Haul!

Today and on Sunday I went into town and bought a few things which I will be reviewing in the coming week. I thought I would post a couple of pictures below to give you an idea of what I will be writing about. Apologies for the picture quality, as I was using my phone camera which currently has a cracked lens cover.

-Bomb Cosmetics chocolate ballotin collection**

-Calcot Manor salt scrub 

-The Pointless book 2 by Alfie Deyes

- F&F striped basic tee

-LUSH Wiccy Magic muscles massage bar (I have previously reviewed this when I bought it a few years ago,  but since the massage bar formulation changed, I bought another and have completely changed my opinion on this bar)

-LUSH Phoenix rising bath bomb

-Collection Eyes Uncovered palette in Nude

-Marks and Spencer Collection batwing striped scoop neck jumper

Sidenote: everything will be reviewed with the exception  of the nutella and the heartshaped notes, for stockists of these please refer to Google or send me a message.

**Gift or sponsored item

(Clockwise- Nutella (stockists nationwide), M&S Collection batwing striped scoop neck jumper, Collection Eyes Uncovered palette in Nude, LUSH Phoenix Rising bath bomb, and LUSH Wiccy Magic Muscles massage bar)

(L-R Heart shaped sticky notes, The pointless book 2 by Alfie Deyes, Calcot manor salt scrub and F&F Basic striped long sleeved tee)

(Above: Bomb Cosmetics chocolate ballotin collection**)

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Lush items for sale

Sample Lush kits

At the moment I have some brand new Lush products, that I am going to be splitting up and selling in 'starter sample packs' for those who want to try out a few different items at once without paying loads for the full product.

Each sample pack comes with 10-12 large samples and is £4 including postage.

I am aware that Lush shops also offer samples, however the ones I am selling are a substantial size and include products such as shampoo bars, dusting powders and others which Lush don't generally give out as samples.

I post to UK only and payment is through PayPal.  I aim to get your parcel to you within 7 working days.

If you are interested, tweet me, or facebook me.

Www.twitter.com/xocoughsyrupxo

Www.facebook.com/coughsyrupxo

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Lip Care

Winter weather and wearing lipstick means I often get pretty dry lips, so when I went shopping recently, I wanted a lip balm that didn't have gimmicks such as a tint of colour or a fancy flavour. I just wanted something that would work and that wouldn't be too heavy to use.

So after having a look, I noted this Neutrogena balm. It caught my eye because I am a fan of their hand creams, and their Norwegian formula is pretty heavy-duty and designed for chapped skin on lips. Although it was one of the more expensive choices and didn't have particularly pretty, eyecatching packaging, But I thought I would try it out anyway and report back on the results after a couple of weeks.

It is designed pretty much like every other lip salve, in a wind up applicator which can easily be applied across the lips without mess. It goes on easily and smells quite nice. The scent is pretty fresh and clean, not a sweet scent or anything. I guess it is sort of medicinal, but not in a bad way. It's in no way unpleasant, and (along with the plain packaging) is very unisex, so guys would be comfortable using this too.

Right away, your lips feel moisturised and soothed. The lip balm feels immediately cooling, although it doesn't contain menthol, so it isn't too 'cold'. It doesn't add any sort of gloss or shine, and unless you over-do it, you can't tell you are wearing it.

However, unfortunately for me, the soothing effect was pretty short-term, and an hour later, I needed to apply it again as my lips felt dry. I was a little disappointed by this, as I thought it might give a few hours usage. It is something that is easily popped into a handbag, so it's not too much of an issue to reapply, but I've definately tried other lip balms that lasted longer than this.

I gave the balm a couple of weeks to see if it changed my mind, but it stayed pretty much the same. My lips are in slightly better condition, but I feel if I'd used another balm, they would be much more improved by now. 

I am not going to waste this balm and will keep it for a spare. I think it'll also come in handy when the weather is warmer and I don't need such a heavy duty lip salve. I would recommend it to people who don't have problem chapped lips, and maybe just need something a little moisturising. But for now, I am still on the hunt for another balm. If you have any suggestions, comment below!

