Winter Beauty Essentials

Hi Guys, 

It's nearly Christmas, that means it's been winter for a whole month! I thought it was a good time to share some of the products I have absolutely been loving over the winter season. 

My first essential is a good moisturiser, something that's going to help my skin glow, be hydrated and have an SPF. My choice is the 'Million dollar moisturiser' from Lush. I know, I know! I've been banging on about this all year but it truly is one of my faves and with the cold weather drying out my skin it's nice to have something a bit more protective.

Lush.com

 I love multipurpose items and a really nice one I've been using is 'Dr Paw Paw's tinted peach balm'. Not only does this make my lips super soft it actually leaves the most gorgeous pinky coral shade on my skin. It's sheer enough that it just looks like your natural lip or cheek, but healthier. 

drpawpaw.com

Next up is probably my most used winter essential this year! 'Salt and peppermint bark' from Lush. This amazing salt scrub is great for making my skin super soft and it helps to remove all the little lumps and bumps from my arms and legs. the smell is incredible, like candy canes. The little chunks of cocoa and cupauçu butter help to soften and moisturise as you go. 

Lush.com

My ' Hask Argan oil' has been a savior for my hair this winter. I just apply this to damp hair and it makes my hair look shiny and full of life. I have quite damaged ends and with the air-con and heating they can become frizzy and dry. The vitamin E in Argan oil is an antioxidant so it helps protect the hair's cell structure making everything look salon fresh. 

beautyofnewyork.com

The Tanya Burr cosmetics nail polish in 'duvet day' has been my go to colour recently. A really pretty icy blue that has become a replacement for my everyday nudes. You do need three coats but it dries fairly quickly and I've had a good few complements on my nails when I wear it.

superdrug.com

 I love having a bath in winter and I have two Bath products that I love to use. The first is the 'Yog Nog' bath bomb from lush. This is an amazing custard yellow, egg nog, caramel scented bomb that has loads of Shea butter in to make your skin feel good as new. The second is the 'Sanctuary Foaming Bath Soak' from Boots. I love the smell and it makes the water feel fantastic.

Lush.com / Boots.com

 Last but by no means least, a killer lipstick. I have been wearing the New Look 'pure colour' lipstick in Plum. super soft and has a rich dark red colour to it. A bit like MAC's 'Sin' but without the staying power. A nice dupe if you're on a budget.. like me.

Pure colour lipstock in plum

 I hope you guys are enjoying the cold weather. I love the crisp days and the dark cosy evenings. Let me know what your favorite thing about winter is!

 I'm also doing Vlogmas over on YouTube. If you check it out, say hi in the comments I'd love to hear from you. 

 Love Lucy x

I've uploaded a video!

Hello,

Just a quick note to say I've uploaded a video!

I'd love it if you could check it out.

♥

Just click on the video below to watch my Lush, Primark and drugstore haul.

 If you liked watching this then please like and subscribe for more videos.

Lucy

X

A closer look- snow fairy

For most people Lush Christmas begins and ends with snow fairy. That sugary sweet pink shower gel that everybody goes crazy for! 

This pear drop smelling shower gel was created by Claire Constantine the youngest and only daughter of mark and Mo. She's the main manager of Lush Oxford street and super lovely! 

Snow fairy is one of the he most popular gels that lush have at Christmas so today I thought I'd write about some of the ingredients in it. 

First of all did you know that this year snow fairy is self preserving? You can buy the original online but you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference. Snow fairy is  vegan and the bottle is recycled and recyclable. You can even recycle the lid at you local lush. 

So what's in it? 

The main fragrance in this is synthetic musk this has a musky and subtle fragrance. The reason lush uses a synthetic version is because musk is traditionally harvested from animals. As a vegetarian company it goes against their ethics. 

This product has glitter in. Lush have revolutionised the way they use glitter in the past few year. All their glitter is made of cellulose or seaweed. The website has an article on this which you can read here. https://www.lush.co.uk/article/all-glitters-not-plastic

Although simple snow fairy has been a best seller since day one. It's available now from all lush stores. If you're in London check out their amazing 1kg bottle! 

If you enjoyed reading this then please follow me on here or blog lovin' you can also did me on YouTube and Instagram. 

Let me know what your favourite lush shower gel is? 

Lucy x 

A Closer look: Ultrabland

Hey I'm  back and for this closer look I wanted to write about a product that I absolutely love, Ultrabland, 

Lush's hot cloth oil cleanser.

lush.com

This is great for people who have sensitive skin, in fact it was invented by one of Lush's top inventors Helen. She invented this to help people with eczema and psoriasis. It's great for acne, dry, combination or oily skin. I love it as it removes every scrap of my make up.
 It really is a wonder product!

