Product Review: Lush "Love Lettuce" Facemask

 For my first blog post in...let's just say 'a while', I thought I'd write about something very close to my heart - Lush Cosmetics. I've always loved Lush and their gorgeous products, I mean who can genuinely walk past a Lush store without being enticed inside by the magical aroma drifting out? However, since I became vegan, this company has become even more important to me. As a vegan, I only use products that are cruelty-free (i.e. not tested on animals) as I believe that in the twenty-first century we should have evolved as a species enough to realise that poisoning, starving, blinding, paralysing, mutilating (the list goes on) innocent animals so that we can 'look good' is very far (to put it mildly) from, what I would define as, 'humane'. Therefore, I am always looking for new companies that promote the cruelty-free message but, so far, Lush remains my staple brand when it comes to toiletries. 

Today, I'm offering you a product review of my most recent purchase from Lush: the 'Love Lettuce' face mask. 

You should probably know that I've struggled with acne my entire teenage life and since becoming vegan a year ago, my skin has cleared up more than ever before - yet another (perhaps more superficial) reason for you to make the transition! So I decided to add a face mask to my weekly skin routine and began browsing the Lush website for one that suited my skin type. Since I have oily/combination skin, this appeared to be the mask for me as it boasted French lavender to "balance the skin's sebum production" and "gently exfoliating almond shells" to get rid of the layer of dead skin occupying my face.

I've now used this face mask a good few times and I can honestly say that it is the best one I have ever tried. You can see from the picture to the right that, despite my frequent use of the product, the tub still holds a good amount. This could be due to the fact that I use a lot less than I have seen other people use - many tend to spread it on very thick but I find that it works just as well with a thinner layer. I will continue to use this product until the tub is empty and am extremely likely to purchase it again immediately. I simply cannot fault it. 'Love Lettuce' smells absolutely incredible, each time I smooth it onto my face and sleepwalk through to my bedroom to allow it to set for 10 or 15 minutes, I begin to drift off as the calming smell of lavender fills my head. After this episode of relaxation, I wash off the product with warm water and, as I do so, I can feel the almond shells gently exfoliating my skin, leaving it baby-smooth when dry. This is one of the first products I've tried that genuinely does even my skin tone and calm my blemishes, rather than aggravate them. 

If you're in the market for a good face mask, I would definitely recommend this one! Has anyone tried it or any of Lush's other face masks? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Apologies, 500 Followers and the Top 10 Tag

So it's now been about a fortnight since I last sat down and wrote a blog post. I've had a lot going on within the past couple of weeks, including moving into my university flat and desperately trying to find a job. With both of those demanding tasks now tackled, I am eager to get back on track with my blog. After such a long absence, I feel there is little point in continuing with the 100 Happy Days challenge. This both saddens me and also makes me feel quite a bit of relief. The challenge could be a little stressful at points, trying to find the time to write a blog post every single day, and I felt that quality was sacrificed in order to meet the quantity demand. Therefore, I am now hoping to post regularly but allow myself the time to ensure my writing is of a higher standard.

Much to my surprise and elation, in the time I was away, my blog managed to acquire its five hundredth follower! I am always incredibly happy to reach a milestone and this was no different. I know that not every person follows you in order to read all of your posts, many just follow in order to encourage others to follow them back. But I know that there will be a portion, however insignificant, that actually follow me because they enjoy reading my posts and enjoy my content. Therefore, I feel that reaching a milestone is a justifiable cause of extreme happiness and does allow for a dance around your bedroom. The next milestone in my eyes is 1000 followers and I cannot wait to reach it...if I ever do!

Now, onto the most important part of this post. I was tagged by the lovely Jenny over at Jenny's Everyday Life (give her a follow, you won't be disappointed!) to do the Top 10 Tag. This tag was created by Jessica Vannan from Pretty Chit Chat and it's one of my favourite tags to read as I often find myself noting down a product I hope to try in the future. However, I am actually only just beginning to unlock my beauty guru side so I am writing this with little knowledge or range of products and, for that reason, may show myself up a little. But I'm hoping in a year or so, when I've developed my make-up skills, I will get the chance to take part in this tag again and show you all my vast improvement. So without further ado, here is my Top 10!

1. Foundation
My favourite foundation of the moment, scratch that, the only foundation I use at the moment is the Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation in Soft Beige. I just feel that this product blends onto my skin like a dream, leaving it baby-soft and smooth. Furthermore, the light mousse consistency controls my shine-prone skin for a good couple of hours more than other foundations I have tried. Its lightweight texture means I don't feel the 'cake-yness' I have experienced with many other products but, at the same time, it does a great job of covering up my acne scars and any breakouts. 

