Miss Patisserie - Queen of Hearts Bath Bake

When I'm looking to buy a bath bomb for myself I must admit I look no further than my local Lush store. Whilst using up my bath bombs recently I found this little beauty from Miss Patisserie lingering at the back of my drawer and decided to give it a go. Queen of Hearts is a cupcake style bath bake and comes complete with a mound of red 'frosting', glitter and a small red heart to top it off. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find the frosting like topping is actually a gentle exfoliating body scrub whilst the bottom half of the bath bake is the actual bath bomb. I haven't seen this done before but I absolutely love the concept. 

The bath bomb smells beautifully sweet with slight floral scents to it. I'm always hopeless at describing scents but the website tells me it's filled with citrus zest and blackcurrant notes. The water turned a lovely muted purple colour - it reminded me of those Palma Violet sweets.

At £4.50 I wouldn't use one everyday but for a weekly treat or special pamper night they are perfect. That being said, the price point isn't that dissimilar to Lush but with this one you get the added extra of the body scrub. 

You can expect to see these in my Christmas gift guides coming up this month. What alternatives to Lush have you found?

ox Lucy

Drugstore make up haul

I don't buy make up too regularly, I'm more of a splurge every few months kinda girl rather than buying new products as and when they're released. My 'to-buy' list was getting pretty long so last weekend I took full advantage of triple points and topped up my stash.

Brow's That brow kit from Seventeen comes with a brown powder, setting wax, highlighter, pencil and a brush. The brush excluded, this kit has every thing to ensure your brow game is on point including a mirror and tips card showing exactly how it should all be used. On weekdays I do my make up on the morning commute so with that in mind I couldn't not buy this!

Bourjois Mega Liner is a felt tip eyeliner with flat tip rather than a pointy one. When it comes to winged liner I need all the help I can get so I'm hoping this is fool proof!

Seventeen Falsifeye Mascara I needed a mascara but only opted for this one because there was a 2 for £10 (or something along those lines) deal on Seventeen products. I need lengthening which it claims to do so I was sold.

Tanya Burr Lipgloss Smile, Dream, Sparkle I actually found this in the sale basket in Superdrug for 50p! Can you believe that? My local Superdrug is pretty small so I think they were getting rid of old stock to make way for her new products launched recently. It's the first TB I've owned and the smell is just divine; it's sweet like strawberries.

Boujois Rouge Edition 04 This reminds me a lot of my beloved Rimmel Kate Moss 03 lipstick. It's that nude Kylie Jenner colour and I thought it would pair really well with the lip gloss for a night time look.

Boujois La Laque in Beach Violet I hadn't even seen this range until a couple of weeks ago and it was the shape of the bottle that initially caught my eye. I was completely taken in my this colour for A/W it's a perfect deep shade for the season and perfect to off set my monochrome outfits. This month I'm doing a 30 polishes in 30 days series and I debuted this colour on the 5th. You can see that post and the rest here.

Finally, I needed some skincare bits.  Well I actually only needed some day moisturiser to replace my Clinique Dramatically Different that's recently run out. 

Nivea Daily Essentials Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream I've used this a few times in the past week and whilst it does the job and sinks into the skin perfectly before make up application, I'm not convinced it'll see me through the colder months. 

Nivea Daily Essentials Tinted Moisturising Cream is the first tinted moisturiser I've bought. I thought it'd come in handy when I just want a small amount of coverage for running errands and such or when I just want to give my skin a break (also for lazy days obviously). It was only available in one shade which put me off slightly.

Have you tried any of these products?

ox Lucy

Follow 

30 polishes in 30 days #6: Sinful Colors - At Sea

Sinful Colors - At Sea

Sinful Colors used to be sold in Boots for a while and boy do I miss it. It's probably my favourite brand of budget nail polish but I can only ever find the odd few in Poundland. If you know anywhere that sells them in the UK please let me know. 

You can catch up with the rest of my 30 in 30 series here.

ox Lucy

Follow 

30 polishes in 30 days #5: Bourjois - Beach Violet

Borjois - Beach Violet

A new addition to the nail polish collection, I picked this up from the Bourjois La Laque collection last weekend. A deep purple, this is a perfect Autumn shade, especially for this time of year whilst transitioning through seasons. The consistency is think and it applies really well. I'll be picking up a few more La Laque polishes I think.

What's on your nails this weekend?

You can catch up with the rest of my 30 in 30 series here.

ox Lucy

Follow 

30 polishes in 30 days #4: Barry M - Masquerade

Barry M - Masquerade 

Friday nights call for glitter and nobody does budget glitter nail polish like Barry M. Masquerade has silver, blue and purple flecks of glitter and needed three or four coats but as you can see it's worth the effort.

