Beauty Rehab

Hello there!

Before moving house I worked my butt off to work my way through any last products that I could get through before packing up. I think I did pretty well but my stash still seemed to overwhelm every other type of stuff I had! Ah well - it was always going to be a large part of my life wasn't it?!

Dove Summer Glow Lotion - This is always my favourite tanning moisturiser, doesn't smell half as bad as some of the others I've tried and is a good colour
Garnier Micellar Water - This was great, I would definitely repurchase as it was a good price too. Took off my mascara easily and didn't leave an oily residue
Label M Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner - this worked great for thickening hair but it did feel dry afterwards, great for a Saturday night but not regular use

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - Still like this, it melts onto skin and removes make up. It's quite expensive though so will be holding off for a bit
Nip and Fab Glycolic Serum - I really liked this but it took me four different bottles to get one that worked....and a small bottle at that. Maybe I'd repurchase on a deal
Nip and Fab Dragon's Blood Serum - Loved this, this was my second bottle and I'd repurchase again, sinks in great and is a full 50ml
Origins Checks and Balances - Always my fave face wash, need to use my one sparingly until I can buy another!
Nip and Fab Glycolic Face Pads - Expensive for what it is but I do think these helped clear my skin. Possibly I would repurchase on a 3 for 2 deal 

Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo  and 3 Minute Miracle - always my favourite hair products as they are so cheap but work so well with my hair
Nip and Fab Energy Boost Body Wash - wouldn't repurchase, average shower gel for an inflated price
Garnier Ambre Solaire Tanning Mist - Another favourite, the best tanning mist for face and hands for me, so easy to use

Herbal Essences Dry Shampoo - awful dry shampoo, acted more like hair spray, amazing scent though so I was disappointed with this

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - love this, need to repurchase asap!
Lush Yummy Mummy Shower Gel - great smell, lovely product, would repurchase
Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion - Great product for bad skin days and useful as a double cleanse, I'd repurchase when I break out next
Smashbox Photo Finish Blemish Control Primer - can't comment on the blemish factor of this but the primer was great, and NEVER gave me the rolling bits that others do, big fan of the texture of this

Stay Matte Pressed Powder - Best powder for the best price, have 2 as back up!
Algenist Eye Renewal Balm - this was pretty good even for my sensitive eyes, loved the balm texture
Origins Ginzing Moisturiser - loved this, never been disappointed with a Origins product, need to repurchase!
Mac Mascara - this was average, I'd prefer Rimmel for a much cheaper price

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara - possibly the most disappointing mascara from Rimmel but it's possible that it was due to it drying out and going clumpy
Eve Lom Eye Cream - very thick and luxurious, not in my price range unfortunately!
Kiehls Rosa Arctica Lightweight Cream - this was lovely and indeed lightweight, I'd consider buying
Lush Full of Grace Serum - love this and my skin feels so much more hydrated

No7 Eye Make Up Remover - Great when getting the No7 vouchers, very useful product
Una Brennan Superfacialist Oil - really liked this to remove the first layer of make up in a double cleanse, it all seemed to melt off
Garnier Ambre solaire Tanning Mist - see picture above
Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Eye Serum - really like this product and it sinks in lovely, Dr Organic are a great brand
Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate - a great oil, I'd love to try this out full size as the tester only allowed 3 nights worth. I think it would be worth the money

Nip and Fab Dragon's Blood Cleansing Pads - not sure about these, I did like the extra hydration but not sure if they were worth the money
Good Things Manuka Honey Cleanser - another great product from Good Things, they are definitely my go to high street brand and I will be back for more
Batiste Brunette Dry Shampoo - super impressed with this product, SAVES MY LIFE during the week. Batiste is the best!
Toni and Guy Glamour Hairspray - perfect handbag sized spray and works great to hold hair in place



What do you think of my empties this time? I worked so hard! The last few images are taken on my desk on moving day so apologies for the poor quality, everything was so last minute

Have you been using up products recently? What have been your favourites?


L xxx

Beauty Rehab

Hi all!

I've got another installment to the Beauty Rehab series I've been writing for the last two years now. I can't believe it's that long!
It was my aim to have downsized my stash by now and i never thought I'd still be writing them as I assumed I would have worked my way through the majority by now. I obviously need to up my game and get a move on using stuff up. I haven't actually bought many products for a long time, but i do think Christmas/Birthday sets contribute greatly and also I do seem to acquire products that some people no longer want so that doesn't help!

