The Candy Coated Countdown... Day 8

Good morning!

So today I opened door number 8 to find a little stack of post-it notes... which I will add to my collection of post it notes. I don't have much else to say really.

They are cute and practical and stick to things!

xxToodalooKatie

An Evening of Beauty at John Lewis in Kingston

Hello!

As I've said before, I really want to branch my blog out and share more and more with you about my life. As part of this, I want to get back into beauty. Recently, I have been revamping my beauty routine and actively searching out new products and makeup, and this awesome event at John Lewis in Kingston really felt like a great place to kickstart everything.

When we arrived at the store, we were greeted by the most lovely woman, Louise, who gave us the run down, a glass of bubbly and sent us on our way to check out the great brands they had to offer. Lucy, of FatBeautyX and I were sent to Clarins, a brand that I had no experience with so was eager to know more.

Not only were the girls the sweetest ever, but we were treated like royalty and my skin has never looked so good. 

I was treated to an amazing facial that turned my tired and somewhat sallow, after a day of work and busyness, skin into a fresh and clean face, ready to take on the world. My lovely Clarins' girl, Carla, asked all about how my skin was and then chose the products she knew would work best for my skin. After a gentle makeup removal, cleanse and tone, followed by some lovely moisturiser and oils, my face looked so much healthier and fresh. I also lost that dry parched feeling that my skin so often has.

Here I am with a mask on - quenching my face thirst...

 And after the facial, Carla very kindly chose foundation, blusher, lips and mascara that worked for my skin. I love the final look and I couldn't have asked for a more friendly and helpful person to help me. Thanks Carla!

And here we are together - selfies all around!

After our time at Clarins, we made a quick pitstop to Benefit for some eyebrow work, before heading upstairs to see what John Lewis was offering up in their fashion show for autumn/winter.

Here are a couple of pictures of my favourite things:

I think it's safe to say that sequins are still in - thank goodness for that!

I will be sharing all my favourite new beauty products with you over the next little while. Check out my first review of Aveda hair products here.

Have a lovely day everyone!

xxToodalooKatie

Beauty Break - Aveda

Good morning lovelies!

So just this past week, I had the opportunity to attend an awesome beauty event at the John Lewis store in Kingston. A few of us blogger girls attended the beauty floor to meet and chat with several brands that showcase in John Lewis stores. I will be writing more about this experience soon, but thought, as I had the good fortune of receiving plenty of samples of different brands, that I would share my experiences with you for each over the next couple of weeks.

Since the event, I have been using the Aveda  Invati shampoo, conditioner and Damage Remedy serum on my hair and to say that I have noticed a massive difference would be an understatement. My hair is so much softer, doesn't break when I brush it and doesn't put up a fuss when I clip it up or style it.

It's hard to tell in this photo as my coloured bits of my hair are so fried, but this looks so much better than the straw like stiff hair that I had only a week ago. It also has more body and falls nicer naturally. On top of it all, I love the smell of the Aveda products - it reminds me of when I was a kid and would wait for my mum at the Aveda hair salon in Toronto, reading all the magazines and deciding how I wanted my hair done.

Here is what I used:

Invati Exfoliating Shampoo - Not overly soapy and really feels nice on your scalp

Invati Thickening Conditioner - You only need a bit but it does the job

Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair - This made my hair so smooth and made styling a trick!

Sometimes I forget just how important it is to treat my hair nicely and this was a nice reminder. I am going to continue to use these products  through the Winter as I know my hair will benefit, especially with the cold weather coming.

I'd love to hear what some of your favourite hair products are for Winter - share in the comments!

xxToodalooKatie