Polynesian Island Tiare

I was recently kindly sent some products by The Body Shop to try out and review.

The products I chose to try out were the Body Cream, Body Mist and the Eau De Toilette.

Now I had no idea what Tiare was before I saw this, in fact I'd never even heard of the name but on the back of the EDT it states that Polynesian women would wear Tiare flowers in their hair to provide themselves with a perfumed scent. So there you have it Tiare is actually a flower (I learn something new everyday).

The scent from these products is so lovely and fresh, it has a hint of vanilla and coconut with a floral scent being the strongest note, the smell is pretty hard to describe overall really as it isn't like anything I've smelt before. It sits lovely on my skin I just wish it lasted a little longer, maybe it's just that I don't smell it on myself.

The body cream is soo smooth it literally just melts straight into your skin and I actually think it helps to hold the scent of the EDT on to my skin. I think I'm going to save the rest of this tub for my holiday as it is just the most perfect summery scent.

I love the body mist, I tend to spray this more onto my arms and onto my clothing as I was once told that perfumes cling to your clothing better, now I'm not sure whether this is actually true or not but it seems to work for me.

They also have a shower gel and body lotion in this range, which unfortunately I haven't had the chance to try out yet. If you want to take a look at the range and prices click here

I bobbed in to The Body Shop near to where I work only yesterday just to top up on my hand creams and found the Pinita Colada range near to the door as I was walking out, it smells absolutely amazing!! that is definitely going on my to buy next list, the perfect summer holiday scent, it's like a tropical blend of pineapple and coconut and oh my gosh I need it!! for anyone interested in this here's the link

Sam xx

Get to know a little more about me...

I've been blogging for almost a month now and am so happy about how many people have actually taken the time to read my posts, feeling very proud! I started to think about how little people know about me and how maybe it's kind of putting people off following me as I don't have my face on my Twitter profile, I feel like I've stayed a little bit anonymous, so, I though I'd write this quick post all about me and let you get to know me better (as soon as I have a picture of myself I'm happy with I will be changing my Twitter profile picture too)

 Name: Samantha
Age: 28
How tall are you: I am around 5"7
Best friend/s: Helen from HelenXBeauty
Relationship status: Single
Piercings I have: I have my Ear lobes, Tragus, Forward Helix & Belly all done
Piercings I want: I'm not too sure really, maybe I'd get more lobe piercings
Tattoos I have: I don't have any tattoos
Tattoos I want: I always wanted an anchor on the inside of my left arm for my Grandad who served in the Navy and had an anchor tattoo on his arm
The meaning behind my blog name: I chose this as I am currently a Florist student and wanted to use that aspect of my life in my blog I also wanted something cute and memorable
Favourite band at the moment: I have so many.. Walking on Cars, Wolf Alice, Kaleo, Daughter, Catfish and the Bottlemen to name a few
Favourite movie: Into the Wild, such an amazing, thought provoking film
A fact about my personality: I am super shy and quiet until I get to know you, once I do, I will never shut up lol
What I hate most about myself: At the moment I hate the state of my skin, I'm so fed up with the amount of blemishes I keep getting, I don't understand why I keep getting them as I try really hard to take care of my skin.
What I love most about myself: I love my extremely fast metabolism, I can literally get away with eating what ever I want and never really put on weight
What I want to be when I'm older: Currently on my journey to become a Florist
Idea of the perfect date: A long walk down a sunny beach, then a picnic by a fire whilst watching a beautiful sunset
Thing I hate most: Noisy eaters...My Dad is the worst, he clashes his teeth together when he's eating, I absolutely HATE it!
My phobias: I'm terrified of most birds, particularly Geese, after being attacked by one when I was a child. I'm also scared stiff of getting on a boat after a bad experience in Tenerife, I'm going to have to over come this fear this year to take a trip to Alcatraz in Sept whilst we're in San Fran
Can you cook: I love cooking, it doesn't always turn out exactly how I wanted but I love to experiment with food. I wish I had more chance to cook.
Favourite subject at school: I loved Art, I spent most of my lunches in my final two years in the Art classrooms working on my project for my GCSE's
Favourite drink: English Breakfast Tea up until around 5pm then my fave after work drink is Sailor Jerry's and Ginger Beer
Favourite food: Soo much, I love my food....Pizza, Greg's home made Italian Lasagne, Carbonara, Beef Roast, Butternut Squash and Goats Cheese Lasagne, Avocado, Crisps, Toffee Crisp, Blueberry Muffin
Last thing I bought: 3 flower books to help with my studying
Favourite book of all time: Wild by Cheryl Strayed, this book just stayed with me for so long, the film just didn't really do it justice for me
Do you have any pets: Yep, a Chihuahua, a Pomeranian  a yellow bellied turtle, a rabbit, goldfish and tropical fish (mini zoo)
Favourite perfume: Womanity by Thierry Mugler
Favourite beauty product: Gerard cosmetic highlighter in the shade Grace... so beautiful
Favourite shop: H&M, Zara, Boots
Favourite festive holiday: Christmas
Are you married: Nope, still single
Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times: Yep, a good few times, Majorca, Tenerife, Corfu, Crete, Spain x2, Milan, Copenhagen, Iceland, Sweden, Prague, Turkey, USA x2, Ireland, France
Speak any other language: a little German and French, which I learnt from school
How many siblings do you have: 2 sisters, one of which is my twin
When was the last time you cried: I don't really remember, I tend to cry more when I'm frustrating and things aren't going right
Favourite TV show: Orange Is The New Black, Orphan Black, Great British Sewing Bee, Heartland
What phone do you have: Iphone 5s
Random fact: I studied Sociology & Psychology back when I was 23/24

