December Empties / Products I've Used Up

I hope everyone had a good New Years! I'm a little late with my 'first post of 2016', but what better way to start a new blogging year than with an Empties post? This will hopefully prompt me to continue my New Year's resolution of decluttering and clearing things out, so here are all the products that I managed to finish up last month.

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December Empties / Products I've Used Up

A quick round up of all the products that I used up last month, my overall thoughts on them and whether I'll be repurchasing any or not.  There are a lot of favourites this time around!

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Beauty News: Take the Steamcream Face Challenge

If you've been following We Were Raised By Wolves for a while now, you'll no doubt have seen me mention Steamcream a fair few times.  They're offering my readers the chance to take part in their current 7 Day Face Challenge, so if you've always wanted to try it, read on!

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June Empties / Products I've Used Up

Empties time!  Here are the products I've managed to finish up recently, my overall thoughts on them, and whether I'd repurchase any again or not.

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Review: Limited Edition Steamcream Secret and Purity Gift Set via Baobella Boutique

I've mentioned how much I love Steamcream numerous times, and I absolutely adore the collectable tins that the product comes in.  

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January Favourites

I don't know about you, but I for one am beyond happy that January is finally over and we're now a month closer to Spring (and hopefully some sunshine!).  Despite the persistent rain, grey skies and freezing cold winds, it was a surprisingly positive month for discovering some new beauty favourites.

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Winter Skin Saviour: SteamCream Limited Edition Ume Ni Uguisu Tin

SteamCream's new Limited Edition tin combines two of my favourite things; Japanese style art and a wonderful multi-purpose, winter skin saviour.

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September Empties / Products I've Used Up

Empties time!  You all know the drill by now, so here are the products I've finished off this month, my thoughts on them, and whether I'll be repurchasing them in the future or not.

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Currently Using: The Body Lotions Stash

If you utter the words 'body lotion' to the average person, you may hear some major grumbles as a response or simply a strange look which says 'What's that?'.  In my many chats with fellow beauty bloggers, I usually find out that applying body lotion is one of the most boring beauty-related chores, or something that people just don't do.  I, on the other hand, love body lotions.  This is probably due to the fact that I have very dry skin, so moisturising it on a daily basis is second nature to me.  On top of that, I just enjoy the pampering ritual of applying it after a shower or bath.

So to share my love of body lotions, I thought I'd do a post about the ones I'm using at the moment.  At present, I have these eight open, which is frankly ridiculous and one of the many, many reasons why I'm partaking in the 100 Day Spending Ban!  My justification is that they all serve different purposes (or something like that...):-

The Everyday Ones
For everyday, I mainly rotate between using Laidbare Butter Me Up*, Essyta Body Moisturising Lotion for Dry Skin* and Skin Blossom Organic Bloom Orange Flower Moisturising Body Lotion.  All three of these sink into the skin quickly which is an absolute must when I'm running late in the mornings, and they keep my skin hydrated and happy throughout the day.

The Eczema Calming Ones
Every now and again I get plagued by eczema flare ups, so to soothe and calm everything down, I always reach for either Steamcream, Lavera All Round Cream or LUSH's Dream Cream.  These really help and I've repurchased them several times now.   

The Luxury / Pampering Ones
When I fancy a bit of pampering, I turn to either L'Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate or Neal's Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Body Lotion*.  Both always leave me with silky soft skin that smells gorgeous!

Are you a body lotions fan?

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Best Of 2012: Part 2 - Hair / Skin / Bodycare

Haircare:  A'kin 24 Hour Intensive Moisture Leave-In Conditioner has become a regular staple in my general getting ready in the morning routine.  It helps to tame frizz and keep my dry ends and lengths happy (reviewed here).  2012 was the year that I experimented with the wonders of hair oils and I quickly decided that the Macadamia Oil range was my favourite, especially the Healing Oil Treatment and Deep Repair Masque.  I also enjoyed using the Schwarzkopf OSiS+ Flatliner Iron Serum Spray with my straighteners.  

Skincare:  Liz Earle pretty much dominated much of my everyday skincare routines in 2012, favourites being their Brightening Treatment Mask, Gentle Face Exfoliator and of course the cult beauty classic, Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.  Other skincare favourites that I discovered later in the year include JASON Brightening Apricot Scrubble, Essential Care Organic Rose Petal Tonic and Laidbare DIY Cleanser. 

