Lush Haul! ♡

Hey guys!

Just a quick piece of advice, DO NOT watch a lush haul on YouTube before going shopping. Ever.

I went in expecting to buy one or two bath bombs, I came out with 5 bath bombs, a bath melt and a bubble bar adding up to £30. Oops. Also, a quick shoutout to the lovely girl who took me around the store and gave me so many recommendations! I'm so annoyed I didn't get her name to give her a personal thank you. 

First off, you can't go into lush during winter and not get any Christmas products. It's just the rules. After watching Zoe's (Zoella) and Gabby's (velvetgh0st) lush hauls, I was INSTANTLY drawn to The Magic Of Christmas bubble bar. 

JUST LOOK AT HOW PRETTY IT IS. The description reads "foam alone? Stir up a whole lot of Christmas magic with this warming cinnamon stick. Swish around your bath to make enchanting bubbles then pop to one side to dry for next time". This smells SO christmassy with the cinnamon, almond and orange oils, it's gorgeous. I also love the fact it's on a cinnamon stick and has a little bell on it, it's so cute. I'm super excited to use it!

The other festive product I got was the Snow Angel bath melt. This is the first ever bath melt I've ever got and I'm so so excited to use it! I've always just kind of looked past bath melts as I didn't see them as something as exciting as a bath bomb but I couldn't resist this one! The description of this reads "rich in moisturise cocoa butter, with a delicate marzipan scent, this blend of rose, benzoin and cassie absolute treats winter skin to a softening floral soak". It smells so gorgeous, like a really luxurious moisturiser and luckily the rose and marzipan scents aren't too overpowering and just gives off a lovely fresh, yet relaxing scent. Also as someone who suffers from really dry and sensitive skin, this will be perfect for me due to the cocoa butter. And I can tell the gold glitter is going to make my bath look really pretty! 

Next up, I picked up the Intergalactic bath bomb. How could I not?! I was so so happy to see they had this in stock, as I thought it was just an Oxford Street special, day = made! If you haven't used this yet then I'd very highly recommend it, is the most gorgeous thing I've ever bought. The description says "ground control to major bomb. Prepare for takeoff as thos awesome mix of peppermint and popping candy explodes in your bath, creating the scent of an 80's rogue. Launch it into the water to become the guardian of your own galaxy". I love to use this in the mornings, as the peppermint and grapefruit oils in this bath bomb make it so refresing and wake you up a little in the morning. Once you pop it in the water it turns a beautiful deep blue shade full of silver glitter, it looks just like the night sky full of stars! It's also suitable for vegans, so that's a massive bonus for all you vegan guys and gals! 

The next one I got I was the So White bath bomb and I was quite sceptical about as it looked a bit plain and boring but what drew me towards it was the wonderful scent it has! The description says "become the fairest of them all when you sink into a bath with this bomb. Bergamot and rose give it an apple scent as pure as the driven snow". I was really surprised to find there wasn't any apple products in the bath bomb itself as it's smells so strongly of apple! I've heard this bath bomb is so luxurious and leaves your skin feeling silky soft. I was also told there's a nice little surprise when you put it in the water but I won't spoil it for you! This bath bomb is also vegan. 

The next one I picked up was the Frozen bath bomb because... Well... It's called Frozen. How could I resist? The description says "do you want to have a bath bomb? Do you want to splash and play? Take this magical blend of uplifting grapefruit and Tunisian neroli into the bath with you to thaw the iciest of moods". Now, try and tell me you didn't start singing along to that in your head? I definitely did, I'm not even ashamed. With the grapefruit, rose and neroli, it smells so refreshing yet sweet and comforting and it's so so lovely! I'm not 100% sure if it has glitter in it but I cannot wait to soak with this in the tub while watching Frozen. I swear I'm a child at heart. (Also vegan). 

I then picked up the Sakura bath bomb. Although this bath bomb would be more appropriate for the springtime due to the floral scents, I couldn't resist picking it up. The description says "A celebration of spring, bursting into a floral fragrance. Inspired by the cherry blossom in Japan, this pretty bomb is designed to evoke the burst of optimism the first sign of spring brings. Calming mimosa and jasmine oils are complemented by lemon oil and orange flower to bring to mind the smell of this colourful season". My goodness this smells so fresh and floral and it's so simply pretty and I'm so excited to use it! Although it doesn't really change the colour of your bath or contain any glitter, it's such a lovely relaxing scent for when you want some nice, peaceful time to yourself. (Also vegan).

