Empties #6

Hello, remember me? I'm the girl that hasnt blogged since the beginning of August! Anywho, lets not dwell on that too much! To ease myself back in I thought I'd start off with one of my favourite posts to read and to write...my empties!

There's quite a lot here as you can see but I have to say that there were a few things that I just binned by accident over the last couple of months, but here's what I've managed to keep hold of! Some would say this is the mascara edition...

Champneys Spa Indulgence Distance Shores Shower Mousse - The smell of this mousse is ah-mazing! The passion fruit really comes through and makes me think of holidays in exotic places! Its a liquid in the bottle but pumps out as a soft foam mousse. The smell didnt linger too long on my skin which was a shame, but it was a lovely wash to use on a Sunday night during a pamper evening. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

The Body Shop Camomile Eye & Lip Make-up Remover - With lots of good feedback about this from other bloggers I was disappointed when I just didn't feel the same. Being a bi-phase formula it did leave my eyes a little greasy and not as gentle on my eyes as I'd hope. I did have to rub away stubborn eye make up a little more then I do with Liz Earle C&P. Smell was very pleasant though.

Would I repurchase? Unfortunately not

Batiste Blush Dry Shampoo Mini - I think I've a dry shampoo in every empties post so far! Think that speaks volumes...

Would I repurchase? Over and over again

Garnier 5 Second Blur - This is a primer which I used pretty much every day, it has an optical blurring effect which smoothes and provides a good base for foundation. It has a very soft feeling, kind of reminds me of the of Benefits Porefessional but a lot cheaper. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara - Being my first MAC mascara purchase I wasn't sure what to expect, especially at a price of £18 (now £19!). I was really impressed with the volume, length and definition it gave to my lashes, it was quickly promoted to my favourite going out mascara - does anyone else have mascara that they only use for evening looks?! I would put this on par with Benefit They're Real. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild - In the mornings I like something gentle and easy to cleanse my face and little mini did a good job of freshening up my face first thing. Due to finding it a little drying and more expensive then some of my other morning face washes, I wouldnt pick this up again.

Would I repurchase? No

Maybelline Big Eyes Mascara - Once this has dried out a little it was a really good mascara, and I liked that there was two brushes, one for top lashes and the other for bottom. I did prefer the bottom lash wand, I just wish it was sold as separate mascara! It really helped to separate my bottom lashes and add a little colour without packing on loads of product, in turn avoiding the spider look. I'd pick this up again just for the bottom lash side. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara - As I've mentioend before I use this as a bottom lash mascara and think as a normal mascara it doesnt really have much effect on my lashes. Since getting the Big Eyes mascara it was demoted to the back of the queue. 

Would I repurchase? Only if I couldn't get hold of Big Eyes

Clinique Lash Power Mascara - My first use of this mascara was pretty disappointing, the formula was far too wet and didnt hold a curl in my lashes at all so I didnt use it for a little while. But then I decided to give it a second go and it was a lot better after it has dried a little, and it did turn out to be a good egg. It really gave a feathered look and was perfect for an every day look. 

Would I repurchase? With boots points yes

Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner - With a short but steady nib this was really easy to apply - even for an eyeliner noob like me. My only problem was that it was very black, more like a muted black/grey. It lasted well on my eyes during the day, there was no fade but I think that was because it wasn't very dramatic when first applied. For £2.99 though its a bargain if your on a budget. 

Would I repurchase? Yes if it was a tight budget

Now I'm can finally clear under the sink and start a fresh! 

Have you tried any of these products?

I ❤ Sundays #3

Whilst you read this I'll be in London with Allan taking in the sights and no doubt doing a bit of cheeky shopping! Way back at Christmas I got Allan a meal at Marco Pieere Whites Steakhouse but we've not yet found the time to book it with all of Allan's uni work! We finally managed to get a free weekend and booked it in for this evening, along with a stay at Qubic! It looks like a really funky hotel, so its safe to say we are both looking forward to a little break! 

Other than that this week has been pretty uneventful, apart from a few late nights at work *sadface* but a three day weekend will make it all worth it! In the evenings I've been burning my new wax tarts like they are going out of fashion! They really pick me up after a long day, you can see my Yankee Candle haul here.

Next week promises to be a lot more exciting as I have a few dinners booked in as well as a wedding reception on Friday evening which will really lovely. Keep a look out for a post on our little trip to London and also a challenge that includes my two favourite things, make-up and shopping!   

Dont forget to come say hi on Instagram! 

July Empties

This month you'll find a mix of empties, one thing that I couldn't wait to finish and another that I may have had a little paddy about because I really didn't want to see the end of it!