"One of our desert island products, Ultrabland, is based on an ancient formula for cold cream. It was invented by the Roman physician Galen, and where he used a mixture of beeswax, olive oil, water and rose petals, we’re able to disperse our Turkish rose absolute in water to create rose water. This, along with almond oil, beeswax and honey, is the basis for our Ultrabland formula. This cleanser is extremely effective: the honey softens and conditions the skin, and has antiseptic properties; whilst rose water and rose absolute reduce redness and help to balance the skin." Lush.com

panda eyes

So, whats in it?

Almond oil: almond is a great carrier oil and closely resembles the skins own sebum. It's naturally full of vitamin E. The oil mixed with beeswax makes the perfect base to break down make up.

Rose water: Lush get their rose from Senir in Turkey. Rose calms the skin and helps with redness and inflammation. So it's great if you have break outs or more of a natural pink flush. This also has Rose absolute which can help with rosacea.

Honey: not only is honey hydrating but it is also anti-fungal, antibacterial and antiseptic. Lush get most of their honey from Greece. Honey is also self preserving and will help the product last longer.

Iris extract: Iris is often used for it's fragrance but in this case  iris florentina contain beneficial isoflavones which can help with irritated and inflamed skin.

It's definitely worth trying, it's an oldie but a goody and a Lush staff favourite. I couldn't do with out it!

Thank you for reading this, if you liked it then please subscribe for more blogs. you can find me on Bloglovin', Instagram and Youtube.
Do you have a favourite Lush cleanser? let me know in the comments.

love, Lucy.

Real Techniques bold metal collection.

Ok, so I know I'm late on the wagon with these but quite honestly I haven't had the cash to buy one. Just over a month ago was mine and Chris's 7 year anniversary and as a gift he bought me one! 

Squeee!

The one I opted for was the 301 flat contour brush. I've heard a lot about this brush, some people say it's amazing for contouring some love it for foundation. I just love it full stop. 

This the box it came in and if I could change one thing, it's that it's bloody hard to get into! With all RT brush sets they have a weird way of opening up. 

In other news.. it's rose gold! So pretty I love anything rose gold and copper so I'm very happy with that. 

This brush is really nice and long so you can use it to have lots of control by holding it the brush end. If you want a lighter touch than by utilising the length you can use it to add just a hint of colour where you need it. 

This brush has nice short bristles which means you can pack a lot of colour on easily with a lot of control. I love how close up to the skin you can get with this for precision contouring.

The bristles on this brush are very densely packed, this means that you can get a gorgeous airbrushed, buffed effect on the skin. Sometimes it can be hard to seamlessly join contour with the other make-up elements. Blusher, highlighter or just the base? This brush expertly smooths the colour together very well. 

The handle on the brush is nice and ergonomic buy having three sides to it. You can get a nice grip on it from lots of different angles. The bristles are super soft and have a pink ombré tinge to them.

You can get this brush from boots, it's a bit more expensive than other brushes but worth it. very well made and will definitely stand the test of time.

Thank you for reading this, if you liked it then please follow my blog on Blogger or Bloglovin'

Lucy

xx

Baking bits.

Disclaimer: I've tagged vegan and vegetarian in this post which is so obviously about bacon and cheese. Please bare with, the vegan and veggie alternatives are below. The method is the same just ignore the ingrediants and replace them with your own choice. I am not veggie or vegan but have a lot of friends who are and its nice to have options.

 

For this post I'm going to write about something a bit different- baking. 

Now, I love baking but I never get to do it because at the moment I'm living with my 'rents and the kitchen isn't huge so when an opportunity presented itself today I had no hesitations of jumping straight in. 

This week is one of those weeks where it's a week after my payday and we haven't been bothered to do any shopping yet apart from the odd meal out. The freezeer plays a bit role in this part of the month as I'm sure yours does too. Last night Chris and I realised that we actually have a morning together, which doesnt happen very often, and that we should make somthing and have breakfast date. 

Out of all the things we had, we went for.. bacon and cheese turnovers. 

Y'know like the ones they have at Greg's but our better version. I thought it'd be fun to show you guys how I made these because they were super easy and only took a really short amount of time.

Bacon and cheese turnovers- 

10 minutes prep. 20 minutes bake.

preheat the oven gas 7/8 / 220C

makes 6.

ingredients:

Bacon, 6 rashers

Cheese, as much as you want really. I went for 6 thinish strips

Puff pastry- 1 pre rolled sheet

Spray oil 

Salt and pepper

A little milk

You also need:

A knife

2 baking sheets

Foil

A frying pan

Tongs.

