Monthly Favourites - November

It's December, which is ridiculous. I'm sure every man and his dog will express the speed with which this year has flown in their monthly favourites, so I'll spare you from hearing it again. November marked the last of my uni exams and the successful completion of my first year of university! To celebrate, this blog was resurrected from the dead and I'm slowly getting back into the swing of posting.

It was darn easy to pick monthly favourites for November because I haven't shared any favourites with you for months.

Eyes: Without a doubt, buying the Makeup Geek starter palate on a whim at 1am one night was easily one of my better decisions. It comes with 9 standard shades, almost all of which I feel are appropriate for a starter kit. I would have loved to see more browns instead of purples, however I have been getting use out of all of them. The pigmentation is amazing, palate set up (that allows you to remove the pans with ease) and the cost is pretty good. A clear winner.

Face: After all the raving about the Hourglass products, I really wasn't convinced. For a powder that cost so much and barely showed up, my student budget wasn't having it. Then Model's prefer came out with a dupe and I jumped on the bandwagon. I adore this powder, it is amazing and I have mine in the shade Photo Ready.

Lips: As I stated in my haul here, I didn't even know that this range of glosses existed until I purchased one. I cannot recommend the Rimmel Oh My Gloss range enough, despite only owning one shade (Glossaholic). It is perfect in every way.

Nails: I must admit, these polishes came as a little bit of a disappointment however I had to include them because they are the only polishes I've worn all month. It is the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish in Get it Bright and the corresponding gel topcoat. I expected super good wear out of this and I found it to be relatively similar to all my other polishes. I'm going to keep persisting but it hasn't won me over yet...

Other: I have never been a fake tan person but the Australis Tinted Let's Go Steady Gradual Tan Body Moisturiser (what a mouthful!) is incredible. Incredible! I lather this on daily for about three days in a row and I have a natural but clearly enhanced glow to my skin. It smells fine, is so freaking easy and looks bloody amazing. I love this product.

Book: I've added in a new category because books are such a big part of my life. This month I read one of my favourite books of the year - Blood and Guts by Richard Hollingham. It is a brief, albeit absolutely fascinating, history of surgery and developments through areas like heart surgery, transplants, plastic surgery and the brain. It is gory, gruesome and overall absolutely mind blowing. This book made me so, so appreciative of the current medical practises, and in awe of the brilliant minds who came before us, discovering new ways to improve surgical techniques and the comfort of their patients. An incredible book for a science-lover.

Monthly Favourites - March

Hello dear friends, it has been far too long. Yep, I disappeared for ages but I'm kind of back, at least I'm here right now with a post full of lovely things. It seems that since my last post I started a new job, found myself living the Uni life and also got myself a boyfriend. It's been absolutely wonderful but ridiculously busy at the same time. I've missed blogging but sadly it has to be the first thing that's put on hold. Nevertheless, I'm here with a bunch of new, really cool stuff.

Face: I don't know about you but I am a sucker for glowy face products, making highlighters and illuminators really difficult for me to resist. Face of Australia is probably my favourite 'drugstore' makeup brand so when they came out with some cream illuminators I knew I was going to grab one. The shade I snapped up is 'When in Rome,' a stunning champagne that is neither too brown nor too pink. It suits my skin tone magically and it just livens up my face. I love this stuff!

Eyes: I've never really been a primer girl but lately I've had no choice because my eyeshadow has been creasing like crazy. I don't even really recall how I acquired this product (it was one of those that seemed to just magically appear in my drawer one day) but gosh it's good. Even though it is a tiny little tube it is going to last me forever because you need only the smallest little bit of product. 

Lips: This was a real bargain lipstick because I grabbed it for $4 at Kmart (I think they are no longer stocking Face of Australia because the whole brand was reduced so much). Anyhow, this is the most perfect red in the world. Yes, I know I know, I'm changing my mind about the perfect red every week but this is a stunning cool toned red that I've been rocking non stop since I got it.

Nails: This is kind of a funny products to have in a favourites, but hear me out. I actually don't like this polish much at all. The formulation is crappy, it requires at least 5 coats to get even close to being opaque and it's expensive! But, the reason I included it is because I love the shade and I've been wearing it all month, despite its many flaws. Basically, don't buy this Essie polish because it is a waste of your money, but you can admire the pretty colour because it is lovely!

