French Haul; Part 2

So you've read what skincare goodies i purchased across the channel (or perhaps your havent?) if not you can read it here.

This is what other lovely things i bought, which i shall say now aren't particularly exciting (sorry to dissappoint)

Mainly a few bits from Sephora, i actually think i'm in love with that shop. I would contemplate moving to France just to be able to shop in Sephora. I could spend hours in there, just looking and swatching and smelling.

I could have purchased everything, but this is what I limited myself to...

I'm pretty obsessed with Peony scent, nowadays, so was super excited that Sephora had Peony scented everything! I chose, a Peony perfume, so i can compare to the Yardley one i love so much. A Peony scented candle and a Peony shower gel, of which i only bought the little sample pod, and i'm slightly wishing i bought a bigger one!.

I smelt the Blueberry pefume and its was so fruity and delicious, but i dont think it was really a perfume type scent, so instead i picked it up in the Creamy Body Wash, hopefully the scent will be same!

 I got a selection of these little cuties...

They're little pods that have shower gel in them. Basically Sephora have a range of scents, i think at least 10? and then do a range of products, of these scents. These little pods of body wash, the tubes they do bigger bottles and perfume and candles, litereally everything! And so many interesting smells, i Chose, Lagoon, Peony, Toffee, Cotton Flower & Green Tea. I also, picked up a couple as a little gift for a friend. I just think they're SO cute.

Another thinkg i love about Sephore, they are happy to gift wrap anything. and they do it so nicely aswell. The first question at the till is, are these a gift? and no extra charge they put them in gorgeous wrapping, with Spehora stickers and everything. French shops attention to detail is really amazing. English shops; Take Note!!

The last thing i picked up was this....

The picture doesnt really do it justice, but its a metallic slate/charcol/gun metal grey colour, with almost holographic blue/purple glitter in it. I've yet to try it out yet, as i've had my nails painted. But i'll be definitely be doing a NOTD with it soon. I can't stop looking at it!

And finally, another thing i LOVE LOVE LOVE about Sephora, look at this!...

The sales asisstant was ridiculously genorous with perfume smaples! EIGHT samples, EIGHT! I couldn't believe it when i looked in my bag. I still can't believe it. I think i'd be lucky to get one over here. I was so happy! I can't wait to try them all.

I've also decided, i'm going to do a third haul post, as i have a couple more things to show you, but i'll combine them with another post i was going to do.

I'll just finished by saying; I LOVE SEPHORA. (have i told you that already?) 

Lots of Love

X

She Said Beauty Box; June

This post, is a bit late! sadly my first box got lost somewhere along the way, but the people at SSB kindly sent me a new one! I even managed, to not look at any spoilers while i waited!

 

Yardley London, Royal Diamond Eau De Toilette; 

This fragrance was bought out to celebrate the Queens diamond jubilee, The opening fragrance is pear & bergamot followed by notes of honey, the heart notes include a floral bouquet of rose, peony and lily of the valley. It also has a soft woody and vanilla base. I'm really loving this fragrance. I've said this before, when i got the peony sample in a beauty box, but Yardley has pleasantly surprised me every time. I also just assume, its going to be a really floral, old lady scent. My gran uses Yardley talc, and i just think the whole brand has an age bracket on it. But I'm slowly getting proved wrong.

Balance Me, Super Moisturising Hand Cream;

I'm not usually a massive hand cream user, but since spending the last 2 months, and the foreseeable 2 months on crutches, hand cream has been a godsend. I think with out it, my hands would resemble something made of leather. Crutches make them so sore. I also really love Balance Me products, I'm currently using the eye cream and face cream. I especially love the smell of the eye cream. This hand cream is pretty non-greasy (always a bonus) and smells of lavender. Its also a handy 30ml size!

Elemis, Tranquil Touch Indulgent Bath Elixir;

I cant stop smelling this, I can't decide whether i like it or not. It has a familiar scent to it, slightly like aftershave, though i think that might be the Cedarwood. It also contains Patchouli and Vetivert Leaves, i have no idea what they are?! My mum had a wee sniff, and said it smells like 'boy washing stuff' Its quite a nice smell, sort of comforting.

St Tropez, Gradual Tan Everyday Body Moisturiser;

This is probably the product i was most excited about. I've been wanting to try this for ages, as I've heard so many good things about it. It has quite a strong perfume smell, which i much prefer as that biscuitty fake tan smell actually makes me feel a bit nauseous! The product is light, and none greasy and sinks in quickly, which is always a bonus. If the sun doesn't appear while I'm on holiday, I'll definitely be using this when i get home or while I'm there!

