bloomzy /

Review: Naked Skin Face Wash

Naked Skin Bare Faced Cheek Softening Face Wash, with Rose Oil – For Sensitive Skin*

Naked is probably a brand you’ve all heard of, either for their hair or skin care.
Their products boost that they are 97% natural (the rest are preservatives etc.), with some of their products even being 99.5% natural. The main point being: their products do not include parabens, sulphates or petrochemicals. Naked are a brand known for their honesty as well as their products.
The Bare Faced Cheek Softening Face Wash uses rose oil which is extra soft on the skin, and has an amazing smell to it – I’m not kidding you, I can’t get enough of it! I was drawn to this as someone with sensitive, combination skin and I was not disappointed.
Pros:
+ Very gentle on the skin
+ Leaves my skin soft
+ Doesn’t dry out my skin
+ It’s a massive bottle.
+ Only £4.49!
Cons:
– Doesn’t combat spots specifically (on my skin)
Notes:
Ok, I felt like I was reaching a bit on the cons there.
Of course no one is going to expect a face wash to combat spots (unless it claims to) by itself, but I just couldn’t find anything else to be negative about…even then I’m not upset about it. This is my new favourite face wash! I can’t use regular soaps as they dry my skin out, and since this is made for sensitive skin I had no worries. I’ve been using this day and night, as part of my regular skin care regime and I’m very happy with the results. I also had to mention one last time just how much I adore the scent – so if you’re a fan of rose scented products you need to try this out.
Unfortunately it is currently sold out, but keep an eye out here.
You can also browse Naked’s other products here.
bloomzy /

OOTD: Holiday in Provence, France 1

(Blouse: Glamorous*, Jeans: Primark, Shoes: Urban Outfitters, Bracelet: Marc by Marc Jacobs)

I’m back from my holiday in Provence, in the South of France and I thought I would make a comeback with an ‘outfit of the day’ post. Unfortunately I didn’t take as many outfit shots as I had wished, but I did take a few so I will slowly update with them over the next week or so.
This outfit was for an evening meal at a lovely restaurant we visited last time we were there.
Luckily in the evenings the temperature was slightly more bearable, so I was able to wear jeans.
Even then it was around 32c, which was surprising – maybe I slowly acclimatised, I don’t know.
The blouse is from Glamorous. It’s such a fine material that it was perfect in the heat.
I did pop a white vest top on underneath though as it is very sheer. I just wanted something casual-formal, so I paired it with the jeans and my gold panther court heels, which added a little bit of a flare to it…at least I thought so.
bloomzy /

Guest Post: Top 5 Summer Hairstyles

Today’s final, and wonderful guest post comes from freelance blogger Brooke Samsonite (she blogs here, and tweets here). She will be sharing her take on the top 5 latest fashionable Summer hairstyles for you to re-create – enjoy!

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Top 5 Summer Hairstyles
At the peak of the summer season, we’re seeing several hair styles that are making waves—literally.
In most cases, it’s not surprising to see where some of these trends got their starts, but like them or love them they’re the hot hairstyles of summer 2012.
If you’re looking for a new style or just wondering where your current style fits in with today’s fashion, we’ve got you covered. Without further ado, here are this year’s top five summer hairstyles:
1. Side braid

A lot of celebrities are opting for various renditions of the side braid, from fishtail braids to loose, flowy wraps. Loose side braids are easy to accomplish and look better with a lot of body. Volumizers, mousse and setting your hair with rollers first can help achieve this. Fishtail braids are a little difficult to achieve (tutorial here), so they may take practice to get the right look, but their summertime appeal is off the charts.
2. Side chignon

A popular hairstyle for brides, the side chignon has a relaxed, yet elegant, appearance. But this isn’t a wedding-specific hairstyle. There are plenty of settings where the side chignon can come off beautifully. It works for holiday parties, nights out and can even be a quick-fix when you’re in a hurry. And getting the look is simple enough that virtually anyone can put it up and pull it off.
3. Ballerina bun

Dream of being a Bunhead? You’re not alone. Part of ABC Family’s summer lineup is “Bunheads,” a popular television show about the ballerina life. Whether duplicating the show’s hairstyle is intentional, girls are donning the ballerina bun. To get the look, many girls use a hair donut accessory (buy one here) to get a tight, even wrap on their bun, which can be secured into place with bobby pins.
4. Beachy waves

Does long, wavy hair ever go out of style? Not on the beach, and certainly not in the summer. Blonde highlights are a staple color pop for beachy waves, but this hairstyle looks great with any hair color.
5. Shades of red

If you’re up for trying a bold hair makeover, try going with red. But before taking the plunge, make sure you get the right color for your skin tone and are diligent about maintaining red hair. You can’t lose, because if you don’t like your color choice, you can always dye it again.
This list doesn’t imply that creativity has no place when it comes to your personal style. But if you’ve been searching for some direction to bring your hair up to speed with the season and the trends, you should be set for a little experimentation and a lot of summer fun.

