GEORGE SUPER BOOST FOUNDATION - REVIEW



I bought this back in January/February when I ran out of my preferred foundation, Rimmel's Wake Me Up. I'd actually been looking for another bottle, but my local Asda doesn't stock Rimmel as so I thought I'd give this one a whirl. I didn't actually know Asda had a makeup range, so naturally, I was pretty intrigued.

I'm sure the packaging probably had something to do with why I picked it up, as it's lovely. The bottle is frosted glass, which is a pretty nice touch for a drugstore/supermarket foundation. Plus, I loved the colour of the lid and pump.

The pump itself actually caused me a lot of trouble and I ended up having to replace it with a pump from an old Wake Me Up bottle. It was very difficult to use as the pump was so hard to push down. Also, when I was finally able to get product to come out, it came out so forcefully that it sprayed everywhere, leading to little dots of foundation on my bedding and clothes. I've read several other reviews since, and this is pretty common with the packaging. This was particularly disappointing for me, as it was not only inconvenient (and messy) to replace the pump but it also ruined the look of the bottle.

On a positive note, the product gives a lovely finish and smells amazing too. It's said to contain extracts of pomegranate apple and papaya and so it smells very fruity, which I personally enjoyed a lot. The scent, and the lightness made the product feel more like a BB cream than an actual foundation. In fact, the coverage too reflected a BB cream as it was effective, but not so much as to warrant no concealer in my case, which is what I tend to look for. 

I'm not sure I'd agree that it's necessarily 'Radiance boosting' as the packaging suggests, but it does leave the skin looking very natural, again more indicative of a BB cream than a foundation.

Another thing worth mentioning is the range of shades. I'd say I have fairly pale olive complexion, and so I always tend to go for the lightest or second to lightest shade when buying foundation. I find this works best generally, and if the shade is too light I can always mix it with a darker shade or use it to highlight. Anyways, the lightest shade of the Super Boost Foundation is Ivory Silk, which I thought would be ideal seeing as I'm often best matched to the Ivory shades, especially this time of year. However, upon use I realised that the product is not only too dark for my skin but also quite a pink/orange based foundation. I obviously haven't tried the darker shades, but I can only assume this rings true for them too. Basically when I use it I look like I've caught the sun a little.. Which although not entirely off-putting, isn't really the look I'm going for.. 
    So if you are interested it trying the Super Boost Foundation, I'd advise you to:
    1. Choose the shade carefully, I'd advise going a shade lighter.
    2. Remember it's warm-toned (so not ideal for those with olive complexions).
    3. Keep in mind you'll need another pump.
    4. Look at alternatives. This is pretty pricey at £6 and you may be able to find a similarly priced alternative.
    I won't personally be buying this product again, but I will enjoy using what I have left of this bottle!


    Over & Out, T xx

    LUSH HAUL - OXFORD STREET


    Howdy partner!

    The past few weeks have been particularly hectic for me, what with exams and the end of my college education. Needless to say I've been wanting a nice relaxing bath. So when I found myself in London for a university open day, of course I had to pop into the Oxford Street Lush!

    The store itself was incredible, I would definitely suggest popping into the store if you're in London because it's really special. The employees were really helpful and friendly, which really made a difference for me; I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at first if I'm honest, haha..  Everything in Lush is so vibrant, and there are so many strong smells that it can definitely be a bit full-on. Not to mention that as with most of the stores on Oxford Street, Lush was pretty crowded. If you're someone who suffers in crowds then I'd suggest going when it's not quite as busy, and if you're looking for specific items or would just like to know the basic layout before going, you can view the store online: LUSH Oxford Street.

    While I was there I picked up a few products, among them a couple of Oxford Street exclusives which I'm very excited to try out! Other than a couple exceptions I haven't tried these products yet so I won't be writing full reviews below, just my general first impressions. However, if it's something you guys would be interested in, I'd love to review a couple of the items at a later date.

    So without further ado, let me present what I bought:

    Ylang Song (Bath Bomb)

    “This Tunisian neroli and Peruvian rosewood bomb erupts into a sensual world of tumbling peony and everlasting flower petals. A perfect behaved companion to take into the bath with you.”

    I think this is the product I am the most excited about. I'd done a little research into the exclusive products that Lush were bringing out, and I was so excited to get this one. It's among the most beautiful Lush products I've ever owned, and if you think I'm not going to take a million pictures of it for Instagram, you're wrong.

