Review: REN Radiance Renewal Mask

A good couple of weeks ago, the lovely people over at Cult Beauty got in touch with me and asked if I'd like to test out any of the products that they stock - If the name doesn't give it away already, Cult Beauty are retailers for only 'the best of the best' in terms of beauty products and sell only those that deserve cult status. It's a site I could browse for hours! (Honestly, I want it all!). If you want to browse the site yourselves then you can find it here. Anyway, when I told them that I was looking for anything that could help with skin rejuvenation and the scarring issues on my face, I was very kindly offered a bottle of REN's Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask*, a product I'd had my eye on for a very long time as I'd heard brilliant things about it from other bloggers!

Soo.. 'What's a Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask'? I can hear some of you asking yourselves right now. Well, let me run you through it. This potent mask is one of REN's top selling products and is made with around 5-6.5% Glycolactic acid, an effective chemical exfoliator that 'actively dissolves the bonds that hold skin build-up'. All skin needs a little prepping up from time to time and can become a little bit congested, so this mask works fantastically well at exfoliating away all of the dirt from the surface of the skin and the AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) that it contains resurface the top layer of the skin which visibly improves the appearance.

I hope I'm not losing you with this one! It sounds fancy, and it is pretty fancy.. but oh so simple all at the same time. REN keep things clean, hence the branding 'clean skincare', and have kept their products free from all those nasties such as parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, fragrances, etc. All that does the work with this is the active element of a 100% pure fruit acid complex - lactic, glycolic, tartaric, citric, papain enzyme, pineapple extract, omega 3 - that gently targets dull and congested skin (these are what gives it it's yummy fruity scent too). The ingredients break down the dead cells and the outcome is a bright, new complexion! Ideal for targetting: fine lines, acne scarring, blemishes and blackheads.

Does it work? Yes. Can I just leave it at that?.. Yes, it does work! The first time I used this I was expecting to be blown away because of the hype, and I felt a little bit underwhelmed because I didn't see any immediate results. But as I persevered and continued to use this 1-2 times a week I noticed more and more improvement to my skin, both long term and short term. The long term effects are that scarring and blackheads are gradually diminishing and fading away to become less prominent, and the short term effects are the super intense exfoliation and 'glowing' effect that it gives to the skin as all the dullness on the top layer has been dissolved away. Such a lovely pick me up for an instant burst of radiance!

Just one pump is enough to cover the entire face in a thick even layer - I was using more than this at first but I'm not sure how I thought that this was okay, because the image below shows how much product comes out with just one pump! There's plenty to go around with that amount, silly me for being wasteful with it at first :( The consistency is very sticky and gooey and it has the similar texture to honey, or jam.. something you'd spread on your toast! It's quite thick but it isn't hard to work with or spread around the skin, and it's good that it's sticky as it helps it to adhere to your face better and doesn't go sliding down your neck and onto your clothes (do watch out for stray hairs getting glued to your face though!). The mask isn't clay based so it won't set or go hard on the skin; it stays like goo for the whole time it's on your face.

The process is very simple: apply the mask all over clean, dry skin and leave it for 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes is up run the enclosed muslin cloth underneath warm water and use it to clear the mask from your skin and voila! Fresh skin. A little word of warning: even though it is very gentle, this mask isn't suitable for those who have very sensitive skin. Mine can be just a little bit sensitive and I've found that if I exceed the recommended time to have it on my skin then there is quite a strong tingling sensation and my face is a little bit red after use although this quickly dies down and I look radiant, not flushed!

It's not a lie that I was very, very impressed with this product (and the brand REN in general), and the proof is in the further purchases! About two weeks after using this mask I knew that I loved it and wanted to branch out and try more from the brand. I've since bought the 'Invisible Pores Detox Mask' that I will be reviewing in a couple of days, and also the 'Clearcalm Clarifying Clay Cleanser' that is in the post on it's way to me as I write!

REN, I love you.

