Rosy Cheeks

By now it’s no secret that I’m completely obsessed with Lush, and one thing that I love is that every time you bring back 5 (clean!) empty black pots into store, they give you a free Fresh Face Mask of your choice.

After storing up my pots, I decided to try something new, rather than opting for my usual BB Seaweed, I thought I would try something new and picked up a pot of Rosy Cheeks.

The day after a party, and on an unpleasantly muggy day, I was eager to try out this soothing mask. Because these are fresh masks, you keep them in the fridge, and the cooling sensation was very welcome feature.

Although Rose Petal Infusion and Rose Oil are amongst the ingredients, the mask has a very light, fresh scent, a relief for someone who isn’t overly keen on floral scents.

Another active ingredient is Calamine Powder. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I distinctly remember my mum smothering calamine lotion on me when ever I caught the sun or had a particularly bad patch of childhood eczema, so I already knew that this was a fantastic ingredient for soothing the skin and calming down redness. I often get patches of redness in my cheeks, particularly on a warm day (or after a couple of drinks), and have found that the mixture of the mask coming straight from the fridge and the Calamine Powder help bring that redness down instantly.

Now if you’re anything like me, you’ll find the drying down of a face mask weirdly satisfying, and you won’t be disappointed! After about 10 minutes this mask has dried down, but not in a flaky way, more of a tacky layer where you can still actually move your face (a bonus in my book).

It only takes a couple of splashes under the tap to remove this, and I would recommend using cool water – after all, you don’t want to undo all that cooling straight away!

After wiping the mask away, my skin feels soothed and refreshed, the redness has left my cheeks and my usually very uneven skin tone is much less blotchy. This mask gives a matte finish, which is something I really enjoy as I tend to have a very oily T zone. It also works in removing leftover makeup residue if you’re as rubbish as removing it as I am!

I’m so glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried something new. I can be pretty fussy with face masks, but Rosy Cheeks is definitely going to become a regular in my beauty regime!

Jessica

xXx

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

Another ridiculous name in attempt to make a product sound fancy and scientific. I’m onto you, skincare companies. This mask retails at £32.00 for 50ml on the REN website, and the description states:

“A blend of Glycolic, Lactic, Citric and Tartaric Acids, sourced from extracts of Pineapple, Passion Fruit, Lemon and Grape, work with Papain from Mexican Papaya to deeply exfoliate, decongest and purify the skin thereby smoothing skin texture and reducing the appearance of fine lines. Omega 3 and 7 nourish, soothe and repair the skin to ensure skin remains calm and soothed.”

Application

This stuff is bright yellow! And really slimy. Unpleasantly slimy. I put it on and immediately wanted to wipe the yellow mucus that was now covering my face. But I resisted and gave it the ten minutes it advises.

The Drying

I don’t know if this mask is supposed to dry, but it didn’t. It continued to feel like I had been the victim of the Ghostbusters’ slime for the entire ten minutes.

Removal

Thank God this was fairly easy to remove. A gentle wipe with a hot damp flannel did the trick. It feels like it should have dried and been a peel-off mask, but it’s not (I checked).

Aftermath

Immediately afterwards I didn’t notice any difference. It seems like all that repulsion at my own face was for nothing. I went and made myself a consolatory cup of tea. However, after a couple of minutes, my skin started to feel really tight and fresh. I looked in the mirror and the slime attack had miraculously evened my blotchy skin tone!

Overall

Okay, so if you can get past the weird grass/medicinal smell and the disgusting slimy texture, this is actually a really great mask. I wouldn’t use it more than once a week because I can see that it might dry your skin out if you overuse it, but my skin looks and feels really great. The blend of acids (that sounds terrifying) helps to get rid of any dead skin and leaves your skin feeling incredibly soft. It also did wonders for the pores on my nose, and after just one use I can totally see a difference. At £32.00, this mask is extremely expensive, however I would be more inclined to spend the money on this than on the Glam Glow Youthmud mask. 

Glam Glow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment Review

Yes, ‘tinglexfoliate’.

So a friend of mine recently gave me some free samples from her work, and amongst them was a 5g sachet of this face mask. Now a 50g tub of this stuff retails for £49.00 on the Glam Glow website which lasts about 10 uses (that’s £4.90 per application!) I guess what I’m trying to say is that this stuff is expensive, but I’ve heard amazing things about the brand so I was really excited to try it out.

This particular mask contains volcanic rock, french sea clay and active green tea leaf. Fancy.

 

Application

It got a bit of an odd consistency for a face mask, it’s very gritty and there was a bit of fall out but all in all I loved the exfoliating element of this mask – it was like a whole two in one deal. And 5g is just the right amount for one application, so no shortfall and no wastage either.

 

The ‘Tingle’

Okay, I know this mask was supposed to ‘tingle’, but MY GOD. It burns. Really burns. And I don’t have a problem with sensitive skin on my face, so it’s extremely rare for this to happen. It burned so much that I had to resort to sticking my face out of the bathroom window to cool it down. This sensation only lasted a minute tops, but from a mask that’s supposed to make you feel like you’re in a spa, I was feeling far from relaxed with my head out of my window and a towel on my head for all my neighbours to enjoy. The burning went away, but the embarrassment will stick with me forever. 

