A nasty little ingredient - Sulfates/Sulphates

Today I wanted to talk to you about a nasty ingredient found in a lot of skin care and hair care products, Sulphates/Sulfates. I am no scientific expert and most of what I’ve research has come from googling, but basically Sulphates are detergents designed to ‘clean’. They are commonly found in personal care products such as shampoo, toothpaste and cleansers, they are what make products foam. Supposedly they are also used to clean car engines and household floors.  The problem with Sulphates is they can cause irritation to the most sensitive skins, if you don’t suffer from any skin conditions they probably don’t affect you. For quite some time I have suffered with a rash on my stomach, which I just assumed was heat rash, which it probably is. I’ve done lots of different things to help rid it, including prescribed ointment sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Recently I changed a few products that I’ve been applying to the area, and the condition got even worse, it spread!! I had also recently changed my shampoo, which I raved about recently.

And that got me thinking about what products are in the shampoo that could also be flaring up the area. Common ingredients in both the shampoos I use are Sulfates, in particular Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) the new shampoo also contains Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES).  I don’t know if it was a combination of all these products that made my skin flares up even more, but I’m going to assume it was. I also noticed that my scalp became a lot more itchy after using the new shampoo, and had little pimples on it!

I then went on to examine the rest of the products I use in the shower, my Purity Cleanser also contains Sulfates as does my Philosophy Shower Gel (which is fine I don’t use that on the area), but I was shocked to read that the Hopes Relief Goat’s Milk Shower Gel that I use for sensitive skin does actually contain Sulfates. I’ve done a quick google of this product and none of the websites I’ve found lists sulphate as an ingredient but it does have it written on the back, maybe they’ve changed the formula!

To help me combat my issue, I am cutting out sulphate products particularly shampoos. Luckily I had a backup of a sulphate free cleansing bar, which also a Hope’s Relief Product. So I have been able to use that. I also have a Natural Instinct Body Wash, which is Sulfate and Paraben free! Thanks to a Beauty Heaven Discovery bag. And luckily my Pure Fiji Shower Gels are also Sulfate free! I’ll be stocking up on those in the future (sigh of relief)!

As for shampoo, I’m going to be switching to the Organix range, specifically the Coconut Milk Shampoo as I have used this previously, and I also have a Moroccan Oil Cleansing Shampoo on the way from Ry. I’ll keep you posted on my progress and let you know if switching to Sulfate Free has helped calm my rash! 

Beautorium Haul

If you are a member of Beauty Heaven you’ll know they recently had their Beautorium, if you’re not a member this is where you can swap your member points for a variety of different products and you only pay for the shipping, which was $4.95! I recommend everyone join BH, not only do they run great competitions but the members on there give fabulous advice and recommendations, so you can read lots of reviews about different products, very helpful!

So today’s post is my haul from Beautorium. You get about 3 weeks to window shop, so you can build up the points you need and you can write lists of products you want to get. I had a lot of products written down, and I had about 1800 point to spend. Everyday a different category was opened; the main ones I was interested in were Skincare and BodyCare. 

Beautorium Products

I firstly got two lots of face wipes; I think these might have actually been under Makeup. I really wanted to try the Wotnot Wipes for Oily/Sensitive skin as I had previously tried some of the Wotnot wipes and loved them; I think they might have been the dry ones though. I have used these a lot since I received them, I quiet like the texture and how nice they leave my skin feeling, the smell is a bit too natural for me though. I also wanted to try the Kosmea Face Wipes, I had heard great things about these wipes and I don’t know where to get them locally so I took advantage of the Beautorium. I paid $4.95 postage for both of these products, I was going to wait until later in the week when the other categories were up to save money, but I decided not to be a tight arse and just spend the $4.95 in case they were gone by then.

