clearing up breakouts and preventing problem skin

Life being life, I have all of a sudden developed the skin of a teenager whilst in my twenties. All throughout my teens, I rarely suffered with breakouts and more often than not my skin was pretty decent. Fast forward a few years and I've developed clusters of acne around my chin area. Since a particularly bad breakout a couple of weeks ago, I stepped up my skincare routine and noticed my skin clearing up in lightening speed. It's also super important to mention that good nutrition (limiting dairy and increasing healthy fats) along with an exercise routine and keeping hydrated daily are all absolutely essential in attaining great skin. I'll probably write up a whole post on this aspect too. 

My Clarisonic Aria (£155) is my best friend when it comes to giving my skin a deep and thorough clean. I always notice a huge difference in my skin when using it and now wouldn't ever be without it. I've discovered that using my Clarisonic in combination with Vichy Normaderm (£8.25) is a match made in heaven, the gel froths up into a silky lather that's ideal for the vibrating brush head of the Clarisonic to work with. If there are just two things to consider investing in from this blog post, make it these. Talking of Vichy, if I ever get a particularly pesky spot I dab it with the Normaderm Hyaluspot (£7.87) before bed and in the morning notice it has calmed right down.

I'm a big believer in face masks too, and have found both Lush Cup O' Coffee (£6.75) and Origins Out of Trouble (£23) to be superb on problem skin. I tend to use the Lush coffee scrub on days that my skin is looking a little dull and is in need of revival, and the Origins clay version whenever I'm in the midst of an angry breakout.

If your skin is red and irritated, ditch any exfoliator with beads or grains in and instead try a liquid version. It's alternate between La Roche-Posay Clarifying Lotion (£11) and Pixi Glow Tonic (£10), both of which help to prevent breakouts by ensuring my skin is left squeaky clean and free of dead skin cells.

The last thing I ever feel like doing when my skin is misbehaving is applying a thick layer of heavy feeling moisturiser or oil. Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre (£13) is my knight in shining armour and deals well with my skin no matter what state it's in. It's super hydrating yet sinks in instantly so can be worn under foundation too. If you don't want to fuss with foundation though, try out La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ Unifiant (£16.50) as its ingredients will not only combat blemishes but leave your skin looking radiant and allow it to breathe.

the christmas gift guide: for the lazybones

Bluebird Tea Co Hey, Sugar Plum & Snowball - £6

Lush Cupcake - £6.95

Lush Cup O'Coffee - £6.75

Original & Mineral Maintain the Mane Shampoo - £24 

Conditioner - £25

Know Knott Detangling Spray - £22

Laboratory Perfumes Tonka Candle - £39

Kiehl's Hand Salve - £12.60

Dermalogica Skin Perfecting Set - £67.60

Korres Mini Showergel Collection - £12

Nügg Face Mask Set - £13

Nights in will forever be the superior to nights out in my book. I like to pamper myself into full relaxation mode and will happily invest plenty of dollar in aiding me to do so. Giving the gift of face masks, candles and bath products to set the scene for at-home spa days are the way to go and I just love the thought of allowing someone to create a little extra me time for themselves.

Lush have it down with the huge range of fresh face masks on offer that are tailored for every skin type and concern, I can't imagine being more thrilled than upon receiving a little box filled with a couple of skin treats by them. On the theme of face masks, Nügg have the perfect stocking filler in this set which includes various types of mask at an inexpensive price. 

What's a pamper session without a scented candle? A poorly planned out one that's what. If your gift recipient is a fan of musky, slightly masculine scents with a hint of sweetness, I wholeheartedly recommend checking out Tonka from Laboratory perfumes. The packaging is chic and understated and will be sure to leave anyone thinking you're both on trend and thoughtful. 

One of my very favourite sets that I've come across this year is this shower gel collection by Korres. My shower is always stocked up with a couple of full sized bottles and these would be ideal for both someone new to the brand or for a keen traveller who's always in need of luxury minis. This is definitely one of those one for me and one for you gifts that you'll end up treating yourself to, too. 

