Chicago Shedd Aquarium

We visited Chicago Shedd Aquarium, a huge Aquarium full of all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures. From the cutest of sea otters to the meanest of sharks!

They have various tanks based on different rivers around the world.

This poor old girl, Nickel had been injured in a boat accident which had harmed her buoyancy system. 

There were a couple of Beluga whales who were having a whale of a time! (If you'll pardon the pun!) They looked so graceful swimming around and were so friendly, they came really close up to the glass. 

I would definitely recommend a trip to the Chicago Shedd Aquarium if you're ever in Chicago, particularly if you have kids, although it's a great day out even if you don't! 

A Day Out In Chicago

We arrived to see our friends Jake and Maggie late in the afternoon on Saturday, went out for some dinner and then headed home for an early night, it was much needed after our long flight. The next morning we headed into the city bright and early and Jake had organised for us all to go on a boat architecture tour along the Chicago river.

We saw lots of amazing buildings, including the Trump tower which is the latest addition to the Chicago Skyline.

Our tour guide told us all about the different styles of architecture from different periods in time.

We were amazed by the size of the buildings, you feel very small looking up at them! 

This one was my favourite, extra large corn on the cob anyone? 

Can you see the reflections of clouds and other buildings?

We saw the Willis Tower (previously known as the Sears tower) which was the world's tallest building for 25 years! 

 We throughly enjoyed the tour, it was really interesting and a lot of fun. I studied Postmodernism briefly at Uni and it was great to see some of the buildings I'd learnt about. I would definitely recommend taking the boat tour if you're ever in Chicago!

By the time the tour had finished our thoughts had most definitely started to turn towards food! Jake said we needed to try proper deep dish Chicago pizza while we were visiting so he led the way! 

 I had wild berry lemonade,

with barbecue chicken pizza, delicious! They're not lying when they say deep dish, I just about managed 1 slice! We then wondered around the city and had a browse around the shops. 

We decided to end the evening with some cocktails and we also wanted to enjoy the view of the city.

We headed up to the Terrace Bar at the Trump tower.

The boys both had an 'Old Fashioned', Maggie had an Uncle Phil's Terrace Tea and I had The Evaperol, which came with a lump of cotton candy at the bottom!

UK Beauty Buying

I'm off on holiday to America soon and of course that will involve seeking out beauty products that aren't available over here. While doing some research online on the best things to look out for, I came across a beauty swap, which also included best products for our American friends to buy while over here in the UK! As I'll be visiting friends, I decided to put together a little bundle of goodies you can't get over there for my friend Maggie.  

I got a Sleek Contour Kit in Light, I have one of these myself and absolutely love it, I end up using it almost everyday! (You can find out all about why I love it here). I also got the Sleek Eyeshadow Palette in Storm, its a great combination of colours from dark and sparkly to soft and neutral. 

Another great Superdrug brand is MUA, all of their products are really cheap but great quality, I love their eyeshadow palettes but as I'd already got the Sleek one I decided to go for their Blush Perfection Cream Blusher in Bittersweet, a great 'suits everyone' pink that can also be dabbed onto lips. 

Although Barry M is available in the US, as far as I know they don't sell the Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paints over there. They last a really long time without chipping and leave nails looking super glossy, I wasn't sure what colour to go for so I opted for a classic red!

I love Sanctury products, they all smell so relaxing and spa-like (yes that's a technical term!) the Mande Lular Senuous Body Souffle is a favourite of mine so I picked up a mini version, as well as a mini Shine Spray and Dry Shampoo from Lee Stafford. 

I've always felt that Next Just Pink is bit of a cult perfume here in the UK, everyone has had a bottle at some point and I've never heard a single person say that they don't like it. When I went to get one I noticed that they have repackaged the entire line and it looks lovely! Much younger and chicer than it did before, kudos Next! 

Facemasks are great for looking after your skin as well as being a nice indulgent treat for when you need to relax, I find the Superdrug ones that I've tried to be very good so I picked up a few! I went for the Hydrating Self-Heating Mask, Detoxifying Dead Sea Mineral Mask, Superfruits Exfoliating Mask and the Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask!

Hope this is useful to anyone travelling to the UK! 

Shopping the Sales - Statement Necklaces

Under 25.00

Turquoise Necklace

 Tassel Necklace

Gold and Pearl Necklace 

Gold and Silver Necklace

Spike Necklace

Geometric Necklace

Under 55.00

Round Choker Necklace

Gold and Bronze Necklace

Chandelier Necklace

Chain and Gemstone Necklace

Gold Armour Necklace 

Objects of Desire - Christian Louboutin Duplice Wedge Sandals

Christian Louboutin Duplice Wedges 

Review: Riemann P20 Once A Day Sun Protection SPF50+

Everyone needs to use sun protection. You may think that if you have dark skin you don't need to but you'd be wrong. You maybe a lot less likely to burn but you're still at risk of sun damage and premature ageing. Plus darker skin means you are more likely to have pigmentation or an uneven skin tone which will be made significantly worse by the sun. 

Most sun protection products that I have tried are thick in consistency making them hard to work into the skin, and also really white which leaves an awful ghostly cast on the skin (particularly dark skin). Riemann P20 Once a Day Sun Protection doesn't do that at all, it has a light oil texture which sinks straight into the skin and is a clear light yellow colour which leaves skin with a warm glow. It is also formulated to only be needed once a day which is great because you can just slap it on in the morning and forget about it for the rest of the day. This also makes it great value because it lasts a really long time compared to other sunscreens which you need to apply every few hours. 

It comes in a handy spray bottle which is useful for an oil based product because it means you won't end up making a mess and covering everything in oil, and the packaging is completely unisex so it's great for everyone. The only thing I'd say to keep in mind is don't spill it on a white towel when you're pool side, it is a yellow liquid after all!  

Schwartzkopf Got2b Oil-Licious Styling Oil

Got2b Oil-licious by Scwartzkopf is and argan oil containing hair serum. I picked it up before my holiday purely because it was cheap and came in a small bottle! I wasn’t expecting anything great, I just thought it would ‘do’. In spite of having tried more expensive alternatives, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It has a nice smooth texture and has a light fragrance that isn’t at all overpowering. I’ve been applying a couple of pumps every night before bed and another couple in the morning before styling. Probably a lot more that most other people would need to use, but my hair is so dry it just drinks it up. I apply it just from the mid-lengths to the ends and I find it has been keeping my recently coloured hair looking healthy and shiny but not at all greasy. It doesn’t leave any kind of residue either which is great!

What do you use to keep your hair in good condition?

On Board Beauty Bag

I'll soon be jetting off on my holidays and I'm really excited! I'll be flying long haul so a few on board beauty products will be essential. 

I'll start by removing all my makeup with my mini Vitamin E cream cleanser from The Body Shop. Then I'll give my face a quick spritz with my Simple Moisture Boost Hydro Mist and massage in a few drops of Clarins' Hydraquench Bi-Phase Serum. To top it off and seal in as much moisture as possible I'll apply a layer of The Body Shop's Vitamin E Sink in Moisture Mask (I decanted some into an old mini night cream pot). It's really important to give your skin lots of moisture when you're flying as the air conditioning and lack of fresh air can really dry it out. 

I'll also rub a few pumps of Schwartzkopf's Got2b Oil-licious serum into the ends of my hair and tie it into a top knot to seal in extra moisture. Hand sanitiser and hand cream of course go without saying and I shoved in some concealer, cream blusher, mascara and lip gloss just incase I feel like I want to put a bit of makeup on before the plane lands! 

What beauty products do you take with you on a flight?