Blogmas 2015

Is it too early to be wishing Merry Christmas?

Oh well Merry Christmas - this year I cannot wait for Christmas and even have all my Christmas shopping done and dusted (though not wrapped) before December 1st.  Yes I am Miss Keenbean and super organised, thank you Black Friday. I am going to let you in on a little secret, I already have all the Christmas emojis as my most used saved on my phone.

As I am so excited I have decided to blog throughout December.  I have a complete mix of Christmas themed goodness coming up for you.  I will be kicking it all off later today with top Christmas decoration picks hopefully to inspire you to get your Christmas trees up!

Like always please let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to see :)

I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and enjoy counting down the days with me!

Black Friday Wish List 2015

Black Friday is upon us again and for those of you unfamiliar with the term 1. where have you been and 2. your bank balance is going to regret finding out, anyway Black Friday has become a chance for retailers to promote their products and give us bargains!  The event is actually an American tradition but like Mcdonalds, Facebook and Kim K we have accepted it into our welcoming British arms.

This year in the UK offers have been launched before Friday and seem to be carrying on into the weekend so I'm sure everyone will get a chance to look at the deals on offer.  I have been saving up my pennies with the intention of getting Christmas presents for my nearest and dearest, though who am I kidding I have also got my eye on some things I really hope go into the Black Friday sales.

RJR John Rocha Cow Print Clutch

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow

ASOS Merry Rose Gold Brogues

Ninja Nutri Slim Blender

Canon EOS M3 Camera

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2

ASOS Mars Nude Leather Loafers

I would love to know what you are planning on buying this Black Friday or if you have already bagged yourselves some deals!

PS it is one month until Christmas day!!!!

The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield

I woke up in a sea of pillows after spending a lovely day and night at The Crazy Bear Hotel in Beaconsfield. A generous present from my boyfriend for our anniversary. The room was decorated with black quilted walls, velvet accessories and there was even a copper bath at the end of the bed. This hotel is bursting with flamboyant decorations including the huge chandelier in the bar area. 

We had booked dinner in the restaurant for 8.30pm so we made our way through the bar and the Moroccan conservatory out to the pool area. It was beautiful and the perfect setting to sip cocktails. Dinner was lovely too, I had a lobster risotto and my boyfriend ordered the steak. There are always deals on Groupon for the 7 course taster menu but we wanted to order whatever we fancied on the day. Portions were generous though typical us, our eyes were bigger than our bellies and we ordered desert. It was chocolate heaven. 

Breakfast was included in our stay where there was fresh fruit, pastries and cereals in the bar. We also opted for cooked breakfast, my boyfriend had his usually fry up with the works where my eyes lit up when I saw eggs Benedict on the menu. 

The atmosphere is completely different to anywhere I have stayed before, the dark character of the place really makes it unique and as the name would suggest all a bit crazy. Though it is very grand inside it is actually tucked away on the high street and did take a couple of drives up the road to find it. Customer service was excellent as you would expect, I even had a diva moment and asked for an ironing board to be brought up to the room. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the iron board cover was cow print - it's like they knew!

I would completely recommend this hotel, the one in Oxford is even set on the farm if you are after something very different. Don't be expecting any privacy from whoever you are sharing a room with though, it's a completely romantic hotel. No business here purely pleasure, and a glass of champagne while you check in!

Roaming Around Rome

I love cities, big lights, pretty buildings and lots of character. To me the most peaceful place is overlooking a city at night. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't turn down a cocktail poolside but that's a different story. For my boyfriends birthday (the hater of all things city) I took him away to Rome. Neither of us had visited Italy so naturally we only had the stereotypes to go by. 

Rome itself is beautiful. Possibly the prettiest city Joe and I have ever visited. Everywhere you look there is a hidden gem of architecture and of course the odd cobbled street. The city was busy especially unbeknownst to us as it was a bank holiday. There was a special service at the Vatican to mark St Peters day where the atmosphere was something completely ordinary. 

