Blogmas Day 16: Snow Fairy Body Conditioner

When you think of Lush at Christmas, what do you think of? Snow Fairy of course. Snow fairy is Lush’s classic Christmas scent. It’s beautifully sweet like cotton candy and has a distinctive bubblegum pink colour. This year Lush have several products that belong to the snow fairy family. A new addition is the Snow Fairy Body Conditioner.

I’m not a fan of moisturisers, I hate the way they feel on your skin and don’t have patience enough to let them sink in yet in the summer I found a revolutionary product with Nivea’s In shower moisturiser and after sun lotion While on a lunch time trip to lunch earlier in November I picked up the Snow Fairy Body conditioner thinking what’s not to love? It’s an in shower body moisturiser, it is bubblegum pink, it has iridescent glitter and it smells like snow fairy. I couldn’t wait to go home and try it out.

Like the shower gel, this product is thick, creamy and a little goes a long way. It is packed full of mango butter, cocoa butter, avocado and a cherry infusion to nourish, hydrate and of course condition your skin. You apply snow fairy just before you are ready to step out of the shower, rubbing the product all over as you would with a normal conditioner but you then rinse it off. The product is supposed to be super absorbent and sinks into your skin quick which is what allows you to be able to rinse without rinsing off all the product.

This is where the joy ended for me, after rinsing the product off I could feel the product still sitting on my skin. It was not a nice feeling, I kept rinsing the hope it was just a case of having applied too much product but the horrible feeling on my skin stayed. I ended up rewashing with shower gel to get as much off the product off of my skin. It is fair to say despite the beautiful look and smell the product, I won’t be using Snow Fairy body conditioner again.

Have you tried the Snow Fairy body conditioner? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.

Luisa

xo

Favourite Seasonal Lipsticks

With the festive season in full swing and bloggers and vloggers talking about festive makeup and outfits I thought it was time to share one of my makeup loves. Lipstick. If you’ve read my ‘Confessions of a Lipstick Hoarder’ posts then you’ll know I have a slight lipstick addiction. I especially love the festive season where I can lock away all those nudes and pinks and bring out shades of deep wine and purple. Today, I thought I’d share a few of my seasonal favourites.

First up is New York Apple by Mac. This is one I got while in NY last year and is a party favourite, it is a pinkish red with a silver glitter and is part of MAC’s frost range. When the light hits off of this lipstick the colour looks almost rose gold which is a definite win. I like to pair this with a slightly more cooler toned red lip liner which I use to fill in my lips as I find this makes the lipstick pop. While I say it is a part favourite, it can also be worn as an everyday lipstick.

Another festive favourite is Kat Von D’s Everlasting Liquid lipstick in the shade Damned. This is a beautiful black cherry shade that is sure to provide a statement lip for any fall/winter look. This is a matte shade and boy is it everlasting. This lipstick definitely does not need a lip liner to keep it from budging. In fact, it barely budges at all even when trying to take it off. I have found that the only thing that really removes it is oil. So avoid oily things and you’re good to go.  

A lipstick I find myself reaching for every winter is one I got several years ago as part of a gift set. It’s a lovely true red shade by Ted Baker, sadly it doesn’t have a name, well not that I can find anyway. It’s packaged in a beautiful pale pink and rose gold bullet making it a lovely lipstick to keep in your makeup bag. I’m not a fan of wearing a red lipstick for an everyday look but this is certainly one that could be worn.

A fairly new find that will be about a lot this season is Gemma, from the Perlees range by Lime Crime. It’s not exactly a winter shade, intact it could be worn all year round but it is shimmery and beautiful. It is a slightly brownish rose gold colour that reminds me of autumn leaves. When the light catches it, it glimmers and shines making any look amazing.

While watching lipsticks for this post I realised I had far too many winter favourites so I’ll be writing another post featuring another few so make sure to look out for it.

Luisa

xo

The Winter Tag

Top 2 Winter Beauty Essentials

1. Definitely a lip balm or lypsyl. I rely on a good old pot of vaseline to stop my lips from drying out and cracking.
2. A bold lipstick, there’s nothing like a strong wine or purple lip during winter.

