Golden Wonder

So I thought I’d do a super quick post on the amazing Lush Golden Wonder bath bomb I mentioned in my festive Lush Haul! This is obviously a Christmas special and is available at Lush for a limited amount of time, so if you do want to get one for yourself or a loved one follow this link HERE.

This beautiful bath bomb exceeded expectations, when you first drop it in the water it lets out a shimmering gold effect and then explodes into a blue fizz with little gold stars as it spreads through the water.

Lush say: “Shake it! You'll hear hidden contents as this present-shaped fizzer reveals glittering golden lustre and a sparkling turquoise explosion. Zesty lime oil and tangy sweet orange start a party of mood-brightening scents. This is one treat you don't have to wait until Christmas morning to unwrap.”

The smell really was a beautiful citrus mix and left me feeling really relaxed after using the bath bomb. The only downside some people might find is you will sparkle like Tinkerbell for the next week after bathing in this product, I showered every day and still found sparkly bits all over my body! I liked it to be honest, nothing wrong with a bit of glitter! However I can see why some would find it annoying!

So yeah, like I said, a very quick post! Hope you’re all enjoying the build up to Christmas and are enjoying any time off you have (if any at all). I’ve just finished work until after Christmas so you can follow my adventures on Twitter or Instagram by following ‘alicelouisealk’.

Have you ever used the Golden Wonder? What’s your favourite Lush product? Let me know in a comment below!

December Birch Box

It’s Birch Box time again!! It’s actually quite sad how excited I get over the arrival of my Birch Box each month, but it’s like a little gift from me, to me that I get to look forward to every four weeks or so! This month’s was an amazing edition and a big improvement on last month’s, which I know a lot of people were disappointed in due to a lack of interesting samples and products.

The December Birch Box however left no room for disappointment! It arrived in a beautiful clutch bag, perfect for Christmas parties, and was jam packed with mini essentials to see you through the festive season, including: Benefit’s They’re Real Push-Up Eyeliner and their Puff-Off eye formula, a Model Co lipstick, a Ciaté nail polish, the Embryolisse skin hydrator (which also doubles as a primer), a Skin & Co body gel and the bonus gift of a mini Catherine Malandrino perfume!

First up we have The Ultimate Party Kit from Benefit which consists of a mini They’re Real Push-Up eye liner and a mini Puff-Off eye soother. The eye liner is a product that I class as an essential part of my make up kit, it’s a really dark, solid black gel liner and the unique applicator style makes it super easy to swish a line on! You can get it HERE for £18.50.

The Benefit Puff Off isn’t a product I’d ever used before but after trying it I’ll definitely be re-purchasing! The day after a night out, after you cleanse away the left over make up you apply a small amount of this product to the underneath of your eyes to soothe away puffy-ness and reduce bags – to help you look like you haven’t had two hours sleep after necking a few too many tequilas, perfect for the day after your works Christmas do! Shop HERE for £22.50.

Next we have the Model Co Ultra Long-Lasting Lipstick in shade Stiletto. There’s nothing worse than perfecting your party pout only to spend the whole night checking for smudges! Luckily this hydrating, semi-matte, formula has you covered! It provides nourishment and long lasting colour so you don’t have to worry! I wore it for my staff party last week and can testify to it lasting a while, it still hadn’t come off after I’d slept in my make-up all night – go Model Co! You can get a set of three colours, including Stiletto, HERE for just £15.50 – top bargain.

As you all know, I am a HUGE fan of Ciaté London nail polishes and was so excited to find a beautiful sparkling edition in this month’s Birch Bag. They came in assorted colours, mine came in shade Star Struck, which is a beautiful blue and hologrammy silver, glitter top coat – very Frozen-esque. Ciate nail polishes are a little pricey, this one is £9 full price, but I do think you get what you pay for when it comes to nail products. If you get a Poundland polish it’s likely to peel off or chip before the end of the day, but if you splash out a little more on a decent brand polish then you’ll get a longer lasting nail colour and you’ll get more use out of the same sized bottle as you’ll require fewer coats to get a solid colour. Shop Ciaté HERE.

Next up we have the Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrate. This is a really interesting product as it’s a moisturiser which also doubles as a primer, which in books is a win-win situation! I’m always very sceptical of products that have more than one use though, I feel like a moisturiser is only good at being a moisturiser and a primer is only good as a primer and an aspect of each would be lost if you mixed them. However my scepticism was unjustified as this product is awesome! It’s rich without weighing the skin down, packs a hydrating punch thanks to shea butter and aloe vera and leaves your complexion feeling silky-soft! You can get your own full sized version HERE for £12.99.

