Orla Kiely at Tesco

A couple of weeks ago a shopping bag caught my eye near the tills at Tesco. When I looked closer I realised why: it was an Orla Kiely pattern, and of course I had to get it. I think it will be perfect for summer picnics and trips to the beach. There is also a bird pattern available, find them online here.

xo

PS. Last chance to enter for your chance to win a trip to Las Vegas here.

Mustard Jumper

Wool hat: H&M (similar)

Shirt: Primark (similar)

Jumper: H&M (similar)

Jeans: Topshop

Boots: H&M (similar)

Today I went to get my hair cut - pictures coming soon! I only wanted to add a few layers to give it more texture as I felt it looked like a giant block of hair ha. Only going to get my hair cut 2 times a year means my next one will be in about 6 months.

How often do you trim your hair?

xo

PS. Enter for your chance to win a trip to Las Vegas here.

Olay Nature Fusion Day Lotion

I recently ran out of my Nivea Light Moisturising Day Cream (review here) so I needed to get a new one and decided for Olay Anti-Wrinkle Nature Fusion Day Lotion SPF 15.

This lotion is recommended for women aged 25+ and contains natural extracts of Grape Seed, Ginseng and Sea Buckthorn. Olay Nature Fusion Day Lotion claims to help protect against the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and to give you more radiant and glowing looking skin with daily use. 

This product has a light consistency and is very rapidly absorbed, leaving skin feeling like I have nothing on compared to the previous moisturiser I was using. The lotion also has a subtle and fresh fruity scent that fades quickly and doesn't leave my skin looking shiny. I like that I can apply my powder on immediately after using this and it won't make my brush get all muddy. I'm also happy to know that this lotion will protect my skin from the sun with its SPF 15. 

I really like this product (prefer it over the Olay Essentials Day Fluid for Normal/Oily Skin) and would recommend it if you have normal to oily skin, as it is very light and refreshing, though I don't think it would be nourishing enough for dry skin. 

Find Olay Anti-Wrinkle Nature Fusion Day Lotion SPF 15 in Superdrug.

xo

PS. Enter for your chance to win a trip to Las Vegas here.

New In: April 2014

Champneys travel skincare set from the clearance section at Boots, I think I got it for £3. Buy here.

Mustard jumper from H&M and Avon Hand Cream (review here), light wash jeans from H&M and skirt from Uniqlo. CK cream shadows and Sally Hansen polish from £ shop and Olay Nature Fusion lotion from Superdrug. Gifted Easter chocolate and top & underwear from H&M. 

Have you been shopping lately?

xo

PS. Enter for your chance to win a trip to Las Vegas here. 

Garnier 2 in 1 Tinted Eye Roll-on

Recently, upon realising that the area under my eyes wasn't the lightest in the world I started using a little concealer but one day found the Garnier 2 in 1 Tinted Eye Roll-on in the clearance section in Boots. 

This product claims to be an anti dark circles hydrating care and a tinted concealer in one, with an instant refreshing effect. 

The roll-on has a refreshing effect and is also double duty: Covers dark circles instantly with concentrated mineral pigments, and reduces the look of fatigue thanks to stimulating caffeine and clarifying lemon extracts. It also mentions that it's hydrating and contains UV filters to protect the eye area from harmful sun rays.

I actually quite like this product, it does conceal dark circles and the under eye area looks more illuminated, it is long lasting but not full coverage, making it natural looking and doesn't crease under my eyes.

It's very easy to apply, just roll on and then blend carefully with your finger or preferred tool ( I use my finger ). The only thing is that if you store it horizontally, a lot of product will come out when you use it next time, so I keep it vertical. 

I would recommend this product if you are looking for a light product to conceal darkness and refresh the eye area, while also treating it as well instead of just masking it as make-up products do.

If you would like to try it, you can find it in Boots and Superdrug.

xo

PS. Enter for your chance to win a trip to Las Vegas here.

Avon Care Cocoa Butter Hand Cream

You've probably heard about my recurring problem with dry skin on the palms of my hands. If I see an affordable hand cream I will probably give it a try. This time it was the turn of Avon Care Cocoa Butter Hand Cream to attempt and get rid of my dry skin. This product claims to provide revitalising moisture thanks to its cocoa butter and vitamin E. 

Other important ingredients include: Glycerin, Mineral Oil, Dimethicone, Canola oil, Parfum, Methylparaben, Perilla seed oil, Macadamia oil, Grape seed oil, Avocado oil and Olive fruit oil. As you can see, it contains parabens and silicones but it also has lots of natural oils known for their moisturising properties. 

Avon Care Cocoa Butter Hand Cream has a faint sweet chocolate scent, a light texture and is quickly absorbed. It provides relief to my dry palms and leaves my skin soft with a scent that lingers for a few minutes. I would recommend this product since it is quite affordable, does a good job moisturising and has a nice scent.

