Thursday 31 December 2015

♡ December Japan Crate [[UNBOXING]] ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

Amidst all this manic that is Christmas, my Japan Crate managed to turn up two days before Christmas Eve, not that I'm complaining because who doesn't want a delivery of (more) food over the festive period?
So just to re-cap, Japan Crate is that you can subscribe to three different kinds of boxes; mini, original and premium with either a recurring monthly payment (from $12 plus p&p) or you can pay for either 3, 6 or 12 months worth of boxes, therefore saving you a bit of cash at the end of it. You can cancel at any given time, so if you fancied just one box then you can enjoy one box without the pressure of payments. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.
I'm still on my premium subscription, because the immense amount of goodies received in the premium box is just... well it's silly to pass up really. Like I said, this box was pushing it close to not arriving before Christmas itself, but luckily turned up on the 22nd... BOOM! And to make it even more lucky for myself, sunshine decided to make an appearance on the 23rd, so out popped my camera and, I swear, I have snapped enough blog photography to last me until Spring *whew* Anyway, back to this box and oh boy, I was not disappointed with this one!
In the first section (what would be in the mini crate) are; cheese, tonkatsu & veggie umaibo, bad kid beer, awa moco moco in strawberry and a Fujiya lollipop bag.
In this second section (what would be the original crate plus mini crate snacks) are; a cute tororin parfait DIY kit, pocky - demitasses, black bean  soy sauce flavoured scones and a naga-i swawgumi orange sweet.
And this final section (premium crate extras) are; the hia shuwa cola sweets, a pachishuwa dynamite melon soda, a celio lifeguard drink and a Legend of Zelda gachapod thing.
Any box that has Umaibo in it, is instantly a hit with me! I love those little crunchy sticks of flavour mhmmm yas! I'm a little gutted that January's box will be my last one because I love this subscription so much, especially with all those options you have these days but... being an adult must come first hmph. Until then, I am saving some of these pieces just for days when I need... something extra to get me through! But I have tried the lifeguard energy and wow... it is weird.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Wednesday 23 December 2015

♡ Favourite Skincare Products of 2015 ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

To continue on from my previous post on my favourite cosmetics, now it is the turn of skincare products because, well, I love taking care of my skin just as much as I love cosmetics!

Face
The first few items are from one of my favourite brands; Skinfood. I love the Black Sugar Perfect Essential Scrub, the Black Sugar Perfect Scrub Foam and the Black Sugar Perfect Cleansing Cream. Most of the ingredients involved in Skinfood are natural and some of them in these particular ones are black sugar granules, refined rice wine, and botanical oils to help remove dead skin cells and reduce impurities and BOY, are they right! My skin is much healthier and brighter, and I couldn't be happier about it. Next is MISSHA Time Revolution First Treatment Essence (Intensive) and this is pricey compared to the usual products - Skinfood ranges between £5 and £15 where as this product is £22 alone. Despite that, this product has really helped with firming up and hydrating my skin, it's quite honestly one of the best purchases I could ever ask for. There are times where I use whitening products, just to help even my skin tone out - damn red cheeks. And I don't always need make-up to help me with that as I have Skinfood's Premium Tomato Whitening Finisher to help me there. I only use this 3 times a week, maximum, and I mix it in with Etude House's Wonder Pore Balancing Cream, just to give it a little more oomph and help it last longer! As a sleeping pack, I've gone few a fair amount because most of them have made my skin break out overnight, but that was until I started using Tonymoly's Magic Food Banana Sleeping Pack! No break outs, it leaves my skin feeling soft and doesn't make it really greasy... just ugh. Oh and the smell, exactly like banana milkshake mhmmm! Finally, there is Etude House's Wonder Pore Clay Mask, the Wonder Pore Freshener and the Wonder Pore Tightening Essence. I do suffer from HUGE pores on certain areas of my face, but ever since I started using this range, around five months ago now, those pores really have shrunk in size. I never thought that it would actually work?! Such a shock but I'm relieved that it's a product that actually does what it's meant to do.

