Collective Haul-Clothing, Lush & More ♡

I've got another haul today, it's a bit of a random one really, I went on a trip to Holland and also to London recently so I have a few bits from those trips and a few other bits and pieces and I thought I'd put them into a post.

I've been wanting to try the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette (£12.99) for so long now, I kept going into superdrug to try and find it but couldn't find it in any that I went into, so I decided to order it online instead, you get two sachets of their brush cleansing gel as well and I'm really excited to try this properly!
While I was in Amsterdam we went into a shop called Etos which I think is like their version of boots or superdrug, while in there I found their contour powder and it was exactly the shade I've been looking for! I've wanted a cool grey toned contour powder for ages and I love this one! It was only about €5 and I really hope you can get it in the UK somehow!

In the airport on the way back I decided to finally cave and buy the YSL Black Opium (£84) perfume, it's so expensive and it wasn't really much cheaper duty free but I went for it anyway, I got the 50ml EDP so it should hopefully last a while.
In London I went into boots because I wanted to try the new Maybelline Push Up Drama mascara (£7.99) and they had a 3 for 2 offer on so I also got my favourite Lash Sensational mascara (£7.99) and a Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold (£4.99) because I haven't actually tried these yet!

We were in London because my mum had arranged a makeover fashion shoot for my Christmas present, but I was so unorganised I didn't have any clothes to take with me so we went shopping before and I picked a few new bits up.

I've been really underwhelmed with a lot of clothes shops since about November time, but New Look is the one shop that I have quite liked, I've never really worn khaki/green before but loved these two tops from them! The top on the left is the Wrap Front Bell Sleeve Top (£17.99) and I thought it would look really pretty with some black leggings and ankle boots, it's a little dressier than I'd usually wear but it would be nice on a more casual night out. The Dip Hem T Shirt (£14.99) is a lot more casual but would look nice with some jeans and a jacket, and they are both light enough to wear in Summer, but also layer in colder weather.
I've been wanting a wooly striped jumper for ages and when I found this one for about £10 in the sale in H&M I fell for it straight away, it's so comfy and cosy, it's oversized but not too baggy and the sleeves are long enough that I can hide my hands in them (a bad habit but a comfy one) I don't think it's available anymore but if you see one you should try it on because it's so comfy!

Of course I couldn't go to London without a trip to Lush Oxford Street, they had a few exclusive products that I really wanted to try from the more recent collections, the product I was most excited to try was the Sunflower Bubble Bar, it was £4.95 but I think you can get a lot of baths out of this as it's so big! It smells very lemony thanks to the lemon oil and is unlike the other Lush scents I currently have.
One of my all time favourite Lush products is the Ultraviolet Bubble Bar (£4.95) it's the same sort of size as the Comforter so lasts ages, and contains violet, jasmine and rosewood, it smells like parma violet sweets, a little goes a long way so getting two was probably overkill but I always miss it when it's gone!
Another Bubble Bar from the Oxford Street exclusive range is Down the Rabbit Hole, it's another citrus scented product, though more orange than lemon it's a comforting scent and the colours in it are so pretty! This one is £3.95 and while it won't last as long as the others it should be good for a fair few baths.
While I was queuing I was distracted by the lip balms, while I love the lip scrubs I've never tried one of their lip balms so I thought I'd try the Honey Trap one (£6.75) it's minty honey scented lip balm, it contains honey and oatmeal among other moisturising ingredients, it's really thick and perfect for bed time.

I have a bad habit of breaking apple phone charger cables, but I've had one of the Skinny Dip Cord Cables (£16) for a while now and it's lasted really well so ordered a second one, they have a few different colours and if you have problems with your phone cable I really recommend these ones! While I was placing that order I also decided to get the Holographic Snakeskin case, I can't find the 5s one at the moment but I linked the same style in a different size, it reminds me of a mermaids tail and is so pretty!
I saw Lily Pebbles mention that she was on the cover of a magazine called Blogosphere and thought it sounded really interesting, it arrived really quickly too! I haven't actually read it yet but I will soon, it has lots of familiar faces in there so it's worth a look if it's something you're interested in.
I also bought Burnt Paper Sky by Gilly Macmillan after seeing someone mention it in a book review, I'm trying to avoid buying M.J Arlidge's new book on iBooks before getting the paperback so I'm distracting myself with other books, I'm excited to give this one a go.
Lastly I thought I'd mention these Holland & Barrett Vegan multivitamins, Gemma from HelloGemma said that these are the only supplements she takes and I thought I'd try them, I've been taking the Complete B Complex but wanted to try something different to see if they make any difference, I'm not vegan but I am vegetarian so I figured these would contain everything I need to supplement my diet, they were also buy one get one half price, Holland & Barrett's do usually have good deals on so it's always worth having a look.

