Lush Haul - November 2014

Oh Lush.  Every year you do this to me! I walk in there for 1 thing and I'm bombarded with sales people and a huge array of festive products.  I'm a sucker for anything cute and christmassy! I was quite firm with myself actually, I managed to wittle my basket down to just a few products because with my birthday coming up, I know people like to buy me Lush products because they know I'll love it and also, if I have birthday money I can go and have a huge spend up in there afterwards!  Looking at these photos now, I have noticed that the Bomb Cosmetics Rhubarb and Custard Blaster has managed to sneak its way in somehow. Seeing as its here, I may as well share my thoughts! It smells absolutely amazing, just like the old fashioned rhubarb and custard sweets.  It also turned by bath orange which was fun and the smell lingered.  I find with some bath bombs, once they have dissolved, they lose their smell quite quickly but this one certainly doesn't. Onto the Lush stuff, the first thing I got was the Butterball.  I bought two of these and this could possibly be my favourite lush product.  It smells like vanilla and cocoa butter which is amazing, and ale, when you put it in the bath, it dissolves leaving lots of chunks of cocoa butter which I then rub into my skin.  It leaves my skin so soft and nourished and I smell like vanilla all night after I have used it! Along the same buttery theme, I bought 2 of the Butterbears.  This is really just a smaller, cheaper and cuter version of the butterball.  He smells exactly the same and does the exact same thing, however I don't find it quite as moisturising, purely for the fact that he's smaller and doesn't hold so much cocoa butter.  I don't have a problem with that though because he is sooooo cute! The next thing I got was the much raved about Cinders bath bomb.  I haven't used this yet so I don't know what its like in the bath, however if the smell is anything to go by, its going to be amazing.  It smells quite strongly of cinnamon and spices and it has popping candy in it which supposedly makes you feel like you're sat in front of a crackling fire.  I'm sceptical about this one, I'll keep you posted. The next thing I got was the Comforter Bubble Bar. I had smelt this a few times and been put off by the price of £4.75.  After doing a bit of research, I discovered that you can use a bit at a time so I took the plunge! I have used half of this, I just crumbled it under the tap to create a bright pink bubble bath which looked pretty cool and also filled the air with the strong smell of blackcurrant, almost like Ribena.  I would definitely recommend this if you like bubbles and are in to fruity scents. The last product I got is probably the most exciting, for me anyway.  The Shoot For the Stars bath bomb looks amazing and I can't wait to put it in the bath.  It smells very similar to the 'Honey I washed the kids soap' which I love and the interesting colours in this bomb indicate that you are going to have a cool multi-coloured bath which I'm all up for! If you want to see any of these in action, hop on over to my Instagram where I have videos up of the ones that I have used and will be posting new ones as I work my way through my stash! What other lush products should I try? Emily xx

Birthday Wish List - My Sweet 16!

It is my 16th birthday next Tuesday and a lot of people have been asking me what I would like to get so I thought I would put together a little wish list for you.  If you would like to see what I got for my birthday, leave me a comment or get in touch through social media because I would definitely like to do that for you!

The first thing, the world and its mother are desperate to get their hands on. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette is a thing of beauty and I would be honoured to be the proud owner of one.  These blushes give a gorgeous glow to the cheeks and they are of amazing quality with sleek and sophisticated gold packaging, whats not to like?

The next thing is Pandora Rings.  There aren't any particular ones that I like because I pretty much like them all and I think they are so nice to wear alone or to stack.  I would also love to have some decent rings, I have some from argos and some from pilgrim that I wear a lot but they are nothing really to speak of.

What sort of a birthday wish list would this be if I didn't feature something from Mac? Top of the list this year is Velvet Teddy, which much to my disgust, is out of stock again! I have been desperate for this lipstick for a long time so if I don't get it for my birthday, I will just buy it with my birthday money!

I have been after a pair of chelsea boots for quite a while now, so when I spotted these from new look, I knew I had to have them! They are perfect to go with any outfit throughout the winter and I think they are just so classic!

Seeing as my birthday is so near to christmas, there are always a few christmassy things that I want, the first being the Christmas Cookie Yankee Candle.  I smelt this in the shop and instantly fell in love with it.  It smells like cookies that have been ladened with buttercream and it is perfect!  Another christmassy thing comes from benefit.  I have been eyeing up the Cheeky Sweet Spot Set ever since they announced its arrival for the festive period last month.  It is such a cost-effective way to try out their products without being tied to the hefty prices of the full sizes. The last christmas themed product is the Lush 12 days of Christmas Advent Calendar.  As soon as this came out, it went straight on my birthday list and I am praying that some lovely person will buy this for me!

