Hello my festive creatures,

How are you all? Good I hope. I myself am rather well and am enjoying my Christmas break.

Today I went ice skating with my brother and his girlfriend which was both terrifying and brilliant. This evening I'm either going to watch a Christmas film or have a Lush bath, but either way there will be festive booze being consumed.

Last time we spoke I did a little Autumn post, nothing special, but in keeping with that I thought I'd share my top five things I love about Christmas. I also am hoping to do a Lush product post soon as I'm coming to the end of some of my bottles and want to give them a little review! Anyway, stay pealed for that.


Top 5 things I love about Christmas

Food - I love food. And Christmas is the BEST time to forget our useless diets and binge and enjoy the flavours and scents.

Shopping - I absolutely love buying people presents. I get really organised and make lists and spreadsheets (which I enjoy doing also, lame I know). I adore seeing the look on people's faces when they open their gifts. I work really hard to get unique and thoughtful gifts so I love watching others open them.

Family - I am blessed to have such an incredible, loving and supportive family who get on really well. We have such a laugh and I really don't know where I'd be without my family- they are my rocks! So at Christmas I love getting to spend as much quality family time as possible, including cuddling my gorgeous golden retriever, Marvel. I also can't wait for me and my boyfriend to get our own place so we can finally spend Christmas together.

Christmas traditions - I think everyone has their own, but we enjoy watching Christmas films each year. The list keeps getting longer though which means more organisation is needed each year to arrange when we are all available to watch them! Our all time favourites are Home Alone 1 & 2 and Muppet Christmas Carol. But other favourites include Love Actually and Nativity! and who could forget Elf.

Kindness - I know we forget about this sometimes and unfortunately we see plenty of UNkindness throughout the year and around Christmas. I think it is easy to forget about those less fortunate and others around us when we are so caught up in our own worlds and buying presents for our own families. But I truly believe that Christmas should be a time for kindness and forgiveness. Some people don't have families, or money, or even a home, and if we all share a bit of kindness, even just a warm hello, or a thank you, you could make someones day. Kindness goes a long way, and I like thinking about it at this time of year because it makes me realise how lucky I am and how grateful I should be for what I have. But it makes me realise how much I want to be able to help others.

So what are you top 5 things about Christmas that you love?

Let me know in the comments!

I hope you all have a marvellous Christmas and a happy New Year!!

Speak soon

Hello my lovelies,

It has been ages since I've blogged and if you follow me on twitter you'll have seen me tweeting how sorry I am for being so absent on here recently.

Basically I started a new career, and so I've been getting myself settled in, so I do really apologise for having to put blogging on hold for a while.

I am hoping to really get back into it because I love this little blog so much and I love all of you who read it. I've missed blogging so much but I've just had no energy!

So, I thought I'd just write this little post to let you all know that I am still here, and that A Little Bit Of Laura will continue.

I've been obsessed with LUSH recently and I actually have a little package arriving this week with some new Lush products so I am hoping to do a little Autumn Lush post for you all.

I also cannot believe that its mid November already and that before we know it it'll be Christmas. I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet and I'm starting to panic because I don't get much time to go shopping anymore. It was so much easier when I was at uni and had so much time on my hands!

Anyway this was just a little update post, but I didn't want to leave you with nothing so I thought I write about my five favourite things about Autumn.

1.) Matching clothes to the autumn leaves- maroon, purples, orange, mmm. I don't usually get too fussed with Autumn, however with my new job I get really excited about wearing nice Autumn coloured clothes. Today I bought a maroon jumper dress to wear tomorrow!

2.) It cold enough to get out your trusty winter coat and get cosy.

3.) You can come home after work and put your pjs on and it feels acceptable!

4.) Dark coloured lipsticks look cracking! My favourite at the moment is from the Velvet Kiss range by Collection.

5.) The clocks changing mean darker nights, which in turn mean cosier evenings, candles, blankets and movies.

Questions for you

What are your five favourite things about Autumn?

What is your Autumn staple?

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

If you could get just one gift this Christmas, what would it be?

