Burts Bees

So I picked this cute little set from John Lewis for £12.99, I've heard Burt's Bees is an amazing brand but I didn't want to shell out on anything full-size until I knew for sure. This set comes with five miniatures/handbag size pieces, which personally I think is great value for money. I've given them all a good go and this is what I thought:

Coconut Foot Cream

 I can't say I'm ever on the look out for a foot cream, I hate my feet with a passion and avoid them at all costs! However I do love the smell of coconut so I decided to grin and bare it and give myself a bit of a pamper. I should also note that the smell of coconut isn't overpowering, or one of those sickly sweet coconut cast offs, also the added peppermint smell makes this product smell delightful. After bathing I dried my feet then massaged a 2p sized amount onto my foot (Ollie offered to massage them for me, but I like his face too much to let him!), it dried almost instantly and didn't leave my feet feeling greasy or anything. I then painted my toenails a lovely bright colour, I like doing this as people don't tend to see my feet and they can be as wacky as I like.

Overall I quite enjoyed this product and I will definitely use all of this up, as I mentioned before I don't tend to buy foot creams or treatments but I will think differently now I've used this. I would also like a bath scrub/wash with this scent because it truly is divine!

Beeswax Lip Balm- Peppermint

I warn you I am about to get very excited about a small tube of lip balm.. But, OMG! Out of everything in the pack I was most excited to use this as everyone who has tried Burt's Bees has raved about their lip balms, they're not wrong! Not only does the smell remind me of Kendall mintcake it also leaves a slight taste of it on my lips (yummy!). The peppermint smell and taste is by no means overbearing, sometimes companies can get it completely wrong when it comes to mint, Burt's Bees have got it spot on! As the weather is constantly changing it's mind I always have a couple of lip balms on the go (I have a make-up/beauty hoarding problem), this will now be a firm favourite and has gone straight into my handbag. 

It leaves my lips incredibly moisturised and when I first put it on my lips I got a slight tingling sensation, which wasn't painful just a slight numbing effect. I really do love this product and I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again.

Hand Salve

The only thing I was mildly disappointed with in this set was this hand salve, mainly due to the smell.. It smells like lavender and for someone who doesn't like lavender anyway it was a bit too much and I had to wash my hands after a couple of minutes. 

In terms of product it's a good substitute for a hand cream, it's solid form makes it less messy and more cost efficient as there is less chance of wastage. In terms of helping my chapped hands? Yeah it was good, no better than a hand cream but still aided my horrible chapped hands. I wouldn't re-buy this as I hated the smell and would only consider it for the convenience of having a small tin that does the same job as a hand cream.

Good news is I have a friend who loves lavender so I'm sure she won't mind taking it off my hands.. har har.

 

 Body Lotion- Milk and Honey

This is again not a scent I would normally go for, but it is lush. The perfect mix of both scents which is perfectly blended to make a soft sweet smell. As far as body lotions go, I'm quite lazy I must admit I don't normally bother too much unless I'm having a serious pamper day. But this is lovely, a nice consistency which is neither too solid nor runny and leaves the skin feeling moisturised and smooth without being greasy. I do think I would buy this again as I think overall it's a great product and I was very happy with how my skin felt afterwards.  

 

 Deep Cleansing Cream- Soap Bark and Chamomile

 I'm not 100% on what soap bark is meant to smell like but overall this product has a light fresh scent which has a touch of lemons, again Burt's Bees have got the ratio just right and my nose buds are pleasantly surprised. This cream is thick and you don't need a lot to work on your whole face, which I like as I don't enjoy putting too much stuff onto my face (bar make-up). The product itself works really well and my face was left incredibly smooth while looking and smelling fresh. I would buy this again as well as it's just lovely. Simply lovely.

So overall I was very happy with this pack, I would buy 4 out of 5 again and I'm also intrigued enough to delve further into the brand and try more things out. This pack was defiantly worth the money as you don't need to use large amounts of the products to gain a the desired result. I think the packaging is super cute, whilst remaining rustic as the same time. The scents of these products are amazing and I think Burt's Bees certainly have the right nose for the job! Very happy shopper!

 I won't go into all the ethics and such like on the brand as this is already pretty lengthy, but you can read for yourself and have a good shop here: www.burtsbees.co.uk

Have you tried any Burt's Bees products?

What did you think?

Anything you can recommend me?

Nicola Mai..x

Maybeline Rocket

 Well well well, the mascara everyone has been talking about and reviewing. Now here is my two cents and it aint gonna be pretty!
First thing I would like to mention is that I LOVE Maybeline mascaras, the two I use on a regular basis are Maybeline (Collosal Volum' & The Falsies) and I find it hard to fault them. Second thing, this mascara is not one of them. For me anyway.

