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saharasplash30 January, 2016

Why choose L’Occitane for that perfect gift?

So we are all feeling that post-Christmas lull and are back to reality. We’ve got that January paycheck and we are already allocating budgets for those friends with February birthdays, Valentine’s Day and if you’re as forward thinking as I am, you’ve probably given a few thoughts to Mother’s Day in March too! I want to give you a little helping hand and answer the question-

why choose L’Occitane for that perfect gift?

L’Occitane has a very rich history; I’m talking heart and perseverance rather than papers. Celebrating their 40^th birthday this year, they started out with one location in Provence (south of France) making traditional soaps in 1976 and within 2 decades had branched out to the Americas and to China. After this L’Occitane reached out to Europe and the brand now has an incredible 2700+ stores all over the world. Hard to think they just started from an old soap factory 40 years ago- I love it!

So for Christmas just gone I received a shea ultra rich lip balm from L’Occitane pictured above and cannot sing its praises enough. The quality of the product as well as its delicate design definitely earns it a top spot in my everyday essentials. It is this dedication to its products which is why I have a penchant for L’Occitane, and I know that the perfect gift can be found if you are looking to get something meaningful for someone special to you. I’ve carefully researched L’Occitane’s gift section on their website and I have hand-picked a few of my favourites below –

Limited Edition Shea Butter Tin

http://uk.loccitane.com/limited-edition-shea-butter-tin,83,1,29776,865519.htm

This shea butter collection has your hands and lips covered during the cold and dry season. The nourishing power of shea butter is no secret, so why not gift a friend or loved one with this beautiful set for just £25

The Voyage Set for him

http://uk.loccitane.com/l’occitan-voyage-set,83,1,39632,856157.htm

For the gentlemen, we have the Voyage Set. It comes with the classic soap/shave/shower products that all men need to have them scrub up and smelling fantastic before a romantic Valentine’s date or night out. At the affordable price of just £22

Hugs and Kisses Set

http://uk.loccitane.com/shea-butter-hugs-kisses,83,1,29776,865428.htm

I had to have my favourite lip balm in here- seriously you need to get this as a gift and one for yourself too! This little set is perfect for Mother’s Day and the packaging is just lovely. For the smaller budget at just £16

The Cade Classic Collection for him

http://uk.loccitane.com/cade-classic-collection,83,1,29810,856243.htm

The Cade Classic Collection is the gift you want to give to indulge that special man in your life. Be it father, boyfriend or husband, this wood- scented gift set infused with juniper will definitely impress whatever the occasion. Priced at £48 but worth £65!

The Delightful Collection for her

http://uk.loccitane.com/delightful-collection,83,1,29819,825291.htm

Last but by no means least is a best seller- the Delightful Collection. This set includes some L’Occitane favourites like the roses and reines shower gel and the ever popular shea vanilla hand cream. This gift is a star buy at £35 and contains 6 amazing products and comes with a cosmetic bag too

I hope that these little L’Occitane luxuries will help inspire you when finding that perfect gift for whoever you are buying for. Don’t forget to check out the L’Occitane website for even more gift ideas too!

Saharasplash x

If you liked this, you are sure to love my post featuring Colette Green!

saharasplash25 January, 2016

Bold, Bright and Beautiful with Colette Green

I really couldn’t wait any longer to show you all this post. I’ve collaborated with the fabulous online store Colette Green who sells handbags, shoes, accessories and more for men and women. While browsing through their lovely collection, I saw a multitude of things I wanted in my wardrobe straight away, but this one backpack I absolutely needed. It is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and I’m sure you will all agree it is absolute perfection. It is bold, bright and beautiful which is everything I want for my style and for my blog. So thank you Colette Green, I hope you and my readers love how I styled this amazing backpack up in 2 different ways!