Speak soon loves

Sometimes working out takes a lot of motivation, especially when there are such delicious foods around. All we feel like doing is kicking back, watching Netflix and eating chocolate after a long day. But since I've incorporated running into my daily regime there have been so many improvements to my life. I'm about to share five of them with you now...

1.) You get to go out and see the world. Whether you're running just around the block or taking on higher extremes, you feel great for having taken yourself away from your laptop screen or mobile to be at one with the world around you. Enjoy it, take it all in and if you see something beautiful, don't hesitate to stop and have a look or take a picture (if you have a phone with you for using apps like Strava).


2.) It works wonders with your legs. Okay so not everyone wants to have really muscly legs, and I think that is what worries some. But honestly it'll only tone them as well as giving your bum a lift. Since running 5/6 days a week for the past month or so, I've managed to slim my legs down. I was squeezing into a size 12 at the beginning of summer and today I slipped back into a size 8 (even if they were a stretchy trouser!)

3.) You feel less guilty about treating yourself to a bit of chocolate. Because you workout and get fresh air everyday, you don't feel quite so bad having that little sweet treat once in a while. So don't stress yourself out by trying to force yourself to do any of these silly diets.

4.) It releases endorphins. As previously discussed in my last post, getting exercise is a great way to feel happier in yourself. The release of endorphins will make you feel brighter and more energised and awake- you can take on anything!

5.) It's a great way to get fit without the need of fancy equipment of an expensive gym membership. Running is free, so go out and do it. There are no excuses!

Do it for you. Come up with some reasons why you want to start running or be fit, and tell yourself them everyday when you wake. Remind yourself that you want to become the best version of yourself. So put your trainers on and get out and enjoy what the world has to offer. And getting fit whilst doing so? Yes please!

Today I want to talk to you all about skin care. Without good looking skin, our make-up doesn't look half as good as it could. What's more important is keeping our skin healthy, that way we'll have less of a need to wear make-up (not that any of us should ever feel like we NEED to wear make-up). Here are five useful tips to help your skin become healthier!

1.) Drink water
This may seem very obvious but it's one of the easiest things you can do to get better skin. Water will keep your skin hydrated and will help keep it clean which should prevent your skin from blotching and getting spots! Water has so many health benefits, it'd be silly not to follow this step!

2.) Wear less make-up
Okay so sometimes we want to wear make-up and that's fine. But if you are having a homey day or aren't going anywhere important, treat your skin to a make-up free day. Doing this whenever you can will give your skin a break from clogged pores and dirt and it'll feel much more revitalised.

3.) Apply Suncream
We sometimes don't realise how big of an impact the sun can have on our skin, especially in the cooler months. We tend to slap a bit of suncream on in the summer and then leave it to get exposed throughout the remainder of the year. However the sun is always there, so make sure you buy a foundation that has a suncream built in. Or incorporate an oil free suncream into your beauty regime and make-up prep. Skin that is protected from the sun all year round will look younger and healthier.

4.) Find out which products work for you
There is no point spending your money on products that have no effect or even make your skin worse. Find out what skin type you have, whether it's oily or dry or sensitive and find products that suit that. Don't be afraid to ask in store for help and find out what they can offer you.

5.) Get out in the fresh air and enjoy life
Getting out in the fresh air, whether it be for a day of shopping, or a run around the park will increase your chances of having better skin. It also will release endorphins which will lower your stress levels and lead to being happier in yourself. When we are happier with ourselves and the world around us, we begin to feel better in our skin, and our skin feels better with us. Nature is a very powerful resource that will benefit you in more ways than one.

Hopefully these simple tips will encourage more of you to be kind to your skin, and hopefully your skin will be kind to you too.

Make a list of reasons

Hey guys, so if you've read my blog over the past couple of months, you'll know that in June I travelled to Disneyland Paris and wrote a couple of posts full of tips for going there yourself. Now, I promised you about 3 segments, and although it's taken me a while to upload this post, here it is.

