Hi Lovely
Sol De Janeiro as a brand first came to my attention when I saw lots of promotion of their Brazilian Bum Bum cream, I think it must have been a PR mailout as a lot of bloggers where writing about it at the same time, I remember thinking it looked pretty cool and had it in mind that I would try it but never did. The name popped up again when I was watching some US Youtubers raving about this shower gel, when I say raving I seriously mean it. To the point that I was thinking "I need this now"

I am incredibly lucky in that my eldest Grandaughter is often in the States due to being an air hostess and I am able to give her a list for Sephora or Target and one of my favourites Bath & Body works. I had searched the UK at the time and could only find the Bum Bum cream. Let me say at this point that this is not the cheapest shower cream on the planet it was $18.00 in the states but I NEEDED it!  It turned out to be every bit as good as I had heard and dare I say better than I expected, often you hear about things being amazing and they turn out to be pants when you actually try them. The smell is out of this world, Pistachio/Caramel and the consistency is as you would expect, rich and creamy. You only need a small amount to produce a rich  fragrant lather, it's worth noting that it can also be used as a shave gel.  Filled with Cupuacu Butter, Coconut Oil and Acai Oil this combination leaves your skin fully moisturised, looking and feeling super soft from the very first use. The moisture literally lasts right through until your next shower it really is amazing.

Sol De Janeiro Brazilian 4 Play Moisturising Shower Cream

I have now found Brazilian 4 Play available online in the UK at around £21.00 and it's worth every single penny,
Available at   with Free Shipping.


Lyn x

Post contains brand/agency samples unless stated, may contain affiliate links.

Hiya Darlin
This is a bit of an odd post for me, and I guess you could call it a ramble, which is probably the story of my life now :)  yesterday I saw something on Twitter that really made me thing about things being in perspective.  It said something along the lines of when you die you will not be remembered for having a perfect Instagram grid, please forgive me here if you are not a blogger or Insta addict, as unless you are absorbed in a cyber world these things will seem like sheer madness to you, after all, what the hell is an Instagram grid?  In a nutshell the aim is to have your Instagram page looking as beautiful and as uniform as possible, for us mere mortals that throw up the odd picture of our grandchildren or dog this is unobtainable it is a planned operation that takes more time and care than I would personally wish to devote.  It is the image we show the outside world. Fortunately I am at the age where what people think is of no importance to me and I no longer feel the pressure to impress that I did when I was young.  Of course everyone wants to be liked it's human nature, but if you judge a person simply by the life you "think" they live then something is amiss. 

Of course I want my product pictures to look nice, I'm sure you wouldn't want to see a hundred pound face cream next to a pair of rolled up socks? at the same time I want my house nice when people visit. But as for perfectly posed pictures of my perfect life, nope not for me. firstly I take ugly photo's and secondly my life isn't perfect, I would be lying if I said it was..........I did warn you that this would be a ramble.  I guess the point I am trying to make is that life isn't perfect, your life isn't a grid of perfectly formed photo's and that's OK it really is, perfection is overrated. It really is lovely to look at bloggers and Youtubers who appear to have it all, but the key word is "appear"  things are never as they seem and as long as we can keep things in perspective we may all come out of this social media experiment safe and sound, because at the end of the day that's what this is an experiment, this is the first generation to have this access to the world in glorious technicolour, and we don't yet really know the result of having it all :)


There I am finished, it probably makes no sense at all to anyone other than in my head.

Lyn x 

Bilou

Hiya Darlings
Have you heard of or tried the German Body care range Bilou? The first thing you will notice is the stunning fun designs, bright colours in great packaging.

This Vegan bathroom range is actually quite surprising, and it's not until you start using it do you really appreciate just how fabulous it is.  On first glance you would be forgiven for thinking OK shower foam and body spray, nothing new there. But the brand is much more than that I was pleasantly surprised.

Starting with  Bilou Creamy Shower Foam 200 ml



I tried Coco Cocktail and Cotton Candy, a quick shake and you are presented with a thick luxurious shower foam which will fill your bathroom with fragrance, you need the smallest amount, I would say a golf ball size to get your whole bod clean. My personal favourite was Coco Cocktail it was literally like breathing in a holiday, my girls preferred Cotton Candy which as you can imagine smells exactly as it says on the can Candy Floss, fabulous if you like sweet smells.  The fragrance lasts fairly well on the skin but not so much it would overpower your usual fragrance.