I'm hoping to move out as soon as I've got myself back on my feet financially which is probably at least a year away, I'm giving myself the rather large target of getting rid of as much as possible....i.e. almost all of it by Christmas. I need to get a move on!

La Roche Posay - Toleriane cleanser is a gel cleanser and I absolutely loved it. So easy to use when you come home from a night out and want more than a face wipe but cant be bothered with a muslin cloth. It's ideal and I'd repurchase.

Label M - Honey and Oat conditioner. This goes with the shampoo i finished in a previous post; probably the first time I've finished a shampoo before it's conditioner! This smelt warm and comforting and did a god job of being a daily conditioner.

No7 Protect and Perfect Body Serum - This was donated to me and I did enjoy using it until the top starting to come apart and it started to dry out so I can't really give this a review as it was still full! Pooooooooor packaging.

Origins Zero Oil Toner - Surprisingly loved this, really good at absorbing oil for the day and although I'm not a toner fan I would consider buying this again to keep my oil at bay.

Antipodes Divine Oil - already repurchased as 3 days without it made me cry. So much love for this oil!

Lacura Aqua Complete Serum - Enjoyed this especially for the bargain of £3.50. Would repurchase.

Murad Pore and Line Minimising Hydrator - This was really nice and was so light it felt like a serum, can't say that I'd repurchase though for the £49.50 price tag as I just cannot afford that on a regular basis!

Skin Revivals Facial Cleansing Oil - this took a bit of getting into as I'd never used an oil cleanser before, but it was GREAT at removing eye make up especially mascara so I persevered and used this every day to remove it before cleansing with my normal one. Wouldn't repurchase at this time.

Benefit They're Real mini mascara - LOVE. I save my minis like a kid saves sweets.

Dr Organic Manuka Honey Lip Balm - so battered you can barely read it, the sign of a well used product! Would definitely repurchase!

Rimmel's Scandaleyes - I liked this initially but i think other Rimmel mascaras work better on my lashes, sometimes this clumped together for me.

Collection Lasting Perfection Powder - I know there's some left in this....it's done that funny thing where its got a coating on it from usage and I just can't be bothered to try and salvage it. I personally prefer Stay Matte to this.

Origins Starting Over moisturiser sample - Enjoyed using this in the nights but not sure my skin needs this much just yet...save it for when I'm older!

Origins Andrew Weil Mega Bright serum -  I've never met a serum from Origins that i haven't liked and this was no exception. If only it was cheaper I'd snap it up regularly!

Revlon Nearly Naked - Took me a while to get into this, think it was probably because my skin wasn't good enough at the time but I soon loved it. I would repurchase in future after I've worked my way through some of the others in my stash

Eysilix eye cream - This was a funny one. Didn't love it and i wouldn't repurchase because my eyes seem to be sensitive to it on random occasions, but it did hydrate my eye area and my under eye bags did lessen somewhat.




So that's what I've been using up recently, are any of these your favourites? Have you loved or loathed any of them? Are you working your way through your own stash?

I need some serious focus over the next few months!

L xxx

Get Ready WIth Me - Night Out

Hey All

Hope you had a good weekend. I've had a really busy week last week and the weekend was rather busy too. I went out on Friday night and thought I'd do a type of get ready with me post. I love watching these on YouTube and love FOTDs that show you the look step by step so it's easily re-creatable. The lighting and photos aren't great as it was night time!

After showing and washing my hair these are my current go to products! I have to use a lip scrub and I couldn't be without my breath of fresh air toner. As I've got a few big spots at the moment I use my Effaclar Duo before my moisturiser. As It was for a night out I used the Label.M volume foam to add some extra volume to my hair.

I was soooo impressed with the volume the label.m foam gave and it didn't make it sticky either or feel caked in product! Hello night out must have!

For a flawless night out for me there are four products I have to use! Benefit Porefessional, Illamasqua Skin Base applied with a beauty blender type sponge and Nars Creamy Concealor. They all just make my skin flawless. Illamasqua skin base was definitely a foundation I fell in love with only after using a beauty blender type sponge. It was all I found worked for me application wise! I then set all my base using my HD brows powder!! I'm really loving this for oil control and setting make up.

At the moment I'm totally in love with the make believe bronzer. It's a perfect matte shade and comes with the softest brush. I contour my cheek bones, nose and around my forehead and temples.

As I was going out it had to be Benefit Dandelion blush. No matter how much I wear other blushes none are as beautiful as this. I love the soft pink. I then used Mac MSF in soft and gentle. It really adds a shimmer to the cheeks.