If you're interested in this mask then you can find it here.

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* (c/o Cult Beauty Ltd.)

Review: Clinique 'Even Better' Foundation

Everybody hold up, stop what you're doing. I think I have found my holy grail foundation. That's right, this could be the one. We spend years going through bottles and bottles of the stuff searching for that one perfect formula and shade combined to give us the flawless base that we're searching for, and I think I've found my answer in Clinique. 

Halfway through bottle number two of this foundation and I had the realisation that I could never see myself turning to anything else, at least not for the foreseeable future anyway. What I like about this is that it provides full coverage, works on oily skin and it lasts all day. How often is it that you come across a foundation that can do all of that? It is suitable for any skin type which is ideal for me as I suffer with patches of dry and patches of oily (and patches of normal) - annoying skin! But I would say it is suited more for oily/normal skin types though, as it does tend to show dry patches if they're quite bad.

What I'm more concerned with is how high and how full the coverage is that this offers; it's pretty amazing. Having a face that's riddled with scars, marks, redness and little blemishes I've got a lot to cover up! The foundation's main aim is to target uneven skin tone - that's me! But it doesn't just cover the uneven skin tone and the hyper-pigmentation, it also works to treat it at the same time and who doesn't love a 2-in-1? With continuous use, over time this foundation will provide benefits from the mineral enrichment that helps to even out the skin tone and deliver brighter skin (or so it claims). I've been using a range of new things to help with this whole 'evening of the skin tone' fiasco, and I'm definitely seeing improvements but I would say that it's the result of a combination of products and that this foundation isn't quite powerful enough to make any radical changes to the skin's quality on it's own, but every little helps!

As well as concealing any imperfections on the skin such as redness or markings, it also helps to slightly 'fill in' (I don't know if that's the best term that I could've used) enlarged pores and smooth them over, making them appear minimised, in the same way that using a primer such as The Pore-Fessional would do. So not only does Even Better provide an amazing full coverage that isn't at all thick or cakey on the skin and actually feels nice and light, this full coverage also manages to last all day long without sliding around. With a few dabs of concealer and a dusting of powder this foundation manages to give me a flawless (or as near to flawless as I'm going to get) base, and by the end of the day it's still looking just as good. Huge thumbs up!

Any extras you  might be interested in: it contains SPF15 which is always a good thing as it prevents sun damage and any further hyper pigmentation (it's good unless you're having your photograph taken - SPF causes those 'ghost faces' with a flash), it's an oil free formula, it's enriched with minerals and it also has anti-aging properties.

Housed in a nice and sleek compact little tube, it's standard 30ml size but there's no bulky and uneccessary packaging that takes up space. It's very minimal and very simple, but it still looks high end and presentable. The squeezy plastic bottle makes it ideal for travelling too as there's no risk of breakage or spillage, and the nozzle makes it easy to control dispensing the product in a super hygienic way. I just dislike the way that there is no indication of how much is left and when I'm going to run out as the bottle is completely opaque. I hate that day when it comes as a shock that there's actually nothing left in the bottle! At £23.00 a bottle it's on middle ground of price range for high end foundations and it is available to buy here, or you can go in store to your nearest Clinique counter and have the lovely ladies colour match you up; they did a good job with me as this shade matches my skin exactly.

I have the shade 01 Alabaster which I would assume is the lightest shade that Clinique offers as it is numbered '01', and this matches me perfectly. However, although I do have pale skin, I know that my skin isn't the fairest out there and if you're especially light skinned then there's a chance that this could be a tad too deep for you and that's a complaint I've heard about Clinique before; that the shades don't go light enough. 

But, it matches me, it works for me, and I LOVE it.

If you're in the market for a new long wearing foundation that offers high coverage then have a wander over to your nearest Clinique counter and have a look at Even Better - you won't be disappointed.

