Happy Hump Day %

Wishing you all a Happy Hump Day!

Some quick little updates on moi:

♥ Fitness: I am proud to say that I went to the gym last night for the first time in over 7 months! Since leaving NZ back in June I haven't really worked out at all & as much as this hasn't really effected my weight, I have felt so lazy and unfit. So I got my act together tried out the Fitness First near my work yesterday and I am happy to report that after doing 7km on the cross trainer, I can actually still walk today. Woop woop! I'm going again on Thursday to do a fun class and then I will sign up and get myself into a routine! GO ROZ GO! :p

♥ Family: I had my mama & papa (mum & dad in Dutch…) visiting me in London this weekend. We had a lovely time walking around the city, showing them my new life & home, eating loads of amazing food and soaking up some culture at museums and seeing a musical show! One of the things we did was go to the London Borough Markets. If you live in London and have never been, or are planning to visit London – I definitely recommend going here!!  The Borough Market is a wholesale & retail food market in Southwark, London (near London Bridge). It is one of the largest food markets in London and the sells a large variety of foods from all over the world. The market is a web of many trader stalls displaying and selling artisan foods, breads, patisseries, confectionary, vegetables, dairy products and the list just goes on and on! Check out some photos I took at the market below. I loved walking around and getting to taste all the delicious foods on display. Nom nom! For more information on the markets visit their website www.boroughmarket.org.uk

♥ Travel: I am so excited, because in 22 sleeps I will be leaving on an airplane to the sunshine! Me and 3 friends have booked a luxury 4 day weekend to Marrakech in Morocco for early March. A five star hotel, sunshine, cocktails and lots of Moroccan food. I just can't wait!!!! I envisage it will be a little bit like the below? JOKES ;)

♥ Birthday: It turns out I need to wish some a belated Happy Birthday….Who? My little blog!!! It was 'Dutchess Roz' one year birthday on 28 January and I completely forgot about it (woops!) I can't believe how the time has flown. I am still amazed by what this blog has become in such little time and I am so thankful to all my readers and followers to give me this extraordinary experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

xoxo Roz

Aveda Smooth Infusion: The Round Up!

Hi everyone,

So after using the Aveda Smooth Infusion collection for almost a month, here it is; my final round up of the challenge! You can read my previous two posts as part of the challenge here and here.

To summarise the range here is another quick outline of the products I have been using:

1. Smooth Infusion Shampoo: softens hair & reduces frizz, priced at £14.50 for 250ml

2. Smooth Infusion Conditioner: includes a special plant infusion that leaves hair silky smooth, priced at £16.50 for 200ml

3. Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother: makes styling easier by producing long-lasting smooth results, priced at £18 for 100ml

4. Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener: for all-day straightness &shine, priced at £18.50

♥ What they say

"With 40 percent of women seeking smooth, straight, frizz-free hair, Aveda’s 4-step smoothing system, Smooth Infusion, was designed to help achieve these results—leaving hair chic, straight and manageable for 12 hours."

♥ Things I loved about the range:

The lovely lemony botanical scent. It smells so fresh which seems to linger in your hair all day!

Being organic and natural products the shampoo and conditioner feel really cleansing and good for your hair.

The products aren’t too heavy or rich which means it doesn’t weigh the hair down.

The products provide a heat barrier which means it protects your hair from heat styling and humidity.

My hair was super easy to brush (de-tangle) after washing, especially after applying the Style-Prep Smoother.

It made my hair softer, shinier, more manageable, well conditioned and less frizzy!

♥ My overall verdict:

Well basically I have been pretty impressed with the Smooth Infusion range. It promises smoother & sleeker hair and ever since I have started using these products I have certainly noticed a difference in the way my hair looks and feels. Does it make your hair straight and totally eliminate any sign of frizz? Well no, it can’t work miracles but I did find my hair was noticeably smoother, softer and it felt more hydrated. I have naturally quite straight hair already but after sleeping I normally wake up with frustrating ‘kinks’ in my hair (especially at the back of my neck) and I found while using the Smooth Infusion Range that my kinks were virtually gone in the mornings, woop woop! Also my hair remained in a smooth and less frazzled condition even after travelling on the busy London tube, working in air-conditioned offices, walking through wind and rain, ice skating and many more activities! So the big question, would I re-purchase any of these products? Yes, I would certainly re-purchase them! OK the products are a little more expensive than your average high street/drug store brands but then again I feel you get what you pay for and especially with the Style-Prep Smoother and Glossing Straightener you only need to use very little so it would last you ages. The Style Prep-Smoother is definitely my favourite of the line. As much as I know that using the full range of products will give you the best results, I think the Style Prep-Smoother is the star of this collection and you will get smoother results by just using that!

I hope that you girls have enjoyed reading about my Aveda Smooth Infusion Challenge! For more information on The Smooth Infusion line go to your local Salon or visit http://www.aveda.co.uk/

*this was a sponsored post via HandPicked Media for the Aveda Smooth Infusion Challenge.

No7 Best Wink

I received an exciting little goodie in my mail box last week. No7's new 'Exquisite Curl Mascara' which I will be trying out over the next few weeks so see what I think (and share my thoughts with you). As part of the launch of this new No7 mascara, Boots are running a little competition where ladies across the UK can win a pampering weekend in London amongst other goodies. All entrants need to do is upload a video or photo of themselves showing off their most beautiful wink at the camera!

You can find out more about the competition, upload your own wink and check out other people’s entries at No7’s Facebook page! Click on the image above to be transferred to the Fan Page to enter! Note the competition closes on 15th February! Btw I am absolutely useless at winking so please excuse my silly entry for the competition ;)

So what's your best wink? xoxo

Over the Taupe - NOTD

As you might know I am a big fan of any taupe/mushroom coloured nail polishes & one of my favourites is definitely Chanel – Particulière! Check out my post on that nail polish here. When my friend (& fellow nail polish lover) recently came to visit me in London she with had with her an OPI colour that is very similar to my beloved Chanel polish! Here is my Nail of the Day (NOTD) wearing OPI – Over The Taupe:

Over The Taupe is very similar to OPI’s - You Don’t Know Jacques (from their French collection) but it’s a little lighter and less brown and more taupe and mushroom! Over The Taupe was released in the summer of 2009 as part of an OPI Brights collection that was a collaboration between OPI and Paige Denim. Apparently there was a lot of fuss when this collection was released that Over the Taupe didn’t really belong in a collection of bright blues, pinks, orange and purples. I agree that it does seem slightly odd that a mushroom taupe was added in to a brights collection, but hey who cares, it’s a gorgeous colour! I just adore these kind shades on my nails. So chic and perfect for any occasion; for work but also still classy & glam for a night out! Needed about 2-3 coats to get a good opaque coverage but I used a basecoat and found that the polish lasted amazingly long!
Note to self – think I need to use base coats more often ;)

I have my parents visiting me in London this weekend so will be out & about showing them my new London life! Hope you all have a fantastic weekend :) xoxo