UK Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

Lush Valentine's Day Collection // 2014

By now most of you will have caught up on the latest Lush additions and even purchased items for yourselves however this is the first year I've decided not to fill my basket both in store and online. This years collection is made up of mostly new additions, with a long awaited pink shower gel returning to the Lush shelves as Prince Charming - Marshmallow root, Pomegranate Juice and Fair Trade Vanilla, scenting the skin with a blend of grapefruit, sandalwood and geranium oils. Could Prince Charming Shower Gel (100g £4.65 250g £9.25 500g £15.95) fill the deep hole Yummy Yummy Yummy left, I'm not too sure! There's also an accompanying Neon Love (£4.25/100g) Soap, though this is always one I personally skip, I only waste Lush soap bars - packaged inside gift sets as a little heart is a sweet gesture.
The only bath product being a bath bomb Love Locket (£6.95) is still very tempting with the amount of Lush stores Instagraming it in action. Inspired by our secretive heart necklaces Love Locket contains a second bath bomb inside a casing full of paper heart confetti creating up to three romantic baths..or one if you're sharing. Fragranced with jasmine, neroli and gardenia oils you'll be set for an uplifting time. Having read others reviews I'm not alone on grumbling about it's extortionate cost as a bath bomb...others also compare it to microscopic Think Pink. Following in the footsteps of Tender is the Night massage bar from the 2013 collection newbie Close To You (£5.50) carries the scent loved by many found in Creamy Candy and Rock Star soap. The luxurious, jammy dodger shaped bar will leave your skin silky smooth and just like the name suggests...a lot closer to each other I'm sure. Tender is the Night (£6.50) returns again with a complete makeover, leaving it's soft centre for a solid form of Shea Butter and Murumuru Butter. If you didn't get round to trying TITN last year you really must since it's now staying for good!
As much as I was excited about this years Valentine's collection there's still a lot to be desired. The best Lushentines days were back to the Ex Factor, Magic Mushroom and Frog Prince.

Home Touches // with Live Laugh Love | Candle Holders

Not a day goes by without me spending the majority of my free time scouring my favourite sites for small decorative pieces to add the final touches to my space, but it's never 'final' with me. Towards the end of last year (yes, still feels odd) a few pretties arrived on my doorstep from one of my favourite interior/shabby chic companies - Live Laugh Love, I've featured another beautiful addition on LW here. All featuring around votive and tea light candles it gave me the perfect excuse to head into town for a few Yankee Candle goodies to fill them all. With the Yankee Candle store being a let down I settled with Snowflake Cookie tea lights from Clinton's - I also received the large jar candle for Christmas to keep me going.
an image of live laugh love candle holders
Inside packaged tightly in bubble wrap sat four beautiful candle holders, my favourite being the 'Pink Votive Holder' retailing for just £3.95. Being a votive holder it's been the perfect fit and excuse to finally get around to burning my beloved Kringle Candle Daylight Candles - Daylight candles are giant tea light candles, encased in plastic..something I've always been dubious to burn because I lack pretty holders to protect my surfaces! I adore the simple 'bubble' lustre detailing to this holder, the not overly metallic finish and how gorgeous it glows in the evening.
an image of pink lustre candle holders
My next favourite is the fanciest of the four, this fluted glass holder has been decorated with a diamante gem retailing for £3.95. Again, I'm impressed with how affordable the entire selection of holders are on Live Laugh Love, usually I'd expect to pay a lot more for something not even close to how special these are.
an image of antique gem candle holder
We've had the prettiest and fanciest now we have the smallest holder of them all. This cute antique glass bulbous tea light holder retails for £2.95, just tall enough to cover the height of my Snowflake Cookie tea light. If you aren't into burning candles this particular holder would be perfect for keeping stud earrings safe by your bedside.
an image of bulbous candle holder
My last product to share comes in at a teeny tiny, purse friendly £1.95, making the previous holder look overpriced regarding size! Still as the second smallest of the bunch, this aged effect glass holder again is big enough to hold one tea light snug. The brushed metal print gives out such a warm, inviting glow to the room, even when burning on its own.
an image of shabby chic candle holder
Things are also looking up for the interior junkie in me, Dan's moving out very soon which means I'll at long last be able to nab the bigger bedroom for a few more years. A lot of purchases will be made on my favourite sites I'm sure, I'm looking forward to a blank canvas and more space to store my excessive beauty products. Lucy xx
Disclaimer: press sample, for review consideration only, no payment received. see disclaimer page for more.