Lets Go; Lashes

Got these in the last Glossy Box, so not overly impressed. My lash collection has grown a considerable amount since receiving beauty boxes! Hopefully, the companies will take a hint, and stop putting them in. There's only so many pairs of lashes a girl needs, surely?

Still I'm sure they'll get used, but for now they are joining my stock pile.

Bonus Item; 

Ginerva, Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream;

This is an actual Asian BB cream, its enriched with Green Tea, Ginseng, Chinese Angelica and Hyaluronic Acid. It has SPF 30 in it, which is really good! Though, I do find stuff with a higher factor in, either feel filmy, or have a whitish hue to it. I'm hoping i don't fall in love with it, as its £20 for 25ml, so its a bit on the pricey side. But we shall see.

All in all, i think this is a really good box! She Said rarely disappoints if I'm honest. They usually have a great mix of products and everyone gets the same box! My only little problem is, lashes. PLEASE NO MORE haha.

what did you think of this months She Said Beauty Box?

Lots of Love

X

P.s Theres still time to enter my 50 follower giveaway here.

April/May Empties

This month, I've combine April & May as i didn't really get through much in April, half the month i was at home so was just using what was in the bathroom and the other half of the month, i was either in hospital or in bed, with a broken leg. So any sort of routine went out of the window.

I'm still only just getting back into a routine, as I'm still not great on my feet (and might not be for a while, but I'll do a post to update you) So anyway, this is what I've used up in the last 2 months. I'll try and write what i liked and disliked about each one, but it seems like so long ago, I'm sure i can remember haha.

Parissa Warm Wax - This was my bargain product, i got it on clearance in a local Boots store for about £3, when i opened the box i found the original price label for about £13!! (i went back and bought about 3 more!) Really impressed with this product, i managed to get about 3/4 leg waxes out of it as well as a couple of eyebrow waxes. Its a little bit messy, and doesn't hold its heat very well, i find i have to microwave is after about 2/3 strips. But for £3 cant really complain, it comes complete with strips and spatulas as well! (please excuse the horrible box, one of the dogs eat it!)

Yardley, Peony Shower Gel - One of my FAVOURITE products, ever since we got the peony sample in one of the beauty boxes I'm hooked. I spotted this in TK Maxx AND it had a clearance sticker on, i think its was around the £2.50/£3 mark. I haven't been able to find them anywhere, even in Boots, the only peony product they seem to have is the perfume or body spray. Not only do i love the smell but i love the product as well, its really creamy and lathers up well and lasts for ages. (or it would have lasted for ages if EVERYONE else didn't use it) Luckily i have a spare, in secret haha.

Boots 24hr Protection, Roll on Deodorant - I wouldn't repurchase this product EVER, Normally I'm quite happy to get own brand stuff, but there's certain things i will only buy branded, they are Deodorant and Sanitary towels/tampons. My mum bought me this while i was in hospital, and it was alright then, I'd have a bed bath everyday and i wasn't allowed out of bed so deodorant wasn't much of an issue. But i carried on using it once i was home, and every time i wore it i was paranoid i stank. It didn't stop me sweating at all, in fact I'm convinced it made me sweat more. It really was gross. So I'm glad I've come to the end of that one.

Pantene Pro-V Repair & Protect, Shampoo & Conditioner -  These aren't technically empty, but i had to stop using them as they were making me itch horribly. My friend bought me these while i was in hospital, but they never got used, as I was never given the option to have my hair washed (is that normal?) So i just used them once i got home. I wouldn't repurchase as I'm allergic to them, which is a shame because i love the smell of them.

Soltan SPF 8 - Now i know what you must be thinking, SPF 8?! The gorgeous weather the other week took us by surprise and this was all we had in the house. My mums never been a high factor buyer, she's on of those people that thinks if you wear a high factor you won't tan. I'm pretty sure she's convinced she is immune from sun burn. That maybe because of her age? I don't know. So yes i managed to use this whole pouch. I always buy Soltan suncream as its one of the only sun protections to offer 5* UVA/UVB protection. Some of the branded ones only offer 2/3! And also Soltan is reasonably priced and ALWAYS on offer, either buy one get one or half price. I much prefer the half price offer, as the little amount of sun we get often means i don't get through two bottles.