 

The Drying

This is always my favourite part of a facemask, the part where your entire face is dry and you can’t even move your mouth. I get bored easily, so having an element of ‘this is cool, I can’t raise my eyebrows’ is always entertaining for me. And this mask did not disappoint. My face felt tight within three or four minutes. 10/10 for rock hard faceness.

 

Removal

This mask was surprisingly easy to remove with a hot damp flannel, and the exfoliating effect actually felt really nice. My face was a little pink, but I’m putting that down to the hot flannel.

 

Aftermath

OH MY GOD my face was tight. But tight in a ‘I feel ten years younger and ten times more glamorous’ way. I could not stop touching my face. It’s like it temporarily irradiated all of my pores and blackheads and imperfections, and I totally agree with its claims that it gives you ‘instant camera ready skin in 10 minutes’. I’ve never used a face mask that made my skin look and feel that good before. 

 

Overall

This mask is expensive. Too expensive. Not even a few hours of having a softy soft face can justify paying that much money for a tub of mud. But if you’re suddenly in the mood to spend an obscene amount of money of skincare, go for it, just be prepared for the burn on your face as well as the burning of a hole in your pocket.

 

 

March Favourites

If you’re anything like me, you can’t believe it’s already April either! It seems like only a couple of weeks ago I was in front of the fire in a big baggy jumper with my family celebrating Christmas, and now I’m digging out my floral skirts and sandals. Madness.

Recently I’ve been trying out a lot of new products, some which I love and some which I hate, so I thought I would do a quick post about the products I was loving in March!

Make Up Storage

My old, clear plastic make up storage was looking a little bit sad and cracked, and I had run out of space to store everything, so I thought I would treat myself to an upgrade! I searched for ages to find something that I liked, but I finally found this on Amazon for £20.99 (the price has since gone up to £22.49 since my purchase). It said it would take around 3 weeks to be delivered, but I actually received mine around ten days after I purchased it which I was really impressed with! It’s absolutely enormous, with 8 compartments and 3 long drawers – plenty of space to store my cosmetics and more! I posted the picture of it on Instagram and not only did it very quickly become my most liked post ever, I also had 6 different people asking where I got it from! If you’re curious, here’s the link!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

This is the one product that all British Beauty Bloggers/Vloggers rave about, and I finally remembered to pick one up in Boots about a week ago. Straight away, I could see why people love this product! I got mine for £3.99 (RRP £4.19) in the shade 01 Fair – I was a bit worried at first that even though I’m very pale it would be too light for me, but it’s absolutely perfect. I struggle with awful dark circles under my eyes, and I’ve been trying to find something to help for ages and this really does the job. I apply it over my foundation in an upside down triangle shape under my eyes and blend it out with my miracle complexion sponge and it just brightens up those really dark areas amazingly. It’s great for small blemishes too, and it isn’t cakey or drying like a lot of drugstore concealers.

Rimmel London Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob

I’m a big fan of Beauty Blogger/Vlogger Meg Says, and she recently mentioned in a video that this was one of her favourite lip liners, and since we have similar complexions, I thought I would give it a go and I was not disappointed. It glides onto your lips so well and its a beautiful nude-pink colour. It’s great as a base for lipstick, or it looks lovely on it’s own with a bit of lip balm or gloss over the top.

*If you want to check out more from Meg Says, here’s her Youtube and Blog!

Rimmel London Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in 08 Rossetto

I am obsessed with this lipstick. Pretty much every time I’ve gone out for the past month, I’ve been wearing this shade. It goes great over the top of the Eastend Snob lip liner, and it’s a stunning nude-pink shade. I’ve never really tried out nude lipsticks, as I tend to like my statement reds, but this has me completely converted! I’ve had so many people complimenting me on this and asking where I got it from, so I had to mention it in this post! I’ve not really been a fan of Rimmel lipsticks in the past as I’ve found them to be quite drying, but this one has a much more creamy formula than the others I’ve tried, and it has really great staying power. I can’t recommend this highly enough!

American Cream Hair Conditioner

Of course I had to mention something from LUSH! I love this stuff! Not only does it smell absolutely amazing, but it always leaves my hair feeling soft, and frizz-free without being weighted down, and it’s perfect for defining and controlling wild curls like mine! If you’re new to LUSH hair products (or just LUSH in general) and you’re a bit unsure of using a solid conditioner or you’ve been put of by the strong smells of some of the products they have on offer, then I would definitely recommend American Cream as a great gentle but effective conditioner to try out, perfect for LUSH newbies (you can always ask for a free sample if you’re not sure and the staff at LUSH are more than happy to give you one!). I wrote a whole blog post on this conditioner at the beginning of March, which you can check out here!

Favourite Bloggers!

There have been two bloggers I’ve been really into the past month. The first is my good friend Reanne Kingdon, who if you follow me on Instagram is one of ‘The 3 Blondes’ 🙂 She has the most wonderful writing style, and you can tell that she’s really passionate about it. Not only is she a great writer, but she’s a photographer too, and her work is absolutely stunning! Her WordPress blog is relatively new, so do pop over and show her some love here ❤

I thought I would also give a shout out to a blogger whose posts I’ve been loving the past month, and that’s Healthy & Psyched. I’ve been obsessed with her vegan recipes, and she’s given me loads of ideas to help get around having to be dairy-free because of my lactose intolerance (her post about non-dairy milk alternatives was particularly helpful). Her recipes always look absolutely delicious, and I’m psyched (pardon the pun) to give some of her smoothie bowls a go! Even if you’re not a vegan, you can still find inspiration for healthy and delicious meals.  Check her out here 🙂

I can’t wait to see what new things I discover this month, and if you have any products you want me to try out and review or things that you recommend, please do share!

