First ever first impressions- Lushs Superbalm scalp treatment.

These last few months have been a living nightmare for my scalp. It's been dry and flaky (gross, I know) and down right depressing to look at. I had tried all the anti-dandruff shampoos I could get my hands on and nothing was helping me. 

So in desperate times I reached for lush. Now, like any sane person, I love Lush. Who doesn't love a good fragrance and rainbow coloured bath? I know I do for sure. What I don't love is the prices, but like I said desperate times! 

So I went browsing their website for a product that would save my scalp, which is how I came across their Superbalm product. The description for the product is 'If you've got scale that no shampoo has managed to banish, then try this balm'. Perfect, It's like they wrote that just for me. 

The product itself comes in a 45g pot (as pictured) and costs £12. It is preservative free and suitable for vegans. Brilliant! 

 

I would say the main smell of this is lavender with a hint of something that reminds me of Christmas. With that description you are better off going to smell it yourself. 

Now I had no idea what to except from the Superbalm, I'd read the reviews on-line and as expected they were mixed. But nevertheless I hopped into the shower with hope that this would be the answer to all my problems (or at least my scalp ones). All it says on the tin is 'massage into scalp before shampooing'. what does that mean? do I need to wet my hair first or not? do I wash it out or do I use the shampoo to wash it out? so many questions and very little answers on the tin. I decided to have wet hair to apply it and to use the shampoo to wash it out. 

This was defiantly not the right thing to do! It left my roots greasier than before and my mood was just as bad. It took two full washes to get the product out of my hair and after a while the smell became unbearable. and the flakiness? its better but not completely gone :( 

Since that first shower I have watched a YouTube video made by Lush that explains exactly how to use Superbalm and it states that you should apply it to dry hair and leave it for 20 minutes before washing it out. With this new knowledge I am keen (yet apprehensive) to try it again. 

Would I recommend it to a friend?  maybe once I've tried it again. 

Is it worth the money?  So far, not really. Although it's made some improvement. 

Rating out of ten: 4

hello 2015.

Ah 2015 is upon us (and has been for the last five days, but I've been a busy bee) and ever since the end of last year I've had the feeling that this year is going to be very special.

To make sure 2015 is what I want it to be and more, I've set myself some new years resolutions.

1.  I want to complete the 30 book challenge because in recent years I've really been slacking on my reading despite it being something I love to do. 
2. I want to drop a few dress sizes. Although I tend to be happy with myself, I know I would be happier if I would just drop a few pounds. My plan is do to this before my uncles wedding in June, so fingers crossed. 
3. Try to work out at least three times a week but don't be too hand on yourself if it is less. This one tries nicely into number two. I really want to start working out on a regular basis but I don't it to turn into too much of chore and begin to hate myself. 
4. Eat less junk food. simple yet hard when you work in a restaurant.
5. write more. Whether that's my blog, my diary that I plan to keep all year or the question a day book I got given for my birthday. I used to love writing and it's about time I got back into it. 
6. take more pictures of things you love- not just selfies. When it came to looking back at 2014 a lot of my instragram pictures where selfies. This year I want to take pictures of the people I love, memories and the things i love to do so that i can look back on them in 2016 etc.
7. take no bullshit. on new years day (in the am when i was drunk) I declared that 2015 was the year for balls. and I don't mean to celebrate the male body part. Its time to stick up for what I want and to learn to say no! 
8. stop wasting all your days off. Napping is ok, and lounging around is great but not 3 days a week. go on adventures, make memories, be with the ones you love. 
9. work towards a new job/career. Where I work now is great for now, but it can't be a long term solution. I need to think about what I want to do in my life and aim for it. And why not start now.
10. And finally, save more money. Because its about time i had savings for a rainy day (or for sunny days out).

And that's it. My 10 new year resolutions for 2015. They all seem a bit heavy but I want to make my first year in my 20s exciting and productive not just average. Hopefully they will last but only time will tell. 

x x x

goodbye 2014.

I've felt recently that I have been welcoming (and eagerly waiting) for the end of 2014. I think it's because I'm keen to make 2015 the year of new things and to work towards it being the best year of my life (so far).

