African Mango Tea - My Byron Journey

A few weeks ago I was sent samples of Byron Body Tea and have been drinking it for two weeks two so wanted to let you know how my teatox is going.

Most of the detox teas out there contains laxatives which taken over an extended period of time can lead to all sorts of health risks. So when I seen Byron Body Tea didn't have any laxatives in its ingredients I couldn't wait to try it out. It contains all natural organic ingredients that aids weight loss and suppresses your appetite. Unlike other teatoxes out there that rely on laxatives to make you lose water weight this tea actually helps you lose fat by boosting your metabolism and suppressing your appetite.

When the postman came with the package I couldn't wait to get it started so waited to Monday because health kicks always start on a Monday. You drink it 3 times a day 30 minutes before you eat so I try to have it breakfast, lunch and dinner.

When I opened the packet the smell I got was amazing, it smells so nice. It contains jasmine, myosotis sylvatica, mint, rosebud, rosemary, hibiscus, pu-erh tea and lotus leaves. You can read about the benefits of each of these ingredients on the website. You put 1 1/2 teaspoons into the diffuser and leave it in your cup for 5-7 minutes to infuse.

I couldn't wait to taste it after smelling how nice it was and I wasn't disappointed. It tasted really nice and there's a lovely after taste of mint. So many healthy teas taste like dishwater and it nearly kills you drinking it so this was a welcome change.

After drinking it for a few days I noticed that I wasn't bloated after meals and was feeling more energised and I have definitely noticed some weight loss with it as well which is great. Because I'm drinking my tea before each meal it makes me more concious about eating healthily.
After two weeks of drinking it I am completely in love with this tea and will definitely be getting more after my packet is finished.It tastes amazing and has great benefits what more could you want from a detox tea? On Saturday I put on a pair of skinny jeans that were tight on me before and fit perfectly now so I was a happy girl.

All in all I would definitely recommend this tea for anyone looking to detox and live a healthier lifestyle. You can only buy it from their website at http://africanmangotea.com.au/  The 14 day detox is $33AUD and $9.50 shipping which works out at £23 which is great value. If you want the diffuser it costs $8AUD which is worth it because he looks super cute chilling on the edge of the cup.

Product courtesy of African Mango Tea

Gym Bunny

This week I have been super busy being fit and eating healthy (go me).

I went to boxing on Tuesday for the first time and I loved it. I had went to MMA training a few weeks but the class was cancelled coming into the summer so I needed something to fill that space and boxing has filled it nicely. I'm fully back at the gym now and I'm back to loving it all over again, especially more this week as I've not been as sore.

I had seen that Oomf had banana protein porridge out and really wanted to try it as I love bananas and Oomf porridge is so nice. So when I seen it in Holland & Barrett I had to get it and couldn't wait to try it out. Well I was disappointed; I didn't taste any banana in it at all. Its really nice so will be finishing it off but will be adding my usual teaspoon of peanut butter into it. I also love the Skinny Oats in the pots as they are handy for when you are on the go. My friends laugh at me as I have been known to take them with me when I go on weekends away in case I get hungry so I got a couple of them for my weekend away to Dublin next weekend.

A few weeks ago I was sent samples of Byron Body Tea and have been drinking it the past couple of weeks and definitely feel that it is working for me. I will be writing a full review on it this week so keep an eye out for it.

Yesterday I had a rare Saturday off and after spending the morning in the gym I went out for lunch with a friend and had a much needed catchup. I have loads of different wee groups of friends and sometimes it's hard finding time to have catchups with them all but I'm doing well at the minute and thankfully getting to see them all without leaving anyone out.

Mary's is such a good spot for lunch on Saturday and we ended up having a drink after and sitting for ages just talking about random stuff and having a good gossip over our pint of Magners.

This week will be a busy week for me trying to get ready for Dublin. Between pampering myself and packing and fitting that in between work and the gym will be tough going but as I said to the girls yesterday come Friday at 2 o'clock when we're sitting on the train we can all relax and enjoy the weekend. Why is it when girls go away at the weekend we need a week before to get ready, men definitely get the better deal on that one! Not one of us girls will go away without getting hair done, nails done and tan done it's nearly a habit now and then there's the packing! We need outfits for the day, outfits for the night and those spare clothes just in case. And don't forget the 6 pairs of shoes we bring with us for four days!

