Lush Popcorn Lush Scrub Review

Another blogmas post but this time it is a review of the new Lush popcorn lip scrub which is part of their Christmas collection this year. 

Before this lip scrub I hadn't tried anything like this before (if you don't want to use a lip scrub/exfoliator, I used to use a toothbrush scrubbed over the lips which has a similar effect but lip scrubs are more effective, in my opinion - also you could make you own lip scrub). Anyway, I have been using this product on and off for about three weeks now and I love it! I put off buying the Lush lip scrubs for ages as I thought they were too expensive for what they are but this product is great and perfect for this time of year when my lips can get even more flaky than usual (horrible, I know!). 

To use: I just take a small amount (as shown above) and I rub it into my lips concentrating on the edges and corners of my lips as that is where my lips get quite dry/flaky. The instructions say that you can then lick the scrub off your lips and I have tried this but I really don't like the taste - it does taste to some extent like sweet buttery popcorn but it also has a plastic, artificial sweet taste. So I just wipe the scrub off with a wet flannel/cloth and this scrub leaves my lips so smooth and almost flake free. I then apply a lip balm, either my Nuxe Reve De Miel stick lip balm during the day or my Rodial Glambalm at night. 

Positives: Easy to use, smells nice, works really well overall and it is easy to remove 

Negatives: Availability, price, taste, in my opinion 

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Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar: 1-8

Yet another blogmas post and on a different note I just wanted to say thank you to all of my new followers! Two weeks ago I only had 8 followers now I have 33, so thank you! 

Now, my Selfridges advent calendar, it is very expensive and it is definitely the most expensive advent ever! But this was a gift from my parents, I know I am very lucky and I wanted to share my thoughts on the products I received in the days 1 to 8 of the calendar. 

The first product I received was a sample of the gorgeous, and expensive, Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb perfume. I have been looking to buy this perfume for a while now, as whenever I go to duty free I see mini sets of this fragrance although it is really expensive. The sample bottle is just adorable (I'm a sucker for miniature perfume bottles) and the fragrance is so nice - it smells quite sweet, floral and musky too. Maybe it is just me bit I can smell a bit of chocolate in there too! The scent is divine and I recommend that you give it a sniff when you are in a store that stocks this perfume. The second product I received is the Kiehls Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. This hand cream is just gorgeous, it has a very smooth texture, it applies so nicely/easily and it leaves my hands feeling so hydrated, velvety smooth and comfortable. The third item in the advent calendar is the Lancome Renergie Multi-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Cream and as I am only 20 I don't really need this yet but it looks quite expensive. 

 The fourth item is the Lancome Eau Micellaire Water. I am very happy to try any micellar water as they are fantastic makeup removers and I cannot wait to try this product - I haven't yet as I already have the second bottle of my Vichy Micellar solution on the go at the moment. Next I received a sample of the Shu Uemura Skin Purifier Cleansing Oil. I haven't tried a cleansing oil before (although I have a couple of samples) and I am excited to try this one as Shu Uemura make the best cleansing oils apparently. The sixth item I received is a sample of a fragrance I have been wanting to try since it was released, it is Diesel Loverdose perfume. Firstly, the bottle is divine, it looks so gorgeous and the perfume is so nice too. It smells like licorice, musky notes and it smells a bit like Illamasqua Freak. I do really like this fragrance but I don't think I will buy the full size. 

The seventh item I received was the new Lancome fragrance - Lancome La vie est belle. The bottle is adorable and so pretty and the fragrance smells really nice in the bottle but not as nice on the skin. On the skin this perfume smells floral but musky and it has a hint of sweetness - it is really generic though, in my opinion. The last item in the post, is the Kiehls Ultra Facial cream which I haven't tried yet but it looks great and it is a good sized a sample.  

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November Favourites!

These are my favourite beauty products for the month of November (a bit late I know), some of which have the same for the past couple of months - such as the Lancome cleansing lotion and the soap and glory eyeshadow quad. This is another blogmas post. 

Firstly, the couple of skincare products I have been loving in the month of November. The Lancome Galateis Douceur Cleansing Lotion has been a surprise as it was a free gift with purchase and I didn't think I would like it...but it is amazing! The lotion has a silky smooth texture, it applies so smoothly and it does not irritate my skin at all - even if the very small amount of eczema that I have flares up. Although I love this product there are a couple of negatives, the first being the scent, this product smells quite strongly of men's aftershave. The second negative point concerning this product is the price - it is really quite expensive at £20-34 but I will buy this product if it on offer/sale. 

The second and final skincare favourite product is the Lush Let The Good Times Roll Cleanser. I already have a full review of this product (click here for the link). This cleanser is limited edition from Lush unfortunately as it is a great exfoliating cleanser that smells incredible - it smells like buttered popcorn, toffee and cookies/baking. The cleanser exfoliates, cleans and it leaves my skin really smooth and soft. The cleanser is a little bit messy but I would buy this product again. 

Next up is a primer, The Body Shop Moisturise it Primer. The packaging and price have changed slightly since I bought this primer earlier this year. I have been using this product everyday I have been wearing makeup for this past two months and I find that it does stop my skin from looking dry through out the day. A great primer for dry skin, I would buy this product again as it is smoothing and hydrating. 

Now onto a product that the beauty community have been raving about before they where even released - it is the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliners. I have the nude shade and the taupe shade. I adore the taupe shade, I have been applying it along the upper and lower line lash and then blending for quick and easy definition. The eyeliners are incredibly smooth and creamy so they apply really well and the taupe shade is gorgeous. Highly recommended and they are really cheap too! 

