Biore Oil Free Shine Control Moisturiser

Well hello there, long time no blog. And i have no excuse for being lazy with my blog either, it's not like i've been busy with life or anything, i just didn't have the motivation or inspiration to write. BUT, i'm back, with another review, this time for an absolute miracle of a facial moisturiser. It's by Biore, a company that i really don't know much about to be honest. The first time i tried this product was wayyyy back in my university days, and i could be right in thinking that my flatmate introduced me to this as i was looking for a nice facial moisturiser. And since then, i've had somewhat of a love affair with it. It is, hands down, the best i've tried. It smells faintly of watermelon, a very light, fresh, clean scent, with a subtle fruity undertone. Now, i have slightly oily/combination skin... and this is a god send for sorting my skin out and leaving it baby smooth. It's consistency can seem a little watery at first, but massage it into your face and let it sink in, and it somehow gets rid of any oil on your face while at the same time leaving it so incredibly soft that sometimes i really can't stop touching my own face... :/

It really is lovely, but somewhere i've read that it is either being discontinued, or already is, which makes me very sad in my heart. I don't currently have the full size version either, i'm actually using a sample size tube, which seems to be never ending, but it will soon, and if i can't find somewhere that stocks this... i shall cry. I'm not sure on the price either, but i have a vague recollection that it's around the 4 or 5 pound mark. It is definitely an outstanding 10/10 for me, and i'll search high and low for another bottle once this sample tube is up...

Thanks for reading xxx

PRODUCT RAVE RAVE RAVE!!

If i could only use one product, for the rest of my life, this is it! It's Benefits Lemon Aid redness concealer, and i cannot be without it. Literally, i have used this every single day, for the last 5 years!! Without even thinking about it, i have grabbed this every day after applying foundation, and smooth it over my eye lids. See, i suffer with redness on my eyelids, and i hate it, there's not much i can do about it, besides trying to cover it up with make up. It's a smooth creamy consistency and blends well over my eyes, concealing the redness and small veins. It also provides for a lovely base for eyeshadow, although, if you want staying power and no creasing, your best bet is to use some Urban Decay Primer Potion after the Lemon Aid (that's what i do anyway). I have absolutely NO problems with this product at all, and SWEAR by it, raving to everyone i know about how good it is. As well as this, because it is after all a redness concealer, i sometimes use this on angry spots or patches of redness on other areas of my face. Although, since discovering Macs 'Studio Finish Concealer' that pretty much covers blemishes i want covering elsewhere. I could NOT do a day's make up without this little gem, i LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! It has no scent, unlike what others may say, as i've heard people say it smells like lemons, which it really does not. Trust me, i've had at least 6 of these in my lifetime haha! It comes in a snap close compact with a mirror inside aswell, which is very handy. I've also taken a picture of all the old containers, my current container, and the next one waiting to be used, just so you can see the extent of my love for this.

I think this product really balances out my complexion, and makes my face look 'finished' and complete. On days where i may have missed this out, or just not been wearing make up, people have said i look ill... which is true in all fairness, i mean, red eyelids make you look either very unwell, or stoned, which really IS NOT a good look, urgh! If i could give this product a 100/10 i would, but i can't, so 10/10 it is :) It retails for £16.50, which is a very expensive price tag, but for something this lovely and that really works, i'll pay for this AGAIN and AGAIN. xx PS - i've put the box over the mirror in this last photo so as not to blind anyone HA!

17 Lasting fix 'candy' nail polishes

Another day, another review it seems. So here were are, with a relatively cheap brand from boots '17'. I've always disregarded this brand, and i don't know why. I suppose there hasn't really been any sort of brand advertising, or knowledge. And you never really hear people talk about 17... But it's there, and i think i should give it more attention. As i say, the products are cheap, not as cheap as natural collection mind, but cheap all the same. I discovered this new 'candy collection' from another blogger called 'DOLLYUPRETTY', who is a really lovely down to earth girl (go check her out). So, when i was in Boots the other day i checked these new nail polishes out, and i was nicely surprised. You've got a few to choose from - orange soda, baby pink, sherbet lemon, mint choc chip, and parma violet. As you can see from the photo, i chose the yellow, green (although to me it looks blue) and purple. They're such lovely creamy candy shades, and perfect for spring/summer nails. Now, i normally go for black, or dark purple, or pink nails, that's just my style. But im happy with the change, and it's nice to look down and see something a bit different :) They're priced at £2.99, which is good, and the quality is good too. The first coat can be a bit streaky, but you get that with most nail polishes, after the second you get a lovely opaque cream colour, in my case, i chose to use the yellow first, as i don't think i've ever used a yellow before, which seems odd, but anywho...

