LUSH Dream Cream Hand & Body Lotion ♡

This little pot of goodness came to me in one of LUSH's infamous gift boxes. One of my lovely friends got me one for Christmas and I was so pleased to see one of LUSH's best selling products, Dream Cream, inside.

This lovely light cream is aimed at the more sensitive of skins and aims to soothe and cool. It is said to be ideal for calming upset or hot and itchy skin. I definitely don't suffer from any sensitive skin conditions and would say the skin on my body is normal, so don't be fooled, this cream can work wonders on anyone with any skin type.

I don't know if you've already guessed but I have kind-of fallen in love with this product. I am a bit of a sucker for LUSH but this product is truly wonderful and has really impressed me. It is light in formula and sinks in to the skin quickly so you don't go through that 'tacky' skin phase and end up running around your bathroom/bedroom trying to make it sink in quicker, or is that just me? I find this happens with many body creams I have tried and it is always something that has turned me off moisturising my body on a regular basis. Despite being light and sinking in quickly it feels incredibly rich and moisturising on my skin and I can't seem to stop using it. 

I also love the scent. As this product is targeted at more sensitive skin types, it doesn't have a strong or prominent scent but it does have a hint of the lovely aromas of lavender which make applying this at night extra nice because of the scents calming and soothing properties. I'm glad the scent is subtle as it doesn't interfere with the scent of my perfume, another factor which makes me love this product that little bit more.

I couldn't recommend this product enough, it's light yet moisturising and is packed with no nasty ingredients which makes me feel as if I'm being extra kind to my skin and giving it a treat every evening. 

This pot of goodness is only £10.95 for 240g and I will definitely be purchasing the full size after I've used up this little sample pot. Maybe even sooner if I can't resist.

If you'd like to learn more about the ingredients in this product and how they can help with conditions such as eczema or if you just want to give this product an order then click here.

I hope your all having a wonderful week and are enjoying the lovely snow we've had here in the UK!

'Til Next Time,

✩ How Much Is Your Face Worth? ✩

I saw Louise do this tag first and have seen many other bloggers do this post since then. I can't stop reading them, maybe it's because I am a little nosey but I find these posts really interesting to read. The idea of this tag is to list every product that is on your face and total up the price. I think it's interesting to see how the price of make-up really adds up and how expensive it really is to get a full face of make-up.

Nivea Milk & Honey Lip Balm £1.99 // Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer £6.99 // Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19 // Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream £7.99 // Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation £10.99 // Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder £3.99 // MAC Cork Eyeshadow £10 // Urban Decay Naked Palette £35 // MUA Clear Mascara £1 // E.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow Primer £3 // MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow £10 // Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara £16.50 // Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara £1.99 // Benefit Hoola Boxed Powder £23.50 // Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold £17 // NARS Deep Throat Blush £21 // Revlon Colour Burst Lipstick in Peach 75 £7.99

And the total is..... £183.12! I am a little bit shocked, knowing I've spent that amount on just one face of make-up makes me scared to think how much I've spent on my whole make-up collection although I do get my wear out of most of the make-up I buy so I guess it's worth it. Most of the prices were taken from the Boots website, of course the total price isn't 100% accurate as some things may of been bought on offer etc. but it gives a good estimate. I am a little bit of a high end make-up lover but as I can't always afford to splurge and there are some great products to be found on the high street, I usually have a good mix of high and low end make-up which is why I am a teeny bit shocked. I would love to do this tag again but with evening make-up on instead of everyday/day time make-up, what do you think?

Also, I can only apologize for the state of my skin right now, I'm having a really bad time with it. I've never suffered from spots or anything else really but over the past few months my skin has gone crazy and that's all I've been covered in along with some mysterious red bumps, and my skin has been very dry. I have literally no idea why. Sigh.

I tag everyone who reads this to do it. I would love to have a nose so pretty please leave a link if you do it or have done already. 

I hope you enjoyed.

