Empties of the Month - June

The days/ weeks/ months keep rushing straight past me! I can't believe June is already over and we are already 9 days in to July, seems mad to me. But I got through a lot of products in June, and so I have broken them down into 3 groups: hair, body and face.

Starting with hair - I finished the Garnier Ultimate Blends Vanilla milk and Papaya shampoo and conditioner. I really liked these 2 together actually, they weren't the ones from the Ultimate Blends range that I would usually have picked (I love all things coconut!) but I actually loved the scent of this. And that smell lasts all day, I could still smell it's lightly sweet scent in the afternoon! I think they made my hair look quite glossy and soft as well so thumbs up from me.

I also used up a Dove 60 Second Treatment Shot Intensive Repair for Damaged Hair (wow, that was a mouthful!). I received this in one of my monthly subscription boxes and I was actually quite impressed with it. I went off Dove hair products years ago (as in when I was a teenager) because the conditioners were so watery and thin that they did absolutely nothing and I thought they were a huge waste of money and never went back to them again. But it seems that Dove haircare has come a long way since then as this had a great effect on my hair. It was a much better consistency and really did leave my hair feeling nourished and silky. I may give their shampoos and conditioners another try if this is anything to go by.

These are the body products I got through, from left to right. Firstly, French Connection Body Wash. This was a beautifully fragranced body wash, I don't really know how to describe the smell but it was lush. Sadly it left my skin a bit dry but I think it has got too used to having all the 'nourishing' and 'moisturising' body wash products so this left it a bit bleurgh. Was fine after I whacked on some of the body lotion that came in the set though. Definitely worth it for the smell.

Radox Nourish Shea Butter and Ginger was a really lovely shower gel. I always come back to Radox or Nivea when it comes to shower gels as they are just so softening on the skin, and my legs can get really dry without it. I am not a massive fan of the scent of ginger but I actually couldn't really smell it in this.

MonuSpa Warming Ginger Massage and Body Oil was another product I liked a lot more than I thought I would. This does smell quite obviously of ginger but was surprisingly not off-putting. I used it by adding a few drops to my bath as the water was running and you could see it on your skin when you got out the bath because the water beaded on your skin. It made my skin feel soft but not oily. I did only use this in the evenings though, I wouldn't recommend using it in the morning before work etc!

Nspa Coconut Body Milk- I loved this body milk, I just love the smell of coconut in general. It was quite thin but with a milk that is kind of what you would expect. It wasn't an amazing moisturizer but was good for quickly spraying on when I had got out the showers at the gym. Good on the go and a great fragrance that lasts hours.

Next Sparkle - I have spoken about this perfume from Next before here. It is a brilliant dupe for Dolce and Gabbana The One and really does have longevity - great for if you are on a budget! I have already bought a new, bigger sized bottle because I love it so much.

Embryolisse Nourishing Moisturiser - I wasn't overly keen on this moisturiser if I'm honest. I had read some good reviews so I was quite looking forward to using it but I actually found it really thick for a face moisturiser and it didn't absorb amazingly well. I saw it through to the end though! But I wouldn't be re-purchasing.

RMK Makeup Base - I loved this primer. It seemed to help my face combat the excessive oiliness and hold my makeup relatively intact. if I was to make one complaint it would be that it is a bit watery but that isn't really a major issue as it still does a really good job. I would definitely repurchase this if it wasn't so expensive, I just don't think it is quite good enough for that kind of price tag! I am now using Rimmel's Stay Matte primer and that is very close to being just as good and for a mere fraction of the price.

Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub - This scrub feels like it has lasted me forever!! I bought it roughly a year ago but was told that you should only use an exfoliant on your face once every couple of days and so have only used it 2-3 times a week and it has only just run out now. The smell of it is great and really refreshing. The exfoliant in it isn't harsh on your face but gritty enough so that you can feel it and get the impression it is working. It also did a pretty good job of keeping my skin clear - can't fault it! I would repurchase this product, even though I am now using something different.

