Monday 30 December 2013

Festive Lush Sale

I know that my last post was about Lush as well, but I just can't resist Lush products during the festive season. My last post was showing the purchases I made when I saw that the holiday collection had arrived in Lush. This post is to show the bargains I grabbed during the Lush sale after Christmas had passed! 

Back four from left to right: Snowcake soap, Father Christmas Bath Ballistic, Christmas Eve Bubble Bar, Ponche Shower Gel. Front four from left to right: Christmas Eve Bubble Bar, So White Bath Ballistic, Cinders Bath Ballistic, So White Bath Ballistic. 

I went to the Lush sale around three or four days after Christmas and still managed to get a few bargains! The Lush sale is somewhere that I usually head down to every Boxing Day (I'm sad, I know) but this year I couldn't make it. I still managed to grab a happy little carrier bag of goodies for the bath!

I got a piece of the Snowcake soap, which in the shop I loved the smell of. Now I have it home, I'm not too sure on the scent. I'm not too keen on it! I must have got a bit over excited. Then I got a Father Christmas bath ballistic which I have had before and surprisingly turns your bath a festive green colour! However, this one did stain my bath last time I used it so I best be prepared to clean after I use this one! I grabbed two of the Christmas Eve bubble bars which I have never tried before, but have heard good things about so I'm excited to try that. I grabbed a classic which is the Cinders bath ballistic - a must have for me at Christmas time. The two last things I got hold of were the Ponche shower gel which is orange and tequila which smells soooo good and two of the So White bath ballistics.
I heard of the So White bath ballistics on Zoella's channel. This bath bomb is normally one I would walk straight past, but I had a sniff when I was in the store and it was to die for so I just had to grab a couple. 

The best part of this little haul is that I managed to grab all of this for just £15!!! Bargain!

I hope you enjoyed this festive, bargain haul!
Em x

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Little Festive Lush Haul

I am a massive fan of Lush and I have loved every single product which I have tried from there so far, but my favourite time of year to buy from the Lush shop is the festive season. I love the festive smells and looks of the products and I quite simply can't resist going in to buy something on every shopping trip around Christmas time! 

When I was out shopping I took a sneaky trip into Lush and managed to exit with seven items. Only four of them are pictured because I couldn't resist trying a couple of them already! As well as the ones listed below, I purchased Golden Wonder, Cinders (both favourites of mine from last year) and  Bombardino, a new one which I had never tried before. 


Top left: Secret Santa. Top right: Snowman. Bottom left: Gold Fun. Bottom right: Father Christmas.



Golden Wonder £3.50: I have already used my Golden Wonder bath bomb and, just like last year, I absolutely loved it. It is shaped like a giant present covered in gold shimmer with a white bow. The smell is fantastic. It smells just like it does when you walk through the door to Lush. The Golden Wonder contains sweet orange oil, lime oil and cognac oils. Lush describes the smell as 'a light fizzing champagne cocktail'. The Golden Wonder has three miniature little bath bombs inside of it which pop out when the bath bomb has fizzed enough, sending your bath water a multitude of different colours. When eventually finished and you're in the bath, the bath water goes an amazing bluey-green colour, with gold shimmer in the water and dissolving gold stars. 



Cinders £2.45: Cinders is a favourite of mine from last year as well. Cinders is quite a small bath bomb containing almond oil, sweet orange and cinnamon leaf, giving it a real Christmassy smell. Cinders also has popping candy inside of it which crackles inside the water to make it sound like a fire crackle. 



Bombardino £2.50: The Bombardino is possibly the cutest bath bomb that I have ever seen. Look at him, he's adorable. This little guy contains cocoa butter, Sicillian lemon oil and Cardamom oil. Bombardino leaves your skin feeling really soft and smelling delicious. 


Secret Santa £5.75: The Secret Santa is the one I am most excited to try this year. The bath bomb is absolutely massive and you could break it up if you wanted to use it for multiple baths because it seriously is that big. The scent of this one is calming ylang ylang and uplifting lime. This will make your bath water turn a bright orange colour and even has a surprise on the inside (a miniature red Father Christmas bath bomb!). I am so excited to try this one!

  

Snowman £2.50: The snowman has the same scent as the Lush Butterball, very vanillary. The Snowman is loaded with cocoa butter to ensure that the skin is left soft. The nose of the Snowman is made from 'The Carrot' bubble bar from last Easter too!


Gold Fun £5.00: The Gold Fun is a multifunctional product. With the amazing smell of the ever so famous, Honey, I washed the kids, this bar of golden fun smells and looks amazing. You can use the fun bars for washing your body or your hair, you can crumble it under running water to use in your bath or you could simply just play with it! Gold Fun contains sweet wild orange oil, uplifting bergamont and softening cornflour.