Disneyland Paris Parks

If you've ever been to Disneyland before you'll know what I mean when I say that it feels as though you are stepping into a bubble, an alternate world where your cares and worries of reality simply slip away. It truly does feel amazing and for anyone who thinks that Disneyland is for children, you are completely wrong. If anything I've appreciated it more and more the older I've become.

I went for 4 nights and 5 days, which was an extra day longer than I've ever been before. This was great because we felt like we didn't have to rush to do anything, we could take our time and thoroughly enjoy ourselves without feeling like we had to abide by a strict schedule.

We arrived in the park at about 1pm on our first day, which was a Monday. It really wasn't busy at all compared to how it is in school holiday, which meant that we managed to walk on all the rides we wanted. The longest queue we had was about a 5 minute wait for the Buzz Lightyear ride... not long at all. After this we felt even more relaxed because on our first afternoon we'd already done so much, which left us with so much time to appreciate everything else.
During our trip we were able to enjoy perusing the shops and taking in the atmosphere and pretty buildings.

A tip for the best times to go on rides in my opinion would be during parades (if you aren't fussed about seeing parades!)  because so many people gather down mainstreet for the parades meaning queues become much shorter. Also waiting until later in the evening when some people have either gone back to hotels or gone for dinner. Or even when people start to gather for Disney dreams!

Before when I've gone to Disneyland I've spent maybe one day in Walt Disney Studios. This time however, and especially because we had an extra day, we felt we were able to share our time more. Also, me and my boyfriend found we enjoyed the rides so much in the studios that in the end we shared our time between both parks equally.

Our favourite rides in Disneyland:
Pirates of the Caribbean
Thunder Mountain- this was closed for our trip unfortunately but it's one of my faves
Space Mountain- we went on this a little too much though I think and our brains hurt a fair bit after.
Indiana Jones- again, like Space Mountain, it does rattle your head around a bit too much.

Our favourite rides in Studios:
Tower of Terror
Crush's Coaster
RC Racer
Ratatouille


Best rides for people who like tame rides:
Small World
Buzz Lightyear
Peter Pan's Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean- there are a few drops but nothing too bad
Dumbo or Aladdin

Disneyland Paris has been so amazing, every time I've been it's been an incredible experience. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about my trip there and I hope that the next time I go I'll have more tales to tell, I may even vlog some of it!

I booked my holidays through Disney Holidays and Holidays Disneyland Paris
I booked my Eurostar through Eurostar

Speak soon

Hello lovelies

I have lined up some splendid beauty reviews for you, starting with a review of this product by St Tropez.

Now this product is relatively new, coming out last year I believe. I'd wanted to get my hands on it for a while, but to be honest St Tropez is far too pricey for me and so I never bought it. However this product was on offer in Tesco and although it was still expensive at about £9- £10, I thought it was worth it-as I would be saving about a fiver.

I'd heard mixed reviews on this products but it has been spoken off very highly by many and by magazines and so I was very excited to try it.  To be able to get a tan, in the shower, and have no 'fake tan' smell is brilliant, I thought, and how this was possible, I was unsure, but nevertheless I was keen to achieve what promised to be the most effortless tan EVER!!!

Unfortunately... despite how it has been bragged about, it isn't all it's cracked up to be.

First of all, the smell is better and doesn't smell of fake tan when you take a whiff from the bottle. It smells quite strong but in no way unpleasant, so at least there is one pro.

The process, although described as easy, I actually found a bit of a nuisance. It basically says to wash yourself first in the shower and then turn the shower off, and then apply the tan generously over the body, it then tells you to wash your hands after use. But doing this meant I of course had to turn the shower back on, which meant getting my body splashed a bit and when rinsing my hands, the water would run down my arms, so I found it easier to just not rinse my hands afterwards. Doing this I was expecting to face the orange hands consequence. However I didn't, like, at all. This was my first sign that this tan wasn't really doing anything, because usually you'd at least expect to see a faint tan right?
Anyway, you have to stand there with this lotion on your body for three minutes, which is slimy from the water and feels more wet in some places, like legs where it runs off with the remnants of water, and more creamy on your top half where you may apply last. After three minutes of standing and feeling slimy and helpless you have to turn the shower off and rinse your body with only water.

