This is one of Lush's limited edition products that only gets released in the run up to Christmas. You can no longer buy it on their website, but if you're quick it should still be available in the Lush stores.
Happy New Year's ladies, hope everyone has an amazing evening. I'm off to Bristol for a change of scenery. I've always wanted to spend NYE in central London watching the fireworks at south bank but decided it's probably a bit too cold and overrated, and going out in London afterwards would be mega expensive, so I'm going to spend it somewhere not ridiculously overpriced!
See you in 2010.
xXx
Anyway, in search of a wearable green shade to complete my outfit, I reached for Barry M, knowing they offer the best range of different shades, almost every colour you could think of. There were some pretty vibrant, loud shades of green to choose from, but I went for Racing Green as it appeared the most wearable. I’d describe it as a classic, royal green. I’ve been sporting it a lot lately because it’s also a very festive colour, perfect for this time of year, as deep, dark colours always work in the winter. It's dark enough so that the colour isn't so in-your-face green.
Tea Tree oil is famous for its blemish beating properties so I’d highly recommend trying out this range. I’ve also used their face mask (not as luxurious as Lush’s face masks, but still great), the facial wash and the pure tea tree oil which you can apply directly to your spots overnight, or dilute and use as a toner.
(blusher without flash)
I briefly mentioned this mascara in a recent post but didn't give much of an opinion on it. It turns out I really like this mascara. I have quite low expectations with Bourjois, I find their eyeshadows quite boring and not very well pigmented, their nail varnishes chip super quickly and anything else I've tried to be a little overpriced for the quality. That said, I do really like their mascaras. I went through a phase of wearing nothing but the Volume Glamour mascara, I loved the plumped up lashes I found myself with, that no other mascara could match with just one coat.
The bristles are shaped very similarly to Glam'Eyes and aren't at risk of snapping off, they're firm but flexible. What makes this mascara unique is the shape of the wand, the bristles are kind of twisted around which actually helps to coat more of your lashes. I would highly rate this mascara, it's good value for money, (on offer right now around £6 at Superdrug I think) and is a pretty innovative design. 
In the picture I'm wearing it over a pink vest top, but as it's sheer, you can wear it with a different coloured top underneath for a different twist on the same outfit. This is good for me to be able to mix an outfit up as I get bored easily! Hopefully you'll be able to enlarge these photos to see the beading embellishments on this top. It's lovely detailing, one of the reasons Topshop is amongst my favourite high street shops. It came with a packet of spare beads which will be useful, I've already had to sew on one of the bead clusters as it got caught! 
It’s very flattering and suitable for any occasion, it makes a nice change to your typical white tipped manicure. The pictures are both taken in natural light.
I would highly recommend any of these nail polishes, they dry very quickly, and after three days of wear have shown no signs of chipping. They do give off quite a strong odour when you’re painting your nails, which I guess is the price paid for the quality of the varnish, just make sure you’re in a well ventilated room would be my advice! I’m not sure I’d be willing to pay their RRP of £16 a piece, but for three, I’m very happy. You can look at all the shades available here:
Using the Naked shampoo is different to more conventional, less natural shampoos however, and when applying to my hair, I did wonder where the lather was! I think we’ve become conditioned to believing that SLS’s are necessary for cleaning our hair, clothes, dishes, or whatever other products they can be found in. Whilst SLS’s are effective detergents, the lathering of these products is not responsible for cleaning and there are plenty of alternatives out there which are safer to use. Naked does not contain SLS or any parabens which are responsible for preserving the product, and it does not lather. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t clean effectively and you don’t need to use more of the product to compensate. My hair is naturally quite oily at the roots, so the only disadvantage with this product is I have to work it well into my scalp to remove the oil. I’m more than happy to do this though if it means using a shampoo that doesn’t have any grey areas surrounding the safety of it. 
