Review: Lush Christmas - Christmas Eve

This bubble bar (to be crumbled under running water for bubbles galore) smells delish.
It has a perfumey/floral scent to it.
It includes Jasmine & Ylang Ylang so has it's calming properties.
It can either be a very comforting smell, or a very fresh one.
It also turned my water a gorgeous blue colour (this was without the yellow), with a smidgen of the yellow, it went a not so nice green..
When i first used this, i wasn't that blown away by it..but the second time i realised that actually, it has a really nice scent that Lush do not already produce in the bubble bar range, and sniffing away at it now, i've decided that it shares my love with Candy Cane, both very very different however.
This bubble bar also has irredescent glitters which make the bubbles look pretty but does not stick to the skin (unless you were to use a body butter or something including oil)

I really like this bubble bar, and will be buying a few more before the christmas range becomes extinct.

rrp: £2.50

♥

Review: Lush Christmas - Candy Cane

Bubble bars are one of my Lush necessities. I feel lost without a bubble bar to crumble into my bath.
This has to be one of my favourite. I love the shape, i love the colours & i adore the smell. Many have said it smells like creamy candy. I don't have that at the moment so i can't compare. Both have a very sweet "candy" smell to them though. I do know i'd rather pick this up than creamy candy though, think it's slightly bigger too!
If you're not familiar with bubble bars, you simply crumble a small section under running water. I found that if you crumble it under a very very fast running tap (as my hot water sort of dribbles out my tap at the moment - so i have to use a blast of cold to produce my bubbles) then it will produce better quality bubbles, and more of them.
I honestly have nothing more to say about this beaut, i have repurchased a few already & i do find the smell lingers & leaves my skin softer than normal.
Love love love this.

rrp: £2.35

♥

Review: Lush Christmas - Snow Fairy

I WILL finish these Christmas reviews before christmas (lol) & then when Lush do their crazy "buy a massive bag of xmas lush stuff for only £20" you will pleased you read these reviews ;)

Snow Fairy is something which produced a massive amount of hype last year, and all year this was probabaly my most anticipated xmas lush product as i wanted to see what the fuss was about. I don't think it's AS amazing as some people made it out to be, but i do love it none the less.
If i've never tried a shower gel in lush before, i buy the smaller bottle just to test. If i like it, i will go back and buy the biggest bottle. I will be doing this with Snow Fairy. :)
The scent is extremely sweet and bubblegummy, something which would probabaly go down better in the summer, but a very nice, girly scent never the less.
It also has small irridescent particles of blue glitter, which makes it look so pretty in the bottle.
It does leave my skin feeling very soft, and the smell lingers all day.
It also lathers well, for all you lather freaks out there. ;)

100g (small) - £2.95
250g (medium) - £5.95
500g (large) - £9.95

♥

GlossyBox Catch-up : October & November.

In true slacking-blogger style, I didn't get round to showing you the previous month's GlossyBox's. So today, before I can reveal the Limited Edition Christmas Box in a few days time, I thought I'd go over October & November's boxes and give you a little glimpse of the variation between them for those of you who may still be on the fence about subscribing.

October.

• Dermalogica Makeup Bag - The perfect size for your handbag.
• Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque - I've used this, and my skin felt & looked refreshed afterwards. It did feel a little like I was smearing Lemon Curd on my face though.
• Dermalogica MultiVitamin Thermafoliant - I haven't used this yet but it's a skin polisher that combines chemical and physical exfoliants. Looks fancy.
• Dermalogica Renewal Lip Complex - I absolutely love this. In fact, I'm trying to use it sparingly as I don't want it to run out. It's such a lovely lipbalm, and although for aging lips, it works wonders on dry, chapped lips.
  
• Leighton Denny Nail Polish in "BabyDoll" - This is the perfect baby pink, and looks so pretty and natural on the nails. I also like the super glossy finish & it dries very quickly.
• Stila Smudge Stick Eyeliner in "Moray" - This eyeliner is a gorgeous olive green. I tend to stay well away from coloured eyeliners, and stick to my blacks and browns, but this is ever so subtle, and it really does stay put, yet it's creamy enough for easy application. It has teeny tiny gold flecks in it, which make it even more pretty and very metallic-like. This was my favourite item in the GlossyBox for that month & I'm definitely going to look into getting some more colours.
  