Other: I was super lucky to be sent a body scrub from aussie brand Sugar queen body scrubs. I'm in love! I got sent the flavour Lemon Cheesecake which is just incredible (and a bit dangerous really because I just want to eat it). They have a whole bunch of other wonderful scents like Warm Sugar Cookie and Pina Colada which I highly recommend you checking out because they are amazing. Also, look at the beautiful packaging! I just love love love it! Check out the website here.

So these have been the lovely things in my life lately. Sorry again for going AWOL, but sadly I think it might start happening more and more often. It's a real shame because I love blogging but unfortunately I just have so much else on. Let me know if you have any tips for balancing it all!

Natio Wellness Body Scrub

Back in the day when 'My shower routine" videos were popular on youtube (by the way, does anyone else find them a bit weird?) I always laughed seeing girls talk about the fifty step process they went through in the shower. I myself love a good lush product like everyone else, but the reality is my showers are more race in, race out because I'm late to get to school. I simply don't have the time or the energy to spend half an hour mucking about, and I also don't like wasting all that water.

One product that has been a consistent feature in my routine, however, is the Natio Wellness Body scrub. This was gifted to my Mum who was not at all interested in it, and she passed in on to me after I took one sniff of it and declared that it was mine!

This sugar scrub is apricot and pomegranate and every time I open it I just want to eat it! I love that this leaves the slightest hint of scent on your skin, so that if you want to wear perfume it is no problem but if you want to go without, you smell fresh and fruity. I love going to bed after having given my skin a good scrub because I just smell all clean and fresh. 

I use this scrub about once a week, usually on a weekend when I feel like giving myself a bit of pampering because it does take a fair while to scrub your body down! It's relatively gentle and not too abrasive so you probably could use it multiple times per week, I'm just lazy! Because the sugar granules are large, it really allows you to scrub fairly hard and get rid of all the dead skin cells that desperately need to be rid of! It also contains an oil that soaks into your skin completely and makes it feel smooth and moisturised.

You don't actually have to use much for this to be effective. The sugar granules are so large that they don't dissolve quickly and you can work at scrubbing the skin, massaging it in really well. I really love the jelly/jam like texture and it feels so good working it into your skin. It lathers up slightly so it's soapy and easy to work into your skin. If you only use this once a week like I do, I think it would last you quite a long time, and for around $15-20 it's worth every cent!

I've never felt the need for a body scrub before, but after this I am an absolute convert and I'm actually quite excited about exploring what else is out there! If you have tried any scrubs that you love, please let me know because I want to try it out!

The night time routine I wish I could follow...

I've been watching a lot of get ready with me and night routine videos on youtube and have been astonished to find that other people's lives appear to revolve around beauty and unrealistic glamorous routines. Honestly, these youtubers appear to spend hours on social media, making ten cups of tea and carrying out lush beauty treatments after they get home from work/school. I myself arrive home with exhausted eyes and change from my wrinkled school uniform into pyjamas and school socks, dump my ten kilo bag on the floor and collapse ungracefully onto my unmade bed in a bellyflop whereby I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I was thinking though, if I lived in a perfect world, had nothing to do but pamper myself all day everyday, I would have an elaborate night time routine whereby I undergo a ten stop process to moisturise, soothe and freshen from head to toe. This is what I would do...

Face
- Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Cleanser
- Arbonne RE Advanced Regenerating Toner
- B liv Shrink and tighten serum
- B liv Off With Those Heads serum
- Luminesce Night Cream
- Blistex Lip Conditioner

I'm already pretty good with my skincare and never go to bed wearing makeup however it usually stops at the simple steps of a quick cleanse followed with some moisturiser. Ideally I would chuck in a few other treatments too.

Body
- Luminesce Essential Body Renewal moisturiser
- My New Skin balm
- Bio Oil

In terms of beauty, my body is easily the most neglected area because I just forget! I have some great products listed above, I just need to use them more often and consistently!

