Empties: Round Five

We're very much about using up things here at JodieMayBeauty HQ so, without further a-due, here's all the products I've used up over the last few months: part five.

Bath & Body

I feel like we need to talk shower gels, because oh my have there been some used up around here lately. I have a full sized Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash which I'd definitely buy again, I love how massive these are and the pump-style packaging is so handy, whilst they aren't the most lather-y of shower gels the scents make up for it and the Sugar Crush scent is my absolute favourite.

I've got a 50ml mini of the Therapie Boost Hair & Body Wash and a 30ml mini of the L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel and I feel the same about both: the scents are amazing, and they're not stripping at all, but for the price, the lather just isn't there for me. You end up using so much product on each use because the formula refuses to lather so I on't be picking up more. Finally I've used up a 50ml mini of the Rituals Zensation Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom Foaming Shower Gel Sensation, which I love. I've already bought a full size, the scent is amazing, the lather is lovely, it doesn't strip the skin and bonus: the packaging is lovely.

Another product from Rituals I've used up lately is a 70ml mini of the Fortune Scrub Invigorating Body Scrub. I didn't like this as much, the scent was fine but it wasn't quite scrubby enough for me. I've also finished a packet of the Serenity Dead Sea Bath Salts, I got these in a Birchbox a while back and it was hard to use them up a I don't really think they do anything: much prefer the Neal's Yard ones or the Therapie ones (they also seem to no longer be stocked on Brichbox's website).

For the boring bits I've gone through a Mitchum 48hrs Unscented Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant Stick and a Dove Original Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Spray. I think next time I'm going to go for a Mitchum spray as the Mitchum formulas work really well but I'm moving away from roll-one lately. And my final body product is the Soap & Glory Heel Genius Foot Cream. I think we're all aware by now that it;s my favourite and that I have backup upon backup of the stuff. 

Haircare

Not a whole lot for haircare this time around, but we do have both a full size and a mini of the OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Conditioner (which means I haven't done an empties since at least November - no wonder it's a mammoth one!). This is just my go-to repurchase-it-pretty-much-every-time conditioner now. I also finished off the L'Oreal EverStrong Reinforcing System Body & Strength Shampoo - same deal here, I'm not too fussed about which shampoo from this line I pick up but it's always from the Ever-Something range. Love that they're SLS free and this one gives nice volume.

A haircare product from L'Oreal that I wasn't so sold on was the PureColour Radiance Enhancing ystem Dazzling Colour Refreshing Mask. I just don't think it did all that much except make the hair a bit shinier than some things - but there's plenty of conditioners that are easier to use that do the same thing.

Makeup

I'm sure no one is surprised that I've managed to polish off two more compacts of Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder, need I say more on this stuff? It's been the only powder I've used for a solid year now. Love. I've worn an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner Pencil in "Zero" down to a little nub. I prefer the "Perversion" shade that I'm currently using just because it's more of a true black.

The L'Oreal Lumi Magique Highlighting Pen was nice but was very similar to the New Look one, which seems to be a bit cheaper, so I think I'll go for the New Look one again next time. Similarly I've finally used up a bottle of the Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray but I don't think it doesn't anything more than the setting spray L'Oreal brought out recently.

And my last makeup product is the Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara - which did nothing for my lashes and was near impossible to apply without getting it on your eyelid or poking yourself in the eye. The brush had really long stiff bristles on one side and really short little nubs on the other side, such an awkwardly shaped brush.

Skincare

I've got quite a few single-use face masks in my empties this time around, the first one being the H&M Charcoal & Volcanic Soil Single Use Mask (only available in store - sorry!). This range of masks come in little 10ml pods so nice for travel but a bit wasteful in terms of usability - I feel like 10ml is enough for 2 applications but the packaging won't keep the product for enough time once opened to use it again. Other than my packaging gripe I really like these - I find this mask in particular to be a lot like the Origins Clear Improvements Active Charcoal Mask so if you were thinking of picking that up maybe try this first.

I've also tried the Superdrug Superfruits Exfoliating Mask. This one sets down on the face like a clay mask but has scrubby particles so as you rinse it you get a bit of exfoliation, I'd use this again. I've tried two masks from Nspa recently, the Deep Cleansing Mud Mask and the Radiance Boosting Mask, I did a review on these masks *here* and I don't really rate any of them, love a lot of things in the Nspa range but these masks are just so harsh on the skin.

I've managed to use up my Sainsbury's Vitamin E Cleansing Lotion, and while it wasn't anything special, it does the job. It's gentle on the skin and it's fragrance free so good for sensitive skin and it's a decent cleanser - I just have things I prefer so won't be picking up another. The story is pretty much the same for the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, I used up a 20g mini of this and it's a decent cleanser, but not something I'll be repurchasing as I prefer other things.

I wasn't sure if my 25g mini of the Neal's Yard Frankincense Nourishing Cream was supposed to be for your body or your face a first but I looked into it and it's definitely a face cream. I feel like this is another one of those "it's nice but not nice enough" reviews, I enjoyed using the cream and the effect on my skin was nice, but I have other things at the moment and I'm not really missing this at all.

I got a 10ml tube of Clarins Extra-Friming Tightening Lift Botanical Serum and that is lovely, I'm trying to get through some other serums that I have in my collection right now but I can see myself picking this up again eventually. I've also worked my way through my La Roche-Pasay Serozinc which I already had a backup of in my collection and this is just one of those have-to-have-it products.

