Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil - £19.95

I took these photos ages but for some reason never got round to posting them. I received this body oil in one of the earliest glossybox's last year, and to be honest after smelling it I banished it to the drawer of products I'll never use. Last month though my fake tan kept fading patchily really quickly because my skin was really dry, and when I saw this in the drawer I decided to give it a try.

Once  I got past the smell of this I actually learnt to really like it - it settles on to the skin as a much more fruity scent, and now I actually look forward to applying this! For saying this is an oil it feels really thick on the skin, but it doesn't leave the skin greasy at all. I love the feel of my skin after I've applied this, and I've definitely noticed that my tan is fading much more nicely.

This claims to be a firming product but to be honest I've not noticed much of a difference (but then again I am only 21 so firming isn't that necessary?), but regardless of that although this product is pricey and instantly I really disliked it I could definitely see myself being tempted to repurchase this now! I've been using this for about two months on and off now and I've barely used any at all so the price works out reasonably in the end.

Have you tried anything by Weleda? What did you think of the scent?

Lips: Gold by Giles Pink Lip Gloss

Gold by Giles Pink Lip Gloss - £1.99

I picked this up at the last minute, New Look have cleverly put all of their cheap beauty items by the till and I was tempted by everything! The name of this is a bit deceiving, its a very pretty corally shade of pink. For £1.99 (+ I get student discount and had a credit note) I thought I couldn't really go wrong.

First up, the applicator of this is with a brush like the touche eclat, which I don't really get? I found it to be quite imprecise, but as it's a fairly sheer gloss it didn't really bother me. Second, this is really sticky. Sticky lipglosses don't normally bother me, but this is just a bit extreme. Consistency wise it's really thick and a bit gloopy, but despite all this, I actually prefer it to the No7 gloss which retails for £10.50 that I reviewed last week!

This has a really nice scent (a bit vanillary) and it does give the lips a nice glossy look. At the end of the day, this is a really reasonably priced product, it doesn't make any amazing claims - it gives you a nice pout, and I really like to layer this my coral YSL lipstick.

Nails: Topshop Razzmatazz and Essie Mint Candy Apple

Topshop Razzmatazz - £6, Essie Mint Candy Apple - £7.99

I'd written a post on my love for Essie Mint Candy Apple a week or so ago, but accidentally deleted it alongside my Suvana post. Rather than write it out again, I thought I'd just include a mini-review with this one of razzmatazz!

My sister says that this combination makes me look like a mermaid, so obviously I instantly loved it (forever the little mermaid). The blue tint to razzmatazz turns mint candy apple (which is the most perfect pastel shade ever, and I'd been lusting after forever) in to more of a turquoise shade. The glitter in razzmatazz is unlike any other I own. It's really tiny and holographic, although it does have a few larger pieces too so it doesn't look like glitter for a five year old haha.

Using razzmatazz as a top coat has meant that my mint candy apple has lasted without chipping even longer than I expected, which is always a bonus! I'd really like to try it over a dark blue nail, as although I love it with mint candy apple, I also love that polish on its own. I'm really impressed with this Topshop polish, and I'll definitely be trying out a few more!

Monday Weigh In: Week 1

Firstly I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone for their supportive comments last week, it was so nice and unexpected!

Bit of a disappointing result this week: my weight hasn't changed :(

I know exactly why though - although I went to the gym a few times which was good, my eating side was absolutely rubbish. I snacked most days, and just ate rubbish processed food. So this week, I'm going to challenge myself to cut out completely crisps, and cook a balanced, healthy evening meal every evening. Crisps are my biggest weakness, and after a hard day at work I'm always tempted to just order in or stick a pizza in the oven, so hopefully this should help me to make more sensible food choices!

Hope you all have a lovely week and fingers crossed I'll see some results next Monday.

Lips: No7 Nourishing Lip Shine

No7 Nourishing Lip Shine - £10.50

I saw the tester for this in my local Boots a couple of weeks ago and instantly wanted it because it reminded me so much of the Clarins Lip Perfector (has this been replaced with the moisture balm now?) that everyone loves. I went so far as to ask if they had any hidden at the counter - normally I daren't speak to sales advisors - but they told me it wouldn't be in stock until July :( when I was in the Boots in Westfield I saw that they had three left in the pink shade, so I snapped one up.

Firstly, I should probably say that I used a combination of my friends 25% store discount and a £5 No7 voucher, so this only ended up costing me about £3. If I'd have paid full price, or even £5.50, I'd have been absolutely gutted. Although when I finally got this out of the tube and on to my lips I really liked it (it's a pretty shade of baby pink, quite sheer and moisturising and isn't sticky at all!) but its SO much effort to get out of the tube that I've pretty much given up on it.