'Til Next Time,

✩   Instagram (caryslloyd)   ✩   Tumblr   ✩   Twitter   ✩ 

✼ Review; Boots Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz ✼

Boots Botanics Rosewater Toning Spritz ~ Boots ~ £4.99 ~ 150ml // 5 US Fl.Oz

I am a huge fan of the Boots Botanics range. Everything I have tried from the range I have good things to say about and I think that the products are good quality for a small price, which makes my bank account very happy indeed.

There seems to be a divide in opinion over whether a toner is really "necessary" or not, but I don't think I could skip the step in my skincare routine and I think this toner in one of the best I've tried, granted I haven't tried hundreds but I've tried a fair few. Before this I was in love with the LUSH Breath of Fresh Air toner (which I still love) but this is just as good, a little better actually, and is more accessible for me and slightly cheaper.

I really feel like I am treating my skin when I use this toner. I'm not usually fond of a 'rose' smell but it's actually very refreshing and the product is great to keep in my bag and use as a refreshing spritz throughout the day as I find it doesn't mess with my make-up too much. I enjoy using the toner after I have cleansed and washed my face to get the last scraps of make-up off, if any whilst refreshing my skin and ridding of tightness. 

Overall I really love this toner, would most definitely recommend and will repurchase in the future for sure!

There's also a current offer on at Boots where you can save 1/3 on Botanics skincare so you can grab this toner at just £3.33!

Rating: ★★★★

What are your thoughts on the Botanics Range? What's your favourite toner?

'Til Next Time,

✩   Instagram (caryslloyd)   ✩   Tumblr   ✩   Twitter   ✩   YouTube   ✩

☼ Review; E.l.f Mineral Eyelid Primer (+ Urban Decay Comparison) ☼

E.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow Primer ~ £3.00 @ eyeslipsface.co.uk

E.l.f say "This gentle and completely sheer Eyeshadow Primer has key vitamins A, C and E to help prevent aging and moisturizes the skin. The formula glides on easily and disappears instantly to create longer-lasting, crease-proof eyeshadow. The Mineral Eyeshadow Primer is designed to be used with your favorite mineral eyeshadow to provide ultimate staying power for beautiful and vibrant color that lasts. 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes."

I'm not too sure about the 'key vitamins' and the whole 'prevent ageing' as I have seen no effects  of this and didn't really expect it from an eyeshadow primer but I do think that it does have a moisturizing feel on the lid of the eye. The texture is smooth, feels a bit like it contains silicon so  it smooths and evens out the lid, and blends effortlessly. The product itself is light and does glide on easily and disappears instantly. 

I think that this primer is almost as good as the infamous 'Urban Decay Primer Potion' - minus the price tag. I think it holds on the shadow and prevents them from creasing in the same way the urban decay primer does. Although, this primer does not make the eyeshadows any more vibrant, like the Urban Decay one, which is a little negative for me. My shadows do still crease with this primer, but only slightly, which I expect as they do with any of the eye primers I have tried *sigh*. 
I definitely recommend you try this out if you are debating whether to try the Urban Decay Primer Potion as it is similar, if you only need a primer to keep your  eye-shadow on for longer or you're a eye-shadow primer newbie, this is a great one to try for a very reasonable price.
I don't quite think it is as good as the Urban Decay Primer Potion, just because it doesn't add any vibrancy to the shadows but for the price this is a very impressive product.
 I would 100% buy again and recommend to you all.

Have you tried any of the E.l.f primers?
 Has anyone tried/reviewed the Too Faced Shadow Insurance? I'd love to give that one a try!

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox



✩   Instagram (caryslloyd)   ✩   Tumblr   ✩   Twitter   ✩   YouTube   ✩

❀ ❀ Review; Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Gel Liner ❀ ❀

I was so excited when I saw that Collection 2000 were doing gel liners. Gel liners have been hugely popular in the blogging/beauty world and a staple for me ever since I first used one. This time last year they were more or less only available from higher end brands like MAC, Bobbi Brown etc. but since the release of the Maybelline gel liner many other high-street brands have followed, Collection 2000 being the cheapest to my knowledge. I know MUA are releasing some soon so I'd love to pick some of those up and do a comparison post as I believe they are cheaper.

