September Birchbox review - Happy Birchday!

Hi everyone, can you believe I'm back! Sorry I've had a bit of a break from blogging but between work and illness I have not had the energy or motivation for anything, but I'm glad to be back doing what I love! So today I am going to review this months Birchbox (Sorry it's late!).

In this months special Birthday Birchbox to celebrate a great 5 years of beauty subscriptions, which was gorgeously designed, I received:

• John Masters Organic - Citrus and Neroli detangler.
• Beauty Protector - Beauty Wash.
• Laura Mercier - Face Polish.
• Benefit - The POREfessional: license to blot.
• Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil - Cray Cray.
• Birchbox BirchBrush.

August Birchbox review.

Hi everyone I'm back, can you believe it? It fees like ages since I lasted blogged and I have missed it! Today I am going to review this months Emoji themed #BeautyJunkie Birchbox. I love the design of this box and in it I received:

• Formula 10.0.6 - Overnight Success 
• Huygens - Exfoliating Cream
• Kebelo - Clarifying Shampoo
• Rituals - Ayurveda Scrub
• Lord & Berry - Lotus Blush
• The Balm Cosmetics - Balm Desert 
• Emoji Stickers

January Birchbox review.

Hey everyone, today I will be reviewing this years first Birchbox (I'm still not over the fact it is now 2015 and almost half way through January)! This months Birchbox has a great theme of health and fitness and they have teamed up with Women's Health magazine, which I think is great as you can't have January without health and fitness being thrown at you everywhere! 

This month I received:

• Healgel - Body
• Beauty Protector - Protect & Detangle
• Activbod - Feel great shower concentrate
• REN - Glycolactic Radiance renewal mask
• Stila - Lip glaze
• Embrace Matcha - Green tea
• Birchbox - Pilates band

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! 

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. 

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?

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! 

Lush - Sweetie pie gift box.

Hi everyone I hope you all are well. Today I am going to do a review on the Sweetie Pie gift set from Lush, which I have thoroughly been enjoying. Like the name suggests this box is filled with some of Lushes sweetest smelling treats and overall the whole box smells gorgeous!

Kate Moss Rimmel lipstick - Shade 107.

Hey everyone! Today I am going to do a review on another one of my favourite Autumn/winter makeup items which is Lipstick shade 107 by Kate Moss for Rimmel London. As you can probably already tell I just love the makeup shades for Autumn and I can never wait to bust out all of my favourite red and berry lipsticks! 

This lipstick has a nice red wine colour which can look pretty dark when you first get it, but once applied it softens and is very buildable so you can decide how on dark you want to go with it. I really love this shade and I think it would suit most skin tones.

This lipstick is easy to apply and is very pigmented so you could get away with only applying one coat. When I use this lipstick I like to use a lipstick brush as like I've said before I can get quite messy when applying dark lipstick and I find using a brush gives me more control and also it allows me to build up the colour slowly. Once applied this lipstick has a lovely matte finish.

I usually apply 3 coats of this lipstick, blotting in-between each layer, to help the colour last longer and also to achieve a darker colour from it. Now what I love about this lipstick is its last time, it is from the lasting finish collection and I find that it lasts me for at least 6 hours! Also once dried I find that it hardly leaves any transfer marks on food or drink!

Even though this is a matte lipstick I don't find it to be drying on the lips, however because of the dark colour and the matte effect if you already have dry lips this lipstick will accentuate that. So before apply I find it useful to use a lip scrub and a lip balm.

This lipstick costs £5.49 which I think is great value especially for its last time, and at the moment in Boots it is 2 for £10 on selected Rimmel Makeup! You can buy it here:

Kate Moss lipstick - shade 107.

What do you think of this shade?

Bourjois1 seconde gel nail varnish - Violine Hypnotique (34).

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend! To start this week off I thought I would do a review on Bourjois 1 seconde nail varnish in Violine Hypnotique, as I just love this shade and I think it is perfect for Autumn and Winter!

First of all this nail varnish comes in a very eye-catching glass bottle with a long lid, which helps to distinguish it from my other nail varnishes so it's always easy to find and also I think the longer lid helps with the application as well.

This shade is a lovely dark plum/burgundy colour which is an iconic look for the colder months, and when in the light it has a lovely shimmer to it. The nail varnish itself has quite a thick consistency and is very opaque so really you could get away with only applying one coat (but in these photos I have applied two as I find it always helps to make the varnish last longer). 

It is called 1 seconde nail varnish as the brush it has is quite big (it has a fan effect) and you only really need to do one or two sweeps across the nail to cover it all instead of the usual 3-4.  Also I find that this nail varnish is quite quick drying compared to other gel nail varnishes and usually takes around 10 minutes to dry fully.

Once dried the nail varnish looks really shiny and makes my nails look nice, thick and healthy which I love. I find that this nail varnish usually lasts me around 3-4 days before it starts chipping which isn't too bad.

This nail varnish is definitely going to be one of my go to colours for Winter and it costs £5.99. Also currently in Superdrug it is buy one get one half price on selected Bourjois makeup. You can buy it here:

Bourjois Violine Hypnotique.

What do you think on this nail varnish?

My Lush skincare routine - Grease Lightning.

 Hi everyone, today I am going to do the final installment for my Lush skincare routine! The final step in my current skincare routine is using their Grease Lightning spot treatment which I was really excited to try as I had heard a few good reviews on this.

My Lush skincare routine - Cupcake.

