CARMEX review || My holy grail

If there is one product that I swear by, it has got to be Carmex. 

I know a lot of people are aware of this product but my blog felt incomplete without a Carmex post!

My love for Carmex began 10 years ago (when I was 10). I was in London visiting my new baby cousin, Cián. His father's two twin girls, who are the same age as me, were there. One of them had unbelievably chapped lips to the point where there was about a centimetre of red, flaky skin around her lips. My mum told her to use some Carmex and her lips healed fully in about a week. During this time, I decided I loved the smell and wanted to start using it (party because I thought her London accent was cool and therefore, she was cool). And the rest is history...

I love how soothing this product is. It fixes your chapped lips within no time at all, smells like no other product and is unbelievably long-lasting. I could apply it before bedtime, have a 10 hour sleep and wake up still wearing it! Of course, if you're applying it in the day, activities like eating, drinking and talking will wear it off sooner but it will still last a good few hours.

I recently ran out of my current tub which lasted me almost two years. I usually buy it from Boots or Superdrug and it costs about £2.69 but my new tub (the fancy, comic-book inspired pot) was from Body Care and cost £1.49, I think. 

The tubs have a 24 month shelf life which is roughly how long it takes for me to use them all up so if you thought the cost was a bit too much for lip balm and you're a £1 ChapStick kinda person, then at least you know this will last you a long time.

I usually get the original Carmex lip balm (pictured above) but there are so many different smells, packagings and types.

Smells: Original, cherry, strawberry, vanilla, lime twist, pomegranate, mint... I think that's everything.

Packaging: Carmex lip balms are available in little pots which help moisturise lips and relieve the symptoms of cold sores (SCORE!); squeezable tubes which have an added clear, odourless mineral oil for extra smooth treatment and sticks which contain more wax to help keep its shape.

Types: The standard, original product (pictured above) comes in lots of flavours and all three different types of packaging. An Ultra Smooth stick is available in Lime Twist, Vanilla and Pomegranate. These flavours are unique to this type of Carmex, also containing additional moisturising ingredients. Ultra Hydrating Moisture Plus also comes in stick form but with super funky packaging (I think the hounds tooth is my fave). These contain aloe, shea butter and vitamin E and leave a clear finish whilst protecting your lips from the sun with SPF15.

I get cold sores and honestly, this product helps relieve them. It has a minty feeling all over your lips but it doesn't sting (super soothing on cracked and chapped lips) so when applied to my cold sores, it completely relieves any tenderness or that annoying itchy sensation. This year, I've had about 10 cold sores so far and last year, I had about 15 in total. Before that, I only ever got them twice a year - my birthday and Christmas. I think all the stress of university has caused my recent outbreaks (as well as eating almonds which I have developed an intolerance for. If there is even a sniff of almond in something, I will 100% get a cold sore). Carmex has been really helpful during these times.

I also got my boyfriend into the product... Yep. He loves it now!

I love how retro the packaging is. My newest tub is a limited edition design for Selfridges so I'm not quite sure how I managed to get it in Body Care but I'm not complaining.

With all the different options, Carmex is bound to suit anyone! I honestly recommend it and would give it a 10/10 - it's truthfully that good. Totally justifiable, even on a student budget.

Lush Gorgeous facial moisturiser review

A while back, I received a bunch of complimentary goodies from Lush.

Read my unboxing post here.

I reviewed two of the products that I received but haven't got round to testing the others until recently.

Read the Comforter Bubble Bar review here.

Read the Rub Rub Rub review here.

So this is the Gorgeous facial moisturiser review!

I received the Hello Gorgeous box and inside was this 10g trial size version of the Gorgeous moisturiser. 

Here are the facts:

☮ It contains 18 natural ingredients and 7 safe synthetics

☮ None of the ingredients have been tested on animals

☮ It's vegetarian

☮ It costs £39.95 for 45g

My experience?

First, I must comment on the smell. As you can probably guess, it smells divine - like most Lush products. It smells fresh, light and little bit like orange-scented flowers.

One thing I have to say about Gorgeous is how universally suitable it is for all skin types. If you have dry skin, you'll notice how it soaks into any patches but isn't too heavy. If you have oily skin, it will hydrate you but not leave a thick layer on top of your oily spots. And, if you're like me and have combination skin, it's basically perfect. 

This product goes a long way. One little scoop on your forefinger and it's more than enough to cover your face and even a bit of your neck. I only have a 10g sample but I imagine that a 45g tub would last a long time (though, the expiration date might be a problem).

It is quite runny - something I'm not really used to with moisturisers - but I suppose this helps it to soak into your skin.

It contains pineapples which contain enzymes to help refine pores; fresh organic limes and oranges to help skin stay matte/not develop extra oil and remove dead skin cells and orange blossom honey water to soothe and moisturise. 

