May Empties

It's been another good month for using stuff up, here are my empties for May:-

•  John Frieda Frizz Ease 3 Day Straight - I have a love/hate thing going on with this one.  Sometimes I really love using it because it de-frizzes and straightens my hair like a dream.  Other times, it feels like it leaves a lot of residue which leads to product build up and makes my hair look dull.  Needless to say, I've had this bottle for about 7 months and have only just finished it.  Repurchase?  Probably not, I think I'll stick with my Macadamia Oil instead.
• Boots Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover - This has been a staple of mine for years.  It's cheap and does the job.  Repurchase? Yes.
• Bodhi Ylang Ylang Incensa Sensual Bath & Shower Therapy* - Love, love, love this!  My absolute HG high-end all-natural bath product.  Smells absolutely incredible!  Repurchase? Yes, it's pricey but worth every penny IMO.  Going onto the birthday wishlist.
• Lush American Cream Conditioner - Really like this and have bought it several times.  Smells great and makes my hair lovely and soft, without weighing it down.  Repurchase? Yes.
• Burts Bees Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar - Didn't get on with this at all, sorry to say it's one of the worst shampoos I've ever tried and I had to throw it out after just one use.  Left a horrible greasy, sticky residue type film on my hair which took several rinses to get out.  Not good!  Repurchase? No!
• A'kin 24 Hour Intensive Moisture Leave-In Conditioner - Was pleasantly surprised by this because a lot of leave-in conditioner leave my hair feeling on the greasy side, but this one absorbed into my hair straight away and it felt beautifully light.  My hair was sleek and frizz free, as well as feeling properly hydrated.  Amazing stuff from such a natural product.  Repurchase? Definitely, I got 2 uses out of the sachet sample, which makes getting the full size even more affordable as a little goes a long way.
• Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover - One of the best makeup removers on the market, takes off everything and never irritates my skin.  Repurchase? Yes.
• Lavera Basis Hand Cream - I like this for using in summer as it's nice and light.  Smells good too, a bit like subtle marzipan!  Repurchase? Yes, have another sample tube in my handbag that I'm using.
• RMK Cleansing Oil - Wanted to like this because it's often raved about, but it was just too heavy for my oily/combination skin.  I imagine it would be great for dry skin though. Repurchase? No, not for me.

•  Bodhi Jasmine Falls Relaxing Bath & Shower Therapy* - This is another gorgeous all natural bath product that I adore using.  So soothing and great to use before going to bed.  Repurchase? Yes, I would save up and get a full size of this once I've used some of my other bath products up.
• Lush Fair Trade Foot Lotion - Another staple of mine, I've bought this countless times and find that a tub lasts a good couple of months.  Makes my feet soft and smelling fresh!  Repurchase? Yes.
• Smooch Lip Gloss in Jelly Bean - I liked the sheer colour of this, a pretty coral which is great for layering over lipstick.  Has taken me ages to finish this though because the formula is very sticky, so I mainly used it on nights out.  Repurchase? No, there are others I like more than this.
• Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid - Love this, smells and tastes just like lemonade and is super moisturising, whilst also delivering some subtle shimmer.  Repurchase? Yes.
• bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation in Medium Beige - Really do like this a lot, excellent for oily skin, especially in summer.  Coverage is on the sheer side but can be built up if wanted.  Repurchase? Yes, will buy a full size of this soon!
• Clinique Almost Bronzer SPF 15 in 01 Light/Medium - Received this in a bonus time GWP last year I think?  It's far too shimmery for my liking to be used as a bronzer, however it looked gorgeous when used as a highlight which is how I used it up.  Repurchase? No, I have too many highlighters as it is and don't use them that often.
• Evolve Organic Beauty Protein Build Conditioner for Dry/Damaged Hair - Oh my, this smelt insanely good!  Sweet like cookies and cake batter, so strange for a hair conditioner, but I'm not going to complain!  Great conditioner too, noticed my hair feeling softer after just one use.  Repurchase?  Yes, I'm sure I'll get a full size of this at some point.
•  Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup - I thought this was OK but nothing amazing.  Repurchase? No.
• Inlight Organic Daily Face Oil - Lovely oil that absorbed straight away into the skin and didn't feel greasy at all.  Smelt good, bit like vanilla.  Repurchase? Maybe.
• Lush Ceridwen's Cauldron Luxury Bath Melt - Great for dry skin and when my eczema flares up, calms everything down and makes my skin feel normal again, whilst leaving it incredibly soft.  Reviewed here.  Repurchase? Yes.

*PR samples

What are your beauty empties this month?

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Tag: 7 Beauty Sins

I've seen this tag on LucyLou's blog doing the rounds recently and thought it would be fun to give it a go before the weekend begins.

(1) GREED: What is your most expensive beauty item? And your most inexpensive?