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Review: Moroccanoil Oil Treatment

Hi ladies, I'm trying to get past my spout of 'bloggers block' at the moment as I don't know what's come over me recently but I've been finding it impossible to put words into a sentence and have them make some kind of sense! Too much uni work has been baffling my head and it's been 10 days since I last put up a proper post - that feels like forever! I hope you'll excuse my little absence and we'll get back into the swing of things ASAP. 

Soo.... Moroccan oil? Heard of it? Thought you might have! 

To clear up any confusion; 'Moroccanoil' is the name of the brand, and the product is called 'Oil Treatment', which is why it looks a bit odd calling it 'Morccanoil Oil Treatment', but hey - that's it's name. 

This famous little blue bottle has a 'seal of originality' over the cap, which Moroccanoil pride themselves on, and I'm pretty sure they're chuffed to bits with the fact that they've revolutionised hair care, making argan oil (or any kind of oil!) a key ingredient in a lot of people's daily hair routines, whether it's for care and treatment, or with styling. Oil no longer means slick and greasy, oil means nourishment and good quality care for our stressed out tresses. Moroccanoil is an industry sensation, used by professionals around the world and many women (such as myself) swear by it to transform hair that is dry and damaged, into soft, smooth, shiny and beautiful flowing locks. 

Where to buy? The site Feel Unique is the leading retailer for all sorts of products from this brand, from shampoo and conditioner, to hairspray, shine spray and conditioning masks, and you will be able to see everything that they offer by looking here. The bottle of the treatment itself is available in 2 different sizes to suit everybody's needs and budgets. This small 25ml bottle that I have here costs £12.85 and is great if you just want to dip your toe in the waters and see what you think of it, maybe use it for travel as it's a really small bottle that takes up no space at all, or even as a back up bottle for whatever reason. For me, I received this as a gift and it was pretty much perfect for everything that I needed, but now I know that I love it I have my heart set on buying the larger 100ml bottle when this has all run out (100ml bottle costs £30.45) - it's expensive but it's so worth it.

Why is it worth it? Why would you spend £30+ on a bottle of oil?.. Well, not only does the oil weightlessly leave the hair smoother, free from tangles and knots, with minimised frizz, it also improves the actual condition of the hair right down to the core, making it stronger with each use. I've been using this regularly since Christmas and my hair has never looked so good! Also, I can always tell on the days when I haven't used this as my hair is slightly more unruly and feels drier on the ends, although it's nothing compared to how it used to feel! I'm also only about 1/3 of the way through the bottle which gives you a good indication of how long lasting something like this can be; if a 25ml bottle will last me approximately 1 year, you'll be set for a long, long time with a 100ml bottle! That's enough oil to transform anybody's hair from awful to amazing with regular use. 

How to use: I pour quite a generous sized blob into the palm of my hand (about the size of a 50p and I've never experienced any greasiness with that much), rub my hands together and then massage the oil through the mid-lengths (bottom of ear downwards) of towel dried hair. Sometimes I'll go back for a little bit more and add some more onto the very ends as they've had some bleach damage and deserve some extra TLC. This oil doesn't leave your hands feeling sticky, slimey or greasy and it doesn't leave a residue in the hair either. I also love the smell of it too, it's quite a masculine and musky smell which is unique from most other hair products, but that makes it quite a signature scent. One more good point: it also helps to speed up the drying time of the hair as oil repels water particles, making them clear off out of the hair in half the time - always a bonus if you're using heat to dry your hair as it means less heat on the hair, therefore less damage, or if you're drying it naturally then that means less time with damp hair hanging around!

Here is what Moroccanoil® themselves have to say about their oil treatment:

"This treatment for hair completely transforms and repairs as its formula transports lost proteins for strength; fatty acids, omega-3 oils and vitamins for shine; and antioxidants for protection. It absorbs instantly to fill gaps in hair created by heat, styling and environmental damage".

