lush Archives - Journeys Are My Diary

Our Christmas and New Year

January 6, 2017 by Bel Leave a Comment

January is flying past and it feels a little late to be updating about Christmas. Christmas is just around the corner, day by day it is getting close, party everywhere, we have lots of activities during Christmas – watching, catching up with family or friends, eating and of course drinking! No one wants to have a party get drunk and then the next day hangover will hit you so hard, so be sure to buy hangover supplements from Hangover Hammer so the party can still continue up until the next day. However we had such a great holiday period, that I don’t want to let it pass by without a mention. Also, with not doing a November or December round-up, I wanted to make sure I at least briefly covered that period of time.

For some people, Christmas begins with the Coca Cola truck advert, but for me Christmas begins with Starbucks Red Cups. Sadly this is getting earlier and earlier every year (as are many Christmas things) which often results on the Christmas things being few and far between, instead of compact into a few weeks of December. Anyway, I won’t rant about that! So in November, Starbucks released their red cups and as a family we took a trip to get one (12th), each trying a different flavour (as is the tradition). Next came the Christmas Light switch on, November 18th, which has become tradition as a family too. We walk into town, look around the market and get food, then sometimes coffee too and then watch the light switch on and firework display made by fireworks airlie beach. Some people buy wholesale fireworks and use fireworks as a key part of demonstrations and festivities, and take the opportunity to put on spectacular displays.

It started to rain this year which almost sent us home early but we stuck it out and actually really enjoyed ourselves.

This was really all the excitement for November and next came December. On literally the 1st, I started attending Lincoln Christmas Market. Usually we attend to visit, once during the four days its there, but this year I was actually selling there with Closet Geek. It was such a great experience, but very tiring and the preparation before hand was insane. I don’t regret it at all, but I won’t be doing it in 2017, partly because it falls too close to Megan’s birthday.

The following weekend was Megan’s birthday, which despite not being a Christmas event, often feels like it’s part of the celebration. On Saturday (the day before her birthday) the Coca Cola Christmas truck was in Lincoln so we traveled over to see that and get a mini coke can. The next day, Megan’s birthday, we took her and some of her friends, to Pizza Hut and then family joined us too, for a family lunch to celebrate.

After such a busy start to December (which Christmas Market, lots of school events – including a school disco that Megan got a date for! – and of course Megan’s birthday) we didn’t get time to put up the tree till 17th. Strangely enough this didn’t actually bother me as much as I thought it would, making me feel more Christmasy than when we put it up early.

As always, we put on the Christmas music cds, wear silly hats and glasses and put up the tree. Megan made us hot chocolate too and it was actually a lovely family event. Afterwards we sat and went through the TV pages to pick which movies we wanted to set to record.

The kids had two more days of school after the weekend we put the tree up and while this was a shame, as we were all ready to be on a break, it went fast and we celebrated as always, with a trip to Pizza Hut after school on the last day of term. This one in December always seems silly as we’re only there for Megan’s birthday a week or so before but we do it anyway! Later that week, the girls and I had to go to Doncaster for some last minute Christmas bits and pieces, so I treated them to a wash, cut and blowdry from Supercuts. I won’t tell you the exact price, but just for the two of them, it was over £50 (!!) which definitely surprised me but it was part of their Christmas treat so I didn’t let it bother me too much.

As part of the trip to Doncaster, we finished sorting out Christmas Outfits for the girls, as I already had my sorted from Simply Be. Their tops had come from Boohoo.com, we picked up their trousers at H&M, then I popped to ShoeZone on the way home and grabbed the boots. The following day we also picked up our Christmas Hamper from the girls grandparents (as is their tradition) so coming home and unpacking that was fun too.

Soon it was Christmas Eve and that holds a whole host of traditions for us. First is, my mum and sister come around and we do Christmas Eve presents. That was edited a little this year as now both kids know about Santa and we don’t have to play it so young. We used to exchange Christmas PJs, Christmas Lush and a book to read for a bedtime story. However this year it was decided we wouldn’t wrap anything (as the kids know we do it as a tradition now and its just waste of paper) and instead of a book we would get a board game. When mum and Pippa arrived, we had hot chocolate, Baileys, a glass of sherry etc and as the girls were already having their traditional Christmas Eve bath, they got dressed into their new pjs. Afterwards, once Chris had arrived too, we played a board game and then finally mum and Pippa went home. After they were gone, Chris and I had baths, the girls did their reindeer food (some traditions don’t always need giving up!) and hung up their stockings.

