It's that time of year, when we prepare to swap our thermal socks and giant slippers for strappy sandles and flip flops. It's time to get our feet pampered and looking great. So what's the plan? How are we going to treat our feet and get them looking beach ready and feeling fine for summer? As always, The Sun Room at KUKShades is here with some top tips and gorgeous products.

Through my business I am lucky enough to meet some very talented people who have helped me in my quest. 

The following products are all from small independent UK businesses and are Theo Paphitis #SBS Winners, they have formuated their own body care products and have provided me with their very best foot care suggestions. These products really are hidden gems and I am thrilled to be able to share them with you. 

So here are my top 5 picks for fabulous summer feet. 

1. Spearmint, Peppermint & Tea Tree Intensive Foot Balm by Village Green Soaps.

This rich blend of organic Shea and Cocoa butters is infused with essesntial oils to revitalise and cleanse tired feet. This blam is highly concentrated, so a little goes a long way. It makes an excellent over night treatment, leaving your feet feeling silky smooth by morning. It's just £8 a pot and you can buy it via the link at the bottom of the post.

2. Nourishing Nail Oil by Body Enrich.

This norishing nail oil has been formulated especially to soften and condition cuticles as well as to moisturise. It contains essential oils from Baobab Seed, Calendula, Papaya Seed and Pumpkin Seed and is rich in Vitamin E. It can be used on hands and feet and is perfect for getting you pedi ready. It's £8.99 a bottle and you can find a link at the bottom of the post. 

3. Siren Song Body Polish by Ascent.

This sugar scrub has an alluring fragrance of bergamont, lemon, orange and pick pepper. Massage on to damp or wet skin for silky soft feet. This scrub can be used all over the body too and can cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise all from one pot. It's paraben and MPG  free and it suitable for Vegans. It's £8.75 for 200ml and for an extra £1 you can get the cute bamboo spoon. If you need this scrub in your bathroom, you can find it via the link below.

4. Soothing Foot Balm by B-Organic Skincare.

This little pot of wonder blends olive wax, Vitamin E with rosehip, tea ree and peppermint essential oils to moisturise, soften and tone your feet. Great for hardworking heels and dry skin issues, including eczema. Get those toes looking amazing after winter hibernation for just £14 for a 60ml pot, your feet will thank you. Click the link at the bottom of the post to buy this wonder balm. 

5. Nail Enamel by Butterflies Eye Care - Cosmetics.

After all the pampering, scrubs, oils and balms we want to finish things off in style and get a splash of colour on those toes. These nail enamels are enriched with Vitamin E and minerals to strengthen and protect your nails. You can choose from 32 colours, so finding one to match your flip flops will be an easy task. At £9.25 for a 5ml bottle you can afford to treat those feet. To pick your nail enamel click the link at the bottom of the post.

How about that! Are we all feeling ready to kick off those slippers and strut with confidence in our fabulous flip flops? If you fancy treating yourself to any of these amazing products please click the links below:

1. https://www.villagegreensoaps.co.uk/products/hand-foot-balm/spearmint-peppermint-and-tea-tree/

2. https://www.bodyenrich.co.uk/hand-and-feet-care/nourishing-hand-and-nail-oil

3. http://www.ascenthandmade.com/shop.html?store-page=Siren-Song-Body-Polish-p110391183

4. http://www.b-organic.co.uk/soothing-foot-balm-60ml/

5. http://www.butterflies-eyecare.co.uk/cosmetics/nail-enamel-perfection.html

Thank you so much for visiting The Sun Room today and a huge thank you to Village Green Soaps, Body Enrich, Ascent, B-Organics and Butterfly Eye Care for being fabulous! 

Put your best feet forward, Candice xx 

Last week I posted a photo of my legs on Facebook. This was not my usual post and honestly, my bare legs don't 'get out' often enough for them to be frequently snapped. It was, however, for a very good cause.

My actual legs - for all the world to see!!

The 18th - 22nd of June was Just A Card Week. Just A Card is a social media initiative, created to highlight the need to support small, independent businesses, artists, makers, bakers and shops. The idea is that every purchase - even if it's just a card from an independent business means the world to the person behind it.

Each day of the week we were tasked to post on social media and image or quote relating to a suggested theme. It culminated in showing the world our 'happy dance' - you know, the one we do whenever we get a sale.

The Just A Card campaign was not just for fun, there was a serious message behind it which is so relatable in this uncertain climate. Retail is vunerable at the moment, catious consumers and rising business rates are turning our high streets into ghost towns. Independents and the big brands are forced to close or downsize as it becomes more and more unsustainable to keep the business going.

There is also this idea that online stores are the enemy - but we are not. Online independent businesses are just as vunerable and believe me, I would love to take KUKShades to the high street but I am priced out at every turn. (That's a whole other blog post for another time!)

The truth is I will never be able to compete with the £3 beach tote from Primark or supermarket fashions - and I don't want to. Firstly, because there is room for us all and secondly, I value quality over quantity and ethical production and varity over fast fashion. I have so much respect for the small indie businesses I buy from and I feel that by supporting them I am making a difference. I wouldn't be without those magnificent creative individuals that make and design what I sell.

So why did I post a picture of my legs for Just A Card week? To show you that there is a real person behind this business. A woman with integrity, passion, commitment and a family to support. I work for myself so that I am there for my children at the start and end of everyday... and days like today when my daughter sends an SOS from school because she feels unwell and I'm there, in 20 minutes without making excuses to leave work. A women who is dreaming big and who wants to make a difference, who is sometimes unsure if she can make it work. So yes... I do feel like dancing every time a sale comes in. I feel supported and it does mean the world.

So if you are visiting the Sun Room at KUKShades for the first time, THANK YOU for being here. If you have been a customer, YOU ROCK and if you just follow and like a few of my posts on social media, (of legs or anything else) even share a couple, or say hello, you are an AWSOME indivudual and have no idea of the difference you make. 

Indie businesses are what will save us in this uncertain time, I truly believe that. They will pave the way and be there with colour, personality, passion, ethics and creativity when our high streets turn grey. So - support them. Remember that every small purchase of a badge, a pen, a notebook, a scarf, a beach bag or simply just a card means the world and gives a real person a reason to do a happy dance.

Candice x