I didn't want to be the one to say it but where the hell did April go? Spring seems to be flying by and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's excited about the prospect of summer being on our doorstep. So as we say hello to May and goodbye to April here's my empties and a few repurchases...

Clarins Double Serum | £55 30ml

Being in my mid-twenties I wanted to start using something for preventative measures against ageing and Clarins Double Serum was my first choice as it's a multi award winning anti ageing product. Suitable for all skin types this powerful serum helps shrink pores, firms skin and helps smooth wrinkles. I use at night and over the last 6 months have seen a dramatic change in my skins texture, my pores are considerably less visible and my complexion has an all round glow to it. A definite repurchase.

Botanics All Bright Micellar Water | £2.99 250ml

I bought this micellar water on a bit of a whim as there was an offer on in Boots. This micellar water claims to not only remove makeup and cleanse skin but also contain a natural mild exfoliator to leave skin brighter. I found this micellar water to be ok, not as great as my favourite (B. micellar water from Superdrug) and I certainly didn't see any improvement in my skins appearance from using it. Unfortunately not a repurchase.

B. 4in1 Cleansing Wipes | £3.50 25 wipes

These wipes are the best I've come across. The B. range from Superdrug offers some seriously brilliant skincare products, these wipes along with their micellar water gently remove all traces of my makeup and leave my skin feeling soft and smooth. These wipes are a regular repurchase.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Lotion | £11 200ml

I had high hopes for this toner after reading so many shining reviews on it but unfortunately my skin didn't reap any of the benefits it claims to give. Despite this toner claiming to be free from alcohol the scent tells me otherwise and it really dried my skin out (and I have pretty oily skin!). Definitely won't be repurchasing this one.

Body Shop Almond Nail & Cuticle Oil | £7.50 1.8ml

For my pre mani cuticle treatment I use Leighton Denney's Slick Tips, a great product but not practical for when you're on the go as it comes in a glass nail polish style bottle so queue The Body Shop's pen style cuticle oil. I usually keep one of these in my handbag and one on my keyboard at work, because it comes in a pen style applicator it's such a quick and easy product to use. A definite repurchase.

Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover | £1.60 100ml

This has been my favourite nail polish remover for what seems like forever. It does a great job of dissolving polish quickly and leaving my nails feeling moisturised and clean. The formula also helps whiten nails so it's great for those times you forget to use a base coat and are left with some staining. A regular repurchase.

Lancome Hypnose Mascara | £22.50

I adore this mascara, I have raved about it in a previous post as it does the most amazing job of lengthening and giving volume to my lashes without leaving them looking clumpy and loaded with mascara. I love the fact I can wear this mascara all day and not need to worry about smudges or any dry flakes. Already repurchased another one of these little beauties.

Number 4 Lumiere d'hived Super Comb Prep & Protect | £20 200ml

This was actually a sample from a Birchbox from months ago that I totally forgot about. This stuff smells divine and really helps to seal the moisture into my hair after washing and leaves it feeling soft and smooth. I've gone on to purchase the full size product from the Birchbox shop as I couldn't find it anywhere else in the UK.

Did you see any of your favourite products here or anything you'd want to try?

Nails Inc The New White | Whitehall Review

Nails Inc Whitehall | rrp £14

When Nails Inc released their 'New White Collection' I hurriedly bought three of the four shades, this being one of them. The New White Collection is described as 'an innovative collection of white based polishes. Enriched with Porcelain Flower extract - a rare flower from Thailand with recognised healing, therapeutic, illuminating and calming properties the range will help improve nail strength and health'. Whitehall is described as a white with a hint of peach to it, being obsessed with everything peach I couldn't wait to get it on my nails.

The formula of this polish is a bit of a nightmare, it's not overly watery but it did take me four coats to reach complete opacity, not a polish for a quick mani. Is this polish peach? Every person I asked said it looks pale pink and I think I'd have to agree. This shade is very similar to Barry M's Gelly Polish 'Rose Hip'.