6/10

Collins Chatsworth desk organiser

After writing some of my posts, I decided that I wanted somewhere to keep written reviews down, as well as somewhere to keep sheets of paper from companies who had sent samples to review. At first I thought about getting an a4 ringbinder, but after looking online, I decided a desk organiser may be a better way of having somewhere to put to-do's, as well as diary dates for bloggers events', and general notes really.

I didn't mind too much about the design of the desk organiser, as it is something I will generally be keeping at home, due to it being a bit heavy to bring everywhere with me, and too big to fit in my handbag (I use my personal organiser for on-the-go writing). However, I didn't want to be paying a crazy amount, so I avoided Filofax and started looking at some cheaper alternatives.

I came across the Collins chatsworth design- a plain black, non-leather organiser which had many different sections for dividing my written information into categories.

The collins chatsworth desk organiser comes with-

-Week on two page diary
-Notepaper
-Meetings paper
-To-do paper
-Finance paper
-Address/telephone numbers paper with a-z dividers.
- Plastic Credit/store card pocket
-A5 notepad in the back pocket

All the separate sections also come with their own dividers. I was pretty impressed with the amount of contents provided, as they also seemed to be better quality.

It has four credit card slots and one large full length pocket in the front cover, and a large full length pocket in the back which is specifically for a notebook (included with this organiser) The collins logo is imprinted onto the spine of the binder.


The design itself is a little plain, but it is functional, with tons of space.  It is made out of PU and is leather-look. It looks pretty tough and I doubt it would get dirty easily, so I wouldn't be too bothered throwing this in a oversized bag and taking it out with me if I needed to. There is also space for a ballpoint pen in the organiser.

I noticed that the binder rings on this organiser were slightly different to other a5/desk organisers I have tried. They were thicker, and seemed to be sturdier, with no gapping at all. There was also seven, which unfortuately makes it a little awkward to get inserts which will fit. The Collins' personal organiser inserts are interchangable with Filofax ones, but unfortunately the Collins desk organiser does not match up with Filofax's a5 inserts. Therefore, if you wanted to order more, you would have to seek out a stockist in a shop or online, which I have heard isn't that easy. I am also unsure if collins sell holepunches, so it may be a little difficult if you are interested in making your own page inserts.

Overall, I am pleased for what I got for the price I paid, and I know it looks professional and will come in handy for writing longer lists. I would recommend this to people who want somewhere to write information down, that looks a little better than a regular notepad or diary.

7/10

Collins Paris personal organiser

This will be the first of 2 reviews of Collins organisers. Stay tuned for my next review!

I got to a point in writing my blog where I wanted somewhere to keep a written copy of the important things for my blog, such as lists of products I needed to try, a checklist of reviews I had done and still needed to do, and space to write mini reviews and bullet points that I could use later.

I also wanted it to have plenty of pockets, and it to be of good quality while still being an affordable price.

I saw this organiser on Amazon UK, and after reading about what it included, decided to order it.

The collins paris organiser comes with
-Week on two page diary
-Notepaper
-Meetings paper
-To-do paper
-Finance paper
-Address/telephone numbers paper with a-z dividers.
- Plastic Credit/store card pocket

All the separate sections also come with their own dividers. I was pretty impressed with the amount of contents provided, as they also seemed to be better quality.

The binder has six credit card slots and 2 large pockets in the front cover, and a large notepad slot in the back cover (although the notepad is sold separately). There is also a pen loop, which fits a regular ballpoint pen.

The binder itself, which isn't leather, is a padded, fairly rigid PU material, and is in a cute, girly shade of blush pink. It's a little different from what I would normally go for, although I wanted something a bit different from the regular black colour. Due to the pale colour, I'm not sure if this would stain easily, so I would recommend you take care to ensure it doesn't get dirty.

The wide strap closure fastens with a magnetic popper, which seems of high quality too, and has the collins logo imprinted on the spine. The design very much reminds me of Filofax non-leather organisers, but seems sturdier somehow, and better quality.

