Bia Beauty Facial Exfoliant and Cleanser

If theres one skin care thing that I love, its a good exfoliator. If I was stuck on a desert island, this is the type of product I would be bringing with me. Bia Beauty is an Irish brand all the way from Cork and I've tried out quite a few of their range. This is by far the one that stands out for me. Its gentle enough that I can use it daily if I wanted, while also giving my skin a little scrub and cleanse. I love that its orange and grapefruit, its fresh and without sounding like a dope - it smells natural. None of this chemical smelling pretend fruit scents, but the real thing. I'm not normally a fan of these particular fruit scents, so this says a lot for the product.

With caster oil, thistle and essential oils, this lovely rich yellowy cream always leaves my skin feeling moisturised and not stripped, unlike a lot of exfoliators. You only need a small amount to do your entire face and because it is both a exfoliant and cleanser, your saving time. For 60ml I think this is a really good 2in1 product. I also really love the presentation in an old style dark brown glass jar, with a plastic screw on lid. 

I've been using this for nearly two years now and this is my third jar. I always keep it in the shower as an everyday product. At €16.95 it is a little pricey, but for something gentle and brighten for your skin, along with it being a 2in1 cream, I think its worth it.

Have you tried Bia Beauty before?

9 To 5 Cleansing Lotion

So a few weeks ago I bought a new cleansing lotion from Lush knowing I was almost finished my other cleansers. I had used 9 to 5 once before at a friends and really loved how it felt and worked so I knew that I wanted to get it even if it was a hole in the pocket at €10.95 for a 240g bottle. 

From the minute I opened the bottle and started using it I regretted buying it (the bigger bottle is better value just to tell you!) The cleanser itself works ok, not mind blowing wonder cream but it works well enough - scrubbing eye make up a little though. Its the lack of thickness that bothers me so much. You try to put a little onto a cotton pad but because its such a watery consistency it goes everywhere. No matter how small a blob (that word is gas!) you try and squeeze out, it just slides off the cotton pad or your face if you don't rub it around your skin quick enough. I am a little heart broken over how messy and hard to use this product is. 

The sweet smell alone would make you buy it, I just love it so much. I think it might be the dove orchids that they steep in almond oil overnight - that infused oil is the base of this lotion. Not only does it have dove orchids in almond oil but ylang ylang oil and honeysuckle. But even with all these lovely things added into this big bottle, I can safely say I wont ever be repurchasing this again, instead spending my money on better and cheaper cleansing lotions like Botanics All Bright that I reviewed a while ago. 

Have you entered my Halloween giveaway yet?

Lush Tea Tree Water Toner

Lovely people of the internet, I have found a new love and I have a feeling it is going to be quite a solid relationship. I'm never one for toners as they tend to be full of harsh alcohol infused nasties that burn my skin worse then when I try to make toast. No sir, a toner is not for me. That was until I asked a staff member about LUSH tea tree water toner one rainy day when I was stalking about their shop smelling everything in sight. I bought it (€5.75?) just for the hell of it and have never looked back since.

 Oh me oh my is it my skins bestest best friend. It doesn't sting, not even on my eyes. I think I have all the dirt, make up and horrible stuff off my face after using my cleanser? Quick wipe over my face with this toner and it tells a different story. I have oily and spot prone skin so this is just the thing for me. It has antibacterial and antiseptic properties with tea tree oil. grapefruit water and juniperberry water. 

 Long story short? It works, smells fresh can be used any time to clean your face or just to freshen up. The 100g bottle I have is perfect for travel and its got nothing in it that will harm your skin. I'm using it with my Nivea refreshing cleansing lotion (just to use it up!) and after I will be using a LUSH cleanser to see if they work wonders together. I have been converted to toners and I am not afraid of stinging skin any longer. My skin looks and feels so much better after using this toner, I'll be stocking up on this stuff again. Get yours here.

Have you tried any of LUSH's skin care products?

Boots, Pennys And Lush Haul

All these things I have picked up in the past few weeks, just in case anyone thought I had gone off on a mad one and was now a share holder in all these places! But thought I would give everyone a look at my new buys, cos' I love being nosy like that too!

First off three Boots make up things. A repurchase for me, Rimmel's Exaggerate waterproof eye definer eyeliner (€5.49) - what a mouth full! Love this little pencil, you can see it in my whats in my make up bag post. Boots is doing a buy one get on half price on some products at the moment and so I picked up Seventeen's new On The Spot foundation (€8.89) that claims to give you clearer skin in 4 weeks.. We will see. And also Seventeen's new phwoarr paint heavy duty eye concealer (€5.49). I like the sound of it already!