So here's how it turned out, and i think it's lovely. I know there are a couple of other products in this particular 'candy collection', such as eyeshadows and lip products, but i was mainly interested in these. So if these look like something you could love too, go check them out! PS - sorry for the poor photo quality in the first pic, my camera is pap!! :P xxx

LUSH sweet lips sugar scrub

Have you ever found one of those products that you never knew you needed, until you bought it on a whim? Well this is one of those for me. It's from Lush, and it's relatively new, it's a lip scrub... to get rid of all that nasty dead skin and flaky bits on your lips before adding lipstick etc. I honestly didn't think there was anything that could help my nasty winter lips... and there's NOTHING worse than lipstick that looks cakey and flaky on scabby lips. This is actually a HOLY GRAIL, cannnot live without, product. I reallllly love this. To me, it was quite pricey, around 4 or 5 quid... but honestly, this little pot will last you forever. I've had mine for about a month now, and there's only the tiniest dimple in the surface (and yes, i use this almost every day, im obsessed!). There were three to choose from - Sweet Lips, Bubblegum (which smells like snow fairy) and Mint Julips. Immediately i reached for the chocolate and vanilla flavoured one, its GORGEOUS!! Imagine the creamiest chocolate cake you've ever had, it's like that, in a pot mmmm! And the added bonus is that you can lick the scrub off your lips once you've done scrubbing!! It's divine!! The consistency is basically brown sugar smooshed into a pot, with a couple of other binding ingrediants such as jojoba oil and cocoa absolute :D This is a staple for me now, and i seriously suggest people try this if you wear lipstick day to day, it softens and smooths the lips brilliantly! DEFINITE 10/10 from me this time!!! mmm x

Barry M Nail Paints...

Yo yo yo, here again. This time i'm looking at Barry M, and the awesomeness that is their nail paints. I 100% LOVE these... every single one of them. They're completly cheap, and are brilliant quality. The three in the picture above are baby pink, mint green and pure turquoise. I'm currently wearing the baby pink, and i love it!! I want more of these, because they're such good value for money and work so well. Some appear a bit streaky on first coating, but after the second coat you're good to go!

These ones include Raspberry, Bright Purple, Coral and Pink Flamingo, and i HEART these all. I've worn Pink Flamingo the most out of these as it's soooo pretty, i seriously suggest you try this one out, its GORGEOUS!
And this set includes Red Black, Vivid Purple, Black, Navy Blue and the 3 in 1 clear varnish. I have had a couple of the blacks, because i've found this black works for me best, out of ANY brand i've tried. For a good few years now i've worn the vivid purple on my toes, and LOVE it. I've tried other colours on the toes, and every other colour just seems odd, so i go back to Barry M Vivid Purple every time. I completly support this brand, i think it's such good value and the quality is great. If you've never tried Barry M, or live abroad so don't have access, i highly suggest you do try some. I also love their lip gloss wands, and will be doing a review on these too soon. A well deserved 10/10 for these :D PLEASE, go try some of these! NOW! xxx

YSL Rouge Volupte #2 Sensual Silk

Could this be the prettiest lipstick in the world? I think so... Now... getting high end make up brands like YSL is not something i normally do... ever. This purchase was an extra special treat to myself on my birthday... the price for these gems is a staggering £23! I got mine from Debenhams in Lincoln a month ago now, and have loved it since. It's the Rouge Volupte lipstick from YSL in number 2 - sensual silk. It's a gorgeous nudey, pinky, beigey colour, and looks lovely on - very natural. It's a soft lipstick, and feels moisturising on the lips, the only problem i can see with this particular product, is that it's SO soft it will wear down very quickly. Not so good for a lipstick that costs a BOMB :s However, i love the smell of these as well, like watermelon, really fresh and mmm!
The packaging is like a work of art... looks classy on your dressing table. I would like to have a couple of the other Rouge Volupte lipsticks, they have a sexual array of colours, although, i'm pretty sure i won't be buying any anytime soon lol! x

My mac lipsticks...

