The Midweek Treat | "The worlds smallest disco ball" review

This weeks Midweek treat brings a funky black and multi-coloured bath bomb called The worlds smallest disco ball from Lush. 

Where to start.. This bath bomb has an unfortunate 2* rating on the Lush website - Which personally I find a little bit harsh. As you can see, this bomb turns your bath water a deep murky black, with the 'disco ball lights' dancing across the top in bright swirls of colour. When the disco lights have melted away, you are eventually left with a black glitter swirled water - Perfect for halloween. 

What Lush say;

"We all like a good party, whether it’s boogieing at a bar, shaking what your mama gave ya in a club or dad dancing at a wedding.For when you want to celebrate but don't fancy socialising, put on your favourite tunes, forget about throwing shapes and toss this bath bomb into a hot bath instead.

There’ll be no more crying at the discotheque, watch uplifting lime and grapefruit oils dance in the air as the colours swirl and strobe across your bath. Get your tipple on with cognac oil as you get down and hit your own private dance floor (but please don't actually dance in the bath)."

I loved the smell of lime and grapefruit. Fruity fragrances are my favourite in bath products and the scent did linger on my skin afterwards. But unfortunately so did the black suds!  The swirls of bright colours were very pretty and enough to make Van Gogh jealous. However the stains left behind on my skin and the bath tub (see below) were enough to make me say - never again. 

It's a real shame, because the smell and the way this formula made my skin feel afterwards were lovely like most Lush bath bombs. But the clean up afterwards was just too much work. I'm no stranger to having to swill a bath out due to glitter residue, however the black stains took a scrub with bleach to get off the bath. I was also shocked to find the black residue had stuck to my skin too in places, which required an additional shower after I'd finished. 

I do however disagree with the 2* rating given on the website. I think overall I would score this bomb a 3/5. With my only negative being that the staining was too much hassle, I think for wow factor from the initial colours it is worth a one time purchase to experience yourself. But if like me, you don't particularly want to be busting out the bleach after use, I would recommend something a little less colourful. 

This bath bomb is limited edition and won't be available for long. So if you would like to give it a go, you will have to be quick! You can purchase 'Worlds smallest disco' online here - or alternatively visit your local store. 

Have you tried this bath bomb? 

What are your thoughts on black bath bombs?

The Midweek Treat | Haul & Monsters Ball review

Anybody who has followed my blog since the old Bo Blab days will know I absolutely love a good Lush bath bomb. And if I'm going to take any leafs from that book, it'll be a regular midweek treat. This week I picked up a couple of  Halloween and Christmas goodies from the Lush Liveprool branch and I can't wait to share my thoughts on some of the products i chose.

Monsters Ball | Snow Fairy | Worlds smallest disco | Sugar plum fairy scrub | Shoot for the stars

To start things off I decided to try the Halloween limited edition Monsters Ball. A Bright pink and blue Monsters Inc looking bath bomb which smells zesty and sweet with a slight woody aroma. 

What Lush say;

"You are invited to a specdracula event; get set to put a spell on all things that go bump in the night and boogie on down to your bathroom for a monster mash of uplifting oils. Run your bath and thriller up, then revel in the frightful fizzes of mood beasting neroli. Bathe in gory, with skin softening Himalayan salt and olibanum oil but don't forget to keep your ghoul with zesty, energising lime oil. You'll be dancing 'til dawn and the ghast one standing."

I love any bath bomb that shoots brighter colours across the water, and this one didn't disappoint. Not only was the smell delicious, but it was also a treat for the eyes. Spiked with glitter, the pinks and blue eventually merged together to leave me with a deep purple water that glistened silvery every time I moved. My skin felt super soft afterwards too, another reason why I love Lush bath bombs, they never fail to leave me smelling great and feeling silky smooth. 

I also picked up a few other treats for this month, including a couple more bath bombs which I will review later this month. But I also took advantage of the early release of the Snow Fairy shower gel - because lets face it, this is hands down one of the most iconic and best products Lush sell! If you've not yet tried this amazing product, you absolutely should. The scent is like sweets and candyfloss and sticks to your skin for hours after use.
Also from my Christmas themed mini haul I picked up some sugar plum fairy lip scrub, which is absolutely delicious and almost has a parma violet taste despite being predominately made with orange oil - I love the Lush lip scrubs, they're particularly good for using before you apply lipstick for a more even application and I think this one has taken top spot for my favourite flavour.