You can catch up with the rest of my 30 in 30 series here.

ox Lucy

Follow 

30 polishes in 30 days #3: Pure Colour - Purple Matte

Pure Colour - Purple Matte

Okay so I didn't actually realise this was matte until I put it on my nails. I know, I know, it says right there on the bottle but I was taken in by the colour and thought nothing more of it. Anyway, the colour is beautiful and as with most matte polishes it dries straight away. This is the first item I've bought from the New Look beauty range and I'm pretty impressed especially considering I wasn't very fond of their Kelly Brook range of nail polishes. I do wish it wasn't matte but it's nothing a glossy topcoat won't sort out.

Have you tried any New Look polishes yet?

You can catch up with the rest of my 30 in 30 series here.

ox Lucy

Follow

30 polishes in 30 days #2: Bourjois - Turquoise Block

Day 2 is Bourjois's Turquoise Block.

This vibrant turquoise from their '1 seconde' range dries super quick with with an ultra shiny gel effect finish. It applies well in one coat but I always use two for good measure and the angled brush makes it perfect for an on the go mani to polish off your look.

ox Lucy 

I'd love you to follow me

 Bloglovin Instagram Pinterest

Lush Haul Review - Skydancer

Every time Lush release new products I cannot resist popping in and have a look smell. It's fair to say I was pretty overwhelmed by the new additions and spent a good twenty minutes annoying the sales assistant with my indecisiveness. Finally I settled on Skydancer. The first thing that swayed me was the size. As much as I love lush I can't always bring myself to spend £5 on a bath but selling for just £3.95 and being larger than their average bath bomb I knew it would be worth the money. But what sealed the deal for me was that the profits from each Skydancer sold goes towards tagging English Hen Harriers in a bid to save them from extinction. This is why I love Lush - not only do they care about producing good quality products, they care about the environment, animal and human rights. Lush, I love you.

Now when I was in the shop smelling everything, I think my nose might have been slightly overwhelmed because only when I got home did I realise that the main scent in Skydancer was liquorice. I feared I'd be bathing in a sambucca-like bath but after a couple of days the scent became less daunting. The floral notes balanced out and I knew it was time. As you can see, I broke off a chunk rather than use the entire bath bomb all in one go. I try and do this with most Lush products, very rarely will I use a whole bath bomb or bubble bar. The water turned an awesome green colour, it reminded me of those gooey little Alien things from the 90's but I liked it all the same.

As per most Lush products, I was left with lovely soft skin and for once there was very little residue left in the bath afterwards although it's worth baring in mind I did use a small amount. If you're in Lush I urge you to give Skydancer a chance and support the English Hen Harriers cause but please don't be put off by the liquorice, it works a lot better than you'd think. 

Have you bought anything from the new Lush collection?

ox Lucy

I'd love you to follow me

 Bloglovin Instagram Pinterest

My Favourite YouTubers

Just recently I've had such a love/hate affair with YouTube. An increasing number of YTers are churning out similar videos and the lack of original, creative content is becoming tiresome. Finding new YTers also seems to be proving difficult since I only ever see well established channels promoted. I decided to trawl through my subscriptions and make sure the only channels in there were ones I love. I realised there were a few people whose videos I could never miss out on and those are the ones I'm going to share with you.


MuchelleB So much more than a fashion Vlogger, Michelle makes a mixed bag of videos and that's what I love. YouTube should be about creativity and Michelle shares her style in lookbooks and fashion DIYs but she also uses her videos as a platform to voice her opinion on a range of topics and give advice too. She's also hella funny and flying the girl power flag. If you like short videos that get to the point and spark conversation, she's your girl.

Em Ford I've read Em's beauty blog from the beginning when her niche was pale skin but in the past few months her popularity rocketed with a series of acne coverage videos on YT and Instagram. Unless you're completely new to YT/the online beauty community you'll probably have seen Emma's 'You Look Disgusting' video she made last month. Even if you're not looking for acne coverage advice I'd still recommend checking out her tutorials. This Margot Robbie make up look is one of my favourites.

Miss Budget Beauty Probably one of the few channels I've stuck with from when I first started watching YT. I find that as a person's channel grows their videos change but MBB stuck to her roots but added a couple of other channels to broaden her audience. The beauty community is pretty saturated nowadays but if you're looking for honest reviews from a reliable and relatable source then you should check out Khila's channel. I can't pick a favourite video of hers but her recent first impressions for a full face of make up using New Look's own brand was on point and perfectly catered towards her viewers.

