A Little Beauty Wishlist

I seem to be in a constant 'treat yourself' mood at the moment! I've just been seeing so many beauty products online that I feel like I have to get. I'm really keen on trying a few different makeup products this year as the contents of my makeup bag have kind of stayed the same for a good few years now and although I've been keeping up with a skincare routine with a few trusty products, there are some others that I really want to add in, and some I feel like I finally have to get round to trying!

Skincare

L'oreal are my go to skincare brand at the moment for times when I want a little pamper evening. I don't know why it took me so long to finally try some of their products out but the ones I have tried, I've loved. I really want to pick up some more of their clay masks in the full size pots first of all. I tried the Multi Masking Kit recently which had a mini version of their Detox, Purify & Glow masks, and my favourite of those was the Detox one. The full size pot is currently on offer for £5.99 and as I only face mask once or twice a week, it would last me ages. This did wonders for my skin so I'd love to pick this up soon. Sticking with the face mask theme, I'm desperate to finally get my hands on the Garnier Moisture Bomb Sheet Masks. I've been tempted by them so many times but as they're on the more pricey side compared to lots of other masks, I've never felt I could justify it. I've heard so many good things about these though and as they're currently on offer for £1.99, I think it's time to finally get a few! I recently tried a sample of the Hydra Genius Moisturiser that came in my L'oreal Paris Beauty Egg and I absolutely loved it so I'm keen to get the full size version.The sample I tried really impressed me, and even though it was small, I still got 3 uses out of it so I imagine an actual bottle would last me ages. The full size is £9.99 which is more than I'd usually spend on skincare but I just loved it. The last skincare product I want to pick up at some point is the Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tan Moisturiser. I've never been one for fake tanning, and not having a tan has never bothered me but years ago I used to use this and I found it just gave me a nice glow in the summer months. I've not bought any for ages but a 250ml bottle lasts so long and I think it would be nice to have this in ready for the warmer months.

Makeup

I've finally got to the end of another bottle of my trusty Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation so I'm now on the look out for a new one to try. I'm always torn between sticking with what I know works for me or branching out and trying some of the others I see rave reviews of all the time. The one I'm leaning towards at the moment is the L'oreal Paris True Match Foundation which is £9.99. I'm always sceptical about trying a new foundation but I've heard such good things about this. I'm also in the market for a new mascara and one I always seem to see people talking about the is Lash Sensational from Maybelline. I've been using the Benefit Roller Lash Mascara for a while now, but I kind of have a love/hate relationship with it and I'd definitly not spend that amount of money on a mascara. Before that I used to love Rimmel mascaras but again, I want to try some new products this year! Not that I need anymore nail polishes after getting loads in my Essie Advent Calendar a few months ago, but this particular one caught my eye when I first went onto Superdrug. It's from their spring collection and it's the shade Perfect Mate. It looks like a dusky pink/coral which is just the sort of colour I tend to go for in the warmer months. The last thing that I loved the look of was the So Sheer Illusion Purse Spray, and it's only £3.99. There are a few of these available but this is the one I like the sound of, Mandarin, Bergamot, Rose and Jasmine. It's a handbag sized spray so perfect for on the go. I love having things like this out with me and you can't really go wrong when it's so cheap.

I'm definitely going to have to place a little Superdrug order soon I think. I absolutely love the look of all of these and I'm so excited to pick some of them up and add them to my beauty collection.

Have you tried any of the products on this wishlist? Any others you recommend?

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Bomb Cosmetics Polar Express Bath Blaster Review

Bomb Cosmetics have been my go to for bath bombs for a while now so I was so excited to pick another one up from The Yorkshire Soap Company recently. I was spoilt for choice and could have left with them all but after much deliberation I went for one called 'Polar Express'. Isn't it so cute?!

I saw this one online a few times before Christmas so I thought it would just be around for the festive season but they had quite a few of these in stock in Leeds. Given how cold it's been recently though and the snow, it was quite an appropriate one to pick. I'm always drawn the blue bath bombs because you just know they're going to make the water look amazing! I've tried a few bath bombs out now from Bomb Cosmetics, those being Pink Elephants and Lemonade, which I was really impressed with (full review here), Candy Cane Lane which had a gorgeous minty scent, and Bear Necessitites, which lookswise is so pretty but it didn't really do much. That's why I decided to go for one a bit like my usual favourites from Lush as I knew it would be more exciting to watch in the water and if you're going to spend money on a bath bomb you want it to be worth it. 

This is definitely one of the cutest bath bombs I've ever bought, I mean, it has a bear on it! The scent is lovely too though. It contains lemongrass and neroli essential oils so it's a very fresh scent but sweet too. Though Neroli is quite a floral fragrance it's not too overpowering so it's perfect for me. Both Lemongrass and Neroli are supposed to be good for producing serotonin in the brain helping with our mood, which is definitely something I need more of so that's something I like to look out for now when choosing a bath bomb.

When this hit the water a turquoise blue instantly emerged and within seconds the whole of the water was a gorgeous bright blue. It wasn't a bath bomb that fizzled out really quickly which I was happy about and the colour just intensifies as it goes on. The scent definitely wasn't the strongest out of all the bath bombs I've tried but it did make the bathroom smell lovely which was nice and it left my skin feeling really soft.

Overall I'm really happy I tried this. It didn't have loads of different colours emerging from it and it stays a turquoise blue from the beginning to end but I really liked that. It's such a nice bright blue, has a really sweet scent and most of all, it's adorable. It just added to my pamper night and it's definitely one I'd consider getting again in future, but not just yet as there are so many others I'm yet to try from Bomb Cosmetics. For £3 you can't really go wrong though can you? That's why I love Bomb Cosmetics, they are so affordable and for something that's going to disappear pretty quickly, you don't want it to cost loads! I definitely think this one was worth the money.

Have you tried any bath bombs from Bomb Cosmetics before?

Similar blog posts - Frozen // Which Came First // Shoot For The Stars

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3 Photos I Loved In February

I always go back through my Instagram, I can scroll for ages and for some reason I find it so enjoyable seeing what I've posted over time, is anyone else like that? I'm really enjoying picking a few favourite photos from it to includes in these new monthly posts. I really enjoyed the one I did in January which included photos from my birthday, baking favourites and more, you can find that here if you haven't already seen it!

The first photo I've chosen from February is this little Valentines collage I made on the day. We had a really nice Valentines and I always like to post something about it, because I just love scrolling back through my Instagram and seeing all of the different things we did and remembering how I felt at the time. It was mine and Georges 7th Valentines this year which is kind of insane so I felt like I needed to say something about it, because he's just the best and I don't know how he has put up with me for so long. He got me a beautiful card, some delicious foodie presents and we had a lovely date night at the cinema before coming home to cook a delicious meal. We never go too full on for Valentines but it's nice to buy each other a few gifts and spend that time together. In the collage aswell as including my card, I also included one of my favourite photos of us from a weekend away, a huge Millies Cookie I bought for him for our first Valentines which came up on my timehop that day, and also one of him with Bouncer that I took during a week we had together years ago.

The next photo I wanted to include is this flatlay which I actually featured in a blog post last week. I had written my blogging tips for beginners post and it was basically ready to go but I had no idea what sort of photo to take! Does anyone else really struggle with coming up with new photo ideas? In the end I just started placing different items on my white background and eventually I got to something that I thought was kind of relevant and looked good. The more I look at it now though, the more I love it. It's no secret I'm not the most creative person and photography is definitely something I struggle with when it comes to blogging but after a while of sticking to the same props and not really getting inventive, I was so happy with what I came up with!

The last photo I've chosen from February is one of Bradfield. It's somewhere George and I like to go every year and with Spring firmly on the way (though as I'm writing this it's snowing!) I've been getting so excited for lots of walks and days out. The first time we went together a few years ago the weather was horrendous and we got soaked but last year, when I took the photo below was beautiful. The views were stunning. I can't wait to go back again soon.

I've loved writing this post so I hope you enjoyed reading! I think this is such a nice way to reflect on the month and pick a few favourite things!

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5 Hacks You'll Need To Avoid When Cleaning*

While the internet can be a great source of information, it can also be a dangerous place if you trust everything you read online. No doubt, you've seen plenty of articles with cleaning 'hacks' that promise to make your home spotless with little effort, in no time at all - of course you have, they're everywhere. 

Unfortunately, though, many of these hacks you'll find online just don't cut it in the real world. Some of them simply don't work, others can cause more harm than good and some could even pose a serious health risk.

Here are five hacks you'll need to avoid when cleaning.

#1 Use coconut oil to get stains out of furniture

Last year, coconut oil kicked vinegar and baking soda off the top of the list of miracle cleaning products. It seems there's nothing this stuff can't do, which makes you wonder why nobody ever thought of using it to clean - let's say - your furniture before. That's because coconut oil is an oil-based product (clue's in the name) and oil stains fabrics - so don't buy into any hacks that tell you to use coconut oil as a fabric stain remover. 

#2 Use toothpaste to remove scratches in glass

Who'd have thought you could remove scratches from glass by simply cleaning it with toothpaste? Well, you can't - let's make that clear. In fact, toothpaste is more likely to remove important finishes or make scratches even worse. So forget about cleaning up that scratched iPhone screen with a tube of Colgate; it's not going to happen.

#3 Flush out vacuum blockages with a hose

Sorry, but your typical garden hose or sink tap is never going to generate the kind of water pressure you need to flush out a stubborn blockage. Besides that, adding water into the mix will only turn your dirty blockage into mud and even if you manage to dislodge the blockage, you'll have to thoroughly dry out your vacuum hose to stop it from smelling. Just stick to the trusted method of carefully unclogging blockages with pliers, a plumbing snake or by pushing it through with a broom handle, depending on where the blockage is situated.

#4 Mixing vinegar and bleach

Don't pay attention to hacks that tell you to mix bleach with vinegar to create some kind of super cleaning agent. It doesn't. What it does create is toxic chlorine gas that you really don't want to breathe in. While we're on the topic, be very careful when it comes to mixing any cleaning products; these are chemical solutions and chemistry can be a real bitch when you get it wrong.

#5 Clean your carpets with vinegar

One of the internet's favourite cleaning hacks is using bleach to clean carpets but it won't do anything to remove dirt or stains. Yes, it does act as a natural disinfectant and the smell disappears as it dries but your carpet won't look any cleaner than it did before you started without a good scrub and something soapy to break up dirt.

There's nothing wrong with pursuing green approaches to cleaning your home and substances like vinegar and baking soda can do amazing things in certain scenarios. They can't fix everything, though, and there are a lot of false claims made on the internet. Above all, make sure you don't mix chemicals without knowing exactly what you're doing. Besides that, take care with any hacks you use to make sure you're not going to make problems worse with certain items or surfaces - what works for one thing doesn't necessarily for someone else.

Need a professional cleaner? Why not use the Helpling website where you can find many qualified cleaners in your local area.

*This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Helpling.p

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