Ok, so these are my babies. I love them, and yes, i only have 8 :( this makes me sad, but i'm proud of my small but perfect collection. I'm sure in time this will develop, but for now, these are the ones i own. I've been into Mac now for about a year properly. I can see the attraction with Mac as a brand, because most of their products are of a lovely quality, and well worth the money if you can spare it. Now, in no way am i one of those crazy MAC ADDICTS that jump at every new collection. Besides being completly unrealistic with the price of their products, i find that some of the new things they bring out aren't all that, and most of the time easily dupable from drugstore brands. Anyway, back to the lipsticks - the ones i own (not in the pictured order) are - Creme Cup, Angel, Colour Crafted, Creme d'nude, Hue, Blankety, Rose Romance and Snob. Each lipstick comes under a category, depending on the finish of the lipstick, whether it be a cremesheen, glaze, frost, lustre or satin. Personally i prefer either cremesheen or glaze, as these are the most moisturising and don't dry the lips as easily. I think my ultimate favourite out of the ones i own has got to be HUE, purely because it's such a pretty milky baby pink. It's very wearable and non offensive, it's also the one i have least of now :( so i think that will be next on my wishlist... as well as 'Pretty Please' - I've heard a lot about that one, and have been eyeing it for months. Oh well, need to save up first... as unlike a lot of gurus, i don't have a massive disposable income. Lucky them :P xx

LUSH Blackberry Bath Bomb

Just a very quick review here. I have just literally used the Blackberry bath ballistic tonight :) it's nice, smells fresh and lovely, although i can't smell the blackberry in it at all, unlike The Comforter, which just smells like blackberry and cream mmm!! Anyway, back to the bath bomb, this is nice, it turns the water a lovely purple, and fizzes for aaaages! It's quite a large bath bomb, so i would probably advise people to cut this one in half (if you can, it can be tricky). I used the whole thing with a small chunk of Comforter for added bubbles :) I would buy again. Towards the end of the fizzing, i noticed what looked like paper on the inside of the bomb itself... and was pleasantly surprised to find a small piece of coloured paper with the words 'boom boom' on it... hence why the word 'bomb' is on the top of the ballistic when dry. This made me smile, as i had no idea this one contained a little surprised. I took a photo of it when i got back into my room, but the lighting is shoddy at this time of night, so apolgies for that, but you get the idea... a fair 7/10. Enjoy xxx

Lush Flosty Gritter Bubble Bar

Yes yes yes, im here.... AHGAIN! This time, it's the turn of Flosty Gritter (spelling is correct haha!), a bubble bar. I LOVE THIS, like actually LUUURVE it! If anyone has tried the American Cream conditioner, then this bar smells exactly like that. A mix of vanilla cream, strawberry and a slight hint of lavender. YUMMY! The bubble bar itself is pink and glittery, so be warned as it will transfer onto hands, clothes and sheets lol! Once crumbled this turns the bath water a really lovely shade of pink, and on closer inspection very subtley glittery. If you've ever used sunnyside bubble bar (the gold one), then the result is very similar. It's been said that sunnyside makes the water look like liquid gold... and so flosty gritter makes it look like liquid ... pink... gold? If that's even a thing. Its really nice, and an added bonus is that the glitter doesnt transfer onto your skin, so you won't come out of the bath looking like a disco ball. :D It creates very luxurious creamy bubbles, and LOTS of them. I highly recommend this one, its so girly, mmm! A well deserved 10/10. I will definitely be repurchasing this for as long as they sell it. xx

Lush Sakura Bath Bomb

Hi again, this will only be a mini review of sorts, and i feel i don't want to be overly ranty and ravey on this blog, don't want people getting bored :P. Anyway, this time, i'm looking at the Bath Ballistic - Sakura. YUM! As with all the ballistics, you just plop this into an already run bath, and away you go. This is lovely. Very fresh, with subtle floral undertones. There is a soap in the exact same fragrance, only available online in the retro section now, called '17 Cherry Tree Lane'; a plain white creamy soap, that is also divine. Unlike the soap, Sakura IS available in the shops, all year round, thank god! Sometimes i feel like i'm being connned a bit by Lush with all their limited edition items, sucking me in, making me love them, then taking them cruelly away. It's literally like taking candy from a baby. Anywho... major digression there, sorry lol. Yes... the bath bomb, the website describes it as "Like the blossom in a Tokyo park on a spring afternoon. The Sakura Ballistic is made in honour of cherry blossom time, perfumed with mimosa and jasmine to give you the joyful feeling of springtime, whenever you need it". Very true description indeed, cherry blossoms, mmm! I wouldn't categorise this as either 'girly' or 'flowery'... it's just FRESH. And the little decoration on top of bright blue sea salt is really nice. I do enjoy this one, and the scent it gives off in the bath is nice and strong, and even lingers on the skin for a short time afterwards. This one gets a 6.5/10 :)