I absolutely fell in love with the packaging, it's bright and fun and obviously drew to my eye in Boots. However I was very disappointed when I found out this mascara had a plastic applicator, as I don't tend to like these and felt I wouldn't get on with it (I was half right)

As you can see from the pictures above this mascara does give my eyelashes some length and I love the deep dark black, however this is no more than my Collosal Volum' does for my eyelashes and I was expecting something different.
Different is what I got, clumps, sticking towards my eye, the applicator also scratched my eyelid and when it came to taking this off ripped my eyelashes out with it (Ouch!), which made it very painful to put mascara on the next day.

Now I don't like to do negative posts but the only thing I liked about this was the packaging and the colour of my eyelashes. I was simply disappointed which is a real shame for me because I rate Maybeline mascaras more than most. I will not be repurchasing!



What have your experiences been with this mascara?
Do you have any mascaras you'd like to recommend me?

Nicola Mai..x

Bomb Cosmetics

My boyfriend took this rather artistic picture of Vintage Rosehip whilst running me a bath :)

If you know me, or have read my blog before you will know that I LOVE having a bath. I am a massive Lush fan, but I came across this website called Bomb Cosmetics and I must say I am now addicted I can't wait to make my next order! I think the packaging and general look of the products is super cute and there is so much attention to detail I just can't deal with it.

 The first thing I picked up was this soap called Middle Earth- it smells so so good! Like sweet velvety chocolate it leaves my skin feeling silky smooth and I would like to check out some of the other soaps that they have on their site.

I chose some Bathbombs also or as they're named- Bath Blasters. I chose Fantasy Island, In The Mood and Vintage Rosehip all at 160g each and priced at £2.29 each I think these are perfectly priced. They leave the bath in great colours, the Fantasy Island leaves the bath in a yellowy colour which is rather amusing... But I think these are great value for money and I would recommend them for anyone who loves having a bath!

 I then chose something called a Whoopie Blaster- fondly named after Whoopee Pies. I chose the Knickerbocker Glory Whoopie Blaster, priced at £2.99 for 140g. I loved this, it had a real fresh citrus smell and fizzed really quickly while leaving the water with a soft foam. The middle layer to the whoopie blasters is like the butter in the products I will talk about below- it leaves your skin so smooth and when I got out of the bath I was having a serious 'feel how soft my skin is!' moment to everybody!

 This is a Jar Of Hearts Cocoa Swirl, at £2.99 for 110g. You can use these in your bath up to three times, which makes it even better value for money at under £1 a bath (maths whizz here! ;)) Made with pure butters, ylang ylang and rose essential oils, this smells divine! The butters this is made with made my skin stupidly soft and I love the cute little details that go into these products.

I then got intrigued by the Bath Tulips, they're £2.99 each and you can use these up to four times... Which again makes them amazing value for money. (Left) is Forest Fruit and (Right) is Gypsy Rose, Forest Fruit as you'd expect is an amazingly powerful fruity smell and Gypsy Rose as you might expect smells like roses ;) The tulips are made from cocoa and shea butter which leaves the body smooth- like seriously I didn't even feel the need to moisturise after I got out of the bath my skin was so smooth.

I did get some other stuff but as I made quite a big order I haven't yet got round to using them all- but I would say Bomb Cosmetics is the place to go to if you love a good pamper in the bath. The website you can find here: BOMB COSMETICS

They do all sorts of stuff that I want to try- I have my eye on the candles for example. There's also so many smells I can't wait to try!

MAC

 So my MAC order arrived earlier the other week and I got very very excited when it did. I chose the products online but when they arrived they looked SO much prettier than I first imagined. I was bought a MAC lipstick for Christmas by my lovely boyfriend, which was a nudey type colour that I could wear everyday. But as I am a lover of red lipstick and that's what I tend to wear when I go out/get dressed up I decided I needed to order a red one. So that's exactly what I did! I may have also slipped a blusher in, whoops ;)

 

Sheertone Shimmer Blush- Dollymix- £17.50

I love blusher, I am starting a blush collection in fact! I think blush is perfect for Spring/Summer as it makes the face look fresh and alive. This blusher is perfect for that, as the name suggests it's an incredibly girly pink with a tiny shimmer running through it for some extra glam. I thought the colour was a tiny bit daunting when I first looked at it online, but then figured it can always be toned down with powder. I should definitely point out that a little goes a long way with this, so it's easily buildable, start with a little and work your way up to lose risk of looking like Co-Co the Clown rather than Co-Co Chic ;) Overall I am very happy with the colour, texture and formula of the product, I have not yet delved into cream blush (it scares me slightly?!). But I would strongly recommend this for a first time buyer like myself :)

 

Matte Lipstick- Russian Red- £14

EEEEEE! Lipstick and red lipstick at that! I literally couldn't of been more excited than when this lipstick arrived, I seem to have an unhealthily obsession with lipstick, especially those of the red shade. This colour is so pigmented and fierce; which is exactly how I feel when wearing it. The shade pops out against my eye colour and skin colour and it's just ahhh. I cannot get enough of it and in fact even though I bought this as more of a going out lipstick I have slipped it into my everyday make-up bag..

