My Evening Skin Care Routine

Hi guys, today I have my evening skin care routine for you. This is what I do to my skin when I've been wearing makeup - otherwise, I would do nearly the same as my morning routine, which you can also find on my blog. Hope you enjoy reading!

Firstly, I take a generous amount of the Simple Kind to Skin Purifying cleansing lotion, and rub that into my skin, starting with my face and then moving to my eyes. I find that this removes my face makeup easily without too much effort, however it does take two goes for me to get off my eye makeup. I also struggle a bit to take off dark lipstick with this. I do enjoy this product for the most part though, as it does feel gentle to my skin and does the job, and hasn't broken me out so far.

Next, I use my St Ives naturally clear apricot scrub, which 'lifts away surface dirt that can lead to blemishes'. I really, really enjoy this and have repurchased it at least three times. I had quite bad acne at around 14 years old, and this really helped me out. It is quite scrubby, so it might be too harsh for people with sensitive skin, however I don't suffer with too much sensitivity. I use this once a week, as I can find it's too much any more often than that. This really smooths out my skin, making it a more effective base for makeup, and I also find that it allows my serum and moisturiser to sink in more and do a better job. I only really use this on my T-zone, because my skin issues are mostly blackheads on my nose and hormonal acne on my chin and jawline - I have no issues with my cheeks or forehead.

Now that my face has been scrubbed, I'll use one to two pumps of my The Body Shop tea tree skin cleaning foaming cleanser. I use this to remove any last traces of my makeup remover and my face scrub. It feels really refreshing after having scrubbed my skin, and it has been helping control my acne. I've written about this more in my morning skin care routine, if you want to check that out.

Once I've toned my skin with my Organic Surge toner (covered in my morning skin care routine), I use my T-Zone rapid action spot zapping gel (middle) on any spots I currently have. I then follow with my No7 Protect and Perfect intense eye cream (right) and this rehydrates my eye area and is lasting me ages. Finally, I use my Vaseline with aloe vera on my lips, which softens and plumps them and combats the dry, chapped awfulness that I can suffer from in winter.

Next, I'll apply my No7 Protect and Perfect intense serum. I love this - it sinks into my skin wonderfully and makes me feel super hydrated but not weighed down. It actually makes a difference to my skin unlike other serums I've tried, and I've had 2 tubes of this so far - I'm fairly certain I'll repurchase it again. I don't use it every night, in honesty - I use it every other night - but that means the tubes last me twice as long, which is kinder on my bank account! I apply this before my moisturiser as it has a smaller molecular structure and sinks deeper into the skin, repairing it more effectively than a moisturiser can.

My last step in my routine is my moisturiser, and currently I'm using Superdrug's vitamin E nourishing night cream. This is alright, and I enjoy Superdrug's own brand as they're cruelty free, however if you want luxury, this isn't it. It isn't a joy to your senses, but it does the job, and my skin when I wake up isn't an oil slick or a dry desert - it looks plump and healthy. I probably won't repurchase it as I like to try things out, but I won't be throwing it away as it serves it's purpose in my opinion.


That's all I do on my night time skin care routine, I hope you enjoyed reading. Leave me a comment about your favourite skin care products, as I'm always looking for new ones to try out!
- Amelia

My Morning Skin Care Routine

Hi guys! Today I have a post telling you my morning skin care routine. My morning skin care routine is quite basic, as I do the brunt of the work in my night-time routine, which I will definitely post, too. 

Okay, so I start my morning skin care with washing my hands. This is extremely important and I find it's helped my skin a lot - after all, there's not much point in washing your face if you're going to wash it with unclean hands. Once I've washed my hands, I wet my face with lukewarm water that opens up my pores but won't scald my skin. I then get one pump of my Tea Tree foaming facial wash by The Body Shop and apply that all over my face, washing in circular motions, for about one minute. I rinse that off really well, and I dry with a clean towel which I use only for my face. This is also another way that you can minimise the spreading of bacteria onto your face.

Next, I grab a cotton round and soak it with my Organic Surge orange flower toner, which is very gentle for your skin, as it contains no colourants, parabens, SLS and synthetic fragrances, and is 98.8% naturally derived. I sweep this over my face and it removes any residue from my facial wash and also any makeup from the night before that may still be lingering on my skin.