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Today I am going to continue with my Lush skincare routine with a review on Cupcake which is one of their fresh face masks. I'm not going to lie I am really loving this face mask and I can't wait to use it each week! 

My Lush skincare routine - Herbalism.

Hi everyone, hope you all are well! Today I was going to do a blog post on my current skincare routine from Lush, but it turns out I'm too chatty for my own good and so I have decided to split this post into three individual posts otherwise it just would have been too long! 

This is the first time I have ever used skincare products from Lush, and I was recommended these items by one of the lovely members of staff. You really can't beat the customer service you receive in Lush as the staff are always friendly. 

MUA - Iridescent Gold Shimmer highlighter.

 Hi everyone! Today I am going to review another MUA undress your skin highlighter but this time in Iridescent Gold. This shade is relatively new to the MUA collection and I was recommended this a little while ago by http://emmaaclarkexo.blogspot.co.uk/ and as soon as I saw it in the shop I just had to pick it up!

Like I said in my last review (Rambling Makeup - shimmer highlighter ) the packaging is quite simple but looks neat and tidy coming in white plastic packaging with a see through lid. I love the fact that it comes with a see through lid as you can see the product itself which has a nice wavy pattern on it. making the product seem a little more high end.

The highlighter itself is a lovely yellow/gold colour which I love and actually I think I slightly prefer it to the pinky shade! It gives a lovely golden glow and good definition to the cheekbones and where ever you decide to apply it. 

The powder is very pigmented so you only need to apply a little making this product last longer. When I'm using this I swirl a bit onto my brush and then tap off any excess to avoid my cheeks getting to glittery. The last time for this is a really good 4-5 hours.

Below I have added a picture comparing the two different shades (Pink is on the left, gold is on the right):

(Sorry about the picture quality, my camera is great at picking up makeup but I plan on getting a new one soon!)

This highlighter has an amazing price of only £3 so I recommend definitely picking one up as you can't really go wrong at that price! You can buy it in stores at Superdrug or online here:

http://www.muastore.co.uk/undress-your-skin-highlighting-powder-iridescent-gold

What do you think of this shade?

Benefit cosmetics - Hervana Blusher.

Hi everyone, hope you are all having a good day! Today I am going review one of my all time favourite blushers which is Hervana by Benefit. I really struggle with blushers and can never really find one that works with my skin, but this one is great! 

First of all this blusher comes in a really cutely decorated little box which looks very heavenly and is perfect for a "good karma" face powder. The box is quite small and contains a nice mirror and small brush, so it is perfect for taking away with you. Also another great thing about this box is that the excess powder doesn't full out, so you don't get much waste with this product.

The blush itself contains four different shades: a very light pink, peach, a light musky pink and an orchid colour. When applying I swirl the colours together with my brush and it leaves you with a really nice subtle pink colour on your cheeks. 

I love this blusher as naturally I have quite red cheeks so when I usually apply blusher it just makes my cheeks too bright, but like I said this leaves a really natural and subtle colour which gives a nice glow. Also I find that for the winter months when my cheeks are calmer it is really easy to build this colour up.

I would say this blusher has a mostly matte finish which makes it a perfect everyday blusher but it does also contain a very slight shimmer. I find that this blusher has a good last time and lasts me for a good 7 hours before I need to think about reapplying it. Also I've had this blusher for 6 months and I still have loads left, so even though this product is a bit pricey you don't need to keep repurchasing it.

(Sorry that you can't really see the blusher on my hand, my camera refused to pick it up!)

You can purchase this blusher for £23.50, so like I said it is a bit on the pricey side! But I love it and will definitely be repurchasing it when I run out (which I think will be a while!) You can buy it here:

http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/hervana

What's your favourite blusher?

Rimmel London - Lasting Finish in Black Cherries.

Hi everyone, can you believe it is the first of September already! Where has the time gone? Anyways.. today I am going to review Rimmel London's Lasting Finish nail varnish in Black Cherries (193). This to me is another colour perfect for the upcoming Autumn and winter months.

This nail varnish has a lovely deep red/plum colour to it, which I think is nice and warming for the colder days ahead of us. It also has a slight sparkle in the light as well. When applying I find that this nail polish needs two coats as the first coat can come out kind of streaky, but after the second it evens out nicely.

I found the drying time for this nail varnish to take quite a while and I would say to leave yourself a good 15 to 20 to make sure it is completely dry before doing anything. Also I would recommend that if you have a fast drying spray or drops to use them as well to help speed up the process.

The only problem I have had with this nail varnish is that I don't think it really has a lasting finish. It only lasted me about two days before it started to chip which was a bit disappointing, but I had been very busy and used a lot of hot water on my hands which didn't help. So I would recommend using a good top coat with this to help it last longer.

This nail varnish was a great bargain costing only £2.99 so it's definitely worth checking it out! You can buy it here:

 http://www.superdrug.com/Rimmel/Rimmel-Lasting-Finish-Nail-Polish-Black-Cherries-193/p/499951#.VASsxvldXsY

What do you think on this colour? 

Lush Haul.

Hi everyone! I have already posted this photo onto instagram (check the side of my blog for the link) but today I though I would do a quick post on a recent shopping trip I had to Lush. Lush has always been one of my favourite shops as they do amazing quality products that are vegan and eco-friendly and also the staff are amazing and really friendly! But until recently I'd only really ever bought bath stuff from them, so I decided that I would try a few of their skincare products as well.