Gorgeous is perfect for anyone with dull or tired skin as it really brightens you up.

Overall, it is a little bit too expensive for a student, like myself. Almost £40 on moisturiser? I just cannot justify it when I can get a Simple moisturiser for about £3.99. Nevertheless, if you have a spare £40 to spend on beauty products, I would definitely recommend trying it. If you don't want to part with your money on a product you aren't sure about, ask for a sample in store.

I do love how this moisturiser made my skin look and feel and I was really surprised that I didn't break out in a rash due to my sensitive skin. Hallelujah!

I'd probably rate this an 8 out of 10. It would easily have been a 9 if the price wasn't quite as steep.

Thanks, Lush! ☮

Festival Lust List

Festival season is here and sadly, I have nothing lined up.
*sobs into pillow*

Despite the fact that I won't be going to Leeds, Download or Glastonbury *sniffles* I have been spending hours and hours online looking for what I would buy if I was going to a festival.
So I took to Polyvore to find my favourite pieces and pop them together to share on my blog.

Click here for my Polyvore profile.

1. Dr Martens Clarissa - £90
Buy here at OFFICE 

2. Urban Decay Electric palette - £38
Buy here at DEBENHAMS

3. Grafea Checkerboard Backpack - £210
Buy here at HARRODS

4. Joss & Main Electric Haze Pillow - Now unavailable :(
Was available here at JOSS & MAIN

5. Jordan Carlyle Vanity iPhone5/5S Case - £21.69
Buy here at SHOPBOP

6. Motel Luella Jumpsuit - £38
Buy here at MOTEL ROCKS

7. Monki Amber Top - £12
Buy here at MONKI

8. Dolce and Gabbana Shorts - £195
Buy here at YOOX

9. Bibi Bijoux Pink Crystal Double Wrap Bracelet - £90
Buy here at BIBI BIJOUX

10. The Pool Party Tie Dye Hair Ties - £6.43
Buy here at ETSY

Summer check list

I have a lot to do this summer and not a lot of money to do it with!

All photos in this post are blurry as they are from Instagram and only taken on an iPhone before I had my Canon 600D!

So the first thing I need to do is to get a job. I should be getting my old job at Starbucks back but my boss has just moved to a new store and a new manager has moved into my store. In the past, my old boss, Ionel (pronounced yo-nel - he is Romanian), kept me on the pay roll so I could work during the university holidays. I started working there when I was 17 during my A-levels and I worked my butt off. He grew to like me a lot and always gave me shifts when I needed them. Anyway, this new manager seems a little less friendly. I went in a couple of days ago to hand in my mobile number but he just didn't really seem to understand my position there. So I texted my old boss and asked him to put in a good word for me...

How lovely?! There are two other girls called Lauren that work there but I've been there the longest. I miss being a barista! I just want to work again. I'm such a worker bee. I've had a job since the age of 13 and it feels weird to not be working. Oh, how I miss coffee making!

The next thing on my to-do list is birthday presents! I have father's day and my dad's birthday right next to one another. I don't know whether to buy him a tree/plant, some new trainers, a gadget for his house or some aftershave/smelly product. Alternatively, we could go shopping in Manchester together. He is so difficult to shop for!

I then have my mum's birthday mid-July. Really unsure what to get her so I might speak to my auntie because my mum loves copying her older sister - which is totally understandable since my auntie always looks great. I usually opt for anything Clarins or Benefit but I want to switch it up a bit this year. She'll be 43 this year so she is still quite young. 

After mum, I have my uncle... Erm... Haven't a clue what to get him!

Then it's my Grandma's at the start of July. I might get a distressed-looking photo frame with a picture of me, my sister and my two cousins in it.

After that, I have my sister's 6th birthday. You'd think buying for children would be easy but it really isn't when she has pretty much everything you could possibly think of! 

(Sorry the photo is blurry!)

I look like a mole in that photo...

I want to start working on my third year project/dissertation. Since i'm studying journalism, we don't have to write an academic essay, though it is an option. I have decided to take the project approach and am going to create a magazine with original content and write 7000 words on it. This summer, I want to have sketched up a drawing of what each page will look like and have a few interviews in my back pocket ready to start making the magazine on QuarkXPress 10 when I get back to uni at the end of August. 

As part of my course, I need to get work experience at any newspaper, magazine etc. I wanted to go to a London-based magazine but I can't afford to travel into the city everyday for 4 weeks (as most internships last that long) and I think I'm babysitting my sister a bit anyway. So I'm going to ask my local newspaper if they will take me on for at least a week, hopefully two and then get the third compulsory week in December/January. I've tried emailing and phoning but they just won't get back to me so I'm going to go in as soon as my final exam is over... 

