THE ANNUAL LUSH STOCK UP

I don't often go to Lush, mainly because there isn't a local one for me, and also because sometimes I simply can't justify £4 odd for a one use bath bomb, which is why I tend to stick to the multi-use bubble bars once the Boxing Day sales come around. This year me and my family endured the sales on the 27th and there was still plenty of Lush smelling goodness left over, and all this stuff cost me a mere £8.21 of Christmas money.

The first thing I found was one I haven't used, the Snowman FUN - a blatant novelty interpretation of the regular FUN that can be used as bubbles, a shower gel alternative, and also as shampoo. I tried FUN last year and this big chunk only cost £2.50 so I thought I'd give it a go. It's fruity sweet scent makes me love this even more. Will I be sculpting a snowman family on the side of the bath? We'll see.

So White was the only bath 'ballistic' I could justify, simply because it's my all time favourite. The crisp apple scent makes my heart skip a beat and it is always exciting to watch this one unveil its pink tint in the depths of my bath water.

A more nourishing alternative is the Melting Snowman - a slightly spicy, cinnamon bath melt that not only looks adorable (despite the lacking carrot nose) but also leaves the skin feeling soft, and the comforting warm aroma of this makes it perfect for the evening relaxation in the colder days. This one was rather cheap, coming in at about £1.20.

Another repurchase from previous years is the Christmas Eve Bubble Bar. This smells rather basic; think soap with added sophistication of ylang ylang and jasmine, making it the perfect remedy for a good nights sleep.  For £1.48 I couldn't resist.

Finally, a personal favourite although not to everyone's taste - Candy Mountain Bubble Bar. This is the one I always set out with the intention to buy; not only is it pretty to look at but personally I cannot resist the sweet, sugary candy floss bubbly scent, and for something short of £1.50 I probably should have picked up another, as I do think the Bubble Bars have the best value, and this one is a bit of a guilty pleasure.

I look forward to my upcoming weeks/months of bathing in the evenings and I might even crack one out tonight...

PAMPER EVENING ESSENTIALS

I'm sure nearly all of us love to pamper ourselves, but a lot of us also don't have time to go for the full whammy on a regular basis. I like to dedicate my Sunday evenings to pampering myself, but it isn't a regime that takes hours away from you.

The first thing I do is paint my nails so they are ready for the week ahead (or the first half of it perhaps), and I do this in the late afternoon early evening so that they are dried before I have a bath/shower - trust me I have made the mistake before and they didn't look too great. I have currently been loving Greenberry from the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine range.

Having a bath is the next step, but if you want to shower (I often do when I'm washing my hair), use a nice shower gel so you feel like you are still being pampered - Soap & Glory rule for this. But, when you're bathing, Lush offer the best items, from bath bombs to bubble bars. I still have some of my Christmas Eve Bubble Bar left from when I got a bunch of products in the sale, so I'm using that up. For something a little more interesting, I love the FUN Range.

After a bath or shower, using a body butter is the best way to make your skin love you. My current favourite is the Soap & Glory Righteous Butter, but I also like to use the Sugar Crush offering. The Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream is also something I enjoy using, as my feet often go unloved (I hate feet, writing this is making me feel a little uncomfortable), but seriously this is a thick balm which massages in like a cream/oil - I love it.

Finally, what is a pamper evening without a face mask. For something cleansing, and the one featured in the image, I reach for the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Mask which really helps my skin and the difference is noticeable for me. Another one not shown is the Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Mask which hydrates my skin so well and allows it to look plump in the morning.

So, once I press 'publish' on this post, I think my evening will be dedicated to having a pamper...

SOAP AND GLORY SUGAR CRUSH

The Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Range was one of those things that when it first hit the shelves I wanted, then smelt it and hated it, then have miraculously bought and now love. Slightly citrus scented, mixed with a sweet, sugary, and almost slightly creamy scent, this has gotten me week at the knees and I think my body appreciates them too (which also means my body care based resolution is still going strong).

Sugar Crush Body Wash: This body wash is lovely. A little goes a long way because it lathers really well. This is only a half size that I got in the set, but I can see it lasting a long time (especially because I alternate between about 8 different shower gels), but this one is different. The scent lingers, so when I use this, the scrub and the butter cream, I literally smell like a lime that has just jumped in a bowl of sugar.

Sugar Crush Body Scrub: I love Soap and Glory scrubs. They literally are so thick in consistency, and are jam packed with sugar/salt particles that my limbs feel like silk after using them. This one is no different. I have almost finished the mini 50ml size, and I think that it'll be upgrading to the larger pot in the future.

Sugar Crush Body Buttercream: Now this, for me is the main event. All my life I have hated body butters because they don't skin in quick enough and I always feel like they leave a sticky residue. But this, does none of that. Despite being so thick that I have to almost claw it out of the whopping 300ml tub, it still manages to have soaked in by the time I am ready to dress after using it. The smell stays for a good while as well, which I enjoy a lot.

Something I once thought I hated has turned into me singing its praises online once again...

