Shopping The Stash #1

So after reading The Sunday Girl's versions of these I thought it was a brilliant idea in my current circumstances to try and use a few older products I have abandoned or not used in a long time/ even not used at all and see what happens. I have selected mostly face products as due to over stressing, my skin is having an awful time at the moment. I have also selected a few body products and a few make-up based products. So here goes!

So for my face I have selected Neutrogena Visibly Clear - Spot stress Control 3 in 1 daily cleansing lotion and Ultra light spot treatment moisturizer. I used to use these two products a fair few months ago when my ex boyfriend went away for a week, I used them solid and nothing else and my skin dramatically improved so I am hoping the same sort of thing may happen. They are brilliant products that make your skin feel fresh and revived, I used to use the Cleansing Lotion as a make-up remover but I think this time I will use it as more of a toner as I have less of the product and have a make-up remover that bumps it all off anyways. The moisturizer I will use in the mornings before make-up and before I sleep once I have cleansed and toned.

Another two facial products I have chosen to revive are my old favorite St Ives apricot scrub and Balance Me Pure - Skin face wash. I actually got the Balance Me wash in this month's Glamour, so I'm not sure how it works on my skin yet but its for combination skin and smells gorgeously of grapefruit which I love so I'm hoping that it works out well. It claims once massaged onto your face, it dissolves your make-up which makes it free to wipe away with a hot cloth. St Ives scrub has always been a holy grail product for me but I abandoned it when I discovered Lush skincare so now I'm a little low on the cash, I'll give this another go as its a lot cheaper than Lush and works just as well, if not, better
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I have chosen just one fragrance to try and use up which is Believe by Britney Spears. This was in a gift box for Christmas and although it is a celebrity perfume and quite cheap, it smells really fresh and fruity. I love the smells of grapefruit and tangerines and I'd say that it reminds me of these fruits. It's a really lovely fragrance to wear during the day and gives a light scent.

The two body products I have selected are Body Shop's Pink Grapefruit Body Puree and Soap and Glory's hand food - hand lotion. I have only used the Puree a number of times and it smells gorgeous and is silky on the body but I'm not really a user of lotions but with the weather going up and down, my skins going a little dry so I will give that a try. Soap and Glory's hand food is a small sized product I got in a Christmas gift box and I just haven't really used it, was chucked into my big beauty draw. I love hand lotions as my hands get really dry but the one I was currently using I have ran out of, so I'll give this one a try.

The last three products I have chosen are a little more make-up based. Olay regenerist replenishing cream, Body Shop's facial illuminating highlighter and Body Shop's pink grapefruit lip butter. I used to use the Olay cream every morning before my makeup, sort of as a primer as its a lovely silky texture that makes my skin just look nice. I'm not sure its meant to be used by someone of the age of 20 as its for getting rid of wrinkles and making the skin look more youthful but it cant hurt to get started early. I've been using Lush's Vanishing Cream after hearing raves about it and for the same price I can buy this, which I think works a lot better for my skin, so I'll be replacing Vanishing Cream with this for a little while. The highlighter I used to use and wasn't really impressed but I've ran out of my other highlighter so its just a substitute for now but I may like it after a prolonged use. I love the lip butters but forgot about them a little so that will be back in my handbag for my dry lip days.

So that's what I will be using this week and hopefully using up a little more of my slightly large stash. What are you trying to use more of? Are you going to shop the stash?
Let me know your opinions on any of the products if you have used them and drop a comment, I love to hear from my followers. Thankyou!

Beauty On A Budget #1

So this is the first issue of Beauty on a Budget series. I will be doing short issues of these describing products I think are worth the money and the usage you get from them, or cheaper products that work just as good as the big names. So here goes, this version is a little more of a Lush issue but I will get to other products in the next few posts like this.

