August Empties: Products I've Used Up

This month's Empties are a good mix of full size and travel size products, so let's get stuck in! Here's what I've managed to finish off and my thoughts about whether I would repurchase them again or not.

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February Empties / Products I've Use Up

It's Empties time once again!  Here are all of the products that I managed to finish off in February, my final thoughts on them and whether I'll be repurchasing any or not.

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Quick & Easy Hair Fixes: Percy & Reed Radiance Revealing Invisible Dry Shampoo and Big, Bold & Beautiful Dry Instant Volumising Spray review

If you're like me and would rather spend extra time in bed in the morning instead of trying to tame unruly tresses, then you need to check out these quick and easy to use sprays from Percy & Reed.

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Review: Love Me Beauty Box - September 2014

Love Me Beauty have had a complete overhaul and revamp of their website and ordering system, which I feel will make LMB an even bigger contender in the beauty box market.

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Top 5 Frizz Fighting Products for Unruly Summer Hair

Summer is without a doubt my favourite season of the year (I wish I could live somewhere sunny all year round, I really do!) but all that humidity can wreak havoc with your hair.  So if your hair is currently re-enacting that scene with Monica from Friends, this is the post for you.

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UK Magazine Freebies: Neal's Yard Remedies with Marie Claire, Percy & Reed with Elle & Model Co with Glamour

You know Spring's finally here when the magazines start bringing out the good freebies again!  I picked up this little lot yesterday.

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Review: Love Me Beauty Box - February 2014

Just in time for Valentine's Day, my Love Me Beauty box arrived bright and early yesterday morning and I couldn't wait to open it up.  So without further ado, let's have a look at the contents shall we?

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My Hair Products / Styling Stash

My hair is naturally dry and has a slight wave to it which can either look good (like once or twice a year), or it can look plain awful (i.e most of the time).  It's also a frizzy nightmare to boot, which has forced me to keep an arsenal of products on hand at all times in order to make myself look marginally presentable.  Now, I'm not saying that messy hair isn't cool, on the contrary, but let's face it - getting that 'just got out of bed look' is the same as that 'no make-up look' that requires at least five products isn't it?!  So here's a rundown of what's in my hair products/styling stash.

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March/April UK Magazine Freebies: Neal's Yard Remedies & Percy Reed

I couldn't help picking up this month's magazine freebies (and maybe one or two other beauty bits this weekend.  I'll confess all in my spending ban update tomorrow but it isn't too bad, honest!).  

Anyway, with Marie Claire, there's a free full size Neal's Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Hand Cream worth £10, and I absolutely love the scent of this.  I've been using the Body Lotion and Busy Bee Balm from the same range for the last couple of months (review of those here), so I knew I'd be getting my greedy mitts on this freebie!

With Glamour, there is a choice of four different Percy Reed haircare products (Shampoo, Conditioner, Finishing Polish and Volumising Oil), and I opted for the Volumising Oil to try out.

Have you picked up any of these magazine freebies this month? 

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July Empties / Products I've Used Up

It's Empties time again!  I have another box full this month, but again they're mostly sample/travel sizes:-

 Skincare

 Lush Tea Tree Water

This is my go-to HG toner of choice most days.  Fantastic if you're prone to breakouts and have oily skin like I do.

Repurchase?  Yes

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Another HG product for me, works beautifully and is a great make-up remover to use in the evenings too.  

Repurchase?  Yes, already have a full size tube of this.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermafoliant

I've had this lying around for ages and finally decided to use it up.  It's an exfoliator that warms up on your skin.  It was nice to use and I like it, but not really enough to invest in a full size.

Repurchase?  Probably not.

Super by Dr Nicholas Perricone Bright Eyed Flawless Eye Treatment

This was a lovely eye cream that hydrated the eye area well, without ever feeling too heavy or greasy.

Repurchase?  Tempted!

Haircare

 Percy Reed Totally TLC Hydrating Mask

I liked this and a little went a long way, but there are other hair masks that I prefer a lot more than this one.

Repurchase? No.

Burt's Bees Super Shiny Shampoo and Conditioner

These two really surprised me because I've read so many mixed reviews.  I really liked them!  Wasn't keen on the scent that much, but they made my hair feel soft and look shinier than it usually does.   Plus they didn't irritate my sensitive scalp which is always a bonus.