2. Concealer
Concealer isn't something I have used very often as I have been tackling acne for years now and I always felt that concealer did a great job of covering spots for an hour or so but then as it hardened and crumbled, it only made them stand out more. However, in the past month my skin has been settling down a lot but I have been left with a fair amount of scarring on my cheeks and chin. Therefore, concealer has been a godsend for covering up those angry pink marks. I haven't tried out many different concealers yet but at the moment I am loving the Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer. The consistency is perfect, smoothing onto my skin and covering those nasty scars nicely. My only problem is one I can put down to my own stupidity. I bought this product in a rush and opted for the Soft Beige colour when I know from experience that my skin warmly welcomes concealer when it is as light as possible and can then be covered with a darker foundation. I will be sure to rectify this mistake next time I am concealer-shopping.

3. Powder
This is probably my favourite thing at the moment. To couple with my foundation, I purchased the Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder in Peach Glow and fell instantly in love with it! The gorgeous substance leaves practically no residue, only a glowing complexion and smooth, oil-free skin. I am sure that this is a product that I will continue to buy again and again.

4. Blush
As you can tell from this picture, I am in desperate need of a new blusher and am still to decide which one I will opt for. However, there is a high chance that I will end up buying the same one you see before you as I LOVE it. The No. 7 Natural Blush Tint Powder is the best blusher I have used to date. It is incredibly easy to apply and (as the title suggests) gives the look of a natural blush, which is the main reason I love it as I am a major hater of bright red doll-like cheeks. I have this in the colour Cool Pink.

5. Bronzer
Okay, don't all hate me at once but I do not own a bronzer. It is something I desperately need to add to my collection but just haven't got round to doing yet. However, it is at the top of my list for next payday! 

6. Highlighter
See number 5.

7. Mascara
I know I find myself in a very small group of campaigners when I say that my favourite mascara is the L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Diamonds Mascara. I've heard a lot of people complain about the lacking of this mascara, however, for me it's perfect. The plastic and straight non-curved design is something I actually like in a mascara applicator. I find that it makes the mascara a lot easier to apply and provides the effect I desire. I am not a fan of clumpy eyelashes, I know many people are but it just doesn't appeal to me, personally. I apply two layers of this mascara and it darkens my eyelashes and makes them look a lot longer and stand apart, without making them look extremely fake. My only criticism of this mascara would be that it does not do what it says on the tin (despite what it actually does being exactly what I want) and that it does not give my eyelashes a fuller effect. Therefore, I may have to look for one that will achieve that effect next time. Any suggestions?

8. Eyeshadow
My favourite eyeshadow of the moment would have to be my Glam'Eyes Quad Eyeshadow in Sun Safari . I'm loving nude eyeshadows at the minute, so this caters to my colour needs and it also has great pigmentation, increasing my love for it.

9. Brows
I've only just started applying products to my eyebrows. It took me a while to jump on the bandwagon as I had seen far too many photos of girls with block Nike ticks on their forehead, repelling me from the concept. However, after seeing lots of images and videos where women had applied products correctly and merely accented their eyebrows and made them look fuller, I decided it was time to give it a go. At the moment, I am loving the Kiko Eyebrow Expert Styling Kit for Brunettes, Redhaired and Blondes. It's super easy to apply and makes my eyebrows look a lot fuller.

10. Lip Product
I know this isn't exactly the answer you are looking for but I have to say my favourite lip product is just your average Rosy Lips Vaseline. If I am not wearing lipstick, this is my go-to lip product and is one that I find myself using on a daily basis. Not only does it hydrate my lips more than any other product I have used, leaving them soft and juicy, but it also gives the impression of a lipgloss, tinting my lips to a beautiful rosy pink colour and giving them a glossy sheen. In my opinion, it's better than any lipgloss I have used as it doesn't make my lips feel sticky.

If you've managed to hang in til the end of this post (I know I've droned on a little), I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Here are the people I am tagging, who will probably put my post to shame:

Rafiia at Mysterious Blogger
Lottie at The Trip
Shireen at Reflection of Sanity
Helen at Little Bits of Pixie Dust
Haná at hdotxo

Kelsey at K II R

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and I look forward to reading the responses of those who I tagged!

100 Happy Days Day 43: Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide

Source

I've been following the wonderful Kayla Itsines on Instagram for a while now and have been marvelling at both her own physique and that of her clients. She often posts pictures of her clients' transformations through using her Bikini Body Guide. Since seeing the first photo, I have been itching to buy it and try for myself. However, there has been the slight matter of the £40 price to own it. But today I finally gave in, after seeing countless people change their lives through using it. 

The workout guide comes in eBook form so I have already uploaded it onto my kindle and had a read through. It looks fantastic but incredibly difficult - just what I need! Unfortunately, I can't get started on it until I have purchased myself a pair of 3-5kg dumbbells but I will follow this up with progress and review posts once I eventually begin. 

