Summer Lush Haul

I have shown brilliant resistance when faced with my local Lush store in the past weeks (I had too many body products to finish at home), but my streak ended when I went in just to purchase a gift for someone. Two days later, I was back in the store picking up a few things I needed. The typical “I’m almost out of shower gel” you know… Granted, I didn’t do major damage but I thought you might enjoy a peek at my little haul and read my thoughts on the products.

The Whoosh Shower Jelly was the reason for my visit to Lush, it’s been years since I’ve used one and it seemed like the perfect summer product. Whoosh has a pleasant citrus scent that really wakes you up. I like putting mine in the fridge so it’s extra cooling on the skin when I use it. This is a really fun product to use, it really refreshes your body after a long hot day. I think it would be brilliant went traveling to help keep your head clear from jetlag.

I have been looking for a dry shampoo to bring in my carry-on when I travel and the No Drought Shampoo is perfect! The little bottle is super portable and the dry shampoo works nicely. It absorbs oil well and makes my hair look clean, I can easily see this being an essential after long-haul flights. However, it is quite white so if you have very dark hair you might want to test it out first to make sure it doesn’t leave you with any white residue. I haven’t had any issue with this myself, but many reviews on the Lush website recommend using it at night to avoid this.

The last thing I bought is the Yuzu and Cocoa Shower Cream, the Bubbleroon in this scent is a favorite of mine so when I saw this shower cream I just had to try it. Yuzu and Cocoa is hands down one of my top 3 favorite Lush scents, it smells like a delicious patisserie. This is a lovely creamy body wash and I love the bright yellow color. It actually makes me smile every time I use it.

Before leaving I also picked up the newest edition of the Lush Times (their free magazine) to catch up on all the new releases. All the products mentioned are available in Lush stores and on their website. 

Caudalie Weekend Haul

I have a little Caudalie haul for you today. I went to one of my favorite drugstores with my mom over the weekend and had a lovely time shopping. Unlike the other drugstores near me this one has a Caudalie counter and there stocks (in all brands) are really up to date, so it’s always fun to have a browse. Over the past months, I have been mostly using organic and natural products, but I couldn’t resist picking up a few things from Caudalie. I love their branding and packaging, it seemed perfect for spring!

I was actually planning on getting another soap from them but they did not have any left and I think it has been discontinued, hopefully they’ll bring it back in the future. I decided to turn to their shower gels as a replacement, I really enjoyed the Pêche de Vigne shower gel in the past but this time I went for the Thé des Vignes one. It has a richer, warmer scent that is very pleasant. Honestly they all smell incredible and I plan on working my way through them all.

Next is the Lip Conditioner, I couldn’t leave without getting a new one of these. This is one of my all-time favorite lip balms, it makes the top 3 easily. It’s very moisturising and nourishing but the finish isn’t too glossy. My lips just love it and it is quite affordable for such a great product. Also (not that is really matters) it smells amazing, kind of sweet and fruity.

Lastly I got a new Grape Water Spray, I have run out of my other facial mists and this one is super refreshing. Unlike other mists that are just water, the Grape Water actually adds a bit of moisture and does not dry your skin has it evaporates. The mist itself is very fine so you can use it over makeup and it just feels lovely. I really enjoy using it to wake me up if I do a lot of work on the computer.

All the products I have mentioned are available on the Caudalie website and at their counters. 

Nourished Life Haul Featuring Kora Organics, Hurraw! and more

I don’t spend a lot of time on social media and can easily go days without checking it simply because it is so easy to get lost in this world of perfect pictures and miss out on real things. That being said no one can deny that Instagram can help you discover new wonderful things and I couldn’t be happier to have been introduces to Nourished Life thanks to it. Nourished Life is an Australian website that sells an incredible selection of natural and organic products ranging from skincare to water bottles, teas and makeup. I have literally spent hours browsing the site before picking a few products for my first order (and made a HUGE wish list). Today I wanted to share with you a haul of what I picked up and let you know a bit more about the site.

The moment I saw they carried Kora Organics products I just had to get something. I chose the 3-Step System for Normal/Dry skin to help get my skin through the winter. This might seem an odd choice because I have combination skin and spring is coming, but honestly I need all the hydration I can get with the blizzard outside. The kit comes with the Cream Cleanser, Balancing Rose Mist and the Hydrating Day and Night Cream. This is my first foray into organic skincare and so far I really love the products.

Next I got the Hurraw! Black Cherry Tinted Lip Balm as an organic alternative to my tinted lip balms. It is packed with different oils to make your lips soft and I love the unusual oval shape of the tube. It also smells amazing! The brand has non-tinted lip balm if that’s what you prefer and they have loads of different flavours to choose from.

