STVDIO 5 // VEGAN BEAUTY

Let’s just get this out the way. I’m a terrible blogger.

I was supposed to post this blog well over two months ago but low and behold, things, life, bits & bobs, (selfies with my cat) take over and my scheduling went out the window…so lets just completely ignore the fact that this post is two months late, I'm a terrible human and the fact that September is nearly over...

Oops.

You’re probably thinking, why on earth would she dig up a post about an event she went to over two months ago? That’s a good question (Good for you Glen Coco, you go Glen Coco!), the reason is that I truly and whole heartedly believe in this brand that showcased this event and felt like I had to do a post about them.

If I'm honest, there's only a few things in life I'm truly passionate about and that's food, cats, sleep, bargains and vegan products!

Back in August I was invited to a launch event for Stvdio5 in their pop up store in Old Street Station in London. Stvdio5 teamed up with a few other brands such as TerreVerdi (another organic beauty brand) and Bysun (a handmade luxury ladies wear brand).

Stvdio5 are a 100% vegan, London based beauty company who rivals the likes of Lush (and lets face it, we all love a bit of Lush!). Not only do they have amazing smelling products like bath truffles, candles, face cleansers and moisturizers, their products are affordable, natural and paraben/alcohol free!

Not only do they have fantastic products, they have a wonderfully refreshing business mantra which they call ‘Best of British’. They elaborate further on their website with the following statement: 

‘We need your support and encouragement to change consumer consciousness. We are NOT against large-scale High Street companies, but we do believe that buying from us will create a community of people who are passionate about NATURAL AND HANDMADE British products’. 

Then continuing their passionate declaration with:

‘Respect your money, respect your skin. Buy natural, buy British’.

This company is run by Antonio Pisanelli, who is one of the most nicest, hospitable and welcoming Brand Directors I’ve ever come across. Not only is his passion for his business evident when talking to him on social media or face to face, he’s very down to earth and gives bloggers a lot of time and respect.

All in all, I love this brand. Wholeheartedly. The ethics, the people and the products are all top quality and I’m so thankful Antonio invited me along to such a wonderful launch party. I would highly suggest you take a look at their website and try a few of their products, I personally love their bath truffles, which are always a welcome addition to any bath time escapade.

I try to use vegan products wherever I can and it’s companies like Stvdio5 that make is so easy to do! If you’d like to find out more information feel free to head on over to their website here.

(You can stalk all the other bloggers who went and their opinions by searching the hashtag #stvdio5inwonderland on Twitter)

Have you ever tried any of Stvdio5's products? If so, let me know what you think in the comments below! If you haven't, are these the sort of products you'd like to try? Let me know!

Thanks for stopping by!

Warwick Castle // Adventure

A couple of weekends ago, on a Sunday morning in August, my friend called me and asked if I would like to visit Warwick Castle with him. Even though it’s only a couple of hours drive from London, I’ve never been, so I was more than happy to go along and see what Warwick Castle had to offer.

Before we set off our on adventure the weather was truly beautiful but in good old English fashion that soon changed and upon our arrival at the castle the heaven’s decided to open. I’d like to think our British stiff upper lip came in to play and even though we were getting positively drenched walking around the grounds, the weather didn’t put a damper (excuse the pun) on things.

Before arriving I was unaware that Warwick castle is part of the Merlin Entertainment group who owns attractions such as Thorpe Park, Legoland, Madam Tussauds etc so I didn’t realise it was going to be such a ‘commercial’ experience. What I mean by that is there were character actors walking around, family shows (including horrible histories), burger vans and dungeon scare tours. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad thing, there were plenty of families walking around thoroughly enjoying themselves. I just assumed that as it was a castle the atmosphere would be quite subdued but I guess you have to use a lot of tactics to make history enjoyable for the young!

On another note, Warwick castle is quite expensive to get into. I think we paid nearly £60 for two adults (this included the dungeon scare tour), however, there are deals you can get if you book in advance or go online so make sure you use those offers if you do visit! 