Bilou 2 in 1 Body Spray 150 ml



Although the clue is the name, 2 in 1 I just assumed this was a fragrant body spray.......wrong!
it is in fact the most delightful fragrant moisturiser, your skin is literally drenched in the most gorgeous smelling moisture, it's non sticky, absorbs easily and lasts. I really think this combination of shower foam and body spray would really come into it's own on holiday, great fragrance and great space saving. My skin looked and felt moisturised even at the end of the day, this really is a surprising little product.

Bilou Gentle Cream Foam 150 ml



It would be really easy to pass this can by on the shelf, as it's not too clear as to what it is, at first I thought it was another wash product, on further investigation it turned out to be body cream in the form of foam!  It's great, no dipping into a sticky jar, a quick shake and squirt and you have a handful of fragrant foam which is enough for your whole body, this is such a lovely product, it's fast and efficient. Your skin is left soft and fragrant for hours.  I am totally in love with this product, it's a great was to get what is usually a boring job done quickly with results.

It's fair to say I'm a little bit in love with Bilou and really pleased to have discovered it.

Bilou is available at  


Lyn x

Post contains brand/agency samples unless stated, may contain affiliate links.

Monkey Faced Orchids

Hi Loves
recently my followers joined me in my excitement when I shared pictures of these amazing Orchids in a Twitter post.  I literally felt as though my week had been made when I first saw these gorgeous little flowers.  I love Monkey's and am a huge fan of Monkey World in Dorset, this last two years I have been really falling in love with Orchids after receiving one as a gift from Imedeen Supplements.

I have turned into quite a saddo, sharing my flower pictures when I manage to get plant to re-flower, and bore the entire family by making them look at new babies whenever anyone visits!  So......the day Mr Lavender Barn told me he had ordered me the seeds for these Orchids I was over the moon.  My joy was short lived when my seeds arrived. I immediately set to work searching the Internet for how to best grow my new Monkey faced babies, only to discover we have probably been duped, it turns out that this is a common scam and that lots of people have been unwittingly caught out, I am gutted ha ha, I was looking forward to seeing these cheeky faced flowers in my house. Apparently people have grown them and they have turned out to be all types of plants but not a Monkey Face in sight!

Monkey Faced Orchids

Knight & Wilson Pureplex Revolutionary  Hair Repair

Hi Loves
Have you ever wondered about the abuse we put our hair through nowadays? bleach, colour, heat and products all take their toll. We are constantly on the look out for the next product or tool to make our hair look great, but in our attempts to look great we are actually screwing it up. 
 If you are a regular follower you will already know that my hair colour of choice is Silver Blonde by Colour Freedom, again from Knight & Wilson, so when I was offered the chance to try this repair product I was pretty excited to say the least.

We all know of a certain hair treatment that is available in salons, costly and with mixed reviews, I have had the treatment once at a London salon and I have to say it worked beautifully at the time, I was however having every last inch of colour bleached to within it's life, so my head was probably grateful of any conditioner!


Pureplex Hair Repair is a four step treatment to undo all the naughtiness we have put our hair through.

1. Clarifying shampoo
2. Treatment
3. Reconstructing treatment
4. Conditioner

PUR Dream Chaser Palette

Hi Loves,
Palettes!  How many do you own? and more to the point how many do you actually use?  I have a ton of palettes (shamefully) and I could count on one hand how many I actually use, and even less how many I use more than 2 shades in each palette, it's such a waste. We get suckered into buying the latest shiniest newest thing that is all over the Internet, and quite honestly look far better in an Instagram photo than they will ever look on your face!  being of "cough"  mature a  years I have no desire to look like a Mermaid or Unicorn, but of course I pick up these multi colour beauties and ohh ahhh over the shiny glitter knowing full well that it will be like a spotlight highlighting lines and wrinkles like nothing on earth.

