My Favourite Luxury Item

[Clarins 'Tonic Bath and Shower Concentrate' £19]

This is by far my favourite luxury product of the moment. The weather in England is starting to turn a little frosty and there's nothing I like more than to have a nice hot shower or bath. 

What I love about this product is the versatility of it. It can be used in the bath, you just need a capful and it makes these gorgeous luxurious bubbles that you actually use to lather over your body. Or alternatively it can be used in the shower, you just need a tiny pea sized amount to cover your whole body.

It leaves your skin feeling AMAZING. I've never used a product that makes my body feel so silky! Obviously it's not cheap however I think it's worth every penny. A small amount goes a really long way so I can see this product lasting a good couple of months. Plus, like with many high end brands, there's often lots of bonus's going on in store or online so make sure to check that out. 

I would really recommend this product as a present for someone who loves to pamper themselves, or a treat to yourself. It's the perfect remedy to a long day. The aroma is that of a classy spa and if you close your eyes you could almost believe you're there!

Pair this product with a good book and you're good to go.

Best wishes (: 

xx

Problem Skin - New Purchase

(Witch Naturally Clear Blemish Stick)

I bought this product a couple of days ago as I seem to have a few face demons milling around. Why is it just when your skin starts to look healthier and more radiant those nasty under-the-skin mountains always crop up?! Does anyone else feel my pain?!

Anyway, I bought this with the hope that it will banish them. It claims to be great for all skin types but we shall see... I will report back with a review in due course. 

 Best wishes 

x

Holy Grail Moisturiser - L'Occitane Angelica Hydra Vital Cream

This is by far the best moisturiser I have used in a long while and I feel like it definitely deserves its time in the spotlight! I've been using this for four months now and it hasn't disappointed. 

My skin is beyond sensitive and one thing that aggravates it more than anything is a change in weather. I live in grey Leeds and often it is humid and rainy, although you'd expect the humidity to help with dry skin, for me it does the exact opposite, but thankfully this cream has helped massively. 

I recently went on a European tour in which we visited five different countries in the space of three weeks, although it was an amazing opportunity I'd be lying if I said I wasn't stressing about dehydration! But I had nothing to worry about! I didn't once notice those horrible flaky patches around my forehead or nose that always crop up at the most inappropriate times, nor did I feel after a day in the sun like my skin was made of old wrinkly leather. Whether you're spending long days in the heat or sat in front of the air-conditioning (which is SO drying) I can't recommend this product enough.

As you can see it is a creamy consistency, yet it feels extremely cooling on the skin. After a hot shower, putting this all over your face honestly feels heavenly. The scent is completely unobtrusive, think expensive spas, cucumbers and all things fresh and you won't be far off. 

This product claims to not only nourish your skin after application but also to enhance the skins ability 'self-hydrate'. Obviously hydration is the key to softer, plumper and more radiant skin so helping your skin to hydrate itself is a massive plus.

The name 'Angelica Hydra Vital Cream' comes from the Angelica plant which is sourced in France, I feel it's similar to Bamboo in the instance that it grows in an extremely short space of time, this is thanks to its ability to self-hydrate. Now, at first, all of these facts spilling out of the shop assistants mouth sounded to me like a bit of a myth, but true or not this product really follows through on its promises. 

At £32 it's far from cheap, yet if you're like me and would be willing to pay more than your rent for something that will get rid of that horrible tight feeling, then I would absolutely recommend this skin saviour. 

Benefit and Bourjois Battle It Out!

 (Benefit 'They're Real' & Bourjois 'Volume Glamour Ultra Curl')

Since I can remember I have been in LOVE with the Benefit 'They're Real' mascara, since first purchasing it I haven't found a better mascara, or even one that comes close...until now! Being a student I find it hard to justify spending so much money on a product that runs out after a month or so. But luckily I seem to have found a cheaper alternative that I want to share!

This is the magical Bourjois 'Volume Glamour Ultra Curl' (bit of a mouthful) Now I can't take complete credit...or maybe not even any at all, I am merely the messenger! I had that usual debate with myself whilst standing in the makeup section of boots wondering what mascara to buy. I always feel nervous when choosing as if you make the wrong mistake thats a tenner down the drain, especially as there's so much rubbish out there. After spending an unacceptable amount of time making up my mind, my friend suggested this little beauty. At first I turned my nose up as I thought the wand looked pretty pathetic and when I took it out of the tube the product looked gloopy. But she assured me it was great so I went ahead and bought it. I'm so glad I did. (Thank you Lily!)

(Here's the Bourjois product on the lashes)

I don't have very thick lashes and as I'm naturally blonde they're rather light, so I like a product that will lengthen, thicken and is nice and dark (not much to ask hey!) and I feel like this mascara does just that. It holds the curl really nicely and completely opens up the look of my eyes, just like the benefit one. As you can see it separates the lashes well and so far I haven't had any fall out which is great. I can't recommend this product enough! 

I think price wise it's a much better alternative, in an ideal world I would love to be able to repurchase the 'They're Real' but unfortunately I cannot do so. But I am very pleased with this find...my 'Drugstore Dupe' if you will. One thing I cannot say yet is how long the tube lasts, I feel like for the money the Benefit one doesn't seem to last long enough, but as I haven't finished the Bourjois yet I can't compare the two. However at £7.99 from Boots compared with £18.50 I can't really complain if it doesn't last beyond 6 weeks or so. I hope you take my recommendation and check this mascara out and let me know if you have any good dupes! Enjoy! 

My Must Have Hair Product

(Seanik Shampoo Bar - Lush)

A very kind friend of mine bought me this as a birthday present and this is my second repurchase. Before this I'd never tried a shampoo bar before and if I'm honest I've always been quite sceptical. 

I didn't really get the concept, it felt a bit alien to put what looked like a bar of soap on my hair.

The bar contains solid seaweed, sea salt and lemon giving the hair great shine and volume and has a lovely summery scent. The featured ingredient in this shampoo bar is Japanese Nori Seaweed, it possesses a quality of deep colour and brilliant lustre. The Sea Salt claims to give the hair texture and volume and I can honestly say it does! The Lemon Oil makes the hair SO shiny, better than any shine spray I've used. Rather than using a shine spray and volumising mousse like I normally do, I can just wash my hair with this and it does the job for me. Although there are little specks of seaweed in the bar, these don't get stuck in your hair and you can't feel them when you're using it, obviously it is bright blue in colour but don't worry theres no colour pay off. 

The thing I was most concerned about when using this product was whether it would make a satisfying amount of lather. I like my shampoo to be super frothy so I can feel like I'm getting my hair properly clean, I really didn't think this product would create enough, but its incredibly foamy, more than any I've used before. Because it's in solid form you're able to scrub it directly onto your roots meaning no strand of hair is left unclean.

I can honestly say I've never used a shampoo that has made my hair so volumized and shiny, I noticed the difference after the first wash, my hair seemed thicker and had a lovely gloss to it. It lasts around a month, so at £5.50 and on a student budget I find that a little pricey, however not having to use as many other products means I'm saving money elsewhere. I have to say no matter what hair type you have I would recommend this product, it ticks all the boxes for me!