Another one of my top picks is the Skin Perfecting Set by Dermalogica. I have a couple of family members who love skincare but would never invest over a certain amount and find a gift like this truly means the world to them. Giving the gift of skincare is always a wise move. The same goes for the Kiehl's Hand Salve which would be cherished especially in the colder months. 

I have a full review on the Bluebird Tea Christmas collection coming up on my lifestyle blog, but couldn't miss up the prime opportunity of featuring them in this post too. I'm an absolute tea addict and have no qualms about pushing it onto other people too. Long live high quality tea. 

As much as I personally love to receive my favourite brands as gifts, I equally enjoy being given the opportunity to check out new ones. I hadn't heard of O&M haircare since after having a browse online and was drawn to their minimal packaging and fell in love with their natural ingredient ethos. The detangling spray in particular has quickly become a staple in my haircare routine.

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mother's day gift ideas

Damn Jess, back at it again with the last minute gift guides. As much as I totally get that for Mother's Day some of us like to play it low key with flowers or perhaps breakfast in bed with a card, sometimes it's nice to go all out and truly spoil them. I tend to go for the more handmade approach but every few years I treat my lovely mum to a special gift or two. Everything that I've included is also worth keeping in mind for wonderful birthday presents too.

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When it comes to treating my mum, Jo Malone is the first brand that comes to mind. She's as equally obsessed with their colognes as I am, and sees off a bottle of 154 in record timing. I love the 30ml bottles for gift giving as I find they are both perfect in size and price. 

Argentum La Potion Infinie is as luxury as luxury could possibly get and has the price tag to prove it. I use this little jar of magic when my skin is in need of some extra loving and I'd love to live in a world that I could treat each and every special lady in my family to a jar. As far as anti-ageing skincare goes, I truly do believe that this miracle cream is unbeatable. I will review it in full very soon! 

For gift sets that include lots of useful products to try out, Elemis have it nailed and are probably the gift of choice amongst most of us for that reason. I really enjoy that they are always such great value and more often than not the products included are worth around double the price that they are set at, and this one comes with a really useful wash bag too.  

From the very start of my blogging days up until now, Liz Earle has remained one of my all time favourite skincare brands and after introducing my family to the brand is now a staple for them too. My mum bought this set for my nana which just goes to show that my skincare advice has taken affect on them both. 

Back in my beauty college days (4 years ago!) I trained in Dermalogica facials and became rather addicted to a whole host of their products. My most loved product was always the Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque and now that I'm the proud owner of my very own version, I've become once again addicted to the stuff. It gives the most hydrated, dewy and radiant looking complexion I've ever had and makes my skin look as if I down eight pints of water each and every day, which I assure you is far from reality. 

the christmas gift guide: purse friendly

Lush Merry and Bright (£14.95) | For pre-wrapped gifts, Lush simply cannot be beaten. Each year they outdo themselves with bright and sparkly packaging, and I would be absolutely thrilled to receive any of their bath treats this Christmas. This set contains the Beautiful Shower Gel, Rub Rub Rub Body Scrub and Celebrate Body Lotion. 

John Frieda Frizz Ease Gift Set (£10) | Although fun and quirky gifts are always wonderful, sometimes it's equally as nice to receive something that will just come in handy such as a couple of travel sized haircare products. I'm obviously getting old now that I'm asking for useful gifts this year round. 

Dermalogica Clear Start Set (£14) | This would make the perfect gift for a teen with troublesome skin who's yet to discover the world of high-end skincare products. I always find Dermalogica products to be truly effective and the Clear Start range is just what I'd recommend to someone of a younger age. 

  

China Glaze Mini Mixers (£9.89) | These minis are all such wonderful shades for around Christmas and are an ideal way to add lots of new shades to a collection. I'm a big fan of sets like this as I think it's such a great way to be able to give lots of colours a go for the same price as just one regular sized polish. 

