Beauty Rehab

It's been a little while since I've done a Beauty Rehab post and you can find all my others here.

Essentially they're empties posts, but it was initially to encourage me to get rid of stuff and stop accumulating more products, which of course just didn't happen.

Now however I have had a bit of a life change and instead of being employed at Boots I have now (finally!) got myself a proper job in a lab which is what I've been working towards my whole school career.

So now that's finally happened and my discount card has been handed back into my manager (sobbbbbb!) it's time for me to reassess my spending  and because of that my plan is to go on an all out ban.

Cold turkey, for a month.

Then after that month I'll allow myself to spend on clothing and anything I've run out of, but essentially  the plan is to only allow myself to buy a product when I've run out of all other similar products. So for example if I use all my foundations (unlikely!) I can purchase another, but only if all of them have been used up.

Hopefully this will work out a lot better than before when I was surrounded by Boots deals every day and the bribe of more points for my card (currently sitting at £62.....maybe a treat for when I get rid of lots?!)

So without further ado, these are the empties I've collected up the past few weeks and from now on I will be starting a clean slate from the 1st of June...wish me luck!

So Liz Earle is always making an appearance in these posts for me, I have repurchased since finishing this one but don't have any others as of yet! Still love it though.
Neutrogena Spot Stress Control scrub was neither a hit nor a miss for me. It gave a good scrub but I didn't feel like it helped with my spots, probably as they're more acne than hormonal.
Molton Brown hair wash was ok.....I wouldn't repurchase it as it was so expensive for a shampoo that wasn't much different to any other in my opinion.

Jean Paul Gaultier MaDame perfume is my ultimate all time favourite perfume and I will be repurchasing this for a long time to come!
St Ives Body Polish was a cheap shop purchase, not quite a pound store but one of those shops where they have items at a very cheap price. Having used St Ives products before I knew this would be a decent product for the £2ish price tag and I was right, it was great for a cheap scrub! Would repurchase from a similar store.

The Revlon PhotoReady 3D Volume mascara was pretty good, it lengthened my lashes and separated them nicely but I felt like it could have given more volume.
The Maybelline Colossal Volume mascara was a big surprise but M had been bugging me for a while to get it and I was pleasantly surprised. It separated every lash and left them looking soft and fluffy but with volume. I'd buy it again!

Paco Rabanne's Lady Million was a perfume I got for Christmas in 2011. I did really like using it but I feel like the smell changed in the bottle after 9 months so it didn't smell the same. I did enjoy it but my love will always be MaDame!

St Moriz is a great alternative to more expensive tans. I picked this up from Home Bargains a while ago and though I wouldn't say there was too much difference between the normal and the dark versions, it's a great easy to use product that shows up straight away so you can see it easily to rub it in and develops to an even colour. I've since bought a few of these....ahem...so will be making my way through them!

The Body Shop Body butters are well renowned and this was my first given to me as a present. It took forever to use up as it wasn't my favourite smell and my skin on my body wasn't dry enough to benefit from a thicker butter. I wouldn't purchase this particular flavour again but I would try others!

Johnsons Baby shampoo is the perfect product to use to wash your make up brushes and I don't think there's better. I've used Asda's own for example and its certainly not the same. Definitely repurchase but hopefully when it's on offer as it's not the cheapest!

L'Oreal's Studio Secrets Resurfacing Primer is something I've used for a little while, I love the resurfacing properties it has as it completely smoothes over the pores and lines on the face. It also helps keep your make up for longer than it would usually stay on your face so generally I'm a fan.....but I don't like the pot! Always get this down my nails. Not a good look.

Rimmel's Sun Shimmer Instant Tan in Light Matte is a great instant wash off tan that can be used for last minute occasions. I've loved this and prefer the matte option so I can add shimmer to my skin if necessary as it's not always appropriate. Would repurchase!

