london lifestyle Archives - Page 2 of 4

saharasplash27 September, 2017

Joining the sit-stand movement with Fellowes and Viking

It’s quite sad thinking that this event write up may be the last one I do in a while. Bodywise, it’s very difficult to get around to as many London events as I used to, so I am making these last few count until I can get back into things (just before Christmas is the plan). As far as events go, this one was definitely worth the travel and slow walk from the tube station to the venue. I had my sister along for the fun (and just in case my waters broke!) and we met up with Eboni en route which was lovely. So, the post title may be a bit obscure to those reading for the first time. Fellowes and Viking are companies who are involved in the office furniture, supplies and stationery business and decided to put an event together in support of the sit-stand desk. It’s incredible to think that 88% of offices in Sweden and Denmark have implemented the sit-stand desk concept, so I’m here to tell you all about them!

The Lotus Sit-Stand Workstation in white

A bit about the Sit-Stand Desk concept…

We had a quick brief from a Fellowes UK representative (Richard) who gave us a bit of history into the brand. Their first ever product was a bankers box, and over time they have grown with the decades and are now huge in the office supplies world. Richard spoke about ergonomics, which is the study of people’s efficiency in the workplace. The sit-stand workstation hopes to disrupt the ergonomic pattern for a better working environment. Their research reveals how joining the sit-stand movement can have a positive long-term impact on employees’ health, happiness and productivity.

Smooth Lift Counterbalance Technology™ make height adjustment easy to accommodate multiple users and work styles at one work station- just perfect if your office needs a switch around. No more monitor adjustments the hard way!

Photo credit: Elouisa Gergiou

What happened next…

Focusing on workplace health and happiness ideals, we then had a lovely treat in the form of The Pamper Company. I used to work in an office where we had a masseuse come in bi-weekly so I know first hand how this can really make a difference to the working day.

I had a wonderful back, neck and shoulder massage to restore some calm and peace in my day.

Photo credit: Elouisa Gergiou

As if it couldn’t get any better…

Afterwards, we were introduced to Mr Flavour, a smoothie and juice company who taught us a little about making delicious cold drinks.

I combined watermelon, kale, almond milk and ice chips to make a healthy, sweet and light green juice.

We came away with a lovely bag including a pure white wrist support which goes perfectly with my blogger’s office desk setup!

Check that out here

So, are you converted? Would you like to see your office joining the sit-stand movement? Let me know in the comments section below!

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading Joining the Sit-Stand movement with Fellowes and Viking. If you’d like another adventure, here’s one I went on recently with My Little Piccolo and Waitrose!

saharasplash15 September, 2017

Weaning Tips with My Little Piccolo and Waitrose

I have been spending a lot of time counting down to milestones- when the baby reaches full term at 37 weeks (today!) for example and how many days left till my predicted due date. Like I’ve mentioned previously, I want to maintain the lifestyle aspect of my blog from fashion to the family, so this is something I’m really trying to focus on doing. I still want those without children to come to my site to read a post about what Cadbury is bringing out this year for Christmas as well as something like this- Weaning Tips with My Little Piccolo and Waitrose. I hope that my new readers as well as long time supporters can sort of co-exist together in one harmonious bubble of awesomeness. Read on to find out what happened when a bunch of mums (and my pregnant self) took over the Kings Cross Waitrose to explore the shelves…

The amazing brand behind the morning trip is My Little Piccolo. They are an organic baby food brand who have been organising trails up and down the country over the past few months to spread the word about best weaning tips. Together with Alice Fotheringham, an infant nutrition specialist and nutritional chef, they have reached out to all sorts of mums and had a big impact on the groups from the tours. I’m here to share a few things I learned myself which I’d love to pass on to any mums going through weaning, or just as food for thought for the future!

Frozen fruit is not cheating

Alice lead us through Waitrose aisle by aisle where we all had different types of questions. One popular question being about fruit and veg and how to incorporate this into a weaning baby’s diet. Frozen fruit is the perfect way to create a lovely dessert for baby and the family. Seasonal fruits such as strawberries can be bought frozen and blended up or cooked to make a compote, smoothie or crumble base. Stewed apples from frozen can settle a sickly tummy too. It’s absolutely fine to feed fruit from frozen to hungry little ones so don’t feel like you have to buy it all fresh.

Don’t be afraid of strong flavours

This is a really great tip I discovered on the tour. Alice explained to us that you shouldn’t be afraid of introducing stronger flavours such as mature cheddar (suitable from one year) or mustard in mashed potato for example. These strong tastes will help your baby to get used to trying out lots of variety, and apparently many weaning babies are fond of tinned mackerel or sardines too! Using different herbs and spices is also a better way of flavouring food instead of reaching for the salt when preparing meals for your baby.

