Lush King Of Skin Body Butter

I wasn't planning on reviewing Lush's King Of Skin, so didn't take any photos of it unused, and now it looks less than appealing! Forgive me.

King Of Skin is a solid body butter you apply and rinse off in the shower, costing £5.95 for 75g of product. It contains cocoa butter, shea butter, oat milk, banana, avocado, and various oils. Now, I didn't think this had much of a scent at first, but once I started using it, I wasn't a fan. One of the oils is lavender, and I can smell the smallest amount from a mile off because I can't stand it. Thankfully, it's not overbearing, so I can put up with it for the results.

It's incredibly moisturising, with the effects lasting a few days on my normal skin. Because of this, and because it decreases in size fairly quickly if you're using it over your entire body, I've been using it about once a week.

When it comes to in-shower moisturisers, I still prefer Ro's Argan because it smells nicer and is easier to apply, but I'll be buying King Of Skin again, as an extra treat for my skin every now and then. I'm going to try using my Each Peach massage bar in the same way beforehand, though, because the main ingredients are the same. I know the massage bars melt on contact with your body, but so do the body butters, and I'm not going to be using it under the shower. If the effects are the same, I'll be buying these over King Of Skin because I prefer the scents. I'll just avoid the ones with beans in - I don't want plants growing in my shower!

I prefer to moisturise in the shower, in the warmth, so any product that enables me to do so gets a thumbs up from me. What products do you like for this?

Tinting My Eyebrows With Moustache & Beard Dye

I've never felt the need to tint my eyebrows, especially since I'm happy to fill them in every day. Then, out of the blue, my sister mentioned that she wanted to get her eyebrows tinted, so we paid a visit to the Benefit Brow Bar the very next day. She doesn't wear a lot of makeup, and does nothing to her brows, but wanted them a little more defined. Since it was her first time, she wanted to go somewhere well known. I caught the eyebrow tinting bug from watching her get hers done, but wanted to do it myself. Partly because I thought I could find something cheaper than £10.50 a time, but mostly because I don't trust anyone with my eyebrows.

It's advised to avoid hair dye on your eyebrows because it's too harsh for the skin, and there's not many eyebrow tinting kits available. The ones I did find weren't that much cheaper than Benefit's option either, and they didn't have great reviews. After a little research, I came across women using the Just For Men Moustache & Beard Dye. It's around the £6-7 mark, and contains enough product for multiple applications.

As a warning, it tells you to perform a skin allergy patch test 48 hours before using. I didn't, but this was at my own risk. Also, as with any product you use around your eyes, be extremely careful. It contains hydrogen peroxide as well, which isn't good for hair. I also read in the comments of another post that the ingredients in this could react with any dye you already have in your brows. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but you may want to do some more research into this if it applies to you. My eyebrows had never been dyed, so I went ahead and bought a box of Medium Brown. I have dark auburn hair with eyebrows on the light side of medium brown, for reference.

I applied vaseline to the skin around my eyebrows to prevent staining, and then I mixed a pea sized amount of both the colour and developer together. I then applied this using a small angled brush and left it on for 4 minutes, before washing off. It was as simple as that. The results are the same as my sister's, so I'll be doing both of ours again when they fade in 3-4 weeks time. I do think it could have done with being lighter, though, so I'll leave it on for less time next time, or purchase the Light Brown.

I didn't feel like I needed to dye my eyebrows before, but them being darker is already proving to save time when filling them in, and I don't look as washed out without makeup on now. I don't have anything in my brows in the photo above, or the ones below. Speaking of which, the ones below are before and after shots, but the quality is terrible because I wasn't planning on writing a post about them, and I couldn't wait 3-4 weeks to take more! Also, I've since given my eyebrows a little more shape, so they're not quite as straight (to me anyway; they probably look the same to everyone else).

Some people may not like the idea of this, but people have the freedom to make their own choices. I'm simply sharing my experience of a product. If you tint your eyebrows, do you get them done professionally? Or do you do them yourself?

New Makeup

I know, another haul, but... well, I don't have an excuse. I spend a ton one week, and nothing the next. This is a week where I've exercised my bank account. A lot. 

NYX is one of my favourite makeup brands, so I'm glad us folk in the UK are now able to buy it from the likes of Boots, Feel Unique, and ASOS. Some other places stock it as well, but these are the main three I personally buy from. Anyway, I've had the blush in Taupe for ages. I love the shade for contouring (the majority of products are too warm for my liking), but it has hardly any pigment, and you have to scratch the product up each time you use it, which is why it was featured in my Love-Hate Relationships post. NYX have since reformulated their blushes (£5.50 a pop), so I had to buy a replacement. So far, I've found that it's softer and more pigmented, and just a touch powdery. I still think it's better than the old formula, though, despite this.