Body
And to continue on with my love for Skinfood products, the Lemon Vervena Body Scrub is such a lovely body scrub, yes it's like other body scrubs but the smell is DIVINE. I do adore anything citrus scented - as well as eating plenty of citrus products.. for... diet... purposes. My other holy grail body products include the Quinoa Rich Body Milk, the Quinoa Rich Body Wash and the Quinoa Rich Body Cream from Skinfood (again). I have to be uber careful when shopping around for body stuff as my skin (literally) burns from certain products companies put in... the list of things I can't use is endless sometimes! But, when I got a sample of this range, I did a skin test just to see and after have no break outs, I got some more samples and almost cried with joy when my skin didn't burn/break out at all! It is relieving to find a product suitable for my poor skin, I swear!

Hair
I know this, kind of, falls under the skincare range - more body care instead? But I do adore the Etude House Silk Scarf hair care range... this stuff has helped my hair so, so, so much! Especially since I went blonde (gasps) my hair has felt dry with every hair wash bbbuuuttt... this range has really helped with pumping the moisture back into it! My favourites ones from the range are the mist spray, the hair pack, the hair serum and the intensive shot! Before I started using this range, I was using Skinfood's Argan Oil Silk Plus Hair Mask Pack  as argan oil is one of best things ever to have in my poor hair. After I seriously damaged it four years ago, argan oil masks were my saviour! And even to this day, I can't bear to part with them!

So there we go! When I've been asked "what's the secret to your skin?"... here is the secret! An array of different potions and liquids just to help my (indecisive, ridiculous) skin.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Monday 21 December 2015

♡ Favourite Cosmetics of 2015 ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

2015 saw quite a few new cosmetics appear in my make-up bag, some have only graced it once, whilst others are now, permanently, stuck there. Not that's a bad thing... right?

Face
Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion in Mint is quite honestly, one of the best bases I could ask for. It helps covers my red cheeks, old acne scars and evens out my skin tone, whilst giving it a little brightness at the same time. On the same level, Etude House's Face Blur is another base/cream I can stick to. I love how that I can use this as a base underneath my usual BB cream (Skinfood Red Bean Cream) or I can use this for a (very) light cover - with powder over the top of course - and it can hide every.single.little.imperfection that my eyes can see. Pores, scares, redness you name it, it can hide it. Speaking of powder, Skinfood Buckwheat Loose Powder in Transparent is my loose powder love. There are days where my skin is oily beyond belief, and this powder is ah-mah-zing at absorbing all that excess oil, and leaving a matte finish on my skin. It smells lovely as well and feels super, duper soft once applied. I also use this powder after I've applied my moisturiser and before I apply my base/BB cream, as that helps keep those products on my face for longer throughout the day. Another powder love is Tonymoly's Cat Wink Clear Pact in Light Beige, and this compact is my favourite for bringing a teeny, weeny bit of colour on my face. Again, like the Skinfood loose powder, this one also helps with the absorption of oil AND it's handy to slip into my handbag. Heading towards the high end brands a little bit now, but the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Highlighter and the Yves Saint Laurent Concealer were impulse buys when I went to Stockholm back in May and boy, they were the best impulse purchases ever. I cannot fault these two products because they are fabulous in both their areas of concealing and highlighting, plus I feel a little bit like a Queen whenever I pull these out of my handbag because HELLO! Gold packaging!

Eyes
Onto my favourite eye products - Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara was a happy coincidence in trying from receiving a mini tube as a sample. I love using this mascara when my sensitive eyes do not want to play ball with false eyelashes. This mascara just gives the bit of a va-va-voom! Next is the MUA Elysium Eyeshadow Palette, another impulse purchase because the colours looks really pretty in front of me, how ever could I resist?! The colours are lovely and pigmented, which for a bargain £6 eyeshadow palette, that is amazing! I love all the different colour combinations I can produce with this palette as well. Even though the Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Pencil in Brown isn't something I've found recently - it's actually been in my make-up bag for over four years now! But this little beauty is, hands down, the best eyebrow pencil I could ask for and I always go back to this time and time again, without fail. The Too Faced x Vegas Nay Stardust Eyeshadow Palette was something I fell in love with the moment I laid eyes on it and I'm glad that I've got it. I've only used it about 4 times since receiving it - because I'm a little bit sad and am making it last for as LONG as possible. And the final product is Fairydrops Volume Burst Mascara that I purchased in a little shop in Chinatown in London and let me just say, wow. I love using this as a base under my false eyelashes as it is such a light formula but it helps with that extra oomph!

