Empties | January

Wow, yet another empties post, these come around so often, which is weird a January has dragged so much for me! 

Anyway, I'll crack on, these are the products I've used up during January! 

Herbal Essences Uplifting Volume Conditioner

I can't say that this conditioner really gave me much volume, even paired with the shampoo, however it smells lovely and left my hair feeling soft. 

Would I repurchase? Probably not as a volumiser. 

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter 

This stuff is amazing! I wasn't overly bothered at first, but once you actually start using this, the smell is incredible. If you like smelling like frubes and having super soft skin, this is the body butter for you! 

Would I repurchase? I was lucky enough to receive this as a birthday present in full size so I won't need to for a while! But I definitely would in future! 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Exfoliating Pads 

I am absolutely gutted that TBS have discontinued these, I have rationed them like nobodies business but finally used the last one up. This was such a great little product and I just wish that I could repurchase! 

Fake Bake Rough To Buff Body Polish 

I got this in a Fake Bake set, and I have to say, I hate it. I don't like the smell or the texture, as I like my scrubs to have more of a gritty texture to them, so I can actually feel them doing so good. 

Would I repurchase? Safe to say no. 

Rimmel 5 in 1 clear Top/Base Coat

I loved this when I first bought it, however after a few months it's just gotten gloopy and sticky to the point where I cant use it anymore. 

Would I repurchase? Probably not. 

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover 

I'm devastated to let this one go as it's just a miracle worker. It's lasted about 8/9 months which I think is really good going, and I'm pretty sure there is still some remover left, but the sponge has gotten tattered and my nails come out covered in little grey bits so it's time to say goodbye. 

Would I repurchase? Definitely! 

Rimmel BB Cream in Shade 'Light' 

This was a little light for my skin, however for lazing around at home, this was great at just covering enough to make you feel a little more fresh faced. The formula was a little thick, however, and took a lot of buffing and blending into the skin. 

Would I repurchase? No. I'd probably go for a tinted moisturiser in future. 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 'Soft Beige'

Oh my I love this foundation. I've heard that it's a dupe of the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, which is on my wishlist, so i'll be interested to see how it compares. It's a satin finish foundation which smells quite fruity and has just enough coverage to hide blemishes yet still look natural. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

The Body Shop Mango Body Mist

This body mist is perfect for summer. It's fruity yet floral with a slight hint of musk, and the smell lingers really well for a body mist. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Garnier Ultra Dry 48 Hour Deodorant 

I know deodorants aren't all that interesting, but I think I've found my perfect one. I love everything about this, down to the scent. I wouldn't agree with the 48 hour claim, but a full day at work/Uni is more like it. 

Would I repurchase? Yes 

There we have it, another month of empties, what have you been using up this month? 

Empties | August

Hey! 

This August has officially been known by me as 'project use up'. I move out (again) tomorrow to start my final year as a student, and I had so many half used products that I made a vow to myself to use up as many as possible so that I wouldn't be taking as many almost empty bottles and tubs with me. I've managed to create quite the collection of empties which even includes make up which never happens! 

Fructis Big Volume Flexible Hold Volume XXL Hairspray: This hairspray is just perfect for me. I'm never usually loyal to hair products, but the fact I've already repurchased this says a lot for me. It doesn't feel sticky or make my hair crispy, it simply holds whilst giving me volume, yet still leaves my hair feeling soft. 

Would I repurchase? Already have done

Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo: I will quite happily rave about this dry shampoo until the cows come home. I love it! It's the perfect summer pick me up for days when you can't be bothered to do much with your hair. This not only absorbs excess oil, it creates volume and texture too, and smells incredible! 

Would I Repurchase? Already had a can on standby! 

Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo: Oh Aussie. Oh, oh Aussie. If I could only use one hair brand for the rest of my days, I have a feeling Aussie would be right up there in the top choices! I find that all of their products smell incredible and do a great job of making my hair feel squeaky clean and soft. I wouldn't really say that that did an awful lot on the volume front, but I can never really tell as my hair is quite wavy and volumous naturally.. 