So first thing's first,  if you have frozen puff, you should take it out the night before or it takes 2 hours at room temp to defrost.

 Truth time- I used a microwave as I forgot to taking it out off the freezer due to over sleeping. On the defrost setting I put it in for a minute at the time so it was soft enough to handle but not squidgy, if its too soft pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes. This took 3 minutes in my microwave.

When my dough was ready I left it on the side and got on with cooking my bacon. In a big frying pan cook the rashers until they are slightly golden but still a little soft- remember, these will be cooked further in the oven later. When they're ready, take them off the heat and allow to cool.

Cut the cheese.... into 6 thinish strips a couple of mm thick. You want them to be gooey in the middle but have some of that awesome crispy goodness on the edges. 

Unfurl the pastry sheet and cut it into 6 equal squares. These might look big but dont forget they're going to be wrapped around the filling so we need extra. 

I then lined my baking tins with foil ( to minimise washing up) and sprayed them with some baking spray to stop them sticking. There's nothing worse then trying to peel foil outta pastry. 

Time to wrap. Take your cheese and lay it diagonally onto a square of pastry, I went bottom left to upper right but really it's a personal choice that everyone has to make for themselves. Then added 1 slice of bacon on top of your cheese facing the same way, tongs are the tidiest way of transferring the bacon.

Grab your empty corners, pull to the centre and stick. They should look all cuddled up like a bug in a rug.

Place the turnovers on the baking sheet. I put three on each sheet. I then brushed them with milk and added salt and pepper. Chris loves paprika so I popped a bit on but its totally optional. 

ready for the oven!

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, 10 minutes in I had to check and swap the trays as one was on the top shelf and browning more than the other. 

While it was cooking I washed up and Chris made a nice cuppa tea.

Then I waited two minutes too long because apparently unloading the dishwasher was more importent so they were a little more golden then I'd have liked. 

these smell amazing!

You can see the cheese is nice and crispy but it was lovely and soft in the middle. I accidentally ate some before taking this pictures so unfortunately there were only the darkest ones left to take a picture. 

They went down really well, Chris managed 3 so it was deffo a winner. I'll be making these again for sure they were super easy and quick. More of an assembly job if I'm honest. 

the last two.

Above is a nicer picture of them just chilling out. I have some left over so that breakfast for tomrrow sorted too. 

 exciteted!

♥

Alternatives section

If you are veggie then the pastry I bought, which was "jus' roll", is friendly but I imagine most would be. Always remember to check your cheese is vegetarian friendly. You could add so many things to this, you could go just cheese, or give it a Florentine vibe with spinach. Of course there's Quorn bacon or Sainsburys do their own brand.

Vegans- I think Lidl and Adli's own puff is vegan so thats awesome. Violife have some amazing cheese substitutes. You can buy it at most independant stores but actually I think Tesco sell the original flavor. Then, obvs, you could go down the age old route of mushrooms or spinach but if you've tried the Cheatin' bacon rashers then I think they would be great in this because the ends would go a bit crispy just like the ones I've written about. Ocado stock Cheatin' and lots of independent vegan friendly shop will too. 

In Southampton we have a great shop called 'Rice up' which stocks lovely things and is vegan exclusive. 

You could brush the pastry with soy milk, I'm pretty sure it'll have the exact same effect. 

Thank you for reading this if you got this far, this was somthing a little different. I really love cooking and baking and am thinking about doing a few on my channel.

If you liked this then follow me! 

you can do this here on blogger or on bloglovin'.

Lucy xx

New video- primark and tk maxx haul

I made a new video! 

there's a link below if you want to check it out

☺☻☺ 

Have a great weekend!

♥

This lipstick tho'

Basically I just need a minute of your time to tell you how much I love this lipstick.

This is one of the new lipsticks Lush have bought out with their revamped Emotional Brilliance range. 

Joy is a gorgeous coral colour that has a slight shimmer to it. The pigmentation is fab and it almost has a matte feel to it when you wear it. 

It's fast becoming my perfect summer colour! 

So yeah I just needed to gush about it for a second. I'll definitely be buying more shades from this range as soon as I get back to London. 

Love, 

Lucy 

A closer look | The Comforter shower cream

In this series of posts I'm going to write about the Lush Oxford street products I've used, in more detail.
The first one I'm going to talk about is the comforter shower cream. The comforter is one of Lush's most popular fragrances. It currently comes in the form of The Comforter bubble bar (£4.75), the soon to be discontinued, Sweetie Pie shower jelly (£3.50 100g/ £6.95 240g)  and You Snap the Whip body butter (£6.50).
The Comforter Shower cream fits nicely in Lushes new shower set, which upcycles old fragrances such as Tuca Tuca and Cocktail. It has a sweet and fruity blackcurrant fragrance, that, as its name suggests is warming and well.. comforting!