I bought the liner in the shade "teal" as I already have a MAC Fluid line in dip-down (a deep, brown) and I fancied something a bit more exciting than the average black/brown and this colour screamed summer to me. 

The Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Gel Liners come in 4 colours - Brown, Black, Teal and Gold which I think is a pretty good range for the high-street although a purple would be nice hint. They retail at £4.99 (Bargain right?) and can be found at most stores that stock cosmetics, the most popular being Boots and Superdrug. 

I love how Collection 2000 have included a little "how to guide" on creating the perfect look with the product on the back of the packaging. A nice touch for someone who's a gel liner newbie. They also have included a little brush, pictured below, which I also think is a nice touch again for someone who's a gel liner newbie and may not have a brush. I didn't find much use for the brush as I found it applied the liner too thickly (I use the elf angled liner brush to apply!) but it's pretty handy for smudging the product on the lower lash line which is how I've been wearing this product this along with the infamous cat eye flick. 

 As you can see the packaging is pretty basic. A little glass jar with a little black lid. Not very impressive but it's about the product not the packaging right?

Pictured without flash

Pictured with flash

 The colour of this product is beautiful. A bright teal with a subtle sheen. So impressed with the colour and the pigmentation. Looks exactly how it does on the eye as it does in the jar!

Collection 2000 say... "these intense colour pigment pots will give up to 12 hours lasting wear, for a glossy finish to your essential eyeliner look."

Swatched once in natural light

I agree with the intense pigmentation but not so much the glossy finish. The product looks rather matte on my eyes but the subtle shimmer does give it a slight sheen. This product does last amazingly on my eyes, I was most impressed with the staying power which I thought was very comparable to my MAC fluid-line. Maybe not 12 hour wear but no liner stays for that amount of time on my watery eyes. 

The texture of this product is very surprising for a gel liner. Most are smooth and soft but this one seems to be quite hard and more like a tough cream eye-shadow which can make the product harder to load onto the brush and does make for a less smooth application. Although, I do think that it's odd texture is a plus as it can be worn as a very long lasting cream shadow (I've tried and it applies very nicely and stays like nobody's business) and I feel the texture aids the product in staying so long on the eye. 

All in all I love this gel liner. No worse than my MAC fluid-line (the only difference is the texture) so I am very impressed for the £4.99 price tag. I will definitely be picking up more of these in the future. Maybe the gold? Maybe the brown?

Have you tried these out yet? Will you be picking any up? Are you a fan of gel-liner?

'Til Next Time, 

Carys xox

✩   Instagram (caryslloyd)   ✩   Tumblr   ✩   Twitter   ✩   YouTube   ✩

☺ LUSH Fresh Face Mask Review - BB Seaweed ☺

I have been a massive fan of LUSH ever since I first stepped into the store 3-4 years ago. I adore their skincare and I love treating myself to a bubble bar or a bath bomb!
One of my favorite skincare products they make are their 'Fresh Face Masks'. I've tried almost all of them but today I am reviewing the mask "BB Seaweed".

BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask - £5.75

 I was recommended this face mask when I went into the store a few weeks back, initially looking for the well loved 'Brazened Honey' mask. One of the girls they sat me down next to the face mask counter and chose 3 face masks she'd recommend for my mostly normal but sometimes dry skin. She placed each one on my hand waited a few minutes and then washed them off so I could feel the effects of the masks before choosing one. She explained that the brazened honey mask would irritate my skin (as I explained I'd been breaking out) as it has high amounts of lime in it and recommended I should try it when my skin was feeling it's best, and that's when I decided to go with BB Seaweed as it left my hand feeling very soft indeed. (The people in lush are so so helpful and lovely to chat to and I totally recommend that if you want to purchase anything from there ask them to help you out!)


BB Seaweed is aimed at being a face mask for softening, cooling and reducing redness. 
It says on the website that it's mask made with men in mind but does not exclude women, but on the packaging it claims it's a mask for everyone, a tad confusing but I would recommend this mask for everyone although I don't know how it would work on a male but it works really well on my female skin. 


