LIFE: Valentine's Day with the Girls

Valentine's Day isn't really a day that I look forward to (unlike pancake day) from a past experience of a first date on Valentine's Day it's been a day I've dreaded for a long time. Not only that but I also don't really like the concept of the day itself, a day to tell someone you love them, well shouldn't we be doing that anyway? The cynic in me simply doesn't agree with the day. But that being said, we all love to be treated and an excuse to celebrate. Valentine's Day can be fun without having to spend a lot of money - though if you want to budget for the big day, check out these financial tools from Personal Capital.  But Valentine's Day isn't far off now, so I best get cracking to it. This is definitely a post for the single ladies out their this year.

I know how crap it can feel to be single on Valentine's Day especially if you're a teenager, believe me I spent years thinking this, but honestly it really doesn't matter. Don't beat yourself up over it because it's just another day. You can still have fun on Valentine's Day without a fella. 

Grab a few of your best girl friends and invite them over for a night of pizza, gossiping and movies. You don't have to spend a lot, first off pizza, go to your local supermarket and pick a few frozen pizza's they're usually on offer. Or Domino's pizza usually has meal deals on which actually aren't too bad in price, especially if you're splitting the cost. Try collection too if you are ordering from domino's as their meal deals on pizza tend to be a lot cheaper (can you tell I have an addiction to domino's?). For me, you cannot have a girls night in without a face mask. You can get individual sachets or pick up a full size tube to use afterwards, my favourite is the Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox from boots. You could also try making you're own, here's a link to some recipes to try out. 

You've had your pizza, and your face mask now all that's left to do is watch some movies, gossip about boys and have lots of chocolate and nibbles. For me, I always have to watch Valentine's Day on the day itself, or you could have a TV series marathon of Pretty Little Liars, Netflix is very handy, or Scream Queens. None of this costs a lot but you're guaranteed to have a fun night and forget completely about what day it is. 

I'll be spending Valentine's Day with Scott, probably doing these exact things and forcing him to have a face mask with me and maybe some more pancakes. How will you be spending Valentine's Day this year? 

♥

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BEAUTY: The Summer Glow

Everyone has their own tips and tricks for achieving a summer glow. I was recently contacted by a company to share what I feel gives me that perfect summer glow and recently I've noticed that my skin has that glowing look more so than usual, so I'm here to share with you the products that I've been using to achieve the look. 

In the morning I love to use the Sanctuary Spa Fresh Face Purifying Face Wash (pst it's on offer at the moment). I've not tried much from the brand before but I really love using this face wash. Its more of a gel texture and I've found that if I'm struggling with spots it really helps to clear my skin. It can be a little drying but I always apply my The Body Shop Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet on afterwards anyway. The face wash really helps to make your skin look clear and the moisturiser also has that gel like quality but says to give you 24 hours of hydration. I don't know if I quite agree with that but it does make my skin feel gorgeous. I also try and stay hydrated in the summer by drinking a lot of water this also helps to keep your skin clear and looking healthy. Also by eating healthy this can also impact on your skin looking good. Aloha is a great website to check out for healthy recipes.

Finally if I'm having a few problems with my skin, at night, I tend to use The Body Shop Seaweed Night Treatment. For me this is a complete miracle product, again it's gel like in texture. I  use it when I've had a really bad breakout and I find it helps to dry the spots up and clear my skin, but it's also great if you have dry skin as it helps to moisturise as well. I use this as a serum over the top of a night cream for added moisturising. If you haven't tried this product I cannot recommend it enough, it's a skin balancing product so gives moisture where it's needed most.

And there are my tips for a summer glow. What products or items do you recommend for a summer glow?

♥

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BEAUTY: Sanctuary 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask

As mentioned in my Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing Balm post, I've recently been switching up my skincare routine. I felt like winter has really been taking it's toll on my skin this year, it simply looked dull and dry and I've been having an awful lot of breakouts. I'd heard some good reviews on the Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask so when I was in Boots a couple of weeks I decided to pick it up.

The mask warms up ever so slightly when you apply it to your skin which really helps draw out any impurities. It feels really love when it's on your skin, I hate it when masks make your face really tight, whereas this, I didn't notice had this effect on my skin. It feels quite light on your skin as well but you can feel it really getting to work.

After removing the mask with a damp cloth, I noticed that my skin felt softer and looked a little brighter. I've been using this mask twice a week for about three weeks now and my skin has cleared up an awful lot. I still get the odd spot which is irritating but I am prone to break outs. However, it was how dull my skin was looking that had been getting me down. It now looks a lot brighter and fresher.

I've really been loving using this product. I've not tried any of the Sanctuary products before and I'm thoroughly impressed with how well the mask has worked. Next time I'm in Boots I'll be sure to check out some of their other products. It's not the cheapest mask available in boots at £10.50 but I definitely think it's worth it, plus they always have some promotion on instore. You can also pick up sachets of the mask if you want to try out the product beforehand without splurging on the full bottle.

What are you favourite mask to use for a pamper session?

♥

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