BLOGTEMBER | Get a Smooth on with Soap & Glory

Hello my lovelies, Happy Friday! Welcome to Blogtember day 7. As if it's pretty much been a week already. I hope you guys have been enjoying the posts this week and don't you worry, I've got so many more exciting ones to come! 

So what is today's post? I'm sure you've gathered by the title that today's post is all about Soap & Glory but before we dive into that we gotta rewind a little bit. 

Recently I've been having a lot of pamper nights because I've got so many products just sitting in my cupboards and I was gifted loads of lovely products for my birthday etc. The majority of them are for the bath and whilst I was in Chester I didn't have a bath so unfortunately I couldn't use half of them. But now that I've moved home I do have a bath (not going to lie, probably one of the best things about moving back home) which means I've finally been able to use all of these products. So I was debating on creating like a pamper night with me post which I can still do if you guys want to see that. But I thought to myself, why don't I just do a mini series of first impressions every Friday of this month. So every Friday in September you can expect a new impression of a product I've tried recently. 

I was kindly gifted the Soap and Glory set for my birthday from my friend Chloe which included products all related around The Righteous Butter which is by far one of Soap & Glory's most iconic scents and they have so many products which have this scent in. But today I'm going to be sharing my first impressions on this product... 

The Righteous Butter Creamy Body Wash. 

So this product claims to be a 3 in 1 system that cleanses, shaves, and moisturises your skin, which includes over 25% of natural oils and butters. Packed with skin-adoring shea butter, cocoa butter, sweet almond, grapeseed, and macadamia oils, and Vitamin E. So in a nutshell it's a really good product for apply moisture to your skin; your skin relies on moisture to retain it's elasticity and keep it looking healthy which is why you should use moisturisers with shea butter or cocoa butter in. Tick number one for this product. 

The sweet almond, grapeseed and macadamia oils can all be found in Vitamin E. These oils work to keep your skin cells healthy, protect your skin from UV radiation damage, help your skin look soft and free from fine lines, strengthen the skin, and because these oils and Vitamin E are fully of fatty acids they retain the moisture in your skin and can help to heal chapped, dry, and irritated skin. So these ingredients do a lot for you, probably more than we realise which is why we should use them as often as we can. 

So this product has got all that in one which is brilliant but it's also got everything else in one as it claims to cleanse, shave, and moisturise your skin too. Which is also brilliant as it means you don't have to buy a cleanser, a shaving foam, a moisturiser, a body wash because it's got it all in one product. So technically it's got 4 in 1 which is even better! 

I haven't tested this as a body wash as I reckon it would work better in the shower than in the bath. So I'm sharing my thoughts on this as a shaving foam as that is one of the things this product is branded for. It even says 'amazing for shaving' on the bottle. 

So first things first, you get a lot of product in this bottle which is great especially if you're using this for all 4 purposes. Which also means this would be great for travelling as you've got all the important things when it comes to hygiene in one bottle. 

It smells amazing, like I don't really fully know how to describe it to you. It definitely smells buttery but it's not too rich or too much. For me, sometimes things with cocoa butter in can be too much scent wise as cocoa is so rich which is annoying as it's so good for your skin. But with the balance of the shea butter and the other oils it means the scent is quite neutral but you've still got all of the nourishing affects of the butter and oils. 

You only need a medium squeeze of this when it comes to using it for shaving. This amount will cover one whole leg. As you can see this looks quite thick but when you lather it into your skin it goes quite light and thin. Also as a little tip, do not put it on when your legs are completely wet because it just slides right off due to how buttery it is. So wait until your legs are damp and then lather it on and if it feels too thick or too heavy then add a light amount of water, literally a sprinkle, to the product whilst lathering it over your legs. I find that is the best way to get the best results. 

As it says on the bottle 'amazing for shaving' and Soap & Glory really ain't lying. This has got to be the easiest product I have ever used to shave my legs. Half the time I find shaving my legs a chore and shaving foams I've used in the past have been too thick and you feel your legs and think they're soft and then the next day literally the rain forest has already grown back out. But with this, it only takes me about 5-7 minutes to shave each leg. It's thin lathered consistency means your razor just glides over your skin, makes it easy to grab every hair, and this almost creates like a barrier between the razor blades and your skin which results in no cuts. 