Cheeks
There's only two products here as using cheek products has only been a recent addition to my make-up routine. The NARS Blush in Orgasm was another product from Stockholm and I adore the sort of 'doll effect' cheeks this colour can create against my skin tone. Plus if I accidentally put a little bit too much on, it can easily be buffed out to give a lovely faded effect, ugh dream blush. And the NARS Illuminatior in Orgasm obsession of mine started as a little sample bottle I had received with my Sephora haul back in Stockholm, to getting the full sized version when I realised that I NEEDED it more than anything! I adore combining these two items together as well, giving my cheeks a flushed, yet healthy illuminating look! Perfection.

Lips
It's no cosmetics list of mine without lip products. First off is Jeffree Star's Liquid Velour Lipstick in Celebrity Skin and Unicorn Blood and I freakin' LOVE the formula of this liquid lipstick. It doesn't dry out my lips, yes it shows the lines on my lips but not in a bad way. It's wearable, lasts an extremely long time throughout the day, especially after eating and drinking, and is able to be taken off easily. Not only that, one of my closest friends managed to get a couple of these lipsticks because I've been bugging her about getting them... HAH! Secondly is a collection of LASplash Liquid Lipsticks, and boy do I mean a collection of them. I have around 30 different colours over the range and I do not regret any of them. The formula is a little bit different to the Jeffree Star ones but, the pigmentation of the colours and the durabiliy of these lippies, I cannot fault. Next isn't a lipstick/gloss per say but a balm and it my LIFESAVER for my poor lips. The EOS Balm in Sweet Mint is a gorgeous balm that helps my dried, chapped lips become... well more lip like? I carry this little puppy around everywhere with me, and I use it as a base under ANY of my liquid to matte lipsticks, just to help my lips out that little bit extra. And the final lip product is a MAC lipstick in Pink Plaid. This one was a surprise for me in all honesty, I saw it originally in the Covent Garden store and thought the colour looked a bit iffy? But when I tested it out on the back of my hand, it's strange but you know that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when something just feels right? Yeah, I had it with this lipstick and I haven't put it down since. It's my favourite vintage, rosy pink colour lipstick and I use it under LASpash's 'Rose Garden' just to give each colour a bit of a boost!

And there we go! No doubt 2016 will bring some other new products into my life, but I am so comfortable using these products and my skin loves them all as well, just because I'm not breaking out into rashes when I've come into contact with them. And I'm not going to lie, I've also been a bit of an influence on a couple of friends by being that initiator of MAKING them purchase certain products *coughs* You know who you are ♡

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Saturday 19 December 2015

♡ Christmas Wishlist ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

Everyone has a wishlist, and I certainly no exception, even though I am probably the worst person to buy for as I am FOREVER indecisive on what to ask for!


This is what I managed to narrow down my wishlist too. I feel bad because certain things are so expensive but it's the first things that came to mind at the time?! I did, accidentally, find out that I've got a couple of items because my mum asked me to unpack shopping, and forgot about them... whoopsie!
What have you asked for Christmas? Send me your links below to your wishlists or just tell me in the comments! It is, completely up to you ♡

