Empties #21

I have a really positive empties post for you today, only one of them got a thumbs down from me!  I have also started including a 'rating' where I have rated the product out of 10, hopefully you will find this useful, it makes sense in my head!

Empties #20

Hello!  I am back with 5 new mini reviews to share with you from my empties bucket:

Empties #19

Empties #18

Hello!  I've really been struggling to fit in blogging round my job and other activities recently, especially with the dark nights making taking photos near impossible!  As I've moved away from home for work, a lot of my weekends are taken up with either going back up or having people down visiting.  However I managed to do some bulk photography which should keep me going for a while. Does anyone know of any decent daylight bulbs or lights?  This would make life a lot easier, can't wait for light nights again!

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

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

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Shampoo & Conditioner

I have a lot of hair, however the hair itself is fine and it is weighed down as there is so much.  I was offered the chance to try some John Frieda products and after describing my hair to the PR, I was sent items from the Luxurious Volume collection, and also a Full Repair Deep Conditioner.

Unfortunately I didn't get on very well with the shampoo and after a few weeks I just had to stop using it and gave it to my mum!  I haven't used shampoo with SLS in it for about a year now and I think going back to it has made me realise why it should be avoided!  I've mentioned before about a dry patch on my head - I think it might be psoriasis - which has been okay recently but since using that shampoo it got sooo much worse!  Then as soon as I went back to my SLS free shampoo it pretty much cleared up - crazy!

Aside from that unfortunate occurrence, I don't think it it made my hair particularly voluminous at the roots, perhaps around the ends there was a bit more body.  My mum commented that my hair was looking shinier though!

I also wasn't very keen on the smell, it was quite chemically and reminded me of the smell of hair dye!   Another weird negative is that (this is probably going to sound ridiculous and might just be me but I thought it's worth mentioning!) the shampoo and conditioner bottles looks exactly same except for their respective word written on the back so when I was using them in the shower I would have to bend right down and pick them up to see which was which as I don't have very good eyesight so couldn't see for further away haha!  It's such a minor issue but it annoyed me a little bit!  Sorry John Frieda, I wish I had more positives for you!  The shampoo and conditioner are £8.99 each (eek!) on the Boots website.

On the contrary I actually really liked the Full Repair Deep Conditioner.  It smells amazing and made my hair feel really soft and silky.  It actually smells a lot like the LGNs London Roses & Diamonds perfume I have oddly enough.  I brush my hair before washing it then go to sleep with it wet (so classy!) and when I brush it in the morning after using this there are no tugs, pretty impressive for my hair!!  This is definitely something I would buy again.  The deep conditioner is £6.99 on the Boots website.

I have a few other items to review but I want to get more use out of them first as they are more styling products and if you know me at all you'll know I don't often actually do anything to my hair other giving it the occasional brush!  So you can keep an eye out for that in the next few weeks.

<3

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo & Conditioner

I was needing a new shampoo and conditioner so I decided to try the Liz Earle ones as they just sound so promising.  They are 'all natural', SLS-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free products, and I'd heard good things about them, especially the shampoo.  I remember it being on QVC when they first brought it out and they were talking about how amazing the shampoo is and that it gets all the build up crap out of your hair from previous hair products.

I only got the travel sizes of both as they are not cheap and didn't want to splurge without trying them first.  The full size (200ml) is £8.50, and the travel size (50ml) is £4.75; so it is still quite expensive but worth it to try.

I would love to say I loved these, I really would - but I genuinely just didn't get on well with them at all.  I found it hard to get a good lather from the shampoo to start with, which has to be expected when it doesn't contain SLS which is the main foaming agent in these sort of products.  I found I had to use quite a lot of shampoo to get a good lather, when it says on the tube that a little goes a long way.  I think that your hair gets used to not having SLS as I've found with that, and other SLS-free shampoos (such as Naked) that if you repeat then you only need a tiny bit the second time, and the more you use it, the better lather you will get.

Now, 90% of the time I go to bed with my hair wet, I put a towel on my pillow and go to sleep.  It has always worked out totally fine for me - I know it makes a lot of people's hair greasy the next day but I've not really had that problem.  So I did this, as usual, but the next day my hair was just huge and frizzy!  I have long, thick hair and it just kind of exploded when I brushed it.  The next time I washed it I applied mousse to try and control it, but I must've put too much on as it ended up looking greasy at the ends.  The next few times I just left it again and once I even blow-dried it (shock horror!) but for some reason it would just end up looking like rats tails and slightly greasy at the ends - but not because of mousse!

I am so disappointed, I've no idea why this shampoo doesn't suit me, I don't think I've experienced this with any others before.  As for the conditioner I can't really say as I've only used it with the shampoo but as they should work best together I'm not rating it very highly!

Obviously it will be different for everyone but I just wanted to share how I found it with you.  The reviews on the website are all so good but it just shows you how differently your hair can react.

Has anyone else tried this?  Now I'm on a hunt for new ones to try, I think I'll get Organic Surge next.

<3