When the NYX Butter Lipstick (£5.50) also arrived, and said 'Root Beer Float' on the bottom, I thought I'd bought the wrong shade, but after a little research, I found that they've renamed the shades, and this was once Pops, the shade I wanted. I know many dislike this phrase, but it really is a 'my lips but better' colour. It's a combination of a nude and pink, which isn't so different to my natural lip colour. It's pigmented and creamy, and seems to wear well, but because it's close in colour to my lips, I'm not as certain as I am with darker shades. Moonlight Night, formerly known as Licorice, is next on my list of lipsticks to buy, even though I have enough!

I've been loving the Makeup Revolution Ultra Aqua Brow Tint in Medium, and have read many positive reviews of NYX's Eyebrow Gel (£5.50), so had to buy it to compare. I bought the shade Brunette, but because I've yet to use it, I can't tell you more than that. I'm looking forward to giving it a go, though, because I love eyebrow products.

I've recently been using a small brush to create a crisp lip line with my chosen lipstick for that day because I only own a couple lip liners, and they're all red. I wanted a more natural shade that enables me to create the illusion of fuller lips, and because so many people rave about Rimmel's Exaggerate Lip Liner in East End Snob (£3.99), I went ahead and ordered it. I'm excited to dip my toe into this makeup category, and if all goes well, there's a couple from NYX I'll be purchasing.

The Sunday Girl brought the GOSH Forever Matt Eyeshadow Sticks (£6.29) to my attention, and 10 Twisted Brown looked like a great shade to contour with because of its cool tone. From the swatches I've done, it's incredibly creamy and pigmented, so I just hope it blends well enough to be successful.

Let me know if you own any of these products, and what your favourite lip liners are.

Lush Let The Good Times Roll Fresh Cleanser

I like a cleanser that does everything. I'm not one for removing my makeup with one thing, my eye makeup with another, cleansing my face with another, and going in for another cleanse with something else. It's one of the reasons why I love Ultrabland so much, and one of the reasons why I've never paid any attention to Lush's fresh cleansers before. However, I wanted to try some new products from them, and Let The Good Times Roll had very high ratings, so I went ahead and purchased a 100g pot for £6.95.

This face and body cleanser is a gentle treat for the skin, leaving you soft to the touch with a buttery popcorn fragrance. Maize flour and polenta gently exfoliate, whilst cinnamon powder stimulates and leaves you feeling fresh and revived, with beautifully soft skin. This gentle yet scrubby cleanser will soothe and soften your skin, giving it a natural glow.

To use this, you break a small amount off and mix it with a little water to form a paste. The more water you add, the gentler it will be, so you can tailor it to your needs. I used to think the harsher an exfoliator was, the better it would be, but I've since found that small grains can be just as effective, if not more so. They have a polishing effect on the skin, just like this product, leaving your skin looking smooth and bright. It also has the most delicious scent of popcorn/caramel, which lingers on your skin throughout the day/night, depending on when you use it. 

It won't be taking the place of a cleanser in my routine, but as a gentle, polishing exfoliator a few times a week, it's great. The popcorn pieces, however, are pretty pointless. I think it's to remind us of how natural the ingredients are, and it may even contribute a little to the fragrance, but I'd rather the room be taken up with a little more of the cleanser itself.

Due to its fresh nature, it has a shelf life of three months, but I think this should give you plenty of time if you're using it on a regular basis.

I'll probably repurchase this sweet smelling pot of goodness when I run out. It's not a game changer like my beloved Ultrabland and Ro's Argan, but it's a nice addition to have.

Lush Collection & Storage

I've recently sorted through my Lush collection, switched up the storage, and bought some new products, so thought it was the perfect time for an updated Lush collection post.

I've had many storage solutions for my Lush products over the years. When I first started buying from the brand, I'd cut my soaps into small chunks and display them in jars. It was all about how they looked, rather than how practical they were. My collection grew too big for this, though, and the scents would mix, so I started storing everything in tubs in a box, but I kept forgetting what I had. I've also kept things in cling film and vacuum storage bags before, but now I have everything in zip lock bags in a basket. I can see everything I have, it doesn't look too messy, and everything is separated while remaining fresh. It's not elaborate or groundbreaking, but it works.

In the basket, I have back ups of Ro's Argan body conditioner and Ultrabland facial cleanser because they're my favourite products from Lush. I also have two tubs of Christingle body conditioner, which I bought during the half price Christmas sale. I think these will be great when it gets hotter, so I'm saving them for another few months. I've recently bought Let The Good Times Roll, which is my first fresh cleanser, and I'm enjoying it so far. I'll probably publish a review some time soon. The last black pot I currently have is the Love and Light hand cream. This is only a small pot from a gift set, but even this will last me a long time. I'm not a fan of the scent at all. It's like a bitter, green citrus. The effect it has on my hands, though, is good.