I'm not ashamed to admit that half the time I've dry shaved my legs because honestly it's quicker and in the past I've been too lazy to do the whole routine. In the last year my legs have gotten so used to dry shaving that I don't get cuts anymore but I do get razor burn. It's only recently where it's hit me how important it is to take care of your whole skin and not just your face and neck etc. All your skin needs TLC and it's really important to look after it. Once you hit 18 years old your skin is already ageing so you've got to take care of it as often as you can. 

So after using it on my legs not only did it shave every hair it also made my legs insanely soft. I personally shave my legs for myself. If I wanna shave them I will and if I don't then I wont, as simple as that. But I personally like to shave them because I feel so much more confident and sexy with smooth soft legs. So to be honest, this product is enough for the shave and moisturise but for the added extra pamper I like to apply The Righteous Butter Body Butter which makes my legs and my entire body extremely soft and gives the appearance of my skin a really healthy soft glow. 

This product has been so great for my legs that recently when I used it again I've used it for other areas of my body that I shave. For example my arm pits, sometimes I shave my arms, I also have to shave under my belly button a little bit, and my bikini line and the pubic hair area. And if you shave down there then you know how much razor burn down there is a big issue. Probably because the skin is so sensitive down there but it's been great for combating that slightly. 

So overall this product has been extremely good and definitely lived up to the standards that it was made for. Every time I shave now I always use this because it is just that good. I 100% would recommend, plus it's only £7.00 in Boots!

I hope you all enjoyed this first post in the mini series for September which is First Impression Friday's. Next week I'll be trying something else out, also bath based, and they've been so popular on Instagram lately. Let me know in the comments if you think you know what it is. 

 Don't forget guys to follow me on all of my social media so you can keep up to date with everything I am doing! You can follow me on Twitter @katielouj0hnson, Instagram @katiej0hnson, Pinterest @katielouj0hnson, and Bloglovin' @ Katie Johnson. 

I will see you tomorrow! 

Love,

Katie

REVIEW | April Showers with Lush

Hello my lovelies, I hope you're all well and are having a good week. If you guys have read my Visiting Westgate Oxford post then you'll know that I popped into Lush and purchased one of their most recent bathbombs for spring called April Showers. If you guys haven't seen that post and would like to, click here. As it's April and April is in the title of the product I really wanted to review it this month, you know me, all about making things relevant. 

'Drip, drip, drop
when your mood is cloudy
this pretty bath bomb
will brighten the day.'

To me the aesthetic of this bathbomb is really clever. It's one of those where it makes me wonder why did it take so long to make this because it is so relevant to this month. We all know that in the UK the month of April is known for it's drizzly and rainy weather hence the phrase April showers bring May flowers. I just really love that there is a bathbomb to represent this, anyone else really digging that? 

So as you guys can clearly see it's in the shape of a white cloud with pink and blue rain droplets inside. I love this, it's so simple and clear as to what it is as well as being really aesthetically pleasing, especially for Instagram photos. The size of this is quite small which means it does have a little bit less product within the bathbomb. Whereas in the round bathbombs you get a whole load of product packed inside. 

Ingredients: 

• Sodium Bicarbonate 

• Citric Acid

• Titanium Dioxide 

• Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter 

• Perfume 

• Cornflour 

• Cedarwood Oil

• Violet Leaf Absolute

• Cypress Oil

• Tonka Oil

• Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Organic Castor Oil

• Water (Aqua) 

• Laureth 4

• Dipropylene Glycol 

• Synthetic Fluorphlogopite 

• *Limonene 

• *Linalool

• Alpha-Isomethyl ionone 

• Coumarin

• Eugenol

• Colour 45410

• Colour 42090 

• Colour 60725

I'm not 100% about what all of the ingredients do or how they work together. But whatever they do it moulds together to create this cute little cloud. 