Budget Beauty 1 - Angels on Bare Skin

This product is a facial cleanser that comes in a different texture to what most of us are used to, its not a cream or a liquid but its a solid product. It has a porridge consistency to it which is rather odd but makes for a great product. You basically pull off a pea sized amount of the product (A little more if you want a big cleanse) add a small amount of water to the product and massage it between your hands. You get a milky paste that you have to massage over your face and bumps off the dirt and sweat on your face and then you simply wash it off with a facial cloth. It has a lavender sent to it, contains almonds and has little seeds and various items inside the mixture that create a slight exfoliation for your skin and reduces redness on your face. I actually use this in the mornings to prepare my skin for makeup, I haven't tested this on my skin with makeup on just yet as I have another product for that but I'm sure it will work just as good. At £6.25 for 100G this product really does go a long long way. I was given a sample size of this and was told it would last me about a week or so, which shocked me so I used it and it actually lasted me about 2 weeks just using it as a morning cleanser. I would recommend this to anyone who is trying to switch up their skin care a little. They do other versions for different skin types but this will suit most types, especially spot prone and red toned skin.

Budget Beauty 2 - Catastrophe Cosmetic

This is one of many Fresh Face Masks that Lush sell and although they don't last as long as face masks you can buy from Boots and Body Shop and such, they really are worth the cash you pay for them. This one is perfect for my skin type, it helps to reduce redness, cools the skin and helps problem skin in the moments that you really need it. It has a Blueberry base which everyone knows contains anti-oxidants and it also contains Chamomile and Calamine which help with inflammation and irritation of the skin. You get about 6-10 uses out of this 45G pot, depending on how much you use (I get about 7-8 uses but I slap it on quite thickly as its a dream for my skin) and at the price of £5.95 you're looking at about £1.00- £0.60 per face mask which when you think about the packets of face masks, its about the same price and if not, a little cheaper. Sadly they only have about 1 month's use and they have to be kept in the fridge at all times, but this really is amazing and gives you such good skin. It helps to tone down all redness, prevents spots and soothe inflammation of spots and gives you really smooth skin after use. 

Budget Beauty 3 - UltraBland

This is another one of Lush's facial cleansers but unlike Angels on Bare Skin, it is a softer butter like texture. In a really odd way it reminds me of peanut butter, smells peanuty too but thats because it does contain almonds so that may be part of the smell. A few more ingredients that UltraBland contains are;

-Rose Water and Rose Absoloute (Which help reduce redness and bring the skin back to basics and calms it from overuse of products) 

- Honey (Which helps soothe and acts as a natural antiseptic) 

- Fresh Irises steeped in Almond Oil (Which are an ancient secret to help beautify the skin)

This product really does bump off any makeup you have and is so gentle and effective it can be rubbed over closed eyelids and removes even waterproof mascara. I really don't think I could live without this product, I am already on my second pot and at £6.25 for 45G its worth the money, but if you think that's not bad then you'll be surprised at the larger pot of 100G for only £4.50 more at £10.75. This sounds like a lot of money, but trust me, you literally need to dip your fingertip into this product and that is enough to go all over your face (you may need a little more if you've caked it on for a night out or something) and it will effectively remove all makeup, dirt and grease. Due to the Beeswax and Almond oil, it is a little greasy on the skin but once washed off, its done its job. Its a strange texture to get used to at first but it works. I would suggest this to anyone who needs something to get rid of makeup and leave your skin feeling squeaky clean. 

Budget Beauty 4 - The Comforter

This is actually one of Lush's bubble bars but if you're a fan in any sense of their Bath Bombs then i'd suggest you go for something more like this and I will explain why. This is a HUGE chunk of product for not a big price, you need hardly any of the product for it to work and you get multiple uses out of it. With this you basically have to crumble off a small part of the bar (I've used it 3 times and still have enough for 2-3 more uses) and crumble it under a hot running tap. This will instantly start to create bubbles and colour the bath for you too, just the job a bath bomb does and with the added bonus of more bubbles! This one gives you a candy pink coloured back and smells of blackcurrants which is delicious. I'm not sure about the weight of them but like I said, you get about 6-7 uses out of it and its only £4.25 for the whole bar, bargain. 

Lush Empties.

So for the past few weeks I've been using up most of my Lush products (mainly to recycle my black pots and get my free face mask) and most of my samples I was given with my purchases. I didn't actually get a chance to get photos of my pots of large products before I took them back so I'll go through my samples and then list my large products. You can review and purchase all these products on the Lush website.