So next up, I had been vigorously searching reviews of the BioElixia products to find out which ones had the most positive reviews and were likely to work. So I ended up getting the one for Cellulite, I haven’t used this yet as I’m currently using an L’Occitane Shaping cream I won. I’ll be getting into a routine with that so I can use it up and try the Bioelixia one. And just to use up some more of my points, I was really interested in a lip crayon, I didn’t have enough points for the Clinique Chubby Stick, and so I went for the Face of Australia Sheer Lip gloss Crayon. I selected the cupcake shade and I have to say I love it! It’s definitely sheer, which is great for me, adds a delicate amount of colour.

FOA Sheer Lipgloss Crayon - Cupcake

BH are ever so kind enough to add a lot of samples to the orders, I felt a bit greedy as I had made two orders so I received two lots of samples! These included, Glameyes falsh lashes, Lapurete Cleanser and Night Crème, Lady Jane hair ties and Vagisile wash. I have already used the Lapurete products and love them, especially the Night Crème, it makes me not want to cleanse in the morning. I also love the hair ties! I’ll probably give away some of my extra products like the lashes and hair ties.

BH's Freebies

I’m so happy to be a part of BH and be rewarded for being a member! It’s such a great feeling! The Beautorium happens about twice a year, I skipped last years in November I think? As I had just signed up and didn’t have many points! So sign up now and start earning points for the next Beautorium! 

April Violet Box

I was very excited to see people had started receiving their April Violet Box, with the Easter break I expected it to arrive late next week. Before I get onto the contents, I have cancelled my subscription for Violet Box, and actually every other sub box I recieve. This is mainly because i'm due to get a huge prize from Beauty Heaven full of lots of goodies, so I thought i'd take a break from my boxes so I have room for these items.

This month's box is by far the best one I have ever received, and i'll definitely subscribe again in the future.

Let's see the contents!

Villainess Dulces En Fuego Whipped - Sample Size - A whipped body creme. Musky bitter chocolate sweetened with vanilla and touches of citrus then positively inflamed with black pepper and nutmeg. Sounds delicious and it is! Can't wait to try it!

Bioderma Crealine H20 - Sample Size - I already own the full size and love it. This smaller size will be perfect for my overnight bag!

Cedel Scented Hairsprays - Full Size $4.95 - I'm going to have to find a reason to use hairspray! This smells delicious! I received the Raspberry scent the other options were coconut and oriental blossom. I think I got the best option for me!

Be a Bombshell Eyeliner - Full size $19 - I would have liked to see another brand other than Be a Bombshell, but I have liked all their other products i've received! The shade I received was Espresso, a brown, which is good for me!

Teeez Trend Cosmetics Chain of Stones Lacquer - Full Size $15 - I love receiving polishes, especially in shades I wouldn't usually purchase. I received Pretty in Pyrite which is a lovely metallic gold. I think it will be great for the Christmas Festive Season!

Be a Bombshell eyeliner - Espresso

Teeze Cosmetics - Pretty in Pyrite

So happy with this box! What did you get this month?

NYX Products Haul

Finally NYX arrived at my local Target. You may have seen my post last month, where NYX sent me the gorgeous Butt Naked Palette as a gift for waiting so patiently! I didn't know it had even arrived in store yet, I hadn't seen anything on their Facebook page. I quickly ran over to find out what they had and what I wanted to purchase!

I knew one thing I was going to get, which was the Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee, I already own this but it has just recently started to run out! Perfect timing!

I already knew I wanted to try a primer, there wasn't too many options but i decided to go for the Shine Killer, as that seems to be the main problem I had. There was no prices listed on the products, so I was pretty shocked at the counter to find out their primers are $21.95, such a high price for a small product! I haven't tried it yet, but i'll be sure to report back!

Finally I decided I wanted to try an Eyebrow product, I don't currently use anything on my eyebrows but i'm always willing to try things out. So I went with the Cake Powder set, in Brunette. It comes with a spool brush, a small angled brush, two dark brown powder shades and a wax. I'm excited to try these out, once I figure out the order you're meant to apply the wax and powder!

