Empties #15

All products in this post are cruelty free, how exciting!  What's more, they're all actually suitable for vegans too which is certainly a first!  I don't think I have much left which isn't cruelty free thankfully, just a few make up things which take ages to use up.  

Jason Volumizing Lavender Pure Natural Shampoo

Thoughts: This is a SLS free shampoo and it worked pretty well, had a good lather. I didn't notice it to be particularly volumising but I never do with shampoos to be honest! Suitable for vegans.  £5.59/454ml delivered here.
Cruelty-free?: Yes.
Repurchase?: Possibly but I like to change up my hair care!

Jason Super Shine Apricot Pure Natural Conditioner

Thoughts: I decided to go wild and not get a matching conditioner... This smells really good, although combined with lavender it's an odd scent! Seems to work well enough, stops the tugs!  Suitable for vegans.  £5.59/454ml delivered here.
Cruelty-free?: Yes.
Repurchase?: See above!

Superdrug Crystal Anti-Perspirant Deodorant

Thoughts: This is the best cruelty free deodorant I've used so far. I'm not a big fan of aerosol sprays though and it does contain aluminium which isn't great but it will do for now! Suitable for vegans. £1.29/250ml here.
Cruelty-free?: Yes, BUAV Approved.
Repurchase?: Yes.

Neal's Yard Remedies Organic Eye Make-Up Remover

Thoughts: I had high hopes for this but I was quite disappointed! It didn't really work that well and had a very strong smell. I think I'll go back to The Body Shop's Camomile one! Suitable for vegans. £10.75/100ml here.
Cruelty-free?: Yes, BUAV Approved.
Repurchase?: No.

Lush Blackbery Bath Bomb (not pictured)

Thoughts: I really liked this bath bomb! Smells great and has a good fizz to it, it also contains frankincense and bergamot to clear the mind and induce a feeling of well-being. There's also a little surprise inside which is such a cute touch! Suitable for vegans. £2.99 here.
Cruelty-free?: Yes.
Repurchase?: Yes.

<3

Empties #13

I seem to have managed to use a different font in the above photo to the last few empties photos... odd...  Anyway, here we are again - 5 items plus a wee sample included too.

Christmas is so soon now, it's scary!  I'm dreading it this year though as it's the first (and hopefully last!) Christmas I'll have spent working full time in retail.  Retail + Christmas = Hell.  Sadly I will be working Boxing Day, I'm so gutted, however I've managed to avoid it for the past few years so it's probably my turn anyway!

St Ives Apricot Scrub

Thoughts: I've literally had this for years so I finally decided to get rid of it.  I've had heard some things said about the particles being too rough for your skin and also Caroline Hirons saying never to use a scrub on your face anyway, use an exfoliating toner instead!  Good riddance!

Cruelty-free?: Unknown, doubtfully.

Repurchase?: No.

Lush Eau Roma Toner Water

Thoughts: I love this stuff, it's so refreshing and because it doesn't contain any alcohol or chemicals it doesn't dry out my skin or make it feel tight.  I use it after an exfoliating toner (REN Clarifying Lotion) to rehydrate my face.  This is my 3rd bottle of Lush's toner water and I've already bought myself a big bottle of Breath of Fresh Air.  £3.95/100g here. Vegan.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Yes.

Neal's Yard Remedies White Tea Enriching Facial Mask

Thoughts: I got this free sample when I bought NYR eye make up remover a few months ago.  I managed to get two uses of of the tiny wee tube which is pretty good, however it really didn't 'wow' me at all.  £25.75/50g here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: No.

ELF Translucent Matte Powder

Thoughts:  I've been trying to finish this for ages actually!  I decided that as it's nearly finished I would use it until the end of the week and then get rid of it.  It was an okay powder but not very translucent - it definitely had some colour to it which is unfortunate.  £3.73 here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: No.

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Dry Shampoo

Thoughts:  I received this as a PR sample along with some other items from the Luxurious Volume collection.  It worked okay but definitely not as good as Batiste and it had a quite a strong aerosol smell to it.  It was as if there wasn't enough powder coming out the the spray as I had to use quite a lot to see any effect.  I don't even know how much this is because I can't find it on the Boots or Superdrug websites...

