Environmentally friendly facial cleansers

Your facial cleanser could be damaging the environment if they claim to contain 'Microbeads'. You may think, what is she going on about? But ever since I read THIS ARTICLE I have been on the look out for products with this 'buzzword' and guess what they're everywhere. Even on my bathroom shelf :/

Long story short for those who do not want to read a full article, these 'microbeads' are made of plastic, so when you wash with them they do not dissolve, therefore they end up going down the plug hole and into our water systems. Because they are coloured, the fish are mistaking the beads for food and eating them, this is poisoning them. There is also the possibility of the poisoned fish being farmed, and then eaten by we humans, which I pretty sure wouldn't be to great for us.

Due to this I have decided that I do not wish to harm the fish, aha that rhymes, and have switched products, and I would now like to recommend my favourite so others who would like to do the same can try something that has been tested with good results.

The products I used to use.

Both of these contain polyethylene. In response to this discovery Johnson & Johnson have been looking into products that can replace ones with microbeads and I have been very happy with one of them (below) Now the Clinque facial scrub I'm afriad will always be a favourite and one that I had to look VERY HARD to find a suitable replacement for, I have and it is great, but I think if sometimes my skin is being challenging I may revert back to this until its under control because I know its fab.

My new facial regime. I am replacing the morning energy facial scrub with clear and soothe facial wash, I use this 3 weeks a month, it is very gentle on the skin and very effective. Then for the last week of the month I give my skin a good scrub just to keep it clear and wash of any dead skin, for this I am now replacing the Clinque 7 day facial scrub with the Burt's Bees Peach and Willow Bark facial scrub. It smells DIVINE!!!! It works really well and I love it. I have been using this combination for about a month and haven't had any complaints, or breakouts, from my skin so its a thumbs up! I admit the Burt's Bees scrub is pricy around £11 I think, but it is cheaper than the Clinque I used to use.

I hope this post is useful, if you have any recommendations please let me know by leaving a comment below. Also whilst I have your collective attentions I would just like to say thank you to everybody who has been reading this all over the globe, I'm really blown away, everyday when I log in and see where the audience is coming from. Its wonderful. THANK YOU!!!

Love 

The CB

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Bloomin' Lovely

This post is purely an appreciation of all the lovely offerings from mother nature at this time of year that I have seen whilst being out and about. I have to admit I haven't got a clue what half of them are called but they are bloomin' lovely :)

Didn't have much time this week, but I'll put out something longer next week :)

Love

The CB

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Self tanning.

Summer is upon us :D For me this is a blessing and a curse. I am PALE as an lily white, which means the sun is a god send, and after time in the sun I no longer look like I've spent my entire life indoors, and have a 'healthy complexion'. The curse is that to get a 'tan' I have to reveal said pale skin. I just can't inflict that on people, my legs are so white they are blinding in the sun.

What to do?

SELF TAN!!!

Over the last week I have trialled 3 different products. All of which are the lightest they sell.

Dove summer glow moisturiser with a subtle self-tanner to gradually build a beautiful tan.
L'oreal Sublime Bronze Express Pro Self-tanning Dry Mist.
Garnier Amber Solaire No streaks Bronze Self-tanning Dry Mist.

I applied Dove to my arms, but it has taken so long to build the tan that I haven't bothered with before and after shots. I does however smell nice and apply very easily just like your normal moisturiser, but I did find it slow to dry into the skin.

Now my legs before:

And my legs after:

This is after only 3 days of application (apply once each day, wait 10 mins for it to dry and then get dressed), for me, for now this is dark enough. The left leg is L'oreal and the right is the Garnier. Once you have found the colouring you like you only have to apply it twice a week to keep it topped up. Being in the shower is fine as long as you don't scrub really hard because then it will start to get patchy.

Personally I preferred the Garnier, it spelt of Apricots, which was nice, it was easier to apply which was very important, as it diffuses less when being sprayed it is easier to track where it has been applied. The L'oreal diffuses further meaning it is very hard to know which but of leg is done and which isn't, meaning your tan starts to look streaky.

Like this:

I would say though, that the Garnier tan, does take a little longer to build up. But it was only really one day behind.

Overall
Dove: 4/10 I'm not patient enough to wait for it to build.
L'Oreal 6/10 Due to streaks.
Garnier 9/10 The only tan worth 10/10 is a natural one.

If you have any recommendations please let me know. And now time to get them out into the sun :)

Love
The CB

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My best buys of May 14

I shop, I shop a lot, here I have pulled together my favourite purchases from last month, that I would happily recommend to anyone.

