Imperfect Imposter

"I relax my grip and I roll my wrists. Shake loose, I'm like new."

I do apologise that I haven't blogged in a few months. This year, this very long, strenuous year has been the hardest, challenging year I've had to deal with. I try to suppress emotion the best I can because I feel like it's the best way to deal with things. Either that or make it into a joke to lighten any situation I tend to talk about in detail. I have realised in these past few weeks, the importance to talk to loved ones about barricaded emotions that have been held back or silenced in a dark place for such a long time. Talking about mental health and things that may scare you are never something to be afraid of. I feel like guilt, pain and dark thoughts are something to hide away from but for once I'm more open to letting people listen. That may be why I feel such a weight off of my shoulders. 

I am in a strange place right now. A place I haven't been accustomed to in a very long time. I almost feel free which is something I never thought I'd have the pleasure to know. Right now, I'm happy, really happy. I have jobs that I love, friends that have been supportive and caring no matter how far away they may be, I have gained new friends from travelling and visiting new cities and gigs and festivals I've been too. I'm looking forward to the future instead of dreading the present. It's nice to wake up and not feel a force holding you down and draining the energy from deep inside. I can breathe.
I'm trying to be incredibly optimistic which seems a little impossible at times but I'm working on it. 

This post may seem more like a diary entry I guess, I just have a very strange way of thanking everyone who has hugged me when I'm low, welcomed me with open arms and sang Vengaboys with me at midnight in the cold. 

Happy new year.
I finally want to be around to enjoy it.

Today I'm going to be talking about the Man in the Moon bubble bar. Why you may ask? It is because, not only has it been very controversial in which scent it is but because it is so unique and covered in gold lustre!
Now I know what you are all thinking and yes, it is indeed Calacas scented. It has such beautiful warm lime aromas incased in gorgeous softening cocoa butter.


I didn't really know where the inspiration for this bubble bar came from until I researched and found that it seems to be based on a French silent film from 1902 called 'Le Voyage Dans La Lune'. It looks so creepy but I assume that the strong resemblance isn't just coincidental. I also assume that the reason they chose this iconic image to turn into a bubble bar was because Georges Méliès also directed short film The Christmas Dream and was sticking his theme and thus interpreting it into the Christmas range. However he does strangely remind me of The Moon from The Mighty Boosh.

The Calacas scent is known to be involved in a lot of the Halloween products such as Monster's Ball bath bomb, Calavera bath bomb and Skullduggery bath bomb which I think fits well of the somewhat off-putting moon that will probably give me nightmares for a week.
 It's beautiful neon yellow glitter glow is perfect for Autumn nights. Team this wonderful bubble bar with Monster's Ball bath bomb this year as I personally do not think that it fits well with the Christmas scents and should have been advertised with the Halloween set. BUT definitely embrace this wonderful scent whilst it's in your local Lush. Calacas is one of the best Lush scents out there and it needs to be enjoyed by all!

The tin as seen above retails at £44.95 and the bubble bar alone is £5.95 but fear not, he is a very big bubble bar. In comparison with the comforter bubble bar it is twice the size. Cut into many chunks and enjoy throughout the cold seasons!
(I only used a very small portion and I haven't had as many bubbles since using Ladybird!

Rating 5/5

I had an absolutely wonderful time visiting the Lush Oxford Street store yesterday and getting to see all of the wonderful new Christmas range in store before it's out in all the regular Lush stores on October 6th. I got to make my favourite bath bomb (Shoot for the stars) and also the Candy Mountain bubble bar plus smell all the amazing new perfumes that are soon to be released. Whilst there are many new bubble bars in the Christmas range, I somehow find it odd that there seems to be a lot less in the way of bath bombs in this years range. For those like myself who had already tried the Snow Fairy jelly bomb through the Lush Kitchen in early August and the previous Christmas bath bombs from 2016, you will find that the product I'm reviewing is one of the only news additions besides Christmas Sweater and Sherbet Dip.
However, do not be disappointed as the bath bombs that have returned are wonderful and I fully recommend Shoot for the Stars (Honey I washed the Kids scent) and Luxury Lush Pud (if you are a fan of twilight!)

