My Pamper Evening Essentials

At the end of a long day, there is nothing I love more than treating myself to a little pamper evening to recharge and refresh myself. In my experience, there is just something so much more relaxing about giving yourself a pamper from the comfort of your own home. As a student, I don't have lots of money to spend on expensive products or spa days, so here's how I have the perfect night in without spending lots of money.

Bath

First things first, I run myself a nice hot bath and get something to read. I'm one of those people that likes the bath at an abnormally hot temperature, so I like to use a bath bomb whilst I'm waiting for it to cool slightly. My all time favourite bath bomb is 'Twilight' from Lush. It turns the water a beautiful deep purple colour, and has a really subtle lavender fragrance, which of course is perfect for relaxation and calming.

When I decide to have a pamper night, I don't tend to be as lazy as usual, so I like to properly cleanse and moisturise when I get out the bath. I don't use anything particularly fancy, just whatever I have to hand at the time. However, I recently bought 'Fairy Dust' from Lush which I love to use after I've had a bath. It has the same scent as their famous 'Snow Fairy' collection and leaves a lovely sparkle on the skin. Perfect for Christmas nights out! I usually dust it along my arms and collarbones to give them a bit of a subtle sparkle and to leave them feeling soft, but I also read that it can be sprinkled on your bed sheets to leave them smelling nice and fresh. 

Facemask

I always get really dry skin at this time of year, so I like to use a face mask when having a pamper night. I've heard so many people talking about the Garnier 'Moisture Bomb' tissue masks recently, and I have to say, I can totally see why. I have fairly sensitive skin, so I have to be careful with products that I use on my face, but this mask left my skin feeling super soft and rehydrated. I simply leave the mask on for fifteen minutes, and then once it's off I rub any of the excess formula into my skin with a cotton pad. At only 99p per mask, they're perfect for when you're on a budget too. 

Netflix and Nails
Next up, Netlfix! No cosy night in would be complete without binge watching Gossip Girl and eating plenty of chocolatey snacks. I usually do my nails at this point too, but as my nails usually chip really easily at work, I tend to just use some glue on ones. My favourite false nails are the Primark ones! They always last at least a week on my nails, and at only £1 per box, you really can't go wrong.

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So, there you have it! Those are my pamper evening essentials for when I just need a cosy night in to relax. But now it's your turn, what do you like to do to relax in an evening?

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Lush 'Tisty Tosty' Bath Bomb

I've been a fan of Lush and their bath bombs for a good few years now, and to be quite honest, there isn't many bath bombs that I haven't tried. But earlier today, whilst having a quick look around my local Lush store, I found 'Tisty Tosty.' What drew me to me to it, though, was how pretty it was! It's a perfect white heart shape, with beautiful rosebuds embedded throughout. It also has a really pretty floral scent, which isn't something I would usually go for in a bath bomb as I tend to prefer the sweeter smells. 

I wasn't sure whether this one would explode or fizz around like Lush bath bombs usually do, so I was quite surprised when I popped it in my bath and it immediately started to dissolve. This one doesn't change the colour of your bath or do anything crazy, but instead, it releases seven little rosebuds that continuously float around you as you lay back. But my favourite thing about the Tisty Tosty bath bomb is the smell! It's infused with rose, geranium oil and jasmine, releasing the most blissful and relaxing scent. The rose oil really helps to soften the skin too, which is perfect after a long or stressful day.

According to the Lush website, the Tisty Tosty bath bomb was based on a medieval love potion. It is thought that the floral, rose infused scent will help to lift your spirits and soothe broken hearts. How creative is that? I love how much thought and effort Lush put into their products, and of course the fact that they're cruelty free. So that's my new favourite bath bomb! You should definitely give it a try next time you're shopping in Lush. 

