five empties #2

I'm really getting in to this whole 'empties' thing - is it only me that finds it satisfying to use things up? You can read my first empties post here but as I've recently finished some more products I'd thought I might as well do another one.

Boots Botanics Skin Brightening Toner

This is my usual go-to toner and I love it! It leaves my skin feeling so clean without that stripped and tight feeling and as is keeps excess oil at bay (not that I have particularly oily skin) it helps the skin stay spot free. At the moment I have another toner to use up but I'll definitely purchase this again.

The Botanics Skin Brightening Toner is £4.07 from Boots or online here and is currently on a 3 for 2 offer.

Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Conditioner

As with the toner, this is a product I revisit time and time again because it's so good. My hair is naturally quite dry but when I use this conditioner it feels so healthy and I very rarely get split ends. I also use the same shampoo from the range to really feel the full effects. I've actually still got a bottle of this to use up but when I run out of that I'll have to get another as it's the best I've tried for my naughty dry hair.

Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Conditioner is £4.69 from Boots or online here.

Boots Essentials Hand Cream: Intensive for Dry Skin

I really didn't expect much of this product when I first bought it but for £1.35 I can't fault it! It might not have fancy packaging or a gorgeous smell but it really does keep your hands moisturised and as it's so cheap and therefore not something I'd mind losing it's great just to throw in your bag when you're out and about. I've actually been through quite a few tubes now but after using up some more hand cream I would more than likely purchase it again.

The Boots Essentials Hand Cream for Dry Skin is £1.35 from Boots or online here and is currently on a 3 for 2 offer.

Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Nose Pore Strips

Um, can you tell I tend to shop in Boots by any chance? I'm not going to say too much about these as I've done a full review (which you can see here) but I really don't think that these do anything. For £4.99 I definitely won't be getting them again.

The Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Nose Pore Strips are £4.99 from Boots or online here and are currently on a 3 for 2 offer - not that I recommend getting them!

Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish (sample)

Yes, I know that this featured in my last empties post but I had another little sample to use up! I can't wait to be able to get this again as I just love how refined (to steal Benefit's word) and fresh it makes my skin feel.

The Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish is £17.50 and can be bought from Benefit counters or online here.

I'm liking these posts - I'm going to try and use up some more things, it's addictive haha!

Have you tried any of these products?

xx

recent happenings #6

post-exam treats / very stylish library attire / Mile End in bloom! / love this drink / curly hair / saturday lunch of garlic mushrooms and salami salad with the OC / my skincare saviour this week / one more exam left! / back to one of my favourite nail polishes, Maybelline Express Finish Nail Colour in Turquoise Lagoon

Hello hello! I hope you're all brilliant - I feel like I haven't blogged in forever even  though I only didn't post for a day! This week has been super hectic as I've had two exams and then work all weekend but thankfully I now have only one exam left to do, I'm just so glad the other four are over. As you can see I haven't done too much this week as I have been chained to my desk and until the 29th it will still be revision revision revision as I'm sure quite a few of you are also doing. I just can't wait until the summer now to have a bit of freedom!

Good luck to everyone else who's revising hard!

xx

five empties!

Hello!

I really love reading people's posts about products they've used up and their opinions on them, so I thought I'd jump on the band wagon and have a go myself. After all, using up all the products I have gathering dust is a fab idea! I very rarely actually finish beauty products as I always get bored and buy new things to try, so I have lots of half-used bits and bobs sitting around and waiting to be used up. Here are the last five things which I've finished.

Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish

My boyfriend bought me this exfoliator as part of a set from Benefit for my birthday last year. It was such a brilliant present and I loved both this Facial Polish and the moisturiser that came with it. The exfoliator is a thick white cream with very exfoliating particles in it which feel almost like sand. Due to the roughness of these bits, it is quite a powerful exfoliator but used sparingly once a week it made my skin feel so smooth and glowy and kept blemishes at bay. I also just looked up the Facial Polish on the Benefit website and it claims that it reduces the size of your pores too. Recently I have noticed that my pores are looking quite large so I'm now thinking that perhaps this exfoliator was tightening them. If you're after a really efficient facial polish to brighten up dull skin and make it silky smooth then I'd definitely try this. I think that I will pick it up again at some point, especially as now I'm intrigued to see whether it makes my pores smaller!

The Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish is £17.50 and can be bought at Benefit counters or online here.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Wild

I suffer a lot more with my hair being dry than greasy so I don't use dry shampoo that much. However, sometimes I do spray a little in to my hair if it's looking a bit flat in an attempt to liven it up a bit. I have no real qualms with Batiste but I do know what people mean when they say it can make your hair feel even more dirty. I also hate the whiteness that it can give as on my bright auburn hair as it can look very noticeable! As for the scent of this particular version, 'Wild' - I'm really not keen on the smell at all. It's not that I mind the actual scent particularly, it's more that it hangs around in your hair all day. I've already repurchased another can as for £2.99 you can't really complain and as I don't use dry shampoo very often it's good enough for me!

Batiste Dry Shampoo is available from most high street chemists etc/drug stores, but I picked my latest can up in Sainsburys!

17 Falsifeye Mascara

This product might be cheating a little as I didn't use this mascara up, it just dried out. However, I have bought Falsifeye a few times before so I can give you my thoughts on it. It's a great high street mascara that does give you volume to your lashes, although it can clump quite easily and definitely doesn't give you a truly false effect. Saying that, I do love the large brush as it's brilliant for grabbing all your lashes and making sure that it's applied evenly. As I said, there's nothing really wrong with this mascara - it's perfectly fine. However, I'm just not blown away by it and although it does the job there are definitely better mascaras on the high street.

17 Falsifeye Mascara is currently on offer for £4.00 at Boots.

Charlie Body Spray in Spirit

I almost feel a little embarrassed to admit I buy these cheapy body sprays, but there you go, it's out there: I do! I just find that they're great for slinging in your bag to freshen up a little at work or to take with you on a night out when you don't want to risk losing your perfume. They're also readily available in supermarkets so are so easy to grab when you're doing the food shopping. However, despite singing their praises the scent 'Spirit' isn't actually my favourite as it's a bit sweet and sickly. My favourite is actually 'Black' but I don't have any at the moment sob! I'll definitely continue to buy them as for £1.70 I think they're such good value and there is a wide range of scents available.

Charlie body sprays are £1.70 from Boots.

Soap and Glory Clean on Me Shower Gel

The bottle is so big that it was hard to photograph!

Oh my! I can't actually believe that I've finished this. It was honestly getting to the point where I thought this shower gel would never end! It's not that I'm not a huge fan of this product as I love the scent (typical Soap and Glory) so much and how moisturising it feels on my skin, it's just that I'd bought another yummy smelling shower gel a few months ago and couldn't wait to get stuck in haha (perhaps a little sad). 500ml of this has lasted me four months which I think makes it such fab value for money. I love that it's a pump bottle too as it just makes the shower gel so much easier to dispense. I will definitely buy this again at some point, but I'll perhaps take a little break as I know that starting another bottle is such a commitment!

Soap and Glory Clean on Me Shower Gel is £5.50 from Boots.

I'm going to try and work my way through lots of my half used products and try not to buy so many bits and bobs that I don't really need! Not sure how long this idea will last...

xx

current favourites

I didn't want to call this my April Favourites as that sort of implies that I'll do this every month, which I can't promise I necessarily will. However, regardless of the title, here are some things which I've really enjoyed using over the past month or so.

• For a true neutral lover (and lover of shimmer!) the Naked Palette is a must. It has the perfect range of shades to take you from a pretty subtle day time look to a full on smoky eye. It's quite pricey at £36 but for the quality and the number of eyeshadows you get (12), I think it's worth every penny.
• I've already done a full review of Lancome Hypnose Drama (which you can read here), but let me just reiterate - this is the best mascara I've ever used. It's just a shame that I didn't fall for a high street one!
• While I do love my Rimmel Brow Pencil for more defined brows, when I'm after more natural looking eyebrows for everyday (which are also quicker to do) then Clinique Instant Lift for Brows is a must for me. It has a screw up brow pencil on one end and a brow bone highlight on the other. However, my brow pencil end has run out and this time I've just purchased Clinique's Superfine Liner for Brows as I wasn't so bothered about the highlight side as it seemed a little too gold toned. It's a bit more expensive than a high street brow pencil at £12 but it's the perfect colour for my very fair eyebrows!
• Again, I've done a full review on the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze which you can read here. This is just such a fab multi-use product - I love to use it on its own, as a base for eyeshadow and as a liner - just brilliant!
• Three nail polish colours which I've really enjoyed wearing recently are Models Own 'Blooboo', Barry M 'Peach Melba' and Maybelline Express Finish in 'Turquoise Lagoon'. They're all just such fun colours for spring. Have a look at them on my nails here, here and here!

