Household Empties

I'm not sure whether to make a series out of this style post but just wanted to test the water with it!  I thought it would be quite interesting to do some mini reviews of household items.  Now that I have moved out I can make sure all the products I buy are cruelty free and I'm enjoying trying out lots of brands that are available!  Let me know you found it helpful and would like to see more of this post!

Lunch at Prezzo

Recently while my friend was down visiting me for the weekend and we went for lunch in Manchester city centre before she got the train home.  We wandered through The Printworks looking for somewhere to eat and came across Prezzo where neither of us had been before.  At a quick glance the menu looked pretty good so we went in.  First impressions were that we were ignored and walked past by a lot of the staff until finally Louise asked the next staff member we saw for a table.

However after this disappointing start everything got a lot better!  After properly reading the menu there were loads of things I wanted, a pretty good vegetarian selection.  Although a lot of them involve goat's cheese and butternut squash so if you're not a fan of them it might not be so good!  Fortunately I love these two things and went for the Goat's Cheese and Vegetable Risotto which had butternut squash, courgettes and green beans in it.  Louise went for Spaghetti Carbonara, but we were really hungry so decided to share the Large Bread Board as a starter.

The bread board turned out to be AMAZING!  How good does it look?!  It's made up of tomato and pesto bread, mozzarella and garlic bread, rosemary flatbread and ciabatta with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.  I could just eat this over and over...  This was £5.35 between us.

I nearly forget to take a photo of my main and had started eating when Louise reminded me ha, hence why it looks a bit dishevelled!  Sometimes risotto can be really creamy, sickly and samey but I really enjoyed this.  It wasn't too creamy, with the creaminess mostly coming from the goat's cheese which there was a perfect amount of.  The different bits of veg made it more interesting too.  It's quite a small portion considering it is £10.95 but I don't mind as it was the perfect size for me, I managed to finish it with ease and without feeling too full.  I think if I hadn't had the bread before I'd probably been able to eat more so I'm glad we decided to have a starter.  My only criticisms would be that I'd have preferred larger pieces of butternut squash and probably a slightly larger portion - only because I have a fairly small appetite so it might not be enough for other people! 

I'd really like to go back and try some of the other options I was eyeing up!  See their menu here.

Have you got a favourite at Prezzo?

<3

Beefayre Rhubarb & Raspberry Candle

When I was offered the chance to try something from Beefayre I was thrilled as although I hadn't heard of the company, after some quite googling I knew it was right up my street.  Beefayre was developed by artist Sharon Jervis and her son after visiting beekeepers in Romania.  The products are handmade in England using high quality ingredients, avoiding any petroleum by-products.  They also donate 3% of their profits to bee conservation and research which I think is brilliant! 

Nars Blush Collection - with swatches

I'm a big fan of Nars blushers, they're all so pretty!  I used to work for House of Fraser so was lucky enough to get 10% off beauty items which I took full advantage of and have built up and small collection whilst I was there.

Click read more to see my collection and swatches of everything.

DIY Frozen Sweet Potato Chips

I had no idea what to call this post!  Basically it's a 'recipe' for making a big batch of sweet potato chips which can be stored in the freezer until needed.  I love doing this as I always have them to hand to shove in the oven for lazy dinner nights.

Sweet potatoes are so good for using as an alternative to normal potatoes for chips or wedges but can be a bit time consuming to make from scratch each time.  I've used this method a few times and it works out great.  I live by myself so it's handy having them in 1 portion sized bags that I can just bring out and use when I fancy them.

As well as being super yummy, sweet potatoes are really good for you!  They are full of vitamins C, D and the minerals iron, magnesium and potassium.  [source] 

Start by washing your potatoes - use as many as you like.

Cut them up into relatively similar sized chips/wedges.  You can peel them if you like but I love the skin!

Boil a big pan of water, enough to cover all the potatoes, and add them to the pot.  Leave them boiling for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare a bowl with cold water and add ice cubes.

Transfer the chips from the pan into the cold water and leave until cool.

