The Glueless Scr4pbook.

A little Lush haul I did at the beginning of February, picked up a few new bits and some old favourites. 

I desperately needed some new spot gel (sorry, but I did) so I went back to an old favourite Grease Lightening, and thought I'd treat myself to a bath bomb so went back to good old Think Pink, not too pricey smells lovely.

I picked up a new cleanser as well, after trying the Buche de Noel at Christmas time I thought why not? So I went for the super sweet smelling Let the Good Times Roll, which also acts as an exfoliant, perfect! 

And of course I had to get a few of the Valentines specials, I went for the Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar and the The Kiss lip scrub, after donating my Bubblegum version to my mum I needed a new one and this one smells just like sherbet. Yum!

Lush are always so great at giving samples so I also got a few bits to try whilst I was in there, I always love the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner so I got another sample of that and wanted to try some of their body exfoliators so the lady suggested Rub Rub Rub and Ocean Salt. 

Have you picked up anything from Lush recently?

Lush Salted Coconut Hand Scrub

This is the most wonderful invention ever, until this I didn't even know I needed a hand scrub but now I can't live without it. The smell is really soft and not overpowering and it leaves my hands in unbelievably good condition, works on feet too.

NYX Buttergloss in Tiramisu

I love the formula of these glosses, they are much more of a lip balm feel, not tacky at all and this shade has been most used this month, it's a browny nude with a bit of peach and it's just so easy to wear.

Marc Jacobs Undercover Primer

I got my auntie to pick this up from New York for me as you could not get it here at the time and I am so glad I did, it is totally worth the price tag, so silky and very nourishing, I have been wearing it every day, it's not greasy so it good for us oily girls and for those concerned about the scent it's very subtle, highly recommend this one.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

Thankfully managed to nab one of these and much to the disagreement of many, I actually think it's great value for someone who wants to try all that they offer with ought shelling out on the full sized versions, I have been using this for my whole face all month, barely touching anything else. I'm in love with the bronzer.

Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask

Literally love this mask, it does exactly what it says without drying the skin out and is not even that pricey, the scent is nice too which is always a benefit and it sets quickly so it's easy to use just before you are going out.

The Comforter Shower Cream

Finally got to try this out after picking it up in a huge Lush haul and I can safely say it is worth the hype, the fruity raspberry scent is amazing they only concern is it leaves everything with a slight pink tinge... Rinse your shower out thoroughly! 

& Other Stories Camlet Hand Balm (75ml/ £7)

I have had this in my stash for a long while now and thought it was about time it got a little review. Firstly I have to comment on the packaging, as with all & Other Stories packaging it is very chic and minimal, the other hand creams are usually in a white metal tube however this is in a silver tube which really reminds me of the L'occitane packaging, and it also comes housed in its own box.

This has a sweet citrus scent that is instantly refreshing and it is not at all overpowering so I think it is very universal and actually unisex too. This is actually a balm so it really is very hydrating however it does leave a coating on the skin, it's not greasy or anything, it's more of a protective film which I actually quite like. Although it is a balm it does look like a cream but you really only need the smallest amount therefore I think this tube really will last a long while and for £7 I think it's great value.

If you haven't tried anything from the & Other Stories beauty range you should definitely pop in, there is bound to be something that you will like. They also offer free samples of the shower gel and body lotion with any online purchase, so that is a really good way to test out all the different scents before committing.

I decided to treat myself to this around Christmas time as I am slightly changing my job role and a long lasting diary is compulsory now, I have been loving it, use it almost every day for all my hours, planning, hotel and travel information, and it is the perfect size of travelling too.

My skin has been super dry lately and seeming to show signs of ageing (sad times) so I have been using hydrating products, this foundation has been one of my favourites, the finish is perfect.

This is definitely worth the hype, I am obsessed, I have also made two of my good friends obsessed, smells great and leaves my hands unbelievably soft, new holy grail here.

I have been loving these simple silver rings, so I picked this one up from Pandora out of some money I was given by my parents for Christmas, I now wear it everyday, it's simple and sleek.

Recently fallen back in love with this, it's so similar to the Nars Radiant Creamy concealer but a quarter of the price, so glad I shopped my stash.

I have been trying to subtly over line my lips lately, without looking like a drag queen, and this shade has been working out well, it creates a natural looking shadow around the lips.

Managed to nab this in a Christmas gift set and I've been using it every day since, you only need the tiniest amount and it has a super wet look to it.

