Bath & Body Archives - With love from Lou

Tricks for Taking Your Luxury Bath to the Next Level

24/11/2017 by Louise 14 Comments

Bath time is one of those occasions where you can truly let go of the stresses of day to day life, unwind, and get lost in bliss and comfort for a short time. There’s a reason why the image of a woman relaxing in a bathtub after a hard day’s work is a staple of so many films, adverts, and TV series.

Of course, it doesn’t take much effort to enjoy a bath, just sitting in the hot water is enough to help you begin de-stressing. If you really want to take your bathroom relaxation to the next level, however, take note of these tips.

Get a Bigger Tub

Bathrooms basically become more comfortable and luxurious the bigger they get. It may not be true for everything in life, but it applies here.

Fully kitted out bathroom suites are simply more relaxing than micro-bathrooms, and soaking in a bigger tub is simply more luxurious than soaking in a smaller one.

If you really want to make bath time a central, relaxing feature of your day-to-day life — a kind of meditation, if you will — it’s well worth your time investigating the costs and logistics of getting a larger, more specialist tub installed, whether it be a jacuzzi, or something else.

One of the best ways to draw inspiration for your bathroom is by paying a visit to a Bathroom showroom Brighton (or a showroom in your area) to explore designs and find one appealing to you. With displays showcasing the latest trends and innovative designs, you’ll be greeted by a world of possibilities. Each corner invites the opportunity to create a personalised sanctuary at home, making the journey of discovery toward achieving the perfect bathroom even simpler.

But, if having a more serious bathtub fitted in your home isn’t on the cards, don’t despair. It’s still fully possible to enjoy many a relaxing soak. But still, it’s a nice feature to have.

Bring some music or audiobooks along

If you’re planning to relax in your bath for an extended period of time, you might find that, although the water is still deliciously relaxing, you get bored after a while and need to get out early just to stop feeling like you’re wasting time or like your mind’s wandering too much.

Audiobooks can be the perfect fix here, and with the rise of cloud-based audiobook providers such as Audible, you can enjoy a whole array of great literary titles played directly through the phone app. No need to risk your life by running an extension cable into the bathroom to power your sound system. (In fact, please don’t do that).

Audiobooks are the grown up equivalent to a kid’s bedtime stories. While washing, or simply relaxing with your eyes closed, you can explore fantastical worlds or learn more about science, history, or culture, courtesy of an army of expert narrators.

Alternatively, you could make a playlist composed of your favourite relaxing and calming songs if you feel too tired to pay attention to a podcast. A soothing playlist can be well complemented by an alcoholic drink or even some THCA flower if you enjoy using cannabis products – remember to stay safe and aware at all times though!

Get Holistic

The idea behind holistic health is that you treat the body, mind, and soul as interconnected parts of a system, and do things which are good for all of them at once, all framed in a natural context.

Many luxury bath goods, ranging from bath salts to essential oils, do a great job of passing on holistic benefits, with bath salts helping to replace lost minerals in the body, while various essential oils and herbal extracts can relieve sinus congestion, and tackle bacteria, all while leaving you feeling blissfully relaxed and at peace.

Do you guys like to take a nice long bath to relax and de-stress?
I know I certainly do!
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Birchbox – September 2016 Edition

07/10/2016 by Louise 12 Comments

Ever since I signed up to Birchbox back in August, I’ve been looking forward to receiving my next box. And I have to say, it didn’t disappoint! The theme for September’s box was ‘Heroes’, and it was said to contain lots of lovely ‘hero beauty treats’. As soon as the box arrived I dived straight in and started trying the products out, and today I thought I’d let you guys know how I’ve been getting on with them.

September’s treats arrived in a really pretty box which had a pastel coloured pattern on. But instead of having a lid, like most of the other subscription boxes out there have, it actually has a pull out drawer! I absolutely love this idea as it means I’ll reuse it rather than just recycling it like I usually would.

This month I received 5 products – one of which was full sized and 4 that were sample sized. There was a good mix of products, from makeup and skincare to hair and shower products. So, without further ado, let me tell you what I got and what I thought of each product …

MODELCO CREME ROUGE IN JUST PEACHY

All boxes this month included a full sized product from ModelCo, and we could choose from a creme rouge (which can be used on lips and cheeks) and a highlighting trio. I went for the creme rouge and I’m really pleased I did as it’s a really gorgeous shade, despite looking super scary in the pan! I used it as a cream blush, and found it gave my cheeks a lovely, natural-looking glow that lasted all day.