Clinique Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser Mousse - Hmmm... I don't really know what to say about this product. It left my skin feeling 'squeaky clean', but I didn't like that. It made my face feel completely stripped of all oils, and it is nice to have a bit of oil on your face to keep it from being completely dried out. It's a good concept, I personally quite like foaming facial cleansers, but this is just far too harsh. My skin was left feeling a bit dry and itchy from this most days, and I usually suffer from very oily skin so I would not recommend this to those who usually have quite dry skin! Will definitely not be repurchasing.

L'oreal True Match The Powder - I love this powder too much, I'm always repurchasing. You may remember me writing a post on how this is the only powder for me (here) but I am now trying one from Sleek (the velvet one) and it really is very good. So I would therefore recommend this one, but also give the Sleek offering a try too.

So they are all my empties from June. I can't believe I got through so much! But again, a lot of them are only sample sizes and others I had been using for a couple of months before finishing them up.

Have you used any of these products? What are your favourites? All comments are welcome as always :)

Jimmy Choo Exotic - Limited Edition Eau de Toilette

I recently went in to The Perfume Shop to see if there were any new perfumes being launched for the summer and found this little beauty! If you are a fan of the original Jimmy Choo perfume then you are going to love this as it is very similar except it has a very fruity edge to it which is really lush. It is limited edition for the summer though so I would grab a couple of bottles to keep you going as it won't be around forever (ok well it will still be around for a few weeks as it has only recently come out, but buy a few anyway!).

In The Perfume Shop they are selling this perfume for £43.50 for 60ml but I found it on Allbeauty here for £39.75 for 100ml, which I think you will agree is a massive saving. And an excuse to buy a bigger bottle...

It is the same style bottle that we all know and love for Jimmy Choo but in a really nice raspberry shade and the box is very familiar but with flashes of bright red. This really is perfect for the summer and also looks gorgeous in  your collection.

Have you already purchased this limited edition perfume from Jimmy Choo? What are your thoughts on it, do you love it as much as I do? All comments are always welcome!

Monthly Subscription box - Glossybox May

This month's Glossybox really was a good one, definitely worth every penny. As with most monthly subscription boxes, they can be a bit hit and miss from month to month but May's box is a hit with me. Glossybox teamed up with Superdrug for this month's box as a celebration of Superdrug's 50th birthday, and with it came some brilliant products.

Firstly then, this BB cream from Garnier. It is described on the box as a '5-in-1 Miracle Skin Perfector' and I really hope it lives up to it's claims as it really does sound like the perfect BB cream if so. I was slightly worried at first to see that I had been sent the medium shade as I may not exactly be pale, I am not usually medium either! I would definitely have chosen the light shade if I was buying it in the shops myself, but actually when I swatched it on my hand the shade wasn't too dark for me (the second picture is it blended in). I'd say it is slightly darker than my actual skin colour but may just about be passable enough to at least trial it for a few days if blended enough, fingers crossed! I do really like all of the Garnier products that I have had though so hopefully this is another great product from them.

I love this B. Sheer Conditioning Lipstick in shade Coral 33. It really does have a hydrating feel on your lips and leaves them looking really glossy without being at all sticky like with a gloss. It doesn't quite have the colour pigmentation I would have liked, but saying that it does leave a nice subtle colour to the lips so would be good for if you were trying to have a subtle lip look. I would definitely buy more colours in this product though as they really are nice on the lip, and as they are down to £3.49 plus being 3 for 2 at the moment I think I will be buying a few really soon!

I was slightly disappointed with this when I first received this Maybelline Color Show Crystallize Polish in shade 236 Nearly Black, we are coming in to Spring now and with that I was hoping for gorgeous, bright spring colours and so this black shade (albeit it contains glitter) just seemed a bit dull and depressing. It does look nice on the nail after 2 coats, and it is really easy to apply evenly so I do really like it, I just would have preferred a colour more appropriate for this season! Oh well, I'll put it away in my nail polish draw as I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of wear out of it in the colder months.