• Robert Piguet Fragrance Samples "Fraca", "Visa" and "Calypso" - I'm not the biggest fan of perfume samples, but these I absolutely LOVED. My favourite is the Fraca one (the pink). They all smell amazing, and it wasn't a brand I'd ever heard of previously, and this is why I love the concept of beauty boxes, they introduce to things you'd never normally try or find. I also like to throw these in my handbags to save you having to carry a whole perfume bottle for re-squirts. :)

November.

• Dead Sea Spa Magik Bath Salts - I'm really looking forward to trying these, as I get majorly dry legs in the winter (yes, mostly just my legs get dry...weird huh?) and I also get ingrown hairs on my thighs, which are already starting to irritate me and my skin, so I'm hoping these salts will work wonders on my legs.
• Nail Rock Nail Wraps - I've used these before, and I loved them. A little tricky to begin with, but if you get someone to help you, you soon get used to it, and let's face it, they look fierce.
• Serge Lutens Unisex Fragrances - These intrigued me. I love the idea of unisex perfumes. One smells lovely (the white box - L'Eau Serge Lutens), and the other I'm not so keen on (the black box - Vitriol d'Oeillet), the second is a lot more of a masculine smell, and much more woody. I would seriously condiser buying the first fragrance but the hefty 100ml £86 price tag has put me off a little bit. I'll have to save that one for a sneaky splurge one rainy day I think.
• Arbonne FC5 Ultra Hydrating Hand Creme - A lot of people said that the strong scent of this put them off. I personally like the scent of this hand cream but then I'm the sort of person who doesn't do unscented. If i'm making my hands soft, i want them to smell nice too :)
• Monu Recovery Balm - This is a gentle balm to provide relief to all skin types, especially sensitive or stressed. I've not used this yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing if it can calm down my spotty T zone.

So that was my quick run down of the past few boxes. I wanted to keep it short and sweet with bitesized information and mini reviews as I'm sure you've seen everyone else talking about them and I don't want to bore you. Is there anything in there that caught your eye? Or if you recieved these boxes too, what has been your favourite item?

♥

Review: Lush Christmas - Jingle Spells

Jingle Spells Bath Bomb is one that Lush describes as a "hangover cure"
I did not have a hangover when i chose to bathe in this...just so you know.
Hmm, what do i say about this?
It's...blah
It's nothing special, and honestly, i HATED being in the bath with tonnes of stars (yeh, there's more inside)
They kept landing on me and itching me or making me flinch (like you would if you thought a spider was crawling on your skin)
When would anybody really choose to bathe with tonnes of little stars? they will just end up going places you dont want them to..like your belly botton on between your toes..jeez people, where did you think i meant. ;)
The scent was nice. It's a very refreshing & comforting smell, which is possibly why it would make a good hangover cure. It smells of Juniperberry.
The best thing about this Bath Ballistic was the fact it turned the water dark purple & left my skin feeling slightly softer.

I won't be purchasing this one again, the stars ruined it for me personally, i thought i'd be able to cope with the few on top...but it came with many a "bun in it's oven".
If you are a ballistic person, and dont mind stars...this might be one to give a sniff because the smell was lovely.

rrp: £2.75

♥

Review: Lush Christmas - Cinders

This Bath Ballistic is also alot smaller than your average bath bomb, around the same size as the So White.
This one looks really pretty & i picked this up because 2 of the girls in there (who by the way, all get a massive box full to the brim of all the new stock to try and out...lucky) had said it was their favourite.
When you smell this, is does smell really christmassy, unlike So White which, lets face it, is more of a summery scent. Lush describes it as a Spicy, Soda scented Ballistic.
Lush also claim that when you pop this in your bath, it fizzes and crackles as it has popping candy in it.
Unfortunately, and very dissapointingly, nothing was popping or crackling.
I was listening to my bath water like a child listening to their rice krispies...
No snap, crackle or pop for me though.
Mine may well have been a dud, has anybody purchased this bath ballistic and heard crackling and popping?