Green People Sun Lotion SPF 15 - This is more of a factor i would buy, i feel 15 is sufficient for my skin. I loved the Green Peoples one, it smelt like lavender and is 82% organic! although it can leave a bit of that tell tale white film behind, which is the only down side. I've managed to swap for a couple of theses to take away with me as they are a handy size for throwing in a bag if you're going out for the day.

No7 Radiance Revealed Exfoliator - I'm not the biggest fan of No7 products, there are a couple a like, but generally it wouldn't be my first choice brand. I do quite like this exfoliator, it feels like it doing a good job, with out being really harsh and always leaves my skin nice and smooth. I probably wouldn't repurchase this, but only on the grounds that i have loads of exfoliators to get through.

Nivea Creme - This is a bit of a classic product, it seems to have a been around since the dawn of time! It was another product that was bought for me while i was in hospital as its quite a multi-tasking product. I used it everywhere, my hands, my face, my elbows and any sore patches. I probably wouldn't repurchase, as i am half way through another one, and like exfoliators i have a ton of moisturisers. I did find it slightly to rich for my face, even though my skin is quite dry, this made it a bit greasy.

Johnsons Dreamy Skin Face Wipes - This is another product that isn't technically empty, but i had to stop using them as they were make my skin really sore. I love the smell of these, but the wipes themselves feel a bit harsh and rough. Wont be repurchasing these.

Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion - I cant see anywhere how big this sample was, its not huge, about average sample size, but i got SO many applications out of it and I've just realised its not even completely empty! I love the smell of this, it has like a clean fresh smell, its quite a watery consistency and you only need a really small amount to moisturise your whole face. It has SPF 15 in and is oil-free which is great. I'm not really sure what to say on the performance, i liked it but i didn't love it. I don't think I'd buy a full size, but I'm tempted by the little trail sets you can get from Benefit counters & on ASOS for about £10 and you get a travel size of everything in the Benefit Skincare range.

Erno Laszlo - These came in a set in one of the beauty boxes. So far I've used Refresh moisture infusion, morning beauty rescue & velvet night cream. The morning beauty rescue i absolutely HATED, it was basically a sparkly gel, i felt like a was putting on that glitter gel you use as a child. The other two, i cant remember what they were like, so i don't think they were that amazing, else i might have remembered. I think i still have two more to try from the set.

Garnier BB Cream - I loved loved loved this. I have a stash of these sample sachets as I've heard the full size isn't as good as the sample? which is a real shame. I think this is the perfect product for summer, its not as heavy as foundation, but gives you enough coverage to feel like you are wearing something, and it leaves your skin feeling really nice. Its lovely and creamy, and blends well, the samples are in light which is just the right colour for me though possibly not now i have a tan, we'll see. The samples are really generous as well. and i reckon i could have got at least two applications out it, but i was a bit excited and emptied the whole sachet onto the back of my hand!  Another thing i like about it, it has a nice fresh scent, not like a foundation-y smell.

So there we are my empties from the last two months.

What Products have you recently used up?

Lots of Love

X

P.s Dont Forget To Enter My Giveaway.

March Empties

This is Incredibly late, as we are now in May! i did contemplate not doing it at all. But, I've got all my empty stuff so i might aswell! Here goes....

- No7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes, I quite like these wipes, i especially like the clip lid as it really helps to stop them drying out! I only every purchase these when the £5 No7 voucher is floating around, as other wise i think they are a bit over priced retailing at around £7 a pack, Which personally i cant justify paying, when you can get wipes just as good for less than £2/3 But they are a lovely treat when the voucher do come out. I also find them handy for popping in birthday & Christmas presents aswell. 

- Dermalogica Precleanse, I actually love Dermalogica, when i did beauty therapy at college we used their products and I've loved them ever since. I will never understand why they put oils in sachets though, they are SO messy. The precleanse is gorgeous though and it smells amazing.

- Monu Neck and Bust Cream, i love the smell of Monu products. The neck and bust sample was only 5ml so i don't think i was going to see much difference, the product was lovely to use and moisturised nicely, i dont think I'll be purchasing this product though,

- Como Shambhala Invigo Lotion, loved this product the smell was amazing and it felt so nice on my skin. the sample lasted a good amount of time aswell. People also commented on the scent, so it lingers on the skin quite well. which I'm pleased about. if I ever need to purchase a new body lotion, this would be on the shortlist. I'd also like to try the shower gel that's available.