Weekly Round Up

This week has been a week of sore muscles and having catch ups with friends.

A few weeks ago I said I was back at the gym which didn't last too long as I got a bad cold and a really bad cough and I had to put the gym on the back burner for a couple of weeks. This week my two friends finally joined the gym after talking about it for months and they are great gym buddies. They are up for going to loads of classes and trying everything out, so I've been every day this week except Tuesday and Thursday. I can safely say I'm never taking a month off the gym again, my muscles have been in agony all this week but as they always say 'no pain, no gain'. So I'm keeping up with my fitness and diet is going well (finally).

I'm going on a girly weekend to Dublin in a couple of weeks and the countdown has started now. We are taking the train down and bought our tickets on line which has saved us so much money. We are hoping to take the Viking Tour when we are down there, and just being the complete tourists as any time I go down to Dublin its always to visit family so I normally steer clear of the city centre. Any recommendations of where to go and places to see would be welcome! We chose a great weekend to go as the All Ireland Hurling final rematch is on that weekend so there will be a great buzz about Dublin so we will be finding a nice wee Irish bar to watch the match and nurse our hangovers in on the Sunday. Anyone who knows me knows I don't pack light for weekends away and usually pack enough for five nights out instead of the two so it will be interesting trying to fit it all into the one bag.

I got another new lipstick this week; I need lipstick rehab! I have been looking for a more neutral colour for a long time now as all my lipsticks are all very strong colours so coming into the winter months I wanted to try out a few new colours.

I was drawn back to the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms as I have fallen in love with them, I came across a lovely rose pink shade called Elusive. It's such a lovely nuetral colour, perfect for those girls who shy away from nude lips and  will be lovely teamed with a dark smokey eye.

In my Latest In Beauty Glamour Edit I got a lovely Illamasqua Glmaore Lipstick. There are seven shades in the collection and I received it in the colour Rosepout. It's a very neutral shade with a slight pink hue and is a nice addition to my collection. It couldn't have came at a better time with me looking to try out more neutral colours.

Also in the Latest In Beauty Glamour Edit I got a lovely Bourjois cream blush. I got it in the shade Rose Tender and it's a beautiful light pink colour. The only bad thing about it is that it has a slight glitter in it and I'm not a fan of glittery/shimmer blushes. It goes on really smoothly, blends so easily and you can build the colour up by applying a few layers of it. It comes in a small compact that will take up little to no room in your makeup bag and had a handy little mirror on the lid.

Glove Your Body

A couple of weeks ago I received a package through the post containing a Glove Your Body mitt. Glove Your Body is an Irish company who is making tanning application so much easier. You can buy it on line from their website or from Gordan's Chemist for £14.99.

I was already sold on the fact that the glove is leopard print, normal tanning mitts are so boring. The mitt can be used on both sides which is good for lefties like me, and has little holes that you can put your fingers in like a glove or you can use it like a normal mitt. It comes in a plastic carry case to store it in which will be great for weekends away if you need to top up your tan. The mitt is soft and fluffy not like other mitts where it's coarse and drags along your skin.

I used it at the weekend with my Vita Liberata tan and it had my tan done so quickly. It's not scratchy on the skin at all and it buffs the product into the skin instead of having to really rub the tan in.  No need to wear gloves underneath the mitt as it doesn't soak up the product and leave you with orange patches on the palms of your hands which is always an added bonus. When I woke up the next morning, my tan was perfect; no streaks or white patches at all. In the morning I threw the mitt into the washing machine and it came out as good as new, no fake tan stains left behind and still as soft as before. I hate with normal mitts after the first use they go hard and are stained with fake tan.

I would definitely recommend this mitt to all you fake tan users out there. They say that the mitt will last longer than normal mitts which I can definitely see happening as it's so durable.

Product courtesy of GloveYour Body

Shopping Trip To Belfast

On Tuesday I had a day out with the two Eimear's in Belfast. I hadn't planned on buying anything and that's the days you end up seeing loads.