I am going through a bit of a hair oil/serum phase at the moment so I was really excited to receive this Frizz Ease product from John Freida. I've seen the adverts and it really seemed like it would be a great product (it seems I'm a sucker for advertising). I wasn't disappointed either. I don't particularly have frizzy hair as mine is naturally dead straight, but I do get a few fly-aways here and there and serums are always good for making your hair look really glossy so I will always use them regardless of how frizzy my hair is. I found that it was really easy to apply to the hair and didn't leave your hair feeling greasy or weighed down and kept it looking really smooth and shiny. I would be interested in knowing if people with actual frizzy hair were impressed with the results of this product as much as me.

I recently did a review on my favourite foot cream from Sanctuary Spa here so I was quite happy to find one in my Glossybox this month for comparison. I find Scholl a really good brand for all things feet and have bought many products from them before so I had high expectations for this product. I have only used it once so far and, although small, I have noticed a difference in the condition of my feet already. My feet were in a relatively good condition anyway as I do take care of them, applying foot balms and using a pumice stone at least once or twice a week, but this just seems to give them a deep, intensive moisturising that you could really feel the next morning. Very soft and with it being non-scented I liked it that little bit more. It may just be me but I find a lot of foot creams/ balms have a funny smell to them? One that you would definitely not pick up if it was in a body lotion or hand cream. But this was nice and I'm looking forward to using it again. Oh, and it isn't messy at all. I was thinking that going to bed with cream all over my feet would leave oily marks all over my sheets where it has rubbed off but it really hasn't.

This was a pretty small sample so was difficult to really get a good trial of it as after 1.5 uses it was all gone! Slightly disappointing... But this Oil-Infused Nourishing Lotion from Garnier does seem to be a really good product and one I would like to buy to try more of. I have quite dry skin on my legs and arms and this really did feel nourishing on my skin. There seemed to be a slight improvement to my skin but it would have been nice to see how it benefited from being able to use it over a longer time period. Did smell delicious though. Will be picking up a full size bottle soon!

My friend had made me try this Ghost Eclipse perfume when we were at The Perfume Shop the other weekend and so it was a nice surprise to receive a sample bottle in my box! It is quite a sweet scent that I love and will be keeping in my bag to spritz on during the day. I wouldn't say it was one of my favourite perfumes but I would happily wear it. I also found the scent wore off after a couple of hours so doesn't have a great longevity.

So that's my opinion on this month's Glossybox. Did any other subscribers get the same products as me? What were your opinions?

Garnier BB Cream available here for £7.99
B. Sheer Conditioning Lipstick available here for £3.49
Maybelline Color Show Crystallize Polish available here for £3.99
Frizz Ease Original available here for £3.99
Scholl Velvet Smooth Night Mask available here for £5.99
Garnier Oil-Infused Nourishing Lotion available here for £6.99 for 400ml
Ghost Eclipse Eau de Toilette available here for £33 for 50ml

April favourites

I know it's probably a bit late to be writing my April favourites now that its the 7th May, but I have been planning this blog post for a couple of days now. I always find it really difficult to limit my favourites to only a few items! So here are those carefully selected for April:

Barry M Textured Nail Paint in shade TNP 5 Princess 333 - I go through phases with Barry M of either loving there products or finding them a bit disappointing. This nail polish though is Barry M at its finest. This is a gorgeous glittered light pink shade and is so easy to apply, especially for a textured polish. It dries evenly, but you do need to use a topcoat to avoid that rough, sandpaper like feeling you get with textured/ glittered varnishes. I really do love this colour though and have worn it a few times for evenings out as it really is like dressing up your nails.