PUR Dream Chaser Palette

Moving on to the PUR Dream Chaser Palette, lovely shiny box ✅ gorgeous shiny palette case ✅ fabulous large mirror✅ However..........looking at the palette itself I was pretty uninspired, no Unicorns or Mermaids in sight!  what I did see was a standard range of shades that were quite frankly pretty ordinary.  This my darlings is the proverbial box of chocolates, it's OMG moment arrives once you start using it and even more so when you realise you are picking it up daily and actually using it in it's fullness!!! The formulations are butter soft and pigmented, the blush  bronzer and highlighter are subtle but enough without making you look like a child has coloured in your face, and the eye shades although they look matte do have a very very slight soft semi sheen, that make them both flattering and super blendable.  It's crazy how easy this palette is to use, it is both functional and flattering and I actually love it for both of those reasons.

• Vegan
• Cruelty Free
• Gluten Free

PUR Dream Chaser Palette

PUR is a brand that I am really falling in love with of late and you can read my other posts Here   I am hoping to bring you more from PUR as I am now desperate to try out more of these cheekily deceptive palettes.

Lyn x 


Post contains brand/agency samples unless stated, may contain affiliate links.

Aldi Lacura Illusion Touch 2 in 1 Foundation & Concealer

Hi Darlins
As you know I am a huge fan of Aldi Lacura skincare products, and can't resist sharing them as soon as I pick them up over on my Instagram, this one I haven't shown as yet as I wanted to give it a wear test.

Firstly can we just take a moment to admire the packaging!  How this company produce this kind of packaging and product for the money is beyond belief, this glass bottle with it's dual foundation/concealer container costs just £5.99.  The only negative I am going to say about the brand is that it's a flipping nightmare to get hold of, and I often feel bad as I get a lot of you saying you can't get hold of the products in your local store.  If you are reading this Aldi ( sort it out )

Aldi Lacura Illusion Touch 2 in 1 Foundation & Concealer

When I spotted this I think there were around 3 shades, I'm not sure if there are more shades but these are all I saw,   Just checked, they only make 3 shades. I picked up the shade Cashmere as my skin is fairly pale.  Interestingly the concealer is darker than the foundation which I found a bit odd.

This is a liquid cream which blends really easily, leaving a semi matte finish, it does have a little glow but not super shiny.  I fully expected this foundation to oxidise throughout the day, it didn't.  I got a seriously long wear from it, and if I am honest apart from looking a little dry I could have easily gone out in the evening with no touch up after 10 hours wear, really, really impressive.



I didn't like the concealer, I loved the convenience of them being together, but the shade was just too dark for the foundation for me.

Overall it was seriously impressive for the money, and I would say definitely worth picking up if you can get your hands on it. I don't think it would work for exceptionally dry skin. 

I have just discovered that these are available online with free delivery here.   

Lyn  x

Post contains brand/agency samples unless stated. may contain affiliate links.

Superdrug Loves Edit

Superdrug Loves Edit

Superdrug Loves Edit

Mary Kay Timewise  Repair Lifting Serum | Vitamin C Activating Squares

Hi my loves
This review is a little bit  different and includes Mary Kay Vitamin C Activating Squares, which are something totally new.  Vitamin C really is the buzzword ingredient at the moment and the brand have found an unusual new way to give your complexion and extra boost.




Mary Kay Timewise Repair Volu-Firm™ Lifting Serum.  29ml

The hygienic pump system dispenses just the right amount of the creamy serum for a full face application, another pump deals with the neck and decolletage. Volu-Firm™ is a Trade Mark name for Mary Kay's own ingredient which is a combination of complex ingredients said to lift and firm the skin.
I have to say I found this serum pretty impressive in the lifting department, obviously it isn't a face lift! but it certainly left my skin looking slightly tighter, lifted and considerably firmer to the touch.

Now for something completely different.........

Just add water

Mary Kay Timewise Vitamin C Activating Squares.

Designed to boost your serum into a mega dose of vitamin C, the pack contains 12 squares and you are recommended to use the products 2-3 times a week for the optimum effect. Peel the sachet open to reveal a small square of what looks like clear plastic!  place the square in the palm of your hand and add 3-4 drops of water to active, mix until it dissolves - literally a couple of seconds. Add a normal dose of serum and mix together, apply to clean dry skin at night and allow it to dry, you can then continue with whatever your usual skincare routine involves.  DO NOT use these with acne products.  I haven't seen any major changes visibly in my skin but what I do love is knowing that it is getting additional vitamin C from the outside. The combination of the two products really does leave the skin looking and feeling lifted and firmer to the touch, which is obviously a great result.

