May Empties

I don't think I've done an 'Empties' post since January.. so it's about time I cracked on.

Christmas Candy Box

So here we have my second instalment of the Lush goodies I recived at Christmas. This was the second largest box I got and again, it was off my beauty of a sister. Kudos to her this year! 

Little Snow Fairy

I'll apologise in advance if there are some grammar mistakes in this post, I'm currently singing at the top of my voice to Sixpence None The Richer, whilst Luna looks at me like I'm insane, which, if we're honest, I am and I'm finding it really difficult to concentrate. 

I got a LOT of Lush for Christmas, boyfriend, family and friends, all know me way too well and I am drowning in the stuff (not that I'm complaining). One of the boxes I received was 'Little Snow Fairy', I died with happiness as soon as I saw the label, knowing all too well what would be waiting for me inside this little box. 

Magic Wand

Firstly, let me apologise for the photo quality of this, I took this picture last minute last night before I grumpily jumped in the bath and didn't speak to anyone for an hour. But at least I did think to photo it, that's gotta count for something, right?

Magic Wand is one of my all time favourite Lush products - mainly because it's on a stick, so my fingers don't get burn when I shove it under the hot tap. I purchase this EVERY Christmas, I literally physically can't go a year without this in my bath. Snow Fairy is one of my all-time scents. For those of you who are as Lush mad as I am, you'll understand what I mean, for those of you who are Snow Fairy virgin, if you like candy/sweets/bubblegum, then why aren't you queuing up in Lush to purchase this, right now? WHY?! 

So Magic Wand is a bubble bar, which means you hold it under your hot tap and watch the bubbles magically appear. I think I like bubble bars more than bath bombs because you get so much more for your money. Whilst I love Lush, I do think it can be overpriced. At £5.95 this is one of their more expensive bubble bars, but I can easily get at least 4 baths out of this. Or two MAJORLY (and I mean spilling over the top of your bath) filled bubble baths. 

I like that they only bring this out at Christmas because even though I adore it, the scent would probably become too sickly if I used it all the time. It's nice to have a product to look forward to at this time of year. I do think everyone should give the wand a try, it's good value for money and it smells divine. So what are you waiting for already? Jeez.

You can find Magic Wand over at Lush HERE.

- Charli, xo

Lush // Granny Takes a Dip

Good morning!

After last weeks Honey Bee disaster, it's nice to have a GOOD review on a Lush product! Today we have a little review on something that I have, quite frankly, fallen in love with! This is a new(ish) bomb from Lush and I think the amount of product you get for your money is brilliant. Let's begin, shall we? 

Lush // Honey Bee

Hello!

I'm back! After a weeks back :) sorry about that! I had a little Lush order lately and as I hadn't seen this one on their website before (although I don't think it's new) I decided I'd give it a go. I know that when you order these kind of products via the Internet, there is a chance you're going to dislike it and unfortunately this is one of those times. 

A Lush Review // May Day

Ooo, it's been so long since my last Lush review! This is due to the fact that I ran out and put myself on a spending ban so wasn't able to treat myself :( however, because I have an awesome boyfriend and he knows how sad having an empty Lush box makes me, he treated me :) This is the first of my purchases. 

Skincare // 01

Good morning!

The other day I was looking at myself in the mirror, as you do and I realised, my skin is in the best condition it has ever been. Since getting myself into a skincare routine (which I whole-heartedly recommend) it's like I have a new face. No spots, no dry skin (only occasionally) nothing! So I thought I'd spend today's post talking about how my skin has come to this. Now this is just what my routine is ATM, I do change it up a bit because I like to try new products.

The Meadowhall Haul

Morning!

Last weekend I took a trip to Meadowhall with Bear and we had a lovely few hours of shopping. I had some birthday money that I wanted to spend and what better place than Meadowhall?! We also stopped at TGIF (obviously) however I didn't take any photos as I was too busy stuffing my face. Not everything I brought is featured, but this is most of it; 

I've wanted a new make-up bag for ages as mine is seriously gross, so I dragged Bear into Cath Kidston and came out with this little pretty! Bigger than the one I have now, this is a beautiful pale blue with floral (obviously) and I adore it. I haven't even put anything it it yet cause it's too nice! I also took a trip to Boots and purchased two of the new Speckled Egg collection from Models Own. I brought Magpie (green) and Duck (blue) and my lovely friend Kerry brought me Swan (lilac). There will be a review coming up on these in the next couple of weeks!

