August Favourites

August is coming to an end and I've had a really great month of relaxation and spending time with the people I love, I hope you all had a lovely summer too. I thought this would be a great time to share with you my August Favourites! 

Make up 

1) Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NW13

This month I discovered my new favourite foundation and that is the very famous Mac Studio Fix Fluid. I'd be surprised if you haven't heard about this or if you've heard a bad word about it, it's very much raved about. Well I'm going to join the crowd because I absolutely love it! The oil free foundation has a natural matte finish with a medium yet buildable coverage. I found this absolutely perfect for my pale skin in the shade NW13. This foundation lasts a long time and looks just as good hours into your day.  Check out the original post. 

2) Mac Lipstick in 'Hug Me'

I've bought a few lipsticks this month but this is my favourite! 'Hug Me' is a lovely smokey rose colour in a lustre finish. This finish was great over the summer as it is sheer, creamy and not at all drying on the lips. A perfect nude for me. Check out the original post.

3) Seventeen Wow 3 Way Highlighter 

Just buy it! You won't regret it I promise. In the past Seventeen have been a brand I've over looked, after reviewing some of their products in this post I discovered some great makeup that I will continue to repurchase time and time again. This highlighter can be used in three ways, as a primer under foundation, you can mix it with foundation to make it more dewy (a lot like Mac Strobe Cream) or you can use it as a highlight on foundation. With bronzer this makes my cheek bones look more defined and adds a healthy shine to the face that doesn't look greasy. I love it! 

4) Seventeen Stay Time Concealer 

Without a doubt this has been my go to summer concealer, I've probably used it everyday.  This concealer gave me my summer confidence to go out without wearing foundation and just this product and a powder. This  concealer covers spots effortlessly, is great under the eyes and doesn't crease. It's safe to say that this concealer does what it says on the tube and stay on all day, great for them long summer days out when you're not thinking about reapplying makeup. Original post here!

Skincare 

5) Lush The Scared Truth Face Mask

I've tried many Lush face masks in the past and I love every single one of them but this one somehow seems to stand out from the crowd.  I've been using this 2/3 times a week for the past 3 weeks and my skin has never felt better. I usually have very dry skin and I feel this face mask is the reason why my skin feel moisturised and soft a lot of the time.  My complexion looks brighter, more radiant and my skin is clear of spots completely (for once!) I would definitely recommend this to anybody with dry skin, its a god sent. Read more here.

6) Thea Walnut and Chamomile Body Glow Polish 

This month I received some samples from Thea skincare for me to review. I never expected to end up writing about one of these in my favourites but this Body Polish is an absolutely beautiful exfoliator. I was happy to discover that this product was rough enough to remove dry skin leaving my skin feeling smooth and soft but gentle enough to not make the skin sore or red. This product was perfect for refreshing the skin by naturally exfoliating all dead skin cells away but also moisturising as it includes ingredients such as Aloe Juice which seals in moisture allowing new skin cells to grow and Jojoba oil which hydrates the skin. Full review here.

7) Nivea soft

Who doesn't like a multipurpose moisturiser? Nivea soft is a great moisturising cream for everyday use. It has a light formula with Vitamin E and Jojoba Oil that refreshes skin leaving it very soft. This comes in a perfect squeeze-y tube that can be just thrown in a bag and carried around with you then pulled back out and used on the face, body and hands. This was great on them hot summer days. 

Brush

8) Real Techniques Expert Face Brush 

After wanting one of these for a long time, I finally picked one up. My foundation has never looked so natural on my face, this is definitely one that deserves its hype. The brush is super soft and dense, perfect for buffing in foundation, leaving you looking absolutely flawless all day long. I feel my face colour is more even and smooth looking after using this brush. Original post here!

Clothing

10) River Island Black Jersey Twill Blazer 

I usually never write about clothes on my blog but I'm letting my new blazer be the exception. (Please ignore the mirror shot, I don't have any other pictures) I love this is boyish fit blazer that is just in time for the new season,  I can't wait to dress it down for university or dress it up for meals in town. At only £40 I couldn't say no. 

Blogs 

11) longhairandlashes - Grace 

Grace has a lovely little blog that will leave you beauty lovers lusting over huge hauls that are filled with great products. This was one of the first blogs I followed and has always kept me interested! 

12) TillyEnn - Tilly 

Tilly is another blogger that I have been loving this month. After reading some of her posts I actually went on a huge Soap and Glory hunt myself! Thanks for the inspiration and a low bank balance Tilly. 