Bodycare:  In 2012, I finally tried out the much hyped Weleda Skin Food which is a fantastic winter skin saviour, as is budget friendly Lavera All Round Cream and another cult product, Steamcream.  I also wanted to include the gorgeous smelling Bee Lovely range from Neal's Yard Remedies (Body Lotion and Busy Bee Balm pictured above).

So that's everything!  If you missed Part 1 you can read my make-up favs of 2012 here.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what I'll discover and fall in love with in 2013!

Post your own Best Of 2012 links below!

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My 7 Winter Skin Saviours

Although technically it's not winter until December, I'm sure you'll all agree with me that it's getting very cold, especially in the evenings now.  If you're looking to stockpile some beauty products that will keep your skin happy in this weather, then look no further.  I've picked 7 of my favourite winter skin saviours that I reach for the most often at this time of the year:-

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What's in my toiletries travel bag?

As some of you may know, I am going on holiday to Prague tomorrow evening, so I thought I'd do a 'What's in my travel bag?' post for the toiletries I'm taking with me.  My travel bag was bought in Japan earlier this year, can't remember the name of the shop, but I've seen similar designs for sale over here.  I'm a sucker for anything cute with owls on!

Haircare

Burts Bees Super Shiny Shampoo and Conditioner

These were from my grab bag ages ago.  Have seen a few mixed reviews of these, so I'll try them 

out tonight and see what they're like.

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment

I love this hair oil more than Morrocan Oil these days.  

Perfect for keeping my hair in great condition.

KMS California Free Shape Hot Flex Spray

Love this, just a simple heat protection spray with the added benefit of acting a bit

like a hairspray too!

Skincare

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

I always take one of these with me when I'm travelling.  

Doubles up as a fantastic make-up remover too.

Essential Care Organic Rose Petal Tonic*

This is so lovely to use, great for refreshing yourself with when you're on the go.

Dr Nick Lowe Oil Control Anti-Blemish Day Cream

Featured in my favourites last month, I'm on my second travel size tube of this 

and it works so well for my oily/combination skin.

balance Me Radiance Face Mask*

Also featured this in my favourites last month, it's a fab 3 in 1 mask 

that helps to perk up dull skin.

Figs & Rouge Sweet Geranium Balm

Multi-purpose balm, always travel with one of these products 

in my bag because they come in so handy.

Clinique All About Eyes

One of my favourite eye creams, simple and effective.

 

Bath & Body

Steamcream

Recently reviewed this here.  Love it!  The tin is also a great size for

travelling with.

NEOM Tranquility Bath Oil

Received this in the Utter Relaxation gift set for my birthday and can't wait

to use it.

Mitchell and Peach English Growers Shower Wash

I think this was from a Joliebox from around xmas time?!  

I really should use up seeing as it's July now, so it's coming with me!

Sunscreen / Misc

JĀSÖN Facial Natural Sunblock SPF 20*

JĀSÖN Mineral Natural Sunblock SPF 30*

No summer travel bag is complete without sunscreen and these ones 

from JĀSÖN are light and non-greasy.  Reviewed here.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care with SPF 15

Great for wearing under lipsticks and is very moisturising too.

Essential Care Organic First Aid Lotion*

For all those 'just in case' times that happen on holiday!

From their Holiday Essentials kit.

I'll post a make-up bag tomorrow as that's always the last thing I pack.

 Have you been or are you going on holiday this summer?

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*PR samples

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Review: Steamcream

This week I have been having a big clearout and reorganization of my ever increasing products stash.  I currently have a 'Products To Use Up' basket where I like to rotate a few items to make sure that they eventually get used up, sooner rather than later.  This tin of Steamcream made it into the basket yesterday and I have no idea why I hadn't used this up sooner; I love it!

Steamcream is a multi-purpose/ all in one, mostly natural, moisturiser.  You can use it on your face, body and hands, and it works so well!  It was originally made by the CEO of LUSH and it's very similar to LUSH's Dream Cream (which you all know I love to pieces) as it shares a similar lavender-meets-herbal type scent and performs in a similar way too by being both soothing and moisturising.

This moisturiser is created by hand using fresh, high quality ingredients.  You have Oatmeal Infusion to soothe, Orange Flower to improve elasticity, Almond Oil to plump up with the skin with natural Vitamin E, Lavender Oil to help and reduce any imflamation, Organic Jojoba Oil and Cocoa Butter to soften the skin and keep it happy.