Has anyone else tried it? I'd love to hear about your experiences!

100 Happy Days Day 42: Smoothies Galore

So my health kick is still going strong! I've been exercising and eating healthily, apart from the small treat here and there. I've read countless blog posts and articles that advise you to do this as knowing you only have to wait however many days until you get your next treat will encourage you to maintain your healthy diet until that time. So far, it seems to be working for me! However, I am not too concerned about my weight as I have always been one of those people who can eat whatever they want and remain slim. My motivation for healthy eating is to make myself feel healthier, stronger and brighter. Therefore, I probably treat myself more often than most but the majority of my diet is far better than it has been in a long time so I am more than happy.

Today, I can finally call myself the proud owner of one of these beauties!

I have longed for a Breville Blend Active smoothie maker for months now, ever since they started popping up all over the place on YouTube and Bloglovin'. So I finally decided to bite the bullet, tick it off of my Amazon wishlist and order one for myself. I am a massive lover of smoothies so this product is perfect for me. I intend to use it on a daily basis once I return to university as I often struggle to eat breakfast in the morning, meaning I find myself in a silent lecture later on with everyone staring at me while my stomach decides to imitate an erupting volcano. However, I think I will easily manage to get a good, nutritious smoothie down each day, keeping my stomach satisfied until I can manage a full meal.

The blender itself is unbelievably easy to use. It comes with full instructions but they aren't really necessary if you understand the concept of a blender and have a little common sense. For such a small appliance, it is incredibly powerful, turning hard frozen fruit to a smooth drink in a matter of seconds. Best of all, it comes with two bottles so, of course, my boyfriend has already called dibs on the second one for his own use. The bottles are also extremely impressive, they are well made and can be counted on not to open unexpectedly and pour smoothie all over your favourite bag.

After yearning for this product for such a long time, I worried that it would not live up to my expectations. But I can safely say I am more than happy with it and would recommend it to anyone in a second!

100 Happy Days Day 41: Quality Pet Time

Today, I spent the majority of my time cuddled up next to one of the most cherished members of our family.

This adorable bundle of fluff is called Rosie and she's been a part of my family since I was two years old - that's seventeen years ago! Lasting this long makes her a strong little lady and I'm so happy and proud to be her owner. The photos cut off before you can see, but she actually doesn't have a tail. When she was barely an adult cat, Rosie escaped being run over and killed by less than a second. However, her tail wasn't so lucky and had to be amputated due to the damage caused by the weight of the car. After this near-death experience so early in her life, it's hard to believe that she is now 85 years old in cat years. It's hard to watch her now as she struggles to make her way up and down stairs and often can't jump even half the height she used to reach with ease. However, she still seems happy enough and knowing that she hasn't got long left only makes me want to show my love for her more. It's difficult not knowing if Rosie will only last one more day or another year but I'm so grateful for all the time I have with her. There's nothing better than curling up on the sofa with this beautiful lady and stroking her soft fur as she falls asleep, purring.

This is one of my favourite photographs ever. I am two years old in this picture, meaning Rosie is only a kitten and a very new addition to our family. As you can see, we shared a strong bond from the beginning...I promise we're a lot more loving towards each other than this conveys.

100 Happy Days Day 40: A Drink Or Two

I hadn't seen one of my best friends for weeks so we decided to drag our boyfriends out of their xboxing slumber and pull them along to our local Wetherspoons for a couple of drinks and a catch up. Since I'm on my health kick at the moment and also simply because alcohol isn't something that appeals to me as much as a lot of people, I only had one or two very low alcohol beverages. It was great to get out of the house for a change, spruce myself up a little and have a long, relaxed chat with friends. Since there's not much more to say on this subject, here's a picture of me, pre-outing.

P.S. I know that the vast majority of my posts at the moment are very short and not particularly skilled but it's purely because of this 100 Happy Days Challenge. It doesn't really leave room for impressive posts but I am excited to finish it and start posting less regularly and more stylishly.

100 Happy Days Day 39: Blog Meets Twitter

Source

Since I appear to be getting the hang of this blogging lark, I decided to create a twitter solely for the blogging world. I think this will be a great way for me to communicate with other bloggers and I also feel it will be both tidier and easier to keep it separate from my personal twitter. If I'm being honest, the only thing I use my personal twitter for nowadays anyway is to scroll through tweets when I'm bored. I barely ever tweet myself. However, I am vowing to change that on my blogging twitter. I am hoping to regularly tweet and keep my followers updated with my blog...if I have any!

I'll probably get a lot of hate for doing this but click here to visit my page and follow me ;-)