I can live without the noises if im honest, that wasn't why i bought it, i really do love the autumny smell, and it really was a very powerful scent even after the Ballistic had fizzed away.
I didn't notice any benefits to my skin after this bath, which, it doesnt claim to do, but, it would have been nice :)

This retails for £1.95 (i like this price)

Overall, i think if you're after a genuinely nice, christmassy smelling bath product, this would be perfect. It did get me a little bit excited for christmas, just like apple and cinnamon candles do!

♥

Review: Lush Christmas - So White

I'm going to kick off this review by saying this is by far, my favourite lush scent & something i think they should play around with more..soap, bubble bars etc..

The size of this Bath Ballistic is smaller than your average Sex Bomb.
But it has a very powerful scent of apples & leaves a frothy "snowy" layer on the top of the water.
Sadly, i was expecting alot more.."froth", but really, there were just a few clusters of bubbles, but still, that was alot more than a normal bath ballistic would create..i.e..nada.
The smell also lingered in the bathroom for a good while, although not on my skin, sadly.
This Bath Ballistic retails for £1.75, which in my opinion is really good.

By far one of my favourite Bath Ballistics & definitely my favourite lush scent..it's just alot different than the scents they have already created..i guess it's just a generic apple smell, which i suppose Lush aren't really all about.
I can safetly say that i will be stocking up on these, along with my star melts to get me through the rest of the year. :)

Please Lush, if you're reading this, make more products using this scent.
I will love you forever.
Thanks.
♥

My Winter Skin Essentials.

So as the winter months have crept up on us (alot more rapidly than i had wished) it's time to crack out the products that save our skin. (well, mine anyway)

Hands

One of the first & most vital for me is a good quality hand cream, I tend to get extremely dry hands, mainly around the thumb and forefinger (i inherit this from my dad, who's hands actually split during the winter..yowch) luckily, mine aren't that bad, because i take care of them. :)
My favourite hand cream is Handy Gurugu by Lush. I have tried plenty, nivea, neutrogina, palmers, e45 cream...almost all the "boots & superdrug" brands, but this is by far my favourite.
It's got a really thick creamy consistency, yet soaks into the skin really quickly. The smell is gorgeous too & it's not a bad price.

The other thing i think you need for your hands, is an oil or butter cuticle cream.
I use Lemony Flutter by Lush, which i also like to put on very very dry patches on my hands for a quick fix. I also love this product & use it religiously & you don't need that much. I was also told by the girl in Lush that you can use it on very dry, chapped lips..something i hadn't thought about. It's a great item, and i would definitely say it's a winter essential if you suffer dry hands/cuticles like me.

There is also the "Deep Treatment" method. Before bed, slather your hands in a rich, moisturising cream, pop on some cotton gloves and when you wake up it's like your hands are re-juvinated. :) I would suggest doing this once a week, or if you have MEGA dry hands, as much as needed, it wouldn't hurt to do it more often.

Feet

I'm really fussy about my feet being soft. I feel like it suffocates me if i have dry feet.
I use a pummice stone on the bottom's of my feet in the bath at least 3 times a week to get rid of any dry skin. I then like to use a foot treatment before bed (avec cotton socks).
My favourite is one by Soap & Glory called "Foot Mask". I have done a review of this product HERE.

You can also invest in something like a ped egg for easy foot exfoliation..i don't own one, but i own something similar.

Body

There's a few items i always bring out in the winter.
The first is the Body Shop's Body Butter's. I find that these are very rich in shea butter and cocoa butter and do a fab job of moisturising the skin. Review can be found HERE

The second, which i used alot last winter, were the Lush Massage Bars. My favourite being "Heavanilli". These can be rubbed straight onto the skin, or rubbed between the hands then rubbed into the skin, just like a normal moisturiser.

[From Top Left Clockwise: Each Peach & two's a pair, Sexy Boy (Xmas LE), Strawberry Feels Forever & Heavenilli]

Another thing my mum swears by, are oils, rubbed directly onto the skin, she always nags me to oil my skin, and in winter espescially.