Christmas Day was spent in the same way as always. The girls woke and came into our room, bringing their stockings with them. They took it in turns to open their gifts, before Chris and I did our stockings. Next, we all got dressed and headed downstairs. We had crumpets and muffins for breakfast, plus tea and coffee, like the ones that can be acquired from services like coffee machines rent.

Next, we opened the gifts under the tree, taking it in turns to each open one. Once all were opened, the girls played and opened some of their boxes/toys/gifts, while Chris and I sorted out rubbish, had another cuppa etc. Mum and Pippa turned up a little while later and we opened gifts between us all. Then we got in the car and headed to Chris’ Gran’s house, to see her and his dad. Again we exchanged gifts. We then headed to my brother’s house, where we would be having lunch. We exchanged gifts for the kids (as we had agreed not to do them for adults) and then had lunch. It was lovely and very relaxed. My mum then drove us home, but kept the girls with her as she later drops them off with their dad for the afternoon and evening. Chris played on his new Xbox game while I snoozed on the sofa, then in the evening we watched some TV. That was pretty much our Christmas Day.

Boxing Day was a nice quiet day, with the girls arriving home and everyone just spending time with their new presents and relaxing. The day after, we had another family day but at my Auntie’s house and this was wonderful as I got to see my cousins for the first time in ages and I’m hoping it becomes another tradition. In the few days between Christmas and New Year, we didn’t really do an awful lot. We ate cheese, drank wine, watched movies, played board games and basically just hung out as a family. It was pretty fantastic.

On New Year’s Eve, Chris was working till 6pm but then we had family time planned. We ate a huge cheese based dinner, drank wine (the girls had a little strawberry and lime cider) and spent time together. I made the best decision in picking the best wine, seems like I am the best sommelier, I’m so happy. We opened our New Year resolutions from last year (and laughed because we failed most of them) then watched the music channel until midnight as there was nothing much on. At midnight we popped some fizz, had a toast, stayed up just a little longer and then finally headed to bed.

On New Year’s Day, my mum, sister, brother, his partner and her son, all came around for lunch. I made lasagne with garlic bread and salad, then served profiteroles with cream and ice cream. Afterwards we all played a great game on the Xbox called Jackbox.tv and had another lovely family day. That was basically our whole Christmas and New Year, both fantastic and hectic at times. The girls only had two more days off school after that, before they went back to school and then it felt like it was all a blur and Christmas was long forgotten! I’m looking forward to 2017 however and I hope that everyone enjoyed their Christmas period and is looking forward to the New Year too.

Lush bath bombs and bubble bars

December 29, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Some time ago, after writing a Halloween Lush Wish List, I went to Lush in Doncaster and purchased a whole bunch of bath bombs and bubble bars. Since then I have managed to review Monster’s Ball, Lava Lamp and Ruby Red Slippers but I have actually used them all! I decided that instead of doing a separate post for each one, I would just post a few pictures (for the two I do have them for), the original description from the Lush website and my opinions one which I liked and would buy again etc.

Of the ones I haven’t reviewed yet, there were; Pumpkin, Autumn Leaf, Never Mind The Ballistics and Northern Lights – all of which were bath bombs. There was then Candy Mountain and Big Bang, which were both bubble bars. Northern Lights I have reviewed previously last year, though it looks slightly different now. I have also reviewed Big Bang previously too. As for Candy Mountain, I’ve been using that for years so there is no reviews on this blog but I love it so much that I buy every year, at least one and its my favourite Lush Product.

Never Mind The Ballistics (bath bomb) – These aren’t ingredients for anybody else except for yourself. Lime and sweet wild orange oils are fresh and peachy on the nose, exciting the senses and shaking up your mood. There’s no time for apathy in the bath, so this anarchic bath bomb fizzes and rolls and spews colour with no holds barred energy. Fair Trade cocoa butter melts alongside fresh bananas to soften both the water and your skin. God save the clean; this deserves a replay.

Never Mind the Ballistics is the only remaining bath bomb that I didn’t take pictures for and so it’s pretty hard to review. I enjoyed the smell and the half pink side made the bath water feel smooth and softening. However the pink side did give a similar effect that the Lava Lamp did, adding a sort of residue to the bath.

Autumn Leaf (bath bomb) – Autumn colours dapple your bath red and yellow, as falling leaves signify the start of winter. From the comfort of a hot bath, watch as the evenings draw in, and the trees don vibrant plumage. The scent of fresh grass evokes the crunch of crisp leaves underfoot as the last remnants of summer are stolen away.

One of my favourite things about Lush bath bombs are definitely the way they react when they touch the water and the colours they turn the bath. Autumn Leaves doesn’t disappoint, displaying many colours related to nature in a very pretty fizz. The smell is good too and the after colour of the bath once the bomb is completely dissolved. I don’t remember it having a specific scent, but whatever it was, was likeable.