Father Christmas £3.25: Last but not least, Father Christmas. I had Father Christmas last year and he was fab, just didn't quite beat Golden Wonder or Cinders for me. A bath using this bath bomb will literally make your bathroom smell like Christmas. Father Christmas contains mandarin oil and orange flower absolute and will surprisingly turn your bath water a Christmassy deep green!

I hope you enjoyed this post about the Christmassy Lush products. Which is your favourite Lush item at Christmas time?
Em x



Tuesday 26 November 2013

Beauty Advent Calendars

Christmas is my favourite time of the year so the next couple of posts may or may not be Christmas related... Beauty is also one of my favourite things so if you put Christmas and beauty together, what do you get? CHRISTMAS BEAUTY ADVENT CALENDARS! There are many brands which bring out the usual beauty advent calendars every year, but this year they are looking particularly fab. 

From left to right: Top row: Boots 24 Days of Beauty Treats, The Body Shop 24 days of joy, Yankee Candle, You Beauty Make A Wish. Bottom row: Selfridges Christmas Advent Calendar, Benefit Countdown to Love, Ciate Mini Mani Month.



1. Boots 24 Days of Beauty Treats - £30
The Boots beauty advent calendar is the most affordable one on the market. The products within the calendar add up to a total of £65 that you're getting for £30! Bargain! There are lots of different brands in the calendar including Soap & Glory, Juicy Couture, Nails Inc, Rimmel, Umberto Gianni and many more. 



2. The Body Shop 24 Days of Joy - £55
The Body Shop beauty advent calendar is slightly more expensive than the Boots one, priced at £55 for this one. However, even though it has a higher price tag, you're getting £80 worth of goodies for £55. This advent calendar includes products such as lip butters, soap, shower cream and night cream.



3. Yankee Candle - £21.99
Yankee Candle isn't really classed as a beauty advent calendar, but I thought I'd throw it in anyway, because who doesn't love a good candle?! The Yankee Candle calendar is priced at £21.99 and behind each door is a Yankee tea light. There are six different scents of candle within the calendar, including new scents and a USA only scent! There's also a surprise of 2 tea lights behind door number 24.



4. You Beauty Make A Wish - £49.95
The You Beauty advent calendar is always a big seller and this year it comes £10 cheaper than last years! The whole content value of this calendar is £240! (WOWZA). There are many brands included in this calendar from Caudalie and Leighton Denny to Dermalogica and Stila. 



5. Selfridges Christmas Advent Calendar - £84
The Selfridges beauty advent calendar is the most expensive one out there (by quite a bit!). However, the products in this calendar are high end luxury products. The calendar includes skincare, fragrance and make up. A few of the luxurious brands included in this calendar are Yves Saint Laurent, Georgio Armani, Viktor & Rold and Lancome. 



6. Benefit Countdown To Love - £50
The Benefit Countdown to Love advent calendar is my favourite by far. The calendar itself is an amazing pop art design including lots of bright colours. The contents of the calendar include many of their best sellers and also a necklace, a bracelet and a barrette. 



7. Ciate Mini Mani Month - £42
The Ciate advent calendars sell out very quickly every time because they are absolutely amazing. Behind each door is a mini nail polish. The calendar contains seventeen of their best selling nail polishes, 4 mini caviar blends, 3 glitters which are exclusive to the calendar and are not available to buy anywhere else! I also love the packaging of the Ciate calendar this year as it has a lovely dark blue wool effect. Very Christmassy! 

I absolutely adore all of the calendars and I think that they are all fab this year. My favourite is definitely the Benefit Countdown to Love calendar, but I also love the Yankee Candle calendar as well! The countdown to Christmas starts soon so make sure you have yours!

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

Some of you may want to know what the advent calendars include and others who have the calendars and want to leave it as a surprise may not want to know. Below, I am going to list what is included in each of the Christmassy beauty advent calendars. 

1. Boots 24 Days of Beauty Treats
Soap & Glory Clean Girls Body Wash, Balmi Lip Balm, Mavala London 53, Nina Fragrance, Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in Ivory, Vichy Idealia Life Serum, Paco Rabanne Black XS Fragrance, Umberto Gianni Hair Tie, SEVENTEEN Supreme Shine Nail Polish, Orly Bonder Base Coat, Ghost Fragrance, Boots Salon Nail Shine Solution, Vichy LifeActiv Serum  10, Juicy Couture Fragrance, SEVENTEEN Tattoo Me Liquid Eye Liner, Dotty Nail File, Soap & Glory Scrub, Ghost Fragrance, Classic Carmex Moisturising Lip Balm, Mavala Pure Diamond 213, Botanics Heat Protection Shine Serum for Hair, Nails Inc Porchester Square, Umberto Gianni Glam Hair Backcomb in a Bottle, SEVENTEEN Blow Out Mascara.

