A Late Christmas Present - Lush Winter Garden

I finally met up with some friends for a late Christmas get together and i was very pleased to be gifted with this set from Lush. This is the Winter Garden Set, which has four gifts for sensitive skin. As i have eczema any products which are great for sensitive skin are right up my street. 

The products inside are as follows:Rose Jam Shower Gel (100g), Ro's Argan Body Conditioner (45g), Sultana of Soap (100g), Helping Hands Hand Cream (trial size).

I was so happy with this because I have never tried ANY of these products so this was the perfect gift.

The Rose Jam shower gel is one i had seen various times in lush, and i have had the Rose Jam bath bomb, so if it smells anything like the one i will be very happy as i loved how that smelt in my bath. I can't wait to give this a try, as i have a few shower gels this one will have to wait but i will be surely enjoying that in a shower soon.

I have wanted to try the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner and was actually on my list of products i want to try and now i can try this smaller sample size to see if i like it before i decide to buy a full size. I have heard it is great on the skin, i shall have to let you know how i get on with this, it does smell very nice and the fact it has organ oil as well as various butters in it makes it sound very appealing. 

I can't say i have heard of Sultan of soap before but Lush is know for it's wide, every changing products, so many products get missed, however this soap is highly moisturising which is something i look most. Mt favourite soap is the Snowcake which only comes out at xmas which is moisturising also so it will be great to have an all year around soap i can turn to when snow cake is away. 

Finally the helping hands cream sample will go perfectly in my hand bag as a small tin. My only gripe with this the actual tin which have always been a nightmare to open. Hopefully this would be nicer than that charity pot which really does not smell that great, I know it is for Charity and usually i do buy one but it is not something i would use on my hands everyday due to the smell.

This retails at Christmas from £18.99 and so far there have been two versions (Red last year and this year it was Purple). However you can get all the items bar Rose Jam which is a limited edition, linked now in store as full sized items, so if you want to try them, you can. 

It may return next Christmas so if you like this look at this, i would keep your eyes peeled at Christmas. 

Golden Globes - The Best and The Worst Dressed.

Last night was the Golden Globes and all the ladies came out in full force, looking their best and at their worst. Here is my verdict on some of the best and some of the worst dressed this year.

The Best Dressed

Viola Davis - Annalise Keeting - How to Get Away With Murder

Viola Davis looked stunning in this red assemble by Donna Karan Atelier. The dress is so flattering to Viola's figure and the train looks so stunning along the red carpet. The jewels on her dress are beautifully arranged and look like rain drops falling. The lack of straps really work well with the dress, along with the red lip and her bracelet. A complete winner at the globes. 

Emma Stone

The work of art by Lanvin is stunning and the whole look is a look i really get excited when seeing award outfits. It's not just the men that should be wearing a suit like ensemble and Emma Stone works this. The beautiful stunning jewelled top with the long black trousers with the sash is beautifully flattering to Emma's figure and the colour scheme matches well with the hair colour and lip. She definitely showed up at this Golden Globes.

Kate Hudson

Woza's Versace. This number is a fairy tail mixed with a stunning cut out jeweled sides. The low cut top half, mirroring the cut out sides is really flattering to her figure and flows down into a small white princess train. The colour of the dress really falters her skin tone and her hair being pinned up looks prefect to match the dress.

Reese Wetherspoon

All that glitter's may not be gold but it is definitely silver is this flashy little piece by Calvin Klein. The dress is simple but extremely flattering for Reece's figure. The jewellery is the perfect little accent and her hair matches so well with the dress perfectly. Her simple make up, along with her green eyes really make this dress pop.

The Worst Dressed

Julianne Moore

This dress really is not rocking my world and looks like the last of the christmas trimming have been put to the recycling of this dress. The dress is very confusing with the plain silver to the party popper bottom to make the train. I can't say the colour is at all to Julianne's hair colour and the whole dress at the top half does not suit her. I would give Givenchy a miss next time Julianne. 

Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl

I think this dress from Vera Wang, we really wished had gone girl. The whole dress is not flattering at all at the top half, I can only see are two pieces of string and two long white paper towels tied onto a beautiful skirt ensemble. I am really not sure what happened here but this dress really is lost on me. 

Zozia Marmet - Girls

Zozia plays an odd spunky character in Girls and this dress confuses me more than her characters thoughts. This piece by Andrew Gn looks like a mismatch skirt and dress which looks as if it was two pieces were made for different people. The colour's just do not match and the shape of each makes her look more like a sugar coated marshmallow more than looking like an award dress. It is a real shame because her hair and jewellery is perfect.

Ruth Wilson

The grass looks greener when the cricket is lurking. This dress really is not a pretty sight, the colour is ghastly and looks as if the bugs have come out to play. It does suit her figure perfectly but it looks rather bland for an awards ceremony. I think Prada, you need to step up your game. 

 

Jewellery - Swarovski Crystal Ring - The Rare Ring

For so many years i've been after the perfect ring I can wear everyday and this little item was gifted to me and I am so glad that this ring is now mine. This is a Rose Gold Ring from Swarovski, it has the Crystal's inset in the ring and it looks gorgeous. I am a HUGE lover of Rose Gold, especially with jewellery because it really compliments my skin tone, and especially with the ring size. Due to it's size and thinness it is a great ring for layering, so once I get my hands on some more rings in rose gold to go with it, this will look more perfect and versatile. 

The only problem i have with Swarovski are the ring sizes, ring pictured is a size 52 and is sadly the smallest you can buy so for anyone with less than a size K the rings will be far too big for you. I originally was gifted a size 54 and it was far too big, but this ring happily fits on my middle finger, which does look great but is a bit disappointing as i did want this on my right ring finger.

If you guy's know of any rose gold rings that would look great with this please let me know, I am a size 50 on my middle ring finger, which seems to be a difficult one to find in rose gold.

You can get this ring here from Swarovski's website.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. 

New Discovery - Rituals - Fortune Scrub

For the longest time I have been looking for the perfect body scrub. Normally scrubs are far way harsh for my skin, especially at this time of year when my eczema begins to creep back up on me. 

All i can say is that Ritual's you have literally saved my skin's winter blues life!!! This scrub is absolutely fantastic!! It is incredibly light with perfectly sized small scrubbing beads which clean and make sure my skin is not irritated. 

I have tried several scrubs from Body shop, sanctuary and Soap and Glory and nothing really compares. The issue I have found on the market is that they ignore that some scrubs need to not be sugar based or have really harsh huge scrubbing beads in them. Those products really tore at my skin and even made my eczema bleed, which is not pleasant. I really feel that brands need to look to how facial scrubs are made because for some of us, we cannot cope with a lump of sharp sugar or a really uncomfortable gritty bead dragging across our skin and not just clearing the dead skin cell's but feel as if they are damaging my current growing skin cells. I honestly feel Ritual's have filled a HUGE gap in the market.

My skin feels so much softer and not at bit irritated at all, not just that it does the job hands down and all my dead skin cell's are gone, POOF. I usually use a brush in the shower with this and the two together are a marriage made in heaven. My skin has never felt so clean and clear. 

Not to mention the smell, the Madarin and Yuzu really fill my shower with a wonderful citrus scent which is my favourite scent all year around, and with it being winter, the nice smell of oranges really makes it feel a little like christmas.

You can buy it now for 50% off in the Ritual's sale. Needless to say, I have already gone on bought several off these already...oops...

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. 

Beauty Product / Skincare Wishlist - Jan 2015

There are so many products out there and there are a few I wish to try and get my hands on this year. This list is some of the items I hope to try out and purchase this year. 

Clinique Take the day off Cleansing Balm - £22.00 - I love the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm which retails for £36.00 but this year as I am hoping to pass my driving test I am looking for cheaper alternatives for my skincare which are rated just as good. This cleansing balm has had a lot of hype and being £14 cheaper I will be picking this up once my Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm has left my mits.

