It's all in the smell: Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom

Perfume has never been a big lust of mine; I would much rather have a new mascara than switch up my smell. And throughout my life I have flirted with only a few scents. 

In my early teenage years it was some sort of impulse body spray, until I was welcomed to the world of  "grown-up" fragrance. Even then I have been somewhat picky about perfume. My favourite for a long time was Ghost (the one in the classic curvy blue bottle) and then I discovered Marc Jacobs Daisy. 

This past winter I picked up a deeper scent - Hugo Boss Deep Red. But now summer is here I feel lotions and potions are so heavy on skin. But the lovely ladies at Body Shop gifted me with one of their fantastic fragrances, Japanese Cherry Blossom and I have fallen for it. 

It has this fresh and feminine smell and feels super light on my skin, perfect for summer. So I have one more bottle to add to the not so cluttered perfume shelf!

when the going gets tough...

.....the tough go tanning!

This last week has been pretty much a nightmare from start to finish which is the reason for my silence.
The heat has accelerated to scorching.
The humidity has made me lazy.
And I got sick mid-week which totally threw me off balance.
Saturday was spent in the sun, with ice cold lemonade and a pool, a mere three footsteps from me at all times.
Sunday was spent hibernating from said scorching temperatures and playing with the new tea set of my boyfriends sister (she is 3 by the way).

And here we are back at Monday.
This Monday is better than most. Its a public holiday. And I'm hoping it will last forever. Although I doubt very much that will happen.

sunday sound #25

it's salad season!

I realise everything has been overtaken by the heat; beauty products, food choices, outfit options, the list is endless. But that's the problem, the weather does affect everything.

So I have renamed this summer, salad season. It is literally all I am eating recently. But we aren't just talking a bit of lettuce and cucumber. I am going a bit experimental with the lettuce leaf. And thanks to the Zest magazine I picked up in the airport, I have plenty of options. 

There was a great little article, talking about the best combinations to ensure your salad is healthy, tasting and gives you the energy you need. While I am notorious for eating and enjoying my food, they have some great options which even I am happy with. 

And they included a great little pick'n'mix table to help you create the salad of your dreams. 

So I used this as inspiration and got crafty with the salad in my fridge. This is what I have come up with over the past few days. Note a distinct love of green beans recently! 

Baby Spinach, Green Beans, Mozzarella, Tomato and Lemon Pesto dressing. 

Mixed Leaves, Green Beans, Prawns, Yellow Peppers and Sweet Chili Vinaigrette

Iceberg Lettuce, Sweet Chili Sesame Prawns, Red Pepper, Cucumber and Lemon Dressing.

Baby Spinach, Courgette, Green Beans, Sun-dried Tomato, Walnuts and Goats cheese. No dressing.

Enjoy. 

well travelled beauty products.

Every time I go to London, I say I am not going to spend a ridiculous amount of money on beauty products and every time I return with a suitcase filled to the brim. 

The thing is, beauty products in Cyprus are kinda pricey and they don't have the selection that I am used to. So it seems like the practical thing to do; to spend a months wages in Boots once a year ( I am exaggerating about a months wages by the way).

One of the brands I recently fell in love with is Simple. Their products are designed for people with sensitive skin and have no fussy smells and are super gentle. Recently my skin has been behaving a bit erratically, something to do with the hotter weather I think and I noticed more breakouts than usual. So I picked up these two. Oil Balancing Face Scrub and Moisturiser.

They are working wonders; the scrub is gentle enough to use everyday, but really makes my combination skin feel squeaky clean while the moisturizer is the perfect balancing base for make up, especially when its summer in Cyprus. No oily messy face thank you very much!

Now Soap & Glory is a brand I have been loyal to for a while, mainly because their packaging is so cute. But they do put out fantastic products also! I have been using the hand food since I discovered the yummy smell and the smooch operator balm seems to be the only thing that sorts my dry lips out. 

The Sexy Mother Pucker lipgloss is a gorgeous natural colour and a great gloss thats not too gloopy, while the Thick & Fast Mascara is the only mascara I have found to rival my love for Benefit's Bad Gal. I love the product names too, always amusing in Boots picking products like Off Your Face! 

And then there is Dove. A classic I have know for years. The smell of their beauty bar soap brings back memories of my childhood, watching my mum wash her face with it every morning (a trick I have recently picked up since she had great skin!). And their moisturisers are so nourishing for my skin; in the summer months, the sun, sand, salt water and sheer amount of times I shower a day (when it is this hot and humid even 2 showers is just the start) all mean my skin dries out a lot more. 

These two are helping me right out and they both have great smells. The beauty blossom is fresh and invigorating, perfect for the morning while the purely pampering is great for evening, the aroma seriously lasts! 

And this was just the start of my beauty haul from London. Well technically I was saving money. At least thats my story and I am sticking to it!