The Body Shop: New Fuji Green Tea Collection

The newest release from The Body Shop is the *Fuji green tea collection. This is presented as a green tea ceremony of reviving the body and detoxing the mind by using the antioxidant qualities of the green tea. I'm a big fan of the idea, everyone needs a little detox with the stress of daily life. There are nine new products in this range and two new gift sets. I'll leave the full price list at the end of the post. I really like the entire presentation of this range, down to the cute added infuser thats below.

Out of the lovely things I was given to try from the range, I really like the 100ml eau de cologne for €19.95 the most. As with all of the Fuji green tea products, it smells light, fresh and has a slight citrus scent to it. Its easy to wear if your a lover of more floral sweet smelling perfumes, without being an overpowering citrus smell. The only down side to this is that its of course not a perfume but more of a body spray so the scent doesn't linger too long. If they brought this out as a perfume, I would definitely buy it. This is going to be the perfect thing for the summer months as its fresh and gives a sense of cooling and calming. 

''Awaken and revive the senses with the sophisticated aroma of our citrus-fresh scent of Fuji Green Tea Eau de Cologne. It’s the perfect blend of green tea, bergamot, lemon and mandarin top notes with a floral heart of camellia, jasmine and violet. Refreshingly light and crisp, it’s a classic scent for daytime sophistication.''

The next thing is the body scrub. This is a gel like product with little light and dark green scrubby bits (always getting technical, me). I think I'm bias when I say that this didn't do much for me, as I'm a fan of the more harsh and extra scrubby exfoliants. I found it to be too much like a shower gel and not enough like a scrub. The beads were too few and far between for my liking and I found that my skin wasn't as polished or scrubbed as I would have liked. I don't think the gel like texture helped the beads to grip my skin either and even when I used exfoliating gloves I didn't find much difference. This would be perfect however for those who like a much  more gentle body scrub. 

Lastly is the bath tea for €19.95 in a really lovely tin and an optional bath infuser thats €6.50. This smells really lovely and the infuser is a great novelty to have in the bath with you - along with it being a necessity if you don't fancy scrubbing bits of black stuff from the bath for 10 minutes after. Although I feel that this is the main product that everything else is based around as it it the thing you 'detox' your body in, I didn't find it amazing for a massive €20. I think that money could be better spent on other things from this collection. However this would be a beautiful gift for someone who loves their baths as there isn't anything else like this on the market at the moment.  

Overall I don't think this is one of The Body Shops most amazing ranges when compared to their other products. However I am a big fan of the Fuji scent, so I will be repurchasing the eau de cologne once it runs out and I think I'll be trying out the body wash as I'd love to have the scent in the shower with me. Have a sniff of this range if your passing a shop and tell me what you think of it!

• Exfoliating soap - 100g €7.50
• Body Butter - 200ml €18.95
• Body Scrub - 200ml €18.95
• Body Sorbet - 200ml €13.50
• Body Lotion - 250ml €13.50
•  Body Wash - 250ml €8.95
• Eau de Cologne - 100ml €19.95
• Bath Tea - 300g €19.95
• Bath Infuser - €6.50

 *I did not pay for this item, it was a PR gift.  Please see my disclaimer here.

My 2014 Favourties

Yeah so the first month of 2015 has nearly come to an end and I'm only getting around to doing this now. Honest to got, some things never change. Just to note, I'd like to say sorry as the photos are all a little off colour. Theres nothing worse then the winter light not letting up and the three times that I retook these photos, they have all been far too dark. But sure, the show must go on. This is a feckin massive list of my all time favourite things of 2014. Some things immediately came to mind and then some things I had to narrow down, it wasn't easy!

First I want to talk about hair. Its one of the things that is a part of my personality and I'm always trying new things in it. Surprisingly, shampoos get me excited the same way a new eye shadow palette would, or a cake. Aussie 3 minute miracle is one of my most loved conditioner, theres nothing as quick or effective to make my hair feel amazingly soft. It smells really lovely as well. I've gone through countless bottles of this goodness. Not pictured, but something that I had to add in is the Garnier ultimate blends shampoo and conditioners. They are so lovely and when they are on offer I love to stock up.

Herbal Essences dry shampoo is my top dry shampoo of the year. I go through loads of this stuff and love it. It doesn't have the white residue that some dry shampoos leave in your hair and it really helps reduce the grease in my hair. Lastly is my favourite purple hair dye, Live XXL. I think I keep these lads in business, I've bought so much of these tubes this year! It lasts such a long time in your hair, even with my daily washing it.  

Next is skincare and the first thing that came to mind when I thought of this catagory was my Vaseline spry and go moisturiser. Theres no waiting around for it to dry in or taking too much of the product in one go. You just spray it on quickly, give it a little rub and boom, your ready to go - well put on clothes first, of course. To help keep my face from falling to bits I love to use Green Angel seaweed daily face cream. It smells lovely, is so moistursing and you only need the tiniest amount to do your full face, so this will last ages. Himself is a big fan of it too, so I'd say the men in your life might appreciate this if your looking for a unisex gift that you might be able to 'borrow' a little now and again. You can read the full review of it over here.

Two Lush things that have to get a mention, keeping all my face uglies at bay are Grease Lightening and of course my much loved Mask of Magnaminty. Both of these help to keep my spots under control when used regularly. Theres nothing negative I can think to say about either of these, they are just perfect! Natural stuff that doesn't smell awful or hurt my fussy skin. 

