Stepping into unknown territory is crazy scary, especially for someone like myself who finds risk taking intensely intimidating. I’ve taken to the Internet to research everything there is to know about backpacking in Southeast Asia. I’ve found it particularly useful to read other bloggers perspectives on backpacking and their personal experiences of Southeast Asia. Its four months until me and my partner go on our way to adventure but I thought it would be useful to share my planning process so far. This might be helpful for anyone that is thinking of travelling or are in the early stages of planning for a backpacking trip.

Dry Shampoo is something that I literally cannot imagine my life without. How did I ever live before it existed? I have no clue! I love it for so many reasons, those of which I will briefly share with you in this post. For so long I have used Batiste Dry Shampoo and I have occasionally strayed from it to try out other products, but I have always been disappointed and gone straight back to using my trusty Batiste.

UNTIL NOW!

I only usually pick up Batiste Dry Shampoo when it's on offer, because I go through it so fast that I hardly find it worth buying at full price. I tend to hoard it when it's on 3 for 2 or half price to keep my stock up. Last time I went into Boots, none of the Batiste varieties were on offer and then I saw Boots own version 2 for £3 which is amazing value. It took me a while to convince myself to try it (creature of habit) because usually when I stray too far from Batiste I wind up going straight back to it but I gave boots the benefit of the doubt. 

Boy am I glad I did! 

The two I chose were Original and Paradise Island. Let's talk about the scent first because we all know how important that is for me. I picked Paradise Island because it sounded summery and I wondered if it would have a coconut scent similar to the Batiste Tropical scent, and Original was a safe option in case I didn't like Paradise Island. What has surprised me the most is that I've loved the original scent sooooo much that I've barely used Paradise Island. The Original Dry Shampoo makes me think of Summer Holidays and the lovely coconut scents that come with them. It honestly smells out of this world and it really lingers so I can smell it all the time - this obviously makes me very happy. Paradise Island does still have a hint of coconut but it's more fruity than the Original.

Now the important part is over (hahaha) lets get down to the more serious part of the review.

I have actually found that the Boots Dry Shampoo distributes better than Batiste. I didn't know this could be possible if I'm honest. Do you ever have the experience when something satisfies your needs so much that you can't imagine anything to be better? Well this just is! I'm not in any way slating Batiste Dry Shampoo because it really is amazing stuff but the Boots version just takes it that bit further for me. Sometimes when I'm getting to the bottom of a bottle of Batiste I can find that it no longer sprays any powder on to my hair and therefore loses it's effectiveness which disappoints me. The boots version literally keeps on giving right until it's very last spray and I don't find I have to shake the can as vigorously as Batiste. It distributes perfectly and is really easy to rub in.

If you follow my blog and social media you'll know that recently I have gone silver blonde and I've been experimenting with pastel colours. Anyone who has done/is doing the same will know that washing your hair too often is killer. For the condition of your hair and for maintaining the colour. Now this might gross some people out, but since making the switch to Boots Dry Shampoo I have literally only been washing my hair once a week. This means I can maintain my pastel colours for longer and also keep my hair in tip top condition after having it bleached numerous times. Some of you might be thinking "how on earth can you go a week without washing your hair, it must feel horrible and greasy" but I promise you it doesn't at all. I can't stand my hair feeling greasy, but a few sprays of this to my hair gives it that just washed fresh feeling for another few days without having to reapply it. It really is a wonderful bargain product and I am now completely converted. No excessive build up, no grease in sight, no problems shaking it up, a lovely coconutty scent in your hair = sheer perfection. What is not to love? Seriously!

I still love Batiste Dry Shampoo and if it's on offer I will definitely pick it up, but when a 200ml bottle of Batiste is £3.99 for one and I can pick these up at 2 for £3 it goes without saying which one I am going to choose. If you're anything like me and can't live without Dry Shampoo then I absolutely urge you to try these because they're such good value for money and the quality is higher than its pricier competitors. Share the love for Boots and try their Dry Shampoo and please let me know what you think if you do.

I hope this post has been helpful. I dared to try a product out of my comfort zone and it paid off so I'm encouraging you to do the same. Try something new!

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Here in the UK we've seen an ungenerous preview of Spring/Summer weather but no matter how few and far between those days are, no one hesitates to whip out the summer clothing and get outside whilst they can. Summer days aren't a regular occurrence for us so we simply must make the most of those days we get. As a Beauty Blogger, one thing I love most about summer is changing my shades of makeup to more shimmery, pastel tones to suit my bronzed, freckly skin and that starts today with Blushers.

There are 4 shimmery blushers that I have been loving over the past few weeks so I thought I'd share the love for them with you. 

