Sunday, February 21, 2016
UNBOXING: Clarisonic Aria Keith Haring Edition
I've wanted a Clarisonic for as long as I
can remember.
I have had a problem with my skin for quite some time and
the idea of cleaning my face with a sonic brush has always appealed to
me- especially after spending so long in the bathroom scrubbing my face
with a manual face brush.
I decided to
take the plunge this week and invest in one while biting my tongue the whole
way through the checkout process, knowing full well that I could have saved the money for
something else. I placed an order last Monday on the official Clarisonic website and I received the order by the Thursday.
Since I am a little late on the whole
sonic cleansing system hype, I was pretty impressed with the look and
feel of the Clarisonic. I know that the Aria was launched in 2013, as an
upgrade of the previous Mia versions. The Aria is lighter and slimmer and feels pretty solid in the hand.This unit is a little different though as I managed to
get my hands on the limited edition Keith Haring Aria; the cleansing
device is red and it comes with a pouch designed by Keith Haring.The box includes the Mia system and a pouch that holds the USB-enabled magnetic Universal Voltage Plink Charger, wall adapter and drying base, as well as a sample size cleanser.
I'm
in love with the pouch design, the zip tag is in the shape of a mini
Clarisonic and the inside of the pouch is covered in one of Keith
Haring's iconic designs. I love getting these kind of pouches with
purchases because I like to use them as makeup bags, so I think this one
will be going straight into my work bag.
To
charge the unit, you have to use plink charger and wall adapter. The
magnetic charger attaches to the base of the Aria and connects to a wall
socket through the plug adapter. This makes the unit travel friendly-
instead of taking the drying stand, you can charge the unit using only
the Plink charger, which is handy because the drying base is pretty
chunky!
I was pretty impressed with the magnetic function, but I will have to see for myself if this is a gimmicky feature.
It
was a nice surprise to find the sample sized cleanser included in the
pack, although I am a little hesitant to use it. My skin is pretty
normal and doesn't react too much to different products, but since I have
established such a solid skin care regimen already, I wouldn't want to
change it.
I'm pretty excited to use my Clarisonic although I wasn't impressed with the 24 hour charging time- I'm hoping that it lasts for quite a while.
Have you used a Clarisonic? Let me know?
Happy Cleansing
God Bless,
Thursday, December 31, 2015
RPG Show Ombre Wig Unboxing + How I apply wigs!
It is finally the end of 2015! This year was a great year for my hair because I decided to take the plunge to change up my look and invest a little money into a new hair style. Ever since I was young, I would only wear my natural hair or braids, but I decided a little after my birthday in March that I wanted that to change.
Enter RPGShow and the purchase of my very first full lace wig- the "Kylie". Since then I have been thoroughly convinced that full lace wigs are the way to go for a quick hairstyle that remains intact but gives me an opportunity to care for my own hair every day.
My second purchase was made during the Black Friday deals so I managed to get over $100 off, which is actually a bargain. My unit is a full lace ombre unit, part of the stock collection, which basically means that the hair is already available on the website and doesn't need to be ordered.
I really appreciate the RPGShow packaging and contents- I honestly expected my first wig to come in a flimsy plastic bag. The first wig box was black and matte, but this one was pink with black lace. Just like the other box, there was an additional wig cap, hair brush and magazine.
The information for my unit is as follows:
Style Number: ns001-s
Hair Colour: Same as pictured
Hair Length: 18”
Hair Texture: Silk Straight
Lace Colour: Light Brown ( should be medium brown)
Cap Construction: Glueless Lace Cap
Cap Size: Size 1
I love using full lace wigs because of the security and how realistic they look. The wigs comes with three scalp grips on the inside as well as an adjustable band at the back of the head. I rarely use the scalp grips and yet the wig never moves an inch. However, I do secure bobby pins to the sides of my head to stop the unit riding up at the front/centre and creating a gap between my hairline and the wig hairline. I don't think this is a problem for most people, I just have a weird shaped head.
Ombre is a hairt colour that is way out of my comfort zone, but I saw this and instantly fell in love. The ombre is a dark brown/black to light brown rather than a blonde so it is perfect for this time of year. I took a bit of gamble on the hair texture-The "Kylie" unit had a Yaki texture, which is supposed to be similar to an afro texture of hair, whereas this unit is similar to a Caucasian silky hair texture.
However, I love the feel of the unit, it appears to be a lot easier to maintain and is noticeably lightweight/ thinner.
To prepare the wig, you have to remove the excess lace from the forehead, sides and nape. I usually place the unit on my head to get an idea of where to cut first and begin by pulling the hair back into a tight ponytail for accuracy. Then I slide a finger under the wig hairline and pull and cut lace as close to my own hairline as possible to create a cleaner cut. This took forever with my first wig, but once you know what you are doing, this step is pretty straight forward. To cut the nape, you might want to take the wig off, just in case you slip and cut thr ponytail.
