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!

Avon Foot Works Beautiful Exfoliating Scrub - £3.50

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??

L'Oréal 3-in-1 Skin Perfection 3-in-1 Purifying Micellar Solution - £4.99

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!

Cutex Acetone-Free Nail Polish Remover for False and Acrylic Nails - £1.60

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!

Radox Brazilian Fusion Bath Soak - £2.00

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!

No7 Soft & Soothed Gentle Toner - £8.00

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!

Le Petit Marseillais Shower Gel with Argan Oil and Orange Flower - £4.79

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......)

Rimmel Just Let It Go...  Gentle Eye MakeUp Remover - ???

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.

Lush Love Lettuce Fresh Mask - £5.95

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? 

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!!

MeMeMe Shimmer Stack Illuminating Powder in Bronze - £9.99 (now £7.99)

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!

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in "Transparent" - £3.99

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!

The Body Shop Eye Definer in "Black" - £8.00

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.

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser - £9.95

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!!

A-Derma Epitheliale A.H. Repairing Cream - £6.25 (now £5.60)

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?

Avon Nail Experts Peeling and Brittleness Solver - £5.00 (now £2.50)

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!

Tanya Burr Lip Gloss in "Afternoon Tea" - £6.99

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!

The Body Shop Big and Curvy Mascara - £10.00

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....!)

Kneipp Deep Sleep Mineral Bath Salt with Valerian and Hops - £7.95

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?

Lush Helping Hands Hand Cream

Back in September, while I had been walking up and down the main streets of Glasgow, I happened to notice this shop called Lush and I realised that this was the shop so many beauty bloggers and vloggers talk about! I hadn't seen one of their stores before, despite regular visits to the UK (which I thought was rather weird when I realised how big a company they are). So, in I went, intrigued by the look of the shop, as well as the smells coming out of it!

On that first foray into the world of Lush, I did buy a couple of bath bombs to try out (and proceeded to have my fist actual bath after years and years of showers), but my most important purchase was the Helping Hands Hand Cream.

I actually have eczema on my hands and it usually flares up in very cold or humid weather, or if I neglect moisturising my hands for too long. As I was running out of my regular hand cream, I decided to try this offering from Lush. According to the label, it was actually invented to help people who have really dry and over-washed hands. Since I work in a lab, I have to wear gloves most of the time. And when I'm not wearing gloves, I have to keep my hands clean and sterile with ethanol. So, I thought this sounded perfect for me!

And indeed it was! I apply it (rather liberally) on to my hands every night and, when I wake up in the morning, I have the softest hands ever! The smell of it is pleasant, without being too lingering or overpowering, which is a definite plus!

The guy who was helping me in store actually told me that this was the lightest hand cream they offer and that it doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy. I have found that it does feel rather greasy, which is why I have got into the habit of using it only at night.

At £7.50 for 100g, it might not be the cheapest hand cream around, but it also isn't the most expensive. Keep in mind that a little goes a really long way!

Night-time Skincare Routine

Hi there!

I thought I'd share with you the steps I go through every night to remove my makeup and get my face clean and ready for bed! I'm not really a big fan of spending loads of time in the bathroom cleaning my face, however I do realise that it is a very necessary step, because a) I wear makeup and b) well, I'm not getting any younger, am I?

First, I always take up my eye makeup (if I am wearing any). Right now I am using the Rimmel "Just Let It Go" Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. I can't say I love it, but it does the job and gets most of my eye makeup off.

Then, I use the L'Oréal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution, to get rid of the majority of my face makeup, and I have to say, it does a really good job!

Next, I go in with my cleanser. Most nights I use the Liz Earle "Cleanse and Polish" Hot Cloth Cleanser (which I mentioned in my January Favourites), as it leaves my skin squeaky clean and hydrated and removes any last trace of eye makeup.

After that, it is time for toner. This is a step I never miss, because it just makes my skin feel super soft and adds an extra layer of hydration. I am currently using the No7 "Soft and Soothed" Gentle Toner (also another favourite!).

And last, but certainly not least, I use my Boots Botanicals Hydrating Night Cream All Bright all over my face and neck and the Soap & Glory Puffy Eye Attack just under my eyes for some extra hydration (and prevention of under eye bags!).

And here are a couple of photos showing the "before" and "after" stages. Not the best (as with all the photos I have posted here, they look a little bit grainy), but I am in the market for a new camera, so until then, my iPhone it is!

What is your night-time routine? What kinds of products do you love using?

January Favourites

Hi there!

It is the first day of February and that means that it's time for a January favourites post! I've never done anything like this before so I hope it goes down well! I've never had to look back to the month that went past and think about the stuff that I loved using the most!

So here is what made the cut:

Lush Helping Hands Hand Cream: This is my absolute favourite this month! I tend to get very dry hands all year round, but they seem to become much worse during the winter months. Seeing as I lived in Greece before moving to Scotland (and it didn't really get very cold where I lived), I have attributed it to a tendency to have eczema, with it becoming worse when it is humid outside. This hand cream I find to be very oily and leave a layer of greasiness on my hands (even though the guy at Lush told me it's not supposed to be oily), but it has saved me from having seriously cracked hands this past month! I only use it at night and I always wake up with my hands feeling soft and nourished.

