Products I Used Up | June 2017

No, it's not a typo these are last months empties and very soon you'll have this months and a flurry of empties posts since I found a whole bag filled with my 'beauty trash' of products I've yet photographed and shared with you. If in any doubt my mission to work through the products I have before repurchasing is going well.

First we step into the bathroom and finally I have finished my Champney's Citrus Blush Shower Mousse*. I say finally only because I feel like I have been using this product, admittedly off and on, for years! This is a product I would repurchase and it's perfect for this time of year and unlike any product I've used before. If you're bored of the usual gels, then I'd say give this a try for a more luxurious shower companion. 

When I first started using wash products for 'the intimate area' I thought it would be too much bother swapping between that and a regular shower gel but it's become something I don't even realise I'm doing now. Soft & Gentle Daily Wash* is less intrusive than the more well known offering Femfresh in large part because it's less 'obvious' in the bathroom. If you're a little shy about these matters then this is the product to use. I would repurchase, although it was Femfresh I did this month only because it was on offer and cheaper.

Another month, another stick of Sure Maximum Protection and this month a small mini that I have been carrying around in my handbag to ensure that I'm not 'that commuter' on the London Underground. I think we know the answer is a resounding yes to repurchasing.

As I had a spring clean of my bathroom I was amazed how much shampoo and conditioner I had in half used states so it's been my mission to ensure that they make there way to these posts. Last month it was TIGI S Factor that I finally said goodbye to. You can read my original review of the range to find out more but the only reason I wouldn't repurchase is the packaging - no one wants to fight with a shampoo morning when they just get out of bed.

I've moved onto salt sprays in recent weeks but prior to that I was using Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion Texture Spray*. This is more subtle than a salt spray but still adds some texture and better suited to cooler weather if hair is already a little dry and brittle. You can read my review of the Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion range here. 

I've found that since returning to work I'm more active in applying hand cream once again and one I have used is Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate. This style of tube is one of my favorites as it's both small without lacking on product. I loved the scent of this as it was sweet and perfect for the Summer without being overpowering. 

The first three products that I used up last month you will note from my St Lucia Skincare regime and they are favourites. Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic is a long term favourite and I absolutely love it in the spritzer version. Again I'm trying to use the toners that still sit in my stash but I will certainly repurchase again in the future. Liz Earle Eyebright I'm not so sure about repurchasing. I do love it, it's fantastic when eyes are particularly suffering due to hayfever but it's a product I forget to reach for or think about it so it goes a little unloved. I think I'll see whether it's missed.

A product that is missed is the B. Effective Stubborn Make Up Remover*. I thought this was just a nice product and happily returned to the Garnier Micellar Water once it was used up but I'm not enjoying it so much and missing the former.  The B. Make Up Remover is a bi-phase solution and I find it gentler on my eyes which is what I use micellar waters and the like for. I'll definitely be repurchasing this again in the future.

Ren Glycolactic Mask I have little to say about unfortunately as I think it sat on my shelf too long and when I have attempted to use it the smell is a little off so into the bin it goes. Let me know if you've used before and whether it's something I need to seek out in the future.

Janjira Illuminating Day Cream* is a product from the stash sitting half used that needed to be used up. The packing for this product is sleek and lux and I like the pump dispenser to avoid product finding it's way under my nails. It's a nice light moisturiser to use in the warmer months when my skin is oiler and sits at a mid range price point of £24 I would think about repurchasing if there wasn't so many other offerings on the high street that I'm keen to try. Or more importantly a basket filled with moisturisers I need to use up first.

Finally is Perricone Md Blue Plasma Cleansing Treatment which I used as a second cleanse. This was an interesting product to use as my second cleanse as it's not one you use to wash off and it's somewhere between a liquid and gel that is nice to apply but I think I prefer my wash products and certainly those which aren't so expensive.

I was gutted when my travel sized Mac Fix+ came to an end and I had hoped to refill from my larger bottle but the cap has beaten me. For now I've got a couple of other fixing sprays I'd like to use first but I will be repurchasing soon as I love having this in my handbag to freshen up make up if I'm heading out after work.

As part of my declutter process I'm trying to be more diligent at discarding mascaras when they have been in use for some months and it's been a success. I don't wish to tempt fate but I've not had what was a sporadic but frequent eye infection since I've been adopting this tactic. Last months mascara empties were two from Chanel, the Le Volume Mascara and the L'Oreal Superstar. Interestingly I had the smaller travel sizes of the Chanel Le Volume and loved it but once I'd purchased full size I was less impressed and actually found it disappointing and with fall out. The L'Oreal Superstar Mascara I enjoyed and would repurchase but mindful of it's something of a faff applying the primer first and it's quite large and bulky packaging for a mascara.

