Now before you get seriously impressed it was not me entering, it was my Daughters partner and we were along for support, there were both men and women from various clubs across the country competing with each other for the title of Bigger Stronger Faster.  I was seriously impressed at all the competitors for their grit and determination, more than anything our gorgeous Zak who continued after his hands were bleeding and needed taping up.  Mad but dedicated, well the point to this blog is actually a pity party, not for these fabulous competitive types, ( they choose to be in pain LOL )  nope, not them but ME !

Yep, I am the only person who can spectate and end up in bloody hospital A & E, silly old cow that I am I managed to trip DOWN a step and rip the muscle in my calf, can you imagine the bleedin shame ?  all these toughies  throwing around hundreds of Metal Kilo's and me, limping away and needing to wait to be taken to the hospital, fortunately I could see the funny side and between Ouching and limping on one leg I ended up laughing........... ha ! 

 How bad could it be ?  I have had three children, WELL, once the nurse prodded poked and made it hurt a million times more I was no longer laughing, LOL, THEN to add insult to injury she informs me I cannot do anything other than go home, with bandages and CRUTCHES, Yep CRUTCHES, not some nice pink blingy crutches.

Hamper Gift Boxes are the brainchild of Sally Hewitt,  she set about devising these great hampers as a way for people to keep in touch with Family and friends by way of a gift, Gifts can really be for any occasion although we usually only think about Christmas and Birthdays, My favourite type of gift is the *thinking of you* for no reason gift, above and beyond anything else I think that's the one that does it for me.

I am a very lucky woman in that, my Daughters and Grandaughters often appear with a lil prezzie with the I thought of you message, My youngest daughter this week  surprised me with a new phone cover, and my grandaughter appeared this week with 2 little heart shaped candle holders,  ( spoiled ) 

With my love of surprises you can imagine my delight when the Hamper gift box arrived for me to review.





Firstly the packaging, a beautiful and also seriously useful large black damask pattern box with a magnetic lid.  On opening you are presented with lots of gorgeous black tissue scattered with natural perfumed rose buds, the smell from this box is divine.



 Nestled inside was a cute little organza bag with rose bud bath bombs, I would actually hang these from the tap when running a bath as I have never liked floating shizz in my bath water, a fragrant 35 hour burn candle, a cute little etch pattern glass tea light holder complete with candle.
The softest ever hand knitted scarf, perfect for the up coming seasons, and finally 2 hand made soap blocks in Lavender and Lime ( soothing and healing )  and Sweet Cherry ( softening and soothing) just having these in the bathroom or guest bedroom would fill the room with fragrance.

Ingredients

Available at Deciem Here





Ingredients

Water (Aqua), Behentrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, 
Polyquaternium-37, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil, Oenocarpus Bataua Fruit Oil, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol , Glycerin, Betaine, Lauryl Glucoside, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Citronellol, Hydroxycitronellal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone.

Paraben & Sulphate Free

The day has finally come when I need to give in to the fact that I need glasses for real !
I remember as a kid wanting glasses thinking they would make me looking clever and bookish, I really did need help looking clever it was no joke :)

And of recent years I have been buying the reading specs that you test yourself in the supermarket, this has actually worked for me in fairness, and I truthfully believed I only needed them as print was getting smaller on products and I was bored of standing squinting in the shops holding a product 2 inches from my nose to read the ingredients, or better still making huge mistakes with products because I didn't have my speccies to hand while attempting to read the instructions !  Don't pretend you haven't done it lol.


The reality is that my bargain eyes were not cutting the mustard, I was beginning to get a bit head achy and am to the point that my cheapies are looking more like a hair band as I cannot go anywhere without them, so the top of my head was the ideal storage spot

So after a bit of nagging from my children I took the plunge and made the appointment, no one told me they would blow air into my eyes ! quite frankly I wasn't ready for that, although it amused my daughter no end as she knew what was coming, but failed to tell me, thanks Biatch :)

And so it is, not only do I need them for the computer and reading, it turns out I need another pair for driving, although I completely fail to see why I would need to know the number plate of the car in front, I am a blogger not a member of the Police force or private investigation agency !



What is it about actually needing them that I find so offensive ?  I have been wearing the cheapies for years and have been quite happy, maybe it's the lack of choice that bugs me, it is no longer my choice and as a control freak I do like to think everything is in my control, or is it that It's another step in this ageing process ?  who knows ?  but what I do know is the company that got in contact with me recently offering me the * opportunity* to review is range of products to help the elderly can sod right off,  glasses are one thing, but I don't yet need help to sit on the loo, that's another blog for another time maybe.

The UK skincare company Bodhi & Birch was Founded by Elijah Choo, his creations draw inspiration from the healing power of nature and traditional botanical remedies, bringing together Eastern and Western skincare and wellbeing philosophies. 



Everything about this company has nature, sustainability and the environment in mind even down to the FSC certified packaging.

If you have not tried Bodhi & Birch I want to bring you an introduction to this gorgeous brand, the company is so confident in it's products it allows you to purchase Sample and travel sizes in the confidence that you will certainly fall in love and return for more.

This was how my affair with the brand started.  My skin is  mature and can be dry especially when the weather changes and the central heating goes on. 
The facial skincare range I chose was Rosa Rosa recommended for normal to dry skin.



Rosa Rosa Clarifying Cleanser 
key ingredients

• Bulgarian Damask Rose
• Tunisian Neroli
• Rosehip
• Meadowfoam
• Frankincense and Camomile

Glo & Ray may be a company you are not familiar with, they really are worth discovering, beautiful make up that really is great quality with reasonable prices, The range isn't huge but what they do sell is quality to match most high end price tags.

Having tried the foundation  I decided to venture further with more make up.




This time the most beautifully pigmented  Nuage powder blusher that comes in it's own  mirror compact, complete with brush.  I chose  Dawn Seed number 504 which is a gorgeous peachy glow with a slight undertone of gold shimmer, it picks up really well on a brush ( I used my own ) and sits perfectly on the skin without looking dry or powdery.

This lovely blusher comes in 7 shades and at  £11.00  is definitely worth a try.

This is just a little post , about the slogan "Am I Grey ? "  which I spotted on tee shirts worn by the models at the Grey Model Agency in London www.greymodelagency.com, this is a specialist agency ( yes I know it's obvious ) who celebrate gorgeous grey models, who in my, for what it's worth opinion are highly under utilised in today's market.