Sounds good? It is good! Really good. You might think that £30, or even £12 is a lot of money to spend on something for your hair, but if looking after your hair is something that you really are interested in doing, either you're on a mission to grow it all the way down to your hips, or you're trying to reverse some damage from years of bleach to bring back a bit of shine then this is something worth trying. 

It hasn't got all of this hype for nothing!

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#bbloggers: Manchester North Meet Up

Hello girls, I hope you've all had a good weekend! I did something a little different on Sunday afternoon and attended the meet up that Em from Em Talks organised for all us little bloggers based up in the north of the UK. She did an absolutely fabulous job planning and sorting everything for the meet up and everybody needs to appreciate her amazing-ness! It was great to meet her after being a fan of her blog for so long and she's such a gorgeous, enthusiastic and down to earth girl who really put her all into making sure that everybody enjoyed their day.

The day was much more than just 'drinks at a bar' (although we did have a couple of 2-4-1 cocktails and a tipple of Prosecco), as there were a couple of brand representatives who had come along to give talks and demonstrations to us about their products, including: Xen Tan/Glam Glow, Neal & Wolfe, Arbonne and Blanx, as well as Capital FM there to take some red carpet style snaps of us all. It was a beauty bloggers dream situation: to be surrounded by other bloggers and beauty fanatics that are all on the same wave length when it comes to the excitement of a new fake tan or face mask, to be able to chat away to them all while sipping on cocktails, sneaking your 3rd or 4th Krispy Kreme when you think nobody's looking, and to be in a room surrounded with hundreds and hundreds of beauty products! There were a couple of competitions running throughout the day and some of the prizes were amazing, I would've loved to have bagged myself a Neom candle.. they seem to be a blogger essential! But along with making new friends and having a pocket full of contact cards and blogs to check out, we also walked away from the meet up with our arms weighed down with a huge selection of goodie bags, which you may have seen a few sneak peeks of if you follow lots of bloggers on Instagram as I think everybody was a little bit overwhelmed with the extent of the contents; no wonder we struggled to carry them home!

I thought I would take the opportunity to give you all a more in depth look at what we walked away with and see what goodies I'll be trying out over the next few weeks - some of them are really exciting! Em, you must have some amazing contacts to have sorted all of these!

Goodie Bag from In Fashion (www.soinfashion.co.uk):

Goodie Bag from Arbonne:

Eye Shadow | Make Up Primer | Lip Moisturiser | Body Cleanser | Information Pack

Goodie Bag from Anne Semonin:

(Brought by the lovely Nikki Wilson - you need to check out her blog!)

Shower Gel | Shampoo | Pack of Face Masks

Bits that I won/was given throughout the day:

Ortigia Hand Cream | Ilah Brow Kit | Arbonne Hair Mask

Popchips, sweets and a great big stack of contact cards!

(And a free hair cut from Celeste Arnold!)

The huuumongous bag sorted by Em herself! (Emtalks.co.uk)

Lets take a closer look inside.....

Bittersweet London Ripe Pear Drop Sweets (link):

That toothpaste everybody is talking about!

Blanx whitening toothpaste with LED accelerator:

Some bits from well known brands:

Elemis Exfoliating Face Wash | Lee Stafford Hair Growth Shampoo | The Body Shop Lipgloss | Macadamia (selection of a range of products) | Xen-Tan Moroccan Tan | Glam Glow Mud Mask

Samples from Dr.Organic:

Coconut Oil Skin Lotion | Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo | Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask | Dead Sea Mineral Anti-Aging Stem Cell System

Offerings from SheSaid Beauty:

(You'll have seen all of these before if you've seen any of the past beautybox reviews on my blog)

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil | Collection Primer | Redken Treatment Spray (see my review here) | S-File nail file | The Vintage Cosmetics Eyelash Curlers (I swear by these! Love them!)

Nourish Smoothing Hand Lotion | Fillast Lip Plumper:

Tinted Moisturiser and Micellar Water from Etat Pur:

It was like Christmas rooting through these bags! I've got a lot of testing out to do!