Thanks for reading
xoxo

Tuesday 15 December 2015

♡ The Christmas Tag ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

As I am still easing into this whole "trying to post more than once per week" malarkey... this next post is something quick and simple... a tag post! I saw this particular tag post over at Makeupsavvy and she saw it over at Milk Bubble Tea~
♡ What is your favourite Christmas Movies?
'The Grinch' is my all time favourite Christmas movie. I have never (and will never) get bored of it, and I tend to watch it around four times per week in the lead to Christmas itself... and even up until new year because y'know, it's still the holiday period right?!
♡ Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
Neither really? If it's early Christmas morning you mean then definitely neither. As we have horses and other animals, we always make sure to take care of them first, have a pancake breakfast and then if everyone has arrived by 11ish (or as close to 11 as possible) then we might open them then. If not... mid-afternoon early evening, after the animals have been sorted again. Everyone I meet and know of this routine are extremely shocked at how patient I am about it all... but I don't mind doing it because my animals come first... just like every other day.
♡ Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
Spending time with my nan just before Christmas itself. We'd go shopping for food bits, go shopping for last minute presents/stocking fillers and finish off any baking that needed to be done. I still do this sort of thing with my mum, but I do miss my nan and doing this stuff with her... she was the other important female role in my life and now that she's gone, it hurts knowing that I can't do this with her any more but, I can do it with my mum and with my baby cousin when she gets older.
♡ Favourite festive food?
The ham. We are such a ham family because at Christmas, with any leftover ham we have left, we cook ham, egg & chips as a meal. Best. Meal. Ever. Oh and roasted potatoes and roasted parsnips! We always coat our parnsips in parmesan cheese and it's amazing! And the reason for roast potatoes... well I love roasted potatoes! Even the next day when they're cold mhmmm!
♡ Favourite Christmas gift?
This sounds super, duper corny but... I always get a Terry's Chocolate Orange in my stocking and it just makes my year to get that lovely, chocolatey treat in my stocking. 
♡ Favourite Christmas scent?
Cinnamon! And vanilla... and any floral scents! We always fill our house up with flowers over Christmas and do lots of baking that involve vanilla and cinnamon... so Christmas is a very scented affair in our family!
♡ Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
Extra amounts of baking normally! Oh and watching a movie... wrapping up last minute presents... panicking about things... the usual I suppose?
♡ What tops your tree?
A very, very old (but very adorable) fairy! She's always been on top of our Christmas tree for as long as I can remember.
♡ As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?
A pony. We already have horses but when I was about 6, they were WAY too big for me (because I was short until I hit puberty) so I asked for a pony just until I grew... never happened OH WELL!
♡ What's the best part about Christmas for you?
Spending time with my family. My nan passed away before last Christmas, so last year was a little roller-coaster of emotions but my baby cousin was born at the beginning of this year (March) so this Christmas is a lot brighter (and more fun!) My family is only small - 12 members altogether - so spending time with them means an awful lot to me, because they're all I have and even if they do annoy my tits off, I wouldn't change them for the world ♡

So that's it. My Christmas tag post is over and I hope you all enjoyed it! Below, are the questions in case anyone cares to do them - and it saves you writing it all out ;) If you do do one, link me in the comments as I'd love to read all of your answers too!
♡ What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?
♡ Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
♡ Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
♡ Favourite festive food?
♡ Favourite Christmas gift?
♡ Favourite Christmas scent?
♡ Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
♡ What tops your tree?
♡ As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?
♡ What's the best part about Christmas for you?


Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Sunday 13 December 2015

♡ Favourite Christmas Films ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I'm starting with something simple to get the ball rolling with my Christmas blog posts, and where is the best place to start for a former film studies student? Christmas movies!! 
There are so many amazing aspects of this holiday, but I definitely feel less guilty watching a Christmas themed movie at this time of year... even though I do watch these particular kind of films all year round *cough* But, they just get you in the right mood for celebrating! 
The Grinch (2000)
If you've never watched 'The Grinch', then you can march yourself out of my blog right now! No, but seriously. This film is amazing and a perfect Christmas film. Dr Seuss was an extremely talented author and his children's books are (almost) legendary. I even read as many of his books, as I can, at work to the children because... well even they need to know of his work. I can't wait to introduce him to my baby cousin when she gets a little bit older to understand and maybe next Christmas, she'll watch The Grinch with me!

The Muppet's Christmas Carol (1992)
Charles Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol' around the time Christmas was being explored differently in the United Kingdom, and I bet he'd never imagined that his book would be expressed in so many different ways almost 150 years later! The Muppets version of 'A Christmas Carol' is what introduced me to his work... I only vaguely remember it coming out as I was 3 years old back in 1992 but I appreciated it more as I got older. I adore the balance of serious yet comical storytelling, and The Muppets never fail in going a bit off in the wrong direction when telling a story!

Jingle All The Way (1996)
Ahhh... who can resist a corny Schwarzeneggar movie? I think I've seen all the 'bad' ones such a 'Junior', 'Twins' and 'Kindergarten Cop'... so it's no exception to miss out 'Jingle All The Way'! Based on real life events when a popular toy is sold out in stores, this film shows the dedication a father will go to to get the IT toy for his son. I have no clue why this film received a lot of negative feedback... they're all silly for that! Just watch it for the Schwarzeneggar silliness please, please, please!

