Lush Christmas Sweater bath bomb

I dipped into my Lush sale stash a few days ago and tried out the Christmas Sweater bath bomb. It had a festive spicy clove and citrus scent, which reminded me of mulled wine and left orange and red swirls in the water. The scent did not fade whilst I was in the bath but it did leave some red marks which I rinsed off and would recommend rinsing the bath after use to avoid the colours staining.

I'm looking forward to trying the other bath bombs over the next few weeks.

Lush Sale 2017

This year my mum and I decided to go to a nearby city for some retail therapy on Boxing Day. Overall the sales were quite disappointing; most years we spend Christmas money and vouchers we received as gifts, but this year I only came away with a few things from Lush.

I spotted a queue outside lush at 9.55 and naively hoped the store would be opening at 10, but unfortunately it wasn't open until 10.30 so I waited in the cold for half an hour, trying to decide what I wanted to look for. I mostly buy bath products from lush but I still have enough bubble bars for now, so I decided to look for a few bath bombs and bath melts. 

When the store eventually opened the whole queue, which was by now snaked around the block, was let into the store and although I had reached the bath section, so many people were in the tiny store that it was impossible to move. I had picked up a couple of bath bombs and found the Christmas tree bath melts I wanted to buy and decided to just pay and leave the overcrowded store as the atmosphere was quite unpleasant.

In the end I only spent around £11, but I was pleased as although the Christmas items were all half price, I still think they are a luxury which will be used up in just one bath so I didn't want to get caught up in the hype and spend a lot, I prefer to use them as a treat.

I purchased a Christmas sweater bath bomb, a thundersnow bath bomb and three tree-D bath melts. For Christmas I also received another thundersnow bath bomb, a shoot for the stars bath bomb and a bath melt, so I am looking forward to trying them out.

Lush Christmas Preview 2013!

It might be the middle of summer, but I can't be the only one excited about the flurry of Christmas previews popping up online can I?!...

Anyway, yesterday I spotted a picture from the Lush Christmas Preview event posted by the asian beauty blog. The products on offer look better than last year's, when I think I only bought a couple of Christmas Eve Bubble Bars as the novelty of glittery bath bombs which take forever to clean out of your bath has worn off.

However this year sees the introduction of a number of new bath bombs, bubble bars and melts, and rumour has it that a special limited edition Rose Jam shower gel is set to make an appearance too!

I'm glad that the Christmas Eve Bubble Bar is back again, it has a lovely soft jasmine scent and i'm intrigued by the blue shooting star and purple bath bombs. The snowman has been remodeled from previous years and now looks adorable! It's good to see the addition of so many new products, I can't wait to pop into the store when they launch in October and see what smells as good as it looks!

Does anyone else have a Lush Christmas wishlist already or is it just me?!

Lush Hottie Massage Bar Review

A few months ago I was given a Hottie Massage Bar from Lush, designed to relieve aching and knotted muscles. I've tried their Lush massage bars before having received the now discontinued glitterbug as a freebie, and whilst I had found it pleasant, the glitter wasn't very suitable for day time and I didn't find it had any advantage over a regular moisturiser.

So I had a pleasant surprise when I tried my new Hottie Bar, it really lived up to the claims and I found it worked wonders on aching tired muscles. The bumps work really well to un-knot muscles and soothe the tension, and the cocoa and shea butters leave your skin hydrated and soft. The Hottie has a pleasant but not overpowering fragrance, with subtle hints of vanilla, citrus and ginger. I would recommend it not only as a massage bar but also as a moisturiser for when you're in a rush as it's quick and easy to use and lasts well.

The Hottie Bar is £5.75 and is available online here as well as in store.

Skincare Essentials ♥

The wintery weather is doing its best to take its toll on my skin, but I'm lucky to have a box full of lovely skincare treats which are helping keep it in good condition. I've picked out my favourite trusted skincare treats below which I love using for a pampering afternoon and can rely on for a quick-fix.

Lush Tea Tree Toner Tabs
I became a fan of these a while back and now always make sure I have a couple of tabs on standby in my beauty box. They contain tea tree and aloe vera to calm and soothe problem skin. They're simple and easy to use, you just put them in a bowl of hot water and steam your face for 5-10minutes (the longer the better I find) and then cleanse and moisturize afterwards. Immediately after steaming my skin feels refreshed and deep-cleansed but I always use mine the day before an event or day out because that's when I really notice the difference and have visibly calmer and softer skin and a more even skin tone.
 

Soap & Glory 'The Breakfast Scrub'
This is one of my all-time favourite exfoliating scrubs. It contains almond, honey and banana extracts along with oat, sugar and shea butter, and has a good-enough-to-eat maple fragrance. The sugar and oats provide a really good exfoliating base without being too abrasive and the shea butter means its moisturizing too. It leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth and I'll definitely be replacing it when I run out.

The Sanctuary Hand Cream and Intensive Rescue Heel Balm
With almond oil and shea butter the hand cream is a lightweight, quickly absorbed lotion which leaves your hands soft and smelling sweet. It's great to apply on-the-go as it isn't too rich and helps stop my hands from getting to dry in this harsh weather.  The Heel Balm is one of my favourite beauty products and the best foot moisturiser I think I've ever come across. I use this after a bath and then put on a pair of fluffy socks for the evening and by the time I go to bed the lotion has worked it's magic. I've recently bought a replacement (although the first one lasted nearly a year) and yet every time I'm surprised at how soft my feet are after using this! 

Mothers' Day Gifts

Although its not until next weekend, I've already bought my Mothers' Day gifts and have just finished wrapping them up. I love buying gifts and wrapping them up with pretty wrap and ribbons so I usually find myself shopping well ahead of time to make sure I can find the perfect present.

So here are the little goodies I've picked up to treat my mum next weekend!

 

These two lovely bracelets were from the Odile & Fleur range at Boots. Originally priced at £7.50 and £8.50 they were reduced in the sale to £2 each, and were buy one get one free, so worked out as just £1 each! I think they're both very pretty and will match a number of mum's outfits so I'm sure she'll like them.

I bought this mug from Poundland, I think the pattern is very pretty and filled with a miniature box of Lindt Chocolates it makes the perfect tea-time treat!

I picked up this little blusher brush from Boots, its by UNE cosmetics and was reduced down from £8.48 to £2.12 as they're no longer stocking the UNE range. It looks a very good quality brush and is the perfect size for a small make up bag to take on the go or to carry in your handbag.

I've also wrapped up a bottle of Davidoff Cool Water Wave perfume, it is only the 30ml size but this was another little bargain as it is on offer in Boots for £10.24, and I already had a £5 off selected perfumes voucher from a previous visit in store when I'd spent £5, which meant I only paid £5.24 for it. This is one of my mum's favourite perfumes for wearing every day and she has just run out of her last bottle, so hopefully she'll like the replacement. 

Last but not least I've also bought her a Mumkin Bubble Bar from Lush. It smells of sweet raspberries and it is a cute design, but I have to say that although it is pleasant, the smell is so overpowering that it filled my whole room within an hour and gave me a headache so I've had to store it in the spare room! 

And here they are all wrapped up waiting to be gifted! (With the exception of the Mumkin who is still banished until the scent fades a bit more!) I just need some pretty ribbon now to decorate them.