Lush Christmas 2014.

Hey everyone, so for the very late blog post this evening but I got too distracted watching Christmas films! Today i have decided to do another Lush post on some of my favourite bath items from their Christmas collection this year. So if you are going to brave shopping tomorrow here are some items that you might want to pick up!

HEMA - Long lasting nail polish.

Hi everyone! Today I am going to review a nail varnish that I bought from this shop I found in Kingston called HEMA. If you get the chance I'd definitely recommend going into this shop they sell loads of different items from beauty to home ware and their food is delicious!

Lush - Snow Angel.

Hi everyone, can you believe it is only 4 days till Christmas! Today I am going to review the Snow Angel Bath melt from Lush cosmetics, which is part of their Christmas collection so you only have a few more days to get it!

Yves Saint Laurent - Touche Éclat gift set.

 Hi everyone, I hope you are enjoying the weekend! Today I am going to review this YSL Touche Éclat gift set which would make a great Christmas present if you still have some last minute shopping to do!

Lush cosmetics - Christmas shower gels.

Hey everyone! So in the run up to Christmas I thought I would blog more since I have some time off uni, and what better to start this off than with a Christmas shower gel post from Lush cosmetics. Personally I don't think there is anything better than the smells of Christmas so I couldn't wait to try these out.

December Birchbox review.

Hey everyone, I can't believe that it is going to be Christmas next week! It's crazy how quick time is going, and I hope you are all enjoying the holidays! Today I am going to review this months Birchbox which has been designed by Sophia Webster, and I think it is the prettiest Birchbox yet!

I received:

• Electric Hair - Electric Hydrate shampoo
• Eyeko - Fat eye stick smoke
• Benefit - High Beam
• Models Own - Absinthe 
• Trilogy - Organic rosehip oil
• Ilsci Organics - Rose petal gel mask
• Sophia Webster purse.

Balance Me - Stellar Beauty Balm.

 Hey everyone, hope you all are well and had a lovely weekend. Today I am going to review the Balance Me stellar Beauty Balm which I was lucky enough to receive in a goody bag from the Birchbloggers Breakfast a few months ago, and I'm so glad I did as it is now in my winter survival kit!

Agave healing haircare - Smoothing trio.

Hey everyone, can you believe it is already December! Today I am going to review the Agave healing haircare smoothing trio which I received in a goody-bag from the Birchblogger breakfast and I think it would make a great Christmas present!

November Birchbox review.

Hey everyone, today I am going to review this months Birchbox I received which had a cosy at home theme. I am not going to lie this box was a good'n as it came with two full sized products and I was so excited to try them out! 

I received:

• Beauty Protector - Protect and treat hair mask.
• Dr. Jart + - V7 Turnover booster.
• Weleda - Sea Buckthorn body oil.
• Jane Iredale - PureLash extender and conditioner.
• OPI - A grape affair!
• Drinkwel - vitamins.

The Lyndsey Loves launch event.

Hi everyone I hope you all are having a lovely weekend. This Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to the Lyndsey Loves launch event which was held at Chloe's Beauty Bar in Brentwood. Lyndsey Loves is a wonderful website with a collection of beautiful items from lesser known brands from around the UK and the world and I think it is the perfect website for buying gifts! 

Lush Cosmetics - Dark Angels cleanser.

Hi everyone! Today I am going to review the Dark Angels face and body cleanser from Lush Cosmetics. I have been using this cleanse for about two months now and I am in a bit of a love hate relationship with it.

First of all this cleanser comes in one of the standard black tubs that Lush commonly uses which I really like, as if I keep it in the shower no water gets through the lid and ruins the product and also if you return 5 clean Lush pots you get a free fresh face mask which is great!

Onto the cleanser itself it has quite an interesting earthy smell, it's not necessarily bad but it might be one that you have to get use to for a while. This smell comes from the fact that it contains charcoal and rhassoul mud, these two ingredients help to cleanse, remove excess oil and exfoliate the face. It also contains rosewood oil that acts as an antiseptic.

Now the reason I don't like this cleanser is due to it's colour and texture. Like the Herbalsim cleanser I reviewed it has quite a flaky almost sand like texture that gets everywhere when I use it, and due to it's colour it does have a tendency to stain the sink if I don't wash it all off carefully. So for this reason I much prefer to use this in the shower as it easier to clean off and also if you use a flannel to remove this cleanser it can stain them as well (so use a dark coloured flannel!).

