Beauty - Review of Lush Cupcake Face Mask

Hey everyone!

Before I start, I'd just like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who checked out my last post on Friday 12th February last, about skinny shaming. Despite my initial concerns,  I got a very positive response towards it and managed to acclaim over 200 views in just a few hours. Although for me, the best thing was random strangers messaging me saying thank you for posting it and "finally someone gets me". It's nice to know that sometimes. If you haven't checked out you can do so HERE

Anyways, cracking on with this blogpost that has been in my draft folder for what has felt like forever!

Lush are a cosmetic and haircare company that make all fresh handmade products. I absolutely adore their products, because as well as being ethically friendly and against animal testing, they're kind to sensitive skin. Unfortunately, I haven't used too many of their products, because of one simple reason: they're a tad expensive and I prefer to just use cheaper options that do the job just as well. But I couldn't resist anymore and just before Christmas, popped into the Lush here in Carlisle.

At the time, my skin was massively stressed out, with random breakouts all over and a forehead that seemed to be producing enough oil to make a fry on. Makeup unfortunately wasn't making the situation any better (and was sometimes even making it worse, see why HERE), and while I was making adjustments to other areas in my life, such as attempting to get enough sleep (which wasn't the easiest task when you are in university all week and working all weekend) and trying to stress less (again, not the easiest when you have assignments coming from you at all angles), and drinking water, I wanted a quicker option.

If you've ever walked into a Lush store, you know that in most Lush stores that their customer service is second to none. You're barely in the door when you have an eager member of staff up to you to ask you do you need any help, or need any skincare advice, and this was no different. A lovely lady talked me through some of the options I could try out, but it was so hard to decide because they all smelled so good. Literally was just smelling everything for like a half hour - haha! Eventually I decided on the Cupcake facemask I'm going to review in this blog post. As it's made for teenage skin, the lady said it would calm my breakouts and soak up any excess oils on my face, plus my friend at uni tried it out a few weeks before and her breakouts disappeared and her skin was glowing after just a few uses.

So the cupcake facemask contains cocoa butter, linseed and cocoa powder which claim to soften while peppermint and spearmint and sandalwood oils add a hint of freshness to your face. It really does smell like a chocolate cup cake! Sooo good. I usually slathered this all over my face once a week to help me relax. If stored in the fridge, it will stay good for a few weeks. I really liked the  It smells beautiful even when on your face and means it is so cooling and refreshing when applied. It didn't sting at all when first applied, but can be quite messy to work with so make sure you have something to wipe your hands after. It instantly felt refreshed. I usually left it on for ten minutes, after five minutes you can feel it drying in your skin and may find it difficult to move your face, which is an odd sensation! When I took it off, my skin felt instantly refreshed, although I did have to use some moisturiser after as my skin is quite dry also.

However, despite the obvious positives, I'm not convinced it did a great job of getting rid of any breakouts, though to be honest. Maybe my expectations were quite high after spending nearly seven quid on it (£6.80 to be exact). Or maybe just maybe my skin was too tough of a job to do anything on. I'm well aware that this may appear like a "bargain" compared to many other skincare brands, but for me personally, I'm not sure would I be parting with my money for this product again.

What do you think? Have you ever used Lush products? Let me know xxx

Beauty - Review Of Lovea Nature Hair Mask

So my hair has been feeling so dry lately. I have been bleaching the ends of my hair blonde since September and that, combined with my addiction to using the GHD everyday, has played havoc on my hair. I knew I needed to try out a hair mask, so that's what I did!
The Lovea Nature Hair Mask stood out to me in Penneys - mostly because of it's cheap price - at €1.90 sure where would ya go wrong! - but it also contains shea butter specially formulated for dry hair.
So after showering and shampooing my hair, I took the plunge and decided to try it out. Firstly, you need a scissors handy - unlike alot of other hair and skin care masks I've used, you just can't open this one with just your fingers (or maybe I have really weak girly fingers?). The formula is a bright yellow colour, almost off putting until you smell the stuff. Absolutely gorgeous! So I began putting it on my hair, and with two handful I realised I had most of my hair covered, but there was more left. So that was definitely a drawback to this mask. Because there was no way I could use it another day. The formula was quite thick and a little sticky, so make sure you have a towel on to wipe your hands after you finish applying it to your hair. The instructions on the pack advised to leave on the mask for only 5 minutes, but because my hair is really lifeless and extremely dry I left it on for a whole hour and a half, then I washed it out with warm water and also rinsed it with ice cold water to give it a glossy shine as well.
I let my hair dry naturally. My thoughts on this are really positive! My hair is super soft, and even though looking at the pictures it's obvious my hair needs a good trim at the ends, I really like it. And the smell is so beautiful. Definitely worth picking up as it definitely packs a punch for only €1.90!  As you can see from the packaging, another plus of this product is that it contains ingredients that are of 95% natural origins so no nasty chemicals will be getting in your gruaig ! (Btw, 'scuse the extremely ugly no make up selfie of me, and the au natural hair! It was all in the aid of research to show you exactly what my hair looked like after applying the mask).

EDIT: A query from an American follower on my Instagram (kissandmakeupnow_blog) led me to researching where else this product is available for purchase, and lo and behold, I found it online at www.mypure.co.uk, in a 300ml tub, which means you can use a bit and save some for the next day, which I complained I couldn't do with this small sachet. Stick Lovea Burkina Shea Moisturising Hair Mask in the search bar and it should come up. It costs  €9.90 for the tub, and delivery to Ireland costs €6.84.