Empties #1

Today, I thought I'd finally do my first empties post! I love the idea of these as it means I can review a large amount of stuff in one quick and easy post! Also, apologies for the appearance of the Lush toner - the packaging always wears with me!

Lush Eau Roma Water - I am a massive fan of spray toners, they're refreshing, soothing and great to use before makeup or on top of makeup when you're face is getting a bit sweaty! And this one is no different. The smell is lovely and soothing and I mainly use in my morning and nighttime routine. I've found it has really calmed down my skin - especially after using some harsh exfoliators that I chucked a while ago after realising they were doing more damage than good. Surprisingly, this bottle lasted a really long time and even when I got towards the end the spray pump still applied the product evenly! Especially as this product is really inexpensive and would definitely say it's worth your money and is suitable for all skin types.

Verdict - repurchased and already using!

Lancôme Gel Eclat - I got this free when I bought my Clarisonic Mia 2 {See review} and honestly I've never looked back! This gel cleanser works perfectly with my Clarisonic and leaves my skin literally smooth and squeaky clean. I prefer using this as a night time cleanse as my second cleanse to make sure my skin is fully clean and all make up has been removed. I would recommend this more so for oilier skin types than dry, purely because it's not super nourishing. I have super sensitive skin and it didn't even leave it irritated!

Verdict - repurchased and already using!

L'Oreal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care System Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner - I bought these two waaay in America last year, and honestly wish I'd tried these sooner. These two are wonderful to use and are nourishing for even the driest of hair. The products are also sulfate-free and after all the controversy of circulating sulfates I was dying to try a product free of them, and I'm honestly surprised - I couldn't tell a single difference. The only main issue I found with these products are they're designed for coloured hair, it didn't help with my man-made blonde locks so I still had to buy other products to main the blonde. Sadly I cannot seem to find it in the UK, so I will have to wait till I go back to the USA to get my hands on these.

Verdict - will repurchase

Soap and Glory The Ultimelt - After hearing Caroline Hirons, the ultimate skincare guru, raving about this as a great, inexpensive morning cleanser I was desperate to get my hands on it. Especially, as due to having oily skin I used to restrict my morning routine to face washes that stripped my skin - which sometimes was not for the best. Overall, I liked how soft and silky the cleaner felt to use, and the fact for £10 it also came with a muslin cloth was great! Sadly, though it didn't cleanse my skin enough and actually irritated my eyes. Furthermore, after trying other hot cloth cleansers such as the Emma Hardie Moringa Balm {review} and the cheaper Body Shop Balm {review} they didn't love up to expectations.

Verdict - will not repurchase

Nude Purify Cleansing Wash - This cleanser sounded great on paper, listing all these qualities, balancing the skin without drying it, smoothing and soothing the skin, but sadly didn't live up to them. This is my first ever product by Nude that I've ever tried and I honestly expected more. It generally was quite a soft, simple, nice cleanser that didn't irritate my skin and had quite a weird creamy/gel-like consistency but for the price it wasn't worth it. I found the best use for it was as a morning cleanse, but even then the product leaves a residue behind that is not what oily skin gals want.

Verdict - will not repurchase

Thanks for reading,

My Top Two Favourite Refreshing Summer Sprays

Hey lovelies,

Today I thought I'd do a quick post featuring my two favourite - ever - face sprays!

I adore face sprays as I find they're quick, easy and super refreshing. I love using them during my skincare routine, morning and/or night, during the day and even over makeup to quickly hydrate my face. I have oily to combination skin and even though primarily these face sprays are for hydration and dry skin, I still find they work amazing with my skin! Especially, as the weather gets warm they're great for cooling the skin down, even more so if you're lucky enough to be going away somewhere hot this summer!

My first favourite is a drugstore offering and is by Lush! 'Eau Roma Water' {£7.95} is affordable and packed full of amazing ingredients, free of chemicals and perfectly suitable for sensitive skins. It mainly contains lavender and rose water which are amazing for calming and soothing the skin. I purchased this a few months ago and ever since I've completely adored it! It's great to use during the day to calm the skin down, but is also perfect morning or night as a toner in your skincare routine. Overall, I've been using it any time I can - especially because it's so affordable I won't mind when it finally runs out because I'll be straight out the door to purchase another one. I recommend this to all skin types as I feel any skin at any age would definitely benefit from this.

