KIKO Kiss Balm in Tutti Frutti // Beauty

"Tinted lip balm with repairing action and SPF 15 protection"

Kiss Balm lip balm in the colour Tutti Frutti was one of my Black Friday weekend bargains from Kiko when they had on an extremely tempting offer of buy 3 get 3 free!  I also got another colour  called Blackberry which I have currently misplaced...  I picked these up as my lips have been too dry recently for lipstick but I still wanted to have some colour on them.

Pixi Glow Tonic // Skincare

"Oxygenating. Exfoliating facial glow tonic. It helps tone, firm and tighten the skin. It removes dead skin cells for healthier looking skin."

I had heard great things about the Pixi Glow Tonic but as it used to be more difficult to find in the UK I started my acid toner exploration with the Ren Clarifying Toning Lotion.  When I finished this I managed to track down a nearly full Glow Tonic on Depop for £10 which was perfect for a trial!

KIKO Natural Concealer // Beauty

"Liquid Concealer with a natural and radiant effect"

When the Kiko store opened in the Trafford Centre I was really excited but I didn't get round to trying it until Black Friday Weekend where they had an amazing offer of buy 3 get 3 free!  I spent just over £20 and left with 6 products which definitely isn't too bad!

Empties #20

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

Charlotte Tilbury Bronzed Garnet Colour Chameleon

I have been really intrigued by the Charlotte Tilbury make up for a while now -  it's refreshing having a new cruelty free high end brand to try!  My work buds from my previous job were kind enough to get me a Selfridges voucher (they said I am hard to buy for, hrmmph, haha!) which I decided to use on something from Charlotte Tilbury.  It took me a good few months to decide what to get an finally after numerous Selfridges trips and make up swatches I went for one of the colour chameleon eye pencils.

Marks & Spencer Nature's Extract Anti-Perspirant Roll-On

It's no secret that the bane of my cruelty free life has been finding a decent anti-perspirant deodorant!  A lot of the cruelty free options tend to be 'green' which in itself is great, but this means that they are usually only deodorants and not anti-perspirants.  I'm not a particularly sweaty person (mmm!) but I'd rather just avoid it if I'm honest rather than stopping it from smelling which is what plain deos are made to do.

Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel Review + Brow Tutorial

I have been through numerous of Liz Earle's Eyebrow Pencils (review here) now so I decided to try something a bit different.  The Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel has been around for a while but only recently have they added a wider colour range.  Strike was the original which is for brunettes; they have now added Glimpse for redheads; Awe for blondes and Stare for dark brown/black hair.  I went for Strike as although my hair is light brown with blonde through it I prefer my brows to be darker.

Empties #19

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! 

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

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

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

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

Lush Golden Egg Bath Melt/Bomb

I managed to get to a Lush and buy some items from my Easter wishlist, I was quite good though and only got 2 things!  The first one I've tried is the Golden Egg which is a bath bomb surrounded by a bath melt, and then by looks of it, drenched in gold glitter...  I got the lady in Lush to pick it up for me so I didn't get covered in the stuff haha.

As you can see compared to my hand it's a good size, which you would expect really as it's a '2 in 1' product!  I popped it in my bath and all the glitter came off into the water, beginning to melt turning it a golden yellow.  Once all the 'melt' part was finished, you could tell as it started fizzing properly and bobbing around, giving off more colour and some foamy bubbles.  When it was fully dissolved - which took ages, at least 5 minutes - the water ended up kind of a weird colour actually!  More of a pale yellow with some glitter floating around which was a bit odd haha!  However once you get over that, it is a rather pleasant bath, the cocoa butter makes the water really soft and silky.  The scent of it is similar to Honey I Washed The Kids, however I don't think it's quite as sweet as the soap, with a very slight cirtus-y edge to it which is nice.  As someone who isn't a big fan of really sweet smells, I think this was a perfect balance for me.

After getting out the bath my skin felt nice and soft but not too oily.  I did need to shower to get rid of any excess product and glitter on my skin!  When I drained the bath, the entire bottom was just covered in glitter, oops!  Luckily most of it just washed away but there was some still left stuck, which I did mean to clean with a flannel at some point...

