LUSH buys + reviews

Hello bloggers!

I recently went to town and picked up a few gorgeous items from LUSH that I knew I just had to share with you all! I thought I might as well at the same time give a quick review on them too.

→Ickle Baby Bot - Ballistic - £1.75

"Exterminate tiredness and send your baby off to the land of nod. Soothe your baby’s bott with our Baby ‘Bot"

Lavender Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Chamomile Blue Oil & English Angelica Root Oil

Review: 

I don't tend to have baths and when I do I like to go all out for I light the candles, turned the music on and relaxed with this gorgeous smell of lavender and chamomile. The ballistic is aimed at children but it looked super cute and I just had to have it. It turned the water a lovely turquoise blue and left me feeling like I was floating on cloud 9 with the divine oils soothing my skin. And the fact that it doesn't break the bank and looked cute makes me an even happier girl and so I highly recommend this to anyone out there looking for an enjoyable, peaceful soak!

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→Daddy-O - Shampoo - Free sample

£4.75/100g - £9.50/250g - £15.50/500g

"Purple Shampoo to stop blondes going brassy"

Fresh Organic Lemon and Toothed Wrack Seaweed Infu, Fresh Sea Water, Fresh Organic Lime Juice, Extra

Virgin Coconut Oil, Violet Leaf Absolute, Rose Absolute, Bergamot Oil & Cananga Oil.

Review: 

As you all know I'm a blonde and I have used purple shampoo's in the past and have even posted reviews about how much I love them. When the lovely assistant offered for me to try this product for free I found it hard to resist and so I snapped her up on the offer before she could say another word. She explained how it was made out of various natural ingredients and left your hair looking radiant and smelling beautiful. I'm all for trying new shampoo's, especially those made from good ingredients and not full of chemicals. I used it that night (leave on for 5mins) and wow, my hair looked a lot lighter and smelt of parma violets (my fav!!). The smell lasted all day and I can still faintly smell it now, which is 2 days later. I will definitely be purchasing the bottle soon!

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→American Cream - Conditioner - Free sample 

£4.25/100g - £8.50/250g - £13.50/500g

"Bring all the boys to the yard with this strawberry vanilla milkshake condition"

Honey Water, Vanilla Pod Infusion, Fresh Organic Oranges,  Fresh Strawberries, Vanilla Absolute, Clary Sage Oil & Lavender Oil

Review: 

I am so picky when it comes to conditioners as they can either work really well with my hair and leave it feeling super soft or super greasy, urgh. When again the assistant also offered for me to try this I'm pretty sure you all know what I said....yes please!! I used it straight after the Daddy-O, massaged it into my hair and left for a few minutes then rinsed it off. After leaving my hair to dry naturally as always it fell into gorgeous waves which felt like silk and smelt of summer fruits; it was instant love. Finally I have found a conditioner that I will more than happily splurge out on because it makes my hair feel like an angels (or so I presume). 

Are you a LUSH addict?

What have you bought lately?

Big 1-8 Giveaway!

Aloha beauty Bloggers around the world!
I come bearing good news and I am positive you will love what I am about to say next. In less than two weeks (on the 18th to be precise) it is my 18th (ironic, I know) and I thought well why not keep the celebrations coming and give one lucky person a treat too!

I will be including 4 items in the giveaway, mostly beauty related and I won't be telling you the prizes as I like to keep everyone in suspense and have secrets!

RULES
- Finishes on 18th of Novemeber
- 1 winner
- UK participants only
- Must be following this Blog or my other one through GFC
EXTRA ENTRY
- Tweet about this giveaway with the hashtag #18giveaway so I can see who has tweeted
- Post/ mention about this giveaway on your Blog (link back through comment or include in tweet)

To enter this giveaway please comment below and leave your email address so I contact you if you are the lucky one. I will be using random.org to pick the winner and I shall announce who it is on the 22nd of November.

Good luck !!

Em xxx

MAC Select NW15 Foundation - Review

Bonjour lovlies!


This is yet another MAC post due to my massive haul recently. Also this has been requested by Charlotte, so here you go and I hope you all like the review and the product as much as I do!

PRODUCT:
MAC Select Foundation NW15

STATEMENT:

"Our water-based liquid foundation. Combines medium coverage with SPF 15. Provides a fresh, natural matte finish. Layers up, lasts long: helps protect the skin all day. Non-oily. 21 shades. Best way to baby your skin!"