Lastly is my all time favourtie perfume, the Body Shop White Musk Smoky Rose. When I first got this to try out I wasn't sure about it, it was nice but not something I'd use everyday. But now I've grown to love it and I have to have it in my handbag, just in case. I'm coming close to the end of this bottle and hope to get a new one asap. Running out just isn't an option!

I've read a lot of books and comics in 2014 and although I have so many new favourites, the two that stand out the most have to be Sex Criminals - that I did a full post on over here. And then The Good Girl that I did a review of over here. I'd blab on about them non stop, but I think this is a really long blog post without adding to it! 

Sleek has been one of my most loved make up brands in 2014. I've just started to use their blushers, (instead loving my Benefit one, full post over here)but the eyeshadow palettes and my overused but much loved contor kit has been my go to all year. I did a full blog post on it here, but I think since then I've fallen even more in love with it!

Another go to for the year has been my Wet'n'Wild Comfort Zone palette. Its cheap as chips and has so many highly pigmented colours in it, I just love how handy it is to throw in my bag, without having to worry if it gets a bit bashed. I a full post with swatches over here.

You would want to have been blind not to notice my new found love for Emmas Soy Candles this year. There are so many to choose from, they don't effect my asthma and they are an Irish brand. They just tick all the right boxes. Family and friends got these as Christmas presents, with much happy camper feedback!

Three nail varnishes that I've used non stop were by Paese - review here. Its the perfect red. My lovely mustard Barry M review here and my favourite from the entire new collection by Max Factor - review here.

Out of all my toys, this year Doxy has stolen my heart. I did a full review on it over here, but I'll save you the hassle of reading it - just go order it right now!

I've never fully understood people going on about products that would be desert island things to take with them. That was until I tried Ziaja Rose Butter, This is something I found about half way through the year after finding the brand stocked in a chemist on Talbot St. I picked it up as I was looking for something new to try and I'm so glad I did. Theres nothing as nice as the feeling of really clean, fresh and soft skin. Not only does it work total wonders, it smells pretty good too. I thought it would be too harsh when I felt the sand like texture, but it hasn't once hurt my sensitive skin. Ziaja is one of those brands you need to buy if you see.

Nimue rejuvenating mask is one of my favourite high end masks of 2014. But something that is much more budget friendly and works just as well is the Simple one. I've nothing to say about these, other then every time I have a bath or a bad day, then one of these gets slapped on my face and I feel so much better.

Lastly is my favourite make up. Reds were big for me this year, especially my Wet'n'Wild balm stain and my Inglot lipstick. I did a full review of some Inglot lip products over here. When theres a strong lip, there has to be some strong black eyelashes and flicks! Benefit They're Real and a bargain Collection extreme felt tip eyeliner for €3.99 are, dare I say my all time favourites. 

Everyone and their mammy needs to know about the Hero Brush. I only found it in October but its not left my side since. Its one of my most read posts in 2014 too I'm glad to say. Its an Irish make up artists brand and I honestly need to buy more of them. In love, have a look at the full review here. - Not to mention seeing photos of it clean, sorry!

And whats the point of having an amazing foundation brush if you don't have a lovely foundation to use with it! Seventeens Stay Time is my all time favourite foundation this year. Its full coverage, in a light shade that actually matches my skin tone and lasts a surprisingly long time. I think this is about my 4th or 5th bottle and nothing else that I've tried has compared to it. Seventeen are on fire with their new products that came out in 2014! Can't wait to see what they have in store for the rest of the year.

My Skincare Routine

My face is oily with a bit of a dry combo in the oddest of places and only sometimes. Basically its like me on my period. One day I love everyone and want to hug the entire world, 10 hours later I'm screaming like a banshee throwing knickers out the window. (Its happened more then I'm willing to admit.) So when it comes to skincare I have lots of different categories. Theres the slap all the tea tree things on my face its a bad break out category, the my skin is patchy dry and sad looking category and so on. This particular one is the taking off light make up at night and giving my skin a little perk up category. I say light make up because I've not included any eye make up removers or major amounts of different make up removers that are required after I've shoveled on about 3 tonnes of make up for the night out.

I've two uberly fancy ones here by Bioderma. I used to scoff at people with this brand - the price of this stuff is crazy. But when my sister went off to France and brought these back for me, who was I to question her. After all, its make up and skincare. Just give me all the things. You still can't get these in Ireland, but I know that Amazon and various sites will ship them. (Thank the holy cat in heaven.) First is the one everyone raves about, the micellar water. To be honest I can't really see anything different between this and say the garnier water, but it just happens to be the one I'm using at the minute. It takes off make up fine and cleans my face properly, without having to use a different product to get the remainders off (like I do with some products). 

The second Bioderma product is the moisturising cleansing milk thats just gorgeous. I don't care if its €2 or €20, when this runs out I'm going to frantically search online until I find somewhere that will send me another bottle. I've never had something thats been so gentle, moisturising and all round divine for my skin before. My sister actually gave this to me when she tired it and found it too oily for her skin, but it seems my skin drinks it up and never  gets extra greasy or more spotty. All of the wins happening in that bottle. (After just looking it up and its €19.95. Holy sweet mother of jesus it doesn't cost that much in lovely old France!)

If I'm looking for an extra bit of omph for my skin I'll use the Ziaja tea tree toner. Normally on days when my skin is having a bitch fit (what up White Chicks reference!) and it needs some calming down as this toner has spot fighting goodness in it. Its great for giving my skin a really good clean. 

