Huge Lush Haul

If any of you read my blog fairly regularly, you'll know that recently I have become slightly *extremely* addicted to Lush. Lush is a British brand shop that sells the most amazing bath, shower and body products. They do amazing bubble bars (SOLIDIFIED BUBBLE BATH!!), shower gels, bath bombs, massage bars, everything that all are bright, colourful, smell amazing and are good for your skin!

So Lush have their regular products, and then during their festive season, they release the most exciting range of new christmas and festive products. So in December I went and spend far too much there, buying almost every product on the shelf. And I loved them all so much that I thought I'd share them with you. I took pictures of how they looked in the bath, and I'll tell you my favourites. 

GOLDEN WONDER BATH BOMB (this smelt really amazing and kind of like champagne almost- quite sweet but not overwhelming)

LUXURY LUSH PUD BATH BOMB (super super sweet and delicious, I felt like I was bathing in pink kool-aid)

You can see its got all these little coloured holes that are all fizzy and make the bath colourful. 

BOMBARDINO BATH BOMB (this is a smaller one that the normal bath bombs, but it was one of my favourites! It smelt very festive- kind of like honey and gingerbread- and in the bomb, it had bath oil and little nuggets of very moisturising gel, it was very good for my skin. This was one of my favourites.)

It looks like  cute little man. His hat is filled with all these moisturising and amazing skin products. 

CANDY MOUNTAIN BUBBLE BAR (so if you don't know- a bubble bar is used by basically crumbling some of it under the running water and it makes bubbles as if you used bubble bath. Candy Mountain is their signature 'Snow Fairy' smell which is pink and girly and flowery and sweet. Some people don't like it, but it's one of my favourites, it literally smells like sweets/candy. This bubble bar was also one of my favourite buys, it made my bath completely fill of light pink pretty bubbles, and smelt delicious!)

You don't use the whole bar in one go, so this is just a piece I broke off, but the whole thing looks like a twirly pink and white mountain. 

SNOW FAIRY MASSAGE BAR (massage bars are a lot more expensive, but basically they are super soft, melty bars of moisturising goodness that you massage into your skin. It leaves you skin so so soft and smelling amazing! This one has the same scent as Candy Mountain above, but a bit sweeter. And it's super cute and shaped little a little festive angel.)

They are very soft and so it literally melts in your hand as you hold it! Inside, is all this glittery, moisturising gel!

SHOOTING FOR THE STARS BATH BOMB (I am only remebering now, that every one of these are pretty much a favourite, s it's pointless singling out one or two. I loved this too. Its deep midnight blue and it smells great! It wasn't quite as sweet as all the pink ones and it had a more relaxing, less floral smell. I am terrible at describing smells, but if you're not a fan of the sweet fruity/floral ones, this is a good one.)

CHRISTMAS EVE BUBBLE BAR (this one just smelt so so good, it wasn't sweet and almost smelt like 'clean' and fresh- that's the only way I can describe it, but so good. I didn't take a picture of it before I crumbled it in, but its shaped like a circle with a moon and the night sky. It makes loads of bubbles!)

The blue and yellow combine to make the water a mint green. 

LORD OF MISRULE BATH BOMB (this is my absolute favourite Lush product! I actually used it kind of accidentally, I bought it as a gift for someone and then when I got home, it smelt so good that I used it myself and went back to buy more. On the outside, it doesn't look that amazing, its kind of murky green, but  it smells so so so amazing! Its sweet but kind of peppery almost, so its a very rich smell. And it is so exciting to watch as it explodes in the water! Inside it's filled with this red wine coloured fizzy stuff and it fizzes and moves all around spreading bubbles of maroon fizz. It's definitely one of my favourites, next christmas I'll definitely be buying tons of these to last me the year.)

FATHER CHRISTMAS BATH BOMB (I didn't take pictures of this one- I forgot- but it was also really nice! It's pink on the outside and bright green inside. It smells very floral and was very nice and left my skin super soft.)

The 2014 Golden Globes Lookbook

I was so impressed by so many looks on the red carpet at this year's Golden Globes that I thought that because the fashion was mostly really top notch, I would make a post on some of my favourite looks. At first when I looked through the dresses on eTv's website I was very disappointed with them, but they obviously just missed a whole lot of good ones because after I watched the Fashion Police Golden Globes Special, I couldn't decide which was my favourite!