• I've definitely rekindled my love for Soap and Glory's Pulp Friction Body Scrub. Not only does this stuff smell brilliant (I have to restrain myself from eating it), but it leaves my skin silky smooth! You can pick this up from Boots for £8, which I thing is a fab price considering how long it's lasting me.
• This may seem a bit of an odd choice, but I've really enjoyed using the Dr. Bronner's Magic Lavender Hand Sanitizing Spray which I got in my February Glossybox. Living in London and working in a job where I have to handle money, my hands continuously feel dirty and I find myself using a lot of hand sanitizer. I not only love the smell of this as it's less chemically smelling than others I've tried but I love that it's in a spray bottle. I also find that it doesn't leave my hands feeling as dry as others have done. I'll definitely pick up another one of these when it runs out.
• Ever since I smelled Valentina by Valentino in last month's Glossybox, I've wanted a bottle. My boyfriend treated me to some for my birthday and I can't stop using it! I'm awful at describing scents, but it's floral and girly but not too sweet. Definitely give it a smell if you get a chance as it's such a beautiful perfume.

• These jeans were really difficult to photograph so I don't think I've done them much justice, but I absolutely love them. I can't get enough of Zara at the moment and I think these leather look jeans have to be my favourite recent purchase. I can't find them online any more but they're basically identical to these. They're great to wear both in the day and for a night out and make basic outfits look so much more interesting.
• This necklace from River Island has been practically glued to my neck all month! I know everyone has these cuff style necklaces at the moment but for me this is the perfect thickness. I just love how plain it is and it looks fab especially with basic tees. It cost me £7 and it's also available in silver (umm, may have to get that...)
• Last but by no means least is my Babyliss Big Hair. This makes my hair look salon fresh and feel so healthy and bouncy - Kate Middleton would be jealous! I love how it gives my naturally very flat hair a bit of life and volume. It's perhaps a bit pricey at £45 ish (here on Amazon) but it does make the fiddly task of blow drying your hair so much easier.

Have you tried any of these bits? What did you think?

xx

beauty secrets

Hello!


I love love love watching beauty videos on YouTube and recently quite a few people have been doing a tag called Ten Little Secrets. This was created by Sammi from Beauty Crush (who also has a blog, which I'll link here) and I thought the questions were really interesting and so I'd give it a go. However, I thought that ten questions would make this a very long post so I shortened it to five. I haven't seen anyone else do this on a blog yet so if you do it too then please comment with a link so I can read it!


What is one product that makes you feel like a million dollars?

For me, defining my eyelashes makes me feel a lot better about myself. For example, when I'm on a night out wearing big thick false eyelashes, I always feel fab! They make me feel so feminine and I think they don't have to look tacky, even if they are big, if you keep the rest of your make up quite simple. Likewise, if I'm popping out for a run in the morning or to the shop and I don't have any make up on, I won't worry about foundation or anything else but a little flick of mascara can make me feel so much better and I think I look a lot more wide awake.

Two of my favourites at the moment are Rimmel Glam Eyes and Lancome Hypnose Drama  - can't wait to get the full size!

What is your skincare secret? 

I cleanse, tone and moisturise twice a day and make sure I take all my make up off before bed. I take the majority off with a make up wipe or eye make up remover and then cleanse again. I always use a muslin cloth with whatever cleanser I'm using too as I love their gentle exfoliating properties and I also think that they make the whole job of washing your face a lot easier and less messy!

Other tips are drinking lots of water, not wearing face make up as often as possible to let your skin breath and brightening face masks.

Some of my favourite skin care products at the moment

What is your hair care secret?

Condition condition condition! I do have quite dry hair so I use them all over, but even if you have greasy hair, you can use a moisturising balm or mask just on your ends and leave on for a little while. I find that these masks and balms make so much difference to the condition of the your hair.

Still loving Umberto Giannini Indulgent Beauty Moisture Mask

Do you have any diet and work out tips?

I love food and I don't really deny myself everything so I think the best way to approach your diet is everything in moderation. If you gorge on chips and mayo (mayonnaise = <3) one day, just don't the next. Easy peasy. I also try and stay away from fizzy drinks as diet or not they are awful for you and can so easily pile weight on. They're totally empty calories!

In terms of exercise, I didn't work out heavily for a long time due to health problems, but in the last year it's something I've begun to enjoy a lot more. My advice would be just to try and find something you enjoy doing. For me, the gym is too intimidating and I find things like swimming a bit dull. I then tried running last summer and I love it! If you're unfit it can be quite hard at first, so try the Couch to 5K podcasts from the NHS as they are ridiculously helpful! Here's a link - so fab!

My running shoes!

Which perfume is your secret weapon?


