Beauty Rehab

Hello there!

I'm back with another beauty rehab post today, I've been churning my way through my stash and although there is seemingly no avail to the end of my products I am somewhat working my way through as I haven't bought any more products so it must be decreasing right???

I have to say that i really enjoy writing these posts, it's a great way to show progress through your stash, revisit products you may have forgotten about and remember if you wanted to repurchase them or not.

I also think it's great to have a nosy at what other people have been using up too!

Simple Soothing Shower Gel - this was bought for me at Christmas and it took me a while to get round to it but it's a lovely 'simple' product. I'd repurchase if I ever run out of shower gel!

Aussie 3 Min Miracle Conditioner Luscious Long Hair - I don't think the variations in the 3 Min Miracle range make any difference but the different conditioner types do vary in smell and consistency so I think it's just a matter of working out which one you prefer. I will always repurchase these especially as they're always on offer somewhere!

Vita Liberata Tinted Self Tan Gel - Love this, worth every penny though I try to buy during the 1/3 off promotions (£15 then!) really lovely even tan in a believable colour. Already repurchased!

Batiste - I do not need to say anything about this product! Already have 3 more cans in the sidelines!

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream - Love how thick this product is and was a lovely surprise how good the skincare range from Benefit was. I have a mini of this to keep me going for now!

Origins Ginzing Face Cream - WONDERFUL smell and amazing results, just cannot go wrong with Origins for my skin, it drinks it up! Will repurchase when I've worked through some more.

Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer - love this product and is my favourite primer for the price. Will surely repurchase though there are a few i want to try in the mean time

Clarins HydraQuench Cream Mask - given to me and I loved it, wouldn't repurchase as I'm an Origins lover and have lots of Drink Up mask to use but it is a lovely product that has made me want to try a lot more from Clarins in the future.

Barefoot Orgasmic Body Lotion - this was really nice but seems to have gone a funny smell! Wouldn't repurchase.

Balance Me Cleans and Smooth Face Balm - this came in a beauty box so it was great to try it out. I've always enjoyed every Balance Me products that I've tried and am definitely interested in trying out more in future.

St Tropez Tan Optimiser - love this really fine scrub but I don't think the price is reflected in the effects from the product and I'd personally prefer a Soap and Glory one for a better smell!

Garnier Ambre Solaire spray tan - Great tan that's super easy to use, dries quickly and doesn't produce an orange or streaky colour. Always my back up tan!

S&G Greatest Scrub of All - lovely small grained face scrub that would be a great alternative to more expensive scrubs especially when they're in the 3 for 2 deal. You cannot lose with Soap and Glory!

L'Oreal Micellar Water - a lot of these micellar waters are very similar but I did like this one and I would repurchase.

S&G Peaches and Clean Face Wash - used to love this and still do like it but I'm not sure that my skin still does as it did break out a little towards the end of the bottle. I will be sticking to my Origins one for now.

Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter Sugar Scrub - I don't think an expensive scrub is worth the pennies and any kind of scrub is fine by me! This one had the typical cocoa butter smell but it wasn't too overpowering. Wouldn't repurchase as I'd prefer a different scent.

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque - there is NOTHING better than this hair mask and I really need to save up for the pot and save my hair from its dry and nasty existence it's currently living! NEED.

Coral blush - if I could find where this blush came from I'd be over the moon, it's a perfect dupe for Coralista (my all time fave) but unfortunately it's so old I have no idea where it came from!

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - always the best, always repurchased.

Skin Life Serum - another beauty box product, very nice thin moisturiser that my skin constantly drank up. Was lovely but i believe it was expensive!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Flex Mascara - I always think Rimmel mascaras are great value for money but this one unfortunately seemed to go very thick very quickly and my lashes looked quite clumpy so I wouldn't repurchase this one.

Benefit They're Real mascara - love this mascara as the brush is really good at getting every lash. I was lucky enough to win some minis in various make up events so have a few to keep me going but I'm not sure if I'd spend over £20 on it as I'm a germ phobe and throw my mascaras out after a max of 3 months! So I can't really justify it at the moment.

