Sometimes it pays to read the instructions on a product… I merrily applied this whilst in the shower, blithely thinking “it’s a body scrub, I know how to do this”, and was initially a little bit unimpressed…

Micro-Dermabrasion Body Renewal is from the new Sanctuary Spa Professional Range.

A quick scan of the back of the product however reveals that this scrub is meant to be applied generously BEFORE showering, and rubbed into the skin for around three minutes to reveal “smoother and more radiant skin”. This is meant to be great to tackle micro bumps on the skin, such as those goosey bits of flesh that can accumulate at the back of the arms.

The product contains Micro Silicates, which are apparently “minute organisms that were fossilised millions of years ago and provide a super-refining buff, up to five times smaller than normal scrub particles. The unique combination of their exceptional hardness, special shape and high mineral content retexturises skin to reduce fine lines and wrinkles”

It also contains the following!

The product has the typical scent that seems to run through the majority of the standard  Sanctuary range, however this has added notes of grapefruit and lemongrass which lifts the scent, making it more refreshing.

This new Spa Professional range is aimed at ladies who like to pamper but don’t necessarily have the access to attend Spa’s on a regular basis. At £9.18 for 200ml this is a reasonably priced product which is just a little more refined than the regular Sanctuary line, but still affordable. You can view the rest of the range HERE.

So what did I think? In a nutshell, I liked this product – the pre shower use (once my little noggin had got the hang of it) was something new and different enough to hold my interest, the scent is a winner for me, and the product definitely left me feeling smoother and more polished after use. I personally liked the fine scrub particles, as they were fine enough not to leave my skin feeling damaged, but clearly did a decent job of sloughing off dead skin cells and leaving me feeling polished and smooth. The product also rinsed easily. As for the claims of inproved radiance, I did see some improvement, however I feel that with repeated use this would become more apparent. I also found that body lotion sank in really well after use of this, and I stayed feeling hydrated all day long.

As for value for money, I’d expect to get around five full body (and by that I mean both arms and legs) treatments out of one tube, meaning each treatment costs around £1.50 – £2 per go. Obviously You’d get more goes out of a big pot of Soap and Glory Scrub, but this does give better results I found. Although this doesn’t quite live up to the standard set by Bliss scrub (review HERE), for the price point of this I was pretty impressed.

Would I repurchase? Yep – this worked well on my dry skin, and smoothed it without making it feel irritated or sore. Obviously a preference for a rough textured scrub is a personal choice, so if you prefer that texture, this may not work for you.

Disclaimer – product was sent to me for review by a PR. Review is honest and based on my own experiences with the product as always. I would always recommend reading as many reviews as possible, and considering your own needs, skintype and preferences prior to making any purchase.

Did you know Nivea is nearing its 100th birthday? As part of its ongoing birthday buildup, Nivea have given their Nivea “Soft” cream a makeover with the help of fashion designer Josep Font, whose pieces have been worn by Lady Gaga. Now to be honest the Gaga claim isn’t one that particularly appeals to me (I’m not really a fan of hers, but each to their own) but there’s no denying that these limited edition pots are very pretty!

The cream itself has that classic “Nivea” scent, but with a slightly fresher feel than the “Blue pot”, and is rich enough to use after shaving – I found it kept my legs feeling hydrated all day. I’d compare this to a body butter in terms of levels of moisturising, however with a slightly lighter texture.

The limited edition pots come in three variations;

• Estella – inspired by sculptor Frank Stella, the pot depicts the eyes of a fantastical female seen through a kaleidoscope.
• Sea – Design incorporates a mermaid wearing a turban of starfish
• Dreams – Inspired by a mysterious night-time world.

The Nivea LE pots are available now until the end of July, and retail at £6.95 for 200mls.

This is a product I have been meaning to review for absolutely ages now – it’s something of an indication that this has become a bit of a staple in the bathroom for me, and as so often occurs with staples, has not received the credit it is due. But that’s totally my bad, because the scrub in particular from this set is outstanding, and is one of the best I have used.