2. The Body Shop 24 Days of Joy
Almond Hand & Nail Cream, Vitamin E Moisture Cream, Vitamin E Sink In Moisture Mask, Vitamin E Night Cream, White Must Smooth Satin Body Lotion, Japanese Blossom Body Lotion, Lip & Cheek Stain - Bronze Glimmer, Born Lippy Raspberry Lip Balm, Cocout Shower Cream, Mango Body Whip, Moringa Body Milk, Shea Body Butter, Chocomania Soap, Cranberry Joy Soap, Ginger Sparkle Soap, Honeymania Lip Balm, Satsuma Body Puree, Moringa Shower Gel, Born Lippy Strawberry Lip Balm, Strawberry Shower Gel, Shea Shower Cream, Shea Lip Butter, Bath Lily Facial Brush. 

3. Yankee Candle
Snow in Love - Fall in love with this delightful blend of creamy, comforting woods and wintry powder freshness. Balsam & Cedar (USA only fragrance) - Balsam, aromatic cedar wood and juniper berry blend together in a fresh forest scent. Merry Marshmallow (New Christmas Scent) - It's a marshmallow world at Christmas! Find happiness in a delightfully luscious and creamy soft concoction of marshmallow and vanilla. Red Apple Wreath - A happy holiday homecoming with the festive aroma of sweet apples, cinnamon, walnuts and maple. Snowflake Cookie (New Christmas Scent) - A new festive tradition that is sure to charm perfectly pretty festive cookies, deliciously decorated with sugary pink icing. Sparking Cinnamon - Holiday glow... the spicy warmth of real imported stick cinnamon with a hint of cloves. 

4. You Beauty Make A Wish
Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Dry Oil Mist, Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength Bath & Shower Oil, Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash, Bioeffect EGF Serum, Caudalie Limited Edition Hand & Nail Cream, Dermalogica Ultra Calming Range Set, DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, Dr. Lipp Lip Balm, Dr Organic Dead Sea Mineral Eye Roller Ball, ESPA Optimum Skin Pro Serum & Refining Skin Polish Duo, Green People Anti-Age Eye Liner (Grey), Inika Mineral Eye Shadow (Gunmetal), Leighton Denny Nail Varnish in Vamp, Modelco Black Mascara, Neom Moroccan Blush Rose Organic Hand Cream, Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation, Q The Fine Fragrance Body Spray, Therapie Roques O'Neil Himalayan Detox Salts, Sisley Masque Creme A La Rose Noire, Steamcream Moisturiser, Stila Lip Glaze in Kaleidoscope, Trilogy Rosapene Night Cream, The Vintage Cosmetic Company Tweezers, Weleda Skin Food.

5. Selfridges Christmas Advent Calendar
Lancome Hypnose Mascara, Armani Code Femme Eau De Parfum, Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara, Flowerbomb Miniature, Maison Martin Margiela Untitled, Lancome Tresor Mini, Lancome La Vie Est Belle, Lancome Bi-Facial, Yves Saint Laurent Opium, Lancome Galateis, Doucheur Cleansing Fluid, Lancome Absolu Nu Lipstick in 302, Kiehl's Ceme De Corps Deluxe Sample, Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve Deluxe Sample, Yves Saint Laurent Kohl Eye Pencil, Lancome Renergie Day Cream, Lancome Hydrazen Neurocalm Moisturising Cream, Lancome Advanced Gene Fique, Lancome Mini Juicy Tube, Yves Saint Laurent Forever Youth Liberator Serum, Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate Deluxe Sample, Lancome Visionnaire Serum, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream, Absolue Precious Cells Yeux Deluxe Sample.

6. Benefit Countdown to Love
"that gal", the POREfessional, High Beam, Sun Beam, Benetint, Chachatint, Posietint, Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Dandelion, Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Sugarbomb, Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in CORALista, Hoola, Dandelion, CORALista, Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in A-Lister, BADgal Lash, Stay Don't Stray Light/Medium, BADgal Liner Waterproof, It's Potent Eye Cream, Girl Meets Pearl, Total Moisture Facial Cream, Ooh La Lift, Horseshoe Charm Bracelet, Star Charm Necklace, Ribbon Bow Barrette. 