PRICE: 

£19.50 - 30ml / 1.0 us oz

£6.50 per 10ml

REVIEW: 

The consistency of the foundation is quite light and creamy which allows easy application to the face. The smell is quite pleasant and completely unlike the MAC Studio Fix Foundation, which to me smells of paint. With many of MAC's products you don't need a lot on your face in order to achieve full coverage and therefore I only apply a few dots to my cheeks, nose, forehead and chin. I use a MAC foundation brush for my Select Foundation and therefore I get an even and fluent appliance. I tend to go for the natural but radiant look and don't like to overload my face as it can irritate my spots however even with the small amount of foundation I use it still hides my blemishes and makes my spots less noticeable.

This foundation can be built up for an evening look or if your skin is worse than usual. I use this with my MAC Prep & Prime and the foundation can last a good 10 hours, without the need for a powder touch up. It completely banishes my oily areas and leaves my skin feeling baby smooth despite my mild acne. The fact that is also an SPF 15 makes me love the Select Foundation even more as it can be used throughout the year especially when in the sun. I do also have a MAC Studio Fix Foundation which is full sized, however I may even go as far as to say I love this a little bit more.

Due to this being a small freebie it is slowly but surely running out however I would happily repurchase this again and fully recommend to anyone! It has now become a staple product within my make-up bag and I intend to order it online once my sample has ran out. 

MAC Prep & Prime Skin - Review

Hello fellow Bloggers!

Today I bring you all a review of my MAC freebie. This little beauty has been in my life for around 3 weeks now and boy am I impressed! So less of the chit-chat and more of the "is it any decent" talk!

PRODUCT:
MAC Prep & Prime Skin.

STATEMENT:

"An ultra-fluid lotion formulated with special-effect silicones. Calms and soothes the skin, blots away excess oil, and evens out skin redness. Improves the laydown and application of foundation or powder."

PRICE: 

£18.00 - 30ml / 1.0 us fl oz

£60.00 per 100ml

REVIEW: 

The consistency of the product is very light and has a nice velvety touch, which means that once applied to the face it then feels soft and fluent unlike some primers that can sometimes leave the skin feeling heavy and tight. A couple of small dots placed on the cheeks, forehead, chin and nose are sufficient enough to achieve full coverage. After applying foundation, my face looked refreshed and almost flawless; and helped my make-up remain intact for a good 10 hours. The Prep & Prime Skin stays true to its claims as it does banish any extra oiliness and evens out my skin tone. 

Due to this being a small freebie it is slowly but surely running out however I would happily repurchase this again and fully recommend to anyone! It has now become a staple product within my make-up bag and I intend to order it online once my sample has ran out. 

Have you tried this product before?

Any favourite primer recommendations?

Monday mayhem #7

Hello Girlies!

Sorry I have been absent for a while, I've been working my little butt off lately to earn myself some pennies so I can afford to have a beauty haul very soon. Excited isn't the word!

T: Had a peaceful resting day and I managed to get some work done, thank the Lord! Got my hair highlighted by, only cost £10, ah the joys of having friends who are hairdressers! It is now much blonder, which I'm sure you will see in the picture.

W: Created Blogger2Blogger, if you haven't already then please do check it out and let me know what you think of it all.

T: Full day at work followed by a cosy night in with D watching "The Big Bang Theory", I love that program!

F: Went round to my sisters and helped her with work related things and also saw my cute little nephew Owen for a bit. He has just learnt to say "Emma" bless! Also took my three nieces out trick-or-treating and managed to come home with over £20 and a bag full of sweets, yummy!

S: Day at work followed by a lazy night in and a takeaway. Didn't even watch The X-Factor, Facebook updated me enough to know what was going on without watching!

S: Sunday was almost a ground-hog day for me as I done exactly the same as the day before, however with a slight difference of takeaway, I had Indian. Nom.

M: First day back at school, waaaa! Been catching up on coursework etc since 12ish. Feeling pretty crap, might need tests to figure out what my immune system is playing at!

MAC Studio Finish Concealer - Review

Hey girls!

Sorry for not posting for a couple of days, feels like years in the Blogging world! I thought I would do a review seeing as I haven't done one in a while, and of course I knew I wanted to review all my MAC products.