I don't really buy a lot of super-expensive make-up myself, so what I have in my collection were mostly gifts. The most expensive beauty item I remember purchasing myself was the Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland Palette which I paid far too much for from eBay as it sold out so fast. I love it though and it always cheers me up when I open it.



As far as cheaper products go, I'd pick anything from ELF, especially the bits and pieces I've managed to pick up in their 50% off sale.

(2) WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with?



I have a serious love/hate thing going on with loose mineral eyeshadows (ones pictured above are from Everyday Minerals). I almost always use pressed eyeshadows because I find loose ones a little messy to use sometimes, but when I do use them, I always want to use them more. Same goes for my MAC pigments.

(3) GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?



No surprises that these are all lip products! Lanolips Lemon Aid is so yummy and sweet tasting, as is Barry M's Toffee Lip Gloss Wand which tastes and smells EXACTLY like it's namesake. And of course, I couldn't forget to mention my favourite Lush Sweet Lips Scrub which is made from sugar and flavoured with chocolate and vanilla.

(4) SLOTH: What beauty products do you neglect due to laziness?



Highlighters definitely (above: The Body Show Warm Glow Baked Bronzer which I use as a highlight mainly as it's quite shimmery, and Benefit's High Beam). If I'm in a rush or just can't be bothered, then these will be omitted from my make-up routine and left in their drawers.

(5) PRIDE: Which beauty products give you the most self-confidence?



Bronzers, blushes and a good concealer! If I have those three with me, then I'm feeling and looking my best. (above: Benefit's Hoola Bronzer, The Balm's Fratboy Blush and Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Concealer)

(6) LUST: What attributes do you find most attractive in a partner?
A good sense of humour is a must, someone who can make me smile will always be a winner in my books! Someone who stands up for what they believe in and keeps up to date with current affairs is also cool because I talk about politics and the news far too much. Must like animals, especially dogs, and having a beard, tattoos and a Scottish accent would be perfect! :D

(7) ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as gifts / or are you wishing for currently?



My current wishlist looks like a bit like this: Lush P.S I Love You Giftset, Neom Mini Bath Oils Set, a set of Sigma brushes, the biggest bottle of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Use Dry Oil that I can find, Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (I know I don't need this but look, it's pretty!) and Daniel Sandler's Watercolour Blush in POP.

Let me know if you do this tag and have a great weekend everyone :)

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Latest In Beauty: 20 Years of Beauty Greats Discovery Box

Latest In Beauty, the same company where I purchased this box from, recently ran a promotion with YOU magazine (the supplement that comes with The Mail On Sunday) for a limited edition beauty box. The demand for the box, which was limited to 2000 only, caused LIB's website to crash for nearly an entire day, as they struggled to cope with the sheer demand of frenzied consumers. Disgruntled customers quickly took to posting their frustration on the brand's Facebook page and LIB responded with giving those who couldn't purchase the box through their website, the option of emailing instead to be put on a reservation list. So what the hell was all this fuss about?! The box was themed as a '20 Years of Beauty Greats', featuring a host of much loved beauty classics. As it was a special promotion the price was £5.95 plus postage (which I think was about £3), with the contents of the box being worth a staggering £55 (which may explain the insanity surrounding it). Let's have a look at the contents:-



Although it was themed as a 'classics' kind of box, they included a wonderful bonus in the shape of these goodies from Bamford, a new English luxury natural/organic brand. The travel friendly trio comprised of a Body Lotion, Body Wash and Botanical Bath Oil from their bestselling Geranium blended range, which smells gorgeous. The Geranium is blended with Peppermint and Lavender so these will be perfect to use before going to bed.




The only make-up included was a sample of bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation. I picked Medium Beige which looks like a good match for my skintone. The sample is tiny so I think it'll only do for one use, but I've been wanting to try out these foundations for a while so I'm happy with it. It came with the cutest mini kabuki brush ever too! (see my Twitpic for a size comparison, it's so teeny!).



The skincare samples were:- a 20ml tube of Dr Nick Lowe Oil Control Day Cream, which is ideal for my oily/combo skin. A 1g sachet of Lanolips 101 Ointment, I've used this before and loved it. I currently use the Lemonaid Lip Aid that they do and it makes my lips lovely and soft. With this sachet, I'm going to squeeze it into a little pot to get the most out of it. I also received a 5ml pot of Sisley Sisleya Global Anti-Age Cream which I wasn't that fussed about until I read some reviews saying how good it is on all ages as a night cream so I'll give that a go.



Lastly, packaged in its own envelope, was a 30ml Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish with a muslin cloth. I am so excited to try this out and will post a proper review on it when my current Purity cleanser has run out.

Summary: A fantastic box at an amazing price, no wonder their site crashed! Kudos also to LIB for keeping calm and appeasing the hoards of crazy demands by creating the reservation list. That's what I call GOOD customer service :)

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