A Mini Lush Haul
28 August 2017
If you follow me on Instagram (@rderbyshire93) then you'll have seen that recently, I've decided to go a little more natural with my skincare. Working a busy 9-5 and generally living my life as a 24 year old in London has taken it's toll on my skin - it's been congested, tired, sensitive and reacting to everything I've been trying.
When my skin gets like this, I often find that the best thing to do is take it back a notch, and stop overloading my skin with products. So, when I was tired and grumpy the other night (struggling to keep my eyes open past 7pm), I placed a mini Lush order to cheer myself up...and then completely forgot about it until I had a delivery man knock on my door.
So, what did I order?
The Comforter Bubble Bar
The Comforter is an old favourite of mine, and whenever I place a Lush order I pop another one in my basket. There's just something so comforting about it...clue's in the name! Lush say The Comforter is for those times when you just need to shut yourself off from the outside world (I've been having those feelings a lot lately) and bury yourself in a fruity foam that will put you back in the right frame of mind. This bubble bar will fill your tub with bright pink bubbles and give off the most beautiful scent - Cassis absolute for a lovely berry scent, and bergamot to add an uplifting scent.
Ocean Salt Face & Body Scrub
This is a product thats been on my wish list for years, but I've always been a little worried about it, as I do have quite sensitive skin and have heard that the salt in this scrub can be a little harsh. However, I was quite clearly feeling a little free with my funds when I placed this order so just went for it. I opted for the alcohol free version of the scrub in the hope that it'd be a little gentler on my skin, and the self-preserving option as I can never quite manage to finish the little tubs in time.
This salty scrub contains sea salt to exfoliate, mixed with avocado butter, coconut oil and seaweed to keep your skin silky soft. Whats better, sea salt is known for it's antibacterial properties, so it's likely to help keep spots at bay too. The scrub is quite harsh though, so I would recommend going a little gentler with it if you're worried - scrub too hard and you'll be left with a red face!
Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask
I've been a fan of the Lush Fresh Face Masks for years now, they take me back to the days of girly sleepovers with face masks and cucumbers on our eyes! I normally opt for Catastrophie Cosmetic, but this time decided I needed something stronger to tackle my congested skin.
Created to tackle troublesome spots, Cosmetic Warrior contains antibacterial tea tree and fresh garlic to cleanse the skin, fresh green grapes to cool the skin, and free range eggs and honey to tighten and moisturise the skin. I've used this a handfull of times now, and can definitely say that it works...my skin is 10 times clearer since using this, after the initial 'bringing everything to the surface' phase. The reviews are right though, it does smell funky (as you'd imagine with that list of ingredients!) but it's nothing that I couldn't handle and I don't have the strongest stomach in the world.
9 to 5 Cleanser
Lush describe this cleanser as good for 'cleansing on the go'...and although I'm not sure I've ever needed to cleanse on the go, it is perfect for the end of a long day. 9 to 5 contains almond oil and dove orchid essence, along with a whole host of other floral essential oils, to cleanse and sooth the skin, leaving your skin feeling fresh and silky soft to touch.
It's a light cleansing milk, so I find that it doesn't irritate my skin like a lot of foam cleansers...quite the opposite, when I use this my skin feels completely relaxed and refreshed, perfect for jumping straight into bed after a long day. My only regret is that I didn't buy a larger size!
Bunny Moon Jelly Face Mask
If I'm honest, I only bought this as I was keen to try out their new jelly face masks, and compare them to my favourite fresh face masks...and it had bunny in the name 🙊. The jelly concept is an interesting one, and takes a little getting used to - you have to break off a part of the mask and then rub it together to create a paste before applying it to your skin. It's not my favourite formula as it can be quite messy, and also quite difficult to get an even spread of product, but something I'm willing to work with.
Bunny Moon has a blend of honey which acts an an antiseptic, rose oil to help sooth and balance, and camomile and marigold to calm the skin. The mask also contains a dash of vanilla and benzoin resioid to give it a lovely comforting feel.
