My "Sunday" Shampoo: Lush's I Love Juicy Shampoo

I picked up Lush's I Love Juicy Shampoo in their yearly Boxing Day sale so I've been using this for quite a few months now! It's a very clarifying shampoo and I only really use it weekly, or after I've gone a bit OTT on the hair products - so usually after "nights out" when I've actually done something special with my hair. What I've found is that it is pretty wonderful at completely de-gunking hair and leaving it fresh, light and squeaky clean. It definitely isn't something you'd reach for daily but it is a great option to have lying about the shower. My bottle doesn't expire until the sixteenth of October this year (and I bought it in December) so even if I only reach for it occasionally I'll definitely finish this 100g bottle before then - I could probably feasibly finish off a 250g bottle - so don't let Lush's use by dates put you off trying it. Although I do really like it, I have recently tried out a sample of Lush's Rehab Shampoo (here's a link to the post where I mentioned it) and I have to admit that I think it's the slightly more luxurious version of I Love Juicy. I'd recommend giving both a try, but I'd definitely ask for samples before you buy so you can see which you prefer. You can find I Love Juicy Shampoo for £5.25 for 100g in Lush stores or online here.

Do you use a clarifying shampoo?

A Budget Must Have: MaxFactor's Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink

My love affair with cream blushes is far from over....

MaxFactor's Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink is in fact the nicest 'drugstore' blush I've come across. It has enough pigment to give a good colour without being at all difficult to work with and the formula is slightly tacky to the touch which means that it does stick around on your cheeks throughout the day. The wearability of this is a big part of the reason I like it. It doesn't disappear to nothing after an hour or two, but like all cream blushes, it doesn't have the same lasting power as a good powder blush. The colour of 'Soft Pink' is so gorgeous, it gives such a natural looking flush to the cheeks that I find incredibly flattering. For minimal make-up days this is all I'm reaching for and on days when I'm wearing more make-up I just add a little bit more than normal to amp up the colour - because among all it's other positive characteristics, it's really easily buildable. But really, you need to see this blush in action to get a sense of the colour and look of it so I've included a day-time make-up look in which I've used it on my cheeks.

What I'm wearing

• Smashbox Photo Matte Anti Shine Primer and Photo Finish Foundation Primer
• Bourjois Serum Foundation in Shade 51 (applied with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush)
• Seventeen Stay Time Concealer in Fair (applied with my fingers)
• MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink (applied with my fingers)
• Gosh Defining Brow Gel 
• MaxFactor Masterpiece Max Mascara in Black
• Topshop Magic Liner in Engraved
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo

Have you tried any of MaxFactor's Miracle Touch Creamy Blushes? What do you think of the shade 'Soft Pink'?

Review: Lush Full of Grace Facial Serum

Lush's Full of Grace Facial Serum bar is one of the most unassuming of Lush's assortment of beauty goodies. It's pretty colourless, sinks into the background and I haven't really heard many beauty obsessives talking about it - so, naturally, when I spotted it, I had to give it a try…

Full of Grace is a facial serum in bar form. I apply this after I've fully cleansed and toned my face but before (or instead of) applying moisturiser. Full of Grace is essentially a bar shaped facial oil, you can rub it on your hand or directly on your face to melt some of the facial oil goodness and then you just massage the product into the skin on your face. And et voilà, you have seriously nourished, smooth skin. I didn't love it at first - initially I found it a bit, well, weird I guess and I found it hard to store so that it kept clean. However, now it is housed in a little plastic tupperware box (well, what's left of it, I'm nearly done with it) and I've gotten quite attached to it!

It contains goodies such as murmuru butter, cupuacu and organic almond oil as well as portabello mushrooms which are supposed to do wonders at reducing redness in the skin. I can testify to the hydrating and evening properties of Full of Grace. I used it on and off until I finished my trusty Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate (read my full review here) at which point it became my night-time serum. Since I've started to use it full-time I found that it did a great job of keeping my skin evenly hydrated, my cheeks didn't get dry patches and it didn't aggravate my oily t-zone. I also think it does a lot to even out the pigmentation in my cheeks - more than the Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate did, which is saying something really. All in all, I think it is a good option for combination or normal skin types but I think it isn't as deeply hydrating as the facial oils that I've tried in the past. However, if you were to follow up with a moisturiser as well (I don't always do this) then this could also work as part of a skincare routine for those with dry skin. You can find Full of Grace for £8.25 online here.

Other evening serums/facial oils I've reviewed:

Antipodes Divine Facial Oil (read my review here)

Hydraluron Moisture Booster (read my review here)

My Favourite Facial Oils ft. Liz Earle, Trilogy and Decleor (read my review here)

What evening serum/facial oil do you use?

A Great Beauty Staple: Gosh Defining Brow Gel

For quite a long time now I've been using a coloured brow gel from Catrice (you can catch a glimpse of it in this post here). I've been on the look out for an affordable clear eyebrow gel for a while and when I spotted Gosh's Defining Brow Gel in Superdrug I thought I would give it a go.

I haven't tried that many brow gels before. I received one in a beauty box from HD Brows which I used for a long time but I didn't feel like splashing out £20+ when it came time to replace it. I've also give some budget clear mascaras a try, including MUA's £1 Clear Mascara (link to my review here), but I really wasn't all that happy with it. In my opinion, Gosh's Defining Brow Gel is infinitely better. The want is better at evenly distributing product and the product itself isn't too wet and sets quickly offering day-long hold. If you like to keep your eyebrows looking neat and groomed without looking 'overdone' then I'd definitely recommend the product to you. It's a beauty step that lots of people overlook but I find that it can make a big difference to my appearance. At £4.99 in Superdrug (link here) Gosh's Defining Brow Gel is a pretty affordable option and I'd definitely recommend it!

Do you use a brow gel? What other brow products would you recommend?