I enjoyed this bath ballistic and would repurchase at some point but I'm not bothered about stocking up on it while the Easter collection is out.  At £3.50 I think it's pretty reasonable when you get the effects and benefits of both the melt and bomb.  Also I should add that unlike HIWTK, Golden Egg is vegan which is great!  Online here.

Have you tried this Lush product?

<3

The Konjac Sponge

I've had my eye on the Konjac Sponge for a while and decided to get it for using in the morning.  This is because I am a terrible human being and don't cleanse in the morning cos I am too lazy... I do 'wash' my face with cold water but that's about as far as I've gone, so I decided that this looks like the perfect way of getting me out of this terrible routine.

The Konjac Sponge is made from 100% pure vegetable fibre (from the Konjac plant) so this makes it also 100% biodegradable.  The Konjac plant itself is an alkaline and contains loads of great vitamins and minerals such as protein, carbohydrate, iron, phosphorus, copper, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C and folic acid.  It is gentle on the skin, naturally moisturising, deep cleansing and gently exfoliating.  They come plain, like the one above, or with added charcoal or french clay depending on your skin type. 

I wasn't very sure what to expect from this when I first got it and was quite excited to try it.  It arrived in a sealed plastic pouch which was sort of damp on the inside and smelled a bit odd, but after a first rinse the smell was gone.  When you leave it to dry it goes almost solid so you need to make sure before using it is totally soaked to soften it again.  It has the most bizarre texture, I can't even explain it properly, reminds me of a crumpet!!  It is very soft, not like a normal sponge you would buy, and when you rub it on your face it feels almost as if it is foaming... but it's not?!  It does feel very nice and cleansing on the skin, you can use it with your own cleanser for extra goodness and it also can be used to remove make up.  As I'm only going to be using it with water in the morning I can't really comment on this, however I did try it once after coming out the shower but there was still make up coming off when I toned so it didn't seem to work very well.  Perhaps the ones with clay or charcoal ones would do the job better.

The sponge should last between 1-3 months depending on use so once it starts looking a bit depleted or damaged it will need replaced.  There is a a string running through the sponge to allow you to hang it up to dry, leaving it in a damp place such as the shower will shorten its lifespan.  When you've finished with it it can be composted, or you can add it into a plant pot and help look after the plant by retaining moisture for it!

I've been using it for a while now and haven't noticed any improvements in my skin - which in general is good, combination but more dry in Winter - but I am enjoying the routine of using the Konjac sponge in the morning as it does leave it feeling nice and clean.

You can get this from LoveLula for £6.99.

<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

WoodWick Trilogy Candle

[via with permission]

I first saw these mentioned in one of Fleur De Force's monthly favourites videos and loved the sound of them so one was immediately added to my birthday list!  

Woodwick, as the name suggests, are different from other candles in that they have a wooden wick rather than the normal stringy ones.  Also when lit the wick gives off a pleasant crackling noise which  I love!  It's so soothing and sounds just like you've got a lovely wood fire burning away in the fireplace.  I've also noticed that when you blow it out it doesn't have that acrid burning smell that you often get - Yankee, I'm looking at you!

The candle I got is a 10oz Trilogy in Winter Forest which combines Enchanted Evergreen, Velvet Woods and Frasier Fir fragrances.  I wanted some sort of Christmassy scent but as I really dislike cinnamon I went for this one which smells just like a real tree which is what we always get!  The morning after burning it I can come into the living room and still smell it subtly lingering in the air, lovely!

Unfortunately I was so excited to burn it when I first got it I didn't take a photo - hence the stock photo - but below are some photos of it in action.  I think another great feature of the candle which isn't shown in the top photo, is that it comes with a smart wooden lid which then doubles as a mat to protect the surface you're burning it on - such a good idea!

In order to get an even burn you need to have it lit for at least 3 hours to let the wax pool reach the side of the jar to stop it from burrowing down unevenly.  Also you must break off the burnt section of the wick before relighting.

The candles are available here: the 10oz ones are £15.99, and you can also get a bigger 22oz one for £22.99.  They also do lots of other home fragrance products including candles called Ribbonwick which I am very intrigued by!

I would definitely buy another one of of these, I just wish I had somewhere local which stocked them so I could smell before buying as they aren't cheap and it would suck to buy one only to find out you don't like it!

<3