Empties #5

Ah lads, why in the name of god do I manage to leave it so long before I have a look in my empty bag of bottles and realise that its overdue a clearing out and a post about what I've been using up? I don't know at all, but my god, here is yet again another mad long one with lots of photos. So, sorry about that!

First off there are all the Garnier Ultimate Blends shampoos, conditioners and masks. Out of these three there is not one I wouldn't pick up again or recommend to anyone and they have been cropping up in my monthly favourites for a while now. They all left my hair softer and in better condition, they smell lovely and I'm a big big fan of their one minute leave in conditioners. If I was going to pick up one of these again I would say it would be the brown bottles of sleek restorer as they smell divine and they are the last ones I used, so naturally still fresh in my mind. Bonus points that this brand is always on sale in Boots, half off and some lovely advantage card points? Yeah I'll take them all thank you!

As always this kind of post wouldn't be complete without a few Aussie products in there somewhere. I have one shampoo and two conditioners, but I have to admit after using so much of the lovely Ultimate Blends things I might be more inclined to pick them over Aussie. However nothing can beat the Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner for soft makings AND a lovely smelling head. Tiny bit on the pricey side if you don't get them in an offer though. 

  

Kerastase shampoo is something I have had in my drawer for well over a year. I remember getting it at a blogger meet up and all the girls going mad over it, I was delighted (and clueless) a little bit too. After trying it out a few times I just didn't get what the hype was all about. Nor did I get the price tag of €20, say whhaa?! I finished it up when I was on a use up half finished products binge, but I am still scratching my head. 

H'suan Wen Hua was something I tried a while ago in the hope that it would help me get the birds net of a head sorted out a little more. You can read my review of it here.  

Who doesn't go through a bundle of deodorants and dry shampoo? I love these small bottles to throw in my handbag and they are normally on offer too. I also picked up one for €1.49 in Dealz the other day, so you really can't go wrong! Impulse hint of musk has to be my favourite body spray of all time and I am forever stocking up on them. Has anyone else noticed the price of Impulse creep up in the past few months or is it just me? Sneaky!

I have banged on aboout Batiste more then is possible so I'll not say too much. My only regret is that Boots doesn't stock Timotei dry shampoo as well. I think this is one of the best I have ever used and was really sad when it came to an end. I picked it up in Tesco on offer one day and haven't seen it since. It doesn't leave a layer of white powder across your hair like Batiste seems to always do. Its just magic stuff. If you see it make sure and pick one up, its so worth it. Oh and please please tweet me too, I need it back in my life!

Two of these scrubs were in my top 3 body scrub post thats over here. I really love Soap&Glory, it has to be one of my favourite brands for body scrubs and moisturisers. But on the other end of the scale there is the Amatomicals scrubs and the easy to pick up Flower Pharh that you can get in most Tesco's. I go through body scrubs like its the end of the world, so I always look for ones that might be on the cheaper end of the scale! Although the breakfast scrub lasted especially long. And oh, oh the smell! Om, nom nom nom.

Since I finished my Botanics all bright eye make up remover I have been trying out lots of other ones with no luck at all. This is by far my most favourite of the lot , easy on the eyes and takes anything stubborn off in no time. Its also on offer in Boots a lot, but in the past few weeks I haven't been keeping an eye. Now that I'm reminded its off to Boots tomorrow for me! I did a review of it way back when, over here.

Three bath/shower gels now, and two are from Lush. I've slowly but surely been making my way through all my Lush booty and my ban is nearly up! I can't begin to talk about the list of things I want from that shop, my god. This is my second bottle of The Olive Branch is a gorgeous fresh shower gel that smells like olives (well, duh) and quite, savory? Its hard to explain but it wakes me up in the morning and I was sad to see it all gone. The other is Snow Fairy, a cult product that smells like all the sweetest sweets in one little bottle. I didn't use this one up, it was given to himself who loves rock star soap and snow fairy. However it does smell quite nice from afar.

Last in this pile is a massive bottle of bubble bath in chocolate cupcake from Beauticology. I was expecting way more from this product if I'm honest. I used it up quickly as the bubbles it made quickly disappeared in the bath. It did have a lovely chocolate smell but didn't do much else for me. I think it was from a set I got in the Christmas sales and if I remember right the set itself was a lovely presentation, but I might skip these products when buying gifts this year. 

