LUSH Luxury Pud Bath Bomb

I'm a big fan of LUSH products. They're all natural, don't test on animals and are capable of turning the bathtub into an incredible-smelling, luxurious, spa-like experience. To be honest I've only ever bought a LUSH bath bomb once... I seem to get them for Christmas or as gifts here and there, but bath bombs from Lush are pretty inexpensive for a real treat.
One of my friends from school pulled my name for Secret Santa, and I was thrilled to see that the Luxury Pud Bath Bomb from Lush was inside! Here's a mini-review on why I liked it, how it worked and if I would buy it again.

 Here is the top of the bath bomb, cute little Christmas pudding, with a bright purple bottom half and some holly on top.

 Here was a description that came with the product. The lavender scent is so wonderful, and a bit sweeter than you'd expect it to be. It really does send you off to dreamland- especially if the water is really hot and you're about to head to sleep anyway. Be careful!

 All of the multi-coloured dots melt off of the bath bomb (which is contently fizzing away elsewhere) and they dissolve into the water smelling delicious. Also looking really awesome.

Finally, a bit of a scandalous shot, but I needed to photograph the colour of the water, if you're from the UK and you've drank Ribena before, that's the colour. A blackcurrant, delicious smelling, soothing bath which relaxes you, makes you smell decadent and helps you fall asleep like nobody's business. I would definitely recommend, I don't think it's my very favourite bath bomb from LUSH, but it really is very good. 

I would rate the LUSH Luxury Pud Bath Bomb a 4 out of 5

My Bronzer Collection

It might be a little early in the year to start thinking about bronzers, but it's also a time of year where lots of people go on vacation to escape the snow and enjoy the sun. I thought I'd show you a peek into my bronzer collection (it's a collection because I have way more than I need), and I thought I'd throw in a mini-review of each one as well.

 Just a quick artsy picture to demonstrate what we're working with.

 Firstly is the Lorac TANtalizer. It's a bronzer/highlighter duo, and the bronzer is a matte dark brown. It's a good shade for contouring, but could be a bit muddy looking if applied too thickly.

 The packaging is great, there's a mirror in the lid and because it's a duo it's perfect for traveling.

 The Clarins "Instant Sun Light" in the shade 20, Golden Sun. It's a bit too orange for me, but applied lightly with a tan it can look quite nice. It isn't matte, it has a slight shimmer, but nothing too sparkly or glittery.

 The packaging is pretty average, with a mirror in the lid of the compact. The SPF of 15 is a nice bonus, but the product has quite a perfumey scent, so be aware of that if you are sensitive to scented products.

 Too Faced's "Peach Leopard" bronzer is a nice one because it isn't completely matte and has some colour to it. The pink in the bronzer adds a more natural sun-kissed glow, in comparison to a more orange spray-tanned effect. As you can see it's well loved (and when I hit pan on the product it's practically fallen to pieces, but I can't let it go)

 This is just a miniature size, so it comes in a cardboard packaging. It still has a mirror which is nice, and the small size would make a perfect purse-sized bronzer (if it wasn't in pieces of course).

 Rimmel London's "Sun Shimmer" is a Maxi-Bronzer, basically a bronzer that has a lot of product. I tend to use this on my neck and chest area, it helps match the colour of your face and body. Because there is so much product and it's so cheap it makes a great one to blend everything out.

 Not the greatest packaging, but expected for a drugstore purchase. No mirror, and the product comes with a gold glitter overspray, so use it on your body before you try it on your face- you'll look a bit glittery otherwise.

 Smashbox's "Halo" bronzer is a great one because of this grating technique. You can shave off the amount of product you need, keeping the rest of the product clean and relatively bacteria free. It also stops the product from oxidizing or becoming chalky as some older powders tend to do.

 It has a twist off lid and is quite compact. I think the packaging is okay, but I wouldn't recommend it for on the go. The loose powder and twist off cap could make for a messy experience.

 Tarte's Clay Bronzer in "Park Ave. Princess" is a nice product because it isn't orange at all. The shade almost has a grey undertone, which may not sound too "sunkissed" but eliminates any risk of looking like an oompa-loompa.

 Again, I have a deluxe sample size, so this one doesn't have a mirror, but because it's so petite it is excellent for travelling.

 Finally is one of my all-time favourite bronzers, Benefit's "Hoola". It has the same grey undertones as the Tarte bronzer, but this powder is totally matte.

The packaging is standard for Benefit (since it's a Box-O-Powder) but it's a bit bulky for traveling purposes. The colour is one of the best I've found, but when I go away in February I'll probably opt for the Tarte one, just to pack a bit lighter.

So there's a quick overview of my Bronzer collection, I hope you enjoy it and get some ideas if you're looking into a new bronzer soon!

Soap & Glory's "The Fab Pore"

Happy Friday everyone!
I hope you all had a great holiday season! Coming back to school is great and everything, but here in Ontario we've had a bit of a "polar vortex", basically I've been waiting for buses in -40 degree weather. This has taken a major toll on my skin. I've been moisturizing like crazy, but the high winds and cold weather has literally chapped my face. Areas like my nose and chin, which stick out from under my hood, have begun peeling and despite all the moisture feel very dry. I knew I should use a mask that isn't too drying, but exfoliates enough to held get rid of the peeling.
For Christmas I received Soap & Glory's "The Fab Pore", and this week I used it for the third time. I'm very impressed. I get a bit stressed out trying new face masks because I either get a great result but only have a sample size, or I buy a full size of a mask and it makes my face red for days.

