Clayspray | Beauty

I absolutely love a face mask, I do try to take care of my skin but I don't like adding too many products to it because ultimately they can be incredibly drying and often break my skin out with spots, which is never a good look.

I've been introduced to a brand called Clayspray* who I haven't really heard of because I'm very much a highstreet kinda gal. I just walk into my local Boots and grab pretty much whatever is there. 

Clayspray is a skincare brand that offers a range of clay based products. Their products are gentle on the skin because they are paraben and preservative free. Clayspray's products are also hypoallergenic and made from all natural ingredient and are even Vegan friendly.

I must admit I really like the sound of the brand but as with most samples you aren't really given much info on how long to leave it on your face for etc. But most clay products you pretty much leave them on until they dry out and then wash them off so I'm thinking about 10 minutes. I received the white clay mask which is actually formulated for all skin types. This product claims to leave visible results just after one use and you know what, it's true. 

When I first applied it I noticed that it dried quite quickly, it's been a very long time since I have used a thick clay mask like this. It took me two sachets to cover my entire face which actually is quite minimal so if you were to purchase the bottle of Clayspray it would last ages! I also found that this product has a cooling effect on the skin as it dries, which felt lovely.

Once I washed it off my face my skin looked great, my pores looked really reduced and my skin had an almost matte sheen to it. Sometimes with face masks my skin goes shiny and red but this one made my skin look lovely. But for me the real impressive thing was how great my skin looked the next day, it felt incredibly smooth and my pores still looked reduced. I'm so impressed. I'm in love with this product, it's a product that actually lives up to it's claims.

I am buying the full sized product from their website, that's how much I love it. 

Have you heard of the brand before?



*This is a PR sample but all views are my own

What's in my gym bag | Lifestyle

Today I thought I would share with you what's inside my gym bag. I mean I have literally been living out of this bag for the last 3 months, I don't even take a handbag into work with me anymore. 

I have very fixed gym routine and 3 times a week I go to the gym twice in one day so morning and night this means I have to carry quite a lot with me. I would love to have like one of those small, cute, girly gym bags but I just can't fit half of what I need in it so I have to settle with my bulky Nike bag, but I love it anyway!  

I haven't included my trainers in this bag because they are always on my feet unless I'm in the office, then I change into shoes or boots. My gym bag must haves are:- 

• Gym clothes
• Bath sheet 
• Hand towel  
• Hair brush
• Deodorant
• Make up bag
• Rail card 
• Card holder
• Headphones  
• Umbrella

I must admit I have excluded some extra bits such as my work fob, apples, work clothes because that just a little boring but as you can see I actually carry quite a lot on me. I also forgot to take a picture of my shampoo and shower gel - dumb dumb!

I was recently told that my gym was closing down in my town which was a little heartbreaking I'm not gonna lie and the way Virgin Active handled it was pretty bad actually. This means however I'll be joining a Fitness First gym in London which will probably work out a little better for me in the sense that my workouts in the morning will be a little longer. 

What do you carry in your gym bag that you think I'm missing?

MicroCell - Nail Repair | Beauty

If you follow me on instagram you'll know that I love to paint my nails, normally always an Essie polish but over time constant painting and removing of the polish it does take it's toll on my nails. 

I was recently intorduced to  MicroCell Nails* who is German nail repair brand that is just being introduced into the UK market. They offer a wide range of products  which include polishes that have calcium and seaweed infused into the product, acetone-free removers, professional and safe files, at-home gel polishes and nail colours that actually repair your nails as you wear them. Which is pretty impressive if I'm honest as with most nail repair polishes they are always a clear colour. 

Let's start with the MircoCell base coat, I must admit I have tried my fair share of base coats and right now I am loving Essie's repair version of this but personally I don't think you can ever have too many nail polishes that repair your nails. Though this is a small sample you actually get quite a lot of product because it's quite a runny consistency. 

I loved how quick this dried, I don't know whether it's supposed to dry that quick but it's great for me. It leaves my nails incredibly shiny which is lovely and I must admit they felt very protected. I know it's hard to comment on whether this polish chips because it's a clear polish but I wore this for over a week an noticed my nails chipped maybe two times which is pretty good. I must admit my nails looked in pretty good condition only after 1 week and after 2 weeks I could actually feel a difference they definitely felt so much stronger. 