Mary Kay can be found directly on their website at www.marykay.com


Hugs Lyn x

Post contains brand/agency samples unless stated, may contain affiliate links.

Erno Laszlo Firmarine Firm & Lift Cleansing Set

Hi loves
Are you a fan of double cleansing?  I hope so.  Just recently I have seen some YouTube videos for mature women that are waxing lyrical about the virtues of cleansing wipes and Micellar Water as the things to use when removing make up. I have no issues with either of these things in their place, Wipes - for a quick freshen up maybe on holiday or in an emergency, Micellar Water for use after proper cleansing, or as a whip over in the morning on a clean skin.  There is nothing on earth that beats a double cleanse for removing dirt, grime and make up, also the only way to ensure your skincare products work as they should is to keep your skin scrupulously clean with no dry dead cells.



Erno Laszlo Firmarine Firm & Lift Cleansing Set 




This double cleanse set gives you everything you need to perform your perfect double cleanse, first you start with the Firmarine cleansing oil, a bi-phase liquid containing marine algae that you shake up for a milky cleansing lotion, Massage onto skin and remove with warm water and a wash cloth, follow with the second cleanse cleansing bar, again remove with warm water and a wash cloth. your skin is left perfectly clean with no redness or tight feeling.  The set is housed in it's own plastic storage box, with a soap dish compartment complete with drainage holes to keep the cleansing bar from going soft and wet. 
This is such a cool little cleansing set,  perfect for your gym bag or travel.



Lyn x

Post contains Brand/Agency samples, may contain affiliate links.

Hi Loves
As you all know I am a fervent blogger, I try as much as I can to write daily, one of the main reasons for this is that I am lucky enough to receive fabulous new items from PR agencies and brand owners to try out and share with you.  I have to say here that I only share the things I like and a proportion don't ever reach the blog, if you are a blogger and thinking of doing this, please always contact the brand and explain your reasons why. The products that reach the blog are the ones I am excited about and want to share quickly, for obvious reasons skincare takes a lot longer to try out.

I digress, you may or may not have noticed my lack of social media contact in the last couple of weeks, I have been around but not in an excited sharing way - my mojo was lost. I have often heard this happening to people and sometimes they never return.  I have considered giving up blogging of late and pondered the reasons for continuing, but here I am rambling again.  Spending too much time online could be a cause for this downward spiral, watching too much negativity or drama can often leave you feeling deflated even though you are not part of it.   Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I will always defend anyone that I feel is being unfairly treated, am not afraid of saying what I think, especially when I see something unjust. However it's difficult to get your view across on social media without appearing aggressive, so often it's best to say nothing.  In the blogging world we have the fake follower issues, the cheats and those that use dubious methods to get ahead, ahead to where? -  we recently had International Women's Day, where we were all supposed to uplift and empower each other. What I saw in my miserable mood, where some bloggers who wouldn't put their designer handbag on the chair next to you, let alone speak to you at an event. Bleating about supporting other bloggers!!  seriously darling?  big numbers don't make you a nice person or for that matter a good writer. There are girls out there with very few followers that write some of the best posts I have ever seen.  Let's just be a bit kinder.  At the end of the day none of it really matters in the great scheme of things.

In conclusion, I have decided to be like Elsa and "Let it go, let it go"  no good comes from being frustrated when things are unfair. Just breathe, share what you love, and enjoy what you do.

This is not a post intended to spread negativity or drag any individual or community, just my reasons for having been quiet of late.

Now this is written I am worried that I am adding to negativity, I hope not, I have some fantastic blogger mates and have the pleasure of dealing with great companies on a daily basis. I think I have found my mojo, given it a rinse under the tap and fingers crossed we are back to business as usual.

Lyn x 

Hi Loves
As many of you will know from seeing my antics on Instagram recently I was lucky enough to get to try out Body Ballancer.  Not heard of it?  not to worry neither had I.  Once I did get to hear about it, my curiosity was at it's peak, yes, yes I am nosey and I do like a treatment!