This is the last one I picked up, we're almost there! This is the Shooting For The Stars bath bomb and the description says "paint the swirling colours of the night skies over the surface of your bath. Launch into your bath water and watch it shoot and spin". It smells so clean and refreshing with the orange and and bergamot oils and I can't wait to see all the pretty colours and glitter shooting out of this bath bomb! (Also vegan). 

*****

And there you have my lush haul! I hope you didn't find it too long and boring, but I don't get to go into lush very often so I thought I'd make it worthwhile and pick up as much as I could!

*****

I hope you enjoyed this, thank you for reading and I'll see you again soon! 
♡♡♡♡♡

September Favourites! ♡

Hey guys!

So, I told myself I'd upload a new post at least once every two weeks, yet here I am a month after the last post I uploaded. Oops.

As you can probably tell from the title, this post is all about my favourite things I've used over this past month!

I'll start with my beauty favourites:

1. Mac lipstick in Modesty.

This was the first Mac product I ever purchased. When I initially looked at buying a nude lipstick from Mac, I was intending on getting the much loved 'Velvet Teddy'; however, it was out of stock and found this as the next best thing and boy, am I glad I did! In my opinion, this is a seriously underrated lipstick. The browny-pinky nude is a gorgeous shade, even for my ridiculously pale skin tone, which proves this lipstick could suit pretty much anyone. The cremesheen formula is very moisturising, creamy and smooth, and it lasts for so long which is always a bonus! Overall, this is my go-to lipstick and I cannot fault it.

(Price: £15.50)

2. Mac lipstick in Russian Red.

I got this lipstick as a birthday present from my mum back in April and have just rediscovered it! Especially now its Autumn and I finally have the courage to wear red lips during the day!

This lipstick is a beautiful classic red shade which again, surprisingly goes very well with my pale skin which I really wasn't expecting. This also lasts an extremely long time; for example, I wore this for a day out in London for my birthday and it literally lasted all day with only one top up.

The only downside of this lipstick is that due to the matte finish, it accentuates dry, flaky lips so I would recommend wearing this with moisturised lips or with lip balm underneath but other than that, this is an amazing lipstick that I'd definitely recommend to a friend.

(Price: £15.50)

3. Kate Nude Collection in shade 45 by Rimmel.

This is another beautiful nude shade which suits me perfectly. Although it looks very similar to the Mac lipstick in Modesty, its a lot more of a pinky/peachy shade which is perfect for a day to day neutral makeup look. Although it doesn't last as long as a Mac lipstick, you definitely can't go wrong with this as it's just as good for a fraction of the price.

(Price: £5.49)

4. Daisy by Marc Jacobs

I received this perfume from my grandma last Christmas and used to use it every day, but then worried about running out and not being able to afford a new one so I stopped using it for months and just rediscovered it and I am in LOVE all over again! I am very keen to buy all the perfumes in the Daisy collection, they're all gorgeous if I'm honest!

(50ml bottle: £52)

MUSIC:

1. That's The Spirit - Bring Me The Horizon.

If I'm honest, I've never really been a fan of BMTH apart from the odd song, but this album has really grown on me. I'm not really a fan of metalcore which is why I've never really listened to them but after seeing so many great reviews on twitter I thought I'd give it a listen, and I'm so glad I did. It's taken a step back from their usual sound and to me, it has a more Linkin Park-y vibe and I find it a lot easier to listen to and enjoy. If you haven't given this album a listen and are into this genre of music, I'd 100% recommend you to listen to it.

Favourite songs: Follow You, Blasphemy and Throne.