Thanks for reading this post and I hope you know feel like you know me a little more

Sam xx

Spectrum Brush Review

Good evening guys, I hope you're all having a great weekend.

Today I've decided to write a small review on the Spectrum Collections brushes whichh I have owned for around three weeks now and have been absolutely loving.

The brushes which I purchased are:

C01 - No#1 fan, a large fan shaped brush which I use to apply highlighter on to the top of my cheek bones, brow arch and cupid's bow.

C03 -  Flawless Finish, which I use to apply face powder over the top of my base with in order to set my foundation and concealer.

C04 - Killer Cheek Bone, this is a slightly angled brush and I typically use this to apply my blusher.

B01 - In The Buff, I don't use this one everyday, it has shorter, denser bristles, when I do use this brush it is mostly for blending my contour.

B02 - Well Rounded, which is similar to B01 but the bristles are rounded off at the side, I typically use this for a slightly heavier blush.

Now I'm not sure if I'm using these brushes correctly, 'cause hey! I'm no make up artist, but I do think these brushes are absolutely amazing, they are so soft and not a single bristle has fallen out which to me proves the quality of them.

 The only discrepancy I did have with the brushes was that they smelt very strongly of lacquer when they first arrived. A lovely lady on Twitter swiftly replied to me informing me that it was just the smell of the lacquer & paint from the handles not the actual bristles and that with a good airing they would be fine. They also offered to swap the brushes for me but I didn't want the hassle of having to send the brushes back to them and having to wait a while to get replacements, so I just gave them a really good wash with a spot of shampoo and they have been completely fine since, they have even washed fine too.

When ordering I ordered the C01 Large Fan Brush, which is here then the other 4 brushes in a Contour Face Set which is here. I also own their Lilac blending Sponge, which I received in May's Birchbox which you can have a look at here. When you first set up an account with the site you get 10% off BONUS!!

I would certainly purchase from them again I couldn't recommend these brushes enough, they're so pretty to look at as well as being amazingly soft and genuinely brilliant brushes. In fact I already have my eye on a few bits I'm tempted to get:, so much gorgeousness:
*The Marbelous White Bag
*The Siren Smoke Eye Brush Set

Sam xx

Follow me on Twitter @HelloMyBlossom

Je Suis Fille....I am Girl

 

A couple of weeks ago I was scrolling through Instagram and came across a picture of a pretty little bracelet with an Umbrella shaped charm attached. It instantly caught my eye so I found myself clicking on the tag which took me to the page for Je Suis Fille. After reading through some info and heading on over to their website, I found out that this little business was actually a group of 16-17 year old girls from a school in Bristol, UK whom had started out their own business selling these lovely little bracelets in order to raise funds for women who are homeless, at risk of domestic violence and generally need a little help, safety and security in their lives.