Hair
- Vitamin E formula mascara
- Salon Confidential R:04 Repair Ends Mender

Last of course is hair, another area in which I am rather careless. My hair is in desperate need for moisture and focus on the split ends. I also won this lash treatment in a giveaway and feel that I should probably put it to good use because who wouldn't want better looking lashes?

But....I just can't see all of this happening! Life is too jam packed with a million other more important things to get done before completely crashing and I just don't think I could squeeze in this elaborate routine too.

For now I guess I'll be sticking to my dodgy ways...

Bio Oil and dreaded stretch marks!

Sometimes beauty isn't all that glamorous. Pimples, ingrown hairs, sweat and the topic of this post...stretch marks. Yep, though I'd rather pretend they don't exist the truth is they are pretty much inevitable at some point in your life. Often stretch marks occur when there are great changes in weight thus resulting in the skin being stretched a little further than its natural elasticity allows for. Erin from over at The Beauty Box recently wrote a really great post in more depth about stretch marks, so if you are interested check it out here.

For me, the beginning of my stretch marks occurred during my early teenage years simply as a result of growing up and changing shape as every girl does. Though I'm quite lucky in the sense that I don't actually have that many and they aren't terribly deep, the issue I do have is that at the moment they are dark red in colour. They will fade over time however I'd heard so many good things about Bio Oil and decided to give it a try to see whether or not they would be effective.

I have only been using this for about a month now (and the minimum time they recommend you use it is 3 months) so I don't feel that I can comment on the results just yet but so far I'm really enjoying it. I use it in conjunction with a vitamin E cream, applying this oil at night because it is a little thicker and I don't want it to get all over my clothes, and the vitamin E cream in the morning.

As I mentioned, due to the fact that this is an oil it does leave a slight residue and take a while to soak in. Having said that, I'm really impressed with the way in which it can be massaged into the skin leaving it supple and moisturised without excess residue or oiliness.

This product comes in an easy to use little bottle with a screw top lid. Surprising I don't find that it's all slippery and greasy from the oil, in fact the packaging means that it's clean and simple to use. I'm really glad that the bottle is transparent because you can see how much of the product you have left. I like the simple print and the clear logo on the front of the bottle, with simple instructions for use on the back.

I was surprised to realise that this isn't just for stretch marks, but also aids with scars, uneven skin tone, ageing skin and dehydrated skin. I personally wouldn't use this on my face as I feel it is a little too heavy for that, but it's perfect for use on the body. This is also safe for use during pregnancy.

I find the scent to be quite mild. It reminds me a little bit of the smell of babies but I'm not sure why! Often I find that oils have quite a strong and unappealing scent so I was really pleased with this one.

In terms of the price, if I remember correctly this cost around fifteen dollars for 60mL. I'm not entirely sure how this compares to other oils on the market but I think it is quite a reasonable price considering this will last me for months!

So far I'm quite impressed with this product although I'm yet to see drastic results. I would love to hear your thoughts about this product if you've used it before.

2013's Most Loved: Part 1

I'm a little bit late on this post, but I couldn't transition from 2013 to 2014 without wrapping up the year through a favourites post (or two - my non-beauty related favourites will be posted tomorrow). I've absolutely loved reading everyone else's favourites and thought I'd do my own for those who were interested.

Skincare: Arbonne RE9 Advanced Generating Toner
It astounds me that of all my skincare, a toner was my favourite. I've never shown any interest in a toner in my life (primarily due to the fact that all past experiences with them have been bad ones) but when I was given the opportunity to try this out, I fell in love with it. It is the best.

Hair care: Batiste Dry Shampoo - Fresh
I can be lazy at the best of times, but when it comes to my hair I am lazy to the extreme. It is for this reason that my favourite hair care product was easily a dry shampoo, in particular one by Batiste. Maybe I'll have a hair product that is a little classier in 2014, say a lovely hair oil or serum or something, but for now I'm content to rely on the lazy girl's hair wash.

Fragrance: DKNY Be Delicious
I was given a tiny little bottle of DKNY's Be Delicious perfume for Christmas in 2012 and wore it non stop in 2013. Along with Marc Jacob's Daisy Eau So Fresh, I think it will be a perfume I continue to use for a long time into the future.