Bioderma SPF 50 sample - Bioderma are one of the best at what they do and having tried this product I can't disagree. Easily absorbed and hasn't irritated my skin at all. Would repurchase if i was going abroad.


So what do you think of the products I've used? Are any of them your favourites?

Hopefully I can work my way through even more next time. I've just had a super clear out in my room of books, uni work and other crap that I've accumulated. It would be great to have some additional space in my room rather than fighting for it all the time!

Are you any good at keeping control of what you're using?


L xxx

L'oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash Caresse Eve

Hey All

I've been trying to resist buying new make up as I have a ridiculous stash! I may possibly have too much (I know crazy!!). I couldn't resist this when I saw it in boots in their reduced section. I have no idea why it was in there as it's still sold but oh well I grabbed a bargain. I've had a few like this lately!

The Glam Shine Stain Splash have a glossy finish but add some staining colour to the lips to prolong the colour. They are water based so totally non sticky.

I love the heart shaped applicator. The dip in the middle means enough product is on it and the point allows precision on the cupids bow. The gold packaging looks simple and classy like you'd expect from L'oreal.

Eve wouldn't have been the colour I choose had all of them been reduced but I love the warm pink with a slight lilac tinge to it. It adds colour without being OTT.

Please ignore my awful spots in these photos!! I've left it off my top lip so you can see the colour difference. It leaves a slight lilac tint.

The colour is buildable for a brighter finish. I do like to layer it on personally. I love that it's not sticky.

I'm glad this colour was in the sale. I'm a fan of these now. I may even prefer them to my long time love Maybelline 10 hour tint gloss! I love a shiny lip especially staining non sticky ones. It comes in at £7.99

Have you tried these? Are you a fan of a lilac lip?

Love M

xxx

L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

Hello chaps!

Pinch punch first of the month and all that! I'm especially perky this morning knowing I am one step closer to my birthday as it's now my birthday month hooray! I have no plans as of yet so not sure why I'm so excited but it does mean the possibility of presents is close and I've been such a good girl this year....haaaaaaaa.


Anyway onto more important matters: panda eyes.

Nobody likes a human with black rings around their entire eyes, they need to stay with the pandas.
I'm a big fan of the No7 Eye make up remover especially when they have the £5 off vouchers and you can pick it up for a STEAL at £3.

But sometimes.........I'm that lazy that shaking up the oil and water solutions is just too much.

This was when I realised that hastily using up all of my mini Bioderma bottles was not quite such a savvy idea and I knew that, not being able to afford Bioderma at the mo, I needed to find a cheaper alternative and fast.

I'd heard multiple things about this L'oreal Micellar Solution and also of a Garnier one but as this was the first one I saw in Boots it was hastily added to my basket.

It's got quite simple packaging and although its simple it is what I prefer. Perfume bottles can be snazzy and displayed on a desk....make up remover is not quite in the same category!

This claims to be a 3 in 1 product whereby it removes make up, tones and soothes skin all in one swipe of product. It contains no alcohol or perfume and is hypo allergneic so props to L'Oreal for getting all of that sorted.

You can use it as a general make up remover or a toner and apply it using cotton wool pads onto the skin and wiping away the excess. I personally like to remove my make up with a face wipe, cleanse my face, and then remove the final traces of eye make up with this product.

I find that's the least harsh way to get all of the mascara and liner away from my sensitive eyes without scrubbing away at them and making it worse, and also it does remove make up from my lashes which seem to hold onto product for DAYS. Not a good look girls!

As I said the snap top is nice and handy, easy to dispense and actually does stop product from flying everywhere when you knock it off your dressing table (as I do most days).

I've been pretty impressed with the product since I bought it and use it most days to remove eye make up. After a night out I've also used it on a heavily stained red lip and it worked pretty well on that too.

I do still like the No7 oil/water eye make up remover but this has also won a place in my cupboards. I've used this to quickly clean eye make up brushes in between applications too which is always handy, especially with eye liners which you shouldn't leave to dry....

This retails at £4.99 from Boots and is currently on their 3 for 2 hair/skin/body/cosmetics etc etc deal which sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me! Get shopping ladies!

L xxx

Beauty Rehab

I've been frantically using products up like no tomorrow....my collection isn't going down anywhere near as fast as I previously hoped so I'm really going to have to stop spending and really power through it all!