So, what's in BB Seaweed?

Lush say that:
There's honey, seaweed and aloe vera to soften and soothe. Olive oil to moisturise.  Fresh rose petals and rose absolute to reduce redness. Rosemary oil to regenerate the skin. All of this is held together with kaolin, ground almonds and millet flakes – so when you wash this off you are also gently exfoliating and removing dead skin.


I would personally agree with everything LUSH claim this mask to do (that's why I love LUSH, they're honest folk).
I've been loving using this mask 1-2 times a week as I've been a little stressed over exams and revision and I find everything about this mask relaxing and calming. I love how cooling and refreshing the mask is when I apply it on my face due to the fact you have to store it in the fridge because of the fresh ingredients although I still feel as if it relaxes me due to the rose floral and porriagy smell. Doesn't sound to great but I actually quite like it, the scent of a product never usually bothers me though. I do advise smelling this before purchasing as I can imagine some people not really enjoying the smell. 
The mask itself is thick and feels like porridge, it also has some fair-sized chunks of seaweed within it. When you wash the mask off it turns into a paste and the chunks of seaweed and other bits exfoliate the skin which removes any dead skin cells, dirt or traces of make-up from the skin. The exfoliating effect leaves skin feeling smooth and perfected. I love using this mask because I feel as if it re-news my skin and it's great as a pick-me-up on a miserable day. It also leaves my skin feeling and looking hydrated, healthy and naturally beautiful (although sometimes my skin can feel slightly tight after use.)
I have also noticed that this mask also reduces redness on my face, after use my skin is even and the redness around my chin, nose and on my cheeks has gone. Unfortunately these effects do not last for more than around an hour/2hours. 
I would recommend this mask for people with normal, combonation and oily skin types. I wouldn't recommend it for very dry skin types as sometimes it can leave my skin feeling tight, although that is my personal opinion and you won't know how it'll work for you until you try it. A mask I would recommend for very dry skin is the 'Oatifix' mask which I used to adore when my skin was very dry, it also smells delicious as it contains organic banana's, fine oatmeal and ground almonds, yum! LUSH also claim it's good for sensitive skin which I agree with as it did not irritate my slightly sensitive skin. The only downside to this product is that they have an expiry date (usually 3 weeks-1 month after purchasing) which is a bit annoying as you need to use the product up by then to gain the feel effects of the fresh ingredients .. but I'm willing to lump it for a great mask that makes my skin feel naturally beautiful and contains natural and fresh ingredients! 

So I hope you enjoyed this review and if you have any advice or feedback on how I could improve my reviews or the format of my reviews I'd love to hear it, I'm all about constructive criticism! 

Have you tried any LUSH Fresh Face Masks? Which are your favorites?

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox

☁ A Little Collective Haul ☁

Hello guys. Just a small haul of a few bits I've picked up recently. I haven't done a haul in a very very long time   so I really wanted to post one (even if it is only small). 

Topshop Leigh Super Soft Ankle Grazer - £38

Newlook Stripped Bandeau - £3.99

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Fairy Cake - £2.99

Collection 2000 Metallic Cream Eye Shadow in Gold Rush - £2.99

Collection 2000 Shimmer Shades in Blushalicious - £4.19

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer in Classic Beige - £5.99

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - £12.75

Boots Botanics Pore Perfecting Deep Clean Mousse - On sale £2

Cuticura Hand Gel - £1.30

Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Oil - £2.99

Lush Cosmetics Breath of Fresh Air Facial Toner - £3.75

Lush Cosmetics BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask - £5.75

I hope you enjoyed this post and tell me below if you'd like to see more collective hauls. Also, if you'd like a review of any of the products just tell me below, I'd love to review some of the stuff here (especially the bb seaweed face mask and the vitamin E skin oil).

I'd also love to hear if you have any advice on how I can improve the look of my blog? I feel it looks a bit messy and I need to change a couple of things. Links to helpful blogs below would also help :)

Thank you so much for taking the time out to read my blog!

'Til next time,

Carys xo