Thundersnow was first available at the Lush Summit back in February and what I perfect time to release it to the world just in time for Christmas!
Now, this product is absolutely beautiful from start to finish. It smells like a mint hot chocolate and Lord of Misrule had a love child. To me this product kind of looks like world piece but in no way does it smell the same. Thundersnow isn't glittery, it doesn't even need it in my opinion (and I always love a glitter filled bath) but this bath bomb is so relaxing and the colours are gorgeous. It's perfect before a good nights sleep.


The name Thundersnow I assume gets it's name from the hidden popping candy inside. When released into the bath, it sounds like hail and heavy rain on a window and for someone who loves being wrapped up warm in bed listening to heavy downpours, this is blissful. It creates a wonderful turquoise blue water with a light green foam and it whizzes around the bath so quickly but it isn't surprisingly a fast fizzer and took around 7 minutes to fully dissolve.

The colours remind me of a less extravagant Intergalactic and is completely enchanting. The scent, I feel is like nothing Lush have released before and is perfect for a cold winters night and I hope this product returns for years to come. (It's something to take my mind off of the fact that So White isn't returning).

Rating: 4.5/5

"You say goodbye, I say hello!"



SO as you may or not know, lush are saying goodbye to many products this year. One is my absolute favourite shower gel from the normal range which has absolutely broken me but a few of the products I'm happy to see the back of.


























Now, a few of the products I absolutely love so I am devastated. Fizzbanger, Lava Lamp, Blackberry bath bomb, Comforter shower gel, Strawberry Feels Forever massage bar and Miranda soap are products I have enjoyed for many years and suggest stocking up on before they become super expensive on the Lush Kitchen. I am also very disappointed with Lush for getting rid of over 30 products to make room for only 16 new ones. Oral Pleasure toothy tabs were my go to before I discovered Boom! and the Miranda soap has been a popular soap choice in my family for years. Although Lush have got rid of products in the past (RIP Yoga Bomb, Sweetie Pie shower jelly and Space Girl), I can't help but think this is a little too extreme. I've never been a huge fan of the shower jellies that lush now have in their shops and I absolutely despise 93,000 miles but to not introduce any new ones to replace them; in my opinion will make the store feel a little less varied.

However, Lush do have new products releasing this Friday which I am super excited about, one of which will hopefully mend my broken heart from lack of The Comforter shower gel.

From left to right we have;

•  The Big Sleep: a lavender infused jelly bomb.

•  Dark Arts: A Harry Potter inspired jelly bomb; Lush's first black bath bomb with a pink jelly twist with a cinnamon and almond scent.

•  Bunny Moon: Jelly face mask "When you want soft and strokable skin, this bunny is the one for you. Honey is antiseptic and moisturising, rose oil helps to soothe and balance while chamomile and marigold infusion calm the skin. A dash of gentle, cosy vanilla and benzoin resioid helps you feel comforted. You'll be a happy bunny with calm and clear skin."

•  1000 Millihelens: Jelly face mask "Get back the skin you myth'd with enzymic and brightening fresh apple juice and toning green tea. Witch hazel plays no tricks with its antibacterial and astringent gifts. Sicilian lemon and Brazilian orange oils help to brighten the skin while neroli oil gets to work at brightening the mood. If you fancy swanning around with firmer skin give this a try." (Since Lush uploaded this photo, the colour has since been changed to green.)

• Green coconut: A tropical beach jelly bomb with coconut and cinnamon infusions. I personally think this will smell like the Big Calm shower jelly but we'll see!

• Marmalade: A Paddington Bear inspired jelly bomb with orange and grapefruit scents. I hate the smell and taste of marmalade but I love Paddington and usually Lush citrus scents are gorgeous!

• Birth of Venus: Jelly face mask "When you want to feel born again, use this skin balancing masterpiece. Fresh sea water tones and refreshes skin, lavender oil calms and rose absolute soothes and balances. Carageenan seaweed gel is intensely softening and will leave skin irresistibly soft."

• Fomo: The fear of missing out Jelly face mask "There will be no fear of missing out on great skin with this little beauty. Gentle calamine powder calms and soothes while rose absolute balances for enviably clear skin. A touch of bright neroli evens skin tone and will have you feeling fine in no time."