Next, I like to pull out some of the hairs along the parting. On cheaper wigs, the parting isn't at all visible and looks extremely unrealistic. Lace wigs have a parting but it is extremely narrow and would look much better if widened. I have seen various methods for this, some people like to use tweezers or even scissors but I find it easier to wrap a couple hairs around my finger close to the scalp and yank quickly. You have to be careful because this method can damage the unit, but it gets rid of hairs a lot quicker. I recommend taking a tiny pinch of hairs at a time.
Lastly I apply a small amount of concealer to the parting that is close to my scalp colour and blend so that the colour of the lace isn't too dark. Currently, I use MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC45 since my scalp is a cooler shade than my face, however in the summer, I might need something warmer. I like to take a chunk of the concealer and store it in a small pot because it isn't a good idea to mix an oily brush into a face product, unless you are expecting a breakout. The result is a more seamless hairline and scalp.
I have had my Kylie unit since May and it still looks fresh every time I wash and style it- people are convinced I have a whole new unit of hair! Therefore, I think this unit will last just as well, it will be interesting to see how it keeps in comparison to the Kylie because of texture and of course, the length.
I will do an update post in a few months to see how it turns out.
*
Thanks for reading, if you have any questions about the unit, feel free to ask me.
I hope you all have had a wonderful 2015 and I hope you have an even better 2016!
Happy New Year
God Bless,
Monday, December 14, 2015
REVIEW: Go Native Apartments, Kensington
I honestly can't complain about my job, especially when I have the opportunity to travel with my team to different events- last month I went along to the Ideal Home Show as an exhibitor.
I don't know why, but I always look forward to staying in a hotel while away, especially if I haven't stayed there before- so I was in for a treat when I stayed at Go Native Kensington, serviced apartments in Central London. The hotel location was perfect, close enough to London Olympia but tucked away from the hustle and bustle of traffic; in addition there was a large Tesco at the end of the street.
I shared a two bedroom apartment with kitchen with a colleague and was instantly impressed with how clean and spacious it was, not to mention how many amenities were included in the apartment.
I really appreciated the double bedroom and ensuite; there was enough space on the floor for my suitcase (and mess) and plenty of wardrobe space to hang up clothes. Since the apartment was self serviced, the kitchen was fully stocked with utensils, even a washing machine/ tumble dryer and dishwasher.
My only complaint was with the heating system, which didn't seem to work, but the hotel swiftly provided replacement heaters.
This was a great place to come back to every night after the event and I managed to get a great night's sleep without waking up in thee middle of the night because of noise next door or on the floors below.
Thank you Go Native for a great stay!
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Bridesmaids Dinner at Hilton Hotel
~
At the beginning of the month, I had the opportunity to stay at the Hilton Hotel in Croydon for a girls night in before a wedding. The hotel was by far the best I have ever stayed in (mainly because I tend to go to the cheapest ones I can find.)
Our group of six was treated to two luxury junior suite rooms, which were spacious and well made over and a three course meal in The Larder, the resturant downstairs in the lobby.
- T H E D I N N E R -
@ The Larder
STARTER
Cod, Cornish Brie and Bacon Fishcake served with caramelised onion and Pina Colada
I decided to go with this fishcake for starters because I liked the sound of the bacon and brie. This was extremely crispy and the inside of the cake was seasoned very well which I was initially afraid about as my previous experiences of fishcakes have been bland.
If you know me, when faced with a menu of drinks I have never heard of before, I chose my go to and call it a night- The Pina Colada.
 |
| Melle's starter: Truffle Mushrooms on toasted brioche |
|
| Kelita's starter: Scallops with mushy peas, chorizo crisp an |
DINNER
Braised Pork Belly with crushed new potatoes, glazed carrots, stewed peach and apple gravy
Onto the main course, which was essentially just pork and veg, but was actually a very succulent and fatty piece of pork belly with seriously good vegetables and gravy. I was sold at the sound of the peach and apple gravy and just because I was particularly craving pork. The only thing I wish was a little different on the pork was the crackling which was solid, I couldn't get my knife or teeth through it, and I was bitterly disappointed because it looked delicious.
 |
| Bea's main: Garlic and thyme chicken with ratatouille vegetables and leek and pan gravy |
Chocolate Brownie Sundae
Last but not least, dessert. By this point, I was quite full, but I always have space in my stomach for some dessert, in this case a huge brownie sundae. Unfortunately, I only managed about half of this, which was probably a good thing because it was mostly cream and ice-cream and I was in "24 hour bridesmaid mode". The brownies at the bottom were pretty chunky and hard, I thought I was going to break my teeth.
 |
| Kelita's dessert: Apple crumble and custard |
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| Suganiya and Nicole's dessert: Hot chocolate puddimg |
THE "WINE-DOWN"
Prosecco and Chill
Finally to finish the night off, we washed our food down with a bottle of Prosecco (that's to share, not each!)
Overall, it was a great experience because of the peaceful atmosphere, the lovely staff and of course the delicious food.
Thanks to the bestie for a wonderful evening in!
Cheers!
God Bless
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