*All That Glitters*: shampoo

Seeming as their sister brand (B Never) is saying a fond farewell to us all at the end of the year, I thought I'd celebrate my favourites at Lush to take our minds off the very sad news! I love Lush and their products because they make such fun cosmetics for all ages - it's like being a kid again when you get to try all of the different types of textures, smells and sensations. And because their products are so different from your average cosmetics and toiletries on the market, it makes preening and cleaning yourself that bit more special and fun!

I've got a list as long as my arm here people, so if you're thinking of making a Christmas list for yourselves, then you better get scribbling...

Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

It smells like chocolate icecream, looks like chocolate icecream so it's got to taste like it, no? I don't know, I can't say I've tried but what I can say is that whilst I can't recommend you taste it I can recommend that you use this all over your face every week if you suffer from oily or acne-prone skin.

This face mask has been specifically designed with teenagers in mind. It's perfect to soothe breakouts and prevent new ones. The main ingredient that you may mistake for chocolate icecream is Rhassoul mud which is responsible for soothing angry red blemish-prone skin...

Whilst my skin isn't so teenage anymore, I do have skin that leans towards the oilier side and I also suffer from clogged pores. So I use this mask on my T Zone once or twice a week. It has peppermint oil in it so it's slightly cooling and when you take it off your skin's left feeling really smooth, soothed and soft. You'll also end up with a slight whiff of chocolate on your skin so don't be surprised if people start to drool after you!

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

It's pink, has sparkles in it and smells divine - what's not to love?! In fact I wish my blog came with Smell-o-Vision, I don't think describing the scent can do it justice. The first time I smelt this I got very excited, haha! My sister had received a bottle one Christmas and I decided I just had to have some too. Except by the time I trotted along to Lush I'd missed out and found out that this beautiful shower gel is only limited to the Christmas period.

Well I'm not going again another a year without it so I'm all stocked up now. I love that it leaves you feeling young again - it smells like all the naughty sweets you used to love as a kid and the smell lingers on your skin and in the bathroom long after you've showered. You can also use it in your hair if you like and you can buy it in three different sizes 100g, 250g and 500g. If you haven't smelt this yet then I'm sure when you do you'll be stocking up on the largest bottles to last you until the next Christmas... Snow Fairy is available to buy now!

Ocean Salt Facial Cleanser

It's like rubbing the contents of a cocktail bar... ON YOUR FACE! There's salt, lime and even vodka in this heavenly facial cleanser. It works as an exfoliator and is ideally best for those of you with oily skin. This is the best exfoliator I have ever used on my face and I mean EVER! Not only is it really fun - when you open the tub you'll see big, blue, beautiful chunks of sea salt and then if you delve in you'll notice the mousse-like cleanser all mixed in underneath! It's also really good at controlling oil, unclogging my pores and making my skin super soft! My skin hasn't been in this good condition for a long time, I love it and will definitely be stocking up on this in future...

Curly Wurly Shampoo

There's no chocolate or caramel in sight but if you open up the tub you'll find a very fun coconut mixture inside. I dare you to turn the tub upside down - with the lid off! No it doesn't move - at all. This is a solid shampoo and as you'll see if you scoop some out, it contains tonnes of dessicated coconut. All you need to do is wet your hair, grab a small amount of Curly Wurly and rub it in your hair and voila - as if by magic, it bubbles up and creates a wonderful lather leaving your hair feeling silky soft!

Designed for those of us with curly hair (hence the name!), it's great at curing the dried, dull texture that curly hair can suffer from time to time. If you have processed hair then this shampoo will work wonders for you too! If you want to follow up with a conditioner too then you can buy Coolaulin - a similar mix but with creamed coconut and lemon juice for added shine - this conditioner is however a liquid and comes in a bottle.

Hello fellow makeup-addicts!

I can't believe I've been away this long! A slight lack of funds and time in the past few weeks has meant I haven't been able to blog as much as I'd like. However I recently became the proud owner of the eagerly awaited MAC Hello Kitty bits and bobs, some Helen E makeup, Miss K Co makeup and this weekend I went to the Vitality Show in London so I have lots to update you with :-)

I also want to make it my aim to post on a daily basis, if and when possible, so I won't be taking such a long vacation away from my blogging from now on!

Today's post is one I've been meaning to write for a while now. Make-up's fantastic (obviously pfft!) and can transform any look, spice up an outfit or simply hide the mistakes of the night before! But as any makeup artist worth his/her salt will tell you: looking after your skin is essential for providing a great canvas to start with! This means getting plenty of sleep and water, eating the right foods, exercise and of course using great skincare that's right for you and your skin's needs.

My friend Gemma is a natural skincare and beauty fanatic and she has created a fantastic website called Anderra, a great resource for any of you who share her passion or just want to know more. We've all heard about 'natural' and 'organic' products, but before I saw Anderra I wouldn't have been able to tell you the difference between the two! And as more and more of us become aware of what potential damage some synthetic ingredients can cause (like parabens) it's useful to know what alternatives there are and what they can do.

The website is packed full of product reviews on soaps, shampoos, right through to toothpastes and multi-purpose products. Plus if you feel like having a go yourself, hunting around for your own organic or natural faves and would like to review them drop her a line - Anderra's open to anyone who wants to add a review themselves. I'll be sending mine very soon :-)

In addition it's got loads of information on understanding all the jargon on skincare labels, plus a great glossary of A-Z of all the ingredients - natural and synthetic - that you'll see in everyday skincare products, what they're used for and how safe/dangerous they are for the body.

My ultimate favourite section has to be the blog where you'll even find recipes for making your very own bath bombs and much more so you can have a go at home - something I really want to try out myself at some point! Why not have a bash at making the Cocoa Butter Bath Melts?! They look good enough to eat... But I wouldn't advise it :-P

Finally, if you're not sure where to start looking or what brands are out there, Anderra offers a Brands section where you can find a rundown on many of the organic and natural skincare ranges on the market, a little bit of history on how they each came about and where to find them. Because of Anderra I've even found the smaller specialists that are just starting out and whose products are simply gorgeous and are very good value - it's well worth a look!

To find out more you can find Anderra here

Enjoy! x