Review // Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

I've been blogging for a long ol' time now and for the past few years, Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara has been getting a lot of love. I'd been strictly a Benefit mascara kinda girl for a long time but when my last bottle of They're Real ran out, I decided to see if Better Than Sex was worth the hype. Spoiler alert: It is.

Review // Lush Daddy-O .Shampoo

I'd stayed clear of Lush Daddy-O Shampoo since the packaging specifically mentions grey and blonde hair which obviously I do not have. However, I absolutely love the scent of violets so eventually decided to give it a go, figuring that while it's great for blonde hair, it's not like brunettes can't use it.

Review // Lush Softy Foot Lotion

Last summer, when I went on my solo trip to Austria, I popped into the Vienna Lush and they offered me a sample of any product. Because my feet were a bit sore from all the exploring, I chose to try out a foot cream and went for Softy Foot Lotion based purely on the fact that it's lavender scented. I was pretty impressed so as soon as I finished my pot of Pied de Pepper, I went straight out and bought a full sized bottle.

Review // Laser Hair Removal with Skin Image

I was blessed with inheriting my dad's thick, dark hair. Not only on my head but also all over my face. Cheers, Jeremy! Since I was 15, I've spent my days bleaching, waxing and plucking it to try and achieve smooth-faced silkiness, but I've always intended to undergo laser hair removal at some point. In fact, it's one of the 101 in 1001 goals I wrote three years ago. As fate would have it, Skin Image Manchester got in touch to ask if I would like to review one of their laser hair removal treatments. This was my chance and I was going to grab it with both hands! I felt a little apprehensive, but this was something I'd been planning for fourteen years, so I was going to conquer my nerves and go for it.

THE CLINIC
The more perceptive amongst you may have realised that Manchester is nowhere near me. However, my brother lives up that way and it had been a long time since I'd paid him a visit so I figured this was my perfect opportunity to finally make the journey up north. I treated myself to a hotel near Piccadilly Gardens and this turned out to be a good choice since the clinic is only a 10 minute walk away, just off from the Town Hall. Inside, the clinic is bright and airy, with squishy sofas to relax while you wait. The staff are friendly so even though I was a little nervous, I was put immediately at ease.

Review // Botanics Hydration Burst Micellar Cleanser

There was a time when I refused to touch a product before I'd photographed it. Evidently that time has passed. You won't judge me though, will you? I bought Botanics Hydration Boost Micellar Cleanser after having trouble with the product that I thought was the perfect solution- Garnier Oil-Infused Micellar Water. After having problems with dry, flaky skin on my face, the oil-infused cleanser worked beautifully for weeks... and then suddenly things got even worse than before. My face started getting feeling really tight after use and flaking worse than ever. I switched to this and everything has settled down again. What a relief!

Review // Lush Salted Coconut Hand Scrub

Did you know that when you order from the Lush Kitchen, you can request samples? I'm not sure if it works for standard Lush orders or just the Kitchen, but if you pop a nice, polite little note asking for samples, they'll usually do it. Rather than list specific products, I like to ask for things like 'your favourite products' or 'the best summer products'. When I asked for the latter, a little pot of Salted Coconut Hand Scrub was snuggled up inside my package. After trying it, I loved it so much that I bought a full sized pot.

Review // Curated Combination

I have a confession to make. Until now, I'd never tried a subscription box. I know, I know. I'm not worthy of the blogger title. But the good news is that now, thanks to Curated Combination, I can finally say I've experienced the excitement of opening up a beauty subscription box!

Review // Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Primer

Before we last went to Salzburg, I suddenly realised that I'd run out of primer. Rich was going into town so he offered to stop off and buy a new one. My plan was for him to pick up a replacement Bare Minerals Prime Time, but it's not stocked in my local store so Rich had the challenge of finding a suitable replacement. Bless him, he tried but he was completely overwhelmed and ended up being convinced by the salesman that the primer containing 'actual flakes of gold'- Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Primer- was the best one. As it turns out, he made a pretty good choice!

Review // Lush Melomint Bubble Bar

When the Lush Kitchen opened in 2014, this was one of the first products that caught my eye. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough to snap one up, and although it's appeared several times since, it has always evaded me. Until now. Finally, finally, I managed to get hold of one! 