Unfortunately, whilst this face mask was okay...it was just okay. Nothing to write home about, and definitely not a replacement for the fresh face masks. It didn't perform any miracles on my skin, and I feel like the 'jelly' concept is a bit of a novelty.
What are your favourite Lush products? I'm fully back on the Lush bandwagon (just in time for their winter collections!) and would love to stock up on some more fan favourites!
xo Becky
Aussie Sunday Brunch at Timmy Green 🌿
13 August 2017
Sunday brunch has become somewhat of a tradition for me and my friends, whether we're venturing across London to try the latest spot we've all seen on Instagram, or curing our hangovers in our local Wetherspoons (you can call that brunch, right?!).
Last Sunday we decided to branch out and visit Timmy Green in Victoria. Victoria isn't an area I've really visited, which is odd because it's so close to my house, so it was lovely to check out the local area in the sunshine, admittedly while dodging tourists left, right and centre as we got closer to Buckingham Palace.
Timmy Green is part of the 'Daisy Green Collection', a group of restaurants and bars across London, all inspired by their Australian heritage. Timmy Green was named after their founder Prue Freeman's late brother, a true Australian cowboy, whose legacy inspires so much of the menu - so you can expect to see lots of prime grass fed meats, small plates and of course, their famous Aussie brunch.
Located in Nova, Victoria's newest development, Timmy Green is just steps away from Victoria Station (perfect for that post-brunch food coma!) and a short walk away from Buckingham Palace and it's surrounding parks. Set over two floors, Timmy Green seats around 150, so although they don't accept brunch reservations, you won't be waiting long...in fact, we didn't wait at all, and that was at peak time on a Sunday morning.
The interiors were what drew me in at first, the space is light and airy, and the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. The atmosphere was calm, and we were never rushed (even when paying the bill), which made it the perfect place for a long overdue catch up and of course, some good food.
We started off with some coffee and drinks from their extensive drinks menu...I was tempted by a cocktail but it was pre midday so decided a smoothie would be a more acceptable option! I opted for the 'Go Bananas', a concoction of banana (obvs), fat free frozen yoghurt, low fat milk, agave, banana chips and bee pollen whist my friend went for the 'Green Detox Juice' with freshly squeezed cucumber, spinach, celery and apple - uncharacteristically healthy for the both of us...you can tell a summer of socialising is starting to catch up!
The drinks came beautifully presented and were seriously delicious, the perfect start to our Sunday morning. After drinks, we made a start on the extensive brunch menu, and in an effort to deviate away from my usual avo toast (although their avo on charcoal did look seriously good - serious food envy when the man next to me ordered it!), I went for the coconut bread french toast with thick greek yoghurt, fresh and freeze dried raspberries, mango, shaved coconut, 10.8 bee pollen, and pure Vermont maple. Although it was a change for me, and anyone who knows me knows I'm one of those people who always orders the same thing, I was not disappointed. Apart from the dish being the prettiest thing I think I've ever eaten, it was so tasty (and gluten free too!), I savoured every last bite and would have definitely gone back for seconds!
My friend ordered the buttermilk blueberry pancakes with fresh blueberries, mascarpone, pure Vermont maple and and maple bacon - as you can see, we both had a touch of the sweet tooth that morning. They looked amazing, and after trying a bite, I can confirm that they were amazing...the food envy was back with a vengeance.
After we'd suitably stuffed ourselves, we paid and headed out into Victoria to enjoy the sunshine and walk off our food. We took a stroll past Buckingham Palace and played tourist, and then through St James's Park to see the swans and bask in the sunshine - the perfect end to a lovely brunch!
If you're looking for a new brunch spot, that's not hideously overcrowded or demands a ridiculous wait to be seated, then look no further than Timmy Green - I'll definitely be visiting again!
xo Becky
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