Beauty Rehab

Hello there!

This is my first installment of Beauty Rehab for 2015, and I'm off to a good start. I know I say this every post, but I really do want to make headway in using up my stash and create more valuable space. I've got so many drawers full of products and I really don't need them all so instead of throwing them and buying more I'm just working my way through.

Body moisturisers are the worst for me; I seem to be really lazy with them and although I've started using up more and more of them I need to do better!
Same with face masks, I need to use them up before they all go off. I've learnt my lesson the hard way recently as one of my creams had gone off.

Heel Genius from S&G - a product that sadly went off; I went to use it and it smells vile, absolutely disgusting so it had to go. Brand new as well, annoying.
Sugar Crush Body Wash from S&G - Love the smell of the matching scrub but this doesn't quite smell as authentic. Nevertheless a good body wash and I'd buy again in a 3 for 2.
Eau Pure Body Lotion - This was given to me by my aunty from a set, it was nice but nothing special. I liked the twisting lid design but it did get hard to get it out towards the end.
Origins Checks and Balances Face Wash - a favourite, have another already!

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle - Amazing stuff, the only thing that saves my hair! Always have more in the sides as I cannot live without it
Good Things Stay Clear Cleanser - a great cleanser for a bargain price, would definitely repurchase if my skin broke out
PhytoKeratine Repairing Thermal Protectant Spray - This was from the Space NK bundle that we got from spending over £150 that they do every year in October. It costs £18.50 for the full size 150ml, I'm not sure I'd pay that but it was a lovely spray that was really lightweight and did make my hair feel better. It also went down in the tube pretty damn fast!
Nip and Fab Dragon's Blood Plumping Serum - love this! Already have another and am really impressed that it's in a 100ml bottle whereas most others are 50ml. Love how hydrating it is.

Lush Ocean Salt Scrub - loved this and would repurchase, quite pricey for a small pot but does a great job using only natural ingredients.
Lush Mask of Magnaminty - another product that I really liked and would repurchase when my skin needs it in a future breakout!
Boots Cocoa Butter - a small pot that was great for travel, wouldn't repurchase as i have too many others and find the smell a bit overwhelming
Nip and Fab Bee Sting Fix Cream - also really liked this, really soaked into my skin and hydrated it. Would repurchase when a deal was on
N&F Dragon's Blood Cleansing Pads - another surprise like for me, I'm not normally a toner-like product fan but these pre soaked pads I've really liked. I have another pot of them to keep trying them out and see if they really have a long term effect

From the Lab Face Primer - no idea what this brand is now as we trialled it before it was officially produced, it was good but sadly separates weirdly and has definitely gone off now!
Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment - this was the most luxurious foot cream I've ever used, such a treat! I'd love a full size tube!
Batiste Dry Shampoo - the best dry shampoo on the planet
Philip Kingsley One More Day Dry Shampoo - a good dry shampoo, I don't think it's worth the mark up in price from Batiste though

Caudalie Cream Mask - loved this sample! My skin drank it all up overnight and I'd definitely repurchase
Bioderma Atoderm Cream - really good for a night cream/mask and helpful to dry skin over winter. I've had a lot of Bioderma samples but never a full size product and I've never been disappointed so need to invest!
Avon Nail Experts Base coat - an average base coat, did let some polishes through and stained my nails
REN Hand and Body Cream - the sample lasted one full body use and was moisturising, again not sure if it's worth the full price but was nice to try
REN Global Protection Day Cream - unfortunately this brought me out in tiny little spots so had to give up on it but it sounded promising before that!

This was mostly a clear out - the glosses are either really old or going a bit gloopy so getting rid is the best option.
Bourjois 1 Second Volume Mascara - got this in a beauty box, the brush looked interesting and promising but it seems a full bushy brush is the only option for my lashes! Wouldn't repurchase.