My final product is a bit of a weird one, I had a single-use sachet of the Derm Eyes Makeup Remover Wipe that I got in a Birchbox and I really couldn't make up my mind on just the one use. These are little individually wrapped pre-moistened makeup remover wipes and they sound like a great idea for festivals and things like that but they're £9.50 for 12 wipes so really not an affordable product. I just feel like I didn't have enough to go off with it and have really been enjoying the Olay Daily Facials Cleansing Cloths which are considerably cheaper.

February Favourites

Another month down and it's been a good one for new discoveries. I have quite a few things to talk about this month so lets get right down to it.

I'll start with one that's possibly a bit obvious: in my post about the new releases to the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani line, I made my feelings towards the Lipsticks in that collection pretty clear (click here if you missed it!). I have gone back and picked up the shade "Rock Steady" (resisting hard on the other shades - surely buying them all is a little extreme?) but it's the shade "Firebird" that really has my heart. It's an awesome deeper bright pink and it's super comfortable and so unique and my other lipsticks have barely had a look in this month. Seriously, love.

With a bold lip I've been going for something a little less in-your-face on the eyes and I've been gravitating to the Love of Colour One and Done Shadow Stick in the shade "Champagne Problems". I got this in my Birchbox this month and LOC is an in-house brand at Birchbox and let me tell you, these shadow sticks aren't messing around. They're £8 each and they're pigmented, long lasting, creamy eyeshadow sticks and you'll be hearing more about this brand in an upcoming post. My only complaint? There's only 2 shades available in the UK right now - LOC, please release more!

Another Birchbox win this month was the Spectrum Collections Tapered Finishing Brush. This brush retails for £7.99 and it's a really lovely brush for contouring the cheek bones. I love that it's so colourful and even though it's only £7.99 full price it feels really sturdy and nicely made. For those of you that want vegan friendly, cruelty free brushes these are also synthetic bristle brushes.

Ive been getting back into using setting sprays. I went off them because the only ones on the market were a bit up there in price and for me they didn't do an awful lot - Ive had the Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray in my collection for years. On a recent trip to Boots I saw that the L'Oreal Infallible Fixing Mist had come over to the UK and it was in my basket before you could say "setting spray". I'm still not sure if it's doing much for the longevity of my makeup but it does make my base apply a little nicer as it gives some slip and I've been using it every day since I got it.

And finally? Hair masks. I've not been into hair for ages but I'd been wearing it up off my face a lot for a few weeks and noticed the ends were feeling a bit brittle and not as soft as they normally are. Depending on how much time I have in the shower I've either been reaching for the Swell Ultimate Volume Masque or the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer in the "Geranium & Neroli" scent. I personally prefer the effect of the Philip K option, it's a bit of a faff having to dampen the hair, put the mask in and then leave for 5-10 minutes before shampooing but the effect is great.

The Build Your Own Birchbox Event At Selfridges

Firstly - a quick apology as this means there's been two posts about Birchbox this week - worry not, there is no sponsored posts going on here. I genuinely loved my February box enough to blog about it and I only found out about this event on Tuesday night this week and it's ending soon so I wanted to get the post up ASAP for you so no one misses out.

The first Birchbox X Selfridges event is being held at the Manchester Exchange Selfridges in Manchester's city centre, the event here ends on the 21st of February, so you have until next Sunday to get yourself down to that one to participate. If you do miss it don't worry, Birchbox are holding a second Manchester event at the Trafford Centre Selfridges between the 20th of March and the 9th of April and they'll also be visiting the Birmingham branch of Selfridges between the 29th of May and the 11th of June.

When you get there they give you an empty box and a tick list which tells you to pick 1 product out of each of the categories. The category boxes are broken down into two labeled "makeup", one labeled "skincare", one labeled "body", one labeled hair and one label "bonus" and each category is split into 4 sections, each containing a different product. So it's not a "pick any 6 products" which I'd have preferred, I personally would have picked two skincare, two body, one makeup and one bonus for my box if there'd been no restrictions.

Hopefully the range of products available is the same at each of the events (I'm planning to attend the Trafford Centre one to check and will update if this isn't the case). At the Manchester Exchange event you could choose from the following samples:

Makeup:

Benefit They're Real Lash Primer

Jelly Pong Pong Caribbean Sun Duo Bronzer in "Martinique"

LOC One & Done Shadow Stick in "Perfect Cents"

Laura Mercier Kohl Ey Pencil in "Black Violet"

Lord & Berry Couture Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in "Black"

Mirenesse Glossy Kis in "Cheeky Kiss"

Pop Beauty Eyeshadow Trio in "Peach Parfait"

Wild About Beauty Lip Pencil Duo in "Fiona or Mia"

Skincare:

Absolution L'Eau Soir Et Matin

NUDE ProGenius Omega Treatment Oil

Huyges Le Gommage Visage Exfoliating Cream

Sarah Chapman Skinesis 3D Moisture Infusion Mask

Body Care:

Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser

Bliss Lemon + Sage Body Butter

Korres Santorini Vine Shower Gel

Rituals Honey Touch Body Cream

Haircare:

Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturising Shampoo

Macadamia Professional Moisture Shampoo in Nourising, Weightless or Ultra Rich

Parlour By Jeff Chastain Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray

Percy & Reed Reassuringly Firm Session Hold Hairspray

Beauty Bonus:

This Works Sleep Plus Pillow Spray

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste

Birchbox Key Ring (Selfridges Event Exclusive Item)

So a decent enough selection and a lot of the products are great. The build-your-own-box is £15 compared to the £12.95 that a normal box would cost including the shipping so it is only £2 more than a normal box. It's also nice to see some more luxe brands like Sarah Chapman, Laura Mercier and This Works included as this box is slightly more expensive.