Staying on the topic of eyes, I have been loving the Soap & Glory Eyeshadow Quad in the shade 'What's Nude' since I bought it earlier this year. This quad has been featured in various monthly favourites and I took this quad on holiday with me in august. The quad feature three matte shades and one shimmery shade so it is very wearable on a daily basis and the shadows have great longevity and they don't crease easily. Overall, a gorgeous high quality palette that is definitely worth the money! 

Now eyebrows, I bought this Gosh Eyebrow Gel at the beginning of November and I have been using it everyday since I bought it. I adore my Tweezerman Browmousse but I had used it up completely a couple of months ago so I needed a replacement and my Revlon Eyebrow gel wasn't working for me but this product is great. The gel applies well, it is clear and it does keep my eyebrows in check for the day - although the Tweezerman Browmousse does hold my brows much better than this product but it is also more expensive than the Gosh gel (the Gosh gel is only £4.99)!

The last favourite of the month of November is the new ELF Small Stippling Brush which I have been using with my new Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation and the brush works incredibly well with the Benefit foundation and other liquid foundations. The brush is really smooth and soft and it blends foundation almost seamlessly. Although this brush isn't great for thicker foundations. Highly recommended, especially as this brush is only £3.75. 

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Lush Let The Good Times Roll Cleanser Review

Another blogmas post and it is a review of the new Christmas cleanser from Lush! I have been using this cleanser for about three/four weeks now and I love it!

Firstly, if you collect five black empty pots you can take them to a Lush store and exchange them from a free fresh face mask - I need to remember to keep the black pots! This cleanser is limited edition for Christmas, unfortunately, as it is gorgeous, in my opinion. The cleanser smells gorgeous, like toffee, creamy cinnamon and buttered popcorn - a great incentive to cleanse in the morning! Unlike other Lush cleansers I have used, this one has a really good expiration date and I will end up using all of the cleanser before it expires. 

To use: I scoop out a 20p size amount of cleanser and mix it with warm water in the palm of my hand which makes a kind of grainy, sandy paste. The texture of this cleanser does feel and look like wet sand but less abrasive. The cleanser smells gorgeous and it feels like it really exfoliates the skin well when applied and massaged into the skin. The cleanser does take a bit of extra time to remove but it is worth it as this product makes my skin feel so smooth and soft. I didn't experience any irritation while using this product but I think it may bit slightly too abrasive for individuals with sensitive skin. I will be buying this again in the Lush after Christmas sale! Overall, a fantastic cleanser and it is currently priced at £5.95 for 100g at Lush. 

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MAC & ByTerry Lipstick Dupe!

Yet another blogmas post!

I bought my MAC lipstick in the shade 'Creme in your coffee' a while ago and it was the first lipstick from MAC that I bought! I adore the shade of 'creme in your coffee' it is a gorgeous rosy browny nude that looks natural but defined and enhances the lips, in my opinion. Then a few of months ago I bought a ByTerry lipstick from the SpaceNK sale as it was only £10. 

I could not find any swatches of this ByTerry lipstick shade online anywhere! So I bought the shade '7 Tough Cookie' without knowing what it would really look like! It turned out to be a gorgeous rosy browny nude like my MAC 'creme in your coffee' and on further inspection...they turned out to be very, very similar - they are not identical obviously but they can definitely be mistaken for one another. The photograph above shows the two lipstick (swatched twice) on my arm, firstly with flash (top right) then in natural lighting (bottom right). 

Overall, the colours are very similar although the MAC lipstick is pinker and the ByTerry lipstick is more on the brown side but they are so similar and they have similar finishes on the lips - slightly shiny and creamy. Also your natural lip colour will have some influence on the resulting shade on the lips. Both photographs show one layer of lipstick which has been blotted but you can build up the colour, especially with the ByTerry lipstick. Both shades would be fantastic for autumn and winter for a 'running around in the snow' lip colour. These shades would be gorgeous with a smokey brown eye or black liner and lashes. On this second photograph the brown in the lipstick isn't picking up as much but it definitely has a more browny undertone than the MAC shade but again they are both really similar, in my opinion. 

These lipsticks would make gorgeous stocking fillers - I would love to get a MAC lipstick as a stocking filler! And these shades are gorgeous for this time of year.

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Blogmas and my week in photographs!

Cold, Foggy, Wet, Raining, Candles and University assignments....a horrible good week! Firstly, the weather - as I am British I have to talk about the weather - it is an unspoken rule within British society to talk and complain about the weather at least once a day! The weather in England has been horrible over the past week or two with flooding, below freezing temperatures and rain or fog on the other days - although I know it could be worse but even when the weather is gorgeous the British like to complain anyway! Secondly, university, as I am now in my third and final year of my psychology degree I have had a lot of assignment, dissertation and lecture stress so I have been relaxing with extra pampering whenever I can which accounts for the large mountain of empty products for the month of November! Photograph below of the body, bath and pamper products I have been loving this week. I have also been burning a lot of candles this week and through out November really. This week I have been burning my Yankee Candle Eggnog Tea Lights which isn't my favourite scent by far but it is quite nice overall, although I don't think I will buy this scent again. 

1. Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub  2. Rodial Glambalm Lip  3. Caudalie Gentle Conditioning Shampoo  4. Lush Let The Good Time Roll Facial Cleanser  5. ELF Lip Exfoliator   6. Sanctuary Spa Body Butter

Now Blogmas, a blogging celebration of all things festive, autumnal and christmasy - I don't know if someone has created this before but I haven't heard of this in the blogging world. I am copying the idea from Missglamorazzi/thegridmonster/Ingrid from Youtube (who I love and I am subscribed to her youtube channel) - she is doing something called Vlogmas where she vlogs everyday until Christmas and I thought I would blog everyday until Christmas with Christmas/festive/autumnal themed blog posts!

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