S&G Youthful Super Serum - really loved this sachet, super hydrating and made my skin feel fabulous!
Dr Organic Snail Gel - same goes for this, loved the hydrating feeling and would buy this in future, once I've got my head around the snail gel factor.
Revlon PhotoReady contour kit - this has unfortunately gone really weird, you can see in the photo below that it seems to have dried out (even though it was a powder) and loads of crystals have formed on it. I'm a little too dubious to use it with this on it!

Last image!
Collection Lasting Concealer - loved this initially but unfortunately now I've tried Nars this one just doesn't compare. I have a spare of this so will use it for work until its gone, but Nars is just amazing.
Caudalie Polyphenol Eye and Lip Cream - this absorbed really easily, wouldn't repurchase as I have others I'd prefer for my sensitive eyes but it was really good.
YSL Lipstick - was given to me by a friend but was a weird gold colour that I just cannot wear! Time for the bin
L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream - lovely product and I would repurchase and I'd especially buy the magazines that come with a sample of this

Have you been using up your products recently?

This is all from Christmas onwards, so I feel like I'm on a roll but possibly thats just wishful thinking!

L xxx

Spring Series: Hand and Nails!

Afternoon!

We're back again with another post for our Spring Series.

We've already covered Body Care and Fitness and you can read those here and here.

This week's post is dedicated to hands and nails, so if you're a bit of a manicure lover then this post is for you!

I used to be reeeeeeeeally bad at applying hand cream.

As I'm a contact lens wearer I'm always wary of using any kind of cream or soaps on my hands that may interfere when I put my lenses in, so have always avoided them like the plague.

(By this I don't mean that I never washed my hands, just avoided the thick scented ones that tend to stay on your skin!)

After realising that actually it takes 2 seconds to put my lenses in and I don't take them our for a few hours, I changed my tune and now working in a freezing cold lab I slather the stuff on!

I favour products that are organic and natural as I'm sure M does too so my favourite hand creams are from Crabtree and Evelyn, Dr Organic and L'Occitane.

All smell reeeeeeeeaally natural and sink straight into your skin.

As I'm new to the hand cream crew I cannot be dealing with waiting for it to sink in, unless it's when I'm getting into bed.

I also feel I should mention Soap and Glory's Hand Food as it is very popular and I also love the smell of that, but I don't feel like it is as good as it could be and obviously natural and organic wins out for me!

As for nails I am a firm believer in using a traditional 4 way block to file, shape, buff and shine my way to natural nails.

I have currently been using Model's Own and it's been great, love the bright neon colours too and the price is perfect at around £3.

As for nail colours for Spring....I'm a firm believer in nudes, pastels, metallics and pretty patterns.

You cannot go wrong if you pick any of the shades from the following pictures.

These are all of my favourite shades for Spring and I will making my way through each of them over the next few weeks!

As nail art is still so popular I can also see myself attempting M's Rose NOTD that she did a few days ago, or even a Spring version of my own layered polish pattern.

What are your favourite hand and nail tips? What's your favourite Spring colours?

L xxx

As with L I never used to apply hand cream as much as I should have. After realising how badly hands can age I thought it was time I took care of them. I also work in a laboratory so I have to wash my hands a lot and I find the soap very drying. As with L at first I loved Soap and Glory hand food but the more hand creams I've tried the less I like it and I think there are better out there for a better price. My favourite is an Avon Planet Spa one, in African Shea Butter. I adore the scent and it's a nice thick cream that moisturises without leaving hands feeling coated.



As I wear a lot of false nails now I don't tend to my natural nails as much as I should. To see what false nails I use and the tool I can't be without you can see it in my Rose NOTD linked above. I'll be doing a how I use the cuticle trimmer post this week.



I love using dotting tools and my striping tape to create different types of nail art. I'm not the type of girl who wears a plain colour much. I also favour the accent nail. For spring I think nude nails with a bright pink signature nail is a perfect look. Spring is also a great time to get out the pastel shades again.  Here are some of my favourite colours that I tend to gravitate towards for spring time!



Here is some spring inspired nails we did last year.



What's your favourite colour for spring?

Love M

xxx