Beauty Product of the Month: April - Lush Shower Jellies

I currently have two shower jellies on the go so just wanted to share my love of them with you. I got one as part of a Lush gift set, and the other was given to me for free from a Lush store that was about to be renovated and they needed to clear a lot of stock. Sweetie Pie was from a gift set I was given a while back and is overpowered with the smell of blackcurrant and a hint of bergamot. It also has glittery bits in which are more for an aesthetic purpose and wash off before you notice them on your skin.

The one I was given was called Whoosh which has contains a blend of lemon, lime and grapefuit juices as well as rosemary and geranium making it a very fresh scent, one that I immediately associated with a masculine smell so this is a great one to buy for your man.

When I first used the shower jellies, admittedly I was not impressed. I found them messy, and very difficult to use. On the packet it recommends how to use them, by crumbling, freezing or storing at bathroom temperature. I froze Sweetie Pie, which made a nice treat during the brief hot spell we had a few weeks ago (where has the lovely spring weather gone by the way??), it didn't freeze completely due to how it's made which is from a seaweed derivative, but it hardened and was easier to break a piece off. For the most part though, I store this in the bathroom, and use it with a shower poof. You need to crumble off a generous amount, probably a little bigger than a pea size amount, and bury it in the shower poof, hold it under the shower and then it's ready to use. This technique means it lathers pretty well and you don't end up wasting a load of product. Now I've found a manageable way to use it I can comment more on the product's value for money and am able to say at £2.30 this is actually brilliant value. It's lasted longer than a bottle of shower gel, and like the majority of Lush products, the smell lingers long after you've used the product, not something you find with conventional shower gels, but something I appreciate since I choose my bath and shower products based almost solely on the smell, and would like them to last longer than the duration I'm using them! The carrageen extract which holds them together helps to infuse the ingredients and acts as a natural surfactant which helps the product lather up which is why these have long lasting smelling power!

The only down side I'd bring up about this product is the choice. I've mentioned two of the shower jellies available, and asides from these, there's only The Joy Of Jelly left to try. I know Lush are famed for their bath products, most notably the bath ballistic, but I would like to see a brand that I deem to be one of the most "green" out there, to recognise most people shower, since it's quicker, cheaper and overall better for the environment. So I would like to see a wider range of the shower jellies available, maybe featuring some of Lush's classic, signature scents.

Has anyone tried and liked the shower jellies?

Beauty Product of the Month: October - Naked Colour Protection Shampoo & Conditioner

There was a gap in the market that I feel Naked products have come along and filled very nicely. Natural beauty products that are effective and affordable. I was looking for a new shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair and attracted to this brand with its 97% natural tag. My hair has become somewhat damaged since summer, with constant washing and sun damage on top of the dying I’ve been subjecting my hair to. My hair is in dire need of some treatments and a good quality shampoo. I’m a big believer that nature knows best, with Lush being one of my favourite shops to buy from. What I like about Naked products compared to Lush is that they come in a conventional form, i.e. liquid form in a bottle. I know this is not great news for the environment, solid shampoos are a lot kinder, but this is what I’m used to and find the easiest method, in terms of storing and using the product. 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.

I love the smell of this shampoo, it contains sunflower extract and cinnamon with the latter lingering in your hair after washing. I suppose it’s not for everybody but personally I love this smell, and it’s proven to help preserve the colours in your hair. I use the matching conditioner, which is more sunflower extract based and still smells appealing even if I can’t quite place the scent. After shampooing, your hair can feel a little dry and limp, but the conditioner helps to put back the moisture and volume and after drying, I’m happy with the results. There are a few variations of this shampoo and conditioner for different hair types, and at the bargainous price of £3.91 for a 250ml bottle it’s worth a look at. Often in places like Boots this product is on offer too so there’s another incentive!

Beauty Product of the Month - August: Olive Oil

Before the month runs out, (honestly where has August gone?!) I wanted to post my products of the month. I haven’t really been spending recently which in a way is a good thing because it gives me the chance to recommend a product that I probably wouldn’t normally, but is a cheap and safe to use product. I’m sure there are plenty of people who have found efficient alternatives to using eye make-up remover, but I only started using olive oil to remove my make-up about 8 weeks ago. As you can see, in that time, I’ve only just used beyond the neck of the bottle which I think is brilliant for a two month period! One of the benefits of using olive oil over traditional eye make-up removers is the safety of the product. Not that eye make-up removers are dangerous, but you know that using olive oil, it’s 100% natural with no harsh chemicals. It’s also very effective in removing make-up. I tend to make the area around my eye wet with cotton wool first, and then apply a small drop of olive oil onto a cotton ball and just wipe. I was amazed at how little I actually need and made the mistake when I first used this of applying too much, and ended up with a stingy eye situation! I’ve since learned to ration correctly and find this as good, if not better than the more expensive brands I was using before. It doesn’t need to be a fancy brand of olive oil either, as you can see, I went for Morrisons own brand, which costs £1 for a 250ml bottle! It’s a great cost cutting technique and means you’ll have a few extra pounds to spend on something more exciting!

Neutral every day makeup with a splash of colour

If you're like me, you enjoy wearing make-up and find yourself coming back to easy neutral colours for every day use. Neutral can become quite boring though, so I will show you how to create a neutral look with a splash of colour. To see the look created live, you can visit the Youtube tutorial.
This is a look that I find myself returning to a lot of the time. It’s very easy to wear and easy to apply as all the colours are from the same palette. The palette I use is Maybelline’s expertwear eye shadow in Enchanted Forest. I bought this in the US but if you’re in the UK, similar colours can be found in one of the Revlon quads (sorry I can't remember the exact name).
The Maybelline quad has great quality eyeshadows, especially for the price. They’re not brilliantly pigmented, but they’re long lasting, and quite shimmery, and because we’re going for a natural look, they’re perfect. You can always layer up the shadow if you wanted a more intense look.
I use this quad because it contains an olive/moss green colour. The trick to wearing colour in a subtle way is to match the colour of your eye and incorporate this colour into your eyeshadow. It doesn’t have to be exact, but if you have blue eyes, look for a suitable blue. If you have brown eyes, maybe look for a coppery brown coloured shadow for the crease, and for grey eyes, a purple grey, for a subtle hint of colour.
I start off with my primer, I use two faced shadow insurance. Then, using the darker beigey gold colour take a brush and sweep it all across the lid. To build the colour up a little bit, it helps to dab the brush in to the colour, then dab it on to the lid. It takes more time but can see the colour more clearly. Next I use another brush to apply the green in to the crease. I use the dark brown on the outer corner, blending it with the green in my crease. I use this colour because I want a colour that is neutral but darker than the crease colour. If you have brown eyes and are using brown on your crease, apply black or a darker brown to your outer corner. Nothing ground breaking, just easy to wear makeup that's subtle, suitable for work/school and a little more interesting than your typical nudes/neutrals.