To primer my eyes I blended constructivist Mac paint pot all over the lids up to the crease using a real techniques crease brush.

I then applied Mac naked lunch (a soft nude shimmer) all over the top of constructivist to set it.

To the crease I blended out a mid brown matte shade. This one is from a Lancome palette I have but is similar to UD tease in the naked 2 palette.

As it's been a while since I wore it I blended Mac Cranberry through the crease and under the eye. To smoke it out and to softer the redness I blended a matte black shade through the outer v and half way across the under eye.

For me it's all about the Eylure 116. They are one of my favourite lashes as they are subtle and just lenghten. I applied these and lashings of Maybelline Colossal Volume.

For my brows I used my Benefit browzings. I use a combination of the wax and powder and set with a Collection clear mascara. I think used my Laura Mercier Secret Concealer to line around my brows to highlight the brow bone and sharpen the brow line.

I then lined the eyes using my Maybelline gel liner in black and a real techniques liner blush. As I didn't want my eyes to be too black I used Rimmel Scandaleyes liner in nude to line my waterline.

For my hair I straightened it and add slight shape to the front by turn the straighteners. I hate it when my hair just sits flat.

For the lips I went with Mac Fanfare. It's such an easy to wear colour and looks soft and subtle on the lips without looking OTT when wearing a bolder eye.

Finally for my outfit I wore nude sparkly shorts bought in the New Look sale last year, New Look black vest with lace detail, New Look blazer, Primark fleece lined tights (I'm getting so old I wear tights on nights out!) and finished the look off with my Primark boots, Ollie and Nic clutch purse and my sphere of life heart necklace!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Do you mind photo heavy posts?

Love M

xxx

   

Beauty Rehab

Morning!

Hope you have a load of good plans for the weekend, when this goes live I will unfortunately be at work....boo hiss! But at least it's only for the morning and then my plan is to go hiking with my dad and dog up a local mountain, weather depending.

I've written quite a number of Beauty Rehab posts the past few years and I still enjoy writing them; essentially they're empties posts in order to try and encourage me to use up more of my products in  my stash.

Here's my first clear out for 2014, starting the year with a clean slate and hopefully a big increase on using up products from last year.

Cutex Polish Remover: I picked this up for my peeling nails hoping it wouldn't make them worse with all my nail painting; it was pretty good and they haven't got worse.
Coconut Creme Shower Gel: This was good, i like the smell of coconut but this was very sweet....it was like coconut sugar. Lasted forever though!
Origins Perfect World Cleanser: Just wrote a post on this last week, easy to use, no reactions at all and cleanses make up off, not very good at eye make up removal.
Aussie 3 min miracle: Another variety of the deep conditioning treatment, I will always love it for the effects and the price

Label M Shampoo: Smells sweet but lathered up easy and cleansed my hair without drying it.
Soap and Glory Pulp Friction: Amazing foaming scrub; love it especially on 3 for 2
Batiste: The best dry shampoo for price and quality, so many sizes and smells!



Avon polish: Supposed to help peeling but I don't think it worked so i used it as a top coat
Origins Starting Over Eye cream: Very moisturising and absorbs easily, thumbs up
Botanics Cleansing Balm: Loved this and would consider buying again...haven't used it in a while though and last time I looked it was mouldy!
Origins Brighter By Nature: Ready loaded cotton pads with enzymes on to remove dead skin like an exfoliating scrub would. Not sure how well they worked but they felt really nice to use, unfortunately they dried so quickly I couldn't even use them all.



Lavera Hand Cream: Organic and smells amazing, non greasy too
Clarins HydraQuench Cream: Love this, very hydrating but not too heavy
Nivea Hand Cream: Another hand bag essential, mini tubes are always helpful
Clarins Lotus Oil: Loved this too, would buy again in future. Smells like spa products



EOS Sphere: These are awesome and i used this until it went concave and I had to scrape it out...lush. Have quite a few left in my stash to use still from America!
Bourjois Volumizer mascara: Really liked the double wand idea, was good to have the option of one thin coat and maximising the volume in one mascara
Rimmel Stay Matte powder: Another fave, why pay more for pressed powder when this one is amazing for under a fiver!

Hope you enjoyed my quick run down, have you done your own empties post to start the year off fresh?

I've recently started another spending ban as I'm sure most bloggers will have after the Christmas sales. I cannot spend another penny on products and I'm aiming for my birthday at the end of March...but we will see how that goes!

L xxx

Label.M Thickening Shampoo, Conditioner and Cream*

Hi all.