These are all from the half price Christmas sale as well because I think Lush's shower gels are overpriced. Rose Jam does smell incredible, though, so I'm trying to make it last. You can see that one of the small Snow Fairy bottles is older than the rest, but it still smells completely fine. I tend to use my own judgement, rather than go by expiry dates.

Soap! At the back, you have Ice Blue and Demon in The Dark, which are both minty. Then you have Respect Your Elders, Baked Alaska, and Outback Mate. To the left, you have Porridge. Then you have Sunny Citrus and I believe Sexy Peel. Lastly, there's Sunrise, which is limited edition for Mother's Day. This one smells of mandarins and tangerines, and is lovely.

I only use these products every now and then for foot and hand soaks, but they're the cutest. There's Peeping Santa bubble bar, Snow Angel bath melt, Ladybird bubble bar, pink FUN, Mmmelting Marshmallow Moment bath oil, You've Been Mangoed bath oil, and Razzle Dazzle bath oil. The oils are smaller than the old melt forms, but they're only £2, so you don't feel too bad adding one to your basket last minute.

I did have four or five shampoo bars at one stage, but now I'm left with Brazilliant and Squeaky Green. I also have an Each Peach and Two's A Pair massage bar, which is one of my favourite scents that Lush does. King of Skin body butter and Full of Grace facial serum are new, but I can't wait to try them out because I've never tried anything like them before. I'm going to have to put them in pots once I've started using them, but they're okay in their Lush bags for now. The Grease Lightening spot treatment and Dirty solid perfume are fairly old, I have to admit, but they both still work and smell as they did. Despite Dirty sometimes smelling more herbal than minty, it really comforts me. I also have a half bottle of Vanilla Puff dusting powder which I forgot to include, but I use it as dry shampoo.


And that's everything. I feel like this was an old school type of post. It had me going back through Lush posts from five/six years ago, which was amusing!

SS16 with Accessorize

It was payday, I was in the mood to shop, and found myself on the Accessorize website. It happens to the best of us. 

Some of the spring/summer prints they have in at the moment are beautiful, and I ended up buying three items in the same print because I liked it so much.

I always have a shopper bag inside my handbag, and I couldn't resist this pineapple print one for £5. The necklace was overpriced, at £15, but I'd had my eye on some similar for the best part of a year. I ordered it thinking I could always return it, but ended up really liking it, which was kind of annoying!

I've seen non-wired, triangle bras cropping up in various stores recently, and while I don't have the confidence to wear one out, I think they're perfect for lounging around the house in. This one was £10, and is very pretty. For reference, I'm a 34D and bought this in a medium, which happens to fit well. I'm a size 8 in clothes, but not when it comes to bras with this sizing scale, so never know which size to get. It happened to work in my favour this time, though.

I love Accessorize underwear. They're the prettiest things, and happen to last better than their cheaper counterparts. I bought two Brazilian briefs for £7 each and two thongs for £5 each.

The pj bottoms were £13 down from £18, and in the Fleur print I'm clearly a fan of. I just love these, and think they'll look great with a white vest/tee.

I also bought a bag for my mum for Mother's Day, and had a 10% off code, which softened the blow a little! Is Accessorize a place you buy from often?

Candle Belle

I was subscribed to Flamingo Candles for 10 months, and I loved it, but my wax melts were beginning to build up and scents were starting to repeat themselves. It was said that this would happen, and it's understandable, so it's nothing against them. I just thought it was time to suspend my subscription for a while. Then The Sunday Girl wrote a post about this new box from a brand called Candle Belle, and I had to try them.

Of course, I'm going to compare Flamingo Candles' offerings against this one. They're similar and the only other wax subscription I've had. So, with Flamingo Candles, you receive 8 wax melts, weighing around 30g each, for £10 a month. You receive 9 wax melts, weighing around 50g each, for £11 a month with Candle Belle. You're already getting more for your money here. The other thing I love about Candle Belle is the fact that the melts come in pots. I would use half of my Flamingo Candles melts and be left with the other half in paper, which was less than ideal. I also find the packaging and whole image of Candle Belle to be more appealing. Just look at them! So, my main concern was how the scents would smell. Would they be strong enough? Would they be realistic enough?

They're certainly strong enough in the pots. I'll let you know how well they burn in next month's post, once I've tried them all. The scents are pretty realistic as well, but I'll go into each of those individually. In terms of the March box on a whole, it could have been better, for me personally, but that's what you get with subscription boxes. You'll love some of the scents you receive, and you may not love some. Thankfully, the good outweigh the bad this time, and you'll see which ones I'm referring to below.

Bubblicious | This fragrance will take you back to your childhood and blowing massive pink bubbles with gum. Base notes of sugary vanilla are complemented by strawberry, citrus, coconut and clove. I can never decide if I'm a fan of bubblegum scents, but I have to say Candle Belle have this scent down to a T.

