Payday Shopping Trip Haul - Superdrug, Lush, Primark, and more!

On Saturday I was in dire need of some retail therapy, so myself and my friend Jade took a little trip to Truro to have a mooch around the shops and grab some lunch. The weather was horrible, as it always is in England, but we still had a nice time having a lovely little coffee and a quick bite to eat in Starbucks, before heading out to New Look, Lush, Superdrug, and more. It's safe to say that I was in a 'treat yo self' kind of mood.

We went to New Look first, and I wasn't overly impressed with the spring selection that was available. I picked up some Shape and Define skinny jeans and I was pretty tempted by the homeware, but I was good and just bought the jeans. Being a slightly bigger person myself, I usually find jeans really hard to find, but New Look's tend to fit me best. I love the shape the jeans give me - it's the second pair I've bought!

We then went to TK Maxx and found so many lovely things that I wanted to grab. Some of the bargains I found included a little candle, a face mask, false lashes, and a super cute mug. My favourite mug got chipped recently so I needed a replacement, and although its nowhere near as nice as my old mug, I still think it's super cute.

The little Tilly Parker candle and the Eylure false lashes were both reduced, and I randomly found the Coop + Daisy face mask in the stock pile of makeup. I was immediately intrigued by the glitter, and then realised it was a watermelon face mask. How could I resist?

After that, we popped over to Lush and I didn't hold back. They have their Valentine's range out which is full of loads of amazing goodies, so I grabbed the Love Boat bath bomb, and the Aubergine bath bomb (I see you with your penis emojis), as well as the Goddess and the Guardian of the Forest bath bomb from the normal selection. I also grabbed 2 bath oils. I love how some of the bath bombs make the water feel, so I thought i'd try the oils on their own (so good for shaving).

Love Boat Bath Bomb

Goddess Bath Bomb

Guardian of the Forest Bath Bomb

Mmmelting Marshmallow Moment and You've Been Mangoed bath oils

Superdrug is probably where I picked up the most - it's so hard to restrain yourself in there! I'm absolutely loving Nip and Fab right now, so I decided to pick up the Glycolic Fix Bubble face masks, which were 2 for £8. I then spotted a Nip and Fab makeup stand and immediately went raiding. I had no idea they did makeup, but if their skincare is anything to go by, I know it will be amazing. I picked up the colour corrector in the shade 02 Banana, and the contour palette in 01 Light.

I also grabbed myself a new foundation. I seem to have a thing with foundation where I can't seem to find any that I really like, so I'm constantly buying new ones. This time I went for the Loreal True Match in the shade Golden Ivory. As you can see, I have used it already, and it's a great match for my skin.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation - Golden Ivory

I also picked up a second set of Eylure lashes, and the Maui Moisture Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner. My friend had really enjoyed using them, and I thought they looked amazing. I decided to pick them up since they were on offer, and my hair is in need of some major TLC.

Next we went to Waterstones and I picked up 2 books - Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig and The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k by Sarah Knight. I had read Matt Haig's other book, Reasons To Stay Alive, and absolutely loved it, so I've wanted to pick this one up for a while. I've heard really good things about the Sarah Knight book, and I'm definitely in a 'sort yourself out' point in my life right now, so I'm pretty excited to start reading it.

Lastly, we had a little look around Primark. Again, I wasn't overly impressed with the spring fashion, but I did find a cute little bag. I'd been looking for one anyway as all my bags seem to be too big or too small, but this one is the perfect size. It has a simple magnet to keep it closed, and a detachable inside pocket.

So that's it, no more shopping ever again!.. Or until next payday.

I hope you enjoyed my little haul, and I'll see you very soon!

Ciao for now,

Katie x

Beyond Organic Skincare Review (Spoilers - It's Amazing!)

Hi guys, a very happy New Year to you all! I hope you have enjoyed the first week of the year, and are making the most of the first Monday of 2019. I've been so tired with working so much, but today I'm feeling motivated to get some blog posts written.

