I normally tend to stick to the info when it comes to these Lush blog posts, however I just can't with this one. This is their Milky Bath Bubble Bar & you know what I think it's one of my new favourites.
If you love a clean crisp bath experience, you will love this. It has a lovely clean scent & produces pure white bubbles. Very pretty!
It is also really quite moisturising without covering you in glitter.
Now you guys all know that I absolutely love GlamGlow's SuperMud face mask, so I have since purchased some of their other face masks to see if they're just as good.
So I recently tried out their YouthMud face mask & I have to say I have some mixed feelings about it.
So I have used this mask a few times, so I think I can make a fair comment on how it worked for me. I will say it does work, it makes your skin feel super clean & look a lot healthier/ clearer. However it is one of those masks that brings all the nasty things to the surface, so after a few days don't be surprised by some spots!
There isn't the features of this mask that bother me, it's more the texture & feeling of it whilst on the skin. It honestly has the texture of sand, which I find a little hard to apply to the skin or too abrasive for my skin at least. Another thing is that it kind of strings my face when I first put it on & for probably the first five minutes of the face mask. I have heard a lot of people have this or worse, a burning feeling when using this face mask.
So that's why I'm so undecided on it & with the price tag being so big, I don't think I'll be repurchasing this mask. I'm glad I tired it, but I feel like it's really not for my skin type.
Up until now I have only ever tried one of GlamGlow's face masks, however I have been dying to try some of the others for ages! When I was in Rome I picked up some sample sizes to try.
I am planning on reviewing the other ones as well in the future, but this is the only one I've tried so far.
The one I have tried so far is the Thirsty Mud hydrating treatment.
Firstly, can we talk about this packaging??
GlamGlow packaging is always amazing and these sample sizes are no different. Sounds silly, but I love that the sample packaging is actually the same as the full size!
So onto the mask, this mask is a hydrating face mask for those times when your skin is feeling a little dry & in need of moisture. So I imagine if you have dry skin in general this product would be perfect for you!
I only tend to get dry areas on my face, so for me this is probably best used as part of a multi-masking routine (using more than one mask, different masks for different problem areas).
As I don't really suffer with dry skin too much I thought this product was going to be a little wasted on me, however I would have to say I was wrong!
The first time I used this mask was after I got back from Rome. The climate was so hot out there that it had dried my skin out quite a lot, so this had to be really moisturising to make a difference. I'm happy to report that I only needed to use this once, to restore my skin to normal!
So I am very impressed with this mask & I think if you're going away it's definitely worth trying.
It would be perfect for long haul flights, holidays & season changes (which we are undergoing right now).
I think in the winter months this mask is really going to come into it's own for me, because crazy British weather = dry skin!
So today's Lush product review is their Comforter Bubbler Bar.
I love bath bombs, but they don't really creates bubbles which are a perfect little addition to any bath, so this is where Bubble Bars come in. So I like to combine both a bath bomb & some bubble bar in my baths.
Bubble Bars are great as they are better value for money, due to them being reusable. Instead of putting the whole thing in, simply break a bit off and run it under the tap.
Now onto this specific Bubble Bar, The Comforter Bubble bar has an amazing smell! It's super sweet, it reminds me of a type of sweet I used to have as a kid. However I can't figure out what sweet it is. Neither way it really is very comforting, to me anyway.
It also adds a lovely pink colour to your bath water, as well as looking amazing on your shelf or wherever you display your Lush products (let's face it we all do).
That's right, I have another Lush demo & review for you.
What can I say, I'm just in love with the stuff at the moment.
So the product we're reviewing today is their Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb.
So this bath bomb is meant to be very citrusy making it refreshing & invigorating.
It is also meant to change you bath water to a beautiful golden colour, hidden inside the egg.
I will say the citrus scent of this bath bomb is right up my street, I love scents like that. It really does refresh you & perk you up a bit. I also love the little colourful bursts it gives off whilst fizzing away.
However the only problem I had with this bath bomb is it didn't completely dissolve, so I was left with a big lump floating round my bath.
Lip balm, an absolute essential. Whenever & wherever!
I've tried so many different lip balms throughout the years & still haven't found one that I wholeheartedly love (sad face).
So I've been testing out some of The Body Shop's Lip Butters.
The flavours I picked up are Strawberry & Honeymania.