As the name suggests, all of these ingredients are then fused together with a shot of steam.  It's this unique method which gives Steamcream its lovely texture; the cream is thick but lightweight at the same time, absorbing quickly into the skin, without any greasy residue.  It's also this steam-infused texture that makes it suitable to use on all dry areas.

I generally prefer to use Steamcream on my hands and body because it hydrates my dry skin really well without ever irritating it.  In fact, I have used it like Dream Cream on a few occasions to calm down an eczema flare up.  I've also tried it on my face at night before, but it's just a little to rich for my oily/combination skin, but I can imagine it being well suited to those with more drier skin types.

And of course no review would be complete without mentioning that gorgeous packaging!  Each design has a limited edition run making the tins effectively collectable pieces of art and there are currently around 50 different designs to choose from.  All of the tins are made from aluminium which is easily recycled, but I know I'll be keeping my Jane animal print tin to store little bits and bobs in on my dresser!

Do you use Steamcream?

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February Favourites

I don't know about anyone else, but I am SO happy that February is over and done with. Despite it being a short month, it always seems to drag for some reason, so I am looking forward to Spring and (hopefully!) some good weather soon. Here are my beauty favourites for February:-

(1) Steam Cream - I've only used this once so far since receiving it in my Carmine box, but I already know I'm going to love it. It soaks into the skin immediately without any residue and moisturises like a dream. (2) Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish - I'm always a little wary of super hyped products, but I can't believe just how good this stuff is. Will be posting a special review on this and my new Liz Earle skincare routine soon. (3) Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer (review) - If you ever suffer from breakouts and/or have oily skin, then give this primer a go. It makes my make-up last a lot longer throughout the day and has improved the look of my skin too. (4) Witch Pressed Powder - Again, strongly recommended if you have oily skin, gives fantastic long lasting shine free coverage and is very cheap too. (5) Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 03 (review) - Love this so much, works so well for me and conceals everything. (6) Barry M Nail Polish in Bright Purple (NOTD) - One of my all time favourite shades, not bad for less than £3! (7) BareMinerals Original Foundation SPF 15 in Medium Beige - I was very happy to try this out in a Latest In Beauty Box and think I'll be buying a full size soon. It's coverage is similar to that of a tinted moisturiser, but it feels so good on the skin, like you're not wearing any product. Very pleased with the results that this gives and something I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of in the Spring/Summer months when I naturally wear less make-up.

What have been your beauty favourites?

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Carmine Box - February

You have to hand it to Carmine. Out of all of the beauty boxes currently on the market, they are seriously the best for full size products and variety. Here's what was in my box this month:-



(1) Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash, full size - I was very pleased to see this when I opened the box as I'm currently using up the other one that was sent out (the orange Super Moisturising wash), and would have bought this rose one myself to try out at some point. The formula of these washes are incredible for something which is 99% natural, so I'm certainly looking forward to using this.




(2) Diego Dalla Palma The Lipstick, trial size - Beauty boxes often work best when there are exciting new brands and products that aren't easily available in the UK. This lipstick is from a revered Italian brand and it's SO good. I got the colour 42 (swatch above) which isn't a shade that I have anything similar too already, and it's beautifully pigmented, as well as being moisturising and glossy. Thumbs up!



(3) Yardley London Peony EDT sample - I rarely wear perfume so I always tend to pass these on when I receive them, although as it's a bonus item I wasn't at all annoyed by it being in the box. I've posted this to my Gran who loves Yardley perfumes so I'm sure she'll appreciate this new Spring scent. (4) White Glo Professional Choice Whitening Toothpaste, travel size - Well this is different! Interested to see if this lives up to its claims.




(5) SteamCream, full size - I almost squealed with delight upon seeing this, I have wanted to try this out for forever! It's a multi-purpose, handmade lotion that can be used from head to toe and mine's packaged in leopard print! To me, this seems quite similar to Lush's Dream Cream so I'm interested to see how the two compare. Not sure that the scent will be to everyone's liking, but I think it smells great. Like the Balance Me wash, this is something I was planning on buying at some point.



(6) Andrea Fulerton Nail Varnish, full size - Well there was supposed to be one of these lovely nail polishes in my box, but mine is missing! :( I've emailed Carmine, who replied to me in literally less than five minutes, and they are posting me a replacement ASAP. Will do a NOTD on this when it arrives. The colours on the card look really nice.

Summary: Another excellent box from Carmine, fantastic value and it's always great to receive products that you were planning on buying anyway!

Did you get a Carmine box this month? What did you think?

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