 "like a cuddle in a bottle
cypress oil, cassis absolute
and bergamot oil create an
uplifting, reassuring fragrance."

So let's delve into some of the ingredients.
The first interesting thing on the list is,

Blackberry and vanilla infusion. So what's an infusion? An infusion is the act of soaking something in hot liquid, usually water, to make a drink, remedy or extract. basically you're making tea. Blackberries not only contribute to the smell and that glorious colour but they have one of the highest levels of antioxidants out of most fruits and on a par with blueberries. Vanilla is soothing and softening on the skin. The sugars bind moisture to the skin and protect the skin from losing moisture.

Bergamot Oil,  this is used to help give the mind a boost, used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder. Often described as sunshine in a bottle, this citrus oil is used to cleanse the mind. brightening and antibacterial. great for skin and hair. Lush source their bergamot oil from Reggio di Calabria in southern Italy.

Cypress Oil, from cypress wood. This has a woody fragrance and is antibacterial and deodorising. It has a warm aroma, this contributes to that comforting smell in the fragrance. It's an oil that can be blended easily with other oils.

last but not least, probably the most important oil for the shower cream's scent.

Cassis oil, cassis oil is the name for blackcurrant oil. It's only use is for that lovely deep blackcurrant fragrance. like Kir Royal or Ribena. A rich nostalgic smell that transports you to only the most wonderful times in life.

This shower gel has a slight shimmer to it, it's a beautiful cerise colour and will instantly, I'm sure, become a cult favourite. Lush have only previously released this as a special product on the forum (if anyone here remembers that!), Retro and kitchen. It was a shoe in to have a place in Oxford street and as Lush prepare to roll out exclusives nationwide I'm sure it's something we'll be seeing in store very soon.

Thank you for reading, If you liked this post please add me to your reading list or follow me on Bloglovin' and if you want to know more about your favourite Lush products you can find lots of information on Lush.co.uk

Lucy x

Why I love bric a brac.

Today I want to talk about why I really love second hand goods. 

These, for me, are normally found at car booties, table top or charity shops. 

Ive always had a place in my heart for bric a brac and little odd knick knacks, I think it's because I've always grown up in places that have them lying around. Those odd little gems that should look out of place seem to work so well wherever I've lived. 

At my Grandparents house most of these things were locked away in display cabinets, I was always so curious about them that when they were finally opened it was like discovering buried treasure. Beswick figures, medals and funny little toys from the 1950s. It was like delving into the past and I was always desperate to find out more about them. 

My Grandparents on my Mother's side was similar, my Grandpa always has little bits around, musical instruments and sheet music, they collected beautiful things, including gorgeous hand made dolls houses, that I still covet to this day.

I feel much more at home with clutter, I think of it as comforting and homey. when I visit places where every thing is cleared away it seems sterile. For me possessions show your personality. I'm often left thinking- where are you? where's all your stuff?

My parents home has always been a hive of activity. we did so many things as children, dancing, swimming, dressing up and going to fun workshops. There are still things around from those times. It makes the house feel like there is a history. That the people there are interesting and that they have stories to tell.

I cant wait to have my own home. I'll be filling it up with so many bits I've collected over the years. I'll be able to tell my children where I was when I bought it or what it reminded me of. I want to embarrass them with my tacky pottery cheetah, Eduardo. I want them to think of me as a  person who lived well who did many interesting things and lots of stories to tell. 

Eduardo

When I visit a some where that sells second hand goods, I  always think of the life the object may have had and how I can incorporate that into my story. to the person selling the item, it may just be an old alarm clock. To me it's the person switching it off every morning to go to work. It looks fun and many things I buy turn out to be fantastic ice breakers at parties. In turn allowing me to create many more special memories of my own with friends. 

My Latest find.

These places allow you to re purpose old and unwanted things. It give the objects a new life, if it can give many more generations joy then why wouldn't you want it in your home. 

FYI, The flowers in the picture are also from the car boot. Some times you can get amazing bargains from them. These flowers were 4 bunches for £1, there was enough to make a small bouquet for Chris's mum, the flowers for me and a vase of flowers for my mum. At our local car boot there are amazing fruit and veg stalls, bakers and farm shops. 

roses, carnations, babies breath

It's obvious that for me going to these places evokes nostalgia and memories but it can just be a great day out.
 here's my 5 top tips for doing it right.

1. always go for a wee before you set off- this might seem dumb but you will thank me when there are no on site loos.

