Braun Face | Mini Epilator and Cleansing Brush Review

A clever little gadget indeed, combining a mini epilator - great for eyebrow tidying - with a cleansing brush. Braun Face comes complete with a makeup pouch and magnifying mirror, with built in light (handy!) which makes it great for taking on holiday with you.

I was considering buying a Clarisonic (heard great things about it from other bloggers), but this system, at under £70 from Boots, is much cheaper and has double the functionality.

The Cleansing Facial Brush is a joy to use, just pop the cleansing brush on, and flick the switch and you're ready to go. I used mine with my Kiehl's cleanser, and my face felt silky soft after the first use. I've been using it every few days for a fortnight now and I do feel like my skin is clearing up a little. Little wonder, since it works "6 times better than manual exfoliation". Braun recommend changing the brush every 3 months, so it's a pretty affordable gadget.

Roux at Parliament Square | Restaurant Review

Michel Roux Jr's 2nd London restaurant and bar in Westminster, Roux at Parliament Square, offers fine dining in the spectacular and historic location, just metres from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

I believe you can tell the quality of a restaurant from the size of its menu, and the source of its ingredients. With the fewer options on the menu the better, I like to trust in the Chef and the produce they have chosen and put together.

Before we ordered, we were given several appetisers, my favourite of which was the taramasalata and avocado on a bed of seaweed. The flavours complemented one another beautifully, with the avocado leaving a very fresh taste on my palette before the main course.

Oral-B Pro 2000 Electric Toothbrush Review

I recently met Dr. Uchenna Okoye, Oral-B's smile Director at the launch of the Oral-B academy (you may have seen her on 10 years younger, probably the best known dentist in the UK).

She spoke about the power of the smile, how you can tell somebody's health from their gums - and how others perceive you from having a healthy wide smile.

I was gifted an Oral-B electric toothbrush to test, and in all honesty - if I hadn't been gifted one, from hearing Dr. Uchenna speak, I'd definitely have popped to Boots the next day to buy one anyway!

The Pro 2000 features a CrossAction brush head and criss-cross bristles to clean your teeth from all angles. This brush has rechargeable batteries, and comes with a 2 year warranty from most stores.

It is great for those who worry about brushing too hard and damaging their gums - as the brush itself lights up if you're brushing too hard. It left my teeth feeling really clean and fresh.

A total convert, I won't be going back to a normal toothbrush anytime soon.

A weekend in Paris on a shoestring

I took last Friday off work, and took the Eurostar to Paris for a long weekend. It's a little over 2 hours on the Eurostar from Kings Cross, so its really easy to go to for short breaks. You might think it'd be super expensive for a weekend away in Europe, but really you can do the trip on a budget and still have a great time.

Firstly, Eurostar tickets - on the day i think these are over £200 return, but book in advance and your tickets can cost as little as £59 return. I paid £65 return - but I could have gone for the cheaper option, the train time just wasn't as good for me. Top tips: Eurostar sells youth tickets - so if you're 26 or under, check those out. Eurostar have  Sales a few times a year, they're on Sale right now, but you can also sign up for Sale alerts so that you never miss out on a good deal!

Vaseline Queen Bee Competition

I love getting post, who doesn't?!

I was expecting some boots that I had ordered from ASOS, but instead I received a box of sparkles, glitter and gel pens. I haven't owned gel pens since school... this was like a blast from my hobby-craft-loving childhood past!

So, why all the crafts stuff?

Foxcroft & Ginger Review | Berwick Street, Soho, London

Foxcroft & Ginger is an artisan cafe, with two locations in London - one in Soho (that I visited last week), the other in Mile End. Foxcroft & Ginger prides itself on its great British food, all made with locally-sourced ingredients - with the cakes and pizzas all made in house.

Myself and Kirsten visited for dinner, and tried the sourdough pizzas, we shared a goats cheese, fig, kale pesto and marinated beetroot with marscapone pizza (drool!) and a Chorizo, feta, smoked chilli, butternut squash capers and tomato sauce pizza (without the chorizo as Kirsten is vegetarian). Boy, oh boy were we full... no word of a lie the butternut squash pizza was one of the best pizzas I've ever had, and i've visited Italy a few times so i've had my fair share! I'd never have thought of putting roasted veg on pizza, but it was fantastic!

Four Seasons Hotel Review | Visit Dublin

Late September I went to Dublin for the weekend, and stayed in the majestic Four Seasons Hotel. The 5* hotel is located, around a 30 minute walk from the City Centre (or 5-10 minutes by taxi). The rooms are very spacious, and let in so much natural light.

We ate out for most meals, as we only had the weekend to enjoy the city and wanted to visit so many places. However, I did enjoy a room service breakfast one morning, delicious waffles with berries, and a rich hot chocolate - a wonderful way to start to the day in luxury.

The weather was sublime, especially for late September, so much so I actually managed to get a little sunburnt. Quite the achievement, given the time of year, and the fact that I did actually have SPF 30 on!

Laser Hair Removal Offer | Destination Skin

I have recently been having laser hair removal done on my legs and armpits, I've had 3 of my 6 sessions, and am seeing a huge different, particularly on my legs. I haven't shaved my legs since my last treatment, 8 days ago, and I don't even have a tiny bit of stubble!

If you aren't quite sure what laser hair removal is, then check out my post here that explains the treatment, and the costs: http://www.hiddenfreckles.com/2014/06/laser-hair-removalipl-weighing-up-costs.html

My hair removal progress can be seen in my last post here:

http://www.hiddenfreckles.com/2014/08/laser-hair-removal-destinationskin.html

Great news, Destination Skin are having a Sale, which includes 50% off Laser. Winter is a great time to have the treatment done, as really you should avoid having the treatment when you're going to be in direct sunlight.

For all of the Sale details, check out Destination Skin: http://www.destinationskin.com/treatments/hair-removal/