 

BOXING DAY SALES HAUL | BEAUTY

For the first year, I got up slightly earlier in order to make my way to the local town centre to grab some beauty bargains (the Boots half price sale was where I was headed first, of course). I got a few bargains, as well as some great fashion and clothing bargains, so if you were interested, let me know in the comments if you would be interested in seeing a post on those bits. 

The first item I got in Boots was the Soap and Glory Once Upon A Lime gift set, which was halfprice from £18 to £9, which is a bit of a bargain, considering you get a full sized Sugar Crush Body Buttercream, a mini of the Sugar Crush Body Scrub and also a half size of the Sugar Crush Body Wash, along with a shower puff, coming in at a value of around £19.75 so even at full price the value was there.

Also from Boots, I got the Toni & Guy Matthew Williamson for Toni&Guy Hair Meet Wardrobe set, which was £6, containing what I would say are deluxe travel sized/mini products, one being the Prep Heat Protection Mist, another the Cleanse Dry Shampoo, and the last being the Creative Firm Hold Hairspray and the packaging and bag are just gorgeous. 

Finally, I got this Charlie Set which has 2 body sprays, and a Revlon Girly Nail Polish which I have been wanting to try for ages, and the set totalled in at £4, which is 2p over half the price of the polish alone, so another bargain there. 

Moving onto Lush. I got 3 induvidual products (well, 5, but 2 of them were for Megan), and a boxed set containing 3 more products. The Snow Fairy Box Set was £6.25, which included a 100g Snow Fairy Shower Gel, a Shimmy Shimmy Shimmer Bar and a 70g Angels Delight Soap all of which smell incredible. 

I got the Shoot For The Stars Bath Ballistic (x2), which smells like fresh, uplifting citrus, and I cannot wait to plonk this in my bath. I can't quite remember the price, but it was 50% off in the sale, so was most probably a bargain. The other which I got 2 of was the Christmas Eve Bubble Bar which is a calming, slightly floral (I would like to say subtle lavender), which is going to be something I use a lot at night to relax. Finally, the Melting Snowman Bath Melt made it's way into the basket, and is a creamy, slightly spicy and cinnamon scented melt, and I cannot wait to use this one also. All 5 individual products, and the box set came in at £13.35 which is bargainous. 

 

LUSH FUN CHRISTMAS GIFT SET

As Megan handed me my birthday and Christmas presents last weekend, I could almost smell the goodness coming from inside the gift bag. I opened (a very well wrapped) box, and was beaming when I saw that it was this gift set of mini FUN products from Lush. 

So, FUN can be used for anything, you can use it as a bubble bar esc. product, you can wash your hair with the stuff, or wash yourself with it like a chunk of soap, or even wash your clothes with the stuff. You can make things even more fun if you choose to mold it into shapes, and then use them in the bathroom. 

In the set, you get 3 mini pieces of FUN; green, red and gold. 

I'll start with the Green FUN, which smells extremely fresh, and lemon and lime scented. I just love this one and in the mornings for a good pick-me-up this could wake you up right away. Yummy. 

The Red FUN also is very fresh, and is also following the citrus route. This time though, this chunk has taken a rather zesty approach; slightly scented of oranges, so even more festive.

Finally, this is the Gold FUN. This is the limited edition one for the festive season, which is a down-side, as this could be my favourite of the trio. This one is such a comforting scent, slightly milky, creamy, sweet, and with a hint of honey which just is delicious. Rumor has it, this smells like the Honey I washed the Kids soap, and so that could be my next purchase if can't track down another one of these.

This is such a great gift set, and I seriously hope this makes it's way into the Boxing Day sales, and it'll be in my basket and on the way to my house in no time, as I can't get enough of FUN right now. 

 

THE UPLIFTING SHOWER DUO

I don't know about you, but when I wake up in the morning, after hitting the snooze button numerous times, I feel ver groggy, and I just need waking up. I gravitate toward the fruity, citrus scents to really get me ready and prepared for the day.

I am aware that you can get cheap shower gels from just about anywhere, but I have found 2 that I really like, that are worth those extra pennies...or pounds.

First of all, we have the LUSH Happy Hippy Shower Gel which is the more expensive option when you want this in larger quantities, starting at £3.50 for 100g. Strongly scented of grapefruit, this will well and truly wake up your senses to kick-start the day - like a fruity breakfast in a bottle. Don't use too much, it lathers well and, well, less is more - a much loved, and sometimes a little annoying, phrase used by us bloggers.

Up next, we have the Body Shop Sweet Lemon Shower Gel - This one, is a little more affordable, at £4.00 for 250ml, the more for less policy. If you don't like lemon scents, don't get this. It is very much heavily scented with lemon, but sweetened that little bit, so there isn't any of this overpowering, headache causing stuff. Yet again another well-lathering one, which just makes you feel clean, literally for the whole day.

I used to be such a bath person, but at the moment I just don't have time - So I try to make a shower as luxurious as it can get, by using some nice scrubs and gels.

Lauren x