Recently, while I was in Sheffield, I was invited to an event at the Kiehls counter at House of Fraser in Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre. I've heard a lot about the brand but never actually tried any of it so I was keen to give it a go! On arrival, I was greeted with a prosecco and chocolates and from then I knew it was going to be a great event.

The Kiehls girls and the other bloggers were lovely and very welcoming considering I'm a northern newbie! We were given an introduction to the brand which started in 1851 and were told about its pharmacological roots as well as its more recent charity pledges. We were also able to sample some lovely treatments, including a hand and arm massage and a facial. 

At another station at the counter, we were told our skin type and what products would help our individual skin worries. I found out that my skin type was normal-oily (which sounds about right to me!) and I was recommended their oil-free range and also their Clearly Collective Dark Spot Solution for my acne scarring. I'm keen to give these a go once I've run out of my current products!
We were given a cute little goody bag each at the end of the event with some gorgeous samples and minis of some of the products we'd been shown. I haven't tried them out yet, but I'm excited to give them a go! It was lovely to meet the girls and just mingle and chat for a bit too. Thanks for a fab evening, Kiehls!

At the end of January, I surprised Tim with a few days away in the beautiful city of York for his birthday. Having only visited once before when I was 9 years old, I did a lot of research beforehand about what was best to do and see to make the most of our three days there. We had a really great time and managed to do a hell of a lot, and now I want to share with you what I thought was worth doing and why! I'm aware that some of these are super tourist-y - but they're popular for a reason! Here's my top five:
1. Walk along the historic City Walls: York is showered in history and culture, some of which can be explored by walking along the 3.4km of city walls. There are some fantastic views along the way to enjoy and best of all it's completely free. 


2. Climb up Clifford's Tower: built in 1068, Clifford's Tower is another cultural must-see. Situated on a hill, the views once you're up at the top of the castle are beautiful. Despite the fact it was cold and foggy when we went up, it was still a great way to see across the whole of the city. Admission prices are around £5 per person, which in comparison to other attractions in York is pretty good.


3. Visit York Dungeons: If you fancy a bit of a scare whilst also learning about York's history along the way, the York Dungeons are a perfect novelty attraction. Tickets start at £10 per person and include over an hour's interactive entertainment from amateur actors. I've never been a huge fan of learning about history but the York Dungeons manage to make it an enjoyable experience at the same time.
York Minster
4. Go for a drink (or four...): York famously accommodates 365 bars a pubs - one for each day of the year. Basically, there's a bar for EVERYONE in York. For a more student-y vibe, check out The Graduate, a small chain bar with some great cocktails (which are £3 on certain nights!). If you're looking for a more traditional pub, try out The Old Starre Inn which boasts its historic roots and has a really cosy atmosphere inside. For a cool bar with a great selection of beers and gins (and an amazing tapas menu) I'd definitely recommend Sotano's. It was one of my favourite finds in York!

5. Get lost: No I don't mean this as an insult. Accidentally getting lost in York on our first day (mainly due to my terrible navigation skills) was one of the best things we could've done. There are so many quirky little lanes and streets to check out in York that you might miss if you stick to a particular route. In my opinion, it was the best way to explore and get to know the city.


I really hope this helps if you're planning to visit York soon - and of course I'd love to know if you have any recommendations. I can't wait to visit again in the future!

I get a lot of compliments on my hair, and I guess it does have a lot of qualities that others strive for - my hair is naturally blonde and thick in texture. Having only ever dyed/highlighted it a few times, my hair is also in pretty good condition. However, there are also a few products I use to keep my hair feeling soft and full of life which I'm going to share with you! This post is written in collaboration with the fab new Panosonic hair dryer which I'll be telling you more about later on.
Step 1. Wash & Condition I wash my hair every 2-3 days to ensure I'm not stripping it of all the natural oils too often, which can actually make it greasier in the long run. My current favourite shampoo and conditioner are ones that I mentioned in a previous post which you can read about here. I've been loving L'oreal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Clay shampoo and conditioner for a few reasons: I love the scent as it's very fresh and exactly the kind of scent I like in my hair. It also leaves my hair feeling really clean, light and soft.  On the topic of shampoo, my most popular blog post is about the ingredients you can find in a lot of high street shampoos and conditioners, so if you're interested in learning a little more about that, head over and have a read here!

Step 2. Deep Condition This is a step I only do once or twice a fortnight when I feel my hair is lacking and needs some extra hydration. The Osmo Intensive Deep Repair Mask is so affordable and feels really luxurious on my hair. It's a super thick texture and has a unique scent that's really hard to describe - it's a good scent though! I use this mainly from mid to the ends of my hair but I like to scrape the excess through the roots which I think works well and doesn't make it greasy like some masks can do! 