That's my small NYX haul, i'll have a few more haul posts in the future. If you're a member of Beautyheaven you'll know they recently had their Beautorium where you can use your member points to buy products, So I have a haul to post about that. But I want to wait until I use the products a bit so I can write in-depthly about them. I also won a huge prize from Beautyheaven Glosscars, so keep you're eyes peeled to find out what I get!

April Favourites

I knew I’d be busy in the lead up to the end of April, as it’s during the Easter period, and mother’s day closely following. So I’m getting a head start on my favourite products for April, I’ll make this short and sweet.

John Frieda Volumising Shampoo & Root Booster Blow Dry Spray – These two products together have been a stand out for me this month. They have helped my hair go from dull and flat to volumising and soft!

I have also been really enjoying a new purchase, Bioderma Ceraline Make up remover (forgot to photograph that). This product has been great at removing my face make up and eye makeup before I cleanse.  I have noticed I’m not getting as many blemishes as usual, and the ones I had before using this product quickly disappeared.

I’m still really enjoying my L’Occitane Divine Cream – even though it is quite thick and I have previously whinged about my dislike of cream moisturisers, I have found that less is more! I don’t need much to cover my whole face and keep it well hydrated.

If you read my Hand and Nail Care post recently, this product will look familiar, the Evodia Mango and Pink Grapefruit hand cream. An absolute delight to use, I’m always applying this throughout the day!

And lastly, I haven’t posted about fragrances before I don’t think but these two are a stand out for me, one is budget friendly and the other is more on the higher end. Katy Perry Purr and Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. Obviously they are very different scents, and I like to wear Katy when I’m feeling fun and carefree. Coco I usually wear when it’s cold and I want some warming up, I feel the scents are very warming and I don’t usually wear this during summer.

What were your favourite products of April?

John Frieda Luxurious Volume

As some of you know I’ve been struggling for a while now with my hair, I’m never happy with it. It’s so fine that you literally can’t do anything with it, sure I can curl it but seriously who has time to do that every day! I’ve been using Goldwell Rich Repair to get my hair in a better condition so it looks healthier and feels healthier, so far that has worked really well. So now that it’s in a condition that I am happy with, I want to move on to the styling side of it.

Recently I discovered that John Frieda has a hair care range for fine hair, for those who want to add volume to their hair without the added weight some products cause. So for the past week or so I have been using the Luxurious Volume Shampoo and the Root Booster Blow Dry spray from this range. The shampoo on its own doesn’t really make a huge difference to me, but combined with the Blow Dry Spray, my hair is instantly boosted and doesn’t look or feel as flat and dull as usual! For best results I apply the spray to towel dried roots, I just section bits and spray. I then dry my hair as usual, usually with my hair upside down first and then upright, I have found best results using one of the concentrator nozzles on the hair dryer as well.

I have found that my scalp and hairline have got a bit more dry and itchy since using these products. So I think i'll alternate between these ones and my Goldwell one! Overall these Volumising products do a really great job of making me hair less flat and boring! I'd definitely recommend them for those who suffer from flat and fine hair like me!

Do you know any other stand out products that add life back into fine hair?

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss

For My birthday last year I received the Gossip Girl box set, I already had some of the seasons on DVD but there’s nothing like owning the whole collection is there? And this collection comes in a cute box with drawers for each season. It could be reused to house jewellery or of course cosmetics, but for now I use it for its purpose to house my GG collection.

I’ve been watching each season again and boy have I forgotten some of the things that happened, Blair and Dan?! That brings me to what this post is about, recently I watch the Episode where Blair marries Prince not-so Charming. I absolutely love her hair and makeup in this episode; it’s something I’d wear to my own wedding to be honest. Now I’ve been completely lusting over the lip-gloss she used in this episode, so I got on the google to find out what it was. Originally I assume it was a Chanel lip-gloss as most of Blair’s make up and skin care is Chanel, I was surprised and relieved to find out it was the much more affordable Revlon.