Luckily, St Tropez were correct in saying that there would be no fake tan smell. But perhaps this is because there is no fake tan in the bottle to begin with. I say this because I really didn't notice much difference to my skin tone AT ALL. Once I thought perhaps I had a hint of a glow, but I put that down to trick of the light. I knew it'o only a gradual tanner however and so I continued to use it for about four showers afterwards, and I still didn't really see any tan expect perhaps a faint and I mean faint, glow.

Overall this tan was disappointing. I will however attempt to use it again and see if maybe my application was what hindered it before, and perhaps I will come back and let you know how it went. However for £15, this did not seem worth it- sorry St Tropez.

Speak soon

Hey guys!

So, better late than never. I know, I know, my 7 Day Diet ended on Sunday and it's now Tuesday but I'm actually on holiday so I've been out and abouts. However I thought it a little rude not to finish off my updates from my 7 Day Diet so let's take another look through my goals and see if I achieved them.

To be honest, not much has changed since Day 4 & Day 5. I was a bit more naughty towards the end of the week due to the motivation wearing off and going on holiday. However I did try to keep to my goals as best as I could.

Goals:

• Eat a light, healthy breakfast
• Cut out carbs completely (ha let's see how that goes!)
• Drink mostly water
• Exercise most days
• I read somewhere that drinking a cup of coffee an hour before a workout, results in more energy and burns more calories, so let's see if that works shall we?
• Smaller portions- don't over eat
• Only eat healthy snacks
• Get a good night's sleep and wake up at reasonable times
• No alcohol 

On Sunday I did have a heavier breakfast of cereals and toast, but that's because I knew I'd be doing lots of walking on my holiday. However on Day 6 I stuck to just a small bowl of cereal with fruit.
Cutting out carbs as I discussed in my last post has been the hardest part of this diet. And I think unless it is your only goal, it is pretty hard. When combined with all my other goals I think I took on too much, there was too much for me to change for all my goals to stick. I think I've cut out quite a few of my carbs however and have tried to only eat more essential carbs.
I have drank a bit more wine and squash on my holiday, but that's because it's a holiday. But I'm pretty proud to say I stuck to water for the majority of the week!
I think I've had smaller portions but I'd like to carry this goal over and continue to do it.
I've definitely had healthier snacks. I've had more fruit and seeds and just the odd cube of cheese rather than reaching for a chocolate bar or biscuits.
I've had better night's sleep the past few day which I have felt better for.


So how has the diet gone?
Well I think for it to have a better effect it needs to go on for longer. You hear about these week long detoxes but I assume they are much more extreme, whereas what I was doing was just balancing and altering to make a healthier lifestyle.

Is it worth doing?
Yes, but like I said, these goals are good long term so why not try and introduce some of these goals to your normal routine? Take a bottle of water with you to work rather than opting for a vending machine pop. Little changes like that can make a huge difference.

What do I want for the future?
I'm definitely going to continue drinking more water and getting more exercise  and having smaller portions. I believe doing just these three things can make a difference. I also want to snack less, however if I do snack I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I am only human.

Speak soon

Hey guys, so I know I failed to upload Day 4 yesterday, and I don't really have a good enough excuse. To be honest I was busy... busy watching The Devil Wears Prada with my mum... oops!
So today I'll catch you up with day 4 as well as day 5.

It's not been easy. I've found day 4 and 5 the hardest I think because the novelty and motivation has begun to wear off. I didn't get to go for a jog yesterday. I was going to go in the evening but couldn't in the end as was waiting for a call and had some work to do. And today I haven't jogged either as again I've been working. However I did go food shopping with my mum so maybe that counts as exercise. I am again busy tonight, but if I finish not too late then I'll go out for a run... fingers crossed.

