An Afternoon At Wight Karting

Warning for all you beauty lovers.... today's post is something a little different than the normal lipstick love and haircare addiction.

As you may or not know I live on an island. The Isle Of Wight to be precise and as much as we have exciting events and festivals going on throughout the year there isn't always that much to do around here. (there's only so many times you can go to the cinema) 

So when something new comes to the island there's always a buzz and an excitement about it, and I don't just mean Starbucks (did you know we've totally got one now!).

Wight Karting is a the island's new premier go-karting venue and since opening back in April this year (2014) has become highly well-known as a must-do for all ages!

 Earlier this month Wight Karting asked if I would like to join them up at the track and check it all out with a friend to see what it's all about! After hearing so much positive feedback from people I know I jumped at the chance and a week later my friend Megan and I got on our comfiest shoes and headed up to the track.

It was a Sunday so we knew it was open 10-4pm (compared to the Mon-Sat times of 9am-8pm) we arrived at about 12:30pm pleased to see it wasn't overly busy in the car park. The great thing was we didn't have to book, we just rocked up and got the ball rolling!
First up we were told we had to set up an account and membership* for Wight Karting, this is mandatory for anyone who wants to race on the track.

These memberships are just £2 and they last for a year - very reasonable. With it you receive your own swipe card to help make each trip quicker and easier, prints out of your time sheets from your time on the track and you are added to Wight Karting's mailing list so you can hear about all their upcoming promotions and offers.
Off to the computers we went, filled out the easy forms, agreed to the t's &c's had our photos taken and now it was onto the fun bit....

Obviously when go-karting you don't wear your usual get up. Nope that cute little outfit you picked out is hidden beneath a sexy ensemble including a suit and helmet.
We headed into the ladies and changed into our suits and then waited for our race to be called - we had 2 sessions* - race 20 and race 22.

Each session is 10 minutes and they cost £15.

Once into our suits we entered the briefing room to get the low down on how everything worked and what was going to happen!
We were told that we would have 10 minutes on the track, our first lap we would follow the instructor round to get us used to it and see the track and then after that we would be free to go as fast (or slow) as we wanted!

We were also told about the different flags that could be shown whilst driving. Yellow was a caution flag which means slow down and be careful - this could be if someone had got stuck and needed assistance, if you saw the red flag you had to stop and pull over as someone may need to talk to you and the chequered flag was an indication that your race was coming to an end and to head back to the pit stop at the end of the lap.

Feeling confident with all the information we'd be given we got our hair nets and helmets on (sexy... bad day to wear extensions, my ponytail had to go down the back of my suit!) and headed to our karts!

I'm not going to lie I was a little nervous, I don't drive so I thought it was very likely that I was going to be total pants at this!
After the first lap following the instructor I felt okay and luckily in control! Once that first lap was over though people really went for it, which for a second did scare me! People overtaking at first really made me jump but I learnt just to get out of the way haha!
A couple times more round the track though and I my confidence grew and the faster I went!

By the end of it my hands and wrists hurt so, so much as I had been so tense haha - what a muppet!
 The 10 minutes feels like ages and it is so simple - no expert skills needed, you could be 8 or 88!

After our first session Megan & I went and had a quick sit down in the cafe area and had a little look round at the other things available on site.
Before we knew it it was time for our next session! Back to the briefing room we went and we had the same talk again with a new set of people!

This time though I was in kart number 1 - the very front one and away from my buddy Meg.... oh god! I knew that as soon as the first trial lap was over everyone would be zooming past me - especially the guys who you could tell were regulars!

Another great session, I really felt like I had got it down by the time this one was over, it's crazy how fast these things can go!
 I did get stuck once after I mucked up a corner ..... but the guys there were there to assist me in seconds and I was back at it again like nothing had happened!!


All go-karted out we decided to have a proper sit down in the La Babalu Diner!
The cute chequered tables and chairs are a perfect match for the racing scene and with the sofas in there too there is plenty of space for people and their parties to have sit down, which is great if you're waiting for your turn! 

We both had a fabulous Oreo milkshake* which were amazing! We both admitted we aren't usually big milkshake lovers but these were amazing... I think I'd go back there just for one of those!

As well as a vast menu of cooked foods/meals and yummy snacks there are some great things to keep you entertained in the diner!
When we were there there was Formula One was playing on a big screen as well as a live feed of what was going on on the track!
Yup that's right, a leaderboard is shown for each match, showing the heat, who's in what position and their times!
This is fab if you are in a large group and not all on the track at the same time as you can watch how your friends are doing on the screen! (and as you can see you can pick a nickname for yourself!)