ZOEVA - Golden Luxury Brush Set - €65 - At the moment I have so many odd brushes and i really need a complete set and a lot of these brushes are just what i need. I will be saving for this set this year, the quality and price is very good in comparison with the sigma brush sets which can set you back a good £100+. Hopefully having this set too will allow me to purchase less odds and end brushes from Eco Tool and the Basic Real Techniques brushes which I seem to ruin in a year or so.

La Roche Posay Serozinc - £8.50 - IT'S FINALLY COMING TO THE UK!!! This will most likely be one of my first purchases of the year and as i adore La Roche Posay as a brand i cannot wait to get my hands on this. I love Toner's and Mists and lately I have started to look at using these more and more so this product will fit right into my collection. 

Naked and the Naked Two Palette's - £37.00 - Yes they break your bank but these Palette's are amazing. I own the third one but I feel a little lost with it. It works a lot on some of my other palettes like my sleek palette and my lose colours but i feel having these two would really allow me to use number three to the max. If i only get one of these this year i would be very happy.

Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask £23.00 - This is an unrealistic dream for a mask this year because of the price, however we can all have wishes right? I adore Charcoal mask's and I would love to give this one a try. I currently use the boots bionics one and i am in love with it, it really clears up my skin and i would like to see what the differences are between that and this Origins one. 

Origins Make a Difference Plus+ moisturiser - £34.50 - I have been looking for a new Moisturiser to try and this one looks like it could be the perfect one for me, the reviews i have read are perfect for my skin type. I feel that my skin would heal quicker with this as compared to my Dr Organic Moisturiser which is good but i feel at times it takes a while to heal my dry skin. Expensive but most good Moisturiser's are. I think more than the mask i will be definitely saving up for this one this year. 

Sleek Blush Palette In Pink Lemonade  £9.99 - I have this set in California and i absolutely love it, however i really would love this set more for the winter months as the California set is more of a summer colour set. The shades in this are perfect and have two shimmer matte shades and the middle is a cream finish. I love Sleek Blushes, in my opinion the best on the market so expanding the small collection i have would be perfect with this set.

L'oreal Paris True Match Foundation £9.99 - I feel like i am still after the path to find the perfect budget liquid foundation and this one for sure is next on my list. I always have issues with finding the perfect shade and something that will last more than a few hours. I have heard this is a great dupe for the Georgio Armani Foundation which is way out of my price range, so I think this one will have to enter into my life to test out my highly critical liquid foundation ways. 

Dove Pure Dry Oil Shampoo - £5.99 - I am still on the quest to find the perfect shampoo and i have heard a lot about this dove range. I have a lot of issues with shampoo and i can never find the right one for me, they either make my hair go brittle or too greasy, i think drying one with an oil formula may fix this issue so i think i'll give this dove one a good try this year. 

And these items are on my wishlist, if i am lucky to get my mit's on these item i am sure i will review these on my blog. I will repost a wishlist throughout the year as I discover new products that strike my attention. In the mean time, What are you're wish list items for this year? Leave me a comment below :)

My Song's of 2014 - The Playlist.

Music is a huge part of us and a huge part of what we do and These songs have really hit the spot for me this year. This playlist is a collection of brand new artists and well known artists and their 2014 hit's.

  

1. I Found - Amber Run

2. Like I Can - Sam Smith

3. Glorious - Foxes

4. Cue the Rain - Lea Michele

5. O - Coldplay

6. Budapest - George Ezra

7. Rude - Magic!

8. Wide Awake - Josh Record

9. Rather Be - Pentatonix - (Cover of the Clean Bandit Hit)

10. Royals - Lorde

11. Say Something - A Great Big World

12. Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

13. human - Christina Perri

14. Tee Shirt - Birdy

15. Counting Stars - One Republic

And because she has decided to not put her music on Spotify i cannot add any songs from her. Taylor Swift's album 1989, is my album of the year, this album is a masterpiece from start to end.

