29/05/2014

Pamper Evening & Nail Painting //


We all need a good pamper night from time to time to and for me it would include painting my nails a fresh new colour, treating my skin to a nourishing face mask and relaxing in a hot bath.


I will always reach for a LUSH Bath Bomb or Bubble Bar if I want a pop of colour and bubbles for my bath, tonight I used the Fizzbanger Bath Bomb, which turned my bath water a dreamy blue colour. My skin felt super soft due to Fizzbanger even though I'm not sure this is supposed to happen, I'm not complaining!



Before I enjoyed my bath I put the LUSH Fresh Face Mask Cosmetic Warrior (which is kept in the fridge to keep fresher and this means it’s cooling on the skin too). I adore Cosmetic Warrior, read my Empties post here for more information. Using a Face Mask helps to completely cleanse in a deep, but gentle way that also hydrates your skin. I leave this on for 10-15 minutes (or until I hop out the bath) and wash it off using a flannel, then I'd follow up with the remaining of my night-time skincare routine.




Fileing and clipping my nails is a weekly must-do for myself as my nails grow so fast (like the opposite of snails-pace). Firstly, I’d use a Base Nail Coat, my favourite at the moment is Sally Hansen Double Duty. I feel like this base coat really strengthens and makes a noticable difference to my (usually) fairly weak nails. Nude nails were on the cards for me and so I chose Barry M Gelly in Lychee, which is quite a deep, almost mousse-like creamy nude (what a great description..). This took 2 coats to be opaque, pretty good for under a fiver.

Finally, a bit of moisturising, using LUSH Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion, which is a nice moisturiser that does what it says on the tin.

26/05/2014

REVIEW // The Body Shop Honey Bronzer


Who says pale girls can't bronze? The classy Body Shop Honey Bronzer (£13) is even light enough for us girls who look like we've never seen sunlight. Bronzers (used to contour, add extra dimensions and shape to the face) are usually harder to find for pale skin tones. Most bronzers would look muddy or fake, but not this one. And oh my, look at that gorgeous, reflecting, fancy packaging *drools*.


 I didn't specifically take any interest in this bronzer (although I am a big fan of the Body Shop) until I noticed Estee from www.essiebutton.com (go check her newly updated blog, I'm sure you'll love her posts as much as I do) recommended it in some alot of her Youtube videos. Her makeup always looks flawless, I mean FLAWLESS, and once I saw in a tutorial that the magical product she uses was The Body Shop Bronzer, I knew I had to have it.





I have the shade 01 (although I'm sure I could have bought a shade darker). This colour suits me well, it doesn't look orange at all or muddy and only takes a sweep of application with my RealTechniques Contour Brush (Core Collection) and my complexion automatically looks enhanced and more radiant (even if I'm not properly awake yet and I've just woken up at 7am..). 1 word: foolproof. 

In my opinion, the retail price of £13.00 is such a steal for 11g of product. Especially when The Body Shop has offers, deals and promotions on most of the time. I can't recommend this enough, so head along to The Body Shop, then swatch and watch this beautiful bronzer find a place in your shopping basket.

23/05/2014

Lovin' Lush | HAUL



Tea Tree Toner Tab; I love using this by dropping it into a bowl of steam to open up my pores and deeply cleanse my face. I'd do this every 2/3 weeks, usually before a face mask. The tea tree ingredient is known for anticeptic properties to help get rid of bacteria which can cause spots and blemishs. Afterwards, you can store the water (infused with tea tree) and use it as a toner.. (even better value now). I have purchased this 3/4 times.


Dorothy Bubble Bar; How much more colourful could they make this? I'll tell you, they couldn't. I haven't used this in my bath yet.. I'm saving it for when I feel like I need a treat. Bubble bars are LUSH's way of cutting down packaging on bubble bath, yet still making tonnes of bubbles for your bath time.  It features Ylang Ylang oil to give an uplifting, floral fragrance. Hopefully the water will turn blue too with Dorothy.


