Empties of the Month - May

I can't believe the amount of empties I amassed in May, I usually struggle to finish anything! I have a habit of starting using one item, then get distracted by another and never actually finishing any. Most of these are small samples rather than full sized products so that may be why I got through them so quickly. So first up, hair:

The only hair product I finished this month was the VO5 Ultimate Hold Hairspray. I have short hair and I have to have it perfectly in place and well held, much more than when my hair was longer. Because of this, and the weather being so bad recently I had got this hairspray in the hope that it would live up to it's claims and hold my hair all day. Sadly it didn't quite manage this. It provided a medium hold to the hair, nothing like what I have with my current hairspray (one from got2b, their products are all incredible!) but it was a nice texture in my hair and the scent was quite pleasant so wasn't bad. Probably won't be in a rush to repurchase though.

Body:

First up is Radox Nourish Shower Gel -I love Radox shower gels, they always foam up brilliantly and there is such a large choice of fragrances to choose from that you really can't go wrong. To be honest, I get through a lot of these. I've just had another one run out this morning!

Dermalogica Exfoliating Body Scrub - This was a pretty good scrub. If like me you prefer your body scrubs to be a bit tougher then this is the one for you. It's beads are relatively small but nice and scratchy and the lotion is really thick and creamy. I apply this (mainly to my legs and arms) with exfoliating mitts and find that it really keeps my legs soft and fresh. Will definitely be repurchasing as I'm slightly disappointed it has run out :(

Femfresh - I didn't know if this was a bit TMI but I think that's a bit of a silly taboo really. I only wash my 'sensitive area' with specially formulated soaps such as this one (although Boots and Superdrug have own brand ones that are quite nice as well) as normal body washes can be harsh on sensitive skin. Poor sensitive skin... This one wasn't the nicest one from their range so I probably won't buy it again, they have a cranberry one which smells a lot nicer and is a more creamy consistency rather than a gel.

Gilchrist and Soames Shower Gel - I had thought I would love this, being an expensive 'posh' shower gel but actually I wasn't blown away. I found the scent slightly masculine for me and found the bottle really annoying (the hole to pour it from was huge and so I kept accidentally pouring far more than is necessary, I'm not a fan of wastage!). I much prefer Radox or Nivea offerings.

And finally, face:

Palladio Rice Papers - These were brilliant, as in really brilliant. As you may know by now, I have a really oily complexion and have to touch up my make-up a lot during the day. These instantly took the shine off my face without the need for loads of powder or affecting my make-up. Such  an effortless solution. I have found some at Boots though that are significantly cheaper so I'm going to try them to see if they are as good quality before I consider repurchasing.

Urban Veda Radiance Exfoliating Facial Polish - This was a lovely face scrub. It was nice and gentle on my face (I don't like them too 'scrubby' then) and it smelt amazing. Would definitely repurchase a full sized version of this. I've found many other facial exfoliators are too harsh on my face but this one was just right for me.

Dr Brandt Pores No More - This may surprise some people as I know it received some really great reviews, but I really didn't think much of this product at all. I found it had a really weird fine, grainy texture when applying to the skin and it didn't make any difference to my pores at all. Fair enough, when first applied it looked like it had made a difference but after about an hour those differences had gone. I found a seaweed pore refiner from The Body Shop which is much better, and smells a lot better actually! Sorry Dr Brandt...

Yin Yang Skin Cleanser - I wasn't overly impressed by this either. I found I had to use a lot (or what I thought was a lot) to remove my make-up and that it also left a residue on my skin. OK I double cleanse so that does get washed off but I have plenty of other cleansers that don't leave a residue and are actually a lot better at removing all my make-up.

Unica Radiance Plus Moisturiser - This I loved. It had a gorgeous cinnamon infused scent and it actually lasted ages for the tiny pot that it is. It applied so smoothly to my skin and felt so soft and nourishing. Plus it is all natural products. I recommend everyone to try this, immediately! :)

And that concludes my May Empties. It was a mixed one this time, some I loved and recommended to everyone I knew, some I just wasn't a fan. Have you tried any of these products? What were your views on them, differ from mine at all? All comments are very welcome, as always.