The main thing that I couldn't help but notice was how many of the products I thought "I'd pick that, but I've already had it in a box before". I've been a Birchbox subscriber for a year now and prior to this event I'd already had 9 of the 24 products and I've had another one in a different shade in a box as well. It would have been nice to see more products that we'd not had in boxes before for existing subscribers.

My 2015 Hair, Bath and Body Favourites

So the final instalment of my 2015 beauty favourites is going to be focusing on all things hair, bath and body. If you've been keeping up with the rest of these posts you'll already know that these aren't "hall of fame" type posts, they're very much like the monthly favourites I post. But here we have it:

I've loved two shampoos pretty equally this year and both are from the L'Oreal Sulphate-Free range. The first one I liked was the Ever Pure and I've since moved on to the Ever Strong as it gives more volume but I love this range in general. Leaves your hair really clean but not stripped and is great for not making colour-treated hair fade too quickly.

My other hair favourite this year is the only styling product I've ever been faithful to: the Color Wow One Minute Transformation. I got this in a gift-with-purchase at a Space NK event back in February and I've loved it ever since. I literally use a tiny pee-sized amount in the roots of my hair to give some lift after straightening and it's great.

My favourite bath product of the year was a tough choice because I've used and loved so many this year, but when it came down to it the one I wouldn't want to be without it the Aromatherapy Associates Bath Oils. I've had the mini set for a while now and since some of the oils are getting pretty low I've recently invested in the slightly larger Ultimate Bath Jewels set that they had out this Christmas. They're just so relaxing in your bath.

For body scrubs I've tried some great ones towards the tail end of the year but my consistent favourite has been the Soap & Glory Pulp Friction. The scent on this is lovely and the scrubbie-particles are really exfoliating without being painful or irritating at all. The best thing about this is the formula though, the particles are suspended in a creamy formula that really clings to your skin and so it doesn't go everywhere and leave your bathroom a mess.

Last but not least we have the Soap & Glory Heel Genius Foot Cream. Smells like mint, feels great. You just apply a thin layer to your feet,pop on some socks and there you have it, silky smooth feet in no time. The tube recommends wearing it to bed but I can't sleep in socks so I just wear it under my socks around the house when I haven't got much on and I love it.

So my 2015 favourites series has come to an end, but check back on Monday to see what products I really didn't get on with through 2015.

The M&S Beauty Advent Calendar (Days 1-4)

So to kick of another little festive series on here (don't worry, the last two installements of the gift guides are coming!) I've decided to share what I got in my Beauty advent calendar. Every Monday until Christmas Day I'm going to be revealing my weeks worth of beauty goodies, so lets get going.

So day 1 of the M&S beauty advent calendar was the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Geranium and Neroli. This actually featured in my Stocking Stuffers Gift Guide (clicky link here) and it's a nicely scented version of the original Elasticizer hair mask which is a pre-shampoo treatment. It's meant to treat damaged hair and is suitable for coloured hair but I personally have always found pre-shampoo treatments to be a bit of a faff so this wasn't my favourite.

Day 2 brought me the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, now this is something I can get behind. As a nail biter I really struggle with the skin around my nails, especially in winter, and this has been nice to keep on my desk at work and rub into my fingers every now and again. The product is a solid balm that melts into an oily texture that isn't sticky on application and I have no trouble typing whilst using it. It's nicely moisturising and the smell is also lovely.

I've been a fan of Cowshed body creams since my first experience with their "Blissful" scent so I was excited to see that door number 3 housed a generously sized bottle of their Grumpy Cow Uplifting Body Lotion. The texture is light and absorbs quickly but is still nicely hydrating and the scent is really nice as well.

And finally for this post, day 4 brought me the Pür Volume Vixen Mascara, which I'm sad to say I'm really not a fan of. The brush is massive, the formula is just too dry, it does nothing for my lashes. I've come to enjoy a worn-out damp mascara these days because they have enough about them to build on themselves without taking ages to set, and I prefer a smaller bristle or a rubber wand. So this ticked none of the boxes for me which is a shame. Check in next Monday to see what days 5-11 bring.

Empties: Round Three

As part of my pledge to use up my stuff, I'm here with another empties post. Sadly my backups drawer seems to fill up just as quickly as I manage to get through stuff (I blame the Boots 3-for-2 offers). It's a good mixed bag this year with lots of bath and body, some hair, skincare and even a little bit of makeup, so since we have a lot to talk about, lets get on with it.

So I've worked my way through 2 shower gels this month (is it just me that seems to have 2 or 3 different shower gels in the shower at any one time? Hopefully not?). The first of which being the Radox Nourish Shea Butter & Ginger Shower Cream. This is a great shower gel that you can usually find on offer for £1-£2 and the scent is amazing. Lathers well, smells great and lasts quite a long time for the price, a nice unisex shower gel that I would repurchase if I didn't have more shoer gel than I'd care to admit waiting to be worked through. I've also finished a mini Life NK Ultimate Unwind Body Wash. The scent on this was just a bit bland and it was pretty expensive for how average it was to use. Wouldn't pick up another.

I used up two of my back-ups of Lush Butterbear Bath Ballistic. They're essentially the Butterball Bath Ballistic but slightly smaller, cheaper and bear shaped and were a limited edition release last Christmas. I picked up a few because I like to put Butterball in the bath with bubble that doesn't give you that hydrating feeling to make them a bit more luxurious but I only have a little bath in my bathroom so the smaller-sized christmas releases are usually more than enough. I hope they bring it back this Christmas.

