Lake District || A Day at Tarn Hows

I may have been home in Northern Ireland for this year but it hasn't stopped me finding my way back to the North West of England as often as is physically possible, mostly thanks to Ryanair and that €1 flight to Liverpool I managed to nab in their flash sale!

Since my last Lancaster post I've managed to pay another two visits, with my last trip actually ending up coinciding with a visit from one of Carlo's friends from school. So, the two of us, plus said visiting-friend and a few of Carlo's friends from home decided to mark the occasion with an amble around Tarn Hows near Coniston in the Lake District. This is going back nearly a month ago now when it was still more or less winter and there was still plenty of snow on the mountains; for sure one of the best things about visiting the Lakes around this time of year.

Before this day I'd never been to Tarn Hows before, or even heard of it. It had been one of the boys, Carlo's friend, Neil who had suggested it and very kindly offered to drive the five of us there. Much of the trail is deep, rich forestland, not unlike that which covers much of the Mourne Moutains I love so much from home. It circles around a central tarn, or small lake which stems off into little streams and at one point even feeds into a rather magnificent waterfall. By the time we'd finished our walk I'd been utterly enchanted by the whole place. It's now easily one of my favourite Lake District spots.

Apparently the land was once owned by author, Beatrix Potter who used the royalties from her books to purchase a great deal of what is now the Lake District National Park in order to prevent it from falling into the hands of developers. She would then eventually pass on much of the land, including Tarn Hows, to the National Trust who have worked to preserve the area and its wildlife ever since. A fantastic legacy if you ask me!

Interestingly, on our travels we came across a few fallen trees that were stippled with pennies. None of us had ever seen anything like this before and at first we were baffled. However, after a bit of googling we discovered they were wishing trees, and the equivalent of tossing coins into a fountain. Apparently the practice began in old folklore, when it was believed that if you were ill, embedding a coin within a tree would take the illness away.

Have you ever seen a wishing tree?

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Skincare || Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm

I picked up Clinique's Take the Day Off Balm after hearing many, many good reports. I was on the lookout for a balm cleanser to use alongside my Micellar Cleansing Water mostly out of the need for a change of routine after years of painstakingly removing my makeup with cleansing waters and lotions via cotton pad; a time-consuming process that I actually used to procrastinate for hours, which I know is a bit ridiculous!

I was initially drawn in by Take the Day Off's promises of being able to quickly dissolve even the most stubborn of makeup, which given my experience seemed like a dream come true, and I'm very pleased to confirm that this product really does do exactly what it says on the tin! (Or the tub, in this instance). In its tub it has a firm waxy consistency and melts at the touch of your fingertips. It also feels lovely and silky on the skin and really does remove every trace of makeup with just a few swipes of a flannel.

I've noticed that a cause of contention about this product is the fact that it's completely odourless. This personally doesn't bother me at all since I'm very easily put off by smells. I actually stopped using Soap and Glory's Ultimelt Hot Cloth Cleanser because I could not stand the smell of it, but that's a story for another day.

One thing I'm a little bit on the fence about is the fact that it comes in a tub. On the one hand I like it because there's obviously something very satisfying about cracking open a fresh tub and having that smooth untouched surface, and then there's the fact that having it in a tub allows for its consistency which I love so much. However, perhaps it's not the most hygienic? Particularly if you ever happen to forget to put the lid back on (which I've done once or twice). That being said, provided you use the product with clean hands and remember to replace the lid after use, this shouldn't really be an issue.

So to review, a few pros and cons to Clinique's Take the Day Off balm cleanser:

P R O S

• Quick and easy
• Leaves skin feeling squeaky clean
• A little bit goes a long way!
• Great for sensitive skin
• Odourless

C O N S

• Comes in a tub 
• Odourless

Have you ever used Take the Day Off balm? What did you think?

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