Thanks for reading!

Jessica xXx

March Glossy Box!

A couple of day ago I received my first ever Glossy Box! It’s a monthly subscription Beauty Box that usually contains 5 travel-sized beauty products, delivered to your door! There are various ways of paying for it (the longer you sign up for it, the cheaper it becomes), but if you pay monthly it’s £10 plus £3.25 P&P. So they can send you the products right for you, you fill in a short survey including questions about your skin tone, skin type and hair colour, so, for example, you can avoid being sent a concealer three shades too dark!

This month’s box was all about getting the glow back into your look: “If you’re as fixated as I am on giving skin back the glow that winter stole, then your search ends here.”

First of all, I was really impressed with the packaging. The actual box itself came in another box to stop it getting bashed about in transit, and even this outer box looked lovely! When I opened the parcel up, I was met with a simple, elegant pink box with the Glossy Box logo on. Inside this, wrapped in pink tissue, tied with a black ribbon and nestled in black shredded paper were the six products, as well as a note from the Editorial Director explaining what was inside, and a £10 discount voucher (minimum spend £50) for an online store called Zalando.

Luxie Rose Gold Large Angled Face Brush 504 Full Size (Worth £10.42) 

— “This angled brush is specially cut to hug the curves and contours of your face, making it perfect for all your contouring, highlighting and strobing needs! Simply pat it into your chosen product and sweep along your cheekbones, down your nose and along the jawline for a beautifully sculpted face.”

I was kind of annoyed with myself when I saw that the box contained a contour brush, because I just bought one last week! Oh well, I guess you can never have too many make up brushes, and I can use one of my brushes for bronzer and the other for highlighting. I love the pink handle of this brush, the bristles are very soft, and it’s cruelty-free which is always a bonus! My only issue with this brush is that the handle feels a little bit cheap, it’s made out of a very light plastic, and I tend to like brushes that are slightly more weighted.

Olay Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream Travel Mini (Full Size £29.99)

— “Working to fade the look of discolouration and dark spots, this clever cream goes above and beyond evening out your skin tone. How? It hydrates, exfoliates and smoothes the skin to leave you with a healthy, glowing complexion. Suitable for all skin types, you can apply it to cleansed skin both morning and evening.”

This is a tiny tube! The packaging of this is a bit plain and boring, and I wasn’t overly impressed the appearance. However, I’ve just used it for the second time and it feels amazing on my skin. It sinks in almost immediately, but it leaves a cool, soothing sensation for a long time afterwards! (I applied it about an hour ago and my face is still feeling refreshed!) I’m not entirely sure how a cream can “exfoliate”, but it certainly feels hydrating and I can see how, after time, it could help to smooth your skin. As for evening skin tone, I’ll have to use it for a little bit longer to be able to tell if it would help with that!

Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum Travel Size (Full Size £28.81)

— “Infused with honey and propolis (two of nature’s most potent antiseptic and antibacterial ingredients made by bees), this light and luxurious serum replenishes and protects the skin, leaving you with a glowing complexion day after day.”

At first I thought this was an eye cream, as the packaging looks exactly like one, but on closer inspection I found that it is a ‘facial serum’. I’ve never used a serum product on my skin, so this is a new one for me! I love products with honey in, they do absolute wonders for my skin so I’m really excited about this one. It’s a lovely, silky smooth products that glides really nicely onto your skin. The tiniest amount goes a long way, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it makes my skin look when I use it underneath my make up, as it suggests.

-417 Catharsis Vitamin Mineral Shampoo and Conditioner Travel Sizes (Full Sizes £16.89 Each)

— “The combination of Dead Sea moisture balancing minerals, energising vitamins and essential oils in this duo ensure your hair is left super gleaming, hydrated and lustrous. Apply the shampoo to wet hair and rinse, then apply the conditioner and leave on for 5 minutes.”

I’m always very apprehensive to try out new hair-washing products, because I’m so in love with my Seanik Shampoo Bar and Big Solid Conditioner from LUSH, but I was intrigued by the Dead Sea minerals in these. I used it this morning for the first time, and I have mixed opinions about it. They’re both extremely watery and thin formulas, and they don’t really have any kind of smell (isn’t half the joy of a shampoo and conditioner the amazing smell?!). However they rinsed out really well, and I was able to comb through my hair really easily when it was still wet. My hair feels really soft and pretty much frizz-free (which is pretty impressive on my curly hair), but it’s definitely not as volumised as it is when I use my normal shampoo and conditioner bars. I definitely prefer the conditioner to the shampoo, and I’ll use them again but it wouldn’t be something I’d consider re-purchasing, especially at £16.89 each!

Collection Speedy Highlighter in 01 Pearl Sheen Full Sized (Worth £3.99)

— “Fancy drawing on the cheekbones of your dreams? Well, this crayon delivers makeup artist-worthy results in a few simple swipes. Simply glide across the tops of your cheekbones, brow bones and above the cupid’s bow and gently blend using your fingertips or your Luxie Brush.”