I also think it's really important to exfoliate a bit more in the winter, i know i have to.
So i'd get yourself some exfoliating gloves & a good body scrub.
My favourite scrub is "Sugar Crush" by Soap & Glory.


Lips

My lips have been really bad recently, and so i've been applying lip balm religiously.
My favourites are Burts Bee's, Nivea Intense repair lip cream & carmex. I am never anywhere without either of these with me.

I know that alot of people also like to use vaseline, but i tend not to, as it doesn't actually hydrate the skin, it just makes a geasy barrier, keeping moisture in, not injecting any, great for those who don't really suffer that bad with chapped lips, but i don't find it does anything for me.

Other

I also suggest a good night cream, which is alot more moisturising than normal, even if you suffer from oily skin, it's still really important to stay hydrated.

Drink Lots -This is probabaly just standard, but in winter it's a little more important to get your 8 pints in the day because your skin needs to be alot more hydrated to prevent you looking so pale and gaunt :) It's also Good if you suffer dark circles or find it harder waking up in the morning. Drink a pint before bed, and a pint when you when you wake up.

Hot water bottles - It's not really a skin essential..just a winter essential because they are cute. :)

Moisturising Baths - You can buy so many bath bombs and bath melts that moisturise your skin as you bathe. My favourite at the moment is Lush's Star Melts (review here) & the butterball bath ballistic is also very moisturising.

I will be doing a seperate blog post on my current winter skincare regime, but i hope you enjoyed a little insight into the things im currently using everywhere else.

What are your winter essentials? Anything i'm missing out on?

♥

She Made Me Do It...

I have been walking past the YSL counter for almost half a year, contemplating whether or not to spend £20 on a lipstick.

Can you justify that sort of money on a lipstick?
I never could, and i'd never been with anyone at the time who was remotely interested in lipstick, and possibly thought i was a freak for even considering spending that amount of moolah on a bit of lip colour.
However, about 3 months ago, i was strolling past the YSL counter with my friend, and she actually pointed out the "Rouge Volupte's", saying everything that always crossed my mind when i walked past them myself.

"Oh my gosh, the packaging..the colours..they look fab"

So do you know what i did?
Yeh.
I bought one.
and so did she.

The colour is No. 2 - Sensual Silk

So, what do i think of them 3 months on?

Texture: Amazing. This is what every lipstick should feel like when applying it to your lips. It feels moisturising when applying, isnt cakey, and has a slight shine.
Taste: Watermelon, seriously, you can't go wrong. My favourite lip scent/flavour above all other lipsticks tried.
Drying?: I'd love to be able to say that this didnt dry my lips at all, but unfortunatley, after about an hour of wearing this, i do get very dry lips. Something i really thought i wouldn't get, as when first applied, it is amazingly soft and moisturising...does anyone else have this problem? I know of a few who have agreed with me.
Durability: As this is quite a moisturising consistency, it obviously doesnt stay as well as a matte lipstick would, and i do find myself reapplying this a fair few times through the day.
Pigmentation: These are pigmented, but as i said above, dont last all that long.
Packaging: Just look at it, it's stunning. I do feel special pulling this from my handbag i must say haha. & the cute little mirror on the top of the lid is a bonus for on the go.
Price: Hm, at £20 a pop, these really are high end lipsticks. In my opinion, i don't think they need to be so expensive, but as they are "designer", i guess thats the price you'd expect to be paying.

Overall thoughts
This was a bit of a luxury, "fuck it" purchase. I'm really happy i have this in my collection, and i do think everyone should own at least one of these. They are gorgeous, but the price is a little bit of a kick in the teeth for me. Unless i had alot of money, in which case picking up more of these would be a regular thing.
Despite it being a tad drying, and having to re-apply more than i'd have liked, i am pleased i have this lipstick & if i came into alot of money (crosses fingers) then i would buy more.

♥

Review: Lush Christmas - Satsumo Santa

First of all, i'm going to state that i'm not really a massive Bath Ballistic fan.

I love that some turn the water different colours, or moisturise (Butterball) but, overall, i don't think they are worth the money if all they do is smell nice.
I'm a bubbles girl me.

