Let's talk feet

Feet treats with garra fish have recently became the hype and are popping up all over the place in spas, beauty salons even in some shopping centre so I thought I'd write about my encounter with these nibblers whilst travelling in Malaysia. Dr. Fish has been around in Asia for quite a few years now, even longer in Turkey where it is used to treat skin disease and let these fishes nibble your whole body whilst lying down (apparently!)

A lot of places in England I've seen have these munchers in a little fish tank where you submerge your feet in them. Im not entirely sure of the procedures here and whether if you have to sterilise your feet first etc but the one we went to was rather posh in a big mall called Mid Valley in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The place was tastefully decorated throughout with wooden platforms, calming blue lights , magazines as well as a fun glass viewing area for shoppers to have a look. How odd, looking at someone's feet whilst shopping. mmm

First we had to sterilise our feet / lower legs before proceeding to greet these hungry creatures. There were 3 different types - small, medium and you guessed it, large. We started with the small and sure enough they crowd around your feet the second you plunge your feet in the water. Cue lots of squealing (like a piggy). It took me a while to build up the courage, but eventually, my feet went in. Now growing up with 2 brothers means I'm not particularly ticklish but these tiny little nibs here and there certainly took over any sense of immunity I've built up over the years. Even Jon found it difficult to not wriggle around. We then tried the medium fish which I found a tad scary as they are remarkably bigger in size than the cute little ones. I didn't stay for long because you certainly can feel their nibble and me no likey that even though it is a lot less ticklish! Needless to say, I took one look at the larger fishies and thought no you are an ACTUAL fish, go find some food yourself and off I went, back to the hungry little ones.

Here's the video:




My mum & Jon actually preferred the medium ones as they were less ticklish & more relaxing apparently. I couldn't bear the thought of actual animals feeding off me (fear of being someone/something else's food) so I stuck with the smaller ones. After all the commotion, I had fun just sat there reading a magazine drifting off to an afternoon nap …. 30 minutes session was more than enough as we washed our feet again & continued our shopping with softer legs in search for some fish food ourselves!

Personally, I don’t know if I felt any difference but the experience was definitely fun (see the video below). I'm also not entirely sure if it is that hygienic but I would say sterilising must help. The best part of this experience was the price! It worked out to be like I don’t know £5 for 3 of us, 30 minutes each in a luxurious place! Pretty amazing considering prices here are like £25 for 20 minutes in a basic tank! Funny story actually, it was mother's day then & they ran a promotion of buy 1 and your parents go free so I had to pretend Jon was my stepdad. My mum & Jon just stood there lost for words! Oh how I wish I took a picture of the receptionist's face. We are a funny bunch...We'd do anything for a spot of freebies we would.

Have you ever tried fish pedicures? What did you think of it? Do you think it helps, or do you have a feet phobia? I'd love to hear from you.

Jay x

Vanfest

I l.o.v.e campervans so much especially since we went round England in one of them this summer! Whenever I see one I just stare at it in awe...not good when I'm driving!! I saw heaps of them today ... I can't wait until I get one, hopefully in the next few years!

   

That is my new Model's Own lipgloss & I love it! Lovely shade of red that stays, great for those who don't really want to go full on with a red lipstick! Sorry for the poor quality of pictures - will get a close up of the colour tomorrow!
Were you at Vanfest this year and do you love campervans? Have you tried model's own products before? Let me know!!

Jay xxxx

Baby soft skin

It can be difficult fitting a proper skincare routine into your day when you have a busy schedule. Most of us only use moisturiser on our skin when it starts to peel or crack. But without proper & regular moisturisation your skin can start to feel dry and uncomfortable, resulting in your skin losing elasticity. I never get lazy when it comes to keepingmy skin soft, moisturised and smelling good. Here are some products I use daily:


1. Baby Oil



Don't worry if you are thinking 'baby oil?!' as a lot of my friends find that odd too. Baby oil actually locks in up to 10 times more moisture on wet skin than lotions and creams designed for use on dry skin. It is also one of the easiest and quickest way to apply and offers glowing and soft moisturised skin. I have been smoothing it on to my still-wet skin after a shower since I was 13 and it is one of the best products out there to help dry skin. Occasionally when I find myself without any products to remove make up , baby oil works a treat getting the meanest make up off! Try it!! It is one product I can't live without!