Once they have cooled, separate them into portions and seal in freezer bags.

Put them in the freezer! 

To actually cook them, all you do is bring out a bag and run the chips under cool water to thaw slightly.  Spray a foil lined baking tray with oil, place the chips on the tray and spray with some more oil.  Leave them plain with some sea salt and pepper sprinkled over or rub in mixed herbs or spices using olive oil for some flavour.  Place in the oven at about 200c for 18-20 mins.  Voila!

<3

What's In My Shower?

Now that I have a bathroom all to myself I thought I would do a sort of mini tour and 'what's in my shower' type of post.

I'll start with the shower then onto other bits I keep in my bathroom.

I got this little suction holder from Ikea and it's really handy for keeping most of my products within easy reach - and it only falls off very occasionally!

Currently I am using Dr Organic Pomegranate Shampoo and Conditioner but I've only used them a couple of times so far so I can't comment too much on them.  Although I've noticed that I'm not really a big fan of the smell...

I keep my Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish in here as well which is what I use for taking my make up off at night while showering.  I also always have a muslin cloth hanging over the shower guard to use with it.  I tend to use eye make up remover first before going in the shower, then use the C&P for the rest.  I love how quick and easy it is!

I usually have shower gel in here too but I've ran out so just using soap instead! 

My current soap is an absolute favourite of mine, Lush Northern Lights.  It's a Christmas limited edition one which they didn't even do last year, this one is from the year before, oops!

I've been using Morrisons Sensitive Aloe Vera Shave Gel which I quite like, you hardly need any and it smells really good!

Lush Rub Rub Rub is a body scrub which can also be used as shampoo oddly...  Only used this a couple of times as a scrub but it smells amazing!  I've been informed that the Sakura bath bomb is the same scent so I'll be picking this up soon!

Below are some of the shelves I have and what I use them for.

Top left I use these two holders for muslin cloths and cotton pads.

Top right Some skincare I don't use as often: The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil; Arran Aromatics Cucumber and Avocado Scrub Gel; Arran Aromatics Bergamot and Mint Mud Mask, Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser.

Bottom left My most used skincare: Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water; Ren Clarifying Toning Lotion; Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask; The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover; Trilogy Rosehip Oil; Liz Earle moisturiser; Buddha Beauty Facial Night Cream.

Bottom right This is a unit I got from Ikea for storing towels and stuff (you can see it in the back of top pic).  On the top shelf I keep some jars containing soap, cotton buds and my reusable cotton pads.  On the shelf below this I have a big toiletries bag with my bath bombs and bubble bars, also my body moisturiser sits here.

Have you got any bath/shower time necessities?

<3

NOTD: Trustafarian

I haven't worn nail varnish in such a long time let along blogged about it!  Is it possible to be to busy to even apply nail varnish?!  My nails were getting too long and I was going to cut them so I thought I may as well take advantage of them being long and paint them first.  I'm tempted to shape them into that stiletto style actually, it's grown on me! 

This is Butter London's Trustafarian which is a pale green with a sparkly golden holograph through it.  The holo is fairly subtle but catches the light beautifully - the photos don't do it justice!  I applied 3 coats although 2 would probably be fine.

<3

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

I feel like I spend a lot of timing looking for a mascara which works for me!  I've not been particularly excited about any since they discontinued the Bourjois one I loved - there are cruelty free disputes about them now however so it's probably not a bad thing.  

When I went to Paris in June we obviously had to go to Sephora so I thought I'd splash out a bit and try a Too Faced mascara as I'd heard good things about them.  There were a couple to choose from and in the end I went for Better Than Sex.  

It's the biggest tube out of all the range and it's really quite heavy and chunky actually, I'm not sure if it's supposed to remind us of some sort of vibrating sex toy or if that's just me being dirty minded!  Anyway... moving on, as you can see from the photos below, it's also got a huge brush.  You can't see it all that well but it's twisted and in an hourglass shape.