Okay so, winding up this review, I think Monsters Ball was a definite thumbs up from me. The colours were exciting and vibrant, the smell was delicious and it left me feeling super clean and soft skinned. So I have no choice but to give this bomb a fat 5/5! - Excellent

Monsters Ball is a limited edition bath bomb only available for Halloween, so if you would like to give this cute lil' monster a go, get online or to your local branch before they sell out!
& also stay tuned for more Midweek Treats coming up later this month where I'll be reviewing "The Worlds Smallest Disco" & "Shoot For The Stars"

What are your favourite Lush products?

My Graduation | Class of 2014

| Dress: Chi Chi Clothing | Shoes: River Island | Watch: Olivia Burton | Bracelet: Swarovski |

So, I'm no longer a student, but a full grown adult with a degree and the frightening prospect of finding a career! - Eeeek! But with all jokes aside, I've had a wonderful (be it slightly stressful) 4 years at Huddersfield University. I've met some fantastic people, made some life long friends in Yorkshire and I'm looking forward to a very bright future back in Liverpool!

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Beauty disasters | Why I won't use semi perm eyelashes

Like many girls, even the ones who may not want to admit it, I'm pretty hung up on my looks. The constant battle with my self image has been something I've struggled with since the age of  14, and not just weight issues, but with cosmetic issues too. I've always longed for long lashes, years of watching Maybelline adverts and being envious of my dark haired friends for having such naturally dark and lustrous lashes was something that secretly got me down for years.

Since then I've been on the hunt for the perfect solution in a bottle, I've tried every potion under the sun, every home remedy and exhausted the drug store mascara options to no avail. My eyelashes are naturally white, as you can see in the left photo on my bottom lid, so unless I smother my eyes in mascara, of which usually weighs them down, my lashes just lack impact. 

Whilst at Mango, A few of the beautiful ladies I worked with were regular users of semi-perm lashes, they looked thick, beautiful and made their eyes look so god damn gorgeous! - & I was sold. It seemed like I'd found my answer, so on payday I went to a local salon and got some semi-perms for myself, over the moon that I might have just found the solution. 

Ok, so first off, my eyes watered like hell for days afterwards. Its normal for your eyes to water whilst the lashes are wet with glue. The fumes are pretty intense and a little irritating, however I experienced uncomfort for several days after them being put in place. - Not great. However, I was so unbelievably happy with how they looked, I just blotted the tears and continued to flutter my newly framed eyes. 

Then, Not a week into having the lashes on, the corners of my eyes began to ache, closely followed by a splitting pain when ever I closed my eyes. It was time to get them off. Rather than taking them off myself, I went back to the salon to have them taken off professionally. They covered my eyes with a serum, and shortly after began picking them off.

I have genuinely never felt such pain. I don't know whether they used the wrong glue, if the lady who removed them was new, or whether they didn't leave the removal serum on for long enough, but as she began pulling the false lashes off, she took my own ones with them too, leaving me with several half length stubby lashes and only a handful of longer ones. As you can see from the right photo above, a large patch of lashes are missing, and it's the same on the other side too. 

I can safely say that no amount of insecurity would be worth going through that again. I went through a period after the removal feeling utterly disgusted with myself, I genuinely felt lower than I had in a long time. But I've picked myself up and began the painstakingly slow process of trying to grow them back. My only solution is to wear more black eyeliner to compensate for the lack of impact, whist I wait for them to return.

I would however like to point out that although I had a terrible experience, many friends of mine have had positive treatments, so I by no means want to tell you that semi-perm eyelashes are dangerous. I'd also like to thank some of the girls on twitter for lending a hand and reassuring me that this isn't the norm and eventually I will have my natural lashes back. 

Have you ever had any beauty related disasters?

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The Midweek Treat | Lush Golden Egg bath bomb

 Today I'm bringing you a review of the much hyped Golden Egg bath bomb by Lush. I picked this one up before I actually read any reviews from other bloggers, but absolutely loved the glittery appearance of this bomb, and lets face it, I'm a magpie for anything glittery.

So to begin, obviously, the overall look of this egg is a little bit special. It's thick with glitter making it look like a very luxurious and inviting bath bomb. I will however just say that mine was a little sticky to touch, & I'm not sure if this has been the case for everyone, but when handling it you get a significant amount of glittery residue stick to your fingers.

What Lush say; "A glistening golden bath melt and bath bomb rolled into one. Because of its luxurious bath melt outer layer, when you first drop this into the bath it will sink down, then bob back to the top as the bath bomb centre begins to fizz away, filling your bath water with its sumptuous honey-toffee fragrance."