Just before Christmas, the wonderful team at Beyond Organic Skincare were nice enough to send me a few of their products to try out. I'd been on a bit of a hunt for local Cornish skincare, and immediately loved the look of their range of products!

Beyond Organic were founded in 2005 with a vision for organic, 100% natural skincare. They are popular all over the world, including Asia and Eastern Europe, and have been featured in True Health Magazine and Vegan Food and Living. As the population become more and more aware of what we are eating, drinking, and putting on our skin, more and more natural and organic skincare brands have been popping up, and Beyond Organic are definitely the guys to try!

A lot of the ingredients used in their products are food grade, meaning they are perfectly safe for your skin, and packed with over 190 biologically active compounds in each product, I knew it was going to work some magic (many of the products you would usually buy only feature up to 3 active compounds). 

I got sent a lovely range of products to try, including the Shine and Strength shampoo and conditioner. I was probably the most excited to give these ones a go, as I'm always on the hunt for new hair care, and my hair is really lacklustre and in need of constant TLC. I find many of the shampoos and conditioners readily available in the supermarkets just don't do what they advertise.

This lovely duo contains aloe vera, sea buckthorn, and natural oils, as well as having 0% sulphates, silicones, and parabens. I love the minimalistic, but still very cute packaging - it kind of reminds me of pictures we used to take in my photography class in college, and the packaging is completely recyclable. Both of these products are vegan, and along with every other product this brand has to offer, is fair trade and hasn't been tested on animals.

  

The shampoo is incredibly interesting because, unlike most shampoos where you wet your hair and then lather up, you have to add water to the product to lather it. I'm not overly sure if I quite got the hang of this method as I found I wasn't able to lather it properly, but my mum had no problems when she tried it. It did leave my hair feeling wonderfully clean and quite hydrated too. Oftentimes I'll wash shampoo out of my hair and it feels incredibly dry and brittle until I condition it. Definitely not the case here! The shampoo is 93% organic, and along with the conditioner, is formulated with botanical extracts to provide strength, shine, and moisturisation. 

I found the shampoo smelled quite sort of earthy and musky, which I totally expect from natural products - it just smells so healthy. I definitely preferred the scent of the conditioner which has more of a citrussy note to it, but the combination of both is a real treat, and both my mum and myself found that the scent lingered in our hair for ages. Truly a wonderful duo of hair care that leaves your hair feeling super clean, healthy, and happy. 

I also got to try out the cleansing set, as well as the Miracle Worker face cream. The Detoxifying Cleanser is 100% organic with loads of amazing benefits for your skin, such as coconut oil for deep cleansing, burdock for smooth skin and restoring skin tone, yarrow for its healing properties and to reduce pore size, and comfrey to help skin repair and reduce inflammation. It has a wonderful citrus lemon scent which isn't too overpowering, and left my skin feeling so baby soft and hydrated. My skin instantly looked brighter and happier, and the fact that it's an oil/balm is even better. I'm not overly keen on thick cream cleansers, and always find the oil ones work best. Unfortunately it does contain beeswax, so this particular product isn't suitable for all you vegans out there - but worry not! Beyond Organic have loads of natural vegan products for you to get your hands on! The cleanser also came with a lovely muslin cloth for washing the product off your face, and it's one of the best muslin cloths I have ever used - move over Liz Earle!

I absolutely loved the alcohol free Soothing Toner - it's so refreshing and gives you that instant little boost to wake up your tired skin. It contains rose and geranium for their hydrating, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties, and it really does smell amazing. It's so nice to spray a couple pumps onto your face, and I imagine it would be so nice in the heat of summer. It's 96% organic and vegan, and I highly recommend it. I use the cleanser and toner every morning and evening.

