Lush Haul

Hi Everyone!

I have picked up a few things from Lush over the last couple of weeks and thought that I'd share them with you all! The goodies that I have bought are from 2 separate trips to Lush and some items are from the new Christmas collection! Here's what I got!

Hottie Massage Bar

This is the first massage bar that I have purchased and I was drawn to it as I have had back problems for a very long time now and as anyone who is in constant pain will know, you will try anything once to relieve it! The bar contains ginger and peppermint oils which have a lovely warming affect on your body which makes it perfect for these cold month's. It also contains cocoa and Shea butters which have a moisturising effect. I have used this bar once, so far, and I loved it. My muscles are so sore and I really felt that it made a difference to them. I also really liked the smell! This is a definite re purchase for me!

Stepping Stone Foot Scrub

This stone is used to remove any dead skin cells from your feet and also contains deodorising and antiseptic properties which is great. I found that this stone is very crumbly and is easily ruined. The best way to use it is to carefully break a chunk off at time and do not get the whole thing wet. The stone works really well and has an overpowering lemon smell which I liked, but may not be for everyone. Overall, I like it as it works so well but its tendency to fall apart is such a big shame.

Buffy Body Butter

I was recommended this item by the salesperson and thought that I'd give it a try. The idea of it is that it is used on wet skin to remove dead skin cells and also leaves behind a layer of moisture. For me I felt it was a little hard and too harsh but I liked the layer of moisture that it leaves behind as it means that you don't need to apply a separate moisturiser when you get out of the bath/ shower.

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

This is the first of the Christmas items that I picked up and I am in love with it! It smells absolutely amazing and reminds me of candy floss and bubblegum. It is apparently Lush's number 1 Christmas bestseller and I am gutted that it is limited edition though and I may have to stock up!

Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly

I was so drawn to the shower jellies in the store as I have never seen anything quite like them! Sweetie pie was the one that I was immediately attracted to as I love the colour purple and the smell is amazing, it kind of reminds me of some blackcurrant sweets that my grandma used to buy me when I was little! The smell is also very similar to the Comforter Bubble Bar which is a product that I have repurchased several times over the years. The jelly contains cherries and coconut which are 2 of my favourite smells and also has sparkly bits in it which you may be able to pick up in the picture above.

Tea Tree Toner Tabs

I have never used Lush's Toner Tabs before but I thought that I'd give them a go after seeing a couple of positive reviews of them on YouTube. The Tea Tree Tabs are designed for oily and spot prone skin. You place the tabs in a bowl of hot water, they then fizz and let off a steam. You place a towel over your head and lean over the bowl. Sounds like fun! I haven't tried these yet but if I really like them I write a proper review of them at a later date!

Lil Lush Pud Bath Bomb

I loved the look of this bath bomb as it looks like a Christmas pudding! It smells like marzipan which is such an amazing smell, especially for this time of year and also works to calm and sooth your skin.

Snowcake Soap

(This soap was purchased as part of a gift set which is why it is in the shape of a star)

I love Lush soaps and this Christmas soap also smells of marzipan so goes brilliantly with the bath bomb above.

The Melting Snowman Bath Melt

How cute is this little guy? This is the first bath melt that I have tried from Lush and I couldn't resist him when I saw him! He smells just like the Snowcake soap so another winner if you are a fan of the smell of marzipan! He also softens the water and moisturizes you skin. I am going to break him into 2 pieces to make him last longer!

Golden Wonder Bath Bomb

I was drawn to this bath bomb after seeing a video of it on YouTube! It changes colour from gold to yellow and then blue when in the water and also contains stars that spill out of it as it fizzes! It also has a great smell and is the ultimate treat!

Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

I am a big fan of face masks and use one every week but this is the first fresh one that I have tried. I chose this one as it is suitable for oily, spot prone skin which I, unfortunately, have! It smells of chocolate and vanilla which is gorgeous! The mask contains Linseed to nourish the skin, mint to tone the skin, cocoa butter to moisturise it and rhassoul mud to give it a deep clean. The masks are kept in the fridge which gives it a lovely cooling sensation when applied. I have tried this mask once so far and I have to say that my skin looks much clearer the next morning. A big thumbs up from me!

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, please feel free to leave any Lush recommendations in the comments section below.

You can purchase all of the products mentioned above from Lush online and at their stores.

Maz x

NYX Haul

Hi Everyone!

I really like NYX as a brand and have several of their blushes, jumbo pencils and lipglosses but have never tried their eyeshadow palettes before. I had a look on their website and found that they have quite a few small, affordable palettes such as the Nude on Nude kit. This one really stood out to me (along with the Purple smokey look kit) so I thought I'd give it a go! The kit comes with 9 eyeshadows and 2 lip colours in a drawer below along with 2 applicator brushes.

Here are the eyeshadow swatches shown on NW20 skin:. (I swatched from the top left of the palette to the bottom right).

I am really impressed with the colours, they applied smoothly and are nicely pigmented. I think that the quality of them is great considering they are from a relatively cheap palette. There is a lovely selection of neutral colours including a great highlighter shade and darker colours which are ideal to darken the crease or to use on the lashlines as well as lots of great lid colours.

Here are the swatches of the 2 lip colours. (Apologies for the poor photograph, they don't show up too well).

The 2 colours are nice but not amazing! One is quite peachy and the other is more pinky.

