Lush Wishlist

There was a time, not that long ago actually, when I was obsessed with Lush.  I had countless bath bombs and bubble bars, as well as many a body lotion and other bits and pieces.  And while I never went off Lush, I kind of just stopped topping up my stash and used more purse-friendly bath products instead.  In all honesty though, I've missed using Lush and after receiving a little gift set from a friend for my birthday, I'm itching to build up a stash once more.

After spending a few minutes on the Lush website, I have a list of things I want as long as my arm.  I thought I'd post a little selection here (a nice easy post to get back into the swing of this blogging malarky!) so let me know if you've tried any! I've deliberately chose things I've yet to try from Lush, to make things more fun!

1. African Paradise Body Conditioner - £19.95.  This looks like a similar kind of product to the Nivea In Shower Moisturiser.  You use it in the shower (yes, really!) after your usual shower gel, then rinse of.  It saves the need to use a body lotion once you've showered, which is something I hate doing and often neglect.  I really like the Nivea version, but I'm not overly keen on the Nivea fragrance, so this version from Lush is something that really does appeal to me.

2. Brightside Bubble Bar - £4.50.  Ah the bubble bar; my all time favourite Lush product.  This is one of the larger side ones, like the Comforter, which you can certainly get at least two uses out of.  The name of this one really drew me in, as Mr Brightside by The Killers is my all time favrouite song, so I want to try this bubble far for that reason alone! It has a citrusy fragrance which makes a change from the usual Lush products I buy.  

3. D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap - £5.75.  I've never really been enticed by Lush's shaving products lately, but the pretty pink colour, and the fact it's made with strawberries and cocoa butter drew me in.  I mean, it just sounds gorgeous! I kind of wish it was a body wash or body lotion instead as it sounds too nice to 'waste' on shaving.  I tend to find most shaving gels, however nice they smell at first, have the same lingering 'shaving gel' smell once you've finished shaving, so here's hoping this once will be different.

4. Granny Takes a Dip Bath Bomb - £3.25.  How funny is the name of this one?! The colours are so bright and psychedelic aren't they?! Would definitely stand out a mile in store! This is another citrus scented once, something I really like at this time of year.  Would be interesting to see what colour this one turns your bath water; there's that much going on!

5. Dream Cream Body Lotion - £11.50.  This has been around for ages but I've never got round to trying it.  It's meant to work wonders on those suffering with excema, or who have sensitive skin, and while those don't really apply to me, I do suffer from my fair share of dry patches on my arms, especially if I use overly harsh products.  With it's soothing ingredients and calming lavender scent, I think it'd be perfect to use at night time.  Definitely want to try this!

6. Jumping Juniper Shampoo Bar - £5.50.  I've never tried any of Lush's hair products yet, but have heard many good things about their shampoo bars.  This particular one gives your hair a really deep clean, so I think it'd be perfect to use maybe once a week to get rid of build up from styling products etc.  I can't help but think they'd be a bit messy though, and more faff than just using a regular shampoo... let me know your thoughts on this!

7.No Drought Dry Shampoo - £3.75.  Dry shampoo - a life saver for anyone with a fringe/bangs.  I've used my trusty Batiste (and lately, Dove's dry shampoo which is amazing!) for years, and absolutely would not be without it now.  I've heard many great things in blogland about Lush's offering and have been intrigued by it forever.  But, again, is it not really messy? I can see it giving us dark haired girls some serious grey roots? Any brunettes out there tried it? Does it work?!

8. Karma Bath Melt - £4.35.  How amazing does this look?! I mean, look at it! I've used the Karma bubble bar before, and really liked it, so I'm pleased to see more products in this range.  The bath melts are lovely, always leave my skin super soft and feel more luxurious than the bath bombs and bubble bars.  Not sure I'd fancy clearing all that gold glitter out of my bath though...!

Have you tried any of these products? Or have any more recommendations?! Do share!

Benefit Gimme Brow

Two things: First, I know you're all probably sick to death of hearing about this recent release from Benefit; everyone and their dog has reviewed it since it's release last month. Secondly, I know I'm supposed to be on a spending ban... oops.  Everyody knows the drill by now, Gimme Brow is a brow gel containing tiny fibres that help to give the appearence of fuller eyebrows.

I've mentioned before about my thin, sparse brows.  It's not a result of over-plucking, they're just naturally this way and I'm always on the look out for products that will make them appear a bit fuller, and Benefit's Gimme Brow caught my attention from the start and I highly anticipated it's UK release.  I've tried brow gels in the past in the shape of Maybelline's brow mascara and wasn't overly impressed; the wand is quite large, larger than the thickness of my eyebrows, so I couldn't get away with it. I'd end up with product everywhere.  When I saw the size of Gimme Brow I was relieved, it's so small and dainty, perfect if you don't have much brow to work with.  I have medium brown hair, so could've probably got away with either of the light/medium or medium/dark shades, but opted for the lighter one for a more natural look. I had one of the Benebabes at my local counter apply it for me, showing me after she'd done one eyebrow.  I couldn't believe the difference.  Just a few quick strokes transformed my thin, straggly eyebrow into one with a much fuller appearance and a bit of shape, without looking fake or unnatural.  I initially thought I wouldn't have enough 'brow for the fibres to cling to, but I needn't have worried; it looked great! I was so impressed, I couldn't wait for her to do my other brow so I could pay for my own little eyebrow miracle.

Gimme Brow can be used either on it's own or in conjunction with some sort of eyebrow powder.  I tend to use it on it's own for a natural, everyday look, and with my Brow Zings when my eyebrows need that bit more oomph, say for a night out.

