Hi Darlins





This is totally my first outing with Weleda as a brand, which is pretty shameful as they have been around since 1921.  I have to be honest and say I would have easily walked past these products as the packaging certainly doesn't scream at you like a lot of brands, but having discovered it I can see now why it has no need to be bells and whistles ! 





As a Company Weleda were at the forefront of biodynamic farming and horticulture, guaranteeing the ultimate in "pure" natural ingredients.
If you are a Green product consumer you will no doubt know and love this brand, I have recently discovered that it is also loved by Victoria Beckham, and the Gorgeous swears by the Skin food, alongside Rhianna and Alexa Chung, you would be in good company with these products.



I have been testing out a new product for Weleda in their Evening Primrose range, Age Revitalising Concentrate.  A beautiful creamy Serum type formula in a dropper bottle, one squeeze of the dropper produces the perfect amount of product for your face and neck.  It has the most beautiful clean, salon type fragrance and is to be used under day/night cream.  Said to reactivate cell renewal it left my skin feel soft, fresh and with a lovely dewy finish, specifically developed for mature skin I am going to test this out with the Skin Food from Weleda  that is so loved by celebrities.

The prices are so reasonable, it really is one to investigate.  Here 




Love N Hugz
Lyn x

Hi Darlins,

I am seriously late in bringing this fabulous skincare range to you, DHC the Japanese skincare company are becoming well known for simple step skincare that packs a powerful punch.

There is nothing too complicated about this, which I absolutely love, those of you that know me already know my views on over complicated skincare routines, and I often think it's a ploy to make us spend more.

The Reservatrol system is a simple 3 step procedure, easy to do, quick no complicated but don't be fooled, this range really does make a difference.  If you have any signs of dryness or rough skin, this is the one for you.

After cleansing, 

Step one:   
Reservatrol Lotion, 120 ml  this is a toner to ensure your skin is thoroughly free from residual cleanser and provides a serum type barrier.



Step Two: 
Reservatrol Essence, 45 ml  This serum glides on like silk and literally takes seconds to dry in ready for the next stage.



Step Three : 
Reservatrol  Cream 43 g A beautiful almost gel cream moisturiser that again feels like silk when applying.




At the end of the tree stages you can visibly see the difference in hydration, and feel that your skin has more bounce, this hydration can actually be felt by touching your face last thing and it feeling exactly the same as when you first applied, Not many moisturising products can actually do that, a lot look great for a few hours, then if you have dry skin literally disappear leaving you looking dry and tired.

As you know, I never check prices before testing the products or reading the website, I was very pleasantly surprised at these prices, I would have expect much much higher for the quality.

Apparently the secret to it's success is Antioxidant and Polyphenol found in the skin of red grapes.

Seriously worth a Try, as you will have seen from a couple of previous posts, this is a brand that has really  caught my attention of late. 

DHC Liquid Liner

DHC Velvet Skin Coat


Check Out The DHC Range Check out DHC  You MUST click on the UK site at the bottom of the page. 


Love n  Hugz
Lyn x



May contain PR/brand samples 

Hiya Darlins,

I am hanging on to my laptop as I type this, I swear the house is going to fly up in the air, and my dogs name will change to Toto !  Mad weather !



Anyway, my love for Bodhi and Birch is no secret to my regular readers, but my love has been heightend by the addition of a collaboration with the beautiful Heartwood Candle Company, I have to be honest and say I probably would not have discovered them had it not been for Bodhi & Birch, and I am so glad I have :)  I am not really a hearts and flowers type of woman as I totally believe that you don't need one special day a year to show someone you love them.
 HOWEVER......Having sampled this gorgeous Love Bath & Candle Aromatherapy Duo I am thinking of how perfect would this be for Valentines, as a woman if you were given this as a gift and especially if the bath had been run for you with a beautiful candle in place you couldn't help but secretly be super impressed. 




I am not saying that leaving the bathroom feeling ridiculously chilled out and zen like is going to put you in the mood for a night of passion, to be honest probably more ready for the best sleep of your life, but what a way to spend an evening, add a bottle of Prosecco .............Lordy Lordy.....heaven.

I don't expect such happenings in my house, Mr Lavender Barn is more of the practical romantic, last year I received the most beautiful handbag, the year before I literally got NOTHING.......not even a card, and apparently it was my own fault because I did the female thing and said oh don't worry I'm not bothered......well you girls know exactly what that means, but apparently I got what I asked for LOL, I gave him his gifts and sat waiting patiently thinking he was joking !!!  




Ha he won't make that mistake again that's for sure !