Even more Lush things - I swear these are really old! Cupcake is my go-to face mask. I never buy masks from Lush, instead waiting until I have 5 empty pots to bring back so its a special treat! Cupcake is a chocolate mask that targets impurities and spots, so its perfect for me. I never notice a huge difference in my skin from using this, but sometimes its just nice to put a face mask on and enjoy the little things in life. On the other end of the scale is the Rudolph face mask that was out at Christmas time. Don't worry, this has been used months ago and was just lurking empty in the back of my drawers. I hated this one with a passion.. I just realised that I blogged about this in my last empties post! I must have put it back in my drawer by accident! Oh well, you can't always be on the ball. At least everyone can be aware to stay clear of it if it comes back this Christmas!

Another Lush product is my much loved and missed (until the ban ends!) aqua marina cleanser. It smells awful if your not used to it, like a day at the beach when the tide has gone out. All seaweed and ugh. But it makes my skin feel really lovely and I find it clears up the bigger, redder spots that can crop up. I can't wait to get my hands on this again and it lasts so long. I had that pot for nearly 2 months.

A product that I don't go through fast is the antiseptic cream that can be used for burns, cuts and also on spots. I really love this stuff, it drys out spots over night and I always notice a huge difference in the morning after using it for just one night. A holy grail in terms of spot fighting treatments. It also lasts for ages and I love that its a multi purpose product. 

Something that I've had for I don't know how long is my Soap&Glory The Greatest Scrub Of All facial exfoliator. I liked this and would buy it again but since I started buying more face scrubs I have found loads that I really like. In other words, this is on the list of good ones, but along with a lot of others. 

I think by now its safe to say I've gone through about 10-12 bottle of True Match foundation by Rimmel. My god is that stuff good and a lot of the time its on offer. Half of the reason I always pick it up is because I know it works for my skin tone and I'm afraid to fork out for something that might not work as well. I must expand on the foundation buying and try out more! But I do like this one, its really easy to build up too.

Two more continuous repurchases for me are the Natural Collection pressed powder and Essence black liquid eyeliner. Again I have easily gone through about 15 of both of these. Every time I walk by the stands I pick both of these up. They are both under €3, both easy to use and stay put all day. Just what I'm looking for. 

Lastly my mini tube of They're Real Benefit mascara. I am a massive fan of this mascara and already have a brand new full sized one waiting to be opened after I finish trying out a few other mascaras. This is my holy grail mascara - and thats saying something considering the totally crazy price. 

Sorry this was crazy long! Anything catch your eye?

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!

3 For 2 Offer In Boots You Say?

So I eh, went to Boots. Its a 3 for 2 offer on so many of the products and apart from going in for more Batiste and sprays, I might have had a little look round at some other things. All in the name of bargains of course.

A quick look at the Seventeen stand and I came away with a gorgeous nude lip crayon and a new colour clash nail effects nail varnish that looks really different, I can't wait to try it out. I also caved into the BB cream craze after avoiding it for so long. Rimmel had a nice one that I tried on the back of my hand with the added bonus of factor 15. I'm dying to give this a test drive and see if all the hype is as good as it sounds or if its one only fit for the bin.

Next I picked up 2 Impulse's for €4 and a half off bottle of Sure in the new mini size which is going to be handy to pop in my bag. It smells nice and also claims to leave no white marks, so we shall see. 

Lastly I bought 2 Batiste in blush as I ran out last week and was left nearly crying! To finish off the 3 for 2 offer I picked up L'oreal elvive's fibrology thickness booster that I've been hearing loads about so I wanted to try it out for myself. 

I've now loads of things I didn't necessarily need but none the less am dying to try out and most likely I will write some reviews on them! What about you, have you taken advantage of Boots brilliant 3 for 2 offers on loads of their ranges? I think I might need to do round two some time soon, just to make sure I'm taking in all the good bargains, you see ;) 

Battle Of The Affordable Dry Shampoos

If you've been round these parts a while you'll know I'm a bit mad for my dry shampoo. There is nothing as good a freshen up of the mop of hair if your out of bed late or even if its just to give it a bit of a lift and extra shiny cleaness. But is there a good tried and tested dry shampoo that is affordable yet does an amazing job too? That my friends is where I come in, testing out the good, bad and the plain awful so you don't have to!

I have poker straight hair that needs a wash every day, otherwise you can clearly see the grease in my hair. Sexy right? Ugh!! So if I am really desperate I'll throw in half a bottle of dry shampoo to combat the grease until I can find a shower, sink or deep puddle to dip my head in. I just hate having dirty hair, its the worst feeling! So lets start off with the dry shampoo Spirit of the Carnival from Super Drug. This was actually not too bad if your hair is only a little greasy and your looking for a quick freshen up for £2.19. I also included a small Super Drug hair spray for extra firm hold that goes really well with all of these dry shampoos as its light and doesn't least a layer of hard hair that looks like its covered in hair spray or gel. All for the little price of £0.99? Perfect!