If the bitch fit is continuing, I've been popping some Body Shop tea tree oil onto the infected areas. This stings a little and the smell can be overwhelming, but I have noticed a difference when using it. Not for everyday use personally, but maybe 3 times a week on the bigger face uglies or very sore ones.

I'm a long time fan of Germolene (now renamed bepantiseptic) and I smear it all over my mug. Leave it on over night and I can see visible results the next morning. My spots run off my face like I do when someone shouts '50% off!'. It surprisingly doesn't dry out my skin and it doesn't hurt or irritate me. Its the one thing that I would recommend every time if your looking to fight spots fast with results in a few hours, without a massive price tag.

When my under eyes are looking less then lovely, I use Simple roller. Its quick, makes my under eyes less dark looking, cooling and soothes the puffyness from lack of sleep. In general this yoke is something everyone with under eyes needs in their life. It was less then €6ish as well, which I think is a total bargain.

Lastly are some of my must have skincare saviors, Waxperts. These are an Irish brand and I'm proud to be banging on about them. Meant for keeping ingrown hairs at bay after saving or waxing, they are also amazing to use on your spots. One or two of these in your skincare routine and your sorted. Theres 40 pads in each tub and they last for ages. I've gone through loads of them but for some reason this is the first time I've mentioned them! Must be the best kept secret in beauty!

Fragrance Direct Haul

Its not often that I do online shopping, prefering to go and see the products in real life. But when there are all the deals to be had, it would be rude not to pick up a few bits. Most of what I have in this haul is things by the Body Shop and I've a bone to chew on here, I am a massive fan of their things, buying lots for myself recently along with a lot of Christmas presents for others. But the main issue is that their Irish site and in store there are never any sales or offers on the way there is on UK sites. Its such a pity as the euro prices of their things make it more of a luxury once in a blue moon buy. Its disheartening to read UK bloggers talking about the amazing 40% off deals they got. Alright then, rant is now over! 

The first thing that I set my sights on were the body butters. If your looking for just one thing to try out from the Body Shop then it has to be one of these. They are so wonderfully thick but easy to apply and sink into your skin making it beautifully soft only after one or two uses. I got mine in shea butter as its one of my favourite scents, I was delighted they had it! One of these tubs cost me £2.99.

I also picked up the tea tree oil thats just perfect for all the face uglies that are forever popping up on my mug. This was I think £0.99 compared to the guts of €10 so I was delighted to be able to try it out. Since getting the haul in the post, I've been using this loads and I have to say it works really well, I'd recommend it to anyone.

Years ago the Body Shop had a shampoo and conditioner with the scent of nettles. It wasn't for everyone but I really loved it. When they discontinued it I searched high and low online but never again could get it. Since then I've not been too interested in trying out anything hair care, but when I saw these little bottles for £2.99 I decided to pick up 2 each and give them a go. A regular bottle is €9.95 for the biggest bottle. I've not tried them out yet, but if I like them I'd consider forking out for them. I just love my hair care products! 

I also got a little tea tree skin clearing toner for £1.99 as I'm all about that spot fighting stuff. I'm still trying to find the holy grail products to finally work for my skin. And I've gone though bag loads, so fingers crossed this one might work for me. 

Again, all about the hair care. I love a good hair mask and this pantene one is something I've not had in years! I used to love it, but theres so many out there I kind of forgot all about it. For £1.99 I couldn't pass it up and I've used it once now. Its just as lovely as I remember.

Lastly I nabbed an Aussie spray leave in conditioner for coloured hair. I have gone though about 7 bottles of this stuff since being introduced to it years ago by a friend. Its perfect to throw in before heading off for the day, before bed, or just a quick spray to make brushing your hair easier. I'm a massive fan, but it can be about €6, so seeing this for £2.99 was a bargain. 

You'll be able to find most of what I've talked about above over on Fragrance Direct. But because lots are really cheap, things can sell out fast. Keep an eye on the site, they are always adding loads of new bargains!

Empties #7

I think I'm getting better at doing these empties more often, thing aren't piling up so much! I only did one of these last month but since then I've had loads more odds and ends that I've been using up. Some of them I'm very sorry to see go and will be on the list must buys again soon, once all the Christmas presents have been bought!

First is my lovely Body Shop chamomile cleanser that was an utter dream to use on my skin. It took off all my make up and didn't irritate even my eyes. It was pricey at €15 and not something I will be picking up soon, but is on my wishlist of lovely things to get when I have a spare few bob floating about. You can read my full review of it over here.

Seventeen is the love of my make up life, we all know that by now. So when they brought this new foundation out a few months ago I couldn't have been happier. I'm now on to my third bottle of the stuff and use it daily. Its the perfect tone for my pale completion and can build up to have a totally flawless - slightly thick, but full coverage. Theres not much else in the make up section that could make me change my mind. This is just over €8 but all the make up in Boots tends to be on 3 for 2 so you can pick it up on the cheap. I need to get a back up of my back up for this one!

My Garnier micellar water is finally finished. When the internet went mad for those waters I naturally jumped on the bandwagon and bought a million different ones. This one is by far the best, purely based on the price. Its one of the biggest bottles at 400ml instead of the usual 200ml. So when I next run out of all my water, I'll pick this on up again.

Ziaja is amazing, theres not one product that I've tried of theres that I've not loved - which is a big thing for me to say. The Ziaja rose butter micro peeling face scrub has been my go to scrub for months now and I'm sad thats its come to an end. I'll be keeping an eye out for this again and buying a back up when I do find them. I used this about 3 times a week and it kept my skin soft while not being too harsh or stripping it. This was about €6 if I remember right and is worth every penny. 

