Hawaiian Tropic Coconut After Sun Body Butter

Hi everyone I hope you're all doing ok - I can't believe today is the last day of June - where did this month go?!

Anyway this is another post where the photos don't really do much for the product - you really need to feel it and smell it to properly appreciate it. My coconut smelling obsession thing is still in full flight so I HAD to snap this up even though I tend to use aloe vera gel as an after sun.

Now I'm not a big fan of body creams/lotions/butters. I don't like the feeling they tend to give my skin - that damp sort of greasy feeling (thus I love a bit of aloe vera gel!) so probably don't use them as much as my skin might like. Anyway this stuff smells good enough to eat and I figured that teamed with my aims of shredding and wanting to tone up it could help my skin maybe in tightening up. It feels and looks a bit like Palmer's Body Butter. It smells of coconut. It had a thick luxurious feel which I hoped wouldn't = goop sitting on my skin. It sank in much better than I expected and felt REALLY NICE on my skin. It leaves a scent which isn't too strong but is subtle enough for me to catch it every now and again.

I can't speak of its after sun capabilities (yet!) but as a moisturiser it gets a massive thumbs up from me. It smells gorgeous, applies nicely and leaves my skin feeling hydrated and soft without feeling slimy.

It seems to retail at around £10 but lots of places have deals on at the minute on sun care so I have seen it from as little as £4.99 in Tesco (where I got mine) as part of a half price promotion - which is a blessing really as there's a chance I'll have most of this used up before I even step on the plane...

I hope you've found this useful and aren't bored of the coconut talk yet. It can't be just me who loves this scent coming into summer can it?!

LoubouLush x

OOTD Outfit of the Day

I think this is my very first "outfit of the day" post so I am slightly nervous. It's a pretty warm day here and luckily with my job I can wear what I like (within reason) unless I have a formal meeting scheduled or something. I bought this dress last week and had intended not wearing it before my holiday but I thought I'd give it a test run today (and thank goodness I did as I discovered it is slightly see through!) If you could excuse my tired face and phone camera quality photos, that'd be great btw...

Dress - from Exhibit (think they might be an Irish retailer) £17.99

Tan gladiator sandals - Primark (last summer)

Rings - Miss Selfridge (last summer I think)

Bangles - here from H&M £6.99 (not wearing the animal print one obviously!)

I hope you like it? I know maxi dresses aren't for everyone but I like this and find it comfortable. The stripes and colours aren't something I'd usually wear but I was feeling a bit brave when I went shopping that day! I have no idea where the necklace is from I'm afraid. So other than that, that's it really. Eeek.

LoubouLush x

100th blogpost!

I noticed this would be my big 1-0-0 and to be perfectly honest I wasn't sure what to write in it. I have a couple of bits I want to review and I was going to reveal a bit of my holiday wardrobe/must haves but I haven't had time to photograph them yet. So I thought I'd just give an update on what I've been up to.

I've been super busy with work, which as someone who is self employed isn't something to complain about especially with holidays looming. You might have noticed Slimming World has gone by the wayside. Due to my silly work schedule, the meetings were too hard to fit in and I was useless on my own. In the holiday countdown I have been shredding and although I haven't lost much weight I do feel like I'm getting a bit more toned at least and I'm quite enjoying it but again it's taking about 20 minutes out of my day.

If you follow me on Twitter you will also know we've got a new addition to our family (albeit probably a temporary one) which has added to the madness. One night last week our dog was in the garden and started barking a bit manickly. Husband went to look and found a tiny ball of fur in the garden beside the dog... tiny kitten had found its way into the garden and into the path of our labrador! Our garden is fairly secure so we're not sure where it came from. Much hissing later and some help from my Dad we got it into a box and brought it into the house for the night. The poor little thing was limping and shaking like mad. The next morning we took her (yes vet tells us it's a she!) to the vet and given her injury/our garden set up he thinks she might have fallen from a tree. He aged her at about 6-8 weeks and said she's too young to be out on her own. We've put a notice in our local shop but noone has claimed her yet. Her leg is healing well and she's not as hissy as she was but Bella the labrador still isn't sure of her so I'm not sure what her long term future will be in terms of staying with us.