2. Haggle- you can! this isn't someones lively hood like an antique or furniture shop. chances are they'd rather not take it home if they can help it. think of it as practice for if you ever need to haggle seriously.

3. Don't buy it unless you love it. you cant return it once you've bought it.

4. If you love it buy it! it might not be there when you go back- then some other lucky person gets to enjoy it and you'll have serious regrets.

5. be prepared! stay hydrated if its hot, take had sanitiser, a back pack and lots of change.

I also recommend taking full advantage of ice cream and burger vans. 

That's it for now, if you like car booting let me know why? 

I hope you enjoyed reading this, If you liked it then please follow this blog or find me on bloglovin' 

 Lucy x

A Little post about my Lush Vlog

The other day I was lucky enough to be invited down to Poole, the home of Lush, to film so videos for the new Oxford street make up. An extension on Emotional Brilliance.

Thank you for watching!

Lucy x

Urban decay | After glow blush | review

It's me again!

So today I want to talk about the new urban decay afterglow blushes, these are the new type of blusher for urban decay as they are powder. urban decay used to do blushes called afterglow but these were cream formula and they only came in a few colours. The new bushes come in a wide variety of colours and there are 11 different shades. 

my local branch is in Debenhams, the staff are always lovely and friendly and I really like the way they display the products. The blushes were arranged on a lovely stand. They were nice and accessible and the girls on the counter talked me through all of the different colours. 

Above is a picture of my beautiful friend Fatima wearing bittersweet and the other are the swatches on my arm. You can see that the colours show up brighter on my skin than Fatima's skin. Which compared to urban decays usual pigmentation isn't great. I know Fatima has used many of their products before with great colour pay off. I used a good amount of product to get the stronger swatch. The colours are still beautiful but not as intense on the skin as in the compact. 

So now I'm going to get on with it and show you the colours. 

I'll start with bittersweet as it's the one shown in the above picture. 

This is a really lovely violet shade. great for darker skin with a cool undertone. I think this is a really cool colour and unlike anything I've seen for a while. As you can see from the above picture it gives a natural blush, if you like more colour then I'd recommend building up the product then using a setting spray to lock it all in.

Score is really nice natural blush. I think it would work really well on olive skin tones and skin with a yellow undertone. Very nice, it would be good for a everyday look. The little bit of shimmer in it gives it a really gorgeous glow.

Rapture is a very dark tone blush I think it would work well on very dark skin tones. I think if you put this on a lighter skin tone you have a blend it out a lot. The colour, however, on its own is really beautiful a maroon burgundy red-y Brown very unusual and I think it's a really nice colour to have in their collection. 

Kinky is another colour in this collection that is a nice natural colour, again it would give you a lovely glow and I think that you could also use this as a very light bronzer. This blusher has quite a yellow undertone so it would give olive skin youth and vitality. 

Wow this blusher is so red I love it! This colour is reminiscent of old school rouge and would be fantastic for doing any kind of vintage look. Anything through the 30s to the 50s this blush would be perfect for. I think I'll definitely have to purchase this one for my make up collection.

This colour feels like a holiday colour. If you wanted to give your normal make up routine a little bit of extra punch or you were on holiday and you had a beautiful tan. A really nice pop of colour. This is a really orange blush it's a bit daring and is quite pigmented.

Crush is a classic pink blush. It's a really gorgeous shade which will go well with most skintones it's really natural blush colour so it's a nice one, maybe on a date or your look is really classically soft and feminine. This blush has a lovely warm tone.

This one is a really classic Barbie pink blush. A very cute cool pink perfect for making those cheeks have an 'it's cold outside' glow. Super festive and makes me a little bit excited for winter to be honest. This is another one that I would really love in my make-up collection.

The urban decay website describes this colour as a light peachy nude. I think this is the perfect description for this product. It has a really gorgeous warm undertone. I think this would be really nice for paler skin especially if built up. If you give a little structure to the face.

I would describe this blush as a darker shade with a rose undertone. I would definitely recommend going in store to view this blush. This picture makes it appear browner than it is. I think most people could wear this shade but I would go easy if you are quite pale. It's a matte shade and again, this is a shade that lots of people might want to but it's quite hard to get.

Last but , oh ho ho, definitely not least! Any time UD do a colour that is called obsessed I do get obsessed with it. Obsessed products are always really lovely rosy pinks that are just so pretty. You could wear them in any season and they would be suitable day or night. They also have a lip colour that's the same colour with the same name so you can really match up your make up and they would complement each other perfectly.

I love this colour - more please!

All of these colours have an eight hour where time on them so they should last perfectly whether you're at work or whether you're going out for the night. These retail for £19 and you can buy them from Debenhams.com or pop in to your nearest Debenhams or house of Fraser. 

