Empties (Lush, Philosophy, Vera Wang, Milk_Shake, BIOEFFECT & more)

These are more of my empty products from this month. As you can see I've got through quite a lot, but most of these were half empty already.

Lush - Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub

My size - 130g

Price for full size - £7.95 / 330g

Where I got it - part of a Lush Christmas Gift Set

Product link - https://www.lush.co.uk

Packaging - 

Standard Lush pot - 100% recycled, screw on lid, sticker on top and side of pot. Not the most hygienic but very eco-friendly.

Application / Texture - 

Rub on like shower gel, or on dry skin and then rinse. Texture is very grainy, like a paste, but still liquid enough to use easily.

Scent - 

Strong unique blossom scent.

Appearance -

Bright blue in colour and grainy.

Effects on skin - 

Feels rough in a good way. Scrubs off dead skin cells well. Leaves a bit of an oily feel on skin after washing.

Overall - 

This little pot from a gift set didn't last that long but it did leave my skin feeling lovely. Would repurchase.

Cutex - Strengthening Nail Polish Remover for Brittle Nails

Price - £2.20 / 200ml

Where I bought it - Boots

Product link - http://www.boots.com

Packaging - 

Frosted white bottle with thin neck and pink screw on lid. Sticker front & back.

Application - 

Pour onto cotton pad and hold onto nail for a few seconds before pulling off. 

Scent - 

Obviously you don't want to be sniffing this! Very strong as to be expected.

Appearance / Texture - 

Consistency of water, slightly pink.

Overall -

Removes polish effectively. Contains acetone which is quite damaging but helps to remove better. My go-to nail polish remover, will continuously repurchase.

milk_shake Leave-in Conditioner 75ml

My size price - £5.99 / 75ml

Normal size price - £14.30 / 350ml 

Where I got It - My mum gave it to me, she got it from the hairdressers.

Product link - http://www.beautybay.com (only £10.64 on here!)

Packaging - 

Clear plastic bottle with yellow spray applicator. milk_shake font printed vertically in yellow. (for the 75ml, full size slightly different)

Application - 

Spray evenly onto towel-dried hair. Pay particular attention to damaged areas.

Scent - 

The best part about this product - gorgeous, milky coconut / vanilla / cream scent. It makes your hair smells divine, I love it!

Appearance / Texture - 

Water-consistency, milky cream in colour.

Overall -

I can't emphasize enough on how good this smells. It does make hair easily to handle and much softer. I have to say there wasn't a massive improvement but the scent alone is enough for me to buy it again! If milk_shake's other products smell like this then I'm certainly purchasing.

Impulse 'Tease' Body Fragrance

Price - £1.99 / 75ml

Where I bought it - Boots

Product link - http://www.boots.com (half price at the mo!)

Packaging - 

Thin 'body spray size' spray can. Teal coloured at the bottom fading into silver. Butterfly pattern. Lightweight.

Scent - 

'A scent that lives up to it's name. It teases, plays & does the flirting for you - it whispers "Romance Me" just loudly enough to be heard. Spray it anywhere'. Well I don't know about whispering to me but it's a nice scent. Quite strong. 'Red fruits & wood scent'. Not much more to be said.

Application -

Spray all over body.

Overall - 

I like to keep a can of Impulse in my handbag instead of rinsing my perfume, to freshen up throughout the day, especially if I'm rushing (usually). Nice & cheap and provides a strong fragrance. There are plenty of other Impulse fragrances if this isn't the one for you. Will keep repurchasing.

STEAMCREAM Moisturiser

Price - £12.95 / 75g

Where I got it - Latest in Beauty x YOU Advent Calendar 

Product link - http://www.steamcream.co.uk

Half price product link - www.latestinbeauty.com

The link above is to get this product for £6.50, from Latest in Beauty. This is a legit site I use regularly, and the packaging is just plain silver. The tub pattern above I think is gorgeous! There is many to choose from.

Packaging - 

Very eye-catching & unique. I have a limited edition 'Fiore' which has multi-coloured flowers with pink accents all over. Screw lid tub - a bit unhygienic putting fingers in everyday.

Application - 

For face, body & hands. I used this as a night face cream and sometimes on my hands.

Scent - 

Strong scent of Lavender. Very strong, it is noticeable even after it's absorbed (which takes a long time). Not my favourite scent.

Appearance / Texture - 

Quick thick, feels quite greasy on the skin. It's alright for a night cream though, and it is very moisturising - in the morning my face feels very soft. 

