2013 Favourites: Hair & Body

Lush Haul: Making the Most of the Boxing Day Sale

I can't tell you how glad I am that I woke up in time to shop Lush's online Boxing Day sale. I had stayed up until midnight hoping it would go live then and when it didn't, full of frustration (and very tired from too much wine), I went to bed with no plan to check again in the morning. But I did, as you can see, and I bought a lot. There were a lot of Christmas limited edition products in the sale but I must admit that I tried to get as many products from their main line so there aren't that many limited edition products in this haul - just the Randy Butter and the Christmas Kisses Gift Set. Everything I bought was half price and as far as I know the Boxing Day sale is the only sale Lush holds each year.

Lush Helping Hands Hand Cream - RRP £7.50

I can never say no to a new hand cream and Helping Hands seemed like something I had to try - especially with a 50% discount! So far I'm really liking it. The smell isn't the nicest but it is very hydrating and works great as an overnight treatment.

Lush Randy Butter Butter Cream - Christmas Limited Edition

I actually thought this was a body butter but it turns out it is a hydrating product to use in the shower! You can see from my photo that I've already given it a go and I'm on the fence at the moment. I like it but the smell is very very boozy, not the most pleasant thing to use in the mornings!

Lush Roots Hair Treatment - RRP £9.95

Since my stress induced hair loss last year (University can be really stressful) my hair has been growing back a lot finer than it used to be. When I saw Roots was on sale I couldn't wait to put it in my basket, I'm hoping that a weekly hair treatment will help stimulate hair growth.

Lush Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub - RRP £8.25

I've had my eye on Lush's Rub Rub Rub for a while now. With its intense colour and the fresh scent I couldn't say no when I saw it in the sale. I'm looking forward to giving this some use!

Lush Gentle Lentil Shampoo - Retro Line, currently unavailable.

Lush I Love Juicy Shampoo - RRP £5.25

Lush Veganese Hair Conditioner - RRP £4.25

Lush Coolaulin Hair Conditioner -  Retro Line, currently unavailable.

I didn't initially intend on buying so many hair products but I get through shampoo and conditioner quite quickly so I thought there was no harm in it. I picked up Gentle Lentil for an everyday shampoo option and I Love Juicy for a weekly clarifying option. Veganese seemed like a great everyday conditioner and Coolalin can be reserved for days when my hair needs something more deeply hydrating. I'm very happy with them so far. 

Lush Christmas Kisses Box Set (Limited Edition) ft.

Lush Chou Chou I Love You Toothy Tabs - RRP £2.95

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub - RRP £5.50

Lush Honey Trap Lip Balm - RRP £5.75

Lush Santa Baby Lip Tint - Christmas Limited Edition

The inclusion of two of my lip favourites - the Bubblegum Lip Scrub and the Honey Trap Lip Balm - encouraged this purchase. Mine are both near/past their expiry date so I was glad to get some new ones! The Santa Baby Lip Tint (which I didn't have very high expectations for) turns out to be really lovely - offering a matte, bright red lip. I'm very pleased with this gift set.

That's everything I picked up in the sale! Let me know what you'd like me to review first. Did any of you get any bargains in the sales this year? Have you tried anything that I picked up in this haul?

My First Impressions: Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask

A long while ago I received a single sachet sample of Amie's Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask* in a goodie bag and I finally, finally got around to giving it a try. It was actually the first Amie product that I've tried so I was quite excited about it, and I'll explain why. Amie doesn't test its products on animals, they're suitable for vegans and vegetarians, they're made in the UK and they're free from nasty ingredients like petrochemicals and parabens. All of these are great qualities as far as I'm concerned, especially as all of Amie's products are very reasonably priced - a 75ml tube of Amie's Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask is £4.95 in Boots.

Now, the face mask itself was really impressive for such an affordable skincare product. I was rather surprised at first because unlike most other face masks I've used this was one a mint green colour and it smelt very fresh, but there was no chemical scent to it. Once applied it was indeed very cooling on the skin which was almost certainly down to the peppermint oil content. The mask contains white clay which dries relatively quickly because the mask isn't super thick - which is both good and bad. It's good because it means the mask isn't too hard to remove and it isn't too harsh on sensitive skin. However, I tend to find thicker clay masks more effective at deep cleansing the skin so this isn't the most hardcore of cleansing masks. After I used it my skin was a touch more pink than it should be so it might not be suitable for those with very sensitive skin but I did find that it has deep cleansed my skin enough for me to want to use it again. The following day I also felt as though it had helped rein in my usually very oily t-zone, and for me that's another reason to reach for it again.

All in all, I was really impressed, I definitely feel like Amie's Spring Clean Cooling Face Mask outperformed it's price and I would definitely consider purchasing the 75ml tube in the future. My first experience of Amie has been great and I'd definitely like to try out some more of their skincare range.

Have you tried any of Amie's skincare products before?

Baby Soft Skin

Over the last month I've been reaching for the same two products over and over. They've been doing everything that I want and my skin has been amazing, especially for this time of year. I stumbled across Palmer's Cocoa Butter Body Scrub when I was perusing the aisles of Superdrug and I was intrigued. Now, I'm not a huge fan of Palmer's skincare products but their bodycare really does kick butt. I love Palmer's Cocoa Body Butter and I liked the idea of a Body Scrub with the same scent. I'm really glad that I picked it up because it leaves my skin so much smoother and softer without being too harsh and it's really great value for money. When I get out of the shower I then follow up with Soap and Glory's The Righteous Butter which is seriously hydrating without taking forever and a day to absorb. When I use this moisturiser (especially after exfoliating) my skin is softer than soft, as close to being 'baby soft' as I could ever imagine. Together, these two are a dream team. I just wish they'd last forever- I'm already dangerously close to finishing both of them. 

Have you tried either of these? What do you use to keep your skin soft and smooth?