• Just to Clarify: Jelly face mask "Let's get things cleared up: Enzymic papaya juice brightens. Bamboo stem exfoliates. Grapefruit and bergamot oils lift the mood. Fresh orange juice perks you up.

Trying to remain calm is pretty hard recently and I haven't really had a chance to fully think about anything. First things first is that I've been feeling pretty low about not being able to get out of my hometown as much as I did last year. This time last year, I'd been to so many gigs and met so many great and lovely people. However, things are finally picking up. I managed to get tickets to meet my all time favourite make-up artist Jeffree Star along with MannyMUA for their UK meet and greet! They were in Manchester today and it looked insane so I'm so excited. Secondly, I am going to see one of my favourite bands next month and finally all of my favourite artists are releasing music and touring which I am so excited for. I'm going to be seeing Paramore in Manchester and I couldn't be happier!

However I wanted this blog to be about the shows I've been currently watching. For someone who barely watches series unless they are on Cartoon Network, Sky Atlantic or contain drag queens, I'm actually trying out Netflix series. I started watching 13 Reasons Why, mainly because I had read the book back in 2013 and absolutely loved it and wanted to give the show a watch. For many of you following the hype on social media, it really is THAT GOOD! The characters are given more of a backstory compared to the book and they did such an amazing job and I was so pleased that they didn't wreck the story I loved. 13 Reasons Why (for those who haven't watched) is about a girl called Hannah, a high-school student who decides to take her own life. But before she does, she records seven tapes, each with two sides because 'every story has them'. Clay (the main character) discovers these tapes in a box outside his front door and is told to listen to them and pass them onto the next person on the list. He soon becomes obsessed with finding out where his name features on the tapes and what drove her to kill herself.
I fully recommend this series and I love all the recognition this story is finally getting!

Another thing I wanted to mention is that my favourite TV series ended this week. If you haven't watched Girls, it's basically about a group of millenials trying to get by in New York including a hell of a lot of sex scenes, breaking up with boyfriends and bitching (I promise it's better than it sounds). I have read many bad reviews for the season finale for letting such a great series have such a plain and boring ending which I however disagree to and I love Lena for being very real about the end of the show and the start of her character Hannah's life as a single mum.



It's been a very strange month full of ups and many downs, so I thought I'd keep it lighthearted. When I picked up my laptop ready to write a new post, I had so many things to say and now I'm here writing, I can't even put my feelings into words but maybe thats because I'm listening to the new Paramore song on repeat on max volume. But I will say this. I'm extremely grateful for the friends I have had around this past month for making a very difficult month easier for me.

One reason I love this company is because it's not afraid to stand up for things and making news heard. I personally had never heard of Andy Tsege and was told his story by one of the lovely Lush assistants.

Andy Tsege is a man currently on death row in Ethiopia who is denied access to a lawyer or speaking to his family, who currently live in London. Andy Tsege was a vocal critic of Ethiopia's repressive ruling party and is now facing his 1000th day of illegal detention. A organisation called Reprieve help people who suffer human rights abuse and are teaming with Lush Cosmetics to gain 50,000 signatures to help bring attention to the British Government in order for his safe return. All proceeds from this bath bomb are also going to support Reprieve and all the wonderful work it does. 

The bath bomb itself is absolutely gorgeous. It's scent is very similar to that of 'The Smell of Freedom' Lush perfume. It's a beautiful orange coloured ballistic and the scent lingers on your skin afterwards. The ingredients contain neroli oil, jasmine absolute, lemongrass oil and orris oil and to me smells very floral on skin but also of cinnamon in the bath, which is the only way I can describe this very individual scent.



It was an extremely fast fizzer and I also paired it with the Snowie bubble bar as I think the scents of the two are extremely well paired. I personally really loved this bath bomb and it supports a really important cause. Head down to your local Lush store and enquire about more information and sign the petition!