So here were my goals:

• Eat a light, healthy breakfast
• Cut out carbs completely (ha let's see how that goes!)
• Drink mostly water
• Exercise most days
• I read somewhere that drinking a cup of coffee an hour before a workout, results in more energy and burns more calories, so let's see if that works shall we?
• Smaller portions- don't over eat
• Only eat healthy snacks
• Get a good night's sleep and wake up at reasonable times
• No alcohol 

How they've gone:

1. I have eaten a light breakfast each day. I've tried to have something different each day so I don't get bored. Sometimes I've eaten fruit other days egg and yesterday I had a small bowl of cereal with berries on top.
2. Look, this was never going to be easy. Quitting carbs cold turkey is honestly so much harder than it sounds. And have I achieved it? Well, no. I've cut out a lot though. I don't eat crisps, or biscuits. I've had the odd slither of cake, and the odd piece of bread, but that has always been accompanied by veg or salad. As much as we assume carbs are the unhealthy part of our diet, we don't realise that for a balanced diet we need carbs. Carbs are just as important as other foods and cutting them out completely probably isn't natural. I have felt less bloated when I've not eaten carbs which is a great benefit, however cutting out carbs is so much harder when you live at home as you can't always dictate what food is cooked etc. I feel as though I've done really well with this goal though to be honest, because it is really hard and I've made a lot of alternative choices for carbs in meals.
3. I think I've done really well. I have only drunk water for the whole week, except for one cider at the pub and one teeny glass of red wine. Other than that, I've stuck to water. 
4. I tried the cup of coffee one hour before a workout thing, but personally I didn't think it made much difference. I think just sticking to a protein breakfast and water will do just as good.
5. I have made sure to have smaller portions for dinner and I have never over eaten, and I am yet to feel too full after a meal this week. That for me is one of my biggest issues. I always graze, snack and eat too much which causes bloating, nausea and most of all it's just greedy. It's calories that I don't need.
6. Healthy snacks? I think I've done this really well during the day. In fact I haven't really snacked or had much urge to. I have however had the odd piece of chocolate in the evening. Naughty I know, but... well I have no excuses other than, I wanted some chocolate.
7. I think getting a good night's sleep is not something you can always control. I've been going to bed at an alright time and I haven't been having huge lie ins, nor have I been waking up super early. Due to the heat it has been difficult to get a good nights sleep consistently, so whether this has had an effect on my diet I am unsure.
8. No alcohol? Well as I've said, I have had 2 drinks this week. I think that is good considering I usually have about 2 glasses of wine a night. So that's 2 drinks instead of 10. When you say it like that it sounds great. Think of what those extra 8 glasses does to your body. My body is 8 glasses of wine healthier this week!!

Okay so there have been good points and bad points. I was semi on this diet last week as well ( I just chose to write about it for this week) and in the two weeks I have just about lost 4 pounds. Of course this alters during the day due to water weight and food etc. But I have managed to shed 4 pounds- just from living a healthier more balanced diet and lifestyle! Result!!

Speak soon

Okay, so today I am guilty of slacking slightly on my diet. Not necessarily intentionally but sometimes it's hard to completely monitor what you eat when you aren't the only person who is eating. Because I live at home currently, my mum buys food that everyone will be eating and so I can't exactly always dictate the meals!

So, I had a high in protein breakfast of scrambled eggs with spinach. This was really easy to make and super yummy. It gave me more energy for my run than the previous days.

I then went for a short run because time was ticking and I didn't want to be out for too long as I had things to do.

For lunch I did have some orange juice as a treat as I have stuck to water for ages so I thought a glass of juice wouldn't hurt. I then had my typical lunch of a garden salad with chicken, cheese and ryvita. I then had yogurt, granola and mixed berries for dessert and a small slice of Jamaican Ginger Cake. The cake was of course carbs but according to my Fitness Pal app, it was only about 94 calories.

I've also been on my feet a lot today as I went for a run as discussed, and have walked my dog twice and been out and about doing errands.

I've kept at drinking more water than usual as well which I really feel is benefiting me.

