July Beauty Empties

It's that time again. Here are all the beauty products that I have used up this month. Clockwise from top left:

Nivea Body Lotion Irresistibly Smooth - Shea Butter
This has a lovely creamy texture that is great for dry skin, and a nice fresh and clean smell that doesn't over power perfume. 

Simple Facial Toner
This is a lovely every day facial toner that doesn't dry out skin and removes traces of dirt that face wash leaves behind. Great for sensitive skin.

Mitchum Advanced Control 48 Hour Deodorant - Waterlily
The nozzle gives a powerful shot leaving you feeling shower fresh. No white marks either - bonus!

Elasta QP Shampoo For Relaxed Hair
This stuff is is fab. I only need to shampoo my hair a few times with this to get it squeaky clean, and leaves my hair feeling relatively tangle free. I would never skip conditioner though!

Mitchum Advanced Control 48 Hour Deodorant - Powder Fresh
It's been a hot  month so unsurprisingly I have worked my way through 2 cans of Mitchum deodorant. This one has a gorgeous baby powder scent.

World of Curls Oil Sheen Spray
A must have for anyone with relaxed hair. This stuff keeps the ends of my hair moist and breakage free. Love, love, love!

Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel
This is my go to summer shower gel. The mint and tea tree leave a tingly feeling on the skin which is perfect for cooling you down on a hot morning, especially when you have to brave a sweaty commute to work.

Dr Miracle's Hot Grow Hair and Scalp Treatment
It has taken me almost a year to finish this tub. I use it about twice a week on my scalp to prevent it from getting dry. Similar to tea tree, this stuff leaves a slight tingly feeling for a few seconds after it's applied. I really like it and have already re-purchased.

Aussie Luscious Long Leave In Conditioner
This has a light coconut smell and leaves my hair tangle free ready to blow dry. It lasts ages as well.

Sunshine & Family

This weekend I was uber excited to catch up with my family. It had been a while since I had visited and I wanted to make it special so we decided to have a picnic. Lucky for us, the weather was absolutely amazing. Sunshine plus family is a very happy combination. Here is a pic of me getting a kiss from my gorgeous niece. I love that a bright pink tutu is casual day wear for her!

On to the serious business of food, and man there was lots of it...

And no picnic would be complete without bubbles!

And here is my sister, ever the diva!

It was lovely being able to catch up with my sister and have a good gossip whilst my niece and nephew larked around

I hope the good weather continues so we can have more days like this!

June Beauty Empties

I'm quite good at using up my beauty products before buying new stuff. I find that this not only saves money, but it also means I don't have shed loads of products taking up lots of space. This months beauty empties are:

L'Oreal Fresh Essentials Gel Wash

Armani White Diamond

Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara

Mitchum Deodorant - Powder Fresh

Collection Cosmetics Fast Stroke Eye Liner

Imperial Leather Skin Kind Body Wash - Raspberry and Lime Blossom

Vaseline - Creme Brule

Nivea Q10 Body Firming Lotion

My favourite beauty product this month is the Imperial Leather Skin Kind Body Wash in Raspberry and Lime Blossom. It has a lovely light almost perfume like smell, and tiny exfoliating bubbles that burst on your skin. The bottle was huge so it lasted a long time as well. Since buying it on special offer, I am struggling to find it. I will definitely be re-purchasing.

BABY SHOWER

Baby showers are an American concept that have well and truly been adopted by us Brits as a right of passage and key engagement in the female social calendar  A great excuse to get together with the girls and a chance for the Mum to be to relax, be pampered and open presents. Homemade cakes are a must, and I have to say, these were delicious.

We were bestowed with typically British summer weather (i.e. sunshine and showers) but were well prepared with a lovely marquee

Mum to be looks absolutely gorgeous and was just glowing. Beautiful...

After tucking into cakes, it was time for presents!

Followed by more cake and a few cheeky vinos (for the guests not Mummy!)

A lovely time had by all.

Love Friday's

On a Friday night there is nothing I like more than cocktails with the girls. Cocktails always feel like such a treat and girly catch ups just don't happen often enough for my liking so the minute we got a date in the diary I started getting excited.

The 4 of us met up in Carnaby Street and sunk several bottles of wine at The Blue Posts pub. Feeling tipsy and hungry, we headed to nearby Cha Cha Moon and ordered a ridiculous amount of food. We shared a selection of starters, and I had the duck curry for main.

I couldn't resist a few cheeky snaps of me and the girls

Next up was more cocktails at Bittersweet which is a fairly new cocktail bar in Soho. The venue was gorgeous, the cocktails not so much. I am a massive fan of sours so when I spotted the Pisco Sours I went in for the kill. It looked pretty but was a bit of a let down. Far too bitter for my liking. The Espresso Martini wasn't much better.

It was such a warm evening we decided to seek out a roof terrace, and Vista @ The Trafalgar most certainly did not disappoint. 

The space was gorgeous with awesome views of the London skyline at night

After a few vodka and tonics and gossip galore, it was time to make like Cinderella and leave the party. I wish all Friday's could be like this.

Outfit Of The Day

Summer is finally here! I love digging out my Summer wardrobe and rediscovering clothes I had long forgotten about. I work in media and this is a typical work outfit for me. Denim jeans and a blazer are so easy to wear and are smart enough for work while being suitable for after work pavement drinking that we seem to do so much of in London. What are your Summer fashion staples?

Mint Polo In The Park

This weekend I attended my first polo match, Mint Polo In The Park, held at Hurlingham Park. Polo is such a quintessentially British sport, and Mint Polo in The Park didn't disappoint on the glitz and glamour stakes.

On arrival, I had my very first Pimms of the summer. This was followed my canapes and and lots of vino. One of the best things about Polo is the chance to get all dressed up

There were 3 matches on the day, and during half time we were invited to the pitch to partake in the tradition of divot stomping

I will definitely recommend Mint Polo In the Park for a girly day out.

BBQ Pulled Pork

This yummy recipe is super easy, virtually fat free and mouth watering good.

Ingredients:
1  Large Pork Joint (Remove all visable fat)
1 Carton of Passata
5 Tablespoons of Worcester Sauce
3 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tablespoons of Sweetener
2 Crushed Cloves of Garlic
1 Tablespoon of Smoked Paprika

Method:
1. Sear the pork in a hot frying pan
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes
3. Transfer the pork to a roasting dish lined with foil
4. Pour the sauce over the pork
5. Cover the pork with foil
6. Bake at 160 degrees/gas mark 3 for 5 hours
7. Remove the pork from the oven and rest for 15 minutes
8. Use 2 forks and gently pull the pork so that it shreds

Baby Food Cocktail

Yes you read that correctly. Baby food cocktail. Stay with me. I really fancied making some bellinis and searched the supermarket for a fruit puree/liquor but couldn't find anything suitable. First stop was the alcohol section. Nothing. I looked at the fruit isle, dessert isle and baking isle and still couldn't find anything that could go in a bellini. I then had a light bulb moment and headed to the baby section. The baby fruit puree was absolutely perfect. 

Scoop a heaped teaspoon of puree, pour into a champagne flute and top with prosecco. Calling it one of my 5 a day might be a stretch too far but it does taste fabulous. Great for kicking off a special evening, or in my house, a little pick me up the morning after the night before. This will definitely be my drink of the Summer. Cheers!