2012 Favourites - Hair and Skincare

Hello!

Thought I would jump on the bandwagon and do my favourites of 2012, sorry it's so late!

I will do a makeup version soon.

Just a quick warning - this is going to be pretty long, and pretty picture heavy :)

Hair Products:

Superdrug Dry Shampoo -

This dry shampoo is brilliant. Really cheap (usually on a buy one, get two free offer!), and does everything that the more expensive versions do. Refreshes the hair, gives it a bit of volume, and means I can go an extra day without washing my hair ;) 

L'oreal Paris Feria in 74 Mango- 

I have used this hairdye throughout 2012, it's quick and easy to use, and is my perfect colour. I can't imagine switching colour any time soon. 

Superdrug Shampoo and Conditioner - 

I really do love a Superdrug own brand product! The entire shampoo and conditioner range is amazing. They all smell amazing, and leave my hair feeling clean and soft and lovely.

Makeup Removers:

Garnier Soft Essentials Cleansing Wipes (Dry Skin)- 

These are really saturated, so they never tug or drag at your skin. They have the most beautiful rose scent, and take off every last scrap of makeup, including waterproof mascara!

Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing 2 in 1 Makeup Remover- 

I have rabbited on about this product for most of the year, so I'll keep this short! Basically, this takes off eye makeup quick as a flash and doesn't sting at all.

No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes -

Thought I'd include these as I did love them at the start of the year. These also don't drag, and take off all makeup really easily, but are more expensive than the Garnier ones, and don't leave my skin feeling as moisturised. 

Face Washing Products:

Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Oil Free Cleanser -

This is the most luxurious cleanser I have ever used! Smells amazing, lathers up really well, and leaves my skin feeling really soft and cleansed. 

Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Cleansing Wash -

I alternate between this and the Elizabeth Arden cleanser. This one also lathers well, and also has salicylic acid to help keep spots at bay, but doesn't leave my skin feeling tight. 

Soap and Glory Greatest Scrub Of All -

The only scrub I have ever repurchased, this is nice and gritty, but never rough.

Moisturiser/Mask:

M&S Formula Nourishing Night Cream (discontinued) -

Again, I've banged on about this a lot! This has been discontinued (sob!), but it's my favourite moisturiser of all time. Nicely scented but not over powering, really moisturising but it doesn't break me out, and a little goes a long way.

Soap and Glory Fab Pore Facial Peel -  

This is a face mask that doesn't dry on the skin, so it never leaves my skin feeling dry or tight. Although I don't particularly notice that this does much for my pores, what it does do is reduce the redness of my spots, and make my skin look alot more clear. 

Bath Product/Hand Cream:

The Little Bubble Co Bath and Shower Gel - 

The entire range of these bath and showers gel are absolutely beautiful. They come in delicious scents such as vanilla, mint candy, gingerbread, and fruity scents like strawberry and coconut. They're equally as great as bubble bath and shower gel, and are really cheap for the 500ml bottle. 

Garnier 7 Days Mango Hand Milk -

This hand cream may actually be my favourite product of 2012. It smells amazing, sinks it super quickly, and leaves my hands feeling so, so soft for ages. Highly recommend to everyone! 

So those are my hair and skincare favourites of 2012! What were your favourites?

Thanks for reading! :)

Empties #2

Morning chicas!

So, I didn't actually do a post for my last empties,  but you can watch it here if you would like :)

This is my second lot of empties, there's quite a lot, and this is going to be a pretty lengthy, picture heavy post! Apologies in advance ;)


Little bubble co vanilla biscuit, Philosophy snow angel, Britney Spears cosmic radiance

1- I go through these allll the time! The little bubble co are my HG bath foam/shower gels, but I can't decide on  my number 1 fave out of vanilla biscuit, mint candy or ginger bread. Yum :)
Highly recommend, will repurchase.
2- My first ever Philosophy product! Expensive for what it is, but smelt divine. Very cool, crisp but also sweet. Not so great as a bubble bath, but lovely as a shower gel :)
Would recommend, and repurchase, but probably a bigger size.
3-Britney never fails me, in terms of music or perfume! With top notes of mandarin, litchi and pear, middle notes of peony and tuberose,  and base notes of amber and vanilla, this is a lovely daytime fragrance. To me, it smells comforting, and even homely?! 
Would recommend, and repurchase,  but I'm not in a rush to do so.
 

