As you can see from the photo, this tube of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lip Balm has been well used. I first mentioned it back in March when I put together a Spring Rejuvenation Kit. It’s been knocking about in various coats and bags ever since and has sadly come to the end of its life. Although I like to try out new lip balms, I think I’ll be stocking up on a few of these as I now know it does a good job, didn’t give me any skin reactions and only costs £1.89.

The sudden cold and damp weather we’ve been having in the UK has meant that my skin has become quite dry and sore. This Palmers lip balm has done a very good job at keeping moisture locked in and also lasts for a good few hours before needing to reapply -though I’m sure a lot of you are like me and find yourself reapplying liberally throughout the day. I should probably point out that the product has a light scent of chocolate but is in no way sickly or overwhelming – so don’t worry if you do have a habit of using too much lip balm. The best thing about the product is that, although it gives your skin a lot of moisture, it doesn’t leave you with that shiny greasy feeling that some lip balms do.

There are a few added bonuses with this lip balm. Firstly, the shape and size of  the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter lip balm is handy; you can easily pop it into the pocket of your jeans or jacket if you aren’t taking a bag out. Secondly it has SPF 15, which will help to protect this delicate and thin area of skin from the sunshine. Finally, the application is very smooth and also pretty hygienic as you don’t have yo apply it with your finger.

Which lip balms are you using at the moment? I’ve been a fan of Palmer’s other products for quite sometime, their body butter is fantastic. I’m keen to try out some of their dark chocolate lip balms when I next see them.

xx

I’m in Cambridge for the bank holiday weekend. I don’t really have any plans but I’m sure ill get out for a few walks and spend a lot of time catching up on blogs or working on some posts. I’ve had a cold for the last week, some kind of flu thing which has had my body aching and daily headaches. It now seems to have consumed me and I am pleased it’s the weekend so I can take some time to relax and try and get rid of this cold. What will you be doing this weekend?

I have a bunch of beauty posts coming up, a few tea reviews and some foodie posts. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to see on the blog. I have lots of ideas but very little time. Maybe this weekend will allow me to get organised with posts. Do you schedule posts in advance?

xx

I may have wrote about Beautiful Skin Night Cream from No7 before but I figured that as our skin changes throughout the different seasons there would be no harm in sharing another review. I’ve been using this night cream for the last two months and have been really happy with the results. This cream is thick enough for very dry skin but doesn’t leave your face feeling sticky and greasy. My skin seems to soak up the cream quickly and I’ve even used in on these really cold mornings we’ve had lately.

As I mentioned before I am very familiar with the No7 face creams have never had any reactions to my skin from them. Knowing how good the face cream range is I always end up stocking up when I see a 3 for 2 offer in Boots.

Would I recommend trying this? Yes, if you have dry skin then really does a good job at giving your skin moisture. A 50ml pot of cream is £13.50 and Boots have a 3 for 2 offer on at the moment – yay!

I’ll definitely be buying this cream again but for now I have quite a selection of face creams to be using up.

What are your thoughts on the No7 face creams?

xx

Moorish is one of my favourite places to grab a quick and healthy lunch in Norwich. There’s a variety of falafel pittas on the menu and you can pick and choose any extra salad and sauces you want. I’ve not yet had the chance to try everything on the menu but if you like guacamole then I recommend the Mexican pitta with extra chilis. I’ve heard that the Greek and Sicilian style are really good but the only reason I’ve avoided them is because of the cheese. If you don’t fancy a pitta then the falafel burger may suit you better, I plan on trying one when I go this week.

Little tip  - If you get extra sauce (I always go for hot sauce) then you should eat your pitta straight away. I once took mine back to work and it ended up a bit messy because the sauce soaked through to the bottom of the pitta.

For those who have never had falafel, it’s made from chickpeas, onion, garlic and various herbs. They’re really simple to make at home so if you don’t have a falafel bar near by then definitely check out some recipes on Google and try cooking up your own.

Moorish is on Lower Goat Lane in Norwich – Have any of you been?

xx

I’m craving New York sunshine, summer dresses and a refreshing watermelon and basil lolly from the good guys at people’s pops. These things were delicious and I managed to try a few flavours on my last visit to NY. They were based on The High Line and every time I used it as a shortcut I pretty much had to try another ice lolly because the sun was so intense!

Have you ever tried anything from people’s pops?

xx

Tea cup* – Joules, teapot – Le Creuset and homemade pear and blueberry crumble.