Pumpkin (bath bomb) – Bath-o’-lantern. This year, we’re introducing a very traditional looking fizzer to our limited edition range: one look at those geometric features is all it takes to put you in a Halloween-y mood! With a spicy, sweet perfume full of exotic pimento, sweet vanilla and warming cinnamon, our jack-o’-lantern will have you imitating his toothy grin once he hits your bath water.

Pumpkin was a great fun bath bomb, both in design and colour. Though it didn’t do anything dramatic when dropped into the bath, the colour of the water was really dramatic – almost like orange juice. The smell was great too, very reminiscent of Halloween and spicy. Again, another bath bomb that I would be happy to recommend.

Children in Need inspired Bath Bomb – Sudsey

November 19, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

During this month I was lucky enough to be offered a bath bomb (they call them Bath Blasters) from Soap Bombs to review. Since Children in Need was coming up, I decided to go for Sudsey (inspired by Pudsey) as there was so much choice in bath bombs that it at least gave me a reason to pick it.

The bath bomb itself came very well packaged and it was sent next day delivery via a courier, rather than regular mail. It was incredibly pretty, especially with its glittery spots and it smelt pretty great too. Now I’ve said before, that I prefer options that provide me with bubbles, so bath bombs aren’t my favourite thing to use in a bath. That said, if they smell nice, make the bath water turn an interesting colour and I can get out smelling good, I’m all for using them.

This bath bomb did all those things and so I am happy to recommend it. They are good value too and there is so much choice, that you might find it hard to decide. I would definitely be interested in trying their bath brulees, mallows or creamers so I will definitely be back for more. Not only that but the company is Lincolnshire based (where I live) so it seems good to support local businesses.

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Lush Bubble Bar – Ruby Red Slippers

November 15, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

After a couple of bath bombs, I thought it was time for a bubble bar instead. I hadn’t tried Ruby Red Slippers before and so I picked it up as part of my haul. At a first sniff, I liked it but I wasn’t really sure but when I went to use it, one of the plus points was definitely that it was easy to break up into pieces and use on separate occasions, rather than all at once.

You don’t have to travel to the Emerald City to find your inner Dorothy. Crumble your ruby slipper under running water to add sparkle to your bath time, then immerse yourself in the spicy, floral fragrance of carnation absolute. With tangerine oil’s hypnotic effect and rose absolute’s soothing properties, you’ll be in the bubbly land of Oz in no time. Lie back, click your heels, there’s no place like foam.

Lush had a bubble bar called Dorothy once and I definitely wasn’t a fan but this one is much better. It’s smell is nice, though not as sweet as I usually like them and of course as with all their bubble bars, it makes the bath water soft and your skin smooth. I also love the colour it turns the water so that’s a plus. I’m not sure if Ruby Red Slippers is a seasonal bubble bar or just a new addition but it’s definitely one that I would pick up again in the future.

October Round-up

November 9, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Watching: I honestly don’t remember much of what I’ve watched this month. Here’s the list; Luke Cage (Series 1), Big Bang Theory (Seasons 1-10), Designated Survivor, New OUAT eps, Captain America – Civil War, Knights of Badassdom, X-Men First Class, Walking Dead (first ep, new season), Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
Reading: A Frozen Heart, Cinder.
Sewing & Making (for Closet Geek): As of the 19th October, I’d had 214 orders since the beginning of September and 41 were dresses. This compares to 56 for the same period of time last year, 35 of which were dresses. So mostly, I’ve been really really bloody busy! Mostly I sewed Wendy dresses but clearly there were another 150 or so orders on top of that too. I also made a Jane Porter cosplay for someone to wear to Disneyland Paris Halloween party and I was SO pleased with it.

And in other news…
– Adam came to visit for a week, after not seeing him since February.
– X-Factor Live shows started… (yeah sad, but I like it).
– Chris and I celebrated 4 years together. We had a night together by ourselves while the girls were with their dad but our actual anniversary was spent as a family.
– Insanely busy with Closet Geek as I mentioned above but finally it died off in the last week of October and it was actual heaven to have time to breathe again.
– Megan went back to school a day before Lily after half term and so Lil and I enjoyed a rare day together, just us. Sadly we both ended up ill the following day and Lily was off school for two more days!
– My new ear stand arrived. Chris bought me a Minnie Mouse Disney Tradition. We got a new coffee machine. Chip and Dale in Christmas form Tsum Tsums are now on our mantelpiece and I’ve really enjoyed some Lush baths!

