Face Masks I'm Currently Using

I remember the day when a face mask to me meant one of those Montagne Jeunesse sachet face masks from ASDA or Boots that my skin just really wouldn't appreciate. Now I'm not bad mouthing those masks, my friends used to love them, but I can't say I could bring myself to using them again. I remember popping a sheet mask on quickly for a photo and whipping it off again straight after. It would sting and I just HATED the sensation. It kind of ruined masks for me for a long while and I just assumed that relaxing with a face mask on just wasn't something I'd ever do. That was until I got into blogging and the endless world of skincare was opened up to me and everything changed. 

Now I can't remember the first face mask I ever fell in love with, it could have been one of these but I'm not so sure. But you know, these are some of the face masks I've got in my collection at the minute and am forever using for a pamper. 

The Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Mask is probably my favourite of them all. This is the mask that everyone talks about, and rightly so. It's incredible! It's a clay based mask that deeply cleanses your skin, and I really mean that, it goes right in there. It leaves my skin feeling super soft and so clean. Nothing else has met up to this and I'm so happy I've got the full size. Don't worry about it being used up quickly like I did, it really doesn't! 

A bit of a cheaper alternative to the Aesop clay based mask is the Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask. I picked this one up from Boots and it does a really similar job. It works to give your skin a deep clean and gives the same satisfying feeling of the wet clay mask drying against your skin. I love this, though not as much as the Aesop. 

A mask that I haven't quite understood the hype of yet is the Glam Glow Youth Mud Mask*. I think it's because I'd heard such incredible things from the Glam Glow range that I expected so much, but it doesn't quite meet up to my beloved Aesop Parsley Seed Mask and so I can only feel slightly disappointed. But still I will persevere... I want to know why it's so great! It's a clay mask similar to the previous but this one has exfoliant particles in to work to exfoliate your skin at the same time. It has a tingling feeling on application which is supposed brighten the skin. It's deemed a facial in a jar, but we'll see, I think I need to try this one a bit more before I can give a fully fledged opinion. But so far, not so good... 

Liz Earle is a brand I'm obsessed with so when I got my hands on the Liz Earle Brightening Treatment Mask* you can only imagine how excited I was. This is a super quick fix to brighten your skin, none of that leaving it on for 15 minutes and waiting, this is a quick job and I love that about it. You only leave it on for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes because it's so intensive so it's perfect for a fix in the morning if you're skin is looking a little dull. 

My skin can be so dry so I've become obsessed with moisture face masks to try and combat that. The first one I ever tried and still my firm favourite is of course the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Moisture Mask. This face mask is incredible! I have talked about it for years on here, and I will continue to do so until something else takes over (and I can't see that happening any time soon). You apply this like a moisturiser, leave on overnight and it basically sinks in and leaves your skin feeling super soft in the morning. It is a miracle work and even better, it smells incredible. I'd quite like to eat it please... 

The Jurlique Moisture Replenishing Mask* is another great one. Again the same sort of concept, though this isn't recommended to be left on all night. You apply the moisture mask, leave for 10 minutes and dab off. Perfect if your skin is feeling a little dry before going out and you've got a bit of time for a quick mask. 

The last mask I'm talking is a new one in my collection and it was recommended to me after my skin analysis at Dermalogica. It is the Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque* and it works very similarly to the Jurlique face mask. It leaves your skin feeling super soft and the hyaluronic acid within the product traps the moisture that delivers time released moisture, meaning your skin will stay hydrated for longer. Again this doesn't meet up to my love of the Origins mask, but it's a nice addition and a nice change as I don't like using too much of the same products too often. I don't want my skin to become to used to them and stop reaping the benefits.  

I've become such a face mask hoarder but that doesn't stop me wanting more! I'm currently eyeing up the Origins Calm To Your Senses mask, Origins Mega Mushroom Face Mask and the Origins Original Skin Mask. A bit of an Origins fest, but I can't help but constantly eye up their range after knowing how much I love the one I have. 

What are your favourite face masks? 

Lorna x

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Eating in London: The Drift Bar

I love trying out new places to eat. It's one of my favourite things to do and I've started preferring going out for a lovely meal with a couple of cocktails over a night out, but I think that's because I've finished uni now (and am actually graduating today, probably as we speak) so I'd say I've grown up a little and am a total grandma in the making. 

