botulinum toxin A

well most people when they read the above would think either: whhattt? or Botox.

I thought both.

In November last year my retina detached in my right eye, I had to have emergancy surgery on it to save what little sight I have in that eye and it has to be said, so far at least, the surgery appears to have been successful at keeping the remainder of my retina in place.

However, after the surgery I noticed my right eye had become increasingly squint. not "oh my god look at her eye" squint, but squint enough for it to upset me and make me feel very self conscious.

I mentioned this to my surgeon during one of my post operative checkups, and they suggested that I may be a good candidate for botulinum toxin treatment.

This is an alternative to traditional strabismus surgery (the posh name for squint surgery). It is much less invasive and requires a local anaesthetic rather than a general, which is always a good thing.

What it involves is having a derivative from the botulism disease injected into the muscle beside your eye.

This botulinum toxin acts as a muscle relaxant, which - in theory - allows the eye to move back into correct alignment. Local anaesthetic eye drops are administered first to numb the area and then the toxin is administered via a very fine needle.

According to the literature, it will take 3-4 days for the toxin to act and for the eye to change position. A generic dose is provided for the first procedure so there is a chance that it may e too strong for my eye or indeed too weak.

I'm sitting in the waiting area at the moment and I have to admit, I am petrified.

The thought of a needle anywhere, let alone in my eye, scares me, But i suppose that I don't have much to loose, I'm already incredibly self conscious of my eye and the last thing I want is for it to be squint for our wedding in August.

So here goes........ I'll post again afterwards.

S xoxo

Simple but brilliant

I have been so bad at blogging! but i'm trying to be better, i've jazzed up my page a little to make me more excited to post and i'm ready to get going!

With christmas and all of its money-sucking ways just past us now, my purse is still feeling a little under the weather so I haven't actually purchased anything new for pretty much the whole month of January - oh that is until yesterday. I bought a new lipgloss, which i am in love with! but thats a whole other blog post, which if i remember i will definitely post tomorrow because its a beaut!

Anyway, on with today...so since I have been reaching for some old favourite products over the last month to tide me over during my financial drought, I have rediscovered some old loves. 

These are definitely underrated products in my books and it is for such reason that I thought they deserved a little blog post all to themselves, so without further ado........

yes you are seeing rightly! 

I am about do write a blog post dedicated to Johnson's baby oil and cleansing wipes, alongside Lucas' Pawpaw ointment.

I did say they were underrated, but not as dull as they may first appear. They are products that probably a lot of you have around the house at the moment, but are so normal and run of the mill that they aren't even given a second though - well, perhaps not the pawpaw ointment, i'm not sure how commonly used that is in this country actually.

I'm going to talk though them one by one, and justify their place in this "simple but brilliant" blog post.

Johnson's Baby Oil

I'll start with the product that has probably been used on my skin for the longest time, approximately for 26 years that is. The name gives away the fact that this is primarily used for babies, as it is so soothing and delicate for their new skin, but don't be fooled this is a gem for skin of any age! 

Now i'm the first to admit that it is slippery and it can make a right old mess, especially if you try to use it as a day to day all over skin moisturiser. But heres my trick - in order to still get the all over goodness of this product into my skin without the slippery mess, I use it in my bath! While the water is running into the tub, I pour some into the water. It does make the water look oily, but it is worth it - you come out with a smooth, baby soft skin! Just make sure to pat - not rub - yourself dry, and this little gem will work wonders! 

Johnson's fragrance free facial cleansing wipes

Sticking with the Johnson family, next up are their fragrance free facial cleansing wipes. Again, these appear super simple and they are. But that is what makes them so brilliant in my books! 

They are fragrance free which is a relief for someone like me who has very sensitive skin - I have had no problems with these causing breakouts or anything, they do their job without any hassle or fuss.  They work wonders at removing eye make up - as I have recently had eye surgery, I am very cautious when using products near my eyes, especially when removing make up as you generally have to rub the area, but with these wipes a couple of smooth swipes is enough to clean the area - for me at least. 