Overall we both had a fantastic afternoon, after a few hours there we came away on a high and would definitely love to go back!
Both of us were seriously impressed by how professional and well-run the whole venue was, I can see why it has become so popular so quickly.

 We both had the same idea though... to go back with a big group of friends! Being some of the only girls on the track was slightly intimidating at first, so going with a large group of friends/people you know, especially if it's your first time, would be amazing/hilarious!

There is a ladies night every last Wednesday of each month and you can have a sample for just £10 - the perfect time to try it out for the first time I'd say!

A HUGE thank you to everyone over at Wight Karting for providing us with such amazing, safe and fun day! We will be back soon!!!
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Rodial Super Acids X-treme Hangover Mask Review

Oh shocker - Kirstie's found another face mask to rave about! Sorry guys... I just have a major love for them!
You may remember last week I did a post on Rodial's Super Acids X-treme Pore Shrink Pads and today I'm going to be talking about another product from the same fabulous green packaged range!
This is the Rodial Super Acids X-treme Hangover Mask.... coolest name ever right?

Rodial Super Acids X-treme Hangover Mask*

For the last month or so I have been using this mask religiously every week. Yes I have been using other masks aswell but I've always used this aswell.... 2 face masks a week - is that bad? Hope not!

This is a triple action clay mask which deeply cleanses, exfoliates and restores your skin to reveal a healthy, glowing looking complexion.

Pronalen fruit acids exfoliate and retexture the skin whilst the appearance of fine lines are tackled by the laracare and argireline hexapeptide (crikey... totally mouthfuls!)

After cleansing my face of all make-up and cr*p I squeeze out a 50p sized amount of product on my fingers and evenly spread it across my face, avoiding my eyes.

You only need a thin layer of this stuff and once it's on I normally just sit down and chill out for about 15 minutes. Smell wise.... it doesn't have a strong scent - to be honest it's the same as the pore shrink pads but I can't really explain it. (rubbish blogger alert!)

I really do feel this mask working, sounds crazy but you do feel it pentrating the skin and doning all those jobs it says it's made for!

After the mask has set and I have that lovely hard-face feeling I gently rub off the mask (alot of it tends to sink into the skin during those 15 mins btw) and then any reisdue left I just remove with warm water and a muslin cloth.

Each time I've used this my skin has felt even better, you can feel all the dead skin cells being lifted away, leaving you with a fresh, soft face. Plus even though it has alot of ingredients and promises alot, my skin never feels overly abused from it. (some face masks can leave my skin a little red and blotchy.... luckily this isn't one of them.)

Glowing, hydrated skin is what you get from this beaut. After a tiring week at work I look forward to giving myself a pick me up with this. 

 But for £45 it's not the cheapest skin fix. Yes it does last, I've been using this for weeks and have probably used about a third, but there probably is other skincare products/masks out there that can give you more or less the same effect for a fraction of the price.

This for me is a major treat, it works amazingly well for my skin and I have been so chuffed with the results but it is slightly out of my price range for a face mask..... just being honest guys!

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POTW #29 : Richard Ward Anti-Ageing Argan Elixir

I'm a sucker for hair oils and once again I have found another one which has found it's way into my hair, my heart and my POTW!

Richard Ward is a salon branded haircare range that I have been recently trying out and this anti-ageing oil elixir is from The Chelsea Collection.

Now yes, it's call anti-ageing.... but I think it's never too early, especially when it comes to my hair (it can't be bad for it can it!?). With all the dye and things I've used over the years I am obsessed with anything that's made for making your hair feel that little bit nicer!

This pump dispensed bottle is 50ml and seeing as you only need a few pumps per use this should last a good few months!

The bottle itself says to use 1-2 pumps on towel dry hair but I've actually been using 3-4 pumps as I didn't feel like 1-2 was enough for my length hair.

I love the smell, it really smells like cola bottles to me - so weird but I really like it!

My hair feels soft and smooth and I've noticed my end are alot less frizzy than usual plus this is also a heat and UV protectant so perfect for styling and hot weather!!

Richard Ward Anti-Ageing Argan Elixir*

I've looked online and you can actually find this stuff in Waitrose, in store and online by the looks of it AND it's on offer at the moment so this little beauty is only £3.99 instead of it's usual price of £5.99! I am shocked this is so cheap, it feels alot more expensive - so chuffed that I can afford to repurchase over and over again!

