Doing your bit for the ECO system, with Lush.

In a similar way to MAC Lush operate a system where if you bring back empty containers you can get a free product.  If you are a regular shopper it is something you should take advantage of, and at the same time you are helping the ECO system. I'm not the most green of people (I could do a whole lot more) but this lets me feel like I am contributing a little.  We could all always do a little bit more for the ECO system though.  Any super green bloggers out there? 

Considering I have been shopping at Lush since I was at high school it is astounding that I have never returned '5 clean tubs' in order to get a free fresh face mask.  I am going to blame the travelling to and fro from Stirling for the past four years, but I actually don't know why I have never done this.

Even if you are not a regular shopper at Lush, in order to collect five, the little tubs are great for decanting other products into and are a nice way to let a friend have a sample. I have also used them in the past for washing my make-up brushes. There are loads of different uses for them.

I think I am going to get a little tub of my old favourite face mask Catastrophe Cosmetic.  This one is great if you are prone to sore break outs, it soothe the skin and makes the problem a little less problematic.

Does anyone else know of other beauty houses that do their part for the ECO System?

Pay Day Haul

Finally it is pay day, I have been working at John Lewis for the last four weeks - hence the lack of blogging and lots of early nights.  I am really enjoying the job so far but the last couple of weeks have been a struggle for money, so it was finally great to be paid be able to buy some much needed things. Well, some of them were needed and others I just wanted.

1. Superdrug Sugar & Spice Self-heating Mask - £1.00.

I usually buy the self-heating Montagne Jeunesse mask - you know the one that makes you look like you have been tragically burned - so I thought I would give the Superdrug one a try. It feels the same on the face, warm and as if all the icky stuff is being sucked out, but it smells a lot nicer. I would re-buy this.

2. Natural Collection Concealer in Green - £2.00

I seen this on the blogsphere a couple of weeks back and I have been looking for it ever since.  I use the Loreal Studio Primer in Green because green combats redness, and with me having rather bad acne the green really helps tone things down.  However the Loreal primer is expensive and I don't like using it every day and this is £2.00. I haven't tried it yet but I will be back to review it when I do.

3. Extra Chewing Gum - reduced to £0.10 in Superdrug.

Since I started work I have become very concious of my breath especially after lunch so these will do nicely in my handbag to help me freshen up before dealing with the public again.  When I was at Uni I never had this problem because I lived close to the Uni so I could just brush my teeth.

4. Wilko Hand Sanitiser in Fruity Berry - £0.90.

My beloved bath and body hand sanitiser is coming to an end: Anti-Ba(T)cterial and this is the nearest colour I could find to replace The Vampires Blood with.  It smells nice and fruity but nowhere as since as the plum scent of the bath and body one.

5. Primark Tights - £2.50-3.50.

An exciting purchase in the form of tights.  I cleared out my tights this morning and binned all the ones that have seen better days.  I never wear trousers and rarely wear leggings so tights are an every day essential for me, and with winter coming in it is time to stock up on the heavy duty tights.  John Lewis have tights that are fleecy on the inside - I really want a pair.

6. Wilkinson Sword Intuition Razor - Wilkinsons - £3.50.

The other week I picked up the blades for this razor thinking they would fit the one that I already have - they didn't.  For the last two weeks I have been using the blades without a handle, surprisingly not too bad.  I really like that you do not need shaving gel with this razor as the blades are surrounded by a thick moisturising soap, and they leave you smelling great.  I still have two blades from my mistake and one came with the handle, so I am all stocked up until after Christmas. The intuition blades were also cheaper than the other Wilkinson Sword blades.

7. Glade Candle in Relaxing Zen - Wilkinsons - £1.80.

I am a big candle lover and most of my candles have reached the point where they are hard to light and the last thing I want to do when I come in from work is faff around trying to light a candle.  The Glade candles smell great and last ages. The last Glade candle I had lasted me around a year, granted I didn't use it every day but I still used it fairly regularly.  This one has a nice musty smell and it is meant to be relaxing - so we shall see.

8. Umberto Giannini - 2 for £.7.50 Boots.

I will be reviewing both these products in a separate post once I  have gave them a good try. 1. Root Boost Volume Spray for Big Hair. 2. Morning After Dry Shampoo.  Winter and my hair are not friends, the humidity and wetness just make it go curly but not like a pretty curly, more like a Bettlejuice style, so this is my attempt at having nice hair this winter. My Batise XXL volume dry shampoo has ran out and I was going to re buy it but these were around the same price, here's hoping they work as well.

9. Socks  - Primark Kids Section - £1.50-2.50.

Being on my feet all day at work is leaving them feeling super sore and a lovely pair of socks to put on in bed can make all the difference. I am only a size 3 in shoe so I tend to sock shop at the kids section - the kids section actually had a better selection of cosy socks. The adult section didn't have anything that took my fancy.  The Feet Heater socks are similar to the welly socks I bought at Download Festival and are super comfy.

10. Green Skull Bag - Krush - £15.00.

I saw this whilst walking past Krush, a store I would not usually venture into but I was drawn to the bag akin to a magpie and shiny objects.  Green is the colour that most people associate me with and I do not actually own a green bag, because I have never found a reasonably priced one that I loved - until now.  I fought with myself for a while whether to buy it or not, but I knew if I didn't I would be annoyed later down the line. The bag is too perfect for me not to buy it. It is green, tacky and has skulls on it - all it needs is a lil bit of fur somewhere and it would have been completely perfect.  For £15.00 I felt it was a bit of a bargain really, considering the Ted Baker bag I have been eyeing is £60 and the purse £99.

I have lots of other things coming up in the form of reviews and can't wait to get some of them up, such as the Liz Earle make up review and the MAC Marilyn Monroe Lipstick.  So much to blog and so little time. As always I am open to guest reviews so if anyone is interested comment or e-mail me.

Victoria.
xx

Cosmetic Warrior - Fresh Face mask - Lush Review

This is the second review out of the free samples I received on my visit to Lush.  I have used Lush face mask's before but I have never asked about which one would be best from my skin.  I usually just make a judgement on 1.  The smell of the product and 2. What the product card says.

The sales lady advised Cosmetic Warrior for my skin - dry and spotty.  Like most students.  As if university was not stressful enough.  Here is a product to make things a little less stressful.

The first thing that hits you about this product is the tea tree oil - one of my favourite products and one that is very good for combating spots.  I used to dab pure tea tree oil on my skin - little tip for anyone with bad skin. I can be rather nippy though.  In the face mask however though it isn't nippy it makes the skin feel beautifully fresh.  Just like a lovely gust of cold wind has swept across your face.  The mask would go lovely with an iced mojito and a vivid imagination.

"Fresh white grapes clean and cool the skin. Fresh garlic and tea tree oil are antiseptic.

Fresh eggs tighten the texture of the skin. Honey softens and moisturises the skin and is also antimicrobal. We bind all of these ingredients together with kaolin and cornstarch to give the mask a smooth texture that goes on easily and does not drag or pull sore, sensitive skin. All of this means that Cosmetic Warrior fights spots and the causes of spots, without harming the natural balance of the skin and without creating puffiness".

The further description suggests that the product smells really quite bad because of the garlic but I think the product smells really fresh - although it obviously doesn't smell quite as good as the chocolate scented face mask cupcake.

You can almost feel the product working as it is on your face which is nice.  The sales lady also advised that you leave a little bit of the mask on over night if you have a particularly bad spot.  I haven't tried this as of yet but I will once I invest in a larger tub of the product.