The bag I chose to blog about was the Tricolour backback with bamboo handle in red, though the colour is really an exquisite dark salmon as you can see-

I adore its different colours and the sophisticated front pockets and tassles. I’ve had so many compliments on it while shooting on location in Westfield and around Canary Wharf. I decided to wear nude wide leg trousers and a brown poloneck which really makes the backpack the star of the show for look number one-

My sister jumped in on this one before we took the bag to Westfield:

A few days later I spent the afternoon with a new blogger friend Michelle and despite the cold weather, the images turned out so vibrant and lovely in the mid afternoon sun. These shots were taken in Canary Wharf, one of my favourite spots for some great shots! The Tricolour backpack also works with look numer two- my simple black dress. I can’t tell you how many Karen Millen dresses I own like this, they just work so well for work and for evenings out and so I’m thrilled I can wear my new tricolour backpack along with them!

I want to thank Colette Green for working with me to create this bold, bright and beautiful blog post; I hope you all go and check out their site now to find your own unique designer accessory for SS16!

Saharasplash x

If you liked this post, go check out my latest scarf collaboration with Lylia Rose right here!

I received this product for free for my honest opinion and review

saharasplash14 January, 2016

Taking Luxemme to Ladbroke Grove

Last month I was contacted by Luxemme who kindly sent me a dress of my choice from their Limited Collection- I chose the Cecile black bardot dress for its interestig structure and shape, it’s like nothing I own. Luxemme are a brand new online retailer for women’s fashion, and I want to show you all the results from taking Luxemme to Ladbroke Grove on its first trip out!

I was joined by my blogger babe Maryam and we had our photographers on board to take the shots- Paul ( my lovely partner) and Fayomi ( a London based fashion photographer).

Between the two of them we had all our angles covered and despite having to shoot in between showers of rain, it made for a great location and in the end the results were fantastic despite the weather! We used it to our advantage and created something I didn’t set out to do, but am so happy we did it!

The Cecile Bardot dress fit perfectly with the most popular blogging spot in London for fashion- Ladbroke Grove in Notting Hill. The Luxemme bardot dress is a sophisticated piece which you can dress up or down depending on where you’re going and who you’re with. I would definitely wear this little black dress on a date for example paired with some killer heels. (Karen Millen of course!) I could also see myself wearing this to a blogger’s event too. I would put the dress with a great set of earrings and pile my hair up to really expose the neck area and flaunt its lovely design.

Here are some of the shots we took in Ladbroke Grove and the square, I really recommend the location to any new fashion bloggers wanting to set a great London scene with their photos.

Here are my two favourites from Fayomi’s shots:

And here are Paul’s shots:

Along with the Luxemme dress, my boots were Karen Millen, my jacket Forever 21 and the glitter bag was Boohoo. A mixture of designer and high street is definitely shaping up to be my signature look I think!

I cannot thank Luxemme enough for working with me, I adore this limited edition dress and I’m sure this won’t be the only Luxemme piece featured on the blog this year!

Saharasplash X

I received this product for free for my honest opinion and review

If you liked this post, you should really check out my 10 day challenge with Timeless Truth!

saharasplash9 December, 2015

Why I love being gluten free | Featuring Snackly

I’m really excited about this post, as this is my first ever post about being a coeliac! For those of you who don’t know, Coeliac’s Disease is an auto-immune disease, much like diabetes. It isn’t an intolerance or an allergy where I can pick and choose what days I’m going to be good and what days I’m going to be naughty, it is for life. As soon as I tell someone that I’m a coeliac, their natural reaction is to say ‘oh, I’m sorry’. I really want to nip this in the bud and say to you all don’t apologise, I’m really happy with my coeliacs, I wouldn’t have it any other way, and this is why I love being gluten free, featuring Snackly!

I’m excited to send my message out into the world and have teamed up with snackly to do so. I hope that this helps not only those who know about their conditions and intolerances, but those who are having issues with food who may be putting off doing something about it because they are scared of what the doctor might say. Cutting out gluten isn’t nearly as tough as people think these days, though there is definitely a stigma labelled to those of us who can’t eat gluten/wheat/dairy. I remember a time, a dark time where there were hardly any products on the supermarket shelves, and if you did want anything decent you had to order it on prescription (this was back in 2008). I am glad to say that those days do not exist anymore, the world has realised the extent of the gluten free community and they wish to help us to feel like we can fit in again. This is exactly what snackly is all about, they aim to bring the gluten free a diverse range of carefully selected products so that we can always try something new, something good.