I scrolled through their website for quite some time and chose to order one of their angel wing bracelets which symbolises hope. They also have an Umbrella, Heart and Anchor charm and two different styles of bracelets to choose from.

The group of girls who started this business going make each bracelet by hand to sell. I think these girls are absolutely amazing for what they are doing, I would never have thought to do something so thoughtful and selfless at their age, I have every respect for them as they seem to work so hard on this.

The team recently came second in a Young Entrepreneur competition for the West of England and won 'Best Bristol Team 2016' earlier in the month. which is a great achievement.

I have been wearing my bracelet ever since I received it on Monday and absolutely love it, it is such great quality! With each bracelet they have a  handwritten little appreciation note, which I thought was a lovely additon, along with a poem they have written and a fact sheet about homelessness and domestic violence and telling you how you are helping them by spending as little as £4 on a bracelet and showing your support.

For anyone wanting to purchase these bracelets, the girls are due to take their A-Level exams very shortly therefore they have had to temporarily close their on line store unfortunately, but after the 7th June they will be back up and running, so be sure to check their site out and purchase your very own bracelet and support a worthy cause.  I will certainly be heading back to their site!

Good luck to all the girls with their A-levels :)

Sam xx

May's Brichbox

Today I'll be sharing with you my opinion of this month's Birchbox...

To start with, the box came with a scratch card type layer all over the top of the lid, It was for a competition that Birchbox was running to win either a holiday in the Maldives or in Crete, as you can see above I didn't win! :( I found the stuff an absolute nightmare to get off and I ended up with grey dusting's of it all over my sofa. Underneath all that the box is lovely, albeit the scratches all over the lid now.

On to the first product, which is the PK Prep Polishing Balm...

I've only used this product once, which was on Tuesday night, I applied this to towel dried hair and must admit my hair did feel silky smooth, although by the Wednesday my hair was back to it's dry slightly frizzy state (I'm in desperate need of a hair cut). There is a slight floral scent to this which is quite pleasant.

My second product is the Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream...

I've used this product twice on really dry areas of skin and it did seem to do the job, the only downside is the size of the tube, it's so small (3ml) so I'm not sure I will ever get a real feel for this product before it gets used up.

The third product was the Caudalie Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet...

Now I'm not sure why Birchbox sent me two moisturisers... I've used this a few times now and I must admit, I'm not overly impressed, I much prefer my trusty Simple Moisturiser. I feel like I have to use quite a lot of this product and the smell is really strange, sometimes I like it then other times I'm not too sure about it.

The fourth product was the LOC One and Done Shadow Stick in the shade 'Empress Me' ...

This is Birchbox's first in-house make up brand. I was really impressed with this product, it really has some staying power and is super pigmented, a really beautiful shimmery gold shade too.

The fifth product is Puriskin Resurfacing Formula...

This product claims to help with acne scars, blemishes, razor bumps etc. So far I have used this on facial blemishes/spots and a bug bite on my arm. My facial blemishes do seem to be much better and I haven't used anything else on these and the bug bite on my arm has gone down significantly, although I have had to resort to using all sorts on my arm to get rid of a very angry, sore and itchy bug bite including Aloe Vera Gel, Sudocrem, Anti-histamines etc. So I can't really say that it was this product that cleared it for me.

The final item I got was the Spectrum Collections Unicorn Tears Wonder Sponge....

Only a few weeks back I purchased a number of make up brushes from Spectrum which are absolutely stunning so my new beauty blender fits in with my collection of brushes perfectly. I haven't used this yet though as I currently have one of the Real Techniques beauty blenders, so once that is done with I will be moving on to using this one.

All in all I was a little disappointed with this months box, so have chosen to cancel my subscription for now, although that isn't to say I won't ever go back to them as I do love the concept of receiving beauty products through the door each month. I think I may try one of the other beauty boxes out there to see what they have to offer for next months little treat to myself.

Sam xx

My Future in Floristry

Just now I'm working away on my file for my Floristry course, I'm trying so hard to keep up to date with it all but there's just so much to do each week, along with working full time I'm really struggling to keep on top of it all at the moment. 