7. Ciate Mini Mani Month
Snow Globe, Boudoir, Ferris Wheel, Hopscotch, Sugarplum, Fit for a Queen, Kiss Chase, Amazing Gracie, Pepperminty, Encore!, Party Shoes, Confeti, Members Only, Play Date, Ivory Queen, Locket, Pillow Fight, Speed Coat, Underwear, Ciate pearls Frost Yourself, Ciate Pearls Christmas Tree, Glitter Jingle Belle, Sequins Miss Mistletoe, A Funnel (actual funnel, not polish), A Full Size Ciate Paint Pot Exclusive To This Calendar.

I hope you enjoyed reading this festive post!
Em x

Sunday 25 August 2013

One Direction Lipstick Range

One Direction have recently worked with MUA (Make Up Academy) make up brand, stocked at Superdrug, to create their own make up line. Their make up line is limited edition and contains five lipsticks, five lip polishes, five nail polishes and three cheek tints. 



As a big One Direction fan, I wanted to get my hands on the lot of it, but especially the lipsticks. The whole make up line is brilliantly priced at £3 for each item, except the lip polishes priced at £2.50.  

Harry's, Liam's, Louis's, Niall's, Zayn's

This is what the packaging of the lipsticks looks like. I actually really like the packaging as it's quite fun and young looking. 

Harry's, Liam's, Louis's, Niall's, Zayn's

The colour of each lipstick has been chosen by one of the boys, and on the bullet, when the lid is removed, is the boys signature to show which is their lipstick and which is their favourite colour lipstick for a girl.

Harry's, Liam's, Louis's, Niall's, Zayn's

Back row: Harry's, Liam's, Louis's
Front row: Niall's, Zayn's


The lipsticks also have engravings on them and on the tip where you apply it to your lips, is the "1D" logo and down the side of the lipstick are "x's" and "o's".

Swatches with flash

Swatches without flash

In my opinion, I love these lipsticks and I think that they are great. They are very highly pigmented and glide on so smoothly. They are a brilliant purchase and I can't wait to try out the rest of their collection!



Harry's lipstick, Be Mine, is my favourite. Not only is Harry my favourite member of One Direction, but I love a good red lipstick. It is a lovely shade of darker red and I love it.


Liam's lipstick, I Want, is a bright red with an orange tint. Red lipsticks are one of my favourites so I am always happy to add another shade of red to my collection.


Louis's lipstick, Rock Me, is my least favourite in the collection, although it is still nice. It is a pale lilac colour, which if it was in stores as a normal lipstick from another brand, I would have probably left on the shelf, but I just bought the whole One Direction collection. 


Niall's lipstick, Moments, is a brilliant shade for every day use. It is a nudey-pink shade and will go with every thing. I think it is quite similar to MAC's Hue, which I have, so I think I will get a lot of use out of this one.


Zayn's lipstick, I Wish, is a lovely pink colour. It looks a lot brighter in the bullet than it does in real life, but is still quite a barbie pink when applied to the lips. I think this is a great colour and I will use this one a lot. 

All in all, I think that the One Direction lipsticks from MUA are fabulous. I think that everybody will be able to find a colour for them in this collection as it has brights and pales. All the lipsticks are very creamy and stay on for a very long time. I can't wait to go shopping to try out the rest of the collection! Will you be trying anything from the One Direction make up line?

I hope you enjoyed this blogpost.
Em x


Sunday 30 June 2013

Yves Saint Laurent Radiant Look Set

I went shopping yesterday and picked up the YSL Radiant Look set from Debenhams. I have wanted to pick up the YSL Touche Eclat for quite a long time now and when I saw this set I just couldn't resist! On half price sale from £51, I picked this set up at a bargain price of £25.50!

The set includes
- Top Secrets Eye Wake-Up Roll On, 2.5ml

- Touche Eclat, 2.5ml
- Long Lasting Waterproof Eye Pencil, 0.8g
- Luxurious Mascara Shocking Volume, 2ml
- Top Secrets Eye Make Up Remover, 8ml



Top Secrets Eye Wake-Up Roll On

1. Top Secrets Eye Wake-Up Roll On (full size)
This product is an ultra-cooling roll-on massage pen and it targets the eye area to visibly reduce signs of fatigue and dark circles. Having only bought this set yesterday, I have only used this product once, but I found it very cooling and it made me feel a lot more awake than I originally felt. With only using it once, I feel like I need to wait a while before I giving my opinion on the reducing of fatigue and dark circles.

Touche Eclat

2. Touche Eclat (full size)
The touche eclat is a complexion highlighter and is used for light, luminosity and radiance. This product is to banish darkness and fatigue and add instant radiance. I used the touche eclat this morning and was surprised at how much I loved it! It is easy to apply with the button to release the product and the brush for application. I then blended it in with my ring finger underneath my eyes and I found that the pinky tones in the product helped a lot to get rid of my dark circles. 

