Retro and Thrift: March 2016

Monday, 21 March 2016

Spring Shower Routine

Has spring finally sprung? I'm not convinced. The aesthetics of spring and Easter seem to have arrived but I'm still roaming around my house in my onesie. Anyhoo, it is the time to be getting ready for warmer days right? And that means an updated shower routine!

1. BODY BRUSH

I'm still using my body brush from the Body Shop that I mentioned in my Winter Shower Routine. Body brushing is a great way to increase circulation and decrease your chances of cellulite - which is important when the sun is fast approaching!

2. SHAMPOO

It would be weird if shampoo wasn't involved in a shower routine! I'm a huge fan of Herbal Essences and I always seem to go back to them, however I've only recently tried their "Clearly Naked" range. The 0% silicone will hopefully mean my hair colour will last a little bit longer - we'll have to see.

3. BEE-AUTIFUL

Continuing the Herbal Essences love, I am also loving their Bee Strong hair mask. Not only does it smell divine, but it really keeps my ends conditioned and smooth in the transitional weather.

4. GET THE FLORALS OUT

Whilst the hair mask is soaking in, I've been using this gorgeous lavender body wash by Argan +. Its floral scent screams spring-time and the 'calming, relaxing cleanse' definitely appeals to this third year uni student! I was kindly gifted this at the recent #HBMarchMeet

5. DE-FUZZ

Also from the recent Hull Bloggers meet up I was lucky enough to receive this little gem! I've always used a Venus razor, however never one of the moisture bar ones. Venus and Olay teamed up to make the ultimate, moisturise-as-you-shave, razor and I can vouch that it works a treat. I'm not too sure how long the moisture strip will last, and I think a downside to this would be having to change your razor head more frequently - however as you don't need a separate shaving cream it is probably worth it. It also comes with a really useful holder that sticks to your shower wall.

6. SCRUB

I'm not sure about you but after a long winter in leggings and thermal tights my legs are in great need of a good scrub. This Cocoa Brown 'Tough Stuff' scrub is actually for wearers of fake tan however I find it works well on paste-y legs too! I actually got these samples for 30p each from Superdrug - they're handy to pop in my bag when I stay over at my boyfriends.

7. MOISTURISE

After all that scrubbing you'll be in need of some serious re-hydration. I love this fruity Baylis and Harding body lotion at the moment. Its promised 'flower therapy' is bound to get you in the mood for spring, whilst the peppermint is really energizing. This actually came part of a giftset from the spring Hull Bloggers meet - I always associate Baylis and Harding with gifts but now I will keep my eye out when treating myself too!

8. A FLASH OF COLOUR?

Although I don't think I'm quite ready to become a 'golden tease' just yet, this Crazy Angel gradual tan is something I'll be trying out this spring. It actually smells a lot better than a lot of the tan I've tried in the past so that is a good sign and with ingredients like vitamin E and shea butter my skin will be left really soft! Thanks #HullBloggers for letting me try new things!

Wednesday, 16 March 2016

DIY Copper Storage Jars

The humble storage jar. A simple yet effective storage solution that has been loved for many years. However this once thrifty household hack has now become so popular that stores seem to be charging a fortune for them!

I've been revamping old Dolmio and Douwe Egberts jars for many years, using them to store jewelry, candles and cotton wool. With a bit of spray paint and maybe a ribbon or two, a cheap (or even free) jar can be transformed into cute addition to your home.

7 Ways to Create a Vintage Inspired Bedroom

1. Aquire some cheap jars

Jars can be bought very cheaply and you can also get them for free. You can easily save up your jars from coffee or sauces and a lot of charity shops sell them very cheaply. I use these sorts for jewellry and non-edibles, however this time I wanted to buy new as they are going to contain pasta and rice.

I found these glass jars fairly cheaply at Tescos, however was a bit disappointed they only came in this boring silver/grey colour. For the nicer jars, I would have to sacrifice another couple of pounds and, as a very thrifty student, that just wasn't an option for me.

2. Spray paint is king.

All my DIYs usually involve spray paint; it's cheap, easy and quick! I bought this copper/gold spray a while back from Wilkos and have been dying to use it ever since - and thus this DIY was born.

A top tip when buying spray paint: Check if the paint is suitable for the surface you wish to up-cycle and if you're planning on popping your finished project outside, make sure it's weatherproof!

3. Prep the area

Making sure the area your working in is covered is very important as spray paint can easily diffuse into the air and land somewhere you were not expecting! I would usually recommend using newspapers, outside, however it was 8pm at night when I did this and I don't buy newspapers!

Here is a photo of some lids on Tesco bags - which is probably the most unattractive blog picture ever.

PS: This post is not sponsored by Tesco and I also used a Sainsbury's bag. You've gotta get your money's worth nowadays.

4. Spray away

Basically then I just sprayed the lids making sure I got around the corners. I gave them a couple of coats just to be sure but they probably only needed one. Let them dry over night and voila....

I'm probably going to use mine for pasta and boring adult things, however I took some pretty photos of other storage ideas too. I think these would work lovely in a bathroom with soaps and cotton wool in.

Tuesday, 8 March 2016

#HBMarchMeet

#HBMarchMeet was a smaller affair than our usual meet ups, but it was by no means less perfect! The relaxed sit down meal at Al Porto, Hull was just what I needed to take a break from third year life and chat with some new, as well as old, bloggy pals. The meal itself was delicious, I ordered the Carbonara, which came in a thick creamy sauce and lovely chunks of bacon. All the other dishes looked great too, many opted for the Winter Salad which came with grilled chicken and lots of tasty veg.

After we all struggled home from the summer meet up with 4 huge overflowing (but still amazing) goodie bags, our arms were thankful that we only had one lovely packaged, more modest bag to take home and sort through. You'll probably see some of the products appearing on my blog over the next few months.

It's always lovely getting to know new bloggers, although I usually get very nervous so apologies if I came across weirdly at all! Meet ups like this make me realise how much I love the blogging community and how important it is to me. When I finally graduate I'm hoping to become more involved in the community and help put on some events for these amazing girls! (Psssst give me a shout Hull Bloggers!).

I just want to say a huge thanks to Kat for organising the event (get well soon!), and also Jenny, Alex, Chelsea and Heather. If you're a Hull gal or come from somewhere near us then please follow us on Twitter @HBHullBloggers and come along to our next meet!