Summer Fruits and Berries Rasul at Bryn Meadows

Morning all!

A spa day is always a welcome treat but after the last few weeks I was so excited to have been invited to Bryn Meadows Spa to try out their Summer Fruits and Berries Rasul offer.

This included the Rasul Mud Room Ceremony with a geranium and grapefruit scrub and a choice of mud, use of the poolside and leisure facilities for 3 hours with the usual robe, towel and slippers, followed by the Summer Berries afternoon tea with unlimited tea or coffee and a glass of Pimms.

To say I was excited was an understatement, I was looking forward to forgetting the world outside of the spa for a few hours and embracing the relaxation.

Top 10 Products I Miss

Hello!

Today's post is a bit of a nostalgic one, I've been doing really well at saving money and using up my stash. I honestly have been doing so well at not buying things I feel like I might be ill!
It's been such a long time that I haven't bought anything essential that I was looking back and thinking of all the products that I would buy if I could....here's my Top 10 products that I miss:

Aura Manuka Honey Mask

Love this, need to repurchase to save my skin!

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

Need to repurchase this too, this lovely cleanser not only makes my skin feel super clean but also it exfoliates my skin without any abrasiveness and leaves it feeling tip top.

Lush Ocean Salt Scrub

This is not only a facial scrub but also a body scrub, it smells DIVINE and to be honest just sniffing it is great but I felt like this wasn't rough on my skin at all. Not only that but the fact it is made up with completely natural ingredients just makes it that much better.

Viper Venom Wrinkle Fix

Me and M both love this serum - it sinks in super quick and doesn't leave a greasy residue. Not only this but I SWEAR my skin looked so much better after using this and my little wrinkles were much improved.

Origins Make A Difference Cream

Another favourite of mine, this rejuvenating treatment just seem to get rid of all spots, soothe dry skin and generally make my skin appear a lot healthier and happier. I try and buy Origins products in sets so that I can try out new things that they have brought out, I've only thought one of them was a bit hit and miss so it has always been worth it!

Benefit They're Real Mascara

This is quite possibly the best mascara, it manages to separate curl and volumise my seemingly poker straight lashes and although I begrudge paying out for it, it really is worth every penny! There's nothing like the brush to separate out every lash and give the full fan effect.

Macadamia Hair Repair Masque

For day to day, my hair is happy with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle - but this makes my hair feel like silk and it goes super shiny and manageable. It just makes life so much easier when your hair plays ball!

Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil

All of these seem to be skincare don't they?? Can we tell I maybe have an obsession....
I loved this oil, it was a dry kind of oil so absorbed right into my skin and didn't leave a greasy layer at all. I'd love to try the dry/combination skin version now that I'm a bit older and my skin needs more hydration than before.

Aesop Parsley Seed Serum

Sadly this was only a little bottle of serum that came in a Selfridge's Beauty Box a few years ago, I put off using it as I wasn't convinced but as soon as I began it was magical - I really want to save up and go for a spree in Selfridge's Beauty Hall again and this would be number one on the list!

Lush Solid Serum Full of Grace

A recent addition to my product experience. I picked it up in store and my hands felt amazing, I knew if my hands felt that good then my face would feel even more amazing! And I was right.
My skin feels like it's being fed every time I use it, it's a winner and it's made of lovely natural ingredients too, I have to confess I have actually picked one up since I wrote this post!

What's your favourite product that you miss? Do you like any of the products that I miss?

I should probably branch out from being so skincare obsessed....!

L xxx

Lush Mask of Magnaminty

Hey lovelies!

Our joint review today is for a well loved product from Lush, the Mask of Magnaminty.

We both recently picked up the self preserving version of the mask which means it will last a lot longer. It can be used on face and body and is a miracle worker on hormonal breakouts as well as longer term skin problems such as acne. It contains only 13 ingredients and the website pretty much says all that you need to know:

Easily smoothed over the skin anywhere you like, this mask is made with peppermint oil to stimulate, marigold oil and chlorophyllin to treat the skin; evening primrose seeds and aduki beans to gently exfoliate as you remove it. There’s also mineral rich kaolin to nourish, antibacterial honey, and peppermint oil to stimulate the blood cells just under the surface of your skin to leave it looking bright and refreshed.

