Review: Max Factor volumising mascara

Holaaa!!!!

Today I thought I'd do a quick review of my new mascara- Wild Mega Volume by Max Factor. My sister works in Superdrug (which is great, especially the discounts!) and she bought me this mascara for only £4.50, which I think is amazing as it's a relatively new product.

I admit that I did not take this photo, but I think it's good because you can see the wand shape really clearly. The wand is quite large with thick bristles, and is slightly curved in the middle so it follows the shape of your lashes. The size of the wand is good because you can cover all of your lashes at once, but it has become a bit gunged up after everyday use.

The actual mascara has a creamy consistency, which I prefer to gel and liquid mascaras. It makes your eyes look really big and dark, and really volumises (is that a word?) your eyelashes.

The downside is that the heavy consistency of the mascara means that it clumps very easily, which I think is quite common in volumising mascaras. To solve this I use a Boots own eyelash comb, which seperates the clumps and makes the mascara look more evenly applied. In the photos below I didn't use an eyelash or brow comb, which is why the mascara looks a bit clumpy and uneven in my right eye.

Personally, I don't think this mascara suits my eyelashes. I tend to go for definition and seperating mascaras, not volumising ones, but I guess Wild Mega Volume does makes a nice change. I would recommend it for a night out, especially for girls with light, thin or spread out lashes. And definitely for bargain hunters like me!

Thanks for reading :)

Lorna xxx

Brighton Haul

Heyyy guys,

I promised that I'd post about my impressive haul from last weekend, so here it is! If you didn't see my first post then let me fill you in- I went to Brighton with a few friends and basically went a bit mad in Primark and a couple of my other favourite shops. Here's what I brought back with me...

The only thing I really needed to buy in Brighton was a bikini, but I came back with a bikini plus a dress, a skirt, a top and sunglasses. And I was trying to save up my money!? Anyway, I was on a hunt for a bikini and I'd seen that there was a swimwear sale on the Hollister website, so that was where we went first. But unfortunately, we were too late and the only bikinis left were in extra larges sizes and were a bit mismatched. So we went to the other end of the scale, Primark.

I lurrrrve Primark, and once again it didnt let me down! I picked up a bikini for the brilliant price of £4 (top and bottom). I like the design, it's black with a simple tie up halter neck, which somehow makes it look kind of classy, but then it has bright pink stripes. It has I was lucky because it was the last one left in my size. The material is quite flimsy and soft though, which makes me think that it won't take long to get worn and out of shape. But at the price that it was, it doesn't really matter. So at last I won't have to go swimming in the sea in my bandeau! I think this bikini will be perfect for my holiday in a few weeks time, we're going to Spain! Sooooo excited!!!

We were in Primark for ages and I also bought myself a top and a skirt. The skirt is a short, denim skater skirt, which will be nice for the beach because I can just wear it with a bikini top or a bandeau. It looks really good with the top that I bought, which is a baggy burgundy t-shirt. Together they make a super comfortable, summery outfit which will keep me cool on the really hot days. As we were in the queue I also grabbed a pair of sunglasses for £1.

After that I planned to start window shopping, but I saw a gorgeous dress in H&M and I couldn't help myself. It was £20 which is quite expensive for H&M, but in other shops I'm sure it would have cost a lot more.

I adore this dress! The pale blue denim and the simple design are so pretty. It's really just a denim bralet attached to a skater skirt, but as one piece it looks really lovely. I have seen similar dresses in Topshop and River Island and I was suprised to find it in H&M. It didn't seem like their usual style. I can picture this dress with a pair of plain sandles and red accessories.

That was the end of my clothes buying, but I had one more thing to get... macaroons!!! I love macaroons but you can hardly get them anywhere, not the proper ones anyway. On the way back up the high street we went into the Cocoa Patisserie, and I am literally drooling thinking about it.

I could easily have bought the whole display of cakes, tarts and other nibbles, but I was drawn to the massive selection of macaroons. The cool French guy over the counter gave me what looked like a menu with the different flavours on it, and I settled for a vanilla macaroon, a chocolate one and an intriguing pistachio one which was bright green. I ate them before I had a chance to take pictures, but this was the menu I was given.

Of all the shops we went to over the day, the Cocoa Patisserie is the one I would most like to go back to! I shared the macaroons and we all thought they were delicious, although they were ridiculously overpriced. But if you've never had a macaroon, I seriously recommend them!

Anyway, that's all I have to say about our day in Brighton! It was nice to go to some of the shops that I don't have near home, and also to see the amazing graffiti walls. Thanks for reading!

Lorna xxx

Brighton trip

Hey guys,

I am sooo sorry I haven't blogged in so long! Everything has been a bit hectic and I figure that there's not much point going back to Day 8 of the brand challenge after missing like 3 weeks. I don't know where the time has gone!

Anyway, on sunday I went to Brighton with a few friends. I love Brighton so much, it's definitely my favourite shopping town. We had a really lovely day and spent lots of time in the Churchill Square shopping centre, but we also visited the amazing graffiti walls, which are in the more residential area of Brighton. It was kind of creepy getting to the graffiti walls because you have to go down all of the back roady bits, but it's worth it. Here are a few photos...