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The Positive Post

I like to think that I am a happy person (most of the time) but like alot of people my self-esteem is up and down like a yo-yo and sometimes I need a good slap just to remind me how lucky I am and how to stay happy and positive.

Once in a while I love to have a good look on sites like Tumblr and Pinterest and I'm sure I'm not the only one, addictive much?

The cute little photos and quotes I spot on there always make me smile and I love saving them to my phone, putting them as my wallpaper and sharing them around!

There's alot of negativity on the internet (and in the real world!) and it sucks. We all see it daily and it's nice just to share a bit of light and love now and again so I've decided to  have some happy thoughts here on A Yellow Brick Blog today. 

Some quotes and words really do have the power to lift your spirits and turn your day around so here is an easy read for you all, hopefully it will make you smile.

(Obviously I have not created any of these photos I have just found them online and wanted to put them on here for you guys to see too.)

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Botanics Nail Strengthening Hand Cream Review

My nails have always been crap, total and utter crap at that! They are seriously weak and so brittle and they've been that way ever since I can remember!

Over the years I've tried different products but never stuck to anything permanently. For the past few years I have been getting my nails done professionally and having gel extensions put on which at the time I love and they look awesome but they do have a damaging affect on my poor little fingernails so I've been having a break from them to hopefully help my nails strengthen up a bit!

I'm pretty rubbish when it comes to nail hardeners and nail strengtheners as I always forgot to keep putting them on, whereas a hand cream, well I won't forget that!

Not impressed with the dirty packaging.... the risk of buying online eh!

I was just browsing the Boots website when I spotted this! A hand cream which doubles up as a nail strengthener, sounds perfect for me! I'm always applying hand cream and love having it in my bag 24/7 so what better than to kill two birds with one stone!

This has a lovely floral type scent which actually smells just like a product from Liz Earle but I can't quite pinpoint which one it is... maybe the hand wash. It's a strong scent but isn't too much that it's overpowering.
The cream is non-greasy and melts into the skin very quickly, which is perfect for me as it means I can re-apply it as many times as I want it throughout the say, even when at work.

The skin around my nails has improved drastically, alot less flaky and dry than normal and they look so much healthier too plus my hands feel hydrated and soft.
My nails themselves are feeling so much better! Less brittle, less flaky and actually starting to grow slightly. Obviously I think this is down to a mixture of things including not wearing any nail varnish (I know... shame on me right now!), this for me was a brilliant buy and I shall be re-purchasing this once I've run out!
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Boots Ingredients Coconut & Almond Intensive Hair Mask Review

Huge barry bargain on your screens right now. 

There is never a time in my life where I would say no to a ridiculously good deal like this and after using the product and falling in love, of course, I had to share it with you guys!

 I'm talking about the coconut and almond intensive hair mask from Boots! Now these pots are usually  just £1.99 each - a total bargain anyway for a huge 350ml pot but they are on offer at the moment as 2 for £2.... I mean come on - who comes up with these crazy deals! Just 1p extra for double the amount... it would have been rude to not take Boots up on this generous offer!

I haven't used any of the other products from this range before but I am a huge coconut fan, especially when it's involving hair products.
This smells lovely and is a pretty iridescent white ivory shade! I have been using this after I have shampooed and conditioned and leave it on for 3-5 minutes.

It's really creamy and glides through the hair easily... because it cheap and a fairly large pot I probably use more than I normally would with other higher priced hair treatments.

This has got to be the best value for money haircare product I've come across in the last few years! It leaves my hair feeling soft, smooth and alot more conditioned than normal. Something else I've noticed is how much shiner it is, I haven't had my hair coloured in months so to me it's been looking a little dull but this has really turned it around and had it looking shiny and bouncy again!

I've been using this everytime I wash my hair and I am definitely going to pick up a couple more while they are on offer!

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US Beauty Wishlist

So it's only 3 weeks until I'm heading off on my summer holidays to Florida! As well as being super excited for sun, Disney & Universal, I'm also dying to get my mitts on some US beauty bits!

So I thought I would put together a quick little USA Beauty wishlist for you all.... hopefully I'll be able to find some of these things when I'm there! 

Make Up Forever HD Foundation | Bath + Body Works Hand Gels | Tarte Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer | Lavender Vanilla Pillow Mist | GlamGlow Thirsty Mud Mask | Kat Von D Studed Kiss Lipstick | Pink Sugar Perfume  | Too Faced CandleLight Glow Highlighting Powder Duo

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Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea Mud Spa Fabric Face Mask Review

I'm really having to hold myself back from doing facemasks daily. I'm addicted.