LUSH Dream Cream Moisturiser

THIS, is one of my all time favourite Lush products EVER! It is lovely. It's called THE hand and body lotion - and the tub says "we took every essential oil that could help the skin and put it in our softest emulsion. This is as good as it gets". And it really IS as good as it gets, for me anyway. I've heard a lot of reviews about this product, from people with bad skin conditions and eczema, saying this is the only thing that they can use on their sensitive, irritated skin to calm it down. I don't have eczema myself, but my skin can easily be irritated by other moisturisers, and this one is just lovely. I've been using it for a couple of years now, and i go back to it every time. The first time i had it, it came free in a hatbox that was bought for me, and initially i wasn't keen on the smell. It's very distinctive, and herbally. I can understand why some people don't appreciate the smell, it can be very hard to get along with. But now, for me, i love it!! I absolutely adore it in fact! A few of its ingredients include - oat milk, rose water, olive oil, cocoa butter, chamomile oil, tea tree oil and lavender oil. To me, it's a very soothing, calming smell, not something i would want in a perfume though, just a lovely, end of day, after bath, moisturiser. It's an extremly thick cream, and stays put in the tub, even when it's turned upside down, which personally, i like. Anything too watery and thin just doesn't feel as though it's going to moisturise particularly well.

I would highly recommend this for ANYONE looking for a new holy grail moisturiser. For me, the results are - extremly soft and smooth skin, with no rashes or irritation caused by perfumes. I normally use this JUST before bed, and when i wake up in the morning, my skin is STILL baby smooth, and there's still a faint residue over my skin, not in a nasty greasy way, but a lovely smooth feeling that you just don't get with skin 'au naturale'. I would give this Lushy 10/10 every time, and i will continue to buy this until im old and wrinkly... let's just hope they don't discontinue this little life saver... or they'll be getting one MASSIVE petition from me and others to bring it back :D xxx

Lush RETRO happy bubble bar

Here i am again, with another review :) this time it's for a Lush retro item, which means it used to be in the shops, but is now only buyable online in their special 'retro items' section. I would have taken the picture myself as usual, but actually forgot to before i used it this evening (my bad). Now, first things first, this is a VERY vivid blue. It looks absolutely lovely. I also noticed it was a lot less 'powdery' than most bubble bars, very smooth. Its smaller than most average bars too, not significantly, but definitely smaller. I used the entire thing :D and it turned the bathwater a verrrrry strong blue colour, and the bubbles it created were SO moisturising, which i have not experienced with any other bubble bar. The smell is a very overpowering citrussy scent, with undertones of sandelwood. It's not what i would typically go for, but it did provide for a relaxing bath time. I did find it harder to crumble, it had quite a hard textured formulation, and needed a good squishing to actually break it up. Overall, i liked it, and would perhaps purchase it again in the future... i give Happy Bubble a fair 7/10 :)

LUSH Think Pink ballistic

Aloha all! On a major blogging day today, probably because im laid up in bed with flu :( bahhh, go away nasty disease!! Anyway, i think this will be my final entry for today... its the Think Pink ballistic!! Now, i have to say, i DO actually LOVE this product to death. It's the ultimate girly bath :) Now, i've had this bath bomb a few times in the past, and upon my purchase of my latest one, i noticed they've shrunk in size :( which is NOT COOL at all, and i don't understand Lush's reasons for doing so either, maybe it's the credit crunch still rearing its ugly head, i don't know, but to me, the new size is tiddly. However, the formulation is still the same, and it smells AHHHMAZING! The website says the scent is derived from Tonka Bean and Vanilla Absolute... which i can sort of smell. To me though, it just smells like bon bons. You know, those hard round powdery goodies that turn to chewy lovliness once you've started to eat them. Ahhh. It turns the bath water a BRIGHT shade of barbie pink, and fills the entire room (and house sometimes) with a brilliant sweet smell. This is just fantastic. It's also filled with surprises, as once you pop it into the bath, it explodes hundreds of teeny tiny confetti hearts, and the two flowers on top end up floating on top of your water. Initially i thought they were plastic, it wasn't until i tried to bite one that i realised its some sort of candy... or something sugary at least... they DO eventually dissolve aswell, but for a good while, the flowers playfully bob around the pink waves :) However, i DO NOT suggest anyone else actually try to eat these flowers, not a good idea... lol. This ballistic really does cheer up any foul moods, believe me! Haha! A well deserved 9.5/10 from me! A definite fave! Yum yum xxxxx