So today I’m going to share with you my first impressions of the Revlon Super Lustrous Lip-gloss in Pink Pop. When I researched this I was a little scared because the colour in the packaging looked like very hot pink! After looking at swatches I came to realise that it wasn’t as pigmented as the tube suggested, it is merely a blue based pink lip-gloss. So to show you what I mean I have taken a picture of my lips with just the gloss on, over the top of MAC Peach Blossom and Dior Diorkiss lipstick. Obviously it's more obvious over the top of the brighter lipstick. But still looks nice and subtle over the lighter lipstick shade. 

Revlon Super Lustrous Pink Pop

Revlon over Peach Blossom

Revlon over Diorkiss

The lip-gloss it’s self applies really easily, and it’s actually not as sticky as I expected it to be. Of course it doesn’t last that long if you’re drinking and eating, but the actual colour does stay on the lips for most of the day. It’s perfect for applying before going to work, going out and it’s easy to reapply during the day or night. I purchased this baby from Chemist Warehouse for about $18, the RRP: is $21. I think if you’re after a cheap blue based lip-gloss this is a perfect choice!

I’d love to know if anyone knows what lipstick Blair wears under the gloss though! Or have you tried any of the other shades in this range? 

Mini Quiches

As previously stated, i'm going to be adding some lifestyle posts into my blog. Today I bring you a simple delicious recipe for Mini Quiches. These are really simple to make, and take very little time. They are easy to quickly add to Kid's lunch boxes or your own, and they could be fancy enough you can take them to a dinner or lunch shindig. So let's see the ingredients.

5 slices of ham (I used the pre-packed coles brand ham slices)
4 large eggs
1/2 Cup of Milk (I use almond milk)
1/2 Cup of Gluten Free Flour (any plain flour will do)
3/4 Cup of grated cheese
6 Cherry Tomatoes cut in half
2 Cups of baby spinach
2 sheets of puff pastry
Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Firstly I cut out the pastry, I used a glass as a cutter and fitted them into a 12 case muffin tin. I also soaked the spinach in a bowl of hot water whilst I prepared the rest of the ingredients, this helps to wilt it down. Next you just literally add all the ingredients in a bowl and you mix it until it's all combined, then I added the spinach and lightly folded it through. I used a tablespoon to evenly distribute the mixture into the prepared pastry tins. You might need to redistribute the mixture around so that each case has a cherry tomato and an even amount of spinach. Then place the muffin tray into the oven and let it cook for 20min or until the top of the quiches are lightly brown. You can flip them over to make sure that the pastry is cooked well enough.

And that's how easy these cute quiches are to make! Obviously you can add your own ingredients to suit yourself.

Have you got any other easy to make recipes like these?

Autumn Fashion

The summer months are slowly disappearing and our cooler temperatures are appearing, in my state is particularly colder! So I thought i'd better start shopping for warmer clothes before the cold weather hits and I freeze my butt off. Obviously I have warm clothes from previous years, but i've either out grown them by style or by fit, so i did some searching and found some cool sites with some cool clothes. Before I get into the post and the clothes, I just wanted to add that i'll be trialling some different kinds of posts in the next few weeks. Instead of focusing on beauty related i'm going to broaden it to lifestyle, so obviously this includes fashion, but I also have some recipes posts I want to share as well! So i'd like to know your thoughts on those upcoming posts!

Now lets get to the Autumn clothes! Today's feature is two knit jumpers I purchased from Boohoo. This company is based in the UK and the price of the items are in Australia dollars, once you select your Country. The best part of this website is that international shipping is free! And the prices are really cheap!

I could have purchased so much off this site, but I didn't want to over do it and i'm trying to budget, so i picked two items. The first is a lovely stone coloured tunic jumper with a leafy pattern, Lola Leaf Ladder Jumper, I like these kinds of jumpers that are partly see through, you can wear it over a t-shirt, singlet or long sleeve top. This particular jumper looks great with black jeans! This was so cheap at $35. I was expecting the material to be like a thin mesh type of fabric, but it was actually a solid cotton that provides a surprising amount of warmth!