Thanks Em! 

It was a really lovely day and I look forward to attending more events and meets in the future.

If you want to see more pictures from the day and the actual event, rather than just the goodie bags then I will pass you over to The Uni Lass's fantastic post on it here. (I didn't have a camera to take pictures while I was there!)

♥

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My Favourite Nude / Neutral Nail Varnishes

Hey girls!

Nude nails seem to be the 'next big thing' at the moment, and in my eyes it's a trend well worth falling for. They look effortlessly chic and sophisticated, compliment any skin tone, go with any outfit for any occasion and are the simplest way to make your nails look polished and perfectly manicured with the added bonus that they are a lot more forgiving when it comes to visible chips!

Nudes can come in a variety of shades and tones so I have picked out my top 6 to show to you all. There's an even mix of pink tones, brown tones (I'm gonna call it brown, if you want to called it 'coffee' or something like that then feel free), milky pales and slightly darker and more shimmery shade too. Chosen from a range of brands and a mixture of price ranges, hopefully there is something for everybody in this bundle!

Essie - 'Fiji' £7.99. When I was at the Essie stand in Boots trying to choose my first ever shade from them it was a toss up between Fiji and Ballet Slippers, two very similar shades, and by pure random choice I walked to the till with Fiji. Fiji is an 'off white' shade with the slightest hint of pink to it; almost like a white top that's been put in the wash with a red sock! It looks amazing next to deeply tanned skin and it the best way to rock 'almost white' nails without it being too trashy or intense because of the pinky hue to it.

Barry M - 'Lychee' £3.99. Ahhh, Barry M. Their reformulated nail paints to give a 'gel nail' finish are seriously impressive. At less than £4 a bottle I'm going to be stocking up on every colour they've got. One coat for full opacity, almost a week without chips and a high shine finish this is something that you need in your collection. Plus it is the 'perfect nude' shade as it's not too pink and not too yellow so in theory should suit everyone, right? Nude nails winner: Lychee.

Ciate - 'Cutie Pie' £9.00. I love this shade from Ciate as it is a really, really sheer 'barely there' pink tone that works as what I'd called more of a 'tinted clear nail varnish' rather than a colour. It's not one for everybody but if you don't like your nails to be fully naked but don't really like just wearing a clear top coat then this is a lovely alternative.

Ciate - 'Cookies and Cream' £9.00. Serious dupe alert with this and 'Lychee'! I had no idea how similar they were until I held the bottles next to each other. The shade is a little bit lighter and apart from the price tag that's the only difference that there really is! Ciate polishes last for days and days without chips, but then again so do the Barry M Gelly nails; it more or less just depends on whether you want to be a brand snob or not. If you like this shade you won't be losing anything by buying Lychee instead - just take your pick!

Models Own - 'Utopia' £5.00. Quite a well known polish from Models Own, 'Utopia' is a really, really pale lilac shade and looks lovely for a light wash of pinky colour over the nails. At just £5 for 14ml of good quality varnish Models Own are one of the best value brands and I'd always recommend them.

Models Own - 'Naked Shimmer' £5.00. This is a personal favourite of mine; not just in the nude nail stakes, but out of my whole collection of nail varnishes this one comes out on top. You can see me wearing it here and ahh it's just beautiful! It's a beige toned nude with a slight pink undertone and a gorgeous golden shimmer running through it to give it a little bit more dimension.

I hope that you all enjoyed this post and that you're enjoying nude nails too!

I would say that my personal favourite is 'Naked Shimmer', but if I was to recommend one to somebody wanting to try out their first nude nail varnish then I would say to go for 'Lychee' - only £3.99 too so you can't go wrong!

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Recent Beauty Buys

Unfortunately for me, my boyfriend happened to turn up whilst I was preparing this post and while I was balancing everything in this nice posed picture ready for the cover photo.. uh oh bad timing! I got a mini lecture about 'why have you been buying so much?' but honestly, it just looks a lot when you've put it all together in one place! I swear.. 