Then of course we have this holiday coming up so we need 2 pet sitters rather than 1! Oh and husband has called her Kevin and it's sort of stuck. Poor little thing...
Anyway that's what I've been up to. Hopefully I'll be back with a few more posts that might be a bit more interesting as this has turned into a bit of a ramble. I hope you've all been well and if any of you have any tips on looking after kittens, send them my way please!

LoubouLush x

MUA Pressed Powder

I have a few bits and bobs from the MUA cosmetics range at Superdrug and I have to say for the £1 price tag, I've been impressed! A few weeks (maybe months) ago I was in a mad hurry and ran into Superdrug to grab my sister a cheap bronzer. I lifted shade 4 of the pressed powder by mistake and only realised after I got home. It's FAR too dark for me so I threw it in the back of one of my make of drawers and forgot about it.

A couple of weeks ago I was all fake tanned up (St Moriz) and couldn't find my face powder and found this MUA powder again. It was still a bit dark but I thought I'd give it a go and I was really pleased with how well it stayed on and looked. I used it as a contour and then put a light coating over my face. I couldn't believe I hadn't set it aside as a contour before!!

Anyhoo I decided I should get my hands on a lighter shade for more everyday use as I begrudge using my MAC powder too often. Shade 1 is a good match for me. It give a nice coverage and finish to my make up and of course only costs £1. I've been using it a lot recently and my skin seems to approve. I've even used it on its own with no foundation or other base just to give me a little bit of cover up and I honestly REALLY like it.

Shade 4 to the left, shade 1 to the right

Shade 4

Shade 1

Some information about what's in them... (can't get this photo turned upright, sorry)

It really is a great value product in my opinion. I've used both of them on my eyelids as well for a hint of colour. The packaging is fine and although there is no brush or powder puff with it I tend to prefer using my own anyway (and it's probably a bit much to ask with the price tag!

Have you tried it? Or are there any other must have MUA things I need in my collection? I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

LoubouLush x

Some summer holiday shopping

I might have mentioned I'm going on holiday/vacation soon (less than 4 weeks to go!!). My go-to shop this year has been H&M. I've picked up some fab buys in there (and so has my husband - he's got some gorgeous and very bargainous things). I've posted some of the items I can still find on the website below...

Jumpsuit - £14.99 - I LOVE this so much. It's my first jumpsuit but I think it's so pretty. I adore the colours and the pattern and think it's really quite flattering on. It is very see through/sheer but would be fine as a beach cover up or with something offering a bit more coverage underneath to protect ones modesty. It looks gorgeous with flats and heels. I think I'll get a lot of wear out of this on holidays even if it is quite a brave choice for me.

Peep toe flats - £7.99 - I've been looking out for some comfy flats maybe to wear for the flight as well as on the holiday itself. These are in a soft suedette sort of fabric and available in other colours but I went with blue.

Vests - £4.99 - I picked up a couple of these kinds of vest top. They are nice and long on the body and super soft. Also at a great price and in some fab colours too. I also snapped up a playsuit and some sunglasses I can't find online. Overall I was really pleased with my purchases and will probably go back for more. Their swimwear looked great too but I'm already well stocked up so tried not to look too closely.

Are any of you planning any nice holidays? Where have you been getting your holiday wardrobe? I might have room in my case for a few more things... ha ha ;)

LoubouLush x

H&M Coconut & Lime Body Scrub

I have all manner of random toiletries still littering my bathroom that I am still trying to reign in my buying of more until I've used them up. To be honest, I'm pretty good with it but this caught my eye the other day in H&M - Coconut & Lime Body Scrub. I LOVE the smell of coconut and am currently getting into holidayexcitementmood so this scent is right up my street.

I opened the lid, wafted it under my nose, saw it was £1.99 and I was sold. Like lots of other similar products I hoped it would leave a lasting scent but if not the combination of a subtle scent while using and a body scrubbing action would hopefully get my mind (and body eeek) into beach mode.