So why do I love this cleanser? Because it works almost perfectly for my skin! I use this day and night for 6 nights a week and my skin has become much less oily and it has also reduced the amount of spots that I get, in fact I don't think my skin has ever looked this good! So for me it is worth the hassle of having to clean the sink thoroughly each time I use it. Also it doesn't dry out my skin like most cleansers aimed at oily skin as it contains avocado oil to keep it moisturised and it leaves my skin with a lovely glow.

To use I apply a small amount to my fingers and then run it under warm water to turn it into a paste. I then use circular motions to spread it around my face, once my face is covered I then like to wash it off using a flannel and warm water. I would then recommend using a toner after to remove some of the excess charcoal that can be left on the skin.

As you can probably tell already this cleanser is aimed at people with oily skin so if you have drier skin this might not be for you and also if you have really sensitive skin you might not want to use this everyday as it is quite a harsh exfoliator so you do have to be gentle when rubbing it in. 

I got the massive tub of this (250g) which cost me £16.88 but this has lasted me for two months and I still have enough left for another months worth but if you just want to try it out you can get 100g for £6.75. You can buy it here:

Dark angels - £6.75

What's your favourite cleanser?

The Birchblogger breakfast.

Hi everyone! This Thursday I was very lucky to be invited to the first ever Birchbloggers breakfast which took place in a lovely little French restaurant called Aubaine by Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street. 

After being my typical self and getting lost walking through the streets of London I finally got to the Birchblogger breakfast and it was wonderful. The breakfast itself included a selection of croissants and different types of breads, with butter and jam. We were also provided with hot drinks and fresh orange juice.

Once there I got to meet some of the lovely team members of Birchbox which included Jessica Diner who is the new editorial director and was formally the health and beauty editor of Vogue. So I got a real insight into the world of beauty after talking to her and it was very inspiring.

At the beginning of the breakfast Jessica went through the upcoming months of Birchbox and you are all in for a treat, and if you haven't subscribed yet, now is the time as Decembers box looks amazing! Also in a couple of weeks they will also be releasing a limited edition men's Birchbox, which would make a perfect Christmas gift! 

I had such a great morning at this breakfast event and it was great meeting some wonderful fellow bloggers where we could chat about all things beauty. We were also lucky enough to receive a goody bag full of new products to try, so keep an eye out for these new reviews coming soon!

Clinique Anti-Blemish solutions Liquid foundation.

Hi everyone, I hope you all are well. Sorry for the lack of blog posts recently I have had loads of uni work, but I've really missed blogging and I'm looking forward to continuing again! So today I am going to review Cliniques anti-blemish solutions liquid foundation which I have been trying for the last month.

When I first started looking for a new foundation it took me ages to pick one that I thought would be suitable for my oily and blemish prone skin, and after a lot of research I decided to pick this one up. This foundation is oil free and contains 0.5% salicylic acid to help prevent and combat any blemishes.

The packaging for this foundation is really pretty and cute and would easily fit into any makeup storage and also because it has plastic packaging it is quite light weight and durable so it's great for transporting. Instead of a pump this foundation has a little squeezy nozzle which I wasn't sure about at first, but it is really easy to use and get the right amount of product out.

To use this foundation I apply with it with my fingers as it dries quite quickly and I find that this is the quickest way to apply it. This foundation has a medium coverage which is really easy to build up and is also really easy to blend and once dry it has a lovely matte finish and feels really lightweight. I find that this foundation is really long lasting and will last me a good 7-8 hours, especially if I set it with a powder. 

Now the thing that I love the most about this foundation is that it has not caused me to break out once, which is the problem I get when trying most foundations. Also I feel like I have been getting breakouts a lot less since using it.

 I would say with this foundation that if you have dry skin you shouldn't use it as due to the salicylic acid and the matte effect it can dry your skin out, but I haven't had any problems with this as my skin is oily and needs this mattifying effect.

This foundation costs £24.50 for 30ml so it is a bit more on the expensive side, especially since you don't get a lot of it, but if you really struggle finding a foundation if you have oily blemish prone skin then I'd definitely recommend trying this one out. You can buy this foundation here:

Clinique Anti-Blemish solution - £24.50

What is your favourite foundation?

Lush Halloween.

