Lush Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub

Lush Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub - £8.25/330g

I remember trying this out in store a few years ago and being left with a surprisingly soft arm. However, I didn't end up purchasing because it was too expensive for my liking. I had a gift card to use a few months ago, though, so decided to add Rub Rub Rub to my basket. Let me just say that I don't really use body scrubs. I prefer to just use exfoliating gloves or shower puffs. I also prefer them to be quite abrasive.

I love the scent of Rub Rub Rub. It's described as having a blend of 'mimosa absolute, jasmine absolute and oil, and orange blossom', but I'd just describe it as being fresh. The consistency is rather runny, and I was a little sceptical at first because I prefer my scrubs to be heavy duty, but this does the job well. You can mix it with water to make it gentle on the skin, or just apply it straight on, which is what I do. I'm left with notably soft skin. It smooths like a pair of exfoliating gloves do, but the oils leave you feeling slightly moisturised, too. I'm nearing the end of my pot, and would consider buying it in the future. I won't be running out to repurchase straight away, though, because I'm still not sure if body scrubs have a firm place in my routine. I'm tempted to try another, though, and see how I get on. A Soap & Glory one, maybe?

Windowsill Blossoms

My windowsill is full of colour at the moment. My cacti, succulents, and plants all seem to be blooming. The first photo is of one of my Kalanchoes. The flowers were white when I first bought them, but now they're a mix of white, pink, and yellow. I'm tempted to buy some more because they're just so beautiful, but I have no room left! The second photo is of the flowers in the plant selection pot I bought from B&Q. I thought they'd died a long time ago, so it was a nice surprise to see that they didn't! The third photo shows 'Herbert's' beautiful, yellow flowers blooming away. Since this photo was taken, he's sprouted another two! I was looking back through my blog and found a photo of him when I first got him. He's now at least 5 times bigger, which I didn't realise before! I don't know why he has a name, either. None of my others do!

Currently Loving #02 - Florals and Stationery

Florals and stationery... what's new? My Asda Direct order arrived yesterday, and I couldn't be happier with this bedding. It's beautiful, and was only £12! I also ordered another bedding set and a couple Real Techniques brushes because they were half the price you pay in Boots. I realised last night that I've bought three bedding sets, two throws, two fitted sheets, and pillow cases in the last month - Oops! I don't feel too bad about it, though, because everything was very well priced, and I hadn't bought bedding in months.

This diary and notebook set (which also came with a pen). My sister bought it for me for Christmas, and I love the designs. The best part about it, though, is the price - £1.99 from Card Factory!

Refills so I can use one of my favourite pens again! Both are from Paperchase.

What are you currently loving?

My Lip Crayon Collection

MUA Power Pout in Runway, Revlon Matte Balm in Audacious, MUA Power Pout in Justify, Bourjois Colour Boost in Peach on the Beach, Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar in Juicy Peach, MUA Power Pout in Rendezvous, Revlon Balm Stain in Honey, Revlon Matte Balm in Elusive, MUA Power Pout in Broken Hearted, Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Fuchsia-ristic, Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar in Juicy Apple, Revlon Balm Stain in Sweetheart, MUA Power Pout in Irreplaceable, MUA Power Pout in Crazy in Love, Revlon Balm Stain in Crush, and No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Berry.

iPhone photo, natural lighting

Flash

I love lip crayons. I think it's because it was a lip crayon that got me into wearing colour on my lips (outside the house!). That lip crayon was Revlon's Balm Stain in Honey, which is one of my all time favourites. You can see that Honey and Bourjois' Colour Boost in Peach on the Beach are my most worn shades because the swatches are wider, and this is where I've completely worn down the points! I also love how balmy lip crayons are. Even the new Revlon Matte Balms feel comfortable on the lips, and I'm enjoying using them. I have yet to lip swatch these because of a pesky blemish, but will be doing so in the next week or so! You can find reviews and lip swatches of the others here:

MUA Power Pouts in Justify, Broken Hearted, Irreplaceable, and Crazy in Love

MUA Power Pout in Runway

MUA Power Pout in Rendezvous

Revlon Balm Stain in Crush

Revlon Balm Stain in Honey

Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bars in Juicy Apple and Juicy Peach

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Fuchsia-ristic

Bourjois Colour Boost in Peach on the Beach

Let me just say, the camera really highlights freckles and hair! I didn't even know my lips had freckles on them until I started blogging. I also started waxing my upper lip after some of these swatches, so, uh, excuse the moustache ;) Oh, and on a side note, the MUA Power Pout lids are rubbish, so I wouldn't go trusting them in your bag! Also, the swatches above show just one swipe of each lip crayon, so you can see how pigmented they are.