Overall I like these blushes a lot and I think everyone will be able to find one that is suitable for them

If you enjoyed reading this please follow my blog, you can find me on Bloglovin' and you can also find me on Instagram Twitter and YouTube. Just search for Lulabellemua.

Lucy x 

New video | Winchester | bank holiday haul

I made a video for my YouTube channel, I'd love it if you could check it out!

Last Monday and Tuesday I did a bit of shopping. You can catch my vlog from Monday on my channel too!

A little bit of everything in this haul so hopefully there is something for everyone.

Love Lucy x

The Planets | Lush spa review

Hello there, 

I'm part way through my week off and so far it's been pretty good. Winchester with a friend, shopping in town, catching up on my editing, a spa day and now a lovely day off with Chris.

Yesterday was the spa day and seeing as Chris is catching up on some work I thought I'd get a nice cup of tea and chat with you guys about my experience at the Lush spa in Poole.

First, let me tell you about the spa. Lush have had spas for about six years, Poole, being their first shop, was a natural to be amongst the first along with the Kings road spa in London. Now there are seven. Poole, Kings road, Kingston, Oxford street, Leeds, Liverpool and Edinburgh. They have nine treatments so there is something for everyone.

I've been to the spa before.I had a synesthesia full body massage a few years ago and it was amazing so when I found out there was going to be a new treatment  I knew I had to visit. The new treatment (as you may have guessed from the title) is called the planets. It's a three hour experience decided into three sections. The first is the past, then the present and last (you've guessed it) is the future. 

I'm going to write about each section, what it consist of and how I felt during and afterwards. All the music is designed by Simon Emmerson and is influenced by Holst's 'the planets' music collective. This is what the website says about it. 

'Embark on a unique journey through inner and outer space. Inspired by seven of the planets in our solar system, this unique three-phase treatment explores the past, present and the future. A reflective, personal experience involving massage, Lush palm reading and a lifted facial.  Cross different dimensions from the comfort of your treatment room and then gently come back down to earth.'

Photo: Lush retail ltd

When you arrive for your treatment one of the lovely staff member in the Poole store, which by the way has just had a rather exciting influx of exclusive Oxford street products, will inform your therapist that you have arrived and after a minute or two you are invited through the door to the consultation area. 

Your therapist offers you some cooling water and let's you know what to expect and takes you through a quick health questionnaire to make sure every thing is fine and dandy then you must choose your planet- the planet is linked to an aspiration. 

As you walk into the dimmed room, look up, there are beautiful patternes on the ceiling made from light reflecting of a mirrored tray and astral projections. The therapist tells you where everything is and what to do then leaves you to undress and get under the warmed towels. When you are ready you ring the bell.  

Photo: lush spa Poole https://www.facebook.com/LushSpaPoole

Phase 1. The past. 

This is a full body massage that lasts a whopping 1 hour and 25 minutes starting from the top of your head all the way down to your feet. You can really relax and just hear the music. As the therapist works down your body any knots or tension found are talked through with you, you can say as much or as little as you wish, everything is confidential. Your body is mapped into different areas your left is the creative side and your right logical/reasoning. It was found that I had the most tension in my ribs which could be about holding back. I also had a lot in the front of my legs above my knees which can be about moving forward. I recently have had struggles regarding my career and moving to another part of the country. For me everything she said rang true. She said to imagine each knot as a messy drawer, when you talk about it you're 'tidying' it up. A brilliant metaphor- easy to visualise and order. When there is something I spoke about somthing the therapist felt I needed motivation with she warmed the area and when I worked something out on my own she cooled the skin. A circular motion closes the drawer. If you're worried about your feet being ticklish, don't be. You will be so relaxed you won't really notice. 

When the massage is over the therapist tells you that there is a dressing gown and slippers on the door and leaves. The dressing gown FYI was amazing, massive and cosy, I need one in my life! 

When you're ready. Simply ring the bell again. 

Phase 2. The present.

This is a lovely chilled out session that lasts 35 minutes. It starts with a space girl with dry ice, building up negative energy and throwing it away. Then a relaxing hand and arm massage and Palm reading focusing on the planet you chose at the beginning. Mine was in the centre of my palm. By looking at my hands, the size, length of fingers, shape and thumbs she was able to tell me a lot of interesting traits about myself. She then focused on my writing hand. She told me about my life, heart and head line. Again she was very correct about my life. It feels nice to think that someone gets it, somehow a perfect stranger understands you. During this time there is tea blended for your treatment in cups that have the planet name in them. The attention to detail is incredible and you're even given a delicious planet shaped chocolate to eat. In preparation for stage 3, the therapist shows you the products she will use. The bench is set up for the final time. She leave the room while you undress and get under the towel. For the last time ring the bell.

