A Lush Haul! (What I Got For Christmas)!

 

In todays post I wanted to share the Lush products I got for Christmas. They are either bath bombs or bubbles bars, my two fave products from Lush. 

So, lets start with the Happy Daze gift set. This gift contains:

From left to right (Image & descriptions from Lush)

 The Experimenter bath bomb, an enigmatic and comforting romance of... deep, complex vetivers notes that enthral your senses before creamy vanilla and tonka provide a sweet antidote. It has popping candy in it too, yaaas!

Fizbanger bath bomb, releasing first a citrussy apple and then a cinnamon, apple pie like scent with a hint of ylang ylang. Petitgrain is used in aromatherapy to calm the breathing, slow the heartbeat and reduce feelings of anxiety. Yang ylang produces a feeling of joy, and cinnamon leaf oil helps you let go.

Bright side bubble bar, an uplifting bubble bar containing Sicilian mandarin, bergamot and tangerine essential oils to help you look on the bright side of life!

The Comforter bubble bar, which is my favourite bubble bar (I've mentioned it here & here). This contains cassis absolute which gives a distinctive blackcurrant fragrance, while bergamot adds an uplifting note.

I've had all of these product before, apart from The Experimenter. I always look at it in store but for some reason I just never pick it up! I am glad to have it now though and I can't wait to give it a try!

I also received a Santa printed scarf filled with smelly treats from my sister. She picked them all her self (with a little help from the Lush staff, haha)! I think its a lovely idea, it really makes the gift feel personal. This contained:

Stardust bath bomb which contains vanilla, rosewood and bergamot expertly blended to give it an intoxicating scent even before it hits the water.

Butter Bear bath bomb which is moulded into a friendly bear which has a generous helping of cocoa butter to give you the softest bear hug imaginable.

Pumpkin bath bomb, which is Halloween product (well done sissy, you obviously didn't leave your Christmas shopping till last minute haha). I've had this before and all you need to know is that it is amazing! It smells super warming and wintery.

Northern Lights, which again is a seasonal product I think. In the product description its says, cheery slang ylang bobs and weaves with sensual jasmine in the air to light up your spirits, it soundslovely!

And finally to finish off this Lush haul, Candy Mountain bubble bar! Lush's description of the product says this lustrous pink bubbler will send your mood into the stratosphere with its sweet vanilla perfume. 

I have got a lot of products to get through, I think I'll either start with The Experimenter or Northern Lights. I haven't used either of these before so I am excited to see what they are like!

I couldn't find all of the products online so some are linked to the UK website, and others are linked to the US website. I thought I'd still link them, just so you can see what they look if you wanted to go and purchase them in store.

I hope you liked this slightly longer post, sorry if it was toooo long!

Anyway, what is your favourite Lush bath bomb?




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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

So it is Christmas Eve & the last day of my Christmas blogging series (waaaah). This post doesn't really have a point, I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! How ever you are spending it, have the loveliest day ever!
Oh, and I can't believe I will have been blogging for two years in (March) 2017!! Anyway thats another post haha, now go and enjoy your Christmas! 
I am sure I will be back with some New Years posts soon enough!

How are you spending Christmas?



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A Peaceful Nights Sleep.

A few days ago I ventured to TK Maxx to pick up a few last minute Christmas presents. Somehow I ended up on the beauty aisle (I lie, I headed there first, haha!). I feel like TK Maxx is hit or miss with their beauty products, most of them are out of their packaging or smashed up. I did find this pillow spray though, and it was in perfect condition, win!

Organik Botanik Australia's Breathe Easy Pillow Spray promises a fragrant night sleep. When I first tested this product I could definitely see why, the smell of eucalyptus and aloe vera is so calming. I have tried this spray a few times now, I don't feel like it has helped me sleep better, but it deffo makes getting into bed a whole lot nicer. I feel like it would be great to use after a busy day of Christmas festivities, we all know we are knackered by the end of the jolly season. 

I do want to buy and compare a few more pillow sprays here on prk, just to see if they really do work. The This Works Pillow Spray looks interest, I've heard loaaaads about it!

Also, I did try to link the product but I couldn't find a site for it. If you head to TK Maxx I am sure you will be able to find a few knocking around though. I got it from the beauty aisle for around £3.99, which is a bargain, right?!

Have you ever tried pillow sprays?



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Christmas Party: The Outfit.

An outfit post, whaaaat? It is very rare I publish outfit posts as I find them hard to shoot (hence the rubbish photos, I am sorry ):). I am also far to awkward to get someone to shoot them for me. It is something I'd like to do a little more though, maybe that should be my new years resolution?! 