Bottomless cups of tea and a little homemade pear and blueberry crumble are the perfect accompaniments to an evening of reading and catching up on blogs. Since I’ve started to go to the gym on lunch breaks it’s meant I’ve had a little more time to spend doing other things in the evening. I’m yet to start getting back to reading books irl but I’ve been reading a lot more articles and keeping up to date with Wired magazine. I usually keep up to date with articles via Prismatic or Flipboard on my iPad and phone. Have any of you used these news apps? Both of them are very easy to use and simply collect all relevant news articles on your chosen topics from around the web so you can read them within one app and share them with friends. I’ve also downloaded Zite and Flud News but have’t had the chance to play around with them enough.

I like to wait till I have time to sit at my laptop to be able to enjoy reading and commenting on blogs. Sometimes I will click through blog links via Twitter on my phone but it’s just not the same. Have you come across good blogs lately? I’m always on the look out for new ones to add to my favourites list.

Here are a few things I’ve spotted around the internet this week:

- If you’re looking for book recommendations then check out The Book Boy

- An interview with Warren buffet and Jay-Z

- Tabasco popcorn

- A beautiful but expensive dress

- A brillant tip for work – solutions not problems

- Marmite have joined Pinterest - YAY!

- Mat shares some fantastic posts over at his blog – Buckets & Spades.

xx

Last week I told you about the Stepping Stone foot scrub from Lush but I forgot to mention the litte trial pot of hand lotion I picked up. Lush often have trial and full sized pots of lotion for charity and give the full amount excluding VAT to their chosen charity. I think that’s pretty good seen as you often see companies giving just 10% a ‘charity’ product away. Find out more about the charities Lush donates to.

The cream has a slight chocolate scent to it and can be used on your hands, body or face. I find the size of the trial tins really handy to keep in my handbag and use throughout the day or before applying make-up. The first thing you will notice is that this cream is very light and thin. It sinks into your skin quickly and you don’t have to worry about waiting for your hands to dry off. However, I find that as my skin can get very dry I tend to need something much thicker. This isn’t something that will prevent me from buying the charity pot creams again as it’s actually very useful for work. Sometimes when I used my Hemp cream I have to wait a good few minutes before I can touch anything else so it’s nice to be able to dab a little of the Lush cream on and continue with my day.

Next time I’m in Lush I plan on getting a full size pot and refilling my little trial size tin. You can buy a full sized pot on the Lush website.

xx

The other week I went to Revolucion De Cuba in Norwich for a few after-work cocktails and ended up staying for a pretty insane burger – The Smoke Stack. Nobody ever *needs* a burger like this but the temptation of pulled pork and jalapenos on top of a hamburger got the better of me. As you can see in the photo there were also delicious mojito battered onion rings, gherkins and salty chips. I told you it was a little OTT didn’t I?

I’d totally order this burger again (in a few months) but I’d need to be super hungry and fuelled by a few raspberry mojitos.

xx

After a good few months of buying the purple Herbal Essences bottles I’ve started buying Aussie shampoo. It seems to be on offer quite a lot and I’m pretty sure I picked these two bottles up for around £10 in Superdrug.

I can’t really explain the scent of Aussie but to me all their products have a very fresh and summery smell. I’ve found that my hair keeps the scent of the products all day which is especially nice when I catch a little of it. I’ve also found that Aussie leaves my hair easy to style and very light. The conditioner is pretty thick so you only need a little to give your hair a good wash and leave it full of moisture. If your hair is in need of a full condition then you should try leaving the Miracle Moist on for 30 minutes – it really helps with dry hair.

What hair products are you using at the moment?

xx

We seem to be getting a lot more sunshine and I like to think that I’ll start wearing sandals soon (I probably wont). When you’re wearing sandals everyday you should take extra care to look after your feet so I decided it was time to pay Lush a visit.

I spent a lot of time looking at all the foot products in Lush and in the end I decided to treat myself to a Stepping Stone foot scrub (£2.95). This scrubs contain lemongrass oil and sea salt which works to clean your feet and leave them with a very strong lemony scent. The cocoa butter and jojoba oil will help to keep your feet soft and moisturised.

I found this very simple to use but must stress that you break off the amount you wish to use before you get your hands wet! If you don’t you may find yourself breaking away more of the scrub and turning it into a paste. I used the chunk on damp feet and rubbed it straight onto the skin. I then left my feet to soak with a little of the product.

My feet didn’t have any irrations to this scrub but as my hands were a little sore they stung whilst using it. That’s more my own fault and it can be avoided by wearing gloves. I’ve used this once a week for a few weeks and still have a little left. A small chunk goes a long way and it will be something I’ll repurchase soon.

xx