Accessorize Merged Baked Blusher

The first is one I've had for a while and although it's not too common amongst the blogosphere I absolutely love it. Whats more, it never seems to go down (I wonder if it will ever come to an end). That is the Accessorize Merged Baked Blusher in Sensation. I apologise in advance if this product is no longer available but I wanted to give it some credit. I only own a couple of Accessorize Makeup Products but actually they're really nice and this Blusher is perfect for Summer. It has an amazing amount of subtle peachy pink shimmer which makes it perfect to double up as a Blusher and Highlighter in one. I usually lean towards shades that are suited to warmer skin tones but I honestly think this product would suit both as it's a mixture of pink and peach tones. A little goes such a long way because this products lifts onto my Blush brush so well and applies like a dream. I love it and I'll be pretty sad when/if it ever ends.

Soap and Glory Peach Party

I absolutely adore using peachy shades in the Summer and I also love multipurpose products which this is. Peach Party doubles up as a Blusher and Highlighter but it also has a darker shade in there that works nicely to bronze your cheeks. I tend to apply this instead of a bronzer, blusher and highlighter trio when I'm in a rush or on days when I'm going very minimal because it's so easy to use and ticks many boxes. I would say that this product has more golden undertones so might suit warmer skin tones more so than cool, but again it's quite subtle and not blatantly golden. It has a range of 4 different peach tones ranging from a really light pinky peach, to a dark bronze peach (sorry if my descriptions aren't great, the colours are difficult to describe). I tend to take my brush, swirl it around the entire palette and enjoy the mixture of colours as a multi tasking bronzer/highlighter/blusher as mentioned. However, if you preferred I'm sure you could take a smaller brush and choose specific shades to use as a highlighter or blush if you want to utilise the specific shades. I don't feel it lifts onto my brush as easily as the Accessorize Merged Baked Blusher, but then it's a darker shade so that's probably a positive thing. You wouldn't want to over do it.

All 4 of these Blusher shades are perfect for summer as they're light, peachy and shimmery. They would be great to give a subtle glow to bronzed skin, making them perfect for holidays or the warmer months. You'll notice on many of my Instagram photos recently that I have shimmery cheeks and that is thanks to these lovely products.

Do you have any favourite shimmery blushers? I'd love to hear about them.

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During April I used up three particular products that I'm very sad to see the last of. There's a great satisfaction that comes with using the last of a product and removing a bottle from my ever filling drawers (only to be replaced by another most likely). However, there is less satisfaction with these three because I've really enjoyed using them all and may find myself repurchasing them again in the future.

Osmo Deep Moisture Shampoo

I was bought one of these monstrously large bottles of Osmo deep moisture shampoo a few years ago now and I got absolutely sucked into it. In fact, I got that sucked into it that I bought another one when I eventually ran out. Firstly let's mention the scent because we know how much my nose plays a part in practically everything! Would you think I was crazy if I said it smelled like fizzy pineapples? Because quite frankly thats what it reminds me of, sweet fizzy pineapples. Just amazing! On a more serious and practical note, this shampoo truly delivers. It leaves my hair feeling lovely and clean without stripping too much moisture and once dried there's not a speck of frizz in sight. I find this is a really good all rounder and the large bottles are such great value they will last you a long time.

Osmo Wonder 10 leave in treatment

I honestly don't use that many Osmo products so it's a strange coincidence that I have used two up around the same time. I find the wonder 10 leave in treatment very similar to It's a 10 miracle leave in product particularly with the 10 claims it makes. At around £12 it's a similar price to It's a 10 but I find it much easier to get my hands on in the UK. I can't confidently say that it meets all ten of it's claims but what I can say is that it leaves my hair much more manageable and protected from heat. I find my hair is a lot shinier, softer and generally easier to manage when I've used this. It's a great detangler so it makes getting a comb through your wet hair a breeze. It must have worked wonders for my hair because since running out and using a drugstore alternative I've felt quite disappointed. This is one I am definitely going to consider repurchasing as well as more Osmo products because I have been very pleased with those I've tried so far.

Caudalie Grape Water

This is a product that was sat in my basket on my beauty drawers for a long time unnoticed, because in all honesty I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it. I'm personally not a fan of spritzing my face so that threw that idea out of the window. In the last few months I started using this in a morning just to freshen up my face and remove any product left on my face from the previous night as a pose to fully cleansing my face again (some people might find this gross, but personally I don't feel the need to fully cleanse my face again in a morning). I simply sprayed a bit onto a cotton pad and swiped it around my face to freshen up. It left my skin feeling cleaner, fresher and ready to apply my day moisturiser and makeup. I can't say it performed miracles but I think it definitely had a calming effect on my skin and now I feel quite lost without it.

Let me know what products you're sad about using up recently or if you've tried any of these products and like them as much as I do. We'll see how I get on without them, but watch this space as you may see more of these. 

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