This particular creme rouge costs £14.00 for 3.6g, and I’d definitely consider repurchasing as a special treat to myself in the future.

AMIKA BOMBSHELL BLOWOUT SPRAY

Next up I received Amika’s Bombshell Blowout Spray. This spray is designed to be used before blow drying to give the hair extra texture and lift while providing a weightless layer of heat protection. It contains sea buckthorn berry oil, which contains nourishing antioxidants to strengthen and repair any damage to the hair as well. It claims to be suitable for all hair types, and as I struggle to get any volume in my super fine locks, I was hoping that this product would help give me the lift I crave.

Unfortunately, as with similar sprays I’ve tried, this did absolutely nothing for me. It smelt absolutely divine upon application, but left my hair looking really limp and greasy. I tried it on both freshly washed hair, and on second day hair and I had the same problem both times. From reading other reviews on the Birchbox website, this seems to be a common problem so I most definitely wouldn’t recommend trying it at its hefty £14.99 price tag. On a more positive note, I loved the packaging to this, and some of Amika’s other products look more up my street, so I think I’d be tempted to give them a try.

THIS WORKS IN TRANSIT CAMERA CLOSE-UP

This month I was excited to find there was a product from This Works in my box! They’re a brand I’ve loved for a good few years now, but the product I received in my Birchbox was actually one I hadn’t tried before – their In Transit Camera Close-Up. I mention time and time again that I’m a big fan of multi-functional products, so I couldn’t wait to give this one a try, as it just happens to be a mask, a moisturiser and a primer in one handy little bottle!

The product itself is packed with hyaluronic acid, argan and starflower oils, and also has a hit of caffeine in, to really help brighten up the skin. I found that it smelt really nice, and it’s quick and easy to use. I felt it really hydrated my skin, leaving it looking brighter and feeling so much nicer than before. The only downside for me is that I didn’t find this product sooner, as it also has SPF 30 and would have been perfect to use as part of my summer morning skincare routine!!

The full sized version of the In Transit Camera Close-Up comes in at £30.00 for 40ml and I can honestly say that I’ll be repurchasing it again and again. It’s absolutely fantastic!

NUXE PRODIGIEUX SHOWER OIL

Nuxe are another brand that I really enjoy using, so I was thrilled to find something of theirs in September’s Birchbox. And again, it just happened to be something I hadn’t tried before – their Prodigieux Shower Oil. Now I have to be honest and say that I wouldn’t usually use a shower oil, as they tend to leave my skin feeling a tad greasy, and I’m always wary of it transferring to my clothes. But I didn’t find that at all with this one. Instead, it left my skin feeling soft, smooth and supple, and the scent lingered faintly on my skin throughout the day. That’s good though, as it smells really nice!

At £10.00, the Nuxe Prodigieux Shower Oil is slightly more money than I would usually like to spend on a shower product. But as I felt it helped nourish my skin I would definitely be tempted to repurchase it.

PURISKIN NURSE AID CREAM FOR HANDS & NAILS

And last but certainly not least I received the Puriskin Nurse Aid Cream for Hands and Nails. I have to be honest and say I haven’t tried this product properly as I thought my mum could make better use of it than I could. She’s suffering with really bad cracked skin at the moment, and there’s very little that she’s tried that has helped her.

According to the Birchbox website, this rich barrier cream has been developed with nurses and clinical practitioners in mind. So it’s formulated to help protect the skin from regular exposure to harsh alcohol-based gels and soap, caring for dehydrated hands and nails.

I gave it a quick try and found that it sinks into the skin really quickly and easily. And it didn’t leave my skin feeling at all greasy, which is great. I think if it works to heal my mums hands then it will truly be a dream cream. I promise to keep you posted!

The full sized Puriskin Nurse Aid Cream for hands and nails is priced at £12.99, which, if it works, I think is a great price. What do you guys think?

Overall I thought the September Birchbox was really good. Although I was super jealous of everyone who received a Laura Mercier product in their boxes as I love their stuff. I’m looking forward to receiving my October box now, which I hear is based on the astrological elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. It sounds right up my street!

Birchbox – £10.00 (plus P&P) per month ||link||

Have you ever tried a Birchbox subscription before?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!
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*Product purchased with my own money

Birchbox – August 2016 Edition

23/08/2016 by Louise Leave a Comment

I’ve been a regular subscriber to a number of different beauty subscription boxes for a while now. But in all honestly I’d started to get a little fed up with them as the same tried and tested products were popping up time and time again. So, I decided to shop around a little and see if any of the subscription boxes I hadn’t tried before looked like something I’d like, And the one that really stood to me was Birchbox.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box which gives you the chance to try out 5 luxurious treats from both new and well known brands that are currently available here in the UK for just £10.00 per month (plus £2.95 P&P). I thought this offered great value for money, and I just couldn’t resist signing up!