Bear also let me wander into MAC. What was he thinking? I've been wanting an empty pro-palette since, forever so I took the plunge. At £22.50 I was actually really impressed and the girl told me that the refills are only £10 - then she gave me a £5 gift card! Definitely going back next month for my first eyeshadow! I've also been wanting a new, spring blush for a couple of weeks now. I love my Rockteur but it's being used up fast and I want something a bit brighter. In comes Satin Taupe. Oh my days, what a beautiful colour! It's a very, very light baby pink (it looks dark in this picture, it isn't) so light in fact, I wouldn't wear it on a night out. But for natural days, or days where I don't want to wear too much face cake, this does the job! And at £18, it's cheaper than Benefit!

All hail the Hunters! These are actually what I went to Meadowhall for. My brilliant Bear brought me these for my birthday. What kinda girl asks for wellies for her birthday, I hear you ask? Well, the kind girl that wishes she was a farmer. To be honest, I've needed some new wellies for about a year, the ones I wear to Uni are ditched and, well, cheap. How pretty are these! At £85, they were a bit of a splash, but if you can't buy expensive wellies, what can ya do?!

I also brought two crop tops from Topshop, a black and a stripey one that are currently in the wash, hence no picture. I purchased some Lush items - Fizzbanger, Cosmetic Warrior and Mumkin, but these will have separate reviews. But anyway, a lovely little haul! I loved my day out with my handsome man and shopping makes me want to sqeal with happiness - especially when it's not my money, ameeenn.

What do you think of my products?!

- Charli, xo

A Lush Review - Inhale/Exhale

Morning lovies;

The second product I used from my little Lush haul was Inhale Exhale. Again, I stole this picture from the Lush site as my camera is still away with the fairies somewhere, however - father has given me his old one.. I just need some batteries. Anyway;

This bomb is from Lush's 2014 Mother's Day range. It stands out because it's two coloured, the red side being the inhale and the blue, obviously being exhale. 

What do Lush say?

This is a bath bomb of two halves: created with the two halves of our Breath of God fragrance, Inhale and Exhale. Each half will fizz at different speeds. The Inhale half fizzes quickly, allowing you to breathe in the neroli and rose oils, breathe in and relax. You can then lie back and enjoy the grounding effect of Exhale, which fizzes more slowly to allow the opportunity for a long-lasting, indulgent bath.

As ya know, I'm rubbish at describing scents but this smells very manly. A featured ingredient is grapefruit oil, now, I can't tell you if the bomb smells like this as I don't think I've ever smelt a grapefruit - what a letdown I am. Moving on; I don't rate this bomb to be honest guys. For a start, I was surprised (to the point of shouting at the bomb itself) at how small it is. At £3.25 I expected this to be the same size as bombs such as Twilight and Fizzbanger, which are pretty big. DON'T BE FOOLED. I'd say this bomb is less than half the size, it's tiny. What a rubbish load of smush. Also, I do not think the blue side of the bomb lasted longer than the other, however, I didn't pay that much attention. Bad girl.  

Overall, (what a short, rubbish review this was!) I don't rate this bomb and won't be repurchasing! I think there are bigger bombs, at the same price, that give you a lot more for your money!

Have you used this bomb?

What did you think?

- Charli, xo 

A Lush Review - Mum's Tulip

Morning dearies;

Well, it's been a while since I did one of these bad boys, hasn't it?! Well, it's been harder for me than it has for you, let me assure you. Having ran out of Lush, I genuinely thought life was over - and then they released the Mother's Day AND the Easter products ON THE SAME DAY. Excited is a huge understatement. Anyway, here's the first product I've tried;

(These are Instagram pictures because I still have no camera) 

Okay, so what do Lush say;

Fill your bath with aphrodisiac essential oils and our alluring Sex Bomb fragrance. With a blend of ylang ylang, jasmine and clary sage oils to help you relax, unwind and allow all your troubles to float away on the fragrant steam.

I've actually not used the Sex Bomb so I can't compare these. But first of all - Why are all bubble bars not on sticks?! Life would be so much easier. I hate having to hold my hand under a burning tap when I could be using a stick - Lush, sort it out! 

I've read that this has previously smelt like chocolate orange, but I can confirm that this year, it doesn't! It's a very mature smell I think. I class sweet, candy smells as quite young fragrances but you can definitely smell the jasmine in this and I do think it's quite floral. I've also read that some people find the scent over-bearing? I think it's quite subtle (however, I am majorly bunged up at the moment, so don't trust my nose). 

I only used a tiny amount of this the first time, yet I got soo many bubbles as you can see from my magnificent picture, however the bubbles don't seem to last that long? Maybe that's just me. I'll definitely be able to get at least two more baths out of this, which is what makes bubble bars such great value for money. And at £5.95, I'd expect this to last me at least a couple of baths!

