Massage and Dermalogica skin mapping experience at the Thistle Hotel, Middlesbrough

I am a regular visitor of Travelzoo, the website that offers discounted rates on holidays, flights and activity days.  I especially like to look for spa related deals; the more local the better. When I saw that The Beauty Rooms Spa in the Thistle Hotel in Middlesbrough was offering a choice of 3 90 minute packages for £39, the offer was too hard to resist. I chose the package including a 60 minute full body Swedish massage, a 20 minute Dermalogica mini facial and a 10 minute foot scrub and soak.

Upon arriving I was given a Dermalogica skin analysis form to fill out which informed the therapist of my skin condition, any medication I was currently taking and what products I use on my skin. I noted down that I’m on Isotetrinoin (Roaccutane) for acne and the therapist took this into account.

After the introduction I was taken into a treatment room and the therapist began the foot scrub. While doing this she asked me if I had any problem areas I wanted focussing on during the next two treatments, and what pressure I’d like my massage. The foot scrub was well needed and my feet were baby smooth afterwards. After this she left the room while I prepped for the massage. The description given on the website is as follows:

Swedish Full Body Massage – 60 minutes

Classic massage treatment using long flowing techniques, promotes blood circulation, relieves muscular tension and promotes lymphatic drainage. Stresses and strains are melted away.

I can honestly say it was the best massage I’ve ever had. I’ve only had about 5 in my life, but this was miles better than any before. She worked on all of my tension and knots in my back and neck and legs; she even went as far as massaging each individual finger on my hands! I fell asleep for a few seconds it was that relaxing.

Moving on from the massage was the Dermalogica mini facial. The description given on the website is as follows:

Mini facial – 20 minutes

Quick fix treatments for targeted problems or perfect add on to 60 minute treatments.

* Free face mapping with all facials. Face mapping skin analysis is also available with any treatment in our brochure.

The therapist prepped her products according to my skin type. The treatment involved an exfoliation of my skin, as well as a moisturising calming mask which she left on for 10 minutes, and a serum and moisturiser to suit my dehydrated skin. She also used an eye cream and gently worked around my orbital bone and under my eyes with her fingers to help de-puff them.

When the treatments had finished she gave me a Dermalogica face mapping skin analysis sheet which was a nice addition! She had analysed my skin type and pointed out what problem areas I had with my skin. Apparently I am dehydrated on my forehead, outer part of my cheeks and chin, and have sensitive skin on the apples and middle of my cheeks. This was so helpful to me as I can now start to focus on eliminating these problems with my skincare.  

This is what my analysis looked like:

I would highly recommend this spa to anyone in the local area who is looking for a great massage and/or facial. My skin felt baby soft when I got home, and the morning after I had no dry patches and it still felt so hydrated. The offer on Travelzoo may still be on, and you can book up until 31^st March 2015. If not, the full body massage is £40 normally and the mini facial is £20. The foot scrub is £10. I would genuinely pay the full prices for these treatments as that’s how much I enjoyed them.

This is not a sponsored post.

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BBC Good Food Show Spring Harrogate 2014

Hello everyone. You might be wondering who 'From Juniper' is. Well I used to be 'Amor Decor', and haven't blogged for a few months due to Uni commitments and moving out for the first time! But now I feel ready to get back in the blogging game, and what better way to mark it than with a new name! I've revamped my blog as well; it's still a work in progress but I hope you like it.

Back to the post! Yesterday my mum and I headed to Harrogate to attend the BBC Good Food Show. This was both our first time at the event, and we were very impressed! What we weren't expecting however was the amount of people that were there! It was so busy it reminded me of being at a concert. We were sure they must have oversold tickets; people were even spilling out into the corridors and sitting on the steps just to get some fresh air!

However, the stalls themselves were really good. There were stalls ranging from confectionary to alcohol to meats and kitchen gadgets. There was even a full hog roast pig that was devoured by the end of the day expect for its poor head! There were some demonstrations of the products, and one in particular that we thoroughly enjoyed was by Vitamix.