Next up is a super cute grey jumper with a lovely crochet feature on the shoulders and the back neck of the jumper. The Samantha Crochet Detail Slub Jumper, at the time of purchase the grey was on sale for $30 the other colours are $45, and again I was expecting a thin material but it's quite thick and looks really nice on. I haven't worn this out yet, only tried it on, but I think it will look really nice paired with some blue jeans.

Honestly, there were so many things on the site that I wanted to purchase, I had to restrain myself. It took 10 days for my items to arrive, which is record timing really. Another parcel from the UK arrived on the same day from eBay and I ordered that nearly a month ago! Super fast! I have heard some people have had problems with Boohoo sending the wrong items, luckily this didn't happen to me so I think its a case of luck of the draw.

Lightweight jumpers will definetly be a staple item for my this Autumn and Winter, mainly because you can layer them with items under and over them! What are some of your staple items for Autumn and Winter? How do you prepare for the colder months!

Hand and Nail Care

I was moisturising my hands on Friday afternoon, and I thought to myself, that's something I haven't blogged about, what products I use on my hands to keep them hydrated. Now that the cooler months are approaching, how heating goes up and our skin starts to get dehydrated, well mine does! Usually we focus on rehydrating our face and body, and often we forget our hands! So i'm going to tell you about three products that I really like at the moment that help my hands and nails to look their best.

I'll start with a cult favourite, L'Occitane She Butter Hand Cream ($12.00). This hand cream is really thick, a true cream like texture. It does absorb quite fast considering how thick it is, and it doesn't leave that yucky obviously feeling that you've got hand cream on. It's a handy size to carry in the handbag, I actually leave a tube in my desk at work. It doesn't have an overpowering scent, so you can apply it subtly. I find it's really useful in the dead of winter when my hands are really dry, I used it religiously the whole of last year and still have heaps left (pictured is a new tube as my backup).

A few months ago I decided I wanted a hand cream that smelt nice, L'Occitane no longer had the mango flower hand cream that I wanted, and the other scents were too 'floral' for me. I knew what I wanted, I wanted a scent that was citrusy! I went to my local Myer to see what they had, they stock MOR, Evodia, Molton Brown etc. A lot of the scents weren't what I was after, or they didn't have testers. I picked up a scent that appealed to me, Evodia Mango & Pink Grapefruit ($17.95), my two favourite fruits! It includes avocado, sweet almond and jojoba oils, both really hydrating! This hand cream is not as thick as the Shea Butter one, it's more of a thick lotion, it absorbs A LOT quicker, and the scent is amazing!! It doesn't provide as much hydration as the shea butter, but at the moment my hands don't need a lot as i'm using this more regularly and therefore my hands are staying more hydrated.

As I have started using Shellac on my nails more often, I realised that I need to keep my cuticles well hydrated as well, so they don't go dry and look horrible. On a trip to Priceline I sussed out my options I didn't want an actual oil, so the Cuticle Rehab by Sally Hansen ($16.95) seemed like a good option. A brush on oil, with Jasmine and Rose extracts along with Vitamin E. It is for really dry cuticles, but I figured if I used it at least one a week it would help my nails more than not using anything. So far it's really lovely, easy to use and my cuticles are in great shape!

What are your must have products for hand and nail care? I'd love to know.

Mini Priceline Haul

I haven’t posted a haul for a while, mainly because I’ve been limiting my spending. But today I bring you a small haul from Priceline. Priceline had 25% off Bioderma so I took the opportunity to try out the infamous Crealine H20 cleanser and make up remover. This receives really great reviews, but at $29.99 a pop it wasn’t something I was willing to try out yet, even with 25% off it came down to $22 which is still high, but I was willing to try it. I’ll be testing it out for the next few weeks and I’ll report on any differences I notice in my skin.