August’s Birchbox is called ‘Dive In’, and rather than arriving in a box, this months goodies came in a super cool neoprene makeup bag (y’know, the material scuba suits are made of) with a neon coloured zipper. And this month it contained 6 summer beauty essentials, along with an extra special treat for me becoming a subscriber. How cool is that?!

The makeup bag itself is said to be worth £8.00, and you receive one of 4 different coloured ones as part of this months subscription. Each bag contains different products and I was sent the one with a yellow zipper. At first I was a little disappointed as I’d seen a couple of reviews on the pink zippered version, and they looked right up my street. But once I looked inside I realised that I’d probably use the products inside this one a lot more.

So, without further ado let me tell you what I got in this months box (or bag) and what I thought of each product …

MARCELLE WATERPROOF EYELINER IN EXPRESSO

All boxes this month included a mini Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in either Mulberry (purple) or Expresso (brown) and as we could choose which one to get I decided to play it safe and go for the brown shade. I like how lovely and creamy a consistency this liner has, and I think the shade is a lot nicer than some of the other browns I have in my collection. It also lasted really well throughout the day, and as I’ve had quite watery eyes recently due to suffering with terrible migraines, I’ve learned that it’s claims of being waterproof are well founded too!

At £10.50 for 1.2g, I think this is a really reasonably priced pencil liner and I can definitely see myself repurchasing the full sized version of this in the near future. I love it!

PHILIP KINGSLEY ONE MORE DAY DRY SHAMPOO

I’m going to be honest here and say that I’ve received Philip Kingsley’s One More Day Dry Shampoo in other beauty boxes before, so I already knew that I liked this product. I find that it doesn’t leave any nasty white residue in my hair that many of the other dry shampoos on the market do, and I can definitely tell a difference when I apply this to un-washed hair. It absorbs all the excess oils and leaves my hair looking less greasy and feeling a lot more manageable, which is great. The product itself feels really lightweight and it smells so good.

The only problem I have with this product is the price. I mean, the sample size in the box is 50ml, which is perfect for throwing into your school or gym bag. But the full sized version is 200ml and comes in at a whacking £14.50! It’s most definitely not something I’d consider buying as I wouldn’t want to be carrying something of that size round with me all day, and I think there are similar products on the market that cost less and do the same job. Don’t let me put you off though. If you’d rather pay more for hair products like this then I’d definitely recommend giving it a try.

BALANCE ME RADIANCE FACE MASK

Another product I’ve tried before (and still enjoy using) is Balance Me’s Radiance Face Mask. I won’t go on about this too much, as I wrote a full review of it here, but can I just say that this is one of my all-time favourite skincare products?! I love anything that’s multi-functional, and this product most definitely ticks that box! I apply this to my face once a week, leave it on for 5 minutes, then wash it off with a damp cloth and my skin always looks and feels better for it. It’s a mask designed to cleanse, exfoliate and brighten, and I can assure you that it does just that – I can always see a difference straight away.

This particular mask is quite pricey at £18.00 for just 75ml, but I’ve repurchased it several times over the last 18 months as it works well for me and does exactly what it says on the tube. It’s most definitely one of my favourite Balance Me products.

ANATOMICALS SMOOTHER BUTTS LOVE COCONUTS COCONUT + MANGO BODY LOTION

Next up I got Anatomicals Smoother Butts Love Coconuts Coconut and Mango Body Lotion. Wow, that’s a mouthful! I’d never tried anything from Anatomicals before. Mainly because their packaging looks to be targeting a much younger generation of lady than I am. But I was blown away by how lovely this smelt! I can smell both the mango and coconut in equal measure, and I don’t know why but I’m surprised at how well the scents compliment each other. The lotion rubs in really quickly and easily, and it doesn’t leave my skin feeling at all greasy, which is great. The only downside for me was that it didn’t seem to leave my skin feeling all that hydrated, which is a shame as Birchbox promised me truly nourished skin after using this!

I’m happy to report that Anatomicals products are purse-friendly and this particular body lotion comes in at £3.99 for 200ml, which I think is really reasonable. I’m not sure I’d buy the body lotion again, as I like something that gives my skin a little more hydration, but at this price I’d consider trying a few of their other products.