The average review on the website is an impressive 4.7 stars which should tell you everything you need to know but i am absolutely in love with it. It costs £9.75 for the large tub and £5.50 for the smaller one shown above. I would fully recommend it to anyone struggling with hormonal breakouts especially the self preserving version as it would last much longer.

For anyone struggling with acne this would be a natural way to help prevent more spots from forming and help to reduce the size of the current ones. I occasionally get spots on my chest which aren't by any means bad at all but it has definitely helped to get rid of them faster.

I tend to leave this on whilst in the shower and then massage the scrubby bits into my skin (which aren't abrasive in any way) and then rinse it off. My skin feels deeply cleansed and over the past few weeks usage has definitely helped the condition of my skin. Also the smell (peppermint) is one of my favourites and I really enjoy using it. It's so refreshing and awakening.

If you have any issues with your skin I would 100% recommend it especially as its all natural. I'm definitely coming around to using Lush products a lot more. This is my favourite closely followed by Ocean Salt scrub.

Have you tried Mask of Magnaminty? What's your favourite Lush product?


L xxx

Hey All

Hope you've had a great weekend! I've had a chilled but busy one with the other half! As L said we've both picked this up recently! I love Lush masks and have tried most of them now but the short date is annoying, they do last a little past it. I tend to operate by if it smells and looks the same I use it.

One that lasts longer is always preferred though. I love that Mask of Magnaminty is also recommended for body breakouts. As gross as it is my back has been having the occasional break out too lately! Lush I know but I'm pretty sure it's from exercising!

I love the slight cooling effect this has on my skin. I find minty things just make my skin feel extra clean! I do find a more clay like mask can leave my skin feeling dry but this just leaves it looking soft and slightly more glowy!

As L mentioned it has a mild exfoliant in it which is great for sports to get rid of the annoying dry skin on and after spot! Overall I'm loving this! The blueberry cosmetic warrior used to be a favourite but mask of magnaminty has definitely knocked it off the top spot!

Lush have a whole range of new self preserving products out to help make them even more natural. They've used products like honey which is a natural antibacterial. For things like the ever popular dream cream they have the new self preserving version and the original.

Have you tried any of the new range?

Love M

xxx

Lush Ocean Salt Scrub

Hey pals!

This is a super quick post from me as were both on our way to....wait for it.....HARRY POTTER STUDIOS TODAY!!!

To say I'm excited is an understatement, we went once over a year ago but this time it coincides with the Dark Arts exhibition so were very excited to see the extra things and go with a group of friends too. Expect a post and lots of tweets, eek!

That aside, I've been loving a bit of Lush lately which for me is out of the norm as I'd never normally travel that end of town. but a few new purchases and a few blogger goody bags and I'm slowly changing my mind. I've got a few reviews coming up but this one is for the Ocean Salt Scrub which I'm sure for many of you is nothing new at all, but for me, it's love!

First off, I picked this one in the Self Preserving formula which is fairly new for this product and it means it will last AGES which is great news for me as I like to swap and change things sometimes or might give my skin a break from certain types of products for a bit as it is weirdly sensitive (currently nursing a reaction from e45 cream from 4 weeks ago, siiiiiiiiiiigh)

The ingredients in this lovely product can be seen in the image below, if somewhat blurry at the end:

I've been using this for face and body and it smells absolutely GORGEOUS. i think what puts me off about Lush is the strong smells, I know everyone loves them but I can't stand them! My nose is very sensitive and I can smell scents quite quickly, there's no need to over power my nose. Things like Snow Fairy look gorgeous but I just can't deal with the smell, sorry superfans!

The citrus smell of this beauty is something that I just can't get enough of, its FABULOUS and my pot is diminishing faster than a plate of food does in my house (trust me, thats lightning speed!)

You only have to look at it to see it's pretty swirl of cream and blue and then get a whiff of fresh citrus scents to want it and it has certainly won me over. I've been using this in the shower on face and body, the usual backs of the arms kind of places and my skin has been super smooth and not irritated in the slightest.

The smell wakes me up in the mornings and the scrubby bits do the perfect job of exfoliation, cannot go wrong with this one!

As if it wasn't perfect enough already, it has also got vodka and coconut oil in, what a winner.

