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saharasplash18 January, 2016

Taking a walk with Lylia Rose

Hey beauties, welcome back, can you believe that we are now into the latter parts of Jan 2016? Neither can I! As you may have seen from my insta recently, I hinted that I would be doing a collaboration with Lylia Rose. Lylia Rose is a fashion boutique and lifestyle blog all rolled into one and so I was over the moon when I got to choose my very own scarf to feauture on my own blog, and I think I chose well! I know it’s still really cold outside, but I couldn’t resist shooting on what was a beautiful weekend just gone. The sun was shining, so I decided that I was seeing spring blossom early by taking a walk with my dog and with Lylia Rose!

For those of you who aren’t introduced, I have the pleasure of owning a very big and beautiful Great Dane whose name is Harley. He is full of character and loves the camera, so I took the opportunity to spend some quality time with him on a trip back home to my mother’s house where he lives and to show you all how I chose to style my wonderful new scarf, its name is the green magnolia blossom.

I chose the green magnolia blossom scarf as it has wonderful spring colours, but it is big enough to wrap around you and keep the chilly days at bay too- perfect for our current climate!

I decided to use Harley for a little wardrobe inspo and dressed head to toe in black and white to really offset the beautiful colours in the scarf and to match my four legged friend.

I wore culottes from forever 21, an American Apparel houndstooth bodysuit and my Karen Millen fitted jacket.

As well as taking a walk with Harley, I also took the scarf on another trip to see the in-laws. They have a stunning country house and made for an excellent location to show the scarf off a bit more. The day wasn’t as sunny, but the wind really helped to lift the scarf upwards and flaunt its lovely design to its best ability. It is light, soft, floaty and everything I want in a scarf for this time of year.

I want to thank Lylia Rose for collaborating with me, and to say thank you to all you wonderful readers, I have a special discount code so you can get your very own Lylia Rose scarf too!

Use the code ‘saharasplash’ for 20% OFF your entire order! How fab is that? Go go go!

If you liked this post, Taking Luxemme to Ladbroke Grove should be right up your street!

Saharasplash x

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

saharasplash11 December, 2015

Hooray for LaRoche-Posay

I couldn’t wait to hear the news that LaRoche-Posay was to hold an end of year Christmas party for us beauty bloggers. I missed out on their event earlier on in the year so when I received my invite I knew that an exciting evening was ahead of me after seeing the snaps from their previous event. I am thrilled to report all about my evening which really was an exquisite affair, so hooray for LaRoche-Posay!

My friend Lissa (Girl at the Rock Show) and Luisa (Eat Sleep Luisa Repeat) were also on the guest list, so we teamed up and met after work at the Carousel near Baker Street for the event. I had been following LaRoche’s successes ever since the launch of the serozinc range for acne and oil prone skin. The LaRoche team had some amazing new products on display for us to try, exciting times!

The venue itself was stunning. Snow-topped forest pines surrounded the room and a festive feel was in the air. The products were displayed on crystal shelves and a dj supplied even more atmosphere. It was a small event but it felt really exclusive, something which I think is really important when planning events for bloggers.

Top marks for effort, presentation and food/drinks too! I enjoyed a non alcoholic mojito made with blueberries and elderflower and I had a glass of prosecco to wash down some gluten free tortilla!

Sarah and the team gave a great welcome speech, and introduced us to Dr Tabi Leslie, an expert dermatologist who was on hand all night to answer any questions we had about our skin.

The product of the night was the brand new Effaclar BB blur primer. The primer is different from others with its mousse-like texture and its ability to absorb sweat and oil/sebum. This translates to no more shiny face at 2pm in the afternoon! I have to say I’ve been using the primer every day now since the event and I’ve noticed a big difference. Before I used to have to dab my face with a tissue around lunchtime in the bathroom to get rid of my shine, but with the BB Blur on there is no need. Hooray!

Back to the event now, I was really impressed with how things ran. I got to mingle with several other bloggers including Lily and also got to talk to the LaRoche-Posay team as they came round to us all. I loved this cute little post box too for an added festive feel. We wrote to Santa asking for something special, so crossing fingers he gets our letters!

Featured image, hooray for laroche-posay post box

We each got to take home a bag with the new BB Blur primer, the serozine spray and their new Hydraphase intense serum which was also showcased on the night.

I want to thank the Dowal Walker team and LaRoche-Posay for hosting such a wonderful Christmas party, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for us next year!

If you’d like to try the BB Blur primer it is on preorder now so get it here and save 1/3 off!

I thought I would also add a little video when I got home of me opening up my gift bag too!

Saharasplash X

If you liked this post, take a read of my review of Instanatural’s Dead Sea mud mask right here before you go

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

saharasplash3 November, 2015

Monochroming in the city with Lindex!

I have been dying to write a post all about Lindex ever since attending their store launch at Westfield in September. I heard about them through Fashion Foie Gras and after checking their site out I was on that guest list pronto! I would say that their style is h and m meets forever 21, but they are all about sustainability which is great. They have a fabulous range of autumn colours and are on trend with culottes, polo necks and more.

