L'Oreal Colour Riche Nail Polish in 506 Exotic Grenade

I bought this shade from Fragrance Direct a few months ago, and have only just got round to wearing it! I wasn't expecting to be as impressed as I am by this little bottle. First of all, the brush is perfect. It's wide, rounded, and makes applying the polish a dream. I wasn't expecting this from the look of the tall, thin bottle. Secondly, the formula is great. It's smooth, streak free, and opaque in two coats. A lot of polishes I've tried are streaky on the first coat, but this wasn't, and I think this is mostly down to the shape of the brush. Drying time was also good, and greatly appreciated after the last polish I wore (It just didn't dry, and I woke up the following day sporting the duvet pattern). Lastly, the colour is beautiful. I love berry shades like this.

You can buy Exotic Grenade, as well as other shades, for £1.30 from here. Have you tried any L'Oreal Colour Riche Nail Polishes?

Lush Goodies

If you didn't know, I was a mystery shopper for Lush, but they decided to end the scheme last month, and as a good gesture, they added some extra credit to our accounts. I previously bought smaller items because I still couldn't bring myself to spend over £10 on one product. This time, though, I decided to buy a few more expensive things. I've tried most of their cheaper items anyway, and didn't want to buy any more of their bath products because I don't even have baths. I use them in foot soaks, but it's still not enough to use it all before it becomes old.

I spent hours and hours researching these products, and just when I'd made up my mind about getting one, I'd stumble across a negative review, which would make me doubt myself. In the end, I decided to just go for it! The majority of the reviews were positive anyway. Usually, though, when a product is so hyped, I'm left disappointed because my expectations were too high. I can see the same thing happening with these, so I'm not starting off with high hopes.

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner £15.95/225g - This is so expensive! And I can't help but think that I could've got a couple other products for the same price (even though there wasn't anything else I wanted). This is a moisturiser that you put on and wash off in the shower. Similar to the Nivea one's claims, but I'm hoping this actually works! I also bought this because it's described as smelling like their Rose Jam bubble bar, which I love. It does, but it's a lot stronger than I thought, and something I'm going to have to get used to. I'm still getting used to floral scents.

Ultrabland Facial Cleanser £6.95/45g - The pot looks small, but I can see this lasting a while. This is the product that had mixed reviews. People liked how it removed makeup, but they didn't like the smell, texture, or residue it left on their skin. I don't know what smell they're referring to, because I can hardly smell a thing, and same goes for my mum and sister. I can slightly smell bees wax, but it's ever so slightly, and not horrible. The greasy texture's going to be difficult to get used to, but I don't think I'll mind the residue it leaves. I cleanse in the shower in the evenings, and this will hopefully moisturise overnight, too.

Mask of Magnaminty £5.25/125g - I'm skeptical about this product because I've never come across a mask that's completely wowed me. We'll see. You get a lot of product for your money, though, especially if you compare it to the £1 sachets.

Dark Angels Face and Body Cleanser sample (£6.35/100g) - When asked what samples I'd like (I ordered over the phone), I only asked for Dark Angels, and now I'm kicking myself. It's because I was put on the spot and my mind went blank! Anyway, this was the other product I was considering getting, and am intrigued to try it.

On another note, I ordered on Tuesday with standard delivery, and it arrived Wednesday! Impressive. Have you bought anything from Lush recently?

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!