The Skin & Co Sicilian Body Gel is probably the least exciting of all of this month’s Birch goodies. It’s a very nice shower gel type product, boasting ingredients all the way from Italy, including Sicilian orange and olive extracts. However it was just a citrus-scented body wash and I felt slightly over-priced at £15 for a full sized bottle. But if you do want to wash your skin with some Italian fruit smell then you can shop the Body Gel HERE.

The little Beauty Bonus in this month’s Birch Bag was a miniature perfume from Catherine Malandrino. The Style de Paris Eau de Parfum is the new fragrance from fashion designer Malandrino and is a sophisticated, but fruity scent. It’s a combination of mandarin, red grapefruit and pear and will leave you smelling good enough to eat! The perfume starts at £50 for a bottle, a standard price for most designer perfumes, and has definitely been added to my Christmas list! You can get your very own bottle HERE – you can also get it in a gift set, which will make a perfect prezzie for a loved one this Christmas!

Finally we have the beautiful Birch Bag itself. As far as I know this exclusive clutch bag is not available to buy on the site and is just part of the monthly box service so if you want it you’ll have to pay £10 for the December Birch Box – which in all honesty is a total bargain considering you get the bag, plus all the above goodies for just a tenner! It’s a lovely jade velvet, black leather look and gold glitter mix bag which went perfectly with my jade green dress for a Christmas party last week and is large enough to fit in all your night out essentials! You can find out more about ordering your December Birch Bag HERE.

Has anyone else signed up for a Birch Box, or a similar product, recently? What did you think of the December products? Let me know in a comment below!

Primark beauty basics

As you know I always try and centre my posts around ‘life on a budget’. After struggling through uni with zero money and then working three jobs to try and get rid of my loans and overdraft – whilst also paying my normal bills, I understand what it’s like to live life on a VERY strict budget.

That’s why I’m always really happy when I can find new ways to cut costs and help my readers save a little bit of money! Today’s money saving tactics are on beauty tools!

These days judging looks are thrown when you say "Uhm my hands?" when answering the question, "So how do you apply your foundation?" Make-up brushes are in every drug store, make up shop and even most clothing stores sell their own range these days, but although they aren't hard to get your hands on, they’re not exactly cheap.

Averaging at around £7 a brush from most high street stores beauty brushes aren't pocket money spends, but they do come with a range of benefits. Applying products like concealer and foundation with a brush, will help give you a smoother application and will stop you from caking as much on as you would with your hands.

A major downside to applying base products with your hands is the fact that most of the product ends up being rubbed into pores rather than sitting atop your skin like it’s meant to. Using proper brushes for eye make-up also offers a better, more professional looking application.

So what’s a skint gal to do eh? We don’t want to look like basic make-up bitches but we have an extremely basic bitch budget…..never fear! Auntie Alice has the perfect solution.

Primark now has its own full beauty tool range. Everything from eyelash curlers, to make-up brushes, to removal wipes and each piece costs around £1.50 at the most!

My three favourite pieces of the range were the cosmetic sharpener, the foundation blending brush and the egg make-up sponge.

I’d just bought a cosmetic sharpener for just under £5 from Superdrug when I saw the £1 version in Primark. Needless to say I was a bit annoyed, I mean they all do the same job, why does a Superdrug basics sharpener cost so much? Who does it think it is exactly!? I bought two of the Primark version (just in case) and returned the Superdrug one immediately!

The foundation blending brush is another really cool tool, this is great for smoothing over lines or creases after you've applied your foundation with a brush. Its pointed shape is great as it fits under your eyes to smooth make-up under any bag blemishes and curves well round the other lumps and bumps of the face. It’s also great for blending contouring – everyone loves a multi-tool! For just £1.50 how could I say no?

The egg is a product I adore and have been using the Lottie London version until I discovered the Primark alternative. I use the egg to put my foundation on – after putting liquid foundation on my hand or face I dip the sponge into it and dab all across my face until I have an even coverage on. This allows the liquid foundation to sit on top of your skin instead of sinking into pores and causing spots. For just £1.50 I’d say this product is a 100% essential piece for every make-up bag!

As well as the brushes I got some cotton pads for £1, a tub of cotton buds for £1 and four packs of exfoliating make-up wipes which were £1.50 for two if I remember rightly.

