M&S Organic Green Tea with Lemon

I've always been a fan of green tea, mainly for its health boosting qualities. After trying different types and flavours of green tea, I came across this lemon infused tea in Marks and Spencer and decided to give it ago!

Apart from the fact that the box is really pretty, this citricy, fresh tea is absolutely divine. Green tea itself has quite a fresh flavour and with this added zing of lemon, it becomes amazingly refreshing.  Unlike some flavoured teas, the lemon is no way over powering. It’s not sour, like I expected it to be, it’s more of the freshness of lemon than the acidic quality of a lemon that the tea is infused with. I’m a big tea drinker as it is, and this is just what I need in the afternoon to freshen up my day!

The green tea means I still get the many health benefits but with a much nicer taste! Green tea itself doesn't have a great taste, I can still drink it and enjoy it but I much prefer a flavoured green tea, and this is my new favourite! I just love how refreshing it is, and at 99p a box, it’s a bargain!

Once again I’m lost with finding a negative. However, I feel with a food/drink product, it’s hard to find a negative. You either like it or you don’t. Simple as and this I love! So much so that I want to go back and try out some other M&S teas! Two thumbs up from me! 

Wella Silvikrin Classic Maximum Hold Hairspray

 I have a bit of an obsession with my hair. Dying it, styling it and cutting it. I've recently gone from having a middle parting with no fringe to having a full side fringe cut in. It’s been a while since I had a fringe and I remembered that last time, I used hairspray to keep it in place, if there’s one thing I can’t stand is having fringe in my eyes!

So the first thing I did the next day was went out and bought some hairspray! Usually I’m a bit of a Tresemme fan when it comes to hairspray, but they were having a deal on Wella’s Silvikrin so I thought I would give that ago (I had also forgotten that it was Tresemme I usually use as it had been so long since I had used hairspray). I bought the maximum hold spray hoping it would keep my fringe in place for the whole day, which it sort of did. The problem I have is that I touch my hair too much through the day which loosens the hold of the spray. I’m constantly pushing my fringe to the side as I’m not used to it yet, which, really, makes the hairspray pointless!

However, on a whole, it does what it says on the tin. It does hold my fringe in place (when I don’t touch it!) and when I've styled my hair a certain way (curled or waved etc) the spray does keep it in for a majority of the day. It doesn't leave my hair rock solid like some sprays, unless I've sprayed too much in one area which I often do as I use a lot, and it does brush it quite easily.

 I’m not sure I would class it as maximum hold as, even when I've sprayed a lot, it doesn't keep my hair in place until I go to bed. I’m not suggesting it says it will do this on the tin, but that’s kind of what I expect from a maximum hold spray. Maybe I’m asking for too much? Anyway, I would recommend this hairspray for anyone looking for a good hold. Personally, I need a higher strength as I just play with my hair too much through the day!

Soap & Glory Hand Food

As my job means my hands are in water all day, I quite often get very dry, sore hands, and applying hand cream on the job is pointless as it just washes off. I needed to find a cream that I could use after work that soothed the soreness and re-hydrated my skin within one or two applications. I’m a bit picky when it comes to hand creams because, I’m sure like most people, I hate having greasy hands for hours on end, which is often what you get with hand creams. Soap and Glory, however, have created a magical hand cream that seemed to fix my hands within one application, and was absorbed completely within half an hour!

S&P’s hand food with its Shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow claims to be a non-greasy hydrating hand cream, and it is! I was a bit worried when I squeezed a dollop into my hands to find it quite watery and thin. However, I rubbed it in and found it was actually quite luxurious. It rubs in quickly leaving no greasiness only soft hands. It’s exactly what I needed. One of the first things I do when I get in from work is apply the hand cream and pop the kettle on. By the time I’ve organised myself (taken my coat off, gone to the loo, you know all that sort of stuff) the hand cream has soaked in and I feel safe enough to hold my cup of tea without it slipping out of my hands.

I do, however, have a few negatives to say about this cream. Firstly, although it contains Shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow, it has quite a weird fragrance. It’s quite hard to explain but it sort of has a producty smell, like the cream before all the ingredients are added, if that make sense? Whether that’s the aroma all the ingredients create when mixed together, I don’t know, but it wasn’t what I expected. Secondly, the product itself is quite watery and liquidy, more like a lotion than a cream. Don’t get me wrong, it works incredibly well for a lotion, but I do find myself having to shake the tube before squeezing into my hands so I don’t get a handful of half water, half cream. (This could be because it’s out of date, I was given it as a Christmas present and you never know whether the present has been bought for you or whether it’s something that they’ve had for years but never used, who knows!) I was also going to add that the tube is quite big and not very practical for transporting, however, soap and glory do have a travel size version of the cream, so this is no longer a problem!

Overall, I am very impressed with the work of the cream and its soothing qualities! It does exactly what I wanted from a hand cream and is precisely what I need for my hands after a day’s work I just wish it smelt yummier! “The most astonishing hand cream ever?” I would definitely say it’s up there at the top!