Would I Repurchase? Yes

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Colour: I have had this for ages, and truth be told, my colour has mostly grown out now, and i'm sporting more of an ombre look, so I'm not sure I'm using it for it's intended purpose, however, like I've previously said, it doesn't really matter which of these products you use, they will still do amazing things for your hair, and as a 3 minute intensive treatment, it does an amazing job of making my locks feel lovely and soft without weighing them down. 

Would I repurchase? If I coloured my hair again, yes. 

Lush H'suan Wen Hua Hair Moisturiser: I've spoken about this before, and I'm actually quite upset. This tub was the last in my stash. If you can get past the unappealing smell, this moisturiser is amazing! It leaves hair softer than any other deep conditioning treatment I've ever tried. 

Would I repurchase? I might try some others from the range, but I'd definitely revisit H'suan Wen Hua. 

Boots Honey & Jojoba Intensive Hair Mask: I feel like I've had this in my life for longer than I should. I don't know why I've not finished this up sooner, I just tend to use other hair masks over this one. It's fine, and for how cheap it was, there isn't really anything wrong with it, I just have a bit of a 'meh' attitude towards it. 

Would I Repurchase? Probably not. 

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub: This range from S&G is not to everybody's taste, but I love it. It's incredibly sweet, but undercut with lime to give a bit of sharpness. The scrub itself is fairly abrasive, and really gives a good amount of scrub, without being scratchy. 

Would I Repurchase? Yes. 

The Body Shop Mango Sugar Scrub: I'm very undecided with this scrub, I really liked it when I first got it, but as time's gone on, I'm not sure I like the gloopy, oily residue left behind. Although it does moisturise my skin nicely if left to soak in, lately I've been very impatient and want products that sink into the skin quickly so I've been unimpressed with it in the past few weeks. 

Would I Repurchase? Maybe in the winter months for some extra moisture. 

Garnier Summer Body: I love this. There isn't anything more to say. I'm gutted I've ran out to be honest, as I've promised myself I won't buy any more moisturisers until I've made my way through my stash. It sinks into the skin quickly, leaving a no streaks, no fuss gradual tan with a gorgeous apricot fragrance. 

Would I Repurchase? In a heartbeat. 

Lush Mask Of Magnaminty: Another of Lush's offerings that I always seem to have on standby is Mask of Magnaminty. I find that this doubles as an exfoliant and the minty fragrance makes my skin just feel so fresh and cleansed. 

Would I Repurchase? I have a stash so not at the moment. 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Show Off Mascara: I'm glad to see the back of this mascara. I don't know if I got a dud or not, but it seemed dry and clumpy from word go, and just made my eyes look awful. The brush, a huge bushy number, I imagine would be great if the formula wasn't so dry. Definitely not my cup of tea.

Would I Repurchase? Definitely not. 

Avon Summer Shimmer Lip Care: I bought this under false pretences. I thought the words 'summer' and 'lip care' meant an SPF lip balm, however this balm has no SPF whatsoever, and felt like it as doing anything but 'care' for my lips. I haven't actually finished this, but enough is enough, and I'm throwing it away. 

Would I Repurchase? No. 

What have you used up recently? 

They See Me Haulin' | Collective Beauty Haul

Hey there girlies! 

Today's post actually scared me a little. It's amazing how much you buy in the space of a few weeks without realising! This doesn't even include the clothes I've splurged on! Oh well, at least I'll look preened and polished when I have no money aye!? 

These are my beauty purchases from the past month... 

Batiste Dry Shampoo 'Tropical': Every girl needs a good dry shampoo at hand for those days where your hair just needs a little pick me up. I have been using Superdrugs own brand as they had a 3 for 1 offer a while back, but if I'm honest, it wasn't very good. I picked this one up, having used and loved Batiste before. I've only ever used the original scent, however this tropical version is amazing; it smells like coconuts and the smell lingers on your hair for most of the day! 

Garnier Body Hydrating Firming Lotion: If you read my blog regularly you'll know how much I LOVE Garniers body lotion offerings; especially the gradual tanner. I'm almost out of that one, and picked this up as it was on offer. It claims to make your skin look smoother in 7 days....We shall see.

