I always seem to be having conversations with friends about booking a spa weekend or going for a spa day, but it just never seems to come to fruition. This all changed recently when the Spa Manager from The Bannatyne Spa in Orpington invited me to the opening day of the spa.

I attended the event with Abi and upon arrival we were given a glass of Prosecco, it’s like they could already see into my soul, I felt at home. We were taken into a dark room with mood lighting and two rows of heated loungers, although the classy lady that I am was straddling it at one point chatting to Abi before realising how I must have looked. She got a laugh out of it at least!

We were given a tour of the spa by the manager Amy, now I’ve always known was great at her job and loves the field she works in, but getting to see her in her natural environment explaining everything to us was amazing. They had a spacious nail bar and large comfy pedicure chairs next to the reception desk, just before you make your way to the dark room.

We were then taken to the Elemis Facial room where we got to have a skin scan by a dedicated Elemis representative who had come especially for the opening. I literally bow down to Sam Parry from Elemis, she was losing her voice but still took the time to thoroughly go through the results with us, especially after hearing we’d both had skin scans before but had never had them explained to us (not by Elemis I must point out) so had never really acknowledged them there on out. I came away from the scan feeling confident in having gained information on my skin and getting advice on how I could work on any problem areas.

Next was the most exciting part of the evening, I have only two words for you and that’s all that’s needed; Chocolate Massage.

Now I’ve only had one massage before that was quite painful and I’m very offended by the waste of chocolate. But both these thoughts went out right out the window the second the hot melted chocolate fell upon my back and the talented Masseuses begun their job. It was heaven, you can waste chocolate like that on me any day! We had a shoulder, neck and back massage and it was so soothing I could have easily fallen asleep… that is if I wasn’t just getting over a virus and so instead Abi got to have her chocolate massage alongside the soothing music and the sound of me struggling to breathe. I’m sure the poor girl who got me was wishing she could swap whilst hoping I didn’t pass out on the table.

Everyone at the spa was so friendly and were all very talented at their jobs, I felt completely relaxed during the entire evening. It was a much needed evening for myself and Abi and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I can’t wait to go back and it shouldn’t be too long of a wait as I should be taking my Mum there for Mothers Day as long as they aren’t completely booked up as I can imagine they will be in high demand. Thank you to Bannatyne and Elemis for a great evening!

Ginger, check. Freckles, check. Pale skin, check! All of these factors mean that I rarely tan, I tend to just go a shade of red as I like to compare to a gleaming lobster under the oven lights, so if I want a tan I have to fake it. I won’t use sunbeds as I don’t like the risks of using them, and I avoid self tanners because I’m always worried I will end up with streaks or my skin will end up matching my hair so spray tans are my go to choice.

I have had three spray tans in my life; the first was when I went on holiday and the girl I travelled with is tanned the second she sees sunshine so I didn’t want to look even more pale than usual. The second was when I was a bridesmaid in Newcastle and I didn’t want to be the sore thumb that stuck out in pictures, and my final one was when I was asked to review the KissedByMii spray tan.

Enriched with marine mineral extracts the entire KissedByMii range, including the at home products, uses the nourishing benefits of coral seaweed and coastal flowers to replenish the skin’s natural minerals, leaving you with this lovely soft sensation and helps the tan develop well. I met their lovely spray tanner Shelley who made me feel really comfortable and explained what was going to happen, anyone worried about getting your kit off for a tan I would recommend her as she would put you at ease in a second. You can check for your local salons or mobile beauty therapists stocking KissedByMii here.

I didn’t feel sticky after, and I couldn’t really smell the tan either. There’s nothing worse than that weird biscuit smell that usually comes with a tan. Shelley asked me what colour I would like but I told her to pick as she was the expert and it was perfect for me. People told me I had a lovely healthy glow, and a manager that I’d seen not two days before asked one of the girls at my work if I’d been on holiday.

As well as offering a spray tan service, they also have at home products. Lotions, Mousses, Graduals and Temporary, but alongside this they do the Get Your Glow On home care kit for your spray tan. It includes an exfoliator, a tanning lotion so you can extend your tan as you come to the end of the life span of your spray, and a moisturiser and is only £20. I would definitely suggest buying this alongside your tan as it gives you an extended length of tan, and I would also recommend the Seriously Smoothing Exfoliating Wipes which help create an even canvas before tanning and 4 days after tanning you can use them to help the colour fade evenly, they are a god send.

Whether you are a tanning novice like myself, or a skilled home tanner, I would definitely recommend you trying KissedByMii. They also have an amazing make up collection and a dedicated brow department that you should definitely have a browse through too.