I've also used up quite a few body moisturisers. One I wasn't so keen on was the Soap & Glory Girligo Spray-On Body Moisturising Mist. I love S&G's body butters and body creams but this spray was a bit flimsy for me and my skin didn't really get on with it, I'd rather just go for one of the other formulas from them in the future. I also used up the last of my Aromatherapy Associates Renewing Rose Body Cream. This is one of the nicest smelling body creams I've tried in a while and I was sad to see the last tiny bit be used up, at £36.50 for the full size it's a bit overly pricey for me to justify a repurchase when the texture wasn't much more than that of a £10 S&G body cream but it was a treat to use up.

If you want a body lotion that's a bit of a treat but that won't break the bank quite so hard as the Aromatherapy Associates choice, let me point you in the direction of the Cowshed Gorgeous Cow Blissful Body Lotion. At £18 for 300ml, it's not too expensive but the scent and the texture on this is really nice. One thing to keep in mind with this one is that the scent is really quite strong and it will linger on the skin, Space NK are currently advertising a gift set with this body lotion and the shower gel that might just make it onto my Christmas list this year.

A few picks for hair, I'm sure no one will be surprised to see the L'Oreal Pure Colour Shampoo in an empties post. This was my favourite shampoo for a while but last time I went for a repurchase it was out of stock and since I've tried the Ever Strong from the same range and I think I actually prefer that one. The L'Oreal sulphate-free range in general is a really nice one and I'm sure you'd be able to find a formula to suit your own hair needs.

I've also got two heat protectors in this empties. The Vo5 Heat Protect is my all-time favourite that I continually repurchase and will continue to use and love and I've been through another one of those but I also tried the Bumble and Bumble Hairdressers Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer and used up that. It's a nice formula and the scent is lovely but for me it was just a bit too heavy in the roots of my fine hair and while it was nice through the ends and I did manage to use it up, I'd rather just stick to my Vo5 next time.

I finally made it through my giant pot of Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm. I will more than likely be picking up another eventually but right now my cleansing cabinet is so over-flowing that I can't justify it just yet. It's a lovely cleansing balm that's equally good for make-up removal or an AM/PM main cleanse. Another skincare pick I've worked my way through is the Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel. While I used this up and didn't mind how it felt on the skin, the texture was a bit lumpy and it's not quite as cooling as other formulas I've tried so I can't see myself repurchasing this one.

And finally, some make-up picks. I had a mini of the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and thankfully it dried out on me pretty quickly. I really didn't get on with this mascara, it did nothing for the length of my lashes and just made them look clumpy and spider-y. I also made it through another Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot Powder, need I say more? I've got back-ups upon back-ups of this now and have pretty much given up on testing other formulas, it's my favourite setting powder by a long shot.

And there we have it, another empties over. If you have any recommendations for things I should try that could make it into the next empties post, give me a shout in the comments section.

My Autumn Beauty Boosters

So the mornings have started to get quite crisp round these parts lately and the sun seems to be setting earlier and earlier every day and that can only mean one thing: autumn is well and truly on it's way. Autumn is my favourite season and I'm looking forward to snuggling back into my chunky knits and boots. So now the weather's settling down and the light is starting to fade a bit, here's my autumn beauty edit:

 In the summer I actually took a quick break from my Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel in favour of a more creamy cleanser, but now it's cooling down I'm back to using this more in the evenings as a nice pre-bed-time treat. Another skin treat I've coming running back to now the summer's saying its goodbyes is the MV Organics Rose Plus Hydrating Booster. It's a deliciously rose-scented oil that hydrates the skin well and it's another bed-time beauty boost.

I always like to go a bit darker as autumn comes in and two lipsticks I'll be reaching for a lot more will be Illamsqua "Growl" and MAC "Rebel". I've also been wearing Fleur De Force's Lipgloss in "Starry Starry Night" a lot lately but my top dark-lip pick this autumn is the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in "107". I've resisted for a few years but I finally caved and it's such a beautiful colour.

If I'm not feeling a dark lip the eyeshadow palette I always come back to in the autumn is the Urban Decay "Smoked" Palette. Unfortunately they've since discontinued this and released the Naked Smokey which doesn't compare really, but you can pick up a lot of the shades in "Smoked" from UD's permanent range, my favourite is "Mushroom", a metallic grey-brown that makes a great neutral smokey eye.

For hair I like to go to town with the texture in autumn. For general volume I love the Color Wow One-Minute Transformation. It's a product I love all year long for giving my fine, flimsy hair a bit of volume at the roots. I also like a good sea-salt spray to give the ends of my hair that laid-back lived-in look. Autumn is the season for wooly hats and scarves and I think nothing goes better with a wooly hat than some messy texture in your locks. (And I know I'm not the only person who has those emergency hat days when autumn comes around).

And finally, for nails, while I'm not normally a nail polish girl I can get behind one of two nail trends that seem to come back every autumn. I love a dark or metallic nail once the days start getting shorter. I think it might be because darker nail polish formulas seem to be easier to apply than the pale/pastel colours that come back every spring and summer and a darker/metallic nail is a lot less maintenance. Whatever it is, it's a trend I can get behind and a couple I'll be cracking out this year are Essie "Bahama Mama" and Tanya Burr "New York Night", nice vampy red/purple shades are my favourite.

The Friday Review: A TMI Post - My Thoughts On The Braun Epil Silk 9

So in this review post, we're going to get maybe a little bit more personal than normal, we're talking hair removal, my experience with hair removal and one hair removal device in particular: the Braun Epil Silk 9. This device is the first time I've tried epilating but previously I've used electric razors and waxing for my legs and manual razors for everywhere else. So with that introduction out of the way: here we go.