But what I love most about them, is they are really moist. That sounds ridiculous, but the amount of facial wipes that I have used which have all but dried up by the time i'm done cleaning half of my face is unbelievable. These wipes however are filled to the brim with product, which lasts and lasts and lasts! love them. 

another wee tip - i keep a wipe close by when i'm applying my make up and use it to clean product from my brushes as I apply. Obviously this doesn't take place of actual brush cleaning, but it is a great stop gap between washes!

Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment

Now, I was recommended this little gem by a friend of mine when I was visiting family in Australia and I have been in love with it ever since. I am pretty sure that you can get this in the UK now, at the pawpaw shop.co.uk or at cult beauty.co.uk - click the links for a look-see!

I wont go into the detail of what pawpaw ointment is other than to saw it is a natural product which originates from Australia and has become a staple of every australia womans' handbag and from what I can gather is fast accumulating a similar following here in Britain. 

It is a one stop wonder product which can help anything from chapped lips to insect bites. Any sort of skin irritation really and this will soothe and sort it out in no time. It can even be used as a moisturiser - although personally i don't fancy lathering this stuff all over my body as it is really really thick and somewhat sticky - but for small areas it is perfect. 

As i mentioned the consistency is extremely thick - which adds to its soothing nature, you can almost feel this melting into your skin and working straight away. It reminds me a little bit of vaseline, but thicker and more natural - it doesn't feel or taste chemically at all. 

It has certainly become a staple in my purse thats for sure.

Hope this has helped you rediscover love for underrated products you love, or maybe even introduced you to something you hadn't thought of in years!

S xoxo

a little bit of shoe heaven

I just had to share this how absolutely amazing is this! I don't know who's the lucky lady, or even where this picture came from, but a girl can dream!

maybe one day :)

new year, new bloginnings!

well, it's now 2012.

I've been looking forward to this year arriving for so long now!

what a year, even without all of the surprises that it undoubtedly has in store:

Graduate from uni
Move to Surrey with Nick
Start my first position
Our wedding
Honeymoon in California
Buy our first home together!

I have so much to be thankful for, which I really and truly am.

I have a history of constantly finding things to worry about and I tend to over think things to the maximum, but what I have came to realise is that life happens. the good and the bad, what matters is that we approach it with love and a positive attitude!

Which is exactly what I plan to do.
Resolution for 2012 :)

oh, and to blog more!

S xoxo

blogger app

testing out the new blogger app! with a wee pic of daisy too :)

Review - Sanctuary Spa Warming Microbrasion Polish

So, first review!! here goes......

on a rainy afternoon off, whats a girl to do but wander down to Boots to see what little gems she can find! 

Now, background to the purchase (for once, there is a reason!) is this:  I have been bothered by clogged pores, and general bumpiness on areas of my face (across my forehead mainly) for quite some time, it never really breaks out into spots but those pesky little bumps just wont disappear! Also, with the summer months bringing humidity and heat (more than normal in the UK at least!) my skin has been a lot more oily and temperamental than normal. 

So, the basis of the story is this:  my skin needed a little pick me up, and thats when i stumbled onto this little treat:

Now, i've never used any of Sanctuary's products before - I have seen them countless times on the shelves of boots, but for some reason I hadn't tried anything. 

For those of you who don't know, Sanctuary Spa is a day spa in Covent Garden in London, and this product is part of their line of beauty treatments they have released exclusively for Boots. 

In all honesty, it was the name that grabbed me. I was browsing the shelves for something that mentioned microbrasion - as thats what I felt like my skin needed (pity I don't have the budget for the real thing!) Then I will admit, it was the pink and silver packaging that sucked me in.

Reading the details on the packaging, this product claims to be youth boosting! - now at 26, I hardly feel at the stage where I need my youth boosted, but Im not going to complain, best start before the wrinkles set in I say! It then goes on to detail how microdermabrasion combined with intense warming, helps to open pores and stimulate circulation - thus revealing new luscious skin!

... and, I was sold!  

I was pleasantly surprised when I took the tube out of the box, it was just as chic and clean looking as the outer packaging, which is always a bonus in my eyes - i'm a sucker for pretty packaging. 

At 100mls, its not skimpy either, so I felt I got a decent amount for the £11.99 price tag.