This concealer was recommended to me by the sales lady at the MAC counter in Harvey Nichols, where I tested it on my acne and liked a great deal. The consistency is very light and creamy which mean easy appliance however I found that it needed it be built up to cover fully and therefore can sometimes result in an orange effect. I tried using a small concealer brush but found that it is best applied with a finger as it warms the product up which makes it go a long way on the skin. It has an SPF 35 so it can be used for when on holiday too and worn with full make-up for a night time look or by itself for minimalistic day wear.
I like how compact and small it is meaning it is easily stored in a make-up bag or small clutch; alongside the clear lid which allows us to see for ourselves the colour without having to open the product makes this item a must have piece for our make-up collection.

the top image shows the concealer to be darker than it is, 

please go by the swatch below as it is a true colour

Have you tried MAC?

Any favs to share?

MAC Haul

Hola Bloggers!

You might remember me mentioning my MAC haul in my Edinburgh post last week...well here is what I bought, however bear in mind the reviews are still to come!

Have you bought anything recently from MAC?

What's your favourite MAC product?

Monday mayhem #5

Hello girls!

Sorry for the Monday mayhem being late, I've come down with a seriously bad chest infection which has caused me to push aside everything Blog related, school work and even my boyfriends 18th presents. On the plus side, it now means I will hopefully become eligible to get my tonsils removed as they are the reason I'm becoming constantly ill! Now onto more positive things.....

T: Physio, followed by plenty of sleeping, in an attempt to banish my tonsillitis. Then went and ordered a few bits and bobs for Halloween and D's 18th!

W: woke up to a super cute message from Dom, still felt awful so stayed away from school! A dress came from Asos for D's 18th, had stains and loose threads, not a happy shopper!

T: Half day at school then went home and chillaxed with mum. Spoke to Asos and they sent another dress out free of charge and on next day delivery, hurray!

F: Dress, few presents and halloween stuff arrived, I love getting parcels! Dress fit beaaaautifully! Had work for a couple of hours, went to dads ordered a chinky, nomnomnom!

S: Full day at work followed by a night in with the girls, had yet another takeaway and a few drinks. Tasha fell asleep so what do best friends do? Yep, you guessed right, we drew on her ickle face! Then went back to Doms.

S: Work again, came back to D's began shaking, being sick etc etc. Luckily enough he was a star and looked after me all day and night!

M: Slept all day, mother came and picked me up and we went to Tesco's for some medicine, during which they decided to have a flaming fire drill...who does that?!?! Watched OTH, love that program so much, and had a late night!

Has your supermarket had a fire drill whilst you were shopping?

Anyone else had problems with Asos?

Blog Sale Haul

I'm more than certain a lot of you will be familiar with the wonderful Charli from http://www.charli-dot-dot-dot.blogspot.com/! Well recently she had a Blog Sale and always keen on saving a few pennies I had a look and found these beauties were still for sale. I have never tried ELF before as I am a typical tight arse and hate paying for P&P and so when I saw she had three cute colours on offer I snapped them up within a heartbeat. The beautiful pastel lemon caught my eye as I haven't got any yellow nail polishes and thought why not! Both ELF colours can be seen worn in this post. Charli had also added a bit of personal touch to the packaging by drawing on cute doodles, what a babe!

ELF | Purple Pleaser

17 Lasting Fix | Sherbet Lemon

ELF | Gum Pink

Have you got any discount codes for ELF?

What's your recent NOTD?

NOTD - Gone a bit dotty!

Iya Girlies! 

Just a quick shout out to a Blogging newbie Chelsea, cotton-sox.blogspot.com who has recently become a new fellow Beauty&Fashion Blogger. Please head on over to have a look and a follow! 

Here are my nails today, fancied something different and thought why not jump onto the whole 'Spotty Nails' bandwagon! Used a kirby grip to do the dots, personally think it's turned out quite well. The base colour looks a lilacy colour but its really a grey with lilac undertones, damn you lighting! Also went for the 'Index a different colour' look and decided to use pink (Cancer awareness month! - Hope you're all sporting a bit of pink!) 

Ebay | Falsies

Collection 2000 Hot Looks | Angel Wings

Elf | Purple Pleaser

Elf | Gum Pink

What's your fav nail trend this season?

