Eye Candy London Gel Wrap System

Gel nails at home without having to faff around with UV lamps? GIMME! Being a stay-at-home Mum with my hands constantly in dishwater, changing nappies etc, I'm always on the lookout for ways to get chip-free manicures without having to spend £20 at a nail salon every few weeks (ain't nobody got time nor coin for that). I've tried at home gel kits which I do like, but sometimes it's just a little bit too much of a faff on and the removal process puts me right off when I'm stuck for time. When I was offered the chance to try the Eye Candy London Gel Wrap System*, which promises Gel nails without the need for curing under a lamp, I jumped at the chance to say the least.

At a fraction of the price of at-home DIY gel nail kits, the Eye Candy London Gel Wrap System* dries and acts like a normal base coat and top coat would as it uses daylight to cure, as opposed to UV light. I've tried this system a couple of times now, and the first time I was a little disappointed as it seemed as though my mani lasted just as long as regular polish would, and nowhere near 2 weeks like they suggest. I'm not sure if it was because I'd done a lot more housework or something the first time round, but I tried again and I got a good 5/6 days before any chipping which is really good for me, and that's usually the same amount of time I get from my Sensationail Starter Kit* (reviewed here). All in all, I'm impressed with this little system, as it's so convenient to use and is no more hassle than a regular manicure, yet I'm getting that little bit longer out of them than I would by using a regular base coat and top coat (even my beloved Seche Vite, which I've been missing since being pregnant).

The product retails at £10.99 but is currently on save 1/3 in Superdrug.

Do you like the sound of this system?

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Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil

When a product promises to remove makeup, brighten and renew whilst helping the skin in the anti-ageing process.. well let's just say there's no holding me back! Enter the Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. What a mouthful! 

My dry skin and I are a huge fan of cleansing oils, balms and butters. I just love the feeling of applying a product straight to a face full of makeup, watching it remove said makeup and rinse off all in one step. After reading lots about Una Brennan's Superfacialist range, I knew it was time to give it a try, so when my most recent cleanser (The Body Shop's Camomile Cleansing Butter) ran out, I tottled off to Boots to pick up this bad boy to see how it compared. 

This lightweight oil has an extremely strong orangey scent, which isn't a deal breaker for me, I quite like it, but I know a lot of people are put off by strong scents so it's something to note. When massaged straight onto dry skin, it works in really well and removes makeup (including waterproof mascara) with ease. With most products like this, I like to take a damp cloth to remove, as opposed to rinsing. When done in this way, it leaves my skin feeling clean and nourished, with no trace of grease or oil left behind. I've been really impressed with this oil, and my skin definitely looks and feels healthier since using it. At £10.99 for 200ml, you'd think it seemed quite steep for a highstreet brand, but this is literally going to last months, as I've only been using the tiniest drop to do my whole face.

Have you tried anything from Una Brennan?

 
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Recent Budget Beauty Find: Essence Lip Liners

They're back! Lip liners are no longer considered something that only women in their 50's use to overdraw their lips. I think we can all thank Kylie Jenner for this one. I know people (probably a lot of makeup artists) were using them before she burst onto the scene with her amazing matte lip, but she's definitely helped in bringing them back big style. If 2 years ago you handed me a lip liner, I wouldn't have had a clue what to do with it, as I always thought they just made my lips look ridiculously false and I just never seemed to understand a need for them. Little did I know that they are actually amazing in reshaping the lips, making them appear fuller, make lipstick last a whole lot longer and can even be worn alone.

If, like me, you're still new to the whole lip liner thing and don't fancy spending £12.50 on a single MAC lip liner, then look no further. Essence Lip Liners come in at just £1 each and have totally transformed my feelings towards lip liners. I first read about them on the lovely Andrea's blog; Rosy Chic and I knew I had to run out and try a few.

Essence as a brand can be found on the highstreet/drugstore in Wilko, as well as Essence's own website. I popped to Wilko and picked up 4 shades to try, and WOW was I impressed. They're so unbelievably creamy and pigmented, making them glide onto the lips with ease, without drying them out in the slightest. When worn alone, they leave a creamy-satin finish which I personally adore.  Considering how creamy they are, they're relatively long lasting when worn alone (perhaps a good 3 hours). There's currently 9 shades in the range, and the 4 I have are all so wearable;

05 Soft Berry - A Brownish Berry Nude

06 Satin Mauve - A Mid Toned Natural Nude

07 Cute Pink - An Everyday Rosy Pink

12 - Wish Me A Rose - Pale Rosy Pink

My favourite of the 4 has to be Satin Mauve, it's the most perfect nude that looks amazing worn alone and really gives that Kylie Jenner look. I think it's fair to say I'll be popping back to Wilko to have a little swatch of the other shades in the range. Can't believe they're only £1.

Have you tried any of these amazing lip liners? 

What budget beauty finds have you found recently?

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Lush Mother's Day 2015

Ok, so technically not every product in this little haul is from the Mother's Day Line, but I've got a few to show you and talk about. If you read my blog at the weekend you'll know I was invited to Lush Middlesbrough's first ever Blogger's event for the launch of their new Gorilla perfumes, as well as getting demos of the new products from their Mother's Day line. We got a goody bag with a few products in and I also picked up a few bits so I thought I'd put them all into a haul kinda post, as well as give a mention to some of the other new products available that I didn't get (yet).