So, in all seriousness, i did just pick this up because it looked cute...i know, lame.
Its the shape of a father christmas...im easily amused.

The smell is very citrus and fruity, not really my idea of a christmas scent, more a summer one. It's a nice smell, but again, i do think i'd prefer to use it in the summer days.
The bath turned a very vibrant orangey red..which was nice..but still, it's just colouring.
I also noticed that with this one, the smell didn't last long, unlike sex bomb which is so powerful it can make the whole house smell amazing.
This one was £2.75, and although not a bad price, i don't think i'll be buying it again.
It didn't "wow" me.
If you like lighter more fruity scents & are a bath ballistic fan, i would reccommend this however, as i did feel the size was a teeny bit larger than normal, and did go a long way. That would be my positive point :)

Hope you liked my teeny review.
♥

Review: Lush Christmas - Star Melts

As many of you will be aware, Lush is now brimming with the Christmas items.

Not being such an avvid lush fan last year, meant that i didn't indulge in the holiday items, but i have been waiting all year (i won't lie) for the new stuff to come in so i can try it out.
I was starting to get bored of the normal range..i felt i'd tried most things, and needed an injection of newness.

I'm going to review the items i've tried individually, mainly because i'm not one of those people that tries to use it all up quickly in order to review them all straight away. Lush Bath time, to me, is a luxury, therefore i don't throw in a £3 bath bomb every night. haha. If i had the money though, trust me, i so would.

First up, is my favourite...

The Star Melts.
I've repurchased these over and over.
I'm seriously going to have to stock up..or protest to have them made permanently.

They aren't as big as the normal melts, but these little beauties are not my favourite because of the smell (even though it's Snow Fairy scented..and smells delicious) I was told by the Lush girl they are actually made up of 90% icing sugar (or around that - If she is wrong..then shame on her) and so when used in the bath, it turns a very milky consistency & leaves your skin feeling SO moisturised and soft..and the smell ACTUALLY lingers on your skin.

I found that you don't need to use the whole star for your bath, but if you have a large tub, or are feeling particularly indulgent, using the whole thing is FAB. The scent is alot stronger though obviously.
If you're not a fan of sweet smells, i wouldn't get this..actually..scrap that, just sit their with a peg on your nose because its worth it for how you feel afterwards.

These are £2.45 which, i'd say is pretty average for a lush bath item, and the price doesnt effect me too much tbh. I'd buy these if they were £4. They do alot more than any bath ballistic has ever done for me, so i'm a happy bunny.

If you haven't already done so, i would strongly urge you to check these out. They are my favourite christmas item so far. I may even go as far as to say my favourite bath item ever... :O

♥

FYF Cosmetics

I was recently sent a few items from FYF Cosmetics to try out and review for you all. I had heard good things about this makeup brand, and had seen a few reviews myself and thought the quality looked really good, so obviously when i was given the oppertunity to try them, i definitely took up the offer.

Before the reviews, I hadn't ever heard of FYF Cosmetics. FYF stands for "Flawless You Forever", which i think is a cute little name for a makeup company.

The first thing i was given to try out was the nail polish in "Tokyo". I'm not normally a fan of very light, thin colours. I used to wear them all the time through school, and over a french manicure they look very pretty but this polish may have reignited my love. It retails for £6/$9 which i think is a good price. Quick drying, easy application. Thumbs up!

Second thing I tried out, which i was the most excited about, was the mineral lipstick. The colour i recieved was "Natalie", being quite pale, i'd say it's probabaly a little darker than a lipstick i'd normally wear. More like a "my lips but better" shade. Which is nice for a really natural look. I have been wearing this lipstick a lot, especially with a pale lipgloss on top. The formulation is very creamy, I'd say it's comparable to a Mac Creamsheen finish. It's also very pigmented, and it glides on effortlessly & stays very well. I'd love to look into a few more shades. I think the darker colours would be amazing! The lipstick retails for £12/$18, which i do think is a teeny bit steep, but there is no doubt that the quality is there.

