Beauty Empties | February 2015

As I embark 2015 with the goal to use what I own rather than adding more I hope to see lot's featuring in my monthly Empties posts. Here's the latest look at my beauty trash.

Cafe de Bain Indulgent Bath Creme, Coconut Macaron link

Whilst having a walk round Waitrose the Cafe de Bain Bath Creme caught my eye and I decided to treat myself as a lover of coconut (and macarons for that matter). Unfortunately I found this bath creme a little blah. I didn't find the scent was strong enough and whilst lovely in the bottle it didn't translate to bath and as a final note the packaging was a nightmare to get out the bottle. Back to Radox it is. 

The Body Shop Vanilla Bliss Shower Cream link

I feel like this shower cream last ever FOREVER. I received it for Christmas a couple of years ago. Used it through Winter and then put aside until the last one and finally it's time for us to part ways. This was a wonderfully scented and thick product that made washing and leg shaving a dream. 

Molton Brown Hand Wash, Rose Granite link

Another product that went on forever and I feared would never run empty - the Mary Poppins bag of the beauty world if you will. So long did it last it's also changed names to Pomegranate & Ginger. I've mentioned before that Molton Brown doesn't really excite me these days and I can't say this hand wash did anything to reignite my love but it is a worthy addition to any sink. 

The Breath Company Toothpaste* link

Toothpaste isn't the sexiest of products but it can certainly make a difference to sexy scenarios - who wants to have nasty breath. That aside I really liked this toothpaste (read my review here) and found it preferable to the extreme mint taste of other products. I would've immediately repurchased but for having a tube of Colgate to hand and am now kicking myself as it was on offer in Boots a week or two back and no longer is as I head to needing to replace. Either way my preference is for this toothpaste. I find it less offensive in the mornings - particularly when I have a hangover and there is the danger of gag reflex from teeth brushing after a night on the tiles.

Impulse Body Spray, Vanilla Kisses* link 

A vanilla theme is forming with my recent empties as the 90s revived Vanilla Kisses made it's way into my empties pile. I sometimes feel a little old to be using Impulse but I do enjoy having a can sitting in my bedside table for a spray as I climb into bed. As a fan of vanilla this is a favourite. 

TokyoMilk Dark Tainted Love Perfume link

My review of this spontaneous purchase can be read here. I enjoyed using in it's initial stages but for some reason I decided that I wanted to get this bottle finished and using repeatedly I did become bored with it. Nonetheless it was nice to try a new fragrance but I did miss my Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. 

Gillette Venus Spa Breeze Razor Blade Refills link

I first received the the Gillette Razor and reviewed in this post and so taken with it that it appeared in my 2014 favourites post. I love the additional shave bars that accompany the blades and it saves slathering too much shower gel on when shaving. 

Vichy Idealia Life Serum and Eyes* link link

The Vichy Idealia range is one I've spoke about often and appears frequently in favourites posts. I love the Idealia range and it would have been promptly repurchased and back in my regime were it not for my testing other products.  

Paco Rabanne, Lady Million* link | Givenchy, Very Irresistible* link / Jimmy Choo, Jimmy Choo* link

Each of these perfumes were from The Fragrance Shops' Discovery Box and taken away to Edinburgh recently when I was battling hand luggage liquid restrictions. Lady Million is an old favourite that I knew would not let me down. Givenchy Very Irresistible is one I've had samples of in the past and do enjoy and the only one to not make much of an impression was Jimmy Choo's same named scent. I always err on the edge of caution with sample sizes and was able to be somewhat over zealous with spraying as I couldn't managed with just two but with them available why not treat myself to more. 

Biosculpture Gel Remover* link

Finally we have the Biosculpture Gel Remover, simply an acetone formula used to remove your Biosculpture Gel Manicure talked about in this post. Little to say other than it did its job at removing the nails as instructed.

What has made it's way into your rubbish pile this month?

*PR Sample

Don't forget to enter my US  drugstore beauty giveaway here

Biosculpture Nail Removal

Biosculpture Nails* link

I love a Biosculpture manicure but the removal of gel nails has to be up there as one of the worst parts of my beauty regime but removing the gel polish correctly is quite important.

The first experience I had with gel nails I must confess as they lifted I peeled away the polish which of course is not ideal as you are peeling away layers of the actual nail. As my nails are not the strongest due to years of acrylics and then of course the daily grind of applying nail polish taking the time to remove my gels properly is important.

When I had a biosculpture manicure last Summer I was giving a handy pack of all the tools I need to remove the gel properly at home. Included in the pack was files, hand cream, gel remover and bottles of cuticle oil and Vitamin E dose to treat the nail once the colour was removed.

Some cotton pads and tin foil finish off the requirements for a night on the sofa with my hands out of action. Of course the gel remover is simply an acetone formula and I find how quickly the process is depends much on the colour and time of when you remove the nails. 

I used this pack when removing a Gelish manicure last week and as I was wearing a dark purple shade it took slightly longer than my previous experience. Of course it's also quite fiddly if you're not ambedextrous as you try to wrap the foil around the nail (with an acetone soaked piece of cotton wool). I prefer to do one hand at a time so I can still tap away on my phone or laptop which prolongs the process but avoids becoming too impatient, removing the foils and having to aggressively scrape the remains rather than a gentle nudge with an orange stick.

I have found after two continuous gel applications my nails were possibly weaker than usual so I enjoyed giving them a break over the weekend from gels or nail polish but using the Biosculpture Lavender Base helped to give them a shine and treatment.

Having gel polish removed in salons can add extra time and money onto your appointments so I much prefer to do this job at home so a pack such as this is worthwhile - especially if it stops me from naughty picking.

Now it's time for you to 'fess up - do you peel or remove your gel manicure 'properly'?

Biosculpture Nail Polish Review

Biosculpture Nail Polish link

I don't know about you but I'm a fan of matchy matchy - that's the same colour manicure on my hands and feet. That can sometimes be a problem when I go for a gel manicure if I don't want to go for gels on my toes (if you do it's not going anywhere for a long time fyi). 

Biosculpture have come up with a solution if you want to match your colour without the need to have a gel pedicure, a range of nail polishes available to buy that match their gel shades. This is fantastic news for me. Even back in the days of having acrylic manicures I would bring my own polish so that I could ensure the colour of my toes were not slightly off to those on my hands.

Whilst your Biosculpture manicure is unlikely to go anywhere fast (you can read about my experiences here) sometimes you're unable to get to a salon quickly and a chip does occur so it's handy to have the corresponding colour polish on hand to touch up - perfect for holidays too.

I have a range of shades, the blue of which is a pretty good dupe for Barry M's Guava if you're interested and they come in petite bottles perfect for travel. It's possible that a brand famous for gel manicures may not excel in the nail polish stakes but I was pretty impressed with the formula. Two coats, maybe more for the darker shades was all that was needed and chipping was only experienced a few days later. 

Are you a fan of the matchy matchy look?