Step 3. Protect and Blow-dry If I've got time, I'll blow-dry my hair (upside down for extra volume). However, I always make sure I use a good heat protector as well to keep my hair in a good condition. I love this VO5 hair protecting cream as it's super silky and smells amazing. But back to blow-drying: if you're in the market for a great hairdryer, I'd urge you to check out the Panasonic EH-NA65 hairdryer, which uses nano technology to keep your hair smooth and silky while still maintaining performance. You can read more about it and purchase this Panasonic hair dryer here.

Step 4. Restore & Style Once my hair is dry, I like to keep it smooth with either an oil or this Noir Caviar restorative styling creme from Revolution Hair Concepts. You only need a tiny amount of this product so one bottle has lasted me ages! I just comb it mainly through the ends of my hair and gently through the roots which stops it from becoming frizzy.

That's it! I really think these products make a difference to the condition and style of my hair, and I'm loving this current routine. Let me know in the comments what your favourite hair products are - I'm always looking for more recommendations!

January is notoriously a lazy month, when getting stuff done just doesn't sound appealing in any way. In fact, 16th January - the day that this is being posted - is known as Blue Monday, aka the most depressing day of the year. So how can we be a little more efficient in what we do during this cold, miserable period of the year? Being efficient means being productive without wasting lots of time or energy - so if you're like me and you enjoy an extra 10 minutes in bed every morning, this can be extremely beneficial. In this post, I'm going to share with you a few beauty tips that will make your life that little bit more efficient - no extra effort required!
1. All-in-one products: nothing is more efficient than having all of your essentials in one place and luckily for us, there are many products that can do this for us now. I'm loving the Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Paparazzi Compact, which encompasses a lipstick, a powder, powder applicator and a mirror. This product is handbag-friendly so you can use it to touch up your make-up during the day, or if you're running late in the morning you can use it to apply the finishing touches to your face on the commute to work/brunch/wherever you may be going. I also think the packaging is absolutely gorgeous and would make a great gift for someone! You can find the Paparazzi Compact on the Joan Collins website here and all her other products on the QVC or M&S websites.


2. Do it the night before!: Obviously I'm not suggesting you apply make-up the night before because your skin would absolutely hate you for it. However, if you know you won't have time to wash your hair in the morning because you have other things to do (i.e. sleep) then dry shampooing your hair before you go to bed can be a godsend. Not only will it save you messing around with it in the morning, it can also look much more natural as it's had time to soak up the oils in your hair, making it look less greasy. I love Batiste's range of dry shampoos but at the moment I've really been enjoying this COLab Rio Tropical dry shampoo created by fellow blogger (and model and YouTuber) Ruth Crilly. You can buy it here.


3. Invest in an LED lamp for gel nails: Perhaps not the most budget-friendly advice (unless you regularly pay to have your nails done professionally), but gel nails are a great way to cut down on spending time on painting your nails. I usually have to repaint my nails every three days if I use a normal nail polish. However, I'm now a gel nail convert having recently received the Sensationail gel starter kit with an LED lamp for Christmas! Although it took me about 30 minutes to complete the whole process, my nail polish goes unchipped for two weeks - meaning I don't have to worry about my nails for ages. It's just a small step that frees up some more time for whatever I'd prefer to be doing on an evening in!

That's all boys and girls, I hope you make the most of this January despite the weather, despite the lack of money post-Christmas and despite these so-called January blues. Do you have any tips for upping your efficiency this month?

Today I'll be sharing my current go-to foundation - Bourjois' City Radiance. I have been using this foundation for a couple of weeks now but like moisturisers, I think it's best to try a foundation for a while before sharing my thoughts with you. It's hard to tell whether you like it or not just from its first application.

PRODUCT QUALITY: This foundation is a liquid foundation (the only texture I use nowadays really) and gives a light to medium dewy coverage in my opinion. I tend to mix it in with a small squirt of Freedom's Pro Studio Strobe Cream which gives a more natural, glowy finish. I apply the foundation with my Real Techniques buffing brush and dab over it with a beauty blender. I really like the coverage, texture and application of this foundations. My only negatives would be that I think the colouring is slightly off (I have the lightest shade and I still find it a bit dark) and its longevity isn't that great. However, I love that it has an SPF in it and I'd prioritise that over the negatives anyway.

PRICE: This foundation retails for £9.99. As with all Bourjois foundations, I'd say it's probably on the pricier end of high-street foundations. However, it's very affordable compared to the luxury foundations from the likes of Dior and Estee Lauder. 

PACKAGING: The packaging is very simple. The tube is flat which means it's easy to pack if you're travelling with it. However, I do prefer a glass foundation bottle with a pump, but I think that's something down to personal preference. I think for the price, a glass bottle would have made it look more expensive.

SCORES (/100)

Product quality: 80

Price: 75

Packaging: 79

OVERALL VERDICT: I am a fan of this foundation, but having used Bourjois' Healthy Mix foundation in the past, I think I'll be going back to that one after I've finished City Radiance. I found Healthy Mix lasts longer and is more buildable in terms of coverage. I'd recommend this foundation if you want to wear something light on your skin.

SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her blusher, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/