Todays outfit is a 'party' look. I say 'party', its basically just a black dress. Lets just say black is my fave colour to wear, haha! This shift dress is from Asos, I paid around £22 but it looks like it has gone back up to £28, which is still a reasonable price! It fits fab, it is super comfortable and I think the lace adds an extra bit of chicness.

I paired this dress with some black, strappy heels. I can't remember where I got them from but I have found an alternative here, on Asos.

So thats my super quick Christmas party look! Its realllly comfortable and pretty plain... or should we refer to it as simplistic? Sounds a bit trendier that way doesn't it haha! 
Do you play it safe by wearing black or do you like to go all out with colour and accessories?

Check out Christmas Party: The Make Up here.





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Sunday #5 (Christmas Edition).

Images from Tumblr & Pinterest.

I haven't done one of these Sunday posts in a little while. So, as the 18th of December lands on a Sunday I thought it was the perfect opportunity to throw together a little mood board, and of course it is Christmas themed! I kind of went with a minimalist Christmas look in this mood board. I love the greens and natural tones in these images, it just looks so relaxing. It is the total opposite at my house at the minute. We have Christmas lights of every colour wrapped everything outside. Tacky, plastic Father Christmas's are scattered around the house and tinsel is everywhere! I wouldn't have it any other way though, haha!

What is your favourite thing about Christmas?




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Jeffree Star's (Holiday Collection) Velour Liquid Lipsticks In Designer Blood & Pumpkin Pie.

Today I am blabbing on about a holiday edition product so it is classed as a Chrsitmassy post, right? Haha! It was actually a total accident that I picked up two of the Jeffree Star holiday products. I just chose the two shades I liked the most! I did want Unicorn Blood but I think that is pretty hard to get hold of, well I feel like its hard to get hold of on Beauty Bay anyway. I have heard Designer Blood is very similar so I had to add it to my basket.  

Before we get onto the post I feel like I have to apologise for how badly I have applied these products haha! I am learning!!

So lets start with Pumpkin Pie. I am a sucker for orange lipsticks, but I only tend to wear them in the summer. I thought this dark/brick orange shade was perfect for the colder months. I also don't mind the gold sparkle that has been added to this formula, it's not too much. 
I can't really review these lips yet as I have only had them for a day or so but I can tell you how this one felt from testing it out. 
It is very light weight and feels comfortable on the lips. It isn't streaky either which is a win! I thought Designer Blood was going to be my favourite but surprisingly, I think this one is!

Speaking of Designer Blood, I'd say its kind of a love/hate relationship. I mean I don't hate it, I love the deep, rich colour of the product and the coverage is amazing, but (as with all dark lip products) it has to be applied perfectly... Otherwise it just looks like, well a mess. When I first tried this I got it everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE! It was on my hands, teeth, clothes even the light switches haha! 

I did wear this one out today and I loved it, apart from it going a tad cakey towards the end of the day. To be honest I think this was just down to me though. I feel like I applied way too much! I just need to learn to work with the product first I think.

My first impressions are good so far! I love the colours that I picked up and the colour selection is amazinggggg. Like I said I think I just need to learn how to work with the product and not pile it all on at once, oops!

Have you ever tried Jeffree Star Cosmetics?



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Christmas Party: The Make Up.

So I actually went to a Christmas party this year, whaaaaat? I am not usually the dressing up, going out kind of gal. I'd much rather stay at home in my pjs watching Ru Pauls Drag Race (I am obsessedddd). Anyway I moved out of my comfort zone and went out and I actually enjoyed it! I loved doing my make up too, making it slightly more glam than my everyday look. I thought I would put a post together on the look I created. My base and everything was the same as usual, but I did switch up my eyes and lipstick. 

So lets start with the eyes, I used my usual eyeliner. The L'oreal Paris Super Liner is fab, it has a super thin nib that allows you to achieve a sharp and neat winged liner. I made my eyeliner slightly larger than normal so it looked more dramatic shall we say, haha. 

On my lashes I went with Bare Minerals Lash Domination Mascara. This is only a mini as I am just testing it out at the mo, but I bloody love it! Not many mascaras I try actually add volume to my lashes. They always tend to droop and become heavy after the second coat. This, however makes my lashes look like falsies! This is the kind of look I was going for as I am not experienced enough to wear actual false lashes, it usually ends with red and runny eyes. 

