Life of Jana

The Photo Blogging Challenge theme this month was Spring. May has been such a great month for me, not only because the days are longer, the sun is out or flowers are blooming but because I've been really productive and have also managed to get all 5 pictures done! The two first pictures were taken in Manchester and the last three on our holiday in Rome, Italy. There is no Spring without pink flowers... . ..or any flowers really!   Spring in Rome feels more like Summer . Mr. Seagull watching over his city! Did you know that Gelato means ''frozen'' in Italian?!

My Little Box this month takes us to the historical province of Provence  in southeastern France, which is the birthplace of L'Occitane. Olivier Baussan is the visionary behind the brand who sold his own essential oils at local markets in the 70s, now 40 years later L'Occitane is one of the world's best known brands with stores in over 90 countries. The box is illustrated by Kanako and as always contains several fashion, beauty and lifestyle items: A My Little World magazine A Kanako illustrated card My Little Doll Magnets An Embroidery Cuff  Beauty products - 4 by L'Occitane and 1 by My Little Beauty The My Little World poster is filled with interviews, tutorials and make up ideas. I miss the old magazine a bit, as the posters are a bit confusing to read and the constant rotating to read articles is frustrating.  My Little Doll Magnets - £6 I am a big fan of fridge magnets and I think this is such a great idea for someone who is into mixing a...

Glossybox in May prepares us for summer with 5 carefully chosen beauty products. All of the items are small, making them really easy to carry around in a handbag or take on holiday. I'm planning to travel as much as possible this summer, so hopefully some of these will be useful! Zerreau Towel Off Shampoo Foam - This is a sample size, full size £7.95 This product is described as the next generation of dry shampoo. It cleanses the hair, leaving it silky soft and fresh without need of water! The foam should be applied directly to the scalp and massaged in to lift dirt and grease, then whilst wet and soapy, removed by towel drying. I t seems like too much hassle to me. I prefer a quick shower, especially when it's warm outside and my short hair would dry in minutes. I am not overly impressed with dry shampoos. I use minimal treatment on my hair and like to give it a more natural look during the summer. This foam has a delicate apple scent which I like, though I am ...

Earlier in the month I went to Primark and picked up a few bits and pieces. I'll usually visit Primark when I'm short on t-shirts or tops and want to add something new to my wardrobe. I paired my grey captain cat t-shirt below (Primark - £4) with black jeans and a black leather sleeved jacket I bought in a sale last year at H&M. This jacket is perfect for spring and summer, the arms are very snug so it's best worn with lighter clothes underneath.

Tristan, his two friends and I are leaving on our holiday to Rome in a few hours. I've never been to Italy, I am really excited as I have read that Rome is beautiful at this time of the year. It will be quite hot (about 30 degrees) and I am sure we'll be doing a lot of walking around the city. Heat and make up don't always work well on my oily skin but I just couldn't resist not taking any make up with me. I won't be wearing much make up during the day but we will still go out in the evenings, so it would be nice to give my eyes a bit of colour. I recently bought a Barry M Shadow & Glow Summer Love Palette for £7. It was such a bargain and the palette is made up of beautiful summer colours. I'll be using this once we reach Rome and will be reviewing it later.   My L'Oreal Nude Magique Anti-Redness CC Cream will be coming with me to give my face a bit of coverage when I need it. I've not used it very much so far, so I'm hoping it is useful. It...

I have been thinking about chocolate truffles for a while now and I couldn't believe that they were so easy to make! I am a big fan of Dana and John who have a food blog called Minimalist Baker . I'm sure you have all heard about it. Her simple and delicious recipes inspired me to make some raw peanut butter truffles. I changed the recipe a bit to suit my taste and I think they came out pretty good for a first try. They are so simple, healthy and filling!  Ingredients: 1 cup smooth peanut butter 4 tablespoons shredded coconut 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup a handful of crushed peanuts dark chocolate for dipping Directions: Before making the truffle mixture, crush a handful of peanuts in a food processor In a large bowl, combine the ingredients - peanut butter, honey, shredded coconut and peanuts Roll little 3cm balls with your hands Place them on a tray/small plate/container and freeze for 25 to 30 minutes Melt the chocolate and set aside to coo...

This month I've renewed a number of products in my beauty regime; bought new make up products and accessories ; and have added a few things to my wardrobe. I think shopping is my secret little addiction. Tristan always says that our bathroom is filled with my beauty products and that there isn't even a place for his toothbrush. The wardrobes are full of my clothes and with all of the shoes in the corridor, it feels like we have 10 people over. I did a big clean out today - I got rid of some old products and put a load of clothes aside to donate. L'Oreal Paris Youth Code Illuminating Super Serum and L'Oreal Paris Youth Code Luminosity Day Cream have been my favourites for years and I have just started using them again. I recently changed my skin care regime but sadly the product ( Clinique Facial Soap - read my review here ) made my face break out badly. It caused blemishes, red marks and gave me an uneven skin tone. My previous experience with L'Oreal Yout...

I've been blogging for almost two years now but I'd still consider myself a newbie in the blogging world. On Thursday I had the chance to go to my first bloggers event at The Body Shop in Manchester to celebrate the release of an amazing new range on the 5th of May, including new bronzing items and a couple of vitamin C products! I was wearing my butterfly bow-tie brooch to the event and styled it with a white short sleeved shirt. It was a closed door event, so it was a good opportunity to browse all of the products and explore the new ones thoroughly! The event started at 8pm and I was one of the first ones to arrive. We were welcomed with milkshakes, fruit cocktails and lemonade. I went for water - shy and modest! There was also a white chocolate fountain and strawberries we had the chance to enjoy. The event was carried out by Fiona - she is a skin expert at the Manchester store. Everyone was able to get personal skin consult...