WHAT'S THE STORY SOAP AND GLORY?

Pass my walking stick and call me Grandma but there really is nothing better on a cold winters night than coming home to a good soak in the bath. Now I'd say I am quite the pro when it comes to pimpin' out a bath, I have tried salts, wands and bath bombs galore but one of my favourite brands to use is Soap and Glory....and a whole lot of it at that. 

My top bath-time bubbly is S&G's Calm One Calm All. With its milky, creamy texture, this bubble bath does exactly as it says on the tin, it smooths you while it soothes you. Its lemon smelling moisture magnetising skin conditioners keeps you feeling soft and gets you feeling cosy ready for a good sleep.

It is a toughie when deciding which one of Soap and Glory's exfoliating body scrubs I like the best but it has to be between the Flake Away Body Polish and this, the Sugar Crush Body Scrub which after a long day of travelling on the tube, is the perfect way to feel squeaky clean. With sweet lime, almond oil and macadamia grains, this scrub leaves you feeling smoother than silk and smelling like you've just stepped out of a fruit salad. YUM! And used with Soap & Glory's exfoliating gloves, this duo cannot be beaten.

The next step in my blissful bathing routine is to wash the ol' barnett with the Glad Hair Day Shampoo and Conditioner. However, generally washing my hair is probably the least blissful thing to do...ever! I really despise it, but after the gruelling process of lather rinse repeat and then detangle detangle detangle, I always feel fresh and my hair feels great especially when I use this combo. Constant rinsing and squeezing the product out of my hair is not necessary with this heavenly haircare as it just flows smoothly out of the hair when gently rinsed leaving the vital moisture my hair needs to stay tangle free and silky soft. 

Typical me, if I can make my bed time pampering last even longer than it needs to, I will go to every length to "soak up" the moment. So if you are like me and enjoy a nice loooong bath, you may find yourself coming out looking a bit pruned, thats where Heel Genius comes in. This minty fresh foot mask rejuvenates dry and broken skin over night, just massage into the soles of your feet and slip on a pair of your ugliest pair of patterned socks (the ones you're too ashamed to wear out in public...yup those ones) and sink into a deep sleep...it does all the hard work while you hit that hay and dream the day away.

Happy Bathing

LE WEEK-END

Throughout this blog, I will be doing a regular feature called Le week-end around twice every month showing just what I get up to, where I like to go and and what I like to do of a weekend. 

This passed weekend was spent just how I like it, in London with someone very special. Sunday is probably my favourite day at the weekend, and this Sunday began with a Bill's brunch in Hoxton Square. Unfortunately though, I have to hold my hand up and shamefully say that this was my very first visit to Bill's....but for all our sakes, I promise I can redeem myself....it was the best breakfast I have had in a very long time! Not only was the food so amazing it barely lasted 5 minutes on my plate but this branch is probably the cutest of them all, with its fairy lights scattered over it's Manhattan-style terrace, it's beautiful interior decor and the adorable mini salt and pepper shakers, I felt so cosy and comfy...I didn't want to leave. 

Later on that day, we headed to the London Transport Museum for a weekend dose of culture and design. It was so much fun exploring the old trams, buses and trains that once roamed the streets of London...despite the musky smell. I particularly liked the old tubes, the seats were so clean and comfy and I could't help but think I would have actually enjoyed the commute back in the day.

And of course the end of our visit to the London Transport Museum ended in the gift shop. Just look at these awesome cushions made from old Bus and Tube seats. Very 70's and unfortunately very pricey :(

I hope join me for another Le wee-end soon!

BONJOUR

Oh la la, doesn't time fly? I can't quite believe I am in the 4th week of my new job and this is the 4th week of Je Suis Louise. I still haven't quite mastered a routine with posting and I don't yet have a nice chunky camera to take beautiful candid shots, but trust me I'm working on it. 

