LUSH valentines collection 2017

I was super excited to receive a box of valentines goodies from the folks at LUSH this week. The timing was perfect as we're mid way through moving house, so a relaxing bath was more than overdue.

If you know me, you'll know I love LUSH more than anything, not only are they 100% cruelty free and masters of making bath time as fun as possible (pun intended), they actively try to support social causes through their products. Each valentines day the bath/body/shower gods at LUSH have done a feature on love, aiming to highlight that anyone can love anyone no matter their sex, gender, race, religion, hair colour...need I continue? this year's LUSH valentines campaign features the gorgeous Darren from LUSH Newmarket and his partner Joel.

Lush will always use any opportunity to present a broader and more realistic image of what love looks like, always using LUSH staff and real couples

And on top of a fantastic campaign about Real love, they've of course released an amazing selection of limited edition products for valentines, here's a few of my Lush valentines favourites....

You can find the full Lush valentines range here 

The kiss Lip scrub 

Packed with sugar for exfoliation, cocoa butter for softness and sicilian mandarin oil for an uplifting and refreshing scent, $9.95

The kiss lip balm

This beautiful pink lip calm is packed with fair trade shea butter, from a womens cooperative in ghana. It's also got organic jojoba oil, agave syprup and organic illipe oil to leave your lips silky smooth and shiny sweetly, $9.95

Bubble bars 

Ladybird

Packed with peppermint and geranium oil, this little ladybird crumbled under the bath tap with help you fly away from your troubles. All in one it creates enough bubbles to fill the bathroom, or if you're feeling savvy she's enough for 2/3 baths, $8.96

Love struck

Nothing says love in 2017 like the heart eyes emoji, right?! This cute yellow bubble bar is filled with refreshing citrus and geranium and leaves the bath a perfectly sunny yellow, $8.95

Bath bombs

Cupid (bottom left)

A bathtime bouquet of calming rose and bergamot. If you want subtle sweetness this valentines this fizzy pink number is for you, $6.95

Over and Over (top right)

The ultimate pick me up, this gorgeously uplifting bath bomb rocks away in the bath leaving a pink and yellow swirl behind it. It's perfect for those who don't like sweet scents, as it's packed with lime and fennel, great for lovers of the brightside bubble bar! $8.95

Rose bombshell

My absolute hero piece of the 2017 collection, perfect for lovers of Rose Jam but with a little lemony kick. It's not only a beautiful scent, this bath bomb is multilayered and fizzes away to leave beautiful petals floating in the bath...how romantic! $7.95

Loverlamp

A silky white bath with little red hearts, perfect for however your valentines plays out. Beautiful organic cocoa butter mixed with vanilla absolute and brazilian orange oil. LUSH say it's a cleansing climax guarunteed,  $7.95

You can find the entire LUSH valentines collection 2017 here

Remember they're limited edition! 

Have you tried any of these products yet? Which are your favourites?

xo

2016 beauty favourites

I can't believe 2016 is coming to an end already, it feels like it was March only yesterday! 

My hair and beauty product collection has quadrupled through the year, so I thought I'd take 5 minutes to give you guys the run-down of my favourite products I've found this year....

Essano coconut milk hydrating shampoo and conditioner / $15.99 / Priceline

Perfect for hair which needs a little TLC, these products are plant based and contain no nasty parabens or sulphites they also smell incredible and leave hair soft and shiny.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge / $16.99 / Priceline 

Literally a miracle for applying foundation and concealer, the round sides are perfect for blending makeup and the flat edge and precision tip make flawless application around your eyes and nose super easy! *

White Glo Bright Nights / $8.00 / Most supermarkets and large chemists

These White Glo whitening films are incredible, simply peel them from the packet and stick over clean teeth for a quick fix whitening treatment. Perfect before a night out or big event! 

Yves Saint Lauren Black Opium EDT / from $99 / most department stores 

With top notes of coffee, heart notes of white florals, jasmine and orange blossom and base notes of vanilla, cedar and patchouli this perfume is the perfect mix of sweetness and rock chick. The smell is almost addictive-I literally can't stop reaching for it. 

Loreal Nude Magique Cushion foundation / from $16 / most pharmacies

I finally found a foundation which matches my skin tone perfectly, this formula is absolutely incredible with a sheer - medium coverage it leaves me with the perfect glow and has built in SPF 29.  It comes with a sponge in the pack, however I team it with my complexion sponge for flawless coverage.

LUSH million dollar moisturiser / $54.95 / LUSH 

A little bit goes a long way with this beautiful moisturiser from Lush. Filled with nourishing shea butter and nutrient rich sesame oil it leaves my skin wonderfully hydrated. It also has reflective pigments which create a beautiful glow, I love mixing it with foundation for a dewy look! *

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brown Pen / $38 / Sephora

My go-to for day to day perfect brows, the colour match is great and it literally only takes seconds to fill in my brows before heading out for the day, and it doesn't budge either which is awesome. 