For dinner, I was rather naughty as we had some pizza bases to eat up and so we made some pizzas for dinner, which of course is a high carb however we had some peppers on top and a side salad. I then had no dessert.

However I did then go to the pub where I had a light cider- again naughty! However it's not every day that I get to see my friends and so it was a treat. I have now had a few cubes of chocolate as well, oops.

Okay so today overall hasn't been as healthy as my previous two days, however when I look at it, it still has been relatively healthy. I've had plenty of vitamin C and salads and so the carbs and sugars I have consumed I feel can be justified.

I have noticed that today I have felt a lot more energised and not exhausted, so perhaps that is due to the protein breakfast, or the carbs I had. All things to take on board.

Tune in tomorrow for day 4!

Speak soon

Back again with today's update on how my 7 day diet is going.

This morning I started off with a white coffee with no sugar. I then had a bowl of cut up mango and banana. This was so sweet, perhaps a bit too sweet for breakfast, but was definitely refreshing and helped wake me up. For more energy I think I need to have more protein in my breakfast. So tomorrow I think I may make myself some eggs with spinach.

I then went on a 6.1km run where I ran solidly for about 2km and then mixed jogging with power walking for the rest. This was one of my longest routes I've done so far around my area, so I felt really good about it afterwards.

For lunch, I had a healthy garden salad topped with cold chicken and a couple of Ryvitas to help fill me up. During the afternoon I did, once again, feel rather exhausted. I believe this could be from lack of sugar, perhaps not a lack but because I've lessened my sugar and carb intake so my body is probably having slight withdrawals.

For dinner, I had a chicken and leak pie. I know that is carbs however it was complemented by some lovely fresh vegetables and new potatoes and I had yogurt, fruit and a tiny bit of granola for dessert. So even though the pie might not have been as healthy, I think it gave me the energy I needed and that I was lacking during the day.

I have also had a few cubes of chocolate (which was a present) which is very naughty but I'm only having a couple of squares to help my sugar levels.

I have also, once again stuck to water, besides the two small coffees I have drunk today. I feel brighter and more cleansed due to having more water.

I also weighed myself this morning and had lost about 2 pounds since the last time I'd weighed myself which is a bonus.

Check out the blog tomorrow for my next update.

Speak soon

Hey folks,

So as promised (we all know I'm rubbish when it comes to keeping blog promises) I am back to update you and report back on my first day of dieting. As outlined in my previous post, I have set myself several goals.

I want to be clear that this is a diet to become a healthier me with an outcome of a happier mental health and happier physical health. I am not doing this purely for weight purposes but truly to become a better version of myself.

Okay, now we've got over the disclaimer part, I can get cracking with telling you all how my first day has gone.

Well, it started off good and bad. I did have a morning coffee (see my goals and explanations here)and an hour later I did a good workout which included: cardio, abs and yoga. I also walked my dog. However I didn't have breakfast. That wasn't because I was trying to skip it, as I never really skip breakfast, but I woke up feeling rather full of air and as a result I didn't feel hungry and then before I knew it it was around 11 O'clock and only an hour until lunchtime.

In hindsight I know I should have had breakfast because as a result I believe I've lost a fair bit of energy.

For lunch I had a healthy salad with some cold chicken from last night's roast, and some ham and cheese on top too. I finished off my lunch with a fruit salad. I did also have a homemade gluten free fairycake, which goes against my 'no carbs' rule, however I baked them yesterday and they needed to be eaten up!

All day I've only drunk water and I am starting to feel better for it. I can't quite explain how, I just feel fresher and more awake I suppose. I also avoided the temptation of having a glass of wine with dinner, and stuck to water.

For dinner I had a smaller portion than I usually would, but still enough to satisfy me. I had salmon with new potatoes, cauliflower and carrots; a healthy and nutritional meal that filled me up. I also had some granola with natural yogurt and mixed berries for dessert. I suppose granola is classed as a carb as well, but it's full of fibre which is important in a diet and so I can excuse things like oats and granola etc.

