Halo have done it but they have basically liquidised a sherbet lemon sweet and popped it in a bottle. A strong contender for my favourite flavour and one that has to be tried to be believed.
Pineapple Juice does exactly what it says on the bottle and reminds me very much of pineapple cube sweets. It wasn’t a favourite juice of mine although I can’t quite work out why, I think I’ll come back to it in the summer and see if my taste for it has changed.
Apple and Apricot is every bit as fresh and juicy as it sounds and whilst it didn’t make a stand-out impact on me I did enjoy it very much; perhaps a bit too mild for my tastes but for anyone who likes fresh and juicy flavours you should give it a go.
The full Halo range is available on the e-cigarette direct website. They are priced at £3.99 per bottle (or mix and match three for £9.99). There are a few other flavours that I haven’t tried a well as the standard tobacco blends as well. Each flavour comes in strengths ranging from 0.0% up to 1.8%

I’ve been really impressed by the brand and it’s one I will be using regularly in the future. I like to keep these smaller bottles in my bag for being out and about, whilst favouring short-fills at home.

Let me know if you’ve tried the Halo range and what you thought, are there any flavours I’ve missed that I need to try? What other brands of juice are you loving right now?

Posted in review, vaping

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Surviving January

15th January 2019
Whichever way you look at it, January is a pretty shit month. The festive anticipation of Christmas is long past, we’re all skint, all bloated and the days are long, grey and pretty miserable. I’ve never really noticed myself suffering from “January Blues” though, not until this year and even then I wasn’t acutely aware of it until I broke down in tears in the middle of taking these photos; which primarily were to show off my awesome new Dr Martens that Bob bought me for Christmas.

Jumper: Pull&Bear (similar) | Jeans: Joy | Boots: Dr Martens (still in stock in a couple of sizes at Footasylum)

So what triggered this melt down? Well, turns out being in recovery from anorexia, being so close to your goal but still a few kilos away, struggling massively with body image but naively in a bubble of “I’m fixed now” is really fucking tough when every one around you is talking about how much weight they want to lose, what diet they are on and which foods they are avoiding like the plague.

I’m not usually one to be affected by this kind of chat, so I was genuinely taken aback by just how rubbish it was making me feel. My body image has been precarious for a while. My perception of the need to gain further weight is skewed out of all recognition. I’ve been dragging my feet, lulled in to a false sense of security and honestly thought I was invisible to everything.

Turns out I’m not. I’m human, and being human is hard sometimes.

Add in to the mix the general dip in mood that most of the country is probably feeling right now and it’s really no wonder I had a rare shedding of tears. I’m not a crier by nature. I hate showing vulnerability or that I can’t cope with a situation, but that Saturday morning I sat on the living room floor and poured my heart out to a somewhat baffled looking Bob.

Bob, my rock and voice of reason. Between him and I we started to pick up the pieces (with a little help from my Mum) and slowly but surely we are getting back to some form of reality. I’m trying to treat this as a wake up call, that I’m not as fixed as I perhaps thought I was. That I have been dragging my feet. That I do need to keep up this journey. That I should stop obsessing over what other people might be thinking about me, my weight and my business and grit my teeth, pile up my plate and keep trucking towards the weight, and health that is right for me…I’m on my own kind of January diet and mission to get healthy and I can’t let fear of judgement put me off.

It’s all still very up and down, one minute I am feeling brave and strong and empowered, the next I’m in tears again or snapping at those around me because my head is just spinning with thoughts and I can’t stop it. I’m one of life’s over thinkers and planners and we’ve a few things on the horizon that are out of my control and my head is struggling to cope.

It’s taken me ten days to even get around to thinking about writing this post. Encouraged by Bob not to sugar coat and just talk about my shoes (which are amazing, right? Boy has good taste!) I’ve shared a lot of my personal life in the past, but these days not to much. Again, fear and overthinking stops my honesty and that isn’t right. If people don’t want to see this side of life then they don’t have to read my blog, but actually, the process of writing this post has been therapeutic for me and that in itself makes it worthwhile.
I’m not entirely sure how to round this up. I have no profound statement, nor have I reached any stunning conclusion. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring in terms of motivation or ability, all I know is that I have come this far, my life has changed beyond all recognition, and it’s ok to find that hard sometimes, to struggle to adjust and comprehend both what lies behind me, and all that is still ahead.

Even as I write this I’m considering whether to press publish or not. I think I will because this is me right now, and this blog can serve as a reminder of how it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Tear stained photos that I kind of hate, messy hair, scruffy outfit. That’s how my January looks right now.

Maybe there will be most posts like this in 2019, maybe there won’t. For now I’m ending with a link to this article which may help or resonate anyone else recovering from an eating disorder whilst surrounded by January’s diet culture.

I think I’ll end with an apology for this big massive non-sensical brain dump. I have big plans for the blog this year, to be commenced once I pull myself out of this pit.

Posted in life stuff, lifestyle, recovery

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Car Care 101: The Exhaust*

11th January 2019
Welcome to the first, but definitely not last edition of Care Care 101; driving is still a very new venture for me, and as a first time car owner I am amazed at how much there is to learn and just how little I understand about my motor. I thought it might be helpful to pop together some posts about maintaining your car as I come across new information, in an easy to understand and (hopefully) easy to read format.
Today’s topic of choice: The Exhaust.
So, we all know that cars have an exhaust, but do we know why? I had a very vague understanding but following discussions both in and out of work it became clear that my knowledge left a lot to be desired.

The exhaust plays a vital part in the smooth running of your car, allowing it to be both efficient and as least damaging to the environment as a car can possibly be. The exhaust contains several components that need maintaining; these are as follows:

Exhaust Manifold: this vents the gases generated by the exhaust as well as burns the excess fuel that didn’t combust properly in the engine.

Oxygen Sensor: this sends oxygen level readings to your car which then regulates fuel consumption, helping you get the best fuel efficiency you can.

Exhaust Pipe: connects all of the components and allows gas to exit the system (to be honest I thought the pipe was the extent of the exhaust system!)

Catalytic Convertor: this converts the dangerous gases produced by your car.

Muffler: reduces sound pollution.

As you can see, it’s a lot more complex that it first appears and therefore regular servicing is vital. You can get your car exhausts serviced in London at DAT Tyres and other garages and workshops local to you.

All of these components work together to aid your car in achieving optimum performance. Without a functioning exhaust system you run the risk of emitting harmful gases in to the environment. The exhaust converts these gases in to carbon dioxide and water which is what you see coming out of the car in front.
A well maintained exhaust also improves the performance of your car and can improve fuel efficiency. In the same way as your body runs better when your chest and lungs aren’t clogged up with a cold; a car runs much better when it can exhale the fumes.
Finally taking care of your exhaust can reduce the amount you contribute to noise pollution. We’ve all been annoyed by the super noisy cars and the majority of the time this is caused by poor exhaust maintenance.

You can purchase your vehicle tyres from DAT Tyres London

I hope you’ve found this post helpful. If there are any elements of driving or car servicing you still find mystifying then let me know in the comments, I never thought I’d become “that” person, but I’m really enjoying building my knowledge.

Posted in information alert

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