Bath and Unwind Haul

Bath and Unwind is a UK-based online store that sells a delightful selection of skincare and makeup items.  Having only stumbled across the site a couple of weeks ago Lady Cavanagh was very excited when her first order arrived this week!

Here's what I got:
(Note: I've left the prices in GBP (£) as that's what they appear in on the site before you select your currency)


Badger Balm (0.75oz) - Sleep Balm (£3.99)
Apply it the the temples and wrists just before you go to sleep.  You can apply this under your nose too but I tried this on my boyfriend and he dissolved into a sneezing fit(?!).  I read somewhere online that you remember your dreams better when you use this - this was definitely the case for me - very odd!
The scent is a natural-type one; a mix of lavender and bergamot with neither being too overpowering.  Maybe it was partly a placebo effect but this really is very relaxing and helped me go to sleep more quickly than I usually would.


Badger Balm (0.75oz) -  Hardworking Hands (£3.99)
Not a hugely appealing scent - quite 'medicinal' not that this is too much of a bad thing, it makes the product really feel like its 'doing something' rather than just making your hands smell nice.  I used this on some blisters on my hands and it absorbed really nicely and seemed to help them heal faster.  I think this would also work well on blisters on your feel also.


Korres Soft Eyeliner - Black (£8)
Got one of these from Sephora when I was in New York a couple of years ago.  You can get them in Australia from Kit Cosmetics but they're AU$30 each which is insane as they're only AU$11 from Bath and Unwind!  They have a very creamy finish which means they're very easy to apply to the waterline.  Unfortunately it means they can smudge easily too so if you're inclined to rub your eyes these probably aren't for you!


Nougat London Nurturing Hand Cream (200ml) - Fig and Pink Cedar (£16)
I came across this brand last year and love it! Its available in Australia from the department store David Jones but Lady Cavanagh would definitely recommend getting it online as it's less than half the price! Fig & Pink Ceder is a gorgeous scent that is feminine without being too sweet.  This hand cream is quite rich to apply but sinks beautifully into the skin, leaving you with soft hands for hours.


Nougat London Shea Body Butter (250ml) - Fig and Pink Ceder (£15)
Same scent as the hand cream, the finish is a bit lighter so it works better for use on the rest of your body.  The bottle is lovely too and definitely worth keeping on display.


Scottish Fine Soaps Highland Aromatics Woolly Bather Bag Set (£14.36)
Lady Cavanagh just had to hear the words 'Scottish' and she was mostly sold on this already!  This set includes everything you need for a relaxing bath - body wash, shampoo, bath melts and a lovely chunk of milk coloured soap that smells very 'clean'.  It also includes some moisturiser and comes in a cute woolly bag that looks like it'd be good for a small hot water bottle.  It all smells divine and would be perfect for a cosy bath on a winter's evening.


Steamcream (75g) - Lucy in the Sky (£10.50)
Ok, I'll admit I was suckered in by the packaging on this and was kinda hoping the product itself would be good...thankfully it was! Steamcream is apparently so-called because they use steam to bind the ingredients together rather than chemicals which most mosturisers use.  The result is a light almost lavender scented cream that's recommended for use on the face, hands and body.  Lady Cavanagh wanted it as a moisturiser to use overnight; I was worried it'd make me break out no issues there thankfully.  It comes in limited edition tins that come in many different designs; perfect for storing trinkets in after you've finished the product too.



About the site
Bath and Unwind is a great site for international shoppers as it gives you the price of everything in your own currency and gives real-time shipping quotes as you add items to your basket.  This mightn't sound like much to a US or UK based shopper, but when you're in Australia it can be really frustrating to find something at a good price only to have any saving eaten away by shipping costs you don't find out about til later!  Shipping is also free if you spend a certain amount (at the moment it's AU$102) which isn't too hard to do!  They also have a loyalty scheme whereby you get a voucher for use next time depending on the value of your order. (Why do all my posts end up sounding like a commercial for these sites?!)

Shipping time to Australia was really good too - the site recommends 5-10 working days and my order definitely arrived in that time.

Sunday Manicure

Still feel as though I'm stuck on the whole 'ring finger manicure' trend...This week both polishes are from NYX Girls.  I've got 'Sea of Cortez' on all the my nails except for 'Heather' on my ring finger.

