May Bank Holiday Haul - Skincare and Makeup

Apologies for the super long break since my last blog post, but work has been keeping me busy (The joys of being an NQT!).

Anyway, I decided to make the most of the bank holiday weekend and spent most of Saturday walking around London, from Holborn to Covent Garden and then onto Oxford Street. While I was enjoying the sunny Spring weather, I couldn't resist picking up a few things and even managed to cross two items off my wishlist.

 

I've taken more of an interest in skincare over the past few weeks and finally managed to buy the Pixi Glow Tonic, an exfoliating acid toner which helps remove dead skin cells without any of the scrubbing. I also came across the range of Origins Mask Pods, which were on offer in Selfridges (6 for £12, one retails for £2.50), and chose a few different ones to try out. I do like the idea of the mask pods as they allow you to try the mask without committing to a full size product, which helps when saving money.

I also purchased two makeup products, the Charlotte Tilbury Skin Perfecting Micro Powder in medium (on my wish list) and the Chubby Lipstick in shade 103 from new brand 3INA (which has a store in Covent Garden). I haven't been makeup shopping in quite a while, but I don't think my makeup collection needs to grow anymore. Hopefully I'll be sharing what I think of the products in a few review posts soon, although I'm not exactly sure when that'll be!
 

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Review: Lush Fresh Face Mask - Don't Look At Me

I think this is one of Lush's newer fresh face masks as I haven't seen it in store previously (although I'm not exactly sure how new). The Don't Look At Me fresh face mask is a gritty, bright blue mask (which is what made me pick it up) that is very similar in appearance to their well known Ocean Salt scrub.

Don't Look At Me contains ground white rice, giving it the exfoliating texture which also makes is perfect as a face scrub. The murumuru butter, neroli and grapefruit oils and rice syrup in the mask help to soften, brighten and nourish the skin. The mask itself isn't very strongly scented (in comparison to some of the other fresh face masks available), but it is definitely a lot more exfoliating due to the texture. Lush recommends that the mask is smoothed over the skin and left for 10-15 minutes before removing with water. I left the mask on for a little longer as it didn't dry completely and wasn't flaking off my face. I then used a damp muslin cloth to remove the mask, making sure not to leave any on my face. I think that this fresh face mask is better used as a face scrub a few times a week, as using it every day would over exfoliate your skin. Overall, I think this is definitely a mask I would repurchase again. At £6.75 it's the same price as all the fresh face masks and also has to be stored in the fridge.



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Review: H&M Argan Oil and Rosehip Oil Hydrating Face Mask

As a big fan of face masks, I picked up one of the H&M masks a few weeks ago. My skin was quite dry and dehydrated, so I chose the hydrating mask which contains argan oil, rosehip oil and shea and cocoa butter. At £1.99 I didn't think too much of it.

Last week, I decided to use the H&M face mask instead of my usual sheet masks. The result? Not great. Moments after I had applied the mask to my face, my eyes started watering and itching.

Considering I had applied the mask nowhere near my eyes, I was confused as to why I was in tears. I managed to leave the face mask on for a few minutes before I washed it off using a wet flannel and warm water. My skin felt smooth at first but I had to apply moisturiser soon after as my skin felt quite dry. Overall, I wouldn't repurchase this face mask again. I'm not sure what ingredients caused my eyes to water but unfortunately it's put me off trying out the rest of the masks available at H&M.


Have you tried any of the H&M face masks?



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Welcoming 2016 =)

Yes, I know I'm three days late, but Happy New Year to all my readers! I should really be doing some lesson planning in preparation for work tomorrow, but thought a quick blog post shouldn't hurt =)

I don't really have any new year's resolutions for this year, apart from passing my NQT year. Other than that, I'm just looking forward to seeing how the year progresses (and also attending a few friend's weddings which are also coming up in the year!). This year will definitely be more career focused as I am responsible for my own class. Even though I don't spend all my time at school, I do spend a lot of time thinking about (and preparing for) work. I'm also trying to find a work-life balance (which sounds impossible) and will be getting back to swimming on a regular basis as well as other things.

In other non-work related news, I also changed the colour of my dip dye today. Previously, it has been pink and then blue, but I thought I would start the new year with the end of my hair dyed purple. The bottom of my hair has been bleached until almost white and then I applied the colour over the top. For anyone who wants to know, I use the Colour Freedom dyes, as they are semi-permanent so I can either top-up the colour, or change it (depending on my mood) as it starts to fade.

Hopefully, I'll be blogging a bit more than last year as I don't have any more assignments (student life has finally come to an end!), but I'm also hoping to be scrapbooking and crafting a lot more this year too.

What are your plans/goals for this year?



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Scrapbooking:Project Life 2016

Happy holidays everyone! Today's post is a little (or not so little) scrapbooking update. I can't believe that I've managed to keep up scrapbooking with Project Life for a whole year! From choosing which pictures to print, to selecting different pocket cards and adding a little bit of journaling, I definitely enjoy this method of scrapbooking. I also love adding embellishments (stickers and glitter, need I say more?) but Project Life doesn't require a lot of those so it's a lot less time consuming, which is perfect as I can fit it in when I have free time.

 

I suppose it should come as no surprise then, that I ordered a new Project Life album for 2016. I didn't order any more pocket cards as I already have a pretty large collection which I will be using up. I'm also starting a mini scrapbook project for a friend that will form part of a gift next year (unfortunately I can't give away anymore information on that just yet).

Here's a look at some snaps of my 2015 album =)

 

Would I recommend Project Life as a way to scrapbook? Yes!
The initial costs for the album, page protectors and cards work out a little pricey but after that, the only thing I pay for are the photos that I print. Have a read of my first Project Life blog post here for more information on where I purchase different products.

Anyone else going to be scrapbooking in 2016?



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