Overall, this is a really nice palette and is great value for money. I was surprised that the shadows where such good quality and they are definitely the best part of the palette. The lip colours are nice to have in the palette and great if you are on the go! The palette was a little smaller in size than I was expecting and the shadow sizes are quite small but for the price of the palette it is OK.
I also purchased a Jumbo Eye Pencil in Purple Velvet and 2 Lip Pencils in 848 Flower and 858 Nude Pink.

(L to R) Flower, Nude Pink, Purple Velvet

I have wanted to get the Purple Velvet jumbo pencil for a while now and it is a little darker than it looked on the site, I would describe it as an eggplant colour. I feel that it will go well with MAC shadows such as Indian Ink and Nocturnelle. The Nude Pink Lip Pencil is a great colour and reminds me a little of MAC's Dervish Lip Pencil. Flower is a bright dolly-pink. The lip pencils are also really good quality and glided onto my skin really well, I can't say as I can tell much difference in quality between the NYX pencils and the MAC pencils which is quite shocking considering the price difference (Around £10 in the UK!) Big thumbs up to NYX!

I purchased my NYX Products from Cocktail Cosmetics in the UK, they are also available directly from NYX

Maz x

Nail Polish Haul

Hi Everyone!
I thought it would be fun to share my recent nail polish haul with you so let's get started!

Nubar Nail Art Pen in Black: This is a pretty standard black nail art pen and as I want to try my hand at nail art soon I thought that this would be a good place to start!

Nubar Striper Pen in Hologram: I purchased this to use when trying out some nail art designs too but also to use to brighten up French manicure tips. It is a gorgeous silver glitter.

Zoya Nail Polish in Dannii: This is my second bottle of Zoya polish and I loved my other polish (Happi) so much that I decided to purchase I second! Dannii is from the Intimate collection for Spring 2011. This colour is described as a 'Pinked violet with red undertones and gold and ruby shimmer and sparkle'. The reviews of this are amazing and it looks gorgeous! I can't wait to try it ASAP!

Nubar Nail Polish in Violet Sparkle: I saw this polish when I was ordering the 2 nail art pens and loved the look of the colour, it's purple and sparkly as the name suggests! I have never tried any of Nubar's nail polishes before so I am excited to try this!

China Glaze Nail Polish in Below Deck: This polish is from the Spring 2011 Anchor's Away Collection and is a purple-grey shade. I bought this polish as it is supposed to be similar to Sephora by OPI Metro Chic which is a colour that I have always wanted to try but have been unable to as it is not sold in the UK! I have high hopes for this shade! 

OPI Nail Polish in Houston We Have a Purple: This polish looks right up my street! It is from the Spring/ Summer 2011 Texas Collection and I loved how it looked on the nail is a recent QVC OPI program! It is a pinked toned violet.

OPI Nail Polish in You Don't Know Jacques: I have been thinking of getting this colour for ages! I have heard so many good things about it and I have also heard that it has taken the top spot from my beloved Lincoln Park After Dark as OPI's No 1 bestseller! You Don't Know Jacques is from the Couture Couleur La Collection De France and is described as a brown/grey mix and looks super sophisticated! This isn't the type of colour that I'd usually go for but I'm hoping I'll love it as a change from the norm!

Maz x

Shopping at the Trafford Centre!

Hi Everyone!

I've been shopping at the Trafford Centre today. For those of you outside the UK who don't know the centre it is a massive shopping centre just outside of Manchester City centre that is full of amazing stores and places to eat!

I bought a handful of cosmetic- related items and thought that I would share them with you all!

 (L to R) Purity, Involve, Force

I have never tried any products from Illamasqua before and I went over to the counter intending to buy one nail polish and ended up leaving with two and an eyeshadow pigment! The girl who served me was so friendly and could have very easily persuaded me to buy every product on the stand! I chose Purity nail polish which is a gorgeous creamy peach colour and Force which is a beautiful cornflower blue/ purple (It looks much brighter on the photo than it does in real life)! I am not a big fan of sheer polishes and the girl actually applied both of these colours onto her own nails to prove to me that they are both fully opaque, which they where even after just the one coat. I was then persuaded to try one of their pigments so I chose Involve which is a stunning shimmery purple and right up my street. I can't wait to try these products and will post my findings as soon as I do.

(L to R) Sparrow me the Drama, Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, Steady as she Rose

So no shopping trip for me would be complete without at least one OPI nail polish! I purchased Sparrow me the Drama which is a medium rosy pink and Steady as she Rose which is a pale pinky-lilac both of which are from the new OPI Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides collection. They both look gorgeous and ideal for summer. I also picked up a pot of Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream which I have wanted to try for ages as my thumb nail cuticles are really dry and rough. I haven't used it yet but it smells very strongly of lemon and it's consistency is slightly harder than Vaseline, fingers (or thumbs in this case) crossed that it works!

 Pop in the Bath



The Comforter

Finally I called in to Lush and picked up two of their bubble bars. I always get The Comforter bar as it's my favourite! It smells of blackcurrant sweets and turns your bath water hot pink! I love Lush's bubble bars because they create so many bubbles and leave your skin silky soft. I also purchased Pop in the Bath which is apparently inspired by Mary Poppins and as my name is Mary I thought that was a sign! I have never tried this one before but I'm sure it'll be good! It smells of lemon and mandarin, lovely!

So I felt I was very restrained with my purchases today which makes a change! Although it is my birthday soon so I'm sure I'll rectify that then!

Maz x