Last up are some perfumes.  I'm not going to attempt to describe the scents because I'll make a complete mess of it, however I will include the official descriptions so you can get a feel for what they are like.  First up is something I have been wanting for ages, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle.   The website says, "Oriental-fresh, a floral jasmine-rose accord, as light as a petal."  The next one is Miss Dior.  The website says, "Miss Dior Eau de Toilette was designed by Dior Perfumer-Creator François Demarche like a stroll through a blossoming garden. The same Couture style and the same theme are prolonged from the original Miss Dior to this new opus: a chypre accord, which is enlivened with a springtime spirit. A fragrance with floral accents that dazzles with joie de vivre." I have no idea what any of that means, so moving swiftly on! The last one is quite a recent addition to my wish list.  I received a sample of Lancôme La Vie set Belle in a magazine and I knew from then on, that some day it would be mine! La Vie est Belle Eau de parfum. `La vie est belle` is a French expression meaning life is beautiful. A philosophy of life and happiness and a universal declaration to the beauty of life. An eau de parfum with the noblest ingredients combines concrete of iris pallida, jasmin sambac absolute, orange blossom absolute and patchouli essence, lain on a bed of fine delicacies. A unique olfactory signature scent exclusively created for Lancôme by three of France`s leading perfumers.

That concludes my wish list, if you would like to see what I got for my birthday, let me know and I can get that up at some point next week!  Make sure you come back on Sunday for my big announcement!

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #27

As you can tell from the photo, I am not well stocked up on yankee candles for the festive season and I'm not ashamed to admit that I bought 6 candles! 
As this week draws to a close, we are getting closer and closer to my 16th birthday, which in case you didn't know is in 9 days time (I don't think I've mentioned it......) and I can't wait!  I already have one present from my Nan which is my Michael Kors Black Selma which was my birthday, christmas and easter present all rolled into one.  My bag is literally the best thing I've laid eyes on for a while and I love him! If you want to see him, there are just a few pictures on my instagram (cheeky bit of promotion there).
This week hasn't been very eventful, same old same old.  Probably the most exciting thing that happened was when we dissected a heart in biology on Tuesday but I'm afraid thats about it!
Today I am just going to have a tidy up in my room because I have to admit, it looks like a bomb has hit it and then I'll probably just do some homework and finish off a few pieces in my GCSE Art sketch book.
Next week could be exciting where the blog is concerned,  there should be a wish list and a haul coming your way and also an exciting announcement next Sunday (if you follow me on twitter, you may already know!)
I hope you have all had a lovely week and let me know if you got up to anything fun!
Emily xx