Not sure if I'll end up repurchasing this as I'm not really a floral scent person, I like my vanillas and my marshmallow smells! However, I do think it's a great Mother's Day gift for the mums who don't get the opportunity to relax in a nice bubble filled bath very often. 

Have you tried this? 

What are your thoughts?

- Charli, xo

A Lush Review - Prince Charming

Aloha;

 

I don't think I've reviewed anything from Lush that isn't a bath bomb or a bubble bar. Well, what do we have here? A shower gel, you say? A Valentine's special, you say? Yeah, I say. IT'S NEARLY VALENTINES DAY. Not that I'm excited. I'm only going to London for the weekend, after all. Anyway, that's an entirely different post. Babble, babble, babble.

 

What do Lush say?

 

Originally inspired by the Adam and the Ants classic, ‘Prince Charming’, this shower gel has transformed along the way and now it reminds us of the kind of Prince Charming you’d find in a fairy tale...it’s bold and courageous, absolutely gorgeous, and it smells incredible.

 

 

So this is a cute little shower gel from the new Valentines range. As soon as I saw this online, I was like, YOINK. Oh, how I wish I had saved my pennies. I assumed, stupidly maybe, that this pink pretty would smell similar to Snow Fairy. ALAS, it does not. Well, actually it does a teeny bit, but with a twang. I also thought it would smell like marshmallow, like the Mallow Melt. ALAS, it does not. I really don't like the smell of this and I'm so, so gutted. I desperately wanted a nice new Lush shower gel to make myself smell irresistible. Instead I smell like sickly, sugary, tootoo sweet bleughness. Made up a new word for you there. Other than the smell, it does what it says on the tin (bottle). The colour is lovely and it makes my skin feel soft as a baby's bottom. I just can't stand the smell.

 

At £4.65 for a 100ml bottle, I guess it's an average price for Lush. But I won't be purchasing again!

 

Have you tried Prince Charming? What did you think?

 

- Charli, xo

A Lush Review - The Comforter

Ello pretties;

 

Today we have a little Lush review! I keep meaning to do more of these, but I get too excited about using the products and forget to take pictures - and I feel like I'm cheating if I steal the photos from the website! This is 'The Comforter' and it is one of my favourite Lush products.

Look at me trying to be all artistic with my little candles.

 

What do Lush say?

 

This bar is supersized, so you’ll only need to crumble half a bar under your tap to make enough fruity bubbles for a long, comforting soak. Cassis Absolute gives The Comforter its distinctive blackcurrant fragrance, while bergamot adds an uplifting note and calming cypress oil brings a fresh, earthy base note.

 

I'm not a massive fan of the bubble bars and I have no idea why because I love bubbles. Maybe it's because you have to sit there and hold it under the tap, (well you don't, but I find that gives you the most bubbles) whereas with a bomb you can just chuck it in and watch it disappear. However, I do love this. It smells amazing. Sweet so sweet. With a blackcurrant hint. It smells like candy to me, which let's not lie, is what we all want in our baths. I actually got a HUGE one of these in the Lush box that Bear brought me for Christmas, which has all gone because he used it. Yes, I'm giving you dead eye, Bear. You get at least two baths out of one this size and if you like pink water, this is the one for you.

 

Anyway, at £4.50 this is quite steep, but it is bigger than the other bubble bars!

 

Have you tried The Comforter?

 

- Charli, xo



A Lush Review - Pheonix Rising

Ello poppets;

For Christmas every year, the bear gets me a hoooooge Lush box and I'm always the most excited about it. This year was no different, please don't ask me which particular box I got because I cannot for the life of me remember what it's called; soz. Anyway, the first bomb I used was Pheonix Rising.

(I didn't take this picture!)

So I've never tried this bomb before and I'm quite impressed. Firstly, I love the look of this. It looks so pretty and I can't even think of any good adjectives cause, well I'm pantz. Anyway, as you can probably guess, it turns your bath a beautiful purple with a few mint coloured swirls towards the end which was a nice surprise :) 

It does smell pretty wonderful also, it smells very strongly of cinnamon which I usually don't like, but with a mix of fresh apple, I did actually enjoy the scent. I didn't feel like it moisturized my skin, but that's okay because those kinds of bath bombs make me feel all slimey and MERRR in the bath. This is definitely a bath bomb for those winter nights, in a steaming hot bath, just closing your eyes and thinking about One Direction, I mean.. Thinking about nothing.

I'm not sure if I'll re-purchase this again, but it's not a bad price at £3.25!

