Product Empties September & October 2015

Beauty Product Empties Oct 2015

The Body Shop Vitamin C Face Mist

I love using face mists and think they’re a great way of keeping your skin hydrated and feeling refreshed. This Vitamin C one from The Body Shop leaves my skin looking radiant and it has such a zesty uplifting scent. This is a great face mist for the warmer months. I also think its such a great affordable option. This bottle lasted me months and I will be repurchasing this for sure

Roger & Gallet Fleur de Figuier EDP*

I get so many compliments when I wear this perfume and I think its such a gorgeous luxurious scent. Its quite a sweet fig scent and it wears a really long time on me. I have written a full review of it here if you’d like to know a little more about it. I would repurchase this again in a heartbeat.

Olivine Atelier Love + Roses Beauty Mist

Another mist but this one is more multi functional and is somewhat of a cult product. I loved everything about it, from the Pinterest pleasing packaging to the huge list of ways it can be used and of course all the beauty benefits too! This isn’t just a run of the mill face spray Olivine Atelier have included lots of ingredients that will help hydrate, soothe and combat the signs of aging, if you want to know more then pop over & read my review. I have another bottle of this and I don’t think I will ever be without it. I am also pleased to say Love + Roses is 100% natural, vegan, cruelty-free, eco-friendly (the glass bottles are reusable and recyclable) and made in small batches with love in the Pacific Northwest.

Beauty Product Empties Sept 2015

Merumaya Iconic Youth Serum*

If you have read my blog for a while you will know all about my love for the British Skincare brand Merumaya – unrivalled skincare at affordable prices (honestly they’re that good). Their Iconic Youth Serum is one of my favourite products from their ever growing range, I like how nourishing this is & it instantly makes my skin my skin feel velvety soft. This serum has an exclusive complex of 10 clinically tested, active ingredients all used in full concentration, its such an incredible product and my skin has never looked more radiant. I’m sad this has run out & I will be placing an order before Christmas so will get another tube then.

Giorgio Armani Fragrance Si

This is one of my all time favourite perfumes. It has notes of Vanilla, Blackcurrant, Rose de Mai and Patchouli and base notes of blond amber which give it a sophisticated musky scent. When you initially spray this you can smell the Vanilla which gives it a sweet scent but it calms down to reveal a chic musky scent which lingers all day. I always treat myself to a bottle from duty free so lets hope I jet off somewhere soon so I can restock.

Laidbare Pack Your Bags Eye Cream

I’m addicted to trying eye cream & this one was spotted whilst buying healthy snacks in Holland & Barratt. I would describe it as quite a thick cream but it does absorb quickly and leaves my under eye area feeling smooth, soft and hydrated. I wouldn’t say it got rid of my bags but I did like it as an eye cream. It contains Buckwheat wax which helps reduce puffiness and dark circles and Shea butter which is great at hydrating. Its pretty affordable & I would use it again.

Beauty Product Empties Oct 2015

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I have repurchased this so many times & I like it, its as simple as that. I use it most days and a 400ml bottle lasts a couple of months. I do buy this in Savers and thats where I have found it cheapest. There are so many micellar waters on the market now & this is up there with the best I have tried and its easy to get hold of and affordable. So ticks all the boxes for me.

Origins Super Spot Remover

Oh this little product is my go to treatment for angry blemishes. I put a layer of the gel over the spot and let it work its magic. I like that its instantly cooling on the skin and you can feel it working right away. I think it really helps calm and treat the area and stops blemishes from becoming too sore & angry. It always helps heal them faster too.  This bottle might be small but the contents are pretty mighty & last a heck of a long time. I have just opened a fresh bottle which is always satisfying so I’m ready to combat and angry blemishes!

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara*

This has been my favourite Benefit Mascara, I love that it lengthens my lashes without looking spidery and it doesn’t clump but it makes your lashes look thick and full and it really does hold a curl. The packaging is super cute too. I’m hoping to have a tube of this in my stocking this year, so fingers crossed.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015

InStyle Magazines Best Beauty Buys of 2015

InStyle Magazine this year have partnered with John Lewis to announce their Best Beauty Buys of 2015. Judged by a panel of 105 industry experts, which included Liz Earl, Leighton Denny, Charlotte Tilbury and Philip Kinglsey. This extensive panel of experts know the ins & outs of all things beauty and most importantly know what is worth spending your hard earned money on. So these awards are a great way of showcasing the products that really work and it gives us all a beauty bible to the best products on the market today.