It was such a good trip and I brought back a nice haul, which I will try to blog about tomorrow. Thanks for reading!!!

Review: Sweet Lips lip scrub

Heyy guys,

It's Day 6 of the brand challenge and my product for today is the Sweet Lips lips scrub from, of course, Lush. I've been using Sweet Lips for years (literally) and I love it so much. 

Lip scrubs exfoliate your lips, and Lush has come up with this clever scrub in the form of flavoured sugar. And here's the other thing... you can eat it! Although I wouldn't use it in baking :P What you do is scoop out a bit of the sugary stuff, rub it on to your lips, and lick it off. It doesn't actually tell you to lick it off, but the shop assistant said I should, and everybody with a Lush lip scrub seems to do it.

 I love Sweet Lips, and I use it almost every day. It leaves your lips so soft and smooth, and helps if they are chapped. It is vanilla and chocolate flavour, and tastes and smells delicious. The sugar doesn't make your lips greasy, but removes dry and dead skin. I find it really useful if I want to apply lip gloss/lipstick, because it smoothens your lips and rubbing on the sugar even plumps them up a bit.

The downside is that the sugar can be a bit messy. It sticks to your face, and obviously if you get it on your cheek or your nose (like I did) then you have to have a seriously long tongue to lick it off. Because of this, I can't put it on without a mirror, which is annoying if you're somewhere without one. Also, if you get it wet when it's on your skin then it goes very sticky, and if your don't manage to lick it all off it kind of congeals on your face. Urgh.

The only other thing is that it's quite expensive for a very simple lip product. It's £5.25, so it's worth considering cheaper options too. Still, the pot lasts an extremely long time, but it does go a bit weird after a while, like normal sugar. I accidentally got a droplet of water in the pot and it dried in dark lumps. But that was my fault. Here are some more photos of Sweet Lips and me using it...

 

Despite the negatives, I do love Sweet Lips, and also another of the Lush lip scrubs, Bubblegum flavoured, which is bright pink and tasted like candyfloss. I definitely recommend Sweet Lips for people with dry lips, but for people with already lovely lips, I think a cheap lip scrub from Boots or a good quality lip balm might be just as effective.

Thanks for reading!

Lorna xxx

Review: Lush Breath of Fresh Air toner

Hey guys,

Today I tried my first toner! I've been wanting to try a toner for soooo long, and I thought this would be a good one to start with. So for the 5th day of the Brand Challenge, here's a quick review...

Breath of Fresh Air facial toner

Because I'm new to toners, I wasn't sure what to buy. My skin has got very dry and sore in places from the chemically skin products I've been using, so I wanted something that would sooth and hydrate my skin, but wouldn't give me an allergic reaction. I have super sensitive skin.

I was stuck between two toners, both from Lush. Breath of Fresh Air and Eau Roma Water. But Breath of Fresh Air seemed to have more natural ingredients, so I bought it. And I'm so glad I did :)

Breath of Fresh Air is a really lovely product, I used it in the morning before I went out and it really refreshed and invigorated my skin. You are meant to spray it directly onto you face, and my face felt soft and smooth afterwards, which it hasn't done in a while. It looked less chapped and dry. The sore patches on my cheeks stung a bit when I first used the spray but then they went down loads and this evening they feel a lot better. 

On the bottle it says 'the sea breeze captured in a bottle', and I think this is a really good way to describe it. I can't help imagining shells and waves! If you've tried it you'll know what I mean. As a facial cleanser it was great and it opened my clogged pores. The smell wasn't particularly nice, in fact it didn't smell of that much. One of the main ingredients is Aloe Vera gel, which I guess doesn't have much of a fragrance in it. It would be nice if it was lovely smelling too, but it doesn't matter much in a toner.

I would like to try some more toners, any suggestions would be great!

Thanks for reading :)

Brand Challenge Day 4- solid perfume review

Holaaa!

Today I'm going to change the subject a bit from bath ballistics and soaps, to perfumes. And not just ordinary perfumes, but solid ones. 

I bought my first solid perfume last year- I really wanted to get one, and my friend recommended Lust from Lush. However, I found this way too strong for my liking, so I decided on another perfume from the same range (Gorilla Perfumes) called Vanillary. 

At the time, Lush's solid perfumes came in little tins, though they now come in tubes. The tin on my one didn't come all bent out of shape, but being an idiot, I thought the lid of the tin was a pull off one, so I tried pressing  and bending and levering the lid off before realising you just had to twist it. Oh dear ;) The actual perfumed bit inside is a creamy colour and you rub it on your skin. I go for my wrists. This is one of the things I love about solid perfumes- because you just rub them on yourself, they don't really ever run out. Literally, it would take years.

Also the tin is handy and fits neatly in your pocket, so you can carry around or put it in your handbag without having to worry about it leaking like a normal perfume. Then you can reapply it whenever you need to.