Then we have the worst out of the lot, Girlz Only Hazy Days Dry Shampoo from Pennys. This was under 2 euro but I'm sorry I wasted the money on it! My god, there was nothing I could do but head for the shower after I put this into my hair. It was wet, sticky and left my hair feeling twice as greasy from what I started with. All I can say is thank god I wasn't in a rush out anywhere or I would have been late! Straight in the bin with this horrible bottle after the photos for this were taken!

Lastly the best out of the lot, Batiste. I know that this one is the most expensive out of the lot and most widely available as you can get it in all chemists, Boots and even like likes of Tesco and Dunnes stock this brand. The most expensive being €6.59 for 400ml and the cheapest being about €3.99 for the 200ml. However you can get them in loads of different scents and they cater of all types of hair. I branched out with my last bottle and got a big bottle of Cherry. It wouldn't be my favourite scent but it really works so well and my hair feels the next best thing to being clean from the shower. My favourite ones are the light and blonde or the blush. And the packaging is always a plus too, I love all the different cute and eye catching designs!

So there you go, a few different kinds of dry shampoo to look out for or indeed, avoid! I will be on the hunt to see if there is something better out there and if I do find something, you will be the first to know! As always I hope everyone is having a good week and staying happy :)

January Favourites

Last year I was all over the gaf with favourites, I had weekly ones then I think I had random ones and finally now I'm trying to stick to a monthly as part of a I'm being good and not frying the head off myself or anyone else. New year, fresh start and all that jazz! I love haul posts and favourites posts as you get a good few products to read about in one go and if anything takes your fancy you already have read a mini review of it, sounds pretty good huh!? So here are mine, its a mixture of things this month. I surprised myself with going straight for make up and then body products.

First off my trusty batiste dry shampoo. I think at this stage everyone has tried one of these life savers. I go threw a crazy amount of these bottles and they are my favourite brand too. Oh and the smell! They work wonders, can't get enough of a good thing.

I have left my lovely holy grail L'oreal purifying micellar solution over at a friends house and have been left to rummage through my potions and lotions to find other things to take my make up off. And with that I have been reintroduced to Botanics soothing eye make up remover. I did a full review of it over here.

Flower pharm is something that I have known about for quite a while, I see it in Tesco a lot and my sister buys me products from the line for birthdays and Christmas' but this is the first time I have used the lime blossom body scrub and it is amazing. I love a scrub thats not too harsh when your skins not feeling up to it and this works a treat. Also I'm not normally a fan of citrus scents but this is gorgeous and helps me to wake up in the morning. Try one out their not pricey at all!

Lush. Oh Lush. I know I'm on a spending ban from this shop but it means I have more time to try out and get to find some new loves in my big pile of products from their line. Lovely Jubblies breast cream is normally over €20 but I got it half price in their after Christmas sale, lucky girl for spotting a bargain, me! I will definitely do a full review on this as its amazing and smells divine! Nom for my boobs!  

I went off earlier this month to TopShop and got some goodies along with this matte blue nail polish. Its already been slapped on my nails loads and I know its going to be worn to death over the coming summer months. Its just so pretty!

Next I am in love with The Body Shop white musk smokey rose* perfume. I have been wearing it for at least two months now and its such a lovely scent, I get compliments about it all the time. Its an old teenage favourite with a new twist! If your near one of their shops I'd defiantly recommend going in for a quick sniff to see for yourself.

Normally when I go to a Catrice stand they are all out of this concealer palette but someone obviously was loving me earlier in the month when I stumbled across this, ugh its perfect! I have used Essence ones before but they seemed to have discontinued them, boo. But I think after using both, this is the better one. It also has three different shades of concealer for different skin tones which I really like too. Bonus!

My new beaut of an eye shadow palette that I also got in TopShop the day I got my nail varnish, it was on sale at only €4 and I was delighted with life! It has gorgeous shades and the pigment is to die for. It lasts all day and blends amazingly well. I think everyone needs one in their collection. You can see swatches here.

Lastly my lovely Rimmel Kate Moss lip stick that I had lusted over for ages when they came out. I got my very first one for Christmas and I am firmly hooked, I think about 10 more are in order! This is in the shade 107 and is a gorgeous dark red colour. Its very pigmented (you have to scrub your lips a little) and it lasts ages. On the down side because it is a matte it hides none of those lip sins and isn't moisturizing at all so a lip balm and maybe a gloss is a must.

Thats all my January loves, I hope you enjoyed them! I'll do another favourties next month and keep up the good behavior of sticking to one type of posting and blogging. As always I hope everyone is having a good day. Whats some of your favourites this month? 

Products marked with * are PR or gifted samples. Read my Disclaimer here.