Whats in my shower?

So I have a pretty Lush dominated shower, I really do love Lush products and my shower holds the evidence to prove it. I use Ultrabland facial cleanser every single day, I have repurchased it and will buy it again when this pot runs out, its my ideal facial cleanser, its very gentle, contains rose which calms the skin and is excellent at removing make up. Carrying on with facial products, I also use Angel on bare skin, its targeted as a 'scrubby' everyday facial cleanser, I use it however as a gentle exfoliating facial scrub, a few times a week. Its not harsh at all but leaves your skin feeling so soft. It contains 100% natural ingredients such as lavender and ground almonds, its brilliant at just reviving dull skin without the harsh scratching and strong chemicals as a conventional facial exfoliator. I then have sweety pie body 'jelly' which is described as half way between a soap and a shower gel, it smells amazing and is so find to use, my inner child loves it. Then I have a soap and a shower gel, both have citrus fruit scents, which is great for waking you up on the early, dull winter mornings. Happy hippy shower gel is more of a grapefruit based scent while sexy peel soap is more of a lemon scent. I like to alternate between using these, depending on how I'm feeling that day. Finally I have my two bed head products, they are the Urban anti-dotes shampoo and conditioner level 3.These are a fairly new purchase for me but so far I really like them, they make my hair feel, look and smell amazing. 

Lush - Cosmetic Lad facial moisturiser.

Just a little background about my skin before I get into the review, I have suffered with break outs ever since I hit puberty, I have had serious acne that I now kept at bay through medication (Ill save that story for another time), but I still get a few spots every now and then, especially during that time of the month. My skin tends to get irritated very easy and spots can turn to scabs pretty fast (gross I know). I never really know what sort of moisturiser I need for my skin type, I feel like I have oily but dehydrated skin, so it’s hard to find a moisturiser that can help with both. 

I went into Lush, not really looking for a moisturiser and got talking to one of the lovely sales assistance that work their, we got on the topic of my skin type and all that jazz when she mentioned to me that Cosmetic Lad is just what I needed. I have always over looked this moisturiser as the name to me implies its for men, the sales assistant assured me the only reason its aimed at men is because its excellent at healing and calming the skin, which is what men need if they shave their face. But women can also use it and it works just as well.

This moisturiser contains lavender, honey, aloe vera gel and chamomile, which are all amazing at soothing irritation as well as having good healing properties. So this really helps to calm down any redness in spots, its also great for the healing stage when your spots are starting to dry out or if you have picked them and caused  irritation (this isn't a nice subject I know). Cosmetic Lad leaves a fairly matte finish to the skin, so its perfect to apply under make up to help keep oily skin at bay. Its also designed to help sunburn or chapped skin that can be caused by cold weather, so its is ideal for this time of the year when the weather is starting to get really cold.  

I love this moisturiser, it leaves my skin feeling so soft, it helps to reduce any redness I have and also really hydrates my skin in a very gentle but effective way. It costs £11.50 for 45gs so It wont break the bank, and it last me for quite a while, so great value for money and such an effective product. I highly, highly recommend this to anyone and everyone.  

October empties

October for me was a month I just went mental for Lush products, I think its mainly because Lush reminds me of Christmas time and I'm really in the festive mood right now (early I know).

Its raining men (my favourite honey/toffee scented show gel!) , Ultrabland (my most reached for and used facial cleanser) and Cosmetic Lad (my go to moisturiser) are three products Iv bought over and over again, and can see myself buying a lot more of in the future. Iv already stocked up and repurchased all three, I just really love them. Oatifix is also a very nice face mask by Lush, Its the first time I have used it and Its an actual pleasure to use. It smells so nice and makes your skin feel amazing after. I highly rate this.

Boots Extract sugar scrubs are one of my favourite scrubs, they really do exfoliate well and also leave a layer of lovely oil behind that helps to soften the skin. Boots Extract body butters are also good, not my favourite and not the most moisturising ones iv used but they do the job...would I repurchase though? I don't think so. But I will and have bought the sugar scrub time and time again.