 Superdrug shampoo and conditioner, Superdrug dry shampoo
1, 2 & 3- Superdrug own brand shampoos and conditioners in Coconut and sweet almond, Tea tree and peppermint and Cherry and fig, These are amazing. Super cheap, and work just as well as any more expensive brand. They all smell amazing, and my whole family loves them :)
Would highly recommend, would repurchase, and I always have backups!
4&5-  For me, this is better than Batiste. It refreshes my hair, disguises grease, and gives it volume. 
Would recommend, and have repurchased many times!


Organix coconut serum, Percy and Reed hair mask, Lush Mint julips, Body Shop chocomania lip butter 
1- I've been through two bottles of this, and love it. Smells delicious, leaves hair soft and smooth, isn't expensive and lasts a long time. 
Would recommend, and repurchase.
2- Percy and Reed hydrating mask- This also smelt amazing, like fruit salad sweets!This left my hair smooth and silky, and smelling nice, but wasn't amazing, or better than any other mask. Full size is £20.
Wouldn't really recommend, and wouldn't repurchase at £20!
3-  Beautiful product! Smells (and tastes!) like after eight mints, leaves lips smooth and free of dry patches. The only down side is that I find it doesn't last very long.
Would recommend, and repurchase (but I am going to attempt to make my own first!)
4- Body shop chocomania lip butter- This is another fabulously smelling product! Really enjoyed using this, but it didn't give me the long term hydration that my dry lips need. Also, left a white cast on my lips.
Would recommend to those who don't have really dry lips, wouldn't repurchase but did enjoy.


Garnier 2 in 1 makeup remover, Soap and Glory peaches and clean, Boots double faced oval pads.
1-  My  HG eye makeup remover! Doesn't sting at all, takes of waterproof makeup really quickly and is just amazing! 
Would really recommend, and will definitely repurchase!
2-  Used this to take of my makeup before my cleanser, but didn't find it took off all my foundation easily. This smell was overpowering, sometimes I liked it, but mostly I found it too much. This can also cause photo-sensitivity, which isn't great!
Wouldn't recommend, wouldn't repurchase.
3- Boots oval pads- Not much to say on these! They're really big, and I find one is enough for both of my eyes. They never fall apart like some cotton pads!
Would recommend, and repurchase, have 3 backup packets at the moment! 


Effaclar duo, Freederm fast track, Revlon colorstay, St Ives scrub.
1- La Roche Posay Effaclar duo. This is basically a fancy spot cream. It's pretty expensive, I didn't notice it to stop any spots or unclog my pores. It also felt quite uncomfortable on my skin, and balled up underneath foundation or moisturiser. 
Wouldn't recommend (but everyone's skin is different!), and I wouldn't repurchase.
2-  Didn't notice this took away redness, reduced my spots or unclogged my pores. This wasn't expensive though.
Wouldn't recommend (but everyone's skin is different!), and wouldn't repurchase.
3- Revlon colorstay foundation in Ivory. This is my dream foundation. Flawless coverage, matte but not mask like, and lasts alllll day! Unfortunately, this is nowhere near pale enough for me: :(
Would recommend for those not as pale as me, wouldn't repurchase unless they brought out lighter shades!
4- I tried this out recently, as I remembered loving it when I was a teen. I'm not sure if my skin has changed, or if the formula has changed, but this is way too harsh for my skin now. Smells nice though.
Would recommend if you want a heavy duty scrub, but wouldn't repurchase.

Feel free to link to me to empties posts, anyone use any of these up?
Thanks for reading! :)

Current Loves #1

Howdy! :)

One of my favourite things to read or watch on youtube is monthly faves, but I'm not organised enough to do them every month, and I'm also quite boring, and don't change the products I use very often! 

So, I thought I'd just do a 'current loves' post whenever I notice that I'm enjoying some different/new things :)

1 - Philosophy Snow Angel shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath.

This is just a mini that I bought from Boots at Christmas for about £7. When I first bought this, I wasn't very impressed, but I've tried it again recently, and fallen in love with it! I'm not going to even attempt to describe the scent- but it's very nice! Clean, soft and with hint of sweetness, this really does make you think of snow. I don't tend to use it as bubble bath, as the bubbles don't last long, or a shampoo, because I don't want it to strip my colour or anything, but as a shower gel it leaves your skin soft and lightly scented. 