'For your own little April showers (or rather baths), drop this fizzer into hot water and clear your cloudy skies with cedarwood and cypress oils. As the softening Fair Trade cocoa butter raindrops melt away, tonka absolute comes out to play with fresh violet leaf absolute.'

When you first pop it into the water the cloudy white particles disperse all over to create this cloud like affect, again very clever because it's a cloud. As all the white colour has dissolved into the water, the pink and blue shaped droplets begin to merge with the cloudy water. 

It creates this really pretty whimsical mix of colours, extremely pretty to watch become one. As it fizzes away it doesn't engulf the whole bath but I think that's because the bathbomb itself isn't as compact with product compared to a round bathbomb. 

I really liked the smell of this one when it was fizzing away in my bath but didn't like it as much when it was the bathbomb itself. But it's definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea, my mum wasn't a fan of the smell. But the blend between the violet absolute mixed with the cedarwood oil creates an inbetween of something not too sweet but not too bitter and with that blend the scent isn't too heavy. There's enough blended together in the product for it to carry a strong smell when it melts away in the water. 

Once it had all mixed together throughout the water it created this really pretty lilac purple with little white cloudy accents/ glistening bits of white which you can see in this photo. I felt like it was a really nice added touch. 

One of my favourite things about this bathbomb was the fact that the rain droplets were little drops of cocoa butter. We all know how great cocoa butter is for your skin: helps keep your skin fresh (not dry), has anti-ageing benefits, soothes burns, rashes, and infections, it doubles up as a shaving cream, helps improve the appearance of marks such as stretch marks, and let's not forget it makes your skin super soft. 

I was really surprised at how much the cocoa butter droplets worked. I knew they would work but as in because the droplets didn't contain a large amount of cocoa butter. My skin, especially my legs were irresistibly soft. One thing this bathbomb would be super beneficial for is using it after you've shaved your legs. I'm really gutted I didn't shave mine before I used it because it would've made them even softer as well as revitalise them a bit. As I don't know about you guys but my legs definitely need to most TLC because of marks, cuts, bruises, shaving burns, veins, discolouration, etc. The list could go and on but you get what I mean. 

Another pro; I don't know about you guys but I don't use cocoa butter very often just because the smell is so intense that I can't deal with it. I prefer zingy scents but cocoa butter is rich. Which is a bit of a downer because the product itself is really good for the health of your skin. So the pro of this product is, you get the good qualities of cocoa butter in a small amount which means the smell of it isn't overpowering. However, to see an actual improvement on these things I'd probably have to use this bathbomb or a product with qualities like this bathbomb about 4-5 times a week. 

Overall I feel like it's not my ultimate favourite but it's definitely not below the bar. It definitely has a lot more benefits for your skin than I initially thought when I purchased it and the qualities it does have are executed really well. I wouldn't say this bathbomb is targeted at anyone specific, particularly scent wise. For aesthetic and a well thought out idea this product earns brownie points alone. For something so small compared to some of the huge bathbombs it's really exceeded the expectations I had for it. Also, credit to Lush for creating something within the Easter range that wasn't all about Easter as I know some people don't really celebrate it. I would definitely purchase this again! As this was a part of the Easter range that does mean this is leaving stores soon, which I think is a bit silly considering it is a product related to April. So I think they should've done some forward thinking and kept this throughout the whole of April. 

Overall rating: ★★★★☆

I sadly didn't buy or get the chance to try anything else from the Easter range this year. If you guys did let me know down below. 

If you guys do wanna purchase this product or any of the Easter range I would advise acting fast as they're leaving the store soon. I know that some of them are already sold out online, but if you do wanna have a look online and potentially order some click here. 

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

As always lovelies don't forget to follow me on all of my social media so you can keep up to date with everything I am doing! You can follow me on Twitter @katielouj0hnson, Instagram @katiej0hnson, Pinterest @katielouj0hnson, and Bloglovin' @ Katie Johnson. 

Until then, I shall see you in my next post. 

