Lush Caca Rouge - A Review

I LOVE Ginger hair, like seriously love it! My pinterest 'Hair' album is full of ginger pictures, and so when I heard about Henna for hair being really natural and safe to use i thought i would research it a little more and eventually bought some from Lush :)

Now to be honest, at the moment I am mostly blonde/ginger, and i'm happy with this.

I had recently used ColourB4 to get back to my blonde hair/brown roots. I did about a week of it and decided it was just a bit too blonde, And so i put a Clairol Nice and Easy Natural Auburn dye on it to give it back its ginger tinge. However the ends didn't really take to it and are still very light.

I like it though. I think lighter hair compliments my skin tone.

This is before i put the Auburn on

So this brings my onto my next point...i'm not quite ready to go fully ginger, especially with Henna. It's hard to remove Henna, it's so permanent! Because Spring and Summer are approaching i think i will want to keep my light hair, so my aim is to go ginger next Autumn.

In prep, I decided to use my Henna to dye my hair extensions, plus i really didn't want to have to sell the Henna i had bought.

My extensions, are currently a mess, half ginger half pink! (Don't ask) I can't wait to get them ginger!!.

A Review Of Lush's Caca Rouge

The Henna came wrapped in a bit of cardboard paper, so i stored it in a tupperware until i was ready to use it. The day i decided to use it, i opened it up and was surprised to find it came with gloves! I don't know why i was surprised as it is hair dye, but i just didn't expect it. It also had instructions inside on how to prep and use it.

I decided to snap it in half, as i knew i wouldnt need it all, i probably split it 60/40 and used the 40. Then i got a knife and started shaving bits off it (see below)

 Whilst i was doing that i boiled the kettle and poured some of that water into a perspex jug. As i chopped the henna i added it to the boiling water and stirred. I read a lot of reviews of people putting the perspex bowl over a pan of boiling water, i didnt feel the need to do this. It mixed very well. Maybe it is because it was chopped pretty fine.
Once it was all added and stirred it was a nice consistency, a bit like...hmm..a bit like a thick sauce.

I popped the gloves on and went to the sink to put it on the hair extensions.

And then the fun began!! 

I just realised i didn't take a picture of them covered in the Henna, doh! I did make a timelapse though, thats on my instagram if you are interested.

I wrapped it in cling film and then in a towel and placed it in a warm room near the radiator :) I hear warmth helps it to develop. 

I left it for about 5 hours because i went out. I think it usually takes 1-2 hours but you can leave it as long as you want. 

Then I washed it off in the bath below, and it was really easy to be honest and my extensions didn't feel damaged. I have to say the smell of Henna isn't too pleasant, it stinks :)

Here's how it turned out...

In the picture above it is semi-dry, basically it was left overnight to dry. I haven't done anything else with it yet, I plan to dry it fully and then straighten.

Overall i really liked using the henna, i can imagine it'd be messy to do it on your own head but i definitely want to do it eventually. 

I hope this helped a few of you, if anyone actually reads this. And i will be doing another review when i do it to my hair in Autumn 2017.

ICSI - Round 2

ICSI - Round 2

We had an appointment at Knutsford with the head of Embryology regarding our failed ICSI cycle. He didn't really have any solid answers for us, apparently its so rare (1%) to fail at the point of fertilisation with this type of IVF. He could only really advise to use Oocyte activation next time, because the egg hadn't activated last time.

He said that because both the sperm and eggs seem in perfect condition there's no reason why we can't try normal IVF. This was a bonus piece of information! Our doctor at Wrightington pretty much told us we would never get pregnant naturally/on our own. However this was at the beginning of treatment and since then my other half has stopped smoking. So i guess it really has made a difference!

We get to start again in March, and we are doing half normal IVF and half ICSI (with Oocyte Activation) so lets just hope we get a decent amount of eggs.
They are upping my meds slightly from last time i think so I hope i will get more than 9. Although i am slightly worried about OHSS as they said i was at risk of this last time (i had 23 eggs before collection- all sizes)

I will keep updating along the way. I hope February flys by!