Below are some photos to show the effect of the mascara.  In the first one I have no make up on at all, then for the next two I applied foundation, concealer, brow pencil and finally the mascara.  Please ignore the drunk look in the middle one, my eye kept blinking haha!  I think mascara works really well at both lengthening and curling the lashes - I didn't even curl them before this.  

I am loving this mascara, definitely the best one I've used in a long time!  It lasts all day and I've not had any problems with flaking.  However, I normally don't wear mascara on my bottom lashes so I think it would transfer if I did, as every other non-waterproof one does, but I wanted to show it applied in the photos.  

What's also great is that removal is easy and comes off quickly with my Body Shop Camomile Eye Makeup Remover.

The only negative I have come across with this is that I seem to always get it on my eyelids which isn't something which happens with other mascaras!  I think it might just be because it's such a huge brush which I'm not used to, so hopefully I'll get to grips with it soon...

I would definitely repurchase this however it seems to be really popular and sold out almost everywhere at the moment!  As I mentioned above, I bought it in Paris and it was about 23€, and from what I can find online I think it's £19 here which isn't too bad.  Boots and Debenhams both stock Too Faced but are out of stock online, however BeautyBay are selling it here for a bit cheaper at £16.91 with free delivery.

I would like to try the Better Than False Lashes which has nylon fibres you apply in between coats but this is £32 so maybe once I have a bit more money...

<3

The Body Shop Mini Haul

This is my first online purchase since moving - no internet for nearly 2 months saved me a fortune! - and I got it delivered to my work as well which was pretty exciting!  Didn't buy a huge amount but thought I'd share it anyway.

Thirsty Hands Moisture Gloves - I have a pair of moisturising socks which work really well so I wanted to try the gloves.  My hands as they've become quite dry recently and will probably only get worse going into Autumn and Winter!  My first impression of them is that they are really quite tight and I have relatively small hands, I'd imagine they'd stretch but maybe wouldn't be very comfy on bigger hands!  They do however feel lovely and soft; and they're also made from organically grown cotton and support Craft Aid which is a textiles business which aim to provide employment for people with disabilities in Mauritius. £7

Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover - This is my favourite eye makeup remover at the moment - you can read my review here.  I'm almost halfway through my current bottle so I've bought this new one so I can have one in my flat and one back Home. £8/250ml

Satsuma Hand Cleanse Gel - I've got this in the mango fragrance which smells really good which I kept in my bag but I'm now keeping it at my desk instead so I needed a new one for my bag.  I went for satsuma which was a bit risky as I'm a bit fussy with citrus scents but luckily it smells nice! £2.50/60ml

I got all of this for about £12 as I used the voucher code "RIPE" to get 30% off 3 items, or you can get 40% off 5 items!

<3

The Harry Potter Tag

You may already know that I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan, so when I saw the tag on Hayley's blog I obviously had to do it!  I'm not actually sure who started it though, if know leave me a comment and I can credit them in the post.

The photos are from the Harry Potter Studios at Warner Brothers just outside London.  My parents took me there for my 21st - best birthday ever!!

1. What is your favourite book?

Order of the Phoenix, I think I just quite enjoy the books which have a good bit of story before they actually go back to Hogwarts - I like that about the Goblet of Fire too.

2. What is your favourite film?

Tricky!  I do love the first one because it's so cute seeing them all as babies, then also the final one as it wraps it up nicely and is very emotional.

3. What is your least favourite book?

Maybe The Goblet of Fire?  I don't actually know, it's too hard, I love them all!  

4. What is your least favourite film?

Probably The Chamber of Secrets, but I do still like it a lot!

5. Which parts of the books/films made you cry?

I tend not to cry from books but I did actually cry a little bit when Hedwig died - yes I know!!  In the films, if I was alone, I would probably cry at every single death, and the last half of Deathly Hallows Part 2...

6. If you could hook up with any character who would it be?

Aw man, Draco!  I kind of love/hate the character but Tom Felton is so hot.  It would just be a one time only thing with a bad boy to get it out my system, he doesn't seem like the relationship type ;)

7. Who is your favourite character?

It's hard to choose but I do love Luna.