So I heard Lily Pebbles talk about this razor in one of her videos a while back and I picked it up for £120 from Boots on sale, the RRP of this product is around £170 depending on the retailer. I'd been waxing my legs and shaving my under arms for years and I was having problems with both of these methods, For waxing, I hated having to wait for the hair to grow back and to get an appointment when I was only getting 1 week out of 4 where my legs were actually smooth. With my underarms, because I was shaving they grew back quickly and I was finding myself having to do them every day because of regrowth and it was becoming a bit of a chore. (For review purposes, these are the areas I've been trialling the Epil Silk 9 and I still use other methods in other areas).

My experience with the Epil Silk 9 has been great. On my legs it's no more painful that waxing and I can maintain it myself on a weekly basis. While it is quite painful on the underarms, it's dealt with my regrowth issues and I can now epilate them once every 2-3 weeks and shave between and I'm finding it much more manageable and the hair has become much thinner over just a couple of months use. I wouldn't use this on my bikini line just because of the pain issue but if your pain tolerance is higher than mine that might be an option for you.

The Epil Silk 9 comes with 2 other attachments as well, an electric razor head and an exfoliating body brush. The electric razor head is great, works just as well as any other electric razor and this might be a better thing to use if you're finding the epilating too painful in some areas. However I found the exfoliating body brush to be a bit of a let down. The motor doesn't do much to power the brush and it just vibrates slightly on the skin and for me personally, I find a standard body scrub to be much more effective.

Bathing With Therapie

I wrote a post a few weeks back about some skincare products I'd picked up from Therapie (clicky link here) and in that post I mentioned having a review on a few of their bath and body products coming up, so to stick to my word, here's that post. I picked up their discovery set from Cult Beauty a few weeks back and just need enough time to actually try all the products and it made sense to split them into a skincare post and a bath/body post as I could try the skincare pretty quickly but the bathing products for me needed a bit more time.

So the product that I was desperate to try was the much blogger-hyped Therapie pick: The Himalayan Detox Salts. They have a lovely calming scent to them in the pot and the crystals dissolve really well in a warm bath but my main issue with them is to do with the luxury factor. When the salts dissolve in the bath, they leave no silky-smoothness or bubbles in the water and the smell isn't very potent in the water at all. It's kind of like bathing in a regular bath that you haven't added any product to. So when I first used them I was quite disappointed. That being said, after use I could feel the tiredness seeping in as soon as I started draining the water and the next morning I woke up feeling refreshed like I'd had a really good sleep. So while they're not a real luxury experience, they do seem to really work for helping with sleep.

My opinion on the Equlibrium Bath & Shower Essence is very much the same. I acutally prefer this to the bath salts as this does leave the water feeling smooth and soft like a regular bath oil in addition to having the sleeping benefits, so for me this does seem like more of a luxury product and it's definitely the format I'd choose of the two.

The final bath/body product I've tried from Therapie is their Boost Hair & Body Wash, and again, it didn't really hit the mark for me. I like to take baths in the evening and showers in the morning (not both everyday obviously) so I thought I'd really like this product as it has one of those amazing zingy citrus scents to it that can really wake you up in those early morning showers, but the formula is just not my favourite. It's quite a liquid-y body wash so it doesn't really lather up all that well. The packaging does suggest to use an exfoliating glove to work the product in but I prefer the puff type shower scrubbies and I just couldn't get the product to work the way I wanted it to. I did try this with an exfoliating body brush to see if that would give more of a lather but even then it didn't seem to do much for me, which is a shame because the scent is amazing.

For me when it comes to high-end bathing, I love Aromatherapy Associates and Laura Mercier and unfortunately the Therapie products don' really do it for me but their skincare range is lovely.

High Street Heros - Other Beauty Bits

So for the final installment of my High-Street Hero's series, I thought I'd touch on hair, nails and body. As usual I've bunched these categories together because they tend to be the beauty categories that I neglect a little bit and so I didn't have enough favourites from any of them to put together dedicated posts for them, but I still didn't want to miss them. So without further a due:

A product that I've been repurchasing for years now is the VO5 Heat Protect Spray, i just love this product as it's light, smells nice, protects my hair and isn't something that going to break the bank every time I find myself needing to make a repurchase. I have tried other heat protect sprays in the past and have liked them, but I always go back to this one. Bonus points for the spray-mist application method.

While I've recently developed a love for the Bumble & Bumble Hairdressers Invisible Oil Shampoo, it's eye-wateringly expensive for a shampoo, and so I like to rotate it with the more budget friendly L'Oreal EverPure Shampoo. I've been through multiple bottles of this now and I really like it. It doesn't contain any sulphates so it's great for my coloured hair and is less irritating on my skin (if anyone is currently suffering from horrific back acne I'd suggest looking at your shampoo because my skin has gotten to much better since switching to a sulphate-free shampoo).

For once I've only got one conditioner in my shower and that's the OGX Argan Oil Conditioner, it's just so nourishing on my hair and it's smells nice without being over-powering. I do like to do a hair mask on the weekend for a suped-up hit of hair hydration but day-to-day this does the trick perfectly.

A hair favourite that fills me with sadness is Batiste's Hint of Red Dry Shampoo, mainly because it's been out of stock for the last 4 months and I've had to go without it for such a long time that I'm worried it's in the process of being discontinued. It's my favourite dry shampoo and it's great for hiding roots if you're as bad at getting to the salon to have your hair re-coloured regularly as I am. Come back into stock soon Batiste! I need you!

For those with naturally wavy hair, I'd recommend the Naked Style Devine Curls, I picked this up on a whim and it became a favourite pretty quickly. This is the only hair styling product I ever take on holiday with me as it gives my naturally wavy hair some real curl that I love. It works in any temperature so I can use it when I'm at home too, I wash my hair, blow dry my roots and then scrunch this into the ends and let them air dry and I get some really nice curls from it.

