Lush Favourites

When it comes to Lush products, everyone has their favourites. The whole aura of the shops are enough to draw in a beauty, bath or body care obsessed girl from miles away, especially when you can find the store amongst hundreds by simply following your nose. My first Lush product is one I spent a long time researching. I still remember how I felt and my excitement when I first walked into the Trafford Centre store and picked up the Space Girl bath bomb. Three years later, everyone who knows me should've had a present - whether that be birthdays, Christmas or just random presents - from me, from Lush. Any excuse I can find to pick up a bath product, I'm all over it.

To this day, Space Girl is still one of my favourite Lush products, and one of my favourite bath bombs ever. That's a big statement but one that it's able to fill. I love it when scents can take you back to a certain chapter in your life and that's exactly what this does to me. I first bought this when I was in my third year of high school and long, relaxing, candlelit bubble baths were important for my sanity. I'm not a fan of the glitter that these are coated in so I always pick the one with the least coating but the smell of this is divine. Sweet, refreshing and parma violet-like, it's the perfect ingredient for a bubble bath.

Talking of bubbles, I can never resist picking up The Comforter whenever I'm in Lush.  The supersized bubble bar gives enough bubbles for at least two pink baths. This has minimal effort with maximum results; spend a minute or two crumbling it under the tap and you're left with a bright pink, bubble-filled bath that smells like a blackcurrant dream. I always find my skin is very soft and moisturised when I use this, which is always a plus!

What would a Lush favourites post be without a mention of Snow Fairy? For the past three years I've been stocking up on enough Snow Fairy Shower Gels to last me at least 6 months. The S.F range is only out around Christmas and I wait for it every year. If this came in perfume form, I'd be the first to buy it - that's how obsessed I am with it! If you're a lover of marshmallows, sweets and candy floss, this is probably your idea of heaven. Make sure you go into a Lush store and at least give it a sniff, but beware; once you've given it a smell you'll be hooked & anticipating Christmas just for Snow Fairy all year round!

What's your favourite Lush product?

The Reading List

To be honest, I'm not that much of a reader. When it comes to blogs, websites or even magazines I'm all for a good read, but the lack of pictures and amount of words in a book scares me out of reading them. Due to being a very visual person, quite often books catch my eye & I trick myself into thinking I'll actually get round to reading them if they sit looking pretty on my desk. Needless to say it never works. However in an attempt to start reading more and expand on my book knowledge, grammar & vocabulary, I'm making an effort to get reading something non-internetty.

IT - ALEXA CHUNG
When I was talking about books looking pretty, I was mainly talking about this one. Who wouldn't want a pastel pink book with a nice font (and Meenie's paw prints!) on their desk? Plus, Alexa Chung is one of my all-time favourite style icons so buying this was a no-brainer for me. I did have a flick through and saw that it has quite a few photos/illustrations in, so I guess this will be the first book I attempt to tackle!

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS - JOHN GREEN
I have actually read this before but fell into the trap where you read the words, don't actually take them in & re-read them over and over again. I've also attempted to read it on around 10 different occasions. once I've started reading, I won't stop. when I do eventually put the book down I tend to lack the motivation to pick it back up & continue where I left off. If I manage to finish 'IT', I'll try this again and re-read it (and actually take it in!) before I watch the movie.

AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES - JOHN GREEN
This was one that I picked up along with TFOIS because I'd researched that it'd be an author that I'd like to read. I'm your typical girl when it comes to books; airy-fairy, romantic teen books are what I tend to go for. This book is along the young adult novel genre so I think this would be a good read for me!

Have you read any of these books? What's on your reading list?

25 Things To Do On A Sunday

Sundays are a day for rest. A day of relaxing, doing nothing but preparing for the week ahead. Sundays are probably my favourite days of the week purely for that reason - you don't feel guilty about doing nothing but spending the day surgically attached to your laptop. If you're bored or just fancy doing something this Sunday, here's my guide to the perfect day.

01.  Catch up with your favourite blogs!
02.  Plan for the week ahead using your favourite pens.
03.  Paint your nails.
04.  Watch an episode of Pretty Little Liars. Or five.
05.  Light your favourite candle.
06.  Take your camera on a walk & snap some photos.
07.  Drink enough hot chocolates to swim in.
08.  Give your bedroom a Spring clean.
09.  Shop until your feet hurt.
10.  Buy some fresh flowers that make the house smell fresh.
11.  Bake some cupcakes.
12.  Treat yourself to a Lush bubble bath.
13.  Practice your handwriting.
14.  Creating a playlist for your week.
15.  Catch up with your YouTube subscriptions.
16.  Read a book.
17.  Spend time with your family.
18.  Try doing some yoga to relax yourself.
19.  Pamper yourself!
20.  Have a makeup-free day.
21.  Go on an adventure.
22.  Pick out some of your favourite outfits.
23.  Pin your life away.
24.  Watch some cheesy romantic films.
25.  Catch up on sleep.

What's your favourite thing to do on a Sunday?

The Best For Beauty

When it comes to makeup advice, beauty hacks or even specific product reviews, there's always many places that I look to. However, depending on subject there's a few places I check. I like to decipher them into three categories; the books, the relatives and the blogs and I use these three to help me get the information I'm looking for. Of course each has it's benefits and downfalls - for example, I doubt my mum would know different ways to pull off eyeliner but I'd never have made it to my beauty loving years if she'd taught me the importance of not over-plucking my brows.

The first category is books and where I go to be inspired. The best I've found are magazines like Porter and Company but most magazines and papers usually have a beauty section. It's where I see post ideas, new product launches and different ways to use the products. More traditional books I've found are by the likes of Lauren Conrad and Bobbi Brown. Beauty by LC is one of what I like to call a 'beauty bible' in which Lauren herself gives some beauty advice, tips & tricks as well as stories from her beginning in makeup. Definitely a great read if beauty is your thing!

Relatives are where I check in for more traditional advice and tips. I always read about/see people older than me saying that their eyebrows were majorly over plucked when they were teens but I'm so grateful my mum told me about staying away from my brows. When I did start to play around with them, she did them herself to show me how it's done. Mums are the best! If you're up for a laugh, try reading some of the worst beauty advice I've ever heard.

The most obvious one (and the one I have the most faith in!) are the blogs. I spend about 1 hour a day solely reading blogs of all kinds but this is the best category when it comes to reviews. There's a few blogs I go to for beauty reviews, mainly including Vivianna Does Makeup, Milkteef & Pearls and Poodles. Emma's blog also has a really handy directory which I think is a lifesaver! When I'm looking for a product that isn't really around in the blogosphere, Google is the answer - simply type the product name with the word 'blog' on the end and you'll have all of the results!

Where's your favourite places for beauty?