8. Who is your least favourite character?

Quite an easy one, Umbridge makes me feel so much anger and hatred for her it's crazy.  Shows how good Rowling is when she can make you feel so strongly about a character!

9. What is your least favourite line?

Line?!  I can't think of one in particular, there are loads of good quotes though which are usually from Dumbledore.

10. What would your patronus be?

Definitely a cat <3 Big or small, wild or domestic! 

11. If you could have the invisibility cloak, resurrection stone or elder wand, which would you choose?

The invisibility cloak so I can be creeper.

12. What house would you be in?

I was sorted into Gryffindor on Pottermore which I was a bit disappointed by to be honest!  However I have accepted and come to love myself as a Gryffindor - maybe.

13. If you could meet any member of the cast who would it be?

Hmm, Evanna Lynch seems lovely I think she would be good to meet, maybe Rupert Grint?

14. If you were on the Quiddich team, what position would you play?

I don't think there's any way I'd get onto a Quidditch team however if I did I would probably be best at being a Beater?!

15. Were you happy with the ending?

Yes.  I did kinda want him to die, which in a way he did, but I know I'd have been devastated if he had been killed off!  I liked The Battle of Hogwarts and how it was realistic and brutal as war is.  I saw a post of tumblr which gave the reasons why Rowling killed of the characters she did, it was very meaningful.  I didn't like the 19 years later bit though that was rather cheesy and unnecessary - especially in the film *cringe*

16. How much does Harry Potter mean to you?

After the final film, I cried on and off for about 3 days... genuinely, it was awful!  I just felt really overwhelmed that that was it all over and there would be no more Harry Potter things to look forward to!  I also kept watching really emotional montage videos on Youtube which really didn't help.  I grew up with the books and they're such a big part of my childhood/teenage years.  I even listen to the audiobooks every night to help me get to sleep.  

I'm also planning on getting the Deathly Hallows symbol as a tattoo at some point, woo nerdy!

Probably a controversial view but I would love for the films to be remade in like 20 years time just so I could relive it haha!  It would be interesting to see a different take on the books.

~

 Well, I think I have truly out-geeked myself with this post!  If you have done this or are going to do it, let me know in the comments so I can read your answers!!

<3

Empties #17

I finally have my broadband sorted!  It's been an absolute nightmare, honestly!  So hopefully that should be me back for good now.  I'm hoping to do one post a week until I get back into the swing of things.  

Also Manchester is now my nearest city so I definitely wanting to get involved in the blogging community here so if anyone who has any info on that then let me know :)

Superdrug Anti-Perspirant Deodorant in Soft Pink

Thoughts: This is my 3rd can I think but the first one in this fragrance.  I really don't like it and won't be buying it again!  It smells very powdery and horrible, it makes me choke!  The deo itself is fine, the best I've used so far but definitely on the lookout for something better - and preferably in stick form!  £1.29/250ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Already have, but a different smell!

Giovanni Triple Tee Tree Treat Invigorating Conditioner

Thoughts: This conditioner is really nice.  It smells so lovely and refreshing, a little bit tingly too - in a good way!  No complaints on the functionality of it, detangled and smoothed well.  £7.99/250ml here - currently not available.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Possibly at some point.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish (not sure how I missed photographing it!)

Thoughts: I love that Liz Earle give you some sort of sample like this one with every order! So generous!  I got this one when I bought my eyebrow pencil I think.  I'm terrible for using skincare religiously but I was getting pretty good with this one.  I would take off my eye make up then use this in shower in the evening for removing the rest of my face make up.  Luckily I've got a full size one to go onto next which should last me a while - I won it on Twitter, yay!  £14.75/100ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Yes.

No7 Luminate Radiance Serum

Thoughts: I was using this to mix in with my tinted moisturiser as it gives a nice sheen to the skin.  I definitely wouldn't call this a skincare product like a serum, it's basically just a light all over highlighter.  Worn alone it looks a bit glittery which is why I started mixing it with TM - to try and use it up to be honest!

Cruelty-free?: No, thought it was at the time!