 The product comes in a reasonable sized tub. It smells very fresh, and has a bit of a minty smell. I use a grape-sized amount (as suggested on the tub) and rub it into my face until the grainy consistency becomes smooth. It layers very nicely, it isn't too thick and it doesn't go all patchy like some clay masks tend to. You can apply this for 5 minutes for a quick facial, or 15 (which I do) for an experience that yields better results. "The Fab Pore" is aimed at clearing out your pores, perfect for skin prone to breakouts, blackheads, or if you suffer from an oily T-Zone. It contains Salicylic Acid which helps to chemically exfoliate the skin. Salicylic Acid works wonders on acne-prone skin, and I think this mask seriously improved my skins condition.

I thought I'd leave you off with a ridiculous face-mask picture. Enjoy!

Soap & Glory's "The Fab Pore" gets a 4/5 from me!

Enjoy your weekend!!

Manicure Monday Week 8

I know it's Tuesday, but I didn't want to wait a week to post this... and I didn't want to think of some crappy Tuesday alliteration. (Although it was almost "Tips Tuesday", could be deceiving.) This week I didn't paint my nails much, in fact, I've painted them a lot less lately. I think it could be due to my nail polish lasting a surprisingly long time, which I definitely won't complain about. Since the nail polish has been a bit sparse, I thought instead I'd post my manicure routine. This isn't my full on, sit down for an hour mani, but the regular steps I take to paint my nails.

 Here are the products I typically use. I don't use these items each and every time, this is just to give you a general idea.

 To begin I soak a cotton pad with regular nail polish remover. I've tried acetone-free, but find it takes about 10 minutes longer to remove your nail polish and I'm pretty impatient. This nail polish remover is just the normal type from Quo, but I've poured it into a bottle from Joe Fresh that has the easy pump to soak the cotton pad.

 Generally, I hold the cotton pad onto my nail for a few seconds before wiping away. This helps to stop scrubbing at your nails (glitter polish being an exception) and means you can watch Netflix at the same time without being too disruptive.

 Next I trim my nails. These nail scissors are from Shopper's Drug Mart's brand, Quo. They're just regular stainless steel scissors that I find work fairly well. I don't actually cut my nails often, I'm more likely to just shape with a nail file... which brings me to my next step.

 Filing my nails is one of my least favourite parts about a manicure. Although this Bath & Body Works nail file is cute, filing just isn't something I love. I don't file all in one direction or anything special, I just file enough to shape my nails. I prefer a more squared off look, as opposed to a rounded shape.

 Next I apply a base coat. Base coats are important for increasing the longevity of your nail polish, while also providing a smooth base for the colour to adhere to. This is Essie's "Grow Stronger" base, which has a pinky colour (that doesn't show, it just gets rid of yellowness and stains on nails) and dries relatively quickly.

 I chose Essie's "Sole Mate" for the manicure itself, since I couldn't photograph how I actually paint my nails I thought I should say there isn't a particular method I use. I try to leave a bit of a gap at the base of my nail (something I don't always succeed at) and go from there. 2 coats of polish usually does the trick, then I'm good to go.

 And then I use Essie's "Good to Go" topcoat. It's a quick drying formula that gives a shiny look to the nails. I've bought this about three times, just to show how much I like it. It helps your nail polish look nicer for longer and prevents chipping, while also drying your nails quickly so that you don't smudge them before they're dry.

Finally I use Soap & Glory's Hand Food, the best hand cream I've ever used. I have a large bottle, and this is my second small tube. It soaks in quickly, doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy, moisturizes and smells incredible!

That's my manicure routine, I hope you like it! Let me know any of your own mani tips in the comments or on Twitter, I'd love to hear product recommendations or suggestions!

2013 Beauty Resolutions

So it's a new year, and I want to make an effort to have successful resolutions.

Last year I opted out of carbonated drinks, especially diet pop. As a diabetic, diet pop is often the only option at restaurants, juice is too sugary and I don't always feel like a hot drink, like tea. I haven't had an entire can/bottle of pop in the year of 2013 and I'm pretty proud of that. Aspartame isn't good for me, so I chose to stop drinking it. If you're in a restaurant and you can't decide on what to drink, just choose water. It's good for you, it improves your skin, keeps you better hydrated than pop and it's free! Anyway, my point is that I want this trend to continue. So that's number one.

1) Don't drink pop. Not diet, not regular. Not good for me!

2) Stop snacking on chips. Seriously, chips or crisps or whatever you want to call them. They're my weakness and I love that salt and vinegar goodness... but it's a new year and I need to stop eating them. For the sake of my acne prone skin, weight and general health. Stop it Megan.

3) Blog at least 4 times every week. Now this is a goal I really want to commit too. This blog has been mildly successful from November until now, and at almost 5,000 views! Imagine how good it will be if I post on a more regular basis? I know on exam weeks, vacation time etc I may not reach this goal, but I will certainly make my best effort to do it.

4) Drink more water. I know with the whole "no pop" thing it would seem I drink a lot of water. Not true. Honestly sometimes I just don't drink anything, how ridiculous? This year will be different (I hope) and I'm aiming to drink at least 4 glasses per day. Half what I should drink, but a good start nevertheless.

5) Take care of my toes. Again, as a diabetic it is so important for me to take good care of my feet. I suck at this! I maybe sit down and exfoliate my feet maybe twice in a year. But this year I intend to take the time and pamper my feet once per month. That means wash, exfoliate, trim nails, moisturize and sneak in a few more polish changes. Pedicures are nice, I hope this won't be too much of a challenge!

So there are my 5 Beauty Resolutions. Let me know some of your own and recommend me some not-chip snack ideas! Thanks!