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser: I actually also picked up the Superdrug Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser on offer for a mere £2.95 (bargain!) aswell but forgot to photograph it. The No7 hot cloth cleanser was picked up a while ago with a trusty £5 off voucher - Thankyou Boots! I've been using this for about a week so far, and haven't had to reach for my eye make up remover once. This does the job all on it's own - even with stubborn waterproof mascara! 

Superdrug Vitamin E SPF 15 Moisturising Day Cream: As the days are finally getting warmer (yay!) I've been looking for a cream with SPF in it to use in conjuction with my Good Things mattifying moisturiser. Although I tend to lean towards combination/oily skin in the summer, I do still have the odd dry patch, so the vitamin e cream provides enough moisture to combat dryness, whilst my Mattifying cream takes away any unwanted shine. 

Vitamin E SPF 15 Illuminating Eye Cream: My eye cream has gone walkabouts. I have no idea where it could have wandered off to, but either way this is my replacement. It has a slight shimmer to it, which illuminates the eye and brightens up any dark circles, and the SPF is always welcome some summertime. 

Revlon Cushion Brush: I was due to replace my trusty old Remington hair brush, and was looking for a paddle brush, however came across this Revlon one on Fragrance Direct for a mere £1.99 so thought why not. So far, so good! 

Orlando Professional Teasing Brush: As my hair is long, sometimes the weight of it can drag the hair down, making it look flat, so I occasionally backcomb my hair to add more volume at the roots. Also purchased at Fragrance Direct for £1.99, this teasing brush is just what I needed. 

Illamasqua Blusher 'Lover': You can find my full review of this blush here. It's a peachy matte finish blush which looks gorgeous when applied. 

Dainty Doll 'You Are My Sunshine' Blusher: Again from Fragrance Direct (Had a bit of a haul there alone!) is this gorgeous blusher from Nicola Roberts make up range; Dainty Doll. I'm planning a full review on this, but it's a gorgeous coral with flecks of gold running through, very similar to Nars Orgasm.

Sinful Colours Nail Polish: On a recent trip to town I found myself browsing in Boots and came across Sinful Colours. I'd heard a few bloggers rave about these so thought I'd use my advantage card points to treat myself to a few. I picked up from left to right: Be Happy, Island Coral and Orange Cream. I've only used Island Coral so far, and I love it. The colours are amazing, and I'm planning a review with swatches of them shortly! 

W7 Eye Shadow Brush: This was a rush purchase really as my eyeshadow brush from ELF had broken, so I needed a quick replacement. I'm not sure how I feel about this one yet, having only been using it for a few days, however so far, i'm not OVERLY impressed. 

MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush: I actually found this on eBay, as I was NOT about to fork out over £30 on one brush. I bought it shortly after my 217 purchase, and was so impressed I decided I wanted more, however I have yet to find the perfect job for this. I thought it would be good for stippling in foundation, however my Real Techniques buffing brush does a better job. I did try it with cream blush yesterday and found it did a good job so maybe it will be destined for that... 

MAC 217 Blending Brush: How have I lived 23 years without owning this?! For £17, this is definitely a pricey purchase, however I do feel it's worth it as I can't see myself needing another blending brush. Ever. 

Butter London Nail Polish 'Jaffa': I found this by chance on the Debenhams website on sale for a bargainous £3.40! That's almost a £9 saving. It went into my basket faster than you can say 'Jaffa'. 'Jaffa' is a gorgeous bright orange verging on coral. I have found that the formula is quite thin, however I want to do a full post on this soon so i'll expand later. 

Essie Nail Polish 'Mojito Madness': I was looking for a minty green colour to replace my Rimmel Lycra Pro 'Peppermint', as I've lent it to my sister, which means I may never get it back, and online, Mojito Madness looked like a contender. Upon opening the package however, it's a lot darker than I had thought, so I'm not sure whether it will be a regular on my nails or not. I haven't actually tried it yet so I will hold judgement until I do. 

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick 'Notting Hill Nude': I have this lipstick in the shade 'Soft Coral' and loved it, so picked it up in a lovely soft nude, only to get home and realise it's almost identical to Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate '03'. Bad times. Notting Hill Nude is very slightly lighter in tone, and I do like nude, so I imagine I'll get enough wear from them both. 