I headed over to The Drift Bar near Liverpool Street, London* for the latest post in my Eating in London series to try out what they had on offer. Upon arrival I first noticed that this is the perfect place for after work or pre-drinks and that's what everyone was in there for, much like when I visited Rocket, Holborn recently. The music was pumping, it was super busy and the atmosphere was great. There is a bar downstairs with many drinks flowing and up the stairs you arrive at the restaurant, very slightly calmer. We were seated and kept admiring the mismatched decor, it was really cool and totally to our tastes. 

We started by getting a couple of cocktails. We went for my all time favourite, a Porn Star Martini and an Old Fashioned, both great and pretty strong so would definitely be perfect for getting you well on your way to dance all night. For starters we went for our beloved Salt and Pepper Squid with Lemon Mayonnaise to see how it landed on the squid scale. We ALWAYS order this as it's a safe bet that it'll be incredible, and it really was! Super crisp and full of flavour. To go alongside that, we went for the Broad Bean, Mint and Ricotta Bruschetta and this was the star of the show for the starters. This looked and tasted amazing and I can't recommend it enough! 

The main courses had so much to choose from but as fish lovers we of course chose a couple of their fish options and weren't disappointed. We went for the Fish Pie with a Cheddar Potato Crust and I can't tell you how great this tasted. Although I'm not the biggest fan of taking shells of things and you know, the eye's are pretty off putting - I always feel as though they're looking at me, but after all of that was sorted the incredible prawn was removed and it tasted like nothing else. The fish inside was great with the sauce and the mash on the top was so smooth and finished off perfectly with the cheese crust. Delicious! Alongside that we opted for the Pan Fried Brill with Baby Leeks and a Brown Shrimp Butter as they were all out of the special fish dish we were after. This was great, the flavour was awesome and of course the look of it was incredible. One point I would make though would be that if you're not a fan of bones in your fish, don't go for this, it's a bit of a fiddle. 

Sides finished the meal off amazingly and I'm such a fan of vegetables and have a rule that there always has to be a bit of green on my plate so the buttered spinach was a sure deciscision. It tasted amazing and I love spinach so really they could do no wrong. The chips on the menu really stood out to us so we had to try them and opted for the Cowboy Fries in Honey, Chilli and Garlic and the Roman Fries with Parmesan, Truffle and Rosemary. These were amazing and I love the idea of having amazingly flavoured fries that are totally different from anything else I've tried before served in plant pots. How cool?! The Cowboy fries were my favourite, perfectly flavoured, super sticky and I didn't even care that the flavour shouldn't really go with my Fish Pie, they were amazing and I just had to keep eating them. 

We were so full up that we couldn't make room for desert and with all of the people, the open kitchen and the heat outside it was so hot that I just needed air. That is literally my only negative about the evening - too hot - but it's just one of those things that you can't really do much about. The food made up for it and I know that I'd love to go back, even just for those Cowboy fries... Yum! 

Lorna x

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A Foundation Addition For Pale Skin

Who else has that age old problem of finding the right foundation shade for your skin tone? Yep that's right, I'm sure all of you have come across it at one point or another. We've all got our specific issues and mine is that I can't find a foundation that goes pale enough for my pale skin and only a few really do match up. 

I've found a new one to go alongside these pale skin foundation favourites and my beloved NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Siberia that I just couldn't not tell you about. It really is that good! 

As you can tell by the picture, I'm talking the LUSH Jackie Oates Colour Supplement. It's super pale as you can tell by the picture of the pale foundation above but that's not the only reason that I love this. The quality and texture of this product is what made me fall in love with it. It's so hydrating which is perfect for my super dry skin, nothing clings to any dry skin which is incredible - it literally feels as though your applying a moisturiser with your foundation brush and it's making your skin look incredible. It's really buildable so if you want a high coverage you would be able to achieve that much as you would be able to achieve a light coverage. The lasting power is great, though I tested that when using a powder and sometimes a primer - though I don't always feel that a primer is needed as this is so long lasting and hydrating on its own. 