It’s still a nude shade, but not in the same sense as Creme de Nude, it doesn’t make your lips paler than they really are. On the website it is described as a “beiged pink with small particle pearl” and the shade appears to be as light as the other nudes I mentioned. However, I really wouldn’t put this in the same category, and in person it is somewhat darker. It adds a nice warmth to the lips which in some lights, has an almost brown shimmer to it. If, on the other hand, you have quite pigmented lips, this would help to tone them down and I think this would also be a great nude choice for people with darker skin tones. So with that, I would class this lipstick as a more universal nude which unlike a “true” nude can be pulled off by most of us. 
Shroom I think is the perfect highlight colour, it brightens your eyes without being too brassy like a pure white eyeshadow. My fourth choice was close to being Carbon which I consider another staple colour, but I noticed a close shade to this called Typographic. I think Carbon is such a popular shade as it’s possibly MAC’s darkest, closest to black shade. However, I think for a lot of amateurs like myself, black is not a very forgiving colour and unless applied flawlessly can really make your eyes look smaller. After swatching Typographic, which looks incredibly similar to Carbon on first glance, I could see that this was a more muted version of the colour, more of a dusky grey colour, and the consistency was more concentrated yet blendible, a combination I thought would work well for me, so I chose this as the darkest colour in my palette. 
Toothpastes that are designed to whiten your teeth cannot change the natural colour of your teeth but can help to remove the stains. I haven’t been down the path of having expensive procedures at the dentist, but I’m happy to use safe whitening toothpastes. What I like about Blanx is it’s a little bit different to other whitening toothpastes on the market. It’s based on arctic lichen which was discovered by scientists in the arctic. They found that the native population had exceptionally white and healthy teeth from using lichen on their teeth and gums. Blanx is one of the least abrasive whitening toothpastes on the market which means it does not damage the enamel of your teeth.
This feature in the magazine takes the time to honour women whose role in fashion is significant and in keeping with the changing times. The stories of these women are truly inspirational and it’s refreshing to read about fashion with a heart so if you want to read more in depth about any of these yourself, go to:
Clear complexion is widely available and is really cheap! I believe I only paid £3 for this. It’s quite easy to overlook because of its cheap and non-descript packaging, but it does the same job as its more expensive rivals so for that reason, I am featuring it as my MUPOTM. The only downside (and I have to say this because let’s face it most products have something you’d like to make better), is that it doesn’t come with a sponge applicator. Because I use this on the go, I prefer a sponge applicator just because it’s so easy, but I guess this leaves you the option to use a brush to apply it with if you would rather.
The second product I received was the Sleek pout polish in Electro Peach. I'm a huge Sleek fan so keen to try out any of their products, I haven't had a single disappointment yet which is great for a relatively new brand. 
The colour is very bright and conventionally a bit off putting for someone of my skintone. You can get quite a good colour pay-off with this product if that’s what you want, but I will use this in the same way I’d use a lip balm, just a small amount so the colour is a lot less scary. I actually love the smell of this, it reminds me of a Natural Collection set of stackable lipbalms I had when I was younger and used to death (they were such a novel idea, I wish they’d bring them back!). There are some key ingredients in here which are very beneficial for keeping your lips in good condition, those being: Jojoba oil, Shea butter, Sweet almond oil and avocado oil. I was quite surprised to see so many nourishing ingredients in one product, especially one not from Lush! May need to stock up on a few more of these, I'll see how I get on with it for a few days and see if there's any improvement to the condition of my lips. 
I feel like I haven’t blogged in such a long time, I’m so sorry! I’ve been pretty busy and exhausted after starting my new job. I’m getting in to the swing of it now so will be able to catch up with all of your blogs, and hopefully begin writing again. I just want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who’s become a follower, I’m getting close to the 100 mark now which is very exciting. When I get there I want to do a giveaway featuring some Barry M and Sleek goodies, but more about that nearer the time. It really means a lot that people take the time to read my posts and leave comments, and I still get excited when I see I have a new follower, so thank you so much, it’s really appreciated. 