RITUALS HAMMAM BODY MUD

I always get excited when I find Rituals products in beauty boxes as they’re one of my favourite brands. And in this months Birchbox I got my hands on something I’d not tried before – Rituals’ Hammam Body Mud. This product can be used as both an exfoliator and a nourishing body mask, and I’ve tried both ways and think they work just brilliantly. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a Rituals fan! The scent of this is just gorgeous – really clean and refreshing. Perfect for early morning baths or showers. I felt the product really brightened up my skin. I loved this and would say it’s my favourite product in the bag. At 2.3 fl oz it’s a very generous sample size as well.

I don’t think it will come as any surprise when I say I’ll most definitely be repurchasing this body mud in full size soon. It’s not that cheap, coming in at £14.00 for 5.0 fl oz, but it works so well that I’m happy to pay that amount for it. I’ll also be checking out some of the other products in the Hammam range!

YES TO … COCONUT FACIAL WIPES

This month Birchbox subscribers were treated to an extra little treat in the form of a Yes To Coconut Facial Wipe. Now, there was just the one wipe in the packet, so I don’t think it would be fair of me to try and give you a proper review of this product, but it smelt really nice and it did a good job of taking off the light layer of makeup I was wearing the other day. I didn’t feel that it cleansed my skin or anything like that though so I’m not going to rave about it. This is definitely something you need to try yourself to see how you feel about them!

I’m going to be honest here and say that I don’t use facial wipes at all so I definitely wouldn’t repurchase these. And at £3.99 for 25 wipes they seem really expensive. I’ve heard great things about some of the other products in the Yes To range though, so I’d be more inclined to try something else from their coconut collection. Let me know if you have any recommendations!

MIRENESSE GLOSSY KISS CRAYON IN PERFECT KISS

And finally, because I became a Birchbox subscriber this month, I bagged myself a full sized Mirenesse Glossy Kiss Crayon in the shade Perfect Kiss! I’ve never tried any of their lip products before, so I was excited to try this out. And I found that it’s a beautiful pinky nude shade that compliments my skin tone perfectly. I’ve read a fair few reviews on these before and people always say how long lasting they are. But although I was super impressed with the colour payoff, I didn’t find they lasted any longer than any of my other lip products do. But maybe that’s just to do with my lips? I don’t know! I really like how creamy and pigmented it is though so I can forgive the longevity issue.

Glossy Kiss crayons retail at £17.50 each, and although I probably wouldn’t repurchase them on a regular basis, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick one up now and then for a special occasion as I really liked this one.

Overall I was really impressed with my very first Birchbox, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they have to offer in their September box next month. Way to go Birchbox!

Birchbox – £10.00 (plus P&P) per month ||link||

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*Product purchased with my own money

Halloweek 2015 Giveaway – Heebie Jeebie Bat & Pumpkin Sets from Lush

03/10/2015 by Louise 89 Comments

It’s day 3 of Halloweek and time for another giveaway. Today you could win yourself one of two fab prizes from Lush – A Heebie Jeebie Bat or Pumpkin from Lush!

Each of these cute Heebie Jeebie gift sets includes two lovely products from the Halloween range at Lush …

Heebie Jeebie Bat
This set includes the Lord of Misrule Shower Scream and Nightwing Shower Jelly, which are both fangtastic products that will make your spine tingle when you use them!

Heebie Jeebie Pumpkin
This set includes the Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb and Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar, which are perfect bath partners!

So, if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning this awesome prize then make sure you check out the easy peasy giveaway rules below …

Giveaway Rules

This giveaway is to win a Heebie Jeebie Bat or Heebie Jeebie Pumpkin from Lush, and it will run from 12am GMT on 3/10/2015 until 12am GMT on 13/10/2015. One winner will be drawn at random.
To enter you must follow With love from Lou on Bloglovin’ and let me know which set you’d prefer to receive if you win. Preference will be given to the first winner drawn on the day the giveaway ends.
You can earn 4 extra entries by following With love from Lou on Twitter and Instagram, tweeting about the giveaway and by leaving a comment below to tell me what your all-time favourite Lush product is!
The prize for this giveaway is being provided by myself, and is in no way affiliated with Lush
The winner will be e-mailed with 24 hours of the giveaway ending, and they will have 30 days to claim their prize. If no contact has been made within this time, I reserve the right to choose another winner.
The giveaway is open worldwide!
Please feel free to e-mail me at withlovefromlou@outlook.com if you have any further questions. Thank you and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveawayThank you for entering.
Happy Halloween!