I must say for the price I am impressed. After using it for a week or so now quite regularly my skin feels noticeably smoother without any dryness (there is a matching body lotion I think but I was brave enough to pass on it). There are various sized particles of scrub with some nice big ones that aren't too harsh. Overall I'd say it is a good scrub for regular use which seems to make a difference to the smoothness of my skin without causing any pain or redness at all. The scent is gorgeous but I couldn't really smell it on my skin for long after using it though Mr L tells me he could get a subtle hint of it when he did his sniff test.

All in all a great summer bargain I think and I'll be stocking up on more very soon!

Have you got any similar scented products you can recommend? I'm slightly obsessed with holiday smells at the minute! Or have you tried this and have an opinion on it - I'd love to hear your thoughts...

LoubouLush x

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Nailene Artificial Nail & Polish Remover

I had searched high and low in Superdrug, Boots and supermarkets for the Sally Hansen Kwik Off Nail Polish Remover after hearing about how great it is for glitter polish removal without any luck and then noticed this Nailene Artificial Nail & Polish Remover on the shelf of a local supermarket. To me it looked like a similar concept and I decided at the price of roughly £6 it was worth a shot.

Now I can't compare the two products as the Kwik Off still eludes me but as far as I know the are the same size at 118ml and while the Kwik Off contains a sponge to aid removal, the Nailene Product has plastic bristles. Now enough of my very basic comparisons and onto this product itself.

First Impressions

The plastic outer packaging seems more than a little unnecessary and wasteful to me but then I guess that's not unusual with these kinds of products. I noticed the use of "professional strength" on the front label and while this can be seen as a good thing perhaps it tends to mean to me - be careful!! On the back it gives some more information including telling us it "removes acrylic nails, gels, wraps, tips, glue and polish". So by now I'm clear on the fact that this product is going to be strong and I don't really want my nails to be exposed to it for any longer than necessary. Did I learn anything else from the packaging? Yes - satisfaction is guaranteed and if I'm not completely satisfied with the product I can send the unused part of the product along with the sales receipt to an address IN MEXICO. Uh no I don't think I'd bother to be honest - especially as it's not clear if I'd even get the postage cost refunded...

Using the Product
My first go with this was always going to be trial and error. I won't bore you with all my findings but for me I found soaking the nail for approximately 20 seconds and then moving through the bristles for 20 seconds got me a clear nail. I drained each finger for a few seconds on the plastic outer rim of the tub before dipping the next nail. I washed my hands thoroughly after use and moisturised. Although my nails looked a little white in places this passed within about 5-10 minutes and my nails seem absolutely fine.

The Good
I can't speak for this in terms of any of the other things it claims to be able to remove other than polish and for removing the glitter polish it really was excellent and nowhere as time consuming or messy as I'd normally find it. The product was easy to use and reasonably priced. Presumably depending on the condition of the bristle s when the remover itself has ran out it can be topped up with a regular nail polish remover. Although it is "professional strength" my nails don't seem to have suffered. It isn't a product I intend to use other than for glitter polish removal and possibly for the odd dark colour so I am really pleased with this.

The Bad
The only downsides were the excessive packaging and fact that if I hadn't have been happy I'd have had to have forked out to post this from the UK to Mexico along with the sales receipt (which frankly could be anywhere right now) which is pretty pointless in my opinion.

Overall
I'm really pleased with it. It is simple to use, well priced and effective. I won't be using it for all my nail polish removal needs but for glitter (and I am prone to a bit of glitter) removal it's a winner and I'll definitely repurchase when I need to.

Have you tried this? Did you find it worked for you or do you have any secrets to glitter removing?

LoubouLush x

Soap & Glory Giveaway - Winner Picked

With some thanks to Microsoft Excel and random.org a giveaway winner has been chosen! I have just emailed the lucky person to let them know so if you entered have a check of your emails to see if it is you!

I just want to thank everyone who entered also and thank you all for your support :) I hope to introduce another giveaway or two in the few weeks and months to come so keep your eyes out for those too...

*****

In a little update I've been in touch with the lovely tinkerbelldani from Tinks Tales and I posted off her prize at the end of last week. I hope you enjoy it!!

Thanks again to all my other entrants and followers *mwah*


LoubouLush

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