The product was to be applied in small circular motions going upwards and across the face (dry and clean on application) - with special attention being paid to the nose and forehead in my case.

Now, it is hard to demonstrate the consistency of something via a picture - but I tried my best with this shot. 

It is thick, sticky and doesn't smell too great. Its not that it smells bad, the only way I can describe it is almost like clay - a typical old fashioned face mask smell. Its not that easy to spread on your skin, and if you like light, lotion-y textures then this definitely wont be to your taste! however, I am actually a fan of a more creamier consistency (it feels like its working more for me) so I didn't mind it too much in this regard.

Overall, application wise - the process wasn't overly enjoying. I wouldn't say that you feel pampered or relaxed by it but it does feel like it is doing something! Which leads me on to the main selling point of this product:

It heats up upon application! and boy it does. Almost immediately after it makes contact with the skin it begins to warm up - reaching a comfortable but significant heat as you move in circular motions across your face. This heat is quite short lived though, as it soon calms down and simply feels like you have a thick layer of moisturiser on.  The grains through the paste are small but you certainly feel them 'scrubbing' your skin as you work. 

Then after letting the 'heat draw out the impurities' - the final step is to rinse off the product using warm water. This was tougher than it sounded, due to the thick texture of the product, and again this was not an overly enjoyable experience, but the end results was definitely worth it.

My skin was noticeably smoother and much, much softer. 

There was no redness or irritation (and I have extremely sensitive skin), and the bumpiness across my forehead was significantly reduced, and it remained this way for the next couple of days. 

The packaging details the product should only be used twice a week for the first few weeks, and then once a week for the time remaining. I certainly agree with this advice - I think that it would be too harsh to use everyday, but that if used consistently it does definitely work to smooth and refine skin-tone. 

                                  

So, if you are willing to brave the thickness of the product, and aren't too fussed about the product smelling brilliant - but do want results - then this is the one for you! Im definitely glad I spied this beaut on my trip to boots that day thats for sure!

 Enjoy! Sam xoxo

new camera!

So I got my new camera today in the post!! so so happy with it :) I just had to jump at the chance to go out and give her a test run! My dad was going to a village near where we live to their post office (he prefers its as its always quiet) so i tagged along to take some pretty pictures!

Its such a quaint little village, and it was sooo quiet!! Its so strange for me to come back to Scotland and little villages like this after being down in London, but i absolutely love it! its so peaceful and just friendly, noone passes you without a wave or a cheerful hello!

I recorded a bit of video here that i will put up on youtube later, but this was absolutely gorgeous! and worth the stumble it took me to get to it! :) 

Anyway, its safe to say that i LOVE my new camera!! I've taken some pictures of a product I bought recently to review that I will hopefully get up later today. 

And there will be lots more to come after that! 

ps. click the pictures to see them bigger

excitement!

ahhh i'm so happy and excited!! for these reasons:

i went to a wedding show at the weekend with my mum, my mum-in-law to be, and 3 of my bridesmaids :) and i found the most amazing photographers!! they are brilliant, and i got them booked for our day! unlimited time as well which is phenomenal and basically unheard of as far as photographers go (or at least in the ones i've looked at!)

and also - I FOUND THE MOST AMAZING DRESS!!!!! it was just beautiful. i dont want to post a picture as nick occasionally views my blog, but ohhh its beautiful.

and thirdly - my new camera arrives tomorrow!!!! so pictures and the blog will be happening much more frequently from there on out! hopefully anyway!

but until then, i have a rather annoying essay to finish, and i'm eager to get it finished today so i can play around with my new camera all of tomorrow! fingers crossed it arrives early! :) 

xxxxxx

Cuteness personified.

I love my wee daisy dog so much! xxx

Testing 1,2,3....

Righty, so I've just downloaded a new app on my iPhone to update my blog when I'm out and about!

So this first post, is coming directly from my bed. Where, at 8.26am on my day off, I feel I quite rightly belong!

And I thought my little beaut daisy could help me test the photo upload function too, whilst bringing her cuteness to my page!

So yep, that's about it for now! Fingers crossed this works and I'll post again soon.

S xoxo