Empties | October // November // December 2013

Hello! 

I've been really bad at posting these last few months, simply because I haven't had the time to blog! But I have been faithfully collecting my empty products from the last few months for you lovely people to nosey at! 

The Body Shop Mango Shower Gel: Definitely leaning towards a more summery shower gel, this mango scent is light and refreshing and the scent lingers on your skin after a shower. This 250ml bottle lasted me absolutely ages, as you only need a tiny amount to make a rich lather. 

Would I purchase again? Maybe, but I have so many lined up in my stash, it wouldn't be any time soon! 

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash: This body wash comes in a huge 500ml bottle with a pump, making it one of the easiest body washes to use! As i'm sure you've heard me say before, the scent of this whole range is to die for; sugary, sweet and limey - the perfect combination for a refreshing yet indulgent bathing experience - without all the guilty calories! 

Would I purchase again? Already have one full size and one half size on standby! 

The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Body Scrub: I really wasn't sold on this scrub. I bought it in one of TBS's many many sales, so it ended up only costing me a few pounds, however if I'd have bought it for full price I'd have been pretty annoyed as it just didn't wow me. The smell is very synthetic, which I don't mind in the body butter form, however the scrub was sickly. The scrub formula itself was creamy, quite scratchy and anti climatic. It did the job, but others have done it better. 

Would I purchase again? No. 

Avon Planet Spa Japanese Sake and Rice Illuminating Body Cream: If Avon have ever done anything right, it's their planet spa range, I love everything I've ever tried from them, my favourite being the Mediterranean Olive Oil Hair Mask, which is pure luxury. This body lotion smelt so amazing, I don't even know how to describe it, except that I loved it and the scent lingered for hours afterwards. The lotion has slight shimmer, which 'illuminates'. The shimmer is noticeable, but not glittery. It sinks fairly quickly into the skin, without leaving a sticky or oily residue and hydrates well. 

Would I purchase again? Purely for the scent, if nothing else! 

No7 Enriched Hand and Nail Treatment: I was neither here nor there with this hand cream, it was OK, kept my hands fairly hydrated, sunk in quickly however left an oily residue behind, and smelled so-so. A 4/10 from me. 

Would I purchase again? Nah. 

Garnier Body Body Tonic Firming Hydrating Lotion: So far, I have loved every Garnier body lotion I have come across, I find their formulas to be hydrating, yet incredibly light and the scents are to die for. This lotion claimed to create a more toned 'firm' look, and if you are looking for long term benefits, you have come to the wrong lotion, however the caffeine within this lotion does give short term effects, which give an illusion of smoother, more toned legs. For use in the summer, this lotion is second to none, and I'm looking forward to cracking another of these bad boys out next summer! 

Would I purchase again? Definitely!

The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask: I've had a love/hate relationship with this mask. Most of the time I love it - it's great for a really deep clean, and the clay draws out all the nasty impurities leaving baby soft and clear skin. As I've gone through the tub, the smell, which has always been a tad overpowering, had started to become TOO overpowering for me, so much so that I was glad I'd finished the tub. It's a great mask, but I would recommend giving one a sniff in the shop before you buy to make sure it's not too much for your nostrils to take! 

Would I purchase again? Not right now, I'm trying out alternative clay masks. 

Lush Mask of Magnaminty: I'm sure I've spoken about this before, it's a great little all rounder mask for when you just want a little pick me up with added texture to gently exfoliate. 

Would I purchase again? I have one lined up already. 

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser: I loved this cleanser. It has a really clean, pleasant smell, and worked well to remove all make up (even mascara). Plus with my No7 voucher it was only £4.95 - Bargain! 

Would I purchase again? I would, but I'm branching out and trying different cleansers at the moment in a bid to find my holy grail. 

Lush Cupcake Fresh Facemask: I know this mask gets a lot of great reviews, but for me, this mask was just ok. It gave my skin a nice boost, however I like to feel wowed after I've had a mask on, and after I washed this off, I just felt like I'd washed my face, no wow factor. 

Would I purchase again? Probably not. 

Vie Seventh Heaven Cleansing Balm: I bought this from fragrance direct after my beloved No7 cleanser had ran out, and it was my first foray into the world of balm cleansers. I have to say, this was not a bad little cleanser, and has been effectively removing my mascara, although it did take me a week or two to get used to the texture. This has been known to make my eyes sting a little, but it's probably my own fault for not closing them properly! 

Would I purchase again? No. 

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask: Oh, yes, the marmalade mask everyone has been talking about...made my skin sting like mad! I'm not sure if it's meant to, but it got a point where it became almost uncomfortable. After removing the mask, however, I did see what the fuss was about - It felt like I'd had a layer of new skin, however i'm not sure I can justify spending £30 for the full sized version.

Would I purchase again? Maybe, if the right sale was on... 

Lush Ocean Salt Facial Scrub: This little baby is a little coarse for more than one use a week, but it's so fresh and clean, and leaves my face so baby soft and smooth, that I genuinely see it as a treat to use! I found that using this once, sometimes twice a week, using a peasized amount each time, lasted me just under a year! Value for money? I think so... 

Would I purchase again? Already have done! 

Benefit They're Real Mascara: (Not pictured) Oh my, I've definitely fallen hard for this one. Believe the hype surrounding this mascara, it's all true! I had my doubts about a mascara costing double the average price, however I'd now happily part with that cash, as no other mascara can compare. 

Would I purchase again? Have done, and will be doing for the foreseeable future!

Next Eau Bloom Fragrance: This is the most gorgeous, floral yet fruity summer scent, and I'm actually gutted that next aren't currently stocking it. Fingers crossed it will be back for summer! 

Would I purchase again? In a heartbeat! 

Miss Sixty Elixer Perfume: I got this as a gift for my 17th birthday, and I've loved it ever since. This is my second bottle of the stuff (I went years without it before I finally tracked it down again) It's such a unique scent, unlike my signature light and fruity/floral scents, but I think this is what I like about it. 

Would I purchase again? Once my collection has died down a tad, who knows? 

Andrew Collinge Perfect Endings Heat Defence Spray: It has taken me a long, long time to finish this, it's one of those products that seem to be never ending! I have quite resilient hair, however I always make sure I've spritzed the lengths and ends of my locks with heat defence spray before using heat tools. This one has served me well, and has saved me from many a frazzled hairdo! 

Would I purchase again? Yes. 

Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo: I don't yet have a replacement for this baby so I'm distraught that it's sprayed it's last spray... what will I do on a bad hair day now??! In my eyes, there is no better dry shampoo than batiste, and it goes without saying that I shall be popping to boots very soon to stock up.... 

Would I purchase again? Yes, but I may try a different scent...broaden my horizons... 

I shall try my best to actually post a january empties at the end of the month to avoid such mammoth blogposts in future!! 

Gem Xx 

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?