Second, is definitely a more higher-end product made by Caudalie. 'Beauty Elixr' {£11.50} is a well known within the blogger community for good reason. This spray is beautiful, smells delightful and the packaging is so gorgeous it would of sold me even if I hadn't known about the product itself. It features beautiful ingredients such as grape, orange blossom, rose, balm mint and rosemary. Another product to calm and soothe the skin. I prefer using this morning or during the day. It's great over or under makeup as it just seems to magically make my makeup sit so much better and removes any cakeyness that was going on. Honestly, if this works for Victoria Beckham then you know it's good!

A quick, extra honourable mention is Kiehl's 'Oil Eliminator' toner which is another great one, that's perfect at refreshing the skin - although doesn't have as many skin benefits as the two mentioned. Click here to view the review. 

Thank you for reading,

Please comment below if you know any face sprays that are great as I'd love to try out some more,

LUSH 'Angels on Bare Skin' Review

Hey lovelies!

Today I thought I'd finally get around to reviewing my 'Angels on Bare Skin' by LUSH Cosmetics. I have previously used the 'Dark Angels', which is a more hardcore exfoliating cleanser, but it sadly didn't work out as well for my skin, as you can see in my review for it here. So, ultimately that led me to trying the less abrasive, aimed at more sensitive skin types - the 'Angels on Bare Skin'.

This can be purchased at LUSH for £6.75, which I've only just realised now (due to looking back at my 'Dark Angels' review) they've increased the price of, (boo!). This is advertised as a more gentle version of the 'Dark Angels' cleanser and is mainly meant to calm and cleanse.

LUSH states:

This incredibly gentle cleanser is made from 100% natural ingredients. Inspired by a mediaeval recipe and topped off with lavender flowers, this contains kaolin to absorb grease and dirt, leaving skin clean and nourished. Lavender oil and rose absolute calm the skin. As you mix your solid cleanser with water to form a paste, the ground almonds create almond milk which helps to tone and brighten the skin. This can be used all over your body as well as your face. 

Review

Overall, I would recommend this to pretty much any skin type, especially sensitive and dry skin types, as it truly is super gentle on the skin. (Although super oily/acne prone skin types may find this doesn't de-slick their skin enough!). Out of the two cleansers I preferred this one a lot more! I found this cleanser didn't upset my sensitive skin, nor was it a massive mess. 

Although, I found because it was so gentle it barely did anything for my skin - leaving pretty much the same as it was beforehand. Also, for me personally I really did not get along with the smell of this - no matter how many times I used it. Even more so, it obviously couldn't compare to the results of me using my Clarisonic and Purity cleanser.

But, recently I discovered this works as an amazing body cleanser and I actually will repurchase this cleanser to use for this purpose! As, before to this I didn't really use cleansers for my body - just body washes, but this leaves my skin super soft and smooth!

Thank you for reading,

LUSH Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask Review

Hey lovelies,

On my blog today is a review featuring the 'Love Lettuce' mask by LUSH, which claims:

Brighten your complexion with nutrient-rich agar seaweed gel, soothing and moisturising honey and almond oil, and gently exfoliating almond shells. This mask is simply fragranced with French lavender, which has a calming effect on the mind and helps to balance the skin’s sebum production. 

Link

As soon as I read the description highlighting it's suggested for normal-to-oily skin types I was completely hooked. Especially as it's supposed to balance sebum production and give a calming effect - which is perfect for my sensitive - combination skin.

Overall, I really enjoyed this mask! I wouldn't say the smell is as amazing as some of the other face masks LUSH sell, for example the cupcake mask. But, overtime the smell actually did grow on me and I wasn't opposed to it after my third use. Also, I adore the slight exfoliation this mask gives to the skin as it's effective enough to leave my skin soft and smooth to touch, but it doesn't leave it rough, red or dry afterwards! I normally leave my LUSH Fresh Face Masks on my face for around 20 minutes depending on what I'm doing during the day and how much time I have to let it set on my face. I found this masks also did give me a slight glow - but I must state this wasn't a massive change! But, I feel this is perfect for oily skin types out there as I find moisturising masks which usually I have to look for to give me that glow, leave my skin super oily and greasy in a few hours afterwards. Something this mask didn't do.