The FCUK Whipped Bodycream was part of a Christmas set and the consistency felt really nourishing and it smelt amazing! Would repurchase if I didn't have a tonne of others to use up!
Ajala Spa products were some I picked up from the hotel in London. It was paraben free so I was excited but I didn't like it, nothing foamed that was supposed to and the conditioner and lotion didn't have any positive effect whatsoever.
The Gardenia spray was a lovely change from my usual sprays but as I'm not the biggest fan of Rose or Magnolia it wasn't my favourite. I love citrus scents which would have been my first choice but this did smell very fresh and lasted a decent amount of time.
Batiste is amazing! I prefer the original and tropical scents, would repurchase for years to come!

Collection Fix me Up spray features in both above and below photos. It was a lovely feeling and felt like my make up was refreshed but I can't say its worth the money particularly.
Asda's eye make up remover was great, worked a treat and didn't affect my sensitive eyes, thumbs up! Especially for value.
Origins Perfect World moisturiser was great, didn't like it initially but after my skin got drier its soaked this up a treat. The SPF is also a great addition and I have more of this to use!
Mitchum anti perspirant was good, it was one of the first 48 hour deodorants and was brilliant when I was working underground in a hot cafe! It definitely works! (not that I didn't shower for 48 hours...its just a good deodorant)
Avon Silk Wrap nail polish was brilliant and sinks into your nails much like my current favourite Revlon Post Trauma polish.
17 Doll'd Up eye liner was a complete miss for me, it wasn't as easy to use but I was going to persevere until it suddenly dried up overnight and its now being thrown out!
Origins mascara was pretty good and I did a post on it recently, but I think it's discontinued now.

And lastly my uber fave....Revlon PhotoReady primer. My only bug bear with this product is that the pump doesn't catch all the product, I'm talking a fifth of the bottle??
So I ended up getting my dad to break the top off so I could scrape out another few weeks worth and save myself some money!
Would definitely repurchase and already have....obviously!


What do you think of my empties? Wish me luck for my Cold Turkey time!!!

L xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

Benefit's Stay Flawless Event

On Wednesday I was lucky enough to be invited to the latest Benefit event for the launch of their new Stay Flawless primer.

Unfortunately M's last exam was the day after the event so I had to go it alone, but there were lots of lovely girls who I'd met before and had the pleasure of meeting lots of new bloggers!

The event took place in The Living Room in Bristol, right next to the Imax theatre on the harbourside.

As soon as I walked in I loved it; the place had high ceilings, lots of lighting and a wall full of wine bottles, who wouldn't like that?!

It was also full of men in suits which was a little intimidating seeing as I turned up in jeans and converse but I soon got over that when the rest of the girls were dressed the same as me.

After having a quick catch up we were called over to the area and offered champagne and juices before taking a seat.



The reason for the event was to launch their new primer 'Stay Flawless'
It allegedly keeps your make up looking flawless for up to 15 hours.

Lisa PD was there for the launch again and gave us her demonstration using the lovely Rachel as her model:



The primer is applied to the skin in circle type motions before Hello Flawless is applied as quick as possible on top.
The Stay Flawless primer is in a stick form, I love stick things. I feel like a child when I was younger and applying lipstick to my entire face. It's similar to their Fake Up concealers in that it's so easy to apply and you really can't make a mistake.

The theory behind the primer is that it acts as a Make Up Magnet....and they had these amazing items to show us how it works:



So here we have your face (on the right), and your two products: Hello Flawless and Stay Flawless.

When you use Hello Flawless straight onto your skin....


The two things just don't stick well enough to each other, and coincidentally one slides straight off the other:



However, when Stay Flawless primer is used, the foundation sticks to the primer which sticks to your skin and therefore gives a long lasting, flawless face for the day!
It truly acts as a 'Make up Magnet'.



Lisa has tested out the primer herself and put her photos on Instagram to prove the make up stayed on.
After 12 hours her face was still flawless but after that the make up did start to show some shine coming through, which is why the primer only states up to 15 hours wear.
I like that they've been honest and stated that it could be UP TO 15 hours, not for definite.
As Lisa says, a primer that lasts 12 hours is nothing short of a miracle and I would be so happy if my make up stayed on my face for 12 hours perfectly!