Once again Montagne Jeunesse products have jumped into my basket and come home with me.... I really do feel like I need to try them all!
Today it's another fabric masks, you know those hilarious face mask that make you look like a serial killer? Such an attractive look whilst chilling in your living room!

This is the Dead Sea Mud Spa fabric mask and is £1.49 (but currently on offer for 99p!).... after having such a great experience with the Brazilian mud fabric mask I thought this was a must to try out!

Infused with Real mud, dead sea and sea kelp this mask is a pale grey colour and fitted my face perfectly (even though I have a huge head haha!). I always hear such amazing things about dead sea products, great for skin conditions, so I was looking forward to trying it out!
Once placed on and patted to secure it sits really comfortably so you aren't worrying about it flapping off or dripping anywhere.
This didn't have a strong smell at all.... in fact I can't even remember what it smelt like.... sorry!

The feeling of this mask was not what I expected. It was super refreshing, a kind of mint tingly sort of sensation which I liked!
After about 15minutes I removed the mask and massaged the excess product in before washing my face thoroughly.

I have to say this is a MUST for dry skin, the dry patches I have round my nose and other areas on my face had gone straight away, my skin was obviously thirsty and this had done the job perfectly!
 I could believe how refreshed and moisturised my skin felt, I didn't even use my normal nivea cream after using this mask.

Definitely one I'll be repurchasing, thanks again MJ!
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Ruby Slippers : August

I have TWO beautiful and talented ladies to share with you today - they having been living in my sidebar for the past few weeks ... have you spotted them over there? ---->
Lets meet them....

http://sugarandspicelifestyle.blogspot.co.uk/

Hi, I'm Stephanie and I am 22 years old from North Wales, I live out in the countryside with my two dogs, some ducks, chickens and three cats.  

I am a postgraduate masters student of social science studying Criminology. I love anything floral, sparkly or Cath Kidston style, my blog covers my love for anything beauty and lifestyle related topics with the occasions cooking recipe.

If you like the sound of my blog , please check it out and follow me.

Steph x

Steph's Product Of The Month : La Roche Posey Effaclar Duo

Find Steph on Twitter : @StephyJones11

http://www.filmsandfairytales.co.uk/

Hey there! I'm Tilly, a blogger, beauty hoarder and film nerd from Hampshire, England. Although I'm a bit of a blogger newbie, I write weekly film and beauty reviews. I'm trying to develop my photography skills so I can incorporate some more lifestyle bits and bobs too!  I'm a sucker for a good haul and am rubbish at saving money! Saying that, I'm currently trying to save to move to London which I plan on documenting on my blog when I do! :) 

Tilly's Product Of The Month : Origins Out of Trouble Mask

Find Tilly on twitter : @tllyatknsn

What beauty's and such lovely girls too, make sure you go and check them out!

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POTW #28 : Remington Silk Waving Wand

A few months ago now I was lucky enough to win a fabulous Blog competition that the lovely Ellie was running over on her blog Ellie's Ramblings! (I love this girl!)

What I won was a Remington Silk Waving Wand and finally after weeks and weeks of it sitting in it's pretty box I have got the play with it!

As I've been trying to grow my hair for the past couple of years I'm not one to use heat on it regularly and things like curling and styling my hair I only do when I'm going out somewhere and occasionally on my days off! 

Last week I went to a wedding reception so I thought it was the perfect time to get my extensions in and try it out!

I love waving wands, I own the babyliss one aswell and love the results they give! This red little beauty comes with a heat reisitant glove and a heat resisitant storage pouch too! (although I'm normally too lazy to use gloves, I just risk it.... I know - I'm a total adrenaline junkie aren't I!)

I love the digital display and the fact you can change the temperature settings for it- I never like to have it on the highest heat (which on here is 220c), it's pointless or me, my hair will stay put even at a lower setting, plus it's less damaging.

To do my whole head (with my extensions in... which is alot of hair) it probably only took me around 20 minutes or so and that was with alot of sections! The barrell itself feels smooth, alot smoother on my hair than my babyliss one. It's easy to use, I just grab a section of hair about 2/3inches wide , hold the wand upsidedown and wrap the hair around it away from my face! Easy peasy lemon squeazy!

Here's a picture of the results! 

I'm looking forward to using this with just my natural hair too, I sometimes get bored of wearing extensions everytime I go out!

Have any of you tried out a waving wand?
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