Moving onto this gorgeous berry shade, this nail polish contain calcium and silicium for stronger nails and I received the colour Raspberry Kiss. Loving the name I must admit! I really like the idea that this polish has that added extra to help protect my nails. 

Typically my nails tend to flake and lift which is really annoying because it means my polish doesn't last very long so I'm really excited to try this out to see whether it does help with the condition of my nails. I really like the colour, to be honest I haven't worn any dark/berry shades for quite sometime so it was nice to receive this colour too. The polish again dries really quickly and I'd say you need two coats for this deep berry shade. I love how it looks incredibly glossy without even adding a top coat. I did however find that it chipped a little quicker but I think this is because the condition of my nails are quite poor right now. 

The one thing I will note about the packaging is that the colour used for the content on the back was a dark colour which made it incredibly hard to read against the berry shade but maybe this is just because it's a sample size?

I'm going to save the cuticle pen for another post because otherwise this would be incredibly long so have a look next week!

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with this brand. It's one I've never heard of before but I would consider buying other products from them, it'd be nice to see whether they are going to bring out some more colours. Plus MircoCell has the added extra of actually protecting your nails as well, you can't go wrong!

Have you heard of MircoCell before?


*This was a PR sample however all views are my own

COMPETITION with Biscuiteers | Lifetsyle

Today is a very exciting post because I'm involved with the Biscuiteers #wherespeter campaign and I'm running a competition where one of my beautiful followers get a  chance to win their own Peter Rabbit biscuit plus 3 other little biscuity friends

The competition will run from 23rd March to 1st April 2015 and all you have to do to enter is look at the picture below and guess which London landmark is Peter visiting?

How to enter:

1. Simply write your answer in a comment with your twitter name 
2. I'll pick a winner on 2nd April 2015 by getting in touch with the person on Twitter 
3. The biscuits will get sent to the winner in the post
4. This is a UK competition only

Your Prize

Goodluck!

*This post contains an affiliate link

Flourless Muffin Recipe | Lifestyle

I haven't done a baking post for quite sometime have I? I'm going to try and make sure I do one a month like I was last year. As you may know, I'm eating super well now so cutting out the rubbish but still allowing myself little treats here and there.

I was on Pinterest recently and found this recipe for flourless peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins on Averie Cooks and it just sounded so easy to make I had to try it out. 


Ingredients:-

In true Honeypot Blogs style, I have changed the recipe slightly because I wanted to add less chocolate chips  and less peanut butter it does cut down on the calories a little too, so these muffins are under 100 cals.  I would always go for the best quality ingredients so peanut butter with no added sugar only naturally occurring stuff and dark chocolate chips etc.

• One large egg, 
• One medium banana 
• Creamy peanut butter - 4 tbsp
• Honey - 3 tbsp 
• Chocolate Chips - a handful
• Vanilla
• Baking soda - tea spoon

Method:-

This is the best bit you literally just blend everything together whack them in a muffin tray, pop them in the over for about 10-12mins and they're done! My recipe actually made about 9 medium sized muffins but because I altered the quantities I still believe each one should be around the 100 cals mark. 

The end result

They were super fluffy actually which I was surprised about but they are quite nice. Personally I couldn't taste the banana at all, which is great because I hate the taste of it.  

Have you got any super healthy recipes? Or have you tried this one out?

Urban Decay - Perversion | Beauty

This came in my Naked On The Run palette, I have never tried Urban Decay Perversion before but I've actually heard quite a lot of good things about it. Technically it's more of a travel/sample sized product to fit in the palette but I think that's really great because I can try it out see if I love it and if I do I can buy it. 

I actually quite like the brush on this mascara, I haven't used a fluffy brush like this in quite some time, I always use the plastic bristled brushes.

When I first applied Perversion I was quite shocked at how much I liked it, I expected it to make my eyelashes clump together like most of these type of brushes do. But I found that this mascara actually did a really good job of separating my lashes, and I mean each individual lash. When I was done with the first coat I loved at how voluminous my lashes looked but for me they didn't have that "wow" factor that I always go for. It was only when I applied the second coat after the first coat drying that really gave me some impact. This product's tag line is "Bigger. Blacker. Badder" lashes and you know what I have to agree.