Price: £3.95
Rating: 4.4/5

Since the first moment I saw this bath bomb at Lush's Creative Showcase event in London, I was very excited to try it out. It sold out almost immediately on the Lush Kitchen back in September and I was very disappointed. However, a little under two weeks ago, it appeared again, not only on the kitchen but now as a permanent member of the Lush Oxford Street collection.

I have been very excited to try this product out as it's gathered so much attention on social media for it being 'Lush's first black bath bomb' and 'The goth bath bomb of your dreams'. For those who are unaware, an awesome small company called Bella Muerte Clothing created a range of bath bombs called Hex Bombs and gained a lot of publicity after their 'black as your soul' bath bomb went viral. (You can buy them here!) So obviously I was ecstatic when I got my lush order through the post.



Before I continue with the review, this is how the bath bomb left the water. Now, I had added the new Mother's Day 'Bar Bar bubble bar' before hand but the colour of the bath water didn't change drastically so it left Metamorphosis to completely turn my bath water into something from a horror film. Or so I thought. It was half what I was expecting to be completely honest considering the bath bomb itself is a light grey colour with glitter attached to every jagged edge.

The smell of it is very peppery and when it arrived in the post, it had no packaging over it like the rest of them do, so I was unaware of the ingredients which again irritated me as I am very allergic to Lord of Misrule and whatever is in Metamorphosis is very similar. However, the product isn't all that bad, the colours are absolutely phenomenal and the smell is very earthy and similar to products like Rainbow Worrier and Guardians of the Forest.


If we take away all of the false perceptions I had about Metamorphosis and just focused on the product without any of the hype surrounding it. It is a very good bath bomb. There are better out there but if you are in London, pick one up from the Oxford Street store. It's also available here (I'm not sure how long it'll be there for). The scent also lingers on your skin which is rare and you can still smell the peppery fragrance around the bathroom afterwards.

Overall, I wasn't completely disappointed with this product but I don't think I would personally re-purchase.

Rating: 3.4/5

As soon as I heard that this would be Studio Ghibli's last film, I immediately rushed to check out the trailer which sadly wasn't an english dub, however the wonderful song they used in it was. The lyrics are beautiful and are summarised perfectly with the film itself. 'I never had that many friends growing up, so I learned to be okay with just me' hits you like a ton of bricks just like the opening lines from Anna herself "There is a magical circle in this world that no one can see. Those girls are in the circle, and then there’s me, on the outside. But I don’t care about any of that. I hate myself" as she sits on a bench, sketching alone.

Today marks the 1st birthday of my blog which is absolutely crazy. I remember sitting at home last year whilst my friend was shouting at me down the phone and sending me many screen shots of how to start up a blog page. I quickly learned about coding and how my English GCSE was finally being put to good use.

I feel like I've not really used this blog to the best of my advantage. I have many thoughts scattering around my brain that I just can't seem to put into words on a page. I have so many things to review which I am going to start very soon. Last year was absolutely filled to the brim with adventure, from starting my dream job to meeting my idol. But with the greatness also came sadness and without dwelling on the past, my new years resolution is to remain focused on positives and with plenty more time on my hands I feel like I can really concentrate on what's important now. I am in such a good place as I write this which I know is something I wasn't when I first started this blog and I'm so proud of myself for once.

I also need to add to my bucket list as I'm pretty sure yesterday checked off a good 80% of it. Seeing Beyonce live at Wembley, meeting Brendon Urie, finally seeing Deftones live, getting absolutely drenched at Download surrounded by my best friends and being chosen for the Lush Christmas launch definitely made 2016 for me.

Happy birthday Imperfect Imposter, here's to another year of listening to Blurryface on repeat whilst trying to concentrate on putting words together. Some things never change.

+ A very big thank you to Paris, you won't get this very often.

I sit here after taking a rather strange walk home from work this morning. It was the first time in a very long time that I wasn't on my phone or checking my surroundings. I hadn't walked in the rain for a while and the smell of the air seemed somewhat comforting to me. I walked through the park and gazed at the trees and saw winter for the first time and then it hit me. I have been so down with everything seeming very sudden and fast paced that I hadn't even noticed that autumn had been. There were no beautiful leaves on the trees, they had become bare and I that I'd been too focused on everything that I had missed my favourite time of the year.