Even though it seems that people are being more picky nowadays because of the phenomenal amount of options around, I believe that it is the increased awareness that is causing so many of us to get diagnosed or cut out certain foods from our diet because of issues which is a great thing. I am constantly being sought out by friends and even strangers for advice on their diets, and I hold my hands up and say I am no dietician, but I like to think that I have a good knowledge of how my coeliacs affects me so I can share what I have learnt with others along the way to help guide them to feeling better. I embrace food, I love it, and I want to share with you my positive message of why I love being gluten free by telling you all about what snackly sent me in the post last week.

Snackly are a concept similar to the ever so popular graze boxes, but they are 100% gluten free. You can order an individual box each month or sign up for a monthly subscription too and they will send you lots of fabulous goodies to try. I’m so happy that the gluten free lifestyle is working its way into the industry more and more and Snackly are a great company to explore new products which you may not see in regular supermarkets. Here’s what happened when I opened my box:

The packaging was so cute, I felt like I was opening an early Christmas present! The items were carefully wrapped in tissue paper and it came with a sweet thank you card- no, thank you snackly! I opened it up and found 6 gorgeous gluten free goodies inside:

Multiseed gourmet cracker from The Foods of Athenry, Ireland

These crunchy crackers were made from a toasted seedy sourdough and very tasty! They would go perfectly with pate or crumbled up in a hot soup.

Snact apple and mango jerky, London

I really liked the tasty strips of apple and mango puree. They only used fruit to make the jerky, nothing else at all so really clean and healthy. I would have liked to have had a few more strips in the bag- there were 8 strips but bite size.

Honeyrose Triple Chocolate cookie, London

This cookie was really intense, a little bit too sugary for my liking but tasted great! Who doesn’t like chocolate cookies?!

Melting Pot salted caramel fudge, Blackthorn Foods

I adored the salted caramel fudge. It melted in my mouth and I could eat this every day. It was the perfect size for an afternoon pick me up at work.

Teapigs Peppermint

I’m a big advocate of tea, and teapigs are one of my favourites after trying them at hummingbirds cafe (where you must try the gluten free red velvet cupcakes). The peppermint tea went so well with my fudge!

Peanut Butter Protein balls, The Protein Ball co.

These are a great item to have handy in your bag if you find yourself caught short in a cafe that only sells sarnies and cakes! I loved the little bite size balls and you have 6 of them in a pack!

I would like to add that having an intolerance or auto-immune disease can really open a lot of doors. It is like being a part of a community, and through this community I have met many people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I am also grateful to companies like snackly who want to work with gluten free bloggers like myself so that we can promote the amazing brands and help other gluten free foodies discover new and exciting things to eat.

So my parting message to the world is, don’t be sorry for us, be interested. Your interest will make us happy that we can talk openly about our diets without feeling like we are different just because of our DNA. And that is simply why I love being gluten free featuring snackly. Hands up and virtual high fives to all my gluten free readers and to the awesome snackly!

Saharasplash x

I received this product for free for my honest opinion and review

If you liked this post, check out what I got up to on Brick Lane recently!

saharasplash1 December, 2015

Dead Sea Mud Mask Review- Instanatural

I really was excited to review the Dead Sea Mud Mask from Instanatural as I had read reviews about how it can dramatically reduce your pores. As a blogger I love trying out beauty products that I haven’t tried before to test and review, so last weekend I gave it a go. I followed the instructions and applied a thin layer to my face, avoiding my eye and mouth areas.

It was cool on my skin and was a smooth application. It says to leave on for 10-15 mins, and as the minutes go by the soft mud turns to a hard texture as it dries.

I really liked the process but before the mask could dry 100% it started to tingle and get a bit uncomfortable, 15 minutes in. I took it off using warm water and cotton pads, and unfortunately my skin had a minor reaction to the mask, leaving my skin quite red where I had applied it, especially on my forehead. (see video below for more pics!)