Lastly I bought the Olive Oil Skin Care Company Manuka Honey Soap, I love to alternate shower gels with soap bars and this seemed like a good natural option. I cannot resist soaps with honey in them and I like that this one is fragrance-free. I won’t go into more details here, but I have a review coming up on it really soon and it’s a good one.

Now about Nourished Life, what first drew me to the site (apart from the incredible selection of brands and products) is that everything is in Australian dollars. So depending on where you live, it can be a much more affordable option than paying in USD. They shipping internationally and the shipping is actually very fast (I got my package in a week). Obviously shipping rates for international deliveries are more expensive (they have just started offering it) but for me it was still more affordable than going through a site that uses USD. You can easily check the rates for your country by adding something to your basket and clicking on it to select your country. I think it is worth doing the math and you might be pleasantly surprised by how pricing compares.

Every order comes in a really pretty box (you can see the underside of it in the picture) with 2 samples and everything was securely packaged. They have great customer service if you have any questions so don’t hesitate to email them. 

I am so in love with this website I can’t even tell you. You can expect reviews on everything mentioned here as well as another haul very soon (I couldn’t resist). Every product in this post is available on Nourished Life. 

An October Beauty Haul: Lush, Sephora and more

Well I guess this is what happens when you don’t go shopping for weeks. I finally went to the mall last week after my list of things I needed buy got a bit too long. I did get a bit caught up in Bath and Body Works, but otherwise it was a successful outing. Today, I wanted to share with you my latest purchases and the new releases currently in stores.

First up is Bath and Body Works, I originally went only to get new hand sanitizers but I let myself be tempted into a few more things. I first pickup 3 PocketBac Sanitizing Hand Gels in Crisp Morning Air, Winter Wonderland and Sunlight andApple Trees, I love how these smell amazing and don’t leave your hands feeling sticky. I told myself I would not buy anymore candles because I have quite a few already. However the new fall/winter scents were so nice that I decide to get two of the Mini Candles in Sweater Weather and Frosted Cranberry. These are tiny but a great way to experience new scents without investing in a large candle and I love how they now come with little lids just like the bigger ones. Frosted Cranberry has been a favorite of mine for years, the light fruity scent is lovely and different from typical holiday scents (it’s very fresh). Lastly I got a Nourishing Hand Cream in Crisp Morning, this scent is my favorite from Bath and Body Works, it is just so light and crisp, I wish they did a candle in this. To be honest, this is no my favorite hand cream because I don’t find it very nourishing, but it works as a quick fix and the smell is just divine. 

Next I hit up The Body Shop to get a bottle of my trusted Tea Tree Oil. I always have it to use as a spot treatment, it works brilliantly. Continuing with the skincare, I stopped by Sephora to get a new favorite of mine: the Caudalie Lip Conditioner. This is an amazing lip balm, I was not blown away at first but once you go through the waxier top layer, you get a super nourishing and moisturizing balm. It is in my top 3 Caudalie products and it is also surprisingly affordable. As I was about to pay I noticed Sephora had a cute little mini set of the lip conditioner and a mini hand cream that retailed for the same price as the lip balm alone. Who doesn’t love a great Sephora Bargain. 

Last but certainly not least, I stopped by Lush with no other attention than just having a look at the new releases (mostly the little golden Halloween pumpkin), but as always I couldn’t leave empty handed. For some reason, I was really craving something sweet smelling so I went for the Yuzu and Cocoa Bubbleroon to get loads of bubble and relax with the light and sweet scent of oranges and chocolate. The other thing I picked up was the Snow Angel Luxury Bubble Bath, this smells like marzipan and turns your water into a super moisturizing soak that doesn’t leave your skin feeling oily. They are both so lovely, I might have to go back for more!

So there you have it, my most recent purchases. There is actually also an amazing organic (and affordable) body lotion, but I forgot to take a picture of it. It’s in my bathroom because I’ve been using it every day. I promise you’ll hear about it soon. So, what new things did you get recently or what is on your must-buy list of the moment?

First Caudalie Haul: Divines Legs and Fleur de Vigne Soap

I picked up Mathilde Thomas’ book The French Beauty Solution recently (a great read by the way) and after watching a few of her interviews I just really wanted to try some of her products. Mathilde Thomas is the founder of Caudalie, a French natural skincare brand with ethics I really responded to. This led to my first purchase of Caudalie products, two body products: the Divine Legs Tinted Body Lotion and the Fleur de Vigne French-Milled Soap.