    Not only does it look and smell amazing, but it's full of flowers. I got to see it in action in store and had to get one; when you pop it in your bath it fills your bath tub with beautiful flowers. And I don't know about you, but I am all for a flower-filled bath.

    I'd say this is a little more mature than most of the other Lush bath bombs I normally go for. The scent is definitely floral, but in my opinion, it's a pretty dark, almost heady. I really love it.


    Pink Flamingo (Reusable Bubble Bar)

    “Birds of a feather bathe together! Slip into something more fruity with this cocktail-inspired reusable bubble bath, filled with fragrant rosewood and ylang ylang. Let the bubbly flow.”

    Can we please take a moment?
    ...
    It's a flamingo. This bubble bar is a flamingo. I'm really sorry if you were hoping for some kind of eloquent response to that flamingo, because you've really come to the wrong place. Because as I've stated it's a flamingo. A fluorescent pink flamingo at that. I mean, honestly, what more could you ask for?

    This is perhaps the epitome of fun bath time. Never did I imagine a day would come when I swirled a pink flamingo around my bath. But that day is here. And I think it should be celebrated. In fact, this day shall henceforth be referred to as Pink Flamingo Day.

    Okay, all jokes aside, I am beyond excited for this. The reusable bubble bars that come on a stick are by far my favourites, they are just so user friendly. In fact, the Magic Wand reusable bubble bar is among my top five Lush products despite being a Christmas exclusive. I mean, what's not to love?Swirl in in the water and hey presto: Bubbles! I don't know about you, but to me that's preferable to having to crumble things under water. I shouldn't be trusted with anything crumbly, let alone vibrant bubble bars in a mostly white bathroom.

    Unfortunately, like Ylang Song this is an Oxford Street exclusive. But if you do visit the store, I'd definitely recommend this one! The scent is like a slightly darker version of Snow Fairy. Although it's inspired by cocktails it reminds me more of gum balls..

    Also, apologies for having repeated the word flamingo about 100+ times.. But it is Pink Flamingo Day after all!


    Salted Coconut (Hand Scrub)

    “This creamy coconut and sea salt scrub is the perfect way to keep your hands in tiptop condition.”

    This is the first product I picked up. However this one isn't for me, it's for my mum. The scent is pretty strong, and in fact it's a little too strong for my liking. I mean I like coconut as much as the next person, but this scent is pretty musky too.

    I believe there's also a perfume/body spray in this scent as the lovely lady who was serving us asked her colleague to find it so that my mum could try it and smell like it all day. Plus, I've heard a lot of people compare the scent to the Furze perfume by Lush.

    It comes in either a large pot or a small one like the one in the picture. I'd personally recommend the smaller pots to begin with because there really is a lot of product and you really don't need much at all. And Lush actually have a great recycling policy; returning five clean pots will earn you a free "fresh mask".



    May Day (Bath Bomb)

    “Drop into your bathwater and watch it fizz away”


    One of the things I love most about Lush is the work they do for animal rights. All of their products are suitable for vegetarians, which ins't very common.

    One of their more recent projects was with the Save Me trust, in the hopes of stopping the badger cull. You can find more information about it here if you're interested, but in short many badgers are killed every year to decrease their population.

    Animal rights isn't really something I've addressed on here, but it's very close to my heart and I'll often, if not always, jump at any chance to donate and help. This particular product was only sold until the end of May (although I did get mine last Wednesday, so it may still be in stock), but I'm sure Lush will be doing more projects for similar charities in the future.

    The scent that they chose for May Day is really comforting to me. I believe it has fennel in it, possibly with honey, or something other sweet-scent. Plus the badger face is so adorable, I'm going to be so sad to see it dissolve. I'm sure my skin will appreciate it though!



    Soft Coeur (Massage Bar)

    “Smooth this sweet-smelling massage bar over the body for deliciously-scented and soft skin.”


    Now this is one of my must have Lush products. They describe the scent as deliciously-scented and they are not wrong. If it was socially acceptable I would probably marry this massage bar. Pretty fitting actually, considering it's also called the Honeymooner.

    The massage bars are generally are super moisturising, and they melt to the touch. But the smell of this one is just so good. It smells like chocolate and butter, and honestly every time I use it I have to stop myself from gnawing off my own arm it smells so good.

     The only possible downfall is the chocolate centre, which can sometimes leaves brown streaks on your skin. This normally happens towards the end of it's use, and the more product you've used, the more the chocolate will rub off on your skin too. When it get's to that point I like to break it into pieces for baths as it'll still moisturise your skin.