'Sea of Cortez' It reminds me of a mermaid's tail and is a great summer colour.  As with most of the NYX polishes I've tried, it doesn't look too good after one coat but then seems to right itself and gain a nice opacity after 2 coats.  The brush on NYX polishes is also thin (like China Glaze's) making it easy to touch up sots you might've missed on the first layer's application.

Mini Mecca Haul and Makeup application

Mecca Cosmetica is the Sephora of Australia...well as close as we get here.  A lot of the brands are the same but the high price on everything means that it's not really viable to shop there compared to online.  There does however seem to be one exception to this - makeup application.  Lady Cavanagh was a bridesmaid in a wedding last weekend and so she and the bride to be headed in to get their makeup done on the big day.  The makeup application costs $90 which is fully redeemable for product, making it a great deal and pretty much the only time Lady Cavanagh would shop at Mecca!

We went in a couple of weeks before the wedding for a trial for the bride.  They created a look for her and then a face chart so the makeup could be recreated easily on the actual day.  They spend about 45min-1hr doing your makeup and its very much in consultation with you - i.e. you tell the makeup artist what kind of look you're after and they'll create it; modifying it as you go e.g. if you want to intensify colours or increase the coverage of the foundation.  The makeup artist we had was able to talk us through what she was doing too, giving little tips about how to create that particular look at home as well as which products would suit our skin types.  After the application you're free to spend the $90 booking fee on whatever you like in the store, you're not just limited to the products they've used on you on the day.

Mecca has a number of stores across Australia, mostly in shopping centres.  The one we went to was a stand-alone store which made it feel more like a 'proper' makeup application, not like we were just sitting in the middle of a store while other shoppers hovered around.

Right... so onto what Lady Cavanagh bought.

Nars Bronzer - Laguna: I've been after this for ages.  Its a soft, warm toned brown with a bit of a sheen. Great for contouring and certainly not so dark that it couldn't be worn in the winter months also.  It gives a healthy glow without too much shine and is fine for people with even the lightest skin-tones.



Stila Smudge pot - Kitten: Another 'cult' product that seems to pop up in beauty blogs all the time.  Its consistency is like a Mac paint pot or a Benefit Creaseless cream shadow.  Colour wise its a slightly pinkish champagne tone that's very shimmery, without being glittery.  Lady Cavanagh has tried it with and without a primer and while without it will last the whole day, with a primer its definitely there to stay!  Looks great on its own for a more natural look or can be worn as a base of other shadows that will give the colour a real pop.

Stila Blush Palette - Love at first blush: A new shimmery blush from Stila, there are 3 separate colours that can be worn alone or swirled together to create a lovely soft 'fairy' pink that definitely conjures up images of Valentine's day.

The items I bought added up to more than the $90 booking fee but considering the makeup application was technically free it was well worth it.  Lady Cavanagh would definitely recommend heading to Mecca if you're looking to get your makeup done for a special event - its a great excise to buy more makeup too!

Sunday Manicure

Phew - the weekly update on what Lady Cavanagh is doing with her nails is back!

Purple is my favourite colour and when dong my nails I couldn't choose just one - so i went for two.  The main colour is OPI's "Do you lilac it?" which is a matte lavender.  On my ring finger is China Glaze's "Coconut kiss", a deep shimmery purple.  I've had fairly plain nails for the past few weeks so it feels great to get back into some colour!

NYX Powder Blushes

Lady Cavanagh first got into NYX blushes about a year ago and hasn't looked back since!  In terms of size, you get 5.2g (0.18oz) of product.  By comparison, Mac blushes have 6g (0.21oz) and Nars have 4.5g (0.16oz).

The consistency is quite powdery so it works better if you tap rather swirl your brush in them when you pick up colour. Swirling tends to unsettle the powder and you ended up wasting product as it falls all over the container.

The colour rage of NYX powder blushes is huge.  When picking one (or several) that are right for you I think it comes down to choosing colour/s that you're really going to enjoy putting on your face.  Don't feel put off if you've already got a ruddy complexion and think a blush will make you look like a clown - blushes can work on anybody!


Natural (07) - if you have light skin this is a very easy 'go to' colour - you can put on some with bronzer for more of a make-up free look or layer it up for more a flushed look.   'Natural' has been compared to Benefit's 'Throbb' which is a failry accurate comparison, although 'Throbb' is more of a baby pink.  Matches nicely with NYX cream blush in 'Natural'.