Repurchase?: No but wanted something similar, got a Soap & Glory one however there are now disputes on their cruelty free status as the policy on their website has changed!

Liz Earle Smudgeproof Mascara

Thoughts: I did quite like this mascara but it's still not amazing, and a bit pricey for something pretty average.   Currently using a Too Faced one which I am quite liking so hoping to get a review up for that one soon. £14.50/8ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: No.

<3

Fossil Riley Mini Watch in Rose Gold

This post is long overdue as I actually bought the watch in January... BUT I am still loving it and wanted to share it with you.

I decided a few months ago (before January obviously) that I wanted to treat myself to a nice watch because I've never had a particularly fancy one before.  I think I used some Christmas money towards it although I do remember being decidedly skint for the rest of the month.... January really isn't the month for treats to yourself, is it Louise?

I knew I wanted a rose gold metal one what with all the Michael Kors ones going around, I'm not a big fan of silver at the moment, and yellow gold can look a bit too gold if you know what I mean??  I also didn't want to spent a huge amount on it as rose gold will probably go out of fashion in a few years time anyway!  Another requirement was the size of the face, I have really small wrists so anything with a big face or chunky strap just looks ridiculous on me.

I did some shopping around online and decided I was probably going to go for a Fossil watch but wanted to try on a few different styles first just to see if they suited me (and my annoying skinny wrists).  So on one of my days off I went up to Glasgow and visited House of Fraser then the Fossil shop to have a look.  I ended up going for the Riley Mini Three Hand Stainless Steel watch in Rose, which is absolutely perfect!  I love the diamantes going round the face which balance out the masculinity of the strap, also the feature that tells you the date - so handy! 

This watch it still available and the link for it on the Fossil site is here.

<3

Lush Secret Garden Bath Bomb

I'm quite delayed with this one as it's from the Easter/Mother's Day collection but due to the move I hadn't had a bath in a few months (not in the food and there was also a leak...)!  So for the first bath in my new flat I decided to use Lush's Secret Garden.  It has a floral - as you would imagine - of rose absolute, wild orange and rosewood oils.

When I dropped it in the water, it started to fizz away and as the green and pink mixed, it made the water a very dubious grey colour!  However as there is more green in the bomb, it soon took over and the water was a much nicer shade of green!

As it reached the end of it's life, I realised it was spluttering (yes, actually spitting them out!) out some little flower petals!  I did know this at the time but after a few months I'd forgot so I was slightly alarmed to see black things floating around my until I realised what they were... I do enjoy petals but these were a bit odd to be honest, there wasn't many and some just looked like bit of dark mush!  I have seen it compared to Tisty Tosty which also has petals in it but I haven't tried it to say for myself.

The smell of it was pleasant but I would've liked it to be a bit stronger.  If you like floral scents but only quite subtle ones then this would be ideal for you.

Overall I did enjoy the experience of using Secret Garden but not going to bother repurchasing if they bring it out again next year.  I think it was £2.50 which is fairly cheap for Lush, and it's also vegan.

<3

Dinner at Chiquitos

At some point before I moved down to Manchester, Chris and I went on a wee date to Chiquitos and I thought I'd share my meal with you and do a mini review!

We started off with a plate of nachos to share - it was just the normal size though not the bigger one.  They came with cheese, salsa, jalapeños, sour cream and guacamole with some green stuff sprinkled on top?!  Coriander maybe?  They were really good but there was something else which had a funny flavour to it, a bit of a minty edge which was unusual, we weren't sure what it was!

For the main course I had roasted vegetable fajitas which were pretty epic!  It was two huge skewers of vegetables with more underneath then on another plate were your sauces and wraps.  If you ran out of any of those they would refill for free which I think is great.  We both got a couple more tortillas but I still couldn't finish my veggies.  There were green and red peppers, red onion, sweet potato and courgette I think?  Chris got chicken fajitas which were a similar layout but actually looked less than mine!

We also got sweet potato fries which were really good, we added them into our wraps haha.  We probably shouldn't have got these as we had so much food already, and if I known I'd have sweet potato in my fajita skewers I probably wouldn't have bothered.