But I was thinking of turning the tables and getting this set as a treat for him on Valentines Evening, poor old bugger works really hard climbing trees all day and does suffer from aches and pains, so what a fab treat for him.

And it isn't at all too girlie to give a man, in it's gorgeous Black presentation box I actually think it's a perfect gift for him, he does love a bit of bath chill 
out with his shocking music taste playing :)

The Aromatherapy Bath & Shower Therapy contain Ylang-Ylang and the Candle being Bergamot & Geranium, the perfect chill out combination.

Bodhi & Birch also have some fabulous Sale offers running currently and do free postage on orders over £40.00


Check out this fabulous Duo 

Love n Hugz
Lyn x




This post may contain PR/Brand Samples, but does not contain nuts 

May contain PR/Brand Samples but does not contain nuts :)

Hiya Darlins

Morning Darlins

I wasn't actually planning on writing a post this morning, as I am on my travels today in and out of meetings in London.

BUT............. I have just come across the BEST sale on the planet, even if you need nothing, as in truth we never really do, Big Make Up Brands with prices starting at £1.50 are too good to miss.



I am just quickly listing what I have in my basket, but I'm sure you will find your own goodies at these prices.

Liquid Airbrush Foundation -  KEVYN AUCOIN £36.00   £18.00

KEVYN AUCOIN THE CONTOUR BOOK – THE ART OF SCULPTING + DEFINING £48  £24

  Hiya Darlins,

Here is something a little bit new from the fabulous Gosh, always up to date and often ahead of the trends, in my humble opinion Gosh is make up  brand that really needs exploring, the prices are brilliant, though don't be fooled into thinking you are forgoing quality for price.

I wanted to share a couple of bits with you in this post. from the new SS16 Range That will be released in February.





The First one is the  £7.49 that will be available in February from  and are stunning,  if you have tried the Clarins instant light lip comfort oils at £18.00 you will know about Lip Oils as these are similar, that said going back to what I said earlier about quality they are identical in quality although there is a huge difference in price and size,  you don't always get what you pay for it seems.  I know which one my hard earned pennies would go on !




I tried 
Gosh Lip Oil Rose #003
A very subtle Rose shade that just adds the slightest blush, with incredible shine and moisture.

Gosh Lip Oil Sea Buckthorn #002
 An almost clear smooth gloss finish.

There will be an additional 2 shades.

Being nosey I needed to find out what Sea Buckthorn was as I have noticed it features in a few of the upcoming season collection.  
 A super fruit full of all the Omegas – 3, 6, 9 and the rare 7, as well as a host of antioxidants and other healing nutrients. hailed as the  new miracle berry.
There you go, don't say my posts are uninformative lol.

These Lip Oils are a perfect way of hydrating your lips whilst looking superstar glossy at the 

same time, they can be worn alone or over lipstick.








Next Up are Gosh LumiDrops Illuminating Highlighter.

I totally adore these drops, firstly having * mature * :) skin, I find powders can totally highlight any lines or wrinkles, these drops alleviate that problem totally, they just glide on offering the most perfect pearly shimmer and subtle colour, the lasting power is stunning and literally lasted me all day with no problem.  The dropper bottle would last you literally ages as you need the smallest amount.
Thinking ahead these will be just perfect in the Summer, especially if you have a light tan that just needs highlighting.........Summer is coming, I promise :)


Check out

 GOSH @ Superdrug

Love n Hugz
Lyn x

This post may contain PR/Brand Samples.

Hiya Darlins, 

well here we are again, another week of being *good*  well you will be the judge of that to be fair.  Whenever I write this thing there are always a couple of things I know I shouldn't have done, or could have done better, and I always think my readers are thinking, well what did she expect eating that ? BUT I promised myself this would be honest, so I have to take the good with the bad.

I don't know if I mentioned before, but I always write this diary on Sunday evenings before my Monday morning weigh in, so at the time of writing my shameful admissions I have no clue as to the impact these fails have had on the scales lol *scared*



Monday:

A.M   Protein shake. banana, 1 scoop Protein powder from Nutribuddy ( vanilla ) handful fresh Spinach, water, whizzed in Nutri Bullet .

P.M   Huge skinless chicken breast Salad, with Avo. ( always with Avo lol )

Gallons of green tea with lemon, I did have milk normal tea first thing, and one before bed which is de-caff.

Tuesday : 

A.M   Woke up starving, which had me thinking it was a good thing and my metabolism was starting to kick in, as I never ever wake up thinking about food.  Protein shake ( see Monday )

Lunchtime :  Mushroom omelet with 3 eggs, mushrooms, and a tiny bit of grated cheese.

