Review: Garnier - Body Tonic Smoothing Scrub

Why have I never heard about this product before? Garnier, up until recently, wasn't a brand that I would explore when looking for new skincare products to test out. It's actually kind of strange considering Garnier is a big name brand in the world of skincare, but I guess I've never felt that any of their products were particularly marketed towards someone like me.

I first came across this Garnier Body Tonic Smoothing Scrub after doing a search on the Superdrug website. Having read the description and whizzing through some reviews and product images, I was sold. It's also worth noting that I believe this is the new packaging. The old packaging says "sugar scrub" rather than "smoothing scrub". It's the same product though! 

This is a sugar & exfoliating bead scrub which is one of my favourite types of scrubs. Salt scrubs are also up there with the best for me but I find that they can sometimes sting, especially if you're doing a full body exfoliation. My hands always end up quite raw! I like sugar scrubs because the texture is very similar to salt scrubs minus the stinginess. This contains fruit extract to help with the "instant smoothing effect" and it also says it will give you "new skin" from the very first use. Big claims there. 

First of all, I love the smell of this. Other than the images of apples on the tube, it doesn't give any other indication as to what fruits are in this but it smells like citrus fruits. It's so fresh and it really invigorates me in the morning. 

The scrub itself is incredible! It smooths my skin like no other scrub and it does it in such a gentle way. A little goes a long way so you don't even need to use much of it to be able to exfoliate your entire body. The texture is gel-like but with a very generous amount of exfoliant in there. 

Prior to adding this to my skincare collection, I used to use The Body Shop scrubs but I can honestly say that this is so much better. It's gentle but so effective, smells incredible, and lasts for ages. I can also do a full body exfoliating session without irritating my hands. 

This is THE best body scrub I've ever used and it's now my go-to body scrub. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, another one of these will be making its way into my life once I run out.

The RRP is £7.15 for a 200ml bottle but Superdrug currently have it on sale for only £3.56!!! I can't praise this product enough so if you want to try it out, now is the time!

Do you use any Garnier products?

New Things #6

teapigs Super Power Green Tea Drink (link here) - I was greeted by the postman with a lovely surprise parcel from the lovely team at teapigs. These super power green tea drinks are a more portable alternative to the matcha powder. Each drink contains 1g of matcha powder but it's mixed in with some yummy flavours and it's great for taking out with you. They do three flavours at the moment and my favourite is apple. Make sure you give it a good shake first though!

Icing & Biscuit Set (link here) - This is like a toy kit for bakers. I haven't actually got round to using this yet because I'm hoping to find (or create my own) healthy biscuit recipe. I love baking so much but it doesn't always fit in well with the whole "being healthy" thing!

Island Fantasy (link here) - This was given to me as a gift earlier this year but I've only just got hold of it as I left it at their house. I adore this fragrance so much and that says a lot considering I very rarely find fragrances I like these days. I'm super picky. This is perfect for summer and it smells like a tropical island, the scent is so unique. This is also the largest bottle they have so it's going to last for ages!

Pepero Sticks - Similar to Pocky sticks, these ones are white chocolate cookie flavour and they are delicious! We need more yummy things like this in the aisles of Tesco, Morrison's etc.

About Time DVD (link here) - I'm not sure how many people will have seen this as I don't remember ever seeing the trailer for this when it came out in the cinema. Someone bought me this DVD and it's good! It's about a guy who can travel back in time to various events in order to change things. It's a brilliant movie and I can't believe that I was initially hesitant about watching this. If you're looking for a new film to watch, I highly recommend this one.

Review: Ipanema - Navy Sidewalk Wedge

As if we're nearing the end of June already! Where has this month gone? In fact, where has this year gone? Lots of you will probably be heading to the beach this summer so it's time to put those boots aside and get your sandals on. 

These Navy Sidewalk Wedges* were sent to me from Ipanema, a beach footwear brand selling a range of stylish flip flops. I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of flip flops but these ones caught my eye as they're a little different because of the wedge. I'm not that tall so I love shoes that give me that little bit of elevation and make my legs look leaner at the same time. 

The heel is 95mm with a platform of 20mm. I would say that these are probably a little too high for me if I'm planning on doing a lot of walking along the beach as they will drag me down a bit but if you're going for a more chilled-out day, these look super stylish. I do find that as these are heeled, it pushes the space between my toes downwards onto the toe grip which kind of hurts after walking for a little bit. Perhaps I'm just not used to flip flop type shoes though. 

I do love the style of these and I think the navy wedge looks great along with the metal logo on the strap. It adds a bit of style to what could just be an ordinary flip flop. I think that these would be so much better if there was some cushioning on the toe grip as I imagine that it won't be any fun to wear if you're planning on a long summery walk along the shore.

You can purchase the Navy Sidewalk Wedge for £50 from Ipanema.

Healthy Breakfast Idea - Warm Mashed Banana & Boiled Egg On Bread

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I always like to make the most of mine. Nothing better than waking up in the morning and starting the day with something nutritious and delicious to kickstart your metabolism and boost your energy. Today I thought I'd share my favourite healthy breakfast with you. 

After experimenting with warm bananas on bread a few years ago, I then found myself with this delicious healthy breakfast: warm mashed bananas & boiled egg on bread. It's super simple and here's how you make it...

All you need is a slice of brown bread, a ripe banana, and an egg. You can use white bread too if you prefer but brown bread is always the healthier option out of the two.

The trickiest part of this breakfast (which isn't really that tricky) is boiling the egg so always do that first as it takes a while. Boil enough water in the kettle to just about cover the egg in a cooking pot and then put it on maximum heat over a stove. I prefer my egg to still be a little runny inside so I tend to boil mine for about 5-7 minutes but this can vary depending on your cooker. You can also poach your egg which is easier and quicker but I find that boiling it helps to retain more of the flavour (and more of the egg too!).

Whilst your egg is boiling, cut up your banana into slices and then pop it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to warm it up. This will bring out the sweetness and make it less dry. Using the back of a fork, mash it up. Of course, you can leave it as slices if you prefer. You can also pop your bread in the toaster at this point if you like. I tend to just leave it as it is if it's fresh bread.

Once you are satisfied that your egg is ready, scoop it out with a draining spoon and run it under cold water for 30 seconds so you don't burn yourself! I skipped out that step this time round and ended up with some slightly red fingers as you can see in the photo. So make sure you do it! Afterwards, tap the entire egg gently onto the side of a bowl or worktop surface until the shell looks completely cracked.

Gently peel off the egg shell whilst running it under cold water to help the shell come off more smoothly. Be careful not to break the egg though! Light fingers!

Slice it up into thin pieces. As I mentioned previously, I like my egg to be a little gooey on the inside so this is perfect. You don't want it to be too runny otherwise it'll all just ooze it when you cut the egg up. Of course, you can always leave the egg in there longer if you don't mind a hard boiled egg. 

Top the bread with your mashed banana as evenly as possible, or place the slices evenly on your bread/toast if you haven't mashed it up.

Put the egg slices on top et voila! There you have a nutritious healthy breakfast to kickstart your day! Very simple to make too!

Then all that's left to do is to tuck in! I usually team this breakfast with a glass of juice or milk to set me off for the day. 

What do you think of this breakfast?

Let me know if you end up making it, I'd love to see some photos.

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