Hope you've had a great weekend. Mine has been a stressful one after I stupidly left my purse on the bus meaning yesterday morning was spent cancelling all my cards. I was lucky it was handed in untouched so I'm now just cardless for a few weeks while it gets sorted as in the mess of moving I hadn't changed addresses on a lot of my things making one big mess!!

Anyway onto today's post. We are both big fans of big hair. I love the big volumised wave look. I'm always want the volume people like Kate Middleton and Cheryl Cole have. My hair is personally thin and rather damaged at the moment due to dying it way too much over the past few months.

We were asked if we fancied trying the new Label.M thickening range*. We both couldn't wait to try this after both falling in love with previous Label.M products such as the protein spray and honey and oat shampoo and conditioner.

I love that the packaging on this range and the bright red makes it really stand out in the shower. The shampoo and conditioner are a standard 250ml and the thickening cream is 100ml.

As soon as these arrived I hopped in the shower to test them out. The shampoo lathered up well and the conditioner felt good in the shower and made my hair less tangled and surprisingly I haven't noticed my hair falling out with this set. (very few shampoos and conditioners do this).

When drying my hair I did notice a downside. As someone who has over processed their hair mine did feel dry and I think it was missing a conditioner that added moisture to it. With that aside though my hair definitely felt bigger and held volume better and for longer. I've been using a hot air brush a lot lately and after using this range of products it was easier and volume stayed better at the roots.

As my hair condition isn't great at the moment I'll be using these before a night out. They are perfect for easier styling and making styles last longer.

Love M

xxx

Hello! I've been using this set from Label.m over Christmas and have been absolutely loving it.

First of all let me just mention how gorgeous the packaging is, I do love the simple shape of the products and the bright red colour is gorgeous and looks high end. Next, the product itself is actually pink!

Who doesn't love a pink product!

The shampoo lathers up so easily and the conditioner is great for adding moisture into my hair. The thickening cream is also a lovely addition and doesn't seem to weigh down my hair at all.

I have been blessed with hair thats a little contradictory. It is fine and very long, however it does have certain parts which have really thick hair which generally baffles hair dressers but most of the time it's easy to manage and for that I am grateful!

I am always looking for bigger hair and being a fan of the Megan Fox waves that I continually strive towards and never seem to quite get it right, I was hoping this would help me out.

I found after using all three products together that my hair was definitely bigger and had a lot more volume than it did before. Unfortunately I was ill over the Christmas period and didn't have any big plans for NYE so I am yet to try out the vintage waves whilst using these products but hopefully I will get to use them soon.

I really liked using these products and they definitely had the desired effects. However after using them for 2 weeks non stop I have found that they do dry my hair out slightly, maybe its due to the weather and constant air conditioning in work also but I think i will keep these for Saturday nights out when the full effects will be necessary as I have to keep my hair tied back for work.

These retail from Label.m here and the prices for each product ranges from £12.25 to £15.25.

I would definitely recommend them for the times when your hair needs a boost for an occasion as they worked great on my super long hair.

Have you tried the thickening range? Have you tried anything else from Label.M?

L xxx

   

Best of 2013

Hi all :)

I hope you all had a great Christmas. I was unfortunately working, struck down by the flu and had a million things to do so my blogging got left by the way side for the week so apologies for my lack of posts last week.

Today's post is a summary of my favourite product discoveries of 2013. I've trawled through all of my posts from the past year and picked out my favourite products for one reason or another. I tried to pick an even number to satisfy my OCD but I came out at 17 so I hope you enjoy!


1) China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Love this pastel neon colour, it was one I'd seen many times on Pinterest so had to snap it up in the end. It was a good buy and I can see myself having to buy it again if its going to decrease at this rate!

2) Vichy Dermablend

Many bloggers have bought this and in the end I had to try it....and obviously fell in love just the same! Perfect for good and bad skin days this covers all types of blemishes, scars and uneven skin tone.

3) OPI Liquid Sand Bond Girls in Jinx

This was one of my first Liquid Sand polishes and the coral and gold glittery combination made it a perfect one for me. Look at it glimmer! I wore this all summer and upgraded to a full size after initially buying the miniature set.

4) MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow

I picked up a palette from MAc so that I could depot all of my previously owned eye shadows into one easy to carry palette. All That Glitters is a beautiful shimmery nude, described as a beige with a gold pearl. It's nude enough to be worn every day without being too glittery yet shimmery enough for a night out also, a very versatile shadow.