That's it for my haul, it was a bit bigger than I was expecting so sorry if it was rambly! I'm probably not going to be buying so much over the next few months as I'm supposed to be saving to move out in the Summer, I am working on a home decorating wishlist though so hopefully that will be ready to be posted soon, if you have any recommendations on where to look that would be amazing! Preferably affordable, it's been quite daunting to see how expensive homewear can be!
Thankyou for reading♡

Lush Spring Collection Haul ♡

Lush is definitely my favourite brand ever and this time of year is probably the best for Lush addicts such as myself, we've not long had Christmas (the Christmas collection was one of my favourites, I went so overboard!) and now we've got Valentines, Mothers Day and Easter!
I have recently picked up a few bits from the Valentines and Mothers Day collections so thought I would mention them on here as they are so sweet, unfortunately Valentines Day is now gone but some stores might have a few bits left over maybe?
I will just say that I really wish that Lush had released more into the regular stores, the things I really wanted the most were Lush Oxford Street exclusive and I'm so sad that I can't get hold of them, but then I maybe don't need any more Lush things at the moment anyway, it could be a blessing in disguise, I do really want the Sunflower bubble bar though!

The Ladybird bubble bar £3.95
This cute little bubble bar is a new addition to the Mother's Day range, you could probably get 3 or 4 baths out of it and it contains peppermint oil and geranium oil, I absolutely love the minty smell of this, the scents are well balanced and I'm so excited to try it.

Lover Lamp bath bomb £3.95
This is from the Valentines collection, and is another new product, it's one of the bigger bath bombs that Lush have and contains fair trade, organic cocoa butter, fair trade vanilla absolute and Brazilian orange oil. It has a subtle chocolate orange scent and little bath melt hearts, there are white flower petals in the centre as well, it wasn't one of my favourite bath bombs but it is really nice.

Rose Bombshell bath bomb £3.95
Now this one I love! I never used to like rose scents but this one smells incredible, it contains rose absolute and rose oil, sicilian lemon and geranium oils and they make such a gorgeous, rich calming scent, this one also contains flower petals and the overall experience of using this bath bomb is really lovely, I would be happy if they made this one permanent, I love it so much I had to go back and buy a second.

Unicorn Horn bubble bar £4.25

This adorable bubble bar has made a return from last year, with the promise that it's brighter and stronger than before, the colours are indeed more vibrant, but I can't remember the scent of last years to compare it, it contains lavender oil and neroli that are very calming and uplifting, again you could get about 3 or 4 baths from this, I really don't see why they don't make this permanent as people love it! 

The Kiss lip scrub £5ish

I picked this up because I needed a new lip scrub, and thought I may as well try this one, it smells a bit like love heart sweets and has really cute little hearts in it, lush lip scrubs are always useful to have around, especially as I wear a lot of matte lip products so often find myself noticing that my lips are dry and flaky, this one also smells really nice which is a good bonus.

Twilight shower gel 

I wasn't sure whether to include this or not, as it was a kitchen exclusive so isn't available anymore, but I've been so obsessed with it I couldn't not show it, this contains lavender infusion and oil, as well as tonka absolute and ylang ylang oil, like with rose lavender was a scent I didn't like before, but the balance of all of these scents has made it one that I love, as you would expect it is very calming and soothing, and I've been loving using it, it is supposed to have lustre in the gel but I find with lush shower gels that contain lustre it sinks to the bottom and loses the effect, it is lovely though! 

Let the Good Times Roll cleanser £6.95
Finally I have a product that isn't limited edition, I needed a new cleanser and I have used and liked this one before, it contains maize flower, polenta and cinnamon and smells like buttery popcorn-I love the scent! With Lush cleansers you have to pinch a bit off, mix it with water in your hands and then massage it onto your skin, it can be used on the face and body and this once gently exfoliates as well as cleansing, the cinnamon powder also stimulates you skin leaving you with soft and revived skin. I do find that with this it takes a little longer to rinse off, as the little bits are harder to remove, but that just adds to the exfoliation.

So that's it for my Lush Valentines and Mother's Day haul, next is Easter so I thought I'd include a mini wishlist of the items I am eyeing up from the collection

                                                      

Bunch of Carrots, Ultraviolet & Golden Egg

Ultraviolet was my favourite last year so I'll probably be picking a couple of these up, it's a bubble bar that smells like parma violets, I love it! Bunch of Carrots has been updated this year and apparently the colour change has improved of the colour it gives the bath, I haven't used these before but they look and sound adorable, and finally The Golden Egg just looks too cute to pass up, it reminds me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which, thinking about it,  would be an amazing range for Lush to release!
Thankyou so much for reading ♡

Huge Lush Oxford St Haul ♡

I've wanted to visit Lush Oxford Street since I first heard about it and last week I finally got the chance, if you haven't heard about it it's their new flagship store with three floors, a Lush spa and 200 new and exclusive products, it's amazing!

I finally got to visit last week and was in love, the shop is set out really nicely, the exclusive products all look great and I'm excited to use the ones I bought.

I did try to research before I left, and found Jen's blog, All Things Lush, and Jess' instagram ! Using these I gained a good idea of what to keep an eye out for but still became overwhelmed in the shop and forgot a few things, anyone fancy taking me back for a second go?

Anyway, onto the actual products, this might get quite long and rambly so sorry in advance.