Happy Halloween everyone! Today I am going to do a review on two of the Halloween Lush items. Now I know this is a bit late since they are going to run out of these soon but if you see them I'd definitely recommend picking them up as they are great! 

Sparkly pumpkin:

I love the design of this bubble bar, I think it is so cute and would make a great decoration in the bathroom for Halloween/Autumn. Now at first I was a bit put off of this bubble bar due to the amount of glitter around it , but I was pleasantly surprised to find that once crumbled into the bath it is not that glittery and you don't come out looking like a disco ball (though you may want to wash your hands after touching it!).

To use you only need to crumble a small amount into running water to get loads of lovely bubbles that last ages, and it also makes the bath water a gorgeous orange colour. This bubble bar has a light, clean citrus scent which I would usually go for but I really like it and it sticks around for a while.

This bubble bar costs £3.50 and I have managed to get about 6 uses out of it, which is great!

Sparkly pumpkin - £3.50

Lord of  Misrule:

Okay first of all I am going to say that this is my absolute favourite bath bomb from Lush and I am going to be devastated when  it leaves the store! I got this in a Halloween pumpkin knot wrap which is so cute, and is currently being used as a bandanna on my dog! 

This bathbomb has a lovely herbal musky scent which is perfect for the colder months and also put this in the bath when you have a cold and it does wonders! In fact I have even converted my mum to Lush with this bath bomb as she loves the scent too!  

Once you put this in the bath it slowly fizzes around turning the bath green and then all of the sudden it explodes pink, starts crackling due to the popping candy inside and you are left with a gorgeous wine coloured bath.

This bath bomb costs £3.50 and I would definitely recommend picking one up! 

Lord of Misrule - £3.50

What do you think on these Lush products? 

No7 Beautifully Matte foundation.

 Hi everyone, hope you all are well! Today I am going to review the No.7 beautifully Matte foundation. I recently picked this up on a small shopping trip to Boots as I had run out of my usual foundation and I needed a quick replacement, and I am so glad I picked this one up! 

I really like the packaging of this foundation, it is nothing super fancy but it comes in a sturdy sleek bottle, which is nice and thin so it fits easily in my makeup storage. And It also comes with a really nice pump, so it is easy to control the amount of product you want to use.

I find this foundation is quite thick and also really pigmented so when using I only need one small pump to cover my whole face, which means this should last a while which I love! Also even though the formula is a bit thick it doesn't feel heavy on the face.

This foundation provides a medium to full coverage which is very buildable if you have any blemishes you want to cover up, and I find that this foundation does last the full day, so I don't need to do any touch-ups whilst I'm out.

When applying this foundation I use my fingers (mainly because I find it quicker and also because my foundation brush is at my uni home) and I find once it has dried it leaves my skin looking really even and nice and matte. 

When I got this foundation home I was really excited to find that it contained salicylic acid acid in it to help improve the skin and reduce the appearance of blemishes, and I have found that since using it my skin has been looking better and also it hasn't broke my skin out at all! Also I find the formula doesn't dry out my skin at all, but if you already have quite dry skin I don't think this would be totally suitable for you.

As you can probably tell I really love this foundation and I am definitely going to repurchase it when I run out! And what makes it better is that this foundation only costs £13.50, which I think is a great price especially since you only need a small amount of product each time you use it! You can buy it here:

No7 Beautifully Matte foundation - £13.50

What is your favourtie foundation?

Soap and Glory - The breakfast scrub.

Hi everyone, hope you all are well and avoiding all the winter bugs that are going around! Today I am going to review my all time favourite body scrub from Soap and Glory, which is their Breakfast scrub. I have tried many body scrubs in the past but always end up returning to this one and here are the reasons why.

First of all this body scrub comes in quite a large tub and you get 300ml of product, so it lasts a while! The tub has a pretty pink and cream design which is very typical of Soap and Glory, and I find that I can leave this in the shower without any water getting through the lid and ruining the scrub.

The second thing that I love about this product is the smell, and I think that's what I love most about this scrub! As it is called the Breakfast scrub it contains honey, banana and almond extracts and when you open it the first smell you get is of maple syrup! It honestly smells so good you will want to eat it and it reminds me of American pancakes (But please don't as it won't taste nice!). 

Finally I also really like the texture of this scrub. It is not too harsh on the skin but you can feel it working away, and it also sticks really nicely to the skin so it is easy to spread around. When using I take a small scoop and rub it between my palms to help soften it and also to help spread it more evenly, and then I simply just rub in circular motions and wash off.