Beauticology Home of Beauty Snowman Tin (£19.99) | As far as Christmas themed sets goes, this has to be one of my absolute favourites. It includes a Plum Pudding Shower Creme, Spice Orange Body Wash and a Toasted Marshmallow Body Lotion all inside a tin with a happy little snowman on the front. 

Pixi Natural Contour Kit (£22) & Eye Pen Quartette (£16.50) | These are definitely towards the high end of purse friendly and perhaps more leaning towards luxury but I thought that considering what you get within each set they are brilliant value for money. Both are limited edition though, so get your hands on them whilst you still can!  

Beauty Kitchen Create Your Own Lip Balms (£15) | I've always loved crafty gifts to get stuck into around Christmas time and I adore the Beauty Kitchen range as an idea for something a little different. Why just buy someone lip balms when you can give them a gift to make their very own?

Orla Kiely Fig Tree Gift Set (£16) | This sweet set includes not only a fragrance diffuser but a candle too, both with a woody fig scent and is of course within ultra chic packaging too. If you're a fan of the Jo Malone Wild Fig & Cassis candle then this is a great inexpensive alternative.

current favourites | bath time treats (02)

If you read my blog regularly, you will probably be well aware that I'm an expert when it comes to relaxing and finding the best product for a great bath time. 

I took this travel sized Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Candle (£22) on holiday for when I took evening bubble baths, and I've now come to the conclusion that I won't ever travel without one again. The scent is so calming, and for someone who gets a little stressed when going to new places, it's absolutely perfect for me. 

I've raved about Soap & Glory's The Breakfast Scrub (£8) a million and one times now, but I couldn't not include it in this post as it's my ultimate bath time treat. For my extra special and lengthy baths I always go for a Lush Bubble Bar, Lush Milky Bath (£3.75) is my new favourite and smells good enough to eat, once ran under hot running water it gives mountains of soft bubbles.  

Korres Shower Gels (2 for £8) are a new discovery for me, I saw them on offer in Waitrose so picked up a bottle of the Fig version which I can't get enough of. It's so silky and luxurious, and best of all you only need to use the tiniest amount so a little goes a long way. Now that I'm back from holiday, my skin was left feeling dry and flaky, which is where Sai-Sei Body Scrub (£28) came to the rescue. It has a sea mineral scent so is the perfect combination of refreshing and uplifting, and the exfoliating beads have are tiny so buff away dead skin to leave baby soft skin which smells as if you've just left the spa. 

the christmas gift guide | lush

I think we can all agree that nothing beats receiving a couple of Lush products under the Christmas tree, though you can usually guess that you've got some bath treats days before you open up the wrapping paper down to the yummy scents. I always stock up on a huge bottle of snow fairy shower gel each year and tend to treat myself to the Christmas eve bubble bar too. The golden wonder bath bomb (the one shaped like a present) is another one of my favourites, this would definitely make for a lovely stocking filler. I'm going to embrace my inner child soon and have a go with the snowman fun kit, let's hope he turns out half decent.

| The Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar | £3.25
| Snowman Fun Kit | £5
| Santa's Lip Scrub | £5.50
| Dashing Santa Bath Bomb | £2.95
| Holly Golightly Bubble Bar | £4.75
| Golden Wonder Bath Bomb | £3.75
| Holly and Ivy Knot-Wrap | £3.25

Delivery in time for Christmas is still available on the Lush website up until 11am on 23rd December.

lush sweetie pie shower jelly

Every once in a while I come across a product that I think to myself everyone needs to try and find out how wonderful it is, this shower jelly by lush being one of them. I've tried near enough every type of Lush product yet only got round to trying the shower jelly out when it came in a big box of goodies that I got as a birthday present recently. I tend to splurge more on bath bombs and bubble bars as I definitely prefer a long soak to a quick shower, that being said this little pot of jelly has made shower time ten times more enjoyable. You simply drop the jelly into your hand and lather it all over your body, it's pretty much a wibbly wobbly solid version of shower gel. I like to turn the shower away from myself so that it doesn't disintegrate in all of the pouring water meaning it will last much longer. It has the scent of juicy cherries which I'm completely addicted to, it tricks the mind into thinking you're washing with an actual slice of tasty jelly since it smells so god damn good. Once you're done you just pop it back into the tub ready for next time, the packaging states that you can even put it in the fridge or freezer before your shower if you're after a cooling sensation. It's a tad pricey but I reckon mine will last me for a fair few weeks of showers or longer if I decide to save it to use only ever now and then. Try it, I promise you'll love it.