And finally, the lips. I wore MAC Sin but to be honest I wasn't entirely impressed. When applying this lipstick I found it hard to coat my lips evenly. I added a dab of Vaseline but of course that took the matte effect away. Oh, and once I had eaten there was not a single trace of lipstick left. I am gutted because the colour is soooo beautiful... BUT I will find a way to work with this product, I will!!

So those are my staples for a party look, what are yours?



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My Top 6 Favourite Christmas Films - Inspired By Luma.

Eek, it's almost Crimbooo! I thought it was about time I spoke about my top 6 Christmas films! Is it sad that I have that many? Haha! Anyway, todays post is inspired by Luma, a fast and reliable (and pretty stylish if I do say so) wifi system that allows you to access wifi in every room. The wifi in my house doesn't quite reach the loft so something like their customisable home surround wifi system would be fab to use to stream those Christmassy movies!

So lets count down, starting with my 6th fave film... The Nightmare Before Christmas! Does anybody actually know if this is a Halloween or Christmas film? I watch it on both occasions so I am not totally sure.

5th Scrooged with Bill Murray, it's a classic! 

4th is the good old Polar Express. This would have been further up my list but the next three were hard enough to try and sort.

3rd is Elf! Everyone loves Elf and lets be honest, we have all quoted 'cotton headed ninny muggins' at least once, haha!

So my runner up is Arthur Christmas. I just think this movie is so cute! The street that the little girl lives in reminds me of my street, so it makes me love it more!

And finally, if you know me well enough you will know that The Grinch is my favourite Christmas film ever! I have dressed up as a Who, I have a Grinch Christmas jumper and this year I have Grinch wrapping paper, which was from Primark, £1.50 if you was wondering.

Now I read this list back I realise that all of this films are kind of childish. Oops, oh well! If you can't act like an excited child on the run up to Christmas when can you?!

What are your top 3 Christmas films?

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DIY Christmas Mobile.

Introducing the easiest DIY in the world, the Christmas mobile! I got the inspiration from the Flying Tiger (previously just Tiger) Instagram page. They created a Christmas calendar using ribbons and a clothes hanger. This inspired me to create more of just an ornamental piece using the same material and some Christmas decs too! 

So, firstly you will have to gather the essentials; a hanger, a variety of ribbon and some Christmas ornaments. I had this old vintage looking hanger hanging (haha excuse the pun) around so I decided to go with this. You could easily use a wire hanger though, or even spray paint a plastic one gold or silver, if you want to get real fancy. It is then just a case of tying the ribbons to the hanger, whether you want to create a pattern with the ribbons or just let you creative juices flow is totally up to you. I did all different lengths to give it an extra handmade feel. Once you are happy with the way your ribbons are displayed its time to add the decs to the ends. I went with some little white and silver hearts to finish off the kitch look. 

These are so easy to create and fun to make with kids too! You could make them super full and colourful or go for a theme like I did!

Have you made any of your Christmas decs this year?



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3... Christmas Hamper Ideas!

This year I didn't really want to do a gift guide, I mean almost everyone does them so how is my post going to get a look in? It is probably the wrong way to think about it but it lead me to a greater idea in the end... Christmas hamper ideas! Last year I made Christmas hampers for a few people (mainly couples) and they absolutely loved them! So here are three festive hamper ideas!

A movie night in hamper is a great one for film addicts. I have actually made one similar for a family member this year. Simply add a festive film like Elf or The Grinch, a snuggly blanket, pjs, chocolatey treats, pop corn and a mug and some delish hot chocolate. I think this kind of hamper would look nice styled in a large gift box, covered in glitter and sparkles! 

 A great idea is to create a hamper with a theme. We all know someone who is obsessed with something, maybe Disney, chocolate or a certain programme? So say they were obsessed with Disney, it is easy enough to find things like, pjs, mugs, chocolates and films that are all related to Disney. Just add them all into a festive gift bag or wrap them in themed paper and you've got the prefect gift!

And finally, a good old foodie hamper. Whether its full of different cheeses, sweets or just a bit of everything you cannot go wrong. I think these more traditional kind of hampers are best displayed in a vintage looking whicker basket, tied up with scarlet ribbon!

So those are my hamper Ideas. Do you have anymore ideas?



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Astral, The Moisturiser That Came Out Of Nowhere!

I recently placed an order with Asos and in the parcel was my dress, and a little 50ml pot of Astral cream. At first I thought I had purchased it by accident, but I then realised it was a (rather good size) sample. Asos are good like that, now and again you get free gifts/samples with your order. I remember receiving crackers as the gift at one point, haha! Anyway, I started to try the cream and do a little research on it and it's not out of nowhere at all! I came across multiple articles about celebs, like Joanna Lumley, swearing by the stuff! 