Being relatively new to highlighting, I’ve only ever used a liquid one – I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a crayon one! I am so impressed with this. The shade is perfect for my skin tone – it’s a lovely pearly champagne-pink, and it blends out beautifully. I wouldn’t use the Luxie Brush as it suggests to blend it out, because it’s much quicker and easier to just use your fingers! I’m definitely going to be switching out my liquid highlighter for this one!

Overall I’m pleased with the products in this box. The Luxie Brush alone is worth more than the price of the box, so it’s a definite thumbs up on value for money. The fact that you can personalise your profile to make sure you get the products right for you is a great feature, and it’s always nice to get a surprise in the post every month! You can also complete feedback surveys about the products on the website, and earn points (Glossydots) towards getting free boxes!

If anyone’s interested in giving a Glossy Box a go, you can use my refer a friend link below 🙂

https://www.glossybox.co.uk/referal?CI=MzAyMDEx

Enjoy!

Jessica xXx

Instagram: @lovelylittlelighthouse

Twitter: @lighthouse_93 and @JessicaaO_o

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lovelylittlelighthouse

 

 

 

March Cosmetics Haul!

Spring is finally upon us, so I went out in the sunshine to update my make up and skincare collection! I had a load of Boots advantage card points to spend, so I didn’t have to part with too much of my (very hard-earned) cash. I’ll be posting individual reviews for the Bourjois products once I’ve tried them all out, so stay tuned for those!

1. Ultrabland from LUSH. This is my favourite cleanser, and I used it every morning to clear away any oil or dirt, and every evening to remove my make up.
2. Mask of Magnaminty from LUSH. I wasn’t hugely keen on this product when I first used it, but the more I’ve used it, the more I’ve grown to love it. It smells amazing, and I used it about twice a week to help keep spots away and my complexion clear.
3. Simple Kind to Skin Light Moisturiser. I absolutely love this facial moisturiser, and I find it’s perfect for my combination skin, keeping the dry patches moisturised while not leaving an oily residue.
4. Metal free hair bands from Superdrug. I’m always losing or breaking hair bobbles, and as my hair grows it’s getting more and more important for me to just tie it up and get it out of my way!
5. B. Blusher/Contour Brush from Superdrug. I needed a new brush for contouring and this one was on offer so I decided to give it a go! It’s Superdrug’s own brand and I’ve never used their brushes before so I’ll keep you updated on what I think of it!
6. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush. This is the only dry shampoo that I use, so I always stock up when I’m out in town. It’s amazing at getting rid of any oil build up on your ‘in between hair wash’ days, and it adds volume without leaving your hair feeling stiff and crunchy.
7. Imperial Leather Sherbet Lemon Shower Cream. I needed a new shower gel, and this one smelt incredible. I cannot wait to use this!
8. Bourjois Bronzing Powder in  shade 51 Light. This is the first Bourjois product I picked up (I’ve never used any of their products!) I’ve heard really good things about this, and as the weather gets warmer I like to have a bit more of a bronzed look to my make up. It contains cocoa powder and does actually smell like chocolate!
9. Rouge Edition Souffle de Velvet Sheer Matte Liquid Lipstick in shade 04 Ravie En Rose. I swatched what seemed like a hundred of these in Boots! This is the first one I picked up, and it’s a lovely light, coral-pink shade. It feels really light and is a buildable colour, perfect for Spring!
10. Rouge Edition Velvet Matte Finish Liquid Lipstick in shade 07 Nude-ist. This is a gorgeous liquid to matte shade, perfect to take a make up look from day to night!
11. Maybelline The Eye Eraser in shade Light. This is my favourite concealer. I used it to cover blemishes and dark circles, and also as a highlighter.
12. Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation in shade 51 Light Vanilla. I get bored of foundations pretty quickly, so I thought I would try one from Bourjois this time. It was the lightest shade they had so it’s lucky that I’m not any paler!
13. Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara in shade Ultra Black. Now I love my Benefit They’re Real! mascara, but it’s pretty pricey, so I’m trying to find a mascara that I get on with just as well.
14. Bourjois Blusher in shade 41 Healthy Mix. I’ve been wearing the same blusher for about 3 years now, and it’s really time for  a change. I was staring at blushers for absolutely ages before I finally settled on this coral/pink shade. I thought it would go really nicely with the Ravie En Rose liquid lipstick which is a similar shade.
15. Set of 3 nose studs/rings from Accessorize. These speak for themselves really. I want a new nose ring that wasn’t going to turn my nose green like ones from Claire’s, so I was pleasantly surprised to find these in Accessorize!

I’ll keep you updated of the Bourjois products! I’m so excited to try them out!

Thanks for reading!

Jessica xXx

Herbalism

It’s pretty clear by now that I’m completely in love with LUSH, and I particularly love trying our their face scrubs and cleansers. This time I picked up a tub of Herbalism!  It’s described as ‘a herbal combination of nettles and rosemary to balance and cleanse the skin, with almonds and rice bran to gently exfoliate’. It’s priced at £6.95 for 100g, and although you can get it in a bigger size, I don’t think I’d be able to up a bigger one before the use by date!

It contains ground almonds, nettle, rosemary and rice vinegar extracts, chamomile blue oil and sage oil, all ingredients that are meant to soothe and cleanse the skin, and, as with the majority of LUSH products, it’s made with 100% natural ingredients.