Overall a bit of a disappointment colour and application wise. Such a shame as I really love the other two (White Horse Street - a pale lilac/grey and Swan Street - a pale mint).

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry | Pit Stop Review

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Polish | Pit Stop | RRP £3.99

When Barry M released their new pastel quick dry shades I told myself I didn't need them. I probably have at least ten variations of the newly released shades but when browsing the Barry M stand in my local boots I didn't retain the control I had displayed at home. I picked up 4 shades in total, being pale skinned and quite stuck in my style rut shades of oranges and lilac's just aren't for me. 

The first thing that impressed me about their new range is the brush, Barry M have given us a flat brush that almost covers the nail in just one swipe. The claim of being a quick dry polish didn't really draw me to them, I use Seche Vite Quick Dry Topcoat over every mani so the speed of drying isn't really an issue for me. I found three thin coats worked best and the finish is a milky pastel grey with just the right amount of shine.

After all of the vampy shades and glitter polishes I wore over the winter I am really embracing neutral shades at the moment. I will post some reviews of the other 3 polishes I bought for the new range soon, I recently had a Nails Inc binge so I'm unto my eyeballs in nail polish at the moment!

Nails Inc & Victoria Beckham Collaboration - Bamboo White

A bit of a latecomer to the party I know but admittedly I did tell myself for ages that I do not need a nail polish that retails for £25, but how wrong was I! 

Out of the two polishes featured in the VB and Nails Inc collaboration Bamboo White most appealed to me as I already have 5 or 6 tomato red's and who doesn't love a classic nude? So what's so special about this polish to retail for £25? Everything. The bootle oozes sophistication, customised by VB herself and made from hand frosted Venetian glass with a viewing window on the side to see your chosen shade. This polish, like all of Nails Inc's new lines, is a very generous 14ml bottle and the square lid pops off to reveal a more manageable screw in bottle top.

The formula contains bamboo extract to help build healthy nails and ensure a smooth application. I like to paint my nails with quite thin layers so I found I needed 3 coats for complete opacity. What I love about this colour is it varies in different lights, I would best describe it as a beige-pale pink. The polish wears so well, I have had this shade on for 6 days now and there's not a chip in sight, still as glossy as the day applied.

Do you own any of the VB and Nails Inc collaboration polishes? Could you part with £25 for a nail polish?

White Horse Street - from Nails Inc 'The New White' Collection

Nails Inc have delivered some seriously gorgeous new arrivals recently and White Horse Street rrp £14 is definitely one of those. The New White is described as an innovative collection of four white-based polishes with a hint of colour. Enriched with Porcelain Flower Extract - a rare white flower from Thailand with recognised healing, therapeutic, illuminating and calming properties, the range will help strengthen and improve nail health.

Of the four new shades my first choice was White Horse Street, a soft smokey grey. As with all of Nails Inc new ranges you get a very generous 14ml of product all housed in a seriously sleek square glass bottle. What I love about this shade is that in some lights it looks a pale grey and in other lights it looks more lilac...It's just perfect!

Topshop Nails Arabesque

I've had this polish in my arsenal for a couple of months now and really should have done a post on it before as it is simply the perfect nude shade for me! Arabesque is simply described as a 'Creamy Nude' on Topshop's website, I was a little apprehensive when ordering it online as I've never tried Topshop's nail polishes before, however now I find myself removing when my nails are looking a little tatty and re-applying straight away!

This nude polish is the most complimentary to my (NC15) skin tone that I have found to date. So, there are many pro's to this polish, (the colour, the cute bottle and the longevity-5 days without a chip!) but there is one con...the formula. The formula is great in the respect that I have not had a single chip, it grows out before before it chips but I needed FOUR, yes four coats for complete opacity. Not really an issue as I use Seche Dry Fast Topcoat which means my nails are dry super quick but for people without it may be an issue.

Despite the one niggle I love this polish and am really excited to try some more from Topshop!