A day out at Warwick castle is lovely experience and I can imagine it would be a fantastic family day out. The grounds are highly maintained, along with the interiors and there is so much to learn whilst walking about. I’d highly recommend everyone to visit and learn about the rich history Warwick has to offer!

I also did a vlog whilst at Warwick castle and I'd love it if you had a peak! I try to create interesting and creative montages when doing vlogs and it's not long I promise ;)

Have you ever been to Warwick Castle before? If so, what did you think of the experience? Can you recommend any other castles that I should visit? Let me know!

An Instant Instagram Filter for your Face?

A few months ago I was approached by a PR team who asked me to try out one of their products. Like many of you, I’ve been offered my fair share of odd products to review (one PR team asked me to review a frying pan set) so I’m usually quite weary when I’m messaged by any PR team.

However, one email in particular stood out amongst the sea of spam due to its captivating subject line ‘An Instant Instagram Filter for your Face’. Before I say anything about this product, let’s just give the PR company a massive round of applause for knowing how to grab a gal's attention. Kudos! But once I set my intrigue aside, I found myself doubting their bold statement. Without sounding like a know it all, I feel as if I would have heard about a makeup product that gives you an Insta filter for your face...I think we all would have. So how have I never heard of this product before?! With such bold claims about this product, I just had to see what it was all about.

The product in question is called New Magic Minerals Powder by Jerome Alexander. It boasts the ability to cover and conceal blemishes, age spots, fine lines and uneven skin tone, whilst of course, giving you that perfect Instant Instagram filtered face.

I’m going to be completely honest, when I opened the parcel I felt slightly disappointed by the packaging; it looked cheap, the ‘As Seen on TV’ logo felt gimmicky and the 90's vibe was a tad dated. But once I moved past the packaging and I opened up the product to reveal the powder inside, I was greeted by a colourful collection of spots all over a skin toned powder. Unbeknownst to me, these little spots are called ‘Colour Correctors’ which are supposedly meant to hide skin imperfections instantly. 

If I’m ever asked to review something I like to think that I take that task pretty seriously. I don’t just use a product once and write a post about it. Oh noooooo. I’m in it for the long haul and with that being said, I must have used this product nearly every day for a month just to see if these claims were true. 

So, did this powder give me the most perfect Instant Instagram Filtered face? No. Of course not. The logistics behind creating a product that made you look ‘perfect’ all the time is impossible and not to mention we would all look crazy weird with a constant filtered face.

BUT! BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!

(Please don’t click off just yet)

Aside from that, this a really good powder.

As y’all may know, I have very oily skin along with terrible dry patches (because God does not want me to have flawless Beyonce skin) which means trying to find a powder that keep the oiliness at bay along with not drying me out is a task that is tiresome and sad. However, this somehow does it. I couldn’t really tell if the ‘Colour Correctors’ actually did anything as I couldn’t see a dramatic difference in my skin tone etc, however, I did get quite a few compliments whilst wearing this make up, which is always a bonus.

The powder is lightweight to wear, it doesn't change colour halfway through the day, it keeps oiliness at bay, it's relatively inexpensive (retailing at £9.99) and not to mention it comes with a handy little brush!  Would I recommend this product to a friend? Yes, most definitely. Would I purchase this product again? You betcha! I actually really enjoyed using this product and was sad when I accidentally smashed the flaming bejangles out of it all over my floor (RIP Magic Minerals).

So what do you think? Gimmick or glorious? Have you ever heard of this product before or have you ever used it? Let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear what think!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Food throughout July

Ok, so this post may not detail everything I ate throughout the month of July, but I feel it gives a good idea what I've been enjoying throughout this month.

After 6 months of having a homemade smoothie or juice for breakfast every morning, I've now switched up my morning routine and started to enjoy oats, yoghurt and an assortment of fruits for breakfast instead.

You'll probably notice I rarely take photos of my lunch, which I don't do for 2 reasons. 1. I'm usually at work and I still find pretty odd to take photos in front of my work colleagues and 2. My lunch is usually homemade which means after travelling in to work for about an hour on public transport, my homemade lunch is not very appealing to look at anymore.