Overall -

Takes aaages to absorb. Smell is too strong for me. Lovely packaging, and there is so many different types to choose from. I think the tub patterns are why most people buy it in the first place. I would never use this a day cream. I got this with the advent calendar so I've had it since Decemeber, using it mostly every night, so it lasts a long long time (it's now May). I don't really get the hype on this product, I got bored of it quickly and just wanted to use it all up to get onto my other creams. Would not repurchase.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for face & eyes

Price - £8.00 / 90ml - £17.50 / 240ml - £28.50 / 480ml (also 170ml available but unsure of price)

Where I got it - 30ml sample from my LIB Beauty Advent Calendar

Product Link -  http://www.philosophyskincare.co.uk

This was another lovely sample included in my calendar, which introduced me to the brand Philiosophy. I'm really glad I got to try this!

Packaging - 

A milky plastic bottle with a black flip up lid. The product can easily be squeezed out.

Application - 

Pour a small amount onto fingers and smooth onto dry skin. I add a small amount of water by wetting my fingers, to really work it in to the skin, then rinse off. Can be used on the eyes to remove mascara etc and it washed off amazingly, better than any other cleanser I've used.

Scent - 

Strong scent - smells a bit of alcohol. It actually smells a little harsh but not unpleasant.

Appearance / Texture - 

An off white / creamy colour. It is thick but a liquid creme - easy to rub onto face. Doesn't leave residue on skin. Texture is lovely.

Effects on skin - 

This cleanser rids every last bit of make up o your face. I'm not worried about rubbing it on my eyes - it doesn't sting or feel uncomfortable and you can feel the mascara just disintegrating off. It's not messy and it feels good on your skin. Afterwards, my skin feels really soft and hydrated - not dry & tight like other cleansers.

Overall - 

Just from this small sample I recommend this to anyone searching for a new cleanser. It's brilliant at removing make up in one simple step & leaves your skin fresh and super clean! The 30ml lasted me a long time - you really don't need to use much, and I was sad when I finished it up. Will definitely repurchase; I love how you can buy from a variety of sizes too (see above). It was finally a joy to remove my make up!

Vera Wang 'LoveStruck' Eau de Parfum 30ml

Price - £47.50 / 50ml - £35.50 / 30ml (Superdrug prices)

Where I got it - My mum bought it for me :) (30ml)

Product link - http://www.superdrug.com

Packaging - 

A glass square shape bottle with pink 'LoveStruck' font with an arrow through the middle. Bell-shaped section in the glass that holds the fragrance. The lid steals the show - deep purple with 3 flower heads plus a purple mesh ribbon in a bow. (I misplaced the bow and one flower came off).

Scent - 

Strong, bright, flowerly scent. Very girly; enjoyed wearing it. Does not stay for long.

Overall - 

This is really a lovely scent but not something I find amazing. Staying power isn't great so I found myself getting through it rapidly. Now that I've gone through the whole bottle I wouldn't buy it but I know it is a nice scent. I only spend my money on perfume if I've tried some and absolutely love it.

Front-Row - Stay Cool Heat Defence Spritz

Charles Worthington - Guilt Free Styling

Price - £5.49 / 200ml

Where I got it - Boots in store

Product link - (Boots link doesn't work - the only other site I found selling it is here) : http://beauty.mysupermarket.co.uk

Packaging -

Black plastic bottle with a unique spray applicator. 'front-row' in pink / purple large font. Very easy to spray.

Application -

Spritz over mid-lengths & ends and blow dry into desired style.

Appearance / Texture - 

Water-like consistency.

Scent - 

Smells fresh; very nice

Overall - 

Good spritz applicator and extremely easy to use. My finger and / or wrist often gets achey or tired when using those push down spray bottles - this solves that problem completely. It last quite a while - I used it when my hair was wet and dry before straightening; it protects hair against heat plus adds a soft texture to the hair. Would probably repurchase. 

Garnier Simply essentials Soothing vitamin-enriched toner

Price - £2.99 / 200ml

Where I bought it - Boots!

Product link - http://www.boots.com

Packaging - 

Light blue plastic bottle, green 'Garnier' accents, flip up lid. Easy to squeeze out but only because it's very liquid.

Application - 

Pour onto cotton wool pad and smooth over cleansed face.

Appearance / Texture - 

Extremely water-like. Clear in colour

Scent - 

Fresh light smell. Fairly pleasant.

Overall -

I bought this with the matching leave on cleanser. The toner lasted much longer than the cleanser - I used that up ages ago. No perfume, alcohol or colourants. It removes excess make up & impurities easily. I liked this toner, but there isn't too much to say about it!