Have you tried Pheonix Rising? What did you think?

- Charli, xo

Lord of Misrule

(Kasper was desperate to get involved - ain't he a cutie)

Hii guys;

So I've been wanting to try Lord of Misrule for a loooooong time and I'm pretty sure originally it was only available online. But I wandered into Derby with the mother last weekend and grabbed it as soon as I saw it!

What Lush say;

This bath bomb, named after the ruler of the Pagan Feast of Fools, has a strange and magnificent fragrance created by Gorilla Perfumer Simon Constantine. This bomb will slowly dissolve to reveal a wine coloured centre, with the added sweetness of the world’s first fair trade vanilla absolute, perfectly balanced by the earthy scents of black pepper and patchouli oil.

What I say;

This is a very fresh smelling bath bomb, and three days later, my bathroom still smells like this strange scent. I loved using this, I love the bombs that give you loads of bubbles. Lord of Misrule dissolved reaaaaaally slowly, possibly the slowest dissolving bomb I've used? Which I LOVED. Usually they're over and done with in less than a couple of minutes, but this one was going for a good 10 minutes! After popping it into my bath it sent my water a sea green colour and which I expected, seeing the colour of the bomb but then, my friends, IT WENT RED. Now, after reading the description, I should of expected that, but I didn't, so I was amazed. Simple things really. It also made my skin feel super, super soft which is always a plus! I recommend this bomb 100% and will definitely be purchasing myself another one! Also, at £3.30 it isn't one of their more expensive ones and it's a pretty big bomb! Good value for money!

Have you guys tried this? What did you think?

- Charli, xo

A Lush Review - So White

So guys. I think I've been a bit of an idiot. I brought this, thinking it was So White - I got back to the hotel and the guy had labelled it as Dragons Egg. I didn't mind so much as I love Dragons Egg but I reaaaaaaally wanted So White. 

So last week I used this beauty and thought; I'm pretty sure this isn't Dragons Egg. Just been onto the Lush site and I'm preeeeeetty certain, it's So White. DE goes a rustic, browny, orange colour whereas this little pretty is a rose coloured pink. Anyway, ramble over, here's what I thought.

What does Lush say?

So White has a crisp and delicate apple fragrance and will create a beautiful rose coloured bath. After its white outside layer dissolves, the secret pink centre will slowly fizz and bubble. Bicarb will soften your bathwater and the fresh apple fragrance will waft up through the steam helping you to feel calm and peaceful.

I have to say, I really loved this bomb. I love apple scents and this smelt beautiful. As soon as it touched the water, the bubbles came. In case you didn't know, I'm a huge bubble fan and I love lying in an overly bubble filled bath. I don't think there are THAT many Lush bombs that give you a lot of bubbles, but this one certainly does. It turns your water a stunning rose coloured pink which I strangely loved, though I'm not a pink person, at all. 

This is quite a big bomb, so £3.25 is a pretty good price in my opinion! I definitely want to get myself another one of these before they go out of stock!

Have you used this bomb? What did you think?

- Charli, xo

A Lush Review - Father Christmas

I've decided it's pretty much December so I'm cracking Christmas out. Whilst in Edinburgh, I brought A LOT of Lush products, they were initially for other people but once I sat down and sorted through what I'd purchased, I realised it was all pretty much for me. Oops. 

Well. This bomb really surprised me! I definitely want to re-purchase this before Christmas is over!

What do Lush say?

How do you mix red, pink and green without coming up with brown?

Easy! Drop a Father Christmas bath bomb into a hot bath and watch his white beardy face dissolve into a gentle pink fizz, then marvel as the bold green colour of Christmas trees and traditional wrapping paper tints your bathwater, and the warm, citrusy scent of oranges rises on the steam.

I don't really like the description of this, it doesn't really tell you very much. Although it is a warm, citrusy smell (which I don't usually like, may I point out) I don't instantly think, ORANGES. I'm awful at describing scents but this does smell gorgeous and I brought one of these for my friend for her Secret Santa (no Sian, not you). I fully expected this bomb to turn my bath red and was ready to chillax in a warm, rustic bath but OH, it's green! I loved it, I genuinely sat there with my mouth open loving every second. (As you can probably tell, I don't get out much). 

Another plus in my books is that this bomb is MASSIVE. And at £3.25, is a brilliant price, especially seeing as you get two different colours, quite a few bubbles (for a while) and it smells like a citrus heaven. Apparently last year it had glitter? Well I'm glad that's been removed because I dislike the glitter filled bombs. I'm in a bath, trying to get clean. I don't wanna be stepping out looking like a disco queen, sorry Lush.