Looking forward to in November:
– Being calmer to some extent, because Halloween is well out of the way and the drop in orders has been significant. However since I’m getting ready for Christmas market, I still feel a lot of pressure to work and build stock.
– Honestly there’s not much else to look forward to I don’t think. More Lush baths. The new “Harry Potter” movie. Celebrating mum and dad’s wedding anniversary. Nat’s birthday. Okay so I guess that’s more than I thought…

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Lush Bath Bomb – Lava Lamp

November 8, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Not last week but the week before, I had my first Lush bath in a long time. I’d picked up a bit of a stash (as I mentioned here) and the first lucky dip bath bomb was something called Lava Lamp. Not only did I forget to take a picture of the bath bomb before I threw it into the bath, I also only put pictures and videos on my “Story” on Instagram – so now they’re gone! What a wally.

Pic from Lush website

The first impressions of the bath bomb were great. It was absolutely beautiful in the bath and also incredibly impressive as it did actually remind me of a Lava Lamb. The smell was fantastic and I was already sold on this new bath bomb from Lush.

Having got so excited, posting it all on my Instagram stories, I clearly got myself completely distracted in forgetting to take actual pictures. I did get a few but they were mostly the aftermath – I’ll get to that soon.

Lush describes this bath bomb as:

Just go with the flow and get groovy baby. This time machine of bobbing purple orbs – made with 100% traceable cocoa butter – will create the hypnotic spectacle of a lava lamp in your own bath, taking you back to the swinging sixties. A triple whammy of Sicilian mandarin, tangerine and orange flower give this vibrant bomb a fragrance like fruit pastilles.

The smell, as I mentioned before, was amazing – strong and lasting. The colour was lovely and the effect of the bath bomb was so impressive. My first issue came however, when I looked at my skin in the bath. Everywhere that lay just on the water edge, was covered in a waxy purple layer.

I saw on the Lush website that many people described this as a soft, moisturising, oil layer, but for me it was just waxy. It didn’t really seem to come off, even with shower gel, although the purple did go. My next issue was shaving my legs. This moisturising layer, as it was called, actually caused all the hairs to gunk up my razor and I wasn’t able to rinse or tap them out of it so ended up giving up. I might also add that my skin still seemed to have this wax layer by the time I had my next bath.

Finally and all issues aside (I did like it), I got out of the bath to realise another flaw… my bath was very stained. The pictures don’t really show the extent but this purple wavy reside went all around the bath, where the water level had been.

Did I like the bath bomb? Absolutely, yes.
Would I buy it again?Absolutely not – sorry guys. Too high maintenance for me.

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Lush Bath Bomb – Monsters Ball

October 29, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

It’s been a long time since I treated myself to some Lush but I have to admit I find it hard not to at this time of year. The Halloween range is currently out, as is the Christmas range but when Megan and I went to Doncaster last week, my priority was definitely to grab the pieces I hadn’t tried and would be disappearing soon (as well as a few favourites). I’ll definitely be heading back for some Christmas ones soon but this little lot (plus one I used before picturing) set me back £35.

Monsters Ball bath bomb, is new this year I think (or at least I haven’t seen it before). It looked cute and smelt great, so I was immediately sold in the shop. When I put the bath bomb in the bath, it wasn’t disappointing either. Again the smell was good and the colours in the bath were beautiful.

Lush describes this bath bomb as a…

…mash-up of lime and neroli oils is a sure fire way to get the party started, and leave you feelin’ Franken-fine all night long.

While the smell is great and it lingers all bath long, the colour for me was the most amazing thing about this bath bomb. I definitely prefer bubble bars generally, but this was a really great pick, especially if you’re treating yourself this Halloween.

After my last bath bomb (lava lamp) which I will review once I have the photos off my iPad, this one was a refreshing change (spoiler, I wasn’t a fan of the other one). Honestly I don’t know if, at £4.25, I would buy it again, but it wasn’t a disappointment and I wouldn’t be unhappy if someone else had bought it for me as a gift.

Lush Halloween Wish List

October 17, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Halloween Lush

It’s come to that time of year again where I can’t help but lust after the new Lush products. I have been good all year and barely bought any Lush items (I think Valentine’s was the last time and I turned down the offer from Chris on my birthday in May to get a few bits). However limited items are really hard for me to resist and this brings me to my Halloween Lush Wish List.

I’m not a huge fan of most of the shower gels and I really dislike soap – not just Lush, all soap. However I am completely in love with bubble bars and I can definitely go for a few bath bombs too. Here are the items I’m after this Halloween.

