Love For Lush

Firstly, I want to say how sad I am about the death of Whitney Houston. What an amazing musician and artist. The music she has created has inspired so many people. I hope her soul can now rest in peace xxx

Onto my post for today...

Sorry for the lack of posting, I have had soo much going on. But I have a bit of time now so I am back to blogging :) I have been trying different products which I cannot wait to review ;)

I used to use Lush skincare products all the time about 5 years ago, then I tried Dermalogica and never looked back.

I went shopping with my sister the other day and the smell of Lush lured me in. I was going for a few bath bombs but I actually found a few hand products which I tried and I LOVE them. If you know me, I neglect my hands, but don't do it purposely.

The two products I bought were:

• Helping Hands
• Lemony Flutter

Helping Hands- 100g for £6.75

This hand cream is thick in consistency and has a herbal smell. It contains a nice combination of oils such as linseed and almond, with shea and cocoa butter.

I recommend that you use it only at night time because it is very greasy and does leave an oily layer. But because I suffer from eczema on my hands (which does get worse due to cold weather, like now) I need a lot of nourishment on my hands and this product provides that. It is a healing and soothing hand cream, which is great for eczema sufferers, as skin can crack and hurt :( 

I have been slapping this product on and I love it.

TIP: I apply the hand cream on my hands (quite heavily) then I put moisture gloves on. Which you can get from here. My hands are really moisturised in the morning and I have found that my eczema has calmed down and my skin is softer :)

This is a favourite for me.

Lemony Flutter- 50g for £5.95

I also picked up this cuticle butter because of the smell and how versatile the product is sucked me in ;)

This is another amazing find for me because I also have really dry cuticles as well, no amount of moisturising would help, until this... ( and the constant use of Helping Hands). It's a really hydrating product. I showed my mum and surprise surprise it went missing...I wonder where it went?!

It smells AMAZING! Like a lemon sorbet ice cream- its heaven! The texture is weird as it feels like a mousse but when you melt it in between your fingers it works a treat.

It is a little expensive (well I thought this when I first bought it) but as I started to use it I found that you only need a little bit, so it will last you ages. But it can also be really oily if you pack it on. So, again, I only apply this at night.

Overall, I have reignited my love with Lush, they never disappoint me. I am also trying out a face mask which I got as a sample and I think I am in love!

Hope you are well :)

xxx

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

 My skin is weird and it is annoying me. I have started eating really well (I am eating mangoes as I blog!) and I don't see why my skin is still misbehaving. So introducing my new love 'Mario Badescu Drying Lotion'.

You may have heard of this skincare. It is very popular amongst celebrities in the USA. I researched a lot into this brand when I was looking for a new skincare venture and I have my eye on a few more products ;)

The product itself has two layers; pink and clear. But DO NOT shake it. All you need to do is use a cotton bud and poke it in the pink part of the solution, which you then dab on your face.

It only works best on whiteheads not really on red blemishes. It does  significantly  reduce the spot size. The first time I used it (before bed) I woke up the next morning and was like WOW! It does really work! It doesn't completely get rid of the blemish overnight but enough to make me happy! With a few days use, the blemish will disappear. You only need a dab on the spot, which does the job perfectly.

The packaging is a screw top bottle (which you can get in either glass or plastic- mine is glass) and I like the simplicity of the fuss free packaging.

 

It is suitable for all skin types.

The disadvantage of this product is the smell. It has sulphur in it and it really is an unpleasant smell. The price is another disadvantage, £14.50 for 29ml, which is a little expensive, but if it does the job I don't really mind to be honest. I purchased mine from BeautyBay. Also, expect the pink solution to be present on your pillowcase when you wake up...

Hope you are well :)

Have you tried this skincare range?

x

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors

When I first heard the Kardashians were doing a nail polish line I was really intrigued. I thought it would be quite gimmicky but I think they actually did quite good:) I do love me some Kardashian-ness!

I thought these colours were out in the UK at the beginning of 2012, but after frantic researching I found that us Britons can get our mitts on them earlier. I bought these around Christmas time and have had time to play with the three colours I chose/liked the best. I got them for £8.50 for 15ml from the Lena White website.

I chose: (L-R)

• Disco Dolls- gold base with fine multi coloured and gold glitter specks
• Hard Kourt Fashionista- dark red wine colour
• Rainbow in the S-Kylie- multi coloured glitter  

These are the first Nicole By OPI polishes I own and the bottle is such a nice shape, I love them :) The brush is nothing unique, but it is nice applying the polishes.

FYI: I do like the names! :)

What I think...

Disco Dolls is different I haven't seen a nail polish like it. When I layered it on top of Hard Kourt Fashionista it had a matte look, but by itself it has a glossy finish (weird, huh?) It is a gold/bronze base with some the sparkles found in Rainbow in the S-Kylie.

The formula for Hard Kourt Fashionista is actually good, it is easy to work with and I only needed two medium coats (not too thick and not too thin!). It is VERY similar to Nails Inc 'Victoria' which I am wearing at the moment. So not that unique unfortunately. The only difference is the consistency of the Kardashian polish is better, the Nails Inc one is a little hard to work with as it is quite sheer unless you slap on THICK-ish coats.

Rainbow in the S-Kylie reminds me of how Rainbow Connection from the OPI Muppets collection might look, but I don't own it so I wouldn't know. This is my favourite polish (love me some glitter!) and it is easy for the glitter to be transferred to the nail, you don't need to keep layering to get the transfer of the colour. I only used two coats and I think for everyday that is more than enough. But if you are going for an evening look, I say load up the glitter! However, it does NOT dry smooth, you will need a top coat so that you get a smooth nail. What I also like about this is that my nails didn't really chip, it stayed put (with the help of a top coat) :)

It does give a silvery finish from far, not really a multi coloured one, so if you are looking for a primarily multi coloured colour, I wouldn't get this.