What i particularly love about Benefit events is how lovely and friendly all of the Benebabes are. Not only are they really helpful for make up advice but they're also really nice to chat to and its lovely to have a rummage in their make up desk which conveniently seems to be near me at each event!

I also love that they have their own decorations for each event, like the cushions. The Stay Flawless ones were perfect for this time of year and so cute with their cross stitching pattern!



Luckily for us we got to leave with a goodie bag with not only a Stay Flawless primer to test out, but the Benefit foundation brush and also a bottle of Hello Flawless foundation which we were colour matched for at the event.
I was so excited when I found this out as I've always wanted to try the Hello Flawless foundation due to it's hydrating complex, the fact it's oil free and contains SPF25 AS WELL as being brightening. Phew! No wonder it's been on my wishlist for so long.



There were also plenty of nibbles at the event, and we were all cooing over these amazing chocolate covered strawberries and mini amaretto biscuits.





I was also lucky enough to win a competition whilst there for a Bronze of Champions kit which I cannot wait to use over the next few weeks!

I'll be back with a full review of the primer and foundation to see if it lives up to expectations....and trust me when I say I'll be doing an extensive review of it's lasting capabilities!


What's your favourite primer? Have you tried Hello Flawless foundation?

Thanks again to the Benefit girls (particularly Rachel, Jo, Lisa and Alyson) for another fun event, they're always a pleasure to attend and I always look forward to the next one!

L xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

Save, Spend, Splurge Hot Cloth Cleansers featuring Along Came Betty, No7 and Liz Earle.

Another Save, Spend Splurge for you all today. You can read my previous Save, Spend, Splurge posts here. I've covered skincare, make up removers and dry shampoo now. Today I thought I'd cover Hot Cloth Cleansers. I'm sure most people have heard of the blogger favourite Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. It's not the cheapest so are any of the cheaper alternatives as good.

I'm comparing Along Came Betty Porefectly Clean Hot Cloth Cleanser from Tesco, No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser from Boots and Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish.

Save

Along Came Betty (Tesco £5.99 Currently £3.00 for 100ml - which is what I paid) LINK

This has a very similar texture to the Liz Earle, it's thick like the Liz Earle and has a really refreshing scent. I really love the smell of this. It's soft on the skin and really removes make up. It doesn't sting the eyes and removes the eye make up with ease. It also comes with one cloth which is as good quality as the Liz Earle one. 

Spend

No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser (Boots £9.95 for 200ml) LINK

This was donated to me by L. She didn't get on with it after trying Liz Earle. It's a much wetter creamier texture which I find means you need more. Price per ml when the Along Came Betty isn't on offer it works out cheaper but in my opinion you need to use more of it to obtain the same results so it does work out more expensive. First off it smells of roses which really puts me off. I don't find it leaves my skin feeling as fresh. I also find it slips of my hand a lot if I use it in the shower and I'm not careful. I just really don't enjoy this as much as the others. I do find this one really stings my eyes when used to remove eye make up.

Splurge

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (£14.75 for 100ml) LINK

I choose the starter kit price for comparison as the others come with muslim cloths. Sold with or without the cloths (£13.25 for 100ml) it's still a lot more expensive. I really do love this, it has a fresh eucalyptus scent which I really love as it leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean. My eye make up is easily removed. It's a thick cream and I find one pump is enough, it does really last well.

Along Came Betty, No7, Liz Earle

As you can tell above the No7 cleanser isn't one I enjoy as much. I honestly think the Along Came Betty cleanser is a fair match for the Liz Earle. Liz Earle does win slightly in smell stakes but I do also enjoy the Along Came Betty. Due to the price difference for me this time Save Wins. As much as I love the Liz Earle from now on I will be purchasing Along Came Betty for everyday use and letting my Liz Earle be used for when I'm feeling flush.

What's your thoughts on Hot Cloth Cleansers? Have you tried cheaper alternatives?

Love M

xxx 

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

H and M haul and Discount Codes

My mum is a right little bargain hunter lately.  I'm always getting texts through telling me of a new site she's found or bargain piece.  I keep telling her I'm trying to be good and not spend.  My spending ban really did change my spending habits.  Lack of money probably adds to it as well.