LUSH Space Girl Ballistic :)

Ok, review time AGAIN people... This time, it's the Lush ballistic - Space Girl. This is not a limited edition item, but it IS new for 2010. As with all ballistics, just drop this into an already run bath, and watch it go. Makes the bath water a divine purple, but does not stain the bath, which is always a pro in my eyes (means no scrubbing the tub afterwards HA!) The top of the bomb is covered in a sprinkling of multi-coloured sparkles... but they're not offensive. They didn't end up sticking to me in the bath, they just floated around the water in a suitably girly manner :) Now, the most important part of the review... the smell. The website describes it as 'blackcurrant sweeties', which i do agree with on some level. In my opinion, it's like jelly babies, parma violets and sherbert. It is SO lovely. Now... as with some other Lush items i've tried in the past, this one smells stronger and lovlier BEFORE putting it in the bath, which is a shame. It would be perfect if the smell you sniff on the dry ballistic, was represented in the bath water aswell. Don't get me wrong, you CAN smell a subtle sweet smell as it's fizzing away, but i would adore it if the strong blackcurrant scent came through with the fizz a bit more. Needless to say, i WILL be buying this again... when i next have a few pennies to spare :D haha! I give Space Girl a 6.5/10.

LUSH The Ex Factor :)

Ok, so this is another limited edition Valentines product from Lush, known as the Ex Factor. And no, not the awful processed mess that is the television programme, the 'Ex' factor as in, an old flame... we all have them people... and this little guy is the perfect way to let go... just dunk him in your bath starting with the head... then an arm, another arm, maybe a leg... Now, of course, this can be enjoyed without the painful hurt of being ditched :P He's just a lovely, gorgeous smelling bath ballistic, as is known in the 'lush circle'. The ballistics are basically, bath bombs, they don't produce bubbles, but they do fizz and dissolve, leaving your bath water a lovely colour and smell! In this case, he leaves your entire bath a vibrant shade of blue, like you're bathing in the lush waters of some distant deserted island :) paradise really. If you're familiar with Lush's other cult product - the butterball... he smells EXACTLY like that... lovely and vanillary, with a strong over scent of cocoa butter... a lot like Palmers Cocoa butter that a lot of people use. Now, i'm not sure how long these little guys will be around, so get down to your nearest lush NOW, quick, run! Before they all run off :s My rating for this Lushy is a well deserved 8/10 - points deducted because it would have been lovlier if it had been moisturising aswell... like Butterball.

LUSH magic mushroom

So, these little cuties are Lush's new limited edition >Valentines treats for 2010. If you're a Lushie, like me, you'll know all about them, but for the benefit of people who might not know about them, they're from Lush's range of 'bubble bars'... and can either be used whole, or cut up into perhaps halves. They say crumble these under hot running water into your bath tub, but i find for best results, put the plug in, and crumble these into a dry bath first, THEN, once its all smooshed, run the water on top of the mixture. I find this way created A LOT more bubbles, and you'll find the bubbles last longer aswell.

Now, the smell of these beauties, is DIVINE! Simply put... they smell like strawberries and cream. The smell is taken from their other cult product - 'yummy yummy yummy', a pink toned shower gel made from fresh strawberries. The white part of the mushroom itself is meant to smell like vanilla, but the strong scent of strawberry taken from the red part is quite overpowering and seems to dominate the scent (not that i'm complaining). Once the water is run, you're left with a dark pink/red toned bath water and lots of silky creamy bubbles. Its such a lovely experience, i urge you to go out and buy one, even just to try. I believe they retail at around £2.25, although i can't be exactly sure. Out of ten, i score this Lush product 8.5/10. It is gorgeous, but points knocked off because i wished the scent lingered longer on the skin after you've had your bath. :)

Welcome :)

So welcome, this is my blog i guess... From now on you can expect a lot of reviews and maybe a smattering of hauls, but i suppose the real reason i started this blog was to offer my own honest opinion on beauty and cosmetic products that i buy and try. I hope in some way these future reviews can enlighten people on products they'd maybe thought about trying but weren't too sure. I'll happily accept any questions or comments aswell :) and yes, that's me in the picture (the guy is my boyfriend, or husband of sorts HAHA!) enjoy.... xxx