I'm still tempted to pick up a peach version of this and just use a lip brush to apply this, but only if No7 run the £5 off vouchers again. Otherwise, I'd rather just spend the extra fiver and pick up the Clarins version!

Bubbles: Lush Blackberry Bath Bomb and the Comforter Bubble Bar

Blackberry Bath Bomb - £2.90 and The Comforter Bubble Bar - £4.15

Can I start off by saying how much I prefer the new black Lush packaging to the old yellow? Its so sleek and a dream to take a picture of. Yes its been that long since I went to Lush that I didn't know it'd changed! Before I went to uni, I used to shop there on a regular basis. However, as a student I was always using showers (easier to keep clean), and I missed out on how much I love a nice long soak with a treat from Lush. So, on a rare Saturday afternoon off, I headed over to Derby and decided to embrace the back at home delight of a bubble bath!

The Comforter is the one item that I always buy when I'm in Lush. I literally can not leave the store without one of these. I usually break it in to quarters as it's pretty big, and get four baths worth out of it. I just love everything about this bubble bar. It turns my bath water the most gorgeous deep pink colour, I get a mountain of bubbles, and the smell is the most delicious thing ever. I did write 'they need to bottle this stuff, seriously' right here, but after a little research it turns out they have the comforter as a solid perfume, so I'll definitely be heading back to Lush ASAP and investing! The main scent in this bubble bar is bergamot oil (from the peel of a bergamot organge - which is strangely yellow in colour). It's well known as a natural anti-depressant, as the fruity fragrance relaxes the mind and lifts the spirits, which I've definitely needed recently - and I must say, I feel in such a positive frame of mind after using this.

Whilst in Lush, I decided to try out something new too (as I only ever buy the comforter really) and asked one of their super enthusiastic staff for help. She recommended the Blackberry Bath Bomb to me, as it too contains bergamot oil (which I can't rave about enough!), but also has the extra addition of frankinsence oil. Now, all I knew about frankinsence before trying this was that one of the three wise men gave it to the baby Jesus. However, apparently it's obtained from a tree! It also has a really nice fruity smell, but it's used in lots of herbal medicine too - for being rejuvinating and helping with problem skin. This was such a treat to put in my bath. It fizzed away for about five minutes, and there was a little message inside too ('boom boom') which was really cute. Although it didn't provide bubbles, it turned my water the most gorgeous deep shade of purple. I do kind of wish I'd cut this in half though, because it was such a gorgeous smell, and now it's all gone.

Now that I'm back home, I'll definitely be experimenting with lots more Lush products. What are your recommendations?

Skin Care: Suvana Certified Organic Paw Paw and Honey Balm

Suvana Paw Paw Balm - £7.50

I already had a post up about this last week, but deleted it by accident (duhhh!) so thought I'd mention it again for anyone who missed it first time round.

First up, paw paw balm is all the rage in Australia - it's from the fruit of the papaya tree. The more popular treatment is by Lucas (it comes in a bright red tube and is available to purchase at the same link as above), but that one contains petroleum, so this is a much more natural version. Paw paw balm is used much like Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream - for any part of the body which needs some loving. I personally like to use this on my lips - although only once a day as it is super moisturising - any any blisters or cracked/dry skin, especially my feet (I know, gross right).

I was a bit weirded out by the consistency of this at first, as it had solidified due to the cold weather. I tried to use it on my lips like this, and it was a bit gritty to be honest. However, after a couple of minutes next to the radiator this felt so so smooth and moisturising, I was just lapping it up. This balm is quite overpoweringly honey scented, which I didn't necessarily love, but c'est la vie. I'd definitely recommend this product if you've been after a cheaper, more natural alternative to the 8 hour cream, or just a petroleum-free lip balm!

Skin Care: La Roche-Posay Effacler H Compensating Soothing Moisturiser

La Roche-Posay Effacler H - £8.05

This is my 'emergency moisturiser' for when I've had an allergic reaction (like I did recently to an Avene SPF and the Liz Earle skin tint). It's designed for oily skin which is damaged due to acne treatments, but I find that this is ideal for calming my skin down after one of my all too common reactions!

The reason that this isn't my day to day moisturiser is that its just too moisturising for my combination, acne prone skin. The consistency is really quite thick, and it does have the tendency to 'sit' on the skin for about ten minutes before it settles in. That's not a problem for me, because I apply my make-up about half an hour after my skin care, but if you needed something you can just apply and go, this wouldn't be for you. Also, I have noticed that after more than a weeks constant use, I start to get some tiny red bumps on my face. I don't know if this is clogging my pores, because that's not how my skin usually reacts?