I'm quite fortunate because I have long eyelashes anyway so can wear most mascaras, I think if your eyelashes need a bit more curl I don't think this would work as well for you. 

I find with some mascaras after two coats of the product my eyelashes are pretty stiff because they are coated in the product but what I found with Perversion is that my eyelashes still remained quite soft, though they are perfectly coated in product and look amazing they aren't stiff and hard when you touch them. It's a great lightweight product.   

I really actually love this Urban Decay Perversion mascara, so much so I'm even considering buying a full sized one. I love that the Naked On The Run palette is opening my eyes a little more to Urban Decay as a whole. 

Have you tried Perversion?

London Butterflies Salt Scrub | Beauty

When I received this in my Birchbox a few months ago I was incredibly excited. London Butterflies isn't really a brand I've heard before but I just love body scrubs, it was a great size too you get quite a lot of product in it.

Firstly the scent is gorgeous, it has a very sweet scent of almonds which is always lovely. It is also a sea salt scrub, which I prefer natural to artificial particles because that can be quite damaging to the skin. I also noticed that this scrub wasn't as runny as other I have used previously, in the jar this stuff doesn't budge at all.

It was love at first scrub! I tried this on my legs first, it almost has a gel/hair wax like consistency but when you start rubbing it literally melts into your skin, it feels so nice. I just kept rubbing until the salt had dissolved and then with my exfoliating gloves just and removed any excess. The almond oil still stays on the skin making it feel quite luxurious and smooth.

The thing that did surprise me is that sweet scent almost disappeared entirely when applied onto the skin, but in all fairness I was sitting in a Lush Comforter Bubble Bar bath which has an incredibly strong fruity scent so perhaps I just didn't pick up on the London Butterflies scrub.

The real wow factor was how smooth my legs were the morning after, I mean my entire body felt good but my legs really felt another level smoother and softer, I have quite dry skin on my legs in winter so I really feel that this scrub helped nourish them. 

I've managed few uses from this little 34g sample but I am seriously considering making a purchase.

Have you tried anything from London Butterflies before?

Honeypot Blogs 1st Birthday

That's correct, my little Honeypot Blogs is a year old!!

Firstly, I'm incredibly surprised that I have managed to last a year, I have started blogs in the past and I struggle to get past the first couple of months. I just struggled to find a specific interest that I could write about. 

When I started this blog I really wanted to throw myself into it, I made sure I had a different Twitter account and a different Instagram account. I also wanted to keep it somewhat secret from people I actually knew, I just didn't want the criticism. It actually took my work pals, who also have blogs, months to find me so that was interesting to know people I actually knew would be looking at my blog (pressure). What I didn't realise was how much it would properly become a hobby and become a massive part of my life. I don't even use my own personal twitter and instagram accounts anymore, I don't have a need for them. But as this year has gone on I'm becoming less secretive about it and starting to share my blog more and talk about it more. 

Blogging also awakened my love for beauty, even if they are just reviews, I actually enjoy writing about products. I even wrote a post about how blogging has inspired me, how it almost sparked that passion for writing again and that's something I never thought it would do if I'm honest. I never started this blog to make money or to get freebies, I just wanted to write. I don't think I would want this to be my career, I don't I stand out enough but you know I'm just loving writing again. 

I quite quickly fell into a routine with how many times I post and what I write about and to be honest I think that's what's kept my interest. I like a routine, I work really well with a routine, whether it be the gym or work or what I eat, I like to have a structure and blogging just kind of fit into a little gap in my life and it works. 

My blog is still tiny and I probably only have about 3 people who actually read it but you know what I'm ok with that. It'll be exciting to see how my blog changes over the next year. 

However, I still don't think I'm ready to fully put my face on my blog.

Another Birchbox Review? | Beauty

Ok, so I know what you're thinking if you read my blog regularly, I had said I was cancelling subscription to Birchbox, however I forgot to unsubscribe. So I'm tied in for another 6 months, but there are worse things to get through the post so I'm not too gutted!

The next 6 months however I'm going to stop writing a review on each box, because it just gets boring. I don't know whether anyone actually likes my reviews on the box or they prefer individual product reviews? But let me know. I'm going to do a much shorter "overall" review of the box, just so that people can see what's inside.

