Weekly round up

I suppose this is actually more of a round up of the last three weeks really, since that's the last time I posted.  My last week before moving out was filled with packing, packing and more packing, so I didn't have any time to post, and our internet only got connected this weekend so I haven't been able to blog since we moved in.  I know I've taken a few breaks from blogging over recent months, but I've really missed it this time - probably because this hiatus was imposed on me rather than being my decision!  Anyway, I'm back now and I'm on a bit of a roll, so here's what I've been up to....

Well from the looks of it, my main activity while I've been away has been eating!  That's not strictly true, although I have had some pretty good meals! 

I think most of you know that we've recently bought our first house?  On my last evening living with my parents, we went for tapas at El Sabio - the tapas restaurant in Newbury that I love.  This time I experienced their desserts and I was really impressed - they have a selection of tapas desserts where you pick three mini desserts.  Heaven!  I'm definitely going to make sure I save room for dessert next time I go!

We only managed to take a day and a half off work to move since we're both so busy, so our house is a bit of a mess at the moment.  Lots of boxes and suitcases fill the garage and spare rooms, but we are getting there.  We spent last weekend decorating the living room, which may seem a little over eager but we're getting the flooring redone in a few weeks and we need to get it all sorted before the living room furniture arrives.  I can't wait for our sofa to turn up!  Apart from the fact that it's mega comfy, spending evenings sitting in a camping chair while Danny sits on a beanbag is getting a bit tedious! 

We've got a great local pub around the corner and after a long day of painting on Sunday, we decided to wander over for a roast - just look at the size of it!  I'm a little concerned that with it being so good and so close, we're going to end up going there most Sundays....... Shame! :)

Weekly round up

I had a bad week this week.  We had effectively resigned ourselves to the fact that the house was never going to exchange, I was feeling ill and the week was nicely topped off by one of the senior managers at work deciding that I was personally responsible for what she perceived as the downfalls of our department.  Bursting into tears in the office was definitely a low point!

That aside, I had a good weekend!  Dog walking in the woods and beating Danny and his sister on Buzz (I got double their scores, I'd like to add, which I was particularly smug about because Danny is very competitive!) definitely made up for the trauma of the working week.  Danny's friends also had a group of us over for a barbecue and drinks and although the weather wasn't quite as nice as we might have liked, we made the best of it and spent most of the time in the garden regardless!

And, although this is strictly part of this week rather than last, I can't resist writing in this post......

.....we've exchanged contracts for our house!

After convincing ourselves that it would never happen, we now have a week (that's it - just one week!) before we move in to our own home!  I'd better get packing.....

Weekly round up

I've been doing weekly Instagram posts for a few weeks now but I do miss writing about what I've been doing, so I'm changing things up a bit and I'm going to do a weekly round up post instead.  Hopefully you'll all prefer this, but feel free to follow me on Instagram (@katm_) - I'll still be posting on there regularly!

The week started off with a lovely catch up with Aisling - lunch (does it count as lunch if you eat it at 3.30pm?!) and a girly chat was a great way to spend a bank holiday Monday and was followed by a cinema date with Danny to watch American Pie The Reunion.  Hilarious!  Absolutely hilarious!  I was a bit doubtful that it would be any good since sequels regularly fail to live up to the hype, but it definitely did and I would thoroughly recommend watching it!

A long week of work (don't weeks seem longer when you've had a bank holiday?) and drama with the house has made the week all the more stressful so a relaxing weekend was definitely needed!  The top of the chain have been putting back the completion date for our house by a week, every week so far, so it's not looking like we're going to be moving until the end of May now.  Beyond annoyed and stressed out but trying to ignore it over the weekend when there's nothing we can do about it.

Lunch with Danny and my parents at Harry's Bar & Kitchen on Saturday lunchtime was a very welcomed treat, decided upon on the spur of the moment before we headed over to Reading to meet up with Danny's friends.  We spent a couple of hours in the pub then went over to our friends' house to meet their two week old baby, Millie.  She's gorgeous and seemed to be perfectly happy being passed around all of us for a cuddle!  A full head-wetting session ensued and we didn't end up leaving until 2am!

Today has been spent at a craft fair just outside Newbury - wandering around in the sun with some of my besties.  The fair wasn't as big as we'd anticipated but they did have some gorgeous cupcakes, including the cake pushpop above - a genius idea for eating a cupcake without getting messy fingers!  Quite randomly, at the front of the fair they also had a cow with a tiny calf - cute!  After getting home and watching the dramatic last day of the Premier League, I'm now looking forward to curling up on the sofa for the evening while Danny prepares a lovely roast - bliss!

Neutrogena Wave Duo review: could this be the cheaper alternative to the Clarisonic Mia?

Like a lot of you I'm sure, I have been longing for a Clarisonic Mia but can't quite justify the price to myself just yet (I don't think it'd go down very well with Danny if I spent £100 or so on a Clarisonic and then not be able to afford to buy anything for our house!)  I was in Boots at the weekend and was browsing the skincare section looking for a face mask to pamper myself with that evening when I came across the Neutrogena Wave Duo.  We've all seen the adverts on TV - Vanessa Hudgens and Hayden Panettiere cheesily smiling into the camera stating that their skin has never felt so clean.  But does it really live up to their hype?  I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this, so I thought I'd try it out and add my two cents.....