Moringa Body Butter The Body Shop 50ml

Price - £13.00 / 100ml 

Where I bought it - From The Body Shop in store - part of a 4 pack of their other varieties. Each were 50ml.

Product link - http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk

Packaging - 

Palm sized round light canary yellow tub with screw on lid. Sticker on front and back.

Application - 

Use like a normal body lotion or cream. Absorbs in well, after a few minutes.

Appearance / Texture - 

Thick, creamy texture. Faint creamy-yellow in colour.

Scent - 

Very strong flowery smell. Fresh and pleasant.

Overall - 

A 50ml tub of body cream hardly lasts a couple of uses for me, but a great way to sample the product. It was enjoyable to use, but it's quite a standard body butter. I've tried worse, I've tried better. The Body Shop does not use animal testing which is always great and it is a lovely floral scent. I wouldn't rule out not repurchasing but there are other ones I want more than this.

Midnight Fantasy Britney Spears 1.5ml sample vial

Price - RRP £23.00. £15.99 / 30ml (Thefragranceshop - link below)

Where I got it - free sample vial from Latest in Beauty

Product link - http://www.thefragranceshop.co.uk

Packaging - 

Obviously mine was just a tiny glass tube but the normal packaging is very similar to her previous perfume, Fantasy. The shape of the bottle is the same along with the bulbous lid and lovely diamantes dotted around the bottle. The major difference is the colour, a deep blue shade (Fantasy is hot pink) and it has little jewells around the base of the lid.

Scent - 

Very sweet, similar to Fantasy, it's not actually that much difference between the two. I enjoyed wearing it, it's girly and strong.

Overall - 

I would purchase this especially as its only around £16, something I would wear everyday rather than special perfume I wear only occasionally.

Bioeffect EDF Serum sample size

Price - £125.00 / 15ml (yes..)

Where I got it - one of my many items from my LIB calendar again

Product link - http://www.bioeffect.co.uk/bioeffect-serum.html

Product link for £8.00 / 5ml - www.latestinbeauty.com

Packaging - 

Very small glass bottle with a dropper attached to the lid. The top bit you squeeze is white and soft and it has a metallic silver lid. I think the full size is the same but larger.

Application - 

Apply 1-2 drops on face. I use only at night, I worry the texture won't work with make up on top and I don't want to waste the little amount I have by doing so! You really do not need much, especially using a moisturiser after allows it to move around the skin a bit more.

Appearance / Texture - 

Very serum-like. Clear and thick liquid. Easily applied to the skin.

Scent - 

Not noticeable / hardly any scent.

Effects on skin - 

I find it makes my skin vey plump and dewy. Leaves it very soft & supple. If you have dry flakes, this will help to completely rid of them, but it works nicely on my oily T-Zone as well, so it's great for combination skin.

Overall - 

After using my first one up from the advent calendar, I decided to buy another from LIB as they were doing a deal where you could get it for half price, and considering their price was good anyway, £8.00 I got this for a nice £4. I enjoy using it, a little goes a long way, I'm halfway through the second one and have been using it every night for a couple of months. I haven't noticed a dramatic effect; it really should have dramatic result for such a dramatic price, however, I'm 21 and have no wrinkles so far. This is an anti-ageing serum that improves the appearance & health of your skin by encouraging the skin to repair it's own cells.  It makes my skin tone more even and even slightly blur pores. I wouldn't repurchase (unless the cheapskate size from LIB) because of the price, but if you can justify spending that much then why not!

Lastly, a very quick note about the Ark mini sample set I recieved from LIB quite a while ago. The moisturiser and the whole sample set has been discontinued so I couldn't find any info about it other than a pic here if you'd like to see what I'm on about: http://www.bathandunwind.com

The moisturiser was the worst I've ever used in my life; obviously it went wrong or something, as it felt like I was rubbing shards of glass into my face, the pieces were sharp and I just don't even know what was going on there. I should have complained about this but in the end I didn't bother. It disgusted me that they were sending out samples of something so hideous - the cream might not have been that bad usually, but this sample made me livid! AVOID AVOID AVOID!

(Pots were handy though)

Phew that was a long post; if you read all that I bow to you! Have a good day!

L'Occitane 100% Shea Butter Review

Here is my little tub of L'Occitane's 100% Shea Butter which I have come to love and use daily.

What it claims - 
Shea butter hydrates and protects lips, face, cuticles and hands. This powerful moisturiser is retrieved from the fruit of African Shea trees, and celebrated world-wide for encouraging cellular renewal and repairing the hydrolipidic film, thereby softening, soothing and comforting skin. Non-irritating; suitable for men, women and children.