Straight away you can smell the orange oil, which if you read my Midweek Treat series you'll know that citrus tones are my favourite kind of scent. So immediately I was really excited for this bomb. On hitting the water the Golden Egg span releasing all it's glitter and leaving me with a slow fizzing yellow bomb.

But also, if you've read any of my previous lush posts you may already be able to guess my final feelings towards this bomb. Yellow?! Why the yellow!? I don't know about you ladies, but I don't find bathing in piss coloured water particularly relaxing. And it was such a shame because this silky bomb smelt utterly delicious.

I cannot deny that I left the water feeling silky soft and smelling amazing, but i just can't get over the colour. Lush bombs are famous for their bright colours and I cant help but wonder if this would have been better in an orange tone rather than yellow? - So, with much disappointment,  I'm going to have to rate this bomb an unappealing 3/5. Unfortunately I don't think I;ll be running to purchase this pretty to boot bomb again.

Have you tried The Golden Egg? - What were your thoughts?

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Lush Kitchen Demo | Granny takes a dip

 



For weeks I watched on Instagram as people got their hands on this exclusive bath bomb before they hit the shops. If you've kept up with my #MidweekTreat series you'll know that colouring and theatrics in Lush bath bombs is an important factor I always rate products on. So naturally after seeing the rainbow effect of Granny Takes a Dip I was desperately trying to hunt down one of my own.

 

It took me a week, but I picked up my first Granny in my local Leeds branch & luckily it was the last one in store after a surge of sales over the bank holiday weekend. So I skipped out merrily with my bomb & straight home to the tub to test it despite the recent heat waves. I fear in the next few weeks I'm going to have to retire from bath bombs as showers become more comfortable. However I plan on trying some fresh facemasks and even make some of my own instead.

 

My Granny did not disappoint. The colours were magnificent, slowly spreading a rainbow of colour around my bath. Unlike Lush ballistics, Granny Takes a Dip fizzed for around 5-10 minutes before it disappeared leaving pockets of rainbows over the top of a rich purple tinted water below.

 

Lush say; "This ginger, pepper and lemon-scented bath bomb turns your water psychedelic and puts some colour in your life. Simply drop into a warm bath and watch as its fizzing centre dissolves into multi-coloured waters. Its spicy, citrusy scent will pep you up: lemon oil boosts the mood, while ginger and pepper are warming"

 

I love citrus scents, and the lemon oil combined with the ginger spice was divine, it lingered in my bathroom and on my skin for hours after my bath was emptied, and I was that impressed that I returned to Lush the following week to get another Granny. This bomb has been by far one f my favourites to date, even taking over Space Girl.

I was pleased to find also, that the deep purple did not stain my tub like Phoenix Rising despite the obvious high dye content, nor did it dry out my skin. I in fact left that bath feeling silky soft and smelling citrusy, complimenting my usual CKin2u perfume.

 

Colour 10/10 | Smell 9/10 | Skin 9/10

I would have given this straight 10's but I have had bombs previously whose smell and skin softening properties have been longer lasting, however Granny Takes a Dip is definitely my new favourite bath time treat.

 

Have you tried Granny Takes a Dip yet?
See my Demo video on instagram here



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The Midweek Treat | Phoenix Rising bath ballistic

 

 After last weeks disappointment with Sakura, I picked the very pretty and brightly coloured Phoenix Rising bath ballistic as this weeks midweek treat. Firstly I love the colour and shape, it just looks a little more special that your average bomb, and you can already see that the colour is going to be a big impact in the water. - Whish is exactly what I've come to expect and love from Lush bath bombs.

Lush say: "A mystical, shimmering purple and green layered bath bomb that rises in the water on a cloud of exotic spice fragrance. When your skin is feeling over-cooked and in desperate need of hydration, the luxurious blend of cocoa and shea butters will have you rising out of the bath with soft, luscious skin. Its rich, cinnamon fragrance will also lift your mood if you’re feeling out of sorts."

The smell of this bomb is incredible, although more of a winter scent, the cinnamon is really strong and delicious. This bomb has been sat in my bath bomb bowl for the past few weeks, keeping the room smelling lovely, which is always handy when living with a boy!

Now, this bomb is supposed to be a bath ballistic, however it took its time to make any impact on the bath. And around 5 seconds under the water before it actually fizzed or melted at all! (See my demo video here) I left the bathroom numerous times in the space of 5-10 minutes & in that time it had hardly fizzed at all despite the bath being hot. So I decided to crack it open with my hands revealing the green centre. It was then that the bomb began to fizz a little faster.
The bath water was a gorgeous shade of purple by the time the slow fizzing was through and the creamy tones on the top made my bath look like a tie-dye, which I love!