1. Handy Gurugu Hand and Foot Lotion - I had a sample size of this given to me during one of my transactions and I LOVE it. Its actually listed on the pot as a hand lotion but can also be used for feet. It is a rich butter cream texture that has a gorgeous smell of Almonds and Lemon, which is really fresh.After wearing a brand new pair of shoes and having the awful 'wear in' marks on my feet (not to mention HUGE pain) I used a little bit of this on my bunions and the backs of my feet where you get horrible blisters from new shoes, rubbed it in and the next day my feet were all fresh and not in pain anymore. Not to mention soft as well. This product is a bit on the more expensive size at £7.50 for 100G but I think its actually quite worth the money, Its something I will invest in in the future.

2. Celestial Face Moisturizer - Another sample size but with this I was actually really disappointed. This is the first product from Lush that I would not touch at all. Its not a very thick cream but as soon as it goes onto the skin it feels heavy and doesn't melt into the skin at all. Its really not a very nice product to deal with, for me. It states that its a sensitive skin moisturizer that helps to stop inflammation in the skin. I don't really have much else to say about this product except it wasn't right for my skin. I did buy the full size product without realizing it wasn't that good for my skin and was a little disappointed, however they did let me return it as I wasn't happy and purchased Vanishing Cream which I love, so it all worked out good. Its £11.75 for 45G which again is a little on the expensive side but the actual one I use is more expensive but I love that one so its a good investment, a little of the product goes a long way too.

3. Ultrabland Cleanser - Not much to say about this as I have raved about this product before, this is my go to cleanser to rid my face of all my makeup and dirt. Its just a holy grail product and I will not to purchasing this, I am already on my 2nd pot of full sized product and I love it. Couldn't live without it. They have actually put the price up on this so it is now £6.25 for 45G or £10.75 for 100G, next time I will be buying the larger sized product as it seems like a lot better value for money doubling the size of the product for £4.50 more. I would recommend this product to everybody.

4. American Cream Conditioner - This product smelt AMAZING when I put it on my hair and really did make my hair feel lovely and soft but sadly, the small pot literally gave me one use so I'm really not sure if its something I would invest in and I know i'd have to use a lot of the product thus it not lasting me as long as it should. It states its a strawberry and vanilla scent but I'd say it was a lot more on the vanilla side of the spectrum. It really is a lovely product to use, its very watery in consistency (even though it states its a thick conditioner, maybe I had a watery batch) but it allows you to really massage it into your hair, which helps when you have dried ends due to bleaching like I do. I loved it for the once use I got from it and I'd maybe think about buying it again. At £4.45 for 100G I don't think it would last me very long but then I'm not sure if £14.25 for 500G is an acceptable amount of money to pay for this product. I'm 50-50 on repurchasing.

5. Skin's Shangri La Moisturizer - This product, well i can't really comment on it. I was given a sample and knowing how expensive it is (£27.50 for 45G) I thought i'd save it for a special occasion to see if it bad my skin nice and soft so that my makeup would glide on, big mistake it would seem. I was sorting my room yesterday and found it, opened it up and was extremely sad, It has hardened and formed a film over the moisturizer which has utterly destroyed the product. Now I had the packaging all screwed up tight like you would and I really don't know whats happened to it. I would not purchase this as 1. I don't even know how it feels/works and 2. If it did this would a full sized pot I would be very unhappy.

Now these are only my opinions so don't fully base your purchases and choices on this, feel free to go into the shop and ask for samples of products you wish to try, they will happily hand them over to you. Thankyou for reading and if you have any opposite opinions on the products I didn't like that you think I should give them another shot then please just comment and I'll get back to you.

Lush Haul (Addiction)

Yet again I had to go to Lush and feed my ever growing addiction, I really don't know what it is about this place and their products I love so much. I guess knowing its mostly all fresh and handmade and contains hardly any chemicals make me feel a lot better about buying so much of it. Its a tad more expensive than a lot of other products and such but you really know you're getting your monies worth with the products. Everything I have purchased has lasted quite a while, with the exception of the face masks but I have been over using them due to them making my skin AMAZING. The moisturizer I bought the other day that I'm not really a big fan of, I've used every day just to see if I can get more used to it and I've literally not even used the product that was on the lid, let alone start inside the pot.