Body: My New Skin Multipurpose Balm
A super late addition to the family, the My New Skin Multipurpose Balm practically saved my life. Okay, perhaps not my life but certainly my horribly dry skin around my feet and elbows. I has a super heavy duty formula and works like a charm.

Brush: Real Techniques Stippling Brush
I had heard so many magical things about Real Techniques brushes and took the plunge myself, purchasing a face set and Stippling brush. Then came my obsession with cream blushes, and in turn I came to use the Stippling brush everyday thus appreciating how darn amazing it is.

Tool: Eyelash curler
It was a toss up between the humble Q-tip and eyelash curler, but in the end I realised it is the eyelash curler that has the truly magical touch.

Nails: Red Nail Polish
I have no overall favourite polish, but my most worn shade was most definitely red. Red, red, red, I acquired so many gorgeous polishes all in...red.

Shower product: Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel
Though this is the most sugary, intense flavour I have ever come across, I did use this regularly in the shower and I came to love this more than when I had first received it as a gift. Some days it is too sweet, but most of the time I am a big fan.

Base makeup: Garnier BB cream for oily skin
I rave about this all.the.time. so I'm not going to make you endure yet another ramble. Just take my word that for light, everyday coverage this is the best of its kind.

Foundation: Rimmel Wake me up foundation
For a cheap foundation (in comparison to both other 'drugstore' foundations like Revlon and higher end ones too) this is pretty impressive. It's glowy and youthful, healthy looking and easy to work with. My only complaint is its shimmer which can, at times, be a little too much, but other than that it's excellent.

Setting powder: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
I hit pan on this in 2013 which shows you just how much I loved it. If there weren't so many cheaper options out there I would get it again, but I'm currently in the middle of three other adequate powders and (sadly) won't be purchasing this anytime soon.

Concealer: Face of Australia Stick Concealer in Neutral
I played around with a couple of concealers in 2013 but the best all rounder and the one I turned to most often was the cheap little stick concealer by Face of Australia.

Bronzer: Maybelline Bronzer in Forever Warm
I'm not really a bronzer person, nor do I have that many in my collection. Though I wouldn't purchase this bronzer if it disappeared from collection due to the fact that, well, it's just not that good, I did use it often in 2013.

Blush: Australis Creme Blush in Flirtatious Pink 
Choosing my favourite blush for the year just about killed me. Honestly, I am such a blush junkie that I have enough to use a different one everyday for two weeks...which is basically what I do. In the end I had to give the award to a cream blush, specifically Australis' Flirtatious Pink. Perfect in every way, it is the gorgeous colour that pulled it over the line and onto the winner's podium.

Highlighter: Essence Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 Shimmer Powder in Bella's Secret
Despite that it has the most awful name I have ever heard of, this is stunning. It's a warm toned golden powder highlight that catches the light exactly how I want it, looks subtle enough not to make me resemble a disco ball but not too subtle that you can't even see it. Oh my, it's so frustrating that it was a limited edition product (like all of Essence's best products have been!)

Eyeshadow: Bloom Eyeshadow Duo in Waikiki
Like blush, this category was very near impossible to narrow down to a single shadow. In the end I had to recognise the incredible champagne golden shade from the Bloom duo that accompanied me on every trip and was the base shade for every eyeshadow look I wore. It really does deserve to win 2013's best shadow although it does pain me to leave out my much loved Inglot Shadows...

Eyeliner: Face of Australia Liquid Liner in Black
This liner is the best, no doubt about it. It's jet black, sticks like glue and easy to use for even the most useless eyeliner appliers. I turned to it time and time again and even wore a cat eye look for the first time in my life. Thank you FOA!

Mascara: Covergirl Lashblast length waterproof
The tube of this mascara that I own is honestly a magic mascara - there is no other explanation for the fact that I have used this every.single.day. for two years and it has still not yet run out. It lengthens like crazy, defines every lash and gives a gorgeous natural look. Sure, it's not at all suitable for you if you want a bit of drama but for me it is just perfect.

Eyebrows: Essence Clear lash and brow gel
I had many empties of this and raved about it all the time. It's super cheap and makes my brows somewhat acceptable, so who could ask for anything more?

Lipbalm: Blistex lip conditioner
I share the most complicated love/hate relationship with this product, but the bottom line is that it saves my chapped lips and works better than anything I've ever tried. I apply this every night and at the rate I'm going it will be a 2014 empty for sure.

