Valentine's Day With Lush

With Christmas now well & truly behind us, the next "holiday" to look forward too has to be Valentines Day. Whether you plan to spend the day with a loved one, drinking cocktails with the girls or eating a tub of ice-cream whilst watching chick-flicks, there's one thing that is sure to make any beauty-lover look forward to February 14th - The Lush Valentine's Day Collection

Including a combination of romantic; bath bombs, soaps & bubble bars (to name a few) this is a Valentines Collection that I can't wait to get my hands on. Below are a selection of products that have caught my eye..

"Cupid" Bath Bomb - £2.95 

Made with a combination of floral ingredients - including Rose, Bergamot & Violet Leaf - this claims to be the perfect little bath treat for cleansing, calming & uplifting. 

"Prince Charming" Shower Gel - £5.50
The Disney-esque name of this shower gel immediately caught my eye. With Cocoa Butter for soft skin plus Marshmallow Root for a sweet fragrance, I imagine this is the perfect morning pick-me-up. 

"Love Spell" Massage Bar - £5.95
What goes hand-in-hand more than a hot bath & massage? With Aloe Vera, Jojoba Oil & Shea Butter, the Love Spell Massage Bar seems like the perfect product for a little romantic pamper. 

"Two Hearts Beating As One" Bath Melt - £3.95
I personally love Lush's Bath Oils so cannot wait to test this product for myself. Not only is the interlinked design perfect for Valentines Day, the combination of Almond and Argan oils will leave skin & hair feeling luxurious whilst the scent of Jasmine fills the air.

"Love You Lots & Lots" Soap  - £4.25
With a combination of Rose Oil & Rose Petals (used to sooth, balance & tone skin) this soap screams Valentines. Whilst people have mixed feelings towards Rose scents, I think we can all agree that this would look adorable in any bathroom. 

"Lover Lamp" Bath Bomb - £4.25

The Lover Lamp is made with a combination of Vanilla, Cocoa Butter & Brazilian Orange Oil which claims to soften & condition skin whilst comforting & rejuvenating. Plus, it's said that this bath bomb contains heart shaped confetti - what more could you possibly ask for?

As a self-confessed girly girl, each of the above products instantly caught my eye.. & I'm sure my bank account is going to be very upset with me after my next trip to Lush. 

What are your thoughts on this years Lush Valentine's 

collection?
xxx

Beauty & Fashion Treats

I'm sure I'm not the only person out there to make the mistake of quickly wandering into a shop or having a quick browse online only to find that somehow you've managed to purchase at least a few extra items.. Especially when these shops have sales and/or offers.

This has happened to me at least a few times this month.. so what better way to justify spending the extra pennies then putting together a little haul post.

Raccoon duvet cover - Primark Home. 

1. Jelly Sandals - Boohoo - £4.00 reduced from £10.00 - [x]

2. Maybelline Falsies Mascara - £7.99 - [x]

3. Rimmel BB Cream - £6.99 - [x]

4. Aztec Print Shorts - Boohoo - £6.00 reduced from £10.00 - [x]

5. Rimmel Natural Bronzer - £5.99 - [x]

Even though I probably really didn't need these items, there's nothing I love more when shopping than finding items on offer/in the sale. It always makes me feel much less guilty! Plus - like most beauty bloggers - I can't resist trying out new beauty products!

xxx

Family Gifts.

Wow... It feels like I haven't written a blog post in aaaaages! Well, in the blogging world 10 days is a long time, especially when some people write posts daily! 

I've been super busy with work this week as I was coming to the end of my probation period (which for those who don't know is basically a time where your employer tests to see if you're going to be good at the job and usually lasts for a couple of months) and I had to do a presentation in front of some of the bosses *eek* which was terrifying! So that was really taking up a lot of my time over the last week or so, but it was all worth it as I was informed after the presentation that they'd like to offer me a full time position within the company... *cheers happily*.

Anyway - less about my boring work life and back to the fun stuff.. Presents!

After my pay cheque came in last month I decided to treat my family to a few little gifts as they've always supported throughout university - so now I have a few pennies to my name, it seemed the perfect opportunity to say a little thank-you.


First things first.. My step-dad's gifts:

Now these are technically late Birthday presents as I couldn't get back for my step-dad's birthday a few weeks back. He's a big football fan, loves dark Chocolate and the odd beer after a long week at work so I made sure I incorporated each of these things into his presents. If you're interested in Football or know someone who is, I purchased the "The Football Pocket Bible" from eBay for around £4. This is a bargain considering it retails for around the £10 mark on Asos.