.so.much.shorthand.

Finally, I need to start driving again. I started to learn when I was 17 but ran out of money and had to pack it in. I'm now 20 and I only have one year left at university before I enter the real world and possibly need a car - not that I will be able to afford one! I texted my old driving instructor yesterday and asked if he could fit me in. He said yes but not until the first week of July, which is a bit of a nightmare. So my plan is to pass my theory test during June so I can get straight into driving without having to worry! I'd like to pass the driving test during the Christmas holidays... I'll keep you posted on my driving progress once I start!

I just feel like I have so much to do and not enough time or money to get it all done! Summer sounds busy, but that's just how I like it!

Pokémon | Top 5 episodes of series 1 | Indigo League

I've been playing a lot of Pokémon lately. Pokémon yellow, Pokémon Gold, Pokémon Leaf Green, Pokémon Sapphire and so on and so forth...

I have rediscovered my love for the pocket monsters (that's what "Pokémon" stands for, did you know?!). For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the world of Pokémon (have you been living under a rock?), I'll explain a little bit about it...

It's an international, multi-billion dollar/pound/I'm not sure what currency, Japanese invention which began as a video game. It then expanded to playing cards, an anime TV series and more games. Pokémon are similar to animals but each kind of Pokémon has different abilities and can battle one another. Humans can catch Pokémon in a Pokeball and raise them, often to battle other Pokémon. The TV series revolves around Ash Ketchum whose goal is to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer.

The first series is called Indigo League and most people agree that it's the greatest series. Like I mentioned above, it follows Ash, his first Pokémon, Pikachu and their two friends, Misty and Brock, as they trek around the Kanto region. So, without further ado, here are my top 5 favourite episodes!

WARNING: Although I've tried to be careful with a few episodes, I give away a good portion of the plot in others. If you don't like spoilers, don't read ahead!!

5. Episode 14: Electric Shock Showdown

The reason I love this episode is because we see Pikachu battle Raichu, its evolved state. Pikachu is my favourite Pokémon, as it is a lot of peoples. But the main reason that I chose this episode for my top 5 is because we see Pikachu choose whether to evolve or not. I thought it was sweet that Pikachu showed he wasn't completely controlled by Ash and that Pokémon actually have feelings and their own opinions. We learn that Raichu was forced to evolve way too soon by its trainer, Lt. Surge, the Vermilion City Gym leader. I found the battle pretty exciting!

4. Episode 17: Island of the Giant Pokémon

This episode takes place after the trio and Team Rocket escape the sunken St. Anne and get washed up on the shore of what they think is a deserted island by an army of Gyarados (a water Pokémon). The Pokémon are split up from their trainers and are trying to find their way back whilst the Poké-Gang and Team Rocket try to find them. This episode is in my top five because we actually get to see what the Pokémon are saying to one another and a lot of the time, it can be quite amusing! We get to see how the different Pokémon think and feel about their trainers. But it's not just Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander that get lost. We see Meowth (who can actually talk), Ekans and Koffing try to find their owners, Jessie and James of Team Rocket, and we get to hear them talk a bit too. All characters stumble upon mysterious giant Pokémon. I won't give the plot away or tell you why these Pokémon are so big but this episode is definitely one of my faves!

3. Episode 39: Pikachu's Goodbye

The gang find a pack of wild Pikachu in a forest and who eventually accept Ash's Pikachu as one of their own. Ash can see that his friend is happy in the group and makes the decision to leave him without asking Pikachu what he wants. I love the fact that Ash shows his love and compassion for his Pokémon once again. However, a strange song is played during this episode and I have to say I did cringe. Regardless, it's a heartwarming episode and yes, I got a little emotional at one point! Plus, there's a total overdose of Pikachu! <3 <3
(This episode is technically #39. The YouTube video says it's #37 because there were two episodes prior to this which were only aired in Japan.)

2. Episode 48: Holy Matrimony!

This might be a weird choice to most people but I'm a huge Team Rocket fan. Why? Well, unlike Ash, Misty and Brock, Team Rocket are constantly failing at whatever they set out to do. But this doesn't faze them. Jessie, James and Meowth always get back up and try again. It's this attitude that makes me love them. So why this episode? All the cast end up at a huge mansion which we find out belongs to James' parents. Jessie and Meowth realise he is from a rich family and force him to go inside in an attempt to get a little money but James is then told he must marry some dominatrix-style woman called Jessibelle (watch it and you'll understand the "dominatrix" reference). Jessie and Meowth presume James wants to stay but we get a really touching scene at the end and it really boosted my love for Team Rocket.