I had never heard of his before, but I love the face mask, so when I saw it on sale at Christmas I decided to order it, it has a lovely feel on the skin and seems to minimise the look of pores straight away, I'm loving it.

My current go to nude shade, it's a bit more on the pink side, but I'm liking that at the moment as it gives a brighter feel than my usual browny nude.

I never thought I would be able to use this because of my naturally oily skin, but I have been using it loads this month as my skin has looked so dehydrated and I've been loving it.

Decided to treat myself to this out of my birthday money, I've used it every day since, it's super fine, and has a slight pigment enough to booster coverage, not too much that it looks cakey. Plus this huge pot will last forever.

Are any of these your favourites too?

When I first saw previews of this palette I knew it had o be mine, there was no price confirmed by anyone but I decided I didn't care as I have been wanting to try the ambient lighting powders for months, but could never work out which one was for me and never dared spend the money just in case it was the wrong one. 

So it finally arrived on Space NK priced £65, pretty hefty price tag considering the amount of product actually in the palette, each section is just 1.4g (full size powders being 10g/£38, blushers 4.2g/£28 and bronzers 11g/£42) however I actually think palettes like these are a great way to try a bunch of products without having to splurge on the full size, for example here you have a choice between 2 setting powders, 2 blushers, a bronzer and a highlighter. If I think about the price divided by 6 (around £11) I would definitely purchase these singley if they were available for £11 so makes sense that the palette is actually pretty worth it overall.

As I said it contains 3 ambient lighting powders dim light (pinky undertone), diffused light (yellow undertone) and iridescent light (more like a highlight), 2 ambient lighting blushers mood exposure (natural mauve colour) and luminous flush (coral with gold) and one ambient lighting bronzer in luminous bronze light (a warm brown). I think the edit is great, I personally get use out of every single pan, I have used it every single day, I love the bronzer and highlight they are definitely my most used. 

The packaging is beautiful with a huge mirror, a bit of a nightmare to keep clean but other than that, great. I'm actually considering picking up another one as a back up instead of buying any full size one. I'm so glad I waited and didn't get any of the other trios as this is just perfect.

Have you tried it?

I recently popped into the H&M beauty department in the Oxford Circus branch to pick up a few bits, but since that I have also made an online order and had a huge shopping spree in the new Cardiff branch, I haven't had a chance to give everything a real trial yet but I wanted to show you what I got anyway and reviews will follow, almost everything I have tried has been great though and I highly recommend having a nosey when you are in London. 

Cashmere Haze Hamd Cream £2.99

Micelles Water £3.99

Intuition Perfume Oil £6.99

Revelation Solid Pefume £6.99

Pure Velvet Cream Blusher in Dusty Rose £6.99

Knot A Problem £7.99

Colour Essence Eye Cream in Chamers, Sirocco and Dauphine Truffle £4.99

Gently Does It wipes £1.99

Precision Sponge £1.99

Face Masks in Licorice and Sugar, Witch Hazel, Dragon Fruit and Coconut Water (not pictured) £1.99 each

Cover Up Concealer £4.99

Custom Concealer Trio £7.99

All Day Liquid Foundation £7.99

Pure Radiance Powder Blusher £6.99

Eye Colour Palette in Smoky Nudes £9.99

Lip Definer in Au Naturel £3.99

Cream Lip Colour in Peach Fuzz, Powder Puff and Sandstorm £7.99

Have you picked up anything from the line?

I have had the opportunity to work away from home more recently and for a beauty addict who uses different products almost every day it was quite hard for me to decide what to take on my trips so I wanted to show you what I ended up with and why I picked these products.

I used the Muji beauty travel case with just one insert because it was big enough to fit everything but still compact enough to not take up too much space in my case.

So above I have decanted my favourite Redken All Soft shampoo and conditioner into muji squeeze tubes, so I have saved money on buying travel sizes and still get to use my favourite whilst I'm away. I also included a mini Bumble & Bumble Pret a Powder because the mini spray cans never last very long and the normal size are too big, a mini Percy & Reed No Oil Oil, Bumble & Bumble De Frizz because it's a perfect travel size, a tin of Bobby pins with some sore hair elastic a inside too and my Tresemme hair protector spray in a mini bottle. I decided to take my Flowerbomb shower gel and body lotion because I really need to start using up all my minis. I wanted to take a perfume I would want to wear every day so I picked the Zara White scent as it's inexpensive and compact.