I picked this beauty up when I was browsing in their incredible new store on Oxford Street. Have you been yet? It's hard not to walk away with about a billion bath bombs and their makeup range is absolutely on point. I'd been thinking about getting this gorgeous pale foundation for so long but for some reason I never brought myself to do it. It was probably one of those 'you've got a million others, you don't need it Lorna' justifications, but the hype of the new store and my love of the endless swatches I'd been doing meant it 'fell' into my basket and came home with me and I am so happy about that. It really is love!

What is your favourite foundation that's perfect for your colour match? 

Lorna x

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Expressing My Love For Quorn

I've not eaten meat for a long long time now. I'm trying to think how long exactly but I'm not 100% sure, it's probably about 8/9/10 years. A bit of a long time frame, but I just can't quite put my finger on exactly when it was. I just went off it one day and went vegetarian and was for a long time. I think it was a few years after that I started eating fish again and so became a pescetarian and have been ever since then. 

I remember when I first went vegetarian I hated the idea of meat alternatives. I think it was the fact that I stopped eating meat completely because I went off it and the idea of fake chicken or sausages felt exactly the same. I didn't want anything that was named what would make me feel sick going anywhere near my mouth and it took me a while to get into eating them. I'm actually really thankful for this as I think a lot of people who turn vegetarian or don't eat meat use them as the easy option to get things like protein and save time when cooking, when actually you can get all of the nutrients you need elsewhere. It made me be a whole lot more adventurous with my cooking, and although I've always loved vegetables (I remember photos of me as a baby eating bowls and bowls of spinach with it all around my mouth) it just made sure that I used them in a whole different way instead of just having them on the side of a meal. 

A while after though, I eventually got into meat substitutes created for vegetarians and the more I ate them, the more I enjoyed them. Now I'm not saying I eat them with every meal. I can't, it gets a bit too much but sometimes it makes such a nice change. Quorn is the best of the best and there are some products from the range that I can't get enough of - the Best of British Sausages I'm looking at you - and I forever buy them. So when Quorn got in contact and asked if I wanted them to send a few bits* over I happily obliged and used it as an opportunity to try out some of the things I've not tried before and honestly, I'm so glad I did. 

The Thai Green Curry is perfect for those days when you just can't quite be bothered to cook. All you have to do is cook it in a frying pan with a splash of water and the whole thing will cook from frozen. It's got a great flavour, definitely not on the same level as if you were to cook one from scratch, but it's frozen and takes virtually no time to cook so what do you expect. It's packed with vegetables and quorn meat free chicken pieces and is delicious served with noodles and a splash of soy sauce. 

My housemate Michaela is queen of the pies and she always gets me craving one but I find it so hard to find flavours that I like the look of as vegetarian pies always seem to be filled with my arch nemesis Goats Cheese, yuck (though saying that the Pieminster Vegetarian Mushroom Pie is HEAVEN). When I saw the Quorn Meat Free Chicken and Leek Pies I just had to try them and they are incredible. They are just as you'd imagine a good pie to be. Great filling, nice and saucy and amazing when served with mash, green vegetables and lashings of gravy. Mmmm, give it to me now! 

The pork steaks were something I've noticed a lot lately, but just couldn't quite bring myself to pick them up as I honestly didn't know what to expect but I was blown away by these. I would marinade them in a honey and mustard dressing and fry them with apples, onions and garlic and serve with some sort of vegetable or potato. So yummy and makes such a nice change from what I would usually cook. 

The Bacon Lardons are a really interesting one, I wasn't quite sure what to make of these as I love the original bacon strips that you can pick up in the refrigerator section. I've added these to a carbonara and to a risotto and they make a nice addition though they didn't quite blow me away like the other products did. 

Quorn products are great and are so worth trying. I love how you can still cook them up and make them into so many different dishes. I've got such a love of cooking and this allows me to have the same reign as I would if I was to eat meat. 

What are your favourite Quorn products? 

Lorna x

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A Charlotte Tilbury Nude Lip Duo

The infamous Charlotte Tilbury is a brand we've all heard about, and you know what, if you haven't - where have you been? I fell in love with the brand after trying their amazing colour chameleon eye shadow sticks and the Retoucher concealer I mentioned in my A Hydrating Base For Dry Skin post. The products though I had heard the most about though were the lip products and I can only imagine that it'll be the case for you too. 