Any new polishes?

Edinburgh Shopping Spree

Hola belles!

As you know I have recently visited Edinburgh (love that city more than anything!) for a shopping spree with mother! As an early 18th treat I got a few presents bought for me in advance.

Here are some photo's from the whole day & journey. Post's on the product purchases to come, please be patient lovelies!

 

 
 
 

Have you been to Edinburgh?

Any recent buys?

Monday mayhem #4

Can you believe this is my fourth one already?!

T: Went to school, half a day then had physio followed by lots of sleeping. Made Dom tea and his mate came round for a bit, then headed home. Made my own tea of fried chorizo and prawns in a garlic and olive oil sauce...lush!

W: Got up eaaarly, headed to Edinburgh with mum, spent over £200 on MAC make up and bought a Jack Wills Gilet, also got a few H&M tops..post to come! Takeaway on the night, mmmm.

T: Lie In - YESS! Half day at school then had an early night with Dom.

F: Busy busy day, full day at 6th form, followed by town, anniversary present buying, and a girly night with takeaway and of course a few drinks! Taxi home and early night for moi, work in the morning! Only then was it I remembered I had left my phone!

S: Full day at work, dolled myself up and had a slap-up meal with D for our 3rd anniversary, he bought me a gorg present (photos to come..) and then we watched dvds aaall night long.

S: Another full day of work, came home early cause I felt crap, tonsillitis flared up again so I spent the rest of the evening demolishing ANOTHER takeaway and then feeling sorry for myself.

M: Stayed in bed most of the day, only went out to buy calpol, honey and paracetamol. Someone please make this pain go away! Boohoo

I really hope your weekend has been better!

Any make-up deals floating around lately? 

MUA Bronzer - Review

Hey girls!

It such a cold day here in Cumbria, even though the sun is shining! So I'm wrapped up in my duvet with a hot water-bottle and ready to let you all know how fab MUA is !

Most of you will already know MUA, but for those who don't...well you're in for a treat! The Make-Up Academy (MUA) launched in May 2010 with a huge range of over 100 lipsticks, eyeshadows, blushers, mascaras and nail varnishes. They caused excitement in both the media and blogging world. With a set price of £1 they quickly became a highstreet favourite brand. A recent extension is the MUA Professional range, which is priced from £1.50- £4! Complete bargain!

I have bought quite a few products from MUA recently, including lipsticks, blushers, nail varnishes and now a bronzer, and for all £1 they didn't even break the bank!

The MUA bronzer (SHADE 1) is ideal for a healthy glow to the face or even used as a highlighter to the cheekbones. The golden shimmery powder allows you to look sun kissed all year round, making it such a must have. Although it may look light in the pan, do not be fooled as it transfers quite heavy on the brush, so try to avoid being heavy handed! This product is perfect for those who are having a foundation free day but would still like a radiant face, or it can be easily layered up for a night out.

I usually sweep some over my t-zone in order to hide my acne and then over my eyelids, as it gives them a lovely pop of colour. Be sure to blend in well though girls, tide marks aren't beautiful!

 

November will see the launch of several new lipsticks, I actually cannot wait to get my hands on these! And I will do a review as soon as I get them! MUA are available to purchase in Superdrug, any queries please contact them through their facebook or twitter.

Have you tried any MUA products?

What's your views?

Glowing talons

Hello beautifuls!

I feel like I haven't blogged properly in a while (reviews) so here is one right now. I intended to do a MUA blog post as I'm loving their bronzer, lipsticks and nail varnishes lately! But I'm such a blonde and forgot my notebook (with all the picys on) at Doms so I've resorted to using my very old laptop instead.


I popped into Tesco's before with mum and eyed up some glow in the dark nail varnish and only for £1! Okay, so it may not be an amazing brand but hey, it's good enough for a quick spice up for this spooky month! The thought of my nails looking fluorescent green in the dark shamefully intrigued me.


I painted my nails as usual and then applied a layer of the glowing nail varnish on top. Obviously I had to put my nails in the light and then came the magic... I turned the lights off and wow, it looked cool! Unfortunately my camera didn't pick it up but I assure you it works! The formula on my nails looked streaky but I'm not too fussed. The substance and consistency seems quite creamy however when on it goes clear and gives the undercoat a matte affect, which I liked. 