Lastly, I reach for my Superdrug Vitamin E Day cream which has SPF 15 (perfect for autumn and winter as we have less sun exposure) and apply a fairly generous amount to my skin. I quite like this stuff, as it's cheap and cheerful and doesn't make my T-zone too oily throughout the day. It is also quite a good base for makeup as it smooths down my flaky dry areas around my nose.



So, that's my quick 5-minute three-step routine for the morning. It's very simple, but it's all I can bring myself to do at 07:30 a.m., really! I like to treat my skin with a more complex routine at night-time, which I'll tell you about in a later post. Hope you enjoyed reading today's post - this routine, when used daily, keeps my skin clean and looking fresh.
- Amelia

The Love-Hate Tag

Hi lovelies, today I've got the Love-Hate tag for you, which I was nominated for by the gorgeous Rachel from Bright Lights (click her name to see her answers to the tag). In this post, I'll be answering 10 things that I love and 10 things that I hate. This was actually much harder to answer than I thought it would be! Hope you enjoy.

10 things I love:

1. Germany. I love everything about it - the language, the food, the cities. I've always felt such a connection there, as if it was my home in a past life.

2. History. I adore all aspects of history and aspire to write historical fiction.

3. LUSH. Ugh, I'm just obsessed. I hoard the stuff! I love their ethics and their products themselves, and all of the lovely people who work there - they're always really helpful if you're unsure about something. Unfortunately, I don't get to visit much because my closest one is Birmingham, which I only go to a few times a year.

4. Polar bears. I don't know why I developed an obsession with polar bears. It started when I was about 12 and I was reading about them and was just fascinated by them. Now my bedroom is covered with polar bear posters, toys and bedding - which visitors love!

5. Friends. And I mean the TV show, not my actual friends (but I do love them too). I watch Friends every day, and because of this I have a huge woman crush on Jennifer Aniston - she's so, so gorgeous and she was the cutest thing ever in those first few seasons. *sigh*

6. The Studio Ghibli films. I've always loved these films - my top favourites are Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. I always watch these when I'm sick or feeling down as they just cheer me up.

7. Lasagne. It's my favourite food. If I could have it every day, I would. My mom always makes it for me on my birthday, which is part of the birthday excitement for me.

8. Candles and tarts. I like having either a candle or a wax tart on the go whilst I'm in my bedroom, as it just sets the mood of the season for me. In Autumn, my favourite candles and tarts to burn are the Season of Peace, Christmas Cookie, Cappuccino Truffle, and Frankincense. In the spring and summer I've enjoyed the Aloe Water, Black Coconut, and Midnight Jasmine.

9. Dyeing my hair. Though I hate to admit it, I have gone crazy with changing my hair this year. I started getting highlights 2 years ago, and built those up til I got to very, very blonde hair. Then I realised the blonde was super stark on my pale skin and it just looked unnatural, so I dyed it to a medium reddish brown. Then I missed my blonde hair. 

10. Bleak Expectations. This was a BBC Radio 4 series, and it was a spin of Great Expectations. It's very, very funny and I listen to it most nights as it helps me get to sleep.

10 things I hate:

1. Spiders. I've had many experiences where I've woken up to very large, very curious spiders crawling across my pillow towards my face, and I don't appreciate it.

2. Being stuck in the same place for long periods of time. I have serious wanderlust and it physically bores me to be stuck in the same country for too long.

3. Xenophobes and homophobes. I don't think I need to justify why I dislike close-minded people.

4. My anxiety. It's gotten much worse over the last 2 years, and it always puts me in uncomfortable situations.

5. Being unemployed. I left my old job last May so that I could really knuckle down and get the grades I needed for uni, but since I've finished A-Levels I have seriously struggled to find a job. My anxiety holds me back there, too, as I'm not very good at interviews.

6. Ungrateful people. In particular, people who have it really good and moan about their petty problems. It is okay to be sad about an argument with a loved one, but appreciate the fact that they're still around.

7. Getting sick. I always have a cold, year round, but I'm quite unlucky when it comes to motion sickness - I feel like I'm going to pass out if I'm in the car for more than half an hour. I also get land sickness a lot, which really freaks me out.