You can see from the picture that the glitter specks are hexagon shapes with smaller cirlces specks, which I thing adds a nice touch.

Rainbow in the S-Kylie ontop of Hard Kourt Fashionista

Combination of the colours

Hard Kourt Fashionista with Disco Dolls on the middle finger

Overall

Good value for money for the glitter polishes, but some of the colours in the collection I chose not to get because either I have something similar or I wouldn't have worn them :) I guess Hard Kourt Fashionista was a 'dupe' but I don't think I can ever have enough dark nail polish colours. You will need a top coat on top, especially for the glitter colours.

I was also quite impressed that the polishes didn't chip until like day 4. But most of my OPI polishes are like that. So I am really happy with them.


Have you got anything from the Nicole By OPI Kardashian Kolor collection? What is your favourite?

Until next time ladies, ciao!

x

Loving & Disloving

Yep I am aware that disloving is not a word, but I like to make up words :P


So at the moment I am in my last week of my Christmas holidays from university. I can't wait to go back but a part of me just cannot be bothered as well, I need to make up my mind :)


But there are a few things I am loving and really not loving at the moment:


Loving:
TV
9O21O is back! Ohhh yeahhh! I love this show and am quite obsessed with Liam.
I also like another show called 'Happy Endings' on E4 (in the UK) and 'New Girl' with Zoey Deschanel (who is HOT!) and funny!


Short nails
Mainly because they are easier to type with, especially on my iPhone and long nails annoy me because I can't wear a nail polish without them looking weird, maybe its just my nails?


Hot water with freshly squeezed lemon
I have this first thing in the morning and last thing before I go to bed. It is really refreshing and it helps to clear all the gunk outta ya system... :)


Zumba for Wii
How amazing is this? A workout or what? Enough said. I also want to get Kelly Rowland's Sexy Abs DVD, who doesn't want to look like her? Her body is amazing! NEED asap!


Glitter nail polish
I have been LOVING glitter nail polish, it makes my nails look less boring. I will be doing some blogposts on the glitter nail polishes I have recently bought.


Disloving
Coursework
The amount of coursework I have is crazy, I have had to write 5 reports in 5 weeks, so that sucks but you gotta do what you gotta do!


My Skin
Has been misbehaving... I really need to make a lifestyle change, definitely more healthy eating and more exercising. But I have hormonal acne and when those little (insert swear word) appear they are HUGE and they last for ages and scar! :( 

Storage
I need to find a proper way of storing my nail polish. I have quite a few and when I am deciding which one to wear, I have to tip them all out on my bed... I kind of forget some of the colours I have :( so this is the next 'To Do' thing for me! :)



What are you loves/disloves at the moment?

Simple Deep Cleansing Face Mask

I used Simple skincare for around 2 years because it was really gentle on my skinand the results were reasonable so if you have sensitive skin, this is perfect for you.

I discovered this product around 2 years ago when I started getting blemishes and I thought Simple is 'kind to skin' (like what I did there ;) ) so I tried it and I love it. I do have hormonal acne, which sucks because when the spots surface they are HUGE and they leave scars. So I don't want to use harsh products, so this was perfect. It doesn't contain any harsh chemicals, perfume or colour and you only have to leave it on for 3 minutes!

It claims to: "draw out deep down dirt and elimate dead cells." and contains Vitamin B5, natural clay, seaweed extract and bisabolol.

It doesn't do anything crazy dramatic, but it helps to slightly dry up the spots and leaves my skin smoother, brighter with no tightness :) The texture is creamy and thick and unlike other clay based face masks, it is easier to work with and you can easily spread it around your face :)

Excuse the pooey look of the face mask :/

I use this around 2 or 3 times a week depending on how naughty my skin is being! At the moment I got a breakout mainly because my diet sucks, with all the drinking and eating I did at Xmas time, oops!

Price: £4 for 75 ml- which is AMAZING value for money! You can purchase this from Boots, Superdrug or any other drugstore.


What are you loving at the moment?

xxx

Dove Pro Age Thick and Full Shampoo

I am one of those girls who likes volume in my hair, so it is VERY rare to find me with straight hair.

Shampoo is not like skincare for me. My skincare is pretty consistent. But I find that by changing my shampoo regularly (by this I mean monthly) my hair is much more responsive to the shampoo and therefore I get better results. Hair in general can get used to a product and can become immune to it, so I like to switch it up a bit :)

And you will find me weird for suggesting this shampoo because it is marketed at mature women, but fear not, anyone can use it in my opinion. It also states it is for weak, thinning hair, so I believe it is a universal product.

Presenting Dove Pro Age Thick and Full Shampoo...

Thanks Google, lots of love :)

I don't even know how I found this shampoo, I think my mum just bought it by accident in Boots and I am glad she did. It definitely makes my hair voluminous, bouncy and shiny. It also makes my hair look thicker, which is a bonus :) My hair type is quite weird, its oily/sensitive, which is annoying, but this is shampoo really cleans my hair and is gentle. Also, because of my hair type I cannot use heavy shampoo's because my hair will look soo greasy I could probably cook an egg on it (eurgh!). This shampoo has a lightweight formula which I completely agree with it.

I also like having the fact that I can go to the supermarket/drugstore to get it, I don't need to make a trip to John Lewis on Oxford Street to get a shampoo (really?!)

At the moment I am seriously LOVING this!!! Give it a try :)

Price: £2 (approx.)

Hope you are having a good start to 2012. ;)

Happy New Year!!!

I just wanted to wish you a year full of love, health and happiness :) I personally am glad to see the back of 2011.

Hope you all had fun celebrating the new year and how AMAZING were the London fireworks?! Well done Boris! :)

xxx