Love,

Katie

REVIEW | Primark's My Perfect Colour Foundation

Hello my lovelies I hope you're all well and have had a good week. You know I'd normally say weekend but I literally haven't spoken to you in a whole week. I'm very sorry for that. Two out of three of these posts you're gonna see this week were meant to go up last week, but I'm gonna be honest I just couldn't find the motivation to do anything last week. I don't know why, mentally I just didn't want to do anything. But I'm feeling more productive now and I think it's because I've planned this week out in my planner. Either way, the most important thing is I'm back and you guys are gonna get more content this week. 

Anyway, as you can see from the title today I am doing another review for you guys of a new product that has appeared in Primark recently. I think it might be apart of a new range they've brought in but I could be wrong. But either way, when I went shopping a couple of weeks ago I went to the Primark in Milton Keynes which is one of my favourite ones to go to. Now I don't know if this range (if it is an actual new range) is going to have more added to it but when I was in the shop they only had foundations and BB creams I think. 

But if you guys want to know if this £2.50 foundation actually works, then keep on reading. 

Firstly, I actually really like this packaging. It's really light weight and easy to fit in your makeup bag which makes it great to travel with. I like the simple colour scheme of black, white, and then the space of the foundation colour and it has a screw top. Plus when you take the screw top off it had a little silver peel back seal which is fab because it means you can be sure that no one has used this or tested it before you buy it. 

You get 35ml in this which for £2.50 is actually insane considering I think the average amount of foundation you get in a bottle is 30ml. It also claims to be perfect finish foundation with medium coverage and has a semi-matte finish with vitamin E. Some strong claims considering it's so cheap, now I think about it I think this is the cheapest foundation I've ever tried. I also got the shade porcelain and I'm not joking they had so many shades from as pale as snow to as deep as dark chocolate. 

second application - concentrated areas: cheeks,
around the nose and mouth, and on the chin

one application - all over the face

 Just a heads up guys, this autumnal makeup look you're gonna see in this post will be coming soon so keep your eyes peeled for that one. But anyway, I applied this with my Real Techniques sponge like I do with all of my other foundations and I used my Benefit That Gal brightening face primer on this day as it's what I've been using most recently under my foundation. 

So I just squeezed a bit on the back of my hand but it took me a while to get it out. It honestly feels like the tube is half full but it might also be to do with the hole that's been pierced to get the foundation out is so tiny. But I got it out eventually and that's all that matters. When it eventually came out I just dotted it all over my face and blended it in and it's got a really nice smell - something sweet but I don't know what the smell specifically is. It's actually a really good colour for my face but as you can see in the two images above it doesn't match my neck that well. I'm having real trouble at the minute with finding foundations that match my neck or go with my neck. As I feel like my face is the same colour as my chest but my neck is a completely different shade. Is this just me that has this problem? Let me know if you guys do in the comments below. 

Anyway, this has definitely got pink undertones in this foundation but I think it's got warm ish pink undertones which might be the reason why it looks so crazy in these two images in comparison to my neck because my skin has cool toned pink undertones. It's not that noticeable once I've done the rest of my makeup but it's just something I picked up on. Also just to note, this doesn't oxidise one bit. 

As for the coverage I was pleasantly surprised. I was putting it on and I was like 'oh damn, that actually covers' and that is just because we know that Primark's makeup has not been the greatest in the past, especially their base products. But I feel like they've really upped their game. It is definitely light-medium coverage but you can build it up to be medium. It covered the majority of my imperfections, i.e. the redness on my cheeks and my nose as well as a few breakouts I've been getting recently. However, it didn't cover the side area of my nose very well or under my eyes that well. But that isn't a massive problem for me considering I always put concealer on those areas anyway. So overall for £2.50 the coverage is not bad. 

Then I just went ahead and applied the rest of my makeup like I would normally do. The foundation did set semi-matte so it might not be for you guys who have dry skin but if you have oily or combination skin like me I'd recommend giving it a go. But everything else I put on top of the foundation sat nicely like it does on any other foundation I've used. So no problems there for any of you guys wondering. And as you can now see, when my full face of makeup is on it matches my neck absolutely fine. 

So this is how the foundations looks after my makeup is finished and then I decided to check back every 3 hours to see how we're looking. 

