Monday 29 August 2016

Luxury treatments and Fire & Ice Experience at The Belfry Spa

Image credit: The Belfry Spa

Last week I decided to book a well-deserved luxury spa day at The Belfry Spa in Sutton Coldfield with one of my friends. I believe it's so important to look after yourself and spa days with treatments can really help to re-energise and relax your body. We get so caught up in this busy world that sometimes there is nothing better than a little 'me time' where you spoil yourself. I like to book spa days every couple of months as I enjoy spa retreats in the countryside and completely switching off from the outside world. This includes time away from my phone, laptop and any other distractions. In between spa days, I also like to have regular monthly treatments at local city spas which can include facials and deep tissue massages. As a regular spa-goer, I like to think I know quality when I see it, so when I was booking myself into The Belfry Spa I knew this would be an extra special and luxurious day.

The day started off with two treatments - a back massage and facial. I think it's great to start any spa day off with your treatments as afterwards you feel so pampered and relaxed, ready to enjoy the steam rooms and saunas. The treatments were followed by afternoon tea at The Belfry, which was delicious with fresh scones, cakes and sandwiches.

In the afternoon I booked the Fire & Ice Experience which is one of the things that The Belfry Spa is most famous for. This is essentially a 90 minute relaxation experience in 12 bio thermal rooms. Each of the rooms are designed to awaken your senses. For example, there is an Igloo room where ice crystals are available to rub on your body and leave you feeling cool and refreshed. On the opposite scale there is a Crystal Steam room that combines oils and warm steam that cleanses your skin. This was one of my favourite spa experiences and I left feeling so refreshed.

If you're looking for a special treat or just want to indulge and treat yourself, I would definitely recommend a spa day at The Belfry Spa. I'm already looking forward to going back to the Fire & Ice Experience!

Have you ever been to The Belfry Spa? What are your favourite spa treatments?

Monday 22 August 2016

The East Midlands bloggers meet up


I really enjoy attending blogger meet ups as they are the perfect opportunity to meet new bloggers, network and discover new brands. The East Midlands bloggers meet up was organised by some of my fellow blogger friends and I knew how much work and effort had gone into the event, so I was so excited to attend.



The meet up took place at Manhattan 34 bar on 13th August and it was a perfect sunny Saturday afternoon. Brands that were at the event included Blogosphere Magazine, Danique hairdressing, Cool as Publicity, Angel Eyes, Rothley Wines and Bru cafe. There were talks given by Gabby from Cool as Publicity and Alice Audley from Blogosphere Magazine which I found really useful with some great tips being shared. There was also a live singer called Becky Bruce, who kept all of the bloggers entertained whilst sipping on delicious cocktails from the bar.

After sampling some wine from Rothley Wine Estate, I tried one of Bru cafe's chocolate brownies. It was delicious and I will definitely be stopping at Bru for a coffee and cake soon! It was also great to see that there was a raffle in aid of the charities Bowel Cancer and Rainbows Hospice. There were some amazing prizes on offer including the Happiness Planner and beauty hampers, as well as vouchers and much more.


The afternoon ended with some lovely goodie bags being given out and I'm so grateful for the treats we received from brands including Lush, Carex, Matalan and Vita Coco. The event was a success and I wanted to thank the lovely bloggers who organised it, as everyone had a great time.


I was also vlogging the meet up in my latest vlog, so watch my video below to see what I got up to!


Thursday 18 August 2016

The opening of Rush Hair salon


With naturally very long and thick hair, I am always looking out for products to help keep my hair in good condition and manageable on a daily basis. I've done a few videos on my YouTube channel about my haircare routine and tips, as well as reviewing some of my favourite hair products. When I heard that Rush Hair was opening a salon near me I was really excited to see what products they would be using in the salon, as well as finding out more about the treatments available.

On Thursday 11th August I was invited to a bloggers event at the new Rush Hair salon and met with the stylists as well as the franchisee Sandra Hopkins. The bloggers were greeted, offered a glass of bubbly and invited to look around the salon. I also got the opportunity to have my hair styled and they did a fantastic job of curling it using my favourite ghd styler.



It's great news that Rush Hair have opened in the East Midlands as it brings the experience of a top London salon. The group has over 80 salons across the UK and are one of the fastest growing hair brands. I'm also really happy that the opening hours are designed to fit around busy lifestyles like mine, with late night appointments available from Monday to Thursday, Sunday opening hours and early starts on Saturdays. This makes it ideal for me to be able to get my hair done straight after work.

As well as providing a cut and colour service, Rush Hair also offers Brazilian Blowdrys and other hair treatments. Sandra Hopkins, the franchisee of Rush Hair said: "Speaking from the heart we will provide one of the best hairdressing services available, second to none customer service while creating beautiful hair for clients. We have some amazing stylists and I'm excited to see them in action."

After the event, all bloggers were given a bag full of amazing Redken and 72 hair products to try, which I am so grateful for. I'm looking forward to giving these a try.



Whilst at the bloggers event, I decided to vlog as much as I could, so watch my latest vlog on my YouTube channel below to see what I got up to.