From left to right; Pumpkin bath bomb – £3.95, Monster’s Ball bath bomb – £4.25, Boo bath melt – £3.50, Sparkly Pumpkin bubble bar – £3.95.
Bottom row, left to right; Goth Fairy shimmer bar – £5.50, Autumn Leaf bath bomb – £3.75

I also have my eye on a lot of Christmas Lush too so keep an eye out for that wish list!

Wednesday Wish List – Valentine’s Special

February 10, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day by diaryjourneys on Polyvore

I’m not a massive fan of Valentine’s Day as for the most part I know it’s just a commercialised holiday. However I’ve always seen it as a day to show everyone that you love them, not just a boyfriend, husband, partner etc. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always bought the girls a gift, as well as my partner – now this year, we’re all buying each other gifts and having a romantic family meal for 4 in the evening. The following day is affectionately known as Galentine’s Day – a day to show your female friends that you care and although I’ll be a day late, I might well get my best friend’s some gifts too!

Anyway, despite the fact I don’t think I’ll get any of these gifts, I figured I’d share a few bits I’d like to get. Starting at the top is Lush. There aren’t many Valentine products I’d like from Lush this year, having previously tried both. However the Unicorn Horn bubble bar was a firm favourite last year and I’d like to give Lover Lamp bath bomb a go too. Next is a Disney Tradition – I have a whole ton of these but Minnie with a heart? Seems like a good one to get for V Day! Of course my wish list wouldn’t be complete without a Pop Funko and who better than Hook? If I had to pick someone to spend my imaginary Valentine’s Day, Captain Hook from OUAT would definitely be my top choice!

Next up is Ferrero Rocher, in a heart shape box of course. These are one of my favourite chocolates and even though I know Chris has bought some for the girls, I secretly hope I have a box too! Since we’re spending the day together as a family, a board game would be a great idea. I love Ticket to Ride and since the new United Kingdom version was released just before Christmas, I’d love a copy of this. Finally, last but not least, some Haagen Dazs. Strawberry Cheesecake is the big recommendation for Valentine’s Day this year but I’d happily take any flavour! Bailey’s has always been my all time favourite and I’d love to give Salted Caramel a try too!

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

So Christmas is upon us and I feel a little sad that I haven’t been able to update my blog much recently. Sure there has been content but it’s not been especially personal! Christmas Eve is really the first day that I usually start to feel Christmasy and sadly so far, not so good. Alright so it’s only midday so there’s time for that to change, but as yet I’m still not feeling it!

However I wanted to share with you some of our Christmas Eve traditions and obviously that will explain why its the first time I get in the Christmas mood. Until yesterday, I hadn’t wrapped a single present (bar the one person I needed to give their gift to at the weekend) and I hadn’t really done much Christmas prep (bar shopping). But with my orders at Closet Geek finally coming to an end, I took the time to get myself organised and wrap all the presents to go under the tree and then stocking gifts for 7 stockings!!! Other than putting up the tree at the beginning of December and the girls writing their letters to Santa, only this week, there’s nothing much else we do I suppose in the run up to Christmas Day.

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But tonight the traditions truly begin! They start around 7pm (or at least they will this year) with a Christmas Eve gift. This is a tradition started by my own parents and continued by me as I think it’s a great idea. Many people have Christmas Eve boxes these days, but we just have a gift – that one present that gets picked out from under the tree and given to you early. Okay, so it’s pre-picked, but as kids we didn’t realise that and we just thought we were being allowed to open one before Christmas Day!

The Christmas Eve gift in our house is ALWAYS pyjamas. I remember as a child occasionally getting other things like bath toys, a hot water bottle, board games etc. but in this household it’s always pjs. There is also a Christmas book and some bath stuff (usually the one time I allow the kids to have Lush!). My mum and sister come around as we open these gifts, they have pjs too and so do Chris and I. We all open our gifts and then I read the Christmas book to the girls, then we all have a glass of Baileys, or sherry or even a glass of wine. After a little while, I run a bath for the girls with their Christmas Lush and they get themselves clean, ready for the big day! Afterwards they put on their clean pjs and we make the final preparations.

My mum and sister are usually gone by this point and so the rest of the traditions are just ours. The girls put out milk and cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer and then sprinkle their reindeer food outside the front door. They hang the “magic key” on the front door, that allows Santa to come in and then finally they hang their empty stockings. It’s usually bed time by this point and so they head off to sleep, giving me a little time to myself. Chris and I then have baths too and change into our new pyjamas, before spending a little time together and then heading to bed. At dead on midnight, we exchange an early Christmas gift. This is a tradition that comes from Chris’ family and we have only done for the few years we’ve been together. It’s never anything specific, no reason for it being the early one, just a gift to exchange when it’s just us and technically just turned Christmas Day.

What Christmas Eve traditions do you have?