Wet n Wild Illumi-Naughty Highlighting and Concealing Pen is a great concealer perfect for the better days when you've had a good nights sleep, or at least want to fake having had one. It's not a must have in that I would seek it out from a UK seller but if I come across it when I'm in the US later this year I'm sure I'll throw one into my basket.

Finally a perfume that I enjoyed but didn't love, YSL Black Opium. It's a strong heady scent with a slight sweetness so it's perfect for Summer evenings.

What products have you been using up recently?

*this post contains press samples and / or affiliate links

Beauty Picks for Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day in the UK and I'm sure we're all looking forward to spoiling our mum's with a few gifts. As is customary in blogging circles here's a rundown of one or two of my suggestions you might want to pick up for your mum if you're planning on shopping today.

Years ago I myself would have turned up my nose a little at hand or foot creams as gifts, now, hand cream especially is one of my favourite things to receive. I could literally put together a post of my favourite offerings across all budgets but Crabtree and Evelyn and Soap & Glory are good places to start.

These handy size tubes from Crabtree and Evelyn are only £5 and available in your local Waitrose and can be added to a box of chocolates or bouquet of flowers for an extra touch. Currently I'm favouring the Pomegranate scent but there are plenty to choice from.

Heading to Boots there is of course a wealth of gifts for you to choose from. Does your mum like sweet scents and fun packaging then Soap and Glory have you covered across the board. You already know my bathroom is stocked up their range of body scrubs but in my bedside draw you'll find a tube of Heel Genius which I pop on my feet at bedtime.

Another brand I'm a huge fan of is Roger and Gallet, they too have some handy sized hand creams, and try anything from the Fleur de Figuier range - its an amazing scent and included in the new body balms I spoke on in a post earlier this week. I've tried shower gels and body lotions and not one product has let me down yet. Track the range down in your favourite Marks and Spencer beauty hall.

My mum enjoys make up and is a fan of using her hands for applying make up but she has been musing lately about getting herself 'some nice brushes'. Perhaps I could help her our but gifting her the Zoeva Rose Gold Brush Set*. I've recently had a chance to try one or two brushes from the Zoeva range and found them to be exceptional despite their lower price tag. They are comparable to Real Techniques both in price and quality and dare I say look a little more attractive sitting on the dressing table.

As you know I'm not a fan of rose scented products but many are. There have been one or two rose scents that I have enjoyed this year, none more surprising than Liz Earle Botanical Essence No 20*. This was created to celebrated Liz Earle's 20th anniversary and I was expecting to think 'very nice but not for me'. Instead I was met with a sophisticated scent of rose that didn't make me wrinkle my nose up.

Another rose product I've found myself enjoying recently is Pixi Beauty Rose Oil Blend*. One of the more affordable serum's around with pleasing packaging that is very 'instagram worthy'. The Rose Oil Blend will help provide all those things mature skins want; luminosity, rejuvenation and radiance. Along with the scent of rose geranium oils there's sweet almond, jojoba and others which make this something I'm enjoying. If your worries are dehydrated, dull or sagging skin then this is the moisture you or your mum might need.

MonuSpa Rosewood Reviving Mist* has been a saviour for me this week whilst being unwell this week. With a changing temperature and moving from the cold outside to stuffy and warm a refreshing mist has been just the thing to keep me going through the day. It has a zesty fragrance which provides the perfect pick me up and would be great for any mum's that enjoy their sports of travel a lot and like to have a hit of moisture when needed.

Another skincare treat for mums who like their products to be multi-tasking is Weleda Almond Oil*. Whether you want to use this as a facial treatment for sensitive skin, eye make up remover or on dry cuticles you can use this nourishing treatment as you see fit. I have mine sitting in my bedside table so that I can reach for it when I need it.

My final shout out goes to Champneys who you may remember recently went under a huge rebranding.  Maybe you want to plan a spa trip for you and your mum or just simply allow her to have the experience at home now you can pick from any of their easily identified ranges such as Heavenly Days or Summer Dreams. My top pick for any new mums is Champney's Heavenly Days Sleep Pillow Mist* with lavender, geranium and chamomile create a soothing aroma that you simply spritz over bed linen and allow yourself to settle for a perfect nights sleep.