My fall down with these posts are the crazy amounts of hair things in them. So I'll keep this one really short. We all know I love Dove and I buy this conditioner for coloured hair religiously. Big thumbs up. Next is a let down of a Dealz find, some random shampoo and conditioner that wasn't very good. I wont be getting it again.

Onto the hair dyes now. My Bleach London dye needs a full ranting, so heres the blog post for it. I just hate it so much! The other is XXL Live and that is the other end of the scale entirely. I use this all the time and love it so much. I lasts ages and gives such gorgeous colours once its washed out. You can pick this one up on offer in Boots all the time for about €5 which is perfect for me.

Two bottles of dry shampoo that I now use all the time. Batiste is an old favourite that I used a lot of especially around Halloween as it gives great texture and the white powder it leaves behind looks great too. But a new favourite is the Herbal Essence range and I have about 3 as back ups! They were on special offer in Tesco so I really stocked up. Best dry shampoo ever!

Few deodorants I really like is the Nivea no stains one and the roll on energy fresh one. Mostly the bigger bottle is about €5 in Boots but I always buy the roll on one in Dealz for €1.49 which is great for just before bed if you don't fancy having a stuffy room of spray left or if you have asthma and find that sprays irritate it. 

Next are two body scrubs, one is a mini from Soap&Glory. Sugar crush is by far my favourite scent along with the new orange one thats out. Nom nom nom, they smell so good! I'm asking santa for one of those sets for Christmas and in the mean time I might just accidentally buy one! The other is the raspberry body scrub from the Body Shop that loads of bloggers raved about. When I was in one day they had it on special offer so I picked it up but I wont be getting it again. It just didn't do anything for me and left my skin, unscrubed?

Once I found the dupe in Dealz for my Bourjoir nail varnish remover, I'm not going to be picking it up again. But this did work really well and if theres no Dealz near you then I'd recommend getting this one. Its about €6.99 so its not breaking the bank.

I really love Ghost and enchanted bloom is my favourite one of the collection. I have had this still in my shelf far too long but I could bare to throw it out. But considering its less then €30 I think I'm going to ask himself for it for Christmas. Perfume is such a lovely gift and an easy one once you know what type the girl or guy likes!

Lastly is one of the best Irish candles around, Emmas so naturals. This is one of their winter limited edition ones in masala chai. I think this is one of the nicest ones of all the winter candles out there. For €9.99 I think this is going to be bought again really soon. You can see all the other scents and full reviews over here.

Do you think empty posts are good for finding new things to try?

August Favourites

So I'm a little late with this, but sure feck it. September is my birthday month so anything that goes wrong or I'm too lazy to do I'm blaming old age on. August seemed to come and go, but for the life of me I can't think of anything exciting to report back about. It was the month of much driving to Tesco for olives and car picnics. Being left alone for a week and everyone being shocked when they got home - the house was still standing. Games of D&D. And of course, much sex. (On that note, look out for all the reviews!) 

First off I've been using Niveas micellar water. I went off on a rampage of buying eye make up removers and micellar waters like they were going out of fashion, just to see what all the fuss was about. I was certain that one would stand out and all the rest would be obsolete if I tested them all. But I've come to the conclusion that they are all mostly the same, with only the prices and packaging being what would make me fork out for a bottle again. I like micellar waters, they are the lazy persons dream, but I'm not loyal or excited by just one brand. Ever get a product like that? This particular one was on offer in Boots and is a handy size to throw into an overnight bag.However the value for money seems to be Garniers version, with 400mls for 3 quid something - depending on where you buy it from. 

A new love of mine is Penneys own brand P.S blender sponge. Real Techniques has their own version and people went wild for it. Theres a lot of other big American make up brands that I've seen bring out similar things too. But for the likes of a Real Techniques one, its going to set you back almost €6 which is a little mad for a piece of sponge. But Penneys has a cute little pink one for only €1.50, more my kinda thing! Since picking up my first one at the beginning of the month I have gone back for 3 more. They blend foundation in perfectly, any concealer works into the tiny hard to reach places on your face like a dream. One end is big and flatter for all over coverage, with the other end being smaller and more pointed for the smaller corners. Puurrrfff.  

August has been the month of all the nail varnishes. I couldn't walk out of the house without coming home with at least one little pot. I'm not sure why, as nail varnish isn't normally my weakness, but there you go. When I was passing by the stand in Boots, I coulsn't help but pick up Collection's work the colour in scorched copper. I've worn it loads and its the perfect autumn shade, its not too dark and the burnt orange has a slight shimmer in it too. All for €2, you can't go wrong.

And with nail varnish comes the tedious job of getting the stuff off. I've had Bourjois 1 seconds nail varnish remover for a while now and have never mentioned it on the blog. For whatever reason I have no clue as its the bees knees. Dip your finger in, give it a twist and nearly all your varnish will have come off. It smells horrible when the remover is wet on your finger, but once it drys it smells sweet. Always a plus of not almost choking on the fumes. 

A shop I don't normally venture into often is the Body Shop but last month I popped in for the craic and came away with a few bits. One of them was this tea tree oil facial wash mini that was €2 at the till - they always get you there! I couldn't say no to it and I've been using it in the shower most days along with a few others I swap around. I really like this one, it smells lovely, wakes you up and theres always the plus that tea tree oil helps with spots and blemishes. I'm not in love with the gel like consistency but I get over that quick enough once the water hits it and it foams up a little. Surprisingly enough for the amount I've used this its lasting a really long time considering how small the bottle is. You need a pea size for your entire face and I always feel fancy faced after using it. (Its totally a thing. Honest.)