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Review // Sleek I-Divine Palettes

I would say that I own a fair amount of eyeshadow palettes, from high end ones to drugstore alternatives. But a couple of weeks ago, whilst browsing the sales in Boots, I thought I'd give some of the Sleek eyeshadow palettes a try. I've heard lots of good things about them, and I owned one a few years ago that I remember really liking. They also had a wide variety of palettes and colours to choose from. I ended up leaving the store with four of them, some of which I love and some I regret buying.

All four of the palettes that I bought are part of Sleek's 'I-Divine' range, all of which contain a mixture of matte and shimmer shadows. I was pleasantly surprised at how pigmented they are for a drugstore palette. The brighter colours definitely have a better colour pay off though, as I find with some of the paler shades, especially the matte ones, that they take a lot of building up to get them to show up true to colour on the eyelid. The packaging is also pretty good for the money. It's fairly compact and comes with a big mirror which is great for travelling.

Vintage Romance Palette

Overall, I'd say that this one is probably my favourite palette. It has a variety of warm and cool toned shades, making it a great palette to transition your look from day to night. I don't usually wear much colour on my eyes, but this palette is so pretty to look at that I just had to give it a try. The shadows are really easy to blend, and when used with a primer, they usually last around eight hours on the eyes. My favourite shades in this palette are 'Meet in Madrid', a subdued gold colour with yellow undertones and a really pretty shimmer throughout it, and 'Honeymoon in Hollywood', a cool toned, berry colour with small specks of silver shimmer.

(Colours from L-R; Pretty in Paris, Meet in Madrid, Court in Cannes, Lust in LA, Romance in Rome, Propose in Prague, A Vow in Venice, Marry in Monte Carlo, Honeymoon in Hollywood, Bliss in Barcelona, Forever in Florence, Love in London)

Au Naturel Palette

If I'm being completely honest, I'd have to say that I regret buying this one. The colours are pretty generic and aren't really anything special, especially when I own so many other 'natural' style palettes. The matte shades in this palette were really chalky and not very pigmented at all. They took a lot of build up to even get them to show up on the lid, and I found them really tough to blend. A primer is definitely necessary with this palette, as the colours all tend to blend into one after a couple of hours wear.

(Colours from L-R; Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe, Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir)


Sunset Palette

I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I bought this palette. I never wear bright eyeshadows and tend to stick with neutral eye looks. But I absolutely love this palette! When it first arrived I had no idea what to do with it, but after watching various YouTube tutorials and looking on Pinterest for ideas, I was really excited to use it. A lot of the colours have more golden and orange undertones, making them slightly easier to incorporate into your everyday look if you want to change it up a little. However, the blue colour reminds me of that awkward phase we all went through where we thought wearing blue eyeshadow was 'cool', so I haven't gotten much use out of that one. My favourite shades are Solstice, which is a warm coppery colour, and Horizon, which is an orange-toned red. All the shades in this palette have excellent pigmentation, and I didn't find any of them tough to use like I have with some of the other palettes.

(Colours from L-R; Nightfall, Horizon, Solstice, Afterglow, Sunrise, Skyline, Dusk, Eve, Dawn, Golden Hour, Starry, Serene)

All Night Long Palette

This is a fairly neutral palette with two matte shades and 10 shimmers. This palette was released alongside the much more natural, daytime version; "A New Day". Although it is intended for evening wear, what with slightly darker and metallic looking shades, I would say that it's definitely easy to wear both during the day and at night. All 12 shades have really good colour pay off and are easy to blend on the lid. They also last a really long time when used with a primer. I think my favourite thing about this palette, though, is that all the shades are named after cocktails and drinks. This goes really well with theme of the palette. My favourite shades are Cosmopolitan, which has a rose gold tint to it with silver shimmer, and Manhattan, a metallic copper colour which looks stunning on the lid.

(Colours from L-R; Bellini, Negroni, Martini, Prosecco, Kir Royale, Mimosa, Champagne, Spritz, Mai Tai, Cosmopolitan, Daiquiri, Manhattan)

Have you tried any Sleek eyeshadow palettes before? What are some of your favourites?