These are pot packaged lip balms which aren't my preferred type of packaging, for hygiene reasons. Also when you have long nails it's a nightmare, it just ends up all under your nails!
That aside though the scent of these is nice but not too overpowering, even when on the lips & in the pot. I do prefer the honey though, as it's not quite as sweet.
The formula is quite thick & hard in the pot, but warms & softens quickly when you use it. In fact, when softened I would say it's quite a thin so I tend to apply a good amount.
Overall if you like your lip balm in a cute convenient pot, which actually works then they're definitely worth trying. I would recommend the Honey over the Strawberry though.
Me & Liam went to Rome for a few days, it was amazing. If you've never been I'd highly recommend it!
Whilst we were there we came across a Sephora!
Which to most sounds like nothing but to Brits it's quite a big thing, seeing as we don't have them in the UK.
So I figured it was only right to do a little bit of a haul for you guys on what I got.
So the first thing I picked up was a Beauty Blender. I know these are now available in the UK but it was a much better price in Rome, so I figured I should get one FINALLY.
I have to say, it was definitely worth it! I've only used it a handful of times but I'm completely in love with it!
I also picked up some face masks. I decided to try one of the Sephora sheet masks as I know a lot of other bloggers rate them quite highly. I have yet to use it yet though.
I also picked up this GlamGlow gift set, which I thought was too cute to pass up!
Firstly the mini sized pots are just adorable & I know from experience that these masks tend to be pretty good. Me & Liam both love the SuperMud mask.
I'm looking forward to testing out all of the others too!
Coconut oil is a staple item that everyone should have in their cupboard. Why?
Well it's just so damn useful!
You can use it for a ridiculous amount of thing from hair treatments to cooking ingredients!
So I'm going to share some of its uses with you below.
Oil Pulling - Teeth Whitening
I haven't really looked into this use much as I already have a teeth whitening method that works for me (Doll White Strips). However there are a lot of company marketing/ selling this method.
Hair Mask/ Oil
You can either use this as a overall hair mask or as a hair oil. I personally prefer to use it as an oil. I use it sometimes to add some moisture to the ends of my hair. As I have long hair the ends can get pretty dry so sometimes they need some added moisture from an oil, coconut oil is perfect for this. Plus it smells great.
Facial Oil
Again another I don't tend to use, but a lot of people swear by coconut oil as a facial oil. Use it overnight to add moisture to the face & to reduce oil production in the daytime. Some even use it as a cleansing oil to remove make up.
Cuticle Oil
This is what I mean by a multipurpose product, basically you can use this as an oil anywhere on the body really. A lot of people like to use it on their cuticles as part of a manicure.
On Pets/ Animals
Whether it's a dog, horse or whatever pet you may have you should have some coconut oil lying around just in case. I know last year this was an essential for my horse as he had a lot of dry scabby skin on his fetlocks (ankles) & it was the only thing that made it better. If your animal is suffering with any flaky/ scabby/ dry skin issues apple some coconut oil to the area a few times, you will see a difference.
Cooking
A lot of healthy recipes these days use coconut oil in them. It can be using in baking for flavour & in cooking to add your diet. Using it to grease a pan can help add to your good fat for the day. It can be very helpful if you're very strict with your diet or counting your macros.
I really like doing wish list posts, but it's been a while so we're going to be talking about some US beauty products that I'd love to get my hands on!
I am aware that some of these are available in the UK, but generally they're not very readily available.
1. Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade in Auburn
There is SO much hype around this brand in general that I would love to try at least one of their brow products. I know everyone loves the Brow-Wiz however I'm not a big fan of brow pencils. I also like that ABH have a great colour selection in their brow products, as it can be quite hard to find a good match when you have red hair.
2. Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer
Again this is a product you hear quite some hype about. I love concealer & it's a total must have for me, so it would be awesome to discover another great one. I've also heard this is quite good for covering tattoos if necessary. Not that I do that ever really.
3. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
I feel like I would really like this mascara, the wand looks really awesome & with its name surely it has to be good right??
4. Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita
Another rave product, mauve nudes are my favourite colour to wear as they work well with my hair colour. Sadly at the moment everyone else loves them too, so products like this are always sold out. I have also heard that the formula of theses are incredible.
5. NEST White Sandalwood Rollerball
Now this product I'm not sure is available in the UK but I love trying new fragrances & have heard that some of these Nest fragrances are lush! I know Fleur De Force loves them. I feel like some of their scents are very similar to companies such as Jo Malone. Shame this isn't a spray instead of a rollerball though!
6. First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with red clay
This is another brand which is quite difficult to find in the UK! However for years I have heard amazing things about a variety of their products. I don't change my cleanser up much, but this one looks really interesting & different. Also I'm all about clay based products, I generally really like them!
So today we're going to be talking The Body Shop's Vitamin E range.
Three products in particular: Vitamin E Hydrating Toner, Moisture Cream & Night Cream.
So firstly I'm going to talk about the toner. This is just like any other toner for me, I don't find it to anything too special. It is still a nice soothing toner, which I would say is suitable for just about any skin type! It does add some moisture to the skin, like it's name states, which is nice as some toners can be a little drying.
Next I'm going to talk about the day/ moisture cream. Now this is my favourite of the three products! It is a really nice light day cream, which is really moisturising but doesn't leave my face feeling or looking greasy. It is more on the thinner side of day creams but I like that in my creams. I have to say as well I've had no breakouts whilst using the cream, which is a win.
The night cream I quite like. It feels soothing & gentle on the skin. It is a thicker cream, like most night creams are. This makes it really moisturising, however it can take a little while to sink into the skin. I like how it's quite a simple cream & does cause any undesirable side effects on your skin.
These products do have a light scent to them, which I can only describe as 'eau de old lady' (haha). But it's not so strong that it stops me using the products, so it can't be that bad.
I get so many questions these days about Blepharitis in general & skincare/ beauty products make a large percentage of those questions.
So today we're going to talking about Blepharitis safe skincare.
You might think you can use any skincare, when suffering however this isn't always the case. A lot of products can be heavy, especially eye creams & these can irritate the eyes. Also if a product is quite highly scented to fumes can get in your eye irritating them further or even making them sting.
So if you are suffering from Blepharitis it's definitely worth taking a look at your skincare products before repurchasing.
So here are some products that I've found to be suitable.
Simple Soothing Eye Balm
This is a holy grail for me! Honestly it is the best eye cream for anyone with Blepharitis, I swear. It's so Simple (get it) that you can smother it all over your dry/ sore eyes & it won't sting or upset your eyes. It has no fragrance as well, which is ideal. Sometimes if my eyes are sore, the skin around them can get really sore too & this is perfect for that. I even keep a spare in my handbag!
Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser
This is very much like the eye balm, in the sense that it has no fragrance & no nasty strong chemicals in it. Again this is product you can literally use anywhere, even on the eyes if needs be. It's very moisturising & a little goes a long way. I also find this to be the only facial cream I can get away with using on broken or irritated skin (ie. if you have a red nose from an allergy or cold).
Benefit Dream Screen
This product is a little bit more holiday focused, although there is no reason you can't use in your everyday skincare routine. In fact it's probably advisable if you're using the Simple moisturiser mentioned above, as that has no SPF in it.
This facial sun cream is the only one I've found that isn't super greasy & heavy. It is scented, but only very lightly so it doesn't upset my eyes. I wouldn't advise applying it to your eye area, simply throw some sunglasses on!
Simple Micellar Water
This post isn't sponsored by Simple, I promise. They just make amazing skincare for those of us sensitive eye/ skin folk. This & facial wipes are the only products I've found which don't sting my eyes when cleaning my face & especially when removing make up. I would advise the micellar water over wipes as wipes only remove a certain amount of your make up.
Superdrug De-stressing Face Mask
Some face masks can create a lot of fumes or can simply irritate your skin if you apply them too close to your eyes. I find the more natural face mask you can find the better. I've picked this one by Superdrug as it doesn't do anything crazy, but it does refresh your skin & leave it feeling super smooth. Another thing about this mask is that it has no scrub particles in it, so they can't get in your eyes.
So I couldn't help myself, I headed into Lush the other day.
I actually went in for someone else, but I just couldn't resist getting a few bath bombs!
I actually wanted to get Unicorn Horn but I couldn't find it (sad face), however I did still pick up one thing from their Valentine's range. I got the Lover Lamp bath bomb.
I also wanted to try out their Sex Bomb bath bomb, from the standard range.
