sanctuary spa salt scrub

I love Sanctuary Spa products, they always smell sooo divine and leave me feeling super relaxed. I spoke about their 3 Day Moisture Creamy Body Oil back in January, and since then I've acquired a few more of their things, including the Sanctuary Salt Scrub.

First off, look how cute this packaging is! For £11.50, you get 650g of product in a gorgeous vintage-esque glass jar with a secure clip top lid. Once you've unlocked the lid, there is a thick-ish seal that you (obviously) pull back and remove. Now, when I first looked at this stuff, I was a little taken aback. All I saw was liquid! However, as I tilted the jar around slightly I realised that this 'liquid' was actually oil that was sat on top of the chunky salt. I personally think it looks pretty beautiful and I could not wait to dig my grubby hands into it!

This multi-award winning scrub contains dead sea salt from the "renowned" Dead Sea, which is surrounded by a rich mix of jojoba, coconut and almond oils. I find this to be great at polishing the skin and gently exfoliating dead skin cells to "stimulate and promote renewal," but also very moisturising as the oils skin into your skin. It isn't scratchy or harsh at all and I use this mostly on my legs and arms, but it works just as well as an all-body-scrub. It leaves your skin feeling amazingly healthy and supple with a gorgeous glow-y sheen, and is great to use if you feel like you need a little pick me up!

I am loving using this spa-like scrub, and if you're interested in trying it make sure you check to see if there are any offers on in Boots beforehand as Sanctuary Spa is often on a 3-for-2 deal!

What's your favourite exfoliator?

Liv xox

seche vite dry fast top coat

I've got quite a love hate relationship with my nails. Trimmed, buffed and polished talons look amazing there is no denying it, but when you take an hour out of your day to paint on your favourite shade only for it to be smudged five minutes later, sometimes I think, "what's the point?"

I used to work in a bakery so I got used to not being able to wear nail polish. However when I got my new job I did want to start adding some colour to my finger tips, so I started looking at what the top beauty bloggers were recommending for a quick dry application.

The votes were pretty much unanimous, Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat is the one. I was super duper skeptical when it came to trying this out as every other top coat I've ever tried has just been a compete fail. They either take a lifetime to dry or just take off my nail polish completely with each swipe I do.

However, I can say with full confidence that this has totally changed my outlook on manicures and is currently sitting proudly in my storage as my holy grail top coat. I painted my nails with a couple of layers of my chosen nail polish, left it for a minute (so bearing in mind it was still fairly tacky) and then added a coat of this. I don't know why, but I did expect this to dry in about 5 seconds which is just crazy talk. But after 1 minute and 15 seconds (yes, I did time myself) my talons were dry to the touch.

DRY TO THE TOUCH, PEOPLE!

According to the brand, they say that the "patented formula penetrates through the nail lacquer to the base coat forming a single solid coating over the nail plate." Sounds pretty impressive, but I found it works just as well and just as quickly when used without a base coat, so don't fret if you don't apply one beforehand. They also say it gives a "more durable finish," guarantees not to make nails yellow and  also leave nails "silky, stronger and resistant to chipping and peeling." Yeah, my nails did chip a little but that isn't really a problem for me, I'm not too fussy about it. Although, I have found that they peel a lot less than they use to which is great as I have to pick my whole manicure off as soon as one nail starts to peel. I don't know why, I just have to!

One thing to note is the smell of this. It has a very strong toxic smell. If you can put up with that, then I personally think that this is an awesome product.

You can get this for around the £9 mark depending on where you shop, I got mine from Boots but I know you can get it from Feel Unique too. For me, this is a complete wonder product and I think everyone should try it!

What top coat do you use?

Liv xox

sunday stuff

For me, Sundays are a day of relaxing, chilling out and having a good ol' pamper sesh after a week of hard work. So light a few candles, stick your favourite trashy film on and grab yourself a hot drink (or a glass of bubbly, I won't tell.)

Usually, I keep my face make-up free on Sundays just to give my skin time to actually breathe in the fresh air and take a big gulp of Oxygen. Come late Afternoon, i'll then begin cleansing. I've been loving this No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser. Apply to dry skin, massage and scrub away with a flannel of your choice. I cannot live without my Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer. It's a spray toner and I just find it so refreshing and revitalising, I use it every single day without fail and have just repurchased this new bottle! Yay! Hydraluron is then my serum of choice, love this stuff, and then I've been really enjoying this Superdrug Vitamin E Radiance Eye Cream! So cheap, yet so nourishing with the added benefit of SPF15!

After I heard Anna rave about the miracle product that is Coconut Oil. I picked up Superdrug's own version for under three pounds, and I really, really like it! It's a hard balm, similar to the Charles Worthington Intense Rescue Melting Balm, that melts on contact with warm skin, making it a luxurious and pleasant addition to my evening skincare routine. I find this to be very moisturising, and I haven't reacted badly to it (yet!), but I won't be using this every night as I feel it may be a little bit too much for my sensitive skin.

I always love a good nail painting session on a Sunday evening after my shower. I got this Model's Own HyperGel Nail Polish in the shade Turquoise Gloss for my birthday and the colour is just stunning! So bright and pretty, I love it! I also recently purchased the cult Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, and I must say, if you can endure the smell, it lives up to it's expectations! Expect a full review very soon!

After this, I usually spend the rest of the night chilling out, flicking through magazines and watching a few episodes of 24 (my new obsession) with my mum. A sure fire way to get me ready for the week ahead!

What do you like to do on Sunday's?

Liv xox

l'oreal elvive extraordinary oil

I love hair oils. I really like using them and find that they make a big difference to my hair. The first hair oil I ever tried was the Moroccan Oil, which I liked but found it pretty expensive. This is the point where I should point out that, if you didn't aknow, I'm all about budget beauty and finding the gems hidden in the drugstore!