The Dead Sea Mud Mask from Instanatural definitely did leave my skin feeling tighter and very smooth, but I think that people with sensitive skin should be wary and maybe get a sample sent so you can do a patch test before using. Watch the video of the whole process from start to finish and also find out what I rate it out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to other people who have used dead sea products before who know that they are ok with the minerals the mud contains.

I received this product for free for my honest and unbiased feedback.

I’d love to know if any of you had tried similar mud masks or products from Instanatural. I might try and review some of their other products which don’t contain Dead Sea mud, and I hope you found this review helpful my lovely readers.

If you liked this, please check out my latest jewellery review on snows curiositites bracelets!

Saharasplash X

saharasplash9 November, 2015

The Motel Edit- 5 reasons to shop the slip this season

I have been really bad at sharing the Motel love since I started blogging- I think that this is down to their sample sales being just at the end of each season. I’m not blaming them one bit for bad timing, I understand that they do the sample sales when they need to, but I always come away with so much stuff and can never post about it because the season changes so fast!

So I thought I would decide to write about my fav picks from the site and write all about the slip dress instead! My Motel summer goodies are now packed away for next year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t share my love for Motel right now…

I have been browsing their site this weekend as usual, and I am really inspired by their unique sense of style and fabulous prints. I do think that they set themselves apart from other popular online stores with their items, and one cut in particular caught my eye…the slip.

If you know me and my wardrobe, you will know that I don’t like to wear the same thing twice- and so this is why I love Motel so much. I know that if I like a certain shape dress, I can go to Motel and they will hook me up in ten ways I had never thought of contemplating. You know that you won’t be caught out wearing the same outfit that the girl on the tube is wearing too (cough H&M) which is really important.

So why the slip? The slip is something that I’ve not been seeing round lately. Its understated elegance is just what your wardrobe needs and paired with Motel’s excellent patterns and colours, the slip dress will have heads turning in your direction at any party. I’ve decided to pick 4 slip dresses which are absolute killers and also a faux fur crop jacket which you can wear with all 4 of them.

1- The Flash Cecile slip

This slip immediately caught my eye with its sexy pattern in warm metallic tones. I can imagine wearing this to a few events I have lined up this season and certainly has the wow factor I want when on the hunt for something glitzy and glamorous.

2- The Gaia slip

The Gaia dress has a more urban feel to it, less showy but still amazing with its warm colours. I think it doesn’t matter if it’s cold outside, you can still wear a floral slip and be cool for the winter. I’d imagine wearing this to a nice meal out with friends and family, but still keeping my fashion blogger vibes in tact 🙂

3- The Meadow slip

Now this is a real showstopper for all you mermaid fans out there. It is an amazing green/blue which I’m guessing would look fab on a dance floor! Get your heels out for this one, and if you don’t have any nights out planned then buy this dress and make some! I would match my eyes to this dress colour for sure.

4- The Vince slip by Grace Neutral

I had the pleasure of attending the Grace Neutral collection launch party with the Motel Family group, and I absolutely loved her designs. The material is flowy and light- I tried the Kato Kimono on and didn’t want to take it off! Using the same Mandala print, Grace has designed this slip to suit her style and the Motel audience are eating it up. Just last week I saw a blogger at the Boohoo Xmas party wearing this so the pieces are selling well. I would wear this to any blogger event to get the conversation started with other bloggers about Grace Neutral- you know other bloggers will be asking about it!

5- The Freya fur jacket

I wanted to tie all 4 of my choices together with a jacket that you could purchase for any of the slips. This charcoal Freya cropped jacket will look amazing on top of any of the slips, it’s short enough to show off your dress at the bottom if you’re too cold to take it off, and I think this jacket is a real solid winter jacket that would go just as well with jeans and a tee for more causal days.

Ps- right now this jacket is on sale right now better than 50% off! It’s reduced from £55 to £25 so what are you waiting for?!

Pps- enter the code 10OFFTODAY for an additional 10% off! you’re welcome

If you liked this post you will love my Lindex Lookbook so check it out and don’t forget to subscribe via email too here

Peace and love, saharasplash x

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