The InStyle Best Beauty Buys of 2015 are split into four categories including skin, makeup, body and hair so it covers all bases. There are so many wonderful brands and products amongst this years winners. A few brands I know & love but also one or two that I have never tried anything from, so I have enjoyed reading about all the winning products & have made a mental note of a few that I am eager to try.

Instyle Best Beauty Buys 2015

John Lewis were kind enough to send me a selection this years InStyle Best Beauty Buys so I can put them to the test & see if I think they’re worth their crowns. My hamper included these 13 award winning products,

Origins Super Spot Remover* – BEST SPOT TREATMENT 

Origins No Puffery Cooling Roll on for Puffy Eyes* – BEST EYE DE PUFFER 

Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector* – BEST AGE SPOT TREATMENT

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector* – BEST FOR DARK CIRCLES

Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask* – BEST HYDRATING MASK

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant* – BEST FACIAL EXFOLIATOR

Organic Pharmacy Discovery / Travel KitBEST ECO / ORGANIC RANGE 

Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil* – BEST BODY OIL 

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash– BEST SHOWER GEL

Lancome Hypnose Mascara*BEST MASCARA

Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder* – BEST BRONZER

bareMinerals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder* – BEST MINERAL BASE

Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Primer* – BEST PRIMER

InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 Winners

I simply can’t wait to try the beautiful Guerlain Bronzer, even the packaging is stunning. The Organic Pharmacy is also a brand I’m looking for trying for the first time. Keep your eyes peeled for reviews of all these products over the next few weeks & please let me know if you’ve used any of the products in this post & if you think they deserve their awards.

So thats a brief look at a fraction of the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 winners that were in my hamper. As I said there were 104 awards handed out, to see the full list pick up the March issue of InStyle magazine or visit www.instyle.co.uk

You can also download the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 for 79p

*Thank you to John Lewis who kindly sent this selection of winning products from the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015.

Blemish Free Skin

Favourite Blemish Products

We all get blemishes / spots and I thought I would share with you 6 of my favourite products for preventing & treating my breakouts. Let me know what you like to use and if you have any product recommendations, or if we share any of the same favourite products for keeping those blemishes at bay!

Origins Super Spot Remover £15.00

This spot treatment gel is instantly cooling on the skin and you can feel it working right away. It can sting a little but I find that only lasts a few seconds. As this is a targeted treatment you only need to put it on the area where you feel a blemish coming or if you have a blemish thats already erupted. I don’t suffer too badly with breakouts but when I do I pop this on anytime of day and it instantly helps calm and treat the area. It stops blemishes from becoming too sore & angry and helps them clear up much faster too.  This bottle might be small but the contents are pretty mighty & I don’t know how I’ve lived without it.

Murad Exfoliating Blemish Treatment Gel

This Murad Gel is quite like the Origins Super Spot Remover in that it is a targeted blemish treatment. This has really calmed my breakouts and it helps reduce the redness and size of blemishes. I use it morning and night when I have a breakout. You just massage this in to the area where you have blemishes or are prone to blemishes. Its quite thin in consistency & isn’t sticky at all on the skin. I find this Murad Blemish Treatment better for treating larger areas and I keep the Origins Spot Treatment to put on single blemishes.

ESPA Essential Cleansing Mask £28.00

This is a lovely soothing Mask, when I use this I put a few drops of my ESPA Pro Serum underneath just so my skin doesn’t dry out & to add a little boost of something extra. This dries like a standard clay mask and leaves my skin feeling very clean, but not stripped at all. I use this at night so when I wake in the morning my skin is looking calm & radiant. This mask is very good at helping with decongested skin too & I find that my skin gets quite decongested in the summer with all the facial SPF so its nice to use a cleansing face mask. The packaging of ESPA products is as luxurious as the skincare inside, this is a lovely glass jar & the lid is so pretty it looks like marble

Favourite blemish products

La Roche Posay Serozinc Spray* £8.50

There is a lot of hype that surrounds this product & I was so excited to get my hands on a bottle a few weeks ago. I have never been so excited to try a product. So this is a new release in to the UK from La Roche Posay (its been a cult product in France for many years) & now available on Escentual.com. This is a toner that’s great for calming irritated skin, soothing blemishes and preventing breakouts. You can spray the fine mist either directly on to your face after cleansing or you can spray it on to a cotton pad and sweep over the face. Either technique works well.