The Stream TV One for the TV show fandoms out there. If you follow me on twitter you'll know I'm obsessed with Pretty Little Liars and that's how I came to find this channel. Each week after the episode airs the after show is streamed live and the lovely Ashley, Sinead, Meghan and Stephanie discuss the goings on in Rosewood. There's lots of interaction with fan theories and chance to discuss where viewers think the show is heading. It's not only PLL the stream make after shows for, there's Vampire diaries, Real Housewives, Arrow and more. If you need a community to chat about your latest TV obsession, you'll probably find one here.

Which channels have you been watching lately? Recommendations are always welcome.

ox Lucy

I'd love you to follow me on Bloglovin Instagram or Pinterest

5 uses for your free beauty samples

1Trying before you buy is the ultimate benefit of keeping your samples. If you're on the hunt for the perfect volumising shampoo then search the web for some samples - more companies offer them than you'd think. Lush are a great company for samples too. If you're looking to try a product of theirs just ask for a sample and they'll happily oblige. I'm no beauty blogger myself but if I was I'd hoard sample products like no tomorrow and post endless reviews at no cost to myself.

2Sample products are the perfect size to slip into your suitcase for a weekend away. We all know how much heavier our bags become once we've added our moisturisers, exfoliators and shower gels so a sample size will not only free up space but take the weight off as well. As samples tend to be less than 100ml they make for great additions to your carry on bag too. Mini toothpaste tubes and hand moisturisers are perfect for this.

3When the end of the month is almost upon us but payday seems so far away and we simply cannot justify repurchasing our expensive but all time favourite salon quality shampoo, introduce your samples into the mix. It'll put off spending that little bit longer and many samples come with money off vouchers for your purchase - trust me, your overdraft will thank you!

4Just imagine how cute it would be to arrive for a weekend stay at your besties' house and find she has prepared a welcome basket of mini beauty essentials just for you. Many beauty samples will fit perfectly into a welcome basket and shows how much you appreciate their visit without costing you a penny. This is a great opportunity to give away products you have no use for too - if your BFF rocks curly hair whilst your is poker straight then give her that curl defining mousse you got your a Glossybox subscription last month.

5Did you know that food banks aren't just for food? Families in crisis in our country need things like soap, toothpaste, sanitary products and shampoo as well as essential food items. Just enter your postcode to find your local food bank and take along your unwanted stash. Sample sizes might not seem like you're making a difference but even the smallest of donations will help.

If you have anymore Ideas I'd love to read them in the comments below.
ox Lucy

I'd love you to follow me on Bloglovin Instagram or Pinterest

DIY: Bobby Pin Storage Beauty Hack

Okay girls, I know I'm not alone with this problem. My bobby pins disappear into thin air. They have a severe case of missing socks in the washing machine syndrome and I'm sick of it. So I turned to Pinterest and found this genius DIY beauty hack that I couldn't resist trying out for myself.

You'll need:
An empty tic tac container
Your bobby pins
A sharpie, stickers or some washi tape to decorate

Remove the label from the tic tac container. You might need give it a wipe with a damp sponge to remove any excess glue. And that's the hardest part done! Now it the fun part. Decorate as much or as little as you like. I opted for this glitter washi tape I bought from eBay for a bargain 99p. Stripes of patterned washi tape would also look fantastic or you could keep it simple with some sharpie polka dots. Once your design is done, pop your bobby pins inside and throw your new container into your make up bag. 

Will you be trying this? I'd love to hear any other beauty storage hacks you have in the comments below.

ox Lucy

I'd love you to follow me on Bloglovin Instagram or Pinterest

What's in my carry on | Long haul

I've travelled on a fair few long haul flights and if I'm honest, they're a nightmare. If there wasn't a Nextlix worthy amount of films and TV shows to watch I really don't know how I'd cope. With this in mind I've compiled a list of in-flight essentials when you're quite literally in it for the long haul.

Comfort Everytime I fly I see these business types wearing their pant suits or a pair of heels and quite frankly it baffles me. Who wears this type of thing on a long haul flight? I sure don't. I'm not saying I turn up for my flight dressing as though I'm about to embark on an eight hour Netflix binge but I do have a trick up my sleeve. I pack my comfies. My comfy pants and a large sweater. Granted it's a little awkward fully changing your outfit in the already claustrophobic toilet cubicle but pair your comfiest loungewear with a some of Primark's finest fluffy socks and you won't look back. 

Sleep is obviously essential so pack an eye mask and ear plugs to make sure you're uninterrupted. Although some airlines provide these I always find it's better to take my own. I can only assume they buy new earplugs for each passenger but until that's confirmed.. thanks but no thanks.  