For skincare I decanted my Simple Micellar water into a Mac bottle and my Bodyshop Chamomile Cleansing oil into a muji bottle, I took the small size Aesop cleanser and a sachet with the Tea Tree exfoliant. The muji skincare minis are so handy so I packed the timer and all-in-one serum, for moisturiser I chose the Grown Alchemist day cream because of the convenient packaging and the Kiehls Midnight Recovery. I wanted to take a mask too and I do have plenty of travel friendly sachets but I chose instead to take the full size Origins Retexturising Mask because it's such a great all rounder. Lastly for primers I chose the Laura Mercier original travel size and the & Other Stories Radiance Cream, I also took the Aesop facial hydrosol to set my make up.

Make up was the trickiest part so I chose a few all time favourites and a few multi taskers. For base I chose the most reliable of the bunch and a few different options for coverage, the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet for everyday, the Vichy Dermablend for a full coverage and the Vichy Normaderm Bb cream for a more natural option, I chose my holy grail concealers Nars Radiant Creamy concealer and the Mac Pro Longwear. For face I chose my Nars pressed powder and the Nars palette to house bronzer and blusher options all in one, I also packed the Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight highlighter and Sculpting Powder. For eyes I took the Nars And God Created The Woman palette for a great neutral mix of mattes and shimmers, the Burberry Almond shadow for an easy everyday choice and dual purpose as a brow powder, Mac Teddy Liner and a sample size Nars Audacious Mascara. For brows I went with another holy grail the Hourglass Arch pencil and the Loreal Brow Artist gel and lastly lips, I went with nudes because they are my go-to Mac Blankety and Subculture liner and Maybelline Tantalising Taupe.

All of this fits perfectly into the muji beauty case which I found so handy, I took the insert out when I was there to have my make up by the mirror and my skincare and toiletries in the bathroom, it's really a great way to organise everything. How do you plan your products when you are away? 

I finally visited the Lush store on Oxford Street and of course picked up a few bits, I thought I'd do a haul post to show what I got.

Of course I had to pick up the humongous bottle of Snow Fairy, it's actually for my mum but I might get one for myself too before it sells out, I also chose The Comforter shower gel to try, I've never smelt it before, it's very similar to snow fairy but slightly more fruity, Fairy Dust a sort of grown up baby powder that looks great and smells like Snow Fairy so I had to get it. I also spotted Buche De Noel, a face cleanser which smells so good and actually looks edible, I thinks it's only a Christmas release so I'm glad I snapped it up.

For the bath I picked the new version of Rose Jam, my all time favourite which is now bigger, pinker and sparkly too, 5 Gold Rings, another Christmas release smelling like cocoa butter and smothered in gold glitter, The Experimenter a multi coloured lavender scented bath bomb and Big Bang, a zingy lemon scented bubble bar.

They have some amazing bits in the Oxford Street store, it's a 3 storey scented heaven and the staff were super friendly too, have you been?

I'm going to do a 'Top' series, starting off here with my Top Hand Creams...

1. Soap & Glory

I love everything I try from this brand but the hand creams have been a firm favourite for years, the original Hand Food and more recently the Super Cream, both of which smell gorgeous and a thick enough to thoroughly moisture but do not leave a greasy residue and leave hands soft for hours.

2. Loccitane 

Here is a new and an old favourite in one, the original Shea Butter hand cream I have loved for years, a little goes a long way so it's worth the price tag, the scent is soft and fresh and it's super hydrating. The Almond version however is a new favourite, the scent is indescribable and although this is more of a lotion in texture it certainly doesn't scrimp on moisture.

3. & Other Stories

This brand can do no wrong, I love almost everything I have tried and it's so reasonably priced too, these hand creams are a much thicker consistency than the lotions they sell in the pump bottles, a little goes a long way with these too, non greasy, absorb quickly and the scents linger for ages, these are great for handbags because of the size.

4. Body Shop

Another old faithful, the Vitamin E hand & nail treatment has been in and out of my drawers for years, it's a very thin consistency which reminds me of baby lotion but don't be deceived it provides great hydration and really helps to keeps the skin soft.

5. Laura Mercier

The newest of the bunch, I have the Almond Coconut and the Creme Brûlée, both are equally great at moisturising, it's a nice thick cream which means these tubes are going to last a while and the scents last all day, no kidding, I'm so impressed. They are priced but I think totally worth it!

Have you tried any of these? Which are your favourites?