Pamper Evening Routine

Every so often I feel like i need a little break where i can just pamper myself and have a lovely relaxing evening in without any other disturbances from the world. I find it really beneficial when I've had a long week at college and work and think its just a really lovely way to end the day. My routine is a little long winded but it covers a lot of things that i dont normally do due to either lack of time or energy so here we go!

To start my evening, like many others I run myself a hot bath and light a few candles; i have a habit of knocking over my candles into the bath so I've settled for just keeping little tea lights in the corners and along the window sill. The tea lights i bought were from Primark and came in a pack with three colours for £1.50, they were such a bargain and smell so good! I then use the Flake Shake Cocoa Swirl from bath and body works, in the bath and just let it fizzle until its done, this is so nice on the skin and smells lovely too. While this is all happening i sit at the edge of my bath and take off all my makeup and nail polish using the Simple Kind To Skin Exfoliating Wipes and the Sally Hansen Strengthening Nail Polish Remover; I use these because they both prepare me for a nice relaxing bath after doing the strenuous removing before hand.

For my bath I've got a few products which I find myself reaching for more and more often due to either the amazing smell or the gorgeous packaging. If I'm feeling really motivated I use the I Love Shower Smoothie in Coconut & Cream all over my body as its a nice soft exfoliator which isn't too harsh on the skin, i also use the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash as its really gentle and soothing on the skin, leaving it feeling so fresh and soft. On my face i use the Soap & Glory Peaches And Clean Purifying Cleanser as i find it to be gentle enough to not harm my skin yet still have results. On my hair i don't have a specific shampoo and conditioner set but at the moment I'm really loving the Alberto Balsam Sun Kissed Raspberry Shampoo and Conditioner pair, they smell so fruity and just leave me feeling lovely and refreshed.

Once I'm out of the shower i put my hair up in a towel and chuck on a dressing gown, my white fluffy one is my favourite, and settle down on my bed with my fluffy blanket. I like to keep it simple from here and use the Body Shops Chocomania Body Butter this has the most gorgeous smell and makes my skin feel so soft and nourished. Whilst this sinks in i apply the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and start prepping my nails by using the LUSH Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter and shaping my nails. I then paint them with a nail polish and in this instance i used the Barry M Textured Nail Effect Polish in Lady, its so gorgeous and makes my nails feel all pretty and delicate! When I'm done with all this is like to change into my pyjamas and tuck myself into bed with a hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream and watching TV, I'm really loving 90210 at the moment!

Girlz Only Dry Shampoo

Im a huge lover of dry shampoos but lately Batiste just hasn't been cutting it, i found my hair looking limp and lifeless and it was less hassle to just wash it instead of faffing around with the Batiste. When I was shopping in Tesco with my dad i spotted the Girlz Only Dry Shampoo and thought it would be a cheap alternative to Batiste, and if it didn't work i wasn't exactly wasting much money. 

Girlz Only Dry Shampoo // Hazy Days // Tesco // £1.50

I  didn't really have high hopes for this dry shampoo because of how annoyingly childish the name is and how cheap it was, but i was pleasantly surprised! I tend to use dry shampoo on second and third day hair, if i ever go three days without washing my hair that is, but it worked whenever i needed it. I generally do a light spritz all over my roots and massage it in with my fingers and find that thats enough for me to walk out of the house with fresh looking hair.

This sprays on really well and doesn't leave the white residue that some others can and has a lovely refreshing aroma to it, almost like deodorant for your hair.. what a lovely image Anya. Its super light and refreshing for your hair leaving it with a lovely shine and a lot of volume, perfect for such a tiny price tag!

Overall this is a really good product at a great price and well worth trying out. Its replaced all my other dry shampoos and is definitely going to be my new go to dry shampoo! have you tried anything from the Girlz Only range yet? Id love to know your thoughts!

Whats In My: Everyday Bag

Its safe to say that I've been wanting to do this post for a while but I've never really gotten round to doing it, or I've left something somewhere that i normally have so i couldnt possibly have done it, but on this lovely sunny afternoon i thought i'd take the plunge and go ahead and document it. I'm the type of girl who carries their life in their handbag as i want to be prepared for everything and as the title says, this is my everyday bag and includes everything that i could possibly need on a daily basis. Hope you enjoy!

The Bag // Matalan // I bought this bag about 7 months ago now because i thought the mottled effect was gorgeous and I've just fallen completely in love with it since! It holds all my stuff and has a handy zip on it too so it keeps all my stuff safe.

2014 Planner // Paperchase // Ive already featured this on my blog before but without it i would be utterly lost. I owe my life to this planner as without it i'd be useless!