Lastly from the cleaning set, I received the Moisturising Day Cream, which I use every morning, containing sea buckthorn and rosehip. I found this product really does what it says on the tin, and makes your skin feel so healthy and hydrated. My skin felt much less dry and the pigmentation improved a lot over the course of the couple of weeks of using these products. The moisturising day cream is 90% organic and also vegan, and is just amazing. 

As well as the cleansing set and hair care duo, I also received the Miracle Worker Face Cream. Containing cocoa and shea butters for intense moisturisation and nourishment, rosehip oil to help skin remain youthful, tamanu oil to improve the appearance of scars, and soya oil for it's anti-inflammatory properties, it's one of my favourite products that I got to try. Another vegan product with 92% organic ingredients, this one truly is a miracle worker. I noticed my skin just looking so much healthier and stress-free, I had less and less spots, and I occasionally got a little whiff of the wonderful natural smells of the products. I use this product in the evening as my night time moisturiser, and I really love it.

All in all, I highly recommend Beyond Organic skincare for anybody - they have loads of other wonderful products available all the family for amazing prices, and deliver internationally, so you have no reason not to jump on the organic skincare bandwagon!

Have you ever tried Beyond Organic? What did you think?

I'll see you guys very soon, and thanks for reading!

Ciao for now, 

Katie x

Winter Skincare - My Current Routine

Day 3 of Blogmas is upon us. This month is already going too fast! 

Taking care of your skin is incredibly important, especially during winter. The cold, harsh weather can really affect how hydrated your skin is, and make it flaky.

I definitely do the most skincare during winter - I often find loading products onto my face during the height of summer just too uncomfortable, but I go all out during the colder months. The start of my routine consists of the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. This stuff makes your skin feel incredibly clean, almost squeaky clean. It is amazing at removing even waterproof makeup, and is sensitive on my skin. I use this every morning and evening, and whenever I take my makeup off.

For toner, I am currently using the L'Oreal Fine Flowers Toner, which smells delicious. I would describe this toner as having a slightly oily consistency, as opposed to a more water based one, but that is not a bad thing. It really feels like it's doing my skin a lot of good, and my face feels really smooth once it has all absorbed. It's made with rose, known for its soothing properties, ad jasmine, renowned for it's protecting and moisturising properties. I use this every day after cleansing in the morning and evening.

After I have cleansed my face, I use the Nip and Fab Dragon's Blood Fix Plumping Serum. Made with hyaluronic acid and velvet flower to enhance hydration, this product gives my skin that extra boost in the colder months, and feels luxurious.

I am currently using the Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser, which came as part of a mini skincare set along with the Hot Cloth Cleanser. It's probably not my favourite moisturiser ever, but it smells wonderfully natural, and it does the job. 

After moisturising in the evening, I may use my Dr Botanicals Pomegranate Superfood Regenerating Sleeping Mask (that's a mouthful!). You simply put it on your face before bed, let it sink in a little, and dream away. In the morning, wash your face, and your skin looks baby fresh. I find it really helps to reduce some of the redness in my face, and also makes my skin really smooth. It is vegan, cruelty free, and 98% natural. ALL RIGHT!

The Smooth Sugars Glow Scrub facial exfoliator by L'Oreal is lovely. I use this a couple of times a week in the morning, before I cleanse my face. The smell is a weird combination of nature and baking, and probably not my favourite scent, but the product itself is amazing. It's not too harsh on the skin, but leaves it feeling soft and smooth, and helps to polish and leave radiance.

Lastly, lipbalm. Taking care of your lips during winter is incredibly important - I find my lips chap incredibly easily, and it feels absolutely horrible. The Minty Elderflower Lipbalm by Folklore is an absolute saviour, and it feels like it just melts on your lips when you apply it. You know how smooth melted wax is? Kinda like that. It's a gorgeous mint scent which I feel makes it all the better for my lips.

What are your go-to products during the winter months? Have you used any of these products? What did you think? Let me know in the comments, and I'll see you tomorrow for Blogmas Day 4!

Ciao for now, 

Katie x