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My thoughts on Zoella’s Tutti Fruity Range

05/08/2015 by Louise 159 Comments

A few weeks ago I shared my thoughts on Zoella’s beauty range, and I was overwhelmed at all the lovely comments that you guys left me. A few of you asked if I could give her new ‘Tutti Fruity’ collection a try as well, so today I’m going to be granting that wish for you. And when you get to the end you can also enter to win 1 of 4 sets of the new collection. How awesome is that?!

So without further ado, let’s begin …

The packaging on Zoella’s Tutti Fruity range is lovely and summery, featuring lots of yellow, pink and minty green colours, and the polka dot and lace theme that we saw on the original collection has been transferred on to here as well. I like that as I think it makes the brand instantly recognizable. I do feel however, that this particular range is aimed at a much younger audience than the original one. My eleven year old daughter Stacey was instantly drawn to it. That doesn’t mean to say that those of us over a certain age can’t enjoy the products as well though!

Zoella Let’s Spritz Body Mist – £8.00
In my previous Zoella Beauty post I mentioned that the Blissful Mistful fragranced body mist smelled really good when I first spritzed it on, but only lasted for around 4-5 hours before the scent disappeared and I needed to top it up again. Now, I’m sure it was just my imagination, but as the mist started to go down, the scent seemed to linger less and less and I found myself having to top up within a couple of hours. I sincerely hoped that the new ‘Let’s Spritz’ body mist would be better, and I’m pleased to say that it is!

The scent is fairly strong, which I really like, and so far I’ve found that it lasts all day. It’s most definitely what I would call ‘a summer scent’, and I can see me wearing this a lot over the next couple of months. I love how affordable it is, and think the scent would appeal to both older and younger generations. Well done with this one Zoella!

Zoella Scrubbing Me Softly Body Scrub – £7.00
The product I was most looking forward to trying from the Tutti Fruity range was the ‘Scrubbing Me Softly Body Scrub’. It comes in a medium sized tub, and it has a lovely, fruity-fresh scent to it. The exfoliating beads inside it are fairly small, but they work superbly, leaving my skin feeling super soft, smooth and smelling great! I don’t know about you guys, but sometimes when I use body scrubs I find that they’re a little harsh on delicate areas such as my elbows and knees. I didn’t find that this caused me any problems though, and it’s fast become one of my favourites! I absolutely love it and 100% recommend this to anyone who is wanting to try a lovely new scrub.

Zoella Foam Sweet Foam Shower Gel – £3.50
I was also really impressed with the ‘Foam Sweet Foam’ Shower Gel. Again, this has the lovely fruity-fresh scent that the rest of the Tutti Fruity range has, and it foams up fantastically when I’m in the shower. Anything that creates a lovely big lather is a winner with me, and this is bang on the money.

Zoella Fresh Fizz Bath Bombs – £5.00
The ‘Fresh Fizz’ fragranced bath fizzer is also really nice. It smells amazing and produces lots of bubbles, whereas the original one didn’t. It’s also really easy to use – you just break off a chunk of the bar, drop it into a stream of warm, running water and you’re ready to go. I love it.

Zoella Candy Cream Body Lotion – £5.00
The Tutti Fruity range also includes a body lotion packed with bursting beads and extracts of Acai and Blueberry. It comes in a squeezy tube, which makes it quick and easy to apply. I have to admit that the beads ‘burst’ a lot quicker than I was expecting them to, it’s just a shame that the actual product seems to take forever to sink in to the skin. It leaves my skin feeling moisturised though, and the scent lingers for hours after using it. I’d say this is a so-so sort of product – it’s not my favourite from the collection, but it’s not all bad.

Zoella Kissy Missy Lip Balm – £3.00
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Zoella had released a tinted lip balm in her new collection, but I have to admit that after weeks of using it, I still can’t decide whether or not I like it. It’s really moisturizing, and has a lovely, sheer pink tint to it, but there’s something about it that I’m just not keen on and I can’t quite put my finger on it. If any of you guys have tried it I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Zoella Cosmetic Purse – £6.00
And last but not least is a cute little cosmetic purse. Now, this is nowhere near as roomy as the beauty bags that were released originally, but it’s really great for popping those little essentials in to carry around on a daily basis. I like that it’s semi-see-through, as it makes finding what you’re looking for a hell of a lot easier than usual. The only downside to this is the price. I think it would be more appealing if it was under a fiver. Especially with the original ones being just a couple of pounds more expensive and much roomier. But other than that it’s great!