But, I must state that sensitive skin may want to be weary as even though the exfoliating element is quite gentle it was sometimes a bit too harsh for me on my cheeks - which are my more sensitive, drier areas. 

Furthermore, the fact it's green is great for that old-school face mask feel but meant I had to be super careful moving around when I had this on as green is a damn hard colour to get out!I would recommend this to anyone with oily skin to combination skin and I will definitely be picking up another one of these next time I'm in LUSH! P.S. If you're interested I have reviewed a few other of Lush's face masks including; Cupcake | Link, Dark Angels Cleanser | Link and Cosmetic Warrior | Link.

Thank you for reading,

LUSH: Dark Angels Cleanser Review

Hey lovelies,

I thought I'd do a review on a cleanser I've been using religiously for a good three months now. I purchased the Lush 'Dark Angels' Cleanser for, £6.40. Now this is advertised as an exfoliating cleanser for people who need to get deep into pores and to assist with acne. 

Lush states:

with black sugar and charcoal to exfoliate, and rhassoul mud to deeply cleanse. We also use cold pressed avocado oil and vegetable glycerine to moisturise and soften your skin after all that scrubbing, leaving your skin feeling balanced and fresh. Sandalwood and rosewood oils give a rich, earthy fragrance and have a cooling and antiseptic effect on the skin. We buy our powdered charcoal locally in Dorset. It’s a great way to exfoliate and is deeply cleansing, whilst black sugar is in here to scrub away any dead skin cells, leaving you with bright, refreshed skin. 

Now, I wouldn't recommend this for any other skin types apart from extremely oily to acne prone - anyone with dry skin, steer clear. I purchased this in hopes to reduce the small collection of blackheads I have on my nose, as even though I have combination skin with dry areas on my cheeks I thought the end result would be worth it. 

Sadly it wasn't. I found it extremely rough - which I can't entirely complain about as it does state it's an exfoliating scrub/cleanser. But, ultimately left my skin pretty red which is not attractive. I also found it didn't do anything to reduce my blackheads or any other spots for that matter. Although, I do love how long the product lasts for due to needing such a small amount and that all the products are natural and not awful chemicals. 

I brightened up the image so you can see what the product looks like. It has a similar to feel to play-doh which is actually quite fun to use. I don't mind the smell, it smells quite fresh but does smell slightly similar to antiseptic - it grows on you. To use: You collect about a pea-sized amount in the palm of you hand and mix it together with warm water to form somewhat of a paste. I find, the less abrasive and harsh you want the more water you should add and mix in. Then finally delicately massage into the skin and then wash off. I must admit this is super messy! It gets everywhere and because it's black it screams stain danger, so I recommend keeping anything white or nice far, far away when using this product. I'd even say this is less messy than the Cupcake mask Lush do. I believe when this ultimately runs out I'm going to try the 'Angels on Bare Skin' being as it's similar but the softer, less abrasive version.




Thank you for reading lovelies!
Please don't hesitate to comment or subscribe. You could even follow me on BlogLovin!
Victoria Louise x

Massive Haul {Inc. Lush}

Hey lovelies,
A while back I was shopping in Leeds and ended up doing some major damage to my savings! Sadly my laptop ended up getting a virus and I lost all my photos! But I linked everything I bought so if you want to look at it just click the link I've put on the price!

LUSH:
American Cream, £4.50 for 100g.
Jackie Oats, £8.95
Tea Tree Water, £7.50 for 250g
The Comforter, £4.50
Rose Jam, £3.50
Fluffy Egg, £2.95
Blackberry Bath Bomb, £2.95
As you can probably tell I'm a massive fan of sweet smells.