Art Deco Cut Out Purse // River Island // This was a treat from my dad for passing my assessments, i fell in love with this when i saw it online in cream but i couldnt find it again when i had the money so i waited and this gorgeous one came up instead.

Sunglasses & Case // Matalan // These were cheap and pretty, i needed something for my walk home from work and these were my favourite Matalan had to offer!

Lucozade // Strawberry Tic Tacs // We all need some pink food and drink in our life right?!

Raspberry Born Lippy // The Body Shop // This smells so lovely and just lives in the bottom of my bag, i somehow haven't managed to lose this one yet! 

Makeup Bag // Boots // I know its dirty but its well used and I'm far too lazy to hand wash it, after all it does the job. The floral pattern is just too pretty.

 Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse // Boots // I use this as a concealer because i find it covers so well but is just too thick for foundation. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder // Boots // I dont think i really need to justify this one.. my holy grail powder! 

17 Back Lash Mascara // Boots // A brilliant mascara for quick touch ups when I'm on the go and the packaging is gorgeous! 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner // Boots // Having such great pigment this is perfect for topping up my eyeliner if it ever starts to fade or gets smudged.

Black Sketchbook // The Range // Im an art student.. What can i say?

Learning Journal // Handmade // Im a poor art student too.. 

Paintbrush // Pencil // Rubber

Floral Pens // Paperchase // My favourite pens in existence, so good for drawing and the come with such lovely designs. Ill never do back to using normal BIC Biros again! 

So this is just what i keep in my bag on a daily basis, minus all the food wrappers. I hope you've enjoyed this post! Leave me a link to yours if you've done one similar id love to check it out!

Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

Im not sure if anybody else is noticing but lately the LUSH posts on my blog have been increasing in frequency and quite frankly I'm loving it! Im always sceptical of LUSH due to their prices but everything i've tried has worked miracles and this is no different. Don't get me wrong I'm not completely selling out for the sake of a blog post and i still think their bath bombs are ridiculously overpriced compared to other similar shops, but their other products are absolutely fabulous!

Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter // LUSH // £6.50

Let me start by saying this product smells amazing, i was previously a bit worried about this as i had seen some people saying it smelled a bit chemically but mine certainly isn't like that. Think Refreshers crossed with Lemon Sherbet; its absolutely gorgeous. I find myself just sitting here smelling it on a regular basis.. Thats not weird, i promise. 

I tend to apply this before i go to bed as its quite thick and takes a while to sink in so it works best this way for me. To use this i simply put a bit on the end of my finger and rub it into and around my cuticles until theres no more visible residue left over. It still feels a little oily for a while but after it sinks in I'm left with the softest, almost respectable looking cuticles. If you've ever seen any of my Nail Of The Day posts then you'll know how bad they normally are! This has taken my cuticles from looking dry, cracked and unloved to something i should be proud of. This has made such a huge difference and is definitely going to be a staple within my skincare routine.

Have you ever tried this from LUSH? What did you think of it? Id love to know!

A Day At The V&A

I recently took a little trip to London to visit the V&A museum for my art and managed to get quite a few photos so i thought I'd share a few with you guys. I've been to the V&A before and its not my favourite museum but they do have a few really lovely pieces in there. Apologies for the picture heavy post! 

Hot Chocolate Face Mask

Montagne Jeunesse have been my choice brand of face masks for as long as i can remember, they're perfect for slumber parties and just quiet evenings in on your own. I actually used this on a little pamper morning as i had the day off but the time of day doesn't really matter now does it? Anyway while i was out shopping with friends a little while ago i came across this and knew it would be perfect, hot chocolate.. what else would you want on your face? Im being deadly serious..

Let me start by saying that this is the most sweet smelling face mask i have ever tried and boy have i tried a lot, it has a hint of tangy orange along with all the sweetness from the chocolate. It genuinely smells good enough to eat! You get quite a lot of product from the sachet which is good although it is a little hard to squeeze the last bits out and can get a little messy trying to do so. I put the mask into bowl and then used my fingers to apply it to my face and boy that was an incredibly messy task! The mask doesn't set and remains wet while its on your skin, this isn't really a problem but you must have a lot of will power because i had an itch on my eyebrow and when i scratched i ended up getting the mask on my fingers and then getting it all over my laptop.. clever Anya. I don't remember how long i left it on as i ended up getting distracted while reading blogs but it wasn't any more than half an hour.

When i removed this i simply washed it off using water and patted my face dry using a hand towel. It left my skin feeling so soft, nourished and renewed to say the least.With all of this horrible weather we've been having my skin has been a little worse for wear and this made it feel way better than normal. Overall this is a really lovely mask which works well at refreshing the skin, it is a little bit messy but the results are totally worth it! 