    Other

    The final things I picked up in Lush were these Fighting Animal Testing patches, as well as one of their vintage scarves.

    The patches were pretty cheap, at only £1.50 each. They do some others too, such as 'Be Happy' etc..

    These are iron-on, thank god, so there isn't the hassle of trying to sow them onto clothes. I'm actually not entirely sure what I'm going to put mine on, so if you do have any ideas, let me know in the comments !






    As always, have a great day ♥
    Over & Out, T xx
    PS: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE LUSH PRODUCTS?

    SAINT ANYTHING BY SARAH DESSEN




    BOOK TITLE: Saint Anything
    AUTHOR: Sarah Dessen
    PUBLISHER: Penguin
    RELEASE DATE: May 5th 2015
    NUMBER OF PAGES: 448
    MAIN GENRES: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance



    This review includes minor spoilers, proceed at your own risk .



    I think that my thoughts about Saint Anything could easily be described in one sentence: I stayed up until 4AM finishing this book.

    Yep, that's right. I, being the teenage bookworm that I am, sacrificed a solid 4 hours of sleep last night in order to finish this young adult romance. And I had to get up at six this morning, on the weekend before my exams begin..


    *Yawn* I'm so tired.. But at least I have my priorities in check..

    With that in mind, I think it's safe to assume I loved this book. I did. I don't know how Dessen does it, but all her books grab my attention from the first page, if not the first sentence. She's one of those authors who's so great at normalcy that every scene is just so realistic and she's written some of my favourite books of all time, such as The Truth About Forever and Just Listen.

    Sydney Stanford has always been second best to her brother Peyton. This is clear right away, I mean there is literally a portrait of her brother hung "directly across" from the front door. It's the "first thing you see" when you walk into the Stanford's house. Now if that isn't favouritism, I don't know what is.

    In fact, for the majority of the novel, Sydney's parents basically ignore her in favour of her brother. The brother who doesn't even live with them. Because he's in prison for drink driving and putting a boy named David Ibarra in a wheelchair.


    Drive safe, kids. 

    But her brother wasn't always a delinquent. Once upon a time he was just her big brother who would walk across sinkholes on a tree trunks, watched cartoons with her on the weekends and was a pro at Hide and Seek.


    Now you see me.. Now you-- POOF!

    However, soon the siblings' roles were reversed. Peyton who was once able to "find the invisible place" became the centre of attention, whilst Sydney became all but invisible.

    I find that Dessen always touches on important subject matters, and for Saint Anything it was the feeling of invisibility. This is something that I'm sure a lot of readers are going to be able to relate to. I think it's safe to say that we've all felt invisible at some point in our lives, although perhaps not to the same extent as Sydney.


    Why can't you see me? I'm right here.

    As always, I loved the romance aspect of the novel. The relationships, like the novel itself, come across as effortless, which I totally love. Not to mention the love interest Mac was a Micheal Moscovitz, by which I mean he was my exact type. In a band, best friend's brother and a nice guy. Plus, he delivers pizza. My favourite food. It was basically love at first read.

    I think what I especially liked about the relationship between the two of them was that it was a helthy one. So often in YA the protagonist falls head over heels for a guy and ends up depending on him for everything. I hate that; it sends such a bad message to the reader. What Dessen portrayed instead was relationship in which each person supports the other when needed, without suffocating them.

    "He left me enough space to stand alone, but stood at the ready for the moment that I didn't want to."

    Plus, being the sucker for cheesiness that I am, his admission of "You weren't invisible, not to me." abso-bloody-lutely slayed me.


    Killed with kindness cuteness.

    You guys know by now that I'm a helpless romantic, and so I obviously took a liking to Layla, a fellow romantic. Not only that, but damn was that girl a great character. I really loved the relationship between both her and Eric too.

    The only thing I didn't like about the novel was Ames. Every singly appearance he made put me on edge. I understand of course that that was most likely the intended reaction; however, I was so entirely creeped out by him.

    I think that where I'm so used to reading New Adult romances I was kind of thinking that something seriously bad was going to happen between him and Sydney.


    Me, every time Ames appeared.

    So to conclude, Saint Anything is a novel about letting others see you, and having the patience to do so.

    It's a novel about family, and how that doesn't necessarily mean biology.

    It a novel about sight, forgiveness and most importantly, love.

    And I loved it.

    Over & Out, T xx
    PS: HAVE YOU READ ANY OF SARAH DESSEN'S BOOKS? IF SO, WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE?