Recent Buys (Lush, Rimmel, Maybelline and more)

Some recent treats!

CD - Nevermind - Nirvana - I don't think I have to say much about this other than it's a brilliant album, if you haven't listened to it before then make sure you do and it's about time that I added this to my collection.

Lush Ickle Baby Bot bath bomb (left) - I've been wanting to try this bath bomb for so long as I always see it whenever I go into Lush and it also seems quite popular. According to reviews and other blog posts that I've read, it leaves your bath water soft on your skin, smelling of soothing lavendar without being overpowering and the colour that it turns your water looks incredible. It is intended for kids (mainly because it helps you to wind down before bed and drift off to sleep) but why should that stop you!
Lush Secret Garden bath bomb (right) - From the mothers day range, the main thing that drew me to the Secret Garden bath bomb (apart from how sweet it looks) was the smell - fragrant and floral without being too strong. And there's also flower petals inside, so what's not to love? I can't wait to try it!

Maybelline New York Matte Maker Mattifying Powder (10 Classic Ivory) - Seeing as I was running low on matte powder I thought I'd give this one a try! I usually only use matte powder on my t-zone and then a regular coverage powder on the rest of my face. I'm so impressed with the results - it tackles the annoying oily areas without it feeling cake-y or like it's clogging your pores and it's only ‎£3.99! The only negatives I have to point out are that it's only available in 4 shades which are all pretty light (which doesn't affect me but I know it will affect other people) and also it is very hard to open. I know that sounds stupid and I had to look it up online to make sure I wasn't completely incompetent but nope - other people have had the same problem! Something about the packaging just makes it very difficult to open the first time and it wasn't until I gave in and asked my Dad to try (thanks Dad!) that it actually opened.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Concealer (010 Porcelain) - I saw this reviewed on another blog about a month ago and, like with my matte powder, I was running low and thought I'd see how this one fared. What really drew me to it is it seems like a dupe of the Benefit Boing concealer which everybody knows and loves (and I have used for what seems like forever), and I'm always keen to find cheaper alternatives! It does have a very similar texture and cover to Benefit Boing but only just misses the mark. I think if combined with a small amount of any other concealer you own then this would be perfect but, as much as I do like this concealer, I think if you want complete coverage from just one product then you'll have to spend a little bit more money.

What have you bought recently?

Songs I Can't Stop Listening to #3

It's pretty normal for me to have a bit of a weird range of songs that I can't stop listening to, but the current lot is pretty random, even for me: 

No Waves - FIDLAR

Stylo - Gorillaz ft. Mos Def and Bobby Womack

Don't Matter - Kings of Leon

Crosstown Traffic - Jimi Hendrix

Be My Baby - The Ronettes

Bug - Wavves

What have you been listening to recently?

(Photos taken from Wikipedia and Google Images and do not belong to me.)

Review - Bleach London Reincarnation Mask & Live Forever Conditioner

Yay, I've finally tried it! I've mentioned in several posts now that I've wanted to try the Bleach London Reincarnation Mask ever since I tried my first Bleach London hair dye (I'm becoming a bit obsessed with their stuff at the minute). I thought I'd try both the hair mask and the Live Forever conditioner as both apply to my hair, which is bleached to absolute shit, very, very dry and also repeatedly dyed a pastel pink (with added bits of lilac and blue at the moment) - an ideal candidate to try them out!

Reincarnation Mask - I don't think I've seen a negative review of this anywhere so I've been really excited to try it (which I realise is sad) and see if it lives up to the hype. I applied it to pre-shampooed hair as instructed, left it on for 20 minutes, rinsed and left my hair to dry by itself. Usually when I leave my hair to dry by itself it ends up looking very puffy and frizzy at the ends and I'll have to intervene with some straighteners, but after using the mask I genuinely could leave it to dry naturally without looking like I have an afro and feeling confident and comfortable enough to leave it alone - which genuinely never happens. It's smoother and softer than usual and feels much more hydrated and healthy. I can see why so many people have been ranting on about this stuff because it really does give your hair a treat, and at £6 you're not losing anything by giving it a try! You get a lot more in the tube than I thought you would as after seeing it online I thought it was a one-mask-per-tube type of deal. But nope, I can see this lasting a while as you get a very generous amount for your money. It does promise to also protect your colour on top of everything else and, while I have noticed a small difference, I don't think it compares to the Live Forever conditioner in that respect. But besides that, I cannot sing it's praises enough!

Live Forever Conditioner - Anyone who has ever dyed their hair, particularly a "unnatural colour" and especially a pastel colour, will know that fading is one of the biggest pains. This conditioner promises to fight the fade and keep your hair colour vibrant and brighter for longer. In order to preserve the tiny bit of life that's left in my hair, I try to avoid topping up the colour more than once a month and in the last week or so my hair just ends up looking so...blegh. So I was hoping that this conditioner would help it to stay brighter for longer and maybe help to keep re-dyes even further apart. And so far it has, yay! This conditioner has added about another week of "life" to my hair colour which means I can re-dye it even less now. In regards to softness and shine, the results are good but no more amazing than other conditioners, but I don't really mind as that's not what it promises. I would recommend this to anyone who wants their hair colour to stick around for longer without spending much money (£6).

They both deliver what they promise and both have their pros and (very minor) cons. So if you're focusing on preserving your hair colour, then stick to the Live Forever conditioner and if you're looking to give your hair a new lease of life, then stick to the Reincarnation Mask. And if you're greedy and indecisive like me, get both!

Have you tried any Bleach London products?