The price of this scrub is high – £28.60 for a 12oz jar. Packaging wise its fairly basic looking, but functional enough. Whereas I do usually like a tube for hygiene reasons, here the pot serves well, enabling you to dig in.

The scrub itself comes in a creamy base, and has a generous amount of scrubby particles, as shown below;

A little seems to go a long way, which kind of makes me feel better about the price point. I also like the fact that the particles in this don’t seem to dissolve away before you’ve really had a good scrub, like salt or sugar based scrubs often do. This makes it great for really getting to grips with fake tan remnants or dealing with stubborn dry patches of skin. The creamy base means it’s not overly harsh on dry skins either – I love this for my legs. It gives me that feeling where you know all the dead skin cells have been whisked off because your legs feel smooth, and sensitive to the air, but in a good way.

The scent is also lovely, although if lemon and sage doesn’t appeal, then there are other varieties to choose from, including blood orange and white pepper which sounds lovely, and will be the next one I plan to try.

I was also sent the matching body butter from the range, which compliments the scrub well – I don’t find that the scent is too overpowering and it doesn’t linger too long, so won’t interfere with fragrances. Of the two products though I’d say that the scrub for me was the more standout, and is definitely the item I’d purchase again from the range. Obviously though – the price point will be prohibitive at certain times of “financial embarrassment”.

Disclaimer – Both products were provided by PR for review purposes. As always this review is honest and based on my own experiences with the product, please bear in mind yours may vary – I would personally recommend reading as many reviews as you can prior to making any purchase

But will instead make you smell of roses…

I don’t normally go in for the whole “bath fizz bomb” concept – they often seem overhyped and full of glitter, which is slightly irritating. This little bath fancy from Rose & Co, normally a brand I only associate with lip balms, caught my eye when it arrived recently for review though, and smells divine…

Strictly speaking though, this is actually more of a bath melt affair, and dissolves slowly into a warm bath releasing shea butter, cocoa butter and almond oils, leaving skin soft and delicately scented, rather than a mass of bubbles, making it better for drier skin types.

I love the idea of a mini cupcake stand in the bathroom festooned with these little babies, I just think they are mega cute, and smell lovely. I also love the fact that unlike a lot of other bath products, they are not too drying on the skin.

These are available at House of Fraser at the moment, and come in boxes of three for £10, six for £15 9 for £20 and 12 for £25. I think they would also make a lovely gift, either for someone else, or for yourself. It would even be a good idea to buy a few and separate out for gifts (one for them, two for you…). At that price these are pretty comparable to most of the bath bomb range at Lush, and I like the way they tempt you to buy more by the price reducing per unit the more you buy – clever House of Fraser! Beautynomics at its finest.

One bugbear is that they do contain some glitter, but they are nowhere near as glitter bomb like as others I have tried…

Fragrances include rose, lemon sorbet (yum!) and violet.

Disclaimer – product sent by PR for review purposes. All opinions are honest as always.

Anyone who chats with me on twitter might have noticed me mentioning and chatting about a programme that was shown on the UK here on BBC3 called “The Big Fat Truth About Low Fat Food”. Click on the link to see the programme on BBCiPlayer.

Now as someone who has been a yo-yo dieter for probably over ten years now, this made for very interesting viewing! I definitely fell into the trap of low fat foods. I’ve never thought of myself as a big consumer of “ready meals”, which is one of the foods featured in the show, but when I watched the show, I was shocked at how many foods on there which are classed as “processed” feature in my diet on a regular basis – diet coke, low fat cakes, crisps, cereal bars, low fat yogurt…


 The basic messages behind the programme were that when the fat is taken out of a food, it has to be replaced with something else. Usually this is sugar, or a manufactured chemical food replacement – and none of the ones discussed in the programme are exactly appetising.
Unfortunately, you can’t kid your body with sugar and chemicals – as a result you don’t feel satisfied, so you eat more. The presenter of the programme actually gained weight (a measly three lb which seemed a major drama for her… ) after eating LF food exclusively for a month.

