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! :)

Shopping My Stash #1- Skincare

Evening! 

A few days ago, I did my first Shopping my Stash video, which you can see here.

I've done a post on the makeup bits I mentioned, which you can read here, so I though I would do a seperate post on the skincare bits I am trying to use at the moment! 

Excuse the terrible picture- this is what happens when your brain tells you it's a good idea to take a picture at 9.30 in the evening!

• Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash- I did a post on how much I hated this product, but my skin has changed alot recently, so I'm hoping it will be second time lucky, and that this will miraculously clear up my skin! :)
• Elizabeth Arden 2 in 1 Cleanser- This is supposed to be a cleanser and a toner. I have no idea why I stopped using this, it's such a beautiful product! Smells amazing, lathers up really nicely and leaves your skin feeling so, so soft and smooth.
• Soap and Glory No Clogs Allowed face mask- This is one of those self heating masks, which I'm not a huge fan of.  I stopped using this when I discovered S&G The Fab Pore face mask, but that has run out, so I'm back onto this one! My skin is terrible at the moment, so hopefully this will help keep it under control!
• De Vere Aloe Vera Skin Care Gel- I think originally I bought this to put on sunburn, but when I found this lurking at the bottom of my drawer, I did a bit of research, and Aloe Vera gel has so many uses and benefits! I am going to be using this as a spot gel, and a hand cream :)
• Steamcream- I bought this a while ago, used it for a bit, and then totally forgot about it. It's a multi purpose cream, I am going to be using it mainly as a moisturiser, and possibly as a hand cream if the Aloe Vera gel doesn't work out!

So these are the products that I have been neglecting, but am going to start using more! Feel free to link me to your post if you've done a Shopping my Stash type thaang! 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! :)

Haulin' #6

Evenin'! 

Got another haul for you today, this is just random bits and bobs that I've picked up over the last month or so, which I forgot to blog about! 

Nail art pen in white, this blue skull bracelet, this nail art set in the 'fruit' version, and these dotting tools.

Haven't actually tried out any of the nail stuff yet, but I am eager too! :) The bracelet is a little big for my wrist, but it's wearable! 

Illamasqua skin base foundation in 02, La Roche Posay Anthelios xl spf50+ melt in cream, Soap and Glory you won't believe your eyes, Topshop cream blush in flush.

I won the Illamasqua foundation which is amazing as I never win anything! I've read some fab reviews on this, but I can't say I'm that impressed with it...I have only tried it once though, so maybe there's a knack to applying it right?! The Illamasqua team really impressed me with packaging, there was a hand written note and a sample of Freak perfume, which I have already used up and absolutely loved :)

During the hot spell we had over here, I bought the 50+ spf as I wanted something that was really heavy duty for my face (premature wrinkles? No thanks!), but easy to apply foundation over. I find I do have to give this 10-15 minutes to sink in, and I may need to powder over foundation to take away shine, but at least I wont be burning!

The Soap and Glory eye roll on was bought when I needed a third item for my 3 for 2. I have only been using this for a few days, haven't noticed any difference in bags or anything, but it feels amazing to apply! I really look forward to putting this on in the evening :)

Lastly, the Topshop blusher. This was a total whim, I was in Topshop and had a sudden urge to buy some makeup! None of the lipsticks really stood out to me, and I'd been wanting to try a cream blush for a while. The colour choice was actually down to my brother. I couldn't decide between Prime Time (bright pink), or Head Over Heels (bright coral), so I asked for his opinion. He said I'd look like a clown in either of those, and that Flush was the sensible option as it was actually a believeable colour for cheeks. At least he was honest ay! Tbh, I will probably go back for the brighter ones if I enjoy this blusher, as I do like bright cheeks!

So, more things that I don't need, and shouldn't really have bought! Anyone bought anything exciting recently? Or tried any of these things?

Skincare Routine

Aloha! 

I've finally got round to doing a skincare routine post! I'll warn you now, this is likely to be pretty long, so grab yourself a cuppa (or something stronger if you fancy, it is a bank holiday weekend after all!), and prepare to be in this for the long haul....

Makeup Removal 

These products, I use purely to get the makeup off my face.

Garnier Simply Essential Soothing 2 in 1 Makeup Remover is absolutely amazing. It's one of those oil/water combo's that you have to shake and then put on a cotton pad. I use this to take off any eye makeup, and lipstick. It doesn't sting at all, is really quick to use, and the only negative thing I can think off is that it does leave your eyes slightly oily. That doesn't actually bug me at all, and is definitely preferable to stinging eyes!

Superdrug Vitamin E Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. I haven't actually used this for it's intended purpose, so I can't comment on how it takes off eye makeup! I use this to get off my face makeup, like a wash except it doesn't lather!  I usually rub this all over my dry face, rinse it off with water and then go over my face once again to make sure every scrap of makeup is off! This is gentle, affordable, smells nice, doesn't break me out or dry out my skin, and takes the makeup off. What more could I ask for?! I know it's a bit of a strange way to use it, but I figure if it's gentle enough for my eyes, it will be more than gentle for my face!

Washing/Cleansing

These are two of my holy grail products. I will usually use these both twice a day.

I have raved about Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash before here, so I wont get into it too much, but it's a fabulous product! This doesn't dry out my skin, but manages to clear up my skin quite impressively. It doesn't get rid off all my spots completely (I think I'm stuck with them for life!), but when I stopped using it recently I realised what a big difference this stuff does make!

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser- My definite holy grail cleanser! This is thick and luxurious, but doesn't break me out at all, and if I stray away from this, use something different and my skin freaks out, as soon as I come back to this it calms it down! Obviously any hot cloth cleanser will get compared to the infamous Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser, but I haven't tried it, and am perfectly happy with this!  A little goes a really long way, and the 200ml tube lasts forever.