8. Having an untidy bedroom. I went mad this year getting rid of everything I didn't need from books to clothes to CDs, so now I have much less in my room - that means everything has a place. I like everything to stay in its place.

9. Perverted men. I live in a village, so I feel it's relatively safe for me to walk somewhere on my own. Unfortunately, whenever I am on my own, some men driving past in their cars like to shout profane language at me - I just despair at this, it feels like I can't wear the jeans and skirts and dresses that I like.

10. Ill-mannered children. I didn't utter a swear word until I was 13 years old, so the fact that the 6-year-old boy down my street calls me the C word, makes me extremely angry. I've spoken to his parents, but they are the reason why he is the way he is. His family once grouped together and swarmed me in the street whilst I was walking alone, and shouted all sorts of vile language at me. They triggered my anxiety to be as bad as it is today - but as far as the law goes, I am powerless against them.

So, that's all for my tag. I've touched on some really serious stuff here - I'm sorry if it's a bit heavy, but my blog is really helping me deal with my anxiety because I like to tell you guys about what's bothering me. I love you all so much, though, as you're all extremely supportive and understanding of anxiety and take it more seriously than all of the people around me. For that, I really thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I want to tag a couple of lovely ladies to do this tag, as I'd love to see their answers:
Lucy at Dimpled Brunette
Katie at Sincere Blonde Fashion

Presents Haul

Hi lovelies, so I went shopping a few days ago and went to TK Maxx and Boots to pick up some presents for looming birthdays. In this post, I'm going to show you what I picked up.

 This is the Wild Sugarcane candle by LAB. This is for my mum as she loves sweet-scented candles - it was only £6! A really good price for a three-wick candle

These are some socks that my boyfriend's mum picked up for me from New Look as she knows I love animal printed socks. They're so cute and soft!

 This was another gift for my mum from TK Maxx. It's the Gwen Stefani OPI Mini Holiday Stars. It was £10 - great for 4 really pretty nail polishes!

 These are the Chesapeake Bay Candle cinnamon spice tea lights (pack of 24) and they are a little gift for my boyfriend's mum as she loves this scent. They were £5 from TK Maxx

This is a gift for my boyfriend's sister's birthday, as she loves cooking and this was a lovely hard-back recipe book that was also quite funny. It was only £3 from TK Maxx!

This is a gift for my boyfriend's birthday, and I got it on a great offer from Boots- £28 and it came with the bag below for free. It smells gorgeous and I think he'll love it

This lovely bag came with the Only The Brave Wild aftershave, and it's really nice quality with a great, simple design that would really appeal to my boyfriend

That's all I got that day! I hope you enjoyed reading this little haul - I love buying gifts for people. Do you have any birthdays coming up?

- Amelia

LUSH Collection: Shower Gels and Body Washes

Hello my little pumpkins, today I have a continuation of my LUSH collection. This one is going to have a few reviews on the shower gels in my LUSH collection.

 These are two bottles of the Christmas exclusive shower gels Snow Fairy. I bought the 500g bottle on it's own for around £7 in the Boxing Day Sale and the other 100g bottle came in a Christmas gift box. They are very very sweet and candy scented, and I have to be in the right mood to use it. However, it's perfect for use as bubble bath as I can't smell it so strongly that way. I've also used it as shampoo before, which was quite nice as it has tiny blue sparkles in it which stayed in my hair and made it glimmer when the light hit it.

This is Sweetie Pie, one of LUSH's shower jellies. This has been discontinued now. It's interesting as it is a jelly that you can use as bubble bath, shower gel or shampoo. It smells really great,  of cherries, and it has some sparkles in it but they don't show up too much. It is really hard to work with though so I recommend that you freeze it in pieces.

This is the Flying Fox shower gel (now sadly discontinued). Ir's a beautiful honey and jasmine scented shower gel which is great for me as it's a combination of two of my favourite scents. I love this for use as shower gel, bubble bath and shampoo, as it's very softening to the skin and honey is strengthening for the hair. This provides an awesome lather, and I feel that it would be suitable as a unisex product as both me and my boyfriend love the scent - the jasmine balances out the sweetness of the honey and the honey ensures that it isn't too floral from the jasmine. I instantly fell in love with this and am so sad it's been discontinued in order to make way for new products - fortunately I have a full 250g bottle of it left.