For both our meals and drinks it was about £40 which I think it quite a lot considering it's more tex mex rather than an authentic mexican restaurant but I would still go back on occasion.

What's your favourite Mexican restaurant?  I went to Pancho Villas once and I'd really like to go back there.

<3

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter

I’ll be honest, I definitely don’t moisturise my body as much as I should!  Due to this I don’t tend to need to buy them very often, but if I do, I always go for The Body Shop Body Butters.  I love them because they have a great range of smells, they feel nice and the tubs are huge.  At full price of £13 they’re quite reasonable but if you keep an eye out you will never need to pay full price as The Body Shop have always got great deals on, especially online!

I was offered the Mango Body Butter to try and jumped at the chance as fruity scents are my favourite and I’d tried the shower gel version of it so I knew I liked it. 

So first of all, the packaging:  I really like the way they look with the bright range of colours and a picture on the top of what the scent is, but some people may not like how it is a tub so you need to scoop it out rather than squirt it out a tube.  Personally I don’t mind this and it means you can take out as much as you need and easily put some back if you have too much.

The smell of the Mango Body Butter is so good!  Sometimes fruity scents can smell a bit artificial but this one is very fresh and has a creamy edge to it so it smells a little bit like a fruity yoghurt!

The Mango one states on the packaging that it is aimed for very dry skin, which I don't have but to be honest I always just go for for scent rather than skin type...  It applies nice and smoothly to the skin but I wouldn't say absorption is particularly quick.  For example you couldn't put it on and get dressed straight away, but it does soak in quicker than other moisturisers I've tried.  I tend to use it at night when I can wander round in my pj shorts for an hour or so before going to bed!  My usual reason for applying moisturiser is after shaving my legs to rehydrate them and sometimes this can sting but The Body Shop Body Butters (the ones I have tried at least!) have all been absolutely fine which is great!

I briefly mentioned price above which is £13 full price for a big 200ml tub so it isn’t too bad, it will last you a while.  However I’m sure most people don’t pay this and wait for deals before making purchases which is definitely worthwhile, I’m pretty sure I got one for half price once and at the moment The Body Shop have got selected butters for £5!

I would definitely repurchase this but I would like to try different scents first before going back to this one.  Follow this link for the Mango Body Butter and here for the full range of butters.

P.S.  I still don't have broadband in my new flat *cries* but I've been told 4th of July so fingers crossed...

<3

All Change!

As I mentioned in my last post (Empties #16) that I had some news to share with you but I would do a separate post on it, so here we go!

The Co-Op sent me this to help with the move, so cute!

I've been job hunting fairly seriously since about December looking for entry level jobs in Merchandising but I didn't get very far.  The furthest I got was at the end of last year: a phone interview with House of Fraser which I passed and got to the next level which was a workshop at their head office in London.  However I ended up turning it down because I would need to move to London and the salary was definitely not high enough for me to be able to support myself, and they weren't going to cover my travel costs for the interview either.

I applied for a few more and had a few calls from agencies with jobs for me to apply for but they were always in London!  I tried contacting numerous Scottish retail head offices to see if they could give me any sort of work experience but with no luck, so I decided to widen my search to include northern England.

Long story short:  At the start of April I finally managed to get a job, yayy!!  However it is in Greater Manchester so in less than a week I will be moving down south...

It's slightly terrifying but I'm so excited and can't wait to start my new life down there.  I've got a flat sorted but I've only seen it once and the next time I see it will be when I'm moving in which is making life a bit stressful trying to get everything organised for furnishing it...  I'm looking forward to moving into my own place because I'm still living at home so it will be so good having my own space and choosing my interiors etc!

Are any of you working in retail head offices or in Merchandising?  I've no idea what to expect!

<3

Empties #16

I have got some super exciting news to share with you all (although if you follow me on Twitter you probably know!) but I will do a separate more personal/life themed post so you can read it if you are interested :) Anyway, onto this next bunch of empties!