You might see that I'm a bit of a fan of Lush, just a bit.. I got two things in particular that I had been lusting after for months now. I am currently using up all my cleaners and will be running out soon so I finally got 9 to 5 cleansing lotion (€10.95). I have tried it before and my word. Heaven. Can't wait to use it. Same goes for the Twilight bath bomb (3.95) that I have never had before but always looked at with such longing. However it broke on the way home and to say I'm upset is an understatement. I know I will get it again though, purely because it has made my room smell fab while its been sitting in the bag. Lastly I got a little Space Girl bath bomb (€3.85) I always get the Out of This World gift set for non Lush people that I want to try and convert because this one is a small fun starter and the box looks so cool. But I have never tried the bath bomb before so I thought why not!

I also went to Pennys and nabbed some leggings (€4.00) and a pair of really lovely floral shoes (€5) because cheap and cheerful is always welcome any day of the week!

Anyone been doing a spot of shopping lately? Talk to you soon, have a fab day! :)

Things I've Used Up #1

These posts are all over the place and I also love watching them on YouTube. There is something so satisfying about finishing a product and being able to replace it with new and exciting things. I have been trying to be very good and not buy anything until I have used up bits of half used products and bottles of fun. So now that I am going use-up-old-things mad, expect more of these types of posts in the near future! You'll have noticed I went a bit wild with taking photos outside while the few days of sun shine graced us, unlike the rain I'm looking out at now..

First off is my new favourite cleanser, Botanics All Bright Gentle Cleansing Cream. It smells wonderful and is really soft and gentle on my skin without drying it out at the same time. It has hibiscus which is a brightness booster and natural AHA's from the flower act as mild exfoiliators that leave your skin feeling very loved. It has no nasty parabens, basically does what it says in the bottle! I will definitely be repurchasing this little beauty again really soon once I finish using up one or two half bottles of cleansers I have floating about. Normally it costs a little over €6 but right now Boots is having a 3 for 2 1/3 off sale, so grab one for a bargain! 

My lovely 500ml bottle of Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo for dry and damaged hair that has lasted me nearly 3 months! I wash my hair everyday and I really loved the smell of this shampoo, so I picked it up just to try it out. I have used Aussies conditioners before and have always noticed how shiny and soft they left my hair. This shampoo was no different. Its €7.59 but sometimes you can get these on offer, right now in Boots they are doing a 3 for €13 on selected Aussie products. I'll get this again for sure, but first I want to try out some other brands to see if they are as good.

I think its fair to say I am a lover of Nivea deodorants in general (see here) so I got a massive 250ml Nivea Invisible Black and White Pure 48hr Anti-Perspiration . It smells nice, works well and the best part is that there are no marks left on clothes at all. I always have a little bottle of this kept in my handbag too for when I'm out and about just in case. Nivea can do no wrong in my books.

Picture on the right is not my own. Source: lush.co.uk

Hmm, LUSH's The Joy Of Jelly shower jelly. I wasn't mad about this scent by the end of the pot, but it did make an amazing bubbly bath for me several times and was fun to play with and poke at too! It kind of reminds me of the sex bomb bath bomb smell, but a little stronger. Its a lovely purple colour that has rose, jasmine and ylang ylang packed into it. Like all shower jellies can be broken up and frozen or used all at once. You can use this in the shower on your body and hair or in the bath. Not sure if I will be getting this again and it doesn't seem available on their site anymore. Here are some other jellies instead. At least its one more pot to add to my pile of pots to return and get a free face mask from! Read my Love Lettuce Face Mask review if you don't know about the LUSH recycle programme. 

Next comes Rimmels Hide The Blemish Concealer in Ivory. I have gone through tonnes of these little sticks and still think they are the best long lasting concealer out there. It has such amazing coverage that really hides both blemishes and dark circles. I couldn't ask for more. This costs just over €5. You can find it on the Rimmel stand in Boots, but they don't seem to have it online. Oh dear. You can also see it here in my whats in my makeup bag post.

And lastly my go to colour of the summer was Barry M's Blueberry. Its a gorgeous light blue that just screams sunshine and ice cream! Its all used up and you wont be seeing that colour on my nails again this year since were now in Autum, but you can be sure I will be getting this again in time for next summer. You can read my full NOTD review here.