So Lover Lamp fizzes away to release these super cute red hearts. Making for a romantic bath experience. The hearts contain cocoa butter moisturising your skin. It very much remains me of the Butterbear bath bomb, as the ingredients are very similar, with the cocoa butter & vanilla. This also has added brazilian orange oil for a hint of zest!
Sex bomb is classic at Lush, it has been a round for quite a while now. Turning your bath water a gorgeous pink colour, this bomb contains jasmine, ylang ylang & clary sage to help relax & destress. The scent is floral & seductive, perfect for a bit of you time!
I am not really one for hand creams, I use them when I have to but generally I don't really like them.
However..
I have found one that I LOVE!
It is Soap & Glory's Hand Food in the Sugar Crush scent.
I have tried the original one & like the formula, but I find the smell goes off very quickly which isn't nice. The sugar Crush one though! It's just amazing!
Firstly I love the sugar crush scent range from Soap & glory anyway! To be honest I think it's my favourite of all their scents. It's a delightful sweet citrus scent, very unique & refreshing!
I also love the formula of this hand cream, it's very much the same as the original. So if you like the original, you'll most likely love this one too! It's a moisturising but none greasy formula. I can't stand greasy hand creams, let's face it, we're all too busy for that nonsense.
This isn't super super moisturising, but I prefer my hand creams that way, as this trait is what makes a lot of them really greasy.
I only own the sample size of this product, but these sample sizes usually last me at least 6 - 8 months. To be honest I'm not exactly sure you can get a full size of this product, or buy it outside of a gift set. If you do see it though, I would very much advise picking it up!
Mac sometimes do this awesome thing where if you fill out your email on a social media form you can get a free sample of a product. On one of these occasions I managed to bag myself a sample of their Prep & Prime Skin Base Visage.
I believe this product is meant to be a moisturising & illuminating skin base/ primer.
So my initial thoughts when swatching this product was that there are some small glitter particles in it, so I thought I wasn't going to like it. However I actually really like it, having tried it a good few times!
It is quite moisturising on the skin, it would definitely be ideal if you wanted a two in one moisturiser & primer. As for the glitter, you really can't see it on the skin. It does create a bit of illumination on the skin though, ideal for someone with drier skin I'd say.
In terms of priming though I don't feel like this makes my make up last any longer. Really it's just creating a moisturised base to help your make up go on smoother.
It's a nice product & I will definitely use up all of the sample. I'm not sure I would pay £21.00 for the full size though, just because I don't really desire the illuminating effect in my primers.
So overall a nice product, but for me probably not worth the splurge!
Is it terrible that until now I have never tried a Clinique product?
To be honest I just haven't felt the need to, my skin generally is very settled & I don't suffer with dry skin or acne problems. I use mostly drugstore skincare products on my face, as my skin doesn't want for much.
My skin is combination, getting a bit oily in the centre throughout the day.
I got this sample with a magazine, so thought I might as well use it.
You know what I really like it!
This is Clinique's dramatically different moisturising lotion+.
(long name much?)
So it says on the tube that this lotion is very very dry skin, however I would have to disagree. If it was, surely it would make my skin super greasy. It's just the right amount of moisture for my skin!
It's moisturising but doesn't leave me too oily or greasy. I still get a bit of oiliness in the centre of my face, but it's mostly just my chin. This lotion also sinks into the skin really quickly, which makes it great if you're applying make up straight after application.
I thought Clinique products were meant to be quite strong, maybe that's just their acne range(s), but this feels more like a Simple product on the skin. It does have scent to it, but it's nothing too offensive or strong, which is also nice.
Overall a really nice moisturising lotion, it doesn't do anything too dramatic (unlike it's name) but it does help keep your skin balanced & happy!
The price of this ranges from £18 - £38, I think the price does put me off a bit. If I did want to have a splurge though £18 doesn't seem to crazy to me for a good lotion I know works with my skin.
As you all probably know by now I LOVE Lush's Mask of Magnaminty face mask. So I decided to try another mask by them.
This is Lush's Cup O' Coffee face mask.
This mask is an exfoliating mask consisting of a variety of natural ingredients including ground coffee, cocoa extract, fair trade vanilla & more.
So my thoughts on the mask.
I'm going to be honest here I hate the smell of coffee & this stinks of it! The scent is so strong I could still smell it the next morning when I was washing my face in the shower. This initially put me off this mask.
I have used the mask a couple of times now, because if it gave me amazing results I think I could deal with the smell.