EMMA WATSON IN CHRISTIAN DIOR COUTURE

This is definitely one of my favourite looks from the night. I know a lot of people would dissagree because it is very unusual and different, but wow, I think this is taking a risk and it has definitely paid off. When I first saw it from the front, I was like 'okay that's nice but nothing amazing' and then she turned around and I literally couldn't even understand what she'd done. I love that it is very sweet and pretty and nicely fitted in the front and then at the back, those black high-waisted leggings/pants are just so cool and her open back looks stunning. Plus I love the colour on her, I think the single strap at the back is so cool and her hair and make-up are perfect.

LUPITA NYONG'O IN RALPH LAUREN

Wow! This was Lupita's first ever red carpet and what an incredible way to start! Firstly, this woman is so beautiful  that anything put on her would look beautiful, but she didn't disappoint! I'm usually not a fan of capes but this one looks lovely, I especially liked it when it was moving (left). And also, I mean, look how amazing her body is too. She kept it perfectly simple with make-up and jewellery and just looked super polished and beautiful!

OLIVIA WILDE IN GUCCI

Olivia Wilde also looked stunning. I think it is very risky to wear an emerald sparkly dress on the red carpet after Angelina Jolie's take on it to the 2011 Globes in Versace, but Olivia did a pretty good job and is glowing. 

Usually I would have thought a tight dress wasn't a good idea while you're pregnant, but this really works, and I like it a lot, I personally maybe would have pulled her hair up or back because of the high neck, but otherwise, this is really nice!

I also like the long sleeves very much and she really does look great in this, the colour suits her and her make up isn't too much to match such a statement dress. 

ZOOEY DESCHANEL IN OSCAR DE LA RENTA

Oscar De La Renta is usually one of my favourite designers, and I actually do like this dress on Zooey despite some people not thinking the same. I included the run way photo, because I definitely prefer it on the model but I think its very girly and pretty on Zooey and I really love her, I just don't like the way it shows her ankles and I was a little disappointed with the way her hair was done. But I did really like it on her besides those two little things. 

MARGOT ROBBIE IN GUCCI

Another great dress by Gucci, Margot Robbie looked really stunning and elegant. I have never seen her on the red carpet before, but I loved this! 

She has a great body to pull of a fitted dress like this, and I love the accents of green around the neckline. I also think the matched emerald shoe was very nice (although a little too big if you look closely and I'm knit-picking). I think her hair and make-up were perfect for the dress and overall it's just really lovely.

She looks very well put together and sophisticated and I like the slit as well, otherwise I think it would have looked too stiff. Her simple accessories (but definitely very expensive!) work very well too. 

SOFIA VERGARA IN ZAC POSEN

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Sofia Vergara in this ball-gown styled dress. I am so used to seeing her in her typical mermaid dresses and this was just something different that looked very nice. I love the necklace, I think that despite it being paired with a very bold dress, it still works, especially because the dress is quite simple and black.

 I think that the skirt is just slightly too big and I would have preferred it just a little smaller. But Sofia definitely knew how to work it and I think it was a refreshing change. 

AMY ADAMS IN VALENTINO

Amy Adam's beautiful red Valentino dress was definitely one of my top favourites of the night! There was some crit about how low her neckline plunges, but I actually liked it a lot and thought she did it very well. You can't see well in the picture, but there is a beautiful crystal (or something like that) long necklace that hangs between the plunge, and I think it really looks so pretty. Not only her dress but hair and make-up were also perfect for this dress in my opinion. Yeah, I just really like this one, it drapes so nicely and falls beautifully from the waist down with just the right length of training material. She initially wore it (when she walked in) with this cool red cape as well which also looked amazing. 

KATE BECKINSALE IN ZUHAIR MURAD

Kate is so gorgeous, but I loved this mermaid shape on her, and even though I'm not usually a fan of such glittery and over the top dresses of this colour, I somehow really like this one. Kate's hair and make-up is stunning and also, she has toned down accessories because the dress is very dominant. 