Let's just take a moment to point out how cute this box is, it's a collab with Habitat, I mean it's beautiful isn't it, gets me feeling very summery! Also I like that there is tissue paper instead of that draw string bag that I never use anyway.

Every time I open a Birchbox, there is always that one product that I get extremely excited to see and in this box it was the Serenity Dead Sea Bath Salts. I haven't used bath salts in years, like years upon years. These ones help you unwind and de-stress but they also help aching muscles, which as you know I'm a bit gym obsessed at the moment so this it definitely going to be used.

This month you also were able to choose which Benefit mascara you wanted in your box, but as I though I had unsubscribed I didn't choose. But fate chose Benefit's Roller Lash, I have already received a sample from Elle Magazine the other month but I actually really love this mascara so I am happy to have another one.I also tried out the Philip Kingsley hair product, which was nice but I didn't like the smell at all. I really love that you get a little notebook, the writer/journalist in me actually loves this more than any other thing in the box.

Let me know if you'd like me to review any of the other products in the box.

Have you subscribed to Birchbox?

Urban Decay - Naked On The Run | Beauty

Oh it's a beauty isn't it?

This is my first Urban Decay product and it's the Naked On The Run palette. Ever since I started blogging I have seen so much hype about the Naked palettes and I desperately wanted Naked 3 but the price tag has always put me off it a little because I didn't NEED it, I just wanted it. 

I went to Westfield with my dear friend Vernia a couple of weeks ago, but I turned up early so I thought I would just have a wander around the Beauty Section in House of Fraser which is a terrible idea just after payday. First stop was the Nars counter, I very nearly walked out with a Satin Lip Pencil however I thought I would just walk over to the Urban Decay stand, you know, just to have a look. Immediately I was drawn to this one, I have seen several blog posts about the Naked On The Run palette and it was just so beautiful in real life too. 

You get 6 great sized eye shadows, from left to right Dive (my fave), Fix, Resist, Dare, Stun and 5050. 3 Shimmers, two mattes and one shade that can be used all over the lid or even as a highlighter. I cannot get over the quality of these shades, the shimmers are stunning, literally stunning. They are incredibly pigmented which means you can either use them with a light hand and have a sexy subtle shimmer or you can go all out for the more bronzed goddess look. 

You also get a bronzer in a medium matte shade, that kinda has orange tones which I will have to be a little careful of but it blends out really nicely. A blusher in a vibrant pink shade, which has quite an impact but if used delicately it just adds pretty flush to the cheeks. We have to remember I have quite pale skin so most things I have to use with a light hand. 

You also get a Perversion mascara, a 24/7 Glide On eye pencil and a Naked lipgloss in a rose shade, all of which I will definitely use. 

A major selling point of this product is how easy it is to just slip in your bag or travel with. I commute into London everyday, sometimes I go out after work which means I have to take my entire make up bag with me, which is a little bulky. But this has everything apart from my make up brushes and foundation. The mirror is bloody big as well so you can easily do a full face of make up in it. 

I'm so so so happy that I bought this, I definitely think it's worth the £37 price tag.

Have you tried the Naked On The Run Palette yet?

Pamper Session | Lifestyle

I was ill recently, I don't know how! I'm working really hard at the gym, eating really well and now I get ill, I blame the germy commuters on my trains in the morning.

So today I thought I would share with you this week's pampering session, when you are feeling a little run down I always think it's good to have a relaxing bath and just treat yourself/body/skin.

First things first, the bath - you know it has to be a comforting bubble bath which means the only option is Lush Comforter Bubble Bar, you know it makes sense. I love the scent of this bar it's fruity and fresh which instantly peps me up a little bit.

As I'm running the bath, I always exfoliate my face with the Simple Face Scrub, it's gentle and always works well for me. After I have done this I just use the Simple face mask and then jump straight into the bath.

This time around I thought it would be a good idea to try out the Philip Kingsley - Elasticizer  my hair has been looking a little drab lately, it's constantly being pulled back into a pony tail with no real styling done. You are supposed to leave it in your hair for 10-20 mins before shampooing so bath time is probably the best time to use this stuff as you aren't doing anything anyway.

And then I just relax.

When it start drawing towards the end of my bath I think focus on my body. I'm a massive fan of using scrubs and/or glove exfoliators for my body, I always feel so much better after a good scrub and this time I am trying out Butterflies London salt scrub, which I will be writing a full review on so keep a look out next week.

