Valentines Day with Lush Cosmetics

We all know that one thing Lush do really well is their Limited Editions and their seasonal selections. One of my favourite collections is always Valentines themed, the uber cute, kooky and quirky come out to play and I always want everything. Last week I went into the Oxford Street store here in London and basically could have done a trolley dash. If you have never been to this store, you need to, it is filled with happiness, everyone is cheery and it is an adults playground.  

I picked up three products from the Valentines Collection that I haven't used before but which caught my attention  - Cupid Bath Bomb, Kiss Lip Scrub and Two Hearts Beat as One, I also secretly wanted The Unicorn Horn but someone was taking a lot of photos of them and it felt rude to intrude!

The Cupid Bath Bomb is brand new for 2017 and shaped like a heart with an arrow running through it, what more could you want for Valentines Day. For me, it smells similar to Razzle Dazzle if you are familiar with Lush Bath Melts and it is described as being 'Fantastically Floral'. 

Ingredients include Bergamot which is really refreshing, Persian Lime oil which stimulates the blood flow and helps to scrub away dead skin cells, Rose Petal Powder which is calming and soothing and Violet Leaf Absolute which is both antiseptic and antibacterial on the skin. Once it is in the water, it fizzes around quite quickly and melts away to leave copious amounts of bubbles which smell just incredible. Priced at just £2.95 I think this is a bargain and it could even be broken in half so that you could enjoy at least two baths from it.

The second product is Two Hearts Beat As One and this is a luxury bath melt which features two interlocking hearts. They can be used individually or together depending upon your mood and again the scent is just absolutely stunning. Using Ylang Ylang oil which is incredibly uplifting, Bergamot Oil which is great for refreshing the skin, Jasmine Oil which is great for relieving stress and tension and finally Rose Absolute which is great at lifting the mood.

As soon as the hearts are submerged into the water, the oils come to life and the scent totally fills the house. As you climb into the water, not only will it have turned into a bright mixture of orange and red, you will feel absolutely relaxed.  Further ingredients within this product are Argan Oil, Cocoa Butter and Almond Oil which moisturise, nourish and condition the skin. Priced at £3.95.

One product I do love from Lush is their lip scrubs so I couldn't leave the store without picking up The Kiss. Using both Sea Salt and Caster Sugar to act as an exfoliant to remove that dry and dead skin, you can choose how abrasive this is when you use it. 

Fair Trade Cocoa Butter helps to soften the skin before it is exfoliated and Mandarin Oil helps to improve the circulation of blood as well as promote the growth of new cells and tissues, reviving the skin. Almond essential oil helps with healing and protecting whilst soothing and softening the skin. Finally to give this product that little something extra for Valentines Day we have Red Edible Hearts and Soft Pink Glimmer Lustre. Priced at £5.75.

So those are my Valentines Day picks and if you fancy having a look as to what is offer then you can find these products and everything else Lush has to offer right here. 

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

NIOD 4 Piece Dermal Science Skincare Set

I've made no secret of the fact that I adore Deciem, the company who consider themselves abnormal but are just fantastic. Giving me my first big break in the world of blogging, when Inhibitif began to hit the shelves in Boots, Deciem has gone from strength to strength and have so many products now on the market it has, for them been quite a journey. Having had an amazing Black Friday deal just a few months ago, which I know many of my readers clambered over themselves to snap up, there is now an available offer with QVC on Friday 3rd February that you need!

The NIOD, which stands for Non-Invasive Options in Dermal Science, will be offering a 4 Piece Dermal Science Skincare Set (which has an RRP of £140) will be available on QVC for just £49!! This offer will be available for 24 hours only and it includes:

Copper Amino Isolate Serum 1.00% (15ml) - This serum offers a novel approach to target all signs of skin ageing indirectly. 

This concentrated serum departs from the traditional thinking of addressing visible aspects of skin ageing individually and instead forms a foundation to respect skin health. You mix the two together before use.

Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex (30ml) - A multi-dimensional approach to topical hyaluronic supplementation. 

This advanced serum combines 12 forms of hyaluronic compounds in a peptide-charged delivery system to offer hydration and to help skin surface look plump, comfortable and uniform.

Sanskrit Saponins (90ml) - is a viscous and intense cleaning balm for the face formulated with highly concentrated, very-unrefined Ayurvedic plant surfactants unsupported by any modern cleaning technology. 

Sanskrit Saponins contains no purified or synthetic surfactants, sulphates, oils, esters or micellar technologies. It is a pH-balanced suspension of the amino acid, Lysine, in saponins from the Ayurvedic plants shikakai and Sapindus mukorossi.

Fractionated Eye Contour Complex (15ml) - This is a hyper-concentrated bio-serum for the eye contour which combines 28 clinical technologies to target many signs of under-eye and above-eye ageing in one treatment.

Issues such as static lines, fine superficial under-eye lines , loss of elasticity (especially upper-eyelids), dark circles, puffiness and textural unevenness with positive visible results starting within 3 days and improving into 8 weeks with continued use

Again, if you love Deciem especially NIOD then this is one special offer you do not want to be missing out on and equally if you want a change from your everyday skincare and want to try something new, NIOD is one to try, it is just fantastic.  

You can find the deal right here on QVC on FRIDAY 3rd February!

If you are still looking for some NIOD bargains John Bell & Croydon are now a stockist.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Valentines Day Gift Challenge with John Lewis

Valentines Day is creeping up quickly from the back and having been challenged by John Lewis to join in with their Valentines Day Campaign, the mister and I went off in search of something we thought each other would like.

I absolutely love shopping in John Lewis and always manage to spend any vouchers given to me as a gift in the beauty haul with no problem at all, but this time, I was there to buy something for Stephen and whilst I could go straight for a bottle of Creed and be totally predictable, I decided to go for something he doesn't own.  So I started in the grooming section and quickly decided that something beard related would be a good idea because he has decided to see how long he can continue to grow his beard before he gets bored and shaves it off.  With the choice between a Kent Beard Brush and a Men Rock Awakening Beard Care Gift Set, I settled on the latter which comes presented in a really nice box with four products to keep that beard in check. Inside there is a Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Beard Soap, (100ml), a Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Beard Balm (100ml), a Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Moustache Wax (25g) and the all important Men Rock Beard Comb and as an added extra, a packet of Love Heart Sweets and it is priced at just £29.95.

The second gift is something I had been toying with for some time.  For anyone who reads his blog (here), there is one thing which will stand out - aftershave, he is obsessed with it and has quite the collection, but the one thing he doesn't have is any Jo Malone. So I went over to the counter and explained I was looking for a Valentine's gift for my husband and that I didn't really know where to begin looking, so I was shown to a comfy chair, handed some amazing chocolate and told to relax whilst some scents would be picked for me to try. 

The whole there was no pressure from the amazing sales lady, she picked 6 fragrances in total and it soon became apparent where my decision was heading, Oud and Bergamot Cologne Intense, the one I was first introduced to and the one which clearly made the biggest impression and it has the most amazing description "Precious oud, reframed. The mysterious, smoky character of this revered wood, central to Middle Eastern fragrance traditions, radiates with the clarity of crisp bergamot and an orange granite accord". I purchased a 50ml bottle which is priced at £74 here.

With my purchases in hand, Stephen was somewhere in the store doing his shopping and he clearly reads my blog because he also managed to purchase two items, one I had coveted for quite some time and the other a complete and total, but very welcome, surprise. My first ever Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick and he went for a Matte Revolution Lipstick in the shade Bond Girl which is described as being a medium-dark rosy plum which has warm undertones and a satin finish and I just absolutely love it.

The second gift comes from Jo Malone too, so we obviously had the same idea in mind when we went shopping and he clearly has been reading my tweets. The scent that he chose was Oud and Velvet Rose which is just absolutely incredible. Again arriving beautifully packaged and in a 50ml which is black and so very classy looking, as a scent is described as being "Darkest Damask rose is rich and textural, wrapped with smoky oud wood. Spiked with clove, decadent with praline". I love rose scent products, there is something about that fresh scent of roses which is incredibly relaxing but is a scent which works so well with my skin that it smells amazing. As an added extra, I have also been booked in to go and experience a hand and arm massage to get the full Jo Malone experience which I am really looking forward too.

I really enjoyed this challenge and I loved seeing what John Lewis had to offer. At no point did I feel hassled into buying anything.

What do you think to the gifts we bought one another? Have you got plans to purchase things for your better half this Valentines?

*this post contains PR samples/AF Links unless indicated otherwise.