Brockwood Hall Lodges - Millom, Lake District - NYE 2016

*that awkward moment when you forget a blog post is just a draft and not live!

I really sucked at doing Blogmas, i'm sorry! I am completely crap at keeping blog promises. So my resolution for 2017 is to not promise anything. And thats a promise!

I have been away for New Years Eve so i thought i'd tell you a little bit about it, and show you pictures... Me and my group of friends decided we wanted to go away again this year, we did this 2 years ago and as couples & kids we all went and stayed at a lodge. It was brilliant so we really wanted to do it again this year.

We booked this almost a year in advance! :) Brockwood Hall Lodges in Millom.

The Drive:

We set off on the 30th December, and on this day last year i passed my driving test. This is the first long drive I have done since passing, quite shameful i know. I only went on the motorway for the first time in November when Rick and I went to the Trafford Centre in Manchester, so this journey was a little daunting. 

Honestly though, it was a breeze. There wasn't one moment i felt uncomfortable or out of my depth. The car however did struggle. It's only a 1 litre Peugeot, poor Peter Peugeot struggled getting up those lake district hills...Sometimes i had to get into 2nd gear to get to the top! When we turned into the road that Brockwood Hall was on i had to actually get into first gear half way up. Hahahah. But other than that it was great, i felt like i was starring in my own Top Gear episode zooming through those roads.

Brockwood Hall:
The Hall itself was impressive as we drove up the hill, such a sight! And the scenery around it is glorious. You can see for miles!
We had arrived before check-in so we parked up and waited in the Hall for our friends to arrive. One couple had already arrived and their lodge was ready so we decided to nip there for a brew. The staff were so friendly and helpful during the whole stay. Housekeeping came everyday and asked if we wanted them to clean etc. If we ever needed anything they would get it...(like an extention lead we really needed)

We ended up all going for a meal at the Hall on New Years Day, there was around 19 of us and they put us in our own private room. The food was great value for money and so so tasty. We had no complaints at all. The only thing i could fault was the Coke, it tasted awful. But they didn't charge us for it, so that was great service.

On the site they have an indoor heated pool, which i am ashamed to say i didn't actually go in (i spent a lot of time in the hot tub) Others in our party did though and they said it was great; there are changing rooms in there and its right in the middle of all the lodges. Right next to it is a childrens' park.

 Entrance to Pool (above)

The view from our balcony - Pool Entrance (above)

The Lodges:

The lodges are cozy and each one has a Hot Tub :)

We had a few problems, the first night a few lodges had a power cut, so a lot of us only had tea around 10:30pm which was a bit of a nightmare especially when you have kids. Ours thankfully was fine though. One of the lodges had to have a bedroom door kicked through because it got stuck/locked in, so the maintenance guy has to kick it in and replace it. Sounds more dramatic than it was, they fixed it in the end. In another the mirror fell off the wall. But other than that there were no complaints. They were tidy, stylish, warm and had everything you need.

I forgot to take pictures when we arrived, plus it was dark so here are some just before we left.

 This tub did have a side panel but the guy was here to clean it as we were leaving.

My messy room, we had put the bed together but i put them back as they were when we left.

We went on a few walks, and we had a trip to Lakeside aquarium on Windermere whilst we were here but the rest of the time we chilled, drank, played Monopoly Card game and relaxed in the Hot tub :)

If you're visiting Brockwood Hall or for any reason would like to ask me any questions, feel free to do so in the comments. Peace out and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Blogmas - Day 2 to 6

Well, I can only apologise for how rubbish I am at blogging every day, or at all! Seriously how do people do this?? Especially when they work full time!

I just joined my local Gym and had my induction, and then just had tea so I have only just sat down and it's 8pm. Jeeez.

I thought i'd take you through the products i got out of my advent calendar over the past few days:

Day 2: Rodial - Super acids, x-treme acid rush peel. 20ml
The ultimate peel with 100% active azelaic acid, plus glycolic, lactic and fruit acids and probiotic technology.

