Favourite Samples

Samples are something I come across often. Whether it's a freebie in a magazine (although I tend not to buy magazines much these days) or something like Glossybox (although I unsubscribed), I seem to have collected a majority of samples. During my aim to de-size my collection, I thought I'd start on the samples and smaller sized products as they'd get used up the quickest. Here's my pick of the bunch.

Soap and Glory Clean on Me shower gel - link

I love this Shower Gel as it always lathers up nicely and has a gorgeous scent. I have a larger size bottle which I use to fill this up so I can take it to London with me when I visit family.

Eve Lom Rescue Mask - link

I got this in the Latest in Beauty advent calendar and fell in love. Although the full size version is a little pricey, I think it's worth it as it really worked well on my skin and reduced all blemishes.

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Dehumidifier - link

This is one of the best hair products I've ever used, and I'm not sure why I'd never tried it before. Almost every day I used to battle with frizz, and this just banishes it all without weighting my hair down. No stray hairs anymore! I will be getting the bigger size version on my next shopping trip because I really love it.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream - link

Again, another item I got in the advent calendar, which I really like because it smells amazing, but not too overpowering, and it is really moisturising due to the shea butter in it. :)

Where do you get most of your samples from?

March Empties

Seeing as I didn't do an empties last month, I have a fair amount this month. So the blog post should really be called February/March empties.

This month I tended to finish a lot of shower gels (which is great because my collection was bordering on obsessive) and face washes. Rather than chopping and changing products, I've been focusing on using the same things day in day out, which is a bit boring but it clears out my cupboards. And now I'm on a spending ban for the next two months, I hope to see my collection decrease a fair amount.

Here's what I used up:

 

Products I'll miss the most:

 

Ted Baker Body Butter // It smelt so gorgeous and left my skin feeling so soft.

 

Soap and Glory Perfume // Again, it smelt so good.

 

Sanctuary Face Wash // It felt like a spa treatment in a bottle, and lasted for ages.

 

Leave your March empties links below.

My Current Skincare Routine

I decided at the beginning of this year that I really need to get into a good skincare routine. Whenever I stuck to one for a few days, I could notice a big difference in my skin so I've made sure that I've found a routine that works for me.

 

I start with Clean and Clear Morning Energy Daily Facial Scrub (£3.99 in Boots) which really gives my skin a boost and wakes me up. I like the scrub as it clears any dead skin cells but it's not too harsh on my skin. If I feel like my skin is a bit oily or I have a lot of blemishes I'll use the Clean and Clear Deep Cleansing Lotion (£2.99 in Boots) and wipe over my face using a cotton pad. I have raved about this product so many times but it is really good for clearing and cleaning my skin. Clean and Clear currently have on offer of 2 for £5 too. (That's when I usually bulk buy!). If my skin needs a little boost, I'll use Soap and Glory Bright Here Bright Now Energy Balm (£11 in Boots), which instantly make my skin look more glowing and more radiant. (I reviewed it on my blog recently.) Every day I apply The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream (£10). It's perfect for my skin as I'm not oily everywhere so it adds moisture to areas that need it and mattifies oily areas. It sinks in really quick so I can apply make up straight away. The balanceMe Wonder Eye Cream (£10 normally) actually came free with a Glamour magazine a while back, but I really love how it applies to my skin and leaves my eyes looking much more awake than they actually are!

 

 

At night, I tend to be really lazy with skincare but I'm trying hard to keep to a routine. If I get in late or I'm super tired I'll use the Deep Cleansing Lotion again along with Garnier Soothing Eye Make Up Remover (£2.99 in Boots) - which removes all of my eye make up without irritating my eyes at all -  but I try to use Sanctuary Fresh Faced Purifying Wash (£9.00 in Boots). It removes all traces of make up and leaves my skin feeling super smooth. I then apply Simple Kind To Skin Night Cream (£5.60 in Boots) which sinks in nicely and doesn't overclog my skin. If I have any blemishes I'll apply The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil (£7.00) onto the affected area, and by the morning it's significantly reduced.