Lastly these lovely orange pumps that my bestest friend bought for me one day in Penneys after I limented my sad story of hunting high and low for The Prefect Orange Pumps. For many years I had a pair and they were only fit for the bin, but now I have these shiny new ones with lovely gold buckle and bow detailing. Oh by still my beating heart! They are still on the shelves for €8 if anyone fancys them. They are in a few more colours too, but I can trust everyone will find orange the best ones, cos' everyone knows orange is the best footwear colour ever. 

What do you think of monthly favourite posts?

July Favourites

Late favourites is late, yeah sorry about that. This past month I've found is hard to just sit down and write and its followed me over into August which is crappy. I'm going to try work on that! Anyway July was the month I reignited my love for my kindle after being asked to review books from NetGallery. Why I ever decided it didn't need to be glued to my hand is beyond me! I have so many books read and am going to pile up reviews for the odd occasion, as I'm aware not everyone is a book review kinda person.  However, if you are a book person, Nurse Fancy Pants is always great for a wide variety of must reads, as is the lovely Behind Green Eyes.  In short, I'd like all of the books, thankyouplease.

Next up is my much raved and loved bottle of almond shower gel from the Body Shop. Oh man this stuff is like sex in a bottle, its just gorgeous. Its on sale at the moment for a fiver so naturally I had to go back and get another bottle of it. It foams up so much and the scent lingers on your skin well after you've had a shower. I want everyone I love to have a bottle - if almond was their favourite scent that is! It makes me happy.

I've had La Roche-Posay thermal spring water spray in a favourites before, but this lad has been keeping me and the rest of the house cool in the recent heat wave that hit Ireland earlier in the month. Honest to god we were all melty yokes before I remembered I had this. Bonus points, I through it in the fridge for extra coolness. Its pricey at €4.99 for a 50ml bottle, but I really think its worth it. 

Another thing I can't get into the shower without recent is Garnier's ultimate blends 'the sleek restorer' 1 minute hair treatment for dry and frizzy hair. As some of you will know, I'm a mad one for dying my hair and treating it really poorly, so a quick slather of this every morning is working wonders. I've really noticed a big difference and my hair is much softer - a lot more then with other treatments or conditioners I've used. I think in future I'd pick this up instead of a regular conditioner, it seems to have more good soft hair making things packed into it. I got this half price along with the shampoo and they both smell lovely. But if your picking up just one hair product, get the 1 minute hair treatment. Soft kitty.

Over a year ago I blogged about Lush Ultrabalm thats a multitaking balm. (I'm not linking it as its cringe and the photo is woeful.. and the rest! Find it at your own peril.) You can use it on your lips, for chaffing, to mosturise those really sand paper knees or elbows, maybe even to take off your eye make up if your stuck like I have many a night. This does so much, its a wonder I have it as long as I do. As you can see mine is almost finished so I'm going to be getting it again soon. For over €11 its a pricey little pot, but I think its a proper gem. Plus this is my last Lush ban month, woo!

Lastly a total steal, my much loved Wet'n'Wild mega last balm stain in red. Its the most beautiful medium red not too dark but not too bright, just perfect! Its under €3 as far as I can remember, but double check as I think it could be under €2. It lasts really long, its not moisturising but at the same time I don't find that it drys out my lips, which is always a surprise for a cheap lip product. Its really easy to apply and I find myself not even looking in a mirror - perhaps ill advised! (can you say Cat the Clown!?) The one big downside is the lid, it never stays on and has ruined the inside of a bag. Boo. But all is forgiven, its just too lovely not to want to us all the time!

Have you loved any of these things too?

Today I Got All The Bargains! (Haul Post)

I'm just home and I'm far too pleased with all the bargains I got today, so I have to share them. Boots are only amazing for the offers and deals recently, so naturally when Seventeen were doing a buy one get one half price offer I couldn't resist getting the new falsifeye HD mascara  (€8.89) and the new stay time 25 hour foundation (€8.19).

The sister and myself were having a grand aul natter the other day and from her recommendation I got a Nivea sensitive 3 in 1 micellar cleansing water (€2.74 normally €5.49) and Nivea double effect eye make up remover (€2.49 normally €4.99). She also suggested I try the Garnier ulta-purifying fresh scrub (€3.59 normally €5.39). From reading reviews I had to try the Aussie dry shampoo (€4.32 normally €6.49) and I have been eyeing up all the Bleach products since they hit the shelves soo.. I got the reincarnation mask (€7.99). Before you think I lost the run of myself, I had a €10 gift voucher and a lovely €9.20 saved up on my card - oh happy days!  

Next I wondered into the Body Shop to try grab another bargain before their sales ends. Yes the Body Shop has a sale on, run! I got an almond shower gel the other week and decided to get another before they went back to the normal price (€5 normally €8.95) as they are just, nom nom nom. I also got the raspberry body scrub (€10 normally €18.95) the week before as well. Today as I was paying I picked up a little tea tree oil face wash (€2 normally €4) and the girl asked if I would like to sign up for a loyalty card that was on offer for €4 instead of the normal €10. Lads, did I get a bargain or did I get a bargain! She was kind enough to give me some samples along with my card too. I couldn't recommend the Body Shop in Liffey Valley enough, theres no scary intimidating security guards there to frighten you out of the shop like they do on Grafton St!