Now silly me, was expecting to purchase a few more items at the same time and use my pay back voucher which was just over $16, I forgot the voucher. So I went back the next day with the voucher and purchase a few more items. I bought two John Frieda hair products, the Luxurious Volume Touchably Full Shampoo and Luxurious Volume Root Booster Blow Dry Lotion. Hopefully these will help create some volume to my super flat and fine hair. From what I’ve researched this line is made for fine hair! (woo!).

 I also purchased the Models Prefer Brush cleaner, I was actually after the Artise ones, but they didn’t seem to have the nozzles attached to the bottles, so I went for these ones instead. I’ll continue to thoroughly wash my brushes once a week, but this cleaner will be helpful in-between uses, especially for foundation and concealer brushes.

Have you got any of these products? Does the Luxurious Volume range really creat volume to fine hair? Let me know your thoughts! 

Wantable Intimates - April 2014

I got a bit over all the different beauty boxes, so I decided to step outside the square again and purchase a non-beauty related box. You might have seen my most recent post on Monstrisitea, a tea subscription box well I discovered a box that relates to another favourite thing of mine, intimates. 

Today I bring you the Wantable Intimates box. This is by far one of the best boxes, you get to create a profile indicating items you love, like and dislike. The best bit? They actually pack your box according to your profile! You will never get items you dislike! You select your size for the different items offered, so I selected Large for panties, as I’d prefer them to be too big than too small. Medium for camis and sleepwear etc. and my shoe size which is EU39/AU9.

The subscription is $36 if you subscribe monthly or $40 for a one off box, plus $10 for shipping to Australia. It took nearly a month to arrive from when I first purchased, hopefully the next box will be a little faster!

So here it shows what items I selected in my profile, and you can go on and change this before the next box is sent if there is something you don’t like. So for me, I went and changed my profile and put that I dislike shape wear and I now like socks (it’s getting cold here my feet need warming up!).

Let’s see what I got, in total there were 4 items, and one particular item was around the same cost as the box.

Betsey Johnson Think Pink Tee (M)- This is a super cute tee, bright pink with little diamantes this is worth $39.99US

Betsey Johnson Panty Bikini Stretch Mesh Purple (L)– This is really cute, fun colours with a cute butterfly. Retails for $12US

Whimsy by Luniare Hipster Multi (L) – A really cute pair of panties, a lovely soft color and they feel really nice. $15US

Icy Hot - Seamless Racer back Camisole Nude (M) – this is a cool idea, but I’m not sure when I’d wear it. This is why I changed shape wear to a dislike item. This retails for $17.99US

Overall I really enjoyed this fun box! It’s a change from the typical beauty boxes and I think I’ll stay on for a few more months. $46 is a bit expensive, but it does have a lot more value than that in the actual box.

Wantable also offer an accessories box and a beauty box! 

MonstrosiTEA Subscription Box

I'm really excited to share this post with you, some of you may have already seen my pictures on Instagram but today i'm here to share with you a non-beauty related subscription box. MonstrosiTEA! A tea Subscription box, this box is really cheap for a subscription box $15 per month and for a tea lover like me it's definitely useful! Let me give you a run down on how the box works, like other sub boxes you pay monthly for a box of samples, in this case you get 4-5 samples of different teas. The sachets are pretty decent sized, and will give you at least 6 cups of tea! Most of the teas only require a teaspoon in boiled water, they give you a list of the tea brands and the tea type, how to brew them and the sachets are numbered accordingly.

Let me tell you the teas I received:

1. Monstrositea - Vanilla Rooibos - has a light earthy, fruity flavour which goes beautifully with vanilla. Can be served with milk and sugar.

2. Tea Leaves - Almond and Vanilla - Supposedly tastes like marzipan (i've never tried that before) a blend of China and Ceylon teas, almond oil and chopped vanilla bean. Can be served with milk and sugar.

3. Truly Tea - Scrumptious - Fig bits, caramel bits, hazelnut brittle, rosemary, rose buds and rose blossom leaves. Served black or with milk.