This is Hot Toddy shower gel and it was a Christmas 2014 exclusive product that I received in a gift box. I feel that this would impress many lovers of Christmas spices, as it contains ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. However, I don't enjoy the scent much as it is incredibly spicy and heady - I get a bit of a headache when I smell this. What I do like about it, however, is the beautiful red colour it has and the gorgeous gold lustre. I haven't used mine so all of the lustre has fallen to the bottom. I think I will be using this as bubble bath for the winter season this year, as I can't see myself fancying it as shampoo.

This is Prince Charming, my favourite LUSH shower gel. It was an exclusive product in the Valentine's 2014 and 2015 collections, and I'm praying it comes back in 2016 so I can very cheekily use my student loan for a bottle of this. I love the name of this as you can imagine a cheesy fairytale prince smelling like this - marshmallow root, vanilla and pomegranate. I'm obsessed with the smell. It's also fun to tease your other half by bragging that you're going to take a bath with Prince Charming.

Last but certainly not least, we have the beautiful Rose Jam. This is packed with Turkish rose absolute, geranium and a bit of lemon which comforts and uplifts you simultaneously. I adore this as it is not an 'old lady' rose scent which I'm not really struck on, but it is not too lemon-y either. This is a limited edition scent for Christmas, and it's been around for years so it's pretty famous in the LUSH community. This is really softening on the skin, and it's gently cleansing for the hair. Use this in your hair and on your body for ultimate scent pay-off.

That's all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed reading about my shower gel collection from LUSH! Have you tried any of their shower gels?

- Amelia

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes Recipe

Hi lovelies, today I have a a quick post with a recipe for my pumpkin spice cupcakes. If you love pumpkin, these moist, spongey cakes are really worth a try. I highly rate them!

Recipe makes 24 cakes

Ingredients:
1.5 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp cinnamon (double if you want)
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp all-spice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
1.5 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
14 ounces pumpkin purée

Optional icing glaze:
3/4 cup icing sugar
1.5 tbsp milk (plus any extra if it's too thick)
1 tbsp maple syrup (add more syrup and less milk for more intense flavour)

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180C, and line a 12-hole cupcake tray
2. Add your flour, salt and spices into a bowl
3. In a separate bowl, beat together your sugar and oil
4. Beat your eggs into the oil and sugar mixture one at a time
5. Mix your pumpkin gently into your egg, sugar and oil mixture
6. Slowly add your pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture
7. Fill your cupcake cases and bake them for 12 minutes - to test that they're ready, gently press the top. If it springs back, it's ready
8. If using the icing glaze, wait til the cupcakes are cool and drizzle the icing on them using a fork. Leave for about 20 minutes for the icing to harden

That's all for today's post. I really hope that you try this recipe out if you get the chance - I absolutely adore pumpkin spice and these went down a treat. If you have any other recipe requests, be sure to leave them below and I'll happily post them!
- Amelia

LUSH Collection: Haircare

Hi lovelies, today I have my haircare selection from Lush. I'll have some mini-reviews below with how I've felt about each product. Hope you enjoy!

Left to right: Montalbano, Jason and the Argan Oil, Ultimate Shine. All of these are shampoo bars that I personally love. Montalbano is a lemon-scented olive-filled bar which lathers beautifully and is fairly clarifying but not drying to the hair. It adds a nice shine to the hair, and I think it would be particularly good for blonde hair and red hair. Secondly, Jason is a lovely and softening Rose Jam scented shampoo. It is infused with argan oil which is softening, strengthening and moisturising to the hair, and it is said to be good for fine hair - however, I have fairly thick hair so I can't really vouch for this. It left my hair smelling lovely, but I don't think there's anything that really sets it apart from other argan oil shampoos, other than it's weightlessness. And thirdly, Ultimate Shine supposedly smells like jasmine but I personally can't smell this - it is now a discontinued product. I find that it is good at infusing shine, however no better than Montalbano does for me. I'm not mad on the scent, but it is alright.

