bblogger Archives - SAHARASPLASH

saharasplash18 August, 2016

Free From Afternoon Tea

This is a really big post which I am so excited about! Not only do I get to eat loads of yummy snacks, I can tick off one pretty big thing from my 2016 goals list, and that is to do a collaboration with Sainsbury’s! Sainsbury’s are without a doubt my favourite UK supermarket and I was so surprised to find this particular package waiting on my doorstep last week. The package in question sent to me was a massive bag filled with all the necessary equipment to have a fabulously free from afternoon tea in celebration of National Afternoon Tea Week.

For those living a gluten free lifestyle for whatever reason, I’m sure you have noticed the staggering changes in the free from market over the past 5 years. It is getting bigger and better with every launch, and Sainsbury’s have very recently revamped their entire range of free from products. I’ve tried pretty much everything out as I’m the type of coeliac who sees a new product and instantly feels like it’s my duty to buy it, eat it, and if it’s good then tell all my gluten free friends and family about it! I even went and bought the new Sainsbury’s birthday cake even though it’s not my birthday for months, no shame in admitting that one! So, onto the free from afternoon tea…

I set everything up in my mum’s back garden as it was a beautiful and sunny day.

My favourite from the range is defintiely the chocolate brownie! Before too long, the afternoon tea had a gate crasher…

As pretty as my pooch is, he wasn’t getting any of it! It didn’t stop him having a sniff and licking his lips though!

Thanks to Evie for the necklace loan for this shoot!

These fantastic new treats are just waiting for you to try at your local Sainsbury’s and are all free from wheat, gluten and milk:

Rich Fruit Cake Slices

Fruity Granola Slices

Cherry & Almond Slices

Chocolate Brownies

Mini Bakewell Tarts

What are you doing to celebrate National Afternoon Tea Week? Whether you have a food allergy or not, everyone should get to have some fun with a lovely afternoon tea this week!

Saharasplash x

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saharasplash22 July, 2016

Envy Professional Style Hero

For those who know me well, you are well aware of what an addictive personality I have to things. When I was younger I had a DVD collection that rivalled all family and friends combined. This then moved onto clothes, fashion and beauty as I got older, and now I just love it when something comes along that I can obsess over. Envy Professional certainly has the products that I can obsess over and in this blog post I want to share with you (not my own one though!) the power of the Envy Professional Style Hero.

I love everything about this devilish product, its dark and sleek design to the amazing way it has transformed the way I dry my hair. It is used by thousands of hairdressers worldwide and there is one simple reason for this- it works for everyone! No matter if you have fine, thick, curly or straight hair, the Envy Professional Style Hero works with it all to control, protect and repair damaged hair.

It has a very similar scent to freshly cut rose stems, just divine. Its key ingredients include Keratin amino acids and silk proteins which penetrate into each hair strand to lock in that all-important moisture we all love.

The product is a clear serum, which you only need 4-5 pumps of and work it into damp hair. As soon as I apply this from roots to ends, there is no struggle to comb my long hair through and it makes blowdrying a dream. This sexy little product is definitely my little secret weapon, and I want you all to enjoy it as much as I do:

For my wickedly loyal followers and readers, I’m giving you a 50%off code to use so you can try this out on your hair, simply use the code ‘blog50‘ and shop oline at www.envypro.co.uk

There are more tantalizing products in the Envy Professional range for you to try, so take advantage of this sinful discount today-

Discount code valid until 30th August 2016

Saharasplash x

Stay a little longer and read all about my interstellar experience at the Star Trek Beyond premiere and see what I asked Chris Pine!

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saharasplash15 July, 2016

I Love Connock London

I’m sure you all remember I hosted a really fun carnival party last month, if you didn’t see the post I blogged about it here. At the party I had MyShowcase come to show us a really lovely range of products, and one in particular stood out to me straight away. This brand (and post) is about Connock London, a lovely brand with a rich and vibrant history. Its founder, Amanda Connock, has developped a truly inspired selection of products as she follows in her father’s footsteps to bring a little piece of heaven to your doorstep- here’s why I love Connock London:

I have 2 products I want to show you in this post, both are made with the wonderful kukui oil. Kukui oil helps to lock in moisture and it keeps your skin feeling smooth and hydrated.

Hydrating hand and body lotion

This is perfect to keep in your bathroom with its sleek and sophisticated design. I use this on my hands daily and the scent is so lovely. You really do have to try it if you are a fan of exotic aromas. I can smell spices and flavours which are so addictive I just can’t stop smelling this lotion after I use it!