The main events of the day was when we watched Dave Myers and Mary Berry cook live in the Supertheatre. We watched Dave first, without his side kick, Si, because unfortunately he couldn't attend due to a recent operation! He showed us how to make a recipe from his recently published recipe book. We had seats in the Grand Circle so had a good view of the stage, and it certainly smelt as good as it looked.

Later on in the day near the book signings, we spotted the one and only Mary Berry being interviewed! We were lucky to spot her, and us and some other people were trying to get a sneaky photo in. I zoomed in to get this shot.

Then at 2:30 it was time to watch the woman herself on stage. She showed us how to make a salmon pastry parcel, and told us some facts about herself, like of her love for tennis and the fact her mother was 105 years old when she died last year! That one turned heads. The cameraman was being a bit mischeivous and kept trying to annoy her all the way through it, but I think she thought it was quite funny.

Sorry for the slightly picture heavy post! If you ever get a chance to go to the event, I recommend it. Just maybe on a weekday instead when it's slightly quieter! All in all we had a great day, and I would definitely go back!


Jen

Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm

I did it. I bought the famous Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm. I had buyer's remorse for around a minute after buying but it was definitely worth the splurge. I also got lucky, as Feel Unique (where I bought it from) had a promotion where you got a fiver off a product that was over £25. I also had £5 sitting in my PayPal account so that was another little bonus.

I currently double cleanse using a make up remover solution and Simple's facial wash, which has seen me right throughout the summer. But now it's getting colder, I've been noticing a lot more dryer occurances with my skin. I use night creams and exfoliate regularly, but the problem isn't alleviating as much as it should. I'd heard soo much about this product, and it had always been in the back of my mind. I've used it only once, so I can't tell you the lasting effects yet and whether it's helped with my skin, but it really did a good job at cleaning my skin thoroughly.

I crave having really clean skin after a day with a face full of make up, and this does the trick. It's a thick balmy consistency, and when you add a couple of drops of water to it like the instructions advise, it turns into a milky substance. You're really supposed to use muslin cloths or flannels after applying this to take it all off. I've just been using my hands to clean it off my face then patting it with a towel. The directions advise you can use this as a mask or even keep it on over night, so it hasn't bothered me if not all of it comes off.

Guess how long I lasted after taking this picture to pop that bubble :P Not long!

Have you tried this amazing cleansing balm? What did you think?

Jen x

My Holy Grail Foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear

There's only one foundation I've bought over and over again, and it's the Estee Lauder Double Wear. After suffering from quite bad acne in my teenagers years I have some pigmentation from the scars. I also suffer from breakouts now so I need a foundation that's going to cover everything without feeling too cakey or heavy. I've tried other medium - heavy foundations in the past and just found them quite poor after using this.

If you're used to a sheer or light coverage foundation, then this will feel very heavy for you. But if you're used to using a medium to heavy coverage, you'll really enjoy this. I don't use much and I blend it in really well. You can vary the coverage by how much you use, but I find the best application is when it's put on quite sheer, as you don't need a lot of it to cover your skin. It dries to a matte finish, and you barely need any concealer over the top. It's a powder finish so it doesn't really require powder but I sometimes powder my nose and t-zone if it's a warm day or I'll be out for a long time.

The only negative I'd have to say about this is that once it's dried onto your skin you can't then go back in to blend it again as it'll take what's already set off your skin and mess it up. The best application is to blend it while it's still freshly put on to how you want it then let it set. I

Other than that, there's nothing else bad to say about this foundation. I use it every single day, apart from the odd Sunday where I'll wear nothing on my face or just a sheer foundation. 

I use the shade 1N1 Ivory Nude which is one of the lightest shades you can get. That's another great thing about this foundation, it comes in really pale shades that suits the palest of girls like me! I find this foundation lasts on my face all day, from application to taking it off it barely budges.

This is when it's freshly been applied. As you can see the coverage is heavy but not cakey at all, and this isn't properly blended in either.

If you're looking for a full coverage foundation that will look natural, cover imperfections and last all day, then I'd fully recommend this one! If you're looking for a foundation with just as good staying power and the same finish, but not as heavy a coverage, then I'd recommend the Double Wear light which is just a lighter version if you haven't got as much to cover!