When they say this is an exfoliating mask, they aren't kidding!!
I would only recommend this mask if you have extremely oily skin. I have combo skin, with oiliness in the centre of my face & I found this mask to be very drying.
After I washed it off my skin felt too dry to me, so I actually had to use a hydrating treatment (h2o+ hydrating treatment) to add some moisture back to my face.
This mask might also be good for drying out any nasty spots you have, seeing as it is very drying.
I'm having a little favourites break on the old youtube channel. In case you're missing them though, here are some of my current everyday favourite items!
Soap & Glory Mist You Madly body spray
This is my to go daily fragrance at the moment. It smells of Soap & Glory's original scent, which I'm sure most of you are aware of. It's a perfect everyday scent as it's nice, yet not overpowering. For a body spray this actually lasts a really long time too.
L'Oreal Skin Perfection primer
This is perfect for both make up & no make up days! It acts as a great base if you are wearing make up, however it also has great blurring properties even without make up. It's a great little addition to your skincare/ make up routine.
Simple eye balm
This thing has saved my eyes! I used to really struggle to use eye creams, as my Blepharitis makes my eyes super sensitive & the skin around them. This product has so little in it, which makes it perfect. It's not heavy or stings, it just hydrates!
Lush Bubblegum lip scrub
We are still in that cold spell & my lips keep getting really dry/ chapped so this is ideal to buff that nasty dry skin away. It tastes amazing & really exfoliates my lips.
Nivea Stress Protect anti-perspirant
I've been using this deodorant for so long, it's pretty much a holy grail. It's probably one of the few ones that I've tried that actually works! Although I'd have to say the Nivea one's are pretty good in general.
Soap & Glory Hand Food hand cream
Again this weather is making my knuckles really dry, so currently hand cream is a must! I really like this one because it's non-greasy & smells incredible. The scent is the Sugarcrust scent, which is a sweet citrusy smell. I love it!
Today guys we are talking face masks. Now this is a topic I love!
I feel like face masks are possibly one of the most important parts of any skincare routine.
They are a treat that is actually good for you!
(That's perfection right there, if only cake was the same!)
So I wanted to share with you a few of my current favourite face masks.
Lush - Mask of Magnaminty
(normal & self-preserving).
This mask is just incredible, I really can't say anything bad about it. I would say the self-preserving is better targeted at dry skin, whilst the original is more for combo to oily skin so choose according to your skin needs. However they do have everyone covered, good work Lush!
The mask is a mud mask, I believe, packed full of beneficial natural ingredients & costs at the most £9.95.
It is perfect if you're after that glowing skin look & it is also great for getting rid of spots! I would say acne might be a different story, however the natural ingredients will definitely do you no harm.
It does also have some organic ground aduki beans in it which act as an exfoliant when you wash it off.
GlamGlow - Cleansing Treatment
Now this product is on a totally different scale to the Lush masks on price alone. To be honest it's one of those products I hate to like because the price makes me want to cry! However this is my second pot of it so it must be good.
Glamglow is cult beauty brand that so many bloggers/ vloggers talk about & I can see why. This mask smells amazingly yummy & gets rid of nasty spots like no other. If you have any really inflamed & red spots just apply some of this! I've seen it reduce the size of spots by half in just one use (on both me & my brother). It is also great for blackheads, I feel like this really keeps mine from getting too out of control & visible.
So instead of doing an end of year favourites I wanted to film something a little different.
So I decided to go with my favourite finds/ discoveries of 2015!
Some of my highlights have been finding out how amazing lip liners are, especially MACs & NYX's contour palette which is the first contour palette I've found for truly pale people. There have been plenty of other items too including haircare, more beauty, body care & skincare!
So it's time to sort through all the goodies from the past month. I am quite the fan of beauty advent calendars, so this year I decided to try The Body Shop's!
Firstly the packaging is super cute & festive. It really is 24 happy days!
The inside packaging is just as amazing, with these present tag designed boxes.
Each containing a lovely bath, body or beauty based item.
I'll admit like most calendars there are the odd products that are 'filler' gifts, however there were only 2 within this calendar. Which is a lot better than some of the previous calendars I've had!
Check out the video below for my full unboxing & see what goodies are inside!
Hi, I'm Eve. I'm a 23 year old professional photographer, who also has an interest in blogging/ vlogging. I like to write about anything really, from beauty to health issues!