The 250g pot of this costs £13.95 which is a bit steep, but when you know its 100% natural and unlikely to become a product that adds to the millions of microbeads washing into our water systems all the time then you know you're onto a good one!

Have you tried Ocean Salt Scrub? do you prefer the self preserving one? What else would you recommend from lush for me to try that isn't too strong on the nose?

L xxx

Lush Cardiff Event

Hi all!

We've been super lucky recently and have been invited to a few events that we've really enjoyed and can't wait to share with you.

The first one was at Lush in Cardiff and it has been such a long time since we've been there it was really lovely to be invited back.

After meeting everyone and having a quick catch up we were separated into groups. There were three separate stations for us to walk to and have a demonstration and also cake and tea at each station from Waterloo Tea Gardens.

Going to tea rooms is something me and M keep meaning to do and after trying this tea and cake we can be sure we will definitely be going to sample some more!

We wandered around upstairs first and were given a quick chat about the scents from Lush. I hadn't smelt them before but i do love the large squirty bottles at the back of the tray that are used for body sprays, so fun and easy to use!

I love that they also have names like Smuggler Soul and a book to detail the journey behind the fragrances. i will have to go back for a full test but the packaging is very appealing!

A product that we came across but hadn't seen before was the Black Stockings solid body tint; a gorgeous bar that melts on contact with skin and gives the skin a lovely sheen and slight tan. It would be great for use on nights out on your legs for a gleam without being glittery.

As promised here's the cake; lemon and poppy seed, followed by a gluten free orange cake, and lastly a super sweet and sticky chocolate and salted caramel cake.

We also had a variety of tea to enjoy and this one was my favourite. Peppermint tea is my fave anyway but brewed with REAL peppermint leaves from Lampeter (a place in Wales) and a bit of brown sugar and it didn't take much more to win me over anyway!

My hair has been feeling awful after so many years of highlights so recently I've dyed it back to my natural colour but it needs a bit of TLC so I picked up this hair treatment. I'm really looking forward to trying it and getting my locks back to their former glory!

M absolutely loved the Knot wraps that Lush now use instead of wrapping paper. We both thought it was a really nice and environmentally friendly way to give a gift, or as M did, pick one up for herself to use in her hair! There are quite a few options for the prints and colours so you're sure to find one you like and for £4.25 they're a bargain!

We were lucky to come home with a goodie bag too so expect some reviews of these products soon. As well as the hair treatment we received a product from their new sun tan range (Sesame Suntan Lotion), a tester pot of their Dream Cream and the choice of one of their new self preserving products. I chose the Ocean Salt scrub and M chose Mask of Magnaminty so there will be reviews soon!

We also got given a bag of tea leaves from Waterloo Tea gardens so me and my mum are waiting for a time when we're both in to make a pot and test it out!

Do you like Lush products? Have you tried out their new natural sun care range or new self preserving products?

It was lovely to catch up with everyone and hear about the new ranges and smell everything as usual.
We can't wait to try them out and get to Waterloo Tea gardens and samples some more cake and tea too!


L & M xxx

Boots Botanics Buffers

Morning everyone!

I'm on a day off today, spending it with my mum for a girly day before she goes in for an operation.
I've been loving the thought of having an even and flawless tan, I mean who doesn't want a bit more of a glow over the summer even if it's not a tan that's ten shades darker than your normal skin tone?

In my quest for this I've recently picked up these two from Boots Botanics range; the Loofah and Bamboo Buffer and the Sisal and Bamboo Buffer.

In store the Loofah buffer felt quite rough and the Sisal buffer less so, so I was interested to see how they fared at buffing my skin to glorious silky smoothness and aiding me in keeping some kind of tan in a flawless stage for as long as possible.

As I said, in store this one felt the softest so I went for this one first. My skin is weird sometimes and although it isn't classed as 'sensitive' I do feel that it can have odd reactions to things so I played it safe.
Little did i know this one would be rougher than the other when water was involved!

By no means is it abrasive on the skin but it certainly does require a large amount of foam to stop it from dragging on the skin but i do feel like I've been buffed to perfection after using this. My skin feels good as new particularly after application of moisturiser afterwards, it seems to sink in so much faster and my skin feels super soft.