Overall, I would say that I much prefer the scent of the Tutti Fruity range to the original Zoella Beauty one, and I love that it lingers for a lot longer after spritzing/showering/moisturizing etc. After writing my own review of the original products I checked out some over on other blogs and it seemed the majority of people agreed with me on the longevity front. I’m hoping that Zoe and her team saw these reviews before creating the Tutti Fruity range, and if they did they’ve certainly worked hard to improve the products. Well done guys!

Now, how would you guys like to win all 7 products from Zoella’s new Tutti Fruity range? I have 4 sets to give away to some lucky With love from Lou readers, so make sure you enter by filling in your details on the rafflecopter widget below!

Giveaway Rules

This giveaway is to win 1 of 4 sets of the new Zoella Tutti Fruity range, as pictured above (please note that the basket is not included), and it will run from midday on 5/8/2015 until midnight on 3/9/2015. One winner will be drawn at random each week.
To enter you must follow With love from Lou on both Bloglovin’ and Twitter.
You can earn three extra entries by following With love from Lou on Instagram, leaving a comment on this post telling me what your thoughts on Zoella’s new Tutti Fruity range are and tweeting about the giveaway. Details of what you should tweet can be found on the Rafflecopter widget below.
The prizes for this giveaway will be provided by myself, as a thank you for your continued support, and is in no way affiliated with Zoella.
The winners will be e-mailed with 24 hours of the giveaway ending, and they will then have 30 days to claim their prize. If no contact has been made within this time, I reserve the right to choose another winner.
Open worldwide.
Please feel free to e-mail me at withlovefromlou@outlook.com if you have any further questions. Thank you and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveawayWhat do you guys think of Zoella’s new Tutti Fruity Collection?
As always, I would love to hear from you.

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My thoughts on Zoella’s Beauty Range

01/07/2015 by Louise 32 Comments

So, I am super late jumping on the Zoella Beauty bandwagon, especially since she has a brand new ‘Tutti Fruity‘ range out next Monday. I’d told myself that I really didn’t need any new bath and body products as my house is already overflowing from the tonnes I have already. But in the end curiosity got the better of me, and a couple of weeks back I placed an order for one of each of the products from the original beauty range. And today I’m sharing my thoughts on them with you guys …

As usual, I’m going to start with the packaging, which is right up my street – very feminine with a pink polka dot and gold lace theme running throughout the whole collection. I don’t know much about Zoella (who runs a very successful YouTube channel if you haven’t come across her before), but I imagine she had a lot of input on how her beauty range should look and feel as the packaging matches her blog layout and from what I’ve seen of her personality brilliantly.

The range is mostly made up of bath and body products, and since I started using them a couple of weeks ago I’ve been really enjoying each and every one of them!

Zoella Beauty Blissful Mistful – £10.00
I love a good body mist, and Zoella Beauty’s Blissful Mistful is absolutely lovely. It comes in a 45ml bottle and has a beautiful light scent to it. I’m not very good at describing fragrances, but to me this smells quite zingy when I first spritz it on, and then dries on the skin to a very subtle floral scent. I find that the scent lasts for around 4-5 hours before I need to top up. I don’t mind though as the mist is super affordable.

Zoella Beauty Bath Lily – Feel Unique Exclusive – £3.00
I guess there’s not a lot I can say to make a bath lily/shower scrunchie sound exciting, but I’ll give it a go! Until I went to place my order at Feel Unique, I’d never come across this product before, but I think that’s because it’s exclusive to their site, whereas all the other products are available at Superdrug as well. Anyway, it’s a really pretty product with a polka dot pattern all over it, and I have to say that when I’ve used it in the bath and shower with my favourite body washes, it’s helped work up a wonderful lather! A feel it’s a little bit pricey for what it is, but die hard Zoella fans would love it regardless.

Zoella Beauty Soak Opera – £5.00
Soak Opera has to be the best name ever for a bath soak and shower cream, and boy is this a fabulous product as well. I love the scent – it’s very delicate and girly. And when I add this to my bath water I get a tub full of beautiful bubbles. I find it to be really moisturising on the skin, and whenever I use this I seem to feel a lot more relaxed than when I use other products. I also use this alongside the bath lily I mentioned above when I take a shower, and together they create a brilliant lather. I’d most certainly recommend giving this a try.