So this is how my face is looking at 6:00pm, three hours after I'd finished my makeup. There wasn't much change other than my face felt a bit tacky in my t-zone which is where I always get natural oils slightly coming back through during the day, you know like how it feels before you powder it down. So overall, not much change. 

At 9:00pm I took this in artificial light because it was dark outside by this point. But you guys can see that my face has become much shinier than earlier and especially much more oilier in my t-zone areas than before. Where my glasses sit my foundation and concealer etc has worn away but that always happens because I wear my glasses all day long. The area it got most oily and started to break apart a bit was definitely on the sides of my nose and around my mouth, specifically my smile lines. My whole face at this point as well did feel quite tacky but it was mainly my nose and mouth area that felt the worst. I'm hoping you guys can see that as it was hard to focus the camera on.  

And finally at 12:00am (yes I take my makeup off super late) firstly, I am not naked, I have a towel on. And I didn't realise the tail of my eyebrow had come off even though I'm gonna take my makeup off after this anyway. But at this point I honestly couldn't wait to take this makeup off. It was past the point where you could fix this oily mess with powdering with a brush or a makeup puff I think. It felt really oily and wherever you touched it and it left a lot of residue from the oiliness on my finger tips, settled into my smile lines quite a bit, and you could feel that it wasn't set in place anymore. 

BUT...

Before you guys assume what I'm gonna say. Later that week I actually wore this foundation again but this time I used Rimmel's Lasting Finish primer, which is one of my favourite drug store primers by the way. And I sadly didn't get any photos of my face on this day hence because I wasn't really testing it. But I noticed half way through the day (I did my makeup at about 10:00am that morning), around 3:00pm that my face felt much more settled and smoother to the touch, i.e. not oily. I also then noticed as the day carried on that the only places that got a little bit oily was just the sides of my nose and my smile lines which is where I normally get oily the most by the end of the day. 

So overall it goes to show how important primers are in relation to if a product works or not. Benefit's That Gal primer is a brightening primer and it sinks into your skin to give you that inner glow. Maybe that is the reason it didn't get a long the best with this foundation as this foundation is a semi-matte finish. Or maybe the two formula's didn't get on. Whereas Rimmel's Lasting Finish primer is more of a smoother consistency which feels like a layer on top of your skin to blur all of the imperfections, almost like a mask but not thick like an actual face mask. I would say this one doesn't really sink into your skin, just sits on top of it to give you a smooth base for perfect makeup application. Which this foundation loved and got on with much better than the Benefit one. 

Originally when I used the Benefit primer I was going to say this foundation isn't for long periods of wear because of how oily it got after 9 hours of wear. But, after using the Rimmel primer my opinion has completely changed. I don't think this foundation is going to be the one I reach for when I go to a party or on a night out or just when I want my skin to look completely flawless. But, is it good for every day to go to school, work, uni, college, run errands etc. Yes it is. It definitely works and does the job it is supposed to. Is it medium coverage? yes, is it semi-matte finish? yes, and even though it doesn't claim to, does it last the majority of the day? yes. You just need to experiment with your moisturiser or your primer you use it with. It's also worth noting that with both primers, the application looked exactly the same on the skin. It also shows that sometimes high end doesn't mean high quality with every single product. This is also a great option to consider if you need a new foundation and you haven't got enough money to get your usual one or if you want to try out a new one considering it is only £2.50 so it isn't going to break the bank. 

Am I going to use it again? Definitely, I'll use this as an everyday foundation for when I'm at uni or just going out for the day. I love finding things that work when they're such a cheap price. Am I gonna recommend it? 100%, guys go and give it a try as for £2.50 you can't complain at trying a new foundation as it's so inexpensive. And let me know what you think about it in the comments below. 

Well my lovelies, that is it for this post. I hope you enjoyed, I know it's been two reviews in a row but I've been trying a few new things lately that I just had to share with you! 

As always guys, don't forget to follow me on all my social media so you can keep up to date with things I'm doing on my Twitter @katielouj0hnson, my Instagram @katiej0hnson, my Pinterest @katielouj0hnson, and my Bloglovin' @ Katie Johnson.

Thank you guys so much for reading and I'll see you soon for another!

Love,

Katie