1. Episode 21: Bye Bye Butterfree

This episode secures the number one spot on my list for its huge impact on my heart - yes, I did cry! When I play the Pokémon games, I always catch a Caterpie and get it to evolve into a Butterfree (yes, I deal with its inbetween stage of Metapod!). Caterpie is known to many as a bit of a useless Pokémon. It isn't the strongest and it's not quite as cute as some of the others but I have a soft spot for it. The episode sees Ash's Butterfree fall in love with a pink Butterfree who continuously rejects it until he saves her from Team Rocket. The ending breaks my heart as Ash lets Butterfree go. Of course, there is a montage of some of the moments that the pair shared and a cute, emotional chat between them. This episode is definitely my favourite, no doubt about it. It's just too adorable!

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette in Streak || Review

Managed to get my hands on this little baby! 

I believe this colour (along with two others) doesn't come out in the UK until the end of the month but I could be wrong. I know you can definitely get them in the States.

This is the Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette in the colour Streak. It's £22 for 0.49oz. I always like to look at prices from a student budget, and I think this is totally affordable!

You get a bronzer, highlighter and blush in one palette. If I were to buy all three products individually, it would cost me at least double so I found this to be a bargain.

The palette comes in a soft coppery/rosy coloured, plastic case. It isn't metallic like the Naked 2 and Naked 3 palettes. If you've seen the original Flushed palette, then it's the same as that. The lid opens and shuts easily and it has a very slight magnetic pull to it to keep it shut in your makeup bag.

The original Naked Flushed palette is now called "Naked". For those that don't know, it contains a medium shade satin bronzer, a pale pink champagne-ish highlighter and a rose satin blush.

The other two new palettes are called Native (medium bronzer with a shimmer in it, a pale pink highlighter and a bright pink, matte blush which is super pigmented) and Strip (darkest bronzer of the palettes, a beautiful golden highlighter and a deep mauve, matte blush).

Bronzer: The Streak palette has the lightest shade bronzer so it's ideal for my pale skin and helps me achieve that natural look that I aim for. It's matte but on closer inspection, there is the slightest shimmer. This was another selling point for me. I like everything in matte. I don't mind a shimmer highlighter, of course, but I like everything else to be matte.

Highlighter: The palette contains a peachy highlighter which blends so beautifully with the blush. It's super shimmery and gorgeous.

Blush: I don't think I suit bright pink blush so I usually opt for corals or peachy shades (not orange though). As you can see below, this palette contains a coral-y blush which was 100% the biggest selling point for me. It also has a matte finish. What more could I want?!

You can blend the different parts together or put them on individually to create different looks. I chose Streak over the others because I think it suits my skin tone best. I don't like blushers which are too pink so this peachy colour really won me over as it isn't too orange or too pink. The trio isn't too powdery so it looks as natural as possible which is perfect for me.

Disclaimer: This review is 100% me. I BOUGHT this product. Urban Decay did not send it to me. The lady at a makeup counter brought me one from the back. I will not say which city/town I bought this in as I do not want her to get in trouble for selling me something too early. I always go to her when I want Urban Decay products - this is why she sold it to me.

Lush - Rub Rub Rub review

Back in April, I received a bunch of complimentary goodies from Lush (see my unboxing post here). 

On April 22, I reviewed the Comforter Bubble Bar and in that post (read here), I said I would review the other product that I had tested "tomorrow" i.e. April 23. In case you haven't guessed, I didn't review said product.

Almost a month later, and here it is - my Rub Rub Rub review!

Rub Rub Rub is first and foremost a body scrub but wait... what's this? It can be used on your hair? Um... 

Here are the facts:

☮ It contains 10 natural ingredients and 6 safe synthetics

☮ None of the ingredients were tested on animals

☮ It's vegan

☮ It costs £8.50 for a 330g tub (my tub is only 130g - I don't know how much this would cost)

My experience?

Smell-wise, it's amazing as expected. It has a jasmine/blossom smell to it and it is absolutely lovely. I'm not one for floral scents at all - not even in perfume. But this smelt wonderfully sweet and not too flowery at all. 

It has a bright blue colour to it which made me a little excited, if I'm honest. It's the small things in life...

The scrub can be used on dry skin for an intense exfoliating session or in the shower/bath.

It's made with fine sea salt which to me sounded a little bit scary but mostly just strange. Why? Well, salt is supposed to dry out your skin and hair and this product claims to "wash, volumise and add shine to hair".  

Fortunately, Rub Rub Rub leaves my skin feeling significantly softer after each use. When used on your hair, it removes unwanted oils and exfoliates your scalp. Weirdly, it did give my hair a little volume and I have completely flat hair normally.

Overall, I really liked this product. I loved the colour, smell and the results. You don't really need to use much at all so the cost is justifiable if you're on a student budget, like myself. I'd probably rate this an 8 out 10.

Thanks again, Lush!