First impressions are that I love the colour – it’s a brilliant, bright green! It also has a fresh, herbal smell – I can really smell the rosemary and sage coming through which is light and refreshing.

Like with a lot of the LUSH cleansers, you take a chunk of this product and mix it with a little water in the palm of your hand to create a paste, and then use it on your face and body as required. I love the control this ‘paste’ method gives you over how thick the product is – sometimes you want a really intense cleanse, and sometimes you just need a little lift!

Herbalism leaves my face feeling unbelievably soft and nourished, and is actually really lovely to use if I’m having a shower in the evening, as the herbal smell is very relaxing. The one thing I will say is that whilst it can remove base make up, it won’t remove eye make up, so it’s best to use something like Ultrabland (reviewed here) either before or after to properly take your make up off.

It’s a lot less grainy than other exfoliators I’ve tried from LUSH, and although I love a good, concentrated scrub, this will be nice for those days when my face needs something a little bit more gentle. It’ll be perfect to alternate with my Ocean Salt scrub, which you can read my review of here.

Let me know what you think of Herbalism, or if you’d like me to try out any other LUSH products!

Jessica xXx

February LUSH Review

About a week ago I ventured out in the horrible weather with my sister to my favourite LUSH store to add to my ever-growing collection. I had done a little bit of research before I went, and made a list of the products I was interested in, some of which I ended up purchasing, and others which I did not.

The products I didn’t end up buying were:

• Herbalism – I still really want to try this, but I didn’t want to buy two facial cleansers and the shop assistant recommended I try Ocean Salt
• Full of Grace – I’m still fascinated by the concept of this (a solid facial serum) but I’m worried it contains a little too much oil for my combination skin
• Yummy Mummy and Prince Charming – I was really hoping I would like the smell of one of these because I still haven’t found a LUSH shower gel I like, but I wasn’t overly keen on either of them

I’d still love to give Herbalism and Full of Grace a try, so I’m not ruling them out just yet, and I’m still determined to find a shower gel that I really love the smell of!

Seanik (£5.95)

This first product is a re-purchase. I reviewed Seanik in my January LUSH Review, and since then I’ve only fallen more in love with it. It has completely changed my haircare routine, just like I hoped it would, and I can’t see myself ever going back to liquid shampoos!

My hair usually goes limp and frizzy the day after I wash it, but after using this for a few weeks now, I’ve found I can leave longer between washes (which is much better for the health of your hair as it isn’t constantly being stripped of its natural oils) and my hair stays shiny and full of volume. I often find that after a couple of weeks my hair ‘gets used’ to a shampoo, and it stops having the same results as it did in the beginning, but Seanik continues to make my hair beautifully big and soft!

There are loads of shampoo bars on offer at LUSH, but Seanik is perfect for my hair type, and I’m really starting to notice a difference in the overall condition of my hair. It’s helping me to really embrace the natural texture of my hair, plus I’ve found that it helps my colour last longer! If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the different shampoo bars LUSH sells, my advice would be don’t be afraid to ask for help! The shop assistants are there to give you advice and they really know their stuff.

The reason I re-purchased it now isn’t because I had used my first one up, but because I’m going to be travelling around a bit soon and I wanted a spare one to keep in my wash bag!

Big (£5.95)

Since using a shampoo bar, I’ve been wanting to try out a solid conditioner, so I picked up Big. I chose this one because it’s supposed to be good for hydration and volume.

Being honest, the first few times I used this I was struggling to get any product, as it was quite hard. After 4/5 uses, it did start to soften up, and I got used to the texture, so my advice with this one is to persevere!

My favourite thing about this is it’s great for concentration on a particular area that needs a bit of love, for me it’s my ends, as you can just rub the bar straight onto your hair. It leaves my brittle ends incredibly soft and hydrated, and you can even use it on dry hair for a little bit of extra shine on those days in between washes.

I am still using a conditioning mask once a week (currently it’s the Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter from The Body Shop) for an extra splash of moisture, but I am starting to love this solid conditioner as much as my shampoo bar. I really want to try out the Jungle bar next, as it’s meant to be great for taming wild hair.

Ocean Salt (£7.95/120g)

I’ve been using Dark Angels as my daily scrub, and although I absolutely love the texture and the amount of exfoliation you get from it, I cannot stand the smell of it. Charcoal and Sandalwood are not a nice combination, in my opinion. So when I went into LUSH, I asked the shop assistant if there was anything with the same amount of texture but without the smell, and she recommended this!

This contains vodka*, limes and grapefruit oil and smells like a mojito! I absolutely love the way this smells, it’s perfect to wake you up in the morning.

If you’re like me and you’re a big fan of layers of mascara and eyeliner, it won’t remove your eye make up, but it does leave your face feeling clean, soft and refreshed, and you can use it all over your body if you wanted to!

I was advised not to use this every day because the salt content may dry out my skin, especially in the winter, so I’m alternating between using this and the remainder of my Dark Angels (which is lasting forever!).

*If you’re not keen on putting vodka on your face, it’s also available in an alcohol-free version.

Rub Rub Rub (£8.95/250g)

“Spring into softened skin with floral jasmine, sea salt and fresh lemon juice”. Now I’m not normally a massive fan of jasmine in anything, but it’s very subtle and complements the other scents really beautifully.