Beauty Ah the good old 'in-flight beauty regime' has been well over worked on YouTube channels and beauty blogs and I know this because I watch them like a crazy woman before taking a trip. With all the knowledge I have learnt I finally found the products that work well for me without carting half of my skincare drawer on the flight. I can break down my beauty regime into three simple steps. 

1. Something to take off my make up

2. Products to moisturise my hands, face and lips

3. Basic make up products to apply prior to landing.

It's really that simple. You don't need specific products to do any of these but I (along withe everybody else) would highly recommend Origin's Drink Up. An intense hydrating mask that can be left on for the entire flight and doesn't make your face shinier than the sun. It soaks into the skin really quickly and although I reapplied it after a few hours I probably didn't need to. My main tip would be to decant your liquid products into small travel sized containers to meet the 100ml restriction. Primark sell a set of these for around £2 but you can buy them from amazon too.

Entertainment Phone, iPad, laptop, iPod. Whatever your device of choice make sure it's fully stocked with offline apps, books, TV shows you love and some of those 'pin now, read later' articles you've had saved for months. This is the perfect time to catch up and indulge in all your favourites. Of course, you must not forget your earphones! Airlines provide these too but I tend to take my own because I know they're good quality and won't begin to hurt my ears half way through my audiobook. A notebook and pen are a good little addition too. Long hauls flights are the perfect time to plan for any events coming up, draft blog post ideas or even scribble down your itinerary for your up and coming trip. If you prefer to do this electronically don't forget to take a pen anyway. Many countries require you to fill in forms before landing but even if they don't, you know you'll always need a pen!

If you have any other in flight recommendations be sure to let me know in the comments. Are you off on holiday this year? Where are you going?

ox Lucy

I'd love you to follow me on Bloglovin, Instagram or Pinterest

Ciate Flower Manicure

ox Lucy

Australian Beauty Haul

On my recent trip to Australia I picked up a few beauty bits exclusive to the country. Here's what I bought..

The Australis contour palette is said to be a dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills palette for a bargain $16.99 (a little over £8!). The colours seem really pigmented and suitable for all skin tones. This does mean there will be a couple of colours I'll never use and I hate to waste products but for the price I can live with that guilt!

Next up, a lip balm and moisturiser from Paw Paw. You can buy these products in the UK but they're slightly cheaper in Aus. The natural ingredients mean the balms don't act as an irritant. I've only tried the moisturising balm so far and it feels a sort of gel consistency but dries into the skin like an oil. It's different and I like it!

Next up are some nail polishes. As a self confessed nail polish addict I couldn't resist these.

Show Me Your Sparkle and Runway Ready are both by the brand Face of Australia from their Iconic range. I don't have a neutral coloured glitter polish in my collection so I'm excited to try Show Me Your Sparkle.

Now Sinful Colours are my favourite brand of budget nail polish ever and, coming from me, that's quite the statement! The UK no longer stock them and to be honest the stocks in Australia were running pretty thin so I only picked up two but seriously, I love them both! On the left is Cinderella. This has been on my to-buy list for months, it has a slight shimmer to it and is the perfect colour match to Cinder's dress. Break away is the first of SC's gel touch collection I have tried. If I'm honest I didn't need another blue nail polish in this shade but the formula is really good in comparable to the gel range from Barry M.

So, that's everything I picked up, I hope you liked my haul.

ox Lucy

I'd love you to follow me on Bloglovin Instagram or Pinterest

Nail Polish: New Additions

My nail polish collection is ever expending and my latest additions are five drugstore polishes, three of which I picked up at a reduced price in Asda. I probably have more Barry M polishes than any other brand but recently I've been drawn to Rimmel.

Funtime Fuchsia and Loafer Love For You are two of Rimmel's 60 second drying polishes and for once they actually do dry very quickly. More than that, one coat is enough for a solid colour so they're absolutely perfect if you're in a rush.

I'm not sure how I feel about Atlantis. I think it looks gorgeous in the bottle but I'm not sure how I'd wear it. The pieces of glitter paint very sporadically and the mix of colours leaves me wondering what polish to pair with it. Maybe I'm just lacking inspiration and need to think outside the box so if you've used it before let me know how you wear it.

Socialite is one of my new favourites. Just look at it! It screams girly and I can imagine wearing it with a gorgeous gel effect topcoat on top. I think it needed about three coats to become opaque but it's worth the effort, trust me.

Disco ball was one of the reduced polishes I picked up and although I love the addition of small silver stars I'd never considered buying it until now. The stars are a nightmare to pick up on the brush so a little patience is required but I think this will look beautiful on a night out or maybe as part of a New Year's Eve mani (yes I do think ahead haha).