Scrooged (1988)
This is an extremely good modernised version of 'A Christmas Carol'... well it is to me! I've always had a soft spot for films made in the 80s/90s and this one is no exception. It also has some references to the infamous 'Ghostbusters' that came out four years previous to this one, and of course, this film stars Bill Murray as well. I really recommend this film to anyone and everyone, just for a bit of a giggle around the holiday season.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Well it wouldn't be a Christmas movie list without some form of Home Alone on it... but it's certainly not the first one! I have never hid the fact that, and I really do, prefer the second film of this franchise to the first one because, and again my opinion, I feel that it's just that little bit funnier than the first one, especially with the two thieves and them getting beaten up and out witted by a child.

And voila! My favourite Christmas films! I didn't add any more because there are so, so, so many out there (TV movies and general, big shot, movies) to choose from. My mum is really surprised though, that I don't have 'It's A Wonderful Life' or 'Holiday Inn' or 'White Christmas' on my list, because she knows how much of a Classical Hollywood cinema fanatic I am... but hah! Wait...

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Sunday 6 December 2015

♡ It's Christmas!! ♡

여러분 안녕하세요!
It's officially December and that means it is time for all the Christmas festivities! And I have a small confession to make; a few years ago I, actually, went through a phase where I wouldn't have anything to do with Christmas... just because I was a grinch but now? I am such a Christmas snow bunny! I love baking, cooking, decorating, wearing and breathing in ANYTHING Christmas! I do have a slight problem though, my family doesn't share the same enthusiasm level I do, but that's ok... I can cope for now and work around it!

I must admit, I wanted to do the Christmas blogmas this year but alas... there isn't enough time with the fact I'm working full time at the moment and I have loads of coursework to catch up on before the new year. So sadly, no blogmas this year *extreme sad face* But... I will do some form of Christmas themed blog posts between now and the 25th!

It won't be many but I will give it my all! And I will stick to my usual reviews about a few things as I stumbled across some photography I took in summer time! It's ever so hard to take photographs during the winter, especially when the weather is gloomy and I tend to go to work when it's dark, and come home when it's dark as well, so it's a losing situation at the moment. Oh well. I won't babble on any more today... but keep a look out for some posts popping up during the week!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Monday 30 November 2015

♡ November Japan Crate [[UNBOXING]] ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I seem to have skipped the last couple of Japan Crate boxes as I did take pictures of the items, but somehow... I have no actual pictures to show for it?! I can't quite remember but, I either deleted them without realising it or... yeah I probably deleted them without realising it, whoops. Also, I want to apologise for the atrociousness that is the following photographs... now that it is winter, it is really hard to take pictures in natural sunlight, especially when I got to work when it is dark and when I come back from work... it's dark. So my window of opportunity is very small ;n;
So just to re-cap, Japan Crate is that you can subscribe to three different kinds of boxes; mini, original and premium with either a recurring monthly payment (from $12 plus p&p) or you can pay for either 3, 6 or 12 months worth of boxes, therefore saving you a bit of cash at the end of it. You can cancel at any given time, so if you fancied just one box then you can enjoy one box without the pressure of payments. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.
I'm still sticking to my premium subscription and even though I can't show it, I was slightly disappointed with the October crate. The reason for this is because October is Halloween month, so I was kind of expecting some (or a lot) of Halloween related bits and there wasn't any... nadda... nip... zilch. So that was a bummer, but the November box seems to have dragged it back up into my good books.

This first bundle are the goodies that would have been in the mini box subscription; chilli salad pretz, cookies & cream pejoy, purple sweet potato sticks, black thunder and meiji dice caramel. I actually received an email from Japan Crate saying that an item had been swapped (the original item was a Fujiya lollipop bag) and to get two boxes in replacement of that item was a nice surprise!

This next bundle would have been the extra items from the medium sized subcription box; Funassyi furi-furi shake DIY kit, uranai-kko bubble gum, Glico Man caramel and fluffy long neck marshmallow.