 Left to right: Jungle solid conditioner, American Cream conditioner, Retreat conditioner. Jungle is filled with fruit, butters and oils to moisturise and tame wild hair. Many people do not rate this, however I really quite like it and I would recommend this if you are trying to travel with just hand luggage as it would not have to be packed in your liquids bag. I've used it several times and it keeps my hair lightweight and shiny! Finally, Retread is a thick, deep conditioner which is intended to help mend your hair. I have used mine twice, only on the midlengths and ends which is why I haven't used much. At £10.75 a tub, I am not willing to use much at once! This is rather nice, and since I cut my hair shorter in April, I've wanted to keep it as healthy as possible so that I could grow it to be longer and healthier in the long haul. I'm not a huge fan of the scent (hated it when I first bought it but used to it now), I think it's the cantaloupe and a mixture of the oils that give it it's strange scent. However, you can just tell that it's going to be very restorative and luxurious for damaged hair.

Left to right: Big sea salt shampoo, I love Juicy shampoo. I am very much enamoured with my Big shampoo - it's the best shampoo I've used for making my hair shiny, and I love the orange blossom scent, very floral and lovely. This is one of Lush's most raved about products and I agree that it is very nice, however it is expensive (£12.25 for 330g) so I only use it for special occasions, when I want my hair to impress. I would recommend it as something to use now and then, but I think personally it is too costly to use every single hair wash. I love Juicy is a very clarifying shampoo filled with fruit enzymes which help to deep clean the hair. This is what I use when there's some serious build-up in my hair that I just can't budge with my normal shampoos. I'm not very keen on the smell personally, as it's a very very strong scent of lemon and papaya which just blows me away when I smell it. It doesn't linger so strongly on the hair, however, so I can bear to use it. It is nice, but probably would be too harshly clarifying for the hair to use often - maybe once a week or once every two weeks.

That's everything for this one, pumpkins. Hope you enjoyed reading about my Lush haircare collection, I do rate a couple of these and will repurchase when I run out. If you've got any further questions, leave them down below!
- Amelia

Fall Essentials 2015

Hi pumpkins, today I've got a post to celebrate the arrival of Fall! This is my fall essentials - some of the things that make fall special to me. Hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin everything! These are my very lovely pumpkin spice cupcakes that go down a treat with all fans of pumpkin and fall. I glazed them with maple syrup icing to make them extra special. I can post the recipe for this on my blog if anyone is interested in trying them out for themselves.









Thigh-high socks and knitted tights are an essential for me because they keep me warm when I want to wear skirts and dresses in the colder weather. Plus, they both look extremely cute with boots! These are found in most clothes shops - mine were from Next and I bought them last year.

Time with friends and loved ones is really important all year round, but I always find fall really special- getting caught in the rain together always makes for a funny, happy memory. This picture was from a trip to Brussels with my boyfriend last year.












Chelsea boots are one of my favourite style essentials and come in really handy in fall when it often rains and there's leaves covering the floor. They're more sturdy than flats or slip-ons, and go with pretty much everything. Mine were in the Clarks sale, reduced to £40, and I've worn them so much already - I can tell I'll be glued to them for fall.

Another thing I like to do for fall is switch out my perfumes, putting aside my heavily floral and sweet scents that I like to wear for summer and changing them for darker, more sultry, masculine scents that call for dark clothes and dark lip colours. This is La Lune number 18 from Dolce and Gabbana. It's described as floral with a hint of leather, and has notes of lily, tuberose and musk. I loved this last fall and winter and I'm sure it will last me until at least next fall, too.

A good hair mask is a must for post-summer hair. After swimming in pools, the ocean and being under the sun, our hair needs some TLC. This one here that I've used a few times so far is the ORS Coconut Oil - it's a wax-like texture that you smooth over your mid-lengths and ends and leave on for a few hours before thoroughly (and I mean thoroughly - use your most clarifiying shampoo) washing out. This makes my hair feel less frizzy and seals my split ends nicely. There's tonnes of hair masks out there so have a hunt for ones that suit your hair needs.

It's not just our hair that needs some TLC after the heat of summer. I find that my skin becomes drier with the changing weather, so I like to give it a good moisturise every day, or at least every other day. This is my Boots extracts cocoa butter body butter - my favourite line of the Boots extracts range. This not only smells beautiful, but deeply hydrates skin. I love to use this after I've shaved my legs as it cools and hydrates them, keeping them smoother and softer for longer.