I tend to chop and change between perfumes, I don't tend to buy the same one over and over again as I like to try different scents. However, at the moment I'm loving Calvin Klein Euphoria. I'm not particularly good at describing scents but I'd say it was quite a heavy perfume with some musky undertones, yet fresh and fruity at the same time. Um, yeah... Anyway, Boots, who can perhaps do a bit better than me, describe Euphoria as an addictive oriental fragrance that contrasts exotic fruit, seductive florals and a rich creamy signature. Apparently, it's inspired by a new found freedom, about living one's dream... (On second thoughts, perhaps my description was better!)

Calvin Klein Euphoria

However, for my birthday, my lovely boyfriend bought me Valentina by Valentino which is such a beautiful perfume and I think will quickly become my new favourite!

As I said at the beginning, if you answer these questions then please tell me as I'd love to have a little read, and I'd also love to know if you have any brilliant skincare, diet, exercise or hair care tips!

xx

my current hair care routine

Hello :)

When I looked at my hair in the mirror earlier, I just felt all pleased with how shiny and healthy it currently looks, so I thought I'd tell you all about my hair care routine which seems to be working so well for me! I feel as if I've finally found some products that get on with well with my (sometimes naughty) hair.

First of all I should probably tell you a bit about my hair and its 'behaviour' so you'll know more whether or not these products will work for you. I've been told before that although I have a lot of hair (as in singular strands), each hair itself is quite fine so sometimes I've felt in the past that my hair can be quite flat. Also, as I've told you before my hair can be quite dry so I look for products that will help to combat this. I have naturally auburn hair which I've never died and I don't used a heat on my hair everyday, so I suppose it must just be naturally lacking some moisture!

Shampoo and conditioner

Apologies for the well loved shampoo bottle!

I was never loyal to one particular type of shampoo and conditioner until I tried the Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Shampoo and Conditioner. I was always put off previously as I really don't like the packaging and branding of the product (not quite sure why - Liz Tyler swishing her hair just doesn't really scream 'buy me', at least for me!), but the two were on some sort of deal in Sainsbury's ages ago so I just picked them up on a whim - and I don't regret it!

The products claim that they 'improve moisture balance and leave hair more resilient against styling or combing damaging' and 'prevent the formation of split ends' amongst other things. I've been using the shampoo and conditioner for a couple of months now and I did notice a difference very quickly. They leave my hair feeling clean and soft and I actually do believe they've made my hair stronger as I've certainly noticed less split ends. They're also both a brilliant thick creamy consistency and smell deliciously fruity!

I wash my hair normally about once every three days as my hair doesn't get very greasy. I use the shampoo every time but I don't always use the conditioner as I have a hair mask and a balm I also like to use which I'll tell you about in a minute...

I've just had a look on the Boots website and the Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Shampoo and Conditioner are £4.69 which I think is great as they're big bottles so last you a long time. If you suffer from dry unhappy hair then I really do suggest giving them a go! Like I said, you often see them on offers too so shop about.

Hair masks and balms

Every few washes (so perhaps once every week and a half) I like to use something really deeply moisturising. I make sure I've got a bit more time when I do this so I can let the products sit for a bit and feel their true effects.

My two favourites are the Umberto Giannini Indulgent Beauty Moisture Mask and Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm. The Umberto Giannini is a deep treatment conditioning mask which makes your hair ridiculously soft. I've done a full review of this product - because it's so fab! - which you can read here.

The Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm I actually got in my January Glossybox and at first I didn't really know what to do with it. The tube instructs that it's a '98% natural' product that can be used on your face hair and body... for me that's too much choice! On the back it tells you to put it on the ends of your hair and leave for a few minutes so I gave it a try - and it's brilliant! If you suffer from split ends or are looking just to prevent them then this product is excellent as you easily concentrate it on to where you really need it and it makes your hair look so sleek! I shampoo and condition my hair and then put this on to my clean hair. I probably leave it for about ten minutes while I do everything else in the shower then rinse this off last.

On a side not, the packaging is absolutely beautiful, with drawings of a girl, a bee, hummingbird and lots of other things. I love that it's a bit different to other designs on the market (a lot better than the horrid Pantene packaging)! I'll definitely be repurchasing this product. It's £17.40 for 150ml but I think that's great value as you don't need much of the balm at a time. I've been using my sample size (75ml) since January and I still have about half of it left, if not more.

Hair oils and serums

When I get out of the shower with my wet hair, I first towel dry it for a little while as I like to try and use as little heat on it as possible. When it's damp and not quite so wet any more, I smooth three drops of VO5 Miracle Concentrate through the midlengths and ends of my hair before I give it a short blast with the hair dryer and dry my fringe (it will go in all sorts of directions otherwise)! I normally leave the rest of my hair then to finish off airdrying.