Phase 3: the future.

This is the final phase of the treatment an hour long lifted facial. This is time you can really relax. It includes a cleanse, facial brushing, a face mask and a serum. I dozed off several times during this just for a minute at a time but it just shows how calming it is. The word I used to a friend was comatose. After cleansing the skin, the therapist then uses small brushes on you, not only does this feel amazing but it also helps the skins circulation which in turn promotes healthy skin. She then used a fresh facemask exclusive to the store. Followed by a facial massage that gently coaches the muscles to lift and give a youthful well rested apperance. 

Before and after my lifted facial

When it was over the therapist left the room and I got dressed, very slowly and made my way out to the consulting area. After a brief chat about the treatment I had a glass of water and wrote in the guest book. 

Overall I would definitely recommend this treatment it was amazing and really helped me sort out some issues and to have a clear idea of what I wanted for my future. I cannot sing this treatments praises highly enough. It's worth every penny and I would absolutely have it again. For the quality of time and the luxury , it's priceless. I don't spend very much time or money on myself so to have this treatment was incredibly special and somthing I will remember for a long time. 

The products from my massage (I got to take them home!) 

To learn more about the lush spa you can visit Lush's website at www.lush.co.uk you can also pop into your local store, the staff will be knowledgeable about all the treatments. You can visit the Lush spa Poole's Facebook page for updates https://www.facebook.com/LushSpaPoole 

Thank you for reading this rather lengthy blog post. If you liked it you can find a new post every week. 

You can find me on Instagram, youtube and Twitter. Come and say hi! 

Lots of love

Lucy x 

Lush lip colour review.

Holla,

  This week I decided to review the lip colours they have in Lush. 

The lip colour they sell is part of the Emotional Brilliance make up range, in this range they have liquid liner, cream shadow and, liquid lipstick. 

The concept of Emotional Brilliance is really cool, it's based on colour therapy, each product's named after a feeling or emotion and when you wear the colour it's supposed to empower that emotion. For example if you had a presentation at work you could wear confident or if you were getting married, happiness, a lovely copper cream shadow. 

For the range Lush worked with Lady Helen Kennedy, a colour therapist who works on Harley street. Lady Helen has lots of famous clients come to her practice and have colour sessions with her. 

Altogether there are 36 colours but today I'm just going to focus on the lips. I wear these colours quite a lot, my all time favourites are believe, passionate, decisive and confident, I'll talk more about them as I review each one. I'm reviewing these out of 5 and I'm doing it in emojis because I can and why not?💄💄💄💄💄

Let's get started! 

Vibrance-

This is a lovely sparkly orange lip colour, it's a bit more sheer than some of the other colours in this collection. It has gold sparkle in and is quite easy to apply. I wish it had the colour payoff that the others do but this is would be awesome in summer. Definitely more glossy than some other colours Lush do however I find it dosent last as long because of this. This colour would suit a darker skin tone than mine as I'm quite pale. Olive skin or darker would be gorgeous, this would be nice with a tan.

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Not my favourite but I can completely see a little cult following around it, if you love it you'll wear it forever.

Charm- 

The palest lip colour Lush sell, this really has a throwback to the sixties vibe ( it's also something I would have worn in the late 90's/early 2000's but let's not get into that). A pale powdery pink that's very pretty. I wear this occasionally if my hair is a bit bouffantesque but it can be hard to wear on a daily basis. I know that some people find it can wash them out a bit so I would only recommend this colour if you were pale with a pink undertone or I think it would look beautiful with a deep tan or a darker toned skin. If you are pale I'd recommend wearing a good amount of other make up. Clear skin and black liner with lots of lash. 

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Quite a difficult one to wear, not for everyone.

Perspective-

This is the most neutral colour Lush offer, it's a very nice lipstick although for my taste in neutrals, a little too pink. This gives a good coverage and stays on for quite a long time. Works well on a yellow undertone. I've seen lots of Asian women try this on and it always looks gorgeous. 

Nothing more to say really, a good product to have in your collection for all occasions. 

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A really nice product that feels nice and doesn't wear off quickly. 

Glamorous- 

Glamorous is a super pink lipstick, very nicki minaj. The consistency isn't as thick but the colour is nice and bright. When it's on your lips it stays for a long time although not as long as some of the other colours in the range. I think this colour is great for all skin tones but you have to be a little bit brave to wear it. Think 80's glam meets 21st century Phreshness. 

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A solid performer that definitely needs more love. Try it on in store! 