On other reviews I've read I was a little concerned that my nails would be dyed purple. the colouring in this bomb is very strong, and whilst I can say in confidence that I emerged still lilly white & nails intact, I can't however say the same for my bath. I was forced to scrub it with bleach after tide marks of purple were stained up the tub!

My skin didn't feel as soft after this bath as it did with Sakura, however it was a much more satisfying in colour and overall effect. I am a little concerned about the staining of the tub, which would usually make me reluctant to buy again, however my skin really did smell beautiful all night so that sways it for me. I rate this bomb 4/5 - Great smell & colour, but high dye content so invest in some good quality bleach.

Have you tried the Phoenix Rising bath bomb? 
 

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HoF giveaway winner | Wishlist

 

Coat | MK Sandals | Tote Bag | Candle | Coffee Machine

I've been a very lucky girl! Last week I received a little letter from the lovely Hayley from Frock me I'm famous after winning her House of Fraser £100 voucher giveaway. And as I've not had time to actually spend it yet, I thought I'd have a gander on the website and create a little wish list. Obviously I cant have all of the above items but they're definitely things I'm considering!

Ok so first up is the coat from Glamorous, I had one very similar to this but more of a boyfriend fit (see here) however I accidentally left it in a bar, & forgot which one it was left in! - Doh! And at £25.50 this coat is an absolute steal, probably because it's spring & lets face it, we won't need coats for much longer, but still, I love the tweed and leather contrast.

I'm also completely in love with these Michael Kors sandals, they're exactly what I need for SS14. Simple, classy and fabulous! I'm almost certain that I'll be purchasing these if my local HoF store stocks them.. I also loved the Radley tote bag. I'm one of these crazy bag ladies that completely hoards handbags, recycle bags, any kind of bag! - So I thought, why not have a designer tote? & for £10 it's something too affordable not to buy.

Since moving into my new home with Creature, we've been buying loads of appliances but one thing I've wanted for the longest time is a coffee machine, This Nespresso machine comes in at a reasonable £89.99 and in a rage of colours. Although I'm pretty sure I'd go with a bright red one to brighten up my kitchen. & finally, no HoF wish list would be complete without at least considering splurging on Yankee Candles, I've a serious obsession with the brand and drive Creature crazy buying them all the time, but they make our flat smell delicious.

If you had £100 to spend in House of Fraser, what would you buy?

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The Midweek Treat | Sakura Bath Ballistic

 

Truth be told, I tried this little bomb last Friday after I'd handed in my dissertation, practical project and investigative journalism pieces. So less of a midweek treat, more of a 'I've had 1 hours sleep and need to wind down' treat. But that also means I'm one assignment away from finishing Uni for good, and you wouldn't believe how relieved I am to be out of higher education!

 

Ok, for those of you don't know, Sakura is a bomb that has been brought back into production, it was discontinued a while ago but it's been re-launched (apparently) by popular demand. I like to try a new bomb, where possible, every week so when skipped into Lush Leeds I was really drawn to Sakura. I'd never seen it before, and thought the almost druzy stone like appearance of it's top was just too pretty!

 

Lush say: "This is a celebration of spring in a bath bomb, bursting into a floral fragrance. Inspired by the cherry blossom in Japan, this pretty bomb is designed to evoke the burst of optimism the first sign of spring brings. We've used calming mimosa and jasmine oils complemented by lemon oil and orange flower to bring to mind the smell of this colourful season."

 

Smell wise, you can definitely pick out the citrus. I LOVE citrus scents, especially in the spring/summer, so as you can imagine, I was really excited to pop this in my tub. However, I was a little underwhelmed.. I assumed, with the pink and blue pretty speckles, that this bomb would have a little bit of colour to it, but how wrong I was. It was a very low impact bomb if I'm honest, I mean the creamy look of the water is ok but c'mon Lush I want some excitement! Sakura just didn't make my bath look as inviting as say Rose Queen or Secret Garden.

 

It's not all doom and gloom though, Sakura was a deeply nourishing product, and instantly after plunging into the water, I could feel how soft my skin was. I'd exfoliated a day earlier, and this bomb just made my skin feel like butter thanks to the essential oils. Not to mention the scent was so strong that it lingered on my skin for the rest of the day.