I got my hands on the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pillow Talk* and the Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Bitch Perfect* and the quality is unlike anything I've tried before. These are some of their iconic shades that people use to achieve a Kylie Jenner pout and I can see why. You can feel the quality at first swipe and trust me you'll fall in love. They're long lasting and the packaging makes the experience of using such a quality product that bit better and a whole lot more exciting. Although the shades aren't for me, the quality makes up for it and sometimes I'll reach for them just for that. I know I'll be picking up a few more of these in a couple of shades that I know I'll love (the reds and purples, I'm looking at you!).

If you're looking to add an amazing quality lipstick into your collection then this is definitely the one for you. I can assure you that the hype is there for a reason! 

What Charlotte Tilbury products have you got your eyes on? 

Lorna x

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Give Your Hair More Oomph

Flat hair be gone! This is one of the biggest issues I have with my hair. I'm always wanting to get more volume and am forever looking at pictures of gorgeous ladies with voluminous hair and wondering how the hell I could get that, and more, get it to last! But I've tried my fair share of products and these are the ones I've found that get me on my way to having hair with all the oomph!

First up, it's so much easier to get volume to hold if you've got unwashed hair and that means that dry shampoo will be your best friend. The best I've tried, much like I mentioned in my festival beauty essentials post before I went to Glastonbury, is the John Frieda Luxurious Volume Dry Shampoo. It's incredible, and I won't go into too much detail but you need not worry about it leaving your hair white or weighing it down. It refreshes and volumizes and gives the perfect base to add more volume. You can use this to add a bit of grit to freshly washed hair too! 

To finish off the look after styling, the Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Dry Texturising Spray is an absolute favourite of mine. I picked it up after hearing Amelia Liana mention that it's a dupe for the infamous Oribe Texturising Spray and have been in love ever since. You just spritz it into your hair and it adds texture and volume, super easy to use and a great finish. 

If your looking for volume specifically in the roots then the Schwarzkopf got2b powder'ful volumizing styling powder* is exactly what you mean. This is a quick fix and perfect for a night out. It weighs your hair down and feels pretty grim, but that doesn't matter because it makes your hair look incredible. 

To finish off the look and my new favourite product is the Schwarzkopf got2b Rise n' Shine Volume and Shine Soufflé* is fantastic. It's exactly what it says, a soufflé that you just apply to the hair and I honestly can't even describe what an amazing effect that a little bit of this product can have. I find that it looks and feels incredible in the hair and I can't recommend it enough. I always get questions about my hair when I use it and always put it down to this. I can't get over the price and it's only £2.70 at Superdrug at the minute! 

These are my go-to products to get volume into my hair and I can't recommend them enough. Finish it off with a spritz of hairspray and your good to go. 

What are your go-to products for voluminous hair? 

Lorna x

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The Candle You Need In Your Life

I've only gone and got myself quite the candle obsession since starting this little space on the internet. It goes alongside my beauty obsession and of course that on-going feeling of needing to collect them all - just like I feel with the Urban Decay Naked Palettes. You can never have too many, they add so much to a room and especially when you've got a super luxurious one on the burn, it can just make you feel so relaxed and I can't tell you how much I love that. 

Timothy Dunn London is one of those luxurious brands that you can only feel excited about having in your home. It's a brand I fell in love with after being given the Timothy Dunn London Tiger-Eye Candle by one of my blogging besties, Becki, as it's her family's company and trust me, I'm not bias, it's an incredible brand that I honestly don't think is as well known as it deserves to be. She didn't give me this candle to post about, it was just a gift, but I'm so in love with it that I just had to tell you all about it because I'd do that for anything else I fell in love with. 

The Tiger-Eye scent has notes of orange blossom, petitgrain, jasmine, lily, cyclamen, sandalwood, vanilla, amberwood and patchouli. I'm terrible at explaining what things smell like but this is incredible and I can't get over how spot on Becki was with her pick. 

Not only is the scent itself incredible, but it's so strong that you can even smell it when it's not burning and that's one of the reasons why I love this so much. I want to be able to smell my scented candles and feel it's such a waste when you spend a lot of money on something and you can't even smell it while it's burning. It's just disappointing and trust me, Timothy Dunn London couldn't be further from that. 

