LIFE | Blair Drummond Safari Park // Edinburgh Fringe Festival // Sister's 8th Birthday

fun


I don't share all that much about my life on here, but I thought I'd give it a go, branching out and all that jazz. 

I love my little sister to bits, but she lives about 200 miles away, so I don't get to see her all that often. When I moved to Edinburgh for uni, my mum, brother and sister moved down to my mums hometown in England, so when my dad asked me about bringing her up as a surprise for her on her birthday, I jumped at the chance. 
















They were only here 3 & 1/2 days, but we managed to get a whole load done in. First off we went to Blair Drummond Safari Park near stirling, which was amazing. I've been there a few times now, but every single time i've had a whole load of fun. I then took my dad and sister for a tour of Edinburgh (my sister seems loves to shop almost as much as I do, so Princes street was my first port of call). We were going to visit the castle, but because of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo we couldn't get up, so we settled for a jaunt along the royal mile. We even drove through to Glasgow to visit a huge Chinese supermarket (Followed by amazing home made chow mien for tea). I made her a giant cupcake birthday cake, which didn't turn out as pretty as I'd hoped it would, but still tasted nice. 

I love the time I get to spend with my family. Living a minimum of 200 miles away from anyone kind of hinders how often I get to see them, but it makes the occasions I do get to even more special. 

(Do you like this kind of more life/personal posts? Unsure about them!)
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REVIEW | Lush's Rub Rub Rub

beauty


I love to exfoliate. I love lush. Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub is my dream come true. 

I have rough, bobbly skin, so I love to exfoliate to smooth it out. Ever since my mum bought some sea salt scrub when I was a young-un, and I felt just how amazing it feels when it washes off, I've loved salty exfoliation products. I usually have to be careful as I have quite sensitive skin, but my skin just seems to love this stuff. 

Lush say you can use this on wet skin, dry skin and even your hair. I tend to give my body a good exfoliation, concentrating on my arms as they're the roughest, while I'm leaving my conditioner to do its magic, but having recently tried it on my dry arms when they were particularly bad, I have to say it's just as wonderful both ways. I try to stay away from salty products, like salt sprays etc, when it comes to my hair due to it being so processed and dry, but I did try it, and although I did need a good condition afterwards, I noticed a big difference in the amount of shine my usually-dull locks had. 

Also, as naughty as it is, I ran out of my usual facial exfoliator, and used this on my face once. I have to say, it felt amazing. It's not something I would make a habit out of doing, but if you're after a really good scrub, go for it (I'm not a dermatologist so I can't say how bad it is for your skin to get such a rough exfoliation, so if your face melts off, I'm really sorry) 

Rub Rub Rub smells amazing, feels amazing and a little goes a long way. All in all, I couldn't think of a bad thing to say about it- apart from my boyfriend keeps stealing it!

ps. Don't use it on your freshly shaven legs- ouchie!

Whats your favourite exfoliator? Anything I should try?
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REVIEW | Yankee Candle Wax Tarts and Burner

life



I love a good candle. I also like to chop and change what scents fill my home, but doing so with candles comes with a hefty price tag. So I've chosen the best of both worlds.

 I bought my Yankee Candle Wax Tart Burner around a year ago now, and honestly, it gets used a minimum of 3 times a week. The petal shaped area houses a tart of wax, you pop a little tea light below and it slowly burns, releasing the smell of the tart.

 My burner sits on my mantle piece, and is lit any time I plan on spending a bit of time in the house, well worth the £4.99 I paid for it. Wax tarts are much, much cheaper than candles, and are said to burn for around 8 hours (but I've got a Vanilla Lime one that has burnt for way longer and still smells amazing). The tarts are usually on some form of deal too (Buy 10, pay for 8 at the moment!)

 Wax tarts are also a brilliant way to try out scents before committing to up to 150 hours worth of them. I still love a good candle, but have fallen for ones that smells amazing un-lit but are just not worth the headache they give me once they are. I now won't buy a candle (minus cheap Primark bad-boys) unless I've trailed it in my tart burner first. The good thing about the burner, is it fits other brands too. Even if the tart is originally too big, you can pop it in, melt it and it'll harden into the correct size.

 I think I'll always have a big candle next to my bed for reading 'n' relaxing time, but wax tarts are cheaper, easier to change about, and you don't feel half as guilty for buying way too many them! I'm definitely going to be picking up some new ones as soon as autumn rolls around. 

Whats your favourite candle scent at the moment? Mine is Margarita Time, perfect for summer.
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REVIEW | Jerome Russell Platinum Blonde Toner

beauty


Before realising that I could use Sally's own brand bleach and peroxide for much cheaper, I would religiously use the Jerome Russell bleach sachets and peroxide to get my mousy-blonde locks to the old-lady shade of white I desire, so when I saw they also offered a toner, I couldn't resist checking it out.

 Jerome Russell Platinum Blonde Toner cost me £2.99 from Savers, so it was cheap as chips (much like most things in that shop!). I know I've seen it in Boots as well recently, but I could not find it online so it may have been discontinued? It's a small bottle, but I have fairly thick, shoulder length hair and it more than covered it. 

Like most white or silver toners I've tried, it's purple. Unlike most others I've tried, it has a very jelly-like consistency. I started by applying it to my roots, then spread it throughout my hair. It foamed up and seemed to spread really easily. You're to put a plastic cap (aka a carrier-bag) over your head and apply heat for 5 mins, but be careful not to hold the hairdryer in the same spot for too long as you will burn yourself! I followed the instructions down to the T, minus accidentally getting too distracted by Netflix and leaving it on an extra 10 mins, and I have to say, I was not all that happy with the result.

As you can see, there is a difference, just not a very big one. I'm still left with a fairly yellow scalp and will have to re-tone with something else. A bit disappointing, especially from a brand who's actual bleach products I find to work so well.  For the last few months I've been using a DIY toner (a dab of violet dye and a whole load of cheap-o conditioner) and it has been getting it a lot more white (admittedly, with bits of lilac. I would stick to this method if it more consistent)

 This cost just less than my violet dye did, however, this is only good for one use, whereas I've been diluting my one pot for over a year now. So all in all, I feel like I've wasted my money.

 If you're looking for a quick refresh, or your hair is a darker shade than mine, then there is a good change this will work for you. But if you're looking to mimic your grannies hair, then look else where.
& so the search for the perfect white toner continues.
Have you got any white-haired-wonder recommendations for me?

♥