This product contains only 3 ingredients – zinc sulphate, astringent sodium chloride and thermal water. Together these three ingredients target blemishes, marks and excess oiliness, ensuring your complexion feels fresh and comfortable at any time of day. I like that this has so few ingredients and that they all have a purpose. This face mist is antibacterial, blemish busting, sebum reducing and I have been spraying this morning & night. I find it cooling and the mist is just perfect for lightly covering your skin & not soaking it. It does help control my oil as well as keep blemishes as bay. If you haven’t already then you need to add this to your skincare regime. Its been a welcome addition to my routine.

Nip & Fab Deep Cleansing Fix £7.95

This is quite a thick cream but it’s easy to massage in to the skin as a cleanser or smooth over the skin as a mask. It contains sweet almond oil which nourishes and smoothes whilst the tea tree oil cleanses pores. So your skin will feel clean and look bright. For the price this is a cleanser you should have in your arsenal for those days when you’re skin feels decongested, dull or you need some thing that packs a punch to help those blemishes heal quicker. Did I mention how huge this tub is?! 300ml is bigger than most body products so this tub will be with you for a very long time. Which is good news for the bank balance.

Anatomicals World Pore 3* £7.00

Anatomicals is a beauty brand with a fun attitude, their products have the best tongue in cheek packaging but don’t let that fool you into thinking their products are gimmicky because they’re not. I don’t often get blackheads but I do use pore strips on my nose & chin just to keep the few I get in check. These ones from Anatomicals do the job well, they are super sticky so if you have any peace fuzz expect it to take that with it too! I tend to use these once every couple of weeks, not too regularly as they do pull at your skin, I like to cleanse first as I find that helps remove more blackheads. Let me know if you have any Anatomicals product recommendations. Oh & you get 10 strips in a box.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

5 Favourites For May

Favourite Skincare

REN Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser* £16.00 for 150ml

I just really like how gentle this is and how soft it leaves my skin. Its the perfect cleanser for sensitive skin as it calms and soothes. My complexion is looking bright and blemish free and I’m putting it down to this as it decongests the skin & helps remove impurities. I reviewed this in full last week.

Clarins One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser £20.00 for 125ml

On those days where I feel like I need to double cleanse this is a great second cleanser option. It is a gentle exfoliating cleanser which leaves your skin feeling ultra clean and glowing. It is great at combating a dull complexion & removing the dead skin cells to reveal your glowing complexion. This cleanser contains; Orange extract softens, refreshes and revives. Moringa Seed extract purifies and refines while preserving your skin’s natural moisture level. Gentle Silica Microbeads tackle clogged pores. I think this is the perfect summer cleanser – especially as I like to have as fresh looking skin as possible during the warmer months so I can wear less makeup & let my skin breath. It smells lovely & summery too, always a bonus.

Origins Super Spot Remover £14.00 for 10ml

This is a little (I mean little) bottle of miracle gel. When you feel a blemish rearing its ugly red head I put a dollop of this right on it & it calms it, dries it out & stops it becoming huge & unruly. I find the earlier you can get this on that spot the better. It just takes the inflammation right out of it. I thought I’d go through this bottle in a matter of weeks but it has lasted me months & I’m still no where near finishing it. Its a handy little pot to take out & about with you if you have a particularly stubborn spot which want to keep re applying this to. I think everyone needs a bottle of this in their skincare arsenal.

MONU Collagen Cream £22.50 for 50ml

This is quite a thick moisturiser so I save it for those days when my skin is feeling dehydrated & when it looks like it needs some extra plumping. I don’t like to wear this under makeup as I find it a little too greasy & heavy. So for those days I’m going base free or just hanging about the house I put this on & it makes my skin feel smooth. This cream over time helps reduce the appearance of fine line & I always need help on that front. So if you need a moisturiser for dry skin this is a great one and it feels like it gives your skin a really intensive boost of hydration.

Organic Surge Sweet Blossom Body Cream £6.99 for 150ml

This has been helping my dry legs get a little more summer ready, the Shea & Cocoa Butter help keep my skin feel soft and hydrated. Its quite a thick body butter but it does sink in to the skin quickly leaving my skin soft all day & night. The scent of sweet orange & cedar-wood give this a luxurious feel and I’m really enjoying using it. I love body butters on my legs, especially after shaving as it just gives them that extra moisture boost & leaves my skin looking smooth.

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know in the comments what you have been loving.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.