Here's what I've been using up recently, there's quite a few products but also as I was away for 7 weeks it was hard to use stuff then.

Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush body scrub is divine, I absolutely loved it and would buy it again in a heart beat.

It smells like limes and brown sugar (reminding me of a mojito cocktail) and works great without leaving an oily residue on the the skin which is a massive pet hate of mine.

Would definitely buy this!

Nick Lowe Cell Renew Microdermabrasion Scrub - this was a nice scrub as the particles were very fine which was a lot nicer to use on the face. I might have considered buying it but last time I checked they didn't have it in full size as this only came with the mini travel type kit that they have available.

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation - in two colours (Ivory and Cameo) I had to buy 2 colours as my skin seems to change colour daily and I ended up mixing the colours together to get a better colour match.

The foundation was pretty good, it covered enough, blended easily and had a really nice finish but for me it doesn't last long enough on the face.

However I didn't have a very good primer at the time of using, so I'd possibly repurchase this again to give it a go but if I did I'd have to buy both colours again!

L'oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara - I previously did a full review here on this product and I did like it, but felt it was expensive for the effect when I could get a cheaper mascara such as a Rimmel one that gave me a similar effect and anything extra wasn't worth the extra money. Would definitely repurchase if it was on offer though!

Nick Lowe Hydrating Foaming Cleanser - this was another anti-aging product I got in the travel type kit sold in boots stores. It was great to try out the products in miniature without having to buy the full size ones.

This foaming cleanser felt quite thick when you used it and really nice to use but I don't think it did my spotty oily teenage-like skin any favours so I'm sticking with Liz Earle for now.

I wouldn't repurchase this due to my skin type.

Batiste Dry Shampoo - Love this stuff and will probably never stop repurchasing it! I do like occasionally trying out a different smell but original is best as I wear so many other smelly products it's best for me.

Mitchell and Peach Shower Gel - this came in a Joliebox and was the perfect size for my gym bag. However I didn't rate it as a shower gel as it barely foamed up and was hard to use, the smell wasn't great either.

I wouldn't repurchase this.

Naked Scrub Up renewing Salt Scrub - This is apparently not available any more which is a shame. I quite liked the large gritty particles that whilst looked scary actually didn't scrape your skin at all.

Would repurchase if it still existed, as it doesn't I will check out their other products!

Molton Brown Shower Gel - My aunty always buys me Molton Brown products, even back a few years ago when I didn't know they existed! The shower gels do feel of a higher quality, they foam up really well and this one smelled divine!

Would definitely repurchase if I could afford to spend this much on shower gel all the time!

Nick Lowe Purifying Foaming Cleanser - Another mini...I also purchased the travel kit for oily skin which was also pretty good. I found a product in there that I like quite a bit and would buy again, but this one wasn't one of them. Initially I liked it, but after finding something much better I have a full size product of this that I am never going to use. Free to a good home if anyone wants it??

Wouldn't repurchase this.

Ah my love for tanning products!

L'oreal Glam Bronze Instant Tan Spray - This was an impulse buy which was on offer at a time when I was frantically looking for something to give my legs a glow for a last minute night out.

It was pretty good especially as it was waterproof and did last longer on my legs (no thanks to some girls spilling their drinks on me!) but I'm just not a fan of sprays. I found lotions and mousses to be much better.

Wouldn't repurchase in spray form.

Boots Soltan Beautiful Bronze Mousse - This was great considering the price. Lots of product in the can and rubbed in pretty well though you need a few layers. However mine broke after a little while and spontaneously covered the entire drawer of products it was in so I had to clean everything....not cool!

Would definitely repurchase when I need a reliable cheap instant tanner

Botanics First Signs of Aging Serum - Loved the way this felt on my skin...not sure it had any effect whatsoever. It was great to be able to put on a serum and not have my skin react with a multitude of spots, but I didn't see any noticeable effect from using it and I'm sure there is better.

Wouldn't repurchase this.