TAYLOR SWIFT IN CAROLINA HERRERA

When I first saw this dress I wasn't sure if I liked it, but I've decided I do, it is just unusual to see colour blocking when the black (in this case) is not at the waist, but higher up. The dress looks pink to me in all the pictures, but when I watched the actual Globes, it was definitely red, which I liked a lot better. And yeah, I think she looks very nice and sophisticated. 

A lot of people also loved Cate Blanchett's dress so check that out, it just wasn't  personally one of my favourites. Let me know in the comments if they were any other looks that you liked!

My 2013 Favourites

Let me get straight into it! These are my favourites for make-up, beauty and anything else that I loved last year!

MAKE-UP
I have absolutely loved the 'Essence Pureskin Anti-spot Compact Powder'. I just use it as a matte powder to put over base and/or concealer, and it always just leaves such a nice glow and makes the concealer last so much longer. My colour is 'sand 02' which I have found perfect because it works when I am pale and when I get a bit tanned. Also, Essence is a very cheap brand, so this was just such a bargain and very affordable. 

I have also really enjoyed the 'Yardley Oatmeal 2-in-1 Blemish Stick Concealer'. It is just so easy to use in a stick form like this and it also helps to heal the spots and stuff, so it is very good. My only complaint is that the coverage is quite weak, so when I am having a 'bad skin day' its a little light, but otherwise I have really liked it. 

My favourite 'eye product' from 2013, was undoubtedly the 'Maybelline, The Falsies Mascara' . I have just never come across a mascara that has made my lashes look as nice, and also one that lasts as long as this one. You're literally set for the whole day when you put it on in the morning. 

BEAUTY PRODUCTS
I had to really think about this one because I love to use beauty products like body scrubs, creams, bath bombs and all that, which all fall into this category. So I decided that my 2013 favourite beauty product is the Body Shop's new 'Honeymania Cream Body Scrub'. I got given a small tub of this before Christmas and I have just fallen in love with it, and am most certainly going back to buy the bigger version when this one runs out. What I like about it, is that it is a scrub, so it is super super good for your skin, and exfoliates it, but because its a cream scrub, its also very smooth and silky when you wash it off, and it just looks all buttery and amazing and moisturising. And then there's the smell. I can't even describe exactly how it smells (surprisingly, not really like honey) but its delicious and sweet but not fruity, I don't know, definitely go take a whiff next time you're at the Body Shop. 

It's so funny because I very very rarely go to The Body Shop anymore, and this year, the few times I've walked in, I have found amazing beauty products. I got a bit sick of them for a while, but I really forgot what good quality stuff they have! My second favourite beauty product is the 'Body Shop Hemp Lip Conditioner'. It is designed for very very dry lips, and it really does its job brilliantly. It never fails to help my lips when they are chapped and dry, especially in winter, and it lasts for a long time before you need to reapply it.

The other beauty products I've just loved this year are from Lush, but I'm not going to post pictures or products yet cause I am planning on posting about my huge Lush haul very soon!

SKIN PRODUCTS
There wasn't actually one specific skin product that I loved this year. I mixed and matched a lot of the time, and wasn't blown away by anything. Although, I have really been enjoying the 'Environ Original Pre-Cleanser' as an eye make-up remover, as it is super oily, so just wipes off all heavy eye make-up.

FRAGRANCE
To anyone who knows me, this will come as no surprise, as I have worn the same perfume since about 2011, but I just really love it. I also have pretty bad allergies and hay fever, etc... so I struggle to find a perfume that doesn't make me sneeze whenever I smell it, and this one doesn't. It's the 'Brittany Spears Fantasy Perfume in Pink'. It was given to me as a gift when I first got it and I was really sceptical of a perfume by Brittany Spears called Fanatsy, with a pretty kitch bottle, but the smell has really impressed me. Although, on that note, she released it in a pink and blue bottle, and I think the blue smells horrible (personally), and so that's a bit odd, but they smell very different, and I love the pink. I do want to try to look for a new fragrance this year though, just because I feel I'm being a bit boring. 