About the Founders.



This is a pretty special bit of kit I have to say, and this post could if I am not careful turn into a very long drawn out piece as the machine is not only used for aesthetics, it is also marvellous for many medical conditions.

My session took place at home, although there are salons that you can visit including Urban Retreat at Harrods, I especially like the thought that you could go to the salon for any treatment and incorporate the use of Body Ballancer at the same time.  So my session started with a chat about my health and any conditions I may have, the machine itself is like a giant ski suit, which you are zipped into and plugged in, really quite comfy!  The feeling is snug and cosy, the desired programme was set for me and the machine did all the work, inside the suit the panels inflate and deflate in a variety of waves working on draining the lymphatic system therefore ridding your body of toxins, as we all know it's the toxins that cause cellulite. The process was really quite relaxing and I could imagine dropping off to sleep easily.  In my head I had the thought of this as a drainage system unblocking all the gunk from my body, it increases circulation and blood flow to really get your system working at it's optimum level.




Just a note about the circulation, I have really bad circulation and in fact it has left me with a permanent  ugly red blotch on one foot, at the end of the session this mark had all but vanished! my legs felt lighter which was really unexpected after one session and surprisingly although I didn't think about it until the following day, I didn't have that tired leg feeling that I always get in the evenings, where you feel the need to put your feet up.   At the end of the 45 minute session my body felt lighter overall, more stimulated and generally quite "well"  This was all a little unexpected as I didn't imagine I would feel anything after just one session.  While I do love a massage, the fact that you can pop this one on without the hassle of getting undressed and oiled for me was a bonus, it means you can grab a treatment in your lunch hour without any inconvenience.  You can gym to your hearts content and still have a puffy overall look, once you have drained your system you know that you have done everything you can to give your body leaner looking definition. We all know that losing weight is not a guarantee to a cellulite free body, once you have the toxic build up the only way to rid the cellulite is by proper lymphatic drainage, from what I understand this can be done quite easily with a regular course using Body Ballancer over a couple of weeks.

To sum up, I would most definitely be using this machine on a regular basis if there were one local to me, I do intent to have a treatment when I am in London at Urban Retreat and will combine the session with a facial where possible, you will probably spot me curled up in a corner on the floor in Harrods totally zoned out with relaxation!

Check it out for yourself here www.bodyballancer.co.uk

Lyn x 


Post contains brand/agency samples unless stated, may contain Affiliate Links.

Hi Darlings
As you all well know I am dubious/lazy when it comes to eye care, I obviously test out lots of products with varying results when it comes to eye creams. I will admit to not looking after my eyes as much as I probably could.  I do think the one thing that brings youth to the eyes is a sparkle, the sparkle you can see in any age of woman, that cheeky glint that shows a good life has been lived or that the potential for a really good laugh is always present.




I also think that some people are genetically blessed when it comes to ageing and wrinkles, and a lot is made of the whole anti-ageing subject. Let me just put my two pennies in here, I do not believe that most woman actually think it's possible to turn back time, I also think that the majority of us wouldn't want to.  What I do think, is that we feel better when we look better and that women nowadays want to look the best they can at any age.  I also think that whatever someone wants to do with their face/body is their business and theirs alone. 

 I have written before about my thoughts on the whole ageing process, the thing is not all eye problems are related to ageing, some people, whatever they do look tired, have bags and feel that nature isn't being kind, I would 100%  seek treatment if it were a problem that I couldn't fix myself.  With this is mind I have spent sometime recently looking at various treatments and the results are pretty remarkable, I would imagine quite life changing. And thinking about it, I have always had the thought that any kind of procedure is vanity, but is it?  I'm not so sure.  When researching any kind of procedure obviously it make sense to look for the best your country can provide.  I the UK we have Dr Daniel Ezra who is the UK's leading Oculoplastic Surgeon. He specialises in fixing ageing eye bags amongst other non-cosmetic procedures for those with debilitating eye twitches and spasms.  Obviously you would need to research your particular country, a quick google check will confirm the best, and it's always advisable to read reviews. 

What are your thoughts on Aesthetics? let me know.

Lyn x 


Post written in colaboration with Dr Ezra.