Berry lips. Need I say anymore? This is an obvious one for the colder and darker months - they go together like strawberries and cream. This one here is my Clinique Chubby Stick intense in the colour 06 roomiest rose. This one is great for year round as you can sheer it out in spring or summer or apply it a bit more heavily to create a sublime pink-berry colour. I find that this isn't too harsh on my pale skin, but it brings the focus to your lips. I love it particularly as it is so nourishing, and not drying in the slightest!



That's all I have for this post! I hope you enjoyed reading my fall essentials. What are some of your fall essentials?
- Amelia

LUSH Collection: Body Scrubs, Body Conditioner and Massage Bars

Hello pumpkins, this is my next instalment of my LUSH collection and today it covers body conditioners, massage bars and body scrubs. These are probably some of my favourite products from LUSH, as I find that they are incredibly unique in comparison to other brands. Enjoy!


This is Ro's Argan body conditioner, which smells of roses and argan oil. This is packed with shea and cocoa butter, and brazil nut and almond oils, which leave your skin so plump, full and soft, whilst smelling gorgeous. I can't get enough of this, and neither can my boyfriend, but it is rather pricey - £16.50 for 225g. It makes an amazing birthday or Christmas present.

This is Rub Rub Rub shower scrub, which is great for scrubbing your body or to clarify and add shine to dull hair. It contains sea salt, lots of lemon juice, jasmine flower absolute and orange flower absolute, making it an uplifting floral experience. This is most-loved by me in the summer as it beachifies my hair and body.

 This is the Hottie massage bar, which contains ginger and black pepper. If you've ever smelled Granny Takes a Dip, it smells quite similar to that. It also has vanilla in it but I can't personally smell it much. I haven't used this yet as I'm really not keen on the smell, but the bumps would be lovely for a back massage to help loosen up tense muscles. For people who enjoy spicy scents, you would enjoy this, but if you're after sweet, feminine scents, I wouldn't buy it. I got this in a Christmas gift set from the Boxing day sale.

 This is the Tender Is The Night massage bar, and it's so gorgeous. It is very romantic and sensual, with scents of jasmine, vanilla and ylang ylang, it's my perfect blend of scents. This is highly moisturising too, with lots of essential oils and butters such as murumuru and shea butter. This is really highly rated on the Lush website, and if I had to choose just one of their massage bars for the rest of my life, I would choose this one as the scent is timeless - I could never get bored of it.

This is the beautiful Pearl massage bar, which has such a beautiful design. It has these cute pink sago bubbles in it to help gently massage and exfoliate the skin. This is very sweet smelling, of argan oil and rose absolute, and a little dash of lemon. It's also very moisturising for the skin as it contains coconut oil, cocoa butter and shea butter. It's a very delicate scent, so if you hate roses, hopefully you won't hate this.

That's all I have to tell you about! I hope you enjoyed seeing my little reviews on these products. I'm very lucky to have these things and I'm extremely lucky that most of my Lush products were gifts from people that like to see me fangirl over Lush products! Leave me a comment down below if you like!
- Amelia

LUSH Collection: Soaps and FUN

Hi lovelies, so you've got the gist of it now - I'm writing some posts covering everything I currently have in my LUSH collection, and today it is the soaps and FUN. Hope you enjoy!

This is Cupid's Love soap from the Valentine's 2014 and 2015 ranges. This is amazing. It has pomegranate and fig so it's a fruity delight which lathers up wonderfully. I have a 250g piece which I've used a few times and I've hardly made a dent in it. The design is also lovely, with a white heart running through the centre. It is such a romantic soap, and it makes me feel lucky to be alive when I use it. Very uplifting.

These are two chunks of the Sultana of Soap, which is a permanent soap from LUSH. It is deliciously scented of currants, olibanum oil and geranium oil. The oils are really hydrating for the skin, and the currants in it help to really gently slough away dead and dry skin cells. If you've got sensitive skin, this will be so very lovely for you as it doesn't dry you out like cheap soap does.

 This is Reindeer Rock, a soap from the Christmas 2014 range. It is a beautiful fruity, berry scented soap. Furthermore, the colour is absolutely glorious! It's a dark wine red which makes me think of warming mulled wine - perfect for fall and winter. It also has a very sweet design, with reindeer cut outs on the surface, sprinkled with tiny little pieces of silver glitter, which leaves your skin subtly sparkling - not quite like Edward Cullen, but still pretty sexy.