I have been using the cream for around a week now and I just knew I had to post about it. It is so bloody good! And cheap too, at only £7.99 for a 500ml pot. The texture of the cream is super thick and heavy, kind of like Sudocrem. That did put me off at first as I didn't want my skin to feel heavy and greasy, but this product actually did the opposite. It sunk into my skin leaving it feel, plump and soft. A lot of woman are using it as an anti ageing product, saying it makes their skin look and feel younger. I wasn't using it for this purpose but I suppose its never too early to start, right? Hahaha! The best thing I have noticed is how moisturised my skin is now. My make up glides on better and the dryness on my forehead is fading. I thought I loved the Aveeno cream, but I think this is my new fave!

As for the scent, it is basically that typical granny smell. I sound horrible don't I?... It's not a bad smell, its like a rosey, clean scent. It not my kind of thing but it isn't off putting at all. 

This pot of goodness has definitely saved my winter skin, just in time for the Christmas festivities too!

Have you ever heard of or tried Astral face and body moisturiser?

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Putting Up The Christmas Tree!

The tree is up woohoo! It was actually put up in the middle of November (yes, I am one of the early birds) but I wanted to save this little video for the Christmas series I am doing over December. If you didn't know I am going to (TRY to) post every other day up until Crimbo, so keep your eyes open for all of the christmasy treats.

This little video is just of me putting up the tree. I am just getting the hang of editing again so it may be a bit rubbish. I have so many ideas in my head but I just can figure out how to do them. If you have any editing tips let me know! Anyway, enjoy the video!

Oh, and let me know the theme of your Christmas tree this year!

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The Christmas Tag.

So I have decided to blog every other day in December woohoo! Its going to be a mixture of everything, so hopefully there will be something for everyone. As part of my Christmas series I decided to start with the Christmas tag (obvs, duh!). I only picked a few questions out of the bunch, but here it is anyway!

What is your favourite Christmas film?

My favourite Christmas film has to be The Grinch. Nothing makes me feel more festive than sitting down with some chocolate, snuggling up in a million blankets and watching the old classic. I even dressed up as a Who one time... yes, sad I know haha!

Have you ever had a white Christmas?

I have had a white Christmas as in snow being on the floor on Christmas day, but I can never actually remember it snowing on the day. I'd love to experience it though!

What is your favourite Christmas song?

WHAM! Last Christmas! You can't beat it... not even Mariah can beat it!

Do you open any presents on Christmas eve?

When I was little we were never allowed to open our presents until Christmas morning. I opened presents off my friends before Christmas, but never ones from family. My mum always used to say it was bad luck...

What holiday traditions are you looking forward to the most this year?

I love going to Manchester Christmas markets! Their baileys hot chocolates are to die for! Oh, and I love all of the little market stalls that overflow with Christmassy treats! If you haven't been I really recommend taking a trip and checking them out.

What is your all time favourite holiday food/sweet treat?

Not many people say this but I absolutely love Christmas pudding. That with a boat load of warm custard mmmmm, its my fave!

What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

It would have to be somewhere cold and snowy! It's not Christmas if it's not cold (put on as many layers as you can until you cannot move) weather. I think staying in Scotland in a little snowy cottage would be nice.

Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?

Not going to lie, I proper go all out on the Christmas wrapping. I end up wrapping everything for my dad, sister and friends too. I love wrapping presents and tying them up with pretty ribbons and adding accessories. I did a post on Christmas wrapping last year, have a look!

What is your favourite thing about Christmas? Let me know if you do this tag too!




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Jackie Oates Colour Supplement.

A few weeks ago (maybe even a month now!) I picked up the Jackie Oates foundation/supplement, what ever you want to call it! I had high hopes for this little pot of pale looking goop as I love everything I pick up from Lush. Sadly this product was a bit of a let down for me, trust me I am bloody gutted, haha!

So I suppose I'll start with the texture since I have just referred to it as goop! It's a strange one to describe but it's kind of custardy and a little bit lumpy. Doesn't sound like the most attractive thing to put on your face does it? Due to the consistency it does go on slightly patchy when applied alone as a foundation. I decided to mix it was a foundation I had which was a bit darker than my skin tone (pale girl probs). To be honest when it is mixed with another foundation, it isn't the worst product in the world... It did lighten up my foundation but the risk of adding too much to the foundation could make it apply patchy, like when applied alone. Does that make sense? Haha! 

Oh, and the smell isn't the nicest either. You should know what I am like with scents by now haha! It smells plasticy to me, with a little hint of oats.

