Bannatyne's Darlington Deluxe Spa Break Review

A couple of weekends ago now, myself and Ted went on a spa weekend break using vouchers for Bannatyne's Spa that we had received for Christmas. We'd never been to a spa before, and, having a dodgeball-free weekend for once, we decided to choose one of their weekend packages.

For me, the first spa treatments that come to mind are facials and massages, so they are the two that I wanted to give a try. We immediately saw that the "Deluxe Spa Break" included a facial and a Swedish back massage, along with a dinner, bottle of champagne, and stay at "The Bannatyne Hotel". For £299 for both of us, this seemed like fairly good value, particularly if we could stay on a Saturday night, so we called up the spa and booked everything no problem.

We tried to pack lightly and without too much thought or stress, because that would go against the concept of a spa weekend right? I didn't end up taking my camera, so all of the photos below are from the Bannatynes website.

We chose Darlington as our spa location, and headed to the "Health Club" for around midday on the Saturday. We arrived and were given robes and slippers (to return at the end of the day), and were shown around the facilities. The "Spa" was actually just a few separate rooms attached to a standard gym and swimming pool, open to the public- some people might find it a bit strange wandering around in dressing gowns when most others are just there for their morning gym/ swim, but we weren't too bothered.

The first thing we did was used the pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. As I mentioned, these were open to the general public, so whilst it was nice to go for a swim, it wasn't exactly "luxurious"... there were a few small kids and the swimming pool itself has windows floor to ceiling looking onto (and thus on from!) the car park.

We then had a cheap and cheerful lunch in the Health Club cafe (£3 omelette, bargain), before it was time for our massage. I still don't know what's the best time for each treatment, but we didn't get much choice as the spa was pretty booked up, and unfortunately we didn't get to be in the same treatment room (this would have been nice for a first ever treatment!). Because we both have quite tight calves from jumping around playing dodgeball, we decided to upgrade to the Full Body massage, which was I think around £10 extra each. My masseuse made me feel very comfortable, and the music and treatment rooms were pretty relaxing. The massage itself was pretty good, and definitely melted away my aches and tightness- it was 50 minutes long, which I thought was really going to drag, but I definitely wanted more! The only negative for me was that whilst in the spa waiting room, I'd filled in a medical form mentioning that I get migraines, and as a result they had refused to give me a scalp massage, though Ted got one.

Feeling relaxed- and a little oily- we drove 5 minutes to the hotel. Some might think it's a bit of a pain that the hotel is separate to the Health Club, but Bannatyne's Hotel Darlington is really worth it. The room was the nicest hotel room I think I've ever stayed in, absolutely huge, with old grand features and a giant bed and sofa. On the coffee table on our arrival there was a bottle of champagne, and a gorgeous fruit bowl, that we snacked on whilst we got ready to go down to dinner. Dinner was really, really good- we paid £4 for a third course, and I had brie, a chicken and sweet potato dish that was absolutely divine, and panacotta. It was nice to be able to go straight upstairs to our huge, comfy bed afterwards!

We were booked in for facials at 11am the next day- and again we upgraded the "Bannatyne Expert Facial" to use Elemis products instead for £6 each. I told the lady at the start of my treatment about how oily and red my skin was, but I was disappointed that there was no exfoliation or blackhead removal etc as part of the treatment, and that the products she used seemed excessively moisturising. The treatment actually started with a back and shoulder massage, which made me wonder what the point of the separate massage yesterday was! At the end of the facial, I was recommended the following Elemis products- I'm glad I didn't buy them though because my skin has never been so oily as it was the week following the facial!

Pictured is the balancing lime blossom cleanser, balancing lavender toner; she also recommended maximum moisture day cream.

All in all, I had a great weekend, but it is mainly the hotel and meal that I'd recommend; I don't think the spa, or treatments, were anything special, though I still enjoyed them. We also noticed that there wasn't much communication between the spa, the health club, and the hotel... so paying for our stay as a package, and with a voucher, was a bit of a pain!

Have you ever been to Bannatyne's?

Fragrance Direct Haul: some good some bad!