L'oreal Perfect clean Purifying Foaming Gel Wash - Loved this when I got it, the scrublet was a really cool idea that made it a joy to wash my face with....until the scrublet became dyed orange from my make up and just wouldn't get any cleaner. To look at it made me think of bacteria and without it I felt the wash didn't work as well. Maybe a redesign is necessary??

Wouldn't repurchase this.

Virgin Vie Lip Balm - This was another Aunty special as she loves Virgin Vie! This was a pretty good lip balm but I'm perfectly happy with my Vaseline and Eos balms, so for the price I think I'd stick with those.

Wouldn't repurchase this.

Maybelline Superstay 24H Foundation - This was pretty good for lasting power but I felt it didn't always look the right colour and I just didn't think it was that great.

Wouldn't repurchase this.

No7 Lash Adapt - When this product is brand new, it works great, but after a while I feel it deteriorates rapidly and just doesn't last long enough in the tube or on your eyes.

Wouldn't repurchase this.

Max Factor Masterpiece Mascara - Another mascara....still not sure what I think about this one. I just don't think it was that great. Everybody raves over Max Factor ones so maybe I need to try another.

Wouldn't repurchase this.

Garnier Body Tonic Lotion - Great lotion that sinks in really fast. Bought this in France so not sure if they have it here? Definitely worth the few euros it cost though!

Would repurchase this in France!

Ted Baker Body Wear Spray - Love the smell of this just wished it lasted longer. Also I've only ever seen it in sets so I'm not sure it is sol separately which is a shame, otherwise I would probably repurchase this.

Yardley Royal English Daisy Shower Gel - This is another JolieBox, I never think shower gels are anything special to be in a box like JolieBox or Glossy box and this confirmed it. It's just an average shower gel and the smell wasn't great, nor did it last very long. Borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring!

Wouldn't repurchase this.

So there we have it! A huge list for you!

I'm powering through some more as we speak, hopefully I will get through all of my mass of products one day....

How have you been getting along with using up items? I'm more determined than ever that I do not need to buy anything else!!

I'm even considering a 100 day spending ban like Tattooed Tea Lady is currently doing, could you do it??

L xxx

My Mini American Haul

Today I'm sharing with you my American goodies. I'd asked L to pick me up a foundation and primer as they were cheap and she also got me a lot of birthday presents! She spoilt me.

My goody box Eos lip balm, Revlon cuticle remover, Revlon just bitten kissable balm stain, L'Oreal  Magic perfecting base, Eos hand lotion and China glaze magnet. How lucky was I!! L knows me so well she picked me the perfect balm stain.

This has always been a favourite of L's for evenings as it's quite pricey but I hadn't tried it. Avon's Magix face perfecter was a firm favourite of mine. This does beat it though. It's so light and mouse like and blends into the skin amazingly. Makes my pores look better and leaves a perfect base for foundation. It has a different name in the UK and is the studio secrets smoothing resurface primer. It can be bought from boots for £14.29

Next the eos lipbalm. I absolutely love this. It deserves all the raves it gets. I love the packaging. No sticking dirty fingers into a product is a huge bonus when it comes to lipbalm. It has a gorgeous scent and leaves my lips so soft. Eos is a brand that boosts using natural ingredients something we both love!! They retail for £5.95 in the UK and I'll definitely buy a second when this runs out. The huge dome made me wonder how to apply it with out covering my face but it's really easy. It can be bought from Cute Cosmetics

The eos hand lotion. Amazing, it's a cute little bubble shape and very handy for the handbag.  This is in the fragrance sheer petals and has a soft fresh fragrance. Not to over powering at all and leaves hands lovely and soft. The fact its paraben free is always a bonus. It retails for £7 which is a higher price than Soap and Glory Hand food but I do prefer it. It can also be got from cute cosmetics.

I think L must be a mind reader. I was using a similar product to this when I visited my parents last and almost slipped my mum's Sally Hanson one into my bag. I prefer the Revlon one though as it's a gentle one whereas the Sally Hanson one was gritty. It's available for £6.49 in boots and is currently on buy one get one half price

If you read Sunday's post you'll have seen we both love these already. For a bargain £5.99 at the moment in boots and superdrug I've already bout a second.