2 - M&S Mood Rescue hand and nail cream

This hand cream has been fabulous for me recently. A few weeks ago I got quite bad eczema on my hands, and this is the only hand cream I can use that doesn't aggravate it. It's not very scented, sinks in relatively quickly and leaves my hands really soft :)

3 - Body Shop Chocomania lip butter

This isn't on the website, not sure why!

I've written about this already, so I won't go on about it too much! This is a lovely lip balm, the only one I'm using at the mo!

4 - Prada Candy perfume

My Dad bought me this for Christmas (naw!), and since then I've mainly kept it for special occasions. Recently, I've been wearing it most days, and It's reminded me how much I love it! With vanilla and caramel, this is pretty much sweetness in a bottle. The packaging is also beautiful! My Holy Grail perfume :)

5 - Collection lasting perfection concealer (light)

I've been using this every day for a while, and although I knew it was good, it was only when I tried a MAC concealer recently that I realised just how amazing this product is! So easy to blend in, doesn't crease, lasts all day, and all at such a bargainous price!

6 - Garnier Simple Essentials 2 in 1 makeup remover

This is one of the products that you have to shake up before you use, to mix the two liquids (makeup removing oil and cleansing water) together. This takes off even waterproof mascara so easily, without irritating the skin, or taking much effort. It leaves the eye area slightly greasy, but I'd prefer that to the stinging you get from some make up removers! 

Anyone have any favourite products at the mo? Are you stuck in a product rut like me, or do you change up what you use quite regularly?

Thanks for reading! :)

Farewell Friday #3

Hey Guys!

I'm back with another Farewell Friday, and this product I am really going to miss! Because of my Spending ban I am going to try and not repurchase it for a while, and see if I can survive without it!

The product is Garnier Pure Active Exfo Brusher Wash. Bit of a mouthful! 

As you can see from the pics above- the face wash features lots of rubbery bristles to help exfoliate your face. When I first bought this, I was abit scared of them, but they're really soft and actually feel very nice on the face! The main reason I bought this product was that it claims to help fight spots, and fade the marks left by previous blemishes, two problems I suffer with. I didnt particularly notice that it faded any marks, but it definitely helped to dry out spots. 

It also claims that are visible results from day one, which I personally didn't  notice, and that it reduces shine, but I don't tend to get very shiny anyway.

Although I didn't notice anything spectacular with this face wash, I really loved it! It feels really refreshing when you use it and leaves skin super soft and clean, without that tight feeling.

I tended to use this every other day, any more than that and it dried out my skin a little.

The face wash is a bright green colour, looks (and smells!) abit like washing up liquid. The bottle has a twist top, so that you twist it to dispense product from the hole, then twist back to lock it, so that you don't waste any product. You then work it into your face with the bristles, which help to lather up the wash.

The twist top works really well, and is great for travel!

Pros:

Feels nice and tingly on the skin

Helps to fight spots

Foams up really well

Bristle brush feels nice, and helps to exfoliate

Lasted absolutely ages 

Clever twist top means you don't waste any product

Cons:

Didn't notice any fading of marks

Didn't completely clear up my skin (that would be asking alot!)

Could be abit drying if used to much

Smelt like kitchen cleaner

Stings really badly if it gets into the eyes, and also tastes vile! (I'm clumsy with face wash!)

On the pricier side

Would I repurchase? Definitely. 

I know that there's quite a lot of cons, but I did really love this product. Sometimes it's just nice to have a product you enjoy using! It does seem quite pricey, but lasted absolutely aaages! 

I'm not going to repurchase yet, as I have a Boots own brand face wash to finish first, but I will in the future! I also think they're missing a trick with this wash, I think they should sell re fills without the bristle top applicator, then you'd be able to fill up your own bottle instead of buying more!

At the moment, I'm still using the bristle top to lightly exfoliate with the other face wash that I am using, which works really well.

The Garnier Pure Active Exfo Brusher Wash is £7.99 (now on offer at £5.99!) from Boots.

So, has anyone else tried this? Or thinking about trying it?

Thanks for reading, hope everyone is well! :)

My Skincare Collection..