Avene Gentle cleanser use to be my holey grail face wash, Its very simple and very easy to use. Its designed for sensitive, combination skin but I found as time went on, and I used it more, It started to really burn my eyes. I'm not sure if it went out of date or If I just started to react with it, but it has sort of put me off buying another one.

The last two things are hair products, the first is a sample of Osmo hair oil that I had in a GlossyBox, I don't really rate this, I didn't find that It did anything at all to my hair. But the Toni and Guy hair mask on the other hand is a huge winner for me, I really love this and will defiantly buy it again. I have a full review of this mask here.

I cant believe its November already, I'm so exited for Christmas I might explode!

L'Occitane dry skin hand cream

Iv wanted to try a L'Occitane hand cream for a while now, but the price tag (£18.50) has always put me off. Iv heard rave reviews about L'Occitane as a brand, especially there hand creams, so when I saw that this was free in last months marie claire magasine, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. 

This shea butter hand cream is their best seller and is award winning. It contains honey and almond extract, as well as jasmine, vitamin E and ylang ylang. Its a balm texture which really coats your hands, making it feel that extra bit more luxurious. It really helps to heal, protect and moisturise dry and sore hands, making this perfect for the winter months. I suffer with chapped skin during the cold months and this really helps to prevent it. Its a non oily cream, which makes it easier to apply during the day and it doesn't take to long for a small amount to sink into the skin. Its also really good as a night hand treatment, you can apply a thick layer for a really intense treatment, which will make your hands extremely soft in the mornings. 

Right now L'Occitane are selling a travel size tube on their website for £8, this is a great way to try this out without committing to the full price. Its also ideal to pop in your bag and use on the go. During the Christmas season they also come out with really great gift sets which are good value for money, so it might be worth picking one of them up if you really want to try their products. 

Over all I'm pleased with this hand cream, I think iv become a L'Occitane convert. I know what ill have on my Christmas list this year anyway.

Revlon colorstay quad- Brazen

I highly rate Revlon products, especially there lipsticks. I however had never tried any of there eye shadows before and thought id have a dabble.

 Eye shadow sets, like this quad, are great ways to try a few shades out all at once, I'm not much of an adventurous person when it comes to eye shadows, I usually just stay in the natural zone. This quad is perfect for someone like me, it has a dark shade which is ideal for crease work or lower lash line, and it has lighter shades for highlighting. Eye shadows tend to crease like crazy one me, but this Revlon colour stay quad is pretty resilient to creasing, they also claim to stay put for 16 hour but I wouldn't know that, as I have never worn make up for 16 hours straight haha. The pay off is over all good, however the yellow colour can be not so pigmented. But for me that isn't to much of an issue, as the dark brown has great pay off, which I think is more important. Each shadow in this set has a shimmer finish, which I usually avoid, but these colours have just the right amount of shimmer, not to much that you end up looking like a disco ball and not enough to have fall out all over your face when your using them. 

Over all this is a lovely eye shadow set, ideal for the party season which will soon be here and great as a Christmas present or stocking filler. There are also a wide variety of different colours in this colour stay quad range, so there is something to please most people. 

Mini haul

Being a student I don't really have much money to spend on luxuries but I was feeling a bit down one day and decided I was just going to treat myself to a few things iv wanted for a while.

The first of which was the Real Techniques core brush set, I know I'm really behind with this and everyone and their mother now has these brushes but I kept putting off buying them and to be honest I'm not sure why. I finally caved and purchased the set, and do not regret it.

I also picked up the Une mineral foundation, this is the first ever mineral foundation Iv owned. I do really want to try the Laura Mercier mineral foundation but as I haven't ever tried a mineral foundation before so I thought Id go for one that isn't so expensive just in case I didn't like the finish of it. Une isnt a brand I usually go for so I'm really looking forward to testing this out.

I have really oily eyelids, every eye shadow iv tried (even with a primer) has creased on me after wearing it for a while. I really liked the Revlon colourstay foundation, the longevity of it was a key factor for me. So I thought id try the Revlon colourstay eye shadows as well, in hope that they wont crease on me, or not crease as fast at least. 