This is the finished look- although I am wearing bronzer so the blush is not as noticeable as when used by itself. As I am pale I feel the lipstick pops, which is something I like as I tend to stick to a simple eye. Overall I am happy with both products and am looking into buying more from the brand and these particular types of product.

Is there any MAC products you could recommend for me?

What are your favourite MAC products?

Nicola Mai..x

Soap and Glory! Recent uses and favourites :)

Now I know I am not alone with my love of Soap and Glory products, all over the blogging world there are many other lovers! I am addicted to Soap and Glory, officially a member of the club. I don't know whether it's the smell of the products, the cute vintage style packages or how they work but something certainly dings my dong.

Handbag essentials

Hand Food- £2.50/£5 depending on size. 

This hand moisturiser has to be one of the best I have ever come across. I suffer from chapped hands a lot in the Winter and being as impatient as I am like something that I can use instantly and on the go, this is the perfect product. Not only does it smell absolutely amazing, it dries within seconds without leaving my hands with that horrid greasiness afterwards. I don't have to keep applying it countless times throughout the day either as it's long lasting and with it being so cheap I'd say it goes above and beyond for the price you pay.

Mist You Madly- £6.50

This is something I pop into my handbag for a quick spritz on the go, it smells floral and girly which for me is the perfect kind of scent. The smell is super long lasting and I find myself smelling my scarf to get a whiff of the smell hours later (does anybody else do this with fragrance?). I think this is ideal when you don't want to carry around a perfume bottle or don't have any travel size perfumes. I will definitely re-buy.

Hand Maid- £2.50

I probably shouldn't get as excited about hand sanitiser as I do but hey ho! This is amazing, seriously. This is great for popping into your handbag and super easy to use for a quick freshen up to make you feel that little bit cleaner. The smell is again as you'd expect from Soap and Glory divine, floral again for this product and doesn't leave you with that horrid hospital kind of smell afterwards. I normally use this alongside my Hand Food mositeriser mentioned above and using them both together leaves my hands silky smooth and smelly lush. So for £2.50 I think it's great for females that get excited about hand sanitisers.

Bathtime!

Glad Hair Day- £2.50

Now this is one Soap and Glory product that I haven't been overally happy with and because I love the brand so much I am saddened to say it to be honest. Now the smell of this product is amazing, it smells fresh and spring like- fresh peaches to be exact. However, when it came to using the product I was left disapointed, it just didn't seem to 'clean' my hair and I was left with greasy hair after a few hours, I did of course re-try a couple of days later but the same thing happened. Now my mum has used it after me -I kindly passed it onto her- and she has had no problems and actually is loving this so it left me thinking that maybe it hasn't worked for me because I have long, thick hair while she has short and thinner hair. It hasn't put me off trying some of the other hair care, in fact I'm thinking of trying the conditoner next :)

Sugar Crush Body Scrub- £8

Now anyone who has tried Soap and Glory or read up on Soap and Glory will have heard about this product i'm sure. I cannot rave about this enough, seriously I would be here all day! I am not usually the biggest fan of the citrusy smell, but this sweet lime, almond oil and macadamia smell really does it for me. It fresh and lively, I bought my first tub of this just before Christmas and it got me excited for Spring/Summer just by the smell. The scrub itself is great quality too, it has finer grains in it than the other body scrubs from the Soap and Glory range but still left me with super smooth and unflakey skin. I for one have become a tadge addicted to using this and use it most times that I get in the bath -which is everyday or every other day mainly- I just can't get enough!

Sugar Crush Body Wash- £6.50

Of course after trying the scrub I spotted this bay boy and had to buy it ;) with the same scent of the other Sugar Crush products it left me feeling bright and uplifted. I would say this is ideal for those kind of mornings where you don't really want to deal with life -cough cough Mondays- as it's the perfect scent to give you some get up and go! I know i'm not the only person loving this either as i'm pretty certain my mum keeps stealing some for herself :P

The Scrub Of Your Life- £7

I'm not normally a big lover of skin care as I find my skin to be alright without using anything, but after suffering a minor breakout a few weeks ago I delved into some new stuff. Now I use this just on my face to lift off the dead skin, which I tend to get mainly around my nose, but you can use it on other places of the body too. It left my skin feeling really smooth and didn't lead to any inpurities as sometimes facial scrubs can do. I would recomend this to anyone really, as I tend to have sensitive skin and didn't have any negative reactions to the product.

If you feel like using any of these, or perhaps something else from the Soap and Glory range Boots is having a 3 for 2 deal at the moment as part of a Valentines offer- I am trying to restrain myself....

So is there products I haven't mentioned that you think I would like?

Do you have any alternate brands that you think I could have a look at?

Tell me your positive and negative Soap and Glory experiences :)

Nicola Mai..x