Radiant Glow Body Oil

This body oil is a best seller and I love this product! I spray this oil on my arms, shoulders and legs for a radiant glow if I’m going out. It doesn’t feel oily at all as my skin absorbs the wonderful liquid instantly. All that’s left is the amazing scent of the kukui oil mixed with a fabulous shimmer and glow. This is perfect for sensitive skin and for those of you who prefer a softer scent to using an EDT spray.

You simply have to try these out for yourself, I love Connock London products as they look great and smell even better too! The scent is consistent across the products so if you love one, you will love them all! Purchase the Kukui Oil lotion and radiant glow body oil here

Saharasplash x

Got time for one more read? Get colourful with my summer wishlist here!

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saharasplash3 July, 2016

The Bloggers Ball 2016

Where do I begin with The Bloggers Ball 2016? It is going to be really hard to capture the essence of this event I think as it was one of those ‘you had to be there’ events in my opinion. To sum up for you before I go into further detail, it was crazy, big, wonderful and addictive! So many bloggers and brands, so many bodies and booths to visit, I imagine it was something similar to speed dating but on steroids, and I still didn’t get to visit everyone and see everything! I’m going to talk about my favs that I did get to see and of course I have to shout out to Scarlett London for organising this grandeur affair at DSTRKT London!

Selfie Glow

Selfie Glow are are cute company just perfect for bloggers who love a good tan! Cruelty and paraben free, these guys were the first exhibitors I visited. They are US based but making their way over to the UK market this year. I hope I can work with this lovely brand soon while we have some sun in London!

Fei Liu Jewellery

Fei Liu jewellery really caught my eye. I love the elegant design of his pieces and I am still after something signature to wear on my wedding day. Fei Liu really stood out to me and the sparkle was just lovely!

Bon Prix

I’m sure you have all heard of the longstanding brand Bon Prix. They had brought with them a few of their summer collection essentials which were fabulous! Definitely check out their site if you’re going on holiday or just feel you need to jazz up your summer wardrobe, I’m sure they will have you covered!

Bravura London

Bravura London are a new find for me. It was great to meet them at The Bloggers Ball 2016 and talk about their different products meant for different types of skin. I chose to trial the Glycolic acid for its abilities to reduce fine lines and breakouts.

Monin

I’m sure you’ve all had a taste of what Monin has to offer, whether you know it or not. Monin provide the syrups for Costa coffee, so those caramel lattes and hazelnut mochas are all down to this great brand. On the day, they had brought with them a lovely pitcher of lemonade which was fantastic. I didn’t know how many syrups they did until I saw the range at the Bloggers Ball- check out their site to discover all the amazing flavours, they have practically everything!

On The Beach

On The Beach are an online travel agency who aim to deliver great holidays at great rates. They were there on the day to meet us bloggers and also have a beach party too! There were plenty of selfies taken at their booth and the OTB team were such great fun! Really hoping to take an On The Beach holiday if the wedding budget allows this year!

Vatika Naturals

Vatika are another new brand I discovered at The Bloggers Ball 2016 and I’m so glad I did. I’ve been using the Argan Shampoo pictured below since the event and it’s honestly the best shampoo I’ve ever used. Not only does it smell amazing, it creates a fabulous lather without using half the bottle, and my hair comes away feeling so nourished my hair is like silk. Definitely recommended, and I can’t wait to try out their Black seed hair mask! Available at Superdrug.

Tessuti

The last brand (and the most fabulous by far) is Tessuti. They are an online luxury boutique who stock both men and women’s ranges. I was immediately drawn to these guys as soon as I saw the Melissa shoes- you kow how much of a Melissa shoe collector I am! I’m really excited to be working with Tessuti after meeting them at The Bloggers Ball 2016 so stay tuned this month to see what piece I’m styling up from Tessuti.co.uk!

What I Wore

I wore a bright orange cocktail dress courtesy of Solace London and I paired the dress with some rose gold lace up heels from Ego. On my nails I have Thumbs Up nail wraps!

Saharasplash x

For more content and to find out about a fabulous fizzy drinks company called Karma Cola, click here.

saharasplash21 June, 2016

how to do a ‘girl’s night in’

Last week was my final week at my job. I have now left the office for the life of a full-time blogger, and I simply cannot wait to get started! I am hugely excited about this, and so I wanted to throw a little get together with the ladies to celebrate my new beginning. This blog post is all about how to do a ‘girl’s night in’ with style and I have some amazing companies that are a definite must for anyone planning on throwing the perfect party.