Benefit the POREfessional Agent Zero Shine - As you may have read in earlier posts of mine, my skin is very oily and looks very shiny very quickly, regardless of whether I have put a base on before my make-up or not. But this works wonders combatting the shine! It's a mattifying powder that does really work to give a more matte look to my face. I keep this in my make-up bag and use for touch ups during the day, which means that it having a built in brush is brilliant! It's a translucent powder so can be used for all skin tones and it doesn't cling to dry patches like with some face powders. Being from Benefit it is a bit pricey, but well worth every penny.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum - This was actually a gift from my aunt that got pushed to the back of my perfume collection (I do have a pretty epic perfume collection) and forgotten about until recently. I was wanting to wear a different perfume as I seem to always wear the same 3 or 4 regularly, so I picked this one up and have been wearing it a lot since. It is a beautiful smell and has great longevity so you really don't need a lot to last you all day. I'd say it is a great summer scent and I will definitely continue to wear this a lot.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in shade 240 Striking Spectaculaire - Not only do I love a good bright red lip but I also love a good matte lip, so I definitely struck gold with this lip crayon. It is so easy to apply accurately to the lip and goes on so smoothly and feels so hydrating, not like you would expect from a matte lip product at all. This shade is a gorgeous bright red that I love to wear out in the evenings, although I do have some more neutral shades in these Revlon crayons as they just feel so great on the lip. The fresh minty-ness of it is an added little bonus as well - lovely!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in shade Busy Signal - I got given this by a friend AGES ago as she didn't think the colour suit her (she is blond with a very fair complexion and this just looked to dark against her pale skintone). Again this was a product that I had just chucked in with my other make-up and not really given a second thought to. I rediscovered it when sorting through my make-up a few weeks ago though and have been wearing it to work a lot since. I prefer to use it as an eyeliner as it isn't too obvious and a perfect shimmery brown shade that compliments my eyes and skintone, but I have also used it as a shadow too recently (after trying the shadow sticks here, before getting them I always thought anything other than powder eyeshadow would feel cakey on my lids) and it gives a great colour without feeling in anyway heavy on the lid.

So those are the products I have been loving in April. It is mainly just make-up products but I haven't found any other products that I have really fallen in love with recently. Are you a fan of any of my recent favourites? Maybe you have these yourselves? All comments are very welcome :)

Amazing perfume dupes at Next!

I was very lucky recently to receive two perfumes from Next. At first I wasn't ridiculously fussed, I'm a lover of all perfumes but did not think they would be anything special, but how wrong I was! The ones that I got are Define and Sparkle.

When I first tried these I was left with that 'where do I know this from?' feeling, and then it clicked! These smell pretty much exactly like a couple of expensive (to me) brand perfumes, very good dupes for a LOT smaller price tag.

Sparkle: I thought I would begin with this one as it is my favourite of the two. This to me smells just like Dolce and Gabbanna The One. It's lovely!! And I was even more surprised by the fact that it is incredibly durable to go with it. I often put this on in the morning before work and I can still smell it on me when I get home. The bottle and packaging is very cute and sparkly, looks very nice and feminine on display. All this and it's only £12 for 100ml. I don't think you could ever justify it not being worth having.

Define: Again, this left me trying to work out where I have smelt this before. It took me a bit longer to work out then with Sparkle but it did finally dawn on me. This smells just like Armani She, a scent that reminds me of my best friend as it's one of her go to favourites, and that's the only reason I managed to work it out! The bottle isn't as pretty as that of Sparkle but it is still very nice and, in my opinion, quite dramatic and classy. This perfume also lasts all day at a mere price tag of £12 for 100ml PLUS you get a Body Lotion thrown in too, perfect!

I have also heard that a lot of the other perfumes there smell like very good high end dupes, one even smells like Coco Chanel apparently. I must get my hands on that!

Do you know of any other brilliant dupes that are available? I love a good perfume, and if I can get one for a significant difference in price that still has the same strength and longevity then I really am interested!! I'll try and pick up some of the others that they have in Next to try them out too and work out what their 'smells like' are for you :)

Also, I know that Next also sell men's aftershave, I'm very interested to get these (for my boyfriend, not me!) to see if they also smell like expensive brand smells.