lush sweetie pie shower jelly - £6.75 |

lush sweetie pie gift box

A lot of the time gift boxes can be hit and miss in the way that they include a few products that you will love along with some that aren't so much of interest, luckily this one from Lush includes a bunch of sweet smelling bath treats that are all equally as wonderful. If you've already tried out one or two of the products in this set then I guarantee you will like the rest, they are all very similar and have a candy floss type scent. Apparently this gift box has just been discontinued (boo!) but if you are in the mood to try out some new Lush products then I'd mostly recommend the creamy candy bubble bar and sweetie pie shower jelly out of the box. 

sweetie pie shower jelly - £6.75 |

creamy candy bubble bar - £2.60 |

think pink bath ballistic - £2.50 |

rock star soap - £3.40 |

space girl bath bomb - £2.35 |

the christmas gift guide | part one

My favourite perk of running a beauty blog has always been when Christmas time rolls around and I get to feature lots of lovely gift ideas, I'm one of those people who absolutely loves giving gifts so putting together gift guides is always so exciting for me. This year I've been a busy bee sourcing lots of fancy gifts for all different budgets and tastes, hopefully if you are stuck for ideas this should help you out! 

Nuxe Christmas Prodigieuse Gift Set - £24: This set definitely wins the prize for the best packaging, I get a real Christmassy feel just looking at it. Nuxe is one of my favourite skincare brands and this set is filled with some fab products totalling to a value worth double what the set actually costs.

Real Techniques Duo-Fiber Collection £23.99 & Expert Face Brush - £9.99: These brush sets are perfect stocking fillers, I'm such a fan of all the Real Techniques brushes that I've tried to far and love that they are much for affordable than Mac.

Ted Baker Holy Smoke Candle Set - £15: Who doesn't love candles to warm up the house in the Winter time? I really like the girly yet sophisticated feel to these and think they easily look like a much more expensive pair.

Korres Fig Showergel - £6.40, Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lipgloss - £18, & Tweezerman Magnifying Mirror - £16: These are all great additions to fill up a stocking or gift box. I love the Korres shower gel as it has such a warming sweet scent, the lipglosses are great too as they just look so Christmassy and glittery, and for a gift that you know will get a whole lot of use then check out the Tweezerman mirror. 

Lush The Christmas Penguin - £2.95, Candy Mountain - £2.65 & The Melting Snowman - £2.25: Lush bath bombs and bubble bars are a fail-safe option when it comes to gift giving, they are fairly inexpensive meaning you can pop a couple in a gift box to fill empty space or even just treat yourself with a few. Warm bubbly baths are by far my favourite thing around Christmas time!

Estee Lauder Zodiac Powder Compact - £38.50: I'm utterly in love with this precious little powder compact, even more so due to the fact it has a different design depending on your star sign. It feels so expensive and luxurious that I don't think I can ever bring myself to use it, but if you are a collector of make up then it's a must-have.

There are probably going to be around three more gift guides so keep a lookout for them all!

lush popcorn lip scrub

This is officially my new favourite product. As much as I love the idea of the Bubblegum lip scrub that launched a couple of years ago I always found the taste far too sweet for my liking which is why I had been eager to try out this new version ever since it came out. I get terribly dry lips in the cold weather if I don't look after them properly which often results in them getting chapped which is why a lip scrub is absolutely perfect to buff away any flakiness. I also find that when I use this is makes a perfect clean base to apply lipstick on top of, which is very handy considering the amount of bright lipsticks I wear. The flavour is nothing short of amazing, if you are a fan of sweet and salty popcorn you will love this, the great part is you can lick it off your lips too. Even though it's a little pot it lasts a lot longer than you'd expect making it good value for money.