The VO5 Miracle Concentrate in an 'intensive leave-in treatment' which contains the much raved about Argan Oil. It leaves your hair so soft and shiny, plus it smells great too. I think that it really does refine the look of the ends of your hair and makes it appear as if you've newly had a trim! I've not tried the much blogged about and very expensive Moroccan Oil but for now this is good enough for me and does exactly what it says on the tin. I picked this up from Boots for £4.99 which might seem like a lot for a tiny bottle but as I said I literally use a few drops at a time.

The VO5 Miracle Concentrate can also be used on dry hair to slick any frizziness and add a little shine if your hair is looking a bit dull. However, if my hair is being naughty and frizzy then I use the Charles Worthington On-The-Go Serum. As the name suggests, the main reason I use this is that the little sleek tube is great for carrying around for when your hair needs a bit of taming during the day. I just smooth a tiny amount through the ends of my hair to make my hair appear a little sleeker and put any naughty flyaways back in their place!

It does claim on the tube that you can use this on wet hair and then blow dry to make your hair lovely and smooth. However the reason that I use the VO5 Miracle Concentrate for this instead of the Charles Worthington Serum is that the the Miracle Concentrate actually contains conditioning ingredients which will do your hair good and moisturise the ends of your hair whereas the serum will simply make your hair appear shinier etc. The Charles Worthington Serum also contains a lot of silicones which will coat your hair and way it down over time.

I couldn't fine the Charles Worthington On-The-Go Serum online so perhaps it's not available any more. As it's a Takeaway product I think I paid about two or three pounds for it.

Extras

I don't actually use many different types of mousses etc for my hair, as I don't want to overload my hair with products. However if I'm going out and I want a bit more volume for my hair then I massage Charles Worthington Volume Body Booster Mousse into my roots then blow dry my hair upside down and perhaps finish it off with my Babyliss Big Hair (I won't go in to it now, that thing is a whole other post haha)! The Charles Worthington Volume Body Booster Mousse is available at Boots for £5.19, but it's also available as part of a deal for 2 for £6 on selected Charles Worthington products at the moment so you could check that out!

As for other products, I don't tend to use hairspray very much. I only use a tiny amount when I curl my hair as I hate how it makes my hair feel the next day, and I always worry it's drying my hair out. The hairspray I'm using at the moment is Sainsbury's Firm Hold Hairspray which is doing the job perfectly well but I can't get particularly excited about it!

I've just realised that this is quite a long post so thank you for persevering if you've made it this far! I'd also love to know what your favourite hair care products are and if you have any recommendations for me if you have a similar hair type to me :)

xx

i love you umberto giannini hair mask!

Before I tell you about this product, I'm first going to tell you a little story...

A few hair cuts ago, I was chatting to the hairdresser when she told me "Ooh your hair is quite dry". Now, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean it in a nasty way and was just making an innocent comment, but for some reason I took this as a massive insult and couldn't get her comment out of my head (sad, I know...)! So after leaving the hairdressers, the war began against my dry hair, and my mission became to make it silky soft.

In this dry hair saga, I've tried quite a few products, and obviously some have been better than others. However one that has really stood out to me is the Umberto Giannini Indulgent Beauty Moisture Mask. I picked this up in Boots quite a few months ago now on a whim and didn't really expect much but it truly does make your hair ridiculously soft and shiny, and the ends of your hair look nourished and healthy. One of its ingredients is shea butter, so it's super moisturising hurrah! It also smells amazing and has lovely packaging - a winner all round basically!

I love the design on the lid, very art nouveau!

I probably use this about once every three washes and I make sure it's at a time when I'm not in a rush so that I can feel it's full benefits. I first shampoo and rinse my hair then apply this all over my hair, but especially concentrate on the ends. I next put my hair in to a very loose bun and leave for as long as possible while I wash, exfoliate, cleanse, shave etc. It instructs on the pot that a 'professional secret' is the longer you leave it on  the better, and with experience I do agree with this. After maybe 10-15 minutes, I rinse it out and voila! Soft and shiny hair!

When I last went to the hairdresser (a different one), I asked her if my hair was dry. She told me that it wasn't and that it is in fact in great condition! If you are suffering from dry hair then I really do urge you to try this as it's worked wonders for me and although I will continue to try other products, I can't see anything overtaking this in the near future.

As I said, I picked it up from Boots. It's on the website for £5.61 but there's also a 2 selected Umberto Giannini products for £7.50 offer at the moment so it's the perfect time to pick it up. Plus, if you get it in store, you'll also receive one of the £5 off No7 vouchers - it all just gets better! 

xx