There’s more to dips than just ketchup

A lot of us will open our fridge doors and be greeted with your standard bottle of ketchup, mayo and potentially a BBQ sauce. On our way round the shelves, we discovered that low and behold- there’s more to dips than just these three! Yogurt dips, pesto, and pea hummus are all perfect alternatives to the red sauce, here’s why:

It gets baby used to many different flavours
It reduces the sugar intake immediately on the plate (especially if dessert is on the menu too)
Colour variation in dips and sauces will help teach your child that green isn’t always related to yucky veggies!

Breakfast can be deceiving

So I’m a really big cereal eater. My go to tends to be the Nestle gluten free honey nut cornflakes day to day in the mornings. For babies and toddlers however, cereal is a sure way of starting the day off with too much sugar. It was also interesting to hear that Weetabix (compared to Waitrose own brand) contains three times the amount of sugar- that’s a big difference. We were advised to simply rule out 3/4 of cereals altogether when weaning and focus on porridge.

A huge thank you has to go out to Alice, the My Little Piccolo team and Waitrose for such a great day, I can’t wait to put it into practice in the New Year!

Meanwhile for mums already on the weaning journey, the My Little Piccolo website has a wealth of exciting recipes to try at home and has info on where you can purchase the products seen above.

Saharasplash x

saharasplash31 August, 2017

New to the scene Shop Skincare

New to the scene: Shop Skincare

I am really delighted to announce that I will be working closely with a new website called Shop Skincare. I’m sure you’ve all heard of sites such as Beauty Bay, Look Fantastic and Feel Unique. I myself have used all these to purchase beauty products and have them delivered straight to my front door. So, why is Shop Skincare any different? There’s a very good reason why you should read on, as these guys, although new to the scene, know exactly how to treat us beauty obsessed! Shop Skincare offer a unique service where if you spend £40 or more on their site, they will send you a gorgeous goody box filled with surprises! Not as a one off, not as a subscription service and not just your average gift box. This is how you are rewarded just by purchasing your usual beauty buys:

Akin
Cleansing Micellar Water

Akin are an Australian made and owned brand with some lovely cruelty free products. In my surprise box I received a cleansing micellar water with organic coconut water and green tea extract. It smells wonderful and it’s the perfect addition to a night time routine with hints of lavender to wind down the day.

Natura Siberica
Snow Cladonia Day Cream sample & Hand Cream

This hand cream is super luxurious and smells divine. The cranberry seed oil will have you sniffing the back of your hand for ages after use. If you’re into products using a combination of herbs and flowers then the Snow Cladonia Day Cream is one to try. It’s super absorbent and leaves the skin nicely moisturised and refreshed for a youthful glow.

Hollywood Browzer
Brow Shaper & Hair Remover

I was really intrigued about this product- at first I thought it was a brow grooming kit, but on closer inspection it was nothing I had ever tried or tested before. This is a brow and soft hair remover blade! You can use the blade at a 45 degree angle to quickly get rid of peach fuzz type hair (perfect for upper lip and chin) as well as shaping your brows.

This is a pain free method which needs no prep time such as soap or water, so if you find yourself showered, dressed and then you look down and catch a glimpse of that one really annoying stray leg hair, problem solved! I’ll be doing a video on my Instagram soon to demonstrate the Hollywood Browzer so make sure you’re following me!

Ultrasun
SPF 30 Family Sun Lotion

The great thing about this sun lotion is that it is perfume free. I can’t stand the way some sun lotions smell, and so this water resistant cream from Ultrasun is perfect. I find myself getting a slight sunburn in an hour’s drive as UVA rays can penetrate through car side windows. There is a constant need to protect my arms, neck and shoulders each time I get in the car, so I know that this will be going straight into my handbag!

Saaf Skincare
Pure Face Cleanser & Exfoliating Cloth

I was so excited to try this tester size face cleanser and cloth out from Saaf inside my Shop Skincare box. It smells amazing with the grapefruit peel oil just singing out the jar. The brand is also cruelty free!

So it’s well worth trying Shop Skincare out if you’re looking to buy conscious beauty products for hair, face, skin and body. Why wouldn’t you want to receive a free beauty box each time you shop too?! Stay tuned to find out more from what’s new to the scene and Shop Skincare ?

Saharasplash x

In collaboration with Shop Skincare.

All thoughts my own.

Why not see what I got up to on my latest London adventure with F&F Clothing and Cancer Research UK!

saharasplash22 August, 2017

My top five summer brands

My top five summer brands were a little hard to narrow down as you can imagine! It’s been a while since I’ve done a beauty related post as I’ve been trying a huge amount of new and wonderful products over the past few months. Skin and hair changes caused by pregnancy mean that it is such a good time to be trying new things, and I’ve got a bunch of super products here that will have you set from head to toe!