“We believe if you can’t pronounce an ingredient, it shouldn’t go into your body”

In 2004 the first Kind bar was made using the finest nuts and fruits. Due to a nut allergy I was unable to try the bar myself but my Mum stepped in and was all over being my food tester, but ate the bar before I got a photo.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the caramel almond and sea salt Kind bar. On paper the flavours don’t seem like a good match but they actually work well together. There is a good mix of crunchy and chewy taste sensations, and the ingredients taste fresh and wholesome. There are many tasteless, bland cereal bars on the market but this is not one of them.
I am impressed with the packaging and branding. The wrapper is mainly transparent so you can see exactly what you are getting. The colours on the wrapper are muted and understated and don’t detract from the product. There is enough information on the product to make it clear what you are getting – a gluten free, high fibre, nut bar. Note to future ‘The Apprentice’ contestants this is how you do it.”

With 8 different flavours to choose from, split into Fruit & Nut and Nut & Spices bars, you are sure to find a flavour that’s right for you. The Caramel, Almond & Sea Salt bar, Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt bar, and Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt bar are all on sale in Tescos right now for a bargain price of 99p, instead of their usual price of £1.29. Seems like a bargain to me regardless of paying full price or sale, and you can also get the Kind bars in Sainsburys and Waitrose. If you’re on the look out for a new healthy snack or just love nuts then this is the range for you, with some bars housing up to 72% nuts.

Beauty and The Beast was one of my favourite Disney films so when I saw that this book was a retelling of this classic my interest was piqued, and the blurb made me think I would really enjoy this book, but sadly this was not the case. The premise of the story was perfect; a curse, magical creatures, royalty, many things that would intrigue me in a story. However, I almost didn’t read it all because the prologue was really long and I kept losing interest, and if this is happening at the beginning of the book it can’t be good. The prologue took us to the past to see just how the Prince came to be deformed and cursed, but it was just too drawn out.

I just felt like the whole book needed some more developments; you never really get a chance to feel the love between Glory and Eoghan, it felt rushed and I was routing for Colin most of the time anyway, the guy she was in love with before being betrothed to the Prince. There also are parts that don’t add anything to the story and were just irrelevant really, like that the Princess is one of seven and each ones is linked to being one of the seven sins. I also found that I had a lot of unanswered questions; Queen Aowyn has a vision at the start of the book, where did the visions come from and why? Why did her maid tell the King about an evil man he could get help from knowing it would end badly? How did the King get out from under the grip of his evil sword?

I felt like this book could have been so much more, the writer is not a bad writer I just felt like the book came across as if she was rushed to finish it. I’m also not good with a book that is hard to understand, and it came across like she sat with a Thesaurus and picked the most complex, unknown words and I spent a lot of time just checking what they actually meant. It’s definitely a unique take on the classic and although it didn’t do it for me, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great read for many others. It is currently free to download The Subtle Beauty on the Kindle so if you’re going to give it a try, this is the perfect time.

A few months ago I got an email from the lovely Lauren from Blonde Vision about an upcoming event she was hosting at the ICEBAR London. I was sold in a second; a chance to experience the epic Ice Bar, mingle with bloggers and have a cheeky cocktail sounded like a winner to me.

We began our evening downstairs in the restaurant and were given a welcome talk from Tom, the Head of Sales and Marketing. Tom started out as a journalist so it was lovely to have someone so welcoming and appreciative to have bloggers at his place of work, and he was really informative about ICEBAR. Every year they change the theme of the ICEBAR, with previous themes include frozen food, architecture, aquatic, and many more. This year’s theme is ICEBAR LONDON Rocks and you can watch how Jens Thoms Ivarsson and his team designed and built it here.

We were each given wristbands upon arrival separating us into three groups, as we had three different time slots booked. Before entering the ICEBAR you are given a thermal hooded cape and gloves as the temperature inside is -5 degrees and you get 40 minutes inside the ICEBAR. You pick your cocktail from the menu and it is served inside a crystal clear Torne River ice glass, which is harvested from the beautiful Jukkasjärvi in Northern Sweden. Seriously go and google it, it’s just jaw-droppingly beautiful.

I had a Jumping Jack Flash which is Absolut Vodka, Apple Puree, Passion Fruit Juice and Lemon Juice. It was lovely and I would definitely recommend that as a choice. It’s absolutely stunning inside and the intricate detail in the ice is incredible. I surprisingly didn’t feel the cold for quite a while and even braved taking the gloves off to get some pictures.

All round the experience was amazing, and to share with a bunch of like minded lovely bloggers made it even more special. I’m not suggesting, I’m TELLING you all to go and book yourself tickets for the ICEBAR today, you will not regret it. I’ve already decided I will be going back there for my birthday and I can’t wait.

 Final photo, copyright Megan