Lush Review- Best Wishes

I know i'm a bit late reviewing this christmas gift pack but i've only just used all the products and I wanted to properly test them out before reviewing them. 

I got this from my dearest Rosie, and the first thing that sprang to mind was how beautifully packaged it is! Lush are always so fantastic at wrapping their gifts, and this one came with a white 3d star wrap and festive red ribbon which I kept :)

(image courtesy of Lush!)

 Inside this little box of goodies were 'So White' bath bomb, 'Snowcake' soap and 'Melting Snowman' bath melt, all very festive. I'm a massive fan of Lush, I literally have a box full of it but i've never used any of the christmas collections so I was quite excited to try them all out. 

So White Bath Bomb

I was really impressed by the size of this. I've read a few comments from other people that they thought it wasn't big enough but as you can see from the top photo, it's pretty much the size of my hand so it was all good for me. This is a purely white bath bomb from the outside and smelt like an apple orchard, quite floral as well. Lush have cramed this full of lovely stuff, like bergmot oil, rose absolute, orange flower and neroli oil (a kind of a bittery orange smell) but despite all that orange, it doesn't smell that much of citrus. 

Lush state that you throw this at the side of your bath, which I don't suggest unless you want your bath tub stained with this bubblegum pink centre! I was shocked at this little surprise because I know that the old 'So Snow' was just white, but it really added to the experience as it turned the water a pretty pastel pink (: 

would I buy it again? Most definitely! It gives off a strong appley fragrance which I could still smell on my skin for hours later, made a slight foam which other bath bombs don't seem to, and it was so moisturizing and soothing to my skin. The only thing I was disappointed by was the underwhelming fizz when I put it in the bath (maybe I should of thrown in!) 

 price? Individually 'So White' was £3.25, I do think it was worth it because I wanted to use it again after it had gone and I think anything that makes you want more is worth spending for. However, this bath bomb is unavaliable now, so i'll have to wait till the end of the year to purchase it again! 

Snowcake Soap

I was a bit apprehensive about using this first, firstly because of the shape because i'm not a massive fan of star shaped soaps (often in gift sets), I find it difficult to hold and prefer the handy triangle ones. Secondly, because of that gold lustre that adorns the top of it, as I didn't want to be stained with it after every use. However, the shimmery stuff doesn't stick at all, and washes off after first use so that wasn't too bad. Lush state that this smells of almonds and mazipan, it does ever so slightly but it's not a very strong smelling soap and it's not quite bakewell tart, but something I really can't put my finger on.

would I buy it again? I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it, if it came in another gift set then of course i'd use it, but there's just something about it that is quite underwhelming. Not only this but it melts SO easily, it was already melting before I took it out of the box so along with that gold top, it's quite a messy one to handle. Hasn't really knocked my socks off, as much as I thought it would. 

price?  £3.25/100g. The soap in my set was pre-cut at 90g though so I'm not really sure. 

The Melting Snowman Bath Melt 

When I first opened my box I couldn't wait to try out this adorable little fellow. I've used a couple of bath melts before and I haven't been totally won over by them so I wasn't totally sold at first but he's cute, so I welcomed him with an open mind.

I know it's supposed to look melted but judging by the look of them on the Lush website, mine looks a little more deformed than usual. Also, his head fell off as soon as I picked him up so they don't hold together very well either. Anyway! Apparently, this is one of the most popular christmas fragrances, described as 'Hot Toddy'. I wouldn't quite describe it as that, more of a subtle (and I mean subtle) christmas spice fueled by all that cocoa and shea butter, cinnamon and patchouli oil (quite a herby smell).

Despite all this, I was determined to love him so I placed him in my bath whilst in ran and then returned to what looked like a vat of milk, he is white after all but it's still quite a daunting sight. 

would I buy this again? No, probably not. Why? Because he fell apart the second I touched him, the chocolate drops melted into my bath water, I had his little ginger stem nose floating about, he doesn't smell that powerful, there no foam or bubbles so I was just bathing in milky white water, hmm. He does look good though, kinda.

price? £1.95, to be honest it's not a bad price and it's one of the cheapest bath melts going but I just can't bring myself to use him again, sorry ): 

OVERALL: I know I probably haven't sold it, but it is a lovely gift. It's especially worth it for all that pretty packaging which you can keep and for the 'So White' bath melt which is one the most impressive ballistics that i've used. The soap is nice little product, and i'm glad that i've tried it because I wanted to and I would use again if it came in another set but I wouldn't go in looking to purchase it individually. The only thing that let it down is that little devil snowman ): 

Keep reading for another christmas gift set review called 'Festive Fiesta', soon! 

XXX

Just a Quickie x

Hello sweethearts, just a real quick one.

I didn't like this photo at first but I got such a positive response on Instagram (@homezx) that I thought I'd share it with you guys too, here I am about to go out for Christmas Eve drinks! I think the red gives this look a nice festive feel for the holiday period, and I stick to black so often that seeing me in a bright colour is a rarity! 

My red skater dress has a vest top and was £15 from Topshop a while ago. I'm afraid it's no longer available :( BUT I have found you this incredible bargain to make up for it. This is the Asos skater dress in 'Bengaline', this one's less muted and a bit brighter than mine but it's such a pretty shade, I love the sweetheart neckline and the detail on the back gives it an extra something special! An absolute steal at just £10, and also available in black or light blue - go go go!