Have you tried any of Montagne Jeunesse's face masks? Which was your favourite?

Seventeen Back Lash Mascara

I probably say this every time I try a new mascara but i think I've found the one. Mascara has always been my favourite bit of makeup and it intently makes me feel a lot better when I'm wearing it, i have naturally long eyelashes so finding the perfect mascara is a bit of a challenge but i think I've done it!

Seventeen // Back Lash Mascara // £6.49

I picked up this mascara on a whim as i needed something extra in my 3 for 2 at Boots. I was drawn to this due to the lovely packaging which makes it feel a lot more expensive than it is, although it does pick up on fingerprints majorly! THe formula for this is fairly wet to begin with and a little clumpy on the first use but once it dries up a bit it's absolutely amazing. It separates, volumises and lengthens my lashes all to within an inch of their life leaving me with lovely thick long eyelashes and a gorgeously finished look.

The brush on this mascara is fairly big but i don't mind that as i only use in on the front of my top lashes and this is enough, its such an easy wand to use but i appreciate it may not be for everyone! This mascara lasts all day and really proves difficult to budge so its perfect for rainy days in England. Ive been using this for a good couple of weeks now and I'm yet to develop panda eyes, even after sleeping with it on.. oops. For £6.49 this product is definitely a winner and just another one to add to the wonderful line of Seventeen products that I'm quickly gathering. 

I really love this mascara and feel that its definitely one of the better drugstore mascaras, that being said it is a little wet at first so it does require some patience with waiting for it to become perfect. If it runs out i certainly wouldn't hesitate to pick up another one of these as i think its just such a handy little mascara with such wonderful results! 

Have you ever tried any of Seventeens mascaras? Which was your favourite? Hope you're all okay! 

Aquarium Collection by Barry M

Now I'm not exaggerating at all when I say I'm a Barry M addict, or at least a I used to be. Whenever a new range of polishes came out id have to go out an buy them all, i mean, who doesn't want the complete collection.. right? Just before Christmas i bought the Royal Glitter and Matte collections and at that point i vowed to only buy the colours I would wear instead of just wasting my money on all of them. Cue three months later and Barry M have released their gorgeous Aquarium Collection.

Barry M Nail Polish // Caspian & Mediterranean // £3.99

Sorry for the darkish photos, it was pretty cloudy outside but they needed to be done! 

Caspian is a gorgeous duo chrome gold colour with hints of purple, pink and little green specks, it just screams royalty. On the nails it appears incredibly glossy and i am forever getting compliments about how lovely it looks. This nail polish really shows its true colours in daylight and creates a lovely effect that really stands out. The polish dries opaque with two coats and the drying time is relatively quick as well.

Mediterranean is by far my favourite out of the collection, it's a gorgeous duo chrome pink and gold shade with hints of orange. It really reminds me of a Mediterranean sunset.. someone take me on holiday please. I think this is a really lovely, versatile colour thats so perfect for summer. As the other does, it applies opaque in two coats and has a good drying time. Ive also been wearing it for three days without a base or topcoat and noticed minimal chipping. A brilliant nail polish all round, eh?

Have you tried any of the Aquarium collection? What was your favourite polish?

Stay Pout Lipsticks by Seventeen

I don't wear a lot of lipstick but this year I've decided I'm going to start and with the release of all the gorgeous matte and lacquer balms, what better time? Before venturing into the realms of expensive makeup i thought i'd get something a little less expensive in a range of colours so i could see how i coped. I saw these gorgeously packaged lipsticks from Seventeen and knew i had to have them straight away.

SEVENTEEN // Stay Pout Lipstick // £4.49

Lately I've been loving all things Seventeen and when i saw these i knew they would be no exception. They come in a gorgeous black case with a matte//glossy design on it which feels a lot more expensive than it is. The bullet is a little smaller than your average lipstick but thats not too much of an issue for me.

As you can see in the swatches above Make An Entrance and Rule Breaker are both incredibly pigmented, Kiss Me Quick requires a little extra work to build up but still produces a lovely colour. They all look really lovely on the lips but only last around 2 hours before they settle at the edges of your lips. A little annoying if you can't keep topping it up every now and again but not too much of a problem. They do claim to be kiss proof but i don't believe this is true. 

Overall these are really lovely, affordable lipsticks with a good range of colours, they don't last that long on your lips but do produce a lovely colour while they're there. Make An Entrance is my favourite of the trio and i will definitely be purchasing more in the future!