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Friday 14 March 2014

Empties #1



It's time for my first empties post!! I must make a confession here and state that empties posts and videos are my favourite as I feel they are the most honest posts out there! Obviously the products that are being talked about in them have been used up completely and I think that's when someone is much more likely to tell you in all honesty whether they loved a product or hated it, whether it started off good but somewhere halfway through something changed or whether they would buy it again or go on to try something different.

So let's get started!

I bought this as part of a huge Avon order I placed around November last year. It lasted me for a good couple of months and I was probably using nearly every time I had a bath or shower! It probably isn't the best foot scrub you can find out there, but it definitely does the job, plus it smells lovely!
The link for this one is for the actual one I bought, but I can't seem to find the papaya one... Weird. Does anyone know if Avon stop selling products based on the time of the year or something??

This is actually the first micellar solution I've used. I saw it in Boots on offer and decided to try it out! I really liked the formula (even though a lot of people seem not to like it very much), but the main thing I found irritating about this was the packaging! The white top is probably the stupidest top ever concerning how to get the product out of the bottle. Though that's not a reason for me not to buy it again!

I bought this just before Christmas when I decided to try acrylic nails out. I was a bit of a neccessary purchase, as I didn't really like the amount of white that was visible from the acrylic nail (it took up half my nail) and I decided that painting my (now longer) nails was the way to go! It did a good enough job then, but when I tried using it on my own nails, I found that it took the nail polish off my nails just to stain the skin around my nails each and every time I used it. Definitely glad this one is finally finished!

I just loved the smell of this one! It was actually amazing as both a shower gel and a bubble bath and always made the bathroom smell divine! I am trying to finish off some of the other bath products I have lying around the flat, but this one is definitely one I would go for again!

I absolutely loved this toner! It was just as the name describes: soft and soothing. There is no alcohol in it and it just left my skin feeling all soft and lovely and I was always left with the feeling that it was replenishing any of the moisture that left my skin as a result of cleansing. Would definitely buy this one again!

This is one I brought over from Greece when I moved during last summer. I just loved the way it smelled, it was so, so luxurious! It also created some serious bubbles! Definitely one I would repurchase! Come to think of it, I would probably repurchase anything I have bought from this brand. They really are amazing! (And this shower gel definitely did not cost £4.79 in Greece......)

This one I am a bit so and so about. I didn't particularly like using it at the time, as I felt is was just a pretty basic eye makeup remover. However, after this one finished and I started using another one, I realised that it was actually quite good! So, in conclusion, it does the job and it's better at it than other ones I have used. I would buy it again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

I got this one because I was curious about Lush's fresh face masks. It was quite good, if a little bit on the abrasive side. It did leave my skin feeling rather refreshed, though, so it gets a thumbs up from me! I did get a fair number of uses out of this tub, too! That being said, I am not sure I would buy a Lush face mask again too soon, as I like switching them up from one week to another and these ones have a use-by date... 

So, that concludes my first empties post! I thought about doing it in video format, as I think I write way too much on posts like this (same as with my two favourites posts). Do you think I should do it?

Have you used any of these products I've mentioned? What did you think of them? 

Monday 10 March 2014

On Moisturising



There is one thing I have always been awful at... Moisturising... And I don't mean awful in the sense that I can't do it properly. Just that I can never be bothered to do it after I come out of the shower or bath.

To begin with, I had huge issues with moisturising in general. Hands, face, body, feet... You name it. Things slowly started to "shape up" (and yes, I am being sarcastic), when I started to get very bad eczema on my hands (which necessitated the use of hand creams), as well as when I went on a cystic acne treatment for 6 months (which completely dried out my skin and I had to use super duper moisturising creams just to cope with the tightness and the pain). Yeah... Nice days... I know...

Regardless of how I got into the habit of moisturising my hands and face, it is something I stuck to and I have seen a huge difference because of it. My eczema has cleared up (with only minor flares when it gets very cold) and my face has gone back to normal since the treatment ended. Using moisturising creams has essentially alleviated that "tight skin" feeling I always used to get whenever I washed my face or hands.

As for the rest of my body... Weeeell, that's a completely different matter!

It probably has to do with the fact that I don't get the "tight skin" feeling, but I just find it nearly impossible to make myself put on body lotion after coming out of the shower. The only thing I want to do after I'm dry is get into some comfortable clothes and get warm! However, I am trying to force myself to take a little longer after each shower and properly moisturise my skin. I have managed to do it for three showers in a row and I can already see a difference in how my skin feels! Much, much softer and, dare I say, more nourished!

Please let me know if you liked this post! It was something a little different and more chatty!  I don't want this blog to be completely inundated with reviews, but sometimes they are the easiest thing to write! 