Are you giving your mum any beauty products tomorrow?

*this post contains press samples

Products that didn't work for me #1

It stands to reason that in the course of buying, testing and using all manner of beauty products that some things just won't work for me even though they do for someone else. I'm lucky that I don't have sensitive skin so I rarely suffer from any bad reactions and there's such variety of products that if one doesn't work there's another that will and life's just too short to use something that I don't enjoy using. Here are a few things that have been passed on to friends and family as they have no place in my routine.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer link

The Elasticizer is such a cult product that it's sold in supersize bottles on QVC and the majority of people have great things to say about it. I may have got to grips with my skincare regime but hair is something I'm still struggling with. I picked up this tube from Marks & Spencer's beauty hall months ago and expected great things and I was sorely disappointed. I used as a treatment, tried leaving overnight but nothing worked for me. There was either little difference to my hair or it looked work. Let me tell you I was annoyed, this is not a cheap product and worse free samples were given out with a magazine about a week after I'd purchased it. This has now gone on to my friend who loves and uses this product so don't let my bad experiences sway you but beware it won't work for all.

L'Occitane Lavande Lavender Hand Cream link

I love hand cream, especially those from L'Occitane but not in this instance. I loved the idea of a relaxing bath with my Ragdale Hall Bath Essence (read about that here), climbing into bed and applying soothing hand cream and falling into a deep slumber but I just couldn't bear the scent of this. I don't mind a little lavender in my products but in this case it was just too overwhelming and I found it distracting. In a world with so many hand creams on offer despite persevering I had to add this to the 'bin it' pile.

No 7 Pore Vacuum Mask link

I reviewed this mask in my 'What to buy with No 7 vouchers posts' here so I won't repeat myself too much but in short this mask is messy, hard to remove and generally an unpleasant experience. I used twice in the spirit of thorough testing but wouldn't put my skin through any more. 

Crabtree & Evelyn Gardners Hand Therapy link

I was given a gift set containing four Crabtree & Evelyn hand creams and loved them all, apart from the Gardners Hand Therapy. The formula itself is lovely but the scent described as 'herbaceous freshness of green clover, sage, thyme and rosemary' it's no surprise the smell didn't appeal. It literally smelt like a garden on my hands and I'm certainly not green fingered.

Clinque High Impact Mascara link

I received Clinque's High Impact Mascara with a bonus time collection and simply I suffer from fall out with it. By lunchtime my mascara is sitting under my eyes and that is not a good look for anyone. I have an abundance of mascara's in my drawer that the results just weren't worth putting up with tidying up throughout the day

Revlon Lash Potion link 

I picked up this mascara when I was in Las Vegas last year and was completely led by it's attractive packaging and tag line 'for spellbinding volume and supernatural length' - I'm a marketers dream. I didn't have high expectations for it's 'potion' which strengthens lashes that was just an added extra and I can't comment on them further as I didn't use it for any length of time. What did disappoint was it promised to 'magically transform' lashes to be long and lustrous which I didn't find at all. It was what I'd refer to as a day mascara, you know the ones, it makes lashes look nice and prominent but certainly not anything special and I wouldn't reach for it on a night out. I would've maintained using this mascara if it hadn't been like Clinque's offering about the fall out. I can forgive a product if the look is right but in this instance it was out of the make up bag for me. I've since seen one or two reviews that this works better once it's started to dry out but the impatient soul I am, I have no time for that when there are bigger and better mascara's to use.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer link

And we end on possibly the most disappointing of all, Laura Mercier's highly spoke of foundation primer. This was one of those products I first brought when I entered into the beauty blogging world. Every blogger and YouTuber was talking about this in favourites, I was new to Laura Mercier, loved a wonder product that would mean minimal effort from me to touch up my make up throughout the day so I added a tube of this to my shopping basket. Firstly I wish I'd researched more as I would've gone for the smaller, cheaper tube I didn't know existed. I'm not a fan of the formula of this as I found it quite heavy and sticky when applying. I always apply my primer well in advance of my foundation to allow it time to sink in but this always felt like it needed extra time. I also didn't see any longevity with my make up after using this and as I'm not a big primer user I needed to see something positive to add the extra step into my routines. I've recently been testing my primers for a post to come next week and gave this another whirl and it's just not for me compared to others I own.

So there you have it, some surprising and disappointing products in that list which I'm sure some of you will say 'but I love that' and other's I hope I'm not alone with. Let me know any of your experiences with these products or anything I should stay away from.