5) Clarins HydraQuench

The Hydra Quench range was something I'd never tried before but having tried the cream and masque this year I can safely say I'm a fan. I'd like to repurchase this in future but I think the price will put me off. There are others that I have used that are just as good for less so I will probably stick to those whilst I'm saving!

6) Dr Organic Eye Serum

This was an unexpected love for me; I love Dr Organic products but had never tried an eye serum before. I have really sensitive and dry eyes so try to moisturise them as much as possible to help. This product has been a nice little saviour for me and I can see me buying it again and again; great product, great price and its organic.

7) Lacura AQUA Complete Serum

The Lacura Aqua Complete Skin Serum was an absolute bargain from Aldi. I was looking for a cheaper one to save my from spending cash I don't have, and this was less than £4 and contains hyaluronic acid, glacier water and aloe vera. Its an amazing bargain buy and I will be getting it as soon as I get to Aldi next!

8) Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream

This eye cream was in one of their Christmas sets this year called Love Me B.right and after treating myself to it, it was great to find that the eye cream really worked even on my sensitive eyes. It's so hydrating and the pot is actually pretty big for an eye cream so it's worth the pennies.

9) Benefit Erase Paste Concealer

Another Benefit love! As a general fan of Benefit it can be hard to pick out specific products but the Erase Paste concealer is perfect for undereyes, blemishes, scars and just about anything you can think of. I would not be without it!

10) MAC Desert Camouflage Full Face Kit

This was a buy from Cosmetics Company Outlet, the Desert Camouflage Full Face kit has 4 eyeshadows and a compartment underneath containing a creme blush which is more like a creme bronzer due to the colour. I wear these colours every day as my go to palette for work as its so easy to blend and isn't too over the top. If I ever go somewhere straight from work its just a case of reapplication and a heavier hand with the darker colours!

11) Real Techniques Brushes

Having finally cottoned onto the hype, I snapped up every set in the range over the year in different deals from different shops. My make up wouldn't be the perfectly applied masterpiece it is today without them. They're pretty, easy to use, fairly priced and can be washed back to whiteness....winner.

12) Label M Protein Spray*

We may have mentioned this a few times over the past few months...this Protein Spray from Label.M is unbelievably lightweight, conditions hair without leaving it greasy and lasts a very long time. My long hair wouldn't be without it!

13) MAC's Insanely It

One of my best all time buys from CCO; this Sheen Supreme lipstick is a beautiful pink that makes my teeth look whiter, my complexion brighter and it can be worn for any occasion. 

14) Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

I was extremely excited to try out Silk Creme after hearing lots of hype about it. Initially i was disappointed, my skin was really bad at that point and nothing seemed to cover it enough. As my skin has slowly improved (thanks to the skincare products in this post I hope) this has been amazing. It covers without looking like its caked on, matches my skin very closely and definitely makes me look a whole lot better whilst giving me that 'is she wearing make up?' look. Love. The only downside is the price at £33. but I'm almost certain I'd pick it up again during a weak moment on pay day.

15) Antipodes Divine Oil

This has been a revolutionary product for me. I had never used an oil before this and it completely changed my perception of them and my skin has thanked me for it. At £18.50 for an organic product I'd recommend everyone try this! It hasn't overloaded my oily skin at all but has rehydrated my dry skin and helped scars fade dramatically.

16) Murad Cleanser

This cleanser is one I use 2/3 times a week to polish off the dull bits of skin. It's not abrasive at all yet leaves my skin with a glow. It's comparable in results to Origin's Modern Friction which is another favourite of mine and although the tube costs £34 it has lasted me such a long time that it's worth every penny.

17) Origins Make A Difference Rejuvenating Treatment

The smell, the texture, the results = LOVE

I picked up the Origins skincare set for Christmas just so I could own this lovely product again (and the others obviously!) 

Totally changed my skin and I wouldn't be without it now. Plus it smells like heaven in a pot.

So there we have it, my favourites of 2013. A hell of a lot of skincare, what a junkie I am!

However as at the beginning of the year I had acne and was stressed to the max I think it have played a massive part in getting my skin to what it is today. I still get spots (obviously!) especially those annoying under the skin bumps which just don't seem to go (RAGE) but it's still 10 times better than it was.

I hope 2014 brings me even more product joy (after a considerable 3 month ban though...its feeling necessary after my Christmas indulgences).

What were your favourite products of 2013?

We're you a skincare junkie? Lipstick lover? Nail addict? Or a Palette Queen?

I'd love to see what your favourites were, maybe they could be mine for next year!

L xxx