Monday 15 August 2016

Peppermint Clarifying Hydrogel by Heaven Skincare

Heaven Skincare

I have naturally oily skin and I've tried a few different moisturisers over the years to help me control my skin type. The main concern for me is when my face goes shiny towards the middle of the day, as well as keeping my skin clean and clear. At a recent event, I discovered the brand Heaven Skincare by Deborah Mitchell and was really pleased to find that one of their best selling products is the Peppermint Clarifying Hydrogel which is ideal for oily skin! To top it off, the Heaven Skincare brand is also all natural and organic which is great as you are assured there are no nasty parabens or chemicals used.

Heaven Skincare

The lovely team at Heaven Skincare kindly sent me one of their Peppermint Clarifying Hydrogels and I've been using it twice a day (morning and night) for the last few weeks. The packaging states that it can be used to prime, moisturise and tone which is ideal for all of you busy ladies like me who need a simple skincare routine. I've been using it as my main moisturiser and it's actually gel like in consistency. However it soaks very quickly into your skin and leaves you with a nice matte finish. Even on the first day I used it, there were no shiny areas on my face which I was so happy to see and I can genuinely see a real improvement in my skin.

Heaven Skincare

It has been designed to balance the oil in your skin, balances the pH levels and restores moisture levels in your skin. The peppermint scent is so refreshing and cooling on the skin and I love the packaging of the bottle and how nice it look on my dressing table, which is another bonus!

To find out more about the Peppermint Clarifying Hydrogel click here. Thank you to Heaven Skincare by Deborah Mitchell for this fantastic product which has just improved my skincare and moisturising routine.

Have you used any of the Heaven Skincare products? Which ones are your favourites?


This blog post is in collaboration with Heaven Skincare who kindly sent me the hydrogel to use. 

Monday 8 August 2016

Making healthy lifestyle changes


In the last year I have noticed that I have naturally made some positive and healthy changes to my lifestyle. This has included the type of foods I'm eating and also my mindset, with thinking more positively and changing the way I look at situations to ensure that my mind and thoughts are also healthy. There has been nothing in particular that has brought this change about; it's something that I have noticed happening to me naturally over the last year or so. I am really grateful for this change, as it has made me a better person and I feel so much happier about what food I am eating as well as the way I look at life and the opportunities I have.


Although this is a very different kind of blog post to the ones I usually write about fashion, I still wanted to talk about my healthier eating changes as it could inspire others who are also thinking about making some changes. Firstly, I want to stress that I don't eat healthily 100% of the time. I try to eat healthily from Monday to Friday, but if I'm going out for a meal or fancy a treat I don't stop myself. I don't want it to be a battle or to stop myself from eating anything I really want, but it's more trying to eat healthier foods as much as possible during the weekdays.

I've started to make more of a conscious effort to eat more fresh, natural and organic products. For example, I have been eating healthy and organic snacks throughout the day and in between meals. By simply replacing a snack that may have once been crisps or a bar of chocolate with something like a sugar-free and organic snack bar, the results have been amazing. As well as noticing a slight change in my weight and clearer skin, it has also helped me in changing my mindset. After all, a healthy body means a healthy mind and I'm a big believer that it all starts with what is on our plate. I've increased my intake of water as well, which has made my skin so clear.

Aside from snacks, I've been continuing with eating fresh vegetables with my evening meal and looking for healthy and sugar-free breakfast options. I'm a morning tea drinker and you'll be amazed to know that I've cut down my sugar intake from 3 sugars in my cup of tea (yes really!) to no sugar at all. I'm so happy about this and I know in the future my body will thank me for cutting my sugar intake down at such a young age.


There's lots of online sites that sell organic and natural foods, but I was excited to find out about a brand new local store opening called Delilah Fine Foods that sells high quality produce. Although it's not a store that sells solely organic products, there's so many ingredients in there that are fresh and locally sourced that can be added to a healthy meal cooked at home.

I went to the Delilah launch and sampling event and was so inspired by the types of foods on offer. Delilah stock the finest produce such as breads, cheeses and fine wines. With some delicious foods that are ideal for those well deserved cheat days, there were lots of ingredients that I can buy to make delicious healthy meals at home. I'm really happy that this lovely deli has opened up so close to where I live!




If you're looking to add more healthy ingredients into your diet, then definitely visit Delilah for some food inspiration!

Have you made any healthy lifestyle changes?   

Thursday 4 August 2016

Elite Fashion Show in Birmingham


On Sunday 24th July I was invited to the Elite Fashion Show in Birmingham. The show was organised by Mr Birmingham, Joshua Williams, and it was all to raise money for charities Mind and Beauty with a Purpose.


I attended the fashion show with one of my blogger friends, Steph. Once we arrived in Birmingham and took our essential blog post photos, we went to Fumo for some cocktails. I had a delicious Cosmopolitan and Steph went for the Lavender Fizz.




The fashion show took place at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham city centre and it really was a great night, showcasing some great pieces of clothing from both local designers and online boutiques. Designers included Want that Trend, Disorder Boutique and Kiss me Kate.




It was also quite emotional when people affected by mental health spoke in front of the audience about it. It made the fashion show so worthwhile to know that it was raising money for charity. There was also a raffle with all donations given to charity, and I won a bottle of champagne!

The evening ended with an after party at So Mezze, a Turkish restaurant and bar. I had a great night and wanted to say thank you to Joshua Williams and the team for inviting me. I also vlogged my whole evening, so watch my video below to see everything I got up to.