Samples; The last two items were products that have intrigued me greatly, although I'm not sure if my skin type will react will with these (which is why I didn't purchase the full size). Movis is a hydrating soap, for a nourishing wash (I have combination skin) so, for me this could be too rich for a daily soap. This will be getting a weekly use I think.


On the other hand, Ocean Salt is an ex-foliating cleanser (my skin is also sensitive) so, once/twice a week will keep my skin in good condition but won't be too harsh. Knowing me, I will love these two and purchase them in the future.


Let me know your Lush favourites in the comments!





*Contains free sample

21/05/2014

HAUL // May Primark








Recently, my Mum took a trip to Manchester for a couple of days, so this was the perfect oppourtunity to give her a little list with couple of pieces I've wanted for a while, particularly from Primark. 

Firstly, this classy black clutch with a snakeskin type texture covering the back. This clutch is exactly the right size/shape for anytime, not too big, not too small. This bag wasn't on my list but my Mum spotted it anyway. For £6.00 you can't get much cheaper. I think i'll be using this a lot in the all year round, black is black, afterall.  

Next, a pair of bright (almost neon), coral-y pink frilly socks. Not much to say about these, they're cute, they were only £1.50 and they're perfect for this time of the year.

I asked my Mum to find some pretty earings too, and these were brought back for me. 6 pairs of gorgeous, simple black and gold studs. I love them, especially the pentagon shaped ones. Only £1.50 for the entire pack, not bad Primark, not bad.



Shoes, shoes and more shoes! My love for these jelly sandals is unreal, they are fabulous. They look great with frilly socks (yes, I know, socks and sandals..) and at a mere £4.00, I think they were a bargain. My Mum bought me some white ''gold-barred'' sandals with buckle fastenings and a back to them so they won't ''flip-flop''. These sandals are £4.00 also, and will get tonnes of wear on holiday I can just tell. Finally, some new white trainers as my old pair were filthy, ripped and needed repurchasing. These white shoes (similar style to "Vans") were £6.00, slightly pricier than most Primark shoes but they're comfy and fit well.

A pair of simple, boring, plain grey shorts (not pictured) were bought too. £4.00 for these isn't bad at all. I wear these a pyjama shorts, to go swimming in and for casual wear.. they are so versatile and needed for Summer.



Lastly, my favourite piece of all, these gorgeous, flattering black, high-waisted style, flow-y lace shorts. Oh wow. Look at the lace detailing and edge of the bottoms, they are lovely. I think these would be amazing in Summer as they are so light and weightless = comfort factor 50. I had these on my list as well, so once I knew my Mum had bought/found them I was so glad and I can't wait to plan outfits for these little ones. £10.00 for these shorts (mine are a size 6, excuse the hanger), I don't think that's an overly expensive price, but knowing Primark, I just hope they'll last me.

So, Primark is definitely the best place to shop to bulk up your collection for a new season.




19/05/2014

Enhance Your Eyes //





If there was one thing that i'd advice someone to do (well, in these circumstances..) it would be this; to curl your eyelashes. I can't express enough how much more awake and alive your eyes will look once you've taken the 30 seconds with a pair of these. 

Honestly, I don't think it totally matters which type/brand of Eyelash Curlers you do use because they all do the same job. Obviously, you could buy a prettier pair, but that could cost £15-£20 more, and I don't see the point (for myself) at the moment. My Cosmopolitan Eye Lash Curler (£4.19 - Superdrug) definitely enhance and extend my lashes, making them look a lot better without even using mascara. 

To use the curler you simply hold the handle, place over the eye lashes (trapping the lashes inside) and squeeze. It might help to hold the skin around your eye area away, to be more precise. You need to be careful not to pinch your eye lid or beneath the lash line because it will hurt.. a lot. Repeat on the second eye, and maybe do this process twice over to make sure the lashes are curled to the max. Apply mascara and you're good to go!

Hopefully this little step in your routine will make a difference to you, I couldn't live without curling my eye lashes on a day-to-day basis.




18/05/2014

REVIEW // Revlon ColourStay Foundation


Foundations don't usually impress me at all, it's so difficult finding the right one for my skin tone and type (especially under a budget). That is until I found you, Revlon ColourStay in the shade 110 Ivory. The formulation I have is for combination/oily, which is perfect for me. The shades vary greatly in the range, to suit the very light and darker skin tones. 

