July 2015 Empties | Shower, Skincare and More!

Empties posts are a bit of a weird one, it's essentially me routing through my rubbish and reviewing it. However, I find empties post really interesting as you basically get a full review on a product, whether its worth repurchasing and the bottom line of whether to try it or not. So yes, recently I have been hoarding my rubbish in order to share with you my thoughts.

Shower products seem to be the things that get used up the quickest as obviously I wash every day. 

First up I have samples of the Philip Kingsley Moisture Balancing Shampoo and Conditioner. I must admit, these were nothing to shout about, they felt a little rubbery when applying and didn't do anything spectacular to my hair- so these are not something i'd pick up again. 

Lush American Cream Conditioner

Lush is well-known for being cruelty-free, most products suitable for vegans and of course their amazing range of products. I hadn't tried a Lush conditioner before this one, I liked this but again it didn't do anything amazing to my hair. I mean it felt soft after washing once dry but I didn't see any dramatic changes. If I bought this again, it would be for the scent but there are lots of other conditioners I've heard that are great from Lush so this doesn't put me off.

Argan Oil Hydrating Hair Mask

I picked this up in a bargain shop, B&M or something but i'm almost sure they also do these in pound stores. I bought this when I felt my hair could do with treating, my hair was dry and probably quite damaged from not using heat protector(don't worry, I use it now). It is suggested you leave this on for 7-10 minutes but if i'm honest, I didn't. I used this once a week after shampooing instead of a conditioner and it definitely made my hair feel softer and look smooth. I probably would've got much better results if I left it on for the suggested amount of time, so i'd definitely give this a whirl again.

Soap and Glory Scrub of your Life and Clean on Me Shower Gel

Both of these are repurchases so need I say more? I believe I've spoken about both of these here on my blog and the scrub is my favourite, the shower gel lasted me a little over a year so you're definitely getting your moneys worth!

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel

I didn't think i'd find a shower gel that I love equally as much as Clean on Me but I have. I hate the taste of grapefruit but I love the scent. This shower gel is perfect for morning showers as it smells so fresh and invigorating, it'll definitely wake you up!

It usually takes me a good while to use up skincare, most of it gets used twice a day but you don't need a lot.

Another one I've mentioned previously on my blog and was in my last empties, here. It's the Garnier Micellar Water, I've not tried that many micellar waters but this was the first I tried and loved so I've always gone back to it. It's so affordable and you get a lot in the bottle.

Vichy Purete Thermale 3 in 1 One Step Cleanser (1. Cleansing Milk 2. Toner 3. Eye Makeup Remover)

Here I've got another sample which lasted me about six months, not bad going huh? I didn't use this daily but I did use this when I couldn't be bothered to first use micellar cleansing water and then cleanse again. This is quite a liquid-y cream formula which can be applied all over the face to remove face and eye makeup and it did a good job! Though this is considered high-end, it isn't the most expensive therefore I would repurchase it as it'd be good for travelling rather than taking three separate products.

Aveeno Cream with Natural Colloidal Oatmeal

Towards the end of last year, I started to suffer with extremely dry, itchy and flaky skin around my eyes. Still to this day I have no idea how it came about but I was starting to feel so self-conscious about it, my eyes were always pinky/red and I could barely apply any concealer as it clung on to the dryness/flakes. Nice, not.

I decided to pop into Boots and ask at the pharmacy if they had any suggestions, I was convinced it was a form of eczema so she suggested this and gave me a free sample. If I could remember her name and what she looked like i'd go back and thank her because my eyes were back to normal within a few days. I'm scared to be without this now so I've repurchased the full-size. I'd recommend it to anyone that suffers with dry skin or eczema.

I Love...Coconut and Cream Body Butter

This came in a gift set I had for my birthday. I'd seen a lot of I Love... products but had never actually tried any myself so I was excited to give this again. It smelt amazing though I think it would be a little sickly for some people. I did manage to use all this up and I didn't love it nor hate it. I wouldn't rush back to repurchase this again but I definitely wouldn't write it off.

Lip balms

I don't think i've every fully used up a lip balm, I always used to loose them so to finish three in such a short space of time was weird. None of these have brands so I believe they may have again been from a bargain store, they were alright but nothing to shout about.

Other

Sanex Dermo Invisible Roll On and Sure Compressed Aloe Vera Deodorant

I've definitely gone through more deodorants but if I showed them all they'd probably make up half of the post themselves. I decided to opt for something more eco-friendly this time, both of them are actually. I've come to the conclusion that I much prefer roll-ons FYI.