(Top row): Natural and Pinched.
(Bottom row): Peach and Pinky

Peach  (06) - More of a pink that a 'peach' tone when you look at it in the pan.  When you blend it out on your cheeks it warms up a bit and looks great when layered. Natural and Peach look very similar in the pan but quite different when on your face.


Pinched (25) - Has been called a dupe of Nars' Orgasm which is does a bit when in the pan but it doesn't have as much gold in it.

(L-R): 05 - Pinky, 06 - Peach, 07 - Natural, 25 - Pinched

Pinky (05) - Can look a bit scary in the pan but if applied sparingly and blended out it can look gorgeous.  Perfect for nights out or days at work when you want to look a bit more 'made-up'.  Pair with NYX cream blush in 'Hot Pink' for a look that really pops!

NYX Cream Blushes

As mentioned in other posts - when it comes to NYX products, its hard to stop at just one...NYX's cream blushes are no exception.

The blushes themselves are a great place to start if you've never used a cream blush before.  "And why's that?" I hear you ask...well even if you didn't ask I'm going to tell you!
Low price point:  The blushes cost around US$6 from cherry culture - even cheaper when they're having a sale.  A cheap price is good cos if you're not loving it then you haven't wasted your money (but you should love these!).  They can be bought in drugstores in the US but aren't available in stores in Australia.
Wide variety of colours: Lots of pinks, from natural through to bold as well as some peaches, oranges and bronze toned ones; something for everyone.
Lots of product: Each pot comes with 3.5g (0.12oz) so you  can play around with it at home until you're practiced in the right amount of blush to use.  Lots of product also means you don't need to worry about 'saving it' for special occasions.

Like all cream blushes they can be worn alone or as a base for powder blushes.  Some say that cream blushes should be worn with liquid foundation and powder blushes with powder/mineral foundation but in my experience, as long as you're careful when blending that either can be worn with either.

Swatched with my finger (L-R): Rose Petal, Natural,
Hot Pink, Golden, Tickled

NYX cream blushes are quite pigmented, especially the bolder colours so be careful when you're applying them.  Like all blushes, start light and build up until you reach your desired level of colour.  You can apply them with your fingers or a brush - if using your hands try swirling your middle finger in the centre of the pot and then gently patting the colour onto the apples of your cheek. Generally 1-2 'swirls' per cheek will give you enough colour for everyday wear.

As already mentioned these blushes work great as a base for power blushes. If you apply the blush as above and then dust on some powder blush it will 'set' your blush the same way a primer works on your eyes so the powder blush will last much longer.  Just be sure to use less of your powder blush than usual or you'll end up looking very flushed!

One downside to these blushes is that they tend to be quite soft - not good if you live somewhere very hot - and if stray bristles from brushes land on them it can be hard to get them out without digging into the product.

Onto the colours that Lady Cavanagh bought...

Note: I've blended them out in a way that you'd wear them for everyday wear - i.e. quite well blended.  You can of course all more colour to build to your desired intensity.

Rose Petal (01): Looks very similar to 'Natural' when in the pan but quite different when blended out on your cheeks, especially when layered.  This a very 'dainty' colour - delightful to wear either to work or high tea!

Natural (02): I mainly wanted this cos I'm such a fan of the 'Natural' powder blush, also from NYX.  The two blushes (powder and cream) look great when worn together. If you have a pale complexion like me this really does give a very 'natural flush' to the cheeks.  Perfect for when you want to wear more bold eye makeup.

Hot Pink (08): Looks scary in the pan but as you can see in the blended image it comes out as a lovely rosy glow that can be increased in intensity for a more dramatic night-time look. 

Golden (10): Looks great when worn alone when you have a bit of a tan. Really warms up the face nicely without looking like you're wearing any makeup. 

Tickled (13): Gorgeous peachy coral with gold shimmers in it. This is my favourite NYX cream blush - it looks great alone but also works well as a base for a peach or pink toned blush.  Right now I'm really enjoying pairing this with Milani's 'Luminoso' baked powder blush.  For a look that really pops try with with Nars' 'Orgasm'.

Overall: Great price, lots of product and super blendable, NYX cream blushes are very true to colour so what you see in the pan is what you get on your face.  Enjoy!