Apricot Scrub for face and body

I love ex foliating products. My skin always feels sooo  much better after using them, like I have been lightened and refreshed in one quick scrub (which is a godsend in this weather!) I tend to favour those exfoliators with natural, gentle ingredients; natural has got to be better when they are going on your face regularly, right? So when I was buying hair dye in my Manchester shop of choice, I was instantly drawn to this pretty large tub of apricot scrub. At £1.99, it's kind of hard to say no...

This is an apricot scrub with elderflower and walnut, much like alot of the popular apricot scrubs on the market. Now, I'm an impatient one. I know that you are supposed to wait a good few weeks for a skin product to show effects, but it's nice to know sooner that all your efforts are not in vain. And this product did not disappoint, showing improvement within the first use. Perfect! Of course, I continued to use the scrub for the next three weeks and it lived up to it's initial showing. Happy Heather. 

This scrub does brand itself as being suitable for everyday use but I have always felt that an exfoliator on your skin 7 days a week is a little excessive, and I like to give my skin a rest so it doesn't have the opposite effect.

A big plus for me is that the scrub proudly displays the fact that it contains no animal ingredients and conducts no animal testing. This has always been a bit of a concern for me and, with the recent Lush shock campaigns, I think it is now at the forefront of the nation's mind. 

I feel that the product far out-ways the price in terms of expectation. For me, this scrub could rival some of the bigger (and more expensive!) brands of exfoliant or apricot scrub. Everyone's skin is different, so I'd suggest a small test first and definitely do not use if you are allergic to any of the ingredients! However, this is a lovely, refreshing scrub for a rather refreshing price. I shall certainly be repurchasing this; although it may take me a long while to get through this large tub!

Band of the Week

Always one for unconventional Band of the Week, this week it's a whole festivals worth of bands! Due to the lovely long bank holiday (thanks, Queenie!) there are lots of lovely events going on around the country, including the rather infamous Dot to Dot festival. Taking over three cities over three days, Dot to Dot brings the best in music for an all day party. If that doesn't excite you then what will?!
Of course, being a northern girl, Manchester is my Dot to Dot of choice (if I was going. Waaah!) The venues for the Manchester event are pretty spot on too, including two of my favourite places in Manchester, The Deaf Institute and Zoo. All venues are in super close walking distance, so I can imagine it to be the most amazing atmosphere ever! My top picks for the day are The Drums, Admiral Fallow, Jake Bugg, Willy Mason and of course, Summer Camp! If you have some spare time, and can get to one of these days, I think you would be pretty mad not to. (at £20 for so many acts, there really isn't alot to say no to!)


You can visit the Dot to Dot festival site here to check out the full line up for each city plus venue information and transport/accommodation links. 

Update #1

Hi all!

I have not been a perfect blogger recently but I have still been around. Life has suddenly got very VERY busy and I hardly have a moment to myself! So, I thought I would do a little update post so that you all know where I've been and what has kept me from writing some lovely words for you. 

It seems like forever ago, but me and Adam saw The Vaccines in Blackpool. I love the venue, Blackpool Empress Ballrooms if you were asking, and I love The Vaccines so it was a pretty great match. We managed to catch support from S.C.U.M., but they just didn't seem to click with the crowd... The top picture one one side of the view from our hotel; quite sunny with a nice view of the football parking! I'm quite a fan of industrialised areas, though...

My new favourite ring from Tesco. It looks like little crystals underneath glass.

A nice way to wake up, with Molly on my bed.

Trust me, cucumber water is the most refreshing thing ever.

Far too much drinking and celebrating. Here is my drunken attempt at an arty representation of how hot a chilli vodka shot is...

At least part of everyday is spent getting this cuters away from the back gate. She peeks to see who is out there!

The bathroom at my new work is pretty cute. it's in a Victorian Warehouse (the place, not just the bathroom!) and has these cute vintage dressing items, as well as a huge Audrey Hepburn poster. 

Hot weather plus cute dog equals swimming in the reservoir. 

As you can see, alot of my time has been spent with my beautiful border collie. There is worse ways to spend my time, though! I'll try and keep you updated rather than be a silent (and over-worked!) reader. Hope you are enjoying the wonderful summer weather we are having. I'm covered in suncream as I burn far too easily. No bronzed summer for me, more like lobster summer!

Band of the Week

Hi there!
I know, I've been such a bad blogger lately *Slaps wrist* A combination of over-worked and no internet (cry!) means a lack of posts. I've been around though, don't worry! Thought I would return on this lovely Sunday with a pretty great Band of the Week.
I think everyone loves Frank Turner. It's quite hard not to. He's gone from lead singer of a 'post-hardcore' band (Million Dead, if you were wondering!) to a solo folk singer. Not a leap you would expect, but it completely works. Even if you don't like his music, surely that is something to admire?
Lately, there hasn't been a day gone by were I haven't had a Frank Turner song stuck in my head. These are becoming pretty nice days! But there is one album that stands out. 'England Keep My Bones' provides a rather cathartic experience and, I know it sounds cliche, but there is nothing like a walk somewhere beautiful and this album in your ears to make things seem pretty OK again...
This song has become something of a mantra for me at the moment, my anthem if you will. I certainly could have picked a worse one! And the video is filmed at the beautiful beach in Bamburgh, which I featured here. Favourite song plus favourite place equals perfection!

Batiste: A search for the new favourite

R.I.P Batiste Nude. You were my go to product for a little hair pick me up. You picked me up when I was lacking in lustre and allowed me that extra ten minutes in bed. 

Yes, this little bottle meant the world to me and my hair. It is pretty much a non-scented talc, but it was perfect for my hair and didn't have the tell tale grey/white residue of alot of dry shampoos. But, after some twitter desperation, Batiste told me that they have discontinued it (I must like lots of products others don't as my favourites always end this way, see this post for another example!) Lovely Batiste did offer to send me some of the last remaining Batiste Nude (which I am using so sparingly!) and a couple of other products in their (vast!) dry shampoo range. 

L-R Batiste XXl Volume, Batiste Cherry, Batiste Nude

I have been using these products (bar my Nude, of course) pretty much since I got them. My hair tends to err on the greasy side and I like a matt finish to my hair so, even after washing, I like to use a good dry shampoo to keep the grease at bay! 

Batiste XXL Volume is different from the normal dry shampoo as it claims to add volume to your hair, as well as banish those oily roots. I was really keen to try this, as I have quite fine and often limp hair and love finding new products to help my hair. Of course, I didn't expect miracles but I was pleasantly surprised with the noticeable bounce I received (and created the perfect base for a quick, no backcomb up-do!) It has a light and fresh fragrance, quite like a sweet perfume, and left very little residual product, once I had followed the instructions! 

Batiste Cherry is part of the normal Batiste range with an added new scent. This is still perfect for those in-between-washes days and leaves my hair perfectly matt and soft. The scent is the deal breaker for this product and I am firmly in the happy camp with it. It is a very sweet scent but one that I didn't find too overpowering, though I imagine if you wore a heavily scented perfume they may be competing! It won't be to everyone's taste, of course, but I'm a fan of ANYTHING cherry scented so this was always going to be a winner. Plus, I love the rather kitsch packaging on the cherry one!

Have I found my new favourite, a replacement for the long loved Batiste Nude? I'm not sure if there will ever be a new Nude but XXL Volume is becoming a fast favourite...

Where do you lie in the dry shampoo spectrum? What's your favourite?