4. High Himalayan Tea Traders - Special Himalaya Organic Herbal Tulsi - An antioxidant rich tea with Tulsi, a close relative of sweet basil. Doesn't suggest how to serve it, i'd assume black.

The teas are delievered in a cute little tin which i think will be very handy, i'll be able to store my teas at work. As soon as I opened them I knew I had to try one straight away so I decided on number 2, the Almond and Vanilla one. I have a lot of loose leaf tea so i've already invested in mesh tea bags from T2, so i used one of these with a teaspoon of the tea. I did as it suggested and tried this with sugar and milk (i had almond milk). This tea is really delicious, not very over powering and lovely and sweet. I can't describe what it tasted like but it was like an almond/vanilla sweet, i guess what i'd assume marzipan tastes like.

I can't wait to try the other teas, and I look forward to the next box! Have you subscribed to this box or any non beauty boxes?
I'd like to thank Sarah from More Than Adored for bringing this lovely box to my attention, although it was a long wait from when I first made my payment it was worth it!

March Favourites

April has already arrived, so I thought I’d do a March favourites list it just took me a few days to work out what products I really like at the moment. A few of them are new ones that I haven’t mentioned before, so here goes.

Skincare – Loccitaine Divine Cream – I won a gift pack from Loccitane that included this in it, it’s worth $145! I really like it, I don’t need to apply too much and my skin is feeling really nice, tight and well hydrated. I’ve noticed a significant improvement to my skin lately, and I attribute it to the latest skin care products I’ve come across. 

This leads me on to two Dermalogica products that I love – The Precleanse and Daily Microfoliant! The pre cleanse is an oil based cleanser that you apply with no water to your face and then rinse and follow your usual routine.  I thought the idea of a pre cleanse was ridiculous another product and more money for the industry. I love pre cleansing; it does a great job at removing my makeup especially my mascara! The full size of this is pretty dear, but I might consider a cheaper oil based cleanser for this job. 

The Daily Microfoliant is a powder that you add a little bit of water to and turn it into a paste, I really like using this after my morning shower to give myself an extra cleanse and help to remove extra dry skin. My skin has really improved since using both of these products! 

In the shower I’m currently using the Philosophy Purity 3 in 1 cleanser. I really like this because it’s more of a liquid cleanser than a cream one, it doesn’t foam up too much which is good because it doesn’t dry out my skin. It does the job well and I really like using it.

My hair has felt a lot smoother since using the Tangle Teezer, they say not to brush your hair whilst it’s wet but if I brush it after it’s dry it’s a complete mess. The Tangle Teezer is gentle enough that you can use it on wet hair! Works really well and I love it!

My new obsession is Pure Fiji! I love their moisturisers and their shower gels! I have some travel sizes that I carry in my overnight bag, but I’ve also started using the mango one on normal days but just on my arms and chest so it lasts longer! The scent lingers for hours, at least 4 hours after applying it I can still smell it! I can’t wait to buy the full size ones! 

March Lust Have It!

My March box literally arrived on the last day of March, this was really disappointing for me and was the reason I chose to cancel my LHI box. Whilst I have really enjoyed my boxes, I just don’t feel that LHI are as organised with their subscriptions as other boxes. I’ve chosen to stick with Violet Box, mainly because I know their subscription list is a lot smaller as they aren’t as old as LHI. So I don’t know if this will be my last box from LHI, I have cancelled but obviously they might not respond until they take out the next payment, so let’s review what I received this month.

Firstly, this month’s box was not in a box it was loosely wrapped in bubble wrap. Which I guess is why the samples were small in size.

Bloom Concealer Kit Full Size – I was so relieved to get this product, mainly because I knew the options were this and an eyeliner, I don’t need another eyeliner! The disappointing part to this, is that the shade is medium/dark, sorry LHI but that doesn’t suit everyone. At least I’ll be able to use the green shades etc. 

Klara cosmetics Kiss Proof Lips #04 – Deluxe Sample – I wasn’t overly impressed with this, mainly because it’s a shade I would not wear. I will probably give it away to one of my friends! People seem to rave about this particular product though!