- My Skin Make Up Fresh Facial Wipes, these wipes were just from Tesco, so they didn't break the bank. They're formulated for teenage skin and have extracts of raspberry and lime tree blossom, so they smell delicious, i cant say i noticed that they kept my skin clear. but they were good for just removing daily grime and left my skin feeling and smelling nice.

- The Body Shop Chocomania Body Butter, i got given this sample at my local store. I love the fruity body butters the body shop do. I don't know what i was expecting from this, but the smell wasn't what i thought it was going to be, i cant decide weather i like it or not? I'd be happy enough with another sample, but i don't think I'll be buying the full size.

- Green People Fruitful  Nights, Night cream for younger looking skin, this moisturiser is suitable for all skin types which is good. i really enjoyed using it, it made my dry skin really soft, and it was especially nice after a face mask or a good exfoliation. the only down side was the smell, there's like the tiniest fruity hint to it, but other than that its kind of like i don't even know, i guess its natural kind of smell as the product is 90% organic. I may purchase this again, though we often get moisturisers in beauty boxes so i don't know when I'll be needing a new one.

- No7 Protect & Perfect Day Cream, this size is the size that often comes in the free gifts, its a handy size for throwing in a swimming bag or gym bag or even hand bag. i like the smell of No7 products but i find this one a bit to greasy for my skin, possible because its meant for the more mature skin. But its still a nice product and i know some people swear by the Protect & Perfect products.

- Simple Vital Vitamin Day Cream, Simple again is another brand i find a bit to greasy on my skin, even the light moisturiser. i received this as a little extra in a swap, so I'm not sure where you can get hold of samples this size. i enjoyed using the sample as I've not tryed the vitamin cream from simple before. Though i don't think I'll be purchasing.

- A-Derma Emollient Cream, I tried using this on my face when it was particularly dry, but it was way to greasy, so i used the rest on my dry elbows and it worked nicely. I think this product would be good for eczema or just REALLY dry skin.

- LuLu's Time Bomb, Flashback Night Cream. I LOVED this cream, i got it through the beauty box swapping page as i was intrigued to try it, and I'm so glad i did. it made my skin feel so nice, if i missed a couple of nights now using it, i really noticed. If i don't receive anymore night creams in beauty boxes i will either see if i can swap for a couple more tubes or maybe even splash out and purchase the full size.

- Yardley Peony Fragrance, I got this in a beauty box, and have been swapping left right and centre to get more little vials of it. I'm in love with this fragrance, i always associate Yardley with old ladies, my gran uses the lavender talc. but this is such a nice light floral scent i managed to get about 5/6 vials of it and also found 2 peony on clearance in TK Maxx! I think I'll definitely be re purchasing this or at least other things in the range.

- L'Oreal Mythic Oil, this was my first experience with hair oil and it was amazing, my hair gets so dry at the ends and this worked a treat! While using this my hair was so soft and felt so nourished it was great. I've bought a small bottle of macadamia oil to compare. Mythic oil often features on buyapowa aswell, so i may buy it in the future.

- Monu Hand and Nail Cream, This cream lasted me forever, you only need the tiniest bit and it goes a long way. It smells divine and was so nourishing. I have so much hand cream from beauty boxes so wont be needing to purchase any, but this is definitely a great product.

- Monu Enriched body cream, I think body creams need to come in slightly larger samples than 5ml, as it doesn't really go very far, but like all Monu products this smelt really good, and like the hand cream, we get so much moisturiser in beauty boxes i don't think I'll be need to buy any, anytime soon.

- Marc Jacobs, Oh, Lola! I've never really smelt any of the Lola fragrances or i don't think any Marc Jacobs fragrances, i got this in my valentines secret swap, and totally loved it, though i probably won't buy a full size, as i have 2 perfumes i LOVE and use often, but i enjoyed trying out the sample and a new fragrance.

I also finished off a tube of Soap & Glory Butter Up Body Smoothing Cream, i couldn't find it for the photo though. I love soap and glory products, I'm yet to find one i dislike.

Apologies for the very belated empties.

Lots of Love

X

Carmine; February

There's been so much drama over this months box! 

To begin with, everyone was getting the same box (that included a full size SteamCream & a full size Balance Me body wash) Carmine then informed everyone that they had actually run out of said Full Size products and were unable to get any more, so replacing them with products from previous boxes.