What are your thoughts on moisturising? Are you the same as me??

Saturday 8 March 2014

Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in Rose Libertine



Just recently, I had this overwhelming feeling that I wanted to buy a pink nail polish. Even though my nail polish collection is perfectly adequate (despite half my collection having been left behind in Greece), I didn't actually own anything that was more rose-y hued... So, I decided to take advantage of the 3 for 2 on everything Boots have going on right now and out I came with three lovely new nail polishes!

In the photo, I am wearing the Rimmel 60 Second version of nail polish in the shade "Rose Libertine", along with a coat of the Rimmel 60 Second Nail Polish in "Clear" as a top coat. As soon as I saw this one on the Rimmel stand, I knew I had to get it! It is just a perfect, happy and fun shade of pink, with coral undertones and it's definitely one of the prettiest colours I have ever worn on my nails!

Two things I love about this Rimmel nail polish are the formula and the brush! The actual polish has a lovely consistency and goes on really easily. I think I would have been okay with just one coat on my nails, but decided to go with two, just to get a neater effect. As for the brush, it is probably one of the best brushes I've ever used. It's wider than normal brushes, meaning that the process of completely coating one of your nails takes no more than two swipes. Easy peasy!

I know I am definitely going to get a lot of use out of this colour!  I feel it is perfect for this kind of weather - where it's starting to get warmer, but it's not quite there yet -, but it will also be perfect in spring and summer!

Well, this has quickly turned into an overenthusiastic post... Oh well! 

Have you bought any new nail polishes that you love recently?

Wednesday 5 March 2014

A Little FeelUnique Haul



This post should have gone up last week, so you should have seen it before the February Favourites post, but let's not dwell on that one, shall we?? (winky face)

As all the beauty blogging world knows, the end of January marked the launch of Tanya Burr's Lips and Nails Collection. I just happened to be on FeelUnique on the 30th of January and up popped Tanya's face, letting us know that her collection was available to order on the website! So, I thought, "Yay!". I ended up getting a few other bits and bobs, so let's get started!

I mentioned the reason I bought them in my February Favourites, but essentially, I just wanted a cheaper alternative to Lush Bath Bombs! I've used this twice already and I am currently thinking about which other versions to try out! (Definitely leaning towards the Lavender scented one...)

I wanted a relatively neutral colour, so that I could wear it more easily and that is definitely what I got! Afternoon Tea is a lovely, shiny but not shimmery, coral pink colour. It has an amazing texture and smell and it is just a joy to apply! It also feels quite moisturising, which is always a bonus! The applicator actually has a small groove, which fits perfectly with the shape of my lips!

I thought long and hard about which shades of nail polish to go for and in the end decided on the slightly shimmery dark purple one ("Midnight Sparkles") and the mint green one ("Little Duck"). I just love all the names Tanya has given to her products! So cute and lovely! I quickly tried them out on the day they arrived just to see the colours on my nails, but I haven't worn them properly yet... When I do, there will definitely be a post on them!

I had been on the lookout for a brown eye pencil for quite some time now. For some reason, my makeup stash seems to only include black eye pencils as well as one white one.... Weird.... Anyway. I decided to try the "Taupe" one to satisfy my need of a brown eye pencil and, on a whim, decided to also get the "Nude" one. I have heard so many bloggers and vloggers talk about this colour and how good it is when used along the waterline to cancel out any redness and make your eyes brighter, I just knew I had to test it and see if all the testimonies were true! I will let you know as soon as I have tried it!

Have you tried any of these products?

Monday 3 March 2014

Bourjois Happy Light Foundation




A few months ago, I had been looking for a new foundation as my old one was running out and Boujois had just launched the Happy Light Foundation. Essentially, that meant it was on offer at Boots for about £3 off normal price and I bought it.

I had used Bourjois foundations in the past and had loved them. The only reason I stopped using them was because I had fallen into a "Bourjois rut" and wanted to branch out a little! However, when I saw this offering, I knew it was one I had to try out!

I got this in the lightest shade they offer, "No50" or "Porcelain". With most companies, I have found that I can usually reach for their lightest foundation and it will be okay on me, and it was just the same with this one.

According to the packaging, the Happy Light Foundation is supposed to give you a "luminous and flawless complexion in any light" as well as 8 hours of hydration. As for the latter, I am not so sure, because I have never noticed any foundation being hydrating on my skin. However, it definitely gives my skin a more glowing finish, without making it shimmery in any way. It just makes my face look a little more bright!

I have found that it is quite low coverage and that suits me. You could probably build it up to a medium coverage if you wanted to, but it's not something I have attempted to do, so I don't know how it would work out and what it would look like. Due to the relatively light coverage, I really believe this would be a great foundation for the summer months, when you really just want your skin to look fresh and radiant!

