It's been a while since I did an 'empties' post, primarily because I completely forget to stash away those empty vessels and they end up in the bin but this month I have made a conscious effort to put aside those empty products. So I'm going to run through my empties and whether they will be repurchased or already have...

Yves Rocher Cocoa & Pistachio Hand Cream | £1.95 75ml

I always have a couple of tubes/bottles of hand cream on my bedside table as the last part of my bedtime beauty routine involves slathering my hands in moisturiser before bed. This cheap and cheerful hand cream from Yves Rocher smells divine and although I don't have over dry hands unfortunately it does very little for me on the moisturising front so this one won't be a repurchase.

B. Pure Micellar Water | £4.99 150ml

I've tried a fair few micellar water's and none have stood up to this. Not only does it remove all traces of makeup but it also leaves my skin squeaky clean and smooth. I use this as part of a 'double cleanse' at night meaning I will use this prior to my cleanser and together they deliver a super deep cleanse. I have a stockpile of this micellar water, you can often pick it up for half the rrp from Superdrug.

Premae Balance Rescue Facewash  | £30 200ml

If you read my blog regularly you will know that I have a real soft spot for Premae's products. This gel cleanser has done wonders for my skin, with it's completely natural ingredients it provides a deep cleanse whilst leaving my skin soft and nourished. This product is a regular repurchase as it's such a staple in my routine.

Lush Tea Tree Water  | £4.25 100ml

If like me you suffer from troublesome skin occasionally then you will love this toner. Containing only 6 ingredients it effectively balances oily skin and removes the last traces of your clearer whilst helping to fight your spots. I will repurchase this somewhere down the line, I've just started a toner from La Roche Possay so I will see how I get on with that one first.

Batiste Dry Shampoo Cherry | £2.99 200ml

I doubt I'm alone in favouriting Batiste dry shampoo, it's great for giving you one last day in between washes and giving volume to hairstyles. I've already repurchased only this time I have gone for a trio of miniatures I picked up on sale from ASOS.

Loreal Miss Manga Mascara | £8.99

This mascara is one of my favourite drugstore products. It does an amazing job of lengthening and separating lashes with a smudge and clump free formula. I definitely would repurchase this mascara, I have Lancome Hypnose open at the moment (I don't like to have more than one mascara open at any one time) but this would be top of my list for future purchases.

Lush Mask Of Magnaminty | £5.50 125ml

Lush offer a great variety of affordable yet effective skincare products and mask of magnanimity is at the top of my list for face masks. When I'm suffering from a bad break out this mask does wonders for my skin. I go through bouts of buying Lush products, unfortunately I live 30 miles away from my nearest store so I can't just pop in, I do order online when I have a largish order to put through but because they are full of fresh ingredients they only tend to last for 14 days.

Lush Cosmetic Warrior Mask | £6.50 75g

This is my all-time favourite mask for break-out's, it does a quick and super effective job of clearing break-out's and reducing the size of those horrible large spots that just won't budge. The smell takes some getting used to (think garlic mayo!) due to some of the ingredients but when it does an amazing job like it does, I can live with it!

Eyeko Eyeliner | £12

I absolutely love this eyeliner for it's precision but I do find that the formula smudges and as it's a felt tip pen style liner it dries up so quickly! This unfortunately will not be a repurchase, I much prefer a gel liner for the depth of colour.

Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion | £21.50 50ml

The one pictured is a sample size from a Benefit gift set. This oil-free lotion preps skin for moisturising and leaves skin soft and dewy without looking oily and slick. I have gone on to purchase the full size product as my foundation seems to look so much better with this moisturiser worn underneath!

Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength Bath & Shower Oil | £40 55ml

Again in this photo this is a sample sized product, from Birchbox I think.  I smooth this oil all over my body before getting into the shower and within seconds of the water hitting my skin the bathroom is filled with the uplifting scents of sage and frankincense. I will definitely go on to purchase the full size product.

Vasanti Brighten Up Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator | £26 120ml

This is another Birchbox sample, I'm on a mission to work through that huge draw full of samples I have! Whilst this exfoliator smells lovely and has fine particles to help buff dead skin away I didn't find it abrasive enough for me, I do own cheaper and more effective products. It's not the worst I've tried but its far from the best so for this reason I won't go on to purchase the full size.

Phew this month's empties has certainly been one of skincare, I find it hard to get through makeup as I have so much of it and do a weekly product rotation. Have you spotted any of your favourites here?

Trial-sized Tuesday's - Lush Full Of Grace Serum

On my last trip to my (not-so) local Lush one of the sales assistants recommended Full Of Grace when I mentioned one of my skin concerns was dullness. Full Of Grace is a facial serum that comes in a solid form, you gently heat between palms to melt the product and then apply to your face.

This skin-feeding serum contains a blend of oils and Portebello Mushrooms which condition and protect the skin and Calamine powder to soothe delicate skin. I was a little apprehensive to try it as it looked oily and with my skin being oily it doesn't need any more help in that respect, but the sales assistant assured me she uses it every night and has oily skin herself. I have to say I really enjoyed using Full Of Grace, despite finding the initial concept of warming something in my hands before using it was a little weird the serum itself is lovely and did a good job of hydrating my skin without leaving a greasy film as I had expected.

