Empties August

Balance Me. Super toning body wash.

I received this free from the magazine Glamour. The product is 99% natural and is free from parabens, SLS etc. Despite using all the product, I didn't actually enjoy using this. It has a very natural smell from the natural oils in the ingredients but that didn't bother me. My gripe with it, was that it claimed that only a small amount is needed because it is a concentrated formula but because it's free from SLS (foaming agent), I didn't know how far the product stretched on my skin. I wouldn't buy this product.

Radox basil and grapefruit shower gel.

It really does have such an uplifting smell, more grapefruit than basil I would say. It lathers really well but I do think it's on the runny side. I have repurchased this.

Docteur Renaud raspberry soft cream. 

Received this in a Glossybox aaaages ago but a little of this product goes such a long way. I loved this product, it was thick and creamy but it soaked in my skin almost immediately after application. The raspberry smell was so unusual compared to other face products and it was so pleasant to smell this throughout the day. Definitely would purchase this item. 

Everyday St Tropez.

This is a gradual tanning product, sort of like those ones from Garnier and Dove. I would say St Tropez's version is a little different because it's more of a self tan than a everyday moisturiser. The formula is a little thick but it spreads really well. This is the only product which I felt gave a natural tan out of all the ones I tried. I can literally put this on an hour before I go out and know that my skin will be around two shades darker. It says it doesn't have a fake tan smell on the packaging but it does! and I would definitely score it as one of the worst smelling ones. At around £14.99, it is around two thirds more in price than standard ones but it is worth it, the tan lasts for a week after one application. Definitely would buy again.

Garnier Soft Essentials rose toner.

Brilliant product. It's alcohol free, cheap, makes skin noticeably softer, I really couldn't sing its praises more. I use this more as a cleanser than a toner. When I'm in a hurry I will use this to cleanse my face in the morning instead of washing it. I use this when my skin feels itchy or uncomfortable to relieve it. I use this after I cleanse my face, for more of a moisture boost than to take off my remaining make up. I love it and I've bought this product tens and tens of times.

Essential ultra honey and shea butter hair mask.

Ok, you can't buy this product in the UK. It's from Japan and can be purchased on Ebay and Sasa.com. It's a cult product in Asia. It has the thickest formula, it smells delicious and it definitely gives results for dry hair even with a small amount of product. I will of course be stocking up on this when I go on my travels.

Loreal  absolute make up remover. 

It's one of those half oil and half water formulas that are essential for removing waterproof eye make up. Despite loads of bloggers hauling this item and singing its praises, I don't think it is worth the hype, it performs just the same as my Garnier and Boots Botanic one. The pro is that it is a little less greasy however it does costs a little more. I also feel like I have to swipe my eye more with this product, instead of it instantly dissolving like with some others. I wouldn't repurchase this unless it was on offer. 

Have you tried any of these products?

Maybelline Baby Lips Review + Swatch

After searching high and low, I have finally got hold of the Baby lips lipbalm by Maybelline. There weren't many colours left but I got the two I wanted, Cherry me (left) and Hydrate (right). As lipbalms go, I would say they are pretty standard. On application, I felt they were quite greasy (or glossy!) but after they soak in, say half an hour later, the lips have a nice softness. The Cherry me one is a nice pinky red and does give off a good sheen of colour. The hydrate lip balm although doesn't say on the packaging is lemon and basil scented. They are 3 for 2 currently in Boots at £2.99 each. 

On the back of the packaging it gives the market test results (105 women). Each one is different, the above info is from Cherry me. The Hydrate lip balm didn't get as high results but in my opinion both were exactly the same.

Left, is of course Cherry Me. Not that you can tell from the picture but it's a really pretty vibrant red with hues of pink in there.

As you can see there isn't a great pay off in terms of colour but then again what do you expect for a lip balm!? It does however give the lips a really pretty and natural rosey sheen. If you look carefully below the swatch was another one, that I had wiped off to demonstrate that it does leave a slight tint after wear. 

Ciate Polish - The Gossip

Currently I'm wearing this shade of polish that I received in last months Glossybox.