This all sounds quite negative, but I really think that if you had the sort of skin this product is aimed at (oily skin which is really dry, for example because of medication) then this would be perfect. I had my reaction to the Liz Earle on the Friday night (my cheek was literally burning) and by Sunday morning my skin was back to normal, thanks to this product and nothing else - so it does what it says on the tin basically!

I'm still on the hunt for my perfect moisturiser, but I'll definitely keep a tube of this for when my skin is in a bit of a state. Can anyone recommend an every-day product for my sensitive, combination skin? 

Monday Weigh-In: Week 0

(Image from google)

I'm scheduling this for tomorrow so hopefully it will post. This isn't the sort of thing I'd normally write about but recently I've been feeling really down about my weight. Over the last eighteen months I've put on three and a half stone and I really want to lose it. I know its loads of weight to lose so I thought I'd do it a stone at a time and have a weekly weigh in on here. That way I'm holding myself accountable to something - its sort of like the busy girls weightwatchers I guess? haha.

Anyway, I hope this doesn't put anyone off reading my blog, and I'd love to hear any healthy living/exercise tips you have. As an incentive to myself, every week that the numbers go down on the scale I'll buy myself a beauty treat, so that way I'll (hopefully) get something new every week to try out and give my opinion of!

Lips: Topshop Lipstick in Nevada

Topshop Lipstick in Nevada - £8.00

When Topshop first released their makeup collection a few years ago I picked up a nudey lipstick from them in the shade Desert. I'd completely forgotten about it but looking at the Topshop lipstick the other day I was really drawn to this as it reminded me of it. Given that I loved Desert (which is discontinued now I think but hello...Nevada is a very deserty place) I thought I'd give this one a go.

Let me start off by saying that this is now my HG lip product. Yes, it's not perfect - the lasting time isn't brilliant, and I'd probably love it even more if it was a fiver, but the colour of this is so perfect that I just can't complain (too much)!Nevada is a really moisturising nude shade with pink undertones, and it has a quite satin finish. I've read some reviews where people say that Topshop lipsticks can be quite drying, but that's not the case with this one. It sits perfectly on my lips, and the colour doesn't give me that 'concealer lips'/zombified effect.

Have you tried any Topshop lipsticks? What did you think of them?

Lips: MAC Watch Me Simmer

Mac Watch Me Simmer - £13.50

I've been feeling a bit stressed out the last couple of days with work/money etc so that's why I've been a bit rubbish with replying to questions, comments and blogging in general. So I thought today I'd post about a bright, happy product that I've been really enjoying lately!

This lipstick has been in a couple of collections this year and is sold out on the MAC online store, but I managed to grab it off of the Selfridges website last week. I normally ignore MAC collections as they don't really appeal to me, but I saw this on Melanie Janes wishlist and instantly wanted it. I paid a stupid amount for next day delivery and have worn this pretty much every day since.

This is an amplified formula which I love because it's just so creamy and glides on to my lips. My lips are quite dry at the minute because of the recent bad weather, but this doesn't show that at all, it just has a really smooth, satiny finish. The colour is a really pretty bright pinky/corally shade, it's the brightest lipstick I own (I'm normally a nude girl), but I really think this is the perfect shade and I'll definitely brave a few more brighter lips now!

Of course this has the standard MAC vanilla scent which is delicious, and comes in the usual sleek packaging (its so diddy!). I was pretty impressed by the lasting power of this - I'm usually reapplying lipstick every ten minutes haha, but I go for a few hours before I even check up on this.

If like me you don't bother with MAC collections I'd definitely recommend you check this lipstick out, it's such a pretty and wearable colour and will bring some sunshine in to these horrible rainy days!

Skin Care: The Body Shop Coconut Beautifying Oil

Coconut Beautifying Oil - £9.00

I first mentioned this in the Body Shop haul I posted about a couple of weeks ago. I think this is a fairly new product, but I was drawn to it because I just love oils, and I've always heard people rave about how great coconut oil is for the hair. This is formulated with a combination of different healthy oils, nuts, marula and coconut, so should be really beneficial to the hair and skin.

Initially I was hesitant about using this on my hair as mine is really damaged so I'm careful about what I put on it. However one day last week I took the plunge and didn't put any ointments etc on my hair, and used this on the mid-lengths and ends when it was dry. Although this didn't make my hair feel greasy or weighed down, I just didn't feel like it did anything at all!

Although I didn't use this on my hair again, I love how it feels on my skin in the morning. I've been using this on a daily basis, whereas before I didn't bother with any body lotions. I only need a couple of drops of this and it makes my skin feel really smooth without being greasy. Plus the delicious smell (and normally I hate the scent of coconut) lingers all day.