And my final hair favourite is Ion Volume Dust, I'm not too sure how available this product is but I pick it up from Sally's and Salon Services (thank you mother for being a nail technician so I can get insane deals on beauty products). If you pick this up anywhere it's a great dupe for + Fluff Dust and it's basically one of those powders that you work into your roots to get volume.

A couple of Soap & Glory body favourites are their Heel Genius foot cream. A minty foot cream that absorbs into the skin quickly, it' designed to be applied and then worn under socks overnight but as I can't sleep in socks I use it on the weekends when I'm just hanging around the house (most of which is time I spend working on these posts actually) and it leaves my tootsies feeling nice and soft. My other favourite from them is their Pulp Friction body scrub. I've tried lots of other body scrubs in the past but I always go back to this one because it really is my favourite. The squeeze-tube bottle is a great delivery method and the formula is quite creamy so it sticks to your skin in the shower and makes for an easy exfoliation job. Also, the scent is amazing.

I thought I should include a nail polish favourite in this post because while I don't usually bother painting my finger nails, my toes nails are always painted and my favourite budget polish brand is definitely Top Shop Nails. They're so affordable and the formula is great and even better? The colour selection is insane for a high-street polish brand. Much love.

And finally a scent favourite. Now perfumes pretty consistently fall outside of my £15 budget for this series of posts so I had to think slightly outside of the box and then I realised there's a budget scent that I use constantly! The Soap & Glory Body Sprays are my scent-purchase of choice for work just because no-one wants to be using their £100 perfumes for the office now do they? I do often get compliments on their "Glam-A-Lot" scent but I also like the "Mist You Madly" fragrance.

And there we have it. Slightly shorter than the other instalments with just 10 products in this post but like I said these are categories that I struggle with. Back to my regular posts next week!

Review Friday: Bumble & Bumble Prêt-á-Powder

On a recent trip to Boots (note to self, avoid Boots during sales and/or triple points events, my bank balance never thanks me for it) I couldn't help but notice that Bumble and Bumble had released a trial size of a product I'd been itching to try for ages: their Prêt-á-Powder. The full size was £20+ and for something I just wanted to try I was struggling to part with the cash but at £7.50 a pot, the trial size wasn't too painful to purchase so I thought I'd give you the low-down on my feelings towards it.

One slightly bothersome factor of this compared to dry shampoos that I've used in the past is the application method doesn't make for a quick-fix solution to a greasy hair problem. Really, I use dry shampoos mainly when I'm in a rush and don't have time to wash my hair before I have to be out of the door, and while the Prêt-á-Powder doesn't take nearly as long as washing, drying and styling my hair from scratch, it definitely takes a little longer than it could do. That being said, the fact that you massage it in with your hands makes it more of a 2-in-1 product. The volumising qualities of this product are very similar to the effect you'd get from a product like the Osis+ Dust It volumising powder, but with a dry shampoo added in.

I will also mention that to get the desired effect in my hair, I did have to use quite a lot of product so I can imagine that it would need to be repurchased frequently if it was a product I was using regularly. however the fact that you need a lot of product to absorb the excess shine means that it's quite difficult to go over-board and end up with the weird white/grey patches that some dry shampoos leave. Also, the scent of the product is clean if slightly powdery but not over-powering.

My First Hair Mask

It occurred to me the other day that despite being the type of person that tries to really look after their hair, I'd never tried a hair mask. There wasn't really a reason other than "I don't really know what I'd be looking for in a hair mask". When I'm looking for a face mask, I know that I want something exfoliating, hydrating or deep cleansing, with hair masks? Who knows, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so I picked up this one from L'Oreal recently and gave it a go.

The first thing I noticed about this mask is the smell. It's a lovely minty fragrance with a hint of sweetness to it and it's lovely on your hair but not overpowering if you want to go in with a fragrance after using. With it being in a pot you have to scoop it out in the shower to apply it to the hair which can be a little bit fiddly, especially if your shower doesn't have any shelves or raised ledges in it. I found it easiest to scoop the product out, put the lidless container on the shower shelf, apply the products and then go back and put the lid on the pot. So it might be nice if they put it in a squeeze tube like Aussie does with their hair treatments/masks.

For the way the product actually performed? I'm not sure. Don't get me wrong, I do really like it, but I think it's maybe been mis-labeled/mis-marketed. The mask claims to be "Radiance Enhancing" and is supposed to make your hair look shinier, but I feel like what it really did was make my hair really soft and smooth, but didn't really do anything to it's appearance. I will continue to use the mask and report back if I see any difference in the shine but for now I will just be using it for it's moisturising/hydrating effects.

My Top Three For Healthy, Happy Hair

While I'm not a big hair-styling enthusiast, colouring my hair and using hair lightener definitely takes it's toll on my locks and so I've been getting more and more into haircare over the last few months. I could do a bigger post on my full haircare routine if anyone would be interested but for now I thought I'd keep it short and sweet and just focus on my top 3 nourishing picks for dry and colour-damaged hair.

So the priciest product in this line-up by far is the Oribe Supershine Moisturising Cream, at almost £50 a tube this bad boy is definitely a luxury product but I picked up a mini of it in the January sales this year and I think it's great. I haven't tried many leave-in conditioners but you only need a tiny amount of this so I'm finding that even the small size is lasting me a good while.

For the low-maintence girl there's the good old traditional conditioner. My favourite one right now is the OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Conditioner. I love this because not only does it smell great *sniff* but it's a nice thick formula that really grips to the hair in the shower. I find that even some of the more luxury brand conditioners feel a bit flimsy to me. I apply this to the mid-section and ends of my hair, wash and exfoliate my body and then rinse it out, just so I can try to keep the conditioner on the hair for as long as possible whilst also managing not to be in the shower for 2 days. Leaves my hair soft and shiny, and the bottle looks lovely on my bathroom shelf.