At £17.50 it's certainly not cheap, especially for the amount of product you get (a mere 0.1oz!).  It actually makes the likes of They're Real (£19.50!) look like a bargain! I got lucky this time around as I had £10 on my Debenhams Beauty Card, and also it was a 10% off event, so I got it around £6 which is an absolute bargain! I guess I shouldn't really be complaining about the price this time around as a I got such a good deal, but I'm sure I'll feel a little guilty when I repurchase.  Yes, when I repurchase... I've been totally won over by this product and I'm sure to buy it again, despite the hefty price tag!

The Spring Beauty Tag

Image: weheartit.com Edited by myself.

I was recently tagged by the lovely Gillian to do the Spring Beauty Tag. Quite exciting because it's the first time somebody's actually tagged me; I've usually just jumped on the bandwagon and done the tag anyway so I'm quite chuffed that I've been tagged in this one! You can find Gillians blog here and her You Tube channel here.  I'm not as brave as her so I'm doing this tag in blog form! Hope you enjoy!

1. Do you change up your makeup when Spring arrives? If so, how?
Sort of.  I don't really think "Oh it's Spring so I must do my make up differently" or anything like that.  I always get excited over new Spring/Summer makeup releases and more often than not will purchase one or two things, but I guess I'm not using them because it's Spring, I'm just using them because they're new and I like them. Does that make sense?! I know what I mean! ;)

2. What's your favourite Spring fragrance?
Again, I don't really use specific frangrances depending on the seasons.  Although my all time favourite perfume is Stella, but I do tend to associate that more with the cooler months.  I also really like Viva La Juicy La Fleur which is a bit more floral so I'll go for that as my favourite Spring fragrance!

3. What's going to be your favourite accessory this Spring?
Hmm... I don't know.  I do tend to swich from a dark coloured handbag to a lighter coloured on in the summer months.  Nothing flash, usually just a cross over style one.  I had a lovely nude/pink coloured one from Dorothy Perkins last summer and was gutted when the strap snapped! I'll probably be on the lookout for something similar in the next few weeks. So, favourite Spring accessory will be a new bag!

4. What's going to be your most worn item of clothing this Spring?
I got really into maxi dresses last summer.  At just over 5ft I always struggled to find ones that fit but after buying a couple last summer I fell in love with them.  If we have a warm enough spring, I'll definitely be getting them out at the earliest oppurtunity!

5. What are your Top 3 favourite Spring nail polishes?
Nail polish is definitely something I change according to the seasons.  Spring is the time I'll get out my pastel and bright shades and put my darker colours to the back of my collection.  Some of my favourite Spring polishes would have to be:
Barry M - Papaya: A pretty pale orange shade from the Gelly collection.
Essie Cute as a Button: A beautiful pinky coral that I wore to death last year.
Topshop Prim and Proper: A slightly muted baby pink.  Perfect if you're not quite ready for full on pastels yet!

6. Do you prefer pumps or sandals in Spring?
I'd say pumps for the Spring.  I live on the coast so while the majority of the country is basking an early summer heatwave, it's almost certainly a bit cooler and breezier in my neck of the woods.  I tend to stay in my pumps til June at least!

7. What's your favourite Spring jacket?
It would have to be a short length, parka style jacket I got from Dorothy Perkins a good few years ago.  It has a hood and three quarter length sleeves and is just really casual.  It's a khaki/green colour and I love wearing it with skinny jeans and then pumps or sandals. That's pretty much my go to "look" for the warmer months.  In all honesty the jacket has seen better days, but I've yet to find another I like so much so it's staying put for now!

Pinterest Picks #3: Clubbing

Last weekend myself and my best girl friends ventured into town for one of the girls' birthday night out.  As with any night out, there had been careful planning before hand; what time to go out, where to go first, what everyone was wearing, and so on.  I couldn't get out of my late finish at work, so opted to go down slightly later with one of the girls and meet the others there.  The night started out well, sat around a table on comfy chairs, having a good old gossip over a glass or two of wine.  We moved onto a little cocktail bar a bit further down the road and I enjoyed a delicious frozen Strawberry Daiquiri, even if I did manage to spill half of it.  Ooops. From there the night rapidly went downhill as we went to a club...

... The thing is, I don't really like clubbing. I've never been a massive fan, but as the years go by, it interests me less and less. Give me a pair of flats, plenty of space and a good dollop of cheesy music and I'm as happy as larry, but for the most part none of these happen on your average night out.  Instead you're forced to stand/dance in uncomfortable shoes, whilst getting pushed, shoved, walked into and/or have at least one drink spilt all over you, with music so loud you can't hear yourself think, let alone have a conversation with your friends. The queues to get in, the price to get in, the toilets with no locks or loo roll... yep, you guessed it, it's just not for me.  If the musics alright, I can tolerate heels well enough, but once they start to hurt that's it, I've had enough.  I don't care if they're playing my favourite song (The Killers, Mr Brightside if you're wondering...) I just want to go home.  Or at least, wait til that song's finished, and then go home.  Via a takeaway of course. 

An ideal night out for me these days is an evening in a pub, with some good music playing in the background.  I love getting together with my friends, having a nice pub meal (with dessert!) and having a nice chat without having to risk damaging our vocal chords.  The idea of getting home at a semi-reasonable hour is also appealing.  When I first started going out, clubs would always shut at 2am.  These days I'm ready for my bed by midnight.  I don't know how folk stay out til four or five in the morning, I don't think I could do that when I was younger! Nights in are equally appealing.  There's nothing I enjoy more than spending an evening on the sofa, in our comfiest clothes, chatting the night away over a bottle (each...oops) of wine with one of my best friends.  We have quite the conversations, let me tell you!  We pretty much laugh til we cry which is much more of a stress relief than a night of clubbing, for me anyway!

I realise this post makes me sound really old and boring but in all honesty, these days it's just not for me!

Do you go out clubbing? Do you prefer nights in or nights out?