LUSH POPCORN LIP SCRUB - £5.25

lush | bubblebeard bubble bar

If you are a little confused as to what an earth a little iridescent cream coloured moustache on the end of a lolly stick is meant to be used for, let me explain. Whilst running the hot water into your bath you take the moustache wand as it were and swish around under the tap to create mountains of bubbles. I literally noticed a bath full of sparkling bubbles after around ten seconds of swirling the moustache in the water, more so than any bubble bath that I would usually use. It also gave my bath a lovely uplifting scent and as I was told in the shop it would last for around three baths I put it on the side for another use or two after I had enough bubbles in my bath. This bubblebar probably won't be something that you'd use in your baths regularly due to the price however I really enjoyed the quirkiness of it and think it would make a great gift.

Bubblebeard Bubble Bar - £4.95

christmas gift guide - lush products

The beauty related products at Christmas time that get me most excited definitely have to be the Christmas releases by Lush. Every year they outdo their last with their Christmas product selection and this year is no exception. I wanted to get this post up as soon as I bought the products and as nearly all of the products are new to me I won't be able to include reviews in this post so will just include a mini overview including a quote from the Lush website on each product. I will write up some reviews of my favourites out of the bunch in the next week or so, just let me know what you'd like me to review in the comments.

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Bubblebeard Bubble Bar - £4.95

"Cedarwood, Sandalwood and Tonka scented bath bubbles that are kind to your skin. Take your moustache and swish it under a hot running tap, to fill your bathwater with scented bubbles. Then just pop your moustache on the side to use again."

Christmas Eve Bubble Bar - £2.95

"This bubble bar was invented for those times when you are getting ready for a big event. Soak in the bath and relax in mountains of bubbles and rise with a hint of sensual Jasmine fragrance lingering on your body. Irish moss powder in this bar ensures that your skin feels smooth and soft whilst the essential oils will relax you and leave your mind and body ready for great things."

Golden Wonder Bath Bomb - £3.25

"This ballistic is like a pass the parcel gift - each layer has something different to offer. This is not for a quick bath because it takes its time, this ballistic, its wonders to unfold. First take some time to shake it, listen to the little rattle within and try to imagine what's in there. Then drop it in your water and gaze in wonderment as gold turns to yellow, turns to blue and spits out soluble stars along way."

The Melting Snowman Bath Melt - £1.95

"Our little snowman is about to shuffle off this mortal coil - but not before you get one last bath from him as he disappears for another year. It is a short but glorious life that our Melting Snowman lives. He may not have long to go, but boy is he going to make a grand exit."

Father Christmas Bath Bomb - £3.25

"A bath that gives you the colours, the sparkle and the smells of Christmas, with Mandarin oil and and Orange flower absolute. Father Christmas is a bit of a secret Santa who modestly hides his hidden talents."

Cinders Bath Bomb - £2.25

"A ballistic to evoke sitting by a crackling open fire, drinking a glass of warm punch. A real Christmas time ballistic, that fights the chill and brings peace and comfort. Lie back, letting the water support your body, and listen to the fire as the smell of warm punch fills the room."

Candy Mountain Bubble Bar - £2.45

"Every year we give our best selling Creamy Candy Bubble Bar a special outfit for Christmas. Two years ago it was in the shape of a candy cane, last year we turned it into a little swirly pink mountain peak - this year it is a little pyramid of pink and green. But whatever the shape and look, the thing that never changes is that lovely vanilla and candyfloss smell and the mountains of soft bubbles."

Snow Fairy Shower Gel 500g - £10.25

 "Our Winter temptress shower, hair and body gel that's bursting with fruit fragrance and has a sparkle of ice through it. It's not your classic hippy dippy Lush herbal offering. Instead it is an intensely sweet, fruity pink shower gel loved by people everywhere."

https://www.lush.co.uk/christmas

guest post: rachel phipps shows us her lush haul!

hello beautiful people. I've decided to ask a few great bloggers to help me out with some guest posts for the next few weeks. I'm excited about it as not only will you be able to find some great blogs from it but I've been a bit lazy and these kind of posts are great when I haven't got anything else coming up. Though saying that I have about ten half finished posts to get on with and tons of products to talk about. Anyhow, my first guest blogger is the lovely Rachel Phipps so I will shut up now and let her do the talking..