On the night of the launch, they were holding an Instagram competition which I happened to win, but didn’t see the direct message until 3 weeks later! I blame my crappy iPhone 5 for not sending out notifications, I’m due an upgrade and the iPhone 6 is calling my name!!

Anyways, I contacted Lindex, apologised for not responding and they had the gift voucher sent out to me, what darlings! So off I went to Lindex one day after work to see what took my fancy.

I picked up an oversized monochrome jumper, as my wardrobe is needing some long sleeves right now, a grey longline cardigan and also a pair of knee high cable knit socks- all for under £25!

I can’t wait to show you the results, so without further delay, here are the shots and short clip of me monochroming in the city with Lindex- tres chique I think!

We went to Trent Park for the lush scenery in the video- let me know how you would have styled this jumper up!

saharasplash3 October, 2015

Autumn wardrobe sorted for under £200!

So I wanted to write a post about getting that awesome autumn wardrobe on a budget. I know a lot of us out there are struggling with big city living costs but still want to look fabulous.

I will show you how I got a whole new autumn wardrobe for under £200 which includes dresses, a skirt, jumper, trousers, a bag and a pair of boots!

First stop- Bond Street. It was a miserable train journey home one afternoon, and after series of cancellations, I decided to go for a wander to let the trains get back to normal. I wasn’t on a mission for a new wardrobe, but I somehow ended up getting off at Bond Street and following the crowd to Primark.

I have found Primark to be hit and miss over the years. Sometimes I find the most amazing things in there, and other times I come out very disappointed. I think that this last venture has outdone itself, I adored the pieces from the AW collection which I found after only being in there for an hour. They have the perfect autumn purples and oranges everyone is looking for. Here are the pieces I bought:

This is such a staple piece at the moment, I adore it! I personally am loving brown and black right now, so here is how I styled this up!

These boots I also nabbed from Primark at a great price. These are wide fit chelsea boots so super comfy and make your ankles look slimmer too! The website don’t have them in tan but here is the boot in black:

Carrying on with the suede madness, I picked up a suede dress too with eyelet detail on the straps. Really retro and looks great for work if you put a blouse underneath it:

Next up, the bag! This photo really doesn’t do this beauty justice. Its front pannel you see in the photo is monochrome check, but the sides are a beautiful brown so perfect when wanting to mix blacks and browns! Also, a fabulous price no? You can see the brown detail in my photo where I am wearing the suede skirt above!

Now these 2 dresses I couldn’t find on the website, so I had an excuse to do a photoshoot in my hallway 🙂

This purple suede dress is £13 from the AW Primark collection, such a steal! I paired it with a leaf necklace and suede boots from Fashion Prescription

Next up, more purple! Again same price and from Primark again, only this one has full sleeves and lace detail on the shoulder

Now let’s move onto a new fav of mine, Lindex. I went to the opening of their new store in Westfield earlier on in the week and fell in love with so many pieces. Lindex is a Swedish brand but now are opening up several stores across London, I really recommend checking them out as their stuff is killer but the price isn’t! I got myself a beautiful orange jumper, a pair of crop trousers and best for last, a black shirt dress with lace up front for just £20!

So there you have it, a whole new autumn collection I am loving right now for under£200. You can mix and match virtually all these pieces depending on your own personal style and of course the weather!

Saharasplash x

saharasplash16 September, 2015

Bloggers Funfair with Joe Browns

So I wasn’t planning on doing anything last Wednesday night, but on Tuesday I happened to see a hashtag on Twitter that I couldn’t not research into- something about bloggers and a funfair… you so would look too!

It turned out to be a small gathering of bloggers to showcase Joe Browns new A/W collection inspired by the funfair at a bar near Leicester Square. I nudged my fav blogger girlattherockshow and she came along with me after work and we had a blast.

The bar was filled with sweet funfair treats like popcorn and candy floss and there were even games to play like hook a duck and a sweet grabber machine. The collection was placed all around the area we were in; bags, shoes and hats with a big rail in the centre to browse through. I spotted a luxurious kaftan that I am dying to grab- so of course I tried it on! The tassle detail at the bottom worked a treat! If you want to see it on the site just search Devore Kaftan.

I bumped into Scarlett London by chance who sat down next to us and was great to meet her. If you aren’t already following her blog please do!

Another fab blogger who I sat next to during the catwalk show was uptown style. She was such a laugh and would love to hang out with her again!

The catwalk show was excellent. Really lovely and upbeat, and I swear all the models were trained dancers from the way they turned so effortlessly. Another piece that caught my eye besides the kimono was a stunning jacket with embroidered floral detail on the front and back. It was what I can only describe as an edgy but delicate combination, much like me (or so I like to think!) what do you think?

The night was a great spur of the moment decision and am so glad that I had the opportunity to go and meet the people behind Joe Browns, plus some new bloggers too!

Check out their full catalogue here and see if there’s something that catches your eye!