This is the cottage we stayed in, so pretty. It's in a tiny place called Winchelsea, the sort of place where everyone says hello to one another and is completely peaceful.
I’m also using Biore’s Pore Unclogging Scrub in place of my favourite face wash Lush’s Angels on Bare Skin, because it’s half the price! It does the job, but I don’t believe it’s a better product in any way and I can’t wait to go back to my Lush. The cleanser by Simple is pretty standard, not designed for a specific skin type as is the toner which I’m using in place of Lush Tea Tree Water, all to save the pennies! 
Extravagant Lashes Mascara has an innovative square shaped wand, which I was intrigued to see how it would work, I’ve only ever known mascara wands to be circular so was curious to see what effect a square shape would have on my lashes. At first I was not impressed with this mascara and would go so far as to say I hated it, now however, what started off as a negative review has turned into an actually this is ok review. My main reservation with this mascara is the fact that the bristles (I’m not sure you’d call them that but I don’t know what else to call them, I mean those rubbery bits!) are too far apart. As a result, you do get thick, long, curly, extravagant lashes, but you don’t get many lashes! To me they look too clumped together. The effect is even though, and I can see why some people would really like this effect because it does make my lashes stand out. Hopefully these pictures will better explain what I’m talking about. 
I’m not sure if I would recommend this mascara, or its’ £11.50 price tag. If you like your lashes blatantly looking like you’re wearing mascara then yes I would. I like the idea of extravagant lashes but if I was to recommend a mascara over this I would say Glam Eyes by Rimmel. It does 
everything, volumises, lengthens and separates beautifully. This mascara is by No.7 which if you spend a certain amount in Boots, you can get a £5 voucher for use on No.7, this is why I bought it, and think it is a more suitable price tag for the quality of the product.
You may already have seen a picture of Layla I posted on Twitter, but I just wanted to show you a few more pictures. Layla is a four week old Lhasa Apso pup. She won’t really be my dog because I don’t live with my parents anymore but I’ll still feel like she is. I always wanted a dog growing up but we never got one because it wouldn’t really have been fair to leave her on her own during the day. Now my Dad’s retired, me and my brother have moved out, so it seems the perfect time for my parents to get a dog, to replace the kids! There were four puppies in the litter, three girls and a boy and I thought Layla had the nicest temperament, and she’s gorgeous. I can’t wait for her to come home, and I’ll be going back to see her as much as I can. 
I actually spent most of my birthday money whilst I was still in London. I went to Bluewater for the first time a of couple weeks ago and LOVED it! It’s the most Americanised shopping centre I’ve been to in the UK which is a good thing because I love American malls, and I believe this is also the biggest one in the UK, I could be wrong, there’s probably an even bigger one by now, but it’s great all the same, definitely worth the travel out of London for the convenience of having everything under one roof. I love the fact it has a Hollister store too, this was the first time I realised we even stocked Hollister and it makes me very happy and nostalgic of my exchange year in Florida. Although the summery clothes have limited wear over here, there’s still some great pieces to layer. Unfortunately the price tags aren’t as I remember, I lived there during a time when I could just halve the price of everything to work out the price in £. Now things seem mega expensive! I only got this simple vest top in the end, I love the colour, and hopefully it should wear well, otherwise I can’t really justify spending £12 on such a top when I could have bought one for £4. Oh well, I love Hollister :p. Also in the picture, I bought another vest top from Topshop, love the lace detailing on the back, a couple of scarves from H&M, necklace from Accessorize, bangles from Muse, (a bargain jewellery shop which I’m pretty certain has the same distributors as Accessorize, Topshop and the like, very similar items), Too Faced Blush and No7 Extravagant Lash Mascara. I will probably do separate reviews on the makeup products because I am thrilled with one and disappointed with the other, can you guess which?!
