Bath Cocktail Ideas

So, as you may have previously guessed, especially if you follow me on instagram, I am utterly obsessed with Lush. My favourite products are the bath products, however I also have a huge collection of soaps, shower gels, shampoo bars, shaving soap, sugar scrub, body conditioners, face masks, toners, cleansers, moisturisers and toothy tabs.... So not much really! One of my favourite ways to spend the evening after a long day working is by having a long soak in the bath with a book. I love putting different combinations of the products together, so here are a few that I have used in the past:

• Big Blue bath bomb and Sunnyside bubble bar - An old classic, also known as Mermaid Water. 
• Fluffy Egg bath bomb(2015 easter range) and Candy Mountain bubble bar 2014 Christmas range) - A sweet, pink experience.
  
• Golden Egg bath bomb (2015 easter range) and Gold Fun (2014 Christmas range) - Sweet, toffee scented gold bath.
  
• Error 404 bath bomb (2015 Lush Kitchen item), Sunnyside bubble bar and Gold Fun (2014 Christmas range). - A gold star of a bath.
• Floating flower bath bomb (2015 Valentines range) and Unicorn Horn bubble bar (2015 Valentines range) - Relaxing and colourful.
  
• May Day bath bomb (2014 Limited Edition) and Holly Golightly bubble bar (2014 Christmas range) - Spices and aniseed make this very invigorating and warming.
• Lords of Misrule bath bomb (Halloween range) and Sunnyside bubble bar 
• Think Pink bath bomb and Pop In The Bath bubble bar
  
• Rose Queen bath bomb and Rose Jam bubbleroon
• Fizzbanger bath bomb and Carrot bubble bar (Easter range)
• Avobath bath bomb and Grass bubbleroon
• Sakura bath bomb and Comforter bubble bar
• Twilight bath bomb and Unicorn Horn (2015 Valentines range)
• Twilight bath bomb and French Kiss bubble bar

Whoops....I'm back again!

Is there anyone worse than me for actually updating their blog? Probably, but still, let me exaggerate. So I'm currently in my final year at uni which has meant I am working like 24/7 and so it has been hard to even think never mind get writing. But, I'm going to aim for a post a week. I will be uploading a proper post either later tonight or tomorrow, depending on when I finish the part of my dissertation I'm currently meant to be doing!

:)
x

Losing Weight

Just like 8/10 women, I am currently trying to lose weight. I have always been overweight but in the, I lost a lot of it but then in the last 2 years I have put on a lot of weight and hit a number I never thought I would see on the scales. Since the end of June I have been back to eating better and exercising more. I have lost nearly a stone in a month and I honestly can say I feel so much better, mentally and physically.

My main motivation for weight, I must admit, is because of society. It teaches us that being skinnier is more attractive. And yes, this appeals to me. But I also just want to be fitter, to be able to walk up a few flights of stairs at uni without feeling like I can't breathe.

So, here are a few tips I have gathered over the years about trying to lose weight;

• Don't punish yourself - don't stop yourself from eating what you want, you'll only end up binging. Have small amounts of whatever treat you want (chocolate for me!) instead of large amounts.
• Don't do it alone - support always helps. For example, right now both me and my girlfriend are losing weight together - it has turned into a slight competition of sorts which motivates me to do better!
•  Don't get disheartened when you haven't lost any weight in a week - this happens! You just need to push through it, maybe change up your exercise the next week and don't give up!
• Ice cold water helps burn calories - In a day, if you drink the optimal amount of water but instead use ice cold water instead of room temperature, you can burn an extra 70 calories. It may not sound like much, but it adds up!
• Walk - even just getting off your bus a stop early, it also adds up!

Is anyone else trying to lose weight? Do you have any tips?

Beth xo

Review; L'Oreal Paris Collection Privee by Cheryl

I went abroad a few weeks ago, and whilst in the airport I was looking for make-up because I am always drawn to duty free. I, being a Cheryl fan, noticed that they had the lipstick shade that she had chose in stock (I hadn't been able to find it anywhere else) and instantly bought it.

The Collection Privee is a collection of 6 nude shades, custom made for 6 L'Oreal Paris spokespersons. Each is a different shade made to suit the skin colour and style of the spokesperson it is for. As I have a similar skin tone to Cheryl, plus being a huge fan of her, I thought it would be perfect, especially since I needed a new nude lipstick (the one I previously used washed me out a bit). Usually priced at around £8.19 (in Boots), I got this for cheaper due to no VAT.

I put the lipstick on instantly, I couldn't wait. When on, it is a very subtle shade, so much so that it doesn't even look like I am wearing lipstick, which is a bit disappointing. A few coats later, it finally looks like there is lipstick on, but is still quite subtle. It doesn't stay on as long as I'd like it too but it lasts a few hours.

Despite the extreme subtleness of the lilpstick, I still love it. I rarely buy L'Oreal lipsticks but every time I do, I am always reminded how amazing they are for my lips. The smell is always appealing on them, they don't taste disgusting so when you lick your lips it doesn't cause you to gag and they are always so nourishing and make my lips so soft for days after I wear it.

Overall, I would recommend this collection but would have to find a better shade than the Cheryl one for my face.