I'm really enjoying the practical side of the course though and I'm in my absolute elements when I'm making or creating something, so I thought I would share some bits with you and explain how I ended up on this course.

As I mentioned above I absoutely love being creative and after feeling stuck in the same boring, monotonous job for the past 9 years I begun to think 'I need to do something with my life, find myself, figure out a career for myself, be someone!' 

I decided on trying out Floristry after my parents bought my sister a bouquet of flowers at the beginning of last year to say 'Congratulations' (I won't go in to too much detail as to what for) I sat at the dining table looking at the arrangement thinking 'I reckon I could do that' not in a big headed way at all, because believe me Floristry is not as easy as it looks! it was kind of my vision I suppose. 

After thinking about it for a little while I started to look into finding a course to do, it had to be an evening course as I still have to continue working whilst studying. I contacted a few local colleges but with it being the middle of term time in Feb-March I struggled to find any courses.

Around May-June I came across a website one day which you could apply for apprenticeships, I found one that was around 15 mins away from home and thought it sounded perfect, unfortunately I didn't get the position, I was absolutely gutted!

I then continued to contact local colleges, I spoke to a lady at the college I'm currently studying at who informed me that courses usually started around September, So I waited until August and went onto their website to have a look at their new prospectus. I finally found the course, but it didn't start until December, feeling a further deflated and extremely impatient about it by this point after spending 8 months by this point trying to find something, I looked into it further and found a free 2 week taster course that the college was running, I decided to leap at the chance of finding out what I was potentially getting myself into, I found the classes difficult but really enjoyable.

Not long after I went to sign up for the level 1 course starting in December. I have been doing Floristry now for 6 months and feel like I could definitely see myself doing this for a living, although the paperwork side of it is a little laborious I can't wait to get stuck in to working on someone's special day and even sending someone off with a special floral tribute. Once I'm close to the end of my course I'm definitely going to get my foot in the door of a local florist and work myself up, I'm not sure exactly where I want to go with it all just yet, but I just want to have a job that doesn't make me feel down about having to go to work and have me clock watching all day waiting desperately for 5pm.

I really hope and pray that my dreams come true one day

Sam xx

Lush Haul

I can not believe how quickly this week has flown by, I've been really busy this week so unfortunately have  not been as active on here as I would have liked to have been.

Anyway, on to the good stuff!!

Last Friday my friend Helen and I decided that we would have a girly trip out to the Trafford Centre after work, typically we both ended up heading to Lush. I picked up 4 items, although I could have bought the whole shop as I absolutely love Lush!

So, the first thing I picked up was the Creamy Candy Bubble Bar which cost me £2.95

The scent is so lovely for this, it's really sweet, kind of like candy floss but not sickly and over powering, it states on Lush's website that this product contains almond oil and butter chunks, leaving your skin feeling velvety soft. Now usually I would apply body lotion all over my body after bathing but after using this last night I only applied a thin layer onto my back where it felt a little dry from me leaning up against the side of the bath. My skin just felt nourished.

The next product I picked up was Mmmelting Marshmallow Moment Bath Melt which cost £2.00

I have had two of these before and this is rapidly becoming one of my favourite bath time products, it smells so fresh!! I think it's got a kind of a sweet fruity smell to it, I can't put my finger on what it reminds me of. It's definitely worth the £2.00 price tag and it really does make your skin feel super soft! 

The next product I picked up was the Yuzu & Cocoa Bubbleroon Bubble Bar at £3.75

This scent isn't typically something I would pick up, in fact it reminds me slightly of a Chicken Korma, weird I know, but I actually quite like it! The bubble bar is shaped like a macaroon with a buttery centre which I believe is a mix of Cocoa & Shea butters. I haven't used this product yet so can't tell you whether it does what it says on the tin. Whilst researching this product on Lush's website I found out that they actually do a shower cream in this scent too.

The final product that I picked up was the You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt costing £2.00

This smells amazing!! its just like a citrusy, sweet, sherbet kind of scent, even after holding it between my fingers I can feel that it's packed full of oils. The Lush website states that it contains lemon, lemongrass and lime oils. Now this is another product that I haven't ever used before and can't wait to try it out!!