Lush Ultraviolet BubbleBar*. £4.75

Part of the Mother's Day line, we were lucky enough to receive one of these in our goody bag after receiving a demonstration on just how many bubbles this bad boy can produce. As the name and colour might suggest, it's a violet scented product which reminds me very much of Parma Violets (one of my favourites sweets might I add), as well as including Jasmine, Ylang Ylang and Rosewood Oils. Bubble bars are my favourite products from Lush, so I'm excited to get some baths out of this, and apparently I should be able to manage 4 baths from the one bar. Bonus.

Mother Superior Bubble Bar. £3.75

Another from the new Mother's Day line is the Mother Superior Bubble Bar. This is one of the products I picked up myself, as it smells absolutely AMAZING (very citrussy and fresh) and as I said, bubble bars are my fave so I couldn't resist. Hey, I could give birth any day now, I'm allowed!

Secret Garden Bath Bomb. £2.95

Another from the new Mother's Day line, this is one of the products we got a demo of at the event. It makes the most amazing colours in the water and is very heavily floral scented (mainly roses). It has lots of soothing and calming properties so I think I'll save this until after I've given birth as a little treat!

Rose Bubble Bar. £2.95 

Again, from the Mother's Day line, it's another that I couldn't resist picking up for myself. Just look at it! This bubble bar is packed with Rose Absolute, Rosehip Oil & Cocoa Butter, so it'll make the skin soft and smooth. Yummehhh!

Phoenix Rising Bath Bomb*. £3.35

This one's not from the new Mother's Day Line, but it was included in our goody bag (I think to go along with the purple theme). This has a very rich cinnamon scent, which I wasn't sure about on first sniff, but the more sniffs I have, the more I warm to it. It's very different to what I'd normally go for but I do think I'm gonna enjoy this bath. With it's blend of cocoa and shea butters, it will leave the skin soft and smooth, whilst uplifting the mood with it's strong scent.

Dorothy Bubble Bar. £3.25

Another one that's part of their permanent line (I think), but I picked this up purely because of the name and how pretty it is (and the fact it's another bubble bar, hehe). Obviously it's based on The Wizard of Oz, with the rainbow and the blue sky, but my Nan's name was Dorothy so obviously I had to pick one up! It smells so fresh, both floral and citrussy and I think it'll be a good one.

Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask*. £6.75 / 75g

Another product from the goody bag, this is what we all got to help make at the event last week. Getting those blue gloves on and squishing those blueberries felt very strange. This face mask is absolutely perfect for my skin at the moment. I dunno if it's pregnancy but my face has completely freaked out in loads of little sore patches and tiny little red rashes all over. With blueberries, calomine and chamomile, rose and almond oils, I have a feeling this will help calm my face down a bit.

Also in the goody bag we received a sample of the new Yummy Mummy Shower gel, as well as a bonus little packet of parma violets to keep in with the theme. Loveeee it! Thanks again Lush Middlesbrough!

Other products from the Mother's Day Range include:

Love You Mum Soap

Rose Bombshell Bath Bomb

Bubblegrub Bubbleroon

Yummy Mummy Body Conditioner

Sorry for the picture heavy post!

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Lush Middlesbrough Blogger's Event

I was lucky enough to be invited to Lush Middlesbrough's first ever blogger's event on Thursday evening and I had such a great time. The only thing is I'm now obsessed with their new Mother's Day line and pretty much want everything in store!! The main reason for the event was to give us a sneak peak at their brand new Volume 3 Gorilla Perfumes which were ready to launch in store the next day (Friday 20th February), as well as demonstrating the new products in their Mother's Day line.

The 3 new perfumes they had to show us were;

Kerbside Violet - Sweet & Floral (reminding me very much of Parma Violets)

All Good Things - Dark, Woody & Smoky

Death & Decay - Sweet & Floral with a hint of Darkness

After having a good sniff, we then got demos of their brand new Mother's Day products, including the Ultraviolet Bubble Bar, Yummy Mummy Shower Gel & the Secret Garden Bath Bomb.

The lovely Victoria also talked us through Lush's amazing Charity Pot Body Lotion Scheme, but I'll let Lush explain better than I can...

With every purchase of Charity Pot, we donate 100% of the price (minus the taxes) to small, grassroots organisations that could use the helping hand to continue the incredible work that they do. Charity Pot supports organisations that align with our ethics in the areas of environmental conservation, animal welfare and human rights.

After the talk and demos, we got to get our hands dirty and get stuck into helping make a big batch of the Catastrophe Cosmetic Face mask to take home with us. It felt very strange but slightly therapeutic at the same time.

All in all, I had a fantastic time. Got to see some familiar blogger faces as well as meeting some wonderful new ladies. We got to take a lovely goody bag home and they also kept the tills on so we could make a few cheeky purchases whilst there (well it'd be rude not to). I'll be doing a seperate post on the things in my bag so keep your eyes peeled.

I just wanna say a massive thank you to Lush Middlesbrough for the invite, and to say it was their first blogger's event I thought they did absolutely amazing! Looking forward to seeing what else they have lined up for the future.

Twitter: @LushMiddlesbro

Facebook: Lush MIDDLESBROUGH

Instagram: @lushmiddlesbrough

 
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