My mum sent me a text last week to tell me she'd found a dress on H and M for only £3.99. She kindly offered to buy me it and told me to get a few more bits.

Here is the bargain dress.  Full price is only £7.99. I love the simplicity of it and how easy it is to wear. It comes in four colours.  Unfortunately you can only order one per order and you have to spend over a certain amount to spend online (I think it's £7). I went with the leopard print.  I love leopard print but think it can be hard to wear.  I decided the style of the dress would save it from being tacky!

One thing that annoyed me with all the items I ordered was the sizing.  You either have the option of size 6-8 or 10-12 being a size 8-10 I was unsure what size to go for. In the dress I went with 10-12 as I thought it would look better if it was a bit if a loose fit.

I'm always on the look out for baggy but shapely jumpers.  I loved the mix of neon and grey in this jumper.  I went for the 10-12 in this so it was looser but I do with I'd gone for the 6-8 now. It's still very wearable and easy to throw on with a pair of jeans. It's also a lot lighter material than I expected meaning it's perfect for the spring weather we are having. It's also on sale for £5 here.

Lastly I picked up a black and white striped cardigan.  Cardigans are something I always need but never buy (along with leggings!) I got this in size 6-8 as my top half is generally smaller.  Sizing is so annoying like this. I wish it would just be sized normal! The cardigan does fit fine.  I wear it half unbuttoned as buttoning to the top doesn't suit me! This was in the sale for only £4 here.

Delivery is £3.99 I personally hate having to pay for delivery.  I wish H and M would follow other stores and have the option to delivery to store for free! Not only that delivery was very slow!  I ordered it on a Tuesday night.  Got an email to say it was despatched on Thursday but didn't receive it till the Thursday after! The delivery was within therr estimated time.  Albeit the last date but when I'm paying for delivery I think a week maximum is the most to make someone wait not 8-9 days. What's your thoughts on delivery times? What do you expect to wait?

Anyways after seeing delivery charges I googled to see if I could find a H and M discount code. I actually found two and was able to use both.  On the forum's I was on the £5 off code is one people have been using for a while.  The code for this is 1304. I also found one for 25% off the most expensive item. The code for this is 0241.

Using these codes I managed to reduce my bill down to just over £10. It was a bargain but lately I find H and M don't have great service.  In the store in town L and I have experienced rude customer service I hate it when stores have a few stuck up sales assistants as it really puts me off! It makes me not want to visit the store.

Do you have stores have you are put off of due to sales assistants?

H and M really do have some great bargains and do good basics.  I think I'll have to start going to the other stores.

Love M

xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

Would you rather...?

I saw this on Georgina's blog MakeUp Pixi3 this week and couldn't resist but give it a go! Hope you enjoy my answers, I tag everyone that reads this and anyone else who wants to!

Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip glosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?
It would have to be the palettes and eyeshadows for me, I do love my palettes but I couldn't live without mascara and foundation and lipstick brightens up any look easily for me!

Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

Not sure I'd be one of those people who looks good without hair so I'd have to say never be able to cut it. I love having my hair long!

Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?
Coral hands down! Love the orangey tone and am getting quite a collection of them together!

If you had £1000 to spend, Would you rather buy clothes or makeup?
Normally I'd say make up, but needing a new work wardrobe and summer clothes in a smaller size having lost some weight....I'm gonna have to go with clothes this time! Particularly shoes, I need some good work ones and summer sandals!

Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?
Having applied lipstick as eyeliner before for fancy dress, I'd definitely go with using eyeliner as lipstick. There are a small number of nude ones that could be used and I wouldn't recommend red lipstick-lined eyes unless its for a zombie look!

Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?
I'm one for variety, so Sephora would have to win for me even though Mac is one of my top stores! I just love being able to choose different products from different brands.

Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?
This is so hard. I've recently got into lipsticks in a big way and now couldn't imagine only having one! but then eyeshadows can be more diverse and you can easily use so many different colours on your eyes. Siiiiiigh. I'll have to choose using one lip colour.

Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?
Winter! Like Georgina says, summer in Wales isn't too great anyway so winter clothes are out for 9 months of the year. And to be honest, for me there is nothing like a pair of jeans, comfy jumper and boots!

Would you rather dark nails or bright nails all year round?

Brights, but only just. I like a lot of reds and pinks and most are brighter than you'd call them dark so I'd have to choose that. Plus i love coral too much!

Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?
I'm not sure I have a particular favourite eye product so I'd have to say that one. I could not do without my lip balm at the moment, mine have been cracking they've been so dry and nobody likes that!

Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a pony tail or a messy bun?
Messy bun, so easy and can be pretty for work, play and anything in between!

Would your rather never being able to paint your nails again or never use lipgloss?
I rarely ever wear lip gloss so definitely lose the lip gloss! My nails are everything right now.

Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all? or sharpie them in everyday?
I'd look RIDICULOUS without eyebrows. My pale skin and almost black hair make for a big contrast. and I'd blend right in with the 'scousewives' if I used a sharpie ;)

Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?
Nail polish, but it kind of hurts to admit that! I just couldn't live without mascara, foundation and lipstick.

L xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

Review: Illamasqua Eye Quad

For my first purchase from Illamasqua, I'll admit this was a little random.

I picked it up from ASOS after falling in love with the packaging, the beautiful metallic cream shadows and their general ethos.

Illamasqua always intrigue me because I am drawn to their ad campaigns like no other, I mean the beautifully applied looks, crazy colours, wacky lashes and always something unique and quirky about the models such as their freckles or super pale skin.

I also love that they have such strong ideas about each collection and their 'Alter Ego' idea is brilliant.  love to wake up in the morning and decide who I'm going to be that day depending on my mood and my make up does reflect whatever mood I'm in.

This 4 Colour Liquid Metal Palette combines four of their cult highly pigmented metallic creams into one beautiful package.
I love that even their packaging is so inclusive, this really is a brand for anyone and everyone!
For people who love the muted looks and those who liked to go wild....which is normally everyone in work/play mode.

I do loooooooooooove this packaging. I've mentioned many times how I'm a fan of black and simple designs and although there are obviously plenty of this kind of packaging available from brands like MAC and Smashbox, Illamasqua also seem to add their own spin to it.

So the colours and names match up as follows:

Enrapture: Metallic Copper
Surge: Metallic Steel
Electrum: Antique Gold
Phenomena: Molten Silver

When I first opened the palette I was a little concerned that the creams looked a bit 'sweaty'. It's hard to come up with a term to describe it but I think sweaty is the only way!
You can see what I mean by the photo below, but this tissued off easily and I've since had absolutely no problem with this reoccurring.

Here are the colours swatched on the back of my hand in natural light and with flash:

You can see they stand out really well in both lights but really shimmer in a flash!

They're both really pigmented and apply so easily and smoothly to the skin that there would be no trouble on the eyes too.

Here's a few looks I created one evening!



The look in the photo above and below was created using Enrapture and Surge. I blended Enrapture (the copper) along the outside crease of my eye lid into Surge (the lighter steel colour).

These applied so easily and in both of these looks I used my finger to dab on the liquid metal where I wanted it and then blend out.





This look was created using Electrum (antique gold) and Phenomena (molten silver) in the same way as the one above.

Again they applied easily and the colours are so bright and pigmented.



As for wear they did last a decent amount of time but for maximum longevity I'd recommend applying a similar coloured powder over the top to make it last.
These would best be combined with some bright colours for a weekend look or with a smokey eye to make it pop.

I'm really looking forward to playing around with them!
Have you tried any Illamasqua products? What would you recommend?

L xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

Origins: Full Story Mascara

Bonjour!

I have another bargain from CCO for you today. After Origins were added to the stock in the shop that I go to I did go a little crazy as I'm sure you can imagine, but this was one of the cheapest items I bought.

This Origins Full Story mascara was on offer that day for £7.70 and conveniently placed at the till when I was paying for all my other items...that trick really does work!