Revlon say ''wearable for up to 24 hours'', thankfully, I've never worn makeup for that amount of time, so I can't comment on that. Although, I do know that it does last a very long time, around 8-10 hours on me. Furthermore, ColourStay features SPF of 6, which really is an advantage when transitioning into Summer. After purchasing this in mid February, I have used this foundation straight for a good few months, enough time to get a good feel and opinion on it. ColourStay has been my go-to for a while now, although it is not perfect for me. 





To apply this foundation, I use the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge which creates the most natural and even base. This sponge is so unique, and does it all - foundation, concealer, primer. Next, i'd quickly buff in the remaining with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, my go to brush that I could not live without. These two brushes definitely work hand-in-hand with the foundation, although, against the matte texture, this technique sometimes feels too harsh buffing in a dryer base.

The only downfalls are that, firstly, I think this foundation, in my opinion, is too matte and feels slightly caked on occasional. So when applying blush/bronzer on top of this base, it doesn't blend as effortlessly as I'd like it to as my face won't be completely even. Also, i'd say this foundation has a light-medium coverage, not to my preferance. I'd rather have a higher coverage as not all my blemishes and redness is covered using this base. Due to this, my dream foundation still hasn't been discovered, any recommendations? I'd love to hear your favourites.


14/05/2014

HAUL // Boots & Superdrug



Hauls are most definitely my favourite type of blog post, whether I read them, write them or simply envy them, I will always enjoy a good scroll through someone's shopping bags! Recently, I took a trip to Boots & Superdrug and I couldn't resit picking up a few bits - especially when Boots have their 3For2 on...

Firstly, in Superdrug I reached for the OLAY Essentials Beauty Fluid for Sensitive Skin £3.99, I got it at £3.32 (something odd like that) for 1/3 off. After hearing the gorgeous Sammi from BeautyCrush going on and on about this basic moisturiser I knew it would be worth investing in (not like £3 can hurt anyone, ay). I might do a review on this later, early days but I think it's a keeper.


Then I headed to Boots, Advantage Card at my side. The Natural Collection stand always interests me when i'm there but I never seem to feel the urge to buy anything, until today. The blushers intrigued me the most to be honest, as the powder is extremely pigmented (I'll have to have a light hand when applying this one). For only £1.99 it was a bargain, and bought the shade ''Sweet Cheeks''. To go along with my 3For2 I added a couple of very plain and very boring eye shadows to my basket. Hopefully these products will be a good little purchase, great value anyway.



I picked up the Real Techniques Core Collection too in Superdrug (because it was £2 cheaper here than in Boots... a girls gotta save those pennies). They have already found a place on my dresser amongst their friends (what?) are are most definitely a must have so far. Great selection on brushes, great quality, good value, can't go wrong. (Not pictured).

On a little (well fairly big) whim I decided to buy the No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush £15.00 (from £24.95). Obviously, the Clarasonic Brushes (similar) will be a whole lot better but they are extremely expensive, I will not buy a brush for over £100... just yet. Only used this one a few times so far, so i'll use it more to get a feel first before I'll review it. Also, I bought a Revlon ColourStay Concealer £6.99 as I wanted to venture out and try a new concealer, and it was my freebie, but it might be a tad too orange... Another packet of the No7 Beautiful Skin Wipes £7.00 were needed. (All not pictured).


A second trip to Boots (1 week later...) and I bought the Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm in Elusive £7.99, which is a beautiful rosy pink shade. Hopefully, I can pull this off as I never wear lipstick. Lastly, a new mascara Maybelline The Falsies £7.99 which is a repurchase (to read my empties post click here). This was free when my Mum also bought a mascara in their 3For2 deal aswell. (Not pictured).


Hope you've liked my haul, my purse is a little bit lighter... but I know I've wanted some of these products for a while (I'm looking at you Core Collection).

What is/has been on your wishlist for a while? Treat yourself, go on!

-Rachel:-)