I tried this the night i got it. I thought the consistency would be thicker, as i think i originally thought it was like one of those face mask you can buy where the product dries on your face and you peel it off after 10 minutes. Hahaha. Nope, it isn't like that. Well tha isnt how i decided to use it. I wanted it to last a while as its only 20ml, so i washed my face and patted it dry, then applied a little product and massaged it in. I left it on for 15 mins as directed and then simply washed it off. It did seem a little slimy when washing it off but afterwards my skin did feel incredibly smooth.

It didn't feel like what i imagined a 'peel' to be. Which i'm not sure how i feel about. Think i kinda wanted a peel of mask. Ooopsy.

Doubt i would purchase the full size....Woah i just checked and its £75!! Not sure how much ml that is for but my god, I will definitely enjoy this while it lasts.


Day 3: Filorga - Time Filler. 15ml
Absolute wrinkle correction cream.

I think it's hard to review a wrinkle cream as soon as you get it because obviously the proof only comes months down the line. But either way I quite like this one, mostly due to the smell but also it just melts into the skin.

• Botox-like tripeptide limits muscular contractions and relaxes the skin for a younger-looking face
• Hyaluronic acid for deeper diffusion and a visible filler effect
• After just 3 days, the appearance of frown lines is reduced by 19%*
• *Average instrumental measurement by 3D imaging - 40 women over 28 days use, day and night

Those are the claims, and i like the sound of them. I'm going to start putting it on my forehead as well as a little on my eyes. My eyes don't really have wrinkles though, only when i'm laughing :)

It retails at £54 for 50ml! So another expensive product but hey it's good to try these kind of products that otherwise I probably would never have done. This is why I like these calendars, and why i used to subscribe to Beauty Boxes.


Day 4: Pixi by Petra - Brow Tamer. 4.5ml
This holds even the most unruly brows in place. Long wearing gel sets & defines brows for all day wear. Soothing formula with aloe vera and panthenol gives a natural look. Paraben & fragrance free. Not tested on animals.

I tend to be one of these girls that buys a clear mascara and uses it to set my brows. Okay sometimes it goes a bit flaky, but that depends on the brand! So i was quite happy when i saw this.

I have tried it for the last two days, day one i wasn't quite a believer. Not because my brows were all over the place but because by the end of the day i could'nt feel the product in my brow at all. So i assumed it had just flaked off. Today however i can feel it slightly and over both days my brows stayed in place! Which doesn't tend to happen when i leave them natural. they tend to get a bit unruly.

So yes, this is a definite repurchase i think, lets check the price...
It's £12 on M&S for this amount, this is full size. I just saw some on Ebay for around £5.
It's something to consider, although if i see a cheap clear mascara i may be tempted to go back.

Day 5: Josh Wood - Radiant Shine Hair Treatment Oil. 30ml
Specially developed to help care for your coloured hair, this multi-purpose light weight oil also enhances hair's natural shine. Formulated with a bespoke blend of oils, it can be used as a restorative pre-shampoo treatment, as a pre-styling moisture boost and as a finishing product to create a polished glossy look.

THIS SMELLS GORGEOUS. I literally would bathe in this if i could.

I haven't used it just yet, I just opened the bottle (which is glass btw!) and decided to have a sniff, it smells delish. I'm not very good at describing smells. It makes me want to wash my hair right now. When i use this first time I will use it as a pre-shampoo treatment. But i think I might put some on my dry ends on Saturday when i go out.

It's only £12.50 for 48ml so if this is as gorgeous as i expect then i will definitely be purchasing a full size of this.

Day 6: Eyeko - Skinny Liquid Eyeliner - black. 1.2g
Precise - smudge-proof - pitch black.

I have been using the Rimmel Scandaleyes Jumbo liquid eyeliner for ages, i really don't know why i always go back to it as it does tend to transfer/smudge on the top of my eyelid. I was very happy to open my calendar to find this today! It's now 8:30pm (ish) and it hasn't transferred or smudged all day so it's definitly a winner in my eyes. I will for sure re-purchase this as i found it really easy to apply too.

This is £12 for 2g. I'm okay with that.

I doubt i will have time to blog tomorrow as i am going to the gym again and then yoga after, so i will do another update in a few days time. Peace out!