Then once I am out I always follow up with my favourite Dove moisturiser.

What are your bath time pampering favorites?

HealGel | Beauty

If you have read my January Birchbox review you'll know that I was going to review the HealGel Intensive product separately.

Apologies for the naked nails! 

I have heard a lot about this brand, but I've never used any HealGel products before, so I was really happy to recieve this beauty. However it is a tiny 5ml sample, but I expect this from Birchbox, you're not always going to get a full sized product and that's fine. However as mentioned in my previous post I really disliked the fact you got very little information on how to use the product. You just get the basic words that it soothes, repairs and protects and that's about it. 

That's just my little gripe as I find packaging incredibly important, however I did do a little digging and just figured I'd use it on any problem areas. In January I had just come back from New York and I found that my legs were incredibly dry, they always dry out in winter because I walk around in tights and trousers/leggings so I thought that this would be the best place to try it first. 

First thing I noticed was the scent, it's very fresh but delicate which I actually prefer to over powering strong scents. This product claims to have an organic silicone formula which acts as a barrier to protect the damaged skin which I actually agree with. Intensive isn't a greasy formula, it almost melts into the skin but when it dries it actually feels like there is a little layer over the area.  

After a few uses I found that it did actually help my skin however because the product was so small I was actually using my favourite moisturiser too so I can't actually say that this product solely helped the skin on my legs but I think it probably helped them from drying out further whilst my Dove moisturiser repaired the damaged skin. 

This product is nice, but personally it's too small of a sample to really confirm whether it's worth the £37.50 price tag. I'm glad I used it and I would be open to trying out more from HealGel, but I'm not in a massive rush to buy anything. 

What are your favourite products from HealGel?

Formula X Top Coat in Turbulent | Nails

This post is inspired by my lovely friend Tineal, she recently went to America and came back with this gorgeous little gift from Sephora for me, a beautiful Formula X top coat in the colour Turbulent.

The picture really doesn't do this justice of how pretty is it, the blue pieces are just so lovely, like a sky blue almost and I adore the way it's mixed with jet black pieces too. 

Quite often I paint my nails and always do one nail a different colour or I add glitter just to the tips so this Formula X product is actually perfect for me. I don't actually own anything from the brand which is why it'll be such a treasured addition. 

I also noticed that when I put it over my nails it dried incredibly quick and I don't know whether it's supposed to have that added extra or it just dries quicker than what I am used to with other nail polishes but it's perfect.

At first I didn't know which shade would be best to put it over the top of, I have Mint Candy Apple, black shades, red shades but then the blue pieces wouldn't stand out as much. So I had a bit of a play around and decided it works best on these two colours. 

On the left is Essie Go Ginza and on the right is Essie Fiji

Just so pretty aren't they. I kinda think it works with both shade but I think I am loving Turbulent over the top of Go Ginza slightly more. 

What do you think?

A day in London | Lifestyle

Last weekend me and my dad went up London, to The Shard and to have a bit of wander. For Christmas I bought him The Shard tickets because he has always wanted to go up there. He was born and raised in London, so bloody loves the place which is where I think I get my passion for it from. I managed to take a couple of pictures just of random bits that we did. 

First stop we had to go to Borough Market, its like the best food market EVER! Bold statement I know but it's just so lovely. Various different foods, from ready to eat, to cold cuts, to bread to raw meat. They have it all and it was booming! I must say I had a little treat of some macaroons.

We then had a little wander around Southwark Cathedral, I do just love looking around churches and cathedrals so much history and just generally really pretty. I love that the front of this building is covered in flint. 

Then we moved onto The Shard, it was really hard to take pictures because everything was behind glass so the reflection was always present but the view was literally amazing.  My dad really enjoyed it, would definitely recommend if you haven't been up there already.

We then had to stop for a bit of lunch of course, my dad wanted to try out Wagamama and I bloody love noodles so we went on a hunt to find one. 

Then we just had a bit of a wander down some random streets just taking it all in, we actually found this tiny little garden in the middle of all these office blocks it was so out of place but so pretty at the same time. 

And finally, no trip to London would be complete without a walk along the southbank stopping to have a look at the book stalls. 

Such a lovely day, I work in London but I never really get a chance to just walk around and properly explore. 

Where do you love to go in London?