Stocking Fillers: Tangle Teezer

 I have relatively long, thick, frizzy and tangle prone hair *I'll stop bragging now* so brushing my hair has always been a painful experience, especially as a child where detangling shampoos did bupkis and my mum would pretty much rip out my hair trying to brush it but stay so long to tangles with Tangle Teezer.

I was very kindly sent two of their brushes to try including the *Tangle Teezer Limited Edition Lulu Guinness Compact Styler (£13.50) which has such a gorgeous Lulu Guinness design! It can be used on wet or dry hair and it's designed for minimal breakage. The compact styler comes with a cover to protect the bristles so it would be ideal for travelling or keeping in your bag on the go.

I've been using the brush on wet and dry hair and it works so well both ways, particularly on wet hair when the tangles are the worst. It does really help to detangle knotty hair and it's as gentle as it can be but it does still hurt; however it works much better than my regular paddle brush and I am really happy with it! I think it would make a cute but practical stocking filler or as part of a beauty hamper.

I also have the *Tangle Teezer The Ultimate Finishing Brush (£15) which is my favourite of the two and I've been using it pretty much everyday since I received it. It has a handle so it is a little more comforting and easy to use than the compact styler. It cannot be used with heat and I wouldn't use it on wet hair but it's amazing on dry hair to smooth, detangle and reduce frizz which is amazing. When my hair is dry, I usually have a halo of frizz that not even a pass with my GHDs can help with but the brush really helps smooth out my hair so much, it's a christmas miracle!

Overall, I love both designs and they are both very effective even on my long, thick, frizzy and tangled hair. I have been using the compact styler on my wet hair to detangle and the finessing brush on dry hair to help reduce frizz and to smooth. They'd make perfect little, practical stocking fillers! Overall rating: ★★★★★, 5/5.

Have you tried a Tangle Teezer brush? 

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90's Nostalgia

Today's post is a little different because it's all about 90s nostalgia and that's one of my favourite things to read about because…all the feels!  90s food was quite, unusual, especially school dinners, turkey twizlers and of course sweets/candy.  I had to have four temporary fillings as a child so obviously I loved sweets! Here are some of my favourites:

Rainbow Drops/Rainbow Dust

Rainbow drops were a relatively constant item in my school lunch box, they not only look cute but they were sweet and moreish. I don't actually know what they are made from (oops!) but they were so good. Also rainbow dust in the small tubes were a school disco stable, along with candy watches and necklaces!

Haribo

Sadly as I'm a vegetarian I cannot now eat Haribo because they contain gelatine but during primary school and high school I loved them! I always had a mini pack of Haribo in my bag and my favourites were definitely the sour cherries.  The equivalent that I have as a treat now are the Marks & Spencer veggie sweets, particularly the Colin the caterpillar sour sweets.

Flumps

Again another sweet that I can't eat now because I'm vegetarian, why do so many sweets I love have to contain animal gelatine? I used to love the twisted pastel rainbow flump marshmallow -  who didn't! I want one now!

Bubble Gum

Hubba Bubba chewing gum/bubblegum was one of my favourites at school because of the sweet, liquid centre and the sugary berry flavours as well as the chewing gum in a roll, I can't remember what it was called now but it was a rare treat after school.

There are so many sweets from the 90's and 00's that I could mention but I thought I should limit it to only four otherwise we would be here all day! However I did love skittles, sour sweets of any kind, Parma Violets, Drumstick lollies, Wonka chocolate and so many more! This is a sponsored post.

Did you eat any of these as a child? What nostalgic food/sweets did you loved?

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Autumn Essentials

Autumn is my favourite season, not just because I can stop trying to lose weight as under my coat and jumpers it doesn't matter anyway and I adore autumnal days as they're chilly and cozy! I love coming in from the cold, putting on my comfiest clothes, cozy socks and reading a good book. Here are some of my autumn essentials:

*Heat Holders Snuggle Ups Luxury Fleece Blanket (£23.99, Hot Chocolate)

Blankets are an essential on our house, everyone has one, it's like being in a nursing home! I have a couple that my auntie has made for me which I love but massive and super cozy blankets are essentials for this time of the year. The Heat Holders blanket is 180cm by 200cm, it has a 1.4 tog rating and it's the softest blanket ever!

*Heat Holders Ladies Socks (£7.99, Dark Lavender)

Since I was a child I've always been told that these cozy socks were called bed socks...The socks are so cozy and soft; they are perfect for around the house or with high boots. They have grippy pads on the soles so there's no chance of embarrassing slips (they remind me of the socks I had as a child but they had Eeyore on them).

*Flame Homeware 'Fireside Snooze' Candle (£6.99)

Candles are such an important home decor and home fragrance essential for me as they not only make any room look cozy but they also release gorgeous autumnal and wintery scents. I burn candles all year but the majority during the colder months. I love this scent from Gift Company which is musky, rich and perfect for autumn.

*Molton Brown Ylang Ylang Hand Cream 

The Molton Brown Ylang Ylang range is one of my favourites as it's such a gorgeous, musky and floral scent that I cannot get enough of. I have eczema on my hands so they are perpetually dry but especially at this time of the year. The cream keeps my hands smooth and comfortable for most of the day and it smells incredible.

*NutriBalm Balm in Relax Me & Energise Me 

Lip balms and cuticle balms are also essentials for me! These little balms are handmade in Yorkshire, suitable for vegans and vegetarians and they contain 100% pure natural active ingredients such as cocoa butter, sunflower oil, argan oil, rosehip seed oil and more. The 'relax me' balm is my favourite of the two mainly as it smells like lavender and that's one of my favourite scents ever! The 'energise me' balm works just as well and has a musky, almost spicy scent.

