Review: Easilocks Rose Gold Heat Protector Pro

I have a confession to make: Although I straighten my hair fairly often, I never use a heat protector. I know. It's terrible! It's ok, though, because Easilocks have come to my rescue! They sent me this Rose Gold Heat Protector Pro to try out and I love it! 

The packaging is very simple and convenient: A plastic bottle with a pump dispenser, so it's easy to dispense the product and there's no risk of the bottle shattering if you pack it on a trip. It's also transparent, which I always like from packaging, as you can see how much you have left. 

To apply, you just squirt one pump and comb through the middle and ends of your hair. There's no grease and it's a very lightweight formula so it's easily absorbed by my dry hair, leaving no sticky or greasy residue. It also smells absolutely amazing- very similar to my DKNY Sweet Delicious Pink Macaron perfume, in fact! I put this down to the blend of essential oils which include rose, coconut and camomile. 

These oils also leave my hair really soft and shiny. After straightening, it's much more silky than usual and I found it tamed some of the frizzy static that sometimes occurs. There's none of that worrying steaming or hissing that can happen with heat protectors under straighteners, and afterwards, it doesn't even feel like my hair has any product at all: Just a natural, smooth finish.

I'm really very impressed with Rose Gold Heat Protector. It surpassed my expectations and I'm pretty sure my hair is a lot happier too! I really recommend it if you're looking for a heat protector. 

FF LXXXV

Becky gives me major bedroom envy. 

I love Katia's photos from Château de Versailles.

I keep thinking about buying this floral Primark dress and Kirsty has definitely convinced me that I need it in my life! 

Other favourites

Jes from The Militant Baker has a really inspiring guest post on loving your body after sexual assault.

I can't wait for the second launch of Black Milk's Hogwarts collection.

The My Chemical Romance May Death Never Stop You artwork has killed me. 

The 87 thoughts everyone has on the tube are hilarious and true!

Sponsor Becky Bedbug in April

I'm a bunny! Boing boing! (Wait, I said exactly the same thing last month!) It was actually relevant to be a bunny this month so we're making progress. Easter represents new beginnings and all that, so let's make a new beginning with a sponsorship partnership. See what I did there? Nice link, right!

Let's look at what you get:

• An advert in my sidebar for 30 days
• A shoutout on Twitter
• With some options, you'll also get a mention in a sponsor post on Becky Bedbug

Let's take a peek at the stats:

• 1250+ on GFC
• 1350+ on Bloglovin'
• 2750+ on Twitter
• 10,000+ visitors a month

Advertisements start from £6 ($10), so there's an option for all budgets. If advertising's not your thing, there are other ways you can get involved, such as sponsored posts and PR reviews. For all the information, take a look at my sponsorship page here.  

Book review: All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque

I first read this book aged 17 as part of my English literature A levels and I can clearly remembering reading it as I lay on my bed at my grandparents' house. I was struck by the poignancy and it's a story that has stayed with me ever since. 8 years later, I came across this absolutely stunning copy and decided it was time to read it again.

All Quiet on the Western Front is set in the trenches of the first world war, following the life of a 19-year-old German soldier fighting for his country and watching his schoolfriends killed off one by one around him.

There isn't a plot as such. Instead, it's just an account of life in the trenches. Our narrator, Paul, leaves no room for sentimentality. War is grisly and gruesome, and he does not hold back. His description of injuries and illness are far from romanticised and this really brings home the terrible nature of war.

The one thing that has always stuck with me is the theme of empathy. This is not so much a theme as an interpretation that is caused by non-German readers. As an Englishwoman, it's so easy to forget that I'm reading the perspective of "the enemy". I found myself rooting for Paul and his comrades and would realise with a jolt that I wasn't "supposed" to be supporting the other side. It really brings home a view that I've always held: German soldiers were acting under orders, just like our own. They were fighting for their country and for the safety of their loved ones. What was the real difference between the two sides? They were both just ordinary men.

Paul himself questions this in an extremely poignant chapter that finds him killing a Frenchman and becoming stuck in No Man's Land with the body. As he looks though the dead man's effects, and learns more about him, he realises that they are both human beings who are being given the same orders. Tellingly, Paul never refers to the other side as "the enemy".

Without giving away any spoilers, the ending is one of the most powerful conclusions to a novel that I have ever read, and it's something that has always stayed with me. There is a sudden change in several different ways, which creates particularly moving closure.

All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the most powerful books I've ever read. It's such an important book to read and reminds us that history should not be repeated. Everyone should read it. 

Buy All Quiet on the Western Front here. 

Affiliate links have been included in this post. 

365 78- 84

078 A pretty canopy at a venue I visited.

079 Hot cross buns are my favourite thing about Easter!

080 A lovely gift from Boohoo Plus that you may have seen yesterday. 
081 Burger heaven!

082 I'm a sucker for a pretty bookshop!
083 Splish-splashing in the bath.

084 A bag full of teddies for an upcoming DIY. 

Boohoo Plus

 Dress (worn as a top): Topshop

Skirt: c/o Boohoo

Leggings: Primark

This is a very exciting moment for me! Boohoo.com has launched its plus size range: Boohoo Plus. It has everything we've come to expect from Boohoo- great styles, quality garments and a great price- but in sizes 16-24. Perfect!

Needless to say, I was pretty eager to rip open the fancy black box when it arrived on my doorstep stuffed with bright pink paper.

There was even a little personalised card inside for me. Such a cute touch!

I adore this skirt. It comes with a brown belt but, as I'm not a fan of belts, I chose to remove it. The fabric is a really comfortable stretchy jersey and I love the bold print. The black background makes it versatile too. 

If you're plus size like myself, I really recommend Boohoo Plus. They also have great ranges for other sizes, including a 4-6 range. I love retailers that cater for all women! 

Emo Revisited

Yesterday it was one year since My Chemical Romance announced their split. Not gonna lie, I'm still pretty choked up about it. I blogged about it at the time but they were more than a band for me when I was in my late teens- They were a voice that understood, a refuge of people who knew what I felt like. Before discovering them, I thought I was alone. They made me realise that I wasn't. So when they ended, it was more the symbolism that I was upset about losing: It felt like I was saying goodbye to that part of my life. 2004-2006 was the most significant, upsetting and yet overwhelmingly free time of my life, and I think it always will be. Losing My Chemical Romance was losing my link to those days. It was finally time to cut ties with that era and I was surprised by how difficult I found it.

In honour of this event (and the upcoming release of their final album), I thought it would be fun to go full-on emo for a day. It's important to point out that these are all entirely tongue in cheek. Having said that, these are genuinely items of clothing and styling that I would have worn on any given day in 2005!

This tutu was pretty much the only thing I wore in the summer of 2005. I even wore it to Thorpe Park and got a surprising amount of abuse!

My trusty stripy socks! The red and black ones were my favourite but I think they're still in a drawer at my mum's house. 

 My glass heart is broken guis </3

 Dear Jack, sometimes I feel like you're the only one who understands me. You're my best friend.

 Myspace angles!

And just to prove that I'm not actually regressing to a full-on emo kid, here's a photo of me smiling. Isn't it funny how this look makes me look about 10 years younger? Maybe there's something in it!