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash - I hate to say it as its so well loved by others but I hated this body wash. Yes, it was really moisturising and felt so nice on my skin but the smell, well it really wasn't for me! I cant quite put my finger on what I didnt like it but every time I smelt it my nose was outraged! This bottle last forever which is normally a win win but I just wanted it to be finished already! This bottle may or may not have a little bit left in the bottom....

Would I repurchase? NO!

 Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Another hyped product that I just didnt love *sadface*. Now dont get me wrong I didnt hate it but I just expected more from something that everyone loved. For me it was just a little bit heavy and stuck to every dry patch under my eyes. It did give good coverage on any red marks but felt it made spots look more prominent.

Would I repurchase? No

Batiste Dry Shampoo Medium and Brunette - Its the obligatory dry shampoo, we all know what a beauty these products are and the brunette version means no white cast left in your hair! 

Would I repurchase? Always

Dove Damage Solutions Intensive Repair Shampoo & Conditioner - To begin with this I could tell such a difference in the condition of my hair, it felt a lot softer and smoother. But after a while, like with most hair products, it stopped working its magic and turnt back to being like straw! As always I go for the smaller bottles so I can rotate shampoo and conditioner often. 

Would I repurchase? Probably not

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm - I've left the best until last! At first I really, like really disliked this product, but now I feel like I judged far too early on! If you read my review of this you'll know that I hated the smell but I did infact grow to love it! The tub did last a good 6 months and that's with every day use which does make the price alot more justifiable then I had first thought! For now I'm going to work my way through the cleansers I have sitting in my drawer but I may in the near future pick it up. 

Would I repurchase? Yes if I was feeling spendy. 

Off these go to empties heaven. What have you been using up this month? Have you tried 

any of these products? 

I Love A Good Tart | Yankee Candle Haul

 I love me a good candle, I find they can really change my mood within minutes and they help set a relaxing atmosphere! Yankee candles are my favourite as there are so many different scents for whatever mood you fancy. They are also really good value for money - who knew candles could be soo expensive (Neom, I'm looking at you!) When I saw that you could get 10 tarts and only pay for 8 on Yankee Direct I made my order pretty sharpish! 

I picked up a couple of my favourite scent ever, Black Coconut, a few summer scents but also couldn't resist some Christmas/wintery scents like Christmas Cookie! The thing I love with the tarts that you can try a scent on a small scale before biting the bullet and buying a jar. Although the tarts are small they do pack a big punch  when it comes to scent. I add a tart to my burner and light a little tea light and off I go. Although Yankee says the tarts can last 8 hours, I'd say they last a whole lot longer than that as I tend to burn 1 tart each night for a few hours and it can last a week or sometimes longer depending on the scent type of the tart.

I've started to store my tarts in a glass storage bowl as they are too pretty and colourful to store away in a drawer! Every time I walk passeed I cant help but take the lid of the container to get a wiff of the loveliness inside! 

Although I've never tried it you can mix up tarts to create your own scents which is such a good idea, I just panic that I may not like the scent I make so just stick with what I know. I have seen though that on the Yankee Direct website they give different ideas on Mixology, I like the sound of Laundry Day which is Fluffy Towels and Clean Cotton. I have both so may give that a try later on this evening, I'll keep you posted! 

Do you like Yankee Candles? What's your favourite? 

Review | Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

Hair for me is more a pain then a pleasure. 99.9% of the time you will find me with my hair up in my regimented ballerina bun, if your lucky I might have my doughnut in, but noway will it be in a normal ponytail let alone down! My hair is just out of control, its not straight, but not fully curly, its that in between which is a nightmare to maintain. Any small bit of heat or humidity and BOOM I'm a scarecrow. Because of this I've pretty much given up on with my tresses. 

Despite all of the above I do like to try new things now and again to see if I will finally find something to tame my very dry out of control hair, and I hate to admit it but I think the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer is a little bit of a game changer for me! You use this as a pre-shampoo, so you wet your hair before your shower or bath, massage into the mid and ends of your hair. I leave it for about 20 minutes before rinsing off and using shampoo and conditioner as normal. The formula is designed to add a big burst of moisture into your hair which gives hair elasticity and bounce and doesn't make it heavy. 

From the first use of this little baby my hair felt softer and and looked in better condition, to the point where I actually wore my hair in a pony tail shock horror. I've used this a couple of times since the first use and its only got better. I'd like to use it once a week to get the full results but it all honesty I find it a bit of a faff having to wet my hair then wait around for 20 minutes before even stepping foot in the shower, but you know what they say, pain is beauty! And it is a pretty big pain in the butt! 

This little sample size I received in a beauty box which was a blessing as I'd never have picked it up on the off chance as it has quite a hefty price tag of £28 for 150ml! Now in my books that's an extravagant purchase, but now I've tried it and loved it I'll definitely consider picking it up again. 

Have you tried anything from Philip Kingsley? What has been your most

expensive hair product?