Empties #14

Christmas has come and gone!  I had a lovely time with friends and family, and apart from work I wish it was Christmas Eve all over again!  Work wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still pretty chaotic and I'm glad it's over; now the January lull has begun which is possibly even worse...  This year I will get a new job!

Herve Leger Femme Shower Gel

Thoughts: I really liked the perfume of this but used it up over a year ago.  I used to wear the perfume on nights out though so using the shower gel just brought back hazy memories of being steamin in clubs when I was like 19...

Cruelty-free?: No, from Avon.

Repurchase?: No.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Thoughts: I've technically not finished this yet, I just decanted it into a more user friendly squirty bottle.  I am a huge fan of toner but unfortunately not Liz Earle's, I find the scent too floral and overpowering for my liking.  £13.25/200ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes, BUAV Approved.

Repurchase?: It was a free sample but wouldn't buy it myself.

Dr Hauschka Deodorant in Floral 

Thoughts: I was quite disappointed by this deodorant actually.  I didn't like the smell, it was quite spicy and since it's not an antiperspirant, when I sweated I would just end up smelling as if I had really bizarre BO - not good!!  I was so glad to see the back of this one.  £11.95/50ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: No.

REN Hydra-Calm Global Protection Day Cream

Thoughts:  Received this with my LoveLula order as you can choose 3 free sample to try if you spend over a certain amount.  I quite liked this moisturiser, it seemed to work fine and smelled really good.  £27/50ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Possibly but it's not cheap!

Benefit Erase Paste

Thoughts:  I bought this years ago when looking for the perfect under eye concealer.  I wasn't a fan of this one to be honest, it was too creamy and would crease and sit in the lines really easily.  I had to buy Powderflage to try and set it!  There's still a tiny bit left but I'd rather just bin it!

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

<3

Empties #12

I haven't done an empties post in a good few weeks actually, but here we are again!  I kind of stopped blogging for a while as I was so tired after work or just too busy - I actually lost my memory card which must be somewhere in my house but luckily I found a wee 1GB one lying around so that'll keep me going! 

Avon Solutions Plus Pure Pore-Fection

Thoughts: This dried my skin out so badly.  I was trying to finish it so I was just using it but in the end I had to stop when I realised how badly it was drying out my face.  It's full of SLS, one of the highest ingredients, horrible stuff!

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Virgin Vie Pretty Calm Shower Gel

Thoughts: I got this in a set with the body lotion as a Christmas presents.  It smells quite nice, kinda manly in a way haha.

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover

Thoughts: This works pretty well actually, it's a thin water-like liquid, I found that if you use too much it can sting the eyes.  They seem to have rebranded it so I'm not sure if it's exactly the same or not, maybe less stingy now!  £8/250ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Possibly, but still on a quest for the bestest one!! ;)

Bourjois Volume Glamour

Thoughts: I bought this as I couldn't find my favourite spinny one!  It is a very average mascara to be honest, and I had to buy another different one this time as spinny one still wasn't shelved :( £7.99 here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: No.

Lush Honey I Washed The Kids Soap (not pictured)

Thoughts: I got this ages ago and had kind of put off using it as I'm not a huge fan of honey but it's actually not too strong and is just more of a generally warm, sweet scent which was generally quite pleasant.  £3.40/100g here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Probably but there are so many others I want to try first!!

<3

Empties #11

Here we are again with another set of 5 items I've used up recently.  It feels so strange not to be going back to some sort of education this year... Not sure how I feel about it!  I've given up looking for a graduate job in the meantime, trying to find one when you don't have first class honours just feels like a waste of time...

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm

Thoughts: I really liked this cleanser!  I mentioned it in more depth in this post about my night time skincare routine.  Basically it just feels amazing and I would buy it again!  It's £37 though so I am going to try a different one now, I'm thinking the Antipodes Grapeseed Butter one!  £37/50g here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Yes.

Herve Leger Femme Perfume

Thoughts: I got this from Avon years ago.  It does smell really nice but obviously Avon are not cruelty free, I'm sure it was limited edition anyway.  I've also got the summer version which I am using at the moment.

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Liz Earle Brow Pencil in Dark

Thoughts: You can read my full review here but in short I really like this and it's now my go-to brow product.  £11 here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Yes, already have!

The Body Shop Mango Shower Gel

Thoughts: I took this travelling with me as it was a good size for hand luggage.  It smelled good, I would buy the bigger version.  £2/60ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Yes.

O.P.I Nail Lacquer in Fiercely Fiona 

Thoughts: I got this in the Shrek Forever After collection.  I liked the colour, it's a nice semi-pastel yellow which you can see swatched here.  It ended up getting really gloopy and the brush wasn't long enough so in the end I had to pour it onto a piece of card so I could paint my nails with it!