Having seen everyone I know get perfumes for Christmas, I decided I'd like a new one. I hate paying full price for anything, especially not perfumes, so Fragrance Direct was the first place I looked. Of course, I'm saying this like I don't already do 6-7 Fragrance Direct orders a year (and I've only ever bought a fragrance once)!

And since I hate paying delivery fees (though it's only £1.99 for spends under £40), I just kept adding things to my basket:

First off, the perfumes:

The Lady Gaga "Fame" scent was something that I'd tried before, about a year ago now in a beauty box. I'm a sucker for the fact that the liquid is originally black, and this plus the bottle itself means it's a perfume that I like the look of on my dressing table. The main thing, though, is that I really like the smell. It's really difficult to describe- to me it's very sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. I can definitely smell the jasmine, and apricot, and it really isn't what I'd guess Lady Gaga would choose. It's here for only £9.95, including a shower gel, if you want to take a peek. At that price I definitely recommend it, it's really different, and would make a great gift, or just a treat for yourself (am I the only one who thinks it's not "allowed" to buy expensive perfumes for myself?).

Because some of these celebrity perfumes are so cheap, I thought I'd buy another one too. I've bought Ted "Beckham: Intimately Beckham Sport" before, which I completely recommend for fussy boyfriends as it's ginger scented rather than the usual generic musk, it's really cheap, and sports stars are the only celebs most men won't scoff at. So when I saw "Intimately Beckham" the women's fragrance, I assumed I would be equally impressed. The plus side is that it's cheap, at £8.95. But, I find the bottle big and awkward to spray, and the actual perfume? I genuinely like a classic rose perfume; this is that, but something seems to have gone wrong. The only way I can describe it is as if someone is covering up poo with a floral perfume! 

 Now, I have a Fragrance Direct "favourite" product, and it's something that proper beauty bloggers might disapprove of. It's... a set of three face wipe packs for 99p! Haha. My skincare routine is still in the making, so face wipes is still the first (but I promise not the only!) step, and I can't see that changing anytime soon as I find them so convenient, and easy for those moments when my oily skin has got the better of me and I need to change my make-up when I'm out and about. Here they are-  I know at Poundland/ Wilkos you can get wipes for a similar price, but they feel cheap and nasty. These contain three types, deep cleansing, exfoliating, and 3 in 1. I can't say I notice the exfoliating wipes exfoliating, but they feel way more soapy and cleansing than other affordable wipes I've tried. I bought 7 packs of these, I like them so much! 

To bring my spend up to £40, I then had a browse through the make-up.

I bought four nail polishes: a Miss Sporty Khaki green for 50p, as it's a colour I don't own; a Revlon nail polish in "minted" (99p, latest versions are stocked at Boots etc for £6.49!) as I'm a bit obsessed with mint greens and; a Rimmel Salon Pro nail polish in "stormy skies", a gorgeous grey-blue that I can't wait to try (£1.50); and a Bourjois 10 day "anti choc no chips" polish in a classic raspberry shade, "17" (£1.99). I've worn all of them apart from stormy skies so far- I wasn't impressed with the Bourjois one as I was hoping it would live up to the no chipping claims but it didn't last very long. The two greens are good for the price but need three coats really.

 Last time I ordered from Fragrance Direct, I bought a lipstick from the Calvin Klein delicious cream luxury range, and I loved it. It was a typical "me" rose shade, but I can't remember the name of it! I bought two more lipsticks from this range this time- the deep pinky red is called "Mesmerize", and the peachy nude is called "First Kiss". I am saving these because I think I have way too many lipsticks "on the go" at the moment, but I can't wait to wear them!

The final three items were bought on a whim and I sort of wish I hadn't bothered. The Maybelline Volume Express Lift Up Mascara isn't bad for £2.99, but it's nothing special and I've found cheaper that I rate more. The L'oreal Bare Natural Gentle Mineral Powder was still £2.99, and I haven't tried it because it came broken and I can't stand loose powders! As for the Pretty Quik Instant Nail Polish Remover was 99p but just plain rubbish, like a thin sponge drowning in watered down remover- absolutely no resistance so it just didn't work as an instant remover.

So there we go- sorry for the long post! I love Fragrance Direct, but I get scared when I get attached to a product because they are usually discontinued products so they could stop selling them at any time!