SHOPS
This year, I have absolutely loved an Australian clothing store that opened here called Cotton On, they just make really nice, yet every-day type clothes and are very good quality. Yeah, I have just found a lot of
pretty things there. Another shop that I've loved (it's actually a branch of Cotton On) is a stationary and 'bits-and-bobs' shop called Typo. They just have the coolest decor and little odds and ends to decorate your room with, as well as really nice diaries, note books, pens, that type of thing. The last shop that I really completely fell in love with last year is Lush.  I think it's originally British, but it opened here in 2012, and I properly discovered it last year and have practically tried every product. They make the best and most exciting bath products and everything just smells so so so amazing!



FASHION ITEM
I really loved high-waisted shorts. People only really started wearing them last year, so I bought myself a pair from Topshop, and have just absolutely loved them. They are so comfortable, but also very pretty with little crop tops, and I've just really liked them. 

MOVIE
I couldn't decide, because I saw so many good movies last year. But I think I can tie it down to either 'The Great Gatsby' or 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. They are both so different, but I loved both. For The Great Gatsby, it helped that I'd just read the book as well, but I loove Leo DiCaprio and paired with a great director, I just loved it. It was very showy but I just thought that it was so well done, and all the actor/resses did a truly amazing job. For The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the acting was also amazing! But it was the story line and plot that really caught me off-guard. I hadn't read the book and so I didn't know what happened before, and I just loved it and it was just a really different and inspirational movie. 


MUSIC

Oh where to begin? I definitely can't just narrow it down to one artist or one song, so here are some of my favourite artists from 2013 and in brackets, the songs I liked the most (although I've only included songs they released from 2013, there are loads of others I love form other years): Bastille (Daniel in the Den, Flaws, Oblivion, Things We Lost in the Fire, Laura Palmer, Icarus, These Streets, Pompeii), Glee did some amazing covers in 2013 too (Mine, Wide Awake, Seasons of Love, Make You Feel My Love, Here Comes The Sun, Whistle, Love Song), Matthew Mole (You and Your Crown, It's Simple Child, Take Yours Take Mine, Have I Told You), One Direction (The Story of My Life, Best Song Ever, One Way or Another), Alex and Sierra (They won XFactor USA, and all their covers are brilliant), MKTO (Classic, Goodbye Song, Thank You, Summer Paradise) and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (Thrift Shop and Same Love). 


BOOK

My favourite book last year was 'The Great Gatsby'. I must admit that I read very few books, if you saw my New Year's resolutions post, you'll see that I am going to try and read more this year, but yeah, The Great Gatsby is famous for a reason, it really is so so brilliantly written and makes a comment on The American Dream that, when it comes down to it, is so true. 

TV SHOWS
It would probably be easier just to refer you to my post on this that I did a few months back. But the shows I loved last year (brace yourself, these are my favourite, I'd pick a tv show over movies any day, so there are a lot) are New Girl, Hawaii Five-O, NCIS LA, America's Next Top Model, Australia's Next Top Model, The Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy, Pretty Little Liars, Cougar Town, Glee, The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, Modern Family, The Mentalist, 90210 and there are more, but I've either forgotten them, or they aren't classified as my 'favourites'. 

HOLIDAY
My favourite holiday in 2013 was absolutely undoubtedly when my family and I went to Mauritius in June. It was the perfect beach holiday and I got to do amazing things like parasail, snorkel, swim with dolphins, waterski and just had a really relaxing time there. 

And so those are my 2013 favourites! If you'd like to do this tag, it's not mine, so feel free to do it on your own blog or Youtube channel, let me know in the comments if you do, I'd love to see what everyone else enjoyed last year. 

My New Year's Resolutions

I thought long and hard about whether or not to make this post. Because part of me was wondering if this is the type of this I should be posting and if it's weird to post my new year's resolutions on the internet for everyone in the world to see. So I was definitely a bit hesitant to post this, but the reason why I am, comes down to the reason I actually started my blog in the first place. I have never really been able to pursue things like journals or diaries because I always just feel a bit silly writing to myself (I am just that type of person, obviously there is nothing wrong with diaries, I always just stop myself half way and think 'what are you doing' writing all this stuff to yourself). So I started this blog because it gave me a chance to post about fun things like baking, etc. but also about things that I might write in a journal. 

Anyway, sorry about the little ramble but anyway, I decided to post my new year's resolutions here, because then next year I can look back and see what I have achieved this year, and also, I feel like I need to write them down for me to take them seriously (if that makes sense). I am definitely a 'resolutions' type of girl, meaning that I like to set goals and things like that. So here are my resolutions for 2014. 

