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?

Favourite Things The Past While

My take on monthly favourites, instead of the more normal ones you find on blogs. Those people are a lot more sorted and organised then I could ever hope to be, bless their little socks. So 12 things I want to tell you all about. Show and tell, my fav!

Got my mitts on the new L'oreal skin perfection after reading blog reviews, can't wait to use it more and see if I love it as much as I think I do. Also in love with my Rimmel volume mascara / Twinings rejuvenating nettle tea for €1.75 in Tesco, it tastes really lovely - and pretty box / Downloaded the new revenge wears prada, I'm about 15% in and I am really liking it so far

Cake Boss, I'm obsessed! I've got Stephen hooked too / Bourjois sharpener that I lost for over a year, I just found it again. Best sharpener around, and its only €3 in Boots. Go get it! / After getting this Marilyn Monroe picture for my 18th birthday - thanks Steph! - I finally got it hung

Halloween! I'm so excited, I found these guys a while ago, post here / Again, this girl spider candle holder is from the pound shop and shes a sparkly pink! / I can't wait to try my new Soot from Lush, I got one for my blog giveaway too :)

When I was in the Georges Arcade I had to take a picture of how colourful the earrings were / Hello Kitty slippers I got for my birthday - ruined already from over use! / My grans homemade chocolate biscuits, there were more before the photo was taken, but everyone wanted like 3!

As always, I hope all you fab people are having a great day and start to the week. For those of you who are new, hello and welcome! Thank you so much for following my blog. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin' too :)

Have you entered my Halloween giveaway yet?

Fragrance Direct Haul

Ladies and gents I am excited today to share this little haul with you all! Hope everyone is keeping well and looking fab, as always!

Fragrance Direct is something that I am quite new to and this is my very first haul from it. This site has a fab range of different low and high end products at a knock off price. Every item is in perfect condition unless otherwise stated e.g. the packaging has imperfections or there is no box. They ship world wide and shipping normally takes 10 working days if its not in England. But I must say, besides being excited about finally getting my hands on my cheap as chips goodies, I am very disappointed at their customer service. I waited 16 days before my box arrived and in that time I emailed them about the delay, wondering why it was taking so long after reading on their site that it would take up to 10 days for delivery and got the same information in my confirmation email. Their customer service replied to say that due to changes in their postal service it now takes 14-24 days to be delivered. So if you are thinking of ordering something please do note that as they don't mention it in emails or at the check out service and you could end up nearly pulling your hair out like I almost did. If they had just informed me of the longer delivery times I wouldn't be half as bothered as I am now. But anyway, new info/rant over!

L'oreal Recharge Lip Balm for Infallible Lip Duo Top Coat

This was 50 pence and if I'm honest I kind of got it on an impulse buy. Don't judge me, I think cheap things are amazing at the time! It smells like all other L'oreal lip products, the overly sweet I-want-to-eat-it kind? And feels lovely and soft on my lips. I have yet to use it with any lipsticks to check out the staying power, but you can be sure I will keep you all updated!

Essie Off The Shoulder

£1.99 for a Essie nail varnish? Yes please! I am new to the Essie craze, but every blogger and their grannys parrot raves and loves this brand. It is too expensive for me to even consider normally. Off the shoulder it a gorgeous hot pink that I'm sure will get loads of use this summer. 

Kylie Minogue Darling

I love all of Kylie's fragrances and really wanted to pick up a little bottle of Darling for my hand bag. It smells divine and I'm already getting asked what sent I'm wearing. Its floral, sweet and a lovely fresh sent that will be used to death for the summer months. From what I've used so far, it seems to last a good while too. Double score considering the 15ml bottle was only £4.99.

Bourjois Bio Detox Organic Foundation

This is a brand I rarely go near, as I think its a bit expensive when you can get something similar for half the price. But £2.99 sounded better then good to me and with all the hype its been getting I thought I would give it a go and see what all the fuss was about.

Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer

This was just a repurchase for me, my trusty old Rimmel concealer that I have been using since the dawn of time. But its normally around the €5.50 range and I nabbed it for £1.50. Think I should have gotten a tonne more, silly me. 

Dainty Doll Mascara and EyelinerThis was a oohh and ahhh moment for me when I realised that Dainty Doll was on this site. I have only ever looked and longed for some of these products so when I spotted this for £1.99 I pounced at the chance to try one of my longed for items out!

Prestige Cosmetics Wet To Dry Foundation

I had never heard of this brand before but I decided to try out a few new types of foundation while I was picking up a few things that were all so cheap. I have never used this type of foundation before so it will be interesting to see how it goes and maybe I will find a new favourite along the way, fingers crossed.

So that it all my haul, hope you enjoyed seeing what I nabbed and maybe gave you all some ideas of lovely cheap as chips things to go and look at. I will do reviews on all of these products once I give them a good test drive and find out if they are as good as I hope they are! Since ordering these I may have done the dreadfully bold thing of ordering another little box of fun things, so look out for my next haul from my growing addiction site!