You can get your full basic make-up application brush set for under £15 at Primark and every other beauty tool you could wish for so I suggest getting yourself to your nearest store and stocking up instead of wasting money on bigger brands – they all do the same job at the end of the day and are all of a similar quality!

Have you ever tried any of Primark’s beauty accessories? What did you think of my picks? Let me know in a comment below!

Christmas LUSH Haul

It’s Christmas Lush Haul time!!!!! It’s that time of year when the Lush fairies bless us with beautiful glittering goodness to make our bath sparkle, shimmer and smell better than a Starbucks cinnamon latte!

I went away on a Christmas shopping trip last weekend and tackled three cities in two days (Liverpool, Warrington and Manchester). After getting the majority of my Christmas presents and a new tree, I decided it was time to treat myself!

Naturally I decided to head to Lush to get myself some of my favourite pamper products! With my skin it’s really hard to find nice products that don’t make my psoriasis flare up – so when I find something that works for me I stick to it!

I think the reason Lush works so well with my skin condition is because the use natural ingredients in their products instead of the harsh chemicals that cause my skin to go crazy. If you do suffer from psoriasis or similar skin conditions then I strongly recommend using Lush goodies, however you should always do a patch test before launching yourself into a bubble bath full of unknown product!

So the first Christmas treat I got for myself was the beautiful Star Dust bath bomb. The star of wonder is quite small for a Lush bath bomb but packs a lot of punch for such a little guy! Its citrus scented and white on the outside. As it starts to dissolve it turns then water a milky white colour then as it breaks down turns blue and lets out a tonne of multi coloured mini stars! Super cute and smells amazing. This bomb is just £2.95 and you can get it HERE.

The Lush description reads: “Follow yonder star all the way to the bathroom; it will bear exotic gifts of Fair Trade Ugandan vanilla from the Mountains of the Moon and precious restorative rosewood. A twinkly dip in its starlit waters gives a bergamot-powered boost to the mind and body - ideal for a little post-party recovery. Note: wise men not included.” – Very cute indeed!

The second in my festive haul is The Experimenter bath bomb! This is one of Lush’s best sellers and isn’t actually part of the Christmas collection, but since it has such a strong cinnamon type spice smell, I’m sure we can forgive it! This bomb literally turns your bath into a magical sparkling rainbow and will leave you feeling chilled and ready to take on the hectic-ness of the holiday season! This bomb is £3.95 and you can get it HERE.

Lush say: “If you're looking for adventure... you'll find it in The Experimenter, starring vibrant colour, popping candy and Fair Trade vanilla absolute from near the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda. An enigmatic and comforting romance of... deep, complex vetivert notes that enthral your senses before creamy vanilla and Tonka provide a sweet antidote. It's everything you've always wanted to do ... and with a plethora of five bright colours, it's the only one you'll ever want to do it with again.” – Just in case you needed some more reasons to lust after this bath time bliss!

The next bomb I got was one that I’d seen in Zoella’s latest Lush haul and I just couldn’t resist seeking it out after seeing it on her channel! It’s the Golden Wonder bath bomb which is a sparkly gold present on the outside and then as it breaks down in the water it lets out a beautiful blue mini bomb full of gold sparkling stars! This product costs £3.95 and you can get it HERE.

Want to know more? Check out Lush’s description: “Shake it! You'll hear hidden contents as this present-shaped fizzer reveals glittering golden lustre and a sparkling turquoise explosion. Zesty lime oil and tangy sweet orange start a party of mood-brightening scents. This is one treat you don't have to wait until Christmas morning to unwrap.”

I think I’ve definitely saved the best Christmas goodie for last! This wonder of a Bubble Bar costs £4.95, so is a little pricier than the other bits I got – totally worth it for the novelty factor though. I am of course talking about the amazing FIIIIIVE GOOOOOOLD RIIIIIINGS Bubble Bar! Yep Five Gold Rings obviously consists of five gold ring shaped bubble bars hanging on a ribbon and is just absolutely adorable! This was an impulse buy at the till and I have absolutely no regrets!

The Bubble Bars break down under the tap and turn your bath in to a sparkling, bubbly wonderland! Need any more reasons to rush to Lush right now? Really? Okay then, here’s the Lush description: “Forget a partridge in a pear tree, you'll want to skip ahead to the fifth day of Christmas to get your hands on these sparkling bubble bar rings! Crumble under running water for a creamy Fair Trade vanilla-filled bath, infused with skin-softening illipe butter and uplifting moringa oil. If you're hoping for a ring come Christmas day, this might just be the next best thing.”

