Review - Bee Venom Manuka Doctor api clear (Cleanser & Moisturiser)

Manuka Doctor api clear Foaming cleanser 

A foaming face wash, containing Purified Bee Venom & UMF 18+ Manuka. The cleanser aims to reduce the appearance of  blemishes and scars , leaving skin clearer and more radiant.

Manuka Doctor api clear Facial moisturising lotion 

Moisturiser containing Purified Bee Venom & UMF 18+ Manuka. Aims to eliminate the causes of blemishes, maintain the skins moisture level and the balance of natural oils. 

Moisturiser and Cleanser - £16.99 each

(There are many offers at Holland and Barrett so they often work out cheaper) 

Superdrug, Manuka doctor (can check other stockists on the site) ,Holland and Barrett.

Both products work amazingly and I would 100% recommend them. I have acne prone skin and nothing has ever worked very well to improve it (and trust me I've tried everything !!) but this product works wonders. I originally saw it on Millie Mackintosh's blog and she gave it a very good review, however she is the brand ambassador so it's expected. I have read that Kate Middleton, Victoria Beckham and Kylie Minogue use bee venom and love it (not the same brand), so I thought I would give it a try not expecting much as it's on the cheaper end of the scale for bee venom, and you cant always believe what you read. 

When you first start using these products there is a bit of a tingling sensation, but it isn't uncomfortable at all and I like the fact you can feel that it's doing something. After around 3 days of using these, I noticed a difference in my skin it was smoother, clearer and looked more vibrant. The packaging tells you to use the products morning and night however I use the facial cleaner once a day in the night, because my skin is quite sensitive and I don't want to be too harsh with it. I use the moistouriser before applying my makeup and sometimes mixed in with it too. 

*The moisturiser lasts for ages, I've had the same one for almost a year.

Although the moisturiser lasts for ages, the face wash finishes pretty quickly after about 3 months, bearing in mind i'm only using it once a day, and although it is on the cheaper side of the bee venom market it is still a fairly expensive face wash in general. I'd advise people who want to get this product to always try and buy it during the penny sale at Holland and Barrett so you can buy one and get another for a penny. 

Do not use these products if you have an allergy to bee stings, they recommend that you do a patch test on your skin prior to using it to ensure that you do not have any allergic reactions. 

OOTD - Maxi Skirt

Crop Top - Topshop// Skirt - H&M (similar)

I love wearing crop tops, however there's always the risk of showing too much skin in the daytime when worn with shorts or a short skirt, at a festival or another similar event it would be fine but for a casual daytime stroll around town or at a garden party, for me probably not. Obviously If you have amazing legs and you want to show them off ... DO IT!! as it's all about accentuating your strong areas :) I would.

Nonetheless I generally think Maxi and Midi skirts work perfectly with crop tops, they make the outfit much more demure, even Maxi skirts like the one i'm wearing where the under skirt is noticeably short but  is covered by the sheer overlay. Maxi skirts are great if your legs are your problem area, as they cover you up but still create a nice silhouette, I personally feel more relaxed and comfortable in them as i'm often conscious of my legs being on display when wearing something short. 

I feel Maxi skirts, along with maxi dresses suit everybody and make you feel so elegant, as the majority are floor length and floaty like a ballgown.

Afternoon Tea - Cosmopolitan Hotel

Yesterday I went to the Cosmopolitan Hotel In Leeds, for afternoon tea with my mum after a lovely day shopping. The staff were extremely welcoming and helpful and the atmosphere was perfect with quiet relaxing music giving us the chance to chat and enjoy all of the  

sweet and savory goodies placed in front of us. 

(We definitely gave it a go but we couldn't finish all of the yummy cakes, :( booo).  

  I would certainly recommend afternoon tea at the modern, newly refurbished hotel, 

bar and restaurant to have a catch up with friends or after a girls day shopping.

 Mini sandwiches, tea or coffee, scones, cakes and champagne, I can't think of a better way to wind down especially if your shopping trips are anything like mine usually very long and pretty hectic.

Shopping Online - H&M Dressing Room

A few looks I created using the Dressing room.

To be honest i'm not sure how long the H&M online dressing room has been active for, but i'm a regular visitor to the website and have only just noticed it. Due to this I thought i'd write a bit about it just in case anyone else missed it.

It is such a great Idea as you don't always know how something will look on you, when shopping online, It also saves you the hassle of going all the way to the shop trying it on but waiting to order it online to take advantage of the online deals (almost always better than deals in store). 