ARK:
Tartan Peter Pan Collar Dress, £27.99

Boots:
Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in Shade #100 Ivory, £6.99
Rimmel Apocalips in shades #500 Luna and #101 Celestial, £6.49 each
Barry M Nail Polish in shade #341 Cappuccino, £2.99

Superdrug:
Bourjois Bronzing Primer, £9.99
Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl in Black, £3.99
Revlon ColorBurst Lacquer Balm in shade #110 Coquette, £5.99
Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in shade #205 Elusive, £7.99

Thank you for reading! Sorry this post is awfully dull and just full of text but my next post should hopefully have pictures in! Please don't forget to follow me on BlogLovin or subscribe to me!
Victoria Louise

What I've Been Up To

Hey lovelies,
As my posts at the moment have been few and far between I thought I'd do a quick update post on what I've been up to!


The first thing I've been up to is baking this beautiful creation here with my friend, Lucy (check out her blog here). This is basically a cookie/cake with marshmallow and galaxy chocolate and it pretty much tastes like a Millie's cookie! We will be uploading a vlog on us making this on our YouTube channel, T'n'L (view here) later so check it out for the fab recipe!

The second thing I've been up to is trying one of the bath bombs I bought from Lush, featured in my haul post here. Especially this one as I'm trying to decrease the amount of stress in my life and this particular bath bomb, the 'Blackberry Bath Bomb' for £2.95. I'm not a massive fan of this as I find it is a bit plain and boring for me, but it has definitely helped me de-stress at night and allowed me to go sleep a lot easier!

I've also been reading a new book which is 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak. Now, undeniably this is a massive book but so far I'm enjoying it! I do understand this has now been made into a film but I'm adamant to read the book before I watch the film. Here's part of the blurb for anyone interested:            HERE IS A SMALL FACT - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE 

1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when
the bombs begin to fall.

I've also been trying on summer clothes and trying to get into different outfits because I always stick to the same stuff! Here is a jumpsuit I tried on from Topshop, can purchase here.

And last but not least I've just celebrated by Dad's birthday of which I finally got to wear my favourite dress, featured in my haul post here, and my all new favourite shoes from Select, can be purchased here!

All of these photos can be viewed on my instagram, which can be found here.

So I really hope you enjoyed reading this lovelies!
Please don't forget to follow me on BlogLovin or subscribe,
Victoria Louise x

LUSH 'Cosmetic Warrior' Face Mask Review

Hey lovelies!
Today I thought I'd do a review on a face mask I've recently acquired from LUSH. It's called 'Cosmetic Warrior' and LUSH claims:

"All of this means that Cosmetic Warrior fights spots and the causes of spots, without harming the natural balance of the skin and without creating puffiness."

When reading the description I automatically fell in love with this product as it seemed to be a more powerful version of my all time favourite LUSH face mask 'Cupcake', which I've mentioned here.  It's my all-time favourite face mask name ever! You can purchase this face mask here for £5.95.

Sadly, it didn't quite live up to expectations.  Overall, the smell isn't awful but it isn't entirely pleasant especially compared to the gorgeous chocolate-ly smell of 'Cupcake'. I find 'Cosmetic Warrior' smells similar to tea tree oil, which just isn't personally a favourite smell of mine but it isn't a major issue! Effect wise, I haven't noticed much of a difference. I've used it twice a week and it hasn't increased my amount of breakouts but it sadly hasn't reduced them. It has controlled them and prevented them from getting any bigger or angrier, which is definitely a brilliant thing! I find this face mask may be a more long term mask which takes a month for you to notice any changes. Something sadly I am awful at, as being a very impatient person, I enjoy face masks that improve your face immediately after use, super helpful if you're going out later on in the day and want to leave a lasting impression of having flawless skin - that may just be me! Although it hasn't upset my sensitive skin nor has it worsened my skin, as I have combination/dehydrated skin, I find it difficult to find a mask that balances both types effectively.

Here's me wearing 'Cosmetic Warrior'

Overall, I do enjoy this face mask but if I was asked which to choose between 'Cosmetic Warrior' and 'Cupcake' I would definitely go for 'Cupcake'! The next face masks I'm hoping to try by LUSH are: Mask of Magnaminty, BB Seaweed, Catastrophe Cosmetic and Brazened Honey.

Thank you for reading!
Please subscribe, follow me on Bloglovin or comment below with your thoughts on LUSH face masks or any good ones,
Victoria Louise x