The beer came from Tesco for about £2, however you can also find it on the Hobgoblin website here (only if you're over 18 of course).... and finally the chocolate came from Poundland.. Now I was a little sceptical as cheap chocolate isn't nice tasting chocolate, however I purchased the milk chocolate version of this for myself *naughty* and it actually tasted really nice!

 Mum's gift:

Source

As my family live around an hours journey away from me, I speak with my mum regularly on the phone. Around a week ago she told me about a skirt she'd recently purchased from Marks and Spencers in red, however she'd also liked the yellow version. I had a look on the website whilst we were on the phone and described it to see if it was the same - as she said it was, without her knowing I ordered to my local store ready to surprise her with when she visits Monday.

This is a lovely high-waisted skirt which, as you can see from the photo, would be lovely with (or without) tights throughout the autumn and winter months. If this colour isn't for you, that's fine as the skirt comes in six colours including red, black and pink. This retails for £25 and as it's from Marks and Spencer's will undoubtedly be great quality.

If you want to have a look at the other colours or buy it for yourself click here to visit the M&S website.



A gift for my sister:

Source

Now my sister isn't the easiest person to shop for... However she is a huge fan of VW Camper vans, so when I saw this I couldn't resist buying it for her (Hopefully she isn't reading this post...). I

This blanket was a bargain at only £5 from ebay and is so soft and has lovely bright camper van pictures all over. It's also available with different prints ranging from leopard to flowers to a lovely pink tartan print (I promise it looks nicer than it sounds).

If you'd like to purchase this for yourself you can click here to be taken to an eBay site that currently has them in stock. I'm very tempted to buy a few of the designs ready for the chilly winter nights!


Last but not least.. My lovely Nan:

I'll admit that I struggled to think of something for my nan - I didn't want to get her the usual bath bits and bobs which (even though are lovely) is something my nan receives a lot and doesn't always use up.

This is a Baylis & Harding candle in the scent Peony, white tea and jasmine. I purchased this from Tesco for £6, which I think is pretty reasonable for a scented candle of this size. I've had a look on both the Tesco and Baylis & Harding website but unfortunately can't seem to find this anywhere. However if you want to see any other products from Baylis & Harding click here to go to their website, the hand wash is lovely - or I'm sure your local Tesco will stock this.

I decided to get my Nan this scented candle that would make her flat nice on cosy through the winter months - who doesn't love a good candle?!

I haven't been able to see my family in a few months (especially my nan *cries inside a little*) so I can't wait to give these gifts to them on Monday when they come to visit for my Graduation *eeeeek*. I'm planning to write a post about my Graduation ceremony and the day - so please all wish me luck that I don't trip in front of everyone whilst walking on stage! Haha.

xxx

Pay-day Treats

As those of you in the UK may know, yesterday was the glorious day that is known as pay-day. After starting my new job around 5 weeks ago, and spending the last 3 years as a penniless student, it would be a huge understatement to say I was a tad excited to finally get to this day. 

For working hard this month, I decided it was only fair to treat myself to a few new bits and pieces (along with one or two drinks Friday evening... Would be rude to turn down 2 for 1 cocktails surely?!). 

So this relaxed, and maybe slightly hungover, Saturday was spent browsing various shop's websites and finally being able to make a few of the purchases that have been sat in my online baskets for some time now. 

A little sneak peak at a few of the purchases

After being a student for such a long time I'll admit I found it a little hard to treat myself to these things. Three years of counting every penny has clearly had an effect (I wonder if I'm the only student/graduate to feel this way?) but I told myself to click the "check-out" button as I know I'll be super excited when the packages arrive next week. 

I definitely didn't go crazy - just a few items and maybe a small gift for a certain boyfriend, sssh -  but it felt amazing to spend a few pennies that I worked hard to earn, and it made all those long hours in the office worth wile. 

When the items are all delivered I've decided to possibly put together my first haul post. I personally love hauls as it gives new ideas on clothing, accessories and products. However, even from just writing this post, I can see why so many bloggers state that they're in no way showing off when talking about their purchases... It's hard not to feel like you're showing off slightly... But I can promise showing off is definitely not something I would do, and I'm excited by the thought of putting together a haul post. 

If you have any tips about writing a haul I'd love to know - this newbie is still finding her feet in the blogging world! 

xxx