2. Light Up The Dark - Gabrielle Aplin.

Where do I start with this?! I remember her sitting in her bathroom recording covers back in 2008 and falling in love with her voice and look how far she's come. (I'd also recommend going back and watching her covers, she was so cute back then). As a fan that's stuck by her since then, seeing her going from recording covers in her bathroom, to releasing EP's with 4 songs on to now releasing albums and being so successful in her dream job makes me so happy! This is one of those albums that you just want to be sat in bed on a rainy day with a cup of tea while listening to it. (Definitely what I'm doing right now). I don't even need to convince you to go and listen to it, it's just an all round incredible album and I ensure you that you'll instantly fall in love with it.

Favourite songs: Sweet Nothing, Coming Home and Together.

ACCESSORIES: 

1. Pandora rings.

Gosh, aren't they pretty?

I purchased these back in July when I went to visit my sister who lives in Southampton (and who also works at Pandora) when there was a 3 for the price of 2 promotion on rings there and I honestly couldn't say no... you know how it is..

After much deliberation, I decided on these three rings and if I do say so myself, they are absolutely gorgeous.

With the promotion that was on at the time, it came to £105 altogether which, for 3 rings, I think is really good. 

(Left: Droplets ring - £45, middle: dazzling daisy ring - £45, right: band of shimmering leaves ring - £60)

2. Skinny Dip phone case.

I've always loved llamas. How can you not though, they're weirdly adorable!

Although it was a bit late ordering a phone case as I dropped and smashed my phone screen about a month ago but seeing as I can't afford to break it even more, and a phone case is a lot cheaper, I thought I'd take look Skinny Dip.

There's not really much to say about it other than the fact it's an adorable phone case.

(Skinny Dip: £12)

TV SHOWS:

1. The U.S. Office.

If you don't already watch this then go and watch it. Right now.

This is honestly one of the best TV shows I've ever watched on Netflix, so much so that I'm rewatching it for the 3rd time and I have literally no regrets. Every single time I watch it again, I get just as emotional as I do as the first time I watched it. 

Seriously, all I can tell you to do is go and watch it, you won't regret it. I promise.

BOOKS:

1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.

Admittedly yes, this book did take me a while to get in to but in my defence, I haven't properly read a book for like a year, but I am so so glad I picked this up. I've always been a fantasy/YA book lover so this was a definite must-buy! Plus, it's a really pretty book cover. What more could you want?! Basically (without ruining the whole story for you), it's about a 17 year old girl, Mare Barrow, who lives in a world which is divided by the colour of your blood; the Reds (the commoners) and the Silvers (the royals). Mare and her family are Reds and live in the Stilts but is suddenly taken to serve for the king and the Silvers where she learns that she possesses a silver power of her own, despite being a Red.

The amount of plot twists in this book is enough to keep anyone on the edge of their seat and although I only just finished this book last night, I cannot stop thinking about it and am very eagerly awaiting the sequel.

This book is so unique and so incredibly written, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy and YA books.

(RRP: £7.99)

2. All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.

I don't even know where to start with this book. It immediately caught my eye when I walked into Waterstones and after the amount of people that have recommended it to me, I didn't even hesitate to pick it up. 

I found this book literally impossible to put down which admittedly, isn't an unusual thing for me, but I literally didn't put this book down for ANYTHING until I finished it. (Apart from having to get a tissue from crying so much which again, isn't an unusual thing when I read.)

This is another YA fiction book, which is about two suicidal teenagers from troubled backgrounds, Violet Markey and Theodore Finch, who meet on the ledge of their high school bell tower, six storeys above the ground, and they are both about to commit suicide when Theodore stops and saves her, in turn stopping himself. They end up spending more and more time together and inevitably fall in love.

Admittedly yes, this book does have a very John Green-esque feel to it and did remind me of The Fault In Our Stars but there are just as many differences as similarities.

This book will make you laugh, smile and cry like any amazing book would and again, I would 100000% recommend this to literally any and every person who needs a good book to read.

(I also found out last night that it's being made into a film which I am SO excited for!)

(RRP: £7.99)

*****

So what were some of your favourites of this month? I'd love to know and would love to hear any other book recommendations you guys may have!

(I would also like to say a massive thank you to my wonderful friend Gemma who recommended both books to me, without her I'd have never gotten out of my year-long reading slump. Go check out her YouTube/BookTube channel here - ANovelYouth!)

*****

Thanks for reading, see you soon!

♡♡♡♡♡