With summer almost over who's looking forward to Autumn make up and fashion? I can't wait to dig out the dark vampy lips and buy a new jumper! 

All Things Lush

Granny Takes a Dip bath bomb - The Sacred Truth face mask - Phoenix Rising bath bomb 

Before busy September comes along and we say goodbye to the summer holiday I'm taking very opportunity to relax as much as possible! In my opinion there's nothing better than relaxing with a Lush product or two after a long week. Its true, I'm a Lush addicted, I also wrote a post recently about my Top Five Lush Products go check it out!

Lush - Granny Takes a Dip £3.25 

When wondering around Lush I noticed this little beauty that I'd never seen before.I believe that Granny Takes a Dip is one of their newbies, always wanting to try something new I had to buy it. I'm so glad I did, this bath bomb is probably one of the biggest I've seen, the colours pink, blue, red and green just slowly melt and bubble into each other which is so relaxing to watch.  Leaving your bath water a gorgeous baby pink colour

This bath bomb has a lemon scent which helps you feel refreshed. Lemon oil is known to boast your mood while ginger oil is antibacterial and refreshing. Black pepper is also an ingredient which is warming, making your bath even more relaxing. After soaking with this bomb in your tub your skin will feel soft, silky and moisturised. I would definitely repurchase and recommended this.


Lush - Phoenix Rising  £3.25

Phoenix Rising is one of my favourite bath bombs because its packed with colour leaving your bath water a bright purple-y fuchsia which is just gorgeous. This bath bomb has a lot of fizz making it spin around like crazy making pretty patterns in the tub. After the purple layer an unexpected minty green layer appears which you can see in the second picture (kind of).

Fair trade shea butter makes the skin feel nourished while organic jojoba oil naturally moisturises. Similarly to Granny Takes a Dip, this bath bomb will also make you feel uplifted and refreshed due to its ingredient bergamot oil which is in the citrus family. The thing I love the most about this one is its rich fragrance, it smells like cinnamon and other exotic spices. Just lovely and also well recommended to all of the Lush fans out there!


Lush - The Scared Truth £6.25

Basically Lush face masks are probably the best you'll ever use, if you haven't tried one, you need to! This one is called The Sacred Truth and its the first time I've ever used it. I actually received this face mask as a freebie for returning 5 black plastic tubs with the Lush recycling scheme, check it out here. This one was recommend by a Lush staff member for dry skin and it worked absolute wonders!

 The application was easy, the formula was thick but smooth and really soothing on the skin, I placed a thick layer on my face for 5 - 10 minutes then washed it off. I was really happy with the results, my complexion was brighter, very moisturised and smooth. Lush face masks are recommend twice a week and have a use by date of three weeks due to fresh ingredients. 

 This face mask uses 99% natural ingredients such as fresh papaya to stimulate and brighten skin, shea butter making skin nourished and hydrated, honey which as an antiseptic ingredient and ginseng root for skin conditioning.   

Whats's your favourite bath bomb or face mask? 

HolleyMarie

Top 5 Lush Loves

As you can see I'm a little obsessed with Lush and have been for a long time now. In my opinion there is nothing better than a colourful, good smelling, handmade product that you know includes natural or safe ingredients. From years of collecting I have to say there isn't many Lush products that I don't like, so picking my top 5 was definitely difficult. 

To make it easier I set myself the task of only choosing one product per purpose. So here we have it from left to right they are Vanilla Dee-Lite, Happy Hippy, Rub Rub Rub, Mask of Magnaminty and Bubblegum Lip Scrub. 

Vanilla Dee- Lite - £12.75 per 250g
This body lotion is a gorgeous light moisturiser that leaves the skin super soft with a long lasting vanilla scent. Surprising Vanilla Dee-Lite includes fresh kiwi fruit, which is a good product for removing dead skin, making this lotion great for use after a nice scrub. When I choose a body lotion I always go for one which includes cocoa butter, like Vanilla Dee-Lite does. This is because cocoa butter is extremely moisturising and is known for treating stretch marks, scars and burned or dry skin which is always useful to have around.  

Happy Hippy - £3.50 per 100g / £6.96 per 250 g / £11.50 per 500g

Described by Lush as 'perfect for a morning shower' which I have to say I completely agree,  this product smells so citrus-y that it leaves you feeling awake and fresh. Happy Hippy is known for being great for sensitive skin and is 100% Vegan. 

Rub Rub Rub - £8.50 per 330g

This product (apart from always making me laugh because it sounds a bit rude in the 'how to use' section) is probably one of my all time favourite scrubs. I don't know about you but I'm often disapointed by body scrubs, you expect them to be rough but no in my experience they often have few exfoliating beads giving you an aching arm before a smooth leg. Rub Rub Rub is perfect for people who like a rougher experience. 

Mask of Magnaminty - £5.25 per 125g / £9.50 per 315g 

This product is without a doubt my all time favourite from Lush. I've been buying this for as long as I can remember, I've probably had 5 or 6 of the large tubs. This face mask has a beautiful pepperminty smell which gently exfoliates the skin leaving it feeling fresh and glowing. Mask of Magnaminty is my go to product if I have a break out due to honey being one of the main ingredients. Honey has been used as a skin ointment for over 2000 years due to its antiseptic nature. 

Bubblegum - £5.50 per 25g
The bubblegum  lip scrub was my first ever Lush purchase and has always been a favourite. This scrub is perfect for removing any dry skin from the lips before applying a lipstick, making  your favourite lip products last longer. Bubblegum is made from candy floss tasting caster sugar leaving you forever licking it off  your lips! 

What are your favourite Lush products? 

HolleyMarie

Great products for problematic skin

The Body Shop Vitamin C Facial Polish, The Body
Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser  & Dark Angels by Lush

Over the last few years I've  found it impossible to up keep with my skin, one day I'm dry the next I'm dull not to mention them days when I break out due to excess oil. Well, I've finally found a skincare combination that suits my skin even on its bad days.  

Oily skin solution 

DARK ANGELS - LUSH - £.6.40 per 100g

Dark Angels comes in the trademark classic recycled tub by Lush in both 100g and 250g. Inside the tub is a thick black powdery formula, one that might be considered strange as a facial cleanser. When applying  Dark Angels I only use a small amount of product, I usually mix it together with water on the palm of my hand before applying it to my face. This makes the product into a liquid rather than powder, when in this form you can see grains of the ingredient black sugar which works as an excellent natural exfoliant leaving the face smooth and fresh. 

The application can be a little messy due to charcoal being the other main ingredient. (So, be sure not to touch anything with them black fingers when trying to check out your coal face in the mirror) Never the less the charcoal helps dry up and wash away them oily patches. 

Dark Angels is great for acne prone skin because it has an natural antiseptic ingredient which removes any bacteria causing spots.  Rosewood oil in this product leaves your face silky soft by moisturising and cooling the skin, leaving an overall great result.  

Dry & Dull skin solution 
Vitamin C Facial Polish - The Body Shop - £11.00 per 100ml

Unlike Dark Angels, this facial polish by The Body Shop comes in tubes of 100ml only, this is not disappointing as product lasts a really long time. (This one has lasted me around 8 months of using it 2-3 times a week and I've still got a fair bit to go!) The product inside is a transparent liquid with orange micro beads to gently buff them dull and dry skin patches away.  This enhances the skin's natural radiance and making you look fresh. 

Similarly to Dark Angels when applying this facial polish I also only need to use a small amount as it buffs into a lovely lather, which smells fruity and gorgeous. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that slows down the process of any other that elements that could be damaging the skin, such as the sun. This means that vitamin C helps protect collagen and prevents dry skin, fine lines and wrinkles. In my opinion this is a real must have in your skin care routine. 

Open pore & blemished skin solution 
Tea Tree Pore Minimiser - The Body Shop - £7.50 per 30ml

After using either Dark Angels or the Vitamin C Facial polish depending on how my skin is feeling I always use this pore minimiser by The Body Shop. It comes in a thin green tube that holds 30ml of a thick creamy yellow liquid. This tube is quite small and doesn't last too long but at only £7.50 it is very affordable to go out and buy another. 

The application is easy, I tend to rub it into my skin in a circular motion on my cheeks and nose. After time this product really does minimise the pores on the skin, this doesn't happen at first but after a few weeks of using it I saw a significant difference.  Tea tree oil has disinfecting and soothing properties which make it a brilliant acne treatments, tea tree will not strip your skin of its natural oils and cause further damage like chemical spot treatments often do. This product also primes and mattifies making it an ideal base for make up. 

I hope this helps
Holley

Links - 
Dark Angels by Lush - https://www.lush.co.uk/products/cleansers/dark-angelsVitamin C Facial Polish by The body Shop - http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/shop-by-range/vitamin-c/vitamin-c-facial-cleansing-polish.aspxTea 
Tree Pore Minimiser  by The Body Shop - http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/shop-by-range/tea-tree/tea-tree-pore-minimiser.aspx