Find Avon Care Cocoa Butter Rejuvenating Moisture Hand Cream here.

Have you tried Avon Hand Creams?

xo

PS. Enter for your chance to win a trip to Las Vegas here.

Win a Trip to Las Vegas with Quiz

If you always dreamed of visiting Las Vegas, this is your chance! Quiz,  a dynamic fast fashion retail group that focuses on delivering catwalk style looks and all the latest trends at value-for-money prices, is holding a competition where you could win:

• Return flights

• Transfers in style with a limo ride

• 5 nights stay in a 5* hotel in Vegas

• Tickets to see Britney Spears

• 5 dresses

To enter:

1. Follow Inspirations Have I None on GFC

2. Enter your email address here.
3. Show Quiz your #Ijustwonthejackpot selfie by doing one of these:

• Tagging #Ijustwonthejackpot and liking Quiz on Instagram OR

• Liking Quiz on Facebook and sharing your #Ijustwonthejackpot selfie OR

• Tweeting your #Ijustwonthejackpot selfie by tagging and following @QuizClothing

Terms and Conditions:

This competition is open internationally. Only one entry per person. Competition ends 01/06/2014. Quiz will choose a winner at random and will contact the winner personally within 72 hours after the competition closes. Full Terms & Conditions can be found here.

Good luck everyone!

xo

Stripes and Hat

Coat: H&M (similar)

Scarf: H&M (similar)

Wool Hat: H&M (similar)

Striped top: H&M (similar)

Trousers: H&M (similar)

Leopard print loafers: F&F (similar)

An outfit post from Paris! I know, it might seem like I'm getting too excited posting about it but it was the first (and hopefully not last) time I've visited.
This was form the day we saw Kasabian at Le Bataclan. The next day it rained so bad, my hat was feeling quite heavy and I worried it would get ruined but it survived ;D

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a 30 day supply of Skinade worth £90 here!

Food: White Chocolate Chip Brownies

Recently I made some White Chocolate Chip Brownies, I did modify the recipe a little but my hubby said it was one of the best things I've baked ha! So I'll make a note of the changes I made at the bottom of the recipe.

Ingredients
(serves 9)

115 g/4 oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
225 g/8 oz white chocolate
115 g/4 oz walnut pieces
2 eggs
115 g/4 oz soft brown sugar
115g/4 oz self-raising flour

Method

1. Lightly grease an 18-cm/7-inch square cake tin with butter.

2. Coarsely chop 175 g/6 oz of chocolate and all the walnuts. Put the remaining chocolate and the butter in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. When melted, stir together, then set aside to cool slightly.

3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together, then beat in the cooled chocolate mixture until well mixed. Fold in the flour, chopped chocolate and the walnuts. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.

4. Transfer the tin to a preheated oven, 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4, and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. The mixture should still be a little soft in the centre. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin, then cut the brownies into 9 squares before serving.

I used only 100 grams of white chocolate, 50 g of cocoa powder instead of melting white chocolate with the butter, only 50 g of sugar, wholemeal self raising flour and no walnuts.
The cake tin I used was rectangular, so it serves more than 9 but you have to be careful and bake for less time as the mix is spread thinner on the mold.

Will you be trying this recipe?

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a 30 day supply of Skinade worth £90 here!

New in: French Pharmacy Skincare

As I mentioned on my other post, on the day we were leaving Paris I had a quick look inside a pharmacy near the Gare du Nord.

I wasn't really looking for anything in particular but decided to get a couple of things. One of them is La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+, the improved version of the classic Effaclar Duo (review here). The original seemed to help fade scarring, but this new one actually claims to reduce it. We'll see how they compare!

And the other thing I got is the famous Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Solution. I wanted to give it a try but wasn't sure if I would like it, so I got the small 100 ml bottle. I've tried the L'oreal micellar water and it didn't really work for me, but if I happen to love this one I could get some more if I go on a day trip to France in a couple of months with my family.

What other French pharmacy skincare products would you recommend or have tried?

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a 30 day supply of Skinade worth £90 here!

Aveeno Positively Radiant Triple Boost Serum

Last year around my birthday I used my Boots points to get a couple of products for free, one of them being the Aveeno Positively Radiant Triple Boost Serum. However I also received the L'oreal Skin Perfection Advanced Correcting Serum (review here) as a gift, and started using it first. It was only a couple of months ago that I finished the L'oreal serum and started using the Aveeno one. 

The Aveeno Positively Radiant Triple Boost Serum contains naturally active Soy and light diffusers to boost skin's natural radiance by evening out skin tone and texture, visibly diminishing the appearance of brown spots and hydrating the skin. 