Last but not least in my present box was this China Glaze Magnet. L knows I've been umming and ahhing over magnet polish for a while so this is the push I needed. Hello magnetic polish and playing around. I love that there are three different designs in one place. The magnet and the China Glaze polishes can be bought from eBay here. I'm hoping to win some of the nail varnishes in auctions cheaper. I need Instant Chemistry and Draw to you, gorgeous shades.

How lucky was I. I also got the Almay primer L reviewed here and the Revlon ColourStay foundation which I love already.

I can't wait till I go to America in October for the shopping!!

Love M

xxx

7 Weeks of Shopping - Sorry Bank Account

If you're a regular reader then you'll know that I (L) have been in America the past 7 weeks for a uni course.

I got back last night and spent 14 hours sleeping after completely missing a night of sleep due to the travelling.

I've spent the majority of today lazing around, sorting washing and unpacking my suitcase of all the treasures I bought.

So, sit down with a cup of tea (I'm slowly catching up on 7 weeks worth ha!) and I hope you enjoy looking at my vast range of purchases!!!

I've included the prices where I could and the pound equivalent so you'll be able to see how much cheaper it was there, I was in heaven.

First up it's the nail varnishes...I haven't bought any new ones for a little while.

I might be lying to myself here but let's go with it for now ;)

So when I saw these in the shops for a much cheaper price than at home I couldn't resist stocking up!

Revlon nail polishes were $7 each, which is £4.50.

I bought the pink scented one called Raspberry Rapture along with their new range of nail treatments including (L-R) Fast dry drops, Post Trauma treatment and Calcium nail hardener which was great for my nails after spending 3 weeks of my time in the dirt digging.

I haven't mentioned this before but the course I went to do was Forensic Anthropology, and so lots of my time was spent using my hands and trowels to dig up plastic bones, which FYI is not good for the nails!

I also bought the Barielle wedding collection which I have previously posted about here and have a NOTD from them coming up. This cost me $10 at TJ Maxx which was such a bargain!

Next up I took full advantage of Nicole by OPI being $7 in Walmart and picked up a normal glitter one with hearts in and 2 Kardashian colours (Wear Something Spar-Kylie review here and also Kimpletely in Love)

I also bought my first ever Essie nail polish in Sand Tropez which I wouldn't have looked twice at but I'd read about it online and fell in love when I tested it! A review will certainly follow!

Sally Hansen Salon Manicure in 540 Frutti Petutie $5 or £3.20

2 brand new China Glaze polishes were bought in a 3 for 2 deal with the Essie polish (I could have bought so many!!!) and were originally $7/8 each but were $16 for all three which is a bargainous £10.30.

The colours I bought were Turned up Turquoise and Pool Party. So looking forward to using these!

Lastly I'm a bit of a Hunger Games geek and when I noticed the Capitol Colours mini set for $13.95 (£9) I had to buy it!

I was quite reserved when I got to Mac, I knew what I wanted to buy and got exactly that and nothing else!

I could have easily gone mad but I had to be careful after wanting so many other things.

Pressed powder in medium ($22/£14.20)

Studio Fix Fluid ($27/£17.40)

Eye brow pencil ($14/£9)

I've wanted to try the Revlon Photoready products for a while but had loads of foundation and could never justify the price so was waiting for an offer to be on.

I bought the PhotoReady powder and the Colorstay foundation ($10 each or £6.50) and the PhotoReady Perfecting Primer ($12/£7.70), hence why I gave in as they were all at a reduced price.

Lastly I also bought the Almay Smart Shade primer which was $10/£6.50 and is green and purple to correct any kind of colour imperfection you have. As far as I know we don't have Almay in the UK (I may be wrong) so this definitely intrigued me!

I've always wanted to buy Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream, and I found it in TJ Maxx for $7, a whopping £4.50! I was so excited I almost screamed! What a bargain for a 50g tube!

The L'oreal Magic Perfecting Base was a favourite of mine when it came out and was at it's introductory price of £10, but at £14 for so little product I wouldn't justify buying it again. For $10/£6.50 I certainly will!

My Benefit haul could have been so much bigger but I ran out of cash (on my last day I had $16 for all 3 meals...oops!)