Product

The Neutrogena Wave Duo comes in a box containing the power cleanser, 14 cleansing pads and a AA battery.  All you have to do is to pop the battery in (which I'll be honest, I found a little difficult - the battery cover is pretty difficult to get off!), stick one of the cleansing pads on to the power cleanser head and you're ready to go.  I was a little concerned that the pad wouldn't stick to the head but the head is slightly bumpy - a little bit like velcro - so it stays in place despite moving it around your face.

The Wave Duo has two speed settings - one for 'gentle massaging' and the second for 'deep pore cleansing'.  I started off with the first setting and it definitely removed my make up successfully but I didn't feel like my pores were getting a good clean like I wanted.  On the second speed, I noticed the difference.  The sensation is a little strange initially - mainly because your face is vibrating quite strongly - but afterwards my skin definitely felt cleaner and softer.

Price

I bought the Wave Duo on impulse, so I didn't shop around at all and I paid only £10 for mine.  Considering I was planning on paying a couple of pounds for a one use only face mask, I'm pretty impressed that I picked up a battery operated cleanser for only a couple of times more.  And when you consider the Clarisonic Mia has a price tag of £120, it definitely seems a bargain!

Effects

From the first use, my skin has definitely felt smoother and softer.  It also looks brighter and feels cleaner.  I know that a lot of people report a 'purging' period when they first start to use the Clarisonic Mia, and I think I am experiencing that at the moment with the Wave Duo.  I'm quite lucky with my skin in that I very rarely get spots, but a couple have appeared across my nose since using the Wave Duo.  I assume that, as with the Clarisonic, this is due to the product bringing all the dirt from the pores out to the surface and this should clear up in a couple of days.

Am I impressed?

If I'm brutally honest with you, I'm particularly bad at looking after my skin.  I quite often fall asleep with my make up on and I only moisturise my face when I've noticed it's dry (and admitting that on a beauty product review post makes me realise how bad that actually is!)  I guess it's laziness because I know that my skin isn't prone to breakout and therefore I don't worry about the effect that not looking after it has.  I go through phases of being really good with it, but then give up and go back to my bad habits.

I hope (and I feel that since the Wave Duo is so easy to use, I have a chance!) that I stick to a good routine now and I intend to use the Wave Duo every day - my skin is definitely noticing the difference already and brighter, softer skin is always a good thing, right?

My week in Instagram photos #3

1. Birmingham v Reading - last game of the season  2.  Favourite hair product ever

3.  Reading FC champions celebration   4.  Signing the house contracts

5.  Jack Wills Brilliant Pink & Models Own Ibiza Mix  6.  Date night

Weekly wishlist #2

Clockwise from top left:  Rituals Yogi Flow Indian Rose - John Lewis, £6.90, 

Benefit It's Potent eye cream - ASOS, £23.50, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish - 

John Lewis, £12.75, Origins No Puffery cooling mask - Boots, £19,

Clarisonic Mia - ASOS, £120

I'm sure all of you find the same problem - reading blogs is damaging to your bank account!  The Clarisonic Mia coupled with Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish have received so many good reviews that I'm just waiting until pay day before I buy them!  

I featured a review of Rituals' Yogi Flow a couple of months ago and now that I've run out, I've decided that I definitely need to repurchase.  The scent just makes showers so relaxing!

I'm really paranoid about dark circles under my eyes so the last two products on my wishlist will hopefully remedy this!  I've heard very good things about the Benefit eye cream and I have a bit of a soft spot for Benefit products.  The Origins cooling mask is a product that I'm not very familiar with but claims to de-puff eyes.  Recently I've been suffering from quite sore, tired eyes so I'm going to give this product a go and see if it sorts them out!

What beauty products would you recommend?  What's currently on your beauty wishlist?

Kérastase Elixir Ultime review

According to Kérastase's website, Elixir Ultime "makes hair feel silky and weightless, nourished if used before cleansing and supple and protected if used before styling".  So does it really do what they say?

Product

One pump produces a 10p piece sized amount of clear, syrupy liquid.  It smells delightful - sweet, yet not sickly sweet - a bit like a combination of vanilla and coconut.  Only one pump doesn't look like it would be enough but a little goes a long way - you definitely don't need any more than this.

Price

Retailing at around £30 for 125ml, Elixir Ultime seems pretty expensive.  As I mentioned above though, a little goes a long way and I tend to use it every other hair wash since one use keeps my hair in a good condition for a few days.

Effects

I don't think I could agree more with Kérastase's claims.  My hair has never felt so soft and silky.  Elixir Ultime makes it so much easier to dry and straighten that I really notice when I haven't used it.  The serum can make your hair appear greasy if you apply it to the roots, so I apply to the lengths and ends before using a hairbrush to brush the product through my hair.

Would I buy it again?

Definitely.  I've never been so impressed with a haircare product.

I purchased this product with my own money and have not been paid for or asked to write this review.  All views are 100% honest and my own.