The thing about Vanillary is that when I first put it on, it's so overwhelmingly strong that sometimes I end up coughing. Sounds awful, right? But after 10 or so minutes it really dies down and then the fragrance is subtle and sophisticated. I love the vanilla fragrance, it's so rich and creamy, and there's also a hint of jasmine which adds a floral touch. The smell lasts for hours doesn't really matter how long it lasts because it's so easy to reapply.

The downside is that I can't really wear it during the week, because I have to get ready quickly and it doesn't have the chance to die down before I go. I did once try going to school with the solid perfume on my wrists, and it was so strong that I'm sure I got some weird looks over the day. But Vanillary is perfect for an evening out, and it's just something a bit different from your average perfume. The only other thing that I don't like about the product is that the edge of the tin picks up specks of dust or dirt- you might be able to see what I mean in this photo, but it's quite hard to see.

I've heard that others from the Lush 'Gorilla perfumes' range are lovely too. The price depends on what quantity you are buying, but I think I got mine for £7.00, which I don't think is too bad. It's a cheap alternative to expensive perfume, and one I definitely recommend.

Brand Challenge Day 3- Retro products

Heyy guys,

I picked up the latest Lush Times and in the newspaper there was some information on a few products which are now being classed as 'Retro'. This basically means that the product has been discontinued, but will still be permanently available online. They can also be bought from the Lush store in Poole, but unfortunately this is one I've never had the chance to visit. Here are a few of the products which have been added to the Retro range:

 Waving not Drowning bath bomb

Although I've never tried this bomb, I know it's quite popular. The aim of Waving not Drowning is to help you get to sleep, and the fragrances are lavender and ylang ylang. I think this sounds like the ultimate relaxation bath bomb, and it's only £2.80 per bomb. I'm glad that this product has gone Retro and not completely dissapeared, because I think it could be really handy on a particularly tiring or stressful evening.

Smitten hand cream
'Just one touch and you're smitten'

Now this is one I have tried, as I bought it for my Mum last christmas. I also offered to 'test' it for her, and I was very pleased when she agreed. This is one of the only hand creams that will keep my fingers from getting dry and cracked in the winter, and it leaves your skin really soft and hydrated. It doesn't leave your skin oily like some rich moisturizers do. And I could literally sit there for hours smelling the pot, it smells so good, like marzipan and almond. Soooooo nice :)

Red Rooster soap

This is one of the coolest looking soaps I have ever seen! It makes me think of Autumn, with the bold, warm colours and the dried fruit on top. It may be pricey, really pricey, but I think it would probably be worth it. The fragrances are orange and cinnamon, which I think would be the perfect mix to give you a gentle wake up in the morning.

I doubt I'm the only one who is grateful for these products still being available online! I think making products Retro is a really good idea, and it means that I can still buy my favourite things even if they are discontinued in the stores.

Thanks for reading!

Brand Challenge- Think Pink Review

Heyyy,

I'm sooooo sorry for not posting for ages! But I'm going to pretend that I only posted yesterday and continue on to Day 2 of the 14 day Brand Challenge. So here's my contribution to the challenge today...

Review: THINK PINK bath bomb

I can't believe that I've had this bath bomb sitting around for so long without realising it! But I know Think Pink is really popular so I think it's a good one to start with.

Bath Bomb ID-
Name: Think Pink
Appearance: Pink (I never would have guessed!) with flower decorations
Fragrance: Vanilla, lavender and tonka
Price: £2.50

Think Pink is an amazing price for how lovely it is. This smell is delicious- girly, floral and somehow really warms. The smell is meant to be vanilla and tonka, but I'm not really sure what 'tonka' is. You really can smell the vanilla though, and I could still smell it on my skin the next day. My friend even asked me what my new perfume was, and I was like, 'It's a secret recipe' ;) But I'm sure it was from the Bath bomb. The appearance is bold, hot pink with bright flowers like the type that are put on top of cakes as decoration. I was tempted to eat one, but somehow I think that might not be such a good idea! The flowers came in different colours, but the ones on mine were yellow, red and blue, and they dissolved in the bath like the bomb.

The bubbles aren't from the bath bomb, I added those myself :)

My bath turned a lovely pink colour and I was pleasantly surprised by the heart shaped confetti concealed in the bomb. Actually the confetti got a bit annoying after a while because the little hearts kept getting stuck to my skin. But apart from that, I really can't fault this bath ballistic. The only other thing I would say is that Think Pink is relatively small for a Lush Bath Ballistic, but the price makes up for that, and I don't think it really makes much of a difference anyway.

Sorry that last photo's a bit blurry, I had to go quite close up. But anyway, this is what I mean by the confetti. It has a slightly different small to the bomb itself, a bit richer and more fruity. The bathroom smelt amazing for hours afterwards! I think this bath bomb would be perfect for a Valentine's day present, though maybe not for a boy because it really is very pink. 
But I would definitely recommend Think Pink as a treat for any girl.

Thanks for reading!