That's not to say I've had a terrible 2014, I know people who've had it A LOT worse this and I'm grateful every day that I haven't had to go through what they have. But nevertheless I'm happy to say good bye to 2014 and hello to a brand new chapter in my life.

2014 marked the end of education for me (maybe not forever). In May, or probably months before, I made the easy to decision to drop out of university because honestly, my heart wasn't in it. 2014 also brought around mine and Jakes first holiday aboard, my 20th birthday and many many happy moments at home.

There are some parts of 2014 that I'll miss with all my heart. Times like seeing Tom Jones live with my mum, going to the sea life centre for my birthday, swimming in a lake in Croatia. But mostly there are things that I am excited to carry into 2015. Staying up ridiculously late with Jake and Elliot. Laughing so much my tummy, all the shopping trips with my best friend, Lucy, and most importantly, being with the people I love.

So here's to 2014, slightly uneventful yet slightly great! oh and 2015, please be kind to me. 

 xxx

Grandkids are not just for christmas, they are for life.

So yesterday was my 21st Christmas and the second Christmas that my Granddad (my Mums Dad) has paid a visit. I should point out now that long before I was born sets of my Grandparents got divorced or separated. And while My Dads parents lived a few towns away (they are both no longer with us), my mothers parents continued to live in the same town as us.

me and my nan on holiday

When it comes to grandparents that have played an active role in my life, there is one. My Nan. My beautiful, kind hearted nan.
I can count the number of times I've seen my mums dad on less than 10 fingers. It's sad but he's not an important man in my life and I don't feel like my life has been greatly affect by him not being in it.
But yesterday, he showed up at my family home with three Christmas cards (one for me, my sister and our cousin) that had money in, an amount that my nan couldn't compete with this year, which I think upset her.

And then it made me realise, money isn't love. It's an easy present for people who you do not know, an easy present for the three grandchildren that you have no idea what they like.

Love is what our nan gives us on a regular bases. Love is the presents she picked out because she thought we would like them. Love is her buying our prescriptions when we are ill and can't afford them (when you are not in eduction, those buggers are not cheap). Love is the times she's picked us up from work or school because it's been too cold or we've been too lazy. Love is all the times she's looked after us in the holidays, the times she's picked my cousin up when he's poorly. The times she's sacrificed her days out because someone has needed her more. Love is pottering about graveyards with me and looking at all the dates/names. Love is the gossipy phone calls she shares with us, and knowing everything about our lives. It's the hugs and kisses she's given us over the years, the sleepovers we've had, the days out to the cinemas. Memories that we won't ever forget. Love isn't something that can be brought, its something that is made from all the good times together.

I'm not bitter that my granddad has not been in my life, because I have the greatest nan that I could ever ask for and she's better than two grandparents put together.

the inbetween stage

I'm officially one month into my twenties and it's taken me all month to motivate myself to write this post. I was originally going to start on my twentieth birthday, but like most things in my life now a days, I put it off.  I don't know why it's taken me this long. Properly because I could do a Masters degree in putting things off but also because I wasn't 100% I knew what i wanted to use this space for (not that I know now). That's another thing you should learn about me, I can't make decisions. Which is probably what is scaring me about being in my 20's because what now?

And  that's what this space is going to be used for (or so that's the plan). My journey. my 20's to my 30's and all the mistakes I'm bound to make in-between.

I'm starting this with an open mind. I (obviously) have no idea what is going to take place in the next ten years but I have a feeling that this next decade is going to be the biggest one of my life. And I want to document it through this blog.

So where am I in my life?
I'm currently a university drop out. A year in and I just couldn't hack it any more. So now I work four days a week serving people fast food and the other three days spending my money and napping. Its uneventful and I'm just waiting for something to exciting to happen. I'm in the same relationship that I've been in since I was 16 and who really knows how that's going to end?

And that's it, my first blog post. I can't wait to see where this journey is going to take me and to rant about it on here for the world to read.

Much love,
Ffyona

x x x