The packaging is incredible, and this one in black is just gorgeous. I don't own any black candles which really is pretty strange because I love the shade. I'm forever wearing it and love to have pops of black around the home to contrast against the white. The quality of the packaging looks and feels amazing which just adds to the feeling of luxury when you've got it on the side. 

I am the worst for not wanting to burn luxurious candles, I get worried about using them up because I love them so much but after a telling off from Becki, and being told that I have to burn this beauty, I thought about it and happily obliged. You might as well burn them because what's the point in having them in the first place? I love using them when I'm having a pamper sesh as it just makes me feel 100 times more relaxed, it's incredible how it can make you feel!

Honestly this is the best luxury candle I've ever tried and for the price of £36, I couldn't recommend it any more. You just need to pop into a store to give it a sniff! Timothy Dunn London is available at a number of stores including Harrods and Fortnum and Mason so you'll have to check it out if you're in the area, or you know, it's well worth making the trip if you're not. 

Lorna x

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Summer Ready Legs

It's that time of year when getting our legs out is necessary, and you know, especially in this incredible heat wave we've been having! In the UK, we're prone to hiding our pins nearly all year long so they probably need a bit of prepping when the sun decides to come out and finally say hello. 

First up, scrubbing is an essential and honestly the best I've tried is the Mio Double Buff Dual Action Enzyme Exfoliator*. You apply to dry skin, scrub away and the wash away with water. It's a really nice intense scrub that hydrates your skin as it scrubs and honestly I can't express how amazing your skin feels after using this. It reminds me a lot of my favourite facial exfoliator, The Body Shop Microdermabrasion, but you know for body this time. It's worth every penny, and my only qualm would be that I'd like a bigger tube as I'm so obsessed with the stuff. 

Onto hydration for the legs and the Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil* is perfect for smoothing over any scars, stretch marks, fine lines or wrinkles that you may want to clear up on your legs. I've heard so many incredible things about what these can do and I can assure you that it feels incredible on the skin. If scars isn't your issue and maybe cellulite is then the Mio Shrink To Fit Cellulite Smoother* will be your best friend. It tightens the skin and really does have an effect, I was sceptical but I'm actually really impressed! 

The last touch though is probably my favourite and the Nip and Fab Shimmer Leg Fix* is gorgeous! It's a super hydrating moisturiser with an added extra of a gorgeous golden shimmer. It hydrates while making your legs look incredible! And tryst me, don't let the shimmer scare you off, you won't end up looking like a glitter ball. It's not too much it's the perfect amount and really just does finish it off perfectly while making sure your legs are super hydrated and looking perfect. I'm obsessed, can you tell yet?

Obviously, if you're popping out in the sun then I'd completely recommend using an SPF but I feel like that goes without saying. Look after your skin people! 

What are your beauty saviours to help getting your legs ready for the summer? 

Lorna x

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New Look Fashion Flashback 70's Wishlist

I've got the shopping bug at the minute. I'm putting it down to all my last minute fear buying for Glastonbury last week and my Graduation thats coming up and it's only made me want to buy more. I swear it either makes you want to keep on spending, or it does the complete opposite and gets rid of that feeling. But as you can tell, this time it's definitely not done the latter and I have been enjoying putting together wishlist posts more than you can even know (I'm currently watching Extreme Couponing as we speak, gimme those deals!)

New Look is on point at the minute and I love their current items throwing back to past era's and today post is all about my love of their 70's inspired summer range. It's so blooming cool and right up my street and you know, I need them all. I think it's the sun coming out that's made me change my thoughts towards anything other than my usual theory of all black everything... It's too hot and I can't handle it so these 70's inspired items are perfect. 

I love all of these Bardot style tops but only have a plain black one so this First & I Cream Crochet Frill Trim Bardot Neck Top would make a nice addition for summer. I'd love to wear this with a denim skirt, it'd be so cute!

Fringing became my best friend while I was at Glastonbury and this Black Fringed Bag is an awesome addition to add a little fringe into my day to day wardrobe as I just can't see me feeling comfortable wearing a super long fringed top in my day to day life. 