Lipstick: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic
I deliberated about this for twenty minutes, no exaggeration. I narrowed it down to ten lip products, then five, then three, then two and final to one. Lip products are my favourite makeup products so it's no surprise that I own about ten billion of them. 2013 was the year of the lip crayon, and I wore this red beauty non stop.

Overall makeup brand: Face of Australia
Face of Australia is affordable, Australian (obviously) and comes out with some incredible products. Their lip crayons, nail polishes and face products were all favourites of mine throughout the year and it was an obvious choice to nominate Face of Australia as my overall brand winner for 2013!

Phew...that is a lot of products for one year! I'd be amazed if you actually made it to the end of this post! My makeup collection certainly expanded significantly throughout 2013 but I had a lovely time, and it was all in the name of blog reviews...right?!

What was your overall favourite makeup brand for 2013?

I love...Mango and Papaya Body Butter

Long term readers of this blog would know that I love scented products. It's pathetic - anything that promises to smell nice can suck me in like nobody's business.

When I returned from Cambodia I found this on my desk - a present from Mum! It turned out to be extra special because the scent reminds me exactly of all the incredible fruit drinks and beautiful smells I remember from Cambodia.

Anyway, back to the body butter. When I use a body butter I want something that is quite thick and heavy duty but doesn't leave too much residue on the skin. I dislike products that don't sink in as I find it rubbing off on my clothes and failing to moisturise my skin effectively.

Sadly, this isn't a great love of mine. I find that the texture is quite nice, easy to apply, however it leaves a film on the skin. If I apply this before bed, when I wake up in the morning and shower it comes off all slippery as it has remained on the surface of my skin all night and not soaked in one bit.

I don't need to use all that much product to rub it evenly over my skin, but as I mentioned it is a bit of a waste of time because it simply sits there, doing nothing much at all.

Perhaps I am being a little too harsh after having used Body Butters from The Body Shop, but this is just plain useless in comparison.

Ignoring the product itself, I will say that the packaging is quite lovely. It comes in a little pot covered in love hearts and orange colours to accompany the mango and papaya aspects of the product. I like the approach the brand 'I love....' takes with all their products, although their brand name is such a pain!

Basically, all this is good for is the beautiful fragrance that reminds me so much of Cambodia - the sole reason that I continue to use this product. As for its moisturising properties, it is pretty useless and it also sits on top of the skin and doesn't sink in. I couldn't find how much this costs, but from memory their products aren't super cheap.

I wish I could give this a better score, but for now it gets 3/10.

Lush Shower Gel - Honey I washed the kids

Lush is famous for their shower gels. With Snow Fairy coming in at Christmas for a limited time only, naturally it was the only one I ever took an interest in...and I decided to set my heart on getting it in February back in 2012 (just after it became unavailable).

While I waited an entire year I decided to fill the gap where Snow Fairy sat (despite even having ever tried it at the time!) with the substitute 'Honey I washed the kids.' I actually went into the Lush store to buy the soap version but it was sold out and I was offered this. 'Why not?' I thought, you can't go wrong with anything honey flavoured!

It turns out you can, you can go very wrong. I don't know what it is about this but I really don't like it.

I don't quite understand why I have been unable to warm to this - it smells identical to honey and has the same beautiful texture as Snow Fairy but I just can't stand it. I decided to pass it on to my Mum to see what she thought about it, and despite being the kind of person who normally loves these kind of things, she wasn't a fan either.

I don't understand! Why don't I like a natural, sweet smelling, honey flavoured shower gel? All of these factors are ones that I would normally adore! Perhaps it is the sheer intensity of the fragrance that I find off putting, for it certainly is strong, but whatever it is I much prefer the sickly sweet artificial smell of Snow Fairy.

One thing that I do love about this is the packaging. Lush's basic, earthy approach is so effective and really catches the eye. It supports their organic, natural approach to their products and looks brilliant.

As for the shower gel itself, it works like a charm, lathers up well and your skin feels completely clean and refreshed after the shower.

