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!

♥

FOTD & OOTD

Haha, i hate those abbreviations..they look ugly.

Happy Monday dolls.
Hope you all had a good day?

Thought i'd show you what i looked like today, even though, i got rained on big time on my way to work, and my hair went all curly and frizzy, but do you know what? I went with it, and i improvised.
That's all you can do in these situations i think you'd agree?
I would have used my normal camera but it ran out of battery as soon as i turned it on..what a fail.

Hair
Frizzed and wavy from the rain, so i pinned it up with a teeny bit of volume on the top.
I don't think it looks too bad, lets face it, it could have been worse, especially if i didnt have my fringe pinned back. As my hair is naturally curly...

FaceOn my face i kept it pretty simple, dewy and natural & on the eyelids i wore woodwinked & embark in the crease.
The last picture is just a stupid one, because i felt like a posey idiot, so i thought i'd throw in a mega ugly, goofy one. :)

OutfitI mentioned on twitter that i had purchased some high waisted leggings..
well these are those. :)
They were £19 from Zara and i LOVE them.
They had black buttons on them around the waist and fit perfectly. (it's very rare i find something that fits my long skinny pins & tiny waist..let alone all at once)
I teamed them with a plain white vest top, grey cardigan and cropped black blazer & some grey plimsolls.
Eh Voilaaa.
♥

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?

♥

This Makes Me Maaad!

So, i notice on facebook that a friend of mine has bought a 19 piece mac brush set for £36.

Alarm bells instantly started ringing in my head.
My first thought was she'd fallen victim to the fakes all over ebay...
but no, it was a website.

I'm not saying this is the only one, but i am shocked that they can run such a thing. On ebay, you can be banned for selling fakes, so how is this company getting away with scamming unknowing girls like my friend everyday?

I inspected the website for her after she gave me the link, and straight away, i knew everything they were selling was fake.
But there is nowhere on the homepage to suggest that these items aren't the real thing.


[Click to enlarge images]Seriously..look at this "mac lip palette"...
This is bloody ridiculous.

Its not only Mac items they are fobbing off, but Tiffany & Co, Christian Louboutin, Bobbi Brown, Benefit..

On closer inspection however, i came across this...

"BeingSale is dedicated to providing the best and newest designer products at a fraction of the cost. We start by purchasing original designer products, and shipping them to our factories in China . We then inspect every nook and cranny and purchase the same materials to ensure that the products we manufacture are virtually indistinguishable from the designer originals in every way.

We have our own factory and experienced quality control team which makes sure of every detail on the quality of the products.We can serve you with safe and fast transportation services, especially exporting from China to USA & Europe, including door to door and drop-shipping service. From organizing orders to sending goods to final destinations we can ensure that you are satisfied with our services.Our main buyers are from USA, Europe, Australia and Canada, and we can say frankly & surely they are very satisfied with our products due to the quality and promptness of our service.Now we have many worldwide customers who prefer to have mutual contracts with us and place regular orders with us. We guarantee 100% satisfaction on our products, service and replacement guarantee as well. You can order some of our sample products to check if the quality meets your standards which we are sure will."

Im sorry..but QUALITY? Are you kidding me.

At least here, in small print under "About us" at the very bottom of the homepage, they have stated that in actual fact these are "virtually indistinguishable" from the real thing.

Do you know, they have perfected that mac lip palette down to a tea..so well infact, its almost 100% better than the real thing because IT DOESNT EVEN EXSIST!

I don't know if this winds you girls up as much as it does me, but my unknowing friend just spent £36 of her own money, of which she has no way of actually calling the company to try and get back. (Yeh, they have no telephone number..surprise surprise)

I have infact sent them an email, stating exactly what i thought of their hidious website.

&, if you feel about it as passionately as me, i'd urge you to do the same thing.

If they are going to sell blatent fakes, i think they should have it in bold letters on the homepage, not in the small print where they know nobody will see it.

Why are they describing the items as "Mac Lip Palette" - Why not "Fake mac lip palette" or screw the mac part all together seeing as it looks like something you'd pick up for your 4 year old to "mess around with" from a pound shop.

Please go and check out this website, see for yourself how awful these fakes are, and drop them an email if you like...

Click Here to go to their scuzzy website

And this is the email address...

sales@uusell.com

Do you think this site is in the wrong? Even though they have "not so clearly" stated they arent the real thing, i still think its ridiculously misleading, and if that stuff was on ebay, it wouldnt be allowed be branding as the real company names at all.
Opinions?

♥

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

♥

FOTD - Cherries in the Snow

Today, i decided to brighten up the poopy wet day with some "Cherries in the Snow"
No. I was not eating cherries...in the snow..
I had it on my lips, and i can safetly say, that through the duration of the day, i only had to reappply this once, and it wasn't because it was all gone. Only because it had faded slightly.
I ate, drank..talked...licked my lips, and no transfering.
I had heard about this delight from HellCandy at first, as she was on a mission to find it, and then the ever so gorgeous Laura started wearing it, and it looked gorgeous.
Revlon are onto something with these lipsticks.
I can't say it would be the same for something less pigmented but i'm sure as hell going back to look at more.
Dare i say it, this lipstick had impressed me far more than any mac lipstick ever has.
Will do a more in depth review for you if you so wish :)

Here's me, myself & I today...

I am a goon.
But, i'm also LOVING my hair atm. Im using a new shampoo and conditioner called "Fat Hair"
& i don't know if you'd agree but this is my hair with no hairspray, no mousse, nada..and it's looking alot more "fat" than normal.

Hope you had a lovely day
♥