We were happy just to walk around the city and find one piazza after another. Piazza nova is lovely with various artists and acts we enjoyed a bottle of prosecco while watching the day pass us by. Portions are bigger than I expected - with pizzas spilling over the plates and spaghetti piled high, I instantly knew why Italian food was my favourite. Not mentioning the odd Aperol spritz that went down a treat. 

We did venture out of the city - just under an hour away is the beautiful lake Bracciano. It's so picturesque. The beach was full of families and even a rouge dog was lapping up the weather running in and out of the lake. There was a wake boarding competition going on , which if I had previously known would have definitely signed Joe up for. 

All in all even after a weeks weeks have past I've still got holiday blues. The galeto, the character of the place and the atmosphere of Rome I loved it and would recommend anyone to visit. I also brought home a box of chocolates for my parents - apparently the Italians do pretty good chocolates as well. 

Have you been to Rome - what was your favourite thing?

The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder

Bloggers everywhere went crazy for the Honey Bronzing Powder when it was released, myself included. A good matte bronzer can be tricky to find on the high street so I instantly fell in love with this little beauty. There are six shades available mine is shade 3, to be honest I wish I had got a darker shade as the ashy tones make for a good contour. This is the only product I have tried from the honey range at The Body Shop but it is a gooden. I like the packaging it's sturdy while being compact and has a good size mirror so is a brilliant product to pop in your handbag for touch ups. The powder is fine and blends nicely, I really liked the honeycomb pattern indent to fit in with the theme. At £13 is it on the more expensive side of high street but has been a staple in my everyday routine and am so sad to have hit pan on it recently. I think I'm going to repurchase the darker shade as there aren't any red undertones so won't leave me looking muddy. 

Affordable Gym Clothes

I spoke about my gym experience so in true blogger style I thought I would share the clothes I wear when I'm there.  As someone that wasn't sure how dedicated I was going to be I thought I would start small and check out the highstreet offering of gym and activewear before taking the dive into Pink or Nike.  To be honest I am very impressed with the likes of Primark, New Look, H&M and Misguided ect for the ranges they have released.  Now everyone can look like they mean business!!



Let me know if you have found any gymwear bargains.

Let's Talk Fitness

If someone had told me a year ago I would be writing a post about the gym I would have thought have thought they were raving bonkers. Me and the gym had the "you don't even go here" type of relationship. Seriously. I didn't have any form of gym etiquette when I started but to be honest I still embarrass myself on a weekly basis. I think I might save those stories for another time thoough. 

Let me take you back to the beginning of July when I thought Body Pump was a type of dance move and sports bras were for the frumpy gal in PE. I couldn't even run for the train without nearly passing out and walking up the flight of stairs for work felt like I had run a matharon. Yes I knew I had put a bit of timber on around the tum tum but I was just SO unfit and that's what bothered me. 

Here I am in April and I have been a regular down the gym for 9 months! I was shocked I got passed 3 weeks. I started off just doing my own thing on the exercise bikes and the odd power walk on the treadmill, it shows that even small changes really make a difference. I now have been known to fit social plans around my Tuesday spinning class and get to the gym for a 9 o'clock Saturday morning session, that's how dedicated I have become. 

I do feel so much fitter in my everyday life and can't help but feel a little proud when someone compliments my figure (not something that happened often before). Don't get me wrong I have my unmotivated days and I still haven't mastered the best diet but I am so glad I finally got round to joining a gym and sticking with it. 

This year I am hoping to compete a 10k run which I would never have thought about doing before. If I can do this then I'm sure anyone with a little bit of will power can too. 

Bronzer and Brush Duo

Winter is well and truly over, that means it's summer time. No? I am so bored of winter skin and makeup I want to be sun kissed and golden. I've even ordered my first bikini of 2015. Ok so I ordered two.   