Just a side note and a massive appreciation post for their amazing product Mask of Magnaminty....this is my all time favourite product and as you can tell I have used it alot. It smells so damn minty it's so nice and fresh, its great for my spot prone skin, it has definitely helped to keep them at bay. Not only is this product for your face you can apply it to problem areas on your back too which I do quite often, within days my spots look less angry and have begun to disappear. I highly recommend this!

Thanks for reading my post, I hope you enjoyed it!! if you did and there are any products you can recommend for me to try out leave a comment for me below, then head on over to Instagram and Twitter and follow me on there @hellomyblossom and come and say hello :)

My friend Helen uploaded a haul video yesterday which includes the Lush products which she picked up, you can check that out here and I'm sure she would really appreciate it if you subscribed to her channel 'HelenxBeauty. Thanks & Enjoy!

Sam xx

Instagram

Just to let you all know that I now have an Instagram profile dedicated to my blog, my user name is @hellomyblossom so head on over there and follow me!

I will be posting tomorrow about my recent Lush haul so stay tuned for that.

Thanks
Sam xx

Currently listening too...

Today's post is going to be about a couple of bands I have been loving recently, I'll be providing bio's about the bands and will be tagging a few of their video's too so you can check them out for yourselves. I have been listening to these bands a heck of a lot over the past month and really wanted to share them with you just in case you haven't heard of them before.

I literally can not go a day without listening to music, I love it so much and wish that I had the time to pick up my own guitar and get back into the (I'm not very good)

Anyways, on to the first band...

Kaleo

Kaleo are an Icelandic Indie folk band. The name of the band means 'The Sound' in Hawaiian.

The band members are: Jökull Júlíusson, Davíð Antonsson, Daníel Ægir Kristjánsson & Rubin Pollock.

Kaleo's first live debut was in 2012 at the Icelandic Airwaves Music Festival, following that in 2013 they went on to record their first singles. Their self-titled album went gold in Iceland and from that they gained 5 number 1 hits.

The band currently reside in Texas and are signed to Atlantic Records.

The first time I heard about this band was on an advertisement, at first I was so mesmerized by the ballet dancer and the amazing song that I had to grab my phone immediately to find out who that amazing voice belonged to,I didn't actually know which advert it belonged too for a good week (haha) I later found out that it was the No7 Lift and Luminate age defying serum from Boot's. The song from the advertisement is 'Way Down We Go'. The video I've picked to link was filmed live from inside a volcano in Iceland, which I think is just amazing and I am completely obsessed with Iceland!

I'm also linking their song 'All The Pretty Girls' as I love this one also, I feel like it has a Bon Iver vibe to it.

The second band I'm going to blog about is....

Walking on Cars

Walking on Cars are a five piece band from County Kerry, Ireland formed in 2010. They are described on Spotify as being a folk-influenced pop band, but I would also categorize it as Indie pop/rock.

The band's lead singer is Patrick Sheehy, when I first heard the song 'Speeding Cars' I actually thought Patrick sounded very much like Charlie Simpson (probably just me that thought that though lol) the other band members are Sorcha Purham, Dan Devane, Paul Flannery and Evan Hadnett.

The band first gained radio play after winning the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Competition, which helped them gain a top 30 single in the Irish charts with their song 'Catch Me If You Can', following that their second single 'Two Stones' reached number 12 in the Irish charts.

In 2013 they released an EP named 'As We Fly South', followed by their debut album 'Everything This Way' in January 2016 on Virgin EMI.

I think I first heard their song 'Speeding Cars' on either Radio X or BBC Radio1, I'm not too sure, but after the first listen I just fell in love with the song, not long after I searched for them on Spotify to have a listen to some other songs, I can honestly say that I haven/t heard on bad song from them! So here's 'Speeding Cars', I'm not sure where the video was filmed for this single but it looks so beautiful!

I'm also linking their song 'Catch Me If You Can' which I mentioned above which got them the top 30 chart position

I also wanted to tag their second hit 'Two Stones' as this is such a great song too

I hope you like these bands as much as I do, let me know in the comments section!

I now have an Instagram account which you can follow me on at @hellomyblossom, so be sure to check that out and follow me on Twitter too under the same tag. Thanks for viewing!

Sam xx