Right now I feel really tired. I am unsure why this is. Perhaps it's due to the disturbed sleep I had last night due to the heat or whether my different diet has started to effect me. Either way, I will be sure to try and get a good rest tonight. And of course my diet is still balanced and good for me.

So that is today's update. Unfortunately my scales are a bit weird so I haven't been able to weigh myself today, however there would hardly be any point considering it's only day one. Overall I feel confident that I can complete my 7 day diet! Tune in tomorrow to see how day 2 has gone!

Speak soon

Okay guys, so as you can see from the title, this post is about dieting. Basically I am putting myself on a diet. I've put on a few pounds in the last few months and my jeans are starting to notice...

So this week I thought I'd blog about what I do each day, and report back with the end result after 7 days. Of course my diet will continue after 7 days, but let's just see where I can get to in just 7 days, following these steps:

Goals:

• Eat a light, healthy breakfast
• Cut out carbs completely (ha let's see how that goes!)
• Drink mostly water
• Exercise most days
• I read somewhere that drinking a cup of coffee an hour before a workout, results in more energy and burns more calories, so let's see if that works shall we?
• Smaller portions- don't over eat
• Only eat healthy snacks
• Get a good night's sleep and wake up at reasonable times
• No alcohol

Okay, so they are my goals for this week. I want to find out if this is a good way of dieting whilst still being healthy, and if it works whether I feel happier and healthier with my lifestyle.

Follow me this week as I report back to you what I've been eating and what exercise I've been doing and the struggles/benefits I encounter. I start tomorrow!

Hello, back again

If you read my blog regularly (which I'm hoping you do, and if not and you're new then hello!), you'll know that I am a lover of fake tan. I'm not going to go into why I am, because I've probably rambled on about that in other posts and also vlogs! See my last fake tan video here.

Today I am reviewing St Moriz Fast Tan. This is one of their newer products and I'm going to start this blog post off by saying... WOW. This has to be one of, if not THE, best fake tan I have ever used. Let me go into why.

Spray version:

So the spray cost me under a tenner, probably around £8 from Boots. A little pricier than previous St Moriz tans and a little pricier than I'd usually buy. However in no way breaking the bank and with summer coming up, I was willing to invest in a good product.

It explains the two methods of applying on the back: spray in circular motions directly onto the skin, OR spray onto a mitt and then apply. This was really good because I've often been a bit scared of getting spray tans because they go everywhere, so these directions were clear and gave you an option.

I tried the first method and sprayed in circular motions onto my skin and then used my mitt to rub in. This method worked so well and made my tan look really even all over AND I didn't feel as though the mitt was stealing my tan!!

It has a guide colour, which if you don't know, means that it has an instant colour when applying so you can achieve a streak free tan. The guide colour is a nice rich tan, but not orange, just a lovely golden colour.

Now because it's a fast tan, is states than for a light glow you leave for 1 hour, a medium glow leave for 2 hours and for a dark glow leave for 3 hours. It then says if you want it darker to leave it for 4 hours. From previous experience with fast tans, I find they still aren't very dark after a few hours. So I applied it in the morning and had a shower in the evening, so I probably left it on for about 8 hours (a normal tan time).

This photo does not do the colour justice- it actually looked a lot darker in person!!

I then washed it off and although you could see the guide colour running off, my skin remained almost as dark as it was with the guide colour on. This for me was brilliant because this is usually my biggest disappointment in tans. So this pushed St Moriz right to the top of my list.

It also smelt so much better than their older products. I think they have perhaps changed the formula. Not only this but the tan fades so much neater and non patchy. In fact the tan lasted a good 5 days. it started to fade a bit on the 4th day I'd say. But this is fab because usually tans start peeling or fading on the 3rd day.

Mousse:
This worked in the exact same way as the spray, except in mousse form. The foam/mousse is a really light and soft consistency so you don't feel like you're rubbing on a cheap feeling product. In fact it felt glorious on the skin and did not irritate the skin in anyway. It dried really nicely (after spinning in circles to air dry a bit ;) ) And, again, it smelt so much nicer- really fresh and not over powering.