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

<3

Collection: Cleansers

I haven't done one of these posts in a while and seeing as I seem to built up a big collection of cleansers reecently, I thought I'd share it with you!

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm

I've mentioned this product before in my night time skincare routine post and current beauty favourites video.  I was lucky enough to get this in my goody bag from a Neal's Yard Remedies event I attended last year.  The balm is so smoothing and lovely to use, I apply it to dry skin and wipe it off with a muslin cloth soaked in hot water.  It can also be used as a mask and as a intensive moisturiser.  I love this and I will definitely buy it again at some point, probably not immediately though as it's rather pricey!  Neal's Yard Remedies are cruelty free.
[£37/50g - Neal's Yard Remedies]

No7 Cleansing Lotion

I was sort of coerced into buying this when I bought the No7 Facial Brush!  I went to the till and she told me it was 3 for 2 and pretty much convinced me to go back and have another look, so I went to go and get a cleanser to use with the brush.  I was going to get some face wipes too but the No7 lady wouldn't let me (seriously! She said it was too much temptation...) and recommended this as a 'lazy option' for taking make up off.  I'm still not 100% sure how it you're meant to use it...  I think you just squirt some onto a cotton pad and wipe any make up off, but I feel weird not using water so I always rinse my face after just to get off any residue.  No7 are no longer cruelty free.

[£9/200ml - Boots] 

Avon Pure Porefection Self-foaming Cleanser

I only bought this because it was something like £1 in the sale section of the Avon catalogue a few years ago (yes, years... oops!).  I've been trying to use it up but I really don't like it, I think it dries out my skin, and according to Caroline Hirons foaming cleansers are evil anyway!  I will probably just chuck this out before I do my skin any more damage with it.

No7 Melting Gel Cleanser

I bought this to use with my facial brush and so far I do quite like it.  It comes out in a gel which you apply to damp skin, wet the brush and use it, then rinse it off.  When rinsed off it becomes more of a milk which makes it really easy to remove.  I don't like the packaging of this though, I find it really hard to get the gel out for some reason!  No7 are no longer cruelty free.

[£9/150ml - Boots]

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

I love Liz Earle, they are so generous with their samples!  I got this free when I bought my eyebrow pencil.  I also got a Skin Tonic sample when I bought the Skin Repair Moisturiser so I look forward to using these together.  I've not used this in a long time so I can't comment on it at the moment.  Liz Earle are cruelty free.

[£13.25/100ml - Liz Earle]

No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser

I've actually had this for ages, it's ridiculous!  I bought it when it first came out but it's just been sitting in my cupboard ever since, so bad!  Hopefully I will get round to using it soon after kick-starting my skincare routine this year.  No7 are no longer cruelty free.

[£9.95/200ml - Boots]

Wishy Washy Lemon & Lime Scented Nettle Complexion Soap

I was sent this in my lovely package of goodies from Alex at Wishy Washy!  It is a solid cleansing bar so I think this will last for ages!  I've been planning on using it in the morning as I only rinse my face, but I've been far too lazy and only used it a couple of times...  It has a citrusy scent and lathers up nicely even though all of Alex's products are SLS free!  I can't give a full review yet but I do find that it leaves a bit of residue on the skin so I need to use a flannel to remove it fully, I think it would be better if it was more water soluble.  Wishy Washy are cruelty free, and all products are vegan.

[£2.50/100g - Wishy Washy]

<3

Paperbacks & Beauty Facts: OOTD

The second video for Paperbacks & Beauty Facts is an outfit of the day!  Subscribe to keep up to date with the other girls'.

Dress - Primark

Jacket - Primark

Shoes - Flossy

Foundation - Illamasqua Skin Base in Shade 2 & Bourjois Healthy Mix in 51

Eyebrows - Liz Earle Brow Pencil in Dark [review]

Eyes - Urban Decay e/s in Grifter (lid), Last Call (crease), Sin (brow highlight) and Polyester Bride (inner corners); and Nars Kuala Lumpur II (crease).

Blusher - Illamasqua Kiss

Lipstick - Avon Golden Wine (not CF)

<3

Nail Varnish Challenge #6

The next nail varnish from my box is Avon Rose Quartz (not CF).  The colour is pale, almost peachy pink with a shimmer through it.  I used 2 coats but you can still see the nail line which isn't the best.  I'm not a huge fan of this so this one is going in the selling pile!

I was thinking I might do a blog sale at the end of this series and sell any of my unwanted colours for cheap prices, would you be interested in that?  I've still got some unsold items from my last blog sale which I can include too.

Also, I should be able to get a new memory card for my camera this month, yay!!