I had lost my favourite lip liner so had to go to MAC to replace it. It's magenta and it is my most used lip liner. It goes with so many of my lipsticks, I also love using it with a lilac lipstick and having ombre lips. I have been lusting over the Studio Fix powder plus foundation for quite some time so decided to finally buy it. As I only use my MAC foundation when I'm going out and I have fake tan on I got NC41 to match my foundation. I can't wait to try it out and will let you know my thoughts on it. The lip liner was £12.50 and the powder was £21.50

We then called into H&M and I bought a couple of new tops. H&M is great for picking up wee bargains that last for years.

I love boxy short sleeve shirts as they are so nice with high waisted shorts and when I seen this I loved it as I love Mickey Mouse. It will be handy for taking with me to Dublin at the end of the month as it will take up no room in my bag. It will be lovely dressed up with a coloured blazer. The shirt was £9.99

Now anyone that knows me will know I have a slight obsession with skulls. Anything with skulls on it and I'm sold! When I seen this jumper I had to get it and after looking at the price tag I couldn't leave it behind, it was a steal at £5.99. Its so soft and slouchy, just what is needed for those colder months coming. It is big fitting and I was able to get away with a it in a small.

Next stop was boots because I needed a new lipstick to add to my ever expanding collection. Its actually embarrassing how many lipsticks I own. I might do a post on my lipstick collection, if anyone would be interested in that let me know.

The first lipstick I got was Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in 906 Hot Plum. I had ordered a couple of these on the Boots website before as my local boots doesn't stock these and I had heard good reports of them. I don't like glossy lips but these lipsticks aren't too shiny, they also smell amazing and the colour payoff is brilliant. When I originally ordered these on line I thought I had ordered the Hot Plum but had ordered a different colour so couldn't wait to get my hands on this. It's an amazing colour and will go nicely with my magenta lip liner. The Fushia Flash in the Color Sensational Vivds range is a good dupe for MACs Candy Yum Yum It was £6.99 and they are currently 3 for 2 in Boots on selected Maybelline products.

The Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms are great wee lipsticks and they are so handy to throw in your handbag when your on the run. They have great staying power, have a nice minty smell and are so easily applied. I already own Shameless which is a dupe for MACs Heroine (I'm loving the MAC dupes today). I decided to get it in the shade Showy and it's a real Barbie pink colour and its quickly becoming my favourite lipstick. I will definitely be buying more of these in the future as they are brillaint lipsticks and they don't dry out your lips which is always an added bonus. This lipsticks are £7.99 and are also currently 3 for 2 on selected Revlon products.

When I was in boots I decided to have a look at the Too Faced stand. I love all their products and have never bought anything but decided on Tuesday it was time I bought myself the Chocolate Bar Eye shadow Palette. I've read so many reviews and watched so many YouTube videos on this palette I could nearly review the palette already before even trying it. At £45 its quite steep for an eye shadow palette but for what you get it's worth every penny. 

The packaging is amazing. Its shaped like a chocolate bar and when you open it you will understand why; it smells like chocolate! 

This palette has a great selection of colours in it that you won't be stuck with doing the same make up every time you use it. It comes with a book with three looks that you can recreate and tells you what to use and where which is great for beginners. Every colour I swatched on my hand I got excited about, I can't wait to try this out and it will definitely be coming to Dublin with me on my girly weekend away. I will post up a review of the palette once I get a proper use of it but I can't wait to have a play around with the colours and see what I can do with it.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

The very kind people at Batiste sent me a couple of their new products to review. Batiste is the UK's No 1 best seller when it comes to dry shampoo and I can see why. They have a brilliant range of products available and at a very affordable price. It has been around for 40 years and as  the popularity grows it will definitely be around for a long time yet. The two I got sent are from the Revitalise It range and cost £2.99 each

Floral - I love the ditsy floral print on the tin, it's so summery and would be easily found if thrown into your handbag. The print has been inspired by pretty English gardens and vintage textiles. This has a light fragrance with top notes of Blossom, Melon, Orange and Peach with floral base notes of Rose, Muguet and Violet.  This is a nice clean scent, it is light and fresh and not overpowering at all.

Oriental - This has a lovely oriental print in my favourite colours so this was my instant favourite before I even tried them out. The print has been inspired by traditional costumes from the far east as the autumn/winter catwalks have been heavily influenced by the East and the oriental design will be everywhere this season. This has a delicate fragrance with top notes of Apple, Wild Berry and Grape, middle notes of Jasmine and Iris and base notes of Coconut, Sandalwood and Cedar. This has a light fruity scent and you can definitely smell the apple and berry coming through.