WIN // Lush Danger Cosmetics To Go // Giveaway

For Christmas I received a copy of Danger Cosmetics To Go, the story of the company that came before Lush and as a thank you for continued support I ordered a copy for one of you lovelies to win. You may be someone who remembers Cosmetics to Go or a Lush junkie wanting to know the history of your favourite company with a few familiar products to spot! Entry has been kept simple with the form found below along with T&C's. Good Luck xx
CLOSED

Love Me Beauty // January | Menu 3

Always excited to receive my monthly Love Me Beauty box*, they couldn't have started the year off any better with three fantastic menu's all of which were impossible to decided between. Eventually I settled on menu three consisting of four full size products and one generous sample. This months picks have pleased just that little extra due to the varied mix of makeup, hair and body care...and no Lord & Berry products in sight.
The stand out product for January's offerings had to be Cosmetics a la carte, Divine Lash Mascara in Black (£23.00). I'll admit after the mishap of the Lord & Berry mascara's a few boxes ago, it did have me wondering if this mascara would also follow suit. I've actually discovered a high-end mascara I'd repurchase and if that's not enough my ultimate mascara. Mascara's really do have a hard time when it comes to impressing my sensitive eyes. With a super slim, tapered flex brush, I can reach every lash even my bottom lashes while lengthening, defining and avoiding clumps. NYX Cosmetics also featured in each menu for January with various eyeshadow shades. Stated for menu three was Sahara depending on stock, instead of a golden champagne shadow I received Toffee Shimmer which worked out far better, perfect for brightening the inner corner and highlighting of the brow bone. Retailing at £5 per single pressed mineral eyeshadow, I'll purchase more, not as easy to blend as my beloved Urban Decay but close enough to justify a few more purchases. Pearl Shimmer or Creme Shimmer would have been a better name for this shadow surely?
Pureology a brand I've a lot about recently also featured with their Colour Stylist Silk Bodifier (£3.90 - 65ml) (£15.00 - 250ml). Since I batter my hair with heat rather than dyes and bleach I passed this on to my Mum who does both. It's a little disappointing to have had a product from their coloured hair range though having seen the results on my Mum's hair makes up for this, it's also one product I won't have to chase back. This vegan friendly mousse adds plenty of volume, shine and maximises vibrancy.
Anatomicals made another feature with a shower gel compared to the previous eye mask. As a brand known for their cheeky slogans their Rose and Jasmine scented body cleanser (£3.00) didn't disappoint 'You need a blooming shower! You nose smells rose body cleanser!' This won't be for everyone but makes an okay substitute for the limited edition Rose Jam shower gel I'm using sparingly. Lastly, the product that differed each menu and swayed me to picking menu 3. Arran Aromatics featured around the August/September box, having been impressed back then, their Apothecary Wheatgerm & Vitamin E soap (£2.75) sounded appropriate for my dry & sensitive skin, providing a gentle exfoliation thanks to oatmeal!
Disclaimer: press sample, for review consideration only, no payment received. see disclaimer page for more.

Lush Christmas Dupes // 2013

Since starting LW my Lush Christmas Dupe posts are most requested even before the collection has launched. I've found this years to be easier than usual since we yet again had plenty of returning classics; Snow Fairy, Snow Cake Soap, Candy Mountain - Candy Cane and the Snowman - Mr Butterball. A lot of the new Christmas additions used permanent fragrances with Shoot For The Stars and The Christmas Penguin being prime examples.
Bath Bombs;
Golden Wonder - £3.50 // Dragons Egg bath bomb - £3.25
Secret Santa - £5.75 // 29 High Street Perfume // Avobath bath bomb - £3.25
Lord of Misrule - Sticking around until the Spring - £3.30 // Hottie massage bar - £5.75
Cinders - £2.45 // Fizzbanger bath bomb - £3.25
Snowman - £2.50 // Butterball bath bomb - £2.50
Bombardino - £2.50 // Amandopondo bubble bar - £2.75 + Pop in the Bath bubble bar - £2.95
Luxury Lush Pud - £3.40 // Twilight bath bomb - £3.25
So White - £3.25 // Fizzbanger bath bomb - £3.25
Shoot for the Stars - £3.25 // Honey Bee bath bomb - £3.25
Father Christmas - £3.25 // Sunnyside bubble bar - £3.75

Bubble Bars;
Candy Mountain - £2.65 // Creamy Candy - £2.50
Christmas Eve - £2.95 // Blue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds bubble bar - £4.50
The Christmas Penguin - £2.95 // The Olive Branch Shower Gel - £4.50/100g, £8.95/250g, £15.45/500g // Pop in the Bath bubble bar - £2.95
Magic Wand - £4.95 // Godmother soap £3.10/100g - The Comforter bubble bar £4.50 - Melting Marshmallow Moment bath melt £3.95 - NOTE; I find this bath melt disappointing compared to the old days.
Bath Melts;
Melting Snowman - £2.25 // Floating Island bath melt - £4.15 
Star Light Star Bright - £3.30 // You've Been Mangoed bath melt - £3.25