A tub of this body scrub costs £8 which I think is great value as it lasts ages and leaves my skin feeling really soft and clean afterwards. You can buy it here:

Soap and Glory The Breakfast scrub - £8

What's your favourite body scrub?

October Birchbox review.

Hi everyone, hope you all are well! Today I am going to do a review on the October Birchbox I received. This month they have teamed up with Coppafeel as it breast cancer awareness month to help inform you of the early warning signs which I think is a great idea, as breast cancer is one of the most diagnosed cancers and the sooner you spot the symptoms the easier it is to treat, so get feeling your breasts!

This month I received:

• Balance Me - Cleanse and smooth face balm
• Pixi by Petra - Shea butter lip balm
• KMS California - Hair Play playable texture
• Shaveworks - The cool fix
• Lollipops - red nail lacquer 
• A lipstick pen
• A 14 day planner to help increase productivity. 

Percy & Reed WonderBalm.

Hi everyone, hope you all are well and having a good week! Today I am going to do a review on the Percy & Reed Wonderbalm hair treatment. I use this as a hair primer and I love it! 

I got this hair primer as a free sample ages ago from a magazine (Elle I think) and it comes in a nicely decorated squeezy bottle which is easy to get the product out off, though I find that sometimes a bit extra comes out so you can get a bit of wastage.  However if you buy the full sized product it comes with a handy pump on the end so it would be easier to get control  over the amount you want.

I use this product on damp hair before using the hair drier, and to do this I squeeze a walnut sized (possibly smaller) amount onto the palm on my hand and then rub my hands together. I then run my hands through my hair, brush it through and then I use the hair drier.

Once my hair is dry it feels so soft, and looks really shiny and healthy. It also gets rid of any frizz, so to me this is my perfect product! 

I honestly love how my hair looks and feels after using this wonderbalm so I'm definitely going to repurchase it when I run out. It is a bit of a pricey product and costs £18 for 75ml, however you only need to use a small amount each time so it will last for ages! You can buy it here:

Pery & Reed Wonder Balm - £18

What's your favourite hair product?

Leighton Denny - Supermodel.

 Hey everyone! Today I am going to do a review on one of my all time favourtie nude nail varnishes from Leighton Denny in the shade of Supermodel. Now usually I'm not one to go for a nude nail but my aunt gave me this as a present and I instantly fell in love with it!

First of all this nail varnish comes in a very stylish thick glass bottle with a silver lid which I think looks really nice and also it feels quite sturdy so it would be great to take away with you and you won't have to worry about it breaking.

This nail varnish has a lovely grey/beige tone to it which I think would suit most people, and the more coats you add the darker the colour goes. I love this shade and I think it is perfect for important dates and occasions, for example this is my go to shade for any interview or meeting as I think it looks quite professional.

This nail varnish applies really nicely with no streaks and with only one coat it is already opaque, but I like to apply two coats as I think it gives a nicer colour and helps to make it last longer. I find this nail varnish dries quite quick and would give it probably around 10 minutes for it to dry fully. Once dry it has a really nice shine to it and it lasts for about 4 days without chipping which is great!

I also like to apply the Pink Silver glitter nail varnish by Barry M to this nail varnish as I think the colours really compliment each other and it gives a really nice effect. This nail varnish also dries very quickly (within 5 minutes) and also lasts for at least 4 days! So I think it's a great pairing.

This nail varnish costs £11 so it is a bit on the pricier side, but the last time is great and I definitely think it's worth it. You can either buy it as a single from Look Fantastic or from QVC as a double set which includes a nail treatment.

Look fantastic - £11

QVC - £22.47

The Barry M nail varnish is a bargain at only £2.99 and you can buy it here:

Barry M - £2.99

What do you think of this nail varnish shade?

Superdrug Haul.

Hi everyone, hope you all are well. I'm sorry that I haven't been blogging recently it's been super stressful around here, but I'm back and I thought I would do a small Superdrug haul to start off with. 

Lush - Twilight Bath bomb.

Hi everyone, hope you all are well. So as I've mentioned I haven't been feeling well at the moment and the I find the best thing to relax you and help you feel better is a nice hot bath. So today I have decided to review the Twilight bath bomb from Lush.  