Price - £7.00 / 8ml - £26.00 / 150ml
Where I bought it - ASOS with 10% discount
Product link - http://uk.loccitane.com

Packaging - 
Small soft metal tin with a push on / off lid which is very satisfying to close. Sticker on front and back, dark blue and yellow, quite a french vintage look. Simple and quite eco-friendly. The pot itself is very tiny, if you think of a normal sized lip balm tub, its smaller than your average.

Application / Texture - 
Feels smooth and 'balmy' on lips. On other dry areas it is slightly tacky for a short amount of time, before soaking into the skin. A little tricky to get out the pot (especially in cold temperatures - goes a little hard) so I use my nail to scoop it out, without getting the product under my nails. Milky white in colour and it has waxy texture. No taste.

Scent - 
Obviously the only ingredient is Shea Butter - I love the smell, it's a subtle, creamy, slightly honey / almond scent, fairly sweet. It is hardly noticeable but I enjoy the slight waft I get when I open the tin.

Overall - 
Out of all the lip balms I own, this is always the first one I reach for. I mainly use it for my lips which always seem to be dry & chapped, and it is brilliant for making that cracked feeling go away. It also helps long-term, which is hard to find in other lip treatments. My lips have definitely become healthier since using everyday, so I know this stuff is worth it even though it's painfully expensive!

However, you can use it on many different areas of your body, such as your elbows, lips, cuticles, feet, nose (esp. when you have a cold) hands, and any other problem area that needs hydrating. If your hair is frizzy just rub a bit of this in your palms and smooth over your locks, and BAM the frizz has diminished. I love that this product can be used for so many different things, but this small 8ml tub won't last long if you are going to be using it for all of them. Lips, cuticles and dry patches of skin on my face / body is what I use this size for. It works brilliantly on cuticles, leaves them very soft and moisturised. I'm very tempted to get the larger size, which is much better value for money (price at top), but still expensive. If they did a medium size that would be perfect! It lasts about an hour on my lips, depending on whether I'm eating / drinking. It's a very good protectant, it doesn't 'heal' straight away but does improve the look of lips over a period of time.

ASOS do sell it so if you've got a discount code then you can get a bit of money off, which you can't from L'Occitane's store. Heres the link.

I will be sad to see it go and I will probably repurchase once I've used up all the rest of my lip balms, if I don't come across something better! Any suggestions?

Benefit's Gina Goes Glam Set Review

As one of my lovely birthday gifts I received this gorgeous Benefit set, titled 'Gina Goes Glam'. I do love Benefit so I was so happy to receive this!

Inside the beautiful box was Gina Goes Glam perfume, a sample of the POREfessional and a mini They're Real! mascara. I've had two Benefit perfumes before, one I'm still using (Laugh With Me Lee Lee) which were great and I used frequently. This one is just as nice, infact better than the other's I've tried. Secondly, I have been itching to get my hands on the Porefessional primer for a while now and failed to find a sample from any Benefit counters. Finally now I have one, so I can properly test it out before blowing my precious money on it. Lastly, the lovely mascara - a big favourite of mine for a long time.

My Place Or Yours Gina perfume
Price - £29.50 / 30ml

This perfume is RRP £29.50 which is a bargain becuase this whole set retails at £29.50. Here's a description from the Benefit website as they explain it much better than I would! It really is a lovely scent & I'm glad I've been able to try it from this set.

Woody oriental - an alluring affair of pink pepper, wild raspberry & patchouli. A seductively provocative scent with a "flaunt it if you've got it" attitude. A poem to describe Gina... 

Gina lives to seduce,

to tempt & flauntand knows you should always

get what you want. so sinfully sexy

her allure is unjust,but as they say... 

"all's fair in love & lust." 

Top notes: pink pepper, bergamot, tangerine 

Middle notes: peony, wild raspberry, white lily 

Bottom notes: patchouli, tonka bean, vanilla bean

The POREfessional

Price - £24.50 / 22ml

(Sample size 7.5ml - around £6.12)

Although it looks small, this sample is worth over £6.00 and you really don't need to use much of this product. I've only tried this a couple of times so far, and loved the way it made my skin silky soft. I've yet to see how well it works as a primer, but I did notice a small difference to my pores. I hope it lives up to its claims, I will finish this sample and decide whether to buy the full size or not. I was going to buy it anyway without trying but I felt anxious about paying the price for something that might not be so great. If I do decide to purchase it I will be sure to do a review!