Soap/100g;
Angels Delight - £3.10 // Godmother soap - £3.10 - Rock Star soap - £3.40
Snow Globe - £3.10 // Bohemian soap - £3.10
Noriko Soap - £3.40 // Figs And Leaves soap - £3.40
Mr Punch - £3.75 // Sultana Of Soap soap - £3.40
Orange Jelly - £3.40 // Sexy Peel soap - £3.40
Snowcake - £3.25 // Limited Edition Snowcake perfume - £23/30ml
Shower Gels;
Ponche - £4.30/100g, £8.95/250g, £15.45/500g // Limited edition Ponche perfume - £23/30ml
Snow Fairy - £3.50/100g, £6.85/250g, £10.95/500g  // Godmother soap £3.10/100g
Rose Jam - £4.65/100g, £9.25/250g, £15.95/500g // Ro's Argan Body Conditioner - £15.95 - Rose Jam Bubbleroon £3.50 - Limited Edition Rose Jam perfume - £30/30ml

Body Products;
Sandy Santa scrub - £4.50 // Sugar Scrub - £2.95
Snow Fairy Sparkle massage bar - £4.95 // Godmother Soap - £3.10/100g
Celebrate body lotion - £12.95 // Dragons Egg bath bomb - £3.25
Sikkim Girls Beautifully Perfumed Body Cream - £24.95 // Sikkim Girls perfume - £14-£65 // Sikkim Girls gift set - £33.95
Golden Fun - £5.00 // Honey I Washed The Kids soap - £3.40/100g
Skincare Products;
Let The Good Times Roll cleanser - £6.35 // Now a full time product 
Buche de Noel cleanser - £5.95 // Angels On Bare Skin cleanser - £6.35
Rudolph face mask - £5.50 // Oatifix facemask - £5.95 - Brazended Honey face mask - £5.95

Lip Products;
Santa Baby lip tint - £5.50 // It started with a Kiss lip tint - £5.75
Santa's Lip Scrub - £5.50 // Bubblegum Lip Scrub - £5.50

I've tried my hardest to find you the perfect dupes, all the above are perfect or very, very close. Some products have extremely festive fragrances and therefore are almost impossible to match up. I hope as always this years Lush Christmas dupes keep you going until October where we'll find out if our favourites from 2013 have a home on the shelves again. Keep an eye out for the next seasonal launches since Valentines, Easter and Mother's Day will soon be hitting one after the other. You never know a few may have a cheeky dupe placed in the collections. Apologies for the lack of 2013 collections reviews, life got well and truly in the way. Lucy xx

Lush Boxing Day Sale Haul // 2013

As usual Lush left it until Boxing Day to surprise us with this years 50% sale, all Christmas items and items made up to a stated date. I don't have the privilege of a Lush store in my home town so I decided to make my first Boxing Day - Lush Sale order and thank god I checked early morning. By the time their sales email hit my inbox the already small selection had become minute. Going back 4+ years (possibly more, I feel old) ago you could hit Lush stores in January with plenty of stock still hanging around along with them giving it away via lucky dips. 
an image of lush christmas sale haul
an image of snow fairy 250g
First to hit the basket were two 500g bottles of Snow Fairy, though as I hit checkout they were no longer available. Then came the battle to add four 250g bottles of the liquid fairy dust into the basket before they too sold out. With the large array of Soap and Glory products purchased in the sales and received for Christmas I'm going to smell pretty incredible for the next year. The four bottles came to a total of £13.72, ridiculously cheap Snow Fairy to keep both myself and Mamma Writes going until October when the fairy graces store shelves yet again.
an image of Lush sale goodies
I was obviously still half asleep and therefore restrained when it came to ordering Boxing Day morning...only one of each item were next placed into the basket. This year saw A LOT of new additions to the beloved Christmas range with Honey I Washed The Kids scented Shoot For The Stars (£1.62) bath ballistic transforming bath waters into a deep violet lagoons complete with shimmer. I'm disappointed I didn't order more since the alternative and all year round classic, Honey Bee bath bomb always leaves my bath gritty. Another Christmas classic to enter my basket was the ever gentle and soothing Snowman bath bomb retailing in the sales for £1.25, again he can be found as Butterball all year round. Leaving bath bombs behind I made sure to grab one Christmas Eve bubble bar and one The Christmas Penguin bubble bar. No Christmas is complete without ordering my Mum her Christmas Eve bubble bars so at the sale price of £1.47 no sale order would be complete! My new ultimate Christmas bubble bar The Christmas Penguin was also on sale for £1.47, as I had already received a few the previous day I took the sensible approach and again ordered just one of the cheeky chaps. If you too became hooked on this little guy, grab a bottle of The Olive Branch shower gel for the exact scent and pair with Big Blue for the turquoise tropics!
an image of Lush Blousey
an image of lush sample pots
*all own purchases
© Lucyy Writes

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