Exfoliation/Mask

Soap and Glory the Greatest Scrub Of All- this little tube has lasted me so long! Smells lush, isn't too abravise, but leaves skin feeling so, so smooth and soft, I love it! I tend to use this about three times a week. 

Body shop facial brush- when I first bought this, I didn't want to irritate my skin by using it too much, now I use it most days! I find once a day, usually with the Boots tea tree and witch hazel wash, really thoroughly cleans my skins. I've also noticed that it tends to bring spots to the surface (sorry, gross I know!), which is good as it means you can tackle them, although this probably isn't the best product to use just before a big date/event for that reason! 

Soap and Glory the Fab Pore Facial Peel- Firstly, I have no idea why this is called a facial peel. This is a mask with little beads that dissolve as you rub them in. This also smells amazing, doesn't dry out my skin, but makes a really visible difference to the way my skin looks. This mask feels really comfortable on the skin as it doesn't dry like a clay mask and make your face feel all tight. I use this once a week, maybe twice if my skin is bad! 

Moisturising

These are the moisturisers I am using at the moment. They're both from Marks and Spencers, and part of the Formula range. I use the day cream in the morning, giving in ten mins to sink in before I put on my makeup, and the nourishing night cream at night (obviously!). They're both good, but the nourishing night cream is the best overnight moisturiser I've tried, and I've tried Elizabeth Arden, Steamcream, Clarins and many others! This has the bect consistency, really thick, but easy to apply and not heavy on the skin. Unfortunately I think these have been discontinued, but if I ever see the night cream in M&S, I'm going to stock up!

Extras

I alternate between two spot creams, I am trying to use them up even though they haven't really worked for me! Lush's Grease Lightening leaves my skin feeling tight, which isn't great, but it doesn't 'ball up' underneath foundation like Freederm's Fast Track does. For this reason, I tend to favour Grease Lightning in the morning, and Freederm at night.

As a lip stick fan, I like to try and keep my lips in good condition, and my current fave for that is the Body Shop Chocomania lip butter. Thick and hydrating, but not greasy or sticky.

So there you have it, my skincare routine! Congrats if you got this far ;)

You may have noticed that I don't use a toner. I have used some before which just dried out my skin, and I seem to be doing okay withouth it, so I'm not sure if I really need it? Let me know if you use and like toner! :)

Thanks for reading, hope you are all well!

150 Followers Giveway! CLOSED!

Hiiii guys :)

I recently noticed that I'd reached the 150 GFC followers mark! I'm so thankful to everyone who follows and comments on my posts, I'm so in love with blogging! It's been amazing to finally find people that I can waffle on about makeup, and skincare, I think my family and friends are glad that I get all my beauty related chat without them! So basically, thanks everyone! 

Anywayy, on to the fun part! I decided to do a giveaway, here's what one person will win!

• Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean wash off deep cleansing milk
• MUA Heaven and Earth eyeshadow pallette
• MUA Love Hearts 'Kiss me' Lipbalm
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry
• Models Own nail art pen in black

The winner will also be able to choose one of these keyrings, whichever they prefer :) Both made by my lovely mum!

So, to win! First a few rules:

• If under 16 please get permission from your parents because I will need your address!
• Open internationally :)
• Giveaway will end Monday 26th March at 6pm GMT
• Winner will be picked using random.org

To enter-

• Mandatory- Be a follower of this blog with GFC or Hellocotton, leave a comment below saying what type of posts you'd like to see more of on this blog and your email address so I can contact you (one entry) 

For extra entries-

• Follow me on twitter @RubesScoobs (one entry)
• Follow my mum's blog  (one entry)
• Tweet about my giveaway!(one entry)
• Write a post about my giveaway (one entry)

Make sure you write in the comments how many (if any!) extra entries you have done so that I can count them all up :)

Good luck everyone!

Soap and Glory Flake Away Review.

Hey Guys,

Hope you all had an amazing christmas!

Quick review for you here :)

Recently I've been noticing that little bumps have been appearing on my legs and arms, a result of never exfoliating my body! I've got no excuse, I've got a small collection of body scrubs, I'm just too lazy to keep at it for more than a few days! I received a small (50ml) tub of Soap and Glory Flake Away for my birthday and have been using it for a few weeks. Usually I'd have preferred to have been using it for about a month before I made up my mind and did a review- but from the first use I knew how I felt about this product. I hate it.

 

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 :)

September Favourites..

Doing favourites seems like an easy way to get into the swing of this blogging lark, so here are the products I reached for most in September! 

• Natural Collection Vanilla Body Spray- a lovely, cheap body spray that lasts for hours.  I wear this every day!
• Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Alabaster- the only foundation I have ever found that is pale enough for me. Quite full coverage, really nice finish.   
• Ben Nye Lip Brush- really good for applying lipstick, especially if you haven't got a lipliner in the right colour.
• Soap and Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser- gorgeous for cleansing the skin and removing makeup. Has a really nice texture that turns oil like on the skin, and smells like lavender.
• 17 Lastin Fix Lipstick in New black - dark red/purple colour, which isn't matte or drying on the lips
• The Pink Cow shower gel in Mint Candy- already spoken about this, i'm totally obsessed!
• Clarins Wonderlength mascara in black- great mascara with a really thin wand. Lengthens  amazingly, and adds thickness if wiggled at the base of lashes.
• Cosmic Radiance perfume- Britney's tenth scent, I own them all! This one smells a bit like Lenor or some other fabric softener, not too overpowering or strong.
• Cocoa Butter vaseline- smells delish! 

If anyone else has any favourites, feel free to write them or link them below, I love reading them! x