You can use it on wet or dry skin, depending on the level of exfoliation you’re looking for, and you can even apparently use it as a shampoo for a massive volume kick (which I haven’t tried yet but I’ll keep you posted!)

I love the consistency of this, and a little goes a long way because it’s jam packed full of salt for a luxurious scrub. Speaking of luxurious, I do think it’s a little on the pricey side, so I’m not using it every day.

One thing that I’m really excited about is that although I’ve only used it 3 or 4 times, it’s made a huge difference to the Keratosis Pilaris on my upper arms. This is a skin condition that’s basically like permanent goosebumps, and they can be red or, in my case, white in colour. They’re nothing to worry about, and they’re extremely common in young women (hurray for hormones) and people with eczema (hurray again), especially during the winter when your skin is naturally more dry, but I’ve never found a product that has worked as well on them! My arms has gone from being bumpy to almost completely smooth and I could not be more happy about it.

Love Lettuce (£6.75/75g)

I know, I know. I couldn’t wait to have five empty pots and get my Fresh Face Mask for free! I just love this product so much, and when I smelt the lavender fragrance in the shop I couldn’t resist!

The Love Lettuce mask is amazing for balancing out the skin’s natural oils, which is perfect for people with oily or combination skin like myself. It’s also incredibly exfoliating, and I find it really helps with blackheads.

Because it’s fresh, you have to keep this in the fridge to stop it going off, which also means that it’s extremely cooling and refreshing for your face.

It such a lovely weekly treat for my face, and not only does it smell incredible, but it leaves my skin glowing. If you’re a LUSH virgin, I would definitely recommend starting off with a face mask and maybe a bath bomb or two!

Not a massive haul this time around, but I really did my research before I went, and I made sure to get advice from the LUSH staff, who are always fantastic and really brighten up your day. Shout out to the lady in LUSH Exeter who helped out me and my sister, and gave a free soap to an adorable little girl who was very excited!

Jessica xXx

 

 

The Body Shop Haul: First Impressions!

I love The Body Shop, but as someone on a tight budget, I often have to wait for promotions to be able to buy the products that I love. So when my mum messaged me last week letting me know that they were having an online sale, I immediately filled up my basket and placed an order. As well as some items being in the sale, they had a 40% off everything promotion and I have £10 in vouchers from my Love Your Body card, which meant I was able to purchase £74.50 worth of products for only £34.10, saving a massive £40.40! I’m not sponsored by The Body Shop so all the opinions are my own, and everything pictured here was paid for with my own money.

Here’s what I bought!

Satsuma Body Butter 50ml – £3.00 (RRP £5.00)

This is the first thing I ever bought from The Body Shop years ago, and when I think of The Body Shop brand, the product that comes to mind first is their body butter range.

The satsuma scent is the one that I associate with my mum (shout out to you, Jane!), and I used to steal hers constantly when I was younger.

It’s a really rich formula with a fresh, energising fragrance. The moisturisation of this product is intense and long-lasting, and I particularly like to use it on my legs after shaving to keep them smooth and soft.

‘Born Lippy’ Stick Lip Balm: Pomegranate – £1.80 (RRP £3.00)

This lip balm has a really sweet, fruity smell that would be perfect for the summer. It has a subtle hint of red which is perfect for when you don’t want to wear lipstick, but you want your lips to have a touch of colour.

It feels very moisturising on my lips, and has left them feeling very soft with a lovely shine.

I don’t think it will be replacing my EOS lip spheres, but it’s the perfect size to keep in my pocket at work.

Satsuma Hand Cream 30ml – £2.40 (RRP £4.00)

This hand cream has a more concentrated smell of satsuma than the body butter. It contains satsuma oil which gives it a really zesty, citrusy scent that I absolutely love.

It sinks into your skin really quickly, and leaves them feeling lovely and soft. It has a very light-weight, non-greasy formula which is perfect for a hand cream.

The 30ml tube is the perfect size to throw into your handbag for on the go. I’m never without hand cream, and I think this is going to become a firm favourite!

Papaya Shower Gel – £1.80 (RRP £4.00)

I bought this because I was running out of shower gel, and this one was in the sale. It’s not a scent I think I’ve ever smelt while shopping in The Body Shop, so I thought I’d give it a go!

It has a really lovely, fruity smell, and genuinely does smell like papaya. It lathers really well and I think this bottle will last me quite a long time.

It’s a little too fruity for the winter, so I think I’m going to save it for the summer as I think it’ll be the perfect accompaniment to a cool shower!

Satsuma Home Fragrance Oil – £2.40 (RRP £4.00)

This is the last satsuma scented one I promise! This is a re-purchase for me, as it’s a scent that I think is perfect all-year round to fill your home with!

A few drops go a long way, and it isn’t long before the gorgeous, full-bodied scent fills my flat.

I love fragrance oils as an alternative to scented candles, and this bottle is going to last me a lot longer than a candle would!

Eyelash Curler – £3.00 (RRP £5.00)

Another re-purchase is this eyelash curler. It’s great for giving your eyelashes a lift before putting on your mascara, and I love that it comes with a replacement pad.

It also looks a lot nicer than a lot of the plastic curlers you get on the highstreet, and at £3.00 in the promotion, it was an absolute bargain. I probably should have replaced mine a month or so ago as the pad had worn down quite a lot, so I’m glad I was able to get this for a reduced price.