Porridge soap is amazing for year-round. This is from the permanent range, and is sweetly scented of treacly porridge and orange juice, like a comforting, yummy breakfast. It has many oats throughout which gently exfoliate, making it suitable for day-to-day usage. The lather isn't soapy and harsh, it is extremely creamy and comforting, like a thirst-quencher for dry skin.

This is a bar of LUSH's pink FUN, which is similar to a bubble bar but in a consistency like play dough that you can mould into different shapes. I use this for everything - bubble bath, body wash, shampoo and once I even used it to clean our dishes in a caravan when we ran out of soap on the last day. It is very multi-functional and the sweet candy smell hangs around for ages!


So, that's all for today's post on LUSH's lovely soaps. I hope you enjoyed reading this - leave me a comment below with anything you want to say!
- Amelia

Tips for De-Stressing

As we're coming into the back-to-school and back-to-uni period, I find it increasingly important to remember that every now and then, it's important to take an hour or two to yourself to de-stress, especially when you've had a hard day or you're feeling like the pressure is on. I'm a total stress-head, and although 95% of the time I am quite a relaxed, content person, I get nights where I am very anxious and feel extremely on edge. These are some tried-and-tested tips of mine that help me out when I'm feeling nervous, anxious and worried.

1. Lighting candles or breathing in essential oils.
 - I find it calming to breathe in pleasant scents when I feel stressed, as I feel as if the air around me if being 'cleansed' of the stressful atmosphere. I like to light a Yankee candle or melt one of their tarts, or I warm up one of my microwaveable animals and breathe in the lavender scent. Just ensure that the scent you're breathing in aren't so strong that they could give you a headache.

Yankee Candle's 'Red Raspberry'

2. Drinking tea.
 - As someone who, 9 times out of 10, drinks tea over coffee, I find it to be a familiar and comforting ritual that I start and end my day with. Some people like herbal teas such as lemon and rose, but my favourites are English breakfast, green, matcha and camomile.

3. Reading.
 - I like to read when I feel a bit stressed out. When I'm feeling on edge, I like to escape reality and whatever is bothering me by going into a fictitious world, or by reading Shakespearean plays. I particularly like to read Howl's Moving Castle, as it is filled with fantasy, romance and magic and I love the film, too. I also like to read plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet - any of the romances. These instil the idea that true love never dies, and although many of his romances were also tragedies, I find the love between the characters heart-warming.

4. Taking a bath/shower and pampering yourself.
 - This is one of my favourite things to do when I'm feeling down in the dumps, as I find that using my nicer cosmetics on my skin and hair make me feel extra squeaky-clean and ready for a new day. I like using a Lush bath bomb or bubble bar to make my bath water really smooth and silky, or I'll use a Lush shower gel in the shower. This is also when I'll do a hair mask, face mask, shave and maybe apply fake tan too, as that always makes me feel a little bit better about myself. Having a massage from a significant other is also very relaxing, however you can massage your own body too. I like to massage my thighs using a Lush massage bar, and I find that this helps me out with my body confidence issues, too.

The 'Tender is the Night' massage bar from LUSH

5. Repeating positive mantras and EFT tapping.
- I find repeating positive mantras (e.g. 'have faith in how far you have come, have faith in how far you will go', 'I have enough, I do enough, I am enough') and doing some EFT tapping for anxiety (watch a YouTube video on this if you want a little tutorial on how to do it) make me feel a whole lot better in a small amount of time. Plus, it's accessible and you can do it whenever you feel anxious.

6. Take a nap.
- This is one of my favourite things to do as I love sleeping as it symbolises a fresh start for me. If I'm feeling anxious, pressurised or in a rut, I'll take a 20 minute to 60 minute long power nap to refresh my body and mind, then I'll continue to do whatever I have planned to do.

7. Playing games.
- Using apps or playing games can distract your mind and make you feel happier. Brain games in particular are the best ones to play as they help develop your logic skills and you can set yourself little challenges and look forward to playing.