<3

Empties #7

I've built up quite a little collection of empty products again, but I'm grouping them together so technically it's still five ;) Also sorry about the crappy photos, I still can't afford a memory card haha!

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo & Conditioner

Thoughts:  I sadly didn't get on at all well with these, I did a review here where you can read exactly why.  

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: No.

Lush Big Blue Bath Bomb

Thoughts:  My parents got me this for my birthday but I only just remembered about it recently.  I loved using this, it turns the water blue and it's got wee bits of seaweed in it too!  It smells lovely and it is just like being in a beautiful ocean!  £3.20 here.  

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Yes.

Origins A Perfect World Moisturiser

Thoughts:  I didn't really like the smell of this, and it felt a bit too 'wet' on my skin.  

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Origins Brighter By Nature Moisturiser

Thoughts:  I quite liked this as a moisturiser although I'm not sure about the skin tone correcting, didn't see any of that!  It's good that it has a high SPF in it.  

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No, but I probably would if they were cruelty free.

Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser

Thoughts:  This was fine, as foaming cleansers go...  I'm a bit scared of them now after that #bbloggers chat about skincare where Caroline Hirons said that foaming cleansers are not good for your skin!  

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Avon Ideal Shade Cream-to-Powder Foundation in Ivory

Thoughts:  I actually really liked this!  The only thing I didn't like was the smell, it was a bit gross.  It matched my skin tone well, and was so quite and easy to use.  It is supposedly a cheap dupe for the Urban Decay one.   

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: Sadly not!

Une Eyebrow Pencil in B04

Thoughts:  This was too dark for me as the shade lighter was out of stock at the time.  I do quite like these pencils but they are very soft so need sharpening often.  Also they are like a long cuboid shape so the bit you sharpen is a square, which makes life interesting!  

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Possibly in an emergency!

<3

Nail Varnish Challenge #2

I didn't actually mean to pick another Avon nail varnish as my second one for the challenge but hey ho here it is!  Apologies for the rubbishy photos, if you read one of my previous posts you'll know that my memory card met a sad end!  Although the close up photos are actually better than what my camera can do to be honest, well done iPhone!

This nail varnish is Dynamo from Avon (not CF), again I've had this one for years - I think I got it when I was at school which was a good four years ago (TERRIFYING!).  It is a metallic purple with silver shimmer through it.  Dynamo did apply quite nicely but it doesn't really excite me.  I'm not a massive fan of pink/purple nail varnishes for some reason so this will be going in the 'to sell/get rid of' pile!

<3

Nail Varnish Challenge #1

Here is the first colour from my Nail Varnish Challenge, it is Coral Sands by Avon (not CF).  I bought this years ago and I think it was limited edition.  I wouldn't call this coral at all, it's more of a salmon pink with teal shimmer through it.

I don't think I suit this shade of pink to be honest, and because of how subtle the shimmer is (i.e. non-existant) it's just a bit boring really...  On a more positive note it has a nice formula and I've used two coats in the photos.

I'm not going to be keeping this one, if anyone likes to the look of it and wants to buy it off me feel free to get in touch!  It'll just be getting sold via next blog sale/eBay/car boot sale anyway :)

<3

Empties #5

Here is my first empties post of 2013!  I've actually had these lying around for ages and ideally I wanted this post up on the 31st of December, but between one thing and another that did not happen!  Never mind, better late than never :)

Boots Provitamin Colour Radiance Shampoo

Thoughts:  Pretty average shampoo, but I do think it helped prolong the colour I had in my hair.  I was only using it to use it up though after a while so I really didn't need that as I was/am trying to get the colour out of my hair!!

Cruelty-free?: Yes, although there is some questioning about Boots own brands, however their statement seems okay to me.

Repurchase?: Unlikely.

Boots Provitamin Colour Radiance Conditioner

Thoughts: Not the best conditioner as I found it left my hair quite tangled. 

Cruelty-free?: As above.

Repurchase?: No.

Avon Foot Works Sugar Lime Mojito Exfoliating Scrub

Thoughts:  I did quite like this, smells really good and felt nice to use.

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Neal's Yard Organic Facial Wipes

Thoughts: These smell really nice as they are camomile and lavender so perfect for bedtime.  They weren't much use for taking off eye makeup but seeing as that's not really what they're meant for I will let that slide!  They stayed nice and moist (gross word...) for ages too which is good, nothing worse than getting to the last few wipes to find they're dry as a bone!  The downside for me is the price, at £5.50 a pack it's not something that I could afford on a regular basis.    

Cruelty-free?: Yes, BUAV Approved and suitable for vegans.

Repurchase?: If they were reduced!