There are so many things you can do on this virtual dressing room -

*Firstly there are 10 models to choose from so you can choose the person with the closest skin tone or look to you. The only problem is they are all model size (tall and thin, as shown in the pictures above) so if you are larger you may not gain a true representation of how clothes will look on you. Unfortunately it seems  the only clothes you can't "try on" (other than kidswear) are the size 18-28 plus size collection. 

* you can try on all accessories such as jewellery and bags and it places them on the model how the bag would usually be worn. 

* When "trying on" jackets, coats and blazers you can pick between open and closed, which is a brilliant feature as I tend to wear the majority of my blazer or jackets open. You can also pick to wear a top tucked in to a skirt or over the top of it, which is great as you can see exactly how it will look in the way you would choose to wear it. 

* You can change the background from white to grey or black, something which is best to do when "trying on" a white item so it doesn't merge into the background.

*You can turn the model around to get a back view of your outfit, try the items in all different colours and change the models hairstyles and some facial expressions. 

*So the guys aren't left out there is a mens dressing room also. 

To be honest I just love playing around with this feature and putting together different outfits because I enjoy styling. However it also gives me more piece of mind when buying online as there's less chance i'll be sending pieces back. I wish all websites had this, the closest thing iv'e encountered is the Asos catwalk which is helpful,but most of the models are stick thin and the clothes never look the same on me. Tesco Have a similar virtual dressing room too but I don't think it's as good as this one and I have never really been fond of Tesco clothes. 

Since H&M seem to be the only highstreet clothing store with this feature on their website (other than Tesco), it makes them my first choice for highstreet online shopping. Since I've found this I have bought so many things from H&M and haven't sent anything back !! 

Well done H&M I approve :)  

Photo Diary - London's Famous Markets

Some photos from my recent shopping trip in London (info at the bottom) - 

When I'm in London I usually go to areas such as  Oxford street, Chelsea, Kensington and Knightsbridge. However this time I decided to have a look around some of the famous markets London has to offer - 

Camden Market - 

Camden is currently the 4th most popular tourist attraction in London, where you'll find everything from vintage and retro pieces, alternative fashion (Gothic/punk stores), antiques, furniture, jewellery, Records/Cd's and crafty stores. (make sure it's the main market you visit as you will pass a small market, which says The Camden Market on it, it lies the Camden Market is further down the road and way more extravagant. 

You can find some gorgeous one-off items in Camden and i'ts such a unique place with artwork on all of the buildings, beautiful statues, along with endless places to eat. It is definitely worth a visit as there is something for everyone, they have regular stores close-by such as H&M and All Saints too, if the busy market is too much for you. Another thing to note is that you'll find yourself passing the same stall a few times as it's very easy to loose your bearings.

 Make sure you get here early and have a lot of time to look around, I'd say you need at least half the day to see everything important. 

I picked up a few nice things from Camden (Haul coming soon) 

Petticoat Lane Market -

This place was not my cup of tea, this is like a real market with sellers shouting out prices, bothering you to get you to look at there stalls which according to them consist of designer items, however in reality you can find a few high street names and a lot of noticeably fake designer things. People are constantly knocking past you, and I was alerted about 10 times to keep an eye on my bag and valuables. Definitely NOT FOR ME I'm more of a new age market kind of girl which is exactly what Spitalfields Market is and as it was only a short walk away, I headed there after only about 10 minutes at Petticoat Lane. 

Spitalfields Market -

Home of the first and main All Saints store, Spitalfields is similar to Camden Market however it is indoors and most items are more expensive. I went on Sunday which is the busiest day, it's stalls consist of clothes and jewellery by unique and independent designers, vintage items, souvenirs, home decor and ornaments.

Warning !! you will get hungry whilst looking around here there are many organic, exclusive food stalls from Carribean to Thai (and a shops selling wraps which had the same name as me, this of course impressed me the most :) ) . There were many stalls selling baked goods, all i saw were giant pieces of cake and donuts which made my mouth water every time I looked in that direction !!

The area is very vibrant an lively, away from the main market there are Fashion boutiques (I particularly liked Bolongaro Trevor), lifestyle and design stores, bars and restaurants and coffee/tea shops. 

Brick lane Market -

The home of all things vintage and retro!! All of the stalls are very random and differ from each other, however they are mainly full of quirky and bohemian fashion, making it a place packed with young people and definitely an area hipsters would love as it is also the main place to visit for trendy cafes and edgy bars. 

The market is very big and spreads across a large area and many streets. I feel that many of the stalls here are overpriced for what they are selling, when old clothes are labelled vintage it seems they think they can triple the price however to me vintage means bargain, (such as the song thrift shop suggests, shopping with only $20 in your pocket :p), so I wasn't overly impressed.

 However I was impressed by the large amounts of amazing street art and also the huge food market which offers food from all around the world, particularly Asia and India.