The Loofah buffer just seemed to melt when water and shower gel was added to it, it is now no longer flat and hard and has puffed up as you would expect a normal loofah to.

I normally use the Sisal buffer once a week and then in between use the Loofah buffer as its a lot softer on the skin and I suppose in comparison is more of a polish than a scrub. 

These have both definitely helped my skin improve and also have meant that I have been applying a lot more moisturiser as my skin has soaked it up.
Overall these were a bargain purchase and they were on a bogohp offer which was great and as long as you thoroughly rinse them after each use and dry them properly there shouldn't be any reason why they won't last you a while as well.

I do like a loofah and my family have always had one in the bathroom!

Are you a loofah or buffer fan or do you prefer scrub products?
I like the options that they both bring and think a foaming scrub such as Soap and Glory's Pulp Friction would be really good with this....shame I've run out of it!

L xxx

Neutrogena Deep Clean Daily Scrub

Hi there!

I've long been a skincare junkie and blogging has clearly made that worse; my endless drawers of facial skincare are testament to that addiction. When I was in America in 2012 I picked up many a product and one of those products was the Deep Clean daily scrub from Neutrogena which helps to provide long lasting shine control.

If I remember rightly this comes in at around $5 and it is worth EVERY CENT. It's one of the products I ask my friend over in america to send me whenever we do a product swap only it was such a long time in between the two bottles I was getting serious withdrawals from it!

As you can see from the tube, its a bright blue scrub with bits in and comes in 125ml tubes.

It claims to clear away 85% of built up oil and keep you shine free for hours with the use of rice protein. I was skeptical at first but I'd travelled to america for university for 2 months and didn't take a scrub with me so needed to get a cheapy to keep me going as my skin wasn't enjoying the humidity and heat that North Carolina offers.

I used this once or twice a day after cleansing and it cleared my skin up a treat! I couldn't believe something that was a scrub could be used twice a day and at such a great price could clear my skin completely of any blemishes and redness leaving uniform and (almost) flawless skin....how amazing!

It also kept my skin oil free ALL DAY LONG which considering I was mostly digging in mud for 5 hours a day and it was over 30 degrees I think is pretty impressive.

I realise this isn't a review that means you can go out and buy it straight away as sadly this is still only available in America and however much I wish for it, it is yet to make it to these shores.

You can find it on ebay here, but sadly even though the products are around £5/6 the postage can be £8 itself!
It would be amazing if they brought it to these parts of the world but for now I will have to stick to swapping present packages with my friend over there. if you travel over to the US I would definitely recommend you trying this.

Have you tried the Deep Clean range? Do you have any fave American products that you can't get hold of in the UK?

L xxx

Spring Series: Body Care

As it's March (this year is speeding by already!) we decided to start up a new series of posts for Sunday's.

With Summer coming up, in case it's in April again, we've decided to start a series of posts on how we get skin ready after the drying effects of Winter and Spring/Summer trends for clothes and make up.
We'll be doing them every Sunday in the hope that by the time we've finished them some good weather will be here!
Our first one is on body care, hope you enjoy :)

Body Scrubs

Through winter my skin goes horrible, especially my legs, they get so dry and no amount of moisturiser seems to help. Plus honestly I get lazy with moisturiser. I hate getting out of the shower and having to be cold while I rub in moisturiser! Now hopefully warmer weather is nearing it's time to prep my legs as I'm hoping soon I can wear skirts.

For body scrubs I love the Next Spa Sugar Body Scrub. Unfortunately I can't find this one online so I'm not sure if it was just a Christmas product. The texture of this scrub is one of the best I've used. It's very thick and almost jelly like. It smooths onto the skin and gently exfoliates with a good size particle. It leaves skin feeling moisturised leaving it with an oily feeling after. I love that it has a glitter sparkle through it. The only downside is the smell. As this is from the spa range it's a very fresh almost woody scent which does make you feel like you are entering a spa which is nice but for me I prefer more sweet or fruity scents. I will be looking out for this in shops and hopefully I'll be able to find it again. We were lucky enough to get this at a Next Blogger Event.

Body Butters

I'm a huge body butter fan. I love the thickness of them and the instant moisturising feeling they leave. I usually use Body Shop body butters, I love the variety of scents these leave and you can quite often get them on offer. They smooth onto the body easily and leave a nice scent on the skin.