Lord of Misrule Shower Cream (250g-£9.50) This is one of the things I knew I needed straight away, Lord of Misrule is one of my favourite bath bombs and I've wanted a shower gel with this scent for ages, it has a warming, spicey peppery scent and is amazing!

Comforter Shower Cream (100g-£4.75) I really wish I had bought the massive bottle of this! I love it so much, it's like a warm, comforting (get it?) hug in a bottle, it smells like the Comforter bubble bar and is so soothing, my anxiety has been quite bad lately so I've been really loving this.

Yuzu and Cocoa Shower Cream (100g-£4.75) This is supposed to smell like chocolate oranges but I don't get that at all, like not even a hint, to me it smells like Summer, sun cream, cockatails, I love it! I haven't used it yet so the smell might change a little in the shower I suppose but hopefully it will still smell like Summer in a bottle. 

Shades of Earl Grey Massage Bar (£5.95) I've just realised this isn't exclusive, but I've wanted to try a massage bar for a while and this one smells lovely, it has cocoa butter, shea butter (both fair trade) and lemon and lime oil and is really moisturising.

They had so many amazing bath bombs and bubble bars but I really had to limit myself as I was buying for my friend as well, I wish I had bought back ups but I will have to wait I suppose.

Intergalactic Bath Bomb (£3.50) This is one I wish I had hundreds off (ish) as the photos I've seen on instagram are amazing, it contains peppermint and popping candy, smells lovely and I'm stupidly excited to use it, but dreading not having more to use after.

Guardians of the Forest Bath Bomb (£3.35) This is one I let my boyfriend choose, it smells very relaxing and earthy, I can imagine this one being nice for bedtime.

Top left-bottom right: Frozen, The Experimenter, Guardians of the Forest & Intergalactic.

Frozen Bath Bomb (£3.75) "do you want to have a bath bomb? do you want to splash and play?" I love lush's stickers, it's so nice to see a brand with personality! This one has grapefruit and neroli and is really uplifting.

The Experimenter Bath Bomb (£3.75)  This caught my eye thanks to it's shape and colours, it smells quite smokey but fizzes away quite quickly. I've already used this and found that while it's really colourful initially it does turn the bath a grey/green colour.

 Pink Flamingo Reusable Bubble Bar (£5.95) I've never actually used a reusable bubble bar before but this one is so adorable I couldn't not get it, it's inspired by cocktails and smells amazing with rosewood and ylang ylang, I can't wait to use this!
Karma Bubble Bar (£4.25) This is actually another one that isn't exclusive to Oxford Street but as it's changed formula and style I didn't realise, the purple got everywhere-the bag was covered, but it smells amazing, it's refreshing and uplifting with orange and patchouli and I'm so happy that you can get this in normal shops as I really do like it.
Milky Bath Bubble Bar (£3.75) This wasn't really something I wanted to try until I read a few reviews online, I don't like milk so was completely put off by it but I've read that it's actually really good if you have eczema, as the seasons change my eczema tends to flare up so while all lush bath things help, I wanted something that would go that extra mile, it smells very uplifting-it has orange oil in it-and contains skimmed milk to help your skin.

I was particularly interested in having a look at the bath oils, they are supposed to be really moisturising so I bought quite a lot for me and my friend, they are all £2 each. They are all quite slippy and messy, I made the mistake of initially putting them in the same bag and they got a little mixed in colours.

Ginger I'm going to be honest, the main reason I picked this one up is because it reminded me of a Golden Snitch, it doesn't smell overly of ginger but does smell lovely.

Lime Pastille This was the messiest of them all but as my boyfriend loved lime scented products I picked this one up for him.

Orange Blossom This one smells so uplifting and beautiful, I love orange products and am so excited to try this

Shark Infested Custard This one smells quite comforting and the melon paper fin is a cute little addition.

Double Vitality I've already used this one and it was so nice! It's sandwiched together and smells like peppermint and lemon, it's very refreshing and cute.

Oil on Troubled Water This one smells like mint and oakwood and the colour is gorgeous.

Johnny Appleseed This one is adorable, it looks like a little apple with a cinnamon stalk, it smells very sweet.

You've Been Mangoed This one smells exactly like the You've Been Mangoed bath melt, it's refreshing and uplifting and smells almost sherbert-y

Cloak of Invisibility Another Harry Potter themed one, the description says "when you just want to disappear, pop this into the bath and cloak yourself in jasmin and rosewood waters. Perfect for shielding yourself from reality until the doorbell rings. Use it well." I'm hoping I'm not the only Potter fan who fangirled over that? This one looks really cool and I'm really excited to try it out. 

Since I've been writing this (it took me so long) I've heard that they are bringing about 100 of the exclusive products into regular stores, I don't know for definite which ones but it's worth a look in the next few weeks to see if your local store has any.

I hope this haul has been useful, it took me a while but I really wanted to make sure I was happy with it, I do want to write a wishlist of the things I forgot, and when the new products make their way into my local lush I'm sure there will be another haul.

Thankyou very much for reading :)