So for £1, this will make a perfect surprise for those dark nights!

What do you think?

Are glow in the dark nail varnishes a step too far?

Monday mayhem #3

Hey girls!

It's that time again....

T: Half day at school followed by physio. Then went into town, cashed my wages and eyed up the kittens (I'm hoping to get one for my 18th next month!!). Was quite naughty and spent a lot few pennies on some clothes & make up. Also made tea (rarely do this...)

W: The sun was sosososo hot! Luckily had half day so I got to enjoy the heat, yay for me. Had an early night for once too.

T: Woke up to my Vivo package which made me a very happy blogger. Mum had a doctor app so after I made us a picnic and we went to Talkin Tarn, and basked in the heat. Whisp enjoyed the shade and a few treats I took her, all in all a very lovely day!

F: Fifa 12 came out which meant I said goodbye to Dom, as he is addicted..once again! Had a relatively early night.

S: Visited Edinburgh Napier University (2nd time), this time I saw the different campus' as they weren't open on the other open day. Had a Starbucks, Classic Hot Chocolate with a shot of peppermint, whipped cream and cinnamon dusting = LUSH!. Had a mahoosive Indian takeaway and snuggles with D.

S: Work from 10:30 - 4 as the electric had fused so we had to close early. (secretly pleased), made tea again (what is going on with me?!?!) and snuggled with D.

M: School and cashed wages in. The dress I want to order for Dom's 18th is out of stock, gutted. Hurry up and stock up!!!

How's your week been?

Any nice dress websites?

Vivo Cosmetics - Baked Blush

Bonjour girlies!

You will more than likely of heard about Vivo Cosmetics in the blogesphere and around Twitter lately as they have just launched in September 2011 to our local supermarket, Tesco. They sell an array of make-up products, ranging from primer to lip gloss and all those in-between. 

Unfortunately my local Tesco doesn't sell this collection (yet!) but the lovely Kerry from Vivo was kind enough to send me a couple products to review. Within less than two days my package had arrived and I eagerly tore open the envelope to get my hands onto these beauties. I have discovered a massive love for baked blushers recently and asked if they would be willing to send me one for my review; to my amazement and joy they sent me BOTH of the blushers! 

Along with the blushers, Vivo sent me an information guide with the prices and a blurb of their products; this pleased me a lot as I now know exactly how diverse they are.Vivo's motto is "alive with colour" and after looking at their guide I 100% agree! They claim they are the MAC of supermarkets and believe me, I would agree. The baked blushers can easily be seen as dupes for the MAC Mineralize Blusher, however at an extremely affordable price.

Here is Shade 1 - Peaches & Cream. At first I was quite dubious about this colour as it seemed very orangey coloured with a hint of bronze running through it. Although once swatched, I fell in love with it instantly as the colour, when applied to skin, is so light and shimmery. When applied to my brush it didn't look like there was a lot on, but in fact there was, so be careful girlies. It is highly pigmented and you therefore don't need to apply a lot to your cheekbones. It lasted from around 9am until 5ish, it did fade as I was busy at work all day. This blush goes perfect with a tanned complexion and is a great colour during this heat wave. 

                                     

 This is Shade 2 - Rosy. I would describe this blusher as the perfect pink with slight hues of baby pink mixed in. I wore this blusher yesterday and I got lovely comments on how natural and radiant it made me look, which really pleased me. Again, it is highly pigmented and can be worn for a more fresh face look or layered up to create for a night-time party. The colour name is true to form as it gave me beautiful rosy cheeks which I believe will be the perfect shade this Christmas to warm up the wintery days.

Both blushers retail at £4 each so make sure you pop one into your basket next time you visit Tesco!!

The packaging is simple but effective and I like how Vivo have gone with a metallic grey/brown instead of the common black colour. The smell of the blushers isn't that pleasant, although it isn't noticeable once applied. I sincerely hope that the writing on the blushers doesn't rub off as it can tend to do with other make-up collections. Both of these blushers are strong contenders towards my new BeautyUk baked blusher and will more than likely be worn daily!
I cannot wait to get my hands onto more of their products!

Have you tried any Vivo cosmetics? 

What are your views?






I was sent this product to review by Vivo Cosmetics. In no way, shape or form has my review been false. I based this post on my personal opinions.