Beauty and the budget - Freedom makeup haul

      

Although I use a fair number of high end makeup products, I think I get far more satisfaction from finding great products that don't make me wince when I get to the till (I'm looking at you MAC). Given this, whenever a new low cost brand is launched I am often first in line to try it out! When I heard that Adam Minto from Makeup Revolution and Neil Phillips from Distribeauty UK (The people responsible for bringing e.l.f. to the UK!) were teaming up to create Freedom Makeup I was immediately interested.

This brand has been described as a low cost makeup brand for professionals, an affordable MAC if you will so I was excited to see how they would measure up. With lipsticks for £1, brow kits for £3.50 and eyeshadow palettes from £2.50 they certainly have affordable down but can a brand that is so low cost really deliver a line suitable for professionals? I was more than happy to investigate by purchasing a number of products across the line. My haul of 16 items came to a cost of just £17.75 thanks to an amazing deal of getting £15 worth of makeup for free if you spent £15. Over time I have noticed that they have great offers on a regular basis which makes them even more better value. In fact, they are currently running a 3 for 2 mix and match across all products!

Admittedly the vast amount of this cheeky purchase had been left untouched until very recently when I suddenly remembered my little stash of goodies! After rediscovering them, I have been thoroughly testing them out and wanted to share my thoughts with you all!

From Left to Right - Sugar Fix, Jammy Dodger, TGIF, D-ream

The first products I tried were the Pro Melts, a collection of liquid lipsticks that come in an amazing array of colours. From nudes to brights to berries, there is certainly something for everyone and at only £3 they are an absolute steal. As you can see in the picture above, the colours are incredibly pigmented and the formula is really smooth. There was no stickiness like you normally get with cheap liquid lipsticks and for all but D-ream, they lasted an impressive amount of time. Unfortunately while I loved the colour of D-ream it didn't set in the same way as the other three and wore off fairly quickly. However if you are happy to keep it on hand, it's easy enough to top up if you need to!

From Left to Right - Adorn, Sooner or Later

As with the pro melts, there are a huge selection of lipsticks and even some great sets that can save you a bit of money. Amazingly they are just £1 each so I initially didn't hold out that much hope. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was completely wrong! The lipsticks are pretty sheer but the colours build up really nicely and they are silky smooth to apply. I absolutely love both of the colours I bought as they are so wearable and have a gorgeous sheen to them.

From Top to Bottom - Pro Conceal and Correct Light, Pro Matte Foundation 02

These were probably the only products in my haul that I wasn't overly impressed with. The foundation had a really sticky consistency and didn't really blend well at all. Similarly, the concealer just kind of sat on top of my skin rather than giving a nice finish, not to mention the fact that it was extremely yellow toned. I'd give these a miss to be honest unless they decide to reformulate.

Pro Blush in True Loved

The blush I received in True Loved was a lovely peachy pink colour that was nicely pigmented and blended out really well. It also lasted all day so it was amazing value for only £1! I'm definitely planning to pick up a few more of these in a couple of different colours as the quality is lovely.

Pro Eyebrow Kit in Light-Medium

This was a lovely little treasure that was one of my favourites out of the whole selection. The eyebrow kit costs £3.50 and has 3 different shades of powder that can be used to create the perfect shade and some wax. In addition, it came with a mini brush and pair of tweezers (apologies for not including them in the photo!). Now I'll be honest, the brush wasn't particularly usable and I have a bit of a hatred for mini tweezers (why make something like tweezing extra fiddly on purpose!?) so I wasn't really a fan of the extras. However the powders were really great to use andit's easy to use the three colours to create an exact match to your eyebrow if needed. As an added bonus, I've discovered that the lightest colour (top right) is also a fantastic contouring colour for fair skin tones!

Smoulder Eyeshadow Palette

When you are presented with a 10 eyeshadow palette for just £4 you'll be forgiven for not expecting much. Yet this little palette and some really great eyeshadows included that I was genuinely impressed with. The first two colours on the right reminded me alot of Urban Decay Thirteen and Combust which are possibly my favourite base and transition colours. 

The pigmentation isn't quite as strong but they build up really well. I particularly loved the shimmers, especially the gorgeous blue green shade second in from the left. While they aren't the best eyeshadows I've used and certainly wouldn't be a professional standard, they are none the less a nice little addition to my makeup stash.

