Holy grail skin products

Introducing my most repurchased skin/body items. Definitely a signal of holy grail status.

First up is a vanilla body butter from The Body Shop. Despite loving the strawberry and shea butter versions, I seem to always have the vanilla one in my stash. I adore the scent, it is luxuriously thick in consistency, it melts into the skin instantly and makes the skin so bloody soft.

Tea tree water by bath-bomb mavericks Lush is a holy grail skincare product of mine. It is classified as a toner and is targeted towards oily or blemish prone skin. I am the latter and I can 100% vouch for this product and claim it has helped clear and improve my skin. I spritz a little onto a cotton pad each morning and evening and it is incredibly cooling and refreshing, does not leave any tacky residue and most importantly it does not irritate or break me out. Hallelujah!

Lastly is a rather pricy moisturiser in the form of Clinique moisture surge. This little pot of goodness is perfect at hydrating dry skin. On the average day I would say I have combination skin - by midday my t-zone gets a little shiny with the rest of my face staying relatively matte. Recently, however, my skin has done a complete u-turn and has become incredibly dry and flakey (not easy to work with!) and this moisturiser has helped so much. I am going through these like there is no tomorrow, but I am partial to slather layers on before bed which is not cost effective. I blame the English weather.

I am definitely getting better at making my reviews more concise and less rambly. After all, I prefer short and to the point reviews. Have a great week - and I hope everyone effected by the flooding is safe.

Winter Lip Care

I love the winter season. Wearing thick wooly jumpers with a hundred layers, the white hot chocolates at Starbucks in the classic red cups, opening the advent calendar every morning and all the prep leading up to the big day. One thing I don't like, however, is the weather. The cold seriously takes it's toll on my skin during the December month whereby no amount of moisturiser or specially formulated moisture-increasing treatment will keep my skin hydrated. And with someone who generally deals with combination skin, it is a little disconcerting! For skin, I use Hydraluron followed by Clinique Dramatically Different moisturising lotion and Garnier moisture renew. For lips, I have several favourite products that work absolute wonders during the winter.

Lip scrubs are a must in the winter to get rid of all the nasty dead skin cells collected. Afterwards your lips feel so much softer and make any further lipstick application appear more even and, well, nicer. My favourite for the job is by Lush and tastes like strawberry candy. I have a few favourite lip treatments. During the day I love to apply the Nivea Lip Butter in caramel cream as it just tastes so nice. I also carry around the original Carmex and for a little bit of colour I adore the vast selection of Baby Lips by Maybelline. For a lip balm they are fairly pigmented and give a wash of colour. Pictured is my favourite out of the punch, pink punch. During the evenings and before I go to bed, I always apply a thick layer of Blistex Intense Moisturiser. I have to be honest here; it tastes really bad - almost clinical, if you know what I mean - and feels slightly weird on. However, it is possibly the most hydrating and moisturising lip treatment I have tried and works wonders over night. It does leave a white cast to the lips as it is so thick, so I wouldn't suggest wearing this during the day! 

So there we have it. This will probably be my last post before Christmas so I hope you all have a wonderful day. I can't wait to stay inside, watch Christmassy films and eat loads of yummy foods. Enjoy your day, stay safe and merry Christmas! :)

Lush Tea Tree Water Toner Water Review

I am not quite sure as to why I bought this product. I was in the Lush store in Bluewater picking up a new bubblegum lip scrub, saw this on the display and waltzed over to the checkout with it in hand. Tea tree is known for it's antibacterial nature and spot fighting properties. Even though it sounds like a wonder product for me who fights blemishes on a regular occurrence, I have certainly not had the best experience with other products using the same ingredient. Additionally, I have never been one for raving on about using toners in your skincare routine - honestly I have probably only ever tried one toner in my entire life. Evidently that didn't phase me and I bought the smallest 100g bottle to try out.

Without sounding too dramatic, I am so glad I bought this stuff. I normally use a skincare product for at least a couple months before reviewing it, but I have only been using this toner for just over a week and I can already see a difference in my skin. It has really helped clear up those pesky under the surface spots to an extent in which I can wear a tinted moisturiser and be content with how my skin looks. No concealer (except under the eyes, obviously). The ingredient of antiseptic acid has prevented my skin from gaining extra spots whilst also cleaning the skin after cleansing.

To use, I simply spray a little onto a cotton pad and apply it all over my face (avoiding the eye area). It feels super refreshing and gives a slight tingly sensation which, in my opinion, means something is actually happening! If you have active breakouts - ones you have recently aggravated - then it may sting, but not to the extent of pain. It does make the skin appear extremely red afterwards, but after a few minutes it should fade and you'll be left with perfectly clean skin.

After using this product I have realised how much of a necessity toner, in general, is in my skincare routine. Despite double cleansing in the evening, I still manage to remove scraps of makeup with the toner which just shows that cleansing does not clean everything. If you suffer from breakouts and are looking for a toner or a product that may help you out, I totally recommend this Lush tea tree toner.

Like I previously mentioned, as I have only been using it for just over a week, if anything changes or I have noticed anything, I will add to the end of this post. Have a great day and week x

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub Review

It's nearing the winter season which means cold mornings, hideous weather and, unfortunately, dry skin and dry lips. Although I do love this time of year (bonfire night, Christmas and the new year), I am not particularly a fan of the weather. Today I thought I'd share my favourite lip treatment that will definitely come in handy during these next few months. Warning: you may get slightly addicted to the taste and just start eating it randomly and not actually use it for it's true purpose...

Lush have a range of lip scrubs that I think are amazing. They come in four amazing flavours including one that tastes like mint chocolate chip and one of actual popcorn. My favourite is the the bubblegum lip scrub which tastes like a hybrid of bubblegum (obviously) and candy floss. It's so tasty, I can't even describe.

What I love the most about these however are the fact they are edible and, once you've applied it, you literally get to eat it. They are obviously beneficial for your lips - by clearing dead skin and flakiness whilst leaving them moisturised and smooth - but, come on, skincare you can eat?!

They have just released a special limited edition flavour named Santa's Lip Scrub which apparently tastes just like coca-cola. A little random for a christmas scent, but I'm not complaining! You can pick these up for £5.50 at Lush stores and online x x x