I love how big the pots are and a little does go a long way. I tend to prefer body butters to lotions as I like that they are thicker.

Body Lotions

I did get the Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Body Lotion for Christmas. I love the scent of this. It's sweet and creamy smelling and I love that it comes in a pump bottle as it means when I'm wearing fake nails I don't get loads of product under my nails. This sinks in easily and leaves my skin well moisturised. It has converted me from body butters and as it's lighter it will be better for during the day on hot days.

I also like Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Pump Lotion. I love Palmer's products as they smell amazing. This is again a pump lotion so it means I don't get product under my fingers.

M xxx





Body Scrubs

I am what you would call a 'Soap and Glory girl' through and through. When it comes to scrubs the first thing I think of is their Sugar Crush scrub.
I absolutely adore this grainy substance which smells very strongly of sugar and lime, basically it's like a mojito and I just love it.

 

I also love their Pulp Friction scrub which foams and has more of a fruity smell and feels more moisturising because of the foam.
I pick and choose which one I fancy using depending on my skin condition at the time, and of course the smell I'm after! I find they do a really good job at sloughing off all of the dead skin cells so the new ones can push through and make moisturiser easier to sink in.

Body Butter

I'd never really used a body butter before I received a Soap and Glory one a few years ago, so they were a new thing for me. I have now become obsessed with how luxurious they feel on my skin especially after winter where my skin has taken a bashing from the cold and heating in the house.

I love how thick it is and it obviously smells amazing.
I do also like the Body Shop butters, they are on a similar standard and have a great variety of flavours. Satsuma is my next one to try!

Body Lotion
Again, having received the Soap and Glory bag I also like the Body Milk that M likes. The pump makes things so easy!
I also like the Vaseline and Dove moisturisers as most of the time they are so easily absorbed into your skin that you rarely need to wait long for it to sink in, so these are my favourites for week days and after the gym when I haven't got much time but don't want to skip it.

A product I would love to try is a body oil. I've tried baby oil and it was too thick for my skin and took forever to absorb. I've heard drier oils are better and the Palmer's cocoa butter is one of the ones I've heard rave reviews about and definitely need to try. Do any of you have any recommendations??

So there's our first Spring Series post, what do you think? Do you use scrubs often?

L xxx

  

Review: Origin's Modern Friction

If you hadn't noticed, me and M are biiiiiiiiiig fans of Origins.

A few weeks ago we went to a Christmas event at John Lewis Beauty Hall and I spent quite a bit of money on some Origins goodies.

I picked up Modern Friction after wanting it for ages, along with the box set of masks and consequently a goodie bag of samples too.

Modern Friction is what Origins call 'natures answer to microdermabrasion'

To me this sounds like an amazing all natural way to resurface and smooth my own skin without blasting it with harsh chemicals and leaving it red raw.

This product uses rice to buff the skin into looking fabulous.
You apply to to dry skin normally and then wet it afterwards but for sensitive skin can apply straight into wet skin if you prefer.

It also contains lemon juice which we all know is great for use in scrubs due to its lightly acidic properties, just whatever you do do NOT get this in your eye. Lesson learnt!

I massage this all over my face and neck twice a week and have noticed a massive difference to the texture and overall appearance of my skin.

After short term use my skin looked brighter and less grey, definitely from sloughing off the most recent layer of skin.
After longer use my skin surface has definitely improved and I can say it is smoother to touch and also looks more refined.

This product is pretty pricey being around the £31 mark but I believe it's worth every penny and my twice weekly use of the 125ml tube has left me with 3/4 left after 2 months of use.

As I'd spent a certain amount at the origins counter (sucker!) I also came away with this amazing goody bag!
Check out the beauties in this!

This was exclusive to the event and the Brighter By Nature face pads were alone worth £20 so this was an utter bargain.
We've both been using them for the last few weeks and will be reviewing them shortly!

Have you used Modern Friction before? Would you spend £31 on it?
What Origins product(s) are your favourite?
I just love how natural everything is and it all smells DIVINE!

L xxx

P.S. don't forget to enter our giveaway! It's ending this weekend so don't miss out!