So after going into the store various times and purchasing mostly all hair and face products, I thought it was time to branch out a little and try a few other products. I remember going into Lush when I was younger and buying some of the amazing bath bombs that they had and loving them. I read a few reviews on various bath bombs and then whilst in store I asked one of the assistants about the ones they would suggest. She suggested the Rose Jam bubble bar which smelt lovely and we both had a giggle how it looked a little like a bum. She also suggested the bath bomb Rose Queen which once I smelt was lovely and floralish. One of the other assistants said it was one of the most over looked products so I just had to have it then. It has a few sticky out bits that I'm guessing are meant to resemble thorns from a rose or something, but it looks beautiful. I'm very excited to use this tonight in my bath and can't wait for my experience.

I had to also purchase some of the amazing soaps they have, it just looks like a huge cheese counter and it all smells delicious. Whilst reading the Lush Times I was supplied with the previous time I went in, the Honey I Washed The Kids was suggested for Aquarians, not sure if this is an actual selection or if it was just randomly done but oh god, its so good. It has hints of toffee and honey in it and looks so edible. The top layer of this soap is like a thick coat of honeycomb and even has the texture of honeycomb. Honey runs through out the soap too. It is a butter cream soap which melts in your hands as soon as you touch it and it has such an addictive smell, I'm sat here typing and I can smell it on my hands, yummy. Its just a delicious smelling soap and I am so excited to use this in my bath tonight. I purchased a ready cut block that weighs 0.134kg and set me back £4.36 although you can ask for a block that weighs 0.100kg for £3.25. I will be trying to cut this block into about three sections as I am scared that if I just take this into the bath it will melt and just disappear too quickly.

I also purchased Rock Star after hearing good things about this too, it smells just like cotton candy. It looks like cotton candy too and I just wish I could eat it. This is described as a butter cream soap and has a very creamy texture to it that just melts in your hands. It has a very vanillay scent to it but its quite a strong soap, do not underestimate its scent. Its a pale bubble gum pink in colour and would appeal to any girl that has a slightly girly side to her like myself, I just like to hide it sometimes. This pre cut block weighs 0.162kg and cost me £5.27 which is quite a lot but I will be cutting this large block into about 4 sections as it again may just disappear and melt too quickly in this large chunk. Again you can buy 0.100kg for £3.25 as it costs the same price as Honey I Washed The Kids.

 Again the lovely assistants at Lush gave me some free samples, I think they've realized i'm a valued customer now and just keep making me come back for more. The samples I was given were based on the soaps I bought, to go with my Rock Star soap I was given a sample of the body conditioner, Ro's Argan. After using Argan oil products I know how good it is for my hair so I was a little surprised they had a body conditioner containing this miracle product. It smells soooo so good and so much like roses, perfectly going with the Rock Star soap. I was told to put it on my skin after i'd washed and got out of the bath, leave it on my skin for about 5 minutes and jump back in and rinse it off. Apparently it works just like a hair conditioner and a body moisturizer in one. Its £15.50 for 225g which is quite steep but I know it would probably last a long time like everything else that Lush sells. 

The second sample was It's Raining Men shower gel. It smells just like Honey I Washed The Kids but a little more stronger and sickly actually, and it is quite a runny texture. It does say that is can be used on body and hair which will be interesting to see if it is a multi use product. I'm not sure how much I will enjoy this product as I only bought HIWTK as it was a best selling product and was suggested to me, but I'll give it a shot and report back. You can purchase this product in three sizes, 100g for £4.25, 250g £8.50 and 500g for £14.95. I don't think this is such a bad price but knowing how quick I use shower gel, the bottles really wouldn't last me that long, I lather on too much.

So this is my newest little Lush installment, I know I'll be going back to buy some more next week so I will apolgise in advance for all the Lush themed posts. I am buying them all myself, sadly they are not gifted or anything -sad face-. Thanks for reading, if you want to know anymore about these products then let me know and I shall try my best for you.