There is also one other item, I would like to share, but it appears I have thrown the packaging away. They are allergy tablets called Loratadine, and work like magic against hay-fever that is plaguing many at this time of year. They are non-drowsy, which is an added bonus, you can pick them up at your local chemist, and I'm sure they can be found in boots too. They only cost around £3.75. The ones I take look like this.

Now from the top picture working from left to right,

This is my new face cream, I used to be a fan of the Neutrogena moisturisers but unfortunately I can no longer seem to find them anywhere :( After many tests, this Nivea moisturiser is my new favourite, it is very light, so it doesn't feel heavy against the skin, it has SPF 15 so it protects you skin as well.

The drink is the best Elderflower Cordial ever! When its hot, fruit juices are flowing, but sometimes you feel like something different, this is my recent go to drink, which I am currently sipping away at. Best served with sparkling water.

Next to it, is the Aussie Miracle Moist conditioner, it really helps to keep you hair feeling smooth and silky even after multiple washes, now that we will soon (hopefully) be dipping into the pool more often, as the weather warms up.

The little tube is a miracle worker also, it is the boots No.7 range eye balm, the days are getting longer and the nights shorter, more time is spent out and about and catching 40 winks is often the last thing on the mind. When you do manage to catching a few, apply this under the eye at night to reduce puffiness and dark circles the next morning.

A recent find here, is the the Weleda Lip Balm, it applies nicely and moisturises well, it has a Matt finish which means it is the perfect base layer before applying your favourite lipstick, my current choice is Clinique high impact lip colour No.17 Rosette, as shown below in its pretty sliver case.

Next up is the best eye make-up remover I have tested, it is SO GENTLE on the skin, it magically dissolves all products, waterproof or not. Apply to a cotton pad and just sweep across the eye, all gone :) It is also very reasonably priced, even better its from Waitrose so you can pick it up when you are doing the food shop.

Another boots product next, this time from their botanics range which I am a fan of. The toner, was recommended to me by a friend and I have to say its great, you can visibly see the effect it has, as it closes up pores and gives you skin a toned and healthy look.

Jumping to the front, are the Real Techniques duo fiber make-up brushes. I have purchased, this set. They are so soft, and pick up product wonderfully, I use them for concealer, foundation and powder, but they are very adaptable and can be used as you wish. I couldn't recommend more the difference good brushes make when applying on products.

 The little bow is just something I picked up, not entirely sure where, I think its from topshop though, it just sweet and actually hold a lot more hair than it looks possible.

Lastly are the 2 rooms sprays on the left. Many people like candles for making a room smell special, unfortunately I'm a klutz, that means fire and I don't mix very well. Room spray for me is safer. The two shown below are Summer Hill, a floral and light sent that is very appropriately named, and Nantucket which is a light fragrance, the best I way I can describe it, is FRESH. I love it.

What was you favourite buy of last month, anything you would recommend, if so please leave a comment below. Also if you like the look of anything shown above but aren't sure where to find them, leave me a comment below and I can add a link or two. Rather beauty orientated last month. Hope you enjoy. :D

Love
The CB

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Chatterbox's Creamy Carbonara

Disclaimer

This is one of those dishes that people always say they really enjoy in a restaurant, but when they try to make it at home it ends on disaster. Hopefully this quick and simple recipe will enable you to give this classic dish a try.

Timing, it can all be prepped and made in the time it takes for the spaghetti to cook.

Ingredients you will need to make for 4 people:

250g of spaghetti per person,
1 x egg,
1 x onion or a few shallots,
1x clove of garlic,
3 to 4 x rashers of bacon (you can use streaky, lardons or just your normal rashers)
175ml of double cream per person,
150g or Parmesan, I like mine cheesey so you may wish to use an little less. 100g should be just fine and then you can use a little extra on top at the end,
A dash of olive oil,
Salt, pepper and fresh basil to season.

Equipment you will need:

Sharp knife,
Whisk,
Stiring stick,
Mixing bowl,
Saucepan big enough for cooking spaghetti,
frying pan,
and a cheese grater.

Method

• Pop on the kettle and get the pasta boiling.
• Dice onion and garlic and lightly fry (until golden), with a drizzle of olive oil in the frying pan. Once fried put aside in a small container or on some kitchen roll.

• Crack the egg into the bowl, add the cream. Whisk lightly.
• Grate the Parmesan, and whisk into the egg and cream mix, season with salt and pepper.

•  Slice the bacon into sqaures/ chunks and fry.

• Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain and return to the saucepan.
• Then quickly add, the onions, bacon and creamy cheese mix to the saucepan and stir. The heat from the spaghetti will cook the egg, so give it a stir for a good 2 minutes.