Montagne Jeunesse Strawberry Soufflé Moisturising & Purifying Masque

Thoughts:  I'm not a big face mask fan but I won this along with a white chocolate one in a giveaway so I decided to give it a go.  The cold weather made my skin really dry and dehydrated so I went for this one as it seemed the most moisturising of the two.  It smelled good but unfortunately it irritated my skin!!  I still left it on for the recommended amount of time (oops) as it wasn't that bad and it didn't have any last effect on my skin but it was uncomfortable.  I think my skin just became really sensitive because of the weather too?!

Cruelty-free?: Yes, BUAV Approved.

Repurchase?: No.

<3

Empties #4

I usually do 5 empty products but as I have two minis in this one so I decided to do 6 instead.  I actually love doing these posts, it really makes me get a move on and use up those things that have been lying around for ages!

Asda Firm Hold Hairspray

Thoughts: I really liked the smell of this, so good!  I'm not really sure how good the hold was though to be honest - my hair stylist auntie seemed disgusted by it ha! 

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Well Silvikrin Maximum Hold Hairspray

Thoughts: It was fine, pretty good hold - as you would expect with maximum! 

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Avon U by Ungara Shower Gel

Thoughts: I bought this in the cheap section of the Hello Tomorrow book when I was a rep because I wanted the perfume but was too cheap to buy it!  It did smell quite nice but there was one time I used it when it literally smelled like bleach and I was quite worried!  I think it's just because the scent is so chemically and artificial.   

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Dove Intensive Care Repairing Shampoo

Thoughts: I actually used this for cleaning my makeup brushes!  It came out in sort of globules which was rather gross but it was fine for doing my brushes. 

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

E.L.F. Eyebrow Kit in Light

Thoughts: I liked this for the most part but in the end I just got fed up with using the separate brush to apply it.  Sometimes it would go on a bit thick as well and didn't cover my baldy patch (chicken pox...) sufficiently!  It is pretty dark considering it is called Light, however they do one called Ash which would be good for blondes.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: I probably would eventually, just not straight away.

Avon Glimmersticks Brow Definer in Dark Brown

Thoughts: I bought this years ago and god knows why I picked dark brown because it was far too dark for me!  However, my eyebrows have got gradually darker and darker so now it worked really well on me.  It is nice and soft which I prefer.

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: I definitely would if it was cruelty free! Boooo Avon!

Only one of these products were cruelty free, how bad is that??  On the other hand I am glad to be getting rid of all my bad company's items :)

<3

Collection: Lipsticks & Storage

I wasn't happy with my lipstick storage which was basically them all just shoved in a box in a drawer and not very easy to reach for!  However I got a beautiful mirrored jewellery box for my birthday but as I have loads of jewellery boxes already, I decided to use it for my lipsticks!

This is where it sits usually as I keep all my makeup in my bathroom (weird? normal?), but for ease of taking clear photos I moved it to my hall!

In the top I have my purples.  Sadly I only have 3 - plenty of room for more!!  Also because there is space, my Lipcote is in here as well.

In the middle drawer are my pinks.

And in the last drawer are my orange/reds.

So that is my lipstick collection!  Pretty small but growing, I've only recently got into lipsticks and even then I only wear them on nights out/special occasions!  I am going to do a 'most used lip products' post too as I keep those in a separate, more accessible place.

Out of these, the following are not cruelty free: Avon, Lipcote (unknown), MAC and Revlon.

 <3

EOTN: Grunge

I had my first night out for a very long time the other night!  Unfortunately it was just local which is expensive and bit crap but still, it was better than nothing and good catching up with people I hadn't seen in a while.

This look turned out nowhere near what I had expected but it worked out quite well as I was wearing orange shorts so it matched!

Sorry for my weird expression and odd eyes... I hate full face photos!

• I primed my eyelids with Urban Decay Primer Potion, then applied Mac Painterly Paint Pot over this (not CF).
• Using Lounge eyeshadow by Urban Decay I packed this onto my lids and blended out until I got the desired shape.
• I also brought it underneath the eye bringing it about two thirds along.
• I then used Urban Decay eyeliner in Whiskey along the top lash line and blended it with a brush.
• Lastly I applied loads of Benefit They're Real mascara on the top and bottom lashes.

On my face I have Illamasqua Skin Base foundation in shade 2 mixed with a bit of Bourjois Healthy Mix in shade 51.  I filled my eyebrows with Avon brow pencil in Brown (not CF), on my cheeks I have Marine Life highlighter by Mac (not CF) and on my lips I am wearing Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti (not CF).

I did not expect Lounge to come out this colour!  I'm looking forward to trying it over a dark base to really see it come to life, it's so versatile.

<3