P.M  Huge Turkey breast  with Salad + Avo.  SEMOLINA in the evening !!!!!!!

Wednesday :  Green Tea all day, feeling guilty about the Semolina.

P.M Chicken breast sausages x 3 with Salad and a few sweet potato wedges cooked in Olive oil.

Thursday :  A.M  Protein Smoothie with Frozen mixed berries, 1 scoop nutribuddy protein powder, spinach and water.  like a sour frozen smoothie :(

Didn't do well on the water or green tea today, normal tea all day with milk :(

P.M  Dusted Bassa Fillet with salad.


Friday :  Fasting till lunchtime due to hernia scan.  ( all good )

Late Afternoon : Blueberry Sports Shake, which is a meal replacement that you just add water.  these I could actually live on, it's like the worlds best milkshake.

P.M  :  Hache Steak with Salad, this was so filling I probably could have had half.

Saturday : 

A.M  Full English cooked in Butter ( no Bread ) bacon, toms, mush, 2 x egg + Avo.

P.M  Roast Turkey Breast , half pack Uncle Bens micro rice + Steamed cabbage. 


Sunday :  

A.M  Full English in butter, ( no bread ) 

P.M  Turkey breast, Salad.

Tons of green tea with lemon all day.


This week did, have some real iffy moments, went food shopping hungry, which is always a bad thing, Mr LB decided, to eat 2 fresh cream apple turnovers in the car driving home lol grrrrrrr

Starving after the fasting scan, I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't have had the meal replacement to grab quickly.

BUT, I have to say, it has been fabulous this week to have things like the Chicken breast Sausages, Hasche steaks and Turkey breasts, I did a huge order from a company called Muscle Food, if you don't know them, they started out as food for body builders and now are HUGE, they deliver a huge variety of meat, veg, proteins, protein puds etc, all in a chilled box to your door.

The prices are ridiculously cheap for meat that has no additives, water, sugar etc, and grass fed beef. 

I have a link here that will get you free Chicken breasts with your first order, also they do a new user pack, where you get something like £150.00 value for £49.00, I had this when we first tried them, it was brilliant, and totally kept us going for ages.

Musclefood Link Here 


This weeks weight PLUS 1lb   Disappointed is an understatement, but maybe it's last weeks, Birthday Italian Meal and Birthday cake catching up on me !

Hey ho..........onwards and upwards.


Love n Hugz
Lyn x

Hi Darlins,

here is something totally new in the diet revolution SLISSIE , no pills, no potions, no starving, now I'm not going to tell you this clever little gizmo will stop the need for dieting but alongside a healthy diet what It WILL do for you is curb your sweet tooth cravings, suppressing your appetite,  you know those times where if you don't get a sugar fix you are likely to kill ? 



What is Slissie ?  The invention of Liz Casely who lost 9lb in her first 3 weeks using Slissie, it is a little device that delivers the best Chocolate, Mint, Vanilla or Fruit flavours without a single calorie !!! 
With it's own  USB charger this stylish looking aid, fits easily into your bag so you never need to be without that sweetie fix again.  The starter kit comes with mint, Fruit and Vanilla flavours, refills can be purchased in sets of three directly from the site at 



If you get those monthly urges, or if like me, after dinner always seems to need something sweet, this could totally be the answer ; )


You will no longer need to use sheer will power and end up snappy and angry when Chocolate is calling, this new device cures all that craving.



I have in my time tried every diet on the block, I spend my life dieting and fighting cravings, this is the first time I have come across anything like this in the UK.

Take a look at the site here


Love n Hugz
Lyn x

Hiya Gorgeous,

Collagen, yep we all have it, we had it in abundance in our youth, with bouncy springboard skin, once again it's something else that Mother Nature ( bless her ) decides to rob us of as we get older, like it isn't  enough to diminish my brain cells !



There is a divided camp on the use of internal Collagen Supplements, I am on the Pro Supplement team, we are the ones in the team wearing the red knickers.  I totally believe in feeding the inside and as you know I will do anything to stave off Mother Natures personal attack on my face. 

If you are new to my blog, I will say again that I don't believe you can reverse ageing without medical intervention, but I do very much believe in holding back the ravages of time, and really just being the best we can for ourselves.  No one else matters, it's about how you feel about yourself :)

I was given the opportunity to try out Gold Collagen Forte which is designed for over 40s, quite cheeky really as I am only 59 they could have at least pretended I needed the younger version, hey ho.