Black Cherry Bomb | A super strong and realistic explosion of luscious black cherries. No question, if you like cherries, you are sure to love this. One of our most popular scents, and not for the faint hearted. Wow! Now this is strong. It's definitely cherry scented, but ever since my mum said it smelt like marzipan, that's what I'm also detecting.

Parfum De Paris | A classic and timeless parfum based scent which has perfectly captured the essence of Paris for over ninety years. Ylang ylang, rose petals and jasmine are set against vetiver and sandalwood. These types of scents aren't my favourite, but I think this will fill the house beautifully in small doses.

Clove Rock | Super strong clove with subtle hints of cinnamon and ginger. Smells just like the boiled sweets sold by a quarter pound. Essential for nights in front of the fire. I'm not a fan of this. It smells like described, granted, but it's not one I like.

Sweet Georgia Peach | This sensational, fruity peach has lingering undertones of sweet orange, honeydew melon, vanilla and musk. Smells like you've just cut into a ripe and juicy Georgia peach. Stunning. Stunning indeed! Peach is one of my favourite scents, and this is incredible. Incredible.

Almond Bakewell | Buttery shortcrust pastry and amaretto liqueur infused sponge, topped with roast almonds. A fabulous bakery fragrance with warming vanilla notes. I'm critical of bakery scents because most of the time they don't smell realistic, and end up making me feel sick. While I'm not going to melt all of this at once because it's so strong, it really does smell like an almond bakewell.

Coconut and Banana | This unique fragrance has top notes of fresh banana, coconut and grapefruit, supported by kiwi fruit, lush strawberries and juicy bubblegum, with just a hint of vanilla. A tropical delight. I like banana, but when it comes to home fragrance? I wasn't convinced. However, it has just the right amount of coconut and grapefruit to make it acceptable. I can't say I have anything like this in my collection either, which is saying something.

Granny Smith | This delicious and true fragrance will bring just one thing to mind; Granny Smith apples. Sink your teeth into its crisp exterior to release undertones of sweet candy, which complete the scent. First of all, I'm impressed with the correct use of 'its'. I've come across material from international brands which has this mistake in. It's a pet hate of mine. Anyway, I was doubtful about this scent because Green Apples from Flamingo Candles smelt like an apple which had been left in the sun for a couple days. I was not a fan. This, however, smells just like Granny Smith apples! It's sour and perfectly tart.

Blue Hydrangea | An electric blue, floral stunner of a fragrance. This fresh and invigorating combination of sun kissed hydrangeas and balmy breezes is guaranteed to bring a little summer inside everyday. Another one I'm not particularly fond of, but again, it smells like the real thing.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a brand I'd heard nothing about before, but I've been pleasantly surprised so far. I just hope they melt well, and don't release all the fragrance within the first burn. Along with the wax melts, you receive some sweets and a card explaining each scent. This card also includes a 20% off discount code. If you're interested in subscribing, take into consideration that you're tied up for a minimum of three months, but you're able to cancel any time after this. If you'd like to take a look, click here. They also sell candles, if wax melts aren't your thing.

Lush Haul

I've been to Lush three times in the last week, spent too much money, and am now the proud owner of the products above.

I'm running low on my favourite cleanser, Ultrabland, so picked up another 100g pot for £11.95. I've spoken about this countless times before, but it's the best thing to remove my makeup, and is incredibly moisturising.

Outback Mate is a eucalyptus, lemongrass, and peppermint scented soap, which is £3.50/100g. Sunrise, the orange soap in the bottom photo, smells of mandarins and tangerines, and is £4.25/100g. It also has murumuru butter in to moisturise the skin. I still think it's expensive for soap, but because it's limited edition for Mother's Day, I went ahead and bought it anyway!

I really didn't need the Razzle Dazzle bath oil (£2) and Ladybird bubble bar (£3.95) because I don't have baths and only use these types of products for hand and foot soaks, but I couldn't resist the scents. Ladybird is fruity, floral, and minty all in one, and really reminds me of something from when I was younger, but I can't pinpoint what. This is also a product only around for Mother's Day, which is what pushed me to buy it now.

I love the Lush body conditioners, and anything that moisturises my skin in the shower, so picked up a King of Skin body butter (£5.95) to try. I also bought the Full of Grace serum bar (£8.25) at the same time because it has high ratings and positive reviews. I'm really looking forward to using these because they're different from anything I've tried before.

Finally, I bought the Let The Good Times Roll fresh cleanser (£6.95) to use every couple days after removing my makeup with Ultrabland. I've already used it a couple times, and like it so far. It polishes the skin, leaving it soft, smooth, and smelling delicious. It honestly smells like caramel-y, popcorn-y goodness.

Have you tried any of these products? Or bought anything from Lush recently?