And last but not least, Avon Anti-Rub Stick

This thing has saved my feet from the crippling blisters that come from wearing new shoes. I simply pop this on where I find shoes tend to rub, put my shoes on and most of the time i'm blister free. This helped me break in my Topshop Skater Shoes that killed my feet the first time wearing them. I recently ran out of this and I've already got my repurchase on the go.

That's it for my empties! To save or not to save my rubbish next time? Haha!

Have you got any product recommendations?

Let me know!

♥   ♥   ♥

Face, Body and Hair | Evening Pamper Routine!

Today me and the lovely Jess from the blog heyitisjess decided it was time to collab again so we've brought to you our pamper routine and essentials. Be sure to check out her post, here and give her a follow on bloglovin!

First of all my pamper routine starts with removing all my makeup from the day, usually I would use Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water but when I'm pampering myself a little I'll use this Vichy 3 in 1 Cleansing Milk as it's a little more moisturising. 

Depending how my skin is I'll take the Origins Modern Friction exfoliator and buff away the dead skin cells, nice..

Or if I'm having a breakout or feel my skin needs a little more TLC I'll use the Origins Clear Improvement charcoal face mask which is great for calming down spots. If my skins a little dry which I've been finding it has been lately with the change in seasons I'll use one of the Montagne Jeunesse packet face masks, these are so affordable and come in lots of different types!

I'm not a lover of baths so unfortunately the bath products in Lush are pretty useless for me, however tempting! Instead I'll shower using a couple of my favourite products, first is this Lush American Cream conditioner. I use this on a regular basis though when I'm pampering I tend to leave it on for longer, about 5 minutes. 

While that's working on my hair I'll take the Soap and Glory Scrub of Your Life body scrub and again buff away the dead skin cells on my body to prep ready to moisturise! At the moment I'm using the this Coconut and Cream body butter from I Love... which I believe is stocked at Superdrug. I usually wouldn't go for something like this as I'm hooked on Soap and Glory's The Righteous Butter but I had this to use up and I actually really like it, mainly for the scent- mmm!

Comfiest pyjamas? Check!

Next I'll switch on my fairy lights and light some candles before jumping into bed with a cup of tea in my favourite mug(which isn't actually mine, haha!), some chocolate and watch the videos in my YouTube subscription box, bliss!

Do you have pamper evenings often? If so, what products are essential for you? Let me know as I'd love to try some new ones out!

Remember to check out Jess' post, until next time...

♥   ♥   ♥

The Glamour Party Beauty Edit | Beauty Box Review

I'm pretty sure most beauty lovers will have heard of beauty boxes and have received or been intrigued by what they have to offer. I definitely fit into that category so about a week or two ago I made an order on a website called Latest In Beauty, where I ordered the Glamour Party Beauty Edit box. At the time this box was on offer for about £13 which I was completely drawn to as the box featured a lot of brands I had yet to try at such good value.

This was the first beauty box I've tried so I was so excited when it came through my door. Upon opening I was greeted by a lovely designed printed box, where I then opened to find the prettiest simplistic tissue paper to surprise me with the contents.

Inside contained:

L'Oreal Paris Elnett Satin (75ml- perfect handbag size)

Wild about Beauty eye shadow in Fern

Lola nail varnish in Bluebell

Xen-Tan Luminous Gold Gel in Medium (30ml sample size)

Collection Lengthening Mascara

Philip Kingsley Moisture Balancing shampoo&conditioner(x2 20ml sample size)

Stila Smudge Stick waterproof eye liner in Black Amethyst

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb

Vichy Purete Thermal 3 in 1 cleanser (30ml sample size)

Vichy Idealia Life Serum (3ml sample size)

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels (1 use sachet)

2x London Popband (1 black&gold houndstooth and 1 plain black)

and finally Glamour Magazine subscription(discounted by 62%)

As you can see you get a lot for your money, with trial sizes perfect for experimenting with before purchasing the full-sized product and also some full-size drugstore and high-end brands. You'll definitely get your moneys worth with this box as just the Wild about Beauty eye shadow or Stila Smudge Stick are £13 each alone. Although i'm not going to review every product here individually, you will see the products I've liked and enjoyed using featured on my blog in upcoming weeks. So keep an eye out for my thoughts or ask below if you're desperate for someone elses opinion on a product before buying. 

I'm completely happy with the box as I was not disappointed by any of the shades/products I received so I will definitely think about ordering another and maybe trying some other beauty boxes.

The Glamour Party Beauty Edit box is still available here, priced at £16.99 which is a complete bargain as the products inside are worth over a total of £88.

Have you tried a beauty box and have got any recommendations? I'd love to know!

Until next time,

♥   ♥   ♥