Liz Earle "Cleanse and Polish" Hot Cloth Cleanser: I bought this in December and it has been my go-to cleanser since day one! I try to mix it in with some other cleansers, just so that they get some use, but it's the one I always go back to. It leaves my face wonderfully clean, with absolutely NO makeup residue and it's very hydrating, too!

No7 "Soft and Soothed" Gentle Toner: I love, love this product! It is very gentle, just as the name suggests and adds an extra layer of hydration to my skin just before I go in with my moisturiser.

Clinique High Impact Mascara: My Grandma has been giving me samples of this for years and years (she is a religious user of Clinique products and gets loads of freebies). However, it's not until recently that I finally appreciated what an amazing product it is. It adds length to my lashes without making them too long (I have naturally long eyelashes and making them very much longer creeps me out a little!), while also keeping them seperated! Definitely something I would purchase full size!

Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rosé: I apply this every night before I go to bed and it has made a huge difference! No more chapped lips!

Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait: As I mentioned in my Revlon Lip Butter post, this is my favourite of the three colours I own and is such an easy to wear everyday colour! And so, so soft on the lips!

The Body Shop Moringa Body Mist: As you might be able to see from the picture, I am nearly at the end of the bottle and I shall be sad to see it go! I've had it for about a year now and actually went through a stage when I forgot about it and started using other perfumes/body mists. But now, I'm back to loving it! It has such a lovely light and fresh scent of jasmine and it reminds me of summer nights back in Greece...!

TRESemmé Salon Smooth Serum with Argan Oil: This one was a bit of an impulse buy. They had it on offer at Boots and I was looking for a hair oil to try out, which is how I ended up with it. Turned out to be a wonderful purchase! It leaves my hair feeling silky smooth and in the best condition it has EVER been!

That's all for my first favourites post!

What are your thoughts on any of these products? Anything similar I should try out?

Body Shop Haul

Hello there!

Thought I'd kick off this blog with a little haul post! Last weekend I happened to be browsing the internet, when, somehow, I came across this fantastic offer from the Body Shop, who were offering 40% off everything, including their sale items! To which I said, yes please!

So, on we go!

First up, I purchased two shower gels and two hand washes in the scents Vanilla Bliss and Cranberry Joy. They really do smell lovely and I am definitely looking forward to using them! I know I might not have needed them all at the same time, but as they were an absolute bargain, there's no harm in stocking up!

Next are a few lip products. I used to have one of those "Born Lippy" lip balms back in the day and I remember loving it so much I actually finished two pots of the stuff! This time around I decided to try a few different things out. First, there is the Coconut Lip Butter, seeing as it's winter and I am in the mood for something that is a little bit more nourishing on the lips and a little less glossy. Next, the Hemp Lip Protector I bought purely because it is in stick form and I absolutely hate applying lip balms from pots when I am not at home. I also got two of their Colourglide Lip Colour lipsticks, as they were only £3.60 and I wanted to try out some new ones anyway. The ones I went with were Clover Pink (06) and Pink Ginger (14), which are both lovely nude-y colours, with Pink Ginger being the slightly darker of the two.

One product I have been wanting to try for ages but have been putting off purely because of the fact that my stingy genes kicked in is the Vitamin E Moisture Cream. I am trying to finish up my current day moisturiser, just so that I can start using this one!

Another thing that I am very excited to try is the new Camomile range. I opted for the Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Make Up Remover, as I am running out of the one I am currently using, as well as the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter. I have recently started using the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser (having only used face washes and cleansing waters before that) and I can really see a difference, which is why I decided to give this cleanser a go. To go with this, I also bought a couple of The Body Shop muslin cloths.

Last but not least, I also popped a few odd bits and bobs into my shopping basket. The Almond Nail and Cuticle Oil had that cuticle pusher tip that just shouted "you need meeeee!"! The Monoi Miracle Oil I bought because I thought the smell would be nice and spa-like, while also being multi-purpose. Apparently, you can use this on your body, your cuticles and your hair! Impressive! The Africa Ximenia and Salt Scrub was a product that I saw in Estée's (essiebutton) video for the Body Shop website and I will admit to it being a completely impulsive buy, purely because of that lovely packaging! And finally, I bought an eye shimmer in Copper (04), which really is just a lovely illuminating eyeshadow!

I also signed up to the Love Your Body club and they also sent me a great big tube of their Warming Mineral Mask! I have to admit, I was fully prepared to receive a small sample-size tube of this, so it was a rather pleasant surprise!

And that's it!

As far as I am aware of, The Body Shop have the same offer on this weekend! Click on the link to go to their website and enjoy a little discount shopping!

Have you got any favourite products from the Body Shop?