This final bundle are all the premium extras; chunosuke water, superstring Q, pachishuwa grape soda mix, spy vs. spy sour gum and a Naruto blind box - wheeeeeee I got Kakashi!

Personally, I had a lot of mixed feelings with this box. I was disappointed with the previous box (October) as I was expecting lots of Halloween goodies, but barely got any, but with this one... it was jammed packed with an immense amount of goodies but........ where's my savoury things at?! I was disappointed with only getting the small Pretz box as my savoury item, and that was a replacement item so.............. a box of sugar *sobs* Mind you though, my mother has enjoyed digging into this box as she likes sweet things more than I do, but I did try some things and some were relatively surprising with the taste? Like the purple sweet potato sticks... sickly sweet at first but as I ate a couple more sticks, the taste grew on me? Japanese sweet potato definitely lives up to the "sweet" part of its name compared to the sweet potatoes here in the UK.

Other than the mixed feelings, I am loving this subscription box as it definitely opens my eyes (and tastes buds) into knowing what I do like and what I don't like food wise... score!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Sunday 22 November 2015

♡ Lush Birthday Haul ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

It was my birthday last week (on the 16th!) and I am now the grand age of 26........ creeping just a little bit more closer to the big 30! I had an amazing weekend celebrating with my best friend, and a couple of close friends, we ate and drank and ate some more, it was all I needed to be honest! I was also spoiled rotten with some lovely gifts from my friends, family and co-workers but, I treated myself to some things from LUSH in Chelmsford - as it's the closest location to where I live.

Now, it is EXTREMELY hard for me not to purchase every, single, item available in front of me, but I did manage to control myself... sort of. As LUSH has brought out all of their Christmas selection, it made choosing a few bath bombs even harder - even though I knew that I was DEFINITELY getting the Intergalactic bath bomb, as it my all time favourite one because c'mon, you are bathing in a glittery galaxy... GLITTERY GALAXY!! So at the end of my browsing session, I swear that I was in the store for over an hour choosing things... I went with *drum rolls*

Intergalactic ever wondered what bathing in deep space would be like? Invite the cosmos into your bathroom with this sexy, interstellar bomb and become the guardian of your own galaxy. An awesome mix of refreshing peppermint and neon colour sends your mood rocketing, while popping candy takes you on a trip around the Milky Way. Constellations swirl and pop, creating vibrant lustre vortexes in the night sky. Before you leap too far, rogue layers of vetivert and cedarwood take hold, evoking the warmth of human contact far from home and a hint of 80s aftershave. Return from your intergalactic brief encounter as the grounding scent brings you gently back from orbit.
Frozen do you want to have a bath bomb? Do you want to splash and play? Enjoy the most magical soak in the kingdom with this shimmering blue bath bomb, which spills out rolling snowdrifts of silver lustre. Uplifting neroli from Tunisia and precious rose oil from Turkey are sure to spread a little sunshine and melt the iciest of moods. If your day's felt like a series of doors in your face, this shiny, sky blue bomb filled with sparkle provides the perfect fairytale ending. Step in, take a deep breath and let it go.
Twilight if sleep is evading you, this combination of essential oils will help get you ready for a good night's rest. As Twilight dissolves, it turns from the colour of the setting sun and gets darker, turning your water a shimmering deep purple. The fragrance has been designed to help you sleep: lavender is a soothing, mind-clearing and calming fragrance, used in aromatherapy to treat insomnia and aid restful sleep, while benzoin and tonka call to mind a milky caramel malt drink.
Golden Wonder fancy a tipple? Cognac and zesty lime oils start a party of mood-brightening scents whilst sweet orange oil refreshes the senses. In the water, this present-shaped fizzer unwraps itself to reveal glittering golden lustre and a sparkling turquoise explosion. Don't wait until Christmas day to bathe yourself in festive luxury!
Shoot for the Stars stay very still to watch the swirling colours of the night sky dazzle in your bath water. As the calming blanket of shimmering midnight blue unfolds, Brazilian orange and bergamot oils take your skin to heaven and your mood rocketing up to the stars.
Snow Fairy Shower Gel when the days are dark, add a little Christmas magic to your shower and some much-needed sparkle to your daily routine. This candyfloss-scented shower gel will gently cleanse hair and body and leave a mouthwatering perfume on your skin. Shower with a gel that's sure to tickle you pink by picking up this candyfloss body cleanser.
Santa's Lip Scrub prime your pout with this moisturising cola-flavoured lip scrub that leaves your lips buffed and ready for Santa Baby – or any other Lush lip tint or balm. Caster sugar, dates and cherries scrub and soften, giving them a taste of Christmas. Dab a little on and buff, licking off the excess. It's the sweetest way to welcome festive kisses.
Key Lime Pie Lip Balm for lips as scrumptious as pie, oh my! This zesty lime treat is a crowd pleaser, filled with zingy citrus oils and restorative butters. Dab a little all over truly lickable lips. Handy, travel-sized hydration for whenever you find yourself in the limelight.