Suede skirts have been everywhere and I've been so in love with them but for one reason or another I've not managed to pick one up yet. It's either been the fact that they don't have my size in stock or that the shape isn't quite right or its way too expensive. If I'm going to spend my money on something I want to be deeply in love with it and for it to be completely right. This Suedette Button Front Pencil Skirt looks exactly like the one I've been dreaming about. I love the button detailing and the shape and shade looks perfect, it's a total bargain too! 

I've gone off shorter skirts lately and it's all about the midi for me at the minute. As soon as I spied this Pink Ethnic Print Keyhole Front Midi Dress I fell in love. It's completely gorgeous and if there's only one thing I end up picking up from this wishlist it'll definitely be it. It can be dressed up for the evening, smartened up for work or dressed down for the day time. I love it and need it in my life more than I can even explain. 

I am all about the denim dungaree pinafore style at the minute, just like I mentioned in this Fashion and Beauty Summer Wishlist and although I've got a couple of styles of dungarees/dresses, I've still not picked up one like this Blue Denim Pinafore Dress and as this one's in the sale, I have an inkling that it might make the cut and become the latest addition into my dungaree collection. 

I really need to pick up some new sandals and shoes as I've got too many closed shoes and am needing some open sandals to work alongside the heat! These Black Croc Chunky Black Heels look perfect and again like the Midi Dress, they can be dressed up or down and I love it when items are versatile as you know you'll get more wear out of them. 

I've been looking for a vintage styled belt like the Tan Western Jeans Belt like this for a while and I've not found one I like as much as this one. It would look so nice with denim and for under £5 you really can't go wrong! 

There's so many great things in New Look at the minute and I'm so excited about it. I lost love for them for a little while but looking at this range has gotten me so excited about their fashion again. I'm planning a trip this weekend and am too excited to go! *Post in collaboration with New Look

What is your favourite flashback era? 

Lorna x

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Relaxing in London: Privet Body

With the hustle and bustle of the city and you know, just general life it's so easy to forget to give yourself a bit of 'me time'. I am the worst for this but it's only when I pop in to places like this is when I realise how important it actually is. But I guess, not going to a spa often can make it that bit more special. I don't often go, in fact I actually had my first facial at the Agua Spa in the Sanderson recently and spa all over body treatment before that, and it only egged me on to wanting to go that step further and try out somewhere else. 

I headed to Privet Body in Notting Hill* just after I'd handed in my last ever assignment at University. If I didn't need it then, then I just don't know when I could say I would! I don't really know what to call Privet but I'd say it's a mixture of a salon and a spa that's great for just about anyone to go to. It's not one of those spa's that leave you feeling uncomfortable as it's something your not used to, which essentially ruins the whole experience as you're left thinking about it the whole time. Like I said before, I've not been to many things like this before so am only just getting used to what happens for each treatment so when a company makes you feel as at home and comfortable as Privet does then you know your in for a good time. 

Pre-treatment, I got chatting with the owner and couldn't stop expressing my love of the decor of the place. It's so cool, and the log cabin vibes are so unusual and I fell so in love with it. Like I mentioned before, this decor runs along with the whole feeling of being totally at home. It's not poncy, its not uncomfortable, it literally just feel natural for you to be in there and relaxing and it made so much sense as to why the lovely owner started it. He said he wanted to create a place where males would feel comfortable to come, because you know, as much as they might say they don't like a face mask, pedicure or massage, trust me, they like it as much as the rest of us! I love this idea and I can totally see how the decor fits with that. But don't worry ladies, it doesn't single out us. It works perfectly for both, so it'd be the perfect place to take your boyfriend along to dip their toe in the whole spa/salon scene. 

I opted for the Blooming Marvellous Full Body Massage and spoiler, it was incredible! I can't compare it with anything but I was left feeling so relaxed and all of the knots had disappeared. It felt like such a treat and I didn't ever want to leave the haven of Privet. I honestly couldn't recommend this spot enough. It's perfect if you're looking to try out a treatment and your not sure what to expect, if you're in the area, if you want to take a special man in your life but want them to feel comfortable or basically, you know, for anything. Just go here, trust me, you won't regret it!

Lorna x

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