These song's are a real mix match and have been fantastic songs dependant on my mood. The best way i can recommend to listen to new music is to put on your best pair of ear or headphones, close your eyes and pull your head back and relax. Soaking in new music is a favourite past time of mine and these songs really have inspired me in some way or another this year. 

Happy listening and a very happy new year. 

My 2014 Beauty and Skincare Favourites

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!

I hope you are having a good one or have had a fantastic new years eve. To end the year I thought it was time to talk about my 2014 favourites. I apologies for this picture, for some reason, adding lighting makes your bedding look really strange when taking pictures. However let us press on to the favourites.

BEAUTY

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush  - This brush is not the easiest to clean, however for the price it is an excellent Brush for liquid foundation. It blends the foundation perfectly in the skin and doesn't leave streaky marks like some cheaper brushes do. I have tried a number of brushes for foundation and this seems to be the best one out their, the foundation brush in this range should be scrapped over this one as it does nothing for blend ability.

Sleek Make Up Blush in the Shade Coral - I am sorry for how grubby the outer packaging looks on my picture but it is my most loved blush and my favourite of 2014. I feel this blush is a good all rounder for the year and very good value for money. Not just that the sleek blush line is amazing and expansive, If this colour isn't for you, you will find one in their range that hits the mark for you. To me this is a dark Coral tone which gives you enough pigmentation to work with. It easily allows you  brush it on very lightly to give a natural looking flush look in the summer and in the winter you can make it a little darker for that cold winter flush. I have been using this blush all year round and I have loved it. It's really been the perfect shade for me this year.

Benefit Gimmie Brow in Light / Medium - Oh wow, this is one amazing brow product. I was a bit late to this game and after rave reviews I caved and purchased it and by gosh do i not regret it. Whenever my brows are looking really worst for wear, this baby comes out leaps and bounds to sort them out. The little brush allows you to get in between those fine hairs and makes your brows look so natural, filling in those really hard to get to gaps. I use this mostly after my eyebrows have just been done to maintain the shape.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium -  I won't go on too much because ever blogger in the world has commented how good this is, i will say though i have tried a lot of concealers this year from Rimmel, Boujois, Maybelline and Revlon and not one of these has matched up to it. I may have to dip into the make up savings account for the NARS Radiant Creamy concealer at some point to see what the hype is about as that is one that gets raved about more than this one. However this is a cracking buy for concealer.

Tanya Burr Lipgloss in Champagne Toast - These lip glosses are so far one of the best products from any youtuber this year. This one smells and looks fantastic on the lips, it is a nude shade with sparkle and looks fantastic for any event. The gloss glides on perfectly and is not really sticky like some lip glosses i have had in the past and i rarely get my hair stuck on it. I do love this shade a lot as well as Aurora from this range. I have yet to try any of the new shades but i am sure to get my mit's on some of those.

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil in Brownie Points - For a cheaper alternative to the Gimmie Brow, this one really saves the day. I love this because it tints the eyebrow with the pen side and with the waxy side, you can easily shape the brow and fill in any gaps the pen misses. I tend to use this when my eyebrows just need a little touch up.

Benefit They're Real Mascara  - I do love this Mascara as much as last year and i have only found the models co mascara that at all. This mascara makes your lashes look curly and volumised. The mascara is very easy to apply, it does however take a little bit of getting off, however for the curl and volume is gives, totally work that extra work to get it off.

Soap and Glory The Lid Stuff Eyeshadow - I've honestly reached for this little palette more than i have my naked palette this year, which will come as a shock. this little palette is perfect for a quick on the go look. I mainly use this for when i go to work because of how basic it is, i can happily wear this and still feel great with my look because it contains all you need for a professional eyeshadow look. The palette has excellent pigmentation and has a white shade for the base, brow and inner conners, a light peach tone for the lid and two brown shades which you can blend together, one has more of a glitter effect for over the top of the solid brown shade. All you need in four shades.