But if that's not enough, you could always go in with a little of my 3rd option: a hair oil. I've been loving the Percy and Reed Smoothed, Sealed and Sensational Volumising No Oil Oil lately. I hate the feeling of product in my hair so for me, this is a great option, it's so light that you barely know its there. It can leave a little grease to the hair so I generally use it when I'm doing a bun style just to nourish the mids and ends while I run my day-to-day errands.

Friday Review - Percy and Reed Smoothed, Sealed & Sensational Volumising No Oil Oil

I've mentioned on this blog many a time that I'm not a hair-product enthusiast, so when I find something new that wow's me I'm really impressed. With that in mind, I can't say I was entirely thrilled to open my most recent Birchbox to find a generous sample size of this product, the Percy and Reed Smoothed, Sealed & Sensational Volumising No Oil Oil (try saying that 10 times fast), because I knew hair products weren't really my things (AND I mentioned that on my BB profile), but I tried it anyway, and am I glad I did.

This light hair oil is another one of those restorative but not heavy hair products that are prefect for girls like me that are somewhat low maintenance with their hair and don't like to feel product weighing it down. I add a tiny pump to the ends of my hair after blow-drying to tame any feeling of fried ends (I'm so overdue a hair cut) and if you do a day 3 bun (or a day 4 bun, I know, it's shameful), this is nice in the lengths to tame any fly-aways in a really nourishing way.

I wouldn't run it through the lengths of my hair on hair-down day, just as with it being an oil it can add that slight oiliness to the hair that isn't particularly visually pleasing, and I wouldn't take it anywhere near the roots (the roots don't really need a product like this anyway) but other than that, it's a really lovely product.

Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisable Oil Range - The Review

So being a self-confessed non-hair-enthusiast, I rarely find myself being excited about hair products. That being said, sinc emy recent success with the Colorwow One-Minute Transormation Styling Cream (which I'm still using and loving) I've been picking up a few bits that I wouldn't normally gravitate to and one of them is this: The Bumble And Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Travel Set.

I originally picked it up because I was interested in trying the Heat/UV Protective Primer and the travel set was a mere £2 more than the travel-sized primer was on it's own. It seemed like something I'd love. As I'm often saying, I'm pretty lazy with hair, and this is marketed as a kind of "does it all" type product. I do like it, but I don't think I love it. It smells nice, feels nice in the hair and feels like it is offering some protection in the way of heat styling. However, as I have oily hair I feel like the oil content is just a little bit much in my hair, so I tend to spray it just in the ends and brush it into the hair to avoid a grease-ball effect.

Another product in the set I thought I'd love was the conditioner, I love a good deep conditioning product on the ends of my colour-damaged hair as it allows me to just put the moisture where I feel like I need it. This product just isn't that deep conditioning product I thought it would be and I feel like after using this, I definitely need to go in with something like the Oribe Supershine Moisturing Cream. It's just a bit light for something that claims to have an invisible oil base.

The star of the show is a surprising one. I thought I'd hate the shampoo. As I've mentioned I have oily hair and the last thing I ever want to do is layer up my roots with oil as it makes my hair heavy, flat and oily. this just goes to show that you never really know if you'll like something until you try it as out of all the products in the set, this is the only one I'm seriously considering purchasing a full size of. It's moisturing but light and the sulfate-free formula makes it great for colour treated hair. Love.

A Space NK Moment

2014 marked the first year ever that I have done a grand total of nothing to celebrate new years, why? Work. I'm a complete grump when I haven't had my 8 hours and so when I heard I was working a 10 hour shift on NYD, I promptly cleared my schedule for the evening before. So when my first-week-of-January pay check my bank, I figured a new-years treat was necessary. So lets take a look in my shopping basket.

So the product I was most excited to try was easily the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. A blogger-hyped product that per bottle works out a tiny bit cheaper than my beloved Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm? I just had to try it, and it really does live up to my expectations. The thick gel consistency is reminiscent of a balm cleanser as rather than foaming on the skin like most gel cleansers, this one turns almost oily in texture as you work it into the skin, making it easy to massage in for as long as you like. I use it as a second cleanse (so make-up removal, and then this) and work it into dry skin before removing with a damp flannel (wash-cloth - for any Americans wondering what a flannel is) and it leaves my skin clean but not stripped. It's another smells-amazing cleanser that has earned it's place in my cleanser cabinet for the rest of the foreseeable future.

The Caudalie Beauty Elixir is a super hyped product in the beauty-blogging hemisphere so naturally I'd been wanting to try it for a while, along with the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer so when I found the two products packaged up in a set that had ended up in the 50% off sale I had to give it a go. My mother did think I had lost my marbles slightly when she saw the "Best of Space NK" Christmas Cracker Set popping out of my delivery box but it was too good a deal to pass up. Along with the aforementioned products there was a mini Life NK Ultimate Unwind Body Wash, a Rococo Nail Apparel nail polish in "V.I.P Creme", a mini of Oribe's Supershine Nourishing Cream and a Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Gloss in the shade "Cosmo".

Now you'll have already heard about the Lipstick Queen lipgloss in my "Three Ways to Valentines Day: The Dinner Date Edition" post last week, but it really was love at first swatch. With the exception of MAC's Dazzle Glass and Cremeshene Glass forumlas, I've never really been a lipgloss girl. But this was a turning point for me. The texture is smooth and almost balm-like on the lips, and with a sheer, sheeny slighty sparkley finish it makes a good fuss-free lip product that I've been wearing pretty much everyday since I got it.