Review // Lush 29 High Street Perfume

A few months ago, I managed to score a bottle of Lush 29 High Street Shower Gel in the Kitchen and it was the most exciting thing ever. Without a doubt, it was my favourite ever Lush scent because it is literally the smell of the stores. I know a lot of people moan about it but for me, it's a fragrance that always makes me happy. Then I heard a rumour that you can buy bottles of perfume with the same scent... but they're only available in the original Poole shop. Well, as you may remember, I visited the Poole Lush Spa a little while ago and what do you know? It's true! I snapped up a bottle and I am absolutely in love with it!

Nails // Essie Buy Me a Cameo

Because I'm very organised (hah!), I bought some nail wheels or whatever those things are called to catalogue all my nail varnishes. When I was flicking through trying to choose my next colour, my eyes fell upon Essie Buy Me a Cameo, which was a gorgeous metallic rose gold. Unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out that colour on my actual nails.

Review // Lush Mothers' Day Collection 2017

There's nothing I love more than a themed Lush collection. The Valentine's range this year was so good that I didn't believe the Mothers' Day one could compete. After all, it was hugely disappointing last year. What do you know, I was wrong! There's a huge number of products- if we include knot wraps and gift sets, there are over 20 products, and most of them have never been seen before. Exciting stuff! 

Review // Lush Spa Synaesthesia Massage

I've wanted a Lush massage for years but somehow it never quite happened. When I eventually booked one in Liverpool during the summer, it was cancelled when staff discovered on the day that they'd double-booked the therapist. It wasn't until the end of February that I finally managed to experience it. Thankfully it was worth the wait!

Review // Wahaca Southampton

I adore Mexican food but I'd never been to Wahaca. How bad is that? Thankfully, the brand new Southampton restaurant rectified that when they invited me to try some of their Mexican dishes. I had no idea what to expect but I had such a wonderful experience. I can't praise them enough!

Review // Half a Sixpence

My favourite film ever is Oliver!, and I love the proper old-fashioned British musical aspect of it. Those huge musical numbers with everybody dancing in unison, and the complete immersion in this different world. When I saw the cast of Half a Sixpence perform on Children in Need, I got the impression that this was in a similar vein. I enjoyed the performance so much that I made it a priority to buy tickets to see it myself. Spoiler alert: That was a brilliant decision!

Nails // Essie Cascade Cool

Since Helen offered me some of her nail varnishes, I've had the perfect excuse to experiment. She's much more adventurous than me so I've ended up with lots of exciting glitters, as well as colours I don't tend to gravitate towards, such as greens and blues. I was fully planning to go well out of my comfort zone with an incredible purple glitter... and then I reverted to the pink. In my defence, I thought pink would be more appropriate for Valentine's Day and I fully intend to go for the glitter next time!

Review // Lush Valentine's Day 2017

Is there anything more exciting than Lush seasonal collections? Last year I was pretty disappointed with the Valentine's Day range but I'm a lot more impressed this time round. There's more choice, for one thing, and the products look super cute!

Beauty Empties

Time for another sporadic beauty empties post! No matter how much I try to post regularly, they somehow always end up being forgotten about until I get fed up of empty packaging cluttering up my house. I'm pretty sure this isn't all of it because this doesn't look like a lot for 6 months worth!

Review // Lush Key Lime Pie Lip Balm

Following in my tradition of buying Lush lip balms whenever I visit a different country, I picked up Key Lime Pie in Hamburg. I was at the cash point and caught a very slight scent of Lush. After a little exploring, I discovered it just behind me, obscured by Christmas market chalets. I swear I'm like a bloodhound but for Lush. A Lushound. Anyway, since I already have Honey Trap (which is currently missing somewhere in my living room) and Buttered Brazils, I don't have a huge selection left. I decided on Key Lime Pie as I liked the zesty fragrance and, after trying it out, I definitely think I made the right decision. 

Review // Lush Oxford Street Christmas Exclusives

Last year, I was disappointed to not get any Christmas exclusives from Oxford Street (I'm not even sure if they released any), so I was very excited when I visited this year and found out they had a small selection. Especially since one of them is the most amazing shower gel ever known to man.