Top 2 Winter Fashion Essentials

1. A knitted cape. I first invested in one for a trip to New York last year and it has been a favourite since.
2. Gloves. Nobody wants cold hands.

What shoes do you tend to wear most in the Winter?

Probably ankle boots, they're definitely the one shoe I tend to repurchase every winter.

Favourite Winter Accessory?

I don’t really have a favourite winter accessory although I am a sucker for a pretty scarf.

Favourite Winter Nail Polish?

Anything red or glittery. I did get a really pretty silver glitter in yesterdays box in my Ciaté Advent calendar.

Hot Cocoa or Apple Cider?

Neither, I’d be happier with a cup of tea!

Favourite Winter Candle?

Anything that smells of cinnamon. It is one of my favourite christmasy scents.

Snowboarding or Skiing?

I’ve never tried snowboarding and I’ll never ski again after a horrible experience on a school trip.

Have you ever gone Ice Skating? Are you any good or do you fail miserably?

I have. I used to love going ice skating. I’m okay, I can skate fairly fast and do a few turns.

Have you ever made a snowman?

Who hasn’t?

What holiday do you celebrate?

Christmas

Favourite Christmas Song?

Christmas Wrapping by The Waitress

Favourite Christmas Movie?

Oh that’s hard, but I’d have to say The Santa Clause as it is the first I can remember seeing.

What is your favourite winter treat?

Pigs in blankets.

If you were to ask Santa for one thing and you were guaranteed to get it, what would it be?

Hmmm, there’s not really anything I can think of although I would love to be able to visit Florence in 2017.

Do you have anything fun planned for this winter?

Does duvet days with Christmas films count? That’s where the majority of my time will be spent. 

I now tag all of you so make sure you either post this on your blog or if you don’t have one then you can copy this one in the comments so I can read them.

Luisa

xo

With so many beauty advent calendars now on the market, the struggle is real when trying to decide on which to go for. Of course, if like me you change your mind so many times then by the time you go to purchase the one you want, it’s sold out everywhere. This year I finally picked, choosing the Ciaté Mini Mani Month Calendar. 

First up, the packaging is gorgeous. It a beautiful, purple based box with gold, midnight blue, nude and natural tones making up a London scene featuring many of the city’s iconic buildings and attractions. Opening up the box reveals the inner calendar which is just as beautiful. The calendar is made up of individual boxes that are coloured in the same as the outer box but while some are just solid colour, some have snippets from the scene on the front of the outer box.

What I absolutely love about this advent calendar is that there are 24 boxes to open, meaning you have a surprise every day through advent. As you’ll have guessed by now, the calendar is full of mini nail polishes. By the end of the calendar you will have racked up 18 mini nail polishes and one full size bottle including 4 new and exclusive shades alongside 1 mini treatment and two nail toppers and a mini nail file. I won’t spoil the surprise and reveal all of the colours in the box but from the 11 days that I have opened I have found a few fabulous shades including an iridescent topper and a gorgeous festive red that I’ll definitely be putting to good use over the festive period. Each little box also has a little message or as I like to think of it, quote of the day.

This years mini mani month retails at £50 but is still available from the Ciaté London website for a fantastic £25. So if you haven’t got an advent calendar yet or are just looking for a little treat for yourself then I’d highly recommend you get your hands on this gorgeous calendar.

Luisa

xo

People often make remarks about the money I spend on makeup but hey it’s no different to spending all your money on clothes,  expensive shoes, bags or nights out. Sometimes I do look at my makeup collection and think wow, I spent a lot on that but then it’s something I enjoy and it’s my thing. So what if I like to treat myself with a new product or two, treats are always good.

Despite that short lived wave of guilt I experience every so often, I've never really thought about how costly my face is. I’ve seen the ‘How Much Is Your Face’ tag circling the web and I love reading about what’s on others people’s face so I thought I’d share my own. I’ve chosen to do this based on a Christmas party look.