Some of the ingredients listed are dimethicone (a type of silicone), glycine soja extract, panthenol and glycerin (the last being moisturising ingredients).

This serum has a thicker consistency than other serums I've used, it also has tiny shimmering particles or "light diffusers" to make skin look more radiant. 

It does feel moisturising upon application, however since it is thicker I feel like I need to use a bit more, since it is harder to spread out on the skin.  It seems like it has improved a bit the tone and texture of my skin but doesn't seem to have made much of a difference on a couple of tiny brown spots I have on my cheekbone area.

It is an OK product but the results haven't amazed me, so I don't think I will be acquiring it again, but if you would like to try it for yourself you can find it in Boots.

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a 30 day supply of Skinade worth £90 here!

Paris City Break

We are back from our little break to Paris last week. I'd never been before, so at first I was a bit scared, as we took the Eurostar and the first thing I saw before arriving to the station was a lot of graffiti-ed buildings. It didn't make the best first impression but it all changed the next morning when we had local croissants for breakfast, they really can't compare to any croissant I've had before!

We arrived on Wednesday and decided to go for a walk to visit the Louvre, as it would be closed the next day because it was a bank holiday. The queues were quite long to get tickets, so we only took a few pictures outside and then walked back as we had a Kasabian concert to get to.

The next day we had breakfast at the hotel (delicious croissants!) and then walked to the Seine, where we hopped on a boat-bus that takes you around the river and stops at all the sights and you can get on and off as many times as you want. 

Our first stop was by the Champs Elysee Avenue, most shops were closed but we walked all the way up to the Arc de Triomphe and then down to see the Eiffel Tower. I had packed an umbrella but didn't take it with us and of course it started pouring down as soon as we got off the boat. We bought a new one but we were already soaked (and we are currently trying to get rid of a cold).

We had some lunch near the Eiffel Tower but I didn't quite like my choice of drink (citron pressee). One thing I noticed is that French don't really speak English, I wonder if it's because they don't know it or simply they don't want to... which doesn't make much sense to me as Paris is a tourist destination.

After our lunch we walked to see the tower and took some pictures. There was a little market next to it where we got some macarons, I wanted some from Laduree but we didn't happen to walk past any of their shops. Either way the macarons were delicious! Consider me a fan ;D

We hopped on the boat again and then got off by the Notre Dame Cathedral, where we put a lock on the bridge, took more pictures and then walked back to our hotel. For dinner we had a pizza from a local pizzeria down the street from our hotel (Arlecchino Pizzeria on 40 rue Oberkampf), we went for a fail safe Margherita pizza, which was delicious as well.

On our last day in Paris we had breakfast at the hotel (another delicious croissant) and then got our stuff and checked out. When doing so the manager just asked us to pay for our breakfasts which I thought had already been paid for (moral of the story: check your payment totals when booking a hotel).

After that we got a taxi and headed to Gare du Nord. Another thing we noticed was that there is not as many gift shops as there is in London, so if you see a gift shop or stall on the street do approach as you might not find another one in a couple of miles. 

We got some gifts only after I visited a pharmacy, which I really wanted to do. I only got a couple of bits, care to guess what I got?

At the station we checked in and while waiting we got some lunch to eat on the train - ham and cheese baguettes, delicious as well. I would definitely go back just for the food alone! (And of course, the pharmacies).

Have you visited Paris?

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a 30 day supply of Skinade worth £90 here!

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo

After hearing about it on almost every blog and youtube channel, I decided to give La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo a try. I've struggled with oily and spot prone skin for over a decade, so I had nothing to lose. 

Effaclar Duo is a Corrective and Unclogging Anti-Imperfection Care aimed at skin with severe imperfections. It contains Niacinamide and Piroctone Olamine, which help purify the skin and protect against breakouts developing; and LHA/Lanoleic Acid to help unclog pores by eliminating dead cells, responsible for their obstruction. These active ingredients are combined with soothing and anti-irritating La Roche-Posay thermal spring water. 

Effaclar Duo promises to purify pores, reduce imperfections and make skin look clearer, smoother and help it regain long-lasting balance to recover the qualities of more healthy-looking skin. 

This product has a light creamy consistency and is not oily or greasy. It feels moisturising and has a nice soapy scent (smells the same as the mild soap). 

At the time I purchased Effaclar Duo, I was suffering with a lot of break outs that just wouldn't go away. This product helped my skin get rid of the spots I had as well as helping fade out the marks that I'm normally left with after I get an imperfection.

I think this is a really good product if you are prone to spots, as it is effective yet mild. It is a bit on the pricey side but it's well worth it. Find it in Boots (RRP £13)

Have you tried Effaclar Duo?

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a 30 day supply of Skinade worth £90 here!