Beth xo

Granny Takes a Dip - Lush Review

Today is a sad day. I will be reviewing a Lush bath bomb that I didn't particularly like. About a week ago, I bought one of Lush's newest ballistics, Granny Takes a Dip. When I first saw it, I fell in love. It was huge and colourful, what was not to love? At £3.25 I thought it was reasonably priced for the size as you could easily split it into two and use it twice. The smell was amazing, I would describe it as lemon sherbet. However this is where my love for this bath bomb ends.

Granny Takes a Dip 

The picture above is the ballistic taken out of the bag for the first time, just before I was putting it into the bath. As you can see, it already looked like it had a load of water marks on it, which wasn't possible as it had been in a dry room for only about 6 days in its original bag before this picture. Never one to judge something by its looks, I carried on happily. Once in the bath, the bomb took quite a while to fizz up, and by the end of it not all of it had fizzed and I was left with lumps of bath bomb just floating about in my water. After fishing these out and climbing in, I was happy again once the smell rose up into my nose. However, that lasted only about 5 minutes before the only sign left that I had used the bomb is that my water was pink. And my legs. It had managed to stain my legs pink. After scrubbing them down with my exfoliating scrub, most of the colour was gone but I was still left with a pink tint which stayed until my shower the next day when I re-scrubbed my legs.

Overall, I would not buy this bath bomb again, which is a shame because it seemed so promising at first.

Skincare Routine

One thing that I am always proud/confident about (well, most of the time anyway!) is my skin. I am quite lucky that I have never had acne, and rarely get any spots at all. However, I do get quite bad oily skin sometimes, and quite dry skin the other half of the time! I have tried so many different products throughout the years to try and combat it and some have worked better than others however I am going to tell you all about my current skincare regime, which seems to be working better than before.

First off, every morning I use Clearasil Refreshing Superfruits Pads. These are to exfoliate and cleanse your skin. There are "original" pads instead of the "superfruit" but I love the raspberry and cranberry smell! These pads are amazing and make my face a lot cleaner than any other cleanser I have used before. After this, I put on my primer, which is always a primer/moisturiser to keep my skin soft, before putting on my make-up.

From Google Images

At the end of the day, I always use baby wipes to take off my make-up. I find them to be gentler on my skin and also work out a lot cheaper. Why spend £3 on 25 make-up wipes when you can spend £1 on 64 baby wipes? I go through so many, I can't bring myself to spend that much that often! After I wipe my face, I use Witch Pore Minimising gel. I bought this on a whim last time I was in Tesco as I always think the pores on my nose are quite noticeable. After using this for a week, I can say it is amazing. My whole face feels much smoother, looks a lot more clear and my pores are barely noticeable. This works by pumping some of the gel onto your fingers, then massaging it onto your face, creating a lather before washing it off with warm water. After this I use another Clearasil pad, as you are meant to use them twice a day.

As for creams, I use Skin Wisdom Youth Protect eye cream as I suffer from dark circles under my eyes all the time. This is one of the best dark circle treatments I have ever used, and I have tried most of them! For a face moisturiser I use Derma 10 (I think, the label has scratched off the tub). It is a cheap moistureser from a discount store. It doesn't have any specific scent except a soapy, clean scent which is why I love it, on top of the fact it makes my skin feel amazing and doesn't break the bank.

As I was writing this, I realise I actually use a lot more on my skin than I realised, but it pays off as my skin has never been better, except for the occasional stress spot every now and then!

What are skin products that you swear by? Let me know in the comments!

Beth xo

Lush Review - May Day

Sorry for the absence, I have been doing a lot of drinking exam prep! I have lots of new products that I have bought in the time I have been away, which means lots of posts should be coming!

First off, I decided to talk about something I bought after a much needed afternoon of retail therapy. I got some new workout stuff and some summer clothes but what I am going to write about today, as you can tell by the title, is one of my latest Lush buys, "May Day".

Lush is my ultimate favourite shop. I can never just walk past it, I always end up in there, spending more than I can probably afford! Usually my spending is limited to the bath bombs/bath melts/bubble bars but I have been known to splurge on the shampoos and facial cleansers.

When I first spotted the new, limited edition ballistic, I was instantly drawn to it because it was one of two new items that I hadn't seen before (I didn't pick up the other one, but I don't doubt I'll end up going back for it!). One thing that really drew me in to "May Day" was the fact that every single penny (minus VAT) goes to anti-badger cull projects. The bomb itself is white, with a few black marks to try and make it look like a badger. The scent off this product is amazing, one of the best in my opinion. It smells like a mix of aniseed and lemon, which may not sound like the best combination, but trust me, it is beautiful! The ballistic has Fennel oil in, which helps reduce inflammation (which was great as my ankles were swollen from so much walking the past few days, I am such an old woman!), Rosewood oil, which is anti-septic, and Bergamot oil, which is anti-bacterial and the smell is meant to help uplift your mood.

When put into the bath, the ballistic fizzes instantly and leaves a few black streaks from the badger in the middle of the water. When it has fully fizzed out, the water is left rather cloudy, but I don't think that is a negative. Inside the bomb is a little piece of paper with "KEEP THOSE BADGERS ALIVE" on, which obviously corresponds with the message behind the bomb too. The smell also stayed for the duration of my bath, which was coming up to two hours later.

Overall, I love this bath ballistic and might have to go stock up on more while they are still in store!

The ballistic and the secret message!

Beth xo