Review: Professional Sebastian Penetraitt Shampoo and Conditioner

I picked up the Professional Sebastian Penetraitt Shampoo and Conditioner from my local salon (Guy Christian if you are from Cardiff you should check them out).

I'd never heard of the Sebastian products before, my hair had been over dyed and heat styled and was in need of some help to help prevent further damage to it.

What they say about the product...

Sebastian Penetraitt Shampoo is a strengthening and reparative cleanser that rescues stressed, damaged hair.

Formulated with a colour safe Active Rescue System, Penetraitt Shampoo repairs and reconstructs the hairs natural health and deeply penetrates the hair shaft to remove any stress and product build-up from the hair. Deeply conditioning, fortifying and strengthening, this professional shampoo is an essential cleansing step for truly damaged and over processed hair.

Ideal for chemically treated or unmanageable hair types, Penetraitt Shampoo has a rich formula which leaves the hair super strong and silky soft.

Before using this set of shampoos I was noticing my hair was falling out quite a bit when I was washing it, because of this I was washing my hair only twice a week. Every time I was washing it and running my fingers through my hair I was getting quite a lot of hair coming out.

I could not believe the improvement in my hair so soon after starting to use this. I definitely think this has really strengthened my hair. Almost instantly I noticed I was losing a lot less hair. 

I've used probably two thirds of this now, it's lasted me since the beginning of February and is still going strong. My hair has been more manageable and definitely growing better and with less split ends.

I'd really recommend this too anyone who's hair needs a bit of a helping hand after too much styling or dying. I think I'll be trying the moisturising one next!! If you aren't local to Cardiff you can pick them up from Beauty Bay here.

Do you use more expensive shampoos? I find they really do make a difference?

Love M

xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

OOTD Trainers and Lace Blazer

I finally managed to persuade my other half to help me out and take photos! He didn't prove that useful. He took one then told me I didn't need any more as the outfit was the same! I need to train him better!!

Anyway on to today's OOTD. This was something I wore to work, most of my OOTD are things I've wore to work. I'm sure you've noticed from the different outfits, basically any thing goes for work. The Blazer I picked up last year and is from Matalan. It's a jersey material and a loose fit so it's super comfy to just throw on top of things. The lace print isn't still available but this is the same shape and cut. I'm also eyeing up this amazing one!!

The amazing bright blue top is from New Look, I absolutely love this shape of blue. It also has a dipped hem and exposed zip. I tend to wear this a lot as it looks great with jeans or tucked into a pencil skirt.

I've been lusting after Vans for ages now. I purchased some a few weeks back but returned them. I just couldn't decide on the colour as the ones I wanted were know longer available. So when I walked into Primark and saw these for £6 I couldn't resist. I picked navy but think I'm going to have to go back for the red too.

They look pretty similar to Vans and are really comfy. The first day of wear did hurt the back of my ankle but they are really comfy now. They are just what I wanted and I can have a few different colours while I decide which colour of Vans I want.

I kept Jewellery pretty simple. This gorgeous bracelet from Daisy Does. It offers fully unique jewellery, most pieces she never normally makes more than one of so you know you're the only one with that piece. You can also design your own. I've ordered quite a few pieces from here now. As for rings the one in the photo of one my other half got me. When wearing silver jewellery I tend to wear one from my other half and one my parents bought me. 

As for necklace it's my Beautiful Sphere of Life Necklace (www.mysphereoflife.com) Thanks again to Jenny I'm so pleased to have won this, as you'll have seen from my past OOTD I wear it loads. It's so easy to pair with everything. I have set your heart free!

My jeans are from Next, I've had these for a few years now. I love next for jeans. They are great quality and fit me well. These are similar to the relaxed fit skinny they now sell. These are the Relaxed skinny jeans I'm currently wanting!

I paired it all with Kate Moss for Rimmel Matte Collection lipstick in the shade 110, this is a bright coral red type shade. I've owned it for a while but never gotten around to wearing it. You can see the whole collection with lip swatches here I really love this shade now, it's very bright but I think it's perfect for Summer (when it arrives!).

I'm really enjoying doing weekly OOTD

Love M

xxx

Don't forget to enter our giveaway here