Coconut Oil Hair Shine – £3.30 (RRP £5.50)

This is the product I was most excited to try. I’m a big fan of the Garnier Ultimate Blends ‘The Sleek Perfector Oil’ (you can read my review of it here) which contains pure coconut oil, so when I saw this I had to try it.

It’s a solid that turns to oil under the warmth of your fingers, so all you have to do it rub a little between your fingers and smooth onto your hair. It’s had really good reviews for giving shine and smoothing down frizz and flyaways.

The only thing I’m not keen on is the smell. I hate coconut, and being a natural product without other added fragrances, it has a very strong smell of coconut that is going to take a little bit of getting used to.

Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter – £4.80 (RRP £8.00)

This is a product that I always buy when The Body Shop is having a sale or a promotion. It’s a conditioning mask that is perfect for hair like mine that struggles with being dry and a bit damaged.

It’s a really rich, thick formula, so you don’t need a huge amount to saturate your hair. It says to leave it on for at least five minutes, and I like to use it at the same time as a face mask so my hair get a good 10-15 minutes of the treatment before I rinse it off. It contains oils and honey that are really nourishing, and it has a light, fresh scent.

Pink Grapefruit Body Puree – £4.80 (RRP £8.00)

Since my wonderful friend Meg introduced me to the Grapefruit Body Butter, this has been my favourite-smelling range in the whole Body Shop collection. I can’t get enough of this zesty, citrus smell that lasts all day long, and it brings back memories of my beautiful friend and picnics in the park at uni.

I love the pump on this bottle: it’s great for people like me who are often too lazy to moisturise.

The puree has a lighter texture than a body butter, so it’s perfect for the summer when you want something that’s going to be absorbed quickly but still feels super nourishing.

Africa Honey & Beeswax Hands & Foot Butter – £6.00 (RRP £10.00)

First off, I love this packaging! Not only does it look really fancy on my dressing table, but the jar is also re-usable!

I get really dry hands and feet, and I’m constantly searching for something that’s going to give them a really thorough moisture boost. I’m really looking forward to seeing if this product can make a difference.

My first impression is that its a really thick butter, but it seems to absorb fairly quickly into my skin which is always a plus.

It doesn’t have a strong smell of anything really, which is actually what I prefer in a foot lotion.

Liquid Eyeliner in 01 Black – £5.40 (RRP £9.00)

This is my all time favourite eyeliner, and whenever I can get it for a reduced price (because let’s face it, £9 isn’t cheap), I always try and get a couple.

I can’t speak highly enough of this product. As someone who does winged eyeliner every day, I was so happy when I discovered this a couple of years ago.

It’s smudge and crumble resistant, and it gives a bold, long-lasting colour. It lasts all day and night, and I never have to touch it up.

I love the fine-pointed applicator, and the fact that it’s contact lense friendly is a massive plus for me, because it means if I ever do accidentally get it in my eye and under my lense, it isn’t going to make me feel like my eyeball is on fire.

So that’s it! 12 products for less than half price, and I couldn’t be happier with them!

Thank you for reading, I hope I’ve given you some ideas about product you might like to buy from The Body Shop.

Jessica xXx

 

Get Ready With Me!

In this blog I decided to do a step-by-step ‘Get Ready With Me’, showing you how I take achieve my daily make up look. This is the kind of make up I wear every day, it’s really versatile and perfect for someone like me who wants to make as little effort as possible- I know it sounds like a lot when you break it down like this, but it normally takes me about 30 minutes to do. Every product shown here (apart from the two Lush ones) were bought from Boots, and the majority of them are extremely affordable, with the exception of the Benefit products. I should also say I’m not sponsored by any of these brands (but I wish I was!)

Before I apply my make up, I cleanse and tone my face with LUSH’s Ultrabland and Tee Tree Water. These are great for removing any leftover make up residue and they help to balance the skin’s natural oils. I’ve been unwell this week so I’ve got a bit of a breakout on my forehead, so the antiseptic properties of the toner water are really good for helping calm that down.

I then moisturise my face with Simple Kind to Skin Protecting Light Moisturiser SPF 15 (£4.35/125ml). This has a great, non-greasy texture and absorbs really quickly into my skin.

I also use Simple Kind to Eyes Soothing Eye Balm (£3.65/15ml). This is soothing and cooling under the eyes, which are a definite problem for me.

 

I think it’s really important to use a primer before applying your make up. I currently use Barry M Flawless Brightening Primer (£5.99/30ml) which is bright purple! It sinks so quickly into my skin and leaves it really smooth. It contains hibiscus which is great for an even skin tone, and is a great base for keeping your make up looking fresh and lasting longer. It also helps to reduce the appearance of pores.

Next I like to use a BB cream. I swear by Rimmel London BB Cream Matte in Light (£6.99/30ml). I have quite an oily T zone, so this is great for mattifying. You can wear it as a base for foundation or alone. It’s SPF 15 which is fantastic for protecting the delicate skin on your face from UVA and UVB rays. It claims to minimise pores, even skin tone, mattify, control shine, smooth, sooth, conceal dark circles, help prevent blemishes and provide all day coverage.

I’m always changing up my foundation. The latest one that I’m loving is Maybelline Superstay 24H Foundation in 05 Light Beige (£8.99/30ml). It’s a really affordable, medium coverage foundation that lasts all day without transferring or rubbing off. It doesn’t crease too much around the eyes which is one of my pet peeves, and I don’t have to keep powdering throughout the day. This is great if you’ve got combination skin like me: it controls shine but doesn’t dry out my skin. It’s also a really good match for my skin tone, which is rare because I’m so pale!