Lastly I nipped into Dunnes on the hunt for an exfoliating foot packet yokie that Nurse Fancy Pants talked about in her post over here. It was €4 but if Chloe says they are worth it, you damn well get 3! On my way to pay I spotted this necklace that was reduced (€4.50 normally €9) and they have nearly all of their jewelry reduced at the moment. Just being the enabling person that I am mentioning that.. 

Any bargains catch your eye?

Junes Powder Pocket

Before we even pour the tea out, I want to warn you that this is going to be a bit of a ranty post. If you've read my last months review of Powder Pocket then you'll know this isn't something out of the blue, I've been having some mixed feelings about the box of a month or two now. This month the box is late - the same goes for the last one too. Its meant to come in the month that it says, but yet again I'm getting it on the 2nd of the next month. This just bugs me so much when I see other subscription boxes arriving on time. 

The second thing thats driving me a little around the bend is the lack of full sized products. I know not every product can or will be full sized, I'm not looking for miracles. But like last month, theres not one full sized product in sight. And then my third and final note of annoyance - what the hell is up with the theme this month? Viva Brazil is a lovely idea, I get that its football month and everyone is going mad for it. But how do the products in any way fit this theme? Ah lads at Powder Pocket, your not having a good streak are you? I really love the people over at Powder Pocket, now don't get me wrong. I met some of them at the Irish Beauty Show and they were nothing but a treat! Its just.. Meh?

 Anyway, heres what came in this months box. You can judge for yourselves and tell me if I'm a whining aul' bat that needs to take a back seat. Or even you might agree with me, stranger things have happened!

I do love that they colour coordinated the Viva Brazil theme to the paper, ribbon and tiny cute little sticker. This is the one place I can and have never faulted this box, their presentation is to die for and I always love every single box in this way. I also really like the booklet that it comes with. Colourful, exciting and full of all the information about the products in the box along with a few other pieces that expand on some of the brands. I love having a flick through this and learning more about them all. 

There was a mixture of things this month. Something I was delighted to see was that Pixy was back in the box this month and had a lovely little lime body scrub in it. I did a review of these over here if your interested. They are great for a quick scrub in the shower while also being really moisturising. I'm a little dissappointed that the same brands keep appearing in this box as finding new brands to try is what beauty boxes should be all about. I'm very divided on this one, ha! This sample size is €1 while a full size product is €5.95. 

Keeping on the same rant, Shiseido is another brand thats popped up in this box before and while its really great to try out a product that would be too far out of my price range to every dream of getting to try out, its still annoying that its a brand I've seen and read about before from Powder Pocket. This is the advanced body creator super slimming reducer. If I'm honest I laughed at this when I read it. One because theres no amount of cream in the world to help me become slim (this is a funny thing, no one go all 'but your not fat!' on me now, ya here?) and second it all sounds a bit too gimmicky for my liking. This is a 12ml sample size, with the full 200ml size a loling €62.  

Something I was excited to see was Dr. Hauschka almond soothing bath essence. I'm a fan of the bath, I'm a fan of almond, how could this go wrong? It smells so damn good from the quick shinff I had when I first opened the box. Only thing that brought me down from my moment of joy was realizing that the full size 100ml bottle is 'from €22.49'. Well, better make this last then! This sample size is 10ml.

Another really exciting thing that I am delighted to have my paws on is the Body Shop super volume mascara. Its been years since I've used any make up by the body shop so I can't wait to give this a whirl and if I like it I might even pop in and have a look at what else they have to offer my face! This is €15.95 for a 10ml tube. I also love that there was a free eyebrow threading voucher in the box, I'll be using that for sure!

Lastly what I would call a really crappy sample, Nia intensive restoring moisturiser. Now I'm not a huge fan of moisturisers in general, but this isn't even going to get a look in with me. It smells really odd, somewhere between a herbal scent and I don't know what. Its not something that my nose would like having to deal with while it was sitting on my skin. This is really poor packaging as the bottom sticker on the little jar is half cut off and illegible. The only thing I can make out is that its a 4ml tub and its made in Ireland. Not a cool price either at €24.95 for a 50ml jar. Some will happily pay that for their moisturiser, but me? Not a hope.

 Overall I'm not really a happy bunny with this months box at all. I said last month I'd give them another try and see if Junes box was any better but now I've decided I'm going to cancel my subscription and head to Chic Treat Club in hopes that what they have will be better. (And lets face it, we've all seen the reviews of those boxes. I'm so jealous I didn't sign up to them from the beginning!) 

So, what do you think? Am I being too grumpy?

The Body Shop Body Sorbets

I'm a fan of The Body shop, you'll know that if you read my empties post. But oh mammy was I excited when the post man popped his head around the door and told me I had a package! These are two of the brand spankin' new *body sorbets that are the most exciting products of the summer for me so far. Let me give you the run down on these beauts, prepare to be grabbin' your hats, your knickers and running to the nearest Body Shop to get yours.

The body sorbet is a cooling skincare treatment that can be used in the summer and all year round. If its extra hot you can put on of these babies in the fridge for uber cooling down and freshening up - how cool is that?! these bottles contain soya oil to help make your skin silky smooth while giving it loads of moisture and hydration. I really like the mango scented one, its surprisingly not an overpowering sweet smell like I expected it to be. The downside however is that you'll want to eat it. Restrain yourself!