They now have a lavender one too - try it before bedtime for a better night's sleep!


2. Body Moisturisers / Body Butters

After I get out of the shower I ALWAYS use some sort of moisturiser on my body. It leaves skin soft and smelling lovely! I don't think I've gone a day without using moisturiser lol :p At the moment I'm using Soap & Glory and am very impressed with the silkiness it leaves my skin feeling & the smell is just gorgeous!! I know Soap & Glory has been around for a while now but I never tried it even though I've read really positive reviews. I only started using this last week as I've ran out of moisturisers and found this in my mom's room! Will definitely be buying more!




Recently I went into Lush just to have a good sniff (does anyone else do that? I love going in there as it smells so good!) and ended up buying more than I need! But I did find my newest love (or obsession)...





The Soft Touch from Lush - I am in love with it. It is one of the most amazing body butter I have ever come across! It's just like a soap bar, but smells AMAZING. Some of the ingredients to keep skin soft & moisturised include shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, lavender oil and soya oil. The fresh lemon, fresh mango & vanilla makes the amazing smell! I have to say though I can't smell mango at all! I'm not a fan of sweet-smelling products and always avoid vanilla-scented products but this has the perfect balance! So if you are like me and tend to avoid sweet smelling products, pop in to your nearest Lush this weekend and try it!

Even though it's advertised as a hand butter ... I use it all over my body especially on my legs. It is solid bar, but as soon as you hold it in your hands the body temperature melts it. It does leave your skin shiny & a little oily but it gets completely absorbed within minutes (depending on amount you applied). I always put it on before bed time ... sometimes I get woken up by the lovely vanilla smell in the middle of the night!! At £6.25 a bar might seem a little costly, but it lasts a long time as you don't need that much of it. I've been using mine extensively & still have loads left! This is a definite 5-star product & I will be using it for as long as they make it!


Skin is after all the majority part of your body and therefore should have the most attention! It wouldn't matter if you had the most amazing make up and the beautifullest wardrobe - you still won't look that good with dry & cracked skin! Try the routine before bedtime to help relax yourself and I'm sure you'll start seeing the positive results shortly!


How do you keep your skin soft? Have you tried / Will you be trying any of the products mentioned in this post?

Jay xxxx

Review!

Hello girlies it's the weekend yay! and the start of my week off - so so glad! We're picking up our campervan tomorrow, ever so excited! Unfortunately it's not the traditional ones, they are modern versions but will still be fun! I really can't wait. Still have no idea where we're going hahah - where do you recommend? Where in England do you love going?

On a completely unrelated note ... I recently found out that I am rather high maintenance when it comes to my skin (thanks to a routine instilled at age 11 by my then beautician mother). I'm quite surprised to find that some people gets cleansing and moisturising confused and only use wipes to remove their make up! It is really important to ensure that every trace of make up should be removed so your skin can breathe & regenerate itself whilst you sleep. I can totally understand that at the end of a day all you want to do is just curl up in your pjs & fall asleep, but you might end up with oily skin & clogged pores resulting in breakouts & spots! I just love the feeling of my skin being soft after removing all the dirt from my face.

Here are some products I highly recommend:


Boots No. 7 Cleanse & Care Eye Make Up Remover

This is the best eye make up remover product I have ever used. As it is oil-based, it literally remove every trace of make up ... even the thickest water proof mascara!





Remember to not rub your eyes! Leave the cotton pad on your eyes for a few seconds, and slide it downwards gently. You can also massage it in circular motion gently to help lift make up off. The skin (and muscle) around your eyes are a lot more fragile than the rest of your face so great care is needed - that is why we need eye cream to avoid wrinkles & crow's feet!



This is just from 1st attempt - 3 little squirts from the bottle! As you can see it has lifted off a lot of make up!



There we go after 2nd attempt!

I would also recommend Bodyshop's Camomile Gentle Eye Make Up Remover. After that I use a cream cleanser to clean the rest of my face. I'm currently using Pond's one with green tea extract - it smells divine! (I can't find a picture but will upload one tomorrow). Then I finish off with make up wipes to ensure no traces are left behind!


What is your before beddies routine and your favouritest products to remove make up?


xoxo Jay