Czech this out!

Every now and then i go through this phase where i'm convinced that i have more than enough money that i can just go and spontaneously book a holiday (this is never the case, but alas), and in February 2012 i decided to go to Prague for four days with the American (Emily). Besides freezing out butts off with -20c temperatures, falling on our butts from the streets that had doubled up as ice rinks and getting lost on their trams when hungover from absinthe shots- beauty shopping was where it was at.

I can't speak for Czech as a whole, but as far as we were concerned with Prague, the two most popular beauty/body shops we saw were Lush ( we all know and choke to death in Lush) and Manufaktura. Manufaktura is like our version of Body Shop yet they mostly use wine based products. They claim that using wine/grape oil can smooth skin, prevent wrinkles and even banish cellulite (now that's a bold claim). So upon finding this shop once we got lost on the Charles bridge we searched for anything yummy smelling to waste some money on!

This.... this was no waste. This cost us in GBP around 8.00 and is by far one of the best hand creams i have purchased. From the smell, to the consistency, this is the perfect moisturising hand cream for every day use. The only other comparison i can give you for moisturising purposes would be The Body Shop's hemp cream. I loved it so much i made my Czech friend bring me 3 more bottles when they visited home! Sadly they have now discontinued this particular cream but have replaced it with an even better sounding hand cream with shea butter and grape oil! Currently on sale on their website for $12!

So if you're ever in Czech, i recommend to you five things:

1. Visit Manufaktura and spend every last penny in there.

2. Get your token bottle of absinthe and preferably don't drink it all on a one nights pre drinks when your friends are just on the barcardi (You will be the first victim of the night)

3. Find the amazingingly cheap shoe stores and buy every pair even though you'll never be able to walk in them.

4. Look like a typical tourist and try some dumplings!

5. LOOOK! otherwise the crazy ass drivers will make you road kill.

I miss this city!

My beautiful 10.00 czech shoes

The Body Shop's Coconut oil hair shine...

Now it's no secret to the people that know me, that i am a complete sucker for anything that remotely smells like coconut or shea butter, so when i saw this a few weeks back on The Body Shop's website for something crazy like 2.50 (5.50 full price) I thought "Why the hell not!"

This solid oil balm is presented in a cute, perfect for your handbag sized tin, that aims to get rid of those annoying stray hairs.

Now if you're like me, you could spend an hour frying your hair to the point of perfection only to walk out the house for the maximum time of 2.34 seconds before you have hairs sticking up/curling in every direction. This is by no means a miracle cure, but for the price, it does a pretty good job. This little pot of coconutty goodness has been sitting at the bottom of my handbag since it was purchased and is whipped out every now and then just to tame my hair. It's the sort of product i imagine would be better for those with thicker hair, just to run through the ends- yet for the finer haired girls (like me) too much and yes you'll have shiny hair, but not the type you're after.

Pros: It smells great. Lasts ages as you only need the smallest bit. Tames the stray hairs that have a life of their own. It's light and doesn't feel like its weighing your hair down, plus its easily washed out! Oh and it's Cheap!

(Works well in conjunction with their straightening balm - coconut or macadamia)

Cons: Naturally the consistency can be quite greasy so applying it to hair that perhaps hasn't been washed for a couple of days results in a bit of a greasy mess. It's not a miracle worker, and there are better products on the market.

3.5/5

L x

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Oh hey there...

It's been a long time in the making, but i'm finally giving this whole blogging thing a go! I assume as time goes on this will be my number one procrastination tool, preventing me from carrying out the necessary seminar readings i need for the next lecture, or getting to work on time, but hey ho. I will try and cover a wide variety of products, ranging from hair, skincare to nails and of course make up. If you have any particular product you would like me to review, let me know! It may take me a few days to pick it up, but i'll try my best. And of course, expect a fair, honest and more times than not sarcastic insight into products. As a student i don't have the money to lie and stick with a product that doesn't do its job, as i'm sure a lot of you are regardless if you are currently subjected to thousands of pounds worth of independent education. So, i hope you enjoy, your comments are always welcome, but if you are to criticise; please be original, because i've heard it all before! Have a lovely day! L x