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: No.

Dove Beauty Care Body Wash Cream Oil

Thoughts:  I've been trying to use up my large collection of non-CF shower gels and moisturisers that I've collected over the years and I've definitely made a good dent in it!  This came in a set of two where the other one was Silk Glow and it was lovely however this one was nowhere near as nice.

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

<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: Current Beauty Favourites

Here is my third video for Paperbacks & Beauty Facts!  Our topic this week was Current Beauty Favourites and mine included:

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm

No7 Radiance Serum

Nars Trio with Orgasm, Laguna and Albatross

Watch the video to find out why I'm loving these items!  If you enjoy please rate, comment and subscribe, thank you!

<3

Night Time Skincare Routine

Ever since the #bbloggers chat just after Christmas which was all about skincare, I decided that I needed to sort myself out!  I would always just use makeup remover wipes every night to take of my makeup, and cleanse maybe once or twice a fortnight?!  I started my transition slowly, I would take off my eye makeup with remover and a cottonball, then cleanse if I was going for a shower if not I'd use wipes to take the rest off when I got into bed (I keep them in my bedside drawer for ease of use!).  Now I have actually got the whole shebang going on: eye makeup remover, cleanser, toner and moisturiser!  How long this lasts remains to be seen but I will definitely keep using eye makeup remover every night and try to do the rest at least twice a week.  The only thing I am missing is an eye cream for night time, feel free to leave me recommendations below!

I guess before I go on I should mention my skin type: in general I am combination but with this cold weather I have become dry, flaky and dehydrated - fun!

Eye Makeup Remover:

The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

I bought this when my Boot Botanics one ran out, I had heard bad things about their rebranding and I didn't want to repurchase.  Amy from A Little Boat Sailing had reviewed this is and said it was quite good so I bought the big bottle in the sale for £4.80 instead of £8.  I am quite pleased with it at the moment but I won't repurchase it straight away as I would quite like to try the Neal's Yard one next time.  I will give it another few weeks then see if it is good or bad enough for a review.

[£8/250ml - The Body Shop]

Cleanser:

 Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm

I was lucky enough to receive this at the Neal's Yard Remedies Blogger event in Glasgow last year.  I had my eye on it when we were in the shop and one of the lovely girls had said there would be a sample of it in the goody bag.  However, we all got full size items!!!  It was actually amazing.  I wasn't going to start using this until my other cleanser ran out but I realised it was drying out my skin so I just put it aside and moved onto this.  It is so lovely and soothing.  It comes with a muslin cloth and the balm contains little particles too so that combination gives a soft exfoliating effect when you remove it from your skin.  I will probably do a review on this later on as it's a very versatile product which I would definitely repurchase.

[£37/50g - Neal's Yard Remedies]  

Toner:

Lush Breath of Fresh Air/Eau Roma Water

Toner is my favourite skincare item, which is pretty weird yes... but I just find it so lovely and refreshing!  Sometimes your skin can feel sticky with cleanser residue and the toner just gets rid of anything left over on the skin.  I haven't tried any other toners expect for the Liz Earle one which was years ago when a family friend bought me the the little starter set, but I really didn't use it and most of it got poured away.  At the moment I am using Breath of Fresh Air which contains seaweed and aloe vera for a refreshing seaside scent.  I am nearly finished this and my friends very kindly bought me Eau Roma Water for my birthday which is lavender and rose water, so I look forward to trying that and deciding which I prefer.

[£7.25/250g - Lush]

Moisturiser:

Liz Earle Skin Repair in Normal/Combination

As I mentioned above I first tried this when I was given the starter set as a present.  When the moisturiser ran out I repurchased it a few times, often sharing with my mum who loved it too!  Then I fell out of the habit as my skin became more oily and the dry skin one I had was too rich for it.  Now, a few years later I really found I missed it.  I had been using Oilatum (not sure if this is CF or not) but I found it had a funny smell after a while and wasn't very pleasant to apply, and my day one is a Clarins (not CF) one I got ages ago which is mattifying for combination skin - so not good for night time on very dry skin!  I am so glad to have repurchased this, it feels so nice on the skin and smells amazing!

[£18.75/50ml - Liz Earle]

<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