First up, you need to think about a theme. A theme is a great way to get everyone excited and will also help your guests to decide on a dress code too. My theme was carnival, so lots of bright colours, frozen cocktails and pineapples! I found an amazing company who helped me with the event, and they are Talking Tables. Talking Tables are an online retailer who specialize in party accessories and decorations. They have so many ranges for any occasion- birthdays, weddings, tea parties and of course an array of excellent goodies for a girl’s night in. I decorated the flat with fiesta fan garlands around the doors and sofa in wonderful bright colours, and we had a few parrots adorning the tables and chairs!

For the main table, we had the most amazing pineapple accessories, from pineapple picks for the giant cocktail glasses to pineapple sunglasses! We also had some flamingo ones too for some epic selfies. You can’t go wrong with some silly props to get everyone having some fun!

Talking Tables really do have such great quality items, even the patterned plates and wooden spoons helped to tie the whole carnival theme together.

For food, I went for something really easy and simple that you can’t go wrong with- chilli. I made a meat as well as a veggie chilli for everyone in less than 30 mins. You don’t want to keep your guests waiting ages for food, and getting a takeaway for large groups is pretty expensive. The ingredients for the chilli (mince, tomatoes, kidney and baked beans) plus rice will have you and your guests covered for under £15 which is a great budget, especially if drinks are happening!

Onto the drinks, I went for frozen cocktails. You can get these at all the major superstores and they are the perfect thing for a carnival theme! Fruity drinks are always going to be popular in the summer months, and it’s a great way to keep everyone happy without spending a fortune on spirits and taking up your time by making cocktails on the night. I want to thank Talking Tables for providing such a fantastic array of party accessories which made the night, the giant cocktail glasses were just perfect for our cocktails to share!

When planning how to do a ‘girl’s night in’ the right way, I wanted to organise something fun for us to enjoy as well as the selfies, drinks and food. This is where my second guest comes in- My Showcase.

Founded by 2 great women, My Showcase is an online store for luxury beauty products, but they also host parties so you can have a My Showcase expert come in with their products to talk you through them. This was such a nice surprise for my guests who didn’t know what to expect, and we had a wonderful time trying on makeup and spraying ourselves with wonderful scents! A few stand out brands of the night were Connock London, New CID and Aurelia.

To get more info and to host your own My Showcase party, click here. A massive thanks to our Stylist Katie for bringing her My Showcase selection for us! Plus a huge thanks to all my ladies who helped to make the party so great!

So there you have it, my how to do a ‘girl’s night in’. I would say to sum up, a mixture of the right theme, good home-cooked food plus a surprise for your girls will make your perfect night in!

Saharasplash x

For more lifestyle, check out what’s on my wach list right now!

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saharasplash6 June, 2016

Getting the Greek Treatment with Oykos

It’s really important that we all have a good pamper once in a while. It can be quite expensive to go out in London to do so, so why not bring the spa to you? In this post I am working with Danone’s brand new Oykos Whip n Mix yoghurts and my friend and blogger Merrell to bring you all the fun we had at mine when I hosted a spa night in for the two of us! Getting the Greek Treatment with Oykos was so much fun, and here’s what we got up to:

Oikos in Greek literally means hearth and home, so there wasn’t a better way to enjoy these tasty treats while in the comfort of my own living room. We had some gorgeous spa packs between us to get us into the relaxed spirit

We lit some candles, and I brought out my foot spa to help us start to forget about our day at work. Getting the Greek treatment with Oykos was working out well so far!

After a soak we used the Sanctuary Spa body souffle from our spa packs and I got into my comfy slippers from The White Company, pure bliss! I also gave Merrell a mini pedi too:

Feeling nice and chilled, I went to go get the Oykos Whip and Mix yoghurts from an equally chiled fridge. We just had one tiny snag in our plans, which was that Merrell couldn’t eat the yoghurt as she is lactose intolerant. But I didn’t invite her over by mistake, I had a plan to make sure that we both got to enjoy getting the Greek treatment with Oykos that evening…

So I got the Oykos packs and some spoons, and we opened them up…

I ate some of mine as it would be a crime not to, the whipped yoghurt and fruity compote is just amazingly good!

I then got some yoghurt, and told Merrell to sit still… as it was going on her face!

As well as being a tasty snack, I decided to put the Oykos packs to a very good secondary use, and of course I then had my face done too…

We had such a fabulous evening and really enjoyed using all the goodies from our spa packs as well as eating/wearing the yoghurts! Getting the Greek Treatment with Oykos was just what we needed to help us unwind and have a great night in 🙂