Zoella Beauty Fizz Bar – £5.00
My favourite product from the whole Zoella Beauty range has got to be the Fizz Bar! It looks just like a delicious chocolate bar, and when you open it up you find 8 fizzy cubes that you drop into a stream of warm, running water. The scent is quite subtle, but it’s lovely nevertheless, and if you want more of a fizz than just one cube gives then you can easily add more to sort of ‘build it up’. I love that this bath fizzer doesn’t change the colour of the water at all, as I hate it when I use similar products and they stain the sides of my bath tub. You don’t get that at all with this product. Hurray!

Zoella Beauty Creamy Madly Dreamy – £5.00
It’s very rare that I use body lotions that you don’t apply in the shower, as I’m a bit of a lazy cow. But this particular body lotion is lovely, and I’ve found myself reaching for it most days. Again, this has a very subtle scent to it that doesn’t last that long, but it’s quite rich and leaves my skin feeling beautiful and moisturised. Oh, and I find myself singing ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ by Savage Garden whenever I apply it. Does anyone else find that song comes into their head when they see this product or am I getting old?!

Zoella Beauty Guinea Pig Beauty Bag – £8.00
And last but not least I picked up one of the beauty bags from the Zoella Beauty range. There are currently three to choose from, and I went for a pink one with a super cute picture of a guinea pig wearing spectacles on it! I was actually quite surprised to find that the beauty bags are quite big. I expected them to be a lot smaller, and maybe only able to fit in a few essential makeup products, but I can easily fit in everything I need to make myself up on a daily basis and have some extra lipsticks, eyeliners and mascaras in there too. We also noticed that you can use these as pencil cases as well, and my daughter Stacey is already saving up for one to keep all her pens and pencils in when she moves up to secondary school in September.

Overall I’m really impressed with the products from the original Zoella Beauty range, and I don’t think there’s a bad product among them. I’m looking forward to seeing the new range next week and hopefully I’ll be able to pick them up soon to see how they compare to these products.

Have you ever tried anything from the Zoella Beauty range?
I’d love to hear what you thought of them.

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*Products purchased with my own money

Zest Beauty Wishlist

14/05/2015 by Louise 16 Comments

If you’ve been following me on Twitter, you’ll know that the pretty dismal weather here in the UK this week has left me feeling a little bit down and discontented. I think the main reason for this is because I have lots of lovely photographs I want to take for my blog posts, and with it being so dark through the lack of sunshine, I just haven’t got them done.

So, to make up for today’s beauty review not getting done, I thought I’d share a wishlist of things that have recently caught my eye from one of my favourite online shops, Zest Beauty. I hope that’s OK? Then let’s go …

Freedom & Discipline Steamcream – £13.95
The first thing on my Zest Beauty wishlist is Steamcream’s Freedom & Discipline tin. I admit that I was drawn in by the packaging of this, but I’ve heard lots of great things about Steamcream over the years so I’m sure it would be as fabulous as everyone always says it is! Apparently it is a multi-use cream that can be used all over the body, is easily absorbed and can change the appearance of the skin (for the better) if it’s used on a regular basis. No wonder I’m so keen to try it!

Elemis Spa Home Frangipani Monoi Salt Glow – £36.50
Ever since my visit to Ragdale Hall Health & Hydro Spa last November I’ve been obsessed with the Frangipani range from Elemis! It smells absolutely amazing and I’ve already tried out quite a few products from it that I loved. I would most definitely like to try the Monoi Salt Glow next as it sounds fantastic – it’s a gentle polishing scrub that helps to brighten the skin. And if it’s anything like the other products, it’s just bound to smell amazing.

Phytomer SeaTonic Stretch Mark Reducing Cream – £33.25
Next up on my Zest Beauty wishlist is a stretch mark reducing cream from a brand that I haven’t come across before … Phytomer. It’s designed to be used both in the morning and evening time and will make skin appear smoother and more beautiful looking. Well, a girl can dream!

Decleor Aromaessence Mandarine Smoothing Night Balm – £33.50
Recently I’ve been having a little trouble nodding off at night. I think it’s because I know I’ve got a lot to do and not enough hours in the day to do it all! I’ve used night balms in the past and found that they’ve worked really well to help me relax and drift off, but this one from Decleor sounds extra fabulous as it also helps to smooth those annoying wrinkles. What could be better than that?!

Moroccanoil Root Boost – £18.85
I’m a big fan of Moroccanoil products, but I’ve never tried their root boost before! I have really fine hair so I think that using this would be a great way for me to add some volume and hopefully get thicker looking hair.