L'Oreal False Lash Superstar Mascara / from $25 / most pharmacies 

I've honestly never had so many compliments on my eyelashes, this 2 step primer/ mascara eliminates the need for false lashes. First coat lashes with the white primer then layer on the black mascara, it lasts all day with no fall out at all...uhhhhmazing. 

Clinique Chubby Stick lip balm / $36 / most beauty and department stores

I've loved these lip balms since they were first released, Fuller Fig is my perfect day to day colour and the formula which is loaded with hydrating mango and shea butters, leaves my lips perfectly hydrated. 

Beauty Killer Palette - see below 

Moon child palette- see below 

Vanillary solid perfume / $9.95 / LUSH

Sweet, yet sophisticated this solid perfume melts into skin and leaves subtle notes of vanilla, tonic and jasmine. A little bit goes a long way. I also love layering this with 'Imogen Rose' solid perfume to  smell like the lush rose jam range. *

Real techniques expert face brush / $22.99 / Priceline 

There's not a beauty blogger in the world who doesn't own some Real Techniques brushes for good reason, they're incredible! Designed by beauty gurus Sam and Nic Chapman, this brush is the best seller in the range, it's Ultra firm and broad for application and blending of cream or liquid foundation, the bristles are super soft and 100% cruelty free. I also find this brush perfect for contouring! 

Real techniques brush cleansing gel / $17.99 / Priceline

Gone are the days of washing my brushes with soap, this formula gives brushes a deep clean restoring them to their former glory. 

Redken Beach Envy Wave Aid / $31.50 / Redken salons

This salt-free beach spray is amazing, it gives the most incredible boost of volume and creates perfect fresh-off-the-beach texture without the sand or salt water! 

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray / $23 mini or $49 full size / Mecca 

Absolutely miracle worker, a few sprays and makeup stays put for up to 16 hours. It has built in 'heat control' technology to help your skin stay cooler even in the Perth heat! 

Palmers facial cleansing oil / $14.99 / Priceline

Facial cleansing oil rose to fame in 2016, at first I was skeptical but quickly ditched the micellar water I'd sworn by for years in favour of this. Infused with oils and botanicals this gentle formula is perfect for sensitive skin, makeup removes quickly and skin is left feeling hydrated.

R and Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo / $29 / R and Co salons

R and Co are relatively new to the Australian market but their products are incredible. This dry shampoo is perfect for refreshing hair between washes and smells divine, I love the mini version (pictured) as it's perfect to pop in your hand luggage before a trip away*

Jeffrey Star Beauty Killer Eyeshadow Palette  / $65 / online only

Thought Jeffrey Star disappeared along with myspace? You are wrong. The scene superstar re-rose to fame this year with his cult beauty products. Beauty Killer is a 10 shadow palette, each shadow is packed with intense pigment, with a mix of matte, frost & glitter shades this palette is ridiculously versatile! 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild Glowkit / $40 USD / online only

Sadly only available from the US this amazing highlighter palette is absolutely amazing. ABH has taken the beauty world by storm this year and these beautiful highlighters are no exception, perfect for every skin tone and makeup style the pigment builds quickly and effortlessly and lasts all night.

What are your 2016 beauty favourites?

xo

Please note, some of the products featured in this post have been received as press samples through the year, however this has absolutely no influence on my love for them 

Lush Perth x Bloggers United

To celebrate a year of connecting Australia bloggers the ladies behind Bloggers United decided to put on a series of birthday events across Australia teaming up with Lush to play host. It's absolutely no secret that I'm a lushie at heart (I mean it'd be rude not too seeing as they were founded in my home town in England) so I jumped at the chance of attending. 

We were greeted by Annie and the rest of the Lush Perth girls with beaming smiles, eager to show off their gorgeous new Murray Street store. We spent time learning about all of the incredible fresh produce packed into lush products before splitting up for product demos and a little competition. The girls were incredibly helpful offering advise and consults to some of the attendees and at the end of the night everyone was gifted with a goodie bag and a product of their choice.

The event was wonderful, I love that Lush Perth now have a huge selection of products that aren't available in the other WA stores. It was also great to catch up with some of the ladies I've met throughout the year thanks to Bloggers United. I can't wait till next time! 

Here's just a few of the things I picked up : 

Rosy cheeks fresh face mask has quickly become one of my favourite face masks. It's super creamy and gorgeously soothing.  A simple blend of kaolin, calamine and turkish rose oil to delicately calm the skin and restore balance. 

Million Dollar Moisturiser is my current go to moisturiser, it smells divine, is very rich and creamy and contains tiny reflective pigments to give a wonderful winter glow.

Let the good times roll is my go to Lush cleanser, I adore the smell of caramel and popcorn and how gentle it is on my skin. 

The comforter shower cream is my shower BFF, the blend of sweet cassis absolute, uplifting bergamot and assuring cypress essential oils create a blackcurrant aroma that's like being wrapped in a snug hug. It smells just like the comforter bubble bar.