My favourite scent from all of these (I went into the Body Shop and had a sniff of the entire line!) has to be moringa. I can't pronounce it and always have to double check the spelling  but this is my dream boat in a bottle - I should write cheesy songs and sell them to Britney. Moringa is the only floral fragrance with the other four being fruity ones. 

The product has a slightly strange consistency. Its not oily and not like a cream, its a hard one to explain! Without putting anyone off (and I'm so sorry if I do!) it feels kind of silky, like lube. You only need a small amount as a little goes a long way and it sinks into the skin oh-so-beautifully so your not left to do the Flappy Cold Dance Of Doom. So don't think my poor description means your sticky and eh, ready for action! I love using this right after the shower, its such a gorgeous treat for my skin and nose. And since I've started to use them I have genuinely felt a difference in my skin. Its not doing amazing things for the really dry skin on my elbows (sexy) but the rest of me? Oh I want everyone to have a feel!

If I was to say one negative thing about them, it would be that they are pricy at €13.50. But the prices in the Body Shop in general tend to be a little more in comparison to the regular run of the mill products in Boots. I feel a lot of this is down to their fair trade ingredients and high standards that they insist upon as a brand. And for that reason, I don't give out as much when I go to buy something that might pinch the pocket a little. Now, if you'll excuse me. I here my moringa calling me, the sexy sexy bottle of love.

*I did not pay for this item, it was a PR gift.  Please see my disclaimer here. 

Empties #4 Photo/Review Heavy!

I have really long hair, I dye it all the time and wash it every single day. Man I use a lot of hair related things, I know that. But its not until I looked in my box of empties under my bed that I realised  I go through a feckin' lot of stuff! (And were not going to talk about the wardrobe full of hair stuff either, no sir.) So this is just mainly going to be a quick look at what I've used up in the past few months with links to some of the products and mini reviews of the rest! Sorry for the length of this post, but I think its a nice way to see what I really love and what I'll never buy again, all cut down into one post!

Lets start with the hair considering I have been banging on about it so much. 5 conditioners, 1 shampoo and a thickness booster. Cos' thats just how I roll. I've had loads of other shampoos but I normally throw them out and forget to save them. I think its clear by now how much I love Aussie, have a look at my review of one of my beloved Aussie conditioners here.

The blogger world went mad for L'oreal Elvive's new Fibrology range that came out a month (or two?) ago. Everyone was running to the shops to nab the shiny blue bottles. One of the things that caught my eye was their thickness booster. I read rave reviews and couldn't wait to try it out as I'm always looking for new things to give my hair that va-va-vooom! I was going to write a separate review for this but after using it I was so let down that I didn't bother to. It was hard to use in the shower as the tube was a screw off cap and when your holding a blob of conditioner, your wishing for that third hand to magically grow. The product itself makes your hair more course on the first wash, but after that I couldn't see any difference from using it. This was a big let down and a pricie one at €7.69 a pop. 

I used the LeoBancroft and HeadMasters together as they were on sale in Tesco and I can never say no to sales. I really loved both of them and if I see them on sale again I'll definitely pick them up. They smelt lovely, made my hair super soft and didn't weight it down at all. Big thumbs up here. Plus would you look at the fancy packaging? These are the types of bottles I invite people over to my house to look at. Oh yeah. I also picked up Timotei golden highlights conditioner in Tesco too. Keep an eye out for it if you can get your mitts on one! Have a look at my review of it over here. It leaves your hair silky soft. 

Next is all the necessity bits that you really can't do without. A little travel size Soleil lady shaving gel, I think I picked this up on offer a while ago. Its a really handy size and like this gel but Tesco own brand is way cheaper and you get much more product for your money. Its also easy to use, smells nice and is in a purple bottle. (but mainly cos' of the purpleness.) Two bottles of Batiste that I can't live without, but I have been using way more of the Timotei dry shampoo recently, I think Batiste has major competition there. I also have a billion deodorants as well, no one likes the thoughts of smelling anything but delightful! I love Nievas anti-white marks sprays. I did a review of the battle of  Vaseline .v. Nivea roll ons over here if you fancy a goo.

Way back at Christmas I was excited to try out Lush's new Rudolph face mask but after just one use I knew it really wasn't for me and was a major let down. It had a really odd consistency that was hard to spread across your skin with large chunks falling off. I felt the mixture was poorly thought out and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I hope Lush don't bring it back next Christmas and work on something else instead. On the other end of the scale then two things that I really loved.
The first is my Marks&Spencers New York perfume that I have a review of over here. The smallest size is about €7 and is perfect for throwing in my handbag. I get so many compliments when I'm wearing this and I have since bought two more. Can't get enough of this stuff!

Moving away from the cheap and cheerfuls for a second to talk about No7. I got this lovely little Cleanse and Clear eye make up remover in a set and used it like it was liquid gold. I can't wait to run to my nearest Boots and pick up another one. Its a tad pricy around €11.50 but I think its too good not to get. It doesn't irriate my skin or my eyes, gets all the make up off in seconds and theres no scrubbing the life out of your eye balls to achieve a clean face. Winning!

 Anatomicals have some really great products and some really crappy ones. I've blogged about both kinds and I'm still on the fence with this anti-stress face mask that I got in a beauty box. Did I think it did much? Not really. I might pick it up just to try out again but I wouldn't go out of my way to look for it. Theres better stuff in their range to try. Look at my review of their throb head here. Another little packet is this argan oil hair mask that I picked up in Penneys for about €2. I loved this, made me feel fancy and my hair silky with added bonus of a lovely smelling head! I'll definitely be picking this up again soon, so should you!