The next product I’m loving at the moment is the Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser Eye Concealer in Light (£7.99). This is a great buildable, non drying concealer that you can use for dark circles, blemishes and basic highlighting. In my opinion, it’s a bit on the pricey side for a concealer, but you only need a little bit so it lasts for ages.

Now I’m no expert in the whole ‘contouring’ craze, but the Maybelline Master Sculpt Contouring Palette in Light/Medium (£6.99) is great for novices like myself. I usually only use the bronzer in this palette, because I prefer to use a liquid highlighter. It’s a subtle colour and blends well, while providing buildable colour. And it gives me cheekbones! Hurray!

I’ve used the same blusher for ages now: Rimmel London Lasting Finish Soft Ciolour Blush in 020 Pink Rose (£3.99). It gives me a lovely, natural tint to my cheeks and it blends really nicely. I naturally get quite flushed, so I tend not to use a massive amount of blusher, but this just adds a nice bit of colour.

Next: the brows! I was relatively late to the brow game, but now I feel completely naked without them. I’m naturally quite fair, and my eyebrows are very patchy. The two products I use are Benefit Brow Zings Eyebrow Shaping Kit in Light (£24.50) and Benefit Gimme Brow Eyebrow Gel in Light/Medium (£18.50). These products are quite expensive, but I absolutely love them, and after trying what seems like hundreds of brow products, they’re the closest match to my natural colour. The Brow Zings has a pigmented wax for shaping, and then a natural-shaded powder for setting. I then use the Gimme Brows to add fullness and keep the hairs in place. It’s also waterproof which is great- no one wants their brows running down their face when it rains.

I prefer a liquid highlighter, so I use Rimmel London Good To Glow Highlighter in 001 Notting Hill Glow (£4.99/25ml). You only need the tiniest amount of this, and it’s really good for people who want a natural glow. I use it on my cheeks and brow bone to add a bit of dimension and radiance.

When I want a little extra coverage, I like to use Max Factor Facefinity Compact in Porcelain (£10.99). This has SPF 15 and can be used alone as a powder foundation. I use a light dusting to mattify my make up and add a bit more coverage. It doesn’t dry out your skin, and if I do find I need to sort out excess shine on my face later in the day, a little bit of this sorts it out really well.

Moving onto eyes now. I’m not a bit fan of eyeshadow (mainly because I’m not very good at it!), but I do like to sweep a little bit across my lids before applying my eyeliner. For this I use Revlon ColorStay Shadowlinks in Oyster (£2.99). This adds a touch of sparkle and is a non-creasing powder. It also acts as a primer for my eyeliner and stops it smudging onto my upper lid.

I’ve done the same eyeliner flicks since I was 16, and I’m really picky about the products I use. I’ve been using The Body Shop Liquid Eyeliner in 01 Black (£9) for years, but it’s such a pain to get hold of. They only ever seem to have it in brown in store, so I normally bulk order it online which ends up getting pretty expensive. Last week I decided to try out the new Maybelline Master Ink Matte Liquid Eyeliner in 10 Charcoal Black (£4.99) and it exceeded my expectations. Not only is it almost half the price of The Body Shop one, it’s pretty much a dupe for it! The pen is slightly different, but it’s a nice fine tip that’s perfect for winged liner. It’s a long-lasting colour that doesn’t crack like a lot of liquid eyeliners, and after a particularly bad anxiety attack last week, I can now tell you it’s cry-proof!

Being fair-haired, my eyelashes are really blonde, so I’m obsessed with mascara. My all time favourite is the Benefit They’re Real Mascara in Black (£19.50), which I currently layer with Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara in 1 Very Black (£7.99). I start with a coat of Maybelline, then Benefit, then Maybelline and then Benefit. I also use the Benefit one for my bottom lashes. It might seem crazy to layer them like this but I’ve been doing it for years and it’s become a habit!

To make sure my make up stays in place, I use the Maybelline Superstay 24H Setting Spray (£6.99/75ml). This is lightweight, quickly absorbed and refreshing and extends the wear of your make up. I’m one of those people who used to use hairspray (yes, hairspray!) to set my make up, so I’m so happy to have found an affordable setting spray that actually works!

 

To take this look from day to night, I can simply add a red lip. I start off with EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm in Vanilla Mint (£6.50) which smells incredible and leave my lips lovely and soft.

I then like to line my lips. For this look I used Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Liner in 540 Hollywood Red (£3.99) – they do one in the same shade as the lipstick I use but I’ve run out! This is perfect to prevent the colour of your lipstick bleeding into your skin, keeping a nice clean line for your lips.

To finish off, I use my absolute favour lipstick: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 547 Pleasure Me Red (£6.99). I’m completely in love with this formula and the colour, and I currently have three of them (one for my make up stand, one for my handbag, and one for emergencies!). It’s a creamy, moisturising lipstick that gives a fantastic, bold, long-lasting colour that I find really suits my complexion. So if you ever see me out with red lipstick on, 9 times out of ten this is the one I’m wearing!

So there you have it! These are the products that I use every day, and I love every single one of them! Thanks for reading!

Jessica xXx