Oh shame on me, look at my nasty dry cuticles!!! It's a bright coral which I feel has a slight milkiness to it. The brush is wide and flat but the polish is thin, so application can be timely. It's also really glossy in real life, it's a real shame I couldn't pick it up on the camera (I blame the weather). As you can see from the picture, it's slightly chipped from 24hours wear but that's entirely my fault being such a clutz in the kitchen.

Glossybox August 2013 High-flyers Review

Glossybox this month has gone with the theme high-flyers, essentially, essentials you may apparently need when flying. I don't really like Glossybox themed boxes. When the theme is not suitable for me, I generally categorize all the samples as useless. So here we go, What did I get??

There was a MASSIVE groan of disappointment when opening this.

Here we are, a bit of a close up.

Jelly Pong Pong 2 in 1 shadow liner (full size). No colour mentioned on the packaging but mine is a forest green (a yucky one too).

Juicy Couture Noir 1.5ml sample. Yes, the dreaded perfume sample. Glossybox were quite cheeky using this months theme to try and dispense perfume samples - which would be faaaabulous for travelling. I don't mind, I love Juicy Couture and always feel the need to drown myself in perfume but I understand that it is a stingy sample and loads of Glossyboxers have asked to receive no more on GB facebook and via surveys. 

Emite Make Up Eyelash Curler (£20). I'm definitely indifferent about this product, I need a new one but I'm still happy with my Koji one. It says it's worth £20 but then so is Shu Umera and I would want that one - not this one, as the thing itself and the packaging look cheapy.

Tresemme Platinum Strength Treatment Shot (£1.49). So these are individual shots that give frazzled hair a conditioning treatment. Remember those V05 hot oil shots for the hair? They were fecking awful. I'm not a big fan of cheapy brands like Tresemme, who sell the shampoo by the bucket. Honestly would you buy a litre of shampoo, that looked and smelt closer to washing up liquid?? No hopes for this product, Glossybox stop featuring Tresemme.

Lastly Oceane Make up remover pen (No price because apparently it's not available in the UK yet). Well it looks like it's from a one pound shop, maybe that's why GB didn't convert the Brazillian real into pounds. It's an eye make up remover pen with three more refills. It's designed to take mistakes away, primarily from the eye area I presume. Which makes this product NASTY, yes it's convenient but are you going to jab this dirty old pen in your eye throughout the day and not expect an eye infection!?!?!?!?!

Well, this was a really big disappointment. 

Did you like what you got in yours?

Revlon Lash Potion Mascara review

Revlon's new lash potion is part of the grow luscious range of mascaras. I'm not sure why it is in the same range, there is no mention about the mascara formula having benefits like lash growth. The mascara only expresses that it is a volume and length waterproof mascara. The one I bought is in waterproof, which was such a surprise when I saw it, as Revlon rarely releases waterproof versions in the UK.

The brush as you can see is packed densely in three areas, sort of creating a triangle shape brush. The bristles are extremely hard and scratchy, this is what I presume creates an illusion of length in the lashes by combing out clumps. 

And voila,  this is the look I achieved on my lashes. My lashes do look lengthened and there is a satisfactory amount of volume for day time use. The cons for me, is that it's not very black and that I prefer my Loreal telescopic mascara so much more. It took me several coats to achieve the above look because the mascara formula is quite weak, I don't think it's possible to build more volume, as the mascara dries quite hard and could see it starting to clump. 

This mascara is average for Asian lashes. I think it would be much better for those with thicker longer lashes - to enhance their lashes; than for those who have lashes like mine - who want to create them. 

Small Haul

When shopping for throat lozenges, I went on a slight detour and picked up some products and thought I would share... or maybe just justify to myself, why I felt the need to spend more money.

Nail polish collection

Today I had a massive clear out of all my nail varnishes. Honestly, it was a hard job, I had many desperate hoarder moments when I couldn't let go of unsalvageable polishes that are no longer produced. Shall I keep it as a momento? I kept telling myself. I was STRONG and chucked a butt load away!!