There are definitely some other things i'd love to try from the FYF range, the quality is clearly of a very high standard. The packaging is pretty simple, but you do get that nice heavy feeling from the lipstick. One thing i'm not a huge fan of, is the website. Obviously when buying from the company, the first place you're going to go is the website to browse through the items. It's easy to manoeuvre around, but some of the pictures and banners are pixelated and for some reason this really bugged me. For such great quality products, you would hope this would reflect on the website too.
If you are looking into finding new products from a new brand, i would definitely reccommend having a look at FYF products, the lipsticks in particular are really lovely. You can buy it here:

www.flawlessyouforever.com

♥
These products were sent to me for review purposes. I was not compensated, nor do i have any affilation with the brand itself. These thoughts are my own & I will always be honest.

Scrabble anyone?

I love playing Scrabble, it's what i call a good "brain game". Although, gone are the days when you'd sit around with friends/family on a regular basis playing old school board games...it's more "drinking games". This doesn't mean you can't wear scrabble though ;)
I've seen scrabble jewellery popping up recently, rings, bracelets, necklaces etc..and i definitely knew i had to have something of the scrabble variety, as i actually don't own any personalised jewellery.
When reading Victoria's blog VIPXO, i noticed that she had decided to start making and selling her very own personalised scrabble jewellery. BRILLIANT! I love it. It looks good worn alone and amongst other bracelets.

If you fancy your very own personalised scrabble jewellery, email her at vipxoblog@gmail.com
Bracelets range from £4.50-£8.50 depending on the length of your name/what you'd like on it.
Rings are £4 (she's still waiting on the bits to make the rings, so you will have to wait a wee while before you can grab one of those..I am definitely going to get one)
P&P is free :)

♥

Eyeko Favourites

I was introduced to Eyeko a long time ago, when it was still stocked in Superdrug and since then i have been a fan of many of their products. It's affordable and the packaging is cute. I was invited to the Eyeko event a few weeks ago for a chance to see any new products they will be bringing out and to mingle with the other Eyeko fans. Unfortunately i didn't stay long as i was ill so i dont have much to report back but what i can tell you, is which eyeko products i love and would highly reccommend.

The first is the nail polish. Once stocked in teeny little jars with screw tops (these were cute) but now more conventionally packaged in small sleek bottles with white lids. I have a good sized collection of these, all of which i love and use. I like that they each have their individual, cute lables and there is quite literally a colour for everybody. These are available to buy online for £3.50 (total bargain)

Punk Polish, Tea Rose Polish, Nude Polish

Vampire Polish, Military Polish, Posh Polish

Coral Polish, Saucy Polish, Chi Chi Polish

Rain Polish, Pastel Polish, Lilac Polish

The next thing i absolutely love, is Eyeko's Graffiti Eyeliner. If you struggle to use liquid liner but still want the perfect glossy line, you need these in you life. You can draw lines in varied thickness and it's so simple. Even if you've never ventured into the world of liquid liner, i would definitely start out with these. If i'm in a rush this is one of the things i grab to draw a quick no fuss line..and also very easy to do the classic winged eyeliner. These are priced at £5 each and come in Black, Brown, Navy and Purple.

Last but by no means least, is this "Magic Mascara". I got this in my Eyeko goody bag and have used it everyday since. I absolutely love it. The first thing i love about it, is the packaging. The prettiest mascara i have ever had in my collection. I could just leave it out to look all pretty on my dressing table and still feel satisfied with it. It also feels expensive & has that nice weighty feeling (which i like). Aside from it's good looks, this mascara certainly doesn't fail in giving you "Magic" Lashes. It seperates beyond belief, really making my lashes look full and defined and naturally very fluttery. No clumping either! Even after 2 coats. The brush is what i like to call my perfect brush. Big, bushy and not made of plastic. I love love love it. Lashes look naturally gorgeous and have had many people asking me what mascara im wearing. This is £8 on the website.

If any of you fancy ordering from Eyeko, I am an ambassador so you can enter my code E11310 at the checkout and you will recieve a free gift with your purchases. I would strongly urge you to go and check out some of the products, especially those i have mentioned and they ship internationally :)

Click here to go to the Eyeko website

♥

Review: Botanics Face Balm

When i was in Boots recently, they had a 3 for 2 offer on all skincare.