At $8.50 this isn't too expensive, but I personally wouldn't buy this again because of the fragrance. Having said that, I know that many don't appreciate Snow Fairy (which I love) so in the end whether or not you buy this will be determined solely by your taste. Make sure you give this a good whiff before you hand over the cash!

I give this 4 out of 10.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway here.

Palmer's Cocoa Body Butter Ultra Moisturising Cream

Palmer's iconic cocoa butter products are everywhere, yet naturally I have never tried any of them. Of course.

A friend of my recently passed this on to me to try out and I thought it was about time that I gave one of their products a shot!

Technically I have only ever tried one body butter, The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter which I am in love with. It would take a lot for another body butter to impress me

This body butter comes in a 170g tub. I love the style of the packaging, and though it doesn't look terribly 'flashy' it's not ugly either. This claims to be made with natural cocoa butter, an 'ultra moisturising cream' and contains vitamin E. It says "the extra rich, moistursing formula melts into skin leaving it silky soft and smooth with an even, radiant tone. Perfect for dry to very dry skin."

Though the skin on my face is forever changing and cannot decide whether it wants to be dry or oily or somewhere in between, the skin on my legs is consistently dry, primarily due to neglect - I can never, ever be bothered to moisturise and look after my legs!

Since having acquired this product I have used it regularly to be able to write a decent review. I can say that it does do an excellent job locking in moisture, because my skin has been so smooth and moisturised of late.

I don't love this scent, in fact I would probably go as far to say that I don't like it. I don't really know how to describe it - there is an element of chocolate there - but it is kind of a little earthy and certainly not at all sweet. I'm not really a fan. Having said that, it is tolerable. My Mum and brother however, think it smells revolting. I would suggest discovering whether you like the scent or not before you buy this one because there is no guarantee.

When you apply this buttery yellow cream, the texture is very thick and takes a bit of effort to rub in however soaks into the skin quite quickly (more so than The Body Shop ones), though can feel a little sticky for the first two or so minutes. You only need a very small amount as a little goes a long way - I can tell that this product is going to last forever! I apply this before bed, both because I don't like the possibility of having slippery skin during the day as well as wanting to avoid the scent factor as much as possible.

I don't have a clue how much this costs but I wouldn't imagine it being more than about $15 dollars, considerably cheaper than The Body Shop's body butters.

I am pleased that I had the opportunity to try this out, and I certainly don't hate it or anything but it is nothing to rave about either. If you don't want to splash out on the gorgeous range of butters from The Body Shop then this is an excellent alternative in terms of formula and moisture, however the scent just isn't anything like my Strawberry favourite!

I give this 6 out of 10.

Why I hate winter and how I am going to survive the next few months

Winter is the worst time of the whole year, no questions asked. I hate it more than I hate seafood. I hate it more than I hate Priceline sales when I have no money. I hate it even more than maths tests first thing on a Monday morning. It is the worst.

I do quite enjoy the occasional whinge though, so I thought I should compile a list of all the reasons winter should not exist.

1. There is nothing cool (pun intended) about having fingers practically frostbitten 90% of the time
2. The sky is meant to be blue, not grey.
3. The cold and darkness of winter is miserable.
4. Taking blog photos of products is impossible when there is no sun.
5. It should never be pitch black by 6pm.
6. Putting on ten kilos from coming out of the shower to having put on my clothes is ridiculous. I hate resembling and overweight eskimo with all the stupid layers of clothing I have to wear to prevent turning into an iceblock.
7. All my winter clothes are not nearly as pretty or as enjoyable to wear as my summer ones.
8. As much as we all love a bit of winter themed makeup, there is only so much you can take before you need to bust out with a bit of bronzer or pastel polish.
9. Getting out of bed on a freezing winter morning for work/school is what I truly reckon hell would be like. Multiply the trauma by 10 if it is a Monday morning.
10. Ice creams and lemonade go into hibernation, replaced by soup and roasts which are not at all adequate compensation.

So, in short, winter sucks. It is horrible and I hate it.

But, I have no option to make a temporary move to the other side of the world so I have to deal with it. Here are some products that I tend to get out upon winter's arrival that help make it that little bit more tolerable!