The Divine Legs is a body bronzer that can be used to give a beautiful glow and tan to your legs and body without the downsides of self-tanner. It smells divine and unlike self-tanners it washes off instantly so you are not left with orange palms and you don’t have to worry about looking streaky for days. It’s a perfect transitional product for fall if you want to give your skin a little boost.

The Fleur de Vigne French-Milled Soap, is a plant based soap that cleans your skin without stripping it of its natural oils. It contains Shea butter and grape seed oil to moisturize your skin and leave it feeling soft and smooth. I was very surprised by the size of it too, it’s quite a massive bar of soap making the value for money great because it is super affordable. 

I will have reviews up on both products soon and you can expect to see a lot more Caudalie here in the future. You can find the Divine Legs Lotion on the Caudalie website, Sephora, Feelunique and at any Caudalie counter. The Fleur de Vigne Soap is not available online, but I purchased mine from a local drugstore that carries the brand.

A Bath Haul From The Body Shop

So I went to The Body Shop today and let’s just say I let myself be tempted by a few products. Honestly I blame it all on Lush, I was just going to get a bath bomb but they were closed due to a computer problem. So off to The Body Shop I went and their amazing sale was too hard to resist.

The first thing I got is the Wild Argan Oil Bubbling Bath (here), it smells wonderful (slightly floral and warm) and I am hoping it will turn my bath into a luxurious moisturizing soak. I have high hopes for this and from the look of it, it could be a winner. I will let you know how I get on with it soon.

Next was the Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt (here), as you can see I am on a bubble bath kick here. This luscious looking product smells incredible, I love its sweet and floral honey scent. I have been looking at this for a while now and I am super excited to see what kind of bubbles it is going to create.

As I mentioned, the store is currently having a buy 2 get 1 free or buy 3 get 3 free products, so I also picked up the Honeymania Shower Gel (here). I really enjoy The Body Shop shower gels, they lather nicely and leave my skin feeling soft. The Honeymania is definitely a collection to look into, it smells amazing and is also unique in term of scent. 

Lastly, I picked up one of their Paddle Hairbrush (here) with a bamboo handle for my mom, she gave me one a while ago and I love it. It does not tug on my hair and you can get a good hold of the handle. I do not really know why, but this hairbrush performs better than others I have used in the past and I think it will be quite long lasting. This one was not part of the promotion because it is already on sale and you can get it for only 6$.

You can get all the products from any Body Shop stores and on their website. Also, have a look at the sale there are tons of great products at great prices. 

Recent Beauty Buys: May 2015

Hello everyone I hope you are all doing well. With summer almost here, I have been trying really hard to declutter my beauty bags and finish up products. Obviously the first ones to go were some of my favorites so over the past few weeks I have been replenishing my stash. Off with the old (goodbye face mask that’s 3 years old) and in with the new.

First of all we have the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner (full review here), I went without this for a while and boy did I miss it. This gentle toner exfoliates your skin to leave it brighter and more even toned. For me daily usage of this helps fade any little red marks left behind by pesky spots.

Continuing with the same goal of more even skin, I finally purchased a full size Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser. I used samples of this for over a year so I never had to actually buy. However, I was recently left sample-less and this was too good not to have again. It’s a light gel cleanser with exfoliating particles that leave me with fresh feeling skin in the morning. It’s truly a lovely product and it gives you smoother skin while still being gentle enough for daily use.

Next I needed to repurchase The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil, a tiny bottle of magic as far as I’m concerned. One drop of this applied to any spots helps tone down redness and makes them heal faster. Also unlike less natural spot treatments, this oil does not dry out the surrounding skin. It’s an amazing product that I’m never without and its small size makes it easy to take with you when travelling.

Lastly I have a new hair product that was picked up on a whim after seeing it on a few blogs: the John Frieda Beach Blonde Sea Waves Sea Salt Spray. I’ve never had much luck with salt sprays, I think my hair is just too long and heavy for them. However this looked interesting and I think it might be nice to give some texture to my hair or simply make it look nicer after a day by the pool.

So there you have it, a quick look at my most recent beauty (re)purchases. I really like reading this type of posts because they show true favorites. Have you purchased anything new recently? Any must-have summer products I need to get my hands on? I would love to hear from you. 

Dior Tie-Dye Summer Collection Haul and Sneak Peek

Hello everyone, today I just wanted to bring you a quick haul and sneak peek into upcoming reviews. Yesterday I went to the Dior counter and let’s just say I could not resist their new Tie-Dye summer collection, it is so beautiful. I only got two things but the eyeshadow palettes were very hard to leave behind.