They're Real! mascara

Price - £19.50 / 8.5ml

(Sample size 3.0g - about £9.50)

As you can see it has a spikey end, allowing you to comb through your lashes after using the main part, but it does tend to collect a lot of product on the end so you may need to wipe it first because it can get a little clumpy / thick! I used to be very loyal to this mascara but have been reaching for Estee Lauder's Sumptuous Extreme more recently. This is purely because I do find They're Real can become quite clumpy at times. It does make your lashes much, much longer and thicker, guaranteed! A bonus is you can buy this smaller size at around half the price, if you are uncertain of purchasing the full size. 

A gorgeous set to buy somebody as a gift, or just for yourself, as you pay the same amount as the perfume alone! On the Benefit website it is currently at £19.67, so even more of a bargain! 

Glossybox - May 2013 (2nd Birthday)

May Glossybox 2013

May seems to be the month of birthdays! Some of my families birthday, plus mine and also Glossyboxs 2nd birthday, hence their birthday themed box.

They held an event in Covent Garden which I attended and collected a free box, (read my post here), which unfortunately has some of the same items in, so now I have dupes. Not to complain though, they were free! But I was paying for items I already had... By the way, apologies for some of the dark photos.

Anyway, what was in my May box?

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray (Paul Mitchell)

I've tried this once and I have to say that I'm not overly impressed, it didn't really add that much shine, especially compared to the shine spray I'm currently using. As it's called a shine spray it kind of defeats the purpose but it does claim to protect hair too so that is a plus.

Glossybox says:

Pamper your hair! Used by Hawaiian natives to nourish and moisturise skin and hair, Awapuhi leaves all hair types soft, silky and hydrated. With ingredients proven to restore eak and damaged hair, the Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray not only adds shine but also protects your hair from daily wear and tear, ensuring you'll stay glossy throughout the day. A full size of this is great especially as it's pretty pricey.

Full size price - £18.95 / 125ml

Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara

As I say in my free Glossybox post, this mascara goes on nicely, a vey natural look, but I id have difficultly taking it off (it went all stringy?!) and have not tried it since. So I wasn't really happy I got another one, however I gave it to my mum to try out, and warned her about the stringy / goopiness. I wonder if anyone else had this problem too? Another full size is wonderful though, but I really disagree with how much this is worth.

Glossybox says:

If you think Fairy Lashes sounds a bit girlie, trust us, the hard-wearing mascara is anything but. It is however, genuinely magical: waterproof, long-lasting and feather light. Non-clumping, but lengthening and volumising.

Full size price - £15.00

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics Prime & Create Mixing Medium

Another dupe, but it is quite welcome to my beauty stash. It's quite a versatile product, as you can create creamy products from powder based ones. I have tried it, swatching some eyeshadow mix with it onto my hand, but it didn't stay off for very long so uncertain about the staying power of this product. However now I have two it make 5g so it's worth £5, not bad!

Glossybox says:

A must-have clear aloe vera based gel, which can be turned into a cream foundation, blush and eye shadow that work for all skin types. The possibilities are endless! Use alone as a primer, with powder blushers and bronzers to create a cream tint, or with eye shadow for liquid eyeliner.

Full size price - £20.00 / 20g

Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner

This is a liquid eyeliner that is incredibly resisiliant, I did a swatch on my hand and rubbed and rubbed it but it would not budge. Then I dampened it and rubbed. It faded the tiniest bit. Only when I washed my hands and scrubbed the part on my hand it came off. Now that's what you want from an eyeliner! This will probably be replacing my usual Rimmel liquid eyeliner, which just doesn't quite cut it anymore these days. Who knew Collection did such a good eyeliner! A bargain too.

Glossybox says: 

Collection's Fast Stroke Eyeliner is a firm favourite with beauty lovers everywehere. It's unique waterproof formula makes it a must-have product for any occasion, taking you straight from day to night and from the beach to the after party. What's even  better, it's handy size ensures it won't take up too much space in your bad, making it the perfect travel companion. 

Full size price - £2.99 / 6ml

Headline Colors Nail Polish

Thank god I didn't get the same colour nail polish! A light blue. It's nice, I wouldn't choose it personally but it's always nice to have random colours in your collection to use for nail art etc. Haven't worn this yet nor the other shade in the free box but I shall post swatches for them soon on here. Another full size!

Glossybox says:

Adding a bit of colour to the mix is Headline Colors, a brand new colour collection with it's finger firmly on the fashion pulse. Each limited-edition polish boasts an ultra-high pigment level for rich, intense colour and gloss plus UV absorbers for staying power - less chipping, less flaking. More importantly, Headline Colours polishes are free of toxins.

Full size price - £9.00 / 10ml

A little extra was the Glossybox matchbox-style mini nail files, handy for the handbag, which I also gave to my mum.