I wanted something to take the pastiness out of my pale skin without looking orange or cakey. I think I have found a good little combo that I have to share. The Rimmel Natural Bronzing powder in 022 Sun Bronze and the Duo Fibre Face brush by Real Techniques. I've never been a fan of duo fibre brushes but the bristles are dense enough to pick up the product but sparse enough to apply a light amount and blend. The slightly annoying thing is that this brush can only be bought as part of a set containing the face, contour and eye brushes. 

I'm starting to get into minimal makeup so this little combo is perfect. Especially when I want an extra 5 minutes in bed of a morning.

Favourite Hair Masques

My hair always needs a bit of tlc, even though I am happy with the moisturising conditioners that I use I do enjoy a good hair masque to give it that little bit extra. I have used all different treatments from drugstore to highend and I have picked my favourites from each and added an extra just for good measure.

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Mineral Hair Rescue Masque - £5.99
I hadn't tried a lot of Charles Worthington but I took advantage of a deal that Boots had a few months ago. Ever since, I have been loving this hair mask and use it once/twice a week. It leaves my hair feeling smooth and soft. I have noticed my hair looking healthier and not as dull. It has the added bonus if smelling amazing too! A random thing to mention but I really like how the lid flips back into place easily so no water can get into the tub and ruin the product.

Kérastase Nutritive Nutri-Thermique Masque 200ml - £20
My first tub of this beauty was a Christmas present a year or so ago and I fell in love.  Not only does Kate Middleton use this brand to keep her amazing locks in shape but it feels so luxurious. I try to avoid using this anywhere near my roots as it is so smooth and creamy it can make my roots look shiny. It leaves my hair so smooth and I have found how tangled my hair gets when I don't use this. Now addicted to highend shampoos oh no!

Lush Hair Doctor - £6.95

This is the first hair product that I've bought from Lush, I usually head straight for the bath bombs. Having a sensitive, dry and flaky scalp I have found T Gel and Head and Shoulders do not quite do the job of encouraging the hair goddess in me. Specifically made to cleanse and moisturise the scalp I had to give it a try.  Once a week I smear a thick helping of this mask onto my scalp and leave for around half an hour.  Having such thick hair it took a while to get used to the clay texture but it is definitely worth it.  This was a massive improvement and lasted longer than I had expected.

What hair products have you been using to help dry and sensitive hair?

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara vs Benefit They're Real Mascara

A while ago I put The Benefit They're Real mascara to the test. Could I find a drugstore alternative that was just as good or maybe even better than the bestselling highend product. I love Maybelline The Rocket mascara and thought there may be some similarities so I filmed a review and demonstration on how both perform during a standard working day. 

Watch the video to find out my verdict. 

Let me know if you have tried either and what your thoughts are on either mascara.  Do you have a different affordable mascara that can compete against highend mascaras?

Lush Collection and Video

Hi I'm Stacy and I am a Lush addict. I cannot help myself, it takes a lot of willpower to have to wait for your train everyday outside a Lush store and not go in. Surprisingly I've only missed one train due to getting carried away. Anyway I pop in there every couple of weeks or when I see there's a new collection waiting for me. 

Lush bath bombs are always the thing that attracts me. The scents shapes and general cuteness is too much for me to turn anywhere else. I have dipped into the hair masks and other shower products but I am yet to experiment truly with skincare.  

I talk through each product in a bit more detail in my video.

Let me know your favourite Lush products

x

I'm Back!

Hi everyone

As you may be able to tell I took a massive step back from blogging and Youtube. I know I am not the most consistent blogger but I really enjoy my little space in bloggersphere and feel that so much has gone on since I've been away. 

Anyway this was just a little message to let you know that I am back and really excited for all the good stuff I want to share with you all. I've still been keeping out with new releases and have been finding some good Autumn goodies.

I have already got back into the swing of things over on my Youtube :)

Thank you for sticking with me in my absence and you'll be hearing a lot from me.

Love you long time sisters x