Cha Cha tint was on my list for so long and I've fallen in love with it! $29/£18.70

Am yet to try 'They're Real' but I've been told it's really good for people with straight lashes who want them to curl, here's hoping! $23/£14.80

I was surprised to see Real Techniques brushes over there, I have 2 already but just didn't think they'd be there. I was even more surprised to see they were $17 (£11) for the core collection which is £18 in Boots!

I snapped that up so quickly they probably thought I was crazy!

I also rebought my Naked palette after mine went 'missing' at a friends house.

Won't say any more about that but I was soooooooo pleased at having this back in my life!

After owning it for 6 weeks after Christmas and using it most days I felt like I'd lost a limb, now I can finally show you my smokey eye designs with it!

This was $50/£32 so not much cheaper than the £36 it costs in Debenhams but I needed it ;)

I think like most bloggers at the moment, Origins is my skin care of choice.

Their Eye Doctor (found here) has completely renewed the skin around my eyes and any lines I had have gone.

We're big fans of products without chemicals on this blog so Origins are a big winner.

I snapped up lots of oily skin products which I cannot wait to use!

Out of Trouble mask: $22 (£14.20)

Zero Oil Instant Matte Finish: $13.50 (£8.70)

Zero Oil Pore Purifying Toner: $19.50 (£12.50)

Ginzing Eye Cream: $29.50 (£19)

Zero Oil Oil-Free Moisture Lotion: $26 (£16.70)

As you can see from this, I made a big saving on most of their products!

Neutrogena Deep Clean Daily Scrub is the best thing I found out there, my skin broke out really badly when I got there and this baby cleaned them up right away!

Both Tigi products were from TJ Maxx - Some Like it Hot humidity protector and Control Freak Conditioner. Can't remember the prices but they were verrrrrrrrry cheap.

Lastly I know Nioxin has been doing the rounds recently, and if it wasn't for that I would never have noticed this in TJ Maxx also.

For the shampoo, conditioner and scalp activating treatment in the full sizes of 500ml or 50ml for the treatment I paid................................$10!

I couldn't believe my eyes!

I'm always wanting my hair to be bigger and more voluminous and instead of paying the $37 for the kit online it was $10, amazing!

The only difference I can tell between this and the current kit is that the packaging has changed so that it fine by me.

What do you think of my buys??? I went completely overboard but I couldn't stop myself with all of the bargains to be had!!

M is going to America in September and is already making a list....I'm also making one for her too ha!

This is not going to help with my beauty rehab posts at all!

I'm such an addict!

L xxx

Review: L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara

I'd been after a new mascara for a while, and had my beady little eye on this beauty, but missed the bandwagon when it first came out and so the only option was to pay the full price of around £10.49 for it (I think!)

Luckily for me my mum has an excellent memory and bought it for me for my birthday!

I am of course talking about the L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara.

At first glance, I loved the design of the mascara, its sleek and silver and looks a little futuristic, which always makes me think that they've found a fabulous new formula that nobody else has yet.

I was particularly excited about the 'False Lash' part, I have long eye lashes luckily but they're very straight and so you don't really notice them so much until you're up close or I have my eyes closed, not a good look FYI!

I was hoping this would give my lashes the extra flutter and be able to reach all of them with the snazzy brush.

I believe Cheryl Cole's advert for this involved her actual lashes and no falsies for once which I would say is pretty impressive!

I've been using this for 2 months and it's now starting to dry out.

At the beginning the brush was overloaded which I find with most mascaras and always end up wiping them off at the beginning.

It did however make my lashes look longer and separated them out more than others I have used in the past.

Unfortunately the photos I took of before and after seem to have disappeared which is annoying!

It definitely did make a difference to my lashes but I'm not sure this was much better than Rimmel mascaras I have used which are much cheaper.

I did like the brush/comb combo as you can see in the pictures, the multiple teeth really did separate out my lashes quite a bit but I felt that was the only thing this mascara did that others don't anyway.

I'd buy this mascara again if it came down on price or was on offer, i did like it just not enough that it's worth the extra on top of others that are cheaper!

Have you used this Telescopic Mascara before? Have you used any others recently that you think are amazing?

I've just bought the Maybelline's Illegal Length to try out!

L xxx