• Dish up, and artistically arrange the basil.
• Et viola! :)

You can either make 2 HUGE portions like I did, or 4 normal, and serve it up with a light salad and garlic bread :) If you make this please let me know how it goes and send me pictures of you creations.

Enjoy.

Love
The CB

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Warning, this is a rant!

Now I'm sure I won't normally do this, but I have to get this off my chest...

Yesterday, after work I went to my local bookshop to pick up a new gem, so I could curl up in the sun and have a read, I go through the door and find it distressingly empty and promptly start a half hour chat with the wonderful owner. The door is propped open, so the warm sun and the bustled of the street can filter into the shop, whilst people stick there head round the door and say hello. As the door was open, this means we heard perfectly clearly the interaction to follow. A small girl and her mother walk past, and the girl looks in, and peers at the books in the window and says  "Mum please can we go in and look at the books?" Perhaps more of a statement than a question but hey ho, the mothers response "Nah, I can't be bothered with that" And I'm being generous with that because it honestly sounded more like 'bovered'.

Excuse me, but WHAT!?!?!?!

How could she say that? How could she not encourage her young impressionable daughter to read? Reading is good for everyone, it is part of every known school curriculum for a reason, it expands minds and vocabulary of minds young and old. The ability to read is a gift, you can escape into completely different worlds and amaze at what you find, be it adventure, love or magic. Even if her daughter just wanted to pick up 'Where's Wally?' it still means the girl would be comfortable with books around and doesn't find them daunting or boring, like so many children. What if now, without new material the girl looses her interest in reading, and ends up disinterested, and like her slobbish mother? Needless to say I was shocked and infuriated by the mothers response. I turn and look at the the owner and see a similar expression of shock and something akin to sorrow.

After a few minutes of silence, we gather ourselves and he then tells me of and incident in the shop earlier in the month. A lady walked in, phone in hand and browsed the shelves clearly looking for something in particular, the owner asks if he can help and she tells him what she is looking for, he finds it and hands it to her to let her have a look. A minutes later the woman heads out of the shop, the owner asked if the book wasn't the one she wanted, her response was "Oh yes that was it, thanks, I've ordered it now"!?!?!?!?! She went into the shop purely to find the ISBN number so she could order it, there in the very shop with the book in hand. Why didn't she just buy it then? I can only presume it was cheaper on line.

I find both of these incidents, a sad reflection on today's society, a mother who couldn't be asked to indulge a child imagination and education, and a woman who couldn't see past her phone and the need for a bargain, that she didn't realise how unforgivably rude she had just been.

All in all, the message of this, I don't know, think maybe? Or just support your local small shops? But I feel better for having typed this out, because sometimes you just want to go ARGHHHHHHH! PEOPLE!!!!

Normal posts will resume next week, I intend to get my first recipe up by Wednesday, thank you for those who are reading this around the world, in particular hello *wave* , the US, France, Germany, India and the fabulous UK :D

Love
The CB

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I went to the ZOO! Part 2

The clue here is in the title, and I think it is going to be even more picture heavy than the previous one. SO on to the Zoo part 2......................

A shy Antelope.

Wildebeest in the background.

Brown Deer.

Buffalo.

Malayan Tapir, we were looking for it in the distance, thinking it was going to be small, go around the corner and WAM right there by the fence is this huge beasty. Quite the surprise.

Then onto the Walk of the Apes...

This little cheeky monkey, quite literally, would copying any movement of the people in-front of it. Monkey see, Monkey, get it get it :p

Papa Gorilla.

The gorillas had the BEST EVER enclosure, it was mahusive, with really awesome swings, and ropes, and hammock areas, it looked like the ultimate play area, for kids of all ages, especially the big variety, there was even a SLIDE!!!

Feeding time, and oh boy did they descend.

The Gorillas were extremely human, and I think some of them ate with better manners than people I know.

The grey back Gorilla.

My mum's favourite, because of their super fluffy white tails.

Just hangin' around.

Pretty much exactly what I look like when I'm thinking.

 Lastly the BIG Cats :D

Siberian Tiger having a snooze in the late afternoon.

Lioness.

ASLAN!!!!!!!! :O

A fierce little  cat on the planet. Hissing and pacing, clearly hungry.

Chilling cheetah

The was also the most beautiful cloudy leopard, but she was to far away for a good snap. The lioness was my favourite though she was so sassy, just strolling around clearly teasing the male lion.

Overall a really lovely day, and a rare treat as I haven't been to the zoo since I was small.

Love
The CB

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