Out of the two of them Oriental is my favourite, the smell is so fruity but not overpowering at all. The scent is yummy and as I love fruity smells I kept spraying it the day I received it because I fell in love with it straight away. I will definitely be repurchasing it when it is finished. Batiste has such a range of different scents out in the shops to buy there is something for everyone. I would also recommend their cherry one; it smells so good. They also have a range for different hair colours which is great as some dry shampoos leave a powdery residue on darker hair colours. Batiste really do have everything covered with their products.

As a girl who has very fine hair and should really be washing it every day I swear by Batiste dry shampoo, it gives me the extra day out of my hair as washing your hair every day can be bad for it. I have also used it two days in a row as I haven't hadn't had enough time in the morning to wash my hair and it looks fine.

Dry shampoo is the easiest thing to use; before use shake the tin then hold it about 30cm away from your head (who measures these things) and spray it on to your roots lifting different sections each time. Rub it through with your fingertips and if needed brush it through.

I was talking to a friend recently and she told me she had only discovered dry shampoo a few months back and I couldn't understand how she'd never known about this miracle product before. She was saying how good it was and how it had changed her life! A lot of people also use it for volume and sometimes I would as its great for padding out the hair and giving it that wee bit of oomph that's needed for styling if your hair is too soft after washing.

Product courtesy of Batiste

August favourites

With the start of a new week it also brings a new month so it's time for a favourites post.

1. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - Before I discovered this amazing product I used cleanser every night with face wipes for those lazy nights when I was to lazy to deal with the whole skincare routine. When I seen this product I couldn't wait to try it. I had always wanted to try the Bioderma version of this after watching numerous videos on YouTube so when I seen this in the shop I had to get it. This product is amazing, I don't know what I'd do without it. I use a cotton pad and put the product on, a little goes a long way. It takes any make-up off so easily without having to scrub your skin which is good for sensitive skin. Some products would dry my skin out slightly especially round my nose whereas this doesn't, in fact since I've started using this I haven't had any dry, flaky skin round my nose. I have definitely been converted and will be buying this again when I finish the bottle.

2. Garnier Express 2 in 1 Eye Make-up Remover - After trying the Micellar Water and loving it I decided to give the eye make-up remover a try and I'm glad I did. Before using you shake the bottle to mix the 2 phases together then apply a little on a cotton pad. You then hold it against your eye for a few seconds to let the make-up dissolve then gently swipe away. This product is amazing, no more rubbing your eyes to try and get your eye make-up off which then irritates your eyes. I will also be buying this again when I run out.

3. L'Oreal Nude Magique foundation - Although I always use Mac Studio Fix for going out I like to have a cheaper one for day to day wear. I'm really not loyal to any foundation, every time I need a new foundation I like to try a different one. I'd watched so many YouTube videos and read a lot of good reviews on this, so decided to try this out for myself. It was buy one get one half price when I bought this so I decided to get two different colours; one for when I had fake tan on and one for near the end of the week when my tan was wearing off. Before using it you have to give the bottle a shake and it says to apply it with your fingers. Its more of a liquid foundation than a creamy product. You can build it up by applying a few layers, and as it's a liquid it's so easily blended. It really feels like you have no foundation at all and looks so natural, when I first started using it a few people said to me that my make-up was really nice, which is always a good compliment to hear.  As I'm nearing the end of the bottle I've already purchased these again because they were on special offer.

4. Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter - I've been a Soap & Glory fan for years and have more or less tried every one of their products but this is the one I always repurchase. Whenever I have this on everyone always say I smell nice and that's before I've put any perfume on. This body butter is so creamy and a little goes a long way. It's really moisturising without being too greasy on the skin which is one of the reasons I love it as there is nothing worse than having to wait ages for your moisturiser to dry in before putting on clothes. You can also buy this in a pump bottle but I always get the tub as it is handier if you are travelling as this can go in your suitcase without having to worry about it going everywhere. 

5. Crown Brush Concealer Palette - This is definitely one of my best buys over the past month. I have used it now a few times since getting it and it makes my make-up look so much better when its finished. For a full review on it you can read my blog post on it here. 

So that's it for my August favourites. I look forward to hearing your favourites over the past month and can't wait to try a few new things in September to see if they make it into next months favourites.