Tah dah! I know a couple of the bath bombs are in the Christmas selection, but I liked the Frozen one when I used it previously and I have been meaning to try the Twilight one for a while now so... and the reason behind the lip balm is because, it is actually my favourite lip balm and I lost my previous one *ugly sobs* so it gave me a good excuse to purchase another one! Despite stocking up on these beauties, I have shamelessly asked my parents for a LUSH gift card or something along those lines for Christmas, just so I can get more bath bombs! A girl can never have too much LUSH in her life... right?

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Wednesday 18 November 2015

♡ Jeffree Star Cosmetics ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I have found a new love in my life and he goes by the name of Jeffree Star... but it's his cosmetics I am in love with as well as, a little bit, in love with the man himself. Ugh his make-up skills are to die for and I wish I had a pinky finger full of his talent!

I couldn't resist getting a few colours from the, ever expanding, collection. Especially when I saw 'Unicorn Blood' on the models, I knew that I had to have THAT particular colour as it's such a gorgeous dark, rusty red. It's very similar to a certain brand and their particular product with a similar colour too - I'm not going to name any names but if you know what I'm talking about... then cookie for you! The other colours I decided to go with were 'Weirdo', a gorgeous deep, matte blackest black you could imagine and 'Celebrity Skin', a delicious matte soft brown with peachy undertones to add to the pile.

Weirdo

First in the pile is 'Weirdo' and this is my first, ever, black lipstick. According to the Jeffree Star website, this is the blackest of the black, matte lipsticks AND it can be used as an eyeliner. I would like to try this theory to see if it, actually, works one day. I really do like this colour, just because it is a matte lipstick and not a shiny one? I don't think a shiny style, black lippie would have suited me as much as this one?! But, I love this and cannot wait to incorporate into more future looks, and even try out the eyeliner theory... watch this space!


Celebrity Skin

Secondly; is 'Celebrity Skin' and this is such a gorgeous nude lipstick, but I must admit that I was worried at first because I thought that it wouldn't suit my skin tone bbbuuuttt I was wrong! And I'll happily admit that because I am in love with this nude. It is perfect from wearing really OTT eye make-up and toning down the look with a nude lip, to wearing a more "natural" looking style make-up look, it is just super duper versatile.


Unicorn Blood

And finally; my personal favourite since finding out about this colour, 'Unicorn Blood'. I have been after this colour red lipstick for, god knows, however long and when I finally got my grubby little hands on them... I just couldn't wait to test it out and whipped it out of its packaging, faster than a small child eating chocolate cake. I am, in absolute LOVE. Swear down, I base what I'm doing face/clothing wise with this lipstick more than the other two at this moment in time but ugh, look at it. Look at the perfection that is this colour. I freakin' cannot get enough of this, and when it runs out, I swear that I will cry like a loser... no shame.

What I love about these liquid lipsticks, is the applicator. Can you see the curve in all the pictures above? Well, it's really bendy and, sort of like, contours to your lips? Some applicators, I've noticed, are just hard and kind of... solid? But this genius little applicator, makes such a massive difference with the movement and the curve in the middle, it is just a superstar.

The prices on these beauties, may seem a little steep at $18 per lipstick but personally, I kind of think it's worth it? With the fact that it's 100% vegan and animal-cruelty free and the product stays on (my) lips for hours on end... yep, they are definitely worth it.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo