February Favourites

1. Lush The Kiss Lip Scrub.

I think I'm addicted to this stuff.  The combination of sea salt and caster sugar gives it that salty-sweet taste which I'm a bit of a sucker for (salted caramel, anyone?!) and the cute little edible hearts were a nice little addition for this Valentines Day themed scrub.  It's a little messy to apply, so don't make the mistake I did of applying it after make up! Also, mine seems to be lacking in the sprinkles department so I'm hoping they're just hiding around the middle of my pot!

2. Soap and Glory Hand Dream.

Another winning product from Soap and Glory. This was a welcome addition in the Best of All gift set that everyone was going crazy for over Christmas.  As much as I love Soap and Glory, I was getting a little bored of getting tube after tube of Hand Food in pretty much every gift set I ever got.  This is a little richer than Hand Food, yet seems to absorb into my skin quicker, leaving much less of the greasy residue that I found Hand Food left.  The scent is similar to Hand Food, but more subtle which I definitely prefer.

3. Florance Anne Blackcurrant and Fig Eau de Toilette

I spotted these very Jo Malone-esque bottles in Boots for a mere £10 which I thought was a bit of a bargain! I opted for the Blackcurrant and Fig, which I'm assuming is a dupe of Jo Malone's Blackberry and Bay scent.  Having not tried any Jo Malone fragrances, I couldn't possibly compare the two, but I really do like this.  It's a little different to the sweet, floral scents I'm tend to wear.  It's rich, sophisticated, fruity smell is perhaps a little much for day to day wear, but it's perfect for the evening and I've had a few people ask what perfume I'm wearing.

4. Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer.

I'm sure you've heard of this product by now. It caused quite a stir among bloggers late last year and I can certainly see why.  First of all, it smells gorgeous.  I can't quite put my finger on what it smells of, but it's really light yet lasts all day. I actually can't stop sniffing my hair after I've used it! Secondly, and most importantly, this stuff works miracles! My hair is quite wavy when wet, and usually if I leave it to dry naturally, I end up with a big frizzy, knotty mess which makes any kind of styling impossible.  However, If I spray this liberally into my hair after towel drying, my hair actually dries into lovely, soft natural waves with virtually no frizz or knots.  The first time I used this I was amazed, and thought it was a bit of a fluke and I'd never be able to do it again, but I was wrong. This product really does work wonders!

5. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara.

I wasn't sure what to think when I first heard Benefit were bringing out another mascara.  I wasn't a great fan of They're Real!, as I found it to clump very easily and dry out in next to no time.  Yet when I saw Elle magazine were giving away a free sample I knew I had nothing to lose. I never usually buy magazines but I'm so glad I bought this one.  It really does lift the lashes, and the curl lasts all day.  I fell in love with this mascara from the first use and couldn't wait to buy the full size version, so much so that I took advantage of the offer of free shipping when you bought two mascaras on the Benefit website (one for me, one as a gift for someone!) before it's official release on counters. 

6. CoLab Dry Shampoo

When Ruth Crilly announced she was launching hair own range of dry shampoo, I was intrigued. I love dry shampoo and use it most days, even if it's just to sort my fringe out as it has a mind of it's own. I'm a huge fan of Dove's dry shampoo (you can read my review here) yet I'm still always trying out new ones.  This is another winner for me, mainly because there's very little grey residue, which can be a bit of an issue with some dry shampoos.  It also adds a good amount of texture to the ends of my hair to give it that messy(ish!) lived in look I really like.  I love how there's a travel size version of each of the five scents too, and I've recently spotted an 'extra volume' range which I'll be checking out next.  I love me some big hair, I do!

What have you been loving this month?

Nail Care Routine.

Like most bloggers probably, I'm a huge fan of nail polish.  I own an obscene amount, especially for someone who can't wear it every day.  My job involves handling food, so nail polish is a big no no, so for the most part, my collection of pretty colours often gets overlooked.  That said, I still do like to take care of my nails so that when I'm not at work I don't have to spend too long whipping them into shape; I can just paint on my colour of choice and I'm good to go... well, once I've taken it off and reapplied it 3+ times because I've not waited long enough and it's smudged... anyone else do that?!

First of all, I'll simply wash my hands in some warm soapy water. Aside from the obvious making my hands nice and clean, it also softens the cuticles a little, to make removing them a little easier.  I'll then use one of the cuticle tools to get rid of any gunk that's lurking under my nails... yuk! 

Then it's onto a bit of cuticle work. I'll admit I'm not great at this, and definitely need to work on my technique a little bit.  I'm currently using the Sally Hansen Maximum Strength Cuticle Remover which I picked up in Boots.  I leave this on my nails for a minute or two then gently push back my cuticles with either the tool I was using before, or an orange stick.  I think I'm going to invest in a rubber tipped one soon as I feel I'd get better results with one of those.  This metal one I just bough on ebay for a couple of pounds.  Once that's done I'll wash my hands again before starting on filing and buffing.

I highly recommend the Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File. Although expensive it will last you forever (unless you stand on it like I did with my first one... oops!). I've had this for almost a year and it's still as good as new and files my nails brilliantly.  It's super gentle, yet you can file your nails in no time with it, it's a fantastic product. I love it. I just it came with a bit more of a protective case; for the price you pay a flimsy plastic wallet isn't really good enough in my opinion.    I then buff my nails with this 4 way buffer that was cheap as chips from Boots. I don't do this every time I do my nails as it's not meant to be great for them, apparently it can actually weaken your nails! I tend to do this once or twice a month and mainly use sides 2 and 3 of the buffer to remove any ridges and smooth my nails out ready for polish.

I remember reading somewhere that dehydrating the nail is a good step to do before applying any polish.  All you need to do is take a bit or your usual nail polish remover on a cotton wool pad and just sweep it over the nail.  This just makes sure your nail is properly clean and ready for your polish to adhere to.  

Although I said I'm not meant to wear anything on my nails for work there is one sneaky step I do next whether I'm going to be wearing nail polish or not, and that's apply a nail strengthener.  I'd heard great things about OPI nail envy, and when I saw that they did a matte version I decided to be a little bit naughty and see if I could get away with it for work.  Although not as matte as I was hoping for (there's a definite shine there, especially under the harsh lights at work!) I've so far got away with it and my nails are much stronger as a result.  After this, if I'm not at work, I'll paint my nails then use my Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat to add shine and help my colour last a bit longer; though I only wear nail polish for a couple of days at a time so longevity isn't too much of an issue for me.

Finally, I'll add a bit of moisture back in to my hands and nails and for this I'll either use my Boots Salon Nail and Cuticle Oil, which comes in a glass bottle with a roller ball, making application quick and easy, or if I want something a bit more intensive I'll use Lemony Flutter from Lush.  This take a bit longer to absorb but it's worth it if you've maybe been a bit too harsh on those cuticles! My last step is to apply some hand cream.  My one of choice at the moment is Soap and Glory's Hand Dream.  I got this in the massive gift set at Christmas and I've to say that I think I prefer it to Hand Food! 

So that's my nail routine! It sounds a bit long winded, but it doesn't take that long at all really. Since doing this routine around once a week, I've certainly noticed a big difference in the condition of my nails; they were a bit dry and battered from work and would break really easily.  They're now much stronger, look healthier and generally just make me feel a bit more put together, even when I'm in minimal make up, hair scraped bag, and ready for another 9 hour shift at work.

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!