After recently trying out the botanics eye makeup remover and being highly impressed with it, i went back for more and thought i would try out some other things in the Botanics range.
One of the things that caught my eye was this "Organic, Face Super Balm"


The Price: £4.88

What the box says...

"This richly hydrating superbalm is blended for the use on areas that really need extra moisture. With Argan Oil to deeply moisturise and protect, plus shea butter to nourish and condition."

What is Argan Oil?

"The Argan tree is perfectly adapted to cope with the harsh conditions of heat and the drought of its native Morocco. The oil, rich in polyunsaturates and natural Vitamin E, has been the local women's beauty secret for centuries, nourishing and protecting the skin."

(I love that they explain the main ingredients on the back of the boxes. I wouldn't have had a clue what argan oil was had it not been there! Thumbs up Botanics!)

What I think...

During the winter, i get awful dry skin..not all over, just in patches..making my skin combination, and finding it hard to keep both the oily and dry areas at bay. I have been looking for something exactly like this to rub onto the dry skin.
I have already started getting winter skin, and its only september...how depressing, summer is now officially over in my books. I have been using this for the past week or so, and its become my new best friend. The pot is small enough to chuck in your handbag or makeup bag to take it with you and apply whenever needed. It's very concentrated and so you don't need much. I love the consistency of it...i always feel like lotions dont moisturise my dry skin well enough, or i have to apply it alot more regularly. When i apply a fingertip amount of this, it lasts so much longer.
It's almost like rubbing vaseline into your skin, and the dry, flakiness that was once there, can no longer be seen. I also apply this before bed a bit thicker, and then when i wake up, dry skin is deminished :)

I'm so pleased i found this! I know it's going to be a life saver when it starts getting alot colder.
♥

Chanel Injection.

I think it's only right, that in every female's life, there comes a time when we need that tiny little top up of high end nice-ness. Something I like to call a "Chanel Injection". We don't need it daily, or even weekly in order to keep us going...just every now and then, to keep the smiles on our faces & to boost our retail therapy excitedness.

This is what I will continue to tell myself when I start to think "I possibly shouldn't have spent so much at the Chanel counter this month". But fear not, I don't do it often and injections are always beneficial right?

So, My first trip was purely to get a sample of the Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation, of which I ended up walking away with the Soleil De Tan Bronzer and another little sample of some Mascara. The lady was so nice though, and I had wanted it for ages. I'm enjoying using it, although, I do find it leaves me a little patchy at the end of the day as it's not your typical powder bronzer. Does anyone know how I can combat this? The colour is nice also and it looks pretty sat on my dressing table (please remember ladies, this is NOT a reason you should buy any product, but it is slightly more satisfactory than a boring revlon bronzer). I've not yet used the mascara sample, but it is a plastic brush, which aren't my favourite kind. In fact, I normally avoid all plastic applicators as I find bristles give a better effect in general, but this could change my mind.

Onto the foundation, and the reason for my second Chanel purchase. I used the sample (which was quite generous, you could get at least 3 applications from it) and I instantly fell in love with it and ran out and purchased it. I have however, since using it on a number of different occasions, come to the conclusion, that although it's a fantastic foundation and has everything I love about a foundation in it (natural coverage, great colour, sinks in fast, looks flawless yet natural, not too dewy, not too matte), I think it may be a bit on the drying side. At first it didn't seem at all drying, but as the days go on, it seems to cling to any dry patches on my face (just like pro lumiere did), I'm starting to think there is something in Chanel foundations that do this to my face. Is it just me? I find that I need to exfoliate more, and moisturise more, even though at the moment my skin isn't really all that dry. I still really love this foundation, albeit it a bit more on the pricey side, and slightly drying and i'll keep using it. Not too sure i'll repurchase though.

Do you ever have these naughty little splurges? Please reassure me. haha.