Would I purchase it? Maybe. For hygiene reasons I really do prefer something from a bottle or jar and for speed and ease of use something that can be applied directly to skin (without warming). 

August's Beauty Favourites

With August coming and going in a flash and September now upon us, reviewing my favourite beauty products from last month makes me kind of feel like I'm mourning the summer! I discovered some fantastic products throughout August and I'm going to be clinging to those summery buys until those early nights start drawing in. So here's my best buys of August, the products I've been reaching for everyday...

Body Shop Honey Bronzer

This amazing bronzer was also in my July beauty favourites, I did a post a few weeks ago with some swatches if you fancy checking it out for yourself. I've literally worn this bronzer everyday since I bought it, the shade (shade 2) is perfect for my fair (NC15) complexion and just gives you a totally natural, sun kissed look. 

N4 Super Comb Prep & protect

I discovered this gorgeous smelling leave-in conditioner in August's Birchbox. I did a post a few weeks ago about that box and the contents and this was my star product. Not only does it smell amazing but it leaves your hair so soft and more manageable. I loved this sample so much I went on to buy the full-size product and I must admit I now couldn't be without it in my routine.

Bourjois Cream Blush (R) Pink Sunwear

When Bourjois released their Summer 2014 products including these gorgeous cream blushers the blogisphere went nuts! Pink Sunwear was another product that featured in my July beauty picks. This subtle shade gives you a gorgeous glow and completely compliments my bronzer. I'll be sad to see this go in a drawer until next summer!

Essie Sand Tropez

One polish I've been taking off and reapplying straight away is Essie's Sand Tropez. This shade is the perfect greige that I will be wearing well into the Autumn/Winter. As with all of Essie's polishes that I've tried its fantastic coverage and I get around 3 days of wear before any chips appear.

Clarins Radiance-Plus Glow Booster

I did a post on this gradual tan a couple of weeks ago and I still feel now how I did then. This amazing gradual tan allows you do totally tailor your tan by controlling how many drops of serum you use a day mixed in with your regular daytime/nighttime moisturiser. This is one skincare product I will be rocking all year round.

Bobbi Brown Blush In Pastel Peach

I let out a little shriek inside when I saw Bobbi Brown had released new shades of their cult blusher. I hastily purchased two of the shades (post coming soon on those) one of them being Pastel Peach. This gorgeous shade looks great on cheeks for a little pop of colour. This is another shade I will be sporting for as long as the sun stays.

Lush Cosmetic Warrior Face Mask

This face mask is the best spot fighting mask I have tried in a long while. Anyone that reads my blog regularly will know that I suffer from horrible hormonal break-outs from time to time and this mask calms angry skin down and clears up break-outs. This is one mask I will be repurchasing now I've run out.

As much as I will miss the summer and will relish in those last few sunny days we have left, I am really looking forward to Autumn/Winter as there are some great products lined up for release and I can't wait to be sporting my favourite vampy lip and nail colours.

First Ever Lush Haul!

When ever I have an outbreak I always feel sorry for myself and reach out for some new skincare products or fandangled bit of makeup that promises to ease all my woes (in terms of being a consumer I'm the beauty industries dream!). After reading loads and loads of positive comments on Lush products via several social media platforms I decided to have a mini Lush haul. My nearest Lush shop is about 30 miles away so I ordered via their website (which is very engaging and easy to navigate might I add) and here's what I purchased...

Coalface

After reading some fantastic reviews from fellow acne sufferers I decided to purchase Coalface, a gentle soap with antiseptic rosewood, sandalwood and absorbent charcoal. I would never have considered using a 'soap' on my face as they can be quite astringent but this is lovely to use. Coalface foams up really well and contains pieces of charcoal to gently exfoliate whilst you're cleansing. What I really love about this cleanser is the smell! You can really smell the liquorice root extract, when I open the bathroom door the room is filled with the gorgeous scent. I can't comment on it's abilities to shift my spots just yet as I've been using it for just under a week and I'm at that time in the month where I'm getting them pop up everywhere (damn hormones!).

Mask of Magnaminty

Another product with tons of great reviews is Mask of Magnaminty. I was a little unsure of the difference between this and the Self-preserving Mask of Magnaminty so I purchased both. This multi-purpose mask can be used anywhere on the body, packed with ingredients to clean, calm and clear the skin. I absolutely love the feeling the peppermint oil gives your skin, I've been keeping mine in the fridge and it's so cool and refreshing on the face. I also love the fact that this mask doubles up as an exfoliator when you're ready to take it off, just wet hands and buff the product into your skin before washing off.

Grease Lightning

The final product in my skin clearing spree from Lush was Grease Lightning an antibacterial spot treatment gel. As I've had a quite nasty breakout I'm finding applying Clinique's Anti-Blemish Solutions gel to my face quite frequently is drying my skin a little, so I thought I's try a natural alternative. This spot clearing gel is infused with antiseptic Rosemary, Thyme and Tea Tree as well as Anti-oxidant rich grape juice and Witch Hazel for an anti-inflammatory. I've applied this to a couple of spots before they've come to a head and they've gone back down after a couple days they're completely gone! 

I'm really pleased with my first ever Lush purchases and I'm looking forward to seeing the results of using them in a couple of weeks.

Jodie

xoxo