Let's round it up. This product isn't the worst thing I have ever tried but at almost £10 for a small pot, I don't think it is something I would rush to buy again. 

Let me know if you have tried this product? Let me know how you use it too!

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Not Enough Hours In The Day...

Sorry about the unrelated photo. This post was a bit out of the blue so I didn't have time to photograph anything.

They say writing your problems down makes you feel better right? I thought I'd give it a go... prepare yourself for a long pointless post haha! To be honest it is more just for my sake I think.

Anyway I have just been feeling overwhelmed with everything lately. I feel silly moaning about it because lets face it, there are a lot more people with worse problems than me. But then again, why shouldn't I moan about it? I can feel overwhelmed and stressed sometimes, its normal! 

I feel like if there were more hours in a day all of my problems would be solved haha! Just imagine if the days were longer, all the things I could get done instead of saying "Oh, I'll have to leave that till tomorrow now". Honestly I am not making excuses, I just don't have time for anything. For the past few months I have literally been up and out at like 6, not having one proper meal, and trying to squeeze everything in... but letting people down in the process. I thought I had it all under control but I feel like it's starting to show. Its deffo showing on my blog, so I do apologise for that. I feel like it effecting my social life too... I don't do anything nowadays. Not that I did much before hand, it was usually Netflix's & tea in bed at 8 on a Saturday night, but now I really don't get up to much at all. So yeah, in-between working life, blogging and trying to have any sort of social life I've also got to fit in driving lessons, apprenticeships, seeing and helping family blah blah blah. Now I read that back it really doesn't seem like much, I suppose the little things build up. Last year I didn't really leave the house much, maybe once a week at a push, so I suppose I am just getting back into a routine again. 

Anyway, this post reminded me of just how much I have to do so I will leave it there for now. Who said writing this stuff down helps eh? It has made me feel more stressed haha! 

If you have any tips for saving time and/or scheduling let me know below!

Thanks!!





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3... Favourites.

I feel like I have missed the October favourites deadline so lets just call this an October/mid-November/probably Christmas by the time I finally put this up favourites? Haha! This months items are mostly fashion pieces with a new favourite scent of mine in there too. 



This body splash from H&M is in the scent sweet vanilla and oh my gosh it is one of the loveliest body mists I have ever smelt! Remember the ones from Boots they used to sell ageeees ago, they had like strawberry scent and mango ones? I'll link a image of them here. Well, I used to love them but all of a sudden they just stopped selling them... since then I've never really found ones I like, until I came across this one. It is slightly musky but with a really clean scent if that makes sense? And I feel like it smells like proper vanilla, not the manufactured kind, you get me? I tried to find this one online but I could seem to find it. If you come across it in store its deffo worth picking up. It was only around £2 or £3 too!



As for the fashion items, I have been really loving accessories. A new purchase of mine is this black leather looking Topshop purse (similar here). I just loved the simplicity and practicality of this purse, and at only £12 I feel like I got a steal! Lastly, the scarf. If I remember correctly I got this Monki scarf in the summer time. It was reduced to a tenner and I just had to have it. I kept it tucked away in my wardrobe this whole time... but now the weather is freezing cold again, I have been putting it to good use. I've found the same style, but in a different colour, here if you want to check it out.

So those are the items I am loving at the moment, what are yours?




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Lush's Mask Of Magnaminty Face Mask.

I haven't done a beauty post in a little while so lets talk about a new favey product of mine. Mask Of Magnaminty from Lush (obvs, haha!) is a minty, multi-purpose mask containing honey and kaolin, to help maintain magnificent skin... Sounds fab right? I've used this loads now so I feel like I can talk a little about it. 

Lets start off with the one thing we all wonder about, the smell. At first I wasn't so keen, I mean I love minty scents but this one has a funny undertone to it... like a smokey one. It's hard to explain. If you ever go into the Lush store just give it a wiff and you will know what I mean. Its easy enough to get used to though, so don't let that put you off.

As for the product itself, I love it! It leaves my skin feeling super refreshed and there is always a visible difference to my skin tone, it just looks so much brighter. As for helping my (pretty bad) outbreaks, it isn't the greatest product I've ever used. I mean it has helped my spots slightly, but they are still red and quite painful at the mo... I think a trip to the doctors is needed for that situation though. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention. Before applying the product I have to give it a good stir. An oily substance builds up on top of the mask, I guess it is just the product settling in it container. Anyway, I still love this product, more so for my skin complexion rather than my spots.

What is your favourite face mask?

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(A winner has been picked for the CaseApp giveaway, they will be contacted shortly!)