You can find the Double Wear here for £28.50

Have you tried this? Do you like it?

Jen  x

Zara City Bag with Zips

It was my birthday last week, and my lovely boyfriend got me this beauty of a bag. A while ago I'd had my eye on the original Office City bag with the 3 large zipped pockets and the more squared off shape but that's been sold out in store and online for a few months. I was browsing the Zara website one day when this caught my eye. It's almost identical, and a friend of mine who has the original bag said the only difference is that the middle pocket is smaller, so it enables you to pinch both outer pockets together to close it using the magnetic clasp just under the zip. 

As you can see, it's really roomy inside and I can fit everything I need on a daily basis in here. I carry my Ted Baker purse, along with a mirror, my mini tangle teezer and some make up bits. I also carry a pencil case in the middle section along with my keys and other essentials. I use the 2 bigger outer zipped pockets to carry my tablet, large notebooks and textbooks. This bag is equipped to carry a laptop as one of the bigger zipped compartments is completely padded. The other zipped compartment has a mini padded compartment designed to carry a tablet or Kindle.

I wear this bag either in the crook of my arm or over my shoulder with the longer strap it comes with. Unfortunately this bag sold out within a few weeks online, it may still be available in the shops but after a scour on the website they've released another version, but in grey. You can see that here for £59.

Do you like this bag? Did you manage to snap it up while it was still onsale?

Jen x

NARS Never Say Never Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

Something very lucky happened to me the other day, I won my first give away prize! It was a NARS lip pencil in any shade I liked, courtesy of the lovely Latasha from Today I Adore. Having never tried any of NARS' products (but always wanted to!) I didn't know what shade I wanted straight away. So, I had a route around on the internet for some swatches and settled on this gorgeous rosy pink, but almost blue/purple toned shade. It's the perfect colour for me, and I'd compare it to MAC's Plumful lipstick, but matte instead of a lustre finish, and much more opaque. All the better because the colour is too nice to not be seen to its full potential!

As you can see, it gives a gorgeous raspberry type colour to the lips, not too red or purple toned, just somewhere in the middle. The finish is matte but it's described as velvet matte, which I can totally understand! The matte effect isn't drying at all, and like the description my lips feel smooth and soft after applying this. I feel like it's appropiate for day wear as it's not too bright. I think it goes with any kind of make up look, and definitely suits any kind of skin tone! I'm very pale, and I think it works well with my complexion. 

Final note, as I explained earlier about MAC's Plumful lipstick: if you love that lipstick but wish it was just that little bit more opaque and longer lasting, this is your solution!

You can find this for sale at Space NK here

Do you like this colour? Have you tried any of NARS' lip pencils before?

Jen x

Essie Sleek Stick nail stickers in 03 so hautel

I received these stickers in my Latest in Beauty Nail edition box. I hadn't ever tried nail stickers before, but I thought I might as well give these a go since I had them and see what they were like! They came in the packet below, and included a tiny little file inside to file off the sticker.

As you can see - the detailing is really nice. The stickers are an orangey red colour, with tiny little gold stud detailing. Applying them was really easy. I matched up my nails with the stickers until I found the correct fitting ones, then peeled them off the sheet and stuck them down onto my natural nails. The next thing I did was take my nail file and file downwards on the tip of my nail and on top of the sticker, to file away the edge and enable me to peel the excess sticker off. Once I did this I just filed around the free edge to make sure there weren't any jagged edges. That's it! No need for a top coat unless you want to put one on for piece of mind that they'll stay put. 

The details on the packet didn't indicate the wear time of these stickers, but I'd guess they're meant to last around a week. My nails tend to chip really easily normally anyway, so I'll be surprised if I get 2 or 3 days out of them without them peeling off or coming away at the edges. I won't be cynical though! I do really like these stickers for the easiness and quickness of getting them on, so if you haven't got much time to wait around for nail polish to dry these are pretty good!

Would you consider wearing these?

Jen x