My new job is going better than I could have ever imagined and I'm in a great place, and I have growing hope that this blog will be the same. For weeks now I have been tampering with templates, logos, typefaces and colour, none of which I felt reflected me or what I want this blog to be but finally, like my job, Je Suis Louise is in a good place. The ol' gal has scrubbed up well and I am really happy with her final look. 

So far I have been astounded with the number of views I have received across the world and yet even though I am not in this for the number of viewers, it's nice to think my new little project here isn't going unappreciated. I hope whoever you are, you enjoy Je Suis Louise and her new makeover.

A LITTLE BOX OF LOVE - and my first post

I wanted my first official post to be something quite familiar, so I decided a couple of weeks ago that I would hop on the Birchbox bandwagon and join the fun of reviewing their array of products every month.

Birchbox reviews are always something I look forward to when reading my favourite blogs but lately I've been very sad to notice that not so many take the time to write about this amazing little box of love that comes in the post every month.

This is my first beauty box...EVER! So I wanted to share all the goodness it is filled with. Enjoy...

The first item in the September Birchbox was the Aromatherapy Associates Revive Body Gel. I was really eager to see some positive results with this product due to the amazing description given on the packaging. It is supposed to refresh and cool the skin whilst eliminating general toxins from the body, encouraging blood circulation and evening out skin tone. I can honestly say I didn't really notice any difference at all whilst using this. After coming back off holiday, my skin was desperate for some detoxification and moisture yet this didn't fulfill its needs and after having to reapply every hour or so, my skin felt dry at the end of the day. However, this body gel smells incredible, filled with ingredients such as grapefruit, rosemary and juniper, you can guarantee you'll be smelling good all day long.

One of my favourite products was this Party Proof Matte Lipstick by Model Cosmetics in the shade Kitty. Perfect shade for my colouring, especially as I have a slight tan at the moment, but it would carry on as a great nude for the autumn months too, imagine, your lips but better. Not only does this stay on very well throughout the day but it smells absolutely devine...fruity, light and almost like a holiday cocktail (you can tell my holiday blues have majorly kicked in now). In fact, I only reapplied it as much as I did because it smelt so good! Will definitely purchase this when the dreadful daycomes and this runs out :(

I always assumed Molton Brown was quite an 'old lady-ish' brand or something you would find in a posh hotel loo, but after working with them in my last job I started realising how much I loved the stuff so I was delighted to get a miniature Molton Brown Ylang-Ylang Body Lotion. Despite the price tag of this brand it always delivers some beautifully scented concoction of ingredients in the form of body lotions, hand wash, bath salts etc. This body lotion smells like a big bowl of fruit salad and is super nourishing due to a mix of shea butter, coconut, honeysuckle flower extract and macadamia seed oil....mmm DELISH!

The penultimate product is the box this month was the Reverence De Bastien Nail Varnish in Number 7. Not knowing anything about the brand, I settled down for a pedicure evening and was very disappointed with the results. I am not a nude person when it comes to polish and I'd rather go for something vampy and dark so perhaps it was the colour that put me off, but after two coats, the colour was barely visible. I think I must have sat through about three episodes of Game of Thrones before I got a colour similar to that of the bottle. The drying time was also a really long process so I don't think I'll be heading out and getting another colour any time soon.

And finally last but not least and my favourite of them all, the cutest bottle of Bioderma Sensibio H20. If you haven't heard of this product before then where have you been? Originally a French brand that could be found in every chemist or pharmacy overseas, Bioderma is now one of the leading Micellar waters sold in London's Harvey Nics and sells like hot cakes online...if you can find it that is. This stuff is amazing, it removes anything from a stubborn waterproof mascara to a 24 hour stay power lipstick and also cleanses, hidrates and leaves the skin feeling incredible. There has not been a day I haven't used this in my morning and evening routines since I was first introduced to it two years ago. I have tried many dupes along the way but will always go back to this. Bioderma...I think I love you!