- Australis Nudist Eyeshadow Palette
- Arbonne Eyeshadow in Smoke
- Face of Australia Liquid Liner in Black
- The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter
- Savvy by DB Blush in Rose
- Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten
- Revlon Colourstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in Finale
- Maybelline Shinesensational lipgloss in Tempting Toffee

And to complete this incredibly, painfully whiny post - I had SO much trouble photographing these products with the stupid sun going into hiding, in addition to practically freezing my toes off because I was too lazy to put on shoes and socks. The things I do for this blog...

Lush Shower Gel - Snow Fairy

Lush's Shower Gel in Snow Fairy is undoubtedly the Lush product that I have wanted the most for the longest time. It's limited edition type nature (only being sold around Christmas), instead of putting me off, simply made me want it more.

I was lucky to get this little (it really is tiny) 100g beauty for Christmas and I've been using it non-stop since, it replacing my I love...Strawberries and Milkshake body wash which I liked so very much.

If you've ever tried the Lush Bubblegum lip scrub then you can get an idea of what to expect in terms of fragrance. Snow fairy smells identical to the Bubblegum scrub, though I wouldn't imagine it tastes quite as nice, being a shower gel and all.

The fragrance is quite overpowering when you use it in the shower and due to its tooth-ache inducing sweet, sugary nature I expect there would be a lot of people who find it just too much to handle. I myself do really like it, but for someone who adores strong sugary smells, I still find it even a bit too much for me!

Once having moved out of the shower the scent becomes very faint although is still present on the skin. I much prefer it in this state if I'm really honest.

I was surprised to find that it contains shimmery blue sparkles as I'd not been aware of this prior to using the product. Unfortunately they aren't dispersed evenly throughout, rather clumped together at the bottom of the bottle. It still adds a nice touch to the product though.

As for the actual shower gel, it lathers up nicely and works well. There isn't much more to say about it except that it works. I have heard of people using it for their hair but I'm not sure I like the idea of using a bright pink, blue glittery product through my hair...

Lush recently revamped all their packaging, and I have to say I'm not really a fan. It doesn't look as classy as it once did, it looks cheaper and the feel isn't like it once was. I don't really like the packaging for this product, I think it looks a bit like a homemade label and it looks a lot more childish.

I can't recall how much this actually was but I imagine it would be on par with Lush's other shower gels. I do like this little product, though I wouldn't suggest you buy it until you've had a really good sniff of it in the shops because it is so very strong!

I give this 7/10.

Can you see the glitter?

Santorini Sun Sunless Tanning Lotion - Golden Caramel Brown

 Have you any idea how difficult it is to take a non creepy, non awkward, somewhat flattering photo of your legs? It's impossible. Either your legs appear obscenely large, in contortionist type positions or strangely...creepy.

The reason, in case you were wondering, why I was taking photos of my legs was because I wanted to review the Santorini Sun Sunless Tanning Lotion. So if you wish to read on, please excuse the horrible awkward photos of my legs and just understand that the sole reason I put them on this post was so show you the effects of this product. Sorry in advance!

This was the first time that I had ever used fake tan in my life. I was absolutely terrified. I couldn't bear the thought of turning out orange and because I had no idea what to do, I knew it was quite likely that I would end up resembling a large carrot.

I researched* how to apply fake tan (*asked several friends on their fake tanning tips) and discovered that exfoliating and moisturising was the key, especially on ankles and elbows. Playing it safe, I decided to just apply it to my legs first, and whilst I knew it would be weird that I would have tanned legs and pale arms, I wasn't ready to risk transforming my whole body into a carrot just yet.

Then came the actual tanning part. I exfoliated, moisturiser and then went for it. I sprayed the lotion onto my skin and rubbed like crazy. All of this was done at lightning speed for I feared that it would stain my skin and I would forever be a streaky mess.

The lotion is tinted which allowed me to get a good idea of where it was that the product had been applied. It was also quite dark and green based (which scared the bejeezus out of me) but I have since been informed that those two qualities are in fact good things because it means that it won't turn out orange. Okay then!

I applied the lotion very sparingly and the results were exactly what I wanted - super subtle and glowy golden. I had nothing to be afraid of with this tan because it isn't too dark and can be applied with ease.