The Company tag line is "Skincare Starts With A Sip" 



It is said to Reduce the appearance of wrinkles, Support healthy looking skin, hair and nails, Support skin hydration and elasticity give Protection against oxative damage.

I had a 30 day program which included 3 packs of 10 x 50ml bottles, the bottles each contain 5000 mg of Hydrolysed Collagen, 34 kcal and a whole host of added Vitamins, including Zinc, Copper and Biotin.

The little bottles were a convenient way of taking the product and great for if you are out and about, I took mine in the evenings, as while they are only 34 cals they are so sweet they served my sweet urge in the evenings for very few calories. They were popped straight into the recycle bin being glass. While taking Collagen there is a definite improvement in the moisture levels of my skin, making it plumper, brighter and I am sure I just feel generally better overall, my nails and hair also have shown signs of improvement, in that neither are as dry as they were.

Available at Gold Collagen or Boots

Would I continue using ?  100%  

Do you use supplements to aid skincare ?  let's chat, I would love your views.



Love n Hugz
Lyn x

Hiya Darlins, 

Hope you are all well and warm, it was minus 4 when walking the dog this morning, so glad to be back in the office in the warm.




This is a bit of a new one for me as I don't actually wear eyeliner, not because I don't like it, but when I was younger it seemed to suit, and over the years I have just not used it.




Scrap that !  I have discovered the easiest ever eyeliner on the planet, regardless of age, I am pretty lucky in that I haven't quite got hooded eyes yet, but recently I was watching a few tutorials on YouTube that where specifically for older, hooded eyes and how to use liner to suit older eyes......go us !




DHC are the Number 1 direct skincare company in Japan, and have just the best products EVER, I have lots to bring you from this company, but really needed to share this eyeliner.  it has the finest softest brush that sits inside its snap on lid, a simple shake and it dispenses just the right amount, a deep pigmented black of smudge proof loveliness, you can use it as thin or as thick as you like, and is so, so easy to use even for someone like me that hasn't used it in years, a couple of tries with my nervous hand and I was away :)  My Daughter and Grandaughter are the cat eye experts when it comes to liner, and both were so suitably inpressed as to go on to buy the liner for themselves, recommendation indeed.


DHCcare.com. Click here to shop. You MUST click on the UK site at the bottom of the page. 

Also at  FEEL UNIQUE  Online.

Love n Hugz
Lyn x

Hi my gorgeous reader,

I am really quite bad and should have written this post back in November, but what with Christmas blah blah, enough excuses, I just need  to sack myself as a blogger.

Aeos skincare ( Active Energised Organic Skincare )  is a brand that I had never experienced before being asked to try it out, I sampled the Optimal Essential Kit Which is suitable for all skin types.  It arrived in a rather clever packaging kit, which was brilliant for keeping the products, stored out of the light and all in one place.




Aeos are a completely Organic Company and have their own Bio Dynamic Farm In Lincolnshire. shire farm they also believe in the use of crystals and minerals to harness energy, you can read the company philosophy here http://www.aeos.net/aeos-philosophy.aspx.

When first presented with this array of products, I was somewhat confused and overwhelmed, but on learning about the use it became quite simple to follow the stages of use. Bear in mind this is a complete skincare system.





Morning :

Phase one ( Renewal)
Cleanse with Gentle Cleansing Lotion followed by Gentle Exfoliant.

Phase Two ( Rebalance )
Apply Energising Conditioner followed by Refreshing Hydrating Mist.

Phase Three  ( Replenish )
Apply Realive Serum followed by Enriching Moisturiser.




Evening :

Phase One ( Renewal )
Cleanse and remove make up with Cleansing Oil de Maq followed by Dew Facial Wash.

Phase Two ( Rebalance )
Apply Energising Conditioner followed by Refreshing Hydrating Mist.

Phase Three ( Replenish )
Apply Realive Serum followed by Energising Moisturiser.

This to me was a major skincare routine, BUT they are fabulous products to use, really gentle with hardly any scent at all, and I felt Totally pampered by the processes, it made you feel as though you were giving yourself a total salon treatment.

My favourite products from the range were.

Dew Facial wash
Refreshing Facial Mist
Energising Conditioner, which was a gorgeous gel like texture that left the most amazing film on your skin, and a perfect base for make up.

10 Years in the making, the company have a true love of purity and energy, reading about the farming and philosophy give you an idea of the Love that has gone into the making of this brand.

Find Aeos Products Here


Are organic products important to you ? do company Philosophies encourage you to use a brand, I'm curious to know.

Love n Hugz
Lyn x