The ring closure seems to be fine too, with no gapping. I have been put off buying personal organisers recently, due to nearly every one I buy having gaps in the rings. I know this isn't terrible, but if I am paying out £20-50 on a Filofax, I expect it to reach me in good condition. Fortunately, the Collins organiser was fine on arrival with no marks or ring damage.

Unfortunately this organiser doesn't come in any kind of packaging, apart from a paper label round the front cover, detailing the organiser and what is included inside. I much prefer when these kind of organisers come in cardboard boxes, especially the lighter-coloured ones, which really need storing properly rather than being left out on a dusty shelf or desk.

As it's a personal size ,  this organiser is a little too small for writing long reviews. but I know it will come in handy in writing short notes and lists and keeping important information to hand. Keeping the basics in something like this ensures that you have all your spare notes and bits of paper in one place so you don't lose any. It is ideal to keep in a handbag along with your smartphone, and is in ideal piece of kit, whether you are a college student, self employed, or need something to keep your social dates in.

This organiser is also available in pocket size (a great option for a wallet). It is also available in several different colours.


7.5/10

Treacle Moon- Warm Apple Pie Hugs bath and shower gel

Sometimes products I haven't heard much about before can really surprise me, and when I saw Treacle moon bath and shower gels in one of my local supermarkets, I decided to pick up a bottle, as a lot of the scents looked really appealing. I eventually decided to go for Apple pie hugs- as I am a fan of gourmand scents and I've begun to enjoy a lot of apple-scented cosmetics, ever since I tried Lush's So White shower gel.

I have noticed Treacle Moon bath and shower gels before, and I have always wondered if their packaging was a dupe of high-end brand Philosophy's shower gels. However, I am not really bothered about whether something is a dupe or not- if a product is good quality, a good price and works well for me, I will buy it, regardless of whether it was inspired by a higher end, more expensive product. This has been proven in reviews on products such as the Revolution redemption eye palette, which is a dupe of Urban Decay's Naked1 palette.

Anyhow, this bath and shower gel comes in a top flip-cap bottle, something I am not exceptionally keen on for products as it makes it near-impossible to get every last bit out, The cap also tends to snap and break when I open it, and unfortunately, this happened this time. I may have been too heavy-handed with it, so I'm not going to hold it against the overall product.

The shower gel itself is pale green in colour and smells amazing. Literally, this is one of the best scented shower gels I have tried. To be honest, for the price I expected a sweet, and slightly one dimensional apple aroma, but this shower gel really surprised me and has now become one of my favourite scented shower gels.

There is apple, sure, but it smells slightly tart and jammy- exactly like the apple pie filling, or the apple in a freshly baked crumble. There is also a great underlying note of buttery, rich sweetness, that is just like the pastry on a fresh apple pie. It's this note of the scent which makes it so unique for me.

Using it in the shower, it is medium-thickness in texture, which means you won't drop any. It lathers up extremely well, even without a shower puff or sponge, and creates a fluffy layer of bubbles that rinse off to make you feel very cleansed without your skin feeling taut, or dry. The scent elevates in the shower, without becoming too rich or cloying, and smells comforting and delicious.

The scent didn't linger on my skin, but I am not too bothered about this, as I feel that if it did stay on your skin for a long time, it would probably be the type of scent that would clash with body lotions or perfumes you may decide to use afterwards.

As you are probably aware by the name of the product, it is also recommended for use in the bath, however I haven't yet tried it as I don't tend to use bubble bath. I will definitely give it a go though and report back on the results.

According to the Treacle moon company, Warm apple pie hugs is unfortunately a limited edition product, however when I picked this up, there were tons of bottles of it left, and there was no information saying it was limited edition. I am hoping that the company have changed their minds, as this is going to be one of my regular purchases, and I recommend that anyone who enjoys sweet, and foodie scents gives this a go- you won't be disappointed.

I look forward to trying other scents in the range, and hope they work as well as this one did.

