London | Science Museum, Natural History Museum and War Horse

This isn't my usual style of post but I had such an amazing time that I thought I would document it.

I am only 25 minutes away from London by train and yet so rarely venture into our nation's capital that it should be criminal. There's so much to see and do in the city but I always forget my love for London until I'm there. Don't get me wrong, I would despise living there or having to do that commute every day. For a big day out, though, London is perfect.

It was recently my 24th birthday so my boyfriend and I went into London for the day to celebrate in style. He asked me what I wanted, and since I couldn't think of any 'thing' he could buy me, I suggested we go and experience something together. We decided to see a play and the whole day out grew from there.

We started with an early morning and a quick stop at Starbucks for breakfast before the train. It was a weekday so we tried to leave after the commuter traffic but before the tourist traffic. I think we hit the sweet spot since we did manage to get a seat on the train (albeit the ones next to the toilets).

We started at the Science Museum and were there just before the doors opened so one of the first ones in. I've been before but only really quickly on a way to an exhibition hosted there so this was the first time I'd have the chance to explore it properly. Fraser is science minded so I knew we'd enjoy ourselves.

It was a bloody massive museum. It took us 4 hours to get round the whole thing and we skimmed past a lot of the exhibitions. I reckon you could easily lose an entire day there. My favourite section was the part about human genealogy and also the section about Space.

In between the exploring, we had lunch at the museum diner. It was actually amazing! I got the burger with bacon and cheese which I polished off nicely. Frase got the fish and chips which he said was the best fish and chips he's ever had. So there's a compliment!

We finished our tour with a visit to the gift shop where we picked up some space food. It was surprisingly delicious! Dehydrated ice cream is definitely something I could get used to if I had to.

After the Science Museum we took a very quick trip to the Natural History Museum which is right next door. We didn't have time to do the whole thing so we just visited my favourite exhibitions. The Natural History Museum in London is one of my favourite places in the world. I used to visit every few months in my late teens so I know my way round.

We visited the Earthquakes & Volcano section, the Earth since time began bit, the Jewel part and tried to get a visit to the Dinosaurs in but the queue for the T-Rex robot was too long so we couldn't actually get in. It was a flying visit all in all but we still saw loads. 

After that we head to Covent Garden to wonder round the shops and watch a few street performers before our dinner reservation. We went to one of my favourite restaurants in London for dinner - Fire & Stone in Covent Garden. They do the most amazing pizzas there which we had alongside cocktails and a calamari starter. Dessert was cinnamon sugar donut sticks with warm toffee and chocolate dipping sauce. We shared between us because we were that full, but on an emptier stomach I can see myself finishing the whole thing on my own.

After dinner we had a nice 15 minute walk to the theatre which was well needed after all the food we'd consumed. We decided to see War Horse at the New London Theatre and OMG... I don't know how I can ever do it justice with words.

It was PHENOMENAL. The audience was out of their seats for a standing ovation at the end. There's no photography allowed so I couldn't get any snaps. However, we were in the third row in the centre so had an incredible view. The actors were all incredible and the puppetry with the horses took my breath away. I was bawling by the end and so moved. Definitely the highlight of the day!

We got the train home after that. It was 11pm so only the slow trains left. It was a struggle not to fall asleep right there. I'd been wearing my FitBit so I know we ended up doing 19k steps and covered nearly 9 miles distance by the end of it. We definitely earned our pizza dinner by the end of it! 

All in all, it was an amazing day out and a massive thank you to my lovely Frase for treating me all day :-) We've both said that we should definitely take more advantage of our proximity to London on a regular basis so hopefully there's more to come. I think we'll probably check out the V&A next if we can.

Have you got any favourite places in London that I should visit? Any tucked away restaurant/cafe suggestions perhaps?

Tabitha
Xx

My Little Box | April 2015

It took a little longer for me to get my hands on this month's My Little Box. They were sent out mid-month but I've been out of the office for a week with some annual leave so I've only managed to pick up the box now.

As usual, I love it! Not only is the box design and illustration just as adorable as always, but the products inside are exactly what I love to receive - make-up, perfume and hair products!

The theme of this month's box is Dreams.

My Little Box April 2015 Contents:

Sabe Masson Soft Perfume in Copacabana | £15
Loved By Lip Balm Loved by Lou Lesage | £8
Delphine Pariente Bonne Etoile Necklace | £20
My Little Beauty Repairing Hair Mask for Dry Ends | £7
My Little Box Rotating Stamp | £8

Sabe Masson Soft Perfume in Copacabana
So I'm already won over by the packaging which is eye-catching in itself. The perfume is made in France and smells incredible. It's a solid perfume stick and rubs on with a lip balm texture. The scent is definitely on the floral/citrus side of things and very delicate. It smells like elegance to me, that's the best way to describe it. I feel like it will definitely make a home in my bag for on-the-go perfume.

Loved By Lip Balm Loved by Lou Lesage
I was excited by the red as soon as I saw it. I love lip colours but especially in red shades. This is a tinted lip balm so the colour pay off is subtle. That said, it feels like a good quality balm that really lasted with zero stickyness. There's no scent or flavour to the balm so I quite honestly forgot I had it on most of the day. It will be perfect to give a touch of oomph to a more natural everyday look.

Delphine Pariente Bonne Etoile Necklace
I know I'm a sucker for marketing/packaging but I loved the way that this was sent. The necklace was hidden inside the little white cloud like an extra surprise. The little pendant reads "Bonne Etoile" which translates as Lucky Star. It feeds into the box theme of dreaming big and is a really cute touch.

My Little Beauty Repairing Hair Mask for Dry Ends
Anyone with longer hair appreciates the necessity of a regular hair mask session. I can't wait to try this out! It's made with walnut oil and shea butter so it smells creamy and indulgent. It's specially formulated for dry ends which my hair desperately needs help with right now.

My Little Box Rotating Stamp
This is so adorable. It comes with 12 different messages but my favourite was the "Made with Love" option that is pictured below. I love the stationary I've received from My Little Box. I still have a drawer with their cute tape and ribbon from the Christmas box. This stamp will come in very handy for birthday cards or handmade gifts.

I still love getting these boxes each month and will continue to review their contents here. If you're interested in receiving these boxes for yourself, have a look on the My Little Box website for more information. Or if you still need convincing, just keep checking back here every month for a look at what I'm receiving with my subscription.

Tabitha
Xx

Review | Max Factor Lipfinity

I've been looking for a long lasting lip colour that actually works for a long time and I thought I'd give Max Factor's Lipfinity a try. 

I'm going to a wedding in a few days and have been searching for the perfect light pink shade that will compliment my skin tone as well as stay in place throughout the day. I was in Boots and spotted a 3 for 2 on Max Factor products plus a whole podium dedicated to their lip colour range. I swatched this product on the back of my hand and continued to browse the section.

After no more than 60 seconds, I gave it a quick rub to check the staying power and - no word of a lie - it wouldn't budge. Not at all. I bought it then and there, only to discover when I got home that its also 100% waterproof. No amount of soap, water or makeup remover would actually shift it.

The packet recommends oil-based makeup remover but as an oily skinned person, I own none of that. I ended up having to get out the roughest loofah I have to scrub it off my skin.

In short: it definitely lasts!

I've since worn the product on my lips and can confirm that it definitely lasted 12+ hours for me. The colour goes on like a thick lip gloss but dries after a minute or so. It feels uncomfortably dry at that stage but that's why the product comes with a balm. Once the colour is set, you can whack on the balm and take the balm part with you to add a sheen throughout the day as required.

Personally, after the initial application I topped my lips with chapstick which worked just as well. 

All in all, I would recommend this product. At £10.99, it is quite pricey for a lip product but I'm hoping it will last quite a while given you only need the one application per day.

I got mine on a Max Factor 3 for 2 at Boots though I'm not sure whether that's still on. Having checked the Boots website it looks like they've currently got a 3 for 2 on all makeup products at the moment so it's definitely worth taking a look and trying something new.

Are there any other long lasting lip colours that I should check out? Let me know in the comments if you have any recommendations :-)

Tabitha

Xx

Birchbox | April 2015

The April 2015 Birchbox has a Tatler theme in Baby Blue and Baby Pink to celebrate Royal Baby #2 on the way. There were audible gasps of approval at the style of this month's box when I opened it at my desk yesterday.

Birchbox April 2015 Contents:

- Laura Mercier Eye Pencil | from £17.50
- Lola Barcelona Nail Polish in Born | £7.50 (Birchbox Exclusive)
- Percy & Reed London Smoothed, Sealed & Sensational Volumising No Oil Oil | £14
- Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash | £19.50
- Korres Bergamot Pear Body Milk | £10
- Befine Warming Clay Mask | £17

Laura Mercier Eye Pencil
Having fallen instantly in love with the primer from Laura Mercier sent in a Birchbox of the past (which I still use every time I do make up and have yet to actually run out of), I was very excited to try out another product! This is the Laura Mercier Eye Pencil in the colour Violet:

It's a gorgeous colour and completely smudge-proof. I put it on my hand when I first opened the box and tried smudging it off after 30 seconds only to find the line wouldn't budge. Even several hand washes later, the product was still there in the same precise line and bright colour that I had originally drawn. Between this product and the Laura Mercier Primer, it seems as though I need to expand my Laura Mercier makeup collection!

Lola Barcelona Nail Polish in Born
Makeup and nail polishes are my favourite things to receive in my monthly beauty boxes so I was pleased to see this month's addition. It's a nude/lilac shade with just the tiniest hint of shimmer that it perfect for the transition between Spring and Summer. I can't wait to try this out!

Percy & Reed London Smoothed, Sealed & Sensational Volumising No Oil Oil

Despite the mouthful of a name, I have become instantly infatuated with this product! I love oils to give my hair a sleek shine, but too often I find them greasy no matter how little product I use. This No-Oil Oil is the solution I've been waiting for. Not only does it smell luxury as monogrammed napkins, but it actually does exactly what it says it will! I rubbed 3 pumps into my hair when it was towel-dry, concentrating on the tips but moving the leftover onto the roots. 

The result was smooth and shiny hair with a gorgeous bounce. Plus, the scent of the oil was still in my hair even by the next day. I looked like a freak, but I couldn't stop sniffing my own hair.

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash

This product was a massive disappointment. You all know I'm not a fan of receiving skincare products anyway but I've been giving them all a fair whack recently to see if any can convince me to break from my routine. This product will never convince me to breakaway from my trusted products. 

The scent was decent, but it was a struggle to even squeeze some product out of the packet. It was housed in some super thick plastic that made it difficult to comfortably squeeze out. 

I put it on my face with damp hands as instructed only to find that it didn't even foam! I wasn't expecting a bubble bath on my face since clearly that would have been uncomfortable. However, to have foaming on the packet and for me to barely experience suds was a massive let down. 

Add to that how my face didn't even feel clean afterwards. I definitely won't be forking out £19.50 for the full size of this face wash. 

Korres Bergamot Pear Body Milk

I've loved all the previous Korres products I've been sent and this one certainly didn't let me down. It smells absolutely gorgeous. I'm still not entirely sure what bergamot is, but this product smells and feels amazing. I put it on my forearm to test since they have been a little dry lately, and they already feel so much softer!

Befine Warming Clay Mask

I do love a well-deserved mini pamper session and this mask definitely made me feel pampered! It didn't warm to a point that I noticed after initially putting it on but it smelled like pomegranate seeds on top of caramalised apple so it was certainly indulgent feeling. The only downside is that it didn't dry solid on the skin which is  my favourite part of a mask - who doesn't love to crack it all with facial expressions when you're about to wash it off? That said, my skin felt plump and radiant afterwards so I'd use it again.

I hope that this was post was helpful! I'll continue to review the Birchboxes that I receive each month.

As always, all the products mentioned are available on the Birchbox website in the Shop section individually or you can subscribe to the boxes for yourself to get your own monthly surprise :-)

Tabitha

Xx

Easy Low Fat Ice Cream Recipe

This low fat and low calorie ice cream recipe is so delicious and indulgent that you wouldn't know you'd made it at home in your own kitchen!

I'm making one of my favourite foods with a banana based recipe again like my post on gluten free and low calorie pancakes. This is another recipe passed on by a colleague at work that I just had to try and I was so glad that I did!

Yet again, the recipe is so unbelievably simple with ingredients of:

• 5 small or 3 large bananas
• 100ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence or extract

It makes a thick creamy 'ice cream' like texture that you can add your usual ice-cream toppings to, such as fresh fruit, syrup, chocolate chips and more.

Method:

• Peel ripe bananas and cut into small chunks around half an inch thick or smaller
• Place into a tupperware bowl on some greaseproof paper
• Stick into the freezer for 1+ hours or until frozen
• Once frozen, put into a strong blender or food processer
• Pour over milk and tbsp of vanilla essence or extract
• Whizz until creamy texture achieved and serve!

The recipe makes two big bowls of ice-cream but you could also pour it into the tupperware and re-freeze if you don't finish all of it.

I tried this recipe on the boyfriend this week since he has a huge sweet tooth. We both absolutely loved it! We topped ours with fresh strawberries for extra fruit servings and put some artsy lines in.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

(Using 150g Sainsburys Bananas, 50ml Sainsbury's Semi-Skimmed Milk, 100g Sainsbury's Strawberries, 1tbsp Vanilla Extract Sainsbury's)

Calories:  213
Total Carbohydrates (g): 50

Fibre (g): 6

Sugars (g): 39

Protein (g): 4

Fat (g): 2

Saturated Fat (g): 1

Sodium (mg): 3

Potassium (mg): 690

Vitamin A: 6% of RDA

Vitamin C: 124% of RDA

Calcium: 11% of RDA

Iron: 8% of RDA

I hope you enjoy this recipe if you give it a try! Let me know in the comments if you've tried this recipe and know of any other flavours we can try next. I think peanut butter would be good to add or maybe toffee sauce. Either way, I'll be having this again in no time!

Tabitha

Xx

My Little Box | March 2015

My Little Box was spectacular again this month with a theme all about women as superheroes. An amazing range of samples as well as feeling empowered is exactly what I need from time to time.