8. Cleaning and organising.
- If you prefer to feel proactive over relaxing in the bath, I recommend that you do a task such as cleaning your room, organising your wardrobe or drawers and throwing out or donating anything you don't need anymore. At the moment, the world is in an organising obsession, as Marie Kondo's amazing book 'The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up' has people wanting to hit the refresh button on their possessions. I have done this myself in the break I've had between sixth form and university, as I want to make university my new, fresh start. It's made me feel more organised, more tidy and now I love everything in my bedroom.

Those are all of the tips I have for today's post. I hope that this has given you the courage to take some 'you time' and let go of the stress. It's very important for your mental, emotional and physical health to press pause now and then. Leave me a comment down below with your favourite things to do when you need to de-stress.
- Amelia

LUSH Collection: Bath Bombs and Bubble Bars

Hi my lovely pumpkins, today I'm writing a little post with mini-reviews of the bath bombs and bubble bars that I currently own from LUSH. The following are the ones that I have in my collection at the moment, but I can do a post reviewing all of the ones I have tried so far if anybody would be interested in seeing that. These are all products that you would use to scent and colour your bath water, and bubble bars add bubbles to your bath when they're crumbled under the running tap.

 This is the Yuzu and Cocoa bubbleroon. A bubbleroon is a bubble bar shaped like a macaron. This is the old version of it, and it has recently been reformulated and the shape has changed. This contains coconut oil and shea butter, making it very moisturising and great for dry skin. This smells like a blend of shea butter and chocolate, meaning it satisfies any sweet cravings you might have. There's also some citrus oils in there which help to boost your mood, so if you're feeling a bit groggy, unwind with this one and envelope yourself in gorgeous chocolate-scented bubbles. I get two uses out of these - one time I actually overflowed my bath with bubbles by putting the whole thing in!

This is the Rose Jam bubbleroon, similar to Yuzu and Cocoa but in a much prettier colour and has the signature Rose Jam scent from LUSH. This has also now been reformulated to contain some sparkles now, which I will definitely try out. This has the scent of lemon, rose, geranium, coconut oil and shea butter. If you don't like the scent of roses, don't let the name deter you as it is not a heady 'old lady-like' rose scent that many rose-scented products are. It is much more subtle and the lemon makes it a peppy treat, whilst shea butter and coconut oil make it super skin aiding. Again, I recommend splitting it in half to get two uses out of it. 

 Tisty Tosty is a lovely bath bomb stuffed with rose buds which float around your bath, making you feel like you're in a Shakespeare play, as it is based on a medieval love potion. It is scented with orris root powder, rose, lemon, geranium, and jasmine, but it is not a very complex scent which you need to work your head around. However, this is not particularly moisturising and, apart from the lovely rosebuds, isn't an exciting spectacle to watch as it dissolves. Many people choose LUSH bath bombs as aspell-binding show to watch in their bath tubs, however this is not the most colourful bath bomb they provide. If you prefer colourful bath bombs, go for Dragon's Egg or Fizzbanger.

This is one half of the Christmas exclusive Christmas Eve bubble bar, which is very very lovely in my opinion. This comes out a gorgeous light blue colour in the bath. The blue was much brighter originally, but as I keep my bath bombs and bubble bars in a bowl by my window, they have been bleached a bit by the sun. This smells thoroughly as jasmine, which I adore - it's one of my favourite scents. It is regarded as an Aphrodisiac, however this is very calming to me, and I will be using it for my bath on Christmas Eve this year to set me in the spirits for the next day and help me fall asleep.

This is Armandopondo, a bubble bar which has recently been discontinued from LUSH. This is pretty sad for me as it's another scent that I find really uplifting and comforting. It smells of rose and lemon, and creates heaps and heaps of bubbles. This was quite skin-softening, but not on the same level as the bubbleroons. 

This is the Rose bath bomb and was an exclusive product from the Mother's Day 2015 range. It smells very subtly of roses, and is really lovely for your skin as it has soy milk in it, kind of like what Cleopatra used to keep her skin soft and smooth. It isn't a colourful bath bomb however, so if you're expecting lots of pretty colours, this isn't the one for you. If you like simplicity and subtle scents that won't give you a headache, look out for it if you can.

So, that's all of the bath bombs and bubble bars that I own from LUSH at the moment. I'm also going to do a post on my hair and skin care products that I own, as well as other body products such as shower gels etc. Comment down below if you have any suggestions or comments on this post or the rest of my blog - thanks!

- You Amelia