If you'd like to see similar to posts to this feel free to come follow me on Instagram here (shameless plug) where I post a variety of food, travel, beauty and cats photos daily.

Anyway, I'm ill, so I'm going to back to bed!

TOODLES!

What to expect from online dating

After becoming single last year for the first time in a while, I was persuaded by friends and family to move on and give online dating a go. If you’re new to the online dating scene then this post may prepare you for what the future has in store for you. Or perhaps you’re already a online dating veteran and a few of these points may tickle you. Alternatively, you may already be in a happy relationship and just want a laugh at us poor ol’ singletons and reaffirm how bloody lucky you are that you don't have to go through this all, you swines! (I kid). But anyway, I think I’ve listed a few home truths about what you can expect from the online dating world.

I hope you enjoy.

And good luck if you're considering online dating...you're gona' need it :|

Topless selfies

This is a tough one isn’t it? On the one hand, I’m sure we all appreciate a nice, good looking body but of the other hand we have to ask, is this topless Greek god really husband material? For me, it’s a no. 

Sorry Zeus.  

Duck Faced Men

Can someone alert the authorities!?! Men pouting?! When did this become a thing and more importantly, when was this deemed socially ok?! Don’t ask me why I find it ok for women to pout in photos yet when a man does it I can’t help but want to heave. I just can't explain it.

Whenever I see a man pouting in a photo I can literally feel my fallopian tubes tying themselves in to knots and every last bit of desire that I had for any man, fading fast. 

Please spread this message, men and pouting should never go together.

Mr.Keen

A truck load in fact. (He didn't even give me time to respond...)

'Just ask me'

Am I the only one who has a gripe with this? I can't stand it when a guy has an about me section that only says:

 ‘Just ask me’ 

I'm not detective f**king Colombo mate!  You’ve got to give me some clues as to what you like; otherwise this is going to be a very long, arduous process for us all...

Me: Do you like sea kelp?

Him: No

Me: Have you seen Jaws?             

Him: No

Me: Uh. Common! What do you like?!?!

Him: Just ask!


Plus, I'd like to know if I've got stuff in common with you before I swipe right becuase believe it or not, I'm not judging you solely on how you look!

Where's Wally?

I'm putting it out there, group photos are the bane of my existence. I can see you have friends, lots of them in fact. However, you all look the same and I can’t really tell which one you are, soooooo…

(swipes left)

Perverts 

God loves a trier doesn't he? What can I say? I almost feel sorry for the guys who write these types of messages to girls but what do they honestly expect? Do they think we will fall to our knees and praise the lord that our knight in shining armor has appeared at last? Or do they really think that sending a message saying ‘You’re body is fit, I need to f**k you asap’ is really going to result in sexual intercourse? 

Oh, they did?  

Oh, well, that’s awkward…

All the young dudes. They will hit on you. A lot. Does anyone take this as a compliment? Maybe I should but instead I can’t help but feel like a cradle robbing old hag if any guy younger than me sends me a message. My darling, I’m ten years older than you, it’s just not going to happen. Also, why on earth are you on here anyway?! Isn’t it past your bed time?! You cheeky lil scallywag!

The older (old) man 

YOU’RE OLD ENOUGH TO BE MY DAD!

(shudders)

The Normal 'good looking guys who say odd/weird/mental things'... 

...which just reinstates the fact that you’re going to be alone forever. 

These types of guys have to be the worst of them all. They have nice photos, they look sociable yet mysterious and low and behold, you have the same interests, could this be a match made in online dating heaven? 

He’s cute, you’re cute, you could have good looking babies together, you've basically started planning the wedding but uh, oh no, nope, nope, nope, he’s just gone and ruined it all by being a complete and utter nutter (see below for further details).

Fan-bloody-tastic.

But just as all hope fades...

You realize there are some nice ones...

Have you tried online dating before? I'd love to know what was the funniest message you've ever received! Let me know in the comments below. 

=^.^=