I made my way through all of my Body Shop shea butter body scrub that I have a full review of over here and my oh so gorgeous shea shower cream. I will be running full speed to the Body Shop for more of their shower cream, this was such a lovely treat in the shower! It was easy to apply, didn't leave my skin feeling like theres was a layer of goo on it, left me feeling soft and smelling quite divine, if I do say so myself! Make sure and have a sniff next time your passing by one of their shops, its good stuff!

I managed to polish off a Cocoa butter from Marks&Spencers and a non scented moisturiser from Boots own range over the past few weeks. I liked both of these but doubt I will pick them up again. I didn't feel a massive difference in my skin after using them and felt they were both a little heavy and I had to do the Flappy Cold Dance of Doom in the bathroom to help them dry. Lets just say I feared some of my bits would fall off and not make it. Apart from that, they were those 'meh' products that you have a more or less neutral  approach to.

 Last in this pile is my Lush the olive branch body wash. I am really sad that I came to the end of this bottle and don't know if my will power will hold up until my Lush ban is over in September. This smelt really great but from talking to others its a marmite kind of preference for some. Apart from smell, this left my skin really soft and a tad oily so there was no need to moisturise after. If my hair was really uber dry I sometimes washed my hair with it to give it a mini extra condition and tlc! All rounder this bottle.

I can't even say a bad word about the lot above. My Catrice concealer holy grail has been banged on about so much. One of the reviews is over here with much better photos! Same goes for the Benefit dupe of the year, Seventeens phwoarr paint concealer. I have a rave review of it here. Both of these concealers are so cheap and work so well you would be mad to fork out for high end products that might only work half as well!

Next my two favourite foundations, Rimmels perfect match in ivory with a spf of 18 and Seventeens on the spot foundation that has spot reducing ingredients. I have gone through countless bottles and tubes of these two and if I'm having a really awful skin day, I mix the two together for a fuller coverage that works a treat. Both of these are under €10 each and Boots is doing a lot of 3 for 2 offers at the moment, might be the time to stock up!

Lastly my favourite liquid eyeliner that I have used for easily 5 years now, Essence. Its €3.09, it stays put and the applicator is so easy to use. These should be like hens teeth but you can get them in Penneys and a lot of chemists. Wonderful! Lastly is my Urban Decay eyeshadow base. I don't use eyeshadow bases a lot, but when I do I use this and have no words for the lasting results. I can see why its a cult product!

Februarys Powder Pocket

Holy god your all thinking, the woman is late with this sure its half way through March now! Well boys and girls I can say with a hand over my heart that life just gets in the way sometimes and thats whats been happening since I got my box from the lovely post man last week. But oh mammy have I been enjoying the contents so far. I also got to meet some of the lovely Powder Pocket people at the Irish Beauty Show in the RDS on Monday. They were great craic and its so nice to be able to put a few faces to the brand. So come here till I all about the box. The excitement!

For February's box the theme was very much focused on the theme of glamour as it was awards season. Gold tissue paper, a fancy light bulb sticker and the part that I loved the most, the powder pocket on the top of the box is gold too. Its such a simple detail but I'm mad on the details and packaging. Nice work lads and ladies, top marks. And as you can see Dodie my cat was very interested in seeing what was inside too!

I opened the box and out popped Marilyn Monroe with some pink bubble gum, the stunner. I loved the booklet this month and the layout is much better then the hard to work,read and fold one that I had a fight with last month. Have a look at it over here. 

I am totally delighted with all the bits in this months box, I opened it and let out a little happy sigh of utter contentment. I was as if the ladies and gents at Powder Pocket read my wish list and did their best to accommodate it! My nails over the past while have been getting worse and worse, so you can imagine my excitment when I found a lovely full size Jessica brilliance top coat. I have only ever drooled over this brand and at €13.95 for this, I was delighted to have my paws on it.

Keeping on the nails, Manicare 4 step file and shine was the next thing I set my peepers on. This is such a handy everyday thing to have and you can throw it in your handbag on the go for those emergency moments, This is only €2.50 but I think the packaging and product itself looks a lot more expensive. 

Reading about the Herra protect hair perfume got my attention as it was one of those potentially out there products that could only be considered a bit of a princess product - does nothing much but is fancy at the same time. The sample that came was hard to use and if I'm honest a bit of a waste. However I liked the packaging and have never used a sample like it before. A full size costs €29.50 and I don't think it would be anywhere near my wish list. But I'd love to see a few bloggers review it just to hear their thoughts.

The last two things were a lovely surprise. I spotted a lovely little bottle of The body shop shea shower cream. I'm a big fan of the body shop and an even bigger fan of their shea butter products so I couldn't have been more happier. I have yet to use it but its on the menu for my next pamper night. A full size 250ml is €8.85.

The last surprise I got was a lovely Shiseido benefiance pure retinol eye mask. I have known of this brand for years but their things are so expansive that I wouldn't dream of going near them, so getting the change to try something fancy from them is a big treat! For a pack of 12 these yokes will set you back a crazy €63. They must be doing something right if people are forking out that kind of money, I'll be sure to do a review of this one! 

Thats all from me for now. I hope everyone is doing well and having a good week. I see that there have been a load of new people following me through BlogLovin' - so a big hey and welcome to all of you! Its lovely to know that so many of you are subscribed to my blog and like my rambly tangents of posts. If you fancy being able to keep up with them all you can follow me on Bloglovin' over here or indeed you can keep up to date by following me on the GFC at the top right hand corner of the page.