The one thing I really wanted from the collection was the Sunwashed nail polish, a lovely pastel yellow color. To me this is a must-have because it is so unique and the Dior nail polish formula is my all-time favorite.

I also could not resist the Dior Addict Lipstick Tie-Dye Edition in Coral Trip. I was looking for a new coral lipstick and this one just has the perfect shade. I love the Dior Addict finish because they have the perfect balance of creaminess and shine.

This is hands down my favorite summer collection out of all the new releases. It’s fun and colorful while still being wearable. I urge you all to have a look at it because Dior has done it again!

You can have a look at the entire Tie-Dye collection on the Dior website here and it is currently available at all Dior counters, Feelunique and Sephora for a limited time only. 

A Small Lush Haul

See, I had a purpose when I walked into Lush last weekend. I was simply going to get one bath bomb as a treat and leave. I did not need anything else really, but unlike all the other times I succeeded in my mission, I failed. Everything was too tempting and I walked out with three new products. So there you have it, the back story into this little haul which unintentionally is comprised of all blue products. 

First of all we have the products I originally went into Lush for: the Big Blue BathBomb. This is my all-time favorite bath bomb, I find it super relaxing and I love the color it gives to the water. Unlike other products, its scent is not too strong so it is also great if you have a sensitive nose.

Next was the Mother Superior Bubble Bar, a sweet and fresh smelling product that will turn your bath into a bubble fest. I really like the Lush bubble bar and this one smells incredible which is why I couldn’t resist it when I saw that it was limited edition for Mother’s Day. If you are interested in this one, I would not wait too long before getting it or it might be sold-out.

The last product to make its way into my basket was the Rub Rub Rub Shower Gel. I had been wanting to try this out for a while because I was out of body scrub and since it was placed right next to the register I figured it was a sign. This smells just like the Mother Superior bubble bar and it has a gorgeous blue color. It is categorized as a shower gel but in my opinion it is much more like a scrub with a runny texture. I have already tried some of the products and once I am done testing them you can expect to see reviews and more pictures on the blog.

You can find all these products in your local Lush store and online.

What are your favorite Lush products? 

A Second Target Body Care Haul

So I went shopping again… You see sales can be very hard to resist and with Target closing all of its stores across Canada, I figured I might as well take advantage of reduced prices to stock up on favorites and try out new things. Here’s a look at the new products I picked up, you can expect reviews on them soon. Have a lovely Sunday.

After falling in love with the Alba Botanica Shower Gel I decided to give the RejuvenatingPapaya Mango Hawaiian Body Cream a go. This smells amazingly fruity and so far it’s quite a decent moisturizer.

Next was the Burt’s Bees Rejuvenating Lip Balm with Acai­Berry. I love the Burt’s Bees lip balms, especially the mango and pomegranate ones, but I hadn’t tried this one yet. They are just a great product to have around to keep your lips soft and hydrated during the day.

My last purchase was made on a whim and came in the form of the Weleda Body Oil StarterKit. This contains six mini vials of body oils, including their birch, wild rose and pomegranate one. I never gave much thought to body oils before, but this kit looked so cute and I wanted to try Weleda products after hearing such good things about them. I’ll let you know how I get on with them after some testing. 

In all honesty the haul was a bit bigger since I purchased backups of all the things I got in my last target Haul. What can I say, the 40% off was very enticing. Have you tried any of these? Have you purchased any new products recently?

Target Spring Body and Skincare Haul

Yesterday was a good day, I woke up well rested and full of energy. So much so that I had a big urge to go shopping and so off to Target I went. I was in need of a few body products and I thought I could share with you the results of my shopping in a little haul. You can expect reviews on all the products soon.

The first thing I picked up is the Alba Botanica Hawaiian Cocktail Exfoliating Lava Flow Body Wash, I’ve been looking for more natural body products and this one looked nice. I love shower gels that have exfoliating properties and this smells amazing, like a super fruity fruit punch.

Next is the Jergens BB Body Skin Perfect Cream. This was a bit of an impulse purchase, mostly I was just curious to try it and got it because it was on sale. It looks like a promising product for spring and a lot more low-maintenance than self-tanner.

The last thing I got is the Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Ultra-Cleansing Mud Mask Orange + Bergamot. I remember seeing this on YouTube a few years ago and I’ve always wanted to try it. Hopefully it’ll work well seeing as my skin has been a bit congested lately.

So that’s my little haul, you can read more info about the shower gel here, the BB cream here and the mask here. Have you tried any of these products?