There are so many more cute Christmas goodies to get your hands on so I strongly recommend heading to your nearest store immediately – you deserve a treat girl! Failing that, Lush have just pimped out their site which you can check out by clicking THIS link. Lush also have an app where you can shop, watch DIYs and learn more about how they make their products – just search for Lush in the app store.

All the products I got from Lush were from the Trafford Centre store last weekend, but are available in stores across the country and online, so get them while they’re still in stock!

What do you think of my Lush picks? What’s your favourite Lush product? Let me know in a comment below!

Ciaté London Advent Calendar: Week One

So as anyone who follows me on Twitter or Instagram know, I’ve been opening up this little Ciaté bad boy for the last week! I’ve literally been raving about it pretty much all week, doing everyone’s head in I imagine, but I’m too happy to care!

The Ciaté London calendar was a bargain I found in TK Maxx for just £20 and managed to convince Josh to buy it for me – what a gem! You get a mini nail polish, top coat, base coat or nail effect each day of December up until 24^th, which works out as an absolute steal for 83p per nail polish!

So far in my growing collection I have three solid colours, three glitter top coats and one nail affect. Ciaté is one of my favourite brands for nail products so I’m so excited to finish opening up the calendar!

In the pictures above you can see the three solid colour polishes. From left to right they are: Members Only – a shimmery peachy, pink colour, Encore - which is a burnt orange shade and Pepperminty - which is a lovely cool turquoise shade.

Below them you can see the sparkling top coats, from left to right they are: Confetti – a hologram, silver glitter, Meet Me In Mayfair – which is a black and white confetti style top coat with splashes of silver and pastel colour mixed in and finally there’s Glitterball – a really cool top coat with mixed sized, dusky pink pieces of glitter.

In the picture underneath the top coats you can see the first of my nail effect, Miss Mistletoe. This features sparkly, sequin type glitter which can be used to pour onto wet nail varnish to give you a statement nail. The glitter is mixed gold, red, orange and pink and can be used to cover a whole nail or the glitter can be placed down individually to create a specific design.

I teamed solid colour Encore wit Miss Mistletoe as a statement nail this week and it looked really pretty and festive. After covering my nails in a clear Ciaté top my nail design lasted for around about a week!

Another thing I absolutely adore about this calendar is that behind each little door is a lovely inspirational quote, as you can see above. It’s a great way to start a day – a new nail treat and a little positivity boost with your morning coffee!

I’m going to try and do a weekly post on the advent calendar so you can see all the different nail goodies available from Ciaté, but if you just can’t wait for next week then check out my Instagram or Twitter – just search ‘alicelouisealk’ and hit follow!

Which is your favourite Ciaté mini mani? Do you have an interesting advent calendar? Let me know in a comment below!

Skinny Dip London

In my November Birch Box post I mentioned that I’d received a voucher for Skinny Dip London as part of their design collaboration last month. It took me some time but I finally decided what Skinny Dip goodies I wanted to spend my vouchers on!

I went for two phone cases as I’ve just upgraded my phone contract to the IPhone 6S, however they also do a huge range of technology cases, stickers and cute accessories like handbags and purses!

The first case I decided on was the super adorable Krusty Shake, now this phone case is really big and makes my little 6S almost the same size as the plus! It’s definitely a novelty but looks amazing and I couldn’t resist buying it, being such a huge Simpsons fan!

This case is £16 full price but I think I got it for around £8 in the Black Friday sales. It’s no longer available for the 6/6S – think they sold out pretty quick, but you can still shop for the 5/5S model HERE. Alternatively you can shop all Skinny Dip’s Krusty products HERE!

I decided to go for a less ‘in your face case’ for my second choice and went for a gold edged glitter case, with a small gold Skinny Dip logo on the back. This one was simple and pretty and matches the dress I plan on wearing for my Christmas staff party!

This case is currently £14 but, again, I think I got it for around £7 in the Black Friday sales. The case is still in stock for a range of phones and you can shop for the 6/6S HERE!

I absolutely adore Skinny Dip’s products and now have four of their phone cases! I’m also waiting for payday so I can treat myself to a new clutch bag and some new IPad cases! The products are reasonably priced and good quality but some are a little more expensive so I’d suggest keeping them for a pay day treat! Take a look at all their products HERE.

What do you think of my Skinny Dip picks? Have you got any cute bits from them? Let me know in a comment below!