*English Fairytales (Pan Macmillan), The Canterville Ghost (Alma Books) &  Crane Pond (Europa Editions) 

Last year I could count the number of books I read on one hand but now I'm onto my 64th book of 2016 which I'm SO happy about. Reading has very quickly become an entertaining, relaxing and anxiety relieving hobby and it's even more relaxing under a cozy blanket with candles burning. One of my favourite books of 2016 is Crane Pond by Richard Francis as well as the gorgeous Pan Macmillan English Fairytales edition. Alma Books also have some beautiful and affordable editions too.

What are your autumn essentials? What have you been reading recently? 

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Skintifique Skincare

I'm always on the look out for skincare for my sensitive, temperamental and eczema prone skin which isn't an easy task! Through blogging I've been able to find some amazing brands and products; Luckily I've been able to try another brand specifically for reactive, allergic and sensitive skin, Skintifique.

Skintifique is a French/American skincare brand that focuses on effective products for individuals with reactive or sensitive skin and skin conditions such as eczema, so as I have facial and body eczema, I was excited to give it a go! The products are paraben free, fragrance free, silicon free, sulphate free and the products aren't tested on animals which is amazing.

*Skintifique Cleanser P (€11.82, 200ml)

The cleanser is a pure micellar water that cleanses and removes makeup, pollution and provides instant comfort - it also only contains five ingredients. The micellar water looks and feels like all of the other micellar waters I've tried (and I've tried a lot!). It doesn't irritate my skin which a couple of micellar waters have done. Micellar waters are fantastic, quick and easy cleansers for effective and fuss free makeup removal and this one is no different. It leaves my skin clean, makeup free and while it doesn't remove it quite as well as Bioderma, it's still fantastic! Overall rating: ★★★★★, 5/5.

*Skintifique Moisturizing Lotion HP (€21.58, 200ml)

Moisturisers are such an important product in my skincare routine as my skin is dry and when I have an eczema flareup, it's becomes incredibly dry so it needs all of the moisture it can get. As well as around my eyes, I also have eczema on my hands which obviously in the colder months becomes much worse and very uncomfortable. I've been using this moisturiser on my hands almost every evening with my moisturising cotton gloves and it definitely been helping to keep my skin smooth, soft and moisturised. I don't use it that much during the day as it is a little heavy and slower to absorb than my other hand creams. It doesn't irritate my skin at all, it leaves my skin comfortable and smooth! Overall rating: ★★★★☆, 4/5.

Have you heard of this brand? What skincare brands/products are you loving recently?

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The Best Hair Towel Ever?

My hair is quite thick, long and it takes forever to dry which is why I always wash my hair in the evenings and leave it to dry naturally overnight (I keep a towel on my pillow); even in the morning my hair can be damp! I'm always looking for ways to dry my hair quicker without using heat, as I don't usually like to use heat on my hair and towel drying can cause frizz - in comes Aquis.

Aquis are the innovative creators of hair towels that claim to reduce drying time while being gentle on the hair and reducing frizz and breakage. The hair isn't as venerable to damage as when it's wet which is why you shouldn't brush your hair when it's wet! The towel is made of Aquitex, a modern fabric woven from ultra-fine fibres that create a lightweight fabric that is super absorbent and gentle.

I have the *Aquis Essentials 50 x 107cm Hair Towel (£30) which was part of the Radio London and Fenwicks of Bond Street beauty in the city event but sadly it's now ended. The hair towel is super soft, smooth and it is lightweight so when I have my hair wrapped up in it, it isn't really heavy and awkward to wear!

I tried the towel a couple of weeks ago and I have been using every time I wash my hair since as it's just fantastic! I was so impressed from the first use, it feels much more comfortable to wear than my usual big bath towels and it doesn't give me a headache. The towel dries my wet hair so quickly, I am really impressed and it definitely leaves my hair less frizzy which is a miracle. When I use this hair towel with my wet, straight out of the shower hair it can be just damp within hour or so which cuts my drying time by hours and hours.

Overall, I know that it is a little pricey for a hair towel but I honestly couldn't recommend it enough, it's a game changer! It is lightweight which makes drying my hair much more comfortable, drying time is drastically reduced and it leaves my hair much smoother and far less frizzy! Overall rating: ★★★★★, 5/5!

Have you tried this hair towel? What do you do to reduce drying time? 

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Autumn Winter Wish List

The days are getting quite chilly now, especially last night when it was really foggy too so I want to update my wardrobe with some autumn/winter essentials. There are five/six main essentials that I always buy every autumn/winter including: jumpers, jackets/coats, tartan, hats and a new bag - also leggings, they are a staple for me!

Suede Jacket  -  Knit Beanie  -  Tartan Dress  -  Cozy Cardigan  -  Satchel Bag 

I live in Manchester where we rarely see the sun so as soon as autumn arrives, the days get chilly so cozy knitwear is an essential; I have SO many jumpers, cardigans and jackets but I always need more, particularly when they are as cozy and gorgeous as these! A recent obsession of mine as been tartan/plaid/check whatever you call it, as it's so cozy and goes with everything, I don't even need to think about my outfit. Lastly, how freakin' gorgeous is this bag, I love it and it looks so much more expensive than it is.

What do you think of my wish list? What are your autumn/winter essentials? 

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