Which is your favourite? Have you picked up any new polishes recently?

ox Lucy

I'd love you to follow me on Bloglovin Instagram or Pinterest

How to clean your make up brushes

Sunday is chore day for me and like most people, cleaning my make up brushes was one of those chores I just kept on putting off despite knowing how unhygienic it is not to clean them. That was until I discovered a little beauty saviour from Primark. 

Sold as a 'facial cleansing pad', I knew this beauty gadget would be perfect for cleaning make up brushes as soon as I set my eyes on it and for a mere £1.50 I snapped it up immediately. I experimented with it that very night and to my utter happiness I was right.

The suction pad on the back sticks to the sink so all you need to do is dampen your brush and add a tiny amount of your preferred brush cleaner to either the brush or the cleansing pad. Then, in a circle motion gently rub the brush against the silicone bristles. You don't need to apply much pressure and almost immediately you can see the make up being washed from the brush. 

This new found method of giving my brushes a much needed clean is much quicker and easier than other methods I've tried and believe me, I've tried a lot! I firstly use liquid soap to rid my brushes of any product and once clean repeat it with an antibacterial liquid so kill the germs. To wash my full set of twenty brushes it takes no more than half an hour, I'd recommend doing it whilst running the bath.

Have you any other advice for washing make up brushes?

ox Lucy

Got a secret, can you keep it? | Pretty Little Liars Inspired Nail Art

Some PLL inspired nail art seemed fitting on the day of their Halloween special.

 

 

 

Keeping it simple I took inspiration from the opening credits and used Avon's Viva Pink as a base. One coat was enough for a solid opaque finish but I used two just for good measures and then reached for Barry M's Red Wine I bought in my latest haul. With the blood like colour and using a dotting tool I recreated A's infamous signature on my accent nail. This simple design is perfect for a day at work but still pays homage to one of my all time favoutie shows.

 

 

Do you watch Pretty Little Liars? Who's your favourite? Mine's Hannah, her one liners get me everytime!

 

ox Lucy

Bary M Haul

 

At Superdug this weekend there's a buy one get one free offer on all Barry M nail polishes priced £2.99 so I ceased the opportunity to pick up a four new colours.

Two seasonal polishes, I bought Red Wine with Halloween in mind. The formula is very thin and the blood red colour will be perfect for blood splattered halloween nails. I've already used it in a Pretty Little Liars inspired design for their upcoming Halloween special (photos coming soon).

 

Berry Cosmo is the perfect autumn shade unlike others in my collection. On application it's a slightly deeper purple, almost vampy, ideal for a gothic A/W  edge.

 

 

Diamond glitter is a repurachse of my all time favourite glitter polish. I'll continue to buy this until somebody trumps it but I can't see that happening any time soon. The various sizes of glitter make it easy to build up to opacity but one coat is enough for a gillter top coat or gradient effect.

 

With the festive season not too far away I opted for another glitter and Masquerade jumped out at me. Sinful Colors do a similar glitter but more purple based and although I have that Masquerade's predominantly blue glitter will easily pair with many of my polishes and outfits.

 

The offer is on Superdrug's website untill tonight (I assume midnight) so if you didn't get chance to go in store this weekend be sure to order online. This is the best offer Barry M have had for a while but it does make me wonder whether their £2.99 polishes are coming to an end; hopefully not.

 

ox Lucy

Poundland Nail Polish Haul

I regularly frequent the beauty section of Poundland for Nail Polish bargains and although they don't restock very often when they do I make it my mission to bag the best ones.

I was so happy to find an autumnal green, it's one of my favourite colours and probably my most owned shade of polish. Only two coats were needed for an opaque finish but I've heard Forever Strong chips easily so a top coat is essential.

RRP: £4.49

The perfect pinks for autumn/winter with a frosty blue that reminds me of Elsa's dress in Frozen. I don't love the sugar coat finish but it's a nice novelty.

RRP: £6.99 each

I'm fairly new to the Sinful Colours brand but my friend swears by it so I thought I'd give these two a try. Considering their RRP is only £1.99 I didn't have high expectations but with a perfect application after one coat and minimal chipping I'm keeping my eyes peeled for more. I'm not sure where else you can buy these in the UK so if you please leave a comment.

What bargains have you picked up lately? I'd love to know.

ox Lucy

Opal

Opalesce is a topcoat with chunky pieces of iridescent glitter. I wanted to achieve an icy look against Huckleberry's backdrop but Opalesce seemed to blend in rather than create the light reflecting accent nail I was hoping for. It's a lovely top coat though and next time I'll perhaps pair it with a darker colour, a midnight blue might work nicely.

Lucy x