A selection of  Gilded Mono Eyeshadows

From Left to Right - 216, 218, 217, 219

These four eyeshadows are by far my biggest surprise and my favourite products out of the whole selection. They only cost £1 each and yet are so amazingly pigmented and blendable. The swatches above are only after one application and they are such gorgeous colours. 219 really reminds me of Mac Old Gold which is one of my favourite pigments ever so I was really happy with this cheeky little find. There is a fair selection of mono eyeshadows already but I would love to see more, especially from the gilded section.

I think it's easy to see that I have been really impressed by the Freedom makeup line. Their prices and quality are a truly fabulous combination and I can't wait to try out some more products from them. They have recently released a strobe cream and what looks like an Anastasia Dipbrow dupe so those will definitely be my first choices on my next order!

Have you tried Freedom Makeup yet? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!

Mesauda Milano Desert Sand Bronzer Review

The number one product to easily warm up your look when the sun hasn't been coming out to play is most definitely bronzer. A few quick sweeps of a brush and suddenly you are a bronzed goddess who has just had a week in the sun. Not only that, but it has the handy bonus of doubling up as a useful contouring product. So needless to say, it's probably something you want to have around for those days when you want to dazzle. However, this type of product does have a dark side too which can make people pretty wary...I'm talking about the orangey streaks of teenage nightmare or possibly even worse, the I've been playing in a muddy field look (fine for Glastonbury, not so good for the office)! So when choosing a bronzer, it's always something that I like to fully check out before I spend my precious pennies.

The bronzer that I'm going to talk about in this post is the Mesauda Milano Desert Sand Bronzer in Sabbia Sahariana* (£14.95) that I was kindly sent by the lovely people at Beauty Crowd*.

As I'm sure I have mentioned before, I am completely drawn in by a good looking product and this is no exception. The packaging is sleek and has a reassuringly solid feel to it, you could definitely chuck this in your bag in a bit of a rush and not have to worry about finding a golden explosion the next time you open it. The top is also transparent which lets you see the gorgeous, marbled, shimmery bronzer inside which has got to be a bonus.

The bronzer itself is intensely pigmented, almost surprisingly so! Just a quick sweep of the brush and I easily had enough product for my whole face so it will certainly last well. The colour that I was sent was a warm toned bronzer that unfortunately was a touch too dark for my rather pale skin, but I think it would look wonderful on a medium or dark skin tone. Since it is so pigmented, I'd definitely advise to use the lightest touch when brushing on the product, always better to start light and build it up to avoid overdoing it. 

Considering that I'm usually more a fan of matte bronzers, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the shimmer in this one was so subtle that it wasn't overpowering at all. It simply results in a delicate luminescence and let's be honest, we are all in search of that magical glow!  It has a smooth, buttery consistency that blends out so well, it would definitely be perfect for contouring and creating a natural, summery look. By the time I had finished trying it out I was genuinely gutted that it was too dark for me because it was a pleasure to use..so much so that I might keep playing with it to see if a feather light touch might make it usable!

I think this bronzer is the perfect option if you have a slightly darker complexion. Sadly us pale girls will probably have to keep searching but I for one have my fingers crossed that some lighter colours will be added to the collection very soon!

*This post features a PR sample and includes an affiliate link, however the post is entirely my own opinion. For more information, please read my full Disclaimer  here

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette - It's finally here!

Ok, I will just come out and say it. I was SO excited when Urban Decay announced the Naked Smoky palette...perhaps even unhealthily so! But I certainly don't think I was alone given that #NakedSmoky was trending on Twitter and nearly every blog and vlog I stumbled across in the last couple of weeks was talking about it. Although this palette was released on the 8th July in America, us poor Brits were left waiting till the 30th July to get our hands on it!! Even now, the palette is only currently available at their flagship London stores and online until full release on the 6th of August so it has built up a considerable amount of suspense. 

So needless to say, when Urban Decay sent an early release email on the 29th July, I, along with hundreds, perhaps even thousands of other people went straight to the Urban Decay website to try and bag one of these beauties. After half an hour of repeated refreshing and rather fraught conversations with my fiancé (I'm sorry!!!), I became one of the lucky ones who could expect a rather beautiful delivery in a few days time...and my goodness was it worth it!!