Secondly, chemicals aside theres very little of nutritional value in the food – a distinct lack of fibre for example. And as they are so highly processed they break down super quick resulting in energy highs and lows… so again you eat more to feel better, as well as feeling bloated, constipated and sluggish…

So after watching this, I had something of an epiphany. Diets, or at least the ones I have tried, just simply don’t work. Now I know what you’re thinking – you’ve heard that before. I thought the same, but for some reason this programme clicked with me and brought the message home!

So I’m not buying low fat processed food any more. I’m going to buy regular food which is naturally lower in fat, higher in fibre, and low in sugar. I’m also still going to eat chocolate. But only good quality high percentage cocoa solids, and not every day. I know I still have weight to lose. But I don’t intend to punish my body any more. I need to feel more positive and get a healthy relationship back with food.

I need to relearn how to stop eating when full, enjoy food, and enjoy mealtimes.

Did you watch the programme? How did you feel – did it make any impact on you? If you are lucky enough to have a good relationship with food, what sort of foods do you eat on a typical day? I need inspiration please? I feel like I’m starting from scratch, but I am excited about this!

I’ve made no secret of the struggles I’ve had with my weight – I’m your classic yo-yo dieter, and have been since I was about 20.

Before that time, I was pretty lucky really – I could within reason eat what I wanted, because I’d stop when I was full. Sure I had a thing for chocolate and I’d always be the one who’d have a pudding rather than a starter, but I was never really an emotional eater.

That all changed when I went to uni and I wasn’t happy there. Eating became a source of comfort and pleasure. Then I realised I wasn’t comfortable in my clothes, I was having to buy bigger sizes. So I joined a slimming club, and a gym, lost the weight, got my confidence back and felt great.

The problem is that this pattern has been repeated ever since. Sad times, and even sometimes periods where I feel really content, meant me seeking solace in food. Of course, munching through a box of chocs never solved anything, just distracted me from whatever was wrong at the time.

A couple of years ago, I found myself at the start of this cycle once again, but this time I weighed more than ever. There were times when my behaviour around food made me feel so ashamed of myself, and that’s not a place I ever want to be again. My body image started to get really skewed at this time – sometimes I’d think I looked massively fat, but would look fine in photo’s, at other times I’d think I looked fine, but would catch an image of myself in the mirror and wondered who that huge person staring back at me was!

picture sourced HERE



Picture Sourced HERE.

I find perfume/scent reviews quite difficult, as I’m no expert in the fragrance field. I know what I like (anything fresh and citrussy), and what I dislike (anything too musky and heavy), so here goes.

I mentioned in my recent review of the new Bronze Goddess collection from Estee Lauder, that I regretted not picking up last years bronze goddess fragrange, which as I recall had a fresh yet coconutty vibe to it which made me feel like I was on a beach somwhere sipping a pina colada… Of course that dream would soon be destroyed when I opened my eyes and realised I was still somewhere between Liverpool and Manchester, but hey ho, a girl can dream…

It was with some trepidation then that I took my first sniff of this, which was recently sent for review. Could this live up to the lovely scent of last year?




The bottle has a different design to last years version, and looks like its been sprayed by the sea and then rolled in some magical glittery sand… very pretty. In the photo below, the bottle is having a bit of a lounge and a sunbathe on a crisp clean white towel… It has a better life than me!

Scent wise, this has a warmer citrussy feel to it than last years version – it has an orange and bergamot scent about it which is a bit different to the usual lemon-y citrus top notes I’m usually attracted to, but non-the-less I like it. It manages to feel both fresh and warm at the same time, which is very different. This does have a coconut scent to it, but it’s a lot more subtle than last years.

As the citrussy top notes fade this starts to smell more creamy and warm (that’ll be the amber heart notes). I’d describe the fragrance as summery and warm, but still fresh enough to fulfill my fresh and citrussy requirements.

£37 for 100mls. The new Bronze Goddess is in House of Fraser now, and launches nationwide on the 26th April.

Disclaimer – This was sent to me for review purposes. I am neither affiliated with Estee Lauder not paid for my reviews. As this is a perfume I’ve merely described the scent as well as I can with my untrained nose. Go and have a sniff. See what you think!