I'll definitely be popping out to get a couple more of these and shall be saving them for next year!

Have you used this bomb? What did you think?

- Charli, xo

#BEDN - Lush - The Melting Snowman

 (I did have pictures by my Iphone is playing up) 

I was going to save this guy till after Christmas, seeing as he's a 'melting' snowman and would be a good last Christmas Lush post, but he's too cute and I just had to try him out. I've actually only used one bath melt before which was the 'Mmmelting Marshmallow Moment' which I adored because it smelt like, well, marshmallows. Beautiful. So anyway, I gave this little guy a go this evening.

What Lush say; 

Exquisitely fragranced with Hot Toddy, a favourite blend from Christmas past containing cinnamon, clove, patchouli, benzoin, lime and sweet wild orange oils. But if it isn’t enough to smell of one of our most popular Christmas fragrance - he’s also got a body made of water softening bicarb of soda, cocoa butter and Shea butter. All these wonderful butters melt into your bath water, leaving you soft and moisturised. His legacy is your great skin, which means he lives on in the memory of all who knew him.

Okay, so this was a bit of a let down. For a Lush product, it is seriously boring. It smells like cinnamon, which I usually like, but this smelt a bit strange. Like gone off cinnamon, if that's even possible.It does smell better once it's in the bath, but initially I wasn't a fan. I'd read a few reviews on this guy, saying that he added a LOT of moisture to your bath water, more so than other bath melts, so I decided to only use his head... Poor guy. It was just the right amount of added moisture, only using a small part of the melt and it did make my skin feel silky smooth, so that is a positive. This is going to sound really stupid, but I wanted the melt to float.. Ridiculous I know but in my mind I just.. Expected it to?! Alas, it didn't and Mr. Snowman's head floated to the bottom of my bath. 

I won't be repurchasing this and to be honest, I probably won't use the rest of the melt, which is a shame. Maybe I'll give it to my sister and just tell her I lost his head... Do you think she'll fall for that? 

Anyway, if you like that little bit of extra moisture in your bath to leave you feeling sexy smooth, then by all means, give a try, I do now have goddess-like legs, but it was just a bit too boring for me, although I'm not much of a bath melt fan anyway!

Have you tried this guy? What's your favourite bath melt?

- Charli, xo

lush - the christmas penguin

He does look slightly wonky & disfigured, but how cute is this little guy?!

 



 

What Lush Say;

 

P-P-P Pop in a Penguin! This fun bubble bar is modelled on Little Penguins found on Philip Island, Australia – they’re the smallest penguins in the world!

 

This is the first Christmas product I've tried from the new Lush range, and I'm really impressed!

I am so in love with this product, I got so many bubbles - just from using his head! (Evil, I know, but a girls gotta have her bubbles!) I should still be able to get another 2 baths out of this bar, which makes it seriously good value for money.

There is a slight lemon smell to this but it mostly reminds me of a calm, relaxing spa smell. It's a very fresh, clean scent and not too over-bearing. It sent my bath water a really nice blue (the colour of the penguin basically).

As with most bubble bars, you do have to crumble it properly under running water, otherwise you're left with big chunks floating around in your bath.

 

At £2.95 per bar, I think this is a really good buy, especially as you get at least 2/3 baths out of it! Although, I must say, breaking his head off to give myself some bubbles, was heart-breaking. Poor little penguin!

 

Have you tried this product?

 

- Charli, xo

lush - world peice.

So the first Lush product I decided to use was a rather large bath bomb - World Peice. It's not a Christmas product, I didn't want to scare you with the C word straight away, but it is however, a new bomb.

 

 

Lush say;

 

Relax in an oasis of calm as your bath water turns a serene, azure-turquoise and the fresh, sweet scent of peppermint and uplifting tangerine oils envelop you. This is your very own Piece of peace, so take a moment to stop and think. Who will you make peace with?

 

I say;

 

I was actually really looking forward to trying this bomb out as I've never tried a mint bath product. I was pleasently surprised at how big the bomb was, which is always a plus! But apart from that, if I'm being brutally honest, it wasn't anything amazing. Granted, the colour was nice but eventually my bath just turned a boring green colour. It didn't even smell that minty. It also leaves a horrible pee coloured stain around the rim of your bath, ew!

 

 

(Kasper popped up to say hello!)

 

I won't be buying this bomb again, it was just a bit boring for Lush I think, I was disappointed. Hopefully the rest of my products will be better! Keep your eyes peeled for some Christmas goodies.

 

Have you ever used this bomb? What did you think?

 

- Charli, xo