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening Conditioner

Conditioner. Probably one of the most important products in a girl’s bathroom, well for me it is anyway! Finding the right one for your hair is difficult. I’ve tried so many to find some too heavy, others too light, and very often, ones that do absolutely nothing to the health of my hair. There is nothing worse than getting a new conditioner, using it and drying your hair to find it still feels as dry and brittle as it did before! (Well, I’m sure there are much worse things but you know what I mean!)

A few months ago I decided to try a new conditioner from a well known brand, Herbal Essences. I’ve used their products before to find they have worked really well but, being a bit of a beauty geek, I like to mix it up a bit and try different brands and products.  I had seen this new Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening conditioner advertised by the gorgeous Nicole Scherzinger and, normally I don’t give in to the power of advertising, but her locks are so luscious I just had to try it, and I’m so glad I did.

Apart from the fact that the conditioner smells absolutely divine due to its honey and apricot extracts, it also works incredibly well. The thick, creamy conditioner deeply conditions (ironically) and strengthens the hair. After the first use, my hair felt beautifully soft and silky and I noticed a difference in its strength. As I mentioned before in my Moroccan Oil post (http://www.layingitbare.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/moroccan-oil.html) the ends of my hair have been repeatedly bleached leaving it broken and damaged. Quite often, when brushing, the ends break off and leave me with lovely broken strands all over the floor. However, since using this conditioner I’ve noticed a reduction in the breakage of the ends! When styling, my hair definitely doesn’t break as much and I don’t have as much hair to clean up once I’m ready! It leaves my hair smelling gorgeous and looking much healthier, I’m definitely a fan!

The only bad thing I would say is that, because of the design of the bottle, it becomes hard to squeeze out the product when the bottle is half empty. The front and back bends in meaning there’s nothing for me to squeeze in to get the product out. I generally have to squeeze the outer edges to get some air into the bottle, give it a shake and then squeeze the conditioner out. I have no idea if any of that makes sense, but that’s the simplest way I can find to put it!

Other than that small design issue, the product itself is definitely one of my faves, so much so that I went out yesterday and bought two more bottles of the conditioner and two of the matching shampoo! (Currently on a half price deal at boots!) Definitely a keeper. 

The "Hair-Raiser" Grooming Tool

Any pet owner will know that looking after your animal is important, especially man’s best friend. Since starting work at the groomers, my eyes have been opened to the importance of grooming and maintaining your dog’s coat. There are a variety of different dog coats that have to be maintained differently. Dogs that moult, like my 8 year old black Labrador, often benefit from a good old brush with a clever little de-shedding gadget, which paw-things.com has named the “hair-raiser”.

 The “hair-raiser” (or furminator as it’s more commonly known in the grooming industry) is a tool that removes all the undercoat (dead hair) which your pooch sheds, generally, all over your house!  It’s simple to use and very effective! The head of the tool can be flipped revealing two different sized combs, one being a wide-set, rake teeth, comb which can be used on dogs with longer coats, such as golden retrievers, to loosen and free any dead hair. The second comb has more narrow-set teeth to de-shed shorter haired breeds.  To use, run the combs over the fur of your pup in short strokes, much like you would with a normal brush, to release any dead fur, leaving less for your dog to leave around the house!

After using this quite frequently at work I would highly recommend it. Dogs usually have 2-3 major moults during one year. They moult in spring when the weather gets a bit warmer, shedding their winter warming coat. They also moult in the winter. The cooler weather in the autumn causes the dog to grow in their winter coat. However, the central heating that gets clicked on in the colder months simulates summer to the dog’s fur, causing them to moult their new coat. They just can’t win! During these times, 10 minutes or so every few days of brushing with the hair-raiser really helps to keep on top of the moulting to remove the dead hair before it naturally drops all over your carpet. You will be amazed with the amount of undercoat this gadget gets out in one go!

I feel this post is more of a sharing of knowledge than a product review, so I will leave this one without a negative comment (there really isn’t one anyway!). I highly recommend this to any dog owner struggling to keep on top of their dog’s mammoth coat.  

Daktarin Aktiv Spray Powder for Athlete's Foot

Something which I think most people would find embarrassing to talk about is sweaty feet. Sounds gross right? Well, as a 21 year old girl, it’s definitely not something I like to admit having. But, unfortunately, having sweaty feet is something I’ve had to suffer with since my early teens. Since starting a new job, I’m on my feet for 6-8 hours at least 5 days a week, in waterproof boots. As you can imagine, my feet get quite hot and don’t get to breath much during that time which I found was making my feet sore and itchy. They were damp for a majority of the time I was working – due to the sweating.  I had developed a mild case of athlete’s foot. It was time to do something. I wasn’t prepared to give up my boots as they are incredible comfortable and perfect for the job, washing dogs at a dog groomers (review on the boots coming soon!).