All in all, I wasn't completely sold on this bomb. I've come to expect fireworks with Lush bath bombs and this doesn't really step up to the mark. However I did enjoy the smell and how great it made my skin feel. So with that taken into consideration I'm scoring this apparent Lush favourite 3/5.

 

Have you tried Sakura?

 

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Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish | UK Giveaway

 

 My first giveaway of 2014!

Ok so lately I've become utterly obsessed with Liz Earle thanks to my good friend Jessica, so in honour of her I'm giving away one of their legendary Cleanse & Polish to one lucky winner. The set comes with a 30ml bottle of the Cleanse & Polish solution and one of the hot cloths.

 

This giveaway is only open to the UK (sorry international readers)

Please enter via the rafflecopter app below.

 

Please note:

- The only mandatory option is you must be following this blog via Bloglovin' or GFC (a google account). - I will be checking.

- Please leave your email in a comment below so I can contact the winner.

- You can gain extra entries by tweeting about the giveaway (1 extra entry per day)

- You may also gain 1 extra entry by including this link in a blog post (1 extra entry per post)

- The giveaway will be running until May 1st

- If the winner does not respond within 3 days I reserve the rights to pick a new winner.

- UK residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck lovelies!

 

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The Midweek Treat | Immaculate Eggception review

It's another smash & grab! You may have seen my Love Locket review from a few weeks ago in which I failed miserably at attempting to cut into the bomb with a knife as recommended. So Instead I opted for smashing it on the floor, turning my bathroom into a pink sand desert to reveal it's centre!

 

This week I've been smashing the Immaculate Eggception in an attempt to find my hidden chick or bunny. Much like Love Locket The Immaculate Eggception had a hidden secret inside & mine revealed a little yellow chick. This amazing bath bomb comes in two different colours; yellow or pink. They both share the same delectable fragrance, with zesty lemon oil to tone the skin, refreshing grapefruit oil and sweet and comforting Fair Trade vanilla absolute from the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda.

 

You have two options with this bomb, you can use the smashed outer, spreading it out between 2 baths. However you will get a slightly weaker scent. & then use the inner bomb for another separate bath (you can get up to 3 baths from this one bomb). Or like me, you can be greedy & throw it all in together and have a super scented bath!

 

With this one I absolutely LOVED the colours. I adore it when Lush bath bombs create a sort of tie dye effect across the water, & in fact if you read my Love Locket review you'll see this is exactly the kind of effect I wished I would have got after being slightly disappointed with the lockets papery hearts. I was however expecting to see a little more blue with the outer showing blue tones, but they disappeared immediately as it hit the water.

 

So I am absolutely won over by The Immaculate Eggception, I love the smell, I love the colour effect & my skin felt amazing after leaving the water. Smooth, nourished and smelling wonderful.

 

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The Midweek Treat | Lush Rose Queen

 

First off, just look at the picture above, I mean, how beautiful does that look!? Do I even need to review this one? - Well yes, as I want to tell you exactly why you need to be pairing these two treats together.

 

I've never been a huge floral scent fan, although these past few weeks between Rose Jam, Rose Queen & Secret Garden I'm beginning to wonder what exactly I've been missing all this time. I suppose it's because I want to avoid the whole "Nana" scents, and rose always reminded me of older people. But in actual fact, the Rose Jam bubbleroon & Rose Queen bomb paired together are really sweet as well as floral giving them a more modern floral scent.

To get the above effect, I held the Rose Jam ball under the falling water for around 10 seconds until a thin white foam spread across the water. Once the tub was full, I then released the Rose Queen bomb, letting its soft pink tones colour the water. You'll also notice that like Secret Garden, Rose Queen also had a centre filled with dried rose petals. This personally is my favourite part of Lush floral bath bombs.

So, as above I mentioned about the scents being quite sweets. Well, to be specific, it's the Rose Jam bubbleroon that smells sweet. The Rose Queen for me smells very classically rose, again almost verging on elderly, however, the sweetness of Rose Jam really does lift this bath bomb for me.
Like most of the bombs I've sampled so far, I left this bath feeling silky soft & relaxed, my skin glowed & the scent lingered for a few hours. However, usually when getting out of the bath I like to use a cream or butter to nourish and rehydrate. So far I have not found anything to match the scent of Lush's rose range, but I'm not giving up!

I loved this combination, other than my after bath problems. I adore the scents of these two products, I love the way it makes my skin feel & the way it looks in the tub. Even when the bubbles have dispersed the floating buds still look beautiful in the pink water.
I rate Rose Jam 5/5 and Rose Queen 4/5
 

Have you tried Rose Jam or Rose Queen before?

 

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