9.5/10

Jason and the Argan Oil solid shampoo bar

As I have previously mentioned in blog posts, I am in the process of trying to convert all my cosmetic products I use besides makeup to Lush ones. So far, the converting has been pretty easy, apart from a few certain products, Shampoo being one of them.

Lush invented solid shampoo bars as an ideal alternative to liquid shampoos for people who travel, as they weigh less, and provide up to 80 washes in a single bar. This also makes them great value for money, as a shampoo bar only costs £5.75.

There are many shampoo bars available in lush, ranging from ones which are designed specifically for dandruff and problem scalps, to those which claim to boost volume and soften hair. There is all sorts available for different hair types, so if you want to try one, I would recommend visiting a Lush store and having a look.

Jason and The Argan oil, is named after a movie titled Jason and the Argonaughts. Unfortunately, I have never watched this movie, however, I do think the name is certainly a good play on words and a creative idea from LUSH. This shampoo bar is laced with lots of argan oil and nourishing ingredients to cleanse drier hair, and is also recommended for those who have coloured their hair too.

My hair is on the dry-very dry spectrum, and is heavily dyed with semi-permanant blue hair dye. After using a couple of Lush's other shampoos, and being disappointed, I was hoping this one would live up to my expectations. 

Jason and the Argan oil is a beautiful design, sporting a bright-pink colour that definately screams LOOK AT ME! The design also somewhat reminds me of a macaron. The texture of this particular shampoo bar is a little crumbly, and this kind of makes me think it might not last as long as other bars in the range that seem more solid to touch.


This shampoo bar has a beautiful scent, sharing it's aroma with the Rose Jam family- of which there is a limited edition shower gel, as well as year-round favourites Rose jam bubbleroon and  Ro's argan body conditioner. The scent is floral, and whilst I don't normally pick up a floral scented product- as I favour the more candy-type scents -  I have to admit, the rose jam scent is the perfect aroma that crosses between floral and gourmand. The rose scent is prominent, but is dampened by an underlying lemon aroma, that makes the overall scent smell like popular candy, turkish delight. 

Unfortunately, the scent is not as strong and rich in the shampoo as it is in the bubble bar, and the smell doesn't really elevate in the shower at all, however you could smell it slightly, and I feel a really strongly-scented shampoo bar may induce headaches.

Using JATAO in my hair was very easy. You can either rub it in your hands to create a lather, or rub the bar straight on your head. The latter is what I decided to do, and it foamed up instantly, creating a medium-thickness lather that could be massaged into my roots and lengths.

As the lather didn't seem to be huge, I was a little concerned that my hair wouldn't seem clean, but I needn't have worried- it felt cleansed right after rinsing. Although my hair wasn't as tangly as when I used another Lush shampoo bar, it still felt dry and I needed my usual abundance of argan-oil conditioner to smooth through it afterwards. Unfortunately, this got rid of the slight rose-jam scent in my hair so I couldn't smell it afterwards.

The one disappointment to this shampoo is the claim of being good for coloured hair. When I used JATAO, unfortunately a little bit of my hair dye did come out. Unfortunately, I find this to be a constant issue with LUSH shampoos, even Lush's Blousey shampoo, which is specially marketed for coloured hair.  I tend to use cheaper drugstore shampoos, which don't let my colour leak, so I find it strange that higher-end products from Lush seem to strip my hair colour quicker.  

After I combed out and dried my hair, it did feel surprisingly soft, however I am unsure if this is due to the fact I topped up with conditioner  and hair oil as well. I am definately more fond of this shampoo bar than I am of the Honey, I washed my hair shampoo bar from Lush, but I feel it is more suited towards normal-slightly dry hair, rather than my dry-very dry hair.

I will keep this shampoo bar and continue using it sometimes, as I feel it will come in handy for travel usage and using now and again when my hair is not so dry. It also smells beautiful and, surprisingly, is nice to keep in my room as an air-freshener. However, it will not be one I will use every day as I do have my regular drugstore favourites that I feel work with my hair a lot better.

Have you tried a solid shampoo bar from Lush? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

7/10