The last two things were actually freebies in magazines. The L'occitan hand cream came with mari clare and the Dove hair mask came with cosmopolitan. I don't usually buy magazines but the fact these freebies were in them meant that I couldn't say no.  

Toni and Guy reconstruction mask.

 I recently drastically changed my hair colour, I decided to go bright blonde which involves bleaching the hair (and we all know that is not good at all). I then decided a week later that I hated it and re-dyed my hair a darker shade of blonde, this obviously isn't recommended as bleach seriously damages hair and then dying over it days later just causes even more damage. So when I decided I was going to dye my hair for the second time in a week I thought I needed something that will prevent my hair from becoming to damaged. This Toni and Guy hair mask was ideal, its not to expensive at £7 and its really easy to get hold of if I wanted to buy more, as toni and guy is stocked at Boots, Superdrug and various other high street stores as well as online. 

I use this mask twice a week, some times leaving it on for a few hours and other times just leaving it on while I shower. I coat the ends of my hair and let is soak in. I find this mask works well at moisturising and hydrating, my hair is naturally dry, so bleaching it just made it 10xs worse and this mask helped to add back the lost moister. I found when using this mask my hair actually felt soft, it helped to prevent breakage and split ends as well as making the over all condition of my hair look really good. I really feel like this mask helped save my hair from what could have been a potentially a very bad situation. Its affordable and lasted me roughly 2 months. I would say this is a very good inexpensive product and im really glad I tried it. 

Lush - Ultrabland facial cleanser

I have  never considered using an cleansing balm before, mainly due to the fact Iv always felt like my skin is to oily, and that a balm cleanser will break me out. One of the Lush sales assistant pointed this product out to me, she said that this product is designed for troubled skin, and it will be perfect for oily skin, as like removes like. I wasn't completely convinced but bought it none the less and I can honestly say I do not regret it one bit.

This cleanser is used by either applying a small amount to dry skin, clean or with make up on, then working it in, as its a balm the oils really lift any dirt or make up off the skin leaving the face clean and also very soft and moisturised. You then either wipe it off with a damp face cloth or use a toner and a cotton pad to remove the cleanser. 

 This cleanser contains rose which is known for its soothing properties it works wonders at calming the skin and any irritation. As well as rose this cleanser contains almond oil and bees wax, that binds with dirt and oil on the skin, allowing for a very good cleans. There is also honey in this product, which is a natural antiseptic, ideal for those who suffer with spots. 

Ultrabland is a very simple yet effective cleanser, its rich and luxurious, leaves your skin feeling so soft and nourished. As well as removing all trace of make up and dirt. It works well at calming break outs and soothing the skin. Its chemical free and just all round great for the skin. I highly recommend this cleanser to anyone and everyone. 

Lush - BB Seaweed face mask

I really like Lush face masks, they have a good range of masks for different skin types and concerns as well as being made from all natural ingredients. The down side of this however is that one, they have to be kept in the fridge which can be a bit annoying and two, they expire and go bad after about 4 weeks, which for me if not that big of a deal as I use them up in that time anyway, but I know some people say they end up throwing theirs away as its gone off. 

The Lush face masks cost just over £5 each and you get about 8 applications out of each pot (giver or take, depending on the face mask and its consistency). Lush also have a system in place where if you bring back 5 empty black Lush pots you can get a free face mask, which is what I do quite a lot. 

BB seaweed is a face mask designed to help sooth the skin, they recommend it to men who may suffer with razor burn on their face as it calms and heels the skin, as well as reducing redness. The mask is not exclusively for men, women can us it just the same. It contains honey, seaweed and aloe vera, which are all excellent ingredients that really help to heel and calm irritation. It also contains rose which we all know is a great skin care ingredient and the sole reason I bought this face mask, as my skin really likes rose. Its a great thing to have in skin care as its perfect for reducing redness in the skin, weather it be acne, sun burn, razor rash or just general redness. This is also good for sensitive skin types as there isn't any harsh chemicals or ingredients in it that may sing or irritate the skin. This mask gives a light exfoliation when washing it off, leaving your skin feeling smooth, soft and soothed. 

Ideal for anyone who may have problematic or sensitive/irritated skin.