Plus some bits were freebies (read on to find out why), and there have been lots of great deals on, including the amazing Boots 3 for 2 offers and their £5 No7 vouchers - Yay! Also in my defense, what you may or may not know is that I successfully completely a February Spending Ban without one single tiny slip up! I was so proud of myself for managing to do this, and needless to say my first purchase for this haul was made on March 1st! This is 5 weeks of collective shopping all bundled into one place to share with you all and to make things a bit more manageable I've broken it down into sections: hair, nails, make up, skin care, bath & body and just one miscellaneous piece at the end that didn't belong anywhere else!

Hair

Batiste Dry Shampoo (Tropical)
Directions Semi-Permanent Hair Dye - Atlantic Blue
Tresemme Keratin Smooth Hair Mask

Dry shampoo is an essential purchase and in my next empties post I'll do you will see that there is at least 3 empty cans of dry shampoo in there so it was worth getting the jumbo size. If you follow me on Instagram you will be able to see from photo's here, here and here that I dyed the blonde ends of my hair blue with a semi-permanent dye from Directions. Anddd, finally a hair mask because.. I don't have enough already (haha such a joker), but I've been wanting to try this since it came out so I snapped it up while it was on a half price offer for £2-3 and I really love it, it works so well at giving my hair a nourishment boost and making it soft and smooth - it's a new favourite product. 

Nails

Bourjois '1 Second' Nail Varnish Remover

Rimmel Pro Nail Varnishes - Matte Finish and Super Wear Top Coat

Barry M 'Gelly Hi-Shine' Nail Varnishes - Lychee, Dragon and Pomegranate

Essie Nail Varnish - 'Fiji'
Topshop Nail Varnish - 'Marine Scene'

Woah, woah, woah.. nail varnish overload! I absolutely love the Bourjois '1 Second' Remover and I featured it in my March Favourites post, here. It has come in really handy at removing my nail varnish easily so that I can experiment with all of these new shades! I've been loving the matte nails trend at the moment so got myself one of Rimmel's matte top coats which is great quality and works really well. I think they only cost about £4 so it's well worth getting a bottle to have a play around with, and they had a '2 for £6' offer on all Rimmel Pro nail varnishes so I treated myself to an ultra shine top coat too. The new Barry M Gelly nails that everybody is loving: on a '2 for £6' deal in Superdrug I opted for a nude called 'Lychee' and a bright 'Barbie pink' called 'Dragon'. It turns out I should have tried them earlier after all because I am a woman in love so a few weeks later I returned and purchased 'Pomegranate'; a lovely berry red. My first ever Essie nail varnish was 'Fiji', a favourite of many bloggers and nude nail lovers. I like it, but I wasn't too crazy about the £8 pricetag, sorry Essie but I won't be rushing back for more of you! Last but not least, another Topshop nail varnish (my favourites) in the shade 'Marine Scene' which is a dark greeny blue shade and coincidentally matches my hair!

Make Up

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick 'Shade #17'
Topshop Lipstick 'Firecracker'

Topshop Blush 'Prime Time'
Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Khol Kajal '001 Black'

I'm not too make up crazy really, I'd rather splash my cash on some nice new nail varnishes (evident in the section above), or something to treat my hair too.. with the only exception being that I like a new lipstick every now and again. I got myself one of the new lipsticks from Bourjois in their 'Rouge Edition' line and I aaabsolutely love it, I featured it in my March Favourites because I cannot stop wearing it. I also got a lipstick from Topshop in the shade 'Firecracker' which is an amazing bold red/orange that I did a full post on here. I also thought I'd test the waters with a cream blush from Toppers in the shade 'Prime Time' - these are a 'cream to powder' formulation and I've not actually had chance to try this out yet. I also got one of the Scandaleyes eyeliners from Rimmel because I love my nude one and thought that a black would come in handy if I ever fancied a more dramatic eye make up look. Again, I've not tried this one out yet. 