 

 

What are your skincare must haves?

 

x

Monthly Favourites | July

Another month, another set of favourites!

Soap and Glory Glow All Out - £11.00

See original review here. I still love this product and it puts a little 'life' into my face. The only downside is that the white packaging has got so dirty!

The Body Shop Shimmer Cube Palette - £16.00

See review of my other shimmer cube palette here. These are perfect for travelling and I have been mixing the colours together to get different natural looks. The one I'm loving is Shade 06.

ELF Mineral Eye Brightener - £3.50

I have been applying this underneath and on my inner eye to help get rid of the dark circles. It helps a lot without looking too over the top.

The Body Shop Seaweed Pore Cleansing Facial Exfoliator - £8.00

This is very gentle but still exfoliates my skin well, without leaving my skin feeling red or sore. This is perfect for anyone who has oily skin.

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Sexy Mother Pucker Review

If I had to choose just three brands to use for the rest of my life, Soap and Glory would be one of them. I absolutely adore their products, and I am so excited about their new make up range (reviews on some of those products coming soon). One make up product that has been around for a long time is the Sexy Mother Pucker (don't say it too fast) which I received as part of a Christmas gift set.

The shade I have is Pink Apricot which I love. However, S&G claim that it will plump up your lips. I was expecting to look like Angelina Jolie, although I could only notice a slight difference. The tingly feeling wasn't very comfortable, but it doesn't last long which is good. The actual lipgloss itself is lovely and natural looking - although a little sticky.

Overall, I don't think it's any better than a normal lipgloss - no one would even notice if I'd worn it or not as the 'plumping' isn't obvious. I'm not quite sure if it's a good thing, because no one wants people whispering thinking you've had your lips done, but at the same time, you want to see something.

Would I pay full price for it? As it's £8.50 I don't think I would, but there's lots of gift sets with them in which I would consider purchasing. For more information, visit their website.

Soap and Glory Glow All Out

When Soap and Glory launched their cosmetics range, I was so excited. As one of Soap and Glory's biggest fans (although I'm sure some of you may fight me to that title) I couldn't wait to try some of their new products. It's such a shame that for weeks and weeks, I was presented with a horrible display consisting of three or four, mostly damaged products. I don't know if this was down to Boots or Soap and Glory themselves, but either way, they let themselves on that part.

When they finally did have a decent amount of stock (although still not everything) I decided to try the Glow All Out Luminizing Face Powder. I was looking for a natural looking highlighter, and this looked like it would do the job. Like all other S&G products, the packaging is beautiful, although white products never stay white. (Or is that just me?)

Every day for the past week, I have applied to my upper cheekbones, my nose and under my eyebrows. It takes a few applications before you can notice a difference. There is a very slight shimmer which isn't noticable unless you look closely.

I love this product as it doesn't look like you're wearing any powder, it just adds a natural 'highlight' and it leaves the skin incredibly soft.

For £11.00 it is very worth the money, especially as it contains a lot of product. It is going to last a long time. For more information on this or any other Soap and Glory product, click here.

What Soap and Glory products are your favourite?

Soap and Glory Heel Genius Review

Working as a sales assistant does no good for your feet at all. So for me, there's nothing better than coming home from work, having a long bath, followed my treating my feet. I currently use Soap and Glory Heel Genius, and me and my feet love it.

Soap and Glory has always been a favourite of mine, ever since I got their bubble bath years ago. I love the fact that most of their products have that significant 'Soap and Glory' smell and I adore their packaging. I think almost every girl has one of their products in their top 10 all time favourites.

This costs just £5.50 and is available at Boots. :) Also, just a little heads up to you all. You know Boots do a weekly deal, well starting from tomorrow is the Soap and Glory Big Splendour is reduced from £60 to just £25! I won't be getting one myself as I'm still using last year's that Aiden got for me. But, it is an amazing deal and totally worth it.

xo