This is just a quick post but I'd definitely say try it out if you fancy treating yourself. They have it in different scents too, they're all yummy. We're having a nice family meal tonight because its my mum and dad (who have been together for 30 odd years)'s 1st wedding anniversary! On the family theme, my little sister Dominique has just started blogging, and she's currently reviewing all the cosmetics which I react to (Nars foundation etc!) - her url is http://www.domandellie.blogspot.com/ 

Five of the Best: Neutral Nails

L-R: H&M Dust & Diamonds, OPI Barefoot in Barcelona, Illamasqua Monogamous, Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Kim-pletely in Love, Models Own Utopia.

And here are two coats of each applied! This is just a super quick roundup of five of my 'go to' nail shades. I think they're very work/school/life appropriate, even though the H&M one is quite dark it's a nice unoffensive dark if that makes sense (not a g0ffik black). None of these have got a top coat on.

I know in my Illamasqua post last week I hated on Monogamous a bit but its actually been the only polish (along with top coats etc) on my nails since I purchased it...It just needs a top coat as I prefer a glossy finish, and a careful application. It's incredibly fast drying which is a bonus!

Here's a little closeup, I just wanted to show off the gorgeous shimmer in Kim-pletely in Love. This is another that I bought home from America for my sister, but it's a really milky pink with a light trace of shimmer which is just gorgeous (although it's not very opaque). P.S. Sorry about the little thread on Utopia, I dind't realise it was there until after I took the photos!

Do you like neutral nails? What's your favourite shade? I'm always on the lookout for recommendations.

Face: Nars Laguna Bronzing Powder

Nars Laguna Bronzing Powder - £25

I know that this is a bit of a cult favourite, but I hadn't ever even swatched it before last week. I've never used a powder bronzer before, I always use creamy ones (I've been using soleil de tan recently and to be honest I'm very underwhelmed), so I tended to skip past mentions of it. However, a good friend who always had flawless skin told me that this was her HG, so eventually I caved and purchased it from Selfridges online without having even seen it.

This is in the standard Nars packaging which everyone loves (black case, mirror in the roof, gets messy the second it goes in your makeup bag), but I was initially impressed by how much product you get, rather than the case! I own a Nars blush (Amour) and assumed that because there's only a £4 price different the product amount would be similar, but you get almost twice as much with the bronzer as you do with the blush (8 grams as opposed to 4.8) so that was a nice surprise.

The bottom photo is really heavily swatched on my fake tan-less hand, but I wanted to show the slight shimmer which this blush has. To be honest I know this puts a lot of people off, but on my face I can't even see it, it just looks like a flat matte bronzer. Lasting power of this is pretty good - it lasts through the day - and *so far* it hasn't broken me out (Nars Sheer Glow did, so I'm eternally wary). I'm still not 100% sold on powder bronzers as I like my skin to be really glowy but I think paired with a cream blush and a decent highlighter this wouldn't really matter. All in all I much prefer the colour of this to soleil de tan and I can see myself reaching for this fairly regularly!



Hair: Moroccan Oil

Moroccan Oil 25ml - £12.85

Moroccan Oil is all the rage at the moment, but its not a product that's new to me. I first started using Moroccan Oil in 2010 within this Sexy Hair product, and I absolutely loved it as it wasn't too concentrated, so gave my hair just the right amount of shine. I originally bought it because my hairdresser told me it would help to speed up blowdrying, but it didn't really make a noticeable difference if I'm honest.

Fast forward two years and I'd switched hairdresser, and although I've still got the Sexy Hair product left, my hairdresser managed to talk me in to buying this. At first I hated it - it had a runnier consistency than my sexy hair treatment (I keep going on about this but I love it!), and it made my hair feel really heavy and greasy. After some research I realised that even though I was using a fairly small amount, because my hair's so short I literally need the tiniest blob.

Now I know the amount I need to use I do really like this. It makes my hair look shiny and feel lovely, but to be honest I don't think its doing anything really beneficial for my hair, other than making it look glossy. As my hair is really damaged from constant bleaching I just think if I'm going to put products on my hair, I want them to at least pretend to be doing some form of 'repairing'. But yeah, this makes my hair nice and shiny and I use it every time I blow dry now. Another bonus is how long this lasts - I've been using it since the beginning of March and I'm only about a third of the way through the bottle!

This has been a really mixed review but that's how I feel about this treatment! It's good if you've got some extra cash and are looking for some extra shine, but if you're after a deep treatment I'd recommend Aveda or Philip Kingsley.