Chapstick Strawberry- Full size – I love lip products, but I have so many that it’s just over following! But I love the fact this is strawberry and I could smell it when I opened the bubble wrap.

Aveda Hydrating Masque – Sample Size – At first I thought this was a mask for the hair, but upon reading other people’s reviews and not reading the leaflet, this is actually a face mask! Hydrates and cools the skin, I might save this for days when my skin flares up. But at the moment I’m pretty happy with my skin care routine and my skin is looking great!

Orly Nail Lacquer – Deluxe sample – I was very excited about this product, I love the colour and I just love nail products! Can’t wait to use it!

Recoverlyte powder – This is supposed to be similar to Hydralyte etc, for recovery after a hard night out. I don’t really need this, I don’t go out much anymore and I have a selection of Hydralyte to choose from. Just a lame add to the box that didn’t really need to be there, I would have preferred a sachet of skincare to be honest.

March Empties

It has been quite awhile since i've done an empties post and I was recently cleaning my bathroom and realised my empties bin was over following. So today I bring you my latest empty products, some are actually not completely finished but they have passed their expiry date.

I'll start with my make up products. Here we have the Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara, if you have seen my Mascara Review Series, you will know this is my favourite mascara! I obviously have replaced this but i'm back to using the non waterproof version. Would I repurchase? Of course! Have done many times!

We also have the Bobbi Brown Everything Mascara, I received this when I purchased a few product off their website and this was free. There is nothing overly special about this mascara but it was great for when I was travelling overseas as it didn't take up much room in my beauty bag. Would I repurchase? Probably not, I love my Chanel.

Next up is the MAC Mineralize Moisture Gel, I finished this quite awhile ago and it was my staple moisturiser for quite awhile but I wanted to sample some different brands. Would I repurchase? Most likely again one day, this was about the 3rd one I had bought.

The eyeliner is Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in black. This was a really awesome eyeliner and I  had repurchased it a few times, but I wanted to try some new brands. Would I repurchase? Probably not now that i've discovered Maybelline Master Precise.

Next up we have some random products, first up is the Toni and Guy Cleanse Shampoo for fine hair. This was a great shampoo perfect for my fine hair and it lathered up really well. Would I repurchase? Yes, when I've finished my current products.

I have added some mouth wash products in here, Colgate Plax Ice and Listerine Zero. I didn't like the Ice one, far too strong and the taste was gross. The Zero one tasted much better and I like the fact it has zero alcohol. Would I repurchase? Yes to Listerine, no to Colgate. 

I also added in a Victoria Secret Shower Gel, this was really lovely smelt delicious, but that's about it. Doesn't have much moisturising properties and I actually couldn't get through the last bit of it. Would I repurchase? Probably not. 

Next up we have some skin care products, mostly samples. I have the Kora Organics Soothing Day and Night cream, this actually still has product in it, but the expiry date was March 2014. Being an organic product I didn't want to risk using it, but it was a nice product when I used it, I just got a bit over it and I prefer a gel texture. Would I repurchase? Probably not. 

One of the sample products is a set of Eslor skincare, I have the cleanser there and not pictured is the Exfoliating scrub. The cleanser was ok, nothing too exciting for me and not enough to really experience the benefits. I really liked the scrub though, I thought it was amazing and I have since purchased the full size. Would I repurchase? Obviously yes to the scrub, no to the cleanser.

There are two sets of face wipes featured, Simple Face Wipes and Wot Not. I have purchased the Simple ones about 50 times and the Wotnot ones came in a beauty box. I really liked the Wotnot wipes they were super soft and worked well to remove my makeup before cleanser. I'd probably repurchase those over the Simple ones. 

Lastly, we have the Johnsons pure cotton wipes. These do the job well, they don't leave fluff everywhere and don't fall apart. Would I repurchase? Yes. 

There you have my latest empties! I look forward to finishing more products and sharing my thoughts with you.