3. Long Lasting Waterproof Eye Pencil
This eye pencil is amazing! It is so highly pigmented and versatile. This pencil can be used as either a liner or an eye shadow. It is a very soft pencil so can be blended easily. As it is waterproof, it doesn't smudge when it is in place.



4. Luxurious Mascara Shocking Volume
I haven't actually tried this mascara yet, but I really like the look of the wand. It is not a plastic wand, it is bristles. I like the fact that it isn't plastic, because I prefer bristles to plastic. The bristles are in different directions and this is meant to help with volume. I have heard great things about this mascara so I am excited to try this!

5. Top Secrets Eye Make Up Remover
This eye make up remover is designed to remove all kinds of make up, including long lasting and waterproof formulas. The make up remover itself has two phases, the top being clear and the bottom being blue. The top clear phase is to get rid of impurities and long lasting and waterproof make up. The bottom blue phase gives the skin freshness and softness. This make up remover doesn't leave the skin feeling greasy or oily either, which is also a bonus!

I hope you enjoyed this post. I am very pleased with the products in this set that I have tried and am excited to try the rest of the products which I haven't. 

Emma x

Wednesday 26 June 2013

What's in my every day make up bag?

Today's post is about what is in my make up bag and what I use on an every day basis. The products shown here are what I use for my every day make up look.




Nars Laguna, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, MAC Studio Fix Fluid, MAC Plum Foolery, MAC Soft & Gentle

For my every day foundation, I use MAC Studio Fix Fluid in the colour NC20. For some people, this foundation is too heavy and too much of a full coverage, but because I don't feel very comfortable with a light coverage (even though I wish I was) I don't like my natural skin. My favourite concealer is the Collection Lasting Perfection. I absolutely love this concealer. It has great coverage and isn't cakey. The only problem with this product, for me, is the packaging. All the writing rubs off and it's really annoying! I use my NARS Laguna bronzer to contour my cheeks, nose, temples and jawline. I then go in with my MAC blush in Plum Foolery to add a bit of colour to my cheeks. Finally, for my face, I use MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle to highlight the top of my cheeks, my brow bone, down my nose and my cupids bow. 



Estee Lauder Raisins, Urban Decay Primer Potion, MAC Snowglobe Eye Shadows Warm, Avon Supershock Gel Eye Liner Pencil, Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama, Soap & Glory Supercat Liquid Liner

I love to have a big make up look on my eyes when I go for a night out, however for a day-to-day basis, I enjoy to keep it not too complex. First, I go in with my Urban Decay Primer Potion as a base to stop my eye shadow from moving, as I have quite oily eye lids and my eye make up doesn't stay in place without it. I then choose my eye shadows for the day, and at the moment I am still loving my Estee Lauder eye shadow duo in Raisins. I sweep the light colour over my lid and use the darker colour to contour my crease. I then move onto eye liner. I line my tight line with Avon Supershock Gel Eye Liner pencil and do a winged eye liner with my Soap and Glory Supercat Carbon Black Extreme Eyeliner Pen. I find this eye liner so easy to use and it gives an amazing look. For mascara, I love Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama mascara. I have used this mascara religiously for well over a year now and find that it gives lots of length and plenty of volume to my lashes. For my eyebrows, I use a MAC eye shadow from the snow globe palette from the Christmas collection from 2011. I use the dark brown eye shadow with is in the bottom right of the palette. 


MAC Hue, MAC Ample Pink Plushglass, MAC Plumful, MAC Girl About Town, Kate Moss 22, Kate Moss 02, Kate Moss Matte 107


For lips, I enjoy nude, dark or bright. My favourite nude lipstick is Mac Hue. I think that Hue looks great with MAC Plushglass in Ample Pink over the top if I feel like I want a gloss on my lips as well. MAC Plumful is a great option for every day as it adds colour, but I find it quite sheer so it isn't too bold. For my bright options, I love MAC Girl About Town for a bold, bright pink option. I also love the Kate Moss Lipsticks and love the shade 01 for a red lip and 02 for another bright pink lip option. For dark lips, I also love the Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107 for a dark red/purple lip. 

MAC Hue, MAC Ample Pink Plushglass, MAC Plumful, MAC Girl About Town, Kate Moss 22, Kate Moss 02, Kate Moss Matte 107

I hope you enjoyed looking into my every day make up bag. My products can change and vary here and there depending on what products I have picked up or rediscovered, but at the moment this is the look I am wearing every single day. 

Emma x