Sources; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 
bloomzy /

Recent Fashion ‘Haul’

(Underwear & Sandals: Topshop, Blouse: Internacionale, T-shirt: Zara)

I thought I might share with you some of the fashion items I’ve been buying recently.
Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of these in my outfit shots from my holiday as that is why I bought most of them…except for the underwear, be surprised if you see those. To be honest I’d be surprised too.
Apart from a few poor pairs that I’ve bought in the past, Topshop underwear has to be my favourite.
I’m so picky about patterns and shapes etc. that I find it difficult to actually find underwear that matches what I am looking for. Topshop never fails to please in this aspect though. I always end up buying one in each type and pattern. I just wish they did matching bras in my size, but I don’t think that will ever be a reality in Topshop.
I also like their shoes, as they’re always pretty, although sometimes overpriced – luckily I grabbed these sandals in the sale for only £15. It may not be sandal weather in England right now, but hopefully it will be whilst I am away on holiday.
Finally I picked up the blouse from the Internacionale sale, and the Zara top from their sale. The Zara top was actually to replace a very similar one that the fiancé bought me in Paris, that I accidentally ruined. The blouse was because I was drawn to the colour, buttons and the cut-out shoulders. It’s incredibly sheer though, so I’ll have to figure that out.
It’s just a shame that I probably won’t get much use out of the blouse and sandals when I return.
Unless the weather changes dramatically that is, not that I would complain!
bloomzy /

Guest Post: Re-Buy or Buh-Bye? Avon Anew Rejuvenate

Today the lovely Charlotte of Musha-Moi will be guest posting. She has been kind enough to share an original post from her ‘Re-Buy or Buh-Bye?’ series. She will be reviewing the Avon Anew Rejuvenate Revitalizing 2-in-1 Gel Cleanser – enjoy!

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Re-Buy or Buh-Bye? Avon Anew Rejuvenate Revitalizing 2-in-1 Gel Cleanser

Up until about a year ago I’ve been quite happy washing my face with soap…I know..shock horror… I actually washed my face with soap! In my defence though didn’t get what al the fuss was about when people would vow never to wash their face with a bar of soap – soap is for cleaning…my face needed cleaning…soap seems like a pretty viable product to use. around about a year ago my sister became an Avon rep and introduced me to the wonders of Anew products (yes they’re anti-ageing and yes I’m only 24 but I’m not going to get into the whole “why use anti-ageing products?’ thing now). She gave me a little starter kit of Anew Rejuvinate products, the kit is marketed as a 2 week trial kit with enough of the products to use everyday, morning and night (they are very generous with the sizes as I managed to make mine last at least 4 weeks using it religiously!). The cleanser is the same consistency as shower gel and it has small beads in it, the directions say to work a small amount into damp skin until the beads dissolve, it produces a good foam and you can feel it working on your skin almost immediately! It makes it tingle slightly (but not in a cooling menthol way as some cleansers do) it’s hard to explain but it just feels like you can feel it lifting all the nasties from your skin.

After rinsing it off my skin feels smoother and softer and any spots that may be brewing feel slightly reduced (it doesn’t stop spots coming to a head if they do develop but it does help reduce the dull ache you sometimes get from the particularly nasty ones).
Re-Buy or Buh-Bye? Re-Buy – I LOVE this cleanser! I’ve just finished my last tube of it and already have another on order, I’m trying to work my way through my sample drawer at the moment and have a few other cleansers to try out but I can’t wait to get back to using this!
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea at Penmaenuchaf Hall – Dolgellau, Wales
A few weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of having afternoon tea at Penmaenuchaf Hall.
As some of you may know I am a big foodie, and I adore tea so you can probably guess how much I enjoyed it there.
If the grounds and hotel weren’t stunning enough, the food was even better! We were served a large selection of sandwiches, cakes and scones – with cream and jam, of course. I definitely ate my fill, which was accompanied by a ton of Earl Grey…I’d like to say literally but I don’t think that’s possible, even for me.
It’s funny because when I was living in Tokyo one of the main questions I was asked by the Japanese people I met was “When do you have afternoon tea?”. It always made me laugh and I would tell them that ‘afternoon tea’ wasn’t really practised now as often as it was in the past, nor was there a specific time for it. Yet after having this I felt a little sad that ‘afternoon tea’ was now kind of in the background of British culture. However I have noticed a variety of tea rooms opening recently in lots of cities (Norwich has plenty), all which seem to offer ‘afternoon tea’. 
I hope the practise won’t die out just yet, because it’s so much fun, and incredibly tasty.
…not to mention, very British!
bloomzy /

Wish List: H&M and Topshop

Top row: H&M, Bottom row: Topshop

I haven’t done a wishlist for a little while, which is surprising because I’m sure I always have one in mind.
Anyway, this time I decided to feature two stores that I have been impressed with recently, one being H&M, the other Topshop. Now in the last few years I’ve pretty much always been a ‘fan’ of Topshop – they’re constantly bringing out pieces I can’t wait to add to my collection. However, I’ve found that my love for H&M in recent months has faded slightly.
It’s sad to say, but the stores I’ve been visiting just haven’t won me over with their collections.
However I was pleasantly surprised when I went into the Norwich H&M recently. They are back on form!
As for the wishlist itself this time I picked items that I can definitely see in my wardrobe, rather than those I just wish I could add to it. So these are all items that are reasonably priced, which I could coordinate easily.
The ‘Peplum’ trend looks like it will be going through to A/W and I’m pleased as it’s a cute, flattering shape. I’m also enjoying bursts of colour (love that royal blue!) to help brighten up an outfit. The rest are all just items that I want to play around with – especially the Mary Janes, and the denim shorts with suspenders attached.
I hope I can hurry up and get a job asap so I can BUY ALL THE CLOTHES!
Source; 1, 2