Legs after fake tanning

I asked a couple of people whether my legs looked strange, and after a series of head shakes I revealed that they were in fact, fake tanned. Such knowledge evoked a response of, 'Well now that you mention it...' but I was just pleased that they didn't consider my legs a strange shade of orange!

Even though I was satisfied with the almost non existent tan that I had achieved from my stingy application, I figured for the purposes of the review I should probably add a bit more and see how tanned I could get without it looking horrid. Sooo...I put on some more the following night.

It all turned out well and gave me a lovely glow. As you can see in the photo, (my apologies for not having taken a 'before' photo), I still look stupidly pale. Like a ghost. I realise that, I do, but it doesn't bother me that much. I am incredibly impressed because I am highly intolerant of tans - or at least the fake looking ones. Even the slightest fake tan that is noticeable bothers me to no end, so for this fake tan to pass my acceptable radar it must mean it is pretty darn impressive.

That said, if you want a darker glow then this isn't really for you. I guess you could probably layer this (I'm not interested in trying that out, I really, really don't like orange skin).

Other information you might be interested in is that this has no distinct fragrance and is applied by spraying it onto the skin and then rubbing it in. I personally found it easier to spray onto my hands and then to rub that in the desired areas, although you do risk super dark palms so it is up to you how you wish to apply it.

I did receive this product to try out (I'm not really a fake tan kind of person) but if I was to need a fake tan again I would definitely go for this one again because of the simplicity of application and lovely colour it left. This retails for $29.95

Perfume Patterns - Do I follow one?

When it comes to fragrances, I know what I like, but more importantly I know what I definitely do not like. Fruity, citrus, floral based smells that are light, flirty and playful are what I tend to gravitate towards. Childish? Generic? Done one thousand times? Perhaps, but I cannot stand the scents of heavy musk and overpowering woody smells and my nose is drawn to it so what the heck!

I decided to explore some of my favourite fragrances to see whether I really do gravitate towards select scents or whether my taste is a little more inclusive that I initially thought. Admittedly, for some of these it is the bottle that has lured me in, however I wouldn't have them listed if I didn't actually like the perfume itself. Here are the results. *I can't guarantee that all this information is accurate, but I did the best I could.*

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh
Main Accords - Fruity, sweet, green, floral, fresh, citrus
Top Notes - Grapefruit,  raspberry, pear
Middle Notes - Rose, Violet, Apple blossom
Base notes - Musk, Cedarwood, Plum

DKNY Be Delicious
Main Accords - Fruity, green, aquatic, ozonic, fresh
Top Notes - Violet leaf, Apple, Grapefruit, Magnolia
Middle Notes - Tuberose, Lily, Violet, Rose
Base Notes - Sandalwood, Amber, Musk







Marc Jacobs Oh Lola
Main Accords - Fruity, sweet, floral, fresh, aquatic
Top Notes - Strawberry, raspberry, pear
Middle Notes - Magnolia, Peony, Cyclamen
Base Notes - Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla

Marc Jacobs Dot
Main Accords - Fruity, white floral, tropical, sweet, coconut
Top Notes - Red berries, Dragonfruit
Middle Notes - Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Orange blossom
Base Notes - Coconut, Vanilla, Driftwood, Musk








Taylor Swift Wonderstruck
Main Accords - Fruity, sweet, vanilla, floral, powdery
Top Notes - Apple blossom, raspberry, blackberry, freesia, tea
Middle Notes - Hibiscus, honeysuckle, vanilla
Base Notes - Peach, amber, sandalwood, musk

Britney Spears Believe 
Main Accords - Sweet, fruity, patchouli, tropical, citrus, floral
Top Notes - Guava, tangerine
Middle Notes - Honeysuckle, linden blossom
Base Notes - Patchouli, amber, praline






So as you can see, I really do go for the same scents. I think that is most apparent by simply looking at the 'main accords' and noticing that they are all the same for each of the perfumes that have taken my fancy.

I think this is a really fun and interesting exercise to do if you have time and want to see what kind of pattern you follow. Fragrantica is an awesome website that I used to gather all of this information. Once you know what 'main accords' you go for then you can find other perfumes in the same family that take your fancy! Fun!

*All photos except Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh and Britney Spears Believe  taken from http://www.fragrantica.com/*