Drive-

This one is a purple shade with a pink undertone to it, the colour is not as matte as I'd like although I think with this one it varies from batch to batch. It's nice to have such a bright purple in the range but I think it's a little too pinky. I have quite pink lips naturally and the pink shows up a lot on me. A blue toned purple would be awesome to have. This does however give a warmth to your look and it's a fun way of wearing purple, this shade is not as scary as some others out there (for example, pansy by lime crime or heroine by MAC). 

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It makes me a bit sad to rate it 2, if only it was brighter, bluer and deeper. 

Power-

This is a really interesting red. An orangy red with gold shimmer running through it. I think all skin tones could get away with this but olive skin and yellow toned skin would be best. I don't often wear this colour but I like it a lot when I do. Lush do 4 different reds so there's something for everyone. If you don't think you can wear red then try one of these. This is very comfortable to wear and lasts all day. This shimmer is a really nice touch and makes it a little bit different to anything else out there. 

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A good performer, great for day or night. 

Bubbly- 

This lipstick has been reformulated recently and I am loving the new version. It's now a bright, glittery pink lip colour that Barbie would be envious of. It's not gritty like some glittery products, feels nice and the colour stays. Super easy to apply. You could wear this to work or to a date, it's a versatile colour. 

I think everyone can wear this but if you are darker you might lose some of that pinkness that I really like here. 

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Just lovely. 🎀

Confident-

A super cool dark berry lip colour. Amazing for winter seasons and if you're channeling 90's themed pastel grunge. This has a matte finish and stays on all day. It's definitely one of my favourites out of the whole collection. Any skin colour can wear this, it's flexible and dosnt budge easily. It would be an excellent colour to wear at a gig because you wouldn't have to top up. Easy to apply although a lipliner night be good to make that perfect pouty shape. Think Nancy from the craft. 🌙

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Top marks- once you have this colour other berry tones won't even exist to you! 

Strong- 

A basic orange red, lovely for summer. It makes me think of sunshine and Spain. This has a great colour payoff. For me it's a bit too orange but for anyone darker than me ( and that's not hard) it would be gorgeous. This is definitely a holiday lip colour, if it was in a vogue editorial it would be on a beach with a leggy brunette with big tom ford shades on. Very chic, very underrated. 

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Summers coming grab this one for a high end look.

Believe-

On to another 90's teen movie now 'clueless' one of my favourite films ever. This colour reminds me of it so much. It just screams Beverly Hills. This colour, despite making me think of clueless, is a rich matte pink shade. It stays all day and feels very comfy, it doesn't dry out and flake. It also looks very modern and again comes across as an editorial colour, this time it puts me in mind of Ralph Lauren. Works great on paler skin but would look incredible on very dark skin. 

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A real winner, you'll never suffer from buyers remorse. 

Ambition-

A classic true red, if you love the 50's bombshell look then you'll love this. This colour dries to a matte finish and stays put. It's a real Marilyn Monroe shade. An easy way to get the vintage look. True reds are great for all skin tones and are grown up enough that you can wear them in the office then seamlessly rock the same colour for drinks after work. I don't tend to wear this colour a lot but I love it when I do, finding a true red that isn't too thick or to washy is quite hard so I think this is a good product to buy. 

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A good solid lip colour that can make any day feel more glamorous. 

Passionate- 

I lo-o-ove this colour, such an amazing pink, it has a blue undertone which makes it super wearable, it lasts all day and the pigmentation is off the charts. This colour always makes me feel confident and special. If I'm a having a rough day I'll throw this on and it'll be a bit better. This is a statement lip colour, there's no two ways about it but I quite like that I can do my make up quite simply and then this will take it to the next level. Yes yes yes.

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Be daring and go for it! Works well in all seasons! 

Decisive- 

Last but by no means least. This is a luxurious matte blue red lip colour. Very classy but also totally rock and roll. This will suit everyone and nearly every outfit. I don't really know what else to say about this lip stick. It stays on all day and all night. Super sexy, confidence boosting. Hopefully they won't stop making this, ever. I genuinely thought I'd have more to say about how fantastic this is but I think I've covered it. The photo doesn't do it justice.

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A real showstopper, wear it with a crop and boyfriend jeans or with a ball gown. 💋 

So there you go that's what I think of them, tell me whether you've tried them or not in the comments, if you have what was your favourite? Or which one are you dying to try? 

At Lush Oxford street they have a massive range of make up with some new colours in tow. As you guys know I have a new eyeliner and lip stick from there. The ones I've reviewed are in all stores so check them out. 

All the opinions above are my own based on my own experience of make up, but at the end of the day it's just make up, so have fun and try them out! It's make up and you can take it off, that's the beauty of it! 

Lots of love,

Lucy x