Bare Minerals Original SPF 15 Foundation - I have become a recent fan of bare minerals and honestly it's become the only thing i like using. The coverage is flawless, the finish is perfect and it looks like you aren't wearing any foundation. I did think a powder foundation would be difficult to apply but i do find it easier to apply than a lot of liquid foundations. I would recommend everyone who is a sceptic to try this and you would be surprised.

SKINCARE 

Botanics Shine Away Clay Mask -  A great affordable mask that i have been loving this year. This mask has really kicked my spots and blemishes to the curb whenever my face starts to break out. The mask is easy to apply and easy to wash off the face. This is a top mask and really good value for money. This one has really been a great staple to my summer mask routine.

Soap and Glory No Clogs Allowed Self Heating Deep Poor Detox Mask - I love this mask more for the winter months as it really does warm up your face and really keeps deep into the pours and claws the dirt out. I love the self heating beads the most and when you have had a rough day and all you want to do is feel cosy and warm and need to clean your face, this product is perfect.

Dr Organic Rose Otto Night Cream - I love this natural moisturiser and I haven't found anything else that I like, like it. This makes my skin feel positively flourished after use and it helps keep my blemishes at bay as I sleep. The smell of this does smell a little old fashioned, a bit like pot popery.

Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly - Oh this is marvellous, i alternate this with my moisturiser and my skin feels so hydrated. I suffer from dry skin from time to time and this is the only thing that rectify's it.

Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisturising Facial Serum  -  It was my favourite last year and has been my favourite this year. In pair with the moisture jelly, this makes my skin so hydrated and soft and gives it new life. I have noticed when i don't use a serum my face does break out for a little while so i will keep using this as well as another serum to alternate out. This is one amazing product, believe the hype.

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil - This is one of the best facial oils around and the handy roller ball which you can buy from the balance me site, makes it easier to apply on the face. I really don't like putting the oil on your hands and the hands getting all sticky and more on your hands than the face. This oil helps to repair my skin and also makes my face glow. Oil's are not to be missed out these are amazing products.

 Caudalie Beauty Elixir - Beauty Elixir is a hyped product and deserves it, this water spray is fantastic at giving your face radiance and life when it is looking a little dried out. This is fantastic over and under make up and will wake your face right up.

Le Roche Posay Effaclar Duo + - Spots be gone! This stuff is the stuff of the gods. Paired with a mask and a moisturiser you will have no problem at all with spots as effaclar targets and kills those red evil pimples. This is something you should always have in your collection.

 Super Facialist Vitamin C + Skins Brighter Cleansing Oil.  - If you want make up of your face and you don't want to pay for bioderma, this stuff is the business and in my opinion a heck of a lot better than these Micelular waters which really are full of so many nasty toxins. This is all natural and the oils blend together with your make up to get it off your face. It doesn't smell too bad either.

HYGEINE / OTHER - 

Japanese Cherry Blossom Eau De Toilette - Not a lot of people talk about body shop for their fragrances but i think they are wrong to think that way. The scents are just at good as anything from any other popular perfume range and better than anything from avon. This scent is such a fresh grown up scent and very floral. I really love wearing this scent and get a lot of compliments.

Sanex Sensitive Roll on Deodorant - I used to be a sure spray girl up until a few years ago, but after noticing this really wasn't doing me any favours, i tried a good few rolls on and this one is honestly the best i have ever tried. I am shocked how an earth such a cheap roll on keeps me fresh all day and beyond but it honestly is the best i have tried yet. I highly recommend this one.

Oral B 3D White Brillance - This is my favourite toothpaste of the moment, it really keeps my teeth pearly and white and protects my teeth. I used to use sensodyne but i was noticing that it was actually making my teeth and gums more sensitive, esentially defeating it's purpose so i decided to change to this one. I have no regrets.

And that is my 2014 favourites...FEW. A lot of products there that have rocked my world. I really hope that you have a great new year and maybe have found some new products to try out.