Glamglow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment – £49.99
Glamglow is a brand I’ve wanted to try for a good couple of years now, and I always hear good things about their masks. The Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment Mask caught my eye as since being poorly a few weeks ago my skin has gotten incredibly dry. Since this claims to hydrate, moisturize and restore and replenish, I think it would do my skin a lot of good.

Babyliss Pro Perfect Curl – £199.95
I’ve been wanting to try the Babyliss Pro Perfect Curl in what feels like forever. It features revolutionary new patented technology which makes it super quick and easy to use and everyone I know who has one says it creates beautiful curls in next to no time. Something I’d love to be able to achieve.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Masks – £46.00
I’ve tried something similar to these from Bliss before, and I found them to work really well, so I’d love to try these ones from Elemis. They are clinically proven to instantly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles … something I’ve noticed I’m getting more of recently. Eek!

And there you have it, my Zest Beauty Wishlist. I think it will be a while until I can afford to buy anything new though as we’re off on our holiday’s soon so I need to save every penny I can for that! Oh well, it will be worth the wait.

Are there any products you’d like to try from my Zest Beauty Wishlist?
Why not let me know in the comments below!

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Ted Baker Regency Romance Collection

22/04/2015 by Louise 22 Comments

A couple of months ago I took a little break from blogging as my dad was really poorly in hospital. Around the same time the wonderful people at Ted Baker sent over a lovely little package with some treats from their Regency Romance collection for me to try out, and over the last few weeks I’ve finally got round to giving them a whirl!

The collection was inspired by the design of English Regency Homes: beautiful, romantic and full of character and charm, and contained 3 delicious new bath and body scents, as well as a scarf, candles and many other gifts, all packaged in pretty pastel packaging. I was actually surprised to learn that these were a winter release for Christmas 2014, as they look like something you’d find in the shops during the spring!

The two bath and body products I was sent to try out were No 2 Upperbrook Mews, which is a body lotion and No 3 Brompton Crescent, which is a body wash. Ted Baker also very kindly gifted me a matching Regency House’s Scarf, which you can see in the background of all of the pictures in this post. Isn’t it beautiful? It has the same pastel Regency House’s print and is absolutely huge! It’s most definitely going to get a lot of use over the next few months.

No 2 Upperbrook Mews Body Lotion
I think I may have mentioned before that I have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with body lotions. I love the way that my skin feels after using them, but I hate the application. Most body lotions I’ve tried in the past have taken what feels like forever to sink in to my skin, and then once it has, I’ve ended up doing a little dance around the bathroom or bedroom to try and quicken up the drying process. (Not that it ever works).

Luckily though, Ted Baker’s No 2 Upperbrook Mews Body Lotion is one of the good guys, and the lovely lilac lotion absorbs into my skin quickly and easily and doesn’t leave me with that icky, greasy feeling. The lotion itself reminds me a little of Johnson’s Baby Lotion – both in consistency and smell. It has a sumptuous scent, made up of freesia, peach and amber and I could sit and sniff at it all day. It’s divine!

One of the things I like the most about this body lotion though is that it has a pump dispenser, rather than being in a squeezy bottle. This definitely makes it a lot easier to get the product out, and I’m not covering the bottle in excess lotion between applications. This has been my go-to body lotion for the last couple of weeks and it compliments the body wash that I’m going to tell you about next just perfectly …

No 3 Bromptom Crescent Body Wash
Body washes and shower gels/cremes are something I get through a lot of every year, and Ted Baker’s No 3 Brompton Crescent Body Wash was one that ticked all the right boxes for me. The product itself is a cool, mint colour and it has a beautiful, fresh scent that’s a lavish mix of lemon, jasmine and amber crystal. Ted describes it as ‘a touch of luxury’ and I totally agree. The scent is very grown up and sophisticated, and I love that it lingers on my skin for ages after I’ve showered. I love it!

Just like the body lotion I talked about above, No 3 Bromptom Crescent has a pump dispenser, which makes it easy to use in both the bath and the shower, and I find that I get a much better lather with it when I pump it out onto a shower scrunchie.

Both of these products from Ted Baker look exquisite sat side by side on my vanity unit. I know I’ve mentioned it before but the packaging is just beautiful.

I’m pretty sure that the Regency Romance Collection was limited edition as I can’t find them for sale online, but I know that they were both priced at £8.00 for 200ml, which I thought was really great value for money for two luxurious products like this. Please let me know if I’m wrong though as I would love to stock up on them, and maybe try out some of the other items from the collection as well.

What do you think of the Regency Romance Collection?
Let me know in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading.
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*Products kindly sent for review consideration