Monthly subscription box - Birchbox

As you may have read here, I am a lover of monthly subscription beauty boxes and so when it comes round to that time of the month when I start receiving these parcels from the postman I am one happy girl! Birchbox arrived this week, and with this month's theme being 'good enough to eat' I was definitely excited. So, the contents of the box:

This bag smelt incredible, definitely in keeping with the good enough to eat theme! I must admit, there was also a packet of Propercorn popcorn in their also but it was just so good that the bag unfortunately didn't make it home... I'll give a brief review of each product from left to right (as shown in the above picture).

Laura Mercier - Body Souffle Ambre Vanille

This literally smelt incredible. The sweet, vanilla smell is so strong that you can smell it as soon as you open up the small cotton bag within the box, and this is with it sealed in a plastic container! It is not a sickly sweet scent, just the right level of sweetness. I haven't tried this yet as I didn't want to break the foil seal and feel I have to use it up quickly, I'm sure I shall come back and write a long review on it in the near future though as it seems a really indulgent body cream and I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to fall head over heels for it! If only it didn't have a price tag slightly out of my price range...

RMK Make-up Base

I had never heard of this make before receiving it in this month's box, and if I'm perfectly honest I'm not a big user of make-up base products. I may use them from time to time if I'm going to a special event and want to attempt to make my make-up last longer but day to day I prefer not to use them. Despite this, I quite like the design of the bottle, with it's little captions covering the front. The actual product is a lot thinner than I was expecting, it's almost like a milk. I'm not sure how this will fare against my oily skin but I'll give it a try. I'm not getting myself excited over it but I've been happily surprised by products in the past. I'll keep you posted as to whether this actually manages to have a good effect on my overly oily skin!

Yin Yang Skincare Skin Cleanser

I was so pleased to receive the skin cleanser rather than the moisturiser! Not that I had anything against the moisturiser, but I currently have them coming out my ears, and I always love to try new cleansers. I was surprised to find this actually had a subtle, pleasant fragrance. I wasn't expecting it to have a scent at all, or that it would be one of those slightly chemical-y smells like you get with some. It's consistency is slightly thicker than what I was expecting for a cleanser that you apply to cotton wool to use on your face but I think that's purely because I had been getting so used to using Micellar water! Overall this seems a pretty good product and I am looking forward to incorporating it in to my daily skin care routine.

 theBalm How 'Bout Them Apples

I had heard little whisperings about theBalm products from my blog browsing and so I was quite intrigued to receive a sample of their cheek and lip stain. The sample is held in a very cute booklet packet and I love the artistry of it! The colour I received is 'Pie' but there are 6 colours in this collection altogether, they come in a palette in the full-sized product.

I have been using this as a lip stain, as I'm slightly wary of using it on my cheeks as I'm only really used to powder blushes! I love the colour and I'm so impressed by the pigmentation this contains, it really does make a big impact. I'm definitely keen to purchase the full-sized product after trying this out, people have even commented on how nice it looks, in an office full of men this really is a big compliment!! Well done theBalm!!

 Color Club Gala's Gems Collection

Oh...My...God, I love this nail varnish!! This was definitely my favourite product from my box and I'm so glad I picked this colour (Birchbox gave you the option to pick 1 of four colours from the collection). It is a beautiful pearl shade which dries to a satin finish which just looks gorgeous on the nail. It gives great coverage, the above picture is after just one coat, so really a second coat isn't even necessary. I have used this for some nail art that I was trying out last night so a post on that can be expected later today, I really love it!

So another winning box!! Do any of you subscribe to Birchbox? What did you think of this month's offerings?

Birchbox is available from here - there are many different payment plans but I use the monthly recurring subscription which is £10 per month plus a £2.95 postage fee.