Primer

Benefit Porefessional Primer @£24.50

Foundation

Estee Lauder Double Wear @£31.00

Concealer

Collection Lasting Perfection @£4.19

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concelear @£19

Powder

Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder @£19.50

Bronzer

Benefit Hoola Bronzer for contouring £23.50

Blusher

Nars Orgasm@£23

Eyebrows

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse @£20.00

Ready, Set, Brow! @£18.50

Eyes

Morphe 35 Colour Taupe Eyeshadow Palette @£22.50

Mac Paintpot in Painterly @£16.00

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara @£19.00

Eyelure Exaggerate 143 Lashes @£6.99

Lips

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in Beige Blouse @£26

Setting

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray @£22.00

Highlight

Makeup Revolution Highlighter Palette @£8

Too Faced Candlelight Glow @£25.00

My Face Costs £328.68

Wow, I did expect my face to be on the pricier side due to some of the products I use but I didn’t expect the cost to be quite that high! Now I know where all my money goes. Thankfully my day to day face is nothing like this and is lucky if it includes a dab of concealer and a lick of mascara. I’m now away to re-evaluate my spending habits, while I do, I’d love if you guys could leave a comment below with your blog links below if you’e done this tag so I can check them out.

Luisa

xo

I’ve never been one for a massive skincare routine with a thousand different bottles full of scrubs, moisturisers and other potions. I like to keep it simple with some micellar water or cleanser. However when winter rolls around I like to amp up my skincare routine a little to stop my skin from drying out and looking papery.

In the mornings I don’t do much in terms of skincare, it takes all my effort getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. I do like to use a cleanser just to remove any dirt and grime on my face. Currently I’m using Nip & Fab’s Glycolic Fix exfoliating facial pads which cleanses and brightens up your skin to make you look more refreshed and awake. I then like to use Garnier’s micellar water to ensure I remove any dirt that the facial pads haven’t picked up. I also like to use this on my lips and around the eye area as it’s a gentle product that’s not irritating. The last thing I like to do in the morning, especially when it’s much colder outside, is  apply liberal amounts of Vaseline to my lips to prevent cracked lips, which are not fun at all!

In the evening is where I like to pay a little more attention to my skin. I start my evening skin care routine in the shower where I like to exfoliate my skin, I like to do this every second night. At the moment I’m using Havana Blues body scrub from & Other Stories which I picked up in New York. This is a sugar scrub which smells amazing and is infused with dried tobacco leaves jasmine and lemon which gives it an amazing fresh smell that leaves my skin beautifully smooth. I then like to use a hydrating mask. At the moment I can’t get enough of Garnier’s Moisture Bomb tissue mask which is one of the most hydrating masks I’ve come across. It leaves my skin looking plump and fresh. Make sure to check out my review of this mask here.

This is my everyday go to skin care routine but on occasion, usually once every few weeks I like to use a face mask to target acne and blemishes. I tend to go for single use masks so there’s not one I’m using continuously. I am always eager to try new products that I can implement into my skincare routine so if you have any favourites then please do let me know.

Luisa

xo

Buying gifts for men, in my opinion, is one of the hardest things to do. I can buy gifts a plenty for female friends and family from makeup to cute stationary and homeware but when it comes to men I draw a blank. Do men like cute little planner and notebooks? Would they appreciate a mug shaped like an elephant? Highly unlikely. After spending hours combing through shops and online websites looking for the perfect gift, I have put together a little gift guide for him.

Sauvage by Dior- £68 House of Fraser

Short Sleeve Polo Shirt by Polo Ralph Lauren- £75 House of Fraser

Classic Malt Whisky, Box Of 3 by Talisker-£40 John Lewis

Suede Classic Men’s Trainers by Puma-£55 John Lewis

Face Cleanser by Tom Ford-£35 John Lewis

Tamper Black Chelsea Ankle Boots by H By Hudson-£80 Urban Outifitters

aHEAD Wireless Headphones by Kreafunk- £79 Kreafunk

Still stuck for gift ideas for her or for your office secret santa? You can check out my gift guides here and here.

Luisa

xo