Repurchase?  I have some other shampoos to try out at the moment but I'm sure I'll purchase full sizes of these in the future.

Bath & Body

 balance Me Super Moisturising Body Wash

I love this body wash, lovely formula and smells good too!

Repurchase?  Yes

Rituals Wai Wang Exfoliating Body Scrub

This was a nice scrub but I just didn't like the scent.

Repurchase? No.

NEOM Tranquility Organic Bath Oil

Loved using this, so relaxing!  Definitely one to try when you want a de-stressing soak in the bath.

Repurchase?  Very tempted to get the mini bath oil set at some point.

Mitchell and Peach English Growers Shower Wash

 Wasn't that impressed with this considering how much it retails for.  The formula is a bit too thin for my liking and the scent wasn't for me either.

Repurchase? No

Make-Up

Jane Iredale Tantasia

Received it in this month's Joliebox and was pleasantly surprised.  It looked quite scary and orange in the tube, but I gave it a go on my face and decolletage area before going on holiday, and it gave a really natural looking, healthy glow.  

Repurchase?   Maybe, I don't really use fake tan much, but if we have another rubbish 

British summer again next year, I'm sure I'll be buying this!

No7 Dual Protection Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 15 in Medium

Got this sample from a GWP goody bag a while ago.  It was OK colour wise, but a bit too heavy for my oily/combination skin.  Dry skin types may get on well with it much better though.

Repurchase? No.

Une Skin Glow Foundation sample

This gives a healthy, light coverage which I really liked, but it's one that I'd only use on good skin days because it is quite sheer.

Repurchase? Maybe if I saw it on offer.

Benefit Lemonaid

I've had this for nearly two years now and I'm finally throwing it out because it's started to separate.  Nearly used it all up though and it lasts such a long time.

Repurchase?  Probably not because I'm using the 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Correcting Concealer around my eyes instead now which

 is a lot cheaper.

The Body Shop Tinted Glow Enhancer

Another make-up item I'm throwing out because I've had it for ages.  It's nearly used up but has gone a bit gloopy.  This is like a liquid bronzer which you can also mix with your sunscreen or daily moisturiser to add a bit of a glow.

Repurchase? Probably not, I just didn't reach for it that often.

Handbag bits

Burt's Bees Thoroughly Therapeutic Hand Cream

Didn't like this much because I found the formula a little on the greasy side and really disliked the scent.  

Repurchase? No.

balance Me Hydrating Rose Otto Salve

I liked using this on my cuticles mainly and on my heels/elbows when they needed some TLC.

Repurchase?  Probably not as there are other balms/salves that I like more.

If you have done an empties post this month, feel free to link below so that I can have a look!

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June Empties

It's that time again!  Here are my empties for June and whether I would repurchase them:-

•  The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub - Although I adore anything coconut scented (and this does smell good), I thought this scrub wasn't very effective at all.  It's more like a shower smoothie and has these tiny bits in it that just don't exfoliate anything.  Repurchase? No.
• Lush The Olive Branch Shower Gel - I always seem to have a small bottle of this in my bathroom and like to use it every now and again for a change.  Repurchase? Yes.
• KMS California Free Shape Quick Blow Dry Spray - Love this, it does what it says it'll do and is lightweight on the hair.  Repurchase? Yes, definitely will get a full size.
• The Body Shop Vitamin E Tinted Moisture Lotion - I do like this because it moisturises well and gives pretty good coverage for a tinted product, but I feel it's better suited to dry skin types because it can feel a bit too greasy on my oily/combination skin, especially in summer.  Repurchase? Maybe in Winter.
• Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in 09 Currant - Nice sheer gloss, a little sticky though.  Repurchase? I wouldn't buy a full size, but I would pick up another sample.
• Clinique All About Eyes Eye Cream - Lovely to use at night as it's very rich and super hydrating.  Repurchase? Already have another sample.
• LJ's Natural Solutions Balancing Organic Moisturiser* - This was too heavy for my skin so I used it up as a night cream and it was great for that.  I imagine it would work really well for dry skin.  Repurchase? No.
• Jurlique Purely White Skin Brightening Cleanser - Loved this sample, my skin did look brighter after just one use.  Repurchase? Yes, I think I would buy a full size.
• Montagne Jeunesse Sauna Masque - One of the best budget beauty buys out there, this is simply amazing for only 99p!  Has a warming effect which draws out any impurities clogged in your pores and always makes my skin look really clean afterwards.  Ideal if you're prone to breakouts.  Repurchase? Yes!