Hey guys, 

I realised the other day that I've got quite a few skincare bits and bobs that I've been switching between, in terms of cleansers, scrubs, masks and face washes. I know some people prefer to find a skincare routine that works for them, and to stick to it, but I get really bored using the same products. I haven't found that using different products aggrevates my skin at all, and I tend to use whatever I feel my skin needs on that particular day. I've got quite dry skin, but I'm also acne prone, so sometimes I'll lean towards products that are more moisturing, or other times, I'll favour things with spot fighting ingredients.

I keep most of my skincare in this Soap and Glory bag I got free last year at christmas. I bought the Soap and Glory products as a present, but kept the bag for myself, naughty! It's really handy as It's quite big, and waterproof, so you can leave it in your shower or bathroom. It's also super cute which is a good bonus!

As you can see, It's pretty full at the mo!

Washes:

I don't tend to use face washes, as I don't really feel they do anything that I can't get from scrubs or cleansers. I have been using them more recently though, the ones I've got are:  

•  Garnier Pure Active Exfo-Brusher Wash, which I bought more for the brush than the actual wash. It's got rubbery bristles that are supposed to help exfoliate the skin, and they feel like they're giving your face a nice massage when you use it! It's got salicylic acid in, which helps against spots. It does smell like something you'd use to clean the kitchen with though! This also lasts a really long time.

• Soap and Glory Peaches and Cream. This is one of the products a friend gave to me as they didn't get on with it. I'm not mad about it, just because it's a wash, and I don't really see the point of them, but it's nice to use every now and again for a change. It smells like really strong peach vodka though, which is a bit off putting!

Garnier Pure Active Exfo-Brusher wash, Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean.

Face Masks:

I love face masks, and use them about twice a week. 

• Dermologica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque. This came in my Glossybox, and is nice, although nothing special.
• Soap and Glory The Fab Pore Facial Peel. This mask is supposed to shrink the size of your pores, but I can't say i've noticed any difference in mine, although it is lovely. It smells minty and fresh, and has small green beads that disappear as your rub the mask in. This is definately my favourite mask!
• Soap and Glory No clogs Allowed. This is a self heating mask, which feels gorgeous! The only down side to this is that it turns blue, and can leave little blue marks on your face, which are surprisingly hard to get off!

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque, Soap and Glory's The Fab Pore and No Clogs Allowed.

 Scrubs:

I really love to use facial scrubs, they make me feel really clean, but it's not that good for you to use them really frequently, so I make a real effort to use scrubs a maximum of 3 times a week. I like scrubs that are pastes, not one's that are creams with a few beads in. The ones I've been using recently are:

• Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermafoliant. This was another one that came in my Glossybox, and is another self heating product! This is gorgeous, and makes my skin feel soo soft, but I don't even want to think about how much the full size product would cost!
• Soap and Glory Greatest Scrub of All. This smells just like the Fab Pore Facial Peel, which is nice and minty! I love this, and it lasts such a long time!

Soap and Glory The Greatest Scrub of All, Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermafoliant

Cleansers:

I much prefer hot cloth cleansers to the ones you use with cotton wool, and I've got three on the go at the mo! 

•  Superdrug Vitamin Hot Cloth Cleanser. This is really nice and gentle on the skin. I use this to take my makeup off, and then tend to use one of the other hot cloth cleansers I've got to actually cleanse my skin. Nice size bottle, lasts a long time. I've heard that this has gone up to £5.99, which I really hope isn't true, because that's just too much.
• Boots Botanics Face Soothing Cleansing Balm. This is my latest addition, and I'm really enjoying it so far! It's a balm, so it's an unusual texture, and I don't think anyone with oily skin would like it, because it's quite greasy. It also leaves a bit of residue on your face, which is kind of weird, but it leaves my skin so soft that I don't mind. The muslin cloth that comes with this is horrible though! 
• Soap and Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser. This is absolutely amazing! Smells like lavender and feels amazing on the skin. Again, this turns into a sort of oil on the skin, which I love for my dry skin.

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser, Boots Botanics Face Soothing Cleansing Balm, Soap and Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser.

I've also got a few toners and moisturisers, but this has taken me all day to write and I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open now, so that will be my next post! 

Thanks for reading :)