Bought any beauty products recently?

Jess

Resolutions/ 23 before 23

I've seen a few bloggers doing bucket list type posts recently, so I thought that instead of doing the usual soppy "resolutions" post, I'd write a list of real achievable things I want to do before I'm 23 this April. I'm too impatient to make a list of things to do in a longer time frame anyway!

1) Pay off my overdraft
2) Go on a spa break
3) Learn to use photoshop
4) Go to the theatre
5) Get through a full week of work days drinking only water and green tea
6) Do a "Park Run"
7) Learn matched betting
8) Make £20 from survey sites
9) Go to a theme park
10) Go to Betty's
11) Cook a roast dinner
12) Get a new (to me!) bike, and use it
13) Have a wardrobe consisting only of clothes that I wear
14) Find the cause of my headaches
15) Write something (a play, a poem, a short story...)
16) Go on monthly dates with Ted
17) Blog at least twice a week
18) Make new friends in York
19) Learn to paint my nails neatly
20) Book a holiday
21) Medal at a dodgeball tournament
22) Read 5 books
23) Dye my hair

Most things are self-explanatory, to do with blogging or saving money (matched betting, surveys, clearing out my clothes, paying off my overdraft). I'd like to get fitter and healthier, and in particular learn to live without coca cola.

I must admit I've actually cheated, since by the time this posts I'll have been on a spa break (review to come later!)... but psychologists always say that to ease stress you should always write a to-do list including one item you've already done, so that you can start by crossing something off!

I'll try to do a monthly update so you can see how I'm doing!

Do you have a list like this?

Sales Haul: Part One...

Pretending to be thrifty means I'm a massive sucker for any kind of sale... as you can tell by the not-really-so-thrifty purchases I'm about to share. I've done a bit too much Christmas/ January sale shopping (which do I call it???), but this is the only stuff that's arrived so far/ that I've physically bought.

Firstly, The Bodyshop. This is the only sale purchase where I actually braved the store, and only because I went to the one in York Designer Outlet and it was 7pm at night and we were practically the only people around. I don't know how many places have the outlet Bodyshop stores, but they do a "buy at least 4 products and get 40% off" deal (and others too), and they sell a mix of sale/ old season products, and current stock.

I only got four things because I was trying to be good, but I was really impressed that it only came to £15 considering the price of body butters on their own!

I got the almond body butter (it smells amazing, I actually wish I'd bought four or five in case I never find it again!), and the vanilla body butter. I know they are overpriced for body moisturisers, but there's nothing quite like them. I find the pot so much more convenient than a bottle, and the thick thick thick texture means a little goes a long way! I always find the fruity ones really disappointing because they're much thinner, is that just me?

My two other purchases were repeats, of current stock. For some reason I always buy my tea tree oil from The Bodyshop, and it's become such a staple and really helped even out my red face lately. And the ginger shampoo is the only thing that sorts out dandruffy hair in this household. If you suffer from the dreaded flakes then you really must try it!

Then, the preppy teenager in me decided to take a peek at Jack Wills' sale (actually, not sure there's a sale I didn't look at!).

Great background to take the picture of the dress on, I know, my photography skills are really shining through. But anyway, firstly, this jumper. £10 off and still costing £49 isn't really a sale, but I wanted it. This teal-y colour is something I don't really own much (any?) of in my wardrobe, as is the classic cable knit style jumper. I convinced mysefl that it was a need/ a Christmas splurge/ that lambswool meant it was quality, and before I knew it it was in my basket. Having now arrived, it's thinner than I originally had hoped, but maybe that's better as I can wear it the whole year round?!

I'm a sucker for floral dresses, though I'm not really sure how else to justify this £34 (for a dress! oops) purchase, other than 1) HALF PRICE, 2) oversized smock style=mince pie and blue cheese belly is perfectly hidden.

More sale buys coming up soon (mustn't admit I keep texting Ted asking if the post's been yet...).

Have you bought anything good in the sales? And do you tend to use it as an opportunity (like me) to buy more expensive/ better quality things at a more acceptable price, or to search for absolute bargains?

Jess