July Empties 2012!

I know this will be later than other empties posts, but I managed to wait until I moved out before writing this post. 

Here they all are ready to be recycled!

July has been a month of skincare and finally leaving some bits behind that I haven't been using for at least 6 months.

First up are bits from Elemis:

L-R Toner, Skin Bliss Capsules and Cleanser

• Elemis Lime Blossom Balancing Cleanser and Lavender Toner - I purchased this along with the lavender toner, as it was recommended to me by a beautician. However I found both of these products didn't suit my dry skin, and I ended up with more breakouts. However I have many friends who rave about this pairing, so I think it suits more normal to combination skin. Cleanser and toner are available for £19.40 each here. I wouldn't repurchase these, but would like to try other Elemis cleansers and toners.
• Elemis Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules - The name's a nit of a mouthful but I love these capsules I got a week's supply on a gift with purchase when I bought the cleanser and toner. Use the pink oil containing capsule in the morning, followed by the green lavender based at night, for soft and supple skin. A month's supply of 60 capsules at  is £59.30 from timetospa - I would love to repurchase but I think I'm going to need a lottery win first! Will look out for an offer on this.

More facial skincare from Lush:

Fresh Farmacy and the scrummy Oatifix

• Fresh Farmacy - This was advised to me as I noticed that I had a change in my skin and it went oily for a short period earlier in the year. This was non-irritating but did dry me out a bit more than I wanted. I would recommend this to someone with oily/combination skin which is prone to irritation. I have since found there Angels on Dream Skin cleanser to be a great match for my skin. If you like the sound of Fresh Farmacy it's here for £4.70 for a 100g block but I won't be repurchasing.
• Oatifix Fresh Face Mask - Oh man, I love this. It has oats, bananas and almods, it smells amazing, and rehydrates my dry and dehydrated skin a treat, even if I do look like a baby was sick on my face a few times a week. You keep it in the fridge and I get about seven masks out of this. It costs £5.95 from Lush and I find it to be surprisingly good value for money. I'm repurchasing? YEAH BUDDY!

Some candle empties:

Lily Flame Blush (go get you some!) and some Fruit Fusion action.

• Yankee Candle Fruit Fusion - Berries and citrus, if fruity candles are your thing you will love this. Coming in at £18.99 for a large jar, grab it here I would be repurchasing if I was a fruity girl.
• Lily Flame Blush Tin - Now we're talking this is my kind of candle - this baby pink beauty gives 30 hours of burn time, and smells like a beautiful floral perfume. Only buy this bad boy if you like super girly scents. Get them for £8.50 direct from Lily Flame. If I was to advise you to purchase one thing from this post it would be this.

To my miscellanous:

• The Body Shop Lychee Blossom Body Butter - I don't think this is available any more I'm afraid. It's a lovely tropical fruit with a little bit of floral scent. I have few faults with the product, but I prefer other Body Shop body butters which I would repurchase ahead of this.
• Derma Intensive Q10 Hand and Nail Cream - This was a stocking filler from my Mum, I really don't like this it left a film on my hands and didn't moisturise that well. I think this can be picked up relatively inexpensively from places like Savers and Poundland.
• L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Dark Brown - I bought this in dark brown by mistake instead of black. Love the formula, and I have learned to love the unusually skinny brush. A firm daytime mascara favourite for me. I will definitely be repurchasing this in either dark brown or black when I've used up some other mascaras. It's currently £10.99 in Boots go get your advantage points.
• Marc Jacobs Daisy 100 ml Eau De Toilette - Daisy is a wonderfully light and cheerful scent, perfect of summer. I'd say it smells quite grassy and meadowy (so it's not a word, but I can't think of a better one) with a little hint of fruity.  It's youthful without being childish and I received a ton of compliments when wearing this. Plus how cool is the bottle? It may be £56 for a 100ml but Boots are doing triple points on some large fragrances (online only) including this one! I have loads of other perfumes I want to try first, but may make a sneaky repurchase of this. 

Wow! A long post, well done if you made it to the end a round of applause for you. I love reading empties post, comment with your post below and I will have a good old read and may discover some new products.

livebathlove,

Laura X

I met the Lush Compounders

Apologies about this post being a little late I've moved back home for a month to the rainy Northern England!

On Saturday I made the TREK to Lush Regent Street, it took me over an hour to get there, but it was worth it to meet the compounders.

The compounders are the people that make the bath ballistics and the bubble bars at Lush. I always wondered what the people on the stickers that make my lip scrubs and cleansers actually look like.

Fortunately the weather in London on Saturday was positively glorious, so bath ballistics were being made outside the store. The mix of the bath bomb, so the bicarbonate, colour, scent and glitter were already pre-mixed. It's your job to mould them!

All gloved up! Must have been looking into the sun - as my eyes have gone a bit Quasimodo!

Soaking up the sun in Regents Street.

There are 3 choices that may be available on the day - 

• Blackberry - inspired by Paris, smells of blackberry and musk.
• Space Girl - looks like a planet, contains glitter and popping candy with a sweet citrus kick.
• Think Pink - super girly, bright pink with a vanilla and tonka bean scent.

My chosen flowers in the mould.

Think Pink was the one available on Saturday, this meant I got to pick my three colours of flowers, I went for my favourite three blue, white and yellow. Then scoop up a large amount of pink products including heart shaped glitter and squeeze together. Best of all I got to keep my bath bomb for FREE. 

Getting stuck in - one Think Pink bath bomb produced.

I've actually never tried Think Pink and will be using it in my first bath when I'm back in London.

As I expect from Lush the compounders and staff at Lush Regent Street were delightful and are always enthusiastic about their products.

If you're in Central London this week you can meet the compounders on Friday 10th August at the Victoria branch, and on Saturday 11th August at Covent Garden which is my favourite branch.

If you can't get to a Lush store there products are all available online here, and if you ask nicely with a big order you may get a free sliver of soap!

Would love to hear your favourite Lush products? Is anyone else planning to meet the compounders?

And who knows maybe if I fail my degree maybe I can apply to be a Lush compounder and make bath ballistics all day.

livebathlove,

Laura X