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Hi everyone! I'm Rachel from rachelphipps.com, and I've agreed to share my latest Lush haul with you all. I love Lush products; the smells, the paging and the fact that everything is completely natural so it is kind to my uber sensitive skin. 

Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub

I've been looking for a really good, extra grainy shower scrub for a while now so I thought this one looked really good when I first saw it on Lush's website. It's a pretty blue colour but it smells a bit like cleaning fluid, but only slightly - not the most pleasant Lush scent I've come across. However, once you start washing with it the scent becomes more pleasant and nice to wash with. I works and scrubs really well and leaves your skin well moisturised. The only downside is that it is rather salty, so if you have any open cuts or sores using this scrub on them will sting quite a bit. It's £7.35 a pot and I will be buying it again. 

Jasmin & Henna Fluff-Eaze

This is my all time favourite hair mask, and this is my second repurchase since I was originally set a tub by the lovely ladies in the Lush press office. It smells beautifully of jasmine, makes the room where you're sitting when you leave the mask on smell amazingly of jasmine, and the smell lasts on your hair for a couple of days, even if you wash your hair every single day like I do. The mask claims to de fluff, but it does not really do this to my hair. However, what it does do is make it cleaner, softer, silkier, easier to manage and cleans out any product residue that may have been collecting around my roots. It's £10.90 for a tub and with my medium length hair I get 3-4 treatments out of a pot. 

Sweet Lips Sugar Lip Scrub 

I suffer really badly from dry lips, so after reading about using an exfoliating scrub on your lips on several different blogs, I decided to give this one a try. I wasn't sure at first, but after a few uses I found that my lips were smother, softer and less prone to chapping. I also had to use lip balm much less often and my lipstick went on much easier and stayed on much longer. At £5.00 a pot you could probably do the same job with a homed sugar scrub, but regardless I will be buying this again, and trying out the bubblegum and mint versions as well!

Big Blue Bath Ballistic

I love the clean, fresh ocean like smell of this bath ballistic, and the beautiful bright shade of blue it turns the bath water. The smell also lingers on your skin and in the bathroom for ages afterwards. It is not as moisturising as some other Lush bath ballistics, such as the Butter Ball for instance, but the pieces of seaweed that are relaxed claim to soften your skin. I love this ballistic and will be buying it again (and it's only £2.99) but the seaweed is awkward to clean out of the bath and I'm not sure it does much for you! 

What did you buy in your last trip to Lush? Have you tried any of these products - what did you think of them?

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Thanks Rachel! Let me know what you guys think of guest posts and if you enjoyed this one..

lush 'the boogg' ballistic

Another yummy smelling bath ballistic by Lush. It creates a gorgeous creamy lather and when the small coloured balls break off they fizz away in vibrant colours. I definitely highly recommend buying this one as it's the nicest smelling bath ballistic that I've tried, and I just love the explosion of colour in my bath tub that it makes.

in the bath..

Rating: ★★★★★

Click here to read more about it on the Lush website.

lush candy cane bubble bar

So with Christmas almost upon us (wooo) I thought that I'd try to review a few things from the Christmas collection at Lush, starting off with Candy Cane bubble bar. It smells exactly like Snow Fairy shower gel, which is gorgeous by the way. Given it doesn't really look like a candy cane but it more than makes up for that once crumbled into the bath. It's definitely the creamiest bubble bar that I have ever tried, and I've tried pretty much every one that Lush sell. The scent is a mixture of vanilla and sugary sweetness which at first some people may find overpowering but once it mixes in the bath the smell dies down a bit. Plus it creates mounds of bubbles and leaves the water silky smooth.

Rating: ★★★★★

Price: £2.35

Click here to buy.