Skincare

No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser
Origins 'Modern Friction' Exfoliator
REN Pore Minimising Detox Mask

I've been trying to have a skincare overhaul recently in an attempt to make dramatic improvements to the condition of my skin; I want to be able to feel comfortable wearing no make up in the summer and on holiday! My skin also likes to make things hard for me being being a mixture of two extremes: really dry and really oily. With a £5.00 No7 voucher I got myself the No7 Melting Gel cleanser in an attempt to subdue my lust for the Clarins Melting Gel Cleanser. I've used this a couple of times and I just think that it's okay, I'm not blown away by it. I also received a mini facial from Origins at the beginning of March and was given some really good advice for my skin and what would work well for me. She told me that using my St Ives exfoliater every so often isn't enough for my skin and to prevent further blemishes I need to use a good quality exfoliater twice a week. Her amazing sales techniques left me walking away £31 lighter and with a tube of 'Modern Friction' in my bag. I do love it so a full review will follow soon. Also from my facial I bagged myself samples of: 'Clear Improvements' mask, 'Out of Trouble' mask, 'Perfect World' serum, and 'Gin Zing' eye cream - unfortunately I love them all and want them all. Sorry bank balance! Over the past month I've been trialing the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal mask and love it to pieces. I've heard equally amazing things about the Pore Minimising mask too so ordered myself one whilst Look Fantastic had 20% off REN. This only arrived yesterday so I've not had chance to use it yet - I will do a review if I like it though.

Bath and Body

Soap and Glory 'Sugar Crush' Body Wash
The Body Shop Body Butter - Raspberry

Okay, okay we're nearly finished. I reviewed the Sugar Crush in full here, and I also featured it in my 'March Favourites' post here, and my Weekend Pamper post here too so it is definitely a no regrets purchase and is well loved. However, I am sick of the sight of it on my blog now after it being in so many posts! Getting a body butter from The Body Shop for £4.50 instead of £13.00 is a crazy bargain! Nobody can turn that down. There was a special offer on a little while ago (I think it's still on now) for certain 'scents' of the body butters to be knocked down to just £5.00, and then with a Love Your Body card a further 10% discounted too. I love the body butters from The Body Shop and I'm building up quite a stash on them. They all smell super yummy, the raspberry one is no exception, and they do an amazing job at moisturising the skin. There's nothing better to complete a perfect pamper than with a layer of one of these!

Lush:

A little trip to Lush happened last week for some bath time treats. (It wasn't last week at all, you can see from the stickers I bought these on the 13th March!). Impressively, even with Lush's prices creeping up and up, all of these only came to £8.50 because the 'Catastrophe Cosmetic' Fresh Face Mask was a freebie after trading in 5 empty black pots. You can see my post on the recycling scheme here. While I was there I also got a 'You've Been Mangoed' Bath Melt and a 'Butter Ball' Bath Ballistic, both of which I haven't had chance to try yet. I have used the 'Fluffy Egg' Bath Ballistic from the Easter stock but I wasn't too impressed with it. Almost £3 and all it did was dye my water pink? It didn't create much of a fragrance (it is supposed to smell like candyfloss/bubblegum/Snow Fairy) but whatever mild fragrance it did create didn't linger for long; just a little bit of a let down!

Miscellaneous

Glamour Magazine | Freebie: Percy and Reed 'No Oil, Oil'

I didn't know where else to put this one, but I bought a Glamour magazine for a measly £2 at the train station the other week, giving myself some quality entertainment to pass the journey (I also feel like an empowered female as Glamour is extremely pro girl power) and I'm a sucker for a little freebie so enjoyed the added bonus of a Percy & Reed hair oil too. It's got a funny smell but it does make my hair lovely and soft, not bad for a freebie!

Phew, I'm definitely all shopped out now!

Have you been taking advantage of the '3 for 2' offers throughout Boots at the moment?

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