My poor work colleagues must have thought for a moment I was starting to hyperventilate with the ridiculous amount of excitable squeals going on when my parcel arrived. I am an absolute sucker for good packaging and if there is one thing Urban Decay do well, it's exquisite design of the entire package of their product. At £38 it certainly isn't the most budget friendly buy but the sheer craftsmanship and attention to detail that has gone into Naked Smoky is apparent in every aspect and definitely makes the price feel justifiable. The outer box was pretty enough but when I saw the palette itself, I was in love. At this point I was practically shoving it at anyone who would give me 2 minutes of attention and proclaiming it to be the love of my life. Alas, noone in the vicinity was quite as excited as I was but bless them they did such a good job of humouring me while I yabbered on and on about it!

The palette itself is a taupe, translucent masterpiece with a smoke pattern running across it. As is always the case with Urban Decay, the palette feels well made and has a certain sleekness about it. It has a magnetic closure which again just oozes a certain touch of sophistication. There's also a guide included to help you create a number of different looks which I thought was a brilliant addition. All in all, if a palette could be sexy, this one would be seriously hot stuff.

Within the palette itself, you'll find an array of the most perfect eyeshadows that will help to create quite a variety of looks. There's a great selection of grey, bronze and even purple shades which will all lend themselves well to an intense smoky eye. From highlighters, to transition colours to crease colours, it's all there in one handy set. As an added benefit, there is also a great double ended brush. With one end being a pencil brush and the other a blending brush, if you were travelling this palette would probably be all that you'd need.

Apart from just three shades (Radar, Armor and Black Market), all of the colours are brand new and absolutely stunning. There are 4 shimmers (High, Dirtysweet, Radar and Armor), 4 satins (Slanted, Dagger, Black Market and Smolder) and 4 buttery mattes (Password, Whiskey, Combust and Thirteen) which gives a lovely variation for a number of looks.

The shimmers from left to right - High, Dirtysweet, Radar, Armor

The satins from left to right - Slanted, Dagger, Black Market, Smolder

The mattes from left to right - Password, Whiskey, Combust, Thirteen

Every shade has really impressive pigmentation and is incredibly easy to work with. They blend well with barely any fall out (apart from the glitter in Armor) and I truly cannot wait to experiment with them! The only eyeshadow I was just slightly disappointed with was Smolder as I was hoping for just a slightly stronger purple pigment but it is still beautiful nonetheless.

As someone who much preferred palettes from Urban Decay like Vice and Electric over the Naked Palettes (which I am aware is practically blasphemy for some!), I am really glad that this latest palette mixes things up a little. Considering Urban Decay's tagline is "Beauty with an edge", I couldn't think of a more appropriate palette for this brand. The smokey eye is without a doubt one of the edgiest makeup styles, full of mystery and sex appeal, so what could be better? Take it from me, this palette is worth every penny and your makeup collection isn't complete without it!

Over the next couple of weeks I will certainly be trying out some new looks with the help of the Naked Smoky palette and will have a tutorial up soon using these babies!

Have you got your hands on Urban Decay's latest offering yet? What do you think of it? Do you think it's worth the hype or are you a little underwhelmed? Let me know in the comments!

Bristol Review: McQueens Hair Salon

I'm sure everyone knows the pain of trying to find the perfect hairdresser, makeup artist, nail technician etc, especially when you move to a new area. There is nothing worse than knowing that you need to get something done, whether it's filing your nails to perfection or getting rid of those roots that are now starting to reach your ears, and not knowing who to trust to sort it out.

What if I end up with half my eyebrow waxed off?! What if I want a trim and a scissor happy individual cuts 5 inches off my luscious locks? The struggle is real guys, but I'm here to help! Over the course of this blog I'm going to make it my mission to try out all types of beauty services in the Bristol area and review them. That way, if there is somewhere in the area you are wondering about, you can read a full review about the experience to see whether it's one to try out or one to steer clear of!

To get the ball rolling, I'm going to tell you all about McQueens Hair Salon. Until very recently McQueens was a hidden gem, tucked away above the bustling shops of Park Street with nothing but word of mouth and a small sign to lead you up to the salon on the first floor. Having lived in Bristol all my life I was really surprised when I stumbled across it after reading about them in the Bristol Post. Initially I thought it was new but a little more research told me that McQueens has actually been open for 25 years!

That's not to say that this place is quiet though. Upon entering I was greeted with a vibrant, buzzing atmosphere with every chair in the place filled. It quite clearly has a loyal following and is extremely popular with those in the know. They have very recently moved to a larger ground floor salon located at 16 Park Street which makes them far more visible. I suspect this move will promote McQueens even further, changing from being a hidden gem to one of the most well known and loved salons in Bristol.

Now I'll be honest, while I love the process of having my hair done, the actual act of going to a new hairdresser terrifies me. Why? Because I turn into an insecure mess. A thousand questions go through my head on approach to the door... what if everyone in there is the super cool type that make you feel like you need to go to hipster school? Will there be a horribly awkward silence when I can't think of a conversation topic or equally worrying, will I need to prepare for 2 hours of inane holiday chat? How am I looking today? Is it going to be painful looking at my face / outfit / ginormous arms in the mirror for the rest of the afternoon? On and on and on...honestly, my brain is a scary place to be.

So I'm sure it's pretty easy to guess from that neurotic brain dump that the most important thing for me on entering a salon is that I feel at ease. That's a pretty serious task but honestly, McQueens managed it within moments of entering. Every single member of the team is so friendly and while they are most certainly cool, they are definitely not intimidating. Emma Choremi, the owner of the salon is extremely interactive with the clientele and often welcomes you as you come in the door, regardless of whether she is your chosen stylist or not. I found this to be a lovely touch that instantly makes you feel so welcome and really valued.

Despite being located in the heart of Bristol their prices are refreshingly reasonable, making them accessible to a whole range of budgets (From £24.00 for a cut and finish). They provide a great number of services from a standard wash and cut to latest techniques such as Balayage and Ombre. They are also a Great Lengths salon and won the Great Lengths New Comer Award for 2014/15. For the uninitiated, Great Lengths are some of the best extensions around.

I chose to have my hair styled by Emma and I am so happy that I did. She is such a pleasure to talk to and is really open to ideas. Something I really love is that you can show her a few pictures and she will talk you through how it can be achieved and more importantly whether it is realistic and will suit you. For me, the key to really being able to trust a hairdresser is having one that will a) tell you if you will look like a washed out ghost with that platinum hair and b) will not be content until their client is 100% happy and Emma is most definitely both of those things.

On my first visit my hair was transformed from a mousy, flat non-do to a wonderfully multi-tonal blonde with a cracking fringe going on.

My hair transformation!

The second visit was just a touch up to keep my hair looking stylish but the third time, I fancied something a little different. I came across the picture below which served as inspiration and thought I would like a subtle ombre, so presented it to Emma the next time I went to McQueens.

As usual, straight away she came up with a way of creating the look and went off to mix the colours. After an hour and a half I had been foiled, cooked, and my hair was washed and toned. I had been entertained with many a magazine, fun conversations about wedding planning and a cheeky glass of vino. I was a very happy girl. 

Now, remember here that this was a little bit of an experiment that the pair of us had come up with, deciding the colours to use and the kind of look I wanted at quite short notice. Unfortunately the darker tones used at the top and the lighter tones at the bottom hadn't fully blended through so there wasn't quite the flow of colour change that I had initially imagined. So this might sound a little strange, but the fact that it hadn't gone 100% to plan is actually what has made me truly love this salon.

Straight away Emma wasn't content with the look and added in some extra highlights to break up the colour change which helped a lot. In the end I decided that I'd like a slightly cooler colour and for the ombre to be even more subtle and once again, everyone was more than happy to help me out to achieve the look I wanted. There was never a moment where I was made to feel like I was being "difficult" and it really felt like Emma and the team always want to make sure their customers are completely satisfied. Remember how I said that was one of the key things required for a "good" hairdresser to be a "great" one? Yup, you can definitely count on that here. 

Truly great hairdressing is a creative art, one which requires experimentation and adaptation. What goes hand in hand with that, is that there can be a teensy chance that sometimes things don't come out exactly how you first imagined and personally, that's fine with me. I'd much rather have a hairdresser with creative flare who you can really create a style with, than one that provides a template haircut for every person that enters.

Most importantly, I am SO happy with my finished look. It's exactly what I wanted with a lovely, soft transition from dark to light blonde and a sweeping fringe.

As I'm sure you've deduced from my ramblings, I would absolutely, definitely, 100% recommend this salon to anyone. In fact, since I have started visiting the salon earlier this year it's resulted in about 4 of my work colleagues becoming clients of McQueens too. The salon is glamorous yet comfortable, the staff are friendly and talented and the prices are more than fair for the amazing quality. I'm already looking forward to my next visit!

Have you visited McQueens before or are you tempted to visit soon? Or is there a different salon that you absolutely love? Have you tried an ombre look? Let me know in the comments!

Glossybox July 2015 Vive La France Review

So I am probably a little late on this review but given just how lovely this months edition of Glossybox was, I couldn't pass up the chance to share it with you all! If you aren't familiar with Glossybox, it is a subscription service that sends out a box full of lovely goodies (4-5 products) each month based on your beauty profile. They use a wide range of brands from those that are well established to brands that have only launched recently.

After the last couple of month's boxes being a tad disappointing, I was a little bit ambivalent when I found my Glossybox waiting for me when I got in to work. All of that changed though the moment I opened the outer packaging and was greeted by an absolutely stunning limited edition box. 

This month's edition is based around all things French and the box itself was designed by fashion illustrator Jamie Lee Reardin who has previously worked with the likes of Balmain and Dior. I'm sure you can agree from the pictures above that the artwork is really striking and has certainly made this box one to keep. Every inch of the box is covered in beautiful drawings in Jamie Lee's iconic style and there are even more lovely images inside on the product cards! 

The products themselves are also in line with the French theme and apart from the well known Yves Rocher, are all new and exciting discoveries for me! Glossybox have also mixed things up a little this month by including a very chic little makeup bag to use on your travels. While I wouldn't necessarily want "lifestyle" products every month, it was a nice little change up for the box in this case and really complimented the whole design.

Teoxane Cosmeceuticals Perfect Skin Refiner | Sample worth £14.34

This was the first product that caught my eye as it was recently featured in Vogue as one of their top hydrating formulas. It includes a number of wonder ingredients such as hyaluronic acid to moisturise and 10% glycolic acid to exfoliate. Glycolic acid is a powerful alpha hydroxy acid (read more about it in my previous post here) and I have had good results from products that contained it in the past. It also includes N-acetyl glucosamine that is known to stimulate the body's own production of hyaluronic acid. The brand itself is quite an interesting one to me as it is marketed as a "cosmeceutical", which essentially means "cosmetics with biologically active ingredients purported to have medicinal or drug-like properties". Supposedly they are able to do far more than traditional products so I'm pretty eager to see the long terms effects from using Teoxane's offering. There has been a lot of talk in the beauty world lately about these two ingredients so a combination of the two is something I'm really looking forward to trying. Double whammy? Yes please!

 

Lollipops Lip Balm Délicieuse | RRP £4.15

Ok, I will just come out and say it, lip balms are boring. Yes they are no doubt an absolute beauty staple but I'm never going to be found jumping up and down out of excitement for a new one. That said, I can appreciate a good one from a bad one and this is definitely the former. When I first saw the pink tube I initially thought it was my makeup nemesis, the lipgloss (I have a severe aversion to the sticky, overly shineyness that makes me feel like I'm reverting to a 12 year old). Luckily though, it was just a nice little inoffensive lip balm. To be fair, it is quite the treat for the lips with vitamin E to soothe and a number of antioxidants to keep my pout in tip top condition. It also seems to sink in quickly so I think it would be a handy base for matte lipstick if you were in a rush and didn't have that much time to wait between lip balm and lipstick. 

 

Yves Rocher Comme Une Evidence | Sample worth £6.13

Oh how I love a good perfume. Lots of people get the grumbles about perfume samples in beauty boxes but personally it's one of my favourite things. Anyone who knows me will be aware that my bag is usually filled with a handful of different sprays and perfumes and I love to change them up regularly. So for me this is perfect as we haven't had perfumes in a Glossybox for a while. This one in particular is an elegant, floral fragrance with notes of patchouli, bergamot, lily-of-the-valley, rose and jasmine. The scents of lily-of-the-valley and jasmine hit first with the smokeyness of patchouli in the background. The patchouli has obviously been added with a very light touch as it isn't overpowering at all, though the rose seems to have been lost which is a shame. It's certainly a perfume that I will enjoy wearing of an evening and since the sillage isn't overly strong, perhaps also to work.

 Noxidoxi Enhancing Serum Base | Sample worth £20.75

Last but not least for the beauty products was a serum from Noxidoxi containing a CRC6 moisturising complex which penetrates deep down to hydrate skin cells as well as looking after the surface of your skin. It combines anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants to create a barrier against the environment and keeps your skin looking fantastic no matter where you live.

Unfortunately my search for exactly how it protects the skin came up empty so I'm not entirely sure what to believe. I stumbled across a number of people stating it can even protect your skin from the effects of cigarette smoke. Considering that it is the very industry I work in, I am really curious to find out what the scientific backing is of that claim so I will persevere in my research! Granted though it doesn't explicitly state that on the brand website so perhaps it might be a result of information being taken out of context. In the meantime though, it has a nice light consistency, sinks in quickly and leaves skin feeling soft and smooth, so just from that view it seems like a pleasant product to use.

Glossybox Exclusive Travel Pouch | RRP £3.99

This unique offering from Glossybox will certainly come in handy to keep all of my many eyeshadows, eyeliners, mascaras, moisturisers, serums etc etc together and in a stylish way no less. I do wonder if they would actually allow this to be used through airport security but it is so pretty that I would certainly be willing to try!

This month's box has been a real pleasure and has made me fall in love with Glossybox all over again. I will use every single product in the selection and am excited to see what the long term benefits will be from using such high-end skincare. Perhaps I will suddenly transform into a trés chic Parisian with skin to die for overnight....one can dream!

If you are tempted, the July Glossybox is still available from www.glossybox.co.uk for £10 plus P&P but I can't imagine they will be hanging around for much longer!

What did you think of the July Glossybox? Is it tempting you to sign up? Did you get the same selection as me or something a little different? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

My Beauty Saviours - Lush Top 5

My top Lush products

As you might have already gathered from my earlier posts, I am a huge fan of Lush. Not only do I love the amazing scents of their products, I really respect their ethos. I think its so admirable of a company to actively support animal rights and to try and protect the environment. I also really love the fact that it is a family based company, with a lot of the products showing personal touches from the Constantine family.

Given my slight obsession, I have tried pretty much everything from Lush and really enjoy the variety that you can get from all of the different products. However, there are a few items that I find myself coming back to time and time again. The ones that I just can't live without! So I thought I'd share my top pick of Lush products with you all.

Ultrabland - The ultimate cleanser & makeup remover

1. Ultrabland | £11.50 for 100g

This is my all time favourite makeup remover and cleanser. It's based on traditional cold creams and is an incredibly gentle yet effective cleanser that removes all traces of dirt and makeup without any kind of stripping effect. It contains almond oil and beeswax for hydration, rose water to soothe the skin, and honey for it's moisturising and antibacterial properties. Quite the combination!

To use the product you simply smooth it over your skin, then remove it with a warm damp cloth. I find this to be the best makeup remover I have ever come across which is my first reason for loving it so much. I use Benefit's They're Real mascara which is so difficult to remove, they even produce a specific makeup remover for it, yet this beauty has absolutely no trouble getting it off. A Lush employee even told me once that after some misguided actions involving alcohol, permanent markers and moustaches (I'll leave the rest to your imagination), Ultrabland was the reason she was the only person in her friendship group without a variety of permanent marker tattoos all over her face the next day. Now THAT is a good makeup remover!

The second reason I love it is it's impressive ability to calm down my skin within days of use. Every once in a while I go off the rails with my beauty routine, whether that translates as a few too many late nights or trying a product that my skin has decided to hate, it doesn't matter, Ultrabland has my back. I can be suffering from a really bad breakout with no foreseeable end, but a day or two later all will be back to normal. What's even better is that due to its simple formula, it is suitable for even the most sensitive skin. Everyone needs a product like this on hand!

Mask of Magnaminty - The perfect mask for problem skin

2. Mask of Magnaminty | £5.50 for 125g

Lush has a huge number of face masks, all with particular concerns in mind. I really like a number of them but this is my top choice. As the name suggests, the mask is loaded with peppermint oil which not only "wakes up" your skin, it acts as a natural antiseptic, promoting the healing of blemishes and scars. As an extra bonus, it also includes ground aduki beans and evening primrose seeds to gently exfoliate your skin as you remove the mask.

The mask has a thick, creamy formula

Letting the magic happen!

The mask has a really thick, creamy consistency which means a little goes a really long way. The mask has been aimed at face and body use so it can be applied wherever it is needed. You simply apply it over the areas you want to treat, enjoy the wonderful cooling sensation, then rinse it off after 5-10 minutes. The application and removal can be a tad on the messy side so it's best carried out in the bathroom, or at least somewhere easy to clean up! I use this mask once a week and it really helps to keep breakouts under control as well as generally making my skin look bright and fresh.

R&B Hair Moisturiser

3. R&B Hair Moisturiser | £11.50 for 100g

This is my favourite emergency hair styling product. Admittedly, I don't entirely use this product as it is meant to be though. It is marketed as a leave-in conditioner, containing a wonderfully rich blend of butters and oils which helps to hydrate your hair. The ingredients used include olive oil, avocado butter and coconut oil. It can be put on wet or dry hair to give an intense hit of moisture and also soothes the scalp. 

I'd imagine for curly or quite course hair this product would be perfect but for fine hair like mine, using a large amount is a bit too heavy for me. So why is it in my beauty saviours list you ask? The reason for including it is because it is the perfect styling cream. I carry a little pot of this product with me wherever I go and find it to be great for when my hair has decided to resemble a poodle (yes, this is a real life situation). Literally just a few fingertip's worth of product tames fly-aways and gives hair a lovely shine. R&B is also scented with a gorgeous jasmine and orange perfume that makes your hair smell fantastic. The perfect last minute touch up!

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner - leaves skin moisturised and smelling phenomenal

4. Ro's Argan Body Conditioner | £15.95 for 225g

This is my perfect, lazy girl's moisturiser. Body conditioners are essentially moisturisers that you can use in the shower, massaging over wet skin and then rinsing it off like you would with a hair conditioner. No more waiting to dry and then applying moisturiser, flapping around until it sinks in (is this just me..?) and THEN getting dressed. This beauty takes care of all of that in one go.

Lush have a couple of body conditioners but this one is by far my favourite. It shares its scent with their Christmas product Rose Jam which has the most luxurious, floral perfume. It is a predominantly rose based smell with a blend of lemon, tonka bean and geranium mixed in and is rounded off with the slightly musky element of vanilla. All in all, suffice to say this product makes your skin smell utterly amazing.

Thanks to the extensive list of moisturising ingredients such as argan oil, brazil nut and almond oils, cocoa, shea and cupuaçu butters, Ro's Argan makes your skin not only smell incredible, but will leave it soft, supple and radiant. Perfection.

My favourite Lush shampoos, Daddy-O and Big

5. Daddy-O Shampoo | £5.50 for 100g / Big Shampoo | £12.25 for 330g

Ok, so I know I may have cheated slightly here given that there are actually 6 products on the list but in my defence, it depends on what my hair needs as to what shampoo I choose. 

Daddy-O is my go to, everyday shampoo. Since it is a purple shampoo, it brightens and tones blonde hair, stopping it from going brassy. The lemon and lime juices within it encourage the cuticles to lie flat which results in much shinier hair and it's also loaded with extra virgin coconut oil which hydrates and fine sea salt to soften. It keeps my hair in great condition and has really improved it after prolonged use. The smell of this shampoo also keeps me coming back for more. The strong parma violet scent is lovely and uplifting and lasts throughout the day. 

Big Shampoo - loaded with sea salt

Big is the shampoo I reach for roughly once a week to give my hair a dose of OOMPH. You know what I mean, those days when you want some serious volume in your hair? This is the shampoo to give it to you. As you can see in the picture above, it does have a rather odd texture as it is loaded with sea salt. This may seem strange, but the salt is great for lifting your hair and it gives your scalp a bit of a massage at the same time. The coconut oil and seaweed included soften your hair too. 

Although this shampoo is a little pricey, you only need a small amount to work up a good lather and it's not really one you'd use every day. It's great for removing product build up that can weigh down your hair and leaves it feeling soft, full and bouncy. Added bonus, it smells like the seaside.

So there you have it! Those are my favourite Lush products of all time. What are your favourites? Have you tried any that I've talked about?