Bedside Must Haves

I’m a sucker for a routine, especially at night time. I just find that it helps me sleep that little bit better, as most nights I struggle getting to sleep and rarely manage a lay in past 7am! There are 3 key products that seem to work for me, so I thought I would share those with you today.

First up is the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil which is a re-purchase for me, which says it all really. I previously had the raspberry one and absolutely loved it! This one is the blackberry which I’m not as keen on, only reason being that it kind of tints your lips slightly, whereas with the raspberry one it was transparent (which I personally preferred). However, it is still the same product and works wonders on my lips overnight. If I don’t use this I find myself waking in the morning with slightly shrivelled lips shall we say, but using this product is a game changer. It’s not sticky, it doesn’t feel heavy as if you’ve got an oil on your lips and is simply comfy as the product states.

Next I always use Bach Rescue Night Drops every night. As I mentioned, I struggle to fall asleep and find after using these they just ease my mind slightly enabling me naturally fall asleep that little bit easier. They contain natural ingredients which ease a restless mind, irritability and help switch off repetitive thoughts. You simply just drop a few drops on the back of your tongue and you’re done, they taste pretty good too! It’s got to the point where if I don’t use these, then I really struggle to sleep. Hence why they sit right next to my bed!

Finally is the Clean Beauty Pillow Mist in the scent Lavender and Vanilla. If I’m being honest I will use any lavender pillow spray I can get my hands on, again I’m addicted to these. This one in particular has to be my favourite I’ve ever used! I’m a sucker for a vanilla scent, so adding that to lavender is just bliss. I simply give my pillow a few sprays before slumping my head down onto it. Using this alongside the Bach Rescue Night Drops is just perfect for me and just become my every night routine, that I cannot live without.

Reading my way through isolation

I couldn’t not re-start my blog with a book review... or 3. This isolation is making me read even faster than I usually do, which I am NOT complaining about. Just slightly worrying about how many new books I am going to buy during this unknown period *place your bets now*. Anyway lets get started, these are the 3 last books I have read so I thought I would share my thoughts on them with you.

Cilka’s Journey
A MUST read if you have read ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ they are both like no other book I have read before, and I think I’m going to struggle to explain. I will start by saying that I’ve never really been into history that much however, my partner is and I hear snippets of info here and there when he tries to ignite my interest in certain historic periods. After reading the first book, I asked for this one for Valentine’s Day and read it super quick. It’s harrowing what happened and the way the Author, Heather Morris, portrays this is amazing. I was gripped. Whilst reading, I did sometimes forget that this was real. Then I really thought about it and that’s when it really made me think. Overall this book is so good and I highly recommend it to anyone. I would suggest reading ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ first though!

The Secret
A charity shop find, where I try to get most of my books, and without realising an Author I have read before. It’s a police detective storyline that is so thrilling you can’t help but just keep on turning the pages. The Author, Katerina  Diamond, writes twists like no other and you literally do not know what is about to come around the corner. As I mentioned, I have read another book by her before and I believe it may be a mini series? I remembered the characters however, I don’t think I read it in an order and although it may have helped it definitely didn’t matter.

The Prison Doctor
Recommended to me and when ordering a few bits off Amazon, it just happened to fall into my basket. A similar-ish book/layout to the doctor book by Adam Kay, but set in a prison. The Author Dr Amanda Brown takes you with her through the various prisons she works in, as a doctor. Reliving the highs and the lows of what the job entails, and how she copes/manages. It is very detailed and opened my eyes to the goings on ‘inside’. For me, this book didn’t grip me as much and I found myself ‘just reading’ it (if you know what I mean).

Come back?

I’m not sure this is the greatest time ever, to try and make a blog come back, but nevertheless here I am. I will continue to ask myself that if I don’t do it now, when will I do it? Or will I ever do it? I’ve been thinking about starting my blog up again for the past few weeks. Previously, I never really made a decision to stop blogging, it just kind of happened naturally. Therefore there was always a part of me that wanted to come back to it and start afresh. So here I am, with all the time in the world currently, and hopefully some fresh new ideas for any of you who may wish to read. I’ve never stopped reading my personal favourite blogs and follow these on different forms of social media. You could even say it’s these people who have inspired me to come back and give this blog another kick up the back side. So let me give this a go and just see what happens. As I mentioned, I am not currently working (some work is being done from home) due to the current worldwide situation. I’m not going to pressure myself with scheduled posts and just write a blog post when it feels right, when I have content or when I wish to share something with you all. The content presented in the coming weeks may be slightly different to what you were used too, if you’ve been here before. However, my interests haven’t changed so it may seem no different.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming content on my blog and continue sharing my passion for my little part of the internet. I also hope you are all staying safe within your own homes as much as you can. I cannot wait to get started again!
Speak to you all soon, Natalie :-) x

La Roche Posay Respectissime

  

I was kindly sent these lovely products from La Roche Posay recently. I've mentioned my love for this brand so many times since the beginning of my blog and it still firmly remains one of my favourites. So when these unexpectedly arrived through my letter box, it's safe to say I was very excited.

Firstly the teal pouch which the two products arrived in is just beautiful! It's by Katie Loxton, who I can't say I've heard of before, but have since fallen in love with. It's such a lovely colour and such good quality! I would definitely recommend checking out her website here.

Onto the two products I received, both from La Roche Posay's Respectissime range, which is aimed at sensitive eyes. I don't have sensitive eyes when it comes to mascara, however I do when it comes to removing my eye make up.

So firstly the mascara which only has purified pigments and is nickel-controlled to avoid any irritation, it also contains an 'anti-tears formula' which ensures eyes do not react or run which I think is such a great aspect of this mascara! The brush of this mascara is relatively slim which I personally like as you can get close to the lash line, therefore creating more volume. This mascara really makes my lashes voluminous, look longer and is very black in colour. You can definitely layer this mascara for a more night out look or keep it every day with just a swipe over your lashes.

Secondly the eye make up remover which is fragrance and paraben free, which minimises the risk of intolerance and removes make up without irritating the eyes. This is like other eye make up removers where you shake the bottle to mix the product together, then put onto a cotton pad and wipe your eyes. I really like this make up remover and it does not irritate my eyes in the slightest! I don't need to drag my eye to remove the make up, I just give the cotton pad a little wiggle and go over my lashes a couple of times and it's all removed!

If you have sensitive and irritable eyes then I would definitely recommend you check out this range from La Roche Posay! I'm really enjoying both of these products and the Katie Loxton pouch now has a firm place within my everyday hand bag!

A day at the coast

This weekend, despite the freezing cold weather, was spent at the coast. Me and my family went for a walk along Southwold's pier and then into the town center. Southwold is a lovely place to go for a walk along the beach, visit the pier and check out the chic, little shops. It really is the perfect place to go, especially on a Sunday and especially as a family. Yes it's December and yes it was absolutely freezing however, it was lovely to get out as a family as well. We had a light lunch at the Adnam's Cafe halfway, mainly in order to warm up and it worked. It also had great food! 

The pictures above are just a few I snapped whilst walking along the sea front, using my iPhone. It would have been the perfect time to take my camera however, with 4 young nieces and nephews my hands were slightly tied. So I just quickly snapped away on my phone. I do love this time of year, and despite the temperature, I really love going for walks. It's a great way to get outside, get some air and take some photos - which I don't get to do all that often!

I hope you enjoy the photos and this quick little post :-)