Sebamed

Sebamed is a really unique brand that I discovered this year and has been so great. All the products (hair and skin) have a pH level of 5.5 to match the value of our own skin- how cool! This means that it can help to restore the body’s natural balance whether you have dry or greasy skin and hair types. I’ve definitely found the shampoo and conditioner a real treat to use, my hair and skin being much drier throughout my pregnancy journey.

Bio-Essence

I’m sure that you can name a huge list of products you have at home right now when it comes to skincare if you are anything like me. I go through quite a lot of cleansers, toners, and moisturisers as it is a part of my daily routine, and has been since I was about 18. However, I have never tried a range of products quite like the Bio-Essence 24K bio-gold range before. There’s something about opening a jar of cream to discover that it has little golden pieces inside! These break down and absorb into the skin as soon as you start a circular motion so don’t worry, you won’t be left with a golden face! These products stay on the skin for hours and help it feel radiant and glowy.

Dorco Eve 6

I had grown tired of using the same old disposable razors and was ready to try something a bit different. Dorco razors have introduced their first female razor- the Dorco Eve 6- to their collections so I wanted to give this a try. The pack comes with the handle and 8 replacement blades, not to mention the packaging was stunning! I’m a sucker for great presentation so I loved opening the big box to discover little boxes inside.

Lansinoh

Now this may not be in your average beauty blogger’s makeup up station, but this has literally been a lifesaver this summer. I’ve never had any issue with dry or cracked nipples before, but this little gem has sorted everything out after only a few weeks of usage. I cannot recommend this highly enough, pregnant or not, if you have sore or chaffed nips!

Pro Blo

Lastly we come to this brush duo from Pro Blo. I discovered the brand after getting involved with an FBL Twitter chat and was kindly sent these products. I love the concept of the interchangeable heads, and the big roller brush makes it so easy to blowdry my hair. The smaller brush is so handy for separating my hair into sections with its super fab pointy end. If you’re in need of some great new hair tools then give these guys a try!

Thanks so much for reading about my top five summer brands. Let me know if you’re going to be trying any of these products out to freshen up your beauty routine!

Saharasplash x

This post contains PR samples.

Reviews are my individual and honest opinion.

See what I got up to at the Ipswich marina recently- click here

saharasplash14 July, 2017

RUSH Salon Wimbledon Village

When it comes to salons and regular appointments, I must admit that this is so not me. I’m the type of girl that never gets root touchups and would rather leave it six months until a sort of ombré happens. So when I eventually do make it to a salon, I’m going to have something major done. Here’s my experience of the RUSH Salon Wimbledon Village.

The RUSH Salon Wimbledon Village has been open for just a few months now, so I was really excited to visit its brand new site. There are two RUSH salons in the area, one being just Wimbledon and this one being much closer to Wimbledon Common on the High Street.

Here are some snaps of my hair before- far too long and much damage and breakage due to brushing and styling. Can you believe the last haircut I had was before my wedding back in November?! My stylist Zoe had just the thing, starting off with the best hair wash complete with massaging chair!

Zoe used the Kerastase trio above from the Volumifique range as well as cutting off a sizeable chunk to refresh my hair.

Having long, fine hair will also weigh it down more, meaning less volume unless you style with product.

Here is the after pic! So much better right? The ends look so healthy compared to just an hour beforehand, I was so pleased to have some fullness back in my hair.

I know there’s a mirror line in this shot but I was trying to be edgy and sort of like it! What do you think of my hair difference? Have you been to a RUSH Salon before? Let me know in the comments below!

Saharasplash x

I was sent to RUSH Salon Wimbledon Village for my honest review, all thoughts are my own.

saharasplash4 July, 2017

Blogger Brunch with Sexy Hair UK

At the end of my first trimester, I was invited out to a wonderful blogger brunch with Sexy Hair UK. Sexy Hair had been on my radar for a while and I had tried out a few products from their haircare range. I was so pleased to see the invite had been extended to mums of bloggers too, so off we went! Quo Vadis was the location of the Sexy Hair Blogger Brunch, and when we arrived the table was ready and set for us.

Endless tea and juice is always a good plan. My mum and I had a gluten free yoghurt and granola brunch as we are both coeliacs. We met some other fabulous bloggers at the brunch including Abigail Royston and Elegantly Fashionable too!

The Sexy Hair Stylist Ross talked us through the different ranges that Sexy Hair offers (which is a lot!) and then we had the chance to get our hair done. I always jump at the chance for someone to style my hair, especially as I’m going through the awkward stage of growing more of my natural brunette out.

My mum and I both have similar hair which is fine, blonde and fast growing. We were recommended the red range which is for volumizing and boosting flat hair.