Recent Beauty Buys

Over the last month or so, I seem to have accumulated a number of beauty products even though I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to buy anything unless it was absolutely necessary.  I just can't help myself.  I was aiming to structure this post in the same way I have previously done beauty hauls, with a miniature review on each product and any in-depth reviews will be linked as always! The first products are from makeup revolution which seems to have been the talk of the blogosphere as of late. The Ultra Blush and Contour Palette - Hot Spice had been the one thing that I was dying to get from this budget brand and its certainly safe to say that it didn't disappoint.  The only thing that lets this palette down is its lack of an actual contour shade, however, I am in love with the shades available along with the highlighter. It is such an easy to wear palette and the formula of these are brilliant for such a cheap product.  They are very buttery and highly pigmented so I recommend using a light hand!  There have been some days wear I have really dunked my brush into the pan and ended up resembling some sort of amazon warrior.  If this is the look you are going for, then be my guest but if not, be cautious when using these!  Another product I picked up from them is some of their 5 Baked Eyeshadows - Pure and Innocent.  I'm a sucker for anything baked so these immediately caught my attention.  At first, I wasn't a fan and found them quite glittery, but I have found a way to love the formula! I use my finger to pack it on to the lid and then do some hardcore blending, which I find reduces the amount of glitter left on the eye.  I don't mind a bit of glitter at this time of year, in fact I embrace a bit of festive sparkle! I also received my very first elf products a few weeks ago and they were also my very first PR sample which is quite exciting! I received the Elf Studio Pore Minimising Primer* and the Elf Studio Hydrating Face Primer*.  I am so impressed with the quality of these primers and my higher end primers seem to have taken a back seat lately.  I have a detailed review on the Pore Minimising Primer here and in this post I also mention the deals that elf currently have going on their website. I didn't really have high hopes for the hydrating one because I thought it would be an absolute nightmare on my oily skin and I have to admit it, I already hated it before I even tried it.  However, I forced myself to try it so I could give a fair review on it and I was pleasantly surprised.  I have noticed a difference in the longevity of my foundation and I love the overall finish that it gives my base.  I would definitely recommend these if you are looking for good quality and affordable priming products. I also purchased the much raved about, new Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation.  I won't ramble on too much because you have already heard me sing its praises many times before, if you want to see my full review of this product, it is linked here. I also had to repurchase my much loved Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer.  Again, you have heard the world and its mother rave about this millions of times before so I'm not going to bore you again but this is by far the best concealer I have ever used and no matter what I try, I always seem to find myself going back to this.  This is a definite staple in my makeup collection and when I'm without it, my face just doesn't look the same! I ran out of liquid eyeliner recently and I have been using the same one for nearly a year so I fancied a slight change.  I opted for the Collection Fast Stroke Eye Liner as I had heard Suzy - aka HelloOctober sing its praises.  I still haven't come to a solid conclusion on this product, sometimes I love it and sometimes I just want to throw it out of the window.  It has quite a strange kind of felt tip applicator and I think its going to take a bit of getting used to. In case you didn't know, I am a lip junkie and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  What kind of a beauty haul would this be if I didn't mention at least two lip products? With that being said, I purchased 4 which isn't shocking but it's still slightly excessive!  I have reviews up for pretty much all of these lip products apart from one! The reviews are as follows:- Maybelline Colour Drama Velvet Lip Pencil - Light it up, Rimmel Moisure Renew Lipstick - Heather Shimmer, and the Essence Lip Pencil - Satin Mauve which was mentioned in my October favourites.  The only product that leaves is the Tanya Burr Lipgloss in Chic.  I absolutely love Tanya Burr and I have been desperate to try some of her products, however I have never been able to see them in any of my local stores and I like to see the colours in the flesh before I buy them.  Tanya had mentioned that this one is one of her favourites and I have seen her wear it a lot so I opted for this colour as I actually don't own any nude lip glosses! I absolutely love this lipgloss and I have worn it every day since I bought it.  It is extremely pigmented and glossy and the formula is long lasting without being too sticky, which makes it perfect in the winter.  There is nothing worse than getting your hair blown and stuck to your lips and having hair in your mouth and sticky hair for the rest of the day.  This is going to be one of my favourite lip products for quite a while I think.  The last product is another product from Tanya Burr Cosmetics.  As you all probably know, she recently launched her lash collection, and with my new found love for fake lashes, I had to purchase some.  After a while of scouring through feel unique and considering all the different styles, I opted for something a little more different from what I would usually pick.  I decided on the Individual Eye Lashes which is a slight shock for someone with an extremely lazy and impatient personality.  I haven't yet had a chance to play with these so I will update you on this story as it unfolds.  I think I will probably have a go when I have plenty of time and I am in quite a relaxed mood because I think that will produce the best results. What products have you bought recently that you think I should try? Emily xx

My New Favourite Red Lip

I have never been one for a red lip, I always found them way too bold and out there and really just thought they were a faff, which I suppose demonstrates my ridiculously lazy personality.  I was doing the usual, scouring the aisles of boots, picking up bits and bobs that I don't need but want nonetheless when I stumbled across these.  This is quite possible the best thing I have worn on my lips since my obsession with my Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in 'boy'.

The Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil in the shade 'Light it up' is the perfect red for my 'Casper the friendly ghost' complexion. Pale girls can generally get away with most shades of red but I am very particular about my reds so it is hard for me to find one that I immediately fall in love with.  I also wear a lot of reds and burgundies through the colder months so I am pleased to say this is a red that will go with anything without clashing.  I mentioned this product in my Friday Face Off #1 post a couple of weeks ago and I love to wear it with a simple matte eye, a flick of liner and overall just a simple look.

The colour of this is perfect, it really is a true red that doesn't sway too pink or orange.  It is slightly blue toned but not too much and it makes your teeth look so white.  It really brightens up your smile and makes you look very sophisticated and glamorous.  The formula of these are very similar to the Nars satin lip pencils, or so I'm told.  I have never actually tried them so I can't really compare but they glide on so smoothly and are highly pigmented, they are similar to that of a much more superior brand.  When I first got this, I was sceptical because I loathe matte lips because I find them so drying and uncomfortable to wear that I would have taken them off and replaced them with something much glossier within an hour of application.  They feel like lips and you hardly know you're wearing lipstick which is a massive bonus for me because I adore the look of matte lips and can now wear them without the uncomfortableness that I have experienced with many matte lip products in the past.

If you are looking for some new bold lip colours that are formulated brilliantly without the bold price tag, the Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencils are definitely the way to go!

Let me know what other colours I should pick up from this line, I would love to try some more to see if they are all this spectacular!

Emily xx