John Frieda Full Repair Deep Conditioner

Thoughts: I received this to try out along with other John Frieda products.  I wasn't particularly impressed by the others but I really liked this deep conditioner.  I used it just as a normal conditioner but sometimes I would leave it on for longer as a hydrating mask.  £6.99/150ml here via Boots.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.
Repurchase?: Yes.

REN Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk

Thoughts: I got this as sample with an order from LoveLula and I really like it!  It leaves my skin feeling so clean and soft.  The Hydra-Calm range have been rebranded as Evercalm now but as far as I'm aware they're just the same.  £16/150ml here. 

Cruelty-free?: Yes.
Repurchase?: Yes.

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint in Light

Thoughts: LOVE this product!  This is now my everyday tinted moisturiser - I only wear foundation on special occasions haha!  I like to mix it with a highlighter such as Soap & Glory Hocus Focus to give it a nice and glowy finish.  £21/40ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.
Repurchase?: Already have!

Bourjois Fan-Tastic Volume Mascara

Thoughts: This mascara was fine, I quite liked the shape of the wand.  As the name implies, it was in a one sided fan shape which was quite good for coating the lashes and giving them a bit of curl.  £9.99/9ml here via Boots.

Cruelty-free?: I thought so but there's a bit of confusion with them at the moment as they've been seen selling in China.  I have emailed them asking so we shall find out soon hopefully!

Repurchase?: Probably not.

Lush So White Bath Bomb (not pictured)

Thoughts: So White is a Christmas bath bomb which smells like apples!  I love apple scented products and this was no exception.  Fizzes nicely with some white foam and it even changes colour on the inside which was a nice surprise! 

Cruelty-free?: Yes.
Repurchase?: Yes.

REN Rosa Centifolia & Vita Mineral Special Purchase Kit

Just a quick post this evening to share this with you! LoveLula are doing a deal on this REN Skincare kit which includes: 50ml Vita Mineral Daily Supplement Cream (full size), 50ml Rosa Centifolia 3 in 1 Cleansing Water, 25ml Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel, 10ml Vita Mineral Omega 3 Face Oil and 3ml Vita Mineral Active 7 Eye Gel all for only £23! Link here.

Unfortunately it's now sold out and I'm so annoyed that I didn't get it yesterday when I got the email!  However, it does have a 'notify me' when it's back in stock where you can add your email which is what I've done.  I'm not even sure if it's a limited edition thing or what, but it's worth adding your email if it's something you think you'd like to try.

Fingers crossed!

<3

Current Favourite Eye Make Up Remover

I've been trialling several eye make up removers over the past few months after my favourite one ended up not being cruelty free (it was Boots Botanics, but apparently they reformulated it and made it crap so that makes me feel better!).

After going though various different brands I've finally settled on The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make Up Remover and am now on my second bottle.  

Generally I prefer oil based products but I've yet to find one which is cruelty free actually - if you can think of one please let me know! - so I've just been using water based ones recently.  I think this one works really well at removing eye (and lip) make up quickly and effectively.  Although Caroline Hirons says that you shouldn't need a separate eye make up remover, your cleanser should do the job, I definitely prefer taking it off before cleansing, especially if the make up's quite heavy!  Most of my cleansers would be fine at taking off eye make up but I rarely use them for that, I also feel a bit worried about rubbing round my eye area with a muslin cloth or flannel!

The ingredients for this product are on the website - here.  It contains SLES which I'm not a big fan of and prefer to avoid but it's not a main ingredient thankfully.

Honestly, it's not amazing but it's definitely the best one I have used which is cruelty free, I am quite happy with how it does the job.  My only complaint would be that if you have too much on the cotton ball/pad then it can sting the eyes a bit but to counteract this I use it on my eyebrows first to remove excess liquid.

It is £8 for 250ml but I only buy from The Body Shop when they have offers on, which is pretty much all the time!  If you keep an eye out you will rarely pay full price for any of their products online.

I see that they also do a waterproof eye and lip make up remover, has anyone tried this one?  What's your favourite eye make up remover?

<3