My faux leather jacket was £15 from a New Look sale a while ago, however it's very similar to this one here for £21:

 

And my shoe boots were also from New Look a while ago, I think between £20 and £30. They're suede effect and this picture doesn't show too well but they have gunmetal studs around the top, they're really similar to these for £19.99!

 

My lipstick is Russian Red by Mac (£14 from most department stores) used over Brick lip pencil, also from Mac (£11.50 from most department stores).

  

My tights are 80 denier black ones, cheap as chips from Primark or try a quick Ebay search for something like these.

I part blow-dried my hair so it was still a little damp, and pinned it up in a twisted bun for a few hours to dry. Before going out I took it down and sprayed with plenty of Elnett Flexible Hold Hairpray ( the white one). Letting my hair dry like this always gives me quite a natural looking curl and plenty of volume without using too many products! The curl usually lasts for a good few days as well, let me know if you'd like to see a step by step post?

Hope you liked the outfit! Thanks a bunch for reading.

Loves xxx

Sophie x

 

Big fat hellos from Sophie!

Hey guys!

And Merry Christmas!

 Sophie here, excited to be writing my very first post! Everything so far including our lovely background and layout has been done by Jen so biggggg thank you to her for getting it all started and she deserves all the credit! I'll be posting from now on and we'll be making a banner and things too so keep checking back!

I thought I'd start off with a Christmassy post, really hope you all had a fantastic day! Did you dress up in a new outfit or down in some comfy loungewear?? I'd been waiting for weeks to breakout my amazing 3D knitted Christmas jumper...

3D chunky knit snowman jumper, £12, Primark

   I was really lucky and had loads of lovely gifts, I thought I'd share some pictures of a few of them with you. Sorry about the picture quality as they were taken on an iphone in low light, it seems to be getting dark at about 3pm in the UK recently so I'll have to take them in the morning from now on! I'll be able to use my camera as soon as I get back to my own apartment after the holidays.

Mac 'Guilty Passions' crushed metallic pigments in Silk Stocking (top left) Ever Elegant (top right), Darling Coquette (bottom left) and Rose Light (bottom right).

Mac 'Guilty Passions' swatches, from left to right: Ever Elegant, Silk Stocking, Darling Coquette, and Rose Light.

 Jen knows how much I love Mac and was sweet enough to get me this box of 4 metallic crushed pigments, called Guilty Pleasures. I haven't used these properly yet but just from swatching them I'm already in love! They feel like velvet to touch, and are incredibly pigmented giving beautifully strong and vibrant colours. The pictures here really don't do them justice so I'll promise I'll take some better ones and do a detailed review on these!

Embellish 3D Manicure set

She also got me this incredible pink 3D manicure set from Embellish, can't wait to try the pearl beads on my nails, review to follow as soon as I do!

Technic glitter nail polish in 'Carnival'

And this super sparkly multi coloured glitter nail polish from Technic, in 'Carnival' - I'm thinking New Year's Eve!

Pia vintage button dangle earrings

Pia cupcake stud earrings

 I absolutely love Pia products, especially their jewellery. I have quite a collection now and the quality of every piece is always stunning, and they have such unusual and pretty designs! Some of my gifts from my lovely parents included these dangly vintage button earrings and cupcake studs, how cute!! I strongly recommend you have a gander at Pia by clicking here.

 

Navy tiger design onesie from River Island

Also loving this super cosy tiger design onesie from my boyfriend, from River Island. This is really soft but not too thick so I won't roast inside it! Love the unsual design as well.

Anddd it wouldn't be Christmas without receiving 150 boxes of chocolates! Should last me at least til new year :p

Thank you for reading and do check back as we have loads of posts planned!

Love from Sophie x 

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly...

 Merry Christmas!

This is our first ever post and what a suitable way to start, at the end of a very fulfilling year and hopefully the start of another fantastic one! We hope this to be a place where you can find beauty reviews, a few hair and make up tips and maybe throwing in some outfits, after all where else are we going to show off our new clothes after christmas and new year?!

But, for now, we'll celebrate the end of 2012 and christmas time, which has been an incredibly busy one which i'm sure you'll all agree on! 

I don't know about everyone else but we've been feeling that christmassy tingle for months, Sophie even decorated her apartment weeks before it's considered appropriate! I even got a christmas tea flavoured advent calendar, beats chocolate any day (not like we're short on that!)   

 So, after decorating numerous trees throughout the house (my dad spent 3/4 hours on his 'grotto'!), seasonal debates about Ernie the Reindeer (who my mother hates), mince pie making, gingerbread house competitions (which I won!), festive movie watching, christmas markets, very cold evenings, 3 hour present wrapping sessions, bracing the shopping crowds, many hoursspent serving them at work (and for those who work in retail will understand how soul destroying the festive period is!) and finally for all of the Costa creme brulee lattes that got me through it, I am now settled and ready to enjoy what's left of december. I can't wait to spend the next two days with my nearest and dearest and I hope you all have a lovely christmas! 

Seasons Greetings!

xxx