With the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil, for just under a tenner (£9.99 to be precise) you get a pretty hefty 100ml encased in a solid glass bottle, which makes it feel a lot more expensive! Another thing that wins me over is the fact that this has a pump, something which the Moroccan Oil lacks and you have to purchase... separately! SAY WAAAAHT?! I know, I know. Those words hurt me too.

L'Oreal have seriously packed this product with a number of lock-loving benefits. First off, it has a UV filter which helps to protect hair against the Sun's harmful rays. It's also enriched with a blend of 6 precious flower extracts for extra nutrients! It claims to make hair glow and shine as well as feel nourished, silky soft and smooth. And I totally agree! I also find that it prefects frizz, tames fly aways, moisturises dry and damaged ends and helps to get rid of that powdery feeling if you use slightly too much dry shampoo.

I like to use this on damp hair after showering, and then I'll usually leave my locks to dry overnight but that's up to you! I also use this before blowdrying and sometimes on dry hair if it's feeling a little brittle (alliteration alert!) or zapped of moisture, as I don't find it at all greasy on the hair. L'Oreal also say that you can use this before shampooing - but I've never tried that personally!

A tip I have for you if you want a super luscious mane is to take a strong conditioner (my current fave is the Tresemme Platinum Strength Deep Conditioning Treatment) and add a few pumps of this hair oil to it. Run it through the mid-lengths and ends of your hair and use it as the ultimate in-shower hair mask! I find that this makes my hair feel sooooooooo healthy afterwards it's unreal! Trust me, try it!

So there you have it, my favourite cheap and cheerful hair oil that does tons more than just smelling damn good! What's your favourite hair oil?

Liv xox

tangle teezer

Tangly hair taking over your hair-y life? I feel ya. My hair has always been a nightmare to maintain. It's quite limp and fine, but there is alot of it! Getting in the shower or attempting to brush through my locks turns into a full military operation as I have to spend 20 minutes afterwards removing my hair from every crevice of the room.

Trying to remove the knots from my hair used to be a tear-jerking task. I remember my mum sitting my down as she tried to comb through my matted mane. Not pretty. But then I heard of this little invention, the Tangle Teezer. I'll admit that when I first used this I didn't feel like it made a world of difference. But once I switched back to a normal hairbrush, I noticed just how massively this changed my life!

I had a pink Tangle Teezer at first, but then my dog decided that he wanted it so I had to purchase another. This time I picked up this bright orange and yellow version. Pretty!

Aesthetics aside, how does it perform? I don't believe people when they say that this makes pain non-existent when it comes to brushing. If you have hair like me then, whilst it may still be a little uncomfortable, this makes it so, so, so much easier to brush through and reduces the pain by a large margin. I would recommend spritzing your hair with some form of conditioning or detangling spray first. I really like to use the Dove Hair Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Spray which is moisturising and smells gorgeous, whilst still being very inexpensive.

Once you've added some kind of spray to your locks, slowly and gently pull the Tangle Teezer through your hair to begin the detangling. Section it off if it makes it any easier, but I promise that there will be no tears when using this! The flexible teeth mean that if a knot gets caught in a bristle and just does not wanna budge, you won't rip it out. Normal brushes would grab hold of the matted section and pull until you either snapped your hair, or free'd up some strands. Bendy teeth (that sounds weird) will gently move themselves around the knot, reducing breakage.

Even though this may seem expensive, I'd highly recommend picking one up! They last ages, and the investment is totally worth it as you'll be left with healthier, stronger hair that shines!

What do you think of the Tangle Teezer?

Liv xox

maybelline colour show nail polish in cool touch

Usually, when Spring begins to show, the beauty industry goes nuts for the bright nail polish shades that have been missing from our talons over the colder months. I, however, have never really been a huge fan of colourful nails. I don't know why, but I prefer much more simple(?) shades. Think fleshy nudes, dark blacks and slate greys.

When I saw this Maybelline Colour Show nail polish in the shade Cool Touch, I quickly swiped in into my basket. I love the milky grey colour to it and felt, because it still looked bright and fresh, it would be a nice alternative Spring colour. You do need a few layers to get an opaque finish, but the shade is beautiful! It makes your hands look healthy and elegant, which I love!

For just £2.99, I think this is an awesome nail polish that would feel right at home in any girl's collection. Now I really want to head back to Superdrug and pick up a few other shades!

What colours nails are you currently sporting?

Liv xox

redesign

Hello, friends!

I've been wanting to change my blog name / design for aaages but just haven't known what exactly to change it to. Instead of rushing this time, I decided to play around with some designs and do a little brainstorming.. Eventually, I came up with this!

The White March

Cool? Weird? Lame? You tell me. I like it! I think it's very simple and understated, yet you just know it's gotta have a hidden meaning! White is one of my favourite colours (or shades, whatevs) despite most people thinking it's plain and boring. To me, white is bright and clarifying, and it also reminds me of happy memories like lazy Sunday mornings spent in fresh bed sheets and hot, crisp Summer holidays! I think it also symbolises a kind of blank canvas for me to spew out all my ideas and paint them into a pretty picture. Am I thinking too much into this? I don't know. Anyway. The word "March" represents my month of birth. So "The White March" to me is the perfect mix of happiness and memories with a shot of my personality. You still with me?

So, yeah! That's where that came from! Be sure to let me know what you think of the revamp. I'm not quite finished with the design changes yet, but I'm happy that I've made a start. I've also created some new social media channels to keep all my blogging things together in a neat, organised stash. I'll link them all at the end of this post if you fancy checking them out.

Have a great Tuesday!

Liv xox

Pinterest: @TheWhiteMarch

Twitter: @TheWhiteMarch

Instagram: @TheWhiteMarch