I asked my mum for some help and she came home with this Daktarin Activ Spray Powder, and ever since, I have had absolutely no problems! The spray contains Miconazole Nitrate, an ‘antifungal’ for treatment, relief and protection from athlete’s foot. The spray is to be applied to the soles of the feet and can also be applied in socks and shoes. I only apply it to the bottom of my feet which works really well for me! My socks are still damp when I get home from work and I often put my boots on the radiator to dry them out for the next day. The first thing I do is change my socks and give my feet an extra spritz of the spray powder, simple. The athlete’s foot has cleared completely and hasn’t returned since! I’m on to my second bottle of the powder and I make sure I have a new bottle in my stocks for when it runs out!

Negatives, well, it hasn’t got any really. Once again I’m struggling to find a negative comment as it does exactly what it says on the tin, well, bottle. Maybe one negative is that it doesn’t stop my feet from sweating, I still come home with wet feet. However, that’s not the point of the product, it doesn’t say anywhere on the bottle that it stops the feet from sweating. I have yet to try spraying the product in my shoes, which could contribute to keeping my feet dryer.

 So, anyone suffering from sore feet due to sweating get to your local pharmacy or supermarket (mum got mine from Tesco!) and purchase this product.  It does exactly what it says on the tin. 

Elemis Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash

Knowing how to look after our skin is important, but can be stressful when it comes to choosing the correct products. For me, choosing the right exfoliator is one of the most important parts of my skin care routine. My skin can be quite temperamental and I quite often get a few spots (whether that’s due to hormones as I’m only 21 or the rubbish I eat, who knows) so I like to look after my skin. I’ve tried and tested many different exfoliators’ to find some are too rough and some are more like moisturising cleansers. 

The Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash by Elemis, I have found, is just right. The face wash is made up of jojoba beads and cherry powder to gently polish the skin and is enriched with mandarin and aniseed to soften and condition. For me, this is perfect. It is light and contains small grains, and, with it being a face wash comes out of the tube more like a liquid than a thick exfoliator making it easy to spread across the face. The small grains take off any dry flakes without being too harsh and irritating my skin. I find exfoliator’s with large grains just don’t do the job well enough, and, usually, there aren’t enough grains to make much of a difference. With this, the grains are small enough and there are enough of them to take off the top layer of grime and leave me with beautifully soft skin! With the mix of different ingredients listed above, the exfoliator smells delicious as well as having many benefits to the skin.

As mentioned before, I like to give a negative to every product, but much like the Moroccan Oil, this product really doesn’t have a negative. The only thing I would say is that the exfoliator is hard to remove from the face when washing it off with a flannel, some of the grains get left behind. To be honest, this is the problem most exfoliator’s have and it’s nothing a splash of water can’t fix! This exfoliating face wash is definitely one of my favourite skin care products, and I highly recommend it!

Moroccan Oil

Everyone and anyone interested in hair care will have heard of the new must have oil for luxurious locks, Moroccan Oil. Being someone who is constantly changing my hair colour and playing around with new styles, I was dying to try this new miracle worker. I looked around and tried a variety of different brands, at different prices, of both Moroccan and Argan Oil, and found variable results. Generally, like most things, the more expensive the product, the better the results, and that’s exactly what I have found with these different oils.  

This specific product, Moroccan Oil treatment, cost’s £12.85 for a tiny 25ml bottle, but my goodness it was worth it! The product is to be applied to damp hair before styling, and the results you get are incredible. I naturally have mousey brown hair and currently have ombred (or dip dyed) blonde ends, which after having had them bleached countless times, and being a bit of a GHD addict, has dried out and frazzled the tips. After one use of this miracle oil, I noticed a significant difference. My hair felt a lot softer and smoother, it had lost that straw like, brittle feel and looked a lot healthier. Unlike some of the oils I’ve used which have left my hair with a slightly greasy feel; this product left no residue after drying, only luscious locks.   

The price may be a bit off putting at first, with a larger bottle (100ml) costing more or less £30, however, this small 25ml bottle lasted me roughly 7 months! A tiny blob of oil is all you need for one application, and if like me you only blow dry your hair once or twice a week, a small amount goes a long way. If you blow dry your hair every day and have a tight budget, this may not be the product for you, but if you’re willing to spend that little bit more for beautiful hair, I would highly recommend purchasing this wonder product.

The only negative comment I would have about this product, which is really not worth mentioning but I feel every review needs a negative, is that the bottle can get quite greasy as it has a screw cap and no pump. The oil is poured out into the palms, and oily hands’ putting the lid back on isn’t the easiest! Other than that, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this product. It has become a staple in my hair drying routine and I would definitely suggest making it apart of yours too! 

Welcome to Laying it Bare!

I think its safe to say that when it comes to purchasing a new product whether it be beauty, household or, well, anything really, getting it home and finding you're disappointed with the results can be frustrating, especially if you have taken a risk and spent a little more than you normally would. The idea behind this blog is to provide you with information on anything and everything with truthful and honest reviews, laying everything down bare. 

From beauty to fitness, household and even food products, anything I've been pleased about or disappointed with will be reviewed on this site! I hope to be as helpful as I can in helping you to make the decisions necessary when choosing the correct products for you! 

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Feel free to request a review on any product via a comment or a tweet, I will do my best to review the product for you (if cost and time allows).

Enjoy!