Saturday 17 May 2014

A wonderful birthday spent in Brighton

Happy Birthday to ME!

I spent a lovely bank holiday weekend in Brighton with old pals from University, soaking up the sunshine, getting rather sunburnt (whoops!) and generally having a great time.


I was doing this trip on a tight budget, and spent the night in a 16 bed dorm, which wasn’t as bad as it sounds. There was me and 3 friends, some very quiet girls, a few guys over from Germany on an internship and a stag party - the tamest stag party ever.
In a way, staying somewhere that wasn’t luxury was the best way to see Brighton it meant that we didn’t spend any time in the room. Dropped the bags off, and went straight to the beach!


Brighton Beach







The next morning however, after a rather restless night due to much snoring from very drunk people in the room (yes ok, my sleep was probably also affected by my alcohol consumption, but it was my birthday after all) I was feeling less than rested. Thankfully I'd packed some Radox shower gel. My shower gel of choice is the new Radox passion fruit splash gel, it's only about £2 but it's amazing and is packed full of natural ingredients and smells like sunshine! It's incredible what a shower and a burst of the smell of passionfruit can do for the mind. I felt revitalised, and off we went for some breakfast, and spent the rest of the day hanging out on the beach, at the arcades on the pier and catching up on old times.




Passion Fruit Radox


I'll definitely be visiting Brighton again soon, would highly recommend!

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Raffles Resort - Praslin, Seychelles Review

Just a short plane ride, about 15 minutes, (or boat trip, but the water can be pretty bumpy) from the main island Mahé is the Island of Praslin.

Praslin is the second largest island of the Seychelles, about 30 miles northeast of Mahé. Praslin boasts one of the best beaches in the world, Anse Lazio. Unfortunately the weather was not kind to me on the day I visited, but I could still see the beauty of the place.

plane to praslin seychelles
Ready to board

Upon arrival on the island, we were met by our driver, who took us to Raffles Resort - Praslin, Seychelles which was nothing short of incredible.

Although there are eighty-six villas in the resort, you wouldn't know it. The villas were not overlooked by one another, and were carefully sculpted into the hills surrounding the sublime white beach. 

villa raffles praslin seychelles
Beds in the Villa
view in villa praslin, raffles seychelles
Bath with a view
Private Pool in my Villa


private sunbathing, raffles, praslin - seychelles
Private sunbathing area

Seychelles point of difference to other Islands of Paradise in that there is a much greater emphasis on conservation, as such there are opportunities to snorkel with the wildlife, see the giant turtles and explore the rainforest first hand.

My villa was immaculate, with every detail thought of, including fresh fruit in the room upon my arrival and a delicious cocktail. What made this stay that little bit more special was that I could truly unwind and relax in completely peace. Although the resort boasts beautiful pools and beaches, my villa had its own private pool overlooking the beach as well as a private deck where I could relax with a good book and soak up the sunshine. Even the bath tub was out of this world, with views to die for. 

The villas also cater for lovers of technology, with an array of features including 42 inch plasma television, electric safe, plug-and-play for MP3, and bedside lighting control and service panel. For the art lover, there is an easel and sketch pad in the room so you can draw the beautiful views.

Raffles has also won Best Spa Hotel Seychelles at the International Hotel Awards in 2011, 2012 and 2013. 

5 star perfection!






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Wednesday 7 May 2014

Anti-Ageing Beauty Treatments, Destination Skin Clinic Knightsbridge

Ageing - I have never been more worried about the process than when I turned 25 yesterday. 25, how did that even happen?! It’s true what they say, you may age on the outside, but you don’t feel any different in yourself!

For my birthday I went to the Destination Skin Clinic in Knightsbridge for a skin treatment. My skin therapist Tia was absolutely fantastic, I wasn’t sure what treatment I wanted, so she sat me down and we did a full skin consultation and went through the different treatment types available and we decided on a prescription facial which would tackle my dehydrated skin. My skin tends not to be too dry, but I had visited Brighton over the weekend and managed to get quite bad sunburn on my face (despite having been wearing factor 30) so my skin was feeing rather delicate and dry.

Destination Skin Clinic, Knightsbridge
Destination Skin Clinic, Knightsbridge

Tia was great, she talked me through all the steps and explained the different ingredients in the cleansers, exfoliators and masks, and even took some photos for me during the treatment so that I could post them up on my blog.

The treatment itself started with a deep cleanse of my face to remove any makeup and London smog. Step two, an exfoliant, was applied which smelt delicious and contained passionfruit which helped to break down my dead skin cells. Next, serum was applied to my skin and massaged in to improve the circulation. A firming mask containing banana potassium was then applied to help tone and firm my skin, illuminating any fine lines I had from dehydration. To finish with, a selection of products were applied to my skin to leave me looking dewy.

Sunburn on full display
Sunburn on full display
After my treatment Tia applied some mineral foundation to my skin so that I could travel home on the underground without having that pink post facial tint to my skin, a really thoughtful touch. I was also given some samples of a Vitamin C booster to help with my sensitive undamaged skin from the overexposure at the weekend.

mineral foundation
Overexposed picture, but this is with some mineral foundation applied
Destination Skin clinics offer a host of different prescription facials, priced at around £50, which help hydrate, soothe, and correct any imperfections on the skin. I was recommended a course of 3 prescription facials for the best results. If you buy a course of treatments, regardless of treatment, there is usually a pretty good discount.



This is my skin the next day, before applying make-up, the redness has definitely settled. I know I'm going to peel a little, as my sunburn was pretty deep, but I'm very relieved that I no longer look like a tomato!



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