• Percy Reed Spendidly Silky Moisturising Conditioner - Didn't hydrate my hair, it made it even drier, hated it!  Used it up as shaving cream instead.  Repurchase? No!
•  Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer - I like this a lot as I find it really works well for oily skin and creates a barrier that prevents make-up from breaking you out.  Repurchase? Yes, but not for a while as I'm using Benefit's The POREfessional at the moment.
• Dead Sea Spa Magik Silky Smooth Body Lotion - Lovely formula that sinks into the skin straight away, but it doesn't really have a scent.  Repurchase? No.
• Bodhi Ylang Ylang Incensa Sensual Body Moisturiser* - The scent of this is absolutely divine but I prefer the formula of other body moisturisers more.  Repurchase? Probably not.  I'd rather splash out on the shower gel with the same scent instead.
• Lavera Basis Sensitive Hand Cream - Great summer hand cream because it's quite light, really like this.  Repurchase? Yes.
• Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash - This has a wonderful uplifting citrus scent and was quite moisturising too.  Repurchase? Yes, would buy a full size at some point.
• Iroisie Ultimate BB Cream SPF 25 - Tried this today and wasn't that keen on it.  Smells quite strongly and was very thick which made it difficult to blend.  Repurchase? No.

Have you used up any beauty products this month?  Link me to your empties posts below!

*PR samples

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Currently Using: Hair Masks & Treatments

I thought I'd do a quick post on what hair masks/treatments I'm using at the moment, as my hair has been in need of a little TLC recently, and this crazy hot/sunny/raining/hail/cold weather has not been helping matters.  There was a time when my bathroom was literally full of hair products, but over the last year or so I've managed to cut down on stuff and make myself use up things, instead of having half full tubes and pots everywhere!  I currently have four products that are in rotation:-

Inecto Pure Coconut Intensely Hydrating Hair Repair Treatment -  My hair will generally love anything that has coconut oil in it as it's perfect for making it soft and manageable.  I use this one from Inecto for weekly maintenance and it does the job well, without overloading my hair.  A great budget beauty buy too, I believe this is just under £3 for 150ml and it smells SO good!

Percy Reed Totally TLC Hydrating Mask - I've only used this twice since getting it as a Glamour magazine freebie last month, but so far I like the results that it gives.  I find that I only need to use a small amount and I end up with shiny, sleek hair.  Only downside I've found is that if you use too much, you do get some product build up, so less is definitely more with this.

Lush Jasmine and Henna Fluff Eaze - This is proper HG stuff, I can't recommend it enough!  If I need my hair to look incredible, I will use this straight away.  It's a pre-wash hair 'moisturiser' which you leave on dry hair for about 20 minutes and then shampoo out.  It makes my hair so wonderfully soft and shiny every single time, that I've repurchased this more times than I care to remember.  The scent is a bit on the strong side and it does linger, so if you're not sure whether you like the smell of Jasmine or not, then I'd suggest getting a sample from Lush first before buying a whole pot. Personally I really love it!  I save this for special occasions as you need to use about 1/4-1/2 of the pot if you have past shoulder length/medium thick hair like I do and it's £11.50 a pot, but seriously worth every penny in my humble opinion!

Pure Fiji Nourishing Exotic Coconut Oil - A new addition to my haircare routine has been this blended coconut oil which I got a sample of in last month's Joliebox.  I use a teeny amount of this on my dry ends once a week (leaving it on for half an hour and then shampooing it out) and it's helped to keep my hair looking healthy instead of damaged and frizzy.

What are your favourite hair masks and treatments?

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March magazine freebie

There are a plethora of magazine freebies about this month. As I'm on a bit of a spending ban for the whole of March, I decided to pick up just one for £2. With Glamour magazine, there are four hair products by Percy Reed to choose from; Shampoo, Conditioner, Hydrating Hair Mask & Finishing Polish. I picked the Hair Mask as my usual James Brown one is nearly used up, so it was perfect timing to try out something new.

Other magazine freebies this month include: Neal's Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Moisturiser with Marie Claire and Clinique trial size products with Cosmopolitan.

Have you picked up any of these?

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