♥

September GlossyBox

After attending the GlossyBox Event, I was super excited to receive the September GlossyBox in the post. There is definitely that element of excitement not knowing what you are going to get & everything is presented so beautifully. I understand that the contents of each box may vary slightly but these are the products I received in mine:

♥ L'oreal Professionelle Mythic Hair Oil
♥ HD Brows Eye & Brow Palette
♥ StriVectin SD Eye Concetrate
♥ Mary Greenwell Plum Eau de Parfum Sample
♥ Nuxe HuileProdigieuse (dry oil)

My favourite item is definitely the brow kit. The shadows are so pigmented and easy to blend & I've really enjoyed using it, the colours will also be really good for smokey brown eyes although I have yet to try this out. Besides this palette, I've not really had the chance to try anything else in the box out yet (I'm still trialling the things from the event). I have however given the perfume a little sniff, and that one is not for me at all. It smelt a little like an older lady's choice of perfume in my opinion. Possibly a bit too floral for my liking. Although it could be someone else's cuppa.
I'm still undecided on whether to subscribe to GlossyBox or not. I think the concept is amazing, and a great oppertunity for beauty fanatics to try new, exciting products and I think that it's also a great idea as a gift for someone, I know for a fact my mum would love this sort of thing.

What do you think of GlossyBox? Have you subscribed or are you thinking about it? Let me know your thoughts :)

♥

Illamasqua Dystopia

I was introduced to this collection at the Illamasqua event a few weeks ago.
In all honesty, there were only a few things i really felt i would wear.
The collection is very different from the previous Sirens collection, which i would describe as "safe", something you could wear everyday for a summery, bronzed look.
This collection I would say is more vampy & smokey. Something i would probabaly be more likely to wear at night.

At the event itself, we were given 2 items to try out.
I was given the 2 lipglosses. One being a gorgeous milky pearlescent shade & the other a very scary metallic silver, which, i don't really think i will wear. Its a fab idea, but personally i think the only time i would ever rock a silver metallic lip is for a photo sesh. I've seen people dabbing it in the center of the bottom lip, and i agree that looks fab, but i think thats as far as i'd go.
The MA at Illamasqua suggested to use it on your eyes, i tried this & i hated it. I find it FAR too sticky to put anywhere near my eyes. Think of honey on your eyelids haha.
I immediately had to wash it off (and that took ages) I think if you want to achieve the mega metallic look on the eyes, stick to the liquid metals.

2 things i really did love from the Dystopia collection, were the pigments. I love that you can use these anywhere. Lips, Eyes, Cheekbones, Cupids bow, Collar bones, Clear Polish...etc etc.
And I highly rate the packaging idea, it has proved to be very tidy...pigments..as a rule...are not tidy..
The two pigments are "Static" & "Android".
Static being a gorgeous pearlescent shade. It pictures awfully but looks amazing.
Android is a dark grey with fine particles of silver glitter...again, very pretty.
With all pigments though..there is fall out...annoying but it's hard to prevent this.

I didn't have anything like this in my makeup collection. I have heard fellow bloggers compare Static to a Mac Pigment (which i can't remember what it's called - so that was a whole lot of good..)
The Illamasua MUA (who by the way, was one of the nicest most helpful people ever, which i hadn't experienced at an illamasqua counter before...) demonstrated the foiling effect of the pigments using sealing gel. It looks amazing, and since i didn't own Mac's version, i decided to buy it with the pigments so i could use it for liner and minimising fall out.

Above are swatches of the pigments. On the left side of my hand are the pigments without the sealing gel & on the right is with. It makes such a difference.

The lipglosses i find to be quite sticky, and i do not like the applicators. I find i have to stare at it, make sure some comes out, i go to put it on my lips and its sucked back down...mine also got messy very quickly. However, one plus point of the application is that you can layer it on top of a coloured lipstick and not have the colour rub off onto the applicator. I also think these last a reasonably long time!

Left: Explode sheer gloss, Right: Galactic intense gloss

Besides the fact i think they're quite sticky and a little messy, i really do love Explode gloss. Its one of those shades that will tone down a bright lipstick and give it a gorgeous pearlescent glaze on top. I have been teaming this with a lot of different bright colours and i have become a little bit addicted to it. Would reccommend this one highly :)

Overall, i wasn't blown away by the collection, but there are some gems in there that if you dont already own something similar, you should definitely check out.
Hope this has helped some of you!

♥