 I can't believe this is the first time I have ever picked this bath bomb up as from the description it sounds like my perfect bath bomb, it is filled with lavender oil which helps to relax your mind and can also help you to sleep.

When using this bath bomb it does have a relaxing lavender smell which is also slightly sweet due to Tonka Absolute and Ylang Ylang oils. This bath bomb is a very slow fizzer and it roughly took 10 minutes for it all to disappear, but as it slowly fizzes away it goes from pink to a lovely deep purple which was meant to resemble a setting sun so it is lovely to watch as you relax. 

Now I am in a bit of a love hate relationship with this bath bomb because I absolutely love the smell but it contains loads of glitter. Now when in the bath the glitter looks beautiful and with the colour of the bath it looked like I was relaxing in a galaxy, however when I got out the bath the glitter stuck on my skin and I was covered in it! I mean it literally looked like my stomach was made of glitter, but it did wash off after a shower or two. Though it was a pain to wash it all out the bath, but on the upside I didn't find this bath bomb didn't stain.

Overall I really do love this bath bomb as I find it very relaxing and it is perfect after a stressful day when you need a little help to get to sleep. You can buy this bath bomb for £3.25 and you can buy it here:

Lush Twilight bath bomb.

What do you think of this bath bomb?

Little update.

Hey guys, hope you all are well!

I'm really sorry for the lack of blog posts recently, I've not been very well and unfortunately haven't been able to blog.

Also I was meant to be going back to uni tomorrow (if I'm better) so I'm going to have to re-oraganise my blogging schedule. I think I'll be doing most of my blogging on Wednesdays now, but I'll try and schedule a few more.

For extra updates feel free to follow my social media accounts (the links are contained on the side of my blog).

Vikki

xx  

September Birchbox review.

It's Birchbox time! I seriously never get tired of receiving my Birchbox in the post, it is always exciting and this month was no exception! This months theme was happiness and the brightly coloured box really brought across this message, and also the box doubled as two picture frames for your happy memory photos, which I thought was such a great idea! 

Models Own - Banana Split Scented nail varnish.

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a lovey weekend! Today I am going to review Models Own Scented nail varnish in Banana split. Last week in London we had quite nice weather so I thought I would seize this opportunity and get out one of my pastel nail varnishes for the occasion! 

(Sorry for the nail varnish smudge down the bottle, I didn't realise it was there and I haven't had time to take more photos.)

This nail varnish has a lovely pastel yellow colour that reminds me of banana milkshakes. It comes in a nice glass bottle with a scratch 'n' sniff sticker on the top which smells like the foam banana sweets you can get from pick'n'mixes, which I thought was a really nice touch.

Unfortunately though this is only how far the scent went, I didn't find that the nail varnish had a very strong smell of banana which was a bit disappointing, but I always wear a top coat so the smell would have been lost in any case. Also banana can be quite a weak scent so the other nail varnishes in the collection might have a stronger smell.

When applying I find that the first coat can come out a little patchy, but once a second coat is applied it really evens out and the finish is really nice. I would recommend to leave about 10 - 15 minutes to allow this to dry fully, so it is quite quick which is always a benefit when it comes to nail varnishes!

I really like the last time of this nail varnish and I find it lasts me a good 4/5 days before it really starts chipping, so it is great for when you are having a really busy week.

This nail varnish costs £4.99 and there 6 more different shades in the collection. You can buy it here:

Banana Split nail varnish.

What do you think of this shade?

Also don't forget about my giveaway, you have until Friday to enter!

Giveaway!

Blog giveaway!

This is a very exciting blog post for me as I have recently reached 100 followers on my blog and I am hosting a giveaway on my blog to say a thank you to everyone!

Quick breakdown of the items you could win:

- Leighton Denny pink glitter nail Varnish

- A selection of gold and silver nail studs

- Gold Orly nail varnish

- Toni & Guy Sea salt spray

- Small Nip + Fab 365 Body glow

- Toni & Guy cosmetics bag 

- Small sample of Benefits the PoreFessional

-Small Viktor & Rolf flowerbomb Body cream

- Sleek makeup Vintage Romance eye shadow palette

So there you go that's all the prizes you can win! Unfortunately this giveaway is only open to UK residents as sending internationally is too expensive for me at the moment, and to enter all you have to do is complete the tasks below.

Good luck!

xx

a Rafflecopter giveaway