MAC Creamsheen Lipstick 'Coral Bliss': If you follow me on twitter you'll have probably seen my many tweets moaning that this was out of stock and I couldn't get hold of it but really wanted it. Well it FINALLY came back in stock on the Debenhams website so I snapped it up at the same time as my Butter nail polish. I was right to have lusted over it for so long. It is gorgeous, and it's been my most used lip product ever since I received it a week ago. The most perfect peachy coral with the right amount of moisture and shine, which doesn't cling to your dry bits too much, giving a lovely and even finish to the lips. This one will be a definite summer favourite of mine. 

Calvin Klein Delicious Truth Lipstick 'Illusion': I forgot to photograph this one, but i'm wearing it now and it's no nice I have to add it in. A very sheer peachy pink, this lipstick is almost like wearing a gloss, and it's absolutely perfect for days where you just want a slight wash of colour on your lips without having to crack out a full coverage lipstick. 

So that's all my beauty buy's over the past few weeks. 

Have you been splurging lately? 

May Empties.

Hey there lovelies! 

It's Friday!! I have a lovely weekend of chilling in the sun in store for me, and hope you all have something equally as relaxing to keep you occupied on these few days of freedom before the dreaded Monday comes around once again! 

Today's post is my May Empties! So without further ado, here are the products I've used up during the month of May.. 

Garnier Mineral Anti White Marks 48 Hour Deodorant: OK, so nothing too special here, just deodorant. Garnier is a brand I have recently fallen in love with for their amazing body lotions and I have to say this deodorant did not disappoint either! I'm usually one for picking up whatever's on offer, but I definitely will be repurchasing this in the future - offer or not. It smells really nice and fresh, and does a good job of deodorising too! 

Soft & Gentle Extra Fresh Lotus and Watermelon Deodorant: I have repurchased this a few times, however usually because this brand are on offer a lot! I don't find anything particularly amazing about this, it does the job, but that's about it. 

Lush Herbalism Fresh Cleanser: This has been my morning cleanser since January, so to only run out of it in May is really amazing and value for money - I think it cost around £6. It's a solid cleanser - basically you take a pea-sized amount and mix it with water to create a paste, which you then use to cleanse your face. I have really enjoyed using this, and the fresh, herby ingredients have really helped to keep my skin clear. I'm currently using The Body Shop's Tea Tree Facial Wash and hate it, so I imagine a repurchase of this, or another from Lush's range may be on the cards for me very soon. 

Champneys Conditioning Cleansing Milk: This has been my nighttime cleanser for the past 2 or so months. It's a thick, milky cream, and although not so great for removing mascara, especially that stubborn Benefit They're Real, it's a nice gentle cleanser which left my skin feeling lovely and soft. It's a good little cleanser, and I'd be happy to use it again, however it doesn't beat my current No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser! 

Avon Skin So Soft Hand Cream: I suffer from quite dry hands so hand cream is a necessity in my life. I've been using this tube, and it's lasted me a long time, however I haven't been too impressed with this. It's a little thin for my liking, so sinks in too quickly leaving my hands feeling dry still. I need something thicker in texture so unfortunately, I won't be repurchasing. 

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter: As with all TBS body butters, the formula is amazing, and really provides deep moisturising. The mango version is no exception. Not only does it have a gorgeously fruity scent, it really does a great job of giving my skin the moisture it needs. 

Kate Moss 'Kate' Perfume: Finishing perfumes are like waiting for buses, they all finish at once. I have 2 or 3 other perfumes also almost empty! I'm rubbish at describing scents but here goes: it's almost a deep floral scent, however somehow has fresh, fruity notes. It's one of my go-to fragrances when I don't feel like a heavy perfume. 

Herbal Essences Ignite My Colour Shampoo: Herbal essences will always be one of my go-to brands for everyday haircare. I have my hair highlighted every so often to perk up my natural blonde, which, although I try to stay away from bleach nowadays, still puts my locks through quite the ordeal. It's important to look after your hair, whether it be dyed or natural, and I find that Herbal Essences is a brand I trust, and also a brand which does what it says on the tin! 

What did you use up this month? 

Toodles!