While I'm a self-confessed non-hair-enthusiast, I surprisingly found the Oribe product lovely as well. It's a low maintenance hair product for the girl who likes some nourishment in her locks. I just work a pea sized amount into towel dried hair, blow dry and I'm done. It give that freshly-dyed shine to my hair and leaves it softer than I thought colour-damaged hair could ever be. It does leave the hair a little bit sleek looking but I think for a casual jeans-and-jumper day it's nice.

The Caudalie spray I'd been so interested in turned out to not be my favourite (check back on Wednesday for more info on that), the bottle produces a lovely fine mist that applies to the face wonderfully but the product didn't seem hydrating enough and was a bit too minty smelling for my taste. I'm not really into nail painting so the Rococo nail product will probably end up being passed on to a friend and the Life NK shower gel is a rather standard product (I still prefer my S&G shower products). I still haven't quite made my mind up about the Laura Mercier primer. It's a lovely formula that I'll definitely be cracking out and using up but for the price difference I think I may end up sticking with my Maxfactor Facefinity Foundation Primer when it's time to repurchase.

So Space NK's UK online store offers free delivery on orders over £60, and since I'd already spent £50+ I figured I'd drop a couple of sale products into my basket since the delivery charge would have taken me up to the £60 limit anyway. With this I picked up a mini of the Daily Fix Bath Soak and the Drift Away Milk Soak (Both form the Life NK range) and the Space NK Smoky Rose Candle, all for half price. The Space NK candle looks lovely on my bedside table, the packaging is lovely and sleek and the scent is exactly what you'd imagine, a rose scent with a hint of smokiness to it. While the burn time is great for a small candle this does mean it's a slow burner so the burn isn't as even and I can imagine that quite a lot of the wax will end up being wasted, but it kicks off a good scent never the less.

The bath products are another nice-but-pricey product, The Daily Fix Bath Soak is my favourite of the two as the scent is more to my taste but for calming sore muscles which is what the product claims to do I much prefer the Radox Muscle Soak Herbal Bath, the scent on the Radox isn't quite as nice but the effect is much better and at £2 for 500ml vs the Life NK's £6 for 150ml, it's a no brainer.

A cheeky add-on to this haul is the Sarah Chapman Skinesis Hydrating Booster, which I did purchase at Space NK, but in store rather than online with the rest of the products mentioned in this post. I went to the Manchester Beauty Chat Live a couple of weeks ago and picked this up as your entry fee was redeemable against purchases made on the night (there was also an epic goodie-bag for anyone who spent £50 or more but, again, more on that in my post on Wednesday). As I've already mentioned, I'm a big fan of Hydraluron and bloggers site the Sarah Chapman as a more sohpisticated, less tacky version. Oddly enough, I actually find it to be more tacky on my skin and, while it's a nice product, I still feel the loyalty to my original hydrating favourite and will definitely be repurchasing that over the Sarah Chapman when I run out.

Must-Have Hair, Bath and Body Bits

So, For the final instalment of "introduction week" I have my hair, bath and body products all wrapped up in one nice, quick little post for you all.

These categories were too small for separate posts (and I only post 3 times a week, the maths just worked out better this way). So lets get started.

From left to right: Lush "The Comforter" Bubble Bar, Soap & Glory Whipped Clean, "Nina" by Nina Ricci perfume, V05 Heat Protect Styling Spray, Batiste A Hint of Colour Vibrant and Red Dry Shampoo

When it comes to body products, more often than not, I'm too lazy to moisturise my entire body. So to keep the dry skin away, I use Soap & Glory's Whipped Clean shower butter. It comes out of the tube like a thick body lotion and is prone to dropping off your hand mid-shower (good job it's affordable). But it works. I get out of the shower, put on my pjs and get in bed (ah, bed) and wake up the next day without a dry patch in sight.

I've never been faithful when it comes to perfume, I always have at least 4 on the go at any one time but this one is nice. The bottle is beautiful (too bad it has to be kept out of sunlight, boo) and it just smells delightful. Its sweet and fruity with a hint of floral in it. A nice transition fragrance for people like myself who have recently began the journey out of those sickly sweet, teenage fragrances.

I love a good bath. And most girls that love a good bath, love a good snoop around in Lush. I can't remember the last time I went to Lush and managed to leave empty-handed. It just doesn't happen. My favourite is their The Comforter Bubble Bar, a bubblegum pink, sweet smelling bath product that, since I have quite a small bath, I can manage around 3-4 baths out of. Just crumble under running water and turn a solid pink bar into a bath full of silky, sweet-smelling bubbles. I always have at least one in my stash.

Finally we have hair products. sigh. Hair is the one beauty thing I really don't care for. I wash it with whatever sulphate-free shampoo I can find and can't seem to commit to conditioning products either. However I've repurchased the V05 Heat Defence Styling Spray more times than I care to count. It smells nice, doesn't weigh your hair down and preps for heat-styling and sun-exposure a like.

I've also become semi-reliant on the Batiste "A Hint of Colour - Vibrant and Red" dry shampoo. Although I was never a fan of the original Batiste formula (although the blush scent is nice for a leave-in/over-night dry shampoo), I can really get behind the tinted version. Having red hair makes dry shampoo difficult. It leaves white casts, it takes away the lovely shine, it's a nightmare. However not only does this formula eliminate greasy-hair-and-no-time-to-wash-it moments, it's GREAT for hiding roots.

And so that's it. Introductions complete. Onto the good stuff.

Check back on Monday for my next post - Jodie



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