 I'm still not sure how i feel about this, as its my first carmine box i don't feel i can complain, as i don't already have the products that they were replacing them with, but i also feel very annoyed as i subbed in January before i even knew what the boxes would have in them, yet in my first ever carmine box, i wont even be receiving the items (which i would have loved to have tried) So i had a slight annoyance/disappointment when i did eventually get my box, nonetheless i am semi pleased with what i got, as it has given me new products to try and introduced me to new brands. Which is the purpose of beauty boxes. Saying all of that, i completely understand why there has been so many issues with this box, Carmine just saying we aren't getting (in my opinion) the 2 best products in the box so blasé (don't know how to spell) without giving the people who only subbed for that reason or even people that had previously subbed but were getting the reworked box, to cancel. But they were welcome to send their box back (at their own expense) for a refund, which I'm guessing was less postage (TWO lots of postage). I really didn't mean to rant this much BUT once you start and all that, i shall leave it now. Please feel free to comment below. Now onto the products!

In My Box...

I Got...

- The Balm FratBoy All-In-One Shadow/Blush (replacement)

- Daniel Sandler Eye Delight (replacement)

- Andrea Fuller Nail Varnish (full size)

- Diego Dalla Palma Lipstick

- White Glo Whitening Toothpaste

- Yardley London Peony Fragrance (bonus)

I'll start with the replacement items...

The Balm is a brand I'd never heard of, but I've seen a lot of reviews of this product as i believe it featured in the October Carmine (along with the Daniel Sandler) as disappointed as i am not receive the cream and the body wash, i am pleased i got this product as i have wanted to try it, and I'm in need of a new blusher, this one is really pigmented and i love the packaging. It retails for £16.00 and is available at feelunique.com

Right; Daniel Sandler Left; The Balm FratBoy

Next is the Daniel Sandler in Ice, again i am please i got this product over some of the other things they could have added in as it is also a product I've been wanting to try, its really well pigmented and has a great shimmer, it will be a welcome addition to my make up kit. It can be used either wet or dry depending on how much intensity you'd like. Another Daniel Sandler product I'd like to try is the Watercolour Blush. Daniel Sandler products are available here and the eye delight retails for £10.25

Next up is Diego Dalla Palma The Lipstick, this again is brand I've never come across. The lipstick is available in 20 high pigmented shades, my came in shade 32 a nice peachy/corally colour with a hint of shimmer. I'm not the biggest lipstick fan, but this sample is so cute i can't not try it! Full size lipsticks are available here and retail for £20.30. I've just noticed it has an almost cocoa butter scent, so think this lipstick could be really moisturising!

Shade 32

Andrea Fullerton is a brand i have heard of, as they stock it in SuperDrug. I've often looked at the range of products there seem to be some great nail effects/art items. So i was really pleased to see this turn up the colour i received is called Julia. Again I'm really pleased with the colour, i have a vast collection of nail polishes and this is one that isn't a common with in my collect (i may have a boujois one similar) I have an awful lot of greens and other bright colours, and i think everyone need a subdued neutral colour varnish in their collection. As i mention this Brand is available at Superdrug and the individual polishes retail at £4.99 (I ha vent swatched as my nails are already painted, sorrryyy!)

White Glo, I'm really pleased to see this product in here, i know its a 'beauty' box but it makes a really nice change to face cream samples and things. I also know that this toothpaste is available in boots and I'm pretty sure you get a toothbrush with the full size version ( or you did when my mum purchased it) I look forward to trying this to see what its like, sometimes i find whitening toothpastes have a funny taste, but we shall see.... White Glo is available at boots.com for £4.07

And last but not least our 'bonus' item Yardley London, this brand is always something I've associated with old people, my grans favourite is Yardley Lavender Talc. Very stereotypical i know, but its just one of those things, I'm not a massive fan of overly floral smelling things, i like the smell of rose stuff, but not a lot else. So i was pleasantly surprised with this, its really light and fresh and not like old lady floral. I remember a friend had peony's as her wedding flower, and then too they smelt beautiful. This also is available in boots and at boots.com for £13.49/125ml

So after going through each product individually i am generally pleased with the contents of this box, disputer my initial disappointment. I very much look forward to trying all the products and seeing how they work out.

Which Carmine box did you receive this month? I hope you enjoy all your products!

P.s i apoligise for my rant at the start!

Lots of Love

X