BEAUTY: LUSH, SUMMER HOLIDAY FAVOURITES

LUSH Cosmetics: Seanik Shampoo Bar, Brazilliant Shampoo Bar, 9 To 5 Cleansing Lotion, Honey I Washed The Kids Soap, Karma Soap and Tea Tree Water Toner Water

Although I love prepping for Summer Holidays and the excitement that comes with it, shopping for toiletries with weight restrictions of flying in mind is never something I enjoy. This year I was lucky enough to pick up the majority of my Holiday essentials from LUSH cosmetics – no surprise there!

Instead of carrying huge bottles of shampoo, that take up far too much of my suitcase weight on board, I have chosen to take 2 LUSH Shampoo Bars with me this year – Brazilliant and Seanik. These take up hardly any room in my luggage and I’m confident that they will last me 3 month Stateside this Summer (they last me almost 2 months per bar back home). Plus, the two I have chosen are perfect for keeping my locks refreshed and healthy in the sun. You can read all my reasons for loving these Shampoo Bars here.

Sticking with the aim to not take an overweight case to the airport, I have traded bottles of shower gel with two blocks LUSH Soap in Karma and Honey I washed the Kids. You can buy these two perfectly sized blocks in an affordable set. I love how I now have the choice of a moisturising and soothing cleanse of my body with Honey I Washed The Kids or an uplifting shower for those tired days with Karma. Both these soaps smell better than any shower gel I would choose to take with me on holiday – hoorah!

Although the sun often clears my skin up wonderfully, I love to take a toner with me on Holiday to ensure I start the mornings and go to bed with skin that feels fresh and not still covered in sunscreen. This year I’ve taken the LUSH Tea Tree Water Toner Water with me Stateside. The Tea Tree in this toner works wonders with the sun to keep my skin blemish free during the summer months, super important when you’re applying oily sunscreen all day!

Finally, as a Summer Holiday is a time to relax and stroll down to the beach when you’ve woken up, a quick cleanser is crucial. I’ve taken the LUSH 9 To 5 Cleansing Lotion with me this year. I choose to apply this cleanser with a cotton wool pad in the mornings before I apply my sunscreen – nothing worse than applying to sunscreen to tired skin. This product is perfect for refreshing the face during those super hot summer days.

Do you have any beauty or skincare favourites you take on holiday with you? Or will you be taking any of these LUSH products with you this year? Let me know in the comments below! Enjoy your Summer Holiday, 

Bea-uty Blog

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BEAUTY: FAKE TAN, GRADUAL VS INSTANT

Left: No7 by Boots Naturally Sunkissed Gradual Body Tan, Right: Rimmel London Sun Shimmer Instant Tan in Medium Matte

So, it’s summer but you’re too busy to jet off somewhere sunny? Or you’re still waiting for those painful two weeks, before your flight departs, to fly by? Of course we are all guilty of sneaking on that fake tan in the hope that no one will notice we’ve drastically caught the sun when the weather outside is awful. But which will really give you a more natural glow that stays with you for the length of time you want it too? Gradual or Instant tan?

As I’m normally okay with embracing my pale skin year round, I used to stick with RIMMEL London’s Sun Shimmer Instant Tan in Medium Matte as I could just pop it on before having my legs out for a few hours on a night out or at a Summer event. I do love the look of this tan and it’s main wonder to me is how easy it is to build coverage with it – on a Summer’s day when I’m attending a wedding I don’t want to turn up looking like I’ve replaced my legs with carrots, but when I’m venturing into a dark nightclub for a few hours maybe I need to layer the Instant tan for it to be seen! Be warned though, it’s wash off so not the best idea if you’re heading to a foam party on a girls holiday. My biggest disappointment with Instant tan is how quickly it stains your skin, I am fully aware of what the word instant means but the panic of not blending it evenly into my skin fast enough hugely puts me off using Instant tan on a regular basis.

This year I’ve been super busy leading up to my trip stateside for the summer, so I haven’t been too fussed with being Instantly bronzed for events. However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to have a healthy glow before I plunge from England’s cloudy days to Boston’s sunny weeks! Okay, so gradual tan takes a bit of planning and organisation – you won’t notice the different if you cake this on a few hours before heading out! But, if you’re fair skinned I would definitely recommend choosing No7’s Naturally Sunkissed Gradual Body Tan over an Instant tan as it leaves you looking naturally tanned – perfect! I use this product once a day and start to notice my tan develop evenly around day 4 or 5. An added bonus is the lack of panic you have during application about streaks or uneven blending (if you think you didn’t apply it evenly one day, just rectifying the next day). So there must be a downside? Yes, you may smell ever so slightly like a digestive biscuit. I have no idea why but gradual tan just seems to have that scent – annoying! No worries though, you won’t notice that as you wonder round in the fresh air (maybe apply your favourite perfume before leaving the house, just in case).

Which is your favourite way of faking a tan, Gradual or Instant tan? Have you tried the No7’s Gradual Tan or RIMMEL London’s Instant tan, or do you have another fake tan product that you use religiously? Let me know in the comments! Enjoy those “naturally” bronzed bodies this summer,

Bea-uty Blog

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BEAUTY: JEROME RUSSELL BBLONDE, SUMMER BLONDES ★

Jerome Russell Bblonde: Maximum Ombre Kit No.2 ★

As a natural Blonde, I've always been lucky enough to experience my hair lift a few shades during the sunny Summer months. As I spend my Summers Stateside, I'm very cautious of messing with the colour of it for the few months leading up to my departure of England (I've been toying with the idea of getting highlights to give my hair a boost for ages now). My hair is super precious to me and that's probably the reason I rarely use home dye kits. However, I recently discovered the Blonding brand Bblonde by Jerome Russell. The brand produce home dye kits that allow you to give your hair a range of blonde finishes that all leave your hair looking naturally blonde(r). Bblonde sent me over their Maximum Ombre Kit No.2 ★ (which you can purchase here) to sample, and I'm glad to say it's left me full of excitement for the Blonde shades of Summer. I chose to use a model for you all to see how this kit by Jerome Russell looks as it allowed me to see the effects it had on the colour, style and condition of the hair from a far. Although, I'll definitely be using Bblonde kits on MY hair in the future!

The first thing that made this product a yes from me was the professional salon style  application brush that is provided along with the mixing tray, protective plastic gloves, power and cream dye (with instructions of how to mix them together to create your dye mixture), blending lotion and conditioning shampoo. This makes it much easy to apply the dye evenly to your hair, something that can often be tricky with home dye kits - especially when applying the dye to your own hair. Although the smell of this dye is extremely strong, it doesn't leave the hair smelling strongly of peroxide once the dye has been rinsed off. The blending lotion provided in this kit also ensures you're left with an even Ombre effect - with none of that block line style we all dread! Tip: Be sure to complete a hair strand test before applying the dye to the whole head of hair. This allows you to discover your own personal developing time for the dye (my model had a developing time of approx. 10 minutes and has naturally medium blonde hair).

Maximum Ombre Kit No.2 on Naturally medium Blonde hair

I love the natural blonde shade this product left the hair and was impressed with how little it dried out the hair too. Finding home dye kits that leave your hair natural blonde shades, without the fear of having yellow hair after application, has always been so tricky for me as a natural blonde - hoorah for Bblonde! Ten days on and my model hasn't noticed any fading in the colour and still finds her hair super soft - something that is a huge issue with many home dye kits out there!

Have you tried Jerome Russell's Bblonde range yet? Which are your favourite products for Summer Blondes? Let me know in the comments. Enjoy your Summer shades, 

Bea-uty Blog

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