Illamasqua Cream Blushers in Seduce and Dixie

Seduce, Dixie

Natural lighting, flash

I've only ever tried a nail polish from Illamasqua, and that was because I had an ASOS voucher. The products are more expensive than the amount I'm willing to pay for cosmetics. However, Illamasqua recently had a sale, and I couldn't refuse! I've heard plenty of good things about their cream blushes, so decided to buy Seduce and Dixie (after hours of looking at swatches and reviews!). They're normally £18, but were in the sale for £7.50. There was also a 10% off code floating around, so I ended up paying just £6.75 for each blush. Delivery is free, and I also got 56p cash back on each one - Result! I was intrigued by these because the formula looked similar to my beloved NYX ones; creamy and pigmented. Every other cream blush I've tried has been quite hard to touch, and requires warming up with your fingers before use. This means they're difficult to use with a stippling brush. Thankfully, these are like my NYX ones. They're not quite as creamy, however, but still impressive. On Illamasqua's website, Seduce is described as a warm, rose pink, and Dixie is described as a warm, coral pink. 'Raspberry' and 'coral' would be my descriptions. In the swatches above, I've swiped them with my finger, and then stippled them on so you can see how subtle and natural they can be.

Did you buy anything from the Illamasqua sale? Roll on the next, I say!

2True Nail Polish in Shade 17

This is my 800th post!

I spotted this beautiful, peachy pink shade in Superdrug a few months ago, and thought I'd give it a go for £1.99. The formula leaves a lot to be desired, though. It's sheer, so you need 3-4 coats, and rather streaky. It's also not fast drying, as it claims to be (UPDATE: I painted my nails around 2pm, went to bed around 11pm, and woke up with dents and smudges in my nails. Definitely not fast drying!). Still, I love the colour, and was instantly drawn to it!

Have you tried any 2True nail polishes?

Empties #04

Half of the products you see are featured in nearly every empties post, but I have some products that are new to the feature this time!

Imperial Leather Foamburst Luxurious Body Washes in Sweet Vanilla & Cherry Blossom and Bewitching Blackberry & Wild Fig (review here) - I love these. The packaging is beautiful, they're foamy, and they smell amazing. At £3, or £2 when on offer, they're more expensive than my usual shower gels, but I'd still happily repurchase them. Sweet Vanilla & Cherry Blossom isn't a scent I usually gravitate towards (I go for fruity ones), but this is beautiful and delicate. Bewitching Blackberry & Wild Fig is more up my street, and I'm tempted to stock up straight away, even though I have so many other bottles to use.

Naked Brunette Radiance Shampoo* and Conditioner* (review here) - Like I said in my review, the shampoo was okay, but it didn't do anything more than my cheaper ones do. The conditioner, however, was great, and was more like an intensive treatment. I've already purchased two more tubes of Naked's conditioners because my Alberto Balsams do nothing in comparison!

Alberto Balsam Shampoos in Strawberries & Cream and Coconut & Lychee - My go to shampoo brand. They're cheap and they do the job! My all time favourite scent is the Strawberries and Cream one.

Superdrug Colour Effects Wash In, Wash Out Conditioning Colour in Mahogany (review here) - Are you sick of me mentioning these yet? Since I used this one up a month or so ago, I haven't been using them, but will start to again next week. I remember going back to uni after using this a few times and a friend thought I'd dyed my hair red. It wasn't until then that I noticed how much of a difference it makes! As well as this, my sister's friend thought I was actually brunette and had just dyed my hair an auburn shade. I like dyed auburn hair just as much as natural auburn hair, so no complaints from me.

Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover - Another product I've mentioned time and time again. Removes your nail polish and smells better than others. 

Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk (review here) - This has since been repackaged, just to let you know. I liked it, but after using for 8 months, I became bored of it! It did its job, though, and that's all that matters. I'll repurchase, but not for a while. I fancy trying something new.

Simple Baby Moisturising Wipes - I use these for a little bit of everything. Taking makeup off if I'm not cleansing in the shower, wiping off swatches, and cleaning off any products that are looking a little grimy. They're £1.99 for 80, but they're often on offer for 99p. Even better, Lloyd's Pharmacy sometimes have them included in their '6 for £5' offer, and then my sister gets 20% staff discount, so I get 6 packs of 80 for just £4!

Nivea Express Hydration Primer (review here) - I believe this took me 14 months to finish. 14 long months. In the beginning, I loved it, but towards the end, I wasn't sure if it was actually doing anything. My concealer would also sometimes go bitty and roll off my skin, if you know what I mean. I thought this was because I was using too much of this primer and that I didn't let it sink in well enough, but then I went back to using my Witch one and didn't have this problem, so who knows? It's great value for money, though, and I think I just became too used to it to notice its benefits.

Have you tried any of these products?