All in all, this is a foundation that I would definitely repurchase! I've been super happy with it and I just know I will love when summer comes!

Have you used this foundation? How did you find it?

Sunday 2 March 2014

February Favourites



'Tis the time for monthly favourites again! Sorry I have been a little MIA for the past week, but I had a really important assignment and barely had any time free with preparing for it as well as doing normal lab work (which kept me in the lab from 9 in the morning to 7 at night for 4 days straight)... Not good, people... Not good.

Anyway! I am now back and I'm here with a favourites post! I had quite a lot of fun when I was finding my January favourites and it was the same for this month too!!

This is a product which I got for free when I bought a curling wand a couple of months ago... I'd never heard of the brand before, but the product looked very much like the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks and the Revlon Highlighting Palettes, so I was rather excited to try it out! I have the shade "Bronze" and I have found that just by sweeping my brush through all the different coloured layers, I end up with a lovely, slightly shimmery, bronze-y pink colour on my cheeks! I love it!

The powder that I had before this one (it was one from a Greek brand called SEVENTEEN) was rather good, but, if I remember correctly I paid a good €15 for it (about £12.50). So, when I saw the price tag on this one I was sooooo excited! This powder is really amazing. It's transparent, so it's just there to set my foundation and keep it in place all day and it does exactly that! I don't wear a lot of makeup on an everyday basis, but I never neglect using powder, purely because it helps with the lasting power of my foundation!

This has been my go-to product of the month when I have wanted to add a little bit more definition to my lashes. I tend to add a thin line just above my lashline, as well as fill in my upper waterline just to create the effect that I have thicker lashes! It takes a bit of working it into that particular part of the eye, but I've always found it tricky, so I don't think it's specific to this eye pencil.

I bought this when Boots had a 3 for 2 offer going on at the end of January on No7 products. I also had a £5 off voucher, which just made everything super cheap! Yay! Anyway... I seem to be going off on a tangent here, but, needless to say, I have really been loving this cleanser this month! I still prefer my Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser, but this one does a great job of taking off my makeup and I have found that I can also use it around my eyes without irritating them!!

I had this one from back in the day when I was on pills to cure my cystic acne. You really only need the teeny tiniest amount and it just injects moisture back into your skin! I had stopped using this once I was off the pills and my skin started getting back to normal. However, my skin recently decided to start acting up and I got a couple of dry (seriously dry and flaky) patches on my face. I've been using this cream on those areas every night and they've completely disappeared! I find it smells a little funky, but hey! It does the job, so why complain?

I got this one a while ago and I have been using it religiously every single time I paint my nails. I have been a nail biter for many years, which has resulted in some of my nails not being as strong as they should be. This seems to help with the situation, but the reason it's in my favourites is because it has kept my nails from staining and becoming yellow from all the nail varnish I have been putting on them! It really is an amazing product, especially for the price!

I was also one of those people who just jumped on the bandwagon that is the Tanya Burr Lips and Nails Collection! And I am so glad I did! I love Tanya! I have loved her since the first videos of hers that I watched! She is just such a happy and bubbly person! So, naturally, I also wanted to try out the result of the project she had been working on for more than a year! I chose two nail polishes ("Midnight Sparkles" and "Little Duck") and this one lipgloss. "Afternoon Tea" is definitely one of the nicest lip glosses I have ever, EVER tried! The colour is amazing and suits my skin tone perfectly! The smell is also lovely and I have found that is not too sticky. Yes, hairs will get stuck in it if it's windy (which it frequently is here in Glasgow!), but it doesn't feel as if they have been superglued to your lips when you try to get them out of your face!

I have probably only used this mascara throughout the whole month! Whenever I look at my collection, trying to choose one to use, I always seem to grab this one. It has a tapered brush (it becomes more narrow towards the end) and I have found that this shape just helps give my lashes more length, as well as more volume! They just make them look so pretty! I wear glasses sometimes and I always find that this mascara does not go well with them! It just makes them so long that they interfere with my glasses!! (So, I'm not complaining really....!)

I love using Lush Bath Bombs, but at aprroximately £3 (or more) a pop, they make for quite expensive baths! Which is why I decided to try using some bath salts! On to FeelUnique I went, where I discovered this brand. They manufacture a few different scents of bath salts, but I opted for this one to help me relax and unwind and help me get sleepy! It turns my bath water into a lovely blu colour and the two times I have used it, it has definitely helped me sleep better! Hmmm.... I think I might go and have another bath, now that I am thinking of it....

And that's it!

Sorry for the ridiculously long post, but I just had so much to talk about! Look out for a new post tomorrow and, if you read this far, thank you (and I hope it wasn't too tiring)!

What products have you been enjoying this month?
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