Floating island bath oil is a total newbie for me, I picked it up due to it's uncanny resemblance to Vanilla fountain, which was my favourite lush bath bomb (its sadly no longer made) and I was pleasantly surprised when I dropped in my bath and found a familiar smell. Packed full of fair-trade vanilla, shea butter and a little kick of citrus, it's perfect for a relaxing soak in the bath.

What are your favourite LUSH products?

xo 

Perfect brows and a contour palette to die for

Hands down, my favourite makeup trends are brows and contouring and there's one brand which triumphs all others when it comes to brows and contouring, Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Anastasia Brow express palette  ($64) 

The perfect palette for the brow beginner and pro alike, this little set contains stencils to guide you, wax, powder and highlight. I went for the brunette version and was initially worried the colours would be too fair for my dark brown hair but they blend in perfectly. I keep this kit in my handbag for touching up my brows on the go, I've even used the highlighter as eyeshadow on the run! What impressed me most about the kit is the staying power, usually I manage to sweat my brow product out in the gym but absolutely no worries with the Anastasia brow express, the staying power is incredible.

Anastasia brow pen ($34)

The brow pen is my new favourite makeup cheat, when I'm about to run out the door I can grab this pen and quickly fill in any gaps in my brows. The liquid sets quickly and, like the brow kit, has incredible staying power. Whilst it's not quite dark enough for me to completely change my brow shape, it's perfect for a more minimal look or if you've got a lot of finer hairs which you'd like to tint.

Anastasia contour kit  ($66) 

I've got a small army of contour palettes in my makeup drawer but this is. by far, my favourite. I have the medium to tan shade which suits my olive complexion perfectly. The pigment is absolutely fantastic and can be built up easily to give anything from a subtle shadow / highlight - sculpting the envy any Kardashian. I adore the staying power, something some of the drug store contour palettes I own just can't achieve, equally some of the higher end palettes I own don't hold the shadow anywhere near as long as the Anastasia palette does.

Have you tried Anastasia products before? 

What're your favourite brow and contour products? 

xo

This post has been written in collaboration with Sephora, who stock the anastasia range here in Australia. All views are 100% my own. 

my summer beauty essentials

One of my favourite things about summer is being able to switch up my makeup bag. To me, summer makeup is all about having a natural, sun kissed glow and looking like you've just stepped off the beach. Here's some of my favourite products for summer...

Nude eyeshadow palette ($24.95)

This sweet little palette by Nude cosmetics is the ultimate all rounder, the pigments pack a punch and last all night long. During the day the two lighter colours create a perfect golden tone, and at night the addition of the brown / black shade creates the perfect smokey eye. The palette comes with the mini double end brush too, which is perfect for make up on the go.

St Tropez everyday face ($33.99)

All the benefits of laying in the sun for hours, minus the skin damage! This lotion sits so well on my skin and leaves me glowing, I've also been playing around with 'tan touring' which is using a fake tan to achieve a contour without bronzer- it's absolutely amazing and this is the perfect product for it.

Benefit sun beam highlighter ($45)

This gorgeous golden highlighter has been a makeup staple for me since it's release. It works perfectly to highlight key areas and is the perfect shade to go on top of a tan. I also love mixing a drop with foundation or moisturiser for an all over glow. Quite literally, sunshine in a bottle.

Benefit The porefessional agent zero shine ($44)

Is a new product to me but I already can't go without it, a tiny amount of powder goes a long way to stopping excess shine. Not only does this amazing little powder stop shine, it's a miracle worker with fine lines and wrinkles! 

Fudge salt spray ($19.99)

Need to fake beachy hair? Then you need this in your cupboard, stat! The fudge salt spray is an incredibly texturising spray, perfect for adding some oomph to flat hair or for using to mess up fresh waves.

Nude facial scrub ($17.95)

Every girl knows a tan goes on much better on exfoliated skin right? I swear by this nude facial scrub, which is also super moisturising. I lather it all over myself pre-beach (or fake tan) to make sure I get a beautiful even, fresh glow.

Neek Come into my world lipstick ($38)

Neek are a gorgeous vegan cosmetics company and the masterminds behind this gorgeous lipstick. It's pretty pink shade is perfect for a barely there kind of look and it's wonderfully moisturising too. What I love most about this lipstick (apart from it's totally cruelty free) is how long it lasts, I can easily pop this on at the start of the day and feel safe knowing it'll still be there way past lunch time.

Jurlique Herbal recovery serum ($79)

Another total miracle product, this serum contains Naturadiance PB18+ which reduces the appearance of fine lines, increases elasticity, restore radiance, hydrates and creates a natural defence shield to help protect against environmental aggressors. And what does all that mean? It means healthy, hydrated, glowing and younger looking skin. I treat my skin to this every evening after a day out and about in the sun.

Benefit coralista blush ($51)

The perfect coral blush, it adds a subtle glow on the first sweep and a little colour pop on the second. Gorgeous over a tan and paired with sun beam highlighter! I also love pairing this with Hoola bronzer by benefit (not pictured) for a gorgeous summer contour. 

What are your favourite summer beauty products?

xo

This post has been written in collaboration with some of the above brands, all views are my own.