Of course as the tan develops the fake tan smell does get a bit stronger but it was in no way bad, especially compared to the smell of their older tans.

So, this for me was a fake tan breakthrough! The colour was gorgeous, it lasted and it was nice and dark without looking ridiculous! Perfect for applying on a Thursday, ready for the weekend or at the start of the week for a week-long tan!

So if you haven't yet tried it, I would highly recommend it- especially if you love tanning as much as I do!

Hey folks,

So as promised, I am returning with another Disney post to continue my Disney segment. If this is something you want to hear about more regularly or the topic of holidays is, them be sure to let me know. I read all your comments and am so grateful for your kind words.

So without further ado..

A key part of your Disneyland Paris holiday is which hotel you choose for your stay. Now, I've been to Disneyland five times now and I've only ever stayed in two of the hotels, however friends of mine have stayed in another.


The first time I went, I stayed in the Santa Fe hotel. I was about eight years old at the time and so the memories of the hotel itself are pretty foggy. The three times after that I stayed at the Newport Bay Club Hotel which is beautiful and definitely one of the best looking hotels. This last time I visited I was on more of a budget and so I chose to return to the Santa Fe hotel which had been refurbished a fair bit since my trip fourteen years ago (well you'd hope so wouldn't you ha!).

How to decide on a hotel:

• Price range- the cheapest of the Disneyland hotels is the Davy Crockett Ranch, however this is further out and is self catered. Not one of my choices, I have to say. Santa Fe and the Hotel Cheyenne are the next best thing and are the next cheapest.
• Decide on a time of year that will be less busy e.g. school term time (obviously if you are going with kids, go in the school holidays!). This way the hotels and parks will be quieter, meaning quicker queue times, but also a nice relaxing atmosphere in your hotel.
• May and June time are good prices (from experience) but March also seems to be good.
• Whether or not you want a pool- Hotels like the New York, Sequoia Lodge and Newport Bay Club have swimming pools, and at a higher price you can enjoy them. These are exclusive to people staying at the hotels.
• Food- The food areas in Cheyenne and Santa Fe are relatively simplistic, with bread, croissants and cereal. However, at the more expensive restaurants there is probably a better selection. As well as this, evening meal menus are better.

• Theme- All Disneyland hotels have themes. Santa Fe is New Mexico and has 'Cars' as it's film theme. I loved this because the mirror had a chequed flag print around it, which was cute. Newport Bay is of course nautical. Sequoia Lodge is like a chalet in the woods. New York is, well, New York themed, and Cheyenne is cowboy themed! All hotels are lovely and you'll have a great time where ever you go.
• How many people you are with and who- I think all rooms in Cheyenne come with a double bed and a set of bunk beds. If you are adults you may want a room with two double beds. However myself and boyfriend stayed at Santa Fe and opted for a room with a double bed and a set of bunk beds (the room was ready there and then so we opted to have it) and it was fine because we weren't going to use the bunk beds or an extra double bed so it didn't matter what we had.
• Distance from the parks. All Disneyland hotels are near the park and all have shuttle bus services so distance is never an issue. Cheyenne and Santa Fe (and of course Davy Crockett) are probably furthest away. However, we walked in to the parks on many occasions and it only took us about ten minutes and it was a lovely scenic walk.

I really enjoyed my stay in both Newport Bay club and Santa Fe. Next I would like to stay at the Hotel Cheyenne because I love the cowboy theme. One day I hope to stay in the New York hotel too. Of course there is one hotel I haven't mentioned, which is the Disneyland Hotel resort itself. However this is ridiculously expensive, and unless you are rich you probably won't stay there. To be honest the other hotels have always appealed to me more anyway. And let's not forget that there are lots of other hotels nearby that aren't the 'Disneyland hotels' but are still connected to Disney via shuttle bus. These are even cheaper I think, and so you may opt for one of these.

My next Disney segment will be about the park itself. I'll be giving you tips on when the best time to go on rides is and which rides are suited for who. Thanks for reading!

Speak soon