My Little Box March 2015 Contents:

Kerastase Lait Cristal | £20
Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream | £12
My Little Beauty Lips & Cheeks Pencil | £10.50
Superstickers | £4
Gat Rimon Super Hero T-Shirt | £29

Kerastase Lait Cristal
I mentioned on my Birchbox March 2015 post that I love receiving hair products and samples like this reaffirm my reason why. This conditioner is amazing. I am a fan of all and any L'Oreal products which you all already know. But this took my fandom to a higher level - my hair has never felt so soft. I've mentioned before that my hair is like old rope at the best of times. This conditioner made my hair feel so nourished and pliable. Plus the scent is so gorgeous. I am currently torn between saving the rest of this sample for a special occasion or just treating myself to amazing hair until I can get my hands on the full size product.

Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream
I'm not usually a fan of Caudalie products as the scent is usually a little too rose-y/old lady for me. But this hand cream is really lovely. I took it into work to keep on my desk and have been using it constantly. My hands feel so moisturised and soft. I think I've finally found a hand cream that actually encourages me to use it!

My Little Beauty Lips & Cheeks Pencil
When I first swatched this on my arm, I was so excited to try this one out. The colour is a gorgeous coral that I thought would compliment my skintone perfectly for spring. While the colour is just as lovely as I first thought, the texture on this product is not good. It feels very grainy and I didn't enjoy feeling like I had sand on my lips for a few hours. The colour wears well and didn't transfer for a good few hours but I don't think I'll be wearing it again because of that texture.

Gat Rimon Super Hero T-Shirt
As a rather rotund woman, I was concerned about having received an item of clothing that claimed to be 'One Size Fits All'. I won't lie to you and say that it fit just like the model on the front of the My Little Box magazine, but I could get it on and have it be a tight but comfortable fit. It's a bit short on me but will be perfect for lazing about the house on weekends.

All in all, another incredible month by My Little Box. My favourite is still the Diane Von Furstenburg My Little Box in October 2014 because I am clearly an underground designer fiend but I can honestly say I haven't been disappointed in a single one of their boxes so far.

Are any of you subscribed to My Little Box? If so, which has been your favourite so far?

Tabitha
Xx

Birchbox | March 2015

I've been excited about receiving the March 2015 Birchbox since I got to pick which Benefit Mascara I could be sent. I decided on the Benefit Roller Lash and have been using it every day since. This month's box was teamed with Habitat and had very cheerful packaging.

Birchbox March 2015 Contents:

- Benefit Roller Lash | £19.50

- Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris | From £50

- Philip Kingsley Smooth Cream | £18

- Serenity Skincare Dead Sea Bath Salt | £9.50

- Lord & Berry Brozer in Sienna | £19

- A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi | £7.99

- Birchbox & Habitat Exclusive Notebook

Benefit Roller Lash

I fell in instant love with this mascara! I wasn't a fan of "They're Real" by Benefit so my expectations weren't too high for this one. I was wrong to be hesitant - the formula does exactly what it says on the box and curls my lashes to perfection. I will definitely be investing in the full size when the sample has run out.

Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris

I don't mind sampling any high-end scent but there isn't a lot that can tear me away from my Diesel Loverdose. That said, this has a gorgeous scent and if I was ever in the market for a new perfume, I'd definitely consider this one. It smells like satsumas and grapefruit with just the tiniest hint of licorice. I could still smell it on my skin 4 hours later so the staying power of this one is decent too. 

Philip Kingsely Smooth Cream

Shine and luxury scents in your hair - what more could you want? My favourite thing to receive after makeup is hair products. I tried this one when I wore my hair down and slightly wavy for Mother's Day. It smells like it should cost £60 and the tiniest amount made my hair smoothed out and shiny without being heavy on my hair. 

Serenity Skincare Dead Sea Bath Salt

I don't have a bath so I couldn't actually test this out. I tried to palm it off to my boyfriend for his Mum as well as to a few of my friends but none of them were keen on long baths. Personally, you can't keep me out of a bath and I can't wait for the day when I have a house with one in it. Maybe I'll save this until then.

Lord & Berry Bronzer in Sienna

I've always heard great things about this brand but have never had the chance to try any of their products. The colour of this bronzer is absolutely gorgeous and application was smooth/subtle enough that it doesn't look orange or cakey. I still love my Sleek Face Form palette but this is a nice alternative that I can actually wear on my super pale skin.

There's a coupon inside the box for 20% off Habitat valid until the end of this month which will be great for some.

Personally, I'm just excited for the Sneak Peek card inside this month's box that said next month is a Tatler Box! It looks like we might get to choose a Laura Mercier product as well. As a fan of their primer, I'm definitely excited!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know if you have any Lord & Berry products you'd recommend that I try.

Tabitha

Xx