1) TAKE BETTER CARE OF MYSELF
That sounds weird, but it seemed to be the best way to phrase it. What I mean is that I want to, in general, be healthier. I want to drink more water, and eat less sugar. I also include in this category, taking better care of my teeth and skin and everything like that. For example, I really want to be thorough with things like washing my face and taking off make-up everyday, and that sort of thing. I'd also like to exercise more and just in general be nice and healthy. 

2) BE MORE ADVENTUROUS WITH FOODS

I am really an unbelievably fussy eater. It has never really bothered me that much, but one of the things I noticed last year was that it really limited me when I went to restaurants and only ate a few things on the menu, and that sort of thing. So I really want to try more foods and be more adventurous with what I eat. 

3) CONFIDENCE
This is a big thing for me, because I really have been feeling that I lack it in so many ways. For 2014, I would like to be confident with who I am and how I look and be happy with what I have. I want to stop caring so much about what people think and be confident that people will like me for who I am. I also want to be more confident in social situations. It's funny because I'm not naturally a shy person, especially not in front of my friends, but around people I've never met, or in awkward situations, I am really shy and I think it can come off unfriendly, which is the last thing I want. I also want to be more confident in terms of being 'good enough' and more optimistic. 


4) READ MORE 
I am such a slow reader and so I practically never read. But I always love it and get so into my book when I do, even though I barely read more that 2 a year. But I really would like to push myself to read more. I believe the reading really does give you so much knowledge and it is just something that I would like to try and do more this year. 

5) STOP FIDGETING
Anyone who knows me well knows that I can barely sit still and I fidget all the time. I really think this is a bad habit that probably annoys people a bit. I also play with my hair ALL the time, and it is really something I want to stop. 

6) EMBRACE CHANGE AND ADVENTURES

This year is a big year for me because I am starting at university and leaving behind school. I am moving to the other side of the house away from my family, so I can be a bit more independent and a lot of my friends are off on gap years or at other universities. So change has definitely come, and I want to embrace it. Make new friends, travel, try new things and be completely open to what life brings (as cheesy as that sounds). 

So there you have it, my new year's resolutions for 2014. Like I said, this post had a lot to do with me and just wanting to have these down. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I am so excited for 2014 and I know it will be incredible, I hope it is for all of you too!

More Belated Christmas Cookies

So, on the day that I made my Christmas Gingerbread Cookies I also made a huuuge batch of my absolute favourite type of cookies.

I made these delicious peanut and chocolate chip biscuits which were really so easy. It's basically a very basic recipe for butter cookies with a huge amount of chocolate and peanuts added in, but I have finally found the perfect basis (like the butter biscuit recipe) to make these. I cut them into christmas-sy shapes but they are not really specific to christmas at all, so you could just roll them into little balls and squish them lightly with a fork or use any other types of cookie-cutters.

1) Start by sifting all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. These will include: 560ml (2 and a quarter cups) of cake flour and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).

2) In a separate mixing bowl, cream together 155g of very soft 

 butter, 175ml of muscovado (soft brown) sugar and 60ml of normal white sugar with a spatula. Whisk in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.

3) Now add the wet ingredients (the egg, butter and sugar mixture) to the dry ingredients. Blend until a relatively thick dough is formed. 

4) Chop up very roughly (so in quite big chunks) 250g of milk chocolate and 140g of white chocolate. Add the roughly chopped chocolate into the dough as well as 150g of peanuts. Use your hands to mix them into the dough, to form a thick, chunky ball of dough. The chocolate and peanuts will look like they're far exceeding the amount of dough, but use your discretion, the mixture is meant to be very chunky. 

5) Now roll out the dough over a lightly floured surface. Note that this will seem pretty hard to roll out because of all the nuts and chocolate, but it will work. And cut them into the shapes you want with cookie-cutters. 

6) Place your cookies onto a greased baking tray, or a Silpat over a baking tray and cook them at 180 degrees Celsius (350F) for 8-10 mins. They burn easily so make sure to watch them and take them out when they're quite firm and golden. Let them cool for a few minutes and there you go. Delicious :) 

I hope you enjoy my chocolate chip and peanut cookies!